God created mankind in His own image,
in the image of God He created them;
male and female He created them.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning -
the sixth day.

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“For God knows...”

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
But if you do not do what is right,
sin is crouching at your door;
it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life,
on the seventeenth day of the second month -
on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth,
and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

[At] Babel... the Lord confused the language
of the whole world. From there the Lord
scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

The Lord had said to Abram,
“Go from your country, your people and
your father’s household to the land I will show you.

The Lord kept His word and did... exactly what He had promised.

Abraham answered,
“God himself will provide the lamb
for the burnt offering, my son.”
And the two of them went on together.

I am with you and will watch over you
wherever you go... I will not leave you until
I have done what I have promised you.

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh,
“but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

You intended to harm me, but
God intended it for good to accomplish
what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM.
This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

I have raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might show you My power and that
My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

The Lord said to Moses,
“Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered”

In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea, and all that is in them, but
He rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day
and made it holy.

[God] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming,
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
maintaining love to thousands,
and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.
Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished”

Do not pervert justice;
do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great,
but judge your neighbor fairly.

Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.

May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you;
may the Lord show you His favor and give you
His peace.

There is a people living alone;
it does not consider itself among the nations.

Sovereign Lord, I know that You have shown me
only the beginning of the great and wonderful things
You are going to do.
There is no god in heaven or on earth
who can do the mighty things that
You have done!

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and
with all your soul and
with all your strength.

These commandments that I give... are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children.
Talk about them
when you sit at home and
when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and
when you get up.
Tie them as symbols on your hands and
bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

When the Lord your God brings you
into the land He swore to your fathers...
a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,
houses filled with all kinds of good things you
did not provide, wells you did not dig, and
vineyards and olive groves you did not plant -
then when you eat and are satisfied,
be careful that you do not forget the Lord

Do not follow other gods,
the gods of the peoples around you;
for the Lord your God, who is among you,
is a jealous God

When you have eaten and are satisfied,
praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God,
failing to observe His commands

You may say to yourself,
“My power and the strength of my hands
have produced this wealth for me.”
But remember the Lord your God, for it is
He who gives you the ability to produce wealth

It is not because of your righteousness that
the Lord your God is giving you
this good land to possess,
for you are a stiff-necked people.

What does the Lord your God ask of you but
to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in obedience to him,
to love him,
to serve the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul, and
to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that
I am giving you today for your own good?

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,
the great God, mighty and awesome,
who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away
and worship other gods and bow down to them.
Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you

Be joyful...
for the Lord your God will bless you...
and your joy will be complete.

You must purge the evil from among you.
The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and
never again will such an evil thing be done among you.
Show no pity

Make sure that there is no one here today
who hears these solemn demands and yet
convinces himself that all will be well with him,
even if he stubbornly goes his own way.
That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.

What I am commanding you today
is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask,
“Who will ascend into heaven to get it and
proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”
Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask,
“Who will cross the sea to get it and
proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”

This day I call the heavens and the earth
as witnesses against you that I have set before you
life and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

Love the Lord your God,
listen to His voice, and
hold fast to Him.
For the Lord is your life

There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal, and
no one can deliver out of My hand.

Be sure to obey all these commands that I have given you today.
Repeat them to your children,
so that they may faithfully obey all of God’s teachings.
These teachings are not empty words;
they are your very life.
Obey them and you will live long in that land

Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Tell [your children] that the Lord your God
dried up the water of the Jordan for you...
just as He dried up the Red Sea for us.
Because of this everyone on earth will know
how great the Lord’s power is, and
you will honor the Lord your God forever.

If you rebel against the Lord today,
tomorrow He will be angry with the whole community.

I gave you victory over them all...
Your swords and bows had nothing to do with it.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
as for me and my household,
we will serve the Lord.

[God] did this only to teach warfare
to the descendants of the Israelites

The people... sinned against the Lord again. Because of this the Lord made [their neighbor] stronger than [them].

God said to Gideon, “You have too large an army with you.
I can’t turn Midian over to them like this -
they’ll take all the credit, saying,
‘I did it all myself,’ and forget about me.”

They abandoned the Lord and stopped worshiping Him.
So the Lord became angry

You have forsaken Me and served other gods,
so I will no longer save you.
Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.
Let them save you when you are in trouble!

In those days Israel had no king;
all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

The Lord told [Samuel]:
“...It is not you they have rejected, but
they have rejected Me as their King.”

All will go well with you
if you honor the Lord your God, serve Him, listen to Him, and
obey His commands, and if you and your king follow Him. But
if you do not listen to the Lord but
disobey His commands, He will be against you and your king.

Be sure to fear the Lord and
serve Him faithfully with all your heart;
consider what great things He has done for you.

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come,
let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men.
Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf.
Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving,
whether by many or by few.”

Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and
to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Samuel did what the Lord said.

The Lord said to Samuel,
“Do not consider his appearance or his height,
for I have rejected him.
The Lord does not look at the things people look at.
People look at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.”

David said to [Goliath],
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,
but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty,
the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan,
“As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.

Elijah went before the people and said,
“How long will you waver between two opinions?
If the Lord is God, follow Him; but
if Baal is God, follow him.”

“Don’t be afraid... those who are with us
are more than those who are with them...
Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”
Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes,
and he looked and saw the hills full of
horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

They refused to obey His instructions,
they did not keep the covenant He had made with their ancestors,
and they disregarded His warnings.
They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves,
and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations,
disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of
those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.
Remember the wonders He has done,
His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols, but
the Lord made the heavens

King David replied to Araunah,
“No, I insist on paying the full price.
I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or
sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

The Lord searches every heart and
understands every desire and every thought.
If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but
if you forsake Him, He will reject you

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and
the glory and the splendor and the majesty,
for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and
You are exalted as head over all.

If My people, who are called by My name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and
turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, and
I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

[King] Asa called to the Lord his God and said,
“Lord, there is no one like You
to help the powerless against the mighty.
Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on You,
and in Your name we have come against this vast army.
Lord, You are our God;
do not let mere mortals prevail against You.”

The Lord is with you when you are with Him.
If you seek Him, He will be found by you,
but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world,
to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to Him.

In every case that comes before you
from your people who live in the cities...
you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord;
otherwise His wrath will come on you and your people.

Our God... we have no power
to face this vast army that is attacking us.
We do not know what to do, but
our eyes are on you.

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.
For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

God’s hand was on the people... giving them all one heart
to obey the orders of the king and his officials,
who were following the word of the Lord.

Even after everything that has happened to us
in punishment for our sins and wrongs,
we know that You, our God,
have punished us less than we deserve and
have allowed us to survive.

Our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us,
we will be right there among them and
will kill them and put an end to the work.”

Don’t be afraid of them.
Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and
fight for your families, your sons and your daughters,
your wives and your homes.

Those who carried materials did their work with one hand
and held a weapon in the other, and
each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.

You alone are the Lord.
You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,
and all their starry host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to everything,
and the multitudes of heaven worship You.

Who knows but that you have
come to your royal position for such a time as this?

[Job] said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens above - what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below - what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

Why do you complain against Him
that He does not give an account of all His doings?

Job replied to the Lord:
“I know that you can do anything and
no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?

May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and
silence their boastful tongues.
They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own - who can stop us?”

Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The decrees of the Lord are...
more precious than gold,...
they are sweeter than honey,...
By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord

Vindicate me, my God, and
plead my cause against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked.

You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God,
has set you above your companions

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

If riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

Rise up, O God, and scatter Your enemies.
Let those who hate [You] run for their lives.

The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.

[God says], “...it is I who judge with equity.”

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of
the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel,
which He commanded our ancestors to teach their children

Oh, that My people would listen to Me...
Then I would quickly subdue and humble their enemies...
Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him
and cringe before Him

Let those who love the Lord hate evil

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever.

Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

Amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in Him should ponder them.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow His instructions have good insight.
His praise endures forever.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.

I believed, therefore I spoke

How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

I will hurry, without delay, to obey Your commands.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and
in His word I put my hope.

You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends You,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

You have ignored all my advice
and have not been willing to let me correct you.
So when you get into trouble, I will laugh at you.
I will make fun of you when terror strikes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him, and
He will make your paths straight.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.

Your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and He examines all your paths.

[Look] to the ant, you slacker!
Observe its ways and become wise.
Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

He who is wise wins souls.

The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Those who control their tongue will have a long life;
opening your mouth can ruin everything.

Why is a clever person wise?
Because he knows what to do.
Why is a stupid person foolish?
Because he only thinks he knows.

Foolish people don’t care if they sin,
but good people want to be forgiven.

There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but
with many advisers they succeed.

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.

Acquitting the guilty and
condemning the innocent -
the Lord detests them both.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

When justice is done,
it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.

The rich rule over the poor, and
the borrower is slave to the lender.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.
Win him over with your kindness.
Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience and
God will reward you with favor.

When people do not listen to God’s teachings,
He does not listen to their prayers.

The rich are wise in their own eyes;
one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.

The righteous despise the unjust;
the wicked despise the godly.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but
a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

With much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.

As you enter the house of God,
keep your ears open and your mouth shut.
It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.

Do not be eager in your spirit to be angry,
for anger resides in the heart of fools.

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

Stop doing wrong. Learn to do right;
seek justice. Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord

They bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.
So people will be brought low and everyone humbled.

People will be brought low and everyone humbled,
the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by His justice, and
the holy God will be proved holy
by His righteous acts.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

They have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and
spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against His people;
His hand is raised

I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne;
and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above him were seraphim... they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds
shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.

Do not call everything a conspiracy
that these people say is a conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear;
do not be terrified.
You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy.
Only He should be feared;
only He should be held in awe.

I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights...
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.

Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you. I will praise your name,
for you have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago,
with perfect faithfulness.

When Your judgments are in the land,
the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The Lord says:
“These people come near to Me with their mouth
and honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
Their worship of Me is based on
merely human rules they have been taught.”

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and
His understanding no one can fathom.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

I am the Lord; that is My name!
I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.

I, only I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me.

“I have made known what would happen.
I saved you. I have told you about it. I did this.
It was not some other god you worship.
You are my witnesses that I am God,”
announces the Lord.

I am God and always will be.
No one is able to take anything out of My hand.
I do something, and who can change it?

The Lord says, “...remember this;
remember that you are My servant.
I created you to be My servant, and
I will never forget you.”

I am the Lord, the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,
who spreads out the earth by Myself,
who foils the signs of false prophets and
makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise and
turns it into nonsense

It is I who made the earth
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshaled their starry hosts.

For this is what the Lord says -
He who created the heavens, He is God;
He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited - He says:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.

Turn to Me now and be saved, people all over the world!
I am the only God there is.

Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me.

I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and
I will do all that I please.’

You have trusted in your wickedness and have said,
‘No one sees me.’
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when
you say to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.

I am the Lord your God, who teaches you
what is good for you and leads you
along the paths you should follow.
Oh, that you had listened to My commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and
righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways and
My thoughts than your thoughts.”

The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and
the day of our God’s vengeance

Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool...
These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and
who tremble at My word.
But [My people] have chosen their own ways, and
they delight in their abominations...
when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil in My sight and chose what displeases Me.

Say to them whatever I command you.
Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.

A thief is disgraced when he is caught

You say, ‘I am innocent; He is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’

You say to Me, “Father,
You have been my guide since my youth.
Surely You won’t be angry forever!
Surely You can forget about it!”
So you talk, but you keep on doing all the evil you can.

Your sins have deprived you of good.

A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:
The prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority, and
My people love it this way.

They dress the wound of My people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.

The wise will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed and trapped.
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom do they have?

Why has the land been ruined and laid waste
like a desert that no one can cross?
The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken My law,
which I set before them;
they have not obeyed Me or followed My law.
Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts;
they have followed [Satan],
as their ancestors taught them.”

The Lord says:
“Let not the wise [take pride in] their wisdom
or the strong [in] their strength
or the rich [in] their riches,
but [only take pride in] this:
that [you] have the understanding to know Me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth

The Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh and
whose heart turns away from the Lord.”

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.

“My message is like fire,” announces the Lord.
“It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.”

This is what the Lord says: ...speak to all the people...
Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word.
Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways.
Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster
I was planning because of the evil they have done.

The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:...
“With My great power and outstretched arm
I made the earth and its people and
the animals that are on it, and
I give it to anyone I please.”

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”

They built high places for [Satan]
to sacrifice their sons and daughters...
though I never commanded - nor did it enter My mind -
that they should do such a detestable thing and
so make [their nation] sin.

This is what the Lord says:
“If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it,
why should you go unpunished?”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

You will know that I am the Lord and that
while you were keeping the laws of the neighboring nations,
you were breaking My laws and disobeying My commands.

“Those whose hearts pursue their desire for
abhorrent acts and detestable practices,
I will bring their conduct down on their own heads.”
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?
declares the Sovereign Lord.
Rather, am I not pleased when they
turn from their ways and live?

I will show the holiness of My great Name,
which has been profaned among the nations,
the Name you have profaned among them.
Then the nations will know that I am the Lord.

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

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace,
the God we serve is able to deliver us from it,
and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.
But even if He does not, we want you to know,
Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or
worship the image of gold you have set up.

Now I... praise, exalt, and glorify the King of Heaven,
because everything He does is right
and all His ways are just.
And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.

He is the living God and He endures forever;
His kingdom will not be destroyed,
His dominion will never end.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you...
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and
acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot Me.

This is the Lord’s declaration -
turn to Me with all your heart,
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and
return to the Lord your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and
He relents from sending disaster.

He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind, and
who reveals His thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness, and
treads on the heights of the earth -
the Lord God Almighty is His name.

There are people among you who hate anyone
who stands for justice in court.
They hate those who tell the truth.

Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy

They took Jonah and threw him overboard,
and the raging sea grew calm...
the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and
Jonah was in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Look at the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe, even if you were told.

The Lord answered me: Write down this vision;
clearly inscribe it on tablets so [any]one may easily read it.

The [proud] is puffed up; his desires are not upright -
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness

The earth will be filled with
the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.

Though the fig tree does not bud and
there are no grapes 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,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

[Don’t] think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you
who do what He commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.

“I am with you,” declares the Lord.

Because they did not listen when I spoke,
I did not answer when they prayed.

The Lord Almighty says: ... “love truth and peace.”

“I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty,
“and My name is to be feared among the nations”

You have wearied the Lord with your words.
“How have we wearied Him?” you ask. By saying,
“All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and
He is pleased with them”

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse...
Test Me in this, and see if I will not
throw open the floodgates of heaven and
pour out so much blessing that there will not be
room enough to store it.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and
they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

From that time on Jesus began to preach,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Don’t misunderstand why I ( Jesus) have come.
I did not come to abolish the law of Moses
or the writings of the prophets.
No, I came to accomplish (fulfill) their purpose.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.

Wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it.

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 who is in heaven.

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and
as innocent as doves.

You will be hated by everyone because of Me,
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

By your words you will be acquitted, and
by your words you will be condemned.

Jesus said, “Why do you break the command of God
for the sake of your tradition?”

They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.

Peter came to Jesus and asked,
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother
or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times,
but [seventy times seven].”

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’

You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.

Go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.

The people who heard [ Jesus] were amazed
at the way He taught, for He wasn't like
the teachers of the Law; instead,
He taught with authority.

The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.
But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and
ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’

No word from God will ever fail.

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.

...filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said,
“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
For he and all his companions were astonished

Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you and
reject your name as evil, because of [ Jesus].

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you

Love your enemies, do good to them, and
lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
Then your reward will be great, and
you will be children of the Most High,
because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and
do not do what I say?

Fear Him who, after your body has been killed,
has authority to throw you into Hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear Him.

[Jesus] said... “Watch out!
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

I have come to bring fire on the earth, and
how I wish it were already kindled!
Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?
No, I tell you, but division.

I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins,
you will all die as they did.

Whoever can be trusted with very little
can also be trusted with much,
and whoever is dishonest with very little
will also be dishonest with much.

What is exalted among men
is an abomination in the sight of God.

When you have done everything you were told to do,
[you] should say,
‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

The tax collector stood at a distance.
He would not even look up to heaven,
but beat his breast and said,
‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

Stand firm, and you will win life.

Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me;
yet not My will, but Yours be done.

To all who believed Him and accepted Him,
He gave the right to become children of God.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I have spoken to you of earthly things and
you do not believe; how then will you believe
if I speak of heavenly things?

God so loved the world that
He gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.

Whoever believes in [ Jesus] is not condemned, but
whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because they have not believed
in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Light has come into the world, but
people loved darkness instead of light
because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light

No one can come to Me
unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and
I will raise them up at the last day.

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering
about [ Jesus]. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”

The devil... was a murderer from the beginning.
He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.
The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.

Neither this man nor his parents sinned,
but this happened so that
the works of God might be displayed in him.

Since the beginning of time
it has never been heard [of, until today,] that anyone
opened the eyes of a person born blind.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
[ Jesus has] come that they may have life,
and have it to the full.

Many of them said, “[ Jesus] is demon-possessed
and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

A large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came,
not only because of Him but also to see Lazarus,
whom He had raised from the dead.
So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well

A new command I give you:
Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching...
Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching.”

I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing.

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you.

When [the Holy Spirit] comes,
He will prove the world to be in the wrong about
sin and righteousness and judgment

I have said these things to you,
that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world.

These are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that
by believing you may have life in His name.

Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but
what I do have I give you. In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind
by which we must be saved.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and
realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,
they were astonished and
they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Peter and the apostles answered,
“We must obey God rather than men...”
When they heard this, they were enraged
and wanted to kill them.

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power,
performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Opposition arose, however

Saul’s preaching became even more powerful, and
his proofs that Jesus was the Messiah were
so convincing that the Jews who lived in Damascus
could not answer him.
After many days had gone by,
the Jews met together and made plans to kill Saul.

They strengthened the believers and
encouraged them to remain true to the faith.
“We must pass through many troubles
to enter the Kingdom of God,” they taught.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved

Now the Berean Jews were of... noble character...
for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see
if what Paul said was true.
As a result, many of them believed

The God who made the world and
everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and
does not live in temples built by human hands.

I consider my life of no value to myself;
my purpose is to finish my course and
the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus,
to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

[Everyone knows] the truth about God because
He has made it obvious

People are without excuse... they knew God...
they claimed to be wise, they became fools and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God... Therefore
¹God gave them over in the sinful desires of
their hearts to sexual impurity... They
exchanged the truth about God for a lie...
²God gave them over to shameful lusts...
they did not think it worthwhile to [remember Him], so
³God gave them over to a depraved mind

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools

Don’t you see how wonderfully
kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?
Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that
His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Let God be found true, but every man a liar

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Do we then nullify (cancel) the law through faith?
Absolutely not! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I would not have known what sin was
had it not been for the law.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

We know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love Him,
who have been called according to His purpose.

I can testify about them that they are zealous for God,
but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
Since they did not know the righteousness of God
and sought to establish their own,
they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and
believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved.

Faith comes from hearing, and
hearing through the word of Christ.

Elijah... appealed to God against Israel:
“Lord, they have killed your prophets and
torn down your altars;
I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me” ?
And what was God’s answer to him?
“I have reserved for myself seven thousand
who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

Don’t be like the people of this world,
but let God change the way you think.
Then you will know how to do everything that is
good and pleasing to Him.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Do what is right and you will be commended.
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good...
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities

Christ [sent me] to preach the gospel -
not with wisdom and eloquence,
lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

The message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

[Paul] planted the seed, Apollos watered it,
but God has been making it grow.
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.

When we are cursed, we bless;
when we are persecuted, we endure it;
when we are slandered, we answer kindly.
We have become the scum of the earth,
the garbage of the world -
right up to this moment.

The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

No temptation has overtaken you
except what is common to mankind.

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but
all its many parts form one body,
so it is with Christ.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile;
you are still in your sins...
And if our hope in Christ is only for this life,
we are more to be pittied than anyone in the world.

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning;
for there are some who are ignorant of God -
I say this to your shame.

The Lord is the Spirit, and
where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that
displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

What do righteousness and wickedness have in common?
Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
What harmony is there between Christ and [Satan]?
Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death.

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Though we live in the world,
we do not wage war as the world does...
We demolish arguments and every pretension
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and
we take captive every thought
to make it obedient to Christ.

Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
It is not surprising, then, if his servants also
masquerade as servants of righteousness.

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good.
What they want is to alienate you from us,
so that you may have zeal for them.
It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good,
and to be so always, not just when I am with you.

For you, my brothers, were called to freedom;
only do not let your freedom become an
opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness),
but through love serve and seek the best for one another.

What our human nature wants is opposed to
what the Spirit wants, and
what the Spirit wants is opposed to
what our human nature wants.
These two are enemies, and this means that
you cannot do [whatever] you want to do.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
[patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.

If someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows.

Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.

It is by grace you have been saved,
through faith -
and this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God -
not by works,
so that no one can boast.

Then we will no longer be infants,
tossed back and forth by the waves, and
blown here and there by every wind of teaching
and by the cunning and craftiness of
people in their deceitful scheming.

You must no longer live as the Gentiles do,
in the futility of their thinking.
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from
the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them
due to the hardening of their hearts.
Having lost all sensitivity,
they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to
indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
That, however, is not the way of life you learned
when you heard about Christ

Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful,
so that your words will be an encouragement
to those who hear them.

Among you there must not be even a hint
of sexual immorality, or
of any kind of impurity, or
of greed,
because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Our struggle is not against people, but
against the rulers/authorities/powers of darkness in this world, &
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with
the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet...
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace...
the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all
the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take
the helmet of salvation and
the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves
in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ...
Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies.
This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed,
but that you are going to be saved, even by God Himself.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but
each of you to the interests of the others.

He made Himself nothing by taking the
very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death -
even death on a cross!

See to it that no one takes you captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the
elemental spiritual forces of this world
rather than on Christ.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders;
make the most of every opportunity.
Let your conversation be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone.

God sends them a powerful delusion
so that they will believe the lie and
so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth
but have delighted in wickedness.

The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.

Never tire of doing what is good.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times
some will abandon the faith and
follow deceiving spirits and
things taught by demons.

Command those who are rich in this present world
not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth,
which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,
who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and
to be generous and willing to share.
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves
as a firm foundation for the coming age,
so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,
but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.

Keep reminding God’s people of these things.
Warn them before God against quarreling about words;
it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who does not need to be ashamed and
who correctly handles the word of truth.

Opponents must be gently instructed,
in the hope that God will grant them repentance
leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and
that they will come to their senses and
escape from the trap of the devil,
who has taken them captive to do his will.

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted,
while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,
deceiving and being deceived.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned
and have become convinced of

For the grace of God has appeared that
offers salvation to all people.
It teaches us to say “No” to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to
live self-controlled, upright and godly lives
in this present age.

For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before
the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

It is impossible for God to lie

My righteous one will live by faith.
I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.

Faith is confidence in what we hope for
and assurance about what we do not see.

Do not forget to do good and to share with others,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Consider it pure joy... whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance.

Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.

Whoever keeps the whole law
and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it.

You believe that there is one God.
Good!
Even the demons believe that - and shudder.

Friendship with the world means enmity against God[.]
Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do
and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

All people are like grass, and
all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone
who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received
to serve others, as faithful stewards of
God’s grace in its various forms.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal
that has come on you to test you,
as though something strange were happening to you.

God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand,
that He may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.

Be alert and of sober mind.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.

They promise [us] freedom,
while they themselves are slaves of depravity

In the last days scoffers will come...
they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word
the heavens came into being and
the earth was formed out of water and by water.

They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?
Ever since our ancestors died,
everything goes on as it has
since the beginning of creation.”

[The Bible contains] some things that are hard to understand,
which ignorant and unstable people distort...
to their own destruction.

Do not love the world or anything in the world...
The world and its desires pass away

Everything in the world
-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-
comes not from the Father but from the world.

Who is the liar?
It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.

Let us not love [merely in theory]
with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion],
but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity]

They are from the world and therefore speak
from the viewpoint of the world, and
the world listens to them.
We are from God, and
whoever knows God listens to us; but
whoever is not from God does not listen to us.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.
The one who does good is of God;
the one who does evil has not seen God.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God,
“who is, and who was, and who is to come,
the Almighty.”

Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison
to test you, and you will experience affliction...
Be faithful to the point of death, and
I will give you the crown of life.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold -
I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures...
Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory.
He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.

I looked, and there before me was
a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people, and language,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head
are many crowns... He is dressed in a robe
dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God...
Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which
to strike down the nations... He treads the winepress
of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written:
King of kings and Lord of lords.

He who testifies to these things says,
“Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.
Amen.