# verses

text:
Each of the two groups of rooms at the top was on a wide wall. They were not on <i>pillars</i> like the other buildings in the yard. 


text:
The wall in front of the lowest rooms had no doors for twenty-five (25) metres. Rooms filled the other 25 metres. 


text:
They had made an <i>entrance</i> to the rooms below from the outside yard. It was at the east end of the building. The wall of the yard started there.


text:
A building like this one was at the south side of the <i>temple</i>. It was not far from the other building (that was at the west end of the <i>temple</i>). 


text:
A path went along its side. The sizes and <i>entrance</i> were the same as those of the other building. 


text:
They had made a door at its east end. The door went to the set of rooms that was below the other sets of rooms. The door was on the building’s south side, where the wall began.


text:
The man spoke to me. ‘The north and south rooms towards the yard are for the <i>priests</i>. They are <i>holy</i>. In them, the <i>priests</i> who work there will eat the most <i>holy sacrifices</i>. They will keep the most <i>holy</i> things there. For example, they put there the <i>grain</i> and other <i>offerings</i> that people gave. Those people were sorry about the wrong things that they had done.


text:
The <i>priests</i> may want to go into the outside yard. Then they must take off the special <i>holy</i> clothes that they wear to work for the <i>Lord</i>. They must leave them in these rooms and they must put on other clothes. Then they can go out to meet the people.’


text:
Then he had finished measuring everything inside the place where the <i>temple</i> was. He took me out through the east gate and he measured the space all round. 


text:
Then he measured the north side and the south side and the west side. Each one measured the same as the east side, two hundred and fifty (250) metres. 


text:
So the walls made a square round the <i>holy</i> place. They separated the <i>holy</i> place from the common place.


text:
And I saw the shining <i>glory</i> of the God of Israel. It came from the east. His voice was loud like the noise of the great sea. The earth shone with the bright light of his <i>glory</i>. 


text:
I had seen a dream picture like this by the River Kebar. That was when God had come to destroy the city. I fell down on my face. 


text:
Then the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>Spirit</i> lifted me up. He took me into the <i>temple</i>’s inside yard. And I saw that the <i>glory</i> of the <i>Lord</i> filled the <i>temple</i>.


text:
The man stood there by my side. I heard the <i>Lord</i>’s voice come from inside the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
‘Son of man’, he said. ‘Here is my <i>throne</i>. I will live here among Israel's people. I will rule over them for all time. They will never again do things that take away my <i>honour</i>. Neither they nor their kings will <i>worship</i> other gods or put their kings’ dead bodies in this place. 


text:
They built the <i>entrances</i> and doors of their houses here. They were next to my <i>temple</i>’s doors. Only a wall separated us. They did many <i>evil</i> things and they took away the <i>honour</i> of my <i>holy</i> name. 


text:
Now they must stop doing those <i>evil</i> things. They must take away their kings’ dead bodies. If they do this, I will live among them for all time.


text:
Son of man, tell Israel's people about the <i>temple</i>. It should make them ashamed of the <i>evil</i> things that they have done. Let them think about it. 


text:
Then they will become ashamed of what they have done. You must tell them all about the way to build the <i>temple</i>. Describe its <i>entrances</i>, its shape, its rules and how they must do everything. You must write all this down. Then they can copy the whole thing and they can correctly obey its rules.


text:
All the top of the mountain round the <i>temple</i> will be most <i>holy</i>. That is the important rule about the <i>temple</i>.’ <n>The <i>altar</i></n>


text:
The man measured the <i>altar</i> with the same measuring stick. They had dug a hole that was half a metre deep and half a metre wide round the <i>altar</i>. Round its outside edge they had built a wall twenty-five (25) centimetres high. 


text:
The lowest part of the <i>altar</i> was one metre high. The next part was fifty (50) centimetres inside the part below all round. It was two metres high. The edge above that was again fifty (50) centimetres inside the middle part. 


text:
This top part was two metres high. They burnt the <i>sacrifices</i> on this top part. Its corners had points that were higher than the flat top. 


text:
The middle part was also square, with sides seven (7) metres long. It had a wall twenty-five (25) centimetres high round its edge. (They had left a space fifty (50) centimetres wide between the top two parts of the <i>altar</i>.) They had built steps up to the <i>altar</i> on the east side. <n>They must make the <i>altar holy</i></n>


text:
‘Son of man’, the <i>Lord</i>, the King said to me. ‘Listen to me. They must make the <i>altar holy</i> for my <i>worship</i>. To do this they will burn <i>sacrifices</i> on it. And they will <i>shake</i> over it the animal’s blood that you <i>sacrificed</i>. 


text:
The sons of Zadok are the only <i>priests</i> who can come into my house to work for me. I, the <i>Lord</i>, your King say this very strongly. You will give them a young male cow to offer as a <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>sin</i>. 


text:
You will take some of its blood and put it on the points on the <i>altar</i>. Those are on the corners of its top part. And you will put its blood on the corners of its middle part. And you must put blood all round its edges. This is how you will make the <i>altar clean</i> and <i>holy</i>, separate for my <i>worship</i>. 


text:
You must choose the male cow to become the <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>sin</i>. Take it to the special place. Burn it outside the <i>holy</i> place. 


text:
The next day, choose the best male goat that you can find. Offer it as a <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>sin</i>. Use its blood to make the <i>altar clean</i> and <i>holy</i>, as you did with the cow’s blood. 


text:
and bring them to me. The <i>priests</i> will <i>shake</i> salt on them. They will burn them as a gift to me. 


text:
Each day for a week you must offer <i>sacrifices</i> to me. They are for your <i>sins</i>. <i>Sacrifice</i> a goat, a male cow and a male sheep each day. They must all be your best animals that have nothing wrong with them. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> must make the <i>altar clean</i> and <i>holy</i> for each of seven (7) days. Then it will be ready to use. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> can begin to make <i>burnt offerings</i> when the seven (7) days are finished. They will offer the <i>burnt offerings</i> and the people’s <i>fellowship offerings</i> on the <i>altar</i>. You will all give me great pleasure when you do this. I, the <i>Lord</i>, your King, say this.’


text:
Then the man brought me back to the outside gate of the <i>holy</i> place. That gate opened to the east. But it they had shut it. 


text:
‘This gate must stay shut’, the <i>Lord</i> said to me. ‘Nobody can go through it. It must remain closed because the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel, has gone through it. 


text:
Only the king himself can sit inside the gate to eat a <i>holy</i> meal in front of the <i>Lord</i>. He must go in and out through the inside <i>entrance</i> room.’


text:
Then the man took me through the north gate. We went to the front of the <i>temple</i>. I saw that the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>glory</i> filled his <i>temple</i>. And I fell flat on my face.


text:
‘Son of man, look and listen carefully’, the <i>Lord</i> said to me. ‘You must listen very carefully to everything that I tell you. These are the rules for the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>temple</i>. Understand which people can go into the <i>temple</i>. And learn which people can go out of the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Speak to those <i>Israelites</i> who do not obey me. Say, “This is what the <i>Lord</i>, the King says. ‘You have done enough <i>evil</i> things. 


text:
You even brought <i>foreigners</i> into my <i>holy</i> place. But they were not <i>circumcised</i> and they did not obey my important rules. You made my <i>temple</i> not <i>clean</i>. It was no longer <i>holy</i>. And you offered me food, fat and blood there. You did not <i>keep your promise</i> to me, your <i>covenant</i> promise. 


text:
You did not do the work yourselves. But you made people that I had not chosen work in my <i>holy</i> place.’ 


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i>, your King says. ‘No <i>foreigner</i> who is not <i>circumcised</i> can go into my <i>holy</i> place. He must not go in because he does not obey my rules. Even if that <i>foreigner</i> lives among my people, he must not go in.


text:
Some men from Levi’s <i>tribe</i> turned away from me to <i>worship idols</i>. I will <i>punish</i> them because of their <i>sin</i>. 


text:
They can work for me in the <i>holy</i> place. They can open and close the doors. They can make <i>offerings</i> and <i>sacrifices</i>. And they can stand and work for the people. 


text:
But I have decided that I must <i>punish</i> them. That is because they helped the people to <i>worship idols</i>. And so they caused them to <i>sin</i>. I promise that I will do this. 


text:
They must not come near to me to work for me as <i>priests</i>. They must not come near to my <i>holy</i> things or my most <i>holy offerings</i>. They must become ashamed of the <i>evil</i> things that they have done. 


text:
Only the <i>priests</i>, sons of Zadok, Levi’s son, can offer <i>sacrifices</i> to me. Only they worked for me and obeyed me. They remained <i>faithful</i> to me when other <i>Israelites worshipped</i> false gods. They can offer <i>sacrifices</i> of fat and blood to me’, says the <i>Lord</i>, the King. 


text:
‘Only they can come into the <i>holy</i> place. They are the only men who can come near to my table to work for me.


text:
When they come into the inside yard, they must wear <i>linen</i> clothes. They must not wear anything <i>woollen</i> while they are working. They must not wear them inside the yard or inside the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
They must wear <i>linen</i> cloths round their heads and <i>linen</i> clothes next to their skin. They must not wear anything that makes them hot and sticky. 


text:
They must take off their special clothes when they leave the <i>holy</i> place. They must leave them in the <i>holy</i> place when they go out to meet the people. Then their special clothes will not make the people <i>holy</i>.


text:
He must not marry a woman whose husband has died. And he must not marry a woman whose husband has sent her away. <i>Priests</i> can only marry women who have never had sex. Or they can marry the wives of <i>priests</i> who are now dead. 


text:
If people do not agree with each other, the <i>priests</i> must be their <i>judges</i>. They must decide who is right. They must use my rules to decide. They must obey the rules about my special <i>feasts</i> and they must keep my <i>Sabbaths holy</i>.


text:
A <i>priest</i> must not go near to a dead person. It would stop him from being <i>holy</i>. But he can go near to a dead person who is his father or mother. He can also make himself not <i>clean</i> (not <i>pure</i>) for a son, daughter or a sister who is not married. 


text:
And he can go back into the inside yard of the <i>holy</i> place to work for me there. Then he must offer a <i>sin</i> offering for himself’, says the <i>Lord</i>, the King.


text:
‘The <i>priests</i> must not own any land in Israel to keep for their children and grandchildren. I will be like the land that belongs to them. 


text:
They will eat the <i>offerings</i> of <i>grain</i> and the <i>offerings</i> because of <i>sin</i>. They can also eat some other <i>offerings</i> that people bring. All the <i>Lord</i>’s special things will belong to them. 


text:
The best of your first fruits and all your special gifts will belong to the <i>priests</i>. You must also give them the first flour that you make from your <i>grain</i>. Then I will <i>bless</i> those who live in your house. 


text:
‘You must separate the land into different parts for each <i>tribe</i>. When you do this, you must give one part to the <i>Lord</i>. Make it twelve and a half (12½) kilometres long and ten (10) kilometres wide. All of this land will be <i>holy</i>. 


text:
You will keep a piece of this land, two hundred and fifty (250) metres long and two hundred and fifty (250) metres wide for the <i>temple</i>. You must keep an empty space twenty-five (25) metres wide all round the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Half of this space that measures twelve and a half (12½) kilometres by five (5) kilometres will contain the <i>temple</i>. This will be the most <i>holy</i> part of the land. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> will have this <i>holy</i> part of the country to work for the <i>Lord</i> in his <i>temple</i>. They will build their houses there as well as the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Some <i>Levites</i> work in the <i>temple</i>. They will own the other half of the land. There they will build their towns to live in.


text:
You must give a piece of land to the city. It is the part next to the <i>holy</i> part. This part will measure twelve and a half (12½) kilometres long, and two and a half (2½) kilometres wide. Any of Israel’s people can live there.


text:
You must keep some land for the king. His land will include that from the west of the <i>holy</i> land to the sea. From the east, his land will include all the land to the country’s east edge. So his land will be as long as a <i>tribe</i>’s part of the land. 


text:
This is the part of the land that will belong to the king who rules Israel. Then he will no longer try to make the people do what he wants. And they can all live in their own parts of the country. I will give parts to each of them.


text:
“Stop arguing and fighting, you leaders of Israel. You have done enough bad things!” says the <i>Lord</i>, your King. “Do the things that are right and good. Stop taking away the things that belong to my people.” That is what the <i>Lord</i>, the King says. 


text:
The <i>ephah</i> for dry things must be the same as the <i>bath</i> for wet things. Ten <i>ephahs</i> will be equal to one <i>homer</i>. Ten <i>baths</i> will be equal to one <i>homer</i>. 


text:
Twenty (20) <i>gerahs</i> will be equal to one <i>shekel</i>. Sixty (60) <i>shekels</i> will be equal to one mina (about 24 ounces or 660 grams). <n><i>Offerings</i> and <i>holy</i> days</n>


text:
The correct oil gift is 1/10th of a <i>bath</i> from each cor (a cor is equal to 10 baths or one homer). 


text:
You must take one sheep from every two hundred (200) sheep that live in the green land in Israel. You will use these gifts to offer to me. They are <i>grain offerings</i>, animals to burn and <i>fellowship offerings</i>. These are <i>sacrifices</i> so that I can <i>forgive</i> your <i>sin</i>.” I, the <i>Lord</i>, your King, say that you must do this.


text:
“All Israel’s people must bring these <i>offerings</i> to the king in Israel.” This is what the <i>Lord</i>, the King says: 


text:
“The king must give the animals for the burnt <i>sacrifices</i>. He must give the <i>grain</i> and <i>wine</i> to offer at the people’s <i>feasts</i>. He must give them for the New Moon <i>feasts</i> and the <i>Sabbaths</i>. He must give them the <i>sin offerings</i>, <i>grain offerings</i>, burnt <i>offerings</i> and <i>fellowship offerings</i>. These are to pay for the <i>sin</i> of Israel’s people.


text:
On the first day of the first month you must take a male cow to make the <i>holy</i> place <i>clean</i>. The animal must not have anything wrong with it. 


text:
The <i>priest</i> will take some of the blood of this <i>sin offering</i>. He will put some blood on the <i>posts</i> of the <i>temple</i> doors. And he must put blood on the corners of the <i>altar</i>. And he will put some on the gate <i>posts</i> of the inside <i>temple</i> yard. 


text:
You must also do this on the seventh (7th) day of the month. A person might <i>sin</i> by mistake and this will make the <i>temple clean</i> from their <i>sin</i>.


text:
On the fourteenth (14th) day of the first month you must have a <i>feast</i>. You will have a <i>feast</i> for seven (7) days. It is the <i>Passover feast</i>. And for that time you must not eat any bread that you have made with <i>yeast</i>.


text:
On that day the king must give a male cow as a <i>sin offering</i>. It is an <i>offering</i> for himself and for all the people. 


text:
Every day of the <i>feast</i> he must give seven (7) male cows and seven (7) male sheep for burnt <i>offerings</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. He must also give a male goat each day for a <i>sin offering</i>. None of the animals can have anything wrong with it. 


text:
The king must give an <i>ephah</i> of <i>grain</i> with each cow and an <i>ephah</i> with each sheep. He must give a <i>hin</i> of oil with each <i>ephah</i>.


text:
You will have a <i>feast</i> for seven (7) days. It will begin on the fifteenth (15th) day of the seventh (7th) month. The king must give the same <i>offerings</i> for these seven (7) days.” ’ <n>A <i>homer</i> measured about a hundred and seventy-five (175) litres (40 gallons). So a <i>bath</i> or an <i>ephah</i> would be about seventeen and a half (17½) litres (4 gallons). A <i>hin</i> was about four (4) litres (1 gallon). In the days of Ezekiel a <i>shekel</i> was about 0.4 ounces (11 grams). 


text:
‘You must keep shut the door of the inside yard that opens to the east. You must do this for the six (6) days that you work. You must only open it on the seventh (7th) day and on the New Moon day. 


text:
The king must go through the <i>entrance</i> room by the gate. It is his way in from the outside yard. He must stand by the gate’s posts. The <i>priests</i> must burn his <i>sacrifice</i> and offer his <i>fellowship</i> gifts. He can <i>worship</i> there and then go out. But they must not shut the gate until the evening. 


text:
The people must also <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i> in front of the gate each <i>Sabbath</i> and New Moon <i>feast</i>. 


text:
Every <i>Sabbath</i> day, the king must bring a male sheep and six (6) young male sheep. The <i>priests</i> will burn them as a <i>sacrifice</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. None of them should have anything wrong with them. 


text:
The king must bring an <i>ephah</i> of <i>grain</i> to <i>sacrifice</i> with the male sheep. He can give as much <i>grain</i> as he likes with the young sheep. And he must give a <i>hin</i> of oil with each <i>ephah</i>. 


text:
On the day of the New Moon he must offer a young male cow, a male sheep and six (6) young sheep. None of them can have anything wrong with it. 


text:
He must give an <i>ephah</i> of <i>grain</i> with the cow and an <i>ephah</i> with the sheep. He can give as much as he chooses with the young sheep. And he must give a <i>hin</i> of oil with each <i>ephah</i> of <i>grain</i>. 


text:
When the king goes in, he must go through the gate’s <i>entrance</i> room. And he must go out by the same way.


text:
The people will come to <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i> at the <i>feast</i> times that I give to them. <n>Then if they come in by the north gate they must go out by the south gate. And if they come in by the south gate they must go out by the north gate. Nobody can go out of the gate through which he came in. He must go out by the opposite gate. 


text:
They must offer an <i>ephah</i> of <i>grain</i> with a male cow. And they must give an <i>ephah</i> with a sheep. They can give as much as they choose with a young sheep. They must give a <i>hin</i> of oil with each <i>ephah</i>. <n>This is what they must do on <i>feast</i> days. They must do it on each of the days that I have given to them for <i>worship</i>. 


text:
They must open the east gate for the king. He may want to make a special <i>offering</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. He can go in. He can make his burnt <i>offering</i> or <i>fellowship offering</i> as he does on the <i>Sabbath</i> day. Then he must go out and they will shut the gate after him.


text:
Every day, you must give a sheep one year old to burn as an <i>offering</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. It must have nothing that is wrong with it. You must <i>sacrifice</i> this sheep every morning, day after day. 


text:
And you must give a sixth (1/6th) of an <i>ephah</i> of <i>grain</i> with it. And you must put with it a third (1/3rd) of a <i>hin</i> of oil. That is to keep the flour together. You must continue to offer the <i>grain</i> to the <i>Lord</i> until the end of time. 


text:
Every morning, you must offer the young sheep, the <i>grain</i> and the oil for a burnt <i>sacrifice</i>.


text:
The king can make a gift to one of his sons. He can make it from the land that I gave him.’ This is what the <i>Lord</i>, your King says, ‘That land will belong to the son and to his children and grandchildren. It will become their land for all time. 


text:
But the king may give land to one of his servants. The servant can keep the land until the year of <i>jubilee</i>. (See Leviticus 25:10.) Then they must give the land back to the king. The land belongs only to the king and his sons for all time. 


text:
The king must not take any land that belongs to the people. He can give only land that I have given to him to his sons. Nobody among the people must be without his land.’


text:
The man took me through the <i>entrance</i> by the gate. We came into the <i>priest</i>’s <i>holy</i> rooms. These opened to the north. He showed me a place at the west end. 


text:
‘This is the place where the <i>priests</i> will cook the <i>offerings</i> to pay for <i>sin</i> and other wrong things’, he said. ‘They will bake the <i>grain offerings</i> here, too. In this way, they will not have to go into the outside yard. If they did that, they would make the people <i>holy</i>.’ <n>


text:
Then he took me to the outside yard. He showed me the four (4) corners. In each corner I saw another yard twenty (20) metres long and fifteen (15) metres wide. 


text:
‘The <i>temple priests</i> will work in these kitchens. Here they will cook the people’s <i>sacrifices</i>’, he said to me.


text:
The man brought me back to the <i>entrance</i> of the <i>temple</i>. There I saw water. It was coming out from under the <i>entrance</i> and it was running to the east. (The <i>temple</i> looked towards the east.) It came from under the south side of the <i>temple</i>. Then it ran past the south side of the <i>altar</i>. 


text:
The man took me out of the <i>temple</i> by the north gate. We went to the gate that opens to the east. Another small stream of water came out. That was at the south side of the gate. 


text:
The man measured five hundred (500) metres down the stream. He told me that I must walk through it. The water came up to my ankles. 


text:
Then he measured another five hundred (500) metres along the stream and the water came up to my knees. He measured down another five hundred (500) metres. The water came to the middle of my body. 


text:
When he measured another five hundred (500) metres the river was so deep that nobody could walk through it. 


text:
‘This water goes through the land to the east. It runs into the River Jordan’s valley and out into the Dead Sea. When it goes into the sea, the water there will lose its salt. 


text:
Many kinds of animals and plants will live where the river goes. Many fish will live where the river goes. They will live there because there is no salt in the water. 


text:
Men by the sea will catch fish. They will find fish from the River Engedi to the streams of Eneglaim. They will dry their fishing <i>nets</i> by the side of the sea. Many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea, will live there. 


text:
But the wet lands near the Dead Sea will still contain salt. You can use their water to get salt for yourselves. 


text:
All kinds of fruit trees will live there. They will live on each side of the river. They will remain green and give fruit every month. That is because they live by special water. That is the water that comes from the <i>holy</i> place. You will eat their fruit. And you can use their leaves to make sick people well.’ <n>The edges of Israel’s land</n>


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i>, your King says. ‘This is the land that I am giving to you to keep. Each of your twelve (12) <i>tribes</i> must have a part. You must give Joseph’s sons two parts. 


text:
Each <i>tribe</i> must have a part of the same size. I made a promise to your fathers that I would give them this country to live in. I gave it to them and their children to keep for all time.


text:
These are the edges of your country. The north side goes from the Great Sea to the city called Hethlon. Then it passes Lebo Hamath and goes to the city called Zedad. 


text:
From there, it continues through Berothah and Sibraim. They are on the edges of Hamath’s and Damascus’s lands. Then it goes to the city called Hazarhatticon. It goes by the edge of Hauran’s land. 


text:
That is the north edge of your country. It goes from the Great Sea to the city called Hazarenan. That is the north edge of Damascus’s land. The land of Hamath is north of it.


text:
On the east side, your land goes along the River Jordan. It starts between Hauran and Damascus. It goes between Gilead and Israel as far as Tamar on the Dead Sea.


text:
On the south side, it goes from Tamar to the waters of Kadesh Meribah. Then it goes north-west along the edge of Egypt to the Great Sea.


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The Great Sea is the west edge of your country. It goes north as far as the west of Lebo Hamath. That is the west side of your country.


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You will keep it for yourselves and the <i>foreigners</i> and their children who live among you. You must think of them as Israel’s people. You must give them land to live on. 


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They can have land in any <i>tribe</i>’s land where they decide to live’, says the <i>Lord</i>, your King.


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The north edge of your country starts at the Great Sea. It goes from Hethlon through Lebo Hamath. From there, it goes to the city called Hazarenan. It ends where the lands of Damascus and Hamath meet. You must give each tribe a part of the land. Each part must go from the east edge to the Great Sea. From north to south, the tribes will be,<br/>Dan<br/>Asher<br/>Naphtali<br/>Manasseh<br/>Ephraim<br/>Reuben<br/>Judah.<br/>Each tribe will be next to the one to its north side.


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The next part of the land will be different. It will be as wide as the parts of the land that I am giving to the <i>tribes</i>. It will measure twelve and a half (17½) kilometres from north to south. You must put the <i>temple</i> in the middle of it.


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A special part twelve and a half (12½) kilometres by ten (10) kilometres will be <i>holy</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. 


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Here the <i>priests</i> will have their part. It will measure twelve and a half (12½) kilometres from east to west. And it will measure five (5) kilometres from north to south. You must build the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>temple</i> in the middle of this part. 


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The <i>priests</i> who are the sons of Zadok will have this part. They were my <i>faithful</i> servants. They obeyed me when the other <i>Levites</i> and Israel’s people did not obey me. 


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So the <i>priests</i> will have a special part, next to the <i>Levite</i>’s part. And the <i>priest</i>’s part is the most <i>holy</i> part. 


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The <i>Levites</i> will also have a special part, south of the <i>priest</i>’s part. And it will measure the same. It will measure twelve and a half (12½) kilometres from east to west. And it will be five (5) kilometres from north to south. 


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The <i>Lord</i>’s part of the land is the best of the land. You must not give or sell his land to anyone else. It is <i>holy</i> and it belongs to the <i>Lord</i>.


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The people can use the rest of this special part. It measures twelve and a half (12½) kilometres by two and a half (2½) kilometres and it is not <i>holy</i>. You must build the city in the middle of it. 


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You must leave an open space one hundred and twenty-five (125) metres wide on each side of the city. 


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When you have built the city south of the <i>holy</i> place, the land on each side will be left. People who live in the city can use it to grow food and to feed their animals. 


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This middle of the <i>Lord</i>’s part will be a square. It measures twelve and a half (12½) kilometres on each side. The city will be in this middle part. 


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The parts on either side of the square will be the king's land. They will go east to the edge of the country. They will go west to the Great Sea. And the <i>holy</i> part and the most <i>holy</i> place will be in the middle. 


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So the land that belongs to the <i>Levites</i> and the <i>priests</i> is in the king’s land. It is in the middle of it. Judah’s land is north of these lands. And Benjamin’s land is south of it. <n>


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The other <i>tribes</i> will each have a part of the land south of this special part. From north to south they will be <n>Benjamin <n>Simeon <n>Issachar <n>Zebulun <n>Gad. <n>Each <i>tribe</i>’s part will be south of the next <i>tribe</i>’s land.


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The south edge of Gad’s land goes south. It goes from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh. Then it goes along the edge of Egypt. It goes to the Great Sea.


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This is how you must give the land to the <i>tribes</i>. You must give a part to each <i>tribe</i>’, says the <i>Lord</i>, your King. <n>The city gates</n>


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You will give the gates the names of Israel’s <i>tribes</i>. You will give the three gates in the north wall the names of Reuben, Judah and Levi. 


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The walls all round the city will measure 9000 metres. And then you will give the city the name, “The <i>Lord</i> is there.” ’


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Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. He came to Jerusalem with his army. Then he caused his soldiers to live round the city. This happened when Jehoiakim had been king of Judah for longer than two years. 


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God caused Nebuchadnezzar to take Jehoiakim, king of Judah. God helped Nebuchadnezzar to take some <i>holy</i> things from God’s house there also. Nebuchadnezzar took those things back to Babylon. He put them among the valuable things in the house of his own god.


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Nebuchadnezzar said to Ashpenaz, his most important officer, ‘Bring some of the <i>Jews</i> from Israel to me. Choose young men from the king of Israel’s family. And choose young men from the other important families in Israel.’ 


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Nebuchadnezzar wanted young men who were strong and handsome. The young men must be clever. And they must be able to learn and to understand quickly. These young men would be able to become King Nebuchadnezzar’s servants. They must learn the language of Babylon and they must learn from the country’s books. King Nebuchadnezzar also sent to them each day some of the same food and <i>wine</i> as he had. After three years, they would then be ready to work for him.


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The important officer gave new names to them. He gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel and he called Hananiah, Shadrach. He gave the name Meshach to Mishael and he called Azariah, Abednego. <n>Daniel refuses to eat the king’s food </n>


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But Daniel thought that God did not want him to eat the king’s food and <i>wine</i>. He wanted God to be happy with him. So, he decided that he would not have the food. So, he asked the important officer that he might not have to eat the king’s food. 


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But he spoke to Daniel. ‘I am afraid of the king, who is giving your food and drink to you’, he said. ‘He might see that you are not as strong as the other young men. And then he will kill me.’


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The officer had chosen a man to help Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So Daniel spoke to this man. 


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‘We are your servants. Please watch us for 10 days. Give to us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. 


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Then see whether we have good health. Look at us with the young men who eat the king’s food. Then decide what to do with us, your servants.’ 


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And after 10 days, their faces and bodies seemed more handsome than the young men who ate the king’s food. 


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So the man took away the king’s food and <i>wine</i> and he gave only vegetables and water to them. <n>God makes Daniel and his friends <i>wise</i> </n>


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God gave clever minds to these 4 young men. While they studied, he helped them to learn from books. And he helped them to understand the books. And Daniel could understand all kinds of dreams too.


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The king had said that they must wait for a certain time. That time finished. Then the important officer brought the young men to Nebuchadnezzar. 


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The king talked with them. He discovered that there was nobody else like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they became the king’s servants. 


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The king continued to ask them to help him. They helped him to understand everything and to do good things. The king’s other <i>wise</i> men used every kind of <i>magic</i> to suggest what he might do. These other men came from every country that Nebuchadnezzar ruled. But the answers that Daniel and his friends gave seemed 10 times (10 ×) better than the other men’s words.


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When Nebuchadnezzar had been king for almost two years, he had dreams. His mind was not comfortable and he could not sleep.


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He told his servants that they must bring the <i>magicians</i>, <i>enchanters</i>, <i>sorcerers</i> and <i>wise</i> men to him. He wanted them to tell him what he had dreamed. So they came in and they stood in front of the king. 


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Then the king said to them, ‘I have had a dream that takes away my sleep. And so I want to know what it means.’


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Then the <i>wise</i> men answered the king in the Aramaic language. ‘We want the king to live for all time’, they said. ‘We are your servants. Tell us the dream. And then we will tell you what it means.’


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The king replied to the <i>wise</i> men. ‘I have decided what to do’, he said. ‘You tell me what my dream was. And you must tell me what it means. If not, I will cause people to cut you into pieces. And they will make your houses into hills of stones. 


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You must tell me the dream and what it means. If you do, I will give gifts to you. I will give many gifts and great <i>honour</i> to you. So, tell me my dream. And tell me what it means.’


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They answered him again. ‘We are your servants, so please tell us your dream. Then we will tell you what it means.’


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And the king answered them. ‘I certainly know that you are trying to get more time. You know what I have decided. 


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If you do not tell me the dream, you will all receive the same <i>punishment</i>. You are continuing to tell me lies and bad things. And you have agreed to do that. You hope that I will change my mind. So now, tell me the dream. Then you can tell me what it means. And I will be able to believe what you say.’


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The <i>wise</i> men answered the king, ‘There is not a man on earth who can do that! No king has ever asked anyone to do anything like this. No <i>magician</i>, or man with the power to understand has ever done this. Even the greatest and most powerful king of all has never asked this. 


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You are asking a very difficult thing. Nobody can do it, except the gods. And they do not live among men.’


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This made the king very, very angry. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Kill all the <i>wise</i> men in Babylon.’ 


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He sent them a message to kill all his <i>wise</i> men. So some men went to look for Daniel and his friends. They wanted to kill them too.


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Arioch, the captain of the king’s soldiers, went to kill the <i>wise</i> men in Babylon. But Daniel spoke to him carefully. 


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He said to Arioch, the king’s captain, ‘Why is the king’s message so cruel?’ Then Arioch explained everything to Daniel. 


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So Daniel went to see the king. He asked the king for more time. Then he would be able to tell the king what the dream meant. <n>God shows the dream to Daniel </n>


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Then Daniel went to his home and he explained the problem to his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 


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He told them that they should pray to God in <i>heaven</i>. They should pray about this problem. He told them that they should ask God to keep them safe. Then they would not die with all the other <i>wise</i> men in Babylon. 


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During the night, Daniel had a dream. God showed him in the dream what it meant. Then Daniel gave <i>honour</i> to the God of <i>heaven</i>. 


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He said, <n>‘Give <i>honour</i> to the name of God always <n>because he is great. <n>And he knows everything.


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He changes times and seasons. <n>He chooses kings to rule. And he stops them ruling. <n>He causes some people to become <i>wise</i>. <n>And he helps people to understand the things that they learn.


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He explains difficult problems and secret things. <n>He knows about all things, even when they are in dark places. <n>But he lives in the light.


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I thank you. And I give <i>honour</i> to you, because you were my <i>ancestors</i>’ God too. <n>And you have made me <i>wise</i> and you have made me strong. <n>You have shown me your answer to what we asked. <n>You have explained the king’s problem to us.’


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So Daniel went to Arioch. He was the officer to whom the king had said, ‘You must kill the <i>wise</i> men in Babylon.’ Daniel said to Arioch, ‘Do not kill the king’s <i>wise</i> men in Babylon. Take me to the king. Then I will tell the king what his dream means.’


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Then Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king. He said, ‘I have found a man. He can tell the king what his dream means. He is one of the people that you brought from Judah.’


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The king spoke to Daniel (whose other name was Belteshazzar). He said, ‘Can you tell me my dream? And can you tell me what it means?’


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Daniel answered the king. ‘No <i>wise</i> men, <i>enchanters</i>, <i>magicians</i> or <i>diviners</i> can explain this dream to the king’, he said. 


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‘But there is a God in <i>heaven</i>. And he explains hidden things. He is showing King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in future years. This is the dream and the thoughts in your head while you lay on your bed.


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While you lay on your bed, you dreamed about future years. God showed you what will happen in future years. He explains hidden things. 


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I am not more clever than anyone else. But God explained the dream to me. He wants you to know what it means. And he wants you to understand the thoughts in your mind. <n>The dream </n>


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You looked, and you saw a large <i>image</i> with a man’s shape. This big <i>image</i> was in front of you. It was very bright and it frightened people. 


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Someone had made its head from clean gold. The top of its body and its arms were <i>silver</i>. Its lower body was <i>bronze</i>. 


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While you looked, someone cut out a stone. But no human hand did this. The stone hit the <i>image</i> on its iron and <i>clay</i> feet and the stone broke them into pieces. 


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Then the iron, <i>clay</i>, <i>bronze</i>, <i>silver</i> and gold all fell into pieces. They became like powder. The wind blew them away until nobody could see them. But the stone that had hit the <i>image</i> became a large mountain. And it filled the whole earth. <n>Daniel explains the dream to the king </n>


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You are a great king who rules other kings. The God of <i>heaven</i> has made you king and he has given power and <i>honour</i> to you. He has made you strong. 


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He has given all the people, the animals on the earth and the birds in the air to you. He has made you king of them all, in every place that they live. You are like the head of gold in your dream.


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After you, there will be another <i>kingdom</i> that is not as great as yours. Then a third (3rd) <i>kingdom</i> will rule the whole earth. It will be like <i>bronze</i>. 


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And there will be a fourth (4th) <i>kingdom</i> that is as strong as iron. Iron breaks everything and it destroys everything. So, like iron, that <i>kingdom</i> will destroy the other <i>kingdoms</i>. 


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You saw that someone had made the feet and toes from parts of <i>clay</i> and parts of iron. This means that it will not be a united <i>kingdom</i>. But some will be strong, like iron, because you saw iron with the <i>clay</i>. 


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Parts of the toes were iron and parts of them were <i>clay</i>. So that <i>kingdom</i> will be strong in some parts and weak in other parts. 


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You saw iron and <i>clay</i> mixed together. So, the people will mix with each other but they will not stay together. This is like iron that cannot mix with <i>clay</i>. <n>Verse 43 Students think that ‘mix’ means ‘marry’. 


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In the days when those kings rule, the God of <i>heaven</i> will begin a <i>kingdom</i>. And that <i>kingdom</i> will never end. No other people will have power over it. It will break up all these other <i>kingdoms</i> and it will destroy them. And it will continue for always. 


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You saw the stone that no human hand cut out. The stone broke up the iron, the <i>bronze</i>, the <i>clay</i>, the <i>silver</i> and the gold. The great God has shown to the king what will happen in future years. That was the dream. And that is what it means. And you can be sure about that.’ <n>The king gives important jobs to Daniel and to his friends </n>


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Then King Nebuchadnezzar lay flat on the ground in front of Daniel. This showed that he gave <i>honour</i> to Daniel. He said that his servants must give to Daniel gifts and things to make nice smells. 


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The king said to Daniel, ‘It is true that your God is greater than all other gods. He rules over kings and he explains hidden things. I know this because you were able to explain this dream to me.’


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Then the king made Daniel an important man and the king gave many great gifts to him. He made Daniel ruler over the whole of Babylon. He made Daniel the leader of all the <i>wise</i> men.


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Then Daniel asked the king to give important work to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So the king told them that they must rule things in Babylon. But Daniel remained with the king.


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King Nebuchadnezzar caused his workers to make a <i>golden image</i>. It was 30 metres (90 feet) high and 3 metres (9 feet) wide. He built it on the flat land called Dura, in a part of Babylon. 


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Then King Nebuchadnezzar told the king’s family, the rulers and the captains that they must all come together. He also told all the other officers the same thing. And he told the men who knew the <i>law</i>. And he told the men who kept the money. He told them that they must come together. They must meet in front of the <i>image</i> that his men had made. 


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So the king’s family, the captains and the other people came to the meeting in front of the <i>image</i>. Those who kept the money and all the officers and other important people came too. They all stood in front of the <i>image</i> that King Nebuchadnezzar had built.


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Then an officer shouted aloud. ‘You, people in every country who speak every language, listen. This is what the king says to you. 


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Listen for the sound of all kinds of music. When you hear it, you must go down on your knees. You must <i>worship</i> the <i>golden image</i> that King Nebuchadnezzar has built. 


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“I will <i>punish</i> anyone who does not do this”, the king said. “My servants will throw them immediately into a very hot fire.” ’ 


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So, when the people heard the different kinds of music, they obeyed. All the people went on their knees. They were <i>worshipping</i> King Nebuchadnezzar’s <i>golden image</i>. <n>Daniel’s friends refuse to <i>worship</i> the <i>image</i> </n>


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You, the king, made a rule. You said that everyone must listen for the sound from all kinds of music. Then they must go down on their knees and <i>worship</i> the <i>golden image</i>. 


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You said that everyone must obey you. You would throw them into a very hot fire if they did not obey you. 


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There are some <i>Jews</i> who do not obey you. You put them to rule everything that happens in Babylon. They are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and they do not give <i>honour</i> to your gods. They do not <i>worship</i> your <i>golden image</i>.’


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Then Nebuchadnezzar was very, very angry. So he told his servants that they must bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to him. And they brought these men to the king. 


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Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke to them. He said, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not give <i>honour</i> to my gods? And you do not <i>worship</i> the <i>golden image</i> that I have made? 


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You will hear again the sound of all kinds of music. You must be ready, when you hear the music. You must go down on your knees. Then you will show <i>honour</i> to the <i>image</i> that I have made. If you do not <i>worship</i> my <i>image</i>, my servants will throw you immediately into a very hot fire. And no god can save you from my power.’


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Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king. ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we know that we did the right thing’, they said. 


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‘You may throw us into the very hot fire. But the God that we <i>worship</i> can save us. He will save us from your power if he wants to. 


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But if he does not save us, it does not make any difference. We want you to know that we will not <i>worship</i> your gods. And we will not give <i>honour</i> to the <i>image</i> that you have made.’ <n>The king’s servants throw Daniel’s three friends into a very hot fire </n>


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Then Nebuchadnezzar was very angry with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. His face became red. He said to his servants, ‘Make the hot fire 7 times (7 ×) hotter than usual.’ 


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He told the strongest men in his army that they must tie Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And then he said to them, ‘Throw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the very hot fire.’ 


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Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were still wearing their clothes. They were wearing their coats, hats and other clothes when the men threw them into the fire. 


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The king’s word was very powerful and the fire was very hot. So the fire killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into it. 


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But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, still tied up, fell into the very hot fire. <n>The king sees that God has kept Daniel’s friends safe </n>


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What King Nebuchadnezzar saw next surprised him very much. So he jumped up and he asked his officers, ‘Did we not tie up 3 men and throw them into the fire?’ ‘You are right, our king’, they answered. 


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The king said, ‘But I see 4 men walking about in the fire! They are free and the fire has not hurt them. The fourth (4th) man seems like a son of the gods.’


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King Nebuchadnezzar went to the door where the very hot fire was. He shouted aloud to the men inside, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who give <i>honour</i> to the true God, you come out here.’ So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. 


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The king’s family, rulers, captains and his officers came close to look at them. They saw that the fire had not hurt Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego. The fire had not touched their hair or their clothes. There was not even the smell from the smoke. <n>Nebuchadnezzar’s new rules </n>


text:
Nebuchadnezzar spoke. ‘Give <i>honour</i> to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’, he said. ‘He sent his <i>angel</i> to save his servants. I am the king. But they believed that their God would save them. So they did not obey me. They might have died. But they would give <i>honour</i> only to their own God and not to any other god. 


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No other god can save like this. So I make a rule for the people in every country who speak every language. They must not say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. My servants will cut into pieces anyone who does not obey. I will also destroy those people’s houses.’


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I, King Nebuchadnezzar, am sending this message to everyone in the world. I am writing to the people in every country who speak every language. I pray that you all have good and happy lives.


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It makes me happy to tell you what the great God has done. <n>God has given many good gifts to me. He has done great and special things.


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The things that he does are very great. <n>God’s <i>kingdom</i> will never end. He rules for all time. <n>The king’s <i>wise</i> men fail again </n>


text:
So I asked all the <i>wise</i> men in Babylon to come to me. I wanted them to tell me what the dream meant.


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When the <i>magicians</i>, <i>enchanters</i>, <i>astrologers</i> and <i>diviners</i> came, I told them the dream. But none of them could tell me what the dream meant. 


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Last of all, Daniel came to me. I call him Belteshazzar like my god’s name. The spirit of the <i>holy</i> gods is in this man, Daniel. So I told him the dream.


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‘Belteshazzar’, I said, ‘you are the leader of my <i>wise</i> men. I know that the spirit of the <i>holy</i> gods is in you. I know also that no problem is too difficult for you. So, here is the dream that I saw. Tell me what it means.’ <n>The king tells Daniel about his dream </n>


text:
‘This is what I saw in my mind. I saw it while I was asleep. I saw a tree in the middle of the earth and it was very tall. 


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It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruit. There was enough food on it for everyone. It was a home for the animals. And birds lived in it. Every living thing ate its food.’


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‘While I was still sleeping, I saw an <i>angel</i>. He was <i>holy</i> and he came from <i>heaven</i>. 


text:
He shouted aloud. “Cause the animals that are under the tree go away”, he shouted. “Cause the birds that are in its branches to fly away. Cut down the tree. Cut off its branches. Tear off its leaves. Let its fruit fall on the ground. 


text:
But leave the part of the tree that is in the ground. Tie it up with iron and <i>bronze</i>. Then leave it in the grass. <n>Make him wet with <i>dew</i> from the sky. Cause him to live in the fields with the animals. 


text:
The <i>angels</i> who watch human people have said this. And this is what they have chosen. So now everyone will know that God rules in the <i>kingdoms</i> of men. He can give <i>kingdoms</i> to anyone that he wants to. And he can cause men who are not important to become kings.”


text:
This was my dream’, I said to Belteshazzar. ‘Now, you tell me what it means. None of the <i>wise</i> men in any of my countries can tell me what it means. But you can tell me, because the spirit of the <i>holy</i> gods is in you.’ <n>Daniel explains this dream to the king </n>


text:
Daniel, whose other name was Belteshazzar, was not happy for a time. His thoughts caused him trouble. The king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or what it means cause you trouble.’ Then Belteshazzar answered the king. ‘Sir, I wish that the dream was about your enemies and not about you. 


text:
You saw a tree that grew. And it grew taller and stronger until its top touched the sky. Everyone in the world could see it. 


text:
It had beautiful leaves and lots of fruit. There was enough food on it for everyone. It was a home for the animals. And the birds built their houses in it. 


text:
You, the king, are like that tree. You have become stronger and more powerful. You have become very great. They have heard about you in <i>heaven</i>. You have power over the whole world.


text:
Then you saw an <i>angel</i>. He was <i>holy</i> and he came from <i>heaven</i>. “Cut down the tree and destroy it”, he said. “But leave the part of the tree that is in the ground. Tie it up with iron and <i>bronze</i>. Then leave it in the grass. <n>Make him wet with <i>dew</i> from the sky. Cause him to live in the fields with the animals for 7 years.”


text:
This is what the dream means. The true God has decided what he will do to my <i>lord</i>, the king. 


text:
People will push you out, so that you will have to live with the animals. And you will eat grass as cows do. <i>Dew</i> from the sky will make you wet. And you will live in this way for 7 years. Then you will know that God rules in the <i>kingdoms</i> of men. He can give <i>kingdoms</i> to anyone that he wants to. 


text:
The <i>angel</i> said, “Leave the part of the tree that is in the ground.” This means that you will be king again later. But before that, you will have to agree that God rules the world. 


text:
So my king, please do as I suggest. Stop doing bad things. Start doing what is right. Do not do bad things. But be kind to the people who are not happy. Then, perhaps, you will continue to be happy.’ <n>Nebuchadnezzar’s <i>pride</i> </n>


text:
Then the king spoke aloud and he said, ‘Look how great Babylon is. My power has built this city to be the king’s home. It shows that I am great and powerful.’ <n>The bad things that were in the dream happen to Nebuchadnezzar </n>


text:
While he was still speaking about his power, he heard a voice from <i>heaven</i>. ‘I am speaking to you, King Nebuchadnezzar’, the voice said. ‘I have taken the king’s power away from you. 


text:
People will push you away. You will live with the animals. And you will eat grass as cows do. I will cause you to live like this for 7 years. Then you will know that God rules the <i>kingdoms</i> of men. And he can give <i>kingdoms</i> to anyone that he wants to give them to.’


text:
Then it all happened to Nebuchadnezzar as he had dreamed. People sent him away. And he ate grass as cows do. <i>Dew</i> from the sky made his body wet. His hair grew long. It seemed like what a large bird has over its body. And his feet seemed like bird’s feet. <n>God makes Nebuchadnezzar better </n>


text:
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up towards <i>heaven</i> and I prayed. I got my proper mind back and I thanked the true God. I gave <i>honour</i> to him who never dies. <n>His <i>kingdom</i> will never end <n>because he rules always and for all time.


text:
All the people on the earth are worth nothing. <n>He does what he wants with the <i>angels</i> in <i>heaven</i>. <n>And he does what he wants with the people on the earth. <n>Nobody can stop him. <n>Nobody can say to him, ‘You should not be doing that.’


text:
When I got my proper mind back, I also got my power back. People gave <i>honour</i> to me. My officers and important men came back to me. So I became the king again. And I became greater than I was before. 


text:
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give <i>honour</i> to the King of <i>heaven</i> and I thank him. He does what is right all the time. He is always fair. And some people may think that they are great. He can teach them that they are not great.


text:
King Belshazzar had a big party. He asked 1000 important people to come, and he drank <i>wine</i> with them. 


text:
When Belshazzar drank <i>wine</i>, he spoke to his servants. He said that they must bring to him the gold and <i>silver</i> cups from God’s house. Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken these cups from God’s house in Jerusalem. Belshazzar wanted his friends, his wives and his other women to drink their <i>wine</i> from these cups. 


text:
So his servants brought the gold cups that had come from God’s house in Jerusalem. Then the king, his wives, his other women and all the important people drank <i>wine</i> out of those cups. 


text:
And when they drank the <i>wine</i>, they also gave <i>honour</i> to their gods. Their gods were <i>images</i> that people had made out of gold, <i>silver</i>, <i>bronze</i>, iron and stone. <n>A hand writes on the wall </n>


text:
Immediately, the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and the fingers wrote on the wall of the king’s house. They wrote near the light that stood in the room. So the king saw the hand while it wrote. 


text:
The king’s face became white and he was afraid. His knees started to knock together and his legs became weak. <n>The king’s <i>wise</i> men cannot help him </n>


text:
The king shouted for his <i>wise</i> men: the <i>enchanters</i>, <i>astrologers</i> and <i>diviners</i>. When they came, the king spoke to them. He said, ‘Who can read these words? Who can tell me what they mean? I will put <i>purple</i> clothes on that person and he will have a gold ring round his neck. And I will make him the third (3rd) ruler in the <i>kingdom</i>.’ 


text:
Then all the king’s <i>wise</i> men came in, but they could not read the words. They could not tell the king what the words meant. 


text:
So King Belshazzar became very afraid and his face became very white. His officers did not know what to do. <n>The queen tells Belshazzar about Daniel </n>


text:
The queen heard the words of the king and his officers. So she came into the room where they were having the party. Then she spoke to the king. ‘I want the king to live for all time’, she said. ‘Do not be afraid. Do not let your face be so white. 


text:
There is a man in your <i>kingdom</i> who has the spirit of the <i>holy</i> gods in him. He showed your father in his time, that he was very, very <i>wise</i>. He was <i>wise</i> like the gods. Your father, Nebuchadnezzar, made him the leader of all the <i>magicians</i>, <i>astrologers</i>, <i>enchanters</i> and <i>diviners</i>. 


text:
His mind was clever and he knew many things. He could tell what dreams mean. He could explain hidden things and answer problems. His name was Daniel, but the king called him Belteshazzar. Send a man to fetch Daniel. He will tell you what the words mean.’ <n>Belshazzar asks Daniel to explain the message </n>


text:
Then people brought Daniel to the king. The king said to Daniel, ‘Are you Daniel? Are you one of the men that my father the king brought from Judah? 


text:
I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you. You are <i>wise</i> and you understand many things. 


text:
I told my servants that they must bring the <i>wise</i> men and <i>enchanters</i>. I wanted the <i>wise</i> men to read these words. I asked them to tell me what the words mean. But they could not explain them to me. 


text:
I have heard that you can understand dreams. And I have heard that you can answer problems. So, can you read these words? And can you tell me what they mean? If you can do that, then I will put <i>purple</i> clothes on you. You will have a gold ring round your neck. And you will be the third (3rd) ruler in the <i>kingdom</i>.’ <n>Daniel tells the king that he has been bad and silly </n>


text:
Then Daniel answered the king. ‘You can keep your gifts for yourself. You can give them to someone else. But I will read the words for the king. And I will tell him what they mean. 


text:
The God who is great and true made your father Nebuchadnezzar king. God made him great and God gave <i>honour</i> to him. 


text:
Because God made him so great, the people in every country were afraid of him. The people who spoke every language were afraid of him. He killed anyone that he wanted to kill. And if he wanted someone to live, he let him live. He made people important if he wanted to. And if he wanted to make someone less important, he made that person less important. 


text:
He thought that he was the most important person. He thought that he could do anything. Then God took away his <i>kingdom</i> and his <i>honour</i>. 


text:
People pushed him out because he had an animal’s mind. So he lived with the wild horses. People fed him with grass that cows eat. <i>Dew</i> from the sky made his body wet until he changed his mind. But then he agreed that the great and true God rules the <i>kingdoms</i> of men. God gives authority over them to anyone that he wants to give it to.


text:
You, Belshazzar, are Nebuchadnezzar’s son and you knew all this. But you did not keep <i>pride</i> out of your mind. 


text:
You think that you are more important than the <i>Lord</i> of <i>heaven</i>. You demanded the cups from his house. And you, your wives, your other women and your important friends drank <i>wine</i> from them. Then you gave <i>honour</i> to gods that people had made from <i>silver</i>, gold, <i>bronze</i>, iron, wood and stone. These gods cannot see or hear. And they cannot understand. But you gave <i>honour</i> to them and you did not give <i>honour</i> to the true God. He gave your life to you. He has power over everything that you do. 


text:
And these are the words: <n>Mene, Mene, Tekel and Peres. <n>Daniel explains the words on the wall </n>


text:
This is what the words mean: <n>Mene means that God has counted the days of your <i>kingdom</i>. Now these days are finished and he has finished your <i>kingdom</i>.


text:
Tekel means that God has measured you. He has measured you to see if you are right (as you should be). But you were too small when he measured you.


text:
Peres means that God has cut your <i>kingdom</i> into two parts. He has given it to the people from Media and from Persia.’ <n>The things that were in the message happen </n>


text:
Then Belshazzar caused his servants to put <i>purple</i> clothes on Daniel. They put a gold ring round his neck. Then the king told all the people that Daniel was the third (3rd) ruler in the <i>kingdom</i>. 


text:
He also made 3 other men officers. He made them more important than the rulers. The 3 men would watch over the work of the rulers. Then the king would know that they were working well. Daniel was one of these 3 officers. 


text:
But Daniel did his work much better than the other officers and rulers. He was very good at his job. So the king wanted to make him ruler over the whole <i>kingdom</i>. 


text:
The other officers and rulers watched how Daniel worked for the king. They tried to show that he was doing something wrong. But they could not find that he did any wrong thing. That was because Daniel was a good and honest servant. He always did everything that the king wanted him to do. 


text:
Then these men said to each other, ‘We cannot find anything that Daniel does wrong. We can beat him only with something from the <i>laws</i> of his God.’ <n>The men decide that they will make the king angry with Daniel </n>


text:
So these officers and rulers went together to the king. ‘King Darius, we want you to live for all time’, they said. 


text:
‘All the officers in the <i>kingdom</i> including the king’s sons, rulers and captains have agreed. The king should make a <i>law</i>. For 30 days, the people must pray only to you, the king. If they pray to any other man or god, then your servants must take them to the prison. The servants must throw them into the deep hole where your <i>lions</i> live. 


text:
Now, you, the king, should make the <i>law</i> and sign it. Then it will be a <i>law</i> for the <i>Medes</i> and the <i>Persians</i>, and nobody can change it.’ 


text:
So King Darius wrote the <i>law</i> and he signed it. <n>Daniel refuses to obey the king’s new rule </n>


text:
Daniel heard that the king had signed the <i>law</i>. Then he went home. He went upstairs to his room where the windows opened in the direction of Jerusalem. He went on his knees and he prayed to God. He also thanked God. He did this three times every day. This is what he had always done. 


text:
Then the officers and rulers met together to see what Daniel would do. They saw that Daniel was praying to God. And he was asking God for help. 


text:
So they went to the king. They spoke to him about the <i>law</i> that he had made. ‘Do you remember that you signed a <i>law</i>?’ they said to the king. ‘For 30 days, nobody must pray to any god or man, except to you, the king. If they do pray to someone else, your servants must <i>punish</i> them. Your servants must throw them into the deep hole where your <i>lions</i> live.’ The king answered them. ‘It is true. It is a <i>law</i> for the <i>Medes</i> and the <i>Persians</i> and nobody can change it.’ 


text:
Then the officers and rulers said to the king, ‘That Daniel, whom Nebuchadnezzar brought from Judah, does not obey you. He does not obey the <i>law</i> that you signed. He still prays three times every day to his God.’ 


text:
When the king heard this, he was very sad. He tried to think of a way to save Daniel. Until evening, the king tried every way to save Daniel. 


text:
Then the officers and rulers came back to the king. ‘Remember that it is a <i>law</i> for the <i>Medes</i> and the <i>Persians</i>. Nobody can change a <i>law</i> that the king has made’, they said to him. <n>Daniel in the <i>lions</i>' hole </n>


text:
Then the king sent his servants to take Daniel to the prison. So they threw him into the deep hole where the <i>lions</i> lived. And the king spoke to Daniel. ‘You obey your God’s rules and you are his good servant. He will save you’, he said. 


text:
Then they brought a stone. And they put it over the top of the <i>lions</i>’ hole. The king put a mark on the stone with his ring of authority. He also marked it with the rings of his important men. This meant that nobody could move that stone. Nobody could change it. 


text:
Then the king returned to his own house. He ate no food. And nobody brought to him anything that he could enjoy. And he was unable to sleep. <n>God has shut the <i>lions</i>' mouths </n>


text:
The king got up very early in the morning. He hurried to the deep hole where the <i>lions</i> were. 


text:
When he got near to it, he shouted aloud. His voice showed that he was very afraid. ‘Daniel, you are a good servant of the living God. Was your God able to save you from the <i>lions</i>?’ he said. 


text:
My God sent his <i>angel</i>, who shut the <i>lions</i>’ mouths. So the <i>lions</i> have not hurt me. God knows that I have done no wrong thing. I have not done anything to hurt you, the king, either.’ 


text:
The king was very happy when he heard Daniel’s voice. He told his servants that they must lift Daniel out of the <i>lions</i>’ hole. So they pulled him out and they looked at him. They saw that the <i>lions</i> had not hurt him. Daniel had believed that his God could save him. That is why the <i>lions</i> had not hurt him. <n>King Darius <i>punishes</i> the bad men and he writes a letter about God </n>


text:
Then the king spoke to his servants. So the servants brought the men who had said bad things about Daniel. They threw those men and their wives and children into the deep hole where the <i>lions</i> were. Before they reached the floor of the hole, the <i>lions</i> attacked them. The <i>lions</i> broke all their bones when they killed them.


text:
After this, King Darius wrote to all the people. He wrote to every country in the world. He wrote in every language. ‘I pray that you all will have good and happy lives.


text:
I have made a <i>law</i>. In every part of my <i>kingdom</i>, the people must give <i>honour</i> to Daniel’s God. And they must be afraid of him. <n>He is the living God <n>and he will live always. <n>Nobody will ever destroy his <i>kingdom</i>. <n>It will never end.


text:
He saves people. He keeps them safe. <n>He does great things in <i>heaven</i> and on earth. <n>He has saved Daniel from the <i>lions</i>’ power.’


text:
So Daniel was a powerful ruler while Darius was king. And he continued to be a powerful officer, when Cyrus from Persia (Iran) became king.


text:
It was the first year that King Belshazzar ruled Babylon. Daniel had a dream. He saw pictures in his head while he lay on his bed. And he wrote down what he saw in the dream.


text:
Daniel wrote, ‘I had a dream at night. I saw the 4 winds of <i>heaven</i> causing the great sea to move up and down. 


text:
The first one seemed like a <i>lion</i>, but it had <i>wings</i> like a great bird. As I watched, someone pulled its <i>wings</i> off. They lifted it up and it stood on two feet like a man. They gave a man’s mind to it. 


text:
Then I saw a second animal. It seemed like a <i>bear</i>. It raised itself up on one side and it had three bones between its teeth. Someone said to it, “Stand up and attack! Eat lots of meat.” 


text:
Then I saw another animal. It seemed like a <i>leopard</i>, but it had 4 <i>wings</i> like a bird’s <i>wings</i> on its back. Also, this animal had 4 heads, and it had authority to rule. 


text:
Then I saw a fourth (4th) animal in my dream. It frightened me more than the other animals. It was very strong and it had large iron teeth. It broke things and people into pieces and it ate them. It destroyed everything else with its feet. It was different from the other animals because it had 10 <i>horns</i>. 


text:
While I was looking at the <i>horns</i>, I saw another little <i>horn</i>. It came up among the other 10 <i>horns</i>. It pushed out three of those other <i>horns</i> to make room for itself. This little <i>horn</i> had eyes like a man’s eyes. And it had a mouth that spoke strong words. That animal thought that it was the most important of all things.’ <n>The time when God will <i>judge</i> people </n> <n>


text:
Daniel continued to write about his dream. <n>‘I saw that the great authority of those animals ended. <n>Then God, who is always God, sat down to be their <i>judge</i>. <n>His clothes were as white as snow. <n>His hair was white like clean wool (soft hair of a sheep). <n>He caused thousands of people to become his servants. <n>Many thousands of people stood in front of him. <n>The books were open, and God began to <i>judge</i> the people. <n>God’s seat had <i>wheels</i> and it burned like a fire. <n>A river of fire came out in front of him.


text:
The <i>horn</i> was saying how important he was. So I was watching. While I watched, someone killed the fourth (4th) animal. They destroyed its body and they burned it with fire. 


text:
‘In my dream at night’, Daniel wrote, ‘I continued to watch. <n>Then I saw someone who seemed like a man. He seemed like a son of man. He came with the clouds of <i>heaven</i>. <n>He came near to God, who is always God. <n>God’s servants brought him close to God.


text:
Then God gave authority, <i>honour</i> and a king’s power to him. <n>So the people in every country who spoke every language <i>worshipped</i> him. <n>His <i>kingdom</i> will continue always. <n>And nobody will ever cause it to become nothing. <n>Nobody can destroy it. <n>An <i>angel</i> explains some things to Daniel </n>


text:
So I spoke to someone who was standing near me in my dream. And I asked him what all this meant. Then he explained it to me. 


text:
But the true God will give the <i>kingdom</i> to his own people. Then they will have the <i>kingdom</i> always.” <n>The <i>angel</i> tells Daniel many more things about the fourth animal and about the time when God will <i>judge</i> people </n>


text:
Then I wanted to know about the fourth (4th) animal’, Daniel wrote. ‘It was different from the other animals. It made me very afraid because it was so bad and so strong. It had large iron teeth and <i>bronze</i> fingers. It broke things and people into pieces and it ate them. And it destroyed everything else with its feet. 


text:
I wanted to know about the 10 <i>horns</i> on its head. I also wanted to know about the little <i>horn</i> that came up among them. It pushed out three of the other <i>horns</i> to make room for itself. This <i>horn</i> had eyes, and a mouth. This mouth said that it was most important. And this little <i>horn</i> seemed greater than the other <i>horns</i>. 


text:
I continued to watch. And this <i>horn</i> fought against God’s <i>holy</i> people. It nearly won the fight. 


text:
But I continued to look. And God, who is always God, came. He was the <i>judge</i>. He said that the <i>horn</i> must not kill God’s <i>holy</i> people. Then the time came when he gave the <i>kingdom</i> to his <i>holy</i> people.


text:
Then the person who was near me explained it to me. “The fourth (4th) animal means that there will be a fourth (4th) <i>kingdom</i> on the earth. It will be different from the other <i>kingdoms</i>. It will be as if its king eats up the whole earth. He will walk on the earth and he will break it into pieces. 


text:
The 10 <i>horns</i> mean 10 kings who will come from that <i>kingdom</i>. They will rule and after them, another king will come. He will be different from the other kings. He will fight and he will kill three of the other kings. 


text:
He will speak against God. And he will stand against God’s <i>holy</i> people. He will try to change the times and God’s <i>Law</i>. He will have power over God’s people for three and a half years. 


text:
Then God will give the <i>kingdom</i> to his own people. It will be a great <i>kingdom</i> and they will have great power. And they will rule all the <i>kingdoms</i> of the world on behalf of God. God’s <i>kingdom</i> will never end. And all rulers will obey him and they will be his servants.”


text:
This is the end of my dream’, wrote Daniel. ‘And I, Daniel, had much trouble because my thoughts made me afraid. My face became white, but I did not tell anyone about these things.’


text:
In my dream, I saw myself in the king’s strong house in the city called Susa. Susa is in the part of the country called Elam. I was standing by the stream called Ulai. 


text:
I looked up and I saw a male sheep by the stream. He had two long <i>horns</i>. But the longer <i>horn</i> grew up after the other <i>horn</i>. 


text:
I watched the male sheep while he was running to the west, and to the north, and to the south. He was more powerful than all other animals. Nobody could save any of them from him. He did whatever he wanted to do. And he became great.


text:
While I was thinking about this, immediately a male goat came from the west. He went across the whole earth so quickly that his feet did not even touch the ground. The goat had a very big <i>horn</i> between his eyes. 


text:
He came towards the sheep that I had seen. The sheep had two <i>horns</i> and he was standing by the stream. But the goat was very angry and he ran at the sheep. 


text:
I saw him attack the sheep because he was so angry with the sheep. He hit the sheep and he broke the sheep’s two <i>horns</i>. The sheep had no power against the goat, so the goat knocked the sheep down. And the goat walked over him and killed him. And nobody could save the sheep from the goat. <n>The little <i>horn</i> </n>


text:
The male goat became very great. But when he was greatest, his big <i>horn</i> broke. Instead, 4 other large <i>horns</i> grew up in its place. Each one pointed in a different direction. 


text:
Out of one of these <i>horns</i> another little <i>horn</i> grew. It became powerful towards the south, and towards the east and towards the Beautiful Country. 


text:
It became so great that it attacked the stars in the sky. They are the army of <i>heaven</i>. It threw some of the stars to the ground and it walked over them. 


text:
It thought that it was as great as God, the leader of <i>heaven</i>’s army. It took away the gifts that the people offered to God each day. And it destroyed the <i>honour</i> of God’s house. 


text:
Because of the bad things that the people had done, the <i>horn</i> received power over God’s people. So God’s people did not give gifts to God each day. They gave them to the <i>horn</i>. The <i>horn</i> did not let people <i>worship</i> God any longer. It was able to do all that it wanted to do.


text:
Then I heard two <i>angels</i> talking. One <i>angel</i> asked, ‘How long will the things in the dream go on? How long will the <i>horn</i> stop people giving the gifts to God each day? How long will God let the <i>horn</i> rule his house? How long will he let the <i>horn</i> walk on his people. How long before they can <i>worship</i> God again?’ 


text:
The other <i>angel</i> answered, ‘It will go on for 2300 evenings and mornings. Then they will make God’s house <i>holy</i> again.’ <n>An <i>angel</i> called Gabriel explains the dream </n>


text:
When I, Daniel, had seen the dream, I tried to understand it. Then someone who seemed like a man appeared in front of me. 


text:
I heard a man’s voice. It was coming from the stream Ulai. ‘Gabriel, tell this man what the dream means’, the voice said. 


text:
So Gabriel came near to me. I was very afraid, so I fell down in front of him. But he spoke to me. ‘You are only a man, but you must understand the dream. It is about the end of time.’ 


text:
Then he spoke to me again. ‘I will tell you what will happen at the end of time. It will happen because God is angry. The end will be at the time that God has decided.’


text:
The <i>angel</i> continued to speak. ‘You saw a male sheep with two <i>horns</i>. These <i>horns</i> mean the <i>kingdoms</i> of Media and Persia. 


text:
The male goat means the <i>kingdom</i> of Greece. The big <i>horn</i> between his eyes means the first king. 


text:
Four <i>horns</i> grew to take the place of the broken big <i>horn</i>. They will make the <i>Greek</i> people into 4 <i>kingdoms</i>. But they will not be as powerful as the first <i>Greek kingdom</i>.’


text:
The <i>angel</i> continued to speak. He said, ‘Near the end of the time when they rule, people will do many bad things. God will have to <i>punish</i> them. A very cruel king will appear. He will say things that are not true. And he will be very clever. 


text:
He will become very powerful, but this will not be his own power. He will destroy many things. And he will be clever. So he will be able to do anything that he wants to do. He will kill strong leaders and he will even kill God’s people. 


text:
He will kill people for no good reason. People will think that they are safe. But then he will kill them. He will think that he is very important. He will fight against the greatest of all kings. Then he will fail, but no human hand will do this to him.’


text:
The <i>angel</i> continued to speak. He said, ‘This is the dream about the evenings and the mornings. And I have told you what it means. It is true, but keep the dream as a secret now. It will be a long time before all this happens.’ 


text:
After this dream, I, Daniel, was weak. I was sick for many days. Then I got up and I returned to my work for the king. The dream caused great trouble in my mind and I could not understand it.


text:
This is what happened in the first year that Darius ruled the country. He was the son of Xerxes and he came from the country called Media. He became king of Babylon. 


text:
Before he had been king for one year, I, Daniel, was studying the words in God’s book. I read what the <i>Lord</i> had told Jeremiah the <i>prophet</i>. He told him that Jerusalem would continue to be broken and empty for 70 years. Nobody would live there. <n>Daniel prays about the words that he has read </n>


text:
So I started to pray very much to the <i>Lord</i> God, and I stopped eating food. I put on old clothes and I threw ashes over myself. I wanted to show how sad I felt.


text:
I prayed to the <i>Lord</i> my God. And I said to him that we had done wrong things. ‘<i>Lord</i>, you are the great God and we give <i>honour</i> to you’, I prayed. ‘You <i>keep your promises</i> to those who obey your <i>Laws</i>. You always love those who love you.’


text:
‘We have been very bad’, I prayed. ‘We have done wrong and <i>evil</i> things. We have not obeyed your rules. 


text:
We did not listen to the <i>prophets</i> who are your servants. They told your message to our kings, to our rulers, to our fathers and to all the people. 


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<i>Lord</i>, you always do what is right. We are people from Judah, from Jerusalem and from all Israel. We have done bad things and we are ashamed. We have not been <i>faithful</i> to you. So some of us are near here, but you have sent some of us to countries far away. 


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<i>Lord</i>, we are ashamed because we have not obeyed you. Our kings, their sons and our fathers are ashamed. 


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We have not obeyed you, the <i>Lord</i> our God. You sent your servants, the <i>prophets</i> with your message. They gave your rules to us. But we have not obeyed those <i>Laws</i>. 


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None of the people from Israel have obeyed your <i>Laws</i>. We have turned away from you. We have refused to obey you. We read the book that your servant Moses wrote. We read about your <i>punishments</i>, but we did not do anything about it. So now, you have <i>punished</i> us because we did not obey you. 


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You did what you promised to do to our rulers and to us. So you <i>punished</i> us. You <i>punished</i> Jerusalem more than anywhere else under <i>heaven</i>. 


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You have <i>punished</i> us as Moses wrote in his book. And still we have not tried to make you happy, the <i>Lord</i> our God. We do wrong things still and we do not obey your <i>Laws</i>. 


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So you remembered the <i>punishments</i> that you had told us about. Everything that you, the <i>Lord</i> God, do is right. And we did not obey you.’


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‘<i>Lord</i> our God’, I said, ‘you brought your people out of the country called Egypt by your power. You caused many people to know your name. Many people know about you still. But we did more wrong things and we have been very bad. 


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<i>Lord</i>, you have always done what is right. Please stop being angry with the people from Jerusalem. It is your special city. All the people that live round us laugh about Jerusalem in a bad way. And they laugh about your people. That is happening because our fathers were so bad. And we have been <i>evil</i> also. 


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So now, our God, I am praying to you. Please listen to me because I am your servant. Listen to me while I pray! So then people will know that you are God. <i>Lord</i>, be kind to your empty house. 


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Listen to us, <i>Lord</i>. Look at the city that belongs to you. Nobody lives there now. We do not pray for things because we are good. We pray to you because you are kind. 


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<i>Lord</i>, listen. <i>Lord</i>, <i>forgive</i> us. <i>Lord</i>, listen because the city and your people are yours. Do something quickly. Then people will know that you are God.’ <n>God sends the <i>angel</i> called Gabriel to Daniel </n>


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I continued to pray. I was saying that all the people of Israel had done wrong things. I was praying to the <i>Lord</i> my God about his <i>holy</i> place.


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And while I was praying, Gabriel came to me. He was the same man that I had seen in the first dream. He flew quickly to me. It was about the time of the evening <i>sacrifice</i>. 


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‘As soon as you started to pray, God sent the answer. I have come to tell you the answer because God really loves you. Now listen to me. I will explain what you have seen.’


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‘God has chosen 490 years (in other words, 70 × 7 years)’, Gabriel said. ‘This is about your people and the <i>holy</i> city. Then God will stop people doing bad things. He will pay for the wrong things that people have done. He will make everything completely good for always. All that the <i>prophets</i> wrote about will happen. And he will <i>anoint</i> the most <i>holy</i> one. <n>The 490 years </n>


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I want you to know and understand. Someone will tell men that they must build Jerusalem again. After 49 years (in other words, 7 × 7), people will build Jerusalem city again. They will build streets and a wall. But God’s people will have much trouble during this time. Then there will be 434 years (in other words, 62 × 7) more. Then, the special ruler that God has chosen will come. 


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After the 434 years, people will kill the special ruler that God has sent. He will have nothing. Then a foreign ruler will come with his army and he will destroy the city and the <i>holy</i> place. The end will be like a fast river. War will continue until the end of that time. God has said that people would destroy things. 


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The ruler will agree with many people for 7 years. In the middle of the 7 years he will stop all the <i>sacrifices</i>. He will put a thing that is not <i>holy</i> in the <i>holy</i> place. And it will stay there until God decides to kill this ruler. Then his end will happen.’


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In the third (3rd) year that King Cyrus ruled Persia, God gave a message to Daniel. (Daniel’s other name was Belteshazzar.) The message was true, and it was about a great war. Daniel had a dream. This showed him what the message meant. 


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I did not eat any good food. I had no meat or <i>wine</i>. I did not put anything good on my skin or my hair until the three weeks finished. <n>The <i>angel</i> appears to Daniel </n>


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His body was bright like a beautiful stone. His face was like a bright light. His eyes seemed like <i>tongues</i> made from fire. His arms and legs seemed like shining <i>bronze</i>. When he spoke, his voice was like the noise of many people’s voices. <n>Daniel and his friends become afraid and weak </n>


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Only I, Daniel, saw this picture. The people who were with me did not see anything. But they were very afraid, so they ran away. And they hid themselves. 


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When I heard his voice, I fell down. I lay with my face on the ground and I started to sleep. <n>The <i>angel</i> explains why God has sent him </n>


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Then a hand touched me and it helped me to get up. I was on my hands and knees. But my body moved because I was afraid. 


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He spoke to me. ‘Daniel, God loves you very much’, he said. ‘Listen carefully to what I say to you. Stand up, because God has sent me to you.’ When he said this, I stood up. But I was afraid still. 


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Then he said, ‘Daniel, do not be afraid. You wanted to understand God. You became ready to do what he had decided. As soon as you did this, God heard your words. So I have come to bring the answer to your <i>prayers</i>. 


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The ruler of the <i>kingdom</i> of Persia stood in my way for 21 days. But then Michael, who is one of God’s most important servants, came to help me. Until then, I had to stay there with the kings of Persia. 


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Now I am here to explain this dream about future years. The dream tells what will happen to your people then.’ <n>The <i>angel</i> makes Daniel stronger </n>


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Then someone who seemed like a man touched my lips. I opened my mouth and I was able to speak again. So I spoke to the person who stood in front of me. ‘My <i>lord</i>, the dream has given great pain to me and now I am weak. 


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My <i>lord</i>, I am your servant. I am not important enough to talk with you. I am very weak. I can hardly pull air into my body.’


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‘Do not be afraid, man’, he said to me, ‘because God loves you very much. I want your mind to rest. I want you to be strong, very strong.’ When he said this, I felt stronger. So I spoke again. ‘My <i>lord</i>, speak to me, because you have made me strong again’, I said. <n>The <i>angel</i>’s fights </n>


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Then he spoke to me again. ‘I will tell you why I have come to you. Soon I will return to fight against the ruler of Persia. When I have won that fight, the king from Greece will come. 


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But now I will explain to you what the words in the True Book mean. (Only Michael, your people’s ruler, will help me against God’s enemies.)’


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‘Since the first year that Darius from Media ruled, I helped him. And I saved him from his enemies.’


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‘Now I will explain to you the things that will happen’, the <i>messenger</i> said. ‘There will be three more kings in Persia and then a fourth (4th) king will come. He will be richer than all the other kings. He will become powerful because he is so rich. Then he will cause everybody to become angry with the <i>kingdom</i> called Greece.’


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‘Then a very strong king will come’, he told me. ‘He will rule with great power. And he will do whatever he wants to do. 


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After he comes, his <i>kingdom</i> will break into 4 parts. Those parts will be in the north, south, east and west. His children and grandchildren will not rule his <i>kingdom</i>. Other people will rule his <i>kingdom</i>, but they will not be as powerful.’ <n>Wars in the countries near Israel </n>


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‘Then the king in the south will become strong, but one of his officers will become even stronger. He will rule his own <i>kingdom</i> and he will be very powerful.


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After some years, the king in the south and the king in the north will agree not to fight each other. The daughter of the king in the south will marry the king in the north. This should cause the two <i>kingdoms</i> to become friends. But the plan will fail and they will lose their power. Someone will kill her and her husband and her father and her servants.


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Later, someone from her family will become king in the south. He will attack the army of the king in the north and he will go into the strong city. He will fight against the army and he will win the fight. 


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He will take away their gods that they have made out of wood or stone. And he will take away their valuable gold and <i>silver</i> dishes. He will take these things back to the country called Egypt. Then for several years, he will not attack the king in the north again.


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After that, the king in the north will attack the country where the king in the south lives. But they will cause him to return to his own country. 


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Then his sons will prepare for war. They will bring together a large army, which will go to the south like a powerful river. The army will attack the strong city of the king in the south. 


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Then the king in the south will be angry. He will bring out his army to fight the king from the north. The king from the north might have a large army, but the king in the south will win the fight. 


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The king in the south will destroy this large army. So then he will think that he is great. He will kill many thousands of people, but his power will not continue.


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The king from the north will again bring together a large army. It will be even bigger than the first army. After a few years, he will come back with his larger army. And this army will have all the arms that it needs to attack other countries. 


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At that time, many people will stand against the king in the south. And the angry men from your own people will also rise up. They will fight against him. This is what the dream tells us. But they will fail. 


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Then the king from the north will come. He will build up earth round a strong city. He will take the city because the army in the south will not be able to stand against him. Even their best soldiers will not be strong enough to win the fight. 


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The king from the north will do whatever he wants to do. Nobody will be able to stand against him. He will stay in the Beautiful Country and he will have the power to destroy it.


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Then the king from the north will decide to go south with all his power. He will agree not to fight with the king in the south. He will give a daughter to marry the king in the south. He will want very much to stop that king ruling. But his plan will fail. She will not help him.


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After this, he will turn and attack the countries by the sea. He will take many of those countries, but one officer will stop him. He will even cause the king from the north to stop fighting. Then he will not be able to take power over other countries. 


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So the king from the north will return. He will return to the strong cities in his own country. But he will lose another fight. And he will fall so that nobody will see him again.


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Then the next king in the north will try to make himself even more rich. He will send out someone to take money from his people, but soon God will cause him to die. This will not happen in an attack or a fight. <n>The life of the very bad man </n>


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The person who comes after him will be a very bad man. He will not become a king but he will come to take power. The people will think that they are safe. That is when he will come. He will tell lies and he will do wrong things to become king. 


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He will try to agree with people from other countries. But he will tell them things that are not true. Only a few people will help him but he will become powerful. 


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He will attack the richest places. They will think that they are safe. That is when he will attack them. He will do things that his father and grandfathers did not do. He will take valuable things in war and he will give some to his servants. And he will try to discover how he might attack strong cities. But this will only happen for a short time.


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He will feel strong and brave against the king in the south because he has a large army. And the king in the south will fight back with a large and powerful army. But the king in the south will not win, because people will make a way to stop him. 


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Even those who eat the king’s food will try to kill him. They will push his army away and many soldiers will die. 


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These two kings will want to do many bad things. They will sit together at the same table. But they will tell each other things that are not true. God has decided the time of the end already. So he will not let them do those bad things.


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The king from the north will return to his own country. He will be very rich. He will hate those who <i>worship</i> the true God. He will do whatever he wants to do against them. Then he will continue his journey back to his own country.


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At the time that God has decided, the king will go to the south again. This time the result will be different. 


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People from the west will come in ships and they will stand against him. He will be afraid and he will turn back. He will be angry with people who <i>worship</i> the true God. He will give benefits to those people who have not <i>kept their promises</i> to God. 


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He will send some of his soldiers into God’s strong and <i>holy</i> place to make it dirty. Then it will not be <i>holy</i> any longer. Nor will they let people <i>sacrifice</i> gifts to God. They will put something that God hates in there. 


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The king will say that some people are good. Those are the people who do not obey God. But those who know their God will be strong. And they will work. 


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The <i>wise</i> leaders will teach the people, but the people will attack them for some time. People will kill some with sharp knives or they will burn them. They will rob them and they will put some of them in a prison. 


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When God’s people are dying, they will receive a little help. Many people who do not really know God will join them. 


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Some of the <i>wise</i> people will fall. Then God can make them clean (<i>holy</i>). And they will become the people that God wants them to be at the end. God has decided when the end will come.


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And this king will do whatever he wants to do. He will say that he is greater than any god. He will even say very bad things against the God of gods. This will happen until God is not angry with his people any longer. God must do what he has decided to do. 


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This king will not have any interest in the gods that his father and grandfathers <i>worshipped</i>. He will not have any interest in the god that women love. He will think that he is greater than any of the gods. 


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Instead, he will give <i>honour</i> to the god that saves strong cities. His father and grandfathers did not give <i>honour</i> to that god. But he will give gold, <i>silver</i>, pretty stones and gifts to that god. 


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He will give <i>honour</i> to this foreign god who will help him to fight strong cities. Then he will give gifts to those people who give <i>honour</i> to his god. He will let them rule many people. And he will sell parts of the land to them. <n>The end of the very bad man’s life </n>


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In the end, the king from the south will attack him. The king in the north will fight back like a storm. He will have soldiers on horses and many ships. He will attack many countries and he will go through them like a great powerful river. 


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He will also attack the Beautiful Country and he will kill many thousands of the people there. But he will not take the people in the countries called Edom and Moab or the leaders from Ammon. 


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He will take all the gold, <i>silver</i> and other valuable things in Egypt. He will also rule the countries called Libya and Cush. 


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But he will hear news from the north and the east that will cause trouble in his mind. So he will be very angry. And then he will go to destroy things and to kill many people. 


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He will stay with his soldiers between the sea and the <i>holy</i> mountain. But he will die there and nobody will help him.’


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‘At that time Michael will come’, the same man said. ‘He is the great <i>angel</i> who is good to your people. There will be a time of very great trouble. It will be the worst time since God made man. Then God will save those among your people whose names are in his book. 


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Many of those who have died will come back to life again. God will give life that will never end to some of them. But some will be ashamed and have no <i>honour</i> for all time. 


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And those who are <i>wise</i> will shine like the bright sky. Those who help many people to obey God will shine like the stars always. <n>Daniel must close the book and he must keep it secret </n>


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Now you, Daniel, do not change this message. Close the book and keep it secret until the end. Many will try to learn more about this.’ <n>An <i>angel</i> says that the surprising things will finish after three and a half years </n>


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Then I, Daniel, looked up and I saw two other people. One of them was on this side of the river with me. The other one was on the other side of the river. 


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One of them spoke to the man who was wearing white clothes. He was beyond them over the water. He asked him, ‘How long will it be before these surprising things end?’ 


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The man who was wearing white clothes lifted up both his hands towards the sky. I heard him make a promise by God, who lives always. ‘It will end after three and a half years. Then the enemies who fight against the power of the <i>holy</i> people will stop. And that will be the end of all these events.’ <n>The <i>angel</i> tells some more things to Daniel and he tells Daniel about God’s promise to him </n>


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God will make many people <i>holy</i> and good. But <i>evil</i> people will continue to do things that are wrong. Those bad people will not understand what God wants. But <i>wise</i> people will understand. 


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From the time that there is no <i>sacrifice</i> each day there will be 1290 days. That is from the time that they put the thing that God hates in his house. 


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You yourself must be patient and you must continue until the end. You will die. But then you will live again. And then you will receive the good things that God has promised at the end of time.’


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This is the message that the <i>Lord</i> gave to Hosea, the son of Beeri. He gave this message during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. This was during the time when Jeroboam, son of Joash, was the king of Israel. <n>Hosea’s wife and their children</n>


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The <i>Lord</i> began to speak to Israel’s people by Hosea. The <i>Lord</i> said to Hosea, ‘Go, and marry a <i>prostitute</i>. I want you to have children by her. The children will be like her. In the same way, my people have left me and they have loved other gods.’ 


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So Hosea married a woman called Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. After this, a child began to grow in her and she gave birth to their first child, a son. 


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The <i>Lord</i> said to Hosea, ‘Call him Jezreel. This is because I will soon <i>punish</i> the <i>family</i> of Jehu. I will hurt them because of the murders by Jehu at Jezreel. Then I will cause the end of the country called Israel. 


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Gomer had a second child. This time it was a daughter. The <i>Lord</i> said to Hosea, ‘Call her Lo-Ruhamah. This is because I will not continue to show great love to the people in Israel. I will not forget their <i>sins</i>. 


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But I will show love to the people in Judah. I, the <i>Lord</i>, will save them. I will not do it by war. I will not use <i>weapons</i>. I will not use horses or people who ride horses.’


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After Gomer gave her own milk to Lo-Ruhamah, another child began to grow in Gomer. A son was born to her. 


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Then the <i>Lord</i> said to Hosea, ‘Call him Lo-Ammi. This is because the people in Israel are not my people. And I am not their God.’ <n>Verses 2-5 God does not ask Hosea to marry a <i>prostitute</i> in the usual way that the word means. Perhaps the word means that his wife was like a <i>prostitute</i>. In 4:12 and 5:4, Hosea uses the word <i>prostitute</i> in another way. Israel is like a <i>prostitute</i>. Gomer’s children are also like <i>prostitutes</i>. They, too, are part of a bad group of people. Hosea does not mean that the children were born before Gomer’s marriage to Hosea. He does not suggest that the children were not his own. The names Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi mean No Great Love and Not My People. 


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At a future time, the number of Israel’s people will be like the sand by the sea. You cannot measure the sand or count it. Now God says to them, ‘You are not my people.’ But there will be a future day when he will say to them, ‘You are the children of the living God!’ 


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The people from Judah and the people from Israel will come together again. They will choose for themselves a single leader. And they will go out of a foreign country. The day of Jezreel will be an important day. 


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Then you will tell your brothers, ‘You are my people.’ And you will tell your sisters, ‘He has shown great love to you.’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> speaks to the people in Israel</n>


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My children, argue with your mother. Tell her that she is wrong. Tell that to her because she is not my wife. And I am not her husband. Tell her that she must stop living like a <i>prostitute</i>. She must take away the men that she loved from between her breasts. 


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If she does not do that, I will take away all her clothes. It will be like the day when she was born. I will leave her to die. She will die because she will have no water. I will let her stay in a dry <i>desert</i>. 


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I will not show great love to her children. They are the children of a <i>prostitute</i>. This <i>prostitute</i> does not think about what she does. She herself said, ‘I will go to the men that I love. They give me food and water, clothes and cloth, oil from trees and <i>wine</i>.’


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So I (the <i>Lord</i>) will put something in the way of your (Israel’s people’s) road. I will use plants that hurt. I will build a wall so that she cannot find her way. 


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She will run after the men that she loves. But she will not catch them. She will look for them, but she will not catch them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband (God). Life was better for me when I was with him. Life was better then than it is now.’ <n>Verse 2 In this chapter, Hosea is saying things in a special way. He is saying, ‘God is like a <i>judge</i> who will decide things about Israel’s people.’ He will decide them in a ‘<i>court</i>’. When he says ‘your mother’, he means all the people in Israel. <n>Verses 3-5 Israel is like a girl. When this girl was born, she needed God. But when she grew up, she went to other men for help. The men that she loved were the Baals (<i>idols</i>). 


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‘She (Israel) did not believe that I (the <i>Lord</i>) had given <i>grain</i>, <i>wine</i> and oil from trees to her. She thought that another God had given them to her. It was I who gave her plenty of <i>silver</i> and gold. She used this <i>silver</i> and gold when she wanted to <i>worship</i> Baal. 


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So I will take back my <i>grain</i> at the time when it is ready. I will take back my new <i>wine</i> when it is ready. I will take back my clothes and cloth. They were what should have covered the body. 


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Now I will take away her clothes. So all the men who loved her will see her. They will see her as she is. Nobody will be able to take her from my power. 


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I (God) will stop the special times when she enjoys herself. I will stop her <i>religious holidays</i> and the meals that she has at a new moon. 


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I will destroy her <i>grapes</i> and her fruit trees. She said that men loved her. These men paid her with those things. But I will change her gardens. They will become like a wild forest. Wild animals will come and they will eat from those plants. 


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I will <i>punish</i> her for the times that she burnt special plants to the god, Baal. I will <i>punish</i> her because she wore special stones. Then she could run after the men who loved her. But she forgot me.’ The <i>Lord</i> has said this. <n>Verse 11 Israel had <i>holy</i> holidays. These were special days when the people <i>worshipped</i> God. But God was angry because Israel’s <i>holy</i> holidays became days for the god, Baal. The god, Baal was an <i>idol</i>. God wanted people to rest on a special day. But this, too, became a holiday for special meals. <n>The <i>Lord</i>’s love for his people</n>


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So I (the <i>Lord</i>) will say words of love to her. I will lead her into the <i>desert</i> and I will speak kind words to her. 


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There, I will give back to her the <i>grapes</i> that she had. I will give her Trouble Valley. This will be a way for her to hope in me. Then she will answer me like the time that she came out of Egypt. 


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I will never let her speak the name of the god, Baal again. Then people will not use Baal’s names again. 


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At that time, I will promise to do things for Israel’s people. I will cause the animals in the fields and the birds in the sky to be their friends. I will cause the animals that move along the ground to be their friends too. I also will break the things that Israel’s people used in war. I will remove the things that men use to fight in wars. None of these things will remain in the land. My people will live in a time when people do not attack them. They will be safe.


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I (the <i>Lord</i>) will make you my wife for always. <n>I will be good and fair. I will always love you and I will always show <i>mercy</i> to you. <n>I will make you mine for always.


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At that time, I will answer the sky. <n>I will speak to the sky and then rain will fall on the earth.


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The ground will give back <i>grain</i>, <i>wine</i> and oil from trees. <n>They will have an answer for Jezreel.


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I will plant many seeds on Israel’s land. <n>To Lo-Ruhamah, I will show great love. <n>To Lo-Ammi, I will say, ‘You are my people.’ <n>And they will say to me, <n>‘You are my God.’ <n>Verse 14 The <i>desert</i> was the place where God first became like Israel’s husband. See verses 16, 19, 20. <n>Verse 15 Trouble Valley (the Valley of Achor) was a place where a man from Israel did not obey God (Joshua 7:24). <n>Verse 19 Again, Hosea says what the <i>judge</i> will do. But this time it is a message about love. <n>Verse 23 The names Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi mean No Great Love and Not My People. See 1:6-9. 


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Then the <i>Lord</i> said to me again, ‘Show love to a woman again. Another man loves her but you must love her. She goes after other men but you must continue to love her. You must love her in the same way that the <i>Lord</i> loves Israel’s people. But they continue to <i>worship</i> other gods. And they like to offer fruit to these gods.’ 


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So I bought the woman with 15 pieces of <i>silver</i> and 1.5 homers (about 330 litres or 9 bushels) of <i>grain</i>. 


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Then I told her, ‘You must stay at home with me for a long time. You must not be like a <i>prostitute</i>. You must not be too friendly with another man. So then I will live with you.’ 


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In the same way, Israel’s people will continue to live for a long time without a king or a leader. They will not have <i>sacrifices</i>, or stones to help them to remember God. They will not have any <i>ephods</i> and they will not have any gods in their homes. 


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At a future time, Israel’s people will return. Then they will look for the <i>Lord</i> their God and they will look for David, their king. They will come to the <i>Lord</i> and they will receive his gifts. <n>Verse 1 The word ‘love’ can mean different things in the <i>Hebrew</i> language. It includes a kind of love about sex. It includes a love from God. It also means a love when a man loves his wife. <n>Verse 4 Hosea starts to speak to Israel’s people. Israel will have no king. Another country will rule Israel. This other country will be Assyria (Hosea 11:5). The ‘stones’ were places where Israel’s people gave <i>sacrifices</i>. They gave these <i>sacrifices</i> to another god. Ephods were special clothes that the leader of the <i>priests</i> wore. 


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People in Israel, listen to the <i>Lord</i>’s message! The <i>Lord</i> will argue against the people that live in this country. ‘People in this country do not really know God. The people are never kind to other people. And they do not do what they have promised to do. 


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They hope that bad things will happen to people. They tell people things that are not true. They kill people and they rob people. They do the <i>sin</i> of <i>adultery</i>. They kill more and more people. 


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So the people cry. And everything that lives is slowly dying. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, are dying. 


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Nobody among you should argue. And nobody among you should say that another person is wrong. You people are like people who argue with a <i>priest</i>. 


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You fall over during the day and during the night. And the <i>prophets</i> fall with you. And I will destroy your mother (Israel). 


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You are destroying my people because they do not know me. You have refused to learn. So I will refuse to let you be a <i>priest</i> for me. You have forgotten your God’s rules, so I will forget your children.’ <n>Verse 1 God is taking his people to a kind of <i>court</i>. The people will have to give an answer for their <i>sins</i>. The first of these <i>sins</i> is that the people do not love God. They do not know God. <n>Verse 4 God does not have one <i>priest</i> that he is thinking about. He is thinking about all the <i>priests</i> and <i>prophets</i> in Israel. 


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‘The more <i>priests</i> that there are of you, the more you <i>sin</i> against me. So I will change the way that you are great into something else. You will not like what will happen to you. 


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The <i>priests</i> eat when the people <i>sin</i>. So the <i>priests</i> are happy when the people <i>sin</i>. 


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The <i>priests</i> are not different from the people. I will tell them both what they should do. They will have to change the things that they do. I will <i>punish</i> them for the wrong things that they did. 


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You people will eat your part of the <i>sacrifices</i>, but you will still be hungry. You will live like <i>prostitutes</i>, but you will not have babies. This is because you have turned away from me to follow other gods.’ <n>Verse 7 The <i>priests</i> became rich when Jeroboam 2nd was king. They gave help to the rich people and leaders. They did not tell them that they were wrong. 


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‘My people cannot understand anything because they drink too much old <i>wine</i> and new wine. And they have wrong sex. 


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My people are asking a piece of wood for help. They want those sticks to tell them what they want to know! They think that those sticks can do that. That is because they have followed those false gods like <i>prostitutes</i>. So my people have stopped <i>worshipping</i> their God. 


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They give <i>sacrifices</i> on the tops of the mountains. They burn <i>incense</i> on the hills. They do this under many different kinds of trees. The shade under those trees is very nice. So your daughters become like <i>prostitutes</i>. Also your son’s wives do the <i>sin</i> of <i>adultery</i>. 


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Your daughters are <i>prostitutes</i>. Your son’s wives do the <i>sin</i> of <i>adultery</i>. But I will not <i>punish</i> them. I will not do it because the men, too, go to be with <i>prostitutes</i>. And they offer <i>sacrifices</i> with <i>prostitutes</i>. So these silly people will cause their own death.’ <n>Verse 12 The ‘wood’ might mean an <i>idol</i>. Perhaps it means a way to find out what God wants about something. The sticks of wood would fall in a certain way (Ezekiel 21:21). <n>The <i>sins</i> that will cause God to <i>punish</i> the people in Israel</n>


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‘Israel’s people, you live like a <i>prostitute</i>. But do not let Judah’s people also do wrong things. Do not <i>worship</i> at Gilgal or at Beth Aven. Do not say promises there in the name of the <i>Lord</i>. Do not say, “As the <i>Lord</i> lives”. 


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Israel’s people are like a young cow. This young cow does not let you lead it. It is not possible to feed my people. A farmer takes young sheep to a field where there is much grass. I want to be kind to my people as the farmer is kind to those young sheep. 


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After they have drunk <i>wine</i>, they are happy to be with <i>prostitutes</i>. They do not think about what people will say about them. 


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A wind will take them away. Now they cannot think any longer. Their <i>sacrifices</i> will cause people to think bad things about them.’ <n>Verse 15 Hosea’s message is sometimes the same as Amos’s message (Amos 5:5). Neither of them want Israel’s people to <i>worship</i> at Gilgal or at Beth Aven. Gilgal was an important place for Israel’s people. They stopped there after they crossed the river Jordan (Joshua 4:19). Beth Aven means ‘House of Very Bad Things’. It is Hosea’s name for Bethel, which means ‘House of God’. <n>Verse 19 God does not want to wait. It is time for God to <i>judge</i> them. 


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‘Listen to this, you <i>priests</i>! Be careful how you listen, people in Israel! Listen, you that belong to the <i>family</i> of kings! I (God) have decided what to do with you. You have tried to catch people at Mizpah. You were like a <i>net</i> on the ground at Tabor. 


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The people who will not obey me have killed very many people. So I will tell them all that they should not have done it. And I will <i>punish</i> them. 


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I know what the people from <i>Ephraim</i> are like. They cannot hide from me. They live like a <i>prostitute</i> and they have become very bad. 


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Israel’s people have done bad things. This makes it impossible for them to return to their God. They are like <i>prostitutes</i>. They do not know the <i>Lord</i>. 


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Israel’s people think that they are too good. This is something that has made me angry with them. Their <i>sins</i> cause them to fall. But Judah’s people will fall with them. 


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They take their sheep and cows to offer as <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. But it does not help them. They cannot find the <i>Lord</i> because he has left them. 


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They have not obeyed the <i>Lord</i>. Their children are not his. They have times when they enjoy themselves at the beginning of every month. But at the beginning of the month I will destroy their fields and they themselves will die.’ <n>Verse 1 There were two places called Mizpah in Israel. One place was in Gilead, east of the river Jordan. The other place was Mizpah in Benjamin’s country. The word ‘catch’ means that the leaders tried to take people away from God. Tabor is a mountain. Perhaps bad things happened there. <n>Verse 6 Israel’s people thought that many <i>sacrifices</i> were important. The people will try to find God, but God has left them. <n>Judah and Israel will fight each other in a war</n>


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‘Make a noise with the <i>horn</i> in Gibeah! <n>Make a noise with the <i>trumpet</i> in Ramah! <n>Shout about war at Beth Aven! <n>Go into war, men in Benjamin’s <i>family</i>!


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The day will happen. Then I will tell them that they are wrong. <n>None of <i>Ephraim</i>’s people will still be alive. <n>People in Israel, you can be sure that this will happen.


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The leaders of Judah are like people who rob. They have robbed land. So I (God) will <i>punish</i> them very much because I am so angry with them.


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Israel’s people are in trouble because people attack them. Other countries have come as <i>judges</i>. This is because Israel’s people wanted help from <i>idols</i>.


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I (God) will destroy Israel, <n>as an insect destroys a piece of cloth. <n>I will destroy Judah, <n>as water destroys a piece of wood.


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<i>Ephraim</i>’s people saw that they were like a sick man. <n>Judah’s people saw that they were like a man with <i>wounds</i>. <n>So they went to Assyria for help. <n>They told their problems to King Jareb, <n>but that king cannot bring you health. <n>He cannot stop you hurting.


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I will attack <i>Ephraim</i>’s people like a <i>lion</i>. <n>I will attack Judah’s people like a young <i>lion</i>. <n>I, the <i>Lord</i>, will break them into pieces. <n>I will carry them away. <n>And no person will be able to save them.


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At a future time, the people will see that they have done something wrong. <n>I will return to my place until then. <n>Then they will come to look for me. <n>They will try to find me when their troubles are very bad.’ <n>Verse 8 A new part of Hosea’s book begins here. Very many of these verses are about war. Hosea tells Israel’s people that they should prepare for war. <n>Gibeah, Ramah and Beth Aven were all near Jerusalem. The war will come from the south of Israel. The people from Benjamin’s <i>family</i> lived near the south of Israel. <n>Verse 10 Hosea has bad things to say about Judah’s leaders. He says that they have moved special things. These things showed people where one person’s land and another person’s land met. To move those things was against God’s rules (Deuteronomy 19:14). <n>Verse 13 Perhaps King Jareb was Tiglath-pileser 3rd. We cannot be sure. Judah’s people asked Assyria for help after Syria and Israel attacked them in 734 <i>B.C</i>. 


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‘Come. We should return to the <i>Lord</i>. <n>He attacked us, but he will bring us health. <n>He has caused us pain. <n>But he will help us. <n>People cover, with pieces of cloth, the parts that hurt other people. <n>And he will be like someone who does that for us.


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After two days, he will cause us to live again. <n>He will raise us up on the third day. <n>Then we can live near him.


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We should try to know the <i>Lord</i>. We can be sure that he will come. <n>It will be like the sun when it rises at the beginning of the day. <n>He will come to us like the rain. <n>It will be like spring rain. It will bring water to the ground.’


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‘Israel’s people, I do not know what I should do with you. <n>Judah’s people, I do not know what I should do with you. <n>You soon stop loving me. You are like the morning cloud. <n>Your love is like the low cloud that goes away early in the morning.


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That is why I have sent my <i>prophets</i> to you. <n>I wanted to cut you in pieces. <n>I wanted to kill you with words. <n>I will <i>judge</i> you. Then things will become clear.


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I will <i>judge</i> you because I want you to love in the right way. <n>I do not want your <i>sacrifices</i> of animals. <n>I want my people to know me. <n>I do not want them to bring <i>sacrifices</i>.


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But like Adam, the people did not obey the <i>covenant</i>. <n>They did not do in their country what they had promised to me.


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There are people who rob. They hide and they wait to attack someone. <n>In the same way, <i>priests</i> wait on the road to Shechem. <n>They attack people who pass by. <n>They have done very bad things.


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Yes, I have seen many bad things in Israel. <n><i>Ephraim</i>’s people are like a <i>prostitute</i>. <n>This <i>prostitute</i> is very bad.


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People in Judah, I have made a special time for you. <n>I will bring in the <i>crops</i>. At that time, I will tell you what you should do. <n>But I wanted very much to cause the good times again for my people!’ God says. <n>Verse 1 Israel’s people can hope in God. He will not forget them. God had to tell Israel’s people that they were wrong. But he now chooses to say different words. <n>Verse 2 The two or three days mean a time that God has decided about. He has chosen a time. It will be like a dead person who lives again. <n>Verse 5 The ‘words’ are the <i>covenants</i>. In Deuteronomy 33:9, the ‘word’ and the ‘<i>covenant</i>’ mean the same thing. <n>Verse 7 We do not know for sure what the name ‘Adam’ means. It might mean a city. It might mean that Israel’s people have thought about the <i>covenant</i> like dirt. <n>Verse 9 Shechem was an important city. We do not know the event that Hosea was thinking about. 


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‘When I wanted to give health to my people, they did very many wrong things! <n>Samaria is full of people who do not say true things. <n>It is full of people who rob from houses. <n>They also rob people in the streets.


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They do not know that I (God) will remember their <i>sins</i>. <n>The <i>sins</i> that they did are everywhere to see. <n>I can see these <i>sins</i> in a clear way.


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The very bad things that they do make their king happy. <n>The very bad things that they do make their leaders happy too.


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They are all bad and they do not obey me. <n>A baker takes flour to make bread. <n>He starts to cook the bread. <n>The bread rises. But the baker does not make the fire hotter. <n>Israel’s people are like a baker who is always making his fire hotter.


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On holidays for the king, the leaders drink too much <i>wine</i>. <n>The <i>wine</i> causes them to do things in a silly way. <n>The king has become a friend of bad people. Those people think that good things are silly.


text:
The people decide to do secret things. <n>They are very angry. So they feel that their hearts are like an <i>oven</i>. <n>It is like the time when they were cooking bread. <n>During the night, they became angrier. <n>And in the morning, there was a fire.


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They were so angry that they killed their leaders. <n>They killed their kings. <n>All of their kings fell. <n>Nobody prays to me for help.’ <n>Verse 2 God sees everything. He remembers things for thousands of years (Psalm 105:8). When he looks at Israel’s people, he sees their <i>sins</i>. He does not only see people. <n>Verse 4 Hosea uses an example of a baker to say several things. Bakers were men who made bread in large ovens (places that people cook food in). The ovens were round. They had a large door on the top of them. The baker made a fire inside it. Then he shut the door. The bread then cooked for a long time. The leaders in Israel were like this bread. They became leaders because they were so angry. <n>Verse 6 The leaders never stop thinking about very bad things. In the night, the <i>oven</i> became cool. But in the morning, someone made sure that the <i>oven</i> became hot again. The leaders of Israel are like the <i>oven</i>. It is only at night that they stop thinking about very bad things. <n>Israel’s people do not know that other people will kill them</n>


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‘Israel’s people mix themselves with people from other countries. <n>Israel is like a cake that someone did not cook on both sides.


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People in Israel mix themselves with foreign people. <n>Israel’s people do not know that this makes my people weaker. <n>Israel is like an old man with grey hair. <n>He does not know how old and weak he is now.


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Israel’s people think that they are very important. <n>This is something that makes me angry with them. <n>The people had many troubles. <n>But even then they did not return to the <i>Lord</i> their God. <n>The people did not look to him for help.


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<i>Ephraim</i> is like a silly dove (a bird), <n>a dove that does not understand anything. <n>The people looked to Egypt for help. <n>The people went to Assyria for help.


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When they do that, I will throw my <i>net</i> over them. <n>I will catch them like birds as they go by. <n>I will tell them about the bad things that they have done. <n>And I will <i>punish</i> them.


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It will be very bad for them. <n>They have left me. They refused to obey me. <n>So they will die. <n>I wanted to <i>redeem</i> them. <n>But they do not say true things about me.


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They do not pray to me from deep inside themselves. <n>But they cry on their beds. <n>When they pray for <i>grain</i> and <i>wine</i>, they cut themselves. <n>They have left me.


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They have returned to false gods. <n>They are like a <i>weapon</i> that does not work. <n>Their leaders think that they are very important. <n>They will die quickly. <n>Then the people in Egypt will think that they are silly.’ <n>Verse 8 Hosea continues to use the example of an <i>oven</i>. At this time, Assyria became more powerful. So, Israel’s people needed other countries to help them. They went to Egypt, Syria-Damascus and Philistia. They did not want to hope in God. <n>Verse 11 God says that Israel’s people are like doves. Doves are silly birds. It was easy for other countries to fight against Israel. <n>Verse 14 Perhaps the ‘beds’ were part of a meal. The meal was part of a <i>sacrifice</i> when the <i>Israelites</i> rested near the <i>altar</i>. (See Isaiah 57:7; Amos 2:8.) And then they cried and they cut themselves. 


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‘People must know about what will happen! Make sure that they do know. <n>The enemy will come down like an <i>eagle</i>. <n>They will come on to the <i>Lord</i>’s people <n>because the <i>Lord</i>’s people have not obeyed my <i>covenant</i>. <n>They have not obeyed the things that I taught them.


text:
My people chose kings, but they did not ask me for help. <n>My people chose leaders. But they did not choose men that I knew. <n>The people used their <i>silver</i> and gold to make <i>idols</i> for themselves. <n>I will cause their enemies to kill them because of this.


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I do not like the gold <i>bull</i> that the people in Samaria <i>worship</i>. <n>I am very angry with the people in Israel. <n>It will be a long time before they are without <i>sin</i>.


text:
A worker from Israel made that <i>idol</i>. <n>It is not God. <n>I will break Samaria’s <i>bull</i> into pieces.


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Israel’s people did a silly thing. <n>It was like a man who is trying to plant the wind. <n>But they will only get troubles. <n>They will get back something that is like a very strong wind. <n>The plants in the field will grow, but they will not give any food. <n>If the plants did grow, then foreign people would eat them.


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Israel has become like the other countries. <n>It is like a pot that someone has broken. <n>Nobody can use it.


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Israel’s rulers have gone to Assyria for help. <n>They are like a wild animal that walks without any direction. <n>The people in <i>Ephraim</i> have sold themselves to other countries. <n>They wanted to love those countries.


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They will try to get friends among those countries. But I will bring Israel’s people together. <n>They will feel some pain. <n>This pain will come from a foreign king.


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Israel’s people built more and more <i>altars</i>. <n>They built them so that God would not see their <i>sin</i>. <n>But they have used those places to <i>sin</i> even more!


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Israel’s people love <i>sacrifices</i>. <n>They offer meat in those <i>sacrifices</i> and then they eat it. <n>The <i>Lord</i> does not accept these <i>sacrifices</i>. <n>He remembers their <i>sins</i>. <n>And he will <i>punish</i> them for their <i>sins</i>. <n>They will have to return to Egypt.


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Israel’s people built houses for kings. <n>But I made Israel and they forgot me! <n>Judah’s people have made their towns strong. <n>But I will send fire on the cities in Judah. <n>And the fire will destroy those strong towns!’ <n>Verse 1 An eagle is a big, dangerous bird. <n>Verse 11 God did not like the <i>altars</i> in the North. There were too many of them. The <i>covenant</i> said that there should be only one <i>altar</i>. It was Jeroboam 1st who put in all these altars. He also put <i>idols</i> where some of these altars were (1 Kings 12:26-33). The altars became places where people ate too much. And they drank too much at those places, too. They became places to <i>sin</i>. <n>Verses 12, 13 ‘I gave all my rules to Israel’s people.’ ‘He remembers their <i>sins</i>.’ God is still speaking about himself in verse 13. 


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People in Israel, do not be happy at special times as the people in foreign countries do! <n>You were like a <i>prostitute</i> and you left your God. <n>You are like a <i>prostitute</i> because men pay her to have sex. <n>She loves the money that they give to her. <n>And you loved all the <i>grain</i> that people gave to you. <n>So you have <i>worshipped</i> false gods on the floors where people work with <i>grain</i>.


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But soon you will not have enough <i>grain</i> or <i>wine</i>. <n>There will be no more <i>wine</i>.


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You will not stay in the <i>Lord</i>’s country. <n>You will have to return to Egypt. <n>In Assyria, you will have to eat food that you should not eat.


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Israel’s people will not be able to offer <i>wine</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. <n>Their <i>sacrifices</i> will not make God happy. <n>People eat special bread when other people die. Their <i>sacrifices</i> will be like that bread. <n>Whoever eats that bread will not be <i>holy</i>. <n>This food will be only for themselves. <n>It will not come into the <i>temple</i> of the <i>Lord</i>.


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Israel’s people will not be able to enjoy special days. <n>Those are the special days when people remember God.


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Perhaps Assyria will not destroy your country. <n>But Egypt will take the people in war. <n>People in Memphis will bury them. Weeds will grow over their <i>silver</i>. <n>Weeds will grow over the places where they live.


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&nbsnbsp; The time is now. Now I will tell you what you must do. <n>Now is the time when I will have to hurt you. <n>I will have to hurt you because of what you have done. <n>And Israel’s people will know it! <n>You do very many <i>sins</i>. You are very angry with me. <n>So you think that I am a silly person. <n>You think that I have God’s Spirit. But I am crazy, you think.


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God has sent me as a <i>prophet</i> to make sure that Israel’s people know things. <n>But people try to say bad things about me in the places where I go. <n>And people do not like a <i>prophet</i> in the house of God.


text:
They have done some very bad <i>sins</i>. <n>They were like the <i>sins</i> that Israel’s people did at Gibeah. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will remember their very bad <i>sins</i>. <n>He will <i>punish</i> them for their <i>sins</i>. <n>Verse 1 Israel’s people were happy at these special times. But they were happy for the wrong reasons. They thought that God was the god, Baal. They thought that God should <i>bless</i> the <i>grain</i>. They wanted God to do things in the same way as the god, Baal. Also, <i>prostitutes</i> visited the floors where people worked with the <i>grain</i>. Men stayed there at night so that nobody would rob anything. <n>Verse 5 Maybe the ‘special days’ were in the autumn. This was when people brought in the plants from the fields. <n>Verse 9 Gibeah is where very bad things happened. See Judges chapters 19 and 20. <n>The people in Israel will cause God to <i>punish</i> them by their <i>worship</i> of <i>idols</i></n>


text:
‘I found Israel. <n>It was like when someone finds <i>grapes</i> in the <i>desert</i>. <n>I saw your <i>ancestors</i>. <n>It was like when someone finds fruit on a <i>fig</i> tree before the usual time. <n>But then they came to the god, Baal-Peor. <n>They began to <i>worship</i> that very bad <i>idol</i>. <n>They became like the <i>idol</i> that they loved very much.


text:
Israel is great. But this special time will finish. <n>It will be like a bird. <n>There will be no more times when babies grow inside women. <n>There will be no more times when women give birth to babies. <n>There will be no more children.


text:
But even if Israel’s people have children, <n>the children will die. <n>I will cause that to happen. <n>There will be none still alive. <n>I will leave them. They will have nothing but trouble.


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<i>Lord</i>, I can see that <i>Ephraim</i>’s people are going to a difficult place. <n>They are going to someone who will kill them.


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<i>Lord</i>, give to these people the things that you want to give to them. <n>Make it impossible for their women to have babies! <n>Make it impossible for their breasts to give milk to their babies!


text:
They started to do all their very bad things at Gilgal. <n>It was there that I began not to like them in any way. <n>I will tell them that they must leave my country. <n>I will not love them any longer. <n>Their leaders have not obeyed me.


text:
<i>Ephraim</i>’s people are in bad trouble. <n>They are like a plant that has no water. <n>This plant will have no fruit. <n>They will have no children. <n>Even if they have children, I (God) will kill the children. <n>They think that these children are very important.


text:
My God will refuse to accept them. <n>That is because they have not obeyed him. <n>They will have to travel from place to place in different countries.’ <n>Verse 10 Israel’s people came to Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:1-5). Bad things happened there. Men from Israel had sex with women from Moab and Midian. A fig is a kind of fruit. <n>Verse 15 Gilgal was across the Jordan River from the god, Baal-Peor. It was an important place where people <i>worshipped</i> other gods. Amos also said bad things about Gilgal (Amos 4:4; 5:5). God was very angry about Gilgal. He wanted to stop the things that happened there. 


text:
‘Israel is like a <i>vine</i> that has plenty of fruit. <n>But Israel became more and more rich, <n>and so the people built more <i>altars</i>. <n>Their land became better and better. <n>So they could build special stones that they could <i>worship</i>.


text:
Their minds are not honest. <n>But now they must understand that they have done wrong things. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will destroy their <i>altars</i>. <n>He will destroy their special stones.


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Soon these people will say, “We have no king. <n>We do not <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i> in a true way. <n>But if we had a king, he could not do anything for us.”


text:
They promise to do many things. But what they say is not true. <n>They agree about things with other countries. <n>People do not agree with each other in <i>courts</i>. <n>These things are like weeds that have poison. <n>Weeds that are growing in a field will soon grow into plants.


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The people who live in Samaria will be afraid. <n>They will cry because their <i>idol</i> at Beth Aven has gone. <n>Their very bad <i>priests</i> will cry too. <n>They were very happy with their beautiful <i>idol</i>. <n>But now someone will carry the <i>idol</i> away.


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Assyria’s people will carry the <i>idol</i> away. <n>It will be a gift for the king of Assyria. <n><i>Ephraim</i>’s people will feel very sad. <n>They will be very sorry that they <i>worshipped</i> their <i>idol</i>.


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God will destroy Samaria and he will kill Samaria’s king. <n>He (the king) will be like a piece of wood that water carries away.


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God will destroy these high places at Aven. <n>These are places where Israel’s people have <i>sinned</i>. <n>Weeds will grow on their <i>altars</i>. <n>Then the people will say to the mountains, “Hide us!” <n>They will say to the hills, “Fall on us!” ’, God says. <n>Verse 1 A <i>vine</i> is a plant that <i>grapes</i> grow on. <n>Verse 5 People <i>worshipped</i> at Beth Aven. They worshipped a gold <i>bull</i>. Beth Aven was Hosea’s name for Bethel. Beth Aven means ‘House of Very Bad Things’. Bethel means ‘House of God’. <n>Verse 6 Assyria will take the <i>idol</i> away when they win the war. <n>Verse 7 King Hoshea was put in a prison in 723 <i>B.C</i>. (2 Kings 17:4). <n>Assyria destroyed Samaria in 722 <i>B.C</i>. Nobody built it again. <n>God will <i>punish</i> the people in Israel because of their <i>sin</i></n>


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‘Israel’s people, you have <i>sinned</i> since the time of Gibeah. <n>You have continued to <i>sin</i> since then. <n>But those very bad people at Gibeah had a war.


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I (God) will <i>punish</i> these very bad people. <n>Countries will join together to attack them. <n>They will put the people from Israel in prisons because of their very bad <i>sins</i>.


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<i>Ephraim</i>’s people are like a young cow that someone has taught. <n>They are like a cow that loves to walk on <i>grain</i>. <n>But I decided to be like someone who puts a <i>yoke</i> on the cow’s beautiful neck. <n>I wanted to show <i>Ephraim</i>’s people the right way <n>so they could work hard. <n>I wanted Judah’s people to be like a farmer who breaks up the ground. <n><i>Jacob</i>’s people, too, must be like that.


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If a farmer plants good plants, those plants will grow. <n>A farmer may have some ground that he has not used for more than a year. <n>He should dig that ground to make it not so hard. <n>You should be like that farmer. <n>You should start to do the right things and the good things. <n>Then the <i>Lord</i> will show his love to you. <n>Do these things because it is time for you to look for the <i>Lord</i>. <n>When he comes, he will cause good to things come down on you like rain!


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But you are like someone who planted very bad things. <n>Bad plants grow. <n>And you are in trouble. <n>You have said things that are not true. So you have had the results of this. <n>But you believed that you could help yourselves. <n>And you believed that your soldiers would help you. <n>That is why bad things have happened to you.


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Your people will hear the noise of war. <n>Your enemies will destroy your strong places. <n>It will be like the time that King Shalman destroyed Betharbel city in war. <n>At that time, people killed mothers with their children.


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The same thing will happen to you at Bethel. <n>That is because you did so many very bad things. <n>When that day begins, the king of Israel will die.’ <n>Verse 9 Hosea writes again about what he said in 9:9. Israel’s people <i>sinned</i> very badly at the time of Gibeah. They were not able to stop doing this <i>sin</i>. <n>Verse 11 God wanted people to know him in the best way, like Jacob. <n>Verse 12 The <i>Hebrew</i> word for ‘love’ means a love that never stops. This can be a love for another person or for God. The same thought is in 6:6. <n>Verse 14 We do not know about the events at Betharbel. We also do not know about Shalman. But very bad things happened in war then. 


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‘Israel is like a man. I, (the <i>Lord</i>), loved him when he was a child. <n>I brought him out of Egypt as my son.


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But the more I spoke to him, <n>the more he turned away from me. <n>My people gave <i>sacrifices</i> to the god, Baal. <n>They burned <i>incense</i> and they offered this to <i>idols</i>.


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But it was I who taught this child to walk! <n>I took my people up in my arms! <n>I gave them health. <n>But they did not know this.


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I led them with love and with kind words. <n>I was like a person who let them be free. <n>I bent down to feed them.


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Israel’s people refuse to return to me. <n>So they must return to Egypt. <n>Assyria will rule over them.


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Their cities will have war. <n>People will break down the city gates. <n>Their strong places will not help them.


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My people are trying very much not to obey me. <n>They will shout to God above. <n>But I will not listen to them.’ <n>Verse 5 The word ‘Egypt’ means the enemy. <n>The <i>Lord</i> does not want to destroy Israel</n>


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‘<i>Ephraim</i>, I do not want to forget about you. <n>I do not want to give you to someone else. <n>I do not want to make you like Admah. <n>I do not want to make you like Zeboiim. <n>My love for you will not let me do it! <n>My love for you is too strong.


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I will not <i>punish</i> you any longer. <n>This is even when I am angry. <n>I will not destroy Israel again. <n>This is because I am God and not a man. <n>I am the <i>Holy</i> God and I am with you. <n>I will not show you that I am angry.


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I will make a loud sound like a <i>lion</i>. <n>I will make a loud sound and my children will come. <n>They will follow me. <n>My children will come from the west. <n>They will be afraid when they come.


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They will be like birds from Egypt. <n>They will be like birds from Assyria. <n>They will be afraid. <n>I will bring them back to their homes again. <n>I, the <i>Lord</i>, have spoken.’ <n>Verse 8 Admah and Zeboiim were cities that were near Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10:19). God destroyed Admah and Zeboiim when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25). That was when he was very angry. <n>The <i>Lord</i> is against the people in Israel</n>


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Israel’s people say things that are not true. <n>Those things are all round me. <n>Israel’s people have not told me true things. <n>But Judah’s people have not obeyed God. <n>I, the <i>Holy</i> God, always do what I have promised to do. <n>But Judah’s people do not obey me.


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There is much that the people in Israel do from morning to night. <n>But it has no value and it destroys things. <n>The people also do not say true things. <n>Israel’s rulers and Assyria’s rulers come together to agree about things. <n>They carry their <i>olive</i> oil to Egypt.


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The <i>Lord</i> says, <n>‘I want to take Judah’s people to a <i>court</i>. <n>I will <i>punish Jacob</i>’s <i>family</i> for the way that they have lived. <n>I will <i>punish</i> them for the things that they have done.


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Their <i>ancestor</i> Jacob held on to his brother’s foot. <n>He did that when they were both inside their mother’s body. <n>When Jacob was a man, he fought with God.


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Jacob fought against the <i>angel</i> and Jacob won. <n>He cried and he asked for <i>blessings</i>. <n>He met God at Bethel. God spoke with him there.


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So you must return to your God. <n>You must love each other. You must be fair in your rules. <n>You must be patient. And you must wait for your God to do what he wants.


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There are people in business who are not fair. <n>They are not fair when they measure food and other things.


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<i>Ephraim</i>’s people say, “We are rich! We are now very rich! <n>Because we are rich, people will not find any <i>sin</i> in us.”


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But I am the <i>Lord</i> your God. <n>I brought you out of Egypt. <n>I will make sure that you live in <i>tents</i> again. <n>It will be like the time when you had <i>religious holidays</i>.


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I spoke to the <i>prophets</i>. I gave them many <i>visions</i>. <n>I told <i>parables</i> so that they could teach my lessons to the people’, God is saying.


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The people in Gilead are very bad. <n>They are not worth anything. <n>There are many very bad <i>idols</i> in Gilead. <n>These <i>idols</i> are not worth anything. <n>They gave animals as <i>sacrifices</i> at Gilgal. <n>Their <i>altars</i> will become like stones in a field.


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Our <i>ancestor</i> Jacob ran away to the country called Aram. <n>He worked there so that he could get a wife. <n>He kept sheep safe so that he could pay for her.


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The <i>Lord</i> used a <i>prophet</i> to bring Israel’s people out of Egypt. <n>He used a <i>prophet</i> to keep them safe.


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<i>Ephraim</i>’s people have made the <i>Lord</i> very angry. <n>They have killed many people. <n>So I will <i>punish</i> them. <n>This is because of the wrong things that they have done. <n>They will know that the <i>Lord</i> will think very badly about them. <n>Verse 1 God promised to keep Israel safe. But Israel’s people looked to other countries so that they could be safe. The <i>Hebrew</i> uses the word ‘wind’. This means something that has no value (see Ecclesiastes 1:6, 14). People burned oil to give them light. <n>Verse 3 This is a true story about Jacob’s name. We can read it in Genesis 25:21-26. <n>Verse 10 A vision is something like a dream but you might not be asleep. A parable is a kind of story that means something. <n>Verse 11 Hosea is perhaps thinking about a murder in Gilead (see 6:8). Gilead was a city where many bad things happened. It is possible that Assyria had destroyed Gilead at this time. That is why the city would not be worth anything. 


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In past times, when <i>Ephraim</i> spoke, other people in Israel were afraid. <n>People thought that Israel was important. <n>But the people <i>sinned</i> by their <i>worship</i> of the god, Baal. <n>And because of that, they died.


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Now the people in Israel <i>sin</i> more and more. <n>They make <i>idols</i> for themselves from their metals. <n>They are clever in the way that they make these <i>idols</i>. <n>And then they say, ‘Offer <i>sacrifices</i> to them!’ <n>It is silly to kiss <i>idols</i>! <n>They are <i>idols</i> in the shape of animals!


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That is why those people will soon go away. <n>They will be like the cloud in the morning. <n>They will be like the low cloud that goes away early in the morning. <n>Israel’s people will be like seed that a wind blows from the floor. <n>They will be like smoke that goes out of a window.


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The <i>Lord</i> says, <n>‘I am the <i>Lord</i> your God who led you out of Egypt. <n>You do not know any other God except me. <n>I only am the person who can <i>redeem</i> you.


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I gave food to Israel’s people. <n>They ate that food. They became full and they really liked the food. <n>They began to think that they were important. <n>And they forgot me.


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That is why I will be like a <i>lion</i> to them. <n>I will be like a <i>lion</i> that is waiting by the road.


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I will attack them like an animal that has lost her children. <n>I will break Israel’s people into pieces. <n>I will eat them like an animal. <n>I will break them in pieces like an animal.


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Nobody can find your king. He cannot help you. <n>Nobody can find your leaders. <n>In past times, you asked for a king and leaders.


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I have written about <i>Ephraim</i>’s people’s <i>guilt</i> and <i>sin</i>. <n>I will keep the words that I wrote in a safe place.


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<i>Ephraim</i>’s people will be in pain like a woman who is having a baby. <n>They are very silly! <n>They are like a child inside a woman. <n>It is time for the child to come out. <n>But the child does not come out at the right time.


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I will <i>redeem</i> these people. People will not have to bury them. <n>I will <i>redeem</i> them from death. <n>Death, your illnesses have gone. <n>Death, you cannot kill any longer. <n>I will not be sorry for this people any longer.


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Israel was like a plant that grew well among other plants. <n>But a strong east wind will come. <n>It will blow in from the <i>desert</i>. <n>Then Israel’s wells will become dry. <n>The water that comes from the ground will stop. <n>The wind will take everything away that has value.


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Samaria will become like an empty country. <n>They are <i>guilty</i> because they did not obey their God. <n>Their people will die in war. <n>Their enemies will throw Samaria’s children to the ground. <n>Their enemies will break women into pieces. <n>These are women who have babies inside them.’ <n>Verse 4 God gave Israel’s people what they needed (Exodus chapter 16). It was God who fed them. Israel’s people were like a child. The child needed a father to keep it alive. God gave them everything that they needed in the <i>desert</i>. But they forgot him. <n>Verse 14 Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:55, uses part of this verse. He uses it to write about <i>resurrection</i>. Paul did not think about death in a bad way. 


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Think about the things that you will say. <n>And return to the <i>Lord</i>. <n>Say to him, ‘<i>Forgive</i> all our <i>sins</i>. <n>Accept the good things that we are doing. <n>We will <i>praise</i> you with our lips.


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Assyria cannot save us. <n>Our war horses cannot keep us away from trouble. <n>We will never again say to <i>idols</i> that they are our God. <n>Our hands had made those <i>idols</i>. <n>But you are someone who shows great love. <n>You show great love to children who have no parents.’


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The <i>Lord</i> says, ‘They left me. But I will <i>forgive</i> them for that. <n>I will love them very much. <n>I am not angry with them now.


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I will be like the rain in the morning to Israel’s people. <n>They will become like flowers. <n>They will be like the tall trees in Lebanon. <n>These trees will be very strong in the ground.


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They will become alive with new branches. <n>They will be beautiful like <i>olive</i> trees. <n>They will have a smell like the tall trees in Lebanon.


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Israel’s people will live again in a shade. <n>They will grow well like <i>grain</i>. <n>They will grow well like a <i>vine</i>. <n>They will be famous like the <i>wine</i> from Lebanon.


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<i>Ephraim</i>’s people, I do not want to see any more <i>idols</i>. <n>I will answer the people’s <i>prayers</i>. I will show an interest in them. <n>I (God) am like a tree that is always green. <n>Your fruit comes from me.’


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A <i>wise</i> person understands these things. <n>A <i>wise</i> person learns about these things. <n>The things that the <i>Lord</i> does are correct. <n>Good people will live because of these things. <n>But <i>sinners</i> will be like someone who falls down because of these things. <n>Verse 4 God promises things to Israel’s people. They will not have to be afraid of God. He will stop being angry. Isaiah 54:6-8 gives us another idea that is like this. Israel is like a wife who is returning to her husband. Israel’s people cannot buy God’s love. God can be angry, but instead he will bring Israel’s people many more <i>blessings</i>. These <i>blessings</i> will include water and plants. <n>Verses 6-7 The <i>olive</i> tree was a good place for shade (verse 6). It was also good for fruit. Lebanon was a good place for the smell of trees. Ezekiel uses the idea of a small tree to mean a new start for Israel (Ezekiel 17:22). God will <i>bless</i> Israel’s people by the land. He will keep them safe too. It will be God’s shade that they will live in. Sometimes the Book of Psalms uses the same idea of shade (Psalms 17:8; 91:1). <n>Verse 9 The way that God does things is right. A silly person would not listen. There will be trouble for people who do not obey. But a <i>wise</i> person will obey the <i>Lord</i> (Psalm 18:22). He will choose to do the right things.


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You older men, hear this! Listen, all people who live in this country. <n>Nothing like this has happened while you have been alive. <n>Nothing like this happened while your fathers were alive.


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Tell this to your children. <n>And they must tell it to their children. <n>And their children must tell it to their own children.


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The great <i>locusts</i> have eaten what the big group of <i>locusts</i> left. <n>The young <i>locusts</i> have eaten what the great <i>locusts</i> left. <n>Other <i>locusts</i> have eaten what the young <i>locusts</i> left.


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Wake up, you who have drunk too much <i>wine</i>! <n>Cry, all people who drink <i>wine</i>! <n>Cry because you will have no new <i>wine</i>. <n>Someone has taken it away from you.


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A group has come to fill my country. <n>It is powerful, and great in numbers. <n>It has the teeth of a strong animal. <n>And the teeth are long and dangerous.


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It has broken my <i>vines</i> <n>and destroyed my <i>fig</i> trees. <n>It has eaten the hard skins and it threw them away. <n>It has left their branches white.


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There will be no more gifts of food or drink. <n>They will not reach the house of the <i>Lord</i>. <n>The <i>priests</i>, the servants of the <i>Lord</i>, <n>are very, very sad.


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Nobody can use the fields. <n>They are all dry. <n>The new <i>wine</i> has all gone. <n>The oil has all gone.


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You farmers, you cry. <n>You who grow <i>vines</i>, cry. <n>Be sad for the seeds that are food. <n>Be sad because the fields are dry. And the plants have died.


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The <i>vine</i> has become dry <n>and the <i>fig</i> tree is dead. <n>The apple trees and other fruit trees - <n>all the trees have no more fruit. <n>Men have no more <i>joy</i>. <n>It has all gone. <n>Joel tells people that they must <i>repent</i></n>


text:
You <i>priests</i>, wear clothes that are not comfortable. <n>That will show that you are sad. <n>You cry, you who <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i> in his <i>temple</i>. <n>Come, you who <i>serve</i> in front of my God. <n>Sleep in the clothes that are not comfortable. <n>Cry for the gifts of food and drink. <n>Cry because they do not come to the house of your God any longer.


text:
Tell everyone that they must not eat any food. <n>Tell the people that they must all come to hear the <i>Lord</i>. <n>Speak to the older leaders, <n>and all the people who live in this country. <n>Tell them that they must all come. <n>They must come to the house of the <i>Lord</i> your God <n>and they must shout out to the <i>Lord</i>.


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Be afraid because of that day. <n>Be afraid because the day of the <i>Lord</i> is near. <n>It will be as if the great God would destroy everything.


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The seeds under the earth are dry. <n>The places where they were stored have fallen down. <n>Someone has broken them up <n>because the seed does not grow.


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The cows make a sad noise. <n>They all move about <n>because they cannot find any grass. <n>Even groups of sheep are hungry.


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I speak to you, my <i>Lord</i>. <n>Fire has destroyed the grass, <n>and it has burned up all the trees.


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Even the wild animals are <i>thirsty</i> and they want your help. <n>The rivers have no water in them. <n>Fire has destroyed the grass in the fields.


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Blow the <i>trumpet</i> in <i>Zion</i>. <n>Tell the people on the <i>Lord</i>’s hill that they must watch for trouble. <n>All the people who live in this country will be afraid. <n>They will be afraid because the day of the <i>Lord</i> is coming. <n>It is very near.


text:
That day will be sad and dark. <n>It will be cloudy and black. <n>A great big army is coming. <n>It comes across the sky like light in the morning. <n>A great army like this has never come before. <n>And it will never come again in future years.


text:
Fire goes in front of the army. <n>It burns everything behind them. <n>The land in front of them is like the Garden of Eden. <n>Behind them it is like a <i>desert</i>. <n>They leave nothing behind them. <n>Verse 3 This army is an army of <i>locusts</i>. See Genesis 2:8 for the Garden of Eden. 


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Their noise is like the noise of many feet. <n>They jump over the mountains <n>as fast as fire burns dry grass. <n>They are like a great army ready for a fight.


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They run together like an army into a fight. <n>They climb walls like soldiers. <n>They march on in a straight line. <n>They do not turn away.


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They do not push each other away. <n>Each one of them goes straight on. <n>You can put <i>weapons</i> in their path <n>but they go straight on.


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They run towards the city. <n>They run along the wall. <n>They climb into houses. <n>They go through the windows like <i>thieves</i>.


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The earth in front of them moves. <n>The sky itself moves. <n>The sun and moon are dark <n>and the stars do not give any light.


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The <i>Lord</i> shouts aloud <n>as he leads his army. <n>We cannot count his soldiers. <n>Those who obey him are very strong. <n>The day of the <i>Lord</i> is powerful. <n>It makes us afraid. <n>Not many of us will be alive after it has gone. <n>Joel is telling Israel that the <i>Lord</i> will send a great number of <i>locusts</i>. The <i>locusts</i> will eat the food that is growing in their fields. The insects will march together like an army. <n>Show the <i>Lord</i> that you are sorry</n>


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‘Even now’, the <i>Lord</i> says, <n>‘return to me and put me first. <n>Eat no food. Cry and be very sad.


text:
Stop pulling your clothes to pieces. That does not help. <n>Show me instead that you are really sorry.’ <n>Return to the <i>Lord</i>, your God. <n>He is kind and full of <i>grace</i>. <n>He is slow to get angry, and he is full of love. <n>He is sad that he had to cause troubles for you.


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Perhaps he will change his mind and he will be sorry. <n>He may send you <i>blessings</i> of food and drink. <n>Then you can offer gifts to the <i>Lord</i> your God.


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Blow the <i>trumpet</i> in <i>Zion</i>. <n>Tell the people that they must not eat any food. <n>Tell the people that they must all come to <i>worship</i> him.


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Tell the people that they must all come. <n>Make them all ready to <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i>. <n>Bring the old people together. <n>Bring the children - even the smallest ones. <n>Every new husband must leave his room. <n>Every wife must leave her secret room.


text:
There are <i>priests</i> who go in front of the <i>Lord</i>. <n>They must cry as they go from the <i>temple</i> door to the <i>altar</i>. <n>They must say to the <i>Lord</i>, ‘Do not hurt your people. <n>Do not let the people in other countries laugh at your own people. <n>They will point at them. And they will say that they have no value. <n>They will say that we have no God.’ <n>The <i>Lord</i>’s answer</n>


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He will answer them and he will say, <n>‘I am giving you new <i>wine</i> and food and oil. <n>You will have enough to fill you up. <n>I will never again let people in other countries laugh about you.


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I will send the army from the north far from you. <n>I will push it into empty land where nothing grows. <n>I will make the front of it go into the sea on the east. <n>And I will make the back of it go into the sea on the west. <n>I will make its smell rise up high <n>because it has done great things.’


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Be not afraid, land in Israel. <n>Be very happy. <n>Be sure that the <i>Lord</i> has done great things.


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Do not be afraid, wild animals. <n>The fields are becoming green. <n>Fruit is growing on the trees. <n>The <i>fig</i> tree and the <i>vine</i> are giving much fruit.


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Be happy, people in <i>Zion</i>! <n><i>Rejoice</i> in the <i>Lord</i> your God. <n>He has given you just enough autumn rain. <n>He has given you the winter rain, <n>and the summer rain, as before.


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He will fill your stores with seeds to make bread. <n>And he will fill your jars with new <i>wine</i> and oil.


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‘I will give you back the years that the <i>locusts</i> have eaten. <n>I will give you all that the great <i>locust</i> and the young <i>locust</i>, <n>and other <i>locusts</i> and their groups have eaten. <n>All that my great army has eaten I will give you.


text:
You will have plenty to eat. You will be full. <n>You will <i>praise</i> the name of the <i>Lord</i> your God. <n>He has done great things for you. <n>My people will never again be ashamed.


text:
Then you will know that I am in Israel. <n>You will know that I am your God. <n>And you will know that there is no other God. <n>My people will never again be ashamed.’ <n>Zion was the place where the <i>Israelites</i> built the <i>temple</i> of the <i>Lord</i>. Sometimes the people who lived in Jerusalem called themselves ‘Zion’. <n>Verse 25 The <i>Lord</i> will give back to his people as much food as the <i>locusts</i> had eaten. <n>The day of the <i>Lord</i></n>


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After that, I will pour out my <i>Holy Spirit</i> on all people. <n>Your sons and daughters will be <i>prophets</i>. <n>Your old men will dream and <n>your young men will see pictures in their minds. (The <i>Lord</i> will send these to them.)


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I will pour out my Spirit on all my servants, <n>on men and on women in those days. <n>Verse 29 God gives the Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> to his servants. He can make us more like him. 


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I will do strange things in the sky and on the earth. <n>I will send blood and fire and clouds of smoke.


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The sun will become dark and the moon will become red. <n>Then the great and frightening day of the <i>Lord</i> will come.


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Everyone who asks the <i>Lord</i> for help <n>will be safe. <n>They will be safe if they believe in his name. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will save the people on <i>Mount Zion</i> and in Jerusalem. <n>He has promised this to those people whom he has asked to come to him.


text:
Then I will bring all the <i>nations</i> together. <n>I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat (a place of <i>judgement</i>). <n>There I will <i>judge</i> against them <n>because of what they did to my children, my people Israel. <n>Those <i>nations</i> pushed my people out into other countries. <n>They broke up my land and each took pieces.


text:
They played games to win my people. <n>They gave boys to buy women to have sex with them. <n>They sold girls so that they could get <i>wine</i> to drink.


text:
You people in Tyre, Sidon, and of all the land of the people called Philistines, listen. You cannot say that I have done anything wrong. You want to <i>punish</i> me. If you do this, I will soon do the same to you. 


text:
You sold the people from Judah and Jerusalem to the <i>Greek</i> people. You wanted to send them a long way from their own country. 


text:
Now I am going to bring them back from the places to which you sold them. I will do to you what you have done to them. 


text:
I will sell your sons and daughters to the people in Judah. And they will sell them to the people called Sabeans, who live far away. I, the <i>Lord</i>, have spoken.’


text:
Tell this news to the people in all the countries. <n>Get ready for war! <n>Shout to the soldiers. <n>Make all the men who fight get ready to attack.


text:
Make your digging tools into sharp knives. <n>Make the tools that you use on the farm into pointed fighting sticks. <n>The weak man must say, ‘I am strong!’


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Come quickly, you people who live round Israel. <n>And get together in the valley. <n><i>Lord</i>, send down your army to attack them.


text:
Wake up the people in all the countries! <n>Bring them into the Valley of Jehoshaphat (place of <i>judgement</i>). <n>I will sit there to <i>judge</i> the people from every place.


text:
Now is the time to cut down the fruits. <n>They are ready for you to bring them in. <n>Walk all over the <i>grapes</i>. <n>The <i>winepress</i> is full of them. <n>They come over the top. <n>The people in all countries have done so many bad things.


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Many, many <i>nations</i> are in the Valley of <i>Judgement</i>. <n>It is there that the day of the <i>Lord</i> will soon come.


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The sun and moon will grow dark, <n>and the stars will not shine. <n>God will <i>bless</i> his people</n>


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The <i>Lord</i> will shout from <i>Zion</i>. <n>He will make a great noise from Jerusalem. <n>The earth and the sky will move about. <n>But the <i>Lord</i> will keep his people safe.


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Then you will know that I am your God. <n>You will know that I live in <i>Zion</i>, my <i>holy</i> hill. <n>Jerusalem will be <i>holy</i>. <n>Strangers will never take it again.


text:
In that day new <i>wine</i> will run from the mountains. <n>And milk will run from the hills. <n>All the valleys of Judah will have rivers of water. <n>Water will come from the house of the <i>Lord</i> <n>and it will water the Valley of Acacias (special trees).


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But Egypt will be an empty <i>desert</i>. <n>I will destroy Edom (a country near Israel) <n>because their people hurt the people in Judah. <n>The people in Judah had not done anything wrong, <n>but the people from Edom made them give up their blood.


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I will <i>forgive</i> all the wrong things that they have done. <n>The <i>Lord</i> lives in <i>Zion</i>!


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Amos was among men who were near the town called <i>Tekoa</i>. They watched sheep to keep them safe. And they gave the sheep what they needed. God spoke to him. And God showed to Amos the trouble that was coming to <i>Israel</i>. God showed it to him two years before the <i>earthquake</i> came. When God showed the trouble to Amos, Uzziah was the king of <i>Judah</i>. And Joash’s son, Jeroboam was the king of <i>Israel</i>.


text:
Amos said, ‘The <i>LORD</i> speaks loudly from <i>Zion</i> and from <i>Jerusalem</i>. He is like a wild animal (<i>lion</i>) that makes a loud noise. He says, “The fields are green now. So the sheep can eat lots of grass. But those fields will become dry and so the grass will die. In the whole country, the grass will become dry and it will die. That will happen even on top of the mountain called <i>Carmel</i>.” ’ <n>These are the messages to the people near <i>Israel</i></n> <n>This is the message to the people in <i>Aram</i> (Syria). The very big city of <i>Aram</i> was <i>Damascus</i>. </n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Damascus</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. <n>The people in <i>Damascus</i> were cruel. They had sharp tools that they had made from iron. And they used those tools to beat the people in <i>Gilead</i>. So I will send trouble to the people in <i>Damascus</i>. 


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I will start a fire. The fire will destroy King Hazael’s big house. And it will destroy the strong buildings that belong to his son Ben-Hadad. 


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I will also break the strong gates of <i>Damascus</i> city. I will remove all the people who live in the Aven valley. And I will remove the king of Beth-Eden. The people’s enemies will take all the people in Syria far away to the place called <i>Kir</i>.’ That is what the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>This is the message to the people called the <i>Philistines</i>. Their biggest city was <i>Gaza</i>. </n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Gaza</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. The people from <i>Gaza</i> took my people away. They sold my people to those that lived in <i>Edom</i>. 


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So I will start a fire. And the fire will destroy the walls of <i>Gaza</i>. It will also destroy the strong buildings in <i>Gaza</i>.


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I will remove the king of <i>Ashdod</i> city. And I will remove the king of <i>Ashkelon</i> city. I will send trouble to the people that live in <i>Ekron</i> city. I will send trouble to every <i>Philistine</i>, until they are all dead.’ That is what the great <i>LORD</i> says. <n>This is the message to the people on the island called <i>Tyre</i> </n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Tyre</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. So I will send trouble to the people in <i>Tyre</i>. Before, they had agreed with the people in <i>Israel</i>. They had promised to those people, “We will be like brothers.” But the people from <i>Tyre</i> did not do what they had promised. They took my people away. They sold my people to the people in <i>Edom</i> and my people became slaves. 


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So I will start a fire on the walls of <i>Tyre</i> city. And the fire will burn all the strong buildings. It will destroy them completely.’ <n>This is the message to the people in <i>Edom</i> </n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Edom</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. So I will send trouble to them. They took long knives in their hands and they ran after their cousins, the <i>Israelites</i>. They were not kind, but they were very angry. And they continued to be angry all the time. They did not stop it. 


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So I will start a fire. And the fire will destroy the big city called <i>Teman</i>. The fire will also burn the strong buildings in the big city called <i>Bozrah</i>.’ <n>The <i>Edomites</i> and the <i>Israelites</i> were from the same family. They were from the brothers called Esau and Jacob. These two brothers were born at the same time from the same mother. Jacob also had the name Israel. <n>The <i>Edomites</i> were from Esau and the <i>Israelites</i> were from Jacob (Israel). <n>This is the message to the people in <i>Ammon</i> </n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Ammon</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. So I will send trouble to them. People from <i>Ammon</i> fought in the place called <i>Gilead</i>. (<i>Gilead</i> was next to their country.) Ammon’s people fought there to get more land for themselves. While they were killing people there, they also cut women open. Those women had babies inside them. 


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So I will send fire. And the fire will destroy the walls of the big city called <i>Rabbah</i>. It will destroy the strong buildings too. People will fight and they will shout. They will shout loudly, like the noise that a strong wind makes in a storm. 


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The enemies will take away their king and their leaders. They will take them to another country. The king and the leaders will not be free to return.’ That is what the <i>LORD</i> says.


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Moab</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. So I will send trouble to them. They dug up the bones of a king of <i>Edom</i>. They also burned those bones until they became ashes. That was not good. 


text:
So I will send fire to the country called <i>Moab</i>. The fire will destroy the strong buildings in <i>Kerioth</i> town. The people will hear their enemies shout. And they will hear the sounds that their enemies’ <i>trumpets</i> make. And the people will die. 


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I will let the enemies kill the ruler of <i>Moab</i>. And I will let them kill all its leaders too.’ That is what the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>This is the message to the people in <i>Judah</i> </n>


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Judah</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. So I will send trouble to them. I, the <i>LORD</i>, told to those people the things that they must do. And I wrote those things for them. But they have not done those things. Those people have not listened to what I said to them. They have listened to someone else, who was not saying true things. And so <i>Judah</i>’s people did wrong things. They lived like their family that lived a long time ago. They lived in the same bad way. 


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So I will send fire to <i>Judah</i>. The fire will completely burn the strong buildings that are in the big city called <i>Jerusalem</i>.’ <n>This is the message to the people in <i>Israel</i></n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The people in <i>Israel</i> have done wrong things. Many times, they have done wrong things. So I will send trouble to them. They sold people that did not do wrong things. They sold them for <i>silver</i>. And they sold poor people for only the price of shoes. 


text:
They are not kind to poor people and they do not help them. A father and his son have sex with the same woman. I told them not to do that, but they do not listen to me. 


text:
Those men take clothes from poor people, because those poor people have a debt to them. Then they sleep on those poor people’s clothes. And they do that in the special places where they pray. The rich people in <i>Israel</i> do this wrong thing also. Poor people give some money to rich people to pay for their debts. The rich people take the money and then they go to buy alcohol. Then they drink the alcohol at the special places where people pray.’ <n>When a poor person gave clothes to a rich person, the poor person was giving a promise. That was what it meant. He was promising to pay money back to the rich person. God had said this to rich people about those poor people’s clothes. ‘Do not keep the clothes at night. Give the clothes back to the poor people for the nights. Then they will not be cold.’ 


text:
‘Remember the <i>Amorites</i>. They were big and strong. They were like the tallest and strongest trees. But I removed all of them. 


text:
I brought you out of the country called <i>Egypt</i>. After that, I guided you for 40 years. I led you through a large dry place where nobody lived. Then I gave to you the country where the people called <i>Amorites</i> lived. 


text:
I chose some men among you to be <i>prophets</i>. I chose some young men among you to be Nazirites. You <i>Israelites</i> know that it is true’, says the <i>LORD</i> God. 


text:
‘But you told this to the people that should not drink alcohol (the Nazirites). You told them, “Be like everyone else. Drink alcohol.” And you said to the people that speak my message (the <i>prophets</i>), “Do not speak it.” ’ <n><b>Prophets</b> were people who spoke God’s messages. <n><b>Nazirites</b> were people that had made a special promise. So they lived in a different way from other people. They did not drink alcohol and they did not cut their hair. And they did not touch anything that was dead. 


text:
‘I will hurt you. A <i>wagon</i> that is full of food pushes down on the ground. I will do to you like the <i>wagon</i> does to the ground. 


text:
You might try to run away. But nobody will get free. The fastest runner will not get free. The strong people will not be strong enough to stop me. The soldiers will not be able to save themselves. 


text:
Men that shoot <i>arrows</i> will not live. Fast runners will not get free. All soldiers on horses will die. 


text:
At that time, strong and brave soldiers will run away without clothes on.’ That is what the <i>LORD</i> God says.


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You <i>Israelites</i>, listen to this message that the <i>LORD</i> has spoken against you. This message is to all you people that he saved from <i>Egypt</i>. 


text:
He says, ‘There are many groups of people on Earth. But I chose you for myself. You have done wrong things, so I have not been very happy with you. Now I will send trouble to you because of that.’ <n>The <i>prophet</i>’s work</n>


text:
If a <i>lion</i> (a wild animal) makes a loud noise in the forest, it is happy. It is happy because it has attacked an animal to eat. (If it has not caught anything, it is quiet. It looks quietly for something to eat.) If a young <i>lion</i> (a wild animal) makes a happy noise in his home, he has caught an animal. He has caught it to eat. (If he has not caught anything, he will be quiet.)


text:
If there is no food in a <i>trap</i>, a bird will not fly into it. If there is no bird inside, the door of the trap will not shut. 


text:
If the people in a city hear a <i>trumpet</i>’s sound, they are very afraid. And they may see soldiers go away to fight. Then, too, they are very afraid. Trouble may come to a city. Then we can know that the <i>LORD</i> has sent it.


text:
Before the great <i>LORD</i> decides to send trouble, he first tells someone. He tells those that speak his message to all the people. They speak because God wants them to do it. This is true.


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We are afraid now, because the <i>lion</i> has made a loud noise. The great <i>LORD</i> has spoken, so we must tell his message.


text:
Go to <i>Ashdod</i> city and go to <i>Egypt</i>. Tell this to the people who live in beautiful buildings. ‘Come to the mountains in <i>Samaria</i>. Look at the people there. They are hurting each other and they are afraid of each other.’ 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘People take things from other people. They keep those things for themselves in their strong buildings. They become rich from those things. That is wrong.’


text:
So the great <i>LORD</i> says, ‘Enemies will come all round your country and they will destroy your strong buildings. They will take all your good things from you.’


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘A wild animal might attack a young sheep. The worker that watches the sheep might try to save them. He might save two legs and a small part of the ear. But he does not save the whole sheep. In the same way, the <i>LORD</i> will not save all the <i>Israelites</i> that live in <i>Samaria</i> and <i>Damascus</i>. The ones in <i>Samaria</i> lie on beautiful beds. And the ones in <i>Damascus</i> sit on comfortable chairs. But God will only save a few of those people.’ 


text:
The <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, said to me, ‘Hear all this. And tell the <i>Israelites</i> that they have done wrong things.’ 


text:
‘I will <i>punish</i> them. And I will destroy the <i>altars</i> at <i>Bethel</i> at the same time. You will not be able to hold their tall corners. Their corners will break off and the corners will fall to the ground. 


text:
I will destroy all the big houses. Rich people live in special houses when it is cold. And they live in special houses when it is hot. I will destroy all those houses. There are houses with beautiful things that people have made from <i>elephants</i>’ <i>tusks</i>. I will destroy those houses too’, says the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
Listen to this message, you women who live on the hill in <i>Samaria</i>. You are like fat cows that do not work hard for food. You are like the cows in the place called <i>Bashan</i>. They eat on very good land by the <i>Jordan</i> river. You do not give to weak people what they need. You are not fair to poor people. Then you sit down and you say to your husbands, ‘Bring us alcohol to drink.’ 


text:
The great <i>LORD</i> has made this promise and he speaks only true words. He says, ‘The time will come, when your enemies will take you away with meat <i>hooks</i> and fish <i>hooks</i>. 


text:
There are places in your city’s walls where people have broken the walls. Your enemies will pull you through those places and they will throw you out. They will take you to that bad place called <i>Harmon</i>. None of you will stay here.’ <n>The people in <i>Israel</i> have not learned to listen to God</n>


text:
The <i>LORD</i> also says, ‘You like to go to <i>Bethel</i>. You say that it is your <i>holy place</i>. And when you go there, you do wrong things. So go there and <i>sin</i>. Do that if you want. You like to go to that other place, <i>Gilgal</i>. You say that it is a <i>holy place</i>. You do lots of wrong things there. So go there and <i>sin</i>. Do that if you want. You take your meat to burn it there every morning as a gift. But that does not make me happy. Every three days, you bring food that you have picked from your fields. But that also does not make me happy.’ 


text:
‘You bring bread to say “thank you”. You even bring lots of it and you tell everyone, “Look at how much I have brought.” You really like to do that. So continue to do it but it does not make me happy’, says the great <i>LORD</i>.


text:
‘Earlier I made you hungry in all your cities. There was no food anywhere. But you did not start to pray to me again’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Three months before your food was ready to pick, I did not send rain. So all the food became too dry. Sometimes I sent rain to one city, but I did not send it to other cities. I sent rain to one person’s land, but I did not send it to another person’s land. So that other person’s land became too dry. 


text:
People became weak. They went from city to city to look for water. As they went, they could hardly walk. There was not enough water. But still you did not start to pray to me again’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘I sent hot winds from the east. They burned the small plants, so those plants died. Worms (small, narrow, soft animals with no legs) made the other plants sick. So the other plants died. <i>Locusts</i> ate your trees that give fruit. But still you did not start to pray to me again’, says the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
‘I caused many people among you to become very sick. It was like what happened many years ago in <i>Egypt</i>. At that time, very many people got sick. Then I sent soldiers to you. And they killed your young men and they took away your horses. The smell from dead bodies was very bad. But you still did not start to pray to me again’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘I killed many people among you, as I destroyed the cities called <i>Sodom</i> and <i>Gomorrah</i>. Some of you did not die. You were like a stick that is already burning. And someone saves it from the fire. But still you did not start to pray to me again’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘So I will send trouble to you <i>Israelites</i> again. Get ready! You will see it. Then you will know that it is I.


text:
I made the mountains and I made the wind. I tell people what I am thinking. I change dawn into night. I walk on the high places of the Earth. My name is the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God.’


text:
You are like a young woman that died early without children. No more good things will happen to you. You will not be important again. There are no people on your land to help you. They have all left.’ 


text:
This is what the great <i>LORD</i> says. ‘1000 soldiers will go out from a city to fight, but only 100 soldiers will come back. From another city, 100 soldiers will go out to fight. But only 10 will come back.’ <n>Look for God</n>


text:
Do not go to <i>Bethel</i>, <i>Gilgal</i>, or <i>Beersheba</i>. Do not try to find me there, because I am not there. I will send enemies to destroy those places. And they will take the people away as slaves.


text:
Look for the <i>LORD</i> and you will live. If you do not look for him, he will come like fire. <i>Bethel</i> will burn and all the people there will burn. Nobody will be able to put out the fire. 


text:
You people do not speak true words. You are not fair to other people and you are not honest with them.’


text:
The <i>LORD</i> made the groups of stars called Pleiades and Orion. They show you when it will become warmer or colder. The <i>LORD</i> changes the dark (night) into dawn and he changes the day into night again. He takes the water in the sea, and he pours it out on the earth. The <i>LORD</i> is his name.


text:
Some men are not afraid to speak against people. They are not afraid to say that people have done wrong things. You hate those men very much. And some men speak true words. You think that those men are not important. 


text:
You cause poor people to give you too much food from their fields. And you make them give too much money to you. You do not keep them safe. You have built big houses, but you will not live in them. You have planted many plants that give <i>grapes</i>. But you will not drink alcohol from them.


text:
‘I, the <i>LORD</i>, know the wrong things that you have done. You have hurt people that have not done wrong things. Sometimes a person gives money to you and he says, “Now do not speak true words.” You take that money and you do not speak true words. Also, you do not speak true words for poor people. So other people do wrong things to them for no reason.’ 


text:
This is such a bad time. Some people will think about how bad it is. And so, they will keep quiet. They will keep themselves safe.


text:
You say that the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, is with you. So stop doing wrong things. Do good things. Then you will live. And the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, will really be with you. 


text:
Stop doing what is wrong. And choose what is good and right. Some of you decide whether a person has done right or wrong things. You people, be fair and speak true words. There are a few people that are still alive in <i>Israel</i>. Maybe the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, will be kind to them. <n>In this verse, the word that we have translated ‘Israel’ is really Joseph. Joseph was the name of the most important big family in Israel. Israel was the north part of God’s people’s country. 


text:
But the great <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, says, ‘Many people will be sad. They will cry loudly in all the streets. People on the farms will cry too. People will pay other people to help them cry because of the dead people. 


text:
And in all the places where fruit grows, people will cry. They will cry because I am sending trouble to you. I, the <i>LORD</i>, have spoken.’ <n>The special Day of the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
You are hoping for the special Day of the <i>LORD</i>. You hope that he will save you from your enemies on that day. But that day will not be good for you. It will be sad and dark. It will not be happy and sunny. 


text:
It will be like a man that runs from a <i>lion</i>. But then he meets a <i>bear</i>. Or it will be like a man that goes into his house. He rests against a wall, and then a snake bites him.


text:
The special Day of the <i>LORD</i> will be dark. It will have lots of trouble for you. It will not be bright, but it will be dark. It will not be happy, but it will be sad for very many people.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘You come together to eat and to drink. And you come to bring gifts to me. When you do that, I do not like it at all.


text:
When you bring fat animals to burn for me, I will not happily accept them. You might give food to me, but I will not take it.


text:
A river never stops moving. So, like the river, never stop being fair to people. Never stop doing right things.


text:
You people in <i>Israel</i>, listen to me. I led you through the large dry place for 40 years. You did not bring gifts to me to thank me there.


text:
You made things for yourselves to pray to. You made the thing called Sakkuth. You say that it is your king. And you made that other thing, which is like a star. You call it Kaiwan. You continue to pray to them and you do not pray to me. 


text:
So I will send your enemies to take you away past <i>Damascus</i>. I, the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God have said it.’


text:
You people in <i>Jerusalem</i> and on the hill in <i>Samaria</i>, you think that you are safe. And you think that everything is good and easy. But it will be bad for you. You leaders think that you are important people. And you think that you live in an important country. People come to you to get help. But bad things will happen to you people in the south and in the north. <n>In this verse, the word that we have translated ‘Jerusalem’ is really Zion. Zion was the name of the hill on which Jerusalem is. 


text:
Go and look at the city called <i>Calneh</i>. And go and look at the big city called <i>Hamath</i>. Those cities are in the north and their people are your enemies. Look at <i>Gath</i> city, where the <i>Philistines</i> live. It is in the south and its people too are your enemies. The people in those places are not stronger than you are. And their lands are not larger than your lands. 


text:
But you are not thinking that God might send trouble to you soon. Instead, you never stop doing wrong things. And so you cause trouble to come to you sooner. 


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You lie on beautiful, expensive beds and you do not work. You are resting all the time. You eat lots of young sheep and fat young cows. 


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You happily drink lots of alcohol. You put the best smelling oils on your bodies. But you are not sad that <i>Israel</i> is destroying itself. <n>In verse 6, the word that we have translated ‘Israel’ is really Joseph. Joseph was the name of the most important big family in Israel. Israel was the north part of God’s people’s country. 


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You will be the first people that your enemies will take away from there. You will be slaves for them. You will stop having parties and you will stop resting.


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The great <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, has promised this. He has spoken this strong message. ‘The <i>Israelites</i> think that they are so good. But I do not like that. I do not like their strong buildings. So I will let their enemies have the <i>Israelites</i>’ big city. The enemies can take away everything from it.’ <n>The <i>Israelites</i>’ big city was <i>Samaria</i>. 


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Then someone from a person’s family will come to the house. And he will carry the person’s dead body outside to burn it. Then he will ask anyone who is still inside, ‘Is there anyone with you?’ The person will answer, ‘No.’ Then the person from the family will say, ‘Be quiet now. We must not speak the name of the <i>LORD</i>.’ 


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When the <i>LORD</i> speaks to enemies, they destroy big and little houses. They will break those houses into pieces. <n>They did not want to speak the <i>LORD</i>’s name because he might send more trouble. 


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Horses cannot run on rocks. People do not try to plough the sea. But you have changed what is good to something bad. Some people are fair and honest. But you have made that seem like poison. 


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You are so happy. You think to yourselves, ‘We are very strong. We fought against the people in <i>Lo-Debar</i> and <i>Karnaim</i>. And we won.’ 


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But the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, says to you people in <i>Israel</i>, ‘I am sending enemies to your country, from the way into Hamath to the river in Arabah. They will fight against you. And they will cause trouble in all your country.’


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The great <i>LORD</i> showed <i>locusts</i> to me. He was getting ready to send them to us. They destroyed the food that was growing in the fields. That happened after we had cut down the first plants. We had given the food from those plants to the king. The locusts destroyed the next plants before the plants grew big. The plants were still only small. 


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The <i>locusts</i> ate everything. After that, I asked the <i>LORD</i>, ‘Great <i>LORD</i>, please <i>forgive</i> us. We cannot live if those locusts come. We are a small number of people and we are weak.’ 


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Then the <i>LORD</i> changed what he had decided. And he said to me, ‘That will not happen.’ <n>Fire</n>


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After that, the great <i>LORD</i> showed a fire to me. He was getting ready to send it to us. It dried the water under the land and it was burning the land. 


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Then I said, ‘Great <i>LORD</i>, please do not send fire. We cannot live if that fire comes. We are a small number of people and we are weak.’ 


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Then the <i>LORD</i> changed what he had decided. And he said to me, ‘That too will not happen.’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> measures the wall</n>


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Then the great <i>LORD</i> showed this to me. It was like a picture in my mind. The <i>Lord</i> was standing next to a wall. In his hand was a <i>string</i>. Someone had tied a big stone to the end of the <i>string</i>. The <i>Lord</i> was hanging the <i>string</i> down the wall. And he was looking to see whether the wall was straight. 


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And he asked me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ I said, ‘You are measuring the wall. Maybe it is straight or maybe it is not.’ The <i>Lord</i> said, ‘It is like this. I am measuring my people. I want to see whether they are good and honest. But they are not good and honest. I will now send trouble to them. I will not change what I have decided.


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I will send enemies to destroy the <i>holy places</i> (special places where the <i>Israelites</i> pray). And the enemies will use long knives to kill King Jeroboam and his family.’ <n>Amaziah speaks with Amos</n>


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Then Amaziah, the <i>priest</i> at the <i>holy place</i> called <i>Bethel</i>, sent a message to Jeroboam, the king of <i>Israel</i>. It said, ‘Amos is speaking against you among <i>Israel</i>’s people. He says that you will die. We will not listen to his words because he is saying bad things. And those things would destroy our country. 


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Amos is saying, “Our enemies will fight against us and they will kill you, Jeroboam. They will take all the people to the enemies’ country, so that the people can be slaves for them.” ’


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Then Amaziah spoke to me. He said, ‘Go, you <i>prophet</i>, get out of here! Go back to the south, to <i>Judah</i>. Work for your food there. Speak your messages from God there. 


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Do not speak words from God here in <i>Bethel</i> again. It is King Jeroboam’s <i>temple</i>. He and the people in <i>Israel worship</i> here.’


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Then I answered Amaziah and I said, ‘I am not a <i>prophet</i> or the son of a <i>prophet</i>. People do not pay me to do it. My work is to watch sheep. I keep them safe. And I give to them what they need. I also do to fig trees what they need. (A fig is a soft sweet fruit with lots of seeds.) 


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But the <i>LORD</i> told me to leave my sheep. He told me to speak his message. And he sent me to his people <i>Israel</i> in the north.


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The <i>LORD</i> says this to you, Amaziah. “Your wife will sell herself to men so they can have sex with her. Your enemies will kill your sons and daughters. The enemies will give your land to people that are enemies. They will take your people away from this country. They will take them far away to another country. The enemies will take your people to be slaves. And you will die in your enemies’ country.” ’


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He asked me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ I answered him, ‘I see a basket of summer fruit.’ Then the <i>LORD</i> said to me, ‘The time is ready. I will now send troubles to my people.


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On that day, people will not sing in the <i>temple</i>. Instead they will cry loudly, because there will be dead bodies everywhere. Be quiet, because I have spoken. I am the great <i>LORD</i>.’ <n>Trouble will come</n>


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You say to yourselves, ‘We want this special party to finish. We are having a party because the moon is new (it is still very narrow). But we do not want to have a party. We want to sell food again. We want our day for rest to finish. We do not want to rest. We want to continue to sell food.’ But you rob other people. You lie. You say, ‘This is the right amount of food.’ But it is not the right amount. You say, ‘This is good food.’ But it is not good. It has dirt in it. And it has other bits in it that are not good. And you make the price too high. 


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Sometimes a poor person cannot pay money back to another person, because he does not have enough money. It is a small amount of money. It is the amount of money that a person pays for shoes. But you buy that poor person for that small amount of money. So then he will be a slave for you. And you sell the bad bits of food plants. It is wrong that you do those things. 


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The <i>LORD</i> has strongly promised this: ‘I will never forget the wrong things that they have done. 


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The whole country will start to move because they did wrong things. It will shake (move quickly up and down). It will go up and it will go down, like the <i>Nile</i> river. Everyone will be afraid and everyone will cry.’


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The great <i>LORD</i> says, ‘At that time, I will make the sun go down at noon. I will make light become dark. 


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Your parties and happy songs will finish. Instead, you will be very sad and you will cry. You will cut your hair. And you will wear special clothes. Those clothes will show that you are very sad. It will be as if your only son died. It will all be very sad.


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I, the great <i>LORD</i>, speak true words. At that time, I will cause you to be very hungry. It will not be because you have no food and water. You will be hungry to hear a message from me, the <i>LORD</i>. 


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You will go all over your country, because you will want to hear a message from me, the <i>LORD</i>. But you will not hear one.


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At that time, your beautiful young women and young men will feel that they need to drink. So they will become very weak and tired. 


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People did not want me to help them. They made <i>idols</i> (things to <i>worship</i>) in <i>Samaria</i> and Dan and <i>Beersheba</i>. And then they said, “They will help us.” These people will fall down and they will never get up again.’


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Then Amos said, ‘I saw the <i>Lord</i>. He was standing in the <i>temple</i>, by the <i>altar</i>. The <i>Lord</i> said, “Hit the top of the <i>temple</i> very hard. Hit it hard so that the floor under it will move. Cause everything to fall on to the heads of all the people there. Nobody will be able to run away. If anyone is alive after that, your enemies will kill him or her with long knives. 


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They might try to dig very deep into the Earth to save themselves. But my strong hand will take them out of the deep place. They might climb up to the sky. But I will bring them down from there. 


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They might run away to the top of the mountain called <i>Carmel</i>. But I will look for them and I will take them from there. They might try to hide from me deep down in the sea. But I will tell the big <i>sea-snake</i> that it must bite them. 


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Their enemies might take them away to be their slaves in the enemies’ country. I will tell people there that they must kill them with long knives. And they will certainly kill them. I will not help them.” ’


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When the <i>LORD</i>, the powerful God, touches the earth, it moves. It goes up and down like the <i>Nile</i> river, and many people die. Those people that are alive cry loudly because of the dead people. 


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The <i>LORD</i> makes his place in the sky and he puts the sky over the earth. He takes the water in the sea, and he pours it out on the earth. The <i>LORD</i> is his name. <n>The <i>LORD</i> will not kill everyone</n>


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The <i>LORD</i> says to his people, the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘I like you. But in the same way, I like the people in <i>Ethiopia</i>. It is true that I led you safely from <i>Egypt</i>. But I also led other people too. I led the <i>Philistines</i> from <i>Crete</i>. And I led the people in <i>Aram</i> (Syria) from <i>Kir</i>.’ 


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‘I, the great <i>LORD</i>, am carefully watching you <i>Israelites</i>. And I see that you have done wrong things. I will remove you from the Earth. But I will keep a few <i>Israelites</i> alive’, says the <i>LORD</i>.


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‘I will tell the enemies that they must separate you. And they will separate the good people from the bad people. A person shakes a <i>sieve</i> (moves it quickly up and down) and the good food falls through the holes. But the bad food stays in the <i>sieve</i>. The enemies will separate you like that. And then they will kill all the bad people. 


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The people that do wrong things say, “God will not send trouble to us.” But their enemies will kill those people in war.’ <n>The <i>Israelites</i> will be strong again</n>


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‘The time will come when you will be powerful and important again. It will be like the time when David was your king. Now you are like a house that someone has destroyed. But I will repair you and I will make you good and strong again. 


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You <i>Israelites</i> will fight and you will win a war against the <i>Edomites</i>. You will also be winners in wars against other countries. And you will have all the land that you had before.’ The <i>LORD</i> says it and he will do it.


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‘The time will come’, says the <i>LORD</i>, ‘when food will grow very quickly and well. People will work hard. They will pick all the food and they will put it into baskets. Before they have finished, they will see more food. It will grow very quickly. Much fruit (<i>grapes</i>) will grow too. People will work hard and they will make a drink from the fruit (<i>grapes</i>). But before they have finished, they will see much more fruit. That fruit (<i>grapes</i>) will be big and it will be ready to pick. The fruit (<i>grapes</i>) grows on mountains. It will give so much <i>wine</i> that the <i>wine</i> will flow (move like water) down the mountains.


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I will bring my people back to their country. They will again build their cities, the ones that their enemies destroyed. And they will live there. In some fields, my people will put plants that give <i>grapes</i>. And they will drink the <i>wine</i> from them. In other fields, my people will put plants that give food. And they will eat what grows there. 


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And I will put you back again on the land that I gave to you. And your enemies will never take you away again from the land that I have given to you.’ That is what the <i>LORD</i>, your God, has said. <n>Map and Pictures</n> <n>There are some pictures to show you what some of the things in this list are like.


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God, who is the <i>LORD</i>, gave a message to Obadiah. The message is about <i>Edom</i>. <n>This is the message from the <i>LORD</i> to the <i>Israelites</i>. <n>We have heard what God said. <n>And someone has taken a message to the countries. <n>‘Stand up and fight against <i>Edom</i>.’


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God said to <i>Edom</i>, <n>‘I will make you small among other people. <n>They will think that you are not worth anything.


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You think that you are better than other people. And so you believe something that is not true. <n>You live in a place that is difficult to reach. <n>Your home is high up in a place among rocks. <n>You say to yourself, <n>“Nobody can reach us up here.”


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You may like a strong bird that flies high. <n>And you may make your home in the highest places among the stars. <n>But I will bring you down from there,’ says the <i>LORD</i>.


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God says, <n>‘Men might come in the night <n>to take away what is yours. <n>(Oh, what a very bad thing will happen to you!) <n>But they would not take everything. <n>If people came to take fruit from your trees, <n>they would leave some fruit on the tree.


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But people will take everything from Esau’s people (also called <i>Edom</i>). <n>They will even take the valuable things that you hide.


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People who have helped you to fight <n>will push you out from your country. <n>They will tell you what is not true. You will believe them. <n>They will be stronger than you <n>because you will believe their words. <n>They will make a <i>trap</i> for you.’


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The <i>LORD</i> says, <n>‘Some men in <i>Edom</i> know what is right. But, at that time, I will kill them. <n>Some men in the mountains know what is good. (These are the mountains where Esau’s people live.) But I will kill those men.


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There are men from Teman city that fight. But I will make them afraid. <n>Esau’s people live in the mountains. And everyone there will die.


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This will happen because you were cruel to your brother Jacob (the people in Israel). <n>God will make you ashamed because of this and you will die. <n>Verse 10 The people in <i>Edom</i> were born from Esau. The <i>Israelites</i> were born from Jacob. Jacob and Esau were brothers. 


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Men from other countries came into Jerusalem. They took away all the good things from Jerusalem. They played a game for the best things. You were as bad as they were. You did not help the <i>Jews</i>.


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Your brothers in Judah were in great trouble. <n>You thought that you were better than they. But you were wrong to think that. <n>You should not have been happy when the people in Judah were dying. <n>You should not have been happy when they were in trouble.


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You should not have walked like soldiers through my people’s gates. <n>You did that at the time when they were in trouble. <n>You should not have thought that you were better than they. <n>You thought it at the time when they were in trouble. <n>You should not have taken what was theirs.


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You waited at the place where the roads joined each other. <n>You wanted to kill those that ran away from the enemy. <n>That is why you waited there. <n>You should not have done that. <n>Some <i>Jews</i> were still alive, but they were in trouble. <n>You should not have taken them to the enemy. <n>The Day of the <i>LORD</i> and what will happen then</n>


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The Day of the <i>LORD</i> will come soon for all the world’s people. <n>God will do to you what you did to other people. <n>God will be angry with you because you did those things to them. <n>The Day of the <i>LORD</i> is the time when God kills all his people’s enemies. It is when he makes his people strong again. 


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You drank on my special hill. <n>In the same way, people from all countries will drink and they will not stop. <n>They will drink until God has killed them.


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But on the mountain called <i>Zion</i>, people will be free. <n>It will be special to me. <n>Jacob’s family will have the country that is theirs. <n>I will give it to them.


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The people in Jacob’s and Joseph’s family will kill all the people that belong to Esau’s family.’ <n>This is what the <i>LORD</i> said. <n>In verses 16-18, God is not speaking to the <i>Jews</i>. He is speaking to the people from <i>Edom</i>. <n>The people from <i>Edom</i> had drunk alcohol in a special place. And they danced there. It was where the <i>Jews</i> prayed to God. It was in Jerusalem city. Another name for Jerusalem was ‘the mountain called <i>Zion</i>’. God is saying that he will <i>punish</i> them. It will be like when people drink poison. It will be like a drink that contains God’s <i>anger</i>. But they will not be able to stop drinking. They will drink until God’s <i>anger</i> has killed them all. 


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People will come from the Negev. They will come to live in the mountains where Esau’s people (the people in <i>Edom</i>) lived. <n>People will come from the small hills near the mountain. And they will get the <i>Philistines</i>’ country. <n>They will live in the fields in Ephraim and Samaria. <n>Benjamin’s people will get Gilead.


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Some people lived in Israel, <n>but they now have to live with the <i>Canaanites</i>. <n>They will get the country as far as Zarephath. <n>Some people lived in Jerusalem, but now they have to be in Sepharad. <n>They will get the towns in the Negev.


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Men will come to make Jerusalem free <n>and they will rule over <i>Edom</i>. <n>And that country will belong to the <i>LORD</i>. <n>End note</n> <n>God says that he will give to Judah’s people the country that belonged to their enemies. God does not forget his people. He does not forget what their enemies did. And he will kill all their enemies. God says that he will save his people and he will make them strong again.


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He said ‘Go to the large, important city called Nineveh. Tell the people in the city that they do wrong things. I have seen what the cruel people there are doing. Lots of really bad things happen there.’ <n>Nineveh was a city north east of Israel. Nineveh was in the country that today people call Iraq. The people in Nineveh were very powerful. They were happy about this. They thought that they were very important. At one time, Nineveh was the most powerful place in all the countries in the East. It became a capital city. <n>The countries near Nineveh joined into one group. They were powerful and they ruled together. <n>But the people in Nineveh and in this group did very wrong things. The people did cruel things to each other. They had many troubles. It was a dangerous place to live. <n>In the 8th century <i>BC</i>, this group of people had fought the <i>Jews</i> who lived in the north of Israel. They had become the rulers of the north part of Israel. They had made the people in north Israel leave their country. So Jonah thought about the people in the group as the enemy. <n>This book’s writer may not have written down all the words that God spoke to Jonah. God may have said that it would be bad news for the people in Nineveh. Jonah knew that God had thoughts to <i>punish</i> them. 


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But Jonah ran away from the <i>LORD</i>. He went towards Tarshish. He went down to Joppa. There he found a ship that was ready to sail to that port. After he had paid for the journey, he got into the ship. He sailed to Tarshish to run away from the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Jonah went in a different direction from Nineveh. <n>Joppa was a small town near the Mediterranean Sea. People kept boats and ships there. Tarshish was also a place near the Mediterranean Sea. It was south west of Israel. We do not know quite where it was. Maybe it was near Spain. Or it was somewhere where there were not many people. Sometimes a writer uses the word Tarshish to mean any place far away. A person would have to go there by ship. It was certainly not in the direction of Nineveh! 


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Then the <i>LORD</i> sent a strong wind on the sea. There was a powerful storm. The storm almost broke the ship into pieces. 


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All the sailors were afraid. Each of them shouted in a loud voice to his own god. They threw the things that the ship carried into the sea. They made the ship’s weight as light as they could. But Jonah had gone below deck. He lay down and he slept. He slept in a way that it would be difficult for anyone to wake him up.


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The ship’s captain went to Jonah. He said, ‘You should not be sleeping! Get up and speak in a loud voice to your god! Maybe he will listen to us and we will not die.’ 


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Then the sailors said to each other, ‘We will throw <i>dice</i> to find out who has caused this trouble.’ They threw <i>dice</i>. And they found out that Jonah had caused the storm.


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So they asked Jonah, ‘Who has caused all this trouble for us? What is your job? Where do you come from? What country do you live in? Where were you born?’


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Jonah explained. He said, ‘I am a <i>Jew</i>. I <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of <i>heaven</i>. He made the sea and the land.’ 


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This made the sailors really afraid. They asked Jonah, ‘What have you done?’ They knew that he was running from the <i>LORD</i>. He had already told them that. <n>People believed that there were gods for each person, gods for each family and gods for each country. The country’s god was the most important god. So they wanted to know who Jonah was. They wanted to know which country he lived in. <n>Jonah said that he <i>worshipped</i> God. The word for God was the word that the <i>Jews</i> use for their own God. 


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The water in the sea was moving up and down. It was so high now that water sometimes came into the ship. So the sailors asked Jonah, ‘What should we do to you? The water is coming into the ship. How can we stop that?’ 


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Jonah replied, ‘Lift me up and throw me into the sea. The sea will not move up and down any longer. It will become flat again. I have done something wrong. So you are in a storm.’


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But the men did not throw Jonah into the sea. They <i>rowed</i> and they tried to return to the land. But they could not do that. Still the water in the sea moved up and down. It was even higher than before.


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Then the men spoke in a loud voice to the <i>LORD</i>. They said, ‘This man has done nothing wrong. But we will have to kill this man. But <i>LORD</i>, please do not let us die because of this. Do not say that we have done something wrong. <i>LORD</i>, you have sent this storm for your own reasons.’ <n>When the sailors spoke in a loud voice to the <i>LORD</i>, they used the name that Jonah used for God. 


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Then the sailors took Jonah and they threw him over the side of the ship. The water in the sea did not continue to move up and down. It became flat. 


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When they saw this, the men were afraid of the <i>LORD</i>. They <i>respected</i> him and they offered a <i>sacrifice</i> to him. And they promised God that they would do certain things. This was a serious promise.


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But the <i>LORD</i> had made a very large fish or sea animal. The fish caught Jonah in its mouth. God had chosen the fish to take the whole body of Jonah. Jonah went down immediately from the mouth into the fish’s stomach. Jonah was inside the fish’s stomach for three days and three nights.


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He said, <n>‘I was really afraid. <n>So I spoke to the <i>LORD</i> about my trouble. <n>And he answered me. <n>From the deep hole, I shouted for help. <n>And you listened when I cried.


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You threw me into the deep water. <n>I fell into the middle of the sea. <n>The water moved all round me. <n>It carried me along. <n>The high water came down over me. <n>The white water covered my head.


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I said, <n>“You have sent me away so that you can no longer see me. <n>But I will look again towards the place where I can <i>worship</i> you.”


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The water all round me made me afraid. <n>The deep water caused me to think that my life was in danger. <n>Plants in the sea covered very near round my head.


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I went far down in the water. <n>I went down to the ground. <n>I could not go any deeper. <n>I did not know how I would ever come up again. <n>But you brought me up from the deep hole. <n>You are my <i>LORD</i>, my God.


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While I was dying, I remembered you, <i>LORD</i>. <n>I prayed. And you heard me in the place where I can <i>worship</i> you.


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Some people want to keep things that have no value. <n>They <i>worship</i> them. <n>So they do not receive God’s love that could be for them.


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But I will give <i>sacrifices</i> to you. <n>I will sing and I will thank you. <n>I will do what I have promised to do. <n>The <i>LORD</i> has saved me.’ <n>Jonah went down far under the water. He was nearly dead. He felt like someone who was going into a deep hole. That is how he described it. This may mean a place far from God. Or it is the place that <i>Jews</i> call <i>Sheol</i>, the place of dead people. <n>God had saved him from the water so Jonah thanked him. These words may have been his own words. But they are also like some songs that are in the <i>Old Testament</i>. So Jonah may have known a song like this and he may have used it. <n>The words that Jonah spoke showed that his mind was working well. So he was not very sick. 


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And the <i>LORD</i> spoke to the fish. The fish caused Jonah to leave its stomach and to come back out of its mouth. Jonah landed on to the dry ground.


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He said, ‘Go to the large, important city called Nineveh. Tell all the people there the message that I will give to you.’ 


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Jonah obeyed the <i>LORD</i> and he went to Nineveh. <n>Nineveh was a very large city. A person would need three days to travel all through it.


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Jonah started to travel into the city. When he had travelled for a day, he shouted out to the people. He said, ‘40 more days and God will destroy Nineveh.’ <n>Jonah may have said the 8 words that we read here. Or he may have said more than that. 


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The people who lived in Nineveh believed God. They were ashamed about how they had lived. So they told everyone that they must not eat anything for several days. All the people put <i>sackcloth</i> on. The most important people and the least important people did that.


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When the king of Nineveh heard about this, he got up from his <i>throne</i>. He took off his king’s clothes. He covered himself with <i>sackcloth</i> and he sat down on the dirty ground. <n>The king’s land would be much larger than a city. The writer uses the words ‘king of Nineveh’ here because the book is about Nineveh. It is not about all the powerful countries that he ruled as a group. 


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Then the king spoke to all the people in Nineveh. He said, ‘I and the important people who work for me have made a rule. No man or animal or any group of animals must taste anything. They must not eat or drink. 


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Men and women must cover themselves with <i>sackcloth</i>. They must cover all the animals with <i>sackcloth</i>, too. Everyone must shout in a loud voice to God. They must do this immediately. Everyone must do good things, not bad things. They must not fight other people. They must not be cruel people any longer. 


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Nobody knows what will happen. Even now, God may change his mind. He may not be angry any longer. He may be kind to us and so we may not die.’ <n>In the past, God had destroyed some towns called Sodom and Gomorrah. The people in those towns had done cruel things. But God had not spoken to the people there first. He destroyed the towns immediately. 


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God saw what the people in Nineveh did. He saw that they did good things now. They no longer did wrong things. So he was kind to them. He did not destroy their city as he had said.


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He prayed to the <i>LORD</i>. He said, ‘<i>LORD</i>, I spoke to you about this when I was at home. So I went quickly to Tarshish. I knew that you are a kind God. I knew that you understand people. You help them. You are full of love and you do not become angry easily. You are a God who thinks about causing bad things to happen to people. But then you decide not to do it. 


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Jonah went outside and he sat down at a place to the east of the city. There he made a small hut for himself. He sat under it so that the sun would not burn him. He waited. He wanted to see what would happen to the city. <n>Maybe Jonah made the hut with some branches and leaves. It would cover him for a short time. 


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But God made a plant. The <i>LORD</i> God caused it to grow up over Jonah so that the sun would not burn Jonah’s head. He made it so that Jonah would feel good. Jonah was very happy about the plant. <n>The plant grew as big as a tree and it had big leaves. Maybe it grew to 10 feet (3 metres) high. God caused this to happen. This was not a usual plant! The plant was better than the hut. 


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But God had also made a <i>worm</i>. At dawn on the next day the <i>worm</i> ate some of the plant. So then the plant died. 


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When the sun rose, God caused the wind to blow from the east. The wind was very hot. The sun made Jonah’s head very hot. He became weak and ill. He wanted to die. He said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’


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But God said to Jonah, ‘Should you be angry about the plant?’ <n>‘I should’, he said. ‘I feel so angry that I want to die.’ 


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But the <i>LORD</i> said, ‘You like this plant. It is important to you. But you did not plant it or cause it to grow. It grew up quickly during the night and it died before dawn. 


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But Nineveh has more than 120 000 people. They cannot understand the difference between right ways and wrong ways. Also, they have many cows. That large city is important to me.’ <n>The book finishes very quickly. Jonah could not think what to say to God after that. <n>This book is about Jonah but it is also a book about God. It is more about God than about Jonah. It shows us who God is. It tells us what he does. He made the world and he rules over it. So we read about the storm, the fish, the plant and the <i>worm</i>. God starts life and he can finish it. God does not want people to do wrong things but he shows love. So we read how God saved Jonah and also the sailors and Nineveh. <n>This true story shows that it is impossible for someone to run away from God. God knows everything. He is everywhere. <n>God never makes mistakes. He is powerful. He can do whatever he likes. But he is always the same as a person. He does not change but he knows about all future events. He is angry when people do wrong things. But, after that, they may be really sorry. If they are, God is no longer angry. He shows his love. <n>The most important idea in this book is that God shows his love to everyone, not only to the <i>Jews</i>. Then Jesus came to earth. Now, God shows that he loves people from every country. ‘You have no reason to be angry’ is an important group of words in the book. We ought to be happy that God shows love to everyone. We must believe that God wants to be kind to everyone. He wants to be kind even to those who have done very wrong things.


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These are the messages that the <i>Lord</i> gave to Micah. Then Micah told them to the people during the times that Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah ruled the country called <i>Judah</i>. Micah was born in a small town called Moresheth. God showed Micah about what would happen to the cities called Samaria and Jerusalem. <n>Verse 1 Israel's capital city was Samaria, and <i>Judah</i>'s capital city was Jerusalem. <n>God will destroy Samaria city</n>


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Listen, all of you people everywhere! <n>Hear this, everyone who lives on the earth! <n>The <i>Lord</i> who is ruler of everyone will speak against you. <n>You have done what is wrong. That is why he will speak against you. <n>He will speak from his special house.


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Look! The <i>Lord</i> is leaving his place and he is coming down to the earth. <n>He will come to the high places (where you <i>worship</i> false gods). <n>He will destroy those places when he comes.


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The mountains will melt when he comes, <n>like wax melts near a fire. <n>The valleys will break too. <n>They will move like water when it rushes down a hill. <n>Verse 4 To melt means to become soft and like water. <n>Wax is something that people use to mend things. They use wax also to make candles, which they burn to give light. Insects called bees make wax. 


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All these bad things will happen because <i>Jacob</i>'s people have refused to obey God. <n>These things will happen because Israel's people have done wrong things. <n>You may ask who has caused this. <n>It is the leaders in your capital cities, <n>Samaria city and Jerusalem city. <n>They have kept the high places there for people to offer gifts to false gods. <n>


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So God says to you: <n><n> 'I will destroy Samaria so that just a few stones are lying in the fields there. <n>Then people will plant vines in that place. <n>I will throw the stones from the city down into the valley, <n>when I completely destroy all the buildings.


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I will break all the false gods into pieces and I will destroy them. <n>I will burn all the gifts that the people brought for those false gods. <n>The people have paid so that they could have sex with bad women in those places. <n>Your enemies will come and they will take away this money. <n>They will give it to their gods in the same way.' <n>Verses 1-7 We think that Micah spoke these words at some time before 722 <i>BC</i>. In that year, enemies from the country called Assyria destroyed Samaria exactly as Micah had told the people earlier. <n>Verse 6 Vines or grapevines are plants that climb. They have small, sweet fruits called grapes. <n>Micah is sad for the people in Israel and <i>Judah</i></n>


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Because of what God has said, I will cry aloud. And I will weep. <n>I will walk about without shoes or clothes. <n>I will scream like a wild dog, <n>and I will cry like a bird in the night.


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Because Samaria has such bad wounds that it can never get well. <n>And the same will happen also to <i>Judah</i>'s people. <n>The enemies have already reached the gates of my people, that is, Jerusalem itself. <n>Verse 9 Wounds are places on someone's body where someone or something has hurt them. 


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Do not talk about this in the city called Gath. <n>Do not even weep there. <n>But you people at Beth Leaphrah, <n>roll on the ground to show how sad you are.


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You people who live in Shaphir, go on your way. <n>Your enemies will not let you wear any clothes while they take you away. <n>So you will be ashamed. <n>The people who live in Zaanan will be afraid to leave their city. <n>The people at Bethezel will cry because nobody comes to help them.


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The people at Maroth are in pain while they wait. <n>They were waiting and hoping for something good. <n>But the <i>Lord</i> sent only something bad. <n>He brought trouble even to the gates of Jerusalem.


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You people who live in Lachish, get your <i>war-carts</i> and horses ready to go! <n>You were the first people in <i>Judah</i> to do what is wrong. <n>You are exactly like Israel's people, because, like them, you refused to obey God.


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You will need to give gifts to the people in Moresheth Gath, <n>because they must go away. <n>The houses in Achzib town will disappoint the kings of Israel.


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People in Mareshah, I (God) will bring an army against you, <n>to fight your town. And it will win. <n>And Israel's leaders will need to hide at Adullam.


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People in <i>Judah</i>, cut off all your hair. <n>Make yourselves bald like vultures, <n>because you will be very sad. <n>Your enemies will take your children away. <n>They will take your children, whom you love so much, away to another country! <n>Verses 10-15 In these verses, Micah says the names of towns and villages near his home, Moresheth Gath. Enemies from another country will come and fight against them. These verses may tell how Assyria's people attacked <i>Judah</i>'s people in the year 701 <i>BC</i>. <n>Verse 14 The kings of Israel will get no help from Achzib town, because enemies will destroy the town. <n>Verse 16 In those days, people often cut off all their hair to show that they were very sad. Vultures are large birds with bald heads. 


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Micah continues: <n><n> People who prepare to do bad things should be afraid. <n>God will do bad things to them! <n>While they lie in bed, they think about bad things to do. <n>Then, when the morning comes, they do those bad things. <n>They have the authority to do whatever they want to do.


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When they want fields, they take them from other people. <n>When they want houses, they take them. <n>These cruel people take other people's homes and fields; <n>then those people's families have nothing. <n>


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So the <i>Lord</i> says this to them: <n><n> 'I am against you. <n>You cannot save yourselves. <n>I will prepare trouble for you. <n>Then you will stop thinking that you are so very clever and important. <n>It will be a time of much trouble for you.


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At that time, people will say that you are fools. <n>They will sing this sad song on your behalf: <n><n> God has completely destroyed us! <n>We no longer have any fields, because God has taken them away from us. <n>He has given them to our enemies, who have turned away from what is right.


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So, when the <i>Lord</i>'s people measure the land again to give fields to everyone, <n>you will get none. <n>You will have nobody to speak on your behalf.' <n>Verse 5 At certain times, the people measured their fields again. They used stones with marks on them to decide about the fields. Micah says that God is against the bad people. So, God will never let them get any fields again in future times. 


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The bad people say to Micah: 'Do not prophesy like this to us! <n>Do not say that we will have trouble. <n>God will not make us ashamed!' <n>Verse 6 To prophesy means to speak (God's) messages, often about future events. 


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Micah replies: It is wrong for you to say that the <i>Lord</i>'s Spirit is not angry with <i>Jacob</i>'s people. <n>God does not do bad things. <n>My (God's) words do good things. <n>He is kind to people who do the right things.


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'Even in days that have only just passed, <n>you have become enemies among my people', God says. <n>'You rob people of their coats when they pass by. <n>Even men who thought that they were safe now. <n>You even rob men who are returning home from war.


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You rob the women among my people too. <n>You take away their happy homes. <n>So, you take away what I want their children to enjoy.


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Get up and go away! <n>You cannot remain in this place because you have made it bad. <n>It is so bad that it will completely destroy you.


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When a person speaks false messages to you, then you believe them. <n>They might say that you would have plenty of <i>wine</i> and strong drink. <n>That is the message that you would like!' <n>Verse 11 Micah spoke true messages from God. But other people were speaking false messages. They spoke words that made the bad people happy. In this verse, God is saying that the bad people should listen to Micah. <n>God promises to bring his people back together</n>


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'You people of Israel, I promise to bring all of you together. <n>I will bring back together all Israel's people who remain. <n>I will put all of you together like sheep in a field with a wall round it. <n>You will be like a field full of sheep. <n>There will be a loud noise because there will be so many of you.


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The person who breaks open the way will go in front of you. <n>Then you will go out through the gate. <n>I am the <i>Lord</i>, your king, and I will lead you out.' <n>In verses 1-11, God says that he will kill the bad people in Israel. He will bring enemies to fight them. <n>In verses 12-13, God promises to bring the poor and good people to a safe place. This may mean Jerusalem. Then, when their enemies have gone away, he will lead them out of that place. They will return to their homes. 


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Then I spoke to the leaders: <n><n> Listen to me, I said. <n>You are the leaders of <i>Jacob</i>'s people, <n>you are the rulers of Israel. <n>You ought to know what is right or wrong.


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But you <i>hate</i> what is good. <n>And you love what is bad. <n>You would like to tear the skin off my people, <n>and pull the meat from their bones.


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You look at my people and you are like butchers. <n>They strip the skin off an animal and they break its bones. <n>Then they cut the meat into pieces and they cook it in a pot. <n>They are happy when they eat the meat.


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One day you will shout to the <i>Lord</i> for help, <n>but he will not answer you. <n>Instead, God will turn away from you at that time, <n>because you have done those bad things. <n>


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The <i>Lord</i> has spoken about you <i>prophets</i> who tell false messages. You lead my people the wrong way with false promises. If people give food to you, then you are happy. So, you promise that there will be no war. But, if people do not feed you, then you are angry. You promise that war will come.


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God says to you: 'It will be like night for you because it will be dark. <n>You will not see anything. <n>&nnbsp; You will no longer be able to see what will happen in future times. <n>The sun will go down over you <i>prophets</i>, <n>and the day will become dark for you.


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You saw what would happen in future times. That is what you said. <n>But you will be ashamed. <n>And you try to tell what will happen in future times. <n>But I will confuse you. <n>All of you will hide your faces because I will not answer you.'


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'But the Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> fills me, to make me powerful', I told them. <n>He helps me to know what is right and fair. <n>He makes me brave so that I can speak to you, <i>Jacob</i>'s people. <n>I can tell you what you have done wrong. <n>You are Israel's people, <n>but you have not obeyed God. <n>In verses 1-7, Micah speaks on God's behalf, but in verse 8, he speaks for himself. 


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So listen to this, you leaders of <i>Jacob</i>'s people. <n>You are Israel's rulers. <n>But you never do what is right and fair. <n>You take what is good. <n>And you make it seem bad.


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You rule <i>Zion</i> city, which is Jerusalem. <n>But you are cruel, and you kill honest people. <n>Verse 10 The rulers did bad things. They were ready to kill anyone who tried to stop them. They did whatever they wanted to do. Also, the rulers made the people work very much. Many people may have died because they worked so much. 


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You are the city's rulers, but you accept money from people. <n>Then you decide what is right or wrong. <n>You listen to the people who give the money to you. <n>Then they tell you what to decide. <n>You priests teach only if the people pay you to teach. <n>You <i>prophets</i> speak about what will happen in future times. <n>But you only speak if you receive money. <n>But all of you, the leaders, still say that you believe the <i>Lord</i>. <n>'The <i>Lord</i> is with us, so nothing bad will happen to us', you say.


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So God says: 'Because of you, <n>I will make <i>Zion</i> like a field that people have ploughed. <n>I will destroy Jerusalem so that only stones are lying there. <n>Weeds and bushes will grow all over the hill where they built my house.' <n>Verse 11 A priest was a man that God chose. God chose him to be his special servant and to teach the people. 


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In the last days, <n>the mountain where the <i>Lord</i>'s house is will be the highest mountain. <n>It will be the most important of all the mountains. <n>It will be higher than the hills, <n>and people from many countries will go to it.


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Many people will speak about it. <n>'Come! We will go up to the <i>Lord</i>'s mountain', they will say. <n>'We will go to the <i>Lord</i>'s house because he is the God of <i>Jacob</i>'s people. <n>He will teach us what he wants us to do. <n>He will show us the right way; so then we will be able to obey him. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will speak his rules from <i>Zion</i>. <n>He will send out his message from Jerusalem.'


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He will decide what is right or wrong between many countries. <n>He will cause strong countries everywhere to stop fighting each other. <n>They fight with <i>swords</i> and spears. <n>But then, they will use hammers to make their <i>swords</i> into ploughs. <n>They will make their spears into tools to cut plants. <n>One country will not fight another country any longer. <n>They will never prepare for war again.


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Everyone will sit under his own vine and his own fig tree. <n>Nobody will make them afraid any longer. <n>The <i>Lord</i>, who has all authority, has promised this.


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People from other countries may be the servants of other gods. <n>But we will be servants of the <i>Lord</i> our God. <n>We will obey him always. <n>Verse 3 A spear is a long piece of wood or metal with a sharp point at the end. Soldiers used spears to fight. <n>Verse 4 Micah says that everyone in the world will feel safe and happy at this future time. There will be no more wars, and they will have plenty of food. <n>Vines or grapevines are plants that climb. They have small, sweet fruits called grapes. Figs are sweet fruits. <n>God will make Israel and Jerusalem strong again</n>


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The <i>Lord</i> speaks again: <n><n> 'At that time I will bring together the people who cannot walk well. <n>I will bring back the people that I sent away. <n>I caused trouble for those people, <n>but I will bring them back together.


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I will make a new beginning with those people who cannot walk well. <n>Together with some of those people that I sent far away, <n>I will make them my own special people. <n>They will be strong, <n>and I will rule over them from <i>Zion</i>'s mountain. <n>I will be their king from that time and always.


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And as for Jerusalem city, <n>it was a strong, safe place for <i>Zion</i>'s people. <n>It was like a tall building, <n>from which a man can watch over his sheep. <n>Then it will again be a place where a king rules with great authority.'


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You people in Jerusalem, <n>you are crying aloud like people who have no king. <n>You cry like people who have nobody to advise them. <n>You have bad pains like a woman who is giving birth to a baby. <n>Verse 9 To advise someone means to tell them what they should do. This verse says that the king in Jerusalem had failed to rule the people well. He had not asked God to show him what to do. So, the people were very sad and afraid. 


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People in <i>Zion</i>, you will have a lot of pain, <n>like a woman who is giving birth to a baby. <n>She rolls about and she screams with pain. <n>Soon you will have to leave your city and you will have to live in the fields. <n>You will have to go to Babylon, <n>but there the <i>Lord</i> will save you. <n>He will make you free again from the authority of your enemies.


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But now, at this time, many countries have come together to attack your city. <n>They say: 'We will destroy Jerusalem and we will enjoy ourselves. <n>We want to see <i>Zion</i>'s people in trouble.'


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But they do not know the <i>Lord</i>'s thoughts. <n>They do not understand how he will <i>punish</i> them. <n>He will bring them together, <n>as people bring bundles of wheat together at <i>harvest</i> time. <n>He will <i>punish</i> them, <n>as people thresh wheat to get the seeds out.


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'People in <i>Zion</i>, get up and fight your enemies', God says to you. <n>'Hit them like people thresh the wheat. <n>I will make you very strong. <n>Then you will be like dangerous animals with iron horns and metal feet. <n>You will beat enemies from many countries, <n>as men <i>crush</i> things into small pieces. <n>The people from those countries became rich, <n>because they did bad things. <n>But you will bring their riches to me, <n>because I am the <i>Lord</i> of all the earth.' <n>Verses 9-13 These verses tell what will happen to Jerusalem and Israel in future days. They tell about enemies who will come soon (from Assyria). And they tell about enemies who will come later (from Babylon). But they tell also how God will save his people. <n>Verse 12 A bundle is many things that people have tied together (like wheat plants). <n>Verses 12-13 Wheat is a kind of plant that people grow on farms. They use the seeds to make flour for bread. To thresh means to hit bundles of wheat on the ground to get the seeds out. <n>Verse 13 Horns are things like sticks that grow on the top of some animals' heads, like cows and some sheep. Horns have points at their ends. 


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Soldiers in Jerusalem, come together! <n>Get ready, because your enemies are attacking you. <n>They are all round the city, ready to fight. <n>They will hit Israel's ruler on his face with a stick. <n>Verse 1 This verse tells us again about the enemies who were coming to fight against Jerusalem. They will hit the king on his face, because they will almost win the war. This will show that they have authority over him. (An army from Assyria attacked Jerusalem in 701 <i>BC</i> but they did not completely beat <i>Judah</i>'s soldiers. An army from Babylon came years later and beat them.) 


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But God tells us this: <n><n> 'Bethlehem Ephrathah is only a little town, <n>among all the many towns in <i>Judah</i>', God says. <n>'But I will choose someone who is born there. <n>He will rule Israel for me. <n>Long, long ago, I prepared for him to come.' <n>Verse 2 tells people that the birth of the ruler will be in Bethlehem, a very small town. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. 


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So God will turn away from his people, <n>until the time that the woman gives birth to this baby in Bethlehem. <n>Then this ruler's own people who are still alive will return to Israel.


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And this ruler will stay strong because the <i>Lord</i> will make him strong. <n>He will supply what his people need. <n>He will be like a man who supplies everything for his sheep. <n>He will rule with authority from the <i>Lord</i> his God, <n>and his people will be safe. <n>So then, all over the world, people will know that he is great.


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And he will cause the people to rest, <n>so that they have no trouble. <n><n> Assyria's soldiers will come to attack our country. <n>They will march through our large, strong buildings. <n>Then we will choose seven or eight leaders to fight against them.


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These leaders will use their <i>swords</i> to destroy Assyria. <n>They will beat the people in the country called Nimrod with <i>swords</i> in their hands. <n>Assyria's soldiers will come into our country. <n>They will march across our borders, <n>but our ruler will save us from them. <n>Verse 5 'Seven or eight leaders' means 'as many leaders as we need'. The idea is that Israel will have more than enough leaders to beat their enemy at that time. <n>Verse 6 Nimrod is another name for Assyria. (Genesis 10:8-11 says that Nimrod was a strong hunter. He lived in the same place as Assyria, but many years earlier.) <n>God's people will be strong again</n>


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And later, <i>Jacob</i>'s people who are still alive will be in many countries. <n>They will be everywhere, <n>like water on the ground in the early morning, <n>or rain on the grass. <n>The <i>Lord</i> sends the water to help the plants, <n>but no human person can make it stay.


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<i>Jacob</i>'s people who are still alive will be living among people in many other countries. <n>They will become like a dangerous lion among the other animals in the forest. <n>They will become like a young lion among people's sheep. <n>The lion attacks other animals. <n>It knocks them down and it tears them in pieces. <n>Nobody can save them.


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You will be strong like that and so you will beat your enemies. <n>You will kill all of them. <n>Verses 7-8 These verses tell about the future time when God's people will be strong again. This time is the 'last days', as in Chapter 4:1. <i>Jacob</i>'s people can bring life to people from other countries as water brings life to plants. But some of those other people may not want to obey God. To them, <i>Jacob</i>'s people will bring death, as a lion kills other animals. <n>A lion is a big wild cat. It kills other animals and it eats them. <n>God wants people to obey him</n>


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'At that time', the <i>Lord</i> says, 'I will take your horses away from you. <n>I will destroy your <i>war-carts</i>.


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You make bad spirits help you. <n>But I will destroy the things that you use to talk to them. <n>You will have nobody to tell you about future times.


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You bend down to <i>worship</i> tall stones and idols. <n>But I will destroy all of them. <n>You will stop <i>worshipping</i> things that you have made with your own hands.


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You <i>worship</i> the false god Asherah, <n>but I will pull her poles from the ground. <n>I will even destroy your cities.


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Also I will <i>punish</i> all the people in other countries who refuse to obey me. <n>I will show them that I am very angry with them.' <n>Verse 14 Asherah was the mother-god of the people called Canaanites. Israel's people took their country from the Canaanites and they lived there. They learned to <i>worship</i> the Canaanites' god, Asherah. They used the poles to <i>worship</i> Asherah. But God had told Israel's people not to <i>worship</i> any other gods. <n>Verse 13 An idol is a thing that people have made from stone, wood or metal. Then they <i>worship</i> and pray to the idol instead of God. <n>Verse 14 A pole is a tall stick that someone has made out of wood. 


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Now listen to what the <i>Lord</i> says: <n><n> 'Stand up! Explain in front of the mountains what I want to say. <n>Speak loud so that the hills can hear your voice.


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Listen, you mountains. <n>Hear this, you strong places that have always been there deep in the earth. <n>God has a quarrel with Israel's people. <n>Hear the reasons why God is angry with you, his people.' <n>Verses 1-2 God wants both the highest and lowest places on earth to hear him speak against his people. He tells Micah to speak as in a law-court. A law-court is a place where people with authority decide what is right and fair. The laws (rules) of the country tell them what is right or wrong. 


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'My people, what bad thing have I done to you?' God asks. <n>'How have I made you tired of me? <n>Answer me.


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I brought you out of Egypt. <n>You were slaves in that country, <n>but I made you free people. <n>I sent Moses to lead you, <n>and Aaron and Miriam with him.


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My people, please remember the bad things that King Balak of Moab tried to do. <n>And remember what Balaam, Beor's son, answered him. <n>Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal. <n>Then you will remember that I, the <i>Lord</i>, do good things.' <n>Verse 5 King Balak asked Balaam to speak bad words to God's people. He wanted them to have trouble. But God made Balaam speak only good words. (See Numbers chapters 22-24.) <n>Shittim was on the east side of the River Jordan. Gilgal was on the west side. The river was very full of water when God's people needed to cross it. So, God made a path through the water for them to cross the river. (See Joshua chapters 3-4.) <n>What God wants from his people</n>


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'I come to meet with the <i>Lord</i>', you say. <n>'I must know what to bring when I come. <n>I bend down to <i>worship</i> him. <n>I must know what to offer when I bend down. <n>He is God and he is greater than everything. <n>Perhaps he would like it if I burn young cows one year old for him.


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He might be happy with thousands of male sheep, <n>or ten thousand rivers of olive oil. <n>I have not obeyed God. <n>I might even kill and burn my oldest son, because of that. <n>I have done wrong things and I must pay God for that. <n>Perhaps, if I give my own child to him, that will be enough to pay.' <n>Verses 6-7 In these verses Micah speaks as one man, on behalf of Israel's people. They want to give gifts to God. They will give anything that God wants. They will try to pay for what they have done wrong. Some people wanted to kill and burn a child as a way to give him to God. We know that God certainly does not want this. <n>Verse 7 Olives are small fruits that people <i>crush</i> to make oil. 


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But God has told us what is good. This is what the <i>Lord</i> wants from us: <n><n> 'You must be fair to other people', God says. <n>'You must want to be kind. <n>And you must be careful to do what I show you.' <n>Verse 8 In this verse, Micah replies on God's behalf. God wanted the people to obey him. He did not really want other gifts from them. Micah uses a special word for 'kind'. It means to be a friend. And not to stop, whatever happens. <n>God will <i>punish</i> people that are not honest</n>


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The <i>Lord</i> shouts to the people in Jerusalem city. <n>So, it is good for us to listen carefully to what he says. <n>'Listen to me, because I have the authority to <i>punish</i> you', God says.


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'You bad people still hide valuable things that you have taken from other people. <n>I will not forget this. <n>You bad people use false weights to measure the food that you sell. <n>I <i>hate</i> that.


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I will not excuse you people who use false weights. <n>You are not being honest if you weigh things like that.


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You rich people in the city are very cruel. <n>Everyone there says things that are not true. <n>All of them speak false words.


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So, I will make you so sick that you will never get well. <n>I have begun to destroy you because you have done bad things.


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You will eat, but you will still feel hungry. <n>You will store things and you will try to keep them safe. <n>But you will fail to save them. <n>I will cause enemies to destroy all your things in the war.


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You will plant seeds, <n>but you will not bring in the <i>harvest</i>. <n>You will <i>crush</i> olives, <n>but you will not use the olive oil for yourselves. <n>You will <i>crush grapes</i>, <n>but you will not drink the <i>wine</i> from them.


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You have obeyed the rules of King Omri. <n>You have done what King Ahab and all his people did. <n>You have copied their bad example. <n>So, I must destroy you and all your things completely. <n>Then people from other countries will not be kind or polite to you. <n>Instead, they will make you ashamed.' <n>Verse 16 Omri and his son, Ahab, were bad kings. They lived in Israel many years before Micah spoke these words. <n>Verse 15 Olives are small fruits that people <i>crush</i> to make oil. 


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I am very sad! <n>I am like someone who comes to trees with no fruit on them. <n>Other people have picked the fruit already. <n>So, I am like those people who can only pick the last <i>grapes</i>. <n>Those are the <i>grapes</i> that other people leave behind. <n>Really, there are no <i>grapes</i> there to eat. <n>There are none of the first figs that I like so much.


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There are no longer any people here who obey God. <n>There are no good, honest people. <n>Everyone is waiting to kill someone else. <n>They are all like hunters, who try to catch each other.


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They know very well how to work together to do bad things. <n>Rulers demand gifts and judges ask for money. <n>Powerful bad people always get what they want. <n>All these people work together to do what is bad.


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The best of them are dangerous like wild plants with thorns. <n>The most honest of them are worse than thorn bushes. <n>The bad time that your <i>prophets</i> told you about is coming. <n>Soon God will <i>punish</i> you, <n>and you will be confused. <n>Verse 1 Figs are small, sweet fruits. <n>Verse 3 A judge is someone with authority to decide what is right or fair. <n>Verse 4 Thorns are the sharp, hard points on some plants. Micah says that the bad people are like plants with thorns. He means that they are always ready to cause trouble for other people. 


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Do not believe anyone, even somebody that you know well. <n>You cannot be sure that your friend will always be honest with you. <n>Be careful what you say to your wife. <n>Be careful even when you are hugging her.


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Sons think that their fathers are fools. <n>And daughters refuse to obey their mothers. <n>Wives quarrel with their husbands' mothers. <n>A man's enemies are the people who live in his own house now.


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But as for me, I will watch for what the <i>Lord</i> will do. <n>I will wait for God, who saves me. <n>I know that he hears me. <n>Israel's enemies will be ashamed</n>


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My enemy, do not be happy because I am in trouble. <n>I have fallen down, but I will get up. <n>I am in the dark, but the <i>Lord</i> will be a light to me.


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I have not obeyed the <i>Lord</i>, <n>so he is angry with me. <n>He will continue to <i>punish</i> me, <n>until the time when he speaks for me. <n>Then he will make things right for me. <n>He will bring me out into the light. <n>He always does what is really right. <n>And I will see that then.


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'Why does the <i>Lord</i> your God not help you?' my enemies say to me. <n>They will see what God does for me. <n>Then they will be very ashamed. <n>And I will see the bad things that happen to them. <n>Soon other people will <i>crush</i> them and beat them. <n>Then they will be like wet ground in the streets under people's feet. <n>Verses 8-10 Here Micah speaks on behalf of <i>Zion</i>'s people, as if they were one person. <n>Jerusalem city will be great again</n>


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But the time will come for you to build the walls of your cities again. <n>You will make the borders of your country much wider then.


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At that time many of Assyria's people and Egypt's people will come to you. <n>People will come to you from the countries between Egypt and the River Euphrates. <n>They will come to you from all over the earth, <n>from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.


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The other parts of the earth will become sad places where nobody lives. <n>God will destroy them because of the people who live there. <n>Those people have done what is bad. <n>Micah talks to God</n>


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Rule us and lead us, <i>Lord</i>. <n>You are like a man who leads his sheep. <n>He uses a strong stick to lead them. <n>We are your own special people. <n>We are like a group of sheep that lives by itself in a forest. <n>There is good grass all round them. <n>Let your sheep eat grass in Bashan and Gilead, <n>as they did a long time ago. <n>Verse 14 Bashan and Gilead were east of the River Jordan. They were good places for sheep because lots of grass grew there. They had been parts of Israel's land many years before, but Assyria's people had taken them. In this verse, Micah is saying that Israel's people can live there again. 


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<i>Lord</i>, you did great things long ago, <n>when you brought us out of the country called Egypt. <n>Do great things like that again.


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The people in other countries will see what you do. <n>They will understand that they are not really powerful. <n>So then they will be ashamed. <n>They will be like deaf and dumb people (people who cannot speak or hear).


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They will be like snakes that move along the ground. <n>They will eat the ground like snakes because they will be very afraid. <n>They will come out of their safe places, <n>because they will be afraid of you, the <i>Lord</i> our God.


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No other god is like you. <n>You chose us to be your people. <n>And you decide not to remember what we have done wrong. <n>Not many of your people remain and we have done bad things. <n>But you choose to forget those bad things. <n>You will not always be angry, <n>because you want very much to be kind.


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You like to be kind because you love us. <n>So, again you will remove everything that we have done wrong. <n>You will <i>crush</i> those bad things. <n>You will throw all of them into the deep sea.


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You will continue to be kind to us, <n>because we are <i>Jacob</i>'s and Abraham's people. <n>That is what you promised to our grandfathers a long time ago. <n>Verse 17 'Eat the ground' means 'show that they will obey you'. <n>Verse 20 Abraham was the man that God chose. God chose him a long time before Micah lived. Abraham was <i>Jacob</i>'s (Israel's) grandfather. All his people after that time have the name: 'Israel's people'. Abraham believed God and obeyed him. He believed even when it was very difficult. (See Genesis chapters 12-25.)


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Nahum lives in Elkosh and this is his <i>prophecy</i> about the people in Nineveh. <n>Elkosh is a town in Judah. 


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God is angry with the people in Nineveh. The <i>LORD</i> loves his people. But he is very angry with his enemies. He is so angry with them that he must <i>punish</i> them. He will be angry until he has killed his enemies. 


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The <i>LORD</i> will <i>punish</i> those who do wrong things. But he does not get angry quickly. He is a powerful God. The <i>LORD</i> does not get angry quickly. But he gets angry when people do wrong things. Then he <i>punishes</i> those people. <n>He is very powerful. You can see his power in the <i>whirlwind</i> and in the storm. A man moves small bits of dirt when he walks. The clouds are like that to God. 


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He can cause the sea and the rivers to become dry by one word. The <i>fertile</i> places of Bashan and Carmel become dry and the green forests of Lebanon die too. 


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He causes the mountains to <i>shake</i> and he causes the hills to become flat. The earth and all the people in the world are afraid of God.


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Nobody can fight God when he is very angry. The <i>LORD</i> pours his <i>anger</i> out like fire and he breaks the rocks in his path. 


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The <i>LORD</i> loves those who believe him. When they are in trouble, they can put their hope in God. 


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He will kill them. And then it will be like when <i>thorny bushes</i> have caught people. Or it will be like they have drunk too much alcohol. It will be like when someone burns very dry <i>stubble</i>. 


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The <i>LORD</i> tells the king of Nineveh that he has done bad things against God. And the king has told his people that they should do wrong things.


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The <i>LORD</i> has said, ‘The people in Nineveh are many. And they think that they are safe. But I will kill them. I have <i>punished</i> you, my people, before now but now I will stop punishing you. 


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Now I will make you free from the people from Nineveh. And I will break the things that are holding you like iron.’


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Nineveh, the <i>LORD</i> has said what will happen to you. He has said, ‘You will have no children and your family name will have an end. I will destroy the <i>statues</i> that you made out of wood and metal. You <i>worship</i> those <i>statues</i> in your <i>temples</i>. There I will make <i>graves</i> for you because you are bad.’


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People in Judah, look at the mountains. You will see the feet of the person who will bring good news. He causes <i>peace</i>. You can have <i>religious</i> parties now. And now you can do what you promised to me. The bad people will not win a war against you because I have killed them. <n>God has used armies to <i>punish</i> his people. This is because they have not listened to him. And they have not done what he says. One of those armies came from Nineveh. Now God will help his people. God will use other armies to <i>punish</i> the people in Nineveh because they have been so cruel and bad. 


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An enemy is going to attack you, people in Nineveh. Watch the <i>fortress</i>. Prepare your army to <i>defend</i> the city. Watch the road. Get ready.


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Armies have destroyed the countries called Israel and Jacob. They have destroyed their <i>grape</i> plants. But, the <i>LORD</i> will make Israel and Jacob great again. <n>After King Solomon died, the country called Israel became two countries. The country in the north was then called Israel and the country in the south was called Judah. We think that Jacob here is another name for Judah. 


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The soldiers have red <i>shields</i> and bright red clothes. The soldiers move their <i>spears</i> in their hands very fast. The metal on their <i>chariots</i> is very bright. 


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When the soldiers are ready for war they move fast through the streets. Their <i>chariots</i> move like <i>torches</i> with fire and <i>lightning</i>. 


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The king of Nineveh chooses his best soldiers but they fall on the way. They hurry to their city wall to prepare their <i>defences</i>. 


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But their enemies open the river gates. Then the water goes into the city and it destroys the <i>palace</i>. 


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The enemy tells its soldiers that they must take the <i>idol</i> from Nineveh. Her women cry like <i>doves</i> and they hit their breasts. <n>The meaning here is not clear. Perhaps enemies have destroyed the city and the women in the town are crying. Or perhaps the enemies have taken the <i>idol</i> away. And the slave girls or the women that serve the <i>idol</i> are crying. 


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Nineveh is like a pool. Its people run like water that is going away. ‘Stop, stop!’ they shout, but nobody comes back.


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Take the <i>silver</i>. Take the gold. The city has so many valuable things. <n>All the people in Nineveh run away to different places. Some of them try to stop the water but they fail. This is because the people in this city have no love for each other. They only came to live there because of the many valuable things that their soldiers had taken from other countries. 


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They take the valuable things from the city. They take everything that they can. And they destroy everything else. The people are very sad. Their knees and their bodies <i>shake</i>. Their faces become white because they are afraid. 


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The home of the <i>lions</i> has gone. The place where they fed their young <i>lions</i> has gone. This was the place where the <i>lion</i> and the <i>lioness</i> went. It is here where their young <i>lions</i> were not afraid. 


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The <i>lion</i> killed to give enough food to his young <i>lions</i> and he <i>strangled</i> animals to feed his female <i>lion</i>. He filled his home with the animals that he had killed.


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘I am against you. I will burn your <i>chariots</i> and the <i>sword</i> will kill your young <i>lions</i>. I will take away all the animals that you attack. Nobody will hear the voices of your <i>messengers</i>.’ <n>The people in Nineveh were strong and cruel like <i>lions</i>. But Nahum tells them that God will be strong and cruel to them. God will attack the people in Nineveh because they have attacked many countries. 


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You will have many troubles Nineveh, city of blood, full of lies and <i>stolen</i> valuable things. 


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Listen to the loud noises of the <i>whips</i>, the <i>chariots</i>, the <i>wheels</i> and the feet of the horses. The <i>chariots</i> are moving fast towards Nineveh. 


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See the bright <i>swords</i> and <i>spears</i> in the hands of the horses’ riders. There are dead bodies that are lying in the streets. It is like mountains of dead bodies everywhere. There are so many dead bodies that men fall over the bodies. 


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This is because Nineveh has sold herself to the enemies of God. She is like a beautiful <i>prostitute</i>. She uses her body and her bad <i>magic</i> to make all the people in other countries her slaves. <n>Verse 1 ‘city of blood’ means that soldiers from that city have killed many people. 


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This is why I am against you, says the great <i>LORD</i>. I will make you like a woman whose skirt is up over her face. I will show the countries that you are like that woman. You will be like a woman who is not wearing any clothes. 


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I will throw <i>garbage</i> at you. I will do with you like you were nothing. And I will make everyone ashamed of you. 


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When people see you, they will run away. And they will say, ‘They have destroyed Nineveh. Nobody will be sad.’ There will be nobody to help you.


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Remember the city called Thebes that was near the River Nile. It had water on all sides and it had the river like a wall. Nineveh is not better than Thebes was. 


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But the enemies of Thebes took its people away and they made them slaves. They cut their babies to pieces in every street. They played games with the great men from Thebes and they put them in iron <i>chains</i>. 


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You will be like a man who has drunk too much alcohol. And you will try to hide. You will try to get help from your enemy. 


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All your <i>fortresses</i> are like <i>fig</i> trees. They will fall very easily when the enemies <i>shake</i> them. And your valuable things will be like figs that fall into people’s mouths. 


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Look at your soldiers, they are all like women! Your enemies have burned your gates and they have pushed them wide open.


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Take as much water as you can for the attack. Make your <i>defences</i> strong. Do repairs to your buildings. 


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The fire will burn you. The <i>sword</i> will cut you and it will kill you like <i>grasshoppers</i>. Grow in number like the grasshoppers and <i>locusts</i>.


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You welcomed sellers into your city until there were more than all the stars in the sky. But they are like <i>locusts</i>. They take everything from the land and then they fly away. 


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Your army and <i>officials</i> are so many that they are like locusts. Locusts stay on the walls on a cold day. But when the sun comes out, they fly away. And then nobody knows where they go.


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King of Assyria, the people who keep your people safe are asleep. Also, your powerful men are lying down to rest. Your people have run away to the mountains with nobody to get them together.


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Your <i>wounds</i> will kill you. They are too bad to make better. People have heard about what happened to you. Everyone who has heard about it is very happy. They are so happy that they <i>clap</i> their hands. This is because you have done bad things to all of them. <n>The people in Assyria are very rich and powerful. They are also very cruel. Nineveh is their capital. They have attacked many countries including Israel and Judah. Nineveh has become rich and powerful because they killed people. <n>Nahum tells Nineveh and God’s people that this will stop. God will save his people and he will destroy Nineveh. <n>Today, we know that soldiers from Babylon did destroy Nineveh. This happened 612 years before Jesus came.


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These are the important words that Habakkuk the <i>prophet</i> received (from God). <n>Habakkuk has a problem</n> 


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<i>LORD</i>, how long must I cry to you for help and you will not listen? How long must I shout aloud to you, ‘<i>Violence</i>!’ and you do not make us safe? 


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Why do you cause me to see things that are not right? Why do you let people do what is wrong? People destroy things and there is <i>violence</i> everywhere. People argue and fight a lot. 


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So the <i>law</i> can do nothing and <i>justice</i> never wins. There is a circle of very, very bad people round the <i>righteous</i> people and <i>judges</i> give the wrong answers. <n>The <i>LORD</i> answers</n> 


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‘Look at other countries and watch. You will become very, very surprised because of the things that I will do during your <i>lifetime</i>. And you will not believe it. You will not believe it even when I tell you about it! 


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I will make the <i>Babylonians</i> strong. They will be cruel and they will do things fast and without thought. They will go across the whole earth. And they will take homes that are not theirs. 


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People will be afraid of them. They will really frighten people. The <i>Babylonians</i> will make their own rules and they will write their own <i>laws</i>. 


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Their horses will run faster than <i>leopards</i>. And they will be more cruel than <i>wolves</i> in the night. Their men on horses will ride fast (and they will frighten people). The riders on horses will come from far away. They will fly as <i>vultures</i> that hurry to eat something. 


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They will all come for <i>violence</i>. Large crowds of them will come like a wind in the places where there is a lot of sand. They will put as many people into prisons as there are bits of sand in those places. 


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They will say things that are not kind about kings. And they will say that the leaders of the people are silly. They will know that city walls will not keep them out. They will build earth as high as the walls and they will get into each city. 


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Then they will rush past like the wind and they will go on to somewhere else. They will think that their own god has made them strong.’ <n>Habakkuk has another problem</n> 


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<i>LORD</i>, you have always been alive. You are my very <i>holy</i> God, so we will not die. <i>LORD</i>, you have given a job to the <i>Babylonians</i>. It is to bring <i>justice</i> to us. You are like our rock, but you have sent them to <i>punish</i> us. 


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But your eyes are too <i>holy</i> to look at very bad men. You cannot look at anything that is wrong. So why do you let these bad men live? Why do you say nothing? These bad people are killing those who are better than them. 


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And you have made people like fishes in the sea. You have made them like animals that move with no rulers. 


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The <i>Babylonians</i> will catch all of them, with the <i>hooks</i> that they use to fish with. They will catch them in their fishing <i>nets</i> and they will put them in their special holding <i>nets</i>. This makes the <i>Babylonians</i> very happy and it gives a lot of pleasure to them. 


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So they give <i>sacrifices</i> to their <i>nets</i> and they burn <i>incense</i> to their special holding <i>nets</i>. They do that because they catch a lot of fish in their <i>nets</i>. And so they have the best food. 


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So will they pour fish out of their <i>net</i> always? Will they destroy countries without <i>mercy</i>? </div> <n>Notes on Chapter 1</n> <n>Verses 2-4 The <i>prophet</i> is writing about what happens in his own country. There is <i>violence</i>. And the <i>law</i> cannot do anything to stop it. More than that, ‘<i>judges</i> give the wrong answers’. People do wrong things. But the <i>judges</i> say that they are doing good things. <n>Verse 5-11 The <i>LORD</i> says that he will do something. He will <i>punish</i> his people in Judah. But he will use the <i>Babylonians</i> to do it! This will surprise people like Habakkuk. It will surprise them because the <i>Babylonians</i> have false gods. They are <i>wicked</i> people. There is a lot of sand in the <i>desert</i>. So ‘as there are bits of sand’ in verse 9 means that there are a lot of them. <n>Verse 12 - 2:1 Habakkuk shows his surprise. He cannot believe that God can use people like the <i>Babylonians</i>! God is <i>holy</i> and clean and very, very good! Habakkuk cannot believe that God can even look at these very bad people! The <i>prophet</i> says that he will watch for the answer. He will stand on something high, like the walls of the city of Jerusalem or one of its towers. A tower is a high building. 


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I will stand and I will watch. I will stay on the walls (of the city). I will look to see what God will say to me. And I will see what answer I will have for my problem. <n>The <i>LORD</i> answers</n>


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Then the <i>LORD</i> replied to me. And he said, ‘Write down what I will show to you. Make it very clear on the page where you write it. Then the runner can tell people all about it.


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What I will show to you must wait for the proper time. But at that time, it will happen. It will happen as I have said. It may not happen for a long time but wait for it. It will certainly happen and it will not be late.


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Look, the <i>Babylonians</i> are <i>proud</i>. The things that they want are not good. But <i>righteous</i> people will live by their <i>faith in God</i>.


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And also, <i>wine</i> will destroy Babylon. Yes, they are <i>proud</i> and they never stop taking things from people. They never have enough, as <i>Sheol</i> and death never have enough. They take people from all countries for themselves and they take people from everywhere.


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The people in all those countries will write a song that is against Babylon. They will say that its people are silly. And they will say other bad things about it. They will say, “Some people rob other people. And they keep what they take. A sad time will come to those people. Some people get a lot of money by the very bad things that they do. A sad time will come to those people. They will not always be able to do those things.”


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The people that you people in Babylon have taken things from will wake up. It will happen when you are not thinking about it! They will get up and they will make you afraid. Then you will be the people that they will rob!


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You have robbed many countries. So the people who remain will rob you. That is because you have killed people. And you have destroyed their towns and their lands. You have killed everyone who lived there.


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Some people get things for themselves by ways that are not fair. A sad time will come to those people. You build your homes high up so that nobody can take you to do bad things to you.


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You decided to kill the people from many countries. Because of that, you will be ashamed. And you will pay with your own life.


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A man might build a city because he kills people. A man might make a town great because he has been very bad. A sad time will come to that man.


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The work that people do will go into the fire. The <i>LORD</i> of everything has decided that it will. People in many countries will make themselves tired for nothing!


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But the earth will become filled with people who know about the <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. This will be as the waters cover the sea.


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A sad time will come to him who gives strong drink to his <i>neighbours</i>. He pours out <i>wine</i> until they are drunk. Then he looks at them when they have no clothes on!


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You will be really ashamed. Nobody will think that you are great. Then you will drink and people will see you with no clothes on! The cup in the <i>LORD</i>’s right hand will come round to you. You will be ashamed. You will not always be great.


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The <i>violence</i> that you did to Lebanon will cover you. You will be very frightened because you killed animals. And you have killed people. And you have destroyed their towns and their lands. You have also killed everyone who lived there.


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An <i>idol</i> cannot do anything. It was a man who made it! It is a copy of a false god. It teaches him things that are not true. That is because he is <i>trusting</i> his own work. He has made <i>idols</i> that cannot speak!


text:
It will be very bad for someone who says to a piece of wood, “Wake up!” He says to a stone that cannot speak, “Get up and be my guide!” Look at it! It has gold and <i>silver</i> over it but it is not alive.


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But the <i>LORD</i> is in his <i>holy temple</i>. Everything in the world should be quiet in front of him.’ <n>Notes on Chapter 2</n> <n>Verses 2-20 The <i>LORD</i> says that someone will destroy Babylon. In verse 5 we read, ‘<i>wine</i> will destroy Babylon’. The Book of Daniel tells us that this really happened, about 70 years later! God may use bad people. But he makes sure that someone <i>punishes</i> them later. It always happens because <b>God has authority!</b> ‘<i>Sheol</i> and death never have enough’ in verse 5 means this: People are always dying. <n>In chapter 2, we read 5 things that bad people (and bad countries) do: <br/>· They rob other people, verse 6. <br/>· They are not fair, verse 9. <br/>· They kill people, verse 12. <br/>· Many people become drunks, verse 15. <br/>· They have false gods, verse 18. <n>People who do not obey God do those things. So God will <i>punish</i> them. He may use bad people to do it. But after some time, he will <i>punish</i> those bad people. If we wait, it will happen! We must be quiet until it happens. That is what verse 20 means. 


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<i>LORD</i>, I have heard what people say about you. I see the things that you have done, <i>LORD</i>. Then I am afraid. But do them again now. Cause people to know what you can do in our <i>lifetime</i>. You are angry, but still remember <i>mercy</i>!


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God came from Teman. The <i>Holy</i> God came from the mountain called Paran. <n><i>Selah</i> <n>His <i>glory</i> covered the skies and his <i>praise</i> filled the earth.


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(God) stood and he caused the earth to <i>shake</i>. He looked and countries were afraid. Old mountains broke into rocks and very old hills fell down. That always happens everywhere that he goes!


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I saw the places where Cushan lived. The people there were not happy. The people who live in the houses of Midian were afraid.


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I do not think that you were angry with the streams and rivers, <i>LORD</i>! You rode through the sea with horses and <i>chariots</i>! But I do not think that you were angry with the sea. You did that to win the fight.


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You showed people your bow and you asked for many <i>arrows</i>. <n><i>Selah</i> <n>You cut the earth into pieces with rivers.


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The mountains saw you and they <i>shook</i>. Deep waters moved very fast. The sea made a loud noise and it lifted its waters high.


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The sun and the moon stopped moving in the skies. The light from your <i>arrows</i> that were flying past and the light from your shining <i>spear</i> stopped them.


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You marched through the country because you were angry. Because you were so angry, you hit the people in many countries with your stick.


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You went out to make your people safe. You went out to save the person whom you have <i>anointed</i>. You beat the leader of the <i>wicked</i> country. You took away his clothes from head to foot. <n><i>Selah</i>


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You, <i>LORD</i>, pushed your own <i>spear</i> into his head. You did that when his soldiers came out to fight us. They were laughing when they came out to kill the poor people. The poor people were hiding from them.


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I listened and my heart was afraid. My lips <i>shook</i> at the sound. My bones began to fall into pieces. My legs would not stop moving. But I will be patient. And I will wait for the very bad days that will come. They will come to the people who are attacking us.


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There may be: <br/>· no flowers on the <i>fig</i> tree <br/>· no fruit on the <i>vines</i> <br/>· nothing on the trees that have fruits called olives <br/>· no food in the fields <br/>· no sheep in the hills <br/>· no cows on the farms


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but I will still sing <i>praises</i> to the <i>LORD</i>! I will be happy with the God that makes me safe.


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The <i>LORD</i>, who is my master, will make me safe. He makes my feet like the feet of a <i>deer</i> so that I can climb mountains. <n>The music leader must use things that have <i>strings</i> to make music. <n>Notes on Chapter 3</n> <n>The book ends with a psalm (a song with music)! Habakkuk may have worked with one of the music groups in the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. He tells them what music to use, and what <i>musical-instruments</i>, (verses 1 and 19). The psalm remembers what God did. He led his people out of Egypt. That was 800 years before Habakkuk. If God did great things then, he can do great things now! The <i>plagues</i> and <i>pestilences</i> in verse 5 are what happened to the <i>Egyptians</i>. That was when they did not obey God. The sea in verses 8 and 10 was the Red Sea. God led his people through it, and their feet did not even get wet! Verses 6-12 describe a great storm. The ‘leader of the <i>wicked</i> country’ in verse 13 was Pharaoh, King of Egypt. <n>All this makes Habakkuk afraid, verse 16. But he says this: Whatever happens he will still <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> (verse 17). <n>He knows that God is still in authority! That is why he will still <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>. Even when bad things are happening, Habakkuk will be like an animal. This animal can climb mountains with no difficulty! The animal is called the deer.


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This is the <i>LORD</i>’s message, which he gave to Zephaniah, Cushi’s son. Cushi’s father was Gedaliah. Gedaliah’s father was Amariah, and Amariah’s father was Hezekiah. The <i>LORD</i> gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah was king. Josiah was the son of Amon, who was the king of <i>Judah</i>.


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I will remove men and animals. <n>I will remove the birds that fly in the air. <n>I will also remove the fish that live in the sea. <n>I will remove all the bad people. <n>Bad people cause trouble for other people. <n>Yes, I will remove all the people from the ground. <n>It is the <i>LORD</i> who is speaking.


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I will destroy <i>Judah</i>. <n>I will remove all the people who live in Jerusalem. <n>I will remove all those who believe in the <i>false</i> god Baal. <n>I will remove Baal’s <i>priests</i>.


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Some people stand on the roof tops to <i>worship</i> the sun, the moon and the stars. I will remove those people. <n>Some people say that they love me. But they say also that they love Malcam (a <i>false</i> god). So I will remove them, too.’ <n>Verse 4 <n><i>priests</i>: See 2 Kings 23:5. <n>Verse 5 <n>the sun, the moon and the stars: Many people in <i>Judah worshipped</i> the sun and the stars. See 2 Kings 23:11; Jeremiah 19:13; Ezekiel 8:16. <n>Malcam: The people who <i>worshipped</i> the <i>false</i> god Malcam killed their own children. They thought that it made Malcam happy. 


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‘I will remove those who have turned away from the <i>LORD</i>. <n>I will also remove those who decide things without the <i>LORD</i>.


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Be quiet! God, the <i>LORD</i> is here. <n>It will soon be the <i>day of the LORD</i>. <n>The <i>LORD</i> has made his <i>sacrifice</i> ready. <n>He has made the people ready who will give the <i>sacrifice</i> to him.’ <n>Verse 7 <n>‘day of the LORD’: the time when God sent a cruel army, called Chaldeans, to fight against <i>Judah</i>. <n><i>sacrifice</i>: Here, this does not mean an animal. It means the people who <i>worshipped false</i> gods. <n>the people that God made ready: the army of the Chaldeans. 


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‘When it is time for the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>sacrifice</i>, I will <i>punish</i> the rulers and the king’s sons. <n>I will <i>punish</i> the people who wear <i>heathen</i> clothes, too.’ <n>Verse 8 <n>‘heathen clothes’: We think that these were foreign clothes. They put these clothes on when they <i>worshipped</i> other gods. 


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‘I will also <i>punish</i> the people who rush into other people’s houses. They do that because they want to rob those people. <n>On that same day, I will also <i>punish</i> other robbers. Those people fill their masters’ houses with the things that they take.’


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‘On that day’, says the <i>LORD</i>, ‘you will hear the noise of people who are shouting from one gate of the city. It is the gate called Fish Gate. <n>And there will be sad sounds from the next gate. <n>There will be loud noises from the hills.


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Shout out, you who live in Maktesh! Weep! <n>The <i>LORD</i> will remove those who do business in your town. <n>Some people have lots of money there. But all those people will be dead then.’ <n>Verses 10-11 <n>This will happen to <i>Judah</i>’s people when the army of the <i>Chaldeans</i> comes. 


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‘At that time, <n>I will look in all Jerusalem’s dark corners. I will take lights with me. <n>I will find the drunks and I will <i>punish</i> them. These people say in their minds, <n>“The <i>LORD</i> will do neither good things nor bad things to us.”


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So I will take away from them everything that they have. <n>I will take away their houses also. <n>They will build houses, but they will never live in them. <n>They will plant plants to get <i>grapes</i>. But they will never have <i>wine</i> from them.’


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The time for the great <i>day of the LORD</i> is soon, very soon. <n>It will happen quickly. <n>Strong men will weep when they hear the noise of it.


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The <i>LORD</i> will be very angry at that time. <n>It will be a time when there will be trouble. <n>On that day, he will destroy everything bad. <n>It will be very dark. At that time, there will be thick dark clouds.


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At that time, people will make a noise with <i>trumpets</i>. They will shout when they go to fight in a war. <n>In the fight, they will try to destroy the strong walls of cities. <n>And they will try to destroy the strong high parts of the walls.


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I will cause trouble for people. <n>So they will walk like people who cannot see. <n>This is because they have not obeyed the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Their blood will fall to the ground. <n>Yes, they will fall to the ground and they will die. After that, they will be nothing.


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Their money will not save them <n>on the day when the <i>LORD</i> is angry. <n>He watches. <n>And he is angry when his people love other gods. <n>So, he will send fire on the earth. <n>Yes, he will quickly kill all the people who live in <i>Judah</i>.


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Come together! <n>Yes, you people, come together and think. <n>You do not know how to be ashamed! <n>


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The wind takes away the dry parts of a plant that covered the seed. <n>It will be like that when I <i>punish</i> you. <n>Before it is the time for me to punish you, look for me. <n>Before this time is past, look for me. <n>Look for me, before I become very, very angry with you. <n>There will be a day when God will be angry. Look for me, before that day. <n>Yes, look for the <i>LORD</i>, all you people who want to make him happy. <n>You have done what the <i>LORD</i> wants. <n>Continue to do what is good. <n>But do not think that you are great. <n>Perhaps you will find a safe place <n>on the day when God is angry.


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Then, the people who have lived in Gaza city and Ashkelon city will not be there. <n>Enemies will also send away the people in Ashdod city at midday. And those enemies will destroy Ekron city.


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It will be very bad for you people called Cherethites, who live by the sea! <n>The <i>LORD</i>’s message is against you. <n>I will also kill all you people called Philistines, who live in the country called Canaan! <n>You will all die. So nobody will live there.


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By the sea, there will be houses for people who feed sheep. <n>There will be safe places for their sheep.


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Those people in <i>Judah</i> who love God will live there, by the sea. <n>They will have food there. <n>They will lie down to sleep in Ashkelon city’s houses. <n>The <i>LORD</i>, their God, will be with them. <n>He will stop their troubles.


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The <i>LORD</i> of all his armies says, ‘I have heard the cruel people in the countries called Moab and Ammon. <n>They laugh about you and they say cruel things about you, my people. <n>They have thought that they were greater than you. <n>They have come against you.’


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The <i>LORD</i> of all his armies, <n>the God of Israel, says, <n>‘You can be sure that I live. <n>In the same way, you can also be sure that my people will take everything. <n>It will be theirs to keep. <n>God will destroy Moab as he destroyed <i>Sodom</i>. <n>He will destroy Ammon as he destroyed <i>Gomorrah</i>. <n>After this, the ground will have lots of salt on it. Weeds will grow there. <n>Nobody will build anything there again. <n>The small number of my people that enemies have not killed will have Ammon’s peoples’ things and Moab’s peoples’ things.’


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That will happen to all <i>proud</i> people. <n>The <i>proud</i> people said cruel words to God’s people. <n>The cruel people thought that they were greater than the people of the <i>LORD</i> of all his armies.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make them afraid. <n>He will destroy all the <i>false</i> gods. <n>People will <i>worship</i> him instead. Every person, in his own place, will <i>worship</i> God. <n>They will also <i>worship</i> him in the places where the people now believe in <i>false</i> gods.


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‘I will also <i>punish</i> you people in the country called Ethiopia. <n>Other people will kill you with a big knife’, the <i>LORD</i> says.


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The <i>LORD</i> will go against the north. <n>There, he will destroy the country called Assyria. <n>He will also destroy Nineveh city. That place will become only dry sand.


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Sheep will lie down there. <n>All the wild animals of that place will live together there. <n><i>Vultures</i> and <i>owls</i> will rest on top of the high, thin parts of the buildings. <n>They will sing in the windows. <n>Bits of doors will lie on the ground. <n>The <i>LORD</i> will tear down all the things in the houses that they have made out of dear wood.


text:
All this will happen to that city, the <i>proud</i> city. <n>That city’s people said in their minds, <n>‘Here we are. We are greater than all the other people.’ <n>But then, other people will destroy their city! Only bits of it will still be there. <n>Then wild animals will come and they will lie down in it. People will see this. <n>So, any people who pass by the city will make noises with their lips. <n>And they will hold their fists up. In this way, they will show that they think bad things about the city.


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It will be very bad for the city! <n>It is like something that is dirty. <n>Its people will not obey me. They like to fight weak people. They also like to do bad things.


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They do not listen to anyone’s voice. <n>They accept no <i>correction</i>. <n>They do not <i>trust</i> in the <i>LORD</i>. <n>They do not come near to their God.


text:
The rulers of the city make a very loud noise with their voices like big wild animals. <n>Its <i>judges</i> are like hungry <i>wolves</i>. <n>They are like wolves that have even eaten all an animal’s bones before morning.


text:
Its <i>prophets</i> do not know what to think. <n>People cannot <i>trust</i> them. <n>Its <i>priests</i> have done wrong things, <n>even in God’s <i>holy</i> house. <n>They have also made changes to God’s rules. <n>They have made changes that they want.


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> is among all the people in the city. <n>He will do what is right. <n>He is always the honest <i>judge</i>. <n>He never fails. <n>But the bad people do not know how to be ashamed. <n>Verse 5 <n>‘But the <i>LORD</i> is among all the people in the city’: He is always present. He sees everything. He knows everything. He is with his people. He will do what is right for them. 


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‘I have destroyed <i>nations</i>’, the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>‘There is nobody in their strong <i>towers</i> now. <n>I have made their streets empty, so no people are there. <n>I have destroyed their cities. <n>So, nobody lives in them now.


text:
I said, “I hope that the people in the city will obey me. <n>Accept <i>correction</i>.” <n>The people would have been safe if they had accepted it. <n>Then I would not have to destroy them. <n>But it did not happen. I had to <i>punish</i> them. <n>Still, the people got up early to do bad things.’


text:
‘So wait for me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I will stand up and I will <i>punish</i> the <i>nations</i>. <n>I have decided to bring together the <i>nations</i> and the people that kings rule over. <n>Then I will <i>punish</i> them very, very much. <n>They will see how angry I am. <n>They will see it because, on that day, I will burn all the earth.


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Then I will give to people lips that I have made <i>pure</i>. <n>With those lips, they will call me <i>LORD</i>. <n>And then, all the people will agree to work together for me.’ <n>Verse 9 <n>God will cause people to use words that are honest. And he will cause them to <i>worship</i> him in the right way. See Ezekiel 11:17-20; 36:24-28. 


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‘Some people live a long way beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. <n>Yes, my people who pray went away to many other countries. <n>They will return and they will carry their gifts to me.


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At that time, you will not have to be ashamed <n>of the wrong things that you have done against me. <n>But I will take away those who do not see anything wrong in themselves. <n>Those people will not call each other <n>“the people who live on God’s <i>holy</i> mountain”.


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But I will let the poor people remain there. <n>These are the people who have had bad times. <n>These are the people who will <i>trust</i> me. And they will call me <i>LORD</i>.


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I will let those people stay there. <n>They will not do any bad things. <n>They will only say things that are true. <n>They will say honest things. <n>They will eat well and they will sleep well. <n>Nobody will make them afraid.’


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Sing, you people in <i>Zion</i>. You are my own people, like my own daughter. <n>Shout, you people in Israel! <n>Be very, very happy, my people in Jerusalem!


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The <i>LORD</i> has not <i>punished</i> you as he would have done. <n>He has sent your enemy away. <n>I, the King of Israel, am with you! <n>The bad times have gone. <n>They will not happen again!


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On that special day, this will be my message for Jerusalem. <n>‘Do not be afraid now! Do not be weak now!


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The <i>LORD</i>, your God, is with you. <n>He is strong. He will save you. <n>He will be very happy about you! <n>He will quietly love you. <n>He will sing, because he is so happy about you!


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I will bring together those people among you who want to meet together again. <n>You want to meet again to pray. And you want to meet again to <i>praise</i> God. <n>You have had enough cruel words from your enemies.


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Look! At that time, I will <i>punish</i> <n>all those people who hurt you. <n>I will save those who cannot walk well. <n>I will bring back the people that the enemy has sent away. <n>I will cause people in every country to know about you. I will cause them to <i>praise</i> you.


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At that time, I will bring you back to your home. <n>I will bring you back together. <n>I will give you a good name among all the people on the earth. <n>That is what I will do. I will stop your troubles. And you will see it happen.’ <n>That is what the <i>LORD</i> says.


text:
Darius was a king. He was the king of a country called Persia. He had been king for 1 year and 5 months. On the first day of the next month, the <i>Lord Almighty</i> spoke to Haggai. (Haggai was a <i>prophet</i> of the <i>Lord</i>.) This is what the <i>Lord</i> said. ‘Everyone says that this is not the right time to build a <i>temple</i> for me.’ The <i>Lord</i> told Haggai that he must speak to the ruler of Judah and to the <i>high priest</i>. The ruler was called Zerubbabel. (His father was called Shealtiel.) The <i>high priest</i> was called Joshua. (His father was called Jehozadak.) 


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This was the <i>Lord</i>’s message. ‘You seem to think that it is right for you to live in expensive houses. But you still have not built my <i>temple</i>. 


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You plant seeds but not many plants grow. You never have enough food to eat. You drink but you are still <i>thirsty</i>. You put on clothes but your clothes do not keep you warm. And the money that you get for all your work is not enough. It is like when you put your money into pockets with holes in them. 


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And now, get wood from the hills to build my <i>temple</i> again. I want to look at my <i>temple</i> with pleasure. I want people to <i>worship</i> me there. 


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You thought that many food plants would grow in your fields. But only a few plants grew and that disappointed you. And when you brought your food to your home, I destroyed it. You may ask why I have done this. I did it because your first thought was to build your own houses. But your first thought should have been to build my <i>temple</i> again. And you have not done anything about that. 


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I have stopped the rains so that nothing will grow. Your plants will not grow. Your cows will not have enough grass to eat. Your <i>vines</i> and your <i>olive</i> trees will have only a little fruit. No young animals will be born. And you will not have any children. For all your work, you will get nothing.’ <n>Verse 1 tells us when Haggai spoke his message. Darius ruled as king over Persia and over many other countries. Judah was one of those countries. It was where the <i>Jews</i> lived. It was their own country, but they were very poor. The <i>Lord</i> said that they had forgotten him. And that was why this was happening. They had chosen to build their own houses. They should have built his <i>temple</i>. He said that they must now build his <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Some years before this, the people had returned to live in their own country. Zerubbabel and Joshua had returned with them. (Zerubbabel was Shealtiel’s son. Joshua was the <i>high priest</i> and he was Jehozadak’s son.) Now everyone heard the message that Haggai brought to them from the <i>Lord</i>. They were afraid because of what Haggai told them. And they all decided to obey the <i>Lord</i> their God and to <i>worship</i> him. 


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Haggai was the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>prophet</i>. This was Haggai’s message from the <i>Lord</i>: ‘ “I am with you”, says the <i>Lord</i>.’ 


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> changed what Zerubbabel and Joshua and the people thought. Soon, all the people wanted to build the <i>temple</i> for the <i>Lord</i>. Zerubbabel and Joshua, too, wanted to build the <i>temple</i>. (Zerubbabel was the ruler of Judah and he was Shealtiel’s son. Joshua was the <i>high priest</i> and he was Jehozadak’s son.) They all came and they worked at the <i>temple</i> of the <i>Lord Almighty</i>, their God. 


text:
And so the work began on the 24th day of that same month. Darius had been king for more than 1 year and 5 months. <n>The people heard what the <i>Lord</i> had said to Haggai. And then they were afraid. But the <i>Lord</i> put in their minds the thought that they should obey him. So they started to build his <i>temple</i> again. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> told Haggai that he must speak to Zerubbabel and to Joshua. (Zerubbabel was Shealtiel’s son and he was the ruler of Judah. Joshua was the <i>high priest</i> and he was Jehozadak’s son.) The <i>Lord</i> also told Haggai that he must speak to all the people. This was the message that the <i>Lord</i> sent:


text:
‘Some of the people will remember that my <i>temple</i> was once very beautiful. You think that it is really not beautiful now. 


text:
But now, be strong and brave, Zerubbabel! And be strong and brave, Joshua, <i>high priest</i>, son of Jehozadak! And be strong and brave, all you people in this country, and work! Work because I am with you’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. 


text:
‘A long time ago, my people returned to their own country from Egypt. I promised them then that I would be with them. And I was with them. I will be with you, too. So, do not be afraid. And do not think that the work will be too difficult for you. My Spirit will stay here among you.


text:
Soon, people will see that I am a powerful God. Soon, I will cause the skies and the earth to move. I will cause the sea and the land to move. 


text:
I will cause people in many countries to be afraid. They will come to your country and they will bring with them valuable gifts. And I will make my <i>temple</i> beautiful’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. 


text:
‘I promise that this new <i>temple</i> will be more beautiful than the old <i>temple</i>. People will see my <i>temple</i>. And then they will know that I am a great God. I will also make this city a place where there is <i>peace</i>’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>Egypt is a country in Africa where the <i>Jews</i> were slaves. Now the <i>Jews</i> were living in their own country. They worked for many hours each day. They had to do this to get enough food. They did not have much time to build the <i>temple</i>. There were many things that they needed to build the <i>temple</i>. They did not have enough money to buy these things. But the <i>Lord</i> had always been with his people and he promised to help them. Then they would have the things that they needed to build his <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Darius had been king for 1 year and 8 months and 23 days. Then the <i>Lord Almighty</i> spoke to Haggai the <i>prophet</i> again. 


text:
The <i>Lord Almighty</i> told Haggai that he must ask the <i>priests</i> a question about God’s rules. 


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This was the question. ‘A person might be carrying some meat in his clothes. It is meat that he wants to give to God as a <i>sacrifice</i>. His clothes might touch some food. It might be bread. Or it might be food that he has cooked. It might be <i>wine</i> or oil. Or it might be some other food. Would the food that his clothes had touched become <i>holy</i>?’ The <i>priests</i> replied, ‘No.’


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Haggai asked the <i>priests</i> another question. ‘If you touch a dead person, you become not <i>holy</i>. You know that. If you then touch any of these foods, would they become not <i>holy</i>?’ The <i>priests</i> replied, ‘Yes, they would.’


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So Haggai answered, ‘That is how I thought about all the people in this country’, says the <i>Lord</i>. ‘I was angry about all the things that you had done. I did not accept your <i>sacrifices</i>. 


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You have now started to build the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>temple</i> again. Try to remember what life was like before that. 


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You wanted 20 pots of <i>grain</i>. But you found that there were only 10 pots. You wanted 50 jars of <i>wine</i>. But you found that there were only 20 jars. 


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I sent bad weather and I destroyed all your work. And the things that you picked from your fields were not good to eat. So you had to waste them. But you still did not return to me. And you did not say that I was your <i>Lord</i>. 


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Today, the 24th day of the 9th month, you have started to build my <i>temple</i>. Now this is what will happen to you: 


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You have not yet picked any seeds or <i>grapes</i>. You have not yet picked any <i>figs</i> or <i>pomegranates</i>. You have not yet picked any <i>olives</i>. But after today, I will be good to you. So then you will have as much as you need of all these things.’ <n>Haggai explained why their lives had been so difficult. They had not done what was right. They had not done the things that the <i>Lord</i> had asked them to do. They had done what they themselves had decided. That is why their lives had been so difficult. But now they want to obey God. And they have started to build his <i>temple</i>. And so God promises that they will have enough food. He promises that they will have happy lives. 


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On the same day, the 24th day of the month, the <i>Lord</i> spoke to Haggai again. This is what he said. 


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‘Speak to Zerubbabel, who is the ruler of Judah. Tell him that I will cause the skies and the earth to move. 


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Tell him that I will remove foreign kings. And I will destroy their countries. I will destroy their <i>chariots</i>. And I will kill the soldiers who ride in them. The soldiers who ride on horses will start to kill each other. And they will kill each other’s horses. 


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But I am the <i>Lord Almighty</i> and you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel are my servant. I have chosen you. And so, on that day, I will cause you to be like my special ring. I will keep you safe. And you will rule this country for me’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>Haggai gave this special message from the <i>Lord</i> to Zerubbabel. The <i>Lord</i> still ruled over everything. But he had chosen Zerubbabel to be his servant. The <i>Lord</i> wanted Zerubbabel to rule Judah on his behalf.


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Zechariah the <i>prophet</i> heard a message from the <i>Lord</i>. He heard this when Darius had been king for two years. It was the 8th month of the year. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and Berechiah was the son of Iddo.


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The <i>Lord</i> told Zechariah to say to the people, <n>‘I, the <i>Lord</i>, was very angry with your fathers and their fathers. 


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Do not be like your fathers. Many years ago the <i>prophets</i> gave them a message from me. The message was, “Stop doing those things that are wrong.” They did not listen to me. And they did not think that my words were important. 


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I told my servants the <i>prophets</i> that they should say my words. They continued to say my words until my words made your fathers sorry. I had done to your fathers what I promised to do. They knew that. They said that they were very sorry.’ <n>The man on the red horse</n>


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Shebat is the name of the 11th month. On the 24th day of Shebat, the <i>Lord</i> spoke to Zechariah the <i>prophet</i>. This was when Darius had been king for two years.


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During the night I, Zechariah, had a dream from the <i>Lord</i>. I saw a man on a red horse. The horse was standing among some trees called myrtle trees, in the valley. And behind him were red, brown and white horses.


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I asked him, ‘My <i>lord</i>, what are these horses?’ The <i>angel</i> who talked with me said, ‘I will show you what they are.’


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The man who was standing among the trees answered. ‘The <i>Lord</i> has sent these horses to go to all the places on the earth.’


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And the horses spoke to the <n>angel of the Lord</i> who stood among the trees. They said, ‘We have gone all over the earth. All the earth is without trouble.’


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Then the <n>angel of the Lord</i> said, ‘Oh <i>Lord Almighty</i>, how long will you be angry with <i>Jerusalem</i>? How long will you be angry against the cities of <i>Judah</i>? You have already been angry for 70 years.’ 


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The <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘Tell this to the people. This is what the <i>Lord Almighty</i> says: “I love <i>Jerusalem</i>. <i>Jerusalem</i> is mine. 


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I am very angry with the countries that are safe and without danger. Those countries were too cruel to my people, when I was only a little angry with <i>Jerusalem</i>.” 


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So, this is what the <i>Lord</i> says: “I will return to <i>Jerusalem</i> to be kind to the people there. I will build my house again”, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>, “and I will build the city again.” ’


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The <i>angel</i> told me that I must say this: ‘The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, “My towns will be rich again. I will again speak kind words to <i>Jerusalem</i>. I will choose <i>Jerusalem</i> again as my own city.” ’ <n>Four <i>horns</i> and four good workers</n> <n>In this story, a <i>horn</i> means a country that is powerful. 


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And I asked the <i>angel</i> that talked with me, ‘What are these <i>horns</i>?’ Then the <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘These are the strong enemies of my people. They took my people out of <i>Judah</i>, out of <i>Israel</i> and out of <i>Jerusalem</i>.’


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I said, ‘What are these men coming to do?’ The <i>Lord</i> answered, ‘The <i>horns</i> are the enemies that destroyed <i>Judah</i>. They destroyed Judah so that they will all be ashamed. The workers came to frighten and to destroy the enemies because they killed many of my people. The enemies took many of my people out of <i>Judah</i>.’


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Then I looked up and I saw a man in front of me. He had a line in his hand. The line was to measure something. 


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Then I said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said to me, ‘I am going to measure <i>Jerusalem</i>. I want to see how broad and how long it is.’ 


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The second <i>angel</i> said to the first <i>angel</i>, ‘Run to that young man with the line in his hand. Say that <i>Jerusalem</i> will be a city without walls. This is because of the many people and many animals that will live in it. 


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The <i>Lord</i> himself promises that he will be like a wall of fire round <i>Jerusalem</i>. He will shine as a beautiful light inside the city.’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> will be among his people</n>


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‘Come! Come! Run away from the country in the north’, says the <i>Lord</i>. ‘As the four winds blow in different directions, I sent you to many far countries.


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Return because the <i>Lord</i> says, ‘Anyone that attacks you is attacking the <i>Lord</i>’s people. He is attacking the people that the <i>Lord</i> loves.’ So the <i>Lord Almighty</i> sent me, Zechariah, with this message about the countries that have robbed his people. 


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‘The <i>Lord</i> himself will fight against your enemies and their own slaves will rob them. Then you will know that the <i>Lord Almighty</i> has sent me, Zechariah, to you.’


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‘Sing and be happy, you people in <i>Jerusalem</i>. This is because I will come. And I will live among you’, says the <i>Lord</i>. 


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‘On that day, the people from many countries will come to me, the <i>Lord</i>, and they will become my people. I will live among you. You will know that the <i>Lord Almighty</i> has sent me. 


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The <i>Lord</i> will choose <i>Judah</i> for himself again. <i>Jerusalem</i> will be the city that he loves most of all cities. 


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Be quiet, all people, because the <i>Lord</i> has left his home in <i>heaven</i> to come among you.’


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Then the <n>angel of the Lord</i> appeared to me, Zechariah, and he showed me Joshua, the most important <i>priest</i>. Joshua was standing in front of the <n>angel of the Lord</i>. <i>Satan</i> stood on the right side of Joshua. He was ready to say that Joshua had done bad things. 


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The <i>Lord</i> said to <i>Satan</i>, ‘The <i>Lord</i> says that you are wrong. The <i>Lord</i> has chosen <i>Jerusalem</i>. And he says that you are wrong. Joshua is certainly like a burning stick that someone pulls quickly out of the fire.’


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The <i>angel</i> said to the other <i>angels</i> that stood in front of him, ‘Remove his very dirty clothes.’ Then the first <i>angel</i> said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your <i>sin</i>. I will put the clothes on you that a <i>priest</i> should wear.’


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Then Zechariah said, ‘Put a clean hat on his head.’ So, they put a clean hat on his head and they dressed him in clean clothes. The <n>angel of the Lord</i> stood near to them. <n>The <n>angel of the Lord</i> was watching everything that they were doing. 


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‘These are the words of the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. Listen to them and obey them. “You will rule in my house. You will rule inside the walls of my house. I will give you a place among the <i>angels</i> that are standing here.


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Listen, Joshua, most important <i>priest</i> of the <i>Lord</i>. Listen you <i>priests</i> that sit with Joshua. You are like a sign. People can look at you. And they can know that good things will happen in future years. See! I will bring to you my servant who is called The Branch. 


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See the stone that I have put in front of Joshua! It is a stone with seven sides and I will cut words in the stone”, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. “I will remove the <i>sin</i> of this country’s people in one day.” 


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“On that day”, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>, “each of you will ask your friends to come. You will ask them to come and to sit under your own <i>vines</i> and <i>fig trees</i>.” ’ <n>Verse 8 The Branch is another name for Jesus. See also Isaiah 11:1-2 and Jeremiah 23:5. <n>Verse 9 Some Bible translators say that it was a stone with seven eyes. <n>Verse 10 means that they will have plenty of good things. They will ask their friends to enjoy those good things with them. 


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The <i>angel</i> that talked with me before woke me. I, Zechariah, was like a man who wakes out of his sleep. 


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The <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘What do you see?’ I said, ‘I see a thing that someone has made out of gold. And it contains oil. The oil burns to make light. It has a dish on top of it. And it has seven things like branches that someone has made out of gold. Each branch has a burning light on top of it. 


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And two <i>olive</i> trees are standing by the burning lights. One tree is on the right of the lights and one tree is on the left of the lights.’


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I, Zechariah, said to the <i>angel</i> that talked with me. ‘What does this light mean, my <i>lord</i>?’


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Then the <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘The <i>Lord</i> said this to Zerubbabel: “You will need my Spirit. You yourself are too weak. And you do not have enough power.” This is what the <i>Lord Almighty</i> says: 


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“Big mountain, you are no problem. You will become flat ground in front of Zerubbabel. Then he will bring out the last and biggest stone of my house. The people will shout, ‘God <i>bless</i> it! God <i>bless</i> it!’ ” ’


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‘Zerubbabel has put down the first stone of my house. He will also finish it.’ Then you will know that the <i>Lord Almighty</i> has sent me to you.


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Everyone should know that the day of small things is important. <n>Men will see Zerubbabel. Then they will sing and they will be happy. They will see him with a line in his hand to measure the walls. <n>The <i>Lord</i> sees everything in the whole earth. (The 7 lights are the 7 eyes of the <i>Lord</i>.) <n>Zerubbabel came from the <i>family</i> of King David. The <i>Jews</i>’ enemies took Zerubbabel’s father to Babylon. Zerubbabel was born there. He came from Babylon to build the second <i>temple</i> with other people at <i>Jerusalem</i>. <n>Some people thought that the work on the house of God was not important. But they were wrong. God wanted the people to build his house. The <i>Holy Spirit</i> would help Zerubbabel to finish it. 


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Then I said to the <i>angel</i>, ‘What are these two <i>olive</i> trees on the right and on the left of the light?’


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A second time I spoke to the <i>angel</i>, ‘What are these two branches of the <i>olive</i> trees? They are next to the pipes of gold and oil comes from those pipes.’


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The <i>angel</i> replied, ‘Do you not know what these <i>olive</i> trees mean?’ <n>‘No, my <i>lord</i>’, I said.


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So the <i>angel</i> said, ‘These are the two men that the <i>Lord</i> of all the earth has chosen to be his servants.’ <n>We think that the two men are Zerubbabel the ruler and Joshua the <i>priest</i>. 


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Again, I looked and I saw a large paper. It was moving through the air. There were many words on the paper.


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The <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I answered, ‘I see a paper that is flying through the air. It is twice as long as it is wide. And it is as long as 5 men.’


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Then the <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘The words on the paper tell about bad events for the whole earth. This will be in future years. On one side of the paper, it says that a man must not rob anyone. If he does, people will send him away from his own country. On the other side of the paper, it says that a man must not speak false words. If he does, people will send him away from his own country. 


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The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, “I will cause bad things to happen in the house of the man that robs anyone. I will cause bad things to happen in the house of the man that speaks false words. It is as if the words on the paper will destroy the houses of those bad people.” ’ <n>The woman in the basket</n>


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Then the <i>angel</i> that talked to me came near to me. He said, ‘Look. And see the thing that has just appeared.’


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I said, ‘What is it?’ <n>He said, ‘It is a basket that people measure with.’ Then he said, ‘It is the <i>sin</i> of all the people in this country.’


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The <i>angel</i> said, ‘This is <i>sin</i>.’ He pushed her into the basket again and he put the heavy metal lid on top of the basket.


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Then I looked up and I saw two women. They flew towards me with strong <i>wings</i>. The wind carried them as the wind carries large birds. They lifted the basket between the earth and the sky.


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The <i>angel</i> said to me, ‘They will take the basket to the country called <i>Babylon</i>. They will build a house for it there. When the house is ready, they will put the basket inside the house. They will put it where people can see it.’


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Again I looked up and I saw 4 <i>chariots</i>! They came out from between two mountains and the mountains were mountains of shining metal! 


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The third <i>chariot</i> had white horses and the fourth <i>chariot</i> had grey horses. All the horses were strong. 


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Then I spoke to the <i>angel</i> that talked to me. ‘What are these <i>chariots</i>, my <i>lord</i>?’ I said.


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The <i>angel</i> answered me, ‘These are the 4 <i>spirits</i> of <i>heaven</i>. They have come from the <i>Lord</i> of the whole world. 


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The <i>chariot</i> with the black horses goes towards the north country. The <i>chariot</i> with the white horses goes after them. The <i>chariot</i> with the grey horses goes towards the south country.’


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When the strong horses came out, they were in a hurry to leave. The <i>angel</i> said, ‘Go through all the earth.’ So the horses went through all the earth.


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Then the <i>Lord</i> told me, ‘The <i>chariot</i> that goes to the north country has caused my Spirit to rest in the north country. I am now no longer angry about the north country.’ <n>A <i>crown</i> for Joshua</n>


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‘Three men have arrived from <i>Babylon</i>’, he said. ‘Their names are Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah. Take the gold that they have brought with them. On the same day, take the gold to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah.


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Take the gold and other valuable metal and make a <i>crown</i>. Put it on the head of Joshua the most important <i>priest</i>. He is the son of Jehozadak. 


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Say to Joshua, “The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, ‘I have chosen a man. His name is the Branch. He will be a great man and he will build the house of the <i>Lord</i>.


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It is he who will build the house of the <i>Lord</i>. He will sit on his special high seat and he will rule all the people. He will be a <i>priest</i> on the seat of a king. This one man will be <i>priest</i> and king.’ ” 


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They will put the <i>crown</i> in the house of the <i>Lord</i>. This is to remember Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. This is because they brought the gold from <i>Babylon</i>.


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People will come a long way and they will help to build the house of the <i>Lord</i>. Then you will know that the <i>Lord Almighty</i> has sent me to you. All this will happen if you completely obey the <i>Lord</i> your God.’


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The <i>Lord</i> spoke to Zechariah when Darius had been king for four years. It was the 4th day of the 9th month. The name of the month was Chislev. 


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Then the people in Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their men to <i>Jerusalem</i>. They came to ask the <i>Lord</i> to help them. 


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They came to the house of the <i>Lord Almighty</i> to speak to the <i>priests</i> and to the <i>prophets</i>. They asked, ‘Should we cry and not eat our food in the 5th month? We have done this for many years.’ <n>These people wanted to be in <i>Jerusalem</i>, but for 70 years they had to live in Babylon. 


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He said, ‘Say this to all the people in this country and to the <i>priests</i>. “You lived in <i>Babylon</i> for many years. You ate no food and you were sad in the 5th month and in the 7th month. But you did not do this for me. 


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These are the words that I, the <i>Lord</i>, spoke by my <i>prophets</i> in past years. At that time, the people in <i>Jerusalem</i> lived without trouble. Many rich people lived in <i>Jerusalem</i>. Also the people to the south and to the west of <i>Jerusalem</i> lived without trouble.” ’


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‘The <i>Lord Almighty</i> has said, “Be sure that you are fair to all people. Be kind to each other. 


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Be kind to a woman after the death of her husband. Be kind to a child after the death of his father. Be kind to strangers and to poor people. Do not think bad thoughts against your brother.”


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But the people would not listen and they turned away. They put their hands over their ears, because they did not want to hear. 


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They decided that they would not listen to God’s rules or to the messages from the <i>prophets</i>. But the <i>Lord Almighty</i> had sent those messages by His Spirit. So I, the <i>Lord Almighty</i>, was very angry.


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When I spoke to them, they did not listen. So when they prayed to me, I did not listen to them’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. 


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‘As a storm takes things away, I took my people away to strange countries. The country that they left became an empty country. Nobody lived in it. That is how they made the good country an empty country.’


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‘I have wanted to help <i>Jerusalem</i> because I love its people very much. My love causes me to be very angry with the enemies of <i>Jerusalem</i>’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘<i>Jerusalem</i> is the city that I have chosen. I will return there and I will live there. Then <i>Jerusalem</i> will be called the city that obeys God. And the mountain of the <i>Lord Almighty</i> will be called the mountain that God has chosen.’


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The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, ‘Old men and old women will sit in the streets of <i>Jerusalem</i> again. Each will have a stick in his hands because he is so old.


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‘This may seem impossible to the few people that remain’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘But nothing is impossible to me’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘I will bring my people back from the east country and from the west country’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. 


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‘I will bring them back to live in <i>Jerusalem</i>. They will be my people and I will be their God. I will do for them what I promised to do.’


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The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, ‘Be strong, you people who now hear these words from the mouths of the <i>prophets</i>. The <i>prophets</i> spoke the same words when you prepared the ground for the <i>temple</i> of the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. Now be strong and continue to build. 


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Before that time, there was not enough money to pay for work that men or animals did. No man was safe from the enemy because I made all men angry with each other.’


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‘But now it is different. I will not be angry with the few people that have returned’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘The seeds and the plants will grow well. The trees will give fruit. There will be water from the skies. I will <i>bless</i> the few people that will return. 


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In past years, people from other countries have said bad things against you, <i>Judah</i> and Israel. But now I will help you. You will <i>bless</i> many people. Do not be afraid. Be strong.’


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The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says this: ‘When your parents and their parents made me angry, I decided to <i>punish</i> them.’ ‘I have also <i>punished</i> you’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. 


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‘Do not be afraid. I have now decided to do good things to <i>Jerusalem</i> and to the people in <i>Judah</i> again. 


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These are the things that you should do. Speak true words to each other. Leaders, be fair to all people. 


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Do not think to do bad things against other people. Do not use my name to promise things and then not do those things. All these things make me very angry.’


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‘On special days in the year you eat no food. Those days are in the 4th, 5th, 7th and 10th months. But I want you to enjoy those days’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘I want the people in <i>Judah</i> to be happy. So speak true words and live quiet lives.’


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‘The people from one city will go the people in another city. They will say, “Come with us to <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. Come and ask the <i>Lord</i> to help us.” 


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People from many strong countries will <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord Almighty</i> in <i>Jerusalem</i>. And they will ask the <i>Lord</i> to help them.’


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‘Then, 10 men from foreign countries will hold the coat of one <i>Jew</i>’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘They will say, “People have told us that the <i>Lord</i> is with you. So we want to go with you.” ’


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The <i>Lord</i> speaks against the country called Hadrach and against Damascus city. <n>The <i>Lord</i> watches all men and all the groups of people in Israel.


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The <i>Lord</i> speaks against the country called Hamath. (It is next to the country called Hadrach.) The people in Tyre and Sidon cities are very <i>wise</i>. But the <i>Lord</i> also speaks against them.


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Tyre’s people have built strong walls to keep enemies out. <n>They have swept up rich metals like dirt. <n>They have swept up gold like dirt in the streets.


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The <i>Lord</i> will take away all the things that Tyre’s people have. <n>And he will remove their ships from the sea. <n>Fire will burn every part of the city.


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The people in Ashkelon city will see it and they will be afraid. <n>The people in Gaza city will see it and they will be afraid. <n>The things that the people in Ekron city hope for will not happen. <n>The king of Gaza will die <n>and there will be no people in Ashkelon any longer.


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Foreign people will live in Ashdod city. <n>I will show the <i>Philistines</i> that they are not clever. They are not as clever as they believe.


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I will take the blood from their mouths. <n>I will take the food from their teeth, because it is bad food. <n>Those that remain will still be my people. <n>They will become leaders in <i>Judah</i>. <n>Ekron will be like a part of <i>Judah</i>, as the <i>Jebusites</i> were.


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Then I will keep my house safe against my enemies. <n>No army will ever again beat my people, <n>because I am watching them. <n>The King of <i>Zion</i> comes</n>


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Sing loudly, people in <i>Zion</i>. <n>Shout, people in <i>Jerusalem</i>. <n>Look! Your king comes to you. <n>He will save you because he does everything well. <n>But he is quiet and he is riding on a <i>donkey</i>. <n>He will ride on a young animal. Its mother is a <i>donkey</i>.


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I will take away the <i>chariots</i> from Ephraim <n>and the horses of war from <i>Jerusalem</i>. <n>The bows of war will be broken. <n>He will speak to all the countries and wars will finish. <n>He will rule from sea to sea. He will rule from the river Euphrates to the ends of the earth.


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But I made a promise to you. I made that promise true with blood. I will free your people that are in a prison, in deep dark holes without water.


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All you people who hoped to see your own country again, return to <i>Jerusalem</i>. <n>I tell you this now: I will give back to you twice as much as you have lost.


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I will use <i>Judah</i> and <i>Israel</i> to attack my enemies. <n>I will use you, men from <i>Zion</i>, to attack the men from Greece. <n>I will make you like the long metal knife of a soldier. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will appear</n>


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Then the <i>Lord</i> will appear over them. <n>His <i>arrow</i> will be like the bright light in the sky that you see during a storm. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will make a great sound. <n>He will march in the storms from the south.


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And the <i>Lord Almighty</i> will watch over them. <n>They will beat the stones that their enemies throw at them. <n>When they go to war, they will shout. <n>They will shout like men <n>who have drunk too much <i>wine</i>. <n>They will be as full of <i>joy</i> as the dish is full. <n>This is the dish filled with the blood of animals in the house of God. The <i>priest</i> pours it on the <i>altar</i>.


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On that day, the <i>Lord</i> will save them. <n>They are his people. <n>They will shine in his country <n>like beautiful stones that shine in a <i>crown</i>.


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The people will be beautiful and good. <n>The young people will become strong <n>when they eat good bread. <n>The young women will become strong <n>when they drink new <i>wine</i>.


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Ask the <i>Lord</i> for rain in spring. <n>It is the <i>Lord</i> who makes the clouds and the storms. <n>He gives the rain to men. <n>He gives the plants of the field to everyone.


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People ask <i>idols</i> for help, <n>but the <i>idols</i> do not speak true words. <n>Some people explain what a dream means. <n>But they do not speak true words. <n>The help that they give is not good. <n>So the people move from place to place like sheep. <n>They are not safe. They have no leaders.


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‘I am angry with the leaders. <n>I will cause them to be sorry. <n><i>Judah</i>’s people are mine’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘I will watch over them. <n>I will make them as strong as horses that are ready for war.


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From <i>Judah</i>’s people will come the man called the <i>Cornerstone</i>. <n>A strong leader will come from <i>Judah</i>. <n>A strong soldier will come from <i>Judah</i>. <n>Every ruler will come from <i>Judah</i>.


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Together they will be like strong soldiers <n>who march through the dirty streets of the enemy. <n>The <i>Lord</i> is with them and they will fight their enemies. <n>They will pull down the soldiers from their horses.


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I will make <i>Judah</i>’s people strong <n>and I will make <i>Israel</i>’s people free men. <n>I will bring them back to me, <n>because I am sorry for them. <n>I am their God <n>and I will answer them. <n>It will be as if I had never turned away from them.


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<i>Israel</i>’s people will become like strong men. <n>They will be as happy as men that drink <i>wine</i>. <n>Their children will see their happy fathers <n>and so the children will be happy. <n>They will sing to the <i>Lord</i>.


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I will cause my people to come to me and I will bring them all together. <n>I will buy them and I will make them free people. <n>And there will be as many people as there were before.


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I will send them to foreign countries among foreign people. <n>But, in these far countries, they will remember me. <n>They and their children will not die. <n>They will return to <i>Jerusalem</i>.


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I will bring my people back from Egypt <n>and I will bring them here together from Assyria. <n>I will bring them to Gilead and to Lebanon. <n>There will not be enough room for them all.


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And he will come to the difficult sea. <n>But it will be no trouble to him. <n>He will stop the <i>waves</i> in the sea. <n>He will make the river Nile dry. <n><i>Proud</i> Assyria will have nothing to be proud about and <n>the power of Egypt’s people will finish.’ <n>Many years ago, Moses led Israel’s people out of Egypt. The <i>Lord</i> made a dry path for them through the Red Sea. The <i>Lord</i> will make the river Nile dry as he did to the Red Sea then. 


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Cry aloud, <i>cypress tree</i>, because the <i>cedar</i> tree has fallen. <n>Enemies have cut down the tall and beautiful trees. <n>Cry aloud, <i>oak</i> trees in Bashan, <n>because they have cut down the thick forest.


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Listen to the <i>shepherds</i>. They are crying <n>because enemies have destroyed their fields. <n>Listen to the noise of the <i>lions</i> <n>because the wood along the river Jordan <n>is no longer there. <n>The <i>lions</i> are making a noise because the woods are no longer there. They lived in the woods when they were there. <n>The two <i>shepherds</i></n> <n>Zechariah will now talk about <i>shepherds</i>. But now he means the rulers who should help their people. 


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This is what the <i>Lord</i> said to me, Zechariah. ‘My people are like sheep. There will be a time when men will buy them. And then they will kill them. But feed them until that time.


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Those men who buy the sheep will kill them. Nobody will <i>punish</i> them. They will sell them. And they will say, “Thank you <i>Lord</i>, because I am a rich man.” Their own <i>shepherds</i> do not give the sheep any help.’


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The <i>Lord</i> says, ‘The people in this country were my people, but they are not my people now. I will not go on being kind to them. I myself will give them to their enemies and to foreign kings. The foreign kings will do very bad things to the country, but I will not come to help.’


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So I was a good <i>shepherd</i> to the sheep that men would soon kill. I thought specially about the weakest sheep. Then I took two sticks. And I called one stick ‘<i>Grace</i>’ and I called the other stick ‘Together’. I fed the sheep.


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In one month, I sent away three <i>shepherds</i>. They did not like me and I was not patient with them.


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I said to the sheep, ‘I will not be your <i>shepherd</i> and you will die. The sheep that do not die will eat each other.’


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I took ‘<i>Grace</i>’, which was my first stick. I broke it into two pieces. The <i>Lord</i>’s promise to his people finished.


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On the day that the <i>Lord</i>’s promise finished, the <i>oppressed</i> sheep watched me. They knew that it was the <i>Lord</i>’s message.


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I said to them, ‘You may think that I should have some money for my work. If you do think that, pay me my money. If you do not want to pay me, keep it.’ So they paid me 30 <i>silver</i> coins.


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The <i>Lord</i> said to me, ‘Throw the 30 <i>silver</i> coins to the man who makes pots in the house of the <i>Lord</i>.’ They thought that I was not worth very much! I took the 30 coins. And I threw them to the man who makes pots. He makes them for the house of the <i>Lord</i>.


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Then I broke the second stick called ‘Together’. I made the country called <i>Judah</i> separate. I made it separate from the country called <i>Israel</i>. 


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I have chosen a man to watch the sheep. He will not help the sheep that are dying. He will not look for the sheep that have gone away. He will not help the sick sheep or feed the strong sheep. He will eat the meat of the fat sheep. He will tear off their feet to get all the meat.


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Bad things will happen to the bad <i>shepherd</i> who leaves his sheep. <n>His enemy’s knife will cut his arm and his right eye. <n>His arm will become like a dry stick. And his right eye will no longer be able to see anything.’


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This is the <i>Lord</i>’s message about Israel. The <i>Lord</i> made the skies and the whole wide earth. He makes men and women.


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‘I will frighten the enemies that live round <i>Jerusalem</i>. I will frighten them so much that they will run. They will run as fast as they can from <i>Jerusalem</i> and from <i>Judah</i>.


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There will be a time when all the countries of the earth will be ready to attack <i>Jerusalem</i>. Then I will make <i>Jerusalem</i> like a heavy rock that nobody can move. All those who try to lift it will hurt themselves very badly.


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On that day’, says the <i>Lord</i>, ‘I will make every horse very afraid. I will make all the men that ride them crazy. I want to help <i>Judah</i>’s people. And so, I will not let the horses of the enemy see any longer.


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Then the leaders of <i>Judah</i> will say to themselves, “The <i>Lord Almighty</i>, their God, makes the people in <i>Jerusalem</i> strong. And they will help us.”


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On that day, I will make the leaders of <i>Judah</i> like fire in a forest. I will make them like fire among <i>wheat</i> that the farmer has cut. They will kill all the people from round <i>Jerusalem</i>, but the people in <i>Jerusalem</i> will be safe.


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The <i>Lord</i> will save the homes of the people from <i>Judah</i> first. So David’s <i>family</i> and the people who live in <i>Jerusalem</i> will not be greater than the people from <i>Judah</i>.


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On that day, the <i>Lord</i> will save the people who live in <i>Jerusalem</i>. Even sick people will be as strong as King David was. The <i>family</i> of David will lead the people from <i>Jerusalem</i> like the <n>angel of the Lord</i>. God himself will go before them. <n>King David was the greatest king of Israel. 


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On that day, I will destroy all the countries that fight against <i>Israel</i>. <n>They will weep for the man that they killed</n>


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I will cause the <i>family</i> of David and the people in <i>Jerusalem</i> to think seriously about me. Then they will know that I am kind to them. And they will want to pray to me. They will look at me whom they pierced (made holes in). They will weep about him as those that weep after the death of their only son. They will cry aloud as if their only son was dead.


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On that day, people will weep loudly in <i>Jerusalem</i>. It will be like when they were weeping about Hadadrimmon in the fields of Megiddo. <n>Some Bible students think that this means 2 Chronicles 35:20-25. Some students think that it means Judges 20:30-21:3. 


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All the people will weep. Each <i>family</i> will weep by itself. The <i>family</i> of King David will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves. The <i>family</i> of Nathan will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves.


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The <i>family</i> of Levi will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves. The <i>family</i> of Shimei will weep by itself. And their wives will weep by themselves.


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And all the families that have not died will weep by themselves. And their wives will weep by themselves.’


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‘On that day, something will be like water that comes up from the ground. And it will clean away the <i>sin</i> from the <i>family</i> of David. It will clean away the <i>sin</i> from the people in <i>Jerusalem</i>.


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On that day, I will remove the names of false gods from the country’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘Everyone will forget them. I will remove all the false <i>prophets</i>. And I will remove the bad <i>spirit</i> that is not <i>holy</i>.


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And if anyone appears as a <i>prophet</i> again, his father and his mother will say to him, “You must die. You do not speak true words. The <i>Lord</i> has not spoken to you.” Then they will kill him.


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On that day, every <i>prophet</i> will be ashamed that he was ever a <i>prophet</i>. He will not put on the clothes of a <i>prophet</i> that they make from hair. Then people will not know that he is a <i>prophet</i>.


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He will say, “I am not a <i>prophet</i>. I am a farmer. From the time that I was a boy, I have worked on the land.”


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If someone asks him, “Who cut your body?” he will answer, “My friends cut me when I was at their house.” ’ <n>Kill the <i>shepherd</i> and the sheep will run away</n>


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‘Attack my <i>shepherd</i> with a sharp knife. <n>Attack the man that is next to me’, <n>says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>‘Kill the <i>shepherd</i> and then the sheep will run away. <n>Then I will attack the young sheep.


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In the whole country’, says the <i>Lord</i>, <n>‘two thirds of the people will die. <n>But one third will still be living there.


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I will bring these people through fire. <n>As men clean <i>silver</i> in the fire, so I will clean them. <n>As men <i>test</i> gold in the fire, so I will <i>test</i> them. <n>They will speak my name and I will answer them. <n>I will say, “They are my people.” <n>They will say, “The <i>Lord</i> is our God.” ’


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There will be a day when your enemies will take away everything. They will take away everything that is yours. They will each have some of your things.


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I will bring soldiers from all countries to fight against <i>Jerusalem</i>. They will go into the city and they will rob the houses. They will have sex with the women. They will lead away half the people to other countries. They will let the other half stay in <i>Jerusalem</i>.


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Then the <i>Lord</i> will go out. And he will fight against the people from those countries as in past years.


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On that day, the <i>Lord</i>’s feet will stand on the mountain of <i>Olives</i>. This mountain is east of <i>Jerusalem</i>. It will break in two from east to west and it will make a wide valley. Half of the mountain will move north and half of the mountain will move south.


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In the time of Uzziah, king of <i>Judah</i>, you ran away when the earth moved. You will do this again. Then the <i>Lord</i> will come. And all those who are <i>holy</i> will come with him. <n>We are not sure about ‘those who are <i>holy</i>’. Some students think that these are people. And some students think that they are <i>angels</i>. 


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It will be a day like no other day. There will be no night. When it is evening, there will still be light. Only the <i>Lord</i> himself will know that day.


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On that day, water will come out from <i>Jerusalem</i>. Half of this water will go towards the sea in the east. Half of this water will go towards the sea in the west. This will go on during summer and winter.


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The <i>Lord</i> will be king over the whole earth. On that day, there will be only one <i>Lord</i> and he will have only one name.


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All the land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of <i>Jerusalem</i>, will become flat. But <i>Jerusalem</i> will rise and it will be high in its place. The city will be from the Gate of Benjamin to the Corner Gate and to the High Building of Hananel. The place where the servants of the king make his <i>wine</i> will be in it too.


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<i>Jerusalem</i> will be safe. People will live there. Nobody will destroy <i>Jerusalem</i> ever again.


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The <i>Lord</i> will make the people sick that fought against <i>Jerusalem</i>. Their bodies will become bad as they stand on their feet. Their eyes will become bad and they will fall out. And their <i>tongues</i> will become bad in their mouths.


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<i>Judah</i> also will go to <i>Jerusalem</i> and they will fight. They will take every good thing from all the countries. There will be a lot of expensive metals and many rich clothes.


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Some of the soldiers from the countries that attacked <i>Jerusalem</i> will not die. They will go to <i>Jerusalem</i> year after year to <i>worship</i> the King, the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. They will <i>worship</i> him at the <i>Feast of Tabernacles</i>. <n>During the Feast of Tabernacles, the <i>Jews</i> remember that the <i>Lord</i> was kind to his people. The <i>Lord</i> was kind to his people when they left Egypt many years ago. 


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All the people on the earth will have to go to <i>Jerusalem</i> to <i>worship</i> the King, the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. If any people on the earth do not go, they will have no rain.


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If the people from Egypt do not go to <i>Jerusalem</i> to <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i>, they will have no rain. And the <i>Lord</i> will make them sick. If the people from other countries will not go to <i>Jerusalem</i>, the <i>Lord</i> will make them sick. They will die.


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This will happen to the people from Egypt. This will happen to the people from all the countries that do not go up to <i>Jerusalem</i> at that time.


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On that day, men will write the words, ‘This is for the <i>Lord</i>’ on the bells of the horses. The pots that anyone uses to cook with in the house of the <i>Lord</i> will be special. They will be as special as the dishes in front of the <i>altar</i>.


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Every pot in <i>Jerusalem</i> and <i>Judah</i> will be for the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. All the people who come to offer animals to the <i>Lord</i> will cook in those pots. On that day, nobody who sells things will come into the house of the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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This is the message that God told to Malachi. Malachi knew that he must tell the <i>Israelites</i> this message.


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‘I have loved you’, says the <i>Lord</i>. ‘But you ask, “How have you loved us?” ’ <n>God says that he loves all <i>Israelites</i>. They are his special people. <n>‘Esau was <i>Jacob</i>’s brother’, the <i>Lord</i> says. ‘I have loved <i>Jacob</i> and all his <i>descendants</i>.


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But I have not loved Esau and his <i>descendants</i>. <n>Esau is like my enemy and I have caused trouble for him. Esau’s mountains are now empty. Nobody uses the land any longer. There are only <i>jackals</i> there now. They have the things that Esau used there.’ <n>Esau and <i>Jacob</i> were brothers who were born at the same time. Esau came out of his mother’s body first. So he should have received God’s special <i>blessing</i>. But Esau sold this special <i>blessing</i> to <i>Jacob</i>. 


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Edom may say, ‘Our enemies have beaten us. They have knocked our houses down. But we will build them again.’ But the <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, ‘They may build. But I will knock everything down. People will call Edom the Very Bad Country. They will say that the people in Edom always have trouble from God. He is very angry with them. 


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You will see it with your own eyes. You will say, “Great is the <i>Lord</i>, even beyond <i>Israel</i>’s borders.” ’ <n>Edom (or the Edomites) is the name of a group of people. They were Esau’s <i>descendants</i>. They lived in the mountains. Then powerful enemies fought them. The Edomites had to leave their homes. Nobody lived there any longer. 


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‘A son <i>respects</i> his father. A servant <i>respects</i> his master. If I am like a father, show <i>respect</i> for me as a father. If I am like a master, <i>respect</i> me as a master’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘You are <i>priests</i>. But you show that you <i>scorn</i> my name. But you ask, “How have we shown that we have <i>scorned</i> your name?”


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You put food that is not clean on my <i>altar</i>. <n>But you ask, “How have we made you not clean?” You have said that the <i>Lord</i>’s table is not important.’ <n>When an <i>Israelite</i> spoke about God’s name, he was speaking about God himself. So to <i>scorn</i> the name of God was to show no <i>respect</i> for God. <n>The <i>Israelites</i> gave gifts to God. They gave something when they wanted to thank God. They knew that they sometimes did wrong things. So, they also gave something to say sorry to God. They brought their gifts to the <i>priests</i>. The <i>priests</i> also offered their own gifts to God. But the food was not clean. That is, it was not really good food. Also, the minds of those who were giving the food were not always clean. That is, they may not have had right thoughts when they gave their gifts to God. 


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‘You bring for <i>sacrifice</i> animals that cannot see. That is not right. You <i>sacrifice</i> animals that cannot walk. That is a wrong thing to do. You <i>sacrifice</i> animals that have an illness. And that is a wrong thing to do, too. Offer these to your ruler. And see what will happen. He will surely not accept you. He will not be happy with you’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘Ask God to be kind to us. Explain to him that this is really important to you. Tell him often about this. But your <i>offerings</i> are not clean. So they will not change how God thinks. He will not accept you’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘It would be better if one of you shut the <i>temple</i> doors! Then you would not light fires that have no value on my <i>altar</i>. I am not happy with you’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘I will not accept any gift from your hands. 


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My name will be great in the whole world, in every country. From the East to the West, people will <i>respect</i> my name. So, in every place, people will bring <i>incense</i> to me. They will give clean <i>offerings</i> to me’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘But you are saying that the <i>Lord</i>’s table is not clean. So you are <i>scorning</i> my name. You say that the food on it has little value. 


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And you say, “The duty that we must do is like a heavy weight on us. We do not want to do this.” You think that you are too important to do it’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>‘I will not accept ill animals from you as <i>sacrifices</i>. I will not accept hurt animals or animals that cannot walk’, says the <i>Lord</i>. 


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‘Someone may have a good male as one of his animals. He may promise to give it to God. He says to God, “I will give it.” But he may then <i>sacrifice</i> an animal that is not clean. So God will <i>curse</i> him. That is because I am a great king’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘Everyone on earth will know that my name is very serious. They will <i>respect</i> it.’


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If you do not listen’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>, ‘I will <i>curse</i> you. If you do not decide to <i>respect</i> my name, I will <i>curse</i> your <i>blessings</i>. You have not yet decided to <i>respect</i> my name. So I have already <i>cursed</i> your <i>blessings</i>.’ <n>The <i>blessings</i> here may mean the gifts that the people gave to the <i>priests</i>. They may also mean the words, ‘I pray that God will <i>bless</i> you.’ The <i>priests</i> said those words to the people when the <i>priests</i> prayed. Already God had started to <i>curse</i> the <i>priests</i>’ <i>blessings</i>. This was a very serious thing. Perhaps they could not change things now. 


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‘I will tell your <i>descendants</i> that they have done wrong things. This is because you have done wrong things. I will tell them that I am not happy with them. I will tell them that they must not do wrong things again. I will cover your faces with the <i>offal</i> from your <i>festival sacrifices</i>. Someone will carry you away with it.’ <n>After someone had given an animal, a <i>priest</i> killed it. And he cut out the <i>offal</i>. He then took the <i>offal</i> outside God’s house and he burnt it. Then he had to clean himself so that God would accept him. He could then go into God’s house again. <n>Some <i>priests</i> gave animals that were not clean. God was not happy with those <i>priests</i>. The <i>priests</i> took the <i>offal</i> outside. In the same way, God would send them away from him. Everyone would see by their faces that they had done wrong things. God does not say here, ‘The <i>priests</i> can wash. They can come back to me.’ He would remember that they had done wrong things. Even after they died, he would remember that. God would think of their <i>descendants</i> as the people who had done wrong things. So the <i>descendants</i> would have a difficult time. 


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‘I have told you that you must be careful. This is so that my promises with Levi can continue’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>God wanted the people to stop doing wrong things. That is why God spoke about all these bad things. <n>Levi was one of <i>Jacob</i>’s sons. From him, God chose the first <i>priest</i>. God promised <i>blessings</i> to the <i>priest</i> if he agreed to obey God. Then the good life that he had with God would continue. 


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‘I promised to Levi a good life and many <i>blessings</i>. He received what I promised him. So, he did what I asked him to do. He <i>worshipped</i> me, and he <i>respected</i> me. He knew that my name is very great. He was afraid of me. So, he was careful when he was with me. 


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He taught what was right. He told people only facts. He often talked to me. And he enjoyed the times when he was with me. He did what was right. And we agreed about how he should live. He caused many people to stop doing wrong things.


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<i>Priests</i> are men that the <i>Lord Almighty</i> has chosen. They must speak his messages for him. The <i>priests</i> should tell people what they know about God. They should tell people about what God has asked them all to do. If they did that, everyone would remember these important facts. People should ask the <i>priests</i> what they need to know. 


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People who love me want to do certain things. But you have stopped doing those things. What you teach causes many people to make mistakes. What I agreed with Levi does not happen any longer’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>The <i>priests</i> were those who loved God. So, they usually lived a good life. But now they were not living a good life. This meant that the <i>priests</i> also taught in a wrong way. People could see that they were doing wrong things. And when people listened to them, the <i>priests</i> told the people some false things. So, the people started to do wrong things in their lives. 


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‘So people have <i>scorned</i> you. They have then shown other people what you have done. Everyone now thinks that you are fools. I have caused this to happen. You have not done what I asked you to do. In your jobs as <i>priests</i> you have not used the same rules for everyone.’ <n>The <i>priests</i> tried to show to other people that they, the priests, were good. But that was not what they were really like. They did not do everything that God wanted them to do. They only did the things that they wanted to do. They may have been nicer to rich people than they were to poor people. 


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We all have one Father. One God made us from nothing. We have agreed to do things for each other. But we do not do them. So we <i>scorn</i> what God agreed with our fathers. We ought not to do this. <n>Malachi was talking to the <i>Israelites</i>. By ‘fathers’, he means the men who lived a long time ago. All <i>Israelites</i> are their <i>descendants</i>. He was talking about Abraham, Isaac and <i>Jacob</i>. Abraham was <i>Jacob</i>’s grandfather. Isaac was <i>Jacob</i>’s father. 


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Judah’s people no longer do the things that God teaches. A very bad thing has happened in <i>Israel</i> and in Jerusalem. God certainly does not like it. Judah’s people have married women who <i>worship</i> a foreign god. Then they meet with God in a place that he loves. And so they have made that place dirty. 


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I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will send all people like that away from the <i>Israelites</i> and from that place. And I do not want them to come back into this group of people. I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will not let them. Even send away someone like that who is bringing gifts to the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>People were making another mistake. Men were marrying wives from families that <i>worshipped</i> other gods. This would cause a problem. Sometimes the man or wife would not be free to do what he or she wanted. Maybe they would both <i>worship</i> a false god together. Then they would come to <i>worship</i> God. So, the place where people came to find God would not be clean. That is, it would be no better than any other place. This is because these two people had done something wrong. <n><i>Israel</i> is the country where the <i>Israelites</i> lived. Judah was one of <i>Jacob</i>’s sons. Judah was also a part of the country called <i>Israel</i>. Jerusalem was the capital city of Judah. Malachi wanted the people to remember the promises of a long time ago. That is why he used these places and these names. 


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Also, you cry. You cry so much that the water covers the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>altar</i>! The <i>Lord</i> no longer looks at your gifts. He does not accept them with pleasure from your hands. So, you weep and you shout out in pain. 


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You ask ‘Why?’ The <i>Lord</i> was there when you were a young man. He was there when you agreed to marry your wife. He heard what you said. You promised to be with her until the end of your life. He sees that you no longer live together as man and wife. That is why the <i>Lord</i> no longer accepts your gifts.


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The <i>Lord</i> has made a man and his wife to be as one person. He has made them with a body and a <i>spirit</i> and they are his. Why should a man and his wife be as one person? It is because the <i>Lord</i> wants their children to be good. And he wants them to <i>respect</i> him. So, think carefully about your <i>spirit</i>. Do not forget the promise that you said to your wife. Do not leave her. <n>Men and women have a body and they have a <i>spirit</i>. When a man marries, the man’s <i>spirit</i> and his wife’s <i>spirit</i> come together. God thinks of them as one person. He wants them always to stay together. If they do stay together, their children will feel safe. The children will know that their parents love them. They will be strong and happy. The children will then be good and they will love God. 


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Sometimes a man and his wife completely leave each other. They decide this with a <i>judge</i> and with other people there. ‘I strongly do not like it when a man and his wife decide never to live together again’, says the <i>Lord</i> God of <i>Israel</i>. ‘If a man leaves his wife like this, the result will be very bad for her. He has done a cruel thing to her. I strongly do not like that’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘So watch over your <i>spirit</i> and do not forget your promise.’


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The <i>Lord</i> is tired from your words. ‘Why is he tired? How have we caused that?’ you ask. He is tired because of the things that you have said. You say, ‘The <i>Lord</i> sees all who do very bad things. He thinks that they are good. He is happy with them.’ Or you say, ‘The God who is a fair <i>judge</i> is not doing anything here.’


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‘See, I will send someone with my message. He will prepare the way before me. And so the <i>Lord</i> that you are looking for will return to his <i>temple</i>. He will come quickly. And you do not know when he will come. It is he that you want so much. The man who brings the message about the promise will come’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>.


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‘But nobody will be able to stand when the <i>Lord</i> appears. It will be impossible for anyone to remain the same on the day that he comes. That is because he will be like a <i>refiner</i>’s fire. He will be like the soap that people use to make cloths white.’ <n>The purpose of the <i>refiner</i> is not to destroy but to make the metal clean. So on this difficult day the <i>Lord</i> will remove from people all that is not good. He will clean what he does not remove. 


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‘He will sit as a <i>refiner</i> of <i>silver</i>. The <i>refiner</i> works until the <i>silver</i> shines. He will make the <i>priests</i> clean as a <i>refiner</i> works with gold and <i>silver</i>. Then the <i>Lord</i> will have <i>righteous</i> people who will bring proper <i>offerings</i>. 


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The <i>Lord</i> will accept all the gifts of Judah and Jerusalem that people give in a right way. It will be as it was earlier. It will be as it was a long time ago.’


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The <i>Lord Almighty</i> says, ‘So I will come near to you as your <i>judge</i>. And I will decide how to <i>punish</i> those who have done wrong things. I will immediately speak against <i>magicians</i>, <i>adulterers</i> and <i>perjurers</i>. I will speak against those who do not pay their workers. <n>Some women’s husbands have died. I will speak against anyone who does cruel things to these wives and to their children. And some of you are deciding things about foreign people in ways that are not fair. <n>All these people are doing wrong things. They do not think that I am being serious. They are not afraid of me and they do not <i>respect</i> me.’ <n>The <i>refiner</i>’s fire destroys everything that he does not want. So, God will kill those in the group of people who have nothing good in them. 


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‘I am the <i>Lord</i> and I do not change. So I have not killed you who are <i>descendants</i> of <i>Jacob</i>. 


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I have told you what I want you to do. But you do not listen to me any longer. You have not obeyed me. All <i>Jacob</i>’s <i>descendants</i> have done the same. Return to me and I will return to you’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘But you ask, “How do we return?” 


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A man should not rob God. But you rob me. But you ask, “How do we rob you?” You rob <i>tithes</i> and <i>offerings</i> from me. 


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You, and everyone who is an <i>Israelite</i>, are robbing me. So you are all receiving the results of a <i>curse</i>. 


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Give me all that is mine. Store it so that there will be food in my house. Do this. And find out what I will do’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘You will receive so much <i>blessing</i> that you will not have enough room for it. It will be like rain that I pour out of the sky. It will be like rain that covers the ground with a lot of water. 


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I will not let insects eat your <i>crops</i>. The <i>grapes</i> will not fall from the <i>vines</i> before they are ready to eat. 


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You will enjoy your land’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘So all the people on earth will say that God has <i>blessed</i> you.’ <n>The house that the writer is talking about here is the <i>temple</i>. The <i>temple</i> is where the <i>Israelites worshipped</i>. The <i>Israelites</i> had to give something to keep it beautiful. They also had to give something to the <i>priests</i>, because the <i>priests</i> worked there. They gave a <i>tithe</i> from what a person paid them for their work. They could give more if they wanted to. These gifts were the <i>offerings</i>. 


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‘You have said cruel words against me’, says the <i>Lord</i>. ‘But you ask, “What have we said about you?” 


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You have said, “We work for God. But nothing good happens because of this. We do what he asks us to do. We are sorry when we do wrong things. And we show him that we are sorry. There are no good results from this.


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Some people think that they are better than other people. We now think that those people have <i>blessings</i> from God. Surely, those who do wrong things enjoy a good life. Even those who fight against God do not have trouble.” ’


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Then those people who <i>respected</i> the <i>Lord</i> talked to each other. The <i>Lord</i> listened and he heard. Someone, who was with God, wrote on a <i>scroll</i>. God watched while this person wrote. He wrote about all the people who <i>worshipped</i> God. These are the people who <i>respected</i> God’s name. Now everyone would remember these people.


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‘These people will be mine’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. ‘One day I will bring together all my own people. They are worth a lot to me and I really want them. A man is <i>merciful</i> to his son who works for him. I will be <i>merciful</i> to my people like that. 


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Then you will again see how the good people are different from the very bad people. Also, some people are God’s servants and some people are not God’s servants. And you will again see that difference too.’


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‘This future day is a fact. It will burn like a great fire. It will be like a fire that a man uses to burn <i>stubble</i>. When this happens, no branch or any part of a plant will be there any longer. The people who have done very bad things are like that <i>stubble</i>. No bad person will be there any longer. Some people think that they are better than other people. All the people who are like that will burn in the heat.’ That is what the <i>Lord Almighty</i> says. <n>This fire will destroy everything. It is a like a picture to show what will happen. One day God will kill all the very bad people. 


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‘But for you who <i>respect</i> my name it will be different. The “Sun of <i>Righteousness</i>” will rise to make you well. You will go out and you will jump up and down. You will be like baby cows when someone lets them go out of their <i>stalls</i>. 


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Then you will put your feet down in a heavy way and you will walk on the bad people. They will be like ashes under your feet. All this will happen on the day that I do these things’, says the <i>Lord Almighty</i>. <n>As the sun will rise on that day, so the Son of God (Jesus) will appear. He is <i>righteous</i>. The sun can burn with a strong heat and it can cause a fire. But the sun can also make people’s bodies well. So, Jesus will come to do this. Those people that <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i> will become completely well. Their <i>spirits</i> will be well and their bodies will be well too. They will have no troubles from anyone or from anything that is bad. They will be very, very happy. 


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‘Remember everything that my servant Moses told you. Do not forget the rules that I gave to him at Sinai. They were for all the <i>Israelites</i> and you must still obey them.’ <n>Moses was a man that God spoke to many years ago. Moses was on a mountain called Sinai. God told him about all the things that the <i>Israelites</i> must do. That was the first time that God had said those things. 


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‘See. I will send you a man called Elijah. He will speak God’s message. He will come before that great and frightening day of the <i>Lord</i>. 


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He will cause fathers and their children to be friendly again. If not, I will come in a hurry and I will <i>curse</i> the land.’ <n>Many years after Moses, there lived a man called Elijah. Elijah spoke God’s message to the people. God promises that another ‘Elijah’ will come before the day of the <i>Lord</i>. About 460 years after Malachi wrote his book, John the <i>Baptist</i> was born. People thought that he was like Elijah. John told us about Jesus. Soon after that, Jesus came to the earth. Then Jesus told us more about the day when he will come the second time.


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These are the names of people in the family of Jesus Christ. Jesus was in the family of King David. David was in the family of Abraham. <n>Jesus was a <i>Jew</i>. Abraham was the <i>ancestor</i> of all the <i>Jews</i>. The <i>Jews</i> are also called <i>Israel</i>, and they called their country <i>Israel</i>. We can read about Abraham in the book called Genesis 12-25. We can read about King David in the books called 1 Samuel (chapters 16-31) and 2 Samuel. 


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Abraham was the father of Isaac. <n>Isaac was the father of Jacob. <n>Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.


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Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah. Their mother was called Tamar. <n>Perez was the father of Hezron. <n>Hezron was the father of Ram.


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Ram was the father of Amminadab. <n>Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. <n>Nahshon was the father of Salmon.


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Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was called Rahab). <n>Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was called Ruth). <n>Obed was the father of Jesse.


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Jesse was the father of King David. <n>David was Solomon’s father. Solomon’s mother was the wife of Uriah.


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Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. <n>Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. <n>Abijah was the father of Asa.


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Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. <n>Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. <n>Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.


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Uzziah was the father of Jotham. <n>Jotham was the father of Ahaz. <n>Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.


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Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. <n>Manasseh was the father of Amon. <n>Amon was the father of Josiah. <n>Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers.


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Here is a list of the people who lived after that time: <n>Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. <n>Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.


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Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. <n>Abiud was the father of Eliakim. <n>Eliakim was the father of Azor.


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Eliud was the father of Eleazar. <n>Eleazar was the father of Matthan. <n>Matthan was the father of Jacob.


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Jacob was the father of Joseph. <n>Joseph married Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the special person that God sent to save his people.


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So then, there were 14 generations from Abraham to David. There were 14 generations from David to the time the <i>Jews</i> went to Babylon. There were 14 generations from then until Jesus was born. <n>A generation was a single step down from one <i>ancestor</i> to the next. They usually counted from a father to his oldest son. The names of all their <i>ancestors</i> were very important to the <i>Jews</i>. Everybody knew the names of the people in their family. Then they knew that they were <i>Jews</i>. The list shows that Jesus was in the same family as Abraham, Judah, Joshua and David. They were his <i>ancestors</i>. Matthew records Jesus’ <i>ancestors</i> until Joseph. Jesus was Mary’s son, but he was not Joseph’s son. Matthew explains this in the next few verses. But, when Joseph married Mary, he became the father of Jesus by the <i>law</i>. <n>Jesus is born</n>


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Now this is how Jesus Christ was born. His mother’s name was Mary. She had promised to marry a man called Joseph. Then she discovered that a baby was growing inside her. This happened before she married Joseph. The powerful <i>Holy Spirit</i> had caused this to happen to her. 


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Joseph always wanted to do what was right. He did not want everyone to know about Mary’s baby. He did not want her to be ashamed. So he had a plan to stop the marriage secretly. <n>Joseph thought that Mary had had sex with another man. When two <i>Jewish</i> people promised to marry, it was not easy to stop the marriage. Joseph could have told people in a public place that Mary had done something wrong. This would stop the marriage. The <i>law</i> said that they should then kill Mary. Another way was to tell only two people. Joseph wanted to choose the second way. 


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Joseph thought about what to do. Then an <i>angel</i> came from God to see him. While he was dreaming, the <i>angel</i> said, ‘Joseph, you who are from the family of King David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby that is growing inside her is from God’s <i>Holy Spirit</i>. 


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Mary’s baby will be a boy. He will save his people from the wrong things that they have done. Because of this, you must name him Jesus.’ <n>Jesus saves people from God’s <i>punishment</i> for the wrong things that they have done. He also helps people to be better people. 


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Many years before, God had spoken to one of his <i>prophets</i> about this. Now God’s words would soon become true. The <i>prophet</i> called Isaiah had said, 


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‘There will be a young woman who has never had sex. A baby boy will grow inside her. People will call him Immanuel [Isaiah 7:4] . This name means “God is with us”.’


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Then Joseph woke up from his sleep. He did what God’s <i>angel</i> had asked him to do. He married Mary. 


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Joseph did not have sex with Mary before the baby boy was born. Joseph said that the baby should be called Jesus.


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Jesus was born in the town called Bethlehem in Judea. At that time, King Herod ruled Judea. Soon after Jesus was born, some clever men came from the east to Jerusalem. <n>This Herod was called Herod the Great. He was king in Judea during the years from 37 BC to 4 BC. (BC means Before Christ.) Judea was a part of the country called <i>Israel</i>. 


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The men arrived in Jerusalem and they asked people, ‘Where is the baby who was born a short time ago as the King of the <i>Jews</i>? We ask because we saw a special star. This star rose in the east. We knew about the baby king when we saw this star. We want to bend our knees in front of him. We want to tell him how great and important he is.’


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Herod heard what the men were saying. And he became <i>anxious</i>. Many people in Jerusalem were also <i>anxious</i>. 


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Then Herod asked all the leaders of the <i>priests</i> and the teachers of the <i>Law</i> to meet with him. He asked them, ‘God promised to send a special person. Where will that special person be born?’ 


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Then the leaders of the <i>priests</i> and the teachers of the <i>Law</i> replied, ‘The special person will be born in Bethlehem in Judea. This is what the <i>prophet</i> wrote about Bethlehem.


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“God said: <n>People in Bethlehem, <n>your town is one of the most important towns in Judea. <n>A person born in your town will rule my people <i>Israel</i>. He will guide my people.” ’ [Micah 5:2] 


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Herod listened to all these things. So he asked the visitors to meet with him by himself. Herod asked them some questions. And he discovered the time that the star had appeared. 


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Then Herod sent the men to Bethlehem. ‘Go and look everywhere for this child’, he said. ‘And when you find him, come back here. Then you can tell me where he is. After that, I can also bend my knees in front of him. I can tell him how great and important he is.’


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After the men had heard the king, they continued their journey. While they were travelling, the same star appeared again. 


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The star moved along in front of them. Then it stopped above the place where the child was staying. The men were very happy when they saw the star. 


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They went into the house and they saw the child. He was with Mary, his mother. They went down on their knees in front of the child. They said to him, ‘You are very great and important.’ Then they opened their bags. They took out valuable gifts and they gave them to the child. The gifts were gold, incense called frankincense and myrrh. 


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God said to them in a dream, ‘Do not go back to see Herod.’ So the men returned to their own country by a different road. <n>Gold is a very valuable metal. People would give gold to a king. Incense makes a sweet smell when it burns. Myrrh was an expensive medicine. <n>Mary, Joseph and Jesus go to Egypt</n>


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That night, after the men had gone away, Joseph had a dream. He saw one of God’s <i>angels</i> who said to him, ‘Herod will be looking for the child, so that his soldiers can kill him. You must get up and take the child and his mother with you. Go immediately to the country called Egypt. You will all be safe there. I will tell you when you can leave. You must remain there until then.’


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So Joseph got up and he took the child and the child’s mother with him. They started on the journey to Egypt that same night. 


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They all remained in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to cause the words of the <i>prophet</i> to become true. God had said by the <i>prophet</i>, ‘I have brought my son out of Egypt.’ [Hosea 11:1] <n>Herod’s soldiers kill the baby boys in Bethlehem</n>


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Then Herod understood that his visitors from the east would not return to him. He was very angry. He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem. He said to them, ‘Kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem. Kill those boys also who live near there. Kill all those who are not more than 2 years old.’ The visitors had told Herod that they had first seen the star 2 years ago. So he chose to kill the baby boys of that age. 


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He had said, <n>‘People heard a noise in the town called Ramah. <n>They heard someone weeping with a loud voice. <n>It is Rachel and she is crying for her children. <n>Her children are dead, <n>So nobody can help her to feel better.’ [Jeremiah 31:15] <n>Joseph, Mary and Jesus return to <i>Israel</i> from Egypt</n>


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‘Get up’, said the <i>angel</i>. ‘The people who wanted to kill the child are dead. Take the child and his mother. You can return with them to <i>Israel</i>.’


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But then, Joseph heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, was now king of Judea. So Joseph was afraid to go to Judea. Joseph had another dream. An <i>angel</i> explained to him what to do. ‘Go to Galilee instead’, he said. 


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Joseph made his home in a town called Nazareth. So what the <i>prophets</i> had said became true. ‘He will be called a person from Nazareth.’


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Some years later, a man called John the <i>Baptist</i> went to the <i>desert</i> in Judea. He began to tell people a message from God.


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John said, ‘Stop doing wrong things. Say sorry to God and obey him. You must do this because the <i>Kingdom</i> of heaven is coming soon.’ <n>A <i>kingdom</i> is the place where a king rules. The <i>Kingdom</i> of God is where God rules. Matthew used <i>Kingdom</i> of heaven in his book. Heaven is God’s home. The <i>Jews</i> did not speak God’s name because he is so much greater than everyone else. 


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John the <i>Baptist</i> is the man that the <i>prophet</i> Isaiah spoke about. Isaiah said, <n>‘You will hear someone shouting in the <i>desert</i> these words: <n>“The <i>Lord</i> is coming, so prepare a road for him to travel on. <n>Make the path straight.” ’ [Isaiah 40:3] <n>Isaiah was telling people about a man called John. John told the people to get ready for King Jesus to come. People mend roads before a king travels along them. Isaiah is using this as a picture. It helped the people to understand how to prepare themselves for Jesus. 


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Now John always wore a coat that he had made out of hair from a camel. He also wore a leather belt. His usual food was large insects and honey from the <i>desert</i>. <n>Judea was part of <i>Israel</i>. A camel is a large animal that lives in the <i>desert</i>. It can carry heavy things on its back like a horse. The insects that John ate were called locusts. An insect called a bee makes honey. It is sweet like sugar. 


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Many of the people went to listen to John. They lived in Jerusalem and Judea and all the other places near the river Jordan. 


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The people told God about all the wrong things that they had done. Then John <i>baptised</i> the people in the river Jordan. <n>John <i>baptised</i> people who wanted to stop doing wrong things. These people told God that they were sorry. They were sorry about the wrong things that they had done. God then <i>forgave</i> them. 


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Many <i>Pharisees</i> and <i>Sadducees</i> came to John. They wanted John to <i>baptise</i> them. He said to them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes. You are trying to run away from God because he is angry with you. He will soon <i>punish</i> people who do wrong things. 


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Do not say to yourselves, “We are in the family of Abraham. So God will not <i>punish</i> us.” Listen! God can make children for Abraham out of these stones! 


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You are like trees. God has an axe ready at the lowest part of the trees. He will cut down every tree that does not make good fruit. He will throw these trees into the fire.’ <n>The <i>Pharisees</i> were a group of <i>Jews</i>. They thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. <i>Sadducees</i> were an important group of <i>Jewish</i> leaders at the time of Jesus. 


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‘I <i>baptise</i> you with water. This shows God that you are sorry. You are sorry about the wrong things that you have done. It shows him that you now want to obey his rules. But a person is coming soon. He is more important than I am. I am not at all good like he is. I am no good even to carry his shoes for him. He will <i>baptise</i> you with the <i>Holy Spirit</i> and he will <i>baptise</i> you with fire. 


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He is like a farmer with a special tool in his hand. A farmer throws the <i>wheat</i> up in the air with this tool. He does this to remove the dry hard part that is outside of the seed. He cannot use this hard part for anything, so he burns it in a fire. Nobody can put out this fire. But he will put the seeds in a building to keep them safe.’ <n>Jesus is the important person who is coming. John is using a story to teach the people about the work that Jesus will do. <n>John <i>baptises</i> Jesus</n>


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But John did not want to <i>baptise</i> Jesus. He said to Jesus, ‘I should come to you instead, and then you can <i>baptise</i> me. But you are asking me to <i>baptise</i> you.’


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Jesus replied, ‘This time, do what I ask you. God wants you to <i>baptise</i> me. And we must do everything that is proper.’ So John did what Jesus asked him to do.


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When John <i>baptised</i> him, Jesus came up out of the water. Then God opened the sky and Jesus saw God’s Spirit coming down. He came down like a bird, which sat on Jesus. 


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God’s Spirit led Jesus into the <i>desert</i>. Here the <i>devil</i> tried to cause Jesus to do wrong things. <n>The <i>devil</i> is a bad <i>angel</i>. He was once a good <i>angel</i> but he refused to obey God. Now he is the leader of all the bad <i>spirits</i>. He is also called <i>Satan</i>. He tries to cause people to do wrong things. Jesus was alone when the <i>devil</i> came to him. He told his friends about it later. 


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Then the <i>devil</i> came to Jesus and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, you can talk to these stones. Tell the stones that they must become bread.’


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But Jesus answered the <i>devil</i>, ‘Moses wrote this in God’s book. “People need more than bread to really live. They need to hear every word that God speaks. Then they can really live.” ’ [Deuteronomy 8:3] <n>Jesus was very hungry. The <i>devil</i> knew that Jesus could make stones become bread. He also knew that Jesus was God’s Son. God had not told Jesus to make bread, so he did not obey the <i>devil</i>. Jesus used God’s word from Deuteronomy 8:3 to answer the <i>devil</i>. 


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Then the <i>devil</i> led Jesus to Jerusalem. He took Jesus to stand on the highest point of God’s Great House. 


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He said to Jesus, ‘If you are God’s Son, jump down from here to the ground. Someone wrote in God’s book, <n>“God will ask his <i>angels</i> to take <n>care</i> of you. <n>They will hold you in their hands while you fall. And so you will be safe. <n>They will not even let you hurt your feet on a stone”.’ <n>[Psalm 91:11-12] <n>The <i>devil</i> was using the words from God’s book. But the <i>devil</i> was using the words in the wrong way. 


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Jesus answered the <i>devil</i>, ‘Moses also wrote in God’s book. “You must not do something dangerous to see if God will save you”.’ [Deuteronomy 6:16] <n>Jesus was remembering God’s words in Deuteronomy. Jesus was standing on the highest part of God’s Great House. This place was 600 metres above the ground. God had not told Jesus to jump down. We must not do dangerous things if we do not need to. We must obey God. Then he will take <n>care</i> of us. 


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Then the <i>devil</i> led Jesus up a very high mountain. He showed Jesus all the countries in the whole world. They were all very great and beautiful. 


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‘I will give you everything that you can see’, said the <i>devil</i>. ‘Go down on your knees in front of me. Say that I am great and important and beautiful. And I will give it all to you.’


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Jesus then said to him, ‘Go away. Moses also wrote this in God’s book. “We must only go down on our knees in front of God. We must only tell him, ‘You are great and important’. We must obey him first”.’ [Deuteronomy 6:13] 


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Then the <i>devil</i> left Jesus alone. After that, <i>angels</i> came to Jesus and they took <n>care</i> of him. <n>Jesus starts his work in Galilee</n>


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Now Jesus heard that Herod’s soldiers had put John the <i>Baptist</i> in prison. So Jesus returned to Galilee.


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He did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in a town called Capernaum. Capernaum is on the shore of Lake Galilee. It was in the part of <i>Israel</i> called Zebulun and Naphtali. <n>Zebulun and Naphtali were the names of parts of Galilee. They were also the names of two of Jacob’s sons. They lived in this land many years before. 


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Jesus went to live in Capernaum. And this caused the words of God to become true. God had said this to his <i>prophet</i> who was called Isaiah.


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‘I am speaking to you people who live in Zebulun and Naphtali. <n>Your part of this country is on the way to Lake Galilee. <n>It is across the River Jordan in the part of the country called Galilee. <n>Some people who are not <i>Jews</i> live there.


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They are like people who are living in the dark. <n>They live in the shadow which death brings. <n>God will send a light to shine on them.’ [Isaiah 9:1-2] <n>These people did not know God or his book very well. Isaiah said that they were like people who are walking in the dark. God promised to send his Son Jesus to them. He would be like a light to show them what God was like. 


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Then Jesus began to teach the people. ‘Stop doing wrong things. Say to God that you are sorry’, Jesus said. ‘Begin to obey God. You must do all this because the <i>Kingdom</i> of <i>Heaven</i> is coming soon.’ <n>Jesus asks some men to be his <i>disciples</i></n>


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One day, Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee. He saw two men. One man was called Simon, and he was also called Peter. The other man’s name was Andrew, and he was Simon’s brother. Their job was to catch fish. They were throwing their <i>nets</i> into the lake to catch some fish. 


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‘Come with me and be my <i>disciples</i>’, Jesus said to them. ‘And I will teach you how to catch people.’ <n>Jesus did not mean that Simon and Andrew would really catch people. He would teach Simon and Andrew how to tell other people the good news about himself. They had brought fish out of the water. But now they would bring people to Jesus, so that they could believe in him. These people would then be his <i>disciples</i>. <n>Simon and his brother lived in a town called Capernaum. This town is on the shore of Lake Galilee. Jesus had taught there. He had caused many people to become well again from their illnesses. So they knew that Jesus was a very powerful person. 


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Peter and Andrew immediately stopped working with their <i>nets</i>. They went with Jesus and they became his <i>disciples</i>.


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Then Jesus continued to walk along the shore of Lake Galilee. Soon he saw two more men. Their job also was to catch fish. They were called James and John. They were brothers and their father was called Zebedee. John, James and Zebedee were in their boat and they were mending their <i>nets</i>. Jesus said to James and John, ‘Come with me and be my <i>disciples</i>.’ 


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Then the brothers immediately left the boat and their father behind. They went with Jesus and they became his <i>disciples</i>. <n>Jesus teaches the people about God and he makes sick people well again</n>


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Jesus went everywhere in Galilee. He went into the building where the <i>Jews</i> met to pray. Then he taught the people the good news about the <i>Kingdom</i>. People who had many different illnesses and problems came to Jesus. He caused all these people to become well again. 


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So people began to hear about Jesus more and more. People in Syria also heard about Jesus, so they brought all the sick people to see him. They wanted Jesus to cause them to become well again. They had many different illnesses and some had pains. Bad <i>spirits</i> were living inside some of them. Some people had sick minds, and some people could not move. Jesus caused all these people to become well again. 


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Because of this, large crowds followed him. These people came from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem. They also came from the part of Judea that is on the other side of the River Jordan. <n>Syria was a part of <i>Israel</i> that was on the east side of Galilee. The Decapolis was another part of <i>Israel</i>. 


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Jesus saw all the crowds following him. So he went up a hill and he sat down there to teach. Jesus’ <i>disciples</i> went close to listen to him. 


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‘Some people’, he said, ‘know that they need God very much. God will cause those people to be happy because they will be part of the <i>Kingdom</i> of <i>Heaven</i>.


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Some people are sad now. God will help them to feel better. They will be happy.’ <n>Jesus was not only speaking about people who are sad. Some people are sorry about all the bad things that they have done. Jesus was speaking about those people. 


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‘Some people know that they are not powerful. They will be happy. God will give them what he has promised them.


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Some people want to obey God more than they want to do anything else. God will give to them all that they need.


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Some people are kind and they <i>forgive</i> other people. They will be happy. God will be kind to them and he will <i>forgive</i> them.


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Some people help other people to be friends and to agree together. They will be happy because God will call them his children.


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Some people will have pain because they obey God. They will be happy because they are part of the <i>Kingdom</i> of <i>Heaven</i>.


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You will be happy when people say bad things about you. Sometimes people will hurt you. Sometimes people will say things about you that are not true. People will do these things to you because you are my <i>disciples</i>. 


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You should be very happy when people do these things to any of you. You should shout because you are so happy. God has kept many good things for you. He will give you these things when you go to <i>heaven</i>. People did all these same things to the <i>prophets</i> who lived a long time ago.’ <n>Jesus’ <i>disciples</i> are like salt and light</n>


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‘You are like salt’, Jesus said, ‘for all people to taste and use. Salt is good. But sometimes it does not taste like salt any longer. That salt cannot become good again. It is not good for people to use for anything. They throw it outside and they walk on it.


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You are like the light that everybody needs in this world. If people build a city on a hill, then other people can see it easily. 


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Nobody lights a <i>lamp</i> and then puts it under a can. He will put the <i>lamp</i> in a high place. Everybody who is in the house can then see the light from the <i>lamp</i>. 


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You must be sure that you shine like that light. Then everybody will be able to see. People will see all the lovely things that you do. Then they will say good things about God. He is your Father in <i>heaven</i>.’ <n>Jesus is teaching his <i>disciples</i> about how they must live for God. Light shows people the way. In the same way, they must show people the way to God. <n>At this time, people burned oil in a dish to make a light. They called this a lamp. When the lamp was burning, they sometimes put it on a place high on a wall. <n>Jesus talks about the <i>Laws</i> that Moses gave to the <i>Jews</i></n>


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Jesus said, ‘You should not think that I have come to destroy the <i>Law</i>. Also, I have not come to destroy the messages that the <i>prophets</i> wrote down. No, I have not come to destroy their words. I have come to cause what they taught to become true. 


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Remember my words. The sky and the earth will remain for a long time. While they remain, the <i>Law</i> will also remain. Not even a small change in the <i>Law</i> will happen. When everything in it has happened, then the <i>Law</i> will finish. 


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So then a person may think to himself, “This rule is not very important. I will not obey it.” He may also teach other people to think like that. But this teacher will be the least important person in the <i>Kingdom</i> of <i>Heaven</i>. On the other hand, a person who obeys all God’s rules will be important. He teaches other people also to obey, so he will be great in God’s <i>Kingdom</i>. 


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I am telling you this. You will be able to come into the <i>Kingdom</i> of <i>Heaven</i> if you obey him. But you must obey him better than the teachers of the <i>Law</i> and the <i>Pharisees</i> do.’ <n>The teachers of the <i>Law</i> and the <i>Pharisees</i> thought that they obeyed every rule in the <i>Law</i>. But they did not do it because they loved God. They wanted other people to think well of them. <n>Jesus teaches about angry people</n>


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‘You have heard the words to your people long ago. “You must not kill another person. And any person who does kill will stand in front of a <i>judge</i>. This <i>judge</i> will say that he has done something wrong. And he will <i>punish</i> him.” 


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But now, I say this to you about it. Anybody who is angry with his brother without a good reason will stand in front of a <i>judge</i>. The <i>judge</i> may say that this angry person has done a wrong thing. Someone might call his brother by a bad name. Then, the most important rulers will <i>judge</i> him. They may say that he must be <i>punished</i>. But whoever says, “You are a fool”, to their brother, God will <i>judge</i> him. He may say to him, “You should go into the fire in <i>hell</i>.” ’ <n>At the time when Jesus said this, there were 71 important rulers in Jerusalem. And they met together to <i>judge</i> a bad person. The most important <i>priest</i> was their leader. These men had great power. God is the most powerful <i>judge</i>. Only he can send a person to <i>hell</i>. <n>When Jesus used the word brother, he was also talking about any close friend. 


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‘Maybe you go to give your gift to God’, said Jesus to them. ‘You take it to the special table in God’s Great House. But then you remember that your brother is angry with you. 


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You must leave your gift there in front of God’s special table. And you must first go and find your brother. Say to him that you are sorry. Then you can both become friends with each other again. After that, you can go back and give your gift to God.


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A person may say that you have done something wrong. So he will take you to stand in front of the <i>judge</i>. You should try to agree with this person. You should decide with him what is right. Do this even while you are going with him to the <i>judge</i>. Do it so that he will not speak against you to the <i>judge</i>. The <i>judge</i> may agree with him that you have done a wrong thing. Then he will give you to his officer who will put you in prison. 


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What I say is true. You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money.’ <n>A <i>judge</i> listens to what people say against each other. He then decides who is right or wrong. Jesus is telling the people that everyone has done wrong things to God. They do not obey him in the way that they should. Jesus says that we should believe in him now. If we do not, then God will <i>judge</i> us. And he will <i>punish</i> us when we stand in front of him. <n>Jesus teaches people about not doing wrong things</n>


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‘You know what God said to your people long ago. “You must not have sex with a person who is not your husband or wife. If you do, then you have done a wrong thing.” 


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But I tell you this. A man looks at a woman who is not his wife. And he wants to have sex with her. Now this man has also done a wrong thing. 


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If your right eye makes you do wrong things, then you should take it out. You should throw it away. You will lose one eye. But it will be much worse if God throws you with your two eyes into <i>hell</i>. 


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If your right hand makes you do wrong things, then you should cut it off. You should throw it away. You will lose one hand. But it is much worse if God sends you with your two hands into <i>hell</i>.’ <n>Jesus does not want his <i>disciples</i> to cut their bodies. It is very important for them not to do wrong things. And Jesus is telling them this. <n>Jesus talks about when a man sends his wife away</n>


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‘These words are also in God’s <i>Law</i>. “Any man who wants to stop being married to his wife must give her a paper. This paper shows that they are now separate.” [Deuteronomy 24:1-4] 


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But now, I tell you this. A man must only become separate from his wife because of one reason. This reason is that his wife has had sex with another man. If his wife has not done this, then she is still his wife. The paper does not cause the man and his wife to be separate. Now, if his wife marries another man she is doing a wrong thing. And the other man who marries her is also doing a wrong thing.’ <n>Jesus teaches people about promises to God</n>


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‘You know what God also said to your people long ago. “If you make a promise to God and use his name, do what you have said.” [Numbers 30:2] 


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But I tell you this. Do not use God’s name to make a promise. Do not use the words “by <i>heaven</i>” to make a promise. <i>Heaven</i> is the place where God rules. Do not use the words “by the earth” to make a promise. The earth is the place where God rests his feet. 


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Do not use the words “by Jerusalem” to make a promise. Jerusalem is God’s city. He is the great King there. 


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Do not use the words “my head” to make a promise. You cannot make the colour of your hair black or white. 


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You should say only “Yes” if you mean, “Yes, I will do it.” And you should say only “No” if you mean, “No, I will not do it.” If you say more than this, what you say comes from the <i>Devil</i>.’ <n>People used to say these extra words when they made a promise. They wanted other people to know that they would keep their promise. Jesus taught that we should always keep our promises (do what we promised to do). <n>Jesus teaches them about how to love people</n>


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‘So, this is also in God’s <i>Law</i>. “If a man destroys somebody’s eye, then somebody should destroy that man’s eye. If a man destroys a man’s tooth, then somebody should destroy that man’s tooth.” [Exodus 21:24] 


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But I tell you this. If somebody does something bad to you, do not try to do something bad back to him. Somebody may slap you on one side of your face. Then you should let him slap you on the other side of your face also.’ <n>We should not do bad things to other people who have done bad things to us. 


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‘Maybe somebody wants to take you to the <i>judge</i>. He says to the <i>judge</i>, “This man has done a wrong thing against me. So I want him to give me his shirt.” Give the man your shirt. Give him also your coat. 


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A soldier may say to you, “Carry my luggage for one mile (1500 metres).” Help him. Carry it for two miles (3000 metres). 


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When somebody asks you for something, you should give it to him. If somebody asks you to lend him something, then you should not refuse.


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You hear people say, “Love the people who are your friends. Do not love those who want to hurt you.” 


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But I tell you this. You should love the people who want to hurt you. Some people hurt you because you obey God. You should pray to God that he would help them. 


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If you do this, you will be sons and daughters of your Father above. He causes the sun to shine on people who obey him. He also causes the sun to shine on people who do not obey him. God causes the rain to fall on people who obey him. He also causes the rain to fall on people who do not obey him. 


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You might only love people who love you. But then, God will not pay you for doing that. Even men who take the <i>taxes</i> do it!’ <n>The men who received <i>tax</i> for the government took the money from their own people. They gave it to the <i>Roman</i> ruler. They often took more money than they should have taken. So the people did not like the men who took the <i>tax</i>. 


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‘When you only speak to your friends’, said Jesus, ‘then you are not doing anything extra. Even people who do not believe in God do that. 


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Jesus still spoke to them. ‘You may do good things and help somebody. But be careful that you do not want other people to see you. Let it be a secret. If you do these things to show people, God, your Father in <i>heaven</i> will not pay you back.


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When you give something to a poor person, do not tell anyone about it. The <i>hypocrites</i> do this in the buildings where people meet to pray. They also do it outside in the busy streets of the town. They do this so that other people will say, “These men are good.” What I say is true. They have already received good words from other people. So, God will not give them anything more.’ <n><i>Hypocrites</i> want people to think that they are good. But they are not really good people. 


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‘When you give something to a poor person, keep it a secret. Do not tell even your best friend. Let it be as if your left hand did not know about your right hand’s actions. 


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Nobody else will know about what you gave to the person. It will be a secret. God sees things that are secret. And he will give you good things.’ <n>Jesus teaches people how to pray</n>


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‘So, you must not pray like the <i>hypocrites</i> pray. They like to stand and pray in the <i>Jewish</i> meeting places and on the busy corners of the streets. Then many people can see them praying. What I say is true. They have already received good words from people and they will not get anything more.’ <n>The corners of the streets were places where <i>Jews</i> met to pray. They also prayed in the special buildings. In those places there were a lot of people who could see them praying. 


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‘I will tell you how to pray. Go to a place in your house where you can be alone. There you can pray to God your Father. He is in that secret place. And he sees what you do. He will give you good things. 


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When you pray, do not say the same words many times. And do not use many words that mean nothing. People who do not believe in God do that. And they think that God will hear them. 


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Do not be like them. God your Father already knows what you need. He knows this even before you ask him.


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This then is how you should pray, <n>“God our Father, you live in <i>heaven</i>. <n>You are powerful and important. <n>We want more and more people to know that your name has great authority.


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We want you to rule everyone. <n>We want everyone to obey you on earth, like everyone in <i>heaven</i> obeys you.


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Please <i>forgive</i> us for all the wrong things that we have done. <n>We have <i>forgiven</i> everyone who has done wrong things to us. <n><i>Forgive</i> us in the same way.


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Then Jesus said, ‘You must <i>forgive</i> other people for the wrong things that they have done to you. Then God, your Father in <i>heaven</i> will also <i>forgive</i> you for the wrong things that you have done to him. 


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But if you do not <i>forgive</i> other people, then your Father will not <i>forgive</i> you.’ <n>Jesus teaches the people about how to stop eating for some time</n>


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‘Be careful when you stop eating for some time. Do not look sad. Then people will not know what you are doing. That is what the <i>hypocrites</i> do. A <i>hypocrite</i> wants people to think about how good he is. He will let his face become dirty. Then other people can see that he has stopped eating. You should remember that God will not give the <i>hypocrites</i> anything else. Other people think that they are good. And that is all that they will get. 


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But when you stop eating for some time, you should wash your face. You should cause your hair to look nice. 


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Then other people will not know that you have stopped eating for some time. But God your Father knows. He sees what you do in that secret place. So he will give you good things.’ <n>Some people stop eating for hours or days so that they can have more time with God. This causes them to feel closer to God when they pray. But the <i>hypocrites</i> did it for the wrong reason. <n>Jesus teaches the people about the valuable things that they have in God’s place above</n>


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‘Do not have many valuable things here in the world. Here there are insects and water that can destroy them. There are also men who can come into your house. They can rob you of all your valuable things. 


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Instead, you should put all your valuable things in God’s place above. The insects and water cannot destroy your valuable things there. Men cannot rob you of all your things. 


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You will always think about the place where you keep your valuable things. You will want to be there in <i>heaven</i>.’ <n>People think about their valuable things, so it is better to have them stored with God in <i>heaven</i> above. They will be safe there. We will also think about going to be with God. 


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‘Eyes are like <i>lamps</i> and your body is like a room. If your eyes are like a clean <i>lamp</i>, then your whole body will have light. 


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If your eyes are not good, then your whole body will be in the dark. If the light in your body has become dark, you will live in a very dark place.’ <n>Jesus himself is the light that he is talking about. If a person lets Jesus rule his life, there will be nothing dark or hidden. But some people do not believe Jesus’ words. They are like a person who is living in the dark. <n>Jesus teaches the people about God and the things that we have</n>


