# verses

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All who pass by [scornfully] clap their hands at you. They hiss and shake their heads at Daughter Jerusalem: Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?


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All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash [their] teeth, saying, "We have swallowed [her] up. This is the day we have waited for! We have lived to see [it]."


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The LORD has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old. He has demolished without compassion, letting the enemy gloat over you and exalting the horn of your adversaries.


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The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. Wall of Daughter Zion, let [your] tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief and your eyes no rest.


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Arise, cry out in the night, from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water before the Lord's presence. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street.


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LORD, look and consider who You have done this to. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord's sanctuary?


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[Both] young and old are lying on the ground in the streets. My young men and women have fallen by the sword. You have killed [them] in the day of Your anger, slaughtering without compassion.


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You summoned my attackers on every side, as if [for] an appointed festival day; on the day of the LORD's anger no one escaped or survived. My enemy has destroyed those I nurtured and reared.


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How the gold has become tarnished, the fine gold become dull! The stones of the temple lie scattered at the corner of every street.


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Zion's precious people-- [once] worth their weight in pure gold-- how they are regarded as clay jars, the work of a potter's hands!


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Even jackals offer [their] breasts to nurse their young, but my dear people have become cruel like ostriches in the wilderness.


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The nursing infant's tongue clings to the roof of his mouth from thirst. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them [any].


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Those who used to eat delicacies are destitute in the streets; those who were reared in purple [garments] huddle in garbage heaps.


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The punishment of my dear people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in an instant without a hand laid on it.


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Her dignitaries were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; [their] bodies were more ruddy than coral, their appearance [like] sapphire.


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[Now] they appear darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become dry like wood.


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Those slain by the sword are better off than those slain by hunger, who waste away, pierced [with pain] because the fields lack produce.


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The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became their food during the destruction of my dear people.


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The LORD has exhausted His wrath, poured out His burning anger; He has ignited a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations.


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The kings of the earth and all the world's inhabitants did not believe that an enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem's gates.


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[Yet it happened] because of the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within her.


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Blind, they stumbled in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments.


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Stay away! Unclean!" people shouted at them. "Away, away! Don't touch [us]!" So they wandered aimlessly. It was said among the nations, "They can stay here no longer."


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The LORD Himself has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are not respected; the elders find no favor.


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All the while our eyes were failing [as we looked] in vain for assistance; we watched from our towers for a nation that refused to help.


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Our steps were closely followed, so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near; our time ran out. Our end had come!


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Those who chased us were swifter than eagles in the sky; they relentlessly pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.


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The LORD's anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their traps; we had said about him: We will live under his protection among the nations.


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So rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, you resident of the land of Uz! Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself.


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Daughter Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not lengthen your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, Daughter Edom, and will expose your sins.


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In the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.


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the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal. And the LORD's hand was on him there.


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I looked and there was a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire, there was a gleam like amber.


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Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, sparkling like the gleam of polished bronze.


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The form of [each of] their faces was that of a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle.


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[That is what] their faces [were like]. Their wings were spread upward; each had two [wings] touching that of another and two wings covering its body.


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Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved.


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The form of the living creatures was like the appearance of burning coals of fire and torches. Fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, with lightning coming out of it.


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When I looked at the living creatures, there was one wheel on the ground beside each creature that had four faces.


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The appearance of the wheels and their craftsmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same form. Their appearance and craftsmanship was like a wheel within a wheel.


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So when the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels also rose.


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Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, the creatures went in the direction the Spirit was moving. The wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


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When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.


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The shape of an expanse, with a gleam like awe-inspiring crystal, was spread out over the heads of the living creatures.


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And under the expanse their wings extended one toward another. Each of them also had two wings covering their bodies.


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When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty, and a sound of commotion like the noise of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.


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A voice came from above the expanse over their heads; when they stood still, they lowered their wings.


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The shape of a throne with the appearance of sapphire stone was above the expanse. There was a form with the appearance of a human on the throne high above.


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From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be His waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around Him.


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The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the form of the LORD's glory. When I saw [it], I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.


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As He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the One who was speaking to me.


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He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites [and] to the rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day.


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The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them: This is what the Lord God says.


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Whether they listen or refuse [to listen]-- for they are a rebellious house-- they will know that a prophet has been among them.


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But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words, though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don't be afraid of their words or be discouraged by [the look on] their faces, for they are a rebellious house.


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And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you."


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When He unrolled it before me, it was written on the front and back; [words of] lamentation, mourning, and woe were written on it.


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He said to me: "Son of man, eat what you find [here]. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel."


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Son of man," he said to me, "eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you." So I ate [it], and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.


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For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel.


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[You are] not [being sent] to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.


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But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted.


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I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don't be afraid of them or discouraged by [the look on] their faces, even though they are a rebellious house."


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Next He said to me: "Son of man, listen carefully to all My words that I speak to you and take [them] to heart.


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Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them: This is what the Lord God says, whether they listen or refuse [to listen]."


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The Spirit then lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me-- praise the glory of the LORD in His place!--


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with the sound of the living creatures' wings brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.


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So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the LORD's hand was on me powerfully.


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I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were living by the Chebar Canal, and I sat there stunned for seven days.


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Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.


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If I say to the wicked person: You will surely die, but you do not warn him-- you don't speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life-- that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.


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But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.


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Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.


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But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to [your] warning, and you will have saved your life."


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Then the hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, "Get up, go out to the plain, and I will speak with you there."


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So I got up and went out to the plain. The LORD's glory was present there, like the glory I had seen by the Chebar Canal, and I fell facedown.


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The Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.


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And you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so you cannot go out among them.


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I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be mute and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.


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But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them: This is what the Lord God says. Let the one who listens, listen, and let the one who refuses, refuse-- for they are a rebellious house.


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Then lay siege against it: construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides.


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Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign for the house of Israel.


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Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side.


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For I have assigned you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days [you lie down], 390 days; so you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.


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When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.


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Be aware that I will put cords on you so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.


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Also take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side, 390 days.


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You are also to drink water by measure, one-sixth of a gallon, [which] you will drink from time to time.


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You will eat it as [you would] a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight."


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The LORD said, "This is how the Israelites will eat their bread-- ceremonially unclean-- among the nations where I will banish them."


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But I said, "Ah, Lord God, I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts. And impure meat has never entered my mouth."


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He replied to me, "Look, I will let you [use] cow dung instead of human excrement, and you can make your bread over that."


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Then He said to me, "Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread [rationed] by weight and in dread drink water by measure.


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So they will lack bread and water; everyone will be devastated and waste away because of their iniquity.


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Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber's razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a pair of scales and divide the hair.


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You are to burn up one third [of it] in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are to take one third and slash [it] with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter one third to the wind, for I will draw a sword [to chase] after them.


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Take some more of them, throw them into the fire, and burn them in it. A fire will spread from it to the whole house of Israel.


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This is what the Lord God says: I have set this Jerusalem in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.


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But she has rebelled against My ordinances with more wickedness than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that surround her. For her people have rejected My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have been more insubordinate than the nations around you-- you have not walked in My statutes or kept My ordinances; you have not even kept the ordinances of the nations around you--


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therefore, this is what the Lord God says: See, I am against you, [Jerusalem], and I will execute judgments within you in the sight of the nations.


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Because of all your abominations, I will do to you what I have never done before and what I will never do again.


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As a result, fathers will eat [their] sons within Jerusalem, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your survivors to every direction of the wind.


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Therefore, as I live"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "I am going to cut [you] off and show [you] no pity, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable practices and abominations. Yes, I will not spare [you].


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One third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; one third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter one third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword [to chase] after them.


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When My anger is spent and I have vented My wrath on them, I will be appeased. Then, after I have spent My wrath on them, they will know that I, the LORD, have spoken in My jealousy.


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I will make you a ruin and a disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of everyone who passes by.


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So you will be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations around you when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and furious rebukes. I, the LORD, have spoken.


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When I shoot deadly arrows of famine at them, arrows for destruction that I will send to destroy you, [inhabitants of Jerusalem], I will intensify the famine against you and cut off your supply of bread.


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I will send famine and dangerous animals against you. They will leave you childless, [Jerusalem]. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken."


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You are to say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.


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Your altars will be desolated and your incense altars smashed. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols.


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I will lay the corpses of the Israelites in front of their idols and scatter your bones around your altars.


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Wherever you live the cities will be in ruins and the high places will be desolate, so that your altars will lie in ruins and be desecrated, your idols smashed and obliterated, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out.


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Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword.


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Then your survivors will remember Me among the nations where they are taken captive, how I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves because of the evil things they did, their abominations of every kind.


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And they will know that I am the LORD; I did not threaten to bring this disaster on them without a reason.


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This is what the Lord God says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry out over all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, who will fall by the sword, famine, and plague.


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The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust My wrath on them.


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You will [all] know that I am the LORD when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and every leafy oak-- the places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols.


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I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am Yahweh."


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Son of man, this is what the Lord God says to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land.


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The end is now on you; I will send My anger against you and judge you according to your ways. I will punish you for all your abominations.


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I will not look on you with pity or spare [you], but I will punish you for your ways and for your abominations within you. Then you will know that I am the LORD."


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Doom has come on you, inhabitants of the land. The time has come; the day is near. There will be panic on the mountains and not celebration.


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I will pour out My wrath on you very soon; I will exhaust My anger against you and judge you according to your ways. I will punish you for all your abominations.


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I will not look on [you] with pity or spare [you]. I will punish you for your ways and for your abominations within you. Then you will know that it is I, the LORD, who strikes.


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Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness; none of them [will remain]: none of their multitude, none of their wealth, and none of the eminent among them.


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The time has come; the day has arrived. Let the buyer not rejoice and the seller not mourn, for wrath is on all her multitude.


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The seller will certainly not return to what was sold as long as he and the buyer remain alive. For the vision concerning all its people will not be revoked, and none of them will preserve his life because of his iniquity.


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They have blown the trumpet and prepared everything, but no one goes to war, for My wrath is on all her multitude.


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The sword is on the outside; plague and famine are on the inside. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword, and famine and plague will devour whoever is in the city.


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The survivors among them will escape and live on the mountains like doves of the valley, all of them moaning, each over his own iniquity.


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They will put on sackcloth, and horror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all [their] faces, and all their heads will be bald.


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They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem like something filthy. Their silver and gold will be unable to save them in the day of the LORD's wrath. They will not satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs, for these were the stumbling blocks that brought about their iniquity.


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He appointed His beautiful ornaments for majesty, but they made their abhorrent images from them, their detestable things. Therefore, I have made these into something filthy for them.


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I will hand these things over to foreigners as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as spoil, and they will profane them.


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I will turn My face from the wicked as they profane My treasured place. Violent men will enter it and profane it.


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Forge the chain, for the land is filled with crimes of bloodshed, and the city is filled with violence.


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So I will bring the most evil of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their sacred places will be profaned.


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Disaster after disaster will come, and there will be rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but instruction will perish from the priests and counsel from the elders.


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The king will mourn; the prince will be clothed in grief; and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their own conduct, and I will judge them by their own standards. Then they will know that I am the LORD.


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In the sixth year, in the sixth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me, and there the hand of the Lord God came down on me.


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I looked, and there was a form that had the appearance of a man. From what seemed to be His waist down was fire, and from His waist up was something that looked bright, like the gleam of amber.


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He stretched out what appeared to be a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner gate that faces north, where the offensive statue that provokes jealousy was located.


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The LORD said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north." I looked to the north, and there was this offensive statue north of the altar gate, at the entrance.


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He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing here, so that I must depart from My sanctuary? You will see even greater abominations."


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He said to me, "Son of man, dig through the wall." So I dug through the wall, and there was a doorway.


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I went in and looked, and there engraved all around the wall was every form of detestable thing, crawling creatures and beasts, as well as all the idols of the house of Israel.


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Seventy elders from the house of Israel were standing before them, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had an incense burner in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising up.


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Then He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his idol? For they are saying: The LORD does not see us. The LORD has abandoned the land."


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So He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the LORD's house, and I saw women sitting there weeping for Tammuz.


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And He said to me, "Do you see [this], son of man? You will see even greater abominations than these."


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So He brought me to the inner court of the LORD's house, and there were about 25 men at the entrance of the LORD's temple, between the portico and the altar, with their backs to the LORD's temple and their faces [turned] to the east. They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.


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And He said to me, "Do you see [this], son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the abominations they are practicing here, that they must also fill the land with violence and repeatedly provoke Me to anger, even putting the branch to their nose?


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Therefore I will respond with wrath. I will not show pity or spare [them]. Though they cry out in My ears with a loud voice, I will not listen to them."


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Then He called to me directly with a loud voice, "Come near, executioners of the city, each [of you] with a destructive weapon in his hand."


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And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. There was another man among them, clothed in linen, with writing equipment at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.


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Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side.


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Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem," the LORD said to him, "and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations committed in it."


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To the others He said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare [them]!


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Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the [older] women and little children, but do not come near anyone who has the mark. Now begin at My sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.


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Then He said to them, "Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!" So they went out killing [people] in the city.


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While they were killing, I was left alone. And I fell facedown and cried out, "Ah, Lord God! Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel when You pour out Your wrath on Jerusalem?"


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He answered me: "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity. For they say: The LORD has abandoned the land; He does not see.


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But as for Me, I will not show pity or spare [them]. I will bring their actions down on their own heads."


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Then the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side reported back, "I have done as You commanded me."


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Then I looked, and there above the expanse over the heads of the cherubim was something like sapphire stone resembling the shape of a throne that appeared above them.


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The LORD spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, "Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with hot coals from among the cherubim and scatter [them] over the city." So he went in as I watched.


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Now the cherubim were standing to the south of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.


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Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the LORD's glory.


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The sound of the cherubim's wings could be heard as far as the outer court; it was like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.


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After the LORD commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, "Take fire from inside the wheelwork, from among the cherubim," the man went in and stood beside a wheel.


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Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took [some], and put [it] into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.


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I looked, and there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. The luster of the wheels was like the gleam of beryl.


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When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions, without pivoting as they moved. But wherever the head faced, they would go in that direction, without pivoting as they went.


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Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, wings, and the wheels that the four of them had, were full of eyes all around.


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Each one had four faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.


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When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when they lifted their wings to rise from the earth, even then the wheels did not veer away from them.


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When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.


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Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim.


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The cherubim lifted their wings and ascended from the earth right before my eyes; the wheels were beside them as they went. The glory of the God of Israel was above them, and it stood at the entrance to the eastern gate of the LORD's house.


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These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar Canal, and I recognized that they were cherubim.


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Their faces looked like the same faces I had seen by the Chebar Canal. Each creature went straight ahead.


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The Spirit then lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of the LORD's house, which faces east, and at the gate's entrance were 25 men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.


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The LORD said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city.


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Then the Spirit of the LORD came on me, and He told me, "You are to say: This is what the LORD says: That is what you are thinking, house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your mind.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: The slain you have put within it are the meat, and the city is the pot, but I will remove you from it.


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You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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I will bring you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners; I will execute judgments against you.


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You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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The city will not be a pot for you, and you will not be the meat within it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,


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so you will know that I am the LORD, whose statutes you have not followed and whose ordinances you have not practiced. Instead, you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you."


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Now while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out with a loud voice: "Ah, Lord God! Will You bring to an end the remnant of Israel?"


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Son of man, your own relatives, those who have the right to redeem you,and the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those the residents of Jerusalem have said this to: Stay away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.


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Therefore say: This is what the Lord God says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.


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Therefore say: This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.


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When they arrive there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it.


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And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh,


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so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.


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But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for detestable things and abominations, I will bring their actions down on their own heads." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, lifted their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.


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The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to Chaldea and to the exiles in a vision from the Spirit of God. After the vision I had seen left me,


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Son of man, you are living among a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.


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Son of man, pack your bags for exile and go into exile in their sight during the day. You will go into exile from your place to another place while they watch; perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.


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During the day, bring out your bags like an exile's bags while they look on. Then in the evening go out in their sight like those going into exile.


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And while they look on, lift [the bags] to [your] shoulder and take [them] out in the dark; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel."


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So I did just as I was commanded. I brought out my bags like an exile's bags in the daytime. In the evening I dug through the wall by hand; I took [them] out in the dark, carrying [them] on my shoulder in their sight.


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Say to them: This is what the Lord God says: This oracle is about the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are living there.


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You are to say: I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile, into captivity.


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The prince who is among them will lift [his bags] to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring [him] out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes.


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But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there.


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I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword [to chase] after them.


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They will know that I am the LORD when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.


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But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so they can tell about all their abominations among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the LORD."


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Then say to the people of the land: This is what the Lord God says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.


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The inhabited cities will be destroyed, and the land will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the LORD."


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Son of man, what is this proverb you [people] have about the land of Israel, which goes: The days keep passing by, and every vision fails?


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Therefore say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I will put a stop to this proverb, and they will not use it again in Israel. But say to them: The days draw near, as well as the fulfillment of every vision.


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But I, the LORD, will speak whatever message I will speak, and it will be done. It will no longer be delayed. For in your days, rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, notice that the house of Israel is saying: The vision that he sees concerns many years [from now]; he prophesies about distant times.


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Therefore say to them: This is what the Lord God says: None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD!


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This is what the Lord God says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.


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You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it might stand in battle on the day of the LORD.


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They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim: [This is] the LORD's declaration, when the LORD did not send them, yet they wait for the fulfillment of [their] message.


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Didn't you see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you proclaimed: [This is] the LORD's declaration, even though I had not spoken?


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am against you because you have spoken falsely and had lying visions." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not be present in the fellowship of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, and they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.


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Since they have led My people astray saying: Peace, when there is no peace, for when someone builds a wall they plaster it with whitewash,


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therefore, tell those who plaster [it] that it will fall. Torrential rain will come, and I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will be released.


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Now when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked: Where is the coat of whitewash that you put on [it]?


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So this is what the Lord God says: I will release a windstorm in My wrath. Torrential rain will come in My anger, and hailstones [will fall] in destructive fury.


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I will tear down the wall you plastered with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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After I exhaust My wrath against the wall and against those who plaster it with whitewash, I will say to you: The wall is no more and neither are those who plastered it--


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those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Now, son of man, turn toward the women of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them


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and say: This is what the Lord God says: Woe to the women who sew [magic] bands on the wrist of every hand and who make veils for the heads of people of every height in order to ensnare lives. Will you ensnare the lives of My people but preserve your own?


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You profane Me in front of My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread; you kill those who should not die and spare those who should not live, when you lie to My people, who listen to lies.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am against your [magic] bands that you ensnare people with like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. I will free the people you have ensnared like birds.


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I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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Because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies, even though I have not caused him grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil way to save his life,


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therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD."


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Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put sinful stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all?


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Therefore, speak to them and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart, puts a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I, the LORD, will answer him appropriately. [I will answer him] according to his many idols,


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so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.


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Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations.


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For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in Israel separates himself from Me, setting up idols in his heart and putting a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I, the LORD, will answer him Myself.


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I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, the LORD, who deceived that prophet. I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.


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They will bear their punishment-- the punishment of the one who inquires will be the same as that of the prophet--


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in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from following Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be My people and I will be their God." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of bread, to send famine through it, and to wipe out [both] man and animal from it,


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even [if] these three men-- Noah, Daniel, and Job-- were in it, they would deliver [only] themselves by their righteousness." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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If I allow dangerous animals to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through [it] for [fear of] the animals,


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even [if] these three men were in it, as I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "they could not deliver [their] sons or daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.


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Or if I bring a sword against that land and say: Let a sword pass through it, so that I wipe out [both] man and animal from it,


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even [if] these three men were in it, as I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "they could not deliver [their] sons or daughters, but they alone would be delivered.


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Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out My wrath on it with bloodshed to wipe out [both] man and animal from it,


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even [if] Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "they could not deliver [their] son or daughter. They would deliver [only] themselves by their righteousness.


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For this is what the Lord God says: How much worse will it be when I send My four devastating judgments against Jerusalem-- sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague-- in order to wipe out [both] man and animal from it!


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Even so, there will be survivors left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. Indeed, they will come out to you, and you will observe their conduct and actions. Then you will be consoled about the devastation I have brought on Jerusalem, about all I have brought on it.


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They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done what I did to it." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood?


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


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In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?


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


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem.


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I will turn against them. They may have escaped from the fire, but it will [still] consume them. And you will know that I am the LORD when I turn against them.


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I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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You are to say: This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.


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As for your birth, your umbilical cord wasn't cut on the day you were born, and you weren't washed clean with water. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.


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No one cared [enough] about you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. But you were thrown out into the open field because you were despised on the day you were born.


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I passed by you and saw you lying in your blood, and I said to you [as you lay] in your blood: Live! Yes, I said to you [as you lay] in your blood: Live!


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I made you thrive like plants of the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you were stark naked.


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Then I passed by you and saw you, and you were indeed at the age for love. So I spread the edge of My garment over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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I clothed you in embroidered cloth and provided you with leather sandals. I also wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.


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So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was [made] of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained royalty.


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Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor, which I had bestowed on you." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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But you were confident in your beauty and acted like a prostitute because of your fame. You lavished your sexual favors on everyone who passed by. Your beauty became his.


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You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and you engaged in prostitution on them. These places should not have been built, and this should never have happened!


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You also took your beautiful jewelry made from the gold and silver I had given you, and you made male images so that you could engage in prostitution with them.


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You also set before them as a pleasing aroma the food I gave you-- the fine flour, oil, and honey that I fed you. That is what happened." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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You even took your sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them to these images as food. Wasn't your prostitution enough?


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In all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were stark naked and lying in your blood.


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You built your elevated place at the head of every street and turned your beauty into an abomination. You spread your legs to everyone who passed by and increased your prostitution.


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You engaged in promiscuous acts with Egyptian men, your well-endowed neighbors, and increased your prostitution to provoke Me to anger.


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Therefore, I stretched out My hand against you and reduced your provisions. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the Philistine women, who were embarrassed by your indecent behavior.


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Then you engaged in prostitution with the Assyrian men because you were not satisfied. Even though you did this with them, you were still not satisfied.


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So you extended your prostitution to Chaldea, the land of merchants, but you were not even satisfied with this!


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How your heart was inflamed [with lust]"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "when you did all these things, the acts of a brazen prostitute,


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building your mound at the head of every street and making your elevated place in every square. But you were unlike a prostitute because you scorned payment.


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Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors.


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So you were the opposite of other women in your acts of prostitution; no one solicited you. When you paid a fee instead of one being paid to you, you were the opposite.


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This is what the Lord God says: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness exposed by your acts of prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols and the blood of your children that you gave to them,


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I am therefore going to gather all the lovers you pleased-- all those you loved as well as all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose your nakedness to them so they see you completely naked.


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I will judge you the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged. Then I will bring about your bloodshed in wrath and jealousy.


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I will hand you over to them, and they will level your mounds and tear down your elevated places. They will strip off your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you stark naked.


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Then they will burn down your houses and execute judgments against you in the sight of many women. I will stop you from being a prostitute, and you will never again pay fees for lovers.


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So I will satisfy My wrath against you, and My jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be silent and no longer angry.


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Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged Me with all these things, I will also bring your actions down on your own head." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. "Haven't you committed immoral acts in addition to all your abominations?


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You are the daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and children. You are the sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.


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Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you, and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to the south of you.


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Didn't you walk in their ways and practice their abominations? It was only a short time before you behaved more corruptly than they did.


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As I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "your sister Sodom and her daughters have not behaved as you and your daughters have.


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Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn't support the poor and needy.


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But Samaria did not commit [even] half your sins. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs and made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations you have committed.


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You must also bear your disgrace, since you have been an advocate for your sisters. For they appear more righteous than you because of your sins, which you committed more abhorrently than they [did]. So you also, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, since you have made your sisters appear righteous.


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I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and those of Samaria and her daughters. I will also restore your fortunes among them,


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As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters and Samaria and her daughters will return to their former state. You and your daughters will also return to your former state.


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before your wickedness was exposed? It was like the time you were scorned by the daughters of Aram and all those around her, and by the daughters of the Philistines-- those who treated you with contempt from every side.


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You yourself must bear the consequences of your indecency and abominations"-- the LORD's declaration.


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For this is what the Lord God says: I will deal with you according to what you have done, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.


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But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.


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Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.


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so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth again because of your disgrace." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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You are to say: This is what the Lord God says: A great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.


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He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders.


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Then he took some of the land's seed and put it in a fertile field; he set it [like] a willow, a plant by abundant waters.


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It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him, yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent forth shoots.


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But there was another great eagle with great wings and thick plumage. And this vine bent its roots toward him! It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed, so that he might water it.


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It had been planted in a good field by abundant waters in order to produce branches, bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.


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


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Even though it is planted, will it flourish? Won't it completely wither when the east wind strikes it? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted."


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Now say to that rebellious house: Don't you know what these things mean? Tell [them]: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.


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He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he took away the leading men of the land,


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


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As I live"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.


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Pharaoh will not help him with [his] great army and vast horde in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.


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He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. He did all these things even though he gave his hand [in pledge]. He will not escape!"


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: "As I live, I will bring down on his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.


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I will spread My net over him, and he will be captured in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for the treachery he committed against Me.


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All the fugitives among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken."


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This is what the Lord God says: I will take [a sprig] from the lofty top of the cedar and plant [it]. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant [it] on a high towering mountain.


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I will plant it on Israel's high mountain so that it may bear branches, produce fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.


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Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring down the tall tree, and make the low tree tall. I cause the green tree to wither and make the withered tree thrive. I, Yahweh, have spoken and I will do [it].


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What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?


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As I live"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.


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Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son-- both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.


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He does not eat at the mountain [shrines] or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or come near a woman during her menstrual impurity.


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He doesn't oppress anyone but returns his collateral to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.


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He doesn't lend at interest or for profit but keeps his hand from wrongdoing and carries out true justice between men.


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He follows My statutes and keeps My ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a person is righteous; he will certainly live." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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though the father has done none of them. Indeed, when the son eats at the mountain [shrines] and defiles his neighbor's wife,


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and [when] he oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, and does not return collateral, and [when] he raises his eyes to the idols, commits abominations,


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and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will certainly die. His blood will be on him.


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Now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do likewise.


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He does not eat at the mountain [shrines] or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife.


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He doesn't oppress anyone, hold collateral, or commit robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.


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He keeps his hand from [harming] the poor, not taking interest or profit [on a loan]. He practices My ordinances and follows My statutes. Such a person will not die for his father's iniquity. He will certainly live.


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As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity because he practiced fraud, robbed [his] brother, and did what was wrong among his people.


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But you may ask: Why doesn't the son suffer punishment for the father's iniquity? Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statues, he will certainly live.


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The person who sins is the one who will die. A son won't suffer punishment for the father's iniquity, and a father won't suffer punishment for the son's iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him.


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Now if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die.


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None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced.


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Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. "Instead, don't I [take pleasure] when he turns from his ways and lives?


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But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed.


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But you say: The Lord's way isn't fair. Now listen, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair?


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When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has practiced.


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But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life.


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He will certainly live because he thought it over and turned from all the transgressions he had committed; he will not die.


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But the house of Israel says: The Lord's way isn't fair. Is it My ways that are unfair, house of Israel? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair?


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Therefore, house of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. "Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so they will not be a stumbling block that causes your punishment.


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Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel?


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For I take no pleasure in anyone's death." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. "So repent and live!


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and say: What was your mother? A lioness! She lay down among the lions; she reared her cubs among the young lions.


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She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey, he devoured people.


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When the nations heard about him, he was caught in their pit. Then they led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt.


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When she saw that she waited [in vain], that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.


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He prowled among the lions, and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey, he devoured people.


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He devastated their strongholds and destroyed their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.


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Then the nations from the surrounding provinces set out against him. They spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit.


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They put a wooden yoke on him with hooks and led him away to the king of Babylon. They brought him into the fortresses so his roar could no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.


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Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of plentiful waters.


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It had strong branches, [fit] for the scepters of rulers; its height towered among the clouds. So it was conspicuous for its height as well as its many branches.


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But it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up; fire consumed them.


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Fire has gone out from its main branch and has devoured its fruit, so that it no longer has a strong branch, a scepter for ruling. This is a lament and should be used as a lament."


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In the seventh year, in the fifth [month], on the tenth [day] of the month, some of Israel's elders came to consult the LORD, and they sat down in front of me.


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Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Are you coming to consult Me? As I live, I will not be consulted by you." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Will you pass judgment against them, will you pass judgment, son of man? Explain to them the abominations of their fathers.


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Say to them: This is what the Lord God says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of Jacob's house and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, saying: I am the LORD your God.


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On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, [a land] flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.


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I also said to them: Each of you must throw away the detestable things that are before your eyes and not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.


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But they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen to Me. None of them threw away the detestable things that were before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them, exhausting My anger against them within the land of Egypt.


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But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations they were living among, in whose sight I had made Myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt.


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Then I gave them My statutes and explained My ordinances to them-- the person who does them will live by them.


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I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a sign between Me and them, so they will know that I am the LORD who sets them apart as holy.


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But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances-- the person who does them will live by them. They also completely profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them.


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But I acted because of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.


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However, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given [them]-- the most beautiful of all lands, flowing with milk and honey--


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because they rejected My ordinances, profaned My Sabbaths, and did not follow My statutes. For their hearts went after their idols.


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Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don't follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances.


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Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am the LORD your God.


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But the children rebelled against Me. They did not follow My statutes or carefully keep My ordinances-- the person who does them will live by them. They also profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them and exhausting My anger against them in the wilderness.


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But I withheld My hand and acted because of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I brought them out.


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However, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.


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For they did not practice My ordinances but rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers' idols.


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When they made every firstborn pass through [the fire], I defiled them through their gifts in order to devastate them so they would know that I am the LORD.


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Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by committing treachery against Me:


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When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices and presented their offensive offerings there. They also sent up their pleasing aromas and poured out their drink offerings there.


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Therefore say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: Are you defiling yourselves the way your fathers did, and prostituting yourselves with their detestable things?


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When you offer your gifts, making your children pass through the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, house of Israel? As I live"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "I will not be consulted by you!


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When you say: Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of [other] countries, worshiping wood and stone, what you have in mind will never happen.


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As I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "I will rule over you with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath.


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I will bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you were scattered, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath.


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I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples and enter into judgment with you there face to face.


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Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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And I will also purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreign residents, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterwards you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.


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For on My holy mountain, Israel's high mountain"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "there the entire house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your contributions and choicest gifts, all your holy offerings.


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When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will demonstrate My holiness through you in the sight of the nations.


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When I lead you into the land of Israel, the land I swore to give your fathers, you will know that I am the LORD.


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There you will remember your ways and all your deeds you have defiled yourselves with, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil things you have done.


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You will know that I am the LORD, house of Israel, when I have dealt with you because of My name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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and say to the forest there: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord God says: I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.


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Son of man, turn your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel,


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and say to it: This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you.


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Since I will cut off [both] the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.


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So all the people will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath-- it will not be sheathed again.


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And when they ask you: Why are you groaning? then say: Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and every knee will turn to water. Yes, it is coming and it will happen." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, prophesy: This is what the Lord says! You are to proclaim: A sword! A sword is sharpened and also polished.


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It is sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice? The scepter of My son, the sword despises every tree.


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The sword is given to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened, and it is polished, to be put in the hand of the slayer.


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Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against My people. It is against all the princes of Israel! They are given over to the sword with My people. Therefore strike [your] thigh [in grief].


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


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Therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap [your] hands together. Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword for massacre, a sword for great massacre-- it surrounds them!


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I have appointed a sword for slaughter at all their gates, so that their hearts may melt and many may stumble. Alas! It is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn for slaughter.


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Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon's king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to [each] city.


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Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.


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For the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and observes the liver.


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The answer marked Jerusalem appears in his right hand, [indicating] that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall.


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It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to [their] guilt so that they will be captured.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions, since you have done this, you will be captured by them.


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This is what the Lord God says: Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are; exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted.


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A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! Yet this will not happen until He comes; I have given the judgment to Him.


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Now prophesy, son of man, and say: This is what the Lord God says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt. You are to proclaim: Sword, sword! [You are] drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning.


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While they offer false visions and lying divinations about you, [the time] has come to put you to the necks of the profane wicked ones; the day has come for your punishment.


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Return [it] to its sheath! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your origin.


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I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow the fire of My fury on you. I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled at destruction.


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You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will be [spilled] in the land. You will not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken."


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Now, son of man, will you pass judgment? Will you pass judgment against the city of blood? Then explain all her abominations to her.


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You are to say: This is what the Lord God says: A city that sheds blood within her [walls] so that her time of judgment has come and who makes idols for herself so that she is defiled!


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You are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled from the idols you have made. You have brought your [judgment] days near and have come to your years [of punishment]. Therefore, I have made you a disgrace to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.


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Father and mother are treated with contempt, and the foreign resident is exploited within you. The fatherless and widow are oppressed in you.


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There are men within you who slander in order to shed blood. People who [live] in you eat at the mountain [shrines]; they commit immoral acts within you.


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Men within you have sexual intercourse with [their] father's wife, and violate women during their menstrual impurity.


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One man within you commits an abomination with his neighbor's wife; another wickedly defiles his daughter-in-law; and [yet] another violates his sister, his father's daughter.


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People who [live] in you accept bribes in order to shed blood. You take interest and profit [on a loan] and brutally extort your neighbors. You have forgotten Me." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Now look, I clap My hands together against the unjust gain you have made and against the blood shed among you.


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


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I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you among the countries; I will purge your uncleanness.


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Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are the dross of silver.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because all of you have become dross, I am about to gather you into Jerusalem.


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Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to blow fire on them and melt them, so I will gather [you] in My anger and wrath, put you [inside], and melt you.


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Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My fury, and you will be melted within the city.


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As silver is melted inside a furnace, so you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you."


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Son of man, say to her: You are a land that has not been cleansed, that has not received rain in the day of indignation.


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The conspiracy of her prophets within her is like a roaring lion tearing [its] prey: they devour people, seize wealth and valuables, and multiply the widows within her.


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Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.


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Her officials within her are like wolves tearing [their] prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives in order to get unjust gain.


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Her prophets plaster with whitewash for them by seeing false visions and lying divinations, and they say: This is what the Lord God says, when the LORD has not spoken.


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The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the foreign resident.


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I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.


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So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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who acted like prostitutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed.


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The older one was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.


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Oholah acted like a prostitute even though she was Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians: warriors


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dressed in blue, governors and prefects, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on steeds.


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She offered her sexual favors to them; all of them were the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all those she lusted after and with all their idols.


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She didn't give up her promiscuity that began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin nipples, and poured out their lust on her.


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They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.


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Now her sister Oholibah saw [this], but she was [even] more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister.


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She lusted after the Assyrians: governors and prefects, warriors splendidly dressed, horsemen riding on steeds, all of them desirable young men.


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But she increased her promiscuity when she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,


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wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.


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Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. But after she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.


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When she flaunted her promiscuity and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust just as I turned away from her sister.


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Yet she multiplied her acts of promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth when she acted like a prostitute in the land of Egypt


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and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.


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So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.


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Therefore Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to incite your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust. I will bring them against you from every side:


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the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; Pekod, Shoa, and Koa; and all the Assyrians with them-- desirable young men, all of them governors and prefects, officers and administrators, all of them riding on horses.


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They will come against you with an alliance of nations and with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with shields, bucklers, and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards.


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When I vent My jealous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and your descendants will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your descendants will be consumed by fire.


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So I will put an end to your indecency and sexual immorality, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or remember Egypt any more.


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For this is what the Lord God says: I am going to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.


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They will treat you with hatred, take all you have worked for, and leave you stark naked, so that the shame of your debauchery will be exposed, both your indecency and promiscuity.


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These things will be done to you because you acted like a prostitute with the nations, defiling yourself with their idols.


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This is what the Lord God says: You will drink your sister's cup, which is deep and wide. You will be an object of ridicule and scorn, for it holds [so] much.


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You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.


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You will drink it and drain [it]; then you will gnaw its broken pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: "Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and promiscuity."


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Then the LORD said to me: "Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare their abominations to them.


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For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. They have even made the children they bore to Me pass through [the fire] as food for the idols.


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On the same day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, that is what they did inside My house.


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In addition, they sent for men who came from far away when a messenger was dispatched to them. And look how they came! You bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry for them.


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You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and oil.


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The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Drunkards from the desert were brought in, along with common men. They put bracelets on the women's hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.


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Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they now have illicit sex with her, even her?


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Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those obscene women.


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But righteous men will judge them the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged, for they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.


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This is what the Lord God says: Summon an assembly against them and consign them to terror and plunder.


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The assembly will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses with fire.


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So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your indecent behavior.


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They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences for your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord God."


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The word of the LORD came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth [day] of the month:


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Son of man, write down today's date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.


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Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Put the pot on [the fire]-- put [it] on, and then pour water into it!


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Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it."


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot that has rust inside it, and whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; lots should not be cast for its contents.


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For the blood she shed is in her midst. She put it out on the bare rock; she didn't pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.


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In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I Myself will make the pile of kindling large.


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Pile on the logs and kindle the fire! Cook the meat well and mix in the spices! Let the bones be burned!


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Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its rust will be consumed.


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Because of the indecency of your uncleanness-- since I tried to purify you, but you would not be purified from your uncleanness-- you will not be pure again until I have satisfied My wrath on you.


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I, the LORD, have spoken. It is coming, and I will do it! I will not refrain, I will not show pity, and I will not relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a fatal blow. But you must not lament or weep or let your tears flow.


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Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover [your] mustache or eat the bread of mourners."


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I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded.


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'Say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.


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Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cover [your] mustache or eat the bread of mourners.


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Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not lament or weep but will waste away because of your sins and will groan to one another.


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Now Ezekiel will be a sign for you. You will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord God.


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'Son of man, know that on the day I take their stronghold from them, their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes and the longing of their hearts, [as well as] their sons and daughters,


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On that day your mouth will be opened [to talk] with him; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the LORD.'"


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Say to the Ammonites: Hear the word of the Lord God: This is what the Lord God says: Because you said: Good! about My sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was laid waste, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile,


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therefore I am about to give you to the people of the east as a possession. They will set up their encampments and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.


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I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a sheepfold. Then you will know that I am the LORD."


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For this is what the Lord God says: "Because you clapped [your] hands, stamped [your] feet, and rejoiced over the land of Israel with wholehearted contempt,


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therefore I am about to stretch out My hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and eliminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the LORD."


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This is what the Lord God says: "Because Moab and Seir said: Look, the house of Judah is like all the [other] nations,


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therefore I am about to expose Moab's flank beginning with its frontier cities, the pride of the land: Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim.


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I will give it along with Ammon to the people of the east as a possession, so that Ammon will not be remembered among the nations.


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This is what the Lord God says: "Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah and incurred grievous guilt by taking revenge on them,


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therefore this is what the Lord God says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off both man and animal from it. I will make it a wasteland; they will fall by the sword from Teman to Dedan.


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I will take My vengeance on Edom through My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. So they will know My vengeance." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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This is what the Lord God says: "Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with deep contempt, destroying [because of their] ancient hatred,


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therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am about to stretch out My hand against the Philistines, cutting off the Cherethites and wiping out what remains of the coastal peoples.


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I will execute great vengeance against them with furious rebukes. They will know that I am the LORD when I take My vengeance on them."


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Son of man, because Tyre said about Jerusalem: Good! The gateway to the peoples is shattered. She has been turned over to me. I will be filled [now that] she lies in ruins,


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therefore this is what the Lord God says: See, I am against you, Tyre! I will raise up many nations against you, just as the sea raises its waves.


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They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and turn her into a bare rock.


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She will become a place in the sea to spread nets, for I have spoken." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. "She will become plunder for the nations,


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and her villages on the mainland will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD."


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For this is what the Lord God says: "See, I am about to bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a vast company of troops.


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He will slaughter your villages on the mainland with the sword. He will set up siege works against you, and will build a ramp and raise a wall of shields against you.


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He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his iron tools.


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His horses will be so numerous that their dust will cover you. When he enters your gates as [an army] entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots.


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He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.


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They will take your wealth as spoil and plunder your merchandise. They will also demolish your walls and tear down your beautiful homes. Then they will throw your stones, timber, and soil into the water.


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I will turn you into a bare rock, and you will be a place to spread nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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This is what the Lord God says to Tyre: "Won't the coasts and islands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan and slaughter occurs within you?


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All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble continually, and be appalled at you.


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Then they will lament for you and say of you: How you have perished, city of renown, you who were populated from the seas! She who was powerful on the sea, she and all of her inhabitants inflicted their terror.


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Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your downfall; the islands in the sea are alarmed by your demise."


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For this is what the Lord God says: "When I make you a ruined city like [other] deserted cities, when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you,


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then I will bring you down [to be] with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the underworld like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or display [your] splendor in the land of the living.


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I will make you an object of horror, and you will no longer exist. You will be sought but will never be found again." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Say to Tyre, who is located at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coasts and islands: This is what the Lord God says: Tyre, you declared: I am perfect in beauty.


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They constructed all your planking with pine trees from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.


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They made your oars of oaks from Bashan. They made your deck of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus, [inlaid] with ivory.


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Your sail was [made of] fine embroidered linen from Egypt, and served as your banner. Your awning was of blue and purple fabric from the coasts of Elishah.


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The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers. Your wise men were within you, Tyre; they were your helmsmen.


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The elders of Gebal and its wise men were within you, repairing your leaks. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came to you to barter for your goods.


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[Men of] Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, [serving] as your warriors. They hung shields and helmets in you; they gave you splendor.


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Men of Arvad and Helech were [stationed] on your walls all around, and Gamadites were in your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls; they perfected your beauty.


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Tarshish was your trading partner because of [your] great wealth of every kind. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise.


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Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your goods.


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Men of Dedanwere also your merchants; many coasts and islands were your regular markets. They brought back ivory tusks and ebony as your payment.


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Aramwas your trading partner because of your numerous products. They exchanged turquoise, purple and embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your merchandise.


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Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They exchanged wheat from Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm for your goods.


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Damascus was also your trading partner because of your numerous products and your great wealth of every kind, [trading] in wine from Helbon and white wool.


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Vedan and Javan from Uzaldealt in your merchandise; wrought iron, cassia, and aromatic cane were [exchanged] for your goods.


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Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your business partners, trading with you in lambs, rams, and goats.


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The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They exchanged gold, the best of all spices, and all kinds of precious stones for your merchandise.


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They were your merchants in choice garments, cloaks of blue and embroidered materials, and multicolored carpets, which were bound and secured with cords in your marketplace.


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Ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your goods. So you became full and heavily loaded in the heart of the sea.


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Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you in the heart of the sea.


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Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and helmsmen, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.


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All those who handle an oar disembark from their ships. The sailors and all the helmsmen of the sea stand on the shore.


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They raise their voices over you and cry out bitterly. They throw dust on their heads; they roll in ashes.


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They shave their heads because of you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They weep over you with deep anguish and bitter mourning.


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In their wailing they lament for you, mourning over you: Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea?


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When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas, you satisfied many peoples. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and goods.


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Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your goods and the people within you have gone down.


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All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands are appalled at you. Their kings shudder with fear; [their] faces are contorted.


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Those who trade among the peoples hiss at you; you have become an object of horror and will never exist again."


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Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre: This is what the Lord God says: Your heart is proud, and you have said: I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea. Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.


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By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.


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By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth."


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I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will defile your splendor.


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Will you still say: I am a god, in the presence of those who kill you? Yet you will be [shown to be] a man, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you.


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You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. For I have spoken. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord God says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.


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You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created.


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You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones.


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Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.


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Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.


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You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I sent out fire from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you.


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All those who know you among the nations are appalled at you. You have become an object of horror and will never exist again."


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You are to say: This is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against you, Sidon, and I will display My glory within you. They will know that I am the LORD when I execute judgments against her and demonstrate My holiness through her.


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I will send a plague against her and bloodshed in her streets; the slain will fall within her, while the sword is against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD.


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The house of Israel will no longer be hurt by prickling briers or painful thorns from all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.


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This is what the Lord God says: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are scattered and demonstrate My holiness through them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their own land, which I gave to My servant Jacob.


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They will live there securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will live securely when I execute judgments against all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."


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In the tenth year, in the tenth [month] on the twelfth [day] of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:


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Son of man, turn your face toward Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt.


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Speak [to him] and say: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monsterlying in the middle of his Nile, who says: My Nile is my own; I made [it] for myself.


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I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams cling to your scales. I will haul you up from the middle of your Nile, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales.


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I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open ground and will not be taken away or gathered [for burial]. I have given you to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky as food.


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Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the LORD, for they have been a staff [made] of reed to the house of Israel.


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When Israel grasped you by the hand, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.


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Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and wipe out man and animal from you.


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The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said: The Nile is my own; I made [it],


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therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush.


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No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it. It will be uninhabited for 40 years.


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I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among ruined cities for 40 years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them across the countries.


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For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of 40 years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were dispersed.


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I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.


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Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations.


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It will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their sin of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord God."


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In the twenty-seventh year in the first [month], on the first [day] of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:


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Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it.


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Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army's compensation.


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I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for Me." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."


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For a day is near; a day belonging to the LORD is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time [of doom] for the nations.


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A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, and its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down.


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Cush, Put, and Lud, and all the various foreign troops, plus Libya and the men of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with them.


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This is what the LORD says: Those who support Egypt will fall, and its proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall within it by the sword. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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On that day, messengers will go out from Me in ships to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt's [doom]. For indeed it is coming."


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This is what the Lord God says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.


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He along with his people, ruthless men from the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.


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I will make the streams dry and sell the land into the hands of evil men. I will bring desolation on the land and everything in it by the hands of foreigners. I, the LORD, have spoken.


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This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the false gods in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt. So I will instill fear in that land.


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I will pour out My wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and will wipe out the crowds of Thebes.


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I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be breached, and Memphis will face foes in broad daylight.


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The day will be dark in Tehaphnehes, when I break the yoke of Egypt there and its proud strength comes to an end in the city. A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes, and its villages will go into captivity.


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In the eleventh year, in the first [month], on the seventh [day] of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:


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Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged-- [no] medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong [enough] to handle a sword.


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Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one [already] broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.


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I will strengthen the arms of Babylon's king and place My sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man.


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I will strengthen the arms of Babylon's king, but Pharaoh's arms will fall. They will know that I am the LORD when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon's king and he wields it against the land of Egypt.


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When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the LORD."


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In the eleventh year, in the third [month], on the first [day] of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:


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Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage, and of lofty height. Its top was among the clouds.


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The waters caused it to grow; the underground springs made it tall, directing their rivers all around the place where the tree was planted and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.


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Therefore the cedar became greater in height than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread [them] out because of the plentiful water.


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All the birds of the sky nested in its branches, and all the animals of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.


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It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant water.


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The cedars in God's garden could not rival it; the pine trees couldn't compare with its branches, nor could the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with it in beauty.


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I made it beautiful with its many limbs, and all the trees of Eden, which were in God's garden, envied it.


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Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,


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I determined to hand it over to a ruler of nations; he would surely deal with it. I banished it because of its wickedness.


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Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations, cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth's ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.


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All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs.


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[This happened] so that no trees [planted] beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no [other] well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people who descend to the Pit.


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This is what the Lord God says: I caused grieving on the day the cedar went down to Sheol. I closed off the underground deep because of it: I held back the rivers of the deep, and [its] abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn on account of it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.


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I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol [to be] with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, all the well-watered trees, the choice and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the underworld.


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They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its alliesthey had lived in its shade among the nations.


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Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden's trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld [to be] with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes"-- the declaration of the Lord God.


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In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first [day] of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:


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Son of man, lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: You compare yourself to a lion of the nations, but you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churn up the waters with your feet, and muddy the rivers."


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This is what the Lord God says: I will spread My net over you with an assembly of many peoples, and they will haul you up in My net.


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I will abandon you on the land and hurl you on the open field. I will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you and let the beasts of the entire earth eat their fill of you.


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I will drench the land with the flow of your blood, [even] to the mountains; the ravines will be filled with your [gore].


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When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.


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I will darken all the shining lights in the heavens over you, and will bring darkness on your land. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, in countries you do not know.


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I will cause many nations to be appalled at you, and their kings will shudder with fear because of you when I brandish My sword in front of them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.


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I will make your hordes fall by the swords of warriors, all of them ruthless men from the nations. They will ravage Egypt's pride, and all its hordes will be destroyed.


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I will slaughter all its cattle that are beside many waters. No human foot will churn them again, and no cattle hooves will disturb them.


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Then I will let their waters settle and will make their rivers flow like oil. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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When I make the land of Egypt a desolation, so that it is emptied of everything in it, when I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD.


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This is a lament that will be chanted; the women of the nations will chant it. They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld, [to be] with those who descend to the Pit:


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They will fall among those slain by the sword. A sword is appointed! They drag her and all her hordes away.


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Warrior leaders will speak from the middle of Sheol about him and his allies: They have come down; the uncircumcised lie slain by the sword.


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Assyria is there with all her company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.


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Her graves are set in the deepest regions of the Pit, and her company is all around her burial place. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword-- they who [once] spread terror in the land of the living.


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Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword-- they who went down to the underworld uncircumcised, who [once] spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.


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Among the slain they prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes. Her graves are all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was [once] spread in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed among the slain.


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Meshech and Tubalare there, with all their hordes. Their graves are all around them. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was [once] spread in the land of the living.


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They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were placed under their heads. The punishment for their sins rested on their bones, although the terror of [these] warriors was [once] in the land of the living.


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Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who, despite their strength, have been placed among those slain by the sword. They lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the Pit.


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All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there. They went down in shame with the slain, despite the terror their strength inspired. They lie down uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.


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Pharaoh will see them and be comforted over all his hordes-- Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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For I will spread My terror in the land of the living, so Pharaoh and all his hordes will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,


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Then, if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.


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[Since] he heard the sound of the trumpet but ignored the warning, his blood is on his own hands. If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.


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However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn't blow the trumpet, so that the people aren't warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives, then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.


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As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.


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If I say to the wicked: Wicked one, you will surely die, but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.


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But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn't turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.


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Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have said this: Our transgressions and our sins are [heavy] on us, and we are wasting away because of them! How then can we survive?


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Tell them: As I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?


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Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won't be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.


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When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.


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So when I tell the wicked person: You will surely die, but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right--


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he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity-- he will certainly live; he will not die.


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None of the sins he committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.


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When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die on account of this.


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But when a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.


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Yet you say: The Lord's way isn't fair. I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel."


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In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, "The city has been taken!"


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Now the hand of the LORD had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.


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Son of man, those who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: Abraham was only one person, yet he received possession of the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.


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Therefore say to them: This is what the Lord God says: You eat [meat] with blood [in it], raise your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then receive possession of the land?


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You have relied on your swords, you have committed abominations, and each of you has defiled his neighbor's wife. Should you then receive possession of the land?


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


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I will make the land a desolate waste, and its proud strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, with no one passing through.


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They will know that I am the LORD when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.


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Now, son of man, your people are talking about you near the [city] walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother: Come and hear what the message is that comes from the LORD!


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So My people come to you in crowds, sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don't obey them. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue unjust gain.


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Yes, to them you are like a singer of love songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don't obey them.


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Yet when it comes-- and it will definitely come-- then they will know that a prophet has been among them."


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Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them: This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock?


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You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.


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They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered.


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My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking [for them].


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As I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "because My flock has become [prey and] food for every wild animal since [they] lack a shepherd, for My shepherds do not search for My flock, and [because] the shepherds feed themselves rather than My flock,


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This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against the shepherds. I will demand My flock from them and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue My flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them.


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As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy and dark day.


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I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land.


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I will tend them with good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel's lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.


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I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.


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The Lord God says to you, My flock: I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and male goats.


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Isn't it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or [isn't it enough] that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?


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Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: See, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.


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Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over,


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I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey for you. I will judge between one sheep and another.


text:
I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.


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I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous animals in the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.


text:
I will make them and the area around My hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season-- showers of blessing.


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The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslave them.


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They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild animals of the land will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten [them].


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I will establish for them a place renowned for [its] agriculture, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations.


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Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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You are My flock, the human flock of My pasture, and I am your God." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against you, Mount Seir. I will stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolate waste.


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I will turn your cities into ruins, and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
Because you maintained an ancient hatred and handed over the Israelites to the power of the sword in the time of their disaster, the time of final punishment,


text:
therefore, as I live"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "I will destine you for bloodshed, and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.


text:
I will fill its mountains with the slain; those slain by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines.


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I will make you a perpetual desolation; your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
Because you said: These two nations and two lands will be mine, and we will possess them-- though the LORD was there--


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therefore, as I live"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "I will treat [you] according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them. I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.


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Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard all the blasphemies you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying: They are desolate. They have been given to us to devour!


text:
Just as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it became a desolation, so I will deal with you: you will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and [so will] all Edom in its entirety. Then they will know that I am the LORD.


text:
Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.


text:
This is what the Lord God says: Because the enemy has said about you, 'Good! The ancient heights have become our possession,'


text:
therefore, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord God says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people's gossip and slander,


text:
therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become plunder and a mockery to the rest of the nations all around.


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


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Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I speak in My burning zeal because you have endured the insults of the nations.


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Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I swear that the nations all around you will endure their own insults.


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You, mountains of Israel, will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, since their arrival is near.


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I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.


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I will fill you with people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make [you] better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


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I will cause people, My people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you, and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of [their] children.


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This is what the Lord God says: Because people are saying to you: You devour men and deprive your nation of children,


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therefore, you will no longer devour men and deprive your nation of children." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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I will no longer allow the insults of the nations to be heard against you, and you will not have to endure the reproach of the peoples any more; you will no longer cause your nation to stumble." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions. Their behavior before Me was like menstrual impurity.


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So I poured out My wrath on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.


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I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries. I judged them according to their conduct and actions.


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When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said about them: These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His land [in exile].


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Then I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.


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Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.


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I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations-- the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight.


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For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.


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I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.


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I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.


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I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances.


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Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.


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I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and will not bring famine on you.


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I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.


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Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations.


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It is not for your sake that I will act"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel!


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This is what the Lord God says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.


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The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by.


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Then they will say: This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are [now] fortified and inhabited.


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Then the nations that remain around you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken and I will do [it].


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This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them: I will multiply them in number like a flock.


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So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as the flock of sheep for sacrifice is filled in Jerusalem during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the LORD."


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The hand of the LORD was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.


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He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.


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He said to me, "Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!


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I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD."


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So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.


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As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.


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He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!"


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So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.


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Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.


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Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel.


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I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I have spoken, and I will do [it]." [This is] the declaration of the LORD.


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Son of man, take a single stick and write on it: Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph-- the stick of Ephraim-- and all the house of Israel associated with him.


text:
tell them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph-- which is in the hand of Ephraim-- and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in My hand.


text:
tell them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land.


text:
I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.


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They will not defile themselves any more with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.


text:
My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances, and keep My statutes and obey them.


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They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.


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I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary among them forever.


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Son of man, turn your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him


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and say: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.


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I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders, who are all splendidly dressed, a huge company armed with shields and bucklers, all of them brandishing swords.


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Gomer with all its troops; and Beth-togarmah from the remotest parts of the north along with all its troops-- many peoples are with you.


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Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and all your company who have been mobilized around you; you will be their guard.


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After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored from war and regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin. They were brought out from the peoples, and all of them [now] live securely.


text:
You, all of your troops, and many peoples with you will advance, coming like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.


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This is what the Lord God says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.


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You will say: I will go up against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely, all of them living without walls and without bars or gates--


text:
in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world.


text:
Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its rulers will ask you: Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hordes to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize great spoil?


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Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: This is what the Lord God says: On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know [this]


text:
and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north-- you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses-- a mighty horde, a huge army?


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You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against My land so that the nations may know Me, when I show Myself holy through you in their sight.


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This is what the Lord God says: Are you the one I spoke about in former times through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them?


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Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "My wrath will flare up.


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


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The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before Me. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.


text:
I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains"-- the declaration of the Lord God-- "and every man's sword will be against his brother.


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I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.


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I will display My greatness and holiness, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.


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As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.


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I will turn you around, drive you on, and lead you up from the remotest parts of the north. I will bring you against the mountains of Israel.


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You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and to the wild animals.


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I will send fire against Magog and those who live securely on the coasts and islands. Then they will know that I am the LORD.


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So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.


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Yes, it is coming, and it will happen." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God. "This is the day I have spoken about.


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Then the inhabitants of Israel's cities will go out, kindle fires, and burn the weapons-- the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them to make fires.


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They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut [it] down from the forests, for they will use the weapons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
Now on that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel-- the Valley of the Travelers east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, for Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So [it] will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.


text:
All the people of the land will bury [them] and their fame will spread on the day I display My glory." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make [their] search at the end of the seven months.


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When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will erect a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog.


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Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals: Assemble and come! Gather from all around to My sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel; you will eat flesh and drink blood.


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You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth's princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.


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You will eat fat until you are satisfied and drink blood until you are drunk, at My sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you.


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At My table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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I will display My glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them.


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And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with Me. Therefore, I hid My face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword.


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So this is what the Lord God says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.


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They will feel remorse for their disgrace and all the unfaithfulness they committed against Me, when they live securely in their land with no one to frighten [them].


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When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the countries of their enemies, I will demonstrate My holiness through them in the sight of many nations.


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They will know that I am the LORD their God when I regather them to their own land after having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind.


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I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured, on that very day the LORD's hand was on me, and He brought me there.


text:
In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. On its southern [slope] was a structure resembling a city.


text:
He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. He was standing by the gate.


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He spoke to me: "Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show [it] to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel."


text:
Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple. The measuring rod in the man's hand was six units of 21 inches; each unit was the standard length plus three inches. He measured the thickness of the [wall] structure; it was about 10 feet, and its height was the same.


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Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10 feet deep-- the first threshold was 10 feet deep.


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Each recess was about 10 feet long and 10 feet deep, and there was [a space of] eight and three-quarter feet between the recesses. The [inner] threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate's portico was about 10 feet.


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it was 14 feet, and its pilasters were three and a half feet. The portico of the gate was on the temple side.


text:
There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the pilasters on either side also had the same measurements.


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Then he measured the width of the gate's entrance; it was 17 and a half feet, while the width of the gateway was 22 and three-quarter feet.


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There was a barrier of 21 inches in front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10 and a half feet square.


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Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one recess to the roof of the [opposite] one; the distance was 43 and three-quarter feet. The openings of the recesses faced each other.


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[The distance] from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate's portico on the inside was 87 and a half feet.


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The recesses and their pilasters had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each pilaster was decorated with palm trees.


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Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement,


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Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet. [This] was the east; next the north [is described].


text:
Its three recesses on each side, its pilasters, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87 and a half feet long and 43 and three-quarter feet wide.


text:
Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them.


text:
The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet.


text:
He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He measured its pilasters and portico; they had the same measurements as the others.


text:
Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87 and a half feet long and 43 and three-quarter feet wide.


text:
Its stairway had seven steps, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its pilasters, one on each side.


text:
The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.


text:
Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others.


text:
Its recesses, pilasters, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87 and a half feet long and 43 and three-quarter feet wide.


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(There were porticoes all around, 43 and three-quarter feet long and eight and three-quarter feet wide.)


text:
Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.


text:
Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others.


text:
Its portico faced the outer court, and its pilasters were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.


text:
Then he brought me to the north gate. When he measured [it], it had the same measurements as the others,


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[as did] its recesses, pilasters, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87 and a half feet long and 43 and three-quarter feet wide.


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There was a chamber whose door [opened] into the portico of the gate. The burnt offering was to be washed there.


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Inside the portico of the gate there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering, and restitution offering.


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Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two [more] tables on the other side of the gate's portico.


text:
So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables [in all] on which the slaughtering was to be done.


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There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering, [each] 31 and a half inches long, 31 and a half inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and [other] sacrifices were placed on them.


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There were three-inch hooks fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.


text:
Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers: one beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south gate, facing north.


text:
Then the man said to me: "This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple.


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The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the LORD to serve Him."


text:
Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar was in front of the temple.


text:
Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the pilasters of the portico; they were eight and three-quarter feet [thick] on each side. The width of the gateway was 24 and a half feet, and the sidewalls of the gate were five and a quarter feet [wide] on each side.


text:
The portico was 35 feet across and 21 feet deep, and 10 steps led up to it. There were pillars by the pilasters, one on each side.


text:
Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the pilasters; on each side the width of the pilaster was 10 and a half feet.


text:
The width of the entrance was 17 and a half feet, and the sidewalls of the entrance were eight and three-quarter feet [wide] on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet, and the width, 35 feet.


text:
He went inside [the next room] and measured the pilasters at the entrance; they were three and a half feet [wide]. The entrance was 10 and a half feet [wide], and the width of the entrance's sidewalls on each side was 12 and a quarter feet.


text:
He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet. And he said to me, "This is the most holy place."


text:
Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10 and a half feet [thick]. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was seven feet.


text:
The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of 30 rooms each. There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall [itself].


text:
The side rooms surrounding [the temple] widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple [went up] by stages. This was the reason for the temple's broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.


text:
I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding [it]; this foundation for the side rooms was 10 and a half feet high.


text:
The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was eight and three-quarter feet. The free space between the side rooms of the temple


text:
The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was eight and three-quarter feet wide all around.


text:
Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122 and a half feet wide. The wall of the building was eight and three-quarter feet thick on all sides, and the building's length was 157 and a half feet.


text:
Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet long. In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long.


text:
Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries on each side; it was 175 feet. The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court--


text:
the thresholds, the beveled windows, and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold-- were overlaid with wood on all sides. [They were paneled] from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered),


text:
reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern


text:
carved with cherubim and palm trees. There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:


text:
a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side, and a lion's face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides.


text:
Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.


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The doorposts of the great hall were square, and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance.


text:
The altar was made of wood, five and a quarter feet high and three and a half feet long. It had corners, and its length and sides were of wood. The man told me, "This is the table that stands before the LORD."


text:
and each of the doors had two swinging panels. There were two panels for one door and two for the other.


text:
Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopyoutside, in front of the portico.


text:
There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides, on the sidewalls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.


text:
Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the outer court. He brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple yard and opposite the building to the north.


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Along the length [of the chambers], which was 175 feet, there was an entrance on the north; the width was 87 and a half feet.


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Opposite the 35 [foot space] belonging to the inner court and opposite the paved surface belonging to the outer court, [the structure rose] gallery by gallery in three tiers.


text:
In front of the chambers was a walkway toward the inside, 17 and a half feet wide and 175 feet long, and their entrances were on the north.


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The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building.


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For they were arranged in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle stories.


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A wall on the outside ran in front of the chambers, parallel to them, toward the outer court; it was 87 and a half feet long.


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For the chambers on the outer court were 87 and a half feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet [long].


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At the base of these chambers there was an entryway on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.


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In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south, there were chambers facing the temple yard and the [western] building,


text:
with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that faced north. Their length and width, as well as all their exits, measurements, and entrances, were identical.


text:
The entrance at the beginning of the passageway, the way in front of the corresponding wall as one enters on the east side, was similar to the entrances of the chambers that were on the south side.


text:
Then the man said to me, "The northern and southern chambers that face the temple yard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There they will deposit the most holy offerings-- the grain offerings, sin offerings, and restitution offerings-- for the place is holy.


text:
Once the priests have entered, they must not go out from the holy area to the outer court until they have removed the clothes they minister in, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area."


text:
When he finished measuring inside the temple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and measured all around the complex.


text:
He measured the temple complex on all four sides. It had a wall all around [it], 875 [feet] long and 875 [feet] wide, to separate the holy from the common.


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and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice sounded like the roar of mighty waters, and the earth shone with His glory.


text:
The vision I saw was like the one I had seen when He came to destroy the city, and like the ones I had seen by the Chebar Canal. I fell facedown.


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Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.


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He said to me: "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. [The house of] Israel and their kings will no longer defile My holy name by their [religious] prostitution and by the corpses of their kings at their high places.


text:
Whenever they placed their threshold next to My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts, with [only] a wall between Me and them, they were defiling My holy name by the abominations they committed. So I destroyed them in My anger.


text:
Now let them remove their prostitution and the corpses of their kings far from Me, and I will dwell among them forever.


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As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure [its] pattern,


text:
and they will be ashamed of all that they have done. Reveal the design of the temple to them-- its layout with its exits and entrances-- its complete design along with all its statutes, design specifications, and laws. Write it down in their sight so that they may observe its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.


text:
This is the law of the temple: all its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be especially holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.


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These are the measurements of the altar in units of length (each unit being the standard length plus three inches): the gutter is 21 inches [deep] and 21 inches wide, with a rim of nine inches around its edge. This is the base of the altar.


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[The distance] from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge is three and a half feet, and the width [of the ledge] is 21 inches. There are seven feet from the small ledge to the large ledge, [whose] width is also 21 inches.


text:
The ledge is 24 and a half feet long by 24 and a half feet wide, with four equal sides. The rim all around it is 10 and a half inches, and its gutter is 21 inches all around it. The altar's steps face east."


text:
Then He said to me: "Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it:


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You are to give a bull from the herd as a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, who approach Me in order to serve Me." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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You must take some of its blood and apply [it] to the four horns of the altar, the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. In this way you will purify the altar and make atonement for it.


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Then you must take away the bull for the sin offering, and it must be burned outside the sanctuary in the place appointed for the temple.


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On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they did with the bull.


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When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull and an unblemished ram from the flock.


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You must present them before the LORD; the priests will throw salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.


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You will offer a goat for a sin offering each day for seven days. A young bull and a ram from the flock, both unblemished, must also be offered.


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For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it. In this way they will consecrate it


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and complete the days [of purification]. Then on the eighth day and afterwards, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar, and I will accept you." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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The LORD said to me: "This gate will remain closed. It will not be opened, and no one will enter through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore it will remain closed.


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The prince himself will sit in the gateway to eat a meal before the LORD. He must enter by way of the portico of the gate and go out the same way."


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Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the LORD filled His temple. And I fell facedown.


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The LORD said to me: "Son of man, pay attention; look with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the LORD's temple. Take careful note of the entrance of the temple along with all the exits of the sanctuary.


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Say to the rebellious people, the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: [I have had] enough of all your abominations, house of Israel.


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When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy My sanctuary, you defiled My temple while you offered My food-- the fat and the blood. You broke My covenant with all your abominations.


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You have not kept charge of My holy things but have appointed [others] to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.


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This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites.


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Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who strayed from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their sin.


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Yet they will occupy My sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates and ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and [other] sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them.


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Because they ministered to the house of Israel before their idols and became a sinful stumbling block to them, therefore I swore an oath against them"-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- "that they would bear the consequences of their sin.


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They must not approach Me to serve Me as priests or come near any of My holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their disgrace and the consequences of the abominations they committed.


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Yet I will make them responsible for the duties of the temple-- for all its work and everything done in it.


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But the Levitical priests descended from Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, will approach Me to serve Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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They are the ones who may enter My sanctuary and draw near to My table to serve Me. They will keep My mandate.


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When they enter the gates of the inner court they must wear linen garments; they must not have on them anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court and within [it].


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They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They are not to put on [anything that makes them] sweat.


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Before they go out to the outer court, to the people, they must take off the clothes they have been ministering in, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the people through their clothes.


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He is not to marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin from the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.


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They must teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and explain to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.


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In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to My ordinances. They must observe My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed festivals, and keep My Sabbaths holy.


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A priest may not come [near] a dead person so that he becomes defiled. However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister.


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On the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court to minister in the sanctuary, he must present his sin offering." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


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This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.


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They will eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the restitution offering. Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated [to the LORD] will belong to them.


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The best of all the firstfruits of every kind and contribution of every kind from all your gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest so that a blessing may rest on your homes.


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When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you must set aside a donation to the LORD, a holy portion of the land, eight and one-third [miles] long and six and two-thirds [miles] wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.


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In this area there will be a square [section] for the sanctuary, 875 by 875 [feet], with 87 and a half feet of open space all around it.


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From this holy portion, you will measure off an area eight and one-third [miles] long and three and one-third [miles] wide, in which the sanctuary, the most holy place, will stand.


text:
It will be a holy area of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to serve the LORD. It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.


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There will be [another area] eight and one-third [miles] long and three and one-third [miles] wide for the Levites who minister in the temple; it will be their possession for towns to live in.


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As the property of the city, you must set aside an area one and two-thirds [of a mile] wide and eight and one-third [miles] long, adjacent to the holy donation [of land]. It will be for the whole house of Israel.


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And the prince will have the area on each side of the holy donation [of land] and the city's property, adjacent to the holy donation and the city's property, stretching to the west on the west side and to the east on the east side. [Its] length will correspond to one of the [tribal] portions from the western boundary to the eastern boundary.


text:
This will be his land as a possession in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress My people but give the [rest of the] land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.


text:
This is what the Lord God says: You have gone too far, princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of My people." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
The dry measure and the liquid measure will be uniform, with the liquid measure containing five and a half gallons and the dry measure [holding] half a bushel. Their measurement will be one-tenth of the standard larger capacity measure.


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This is the contribution you are to offer: Three quarts from five bushels of wheat and three quarts from five bushels of barley.


text:
The quota of oil in liquid measures will be one percent of every cor. [The cor equals] 10 liquid measures [or] one standard larger capacity measure, since 10 liquid measures equal one standard larger capacity measure.


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And [the quota] from the flock is one animal out of every 200 from the well-watered pastures of Israel. [These are] for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings, to make atonement for the people." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
Then the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths-- for all the appointed times of the house of Israel-- will be the prince's responsibility. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.


text:
This is what the Lord God says: In the first [month], on the first [day] of the month, you are to take a young, unblemished bull and purify the sanctuary.


text:
The priest must take some of the blood from the sin offering and apply [it] to the temple doorposts, the four corners of the altar's ledge, and the doorposts of the gate to the inner court.


text:
You must do the same thing on the seventh [day] of the month for everyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance. In this way you will make atonement for the temple.


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In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month, you are to celebrate the Passover, a festival of seven days [during which] unleavened bread will be eaten.


text:
On that day the prince will provide a bull as a sin offering on behalf of himself and all the people of the land.


text:
During the seven days of the festival, he will provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD on each of the seven days, along with a male goat each day for a sin offering.


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He will also provide a grain offering of half a bushel per bull and half a bushel per ram, along with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.


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At the festival [that begins] on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he will provide the same things for seven days-- the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.


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This is what the Lord God says: The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day and opened on the day of the New Moon.


text:
The prince should enter from the outside by way of the gate's portico and stand at the doorpost of the gate while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He will bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be closed until evening.


text:
The people of the land will also bow in worship before the LORD at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.


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The burnt offering that the prince presents to the LORD on the Sabbath day is to be six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram.


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The grain offering will be half a bushel with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be whatever he wants to give, as well as a gallon of oil for every half bushel.


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On the day of the New Moon, [the burnt offering] is to be a young, unblemished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram without blemish.


text:
He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.


text:
When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed times, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one must return through the gate by which he entered, but must go out by the opposite gate.


text:
At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.


text:
When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the LORD, the gate that faces east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate must be closed after he leaves.


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You must offer an unblemished year-old male lamb as a daily burnt offering to the LORD; you will offer it every morning.


text:
You must also prepare a grain offering every morning along with it: three quarts, with one-third of a gallon of oil to moisten the fine flour-- a grain offering to the LORD. [This is] a permanent statute [to be observed] regularly.


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They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.


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This is what the Lord God says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their inheritance, it will belong to his sons. It will become their property by inheritance.


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But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom, when it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs.


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The prince must not take any of the people's inheritance, evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his own property."


text:
Then he brought me through the entrance that was at the side of the gate, into the priests' holy chambers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far western end.


text:
He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring [them] into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people."


text:
Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a [separate] court in each of its corners.


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In the four corners of the [outer] court there were enclosed courts, 70 [feet] long by 52 and a half [feet] wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions.


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There was a [stone] wall around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides.


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He said to me: "These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the people's sacrifices."


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Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side [of the threshold] of the temple, south of the altar.


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Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side.


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As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to [my] ankles.


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Then he measured off a third [of a mile] and led me through the water. It came up to [my] knees. He measured off another third [of a mile] and led me through [the water]. It came up to [my] waist.


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Again he measured off a third of a [mile], and it was a river that I could not cross [on foot]. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed [on foot].


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He said to me, "This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water [of the sea] becomes fresh.


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Every [kind of] living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.


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Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.


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All [kinds of] trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water [comes] from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine."


text:
This is what the Lord God says: "This is the border you will [use to] divide the land as an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.


text:
You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore to give it to your ancestors. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.


text:
This is to be the border of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,


text:
Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), [as far as] Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.


text:
So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.


text:
On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the [northern] border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side.


text:
On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and on to the Brook [of Egypt] as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.


text:
On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the [southern] border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.


text:
You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you, who have fathered children among you. You will treat them like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.


text:
In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebo-hamath as far as Hazar-enon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan-- one portion.


text:
Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh-- one [portion].


text:
Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate [to the LORD], eight and one-third [miles] wide, and as long as one of the [tribal] portions from the east side to the west. The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.


text:
The [special] portion you donate to the LORD will be eight and one-third [miles] long and three and one-third [miles] wide.


text:
This holy donation will be set apart for the priests [alone]. It will be eight and one-third [miles long] on the northern side, three and one-third [miles] wide on the western side, three and one-third [miles] wide on the eastern side, and eight and one-third [miles] long on the southern side. The LORD's sanctuary will be in the middle of it.


text:
It is for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.


text:
It will be a special donation for them out of the [holy] donation of the land, a most holy place adjacent to the territory of the Levites.


text:
Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites [will have an area] eight and one-third [miles] long and three and one-third [miles] wide. The total length will be eight and one-third [miles] and the width three and one-third [miles].


text:
They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this choice [part] of the land, for it is holy to the LORD.


text:
The remaining [area], one and two-thirds [of a mile] wide and eight and one-third [miles long], will be for common use by the city, for [both] residential and open space. The city will be in the middle of it.


text:
These are the city's measurements: one and a half [miles] on the north side; one and a half [miles] on the south side; one and a half [miles] on the east side; and one and a half [miles] on the west side.


text:
The city's open space will extend: 425 [feet] to the north, 425 [feet] to the south, 425 [feet] to the east, and 425 [feet] to the west.


text:
The remainder of the length alongside the holy donation will be three and one-third [miles] to the east and three and one-third [miles] to the west. It will run alongside the holy donation. Its produce will be food for the workers of the city.


text:
The entire donation will be eight and one-third [miles] by eight and one-third [miles]; you are to set apart the holy donation along with the city property as a square [area].


text:
The remaining [area] on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince. He will own [the land] adjacent to the [tribal] portions, next to the eight and one-third [miles] of the donation as far as the eastern border and next to the eight and one-third [miles of the donation] as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.


text:
Except for the Levitical property and the city property in the middle of the area belonging to the prince, the area between the territory of Judah and that of Benjamin will belong to the prince.


text:
Next to the territory of Gad toward the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the Brook [of Egypt], and out to the Mediterranean Sea.


text:
This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to Israel's tribes, and these will be their portions." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.


text:
there will be three gates facing north, the gates of the city being named for the tribes of Israel: one, the gate of Reuben; one, the gate of Judah; and one, the gate of Levi.


text:
On the east side, which is one and a half [miles], there will be three gates: one, the gate of Joseph; one, the gate of Benjamin; and one, the gate of Dan.


text:
On the south side, which measures one and a half [miles], there will be three gates: one, the gate of Simeon; one, the gate of Issachar; and one, the gate of Zebulun.


text:
On the west side, which is one and a half [miles], there will be three gates: one, the gate of Gad; one, the gate of Asher; and one, the gate of Naphtali.


text:
The perimeter [of the city] will be six [miles], and the name of the city from that day on will be: Yahweh Is There."


text:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it.


text:
The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.


text:
The king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility--


text:
young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king's palace-- and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature.


text:
The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to serve in the king's court.


text:
The chief official gave them [different] names: to Daniel, he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.


text:
Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.


text:
yet he said to Daniel, "My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I'm afraid [of what would happen] if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would endanger my life with the king."


text:
So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,


text:
Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king's food, and deal with your servants based on what you see."


text:
At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king's food.


text:
So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.


text:
God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind.


text:
At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.


text:
The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to serve in the king's court.


text:
In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them 10 times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in his entire kingdom.


text:
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him.


text:
So the king gave orders to summon the diviner-priests, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,


text:
The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): "May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation."


text:
The king replied to the Chaldeans, "My word is final: If you don't tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump.


text:
But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you'll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me."


text:
They answered a second time, "May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the interpretation."


text:
The king replied, "I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final.


text:
If you don't tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation."


text:
The Chaldeans answered the king, "No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any diviner-priest, medium, or Chaldean.


text:
What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals."


text:
Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.


text:
The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.


text:
Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.


text:
He asked Arioch, the king's officer, "Why is the decree from the king so harsh?" Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel.


text:
So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.


text:
[urging] them to ask the God of heaven for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of Babylon's wise men.


text:
He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.


text:
I offer thanks and praise to You, God of my fathers, because You have given me wisdom and power. And now You have let me know what we asked of You, for You have let us know the king's mystery.


text:
Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, "Don't kill the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation."


text:
Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, "I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation."


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


text:
Daniel answered the king: "No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about.


text:
But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions [that came into] your mind [as you lay] in bed were these:


text:
Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came [to your mind] about what will happen in the future. The revealer of mysteries has let you know what will happen.


text:
As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.


text:
My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying.


text:
The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze,


text:
As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.


text:
Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.


text:
Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.


text:
Wherever people live-- or wild animals, or birds of the air-- He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.


text:
After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.


text:
A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.


text:
You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter's fired clay and partly of iron-- it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay,


text:
and that the toes of the feet were part iron and part fired clay-- part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.


text:
You saw the iron mixed with clay-- the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.


text:
In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.


text:
You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation certain."


text:
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.


text:
The king said to Daniel, "Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery."


text:
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.


text:
At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.


text:
King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, 90 feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.


text:
King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


text:
So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


text:
When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.


text:
But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire."


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Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


text:
You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue.


text:
There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."


text:
Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king.


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


text:
Now if you're ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don't worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire-- and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?"


text:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, "Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to give you an answer to this question.


text:
If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king.


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But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."


text:
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary,


text:
and he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.


text:
So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.


text:
Since the king's command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up.


text:
Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, "Didn't we throw three men, bound, into the fire?" "Yes, of course, Your Majesty," they replied to the king.


text:
He exclaimed, "Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."


text:
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God-- come out!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.


text:
When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king's advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.


text:
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel and rescued His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king's command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.


text:
Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this."


text:
King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and language, who live in all the earth: May your prosperity increase.


text:
How great are His miracles, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.


text:
So I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream's interpretation known to me.


text:
When the diviner-priests, mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.


text:
Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god-- and the spirit of the holy gods is in him-- came before me. I told him the dream:


text:
Belteshazzar, head of the diviners, because I know that you have a spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery puzzles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation.


text:
In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this: There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was great.


text:
The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth.


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Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the air lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it.


text:
As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven.


text:
He called out loudly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.


text:
But leave the stump with its roots in the ground, and with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share the plants of the earth with the animals.


text:
Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of an animal for seven periods of time.


text:
This word is by decree of the observers; the matter is a command from the holy ones. This is so the living will know that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. He gives it to anyone He wants and sets over it the lowliest of men.


text:
This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me. But you can, because you have the spirit of the holy gods.


text:
Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, "Belteshazzar, don't let the dream or its interpretation alarm you." Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!


text:
The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth,


text:
whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant-- and on it was food for all, under it the wild animals lived, and in its branches the birds of the air lived--


text:
that tree is you, the king. For you have become great and strong: your greatness has grown and even reaches the sky, and your dominion [extends] to the ends of the earth.


text:
The king saw an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky, and share [food] with the wild animals for seven periods of time.'


text:
This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the sentence of the Most High that has been passed against my lord the king:


text:
You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants.


text:
As for the command to leave the tree's stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules.


text:
Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity."


text:
the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?"


text:
While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you.


text:
You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants."


text:
At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles' [feathers] and his nails like birds' [claws].


text:
But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.


text:
All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?"


text:
At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me.


text:
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.


text:
Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them.


text:
So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them.


text:
At that moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king's palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing,


text:
his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that his hip joints shook and his knees knocked together.


text:
The king called out to bring in the mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers. He said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this inscription and gives me its interpretation will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom."


text:
So all the king's wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make known its interpretation to him.


text:
Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face turned pale, and his nobles were bewildered.


text:
Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. "May the king live forever," she said. "Don't let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale.


text:
There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the diviners, mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers. Your own predecessor, the king,


text:
[did this] because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and perception, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems. Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation."


text:
Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, "Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah?


text:
I've heard that you have the spirit of the gods in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.


text:
Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation.


text:
However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom."


text:
Then Daniel answered the king, "You may keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.


text:
Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.


text:
Because of the greatness He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted.


text:
But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.


text:
He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal's, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over the kingdom of men and sets anyone He wants over it.


text:
Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in His hand and who controls the whole course of your life.


text:
This is the interpretation of the message: MENE [means that] God has numbered [the days of] your kingdom and brought it to an end.


text:
Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, [placed] a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.


text:
and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.


text:
Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.


text:
The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.


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


text:
So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, "May King Darius live forever.


text:
All the administrators of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that for 30 days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions' den.


text:
Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed."


text:
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.


text:
So they approached the king and asked about his edict: "Didn't you sign an edict that for 30 days any man who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions' den?" The king answered, "As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable."


text:
Then they replied to the king, "Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day."


text:
As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.


text:
Then these men went to the king and said to him, "You as king know it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed."


text:
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!"


text:
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed.


text:
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep.


text:
When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. "Daniel, servant of the living God," the king said, "has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions?"


text:
My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths. They haven't hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king."


text:
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den, uninjured, for he trusted in his God.


text:
The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions' den-- they, their children, and their wives. They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.


text:
Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live in all the earth: "May your prosperity abound.


text:
I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end.


text:
He rescues and delivers; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."


text:
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary of his account.


text:
Daniel said, "In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.


text:
The first was like a lion but had eagle's wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.


text:
Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.'


text:
While I was watching, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads and was given authority to rule.


text:
While I was watching in the night visions, a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had 10 horns.


text:
While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes in this horn like a man's, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.


text:
As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of His head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire.


text:
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands served Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.


text:
I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire.


text:
As for the rest of the beasts, their authority to rule was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time.


text:
I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him.


text:
He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.


text:
As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me, and the visions in my mind terrified me.


text:
I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he let me know the interpretation of these things:


text:
But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.'


text:
Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left.


text:
[I also wanted to know] about the 10 horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell-- the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that was more visible than the others.


text:
until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.


text:
This is what he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.


text:
The 10 horns are 10 kings who will rise from this kingdom. Another, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings.


text:
He will speak words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivals and laws, and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.


text:
But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever.


text:
The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.'


text:
This is the end of the interpretation. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."


text:
In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier.


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I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.


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I looked up, and there was a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last.


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I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wanted and became great.


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As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.


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He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury.


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I saw him approaching the ram, and infuriated with him, he struck the ram, shattering his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his power.


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Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, [pointing] toward the four winds of heaven.


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From one of them a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.


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It grew as high as the heavenly host, made some of the stars and some of the host fall to the earth, and trampled them.


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It made itself great, even up to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary.


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Because of rebellion, a host, together with the daily sacrifice, will be given over. The horn will throw truth to the ground and will be successful in whatever it does.


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Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, "How long will [the events of] this vision last-- the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?"


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While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man.


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I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: "Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."


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So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision refers to the time of the end."


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While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face [to the ground]. Then he touched me, made me stand up,


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and said, "I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end.


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The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.


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The four horns that took the place of the shattered horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.


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Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.


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His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people.


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He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In [a time of] peace, he will destroy many; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. But he will be shattered, not by human hands.


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The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. Now you must seal up the vision because it refers to many days [in the future]."


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I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.


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In the first year of Darius, who was the son of Ahasuerus, was a Mede by birth, and was ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans--


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in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70.


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So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.


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I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: Ah, Lord-- the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commandments--


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we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.


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We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.


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Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel-- those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where You have dispersed them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward You.


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LORD, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.


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and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by following His instructions that He set before us through His servants the prophets.


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All Israel has broken Your law and turned away, refusing to obey You. The promised cursewritten in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against Him.


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He has carried out His words that He spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing on us so great a disaster that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven.


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Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not appeased the LORD our God by turning from our injustice and paying attention to Your truth.


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So the LORD kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all He has done. But we have not obeyed Him.


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Now, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made Your name [renowned] as it is this day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.


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Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, may Your anger and wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the injustices of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.


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Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of Your servant. Show Your favor to Your desolate sanctuary for the Lord's sake.


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Listen, my God, and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city called by Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You based on our righteous acts, but based on Your abundant compassion.


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Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for Your own sake, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.


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While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God--


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while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.


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At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured [by God]. So consider the message and understand the vision:


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Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city-- to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away injustice, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.


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Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times.


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After those 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming prince will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed.


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He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator."


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In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.


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I didn't eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn't put any oil [on my body] until the three weeks were over.


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On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,


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His body was like topaz, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.


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Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid.


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I was left alone, looking at this great vision. No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale,and I was powerless.


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I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.


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He said to me, "Daniel, you are a man treasured [by God]. Understand the words that I'm saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you." After he said this to me, I stood trembling.


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Don't be afraid, Daniel," he said to me, "for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.


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But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.


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Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days."


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Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, "My lord, because of the vision, I am overwhelmed and powerless.


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How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me."


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He said, "Don't be afraid, you who are treasured [by God]. Peace to you; be very strong!" As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."


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


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No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.


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Now I will tell you the truth. "Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.


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But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them.


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The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his.


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After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times.


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In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph.


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He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,


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His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood,and will again wage war as far as his fortress.


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Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North, who will raise a great multitude, but the multitude will be handed over to his enemy.


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When the multitude is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph.


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The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.


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In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail.


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Then the king of the North will come, build up an assault ramp, and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist.


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The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful landwith total destruction in his hand.


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He will resolve to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him. He will give him a daughter in marriage to destroy it, but she will not stand with him or support him.


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Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him.


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He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and be no more.


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In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger or in battle.


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In his place a despised person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peaceand seize the kingdom by intrigue.


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A flood of forces will be swept away before him; they will be shattered, as well as the covenant prince.


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After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation.


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During a time of peace, he will come into the richest parts of the province and do what his fathers and predecessors never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will make plans against fortified cities, but only for a time.


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With a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will prepare for battle with an extremely large and powerful army, but he will not succeed, because plots will be made against him.


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Those who eat his provisions will destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain.


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The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.


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The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; he will take action, then return to his own land.


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Ships of Kittimwill come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant.


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His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.


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With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.


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Those who are wise among the people will give understanding to many, yet they will die by sword and flame, and be captured and plundered for a time.


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Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.


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Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished.


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He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all.


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Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses-- a god his fathers did not know-- with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches.


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He will deal with the strongest fortresses with [the help of] a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.


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At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood.


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He will also invade the beautiful land, and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of the Ammonites.


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He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.


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But reports from the east and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.


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He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.


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At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape.


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Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt.


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Those who are wise will shine like the bright expanse [of the heavens], and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.


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But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase."


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Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other.


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One said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long until the end of these extraordinary things?"


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Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by Him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half [a time]. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.


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Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.


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From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.


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But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, then rise to your destiny at the end of the days."


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The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.


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When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and [have] children of promiscuity, for the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning the LORD.


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Then the LORD said to him: Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.


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She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to him: Name her No Compassion, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. I will certainly take them away.


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But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the LORD their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.


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Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not My people, they will be called: Sons of the living God.


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And the Judeans and the Israelites will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves a single ruler, and go up from the land. For the day of Jezreel will be great.


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Rebuke your mother; rebuke [her]. For she is not My wife and I am not her husband. Let her remove the promiscuous look from her face and her adultery from between her breasts.


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Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her as she was on the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and like a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst.


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For their mother is promiscuous; she conceived them and acted shamefully. For she thought: I will go after my lovers, the men who give me my food and water, my wool and flax, my oil and drink.


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Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her way with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths.


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She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find [them]. Then she will think: I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now.


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She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal.


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Therefore, I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were to cover her nakedness.


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I will devastate her vines and fig trees. She thinks that these are her wages that her lovers have given her. I will turn them into a thicket, and the wild animals will eat them.


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And I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, put on her rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but forgot Me. [This is] the LORD's declaration.


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There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as [she did] in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.


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In that day-- the LORD's declaration-- you will call [Me]: My husband, and no longer call Me: My Baal.


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For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names.


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On that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the ground. I will shatter bow, sword, and weapons of war in the land and will enable the people to rest securely.


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I will take you to be My wife forever. I will take you to be My wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion.


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On that day I will respond-- the LORD's declaration. I will respond to the sky, and it will respond to the earth.


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I will sow her in the land for Myself, and I will have compassion on No Compassion; I will say to Not My People: You are My people, and he will say: [You are] My God.


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Then the LORD said to me, "Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the LORD loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."


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I said to her, "You must live with me many days. Don't be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you."


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For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.


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Afterwards, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.


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Hear the word of the LORD, people of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land!


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For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear.


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You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother.


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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons.


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[The same judgment] will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.


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They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply; for they have abandoned their devotion to the LORD.


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My people consult their wooden [idols], and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God.


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They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.


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I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed.


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Israel, if you act promiscuously, don't let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, and do not swear an oath: As the LORD lives!


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For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. Can the LORD now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow?


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Hear this, priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, royal house! For the judgment applies to you because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor.


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I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me. For now, Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled.


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Their actions do not allow [them] to return to their God, for a spirit of promiscuity is among them, and they do not know the LORD.


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Israel's arrogance testifies against them. Both Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their wickedness; even Judah will stumble with them.


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They go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD but do not find [Him]; He has withdrawn from them.


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They betrayed the LORD; indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children. Now the New Moon will devour them along with their fields.


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Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel.


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The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out My fury on them like water.


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When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent [a delegation] to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.


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For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear [them] to pieces and depart. I will carry [them] off, and no one can rescue [them].


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I will depart and return to My place until they recognize their guilt and seek My face; they will search for Me in their distress.


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Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn [us], and He will heal us; He has wounded [us], and He will bind up our wounds.


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He will revive us after two days, and on the third day He will raise us up so we can live in His presence.


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Let us strive to know the LORD. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land.


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What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your loyalty is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes.


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This is why I have used the prophets to cut them down; I have killed them with the words of My mouth. My judgment strikes like lightning.


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Like robbers who wait in ambush for someone, a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem. They commit atrocities.


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I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim's promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.


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when I heal Israel, the sins of Ephraim and the crimes of Samaria will be exposed. For they practice fraud; a thief breaks in; a gang pillages outside.


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But they never consider that I remember all their evil. Now their sins are all around them; they are right in front of My face.


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All of them commit adultery; [they are] like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring [the fire] from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.


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On the day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine-- there is a conspiracy with traitors.


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For they-- their hearts like an oven-- draw him into their oven. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.


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All of them are as hot as an oven, and they consume their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls on Me.


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Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations. Ephraim is unturned bread, baked on a griddle.


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Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not notice.


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Israel's arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God, and for all this, they do not seek Him.


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As they are going, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly.


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Woe to them, for they fled from Me; destruction to them, for they rebelled against Me! Though I want to redeem [them], they speak lies against Me.


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They do not cry to Me from their hearts; rather, they wail on their beds. They slash themselves for grain and wine; they turn away from Me.


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They turn, but not to what is above; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because of the cursing of their tongue. They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt.


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[Put] the horn to your mouth! One like an eagle comes against the house of the LORD, because they transgress My covenant and rebel against My law.


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They have installed kings, but not through Me. They have appointed leaders, but without My approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction.


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Your calf-idol is rejected, Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?


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For this thing is from Israel-- a craftsman made it, and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!


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Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up.


text:
For they have gone up to Assyria [like] a wild donkey going off on its own. Ephraim has paid for love.


text:
Even though they hire [lovers] among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to decrease in number under the burden of the king and leaders.


text:
Though I were to write out for him ten thousand points of My law, they would be regarded as something alien.


text:
Though they offer sacrificial gifts and eat the flesh, the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins; they will return to Egypt.


text:
Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels.


text:
Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly as the nations do, for you have acted promiscuously, leaving your God. You have loved the wages of a prostitute on every grain-threshing floor.


text:
They will not stay in the land of the LORD. Instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Assyria.


text:
They will not pour out their wine offerings to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him. Their [food] will be like the bread of mourners; all who eat it become defiled. For their bread will be for their appetites [alone]; it will not enter the house of the LORD.


text:
For even if they flee from devastation, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Thistles will take possession of their precious silver; thorns will invade their tents.


text:
The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have come. Let Israel recognize it! The prophet is a fool, and the inspired man is insane, because of the magnitude of your guilt and hostility.


text:
Ephraim's watchman is with my God. The prophet [encounters] a fowler's snare on all his ways. Hostility is in the house of his God!


text:
They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their guilt; He will punish their sins.


text:
I discovered Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, consecrated themselves to Shame, and became detestable, like the thing they loved.


text:
Even if they raise children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!


text:
I have seen Ephraim like Tyre, planted in a meadow, so Ephraim will bring out his children to the executioner.


text:
All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I came to hate them. I will drive them from My house because of their evil, wicked actions. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.


text:
Ephraim is blighted; their roots are withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs.


text:
My God will reject them because they have not listened to Him; they will become wanderers among the nations.


text:
Israel is a lush vine; it yields fruit for itself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better they made the sacred pillars.


text:
Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.


text:
In fact, they are now saying: "We have no king! For we do not fear the LORD. What can a king do for us?"


text:
They speak [mere] words, taking false oaths while making covenants. So lawsuits break out like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.


text:
The residents of Samaria will have anxiety over the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it; the people will mourn over it, over its glory. It will certainly depart from them.


text:
The calf itself will be taken to Assyria as an offering to the great king. Ephraim will experience shame; Israel will be ashamed of its counsel.


text:
The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; thorns and thistles will grow over their altars. They will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall on us!"


text:
Israel, you have sinned since the days of Gibeah; they have taken their stand there. Will not war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah?


text:
I will discipline them at my discretion; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for their two crimes.


text:
Ephraim is a well-trained young cow that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will do the final plowing.


text:
Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your untilled ground. It is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.


text:
You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in your large number of soldiers,


text:
the roar of battle will rise against your people, and all your fortifications will be demolished in a day of war, like Shalman's destruction of Beth-arbel. Mothers will be dashed to pieces along with [their] children.


text:
So it will be done to you, Bethel, because of your extreme evil. At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.


text:
[The more] they called them, [the more] they departed from Me. They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.


text:
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in My arms, but they never knew that I healed them.


text:
I led them with human cords, with ropes of kindness. To them I was like one who eases the yoke from their jaws; I bent down to give them food.


text:
Israel will not return to the land of Egypt and Assyria will be his king, because they refused to repent.


text:
A sword will whirl through his cities; it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates, because of their schemes.


text:
My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to Him on high, He will not exalt them at all.


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How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; My compassion is stirred!


text:
I will not vent the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage.


text:
They will follow the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west.


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They will be roused like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes. [This is] the LORD's declaration.


text:
Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with El and is faithful to holy ones.


text:
Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and violence. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and olive oil is carried to Egypt.


text:
The LORD also has a dispute with Judah. He is about to punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him based on his actions.


text:
Jacob struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He found him at Bethel, and there He spoke with him.


text:
But Ephraim says: "How rich I have become; I made it all myself. In all my earnings, no one can find any crime in me that I can be punished for!"


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I have been the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt. I will make you live in tents again, as in the festival days.


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Since Gilead is full of evil, they will certainly come to nothing. They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal; even their altars will be like heaps of rocks on the furrows of a field.


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Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and repay him for his contempt.


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When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.


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Now they continue to sin and make themselves a cast image, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say about them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves."


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Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.


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I have been the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, and no Savior exists besides Me.


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When they had pasture, they became satisfied; they were satisfied, and their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot Me.


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I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs and tear open the rib cage over their hearts. I will devour them there like a lioness, like a wild beast that would rip them open.


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Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities, and the rulers you demanded, saying: Give me a king and leaders?


text:
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.


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Although he flourishes among [his] brothers, an east wind will come, a wind from the LORD rising up from the desert. His water source will fail, and his spring will run dry. The wind will plunder the treasury of every precious item.


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Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.


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Take words [of repentance] with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him: "Forgive all [our] sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips.


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Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim: Our gods! to the work of our hands. For the fatherless receives compassion in You."


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I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like [the cedars of] Lebanon.


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His new branches will spread, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance, like [the forest of] Lebanon.


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The people will return and live beneath his shade. They will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.


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Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from Me.


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Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.


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Hear this, you elders; listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?


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Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation.


text:
What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.


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Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you wine drinkers, because of the sweet wine, for it has been taken from your mouth.


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For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness.


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It has devastated My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away; its branches have turned white.


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Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, who are ministers of the LORD, mourn.


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The fields are destroyed; the land grieves; indeed, the grain is destroyed; the new wine is dried up; and the olive oil fails.


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Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.


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The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple-- all the trees of the orchard-- have withered. Indeed, human joy has dried up.


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Dress [in sackcloth] and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come and spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.


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Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.


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Woe because of that day! For the Day of the LORD is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty.


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The seeds lie shriveled in their casings. The storehouses are in ruin, and the granaries are broken down, because the grain has withered away.


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How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander in confusion since they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.


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I call to You, LORD, for fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have devoured all the trees of the countryside.


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Even the wild animals cry out to You, for the river beds are dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.


text:
Blow the horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming; in fact, it is near--


text:
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and dense overcast, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people [appears], such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.


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A fire destroys in front of them, and behind them a flame devours. The land in front of them is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland; there is no escape from them.


text:
They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots, like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for war.


text:
They attack as warriors [attack]; they scale walls as men of war [do]. Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course.


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They do not push each other; each man proceeds on his own path. They dodge the missiles, never stopping.


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They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses; they enter through the windows like thieves.


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The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.


text:
The LORD raises His voice in the presence of His army. His camp is very large; Those who carry out His command are powerful. Indeed, the Day of the LORD is terrible and dreadful-- who can endure it?


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Even now-- [this is] the LORD's declaration-- turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.


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Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.


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Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, [so you can] offer grain and wine to the LORD your God.


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Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber.


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Let the priests, the LORD's ministers, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say: "Have pity on Your people, LORD, and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"


text:
The LORD answered His people: Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and olive oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.


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I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done catastrophic things.


text:
Don't be afraid, wild animals, for the wilderness pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.


text:
Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the LORD your God, because He gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before.


text:
I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust-- My great army that I sent against you.


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You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of Yahweh your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame.


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You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.


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After this I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.


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The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the LORD comes.


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Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the LORD promised, among the survivors the LORD calls.


text:
I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of My people, My inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up My land.


text:
They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.


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And also: Tyre, Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia-- what are you to Me? Are you paying Me back or trying to get even with Me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.


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You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks to remove them far from their own territory.


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Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them; I will bring retribution on your heads.


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I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation, for the LORD has spoken.


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Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for holy war; rouse the warriors; let all the men of war advance and attack!


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Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Let even the weakling say: I am a warrior.


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Let the nations be roused and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the surrounding nations.


text:
Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample [the grapes] because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is great.


text:
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.


text:
The LORD will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will shake. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the Israelites.


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Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, and foreigners will never overrun it again.


text:
In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from the LORD's house, watering the Valley of Acacias.


text:
Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence [done] to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood.


text:
The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders from Tekoa-- what he saw regarding Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.


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He said: The LORD roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Damascus for three crimes, even four, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.


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I will break down the gates of Damascus. I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven, and the one who wields the scepter from Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir. The LORD has spoken.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Gaza for three crimes, even four, because they exiled a whole community, handing them over to Edom.


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I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn My hand against Ekron, and the remainder of the Philistines will perish. The Lord God has spoken.


text:
The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Tyre for three crimes, even four, because they handed over a whole community of exiles to Edom and broke a treaty of brotherhood.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Edom for three crimes, even four, because he pursued his brother with the sword. He stifled his compassion, his anger tore [at them] continually, and he harbored his rage incessantly.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.


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Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its citadels. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.


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Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram's horn.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept His statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray.


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The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a righteous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals.


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They trample the heads of the poor on the dust of the ground and block the path of the needy. A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, profaning My holy name.


text:
They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as collateral, and they drink in the house of their God wine obtained through fines.


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Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced; his height was like the cedars, and he was as sturdy as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.


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And I brought you from the land of Egypt and led you 40 years in the wilderness in order to possess the land of the Amorite.


text:
I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is this not the case, Israelites? [This is] the LORD's declaration.


text:
Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not prevail by his strength, and the brave will not save his life.


text:
The archer will not stand [his ground], the [one who is] swift of foot will not save himself, and the one riding a horse will not save his life.


text:
Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:


text:
I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.


text:
Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl from its lair unless it has captured [something]?


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Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there is no bait for it? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has caught nothing?


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If a ram's horn is blown in a city, aren't people afraid? If a disaster occurs in a city, hasn't the LORD done it?


text:
Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt: Assemble on the mountains of Samaria and see the great turmoil in the city and the acts of oppression within it.


text:
The people are incapable of doing right-- the LORD's declaration-- those who store up violence and destruction in their citadels.


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Therefore, the Lord God says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels.


text:
The LORD says: As the shepherd snatches two legs or a piece of an ear from the lion's mouth, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be rescued with [only] the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.


text:
Listen and testify against the house of Jacob-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God, the God of Hosts.


text:
I will punish the altars of Bethel on the day I punish Israel for its crimes; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.


text:
I will demolish the winter house and the summer house; the houses [inlaid with] ivory will be destroyed, and the great houses will come to an end-- the LORD's declaration.


text:
Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who are on the hill of Samaria, women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to their husbands, "Bring us something to drink."


text:
The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: Look, the days are coming when you will be taken away with hooks, every last [one] of you with fishhooks.


text:
You will go through breaches in the wall, each woman straight ahead, and you will be driven along toward Harmon. [This is] the LORD's declaration.


text:
Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tenths every three days.


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Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings, for that is what you Israelites love [to do]! [This is] the LORD's declaration.


text:
I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to Me-- the LORD's declaration.


text:
I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered.


text:
Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water but were not satisfied, yet you did not return to Me-- the LORD's declaration.


text:
I struck you with blight and mildew; the locust devoured your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me-- the LORD's declaration.


text:
I sent plagues like those of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I caused the stench of your camp to fill your nostrils, yet you did not return to Me-- the LORD's declaration.


text:
I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick snatched from a fire, yet you did not return to Me-- the LORD's declaration.


text:
Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you, and since I will do that to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!


text:
He is here: the One who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, the One who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth. Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name.


text:
She has fallen; Virgin Israel will never rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up.


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For the Lord God says: The city that marches out a thousand [strong] will have [only] a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred [strong] will have [only] ten left in the house of Israel.


text:
Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or journey to Beer-sheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.


text:
Seek Yahweh and live, or He will spread like fire [throughout] the house of Joseph; it will consume [everything,] with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.


text:
The One who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the earth-- Yahweh is His name.


text:
They hate the one who convicts [the guilty] at the city gate and despise the one who speaks with integrity.


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Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.


text:
For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the gates.


text:
Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.


text:
Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.


text:
Therefore Yahweh, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the public squares; they will cry out in anguish in all the streets. The farmer will be called on to mourn, and professional mournersto wail.


text:
Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.


text:
It will be like a man who flees from a lion only to have a bear confront him. He goes home and rests his hand against the wall only to have a snake bite him.


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Even if you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept [them]; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.


text:
House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to Me during the 40 years in the wilderness?


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But you have taken up Sakkuthyour king and Kaiwanyour star god, images you have made for yourselves.


text:
So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus." Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name. He has spoken.


text:
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria-- the notable people in this first of the nations, those the house of Israel comes to.


text:
Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?


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They lie on beds [inlaid with] ivory, sprawled out on their couches, and dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.


text:
They drink wine by the bowlful and anoint themselves with the finest oils but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.


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Therefore, they will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and the feasting of those who sprawl out will come to an end.


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The Lord God has sworn by Himself-- the declaration of Yahweh, the God of Hosts: I loathe Jacob's pride and hate his citadels, so I will hand over the city and everything in it.


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A close relative and a burner,will remove his corpse from the house. He will call to someone in the inner recesses of the house, "Any more with you?" That person will reply, "None." Then he will say, "Silence, because Yahweh's name must not be invoked."


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Do horses run on rock, or does someone plow [it] with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood--


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you who rejoice over Lo-debar and say, "Didn't we capture Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?"


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But look, I am raising up a nation against you, house of Israel-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord, the God of Hosts-- and they will oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.


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The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts at the time the spring crop first began to sprout-- after the cutting of the king's hay.


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When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, "Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?"


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The Lord God showed me this: The Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.


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The LORD asked me, "What do you see, Amos?" I replied, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel; I will no longer spare them:


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Isaac's high places will be deserted, and Israel's sanctuaries will be in ruins; I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword."


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Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent [word] to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you [right here] in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words,


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for Amos has said this: 'Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.'"


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Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living and give [your] prophecies there,


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So Amos answered Amaziah, "I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman, and I took care of sycamore figs.


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Now hear the word of the LORD. You say: Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac.


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Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided up with a measuring line. You yourself will die on pagan soil, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.


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He asked me, "What do you see, Amos?" I replied, "A basket of summer fruit." The LORD said to me, "The end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.


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In that day the temple songs will become wailing"-- the Lord GOD's declaration. "Many dead bodies, thrown everywhere! Silence!"


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asking, "When will the New Moon be over so we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, so we may market wheat? We can reduce the measure while increasing the price and cheat with dishonest scales.


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Because of this, won't the land quake and all who dwell in it mourn? All of it will rise like the Nile; it will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt.


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And in that day-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- I will make the sun go down at noon; I will darken the land in the daytime.


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I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day.


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Hear this! The days are coming-- [this is] the declaration of the Lord God-- when I will send a famine through the land: not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.


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People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east, seeking the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.


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Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria and say, "As your god lives, Dan," or "As the wayof Beer-sheba lives"-- they will fall, never to rise again.


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I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and He said: Strike the capitals of the pillars so that the thresholds shake; knock them down on the heads of all the people. Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of their fugitives will escape.


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If they dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.


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If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will track them down and seize them; if they conceal themselves from My sight on the sea floor, from there I will command the [sea] serpent to bite them.


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And if they are driven by their enemies into captivity, from there I will command the sword to kill them. I will fix My eyes on them for harm and not for good.


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The Lord, the God of Hosts-- He touches the earth; it melts, and all who dwell on it mourn; all of it rises like the Nile and subsides like the Nile of Egypt.


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He builds His upper chambers in the heavens and lays the foundation of His vault on the earth. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth. Yahweh is His name.


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Israelites, are you not like the Cushites to Me? [This is] the LORD's declaration. Didn't I bring Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?


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Look, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. However, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob-- the LORD's declaration--


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for I am about to give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations, as one shakes a sieve, but not a pebble will fall to the ground.


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All the sinners among My people, who say: Disaster will never overtake or confront us, will die by the sword.


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In that day I will restore the fallen booth of David: I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,


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so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that are called by My name-- [this is] the LORD's declaration-- He will do this.


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Hear this! The days are coming-- the LORD's declaration-- when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the one who treads grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills will flow [with it].


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I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel. They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink their wine, make gardens and eat their produce.


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I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them. Yahweh your God has spoken.


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This is what the Lord God has said about Edom: We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations: Rise up, and let us go to war against her.


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Your presumptuous heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock in your home on the heights, who say to yourself: Who can bring me down to the ground?


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Though you seem to soar like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. [This is] the LORD's declaration.


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If thieves came to you, if marauders by night-- how ravaged you will be!-- wouldn't they steal only what they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn't they leave some grapes?


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Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you. He will be unaware of it.


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In that day-- the LORD's declaration-- will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau?


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Teman, your warriors will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter.


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You will be covered with shame and destroyed forever because of violence done to your brother Jacob.


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On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers captured his wealth, while foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.


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Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his calamity; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boastfully mock in the day of distress.


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Do not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster. Yes, you-- do not gloat over their misery in the day of their disaster and do not appropriate their possessions in the day of their disaster.


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Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors in the day of distress.


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For the Day of the LORD is near, against all the nations. As you have done, so it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head.


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For as you have drunk on My holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been.


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But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy; the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed them.


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Then the house of Jacob will be a [blazing] fire, and the house of Joseph a [burning] flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; they will set them on fire and consume them. Therefore no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken.


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[People from] the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; [those from] the Judean foothills will possess [the land of] the Philistines. They will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead.


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The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.


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Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the LORD's.


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Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted Me."


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However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD's presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the LORD's presence.


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Then the LORD hurled a violent wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart.


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The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship's cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.


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The captain approached him and said, "What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won't perish."


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Come on!" the sailors said to each other. "Let's cast lots. Then we will know who is to blame for this trouble we're in." So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.


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Then they said to him, "Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we're in. What is your business and where are you from? What is your country and what people are you from?"


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He answered them, "I am a Hebrew. I worship Yahweh, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land."


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Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, "What is this you've done?" For the men knew he was fleeing from the LORD's presence, because he had told them.


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So they said to him, "What should we do to you to calm this sea that's against us?" For the sea was getting worse and worse.


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He answered them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea so it may quiet down for you, for I know that I'm to blame for this violent storm that is against you."


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Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not because the sea was raging against them more and more.


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So they called out to the LORD: "Please, Yahweh, don't let us perish because of this man's life, and don't charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased."


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Then the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the fish three days and three nights.


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I called to the LORD in my distress, and He answered me. I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol; You heard my voice.


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You threw me into the depths, into the heart of the seas, and the current overcame me. All Your breakers and Your billows swept over me.


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But I said: I have been banished from Your sight, yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.


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The waters engulfed me up to the neck; the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.


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I sank to the foundations of the mountains; the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever! But You raised my life from the Pit, LORD my God!


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but as for me, I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!


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So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the LORD's command. Now Nineveh was an extremely large city, a three-day walk.


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Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, "In 40 days Nineveh will be overthrown!"


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The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth-- from the greatest of them to the least.


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When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.


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Then he issued a decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water.


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Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from the violence he is doing.


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Then God saw their actions-- that they had turned from their evil ways-- so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.


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He prayed to the LORD: "Please, LORD, isn't this what I said while I was still in my own country? That's why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from [sending] disaster.


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Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.


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Then the LORD God appointed a plant, and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah's head to ease his discomfort. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant.


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As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, "It's better for me to die than to live."


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Then God asked Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" "[Yes,]" he replied. "It is right. I'm angry enough to die!"


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So the LORD said, "You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night.


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Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?"


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The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Moreshite-- what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.


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Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from His holy temple.


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The mountains will melt beneath Him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside.


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All this will happen because of Jacob's rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Isn't it Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Isn't it Jerusalem?


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Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations.


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All her carved images will be smashed to pieces, all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute.


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Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like ostriches.


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For her wound is incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem.


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Depart in shameful nakedness, you residents of Shaphir; the residents of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is lamenting; its support is taken from you.


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Though the residents of Maroth anxiously wait for something good, calamity has come from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem.


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Harness the horses to the chariot, you residents of Lachish. This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion, because Israel's acts of rebellion can be traced to you.


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Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib are a deception to the kings of Israel.


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I will again bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah. The nobility of Israel will come to Adullam.


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Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in sorrow for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they have been taken from you into exile.


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Woe to those who dream up wickedness and prepare evil [plans] on their beds! At morning light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.


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They covet fields and seize them; they also take houses. They deprive a man of his home, a person of his inheritance.


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Therefore, the LORD says: I am now planning a disaster against this nation; you cannot free your necks from it. Then you will not walk so proudly because it will be an evil time.


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In that day one will take up a taunt against you, and lament mournfully, saying: We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How He removes [it] from me! He allots our fields to traitors.


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Stop your preaching," they preach. "They should not preach these things; shame will not overtake us."


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House of Jacob, should it be asked: "Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these the things He does?" Don't My words bring good to the one who walks uprightly?


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But recently My people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from those who are passing through confidently, like those returning from war.


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You force the women of My people out of their comfortable homes, and you take My blessing from their children forever.


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Get up and leave, for this is not your place of rest, because defilement brings destruction-- a grievous destruction!


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If a man of spirit comes and invents lies: "I will preach to you about wine and beer," he would be just the preacher for this people!


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I will indeed gather all of you, Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the middle of its fold. It will be noisy with people.


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One who breaks open [the way] will advance before them; they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave by it. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD as their leader.


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Then I said: "Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren't you supposed to know what is just?


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You hate good and love evil. You tear off the skin of people and [strip] their flesh from their bones.


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You eat the flesh of my people after you strip their skin from them and break their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a caldron."


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Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. He will hide His face from them at that time because of the crimes they have committed.


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This is what the LORD says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who proclaim peace when they have [food] to sink their teeth into but declare war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths.


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Therefore, it will be night for you-- without visions; it will grow dark for you-- without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them.


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Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners disappointed. They will all cover their mouths because there will be no answer from God.


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But as for me, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.


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Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right,


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Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying, "Isn't the LORD among us? No calamity will overtake us."


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Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the hill of the temple mount will be a thicket.


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In the last days the mountain of the LORD's house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it,


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and many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so we may walk in His paths." For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.


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He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.


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But each man will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten [him]. For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has promised [this].


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Though all the peoples each walk in the name of their gods, we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.


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On that day-- [this is] the LORD's declaration-- I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured.


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I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever.


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And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you, sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.


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Now, why are you shouting loudly? Is there no king with you? Has your counselor perished, so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?


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Writhe and cry out, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the power of your enemies!


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Many nations have now assembled against you; they say, "Let her be defiled, and let us feast our eyes on Zion."


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But they do not know the LORD's intentions or understand His plan, that He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.


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Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze, so you can crush many peoples. Then you will devote what they plundered to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.


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Now daughter [who is] under attack, you slash yourself [in grief]; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod.


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Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.


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Therefore, He will abandon them until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the people of Israel.


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He will stand and shepherd [them] in the strength of Yahweh, in the majestic name of Yahweh His God. They will live securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.


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There will be peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.


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They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. So He will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory.


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Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind.


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Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue [them].


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I will remove your carved images and sacred pillars from you, so that you will not bow down again to the work of your hands.


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Now listen to what the LORD is saying: Rise, plead [your] case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.


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Listen to the LORD's lawsuit, you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth, because the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel.


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Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you.


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My people, remember what Balak king of Moab proposed, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and [what happened] from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the LORD's righteous acts.


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What should I bring before the LORD when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?


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Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin?


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He has told you men what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.


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The voice of the LORD calls out to the city (and it is wise to fear Your name): "Pay attention to the rod and the One who ordained it.


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Are there still the treasures of wickedness and the accursed short measure in the house of the wicked?


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For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.


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You will eat but not be satisfied, for there will be hunger within you. What you acquire, you cannot save, and what you do save, I will give to the sword.


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You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourself with oil; and [you will tread] grapes but not drink the wine.


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The statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab's house have been observed; you have followed their policies. Therefore, I will make you a desolate place and the city's residents an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of My people."


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How sad for me! For I am like one who-- when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest-- [finds] no grape cluster to eat, no early fig, which I crave.


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Godly people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people. All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt each other with a net.


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Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together.


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The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, [the day of] your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here.


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Do not rely on a friend; don't trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms.


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For a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law; a person's enemies are the people in his own home.


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But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.


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Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.


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Because I have sinned against Him, I must endure the LORD's rage until He argues my case and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see His salvation.


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Then my enemy will see, and she will be covered with shame, the one who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will look at her in triumph; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.


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On that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates River and from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.


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Then the earth will become a wasteland because of its inhabitants, and as a result of their actions.


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Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock that is Your possession. They live alone in a scrubland, surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in ancient times.


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Nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put [their] hands over [their] mouths, and their ears will become deaf.


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They will lick the dust like a snake; they will come trembling out of their hiding places like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will tremble before the LORD our God; they will stand in awe of You.


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Who is a God like You, removing iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold on to His anger forever, because He delights in faithful love.


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He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.


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You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from days long ago.


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The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is fierce in wrath. The LORD takes vengeance against His foes; He is furious with His enemies.


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The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will never leave [the guilty] unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.


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He rebukes the sea so that it dries up, and He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither; even the flower of Lebanon withers.


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The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt; the earth tremblesat His presence-- the world and all who live in it.


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Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, even rocks are shattered before Him.


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But He will completely destroy Nineveh with an overwhelming flood, and He will chase His enemies into darkness.


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Whatever you plot against the Lord, He will bring [it] to complete destruction; oppression will not rise up a second time.


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For they will be consumed like entangled thorns, like a drunkard's drink, and like straw that is fully dry.


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This is what the LORD says: Though they are strong and numerous, they will still be mowed down, and he will pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no longer.


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The LORD has issued an order concerning you: There will be no offspring to carry on your name. I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image from the house of your gods; I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible.


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Look to the mountains-- the feet of one bringing good news and proclaiming peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked one will never again march through you; he will be entirely wiped out.


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One who scatters is coming up against you. Man the fortifications! Watch the road! Brace yourself! Summon all your strength!


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For the LORD will restore the majesty of Jacob, yes, the majesty of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined their vine branches.


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The shields of his warriors are dyed red; the valiant men are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariot flash like fire on the day of its [battle] preparations, and the spears are brandished.


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The chariots dash madly through the streets; they rush around in the plazas. They look like torches; they dart back and forth like lightning.


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He gives orders to his officers; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place.


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Beauty is stripped, she is carried away; her ladies-in-waiting moan like the sound of doves, and beat their breasts.


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Nineveh has been like a pool of water from her [first] days, but they are fleeing. "Stop! Stop!" [they cry,] but no one turns back.


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Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!" There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing.


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Desolation, decimation, devastation! Hearts melt, knees tremble, loins shake, every face grows pale!


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Where is the lions' lair, or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled, and the lion's cub, with nothing to frighten them away?


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The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed and strangled [prey] for its lionesses. It filled up its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.


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Beware, I am against you-- the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. I will make your chariots go up in smoke and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the sound of your messengers will never be heard again.


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Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end-- they stumble over their dead.


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Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft,


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I am against you-- the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to nations, your shame to kingdoms.


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Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying: Nineveh is devastated; who will show sympathy to her? Where can I find anyone to comfort you?


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Are you better than Thebes that sat along the Nile with water surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, the river her wall?


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Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her children were also dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains.


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All your fortresses are fig trees with figs that ripened first; when shaken, they fall-- right into the mouth of the eater!


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Look, your troops are women among you; the gates of your land are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars [of your gates].


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Draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Step into the clay and tread the mortar; take hold of the brick-mold!


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The fire will devour you there; the sword will cut you down. It will devour you like the young locust. Multiply yourselves like the young locust, multiply like the swarming locust!


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You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips [the land] and flies away.


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Your court officials are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they take off, and no one knows where they are.


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King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered across the mountains with no one to gather [them] together.


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There is no remedy for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news about you will clap their hands because of you, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty?


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How long, LORD, must I call for help and You do not listen, or cry out to You about violence and You do not save?


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Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.


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This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.


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Look at the nations and observe-- be utterly astounded! For something is taking place in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it.


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Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth's open spaces to seize territories not its own.


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Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant [lands]. They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.


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All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand.


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They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it.


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Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God? My Holy One, You will not die. LORD, You appointed them to execute judgment; [my] Rock, You destined them to punish [us].


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[Your] eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are You silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself?


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The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook, catch them in their dragnet, and gather them in their fishing net; that is why they are glad and rejoice.


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That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful.


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I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what He will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint.


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The LORD answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.


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For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late.


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Moreover, wine betrays; an arrogant man is never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself; he collects all the peoples for himself.


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Won't all of these take up a taunt against him, with mockery and riddles about him? They will say: Woe to him who amasses what is not his-- how much longer?-- and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.


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Won't your creditors suddenly arise, and those who disturb you wake up? Then you will become spoil for them.


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Since you have plundered many nations, all the peoples who remain will plunder you-- because of human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them.


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Woe to him who unjustly gains wealth for his house to place his nest on high, to escape from the reach of disaster!


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Is it not from the LORD of Hosts, that the peoples labor [only] to fuel the fire and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?


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Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, pouring out your wrath and even making them drunk, in order to look at their nakedness!


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You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory. You also-- drink, and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD's right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory.


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For [your] violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you; the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of [your] human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them.


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What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is [only] a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak.


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Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up! or to mute stone: Come alive! Can it teach? Look! It may be plated with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.


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LORD, I have heard the report about You; LORD, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive [Your work] in these years; make [it] known in these years. In [Your] wrath remember mercy!


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God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.


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He stands and shakes the earth; He looks and startles the nations. The age-old mountains break apart; the ancient hills sink down. His pathways are ancient.


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Are You angry at the rivers, LORD? Is Your wrath against the rivers? Or is Your rage against the sea when You ride on Your horses, Your victorious chariot?


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You took the sheath from Your bow; the arrows are ready to be used with an oath. Selah You split the earth with rivers.


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The mountains see You and shudder; a downpour of water sweeps by. The deep roars with its voice and lifts its waves high.


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Sun and moon stand still in [their] lofty residence, at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of Your shining spear.


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You come out to save Your people, to save Your anointed. You crush the leader of the house of the wicked and strip [him] from foot to neck. Selah


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You pierce his head with his own spears; his warriors storm out to scatter us, gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.


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I heard, and I trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the people invading us.


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Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,


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Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights! [For the choir director: on stringed instruments.]


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The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.


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I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth-- [this is] the LORD's declaration.


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I will sweep away man and animal; I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth-- the LORD's declaration.


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I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the residents of Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every vestige of Baal, the names of the pagan priests along with the priests;


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those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the heavenly host; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the LORD but also pledge loyalty to Milcom;


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Be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.


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On the day of the LORD's sacrifice I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who are dressed in foreign clothing.


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On that day I will punish all who skip over the threshold, who fill their master's house with violence and deceit.


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On that day-- the LORD's declaration-- there will be an outcry from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills.


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Wail, you residents of the Hollow, for all the merchants will be silenced; all those loaded with silver will be cut off.


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And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who settle down comfortably, who say to themselves: The LORD will not do good or evil.


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Their wealth will become plunder and their houses a ruin. They will build houses but never live [in them], plant vineyards but never drink their wine.


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The great Day of the LORD is near, near and rapidly approaching. Listen, the Day of the LORD-- there the warrior's cry is bitter.


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That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,


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a day of trumpet [blast] and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers.


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I will bring distress on mankind, and they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.


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Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them on the day of the LORD's wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy. For He will make a complete, yes, a horrifying end of all the inhabitants of the earth.


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before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning of the LORD's anger overtakes you, before the day of the LORD's anger overtakes you.


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Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the LORD's anger.


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For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.


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Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast, nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will destroy you until there is no one left.


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The coastland will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they will find pasture there. They will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will return to them and restore their fortunes.


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I have heard the taunting of Moab and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted My people and threatened their territory.


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Therefore, as I live-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel-- Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah-- a place overgrown with weeds, a salt pit, and a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.


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This is what they get for their pride, because they have taunted and acted arrogantly against the people of the LORD of Hosts.


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The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then all the distant coastlands of the nations will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.


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He will also stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolate ruin, dry as the desert.


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Herds will lie down in the middle of it, every kind of wild animal. Both the desert owl and the screech owl will roost in the capitals of its pillars. [Their] calls will sound from the window, but devastation will be on the threshold, for He will expose the cedar work.


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This is the self-assured city that lives in security, that thinks to herself: I am, and there is no one besides me. What a desolation she has become, a place for wild animals to lie down! Everyone who passes by her jeers and shakes his fist.


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She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in the LORD; she has not drawn near to her God.


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The princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning.


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Her prophets are reckless-- treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction.


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The righteous LORD is in her; He does no wrong. He applies His justice morning by morning; He does not fail at dawn, yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.


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I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant.


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I thought: You will certainly fear Me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off [based on] all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions.


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Therefore, wait for Me-- the LORD's declaration-- until the day I rise up for plunder. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out My indignation on them, all My burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy.


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For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of Yahweh and serve Him with a single purpose.


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On that day you will not be put to shame because of everything you have done in rebelling against Me. For then I will remove your boastful braggarts from among you, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.


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The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or tell lies; a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. But they will pasture and lie down, with nothing to make [them] afraid.


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Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all [your] heart, Daughter Jerusalem!


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The LORD has removed your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is among you; you need no longer fear harm.


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The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring [you] quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy."


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I will gather those who have been driven from the appointed festivals; [They will be] a tribute from you, and reproach [on her].


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Yes, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather the scattered; I will make those who were disgraced throughout the earth receive praise and fame.


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At that time I will bring you back, yes, at the time I will gather you. I will make you famous and praiseworthy among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes. Yahweh has spoken.


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In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:


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The LORD of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt."


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You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner [puts his] wages into a bag with a hole in it."


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Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified," says the LORD.


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You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought [the harvest] to your house, I ruined it. Why?" [This is] the declaration of the LORD of Hosts. "Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.


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I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, olive oil, and whatever the ground yields, on the people and animals, and on all that your hands produce."


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Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. So the people feared the LORD.


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Haggai, the LORD's messenger, delivered the LORD's message to the people, "I am with you"-- the LORD's declaration.


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The LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of Yahweh of Hosts, their God,


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Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people:


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Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn't it seem like nothing to you?


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Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel"-- the LORD's declaration. "Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land"-- the LORD's declaration. "Work! For I am with you"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.


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[This is] the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and My Spirit is present among you; don't be afraid."


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For the LORD of Hosts says this: "Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.


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I will shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory," says the LORD of Hosts.


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The final glory of this house will be greater than the first," says the LORD of Hosts. "I will provide peace in this place"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.


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On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth [month], in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Haggai the prophet:


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If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?" The priests answered, "No."


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Then Haggai asked, "If someone defiled by [contact with] a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?" The priests answered, "It becomes defiled."


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Then Haggai replied, "So is this people, and so is this nation before Me"-- the LORD's declaration. "And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.


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what state were you in? When someone came to a [grain] heap of 20 measures, it [only] amounted to 10; when one came to the winepress to dip 50 measures from the vat, it [only] amounted to 20.


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I struck you-- all the work of your hands-- with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn't turn to Me"-- the LORD's declaration.


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Consider carefully from this day forward; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid; consider it carefully.


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


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I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother's sword.


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On that day"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts-- "I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant"-- the LORD's declaration-- "and make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you." [This is] the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.


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In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:


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So tell the people: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Return to Me"-- [this is] the declaration of the LORD of Hosts-- "and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.


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Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not listen or pay attention to Me"-- the LORD's declaration.


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But didn't My words and My statutes that I commanded My servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? They repented and said: As the LORD of Hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so He has dealt with us."


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On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:


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I looked out in the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.


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I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking to me replied, "I will show you what they are."


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Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the LORD has sent to patrol the earth."


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They reported to the Angel of the LORD standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet."


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Then the Angel of the LORD responded, "How long, LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that You have been angry with these 70 years?"


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So the angel who was speaking with me said, "Proclaim: The LORD of Hosts says: I am extremely jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.


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I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease, for I was a little angry, but they made it worse.


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Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I have graciously returned to Jerusalem; My house will be rebuilt within it"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts-- "and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.


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Proclaim further: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: My cities will again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will once more comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem."


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So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."


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I asked, "What are they coming to do?" He replied, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so no one could raise his head. These [craftsmen] have come to terrify them, to cut off the horns of the nations that raised [their] horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."


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I asked, "Where are you going?" He answered me, "To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length."


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He said to him, "Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it."


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The declaration of the LORD: "I will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it."


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Get up! Leave the land of the north"-- the LORD's declaration-- "for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven"-- the LORD's declaration.


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For the LORD of Hosts says this: "He has sent Me for [His] glory against the nations who are plundering you, for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of His eye.


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I will move against them with My power, and they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.


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Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am coming to dwell among you"-- the LORD's declaration.


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Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day and become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.


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The LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem.


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Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.


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The LORD said to Satan: "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! May the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn't this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"


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So He spoke to those standing before Him, "Take off his filthy clothes!" Then He said to him, "See, I have removed your guilt from you, and I will clothe you with splendid robes."


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Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in garments while the Angel of the LORD was standing nearby.


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This is what the LORD of Hosts says: If you walk in My ways and keep My instructions, you will both rule My house and take care of My courts; I will also grant you access among these who are standing here.


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Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring My servant, the Branch.


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Notice the stone I have set before Joshua; on [that] one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription on it"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts-- "and I will take away the guilt of this land in a single day.


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On that day, each of you will invite his neighbor to [sit] under [his] vine and fig tree." [This is] the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.


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He asked me, "What do you see?" I replied, "I see a solid gold lampstand there with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven channels for each of the lamps on its top.


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So he answered me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of Hosts.


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'What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!'"


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Zerubbabel's hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you.


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For who scorns the day of small things? These seven eyes of the LORD, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand."


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And I questioned him further, "What are the two olive branches beside the two gold conduits, from which golden [oil] pours out?"


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Then he said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land, for every thief will be removed according to what is written on one side, and everyone who swears [falsely] will be removed according to what is written on the other side.


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I will send it out," -- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts-- "and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It will stay inside his house and destroy it along with its timbers and stones."


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Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, "Look up and see what this is that is approaching."


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So I asked, "What is it?" He responded, "It's a measuring basket that is approaching." And he continued, "This is their iniquity in all the land."


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This is Wickedness," he said. He shoved her down into the basket and pushed the lead weight over its opening.


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Then I looked up and saw two women approaching with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.


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To build a shrine for it in the land of Shinar," he told me. "When that is ready, [the basket] will be placed there on its pedestal."


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Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two mountains. And the mountains were made of bronze.


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The angel told me, "These are the four spiritsof heaven going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of the whole earth.


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The one with the black horses is going to the land of the north, the white horses are going after them, but the dappled horses are going to the land of the south."


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As the strong horses went out, they wanted to go patrol the earth, and the LORD said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they patrolled the earth.


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Then He summoned me saying, "See, those going to the land of the north have pacified My Spirit in the northern land."


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Take [an offering] from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.


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Take silver and gold, make crowns and place them on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.


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You are to tell him: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Here is a man whose name is Branch; He will branch out from His place and build the LORD's temple.


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Yes, He will build the LORD's temple; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and rule. There will also be a priest on His throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two of them.


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The crown will reside in the LORD's temple as a memorial to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah.


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People who are far off will come and build the LORD's temple, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you. This will happen when you fully obey the LORD your God."


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In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.


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Now [the people of] Bethel had sent Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to plead for the LORD's favor


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by asking the priests who were at the house of the LORD of Hosts as well as the prophets, "Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years?"


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Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh [months] for these 70 years, did you really fast for Me?


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Aren't [these] the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure, along with its surrounding cities, and when the southern region and the Judean foothills were inhabited?"


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Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.


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But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.


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They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.


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Just as He had called, and they would not listen, so when they called, I would not listen," says the LORD of Hosts.


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I scattered them with a windstorm over all the nations that had not known them, and the land was left desolate behind them, with no one coming or going. They turned a pleasant land into a desolation."


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The LORD of Hosts says this: I am extremely jealous for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath."


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The LORD says this: "I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, the mountain of the LORD of Hosts, and the Holy Mountain."


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The LORD of Hosts says this: "Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age.


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The LORD of Hosts says this: "Though it may seem incredible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem incredible to Me?"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.


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The LORD of Hosts says this: "I will save My people from the land of the east and the land of the west.


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I will bring them [back] to live in Jerusalem. They will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God."


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The LORD of Hosts says this: "Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts.


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For prior to those days neither man nor beast had wages. There was no safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I turned everyone against his neighbor.


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But now, I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.


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For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the skies will yield their dew. I will give the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.


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As you have been a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Don't be afraid; let your hands be strong."


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For the LORD of Hosts says this: "As I resolved to treat you badly when your fathers provoked Me to anger, and would not relent," says the LORD of Hosts,


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so I have resolved again in these days to do what is good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Don't be afraid.


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These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another; render honest and peaceful judgments in your gates.


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Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate all this"-- the LORD's declaration.


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The LORD of Hosts says this: The fast of the fourth [month], the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace."


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the residents of one city will go to another, saying: Let's go at once to plead for the LORD's favor and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I am also going.


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Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead for the LORD's favor."


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The LORD of Hosts says this: "In those days, 10 men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."


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An Oracle The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place-- for the eyes of men are on the LORD-- against all the tribes of Israel


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Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets.


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Listen! The Lord will impoverish her and cast her wealth into the sea; she herself will be consumed by fire.


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Ashkelon will see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain, as will Ekron, for her hope will fail. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will become uninhabited.


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I will remove the blood from their mouths and the detestable things from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites.


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I will set up camp at My house against an army, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with My own eyes.


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Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


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I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.


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As for you, because of the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless cistern.


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Return to a stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; today I declare that I will restore double to you.


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For I will bend Judah [as My bow]; I will fill that bow with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece. I will make you like a warrior's sword.


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Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will fly like lightning. The Lord God will sound the trumpet and advance with the southern storms.


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The LORD of Hosts will defend them. They will consume and conquer with slingstones; they will drink and be rowdy as if with wine. They will be as full as the sprinkling basin, like [those] at the corners of the altar.


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The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people; for they are like jewels in a crown, sparkling over His land.


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How lovely and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the young women.


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Ask the LORD for rain in the season of spring rain. The LORD makes the rain clouds, and He will give them showers of rain and crops in the field for everyone.


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For the idols speak falsehood, and the diviners see illusions; they relate empty dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore [the people] wander like sheep; they suffer affliction because there is no shepherd.


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My anger burns against the shepherds, so I will punish the leaders. For the LORD of Hosts has tended His flock, the house of Judah; He will make them like His majestic steed in battle.


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From them will come the cornerstone, from them the tent peg, from them the battle bow, from them every ruler. Together


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they will be like warriors in battle trampling down the mud of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put horsemen to shame.


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I will strengthen the house of Judah and deliver the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had never rejected them. For I am the LORD their God, and I will answer them.


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Ephraim will be like a warrior, and their hearts will be glad as if with wine. Their children will see it and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.


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I will whistle and gather them because I have redeemed them; they will be as numerous as they once were.


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Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember Me in the distant lands; they and their children will live and return.


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I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, but it will not be enough for them.


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He will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will come to an end.


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I will strengthen them in the LORD, and they will march in His name-- [this is] Yahweh's declaration.


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Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious [trees] are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest has fallen!


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Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.


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Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished. Those who sell them say: Praise the LORD because I have become rich! Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them.


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Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the inhabitants of the land"-- the LORD's declaration. "Instead, I will turn everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not deliver [it] from them."


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So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the afflicted of the flock. I took two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock.


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Then I said, "I will no longer shepherd you. Let what is dying die, and let what is going astray go astray; let the rest devour each other's flesh."


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Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples.


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It was annulled on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD.


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Then I said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep [them]." So they weighed my wages, 30 pieces of silver.


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Throw it to the potter," the LORD said to me-- this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the LORD, to the potter.


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I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are going astray, and he will not seek the lost or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the fat [sheep] and tear off their hooves.


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Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his right eye go completely blind!"


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An Oracle The word of the LORD concerning Israel. A declaration of the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.


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Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering for the peoples who surround the city. The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah.


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On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her.


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On that day"-- the LORD's declaration-- "I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah but strike all the horses of the nations with blindness.


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Then [each of] the leaders of Judah will think to himself: The residents of Jerusalem are my strength through the LORD of Hosts, their God.


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On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and the left, while Jerusalem continues to be inhabited on its site, in Jerusalem.


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The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of David's house and the glory of Jerusalem's residents may not be greater than that of Judah.


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On that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the one who is weakest among them will be like David on that day, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD, before them.


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Then I will pour out a spiritof grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn.


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On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.


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The land will mourn, every family by itself: the family of David's house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Nathan's house by itself and their women by themselves;


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the family of Levi's house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself and their women by themselves;


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On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, [to wash away] sin and impurity.


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On that day"-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts-- "I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.


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If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: You cannot remain alive because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.


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On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.


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He will say: I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the soil, for a man purchased me as a servant since my youth.


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If someone asks him: What are these wounds on your chest?-- then he will answer: The wounds I received in the house of my friends.


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Sword, awake against My shepherd, against the man who is My associate-- the declaration of the LORD of Hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will also turn My hand against the little ones.


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In the whole land-- the LORD's declaration-- two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it.


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I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: The LORD is our God."


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I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.


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On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.


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You will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come and all the holy ones with Him.


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On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike.


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All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But [Jerusalem] will be raised up and will remain on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.


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People will live there, and never again will there be a curse of destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security.


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This will be the plague the LORD strikes all the peoples with, who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.


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On that day a great panic from the LORD will be among them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.


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Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected: gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance.


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The same plague as the previous one will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals that are in those camps.


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Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths.


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Should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, rain will not fall on them.


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And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague the LORD inflicts on the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths.


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This will be the punishment of Egypt and all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths.


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On that day, [the words] HOLY TO THE LORD will be on the bells of the horses. The pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling basins before the altar.


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Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts. Everyone who sacrifices will come and take some of the pots to cook in. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Hosts.


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I have loved you," says the LORD. But you ask: "How have You loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" [This is] the LORD's declaration. "Even so, I loved Jacob,


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but I hated Esau. I turned his mountains into a wasteland, and [gave] his inheritance to the desert jackals."


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Though Edom says: "We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins," the LORD of Hosts says this: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country and the people the LORD has cursed forever.


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Your own eyes will see this, and you yourselves will say: The LORD is great, [even] beyond the borders of Israel.


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A son honors [his] father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is [your] fear of Me? says the LORD of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised Your name?"


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By presenting defiled food on My altar." You ask: "How have we defiled You?" When you say: "The LORD's table is contemptible."


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


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And now ask for God's favor. Will He be gracious to us? [Since] this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?" asks the LORD of Hosts.


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I wish one of you would shut the [temple] doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless [fire on] My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of Hosts, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.


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For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations," says the LORD of Hosts.


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But you are profaning itwhen you say: "The Lord's table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible."


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You also say: "Look, what a nuisance!" "And you scorn it," says the LORD of Hosts. "You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?" asks the LORD.


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The deceiver is cursed who has an [acceptable] male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective [animal] to the Lord. For I am a great King," says the LORD of Hosts, "and My name will be feared among the nations.


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If you don't listen, and if you don't take it to heart to honor My name," says the LORD of Hosts, "I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.


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Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it.


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Then you will know that I sent you this decree so My covenant with Levi may continue," says the LORD of Hosts.


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My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.


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True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and fairness and turned many from sin.


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For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.


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You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have violated the covenant of Levi," says the LORD of Hosts.


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So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in [your] instruction."


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Don't all of us have one Father? Didn't one God create us? Why then do we act treacherously against one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?


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Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD's sanctuary, which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.


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To the man who does this, may the LORD cut off any descendants from the tents of Jacob, even if they present an offering to the LORD of Hosts.


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And this is another thing you do: you cover the LORD's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer respects your offerings or receives [them] gladly from your hands.


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Yet you ask, "For what reason?" Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have acted treacherously against her, though she was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant.


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Didn't the one [God] make [us] with a remnant of His life-breath? And what does the One seek? A godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth.


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If he hates and divorces [his wife]," says the LORD God of Israel, "he covers his garment with injustice," says the LORD of Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously.


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You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you ask, "How have we wearied [Him]?" When you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the LORD's sight, and He is pleased with them," or "Where is the God of justice?"


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See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire-- see, He is coming," says the LORD of Hosts.


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But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire and like cleansing lye.


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He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.


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I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny [justice to] the foreigner. They do not fear Me," says the LORD of Hosts.


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Since the days of your fathers, you have turned from My statutes; you have not kept [them]. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of Hosts. But you ask: "How can we return?"


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Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!" You ask: "How do we rob You?" "[By not making the payments] of 10 percent and the contributions.


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Bring the full 10 percent into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way," says the LORD of Hosts. "See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.


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I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your ground, and your vine in your field will not be barren," says the LORD of Hosts.


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Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of Hosts.


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You have said: "It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?


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So now we consider the arrogant to be fortunate. Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God and escape."


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At that time those who feared the LORD spoke to one another. The LORD took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared Yahweh and had high regard for His name.


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They will be Mine," says the LORD of Hosts, "a special possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.


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So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.


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For indeed, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them," says the LORD of Hosts, "not leaving them root or branches.


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But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.


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You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing," says the LORD of Hosts.


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Remember the instruction of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.


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And he will turn the hearts of fathers to [their] children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse."


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So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations.


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The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.


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So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.


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But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.


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She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."


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See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us."


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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,


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saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."


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So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.


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And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel."


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He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him."


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After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was-- the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.


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Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.


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And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.


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After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him."


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He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.


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Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.


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A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.


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saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child's life are dead."


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But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.


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Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.


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For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!"


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John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.


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When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?


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And don't presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!


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Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.


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I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to take off His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.


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His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out."


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Jesus answered him, <J>"Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness."</J> Then he allowed Him [to be baptized].


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After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.


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Then the tempter approached Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."


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But He answered, <J>"It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."</J>


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and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you and, they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."


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Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.


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Then Jesus told him, <J>"Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him."</J>


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He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.


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Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the sea road, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles!


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The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the shadowland of death, light has dawned.


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As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.


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Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them.


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Jesus was going all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.


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Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And He healed them.


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When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.


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<J>Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.</J>


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<J>Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me.</J>


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<J>Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.</J>


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<J>You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.</J>


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<J>No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.</J>


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<J>In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.</J>


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<J>Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.</J>


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<J>For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.</J>


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<J>Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches [these commandments] will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.</J>


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<J>For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.</J>


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<J>You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.</J>


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<J>But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Fool!' will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, 'You moron!' will be subject to hellfire.</J>


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<J>So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,</J>


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<J>leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.</J>


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<J>Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you're on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.</J>


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<J>But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.</J>


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<J>If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.</J>


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<J>And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!</J>


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<J>But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.</J>


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<J>Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.</J>


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<J>or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.</J>


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<J>But let your word 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no.' Anything more than this is from the evil one.</J>


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<J>But I tell you, don't resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.</J>


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<J>As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well.</J>


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<J>so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.</J>


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<J>For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?</J>


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<J>And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don't even the Gentiles do the same?</J>


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<J>Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.</J>


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<J>So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They've got their reward!</J>


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<J>Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They've got their reward!</J>


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<J>But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</J>


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<J>When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words.</J>


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<J>And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]</J>


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<J>Whenever you fast, don't be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They've got their reward!</J>


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<J>so that you don't show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</J>


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<J>Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.</J>


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<J>But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal.</J>


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<J>But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness-- how deep is that darkness!</J>


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<J>No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.</J>


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<J>This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?</J>


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<J>Look at the birds of the sky: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they?</J>


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<J>And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread.</J>


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<J>If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you-- you of little faith?</J>


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<J>For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.</J>


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<J>But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.</J>


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<J>Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.</J>


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<J>For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.</J>


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<J>Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and look, there's a log in your eye?</J>


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<J>Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.</J>


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<J>Don't give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.</J>


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<J>Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.</J>


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<J>For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.</J>


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<J>If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!</J>


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<J>Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them-- this is the Law and the Prophets.</J>


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<J>Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.</J>


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<J>Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.</J>


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<J>You'll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?</J>


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<J>Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but [only] the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.</J>


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<J>On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?'</J>


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<J>Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.</J>


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<J>The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.</J>


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<J>But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.</J>


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<J>The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!"</J>


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Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."


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Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, <J>"I am willing; be made clean."</J> Immediately his disease was healed.


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Then Jesus told him, <J>"See that you don't tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them."</J>


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Lord," the centurion replied, "I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured.


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For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes; and to another, 'Come!' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."


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Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, <J>"I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith!</J>


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<J>I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.</J>


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<J>But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."</J>


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Then Jesus told the centurion, <J>"Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you."</J> And his servant was cured that very moment.


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When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick,


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so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.


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Jesus told him, <J>"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head."</J>


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Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping.


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But He said to them, <J>"Why are you fearful, you of little faith?"</J> Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.


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When He had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.


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Suddenly they shouted, "What do You have to do with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"


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"<J>Go!"</J> He told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs. And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.


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Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything-- especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed.


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At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.


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Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, <J>"Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven."</J>


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<J>But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"</J>-- then He told the paralytic, <J>"Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home."</J>


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When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck and gave glory to God who had given such authority to men.


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As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, <J>"Follow Me!"</J> So he got up and followed Him.


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While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples.


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When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"


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<J>Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners."</J>


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Then John's disciples came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"


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Jesus said to them, <J>"Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The days will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.</J>


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<J>No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse.</J>


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<J>And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."</J>


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As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before Him, saying, "My daughter is near death, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live."


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Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe,


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But Jesus turned and saw her. <J>"Have courage, daughter,"</J> He said. <J>"Your faith has made you well."</J> And the woman was made well from that moment.


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<J>"Leave,"</J> He said, <J>"because the girl isn't dead, but sleeping."</J> And they started laughing at Him.


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As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"


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When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, <J>"Do you believe that I can do this?"</J> "Yes, Lord," they answered Him.


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When the demon had been driven out, the man spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"


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Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.


