# verses

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David was soon famous all over the place, far and near; and God put the fear of God into the godless nations.


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After David built houses for himself in the City of David, he cleared a place for the Chest and pitched a tent for it.


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Then David gave orders: "No one carries the Chest of God except the Levites; God designated them and them only to carry the Chest of God and be available full time for service in the work of worship."


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David then called everyone in Israel to assemble in Jerusalem to bring up the Chest of God to its specially prepared place.


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Then David called in Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab the Levites.


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He said, "You are responsible for the Levitical families; now consecrate yourselves, both you and your relatives, and bring up the Chest of the God of Israel to the place I have set aside for it.


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The first time we did this, you Levites did not carry it properly, and God exploded in anger at us because we didn't make proper preparation and follow instructions."


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The Levites carried the Chest of God exactly as Moses, instructed by God, commanded—carried it with poles on their shoulders, careful not to touch it with their hands.


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David ordered the heads of the Levites to assign their relatives to sing in the choir, accompanied by a well-equipped marching band, and fill the air with joyful sound.


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The Levites assigned Heman son of Joel, and from his family, Asaph son of Berekiah, then Ethan son of Kushaiah from the family of Merari,


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and after them in the second rank their brothers Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel as security guards.


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Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah with lyres carrying the melody;


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The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew the trumpets before the Chest of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also porters for the Chest.


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Now they were ready. David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands started out to get the Chest of the Covenant of God and bring it up from the house of Obed-Edom. And they went rejoicing.


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Because God helped the Levites, strengthening them as they carried the Chest of the Covenant of God, they paused to worship by sacrificing seven bulls and seven rams.


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They were all dressed in elegant linen—David, the Levites carrying the Chest, the choir and band, and Kenaniah who was directing the music. David also wore a linen prayer shawl (called an ephod).


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On they came, all Israel on parade bringing up the Chest of the Covenant of God, shouting and cheering, playing every kind of brass and percussion and string instrument.


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When the Chest of the Covenant of God entered the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, was watching from a window. When she saw King David dancing ecstatically she was filled with contempt.


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They brought the Chest of God and placed it right in the center of the tent that David had pitched for it; then they worshiped by presenting burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.


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Then he passed around to every one there, men and women alike, a loaf of bread, a slice of barbecue, and a raisin cake.


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Then David assigned some of the Levites to the Chest of God to lead worship—to intercede, give thanks, and praise the God of Israel.


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Asaph was in charge; under him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, who played the musical instruments. Asaph was on percussion.


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The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew the trumpets before the Chest of the Covenant of God at set times through the day.


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That was the day that David inaugurated regular worship of praise to God, led by Asaph and his company.


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Shout Bravo! to God, families of the peoples,<br/>in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo!


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Shout Bravo! to his famous Name,<br/>lift high an offering and enter his presence!<br/>Stand resplendent in his robes of holiness!


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So let heaven rejoice, let earth be jubilant,<br/>and pass the word among the nations, "God reigns!"


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Then the trees in the forest will add their applause<br/>to all who are pleased and present before God<br/>—he's on his way to set things right!


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Say, "Save us, Savior God,<br/>round us up and get us out of these godless places,<br/>So we can give thanks to your holy Name,<br/>and bask in your life of praise."


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Blessed be God, the God of Israel,<br/>from everlasting to everlasting.<br/>Then everybody said, "Yes! Amen!" and "Praise God!"


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David left Asaph and his coworkers with the Chest of the Covenant of God and in charge of the work of worship; they were responsible for the needs of worship around the clock.


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He also assigned Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight relatives to help them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah were in charge of the security guards.


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The priest Zadok and his family of priests were assigned to the Tent of God at the sacred mound at Gibeon


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to make sure that the services of morning and evening worship were conducted daily, complete with Whole-Burnt-Offerings offered on the Altar of Burnt Offering, as ordered in the Law of God, which was the norm for Israel.


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With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and others specifically named, with the job description: "Give thanks to God, for his love never quits!"


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Heman and Jeduthun were also well equipped with trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments for accompanying sacred songs. The sons of Jeduthun formed the security guard.


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After the king had made himself at home, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look at this: Here I am comfortable in a luxurious palace of cedar and the Chest of the Covenant of God sits under a tent."


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"Go and tell my servant David, This is God's word on the matter: You will not build me a 'house' to live in.


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Why, I haven't lived in a 'house' from the time I brought up the children of Israel from Egypt till now; I've gone from one tent and makeshift shelter to another.


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In all my travels with all Israel, did I ever say to any of the leaders I commanded to shepherd Israel, 'Why haven't you built me a house of cedar?'


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"So here is what you are to tell my servant David: The God-of-the-Angel-Armies has this word for you: I took you from the pasture, tagging after sheep, and made you prince over my people Israel.


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I was with you everywhere you went and mowed your enemies down before you; and now I'm about to make you famous, ranked with the great names on earth.


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I'm going to set aside a place for my people Israel and plant them there so they'll have their own home and not be knocked around anymore; nor will evil nations afflict them as they always have,


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even during the days I set judges over my people Israel. And finally, I'm going to conquer all your enemies. "And now I'm telling you this: God himself will build you a house!


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When your life is complete and you're buried with your ancestors, then I'll raise up your child to succeed you, a child from your own body, and I'll firmly establish his rule.


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I'll be a father to him, and he'll be a son to me. I will never remove my gracious love from him as I did from the one who preceded you.


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King David went in, took his place before God, and prayed: Who am I, my Master God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life?


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But that's nothing compared to what's coming, for you've also spoken of my family far into the future, given me a glimpse into tomorrow and looked on me, Master God, as a Somebody.


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What's left for David to say to this—to your honoring your servant, even though you know me, just as I am?


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O God, out of the goodness of your heart, you've taken your servant to do this great thing and put your great work on display.


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There's none like you, God, no God but you, nothing to compare with what we've heard with our own ears.


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And who is like your people, like Israel, a nation unique on earth, whom God set out to redeem as his own people (and became most famous for it), performing great and fearsome acts, throwing out nations and their gods left and right as you saved your people from Egypt?


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You established for yourself a people—your very own Israel!—your people forever. And you, God, became their God.


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So now, great God, this word that you have spoken to me and my family, guarantee it forever! Do exactly what you've promised!


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Then your reputation will be confirmed and flourish always as people exclaim, "The God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!" And the house of your servant David will remain rock solid under your watchful presence.


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You, my God, have told me plainly, "I will build you a house." That's how I was able to find the courage to pray this prayer to you.


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As if that weren't enough, you've blessed my family so that it will continue in your presence always. Because you have blessed it, God, it's really blessed—blessed for good!


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In the days that followed, David struck hard at the Philistines, bringing them to their knees, captured Gath, and took control of the surrounding countryside.


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On his way to restore his sovereignty at the Euphrates River, David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah (over toward Hamath).


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David captured a thousand chariots, 7,000 cavalry, and 20,000 infantry from him. He hamstrung all the chariot horses, but saved back a hundred.


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When the Arameans from Damascus came to the aid of Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of them.


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He also looted Tebah and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, of a huge quantity of bronze that Solomon later used to make the Great Bronze Sea, the Pillars, and bronze equipment in The Temple.


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He sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. Tou and Hadadezer were old enemies. Hadoram brought David various things made of silver, gold, and bronze.


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King David consecrated these things along with the silver and gold that he had plundered from other nations: Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.


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He set up a puppet government in Edom and the Edomites became subjects under David. God gave David victory wherever he marched.


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Thus David ruled over all of Israel. He ruled well, fair and evenhanded in all his duties and relationships.


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Joab son of Zeruiah was head of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of public records;


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Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the special forces, the Kerethites and Pelethites; And David's sons held high positions, close to the king.


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David said, "I'd like to show some kindness to Hanun son of Nahash—treat him as well and as kindly as his father treated me." So David sent condolences about his father's death. But when David's servants arrived in Ammonite country and came to Hanun to bring condolences,


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the Ammonite leaders warned Hanun, "Do you for a minute suppose that David is honoring your father by sending you comforters? Don't you know that he's sent these men to snoop around the city and size it up so that he can capture it?"


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So Hanun seized David's men, shaved them clean, cut off their robes half way up their buttocks, and sent them packing.


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When this was all reported to David, he sent someone to meet them, for they were seriously humiliated. The king told them, "Stay in Jericho until your beards grow out; only then come back."


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they hired, at a cost of a thousand talents of silver (thirty-seven and a half tons!), chariots and horsemen from the Arameans of Naharaim, Maacah, and Zobah—32,000 chariots and drivers; plus the king of Maacah with his troops who came and set up camp at Medeba; the Ammonites, too, were mobilized from their cities and got ready for battle.


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The Ammonites marched out and spread out in battle formation at the city gate; the kings who had come as allies took up a position in the open fields.


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The rest of the army he put under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them to deal with the Ammonites.


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Then he said, "If the Arameans are too much for me, you help me; and if the Ammonites prove too much for you, I'll come and help you.


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Courage! We'll fight might and main for our people and for the cities of our God. And God will do whatever he sees needs doing!"


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Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels and ran from Abishai into the city. So Joab withdrew from the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.


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When the Arameans saw how badly they'd been beaten by Israel, they picked up the pieces and regrouped; they sent for the Arameans who were across the river; Shophach, commander of Hadadezer's army, led them.


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When all this was reported to David, he mustered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced, and prepared to fight. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on.


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But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed 7,000 chariot drivers and 40,000 infantry. He also killed Shophach, the army commander.


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When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again.


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That spring, the time when kings usually go off to war, Joab led the army out and ravaged the Ammonites. He then set siege to Rabbah. David meanwhile was back in Jerusalem. Joab hit Rabbah hard and left it in ruins.


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David took the crown off the head of their king. Its weight was found to be a talent of gold and set with a precious stone. It was placed on David's head. He hauled great quantities of loot from the city


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and put the people to hard labor with saws and picks and axes. This is what he did to all the Ammonites. Then David and his army returned to Jerusalem.


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Later war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. That was the time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai of the clan of giants. The Philistines had to eat crow.


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In another war with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite whose spear was like a ship's boom.


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And then there was the war at Gath that featured a hulking giant who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and foot—yet another from the clan of giants.


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David gave orders to Joab and the army officers under him, "Canvass all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and get a count of the population. I want to know the number."


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Joab resisted: "May God multiply his people by hundreds! Don't they all belong to my master the king? But why on earth would you do a thing like this—why risk getting Israel into trouble with God?"


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But David wouldn't take no for an answer, so Joab went off and did it—canvassed the country and then came back to Jerusalem


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and reported the results of the census: There were 1,100,000 fighting men; of that total, Judah accounted for 470,000.


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Joab, disgusted by the command—it, in fact, turned his stomach!—protested by leaving Levi and Benjamin out of the census-taking.


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Then David prayed, "I have sinned badly in what I have just done, substituting statistics for trust; forgive my sin—I've been really stupid."


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"Go and give David this message: 'God's word: You have your choice of three punishments; choose one and I'll do the rest.' "


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"Do you want three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God—an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the One who sent me?"


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David told Gad, "They're all terrible! But I'd rather be punished by God whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands."


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God then sent the angel to Jerusalem but when he saw the destruction about to begin, he compassionately changed his mind and ordered the death angel, "Enough's enough! Pull back!" The angel of God had just reached the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.


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David looked up and saw the angel hovering between earth and sky, sword drawn and about to strike Jerusalem. David and the elders bowed in prayer and covered themselves with rough burlap.


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David prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I'm the one at fault. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, me and my family; don't take it out on them."


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The angel of God ordered Gad to tell David to go and build an altar to God on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.


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Meanwhile Araunah had quit threshing the wheat and was watching the angel; his four sons took cover and hid.


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David came up to Araunah. When Araunah saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed deeply before David, honoring the king.


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David said to Araunah, "Give me the site of the threshing floor so I can build an altar to God. Charge me the market price; we're going to put an end to this disaster."


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"O master, my king," said Araunah, "just take it; do whatever you want with it! Look, here's an ox for the burnt offering and threshing paddles for the fuel and wheat for the meal offering—it's all yours!"


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David replied to Araunah, "No. I'm buying it from you, and at the full market price. I'm not going to offer God sacrifices that are no sacrifice."


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He built an altar to God there and sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings. He called out to God and God answered by striking the altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering with lightning.


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And that's the story of what happened when David saw that God answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the time he offered the sacrifice.


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At this time the Tabernacle that Moses had constructed in the desert, and with it the Altar of Burnt Offering, were set up at the worship center at Gibeon.


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So David declared, "From now on, this is the site for the worship of God; this is the place for Israel's Altar of Burnt Offering."


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David ordered all the resident aliens in the land to come together; he sent them to the stone quarries to cut dressed stone to build The Temple of God.


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He also stockpiled a huge quantity of iron for nails and bracings for the doors of the gates, more bronze than could be weighed,


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and cedar logs past counting (the Sidonians and Tyrians shipped in huge loads of cedar logs for David).


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David was thinking, "My son Solomon is too young to plan ahead for this. But the sanctuary that is to be built for God has to be the greatest, the talk of all the nations; so I'll get the construction materials together." That's why David prepared this huge stockpile of building materials before he died.


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But God prevented me, saying, 'You've killed too many people, fought too many wars. You are not the one to honor me by building a sanctuary—you've been responsible for too much killing, too much bloodshed.


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But you are going to have a son and he will be a quiet and peaceful man, and I will calm his enemies down on all sides. His very name will speak peace—that is, Solomon, which means Peace—and I'll give peace and rest under his rule.


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He will be the one to build a sanctuary in my honor. He'll be my royal adopted son and I'll be his father; and I'll make sure that the authority of his kingdom over Israel lasts forever.'


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"So now, son, God be with you. God-speed as you build the sanctuary for your God, the job God has given you.


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And may God also give you discernment and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you will rule in reverent obedience under God's Revelation.


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That's what will make you successful, following the directions and doing the things that God commanded Moses for Israel. Courage! Take charge! Don't be timid; don't hold back.


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Look at this—I've gone to a lot of trouble to stockpile materials for the sanctuary of God: 100,000 talents (3,775 tons) of gold, a million talents (37,750 tons) of silver, tons of bronze and iron—too much to weigh—and all this timber and stone. And you're free to add more.


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saying, "Isn't it obvious that your God is present with you; that he has given you peaceful relations with everyone around? My part in this was to put down the enemies, subdue the land to God and his people;


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your part is to give yourselves, heart and soul, to praying to your God. So get moving—build the sacred house of worship to God! Then bring the Chest of the Covenant of God and all the holy furnishings for the worship of God into the sanctuary built in honor of God."


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David sorted them into work groups: "24,000 are in charge of administering worship in the sanctuary; 6,000 are officials and judges;


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4,000 are security guards; and 4,000 are to serve in the orchestra, praising God with instruments that I have provided for praise."


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David then divided the Levites into groupings named after the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.


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Jahath came first, followed by Ziza. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons so they were counted as one family with one task.


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The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was especially ordained to work in the Holy of Holies, to burn incense before God, to serve God and bless his Name always. This was a permanent appointment for Aaron and his sons.


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Rehabiah was the first and only son of Eliezer; but though Eliezer had no other sons, Rehabiah had many sons.


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Eleazar died without any sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married the daughters.


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These are the sons of Levi twenty years and older, divided up according to families and heads of families and listed in the work groups that took care of the worship in the sanctuary of God.


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David said, "Now that the God of Israel has given rest to his people and made Jerusalem his permanent home,


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the Levites no longer have to carry the Tabernacle and all the furniture required for the work of worship."


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From now on the assigned work of the Levites was to assist Aaron's sons in the work of worship in God's house: maintain courtyards and closets, keep the furniture and utensils of worship clean, take care of any extra work needed in the work of worship,


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and provide bread for the table and flour for the Meal Offerings and the unraised wafers—all baking and mixing, all measuring and weighing.


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and at the service of Whole-Burnt-Offerings to God on Sabbath, at New Moons, and at all festivals. They were on regular duty to serve God according to their assignment and the required number.


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In short, the Levites, with the sons of Aaron as their companions in the ministry of holy worship, were responsible for everything that had to do with worship: the place and times and ordering of worship.


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Nadab and Abihu died before their father and left no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar filled the office of priest.


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David assigned Zadok from the family of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the family of Ithamar and assigned them to separate divisions for carrying out their appointed ministries.


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It turned out that there were more leaders in Eleazar's family than in Ithamar's and so they divided them proportionately: sixteen clan leaders from Eleazar's family and eight clan leaders from Ithamar's family.


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They assigned the leaders by lot, treating both families alike, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among both the Eleazar and Ithamar families.


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The secretary Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, wrote down their names in the presence of the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the priestly and Levitical families. They took turns: One family was selected from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.


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They served in this appointed order when they entered The Temple of God, following the procedures laid down by their ancestor Aaron as God, the God of Israel, had commanded him.


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The rest of the Levites are as follows: From the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.


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The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.


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They also cast lots, the same as their kindred the sons of Aaron had done, in the presence of David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priestly and Levitical families. The families of the oldest and youngest brothers were treated the same.


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Next David and the worship leaders selected some from the family of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun for special service in preaching and music. Here is the roster of names and assignments:


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From the family of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah; they were supervised by Asaph, who spoke for God backed up by the king's authority.


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From the family of Jeduthun there were six sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah; they were supervised by their father Jeduthun, who preached and accompanied himself with the zither—he was responsible for leading the thanks and praise to God.


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From the family of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.


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These were the sons of Heman the king's seer; they supported and assisted him in his divinely appointed work. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.


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Under their father's supervision they were in charge of leading the singing and providing musical accompaniment in the work of worship in the sanctuary of God (Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman took their orders directly from the king).


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They drew names at random to see who would do what. Nobody, whether young or old, teacher or student, was given preference or advantage over another.


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The first name from Asaph's family was Joseph and his twelve sons and brothers; second, Gedaliah and his twelve sons and brothers;


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The teams of security guards were from the family of Korah: Meshelemiah son of Kore (one of the sons of Asaph).


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These all came from the line of Obed-Edom—all of them outstanding and strong. There were sixty-two of them.


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The sons of Hosah the Merarite were Shimri (he was not the firstborn but his father made him first),


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These teams of security guards, supervised by their leaders, kept order in The Temple of God, keeping up the traditions of their ancestors.


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They were all assigned to their posts by the same method regardless of the prominence of their families—each picked his gate assignment from a hat.


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Shuppim and Hosah were posted to the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the high road. The guards stood shoulder to shoulder:


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six Levites per day on the east, four per day on the north and on the south, and two at a time at the storehouse.


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and the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They supervised the finances of the sanctuary of God.


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His relatives through Eliezer: his son Rehabiah, his son Jeshaiah, his son Joram, his son Zicri, and his son Shelomith.


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Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of valuables consecrated by David the king, family heads, and various generals and commanders from the army.


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In addition, everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah—anything that had been dedicated, ever, was the responsibility of Shelomith and his family.


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From the family of the Izharites, Kenaniah and sons were appointed as officials and judges responsible for affairs outside the work of worship and sanctuary.


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From the family of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives—1,700 well-qualified men—were responsible for administration of matters related to the worship of God and the king's work in the territory west of the Jordan.


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According to the family tree of the Hebronites, Jeriah held pride of place. In the fortieth year of David's reign (his last), the Hebron family tree was researched and outstanding men were found at Jazer in Gilead,


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namely, Jeriah and 2,700 men of his extended family: David the king made them responsible for administration of matters related to the worship of God and the work of the king in the territory east of the Jordan—the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.


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Here is the listing of the sons of Israel by family heads, commanders and captains, and other officers who served the king in everything military. Army divisions were on duty a month at a time for the twelve months of the year. Each division comprised 24,000 men.


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The division for the second month: Dodai the Ahohite was in charge: 24,000 men; Mikloth was the leader of his division.


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This was the same Benaiah who was a Mighty Man among the Thirty and their chief. His son Ammizabad was in charge of the division.


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Fourth division for the fourth month: Asahel brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah succeeded him: 24,000 men.


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for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah; for Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner;


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for Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham. These are the administrative officers assigned to the tribes of Israel.


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David didn't keep a count of men under the age of twenty, because God had promised to give Israel a population as numerous as the stars in the sky.


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Joab son of Zeruiah started out counting the men, but he never finished. God's anger broke out on Israel because of the counting. As it turned out, the numbers were never entered into the court records of King David.


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The king's storage facilities were supervised by Azmaveth son of Adiel. Jonathan son of Uzziah was responsible for the warehouses in the outlying areas.


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Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards and Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of grapes for the wine vats.


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Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western hills, and Joash was in charge of the olive oil.


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Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of herds grazing in Sharon and Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of herds in the valley.


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Obil the Ismaelite was in charge of the camels, Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys,


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and Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. These were the ones responsible for taking care of King David's property.


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Jonathan, David's uncle, a wise and literate counselor, and Jehiel son of Hacmoni, were responsible for rearing the king's sons.


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Ahithophel was later replaced by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king's army.


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David called together all the leaders of Israel—tribal administrators, heads of various governmental operations, military commanders and captains, stewards in charge of the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons—everyone who held responsible positions in the kingdom.


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King David stood tall and spoke: "Listen to me, my people: I fully intended to build a permanent structure for the Chest of the Covenant of God, God's footstool. But when I got ready to build it,


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God said to me, 'You may not build a house to honor me—you've done too much fighting—killed too many people.'


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God chose me out of my family to be king over Israel forever. First he chose Judah as the lead tribe, then he narrowed it down to my family, and finally he picked me from my father's sons, pleased to make me the king over all Israel.


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And then from all my sons—and God gave me many!—he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of God's rule over Israel.


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He went on to say, 'Your son Solomon will build my house and my courts: I have chosen him to be my royal adopted son; and I will be to him a father.


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I will guarantee that his kingdom will last if he continues to be as strong-minded in doing what I command and carrying out my decisions as he is doing now.'


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"And now, in this public place, all Israel looking on and God listening in, as God's people, obey and study every last one of the commandments of your God so that you can make the most of living in this good land and pass it on intact to your children, insuring a good future.


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"And you, Solomon my son, get to know well your father's God; serve him with a whole heart and eager mind, for God examines every heart and sees through every motive. If you seek him, he'll make sure you find him, but if you abandon him, he'll leave you for good.


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Then David presented his son Solomon with the plans for The Temple complex: porch, storerooms, meeting rooms, and the place for atoning sacrifice.


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He turned over the plans for everything that God's Spirit had brought to his mind: the design of the courtyards, the arrangements of rooms, and the closets for storing all the holy things.


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He gave him his plan for organizing the Levites and priests in their work of leading and ordering worship in the house of God, and for caring for the liturgical furnishings.


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He provided exact specifications for how much gold and silver was needed for each article used in the services of worship:


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and the incense altar. And he gave him the plan for sculpting the cherubs with their wings outstretched over the Chest of the Covenant of God—the cherubim throne.


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David continued to address Solomon: "Take charge! Take heart! Don't be anxious or get discouraged. God, my God, is with you in this; he won't walk off and leave you in the lurch. He's at your side until every last detail is completed for conducting the worship of God.


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You have all the priests and Levites standing ready to pitch in, and skillful craftsmen and artisans of every kind ready to go to work. Both leaders and people are ready. Just say the word."


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Then David the king addressed the congregation: "My son Solomon was singled out and chosen by God to do this. But he's young and untested and the work is huge—this is not just a place for people to meet each other, but a house for God to meet us.


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I've done my best to get everything together for building this house for my God, all the materials necessary: gold, silver, bronze, iron, lumber, precious and varicolored stones, and building stones—vast stockpiles.


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Furthermore, because my heart is in this, in addition to and beyond what I have gathered, I'm turning over my personal fortune of gold and silver for making this place of worship for my God:


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3,000 talents (about 113 tons) of gold—all from Ophir, the best—and 7,000 talents (214 tons) of silver for covering the walls of the buildings,


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and for the gold and silver work by craftsmen and artisans. "And now, how about you? Who among you is ready and willing to join in the giving?"


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Ready and willing, the heads of families, leaders of the tribes of Israel, commanders and captains in the army, stewards of the king's affairs, stepped forward and gave willingly.


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They gave 5,000 talents (188 tons) and 10,000 darics (185 pounds) of gold, 10,000 talents of silver (377 tons), 18,000 talents of bronze (679 tons), and 100,000 talents (3,775 tons) of iron.


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Anyone who had precious jewels put them in the treasury for the building of The Temple of God in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.


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And the people were full of a sense of celebration—all that giving! And all given willingly, freely! King David was exuberant.


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David blessed God in full view of the entire congregation: Blessed are you, God of Israel, our father from of old and forever.


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To you, O God, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all yours! You've raised yourself high over all.


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Riches and glory come from you, you're ruler over all; You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand to build up and strengthen all.


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"But me—who am I, and who are these my people, that we should presume to be giving something to you? Everything comes from you; all we're doing is giving back what we've been given from your generous hand.


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As far as you're concerned, we're homeless, shiftless wanderers like our ancestors, our lives mere shadows, hardly anything to us.


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God, our God, all these materials—these piles of stuff for building a house of worship for you, honoring your Holy Name—it all came from you! It was all yours in the first place!


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I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface—you want us, our true selves—and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy!


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O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you.


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And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided."


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David then addressed the congregation: "Bless God, your God!" And they did it, blessed God, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped reverently in the presence of God and the king.


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The very next day they butchered the sacrificial animals and offered in the worship of Israel to God a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand sheep, and in addition drink offerings and many other sacrifices.


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They feasted all day, eating and drinking before God, exuberant with joy. Then they ceremonially reenacted Solomon's coronation, anointing David's son before God as their leader, and Zadok as priest.


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Solomon sat on the throne of God as king in place of David his father. And everything went well; all Israel obeyed him.


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All the leaders of the people, including all the sons of King David, accepted Solomon as their king and promised their loyalty.


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Solomon rode high on a crest of popular acclaim—it was all God's doing. God gave him position and honor beyond any king in Israel before him.


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The history of David the king, from start to finish, is written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer,


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including a full account of his rule, his exploits, and the times through which he and Israel and the surrounding kingdoms passed.


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Solomon son of David took a firm grip on the reins of his kingdom. God was with him and gave him much help.


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Solomon addressed all Israel—the commanders and captains, the judges, every leader, and all the heads of families.


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Then Solomon and the entire company went to the worship center at Gibeon—that's where the Tent of Meeting of God was, the one that Moses the servant of God had made in the wilderness.


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The Chest of God, though, was in Jerusalem—David had brought it up from Kiriath Jearim, prepared a special place for it, and pitched a tent for it.


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But the Bronze Altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon, in its place before the Tabernacle of God; and that is where Solomon and the congregation gathered to pray.


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Solomon worshiped God at the Bronze Altar in front of the Tent of Meeting; he sacrificed a thousand Whole-Burnt-Offerings on it.


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Solomon answered, "You were extravagantly generous with David my father, and now you have made me king in his place.


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Establish, God, the words you spoke to my father, for you've given me a staggering task, ruling this mob of people.


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Yes, give me wisdom and knowledge as I come and go among this people—for who on his own is capable of leading these, your glorious people?"


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God answered Solomon, "This is what has come out of your heart: You didn't grasp for money, wealth, fame, and the doom of your enemies; you didn't even ask for a long life. You asked for wisdom and knowledge so you could govern well my people over whom I've made you king.


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Because of this, you get what you asked for—wisdom and knowledge. And I'm presenting you the rest as a bonus—money, wealth, and fame beyond anything the kings before or after you had or will have."


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Then Solomon left the worship center at Gibeon and the Tent of Meeting and went to Jerusalem. He set to work as king of Israel.


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Solomon collected chariots and horses: 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses! He stabled them in the special chariot-cities as well as in Jerusalem.


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The king made silver and gold as common as rocks, and cedar as common as the fig trees in the lowland hills.


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Chariots from Egypt went for fifteen pounds of silver and a horse for about three and three-quarters of a pound of silver. Solomon carried on a brisk horse-trading business with the Hittite and Aramean royal houses.


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Solomon gave orders to begin construction on the house of worship in honor of God and a palace for himself.


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Solomon assigned 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 to work the quarries in the mountains, and 3,600 foremen to manage the workforce.


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Then Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre: "Send me cedar logs, the same kind you sent David my father for building his palace.


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I'm about to build a house of worship in honor of God, a holy place for burning perfumed incense, for setting out holy bread, for making Whole-Burnt-Offerings at morning and evening worship, and for Sabbath, New Moon, and Holy Day services of worship—the acts of worship required of Israel.


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"The house I am building has to be the best, for our God is the best, far better than competing gods.


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But who is capable of building such a structure? Why, the skies—the entire cosmos!—can't begin to contain him. And me, who am I to think I can build a house adequate for God—burning incense to him is about all I'm good for!


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I need your help: Send me a master artisan in gold, silver, bronze, iron, textiles of purple, crimson, and violet, and who knows the craft of engraving; he will supervise the trained craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem that my father provided.


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Also send cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon; I know you have lumberjacks experienced in the Lebanon forests. I'll send workers to join your crews


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to cut plenty of timber—I'm going to need a lot, for this house I'm building is going to be absolutely stunning—a showcase temple!


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I'll provide all the food necessary for your crew of lumberjacks and loggers: 130,000 bushels of wheat, 120,000 gallons of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil."


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Hiram king of Tyre wrote Solomon in reply: "It's plain that God loves his people—he made you king over them!"


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He wrote on, "Blessed be the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, and who gave King David a son so wise, so knowledgeable and shrewd, to build a temple for God and a palace for himself.


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His mother is from Dan and his father from Tyre. He knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, in purple, violet, linen, and crimson textiles; he is also an expert engraver and competent to work out designs with your artists and architects, and those of my master David, your father.


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We'll log the trees you need from the Lebanon forests and raft them down to Joppa. You'll have to get the timber up to Jerusalem yourself."


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Solomon then took a census of all the foreigners living in Israel, using the same census-taking method employed by his father. They numbered 153,600.


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He assigned 70,000 of them as common laborers, 80,000 to work the quarries in the mountains, and 3,600 as foremen to manage the work crews.


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So Solomon broke ground, launched construction of the house of God in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, the place where God had appeared to his father David. The precise site, the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, had been designated by David.


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These are the dimensions that Solomon set for the construction of the house of God: ninety feet long and thirty feet wide.


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The porch in front stretched the width of the building, that is, thirty feet; and it was thirty feet high.<br/>The interior was gold-plated.


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He paneled the main hall with cypress and veneered it with fine gold engraved with palm tree and chain designs.


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Everything was coated with gold veneer: rafters, doorframes, walls, and doors. Cherubim were engraved on the walls.


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He made the Holy of Holies a cube, thirty feet wide, long, and high. It was veneered with 600 talents (something over twenty-two tons) of gold.


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The gold nails weighed fifty shekels (a little over a pound). The upper rooms were also veneered in gold.


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He made two sculptures of cherubim, gigantic angel-like figures, for the Holy of Holies, both veneered with gold.


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The combined wingspread of the side-by-side cherubim (each wing measuring seven and a half feet) stretched from wall to wall, thirty feet.


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He made two huge free-standing pillars, each fifty-two feet tall, their capitals extending another seven and a half feet.


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The top of each pillar was set off with an elaborate filigree of chains, like necklaces, from which hung a hundred pomegranates.


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He placed the pillars in front of The Temple, one on the right, and the other on the left. The right pillar he named Jakin (Security) and the left pillar he named Boaz (Stability).


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He made a Sea—an immense round basin of cast metal fifteen feet in diameter, seven and a half feet high, and forty-five feet in circumference.


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Just under the rim, there were two parallel bands of something like bulls, ten to each foot and a half. The figures were cast in one piece with the Sea.


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The Sea was set on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. All the bulls faced outward and supported the Sea on their hindquarters.


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The Sea was three inches thick and flared at the rim like a cup, or a lily. It held about 18,000 gallons.


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He made ten Washbasins, five set on the right and five on the left, for rinsing the things used for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings. The priests washed themselves in the Sea.


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He made ten gold Lampstands, following the specified pattern, and placed five on the right and five on the left.


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He made ten tables and set five on the right and five on the left. He also made a hundred gold bowls.


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He built a Courtyard especially for the priests and then the great court and doors for the court. The doors were covered with bronze.


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He also made ash buckets, shovels, and bowls.<br/>And that about wrapped it up: Huram completed the work he had contracted to do for King Solomon:


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two pillars;<br/>two bowl-shaped capitals for the tops of the pillars;<br/>two decorative filigrees for the capitals;


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miscellaneous buckets, forks, shovels, and bowls.<br/>All these artifacts that Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for The Temple of God were made of burnished bronze.


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Solomon was also responsible for the furniture and accessories in The Temple of God:<br/>the gold Altar;<br/>the tables that held the Bread of the Presence;


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the Lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to be lighted<br/>before the Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies;


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the gold wick trimmers, bowls, ladles, and censers;<br/>the gold doors of The Temple, doors to the Holy of Holies, and the doors to the main sanctuary.


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That completed the work King Solomon did on The Temple of God. He then brought in the holy offerings of his father David, the silver and the gold and the artifacts. He placed them all in the treasury of God's Temple.


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Bringing all this to a climax, Solomon got all the leaders together in Jerusalem—all the chiefs of tribes and the family patriarchs—to move the Chest of the Covenant of God from Zion and install it in The Temple.


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All the men of Israel assembled before the king on the feast day of the seventh month, the Feast of Booths.


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They carried the Chest, the Tent of Meeting, and all the sacred things in the Tent used in worship. The priests, all Levites, carried them.


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King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel were there before the Chest, worshiping and sacrificing huge numbers of sheep and cattle—so many that no one could keep track.


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The priests brought the Chest of the Covenant of God to its place in the Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.


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The ends of the poles were so long that they stuck out from the entrance of the Inner Sanctuary, but were not noticeable further out—they're still there today.


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There was nothing in the Chest itself but the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb where God made a covenant with Israel after bringing them up from Egypt.


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The priests then left the Holy Place. All the priests there were consecrated, regardless of rank or assignment;


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and all the Levites who were musicians were there—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their families, dressed in their worship robes; the choir and orchestra assembled on the east side of the Altar and were joined by 120 priests blowing trumpets.


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The choir and trumpets made one voice of praise and thanks to God—orchestra and choir in perfect harmony singing and playing praise to God:<br/>Yes! God is good!<br/>His loyal love goes on forever!<br/>Then a billowing cloud filled The Temple of God.


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The priests couldn't even carry out their duties because of the cloud—the glory of God!—that filled The Temple of God.


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"Blessed be God, the God of Israel, who spoke personally to my father David. Now he has done what he promised when he said,


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'From the day I brought my people Israel up from Egypt, I haven't set apart one city among the tribes of Israel in which to build a temple to honor my Name, or chosen one person to be the leader.


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But now I have chosen both a city and a person: Jerusalem for honoring my Name and David to lead my people Israel.'


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But you are not the one to do it. Your son, who will carry on your dynasty, will build it for my Name.'


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"And now you see the promise completed. God has done what he said he would do; I have succeeded David my father and now rule Israel; and I have built a temple to honor God, the God of Israel,


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and have secured a place for the Chest that holds the Covenant of God, the covenant he made with the people of Israel."


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Before the entire congregation of Israel, Solomon took his position at the Altar of God and stretched out his hands.


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Solomon had made a bronze dais seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high and placed it inside the court; that's where he now stood. Then he knelt in full view of the whole congregation, stretched his hands to heaven,


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and prayed:<br/>God, O God of Israel, there is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below, who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and unfailingly loves them while they sincerely live in obedience to your way.


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You kept your word to David my father, your promise. You did exactly what you promised—every detail. The proof is before us today!


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Keep it up, God, O God of Israel! Continue to keep the promises you made to David my father when you said, "You'll always have a descendant to represent my rule on Israel's throne, on the one condition that your sons are as careful to live obediently in my presence as you have."


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Keep your eyes open to this Temple day and night, this place you promised to dignify with your Name. And listen to the prayers that I pray in this place.


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And listen to your people Israel when they pray at this place.<br/>Listen from your home in heaven<br/>and when you hear, forgive.


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Listen from heaven and act;<br/>judge your servants, making the offender pay for the offense<br/>And set the offended free,<br/>dismissing all charges.


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Listen from your home in heaven;<br/>forgive the sin of your people Israel,<br/>return them to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.


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When the skies shrivel up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, but then they pray at this place, acknowledging your rule and quit their sins because you have scourged them,


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Listen from your home in heaven,<br/>forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel.<br/>Then start over with them;<br/>train them to live right and well;<br/>Send rain on the land<br/>you gave as inheritance to your people.


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When disasters strike, famine or catastrophe, crop failure or disease, locust or beetle, or when an enemy attacks their defenses—calamity of any sort—


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any prayer that's prayed from anyone at all among your people Israel, their hearts penetrated by disaster, hands and arms thrown out for help to this Temple,


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Listen from your home in heaven, forgive and reward us:<br/>reward each life and circumstance,<br/>For you know each life from the inside,<br/>(you're the only one with such inside knowledge!),


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So they'll live before you in lifelong reverence and believing<br/>obedience on this land you gave our ancestors.


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And don't forget the foreigner who is not a member of your people Israel but has come from a far country because of your reputation—people are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonderworking power—and who come to pray to this Temple.


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Listen from your home in heaven<br/>and honor the prayers of the foreigner,<br/>So that people all over the world<br/>will know who you are and what you're like,<br/>And live in reverent obedience before you,<br/>just as your own people Israel do,<br/>So they'll know that you personally<br/>make this Temple that I've built what it is.


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When your people go to war against their enemies at the time and place you send them and they pray to God toward the city you chose and The Temple I've built to honor your Name,


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When they sin against you—and they certainly will; there's no one without sin!—and in anger you turn them over to the enemy and they are taken off captive to the enemy's land, whether far or near,


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but then repent in the country of their captivity and pray with changed hearts in their exile, "We've sinned; we've done wrong; we've been most wicked,"


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and they turn back to you heart and soul in the land of the enemy who conquered them, and pray to you toward their homeland, the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you chose, and this Temple I have built to the honor of your Name,


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Listen from your home in heaven<br/>to their prayers desperate and devout;<br/>Do what is best for them.<br/>Forgive your people who have sinned against you.


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Up, God, enjoy your new place of quiet repose,<br/>you and your mighty covenant Chest;<br/>Dress your priests up in salvation clothes,<br/>let your holy people celebrate goodness.


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And don't, God, back out on your anointed ones,<br/>keep in mind the love promised to David your servant.


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When Solomon finished praying, a bolt of lightning out of heaven struck the Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices and the Glory of God filled The Temple.


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The Glory was so dense that the priests couldn't get in—God so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests!


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When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of God fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshiped, thanking God:<br/>Yes! God is good!<br/>His love never quits!


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King Solomon worshiped by sacrificing 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep at the dedication of The Temple.


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The priests were all on duty; the choir and orchestra of Levites that David had provided for singing and playing anthems to the praise and love of God were all there; across the courtyard the priests blew trumpets. All Israelites were on their feet.


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Solomon set apart the central area of the courtyard in front of God's Temple for sacred use and there sacrificed the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, Grain-Offerings, and fat from the Peace-Offerings—the Bronze Altar was too small to handle all these offerings.


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This is how Solomon kept the great autumn Feast of Booths. For seven days there were people there all the way from the far northeast (the Entrance to Hamath) to the far southwest (the Brook of Egypt)—a huge congregation.


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They started out celebrating for seven days, and then did it for another seven days, a week for dedicating the Altar and another for the Feast itself—two solid weeks of celebration!


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On the twenty-third day of the seventh month Solomon dismissed his congregation. They left rejoicing, exuberant over all the good God had done for David and Solomon and his people Israel.


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Solomon completed building The Temple of God and the royal palace—the projects he had set his heart on doing. Everything was done—success! Satisfaction!


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God appeared to Solomon that very night and said, "I accept your prayer; yes, I have chosen this place as a temple for sacrifice, a house of worship.


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If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people,


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and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I'll be there ready for you: I'll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.


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Believe me, I've chosen and sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always.


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then I'll back your kingly rule over Israel—make it a sure thing on a sure foundation. The same covenant guarantee I gave to David your father I'm giving to you, namely, 'You can count on always having a descendant on Israel's throne.'


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then the guarantee is off: I'll wipe Israel right off the map and repudiate this Temple I've just sanctified to honor my Name. And Israel will be nothing but a bad joke among the peoples of the world.


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And this Temple, splendid as it now is, will become an object of contempt; tourists will shake their heads, saying, 'What happened here? What's the story behind these ruins?'


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At the end of twenty years, Solomon had quite a list of accomplishments. He had:<br/>built The Temple of God and his own palace;


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built the fortress cities Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, complete with walls, gates, and bars;


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built Baalath and store-cities;<br/>built chariot-cities for his horses.<br/>Solomon built impulsively and extravagantly—whenever a whim took him. And in Jerusalem, in Lebanon—wherever he fancied.


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The remnants from the original inhabitants of the land (Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites—all non-Israelites),


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survivors of the holy wars, were rounded up by Solomon for his gangs of slave labor. The policy is in effect today.


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They were also the project managers responsible for Solomon's building operations—250 in all in charge of the workforce.


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Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a house built especially for her, "Because," he said, "my wife cannot live in the house of David king of Israel, for the areas in which the Chest of God has entered are sacred."


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Then Solomon offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings to God on the Altar of God that he had built in front of The Temple porch.


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He kept to the regular schedule of worship set down by Moses: Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual feasts of Unraised Bread (Passover), Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths.


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He followed the practice of his father David in setting up groups of priests carrying out the work of worship, with the Levites assigned to lead the sacred music for praising God and to assist the priests in the daily worship; he assigned security guards to be on duty at each gate—that's what David the man of God had ordered.


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The king's directions to the priests and Levites and financial stewards were kept right down to the fine print—no innovations—including the treasuries.


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All that Solomon set out to do, from the groundbreaking of The Temple of God to its finish, was now complete.


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Hiram sent him ships and with them veteran sailors. Joined by Solomon's men they sailed to Ophir (in east Africa), loaded on fifteen tons of gold, and brought it back to King Solomon.


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The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's reputation and came to Jerusalem to put his reputation to the test, asking all the tough questions. She made a showy entrance—an impressive retinue of attendants and camels loaded with perfume and much gold and precious stones. She emptied her heart to Solomon, talking over everything she cared about.


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the meals that were served, the impressive array of court officials, the sharply dressed waiters, the cupbearers, and then the elaborate worship extravagant with Whole-Burnt-Offerings at The Temple of God, it all took her breath away.


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And blessed be your God who has taken such a liking to you, making you king. Clearly, God's love for Israel is behind this, making you king to keep a just order and nurture a God-pleasing people."


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She then gave the king four and a half tons of gold and sack after sack of spices and precious stones. There hasn't been a cargo of spices like the shipload the queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon.


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The king used the sandalwood for fine cabinetry in The Temple of God and the royal palace, and for making harps and dulcimers for the musicians. Nothing like that shipment of sandalwood has been seen since.


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King Solomon, for his part, gave the queen of Sheba all her heart's desire—everything she asked for. She took away more than she brought. Satisfied, she returned home with her train of servants.


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This was above and beyond the taxes and profit on trade with merchants and traders. All kings of Arabia and various and assorted governors also brought silver and gold to Solomon.


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King Solomon crafted 200 body-length shields of hammered gold—about fifteen pounds of gold to each shield


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—and about 300 small shields about half that size. He stored the shields in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.


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The throne had six steps leading up to it with an attached footstool of gold. The armrests on each side were flanked by lions.


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Lions, twelve of them, were placed at either end of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom.


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King Solomon's chalices and tankards were made of gold, and all the dinnerware and serving utensils in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver; silver was considered common and cheap in the time of Solomon.


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The king's ships, manned by Hiram's sailors, made a round trip to Tarshish every three years, returning with a cargo of gold, silver, and ivory, apes and peacocks.


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Everyone who came brought gifts—artifacts of gold and silver, fashionable robes and gowns, the latest in weapons, exotic spices, horses, and mules—parades of visitors, year after year.


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Solomon collected horses and chariots. He had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen in barracks in the chariot-cities and in Jerusalem.


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He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates in the east, throughout the Philistine country, and as far west as the border of Egypt.


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The rest of Solomon's life and rule, from start to finish, one can read in the records of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.


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Jeroboam was then in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon's death, he came back.


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Three days later Jeroboam and the people showed up, just as Rehoboam had directed when he said, "Give me three days to think it over; then come back."


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and went with the advice of the younger set: "If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it: my father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!"


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When all Israel realized that the king hadn't listened to a word they'd said, they stood up to him and said,<br/>Get lost, David!<br/>We've had it with you, son of Jesse!<br/>Let's get out of here, Israel, and fast!<br/>From now on, David, mind your own business.<br/>And with that they left.


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When King Rehoboam next sent out Adoniram, head of the workforce, the Israelites ganged up on him, pelted him with stones, and killed him. King Rehoboam jumped in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem as fast as he could.


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When Rehoboam got back to Jerusalem he called up the men of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 of their best soldiers, to go to war against Israel and recover the kingdom.


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"Tell this to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, along with all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin,


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This is God's word: Don't march out; don't fight against your brothers the Israelites. Go back home, every last one of you; I'm in charge here." And they did it; they did what God said and went home.


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He beefed up the fortifications, appointed commanders, and put in supplies of food, olive oil, and wine.


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He installed arms—large shields and spears—in all the forts, making them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were secure for the time.


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The Levites left their pastures and properties and moved to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had dismissed them from the priesthood of God


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and replaced them with his own priests to preside over the worship centers at which he had installed goat and calf demon-idols.


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Everyone from all the tribes of Israel who determined to seek the God of Israel migrated with the priests and Levites to Jerusalem to worship there, sacrificing to the God of their ancestors.


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That gave a tremendous boost to the kingdom of Judah. They stuck with Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, loyal to the ways of David and Solomon for this period.


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Rehoboam married Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth, David's son, and Abihail daughter of Eliab, Jesse's son.


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Maacah was Rehoboam's favorite wife; he loved her more than all his other wives and concubines put together (and he had a lot—eighteen wives and sixty concubines who produced twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters!).


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Rehoboam designated Abijah son of Maacah as the "first son" and leader of the brothers—he intended to make him the next king.


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He was shrewd in deploying his sons in all the fortress cities that made up his defense system in Judah and Benjamin; he kept them happy with much food and many wives.


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By the time Rehoboam had secured his kingdom and was strong again, he, and all Israel with him, had virtually abandoned God and his ways.


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In Rehoboam's fifth year, because he and the people were unfaithful to God, Shishak king of Egypt invaded as far as Jerusalem.


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He came with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 cavalry, and soldiers from all over—the Egyptian army included Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians.


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Then the prophet Shemaiah, accompanied by the leaders of Judah who had retreated to Jerusalem before Shishak, came to Rehoboam and said, "God's word: You abandoned me; now I abandon you to Shishak."


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When God saw that they were humbly repentant, the word of God came to Shemaiah: "Because they are humble, I'll not destroy them—I'll give them a break; I won't use Shishak to express my wrath against Jerusalem.


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What I will do, though, is make them Shishak's subjects—they'll learn the difference between serving me and serving human kings."


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Then Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He plundered the treasury of The Temple of God and the treasury of the royal palace—he took everything he could lay his hands on. He even took the gold shields that Solomon had made.


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King Rehoboam replaced the gold shields with bronze shields and gave them to the guards who were posted at the entrance to the royal palace.


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Whenever the king went to God's Temple, the guards went with him carrying the shields, but they always returned them to the guardroom.


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Because Rehoboam was repentant, God's anger was blunted, so he wasn't totally destroyed. The picture wasn't entirely bleak—there were some good things going on in Judah.


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King Rehoboam regrouped and reestablished his rule in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king and continued as king for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city God chose out of all the tribes of Israel as the special presence of his Name. His mother was Naamah from Ammon.


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But the final verdict on Rehoboam was that he was a bad king—God was not important to him; his heart neither cared for nor sought after God.


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The history of Rehoboam, from start to finish, is written in the memoirs of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer that contain the family trees. There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam the whole time.


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Rehoboam died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Abijah ruled after him.


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He ruled in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.<br/>War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam.


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Abijah took a prominent position on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and gave this speech: "Listen, Jeroboam and all Israel!


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Don't you realize that God, the one and only God of Israel, established David and his sons as the permanent rulers of Israel, ratified by a 'covenant of salt'—God's kingdom ruled by God's king?


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All the riff-raff joined his cause and were too much for Rehoboam, Solomon's true heir. Rehoboam didn't know his way around—besides he was a real wimp; he couldn't stand up against them.


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"Taking advantage of that weakness, you are asserting yourself against the very rule of God that is delegated to David's descendants—you think you are so big with your huge army backed up by the golden-calf idols that Jeroboam made for you as gods!


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But just look at what you've done—you threw out the priests of God, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests to suit yourselves, priests just like the pagans have. Anyone who shows up with enough money to pay for it can be a priest! A priest of No-God!


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"But for the rest of us in Judah, we're sticking with God. We have not traded him in for the latest model—we're keeping the tried and true priests of Aaron to lead us to God and the Levites to lead us in worship


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by sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and aromatic incense to God at the daily morning and evening prayers, setting out fresh holy bread on a clean table, and lighting the lamps on the golden Lampstand every night. We continue doing what God told us to in the way he told us to do it; but you have rid yourselves of him.


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"Can't you see the obvious? God is on our side; he's our leader. And his priests with trumpets are all ready to blow the signal to battle. O Israel—don't fight against God, the God of your ancestors. You will not win this battle."


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While Abijah was speaking, Jeroboam had sent men around to take them by surprise from the rear: Jeroboam in front of Judah and the ambush behind.


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When Judah looked back, they saw they were attacked front and back. They prayed desperately to God, the priests blew their trumpets, and the soldiers of Judah shouted their battle cry.


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The army of Israel fell flat on its face—a humiliating defeat. The army of Judah won hands down because they trusted God, the God of their ancestors.


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Abijah followed up his victory by pursuing Jeroboam, taking the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron with their surrounding villages.


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Jeroboam never did recover from his defeat while Abijah lived. Later on God struck him down and he died.


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Meanwhile Abijah flourished; he married fourteen wives and ended up with a family of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.


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The rest of the history of Abijah, what he did and said, is written in the study written by Iddo the prophet.


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Abijah died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Asa became the next king.<br/>For ten years into Asa's reign the country was at peace.


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He cleaned house: got rid of the pagan altars and shrines, smashed the sacred stone pillars, and chopped down the sex-and-religion groves (Asherim).


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He told Judah to center their lives in God, the God of their fathers, to do what the law said, and to follow the commandments.


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Because he got rid of all the pagan shrines and altars in the cities of Judah, his kingdom was at peace.


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Because the land was quiet and there was no war, he was able to build up a good defense system in Judah. God kept the peace.


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Asa said to his people, "While we have the chance and the land is quiet, let's build a solid defense system, fortifying our cities with walls, towers, gates, and bars. We have this peaceful land because we sought God; he has given us rest from all troubles." So they built and enjoyed prosperity.


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Asa had an army of 300,000 Judeans, equipped with shields and spears, and another 280,000 Benjaminites who were shield bearers and archers. They were all courageous warriors.


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Zerah the Ethiopian went to war against Asa with an army of a million plus 300 chariots and got as far as Mareshah.


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Then Asa prayed to God, "O God, you aren't impressed by numbers or intimidated by a show of force once you decide to help: Help us, O God; we have come out to meet this huge army because we trust in you and who you are. Don't let mere mortals stand against you!"


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Asa and his men chased them as far as Gerar; so many of the Ethiopians were killed that there was no fight left in them—a massacre before God and his troops; Judah carted off loads of plunder.


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They devastated all the towns around Gerar whose people were helpless, paralyzed by the fear of God, and looted the country.


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went out to meet Asa. He said, "Listen carefully, Asa, and listen Judah and Benjamin: God will stick with you as long as you stick with him. If you look for him he will let himself be found; but if you leave him he'll leave you.


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For a long time Israel didn't have the real God, nor did they have the help of priest or teacher or book.


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But when they were in trouble and got serious, and decided to seek God, the God of Israel, God let himself be found.


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At that time it was a dog-eat-dog world; life was constantly up for grabs—no one, regardless of country, knew what the next day might bring.


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Asa heard the prophecy of Azariah son of Obed, took a deep breath, then rolled up his sleeves, and went to work: He cleaned out the obscene and polluting sacred shrines from the whole country of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim. He spruced up the Altar of God that was in front of The Temple porch.


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Then he called an assembly for all Judah and Benjamin, including those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living there at the time (for many from Israel had left their homes and joined forces with Asa when they saw that God was on his side).


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for a great assembly of worship. From their earlier plunder they offered sacrifices of 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep for the worship.


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Then they bound themselves in a covenant to seek God, the God of their fathers, wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.


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And they agreed that anyone who refused to seek God, the God of Israel, should be killed, no matter who it was, young or old, man or woman.


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They shouted out their promise to God, a joyful sound accompanied with blasts from trumpets and rams' horns.


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The whole country felt good about the covenant promise—they had given their promise joyfully from the heart. Anticipating the best, they had sought God—and he showed up, ready to be found. God gave them peace within and without—a most peaceable kingdom!


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In his clean-up of the country, Asa went so far as to remove his mother, Queen Maacah, from her throne because she had built a shockingly obscene image of the sex goddess Asherah. Asa tore it down, smashed it, and burned it up in the Kidron Valley.


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Unfortunately he didn't get rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines. But he was well-intentioned—his heart was in the right place, loyal to God


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All the gold and silver vessels and artifacts that he and his father had consecrated for holy use he installed in The Temple of God.


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But in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha king of Israel attacked. He started it by building a fort at Ramah and closing the border between Israel and Judah to keep Asa king of Judah from leaving or entering.


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Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of The Temple of God and the royal palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram who lived in Damascus, with this message:


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Ben-Hadad went along with King Asa and sent his troops against the towns of Israel. They sacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali.


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Then King Asa issued orders to his people in Judah to haul away the logs and stones Baasha had used in the fortification of Ramah and used them himself to fortify Geba and Mizpah.


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Just after that, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said, "Because you went for help to the king of Aram and didn't ask God for help, you've lost a victory over the army of the king of Aram.


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Didn't the Ethiopians and Libyans come against you with superior forces, completely outclassing you with their chariots and cavalry? But you asked God for help and he gave you the victory.


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God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. Now you're in trouble—one round of war after another."


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At that, Asa lost his temper. Angry, he put Hanani in the stocks. At the same time Asa started abusing some of the people.


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In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa came down with a severe case of foot infection. He didn't ask God for help, but went instead to the doctors.


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They buried him in a mausoleum that he had built for himself in the City of David. They laid him in a crypt full of aromatic oils and spices. Then they had a huge bonfire in his memory.


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Asa's son Jehoshaphat was the next king; he started out by working on his defense system against Israel.


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He put troops in all the fortress cities of Judah and deployed garrisons throughout Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.


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God was on Jehoshaphat's side because he stuck to the ways of his father Asa's early years. He didn't fool around with the popular Baal religion—


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he was a seeker and follower of the God of his father and was obedient to him; he wasn't like Israel.


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And God secured the kingdom under his rule, gave him a firm grip on it. And everyone in Judah showed their appreciation by bringing gifts. Jehoshaphat ended up very rich and much honored.


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In the third year of his reign he sent his officials—excellent men, every one of them—Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah on a teaching mission to the cities of Judah.


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They were accompanied by Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; the priests Elishama and Jehoram were also in the company.


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They made a circuit of the towns of Judah, teaching the people and using the Book of The Revelation of God as their text.


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There was a strong sense of the fear of God in all the kingdoms around Judah—they didn't dare go to war against Jehoshaphat.


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Some Philistines even brought gifts and a load of silver to Jehoshaphat, and the desert bedouin brought flocks—7,700 rams and 7,700 goats.


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So Jehoshaphat became stronger by the day, and constructed more and more forts and store-cities—an age of prosperity for Judah!


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The captains of the military units of Judah, classified according to families, were: Captain Adnah with 300,000 soldiers;


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These were under the direct command of the king; in addition there were the troops assigned to the fortress cities spread all over Judah.


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But even though Jehoshaphat was very rich and much honored, he made a marriage alliance with Ahab of Israel.


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Some time later he paid a visit to Ahab at Samaria. Ahab celebrated his visit with a feast—a huge barbecue with all the lamb and beef you could eat. But Ahab had a hidden agenda; he wanted Jehoshaphat's support in attacking Ramoth Gilead.


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Then Ahab brought it into the open: "Will you join me in attacking Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said, "You bet. I'm with you all the way; you can count on me and my troops."


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The king of Israel got the prophets together—all 400 of them— and put the question to them: "Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or should I hold back?"<br/>"Go for it," they said. "God will hand it over to the king."


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But Jehoshaphat dragged his feet, "Is there another prophet of God around here we can consult? Let's get a second opinion."


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The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "As a matter of fact, there is another. But I hate him. He never preaches anything good to me, only doom, doom, doom—Micaiah son of Imlah."<br/>"The king shouldn't talk about a prophet like that!" said Jehoshaphat.


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Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had even made a set of iron horns, and brandishing them, called out, "God's word! With these horns you'll gore Aram until there's nothing left of them!"


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The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him, "The prophets have all said Yes to the king. Make it unanimous—vote Yes!"


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With Micaiah before him, the king asked him, "So, Micaiah—do we attack Ramoth Gilead? Or do we hold back?"<br/>"Go ahead," he said, "an easy victory! God's gift to the king."


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"All right," said Micaiah, "since you insist . . .<br/>I saw all of Israel scattered over the hills,<br/>sheep with no shepherd.<br/>Then God spoke, 'These poor people<br/>have no one to tell them what to do.<br/>Let them go home and do<br/>the best they can for themselves.' "


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The king of Israel turned to Jehoshaphat, "See! What did I tell you? He never has a good word for me from God, only doom."


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Micaiah kept on, "I'm not done yet; listen to God's word:<br/>I saw God enthroned,<br/>and all the Angel Armies of heaven<br/>standing at attention,<br/>ranged on his right and his left.


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And God said, "How can we seduce Ahab<br/>into attacking Ramoth Gilead?"<br/>Some said this,<br/>and some said that.


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Then a bold angel stepped out,<br/>stood before God, and said,<br/>"I'll seduce him."<br/>"And how will you do it?" said God.


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"Easy," said the angel,<br/>"I'll get all the prophets to lie."<br/>"That should do it," said God;<br/>"On your way—seduce him!"


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Just then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came up and slapped Micaiah in the face, saying, "Since when did the Spirit of God leave me and take up with you?"


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with this message: 'King's orders! Lock him up in jail; keep him on bread and water until I'm back in one piece.' "


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Micaiah said,<br/>If you ever get back in one piece,<br/>I'm no prophet of God.<br/>He added,<br/>When it happens, O people,<br/>remember where you heard it!


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Meanwhile, the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders (there were thirty-two of them), "Don't bother with anyone whether small or great; go after the king of Israel and him only."


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When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "There he is! The king of Israel!" and took after him. Jehoshaphat yelled out,


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and the chariot commanders realized they had the wrong man—it wasn't the king of Israel after all. God intervened and they let him go.


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Just then someone, without aiming, shot an arrow into the crowd and hit the king of Israel in the chink of his armor. The king told his charioteer, "Turn back! Get me out of here—I'm wounded."


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All day the fighting continued, hot and heavy. Propped up in his chariot, the king watched from the sidelines. He died that evening.


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Jehu, son of Hanani the seer, confronted King Jehoshaphat: "You have no business helping evil, cozying up to God-haters. Because you did this, God is good and angry with you.


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But you're not all bad—you made a clean sweep of the polluting sex-and-religion shrines; and you were single-minded in seeking God."


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Jehoshaphat kept his residence in Jerusalem but made a regular round of visits among the people, from Beersheba in the south to Mount Ephraim in the north, urging them to return to God, the God of their ancestors.


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He charged the judges: "This is serious work; do it carefully. You are not merely judging between men and women; these are God's judgments that you are passing on.


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In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat also appointed Levites, priests, and family heads to decide on matters that had to do with worship and mediating local differences.


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When a case comes before you involving any of your fellow citizens, whether it seems large (like murder) or small (like matters of interpretation of the law), you are responsible for warning them that they are dealing with God. Make that explicit, otherwise both you and they are going to be dealing with God's wrath. Do your work well or you'll end up being as guilty as they are.


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"Amariah the chief priest is in charge of all cases regarding the worship of God; Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, is in charge of all civil cases; the Levites will keep order in the courts. Be bold and diligent. And God be with you as you do your best."


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Some time later the Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on Jehoshaphat.


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Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: "A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There's no time to waste—they're already at Hazazon Tamar, the oasis of En Gedi."


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The country of Judah united in seeking God's help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God.


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Then Jehoshaphat took a position before the assembled people of Judah and Jerusalem at The Temple of God in front of the new courtyard


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and said, "O God, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you!


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And didn't you make the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend?


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saying, 'When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.'


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"And now it's happened: men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir have shown up. You didn't let Israel touch them when we got here at first—we detoured around them and didn't lay a hand on them.


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O dear God, won't you take care of them? We're helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We don't know what to do; we're looking to you."


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Then Jahaziel was moved by the Spirit of God to speak from the midst of the congregation. (Jahaziel was the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite of the Asaph clan.)


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He said, "Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat—God's word: Don't be afraid; don't pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God's war, not yours.


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Tomorrow you'll go after them; see, they're already on their way up the slopes of Ziz; you'll meet them at the end of the ravine near the wilderness of Jeruel.


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You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God's saving work for you take shape. Don't be afraid, don't waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you."


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Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God.


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The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!


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They were up early in the morning, ready to march into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, "Listen Judah and Jerusalem! Listen to what I have to say! Believe firmly in God, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in your prophets and you'll come out on top!"


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After talking it over with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed a choir for God; dressed in holy robes, they were to march ahead of the troops, singing,<br/>Give thanks to God,<br/>His love never quits.


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As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead.


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The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further confused, they went at each other, and all ended up killed.


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As Judah came up over the rise, looking into the wilderness for the horde of barbarians, they looked on a killing field of dead bodies—not a living soul among them.


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When Jehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder they found more loot than they could carry off—equipment, clothing, valuables. It took three days to cart it away!


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On the fourth day they came together at the Valley of Blessing (Beracah) and blessed God (that's how it got the name, Valley of Blessing).


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Jehoshaphat then led all the men of Judah and Jerusalem back to Jerusalem—an exuberant parade. God had given them joyful relief from their enemies!


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When the surrounding kingdoms got word that God had fought Israel's enemies, the fear of God descended on them.


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That about sums up Jehoshaphat's reign over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and ruled as king in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.


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He continued the kind of life characteristic of his father Asa—no detours, no dead-ends—pleasing God with his life.


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But he failed to get rid of the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines—people continued to pray and worship at these idolatrous god shops.


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The rest of Jehoshaphat's life, from start to finish, is written in the memoirs of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the Royal Annals of Israel's Kings.


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Late in life Jehoshaphat formed a trading syndicate with Ahaziah king of Israel—which was very wrong of him to do.


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Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah preached against Jehoshaphat's venture: "Because you joined forces with Ahaziah, God has shipwrecked your work." The ships were smashed and nothing ever came of the trade partnership.


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Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the family cemetery in the City of David. Jehoram his son was the next king.


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Jehoram's brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah—the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.


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Their father had lavished them with gifts—silver, gold, and other valuables, plus the fortress cities in Judah. But Jehoram was his firstborn son and he gave him the kingdom of Judah.


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But when Jehoram had taken over his father's kingdom and had secured his position, he killed all his brothers along with some of the government officials.


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But despite that, because of his covenant with David, God was not yet ready to destroy the descendants of David; he had, after all, promised to keep a light burning for David and his sons.


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Jehoram responded by setting out with his officers and chariots. Edom surrounded him, but in the middle of the night he and his charioteers broke through the lines and hit Edom hard.


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Edom continues in revolt against Judah right up to the present. Even little Libnah revolted at that time. The evidence accumulated: Since Jehoram had abandoned God, the God of his ancestors, God was abandoning him.


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He even went so far as to build pagan sacred shrines in the mountains of Judah. He brazenly led Jerusalem away from God, seducing the whole country.


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One day he got a letter from Elijah the prophet. It read, "From God, the God of your ancestor David—a message: Because you have not kept to the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and Asa your grandfather, kings of Judah,


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but have taken up with the ways of the kings of Israel in the north, leading Judah and Jerusalem away from God, going step by step down the apostate path of Ahab and his crew—why, you even killed your own brothers, all of them better men than you!—


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God is going to afflict your people, your wives, your sons, and everything you have with a terrible plague.


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The trouble started with an invasion. God incited the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram.


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They came to the borders of Judah, forced their way in, and plundered the place—robbing the royal palace of everything in it including his wives and sons. One son, his youngest, Ahaziah, was left behind.


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The terrible and fatal disease in his colon followed. After about two years he was totally incontinent and died writhing in pain.


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He was thirty-two years old when he became king and reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. There were no tears shed when he died—it was good riddance!—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.


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The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king. Raiders from the desert, who had come with the Arabs against the settlement, had killed all the older sons. That's how Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king.


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Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, but reigned only one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri.


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God also considered him evil, related by both marriage and sin to the Ahab clan. After the death of his father, he attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in doom.


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He did what they taught him, went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel in the war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Joram, wounded by the Arameans,


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retreated to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received in Ramah in his war with Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah paid a visit to Joram son of Ahab on his sickbed at Jezreel.


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The fate of Ahaziah when he went to visit was God's judgment on him. When Ahaziah arrived at Jezreel, he and Joram met with Jehu son of Nimshi, whom God had already authorized to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.


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Jehu, already at work, executing doom on the dynasty of Ahab, came upon the captains of Judah and Ahaziah's nephews, part of the Ahaziah delegation, and killed them outright.


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Then he sent out a search party looking for Ahaziah himself. They found him hiding out in Samaria and hauled him back to Jehu. And Jehu killed him.<br/>They didn't, though, just leave his body there. Out of respect for his grandfather Jehoshaphat, famous as a sincere seeker after God, they gave him a decent burial. But there was no one left in Ahaziah's family capable of ruling the kingdom.


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When Ahaziah's mother Athaliah saw that her son was dead, she took over. She began by massacring the entire royal family.


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Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah's son Joash, and kidnapped him from among the king's sons slated for slaughter. She hid him and his nurse in a private room away from Athaliah. So Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and Ahaziah's sister—she was also the wife of Jehoiada the priest—saved Joash from the murderous Queen Athaliah.


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In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada decided to make his move and worked out a strategy with certain influential officers in the army. He picked Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri as his associates.


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They dispersed throughout Judah and called in the Levites from all the towns in Judah along with the heads of families. They met in Jerusalem.


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The gathering met in The Temple of God. They made a covenant there in The Temple.<br/>The priest Jehoiada showed them the young prince and addressed them: "Here he is—the son of the king. He is going to rule just as God promised regarding the sons of David.


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Now this is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath are to be posted as security guards at the gates;


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another third will guard the palace; and the other third will guard the foundation gate. All the people will gather in the courtyards of The Temple of God.


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No one may enter The Temple of God except the priests and designated Levites—they are permitted in because they've been consecrated, but all the people must do the work assigned them.


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The Levites are to form a ring around the young king, weapons at the ready. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Your job is to stay with the king at all times and places, coming and going."


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All the Levites and officers obeyed the orders of Jehoiada the priest. Each took charge of his men, both those who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest hadn't exempted any of them from duty.


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Then the priest armed the officers with spears and the large and small shields originally belonging to King David that were stored in The Temple of God.


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Then the priest brought the prince into view, crowned him, handed him the scroll of God's covenant, and made him king. As Jehoiada and his sons anointed him they shouted, "Long live the king!"


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Athaliah, hearing all the commotion, the people running around and praising the king, came to The Temple to see what was going on.


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Astonished, she saw the young king standing at the entrance flanked by the captains and heralds, with everybody beside themselves with joy, trumpets blaring, the choir and orchestra leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her robes in dismay and shouted, "Treason! Treason!"


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Jehoiada the priest ordered the military officers, "Drag her outside—and kill anyone who tries to follow her!" (The priest had said, "Don't kill her inside The Temple of God.")


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Jehoiada now made a covenant between himself and the king and the people: they were to be God's special people.


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The people poured into the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing altar and images to smithereens. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar.


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Jehoiada turned the care of God's Temple over to the priests and Levites, the way David had directed originally. They were to offer the Whole-Burnt-Offerings of God as set out in The Revelation of Moses, and with praise and song as directed by David.


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He also assigned security guards at the gates of God's Temple so that no one who was unprepared could enter.


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Then he got everyone together—officers, nobles, governors, and the people themselves—and escorted the king down from The Temple of God, through the Upper Gate, and placed him on the royal throne.


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Everybody celebrated the event. And the city was safe and undisturbed—Athaliah had been killed; no more Athaliah terror.


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Joash was seven years old when he became king; he was king for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Gazelle (Zibiah). She was from Beersheba.


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Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased God throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.


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He got the priests and Levites together and said, "Circulate through the towns of Judah every year and collect money from the people to repair The Temple of your God. You are in charge of carrying this out."


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Then the king called in Jehoiada the chief priest and said, "Why haven't you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax Moses, servant of God and the congregation, set for the upkeep of the place of worship? You can see how bad things are—wicked Queen Athaliah and her sons let The Temple of God go to ruin and took all its sacred artifacts for use in Baal worship."


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Then they sent out a tax notice throughout Judah and Jerusalem: "Pay the tax that Moses the servant of God set when Israel was in the wilderness."


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The people and their leaders were glad to do it and cheerfully brought their money until the chest was full.


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Whenever the Levites brought the chest in for a royal audit and found it to be full, the king's secretary and the official of the chief priest would empty the chest and put it back in its place. Day after day they did this and collected a lot of money.


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The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn paid the masons and carpenters for the repair work on The Temple of God.


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The construction workers kept at their jobs steadily until the restoration was complete—the house of God as good as new!


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When they had finished the work, they returned the surplus money to the king and Jehoiada, who used the money for making sacred vessels for Temple worship, vessels for the daily worship, for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, bowls, and other gold and silver liturgical artifacts.<br/>Whole-Burnt-Offerings were made regularly in The Temple of God throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.


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They buried him in the royal cemetery because he had such a distinguished life of service to Israel and God and God's Temple.


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But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them.


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Things went from bad to worse; they deserted The Temple of God and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry cloud hovered over Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin.


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Then the Spirit of God moved Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest to speak up: "God's word: Why have you deliberately walked away from God's commandments? You can't live this way! If you walk out on God, he'll walk out on you."


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But they worked out a plot against Zechariah, and with the complicity of the king—he actually gave the order!—they murdered him, pelting him with rocks, right in the court of The Temple of God.


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That's the thanks King Joash showed the loyal Jehoiada, the priest who had made him king. He murdered Jehoiada's son. Zechariah's last words were, "Look, God! Make them pay for this!"


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A year or so later Aramean troops attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, massacred the leaders, and shipped all their plunder back to the king in Damascus.


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The Aramean army was quite small, but God used them to wipe out Joash's large army—their punishment for deserting God, the God of their ancestors. Arameans implemented God's judgment against Joash.


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They left Joash badly wounded and his own servants finished him off—it was a palace conspiracy, avenging the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him in his bed. Afterward they buried him in the City of David, but he was not honored with a grave in the royal cemetery.


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The temple conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath from Ammon, and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith from Moab.


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The story of his sons, the many sermons preached to Joash, and the account of his repairs on The Temple of God can be found contained in the commentary on the royal history.<br/>Amaziah, Joash's son, was the next king.


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Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.


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He lived well before God, doing the right thing for the most part. But he wasn't wholeheartedly devoted to God.


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When he had the affairs of the kingdom well in hand, he executed the palace guard who had assassinated his father the king.


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But he didn't kill the sons of the assassins—he was mindful of what God commanded in The Revelation of Moses, that parents shouldn't be executed for their childrens' sins, nor children for their parents'. We each pay personally for our sins.


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Amaziah organized Judah and sorted out Judah and Benjamin by families and by military units. Men twenty years and older had to register—they ended up with 300,000 judged capable of military service.


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In addition he hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel in the north at a cost of about four and a half tons of silver.


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A holy man showed up and said, "No, O king—don't let those northern Israelite soldiers into your army; God is not on their side, nor with any of the Ephraimites.


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Instead, you go by yourself and be strong. God and God only has the power to help or hurt your cause."


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But Amaziah said to the holy man, "But what about all this money—these tons of silver I have already paid out to hire these men?"<br/>"God's help is worth far more to you than that," said the holy man.


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So Amaziah fired the soldiers he had hired from the north and sent them home. They were very angry at losing their jobs and went home seething.


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But Amaziah was optimistic. He led his troops into the Valley of Salt and killed 10,000 men of Seir.


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They took another 10,000 as prisoners, led them to the top of the Rock, and pushed them off a cliff. They all died in the fall, smashed on the rocks.


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But the troops Amaziah had dismissed from his army, angry over their lost opportunity for plunder, rampaged through the towns of Judah all the way from Samaria to Beth Horon, killing 3,000 people and taking much plunder.


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On his return from the destruction of the Edomites, Amaziah brought back the gods of the men of Seir and installed them as his own gods, worshiping them and burning incense to them.


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That ignited God's anger; a fiery blast of God's wrath put into words by a God-sent prophet: "What is this? Why on earth would you pray to inferior gods who couldn't so much as help their own people from you—gods weaker than Amaziah?"


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Amaziah interrupted him, "Did I ask for your opinion? Shut up or get thrown out!"<br/>The prophet quit speaking, but not before he got in one last word: "I have it on good authority: God has made up his mind to throw you out because of what you've done, and because you wouldn't listen to me."


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One day Amaziah sent envoys to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, challenging him to a fight: "Come and meet with me, I dare you. Let's have it out face to face!"


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Amaziah wouldn't take no for an answer—God had already decided to let Jehoash defeat him because he had defected to the gods of Edom.


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So Jehoash king of Israel came on ahead and confronted Amaziah king of Judah. They met at Beth Shemesh, a town of Judah.


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Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. But Jehoash didn't stop at that; he went on to attack Jerusalem. He demolished the Wall of Jerusalem all the way from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a stretch of about six hundred feet.


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He looted the gold, silver, and furnishings—anything he found that was worth taking—from both the palace and The Temple of God—and, for good measure, he took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.


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The rest of the life and times of Amaziah from start to finish is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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During those last days, after Amaziah had defected from God, they cooked up a plot against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he had to flee to Lachish. But they tracked him down in Lachish and killed him there.


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They brought him back on horseback and buried him in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David.


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The people of Judah then took Uzziah, who was only sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.


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The first thing he did after his father was dead and buried was to recover Elath for Judah and rebuild it.


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Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king and reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.


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He was a loyal seeker of God. He was well trained by his pastor and teacher Zechariah to live in reverent obedience before God, and for as long as Zechariah lived, Uzziah lived a godly life. And God prospered him.


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He ventured out and fought the Philistines, breaking into the fortress cities of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He also built settlements around Ashdod and other Philistine areas.


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The Ammonites also paid tribute. Uzziah became famous, his reputation extending all the way to Egypt. He became quite powerful.


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Uzziah constructed defense towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and at the corner of the wall.


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He also built towers and dug cisterns out in the country. He had herds of cattle down in the foothills and out on the plains, had farmers and vinedressers at work in the hills and fields—he loved growing things.


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On the military side, Uzziah had a well-prepared army ready to fight. They were organized by companies under the direction of Jeiel the secretary, Maaseiah the field captain, and Hananiah of the general staff.


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Under them were reinforcement troops numbering 307,000, with 500 of them on constant alert—a strong royal defense against any attack.


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He also installed the latest in military technology on the towers and corners of Jerusalem for shooting arrows and hurling stones. He became well known for all this—a famous king. Everything seemed to go his way.


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But then the strength and success went to his head. Arrogant and proud, he fell. One day, contemptuous of God, he walked into The Temple of God like he owned it and took over, burning incense on the Incense Altar.


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They confronted Uzziah: "You must not, you cannot do this, Uzziah—only the Aaronite priests, especially consecrated for the work, are permitted to burn incense. Get out of God's Temple; you are unfaithful and a disgrace!"


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But Uzziah, censer in hand, was already in the middle of doing it and angrily rebuffed the priests. He lost his temper; angry words were exchanged—and then, even as they quarreled, a skin disease appeared on his forehead.


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As soon as they saw it, the chief priest Azariah and the other priests got him out of there as fast as they could. He hurried out—he knew that God then and there had given him the disease.


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Uzziah had his skin disease for the rest of his life and had to live in quarantine; he was not permitted to set foot in The Temple of God. His son Jotham, who managed the royal palace, took over the government of the country.


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The rest of the history of Uzziah, from start to finish, was written by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.


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When Uzziah died, they buried him with his ancestors in a field next to the royal cemetery. His skin disease disqualified him from burial in the royal cemetery. His son Jotham became the next king.


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Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned sixteen years at Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.


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In God's eyes he lived a good life, following the path marked out by his father Uzziah. Unlike his father, though, he didn't desecrate The Temple of God. But the people pushed right on in their lives of corruption.


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Jotham constructed the Upper Gate of The Temple of God, considerably extended the Wall of the Ophel,


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He fought and beat the king of the Ammonites—that year the Ammonites turned over three and a quarter tons of silver and about sixty-five bushels of wheat, and another sixty-five bushels of barley. They repeated this for the next two years.


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The rest of the history of Jotham, including his wars and achievements, are all written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.


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Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn't live right in the eyes of God; he wasn't at all like his ancestor David.


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Instead he followed in the track of Israel in the north, even casting metal figurines for worshiping the pagan Baal gods.


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He participated in the outlawed burning of incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and—incredibly!—indulged in the outrageous practice of "passing his sons through the fire," a truly abominable thing he picked up from the pagans God had earlier thrown out of the country.


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He also joined in the activities of the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines that flourished all over the place.


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God, fed up, handed him over to the king of Aram, who beat him badly and took many prisoners to Damascus. God also let the king of Israel loose on him and that resulted in a terrible slaughter:


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Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in one day, all of them first-class soldiers, and all because they had deserted God, the God of their ancestors.


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Furthermore, Zicri, an Ephraimite hero, killed the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam the palace steward, and Elkanah, second in command to the king.


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And that wasn't the end of it—the Israelites captured 200,000 men, women, and children, besides huge cartloads of plunder that they took to Samaria.


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God's prophet Oded was in the neighborhood. He met the army when it entered Samaria and said, "Stop right where you are and listen! God, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and used you to punish them; but you took things into your own hands and used your anger, uncalled for and irrational,


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to turn your brothers and sisters from Judah and Jerusalem into slaves. Don't you see that this is a terrible sin against your God?


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Careful now; do exactly what I say—return these captives, every last one of them. If you don't, you'll find out how real anger, God's anger, works."


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Some of their Ephraimite leaders—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood up against the returning army


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and said, "Don't bring the captives here! We've already sinned against God; and now you are about to compound our sin and guilt. We're guilty enough as it is, enough to set off an explosion of divine anger."


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Personally designated men gathered the captives together, dressed the ones who were naked using clothing from the stores of plunder, put shoes on their feet, gave them all a square meal, provided first aid to the injured, put the weak ones on donkeys, and then escorted them to Jericho, the City of Palms, restoring them to their families. Then they went back to Samaria.


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Adding insult to injury the Philistines raided the cities in the foothills to the west and the southern desert and captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, along with Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages, and moved in, making themselves at home.


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Arrogant King Ahaz, acting as if he could do without God's help, had unleashed an epidemic of depravity. Judah, brought to its knees by God, was now reduced to begging for a handout.


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But the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, wouldn't help—he came instead and humiliated Ahaz even more by attacking and bullying him.


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Desperate, Ahaz ransacked The Temple of God, the royal palace, and every other place he could think of, scraping together everything he could, and gave it to the king of Assyria—and got nothing in return, not a bit of help.


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But King Ahaz didn't learn his lesson—at the very time that everyone was turning against him, he continued to be against God!


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He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus. He had just been defeated by Damascus; he thought, "If I worship the gods who helped Damascus, those gods just might help me too." But things only went from bad to worse: first Ahaz in ruins and then the country.


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He cleaned out The Temple of God of everything useful and valuable, boarded up the doors of The Temple, and then went out and set up pagan shrines for his own use all over Jerusalem.


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And not only in Jerusalem, but all over Judah—neighborhood shrines for worshiping any and every god on sale. And was God ever angry!


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The rest of Ahaz's infamous life, all that he did from start to finish, is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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When Ahaz died, they buried him in Jerusalem, but he was not honored with a burial in the cemetery of the kings. His son Hezekiah was the next king.


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Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and was king in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.


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In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah, having first repaired the doors of The Temple of God, threw them open to the public.


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and said, "Levites, listen! Consecrate yourselves and consecrate The Temple of God—give this much-defiled place a good housecleaning.


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Our ancestors went wrong and lived badly before God—they discarded him, turned away from this house where we meet with God, and walked off.


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They boarded up the doors, turned out the lights, and canceled all the acts of worship of the God of Israel in the holy Temple.


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And because of that, God's anger flared up and he turned those people into a public exhibit of disaster, a moral history lesson—look and read!


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This is why our ancestors were killed, and this is why our wives and sons and daughters were taken prisoner and made slaves.


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"I have decided to make a covenant with the God of Israel and turn history around so that God will no longer be angry with us.


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Children, don't drag your feet in this! God has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship—this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well."


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The Levites stood at attention: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;


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They presented themselves and their brothers, consecrated themselves, and set to work cleaning up The Temple of God as the king had directed—as God directed!


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The priests started from the inside and worked out; they emptied the place of the accumulation of defiling junk—pagan rubbish that had no business in that holy place—and the Levites hauled it off to the Kidron Valley.


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They began the Temple cleaning on the first day of the first month and by the eighth day they had worked their way out to the porch—eight days it took them to clean and consecrate The Temple itself, and in eight more days they had finished with the entire Temple complex.


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Then they reported to Hezekiah the king, "We have cleaned up the entire Temple of God, including the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering and the Table of the Bread of the Presence with their furnishings.


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We have also cleaned up and consecrated all the vessels which King Ahaz had gotten rid of during his misrule. Take a look; we have repaired them. They're all there in front of the Altar of God."


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Then Hezekiah the king went to work: He got all the leaders of the city together and marched to The Temple of God.


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They brought with them seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats to sacrifice as an Absolution-Offering for the royal family, for the Sanctuary, and for Judah as a whole; he directed the Aaronite priests to sacrifice them on the Altar of God.


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The priests butchered the bulls and then took the blood and sprinkled it on the Altar, and then the same with the rams and lambs.


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The priests butchered them and made an Absolution-Offering with their blood at the Altar to atone for the sin of all Israel—the king had ordered that the Whole-Burnt-Offering and the Absolution-Offering be for all Israel.


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The king ordered the Levites to take their places in The Temple of God with their musical instruments—cymbals, harps, zithers—following the original instructions of David, Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; this was God's command conveyed by his prophets.


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Then Hezekiah gave the signal to begin: The Whole-Burnt-Offering was offered on the Altar; at the same time the sacred choir began singing, backed up by the trumpets and the David orchestra


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while the entire congregation worshiped. The singers sang and the trumpeters played all during the sacrifice of the Whole-Burnt-Offering.


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When the offering of the sacrifice was completed, the king and everyone there knelt to the ground and worshiped.


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Then Hezekiah the king and the leaders told the Levites to finish things off with anthems of praise to God using lyrics by David and Asaph the seer. They sang their praises with joy and reverence, kneeling in worship.


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Hezekiah then made this response: "The dedication is complete—you're consecrated to God. Now you're ready: Come forward and bring your sacrifices and Thank-Offerings to The Temple of God."<br/>And come they did. Everyone in the congregation brought sacrifices and Thank-Offerings and some, overflowing with generosity, even brought Whole-Burnt-Offerings,


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a generosity expressed in seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs—all for Whole-Burnt-Offerings for God!


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The total number of animals consecrated for sacrifice that day amounted to 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep.


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They ran out of priests qualified to slaughter all the Whole-Burnt-Offerings so their brother Levites stepped in and helped out while other priests consecrated themselves for the work. It turned out that the Levites had been more responsible in making sure they were properly consecrated than the priests had been.


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Besides the overflow of Whole-Burnt-Offerings there were also choice pieces for the Peace-Offerings and lavish libations that went with the Whole-Burnt-Offerings. The worship in The Temple of God was on a firm footing again!


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Hezekiah and the congregation celebrated: God had established a firm foundation for the lives of the people—and so quickly!


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Then Hezekiah invited all of Israel and Judah, with personal letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to The Temple of God in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to Israel's God.


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The king and his officials and the congregation in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate Passover in the second month.


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They hadn't been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough of the priests were yet personally prepared and the people hadn't had time to gather in Jerusalem.


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and they sent out the invitation from one end of the country to the other, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north: "Come and celebrate the Passover to Israel's God in Jerusalem." No one living had ever celebrated it properly.


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The king gave the orders, and the couriers delivered the invitations from the king and his leaders throughout Israel and Judah. The invitation read: "O Israelites! Come back to God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he can return to you who have survived the predations of the kings of Assyria.


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Don't repeat the sins of your ancestors who turned their backs on God, the God of their ancestors who then brought them to ruin—you can see the ruins all around you.


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Don't be pigheaded as your ancestors were. Clasp God's outstretched hand. Come to his Temple of holy worship, consecrated for all time. Serve God, your God. You'll no longer be in danger of his hot anger.


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If you come back to God, your captive relatives and children will be treated compassionately and allowed to come home. Your God is gracious and kind and won't snub you—come back and he'll welcome you with open arms."


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So the couriers set out, going from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far north as Zebulun. But the people poked fun at them, treated them as a joke.


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But not all; some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun weren't too proud to accept the invitation and come to Jerusalem.


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It was better in Judah—God worked powerfully among them to make it unanimous, responding to the orders sent out by the king and his officials, orders backed up by the word of God.


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It turned out that there was a tremendous crowd of people when the time came in the second month to celebrate the Passover (sometimes called the Feast of Unraised Bread).


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First they went to work and got rid of all the pagan altars that were in Jerusalem—hauled them off and dumped them in the Kidron Valley.


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Then, on the fourteenth day of the second month, they slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests and Levites weren't ready; but now, embarrassed in their laziness, they consecrated themselves and brought Whole-Burnt-Offerings to The Temple of God.


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Ready now, they stood at their posts as designated by The Revelation of Moses the holy man; the priests sprinkled the blood the Levites handed to them.


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Because so many in the congregation had not properly prepared themselves by consecration and so were not qualified, the Levites took charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs so that they would be properly consecrated to God.


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There were a lot of people, especially those from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, who did not eat the Passover meal because they had not prepared themselves adequately. Hezekiah prayed for these as follows: "May God who is all good, pardon and forgive


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everyone who sincerely desires God, the God of our ancestors. Even—especially!—these who do not meet the literal conditions stated for access to The Temple."


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All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated the Passover (Feast of Unraised Bread) for seven days, celebrated exuberantly. The Levites and priests praised God day after day, filling the air with praise sounds of percussion and brass.


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Hezekiah commended the Levites for the superb way in which they had led the people in the worship of God.<br/>When the feast and festival—that glorious seven days of worship, the making of offerings, and the praising of God, the God of their ancestors—were over, the tables cleared and the floors swept,


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they all decided to keep going for another seven days! So they just kept on celebrating, and as joyfully as they began.


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Hezekiah king of Judah gave 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the congregation's worship; the officials gave an additional 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And there turned out to be plenty of consecrated priests—qualified and well-prepared.


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The whole congregation of Judah, the priests and Levites, the congregation that came in from Israel, and the resident aliens from both Israel and Judah, were all in on the joyous celebration.


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Jerusalem was bursting with joy—nothing like this had taken place in Jerusalem since Solomon son of David king of Israel had built and dedicated The Temple.


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The priests and Levites had the last word: they stood and blessed the people. And God listened, listened as the ascending sound of their prayers entered his holy heaven.


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After the Passover celebration, they all took off for the cities of Judah and smashed the phallic stone monuments, chopped down the sacred Asherah groves, and demolished the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines and local god shops. They didn't stop until they had been all through Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Then they all went back home and resumed their everyday lives.


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Hezekiah organized the groups of priests and Levites for their respective tasks, handing out job descriptions for conducting the services of worship: making the various offerings, and making sure that thanks and praise took place wherever and whenever God was worshiped.


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He also designated his personal contribution for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings for the morning and evening worship, for Sabbaths, for New Moon festivals, and for the special worship days set down in The Revelation of God.


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In addition, he asked the people who lived in Jerusalem to be responsible for providing for the priests and Levites so they, without distraction or concern, could give themselves totally to The Revelation of God.


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As soon as Hezekiah's orders had gone out, the Israelites responded generously: firstfruits of the grain harvest, new wine, oil, honey—everything they grew. They didn't hold back, turning over a tithe of everything.


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They also brought in a tithe of their cattle, sheep, and anything else they owned that had been dedicated to God. Everything was sorted and piled in mounds.


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When Hezekiah and his leaders came and saw the extent of the mounds of gifts, they praised God and commended God's people Israel.


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Azariah, chief priest of the family of Zadok, answered, "From the moment of this huge outpouring of gifts to The Temple of God, there has been plenty to eat for everyone with food left over. God has blessed his people—just look at the evidence!"


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they brought in all the offerings of tithes and sacred gifts. They put Conaniah the Levite in charge with his brother Shimei as assistant.


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Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were project managers under the direction of Conaniah and Shimei, carrying out the orders of King Hezekiah and Azariah the chief priest of The Temple of God.


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Kore son of Imnah the Levite, security guard of the East Gate, was in charge of the Freewill-Offerings of God and responsible for distributing the offerings and sacred gifts.


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Faithful support out in the priestly cities was provided by Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They were even-handed in their distributions to their coworkers (all males thirty years and older) in each of their respective divisions


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as they entered The Temple of God each day to do their assigned work (their work was all organized by divisions).


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The divisions comprised officially registered priests by family and Levites twenty years and older by job description.


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The official family tree included everyone in the entire congregation—their small children, wives, sons, and daughters. The ardent dedication they showed in bringing themselves and their gifts to worship was total—no one was left out.


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The Aaronites, the priests who lived out on the pastures that belonged to the priest-cities, had reputable men on hand to distribute regular rations to every priest—everyone listed in the official family tree of the Levites.


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Hezekiah carried out this work and kept it up everywhere in Judah. He was the very best—good, right, and true before his God.


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Everything he took up, whether it had to do with worship in God's Temple or the carrying out of God's Law and Commandments, he did well in a spirit of prayerful worship. He was a great success.


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And then, after this exemplary track record, this: Sennacherib king of Assyria came and attacked Judah. He put the fortified cities under siege, determined to take them.


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he talked to his advisors and military leaders about eliminating all the water supplies outside the city; they thought it was a good idea.


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There was a great turnout of people to plug the springs and tear down the aqueduct. They said, "Why should the kings of Assyria march in and be furnished with running water?"


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Hezekiah also went to work repairing every part of the city wall that was damaged, built defensive towers on it, built another wall of defense further out, and reinforced the defensive rampart (the Millo) of the old City of David. He also built up a large store of armaments—spears and shields.


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He then appointed military officers to be responsible for the people and got them all together at the public square in front of the city gate.<br/>Hezekiah rallied the people, saying,


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"Be strong! Take courage! Don't be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops—there are more on our side than on their side.


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He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us!"<br/>Morale surged. Hezekiah's words put steel in their spines.


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Later on, Sennacherib, who had set up camp a few miles away at Lachish, sent messengers to Jerusalem, addressing Judah through Hezekiah:


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"A proclamation of Sennacherib king of Assyria: You poor people—do you think you're safe in that so-called fortress of Jerusalem? You're sitting ducks.


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Do you think Hezekiah will save you? Don't be stupid—Hezekiah has fed you a pack of lies. When he says, 'God will save us from the power of the king of Assyria,' he's lying—you're all going to end up dead.


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Wasn't it Hezekiah who cleared out all the neighborhood worship shrines and told you, 'There is only one legitimate place to worship'?


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Do you have any idea what I and my ancestors have done to all the countries around here? Has there been a single god anywhere strong enough to stand up against me?


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Can you name one god among all the nations that either I or my ancestors have ravaged that so much as lifted a finger against me? So what makes you think you'll make out any better with your god?


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Don't let Hezekiah fool you; don't let him get by with his barefaced lies; don't trust him. No god of any country or kingdom ever has been one bit of help against me or my ancestors—what kind of odds does that give your god?"


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The messengers felt free to throw in their personal comments, putting down both God and God's servant Hezekiah.


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Sennacherib continued to send letters insulting the God of Israel: "The gods of the nations were powerless to help their people; the god of Hezekiah is no better, probably worse."


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The messengers would come up to the wall of Jerusalem and shout up to the people standing on the wall, shouting their propaganda in Hebrew, trying to scare them into demoralized submission.


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King Hezekiah, joined by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, responded by praying, calling up to heaven.


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God answered by sending an angel who wiped out everyone in the Assyrian camp, both warriors and officers. Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace, tail between his legs. When he went into the temple of his god, his own sons killed him.


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God saved Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem from Sennacherib king of Assyria and everyone else. And he continued to take good care of them.


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People streamed into Jerusalem bringing offerings for the worship of God and expensive presents to Hezekiah king of Judah. All the surrounding nations were impressed—Hezekiah's stock soared.


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But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful, made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem.


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But then Hezekiah, and Jerusalem with him, repented of his arrogance, and God withdrew his anger while Hezekiah lived.


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Hezekiah ended up very wealthy and much honored. He built treasuries for all his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and valuables,


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barns for the grain, new wine, and olive oil, stalls for his various breeds of cattle, and pens for his flocks.


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He founded royal cities for himself and built up huge stocks of sheep and cattle. God saw to it that he was extravagantly rich.


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Hezekiah was also responsible for diverting the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and rerouting the water to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did.


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But when the rulers of Babylon sent emissaries to find out about the sign from God that had taken place earlier, God left him on his own to see what he would do; he wanted to test his heart.


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The rest of the history of Hezekiah and his life of loyal service, you can read for yourself—it's written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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When Hezekiah died, they buried him in the upper part of the King David cemetery. Everyone in Judah and Jerusalem came to the funeral. He was buried in great honor.<br/>Manasseh his son was the next king.


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In God's opinion he was a bad king—an evil king. He reintroduced all the moral rot and spiritual corruption that had been scoured from the country when God dispossessed the pagan nations in favor of the children of Israel.


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He rebuilt the sex-and-religion shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down, he built altars and phallic images for the sex god Baal and the sex goddess Asherah and worshiped the cosmic powers, taking orders from the constellations.


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the very Jerusalem Temple dedicated exclusively by God's decree to God's Name ("in Jerusalem I place my Name").


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He burned his own sons in a sacrificial rite in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced witchcraft and fortunetelling. He held s-ances and consulted spirits from the underworld. Much evil—in God's view a career in evil. And God was angry.


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As a last straw he placed a carved image of the sex goddess Asherah that he had commissioned in The Temple of God, a flagrant and provocative violation of God's well-known command to both David and Solomon, "In this Temple and in this city Jerusalem, my choice out of all the tribes of Israel, I place my Name—exclusively and forever."


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He had promised, "Never again will I let my people Israel wander off from this land I've given to their ancestors. But on this condition, that they keep everything I've commanded in the instructions my servant Moses passed on to them."


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But Manasseh led Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem off the beaten path into practices of evil exceeding even the evil of the pagan nations that God had earlier destroyed.


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Then God directed the leaders of the troops of the king of Assyria to come after Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose, shackles on his feet, and took him off to Babylon.


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Now that he was in trouble, he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—total repentance before the God of his ancestors.


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As he prayed, God was touched; God listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king. That convinced Manasseh that God was in control.


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After that Manasseh rebuilt the outside defensive wall of the City of David to the west of the Gihon spring in the valley. It went from the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. He also increased its height. He tightened up the defense system by posting army captains in all the fortress cities of Judah.


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He also did a good spring cleaning on The Temple, carting out the pagan idols and the goddess statue. He took all the altars he had set up on The Temple hill and throughout Jerusalem and dumped them outside the city.


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He put the Altar of God back in working order and restored worship, sacrificing Peace-Offerings and Thank-Offerings. He issued orders to the people: "You shall serve and worship God, the God of Israel."


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But the people didn't take him seriously—they used the name "God" but kept on going to the old pagan neighborhood shrines and doing the same old things.


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The rest of the history of Manasseh—his prayer to his God, and the sermons the prophets personally delivered by authority of God, the God of Israel—this is all written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.


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His prayer and how God was touched by his prayer, a list of all his sins and the things he did wrong, the actual places where he built the pagan shrines, the installation of the sex-goddess Asherah sites, and the idolatrous images that he worshiped previous to his conversion—this is all described in the records of the prophets.


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but he never did repent to God as Manasseh repented. He just kept at it, going from one thing to another.


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The citizens in their turn then killed the king's assassins. The citizens then crowned Josiah, Amon's son, as king.


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He behaved well before God. He kept straight on the path blazed by his ancestor David, not one step to the left or right.


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When he had been king for eight years—he was still only a teenager—he began to seek the God of David his ancestor. Four years later, the twelfth year of his reign, he set out to cleanse the neighborhood of sex-and-religion shrines, and get rid of the sacred Asherah groves and the god and goddess figurines, whether carved or cast, from Judah.


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He wrecked the Baal shrines, tore down the altars connected with them, and scattered the debris and ashes over the graves of those who had worshiped at them.


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He burned the bones of the priests on the same altars they had used when alive. He scrubbed the place clean, Judah and Jerusalem, clean inside and out.


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The clean-up campaign ranged outward to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and the surrounding neighborhoods—as far north as Naphtali.


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Throughout Israel he demolished the altars and Asherah groves, pulverized the god and goddess figures, chopped up the neighborhood shrines into firewood. With Israel once more intact, he returned to Jerusalem.


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One day in the eighteenth year of his kingship, with the cleanup of country and Temple complete, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the mayor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the historian to renovate The Temple of God.


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First they turned over to Hilkiah the high priest all the money collected by the Levitical security guards from Manasseh and Ephraim and the rest of Israel, and from Judah and Benjamin and the citizens of Jerusalem.


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who then passed it on to the workers repairing God's Temple—the carpenters, construction workers, and masons—so they could buy the lumber and dressed stone for rebuilding the foundations the kings of Judah had allowed to fall to pieces.


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The workmen were honest and diligent. Their foremen were Jahath and Obadiah, the Merarite Levites, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites—these managed the project. The Levites—they were all skilled musicians—


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were in charge of the common laborers and supervised the workers as they went from job to job. The Levites also served as accountants, managers, and security guards.


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While the money that had been given for The Temple of God was being received and dispersed, Hilkiah the high priest found a copy of The Revelation of Moses.


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He reported to Shaphan the royal secretary, "I've just found the Book of God's Revelation, instructing us in God's way—found it in The Temple!" He gave it to Shaphan,


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who then gave it to the king. And along with the book, he gave this report: "The job is complete—everything you ordered done is done.


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They took all the money that was collected in The Temple of God and handed it over to the managers and workers."


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And then Shaphan told the king, "Hilkiah the priest gave me a book." Shaphan proceeded to read it out to the king.


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And then he called for Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah the king's personal aide.


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He ordered them all: "Go and pray to God for me and what's left of Israel and Judah. Find out what we must do in response to what is written in this book that has just been found! God's anger must be burning furiously against us—our ancestors haven't obeyed a thing written in this book of God, followed none of the instructions directed to us."


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Hilkiah and those picked by the king went straight to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, who was in charge of the palace wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter. The men consulted with her.


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'God has spoken, I'm on my way to bring the doom of judgment on this place and this people. Every word written in the book read by the king of Judah will happen.


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And why? Because they've deserted me and taken up with other gods; they've made me thoroughly angry by setting up their god-making businesses. My anger is raging white-hot against this place and nobody is going to put it out.'


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"And also tell the king of Judah, since he sent you to ask God for direction, God's comment on what he read in the book:


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'Because you took seriously the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people, and because you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I'm taking you seriously. God's word.


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I'll take care of you; you'll have a quiet death and be buried in peace. You won't be around to see the doom that I'm going to bring upon this place and people.' "<br/>The men took her message back to the king.


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and then proceeding to The Temple of God bringing everyone in his train—priests and prophets and people ranging from the least to the greatest. Then he read out publicly everything written in the Book of the Covenant that was found in The Temple of God.


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The king stood by his pillar and before God solemnly committed himself to the covenant: to follow God believingly and obediently; to follow his instructions, heart and soul, on what to believe and do; to confirm with his life the entire covenant, all that was written in the book.


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Then he made everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin commit themselves. And they did it. They committed themselves to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.


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Josiah did a thorough job of cleaning up the pollution that had spread throughout Israelite territory and got everyone started fresh again, serving and worshiping their God. All through Josiah's life the people kept to the straight and narrow, obediently following God, the God of their ancestors.


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Josiah celebrated the Passover to God in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.


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He gave the priests detailed instructions and encouraged them in the work of leading worship in The Temple of God.


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He also told the Levites who were in charge of teaching and guiding Israel in all matters of worship (they were especially consecrated for this), "Place the sacred Chest in The Temple that Solomon son of David, the king of Israel, built. You don't have to carry it around on your shoulders any longer! Serve God and God's people Israel.


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Organize yourselves by families for your respective responsibilities, following the instructions left by David king of Israel and Solomon his son.


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"Take your place in the sanctuary—a team of Levites for every grouping of your fellow citizens, the laity.


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Your job is to kill the Passover lambs, then consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs so that everyone will be able to keep the Passover exactly as God commanded through Moses."


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Josiah personally donated 30,000 sheep, lambs, and goats and 3,000 bulls—everything needed for the Passover celebration was there.


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His officials also pitched in on behalf of the people, including the priests and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in The Temple of God, gave 2,600 lambs and 300 bulls to the priests for the Passover offerings.


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Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with the Levitical chiefs Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, donated 5,000 lambs and 500 bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.


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Preparations were complete for the service of worship; the priests took up their positions and the Levites were at their posts as instructed by the king.


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They killed the Passover lambs, and while the priests sprinkled the blood from the lambs, the Levites skinned them out.


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Then they set aside the Whole-Burnt-Offering for presentation to the family groupings of the people so that each group could offer it to God following the instructions in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.


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They roasted the Passover lamb according to the instructions and boiled the consecrated offerings in pots and kettles and pans and promptly served the people.


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After the people had eaten the holy meal, the Levites served themselves and the Aaronite priests—the priests were busy late into the night making the offerings at the Altar.


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The Asaph singers were all in their places following the instructions of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. The security guards were on duty at each gate—the Levites also served them because they couldn't leave their posts.


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Everything went without a hitch in the worship of God that day as they celebrated the Passover and the offering of the Whole-Burnt-Offering on the Altar of God. It went just as Josiah had ordered.


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The Passover hadn't been celebrated like this since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings had done it. But Josiah, the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were there that week, plus the citizens of Jerusalem—they did it.


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Some time later, after Josiah's reformation of The Temple, Neco king of Egypt marched out toward Carchemish on the Euphrates River on his way to war. Josiah went out to fight him.


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Neco sent messengers to Josiah saying, "What do we have against each other, O king of Judah? I haven't come to fight against you but against the country with whom I'm at war. God commanded me to hurry, so don't get in my way; you'll only interfere with God, who is on my side in this, and he'll destroy you."


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But Josiah was spoiling for a fight and wouldn't listen to a thing Neco said (in actuality it was God who said it). Though King Josiah disguised himself when they met on the plain of Megiddo,


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So his servants took him out of his chariot and laid him down in an ambulance chariot and drove him back to Jerusalem. He died there and was buried in the family cemetery. Everybody in Judah and Jerusalem attended the funeral.


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Jeremiah composed an anthem of lament for Josiah. The anthem is still sung by the choirs of Israel to this day. The anthem is written in the Laments.


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The rest of the history of Josiah, his exemplary and devout life, conformed to The Revelation of God.


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The whole story, from start to finish, is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.


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Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to rule. He was king in Jerusalem for a mere three months.


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The king of Egypt dethroned him and forced the country to pay him nearly four tons of silver and seventy-five pounds of gold.


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Neco king of Egypt then made Eliakim, Jehoahaz's brother, king of Judah and Jerusalem, but changed his name to Jehoiakim; then he took Jehoahaz back with him to Egypt.


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Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to rule; he was king for eleven years in Jerusalem. In God's opinion he was an evil king.


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Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made war against him, and bound him in bronze chains, intending to take him prisoner to Babylon.


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The rest of the history of Jehoiakim, the outrageous sacrilege he committed and what happened to him as a consequence, is all written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.<br/>Jehoiachin his son became the next king.


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Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king. But he ruled for only three months and ten days in Jerusalem. In God's opinion he was an evil king.


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In the spring King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him brought to Babylon along with the valuables remaining in The Temple of God. Then he made his uncle Zedekiah a puppet king over Judah and Jerusalem.


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Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started out as king. He was king in Jerusalem for eleven years.


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As far as God was concerned, he was just one more evil king; there wasn't a trace of contrition in him when the prophet Jeremiah preached God's word to him.


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Then he compounded his troubles by rebelling against King Nebuchadnezzar, who earlier had made him swear in God's name that he would be loyal. He became set in his own stubborn ways—he never gave God a thought; repentance never entered his mind.


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The evil mindset spread to the leaders and priests and filtered down to the people—it kicked off an epidemic of evil, repeating the abominations of the pagans and polluting The Temple of God so recently consecrated in Jerusalem.


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God, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent warning messages to them. Out of compassion for both his people and his Temple he wanted to give them every chance possible.


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But they wouldn't listen; they poked fun at God's messengers, despised the message itself, and in general treated the prophets like idiots. God became more and more angry until there was no turning back—


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God called in Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who came and killed indiscriminately—and right in The Temple itself; it was a ruthless massacre: young men and virgins, the elderly and weak—they were all the same to him.


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And then he plundered The Temple of everything valuable, cleaned it out completely; he emptied the treasuries of The Temple of God, the treasuries of the king and his officials, and hauled it all, people and possessions, off to Babylon.


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He burned The Temple of God to the ground, knocked down the wall of Jerusalem, and set fire to all the buildings—everything valuable was burned up.


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Any survivor was taken prisoner into exile in Babylon and made a slave to Nebuchadnezzar and his family. The exile and slavery lasted until the kingdom of Persia took over.


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This is exactly the message of God that Jeremiah had preached: the desolate land put to an extended sabbath rest, a seventy-year Sabbath rest making up for all the unkept Sabbaths.


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In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the message of God preached by Jeremiah—God moved Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom; he wrote it out as follows:


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"From Cyrus king of Persia a proclamation: God, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship at Jerusalem in Judah. All who belong to God's people are urged to return—and may your God be with you! Move forward!"


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In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—this fulfilled the Message of God preached by Jeremiah—God prodded Cyrus king of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom. He wrote it out as follows:


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From Cyrus king of Persia, a Proclamation: God, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship in Jerusalem, Judah.


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Who among you belongs to his people? God be with you! Go to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build The Temple of God, the God of Israel, Jerusalem's God.


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Those who stay behind, wherever they happen to live, will support them with silver, gold, tools, and pack animals, along with Freewill-Offerings for The Temple of God in Jerusalem.


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The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone, in fact, God prodded—set out to build The Temple of God in Jerusalem.


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Their neighbors rallied behind them enthusiastically with silver, gold, tools, pack animals, expensive gifts, and, over and above these, Freewill-Offerings.


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Also, King Cyrus turned over to them all the vessels and utensils from The Temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had hauled from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods.


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Cyrus king of Persia put Mithredath the treasurer in charge of the transfer; he provided a full inventory for Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah, including the following:


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All told, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles that Sheshbazzar took with him when he brought the exiles back from Babylon to Jerusalem.


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These are the people from the province who now returned from the captivity, exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried off captive. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his hometown.


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They came in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.<br/>The numbers of the returning Israelites by families of origin were as follows:


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These are those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They weren't able to prove their ancestry, whether they were true Israelites or not:


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Likewise with these priestly families:<br/>Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took that name.


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They had thoroughly searched for their family records but couldn't find them. And so they were barred from priestly work as ritually unclean.


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The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status with the Urim and Thummim.


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That did not include the male and female slaves, which numbered 7,337. There were also 200 male and female singers,


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Some of the heads of families, on arriving at The Temple of God in Jerusalem, made Freewill-Offerings toward the rebuilding of The Temple of God on its site.


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They gave to the building fund as they were able, about 1,100 pounds of gold, about three tons of silver, and 100 priestly robes.


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The priests, Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem. The singers, security guards, and temple support staff found places in their hometowns. All the Israelites found a place to live.


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When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled into their towns, the people assembled together in Jerusalem.


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Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brother priests, along with Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and his relatives, went to work and built the Altar of the God of Israel to offer Whole-Burnt-Offerings on it as written in The Revelation of Moses the man of God.


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Even though they were afraid of what their non-Israelite neighbors might do, they went ahead anyway and set up the Altar on its foundations and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings on it morning and evening.


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They also celebrated the Festival of Booths as prescribed and the daily Whole-Burnt-Offerings set for each day.


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And they presented the regular Whole-Burnt-Offerings for Sabbaths, New Moons, and God's Holy Festivals, as well as Freewill-Offerings for God.


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They began offering Whole-Burnt-Offerings to God from the very first day of the seventh month, even though The Temple of God's foundation had not yet been laid.


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They gave money to hire masons and carpenters. They gave food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians in exchange for the cedar lumber they had brought by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, a shipment authorized by Cyrus the king of Persia.


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In the second month of the second year after their arrival at The Temple of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jozadak, in company with their brother priests and Levites and everyone else who had come back to Jerusalem from captivity, got started. They appointed the Levites twenty years of age and older to direct the rebuilding of The Temple of God.


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Jeshua and his family joined Kadmiel, Binnui, and Hodaviah, along with the extended family of Henadad—all Levites—to direct the work crew on The Temple of God.


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When the workers laid the foundation of The Temple of God, the priests in their robes stood up with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise God in the tradition of David king of Israel.


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They sang antiphonally praise and thanksgiving to God:<br/>Yes! God is good!<br/>Oh yes—he'll never quit loving Israel!<br/>All the people boomed out hurrahs, praising God as the foundation of The Temple of God was laid.


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As many were noisily shouting with joy, many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first Temple, when they saw the foundations of this Temple laid, wept loudly for joy.


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People couldn't distinguish the shouting from the weeping. The sound of their voices reverberated for miles around.


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Old enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building The Temple of the God of Israel.


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They came to Zerubbabel and the family heads and said, "We'll help you build. We worship your God the same as you. We've been offering sacrifices to him since Esarhaddon king of Assyria brought us here."


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Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the family heads of Israel said to them, "Nothing doing. Building The Temple of our God is not the same thing to you as to us. We alone will build for the God of Israel. We're the ones King Cyrus of Persia commanded to do it."


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So these people started beating down the morale of the people of Judah, harassing them as they built.


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They even hired propagandists to sap their resolve. They kept this up for about fifteen years, throughout the lifetime of Cyrus king of Persia and on into the reign of Darius king of Persia.


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In fact, in the reign of Xerxes, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against those living in Judah and Jerusalem.


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Again later, in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote regarding the Jerusalem business to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. (What follows is written in Aramaic.)


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Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:


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From: Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, backed by the rest of their associates, the judges and officials over the people from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, Elamites of Susa,


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and all the others whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and other places in the land across the Euphrates.


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(This is the copy of the letter they sent to him.) To: King Artaxerxes from your servants from the land across the Euphrates.


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We are here to inform the king that the Jews who came from you to us have arrived in Jerusalem and have set about rebuilding that rebellious and evil city. They are busy at work finishing the walls and rebuilding the foundations.


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The king needs to know that once that city is rebuilt and the wall completed they will no longer pay a penny of tribute, tax, or duty. The royal treasury will feel the loss.


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We're loyal to the king and cannot sit idly by while our king is being insulted—that's why we are passing this information on.


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We suggest that you look into the court records of your ancestors; you'll learn from those books that that city is a rebellious city, a thorn in the side to kings and provinces, an historic center of unrest and revolt. That's why the city was wiped out.


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We are letting the king know that if that city gets rebuilt and its walls restored, you'll end up with nothing in your province beyond the Euphrates.


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The king sent his reply to Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary, and the rest of their associates who lived in Samaria and other places beyond the Euphrates. Peace be with you.


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I gave orders to search the records, and sure enough it turns out that this city has revolted against kings time and again—rebellion is an old story there.


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I find that they've had their share of strong kings who have taken over beyond the Euphrates and exacted taxes, tribute, and duty.


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So do this: Order these men to stop work immediately—not a lick of rebuilding in that city unless I order it.


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The letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates. They lost no time. They went to the Jews in Jerusalem and made them quit work.


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That put a stop to the work on The Temple of God in Jerusalem. Nothing more was done until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.


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Meanwhile the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo were preaching to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the authority of the God of Israel who ruled them.


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And so Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak started again, rebuilding The Temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were right there helping them.


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Tattenai was governor of the land beyond the Euphrates at this time. Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai, and their associates came to the Israelites and asked, "Who issued you a permit to rebuild this Temple and restore it to use?"


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But God had his eye on the leaders of the Jews, and the work wasn't stopped until a report could reach Darius and an official reply be returned.


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Tattenai, governor of the land beyond the Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and his associates—the officials of that land—sent a letter to Darius the king.


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We want to report to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to The Temple of the great God that is being rebuilt with large stones. Timbers are being fitted into the walls; the work is going on with great energy and in good time.


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We also asked for their names so we could pass them on to you and have a record of the men at the head of the construction work.


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This is what they told us: "We are servants of the God of the heavens and the earth. We are rebuilding The Temple that was built a long time ago. A great king of Israel built it, the entire structure.


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But our ancestors made the God of the heavens really angry and he turned them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who knocked this Temple down and took the people to Babylon in exile.


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"But when Cyrus became king of Babylon, in his first year he issued a building permit to rebuild this Temple of God.


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He also gave back the gold and silver vessels of The Temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had carted off and put in the Babylon temple. Cyrus the king removed them from the temple of Babylon and turned them over to Sheshbazzar, the man he had appointed governor.


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He told him, 'Take these vessels and place them in The Temple of Jerusalem and rebuild The Temple of God on its original site.'


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And Sheshbazzar did it. He laid the foundation of The Temple of God in Jerusalem. It has been under construction ever since but it is not yet finished."


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So now, if it please the king, look up the records in the royal archives in Babylon and see if it is indeed a fact that Cyrus the king issued an official building permit authorizing the rebuilding of The Temple of God in Jerusalem. And then send the king's ruling on this matter to us.


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Eventually a scroll was turned up in the fortress of Ecbatana over in the province of Media, with this writing on it:<br/>Memorandum


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In his first year as king, Cyrus issued an official decree regarding The Temple of God in Jerusalem, as follows: The Temple where sacrifices are offered is to be rebuilt on new foundations. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide


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with three courses of large stones topped with one course of timber. The cost is to be paid from the royal bank.


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The gold and silver vessels from The Temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar carried to Babylon are to be returned to The Temple at Jerusalem, each to its proper place; place them in The Temple of God.


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Now listen, Tattenai governor of the land beyond the Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, associates, and all officials of that land: Stay out of their way.


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Leave the governor and leaders of the Jews alone so they can work on that Temple of God as they rebuild it.


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I hereby give official orders on how you are to help the leaders of the Jews in the rebuilding of that Temple of God: 1. All construction costs are to be paid to these men from the royal bank out of the taxes coming in from the land beyond the Euphrates. And pay them on time, without delays.


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2. Whatever is required for their worship—young bulls, rams, and lambs for Whole-Burnt-Offerings to the God-of-Heaven; and whatever wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil the priests of Jerusalem request—is to be given to them daily without delay


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so that they may make sacrifices to the God-of-Heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.


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I've issued an official decree that anyone who violates this order is to be impaled on a timber torn out of his own house, and the house itself made a manure pit.


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And may the God who put his Name on that place wipe out any king or people who dares to defy this decree and destroy The Temple of God at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued an official decree. Carry it out precisely and promptly.


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Tattenai governor of the land across the Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their associates did it: They carried out the decree of Darius precisely and promptly.


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So the leaders of the Jews continued to build; the work went well under the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They completed the rebuilding under orders of the God of Israel and authorization by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.


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The Temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.


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And then the Israelites celebrated—priests, Levites, every last exile, exuberantly celebrated the dedication of The Temple of God.


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At the dedication of this Temple of God they sacrificed a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs—and, as an Absolution-Offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.


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They placed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their places for the service of God at Jerusalem—all as written out in the Book of Moses.


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All the priests and Levites had purified themselves—all, no exceptions. They were all ritually clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for the exiles, their brother priests, and themselves.


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Then the Israelites who had returned from exile, along with everyone who had removed themselves from the defilements of the nations to join them and seek God, the God of Israel, ate the Passover.


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With great joy they celebrated the Feast of Unraised Bread for seven days. God had plunged them into a sea of joy; he had changed the mind of the king of Assyria to back them in rebuilding The Temple of God, the God of Israel.


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After all this, Ezra. It was during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia. Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,


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That's Ezra. He arrived from Babylon, a scholar well-practiced in the Revelation of Moses that the God of Israel had given. Because God's hand was on Ezra, the king gave him everything he asked for.


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Some of the Israelites—priests, Levites, singers, temple security guards, and temple slaves—went with him to Jerusalem. It was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.


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Ezra had scheduled their departure from Babylon on the first day of the first month; they arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month under the generous guidance of his God.


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Ezra had committed himself to studying the Revelation of God, to living it, and to teaching Israel to live its truths and ways.


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What follows is the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra, priest and scholar, expert in matters involving the truths and ways of God concerning Israel:


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Artaxerxes, King of Kings, to Ezra the priest, a scholar of the Teaching of the God-of-Heaven. Peace.


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I hereby decree that any of the people of Israel living in my kingdom who want to go to Jerusalem, including their priests and Levites, may go with you.


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You are being sent by the king and his seven advisors to carry out an investigation of Judah and Jerusalem in relation to the Teaching of your God that you are carrying with you.


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You are also authorized to take the silver and gold that the king and his advisors are giving for the God of Israel, whose residence is in Jerusalem,


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along with all the silver and gold that has been collected from the generously donated offerings all over Babylon, including that from the people and the priests, for The Temple of their God in Jerusalem.


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Use this money carefully to buy bulls, rams, lambs, and the ingredients for Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings and then offer them on the Altar of The Temple of your God in Jerusalem.


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You are free to use whatever is left over from the silver and gold for what you and your brothers decide is in keeping with the will of your God.


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Deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels given to you for the services of worship in The Temple of your God.


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I, Artaxerxes the king, have formally authorized and ordered all the treasurers of the land across the Euphrates to give Ezra the priest, scholar of the Teaching of the God-of-Heaven, the full amount of whatever he asks for


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up to a hundred talents of silver, six hundred and fifty bushels of wheat, and six hundred and seven gallons each of wine and olive oil. There is no limit on the salt.


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Everything the God-of-Heaven requires for The Temple of God must be given without hesitation. Why would the king and his sons risk stirring up his wrath?


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Also, let it be clear that no one is permitted to impose tribute, tax, or duty on any priest, Levite, singer, temple security guard, temple servant, or any other worker connected with The Temple of God.


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I authorize you, Ezra, exercising the wisdom of God that you have in your hands, to appoint magistrates and judges so they can administer justice among all the people of the land across the Euphrates who live by the Teaching of your God. Anyone who does not know the Teaching, you teach them.


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Anyone who does not obey the Teaching of your God and the king must be tried and sentenced at once—death, banishment, a fine, prison, whatever.


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Blessed be God, the God-of-Our-Fathers, who put it in the mind of the king to beautify The Temple of God in Jerusalem!


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Not only that, he caused the king and all his advisors and influential officials actually to like me and back me. My God was on my side and I was ready to go. And I organized all the leaders of Israel to go with me.


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These are the family heads and those who signed up to go up with me from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes the king:


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Family of Adonikam (bringing up the rear): their names were<br/>Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 men


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I gathered them together at the canal that runs to Ahava. We camped there three days. I looked them over and found that they were all laymen and priests but no Levites.


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So I sent for the leaders Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, and for the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.


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I then sent them to Iddo, who is head of the town of Casiphia, and told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives who lived there in Casiphia: "Send us ministers for The Temple of God."


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Well, the generous hand of our God was on us, and they brought back to us a wise man from the family of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel. His name was Sherebiah. With sons and brothers they numbered eighteen.


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They also brought Hashabiah and Jeshaiah of the family of Merari, with brothers and their sons, another twenty.


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And then there were 220 temple servants, descendants of the temple servants that David and the princes had assigned to help the Levites in their work. They were all signed up by name.


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I proclaimed a fast there beside the Ahava Canal, a fast to humble ourselves before our God and pray for wise guidance for our journey—all our people and possessions.


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I was embarrassed to ask the king for a cavalry bodyguard to protect us from bandits on the road. We had just told the king, "Our God lovingly looks after all those who seek him, but turns away in disgust from those who leave him."


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I weighed out for them the silver, the gold, the vessels, and the offerings for The Temple of our God that the king, his advisors, and all the Israelites had given:


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tons of silver, 100 vessels of silver valued at three and three-quarter tons three and three-quarter tons of gold


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gold bowls weighing eighteen and a half pounds<br/>vessels of bright red copper, as valuable as gold.


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I said to them, "You are holy to God and these vessels are holy. The silver and gold are Freewill-Offerings to the God of your ancestors.


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Guard them with your lives until you're able to weigh them out in a secure place in The Temple of our God for the priests and Levites and family heads who are in charge in Jerusalem."


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The priests and Levites took charge of all that had been weighed out to them, and prepared to deliver it to Jerusalem to The Temple of our God.


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We left the Ahava Canal on the twelfth day of the first month to travel to Jerusalem. God was with us all the way and kept us safe from bandits and highwaymen.


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On the fourth day the silver and gold and vessels were weighed out in The Temple of our God into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was there with him, also the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.


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When they arrived, the exiles, now returned from captivity, offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls, representing all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 he-goats as an Absolution-Offering.<br/>All of this was sacrificed as a Whole-Burnt-Offering to God.


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They also delivered the king's orders to the king's provincial administration assigned to the land beyond the Euphrates. They, in turn, gave their support to the people and The Temple of God.


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After all this was done, the leaders came to me and said, "The People of Israel, priests and Levites included, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring people around here with all their vulgar obscenities—Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, Amorites.


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They have given some of their daughters in marriage to them and have taken some of their daughters for marriage to their sons. The holy seed is now all mixed in with these other peoples. And our leaders have led the way in this betrayal."


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When I heard all this, I ripped my clothes and my cape; I pulled hair from my head and out of my beard; I slumped to the ground, appalled.


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Many were in fear and trembling because of what God was saying about the betrayal by the exiles. They gathered around me as I sat there in despair, waiting for the evening sacrifice.


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At the evening sacrifice I picked myself up from my utter devastation, and in my ripped clothes and cape fell to my knees and stretched out my hands to God, my God.


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And I prayed:<br/>"My dear God, I'm so totally ashamed, I can't bear to face you. O my God—our iniquities are piled up so high that we can't see out; our guilt touches the skies.


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We've been stuck in a muck of guilt since the time of our ancestors until right now; we and our kings and priests, because of our sins, have been turned over to foreign kings, to killing, to captivity, to looting, and to public shame—just as you see us now.


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"Now for a brief time God, our God, has allowed us, this battered band, to get a firm foothold in his holy place so that our God may brighten our eyes and lighten our burdens as we serve out this hard sentence.


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We were slaves; yet even as slaves, our God didn't abandon us. He has put us in the good graces of the kings of Persia and given us the heart to build The Temple of our God, restore its ruins, and construct a defensive wall in Judah and Jerusalem.


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"And now, our God, after all this what can we say for ourselves? For we have thrown your commands to the wind,


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the commands you gave us through your servants the prophets. They told us, 'The land you're taking over is a polluted land, polluted with the obscene vulgarities of the people who live there; they've filled it with their moral rot from one end to the other.


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Whatever you do, don't give your daughters in marriage to their sons nor marry your sons to their daughters. Don't cultivate their good opinion; don't make over them and get them to like you so you can make a lot of money and build up a tidy estate to hand down to your children.'


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"And now this, on top of all we've already suffered because of our evil ways and accumulated guilt, even though you, dear God, punished us far less than we deserved and even went ahead and gave us this present escape.


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Yet here we are, at it again, breaking your commandments by intermarrying with the people who practice all these obscenities! Are you angry to the point of wiping us out completely, without even a few stragglers, with no way out at all?


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You are the righteous God of Israel. We are, right now, a small band of escapees. Look at us, openly standing here, guilty before you. No one can last long like this."


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Ezra wept, prostrate in front of The Temple of God. As he prayed and confessed, a huge number of the men, women, and children of Israel gathered around him. All the people were now weeping as if their hearts would break.


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Shecaniah son of Jehiel of the family of Elam, acting as spokesman, said to Ezra: "We betrayed our God by marrying foreign wives from the people around here. But all is not lost; there is still hope for Israel.


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Let's make a covenant right now with our God, agreeing to get rid of all these wives and their children, just as my master and those who honor God's commandment are saying. It's what The Revelation says, so let's do it.


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So Ezra stood up and had the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel solemnly swear to do what Shecaniah proposed. And they did it.


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Then Ezra left the plaza in front of The Temple of God and went to the home of Jehohanan son of Eliashib where he stayed, still fasting from food and drink, continuing his mourning over the betrayal by the exiles.


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Anyone who failed to show up in three days, in compliance with the ruling of the leaders and elders, would have all his possessions confiscated and be thrown out of the congregation of the returned exiles.


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All the men of Judah and Benjamin met in Jerusalem within the three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. They all sat down in the plaza in front of The Temple of God. Because of the business before them, and aggravated by the buckets of rain coming down on them, they were restless, uneasy, and anxious.


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Ezra the priest stood up and spoke: "You've broken trust. You've married foreign wives. You've piled guilt on Israel.


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Now make your confession to God, the God of your ancestors, and do what he wants you to do: Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives."


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They also said, "But look, do you see how many people there are out here? And it's the rainy season; you can't expect us to stand out here soaking wet until this is done—why, it will take days! A lot of us are deeply involved in this transgression.


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Let our leaders act on behalf of the whole congregation. Have everybody who lives in cities and who has married a foreign wife come at an appointed time, accompanied by the elders and judges of each city. We'll keep at this until the hot anger of our God over this thing is turned away."


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Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.


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So the exiles went ahead with the plan. Ezra the priest picked men who were family heads, each one by name. They sat down together on the first day of the tenth month to pursue the matter.


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By the first day of the first month they had finished dealing with every man who had married a foreign wife.


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Among the families of priests, the following were found to have married foreign wives:<br/>The family of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.


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They all promised to divorce their wives and sealed it with a handshake. For their guilt they brought a ram from the flock as a Compensation-Offering.


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And from the other Israelites:<br/>The family of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.


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The family of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.


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The memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.<br/>It was the month of Kislev in the twentieth year. At the time I was in the palace complex at Susa.


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Hanani, one of my brothers, had just arrived from Judah with some fellow Jews. I asked them about the conditions among the Jews there who had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.


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They told me, "The exile survivors who are left there in the province are in bad shape. Conditions are appalling. The wall of Jerusalem is still rubble; the city gates are still cinders."


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When I heard this, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God-of-Heaven.


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I said, "God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands:


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Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I'm praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I'm including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you.


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"We've treated you like dirt: We haven't done what you told us, haven't followed your commands, and haven't respected the decisions you gave to Moses your servant.


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All the same, remember the warning you posted to your servant Moses: 'If you betray me, I'll scatter you to the four winds,


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but if you come back to me and do what I tell you, I'll gather up all these scattered peoples from wherever they ended up and put them back in the place I chose to mark with my Name.'


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O Master, listen to me, listen to your servant's prayer—and yes, to all your servants who delight in honoring you—and make me successful today so that I get what I want from the king."<br/>I was cupbearer to the king.


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It was the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king. At the hour for serving wine I brought it in and gave it to the king. I had never been hangdog in his presence before,


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so he asked me, "Why the long face? You're not sick are you? Or are you depressed?"<br/>That made me all the more agitated.


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I said, "Long live the king! And why shouldn't I be depressed when the city, the city where all my family is buried, is in ruins and the city gates have been reduced to cinders?"


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I said, "If it please the king, and if the king thinks well of me, send me to Judah, to the city where my family is buried, so that I can rebuild it."


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The king, with the queen sitting alongside him, said, "How long will your work take and when would you expect to return?"<br/>I gave him a time, and the king gave his approval to send me.


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Then I said, "If it please the king, provide me with letters to the governors across the Euphrates that authorize my travel through to Judah;


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and also an order to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, to supply me with timber for the beams of The Temple fortress, the wall of the city, and the house where I'll be living."<br/>The generous hand of my God was with me in this and the king gave them to me.


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When I met the governors across The River (the Euphrates) I showed them the king's letters. The king even sent along a cavalry escort.


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When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very upset, angry that anyone would come to look after the interests of the People of Israel.


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I got up in the middle of the night, I and a few men who were with me. I hadn't told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with us was the one I was riding.


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Under cover of night I went past the Valley Gate toward the Dragon's Fountain to the Dung Gate looking over the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken through and whose gates had been burned up.


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I then crossed to the Fountain Gate and headed for the King's Pool but there wasn't enough room for the donkey I was riding to get through.


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So I went up the valley in the dark continuing my inspection of the wall. I came back in through the Valley Gate.


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The local officials had no idea where I'd gone or what I was doing—I hadn't breathed a word to the Jews, priests, nobles, local officials, or anyone else who would be working on the job.


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Then I gave them my report: "Face it: we're in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck; its gates are burned up. Come—let's build the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer."


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I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up.<br/>They said, "We're with you. Let's get started." They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work.


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When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they laughed at us, mocking, "Ha! What do you think you're doing? Do you think you can cross the king?"


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I shot back, "The God-of-Heaven will make sure we succeed. We're his servants and we're going to work, rebuilding. You can keep your nose out of it. You get no say in this—Jerusalem's none of your business!"


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The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests were up and at it: They went to work on the Sheep Gate; they repaired it and hung its doors, continuing on as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel.


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The Fish Gate was built by the Hassenaah brothers; they repaired it, hung its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.


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Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, worked; next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel; next to him Zadok son of Baana;


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and next to him the Tekoites (except for their nobles, who wouldn't work with their master and refused to get their hands dirty with such work).


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The Jeshanah Gate was rebuilt by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah; they repaired it, hung its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.


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Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, which was under the rule of the governor from across the Euphrates, worked alongside them.


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Uzziel son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths' guild worked next to him, and next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers. They rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.


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Next to him Jedaiah son of Harumaph rebuilt the front of his house; Hattush son of Hashabneiah worked next to him.


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Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab rebuilt another section that included the Tower of Furnaces.


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Working next to him was Shallum son of Hallohesh, mayor of the other half-district of Jerusalem, along with his daughters.


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The Valley Gate was rebuilt by Hanun and villagers of Zanoah; they repaired it, hung its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. They went on to repair 1,500 feet of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.


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The Dung Gate itself was rebuilt by Malkijah son of Recab, the mayor of the district of Beth Hakkerem; he repaired it, hung its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.


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The Fountain Gate was rebuilt by Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, mayor of the Mizpah district; he repaired it, roofed it, hung its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. He also rebuilt the wall of the Pool of Siloam at the King's Garden as far as the steps that go down from the City of David.


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After him came Nehemiah son of Azbuk, mayor of half the district of Beth Zur. He worked from just in front of the Tomb of David as far as the Pool and the House of Heroes.


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Levites under Rehum son of Bani were next in line. Alongside them, Hashabiah, mayor of half the district of Keilah, represented his district in the rebuilding.


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Next to him their brothers continued the rebuilding under Binnui son of Henadad, mayor of the other half-district of Keilah.


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The section from in front of the Ascent to the Armory as far as the Angle was rebuilt by Ezer son of Jeshua, the mayor of Mizpah.


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From the Angle to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest was done by Baruch son of Zabbai.


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Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, took it from the door of Eliashib's house to the end of Eliashib's house.


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Benjamin and Hasshub worked on the wall in front of their house, and Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, did the work alongside his house.


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The section from the house of Azariah to the Angle at the Corner was rebuilt by Binnui son of Henadad.


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Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the Angle and the tower that projects from the Upper Palace of the king near the Court of the Guard. Next to him Pedaiah son of Parosh


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and The Temple support staff who lived on the hill of Ophel worked up to the point opposite the Water Gate eastward and the projecting tower.


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After them Zadok son of Immer rebuilt in front of his house and after him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate;


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then Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph; then Meshullam son of Berekiah rebuilt the wall in front of his storage shed.


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Malkijah the goldsmith repaired the wall as far as the house of The Temple support staff and merchants, up to the Inspection Gate, and the Upper Room at the Corner.


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The goldsmiths and the merchants made the repairs between the Upper Room at the Corner and the Sheep Gate.


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In the company of his Samaritan cronies and military he let loose: "What are these miserable Jews doing? Do they think they can get everything back to normal overnight? Make building stones out of make-believe?"


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At his side, Tobiah the Ammonite jumped in and said, "That's right! What do they think they're building? Why, if a fox climbed that wall, it would fall to pieces under his weight."


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Nehemiah prayed, "Oh listen to us, dear God. We're so despised: Boomerang their ridicule on their heads; have their enemies cart them off as war trophies to a land of no return;


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We kept at it, repairing and rebuilding the wall. The whole wall was soon joined together and halfway to its intended height because the people had a heart for the work.


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When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs of the walls of Jerusalem were going so well—that the breaks in the wall were being fixed—they were absolutely furious.


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They put their heads together and decided to fight against Jerusalem and create as much trouble as they could.


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But soon word was going around in Judah,<br/>The builders are pooped,<br/>the rubbish piles up;<br/>We're in over our heads,<br/>we can't build this wall.


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And all this time our enemies were saying, "They won't know what hit them. Before they know it we'll be at their throats, killing them right and left. That will put a stop to the work!"


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The Jews who were their neighbors kept reporting, "They have us surrounded; they're going to attack!" If we heard it once, we heard it ten times.


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So I stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assigned people by families with their swords, lances, and bows.


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After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: "Don't be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."


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Our enemies learned that we knew all about their plan and that God had frustrated it. And we went back to the wall and went to work.


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From then on half of my young men worked while the other half stood guard with lances, shields, bows, and mail armor. Military officers served as backup for everyone in Judah who was at work rebuilding the wall.


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Each of the builders had a sword strapped to his side as he worked. I kept the trumpeter at my side to sound the alert.


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Then I spoke to the nobles and officials and everyone else: "There's a lot of work going on and we are spread out all along the wall, separated from each other.


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I also instructed the people, "Each person and his helper is to stay inside Jerusalem—guards by night and workmen by day."


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We all slept in our clothes—I, my brothers, my workmen, and the guards backing me up. And each one kept his spear in his hand, even when getting water.


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Others said, "We're having to mortgage our fields and vineyards and homes to get enough grain to keep from starving."


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Look: We're the same flesh and blood as our brothers here; our children are just as good as theirs. Yet here we are having to sell our children off as slaves—some of our daughters have already been sold—and we can't do anything about it because our fields and vineyards are owned by somebody else."


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After thinking it over, I called the nobles and officials on the carpet. I said, "Each one of you is gouging his brother."<br/>Then I called a big meeting to deal with them.


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I told them, "We did everything we could to buy back our Jewish brothers who had to sell themselves as slaves to foreigners. And now you're selling these same brothers back into debt slavery! Does that mean that we have to buy them back again?"<br/>They said nothing. What could they say?


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"What you're doing is wrong. Is there no fear of God left in you? Don't you care what the nations around here, our enemies, think of you?


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"I and my brothers and the people working for me have also loaned them money. But this gouging them with interest has to stop.


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Give them back their foreclosed fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes right now. And forgive your claims on their money, grain, new wine, and olive oil."


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They said, "We'll give it all back. We won't make any more demands on them. We'll do everything you say."<br/>Then I called the priests together and made them promise to keep their word.


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Then I emptied my pockets, turning them inside out, and said, "So may God empty the pockets and house of everyone who doesn't keep this promise—turned inside out and emptied."<br/>Everyone gave a wholehearted "Yes, we'll do it!" and praised God. And the people did what they promised.


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From the time King Artaxerxes appointed me as their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of his reign, twelve years—neither I nor my brothers used the governor's food allowance.


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Governors who had preceded me had oppressed the people by taxing them forty shekels of silver (about a pound) a day for food and wine while their underlings bullied the people unmercifully. But out of fear of God I did none of that.


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I had work to do; I worked on this wall. All my men were on the job to do the work. We didn't have time to line our own pockets.


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I fed one hundred and fifty Jews and officials at my table in addition to those who showed up from the surrounding nations.


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One ox, six choice sheep, and some chickens were prepared for me daily, and every ten days a large supply of wine was delivered. Even so, I didn't use the food allowance provided for the governor—the people had it hard enough as it was.


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When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn't yet installed the gates


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—Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: "Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono."<br/>I knew they were scheming to hurt me


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so I sent messengers back with this: "I'm doing a great work; I can't come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?"


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with this message:<br/>"The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it's true—that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That's why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king


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and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, 'There's a king in Judah!' The king is going to be told all this—don't you think we should sit down and have a talk?"


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They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, "They'll give up; they'll never finish it."<br/>I prayed, "Give me strength."


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Then I met secretly with Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, at his house. He said:<br/>Let's meet at the house of God,<br/>inside The Temple;<br/>Let's find safety behind locked doors<br/>because they're coming to kill you,<br/>Yes, coming by night to kill you.


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I said, "Why would a man like me run for cover? And why would a man like me use The Temple as a hideout? I won't do it."


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I sensed that God hadn't sent this man. The so-called prophecy he spoke to me was the work of Tobiah and Sanballat; they had hired him.


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He had been hired to scare me off—trick me—a layman, into desecrating The Temple and ruining my good reputation so they could accuse me.


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"O my God, don't let Tobiah and Sanballat get by with all the mischief they've done. And the same goes for the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to undermine my confidence."


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When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work.


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All during this time letters were going back and forth constantly between the nobles of Judah and Tobiah.


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Many of the nobles had ties to him because he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.


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They kept telling me all the good things he did and then would report back to him anything I would say. And then Tobiah would send letters to intimidate me.


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After the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the security guards, the singers, and the Levites were appointed,


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I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the captain of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem because he was an honest man and feared God more than most men.


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I gave them this order: "Don't open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is up. And shut and bar the gates while the guards are still on duty. Appoint the guards from the citizens of Jerusalem and assign them to posts in front of their own homes."


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God put it in my heart to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people in general to be registered. I found the genealogical record of those who were in the first return from exile. This is the record I found:


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These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the Exile, the ones Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried off captive; they came back to Jerusalem and Judah, each going to his own town.


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They came back in the company of Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.<br/>The numbers of the men of the People of Israel by families of origin:


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Likewise with these priestly families:<br/>The sons of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took that name.


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They looked high and low for their family records but couldn't find them. And so they were barred from priestly work as ritually unclean.


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The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status by using the Urim and Thummim.


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That did not include the male and female slaves who numbered 7,337. There were also 245 male and female singers.


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Some of the heads of families made voluntary offerings for the work. The governor made a gift to the treasury of 1,000 drachmas of gold (about nineteen pounds), 50 bowls, and 530 garments for the priests.


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Some of the heads of the families made gifts to the treasury for the work; it came to 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver (about one and a third tons).


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Gifts from the rest of the people totaled 20,000 drachmas of gold (about 375 pounds), 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 garments for the priests.


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The priests, Levites, security guards, singers, and Temple support staff, along with some others, and the rest of the People of Israel, all found a place to live in their own towns.


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By the time the seventh month arrived, the People of Israel were settled in their towns. Then all the people gathered as one person in the town square in front of the Water Gate and asked the scholar Ezra to bring the Book of The Revelation of Moses that God had commanded for Israel.


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So Ezra the priest brought The Revelation to the congregation, which was made up of both men and women—everyone capable of understanding. It was the first day of the seventh month.


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He read it facing the town square at the Water Gate from early dawn until noon in the hearing of the men and women, all who could understand it. And all the people listened—they were all ears—to the Book of The Revelation.


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The scholar Ezra stood on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion. He was flanked on the right by Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on the left by Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.


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Ezra opened the book. Every eye was on him (he was standing on the raised platform) and as he opened the book everyone stood.


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Then Ezra praised God, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground.


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Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, all Levites, explained The Revelation while people stood, listening respectfully.


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They translated the Book of The Revelation of God so the people could understand it and then explained the reading.


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Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, "This day is holy to God, your God. Don't weep and carry on." They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Revelation.


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He continued, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don't have anything: This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!"


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So the people went off to feast, eating and drinking and including the poor in a great celebration. Now they got it; they understood the reading that had been given to them.


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On the second day of the month the family heads of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered around Ezra the scholar to get a deeper understanding of the words of The Revelation.


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They found written in The Revelation that God commanded through Moses that the People of Israel are to live in booths during the festival of the seventh month.


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So they published this decree and had it posted in all their cities and in Jerusalem: "Go into the hills and collect olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and any other leafy branches to make booths, as it is written."


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So the people went out, brought in branches, and made themselves booths on their roofs, courtyards, the courtyards of The Temple of God, the Water Gate plaza, and the Ephraim Gate plaza.


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The entire congregation that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. The People of Israel hadn't done this from the time of Joshua son of Nun until that very day—a terrific day! Great joy!


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Ezra read from the Book of The Revelation of God each day, from the first to the last day—they celebrated the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly in accordance with the decree.


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Then on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the People of Israel gathered for a fast, wearing burlap and faces smudged with dirt as signs of repentance.


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The Israelites broke off all relations with foreigners, stood up, and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their parents.


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While they stood there in their places, they read from the Book of The Revelation of God, their God, for a quarter of the day. For another quarter of the day they confessed and worshiped their God.


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A group of Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the platform and cried out to God, their God, in a loud voice.


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The Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "On your feet! Bless God, your God, for ever and ever!"<br/>Blessed be your glorious name,<br/>exalted above all blessing and praise!


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You're the one,<br/>God, you alone;<br/>You made the heavens,<br/>the heavens of heavens, and all angels;<br/>The earth and everything on it,<br/>the seas and everything in them;<br/>You keep them all alive;<br/>heaven's angels worship you!


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You're the one, God, the God<br/>who chose Abram<br/>And brought him from Ur of the Chaldees<br/>and changed his name to Abraham.


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You found his heart to be steady and true to you<br/>and signed a covenant with him,<br/>A covenant to give him the land of the Canaanites,<br/>the Hittites, and the Amorites,<br/>The Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites,<br/>—to give it to his descendants.<br/>And you kept your word<br/>because you are righteous.


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You amazed Pharaoh, his servants, and the people of his land<br/>with wonders and miracle-signs.<br/>You knew their bullying arrogance against your people;<br/>you made a name for yourself that lasts to this day.


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You split the sea before them;<br/>they crossed through and never got their feet wet;<br/>You pitched their pursuers into the deep;<br/>they sank like a rock in the storm-tossed sea.


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By day you led them with a Pillar of Cloud,<br/>and by night with a Pillar of Fire<br/>To show them the way<br/>they were to travel.


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You came down onto Mount Sinai,<br/>you spoke to them out of heaven;<br/>You gave them instructions on how to live well,<br/>true teaching, sound rules and commands;


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You introduced them<br/>to your Holy Sabbath;<br/>Through your servant Moses you decreed<br/>commands, rules, and instruction.


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You gave bread from heaven for their hunger,<br/>you sent water from the rock for their thirst.<br/>You told them to enter and take the land,<br/>which you promised to give them.


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They turned a deaf ear, they refused<br/>to remember the miracles you had done for them;<br/>They turned stubborn, got it into their heads<br/>to return to their Egyptian slavery.<br/>And you, a forgiving God,<br/>gracious and compassionate,<br/>Incredibly patient, with tons of love—<br/>you didn't dump them.


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Yes, even when they cast a sculpted calf<br/>and said, "This is your god<br/>Who brought you out of Egypt,"<br/>and continued from bad to worse,


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You in your amazing compassion<br/>didn't walk off and leave them in the desert.<br/>The Pillar of Cloud didn't leave them;<br/>daily it continued to show them their route;<br/>The Pillar of Fire did the same by night,<br/>showed them the right way to go.


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You gave them your good Spirit<br/>to teach them to live wisely.<br/>You never stinted with your manna,<br/>gave them plenty of water to drink.


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You supported them forty years in that desert;<br/>they had everything they needed;<br/>Their clothes didn't wear out<br/>and their feet never blistered.


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You gave them kingdoms and peoples,<br/>establishing generous boundaries.<br/>They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon<br/>and the country of Og king of Bashan.


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You multiplied children for them,<br/>rivaling the stars in the night skies,<br/>And you brought them into the land<br/>that you promised their ancestors<br/>they would get and own.


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Well, they entered all right,<br/>they took it and settled in.<br/>The Canaanites who lived there<br/>you brought to their knees before them.<br/>You turned over their land, kings, and peoples<br/>to do with as they pleased.


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They took strong cities and fertile fields,<br/>they took over well-furnished houses,<br/>Cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,<br/>and lush, extensive orchards.<br/>And they ate, grew fat on the fat of the land;<br/>they reveled in your bountiful goodness.


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But then they mutinied, rebelled against you,<br/>threw out your laws and killed your prophets,<br/>The very prophets who tried to get them back on your side—<br/>and then things went from bad to worse.


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You turned them over to their enemies,<br/>who made life rough for them.<br/>But when they called out for help in their troubles<br/>you listened from heaven;<br/>And in keeping with your bottomless compassion<br/>you gave them saviors:<br/>Saviors who saved them<br/>from the cruel abuse of their enemies.


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But as soon as they had it easy again<br/>they were right back at it—more evil.<br/>So you turned away and left them again to their fate,<br/>to the enemies who came right back.<br/>They cried out to you again; in your great compassion<br/>you heard and helped them again.<br/>This went on over and over and over.


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You warned them to return to your Revelation,<br/>they responded with haughty arrogance:<br/>They flouted your commands, spurned your rules<br/>—the very words by which men and women live!<br/>They set their jaws in defiance,<br/>they turned their backs on you and didn't listen.


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You put up with them year after year<br/>and warned them by your spirit through your prophets;<br/>But when they refused to listen<br/>you abandoned them to foreigners.


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Still, because of your great compassion,<br/>you didn't make a total end to them.<br/>You didn't walk out and leave them for good;<br/>yes, you are a God of grace and compassion.


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And now, our God, the great God,<br/>God majestic and terrible, loyal in covenant and love,<br/>Don't treat lightly the trouble that has come to us,<br/>to our kings and princes, our priests and prophets,<br/>Our ancestors, and all your people from the time<br/>of the Assyrian kings right down to today.


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You are not to blame<br/>for all that has come down on us;<br/>You did everything right,<br/>we did everything wrong.


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None of our kings, princes, priests, or ancestors<br/>followed your Revelation;<br/>They ignored your commands,<br/>dismissed the warnings you gave them.


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Even when they had their own kingdom<br/>and were enjoying your generous goodness,<br/>Living in that spacious and fertile land<br/>that you spread out before them,<br/>They didn't serve you<br/>or turn their backs on the practice of evil.


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And here we are, slaves again today;<br/>and here's the land you gave our ancestors<br/>So they could eat well and enjoy a good life,<br/>and now look at us—no better than slaves on this land.


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Its wonderful crops go to the kings<br/>you put over us because of our sins;<br/>They act like they own our bodies<br/>and do whatever they like with our cattle.<br/>We're in deep trouble.


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"Because of all this we are drawing up a binding pledge, a sealed document signed by our princes, our Levites, and our priests."


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The sealed document bore these signatures:<br/>Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah,<br/>Zedekiah,


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The rest of the people, priests, Levites, security guards, singers, Temple staff, and all who separated themselves from the foreign neighbors to keep The Revelation of God, together with their wives, sons, daughters—everyone old enough to understand


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—all joined their noble kinsmen in a binding oath to follow The Revelation of God given through Moses the servant of God, to keep and carry out all the commandments of God our Master, all his decisions and standards.


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Thus: We will not marry our daughters to our foreign neighbors nor let our sons marry their daughters.


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When the foreign neighbors bring goods or grain to sell on the Sabbath we won't trade with them—not on the Sabbath or any other holy day. Every seventh year we will leave the land fallow and cancel all debts.


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We accept the responsibility for paying an annual tax of one-third of a shekel (about an eighth ounce) for providing The Temple of our God with


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bread for the Table<br/>regular Grain-Offerings<br/>regular Whole-Burnt-Offerings<br/>offerings for the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts<br/>Dedication-Offerings<br/>Absolution-Offerings to atone for Israel<br/>maintenance of The Temple of our God.


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We—priests, Levites, and the people—have cast lots to see when each of our families will bring wood for burning on the Altar of our God, following the yearly schedule set down in The Revelation.


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We take responsibility for delivering annually to The Temple of God the firstfruits of our crops and our orchards,


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our firstborn sons and cattle, and the firstborn from our herds and flocks for the priests who serve in The Temple of our God—just as it is set down in The Revelation.


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We will bring the best of our grain, of our contributions, of the fruit of every tree, of wine, and of oil to the priests in the storerooms of The Temple of our God. We will bring the tithes from our fields to the Levites, since the Levites are appointed to collect the tithes in the towns where we work.


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We'll see to it that a priest descended from Aaron will supervise the Levites as they collect the tithes and make sure that they take a tenth of the tithes to the treasury in The Temple of our God.


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We'll see to it that the People of Israel and Levites bring the grain, wine, and oil to the storage rooms where the vessels of the Sanctuary are kept and where the priests who serve, the security guards, and the choir meet. We will not neglect The Temple of our God.


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The leaders of the people were already living in Jerusalem, so the rest of the people drew lots to get one out of ten to move to Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine remained in their towns.


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These are the leaders in the province who resided in Jerusalem (some Israelites, priests, Levites, Temple staff, and descendants of Solomon's slaves lived in the towns of Judah on their own property in various towns;


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others from both Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem):<br/>From the family of Judah:<br/>Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, from the family line of Perez;


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Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite.


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From the family of Benjamin:<br/>Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah,


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Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, supervisor of The Temple of God,


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along with their associates responsible for work in The Temple: 822 men. Also Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah,


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and his associates who were heads of families: 242 men; Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,


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From the Levites:<br/>Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;


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Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the leaders of the Levites who were in charge of the outside work of The Temple of God;


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Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.


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From the security guards:<br/>Akkub, Talmon, and their associates who kept watch over the gates: 172 men.


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The rest of the Israelites, priests, and Levites were in all the towns of Judah, each on his own family property.


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The chief officer over the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. Uzzi was one of Asaph's descendants, singers who led worship in The Temple of God.


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Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, represented the people's concerns at the royal court.


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Some of the Judeans lived in the villages near their farms:<br/>Kiriath Arba (Hebron) and suburbs<br/>Dibon and suburbs<br/>Jekabzeel and suburbs


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Zanoah<br/>Adullam and their towns<br/>Lachish and its fields<br/>Azekah and suburbs.<br/>They were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.


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These are the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua:<br/>Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,


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Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.<br/>These were the leaders of the priests during the time of Jeshua.


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And the Levites:<br/>Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah; Mattaniah, with his brothers, was in charge of songs of praise,


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During the time of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families:<br/>of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah;<br/>of Jeremiah, Hananiah;


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During the time of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were registered as heads of families. During the reign of Darius the Persian, the priests were registered.


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The Levites who were heads of families were registered in the Book of the Chronicles until the time of Johanan son of Eliashib. These were:


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Hashabiah,<br/>Sherebiah,<br/>and Jeshua son of Kadmiel.<br/>Their brothers stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one side responding to the other, as had been directed by David the man of God.


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The security guards included:<br/>Mattaniah,<br/>Bakbukiah,<br/>Obadiah,<br/>Meshullam,<br/>Talmon,<br/>and Akkub.<br/>They guarded the storerooms at the gates.


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They lived during the time of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, the time of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scholar.


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When it came time for the dedication of the wall, they tracked down and brought in the Levites from all their homes in Jerusalem to carry out the dedication exuberantly: thanksgiving hymns, songs, cymbals, harps, and lutes.


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from Beth Gilgal, from the farms at Geba and Azmaveth—the singers had built villages for themselves all around Jerusalem.


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The priests and Levites ceremonially purified themselves; then they did the same for the people, the gates, and the wall.


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I had the leaders of Judah come up on the wall, and I appointed two large choirs. One proceeded on the wall to the right toward the Dung Gate.


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Some of the young priests had trumpets. Next, playing the musical instruments of David the man of God, came Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,


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and his brothers Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. Ezra the scholar led them.


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At the Fountain Gate they went straight ahead, up the steps of the City of David using the wall stairway above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.


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The other choir proceeded to the left. I and half of the people followed them on the wall from the Tower of Furnaces to the Broad Wall,


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over the Ephraim Gate, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred as far as the Sheep Gate, stopping at the Prison Gate.


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along with the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah with their trumpets.


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Also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers, directed by Jezrahiah, made the rafters ring.


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That day they offered great sacrifices, an exuberant celebration because God had filled them with great joy. The women and children raised their happy voices with all the rest. Jerusalem's jubilation was heard far and wide.


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That same day men were appointed to be responsible for the storerooms for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes. They saw to it that the portion directed by The Revelation for the priests and Levites was brought in from the farms connected to the towns. Judah was so appreciative of the priests and Levites and their service;


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they, along with the singers and security guards, had done everything so well, conducted the worship of their God and the ritual of ceremonial cleansing in a way that would have made David and his son Solomon proud.


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That's the way it was done in the olden days, the days of David and Asaph, when they had choir directors for singing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.


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During the time of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily allowances for the singers and security guards. They also set aside what was dedicated to the Levites, and the Levites did the same for the Aaronites.


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Also on that same day there was a reading from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. It was found written there that no Ammonite or Moabite was permitted to enter the congregation of God,


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because they hadn't welcomed the People of Israel with food and drink; they even hired Balaam to work against them by cursing them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.


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Some time before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of The Temple of God. He was close to Tobiah


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and had made available to him a large storeroom that had been used to store Grain-Offerings, incense, worship vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil for the Levites, singers, and security guards, and the offerings for the priests.


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When this was going on I wasn't there in Jerusalem; in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had traveled back to the king. But later I asked for his permission to leave again.


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I arrived in Jerusalem and learned of the wrong that Eliashib had done in turning over to him a room in the courts of The Temple of God.


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I was angry, really angry, and threw everything in the room out into the street, all of Tobiah's stuff.


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Then I ordered that they ceremonially cleanse the room. Only then did I put back the worship vessels of The Temple of God, along with the Grain-Offerings and the incense.


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And then I learned that the Levites hadn't been given their regular food allotments. So the Levites and singers who led the services of worship had all left and gone back to their farms.


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I called the officials on the carpet, "Why has The Temple of God been abandoned?" I got everyone back again and put them back on their jobs


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I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms. I made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their right-hand man. These men had a reputation for honesty and hard work. They were responsible for distributing the rations to their brothers.


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Remember me, O my God, for this. Don't ever forget the devoted work I have done for The Temple of God and its worship.


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During those days, while back in Judah, I also noticed that people treaded wine presses, brought in sacks of grain, and loaded up their donkeys on the Sabbath. They brought wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of stuff to sell on the Sabbath. So I spoke up and warned them about selling food on that day.


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Tyrians living there brought in fish and whatever else, selling it to Judeans—in Jerusalem, mind you!—on the Sabbath.


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Isn't this exactly what your ancestors did? And because of it didn't God bring down on us and this city all this misery? And here you are adding to it—accumulating more wrath on Jerusalem by profaning the Sabbath."


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As the gates of Jerusalem were darkened by the shadows of the approaching Sabbath, I ordered the doors shut and not to be opened until the Sabbath was over. I placed some of my servants at the gates to make sure that nothing to be sold would get in on the Sabbath day.


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But I took them to task. I said, "You have no business camping out here by the wall. If I find you here again, I'll use force to drive you off."<br/>And that did it; they didn't come back on the Sabbath.


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Then I directed the Levites to ceremonially cleanse themselves and take over as guards at the gates to keep the sanctity of the Sabbath day.<br/>Remember me also for this, my God. Treat me with mercy according to your great and steadfast love.


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Half the children couldn't even speak the language of Judah; all they knew was the language of Ashdod or some other tongue.


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So I took those men to task, gave them a piece of my mind, even slapped some of them and jerked them by the hair. I made them swear to God: "Don't marry your daughters to their sons; and don't let their daughters marry your sons—and don't you yourselves marry them!


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Didn't Solomon the king of Israel sin because of women just like these? Even though there was no king quite like him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel, foreign women were his downfall.


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Do you call this obedience—engaging in this extensive evil, showing yourselves faithless to God by marrying foreign wives?"


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One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I drove him out of my presence.


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Remember them, O my God, how they defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priests and Levites.


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All in all I cleansed them from everything foreign. I organized the orders of service for the priests and Levites so that each man knew his job.


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I arranged for a regular supply of altar wood at the appointed times and for the firstfruits.<br/>Remember me, O my God, for good.


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This is the story of something that happened in the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled from India to Ethiopia—127 provinces in all.


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In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The military brass of Persia and Media were also there, along with the princes and governors of the provinces.


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For six months he put on exhibit the huge wealth of his empire and its stunningly beautiful royal splendors.


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At the conclusion of the exhibit, the king threw a weeklong party for everyone living in Susa, the capital—important and unimportant alike. The party was in the garden courtyard of the king's summer house.


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The courtyard was elaborately decorated with white and blue cotton curtains tied with linen and purple cords to silver rings on marble columns. Silver and gold couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones.


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Drinks were served in gold chalices, each chalice one-of-a-kind. The royal wine flowed freely—a generous king!


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The guests could drink as much as they liked—king's orders!—with waiters at their elbows to refill the drinks.


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On the seventh day of the party, the king, high on the wine, ordered the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants (Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas)


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to bring him Queen Vashti resplendent in her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the guests and officials. She was extremely good-looking.


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But Queen Vashti refused to come, refused the summons delivered by the eunuchs. The king lost his temper. Seething with anger over her insolence,


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the king called in his counselors, all experts in legal matters. It was the king's practice to consult his expert advisors.


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Those closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven highest-ranking princes of Persia and Media, the inner circle with access to the king's ear.


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He asked them what legal recourse they had against Queen Vashti for not obeying King Xerxes' summons delivered by the eunuchs.


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Memucan spoke up in the council of the king and princes: "It's not only the king Queen Vashti has insulted, it's all of us, leaders and people alike in every last one of King Xerxes' provinces.


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The word's going to get out: 'Did you hear the latest about Queen Vashti? King Xerxes ordered her to be brought before him and she wouldn't do it!' When the women hear it, they'll start treating their husbands with contempt.


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The day the wives of the Persian and Mede officials get wind of the queen's insolence, they'll be out of control. Is that what we want, a country of angry women who don't know their place?


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"So, if the king agrees, let him pronounce a royal ruling and have it recorded in the laws of the Persians and Medes so that it cannot be revoked, that Vashti is permanently banned from King Xerxes' presence. And then let the king give her royal position to a woman who knows her place.


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When the king's ruling becomes public knowledge throughout the kingdom, extensive as it is, every woman, regardless of her social position, will show proper respect to her husband."


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He sent bulletins to every part of the kingdom, to each province in its own script, to each people in their own language: "Every man is master of his own house; whatever he says, goes."


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Later, when King Xerxes' anger had cooled and he was having second thoughts about what Vashti had done and what he had ordered against her,


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the king's young attendants stepped in and got the ball rolling: "Let's begin a search for beautiful young virgins for the king.


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Let the king appoint officials in every province of his kingdom to bring every beautiful young virgin to the palace complex of Susa and to the harem run by Hegai, the king's eunuch who oversees the women; he will put them through their beauty treatments.


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Then let the girl who best pleases the king be made queen in place of Vashti."<br/>The king liked this advice and took it.


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Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish—a Benjaminite.


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His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile.


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Mordecai had reared his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, since she had no father or mother. The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face. After her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.


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When the king's order had been publicly posted, many young girls were brought to the palace complex of Susa and given over to Hegai who was overseer of the women. Esther was among them.


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Hegai liked Esther and took a special interest in her. Right off he started her beauty treatments, ordered special food, assigned her seven personal maids from the palace, and put her and her maids in the best rooms in the harem.


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Esther didn't say anything about her family and racial background because Mordecai had told her not to.


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Every day Mordecai strolled beside the court of the harem to find out how Esther was and get news of what she was doing.


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Each girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes after she had completed the twelve months of prescribed beauty treatments—six months' treatment with oil of myrrh followed by six months with perfumes and various cosmetics.


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When it was time for the girl to go to the king, she was given whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the king's quarters.


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She would go there in the evening; in the morning she would return to a second harem overseen by Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never again went back to the king unless the king took a special liking to her and asked for her by name.


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When it was Esther's turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.


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She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of the king's reign.


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The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his other women or any of the other virgins—he was totally smitten by her. He placed a royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.


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Then the king gave a great banquet for all his nobles and officials—"Esther's Banquet." He proclaimed a holiday for all the provinces and handed out gifts with royal generosity.


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On one of the occasions when the virgins were being gathered together, Mordecai was sitting at the King's Gate.


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All this time, Esther had kept her family background and race a secret as Mordecai had ordered; Esther still did what Mordecai told her, just as when she was being raised by him.


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On this day, with Mordecai sitting at the King's Gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the entrance, had it in for the king and were making plans to kill King Xerxes.


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But Mordecai learned of the plot and told Queen Esther, who then told King Xerxes, giving credit to Mordecai. When the thing was investigated and confirmed as true, the two men were hanged on a gallows. This was all written down in a logbook kept for the king's use.


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Some time later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, making him the highest-ranking official in the government.


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All the king's servants at the King's Gate used to honor him by bowing down and kneeling before Haman—that's what the king had commanded.<br/>Except Mordecai. Mordecai wouldn't do it, wouldn't bow down and kneel.


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The king's servants at the King's Gate asked Mordecai about it: "Why do you cross the king's command?"


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Day after day they spoke to him about this but he wouldn't listen, so they went to Haman to see whether something shouldn't be done about it. Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew.


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Meanwhile, having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman hated to waste his fury on just one Jew; he looked for a way to eliminate not just Mordecai but all Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.


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In the first month, the month of Nisan, of the twelfth year of Xerxes, the pur—that is, the lot—was cast under Haman's charge to determine the propitious day and month. The lot turned up the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.


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Haman then spoke with King Xerxes: "There is an odd set of people scattered through the provinces of your kingdom who don't fit in. Their customs and ways are different from those of everybody else. Worse, they disregard the king's laws. They're an affront; the king shouldn't put up with them.


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If it please the king, let orders be given that they be destroyed. I'll pay for it myself. I'll deposit 375 tons of silver in the royal bank to finance the operation."


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The king slipped his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, archenemy of the Jews.


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The king's secretaries were brought in on the thirteenth day of the first month. The orders were written out word for word as Haman had addressed them to the king's satraps, the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. They were written in the script of each province and the language of each people in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.


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Bulletins were sent out by couriers to all the king's provinces with orders to massacre, kill, and eliminate all the Jews—youngsters and old men, women and babies—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar, and to plunder their goods.


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Copies of the bulletin were to be posted in each province, publicly available to all peoples, to get them ready for that day.


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At the king's command, the couriers took off; the order was also posted in the palace complex of Susa. The king and Haman sat back and had a drink while the city of Susa reeled from the news.


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When Mordecai learned what had been done, he ripped his clothes to shreds and put on sackcloth and ashes. Then he went out in the streets of the city crying out in loud and bitter cries.


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He came only as far as the King's Gate, for no one dressed in sackcloth was allowed to enter the King's Gate.


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As the king's order was posted in every province, there was loud lament among the Jews—fasting, weeping, wailing. And most of them stretched out on sackcloth and ashes.


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Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her. The queen was stunned. She sent fresh clothes to Mordecai so he could take off his sackcloth but he wouldn't accept them.


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Esther called for Hathach, one of the royal eunuchs whom the king had assigned to wait on her, and told him to go to Mordecai and get the full story of what was happening.


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Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He also told him the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to deposit in the royal bank to finance the massacre of the Jews.


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Mordecai also gave him a copy of the bulletin that had been posted in Susa ordering the massacre so he could show it to Esther when he reported back with instructions to go to the king and intercede and plead with him for her people.


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"Everyone who works for the king here, and even the people out in the provinces, knows that there is a single fate for every man or woman who approaches the king without being invited: death. The one exception is if the king extends his gold scepter; then he or she may live. And it's been thirty days now since I've been invited to come to the king."


text:
Mordecai sent her this message: "Don't think that just because you live in the king's house you're the one Jew who will get out of this alive.


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If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this."


text:
"Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don't eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I'll go to the king, even though it's forbidden. If I die, I die."


text:
Three days later Esther dressed in her royal robes and took up a position in the inner court of the palace in front of the king's throne room. The king was on his throne facing the entrance.


text:
When he noticed Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased to see her; the king extended the gold scepter in his hand. Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.


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The king asked, "And what's your desire, Queen Esther? What do you want? Ask and it's yours—even if it's half my kingdom!"


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"If it please the king," said Esther, "let the king come with Haman to a dinner I've prepared for him."


text:
"Get Haman at once," said the king, "so we can go to dinner with Esther."<br/>So the king and Haman joined Esther at the dinner she had arranged.


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As they were drinking the wine, the king said, "Now, what is it you want? Half of my kingdom isn't too much to ask! Just ask."


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If the king favors me and is pleased to do what I desire and ask, let the king and Haman come again tomorrow to the dinner that I will fix for them. Then I'll give a straight answer to the king's question."


text:
Haman left the palace that day happy, beaming. And then he saw Mordecai sitting at the King's Gate ignoring him, oblivious to him. Haman was furious with Mordecai.


text:
and started bragging about how much money he had, his many sons, all the times the king had honored him, and his promotion to the highest position in the government.


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"On top of all that," Haman continued, "Queen Esther invited me to a private dinner she gave for the king, just the three of us. And she's invited me to another one tomorrow.


text:
His wife Zeresh and all his friends said, "Build a gallows seventy-five feet high. First thing in the morning speak with the king; get him to order Mordecai hanged on it. Then happily go with the king to dinner."<br/>Haman liked that. He had the gallows built.


text:
That night the king couldn't sleep. He ordered the record book, the day-by-day journal of events, to be brought and read to him.


text:
They came across the story there about the time that Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh—the two royal eunuchs who guarded the entrance and who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.


text:
The king asked, "What great honor was given to Mordecai for this?"<br/>"Nothing," replied the king's servants who were in attendance. "Nothing has been done for him."


text:
The king said, "Is there anybody out in the court?"<br/>Now Haman had just come into the outer court of the king's palace to talk to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had built for him.


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The king's servants said, "Haman is out there, waiting in the court."<br/>"Bring him in," said the king.


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When Haman entered, the king said, "What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?"<br/>Haman thought to himself, "He must be talking about honoring me—who else?"


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Bring a royal robe that the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crown on its head.


text:
Then give the robe and the horse to one of the king's most noble princes. Have him robe the man whom the king especially wants to honor; have the prince lead him on horseback through the city square, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!' "


text:
"Go and do it," the king said to Haman. "Don't waste another minute. Take the robe and horse and do what you have proposed to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King's Gate. Don't leave out a single detail of your plan."


text:
So Haman took the robe and horse; he robed Mordecai and led him through the city square, proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!"


text:
Then Mordecai returned to the King's Gate, but Haman fled to his house, thoroughly mortified, hiding his face.


text:
When Haman had finished telling his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his knowledgeable friends who were there and his wife Zeresh said, "If this Mordecai is in fact a Jew, your bad luck has only begun. You don't stand a chance against him—you're as good as ruined."


text:
While they were still talking, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman off to the dinner that Esther had prepared.


text:
At this second dinner, while they were drinking wine the king again asked, "Queen Esther, what would you like? Half of my kingdom! Just ask and it's yours."


text:
Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it please the king, give me my life, and give my people their lives.


text:
"We've been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed—sold to be massacred, eliminated. If we had just been sold off into slavery, I wouldn't even have brought it up; our troubles wouldn't have been worth bothering the king over."


text:
"An enemy. An adversary. This evil Haman," said Esther.<br/>Haman was terror-stricken before the king and queen.


text:
The king, raging, left his wine and stalked out into the palace garden.<br/>Haman stood there pleading with Queen Esther for his life—he could see that the king was finished with him and that he was doomed.


text:
As the king came back from the palace garden into the banquet hall, Haman was groveling at the couch on which Esther reclined. The king roared out, "Will he even molest the queen while I'm just around the corner?"<br/>When that word left the king's mouth, all the blood drained from Haman's face.


text:
Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, spoke up: "Look over there! There's the gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai, who saved the king's life. It's right next to Haman's house—seventy-five feet high!"<br/>The king said, "Hang him on it!"


text:
So Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai. And the king's hot anger cooled.


text:
That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, archenemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king because Esther had explained their relationship.


text:
The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther appointed Mordecai over Haman's estate.


text:
Then Esther again spoke to the king, falling at his feet, begging with tears to counter the evil of Haman the Agagite and revoke the plan that he had plotted against the Jews.


text:
She said, "If it please the king and he regards me with favor and thinks this is right, and if he has any affection for me at all, let an order be written that cancels the bulletins authorizing the plan of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite to annihilate the Jews in all the king's provinces.


text:
How can I stand to see this catastrophe wipe out my people? How can I bear to stand by and watch the massacre of my own relatives?"


text:
King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew: "I've given Haman's estate to Esther and he's been hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews.


text:
So go ahead now and write whatever you decide on behalf of the Jews; then seal it with the signet ring." (An order written in the king's name and sealed with his signet ring is irrevocable.)


text:
So the king's secretaries were brought in on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan, and the order regarding the Jews was written word for word as Mordecai dictated and was addressed to the satraps, governors, and officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces in all, to each province in its own script and each people in their own language, including the Jews in their script and language.


text:
He wrote under the name of King Xerxes and sealed the order with the royal signet ring; he sent out the bulletins by couriers on horseback, riding the fastest royal steeds bred from the royal stud.


text:
The king's order authorized the Jews in every city to arm and defend themselves to the death, killing anyone who threatened them or their women and children, and confiscating for themselves anything owned by their enemies.


text:
The day set for this in all King Xerxes' provinces was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.


text:
The order was posted in public places in each province so everyone could read it, authorizing the Jews to be prepared on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.


text:
The couriers, fired up by the king's order, raced off on their royal horses. At the same time, the order was posted in the palace complex of Susa.


text:
Mordecai walked out of the king's presence wearing a royal robe of violet and white, a huge gold crown, and a purple cape of fine linen. The city of Susa exploded with joy.


text:
It was that way all over the country, in every province, every city when the king's bulletin was posted: the Jews took to the streets in celebration, cheering, and feasting. Not only that, but many non-Jews became Jews—now it was dangerous not to be a Jew!


text:
On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king's order came into effect. This was the very day that the enemies of the Jews had planned to overpower them, but the tables were now turned: the Jews overpowered those who hated them!


text:
The Jews had gathered in the cities throughout King Xerxes' provinces to lay hands on those who were seeking their ruin. Not one man was able to stand up against them—fear made cowards of them all.


text:
What's more, all the government officials, satraps, governors—everyone who worked for the king—actually helped the Jews because of Mordecai; they were afraid of him.


text:
Mordecai by now was a power in the palace. As Mordecai became more and more powerful, his reputation had grown in all the provinces.


text:
So the Jews finished off all their enemies with the sword, slaughtering them right and left, and did as they pleased to those who hated them.


text:
They also killed the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the archenemy of the Jews:<br/>Parshandatha<br/>Dalphon<br/>Aspatha


text:
That day, when it was all over, the number of those killed in the palace complex was given to the king.


text:
The king told Queen Esther, "In the palace complex alone here in Susa the Jews have killed five hundred men, plus Haman's ten sons. Think of the killing that must have been done in the rest of the provinces! What else do you want? Name it and it's yours. Your wish is my command."


text:
"If it please the king," Queen Esther responded, "give the Jews of Susa permission to extend the terms of the order another day. And have the bodies of Haman's ten sons hanged in public display on the gallows."


text:
The Jews in Susa went at it again. On the fourteenth day of Adar they killed another three hundred men in Susa. But again they took no plunder.


text:
Meanwhile in the rest of the king's provinces, the Jews had organized and defended themselves, freeing themselves from oppression. On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, they killed 75,000 of those who hated them but did not take any plunder.


text:
But in Susa, since the Jews had banded together on both the thirteenth and fourteenth days, they made the fifteenth their holiday for laughing and feasting.


text:
(This accounts for why Jews living out in the country in the rural villages remember the fourteenth day of Adar for celebration, their day for parties and the exchange of gifts.)


text:
Mordecai wrote all this down and sent copies to all the Jews in all King Xerxes' provinces, regardless of distance,


text:
as the occasion when Jews got relief from their enemies, the month in which their sorrow turned to joy, mourning somersaulted into a holiday for parties and fun and laughter, the sending and receiving of presents and of giving gifts to the poor.


text:
And they did it. What started then became a tradition, continuing the practice of what Mordecai had written to them.


text:
Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the archenemy of all Jews, had schemed to destroy all Jews. He had cast the pur (the lot) to throw them into a panic and destroy them.


text:
But when Queen Esther intervened with the king, he gave written orders that the evil scheme that Haman had worked out should boomerang back on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows.


text:
That's why these days are called "Purim," from the word pur or "lot."<br/>Therefore, because of everything written in this letter and because of all that they had been through,


text:
the Jews agreed to continue. It became a tradition for them, their children, and all future converts to remember these two days every year on the specified dates set down in the letter.


text:
These days are to be remembered and kept by every single generation, every last family, every province and city. These days of Purim must never be neglected among the Jews; the memory of them must never die out among their descendants.


text:
Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, backed Mordecai the Jew, using her full queenly authority in this second Purim letter


text:
to endorse and ratify what he wrote. Calming and reassuring letters went out to all the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of Xerxes' kingdom


text:
to fix these days of Purim their assigned place on the calendar, dates set by Mordecai the Jew—what they had agreed to for themselves and their descendants regarding their fasting and mourning.


text:
For the rest of it, King Xerxes' extensive accomplishments, along with a detailed account of the brilliance of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, that's all written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia.


text:
Mordecai the Jew ranked second in command to King Xerxes. He was popular among the Jews and greatly respected by them. He worked hard for the good of his people; he cared for the peace and prosperity of his race.


text:
Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion.


text:
He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!


text:
His sons used to take turns hosting parties in their homes, always inviting their three sisters to join them in their merrymaking.


text:
When the parties were over, Job would get up early in the morning and sacrifice a burnt offering for each of his children, thinking, "Maybe one of them sinned by defying God inwardly." Job made a habit of this sacrificial atonement, just in case they'd sinned.


text:
One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them.


text:
God singled out Satan and said, "What have you been up to?"<br/>Satan answered God, "Going here and there, checking things out on earth."


text:
God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil."


text:
Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can't lose!


text:
"But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He'd curse you right to your face, that's what."


text:
God replied, "We'll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don't hurt him." Then Satan left the presence of God.


text:
Sometime later, while Job's children were having one of their parties at the home of the oldest son,


text:
a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing in the field next to us


text:
when Sabeans attacked. They stole the animals and killed the field hands. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened."


text:
While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Bolts of lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and fried them—burned them to a crisp. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened."


text:
While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Chaldeans coming from three directions raided the camels and massacred the camel drivers. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened."


text:
While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Your children were having a party at the home of the oldest brother


text:
when a tornado swept in off the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they died. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened."


text:
Naked I came from my mother's womb,<br/>naked I'll return to the womb of the earth.<br/>God gives, God takes.<br/>God's name be ever blessed.


text:
God singled out Satan, saying, "And what have you been up to?" Satan answered God, "Oh, going here and there, checking things out."


text:
Then God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him, is there—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil? He still has a firm grip on his integrity! You tried to trick me into destroying him, but it didn't work."


text:
But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away his health? He'd curse you to your face, that's what."


text:
They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes.


text:
His wife said, "Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!"


text:
He told her, "You're talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?"<br/>Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God.


text:
Three of Job's friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him. Each traveled from his own country—Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, Zophar from Naamath—and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him.


text:
When they first caught sight of him, they couldn't believe what they saw—they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief.


text:
Then they sat with him on the ground. Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word. They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering.


text:
Let it be a black hole in space.<br/>May God above forget it ever happened.<br/>Erase it from the books!


text:
May the day of my birth be buried in deep darkness,<br/>shrouded by the fog,<br/>swallowed by the night.


text:
And the night of my conception—the devil take it!<br/>Rip the date off the calendar,<br/>delete it from the almanac.


text:
May its morning stars turn to black cinders,<br/>waiting for a daylight that never comes,<br/>never once seeing the first light of dawn.


text:
Those who want in the worst way to die, and can't,<br/>who can't imagine anything better than death,


text:
You yourself have done this plenty of times, spoken words<br/>that clarify, encouraged those who were about to quit.


text:
But now you're the one in trouble—you're hurting!<br/>You've been hit hard and you're reeling from the blow.


text:
But shouldn't your devout life give you confidence now?<br/>Shouldn't your exemplary life give you hope?


text:
"Think! Has a truly innocent person ever ended up on<br/>the scrap heap?<br/>Do genuinely upright people ever lose out in the end?


text:
One breath from God and they fall apart,<br/>one blast of his anger and there's nothing left of them.


text:
These bodies of ours are here today and gone tomorrow,<br/>and no one even notices—gone without a trace.


text:
When the tent stakes are ripped up, the tent collapses—<br/>we die and are never the wiser for having lived.'


text:
"Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer!<br/>To which of the holy angels will you turn?


text:
Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests,<br/>cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all,<br/>insatiable for everything they have.


text:
He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies—<br/>all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!


text:
Suddenly they're disoriented, plunged into darkness;<br/>they can't see to put one foot in front of the other.


text:
"So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!<br/>Mind you, don't despise the discipline of Almighty God!


text:
From one disaster after another he delivers you;<br/>no matter what the calamity, the evil can't touch you—


text:
You'll know that your place on earth is safe,<br/>you'll look over your goods and find nothing amiss.


text:
It would be heavier than all the sand of the sea!<br/>Is it any wonder that I'm screaming like a caged cat?


text:
The arrows of God Almighty are in me,<br/>poison arrows—and I'm poisoned all through!<br/>God has dumped the whole works on me.


text:
Donkeys bray and cows moo when they run out of pasture—<br/>so don't expect me to keep quiet in this.


text:
I'd at least have the satisfaction<br/>of not having blasphemed the Holy God,<br/>before being pressed past the limits.


text:
"When desperate people give up on God Almighty,<br/>their friends, at least, should stick with them.


text:
Travelers who spot them and go out of their way for a drink,<br/>end up in a waterless gulch and die of thirst.


text:
Merchant caravans from Tema see them and expect water,<br/>tourists from Sheba hope for a cool drink.


text:
And you, my so-called friends, are no better—<br/>there's nothing to you!<br/>One look at a hard scene and you shrink in fear.


text:
You pretend to tell me what's wrong with my life,<br/>but treat my words of anguish as so much hot air.


text:
Like field hands longing for quitting time<br/>and working stiffs with nothing to hope for but payday,


text:
I go to bed and think, 'How long till I can get up?'<br/>I toss and turn as the night drags on—and I'm fed up!


text:
My days come and go swifter than the click of knitting needles,<br/>and then the yarn runs out—an unfinished life!


text:
"God, don't forget that I'm only a puff of air!<br/>These eyes have had their last look at goodness.


text:
And your eyes have seen the last of me;<br/>even while you're looking, there'll be nothing left to look at.


text:
"And so I'm not keeping one bit of this quiet,<br/>I'm laying it all out on the table;<br/>my complaining to high heaven is bitter, but honest.


text:
I hate this life! Who needs any more of this?<br/>Let me alone! There's nothing to my life—it's nothing<br/>but smoke.


text:
Even suppose I'd sinned—how would that hurt you?<br/>You're responsible for every human being.<br/>Don't you have better things to do than pick on me?<br/>Why make a federal case out of me?


text:
Why don't you just forgive my sins<br/>and start me off with a clean slate?<br/>The way things are going, I'll soon be dead.<br/>You'll look high and low, but I won't be around."


text:
Here's what you must do—and don't put it off any longer:<br/>Get down on your knees before God Almighty.


text:
If you're as innocent and upright as you say,<br/>it's not too late—he'll come running;<br/>he'll set everything right again, reestablish your fortunes.


text:
So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what's what,<br/>instruct you in what they knew from experience?


text:
Blossoming flowers look great before they're cut or picked,<br/>but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass.


text:
God's wisdom is so deep, God's power so immense,<br/>who could take him on and come out in one piece?


text:
Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don't see him;<br/>quietly but surely he's active, and I miss it.


text:
If I called on God and he himself answered me,<br/>then, and only then, would I believe that he'd heard me.


text:
As it is, he knocks me about from pillar to post,<br/>beating me up, black and blue, for no good reason.


text:
If it's a question of who's stronger, he wins, hands down!<br/>If it's a question of justice, who'll serve him the subpoena?


text:
Even though innocent, anything I say incriminates me;<br/>blameless as I am, my defense just makes me sound worse.


text:
Since either way it ends up the same, I can only conclude<br/>that God destroys the good right along with the bad.


text:
When calamity hits and brings sudden death,<br/>he folds his arms, aloof from the despair of the innocent.


text:
He lets the wicked take over running the world,<br/>he installs judges who can't tell right from wrong.<br/>If he's not responsible, who is?


text:
All these troubles would still be like grit in my gut<br/>since it's clear you're not going to let up.


text:
"God and I are not equals; I can't bring a case against him.<br/>We'll never enter a courtroom as peers.


text:
"I can't stand my life—I hate it!<br/>-I'm putting it all out on the table,<br/>all the bitterness of my life—I'm holding back nothing."


text:
Job prayed:<br/>"Here's what I want to say:<br/>Don't, God, bring in a verdict of guilty<br/>without letting me know the charges you're bringing.


text:
How does this fit into what you once called 'good'—<br/>giving me a hard time, spurning me,<br/>a life you shaped by your very own hands,<br/>and then blessing the plots of the wicked?


text:
So what's this all about, anyway—this compulsion<br/>to dig up some dirt, to find some skeleton in my closet?


text:
That if I so much as missed a step, you'd notice and pounce,<br/>wouldn't let me get by with a thing.


text:
If I'm truly guilty, I'm doomed.<br/>But if I'm innocent, it's no better—I'm still doomed.<br/>My belly is full of bitterness.<br/>I'm up to my ears in a swamp of affliction.


text:
I try to make the best of it, try to brave it out,<br/>but you're too much for me,<br/>relentless, like a lion on the prowl.


text:
You line up fresh witnesses against me.<br/>You compound your anger<br/>and pile on the grief and pain!


text:
"What a flood of words! Shouldn't we put a stop to it?<br/>Should this kind of loose talk be permitted?


text:
Job, do you think you can carry on like this and we'll say nothing?<br/>That we'll let you rail and mock and not step in?


text:
I wish he'd show you how wisdom looks from the inside,<br/>for true wisdom is mostly 'inside.'<br/>But you can be sure of this,<br/>you haven't gotten half of what you deserve.


text:
If he happens along, throws you in jail<br/>then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it?


text:
He sees through vain pretensions,<br/>spots evil a long way off—<br/>no one pulls the wool over his eyes!


text:
You'll be able to face the world unashamed<br/>and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.


text:
But the wicked will see none of this.<br/>They're headed down a dead-end road<br/>with nothing to look forward to—nothing."


text:
"I'm sure you speak for all the experts,<br/>and when you die there'll be no one left to tell us how to live.


text:
But don't forget that I also have a brain—<br/>I don't intend to play second fiddle to you.<br/>It doesn't take an expert to know these things.


text:
"I'm ridiculed by my friends:<br/>'So that's the man who had conversations with God!'<br/>Ridiculed without mercy:<br/>'Look at the man who never did wrong!'


text:
It's easy for the well-to-do to point their fingers in blame,<br/>for the well-fixed to pour scorn on the strugglers.


text:
Crooks reside safely in high-security houses,<br/>insolent blasphemers live in luxury;<br/>they've bought and paid for a god who'll protect them.


text:
"But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;<br/>let the birds tell you what's going on.


text:
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.<br/>Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.


text:
Isn't it clear that they all know and agree<br/>that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—


text:
Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom,<br/>that you have to grow old before you understand life?


text:
"True wisdom and real power belong to God;<br/>from him we learn how to live,<br/>and also what to live for.


text:
If he tears something down, it's down for good;<br/>if he locks people up, they're locked up for good.


text:
Or are you going to keep on lying 'to do God a service'?<br/>to make up stories 'to get him off the hook'?


text:
How would you fare if you were in the dock?<br/>Your lies might convince a jury—but would they<br/>convince God?


text:
Just wait, this is going to work out for the best—my salvation!<br/>If I were guilt-stricken do you think I'd be doing this—<br/>laying myself on the line before God?


text:
You compile a long list of mean things about me,<br/>even hold me accountable for the sins of my youth.


text:
You hobble me so I can't move about.<br/>You watch every move I make,<br/>and brand me as a dangerous character.


text:
"Like something rotten, human life fast decomposes,<br/>like a moth-eaten shirt or a mildewed blouse.


text:
Mortals have a limited life span.<br/>You've already decided how long we'll live—<br/>you set the boundary and no one can cross it.


text:
For a tree there is always hope.<br/>Chop it down and it still has a chance—<br/>its roots can put out fresh sprouts.


text:
Why don't you just bury me alive,<br/>get me out of the way until your anger cools?<br/>But don't leave me there!<br/>Set a date when you'll see me again.


text:
If we humans die, will we live again? That's my question.<br/>All through these difficult days I keep hoping,<br/>waiting for the final change—for resurrection!


text:
You're too much for us.<br/>As always, you get the last word.<br/>We don't like it and our faces show it,<br/>but you send us off anyway.


text:
If our children do well for themselves, we never know it;<br/>if they do badly, we're spared the hurt.


text:
Do you think you're the first person to have to deal with<br/>these things?<br/>Have you been around as long as the hills?


text:
Were you listening in when God planned all this?<br/>Do you think you're the only one who knows anything?


text:
Do you think it's possible for any mere mortal to be sinless<br/>in God's sight,<br/>for anyone born of a human mother to get it all together?


text:
It's what wise men and women have always taught,<br/>holding nothing back from what they were taught


text:
Those who live by their own rules, not God's, can expect<br/>nothing but trouble,<br/>and the longer they live, the worse it gets.


text:
They despair of things ever getting better—<br/>they're on the list of people for whom things always turn out<br/>for the worst.


text:
They wander here and there,<br/>never knowing where the next meal is coming from—<br/>every day is doomsday!


text:
They'll end up living in a ghost town<br/>sleeping in a hovel not fit for a dog,<br/>a ramshackle shack.


text:
And then death—don't think they'll escape that!<br/>They'll end up shriveled weeds,<br/>brought down by a puff of God's breath.


text:
If you were in my shoes,<br/>I could talk just like you.<br/>I could put together a terrific harangue<br/>and really let you have it.


text:
You've shriveled me like a dried prune,<br/>showing the world that you're against me.<br/>My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror,<br/>a mute witness to your treatment of me.


text:
Your anger tears at me,<br/>your teeth rip me to shreds,<br/>your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy!


text:
People take one look at me and gasp.<br/>Contemptuous, they slap me around<br/>and gang up against me.


text:
I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up.<br/>He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around.<br/>He set me up as his target,


text:
then rounded up archers to shoot at me.<br/>Merciless, they shot me full of arrows;<br/>bitter bile poured from my gut to the ground.


text:
There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me,<br/>in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—


text:
"O God, pledge your support for me.<br/>Give it to me in writing, with your signature.<br/>You're the only one who can do it!


text:
These people are so useless!<br/>You know firsthand how stupid they can be.<br/>You wouldn't let them have the last word, would you?


text:
Decent people can't believe what they're seeing;<br/>the good-hearted wake up and insist I've given up on God.


text:
"But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life,<br/>sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!


text:
"Maybe you'd all like to start over,<br/>to try it again, the bunch of you.<br/>So far I haven't come across one scrap<br/>of wisdom in anything you've said.


text:
If all I have to look forward to is a home in the graveyard,<br/>if my only hope for comfort is a well-built coffin,


text:
Why do you treat your friends like slow-witted animals?<br/>You look down on us as if we don't know anything.


text:
Why are you working yourself up like this?<br/>Do you want the world redesigned to suit you?<br/>Should reality be suspended to accommodate you?


text:
"Here's the rule: The light of the wicked is put out.<br/>Their flame dies down and is extinguished.


text:
Time after time after time you jump all over me.<br/>Do you have no conscience, abusing me like this?


text:
God threw a barricade across my path—I'm stymied;<br/>he turned out all the lights—I'm stuck in the dark.


text:
He has launched a major campaign against me,<br/>using every weapon he can think of,<br/>coming at me from all sides at once.


text:
everyone who knows me avoids me.<br/>My relatives and friends have all left;<br/>houseguests forget I ever existed.


text:
The servant girls treat me like a bum off the street,<br/>look at me like they've never seen me before.


text:
Still, I know that God lives—the One who gives me back my life—<br/>and eventually he'll take his stand on earth.


text:
"If you're thinking, 'How can we get through to him,<br/>get him to see that his trouble is all his own fault?'


text:
Forget it. Start worrying about yourselves.<br/>Worry about your own sins and God's coming judgment,<br/>for judgment is most certainly on the way."


text:
"Don't you even know the basics,<br/>how things have been since the earliest days,<br/>when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth?


text:
But still end up in a pile of dung.<br/>Acquaintances look at them with disgust and say, 'What's that?'


text:
They fly off like a dream that can't be remembered,<br/>like a shadowy illusion that vanishes in the light.


text:
Their children will go begging on skid row,<br/>and they'll have to give back their ill-gotten gain.


text:
No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams<br/>with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks.


text:
"Such God-denying people are never content with what they have<br/>or who they are;<br/>their greed drives them relentlessly.


text:
Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes;<br/>they're served up a plate full of misery.


text:
When they've filled their bellies with that,<br/>God gives them a taste of his anger,<br/>and they get to chew on that for a while.


text:
They're knocked around from pillar to post,<br/>beaten to within an inch of their lives.<br/>They're trapped in a house of horrors,


text:
and see their loot disappear down a black hole.<br/>Their lives are a total loss—<br/>not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean.


text:
God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes<br/>and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see.


text:
"It's not you I'm complaining to—it's God.<br/>Is it any wonder I'm getting fed up with his silence?


text:
Take a good look at me. Aren't you appalled by what's happened?<br/>No! Don't say anything. I can do without your comments.


text:
"Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail,<br/>or disaster strikes,<br/>or they get their just deserts?


text:
You might say, 'God is saving up the punishment for their children.'<br/>I say, 'Give it to them right now so they'll know what<br/>they've done!'


text:
They deserve to experience the effects of their evil,<br/>feel the full force of God's wrath firsthand.


text:
"But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs?<br/>He's dealing with matters that are way over our heads.


text:
Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces,<br/>that the achievements of the wicked collapse.


text:
"So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense?<br/>Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies."


text:
So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?<br/>Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think<br/>he'd applaud?


text:
Do you think it's because he cares about your purity<br/>that he's disciplining you, putting you on the spot?


text:
When people came to you for help,<br/>you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.


text:
Yet you dare raise questions: 'What does God know?<br/>From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?


text:
And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.<br/>It's beyond me how they can carry on like this!


text:
"I'm not letting up—I'm standing my ground.<br/>My complaint is legitimate.<br/>God has no right to treat me like this—<br/>it isn't fair!


text:
He'd see a straight-living man standing before him;<br/>my Judge would acquit me for good of all charges.


text:
"But he knows where I am and what I've done.<br/>He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I'll pass the test<br/>with honors.


text:
"But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him?<br/>He does what he wants, when he wants to.


text:
Is it any wonder that I dread meeting him?<br/>Whenever I think about it, I get scared all over again.


text:
Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them;<br/>the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold.


text:
People are dying right and left, groaning in torment.<br/>The wretched cry out for help<br/>and God does nothing, acts like nothing's wrong!


text:
Burglars do their work at night,<br/>but keep well out of sight through the day.<br/>They want nothing to do with light.


text:
Deep darkness is morning for that bunch;<br/>they make the terrors of darkness their companions in crime.


text:
They may get their brief successes,<br/>but then it's over, nothing to show for it.<br/>Like yesterday's newspaper,<br/>they're used to wrap up the garbage.


text:
How can a mere mortal presume to stand up to God?<br/>How can an ordinary person pretend to be guiltless?


text:
"Well, you've certainly been a great help to a helpless man!<br/>You came to the rescue just in the nick of time!


text:
And this is only the beginning,<br/>a mere whisper of his rule.<br/>Whatever would we do if he really raised his voice!"


text:
There is no way I'll ever agree to your accusations.<br/>I'll not deny my integrity even if it costs me my life.


text:
I'm holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip—<br/>and, believe me, I'll never regret it.


text:
The evidence is right before you. You can all see it for yourselves,<br/>so why do you keep talking nonsense?


text:
"I'll quote your own words back to you:<br/>" 'This is how God treats the wicked,<br/>this is what evil people can expect from God Almighty:


text:
Their children—all of them—will die violent deaths;<br/>they'll never have enough bread to put on the table.


text:
Terrors pour in on them like flash floods—<br/>a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night,


text:
Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them;<br/>they run this way and that, but there's no place to hide—


text:
Miners penetrate the earth's darkness,<br/>searching the roots of the mountains for ore,<br/>digging away in the suffocating darkness.


text:
Far from civilization, far from the traffic,<br/>they cut a shaft,<br/>and are lowered into it by ropes.


text:
If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,<br/>they say, 'We've only heard rumors of it.'


text:
Then he addressed the human race: 'Here it is!<br/>Fear-of-the-Lord—that's Wisdom,<br/>and Insight means shunning evil.' "


text:
I was known for helping people in trouble<br/>and standing up for those who were down on their luck.


text:
When I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it;<br/>their faces lit up, their troubles took wing!


text:
I was their leader, establishing the mood<br/>and setting the pace by which they lived.<br/>Where I led, they followed.


text:
Why, I considered their fathers<br/>mere inexperienced pups.<br/>But they are worse than dogs—good for nothing,<br/>stray, mangy animals,


text:
They throw every kind of obstacle in my path,<br/>determined to ruin me—<br/>and no one lifts a finger to help me!


text:
"I shout for help, God, and get nothing, no answer!<br/>I stand to face you in protest, and you give me a blank stare!


text:
But where did it get me?<br/>I expected good but evil showed up.<br/>I looked for light but darkness fell.


text:
My stomach's in a constant churning, never settles down.<br/>Each day confronts me with more suffering.


text:
If I've strayed off the straight and narrow,<br/>wanted things I had no right to,<br/>messed around with sin,


text:
Adultery is a fire that burns the house down;<br/>I wouldn't expect anything I count dear to survive it.


text:
Didn't the same God who made me, make them?<br/>Aren't we all made of the same stuff, equals before God?


text:
And no stranger ever had to spend a night in the street;<br/>my doors were always open to travelers.


text:
Because I was afraid what people would say,<br/>fearing the gossip of the neighbors so much<br/>That I turned myself into a recluse?<br/>You know good and well that I didn't.


text:
"Oh, if only someone would give me a hearing!<br/>I've signed my name to my defense—let the<br/>Almighty One answer!<br/>I want to see my indictment in writing.


text:
I'm prepared to account for every move I've ever made—<br/>to anyone and everyone, prince or pauper.


text:
Then curse it with thistles instead of wheat,<br/>curse it with weeds instead of barley."<br/>The words of Job to his three friends were finished.


text:
Job's three friends now fell silent. They were talked out, stymied because Job wouldn't budge an inch—wouldn't admit to an ounce of guilt.


text:
Then Elihu lost his temper. (Elihu was the son of Barakel the Buzite from the clan of Ram.) He blazed out in anger against Job for pitting his righteousness against God's.


text:
He was also angry with the three friends because they had neither come up with an answer nor proved Job wrong.


text:
But when he saw that the three other men had exhausted their arguments, he exploded with pent-up anger.


text:
This is what Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite, said:<br/>"I'm a young man,<br/>and you are all old and experienced.<br/>That's why I kept quiet<br/>and held back from joining the discussion.


text:
But I see I was wrong—it's God's Spirit in a person,<br/>the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human<br/>insight possible.


text:
"I hung on your words while you spoke,<br/>listened carefully to your arguments.<br/>While you searched for the right words,


text:
I was all ears.<br/>And now what have you proved? Nothing.<br/>Nothing you say has even touched Job.


text:
And don't excuse yourselves by saying, 'We've done our best.<br/>Now it's up to God to talk sense into him.'


text:
"In a dream, for instance, a vision at night,<br/>when men and women are deep in sleep,<br/>fast asleep in their beds—


text:
"But even then an angel could come,<br/>a champion—there are thousands of them!—<br/>to take up your cause,


text:
A messenger who would mercifully intervene,<br/>canceling the death sentence with the words:<br/>'I've come up with the ransom!'


text:
"Or, you may fall on your knees and pray—to God's delight!<br/>You'll see God's smile and celebrate,<br/>finding yourself set right with God.


text:
You'll sing God's praises to everyone you meet,<br/>testifying, 'I messed up my life—<br/>and let me tell you, it wasn't worth it.


text:
But God stepped in and saved me from certain death.<br/>I'm alive again! Once more I see the light!'


text:
But if you think of anything I should know, tell me.<br/>There's nothing I'd like better than to see your name cleared.


text:
Meanwhile, keep listening. Don't distract me with interruptions.<br/>I'm going to teach you the basics of wisdom."


text:
When I defend myself, I'm called a liar to my face.<br/>I've done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.'


text:
"You're veterans in dealing with these matters;<br/>certainly we're of one mind on this.<br/>It's impossible for God to do anything evil;<br/>no way can the Mighty One do wrong.


text:
He makes us pay for exactly what we've done—no more, no less.<br/>Our chickens always come home to roost.


text:
Does he play favorites with the rich and famous and slight the poor?<br/>Isn't he equally responsible to everybody?


text:
Don't people who deserve it die without notice?<br/>Don't wicked rulers tumble to their doom?<br/>When the so-called great ones are wiped out,<br/>we know God is working behind the scenes.


text:
He deposes the so-called high and mighty without asking questions,<br/>and replaces them at once with others.


text:
Their apostasy was announced by the cry of the poor;<br/>the cry of the afflicted got God's attention.


text:
"If God is silent, what's that to you?<br/>If he turns his face away, what can you do about it?<br/>But whether silent or hidden, he's there, ruling,


text:
Just because you refuse to live on God's terms,<br/>do you think he should start living on yours?<br/>You choose. I can't do it for you.<br/>Tell me what you decide.


text:
Job, you need to be pushed to the wall and called to account<br/>for wickedly talking back to God the way you have.


text:
You've compounded your original sin<br/>by rebelling against God's discipline,<br/>Defiantly shaking your fist at God,<br/>piling up indictments against the Almighty One."


text:
"Well, I'm going to show you<br/>that you don't know what you're talking about,<br/>neither you nor your friends.


text:
If you sin, what difference could that make to God?<br/>No matter how much you sin, will it matter to him?


text:
Even if you're good, what would God get out of that?<br/>Do you think he's dependent on your accomplishments?


text:
The only ones who care whether you're good or bad<br/>are your family and friends and neighbors.<br/>God's not dependent on your behavior.


text:
But never give God a thought when things go well,<br/>when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts,


text:
When God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom,<br/>using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.


text:
People are arrogantly indifferent to God—<br/>until, of course, they're in trouble,<br/>and then God is indifferent to them.


text:
I learned all this firsthand from the Source;<br/>everything I know about justice I owe to my Maker himself.


text:
For the wicked, though, it's a different story—<br/>he doesn't give them the time of day,<br/>but champions the rights of their victims.


text:
But if they disobey, they'll be cut down in their prime<br/>and never know the first thing about life.


text:
Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance,<br/>always blaming others for their troubles.


text:
"Oh, Job, don't you see how God's wooing you<br/>from the jaws of danger?<br/>How he's drawing you into wide-open places—<br/>inviting you to feast at a table laden with blessings?


text:
And don't think that night,<br/>when people sleep off their troubles,<br/>will bring you any relief.


text:
Above all, don't make things worse with more evil—<br/>that's what's behind your suffering as it is!


text:
"Take a long, hard look. See how great he is—infinite,<br/>greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out!


text:
Does anyone have the slightest idea how this happens?<br/>How he arranges the clouds, how he speaks in thunder?


text:
In their wake, the thunder echoes his voice,<br/>powerful and majestic.<br/>He lets out all the stops, he holds nothing back.<br/>No one can mistake that voice—


text:
And yes, it's God who fills clouds with rainwater<br/>and hurls lightning from them every which way.


text:
He puts them through their paces—first this way, then that—<br/>commands them to do what he says all over the world.


text:
"Job, are you listening? Have you noticed all this?<br/>Stop in your tracks! Take in God's miracle-wonders!


text:
"If you're so smart, give us a lesson in how to address God.<br/>We're in the dark and can't figure it out.


text:
"Mighty God! Far beyond our reach!<br/>Unsurpassable in power and justice!<br/>It's unthinkable that he'd treat anyone unfairly.


text:
So bow to him in deep reverence, one and all!<br/>If you're wise, you'll most certainly worship him."


text:
Pull yourself together, Job!<br/>Up on your feet! Stand tall!<br/>I have some questions for you,<br/>and I want some straight answers.


text:
Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that!<br/>Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?


text:
"Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things,<br/>explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean?


text:
And do you have any idea how large this earth is?<br/>Speak up if you have even the beginning of an answer.


text:
Why, of course you know that.<br/>You've known them all your life,<br/>grown up in the same neighborhood with them!


text:
Can you find your way to where lightning is launched,<br/>or to the place from which the wind blows?


text:
Who do you suppose carves canyons<br/>for the downpours of rain, and charts<br/>the route of thunderstorms


text:
And who sets out food for the ravens<br/>when their young cry to God,<br/>fluttering about because they have no food?


text:
"Do you know the month when mountain goats give birth?<br/>Have you ever watched a doe bear her fawn?


text:
He laughs at his city cousins, who are harnessed and harried.<br/>He's oblivious to the cries of teamsters.


text:
At the sound of the trumpet he neighs mightily,<br/>smelling the excitement of battle from a long way off,<br/>catching the rolling thunder of the war cries.


text:
"Was it through your know how that the hawk learned to fly,<br/>soaring effortlessly on thermal updrafts?


text:
"Now what do you have to say for yourself?<br/>Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press<br/>charges?"


text:
"Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong?<br/>Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?


text:
Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees.<br/>Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!


text:
I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you—<br/>you can surely save yourself with no help from me!


text:
"Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you.<br/>Grazing on grass, docile as a cow—


text:
And when the river rages he doesn't budge,<br/>stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild.


text:
Will you play with him as if he were a pet goldfish?<br/>Will you make him the mascot of the neighborhood children?


text:
If you can't hold your own against his glowering visage,<br/>how, then, do you expect to stand up to me?


text:
He roils deep ocean the way you'd boil water,<br/>he whips the sea like you'd whip an egg into batter.


text:
You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water,<br/>ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?'<br/>I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,<br/>made small talk about wonders way over my head.


text:
You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking.<br/>Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.'


text:
I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise!<br/>I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."


text:
After God had finished addressing Job, he turned to Eliphaz the Temanite and said, "I've had it with you and your two friends. I'm fed up! You haven't been honest either with me or about me—not the way my friend Job has.


text:
So here's what you must do. Take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my friend Job. Sacrifice a burnt offering on your own behalf. My friend Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer. He will ask me not to treat you as you deserve for talking nonsense about me, and for not being honest with me, as he has."


text:
They did it. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did what God commanded. And God accepted Job's prayer.


text:
All his brothers and sisters and friends came to his house and celebrated. They told him how sorry they were, and consoled him for all the trouble God had brought him. Each of them brought generous housewarming gifts.


text:
God blessed Job's later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand donkeys.


text:
There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance.


text:
Job lived on another hundred and forty years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them!


text:
How well God must like you—<br/>you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,<br/>you don't slink along Dead-End Road,<br/>you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.


text:
You're a tree replanted in Eden,<br/>bearing fresh fruit every month,<br/>Never dropping a leaf,<br/>always in blossom.


text:
Earth-leaders push for position,<br/>Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks,<br/>The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers:


text:
"Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet<br/>Is spread for him on the holy summit."


text:
Kiss Messiah!<br/>Your very lives are in danger, you know;<br/>His anger is about to explode,<br/>But if you make a run for God—you won't regret it!


text:
A David psalm, when he escaped for his life from Absalom, his son.<br/>God! Look! Enemies past counting!<br/>Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,


text:
Up, God! My God, help me!<br/>Slap their faces,<br/>First this cheek, then the other,<br/>Your fist hard in their teeth!


text:
A David psalm<br/>When I call, give me answers. God, take my side!<br/>Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;<br/>Now I'm in trouble again: grace me! hear me!


text:
You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?<br/>How long will you lust after lies?<br/>How long will you live crazed by illusion?


text:
Complain if you must, but don't lash out.<br/>Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.


text:
Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say.<br/>"More, more."<br/>I have God's more-than-enough,


text:
Every morning<br/>you'll hear me at it again.<br/>Every morning<br/>I lay out the pieces of my life<br/>on your altar<br/>and watch for fire to descend.


text:
And here I am, your invited guest—<br/>it's incredible!<br/>I enter your house; here I am,<br/>prostrate in your inner sanctum,


text:
Every word they speak is a land mine;<br/>their lungs breathe out poison gas.<br/>Their throats are gaping graves,<br/>their tongues slick as mudslides.


text:
Pile on the guilt, God!<br/>Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.<br/>Kick them out! They've had their chance.


text:
But you'll welcome us with open arms<br/>when we run for cover to you.<br/>Let the party last all night!<br/>Stand guard over our celebration.


text:
Treat me nice for a change;<br/>I'm so starved for affection.<br/>Can't you see I'm black and blue,<br/>beat up badly in bones


text:
I'm tired of all this—so tired. My bed<br/>has been floating forty days and nights<br/>On the flood of my tears.<br/>My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.


text:
If they catch me, I'm finished:<br/>ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,<br/>dragged into the forest and left<br/>unlooked for, unremembered.


text:
Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel,<br/>throw out the false charges against me.<br/>I'm ready, confident in your verdict:<br/>"Innocent."


text:
Close the book on Evil, God,<br/>but publish your mandate for us.<br/>You get us ready for life:<br/>you probe for our soft spots,<br/>you knock off our rough edges.


text:
God in solemn honor does things right,<br/>but his nerves are sandpapered raw.<br/>Nobody gets by with anything.


text:
Look at that guy!<br/>He had sex with sin,<br/>he's pregnant with evil.<br/>Oh, look! He's having<br/>the baby—a Lie-Baby!


text:
See that man shoveling day after day,<br/>digging, then concealing, his man-trap<br/>down that lonely stretch of road?<br/>Go back and look again—you'll see him in it headfirst,<br/>legs waving in the breeze.


text:
Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;<br/>toddlers shout the songs<br/>That drown out enemy talk,<br/>and silence atheist babble.


text:
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,<br/>your handmade sky-jewelry,<br/>Moon and stars mounted in their settings.


text:
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,<br/>Why do you bother with us?<br/>Why take a second look our way?


text:
A David psalm<br/>I'm thanking you, God, from a full heart,<br/>I'm writing the book on your wonders.


text:
You blow the whistle on godless nations;<br/>you throw dirty players out of the game,<br/>wipe their names right off the roster.


text:
Enemies disappear from the sidelines,<br/>their reputation trashed,<br/>their names erased from the halls of fame.


text:
Be kind to me, God;<br/>I've been kicked around long enough.<br/>Once you've pulled me back<br/>from the gates of death,


text:
I'll write the book on Hallelujahs;<br/>on the corner of Main and First<br/>I'll hold a street meeting;<br/>I'll be the song leader; we'll fill the air<br/>with salvation songs.


text:
They're trapped, those godless countries,<br/>in the very snares they set,<br/>Their feet all tangled<br/>in the net they spread.


text:
They have no excuse;<br/>the way God works is well-known.<br/>The cunning machinery made by the wicked<br/>has maimed their own hands.


text:
Full of hot air, the wicked<br/>are hot on the trail of the poor.<br/>Trip them up, tangle them up<br/>in their fine-tuned plots.


text:
The wicked snub God,<br/>their noses stuck high in the air.<br/>Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls:<br/>"Catch us if you can!" "God is dead."


text:
They mark the luckless,<br/>then wait like a hunter in a blind;<br/>When the poor wretch wanders too close,<br/>they stab him in the back.


text:
They wonder why the wicked scorn God<br/>and get away with it,<br/>Why the wicked are so cocksure<br/>they'll never come up for audit.


text:
But you know all about it—<br/>the contempt, the abuse.<br/>I dare to believe that the luckless<br/>will get lucky someday in you.<br/>You won't let them down:<br/>orphans won't be orphans forever.


text:
Break the wicked right arms,<br/>break all the evil left arms.<br/>Search and destroy<br/>every sign of crime.


text:
The victim's faint pulse picks up;<br/>the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood<br/>as you put your ear to their lips.


text:
Orphans get parents,<br/>the homeless get homes.<br/>The reign of terror is over,<br/>the rule of the gang lords is ended.


text:
A David psalm<br/>I've already run for dear life<br/>straight to the arms of God.<br/>So why would I run away now<br/>when you say,<br/>"Run to the mountains;


text:
the evil<br/>bows are bent, the wicked arrows<br/>Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness<br/>at every heart open to God.


text:
But God hasn't moved to the mountains;<br/>his holy address hasn't changed.<br/>He's in charge, as always, his eyes<br/>taking everything in, his eyelids<br/>Unblinking, examining Adam's unruly brood<br/>inside and out, not missing a thing.


text:
Fail the test and you're out,<br/>out in a hail of firestones,<br/>Drinking from a canteen<br/>filled with hot desert wind.


text:
God's business is putting things right;<br/>he loves getting the lines straight,<br/>Setting us straight. Once we're standing tall,<br/>we can look him straight in the eye.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Quick, God, I need your helping hand!<br/>The last decent person just went down,<br/>All the friends I depended on gone.


text:
Everyone talks in lie language;<br/>Lies slide off their oily lips.<br/>They doubletalk with forked tongues.


text:
Into the hovels of the poor,<br/>Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks:<br/>"I've had enough; I'm on my way<br/>To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched."


text:
God's words are pure words,<br/>Pure silver words refined seven times<br/>In the fires of his word-kiln,<br/>Pure on earth as well as in heaven.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Long enough, God—<br/>you've ignored me long enough.<br/>I've looked at the back of your head<br/>long enough.


text:
Long enough<br/>I've carried this ton of trouble,<br/>lived with a stomach full of pain.<br/>Long enough my arrogant enemies<br/>have looked down their noses at me.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Bilious and bloated, they gas,<br/>"God is gone."<br/>Their words are poison gas,<br/>fouling the air; they poison<br/>Rivers and skies;<br/>thistles are their cash crop.


text:
God sticks his head out of heaven.<br/>He looks around.<br/>He's looking for someone not stupid—<br/>one man, even, God-expectant,<br/>just one God-ready woman.


text:
He comes up empty. A string<br/>of zeros. Useless, unshepherded<br/>Sheep, taking turns pretending<br/>to be Shepherd.<br/>The ninety and nine<br/>follow their fellow.


text:
Don't they know anything,<br/>all these impostors?<br/>Don't they know<br/>they can't get away with this—<br/>Treating people like a fast-food meal<br/>over which they're too busy to pray?


text:
Do you think you can mess<br/>with the dreams of the poor?<br/>You can't, for God<br/>makes their dreams come true.


text:
Is there anyone around to save Israel?<br/>Yes. God is around; God turns life around.<br/>Turned-around Jacob skips rope,<br/>turned-around Israel sings laughter.


text:
A David psalm<br/>God, who gets invited<br/>to dinner at your place?<br/>How do we get on your guest list?


text:
make an honest living,<br/>never take a bribe.<br/>"You'll never get<br/>blacklisted<br/>if you live like this."


text:
Don't just go shopping for a god.<br/>Gods are not for sale.<br/>I swear I'll never treat god-names<br/>like brand-names.


text:
Now you've got my feet on the life path,<br/>all radiant from the shining of your face.<br/>Ever since you took my hand,<br/>I'm on the right way.


text:
Go ahead, examine me from inside out,<br/>surprise me in the middle of the night—<br/>You'll find I'm just what I say I am.<br/>My words don't run loose.


text:
I'm not trying to get my way<br/>in the world's way.<br/>I'm trying to get your way,<br/>your Word's way.


text:
I'm staying on your trail;<br/>I'm putting one foot<br/>In front of the other.<br/>I'm not giving up.


text:
Paint grace-graffiti on the fences;<br/>take in your frightened children who<br/>Are running from the neighborhood bullies<br/>straight to you.


text:
Barehanded, God, break these mortals,<br/>these flat-earth people who can't think beyond today.<br/>I'd like to see their bellies<br/>swollen with famine food,<br/>The weeds they've sown<br/>harvested and baked into famine bread,<br/>With second helpings for their children<br/>and crusts for their babies to chew on.


text:
And me? I plan on looking<br/>you full in the face. When I get up,<br/>I'll see your full stature<br/>and live heaven on earth.


text:
A David song, which he sang to God after being saved from all his enemies and from Saul.<br/>I love you, God—<br/>you make me strong.


text:
God is bedrock under my feet,<br/>the castle in which I live,<br/>my rescuing knight.<br/>My God—the high crag<br/>where I run for dear life,<br/>hiding behind the boulders,<br/>safe in the granite hideout.


text:
A hostile world! I call to God,<br/>I cry to God to help me.<br/>From his palace he hears my call;<br/>my cry brings me right into his presence—<br/>a private audience!


text:
Earth wobbles and lurches;<br/>huge mountains shake like leaves,<br/>Quake like aspen leaves<br/>because of his rage.


text:
Then God thundered out of heaven;<br/>the High God gave a great shout,<br/>spraying hailstones and fireballs.


text:
The secret sources of ocean are exposed,<br/>the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered<br/>The moment you roar in protest,<br/>let loose your hurricane anger.


text:
But me he caught—reached all the way<br/>from sky to sea; he pulled me out<br/>Of that ocean of hate,


text:
God made my life complete<br/>when I placed all the pieces before him.<br/>When I got my act together,<br/>he gave me a fresh start.


text:
You protect me with salvation-armor;<br/>you hold me up with a firm hand,<br/>caress me with your gentle ways.


text:
He rescued me from enemy anger,<br/>he pulled me from the grip of upstarts,<br/>He saved me from the bullies.


text:
But their silence fills the earth:<br/>unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.<br/>God makes a huge dome<br/>for the sun—a superdome!


text:
The morning sun's a new husband<br/>leaping from his honeymoon bed,<br/>The daybreaking sun an athlete<br/>racing to the tape.


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That's how God's Word vaults across the skies<br/>from sunrise to sunset,<br/>Melting ice, scorching deserts,<br/>warming hearts to faith.


text:
The revelation of God is whole<br/>and pulls our lives together.<br/>The signposts of God are clear<br/>and point out the right road.


text:
The life-maps of God are right,<br/>showing the way to joy.<br/>The directions of God are plain<br/>and easy on the eyes.


text:
God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,<br/>with a lifetime guarantee.<br/>The decisions of God are accurate<br/>down to the nth degree.


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God's Word is better than a diamond,<br/>better than a diamond set between emeralds.<br/>You'll like it better than strawberries in spring,<br/>better than red, ripe strawberries.


text:
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!<br/>Keep me from stupid sins,<br/>from thinking I can take over your work;<br/>Then I can start this day sun-washed,<br/>scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.


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These are the words in my mouth;<br/>these are what I chew on and pray.<br/>Accept them when I place them<br/>on the morning altar,<br/>O God, my Altar-Rock,<br/>God, Priest-of-My-Altar.


text:
A David psalm<br/>God answer you on the day you crash,<br/>The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach,


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When you win, we plan to raise the roof<br/>and lead the parade with our banners.<br/>May all your wishes come true!


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See those people polishing their chariots,<br/>and those others grooming their horses?<br/>But we're making garlands for God our God.


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You radiate with such brilliance<br/>that they cringe as before a furnace.<br/>Now the furnace swallows them whole,<br/>the fire eats them alive!


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Doubled up with pain, I call to God<br/>all the day long. No answer. Nothing.<br/>I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.


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I'm a bucket kicked over and spilled,<br/>every joint in my body has been pulled apart.<br/>My heart is a blob<br/>of melted wax in my gut.


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I'm dry as a bone,<br/>my tongue black and swollen.<br/>They have laid me out for burial<br/>in the dirt.


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Here's the story I'll tell my friends when they come to worship,<br/>and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:


text:
Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers;<br/>give glory, you sons of Jacob;<br/>adore him, you daughters of Israel.


text:
He has never let you down,<br/>never looked the other way<br/>when you were being kicked around.<br/>He has never wandered off to do his own thing;<br/>he has been right there, listening.


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Here in this great gathering for worship<br/>I have discovered this praise-life.<br/>And I'll do what I promised right here<br/>in front of the God-worshipers.


text:
Down-and-outers sit at God's table<br/>and eat their fill.<br/>Everyone on the hunt for God<br/>is here, praising him.<br/>"Live it up, from head to toe.<br/>Don't ever quit!"


text:
From the four corners of the earth<br/>people are coming to their senses,<br/>are running back to God.<br/>Long-lost families<br/>are falling on their faces before him.


text:
All the power-mongers are before him<br/>—worshiping!<br/>All the poor and powerless, too<br/>—worshiping!<br/>Along with those who never got it together<br/>—worshiping!


text:
Our children and their children<br/>will get in on this<br/>As the word is passed along<br/>from parent to child.


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Even when the way goes through<br/>Death Valley,<br/>I'm not afraid<br/>when you walk at my side.<br/>Your trusty shepherd's crook<br/>makes me feel secure.


text:
You serve me a six-course dinner<br/>right in front of my enemies.<br/>You revive my drooping head;<br/>my cup brims with blessing.


text:
Your beauty and love chase after me<br/>every day of my life.<br/>I'm back home in the house of God<br/>for the rest of my life.


text:
A David psalm<br/>God claims Earth and everything in it,<br/>God claims World and all who live on it.


text:
Only the clean-handed,<br/>only the pure-hearted;<br/>Men who won't cheat,<br/>women who won't seduce.


text:
I've thrown in my lot with you;<br/>You won't embarrass me, will you?<br/>Or let my enemies get the best of me?<br/>Don't embarrass any of us<br/>Who went out on a limb for you.<br/>It's the traitors who should be humiliated.


text:
Forget that I sowed wild oats;<br/>Mark me with your sign of love.<br/>Plan only the best for me, God!


text:
From now on every road you travel<br/>Will take you to God.<br/>Follow the Covenant signs;<br/>Read the charted directions.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Clear my name, God;<br/>I've kept an honest shop.<br/>I've thrown in my lot with you, God, and<br/>I'm not budging.


text:
Examine me, God, from head to foot,<br/>order your battery of tests.<br/>Make sure I'm fit<br/>inside and out


text:
I scrub my hands with purest soap,<br/>then join hands with the others in the great circle,<br/>dancing around your altar, God,


text:
A David psalm<br/>Light, space, zest—<br/>that's God!<br/>So, with him on my side I'm fearless,<br/>afraid of no one and nothing.


text:
When vandal hordes ride down<br/>ready to eat me alive,<br/>Those bullies and toughs<br/>fall flat on their faces.


text:
I'm asking God for one thing,<br/>only one thing:<br/>To live with him in his house<br/>my whole life long.<br/>I'll contemplate his beauty;<br/>I'll study at his feet.


text:
That's the only quiet, secure place<br/>in a noisy world,<br/>The perfect getaway,<br/>far from the buzz of traffic.


text:
God holds me head and shoulders<br/>above all who try to pull me down.<br/>I'm headed for his place to offer anthems<br/>that will raise the roof!<br/>Already I'm singing God-songs;<br/>I'm making music to God.


text:
Don't hide from me now!<br/>You've always been right there for me;<br/>don't turn your back on me now.<br/>Don't throw me out, don't abandon me;<br/>you've always kept the door open.


text:
Point me down your highway, God;<br/>direct me along a well-lighted street;<br/>show my enemies whose side you're on.


text:
Don't throw me to the dogs,<br/>those liars who are out to get me,<br/>filling the air with their threats.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Don't turn a deaf ear<br/>when I call you, God.<br/>If all I get from you is<br/>deafening silence,<br/>I'd be better off<br/>in the Black Hole.


text:
I'm letting you know what I need,<br/>calling out for help<br/>And lifting my arms<br/>toward your inner sanctum.


text:
Don't shove me into<br/>the same jail cell with those crooks,<br/>With those who are<br/>full-time employees of evil.


text:
They talk a good line of "peace,"<br/>then moonlight for the Devil.<br/>Pay them back for what they've done,<br/>for how bad they've been.<br/>Pay them back for their long hours<br/>in the Devil's workshop;<br/>Then cap it with a huge bonus.


text:
Because they have no idea how God works<br/>or what he is up to,<br/>God will smash them to smithereens<br/>and walk away from the ruins.


text:
He proved he's on my side;<br/>I've thrown my lot in with him.<br/>Now I'm jumping for joy,<br/>and shouting and singing my thanks to him.


text:
Save your people<br/>and bless your heritage.<br/>Care for them;<br/>carry them like a good shepherd.


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In awe before the glory,<br/>in awe before God's visible power.<br/>Stand at attention!<br/>Dress your best to honor him!


text:
God thunders across the waters,<br/>Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—God, across the flood waters.


text:
God's thunder sets the oak trees dancing<br/>A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.<br/>We fall to our knees—we call out, "Glory!"


text:
Above the floodwaters is God's throne<br/>from which his power flows,<br/>from which he rules the world.


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A David psalm<br/>I give you all the credit, God—<br/>you got me out of that mess,<br/>you didn't let my foes gloat.


text:
God, you pulled me out of the grave,<br/>gave me another chance at life<br/>when I was down-and-out.


text:
He gets angry once in a while, but across<br/>a lifetime there is only love.<br/>The nights of crying your eyes out<br/>give way to days of laughter.


text:
I'm God's favorite.<br/>He made me king of the mountain."<br/>Then you looked the other way<br/>and I fell to pieces.


text:
"Can you sell me for a profit when I'm dead?<br/>auction me off at a cemetery yard sale?<br/>When I'm 'dust to dust' my songs<br/>and stories of you won't sell.


text:
You did it: you changed wild lament<br/>into whirling dance;<br/>You ripped off my black mourning band<br/>and decked me with wildflowers.


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I'm about to burst with song;<br/>I can't keep quiet about you.<br/>God, my God,<br/>I can't thank you enough.


text:
A David psalm<br/>I run to you, God;<br/>I run for dear life. Don't let me down!<br/>Take me seriously this time!


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Get down on my level and listen,<br/>and please—no procrastination!<br/>Your granite cave a hiding place,<br/>your high cliff aerie a place of safety.


text:
You're my cave to hide in,<br/>my cliff to climb.<br/>Be my safe leader,<br/>be my true mountain guide.


text:
I'm leaping and singing in the circle of your love;<br/>you saw my pain,<br/>you disarmed my tormentors,


text:
Be kind to me, God—<br/>I'm in deep, deep trouble again.<br/>I've cried my eyes out;<br/>I feel hollow inside.


text:
My life leaks away, groan by groan;<br/>my years fade out in sighs.<br/>My troubles have worn me out,<br/>turned my bones to powder.


text:
To my enemies I'm a monster;<br/>I'm ridiculed by the neighbors.<br/>My friends are horrified;<br/>they cross the street to avoid me.


text:
They want to blot me from memory,<br/>forget me like a corpse in a grave,<br/>discard me like a broken dish in the trash.


text:
The street-talk gossip has me<br/>"criminally insane"!<br/>Behind locked doors they plot<br/>how to ruin me for good.


text:
Don't embarrass me by not showing up;<br/>I've given you plenty of notice.<br/>Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,<br/>leave them stupidly shaking their heads<br/>as they drift down to hell.


text:
What a stack of blessing you have piled up<br/>for those who worship you,<br/>Ready and waiting for all who run to you<br/>to escape an unkind world.


text:
You hide them safely away<br/>from the opposition.<br/>As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,<br/>you silence the poisonous gossip.


text:
I panicked.<br/>"Out of sight, out of mind," I said.<br/>But you heard me say it,<br/>you heard and listened.


text:
Love God, all you saints;<br/>God takes care of all who stay close to him,<br/>But he pays back in full<br/>those arrogant enough to go it alone.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—<br/>you get a fresh start,<br/>your slate's wiped clean.


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Count yourself lucky—<br/>God holds nothing against you<br/>and you're holding nothing back from him.


text:
Then I let it all out;<br/>I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God."<br/>Suddenly the pressure was gone—<br/>my guilt dissolved,<br/>my sin disappeared.


text:
These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;<br/>when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts<br/>we'll be on high ground, untouched.


text:
God's my island hideaway,<br/>keeps danger far from the shore,<br/>throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.


text:
God-defiers are always in trouble;<br/>God-affirmers find themselves loved<br/>every time they turn around.


text:
He loves it when everything fits,<br/>when his world is in plumb-line true.<br/>Earth is drenched<br/>in God's affectionate satisfaction.


text:
A David psalm, when he outwitted Abimelech and got away.<br/>I bless God every chance I get;<br/>my lungs expand with his praise.


text:
Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—<br/>how good God is.<br/>Blessed are you who run to him.


text:
If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there;<br/>if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath.


text:
Get ready to throw the spear, aim the javelin,<br/>at the people who are out to get me.<br/>Reassure me; let me hear you say,<br/>"I'll save you."


text:
When those thugs try to knife me in the back,<br/>make them look foolish.<br/>Frustrate all those<br/>who are plotting my downfall.


text:
Out of sheer cussedness they set a trap to catch me;<br/>for no good reason they dug a ditch to stop me.


text:
Surprise them with your ambush—<br/>catch them in the very trap they set,<br/>the disaster they planned for me.


text:
Every bone in my body laughing, singing, "God,<br/>there's no one like you.<br/>You put the down-and-out on their feet<br/>and protect the unprotected from bullies!"


text:
My prayers were like lead in my gut,<br/>like I'd lost my best friend, my brother.<br/>I paced, distraught as a motherless child,<br/>hunched and heavyhearted.


text:
But when I was down<br/>they threw a party!<br/>All the nameless riffraff of the town came<br/>chanting insults about me.


text:
God, how long are you going<br/>to stand there doing nothing?<br/>Save me from their brutalities;<br/>everything I've got is being thrown to the lions.


text:
I will give you full credit<br/>when everyone gathers for worship;<br/>When the people turn out in force<br/>I will say my Hallelujahs.


text:
Don't let these liars, my enemies,<br/>have a party at my expense,<br/>Those who hate me for no reason,<br/>winking and rolling their eyes.


text:
No good is going to come<br/>from that crowd;<br/>They spend all their time cooking up gossip<br/>against those who mind their own business.


text:
They open their mouths<br/>in ugly grins,<br/>Mocking, "Ha-ha, ha-ha, thought you'd get away with it?<br/>We've caught you hands down!"


text:
Don't you see what they're doing, God?<br/>You're not going to let them<br/>Get by with it, are you? Not going to walk off<br/>without doing something, are you?


text:
Don't let them say to themselves,<br/>"Ha-ha, we got what we wanted."<br/>Don't let them say,<br/>"We've chewed him up and spit him out."


text:
Let those who are being hilarious<br/>at my expense<br/>Be made to look ridiculous.<br/>Make them wear donkey's ears;<br/>Pin them with the donkey's tail,<br/>who made themselves so high and mighty!


text:
But those who want<br/>the best for me,<br/>Let them have the last word—a glad shout!—<br/>and say, over and over and over,<br/>"God is great—everything works<br/>together for good for his servant."


text:
A David psalm<br/>The God-rebel tunes in to sedition—<br/>all ears, eager to sin.<br/>He has no regard for God,<br/>he stands insolent before him.


text:
Words gutter from his mouth,<br/>dishwater dirty.<br/>Can't remember when he<br/>did anything decent.


text:
Every time he goes to bed,<br/>he fathers another evil plot.<br/>When he's loose on the streets,<br/>nobody's safe.<br/>He plays with fire<br/>and doesn't care who gets burned.


text:
His purpose titanic,<br/>his verdicts oceanic.<br/>Yet in his largeness<br/>nothing gets lost;<br/>Not a man, not a mouse,<br/>slips through the cracks.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Don't bother your head with braggarts<br/>or wish you could succeed like the wicked.


text:
Quiet down before God,<br/>be prayerful before him.<br/>Don't bother with those who climb the ladder,<br/>who elbow their way to the top.


text:
Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;<br/>you'll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!


text:
Bullies brandish their swords,<br/>pull back on their bows with a flourish.<br/>They're out to beat up on the harmless,<br/>or mug that nice man out walking his dog.


text:
God-despisers have had it;<br/>God's enemies are finished—<br/>Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time,<br/>vanished like smoke in thin air.


text:
I once was young, now I'm a graybeard—<br/>not once have I seen an abandoned believer,<br/>or his kids out roaming the streets.


text:
God loves this kind of thing,<br/>never turns away from his friends.<br/>Live this way and you've got it made,<br/>but bad eggs will be tossed out.


text:
Wait passionately for God,<br/>don't leave the path.<br/>He'll give you your place in the sun<br/>while you watch the wicked lose it.


text:
Keep your eye on the healthy soul,<br/>scrutinize the straight life;<br/>There's a future<br/>in strenuous wholeness.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Take a deep breath, God; calm down—<br/>don't be so hasty with your punishing rod.


text:
I've lost twenty pounds in two months<br/>because of your accusation.<br/>My bones are brittle as dry sticks<br/>because of my sin.


text:
old friends avoid me like the plague.<br/>My cousins never visit,<br/>my neighbors stab me in the back.


text:
A David psalm<br/>I'm determined to watch steps and tongue<br/>so they won't land me in trouble.<br/>I decided to hold my tongue<br/>as long as Wicked is in the room.


text:
Oh! we're all puffs of air.<br/>Oh! we're all shadows in a campfire.<br/>Oh! we're just spit in the wind.<br/>We make our pile, and then we leave it.


text:
"Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my<br/>cry—open your ears.<br/>Don't be callous;<br/>just look at these tears of mine.<br/>I'm a stranger here. I don't know my way—<br/>a migrant like my whole family.


text:
A David psalm<br/>I waited and waited and waited for God.<br/>At last he looked; finally he listened.


text:
He lifted me out of the ditch,<br/>pulled me from deep mud.<br/>He stood me up on a solid rock<br/>to make sure I wouldn't slip.


text:
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,<br/>a praise-song to our God.<br/>More and more people are seeing this:<br/>they enter the mystery,<br/>abandoning themselves to God.


text:
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,<br/>turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"<br/>ignore what the world worships;


text:
The world's a huge stockpile<br/>of God-wonders and God-thoughts.<br/>Nothing and no one<br/>comes close to you!<br/>I start talking about you, telling what I know,<br/>and quickly run out of words.<br/>Neither numbers nor words<br/>account for you.


text:
Doing something for you, bringing something to you—<br/>that's not what you're after.<br/>Being religious, acting pious—<br/>that's not what you're asking for.<br/>You've opened my ears<br/>so I can listen.


text:
And I'm coming to the party<br/>you're throwing for me."<br/>That's when God's Word entered my life,<br/>became part of my very being.


text:
I didn't keep the news of your ways<br/>a secret, didn't keep it to myself.<br/>I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.<br/>I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth<br/>For myself alone. I told it all,<br/>let the congregation know the whole story.


text:
Now God, don't hold out on me,<br/>don't hold back your passion.<br/>Your love and truth<br/>are all that keeps me together.


text:
When troubles ganged up on me,<br/>a mob of sins past counting,<br/>I was so swamped by guilt<br/>I couldn't see my way clear.<br/>More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,<br/>so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.


text:
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul<br/>will be embarrassed and lose face,<br/>So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable<br/>will be heckled and disgraced,


text:
But all who are hunting for you—<br/>oh, let them sing and be happy.<br/>Let those who know what you're all about<br/>tell the world you're great and not quitting.


text:
And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing:<br/>make something of me.<br/>You can do it; you've got what it takes—<br/>but God, don't put it off.


text:
A David psalm<br/>Dignify those who are down on their luck;<br/>you'll feel good—that's what God does.


text:
God looks after us all,<br/>makes us robust with life—<br/>Lucky to be in the land,<br/>we're free from enemy worries.


text:
If someone comes to see me,<br/>he mouths empty platitudes,<br/>All the while gathering gossip about me<br/>to entertain the street-corner crowd.


text:
These "friends" who hate me<br/>whisper slanders all over town.<br/>They form committees<br/>to plan misery for me.


text:
The rumor goes out, "He's got some dirty,<br/>deadly disease. The doctors<br/>have given up on him."


text:
Even my best friend, the one I always told everything<br/>—he ate meals at my house all the time!—<br/>has bitten my hand.


text:
You know me inside and out, you hold me together,<br/>you never fail to stand me tall in your presence<br/>so I can look you in the eye.


text:
A psalm of the sons of Korah<br/>A white-tailed deer drinks<br/>from the creek;<br/>I want to drink God,<br/>deep draughts of God.


text:
I'm thirsty for God-alive.<br/>I wonder, "Will I ever make it—<br/>arrive and drink in God's presence?"


text:
I'm on a diet of tears—<br/>tears for breakfast, tears for supper.<br/>All day long<br/>people knock at my door,<br/>Pestering,<br/>"Where is this God of yours?"


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These are the things I go over and over,<br/>emptying out the pockets of my life.<br/>I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd,<br/>right out in front,<br/>Leading them all,<br/>eager to arrive and worship,<br/>Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—<br/>celebrating, all of us, God's feast!


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Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?<br/>Why are you crying the blues?<br/>Fix my eyes on God—<br/>soon I'll be praising again.<br/>He puts a smile on my face.<br/>He's my God.


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When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse<br/>everything I know of you,<br/>From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,<br/>including Mount Mizar.


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Chaos calls to chaos,<br/>to the tune of whitewater rapids.<br/>Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers<br/>crash and crush me.


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Then God promises to love me all day,<br/>sing songs all through the night!<br/>My life is God's prayer.


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Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,<br/>"Why did you let me down?<br/>Why am I walking around in tears,<br/>harassed by enemies?"


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They're out for the kill, these<br/>tormentors with their obscenities,<br/>Taunting day after day,<br/>"Where is this God of yours?"


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Clear my name, God; stick up for me<br/>against these loveless, immoral people.<br/>Get me out of here, away<br/>from these lying degenerates.


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I counted on you, God.<br/>Why did you walk out on me?<br/>Why am I pacing the floor, wringing my hands<br/>over these outrageous people?


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Give me your lantern and compass,<br/>give me a map,<br/>So I can find my way to the sacred mountain,<br/>to the place of your presence,


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To enter the place of worship,<br/>meet my exuberant God,<br/>Sing my thanks with a harp,<br/>magnificent God, my God.


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A psalm of the sons of Korah<br/>We've been hearing about this, God,<br/>all our lives.<br/>Our fathers told us the stories<br/>their fathers told them,


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How single-handedly you weeded out the godless<br/>from the fields and planted us,<br/>How you sent those people packing<br/>but gave us a fresh start.


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We didn't fight for this land;<br/>we didn't work for it—it was a gift!<br/>You gave it, smiling as you gave it,<br/>delighting as you gave it.


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All this came down on us,<br/>and we've done nothing to deserve it.<br/>We never betrayed your Covenant:


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A wedding song of the sons of Korah<br/>My heart bursts its banks,<br/>spilling beauty and goodness.<br/>I pour it out in a poem to the king,<br/>shaping the river into words:


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"You're the handsomest of men;<br/>every word from your lips is sheer grace,<br/>and God has blessed you, blessed you so much.


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Strap your sword to your side, warrior!<br/>Accept praise! Accept due honor!<br/>Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly!


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Ride on the side of truth!<br/>Ride for the righteous meek!<br/>"Your instructions are glow-in-the-dark;


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"Your throne is God's throne,<br/>ever and always;<br/>The scepter of your royal rule<br/>measures right living.


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You love the right<br/>and hate the wrong.<br/>And that is why God, your very own God,<br/>poured fragrant oil on your head,<br/>Marking you out as king<br/>from among your dear companions.


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"Your ozone-drenched garments<br/>are fragrant with mountain breeze.<br/>Chamber music—from the throne room—<br/>makes you want to dance.


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All her dresses and robes<br/>are woven with gold.<br/>She is led to the king,<br/>followed by her virgin companions.


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"Set your mind now on sons—<br/>don't dote on father and grandfather.<br/>You'll set your sons up as princes<br/>all over the earth.


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I'll make you famous for generations;<br/>you'll be the talk of the town<br/>for a long, long time."


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Before the rush and roar of oceans,<br/>the tremors that shift mountains.<br/>Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,<br/>God of angel armies protects us.


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"Step out of the traffic! Take a long,<br/>loving look at me, your High God,<br/>above politics, above everything."


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A psalm of the sons of Korah<br/>Applause, everyone. Bravo, bravissimo!<br/>Shout God-songs at the top of your lungs!


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Princes from all over are gathered,<br/>people of Abraham's God.<br/>The powers of earth are God's—<br/>he soars over all.


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A psalm of the sons of Korah<br/>God majestic,<br/>praise abounds in our God-city!<br/>His sacred mountain,


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breathtaking in its heights—earth's joy.<br/>Zion Mountain looms in the North,<br/>city of the world-King.


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We heard about it, then we saw it<br/>with our eyes—<br/>In God's city of angel armies,<br/>in the city our God<br/>Set on firm foundations,<br/>firm forever.


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Your name, God, evokes a train<br/>of Hallelujahs wherever<br/>It is spoken, near and far;<br/>your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.


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Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,<br/>climb her citadel heights—<br/>Then you can tell the next generation<br/>detail by detail the story of God,


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They leave all their prowess behind,<br/>move into their new home, The Coffin,<br/>The cemetery their permanent address.<br/>And to think they named counties after themselves!


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Death herds them like sheep straight to hell;<br/>they disappear down the gullet of the grave;<br/>They waste away to nothing—<br/>nothing left but a marker in a cemetery.


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An Asaph psalm<br/>The God of gods—it's God!—speaks out, shouts, "Earth!"<br/>welcomes the sun in the east,<br/>farewells the disappearing sun in the west.


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Our God makes his entrance,<br/>he's not shy in his coming.<br/>Starbursts of fireworks precede him.


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"Are you listening, dear people? I'm getting ready to speak;<br/>Israel, I'm about ready to bring you to trial.<br/>This is God, your God,<br/>speaking to you.


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Next, God calls up the wicked:<br/>"What are you up to, quoting my laws,<br/>talking like we are good friends?


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I kept a quiet patience while you did these things;<br/>you thought I went along with your game.<br/>I'm calling you on the carpet, now,<br/>laying your wickedness out in plain sight.


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"Time's up for playing fast and<br/>loose with me.<br/>I'm ready to pass sentence,<br/>and there's no help in sight!


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It's the praising life that honors me.<br/>As soon as you set your foot on the Way,<br/>I'll show you my salvation."


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A David psalm, after he was confronted by Nathan about the affair with Bathsheba.<br/>Generous in love—God, give grace!<br/>Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.


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You're the One I've violated, and you've seen<br/>it all, seen the full extent of my evil.<br/>You have all the facts before you;<br/>whatever you decide about me is fair.


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Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,<br/>and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.


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I learned God-worship<br/>when my pride was shattered.<br/>Heart-shattered lives ready for love<br/>don't for a moment escape God's notice.


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Then you'll get real worship from us,<br/>acts of worship small and large,<br/>Including all the bulls<br/>they can heave onto your altar!


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A David psalm, when Doeg the Edomite reported to Saul,"David's at Ahimelech's house."<br/>Why do you brag of evil, "Big Man"?<br/>God's mercy carries the day.


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God will tear you limb from limb,<br/>sweep you up and throw you out,<br/>Pull you up by the roots<br/>from the land of life.


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And I'm an olive tree,<br/>growing green in God's house.<br/>I trusted in the generous mercy<br/>of God then and now.


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I thank you always<br/>that you went into action.<br/>And I'll stay right here,<br/>your good name my hope,<br/>in company with your faithful friends.


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A David psalm<br/>Bilious and bloated, they gas,<br/>"God is gone."<br/>It's poison gas—<br/>they foul themselves, they poison<br/>Rivers and skies;<br/>thistles are their cash crop.


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He comes up empty. A string<br/>of zeros. Useless, unshepherded<br/>Sheep, taking turns pretending<br/>to be Shepherd.<br/>The ninety and nine<br/>follow the one.


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Don't they know anything,<br/>all these impostors?<br/>Don't they know<br/>they can't get away with this,<br/>Treating people like a fast-food meal<br/>over which they're too busy to pray?


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Night is coming for them, and nightmare—<br/>a nightmare they'll never wake up from.<br/>God will make hash of these squatters,<br/>send them packing for good.


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Is there anyone around to save Israel?<br/>God turns life around.<br/>Turned-around Jacob skips rope,<br/>turned-around Israel sings laughter.


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A David psalm, when the Ziphites reported to Saul, "David is hiding out with us."<br/>God, for your sake, help me!<br/>Use your influence to clear me.


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Outlaws are out to get me,<br/>hit men are trying to kill me.<br/>Nothing will stop them;<br/>God means nothing to them.


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at the mean voice,<br/>quail before the evil eye,<br/>As they pile on the guilt,<br/>stockpile angry slander.


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Come down hard, Lord—slit their tongues.<br/>I'm appalled how they've split the city<br/>Into rival gangs<br/>prowling the alleys


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This isn't the neighborhood bully<br/>mocking me—I could take that.<br/>This isn't a foreign devil spitting<br/>invective—I could tune that out.


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Haul my betrayers off alive to hell—let them<br/>experience the horror, let them<br/>feel every desolate detail of a damned life.


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My life is well and whole, secure<br/>in the middle of danger<br/>Even while thousands<br/>are lined up against me.


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God hears it all, and from his judge's bench<br/>puts them in their place.<br/>But, set in their ways, they won't change;<br/>they pay him no mind.


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All my life I've been charmed by his speech,<br/>never dreaming he'd turn on me.<br/>His words, which were music to my ears,<br/>turned to daggers in my heart.


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Pile your troubles on God's shoulders—<br/>he'll carry your load, he'll help you out.<br/>He'll never let good people<br/>topple into ruin.


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But you, God, will throw the others<br/>into a muddy bog,<br/>Cut the lifespan of assassins<br/>and traitors in half.<br/>And I trust in you.


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A David psalm, when he was captured by the Philistines in Gath.<br/>Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around,<br/>stomped on every day.


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They gang up,<br/>sneak together through the alleys<br/>To take me by surprise,<br/>wait their chance to get me.


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You've kept track of my every toss and turn<br/>through the sleepless nights,<br/>Each tear entered in your ledger,<br/>each ache written in your book.


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If my enemies run away,<br/>turn tail when I yell at them,<br/>Then I'll know<br/>that God is on my side.


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You pulled me from the brink of death,<br/>my feet from the cliff-edge of doom.<br/>Now I stroll at leisure with God<br/>in the sunlit fields of life.


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A David psalm, when he hid in a cave from Saul.<br/>Be good to me, God—and now!<br/>I've run to you for dear life.<br/>I'm hiding out under your wings<br/>until the hurricane blows over.


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He sends orders from heaven and saves me,<br/>he humiliates those who kick me around.<br/>God delivers generous love,<br/>he makes good on his word.


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I find myself in a pride of lions<br/>who are wild for a taste of human flesh;<br/>Their teeth are lances and arrows,<br/>their tongues are sharp daggers.


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They booby trapped my path;<br/>I thought I was dead and done for.<br/>They dug a mantrap to catch me,<br/>and fell in headlong themselves.


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Let their lives be buckets of water spilled,<br/>all that's left, a damp stain in the sand.<br/>Let them be trampled grass<br/>worn smooth by the traffic.


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The righteous will call up their friends<br/>when they see the wicked get their reward,<br/>Serve up their blood in goblets<br/>as they toast one another,


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Everyone cheering, "It's worth it to play by the rules!<br/>God's handing out trophies and tending the earth!"


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A David psalm, when Saul set a watch on David's house in order to kill him.<br/>My God! Rescue me from my enemies,<br/>defend me from these mutineers.


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Desperadoes have ganged up on me,<br/>they're hiding in ambush for me.<br/>I did nothing to deserve this, God,


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crossed no one, wronged no one.<br/>All the same, they're after me,<br/>determined to get me.<br/>Wake up and see for yourself!


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You're God,<br/>God of angel armies, Israel's God!<br/>Get on the job and take care of these pagans,<br/>don't be soft on these hard cases.


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Then suddenly they're all at the gate,<br/>Snarling invective, drawn daggers in their teeth.<br/>They think they'll never get caught.


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Don't make quick work of them, God,<br/>lest my people forget.<br/>Bring them down in slow motion,<br/>take them apart piece by piece.


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Let all their mean-mouthed arrogance<br/>catch up with them,<br/>Catch them out and bring them down<br/>—every muttered curse<br/>—every barefaced lie.


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Finish them off in fine style!<br/>Finish them off for good!<br/>Then all the world will see<br/>that God rules well in Jacob,<br/>everywhere that God's in charge.


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And me? I'm singing your prowess,<br/>shouting at cockcrow your largesse,<br/>For you've been a safe place for me,<br/>a good place to hide.


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A David psalm, when he fought against Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah and Joab killed twelve thousand Edomites at the Valley of Salt.<br/>God! you walked off and left us,<br/>kicked our defenses to bits<br/>And stalked off angry.<br/>Come back. Oh please, come back!


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You shook earth to the foundations,<br/>ripped open huge crevasses.<br/>Heal the breaks! Everything's<br/>coming apart at the seams.


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That's when God spoke in holy splendor,<br/>"Bursting with joy,<br/>I make a present of Shechem,<br/>I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.


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Gilead's in my pocket,<br/>to say nothing of Manasseh.<br/>Ephraim's my hard hat,<br/>Judah my hammer;


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Moab's a scrub bucket,<br/>I mop the floor with Moab,<br/>Spit on Edom,<br/>rain fireworks all over Philistia."


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When I'm far from anywhere,<br/>down to my last gasp,<br/>I call out, "Guide me<br/>up High Rock Mountain!"


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A David psalm<br/>God, the one and only—<br/>I'll wait as long as he says.<br/>Everything I need comes from him,<br/>so why not?


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He's solid rock under my feet,<br/>breathing room for my soul,<br/>An impregnable castle:<br/>I'm set for life.


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How long will you gang up on me?<br/>How long will you run with the bullies?<br/>There's nothing to you, any of you—<br/>rotten floorboards, worm-eaten rafters,


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Anthills plotting to bring down mountains,<br/>far gone in make-believe.<br/>You talk a good line,<br/>but every "blessing" breathes a curse.


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God, the one and only—<br/>I'll wait as long as he says.<br/>Everything I hope for comes from him,<br/>so why not?


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So trust him absolutely, people;<br/>lay your lives on the line for him.<br/>God is a safe place to be.


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Man as such is smoke,<br/>woman as such, a mirage.<br/>Put them together, they're nothing;<br/>two times nothing is nothing.


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God said this once and for all;<br/>how many times<br/>Have I heard it repeated?<br/>"Strength comes<br/>Straight from God."


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A David psalm, when he was out in the Judean wilderness.<br/>God—you're my God!<br/>I can't get enough of you!<br/>I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God,<br/>traveling across dry and weary deserts.


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But the king is glad in God;<br/>his true friends spread the joy,<br/>While small-minded gossips<br/>are gagged for good.


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A David psalm<br/>Listen and help, O God.<br/>I'm reduced to a whine<br/>And a whimper, obsessed<br/>with feelings of doomsday.


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They keep fit doing calisthenics<br/>of evil purpose,<br/>They keep lists of the traps<br/>they've secretly set.<br/>They say to each other,<br/>"No one can catch us,


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no one can detect our perfect crime."<br/>The Detective detects the mystery<br/>in the dark of the cellar heart.


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You hear the prayer in it all.<br/>We all arrive at your doorstep sooner<br/>or later, loaded with guilt,


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Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest<br/>at home in your place!<br/>We expect our fill of good things<br/>in your house, your heavenly manse.


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Far and wide they'll come to a stop,<br/>they'll stare in awe, in wonder.<br/>Dawn and dusk take turns<br/>calling, "Come and worship."


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Oh, visit the earth,<br/>ask her to join the dance!<br/>Deck her out in spring showers,<br/>fill the God-River with living water.<br/>Paint the wheat fields golden.<br/>Creation was made for this!


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Drench the plowed fields,<br/>soak the dirt clods<br/>With rainfall as harrow and rake<br/>bring her to blossom and fruit.


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Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,<br/>a drape of flax across the valleys.<br/>Let them shout, and shout, and shout!<br/>Oh, oh, let them sing!


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Say of God, "We've never seen anything like him!"<br/>When your enemies see you in action,<br/>they slink off like scolded dogs.


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The whole earth falls to its knees—<br/>it worships you, sings to you,<br/>can't stop enjoying your name and fame.


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He converted sea to dry land;<br/>travelers crossed the river on foot.<br/>Now isn't that cause for a song?


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Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps<br/>his eye on the godless nations.<br/>Rebels don't dare<br/>raise a finger against him.


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Road-tested us inside and out,<br/>took us to hell and back;<br/>Finally he brought us<br/>to this well-watered place.


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The choicest cuts of meat<br/>for the sacrificial meal;<br/>Even the fragrance<br/>of roasted lamb is like a meal!<br/>Or make it an ox<br/>garnished with goat meat!


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Let all far-flung people become happy<br/>and shout their happiness because<br/>You judge them fair and square,<br/>you tend the far-flung peoples.


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Gone like a puff of smoke,<br/>like a blob of wax in the fire—<br/>one look at God and the wicked vanish.


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When the righteous see God in action<br/>they'll laugh, they'll sing,<br/>they'll laugh and sing for joy.


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Sing hymns to God;<br/>all heaven, sing out;<br/>clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.<br/>Enjoy God,<br/>cheer when you see him!


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God makes homes for the homeless,<br/>leads prisoners to freedom,<br/>but leaves rebels to rot in hell.


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Earth shook, sky broke out in a sweat;<br/>God was on the march.<br/>Even Sinai trembled at the sight of God on the move,<br/>at the sight of Israel's God.


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For your people to camp in and enjoy.<br/>You set them up in business;<br/>they went from rags to riches.


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While housewives, safe and sound back home,<br/>divide up the plunder,<br/>the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold.


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All you mountains not chosen,<br/>sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves,<br/>For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on;<br/>he'll rule from this mountain forever.


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The chariots of God, twice ten thousand,<br/>and thousands more besides,<br/>The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai—<br/>straight to the Holy Place!


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You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow,<br/>your arms full of booty from rebels,<br/>And now you sit there in state,<br/>God, sovereign God!


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He's our Savior, our God, oh yes!<br/>He's God-for-us, he's God-who-saves-us.<br/>Lord God knows all<br/>death's ins and outs.


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Look—little Benjamin's out<br/>front and leading<br/>Princes of Judah in their royal robes,<br/>princes of Zebulon, princes of Naphtali.


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Rebuke that old crocodile, Egypt,<br/>with her herd of wild bulls and calves,<br/>Rapacious in her lust for silver,<br/>crushing peoples, spoiling for a fight.


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There he is: Sky-Rider,<br/>striding the ancient skies.<br/>Listen—he's calling in thunder,<br/>rumbling, rolling thunder.


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Call out "Bravo!" to God,<br/>the High God of Israel.<br/>His splendor and strength<br/>rise huge as thunderheads.


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A terrible beauty, O God,<br/>streams from your sanctuary.<br/>It's Israel's strong God! He gives<br/>power and might to his people!<br/>O you, his people—bless God!


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I've got more enemies than hairs on my head;<br/>Sneaks and liars are out to knife me in the back.<br/>What I never stole<br/>Must I now give back?


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Don't let those who look to you in hope<br/>Be discouraged by what happens to me,<br/>Dear Lord! God of the armies!<br/>Don't let those out looking for you<br/>Come to a dead end by following me—<br/>Please, dear God of Israel!


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I love you more than I can say.<br/>Because I'm madly in love with you,<br/>They blame me for everything they dislike about you.


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And me? I pray.<br/>God, it's time for a break!<br/>God, answer in love!<br/>Answer with your sure salvation!


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Rescue me from the swamp,<br/>Don't let me go under for good,<br/>Pull me out of the clutch of the enemy;<br/>This whirlpool is sucking me down.


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I'm broken by their taunts,<br/>Flat on my face, reduced to a nothing.<br/>I looked in vain for one friendly face. Not one.<br/>I couldn't find one shoulder to cry on.


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Let their supper be bait in a trap that snaps shut;<br/>May their best friends be trappers who'll skin them alive.


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Strike their names from the list of the living;<br/>No rock-carved honor for them among the righteous.


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For God is out to help Zion,<br/>Rebuilding the wrecked towns of Judah.<br/>Guess who will live there—<br/>The proud owners of the land?


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Those who are out to get me—<br/>let them fall all over themselves.<br/>Those who relish my downfall—<br/>send them down a blind alley.


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Let those on the hunt for you<br/>sing and celebrate.<br/>Let all who love your saving way<br/>say over and over, "God is mighty!"


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But I've lost it. I'm wasted.<br/>God—quickly, quickly!<br/>Quick to my side, quick to my rescue!<br/>God, don't lose a minute.


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Do what you do so well:<br/>get me out of this mess and up on my feet.<br/>Put your ear to the ground and listen,<br/>give me space for salvation.


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Be a guest room where I can retreat;<br/>you said your door was always open!<br/>You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.


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I've hung on you from the day of my birth,<br/>the day you took me from the cradle;<br/>I'll never run out of praise.


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But don't turn me out to pasture when I'm old<br/>or put me on the shelf when I can't pull my weight.


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I'll write the book on your righteousness,<br/>talk up your salvation the livelong day,<br/>never run out of good things to write or say.


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You got me when I was an unformed youth,<br/>God, and taught me everything I know.<br/>Now I'm telling the world your wonders;


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I'll keep at it until I'm old and gray.<br/>God, don't walk off and leave me<br/>until I get out the news<br/>Of your strong right arm to this world,<br/>news of your power to the world yet to come,


text:
You, who made me stare trouble in the face,<br/>Turn me around;<br/>Now let me look life in the face.<br/>I've been to the bottom;<br/>Bring me up,


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And I'll take up the lute and thank you<br/>to the tune of your faithfulness, God.<br/>I'll make music for you on a harp,<br/>Holy One of Israel.


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All day long I'm chanting<br/>about you and your righteous ways,<br/>While those who tried to do me in<br/>slink off looking ashamed.


text:
A Solomon psalm<br/>Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God,<br/>the gift of just rule to the crown prince.


text:
Please stand up for the poor,<br/>help the children of the needy,<br/>come down hard on the cruel tyrants.


text:
Kings remote and legendary will pay homage,<br/>kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth.


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And live! Oh, let him live!<br/>Deck him out in Sheba gold.<br/>Offer prayers unceasing to him,<br/>bless him from morning to night.


text:
Fields of golden grain in the land,<br/>cresting the mountains in wild exuberance,<br/>Cornucopias of praise, praises<br/>springing from the city like grass from the earth.


text:
May he never be forgotten,<br/>his fame shine on like sunshine.<br/>May all godless people enter his circle of blessing<br/>and bless the One who blessed them.


text:
An Asaph psalm<br/>No doubt about it! God is good—<br/>good to good people, good to the good-hearted.


text:
People actually listen to them—can you believe it?<br/>Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.


text:
But I'm in the very presence of God—<br/>oh, how refreshing it is!<br/>I've made Lord God my home.<br/>God, I'm telling the world what you do!


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An Asaph psalm<br/>You walked off and left us, and never looked back.<br/>God, how could you do that?<br/>We're your very own sheep;<br/>how can you stomp off in anger?


text:
Refresh your memory of us—you bought us a long time ago.<br/>Your most precious tribe—you paid a good price for us!<br/>Your very own Mount Zion—you actually lived here once!


text:
There's not a sign or symbol of God in sight,<br/>nor anyone to speak in his name,<br/>no one who knows what's going on.


text:
Why don't you do something? How long are you going<br/>to sit there with your hands folded in your lap?


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On your feet, O God—<br/>stand up for yourself!<br/>Do you hear what they're saying about you,<br/>all the vile obscenities?


text:
An Asaph psalm<br/>We thank you, God, we thank you—<br/>your Name is our favorite word;<br/>your mighty works are all we talk about.


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When the earth goes topsy-turvy<br/>And nobody knows which end is up,<br/>I nail it all down,<br/>I put everything in place again.


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God has a cup in his hand,<br/>a bowl of wine, full to the brim.<br/>He draws from it and pours;<br/>it's drained to the dregs.<br/>Earth's wicked ones drink it all,<br/>drink it down to the last bitter drop!


text:
The fists of the wicked<br/>are bloody stumps,<br/>The arms of the righteous<br/>are lofty green branches.


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The warriors were plundered<br/>and left there impotent.<br/>And now there's nothing to them,<br/>nothing to show for their swagger and threats.


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Do for God what you said you'd do—<br/>he is, after all, your God.<br/>Let everyone in town bring offerings<br/>to the One Who Watches our every move.


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An Asaph psalm<br/>I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might,<br/>I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.


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I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord;<br/>my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal.<br/>When friends said, "Everything will turn out all right,"<br/>I didn't believe a word they said.


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You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble,<br/>rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph.


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Ocean saw you in action, God,<br/>saw you and trembled with fear;<br/>Deep Ocean was scared to death.


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Clouds belched buckets of rain,<br/>Sky exploded with thunder,<br/>your arrows flashing this way and that.


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From Whirlwind came your thundering voice,<br/>Lightning exposed the world,<br/>Earth reeled and rocked.


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You strode right through Ocean,<br/>walked straight through roaring Ocean,<br/>but nobody saw you come or go.


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We're not keeping this to ourselves,<br/>we're passing it along to the next generation—<br/>God's fame and fortune,<br/>the marvelous things he has done.


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He planted a witness in Jacob,<br/>set his Word firmly in Israel,<br/>Then commanded our parents<br/>to teach it to their children


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So the next generation would know,<br/>and all the generations to come—<br/>Know the truth and tell the stories<br/>so their children


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Heaven forbid they should be like their parents,<br/>bullheaded and bad,<br/>A fickle and faithless bunch<br/>who never stayed true to God.


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He split the Sea and they walked right through it;<br/>he piled the waters to the right and the left.


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Sure, he struck the rock and the water flowed,<br/>creeks cascaded from the rock.<br/>But how about some fresh-baked bread?<br/>How about a nice cut of meat?"


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When God heard that, he was furious—<br/>his anger flared against Jacob,<br/>he lost his temper with Israel.


text:
But God helped them anyway, commanded the clouds<br/>and gave orders that opened the gates of heaven.


text:
Finally, God was fed up, his anger erupted—<br/>he cut down their brightest and best,<br/>he laid low Israel's finest young men.


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And—can you believe it?—they kept right on sinning;<br/>all those wonders and they still wouldn't believe!


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And God? Compassionate!<br/>Forgave the sin! Didn't destroy!<br/>Over and over he reined in his anger,<br/>restrained his considerable wrath.


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to clear the ground, preparing the way before him.<br/>He didn't spare those people,<br/>he let the plague rage through their lives.


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He took good care of them; they had nothing to fear.<br/>The Sea took care of their enemies for good.


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He scattered everyone who got in their way;<br/>he staked out an inheritance for them—<br/>the tribes of Israel all had their own places.


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But they kept on giving him a hard time,<br/>rebelled against God, the High God,<br/>refused to do anything he told them.


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Suddenly the Lord was up on his feet<br/>like someone roused from deep sleep,<br/>shouting like a drunken warrior.


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One day he was caring for the ewes and their lambs,<br/>the next day God had him shepherding Jacob,<br/>his people Israel, his prize possession.


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An Asaph psalm<br/>God! Barbarians have broken into your home,<br/>violated your holy temple,<br/>left Jerusalem a pile of rubble!


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They've served up the corpses of your servants<br/>as carrion food for birds of prey,<br/>Threw the bones of your holy people<br/>out to the wild animals to gnaw on.


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They dumped out their blood<br/>like buckets of water.<br/>All around Jerusalem, their bodies<br/>were left to rot, unburied.


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How long do we have to put up with this, God?<br/>Do you have it in for us for good?<br/>Will your smoldering rage never cool down?


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If you're going to be angry, be angry<br/>with the pagans who care nothing about you,<br/>or your rival kingdoms who ignore you.


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You're famous for helping; God, give us a break.<br/>Your reputation is on the line.<br/>Pull us out of this mess, forgive us our sins—<br/>do what you're famous for doing!


text:
Don't let the heathen get by with their sneers:<br/>"Where's your God? Is he out to lunch?"<br/>Go public and show the godless world<br/>that they can't kill your servants and get by with it.


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Give our jeering neighbors what they've got coming to them;<br/>let their God-taunts boomerang and knock them flat.


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Then we, your people, the ones you love and care for,<br/>will thank you over and over and over.<br/>We'll tell everyone we meet<br/>how wonderful you are, how praiseworthy you are!


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An Asaph psalm<br/>Listen, Shepherd, Israel's Shepherd—<br/>get all your Joseph sheep together.<br/>Throw beams of light<br/>from your dazzling throne


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So Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh<br/>can see where they're going.<br/>Get out of bed—you've slept long enough!<br/>Come on the run before it's too late.


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God, God of the angel armies,<br/>how long will you smolder like a sleeping volcano<br/>while your people call for fire and brimstone?


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Remember how you brought a young vine from Egypt,<br/>cleared out the brambles and briers<br/>and planted your very own vineyard?


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God of the angel armies, turn our way!<br/>Take a good look at what's happened<br/>and attend to this vine.


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God, God of the angel armies, come back!<br/>Smile your blessing smile:<br/>That will be our salvation.


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He commanded Joseph to keep this day<br/>so we'd never forget what he did in Egypt.<br/>I hear this most gentle whisper from One<br/>I never guessed would speak to me:


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You called to me in your pain;<br/>I got you out of a bad place.<br/>I answered you from where the thunder hides,<br/>I proved you at Meribah Fountain.


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I'm God, your God, the very God<br/>who rescued you from doom in Egypt,<br/>Then fed you all you could eat,<br/>filled your hungry stomachs.


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Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges!<br/>They haven't a clue to what's going on.<br/>And now everything's falling apart,<br/>the world's coming unglued.


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"Let's wipe this nation from the face of the earth,"<br/>they say; "scratch Israel's name off the books."


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Cut down their leaders as you did Oreb and Zeeb,<br/>their princes to nothings like Zebah and Zalmunna,


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A Korah psalm<br/>What a beautiful home, God of the Angel Armies!<br/>I've always longed to live in a place like this,


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Birds find nooks and crannies in your house,<br/>sparrows and swallows make nests there.<br/>They lay their eggs and raise their young,<br/>singing their songs in the place where we worship.<br/>God of the Angel Armies! King! God!


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They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,<br/>discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!


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One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship,<br/>beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.<br/>I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God<br/>than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.


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All sunshine and sovereign is God,<br/>generous in gifts and glory.<br/>He doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions.


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I can't wait to hear what he'll say.<br/>God's about to pronounce his people well,<br/>The holy people he loves so much,<br/>so they'll never again live like fools.


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All the nations you made are on their way,<br/>ready to give honor to you, O Lord,<br/>Ready to put your beauty on display,


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parading your greatness,<br/>And the great things you do—<br/>God, you're the one, there's no one but you!


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Train me, God, to walk straight;<br/>then I'll follow your true path.<br/>Put me together, one heart and mind;<br/>then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear.


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God, these bullies have reared their heads!<br/>A gang of thugs is after me—<br/>and they don't care a thing about you.


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But you, O God, are both tender and kind,<br/>not easily angered, immense in love,<br/>and you never, never quit.


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So look me in the eye and show kindness,<br/>give your servant the strength to go on,<br/>save your dear, dear child!


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Make a show of how much you love me<br/>so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,<br/>As you, God, gently and powerfully<br/>put me back on my feet.


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and oh, how God loves his home!<br/>Loves it far better than all<br/>the homes of Jacob put together!


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I name them off, those among whom I'm famous:<br/>Egypt and Babylon,<br/>also Philistia,<br/>even Tyre, along with Cush.<br/>Word's getting around; they point them out:<br/>"This one was born again here!"


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God registers their names in his book:<br/>"This one, this one, and this one—<br/>born again, right here."


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A Korah prayer of Heman<br/>God, you're my last chance of the day.<br/>I spend the night on my knees before you.


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Abandoned as already dead,<br/>one more body in a stack of corpses,<br/>And not so much as a gravestone—<br/>I'm a black hole in oblivion.


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You turned my friends against me,<br/>made me horrible to them.<br/>I'm caught in a maze and can't find my way out,


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blinded by tears of pain and frustration.<br/>I call to you, God; all day I call.<br/>I wring my hands, I plead for help.


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Does your love make any difference in a graveyard?<br/>Is your faithful presence noticed in the corridors of hell?


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Are your marvelous wonders ever seen in the dark,<br/>your righteous ways noticed in the Land of No Memory?


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I'm standing my ground, God, shouting for help,<br/>at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak.


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For as long as I remember I've been hurting;<br/>I've taken the worst you can hand out, and I've had it.


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An Ethan prayer<br/>Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it!<br/>I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are.


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I'll never quit telling the story of your love—<br/>how you built the cosmos<br/>and guaranteed everything in it.<br/>Your love has always been our lives' foundation,<br/>your fidelity has been the roof over our world.


text:
You once said, "I joined forces with my chosen leader,<br/>I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,


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'Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;<br/>I'll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.' "


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God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways,<br/>the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!


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You gave that old hag Egypt the back of your hand,<br/>you brushed off your enemies with a flick of your wrist.


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Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,<br/>who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.


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Delighted, they dance all day long; they know<br/>who you are, what you do—they can't keep it quiet!


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A long time ago you spoke in a vision,<br/>you spoke to your faithful beloved:<br/>"I've crowned a hero,<br/>I chose the best I could find;


text:
long before the mountains were born,<br/>Long before you brought earth itself to birth,<br/>from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come"—you are God.


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Patience! You've got all the time in the world—whether<br/>a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you.


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We live for seventy years or so<br/>(with luck we might make it to eighty),<br/>And what do we have to show for it? Trouble.<br/>Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.


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Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—<br/>and treat your servants with kindness for a change.


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And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,<br/>confirming the work that we do.<br/>Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!


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His huge outstretched arms protect you—<br/>under them you're perfectly safe;<br/>his arms fend off all harm.


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Even though others succumb all around,<br/>drop like flies right and left,<br/>no harm will even graze you.


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"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,<br/>"I'll get you out of any trouble.<br/>I'll give you the best of care<br/>if you'll only get to know and trust me.


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A Sabbath song<br/>What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks,<br/>to sing an anthem to you, the High God!


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When the wicked popped up like weeds<br/>and all the evil men and women took over,<br/>You mowed them down,<br/>finished them off once and for all.


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Look at your enemies, God!<br/>Look at your enemies—ruined!<br/>Scattered to the winds, all those hirelings of evil!


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The sight of my critics going down is still fresh,<br/>the rout of my malicious detractors.<br/>My ears are filled with the sounds of promise:


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God is King, robed and ruling,<br/>God is robed and surging with strength.<br/>And yes, the world is firm, immovable,


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Stronger than wild sea storms,<br/>Mightier than sea-storm breakers,<br/>Mighty God rules from High Heaven.


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What you say goes—it always has.<br/>"Beauty" and "Holy" mark your palace rule,<br/>God, to the very end of time.


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Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,<br/>while a jail is being built for the wicked.


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Then boomeranged their evil back on them:<br/>for their evil ways he wiped them out,<br/>our God cleaned them out for good.


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Oh yes, he's our God,<br/>and we're the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.<br/>Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:


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For forty years they watched me at work among them,<br/>as over and over they tried my patience.<br/>And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!<br/>'Can't they keep their minds on God for five minutes?<br/>Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?'


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Exasperated, I exploded,<br/>'They'll never get where they're headed,<br/>never be able to sit down and rest.' "


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For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.<br/>His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;


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Bravo, God, Bravo!<br/>Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!<br/>In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.


text:
Get out the message—God Rules!<br/>He put the world on a firm foundation;<br/>He treats everyone fair and square.


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Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,<br/>Animals, come dance,<br/>Put every tree of the forest in the choir—


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An extravaganza before God as he comes,<br/>As he comes to set everything right on earth,<br/>Set everything right, treat everyone fair.


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All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—<br/>And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!<br/>On your knees, all you gods—worship him!


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And Zion, you listen and take heart!<br/>Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:<br/>God has done it all, has set everything right.


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God loves all who hate evil,<br/>And those who love him he keeps safe,<br/>Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.


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Sing to God a brand-new song.<br/>He's made a world of wonders!<br/>He rolled up his sleeves,<br/>He set things right.


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He remembered to love us, a bonus<br/>To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.<br/>The whole earth comes to attention.<br/>Look—God's work of salvation!


text:
A tribute to God when he comes,<br/>When he comes to set the earth right.<br/>He'll straighten out the whole world,<br/>He'll put the world right, and everyone in it.


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Strong King, lover of justice,<br/>You laid things out fair and square;<br/>You set down the foundations in Jacob,<br/>Foundation stones of just and right ways.


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Moses and Aaron were his priests,<br/>Samuel among those who prayed to him.<br/>They prayed to God and he answered them;


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Know this: God is God, and God, God.<br/>He made us; we didn't make him.<br/>We're his people, his well-tended sheep.


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Enter with the password: "Thank you!"<br/>Make yourselves at home, talking praise.<br/>Thank him. Worship him.


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A David psalm<br/>My theme song is God's love and justice,<br/>and I'm singing it right to you, God.


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I'm finding my way down the road of right living,<br/>but how long before you show up?<br/>I'm doing the very best I can,<br/>and I'm doing it at home, where it counts.


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I refuse to take a second look<br/>at corrupting people and degrading things.<br/>I reject made-in-Canaan gods,<br/>stay clear of contamination.


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But I have my eye on salt-of-the-earth people—<br/>they're the ones I want working with me;<br/>Men and women on the straight and narrow—<br/>these are the ones I want at my side.


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But no one who traffics in lies<br/>gets a job with me; I have no patience with liars.<br/>I've rounded up all the wicked like cattle<br/>and herded them right out of the country.


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A prayer of one whose life is falling to pieces, and who lets God know just how bad it is.<br/>God, listen! Listen to my prayer,<br/>listen to the pain in my cries.


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Don't turn your back on me<br/>just when I need you so desperately.<br/>Pay attention! This is a cry for help!<br/>And hurry—this can't wait!


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"Oh, don't," I prayed, "please don't let me die.<br/>You have more years than you know what to do with!


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You'll still be around when they're long gone,<br/>threadbare and discarded like an old suit of clothes.<br/>You'll throw them away like a worn-out coat,


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Your servants' children will have a good place to live<br/>and their children will be at home with you."


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He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.<br/>He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.


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God's love, though, is ever and always,<br/>eternally present to all who fear him,<br/>Making everything right for them and their children


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So bless God, you angels,<br/>ready and able to fly at his bidding,<br/>quick to hear and do what he says.


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Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—<br/>everything and everyone made by God.<br/>And you, O my soul, bless God!


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You built your palace on the ocean deeps,<br/>made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.


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You make grass grow for the livestock,<br/>hay for the animals that plow the ground.<br/>Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,


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What a wildly wonderful world, God!<br/>You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,<br/>made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.


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Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,<br/>brimming with fish past counting,<br/>sardines and sharks and salmon.


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If you turned your back,<br/>they'd die in a minute—<br/>Take back your Spirit and they die,<br/>revert to original mud;


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He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,<br/>points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.


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And he remembers, remembers his Covenant—<br/>for a thousand generations he's been as good as his word.


text:
God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day<br/>and a fire to light their way through the night;


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Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy;<br/>his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!


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So they could do everything he told them—<br/>could follow his instructions to the letter.<br/>Hallelujah!


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You're one happy man when you do what's right,<br/>one happy woman when you form the habit of justice.


text:
I want to see your chosen succeed,<br/>celebrate with your celebrating nation,<br/>join the Hallelujahs of your pride and joy!


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After our parents left Egypt,<br/>they took your wonders for granted,<br/>forgot your great and wonderful love.<br/>They were barely beyond the Red Sea<br/>when they defied the High God


text:
He rebuked the Red Sea so that it dried up on the spot<br/>—he paraded them right through!<br/>—no one so much as got wet feet!


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They only cared about pleasing themselves in that desert,<br/>provoked God with their insistent demands.


text:
Who created a world of wonders in the Land of Ham,<br/>who gave that stunning performance at the Red Sea.


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Fed up, God decided to get rid of them—<br/>and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have.<br/>But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger,<br/>prevented it from destroying them utterly.


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They slit the throats of their babies,<br/>murdered their infant girls and boys.<br/>They offered their babies to Canaan's gods;<br/>the blood of their babies stained the land.


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Over and over God rescued them, but they never learned—<br/>until finally their sins destroyed them.


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Save us, God, our God!<br/>Gather us back out of exile<br/>So we can give thanks to your holy name<br/>and join in the glory when you are praised!


text:
Blessed be God, Israel's God!<br/>Bless now, bless always!<br/>Oh! Let everyone say Amen!<br/>Hallelujah!


text:
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;<br/>the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.


text:
Some of you were sick because you'd lived a bad life,<br/>your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;


text:
A David prayer<br/>I'm ready, God, so ready,<br/>ready from head to toe.<br/>Ready to sing,<br/>ready to raise a God-song:


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That's when God spoke in holy splendor:<br/>"Brimming over with joy,<br/>I make a present of Shechem,<br/>I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.


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Gilead's in my pocket,<br/>to say nothing of Manasseh.<br/>Ephraim's my hard hat,<br/>Judah my hammer.


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Moab's a scrub bucket—<br/>I mop the floor with Moab,<br/>Spit on Edom,<br/>rain fireworks all over Philistia."


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Liars are pouring out invective on me;<br/>Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,


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That's all he deserves since he was never once kind,<br/>hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.


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Since he loved cursing so much,<br/>let curses rain down;<br/>Since he had no taste for blessing,<br/>let blessings flee far from him.


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Oh, God, my Lord, step in;<br/>work a miracle for me—you can do it!<br/>Get me out of here—your love is so great!—


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Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up,<br/>followed by cheers for me, your servant.<br/>Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame,<br/>discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes.


text:
A David prayer<br/>The word of God to my Lord:<br/>"Sit alongside me here on my throne<br/>until I make your enemies a stool for your feet."


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Your people will freely join you, resplendent in holy armor<br/>on the great day of your conquest,<br/>Join you at the fresh break of day,<br/>join you with all the vigor of youth.


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God gave his word and he won't take it back:<br/>you're the permanent priest, the Melchizedek priest.


text:
Bringing judgment on the nations,<br/>handing out convictions wholesale,<br/>crushing opposition across the wide earth.


text:
Hallelujah!<br/>I give thanks to God with everything I've got—<br/>Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.


text:
He proved to his people that he could do what he said:<br/>Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!


text:
He paid the ransom for his people,<br/>He ordered his Covenant kept forever.<br/>He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.


text:
The good life begins in the fear of God—<br/>Do that and you'll know the blessing of God.<br/>His Hallelujah lasts forever!


text:
Hallelujah!<br/>Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,<br/>Who cherish and relish his commandments,


text:
They lavish gifts on the poor—<br/>A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.<br/>An honored life! A beautiful life!


text:
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,<br/>Blusters away but ends up speechless.<br/>There's nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.


text:
He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,<br/>rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash,


text:
What's wrong with you, Sea, that you ran away?<br/>and you, River Jordan, that you turned and ran off?


text:
Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake,<br/>but for your name's sake, show your glory.<br/>Do it on account of your merciful love,<br/>do it on account of your faithful ways.


text:
Death stared me in the face,<br/>hell was hard on my heels.<br/>Up against it, I didn't know which way to turn;


text:
Soul, you've been rescued from death;<br/>Eye, you've been rescued from tears;<br/>And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling."


text:
Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in;<br/>in God's name I rubbed their faces in the dirt.


text:
Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs<br/>in the camp of the saved?<br/>"The hand of God has turned the tide!


text:
God is God,<br/>he has bathed us in light.<br/>Festoon the shrine with garlands,<br/>hang colored banners above the altar!


text:
Be generous with me and I'll live a full life;<br/>not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road.


text:
The wicked hemmed me in—there was no way out—<br/>but not for a minute did I forget your plan for me.


text:
I get up in the middle of the night to thank you;<br/>your decisions are so right, so true—I can't wait till morning!


text:
Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place,<br/>but now I'm in step with your Word.


text:
With your very own hands you formed me;<br/>now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you.


text:
I can see now, God, that your decisions are right;<br/>your testing has taught me what's true and right.


text:
Let the fast-talking tricksters be exposed as frauds;<br/>they tried to sell me a bill of goods,<br/>but I kept my mind fixed on your counsel.


text:
My eyes grow heavy watching for some sign of your promise;<br/>how long must I wait for your comfort?


text:
There's smoke in my eyes—they burn and water,<br/>but I keep a steady gaze on the instructions you post.


text:
I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil<br/>so I can spend all my time keeping your Word.


text:
I can't keep my eyes open any longer, waiting for you<br/>to keep your promise to set everything right.


text:
The way you tell me to live is always right;<br/>help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.


text:
As those out to get me come closer and closer,<br/>they go farther and farther from the truth you reveal;


text:
"Salvation" is only gibberish to the wicked<br/>because they've never looked it up in your dictionary.


text:
I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing;<br/>they walked away from your promises so casually!


text:
Let my cry come right into your presence, God;<br/>provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word.


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A pilgrim song of David<br/>When they said, "Let's go to the house of God,"<br/>my heart leaped for joy.


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The city to which the tribes ascend,<br/>all God's tribes go up to worship,<br/>To give thanks to the name of God—<br/>this is what it means to be Israel.


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Like servants, alert to their master's commands,<br/>like a maiden attending her lady,<br/>We're watching and waiting, holding our breath,<br/>awaiting your word of mercy.


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Oh, blessed be God!<br/>He didn't go off and leave us.<br/>He didn't abandon us defenseless,<br/>helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.


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We've flown free from their fangs,<br/>free of their traps, free as a bird.<br/>Their grip is broken;<br/>we're free as a bird in flight.


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A pilgrim song<br/>Those who trust in God<br/>are like Zion Mountain:<br/>Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain<br/>you can always depend on.


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The fist of the wicked<br/>will never violate<br/>What is due the righteous,<br/>provoking wrongful violence.


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A pilgrim song<br/>It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,<br/>when God returned Zion's exiles.


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We laughed, we sang,<br/>we couldn't believe our good fortune.<br/>We were the talk of the nations—<br/>"God was wonderful to them!"


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A pilgrim song of Solomon<br/>If God doesn't build the house,<br/>the builders only build shacks.<br/>If God doesn't guard the city,<br/>the night watchman might as well nap.


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It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,<br/>and work your worried fingers to the bone.<br/>Don't you know he enjoys<br/>giving rest to those he loves?


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Oh, how blessed are you parents,<br/>with your quivers full of children!<br/>Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;<br/>you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.


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A pilgrim song<br/>All you who fear God,how blessed you are!<br/>how happily you walk on his smooth straight road!


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Your wife will bear children as a vine bears grapes,<br/>your household lush as a vineyard,<br/>The children around your table<br/>as fresh and promising as young olive shoots.


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A pilgrim song<br/>"They've kicked me around ever since I was young"<br/>—this is how Israel tells it—


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Before the neighbors have a chance to call out,<br/>"Congratulations on your wonderful crop!<br/>We bless you in God's name!"


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A pilgrim song<br/>Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life!<br/>Master, hear my cry for help!


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My life's on the line before God, my Lord,<br/>waiting and watching till morning,<br/>waiting and watching till morning.


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O Israel, wait and watch for God—<br/>with God's arrival comes love,<br/>with God's arrival comes generous redemption.


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A pilgrim song<br/>God, I'm not trying to rule the roost,<br/>I don't want to be king of the mountain.<br/>I haven't meddled where I have no business<br/>or fantasized grandiose plans.


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I've kept my feet on the ground,<br/>I've cultivated a quiet heart.<br/>Like a baby content in its mother's arms,<br/>my soul is a baby content.


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God gave David his word,<br/>he won't back out on this promise:<br/>"One of your sons<br/>I will set on your throne;


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If your sons stay true to my Covenant<br/>and learn to live the way I teach them,<br/>Their sons will continue the line—<br/>always a son to sit on your throne.


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I'll shower blessings on the pilgrims who come here,<br/>and give supper to those who arrive hungry;


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It's like costly anointing oil<br/>flowing down head and beard,<br/>Flowing down Aaron's beard,<br/>flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.


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It's like the dew on Mount Hermon<br/>flowing down the slopes of Zion.<br/>Yes, that's where God commands the blessing,<br/>ordains eternal life.


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A pilgrim song<br/>Come, bless God,<br/>all you servants of God!<br/>You priests of God, posted to the nightwatch<br/>in God's shrine,


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Alongside Babylon's rivers<br/>we sat on the banks; we cried and cried,<br/>remembering the good old days in Zion.


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That's where our captors demanded songs,<br/>sarcastic and mocking:<br/>"Sing us a happy Zion song!"


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Let my tongue swell and turn black<br/>if I fail to remember you,<br/>If I fail, O dear Jerusalem,<br/>to honor you as my greatest.


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God, remember those Edomites,<br/>and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,<br/>That day they yelled out,<br/>"Wreck it, smash it to bits!"


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And you, Babylonians—ravagers!<br/>A reward to whoever gets back at you<br/>for all you've done to us;


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A David psalm<br/>Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!"<br/>Angels listen as I sing my thanks.


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I kneel in worship facing your holy temple<br/>and say it again: "Thank you!"<br/>Thank you for your love,<br/>thank you for your faithfulness;<br/>Most holy is your name,<br/>most holy is your Word.


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And here's why: God, high above, sees far below;<br/>no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.


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When I walk into the thick of trouble,<br/>keep me alive in the angry turmoil.<br/>With one hand<br/>strike my foes,<br/>With your other hand<br/>save me.


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I look behind me and you're there,<br/>then up ahead and you're there, too—<br/>your reassuring presence, coming and going.


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It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;<br/>night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.


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I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!<br/>Body and soul, I am marvelously made!<br/>I worship in adoration—what a creation!


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You know me inside and out,<br/>you know every bone in my body;<br/>You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,<br/>how I was sculpted from nothing into something.


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Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;<br/>all the stages of my life were spread out before you,<br/>The days of my life all prepared<br/>before I'd even lived one day.


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I couldn't even begin to count them—<br/>any more than I could count the sand of the sea.<br/>Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!


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Investigate my life, O God,<br/>find out everything about me;<br/>Cross-examine and test me,<br/>get a clear picture of what I'm about;


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A David psalm<br/>God, get me out of here, away from this evil;<br/>protect me from these vicious people.


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Stuffed with self-importance, they plot ways to trip me up,<br/>determined to bring me down.<br/>These crooks invent traps to catch me<br/>and do their best to incriminate me.


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These loudmouths—<br/>don't let them be taken seriously;<br/>These savages—<br/>let the Devil hunt them down!


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And I know that the righteous personally thank you,<br/>that good people are secure in your presence.


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Don't let me so much as dream of evil<br/>or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.<br/>And these people who only do wrong—<br/>don't let them lure me with their sweet talk!


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May the Just One set me straight,<br/>may the Kind One correct me,<br/>Don't let sin anoint my head.<br/>I'm praying hard against their evil ways!


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But God, dear Lord,<br/>I only have eyes for you.<br/>Since I've run for dear life to you,<br/>take good care of me.


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A David prayer—when he was in the cave.<br/>I cry out loudly to God,<br/>loudly I plead with God for mercy.


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"As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away,<br/>you know how I'm feeling,<br/>Know the danger I'm in,<br/>the traps hidden in my path.


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Look right, look left—<br/>there's not a soul who cares what happens!<br/>I'm up against it, with no exit—<br/>bereft, left alone.


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Oh listen, please listen;<br/>I've never been this low.<br/>Rescue me from those who are hunting me down;<br/>I'm no match for them.


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Get me out of this dungeon<br/>so I can thank you in public.<br/>Your people will form a circle around me<br/>and you'll bring me showers of blessing!"


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A David psalm<br/>Listen to this prayer of mine, God;<br/>pay attention to what I'm asking.<br/>Answer me—you're famous for your answers!<br/>Do what's right for me.


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The enemy hunted me down;<br/>he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.<br/>He put me in a black hole,<br/>buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.


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Hurry with your answer, God!<br/>I'm nearly at the end of my rope.<br/>Don't turn away; don't ignore me!<br/>That would be certain death.


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If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,<br/>I'll go to sleep each night trusting in you.<br/>Point out the road I must travel;<br/>I'm all ears, all eyes before you.


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Teach me how to live to please you,<br/>because you're my God.<br/>Lead me by your blessed Spirit<br/>into cleared and level pastureland.


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In your great love, vanquish my enemies;<br/>make a clean sweep of those who harass me.<br/>And why? Because I'm your servant.


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He's the bedrock on which I stand,<br/>the castle in which I live,<br/>my rescuing knight,<br/>The high crag where I run for dear life,<br/>while he lays my enemies low.


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Reach all the way from sky to sea:<br/>pull me out of the ocean of hate,<br/>out of the grip of those barbarians


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Rescue me from the enemy sword,<br/>release me from the grip of those barbarians<br/>Who lie through their teeth,<br/>who shake your hand<br/>then knife you in the back.


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Make our sons in their prime<br/>like sturdy oak trees,<br/>Our daughters as shapely and bright<br/>as fields of wildflowers.


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David's praise<br/>I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King!<br/>and I'll bless your name into eternity.


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Generation after generation stands in awe of your work;<br/>each one tells stories of your mighty acts.


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Your marvelous doings are headline news;<br/>I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.


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your holy people bless you.<br/>They talk about the glories of your rule,<br/>they exclaim over your splendor,


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Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;<br/>you never get voted out of office.<br/>God always does what he says,<br/>and is gracious in everything he does.


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My mouth is filled with God's praise.<br/>Let everything living bless him,<br/>bless his holy name from now to eternity!


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protects strangers,<br/>takes the side of orphans and widows,<br/>but makes short work of the wicked.


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Hallelujah!<br/>It's a good thing to sing praise to our God;<br/>praise is beautiful, praise is fitting.


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Who fills the sky with clouds,<br/>preparing rain for the earth,<br/>Then turning the mountains green with grass,


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Let them praise the name of God—<br/>it's the only Name worth praising.<br/>His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;


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he's built a monument—his very own people!<br/>Praise from all who love God!<br/>Israel's children, intimate friends of God.<br/>Hallelujah!


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The judgment on them carried out to the letter<br/>—and all who love God in the seat of honor!<br/>Hallelujah!


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Written down so we'll know how to live well and right,<br/>to understand what life means and where it's going;


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still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—<br/>Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,<br/>the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.


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Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;<br/>only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.


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Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you;<br/>never forget what you learned at your mother's knee.


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"Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance?<br/>Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism?<br/>Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?


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About face! I can revise your life.<br/>Look, I'm ready to pour out my spirit on you;<br/>I'm ready to tell you all I know.


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As it is, I've called, but you've turned a deaf ear;<br/>I've reached out to you, but you've ignored me.


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What if the roof falls in,<br/>and your whole life goes to pieces?<br/>What if catastrophe strikes and there's nothing<br/>to show for your life but rubble and ashes?


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You'll need me then. You'll call for me, but don't expect an answer.<br/>No matter how hard you look, you won't find me.


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Don't you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots?<br/>Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.


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Good friend, take to heart what I'm telling you;<br/>collect my counsels and guard them with your life.


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Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours;<br/>you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God.


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He's a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well,<br/>a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.


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He keeps his eye on all who live honestly,<br/>and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.


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Who's faithless to the husband she married years ago,<br/>never gave a second thought to her promises before God.


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It's the men who walk straight who will settle this land,<br/>the women with integrity who will last here.


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Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.<br/>Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.


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Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;<br/>he's the one who will keep you on track.


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Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;<br/>nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.


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They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,<br/>and dew to descend from the night skies.


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Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;<br/>don't for a minute lose sight of them.


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No need to panic over alarms or surprises,<br/>or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner,


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Don't tell your neighbor, "Maybe some other time,"<br/>or, "Try me tomorrow,"<br/>when the money's right there in your pocket.


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Don't figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor<br/>when he's sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.


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"Why not?" you say. Because God can't stand twisted souls.<br/>It's the straightforward who get his respect.


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He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,<br/>but if you're down on your luck, he's right there to help.


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Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!<br/>Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch!


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Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!<br/>Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!


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Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it;<br/>never let her go—she'll make your life glorious.


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Evil people are restless<br/>unless they're making trouble;<br/>They can't get a good night's sleep<br/>unless they've made life miserable for somebody.


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But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—<br/>travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.


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But it won't be long before she's gravel in your mouth,<br/>a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.


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She's dancing down the primrose path to Death;<br/>she's headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.


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You don't want to squander your wonderful life,<br/>to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.


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Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?<br/>Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?


