# verses

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And there was a walkway in front of them also, and their appearance was like the rooms which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan.


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And corresponding to the doors of the rooms that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walkway, the walkway directly in front of the wall toward the east.


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Then he said to me, The north rooms and the south rooms, which are opposite the separate area, are the holy rooms where the priests who approach Jehovah shall eat the set apart, holy, offerings. There they shall lay the set apart, holy, offerings; the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.


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When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy room into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.


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Now when he had finished measuring the inner house, he brought me out through the gate that faces toward the east, and measured it all around.


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He measured the east side with the measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around.


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He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy from the profane.


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And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.


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It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw; like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.


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And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house.


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And He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.


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When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they have defiled My holy name by the abominations which they have done; therefore I have consumed them in My anger.


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Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.


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Son of man, describe the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern.


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And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the house and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and do them.


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This is the law of the house: The entire region around the mountaintop is set apart, holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.


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These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (the cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the upper part of the altar:


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from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit.


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the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and its steps face toward the east.


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And He said to me, Son of man, thus says the Lord Jehovah: These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it.


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And you shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites (who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to serve Me), says the Lord Jehovah.


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You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it.


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Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and burn it at the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.


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On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats that is whole for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull.


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When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull that is whole, and a ram that is whole from the flock.


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And you shall offer them before Jehovah, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to Jehovah.


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Every day for seven days you shall prepare a he goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both that are whole.


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And when these days are completed, it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you, says the Lord Jehovah.


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Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east. And it was shut.


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And Jehovah said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because Jehovah the God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.


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As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate, and go out the same way.


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Then He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the house; and I looked, and behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah; and I fell on my face.


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And Jehovah said to me, Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of Jehovah and all its laws. Mark well the entrance to the house and all the exits from the sanctuary.


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And say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: O house of Israel, Enough of all your abominations!


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When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it; My house; and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations.


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And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.


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Thus says the Lord Jehovah: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any son of a foreigner who is among the children of Israel.


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And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.


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Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.


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Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to stumble into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand and sworn against them, declares the Lord Jehovah; and they shall bear their iniquity.


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And they shall not come near Me to serve Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Holy of Holies; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have done.


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Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the house, for all its labor, and for all that has to be done in it.


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But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to serve Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord Jehovah.


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They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to serve Me, and they shall keep My charge.


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And it shall be, that whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house.


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They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their loins; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat.


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And when they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy rooms, and put on other garments; and in their own garments they shall not consecrate the people.


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They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; but they shall keep their hair clipped and trimmed.


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They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.


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And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.


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And in a dispute they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My Laws and My statutes in all My appointed times, and they shall consecrate My Sabbaths.


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They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves.


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And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering in the inner court, says the Lord Jehovah.


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It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.


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They shall eat the food offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.


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The first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.


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Moreover, when you divide the land by lot for inheritance, you shall offer a heave offering unto Jehovah, a holy portion of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its borders all around.


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Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space.


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So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; in it shall be the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies.


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It shall be a holy portion of the land for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to serve Jehovah; it shall be a place for their houses and a sacred place for the sanctuary.


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An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house; they shall have twenty rooms as a possession.


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You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, next to the set-apart offerings; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.


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And the prince shall have a portion on both sides of the set-apart offerings and the city's portion; facing the set-apart offerings and the city's portion, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be alongside one of the portions, from the west border to the east border.


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The land shall be his possession in Israel; and My rulers shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes.


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Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Enough, O rulers of Israel! Put away violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people, says the Lord Jehovah.


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The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer.


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The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your maneh.


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This is the offering which you shall offer: one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley.


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The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a bath from a kor. (A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer.)


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And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the watered land of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them, says the Lord Jehovah.


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And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed times of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.


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Thus says the Lord Jehovah: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull that is whole and cleanse the sanctuary.


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And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the house, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner court.


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And thus you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who goes astray and for him who sins in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the house.


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In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.


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And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.


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And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to Jehovah, seven bulls and seven rams that are whole, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.


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And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah.


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In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.


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Thus says the Lord Jehovah: The gate of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.


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And the prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall bow down at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.


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Likewise the people of the land shall bow down at the entrance to this gate before Jehovah on the Sabbaths and the new moons.


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And the burnt offering that the prince offers to Jehovah on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs that are whole, and a ram that is whole;


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and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, as he shall be able to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah.


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On the day of the new moon it shall be a young bull from the herd that is whole, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be ones that are whole.


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And he shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as he is able for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.


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And when the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate, and go out the same way.


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But when the people of the land come before Jehovah on the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to bow down shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate.


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And the prince shall be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out.


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At the feasts and the appointed times the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as he is able to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.


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Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to Jehovah, the gate that faces toward the east shall then be opened to him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.


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You shall daily make a burnt offering to Jehovah of a lamb of the first year that is whole; you shall prepare it morning by morning.


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And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to Jehovah.


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Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a regular burnt offering every morning.


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Thus says the Lord Jehovah: If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.


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But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs.


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Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people's inheritance by evicting them from their possession; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own possession, so that none of My people may be scattered from his possession.


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And He brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy rooms of the priests which face toward the north; and there was a place on the two sides westward.


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And he said to me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court to consecrate the people.


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Then he brought me out to the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, at every corner of the court there was another court.


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At the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size.


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There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and cooking hearths were made under the rows all around.


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And he said to me, These are the kitchens where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifices of the people.


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Then he brought me back to the entrance of the house; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the front of the house faces east; and the water was flowing from under the right side of the house, south of the altar.


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He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.


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And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to the ankles.


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Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to the knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to the waist.


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Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water was too deep; water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.


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And he said to me, Son of man, have you seen this? And he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.


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When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.


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Then he said to me: This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the wilderness, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed.


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And it shall be that every living thing that swarms, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river shall come.


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It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.


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And along the banks of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.


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Thus says the Lord Jehovah: These are the borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.


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And you shall inherit it equally with one another; for I raised My hand and swore to give it to your fathers, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.


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And this shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by the road to Hethlon, as one goes to Zedad,


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Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran).


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Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.


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And on the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and to the Eastern Sea. This is the east side.


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And the south side, toward the south, shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South.


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And the west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.


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And it shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who sojourn among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.


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And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger sojourns, there you shall give him his inheritance, declares the Lord Jehovah.


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Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one portion for Dan from its east to its west side;


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by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the offering which you shall contribute, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west. And the sanctuary shall be in the middle of it.


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The offering that you shall contribute unto Jehovah shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width.


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And this holy offering shall belong to the priests; on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. And the sanctuary of Jehovah shall be in the middle.


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It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are consecrated, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.


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And this contribution of land that is offered shall be to them a thing set apart, holy, by the border of the Levites.


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And next to the border of the priests, the Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand.


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And they shall not sell or change any of it; nor pass through and take away the firstfruit of the land; for it is holy unto Jehovah.


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And the five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for common use by the city, for dwellings and suburbs. And the city shall be in the middle of it.


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These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred.


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And the suburbs of the city shall be to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty.


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And the rest of the length, alongside the offering of the holy portion, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the offering of the holy portion, and its produce shall be for food to those who work in the city.


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The entire offering shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall offer the holy offerings with the possession of the city.


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The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy offering and of the city's possession, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the offering as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy offering, and the sanctuary of the house in the middle.


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Moreover, from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.


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and by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the South, the border shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh, along the river to the Great Sea.


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This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, says the Lord Jehovah.


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(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi;


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and on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan;


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and on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun;


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and on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali.


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All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be, JEHOVAH IS THERE.


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In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.


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And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. And he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.


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And the king spoke to Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials that he should bring some of the sons of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the nobles,


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young men in whom was no blemish, but who were of good appearance and having understanding in all wisdom, having knowledge and understanding science, even those with ability in them to stand in the king's palace; to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.


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And the king appointed for them a daily portion every day, from the king's food, and of the wine which he drank, even to raise them three years, so that at the end of that time they might stand before the king.


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to whom the chief of the officials gave names. For he called Daniel, Belteshazzar; and Hananiah, Shadrach; and Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, Abednego.


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And Daniel determined in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine which he drank. So he asked of the chief of the officials that he might not defile himself.


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And the chief of the officials said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the other boys who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.


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And Daniel said to Melzar, whom the chief of the officials had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,


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Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the boys who eat of the king's food; and as you see fit, do so with your servants.


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And at the end of ten days their appearance looked better and fatter of flesh than all the boys who were eating the king's food.


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As for these four boys, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.


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And at the end of the days that the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the officials brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.


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And the king talked with them. And among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they served before the king.


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And in any matter of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them to be ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his kingdom.


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And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar was dreaming dreams, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.


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And the king commanded to call the magicians, and the conjurers, and the sorcerers and the Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dreams. And they came and stood before the king.


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And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will explain the interpretation.


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The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The command is gone from me. If you will not make known the dream and its interpretation to me, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an outhouse.


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But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive gifts and rewards and great honor from me. Therefore, declare the dream and its interpretation to me.


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They again replied and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will explain its interpretation.


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The king answered and said, I know that you would buy time, because you see that the command is gone from me.


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But if you will not make the dream known to me, there is one law for you. For you have agreed upon lying and deceiving words to speak before me until the time has changed. Therefore, tell me the dream, then I shall know that you have the ability to explain the interpretation to me.


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The Chaldeans replied before the king and said, There is not a man on the earth who can declare the king's matter, because not any king, lord, or ruler has asked such a thing from any magician, or conjurer, or Chaldean.


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And the thing that the king asks is rare. And there is no other who can declare it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.


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Because of all this the king was enraged and angered. And he commanded all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed.


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And the law went out that the wise men should be killed. And they searched for Daniel and his companions, to be killed.


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Then Daniel answered with counsel and discretion to Arioch the chief of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.


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He answered and said to Arioch, the king's officer, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? And Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.


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And Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would give him time, and he would declare to the king the interpretation.


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Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,


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that they might pray for the mercies of God in Heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.


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Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.


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And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings, and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.


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I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known to me what we asked of You. For You have made known to us the king's matter.


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Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said this to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.


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Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and spoke this to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah who will make the interpretation known to the king.


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The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?


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Daniel replied before the king and said, The secret which the king has demanded cannot be declared to the king by the wise men, the conjurers, the magicians, or the fortunetellers.


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But there is a God in Heaven who reveals secrets, and makes known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these:


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As for you, O king, thoughts came to you on your bed, about what should come to pass after this. And He who reveals secrets makes known to you what shall come to pass.


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But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living man, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.


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You, O king, were watching, and behold, a certain great image! This great image stood before you with extraordinary brightness, and its form was dreadful.


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The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,


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You watched until it happened that a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.


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Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were together broken to pieces, and they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away so that they could not be found anywhere. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.


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You O king are a king of kings. For the God of Heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and honor.


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And wherever the sons of men, the animals of the field, and the birds of the sky dwell, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold.


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And in your place shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and another third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.


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And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron. Inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters all things, and like iron that crushes all these, it will break in pieces and crush.


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And whereas you saw the feet and the toes, partly of potters' clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.


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And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken.


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And as you saw the iron mixed with the miry clay, they shall become mixed with the seed of men. But they shall not cleave to one another, even as iron does not fellowship with clay.


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And in the days of these kings, the God of Heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people. It shall break in pieces and bring all these kingdoms to an end, and it shall stand forever.


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Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold in pieces, the Great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass after this. And the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it is sure.


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Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face prostrate before Daniel. And he commanded that they present an offering to him with incense.


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The king answered Daniel and said, Your God truly is a God of gods and a Lord of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.


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Then the king made Daniel great and gave him many great gifts. And he made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.


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And Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gate of the king.


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Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold whose height was sixty cubits; its breadth, six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges and the justices, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.


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Then were gathered the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the justices, and all the officials of the provinces, to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


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that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and prostrate yourselves before the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.


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And whoever does not fall down and prostrate themselves, at that moment they will be thrown into the middle of a burning fiery furnace.


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So at that time when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and languages fell down, prostrating themselves before the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.


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You, O king, have made a decree that every man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and prostrate himself before the golden image.


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And whoever does not fall down and prostrate himself, he should be thrown into the middle of a burning fiery furnace.


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There are certain Jews whom you have set over the administration of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, do not give due regard to you. They do not serve your gods nor prostrate themselves before the golden image which you have set up.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar in anger and wrath commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.


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Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods, nor prostrate yourselves before the golden image which I have set up?


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Now if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, fall down and prostrate yourselves before the image which I have made. But if you do not prostrate yourselves, in that moment you shall be thrown into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who shall deliver you out of my hand?


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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.


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If it is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.


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But even if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor prostrate ourselves before the golden image which you have set up.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usual to heat it.


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And he commanded mighty men of valor from his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to throw them into the burning fiery furnace.


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Then these men were tied up in their coats, their tunics, and their turbans, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.


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Therefore also, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.


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And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was startled. And he rose up in haste; he spoke and said to his counselors, Did we not throw three men bound into the middle of the fire? They replied and said to the king, True, O king.


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He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and there is no harm to them. And the form of the fourth is like the son of a god.


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Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace. He answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire.


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And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered around. And they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power, and the hair of their head was not scorched, nor were their coats changed, nor was there any smell of fire on them.


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Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His Angel and has delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's words, and have given their bodies that they might not serve nor prostrate themselves before any god except their own God.


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Therefore I make a decree; that every people, nation, and language who speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut into pieces and his house shall be made into an outhouse; because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.


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Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and tongues that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.


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How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.


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So I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.


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Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the fortunetellers came in. And I told the dream before them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.


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But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And I told the dream before him, saying,


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O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no secret troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.


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As for the visions of my head on my bed, I was looking, and, behold, a tree was in the middle of the earth. And its height was great.


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The tree became great and strong, and its height reached to the heavens, and it was visible to the ends of all the earth.


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Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit plentiful, and food for all was in it. The beasts of the field sought shade under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.


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I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a watcher, even a holy one, came down from the heavens.


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He cried with might and said this: Cut down the tree and cut off its branches. Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.


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Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.


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Let his heart be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the heart of a beast. And let seven times pass over him.


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This sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the command by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills, and sets up over it the lowest of men.


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I, Nebuchadnezzar, have seen this dream. Now you, O Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known the interpretation to me. But you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.


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Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stunned for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke and said, O Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, may the dream be to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!


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The tree that you saw, which became great and strong, whose height reached to the heavens and was visible to all the earth,


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and its leaves being beautiful, and its fruit plentiful, and food for all being in it, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in its branches the birds of the heavens had their home:


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It is you, O king, for you have become great and strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.


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And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from the heavens, and saying, Cut the tree down, and destroy it. Yet leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field. And let him be wet with the dew of the heavens, and his portion with the beasts of the field, until seven times pass over him.


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This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:


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And you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be fed with grass like oxen. And you shall be wet with dew of the heavens; and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and He gives it to whomever He desires.


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And whereas they commanded to leave the stump and roots of the tree: Your kingdom shall be secure to you after you have come to know that Heaven rules.


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Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you: Even break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; so that perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.


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The king spoke and said, Is this not great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?


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While the word was still in the king's mouth a voice fell from the heavens, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has been taken away from you!


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And you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be fed with grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and that He gives it to whomever He desires.


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That very hour the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven from men, and he ate grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.


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And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to the heavens, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High. And I praised and honored Him who lives forever, whose dominion is an eternal dominion, and His rule from generation to generation.


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And all those living in the earth are counted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among those living in the earth. And no one is able to restrain His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?


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At that time my reason returned to me, and the glory of my kingdom, my majesty, and my splendor returned to me. And my counselors and my nobles sought to me. And I was reestablished in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me.


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Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are truth, and His ways are justice. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.


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Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his nobles. And he drank wine before the thousand.


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While tasting the wine, Belshazzar commanded the golden and silver vessels to be brought, those his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.


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Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God in Jerusalem. And the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.


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They drank wine and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, and of bronze, of iron, wood, and stone.


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At that moment fingers of a man's hand came out and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace across from the lampstand. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.


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Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins shook, and his knees knocked one against the other.


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The king cried aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the fortunetellers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever can read this writing and explain its interpretation shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold around his neck. And he shall rule third in the kingdom.


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Then all the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or make the interpretation known to the king.


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Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed, and his nobles were perplexed.


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The queen came into the banquet house because of the words of the king and his nobles. The queen spoke and said, O king, live forever. Do not let your thoughts terrify you, and do not let your countenance be changed.


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There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom were found in him, like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, your father the king, appointed him master of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and fortunetellers;


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because an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and declaring riddles, and the solving of problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.


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Then Daniel was thrust in before the king. And the king spoke and said to Daniel, Are you that Daniel who is of the sons of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Judah?


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I have even heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and light, and excellent wisdom, and understanding are found in you.


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And now, the wise men and the conjurers have been thrust in before me, so that they might read this writing and make the interpretation known to me. But they were not able to declare the interpretation of the thing.


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And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations, and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make know to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a golden chain around your neck, and you will rule third in the kingdom.


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Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.


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O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor.


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And for the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he desired, and whom he desired he kept alive. And whom he would, he set up; and whom he desired, he put down.


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But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, and they took his glory from him.


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And he was driven from the sons of men. And his heart was made like the animals, and his home was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens, until he knew that the Most High God is Ruler in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He desires.


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But you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of Heaven. And they have brought the vessels of His house before you. And you, and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver, and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, and do not know. And you have not glorified the God in whose hand your life, breath, and all your ways is.


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Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a necklace of gold around his neck. And they made a proclamation concerning him, that he should rule third in the kingdom.


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It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, that they might be over the kingdom.


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And over them were three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, so that the satraps might give account to them, and that the king should have no loss.


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Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king was thinking to set him over all the kingdom.


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Then the presidents and satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom. But they could find no occasion or fault because he was trustworthy. And no error or fault was found in him.


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Then these men said, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the Law of his God.


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Then these presidents and satraps gathered together to the king and said this to him, King Darius, live forever.


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All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects, and the satraps, the officials and the governors, have planned together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except from you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions.


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Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the document, so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.


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And when he had learned that the document was signed, Daniel went to his house. And in his roof room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt on his knees three times a day, and prayed and praised before his God, as he did before.


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Then they came near and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree, saying, Have you not signed a decree that every man who shall ask of any god or man within thirty days, except of you, O king, that he shall be thrown into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is certain, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.


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Then they answered and said before the king, Daniel, who is of the sons of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard to you, O king, or the decree that you have signed, but he makes his petition three times a day.


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Then the king, when he heard these words, was very displeased with himself, and he set his heart on Daniel, to deliver him. And he labored until the going down of the sun to deliver him.


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Then these men met before the king and said to the king, O king, know that the law of the Medes and Persians is that no decree or law which the king establishes may be changed.


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And the king commanded. And they brought Daniel, and they threw him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God whom you serve continually will deliver you.


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And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his nobles, that the matter concerning Daniel might not be changed.


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Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.


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And when he came to the den, he cried with a grieving voice to Daniel. The king spoke and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you always serve, is He able to deliver you from the lions?


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My God has sent His Angel, and He has shut the mouths of the lions. And they have not harmed me, because in His sight innocence was found in me. And also before you, O king, I have done no harm.


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Then the king was exceedingly glad over him. And he commanded to bring up Daniel from the den. And Daniel was brought out of the den, and no harm was found on him, because he trusted in his God.


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And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel. And they threw them into the den of lions, them, their sons and their wives. And the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones before they ever reached the bottom of the den.


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Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, the nations, and the languages who were living in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.


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I make a decree, that in every domain of my kingdom there shall be trembling and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and endures forever, and His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed. And His rule shall be to the end.


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He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, He who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.


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In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main points.


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Daniel spoke and said, In my vision by night I was looking. And, behold, the four winds of the heavens were stirring up the Great Sea.


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The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings. I watched until its wings were plucked off. And it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.


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And, behold, another beast, a second, like a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. And they said this to it, Rise up, devour much flesh.


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After this I was looking, and, behold, another like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird on its back. And also the beast had four heads. And dominion was given to it.


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And after this I was looking in the night visions. And, behold, the fourth beast was frightening and terrifying, and very strong! And it had great iron teeth. It devoured, and broke in pieces, and stamped what was left with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts before it; and it had ten horns.


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I was contemplating the horns. And behold, another little horn came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.


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I watched until the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days sat, whose robe was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like flames of fire, its wheels like burning fire.


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A stream of fire went out and came out from before Him. A thousand thousands served Him, and a vast innumerable number stood before Him. The judgment was set and the books were opened.


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Then I was watching because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke. I was watching until the beast was killed, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning flame.


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As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away. Yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.


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I saw in the night visions. And behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of the heavens. And He came to the Ancient of Days. And they brought Him near before Him.


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And dominion was given to Him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.


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And I came near one of those who stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things.


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But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.


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Then I wanted to know the truth of the fourth beast, which was different from all of the others, very frightening, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze; which devoured and broke in pieces, and trampled what was left with its feet,


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also of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.


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until the Ancient of Days came. And judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.


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And he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall trample it down and break it in pieces.


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And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings; they shall rise, and another shall rise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall abase three kings.


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And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall continually harass the saints of the Most High. And he shall intend to change times and law. And they shall be given into his hand for a period of a time and times and one half time.


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But the court shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy until the end.


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And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.


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Thus far is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me much, and my countenance changed in me. But I kept the matter in my heart.


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In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me the first time.


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And I saw in the vision, and it happened when I looked that I was at Shushan, the palace, which is in the province of Elam. And in the vision I saw that I was by the Ulai River.


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Then I lifted up my eyes and looked. And behold, a ram was standing before the river, having horns. And the horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.


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I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward, so that no beasts could stand before him, and no one could deliver out of his hand. But he did according to his will and became great.


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And as I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west, over the face of the whole earth and did not touch the ground. And the he goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.


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And he came to the ram with the horns which I had seen standing before the river, and ran at him with furious power.


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And I saw him come close to the ram. And he was enraged against him. And he struck the ram and broke his two horns. And there was no power in the ram to stand before him. But he threw him down to the ground and trampled him. And there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.


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Then the male goat became very great. And when he became strong, the great horn was broken. And in its place came up four conspicuous ones toward the four winds of the heavens.


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And out of one of them came a little horn which became very great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beautiful land.


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And it became great, even to the host of the heavens. And it caused some of the host and of the stars to fall to the ground, and trampled them.


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He magnified himself even to the Prince of the host. And the regular sacrifice was taken away by him, and the foundation of His sanctuary was cast down.


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And a host was assigned to him against the regular sacrifice because of transgression. And he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.


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Then I heard a certain holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, For how long is the vision, concerning the regular sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to permit both the holy place and the host to be trampled?


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And he said to me, For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be put right.


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And it happened when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought the understanding, that behold, one having the appearance of a man stood before me.


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And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, and he called and said, Gabriel, make this one understand the vision.


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And he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was afraid and fell on my face. But he said to me, O son of man, understand that the vision is about the time of the end.


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And while he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face toward the ground. But he touched me, and stood me upright.


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And he said, Behold, I will make you know what shall happen at the time of the end of the indignation. For at the appointed time the end will come.


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And as for that which was broken, and four stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in its power.


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And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king shall stand forth, having fierce countenance and understanding sinister schemes.


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And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. And he shall destroy extraordinarily, and he shall prosper, and work, and destroy the mighty and the holy people.


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And also through his cunning he will cause deceit to prosper in his hand. And he will magnify himself in his heart, and through prosperity shall destroy many. He shall also stand up against the Ruler of rulers, but he shall be broken in pieces without hands.


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And the morning and evening vision that was told is true. But you shall close up the vision, for it is yet for many days.


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And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days. Afterward, I got up and did the king's business. And I was astonished at the vision, but did not understand it.


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In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,


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in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood the number of the years by the books, from the Word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.


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And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.


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And I prayed to Jehovah my God, and made my confession, saying, O Lord, the great and awesome Mighty God, keeping the covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,


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we have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments.


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And we have not heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our rulers, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.


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O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us the shame of face, as it is this day to the men of Judah, and to those living in Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near and who are afar in all the lands where You have driven them for their unfaithfulness which they have trespassed against You.


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O Lord, shame of face belongs to us, to our kings, to our rulers and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You.


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We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws which he set before us by His servants the prophets.


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Yea, all Israel has transgressed Your Law and turned aside so as not to obey Your voice. For this reason the curse has poured out on us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.


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And He has confirmed His Words which He spoke against us, and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil. For under the whole heavens it has never been done as has been done to Jerusalem.


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As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come on us. Yet we did not make our prayer before Jehovah our God that we might turn from our depravities and understand Your truth.


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And Jehovah has looked on the evil and has brought it upon us. For Jehovah our God is righteous in all His works which He does. For we did not obey His voice.


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And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made for Yourself a name, as it is this day; we have sinned; we have done wickedly.


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O Lord, I pray, according to all Your righteousness, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. For because of our sins and for our fathers' iniquities, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.


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And now, hear, O our God, the prayer of Your servant and his supplications, and cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the sake of the Lord.


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O my God, bow down Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name. For we do not make our supplications before You on account of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercies.


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O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give attention and act! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God. For Your city and Your people are called by Your name.


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And while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and prostrating with my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God,


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and while I was speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, reached me as I was weary and faint, about the time of the evening sacrifice.


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And he informed me and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill in understanding.


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At the beginning of your prayers the word came forth, and I have come to explain it. For you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter and understand the vision:


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Seventy weeks are decreed regarding your people, and regarding your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.


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Know, therefore, and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of distress.


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And after sixty two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of a coming ruler shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end shall be with a flood, and desolations are determined, and there shall be war until the end.


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And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the grain offering to cease. And on a corner will be abominations that cause horror, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured out on the desolate.


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In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a word was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. And the word was true, but the appointed time was long. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.


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I ate no pleasant food, and no flesh or wine came into my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until three whole weeks were fulfilled.


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And in the twenty fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Tigris,


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then I lifted up my eyes and looked: And behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold from Uphaz.


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His body was also like the beryl, and his face looked like lightning. And his eyes were like torches of fire; and his arms and his feet in color like polished bronze; and the sound of his words was like the sound of a multitude.


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And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision. For the men who were with me did not see the vision. But a great trembling fell on them so that they fled to hide themselves.


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Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me. For my glory was turned within me into corruption, and I had no strength.


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Yet I heard the sound of his words. And when I heard the sound of his words, then I was on my face, in a deep sleep, and my face was toward the ground.


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And he said to me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you and stand up, for I am now sent to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood, trembling.


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And he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel. For from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come because of your words.


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But the ruler of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But, lo, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me; for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.


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Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is yet for many days.


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And, behold, one resembling the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who stood before me, O my lord, my distress has overwhelmed me because of the vision, and I have no strength left.


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For how can this servant of my lord speak with you my lord? For as for me, there is no strength left in me; nor is there breath left in me.


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And he said, O man greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace to you. Be strong. Yea, be strong! And when he had spoken to me I was strengthened. And I said, Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.


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And he said, Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight with the ruler of Persia. And when I have gone out, then indeed, the ruler of Greece shall come.


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But I will tell you what is written in the Scripture of Truth. (And no one holds strong with me in these things, except Michael your ruler.


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And now I will declare the truth to you: Behold, three more kings shall stand up in Persia; and the fourth shall be rich in all greater riches. And when he is strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.


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And when he stands up his kingdom shall be broken in pieces and shall be divided to the four winds of the heavens, and not to his posterity, nor according to his authority with which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be plucked up and given to others besides these.


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And the king of the south shall be strong. And one of his rulers, even he will gain strength over him, and he will rule. His dominion shall be a great dominion.


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And at the end of years they shall join together, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the power of the arm. And he will not stand, nor his arm. But she and those who brought her shall be given up, as well as the one who begot her and who supported her in these times.


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But out of the shoots of her roots one will stand in his place, and he shall come with an army and will enter into the fortress of the king of the north. And he will act against them and prevail.


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And he will also bring their gods with their cast images, along with their possessions of silver and gold vessels, into captivity to Egypt. And he will continue more years than the king of the north.


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But his sons shall be stirred up and shall gather a multitude of great forces. And one certainly shall come and overflow and pass through. And he will return to his fortress and be stirred up.


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And the king of the south will be bitter and will go out and fight with him, with the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand.


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And when he has carried away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up. And he will cause a vast innumerable number to fall, but he will not prevail.


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For the king of the north shall return and raise a greater multitude than the former. And at the end of some years, he shall come to attack with a great army and with much equipment.


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And in those times many shall stand up against the king of the south. And the sons of the violent ones of your people shall rise up to fulfill the vision, but they shall stumble.


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So the king of the north shall come and build up a siege mound and seize a fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, nor his choice people, for there will be no strength to resist.


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But he who comes against him will do as he desires, and no one shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand.


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And he shall set his face to go in with the might of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give the daughter of women to him, to destroy it. But she shall not stand, nor be for him.


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After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many. But a ruler shall make his reproach cease for him, but his reproach shall return to him.


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And he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and not be found.


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Then one who imposes taxes shall stand in his place, in the glorious kingdom. But within a few days he will be broken in pieces, but not in anger nor in battle.


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And a vile person shall stand up in his place, and they shall not give to him the honor as king. But he shall come in with quietness and obtain the kingdom by intrigues.


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And with the forces of the overflow they shall be swept from before him, and be broken, and also the ruler of the covenant.


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And after they join themselves to him, he will practice deceit; for he shall come and shall be strong with a few people.


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He will go in peaceably, even into the rich places of the province. And he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers. He shall plunder and spoil and scatter goods among them. And he shall devise his plots against the strongholds, even for a time.


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And he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south will be stirred up to battle with a great and very mighty army. But he shall not stand, for they will devise plots against him.


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Yea, those who eat his food shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow. And many will fall down slain.


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And both of these kings shall have it in their hearts to do evil, and they will speak lies at one table. But it will not prosper, for the end shall still be at the appointed time.


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And he will return to his land with great wealth. And his heart shall be against the holy covenant. And he will act, and he shall return to his own land.


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At the appointed time he will return and come against the south. But it will not be as the former or as the latter.


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For ships from Kittim will come against him. And he will be grieved and return and be furious against the holy covenant. And he will act, and he will return and give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant.


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And forces will stand for him, and they will profane the sanctuary fortress. And they shall remove the regular sacrifice, and they will place there the abomination that causes horror.


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And he will corrupt with flatteries those who act wickedly against the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will work.


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And those who understand among the people will instruct many. Yet they will stumble by the sword and by flame, by captivity and spoils for many days.


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And when they shall stumble, they will be helped with a little help. But many will join them with hypocrisy.


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And some of those who understand shall stumble, to refine and to purge them, and to make them white, unto the time of the end; for it is yet for the appointed time.


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And the king shall do according to his own will. And he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god; he shall even speak extraordinary things against the Mighty God of gods and shall prosper until the indignation is complete. For that which is decreed shall be done.


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He shall not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women; nor regard any god. For he shall magnify himself above them all.


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But in his place he shall honor the god of fortresses, and he shall honor a god whom his fathers did not know, with gold and silver and with precious stones, and desirable things.


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And he shall act in the strongholds of the fortresses with a foreign god, whom he shall acknowledge. He shall multiply in glory, and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the land for gain.


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And at the time of the end, the king of the south will push against him. And the king of the north shall come against him like a tempest, with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships. And he shall go into the lands and shall overflow and pass through.


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And he shall enter into the glorious land, and many will stumble. But these shall escape out of his hand: Edom and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon.


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But he will rule over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.


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But news from the east and from the north shall trouble him. And he will go out with great fury to utterly destroy and annihilate many.


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And he shall plant his palace tents between the seas, in the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.


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And at that time, Michael shall stand up, the great ruler who stands for the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of distress, such as has not been since there was a nation until that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the Book.


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And many of those sleeping in the earth's dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting abhorrence.


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And the prudent shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever.


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But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.


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And I, Daniel, looked. And behold, two others stood there, the one on this side, and one on that side of the river's edge.


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And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was on the waters of the river, How long will it be until the end of these wonders?


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And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was on the waters of the river, when he held up his right and his left hand to the heavens and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and a half. And when they have made an end of scattering the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.


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And I heard, but I did not understand. And I said, O my lord, what shall be the end of these things?


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Many shall be purified and made white and tested, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.


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And from the time the regular sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that causes horror is set up, there shall be one thousand, two hundred and ninety days.


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But you, go on to the end, for you shall rest and stand for your inheritance at the end of the days.


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The Word of Jehovah that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel.


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The beginning of the Word of Jehovah by Hosea. And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go, take to yourself a wife of prostitution, and children of prostitution. For the land has committed adultery against Jehovah with great harlotry.


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And Jehovah said to him, Call his name Jezreel, for yet in a little while I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.


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And she conceived again and bore a daughter. And He said to him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.


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Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah and will save them by Jehovah their God. And I will not save them by bow nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.


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Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, it shall be said to them, you are Sons of the Living God.


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And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and shall appoint over themselves one head. And they shall go up out of the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.


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Strive! Contend with your mother, for she is not My wife, nor am I her husband. Therefore, let her put away her harlotries from her presence, and her adulteries from between her breasts,


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lest I strip her naked and set her out as in the day that she was born, and make her as the wilderness, and make her like a dry land, and kill her with thirst.


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For their mother has prostituted herself; she who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, I will go after my lovers who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.


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Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and I will close off her wall, so that she shall not find her paths.


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And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not reach to them. And she shall seek them, but shall not find them. Then she shall say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.


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For she did not know that I gave her grain and wine and oil, and I multiplied her silver and the gold which they prepared for Baal.


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Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time, and My wine in its season. And I will take back My wool and My linen given to cover her nakedness.


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And now I will uncover her lewdness in the eyes of her lovers, and no man shall deliver her out of My hand.


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I will also put an end to all her joy, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.


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And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, of which she has said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me. And I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.


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And I will visit upon her the days of the Baals in which she burned incense to them. She even adorned herself with her nose rings, and her jewels, and she went after her lovers and forgot Me, says Jehovah.


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And from there I will give her vineyards to her, and the Valley of Achor for a door of hope. And she shall respond there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.


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And in that day, says Jehovah, you shall call Me, My Husband; and you shall no more call Me, My Master.


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For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth; and they shall no more be remembered by their name.


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And in that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow and the sword, and the battle out of the earth, and I will make them lie down safely.


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And I will betroth you to Me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in justice, and in kindness, and in compassion.


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And it shall come to pass in that day that I will answer, says Jehovah. I will answer the heavens, and they shall respond to the earth.


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And I will sow her unto Me in the earth. And I will have mercy on No Mercy. And I will say to those who were Not My People, You are My people! And they shall say, You are My God!


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And Jehovah said to me, Go again, love a woman loved by a companion, yet an adulteress, like the love of Jehovah toward the sons of Israel, who turn to other gods and love raisin cakes of grapes.


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And I said to her, You shall stay with me many days. You shall not be a harlot, nor be with another man, and I also will be for you.


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For the sons of Israel shall remain many days without king or ruler, and without sacrifice, and without pillars, and without ephod or teraphim.


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Afterward the sons of Israel shall return and seek Jehovah their God and David their king. And they shall fear Jehovah and His goodness in the latter days.


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Hear the Word of Jehovah, you sons of Israel, for Jehovah has a complaint against the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.


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Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and the committing of adultery burst forth. And blood touches against blood.


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On account of this the land shall mourn, and every one living there shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yes, even the fish of the sea shall be taken away.


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Yet let no man strive with nor reprove another man. For your people are like those who strive with a priest.


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Therefore you shall stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with you at night, and I will destroy your mother.


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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest to Me. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your sons.


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And it shall be: Like people, like priest. And I will visit their ways upon them and repay them for their deeds.


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For they shall eat and not have enough. They shall commit fornication and not bring forth, because they have ceased to take heed to Jehovah.


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My people seek advice from their wooden idols, and their magic wand expounds to them. For the spirit of harlotry has led them astray, and they have committed adultery against their God.


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They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinth, because their shade is good. On account of this, your daughters shall prostitute themselves, and your brides shall commit adultery.


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I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your brides when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go aside with harlots, and they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. Therefore the people who do not understand will be thrust down.


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Israel, though you commit fornication, do not let Judah become guilty. And do not come to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As Jehovah lives.


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Their drink is rebellion. They are continually committing fornication. Her defenders dearly love disgrace.


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Hear this, O priests, and pay attention, O house of Israel. And give ear, O house of the king. For judgment is toward you, because you have been a snare to Mizpah, and a net spread on Tabor.


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I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now, O Ephraim, you have committed harlotry; Israel is defiled.


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They do not devote their doings to turn back to their God. For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know Jehovah.


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And the pride of Israel testifies to his face. Therefore Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in their iniquity. Judah shall also stumble with them.


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They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah, but they shall not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.


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They have dealt treacherously against Jehovah, for they have brought forth strange sons. Now a new moon shall devour them with their heritage.


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Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel I have made known that which is sure.


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Ephraim is oppressed and crushed in judgment, because he has willingly walked, keeping back from the commandments.


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When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to King Jareb. Yet he could not heal you, nor did he cure you of your wound.


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For I am to Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, tear and go away; I take away, and no one rescues.


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I will go and return to My place until they confess their guilt and seek My face. In their affliction they will seek Me earnestly.


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Come, and let us return to Jehovah. For He has torn, and He will heal us. He has stricken, and He will bind us up.


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After two days He will restore us to life. In the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His presence.


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Then we shall know, we who follow on to know Jehovah. His going forth is established as the dawn. And He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain to the earth.


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O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your goodness is like a morning cloud, and it goes away like the early dew.


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Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the Words of My mouth; and your judgments are as the light that goes forth.


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But, like Adam, they have transgressed the covenant; they have dealt treacherously against Me there.


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And as bands of robbers lie in wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way, getting an early start at it; for they plot wickedness.


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I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the harlotry of Ephraim; Israel is defiled.


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When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria. For they have dealt falsely; and a thief comes; a troop of robbers plunders outside.


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And they do not consider within their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their own doings have surrounded them. They are before My face.


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They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker; he ceases from stirring after kneading the dough until it is leavened.


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In the day of our king, the rulers have made themselves sick, inflamed with wine. He stretches out his hand with scorners.


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For they have prepared their heart like an oven, while they lie in wait. Their baker sleeps all night; in the morning it burns like a flaming fire.


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They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges. All their kings have fallen; not one among them calls unto Me.


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Strangers have eaten up his strength, yet he does not know it. Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled here and there on him, yet he does not know it.


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And the pride of Israel testifies to his face. And they do not return to Jehovah their God, nor seek Him for all this.


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When they go, I will spread My net upon them; I will bring them down like the birds of the heavens; I will chastise them, according to the report their congregation heard.


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Woe to them! For they have fled from Me. Ruin to them! For they have transgressed against Me. Though I redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against Me.


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And they have not cried to Me with their heart, when they wailed on their beds. They assemble themselves for grain and wine; they turn aside from Me.


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They return, but not to the Most High. They are like a treacherous bow. Their rulers shall fall by the sword from the rage of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.


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Put the shofar to your mouth. He comes like an eagle against the house of Jehovah, because they have transgressed My covenant and have rebelled against My Law.


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They have set up kings, but not by Me. They have made rulers, but I did not acknowledge it. They made idols for themselves with their silver and their gold, so that they may be cut off.


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O Samaria, your calf has cast you off. My anger is kindled against them. How long until they attain to innocence?


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For it was also from Israel: The craftsman made it, but it is not God. But the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.


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For they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind. It has no stalk; the bud shall yield no flour. If it should happen to produce, strangers will swallow it up.


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Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now I will gather them; and they shall begin to be few, because of the burden of the king of rulers.


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They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of My offerings, and they eat; but Jehovah does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt.


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For Israel has forgotten his Maker, and builds temples. And Judah has multiplied fortified cities. But I will send a fire on his cities, and it shall burn up his palaces.


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O Israel, do not rejoice for joy, like the peoples. For you have committed adultery against your God. You have loved for hire on every grain threshing floor.


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They shall not live in the land of Jehovah. But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.


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They shall not offer wine to Jehovah; they shall not be pleasing to Him. Their sacrifices shall be like the bread of sorrows to them; all who eat it shall be defiled, for their bread for their life shall not come into the house of Jehovah.


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For, lo, they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up; Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their valuables of silver; thorns shall be in their tents.


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The days of visitation have come; the days of retribution have come. Israel shall know. The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and your great hatred.


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The watchman of Ephraim is with my God, but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways; hatred is in the house of his God.


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They have deeply corrupted, as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins.


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I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor and set themselves apart to that shameful thing. And they became an abomination like that which they loved.


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The glory of Ephraim shall fly away like a bird; from birth, and from the womb, and from conception.


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Though they raise their sons, yet I will make them childless, until not a man is left. Yea, woe also to them when I turn away from them!


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As I watched Tyre, Ephraim was planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim shall lead out his sons to the slayer.


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All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them. I will drive them out of My house because of the wickedness of their doings, I will love them no more; all their rulers are rebellious.


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Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit. Yea, though they bear, yet I will kill the beloved ones of their womb.


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My God shall cast them away because they did not give heed to Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.


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Israel empties his vine; he bears fruit for himself. According to the abundance of his fruit he has increased the altars. They have made beautiful images according to the goodness of his land.


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Their heart is divided. Now they shall be found guilty. He will break down their altars; He will destroy their images.


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For now they shall say, We have no king, because we did not fear Jehovah. What then should a king do for us?


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They have spoken words, swearing vanity in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.


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The inhabitants of Samaria shall dread because of the calves of Beth-aven. For its people shall mourn over it; also its priests shall tremble over it, over its glory, because it has departed from it.


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It shall also be carried to Assyria, as a present to King Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.


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Also, the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle shall grow up over their altars. And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us!


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O Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah. There they stood. The battle against the sons of iniquity did not overtake them in Gibeah.


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When it is My desire, I shall chasten them; and the peoples shall be gathered against them, when they bind themselves to their two transgressions.


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And Ephraim is a trained heifer, loving to tread grain. But I passed over her fair neck; I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow; Jacob shall break clods for him.


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Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in kindness. Break up your fallow ground. For it is time to seek Jehovah, until He comes and rains righteousness on you.


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You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.


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Therefore an uproar shall rise up among your people. And all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle. The mother was dashed in pieces upon her sons.


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Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness. At dawn, the king of Israel shall be completely cut off.


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As they called to them, so they went from them. They sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to graven images.


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I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love. And I was to them as those who lift off the yoke from their jaws; and I held out food to them.


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He shall not return to the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to come back.


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And the sword shall whirl about in his cities, and shall bring to an end his isolated districts, and shall consume them, because of their own counsels.


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And My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, no one at all exalts Him.


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How shall I give you up, Ephraim? Shall I deliver you up, Israel? How shall I make you like Admah? Shall I set you as Zeboim? My heart churns within Me; My compassions are kindled together.


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I will not execute My burning anger; I will not return to destroy Ephraim. For I am the Mighty God, and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. And I will not enter into the city with terror.


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They shall walk after Jehovah; He shall roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall tremble from the west.


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They shall tremble as a bird from Egypt, and as a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will make them live in their houses, says Jehovah.


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Ephraim circles around Me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful with the saints.


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Ephraim feeds on wind, and follows after the east wind; all the day he multiplies lies and ruin. And they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt.


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Jehovah also has a quarrel with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds.


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Yes, he wept and pleaded with Him, and he contended with the Angel and prevailed. He found Him at Bethel, and He spoke with us there,


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And Ephraim said, I am rich; I have found much wealth for myself. In all my labors they shall find no iniquity in me that is sin.


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But I am Jehovah your God ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you live in tents, as in the days of the appointed feasts.


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I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and used parables by the hand of the prophets.


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Is Gilead evil? Surely they are vanity. They sacrificed bulls in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the field.


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Ephraim has provoked Him to anger most bitterly. Therefore He shall leave the guilt of his blood upon him, and his Lord shall return his reproach unto him.


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When Ephraim spoke, trembling, he was lifted up in Israel. But when he trespassed through Baal, he died.


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And now they sin more and more, and they have made themselves molten images of their silver, idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.


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Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passes away, as chaff driven from the threshing floor by the storm, and as smoke out of the chimney.


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Yet I am Jehovah your God, ever since the land of Egypt; and you shall know no other gods but Me. For there is no Savior besides Me.


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When they had pasture, they were filled. They were filled, and their heart was exalted. Therefore they have forgotten Me.


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I will meet them like a bereaved bear, and I will tear open the carcass to their heart; and like a lion, I will devour them there; the beasts of the field shall tear them.


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Where is your king now, that he may save you in all your cities? And where are your judges to whom you said, Give to me a king and rulers?


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The pangs of a woman giving birth shall come upon him; he is an unwise son, for he does not stay long where children are born.


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I will ransom them from the hand of Sheol; I will redeem them from death. O death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction? Sorrow is hidden from My eyes.


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Though he is fruitful among brothers, an east wind shall come. The wind of Jehovah shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall be disappointed because his fountain shall be dried up. He shall plunder the treasure of all desirable vessels.


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Samaria is held guilty, for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped open.


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Take words with you and return to Jehovah. Say to Him, Take away all iniquity and receive us with grace, that we may repay with the calves of our lips.


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Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses. We shall not say any more to the work of our hands, You are our gods! For in You the fatherless finds mercy.


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I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily and thrust forth his roots like Lebanon.


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His branches shall spread out, and his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his scent as Lebanon.


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They who live under his shadow shall return; they shall live like the grain, and blossom like the vine; their remembrance shall be as the wine of Lebanon.


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Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard and observed him. I am as a green cypress tree; your fruit is found in Me.


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Who is wise and discerns these things? Who is discerning and knows them? For the ways of Jehovah are right, and the righteous shall walk in them; but transgressors shall stumble in them.


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Hear this, you old men, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. Has this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?


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What was left by the chewing locust, the swarming locust ate; and that left by the swarming locust, the locust larvae ate; and that left by the locust larvae, the consuming locust ate.


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Awake, you drunkards, and weep. And wail, all you wine drinkers, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.


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For a nation has come up against my land, strong and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness.


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He has made My vine desolation, and he has splintered My fig tree. He has stripped it bare, and thrown it down; its branches grow white.


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The food offering and the drink offering have been cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, Jehovah's ministers, mourn.


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The field is wasted; the land mourns, for the grain is wasted. The new wine is dried up, the oil tree droops.


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Be dried up, you farmers, howl, you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field has perished.


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The vine is dried up and the fig tree droops, the pomegranate, and the palm tree, and the apple tree; all the trees of the field are dried up, because joy has dried up from the sons of men.


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Gird yourselves and lament, you priests. Howl, you ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who serve my God. For the food offering and the drink offering are held back from the house of your God.


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Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders, all the inhabitants of the land, into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry unto Jehovah.


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Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand. And it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.


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The seed shrivels under their clods; the storehouses are laid waste, the granaries are broken down, for the grain has dried up.


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How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.


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O Jehovah, to You I will cry, for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and has burned all the trees of the field.


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The beasts of the field also pant after You, for the rivers of water are dried up, and the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.


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Blow the shofar in Zion, and shout an alarm in My holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of Jehovah approaches, it is near;


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a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawn spread out on the mountains, a great and a strong people. There has never been the like, nor shall there ever be again to the years of many generations;


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a fire devours before them, and a flame burns behind them. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them is a desolate wilderness; yea, also nothing shall escape them.


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They leap on the tops of the mountains with a sound like chariots, like the sound of flames of fire that devour the chaff, as a strong people set in battle array.


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They run like mighty ones; they go up the wall as men of war. And they each go on his way, and they do not break ranks.


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And each does not press his brother; they each go in their own paths. And if they fall behind their weapon, they are not cut off.


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They run to and fro in the city; they run on the wall; they climb up on the houses; they enter in by the windows, like a thief.


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The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars withdraw their brightness.


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And Jehovah gives His voice before His army, for His camp is very great. For he who does His Word is strong. For the day of Jehovah is very great and terrifying, and who can endure it?


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Yet even now turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, declares Jehovah.


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So, tear your heart, and not your garments; and return to Jehovah your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He has compassion concerning the evil.


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Who knows if He will turn and have pity and leave a blessing behind Him, a food offering and a drink offering for Jehovah your God?


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Gather the people, consecrate the assembly, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his chamber, and the bride out of her room.


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Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them say, Have compassion on Your people, O Jehovah, and do not give Your possession to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?


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Yea, Jehovah will answer and say to His people, Behold, I will send you grain, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied with it. And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.


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But I will remove the northern army far from you, and I will drive him into a dry and desolate land with his face toward the eastern sea, and his back toward the western sea. And his stench shall come up, and his foul odor shall rise, because he did things to magnify himself.


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Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness grow green, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and the vine yield their strength.


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Be glad then, you sons of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. For He has given to you the early rain according to righteousness, and He will cause the rain to come down for you, the early rain and the latter rain in the first month.


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And I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the locust larvae, and the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.


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And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied; and you shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be be put to shame.


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And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is no other. And My people shall never be put to shame.


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And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.


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The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Jehovah.


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And it shall be, that whoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall escape. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Jehovah has said, and among the survivors whom Jehovah shall call.


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For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I bring back again the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,


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I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of My people and My possession, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and divided up My land.


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And they have cast lots for My people. And have given a boy as payment for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.


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And also, what are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will you restore a recompense to Me? And if you are dealing out to Me, I will return your dealings upon your own head, swiftly, speedily,


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because you have taken My silver and My gold and have carried My desirable good things to your temples.


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You have also sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, that you might remove them far from their borders.


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Behold, I will arouse them from the place where you have sold them, and will return your dealings upon your own head.


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And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far off. For Jehovah has spoken.


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Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate a war; wake up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near; let them come up.


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Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, I am strong.


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Assemble yourselves and come, all you nations; and gather yourselves together all around. O Jehovah, bring down Your mighty ones.


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Let the nations be awakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the nations all around.


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Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down, for the press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.


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Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.


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Jehovah roars from Zion, and He utters His voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth quake. But Jehovah is a refuge for His people and a fortress to the sons of Israel.


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And you shall know that I am Jehovah your God dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and foreigners shall no more pass through her.


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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drip with new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the ravines of Judah shall flow with waters. And a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and it shall water the valley of Shittim.


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Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they poured out in their land.


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The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.


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And he said: Jehovah will roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. And the pastures of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall dry up.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.


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I will also break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden. And the people of Syria shall go captive to Kir, says Jehovah.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for they took captive all the captives to deliver them up to prison in Edom.


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And I will cut off the inhabitants of Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn My hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, says the Lord Jehovah.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for they delivered up all the captives to Edom and did not remember the covenant of brothers.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for he pursued his brother with the sword, and dealt corruptly regarding mercy, and his anger tore continually, and he kept his wrath forever.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they might make their border larger.


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But I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah, which shall devour its palaces, with a war cry in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the windstorm.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.


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But I will send a fire against Moab, which shall devour the palaces of Kerioth. And Moab shall die with uproar, with a war cry, and with the sound of the shofar.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it; for they despised the Law of Jehovah, and they have not kept His statutes. And their lies after which their fathers walked led them astray.


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Thus says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn back from punishing it, for they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.


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They pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the helpless, and thrust aside the way of the afflicted. And a man and his father go in to the same girl, in order to profane My holy name.


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And they lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and drink the wine of those being punished in the house of their God.


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Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath.


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Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you in the wilderness forty years, to possess the land of the Amorite.


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And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is this not even so, O sons of Israel? declares Jehovah.


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Therefore flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his power, nor shall the mighty deliver his life,


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and he who handles the bow shall not stand, and the swift of foot shall not escape, nor shall the one riding a horse deliver his soul.


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Hear this Word that Jehovah has spoken against you, O sons of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:


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You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.


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Will a lion roar in the forest when there is no prey for him? Will a young lion cry out of his den unless he has caught something?


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Will a bird fall into a trap on the ground, where there is no bait for it? Will a trap spring up from the ground, and it has caught nothing at all?


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If a shofar is blown in a city, will the people not also tremble? If there is calamity in a city, will not even Jehovah have done it?


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Proclaim in the palaces in Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Gather yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see great tumults in its midst, and oppressions in its midst.


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For they do not know to do right, declares Jehovah, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.


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Therefore the Lord Jehovah says this: An enemy shall be all around the land. And he shall bring down your strength from you, and your fortresses shall be plundered.


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Thus says Jehovah, As the shepherd snatches two legs out of the mouth of the lion, or a piece of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be snatched, those who dwell in Samaria in a corner of a bed, and in Damascus on a couch.


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For in the day that I punish the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also attend to the altars of Bethel. And the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.


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And I will strike the winter house along with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end, declares Jehovah.


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Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, Bring in, that we may drink.


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The Lord Jehovah has sworn by His holiness that the days are coming that He will carry you away with meat hooks, and the last of you with fishhooks.


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And you shall go out at the breaches, each woman before her; and you shall be cast into the high fortress, declares Jehovah.


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Come to Bethel and transgress; multiply transgression at Gilgal; and bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every third year;


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and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven; cry out, call out the free-will offerings! For so you love to do, O sons of Israel, declares the Lord Jehovah.


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And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; and you have not returned to Me, declares Jehovah.


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And I have also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest. And I caused rain to fall on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One parcel of land was rained on, and the parcel where it did not rain was dried up.


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So two or three cities staggered to one city in order to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you have not returned to Me, declares Jehovah.


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I have struck you with blasting and mildew. When your gardens and your vineyards, and your figs, and your olives increased, the locust devoured them; yet you have not returned to Me, declares Jehovah.


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I have sent a plague among you in the manner of Egypt; I have killed your young men with the sword, along with your captive horses. And I have made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me, declares Jehovah.


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I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked out of the burning; yet you have not returned to Me, declares Jehovah.


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Therefore I will do this to you, O Israel: Because of this that I will do to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.


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For, behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what his thought is, He who makes the dawn darkness, and treads on the high places of the earth; Jehovah the God of Hosts, is His name.


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The virgin of Israel has fallen, and will not rise again; she lies forsaken on her land; there is no one to raise her up.


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For thus says the Lord Jehovah, The city that goes out by a thousand shall have a hundred left. And that which goes out by a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.


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But do not seek Bethel, and do not enter Gilgal, and do not cross over to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall be exiled into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.


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Seek Jehovah, and live, that He not break out like a fire on the house of Joseph, and consume it, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel;


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He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the deep darkness into morning, and darkens the day into night; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, Jehovah is His name;


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So, therefore because you trample on the poor, and you take tribute of grain from him; you have built houses of hewn stones, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted desirable vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them.


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For I know your many transgressions, and your many sins: afflicting the just, taking bribes, and thrusting away the poor from justice in the gate.


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Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and thus Jehovah the God of Hosts shall be with you, as you have spoken.


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Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate. It may be that Jehovah the God of Hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.


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Therefore Jehovah the God of Hosts, the Lord, says this: There shall be wailing in all the streets, and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! Alas! And they shall call the farmer to the mourning, and those that are skilled in wailing to lamentation.


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Woe to those who desire the day of Jehovah! Of what good is this to you? The day of Jehovah is darkness, and not light.


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It is as if a man fled before a lion, and a bear met him. Or he goes into the house and leans his hand against the wall, and a snake bites him.


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Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not be pleased; nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.


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Have you drawn near with sacrifices and food offerings to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?


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Indeed, you have borne the tabernacle of your king, and Chiun your images, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves!


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Woe to those at ease in Zion, and those trusting in the mountain of Samaria, noted as chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came.


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Cross over to Calneh and see; and from there go to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or their border than your border?


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who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves on their couches; and those eating the lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the stall;


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who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the best of ointments; but they are not grieved for the crushing of Joseph!


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Therefore they shall go into captivity with the first of the captives, and the feast of those who recline shall come to an end.


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The Lord Jehovah has sworn by Himself, declares Jehovah the God of Hosts: I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore I will deliver up the city and its fullness.


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And when a man's uncle shall take him away, and he who burns the bodies, to bring out the bones from the house; and he shall say to the one left in the recesses of the house, Are there any still with you? And he shall say, No. Then he shall say, Keep quiet! For we must not mention the name of Jehovah.


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For, behold, Jehovah gives a command, and He will strike the great house into pieces, and the little house with cracks.


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Shall horses run on the rock? Or will one plow there with oxen? For you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,


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For, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel, declares Jehovah the God of Hosts. And they shall oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the valley of the wilderness.


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The Lord Jehovah showed me this: And, behold, He formed locusts at the beginning of the after growth; indeed, the after growth after the mowings of the king.


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And so it was that when they had made an end of eating the vegetation of the land, then I said, Lord Jehovah, I pray, forgive. How can Jacob rise up? For he is small.


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The Lord Jehovah showed me this: And, behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend by fire. And it consumed the great deep, and devoured part of it.


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He showed me this: And, behold, the Lord stood by a plumb lined wall, with a plumb line in His hand.


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And Jehovah said to me, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A plumb line. Then the Lord said, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will not again pass over him any more.


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And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.


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Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to Jeroboam, the king of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure all his words.


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For thus Amos says: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall be exiled into captivity out of their land.


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And Amaziah said to Amos, Seer, go! Flee into the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there.


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But do not again prophesy at Bethel any more, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the royal house.


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Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was not a prophet, nor was I the son of a prophet, but I was a herdsman and one gathering sycamore fruit.


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And Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said to me, Go, prophesy to My people Israel.


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Now, therefore, hear the Word of Jehovah: You say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop words against the house of Isaac.


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Therefore thus says Jehovah, Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided by a survey line. And you shall die in a defiled land. And Israel shall be exiled into captivity from his land.


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And He said, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. And Jehovah said to me, The end has come upon My people Israel; I will not again pass over him any more.


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And the songs of the temple will be howling in that day, declares the Lord Jehovah. Many dead bodies everywhere; and they shall throw them out in silence.


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saying, When will the new moon have passed, so that we may buy grain? Or the sabbath, so that we may open the wheat; making the ephah smaller, and making the shekel greater, and falsifying the balances by deceit,


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in order to buy the poor with silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the refuse of the wheat?


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Shall not the land tremble for this, and everyone who dwells in it mourn? And all of it shall rise like the light, and it shall overflow and sink like the river of Egypt.


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And it shall be in that day, declares the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the light of day.


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And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation. And I will bring up sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head. And I will make it like the mourning for an only one; and the end of it like a bitter day.


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Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine into the land, not a famine for bread, nor a thirst for water, but rather a famine for hearing the Words of Jehovah.


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And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall roam to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and they shall not find it.


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They who swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, As your god lives, O Dan! and, As the way of Beer-sheba lives! even they shall fall, and never rise again.


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I saw the Lord standing by the altar. And He said, Strike the capital of the door, and the thresholds will shake; and cut them off on the head of all of them. And I will kill the last of them with the sword. Not one of them who flees will get away, and not a fugitive of them will escape.


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Even if they dig through into Sheol, from there My hand will take them. And if they ascend up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down.


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And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there. Even if they hide from My eyes in the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and he will bite them.


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And though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. And I will set My eyes on them for evil, and not for good.


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And the Lord Jehovah of Hosts is He who touches the earth so that it melts, and all who dwell in it shall mourn. And all of it will rise up like the River, and sink down like the River of Egypt.


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He who builds His stairs in the heavens, and His firmament He has established, binding it to the earth; He who calls for the seawaters and pours them out on the face of the earth; Jehovah is His name.


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Are you not like the sons of Cush to Me, O sons of Israel? declares Jehovah. Have I not brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?


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Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; except that, I will not utterly annihilate the house of Jacob, declares Jehovah.


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For, behold, I will command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations, as one sifts with a sieve; yet not a grain shall fall to the ground.


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All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, those who say, The evil shall not draw near or come upon us.


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In that day I will raise up the covert of David that has fallen, and I will wall up its breaks. And I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old;


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so that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations who are called by My name, declares Jehovah who does this.


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Behold, the days are coming, declares Jehovah, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who drags along seed. And the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills will flow with it.


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And I will bring back the captives of My people Israel. And they shall build the waste cities, and live in them. And they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.


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And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be pulled up out of their land which I have given to them, says Jehovah your God.


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The vision of Obadiah: Thus says the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom: We have heard a report from Jehovah, and a messenger is sent among the nations; rise up, and let us rise up against her for battle.


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The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock; whose dwelling is high, saying in your heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?


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Though you rise as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there, declares Jehovah.


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If thieves had come to you, if robbers by night (O, how you will be cut off!), would they not have stolen until they had enough? If the grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?


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All the men of your covenant have sent you away to the border. The men who were at peace with you have deceived you and have prevailed against you. They are setting your bread as a trap under you; no one is aware of it.


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Shall I not in that day even destroy the wise out of Edom and understanding out of the mountains of Esau? declares Jehovah.


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And your mighty ones, O Teman, shall be afraid, so that each man from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.


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Shame shall cover you because of your violence against your brother Jacob, and you shall be cut off forever.


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In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers took captive his forces, and foreigners entered his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were as one of them.


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But you should not have looked on the day of your brother, on the day of his destruction; nor should you have rejoiced over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction; nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress.


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You should not have entered into My people's gate in the day of his calamity; also you should not have looked on his evil in the day of his calamity, nor should you have sent away his forces in the day of his calamity.


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Nor should you have stood at the crossroads to cut off those of him who escaped, nor should you have delivered up his survivors to prison in the day of distress.


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For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: As you have done, it shall be done to you; your recompense shall return upon your own head.


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For as you have drunk on My holy mountain, so shall all the nations continually drink. Yea, they shall drink and shall swallow; and they shall be as though they had never been.


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But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and it shall be holy. And the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.


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And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble. And they shall burn among them and consume them. And there shall be no survivor to the house of Esau, for Jehovah has spoken.


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And those from the south shall possess the mountain of Esau, and the low lands of the Philistines. And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. And Benjamin shall possess Gilead.


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And the captives of this host of the sons of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites to Zarephath; even the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the south.


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And deliverers shall go up into Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the kingdom shall be Jehovah's.


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But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah. And he went down to Joppa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish. And he paid its fare and went down into it in order to go with them to Tarshish, from the presence of Jehovah.


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But Jehovah hurled a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that they thought the ship would break in pieces.


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And the sailors were afraid, and each man cried to his god. And they threw out the ship's implements into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship; and he lay down, and was sound asleep.


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And the captain came near to him and said to him, What is this, O sleeper? Rise up and cry out to your God! Perhaps your God will think on us, and we will not perish.


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And they said one to another, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.


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And they said to him, Please tell us on account of whom is this evil upon us? What is your occupation? And from where do you come? What is your land, and of what people are you?


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And he said to them, I am a Hebrew. And I fear Jehovah the God of Heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.


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Then the men were terrified with great fear and said to him, What is this you have done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.


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Then they said to him, What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us? For the sea was going on and being stormy.


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And he said to them, Take me up and throw me out into the sea. And the sea will be calm for you. For I know that this great storm is upon you because of me.


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Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they were not able, for the sea was going on and being stormy against them.


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Therefore they cried out to Jehovah, and said, We beseech You, O Jehovah, we beseech You, do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not lay innocent blood on us. For You, O Jehovah, have done as it pleased You.


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Now Jehovah had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.


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And he said, I cried out to Jehovah because of my distress, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried for help, and You heard my voice.


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For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the streams surrounded me; all Your breakers and Your waves passed over me.


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Waters encompassed me, even to my soul; the depth closed around me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.


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I went down to the bases of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God.


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When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; and my prayer came to You, to Your holy temple.


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but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will make good that which I have vowed. Salvation is from Jehovah!


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Rise up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out to it the proclamation that I am instructing you.


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And Jonah rose up and went to Nineveh according to the Word of Jehovah. And Nineveh was a great city before God, of three days' journey.


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And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey. And he cried out and said, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!


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And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.


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And the word reached even to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he took off his robe and covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.


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And he cried and proclaimed in Nineveh by the decree of the king and of his nobles, saying, Do not let man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them feed nor let them drink water.


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But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call mightily to God. And let them each one turn from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.


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Who knows if God may turn, and have compassion, and turn away from His burning anger, that we not perish?


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And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God was moved to pity with regard to the evil that He had spoken to do to them, and He did not do it.


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And he prayed to Jehovah, and said, Please, O Jehovah, was this not my word while I was still in my own country? On account of this, I fled to Tarshish before, for I knew that You are a gracious Mighty God and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and One who is moved to pity regarding inflicting evil.


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And Jonah went out from the city and sat to the east of the city. And there he made a booth for himself and sat under it in the shade until he should see what would become of the city.


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And Jehovah God appointed a plant, and it came up over Jonah to be shade over his head, in order to deliver him from his misery. And Jonah rejoiced over the plant with great joy.


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And it happened when the sun rose, that God appointed a scorching east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he fainted; and he begged for his soul to die. And he said, It is better for me to die than to live.


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And God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry over the plant? And he said, It is right for me to be angry, even to death.


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Then Jehovah said, You have had pity on the plant for which you did not labor, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night;


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and should I not have pity on Nineveh, the great city in which are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between the right and the left hand, and many cattle?


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The Word of Jehovah that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem:


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Hear, all you people. Take heed, O earth, and all the fullness of it. And let the Lord Jehovah be a witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.


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For behold, Jehovah is coming out of His place, and He will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.


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And the mountains shall melt under Him, and the valleys shall burst open, as wax before the fire, as waters poured out on a steep place.


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All this is against the transgression of Jacob, and against the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria. And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem.


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Therefore I will make Samaria into a ruinous heap of the field, places for planting a vineyard. And I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will uncover her foundations.


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And all her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her wages of harlotry shall be burned with fire. And I will make all her idols a desolation. For she gathered it from the wages of a harlot, and they shall return to the wages of a harlot.


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Therefore I will wail and howl; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals, and mourning like the daughters of the owl.


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For her wounds are incurable; for it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.


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Pass over, you inhabitant of Shaphir, having your shame naked. The inhabitant of Zaanan has not gone out; Beth Ezel mourns; its standing place is taken from you.


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For the inhabitant of Maroth waited anxiously for good, but evil came down from Jehovah to the gate of Jerusalem.


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O inhabitant of Lachish, harness the chariot to the swift steeds; she is the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.


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Therefore you shall give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath. The houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.


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Yet I will bring an heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah. The glory of Israel shall come unto Adullam.


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Make yourself bald, and cut off your hair for your dainty children. Enlarge your baldness like the eagle, for they have gone from you into exile.


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Woe to those who devise wickedness and do evil on their beds! In the morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.


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And they covet and seize fields and houses, and carry them away. And they oppress a man and his household, even a man and his inheritance.


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Therefore thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am devising evil against this family, from which you shall not remove your necks; nor shall you walk haughtily, for this is an evil time.


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In that day one shall take up a parable against you and wail a mournful lamentation, saying, We are devastated in utter ruin. He has changed the possession of my people. How He has removed it from me! To the turncoat He has divided the fields.


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Do not prophesy as you prophesy, you say. So they shall not prophesy to you; they shall not take away reproaches.


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You who are named House of Jacob, is the Spirit of Jehovah limited? Are these His doings? Do not My Words do good to the one who walks uprightly?


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Even recently My people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off an inner robe before an outer garment, from those who pass by securely, as those returning from war.


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You have thrown the women of My people out from their pleasant houses; you have taken away My honor forever from their children.


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Rise up and depart. This is not your rest, for it is unclean. It shall destroy with grievous destruction.


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If a man walks with a spirit of deception and lies saying, I will prophesy to you for wine and for strong drink, he shall even be a prophet for this people.


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I will collect and gather all of you, O Jacob; I will collect and gather the remnant of Israel. I will set them together like the sheep of the fold, like a flock in the middle of their pasture. They shall be in commotion because of the multitude of people.


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The one who breaks through comes before them; they break through and pass through the gate and go out by it. And their king shall pass before them, and Jehovah at their head.


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And I said, Hear now, O heads of Jacob, and you rulers of the house of Israel; is it not for you to know justice.


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You who hate good and love evil, who tear their skin off them, and their flesh from off their bones;


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who also eat the flesh of My people, and flay their skin off from them; and they break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot, and as flesh in the kettle.


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Then they shall cry out to Jehovah, but He will not answer them. He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have done evil in their doings.


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Thus says Jehovah concerning the prophets who mislead My people, who bite with their teeth and call out, Peace! And whoever does not put anything into their mouth, they even prepare a war against him.


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Therefore the night shall be to you without vision; and darkness without divining. And the sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.


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And the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners confounded, all of them; yea, they shall cover their mustache, for there is no answer from God.


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But by the Spirit of Jehovah I am full of power and justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.


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Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, you who abhor justice and pervert all equity,


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Her heads judge for a bribe, and her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money; yet they lean on Jehovah, saying, Is not Jehovah among us? No evil can come upon us.


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Therefore, on account of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house like the high places of the forest.


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But it shall be in the latter days, that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains; and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.


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And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For the Law shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.


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And He shall judge between many peoples, and will decide for strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more.


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But they shall each one sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and there shall be no cause for trembling. For the mouth of Jehovah of Hosts has spoken.


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For all the peoples walk, each one in the name of his god; but we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God forever and ever.


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In that day I will gather the lame, declares Jehovah, and I will gather the banished, and the ones I have afflicted.


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And I will establish the lame in a place as a remnant, and her who was cast off into a strong nation. And Jehovah shall reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.


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And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, it shall come to you. And the rule of the chief ones shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.


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Now why do you cry aloud with an outcry? Is there no king among you? Has your adviser perished? For pangs have seized you like one in travail.


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Writhe in pain and bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like one giving birth. For now you shall go out from the city, and you shall live in the field. And you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be delivered. There Jehovah shall redeem you from the hand of your enemies.


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Now also many nations are gathered against you, saying, Let her be defiled, and let our eyes look upon Zion.


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But they do not know the purposes of Jehovah, nor do they understand His counsel. For He will gather them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.


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Rise up and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hooves bronze, and you shall crush many peoples. And I will consecrate their gain to Jehovah, and their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.


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Now gather yourself together in troops, O daughter of troops; he has laid siege against us. They shall strike the Judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.


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And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are insignificant among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.


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Therefore He will give them up until the time the one giving birth has given birth. Then the remnant of His brothers shall return to the sons of Israel.


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And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah His God. And they shall dwell, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.


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And this shall be peace. When Assyria shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then we shall raise against him seven shepherds and eight anointed men.


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And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at the entrances. Thus He shall deliver us from Assyria, when he comes into our land, and when he treads within our borders.


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And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from Jehovah, as showers on the grass, which does not wait for man, nor delay for the sons of men.


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And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who both tramples and tears in pieces if he passes through, and there is no one to deliver.


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And it shall be in that day, that I will cut off your horses out of your midst, and I will destroy your chariots, declares Jehovah.


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And I will also cut off your graven images and your pillars from your midst. And you shall no more bow down to the work of your hands.


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Mountains, and you enduring foundations of the earth, hear the contention of Jehovah, for Jehovah has a quarrel with His people, and He will argue with Israel.


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For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage; and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.


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My people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, counseled; and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteousness of Jehovah.


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With what shall I come before Jehovah, to bow myself before the loftiness of God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves?


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Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?


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O man, He has declared to you what is good. And what does Jehovah require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.


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The voice of Jehovah cries out to the city; and one of sound wisdom will see Your name. Hear the staff, and Him who appointed it.


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Are there yet in the house of the wicked the treasures of wickedness, and the abominable short ephah?


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For her rich ones are full of violence, and her inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.


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You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and your emptiness shall be in your midst; and you will move back, but shall not be safe; and that which you rescue, I will give to the sword.


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You shall sow, but you shall not reap; you shall tread the olive, but you shall not anoint yourselves with oil; and new wine, but shall not drink wine.


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For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. And you walk in their counsels, so that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing. And you shall bear the reproach of My people.


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Woe is me! For I am like the gatherings of summer fruit, like the gleanings of the vintage. There is no cluster to eat; my soul desires the first-ripe fruit.


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The good man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind. All of them lie in wait for blood; each one hunts his brother with a net.


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Both hands are on evil, to do it well. Both the ruler and the judge ask for a bribe. And the great one speaks the lust of his soul; and they weave it together.


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The best of them is like a thorn; the upright more than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; now shall be their perplexity.


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Put no faith in a companion; put no trust in a friend; keep the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom;


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for the son dishonors the father; the daughter rises up against her mother; the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.


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Do not rejoice against me, O my enemy; for if I fall, I shall arise. For if I sit in darkness, Jehovah is a light to me.


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I will bear the indignation of Jehovah because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I shall see His righteousness.


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And my enemy shall see; and shame shall cover her who said to me, Where is Jehovah your God? My eyes shall see her. Now she shall be trampled down as the mud of the streets.


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In that day they shall come to you from Assyria and the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain.


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But the land shall become desolate because of those who dwell in it, from the fruit of their doings.


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Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the flock of Your possession, who dwell alone in the woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.


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The nations shall see and be put to shame for all their might. They shall lay their hand over their mouth; their ears shall be deaf.


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They shall lick the dust like a snake; they shall tremble out from their holes like ones that shrink back into the earth; they shall dread Jehovah our God; they shall fear because of You.


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Who is a Mighty God like You, forgiving iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His possession? His anger does not remain strong forever, for He delights in mercy.


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He will return and have compassion on us; He will subdue our iniquities. And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.


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You will give faithfulness to Jacob, goodness to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.


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The Mighty God is jealous, and Jehovah avenges, Jehovah avenges and is a possessor of wrath. Jehovah takes vengeance against His foes, and He maintains wrath against His enemies.


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Jehovah is slow to anger, and great of power, and He does not by any means acquit the guilty. Jehovah has His way in the tempest and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.


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He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.


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The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt; and the earth is lifted up before Him, even the world and all who dwell in it.


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Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken down because of Him.


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But with an overrunning flood He will make a complete end of its place, and darkness shall pursue His enemies.


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What are you plotting against Jehovah? He will make a complete end of it; affliction shall not rise up a second time.


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For as thorns are woven together, and as their drunkards are drunken, they shall be devoured like fully dried straw.


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Thus says Jehovah, Though they are secure and so numerous, yet they will be cut off and pass away. And though I have afflicted you, I will not afflict you any more.


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And Jehovah has given command concerning you. Not one of your name shall be sown any more; I will cut off the carved image and the molten image out of the house of your gods; I will appoint your grave, for you are of no account.


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Behold, on the mountains the feet of Him bearing good tidings, proclaiming, Peace! O Judah, keep your feasts; fulfill your vows; for the wicked will no more pass through you; he is completely cut off.


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The one scattering is coming up against your face. Guard the rampart; watch the way; make the loins strong, firm up your power exceedingly.


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For Jehovah has restored the excellence of Jacob as the excellence of Israel. For the emptiers have emptied them and have destroyed their vine branches.


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The shield of his mighty ones has become red, the mighty men are clothed in scarlet, the chariots will come like iron torches in the day of his preparation, and the cypresses are made to shake terribly.


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The chariots run madly in the streets; they rush to and fro in the broad ways. Their appearance is like torches; they run swiftly like lightning.


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He shall remember its nobles; they shall stumble in their walking; they shall hurry to its wall, and the defense shall be prepared.


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And she who stood firm shall be uncovered and carried away; and her maidservants shall lead on, moaning like the sound of doves, beating on their breasts.


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And Nineveh of old is like a pool of water; yet they are fleeing. They cry, Halt! Halt! But no one turns back.


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Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! For there is no end to the treasures, and riches from all precious objects.


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She is empty, desolate, and waste. And the heart is melted, and the knees knocking; and trembling is in all the loins; and all of their faces are flushed.


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Where is the den of the lions and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, the lioness, the lion's cub walked, and no one made them afraid?


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The lion tore in pieces, enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, even his lairs with torn prey.


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Behold, I am against you, declares Jehovah of Hosts; and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. And I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall not be heard any more.


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The sound of a whip, and the sound of rattling of wheels, and galloping horses, and of bounding chariots.


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The horseman lifts up both the gleaming sword and the glittering spear, and many are slain, and there is a mass of dead bodies, and no end of corpses; they stumble over their dead bodies,


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because of the many harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries who sells nations by her harlotries, and families by her sorceries.


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Behold, I am against you, declares Jehovah of Hosts, and I will uncover your skirts over your face, and I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.


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And it shall be that all those who look upon you shall flee from you and shall say, Nineveh is laid waste; who shall weep for her? From where shall I seek comforters for you?


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Are you better than populous No that dwelt among the rivers, waters surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the sea?


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Yet she was carried away; she went into captivity. Also her young ones were dashed to pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honored ones, and all her great ones were bound in chains.


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All your fortresses are fig trees with the firstfruits; if they are shaken, then they shall fall into the mouth of the eater.


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Behold, your people in your midst are women; the gates of your land shall surely be opened to your enemies; the fire shall devour your bars.


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Draw your water for the siege. Strengthen your fortifications. Go into the clay and tread in the mortar. Make the mold strong.


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Fire will devour you there. The sword shall cut you off. It will eat you up like the caterpillar. Make yourself as many as the caterpillar; multiply yourself like the locusts.


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You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens; the caterpillar shall strip off and fly away.


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Your princes are like the locusts, and your officials are a swarm of locusts that camp in the hedges in the cold day. When the sun rises and they flee, the place where they are is not known.


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Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; your nobles are lying down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and no one gathers them.


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There is no healing for your fracture; your wound is severe. All who hear the report of you shall clap their hands over you, for on whom has your wickedness not passed continually?


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O Jehovah, how long shall I cry for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, Violence! But You do not save.


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Why do You show me evil, and You cause me to look upon toil? For destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention rises up.


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On account of this the law has become feeble, and justice does not continue to go forth. For the wicked surrounds the righteous, so justice goes forth, perverted.


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Look among the nations and see, and be amazed. Be astounded. For a work is working in your days which you will not believe, though it be told to you.


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For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, the bitter and hasty nation which is proceeding into the breadth of the land, to possess dwellings that are not their own.


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Their horses also are swifter than leopards and are more fierce than the evening wolves. And their horsemen spread themselves; yea, their horsemen come from afar; they fly as the eagle hurrying to eat.


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All of them shall come for violence; the eagerness of their faces is like the east wind; and they gather captives like the sand.


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And they shall scoff against kings, and officials shall be a scorn to them. They shall scorn every fortress, and they shall heap up dirt and capture it.


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Then shall his mind change; and he shall pass over and be guilty, crediting this power of his to his god.


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Are You not from ancient times, Jehovah my God, my Holy One? We shall not die, Jehovah, for You have appointed them for judgment. And, my Rock, You have established them for correction.


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You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and You are not able to look upon vexation. Why do you look on those who deal deceitfully? Will You be silent when the wicked swallows one more righteous than he?


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They take up all of them with the hook; they drag them with the net and gather them with the dragnet. On account of this they rejoice and exult.


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Therefore they sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their dragnet; because by them their portion is fat, and their food plentiful.


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I will stand my watch and set myself on the tower, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I shall reply when I am corrected.


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And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.


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For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it speaks forth to the end, and it does not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, because it will come and take place; it will not tarry.


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And also, wine indeed betrays a proud man, and he dwells not at home, who widens his soul like Sheol. And he is like death, and is not satisfied, but gathers all the nations to himself, and collects all the peoples to himself.


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Shall not all of these take up a parable against him, and a mocking riddle against him, and say, Woe to him who increases what is not his! How long, then, shall he load himself with many pledges?


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Shall not those who bite you rise up suddenly, and those who vex you be aroused, and you become a booty to them?


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Because you have plundered many nations, all the rest of the people shall plunder you, because of the blood of men and the violence of the land, and the city, and all those dwelling in it.


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Woe to him who robs unjust gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be delivered from the hand of evil.


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Behold, is it not of Jehovah of Hosts that the people labor only to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves only for vanity.


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For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.


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Woe to him who causes his friend to drink, joining with your bottle, and also making him drunk, so as to look upon his nakedness.


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You are filled with shame instead of glory; you drink also, and are counted as uncircumcised. The cup of the right hand of Jehovah shall turn on you, and disgrace shall be your glory.


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For the violence of Lebanon shall cover you, and the devastation of beasts shall terrify them because of the blood of men and the violence of the land, the city, and all those that dwell in it.


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What does an image profit, that its maker should carve it; a molten image, and a teacher of falsehood, that the maker should trust in his work, to make mute idols?


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Woe to him who says to the wood, Awake! To a mute stone, Rise up, it shall teach. Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all in it.


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Jehovah, I have heard the report of You, and am afraid. Jehovah, preserve Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember compassion.


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God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His majesty covers the heavens, and His praise fills the earth.


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And His brightness is as the light; He has rays coming from His hand, and a covering of His strength.


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He stood and measured the earth; He looked and shook nations; and the ancient mountains were scattered; the perpetual hills bowed down. His ways are eternal.


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Was Jehovah furious against the rivers? Or was Your anger against the rivers? Or Your wrath against the sea; that You rode on horses, Your chariots of salvation?


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You bare Your bow naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even Your Word. Selah. You have divided the earth with rivers.


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The mountains saw You and writhed. The floods of water passed by. The deep uttered its voice and lifted up its hands on high.


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The sun and moon stood still in their dwelling. At the light of Your arrows they went, at the shining of Your glittering spear.


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You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked by laying bare the foundation to the neck. Selah.


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You thrust through with his own arrows the head of his villages. They came out in a rage to scatter me; their exultation was to devour the humble in secret.


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When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled within myself, that I might rest in the day of distress. When he comes up against the peoples, he will attack.


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Though the fig tree shall not blossom, and fruit is not on the vines; the work of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; the flock is cut off from the fold, and no herd is in the stalls,


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Jehovah God is my strength, and He makes my feet like does' feet, and He will make me to walk on my high places. To the chief singer, on Neginoth.


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The Word of Jehovah which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.


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I will gather away man and beast: I will gather away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks, even the wicked. And I will cut off man from the face of the land, declares Jehovah.


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I will also stretch out My hand on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests, with the priests;


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and those who bow down to the host of the heavens on the housetops; and those who bow, swearing to Jehovah, but also swearing by Melech,


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and those drawing back from following Jehovah, and who have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired of Him.


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Be silent in the presence of the Lord Jehovah, for the day of Jehovah is near. For Jehovah has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated the ones He called.


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And it shall come to pass in the day of the sacrifice of Jehovah, that I will punish the rulers and the king's sons, and all those clothed in foreign apparel.


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And I will punish all those who leap on the threshold in that day, who fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.


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And it shall be in that day, declares Jehovah, the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, and a howling from the Second, and a loud crashing from the hills.


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Howl, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people have perished; all those who carry silver are cut off.


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And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are curdled in their dregs; who say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, nor will He do evil.


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Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation. They shall also build houses, but not live in them. And they shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.


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The great day of Jehovah is near; it is near and hastens greatly, the sound of the day of Jehovah. The mighty man shall cry out bitterly there.


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That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of desolation and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,


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And I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against Jehovah. And their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh like dung.


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Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of Jehovah. But all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. For He shall make a complete and speedy end of all those who live in the land.


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before the decree is brought forth, the day shall pass like the chaff, yet not before the hot anger of Jehovah comes upon you, yet not before the day of the anger of Jehovah comes upon you.


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Seek Jehovah, all the meek of the earth who have done His justice; seek righteousness; seek meekness. It may be that you shall be hidden in the day of the anger of Jehovah.


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For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They shall drive Ashdod out at the noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.


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Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The Word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; I will destroy you so that there shall not be an inhabitant.


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And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed on them. In the houses of Ashkelon, they shall lie down in the evening, for Jehovah their God shall visit them and return their captives.


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I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the sons of Ammon, with which they have reproached My people and have magnified themselves against their border.


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Therefore, as I live, declares Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and saltpits, and a desolation forever. The rest of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of the nation shall possess them.


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They shall have this for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of Hosts.


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Jehovah will be terrifying to them, for He will make lean all the gods of the earth. Each man from his place and all the islands of the nations will bow to Him.


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And He will stretch out His hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, dry like the wilderness.


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And flocks shall lie down in her midst; all the beasts of the nations; both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge in the capitals of its pillars. Their voice shall sing at the windows; desolation shall be at the threshold; for He will lay bare the cedar work.


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This is the joyous city, that dwelt confidently, who said in her heart, I am, and there is no other. How she has become a desolation, a place for animals to lie down. Everyone who passes near her shall hiss; he shall shake his hand.


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She did not give heed to the voice; she did not receive correction; she did not trust in Jehovah; she did not draw near to her God.


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Her rulers within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, that do not leave the bones till the morning.


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Her prophets are wanton, treacherous people; her priests have profaned the sanctuary; they have done violence to the Law.


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The righteous Jehovah is in her midst; He will do no wrong. Every morning He gives His justice to the light; He does not fail, but the unjust knows no shame.


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I have cut off nations; their towers are desolate. I made their streets waste, so that no one passes by. Their cities are laid waste, without a man, with no inhabitant.


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I said, Surely you will fear Me; you will receive instruction; so that her dwelling should not be cut off, all that I appointed for her. But they rose up early; they corrupted all their doings.


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Therefore, wait for Me, declares Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey. For My judgment is to gather the nations, for Me to gather the kingdoms, to pour My fury out on them, all My burning anger. For all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.


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For then I will transform to the peoples a pure language, to call on the name of Jehovah, to serve Him with one purpose.


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From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, My suppliants, the daughter of My scattered ones, shall bring My offering.


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In that day you shall not be ashamed for all your doings which you have transgressed against Me. For then I will take away out of your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall not again be haughty any more in My holy mountain.


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I will also leave a poor and weak people in your midst, and they shall trust in the name of Jehovah.


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The remnant of Israel shall not do injustice, nor speak lies. And a deceitful tongue shall not be found in their mouth. For they shall feed and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.


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Cry aloud for joy, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!


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Jehovah has taken away your judgments; He has turned away your enemy. Jehovah, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you shall not see evil any more.


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Jehovah your God is mighty in your midst; He will save. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will quiet you in His love. He rejoices over you with joyful praise.


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I will gather the afflicted ones from the appointed place; they were among you, an utterance of reproach.


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Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you. And I will save her who is lame, and gather her who was banished. And I will appoint them for praise and for renown in all the lands where they have been put to shame.


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At that time I will bring you back, even at the time that I gather you. For I will give you for renown and for praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes, says Jehovah.


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In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, the Word of Jehovah came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah; and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, saying, This people says, The time has not come, the time for the house of Jehovah to be built.


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You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but are not filled with drink; you put on clothes, but no one is warm. And, one hiring himself out earns wages for a bag of holes.


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Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build this house. And I will be pleased with it, and I will be glorified, says Jehovah.


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You looked for much, and, lo, it came to little. And when you brought it home, then I blew on it. Why? says Jehovah of Hosts. Because of My house that is in ruins, and you, each man, runs to his own house.


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And I called for a drought in the land, and on the mountains, and on the grain, and on the new wine, and on the oil, and on that which the ground brings forth, and on man, and on livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.


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Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Jehovah their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him. And the people feared before Jehovah.


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And Haggai, the messenger of Jehovah, spoke the message of Jehovah to the people, saying, I am with you, says Jehovah.


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And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of Jehovah of Hosts, their God,


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In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the Word of Jehovah came by Haggai the prophet, saying,


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Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying,


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Who is left among you who saw this house in her former glory? And how do you see it now? When compared to it, is it not as nothing in your eyes?


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Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, says Jehovah. And be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strong, all you people of the land, and work, says Jehovah. For I am with you, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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According to the Word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit stands among you; do not fear.


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For thus says Jehovah of Hosts: Yet once more (it is a little while), and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.


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And I will shake all the nations; and the desire of all nations shall come. And I will fill this house with glory, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, says Jehovah of Hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the Word of Jehovah came to Haggai the prophet, saying,


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If one carries holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and touches his skirt to the bread, or boiled food, or wine, or oil, or any food, will it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No.


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And Haggai said, If an unclean body touches these, is it unclean? And the priests answered and said, It is unclean.


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And Haggai answered and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, declares Jehovah. And so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.


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And now set your heart on it, from this day and onward: before the placing of a stone on a stone in the temple of Jehovah;


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since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty from the wine trough, there were but twenty.


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I struck you with blight, and with mildew, and with hail, in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me, says Jehovah.


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Now set your heart from this day and forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of Jehovah's temple was laid. Consider in your heart.


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Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not brought forth. From this day I will bless them.


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And I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. And I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will come down, each one by the sword of his brother.


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In that day, says Jehovah of Hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says Jehovah, and will make you like a signet; for I have chosen you, declares Jehovah of Hosts.


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In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the Word of Jehovah came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,


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Therefore say to them, Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: Turn back to Me, says Jehovah of Hosts, and I will turn back to you, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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Do not be as your fathers, to whom the former prophets have proclaimed, saying, Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: Turn back now from your evil ways and your evil doings. But they did not hear nor heed Me, says Jehovah.


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But My Words and My statutes which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? And they turned back and said, As Jehovah of Hosts purposes to do to us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so He has dealt with us.


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On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the Word of Jehovah came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,


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I saw by night; and behold, a man riding on a red horse; and he stood among the myrtle trees in the ravine; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.


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Then I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel who spoke with me said to me, I will show you what these are.


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And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are those whom Jehovah has sent to walk to and fro through the earth.


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And they answered the Angel of Jehovah who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sits still and is at rest.


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Then the Angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of Hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation these seventy years?


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So the angel who talked with me said to me, Cry out, saying, Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion, with a great jealousy.


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And I am exceedingly angry at the nations at ease; for I was but a little angry, and they helped further the evil.


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Therefore Jehovah says this: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; My house shall be built in it, says Jehovah of Hosts, and a line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.


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Cry out again, saying, Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.


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And I said to the angel who talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.


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And I said, What are these coming to do? And He spoke, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man lifts up his head. But these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.


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And I said, Where are you going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.


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and said to him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem will be inhabited like unwalled villages, for the multitude of men and livestock in her midst.


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For I will be to her a wall of fire all around, and I will be the glory in her midst, declares Jehovah.


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Ho! Ho! Flee from the land of the north, says Jehovah; for I have scattered you as the four winds of the heavens, declares Jehovah.


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For thus says Jehovah of Hosts: He has sent Me after glory to the nations who plundered you; for he who touches you touches the pupil of His eye.


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For, behold, I will shake My hand over them, and they shall be spoils for their servants. And you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent Me.


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Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For, lo, I come; and I will dwell in your midst, says Jehovah.


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And many nations shall be joined to Jehovah in that day, and they shall be My people. And I will dwell in your midst; and you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent Me to you.


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And Jehovah shall take possession of Judah, His portion in the holy land, and shall again choose Jerusalem.


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And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.


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And Jehovah said to Satan, Jehovah rebuke you, Satan! Even Jehovah who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire?


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And He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And He said to him, Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with robes of state.


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And I said, Let them set a clean turban on his head. And they set a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the Angel of Jehovah stood by.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My charge, then you shall also judge My house, and shall also keep My courts, and I will give you places to walk among these who stand by.


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Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who are sitting before you; for they are men of significance. For, behold, I will bring forth My Servant, the BRANCH.


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For behold, the stone which I have laid before Joshua, on the one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave its engraving, says Jehovah of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.


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In that day, says Jehovah of Hosts, you shall invite each man his neighbor to sit under the vine and under the fig tree.


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And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see, and behold, a lampstand, all of gold, with a bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps on it, and seven pipes each to the seven lamps on top;


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And the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord.


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Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the Word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts: Grace! Grace to it!


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The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it. And you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent me to you.


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For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of Jehovah which run to and fro through all the earth.


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Then I answered and said to him, What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand, and on its left?


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And I answered again and said to him, What are the two olive branches beside the two golden pipes, emptying the golden oil out of themselves?


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And he said to me, What do you see? And I answered, I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.


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And he said to me, This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth. For from now on everyone who steals shall be purged out according to it; and everyone who swears from now on shall be purged out according to it.


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And I will bring it forth, says Jehovah of Hosts. And it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall make an end to it, and its timber, and its stones.


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Then the angel who talked with me went out, and said to me, Now lift up your eyes and see what this is that goes forth.


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And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goes forth. And he said, This is their appearance throughout the earth.


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And he said, This is wickedness. And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah; and he threw the lead stone over its opening.


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Then I lifted up my eyes and looked. And, behold, two women came out. And the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of the stork. And they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.


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And he said to me, To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; and it shall be prepared and set there on its own base.


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And again I lifted up my eyes and looked, and, behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of bronze.


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And the angel answered and said to me, These are the four spirits of Heaven who go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.


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The black horses in it go into the land of the north, and the white go after them; and the dappled ones go toward the land of the south.


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And the strong ones went forth and sought to go, to walk to and fro through the earth. And He said, Go. Walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.


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And He cried out to me, and spoke to me, saying, Behold, these who go toward the land of the north have given My Spirit rest in the land of the north.


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Take from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah, the exiles who have come from Babylon; and in the same day go and enter into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah.


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And take silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.


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And speak to him, saying, Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, saying, Behold, the Man whose name is THE BRANCH. And He shall spring up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of Jehovah.


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Even He shall build the temple of Jehovah; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne. And He shall be a priest on His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between the two of them.


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And the crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah, to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen, the son of Zephaniah.


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And those from afar shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah. And you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass if you will give heed and obey the voice of Jehovah your God.


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And in the fourth year of King Darius, the Word of Jehovah came to Zechariah, in the fourth of the ninth month, in Chislev.


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And Sherezer and Regem-melech, and his men, were sent to Bethel to make supplication before Jehovah,


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and to speak to the priests who were in the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, consecrating myself as I have done these many years?


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Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months, even those seventy years, did you truly fast to Me, even to Me?


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Are not these the Words which Jehovah proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem with her cities all around her were inhabited and prosperous, and the south and the lowlands were inhabited?


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, saying, Judge true justice, and show goodness and compassion, everyone to his brother.


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And do not oppress the widow, or the fatherless, the alien, or the poor. And do not devise evil in your heart, a man against his brother.


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But they refused to heed, and gave a stubborn shoulder, and they made their ears heavy that they might not hear.


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And they made their heart adamant so as not to hear the Law and the Words which Jehovah of Hosts has sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. And great wrath came from Jehovah of Hosts.


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Therefore it has come to pass that, just as He called, and they would not hear; so they called, and I did not hear, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they did not know. Thus the land is desolate behind them, with no one passing through and returning; for they made the pleasant land a waste.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.


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Thus says Jehovah: I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called a City of Truth, and the mountain of Jehovah of Hosts, the Holy Mountain.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: There shall yet be old men and old women sitting in the streets of Jerusalem; and each man with his staff in his hand because of great age.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes? says Jehovah of Hosts.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: Behold, I will save My people from the land of the rising sun and from the land of the sunset.


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And I will bring them, and they shall live in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: Let your hands become strong, you who hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, that in the day the foundation of the house of Jehovah of Hosts is laid, the temple is to be built.


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For before these days there were no wages for man, nor any payment for animal; and there was no peace for those who went out or came in because of the enemy. For I sent every man, a man against his neighbor.


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For there shall be peace for the seed: the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its fruit, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.


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And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands become strong.


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For thus says Jehovah of Hosts, As I purposed to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, says Jehovah of Hosts, and I did not show compassion,


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so again I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem, and the house of Judah. Do not fear.


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These are the things that you shall do. Every man speak the truth with his neighbor. Judge truth, justice and peace in your gates,


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and let none of you devise evil in your heart against his neighbor, and do not love a false oath. For all these things I hate, says Jehovah.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be for joy and gladness and cheerful feasts to the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.


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And those living in one city shall go to another, saying, Let us proceed and go make supplication before Jehovah, and seek Jehovah of Hosts; I will go also.


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And many people and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to make supplication before Jehovah.


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Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: In those days ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold and grasp the sleeve of a man who is a Jew, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.


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The burden of the Word of Jehovah against the land of Hadrach, and its resting place, Damascus, (when the eyes of man, and all the tribes of Israel are toward Jehovah),


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And Tyre shall build a fortress for herself, and shall pile up silver like the dust, and gold like the mud of the streets.


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Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and He will strike her power in the sea, and she shall be devoured with fire.


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Ashkelon shall see and fear; Gaza also shall writhe in great pain; and Ekron, her expectation shall be dried up. And the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.


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And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth. But the remnant, even he, shall be for our God. And he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.


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And I will camp around My house because of the army, because of him who passes by and because of him who returns. And an oppressor shall not pass through them any more. For now I have seen with My eyes.


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Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous and having salvation, lowly, and riding on an ass, even on a colt, the foal of an ass.


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And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. And the battle bow shall be cut off, and He shall speak peace to the nations. And His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.


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As for you, by the blood of your covenant I have set free your prisoners from the pit, where there is no water.


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Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.


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For I have bent Judah for Me as a bow, filled it with Ephraim, and stirred up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you as the sword of a mighty man.


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Then Jehovah will be seen over them, and His arrow shall go out as lightning; and the Lord Jehovah shall blow the shofar and shall go forth with the tempests of the south.


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Jehovah of Hosts shall defend them. And they shall devour and subdue with slingstones. And they shall drink and roar, as with wine. And they shall be full like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.


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And Jehovah their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they are as stones of a crown, lifted up as a sign over His land.


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For how great is its goodness, and how great its beauty. Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.


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Ask rain from Jehovah in the time of the latter rain. Jehovah shall make lightnings. And He gives them showers of rain, to everyone grass in the field.


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For the family idols speak iniquity, and the diviners have seen a lie and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore they wandered like sheep. They were troubled because there was no shepherd.


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My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the rams. For Jehovah of Hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah, and made them as His majestic horse in battle.


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From Him came the cornerstone, from Him the nail, from Him the battle bow, and from Him every ruler together.


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And they shall be like mighty ones who trample the mud of the streets in the battle. And they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.


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And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. And I will return to save them, for I have mercy on them. And they shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am Jehovah their God, and I will answer them.


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And Ephraim shall be like a mighty one, and their heart shall be glad as by wine. And their sons shall see and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in Jehovah.


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I will whistle for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them. And they shall multiply as they once multiplied.


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And I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries, and they shall live with their sons and return.


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And I will bring them back out of the land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria. And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, until no more room shall be found for them.


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And He shall pass through the sea with distress and strike the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the river shall dry up. And the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall be removed.


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Howl, fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the majestic are destroyed. Howl, O oaks of Bashan, for the inaccessible forest has come down.


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A voice of the wailing of the shepherds; for their splendor is destroyed. A voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is destroyed.


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whose possessors kill them and are not held guilty. And those who sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich. And their shepherds do not pity them.


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For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land, says Jehovah. But, lo, I will deliver every man found, each one into his neighbor's hand, and into his king's hand. And they shall strike the land, and I will not deliver them out of their hand.


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And I fed the flock of slaughter, the truly poor of the flock. And I took two staffs for Myself: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds. And I fed the flock.


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I also cut off three shepherds in one month. And My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred Me.


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Then I said, I will not feed you; that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off. And let the ones remaining, each woman, eat the flesh of her neighbor.


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And I took My staff, Beauty, and chopped it in two, that I might break My covenant which I had made with all the peoples.


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And it was broken in that day, and so the poor of the flock who were watching Me knew that it was the Word of Jehovah.


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And I said to them, If it is good in your eyes, give Me My wages; and if not, refrain. And they weighed out My wages, thirty pieces of silver.


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And Jehovah said to Me, Throw it to the potter, the magnificent price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of Jehovah.


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Then I chopped in two My second staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.


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For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land; he shall not visit those who are cut off, nor will he seek the young, nor heal that which is broken, nor will he nourish that which still stands. But he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear off their hooves.


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Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye. His arm shall be completely dried up, and his right eye shall be totally darkened.


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The burden of the Word of Jehovah for Israel, says Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.


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Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the peoples all around, and it shall also be against Judah in the siege against Jerusalem.


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And in that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall be slashed; cut to pieces. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.


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In that day I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness, says Jehovah. And I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the people with blindness.


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And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in Jehovah of Hosts, their God.


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In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire among cut grain. And they shall devour all the peoples all around, on the right hand and on the left. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, in Jerusalem.


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Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah.


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In that day Jehovah shall defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And he who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of Jehovah before them.


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And it shall be in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.


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And I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication. And they shall look on Me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they shall be bitter over Him, like the bitterness over the firstborn.


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In that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be great, like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.


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And the land shall mourn, each family alone: the family of the house of David alone, and their wives alone; the family of the house of Nathan alone, and their wives alone;


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the family of the house of Levi alone, and their wives alone; the family of Shimei alone, and their wives alone;


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In that day a fountain shall be opened to the house of David and to those living in Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.


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And it shall be in that day, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no longer be remembered, says Jehovah of Hosts. And I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.


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And it shall be that when any shall continue to prophesy, then his father and his mother who begot him shall say to him, You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of Jehovah. And his father and his mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.


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And it shall be in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies, and they shall not wear a hairy garment to deceive.


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But he shall say, I am not a prophet; I am a man who tills the ground, for a man taught me to engage in business from my youth.


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And one shall say to Him, What are these wounds between Your hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was beaten in the house of those who love Me.


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Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man who is My Associate, says Jehovah of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. And I will turn My hand on the little ones.


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And it shall come to pass in all the land, says Jehovah, that two parts in it shall be cut off and perish, but the third shall be left in it.


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And I will bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined. And I will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, It is My people, and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.


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For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. And the city shall be captured, and the houses plundered, and the women ravished. And half the city shall go into captivity and the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.


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And Jehovah shall go forth and fight against those nations, like the day He fought in the day of battle.


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And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall split in two, from the east even to the west, a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.


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And you shall flee to the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. And Jehovah my God shall come, and all the saints with You.


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And it will be one day which shall be known to Jehovah; not day and not night, but it will happen, that there will be light at evening time.


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And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter it shall be.


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And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth. In that day there shall be one Jehovah, and His name one.


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All the land shall be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. And it shall rise and dwell in its place, from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel to the king's winepresses.


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And they shall live in it. And there shall never again be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall dwell safely.


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And this shall be the plague with which Jehovah will strike all the people who have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall rot away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot away in their sockets, and their tongues shall rot away in their mouths.


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And it shall happen in that day, that a great confusion from Jehovah shall be among them; and they shall each one lay hold of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.


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And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of the surrounding nations shall be gathered together; gold, and silver, and clothing, in great abundance.


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And so shall be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, and the ass, and all the beasts which shall be in those camps, like this plague.


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And it shall come to pass, that everyone who is left from all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to bow down before the King, Jehovah of Hosts, and keep the Feast of Booths.


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And it shall be, that whoever will not go up from the families of the earth to Jerusalem to bow down before the King, Jehovah of Hosts, even upon them there shall be no rain.


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And if the family of Egypt does not go up, nor come in, then they shall have no rain; the same plague with which Jehovah shall strike the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Booths.


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This shall be Egypt's punishment, and the punishment of all nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Booths.


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In that day there shall be on the bells of the horses, HOLY TO JEHOVAH. And the pots in the house of Jehovah shall be like the bowls before the altar.


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And every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to Jehovah of Hosts. And all those who sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil in them. And in that day there shall not ever again be a merchant in the house of Jehovah of Hosts.


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I have loved you, says Jehovah. Yet you say, In what way have You loved us? Was not Esau the brother to Jacob? says Jehovah; yet I loved Jacob,


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and I have hated Esau and have made his mountains and his inheritance a desolation for the jackals of the wilderness.


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Whereas Edom says, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus says Jehovah of Hosts: They shall build, but I will tear down. And they shall call them the region of wickedness, and the people with whom Jehovah has indignation forever.


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A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My fear? says Jehovah of Hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, In what way have we despised Your name?


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You offer defiled food on My altar, and say, In what way have we defiled You? By saying, The table of Jehovah is to be held in contempt.


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And if you offer the blind in sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Bring it now to your governor. Will he be pleased with you or receive you favorably? says Jehovah of Hosts.


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And now entreat the face of the Mighty God, that He may be gracious to us. This has been by your hands; will He receive you favorably? says Jehovah of Hosts.


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Who is there even among you that will shut the doors, so that you not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you, says Jehovah of Hosts, nor will I accept a food offering from your hand.


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For from the east to the west, My name shall be great among the nations, and everywhere incense shall be offered to My name; and a pure food offering; for My name shall be great among the nations, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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But you profane it when you say, The table of the Lord is defiled; and its fruit, His food is to be held in contempt.


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And you have said, Behold, what weariness. And you have sniffed at it, says Jehovah of Hosts. And you bring what was stolen, and the lame, and the sick; and you bring the grain offering. Should I accept it from your hand? says Jehovah.


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But cursed be a deceiver when there is a male in his flock, he vows it, but sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says Jehovah of Hosts, and My name is feared among the nations.


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If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to My name, says Jehovah of Hosts, then I will send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. And indeed, I have cursed it, because you are not laying it to heart.


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Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your solemn feasts; and one will take you away with it.


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And you shall know that I have sent this command to you, to be My covenant with Levi, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him for fear; and he feared Me, and he was in awe before My name.


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The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips. In peace and in uprightness he walked with Me, and he turned many away from iniquity.


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For the lips of the priest should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts.


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But you have turned aside out of the way; you have caused many to stumble at the Law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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So I have also made you despised and low before all the people, just as you have not kept My ways, but have shown partiality in the Law.


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Is there not one father to us all? Has not one Mighty God created us? Why do we act deceitfully each man with his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?


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Judah has dealt treacherously, and has done an abomination in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Jehovah, which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.


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Jehovah will cut off from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, waking and answering, or offering a grain offering to Jehovah of Hosts.


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And this is a second thing you do: covering the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping and crying out; so that He does not regard the grain offering, nor receive it with delight from your hand.


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Yet you say, For what reason? Because Jehovah has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously; and she is your companion and your wife by covenant.


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And has He not made them one? Yet the remnant of the Spirit is in him. And why one? He was seeking a seed of God. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and do not deal treacherously with the wife of your youth.


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For Jehovah the God of Israel, says that He hates divorce, and to cover violence with one's garment, says Jehovah of Hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit and do not deal treacherously.


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You have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet you say, In what way have we wearied Him? When you say, Every evildoer is good in the eyes of Jehovah, and He delights in them; or, Where is the God of justice?


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Behold, I send My messenger, and He will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He comes, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap.


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And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, that they may draw near to Jehovah with an offering in righteousness.


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Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years.


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And I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those swearing to a lie; and against those who defraud the hired laborer of his pay, and turn away the widow, and the fatherless, and the alien; and who do not fear Me, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says Jehovah of Hosts. But you say, In what way shall we return?


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Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, How have we robbed You? In the tithe and the offering.


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Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now with this, says Jehovah of Hosts, whether I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing until there is not enough room to store it.


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And I will rebuke the devourer for you, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground; nor shall your vine fail to bear fruit in the field, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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You have said, It is vain to serve God. And, What profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked as mourners before Jehovah of Hosts?


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And now we are calling the arrogant blessed. Those that work wickedness are built up; they even test God, and escape.


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Then those who feared Jehovah spoke together, each man to his neighbor. And Jehovah gave attention and heard. And a Book of Remembrance was written before Him for those who feared Jehovah, and for those who thought on His name.


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And they shall be Mine, says Jehovah of Hosts, for the day that I will make up My treasure. And I will pity them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.


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Then you shall again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.


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For, behold, the day is coming, burning like a fire pot; and all the proud and everyone that does wickedness shall be chaff. And the coming day will set them ablaze, says Jehovah of Hosts, which will not leave to them root or branch.


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But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise up, with healing on His wings. And you shall go out and frisk like calves of the stall.


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And you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I do this, says Jehovah of Hosts.


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Remember the Law of My servant Moses which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, the statutes and judgments.


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Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Jehovah.


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And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, that I not come and strike the earth with utter destruction.


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So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the deportation into Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the deportation into Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.


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Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child from the Holy Spirit.


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But Joseph her husband, being just, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.


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But while he was pondering these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.


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And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.


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So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:


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Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us.


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Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,


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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,


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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 do homage to Him.


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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.


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And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come One leading Who will shepherd My people Israel.


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Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, asked of them exactly what time the star appeared.


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And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you find Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and do homage to Him also.


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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.


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And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and did homage to Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.


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And being warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.


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And when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod is about to seek the young Child in order to destroy Him.


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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.


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Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was greatly enraged; 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 diligently inquired from the wise men.


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A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.


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saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead.


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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 withdrew into the region of Galilee.


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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.


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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.


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And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather waistband around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.


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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?


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and do not think to say within 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.


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And now already the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore any tree which does not bear good fruit is cut off and thrown into the fire.


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I indeed immerse you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and fire;


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whose winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the granary; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.


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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.


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And when He had been immersed, Jesus went 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 coming upon Him.


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And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, speak that these stones may become bread.


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But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes forth from the mouth of God.


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and says to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge concerning you, and, in their hands they shall bear you up, that you may not dash your foot against a stone.


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Again, the devil takes Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.


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Then Jesus said to him, Go away, Satan! For it has been written, You shall do homage to the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.


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And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,


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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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The people who sat in darkness have seen a great Light, and upon those sitting in the region and shadow of death, Light has sprung up.


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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.


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And going on from there, He saw two other brothers, Jacob the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And He called them,


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And Jesus went around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.


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And His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all the sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.


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And great multitudes followed Him; from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and beyond the Jordan.


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And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.


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Blessed are they who have been persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.


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Blessed are you when they shall revile and persecute you, and shall say every evil word against you falsely because of Me.


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Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


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You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.


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Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a grain measure, but on a lampstand, and it shines for all who are in the house.


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Let your light so shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.


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Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.


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For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law till all is fulfilled.


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Whoever therefore relaxes one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.


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For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven.


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You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.


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But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Empty head! shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, You fool! shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.


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Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,


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leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.


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Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.


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But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


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And if your right eye snares you into sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna.


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And if your right hand snares you into sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna.


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Furthermore it has been said, Whoever puts away his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.


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But I say to you that whoever puts away his wife for any reason except sexual perversion causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.


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Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.


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But I tell you, Do not resist evil. But whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.


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But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who abuse you and persecute you,


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that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.


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And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not also the tax collectors so?


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Take heed that you do not do your deeds of mercy before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in Heaven.


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Therefore, when you do a deed of mercy, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have praise from men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.


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that your deed of mercy may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.


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And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.


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But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.


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And when you pray, do not babble vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.


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Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.


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And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.


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Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.


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so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.


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Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves dig through and steal;


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but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not dig through and steal.


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The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.


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But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!


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No one is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. It is not possible to serve God and mammon.


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Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?


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Observe the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?


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So why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;


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Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?


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Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear?


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For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.


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But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.


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Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.


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For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever gauge you measure, it will be measured back to you.


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And why do you look at the twig in your brother's eye, but do not consider the beam in your own eye?


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Or how can you say to your brother, Let me remove the twig from your eye; and behold, a beam is in your own eye?


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Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the twig from your brother's eye.


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Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.


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If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!


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Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.


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Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many entering in through it.


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Because narrow is the gate and distressing is the way which leads unto life, and there are few who find it.


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Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.


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A good tree is not able to produce evil fruit, nor is a corrupt tree able to produce excellent fruit.


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Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.


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Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many works of power in Your name?


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Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;


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and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.


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And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be likened to a foolish man who built his house on the sand;


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and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.


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And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the multitudes were astonished at His doctrine,


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And behold, a leper came and did homage to Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You have the power to make me clean.


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Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.


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And Jesus said to him, See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.


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The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.


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For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.


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When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!


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And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.


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But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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Then Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that same hour.


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When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed everyone who was sick,


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that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.


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And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.


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And, behold, a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.


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And He said to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.


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And when He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.


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And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?


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And He said to them, Go. So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.


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Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.


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And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart out of their borders.


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And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, Son, be of good courage; your sins are forgiven you.


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But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins; then He said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.


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And when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.


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And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, Follow Me. So he arose and followed Him.


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And it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.


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And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?


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But when Jesus heard it, He said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.


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But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.


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Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?


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And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.


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No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.


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Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.


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While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and did homage to Him, saying, My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.


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And behold, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.


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But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, Be of good courage, daughter; your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from that hour.


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And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, Son of David, have mercy on us!


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And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? And they said to Him, Yes, Lord.


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And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never seen like this in Israel!


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And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.


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But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.


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And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every sickness and every disease.


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Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; Jacob the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;


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Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; Jacob the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;


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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.


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Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.


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nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.


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And into whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.


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If the house is truly worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.


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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.


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Truly 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!


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Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.


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And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.


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But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;


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And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.


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And you will be hated by everyone on account of My name. But he who endures to the end will be kept safe.


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But when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For truly I say to you, you will not have finished going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.


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It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household!


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Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and hidden that will not be known.


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Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.


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And do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who has power to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.


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Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father.


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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;


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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.


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He who receives a prophet in 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.


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And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.


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Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.


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The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.


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And as they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?


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But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.


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For this is he of whom it is written: Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.


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Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Immerser; but he who is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.


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And from the days of John the Immerser until now the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.


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But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,


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and saying: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.


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The Son of Man comes eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a glutton and a wino, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! But wisdom is justified by her children.


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Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:


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Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.


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And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.


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But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.


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At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to babes.


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All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.


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Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest unto your souls.


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At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.


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But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, Behold, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!


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But He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:


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how he entered the house of God and ate the Bread of Presentation which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?


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Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?


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But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless.


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And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? that they might accuse Him.


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And He said to them, What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?


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Then He said to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored whole, as the other.


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But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed everyone of them.


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Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare judgment to the Gentiles.


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A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth judgment to victory;


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Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.


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But when the Pharisees heard it they said, This one does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.


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But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.


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And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.


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Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.


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Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.


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Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.


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Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for a tree is known by its fruit.


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Offspring of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.


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A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.


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But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.


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But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.


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The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold one greater than Jonah is here.


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The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold one greater than Solomon is here.


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Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came out. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.


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Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be unto this wicked generation.


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While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.


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Then one said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.


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And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.


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Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.


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But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: this indeed a hundredfold, that sixty, that thirty.


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He answered and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given.


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For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.


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Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.


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And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not at all understand, and seeing you will see and by no means perceive;


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for the heart of this people has grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, that they should not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their heart and convert, and I should heal them.


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for truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.


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When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is that which was sown by the wayside.


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That which was sown on stony places, this is he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy;


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yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when affliction or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles.


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And that which was sown among the thorns is he who hears the Word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful.


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But that which was sown on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: this a hundredfold, that sixty, that thirty.


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Another parable He put forth to them, saying: The kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;


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So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?


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He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us then to go and gather them up?


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Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.


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Another parable He put forth to them, saying: The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,


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which indeed is the smallest of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.


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Another parable He spoke to them: The kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened.


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All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,


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that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.


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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.


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The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.


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The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.


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The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the stumbling blocks, and those who practice lawlessness,


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Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.


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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 everything he has and buys that field.


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Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,


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which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the rotten away.


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So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go forth, separate the wicked from among the righteous,


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Then He said to them, Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure new and old things.


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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?


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Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers Jacob, Joses, Simon, and Judas?


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So they were offended in Him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.


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and said to his servants, This is John the Immerser; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these works of power are at work in him.


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For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.


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And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.


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But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.


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So she, having been instructed by her mother, said, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Immerser.


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And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.


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When Jesus heard it, He withdrew from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. And when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot out of the cities.


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And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.


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And when it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.


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And He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.


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So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.


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And immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.


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And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into the mountain by Himself to pray. And when evening came, He was there alone.


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And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear.


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So He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.


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But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me!


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And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?


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And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,


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and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made completely well.


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Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.


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He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by reason of your tradition?


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For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and your mother; and, He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.


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But you say, Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God;


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and he does not honor his father or mother. Thus you have voided the commandment of God by your tradition.


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These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.


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Then His disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?


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Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch.


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Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated into the sewer?


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For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual perversions, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.


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And behold, a woman of Canaan came from those borders and cried out to Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is grievously demon-possessed.


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But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, Send her away, for she cries out after us.


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But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.


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But she said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table.


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Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire. And her daughter was healed from that very hour.


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And Jesus departed from there, came beside the Sea of Galilee, and went up into the mountain and sat down there.


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And great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they cast them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.


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So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.


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Then Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, that they not faint on the way.


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And His disciples said to Him, Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to feed such a great multitude?


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And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.


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So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.


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Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and tempting Him, asked that He would show them a sign out of Heaven.


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He answered and said to them, When it is evening you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red;


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and in the morning, It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.


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A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And He left them and departed.


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But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?


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Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?


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How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?


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Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.


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When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?


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And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven.


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And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against It.


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And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be, having been bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be, having been loosed in Heaven.


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From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.


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Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it from You, Lord; this shall never be to You!


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But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a snare to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.


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Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.


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For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.


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For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?


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For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his practice.


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Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.


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And after six days Jesus took Peter, Jacob, and John his brother, and led them up into a high mountain by themselves;


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and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.


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Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.


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While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.


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Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.


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But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer under them.


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Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and suffers miserably; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.


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Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.


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And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible unto you.


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And while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,


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and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up. And they were exceedingly sorrowful.


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And when they had come to Capernaum, those who received the tribute came to Peter and said, Does your Teacher not pay the tribute?


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He said, Yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?


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Nevertheless, that we not offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.


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and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven.


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But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.


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Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks, for stumbling blocks must come; but woe to that man by whom the stumbling block comes!


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If your hand or foot entices you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.


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And if your eye entices you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into the fire of Gehenna.


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Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in Heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in Heaven.


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What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?


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And if he should find it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.


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Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.


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Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.


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But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.


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And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses to hear the church, let him be to you like a foreigner and a tax collector.


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Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be, having been bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be, having been loosed in Heaven.


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Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will come to pass for them from My Father in Heaven.


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Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?


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Therefore the kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.


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But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, also his wife and children and everything he had, and that payment be made.


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The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.


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But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe!


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So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.


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So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.


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Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.


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And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay every bit that was due to him.


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Thus My Heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.


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Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan.


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The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for just any reason?


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And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female,


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and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?


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So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has yoked together, let not man separate.


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He said to them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.


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And I say to you, whoever puts away his wife, except for sexual perversion, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.


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But He said to them, Not all have room to receive this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:


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For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.


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Then little children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.


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But Jesus said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.


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And behold, one came and said to Him, Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?


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So He said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.


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He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,


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Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.


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Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven.


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And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.


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But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.


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Then Peter answered and said to Him, Behold, we have left everything and followed You. What then will there be for us?


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And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.


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And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.


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For the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.


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and said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went.


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And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here idle all day?


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They said to him, Because no one hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.


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So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.


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But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.


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saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.


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But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?


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Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?


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Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,


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and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.


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And He said to her, What do you wish? She said to Him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.


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But Jesus answered and said, You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with? They said to Him, We are able.


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And He said to them, You will indeed drink My cup, and be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.


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But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.


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But it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.


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just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.


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And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!


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And the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!


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So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.


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And when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,


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saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.


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And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them.


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Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, meek, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.


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And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them in the way.


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And the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!


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And Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.


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And He said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.


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But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! they were indignant


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and said to Him, Do You hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?


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And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, Let fruit no longer grow on you forever. And immediately the fig tree dried up.


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So Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, it will happen.


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And when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority do You do these things? And who gave You this authority?


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And Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:


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The immersion of John; where was it from? From Heaven or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we say, From Heaven, He will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?


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So they answered Jesus and said, We do not know. And He said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.


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But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go, work today in my vineyard.


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And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir, but he did not go.


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Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, The first. Jesus said to them, Truly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.


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For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.


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Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.


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Now when the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.


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But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.


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They said to Him, He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will deliver to him the fruits in their seasons.


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Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?


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Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.


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And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will crush him to pieces.


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Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking of them.


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But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they held Him as a prophet.


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and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast; and they were not willing to come.


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Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those being invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast.


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But when the king heard about it, he was angry. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.


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Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.


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So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both evil and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.


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But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.


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So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless.


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And the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.


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They said to Him, Caesar's. And He said to them, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.


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saying: Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed for his brother.


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Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no seed, left his wife to his brother.


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For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in Heaven.


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But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,


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I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.


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Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.


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And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.


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Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.


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For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.


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But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.


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But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive more abundant condemnation.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice more a son of Gehenna than yourselves.


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Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is a debtor.


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And, Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it is a debtor.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: judgment and mercy and faith. It is necessary to do these, and not to leave the others undone.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.


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Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.


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Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,


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and say, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.


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Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.


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Therefore, behold, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,


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in order that on you may come all the righteous blood poured out upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.


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O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!


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For I say to you: You shall see Me no more till you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!


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Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.


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And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.


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Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?


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And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.


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For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.


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Then they will deliver you up to affliction and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.


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And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.


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Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand),


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For then there will be great affliction, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.


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And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be kept safe alive; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.


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For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.


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Therefore if they say to you, Behold, He is in the desert, do not go out; or, Behold, He is in the inner rooms, do not believe it.


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For as the lightning comes out of the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.


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And immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.


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And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and then all the tribes of the earth will wail, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.


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And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


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Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.


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Truly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled.


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For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,


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and did not realize until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.


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But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief comes, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be dug through.


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Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made administrator over his household, to give them food in due season?


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the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not expecting him and in an hour he does not know,


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and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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Then the kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.


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But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.


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And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.


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For the kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.


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And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on the journey.


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Then he who had received the five talents went and did business with them, and made another five talents.


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So he who had received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents; behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.


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His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will appoint you administrator over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.


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He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents; behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.


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His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will appoint you administrator over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.


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Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.


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But his lord answered and said to him, You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter.


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So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.


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For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.


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And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.


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And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.


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Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:


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for I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;


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Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?


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And the King will answer and say to them, Truly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.


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Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire having been prepared for the devil and his angels:


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for I was hungry and you did not give Me a thing to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give Me a thing to drink;


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I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.


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Then they also will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?


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Then He will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.


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You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.


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Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,


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a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly ointment, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.


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But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work toward Me.


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Truly, I say to you, Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial of her.


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and said, What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you? And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.


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Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?


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And He said, Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.


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The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he was never born.


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Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, Rabbi, it is not I is it? He said to him, You have said it.


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And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body.


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But I say to you, I will not at all drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.


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Then Jesus said to them, All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.


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Peter answered and said to Him, Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.


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Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.


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Peter said to Him, Even if I have to die with You, I will not at all deny You! And so said all the disciples.


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Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray over there.


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And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and in extreme anguish.


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And He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Stay here and watch with Me.


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And He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.


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And He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, What? Were you not able to watch with Me one hour?


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Watch and pray, that you not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.


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Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.


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Then He came to His disciples and said to them, Sleep on and rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners.


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And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.


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But Jesus said to him, Friend, why are you here? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.


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And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.


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But Jesus said to him, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.


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Or do you think that I am not able now to pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?


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In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out, as against a robber, to take Me with swords and clubs? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.


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But all this is happening that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.


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And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.


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But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.


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Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,


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but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward


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And the high priest arose and said to Him, Do You answer nothing? What is it these men bear witness against You?


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But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, I adjure You by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!


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Jesus said to him, You said it. Nevertheless, I say to you, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.


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Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy!


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Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee.


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And when he had gone out to the porch, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.


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And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.


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And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.


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When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death.


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Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He was condemned, repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,


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saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it.


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And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.


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Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was valued, whom they of the children of Israel valued,


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And Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor questioned Him, saying, Are You the King of the Jews? And Jesus said to him, It is as you say.


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Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.


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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?


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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.


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But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.


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The governor answered and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to release to you? They said, Barabbas!


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Pilate said to them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all say to him, Let Him be crucified!


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And the governor said, Why, what evil has He done? But they cried out all the more, saying, Let Him be crucified!


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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.


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Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.


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Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison against Him.


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And when they had woven 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!


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And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.


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Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.


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And 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.


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And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.


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and saying, You who destroys the temple and builds it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.


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He saved others; He has no power to save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.


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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?


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And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink.


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Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,


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and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and were manifest to many.


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Now 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 this was the Son of God!


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And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,


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among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.


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And when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself was also a disciple of Jesus.


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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.


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And on the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,


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saying, Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, After three days I will rise.


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Therefore, command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, that His disciples not 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.


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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.


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And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.


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And the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.


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And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and behold He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.


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And they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to report this to His disciples.


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And as they went to bring word to His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, Greetings! And they came and held Him by the feet and did homage to Him.


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And Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.


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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.


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And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,


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So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews to this day.


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Go therefore and instruct all the nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


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teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.


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As it is written in the Prophets: Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.


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John came immersing in the wilderness and preaching an immersion of repentance for the remission of sins.


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And all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all immersed by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.


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Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather waistband around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.


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And he preached, saying, There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.


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And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was immersed by John in the Jordan.


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And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.


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And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.


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Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,


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and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.


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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.


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And when He had gone a little farther from there, He saw Jacob the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.


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And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.


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And they were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.


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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!


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And 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.


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And as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with Jacob and John.


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So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.


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And at evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.


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And 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.


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And in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there prayed.


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But He said to them, Let us go into the neighboring towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.


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Now a leper came to Him, begging Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, If You are willing, You can make me clean.


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And Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, I am willing; be made clean.


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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.


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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.


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And immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the Word to them.


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And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had dug through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.


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And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, Why do you reason these things in your hearts?


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Which is easier: To say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you; or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk?


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But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins; He said to the paralytic,


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And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this!


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And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, Follow Me. So he arose and followed Him.


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And it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.


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And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?


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When Jesus heard it, He said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.


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And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?


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And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.


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But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.


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No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.


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Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.


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But He said to them, Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:


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how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the Bread of Presentation, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave to those who were with him?


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So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.


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And 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.


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And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at 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.


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And the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.


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But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea


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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.


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And He said to His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, that they might not press upon Him.


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And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, You are the Son of God!


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Jacob the son of Zebedee and John the brother of Jacob, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder;


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Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Jacob the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite;


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But when His next of kin heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, He is beside Himself.


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And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, by the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.


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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.


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Truly, I say to you, All sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme;


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but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has remission, but is subject to eternal damnation;


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And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are seeking You outside.


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And He looked around in a circle at those who sat around Him, and said, Behold My mother and My brothers.


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And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.


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And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.


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Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.


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But other seed fell on good ground and yielded fruit that sprang up, increased and produced: one thirtyfold, one sixty, and one a hundred.


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And He said to them, To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things are in parables,


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so that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should convert, and their sins be forgiven them.


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And these are the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown: When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.


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These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with joy;


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and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately they stumble.


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and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.


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But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the Word, receive it, and bear fruit: one thirtyfold, one sixty, and one a hundred.


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And He said to them, Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?


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For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but what it will come to light.


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And He said to them, Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.


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For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.


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and should sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.


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For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full grain in the ear.


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It is like a grain of mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;


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but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to nest under its shade.


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But He did not speak to them without a parable. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.


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And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.


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But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?


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And He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be silent! Be muzzled! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.


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And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?


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And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,


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because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.


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And continually, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.


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And he cried out with a loud voice and said, What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God that You do not torment me.


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And Jesus immediately gave them permission. And the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.


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And those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened.


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And they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.


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And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.


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And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.


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However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.


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And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled.


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And when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.


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And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet


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and begged Him earnestly, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.


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and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.


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And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she knew in her body that she was healed of the plague.


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And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?


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And the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened in her, came and fell down before Him and told Him all the truth.


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And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your plague.


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While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?


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As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be afraid; only believe.


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And He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.


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And when He came in, He said to them, Why do you make this commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is sleeping.


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And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.


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And He took the child by the hand, and said to her, Talitha, koumi, which is translated, Little girl, I say to you, Arise.


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And immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were beside themselves with great amazement.


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And He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given to her to eat.


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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 works of power are performed by His hands?


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Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of Jacob, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him.


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But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own kindred, and in his own house.


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And He could do no work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.


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And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over unclean spirits,


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and commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff; no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts;


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And He said to them, In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.


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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. Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.


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Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, John the Immerser has been raised from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.


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For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.


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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.


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Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday made a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.


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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.


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So she went out and said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Immerser.


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And immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me on a platter at once the head of John the Immerser.


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And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to slight her.


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And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison,


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Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.


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And He said to them, Come apart by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have opportunity to eat.


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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.


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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 He began to teach them many things.


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And 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.


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Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.


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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?


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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.


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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.


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And 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.


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And He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.


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for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, Be of good courage. It is I; do not be afraid.


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And He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.


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ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.


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And 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.


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And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.


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For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands with the fist, holding the tradition of the elders.


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And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the dipping of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.


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So the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?


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He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.


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For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men; the dipping of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.


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And He said to them, Full well you set aside the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.


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For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother; and, He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.


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But you say, If a man says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban (that is, a gift),


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making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.


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And when He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, Hear Me, everyone, and understand:


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There is nothing that enters a man from outside which is able to defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.


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And when He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.


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So He said to them, Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him,


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because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and goes out as waste? Thus He was purifying all foods.


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For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual perversions, murders,


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thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.


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From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.


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For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.


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The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.


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But Jesus said to her, Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.


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And she answered and said to Him, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs.


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And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.


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And again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the middle of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.


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And they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.


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And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.


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And immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke correctly.


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And He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.


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And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.


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In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them,


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I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.


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And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.


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So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.


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And the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from Heaven, testing Him.


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But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, As if a sign will be given to this generation!


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Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.


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And He charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.


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But Jesus, knowing, said to them, Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?


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When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? They said to Him, Twelve.


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Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? And they said, Seven.


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So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.


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Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.


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And Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, Who do men say that I am?


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And He began to teach them that it is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days to rise again.


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But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.


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And when He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.


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For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.


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For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.


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And He said to them, Truly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God coming with power.


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Now after six days Jesus took Peter, Jacob, and John, and led them up into a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.


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And His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no fuller on earth is able to whiten them.


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And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah;


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And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son. Hear Him.


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Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man should rise from the dead.


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And He answered and said to them, Truly, Elijah comes first and restores all things. And how it is written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt.


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But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.


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And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.


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And immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.


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And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams, gnashes his teeth, and withers away. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they were not able.


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He answered him and said, O unbelieving generation. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.


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And they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming.


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And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.


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And immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!


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When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Deaf and mute spirit, I command you, Come out of him and enter him no more.


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And the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as if dead, so that many said, He has died.


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And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could we not cast it out?


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For He taught His disciples and said to them, The Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.


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And He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?


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And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.


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And He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,


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Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.


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And John answered Him, saying, Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.


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But Jesus said, Do not forbid him, for no one who does a work of power in My name will soon afterward be able to speak evil of Me.


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For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, Truly, I say to you, He will by no means lose his reward.


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But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck, and he be thrown into the sea.


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If your hand makes you stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to Gehenna, into the fire that shall never be quenched;


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And if your foot makes you stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that shall never be quenched;


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And if your eye makes you stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into the fire of Gehenna;


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Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.


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Then He arose from there and came into the borders of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes came together to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.


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And Jesus answered and said to them, Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.


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And they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.


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But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.


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Truly, I say to you, Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.


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And as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?


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You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.


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Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.


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And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God.


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And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.


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It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.


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But Jesus looked at them and said, With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.


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So Jesus answered and said, Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, on account of Me and the gospel,


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who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time; houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.


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Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that were about to happen to Him:


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Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles;


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and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.


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Then Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.


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They said to Him, Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.


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But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with?


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They said to Him, We are able. So Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the immersion I am immersed with you will be immersed;


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but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.


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But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, You know that those who seem to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.


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But it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.


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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.


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And they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.


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And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!


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So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, Be of good courage. Arise, He is calling you.


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And Jesus answered and said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? And the blind man said to Him, My Master, that I may see again.


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And Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has made you well. And immediately he saw again and followed Jesus on the road.


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And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples;


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and said to them, Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.


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And if anyone says to you, Why do you do this? say, The Lord has need of it, and immediately he will send it here.


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So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.


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And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.


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And those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!


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Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!


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And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.


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And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.


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And answering Jesus said to it, Let no one eat fruit from you ever again. And His disciples heard it.


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So they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.


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And He taught, saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.


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And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His doctrine.


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And Peter, remembering, said to Him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which You cursed has withered away.


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For truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will be done, it will be to him, whatever he says.


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Therefore I say to you, Everything whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you receive, and it will be to you.


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And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive, that your Father in Heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.


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And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.


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And they said to Him, By what authority do You do these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?


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And Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one question, and answer Me; and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:


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And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we say, From Heaven, He will say, Why then did you not believe him?


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So they answered and said to Jesus, We do not know. And Jesus answered and said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.


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And He began to speak to them in parables: A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.


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And at the season he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.


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And again he sent to them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.


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Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, They will reverence my son.


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But those vinedressers said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.


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Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.


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Have you not even read this Scripture: The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner;


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And they sought to lay hold on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.


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And when they had come, they said to Him, Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?


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Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.


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So they brought it. And He said to them, Whose image and inscription is this? They said to Him, Caesar's.


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And Jesus answered and said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at Him.


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Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up seed for his brother.


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Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.


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Jesus answered and said to them, Are you not therefore in error, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?


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For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in Heaven.


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But concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him at the bush, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?


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And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all?


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Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.


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And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.


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And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.


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So the scribe said to Him, Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other besides Him.


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And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.


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And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And after that no one dared question Him.


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Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?


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For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.


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Therefore David himself calls Him Lord; how is He then his son? And the large crowd heard Him gladly.


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And He said to them in His teaching, Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,


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who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive surpassing condemnation.


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And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people threw money into the treasury. And many who were rich threw in much.


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So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, Truly, I say to you that this poor widow has thrown in more than all those who have thrown into the treasury;


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for they all threw in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty threw in all that she had, her whole livelihood.


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And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings!


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And Jesus answered and said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.


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And as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, Jacob, John, and Andrew questioned Him privately,


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Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be fulfilled?


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But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for it is necessary for such things to come about, but the end is not yet.


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For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of travail.


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But take heed to yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.


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But when they lead you away and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.


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Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.


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And you will be hated by everyone on account of My name. But he who endures to the end shall be kept safe.


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So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.


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And let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.


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For in those days there will be affliction, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.


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And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be kept safe alive; but because of the elect, whom He chose, He has shortened the days.


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For false christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders to cause, if possible, even the elect to go astray.


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But in those days, after that affliction, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;


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And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.


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Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.


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It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.


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Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming; in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning;


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After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by deceit and put Him to death.


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And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly ointment of spikenard. And she broke the flask and poured it on His head.


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For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.


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For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but you do not always have Me.


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She has done what she was in a position to do. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.


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Truly, I say to you, Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.


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And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.


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Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples said to Him, Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?


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And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.


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And wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, The Teacher says, Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?


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So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.


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Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.


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And they began to be grieved, and to say to Him one by one, Surely not me? And another said, Surely not me?


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The Son of Man truly goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.


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And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, Take, eat; this is My body.


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Truly, I say to you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.


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And Jesus said to them, All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.


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And Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.


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But he spoke more vehemently, If I need to die with You, I will not deny You! And they all said likewise.


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And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, Sit here while I pray.


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And He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.


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And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.


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And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not strong enough to watch one hour?


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Watch and pray, that you not enter into temptation. The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak.


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And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.


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And He came the third time and said to them, Sleep on now and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners.


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And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.


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And His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, Whomever I kiss, it is He; seize Him and lead Him away safely.


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And as soon as He had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, Rabbi, Rabbi! and kissed Him.


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And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.


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And Jesus answered and said to them, Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?


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I was with you daily in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.


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And a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him,


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And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.


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And Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.


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And the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.


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We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.


text:
And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, Do You answer nothing? What is it these men witness against You?


text:
But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned Him, saying to Him, Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?


text:
Jesus said, I AM. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of Heaven.


text:
You have heard the blasphemy! What does it appear to you? And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death.


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And some began to spit on Him, and to cover His face, and to beat Him with the fist, and to say to Him, Prophesy! And the officers struck Him with slaps.


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And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.


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But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you are saying. And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.


text:
And he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech agrees.


text:
And a second time the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And when he thought on it, he wept.


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And immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.


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Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, Do You answer nothing? Behold how many things they witness against You!


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And there was one named Barabbas, who was in bonds with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the insurrection.


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So Pilate answered and said to them again, What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?


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So Pilate, intending to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.


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And the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.


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And they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bending the knee, they bowed to Him.


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And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.


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And they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.


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And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.


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And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,


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Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, He saved others, but He is not able to save Himself.


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Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.


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And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is translated, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?


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And someone ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink, saying, Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.


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And when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, Truly this Man was the Son of God!


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There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob the Less and of Joses, and Salome,


text:
who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.


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Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming, boldly went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.


text:
And Pilate marveled that He had already died; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for awhile.


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And he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.


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Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.


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And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were afraid.


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But he said to them, Do not be afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.


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But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.


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So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were astonished. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


text:
Now when He arose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.


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Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had been raised.


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And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;


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they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well.


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So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.


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And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the signs following. Amen.


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Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,


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just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, delivered them to us,


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it seemed good to me also, having closely followed all things from the very first, to write it to you in orderly fashion, most excellent Theophilus,


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There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.


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And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.


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according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.


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But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.


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For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.


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He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.


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And Zacharias said to the angel, By what shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.


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And the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.


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But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their season.


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But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they recognized that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he made signs to them and remained speechless.


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And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were fulfilled, that he departed to his own house.


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Thus the Lord has done with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.


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to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.


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And having come in, the angel said to her, Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!


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But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and contemplated what kind of greeting this might be.


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He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David.


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And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.


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Now behold, Elizabeth your kinswoman has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.


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Then Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.


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And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.


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And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!


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For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.


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Blessed is she who believes, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.


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For He regards the lowly state of His handmaid; for behold, henceforth all generations will count me blessed.


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And her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had magnified His mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her.


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So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they were calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias.


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And fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.


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And all those who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What kind of child will this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.


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And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,


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to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.


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So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his proclamation to Israel.


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And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.


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Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,


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And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.


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Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.


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And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.


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And the angel said to them, Do not fear, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.


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And so it came about, when the angels had departed from them into Heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us go at once to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.


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Now when they had seen, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.


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And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.


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And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.


text:
And when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord


text:
(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord),


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and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.


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And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.


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


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So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law,


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And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against


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(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.


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And there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;


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and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.


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And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke concerning Him to all those in Jerusalem who looked for redemption.


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So when they had performed all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.


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And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.


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And when they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;


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but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.


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And so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.


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And when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Son, why have You done this to us? Behold, Your father and I have sought You, greatly distressed.


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And He said to them, Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I need to be in the things of My Father?


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And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them; but His mother kept all these words in her heart.


text:
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,


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while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the Word of God came upon John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.


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And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching an immersion of repentance for the remission of sins,


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as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.


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Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways level;


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Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be immersed by him, Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?


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Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within 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.


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And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


text:
He answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.


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Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, And what shall we do? So he said to them, Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.


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Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether or not he was the Christ,


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John answered, saying to them all, I indeed immerse you in water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and fire.


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His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.


text:
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,


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Now when all the people were immersed, it came to pass that Jesus also was immersed; and while He prayed, the Heaven was opened.


text:
And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven which said, You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.


text:
And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,


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Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,


text:
being tried for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.


text:
But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.


text:
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.


text:
And the devil said to Him, All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.


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And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall do homage to the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.


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Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the wing of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.


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And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.


text:
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.


text:
And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:


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The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free with deliverance those who are oppressed;


text:
And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him.


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And all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words going forth out of His mouth. And they said, Is this not Joseph's son?


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And He said to them, You will surely say this proverb to Me, Physician, heal yourself. Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.


text:
But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;


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And many lepers were in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.


text:
and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, in order to throw Him down.


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And in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,


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saying, Leave 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!


text:
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be quiet, and come out of him! And when the demon had thrown him into their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.


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And they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, What a word this is. For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.


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And He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they entreated Him concerning her.


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So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.


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When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.


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And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, You are the Christ, the Son of God! And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.


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And when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;


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but He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.


text:
And it came to pass that, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the Word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,


text:
and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.


text:
And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.


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When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.


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But Simon answered and said to Him, Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.


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So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.


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And when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!


text:
and so also were Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not fear. From now on you will be catching men.


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And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus, fell on his face and begged Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me.


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Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. Immediately the leprosy left him.


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And He charged him to tell no one, But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.


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However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.


text:
And it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.


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And behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.


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And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.


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And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins but God alone?


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But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins; He said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.


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Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.


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And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen incredible things today!


text:
And after these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, Follow Me.


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Then Levi made Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.


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And their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?


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And Jesus answered and said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.


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Then they said to Him, Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?


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And He said to them, Can you make the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?


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But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.


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And He spoke a parable to them: No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.


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Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.


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But Jesus answering them said, Have you never read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him;


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how he went into the house of God, took and ate the Bread of Presentation, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?


text:
And it also happened on another Sabbath, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered.


text:
So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.


text:
But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, Arise and stand in the middle. And he arose and stood.


text:
Then Jesus said to them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?


