Easy to Read Version Bible

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Easy To Read Version
Old Testament
Genesis 1 1 God created the sky and the earth. At first, 2 the earth was completely empty. There was nothing on the earth. Darkness covered the ocean, and Gods Spirit moved over the water. 3 Then God said, et there !e light" And light !egan to shine. # $e saw the light, and he knew that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. % God named the light day, and he named the darkness night. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the first day. & Then God said, et there !e a space to separate the water into two parts" ' So God made the space and separated the water. Some of the water was a!ove it, and some of the water was !elow it. ( God named that space sky. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the second day. Genesis 1.)*1% 2 ) Then God said, et the water +nder the sky !e gathered together so that the dry land will appear. And it happened. 1, God named the dry land earth, and he named the water that was gathered together seas. And God saw that this was good. 11 Then God said, et the earth grow grass, plants that make grain, and fr+it trees. The fr+it trees will make fr+it with seeds in it. And each plant will make its own kind of seed. et these plants grow on the earth. And it happened. 12 The earth grew grass and plants that made grain. And it grew trees that made fr+it with seeds in it. -very plant made its own kind of seeds. And God saw that this was good. -asy To .ead /ersion 13 There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the third day. 1# Then God said, et there !e lights in the sky. These lights will separate the days from the nights. They will !e +sed for signs to show when special meetings !egin and to show the days and years. 1% They will !e in the sky to shine light on the earth. And it happened. Genesis 1.1&*23 3 1& So God made the two large lights. $e made the larger light to r+le d+ring the day and the smaller light to r+le d+ring the night. $e also made the stars. 1' God p+t these lights in the sky to shine on the earth. 1( $e p+t them in the sky to r+le over the day and over the night. They separated the light from the darkness. And God saw that this was good. 1) There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the fo+rth day. 2, Then God said, et the water !e filled with many living things, and let there !e !irds to fly in the air over the earth. 21 So God created the large sea animals. $e created all the many living things in the sea and every kind of !ird that flies in the air. And God saw that this was good. 22 God !lessed all the living things in the sea and told them to have many !a!ies and fill the seas. And he !lessed the !irds on land and told them to have many more !a!ies. 23 There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the fifth day. Genesis 1.2#*2( # 2# Then God said, et the earth prod+ce many kinds of living things. et there !e many different kinds of animals. et there !e large animals and small crawling animals of every kind. And let all these animals prod+ce more animals. And all these things happened. pag. 10131#

2% So God made every kind of animal. $e made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling things. And God saw that this was good. 2& Then God said, 1ow lets make h+mans who will !e like +s. They will r+le over all the fish in the sea and the !irds in the air. They will r+le over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth. 2' So God created h+mans in his own image. $e created them to !e like himself. $e created them male and female. 2( God !lessed them and said to them, $ave many children. 2ill the earth and take control of it. .+le over the fish in the sea and the !irds in the air. .+le over every living thing that moves on the earth. Genesis 1.2)*2.# % 2) God said, 3 am giving yo+ all the grain !earing plants and all the fr+it trees. These trees make fr+it with seeds in it. This grain and fr+it will !e yo+r food. 3, And 3 am giving all the green plants to the animals. These green plants will !e their food. -very animal on earth, every !ird in the air, and all the little things that crawl on the earth will eat that food. And all these things happened. 31 God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the si4th day. 2 1 So the earth, the sky, and everything in them were finished. 2 God finished the work he was doing, so on the seventh day, he rested from his work. 3 God !lessed the seventh day and made it a holy day. $e made it special !eca+se on that day he rested from all the work he did while creating the world. # This is the story a!o+t the creation of the sky and the earth. This is what happened when the 5.D God made the earth and the sky. Genesis 2.%*11 & -asy To .ead /ersion

% This was !efore there were plants on the earth. 1othing was growing in the fields !eca+se the 5.D God had not yet made it rain on the earth, and there was no one to care for the plants. & So water came +p from the earth and spread over the gro+nd. ' Then the 5.D God took d+st from the gro+nd and made a man. $e !reathed the !reath of life into the mans nose, and the man !ecame a living thing. ( Then the 5.D God planted a garden in the -ast, in a place named -den. $e p+t the man he made in that garden. ) Then the 5.D God ca+sed all the !ea+tif+l trees that were good for food to grow in the garden. 3n the middle of the garden, he p+t the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge a!o+t good and evil. 1, A river flowed from -den and watered the garden. The river then separated and !ecame fo+r smaller rivers. 11 The name of the first river was 6ishon. This river flowed aro+nd the entire co+ntry of $avilah. Genesis 2.12*1) ' 12 7There is gold in that co+ntry, and that gold is p+re. A kind of e4pensive perf+me and ony4 are also fo+nd there.8 13 The name of the second river was Gihon. This river flowed aro+nd the whole land of 9+sh. 1# The name of the third river was Tigris. This river flowed east of Assyria. The fo+rth river was the -+phrates. 1% The 5.D God p+t the man in the Garden of -den to work the soil and take care of the garden. 1& The 5.D God gave him this command: ;o+ may eat from any tree in the garden. 1' <+t yo+ m+st not eat from the tree that gives knowledge a!o+t good and evil. 3f yo+ eat fr+it from that tree, on that day yo+ will certainly die" 1( Then the 5.D God said, 3 see that it is not good for the man to !e alone. 3 will make the companion he needs, one =+st right for him. pag. 20131#

1) The 5.D God +sed d+st from the gro+nd and made every animal in the fields and every !ird in the air. $e !ro+ght all these animals to the man, and the man gave them all a name. Genesis 2.2,*3.1 ( 2, The man gave names to all the tame animals, to all the !irds in the air, and to all the wild animals. $e saw many animals and !irds, !+t he co+ld not find a companion that was right for him. 21 So the 5.D God ca+sed the man to sleep very deeply. >hile he was asleep, God took one of the ri!s from the mans !ody. Then he closed the mans skin where the ri! had !een. 22 The 5.D God +sed the ri! from the man to make a woman. Then he !ro+ght the woman to the man. 23 And the man said, 2inally" 5ne like me, with !ones from my !ones and a !ody from my !ody. She was taken o+t of a man, so 3 will call her woman. 2# That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is =oined to his wife. 3n this way two people !ecome one. 2% The man and his wife were naked, !+t they were not ashamed. 3 1 The snake was the most clever of all the wild animals that the 5.D God had made. The snake spoke to the woman and said, >oman, did God really tell yo+ that yo+ m+st not eat from any tree in the garden? Genesis 3.2*( ) 2 The woman answered the snake, 1o, we can eat fr+it from the trees in the garden. 3 <+t there is one tree we m+st not eat from. God told +s, ;o+ m+st not eat fr+it from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. ;o+ m+st not even to+ch that tree, or yo+ will die. # <+t the snake said to the woman, ;o+ will not die. % God knows that if yo+ eat the fr+it from that tree yo+ will learn a!o+t good and evil, and then yo+ will !e like God" & The woman co+ld see that the tree was !ea+tif+l and the fr+it looked so -asy To .ead /ersion

good to eat. She also liked the idea that it wo+ld make her wise. So she took some of the fr+it from the tree and ate it. $er h+s!and was there with her, so she gave him some of the fr+it, and he ate it. ' Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked. So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes. ( D+ring the cool part of the day, the man and his wife heard the 5.D God Genesis 3.)*1% 1, walking in the garden. So they hid themselves among the trees there. ) The 5.D God called to the man and said, >here are yo+? 1, The man said, 3 heard yo+ walking in the garden, and 3 was afraid. 3 was naked, so 3 hid. 11 God said to the man, >ho told yo+ that yo+ were naked? Did yo+ eat fr+it from that special tree? 3 told yo+ not to eat from that tree" 12 The man said, The woman yo+ p+t here with me gave me fr+it from that tree. So 3 ate it. 13 Then the 5.D God said to the woman, >hat have yo+ done? She said, The snake tricked me, so 3 ate the fr+it. 1# So the 5.D God said to the snake, ;o+ did this very !ad thing, so !ad things will happen to yo+. 3t will !e worse for yo+ than for any other animal. ;o+ m+st crawl on yo+r !elly and eat d+st all the days of yo+r life. 1% 3 will make yo+ and the woman enemies to each other. ;o+r children and her children will !e enemies. ;o+ will !ite her childs foot, !+t he will cr+sh yo+r head. Genesis 3.1&*21 11 1& Then God said to the woman, 3 will ca+se yo+ to have m+ch tro+!le when yo+ are pregnant. And when yo+ give !irth to children, yo+ will have m+ch pain. ;o+ will want yo+r h+s!and very m+ch, !+t he will r+le over yo+. 1' Then God said to the man, 3 pag. 30131#

commanded yo+ not to eat from that tree. <+t yo+ listened to yo+r wife and ate from it. So 3 will c+rse the gro+nd !eca+se of yo+. ;o+ will have to work hard all yo+r life for the food the gro+nd prod+ces. 1( The gro+nd will grow thorns and weeds for yo+. And yo+ will have to eat the plants that grow wild in the fields. 1) ;o+ will work hard for yo+r food, +ntil yo+r face is covered with sweat. ;o+ will work hard +ntil the day yo+ die, and then yo+ will !ecome d+st again. 3 +sed d+st to make yo+, and when yo+ die, yo+ will !ecome d+st again. 2, Adam named his wife -ve. $e gave her this name !eca+se -ve wo+ld !e the mother of everyone who ever lived. 21 The 5.D God +sed animal skins and made some clothes for the man and his wife. Then he p+t the clothes on them. Genesis 3.22*#.3 12 22 The 5.D God said, ook, the man has !ecome like +she knows a!o+t good and evil. And now the man might take the fr+it from the tree of life. 3f the man eats that fr+it, he will live forever. 23 So the 5.D God forced the man o+t of the Garden of -den to work the gro+nd he was made from. 2# God forced the man to leave the garden. Then he p+t 9her+! angels and a sword of fire at the entrance to the garden to protect it. The sword flashed aro+nd and aro+nd, g+arding the way to the tree of life. 4 1 Adam had se4+al relations with his wife -ve. She !ecame pregnant and gave !irth to a son. She named him 9ain. -ve said, >ith the 5.D@S help, 3 have made a man" 2 -ve gave !irth again to 9ains !rother A!el. A!el !ecame a shepherd, and 9ain !ecame a farmer. 3 At harvest time, 9ain !ro+ght a gift to the 5.D. $e !ro+ght some of the food that he grew from the gro+nd, !+t A!el !ro+ght some animals from his flock. $e chose some of his !est sheep and Genesis #.#*11 13 -asy To .ead /ersion

!ro+ght the !est parts from them. The 5.D accepted A!el and his gift. # 7#:38 % <+t he did not accept 9ain and his offering. 9ain was sad !eca+se of this, and he !ecame very angry. & The 5.D asked 9ain, >hy are yo+ angry? >hy does yo+r face look sad? ' ;o+ know that if yo+ do what is right, 3 will accept yo+. <+t if yo+ dont, sin is ready to attack yo+. That sin will want to control yo+, !+t yo+ m+st control it. ( 9ain said to his !rother A!el, ets go o+t to the field. So they went to the field. Then 9ain attacked his !rother A!el and killed him. ) ater, the 5.D said to 9ain, >here is yo+r !rother A!el? 9ain answered, 3 dont know. 3s it my =o! to watch over my !rother? 1, Then the ord said, >hat have yo+ done? The gro+nd is wet with yo+r !rothers !lood that dripped from yo+r hands. 1ow his !lood is crying o+t to me from the gro+nd. So yo+ will !e c+rsed and forced away from this gro+nd. 11 7#:1,8 Genesis #.12*1( 1# 12 1ow when yo+ work the soil, the gro+nd will not prod+ce a good crop for yo+. So yo+ will not !e a!le to stay here. ;o+ will wander from place to place. 13 Then 9ain said to the 5.D, This p+nishment is more than 3 can !ear" 1# ;o+ are forcing me to leave the land, and 3 will not !e a!le to !e near yo+ or have a home" 1ow 3 m+st wander from place to place, and anyone 3 meet co+ld kill me. 1% Then the 5.D said to 9ain, 1o, if anyone kills yo+, 3 will p+nish that person m+ch, m+ch more. Then the 5.D p+t a mark on 9ain to warn anyone he met not to kill him. 1& 9ain went away from the 5.D and lived in the land of 1od, east of -den. 1' 9ain had se4+al relations with his wife. She !ecame pregnant and gave !irth to a son named -noch. 9ain !+ilt a city and gave the city the same name as pag. #0131#

his son -noch. 1( -noch had a son named 3rad. 3rad had a son named Aeh+=ael. Aeh+=ael had a son named Aeth+shael. And Aeth+shael had a son named amech. Genesis #.1)*2% 1% 1) amech married two women. 5ne wife was named Adah, and the other was named Billah. 2, Adah gave !irth to Ca!al. Ca!al was the father of people who live in tents and earn their living !y keeping cattle. 21 Ca!al was C+!als !rother. C+!al was the father of people who play the harp and fl+te. 22 Billah gave !irth to T+!alD9ain. T+!alD9ain was the father of people who work with !ronEe and iron. The sister of T+!alD9ain was named 1aamah. 23 amech said to his wives: Adah and Billah, hear my voice" ;o+ wives of amech, listen to me. A man h+rt me, so 3 killed him. 3 even killed a child for hitting me. 2# The p+nishment for killing 9ain was very !ad. <+t the p+nishment for killing me will !e many times worse" 2% Adam again had se4+al relations with his wife, and she gave !irth to another son. She named him Seth. -ve said, God has given me another son. 9ain killed A!el, !+t now 3 have Seth. Genesis #.2&*%.1, 1& 2& Seth also had a son. $e named him -nosh. At that time people !egan to pray to the 5.D. 5 1 This is the history of Adams family. >hen God created people, he made them like himself. 2 $e created them male and female. And on the same day he made them, he !lessed them and called them h+mans. 3 After Adam was 13, years old, he had another son. This son looked =+st like Adam. Adam named his son Seth. # After Seth was !orn, Adam lived (,, years and had other sons and da+ghters. % So Adam lived a total of )3, yearsF then he died. & After Seth was 1,% years old, he had -asy To .ead /ersion

a son named -nosh. ' After -nosh was !orn, Seth lived (,' years and had other sons and da+ghters. ( So Seth lived a total of )12 yearsF then he died. ) After -nosh was ), years old, he had a son named Genan. 1, After Genan was !orn, -nosh lived (1% years and had other sons and da+ghters. Genesis %.11*23 1' 11 So -nosh lived a total of ),% yearsF then he died. 12 After Genan was ', years old, he had a son named Aahalalel. 13 After Aahalalel was !orn, Genan lived (#, years and had other sons and da+ghters. 1# So Genan lived a total of )1, yearsF then he died. 1% >hen Aahalalel was &% years old, he had a son named Cared. 1& After Cared was !orn, Aahalalel lived (3, years and had other sons and da+ghters. 1' So Aahalalel lived a total of ()% yearsF then he died. 1( After Cared was 1&2 years old, he had a son named -noch. 1) After -noch was !orn, Cared lived (,, years and had other sons and da+ghters. 2, So Cared lived a total of )&2 yearsF then he died. 21 After -noch was &% years old, he had a son named Aeth+selah. 22 After Aeth+selah was !orn, -noch walked with God for 3,, years and had other sons and da+ghters. 23 So -noch lived a total of 3&% years. Genesis %.2#*&.1 1( 2# 5ne day -noch was walking with God, and he disappeared. God took him. 2% After Aeth+selah was 1(' years old, he had a son named amech. 2& After amech was !orn, Aeth+selah lived '(2 years and had other sons and da+ghters. 2' So Aeth+selah lived a total of )&) yearsF then he died. 2( >hen amech was 1(2 years old, he pag. %0131#

had a son. 2) amech named his son 1oah. amech said, >e work very hard as farmers !eca+se God c+rsed the gro+nd. <+t 1oah will !ring +s rest. 3, After 1oah was !orn, amech lived %)% years and had other sons and da+ghters. 31 So amech lived a total of ''' yearsF then he died. 32 After 1oah was %,, years old, he had sons named Shem, $am, and Capheth. 6 1 The n+m!er of people on earth contin+ed to increase. >hen these people had da+ghters, the sons of God saw how !ea+tif+l they were. So they chose the women they wanted. They married them, and the women had their Genesis &.2*) 1) children. Then the 5.D said, 6eople are only h+man. 3 will not let my Spirit !e tro+!led !y them forever. 3 will let them live only 12, years. D+ring this time and also later, the 1ephilim people lived in the land. They have !een famo+s as powerf+l soldiers since ancient times. 2 7&:18 3 7&:18 # 7&:18 % The 5.D saw that the people on the earth were very evil. $e saw that they tho+ght only a!o+t evil things all the time. & The 5.D was sorry that he had made any of these people. C+st thinking a!o+t it made him sad. ' So the 5.D said, 3 will destroy all the people 3 created on the earth. 3 will destroy every person and every animal and everything that crawls on the earth. And 3 will destroy all the !irds in the air, !eca+se 3 am sorry that 3 have made them. ( <+t 1oah pleased the 5.D. ) This is the history of 1oahs family. $e was a good man all his life, and he always followed God. Genesis &.1,*1' 2, 1, 1oah had three sons: Shem, $am, and Capheth. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 >hen God looked at the earth, he saw that people had r+ined it. /iolence was everywhere, and it had r+ined their life on earth. 12 7&:118 13 So God said to 1oah, -veryone has filled the earth with anger and violence. So 3 have decided to destroy all living things. 3 will remove them from the earth. 1# Hse cypress wood and !+ild a !oat for yo+rself. Aake rooms in the !oat and cover it with tar inside and o+t. 1% This is the siEe 3 want yo+ to make the !oat: 3,, c+!its long, %, c+!its wide, and 3, c+!its high. 1& Aake a window for the !oat a!o+t 1 c+!it !elow the roof. 6+t a door in the side of the !oat. Aake three floors in the !oat: a top deck, a middle deck, and a lower deck. 1' Hnderstand what 3 am telling yo+. 3 will !ring a great flood of water on the earth. 3 will destroy all living things that live +nder heaven. -verything on the earth will die. Genesis &.1(*'.3 21 1( 3 will make a special agreement with yo+. ;o+, yo+r wife, yo+r sons, and their wives will all go into the !oat. 1) Also, yo+ will take two of every living thing on the earth with yo+ into the !oat. Take a male and female of every kind of animal so that they might s+rvive with yo+. 2, Two of every kind of !ird, animal, and creeping thing will come to yo+ so that yo+ might keep them alive. 21 Also !ring every kind of food into the !oat, for yo+ and for the animals. 22 1oah did everything God commanded him. 7 1 Then the 5.D said to 1oah, 3 have seen that yo+ are a good man, even among the evil people of this time. So gather yo+r family, and all of yo+ go into the !oat. 2 Get seven pairs 7seven males and seven females8 of every kind of clean animal. And get one pair 7one male and pag. &0131#

one female8 of every other animal on the earth. ead all these animals into the !oat with yo+. 3 Get seven pairs 7seven males and seven females8 of all the !irds. This will Genesis '.#*11 22 allow all these animals to contin+e living on the earth after the other animals are destroyed. # Seven days from now, 3 will send m+ch rain on the earth. 3t will rain for #, days and #, nights, and 3 will wipe everything off the face of the earth. 3 will destroy everything 3 made. % 1oah did everything the 5.D told him to do. & 1oah was &,, years old at the time the rains came. ' $e and his family went into the !oat to !e saved from the flood. $is wife and his sons and their wives were on the !oat with him. ( All the clean animals, all the other animals on the earth, the !irds, and everything that crawls on the earth ) went into the !oat with 1oah. These animals went into the !oat in gro+ps of two, male and female, =+st as God commanded. 1, Seven days later the flood started. The rain !egan to fall on the earth. 11 5n the 1'th day of the second month, when 1oah was &,, years old, the springs +nder the earth !roke Genesis '.12*1( 23 thro+gh the gro+nd, and water flowed o+t everywhere. The sky also opened like windows and rain po+red down. The rain fell on the earth for #, days and #, nights. That same day 1oah went into the !oat with his wife, his sons Shem, $am, and Capheth, and their wives. 12 7':118 13 7':118 1# They and every kind of animal on the earth were in the !oat. -very kind of cattle, every kind of animal that crawls on the earth, and every kind of !ird were in the !oat. 1% All these animals went into the !oat -asy To .ead /ersion

with 1oah. They came in gro+ps of two from every kind of animal that had the !reath of life. 1& All these animals went into the !oat in gro+ps of two, =+st as God had commanded 1oah. Then the 5.D closed the door !ehind 1oah. 1' >ater flooded the earth for #, days. The water !egan rising and lifted the !oat off the gro+nd. 1( The water contin+ed to rise, and the !oat floated on the water high a!ove the earth. Genesis '.1)*(.1 2# 1) The water rose so m+ch that even the highest mo+ntains were covered !y the water. 2, The water contin+ed to rise a!ove the mo+ntains. The water was more than 2, feet a!ove the highest mo+ntain. 21 -very living thing on earth diedevery man and woman, every !ird, and every kind of animal. All the many kinds of animals and all the things that crawl on the gro+nd died. -very living, !reathing thing on dry land died. 22 7':218 23 3n this way God wiped the earth cleanhe destroyed every living thing on the earthevery h+man, every animal, everything that crawls, and every !ird. All that was left was 1oah and his family and the animals that were with him in the !oat. 2# The water contin+ed to cover the earth for 1%, days. 8 1 <+t God did not forget a!o+t 1oah. God remem!ered him and all the animals that were with him in the !oat. God made a wind !low over the earth, and all the water !egan to disappear. Genesis (.2*) 2% 2 .ain stopped falling from the sky, and water stopped flowing from +nder the earth. 3 The water that covered the earth !egan to go down. After 1%, days the water was low eno+gh that the !oat to+ched land again. The !oat stopped on one of the mo+ntains of Ararat. This was pag. '0131#

the 1'th day of the seventh month. # 7(:38 % The water contin+ed to go down, and !y the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mo+ntains were a!ove the water. & 2orty days later 1oah opened the window he had made in the !oat. ' Then he sent o+t a raven. The raven flew from place to place +ntil the gro+nd was dry and the water was gone. ( 1oah also sent o+t a dove. $e wanted it to find dry gro+nd. $e wanted to know if water still covered the earth. ) The dove co+ld not find a place to rest !eca+se water still covered the earth, so the dove came !ack to the !oat. 1oah reached o+t his hand and ca+ght the dove and !ro+ght it !ack into the !oat. Genesis (.1,*1( 2& 1, After seven days 1oah again sent o+t the dove. 11 And that afternoon the dove came !ack to 1oah. The dove had a fresh olive leaf in its mo+th. This was a sign to show 1oah that there was dry gro+nd on the earth. 12 Seven days later 1oah sent the dove o+t again. <+t this time the dove didnt come !ack. 13 After that 1oah opened the door of the !oat. $e looked and saw that the gro+nd was dry. This was the first day of the first month of the year. $e was &,1 years old. 1# <y the 2'th day of the second month, the gro+nd was completely dry. 1% Then God said to 1oah, 1& eave the !oat. ;o+, yo+r wife, yo+r sons, and yo+r sons wives sho+ld go o+t now. 1' <ring every living animal o+t of the !oat with yo+all the !irds, animals, and everything that crawls on the earth. These animals will make many more animals, and they will fill the earth again. 1( So 1oah went o+t with his sons, his wife, and his sons wives. Genesis (.1)*).2 2' 1) All the animals, everything that -asy To .ead /ersion

crawls, and every !ird left the !oat. All the animals came o+t of the !oat in family gro+ps. 2, Then 1oah !+ilt an altar to honor the 5.D. 1oah took some of all the clean !irds and some of all the clean animals and !+rned them on the altar as a gift to God. 21 The 5.D smelled these sacrifices, and it pleased him. The 5.D said to himself, 3 will never again c+rse the earth as a way to p+nish people. 6eople are evil from the time they are yo+ng, !+t 3 will never again destroy every living thing on the earth as 3 did this time. 22 As long as the earth contin+es, there will always !e a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always !e cold and hot, s+mmer and winter, day and night on earth. 9 1 God !lessed 1oah and his sons and said to them, $ave many children. 2ill the earth with yo+r people. 2 -very animal on earth, every !ird in the air, every animal that crawls on the gro+nd, and every fish in the sea will !e Genesis ).3*11 2( afraid of yo+. All of them will !e +nder yo+r control. 3 3n the past, 3 gave yo+ the green plants to eat. 1ow every animal will also !e food for yo+. 3 give yo+ everything on earthit is yo+rs. # <+t 3 give yo+ one command. ;o+ m+st not eat meat that still has its life 7!lood8 in it. % Also, 3 will demand yo+r !lood for yo+r lives. That is, 3 will demand the life of any person or animal that takes a h+man life. & God made h+mans to !e like himself. So whoever kills a person m+st !e killed !y another person. ' $ave many children and fill the earth with yo+r people. ( Then God said to 1oah and his sons, ) 3 now make my promise to yo+ and to yo+r people who will live after yo+. 1, 3 make my promise to all the !irds, and to all the cattle, and to all the pag. (0131#

animals that came o+t of the !oat with yo+. 3 make my promise to every living thing on earth. 11 This is my promise to yo+: All life on the earth was destroyed !y the flood. Genesis ).12*1' 2) <+t that will never happen again. A flood will never again destroy all life on the earth. 12 And God said, 3 will give yo+ something to prove that 3 made this promise to yo+. 3t will contin+e forever to show that 3 have made an agreement with yo+ and every living thing on earth. 13 3 am p+tting a rain!ow in the clo+ds as proof of the agreement !etween me and the earth. 1# >hen 3 !ring clo+ds over the earth, yo+ will see the rain!ow in the clo+ds. 1% >hen 3 see this rain!ow, 3 will remem!er the agreement !etween me and yo+ and every living thing on the earth. This agreement says that a flood will never again destroy all life on the earth. 1& >hen 3 look and see the rain!ow in the clo+ds, 3 will remem!er the agreement that contin+es forever. 3 will remem!er the agreement !etween me and every living thing on the earth. 1' So God said to 1oah, This rain!ow is proof of the agreement that 3 made with all living things on earth. Genesis ).1(*2% 3, 1( 1oahs sons came o+t of the !oat with him. Their names were Shem, $am, and Capheth. 7$am was the father of 9anaan.8 1) These three men were 1oahs sons. And all the people on earth came from these three sons. 2, 1oah !ecame a farmer and planted a vineyard. 21 5ne day 1oah made some wine. $e got dr+nk, went into his tent, and took off all his clothes. 22 $am, the father of 9anaan, saw that his father was naked and told his !rothers who were o+tside the tent. 23 Shem and Capheth took a ro!e, p+t -asy To .ead /ersion

it across their sho+lders, and walked !ackward into the tent. Then they covered their father witho+t looking at him. 2# ater, 1oah woke +p. 7$e was sleeping !eca+se of the wine.8 >hen he learned what his yo+ngest son $am had done to him, 2% he said, Aay there !e a c+rse on 9anaan" Aay he !e a slave to his !rothers. Genesis ).2&*1,.& 31 2& 1oah also said, Aay the 5.D, the God of Shem, !e praised" Aay 9anaan !e Shems slave. 2' Aay God give more land to Capheth. Aay God live in Shems tents, and may 9anaan !e their slave. 2( After the flood 1oah lived 3%, years. 2) $e lived a total of )%, yearsF then he died. 10 1 This is the history of the families of Shem, $am, and Capheth. They are 1oahs sons. These men had children after the flood. 2 Capheths sons were Gomer, Aagog, Aadai, Cavan, T+!al, Aeshech, and Tiras. 3 Gomers sons were AshkenaE, .iphath, and Togarmah. # Cavans sons were -lishah, Tarshish, Gittim, and Dodanim. % All the people who lived in the area aro+nd the Aediterranean Sea came from these sons of Capheth. The people separated and went to different co+ntries according to lang+ages, families, and nations. & $ams sons were 9+sh, AiEraim, 6+t, and 9anaan. Genesis 1,.'*1' 32 ' 9+shs sons were Se!a, $avilah, Sa!tah, .aamah, and Sa!tecah. .aamahs sons were She!a and Dedan. ( 9+sh also had a son named 1imrod who !ecame a very powerf+l man on earth. ) $e was a great h+nter !efore the 5.D. That is why people compare other men to him and say, That man is like 1imrod, a great h+nter !efore the 5.D. pag. )0131#

1, 1imrods kingdom spread from <a!ylon to -rech, to Akkad, and then to 9alneh in the land of <a!ylonia. 11 1imrod also went into Assyria. 3n Assyria, 1imrod !+ilt the cities of 1ineveh, .eho!oth 3r, 9alah, and 12 .esen. 7.esen is the city !etween 1ineveh and 9alah, the !ig city.8 13 AiEraim was the father of the people of +d, Anam, eha!, 1apht+h, 1# 6athr+s, 9asl+h, and 9aphtor. 7The 6hilistine people came from 9asl+h.8 1% 9anaan was the father of Sidon. Sidon was 9anaans first son. 9anaan was also the father of the $ittites, 1& Ce!+sites, Amorites, Girgashites, 1' $ivites, Arkites, the Sinites, Genesis 1,.1(*2' 33 1( Arvadites, Bemarites, and $amathites. The families of 9anaan spread to different parts of the world. 1) The land where the 9anaanites lived went from Sidon down along the coast to Gerar and from GaEa as far east as Sodom and Gomorrah and from Admah and Be!oiim as far north as aish. 2, All these people were descendants of $am. They are arranged !y families, lang+ages, co+ntries, and nations. 21 Shem was Capheths older !rother. 5ne of Shems descendants was -!er, the father of all the $e!rew people. 22 Shems sons were -lam, Assh+r, Arpha4ad, +d, and Aram. 23 Arams sons were HE, $+l, Gether, and Aash. 2# Arpha4ad was the father of Shelah. Shelah was the father of -!er. 2% -!er was the father of two sons. 5ne son was named 6eleg. $e was given this name !eca+se the earth was divided d+ring his life. The other son was named Coktan. 2& Coktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, $aEarmaveth, Cerah, 2' $adoram, HEal, Diklah, Genesis 1,.2(*11.# 3# 2( 5!al, A!imael, She!a, 2) 5phir, $avilah, and Co!a!. All these people were Coktans sons. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, They lived in the area !etween Aesha and the hill co+ntry in the -ast. Aesha was toward the co+ntry of Sephar. 31 These are the people from the family of Shem. They are arranged !y families, lang+ages, co+ntries, and nations. 32 This is the list of the families from 1oahs sons. They are arranged according to their nations. 2rom these families came all the people who spread across the earth after the flood. 11 1 There was a time when the whole world spoke one lang+age. -veryone +sed the same words. 2 Then people !egan to move from the -ast. They fo+nd a plain in the land of <a!ylonia and stayed there to live. 3 Then they said to each other, ets make some !ricks of clay and !ake them in the fire. They +sed the !ricks like stones, and they +sed tar like mortar to hold the !ricks together. # Then the people said, ets !+ild o+rselves a city and a tower that will reach to the sky. Then we will !e famo+s. Genesis 11.%*11 3% This will keep +s together so that we will not !e scattered all over the earth. % Then the 5.D came down to see the city and the tower. & The 5.D said, These people all speak the same lang+age. And 3 see that they are =oined together to do this work. This is only the !eginning of what they can do. Soon they will !e a!le to do anything they want. ' ets go down and conf+se their lang+age. Then they will not +nderstand each other. ( So people stopped !+ilding the city, and the 5.D scattered them all over the earth. ) That is the place where the 5.D conf+sed the lang+age of the whole world. That is why it is called <a!el. And it was from there that the 5.D ca+sed the people to spread o+t to all the other places on earth. 1, This is the history of Shems family. Two years after the flood, when Shem pag. 1,0131#

was 1,, years old, his son Arpha4ad was !orn. 11 After that Shem lived %,, years. $e had other sons and da+ghters. Genesis 11.12*22 3& 12 >hen Arpha4ad was 3% years old, his son Shelah was !orn. 13 After Shelah was !orn, Arpha4ad lived #,3 years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 1# After Shelah was 3, years old, his son -!er was !orn. 1% After -!er was !orn, Shelah lived #,3 years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 1& After -!er was 3# years old, his son 6eleg was !orn. 1' After 6eleg was !orn, -!er lived another #3, years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 1( After 6eleg was 3, years old, his son .e+ was !orn. 1) After .e+ was !orn, 6eleg lived another 2,) years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 2, After .e+ was 32 years old, his son Ser+g was !orn. 21 After Ser+g was !orn, .e+ lived another 2,' years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 22 After Ser+g was 3, years old, his son 1ahor was !orn. Genesis 11.23*31 3' 23 After 1ahor was !orn, Ser+g lived another 2,, years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 2# After 1ahor was 2) years old, his son Terah was !orn. 2% After Terah was !orn, 1ahor lived another 11) years. D+ring that time he had other sons and da+ghters. 2& After Terah was ', years old, his sons A!ram, 1ahor, and $aran were !orn. 2' This is the history of Terahs family. Terah was the father of A!ram, 1ahor, and $aran. $aran was the father of ot. 2( $aran died in his hometown, Hr of <a!ylonia, while his father Terah was still alive. 2) A!ram and 1ahor !oth married. -asy To .ead /ersion

A!rams wife was named Sarai. 1ahors wife was named Ailcah. Ailcah was the da+ghter of $aran. $aran was the father of Ailcah and 3scah. 3, Sarai did not have any children !eca+se she was not a!le to have children. 31 Terah took his family and left Hr of <a!ylonia. They planned to travel to 9anaan. Terah took his son A!ram, his grandson ot 7$arans son8, and his Genesis 11.32*12.& 3( da+ghterDinDlaw Sarai 7A!rams wife8. They traveled to the city of $aran and decided to stay there. 32 Terah lived to !e 2,% years old. $e died in $aran. 12 1 The 5.D said to A!ram, eave yo+r co+ntry and yo+r people. eave yo+r fathers family and go to the co+ntry that 3 will show yo+. 2 3 will !+ild a great nation from yo+. 3 will !less yo+ and make yo+r name famo+s. 6eople will +se yo+r name to !less other people. 3 3 will !less those who !less yo+, and 3 will c+rse those who c+rse yo+. 3 will +se yo+ to !less all the people on earth. # So A!ram left $aran =+st like the 5.D said, and ot went with him. A!ram was '% years old when he left $aran. % $e took his wife Sarai, his nephew ot, all the slaves, and all the other things he had gotten in $aran. Then he and his gro+p moved to the land of 9anaan. & A!ram traveled thro+gh the land as far as the town of Shechem and then to the !ig tree at Aoreh. The 9anaanites were living in the land at that time. Genesis 12.'*13 3) ' The 5.D appeared to A!ram and said, 3 will give this land to yo+r descendants. A!ram !+ilt an altar to honor the 5.D who appeared to him there. ( Then he left that place and traveled to the mo+ntains east of <ethel. $e set +p his tent there. <ethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. A!ram !+ilt another altar at that place to honor pag. 110131#

the 5.D, and he worshiped the 5.D there. ) Then he moved on toward the 1egev, stopping for a time at several places on the way. 1, D+ring this time there was not eno+gh food in the land, so A!ram went down to -gypt to live. 11 C+st !efore they arrived in -gypt, A!ram told Sarai, ook, 3 know that yo+ are a very !ea+tif+l woman. 12 >hen the -gyptian men see yo+, they will say, This woman is his wife. Then they will kill me and keep yo+ alive !eca+se they want yo+. 13 So tell them that yo+ are my sister. Then they will !e good to me !eca+se of yo+. 3n this way yo+ will save my life. Genesis 12.1#*13.1 #, 1# So when A!ram went into -gypt, the -gyptian men saw that Sarai was a very !ea+tif+l woman. 1% -ven some of 6haraohs officials noticed her and told 6haraoh how !ea+tif+l she was. So they took her to 6haraohs ho+se. 1& 6haraoh was kind to A!ram !eca+se he tho+ght A!ram was Sarais !rother. $e gave A!ram sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and men and women servants. 1' 6haraoh took A!rams wife, so the 5.D ca+sed 6haraoh and all the people in his ho+se to have very !ad diseases. 1( 6haraoh called A!ram and said to him, ;o+ have done a very !ad thing to me" >hy didnt yo+ tell me Sarai was yo+r wife? 1) ;o+ said, She is my sister. >hy did yo+ say that? 3 took her so that she co+ld !e my wife, !+t now 3 give yo+r wife !ack to yo+. Take her and go" 2, Then 6haraoh commanded his men to lead A!ram o+t of -gypt. So A!ram and his wife left that place and took everything they had with them. 13 1 So A!ram left -gypt. $e traveled thro+gh the 1egev with his wife Genesis 13.2*( #1 and everything he owned. ot was also with them. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 At this time A!ram was very rich. $e had many animals and m+ch silver and gold. 3 A!ram contin+ed traveling aro+nd. $e left the 1egev and went !ack to <ethel. $e went to the place !etween the city of <ethel and Ai, where he and his family had camped !efore. # This was where A!ram had !+ilt an altar earlier. So he worshiped the 5.D there. % D+ring this time ot was also traveling with A!ram. ot had many animals and tents. & A!ram and ot had so many animals that the land co+ld not s+pport !oth of them together. ' 7The 9anaanites and the 6eriEEites were also living in this land at the same time.8 The shepherds of A!ram and ot !egan to arg+e. ( So A!ram said to ot, There sho+ld !e no arg+ing !etween yo+ and me or !etween yo+r people and my people. >e are all !rothers. Genesis 13.)*1& #2 ) >e sho+ld separate. ;o+ can choose any place yo+ want. 3f yo+ go to the left, 3 will go to the right. 3f yo+ go to the right, 3 will go to the left. 1, ot looked and saw the whole Cordan /alley. $e saw that there was m+ch water there. 7This was !efore the 5.D destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time the Cordan /alley all the way to Boar was like the 5.D@S Garden. This was good land, like the land of -gypt.8 11 So ot chose to live in the Cordan /alley. The two men separated, and ot !egan traveling east. 12 A!ram stayed in the land of 9anaan, and ot lived among the cities in the valley. ot moved as far as Sodom and made his camp there. 13 The 5.D knew that the people of Sodom were very evil sinners. 1# After ot left, the 5.D said to A!ram, ook aro+nd yo+. ook north, so+th, east, west. 1% All this land that yo+ see 3 will give to pag. 120131#

yo+ and yo+r people who live after yo+. This will !e yo+r land forever. 1& 3 will make yo+r people so many that they will !e like the d+st of the earth. Genesis 13.1'*1#.% #3 3f people co+ld co+nt all the particles of d+st on earth, they co+ld co+nt yo+r people. 1' So go. >alk thro+gh yo+r land. 3 now give it to yo+. 1( So A!ram moved his tents. $e went to live near the !ig trees of Aamre. This was near the city of $e!ron. There he !+ilt an altar to honor the 5.D. 14 1 Amraphel was the king of <a!ylonia, Arioch was the king of -llasar, Gedorlaomer was the king of -lam, and Tidal was the king of Goiim. 2 All these kings fo+ght a war against Ging <era of Sodom: Ging <irsha of Gomorrah, Ging Shina! of Admah, Ging Sheme!er of Be!oiim, and the king of <ela. 7<ela is also called Boar.8 3 All these kings =oined their armies in the /alley of Siddim. 7The /alley of Siddim is now the Salt Sea.8 # These kings had served Gedorlaomer for twelve years. <+t in the 13th year, they all re!elled against him. % So in the 1#th year, Ging Gedorlaomer and the kings with him came to fight against them. Gedorlaomer and the kings with him defeated the .ephaites in Genesis 1#.&*1, ## Ashteroth Garnaim. They also defeated the B+Eites in $am. They defeated the -mites in Shaveh Giriathaim. & And they defeated the $orites who lived in the area from the hill co+ntry of Seir to -l 6aran. 7-l 6aran is near the desert.8 ' Then Ging Gedorlaomer t+rned !ack, went to -n Aishpat 7that is, Gadesh8, and defeated the Amalekites. $e also defeated the Amorites living in $aEeEon Tamar. ( At that time the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Be!oiim, and <ela 7Boar8 =oined together to fight against their enemies in the /alley of Siddim. -asy To .ead /ersion

) They fo+ght against Ging Gedorlaomer of -lam, Ging Tidal of Goiim, Ging Amraphel of <a!ylonia, and Ging Arioch of -llasar. So there were fo+r kings fighting against five. 1, There were many holes filled with tar in the /alley of Siddim. >hen the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their armies ran away, some of the soldiers fell into these holes, !+t the others ran away to the mo+ntains. Genesis 1#.11*1& #% 11 So Gedorlaomer and his armies took everything that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah owned. They took all their food and clothing and left. 12 ot, the son of A!rams !rother, was living in Sodom, and they capt+red him. They also took everything he owned and left. 13 5ne of the men who had escaped went to A!ram the $e!rew and told him what happened. A!ram was camped near the trees of Aamre the Amorite. Aamre, -shcol, and Aner had made an agreement to help each other, and they had also signed an agreement to help A!ram. 1# >hen A!ram learned that ot was capt+red, he called all of his family together. There were 31( trained soldiers. $e led the men and chased the enemy all the way to the town of Dan. 1% That night he and his men made a s+rprise attack against the enemy. They defeated them and chased them to $o!ah, north of Damasc+s. 1& Then A!ram !ro+ght !ack everything the enemy had stolen, as well as the Genesis 1#.1'*22 #& women and servants, his nephew ot, and everything ot owned. 1' Then A!ram went home after he defeated Gedorlaomer and the kings with him. 5n his way home, the king of Sodom went o+t to meet him in the /alley of Shaveh. 7This is now called Gings /alley.8 1( AelchiEedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Aost $igh, also went pag. 130131#

to meet A!ram. $e !ro+ght !read and wine. 1) $e !lessed A!ram and said, A!ram, may yo+ !e !lessed !y God Aost $igh, the one who made heaven and earth. 2, And we praise God Aost $igh, who helped yo+ defeat yo+r enemies. A!ram gave AelchiEedek oneDtenth of everything he had taken d+ring the !attle. 21 Then the king of Sodom told A!ram, Give me my people who were capt+red. <+t yo+ can keep everything else. 22 <+t A!ram said to the king of Sodom, 3 promise to the 5.D, the God Aost $igh, the one who made heaven and earth. Genesis 1#.23*1%.# #' 23 3 promise that 3 will not keep anything that is yo+rsnot even a thread or a sandal strap" 3 dont want yo+ to say, 3 made A!ram rich. 2# The only thing 3 will accept is the food that my yo+ng men have eaten, !+t yo+ sho+ld give the other men their share. Take what we won in !attle and give some to Aner, -shcol, and Aamre. These men helped me in the !attle. 15 1 After all these things happened, the word of the 5.D came to A!ram in a vision. God said, A!ram, dont !e afraid. 3 will defend yo+ and give yo+ a great reward. 2 <+t A!ram said, ord G5D, there is nothing yo+ can give me that will make me happy, !eca+se 3 have no son. Ay slave -lieEer from Damasc+s will get everything 3 own after 3 die. 3 A!ram said, ;o+ have given me no son, so a slave !orn in my ho+se will get everything 3 have. # Then the 5.D spoke to A!ram and said, That slave will not !e the one to get what yo+ have. ;o+ will have a son who will get everything yo+ own. Genesis 1%.%*12 #( % Then God led A!ram o+tside and said, ook at the sky. See the many stars. There are so many yo+ cannot co+nt them. ;o+r family will !e like that. -asy To .ead /ersion

& A!ram !elieved the 5.D, and !eca+se of this faith the ord accepted him as one who has done what is right. ' $e said to A!ram, 3 am the 5.D who led yo+ from Hr of <a!ylonia. 3 did this so that 3 co+ld give yo+ this land. ;o+ will own this land. ( <+t A!ram said, ord G5D, how can 3 !e s+re that 3 will get this land? ) God said to A!ram, >e will make an agreement. <ring me a threeDyearDold cow, a threeDyearDold goat, a threeyearD old ram, a dove, and a yo+ng pigeon. 1, A!ram !ro+ght all these to God. A!ram killed these animals and c+t each of them into two pieces. Then he laid each half across from the other half. $e did not c+t the !irds into two pieces. 11 ater, large !irds flew down to eat the animals, !+t A!ram chased them away. 12 The s+n !egan to go down and A!ram got very sleepy. >hile he was asleep, a very terri!le darkness came over him. Genesis 1%.13*1( #) 13 Then the ord said to A!ram, ;o+ sho+ld know this: ;o+r descendants will live in a co+ntry that is not their own. They will !e strangers there. The people there will make them slaves and !e cr+el to them for #,, years. 1# <+t then 3 will p+nish the nation that made them slaves. ;o+r people will leave that land, and they will take many good things with them. 1% ;o+ yo+rself will live to !e very old. ;o+ will die in peace and will !e !+ried with yo+r family. 1& After fo+r generations yo+r people will come to this land again and defeat the Amorites. That will happen in the f+t+re !eca+se the Amorites are not yet g+ilty eno+gh to lose their land. 1' After the s+n went down, it got very dark. The dead animals were still on the gro+nd, each animal c+t into two pieces. Then a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed !etween the halves of the dead animals. 1( So on that day the 5.D made a pag. 1#0131#

promise and an agreement with A!ram. $e said, 3 will give this land to yo+r descendants. 3 will give them the land Genesis 1%.1)*1&.% %, !etween the .iver of -gypt and the great river -+phrates. 1) This is the land of the Genites, GeniEEites, Gadmonites, 2, $ittites, 6eriEEites, .ephaites, 21 Amorites, 9anaanites, Girgashites, and Ce!+sites. 16 1 Sarai was A!rams wife, !+t she did not have any children. She had an -gyptian slave named $agar. 2 Sarai told A!ram, The 5.D has not allowed me to have children, so sleep with my slave. Aay!e she can have a son, and 3 will accept him as my own. A!ram did what Sarai said. 3 So after living ten years in the land of 9anaan, Sarai gave her -gyptian slave to A!ram as a second wife. # A!ram slept with $agar, and she !ecame pregnant. >hen $agar realiEed this, she !ecame very pro+d and !egan to feel that she was !etter than Sarai her owner. % Then Sarai said to A!ram, Ay slave girl now hates me, and 3 !lame yo+ for this. 3 gave her to yo+, and she !ecame pregnant. Then she !egan to feel that Genesis 1&.&*12 %1 she is !etter than 3 am. 3 want the 5.D to =+dge which of +s is right. & <+t A!ram said to Sarai, She is yo+r slave. ;o+ can do anything yo+ want to her. So Sarai was cr+el to $agar, and $agar ran away. ' The angel of the 5.D fo+nd $agar near a spring of water in the desert. The spring was !y the road to Sh+r. ( The angel said, $agar, Sarais slave girl, why are yo+ here? >here are yo+ going? $agar said, 3 am r+nning away from Sarai. ) The angel of the 5.D said to her, Sarai is yo+r owner. Go home to her and o!ey her. 1, The angel of the 5.D also said, 2rom yo+ will come many peopletoo -asy To .ead /ersion

many people to co+nt. 11 Then the angel of the 5.D said, $agar, yo+ are now pregnant, and yo+ will have a son. ;o+ will name him 3shmael, !eca+se the 5.D has heard that yo+ were treated !adly. 12 3shmael will !e wild and free like a wild donkey. $e will !e against everyone, and everyone will !e against him. $e will Genesis 1&.13*1'.# %2 move from place to place and camp near his !rothers. 13 The 5.D talked to $agar. She !egan to +se a new name for God. She said to him, ;o+ are God >ho Sees Ae. She said this !eca+se she tho+ght, 3 see that even in this place God sees me and cares for me" 1# So the well there was called <eer ahai .oi. 3t is !etween Gadesh and <ered. 1% $agar gave !irth to A!rams son, and A!ram named the son 3shmael. 1& A!ram was (& years old when 3shmael was !orn from $agar. 17 1 >hen A!ram was )) years old, the 5.D appeared to him. $e said, 3 am God AllD6owerf+l. 5!ey me and live the right way. 2 3f yo+ do this, 3 will prepare an agreement !etween +s. 3 will promise to make yo+r people a great nation. 3 Then A!ram !owed down !efore God. God said to him, # This is my part of o+r agreement: 3 will make yo+ the father of many nations. Genesis 1'.%*11 %3 % 3 will change yo+r name from A!ram to A!raham, !eca+se 3 am making yo+ the father of many nations. & 3 will give yo+ many descendants. 1ew nations and kings will come from yo+. ' And 3 will prepare an agreement !etween me and yo+. This agreement will also !e for all yo+r descendants. 3t will contin+e forever. 3 will !e yo+r God and the God of all yo+r descendants. ( And 3 will give this land to yo+ and to all yo+r descendants. 3 will give yo+ the land yo+ are traveling thro+ghthe land of pag. 1%0131#

9anaan. 3 will give yo+ this land forever, and 3 will !e yo+r God. ) Then God said to A!raham, 1ow, this is yo+r part of the agreement: ;o+ and all yo+r descendants will o!ey my agreement. 1, This is my agreement that all of yo+ m+st o!ey. This is the agreement !etween me and yo+ and all yo+r descendants. -very male m+st !e circ+mcised. 11 ;o+ will c+t the skin to show that yo+ follow the agreement !etween me and yo+. Genesis 1'.12*1' %# 12 >hen the !a!y !oy is eight days old, yo+ will circ+mcise him. -very !oy !orn among yo+r people and every !oy who is a slave of yo+r people m+st !e circ+mcised. 13 So every !a!y !oy in yo+r nation will !e circ+mcised. -very !oy who is !orn from yo+r family or !o+ght as a slave will !e circ+mcised. 1# A!raham, this is the agreement !etween yo+ and me: Any male who is not circ+mcised will !e c+t off from his people !eca+se he has !roken my agreement. 1% God said to A!raham, 3 will give Sarai, yo+r wife, a new name. $er new name will !e Sarah. 1& 3 will !less her. 3 will give her a son, and yo+ will !e the father. She will !e the mother of many new nations. Gings of nations will come from her. 1' A!raham !owed his face to the gro+nd to show he respected God. <+t he la+ghed and said to himself, 3 am 1,, years old. 3 cannot have a son, and Sarah is ), years old. She cannot have a child. Genesis 1'.1(*2# %% 1( Then A!raham said to God, 3 hope 3shmael will live and serve yo+. 1) God said, 1o, 3 said that yo+r wife Sarah will have a son. ;o+ will name him 3saac. 3 will make my agreement with him that will contin+e forever with all his descendants. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, ;o+ mentioned 3shmael, and 3 heard yo+. 3 will !less him, and he will have many children. $e will !e the father of twelve great leaders. $is family will !ecome a great nation. 21 <+t 3 will make my agreement with 3saac, the son who Sarah will have. $e will !e !orn at this same time ne4t year. 22 After God finished talking with A!raham, God went +p into heaven. 23 Then A!raham gathered together 3shmael and all the slaves !orn in his ho+se. $e also gathered all the slaves he had !o+ght. -very man and !oy in A!rahams ho+se was gathered together, and they were all circ+mcised. A!raham circ+mcised them that day, =+st as God had told him to do. 2# A!raham was )) years old when he was circ+mcised. Genesis 1'.2%*1(.& %& 2% And 3shmael, his son, was 13 years old when he was circ+mcised. 2& A!raham and his son were circ+mcised on the same day. 2' Also, on that day all the men in A!rahams ho+se were circ+mcised. All the slaves !orn in his ho+se and all the slaves he had !o+ght were circ+mcised. 18 1 ater, the 5.D again appeared to A!raham near the oak trees of Aamre. 3t was the hottest part of the day, and A!raham was sitting at the door of his tent. 2 $e looked +p and saw three men standing in front of him. >hen he saw the men, he ran to them and !owed !efore them. 3 A!raham said, Sirs, please stay a while with me, yo+r servant. # 3 will !ring some water to wash yo+r feet. ;o+ can rest +nder the trees. % 3 will get some food for yo+, and yo+ can eat as m+ch as yo+ want. Then yo+ can contin+e yo+r =o+rney. The three men said, Do as yo+ wish. & A!raham h+rried to the tent. $e said to Sarah, I+ickly, prepare eno+gh flo+r for three loaves of !read. Genesis 1(.'*13 %' pag. 1&0131#

' Then A!raham ran to his cattle. $e took his !est yo+ng calf and gave it to the servant there. $e told the servant to J+ickly kill the calf and prepare it for food. ( A!raham !ro+ght the meat and some milk and cheese and set them down in front of the three men. Then he stood near the men, ready to serve them while they sat +nder the tree and ate. ) Then the men said to A!raham, >here is yo+r wife Sarah? A!raham said, She is there, in the tent. 1, Then one of them said, 3 will come again in the spring. At that time yo+r wife Sarah will have a son. Sarah was listening in the tent and heard these things. 11 A!raham and Sarah were very old. Sarah was past the right age for women to have children. 12 So she la+ghed to herself and said, 3 am old, and my h+s!and is old. 3 am too old to have a !a!y. 13 Then the 5.D said to A!raham, Sarah la+ghed and said she was too old to have a !a!y. Genesis 1(.1#*21 %( 1# <+t is anything too hard for the 5.D? 3 will come again in the spring, =+st as 3 said 3 wo+ld, and yo+r wife Sarah will have a son. 1% Sarah was afraid, so she said, 3 didnt la+gh" <+t the ord said, Thats not tr+e. 3 know that yo+ la+ghed" 1& Then the men got +p to leave. They looked toward Sodom and !egan walking in that direction. A!raham walked with them to send them on their way. 1' The 5.D said to himself, Sho+ld 3 tell A!raham what 3 am going to do now? 1( A!raham will !ecome a great and powerf+l nation, and all the nations on earth will !e !lessed !eca+se of him. 1) 3 have made a special agreement with him. 3 did this so that he wo+ld command his children and his descendants to live the way the 5.D wants them to. 3 did this so that they wo+ld live right and !e fair. Then 3, the 5.D, can give him what -asy To .ead /ersion

3 promised. 2, Then the 5.D said, 3 have heard many times that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are very evil. 21 3 will go and see if they are as !ad as 3 have heard. Then 3 will know for s+re. Genesis 1(.22*2( %) 22 So the men t+rned and started walking toward Sodom while A!raham stood there !efore the 5.D. 23 Then A!raham approached him and asked, >ill yo+ destroy the good people while yo+ are destroying those who are evil? 2# >hat if there are fifty good people in that city? >ill yo+ still destroy it? S+rely yo+ will save the city for the fifty good people living there. 2% S+rely yo+ wo+ld not destroy the city. ;o+ wo+ld not destroy fifty good people to kill those who are evil. 3f that happened, those who are good wo+ld !e the same as those who are evil!oth wo+ld !e p+nished. As the =+dge of the whole world, s+rely yo+ wo+ld do the right thing" 2& Then the 5.D said, 3f 3 find fifty good people in the city of Sodom, 3 will save the whole city. 2' Then A!raham said, 9ompared to yo+, ord, 3 am only d+st and ashes. <+t let me !other yo+ again and ask yo+ this J+estion. 2( >hat if there are five less than fifty? >ill yo+ destroy a whole city !eca+se of Genesis 1(.2)*33 &, =+st five people? The ord said, 3f 3 find fortyDfive good people there, 3 will not destroy the city. 2) A!raham spoke again. $e said, And if yo+ find only forty good people there, will yo+ destroy the city? The ord said, 3f 3 find forty good people, 3 will not destroy the city. 3, Then A!raham said, ord, please dont !e angry with me, !+t let me ask yo+ this. 3f only thirty good people are in the city, will yo+ destroy it? The ord said, 3f 3 find thirty good people there, 3 will not destroy the city. pag. 1'0131#

31 Then A!raham said, ord, may 3 !other yo+ again and ask, what if there are twenty good people? The ord answered, 3f 3 find twenty good people, 3 will not destroy the city. 32 Then A!raham said, ord, please dont !e angry with me, !+t let me !other yo+ this one last time. 3f yo+ find ten good people there, what will yo+ do? The ord said, 3f 3 find ten good people in the city, 3 will not destroy it. 33 The 5.D finished speaking to A!raham and left. Then A!raham went !ack home. Genesis 1).1*' &1 19 1 That evening the two angels came to the city of Sodom. ot was sitting near the city gates and saw them. $e got +p and went to them. $e !owed to show respect and said, Sirs, please come to my ho+se, and 3 will serve yo+. There yo+ can wash yo+r feet and stay the night. Then tomorrow yo+ can contin+e yo+r =o+rney. The angels answered, 1o, we will stay the night in the city sJ+are. 2 71):18 3 <+t ot contin+ed to ask them to come to his ho+se, so they agreed and went with him. ot gave them something to drink. $e !aked some !read for them, and they ate it. # That evening, =+st !efore !edtime, men from every part of town came to ots ho+se. They stood aro+nd the ho+se and called to ot. They said, % >here are the two men who came to yo+ tonight? <ring them o+t to +s. >e want to have se4 with them. & ot went o+tside and closed the door !ehind him. ' $e said to the men, 1o, my friends, 3 !eg yo+, please dont do this evil thing" Genesis 1).(*12 &2 ( ook, 3 have two da+ghters who have never slept with a man !efore. 3 will give my da+ghters to yo+. ;o+ can do anything yo+ want with them. <+t please dont do anything to these men. They have come to my ho+se, and 3 m+st -asy To .ead /ersion

protect them. ) The men s+rro+nding the ho+se answered, Get o+t of o+r way" They said to themselves, This man ot came to o+r city as a visitor. 1ow he wants to tell +s how we sho+ld live" Then the men said to ot, >e will do worse things to yo+ than to them. So the men started moving closer and closer to ot. They were a!o+t to !reak down the door. 1, <+t the two men staying with ot opened the door, p+lled him !ack inside the ho+se, and closed the door. 11 Then they did something to the men o+tside the doorthey ca+sed all these evil men, yo+ng and old, to !ecome !lind. So the men trying to get in the ho+se co+ld not find the door. 12 The two men said to ot, Are there any other people from yo+r family living in this city? Do yo+ have any sonsDinDlaw, sons, da+ghters, or any other people Genesis 1).13*1' &3 from yo+r family here? 3f so, yo+ sho+ld tell them to leave now. 13 >e are going to destroy this city. The 5.D has heard eno+gh a!o+t how evil this city is, so he sent +s to destroy it. 1# So ot went o+t and spoke to his sonsDinDlaw, the men who had married his other da+ghters. $e said, $+rry and leave this city" The 5.D will soon destroy it" <+t they tho+ght he was =oking. 1% The ne4t morning at dawn, the angels were trying to make ot h+rry. They said, This city will !e p+nished, so take yo+r wife and yo+r two da+ghters who are still with yo+ and leave this place. Then yo+ will not !e destroyed with the city. 1& >hen ot did not move fast eno+gh, the two men gra!!ed his hand. They also took the hands of his wife and his two da+ghters. The two men led ot and his family safely o+t of the city. The 5.D was kind to ot and his family. 1' So after the two men !ro+ght ot and his family o+t of the city, one of the men said, 1ow r+n to save yo+r life" pag. 1(0131#

Dont look !ack at the city, and dont stop Genesis 1).1(*2% &# anywhere in the valley. .+n +ntil yo+ are in the mo+ntains. 3f yo+ stop, yo+ will !e destroyed with the city" 1( <+t ot said to the two men, Sirs, please dont force me to r+n so far" 1) ;o+ have !een very kind to me, yo+r servant. ;o+ have !een very kind to save me, !+t 3 cannot r+n all the way to the mo+ntains. >hat if 3 am too slow and something happens? 3 will !e killed" 2, ook, there is a very small town near here. et me r+n to that town. 3 can r+n there and !e safe. 21 The angel said to ot, /ery well, 3ll let yo+ do that. 3 will not destroy that town. 22 <+t r+n there J+ickly. 3 cannot destroy Sodom +ntil yo+ are safely in that town. 7That town is named Boar, !eca+se it is a small town.8 23 ot was entering the town as the s+n came +p, 2# and the 5.D !egan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. $e ca+sed fire and !+rning s+lf+r to fall from the sky. 2% $e destroyed the whole valleyall the cities, the people living in the cities, and all the plants in the valley. Genesis 1).2&*32 &% 2& ots wife was following !ehind him and looked !ack at the city. >hen she did, she !ecame a !lock of salt. 2' -arly the ne4t morning, A!raham got +p and went to the place where he stood !efore the 5.D. 2( A!raham looked down into the valley toward the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. $e saw clo+ds of smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a f+rnace. 2) God destroyed the cities in the valley, !+t he remem!ered what A!raham had said. So God sent ot away from those cities !efore destroying them. 3, ot was afraid to stay in Boar, so he and his two da+ghters went to live in the mo+ntains in a cave. 31 5ne day the older da+ghter said to the yo+nger, -verywhere on the earth, -asy To .ead /ersion

men and women marry and have a family. <+t o+r father is old, and there are no men aro+nd here to give +s children. 32 So lets get o+r father dr+nk with wine. Then we can have se4 with him. That way we can +se o+r father to keep o+r family alive" Genesis 1).33*3( && 33 That night the two girls went to their father and got him dr+nk with wine. Then the older da+ghter went and had se4+al relations with him. $e did not even know when she came to !ed or when she got +p. 3# The ne4t day the older da+ghter said to the yo+nger da+ghter, ast night 3 went to !ed with my father. ets get him dr+nk with wine again tonight. Then yo+ can go and have se4 with him. 3n this way we can +se o+r father to have children, and o+r family will not come to an end. 3% So that night the two girls got their father dr+nk with wine. Then the yo+nger da+ghter went and had se4+al relations with him. Again, ot did not know when she came to !ed or when she got +p. 3& <oth of ots da+ghters !ecame pregnant. Their father was the father of their !a!ies. 3' The older da+ghter gave !irth to a son. She named him Aoa!. Aoa! is the ancestor of all the Aoa!ites living today. 3( The yo+nger da+ghter also gave !irth to a son. She named him <enDAmmi. Genesis 2,.1*' &' <enDAmmi is the ancestor of all the Ammonites living today. 20 1 A!raham left that place and traveled to the 1egev. $e settled in the city of Gerar, !etween Gadesh and Sh+r. >hile in Gerar, 2 A!raham told people that Sarah was his sister. Ging A!imelech of Gerar heard this. A!imelech wanted Sarah, so he sent some servants to take her. 3 <+t one night God spoke to A!imelech in a dream and said, ;o+ will die. The pag. 1)0131#

woman yo+ took is married. # <+t A!imelech had not yet slept with Sarah, so he said, ord, 3 am not g+ilty. >o+ld yo+ kill an innocent man? % A!raham himself told me, This woman is my sister, and she also said, This man is my !rother. 3 am innocent. 3 did not know what 3 was doing. & Then God said to A!imelech in a dream, ;es, 3 know that yo+ are innocent and that yo+ did not know what yo+ were doing. 3 saved yo+. 3 did not allow yo+ to sin against me. 3 was the one who did not allow yo+ to sleep with her. ' So give A!raham his wife again. $e is a prophet. $e will pray for yo+, and yo+ Genesis 2,.(*13 &( will live. <+t if yo+ dont give Sarah !ack to him, 3 promise that yo+ will die. And all yo+r family will die with yo+. ( So very early the ne4t morning, A!imelech called all his servants and told them a!o+t the dream. The servants were very afraid. ) Then A!imelech called A!raham and said to him, >hy have yo+ done this to +s? >hat wrong did 3 do to yo+? >hy did yo+ lie and say that she was yo+r sister? ;o+ !ro+ght great tro+!le to my kingdom. ;o+ sho+ld not have done this to me. 1, >hat were yo+ afraid of? >hy did yo+ do this to me? 11 Then A!raham said, 3 tho+ght no one in this place respected God. 3 tho+ght someone wo+ld kill me to get Sarah. 12 She is my wife, !+t she is also my sister. She is the da+ghter of my father !+t not the da+ghter of my mother. 13 God led me away from my fathers ho+se. $e led me to wander to many different places. >hen that happened, 3 told Sarah, Do something for me. >herever we go, tell people yo+ are my sister. Genesis 2,.1#*21.3 &) 1# So A!imelech gave Sarah !ack to A!raham. A!imelech also gave A!raham some sheep, cattle, and slaves. 1% And A!imelech said, ook all aro+nd -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. This is my land. ;o+ may live any place yo+ want. 1& A!imelech said to Sarah, 3 gave yo+r !rother A!raham 1,,, pieces of silver. 3 did this to show that 3 am very sorry. 3 want everyone to see that 3 did the right thing. 1' The 5.D made all the women in A!imelechs family not a!le to have children. God did this !eca+se A!imelech had taken Sarah, A!rahams wife. <+t A!raham prayed to God, and God healed A!imelech, his wife, and his servant girls. 1( 72,:1'8 21 1 The 5.D came !ack to visit Sarah as he said he wo+ld, and he kept his promise to her. 2 At e4actly the time God said it wo+ld happen, Sarah !ecame pregnant and gave !irth to a son for A!raham in his old age. 3 A!raham named his son 3saac. Genesis 21.#*12 ', # A!raham did what God commanded and circ+mcised 3saac when he was eight days old. % A!raham was 1,, years old when his son 3saac was !orn. & Sarah said, God has made me happy, and everyone who hears a!o+t this will !e happy with me. ' 1o one tho+ght that 3, Sarah, wo+ld !e a!le to have A!rahams child. <+t 3 have given A!raham a son, even tho+gh he is old. ( 3saac contin+ed to grow, and soon he was old eno+gh to !egin eating solid food. So A!raham gave a !ig party. ) Sarah saw $agars son playing. 7$agar was the -gyptian slave woman who gave !irth to A!rahams first son.8 1, Sarah said to A!raham, Get rid of that slave woman and her son. Send them away" >hen we die, o+r son 3saac will get everything we have. 3 dont want that slave womans son sharing these things with my son 3saac" 11 This +pset A!raham very m+ch. $e was worried a!o+t his son 3shmael. pag. 2,0131#

12 <+t God said to A!raham, Dont worry a!o+t the !oy and the slave woman. Do Genesis 21.13*1) '1 what Sarah wants. ;o+r descendants will !e those who come thro+gh 3saac. 13 <+t 3 will also !less the son of yo+r slave woman. $e is yo+r son, so 3 will make a great nation from his family also. 1# -arly the ne4t morning A!raham took some food and water and gave them to $agar. She carried them and left with her !oy. She left that place and wandered in the desert of <eershe!a. 1% After some time, when all their drinking water was gone, $agar p+t her son +nder a !+sh. 1& Then she walked a short distance away and sat down. She tho+ght her son wo+ld die !eca+se there was no water. She did not want to watch him die. She sat there and !egan to cry. 1' God heard the !oy crying, and Gods angel called to $agar from heaven. $e said, >hat is wrong, $agar? Dont !e afraid" God has heard the !oy crying there. 1( Go help the !oy. $old his hand and lead him. 3 will make him the father of many people. 1) Then God allowed $agar to see a well of water. So she went to the well and Genesis 21.2,*2& '2 filled her !ag with water. Then she gave water to the !oy to drink. 2, God contin+ed to !e with the !oy while he grew +p. 3shmael lived in the desert and !ecame a h+nter. $e learned to shoot a !ow very well. 21 $is mother fo+nd a wife for him in -gypt. They contin+ed to live in the desert of 6aran. 22 Then A!imelech and 6hicol spoke with A!raham. 6hicol was the commander of A!imelechs army. They said to A!raham, God is with yo+ in everything yo+ do. 23 So make a promise to me here !efore God. 6romise that yo+ will !e fair with me and with my children. 6romise that yo+ will !e kind to me and this co+ntry where yo+ have lived. 6romise that yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

will !e as kind to me as 3 have !een to yo+. 2# And A!raham said, 3 promise to treat yo+ the same way yo+ have treated me. 2% Then A!raham complained to A!imelech !eca+se A!imelechs servants had capt+red a well of water. 2& <+t A!imelech said, 3 dont know who did this. ;o+ never told me a!o+t this !efore today" Genesis 21.2'*3# '3 2' So A!raham and A!imelech made an agreement. A!raham gave A!imelech some sheep and cattle as proof of the agreement. 2( A!raham also p+t seven female lam!s in front of A!imelech. 2) A!imelech asked A!raham, >hy did yo+ p+t these seven female lam!s !y themselves? 3, A!raham answered, >hen yo+ accept these lam!s from me, it will !e proof that 3 d+g this well. 31 So after that, the well was called <eershe!a. A!raham gave the well this name !eca+se it was the place where they made a promise to each other. 32 So A!raham and A!imelech made an agreement at <eershe!a. Then A!imelech and 6hicol, his military commander, went !ack to the co+ntry of the 6hilistines. 33 A!raham planted a special tree at <eershe!a and prayed to the 5.D, the God who lives forever. 3# And A!raham lived as a stranger for a long time in the co+ntry of the 6hilistines. Genesis 22.1*& '# 22 1 After these things God decided to test A!rahams faith. God said to him, A!raham" And he said, ;es" 2 Then God said, Take yo+r son to the land of Aoriah and kill yo+r son there as a sacrifice for me. This m+st !e 3saac, yo+r only son, the one yo+ love. Hse him as a !+rnt offering on one of the mo+ntains there. 3 will tell yo+ which mo+ntain. 3 3n the morning A!raham got +p and pag. 210131#

saddled his donkey. $e took 3saac and two servants with him. $e c+t the wood for the sacrifice. Then they went to the place where God told them to go. # After they traveled three days, A!raham looked +p, and in the distance he saw the place where they were going. % Then he said to his servants, Stay here with the donkey. The !oy and 3 will go to that place and worship. Then we will come !ack to yo+ later. & A!raham took the wood for the sacrifice and p+t it on his sons sho+lder. A!raham took the special knife and fire. Then !oth he and his son went together to the place for worship. Genesis 22.'*13 '% ' 3saac said to his father A!raham, 2ather" A!raham answered, ;es, son? 3saac said, 3 see the wood and the fire. <+t where is the lam! we will !+rn as a sacrifice? ( A!raham answered, God himself is providing the lam! for the sacrifice, my son. So !oth A!raham and his son went together to that place. ) >hen they came to the place where God told them to go, A!raham !+ilt an altar. $e caref+lly laid the wood on the altar. Then he tied +p his son 3saac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 1, Then A!raham reached for his knife to kill his son. 11 <+t the angel of the 5.D stopped him. The angel called from heaven and said, A!raham, A!raham" A!raham answered, ;es? 12 The angel said, Dont kill yo+r son or h+rt him in any way. 1ow 3 can see that yo+ do respect and o!ey God. 3 see that yo+ are ready to kill yo+r son, yo+r only son, for me. 13 Then A!raham noticed a ram whose horns were ca+ght in a !+sh. So A!raham went and took the ram. $e Genesis 22.1#*2, '& offered it, instead of his son, as a sacrifice to God. 1# So A!raham named that place The 5.D 6rovides. -ven today people say, -asy To .ead /ersion

5n the mo+ntain of the 5.D, he will give +s what we need. 1% The angel of the 5.D called to A!raham from heaven a second time. 1& The angel said, ;o+ were ready to kill yo+r only son for me. Since yo+ did this for me, 3 make yo+ this promise: 3, the 5.D, promise that 1' 3 will s+rely !less yo+ and give yo+ as many descendants as the stars in the sky. There will !e as many people as sand on the seashore. And yo+r people will live in cities that they will take from their enemies. 1( -very nation on the earth will !e !lessed thro+gh yo+r descendants. 3 will do this !eca+se yo+ o!eyed me. 1) Then A!raham went !ack to his servants. They all traveled !ack to <eershe!a, and A!raham stayed there. 2, After all these things happened, a message was sent to A!raham. 3t said, ;o+r !rother 1ahor and his wife Ailcah have children now. Genesis 22.21*23.& '' 21 The first son is HE. The second son is <+E. The third son is Gem+el, the father of Aram. 22 Then there are Gesed, $aEo, 6ildash, Cidlaph, and <eth+el. 23 <eth+el was the father of .e!ekah. Ailcah was the mother of these eight sons, and 1ahor was the father. 1ahor was A!rahams !rother. 2# Also 1ahor had fo+r other sons from his slave woman .e+mah. The sons were Te!ah, Gaham, Tahash, and Aaacah. 23 1 Sarah lived to !e 12' years old. 2 She died in the city of Giriath Ar!a 7$e!ron8 in the land of 9anaan. A!raham was very sad and cried for her there. 3 Then he left his dead wife and went to talk to the $ittites. $e said, # 3 am only a foreigner staying in yo+r co+ntry. 3 have no place to !+ry my wife. 6lease give me some land so that 3 can !+ry her. % The $ittites answered A!raham, & Sir, yo+ are a great leader among +s. pag. 220131#

;o+ can have the !est place we have to !+ry yo+r dead. ;o+ can have any of o+r !+rying places that yo+ want. 1one of Genesis 23.'*1% '( +s will stop yo+ from !+rying yo+r wife there. ' A!raham got +p and !owed to the people. ( $e said to them, 3f yo+ really want to help me !+ry my dead wife, speak to -phron the son of Bohar for me. ) 3 wo+ld like to !+y the cave of Aachpelah, which !elongs to -phron. 3t is at the end of his field. 3 will pay him the f+ll price. 3 want all of yo+ to !e witnesses that 3 am !+ying it as a !+rial place. 1, -phron was sitting there among the people. $e answered A!raham, 11 1o, sir. $ere in front of my people, 3 give yo+ that land and the cave on it so that yo+ can !+ry yo+r wife. 12 A!raham !owed !efore the $ittites. 13 $e said to -phron !efore all the people, <+t 3 want to give yo+ the f+ll price for the field. Accept my money, and 3 will !+ry my dead. 1# -phron answered A!raham, 1% Sir, listen to me. Ten po+nds of silver mean nothing to yo+ or me. Take the land and !+ry yo+r dead wife. Genesis 23.1&*2#.2 ') 1& A!raham +nderstood that -phron was telling him the price of the land. So A!raham paid him for the land. $e weighed o+t ten po+nds of silver for -phron and gave it to the merchant. 1' So the field of -phron changed owners. This field was in Aachpelah, near Aamre. A!raham !ecame the owner of the field, the cave in it, and all the trees in the field. -veryone in the city saw the agreement !etween -phron and A!raham. 1( 723:1'8 1) After this, A!raham !+ried his wife Sarah in the cave of that field near Aamre 7$e!ron8 in the land of 9anaan. 2, A!raham !o+ght the field and the cave in it from the $ittites. So this -asy To .ead /ersion

!ecame his property to !e +sed as a !+rial place. 24 1 A!raham lived to !e a very old man. The 5.D !lessed him and everything he did. 2 A!rahams oldest servant was in charge of everything he owned. A!raham called that servant to him and said, 6+t yo+r hand +nder my leg. Genesis 2#.3*( (, 3 1ow 3 want yo+ to make a promise to me. 6romise to me !efore the 5.D, the God of heaven and earth, that yo+ will not allow my son to marry a girl from 9anaan. >e live among these people, !+t dont let him marry a 9anaanite girl. # Go !ack to my co+ntry, to my own people, to find a wife for my son 3saac. <ring her here to him. % The servant said to him, Aay!e this woman will not want to come !ack with me to this land. 3f that happens, sho+ld 3 take yo+r son with me to yo+r homeland? & A!raham said to him, 1o, dont take my son to that place. ' The 5.D, the God of heaven, !ro+ght me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family, !+t he promised that this new land wo+ld !elong to my family. Aay he send his angel !efore yo+ so that yo+ can choose a wife for my son. ( 3f the girl ref+ses to come with yo+, yo+ will !e free from this promise. <+t yo+ m+st not take my son !ack to that place. Genesis 2#.)*1% (1 ) So the servant p+t his hand +nder his masters leg and made the promise. 1, The servant took ten of A!rahams camels and left that place. The servant carried with him many different kinds of !ea+tif+l gifts. $e went to Aesopotamia, to 1ahors city. 11 3n the evening, when the women come o+t to get water, he went to the water well o+tside the city. $e made the camels kneel down at the well. 12 The servant said, 5.D, yo+ are the pag. 230131#

God of my master A!raham. 6lease show yo+r kindness to my master !y helping me find a wife for his son 3saac. 13 $ere 3 am, standing !y this well of water, and the yo+ng women from the city are coming o+t to get water. 1# 3 will say to one of them, 6lease p+t down yo+r =ar so that 3 can drink. et her answer show whether she is the one yo+ have chosen for yo+r servant 3saac. 3f she says, Drink, and 3 will also give water to yo+r camels, 3 will know that she is the right one. 3t will !e proof that yo+ have shown kindness to my master. 1% <efore the servant finished praying, a yo+ng woman named .e!ekah came Genesis 2#.1&*21 (2 to the well. She was the da+ghter of <eth+el. 7<eth+el was the son of Ailcah and 1ahor, A!rahams !rother.8 .e!ekah came to the well with her water =ar on her sho+lder. 1& She was very pretty. She was a virginF no man had ever had se4+al relations with her. She went down to the well and filled her =ar. 1' Then the servant ran to her and said, 6lease give me a little water to drink from yo+r =ar. 1( .e!ekah J+ickly lowered the =ar from her sho+lder and gave him a drink. She said, Drink this, sir. 1) As soon as she finished giving him something to drink, .e!ekah said, 3 will also po+r some water for yo+r camels. 2, So .e!ekah J+ickly po+red all the water from her =ar into the drinking tro+gh for the camels. Then she ran to the well to get more water, and she gave water to all the camels. 21 The servant J+ietly watched her. $e wanted to !e s+re that the 5.D had given him an answer and had made his trip s+ccessf+l. Genesis 2#.22*2) (3 22 After the camels finished drinking, he gave .e!ekah a gold ring that weighed 10# o+nce. $e also gave her two gold arm !racelets that weighed 2 o+nces each. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 The servant asked, >ho is yo+r father? And is there a place in yo+r fathers ho+se for me and my men to sleep? 2# .e!ekah answered, Ay father is <eth+el, the son of Ailcah and 1ahor. 2% Then she said, ;es, we have straw and other food for yo+r camels and a place for yo+ to sleep. 2& The servant !owed and worshiped the 5.D. 2' $e said, 6raise !e to the 5.D, the God of my master A!raham. The 5.D has !een kind and loyal to him !y leading me to his own people. 2( Then .e!ekah ran and told her family a!o+t all these things. 2) She had a !rother named a!an. She told him what the man had said to her. a!an was listening to her. And when he saw the ring and the !racelets on his sisters arms, he ran o+t to the well. Genesis 2#.3,*3& (# There the man was, standing !y the camels at the well. 3, 72#:2)8 31 a!an said, Sir, yo+ are welcome to come in" ;o+ dont have to stand o+tside here. 3 have prepared a room for yo+ to sleep in and a place for yo+r camels. 32 So A!rahams servant went into the ho+se. a!an +nloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then he gave A!rahams servant water so that he and the men with him co+ld wash their feet. 33 a!an then gave him food to eat, !+t the servant ref+sed to eat. $e said, 3 will not eat +ntil 3 have told yo+ why 3 came. So a!an said, Then tell +s. 3# The servant said, 3 am A!rahams servant. 3% The 5.D has greatly !lessed my master in everything. Ay master has !ecome a great man. The ord has given him many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. $e has m+ch silver and gold and many servants. $e has many camels and donkeys. 3& Sarah was my masters wife. >hen she was very old, she gave !irth to a son, pag. 2#0131#

Genesis 2#.3'*#3 (% and my master has given everything he owns to that son. 3' Ay master forced me to make a promise to him. $e said to me, ;o+ m+st not allow my son to marry a girl from 9anaan. >e live among these people, !+t 3 dont want him to marry one of the 9anaanite girls. 3( So yo+ m+st promise to go to my fathers co+ntry. Go to my family and choose a wife for my son. 3) 3 said to my master, Aay!e the woman will not come !ack to this place with me. #, <+t my master said to me, 3 serve the 5.D, and he will send his angel with yo+ and help yo+. ;o+ will find a wife for my son among my people there. #1 <+t if yo+ go to my fathers co+ntry, and they ref+se to give yo+ a wife for my son, yo+ will !e free from this promise. #2 Today 3 came to this well and said, 5.D, God of my master A!raham, please make my trip s+ccessf+l. #3 3 will stand !y this well and wait for a yo+ng woman to come to get water. Then 3 will say, 6lease give me water from yo+r =ar to drink. Genesis 2#.##*#) (& ## The right woman will answer in a special way. She will say, Drink this water, and 3 will also get water for yo+r camels. That way 3 will know that she is the one the 5.D has chosen for my masters son. #% <efore 3 finished praying, .e!ekah came o+t to the well to get water. She had her water =ar on her sho+lder as she went to get water from the well. 3 asked her to give me some water. #& She J+ickly lowered the =ar from her sho+lder and po+red me some water. Then she said, Drink this, and 3ll get some water for yo+r camels. So 3 drank the water, and she gave water to my camels. #' Then 3 asked her, >ho is yo+r father? She answered, Ay father is <eth+el the son of Ailcah and 1ahor. Then 3 gave her -asy To .ead /ersion

the ring and !racelets for her arms. #( 3 !owed my head and worshiped the 5.D. 3 praised the 5.D, the God of my master A!raham. 3 thanked him for leading me straight to the grandda+ghter of my masters !rother. #) 1ow, tell me, will yo+ !e kind and loyal to my master and give him yo+r Genesis 2#.%,*%& (' da+ghter? 5r will yo+ ref+se to give her to him? Tell me so that 3 will know what 3 sho+ld do. %, Then a!an and <eth+el answered, >e see that this is from the 5.D, so there is nothing we can say to change it. %1 $ere is .e!ekah. Take her and go. et her marry yo+r masters son. This is what the 5.D wants. %2 >hen A!rahams servant heard this, he !owed to the gro+nd !efore the 5.D. %3 Then he gave .e!ekah the gifts he !ro+ght. $e gave her !ea+tif+l clothes and gold and silver =ewelry. $e also gave e4pensive gifts to her mother and !rother. %# Then he and his men had something to eat and drink, and they spent the night there. -arly the ne4t morning they got +p and the servant said, 1ow we m+st go !ack to my master. %% .e!ekahs mother and her !rother said, et .e!ekah stay with +s for a short time. et her stay with +s ten days. After that she can go. %& <+t the servant said to them, Dont make me wait. The 5.D has made my Genesis 2#.%'*&# (( trip s+ccessf+l. 1ow let me go !ack to my master. %' .e!ekahs !rother and mother said, >e will call .e!ekah and ask her what she wants to do. %( They called her and asked her, Do yo+ want to go with this man now? .e!ekah said, ;es, 3 will go. %) So they allowed .e!ekah to go with A!rahams servant and his men. $er n+rse also went with them. &, >hile .e!ekah was leaving they pag. 2%0131#

said to her, 5+r sister, may yo+ !e the mother of millions of people, and may yo+r descendants defeat their enemies and take their cities. &1 Then .e!ekah and her n+rse got on the camels and followed the servant and his men. So the servant took .e!ekah and left. &2 3saac had left <eer ahai .oi and was now living in the 1egev. &3 5ne evening he went o+t to the field to think. $e looked +p and saw the camels coming from far away. &# .e!ekah also looked and saw 3saac. Then she =+mped down from the camel. Genesis 2#.&%*2%.% () &% She said to the servant, >ho is that yo+ng man walking in the field to meet +s? The servant said, That is my masters son. So .e!ekah covered her face with her veil. && The servant told 3saac everything that had happened. &' Then 3saac !ro+ght the girl into his mothers tent. .e!ekah !ecame his wife that day. 3saac loved her very m+ch. So he was comforted after his mothers death. 25 1 A!raham married again. $is new wife was named Get+rah. 2 She gave !irth to Bimran, Cokshan, Aedan, Aidian, 3sh!ak, and Sh+ah. 3 Cokshan was the father of She!a and Dedan. The people of Assh+r, e+m, and et+sh were descendants of Dedan. # The sons of Aidian were -phah, -pher, $anoch, A!ida, and -ldaah. All these sons came from the marriage of A!raham and Get+rah. % <efore A!raham died, he gave some gifts to his sons who were from his slave women. $e sent them to the -ast, away from 3saac. Then A!raham gave everything he owned to 3saac. Genesis 2%.&*1& ), & 72%:%8 ' A!raham lived to !e 1'% years old. ( Then he grew weak and died. $e had lived a long and satisfying life. $e died and went to !e with his people. -asy To .ead /ersion

) $is sons 3saac and 3shmael !+ried him in the cave of Aachpelah. This cave is in the field of -phron, the son of Bohar. 3t was east of Aamre. 1, This is the same cave that A!raham !o+ght from the $ittites. $e was !+ried there with his wife Sarah. 11 After A!raham died, God !lessed 3saac. 3saac was living at <eer ahai .oi. 12 This is the list of 3shmaels family. 3shmael was A!raham and $agars son. 7$agar was Sarahs -gyptian maid.8 13 These are the names of 3shmaels sons: The first son was 1e!aiothF then Gedar was !orn, then Ad!eel, Ai!sam, 1# Aishma, D+mah, Aassa, 1% $adad, Tema, Cet+r, 1aphish, and Gedemah. 1& These were the names of 3shmaels sons. -ach son had his own camp that !ecame a small town. The twelve sons were leaders over their own people. Genesis 2%.1'*23 )1 1' 3shmael lived to !e 13' years old. Then he died and went to !e with his people. 1( $is descendants camped thro+gho+t the desert area from $avilah to Sh+r, near -gypt, all the way to Assyria. And they often attacked his !rothers people. 1) This is the story of 3saac. A!raham had a son named 3saac. 2, >hen 3saac was #, years old, he married .e!ekah. .e!ekah was from 6addan Aram. She was <eth+els da+ghter and the sister of a!an the Aramean. 21 3saacs wife co+ld not have children. So 3saac prayed to the 5.D for her. The 5.D heard 3saacs prayer, and he allowed .e!ekah to !ecome pregnant. 22 >hile .e!ekah was pregnant, the !a!ies inside her str+ggled with each other. She prayed to the 5.D and said, >hat is happening to me? 23 The 5.D said to her, The leaders of two nations are in yo+r !ody. Two nations will come from yo+, and they will !e divided. 5ne of them will !e stronger, and the older will serve the yo+nger. pag. 2&0131#

Genesis 2%.2#*32 )2 2# >hen the right time came, .e!ekah gave !irth to twins. 2% The first !a!y was red. $is skin was like a hairy ro!e. So he was named -sa+. 2& >hen the second !a!y was !orn, he was holding tightly to -sa+s heel. So that !a!y was named Caco!. 3saac was &, years old when Caco! and -sa+ were !orn. 2' The !oys grew +p. -sa+ !ecame a skilled h+nter, who loved to !e o+t in the fields. <+t Caco! was a J+iet man, who stayed at home. 2( 3saac loved -sa+. $e liked to eat the animals -sa+ killed. <+t .e!ekah loved Caco!. 2) 5ne day -sa+ came !ack from h+nting. $e was tired and weak from h+nger. Caco! was !oiling a pot of !eans. 3, So -sa+ said to Caco!, 3 am weak with h+nger. et me have some of that red so+p. 7That is why people call him .ed.8 31 <+t Caco! said, ;o+ m+st sell me yo+r rights as the first!orn son. 32 -sa+ said, 3 am almost dead with h+nger, so what good are these rights to me now? Genesis 2%.33*2&.% )3 33 <+t Caco! said, 2irst, promise me that yo+ will give them to me. So -sa+ made an oath to him and sold his rights as the first!orn son to Caco!. 3# Then Caco! gave -sa+ !read and lentil so+p. -sa+ ate the food, had something to drink, and then left. So -sa+ showed that he did not care a!o+t his rights as the first!orn son. 26 1 1ow there was a famine. This was like the famine that happened d+ring A!rahams life. So 3saac went to the town of Gerar, to Ging A!imelech of the 6hilistines. 2 The 5.D spoke to 3saac and said, Dont go down to -gypt. ive in the land that 3 commanded yo+ to live in. 3 Stay in this land, and 3 will !e with yo+. 3 will !less yo+. 3 will give yo+ and yo+r family all these lands. 3 will do what -asy To .ead /ersion

3 promised to A!raham yo+r father. # 3 will make yo+r family as many as the stars of heaven, and 3 will give all these lands to yo+r family. Thro+gh yo+r descendants every nation on earth will !e !lessed. % 3 will do this !eca+se yo+r father A!raham o!eyed my words and did what Genesis 2&.&*11 )# 3 said. $e o!eyed my commands, my laws, and my r+les. & So 3saac settled in Gerar. ' $is wife .e!ekah was very !ea+tif+l. The men of that place asked 3saac a!o+t .e!ekah. $e said, She is my sister. $e was afraid to tell them .e!ekah was his wife. $e was afraid the men wo+ld kill him so that they co+ld have her. ( After 3saac had lived there a long time, A!imelech looked o+t of his window and saw 3saac and his wife en=oying each other. ) A!imelech called for 3saac and said, This woman is yo+r wife. >hy did yo+ tell +s that she was yo+r sister? 3saac said to him, 3 was afraid that yo+ wo+ld kill me so that yo+ co+ld have her. 1, A!imelech said, ;o+ have done a !ad thing to +s. 5ne of o+r men might have had se4 with yo+r wife. Then he wo+ld !e g+ilty of a great sin. 11 So A!imelech gave a warning to all the people. $e said, 1o one m+st h+rt this man or this woman. 3f anyone h+rts them, they will !e killed. Genesis 2&.12*1) )% 12 3saac planted fields in that place, and that year he gathered a great harvest. The 5.D !lessed him very m+ch. 13 3saac !ecame rich. $e gathered more and more wealth +ntil he !ecame a very rich man. 1# $e had many flocks and herds of animals. $e also had many slaves. All the 6hilistines were =ealo+s of him. 1% So they destroyed all the wells that 3saacs father A!raham and his servants had d+g many years !efore. They filled them with sand. 1& A!imelech said to 3saac, eave o+r pag. 2'0131#

co+ntry. ;o+ have !ecome m+ch more powerf+l than we are. 1' So 3saac left that place and camped near the little river of Gerar. $e stayed there and lived. 1( ong !efore this time, A!raham had d+g many wells. After he died, the 6hilistines filled the wells with sand. So 3saac went !ack and d+g those wells again. $e gave them the same names his father had given them. 1) 3saacs servants also d+g a well near the little river and fo+nd fresh water. Genesis 2&.2,*2& )& 2, <+t the men who herded sheep in the /alley of Gerar arg+ed with 3saacs servants. They said, This water is o+rs. So 3saac named that well -sek. $e gave it that name !eca+se it was the place where they had arg+ed with him. 21 Then 3saacs servants d+g another well. <+t there was an arg+ment over this well too. So 3saac named that well Sitnah. 22 3saac moved from there and d+g another well. 1o one came to arg+e a!o+t this well. So 3saac named it .eho!oth. $e said, 1ow the 5.D has fo+nd a place for +s. >e will grow and !e s+ccessf+l in this place. 23 2rom there 3saac went to <eershe!a. 2# The 5.D spoke to him that night and said, 3 am the God of yo+r father A!raham. Dont !e afraid. 3 am with yo+, and 3 will !less yo+. 3 will make yo+r family great. 3 will do this !eca+se of my servant A!raham. 2% So 3saac !+ilt an altar and worshiped the 5.D in that place. $e set +p camp there, and his servants d+g a well. 2& A!imelech came from Gerar to see 3saac. $e !ro+ght with him Ah+EEath, Genesis 2&.2'*3# )' his advisor, and 6hicol, the commander of his army. 2' 3saac asked, >hy have yo+ come to see me? ;o+ were not friendly to me !efore. ;o+ even forced me to leave yo+r co+ntry. 2( They answered, 1ow we know that -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D is with yo+. >e think that we sho+ld make an agreement. >e want yo+ to make a promise to +s. 2) >e did not h+rt yo+F now yo+ sho+ld promise not to h+rt +s. >e sent yo+ away, !+t we sent yo+ away in peace. 1ow it is clear that the 5.D has !lessed yo+. 3, So 3saac gave a party for them. They all ate and drank. 31 -arly the ne4t morning each man made a promise and a vow. Then the men left in peace. 32 5n that day 3saacs servants came and told him a!o+t the well they had d+g. The servants said, >e fo+nd water in that well. 33 So 3saac named it Shi!ah. And that city is still called <eershe!a. 3# >hen -sa+ was #, years old, he married two $ittite women. 5ne was Genesis 2&.3%*2'.( )( C+dith the da+ghter of <eeri. The other was <asemath the da+ghter of -lon. 3% These marriages made 3saac and .e!ekah very +nhappy. 27 1 3saac grew old, and his eyes !ecame so weak that he co+ld not see clearly. 5ne day he called his older son -sa+ to him and said, Son" -sa+ answered, $ere 3 am. 2 3saac said, 3 am old. Aay!e 3 will die soon. 3 So take yo+r !ow and arrows and go h+nting. Gill an animal for me to eat. # 6repare the food that 3 love. <ring it to me, and 3 will eat it. Then 3 will !less yo+ !efore 3 die. % So -sa+ went h+nting. .e!ekah was listening when 3saac told this to his son -sa+. & .e!ekah said to her son Caco!, isten, 3 heard yo+r father talking to yo+r !rother -sa+. ' ;o+r father said, Gill an animal for me to eat. 6repare the food for me, and 3 will eat it. Then, with the 5.D as witness, 3 will !less yo+ !efore 3 die. ( So listen, son, and do what 3 tell yo+. Genesis 2'.)*1& )) pag. 2(0131#

) Go o+t to o+r goats and !ring me two yo+ng ones. 3 will prepare them the way yo+r father loves them. 1, Then yo+ will carry the food to yo+r father, and he will !less yo+ !efore he dies. 11 <+t Caco! told his mother .e!ekah, Ay !rother -sa+ is a hairy man. 3 am not hairy like him. 12 3f my father to+ches me, he will know that 3 am not -sa+. Then he will not !less mehe will c+rse me !eca+se 3 tried to trick him. 13 So .e!ekah said to him, 3 will accept the !lame if there is tro+!le. Do what 3 said. Go get the goats for me. 1# So Caco! went o+t and got two goats and !ro+ght them to his mother. $is mother cooked the goats in the special way that 3saac loved. 1% Then .e!ekah took the clothes that her older son -sa+ loved to wear. She p+t these clothes on the yo+nger son Caco!. 1& She took the skins of the goats and p+t them on Caco!s hands and on his neck. Genesis 2'.1'*2# 1,, 1' Then she got the food she had cooked and gave it to Caco!. 1( Caco! went to his father and said, 2ather. $is father answered, ;es, son. >ho are yo+? 1) Caco! said to his father, 3 am -sa+, yo+r first son. 3 have done what yo+ told me. 1ow sit +p and eat the meat from the animals that 3 h+nted for yo+. Then yo+ can !less me. 2, <+t 3saac said to his son, $ow have yo+ h+nted and killed the animals so J+ickly? Caco! answered, <eca+se the 5.D yo+r God allowed me to find the animals J+ickly. 21 Then 3saac said to Caco!, 9ome near to me so that 3 can feel yo+, my son. 3f 3 can feel yo+, 3 will know if yo+ are really my son -sa+. 22 So Caco! went to 3saac his father. 3saac felt him and said, ;o+r voice so+nds like Caco!s voice, !+t yo+r arms -asy To .ead /ersion

are hairy like the arms of -sa+. 23 3saac did not know it was Caco!, !eca+se his arms were hairy like -sa+s. So 3saac !lessed Caco!. 2# 3saac said, Are yo+ really my son -sa+? Caco! answered, ;es, 3 am. Genesis 2'.2%*31 1,1 2% Then 3saac said, <ring me the food. 3 will eat it and !less yo+. So Caco! gave him the food, and he ate it. Then Caco! gave him some wine, and he drank it. 2& Then 3saac said to him. Son, come near and kiss me. 2' So Caco! went to his father and kissed him. >hen 3saac smelled -sa+s clothes, he !lessed him and said, Ay son smells like the fields the 5.D has !lessed. 2( Aay God give yo+ plenty of rain, good crops, and wine. 2) Aay the nations serve yo+ and many people !ow down to yo+. ;o+ will r+le over yo+r !rothers. ;o+r mothers sons will !ow down to yo+ and o!ey yo+. >hoever c+rses yo+ will !e c+rsed. >hoever !lesses yo+ will !e !lessed. 3, 3saac finished !lessing Caco!. Then, =+st as Caco! left his father 3saac, -sa+ came in from h+nting. 31 -sa+ prepared the food in the special way his father loved. $e !ro+ght it to his father and said, 2ather, 3 am yo+r son. Get +p and eat the meat from the animals that 3 killed for yo+. Then yo+ can !less me. Genesis 2'.32*3' 1,2 32 <+t 3saac said to him, >ho are yo+? $e answered, 3 am yo+r sonyo+r first son-sa+. 33 Then 3saac !ecame so +pset that he !egan to shake. $e said, Then who was it that cooked and !ro+ght me food !efore yo+ came? 3 ate it all, and 3 !lessed him. 1ow it is too late to take !ack my !lessing. 3# >hen -sa+ heard his fathers words, he !ecame very angry and !itter. $e cried o+t and said to his father, Then !less me also, father" 3% 3saac said, ;o+r !rother tricked me" pag. 2)0131#

$e came and took yo+r !lessing" 3& -sa+ said, $is name is Caco!. That is the right name for him. $e has tricked me twice. $e took away my rights as the first!orn son. And now he has taken away my !lessing. Then -sa+ said, $ave yo+ saved any !lessing for me? 3' 3saac answered, 3 have already given Caco! the power to r+le over yo+. And 3 said all his !rothers wo+ld !e his servants. 3 have given him the !lessing for m+ch grain and wine. There is nothing left to give yo+, my son. Genesis 2'.3(*#% 1,3 3( <+t -sa+ contin+ed to !eg his father. Do yo+ have only one !lessing, father? <less me also, father" -sa+ !egan to cry. 3) Then 3saac said to him, ;o+ will not live on good land. ;o+ will not have m+ch rain. #, ;o+ will have to fight to live, and yo+ will !e a slave to yo+r !rother. <+t when yo+ fight to !e free, yo+ will !reak away from his control. #1 After that -sa+ hated Caco! !eca+se of this !lessing. -sa+ said to himself, Ay father will soon die, and after we are finished with that, 3 will kill Caco!. #2 .e!ekah heard a!o+t -sa+s plan to kill Caco!. She sent for Caco! and said to him, isten, yo+r !rother -sa+ is planning to kill yo+. #3 So, son, do what 3 say. Ay !rother a!an is living in $aran. Go to him and hide. ## Stay with him for a short time +ntil yo+r !rother stops !eing angry. #% >hen yo+r !rother forgets what yo+ did to him, 3 will send a servant to !ring yo+ !ack. 3 dont want to lose !oth of my sons the same day. Genesis 2'.#&*2(.% 1,# #& Then .e!ekah said to 3saac, ;o+r son -sa+ married $ittite women. 3 am very +pset a!o+t this, !eca+se they are not o+r people. 3ll have nothing to live for if Caco! marries one of these women" 28 1 3saac called Caco! and !lessed him. Then 3saac gave him a command and said, ;o+ m+st not marry -asy To .ead /ersion

a 9anaanite woman. 2 So leave this place and go to 6addan Aram. Go to the ho+se of <eth+el, yo+r mothers father. a!an, yo+r mothers !rother, lives there. Aarry one of his da+ghters. 3 3 pray that God AllD6owerf+l will !less yo+ and give yo+ many children. 3 pray that yo+ will !ecome the father of a great nation # and that God will !less yo+ and yo+r children the same way he !lessed A!raham. And 3 pray that yo+ will own the land where yo+ live. This is the land God gave to A!raham. % So 3saac sent Caco! to .e!ekahs !rother in 6addan Aram. Caco! went to a!an, son of <eth+el the Aramean. a!an was the !rother of .e!ekah, the mother of Caco! and -sa+. Genesis 2(.&*12 1,% & -sa+ learned that his father 3saac !lessed Caco! and sent him away to 6addan Aram to find a wife there. $e also learned that 3saac commanded Caco! not to marry a 9anaanite woman. ' -sa+ learned that Caco! o!eyed his father and his mother and went to 6addan Aram. ( -sa+ saw from this that his father did not want his sons to marry 9anaanite women. ) -sa+ already had two wives, !+t he went to A!rahams son 3shmael and married another woman, Aahalath, the da+ghter of 3shmael. Aahalath was 1e!aioths sister. 1, Caco! left <eershe!a and went to $aran. 11 The s+n had already set when he came to a good place to spend the night. $e took a rock there and laid his head on it to sleep. 12 Caco! had a dream. $e dreamed there was a ladder that was on the gro+nd and reached +p into heaven. $e saw the angels of God going +p and down the ladder. Genesis 2(.13*1( 1,& 13 And then Caco! saw the 5.D pag. 3,0131#

standing !y the ladder. $e said, 3 am the 5.D, the God of yo+r grandfather A!raham. 3 am the God of 3saac. 3 will give yo+ the land that yo+ are lying on now. 3 will give this land to yo+ and to yo+r children. 1# ;o+ will have as many descendants as there are particles of d+st on the earth. They will spread east and west, north and so+th. All the families on earth will !e !lessed !eca+se of yo+ and yo+r descendants. 1% 3 am with yo+, and 3 will protect yo+ everywhere yo+ go. 3 will !ring yo+ !ack to this land. 3 will not leave yo+ +ntil 3 have done what 3 have promised. 1& Then Caco! woke +p and said, 3 know that the 5.D is in this place, !+t 3 did not know he was here +ntil 3 slept. 1' Caco! was afraid and said, This is a very great place. This is the ho+se of God. This is the gate to heaven. 1( Caco! got +p very early in the morning. $e took the rock he had slept on and set it +p on its edge. Then he po+red oil on the rock. 3n this way he made it a memorial to God. Genesis 2(.1)*2).3 1,' 1) The name of that place was +E, !+t Caco! named it <ethel. 2, Then Caco! made a promise. $e said, 3f God will !e with me, and if he will protect me on this trip, and if he gives me food to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and if 3 ret+rn in peace to my fathers ho+seif he does all these thingsthen the 5.D will !e my God. 22 3 am setting this stone +p as a memorial stone. 3t will show that this is a holy place for God, and 3 will give God oneDtenth of all he gives me. 29 1 Then Caco! contin+ed his trip. $e went to the co+ntry in the -ast. 2 $e looked and saw a well in the field. There were three flocks of sheep lying near the well, where the sheep drank water. There was a large rock covering the mo+th of the well. 3 >hen all the flocks were gathered -asy To .ead /ersion

there, the shepherds wo+ld roll the rock away from the well. Then all the sheep co+ld drink from the water. After the sheep were f+ll, the shepherds wo+ld p+t the rock !ack in its place. Genesis 2).#*1, 1,( # Caco! said to the shepherds there, <rothers, where are yo+ from? They answered, >e are from $aran. % Then Caco! said, Do yo+ know a!an, the son of 1ahor? The shepherds answered, >e know him. & Then Caco! said, $ow is he? They answered, $e is well. ook, that is his da+ghter .achel coming now with his sheep. ' Caco! said, ook, it is still day and long !efore the s+n sets. 3t is not yet time for the animals to !e gathered together for the night. So give them water and let them go !ack into the field. ( <+t they said, >e cannot do that +ntil all the flocks are gathered together. Then we will move the rock from the well, and all the sheep will drink. ) >hile Caco! was talking with the shepherds, .achel came with her fathers sheep. 73t was her =o! to take care of the sheep.8 1, .achel was a!ans da+ghter. a!an was the !rother of .e!ekah, Caco!s mother. >hen Caco! saw .achel, he went and moved the rock and gave water to the sheep. Genesis 2).11*1( 1,) 11 Then Caco! kissed .achel and cried. 12 $e told her that he was from her fathers family. $e told her that he was the son of .e!ekah. So .achel ran home and told her father. 13 >hen a!an heard the news a!o+t his sisters son Caco!, he ran to meet him. a!an h+gged him and kissed him and !ro+ght him to his ho+se. Caco! told a!an everything that had happened. 1# Then a!an said, This is wonderf+l" ;o+ are from my own family. So Caco! stayed with a!an for a month. 1% 5ne day a!an said to Caco!, ;o+ are a relative of mine. 3t is not right for yo+ pag. 310131#

to contin+e working for me witho+t pay. >hat sho+ld 3 pay yo+? 1& 1ow a!an had two da+ghters. The older was eah and the yo+nger was .achel. 1' eahs eyes were gentle, !+t .achel was !ea+tif+l. 1( Caco! loved .achel, so he said to a!an, 3 will work seven years for yo+ if yo+ will allow me to marry yo+r da+ghter .achel. Genesis 2).1)*2' 11, 1) a!an said, 3t wo+ld !e !etter for her to marry yo+ than someone else. So stay with me. 2, So Caco! stayed and worked for a!an for seven years. <+t it seemed like a very short time !eca+se he loved .achel very m+ch. 21 After seven years Caco! said to a!an, Give me .achel so that 3 can marry her. Ay time of work for yo+ is finished. 22 So a!an gave a party for all the people in that place. 23 That night a!an !ro+ght his da+ghter eah to Caco!. Caco! and eah had se4+al relations together. 2# 7 a!an gave his maid Bilpah to his da+ghter to !e her maid.8 2% 3n the morning Caco! saw that it was eah he had slept with, and he said to a!an, ;o+ have tricked me. 3 worked hard for yo+ so that 3 co+ld marry .achel. >hy did yo+ trick me? 2& a!an said, 3n o+r co+ntry we dont allow the yo+nger da+ghter to marry !efore the older da+ghter. 2' 9ontin+e for the f+ll week of the marriage ceremony, and 3 will also give Genesis 2).2(*3# 111 yo+ .achel to marry. <+t yo+ m+st serve me another seven years. 2( So Caco! did this and finished the week. Then a!an gave him his da+ghter .achel as a wife. 2) 7 a!an gave his maid <ilhah to his da+ghter .achel to !e her maid.8 3, So Caco! had se4+al relations with .achel also. And Caco! loved .achel -asy To .ead /ersion

more than eah. Caco! worked for a!an for another seven years. 31 The 5.D saw that Caco! loved .achel more than eah, so he made it possi!le for eah to have children. <+t .achel did not have any children. 32 eah gave !irth to a son, and she named him .e+!en. She named him this !eca+se she said, The 5.D has seen my tro+!les. Ay h+s!and does not love me. So now may!e my h+s!and will love me. 33 eah !ecame pregnant again and had another son. She named this son Simeon. She said, The 5.D has heard that 3 am not loved, so he gave me this son. 3# eah !ecame pregnant again and had another son. She named this son evi. Genesis 2).3%*3,.& 112 She said, 1ow, s+rely my h+s!and will love me. 3 have given him three sons. 3% Then eah gave !irth to another son. She named this son C+dah. eah named him this !eca+se she said, 1ow 3 will praise the 5.D. Then eah stopped having children. 30 1 .achel saw that she was not giving Caco! any children. She !ecame =ealo+s of her sister eah. So .achel said to Caco!, Give me children, or 3 will die" 2 Caco! !ecame angry with .achel and said, 3 am not God. $e is the one who has ca+sed yo+ to not have children. 3 Then .achel said, ;o+ can have my maid <ilhah. Sleep with her, and she will have a child for me. Then 3 can !e a mother thro+gh her. # So .achel gave <ilhah to her h+s!and Caco!. $e had se4+al relations with <ilhah. % She !ecame pregnant and gave !irth to a son for Caco!. & .achel said, God has listened to my prayer. $e decided to give me a son. So she named this son Dan. Genesis 3,.'*1% 113 ' <ilhah !ecame pregnant again and gave Caco! a second son. pag. 320131#

( .achel said, 3 have fo+ght hard to compete with my sister, and 3 have won. So she named that son 1aphtali. ) eah saw that she co+ld have no more children. So she gave her slave girl Bilpah to Caco!. 1, Then Bilpah had a son. 11 eah said, 3 am l+cky. So she named the son Gad. 12 Bilpah gave !irth to another son. 13 eah said, 3 am very happy" 1ow women will call me happy. So she named that son Asher. 1# D+ring the wheat harvest .e+!en went into the fields and fo+nd some special flowers. $e !ro+ght them to his mother eah. <+t .achel said to eah, 6lease give me some of yo+r sons flowers. 1% eah answered, ;o+ have already taken away my h+s!and. 1ow yo+ are trying to take away my sons flowers. <+t .achel answered, 3f yo+ will give me yo+r sons flowers, yo+ can sleep with Caco! tonight. Genesis 3,.1&*23 11# 1& Caco! came in from the fields that night. eah saw him and went o+t to meet him. She said, ;o+ will sleep with me tonight. 3 have paid for yo+ with my sons flowers. So Caco! slept with eah that night. 1' Then God allowed eah to !ecome pregnant again. She gave !irth to a fifth son. 1( She said, God has given me a reward !eca+se 3 gave my slave to my h+s!and. So she named her son 3ssachar. 1) eah !ecame pregnant again and gave !irth to a si4th son. 2, She said, God has given me a fine gift. 1ow s+rely Caco! will accept me, !eca+se 3 have given him si4 sons. So she named this son Be!+l+n. 21 ater, eah gave !irth to a da+ghter. She named her Dinah. 22 Then God heard .achels prayer and made it possi!le for .achel to have children. 23 She !ecame pregnant and gave !irth -asy To .ead /ersion

to a son. She said, God has taken away my shame. Genesis 3,.2#*31 11% 2# .achel named the son Coseph, saying, Aay the ord give me another son. 2% After the !irth of Coseph, Caco! said to a!an, 1ow let me go !ack to my own homeland. 2& Give me my wives and my children. 3 have earned them !y working for yo+. ;o+ know that 3 served yo+ well. 2' a!an said to him, 6lease, let me say something. 3 know that the 5.D has !lessed me !eca+se of yo+. 2( Tell me what 3 sho+ld pay yo+, and 3 will give it to yo+. 2) Caco! answered, ;o+ know that 3 have worked hard for yo+. ;o+r flocks have grown and !een well while 3 cared for them. 3, >hen 3 came, yo+ had little. 1ow yo+ have m+ch, m+ch more. -very time 3 did something for yo+, the 5.D !lessed yo+. 1ow it is time for me to work for myselfit is time to do things for my family. 31 a!an asked, Then what sho+ld 3 give yo+? Caco! answered, 3 dont want yo+ to give me anything" 3 only want yo+ to let Genesis 3,.32*3' 11& me do this one thing: 3 will go !ack and take care of yo+r sheep. 32 <+t let me go thro+gh all yo+r flocks today and take every lam! with spots or stripes. et me take every !lack yo+ng goat and every female goat with stripes or spots. That will !e my pay. 33 3n the f+t+re yo+ can easily see if 3 am honest. ;o+ can come to look at my flocks. 3f 3 have any goat that isnt spotted or any sheep that isnt !lack, yo+ will know that 3 stole it. 3# a!an answered, 3 agree to that. >e will do what yo+ ask. 3% <+t that day a!an hid all the male goats that had spots. And he hid all the female goats that had spots on them. $e also hid all the !lack sheep. a!an told his sons to watch these sheep. pag. 330131#

3& So the sons took all the spotted animals and led them to another place. They traveled for three days. Caco! stayed and took care of all the animals that were left. 3' Then Caco! c+t green !ranches from poplar and almond trees. $e stripped off some of the !ark so that the !ranches had white stripes on them. Genesis 3,.3(*31.1 11' 3( $e p+t the !ranches in front of the flocks at the watering places. >hen the animals came to drink, they also mated in that place. 3) Then when the goats mated in front of the !ranches, the yo+ng that were !orn were spotted, striped, or !lack. #, Caco! separated the spotted and the !lack animals from the other animals in the flock. $e kept his animals separate from a!ans. #1 Any time the stronger animals in the flock were mating, Caco! p+t the !ranches !efore their eyes. The animals mated near those !ranches. #2 <+t when the weaker animals mated, Caco! did not p+t the !ranches there. So the yo+ng animals !orn from the weak animals were a!ans. And the yo+ng animals !orn from the stronger animals were Caco!s. #3 3n this way Caco! !ecame very rich. $e had large flocks, many servants, camels, and donkeys. 31 1 5ne day Caco! heard a!ans sons talking. They said, Caco! has taken everything that o+r father owned. Genesis 31.2*( 11( $e has !ecome richand he has taken all this wealth from o+r father. 2 Then Caco! noticed that a!an was not as friendly as he had !een in the past. 3 The 5.D said to Caco!, Go !ack to yo+r own land where yo+r ancestors lived. 3 will !e with yo+. # So Caco! told .achel and eah to meet him in the field where he kept his flocks of sheep and goats. % $e said to them, 3 have seen that yo+r father is angry with me. $e was always -asy To .ead /ersion

friendly with me in the past, !+t now he is not. & ;o+ !oth know that 3 have worked as hard as 3 co+ld for yo+r father. ' <+t he cheated me. $e has changed my pay ten times. <+t d+ring all this time, God protected me from all of a!ans tricks. ( At one time a!an said, ;o+ can keep all the goats with spots. This will !e yo+r pay. After he said this, all the animals gave !irth to spotted goats, so they were all mine. <+t then a!an said, 3 will keep the spotted goats. ;o+ can have all the striped goats. That will !e yo+r pay. Genesis 31.)*1# 11) After he said this, all the animals gave !irth to striped goats. ) So God has taken the animals away from yo+r father and has given them to me. 1, 3 had a dream d+ring the time when the animals were mating. 3 saw that the only male goats that were mating were the ones with stripes and spots. 11 The angel of God spoke to me in that dream. The angel said, Caco!" 3 answered, ;es" 12 The angel said, ook, only the striped and spotted goats are mating. 3 am ca+sing this to happen. 3 have seen all the wrong things a!an has !een doing to yo+. 3 am doing this so that yo+ can have all the new !a!y goats. 13 3 am the God who came to yo+ at <ethel, and there yo+ made an altar, po+red olive oil on it, and made a promise to me. 1ow 3 want yo+ to !e ready to go !ack to the co+ntry where yo+ were !orn. 1# .achel and eah answered Caco!, 5+r father has nothing to give +s when he dies. Genesis 31.1%*22 12, 1% $e treated +s like strangers. $e sold +s to yo+, and then he spent all the money that sho+ld have !een o+rs. 1& God took all this wealth from o+r father, and now it !elongs to +s and o+r children. So yo+ sho+ld do whatever God pag. 3#0131#

told yo+ to do. 1' So Caco! prepared for the trip. $e p+t his children and his wives on camels. 1( Then they !egan traveling !ack to the land of 9anaan, where his father lived. All the flocks of animals that Caco! owned walked ahead of them. $e carried everything with him that he had gotten while he lived in 6addan Aram. 1) >hile a!an was gone to c+t the wool from his sheep, .achel went into his ho+se and stole the false gods that !elonged to her father. 2, Caco! tricked a!an the Aramean. $e did not tell a!an he was leaving. 21 Caco! took his family and everything he owned and left J+ickly. They crossed the -+phrates .iver and traveled toward the hill co+ntry of Gilead. 22 Three days later a!an learned that Caco! had r+n away. Genesis 31.23*2) 121 23 So he gathered his men together and !egan to chase Caco!. After seven days a!an fo+nd Caco! near the hill co+ntry of Gilead. 2# That night God came to a!an in a dream and said, <e caref+l" <e caref+l of every word yo+ say to Caco!. 2% The ne4t morning a!an ca+ght +p with Caco!. Caco! had set +p his camp on the mo+ntain, so a!an and all his men set +p their camp in the hill co+ntry of Gilead. 2& a!an said to Caco!, >hy did yo+ trick me? >hy did yo+ take my da+ghters like they were women yo+ capt+red d+ring war? 2' >hy did yo+ r+n away witho+t telling me? 3f yo+ had told me, 3 wo+ld have given yo+ a party. There wo+ld have !een singing and dancing with m+sic. 2( ;o+ didnt even let me kiss my grandchildren and my da+ghters good!ye. ;o+ were very foolish to do this" 2) 3 have the power to really h+rt yo+. <+t last night the God of yo+r father came to me in a dream. $e warned me not to h+rt yo+ in any way. -asy To .ead /ersion

Genesis 31.3,*3% 122 3, 3 know that yo+ want to go !ack to yo+r home. That is why yo+ left. <+t why did yo+ steal the gods from my ho+se? 31 Caco! answered, 3 left witho+t telling yo+, !eca+se 3 was afraid. 3 tho+ght yo+ wo+ld take yo+r da+ghters away from me. 32 <+t 3 did not steal yo+r gods. 3f yo+ find anyone here with me who has taken yo+r gods, they will !e killed. ;o+r men will !e my witnesses. ;o+ can look for anything that !elongs to yo+. Take anything that is yo+rs. 7Caco! did not know that .achel had stolen a!ans gods.8 33 So a!an went and looked thro+gh Caco!s camp. $e looked in Caco!s tent and then in eahs tent. Then he looked in the tent where the two slave women stayed, !+t he did not find the gods from his ho+se. Then he went into .achels tent. 3# .achel had hidden the gods inside her camels saddle, and she was sitting on them. a!an looked thro+gh the whole tent, !+t he did not find the gods. 3% And .achel said to her father, 2ather, dont !e angry with me. 3 am not a!le Genesis 31.3&*#1 123 to stand +p !efore yo+. 3 am having my monthly time of !leeding. So a!an looked thro+gh the camp, !+t he did not find the gods from his ho+se. 3& Then Caco! !ecame very angry and said, >hat wrong have 3 done? >hat law have 3 !roken? >hat right do yo+ have to chase me and stop me? 3' ;o+ looked thro+gh everything 3 own and fo+nd nothing that !elongs to yo+. 3f yo+ fo+nd something, show it to me. 6+t it here where o+r men can see it. et o+r men decide which one of +s is right. 3( 3 have worked 2, years for yo+. D+ring all that time none of the !a!y sheep and goats died d+ring !irth. And 3 have not eaten any of the rams from yo+r flocks. 3) Any time a sheep was killed !y wild animals, 3 always paid for the loss pag. 3%0131#

myself. 3 did not take the dead animal to yo+ and say that it was not my fa+lt. <+t 3 was ro!!ed day and night. #, 3n the daytime the s+n took away my strength, and at night sleep was taken from my eyes !y the cold. #1 3 worked 2, years like a slave for yo+. 2or the first 1# years 3 worked to Genesis 31.#2*#& 12# win yo+r two da+ghters. The last si4 years 3 worked to earn yo+r animals. And d+ring that time yo+ changed my pay ten times. #2 <+t the God of my ancestors, the God of A!raham and the 2ear of 3saac, was with me. 3f God had not !een with me, yo+ wo+ld have sent me away with nothing. <+t he saw the tro+!le that 3 had and the work that 3 did, and last night God proved that 3 am right. #3 a!an said to Caco!, These women are my da+ghters. These children !elong to me, and these animals are mine. -verything yo+ see here !elongs to me, !+t 3 can do nothing to keep my da+ghters and their children. ## So 3 am ready to make an agreement with yo+. >e will set +p a pile of stones to show that we have an agreement. #% So Caco! fo+nd a large rock and p+t it there to show that he had made an agreement. #& $e told his men to find some more rocks and to make a pile of rocks. Then they ate !eside the pile of rocks. Genesis 31.#'*%3 12% #' a!an named that place ;egar Sahad+tha. <+t Caco! named that place Galeed. #( a!an said to Caco!, This pile of rocks will help +s !oth remem!er o+r agreement. That is why Caco! called the place Galeed. #) Then a!an said, et the 5.D watch over +s while we are separated from each other. So that place was also named AiEpah. %, Then a!an said, 3f yo+ h+rt my da+ghters, remem!er that God will p+nish yo+. 3f yo+ marry other women, -asy To .ead /ersion

remem!er that God is watching. %1 $ere are the rocks that 3 have p+t !etween +s, and here is the special rock to show that we made an agreement. %2 This pile of rocks and this one special rock !oth help +s to remem!er o+r agreement. 3 will never go past these rocks to fight against yo+, and yo+ m+st never go on my side of these rocks to fight against me. %3 Aay the God of A!raham, the God of 1ahor, and the God of their ancestors =+dge +s g+ilty if we !reak this agreement. Caco!s father, 3saac, called Genesis 31.%#*32.& 12& God 2ear. So Caco! +sed that name to make the promise. %# Then Caco! killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice on the mo+ntain. And he invited his men to come and share a meal. After they finished eating, they spent the night on the mo+ntain. %% -arly the ne4t morning a!an kissed his grandchildren and his da+ghters good!ye. $e !lessed them and went !ack home. 32 1 Caco! also left that place. >hile he was traveling, he saw Gods angels. 2 >hen he saw them, he said, This is Gods camp" So Caco! named that place Aahanaim. 3 Caco!s !rother -sa+ was living in the area called Seir in the hill co+ntry of -dom. Caco! sent messengers to -sa+. # $e told them, Tell this to my master -sa+: ;o+r servant Caco! says, 3 have lived with a!an all these years. % 3 have many cattle, donkeys, flocks, and servants. Sir, 3 am sending yo+ this message to ask yo+ to accept +s. & The messengers came !ack to Caco! and said, >e went to yo+r !rother -sa+. Genesis 32.'*12 12' $e is coming to meet yo+. $e has #,, men with him. ' Caco! was very frightened and worried. $e divided the people who were with him and all the flocks, herds, and camels into two gro+ps. pag. 3&0131#

( Caco! tho+ght, 3f -sa+ comes and destroys one gro+p, the other gro+p can r+n away and !e saved. ) Then Caco! said, God of my father A!raham" God of my father 3saac" 5.D, yo+ told me to come !ack to my co+ntry and to my family. ;o+ said that yo+ wo+ld do good to me. 1, ;o+ have !een very kind to me. ;o+ did many good things for me. The first time 3 traveled across the Cordan .iver, 3 owned nothingonly my walking stick. <+t now 3 own eno+gh things to have two f+ll gro+ps. 11 3 ask yo+ to please save me from my !rother -sa+. 3 am afraid that he will come and kill +s all, even the mothers with the children. 12 ord, yo+ said to me, 3 will !e good to yo+. 3 will increase yo+r family and make yo+r children as many as the sands of the sea. There will !e too many to co+nt. Genesis 32.13*1) 12( 13 Caco! stayed in that place for the night. $e prepared some things to give to -sa+ as a gift. 1# $e took 2,, female goats and 2, male goats, 2,, female sheep and 2, male sheep. 1% $e took 3, camels and their colts, #, cows and 1, !+lls, 2, female donkeys and 1, male donkeys. 1& $e gave each flock of animals to his servants. Then he said to them, Separate each gro+p of animals. Go ahead of me and keep some space !etween each herd. 1' Caco! gave them their orders. To the servant with the first gro+p of animals he said, >hen -sa+ my !rother comes to yo+ and asks yo+, >hose animals are these? >here are yo+ going? >hose servant are yo+? 1( then yo+ sho+ld answer, These animals !elong to yo+r servant Caco!. $e sent them as a gift to yo+, my master -sa+. And he also is coming !ehind +s. 1) Caco! also ordered the second servant, the third servant, and all the other servants to do the same thing. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

Genesis 32.2,*2' 12) said, ;o+ will say the same thing to -sa+ when yo+ meet him. 2, ;o+ will say, This is a gift to yo+, and yo+r servant Caco! is !ehind +s. Caco! tho+ght, 3f 3 send these men ahead with gifts, may!e -sa+ will forgive me and accept me. 21 So Caco! sent the gifts to -sa+, !+t he stayed that night in the camp. 22 D+ring the night, Caco! got +p and !egan moving his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven sons across the Ca!!ok .iver at the crossing. 23 After he sent his family across the river, he sent across everything he had. 2# Caco! was left alone, and a man came and wrestled with him. The man fo+ght with him +ntil the s+n came +p. 2% >hen the man saw that he co+ld not defeat Caco!, he to+ched Caco!s leg and p+t it o+t of =oint. 2& Then the man said to Caco!, et me go. The s+n is coming +p. <+t Caco! said, 3 will not let yo+ go. ;o+ m+st !less me. 2' And the man said to him, >hat is yo+r name? And Caco! said, Ay name is Caco!. Genesis 32.2(*33.2 13, 2( Then the man said, ;o+r name will not !e Caco!. ;o+r name will now !e 3srael. 3 give yo+ this name !eca+se yo+ have fo+ght with God and with men, and yo+ have won. 2) Then Caco! asked him, 6lease tell me yo+r name. <+t the man said, >hy do yo+ ask my name? Then the man !lessed Caco! at that place. 3, So Caco! named that place 6eniel. $e said, At this place, 3 saw God face to face, !+t my life was spared. 31 Then the s+n came +p as Caco! left 6eniel. $e was limping !eca+se of his leg. 32 So even today, the people of 3srael dont eat the m+scle that is on the hip =oint, !eca+se this is the m+scle where Caco! was h+rt. 33 1 Caco! looked and saw -sa+ coming with #,, men. Caco! pag. 3'0131#

divided his family into fo+r gro+ps. eah and her children were in one gro+p, .achel and Coseph were in one gro+p, and the two maids and their children were in two gro+ps. 2 Caco! p+t the maids with their children first. Then he p+t eah and her children Genesis 33.3*( 131 !ehind them, and he p+t .achel and Coseph in the last place. 3 Caco! himself went o+t !efore them. >hile he was walking toward his !rother -sa+, he !owed down to the gro+nd seven times. # >hen -sa+ saw Caco!, he ran to meet him. $e p+t his arms aro+nd Caco!, h+gged his neck, and kissed him. Then they !oth cried. % -sa+ looked +p and saw the women and children. $e said, >ho are all these people with yo+? Caco! answered, These are the children that God gave me. God has !een good to me. & Then the two maids and the children with them went to -sa+. They !owed down !efore him. ' Then eah and the children with her went to -sa+ and !owed down. And then .achel and Coseph went to him and !owed down. ( -sa+ said, >ho were all those people 3 saw while 3 was coming here? And what were all those animals for? Caco! answered, These are my gifts to yo+ so that yo+ might accept me. Genesis 33.)*1% 132 ) <+t -sa+ said, ;o+ dont have to give me gifts, !rother. 3 have eno+gh for myself. 1, Caco! said, 1o, 3 !eg yo+" 3f yo+ really accept me, please accept the gifts 3 give yo+. 3 am very happy to see yo+r face again. 3t is like seeing the face of God. 3 am very happy to see that yo+ accept me. 11 So 3 !eg yo+ to also accept the gifts 3 give yo+. God has !een very good to me. 3 have more than 3 need. <eca+se Caco! !egged -sa+ to take the gifts, he accepted them. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 Then -sa+ said, 1ow yo+ can contin+e yo+r =o+rney. 3 will go with yo+. 13 <+t Caco! said to him, ;o+ know that my children are weak. And 3 m+st !e caref+l with my flocks and their yo+ng animals. 3f 3 force them to walk too far in one day, all the animals will die. 1# So yo+ go on ahead. 3 will follow yo+ slowly. 3 will go slowly eno+gh for the cattle and other animals to !e safe and so that my children will not get too tired. 3 will meet yo+ in Seir. 1% So -sa+ said, Then 3 will leave some of my men to help yo+. <+t Caco! said, Genesis 33.1&*3#.3 133 That is very kind of yo+, !+t there is no need to do that. 1& So that day -sa+ started on his trip !ack to Seir. 1' <+t Caco! went to S+ccoth. There he !+ilt a ho+se for himself and small !arns for his cattle. That is why the place was named S+ccoth. 1( Caco! safely ended his trip from 6addan Aram when he came to the town of Shechem in 9anaan. $e made his camp in a field near the city. 1) $e !o+ght the field where he camped from the family of $amor, father of Shechem. $e paid 1,, pieces of silver for it. 2, $e !+ilt an altar there to honor God. $e named the place -l, the God of 3srael. 34 1 5ne day, Dinah, the da+ghter of eah and Caco!, went o+t to see the women of that place. 2 She was seen !y Shechem, the son of $amor the $ivite, who r+led that area. Shechem took Dinah and raped her. 3 <+t he was so attracted to her that he fell in love and !egan e4pressing his feelings to her. Genesis 3#.#*1, 13# # $e told his father, 6lease get this girl for me so that 3 can marry her. % Caco! learned that Shechem had done this very !ad thing to his da+ghter. <+t all his sons were o+t in the fields with the cattle. So he did nothing +ntil they came home. pag. 3(0131#

& Then Shechems father, $amor, came o+t to talk with Caco!. ' 3n the fields Caco!s sons heard the news a!o+t what had happened. They were very angry !eca+se Shechem had !ro+ght shame to 3srael !y raping Caco!s da+ghter. They came in from the fields as soon as they heard a!o+t the terri!le thing Shechem had done. ( <+t $amor talked to Dinahs !rothers and said, Ay son Shechem wants Dinah very m+ch. 6lease let him marry her. ) This marriage will show we have a special agreement. Then o+r men can marry yo+r women, and yo+r men can marry o+r women. 1, ;o+ can live in the same land with +s. ;o+ will !e free to own the land and to trade here. Genesis 3#.11*1( 13% 11 Shechem also talked to Caco! and to Dinahs !rothers and said, 6lease accept me. 3 will do anything yo+ ask me to do. 12 3 will give yo+ any gift yo+ want if yo+ will only allow me to marry Dinah. 3 will give yo+ anything yo+ ask, !+t let me marry her. 13 Caco!s sons decided to lie to Shechem and his father !eca+se Shechem had done s+ch a !ad thing to their sister Dinah. 1# The !rothers said to them, >e cannot allow o+r sister to marry yo+ !eca+se yo+ are not yet circ+mcised. That wo+ld !ring +s shame. 1% <+t we will allow yo+ to marry her if yo+ do this one thing: -very man in yo+r town m+st !e circ+mcised like +s. 1& Then yo+r men can marry o+r women, and o+r men can marry yo+r women. Then we will !ecome one people. 1' 3f yo+ ref+se to !e circ+mcised, we will take Dinah away. 1( This agreement made $amor and Shechem very happy. Genesis 3#.1)*2% 13& 1) Shechem was very happy to do what Dinahs !rothers asked. Shechem was the most honored man in his family. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, $amor and Shechem went to the meeting place of their city. They spoke to the men of the city and said, 21 These people want to !e friends with +s. >e want to let them live in o+r land and !e at peace with +s. >e have eno+gh land for all of +s. >e are free to marry their women, and we are happy to give them o+r women to marry. 22 <+t there is one thing that all o+r men m+st agree to do. They m+st agree to !e circ+mcised as they are. 23 3f we do this, we will !ecome rich from all their cattle and other animals. >e sho+ld make this agreement with them so that they will stay here with +s. 2# All the men who heard this in the meeting place agreed with $amor and Shechem. And every man was circ+mcised at that time. 2% Three days later the men who were circ+mcised were still sore. Two of Caco!s sons, Simeon and evi, knew that the men wo+ld !e weak at this time. So they Genesis 3#.2&*31 13' went to the city and killed all the men there. 2& Dinahs !rothers, Simeon and evi, killed $amor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah o+t of Shechems ho+se and left. 2' Caco!s sons went to the city and stole everything that was there !eca+se of what Shechem had done to their sister. 2( So the !rothers took all their animals, all their donkeys, and everything else in the city and in the fields. 2) The !rothers took everything those people owned. They even took their wives and children. 3, <+t Caco! said to Simeon and evi, ;o+ have ca+sed me a lot of tro+!le. All the people in this place will hate me. All the 9anaanites and the 6eriEEites will t+rn against me. There are only a few of +s. 3f the people in this place gather together to fight against +s, 3 will !e destroyed. And all o+r people will !e destroyed with me. 31 <+t the !rothers said, Sho+ld we pag. 3)0131#

let these people treat o+r sister like a prostit+te? They were wrong to do that to o+r sister" Genesis 3%.1*& 13( 35 1 God said to Caco!, Go to the town of <ethel. That is where 3 appeared to yo+ when yo+ were r+nning away from yo+r !rother -sa+. ive there and make an altar to honor me as -l, the God who appeared to yo+. 2 So Caco! told his family and all the other people with him, Destroy all these foreign gods that yo+ have. Aake yo+rselves p+re. 6+t on clean clothes. 3 >e will leave here and go to <ethel. There 3 will !+ild an altar to the God who has always helped me d+ring times of tro+!le. $e has !een with me wherever 3 have gone. # So the people gave Caco! all the foreign gods they had, and they gave him all the rings they were wearing in their ears. $e !+ried everything +nder an oak tree near the town called Shechem. % Then Caco! and his sons left that place. The people in the s+rro+nding cities wanted to follow and kill them, !+t God filled them with s+ch great fear that they did not go after them. & So Caco! and his people went to +E, which is now called <ethel. 3t is in the land of 9anaan. Genesis 3%.'*1# 13) ' Caco! !+ilt an altar there. $e named the place -l <ethel. Caco! chose this name !eca+se that is the place where God first appeared to him when he was r+nning from his !rother. ( De!orah, .e!ekahs n+rse, died there. They !+ried her +nder the oak tree at <ethel. They named that place Allon <ac+th. ) >hen Caco! came !ack from 6addan Aram, God appeared to him again. God !lessed Caco! 1, and said to him, ;o+r name is Caco!, !+t 3 will change that name. ;o+ will no longer !e called Caco!. ;o+r new name will !e 3srael. So God named him 3srael. 11 God said to him, 3 am God AllD -asy To .ead /ersion

6owerf+l, and 3 give yo+ this !lessing: $ave many children and grow into a great nation. 5ther nations and other kings will come o+t of yo+. 12 3 gave A!raham and 3saac some special land. 1ow 3 give the land to yo+ and to all yo+r people who will live after yo+. 13 Then God left that place. 1# Caco! set +p a memorial stone there. $e made the rock holy !y po+ring wine Genesis 3%.1%*22 1#, and oil on it. This was a special place !eca+se God spoke to Caco! there, and Caco! named the place <ethel. 1% 73%:1#8 1& Caco! and his gro+p left <ethel. <efore they came to -phrath, .achel !egan giving !irth to her !a!y. 1' She was having a lot of tro+!le with this !irth. She was in great pain. >hen her n+rse saw this, she said, Dont !e afraid, .achel. ;o+ are giving !irth to another son. 1( .achel died while giving !irth to the son. <efore dying, she named the !oy <enoni. <+t Caco! called him <en=amin. 1) .achel was !+ried on the road to -phrath 7that is, <ethlehem8. 2, Caco! p+t a special rock on .achels grave to honor her. That special rock is still there today. 21 Then 3srael contin+ed his =o+rney. $e camped =+st so+th of -der tower. 22 3srael stayed there for a short time. >hile he was there, .e+!en slept with 3sraels slave woman <ilhah. 3srael heard a!o+t this, and he was very angry.Caco! had twelve sons. Genesis 3%.23*3&.3 1#1 23 Caco! and eahs sons were his first!orn son .e+!en, Simeon, evi, C+dah, 3ssachar, and Be!+l+n. 2# Caco! and .achels sons were Coseph and <en=amin. 2% <ilhah was .achels maid. Caco! and <ilhahs sons were Dan and 1aphtali. 2& Bilpah was eahs maid. Caco! and Bilpahs sons were Gad and Asher. These are Caco!s sons who were !orn in 6addan pag. #,0131#

Aram. 2' Caco! went to his father 3saac at Aamre in Giriath Ar!a 7$e!ron8. This is where A!raham and 3saac had lived. 2( 3saac lived 1(, years. 2) Then 3saac !ecame weak and died and went to !e with his people. $e had lived a long and f+ll life. $is sons -sa+ and Caco! !+ried him. 36 1 This is the history of the family of -sa+ 7-dom8. 2 -sa+ married women from the land of 9anaan. $is wives were Adah, the da+ghter of -lon the $ittite, 5holi!amah, the da+ghter of Anah, the son of Bi!eon the $ivite, and 3 <asemath, 3shmaels da+ghter, the sister of 1e!aioth. Genesis 3&.#*12 1#2 # -sa+ and Adah had a son named -liphaE. <asemath had a son named .e+el. % 5holi!amah had three sons: Ce+sh, Calam, and Gorah. These were -sa+s sons who were !orn in the land of 9anaan. & Caco! and -sa+s families !ecame too !ig for the land in 9anaan to s+pport them all, so -sa+ moved away from his !rother Caco!. $e took his wives, sons, da+ghters, all his slaves, cattle and other animals, and everything else that he had gotten in 9anaan and moved to the hill co+ntry of Seir. 7-sa+ is also named -dom.8 ' 73&:&8 ( 73&:&8 ) -sa+ is the father of the people of -dom. These are the names of -sa+s family living in the hill co+ntry of Seir: 1, -sa+ and Adahs son was -liphaE. -sa+ and <asemaths son was .e+el. 11 -liphaE had five sons: Teman, 5mar, Bepho, Gatam, and GenaE. 12 -liphaE also had a slave woman named Timna. Timna and -liphaE had a son named Amalek. Genesis 3&.13*1) 1#3 13 .e+el had fo+r sons: 1ahath, Berah, Shammah, and AiEEah. These -asy To .ead /ersion

were -sa+s grandsons from his wife <asemath. 1# -sa+s third wife was 5holi!amah, the da+ghter of Anah. 7Anah was the son of Bi!eon.8 -sa+ and 5holi!amahs children were Ce+sh, Calam, and Gorah. 1% These are the family gro+ps that came from -sa+: -sa+s first son was -liphaE. 2rom -liphaE came Teman, 5mar, Bepho, GenaE, 1& Gorah, Gatam, and Amalek. All these family gro+ps came from -sa+s wife Adah. 1' -sa+s son .e+el was the father of these families: 1ahath, Berah, Shammah, and AiEEah. All these families came from -sa+s wife <asemath. They were !orn in the territory of -dom. 1( -sa+s wife 5holi!amah, da+ghter of Anah, gave !irth to Ce+sh, Calam, and Gorah. These three men were the leaders of their families. 1) They were all sons of -sa+ and leaders of the family gro+ps of -dom. Genesis 3&.2,*3, 1## 2, Seir, a $orite man, lived in -dom !efore -sa+. These are the sons of Seir: otan, Sho!al, Bi!eon, Anah, 21 Dishon, -Eer, and Dishan. These sons were all $orite family leaders from Seir in -dom. 22 otan was the father of $ori and $eman. 7Timna was otans sister.8 23 Sho!al was the father of Alvan, Aanahath, -!al, Shepho, and 5nam. 2# Bi!eon had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who fo+nd the springs in the desert while he was caring for his fathers donkeys. 2% Anah was the father of Dishon and 5holi!amah. 2& Dishon had fo+r sons. They were $emdan, -sh!an, 3thran, and Geran. 2' -Eer had three sons. They were <ilhan, Baavan, and Akan. 2( Dishan had two sons. They were HE and Aran. 2) These are the names of the leaders of the $orite families: otan, Sho!al, Bi!eon, Anah, pag. #10131#

3, Dishon, -Eer, and Dishan. These men were the leaders of the families that lived in the co+ntry of Seir. Genesis 3&.31*3) 1#% 31 At that time there were kings in -dom. -dom had kings a long time !efore 3srael did. 32 <ela son of <eor was a king who r+led in -dom. $e r+led over the city of Dinha!ah. 33 >hen <ela died, Co!a! !ecame king. Co!a! was the son of Berah from <oErah. 3# >hen Co!a! died, $+sham r+led. $+sham was from the land of the Temanite. 3% >hen $+sham died, $adad r+led that area. $adad was the son of <edad. 7$e was the man who defeated Aidian in the co+ntry of Aoa!.8 $adad was from the city of Avith. 3& >hen $adad died, Samlah r+led that co+ntry. Samlah was from Aasrekah. 3' >hen Samlah died, Sha+l r+led that area. Sha+l was from .eho!oth !y the .iver. 3( >hen Sha+l died, <aal $anan r+led that co+ntry. <aal $anan was the son of Ac!or. 3) >hen <aal $anan died, $adad r+led that co+ntry. $adad was from the city of 6a+. $is wifes name was Aeheta!el, Genesis 3&.#,*3'.3 1#& the da+ghter of Aatred. 7AeEaha! was Aatreds father.8 #, -sa+ was the father of the -domite families: Timna, Alvah, Cetheth, 5holi!amah, -lah, 6inon, GenaE, Teman, Ai!Ear, Aagdiel, and 3ram. -ach of these families lived in an area that was called !y the same name as their family. #1 73&:#,8 #2 73&:#,8 #3 73&:#,8 37 1 Caco! stayed and lived in the land of 9anaan. This is the same land where his father had lived. 2 This is the story of Caco!s family. Coseph was a yo+ng man, 1' years old. $is =o! was to take care of the sheep and the goats. Coseph did this work with his -asy To .ead /ersion

!rothers, the sons of <ilhah and Bilpah. 7<ilhah and Bilpah were his fathers wives.8 Coseph told his father a!o+t the !ad things that his !rothers did. 3 Coseph was !orn at a time when his father 3srael was very old, so 3srael loved him more than he loved his other sons. Caco! gave him a special coat, which was long and very !ea+tif+l. Genesis 3'.#*1, 1#' # >hen Cosephs !rothers saw that their father loved Coseph more than he loved them, they hated their !rother !eca+se of this. They ref+sed to say nice things to him. % 5ne time Coseph had a special dream. ater, he told his !rothers a!o+t this dream, and after that his !rothers hated him even more. & Coseph said, 3 had a dream. ' >e were all working in the field, tying stacks of wheat together. Then my stack got +p. 3t stood there while all of yo+r stacks of wheat made a circle aro+nd mine and !owed down to it. ( $is !rothers said, Do yo+ think this means that yo+ will !e a king and r+le over +s? $is !rothers hated Coseph more now !eca+se of the dreams he had a!o+t them. ) Then Coseph had another dream, and he told his !rothers a!o+t it. $e said, 3 had another dream. 3 saw the s+n, the moon, and eleven stars !owing down to me. 1, Coseph also told his father a!o+t this dream, !+t his father criticiEed him. $is father said, >hat kind of dream is this? Genesis 3'.11*1' 1#( Do yo+ !elieve that yo+r mother, yo+r !rothers, and 3 will !ow down to yo+? 11 Cosephs !rothers contin+ed to !e =ealo+s of him, !+t his father tho+ght a!o+t all these things and wondered what they co+ld mean. 12 5ne day Cosephs !rothers went to Shechem to care for their fathers sheep. 13 Caco! said to Coseph, Go to Shechem. ;o+r !rothers are there with my sheep. Coseph answered, 3 will go. pag. #20131#

1# $is father said, Go and see if yo+r !rothers are safe. 9ome !ack and tell me if my sheep are all fine. So Cosephs father sent him from the /alley of $e!ron to Shechem. 1% At Shechem, Coseph got lost. A man fo+nd him wandering in the fields. The man said, >hat are yo+ looking for? 1& Coseph answered, 3 am looking for my !rothers. 9an yo+ tell me where they are with their sheep? 1' The man said, They have already gone away. 3 heard them say that they were going to Dothan. So Coseph followed his !rothers and fo+nd them in Dothan. Genesis 3'.1(*2% 1#) 1( Cosephs !rothers saw him coming from far away. They decided to make a plan to kill him. 1) They said to each other, $ere comes Coseph the dreamer. 2, >e sho+ld kill him now while we can. >e co+ld throw his !ody into one of the empty wells and tell o+r father that a wild animal killed him. Then we will show him that his dreams are +seless. 21 <+t .e+!en wanted to save Coseph. $e said, ets not kill him. 22 >e can p+t him into a well witho+t h+rting him. .e+!en planned to save Coseph and send him !ack to his father. 23 >hen Coseph came to his !rothers, they attacked him and tore off his long and !ea+tif+l coat. 2# Then they threw him into an empty well that was dry. 2% >hile Coseph was in the well, the !rothers sat down to eat. They looked +p and saw a gro+p of traders traveling from Gilead to -gypt. Their camels were carrying many different spices and riches. Genesis 3'.2&*33 1%, 2& So C+dah said to his !rothers, >hat profit will we get if we kill o+r !rother and hide his death? 2' >e will profit more if we sell him to these traders. Then we will not !e g+ilty of killing o+r own !rother. The other -asy To .ead /ersion

!rothers agreed. 2( >hen the Aidianite traders came !y, the !rothers took Coseph o+t of the well and sold him to the traders for 2, pieces of silver. The traders took him to -gypt. 2) .e+!en had !een gone, !+t when he came !ack to the well, he saw that Coseph was not there. $e tore his clothes to show that he was +pset. 3, .e+!en went to the !rothers and said, The !oy is not in the well" >hat will 3 do? 31 The !rothers killed a goat and p+t the goats !lood on Cosephs !ea+tif+l coat. 32 Then the !rothers showed the coat to their father. And the !rothers said, >e fo+nd this coat. 3s this Cosephs coat? 33 $is father saw the coat and knew that it was Cosephs. $e said, ;es, that is his" Aay!e some wild animal has killed him. Ay son Coseph has !een eaten !y a wild animal" Genesis 3'.3#*3(.% 1%1 3# Caco! was so sorry a!o+t his son that he tore his clothes. Then Caco! p+t on special clothes to show that he was sad. $e contin+ed to !e sad a!o+t his son for a long time. 3% All of Caco!s sons and da+ghters tried to comfort him, !+t Caco! was never comforted. $e said, 3 will !e sorry for my son +ntil the day 3 die. So Caco! contin+ed to !e sad for his son Coseph. 3& The Aidianite traders later sold Coseph in -gypt. They sold him to 6otiphar, the captain of the 6haraohs g+ards. 38 1 A!o+t that time, C+dah left his !rothers and went to stay with a man named $irah from the town of Ad+llam. 2 C+dah met a 9anaanite girl there and married her. The girls father was named Sh+a. 3 The 9anaanite girl gave !irth to a son and named him -r. # ater, she gave !irth to another son and named him 5nan. % Then she had another son named Shelah. C+dah lived in GeEi! when his pag. #30131#

third son was !orn. Genesis 3(.&*12 1%2 & C+dah chose a woman named Tamar to !e the wife of his first son -r. ' <+t -r did many !ad things. The 5.D was not happy with him, so the 5.D killed him. ( Then C+dah said to -rs !rother 5nan, Go and sleep with yo+r dead !rothers wife. <ecome like a h+s!and to her. 3f children are !orn, they will !elong to yo+r !rother -r. ) 5nan knew that the children from this +nion wo+ld not !elong to him. $e had se4+al relations with Tamar, !+t he did not allow himself to stay inside her. 1, This made the 5.D angry. So he killed 5nan also. 11 Then C+dah said to his da+ghterinD law Tamar, Go !ack to yo+r fathers ho+se. Stay there and dont marry +ntil my yo+ng son Shelah grows +p. C+dah was afraid that Shelah wo+ld also !e killed like his !rothers. So Tamar went !ack to her fathers home. 12 ater, C+dahs wife, the da+ghter of Sh+a, died. After C+dahs time of sadness, he went to Timnah with his friend $irah from Ad+llam. C+dah went Genesis 3(.13*1' 1%3 to Timnah to have the wool c+t from his sheep. 13 Tamar learned that C+dah, her fatherDinDlaw, was going to Timnah to c+t the wool from his sheep. 1# Tamar always wore clothes that showed that she was a widow. So she p+t on some different clothes and covered her face with a veil. Then she sat down near the road going to -naim, a town near Timnah. Tamar knew that C+dahs yo+nger son Shelah was now grown +p, !+t C+dah wo+ld not make plans for her to marry him. 1% C+dah traveled on that road and saw her, !+t he tho+ght that she was a prostit+te. 7$er face was covered with a veil like a prostit+te.8 1& So he went to her and said, et me have se4 with yo+. 7C+dah did -asy To .ead /ersion

not know that she was Tamar, his da+ghterDinDlaw.8 She said, $ow m+ch will yo+ give me? 1' C+dah answered, 3 will send yo+ a yo+ng goat from my flock. She answered, 3 agree to that. <+t first yo+ m+st give me something to keep +ntil yo+ send me the goat. Genesis 3(.1(*23 1%# 1( C+dah asked, >hat do yo+ want me to give yo+ as proof that 3 will send yo+ the goat? Tamar answered, Give me yo+r seal and its string and yo+r walking stick. C+dah gave these things to her. Then C+dah and Tamar had se4+al relations, and she !ecame pregnant. 1) Then Tamar went home, took off her veil that covered her face, and again p+t on the special clothes that showed she was a widow. 2, ater, C+dah sent his friend $irah to -naim to give the prostit+te the goat he promised. C+dah also told $irah to get the special seal and the walking stick from her, !+t $irah co+ld not find her. 21 $e asked some of the men at the town of -naim, >here is the prostit+te who was here !y the road? The men answered, There has never !een a prostit+te here. 22 So C+dahs friend went !ack to C+dah and said, 3 co+ld not find the woman. The men who live in that place said that there was never a prostit+te there. 23 So C+dah said, et her keep the things. 3 dont want people to la+gh at Genesis 3(.2#*2) 1%% +s. 3 tried to give her the goat, !+t we co+ld not find her. That is eno+gh. 2# A!o+t three months later, someone told C+dah, ;o+r da+ghterDinDlaw Tamar sinned like a prostit+te, and now she is pregnant. Then C+dah said, Take her o+t and !+rn her. 2% The men went to Tamar to kill her, !+t she sent a message to her fatherDinDlaw that said, The man who made me pregnant is the man who owns these things. ook at them. >hose are they? >hose special seal and string is this? pag. ##0131#

>hose walking stick is this? 2& C+dah recogniEed these things and said, She is right. 3 was wrong. 3 did not give her my son Shelah like 3 promised. And C+dah did not sleep with her again. 2' The time came for Tamar to give !irth. She was going to have twins. 2( >hile she was giving !irth, one !a!y p+t his hand o+t. The n+rse tied a red string on the hand and said, This !a!y was !orn first. 2) <+t that !a!y p+lled his hand !ack in, so the other !a!y was !orn first. So the n+rse said, ;o+ were a!le to !reak o+t first" So they named him 6ereE. Genesis 3(.3,*3).& 1%& 3, After this, the other !a!y was !orn. This was the !a!y with the red string on his hand. They named him Berah. 39 1 The traders who !o+ght Coseph took him down to -gypt. They sold him to the captain of 6haraohs g+ard, 6otiphar. 2 The 5.D helped Coseph !ecome a s+ccessf+l man. Coseph lived in the ho+se of his master, 6otiphar the -gyptian. 3 6otiphar saw that the 5.D was with Coseph and that the 5.D helped Coseph !e s+ccessf+l in everything he did. # So 6otiphar was very happy with Coseph. $e allowed Coseph to work for him and to help him r+le the ho+se. Coseph was the r+ler over everything 6otiphar owned. % After Coseph was made the r+ler over the ho+se, the 5.D !lessed the ho+se and everything that 6otiphar owned. The 5.D also !lessed everything that grew in 6otiphars fields. The ord did this !eca+se of Coseph. & So 6otiphar allowed Coseph to take responsi!ility for everything in the ho+se. 6otiphar didnt have to worry Genesis 3).'*13 1%' a!o+t anything e4cept deciding what to eat.Coseph was a very handsome, goodDlooking man. ' After some time, the wife of Cosephs master !egan to pay special attention to -asy To .ead /ersion

him. 5ne day she said to him, Sleep with me. ( <+t Coseph ref+sed. $e said, Ay master tr+sts me with everything in his ho+se. $e has given me responsi!ility for everything here. ) Ay master has made me almost eJ+al to him in his ho+se. 3 cannot sleep with his wife" That is wrong" 3t is a sin against God. 1, The woman talked with Coseph every day, !+t he ref+sed to sleep with her. 11 5ne day Coseph went into the ho+se to do his work. $e was the only man in the ho+se at the time. 12 $is masters wife gra!!ed his coat and said to him, 9ome to !ed with me. <+t Coseph ran o+t of the ho+se so fast that he left his coat in her hand. 13 The woman saw that Coseph had left his coat in her hand and had r+n o+t of the ho+se. Genesis 3).1#*22 1%( 1# She called to the men o+tside and said, ook" This $e!rew slave was !ro+ght here to make f+n of +s. $e came in and tried to attack me, !+t 3 screamed. 1% Ay scream scared him and he ran away, !+t he left his coat with me. 1& Then she kept his coat +ntil her h+s!and, Cosephs master, came home. 1' She told her h+s!and the same story. She said, This $e!rew slave yo+ !ro+ght here tried to attack me" 1( <+t when he came near me, 3 screamed. $e ran away, !+t he left his coat. 1) Cosephs master listened to what his wife said, and he !ecame very angry. 2, So 6otiphar p+t Coseph into the prison where the kings enemies were held, and that is where Coseph remained. 21 The 5.D was with Coseph and contin+ed to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison g+ards !egan to like Coseph. 22 The commander of the g+ards p+t Coseph in charge of all the prisoners. Coseph was their leader, !+t he still did pag. #%0131#

the same work they did. Genesis 3).23*#,.' 1%) 23 The commander of the g+ards tr+sted Coseph with everything in the prison. This happened !eca+se the 5.D was with Coseph. The 5.D made him s+ccessf+l in everything he did. 40 1 ater, two of 6haraohs servants did something wrong to 6haraoh. These servants were the !aker and the man who served wine to 6haraoh. 2 6haraoh !ecame angry with his !aker and wine server, 3 so he p+t them in the same prison as Coseph. 6otiphar, the commander of 6haraohs g+ards, was in charge of this prison. # The commander p+t the two prisoners +nder Cosephs care. The two men contin+ed to stay in prison for some time. % 5ne night !oth of the prisoners had a dream. The !aker and the wine server each had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning. & Coseph went to them the ne4t morning and saw that the two men were worried. ' $e asked them, >hy do yo+ look so worried today? Genesis #,.(*1# 1&, ( The two men answered, >e !oth had dreams last night, !+t we dont +nderstand what we dreamed. There is no one to e4plain the dreams to +s. Coseph said to them, God is the only one who can +nderstand and e4plain dreams. So 3 !eg yo+, tell me yo+r dreams. ) So the wine server told Coseph his dream. The server said, 3 dreamed 3 saw a vine. 1, 5n the vine there were three !ranches. 3 watched the !ranches grow flowers and then !ecome grapes. 11 3 was holding 6haraohs c+p, so 3 took the grapes and sJ+eeEed the =+ice into the c+p. Then 3 gave the c+p to 6haraoh. 12 Then Coseph said, 3 will e4plain the dream to yo+. The three !ranches mean three days. 13 <efore the end of three days, 6haraoh -asy To .ead /ersion

will forgive yo+ and allow yo+ to go !ack to yo+r work. ;o+ will do the same work for 6haraoh as yo+ did !efore. 1# <+t when yo+ are free, remem!er me. <e good to me and help me. Tell 6haraoh a!o+t me so that 3 can get o+t of this prison. Genesis #,.1%*21 1&1 1% 3 was kidnapped and taken from the land of my people, the $e!rews. 3 have done nothing wrong" 3 sho+ld not !e in prison. 1& The !aker saw that the other servants dream was good, so he said to Coseph, 3 also had a dream. 3 dreamed there were three !askets of !read on my head. 1' 3n the top !asket there were all kinds of !aked food for the king, !+t !irds were eating this food. 1( Coseph answered, 3 will tell yo+ what the dream means. The three !askets mean three days. 1) <efore the end of three days, the king will take yo+ o+t of this prison and c+t off yo+r head" $e will hang yo+r !ody on a pole, and the !irds will eat it. 2, Three days later it was 6haraohs !irthday. $e gave a party for all his servants. At the party 6haraoh allowed the wine server and the !aker to leave the prison. 21 $e freed the wine server and gave him his =o! !ack, and once again the wine server p+t a c+p of wine in 6haraohs hand. Genesis #,.22*#1.& 1&2 22 <+t 6haraoh hanged the !aker, and everything happened the way Coseph said it wo+ld. 23 <+t the wine server did not remem!er to help Coseph. $e said nothing a!o+t him to 6haraoh. The wine server forgot a!o+t Coseph. 41 1 Two years later 6haraoh dreamed that he was standing !y the 1ile .iver. 2 3n the dream, seven cows came o+t of the river and stood there eating grass. They were healthy, goodDlooking cows. 3 Then seven more cows came o+t of pag. #&0131#

the river and stood on the !ank of the river !y the healthy cows. <+t these cows were thin and looked sick. # The seven sick cows ate the seven healthy cows. Then 6haraoh woke +p. % 6haraoh went !ack to sleep and !egan dreaming again. This time he dreamed that he saw seven heads of grain growing on one plant. They were healthy and f+ll of grain. & Then he saw seven more heads of grain spro+ting, !+t they were thin and scorched !y the hot wind. Genesis #1.'*13 1&3 ' The thin heads of grain ate the seven good heads of grain. Then 6haraoh woke +p again and realiEed it was only a dream. ( The ne4t morning 6haraoh was worried a!o+t these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of -gypt. 6haraoh told these men the dreams, !+t none of them co+ld e4plain the dreams. ) Then the wine servant remem!ered Coseph and said to 6haraoh, 3 remem!er something that happened to me. 1, ;o+ were angry with the !aker and me, and yo+ p+t +s in prison. 11 Then one night he and 3 had a dream. -ach dream had a different meaning. 12 There was a yo+ng $e!rew man in prison with +s. $e was a servant of the commander of the g+ards. >e told him o+r dreams, and he e4plained them to +s. $e told +s the meaning of each dream, 13 and what he said came tr+e. $e said 3 wo+ld !e free and have my old =o! !ack, and it happened. $e also said the !aker wo+ld die, and it happened" Genesis #1.1#*21 1&# 1# So 6haraoh called Coseph from the prison. The g+ards J+ickly got Coseph o+t of prison. Coseph shaved, p+t on some clean clothes, and went to see 6haraoh. 1% 6haraoh said to Coseph, 3 had a dream, and no one can e4plain it for me. 3 heard that yo+ can e4plain dreams -asy To .ead /ersion

when someone tells yo+ a!o+t them. 1& Coseph answered, 3 cannot" <+t God can e4plain the dream for yo+, 6haraoh. 1' Then 6haraoh said to Coseph, 3n my dream 3 was standing !y the 1ile .iver. 1( Seven cows came +p o+t of the river and stood there eating the grass. They were healthy, goodDlooking cows. 1) Then 3 saw seven more cows come +p o+t of the river after them, !+t these cows were thin and looked sick. They were the worst cows 3 had ever seen anywhere in -gypt" 2, The thin, sick cows ate the first healthy cows, 21 !+t they still looked thin and sick. ;o+ co+ldnt even tell they had eaten the healthy cows. They looked as thin and sick as they did in the !eginning. Then 3 woke +p. Genesis #1.22*2) 1&% 22 3n my ne4t dream 3 saw seven heads of grain growing on one plant. They were healthy and f+ll of grain. 23 And then seven more heads of grain grew after them, !+t they were thin and scorched !y the hot wind. 2# Then the thin heads of grain ate the seven good heads of grain. 3 told these dreams to my magicians. <+t no one co+ld e4plain the dreams to me. >hat do they mean? 2% Then Coseph said to 6haraoh, <oth of these dreams have the same meaning. God is telling yo+ what will happen soon. 2& The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain are seven good years. 2' And the seven thin, sickDlooking cows and the seven thin heads of grain mean that there will !e seven years of h+nger in this area. These seven !ad years will come after the seven good years. 2( God has shown yo+ what will happen soon. $e will make these things happen =+st as 3 told yo+. 2) 2or seven years there will !e plenty of food in -gypt. Genesis #1.3,*3& 1&& 3, <+t then there will !e seven years of pag. #'0131#

h+nger. The people will forget how m+ch food there had !een in -gypt !efore. This famine will r+in the co+ntry. 31 3t will !e so !ad that people will forget what it was like to have plenty of food. 32 6haraoh, yo+ had two dreams a!o+t the same thing. That means God wanted to show yo+ that he really will make this happen, and he will make it happen soon" 33 So, 6haraoh, yo+ sho+ld choose a wise, intelligent man and p+t him in charge of -gypt. 3# Then yo+ sho+ld choose other men to collect food from the people. D+ring the seven good years, the people m+st give them oneDfifth of all the food they grow. 3% 3n this way these men will collect all the food d+ring the seven good years and store it in the cities +ntil it is needed. 6haraoh, this food will !e +nder yo+r control. 3& Then d+ring the seven years of h+nger, there will !e food for the co+ntry of -gypt. And -gypt will not !e destroyed !y the famine. Genesis #1.3'*## 1&' 3' This seemed like a very good idea to 6haraoh, and all his officials agreed. 3( Then 6haraoh told them, 3 dont think we can find anyone !etter than Coseph to take this =o!" Gods Spirit is in him, making him very wise" 3) So 6haraoh said to Coseph, God showed these things to yo+, so yo+ m+st !e the wisest man. #, 3 will p+t yo+ in charge of my co+ntry, and the people will o!ey all yo+r commands. 3 will !e the only one more powerf+l than yo+. #1 6haraoh said to Coseph, 3 now make yo+ governor over all of -gypt. #2 Then 6haraoh gave his special ring to Coseph. The royal seal was on this ring. 6haraoh also gave Coseph a fine linen ro!e and p+t a gold chain aro+nd his neck. #3 Then he told Coseph to ride in his second chariot. 6haraohs officials said, -asy To .ead /ersion

et him !e the governor over the whole land of -gypt" ## Then 6haraoh said to him, 3 am 6haraoh, the king over everyone in -gypt, !+t no one else in -gypt can lift a Genesis #1.#%*%, 1&( hand or move a foot +nless yo+ say he can. #% Then 6haraoh gave Coseph another name, Baphenath 6aneah. $e also gave Coseph a wife named Asenath. She was the da+ghter of 6otiphera, a priest in the city of 5n. So Coseph !ecame the governor over the whole co+ntry of -gypt. #& Coseph was 3, years old when he !egan serving the king of -gypt. $e traveled thro+gho+t the co+ntry of -gypt. #' D+ring the seven good years, the crops in -gypt grew very well. #( Coseph saved the food in -gypt d+ring those seven years and stored the food in the cities. 3n every city he stored grain that grew in the fields aro+nd the city. #) Coseph stored so m+ch grain that it was like the sands of the sea. $e stored so m+ch grain that it co+ld not !e meas+red. %, Cosephs wife, Asenath, was the da+ghter of 6otiphera, the priest in the city of 5n. <efore the first year of h+nger came, Coseph and Asenath had two sons. Genesis #1.%1*%& 1&) %1 Coseph named the first son Aanasseh. $e was given this name !eca+se Coseph said, God made me forget all my hard work and everything !ack home in my fathers ho+se. %2 Coseph named the second son -phraim. Coseph gave him this name !eca+se he said, 3 had great tro+!les, !+t God has made me s+ccessf+l in everything. %3 2or seven years people had all the food they needed, !+t those years ended. %# Then the seven years of h+nger !egan, =+st as Coseph had said. 1o food grew anywhere in any of the co+ntries pag. #(0131#

in that area. <+t in -gypt people had plenty to eat !eca+se Coseph had stored the grain. %% The famine !egan, and the people cried to 6haraoh for food. 6haraoh said to the -gyptian people, Go ask Coseph what to do. %& There was famine everywhere, so Coseph gave the people grain from the wareho+ses. $e sold the stored grain to the people of -gypt. The famine was !ad in -gypt, Genesis #1.%'*#2.' 1', %' !+t the famine was !ad everywhere. So people from the co+ntries aro+nd -gypt had to come to Coseph in -gypt to !+y grain. 42 1 D+ring the famine in 9anaan, Caco! learned that there was grain in -gypt. So he said to his sons, >hy are yo+ sitting here doing nothing? 2 3 have heard that there is grain for sale in -gypt. Go there and !+y grain for +s so that we will live and not die" 3 So ten of Cosephs !rothers went to -gypt to !+y grain. # Caco! did not send <en=amin. 7<en=amin was Cosephs only f+ll !rother.8 Caco! was afraid that something !ad might happen to <en=amin. % The famine was very !ad in 9anaan, so there were many people from 9anaan who went to -gypt to !+y grain. Among them were the sons of 3srael. & Coseph was the governor of -gypt at the time. $e was the one who checked the sale of grain to people who came to -gypt to !+y it. Cosephs !rothers came to him and !owed !efore him. ' Coseph saw his !rothers and recogniEed them, !+t he acted as if he Genesis #2.(*13 1'1 didnt know them. $e was r+de when he spoke to them. $e said, >here do yo+ come from? The !rothers answered, >e have come from the land of 9anaan to !+y food. ( Coseph recogniEed his !rothers, !+t they did not know who he was. ) Then Coseph remem!ered the dreams -asy To .ead /ersion

that he had dreamed a!o+t his !rothers. Coseph said to his !rothers, ;o+ have not come to !+y food" ;o+ are spies. ;o+ came to learn where we are weak. 1, <+t the !rothers said to him, 1o, sir, we come as yo+r servants. >e have come only to !+y food. 11 >e are all !rotherswe all have the same father. >e are honest men. >e have come only to !+y food. 12 Then Coseph said to them, 1o, yo+ have come to spy on +s" 13 And the !rothers said, 1o, sir, we come as servants from 9anaan. >e are all !rothers, sons of the same father. There were twelve !rothers in o+r family. 5+r yo+ngest !rother is still at home with o+r father, and the other !rother died a long time ago. Genesis #2.1#*21 1'2 1# <+t Coseph said to them, 1o" 3 can see that 3 am right. ;o+ are spies. 1% <+t 3 will let yo+ prove that yo+ are telling the tr+th. 3n the name of 6haraoh, 3 swear that 3 will not let yo+ go +ntil yo+r yo+ngest !rother comes here. 1& 5ne of yo+ m+st go !ack to get yo+r yo+ngest !rother while the rest of yo+ stay here in prison. Then we can prove whether yo+ are telling the tr+th or not. 3f yo+ are not telling the tr+th, then !y 6haraoh, 3 swear that yo+ are spies" 1' Then Coseph p+t them all in prison for three days. 1( After three days Coseph said to them, 3 am a GodDfearing man. Do this, and 3 will let yo+ live. 1) 3f yo+ are honest men, one of yo+r !rothers can stay here in prison, and the others can go and carry grain !ack to yo+r people. 2, <+t then yo+ m+st !ring yo+r yo+ngest !rother !ack here to me. Then 3 will know that yo+ are telling the tr+th, and yo+ will not have to die. The !rothers agreed to this. 21 They said to each other, >e are !eing p+nished for the !ad thing we did to o+r Genesis #2.22*2& 1'3 yo+nger !rother Coseph. >e saw the pag. #)0131#

tro+!le he was in. $e !egged +s to save him, !+t we ref+sed to listen. So now we are in tro+!le. 22 Then .e+!en said to them, 3 told yo+ not to do anything !ad to that !oy, !+t yo+ ref+sed to listen to me. 1ow we are !eing p+nished for his death. 23 Coseph was +sing an interpreter to talk to his !rothers, so the !rothers did not know that he +nderstood their lang+age. $e heard and +nderstood everything they said, and that made him want to cry. So he t+rned away and left the room. >hen he came !ack, he took one of the !rothers, Simeon, and tied him +p while the others watched. 2# 7#2:238 2% Coseph told the servants to fill the !ags with grain. The !rothers had given Coseph the money for the grain, !+t he didnt keep the money. $e p+t the money in their !ags of grain. Then he gave them what they wo+ld need for their trip !ack home. 2& So the !rothers p+t the grain on their donkeys and left. Genesis #2.2'*33 1'# 2' That night the !rothers stopped at a place to spend the night. 5ne of the !rothers opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey. And there in the sack, he saw his money" 2( $e said to the other !rothers, ook" $ere is the money 3 paid for the grain. Someone p+t the money !ack in my sack. The !rothers were very afraid. They said to each other, >hat is God doing to +s? 2) The !rothers went !ack to their father Caco! in the land of 9anaan. They told him a!o+t everything that had happened. 3, They said, The governor of that co+ntry spoke r+dely to +s. $e tho+ght that we were spies" 31 >e told him, >e are honest men, not spies. 32 There are twelve of +s !rothers, all from the same father. <+t one of o+r !rothers is no longer living, and the -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ngest is still at home with o+r father in 9anaan. 33 Then the governor of that co+ntry said to +s, $ere is a way to prove that yo+ are honest men: eave one of yo+r Genesis #2.3#*3( 1'% !rothers here with me. Take yo+r grain !ack to yo+r families. 3# <ring yo+r yo+ngest !rother to me. Then 3 will know if yo+ are honest men or if yo+ were sent from an army to destroy +s. 3f yo+ are telling the tr+th, 3 will give yo+r !rother !ack to yo+. 3 will give him to yo+, and yo+ will !e free to !+y grain in o+r co+ntry. 3% Then the !rothers started taking the grain o+t of their sacks, and every !rother fo+nd his !ag of money in his sack of grain. >hen the !rothers and their father saw the money, they were afraid. 3& Caco! said to them, Do yo+ want me to lose all of my children? Coseph is gone. Simeon is gone, and now yo+ want to take <en=amin away too" 3' <+t .e+!en said to his father, 2ather, yo+ may kill my two sons if 3 dont !ring <en=amin !ack to yo+. Tr+st me. 3 will !ring him !ack to yo+. 3( <+t Caco! said, 3 will not let <en=amin go with yo+. $is !rother is dead, and he is the only son left from my wife .achel. 3t wo+ld kill me if anything happened to him d+ring the trip to -gypt. ;o+ wo+ld Genesis #3.1*' 1'& send me to the grave a very sad, old man. 43 1 The famine was very !ad in the land of 9anaan. 2 The people ate all the grain they had !ro+ght from -gypt. >hen that grain was gone, Caco! said to his sons, Go to -gypt and !+y some more grain for +s to eat. 3 <+t C+dah said to Caco!, <+t the governor of that co+ntry warned +s. $e said, 3f yo+ dont !ring yo+r !rother !ack to me, 3 will ref+se to talk to yo+. # 3f yo+ send <en=amin with +s, we will go down and !+y grain. pag. %,0131#

% <+t if yo+ ref+se to send <en=amin, we will not go. The man warned +s to not come !ack witho+t him. & 3srael said, >hy did yo+ tell him yo+ had another !rother? >hy did yo+ do s+ch a !ad thing to me? ' The !rothers answered, $e asked lots of J+estions. $e wanted to know all a!o+t +s and a!o+t o+r family. $e asked +s, 3s yo+r father still alive? Do yo+ have another !rother at home? >e only answered his J+estions. >e didnt know Genesis #3.(*1# 1'' he wo+ld ask +s to !ring o+r !rother to him" ( Then C+dah said to his father 3srael, et <en=amin go with me. 3 will take care of him. >e have to go to -gypt to get food. 3f we dont go, we will all dieincl+ding o+r children. ) 3 will make s+re he is safe. 3 will !e responsi!le for him. 3f 3 dont !ring him !ack to yo+, yo+ can !lame me forever. 1, 3f yo+ had let +s go !efore, we co+ld already have made two trips for food. 11 Then their father 3srael said, 3f it is really tr+e, take <en=amin with yo+. <+t take some gifts to the governor. Take some of the things we have !een a!le to gather in o+r land. Take him some honey, pistachio n+ts, almonds, spices, and myrrh. 12 Take twice as m+ch money with yo+ this time. Take the money that was given !ack to yo+ after yo+ paid last time. Aay!e the governor made a mistake. 13 Take <en=amin, and go !ack to the man. 1# 3 pray that God AllD6owerf+l will help yo+ when yo+ stand !efore the governor. 3 pray that he will let <en=amin, and also Genesis #3.1%*21 1'( Simeon, come !ack safely. 3f not, 3 will again !e sad from losing my children. 1% So the !rothers took the gifts to give to the governor. And the !rothers took twice as m+ch money with them as they took the first time. This time <en=amin went with the !rothers to -gypt. 1& >hen Coseph saw <en=amin with -asy To .ead /ersion

them, he said to his servant, <ring these men into my ho+se. Gill an animal and cook it. They will eat with me at noon today. 1' The servant did as he was told. $e !ro+ght the men into Cosephs ho+se. 1( The !rothers were afraid when they were taken to Cosephs ho+se and said, >e have !een !ro+ght here !eca+se of the money that was p+t !ack in o+r sacks the last time. They will +se this as proof against +s and steal o+r donkeys and make +s slaves. 1) So the !rothers went to the servant in charge of Cosephs ho+se. 2, They said, Sir, 3 promise this is the tr+th. The last time we came, we came to !+y food. 21 5n the way home we opened o+r sacks and fo+nd o+r money in every Genesis #3.22*2' 1') sack. >e dont know how it got there, !+t we !ro+ght that money with +s to give it !ack to yo+. And we have !ro+ght more money to pay for the food that we want to !+y this time. 22 7#3:218 23 <+t the servant answered, Dont !e afraidF !elieve me. ;o+r God, the God of yo+r father, m+st have p+t the money in yo+r sack as a gift. 3 remem!er that yo+ paid me for the grain the last time. Then the servant !ro+ght Simeon o+t of the prison. 2# The servant led the men into Cosephs ho+se. $e gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he fed their donkeys. 2% The !rothers heard that they were going to eat with Coseph, so they worked +ntil noon preparing their gifts for him. 2& >hen Coseph came home, the !rothers gave him the gifts they had !ro+ght with them. Then they !owed down to the gro+nd in front of him. 2' Coseph asked them how they were doing. $e said, $ow is yo+r elderly father yo+ told me a!o+t. 3s he still alive and well? Genesis #3.2(*33 1(, pag. %10131#

2( The !rothers answered, ;es, sir, o+r father is still alive. And they again !owed !efore Coseph. 2) Then Coseph saw his !rother <en=amin. 7<en=amin and Coseph had the same mother.8 Coseph said, 3s this yo+r yo+ngest !rother that yo+ told me a!o+t? Then Coseph said to <en=amin, God !less yo+, my son" 3, Coseph felt a strong desire to show his !rother <en=amin that he loved him. $e was a!o+t to cry and didnt want his !rothers to see him, so he ran into his private room and cried there. 31 Then Coseph washed his face and came o+t. $e regained control of himself and said, 1ow it is time to eat. 32 The servants seated Coseph at a ta!le !y himself. $is !rothers were at another ta!le !y themselves, and the -gyptians were at a ta!le !y themselves. The -gyptians !elieved that it was wrong for them to eat with $e!rews. 33 Cosephs !rothers were seated at a ta!le facing him. The !rothers were looking at each other !eca+se, to their s+rprise, they had !een seated in order, from the oldest to the yo+ngest. Genesis #3.3#*##.% 1(1 3# Servants were taking food from Cosephs ta!le and !ringing it to them. <+t the servants gave <en=amin five times more than the others. The !rothers contin+ed to eat and drink with Coseph +ntil they were dr+nk. 44 1 Then Coseph gave a command to his servant. $e said, 2ill the mens sacks with as m+ch grain as they can carry. Then p+t each mans money into his sack with the grain. 2 6+t the yo+ngest !rothers money in his sack too. <+t also p+t my special silver c+p in his sack. So the servant o!eyed Coseph. 3 -arly the ne4t morning the !rothers and their donkeys were sent !ack to their co+ntry. # After they had left the city, Coseph said to his servant, Go and follow the men. Stop them and say to them, >e -asy To .ead /ersion

were good to yo+" So why have yo+ !een !ad to +s? >hy did yo+ steal my masters silver c+p? % Ay master drinks from that c+p, and he +ses it to learn secret things. >hat yo+ did was wrong" Genesis ##.&*13 1(2 & So the servant o!eyed. $e rode o+t to the !rothers and stopped them. The servant said to them what Coseph had told him to say. ' <+t the !rothers said to the servant, >hy does the governor say these things? >e wo+ldnt do anything like that" ( >e !ro+ght !ack the money that we fo+nd in o+r sacks !efore. So s+rely we wo+ldnt steal silver or gold from yo+r masters ho+se. ) 3f yo+ find the silver c+p in any of o+r sacks, let that man die. ;o+ can kill him, and we will !e yo+r slaves. 1, The servant said, 3 agree, e4cept that only the man who is fo+nd to have the c+p will !e my slave. The others will !e free. 11 Then every !rother J+ickly opened his sack on the gro+nd. 12 The servant started looking in the sacks. $e started with the oldest !rother and ended with the yo+ngest. $e fo+nd the c+p in <en=amins sack. 13 The !rothers were very sad. They tore their clothes to show their sadness. They p+t their sacks !ack on the donkeys and went !ack to the city. Genesis ##.1#*2, 1(3 1# >hen C+dah and his !rothers went !ack to Cosephs ho+se, Coseph was still there. The !rothers fell to the gro+nd and !owed down !efore him. 1% Coseph said to them, >hy have yo+ done this? Didnt yo+ know that 3 have a special way of learning secrets? 1o one is !etter at this than 3 am" 1& C+dah said, Sir, there is nothing we can say. There is no way to e4plain. There is no way to show that we are not g+ilty. God has =+dged +s g+ilty for something else we have done. So all of +s, even <en=amin, will !e yo+r slaves. pag. %20131#

1' <+t Coseph said, 3 will not make yo+ all slaves" 5nly the man who stole the c+p will !e my slave. ;o+ others can go in peace to yo+r father. 1( Then C+dah went to Coseph and said, Sir, please let me speak plainly with yo+. 6lease dont !e angry with me. 3 know that yo+ are like 6haraoh himself. 1) >hen we were here !efore, yo+ asked +s, Do yo+ have a father or a !rother? 2, And we answered yo+, >e have a fatherhe is an old man. And we have a yo+nger !rother. 5+r father loves him Genesis ##.21*2( 1(# !eca+se he was !orn while o+r father was old. This yo+ngest sons !rother is dead, so he is the only son who is left from that mother. 5+r father loves him very m+ch. 21 Then yo+ said to +s, <ring that !rother to me. 3 want to see him. 22 And we said to yo+, That yo+ng !oy cannot come. $e cannot leave his father. 3f his father loses him, his father will !e so sad that he will die. 23 <+t yo+ said to +s, ;o+ m+st !ring yo+r yo+ngest !rother, or 3 will not sell yo+ grain again. 2# So we went !ack to o+r father and told him what yo+ said. 2% ater, o+r father said, Go !ack and !+y +s some more food. 2& >e said to o+r father, >e cannot go witho+t o+r yo+ngest !rother. The governor said he will not sell +s grain again +ntil he sees o+r yo+ngest !rother. 2' Then my father said to +s, ;o+ know that my wife .achel gave me two sons. 2( 3 let one son go away, and he was killed !y a wild animal. And 3 havent seen him since. Genesis ##.2)*#%.1 1(% 2) 3f yo+ take my other son away from me, and something happens to him, 3 will !e sad eno+gh to die. 3, 1ow, imagine what will happen when we go home witho+t o+r yo+ngest !rotherhe is the most important thing in o+r fathers life" -asy To .ead /ersion

31 5+r father will die if he sees that the !oy isnt with +sand it will !e o+r fa+lt. >e will send o+r father to his grave a very sad man. 32 3 took responsi!ility for the yo+ng !oy. 3 told my father, 3f 3 dont !ring him !ack to yo+, yo+ can !lame me for the rest of my life. 33 So now 3 !eg yo+, please let the !oy go !ack with his !rothers, and 3 will stay and !e yo+r slave. 3# 3 cannot go !ack to my father if the !oy is not with me. 3 am very afraid of what wo+ld happen to my father. 45 1 Coseph co+ld not control himself any longer. $e cried in front of all the people who were there. Coseph said, Tell everyone to leave here. So all the people left. 5nly the !rothers were left with Coseph. Then he told them who he was. Genesis #%.2*( 1(& 2 Coseph contin+ed to cry, and all the -gyptian people in 6haraohs ho+se heard it. 3 $e said to his !rothers, 3 am yo+r !rother Coseph. 3s my father doing well? <+t the !rothers did not answer him !eca+se they were conf+sed and afraid. # So Coseph said to his !rothers again, 9ome here to me. 3 !eg yo+, come here. >hen the !rothers went to him, he said to them, 3 am yo+r !rother Coseph. 3 am the one yo+ sold as a slave to -gypt. % 1ow dont !e worried. Dont !e angry with yo+rselves for what yo+ did. 3t was Gods plan for me to come here. 3 am here to save peoples lives. & This terri!le famine has contin+ed for two years now, and there will !e five more years witho+t planting or harvest. ' So God sent me here ahead of yo+ so that 3 can save yo+r people in this co+ntry. ( 3t was not yo+r fa+lt that 3 was sent here. 3t was Gods plan. God made me like a father to 6haraoh. 3 am the governor over all his ho+se and over all the land of -gypt. Genesis #%.)*1& 1(' pag. %30131#

) Coseph said, $+rry +p and go to my father. Tell him his son Coseph sent this message: God made me the governor of -gypt. So come here to me J+ickly. Dont wait. 1, ;o+ can live near me in the land of Goshen. ;o+, yo+r children, yo+r grandchildren, and all of yo+r animals are welcome here. 11 3 will take care of yo+ d+ring the ne4t five years of h+nger. So yo+ and yo+r family will not lose everything yo+ own. 12 S+rely yo+ can see that 3 really am Coseph. -ven my !rother <en=amin knows it is me, yo+r !rother, talking to yo+. 13 So tell my father a!o+t the honor 3 have received here in -gypt. Tell him a!o+t everything yo+ have seen here. 1ow h+rry, go !ring my father !ack to me. 1# Then Coseph h+gged his !rother <en=amin, and they !oth !egan crying. 1% Then Coseph cried as he kissed all his !rothers. After this the !rothers !egan talking with him. 1& 6haraoh learned that Cosephs !rothers had come to him. This news Genesis #%.1'*23 1(( spread thro+gho+t 6haraohs ho+se. 6haraoh and his servants were very e4cited" 1' So 6haraoh told Coseph, Tell yo+r !rothers to take all the food they need and go !ack to the land of 9anaan. 1( Tell them to !ring yo+r father and their families !ack here to me. 3 will give yo+ the !est land in -gypt to live on. And yo+r family can eat the !est food we have here. 1) Also give yo+r !rothers some of o+r !est wagons. Tell them to go to 9anaan and !ring yo+r father and all the women and children !ack in the wagons. 2, Dont worry a!o+t !ringing all of their !elongings. >e can give them the !est of -gypt. 21 So the sons of 3srael did this. Coseph gave them good wagons =+st as 6haraoh had promised. And Coseph gave them -asy To .ead /ersion

eno+gh food for their trip. 22 $e gave each !rother a s+it of !ea+tif+l clothes. <+t to <en=amin he gave five s+its of !ea+tif+l clothes and 3,, pieces of silver. 23 Coseph also sent gifts to his father. $e sent ten donkeys with !ags f+ll of many Genesis #%.2#*#&.1 1() good things from -gypt. And he sent ten female donkeys loaded with grain, !read, and other food for his father on his trip !ack. 2# Then Coseph told his !rothers to go. >hile they were leaving, he said to them, Go straight home, and dont fight on the way. 2% So the !rothers left -gypt and went to their father in the land of 9anaan. 2& They told him, 2ather, Coseph is still alive" And he is the governor over the whole co+ntry of -gypt. Their father did not know what to think. At first he didnt !elieve them. 2' <+t then they told him everything Coseph had said. Then their father saw the wagons that Coseph had sent to !ring him !ack to -gypt, and he !ecame e4cited and very happy. 2( 3srael said, 1ow 3 !elieve yo+. Ay son Coseph is still alive" 3 am going to see him !efore 3 die" 46 1 So 3srael !egan his trip to -gypt. 2irst he went to <eershe!a. There he worshiped God, the God of his father 3saac. $e offered sacrifices. Genesis #&.2*' 1), 2 D+ring the night God spoke to 3srael in a dream and said, Caco!, Caco!. 3srael answered, $ere 3 am. 3 Then God said, 3 am God, the God of yo+r father. Dont !e afraid to go to -gypt. 3n -gypt 3 will make yo+ a great nation. # 3 will go to -gypt with yo+, and 3 will !ring yo+ o+t of -gypt again. ;o+ will die there, !+t Coseph will !e with yo+. $is own hands will close yo+r eyes when yo+ die. % Then Caco! left <eershe!a and traveled to -gypt. $is sons, the sons of pag. %#0131#

3srael, !ro+ght their father, their wives, and all their children to -gypt. They traveled in the wagons the 6haraoh had sent. & They also had their cattle and everything they owned in the land of 9anaan. So 3srael went to -gypt with all his children and his family. ' >ith him were his sons and his grandsons, his da+ghters and his grandda+ghters. All of his family went with him. Genesis #&.(*1& 1)1 ( $ere are the names of 3sraels sons and family that went to -gypt with him: .e+!en was Caco!s first son. ) .e+!ens sons were $anoch, 6all+, $eEron, and 9armi. 1, Simeons sons were Cem+el, Camin, 5had, Cakin, and Bohar. There was also Sha+l. 7Sha+l was !orn from a 9anaanite woman.8 11 evis sons were Gershon, Gohath, and Aerari. 12 C+dahs sons were -r, 5nan, Shelah, 6ereE, and Berah. 7-r and 5nan died while still in 9anaan.8 6ereEs sons were $eEron and $am+l. 13 3ssachars sons were Tola, 6+ah, Co!, and Shimron. 1# Be!+l+ns sons were Sered, -lon, and Cahleel. 1% .e+!en, Simeon, evi, C+dah, 3ssachar, and Be!+l+n were Caco!s sons from his wife eah. eah had these sons in 6addan Aram. She also had a da+ghter named Dinah. There were 33 people in this family. 1& Gads sons were Bephon, $aggi, Sh+ni, -E!on, -ri, Arodi, and Areli. Genesis #&.1'*2% 1)2 1' Ashers sons were 3mnah, 3shvah, 3shvi, <eriah, and their sister Serah. Also there were <eriahs sons, $e!er and Aalkiel. 1( All these were Caco!s sons from his wifes servant, Bilpah. 7Bilpah was the maid that a!an had given to his da+ghter eah.8 There were 1& people in this family. -asy To .ead /ersion

1) <en=amin was also with Caco!. <en=amin was Caco! and .achels son. 7Coseph was also .achels son, !+t he was already in -gypt.8 2, 3n -gypt, Coseph had two sons, Aanasseh and -phraim. 7Cosephs wife was Asenath, the da+ghter of 6otiphera, the priest in the city of 5n.8 21 <en=amins sons were <ela, <eker, Ash!el, Gera, 1aaman, -hi, .osh, A+ppim, $+ppim, and Ard. 22 These were the sons of Caco! from his wife .achel. There were 1# people in this family. 23 Dans son was $+shim. 2# 1aphtalis sons were CahEiel, G+ni, CeEer, and Shillem. 2% These were the sons of Caco! and <ilhah. 7<ilhah was the maid that a!an Genesis #&.2&*31 1)3 had given to his da+ghter .achel.8 There were seven people in this family. 2& The total n+m!er of Caco!s direct descendants who went with him to -gypt was && people. 7The wives of Caco!s sons were not co+nted in this n+m!er.8 2' Also, Coseph had two sons in -gypt. >ith these two grandsons, Caco!s family in -gypt n+m!ered ', people in all. 2( Caco! sent C+dah ahead to speak to Coseph. C+dah went to Coseph in the land of Goshen. Then Caco! and his people followed into the land. 2) Coseph learned that his father was coming. So he prepared his chariot and went o+t to meet his father, 3srael, in Goshen. >hen Coseph saw his father, he h+gged his neck and cried for a long time. 3, Then 3srael said to Coseph, 1ow 3 can die in peace. 3 have seen yo+r face, and 3 know that yo+ are still alive. 31 Coseph said to his !rothers and to the rest of his fathers family, 3 will go and tell 6haraoh that yo+ are here. 3 will say to 6haraoh, Ay !rothers and the rest of my fathers family have left the land of 9anaan and have come here to me. Genesis #&.32*#'.# 1)# 32 They are a family of shepherds. They pag. %%0131#

have always kept sheep and cattle. They have !ro+ght all their animals and everything they own with them. 33 >hen 6haraoh calls yo+, he will ask, >hat work do yo+ do? 3# ;o+ tell him, >e are shepherds. All o+r lives we have !een shepherds, and o+r ancestors were shepherds !efore +s. Then 6haraoh will allow yo+ to live in the land of Goshen. -gyptians dont like shepherds, so it is !etter that yo+ stay in Goshen. 47 1 Coseph went in to 6haraoh and said, Ay father and my !rothers and all their families are here. They have all their animals and everything they own from the land of 9anaan with them. They are now in the land of Goshen. 2 Coseph chose five of his !rothers to !e with him !efore the 6haraoh. 3 6haraoh said to the !rothers, >hat work do yo+ do? The !rothers said to 6haraoh, Sir, we are shepherds, =+st as o+r ancestors were shepherds !efore +s. # They said to 6haraoh, The famine is very !ad in 9anaan. There are no fields left with grass for o+r animals, so we Genesis #'.%*11 1)% have come to live in this land. >e ask yo+ to please let +s live in Goshen. % Then 6haraoh said to Coseph, ;o+r father and yo+r !rothers have come to yo+. & ;o+ can choose any place in -gypt for them to live. Give yo+r father and yo+r !rothers the !est land. et them live in the land of Goshen. And if they are skilled shepherds, they can also care for my cattle. ' Then Coseph called his father Caco! to come in to meet 6haraoh. Caco! !lessed 6haraoh. ( Then 6haraoh said to him, $ow old are yo+? ) Caco! said to 6haraoh, 3 have had a short life with many tro+!les. 3 am only 13, years old. Ay father and his ancestors lived to !e m+ch older than 3 am. 1, Then Caco! !lessed 6haraoh and left -asy To .ead /ersion

from his meeting with him. 11 Coseph did what 6haraoh said and gave his father and !rothers land in -gypt. 3t was the !est land in -gypt, in the eastern part of the co+ntry, aro+nd .ameses. Genesis #'.12*1( 1)& 12 Coseph also gave his father, his !rothers, and all their people the food they needed. 13 The famine got worseF there was no food anywhere in the land. -gypt and 9anaan !ecame very poor !eca+se of this !ad time. 1# 6eople in the land !o+ght more and more grain. Coseph saved the money and !ro+ght it to 6haraohs ho+se. 1% After some time, the people in -gypt and 9anaan had no money left. They had spent all their money to !+y grain. So the people of -gypt went to Coseph and said, 6lease give +s food. 5+r money is gone. 3f we dont eat, we will die while yo+ are watching. 1& <+t Coseph answered, Give me yo+r cattle, and 3 will give yo+ food. 1' So the people +sed their cattle and horses and all their other animals to !+y food. And that year, Coseph gave them food and took their animals. 1( <+t the ne4t year the people had no animals and nothing to !+y food with. So they went to Coseph and said, ;o+ know that we have no money left, and all o+r animals !elong to yo+. So we have Genesis #'.1)*2# 1)' nothing leftonly what yo+ seeo+r !odies and o+r land. 1) S+rely we will die while yo+ are watching. <+t if yo+ give +s food, we will give 6haraoh o+r land, and we will !e his slaves. Give +s seed so that we can plant. Then we will live and not die, and the land will grow food for +s again. 2, So Coseph !o+ght all the land in -gypt for 6haraoh. All the people in -gypt sold Coseph their fields. They did this !eca+se they were very h+ngry. 21 And everywhere in -gypt all the people !ecame 6haraohs slaves. pag. %&0131#

22 The only land Coseph didnt !+y was the land that the priests owned. The priests didnt need to sell their land !eca+se 6haraoh paid them for their work. So they +sed this money to !+y food to eat. 23 Coseph said to the people, 1ow 3 have !o+ght yo+ and yo+r land for 6haraoh. So 3 will give yo+ seed, and yo+ can plant yo+r fields. 2# At harvest time, yo+ m+st give oneDfifth of yo+r crops to 6haraoh. ;o+ can keep fo+rDfifths for yo+rselves. ;o+ can +se the seed yo+ keep for food and Genesis #'.2%*3, 1)( planting the ne4t year. 1ow yo+ can feed yo+r families and yo+r children. 2% The people said, ;o+ have saved o+r lives. >e are happy to !e slaves to 6haraoh. 2& So Coseph made a law at that time in the land, and that law contin+es today. The law says that oneDfifth of everything from the land !elongs to the 6haraoh who owns all the land. The only land he does not own is the land of the priests. 2' 3srael stayed in -gypt. $e lived in the land of Goshen. $is family grew and !ecame very large. They !ecame landowners there and did very well. 2( Caco! lived in -gypt 1' years, so he was 1#' years old. 2) The time came when 3srael knew he wo+ld soon die, so he called his son Coseph to him. $e said, 3f yo+ love me, p+t yo+r hand +nder my leg and make a promise. 6romise that yo+ will do what 3 say and that yo+ will !e tr+thf+l with me. >hen 3 die, dont !+ry me in -gypt. 3, <+ry me in the place where my ancestors are !+ried. 9arry me o+t of -gypt and !+ry me in o+r family grave. Genesis #'.31*#(.% 1)) Coseph answered, 3 promise that 3 will do what yo+ say. 31 Then Caco! said, Aake a vow to me. And Coseph vowed to him that he wo+ld do this. Then 3srael laid his head !ack down on the !ed. 48 1 Some time later, Coseph learned -asy To .ead /ersion

that his father was very sick. So he took his two sons, Aanasseh and -phraim, and went to his father. 2 >hen Coseph arrived, someone told 3srael, ;o+r son Coseph has come to see yo+. 3srael was very weak, !+t he tried hard and sat +p in his !ed. 3 Then 3srael said to Coseph, God AllD6owerf+l appeared to me at +E in the land of 9anaan. God !lessed me there. # $e said to me, 3 will make yo+ a great family. 3 will give yo+ many children and yo+ will !e a great people. ;o+r family will own this land forever. % 1ow yo+ have two sons. These two sons were !orn here in the co+ntry of -gypt !efore 3 came. ;o+r two sons, -phraim and Aanasseh, will !e like my own sons. They will !e like .e+!en and Simeon to me. Genesis #(.&*11 2,, & So these two !oys will !e my sons. They will share in everything 3 own. <+t if yo+ have other sons, they will !e yo+r sons. <+t they will also !e like sons to -phraim and Aanassehthat is, in the f+t+re, they will share in everything that -phraim and Aanasseh own. ' 5n the trip from 6addan Aram, .achel died in the land of 9anaan. This made me very sad. >e were still traveling toward -phrath. 3 !+ried her there on the road to -phrath. 7-phrath is <ethlehem.8 ( Then 3srael saw Cosephs sons. 3srael said, >ho are these !oys? ) Coseph said to his father, These are my sons. These are the !oys God gave me. 3srael said, <ring yo+r sons to me. 3 will !less them. 1, 3srael was old and his eyes were not good. So Coseph !ro+ght the !oys close to his father. 3srael kissed and h+gged the !oys. 11 Then 3srael said to Coseph, 3 never tho+ght 3 wo+ld see yo+r face again. <+t look" God has let me see yo+ and yo+r children. Genesis #(.12*1' 2,1 12 Then Coseph took the !oys off 3sraels lap, and they !owed down in front of his pag. %'0131#

father. 13 Coseph p+t -phraim on his right side and Aanasseh on his left side. 7So -phraim was on 3sraels left side, and Aanasseh was on 3sraels right side.8 1# <+t 3srael crossed his hands and p+t his right hand on the head of the yo+nger !oy -phraim. Then he p+t his left hand on Aanasseh, even tho+gh Aanasseh was the first!orn. 1% And 3srael !lessed Coseph and said, Ay ancestors, A!raham and 3saac, worshiped o+r God, and that God has led me all my life. 1& $e was the Angel who saved me from all my tro+!les. And 3 pray that he will !less these !oys. 1ow they will have my name and the name of o+r ancestors, A!raham and 3saac. 3 pray that they will grow to !ecome great families and nations on earth. 1' Coseph saw that his father p+t his right hand on -phraims head. This didnt make Coseph happy. Coseph took his fathers hand !eca+se he wanted to Genesis #(.1(*22 2,2 move it from -phraims head and p+t it on Aanassehs head. 1( Coseph said to his father, ;o+ have yo+r right hand on the wrong !oy. Aanasseh is the first!orn. 6+t yo+r right hand on him. 1) <+t his father ref+sed and said, 3 know, son. 3 know. Aanasseh is the first!orn. $e will !e great and will !e the father of many people. <+t his yo+nger !rother will !e greater than he is. And the yo+nger !rothers family will !e m+ch larger. 2, So 3srael !lessed them that day. $e said, The 3sraelites will +se yo+r names whenever they !less someone. They will say, Aay God make yo+ like -phraim and Aanasseh. 3n this way 3srael made -phraim greater than Aanasseh. 21 Then 3srael said to Coseph, ook, my time to die is almost here, !+t God will still !e with yo+. $e will lead yo+ !ack to the land of yo+r ancestors. 22 3 have given yo+ one portion more -asy To .ead /ersion

than 3 gave to yo+r !rothers. 3 gave yo+ the land that 3 won from the Amorites. 3 +sed my sword and !ow to take that land. Genesis #).1*' 2,3 49 1 Then Caco! called all his sons to him. $e said, Ay sons, come here to me. 3 will tell yo+ what will happen in the f+t+re. 2 9hildren of Caco!, gather aro+nd. 9ome listen to 3srael, yo+r father. 3 .e+!en, my first son, yo+ are my strength, the first proof of my manhood. ;o+ were the most honored and powerf+l of all my sons. # <+t yo+r passion was like a flood yo+ co+ldnt control. So yo+ will not remain my most honored son. ;o+ clim!ed into yo+r fathers !ed and slept with one of his wives. ;o+ !ro+ght shame to my !ed, to the !ed yo+ lay on. % Simeon and evi are !rothers. They are violent with their swords. & 3 will not =oin their secret meetings. 3 will not take part in their evil plans. They have killed people o+t of anger and crippled animals for f+n. ' Their anger is so strong that it is a c+rse. They are too cr+el when they are angry. They will not get their own land in the land of Caco!. They will !e spread thro+gho+t 3srael. Genesis #).(*1% 2,# ( C+dah, yo+r !rothers will praise yo+. ;o+ will defeat yo+r enemies. ;o+r !rothers will !ow down to yo+. ) C+dah is like a yo+ng lion. Ay son, yo+ are like a lion standing over the animal it killed. ike a lion, C+dah lies down to rest, and no one is !rave eno+gh to dist+r! him. 1, Aen from C+dahs family will !e kings. The sign that his family r+les will not leave his family !efore the real king comes. Then many people will o!ey and serve him. 11 $e ties his donkeys to the !est grapevines. $e washes his clothes in the !est wine. 12 $is eyes are red from drinking wine. pag. %(0131#

$is teeth are white from drinking milk. 13 Be!+l+n will live near the sea. $is seacoast will !e a safe place for ships. $is land will contin+e as far as the city of Sidon. 1# 3ssachar is like a donkey that has worked too hard. $e will lie down +nder his heavy load. 1% $e will see his land is pleasant and that his resting place is good. <+t he will Genesis #).1&*2% 2,% agree to carry heavy loadsF he will agree to work as a slave. 1& Dan will r+le his people as one of the tri!es of 3srael. 1' Dan will !e like a snake at the side of the road. $e will !e like a dangero+s snake lying near the path. That snake !ites a horses foot, and the rider falls to the gro+nd. 1( 5.D, 3 am waiting for yo+r salvation. 1) A gro+p of ro!!ers will attack Gad, !+t Gad will chase them away. 2, Ashers land will grow m+ch good food. $e will have food fit for a king" 21 1aphtali is like a deer r+nning free, a doe with !ea+tif+l yo+ng fawns. 22 Coseph is like a wild donkey, like a yo+ng donkey !y a spring, like colts graEing in a past+re. 23 Aen with !ows attacked him, shooting their arrows and chasing him. 2# <+t he aimed his !ow well, and his arms were strong. $is power came from the Aighty 5ne of Caco!, from the Shepherd, the .ock of 3srael. 2% Aay the God of yo+r father help yo+. Aay God AllD6owerf+l !less yo+. Aay he !less yo+ with rain from the sky a!ove Genesis #).2&*31 2,& and with springs from the earth !elow. Aay yo+r wives have many !a!ies to n+rse and yo+r animals prod+ce many yo+ng ones. 2& Ay parents had many good things happen to them. And 3, yo+r father, was !lessed even more. ;o+r !rothers left yo+ with nothing. <+t now 3 pile all my !lessings on yo+, as high as a mo+ntain. 2' <en=amin is like a h+ngry wolf. 3n the -asy To .ead /ersion

morning he kills and eats. 3n the evening he shares what is left. 2( These are the twelve families of 3srael. And this is what their father said to them. $e gave each son a !lessing that was right for him. 2) Then 3srael gave them a command. $e said, >hen 3 die, 3 want to !e with my people. 3 want to !e !+ried with my ancestors in the cave in the field of -phron the $ittite. 3, That cave is in the field of Aachpelah near Aamre in the land of 9anaan. A!raham !o+ght that field from -phron so that he co+ld have a !+rying place. 31 A!raham and his wife Sarah are !+ried in that cave. 3saac and his wife Genesis #).32*%,.% 2,' .e!ekah are !+ried in that cave. 3 !+ried my wife eah in that cave. 32 That cave is in the field that was !o+ght from the $ittites. 33 After Caco! finished talking to his sons, he lay down, p+t his feet !ack on the !ed, and died. 50 1 >hen 3srael died, Coseph was very sad. $e h+gged his father and cried over him and kissed him. 2 Coseph commanded his servants to prepare his fathers !ody. 7These servants were doctors.8 The doctors prepared Caco!s !ody to !e !+ried. They prepared the !ody in the special way of the -gyptians. 3 >hen the -gyptians prepared the !ody in this special way, they waited #, days !efore they !+ried the !ody. Then the -gyptians had a special time of sadness for Caco!. This time was ', days. # After the time of sadness was finished, Coseph spoke to 6haraohs officers and said, 6lease tell this to 6haraoh: % >hen my father was near death, 3 made a promise to him. 3 promised that 3 wo+ld !+ry him in a cave in the Genesis %,.&*11 2,( land of 9anaan. This is the cave that he prepared for himself. So please let me go and !+ry my father. Then 3 will come pag. %)0131#

!ack here to yo+. & 6haraoh answered, Geep yo+r promise. Go and !+ry yo+r father. ' So Coseph went to !+ry his father. All of 6haraohs officials, personal advisors, and all the older leaders of -gypt went with Coseph. ( All the people in Cosephs family, his !rothers, and all the people in his fathers family went with him. 5nly the children and the animals stayed in the land of Goshen. ) So there was a large crowd of people with him. There was even a gro+p of soldiers riding in chariots and some on horses. 1, They went to Goren Atad, east of the Cordan .iver. There they had a long f+neral service for 3srael, which contin+ed for seven days. 11 >hen the people who lived in 9anaan saw the f+neral service at Goren Atad, they said, This is a time of great sorrow for those -gyptians. So now that place Genesis %,.12*1' 2,) across the Cordan .iver is named A!el AiEraim. 12 So Caco!s sons did what their father told them. 13 They carried his !ody to 9anaan and !+ried it in the cave at Aachpelah. This was the cave near Aamre in the field that A!raham !o+ght from -phron the $ittite. A!raham !o+ght that cave to +se as a !+rial place. 1# After Coseph !+ried his father, he and everyone in the gro+p with him went !ack to -gypt. 1% After Caco! died, Cosephs !rothers were worried. They were afraid that Coseph wo+ld still !e mad at them for what they had done years !efore. They said, Aay!e Coseph still hates +s for what we did. 1& So the !rothers sent this message to Coseph: <efore yo+r father died, he told +s to give yo+ a message. 1' $e said, Tell Coseph that 3 !eg him to please forgive his !rothers for the !ad things they did to him. So now Coseph, -asy To .ead /ersion

we !eg yo+, please forgive +s for the !ad things we did to yo+. >e are the servants of God, the God of yo+r father. Genesis %,.1(*2# 21, That message made Coseph very sad, and he cried. 1( $is !rothers went to him and !owed down in front of him. They said, >e will !e yo+r servants. 1) Then Coseph said to them, Dont !e afraid. 3 am not God" 3 have no right to p+nish yo+. 2, 3t is tr+e that yo+ planned to do something !ad to me. <+t really, God was planning good things. Gods plan was to +se me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened. 21 So dont !e afraid. 3 will take care of yo+ and yo+r children. And so Coseph said kind things to his !rothers, and this made them feel !etter. 22 Coseph contin+ed to live in -gypt with his fathers family. $e died when he was 11, years old. 23 D+ring Cosephs life -phraim had children and grandchildren. And his son Aanasseh had a son named Aakir. Coseph lived to see Aakirs children. 2# >hen Coseph was near death, he said to his !rothers, Ay time to die is almost here. <+t 3 know that God will take care of yo+ and lead yo+ o+t of this co+ntry. Genesis %,.2%*2& 211 God will lead yo+ to the land he promised to give A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 2% Then Coseph asked his people to make a promise. Coseph said, 6romise me that yo+ will carry my !ones with yo+ when God leads yo+ o+t of -gypt. 2& Coseph died in -gypt when he was 11, years old. Doctors prepared his !ody for !+rial and p+t the !ody in a coffin in -gypt. Exodus 1 1 >hen Caco! 73srael8 went to -gypt, his sons and their families went with him. $ere are the names of those sons: 2 .e+!en, Simeon, evi, C+dah, 3 3ssachar, Be!+l+n, <en=amin, # Dan, 1aphtali, Gad, and Asher. pag. &,0131#

% Another son, Coseph, was already in -gypt. So Caco!s whole family was with him in -gypt', descendants in all. & ater, Coseph, his !rothers, and all the people of that generation died. ' <+t the 3sraelites had many children, and their n+m!er grew +ntil the co+ntry of -gypt was filled with them. ( Then a new king !egan to r+le -gypt. $e did not know Coseph. ) This king said to his people, ook at the 3sraelites. There are too many of them, and they are stronger than we are" 1, >e m+st make plans to stop them from growing stronger. 3f there is a war, they might =oin o+r enemies, defeat +s, and escape from the land" -4od+s 1.11*1& 2 11 The -gyptians decided to make life hard for the 3sraelites, so they p+t slave masters over the people. These masters forced the 3sraelites to !+ild the cities of 6ithom and .ameses for the king. The king +sed these cities to store grain and other things. 12 The -gyptians forced the 3sraelites to work harder and harder. <+t the harder they worked, the more they grew and spread, and the more the -gyptians !ecame afraid of them. 13 So the -gyptians made them work even harder. 1# They made life hard for the 3sraelites. They forced the 3sraelites to work hard at making !ricks and mortar and to work hard in the fields. The -gyptians showed no mercy in all the hard work they made the 3sraelites do" 1% There were two $e!rew n+rses who helped the 3sraelite women give !irth. They were named Shiphrah and 6+ah. The king of -gypt said to the n+rses, 1& ;o+ will contin+e to help the $e!rew women give !irth to their children. 3f a girl !a!y is !orn, let the !a!y live. <+t if the !a!y is a !oy, yo+ m+st kill him" -4od+s 1.1'*2.2 3 1' <+t the n+rses tr+sted God, so they did not o!ey the kings command. They -asy To .ead /ersion

let all the !a!y !oys live. 1( The king of -gypt called for the n+rses and asked them, >hy did yo+ do this? >hy did yo+ let the !a!y !oys live? 1) The n+rses said to the king, The $e!rew women are m+ch stronger than the -gyptian women. They give !irth to their !a!ies !efore we can go to help them. 2, The n+rses tr+sted God, so he was good to them and allowed them to have their own families. The $e!rews contin+ed to have more children, and they !ecame very strong. 21 71:2,8 22 So 6haraoh gave this command to his own people: 3f the $e!rew women give !irth to a !a!y girl, let it live. <+t if they have a !a!y !oy, yo+ m+st throw it into the 1ile .iver. 2 1 There was a man from the family of evi who decided to marry a woman from the tri!e of evi. 2 She !ecame pregnant and gave !irth to a !a!y !oy. The mother saw how -4od+s 2.3*( # !ea+tif+l the !a!y was and hid him for three months. 3 She hid him for as long as she co+ld. After three months she made a !asket and covered it with tar so that it wo+ld float. Then she p+t the !a!y in the !asket and p+t the !asket in the river in the tall grass. # The !a!ys sister stayed and watched to see what wo+ld happen to the !a!y. % C+st then, 6haraohs da+ghter went to the river to !athe. She saw the !asket in the tall grass. $er servants were walking !eside the river, so she told one of them to go get the !asket. & The kings da+ghter opened the !asket and saw a !a!y !oy. The !a!y was crying and she felt sorry for it. Then she noticed that it was one of the $e!rew !a!ies. ' The !a!ys sister was still hiding. She stood and asked the kings da+ghter, Do yo+ want me to go find a $e!rew woman who can n+rse the !a!y and help yo+ care for it? pag. &10131#

( The kings da+ghter said, ;es, please. So the girl went and !ro+ght the !a!ys own mother. -4od+s 2.)*1# % ) The kings da+ghter said to the mother, Take this !a!y and feed him for me. 3ll pay yo+ to take care of him. So the woman took her !a!y and cared for him. 1, The !a!y grew, and after some time, the woman gave the !a!y to the kings da+ghter. The kings da+ghter accepted the !a!y as her own son. She named him Aoses !eca+se she had p+lled him from the water. 11 Aoses grew and !ecame a man. $e saw that his own people, the $e!rews, were forced to work very hard. 5ne day he saw an -gyptian man !eating a $e!rew man. 12 Aoses looked aro+nd and saw that no one was watching, so he killed the -gyptian and !+ried him in the sand. 13 The ne4t day Aoses saw two $e!rew men fighting each other. $e saw that one man was wrong and said to him, >hy are yo+ h+rting yo+r neigh!or? 1# The man answered, Did anyone say yo+ co+ld !e o+r r+ler and =+dge? Tell me, will yo+ kill me as yo+ killed the -gyptian yesterday? Then Aoses was afraid. $e tho+ght to himself, 1ow everyone knows what 3 did. -4od+s 2.1%*21 & 1% 6haraoh heard a!o+t what Aoses did, so he decided to kill him. <+t Aoses ran away from 6haraoh and went to the land of Aidian.Aoses stopped near a well in Aidian. 1& There was a priest there who had seven da+ghters. These girls came to that well to get water for their fathers sheep. They were trying to fill the water tro+gh with water. 1' <+t there were some shepherds there who chased the girls away and wo+ld not let them get water. So Aoses helped the girls and gave water to their animals. 1( Then they went !ack to their father, .e+el. $e asked them, >hy have yo+ come home early today? -asy To .ead /ersion

1) The girls answered, The shepherds chased +s away, !+t an -gyptian resc+ed +s. $e got water for +s and gave it to o+r animals. 2, So .e+el said to his da+ghters, >here is this man? >hy did yo+ leave him? Go invite him to eat with +s. 21 Aoses was happy to stay with that man. .e+el let Aoses marry his da+ghter, Bipporah. -4od+s 2.22*3.3 ' 22 Bipporah !ecame pregnant and had a son. Aoses named him Gershom !eca+se Aoses was a stranger in a land that was not his own. 23 A long time passed and that king of -gypt died. <+t the 3sraelites were still forced to work very hard. They cried for help, and God heard them. 2# God heard their painf+l cries and remem!ered the agreement he made with A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 2% God saw the tro+!les of the 3sraelites, and he knew that he wo+ld soon help them. 3 1 Aoses fatherDinDlaw was named Cethro. Cethro was a priest of Aidian. Aoses took care of Cethros sheep. 5ne day, Aoses led the sheep to the west side of the desert. $e went to a mo+ntain called $ore!, the mo+ntain of God. 2 5n that mo+ntain, Aoses saw the angel of the 5.D in a !+rning !+sh. Aoses saw a !+sh that was !+rning witho+t !eing destroyed. 3 So he decided to go closer to the !+sh and see how a !+sh co+ld contin+e !+rning witho+t !eing !+rned +p. -4od+s 3.#*( ( # The 5.D saw Aoses was coming to look at the !+sh. So he called to him from the !+sh. $e said, Aoses, Aoses" Aoses said, ;es, ord. % Then God said, Dont come any closer. Take off yo+r sandals. ;o+ are standing on holy gro+nd. & 3 am the God of yo+r ancestors. 3 am the God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. Aoses covered his face !eca+se he was afraid to look at pag. &20131#

God. ' Then the 5.D said, 3 have seen the tro+!les my people have s+ffered in -gypt, and 3 have heard their cries when the -gyptians h+rt them. 3 know a!o+t their pain. ( 1ow 3 will go down and save my people from the -gyptians. 3 will take them from that land and lead them to a good land where they can !e free from these tro+!les. 3t is a land filled with many good things. Aany different people live in that land: the 9anaanites, $ittites, Amorites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. -4od+s 3.)*1% ) ) 3 have heard the cries of the 3sraelites, and 3 have seen the way the -gyptians have made life hard for them. 1, So now 3 am sending yo+ to 6haraoh. Go" ead my people, the 3sraelites, o+t of -gypt. 11 <+t Aoses said to God, 3 am not a great man" $ow can 3 !e the one to go to 6haraoh and lead the 3sraelites o+t of -gypt? 12 God said, ;o+ can do it !eca+se 3 will !e with yo+. This will !e the proof that 3 am sending yo+: After yo+ lead the people o+t of -gypt, yo+ will come and worship me on this mo+ntain. 13 Then Aoses said to God, <+t if 3 go to the 3sraelites and say to them, The God of yo+r ancestors sent me, then the people will ask, >hat is his name? >hat sho+ld 3 tell them? 1# Then God said to Aoses, Tell them, 3 AA >$5 3 AA. >hen yo+ go to the 3sraelites, tell them, 3 AA sent me to yo+. 1% And God said, Tell the 3sraelites that yo+ were sent !y ;A$>-$, the God of yo+r ancestorsthe God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, the God of Caco!. This will -4od+s 3.1&*1) 1, always !e my name. 3t is how 3 want the people to remem!er me from now on. 1& 1ow go and call together the elders of the people. Tell them that ;A$>-$, the God of yo+r ancestorsthe God of -asy To .ead /ersion

A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!appeared to yo+. Give them this message from me: 3 have !een watching over yo+ and have seen what people in -gypt have done to yo+. 1' And 3 have decided that 3 will take yo+ away from the tro+!les yo+ are s+ffering in -gypt. 3 will lead yo+ to the land that now !elongs to othersthe 9anaanites, $ittites, Amorites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. 3 will lead yo+ to a land filled with many good things. 1( The elders will listen to yo+. And then yo+ and the elders will go to the 6haraoh. ;o+ will tell him, ;A$>-$ is the God of the $e!rews. $e came to +s and told +s to travel three days into the desert. There we m+st offer sacrifices to ;A$>-$ o+r God. 1) <+t 3 know that the 6haraoh will not let yo+ go. 5nly a great power will force him to let yo+ go, -4od+s 3.2,*#.3 11 2, so 3 will +se my great power against -gypt. 3 will ca+se amaEing things to happen in that land. After 3 do this, he will let yo+ go. 21 And 3 will ca+se the -gyptians to !e kind to the 3sraelites. They will give many gifts to yo+r people when they leave -gypt. 22 All the $e!rew women will ask their -gyptian neigh!ors and the -gyptian women living in their ho+ses for gifts. And those -gyptian women will give them gifts of silver, gold, and fine clothing. Then yo+ will p+t those gifts on yo+r children. 3n this way yo+ will take away the wealth of the -gyptians. 4 1 Then Aoses said to God, <+t the 3sraelites will not !elieve me when 3 tell them that yo+ sent me. They will say, The 5.D did not appear to yo+. 2 <+t the 5.D said to Aoses, >hat is that yo+ have in yo+r hand? Aoses answered, 3t is my walking stick. 3 Then God said, Throw yo+r walking stick on the gro+nd. So Aoses threw his walking stick on the gro+nd, and it !ecame a snake. Aoses ran from it, pag. &30131#

-4od+s #.#*( 12 # !+t the 5.D said to him, .each o+t and gra! the snake !y its tail. >hen Aoses reached o+t and ca+ght the snakes tail, the snake !ecame a walking stick again. % Then God said, Hse yo+r stick in this way, and the people will !elieve that yo+ saw the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors, the God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. & Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 3 will give yo+ another proof. 6+t yo+r hand +nder yo+r ro!e. So Aoses opened his ro!e and p+t his hand inside. Then he !ro+ght his hand o+t of the ro!e and it was changed. $is hand was covered with spots that were white like snow. ' Then God said, 1ow p+t yo+r hand into yo+r ro!e again. So Aoses p+t his hand into his ro!e again. Then he !ro+ght his hand o+t, and his hand was changed. 1ow his hand was good again, as it was !efore. ( Then God said, 3f the people dont !elieve yo+ when yo+ +se yo+r walking stick, then they will !elieve yo+ when yo+ show them this sign. -4od+s #.)*1# 13 ) 3f they still ref+se to !elieve after yo+ show them !oth of these signs, then take some water from the 1ile .iver. 6o+r the water on the gro+nd, and as soon as it to+ches the gro+nd, it will !ecome !lood. 1, Then Aoses said to the 5.D, <+t, ord, 3 am telling yo+, 3 am not a good speaker. 3 have never !een a!le to speak well. And that hasnt changed since yo+ started talking to me. 3 am still not a good speaker. ;o+ know that 3 speak slowly and dont +se the !est words. 11 Then the 5.D said to him, >ho made a persons mo+th? And who can make someone deaf or not a!le to speak? >ho can make a person !lind? >ho can make a person a!le to see? 3 am the one. 3 am the 5.D. 12 So go. 3 will !e with yo+ when yo+ speak. 3 will give yo+ the words to say. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 <+t Aoses said, Ay ord, 3 !eg yo+ to send someone else, not me. 1# Then the 5.D !ecame angry with Aoses and said, All right" 3ll give yo+ someone to help yo+. Aaron the evite is yo+r !rother, isnt he? $e is a good speaker. 3n fact, Aaron is already coming -4od+s #.1%*21 1# to meet yo+, and he will !e happy to see yo+. 1% 3 will tell yo+ what to say. Then yo+ will tell Aaron, and 3 will help him say it well. 3 will tell !oth of yo+ what to do. 1& So Aaron will speak for yo+. ike God, yo+ will speak to him, and he will tell the people what yo+ say. 1' So go and carry yo+r walking stick with yo+. Hse it and the other miracles to show the people that 3 am with yo+. 1( Then Aoses went !ack to Cethro, his fatherDinDlaw. Aoses said to him, 6lease let me go !ack to -gypt. 3 want to see if my people are still alive. Cethro said to Aoses, Go in peace. 1) Then, while Aoses was still in Aidian, the 5.D said to him, 3t is safe for yo+ to go !ack to -gypt now. The men who wanted to kill yo+ are now dead. 2, So Aoses p+t his wife and children on the donkey and ret+rned to -gypt. $e carried his walking stick with himthe walking stick with the power of God. 21 >hile Aoses was traveling !ack to -gypt, the 5.D spoke to him, >hen yo+ talk to 6haraoh remem!er to show him all the miracles that 3 have given -4od+s #.22*2' 1% yo+ the power to do. <+t 3 will ca+se 6haraoh to !e very st+!!orn. $e will not let the people go. 22 Then yo+ sho+ld say to 6haraoh, This is what the 5.D says: 3srael is my first!orn son. 23 And 3 am telling yo+ to let my son go and worship me. 3f yo+ ref+se to let 3srael go, then 3 will kill yo+r first!orn son. 2# 5n the way to -gypt, Aoses stopped at a place to spend the night. The 5.D met Aoses at that place and tried to kill pag. &#0131#

him. 2% <+t Bipporah took a flint knife and circ+mcised her son. She took the skin and to+ched his feet. Then she said to Aoses, ;o+ are a !ridegroom of !lood to me. 2& Bipporah said this !eca+se she had to circ+mcise her son. So God let Aoses live. 2' The 5.D had spoken to Aaron and told him, Go o+t into the desert and meet Aoses. So Aaron went and met Aoses at the Ao+ntain of God. $e saw Aoses and kissed him. -4od+s #.2(*%.3 1& 2( Aoses told Aaron everything the 5.D had commanded him to say and all the miracles he m+st do to prove that God had sent him. 2) So Aoses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the 3sraelites. 3, Then Aaron spoke to the people and told them everything the 5.D had told Aoses. Then Aoses did the miracles for all the people to see, 31 and they !elieved what they had heard. Then the 3sraelites +nderstood that the 5.D had seen their tro+!les and had come to help them. So they !owed down and worshiped God. 5 1 After Aoses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to 6haraoh and said, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, et my people go into the desert so that they can have a festival to honor me. 2 <+t 6haraoh said, >ho is the 5.D? >hy sho+ld 3 o!ey him? >hy sho+ld 3 let 3srael go? 3 dont even know who this 5.D is, so 3 ref+se to let 3srael go. 3 Then Aaron and Aoses said, The God of the $e!rews has talked with +s. So we !eg yo+ to let +s travel three days into -4od+s %.#*) 1' the desert. There we will offer a sacrifice to the 5.D o+r God. 3f we dont do this, he might !ecome angry and destroy +s. $e might make +s die from sickness or war. # <+t 6haraoh said to them, Aoses and -asy To .ead /ersion

Aaron, yo+ are !othering the workers. et them do their work. Go !ack to yo+r own work" % There are very many workers, and yo+ are keeping them from doing their =o!s. & That same day 6haraoh gave a command to the slave masters and $e!rew foremen. ' $e said, ;o+ have always given the people straw to +se to make !ricks. <+t now, tell them they have to go and find their own straw to make !ricks. ( <+t they m+st still make the same n+m!er of !ricks as they did !efore. They have gotten laEy. That is why they are asking me to let them go. They dont have eno+gh work to do. That is why they asked me to let them make sacrifices to their God. ) So make these people work harder. Geep them !+sy. Then they will not -4od+s %.1,*1% 1( have eno+gh time to listen to the lies of Aoses. 1, So the -gyptian slave masters and the $e!rew foremen went to the 3sraelites and said, 6haraoh has decided that he will not give yo+ straw for yo+r !ricks. 11 ;o+ m+st go and get the straw for yo+rselves. So go and find straw, !+t yo+ m+st still make as many !ricks as yo+ made !efore. 12 So the people went everywhere in -gypt looking for straw. 13 The slave masters forced the people to work even harder. They forced the people to make as many !ricks as !efore. 1# The -gyptian slave masters had chosen the $e!rew foremen and had made them responsi!le for the work the people did. The -gyptian slave masters !eat these foremen and said to them, >hy arent yo+ making as many !ricks as yo+ made in the past? 3f yo+ co+ld do it then, yo+ can do it now" 1% Then the $e!rew foremen went to 6haraoh. They complained and said, >e -4od+s %.1&*21 1) pag. &%0131#

are yo+r servants. >hy are yo+ treating +s like this? 1& ;o+ give +s no straw, !+t yo+ tell +s to make as many !ricks as !efore. And now o+r masters are !eating +s. ;o+r people are wrong for doing this. 1' 6haraoh answered, ;o+ are laEy, and yo+ dont want to work" That is why yo+ ask me to let yo+ go. And that is why yo+ want to leave here and make sacrifices to the 5.D. 1( 1ow, go !ack to work" >e will not give yo+ any straw. And yo+ m+st still make as many !ricks as yo+ did !efore. 1) The $e!rew foremen knew they were in tro+!le, !eca+se the 6haraoh had told them, ;o+ m+st still make as many !ricks as yo+ made !efore. 2, >hen they were leaving the meeting with 6haraoh, they passed Aoses and Aaron. Aoses and Aaron were waiting for them. 21 So they said to Aoses and Aaron, Aay the 5.D =+dge and p+nish yo+ for what yo+ did" ;o+ made 6haraoh and his r+lers hate +s. ;o+ have given them an e4c+se to kill +s. -4od+s %.22*&.& 2, 22 Then Aoses prayed to the 5.D and said, ord, why have yo+ done this terri!le thing to yo+r people? >hy did yo+ send me here? 23 3 went to 6haraoh and said what yo+ told me to say. <+t since that time he has made the people s+ffer, and yo+ have done nothing to help them" 6 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 1ow yo+ will see what 3 will do to 6haraoh. 3 will +se my great power against him, and he will let my people go. $e will !e so ready for them to leave that he will force them to go. 2 Then God said to Aoses, 3 am the 5.D. 3 3 appeared to A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. They called me God AllD6owerf+l. They did not know my name, the 5.D. # 3 made an agreement with them. 3 promised to give them the land of 9anaan. They lived in that land, !+t it -asy To .ead /ersion

was not their own. % 1ow, 3 have heard their painf+l cries. 3 know that they are slaves in -gypt. And 3 remem!er my agreement. & So tell the 3sraelites that 3 say to them, 3 am the 5.D. 3 will save yo+. -4od+s &.'*13 21 ;o+ will no longer !e slaves of the -gyptians. 3 will +se my great power to make yo+ free, and 3 will !ring terri!le p+nishment to the -gyptians. ' ;o+ will !e my people and 3 will !e yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God, and yo+ will know that 3 made yo+ free from -gypt. ( 3 made a great promise to A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 3 promised to give them a special land. So 3 will lead yo+ to that land. 3 will give yo+ that land. 3t will !e yo+rs. 3 am the 5.D. ) So Aoses told this to the 3sraelites, !+t the people wo+ld not listen to him. They were working so hard that they were not patient with Aoses. 1, Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 11 Go tell 6haraoh that he m+st let the 3sraelites leave his land. 12 <+t Aoses answered, 5.D, the 3sraelites ref+se to listen to me. So s+rely 6haraoh will also ref+se to listen. 3 am a very !ad speaker. 13 <+t the 5.D talked with Aoses and Aaron and commanded them to go and talk to the 3sraelites and to 6haraoh, the king of -gypt. $e commanded them -4od+s &.1#*23 22 to lead the 3sraelites o+t of the land of -gypt. 1# $ere are the names of the leaders of the families of 3srael: 3sraels first son, .e+!en, had fo+r sons. They were $anoch, 6all+, $eEron, and 9armi. 1% Simeons sons were Cem+el, Camin, 5had, Cakin, Bohar, and Sha+l. 7Sha+l was the son from a 9anaanite woman8. 1& evi lived 13' years. $is sons were Gershon, Gohath, and Aerari. 1' Gershon had two sons, i!ni and Shimei. 1( Gohath lived 133 years. $is sons pag. &&0131#

were Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel. 1) Aeraris sons were Aahli and A+shi. All these families were from 3sraels son evi. 2, Amram lived 13' years. $e married his fathers sister, Coche!ed. Amram and Coche!ed gave !irth to Aaron and Aoses. 21 3Ehars sons were Gorah, 1epheg, and Bicri. 22 HEEiels sons were Aishael, -lEaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron married -lishe!a. 7-lishe!a was the da+ghter of Amminada!, and the sister of 1ahshon.8 Aaron and -lishe!a -4od+s &.2#*'.1 23 gave !irth to 1ada!, A!ih+, -leaEar, and 3thamar. 2# The sons of Gorah 7that is, the ancestors of the Gorahites8 were Assir, -lkanah, and A!iasaph. 2% Aarons son, -leaEar, married a da+ghter of 6+tiel. She gave !irth to 6hinehas. All these people were from 3sraels son, evi. 2& Aaron and Aoses were from this tri!e. And they are the men the 5.D spoke to and said, ead my people o+t of 3srael in gro+ps. 2' Aaron and Aoses are the men who talked to 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, and told him to let the 3sraelites leave -gypt. 2( The 5.D spoke to Aoses again in the land of -gypt. 2) $e said, 3 am the 5.D. Tell the king of -gypt everything 3 tell yo+. 3, <+t Aoses, standing there !efore the 5.D, said, ;o+ know me. 3m a very !ad speaker. $ow will 3 make the king listen to me? 7 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, See how important 3 have made yo+? 3n speaking to 6haraoh, yo+ will !e like -4od+s '.2*) 2# God, and yo+r !rother Aaron will !e yo+r prophet. 2 ;o+ will tell Aaron everything that 3 command yo+. Then he will tell the king what 3 say. And 6haraoh will let the 3sraelites leave this co+ntry. 3 <+t 3 will make 6haraoh st+!!orn so -asy To .ead /ersion

that he will not do what yo+ tell him. Then 3 will do many miracles in -gypt to prove who 3 am. # <+t he will still ref+se to listen. So then 3 will p+nish -gypt very m+ch. And 3 will lead my army, my people, o+t of that land. % 3 will p+nish the people of -gypt, and they will learn that 3 am the 5.D. Then 3 will lead my people o+t of their co+ntry. & Aoses and Aaron did what the 5.D told them. ' Aoses was (, years old at the time, and Aaron was (3. ( The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, ) 6haraoh will ask yo+ to prove yo+r power. $e will ask yo+ to do a miracle. Tell Aaron to throw his walking stick on the gro+nd. >hile 6haraoh is watching, the stick will !ecome a snake. -4od+s '.1,*1& 2% 1, So Aoses and Aaron went to 6haraoh and o!eyed the 5.D. Aaron threw his walking stick down. >hile 6haraoh and his officers watched, the stick !ecame a snake. 11 So 6haraoh called for his wise men and magicians. These men +sed their magic, and they were a!le to do the same thing as Aaron. 12 They threw their walking sticks on the gro+nd, and their sticks !ecame snakes. <+t then Aarons walking stick ate theirs. 13 6haraoh still ref+sed to let the people go, =+st as the 5.D had said. 6haraoh ref+sed to listen to Aoses and Aaron. 1# Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 6haraoh is !eing st+!!orn. $e ref+ses to let the people go. 1% 3n the morning, 6haraoh will go o+t to the river. Go to him !y the edge of the 1ile .iver. Take the walking stick that !ecame a snake. 1& Tell him this: The 5.D, the God of the $e!rews, sent me to yo+. $e told me to tell yo+ to let his people go worship him in the desert. Hntil now yo+ have not listened to the ord. -4od+s '.1'*22 2& pag. &'0131#

1' So the 5.D says that he will do something to show yo+ that he is the 5.D. 3 will hit the water of the 1ile .iver with this walking stick in my hand, and the river will t+rn into !lood. 1( The fish in the river will die, and the river will !egin to stink. Then the -gyptians will not !e a!le to drink the water from the river. 1) The 5.D said to Aoses: Tell Aaron to hold the walking stick in his hand over the rivers, canals, lakes, and every place where they store water. >hen he does this, all the water will t+rn into !lood. All the water, even the water stored in wood and stone =ars, will t+rn into !lood. 2, So Aoses and Aaron did what the 5.D commanded. Aaron raised the walking stick and hit the water in the 1ile .iver. $e did this in front of 6haraoh and his officials. So all the water in the river changed into !lood. 21 The fish in the river died, and the river !egan to stink. So the -gyptians co+ld not drink water from the river. The !lood was everywhere in -gypt. 22 The magicians +sed their magic to do the same thing. So 6haraoh ref+sed -4od+s '.23*(.% 2' to listen to Aoses and Aaron. This happened =+st as the 5.D said. 23 6haraoh ignored what Aoses and Aaron had done. $e t+rned and went into his ho+se. 2# The -gyptians co+ld not drink the water from the river, so they d+g wells aro+nd the river for water to drink. 2% Seven days passed after the 5.D changed the 1ile .iver. 8 1 Then the 5.D told Aoses, Go to 6haraoh and tell him that the 5.D says, et my people go to worship me" 2 3f yo+ ref+se to let my people go, then 3 will fill -gypt with frogs. 3 The 1ile .iver will !e filled with frogs. They will come from the river and enter yo+r ho+ses. They will !e in yo+r !edrooms and in yo+r !eds. They will !e in the ho+ses of yo+r officials and in yo+r ovens and in yo+r =ars of water. -asy To .ead /ersion

# The frogs will !e all over yo+, yo+r people, and yo+r officials. % Then the 5.D said to Aoses, Tell Aaron to hold the walking stick in his hand over the canals, rivers, and lakes. Then the frogs will come o+t onto the land of -gypt. -4od+s (.&*12 2( & So Aaron raised his hand over the waters of -gypt, and the frogs !egan coming o+t of the water and covered the land of -gypt. ' The magicians +sed their magic to do the same thingso even more frogs came o+t onto the land in -gypt" ( 6haraoh called for Aoses and Aaron and said, Ask the 5.D to remove the frogs from me and my people. 3 will let the people go to offer sacrifices to the 5.D. ) Aoses said to 6haraoh, 3 will pray for yo+, yo+r people, and yo+r officials. Then the frogs will leave yo+ and yo+r ho+ses. They will remain only in the river. >hen do yo+ want the frogs to go away? 1, 6haraoh said, Tomorrow. Aoses said, 3t will happen as yo+ say. 3n this way yo+ will know that there is no god like the 5.D o+r God. 11 The frogs will leave yo+, yo+r ho+se, yo+r officials, and yo+r people. They will remain only in the river. 12 Aoses and Aaron left 6haraoh. Aoses prayed to the 5.D a!o+t the frogs he had sent against 6haraoh. -4od+s (.13*1) 2) 13 And the 5.D did what Aoses asked. The frogs died in the ho+ses, in the yards, and in the fields. 1# They !egan to rot, and the whole co+ntry !egan to stink. 1% <+t when 6haraoh saw that they were free of the frogs, he again !ecame st+!!orn. 6haraoh did not do what Aoses and Aaron had asked him to do. This happened =+st as the 5.D had said. 1& Then the 5.D said to Aoses, Tell Aaron to raise his stick and hit the d+st on the gro+nd, and everywhere in -gypt pag. &(0131#

d+st will !ecome lice. 1' They did this. Aaron raised the stick in his hand and hit the d+st on the gro+nd, and everywhere in -gypt the d+st !ecame lice. The lice got on the animals and the people. 1( The magicians +sed their magic and tried to do the same thing. <+t the magicians co+ld not make lice come from the d+st. The lice remained on the animals and the people. 1) So the magicians told 6haraoh that the power of God did this. <+t 6haraoh ref+sed to listen to them. This happened =+st as the 5.D had said. -4od+s (.2,*2% 3, 2, The 5.D said to Aoses, Get +p in the morning and go to 6haraoh. $e will go o+t to the river. Tell him that the 5.D says, et my people go and worship me" 21 3f yo+ dont let my people go, then flies will come into yo+r ho+ses. The flies will !e on yo+ and yo+r officials. The ho+ses of -gypt will !e f+ll of flies. They will !e all over the gro+nd too" 22 <+t 3 will not treat the 3sraelites the same as the -gyptians. There will not !e any flies in Goshen, where my people live. 3n this way yo+ will know that 3, the 5.D, am in this land. 23 So tomorrow 3 will treat my people differently from yo+r people. This will !e my proof. 2# So the 5.D did =+st what he said. Aillions of flies came into -gypt. The flies were in 6haraohs ho+se, and they were in all his officials ho+ses. They were all over -gypt. The flies were r+ining the co+ntry. 2% So 6haraoh called for Aoses and Aaron and told them, 5ffer sacrifices to yo+r God here in this co+ntry. -4od+s (.2&*).1 31 2& <+t Aoses said, 3t wo+ld not !e right to do that. The -gyptians think it is terri!le to kill animals as sacrifices for the 5.D o+r God. 3f we do this here, the -gyptians will see +s and throw stones at +s and kill +s. -asy To .ead /ersion

2' et +s go three days into the desert and offer sacrifices to the 5.D o+r God. This is what he told +s to do. 2( So 6haraoh said, 3 will let yo+ go and offer sacrifices to the 5.D yo+r God in the desert, !+t yo+ m+st not go very far. 1ow, go and pray for me. 2) Aoses said, ook, 3 will leave and ask the 5.D to remove the flies from yo+, yo+r people, and yo+r officials tomorrow. <+t yo+ m+st not stop the people from offering sacrifices to the 5.D. 3, So Aoses left 6haraoh and prayed to the 5.D. 31 And the 5.D did what Aoses asked. $e removed the flies from 6haraoh, his officials, and his people. 1one of the flies remained. 32 <+t 6haraoh again !ecame st+!!orn and did not let the people go. 9 1 Then the 5.D told Aoses to go to 6haraoh and tell him: The 5.D, the -4od+s ).2*( 32 God of the $e!rews, says, et my people go to worship me" 2 3f yo+ contin+e to hold them and ref+se to let them go, 3 then the 5.D will +se his power against yo+r animals in the fields. $e will ca+se all of yo+r horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, and sheep to get sick with a terri!le disease. # <+t the 5.D will treat 3sraels animals differently from the animals of -gypt. 1one of the animals that !elong to the 3sraelites will die. % The 5.D has set the time for this to happen. $e said, Tomorrow the 5.D will make this happen in this co+ntry. & The ne4t morning the 5.D did what he said. All the farm animals of the -gyptians died, !+t none of the animals that !elonged to the 3sraelites died. ' 6haraoh sent people to see if any of the animals of 3srael died. 1ot one of them died. <+t 6haraoh remained st+!!orn and did not let the people go. ( The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 2ill yo+r hands with the ashes from a f+rnace. Aoses, yo+ throw the ashes into pag. &)0131#

the air in front of 6haraoh. -4od+s ).)*1# 33 ) This will !ecome d+st that will go thro+gho+t the land of -gypt. >henever the d+st to+ches a person or an animal in -gypt, sores will !reak o+t on the skin. 1, So Aoses and Aaron took ashes from a f+rnace and went and stood !efore 6haraoh. Aoses threw the ashes into the air, and sores !egan !reaking o+t on people and animals. 11 The magicians co+ld not stop Aoses from doing this, !eca+se even the magicians had the sores. This happened everywhere in -gypt. 12 <+t the 5.D made 6haraoh st+!!orn, so he ref+sed to listen to Aoses and Aaron, =+st as the 5.D had said. 13 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, Get +p in the morning and go to 6haraoh. Tell him that the 5.D, the God of the $e!rews, says, et my people go to worship me" 1# This time, 3 will +se my f+ll power against yo+, yo+r officials, and yo+r people. Then yo+ will know that there is no god in the world like me. -4od+s ).1%*21 3# 1% 3 co+ld +se my power and ca+se a disease that wo+ld wipe yo+ and yo+r people off the earth. 1& <+t 3 have p+t yo+ here for a reason. 3 have p+t yo+ here so that 3 co+ld show yo+ my power. Then people all over the world will learn a!o+t me" 1' ;o+ are still against my people. ;o+ are not letting them go free. 1( So at this time tomorrow, 3 will ca+se a very !ad hailstorm. There has never !een a hailstorm like this in -gypt, not since -gypt !ecame a nation. 1) 1ow, yo+ m+st p+t yo+r animals in a safe place. -verything yo+ own that is now in the fields m+st !e p+t in a safe place. Any person or animal that remains in the fields will !e killed. The hail will fall on everything that is not gathered into yo+r ho+ses. 2, Some of 6haraohs officials paid -asy To .ead /ersion

attention to the 5.D@S message. They J+ickly p+t all of their animals and slaves into ho+ses. 21 <+t other people ignored the 5.D@S message and lost all their slaves and animals that were in the fields. -4od+s ).22*2( 3% 22 The 5.D told Aoses, .aise yo+r hand into the air and the hail will start falling all over -gypt. The hail will fall on all the people, animals, and plants in all the fields of -gypt. 23 So Aoses raised his walking stick into the air, and the 5.D sent hail with th+nder and lightning down on the earth. The 5.D ca+sed hail to fall all over -gypt. 2# The hail was falling, and lightning was flashing all thro+gh it. 3t was the worst hailstorm that had ever hit -gypt since it had !ecome a nation. 2% The storm destroyed everything in the fields in -gypt. The hail destroyed people, animals, and plants. The hail also !roke all the trees in the fields. 2& The only place that did not get hail was the land of Goshen, where the 3sraelites lived. 2' 6haraoh sent for Aoses and Aaron and told them, This time 3 have sinned. The 5.D is right, and 3 and my people are wrong. 2( >e have had eno+gh of this hail and th+nder" Ask the 5.D to stop the -4od+s ).2)*3% 3& storm, and 3 will let yo+ go. ;o+ dont have to stay here. 2) Aoses told 6haraoh, >hen 3 leave the city, 3 will lift my hands in prayer to the 5.D, and the th+nder and hail will stop. Then yo+ will know that the 5.D is in this land. 3, <+t 3 know that yo+ and yo+r officials dont really fear and respect the 5.D yet. 31 The fla4 had already developed its seeds, and the !arley was already !looming. So these plants were destroyed. 32 <+t wheat and spelt ripen later than pag. ',0131#

the other grains, so these plants were not destroyed. 33 Aoses left 6haraoh and went o+tside the city. $e lifted his hands in prayer to the 5.D. And the th+nder and hail stopped, and then even the rain stopped. 3# >hen 6haraoh saw that the rain, hail, and th+nder had stopped, he again did wrong. $e and his officials !ecame st+!!orn again. 3% 6haraoh ref+sed to let the 3sraelites go free, =+st as the 5.D had said thro+gh Aoses. -4od+s 1,.1*& 3' 10 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, Go to 6haraoh. 3 have made him and his officials st+!!orn. 3 did this so that 3 co+ld show them my powerf+l miracles. 2 3 also did this so that yo+ co+ld tell yo+r children and yo+r grandchildren a!o+t the miracles and other wonderf+l things that 3 have done in -gypt. Then all of yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 3 So Aoses and Aaron went to 6haraoh. They told him, The 5.D, the God of the $e!rews, says, $ow long will yo+ ref+se to o!ey me? et my people go to worship me" # 3f yo+ ref+se to let my people go, then tomorrow 3 will !ring loc+sts into yo+r co+ntry. % The loc+sts will cover the land. There will !e so many loc+sts that yo+ will not !e a!le to see the gro+nd. Anything that was left from the hailstorm will !e eaten !y the loc+sts. The loc+sts will eat all the leaves from every tree in the field. & They will fill all yo+r ho+ses, and all yo+r officials ho+ses, and all the ho+ses in -gypt. There will !e more loc+sts than yo+r fathers or yo+r grandfathers have ever seen. There will !e more loc+sts -4od+s 1,.'*12 3( than there have ever !een since people !egan living in -gypt. Then Aoses t+rned and left 6haraoh. ' Then the officials asked 6haraoh, $ow long will we !e trapped !y these people? et the men go to worship the 5.D their God. 3f yo+ dont let them go, !efore -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ know it, -gypt will !e destroyed" ( So 6haraoh told his officials to !ring Aoses and Aaron !ack to him. 6haraoh said to them, Go and worship the 5.D yo+r God. <+t tell me, =+st who is going? ) Aoses answered, All of o+r people, yo+ng and old, will go. And we will take o+r sons and da+ghters, and o+r sheep and cattle with +s. >e will all go !eca+se the 5.D@S festival is for all of +s. 1, 6haraoh said to them, The 5.D really will have to !e with yo+ !efore 3 let yo+ and all of yo+r children leave -gypt. ook, yo+ are planning something evil. 11 The men can go worship the 5.D. That is what yo+ asked for in the !eginning. <+t all of yo+r people cannot go. Then 6haraoh sent Aoses and Aaron away. 12 The 5.D told Aoses, .aise yo+r hand over the land of -gypt and the -4od+s 1,.13*1' 3) loc+sts will come" They will spread all over the land of -gypt and will eat all the plants that the hail did not destroy. 13 So Aoses raised his walking stick over the land of -gypt, and the 5.D ca+sed a strong wind to !low from the east. The wind !lew all that day and night. >hen morning came, the wind had !ro+ght the loc+sts to the land of -gypt. 1# The loc+sts flew into the co+ntry of -gypt and landed on the gro+nd. There were more loc+sts than there had ever !een in -gypt. And there will never again !e that many loc+sts there. 1% They covered the gro+nd, and the whole co+ntry !ecame dark. The loc+sts ate every plant on the gro+nd and all the fr+it in the trees that the hail had not destroyed. There were no leaves left on any of the trees or plants anywhere in -gypt. 1& 6haraoh J+ickly called for Aoses and Aaron. 6haraoh said, 3 have sinned against the 5.D yo+r God and against yo+. 1' 1ow, forgive me for my sins this time. Ask the 5.D to remove this death from me. pag. '10131#

-4od+s 1,.1(*2% #, 1( Aoses left 6haraoh and prayed to the 5.D. 1) So the 5.D changed the wind. $e made a very strong wind !low from the west, and it !lew the loc+sts o+t of -gypt and into the .ed Sea. 1ot one loc+st was left in -gypt" 2, <+t the 5.D ca+sed 6haraoh to !e st+!!orn again, and 6haraoh did not let the 3sraelites go. 21 Then the 5.D told Aoses, .aise yo+r hand into the air and darkness will cover -gypt. 3t will !e so dark yo+ can feel it" 22 So Aoses raised his hand into the air and a clo+d of darkness covered -gypt. The darkness stayed in -gypt for three days. 23 1one of the people co+ld see each other, and no one got +p to go any place for three days. <+t there was light in all the places where the 3sraelites lived. 2# Again 6haraoh called for Aoses. $e said, Go and worship the 5.D" ;o+ can take yo+r children with yo+. <+t yo+ m+st leave yo+r sheep and cattle here. 2% Aoses said, 1o, we will take them all. 3n fact, yo+ will give +s offerings and -4od+s 1,.2&*11.3 #1 sacrifices for +s to +se in worshiping the 5.D o+r God. 2& ;es, we will take o+r animals with +s to worship the 5.D o+r God. 1ot one hoof will !e left !ehind. >e dont know yet e4actly what we will need to worship the 5.D. >e will learn that only when we get there. 2' The 5.D made 6haraoh st+!!orn again, so he ref+sed to let them go. 2( Then 6haraoh told Aoses, Get o+t of here. 3 dont want yo+ to come here again. The ne4t time yo+ come to see me, yo+ will die" 2) Then Aoses told 6haraoh, ;o+ are right a!o+t one thing. 3 will not come to see yo+ again. 11 1 Then the 5.D told Aoses, 3 have one more disaster to !ring against 6haraoh and -gypt. After this he -asy To .ead /ersion

will ask yo+ to leave -gypt. 3n fact, he will force yo+ to leave this co+ntry. 2 ;o+ m+st give this message to the 3sraelites: Aen and women, yo+ m+st ask yo+r neigh!ors to give yo+ things made of silver and gold. 3 The 5.D ca+sed the -gyptians to !e kind to the 3sraelites. The -gyptians, -4od+s 11.#*1, #2 even 6haraohs own officials, already considered Aoses to !e a great man. # Aoses said to the king, The 5.D says, At midnight tonight, 3 will go thro+gh -gypt, % and every first!orn son in -gypt will die, from the first!orn son of 6haraoh, the r+ler of -gypt, to the first!orn son of the slave girl grinding grain. -ven the first!orn animals will die. & The crying in -gypt will !e worse than at any time in the past or any time in the f+t+re. ' <+t none of the 3sraelites or their animals will !e h+rtnot even a dog will !ark at them. Then yo+ will know that the 5.D has treated 3srael differently from -gypt. ( All these officials of yo+rs will come down and !ow to me. They will say, eave and take all yo+r people with yo+. 5nly then will 3 leave" Then in anger, Aoses left the meeting with 6haraoh. ) Then the 5.D told Aoses, The reason 6haraoh did not listen to yo+ is so that 3 co+ld show my great power in -gypt. 1, That is why Aoses and Aaron did all these great miracles in front of 6haraoh. -4od+s 12.1*' #3 And that is why the 5.D made 6haraoh so st+!!orn that he wo+ld not let the 3sraelites leave his co+ntry. 12 1 >hile Aoses and Aaron were still in -gypt, the 5.D spoke to them. $e said, 2 This month will !e the first month of the year for yo+. 3 This command is for the whole comm+nity of 3srael: 5n the tenth day of this month each man m+st get one lam! for the people in his ho+se. pag. '20131#

# 3f there are not eno+gh people in his ho+se to eat a whole lam!, then he sho+ld invite some of his neigh!ors to share the meal. There m+st !e eno+gh lam! for everyone to eat. % The lam! m+st !e a oneDyearDold male, and it m+st !e completely healthy. This animal can !e either a yo+ng sheep or a yo+ng goat. & ;o+ sho+ld watch over the animal +ntil the 1#th day of the month. 5n that day, all the people of the comm+nity of 3srael m+st kill these animals =+st !efore dark. ' ;o+ m+st collect the !lood from these animals and p+t it on the top and sides -4od+s 12.(*13 ## of the doorframe of every ho+se where the people eat this meal. ( 5n this night yo+ m+st roast the lam! and eat all the meat. ;o+ m+st also eat !itter her!s and !read made witho+t yeast. ) ;o+ m+st not eat the lam! raw or !oiled in water. ;o+ m+st roast the whole lam! over a fire. The lam! m+st still have its head, legs, and inner parts. 1, ;o+ m+st eat all the meat that night. 3f any of the meat is left +ntil morning, yo+ m+st !+rn it in the fire. 11 >hen yo+ eat the meal, yo+ m+st !e f+lly dressed and ready to travel. ;o+ m+st have yo+r sandals on yo+r feet and yo+r walking stick in yo+r hand. ;o+ m+st eat in a h+rry, !eca+se this is the 5.D@S 6assover. 12 Tonight 3 will go thro+gh -gypt and kill every first!orn man and animal in -gypt. 3n this way 3 will =+dge all the gods of -gypt and show that 3 am the 5.D. 13 <+t the !lood on yo+r ho+ses will !e a special sign. >hen 3 see the !lood, 3 will pass over yo+r ho+se. 3 will ca+se !ad things to happen to the people of -4od+s 12.1#*1( #% -gypt. <+t none of these !ad diseases will h+rt yo+. 1# ;o+ will always remem!er tonightit will !e a special festival for yo+. ;o+r descendants will honor the 5.D with -asy To .ead /ersion

this festival forever. 1% 2or this festival yo+ will eat !read made witho+t yeast for seven days. 5n the first day, yo+ will remove all the yeast from yo+r ho+ses. 1o one sho+ld eat any yeast for the f+ll seven days of this festival. Anyone who eats yeast m+st !e separated from the rest of 3srael. 1& There will !e holy assem!lies on the first day and the last day of the festival. ;o+ m+st not do any work on these days. The only work yo+ can do is preparing the food for yo+r meals. 1' ;o+ m+st remem!er the 2estival of Hnleavened <read, !eca+se on this day 3 took all of yo+r people o+t of -gypt in gro+ps. All of yo+r descendants m+st remem!er this day. This is a law that will last forever. 1( So on the evening of the 1#th day of the first month, yo+ will !egin eating !read witho+t yeast. ;o+ will eat this -4od+s 12.1)*23 #& !read +ntil the evening of the 21st day of the same month. 1) 2or seven days there m+st not !e any yeast in yo+r ho+ses. Anyone, either a citiEen of 3srael or a foreigner living among yo+, who eats yeast at this time m+st !e separated from the rest of 3srael. 2, D+ring this festival yo+ m+st not eat any yeast. ;o+ m+st eat !read witho+t yeast wherever yo+ live. 21 So Aoses called all the elders together and told them, Get the lam!s for yo+r families. Gill the lam!s for the 6assover. 22 Take !+nches of hyssop and dip them in the !owls filled with !lood. 6aint the !lood on the sides and top of each doorframe. 1o one m+st leave their ho+se +ntil morning. 23 At the time the 5.D goes thro+gh -gypt to kill the first!orn, he will see the !lood on the sides and top of each doorframe. Then he will protect that ho+se and not let the Destroyer come into any of yo+r ho+ses and h+rt yo+. pag. '30131#

-4od+s 12.2#*3, #' 2# ;o+ m+st remem!er this command. This law is for yo+ and yo+r descendants forever. 2% ;o+ m+st remem!er to do this even when yo+ go to the land the 5.D is giving yo+. 2& >hen yo+r children ask yo+, >hy are we doing this ceremony? 2' yo+ will say, This 6assover is to honor the 5.D, !eca+se when we were in -gypt, he passed over the ho+ses of 3srael. $e killed the -gyptians, !+t he saved the people in o+r ho+ses. Then the people !owed down and worshiped the ord. 2( The 5.D had given this command to Aoses and Aaron, so the 3sraelites did what the ord commanded. 2) At midnight the 5.D killed all the first!orn sons in -gypt, from the first!orn son of 6haraoh 7who r+led -gypt8 to the first!orn son of the prisoner sitting in =ail. Also all the first!orn animals died. 3, That night someone died in every ho+se in -gypt. 6haraoh, his officials, and all the people of -gypt !egan to cry lo+dly. -4od+s 12.31*3' #( 31 So that night 6haraoh called for Aoses and Aaron and said to them, Get +p and leave my people. ;o+ and yo+r people can do as yo+ say. Go and worship the 5.D. 32 Take all of yo+r sheep and cattle with yo+, =+st as yo+ said yo+ wo+ld. Go" And say a !lessing for me too. 33 The people of -gypt also asked them to h+rry and leave. They said, 3f yo+ dont leave, we will all die" 3# The 3sraelites did not have time to p+t the yeast in their !read. They =+st wrapped the !owls of do+gh with cloth and carried them on their sho+lders. 3% Then the 3sraelites did what Aoses asked them to do. They went to their -gyptian neigh!ors and asked for clothing and things made from silver and gold. 3& The 5.D ca+sed the -gyptians to !e -asy To .ead /ersion

kind to the 3sraelites, so the -gyptians gave their riches to the 3sraelites. 3' The 3sraelites traveled from .ameses to S+ccoth. There were a!o+t &,,,,,, men, not co+nting the small !oys. -4od+s 12.3(*#& #) 3( A great n+m!er of people who were not 3sraelites went with them, along with many sheep, cattle, and other livestock. 3) The people did not have time to p+t yeast in their !read or make any special food for their =o+rney. So they had to !ake their !read witho+t yeast. #, The 3sraelites had lived in -gypt for #3, years. #1 After #3, years, to the very day, all the armies of the 5.D left -gypt. #2 So that is a very special night when the people remem!er what the 5.D did. All the 3sraelites will remem!er that night forever. #3 The 5.D told Aoses and Aaron, $ere are the r+les for 6assover: 1o foreigner is allowed to eat the 6assover. ## A foreigner who is only a hired worker or is only staying in yo+r co+ntry is not allowed to eat the 6assover. <+t if someone !+ys a slave and circ+mcises him, then the slave can eat the 6assover. #% 712:##8 #& -ach family m+st eat the meal in one ho+se. 1one of the food is to !e taken o+tside the ho+se. Dont !reak any of the lam!s !ones. -4od+s 12.#'*13.3 %, #' The whole comm+nity of 3srael m+st do this ceremony. #( 3f a foreigner living among yo+ wants to share in the 5.D@S 6assover, he m+st !e circ+mcised. Then he can share in the meal like any other citiEen of 3srael. <+t a man who is not circ+mcised cannot eat the 6assover meal. #) The same r+les are for everyone. 3t doesnt matter if they are citiEens or foreigners living among yo+. %, So all the 3sraelites o!eyed the commands that the 5.D gave to Aoses and Aaron. %1 5n that same day the 5.D led all pag. '#0131#

the 3sraelites o+t of the co+ntry of -gypt. The people left in gro+ps. 13 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2 ;o+ m+st give me every male in 3srael who is his mothers first child. That means that every first!orn !a!y !oy and every first!orn male animal will !e mine. 3 Aoses said to the people, .emem!er this day. ;o+ were slaves in -gypt, !+t on this day the 5.D +sed his great power and made yo+ free. ;o+ m+st not eat !read with yeast. -4od+s 13.#*) %1 # Today, in the month of A!i!, yo+ are leaving -gypt. % The 5.D made a special promise to yo+r ancestors. $e promised to give yo+ the land of the 9anaanites, $ittites, Amorites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. After the ord leads yo+ to the land filled with many good things, then yo+ m+st remem!er this day. ;o+ m+st have a special day of worship on this day d+ring the first month of every year. & 2or seven days yo+ m+st eat only !read witho+t yeast. 5n the seventh day, there will !e a great festival to show honor to the 5.D. ' So for seven days yo+ m+st not eat any !read made with yeast. There m+st !e no !read with yeast any place in yo+r land. ( 5n this day yo+ sho+ld tell yo+r children, >e are having this festival !eca+se the 5.D took me o+t of -gypt. ) This festival will help yo+ remem!erF it will !e like a string tied on yo+r hand. 3t will !e like a sign !efore yo+r eyes. This festival will help yo+ remem!er the 5.D@S teachings. 3t will help yo+ -4od+s 13.1,*1% %2 remem!er that the 5.D +sed his great power to take yo+ o+t of -gypt. 1, So remem!er this festival every year at the right time. 11 The 5.D will lead yo+ into the land he promised to give yo+. The 9anaanites live there now. <+t God promised yo+r ancestors that he wo+ld give yo+ this -asy To .ead /ersion

land. After God gives yo+ this land, 12 yo+ m+st remem!er to give him every first!orn !oy. -very male animal that is the first!orn m+st also !e given to the 5.D. 13 -very first!orn donkey can !e !o+ght !ack. ;o+ can offer a lam! and keep the donkey. 3f yo+ dont want to !+y !ack the donkey like this, then yo+ m+st !reak its neck to kill it. <+t every first!orn !a!y !oy m+st !e !o+ght !ack from the ord. 1# 3n the f+t+re yo+r children will ask why yo+ do this. They will say, >hat does all this mean? And yo+ will answer, The 5.D +sed his great power to save +s from -gypt. >e were slaves in that place, !+t he led +s o+t and !ro+ght +s here. 1% 3n -gypt, 6haraoh was st+!!orn and ref+sed to let +s leave. So the 5.D -4od+s 13.1&*1) %3 killed every first!orn in all the land. 7The ord killed the first!orn malesanimal and h+man.8 That is why 3 give every first!orn male animal to the 5.D, and that is why 3 !+y !ack each of my first!orn sons from him. 1& This is like a string tied on yo+r hand, like a sign in front of yo+r eyes. 3t helps yo+ remem!er that the 5.D !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt with his great power. 1' 6haraoh made the people leave -gypt. God did not let the people take the road leading to the land of the 6hilistines. That road !y the Aediterranean Sea is the shortest way, !+t God said, 3f the people go that way they will have to fight. Then they might change their minds and go !ack to -gypt. 1( So God led them another way thro+gh the desert !y the .ed Sea. The 3sraelites were dressed for war when they left -gypt. 1) Aoses carried the !ones of Coseph with him. <efore Coseph died, he made the 3sraelites promise to do this for him. $e said, >hen God saves yo+, remem!er to carry my !ones with yo+ o+t of -gypt. -4od+s 13.2,*1#.% %# pag. '%0131#

2, The 3sraelites left S+ccoth and camped at -tham. -tham was near the desert. 21 The 5.D led the way. D+ring the day, he +sed a tall clo+d to lead the people. And d+ring the night, he +sed a tall col+mn of fire to lead the way. This fire gave them light so that they co+ld also travel at night. 22 The clo+d was always with them d+ring the day, and the col+mn of fire was always with them at night. 14 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the people to go !ack to 6i $ahiroth. Tell them to spend the night !etween Aigdol and the .ed Sea, near <aal Bephon. 3 6haraoh will think that the 3sraelites are lost in the desert and that the people will have no place to go. # 3 will make 6haraoh !rave, and he will chase yo+. <+t 3 will defeat 6haraoh and his army. This will !ring honor to me. Then the people of -gypt will know that 3 am the 5.D. So the 3sraelites did what he told them. % 6haraoh received a report that the 3sraelites had escaped. >hen he heard -4od+s 1#.&*11 %% this, he and his officials changed their minds a!o+t what they had done. 6haraoh said, >hy did we let the 3sraelites leave? >hy did we let them r+n away? 1ow we have lost o+r slaves" & So 6haraoh prepared his chariot and took his men with him. ' $e took &,, of his !est men and all of his chariots. There was an officer in each chariot. ( The 3sraelites were leaving with their arms raised in victory. <+t the 5.D ca+sed 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, to !ecome !rave. And 6haraoh chased the 3sraelites. ) The -gyptian army had many horse soldiers and chariots. They chased the 3sraelites and ca+ght +p with them while they were camped near the .ed Sea at 6i $ahiroth, east of <aal Bephon. 1, >hen the 3sraelites saw 6haraoh and -asy To .ead /ersion

his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the 5.D for help. 11 They said to Aoses, >hy did yo+ !ring +s o+t of -gypt? Did yo+ !ring +s o+t here in the desert to die? >e co+ld -4od+s 1#.12*1( %& have died peacef+lly in -gyptF there were plenty of graves in -gypt. 12 >e told yo+ this wo+ld happen" 3n -gypt we said, 6lease dont !other +s. et +s stay and serve the -gyptians. 3t wo+ld have !een !etter for +s to stay and !e slaves than to come o+t here and die in the desert. 13 <+t Aoses answered, Dont !e afraid" Dont r+n away" Stand where yo+ are and watch the 5.D save yo+ today. ;o+ will never see these -gyptians again. 1# ;o+ will not have to do anything !+t stay calm. The 5.D will do the fighting for yo+. 1% Then the 5.D said to Aoses, >hy are yo+ still crying to me? Tell the 3sraelites to start moving. 1& .aise the walking stick in yo+r hand over the .ed Sea, and the sea will split. Then the people can go across on dry land. 1' 3 have made the -gyptians !rave, so they will chase yo+. <+t 3 will show yo+ that 3 am more powerf+l than 6haraoh and all of his horses and chariots. 1( Then -gypt will know that 3 am the 5.D. They will honor me when 3 defeat -4od+s 1#.1)*2# %' 6haraoh and his horse soldiers and chariots. 1) Then the angel of God moved to the !ack of the people. 7The angel was +s+ally in front of the people, leading them.8 So the tall clo+d moved from in front of the people and went to the !ack of the people. 2, 3n this way the clo+d stood !etween the -gyptians and the 3sraelites. There was light for the 3sraelites. <+t there was darkness for the -gyptians. So the -gyptians did not come any closer to the 3sraelites that night. pag. '&0131#

21 Aoses raised his hand over the .ed Sea, and the 5.D ca+sed a strong wind to !low from the east. The wind !lew all night long. The sea split, and the wind made the gro+nd dry. 22 The 3sraelites went thro+gh the sea on dry land. The water was like a wall on their right and on their left. 23 Then all of 6haraohs chariots and horse soldiers followed them into the sea. 2# -arly that morning the 5.D looked down from the tall clo+d and col+mn of -4od+s 1#.2%*3, %( fire at the -gyptian army. Then he made them panic. 2% The wheels of the chariots !ecame st+ck. 3t was very hard to control the chariots. The -gyptians sho+ted, ets get o+t of here" The 5.D is fighting against +s. $e is fighting for the 3sraelites. 2& Then the 5.D told Aoses, .aise yo+r hand over the sea to make the water fall and cover the -gyptian chariots and horse soldiers. 2' So =+st !efore daylight, Aoses raised his hand over the sea. And the water r+shed !ack to its proper level. The -gyptians were r+nning as fast as they co+ld from the water, !+t the 5.D swept them away with the sea. 2( The water ret+rned to its normal level and covered the chariots and horse soldiers. 6haraohs army had !een chasing the 3sraelites, !+t that army was destroyed. 1one of them s+rvived" 2) <+t the 3sraelites crossed the sea on dry land. The water was like a wall on their right and on their left. 3, So that day the 5.D saved the 3sraelites from the -gyptians. ater, the -4od+s 1#.31*1%.& %) 3sraelites saw the dead !odies of the -gyptians on the shore of the .ed Sea. 31 The 3sraelites saw the great power of the 5.D when he defeated the -gyptians. So the people feared and respected the 5.D, and they !egan to tr+st the 5.D and his servant Aoses. 15 1 Then Aoses and the 3sraelites -asy To .ead /ersion

!egan singing this song to the 5.D: 3 will sing to the 5.D" $e has done great things. $e threw horse and rider into the sea. 2 The 5.D is my strength. $e saves me, and 3 sing songs of praise to him. $e is my God, and 3 praise him. $e is the God of my ancestors, and 3 honor him. 3 The 5.D is a great soldier. The 5.D is his name. # $e threw 6haraohs chariots and soldiers into the sea. 6haraohs very !est soldiers drowned in the .ed Sea. % The deep water covered them, and they sank to the !ottom like rocks. & 5.D, yo+r right hand is amaEingly strong. >ith yo+r right hand, 5.D, yo+ !roke the enemy to pieces. -4od+s 1%.'*1% &, ' 3n yo+r great ma=esty yo+ destroyed those who stood against yo+. ;o+r anger destroyed them, like fire !+rning straw. ( The wind yo+ sent in anger piled the water high. The flowing water !ecame a wall, solid to its deepest parts. ) The enemy said, 3ll chase them and catch them. 3ll take all their riches. 3ll take it all with my sword. 3ll take everything for myself. 1, <+t yo+ !lew on them and covered them with the sea. They sank like lead into the deep sea. 11 Are there any gods like the 5.D? 1o, there are no gods like yo+ yo+ are wonderf+lly holy" ;o+ are amaEingly powerf+l" ;o+ do great miracles" 12 ;o+ raised yo+r right hand to p+nish the enemy, and the gro+nd opened +p to swallow them. 13 <+t with yo+r kindness yo+ led the people yo+ saved. And with yo+r strength yo+ led them to yo+r holy land. 1# The other nations will hear this story, and they will !e frightened. The 6hilistines will shake with fear. 1% The commanders of -dom will trem!le. The leaders of Aoa! will !e -4od+s 1%.1&*22 &1 afraid. The people of 9anaan will lose co+rage. pag. ''0131#

1& They will !e filled with fear when they see yo+r strength. They will !e as still as a rock, 5.D, while yo+r people, the ones yo+ made, pass !y. 1' ;o+ will lead yo+r people to yo+r own mo+ntain. ;o+ will let them live !y the place that yo+, 5.D, prepared as yo+r home. 3t is the Temple, ord, that yo+ yo+rself !+ilt. 1( The 5.D will r+le forever and ever" 1) ;es, it really happened" 6haraohs horses and riders, and chariots went into the sea. And the 5.D !ro+ght all the water of the sea down on top of them. <+t the 3sraelites walked thro+gh that sea on dry land. 2, Then Aarons sister, the woman prophet Airiam, took a tam!o+rine. She and the women !egan singing and dancing. 21 Airiam repeated the words, Sing to the 5.D" $e has done great things. $e threw horse and rider into the sea . 22 Aoses led the 3sraelites away from the .ed Sea and into the desert of Sh+r. -4od+s 1%.23*2' &2 They traveled for three days in the desert. They co+ld not find any water. 23 Then they came to Aarah. There was water at Aarah, !+t it was too !itter to drink. 7That is why the place was named Aarah.8 2# The people !egan complaining to Aoses. They said, 1ow what will we drink? 2% So Aoses called to the 5.D, and the 5.D showed him a large piece of wood. >hen Aoses p+t the wood in the water, the water !ecame good to drink. There the 5.D p+t in place a law and a command for him and tested him to see if he wo+ld o!ey. 2& $e said to him, 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3f yo+ listen to me and do what 3 say is right, and if yo+ o!ey all my commands and laws, then 3 will not give yo+ any of the sicknesses that 3 gave the -gyptians. 3 am the 5.D who heals yo+. 2' Then the people traveled to -lim. At -asy To .ead /ersion

-lim there were twelve springs of water and ', palm trees. So the people made their camp there near that water. -4od+s 1&.1*& &3 16 1 Then all the 3sraelites left -lim. They reached the western Sinai desert, !etween -lim and Ao+nt Sinai, on the 1%th day of the second month after leaving -gypt. 2 There in the desert the 3sraelites all !egan complaining to Aoses and Aaron. 3 They said, 3t wo+ld have !een !etter if the 5.D had =+st killed +s in the land of -gypt. At least there we had plenty to eat. >e had all the food we needed. <+t now yo+ have !ro+ght +s o+t here into this desert to make +s all die from h+nger. # Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 3 will ca+se food to fall from the sky. This food will !e for yo+ to eat. -very day the people sho+ld go o+t and gather the food they need that day. 3 will do this to see if they will do what 3 tell them. % -very day the people will gather only eno+gh food for one day. <+t on 2riday, when the people prepare their food, they will see that they have eno+gh food for two days. & So Aoses and Aaron said to the 3sraelites, This evening yo+ will see the power of the 5.D, and yo+ will know -4od+s 1&.'*12 &# that he is the one who !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. ' And in the morning yo+ will see the Glory of the 5.D !eca+se he has heard yo+r complaining against him. ;es, yo+r complaining is against the 5.D, not +s. >e do only what he tells +s to do, so yo+ had no reason to complain against +s. ( Then Aoses said, 3n the evening the 5.D will give yo+ meat to eat, and in the morning yo+ will have all the !read yo+ want. The 5.D will do this !eca+se he has heard yo+r complaining, which was against him, not +s. >hat can we do? >e do only what he tells +s to do, so yo+r complaints are really against the 5.D. pag. '(0131#

) Then Aoses said to Aaron, Tell the whole comm+nity of 3sraelites to come together !efore the 5.D, !eca+se he has heard their complaints. 1, So Aaron spoke to all the 3sraelites. >hile he was talking, the people t+rned and looked into the desert. And they saw the Glory of the 5.D appear in a clo+d. 11 The 5.D said to Aoses, 12 3 have heard the complaints of the 3sraelites. So tell them, This evening yo+ -4od+s 1&.13*1) &% will eat meat. And in the morning yo+ will have all the !read yo+ want. Then yo+ will know yo+ can tr+st the 5.D, yo+r God. 13 That evening, flocks of J+ail came and filled the camp, and in the morning dew lay on the gro+nd all aro+nd it. 1# After the dew was gone, something like thin flakes of frost was on the gro+nd. 1% >hen the 3sraelites saw it, they asked each other, >hat is that? !eca+se they did not know what it was. So Aoses told them, This is the food the 5.D is giving yo+ to eat. 1& The 5.D says, -ach of yo+ sho+ld gather what yo+ need, a !asket of manna for everyone in yo+r family. 1' So that is what the 3sraelites did. Some people gathered a large amo+nt, some people gathered a little. 1( <+t when they meas+red what they had gathered, there was no shortage and there was none left over. -veryone gathered =+st what they needed. 1) Aoses told them, Dont save that food to eat the ne4t day. -4od+s 1&.2,*2% && 2, <+t some of the people did not o!ey Aoses. They saved their food for the ne4t day. <+t worms got into the food and it !egan to stink. Aoses was angry with the people who did this. 21 -very morning the people gathered as m+ch food as they co+ld eat, !+t !y noon the food melted and was gone. 22 5n 2riday the people gathered twice as m+ch foodtwo !askets for every -asy To .ead /ersion

person. So all the leaders of the people came and told this to Aoses. 23 Aoses told them, This is what the 5.D said wo+ld happen. 3t happened !eca+se tomorrow is the Sa!!ath, the special day of rest to honor the 5.D. ;o+ can cook all the food yo+ need to cook for today, !+t save the rest of this food for tomorrow morning. 2# So the people saved the rest of the food for the ne4t day, as Aoses had commanded, and none of the food spoiled or had worms in it. 2% 5n Sat+rday, Aoses told the people, Today is the Sa!!ath, the special day of rest to honor the 5.D. So none of yo+ sho+ld !e o+t in the fields. -at the food yo+ gathered yesterday. -4od+s 1&.2&*33 &' 2& ;o+ sho+ld gather the food for si4 days. <+t the seventh day of the week is a day of restso there will not !e any of the special food on the gro+nd. 2' 5n Sat+rday, some of the people went o+t to gather some of the food, !+t they co+ld not find any. 2( Then the 5.D said to Aoses, $ow long will yo+ people ref+se to o!ey my commands and teachings? 2) ook, the 5.D has made the Sa!!ath a day of rest for yo+. So on 2riday he will give yo+ eno+gh food for two days. Then, on the Sa!!ath, each of yo+ sho+ld sit down and rela4. Stay where yo+ are. 3, So the people rested on the Sa!!ath. 31 The people called the special food manna. 3t was like small white coriander seeds and tasted like thin cakes made with honey. 32 Aoses told the people what the 5.D said: Save a !asket of this food for yo+r descendants. Then they can see the food that 3 gave to yo+ in the desert when 3 took yo+ o+t of -gypt. 33 So Aoses told Aaron, Take a =ar and fill it with a f+ll !asket of manna. Save -4od+s 1&.3#*1'.3 &( this manna to p+t !efore the 5.D. Save it for o+r descendants. pag. ')0131#

3# 7Aaron did what the 5.D had commanded Aoses. Aaron p+t the =ar of manna in front of the <o4 of the Agreement.8 3% The people ate the manna for #, years, +ntil they came to the land of rest, that is, +ntil they came to the edge of the land of 9anaan. 3& 7The meas+re they +sed for the manna was an omer. An omer was a!o+t ( c+ps.8 17 1 The 3sraelites left the western Sinai desert. They all traveled together from place to place as the 5.D commanded. They camped at .ephidim, !+t there was no water there for the people to drink. 2 So they t+rned against Aoses and started arg+ing with him. They said, Give +s water to drink. Aoses said to them, >hy have yo+ t+rned against me? >hy are yo+ testing the 5.D? 3 <+t the people were very thirsty, so they contin+ed complaining to Aoses. They said, >hy did yo+ !ring +s o+t of -gypt? Did yo+ !ring +s o+t here so that -4od+s 1'.#*) &) we, o+r children, and o+r cattle will all die witho+t water? # So Aoses cried to the 5.D, >hat can 3 do with these people? They are ready to kill me. % The 5.D said to Aoses, Go !efore the 3sraelites. Take some of the elders of the people with yo+. 9arry yo+r walking stick with yo+. This is the stick that yo+ +sed when yo+ hit the 1ile .iver. & 3 will stand !efore yo+ on a rock at $ore!. $it that rock with the walking stick and water will come o+t of it. Then the people can drink. Aoses did these things and the elders of 3srael saw it. ' Aoses named that place Aeri!ah and Aassah, !eca+se this was the place that the 3sraelites t+rned against him and tested the 5.D. The people wanted to know if the 5.D was with them or not. ( At .ephidim the Amalekites came and fo+ght against the 3sraelites. ) So Aoses said to Cosh+a, 9hoose some -asy To .ead /ersion

men and go and fight the Amalekites tomorrow. 3 will stand on the top of the hill and watch yo+. 3 will !e holding the walking stick God gave me. -4od+s 1'.1,*1& ', 1, Cosh+a o!eyed Aoses and went to fight the Amalekites the ne4t day. At the same time Aoses, Aaron, and $+r went to the top of the hill. 11 Any time Aoses held his hands in the air, the men of 3srael wo+ld start winning the fight. <+t when Aoses p+t his hands down, the men of 3srael !egan to lose the fight. 12 After some time, Aoses arms !ecame tired. So they p+t a large rock +nder Aoses for him to sit on. Then Aaron and $+r held Aoses hands in the air. Aaron was on one side of Aoses and $+r was on the other side. They held his hands +p like this +ntil the s+n went down. 13 So Cosh+a and his men defeated the Amalekites in this !attle. 1# Then the 5.D said to Aoses, >rite a!o+t this !attle. >rite these things in a !ook so that people will remem!er what happened here. And !e s+re to tell Cosh+a that 3 will completely destroy the Amalekites from the earth. 1% Then Aoses !+ilt an altar and named it, The 5.D is Ay 2lag. 1& Aoses said, 3 lifted my hands toward the 5.D@S throne. So the 5.D fo+ght -4od+s 1(.1*& '1 against the Amalekites, as he always has. 18 1 Cethro, Aoses fatherDinDlaw, was a priest in Aidian. $e heard a!o+t the many ways that God helped Aoses and the 3sraelites. $e heard a!o+t the 5.D leading the 3sraelites o+t of -gypt. 2 So Cethro went to Aoses while Aoses was camped near the mo+ntain of God. Cethro !ro+ght Aoses wife, Bipporah, with him. 7Bipporah was not with Aoses, !eca+se Aoses had sent her home.8 3 Cethro also !ro+ght Aoses two sons with him. The first son was named Gershom, !eca+se when he was !orn, Aoses said, 3 am a stranger in a foreign pag. (,0131#

co+ntry. # The other son was named -lieEer, !eca+se when he was !orn, Aoses said, The God of my father helped me and saved me from the king of -gypt. % So Cethro went to Aoses while Aoses was camped in the desert near the mo+ntain of God. Aoses wife and his two sons were with Cethro. & Cethro sent a message to Aoses that said, This is yo+r fatherDinDlaw Cethro. 3 -4od+s 1(.'*12 '2 am !ringing yo+r wife and her two sons to yo+. ' So Aoses went o+t to meet his fatherDinDlaw. Aoses !owed down !efore him and kissed him. The two men asked a!o+t each others health. Then they went into Aoses tent to talk more. ( Aoses told Cethro everything the 5.D had done for the 3sraelites. $e told what the ord did to 6haraoh and the people of -gypt. $e told a!o+t all the pro!lems they had along the way. And he told his fatherDinDlaw how the 5.D saved the 3sraelites every time there was tro+!le. ) Cethro was happy when he heard all the good things the 5.D had done for 3srael. $e was glad that the ord had freed the 3sraelites from the -gyptians. 1, $e said, 6raise the 5.D" $e freed yo+ from the power of -gypt. $e saved yo+ from 6haraoh. 11 1ow 3 know the 5.D is greater than all the gods. They tho+ght they were in control, !+t look what God did" 12 Cethro got some sacrifices and offerings to honor God. Then Aaron and all the elders of 3srael came to eat with -4od+s 1(.13*1) '3 Aoses fatherDinDlaw Cethro. They all ate together there with God. 13 The ne4t day, Aoses had the special =o! of =+dging the people. There were so many people that they had to stand !efore him all day. 1# Cethro saw Aoses =+dging the people. $e asked, >hy are yo+ doing this? >hy are yo+ the only =+dge? And why do people come to yo+ all day? -asy To .ead /ersion

1% Then Aoses said to his fatherDinDlaw, The people come to me and ask me to ask for Gods decision for their pro!lem. 1& 3f people have an arg+ment, they come to me, and 3 decide which person is right. 3n this way 3 teach the people Gods laws and teachings. 1' <+t Aoses fatherDinDlaw said to him, This isnt the right way to do this. 1( 3t is too m+ch work for yo+ to do alone. ;o+ cannot do this =o! !y yo+rself. 3t wears yo+ o+t. And it makes the people tired too. 1) 1ow, listen to me. et me give yo+ some advice. And 3 pray God will !e with yo+. ;o+ sho+ld contin+e listening to the pro!lems of the people. And yo+ sho+ld -4od+s 1(.2,*2# '# contin+e to speak to God a!o+t these things. 2, ;o+ sho+ld e4plain Gods laws and teachings to the people. >arn them not to !reak the laws. Tell them the right way to live and what they sho+ld do. 21 <+t yo+ sho+ld also choose some of the people to !e =+dges and leaders. 9hoose good men yo+ can tr+stmen who respect God. 9hoose men who will not change their decisions for money. Aake these men r+lers over the people. There sho+ld !e r+lers over 1,,, people, 1,, people, %, people, and even over ten people. 22 et these r+lers =+dge the people. 3f there is a very important case, then they can come to yo+ and let yo+ decide what to do. <+t they can decide the other cases themselves. 3n this way these men will share yo+r work with yo+, and it will !e easier for yo+ to lead the people. 23 3f yo+ do this as God directs yo+, then yo+ will !e a!le to do yo+r =o! witho+t tiring yo+rself o+t. And the people can still have all their pro!lems solved !efore they ret+rn home. 2# So Aoses did what Cethro told him. -4od+s 1(.2%*1).# '% 2% Aoses chose good men from among the 3sraelites. $e made them leaders over the people. There were r+lers over pag. (10131#

1,,, people, 1,, people, %, people, and ten people. 2& These r+lers were =+dges for the people. The people co+ld always !ring their arg+ments to these r+lers, and Aoses had to decide only the most important cases. 2' After a short time, Aoses said good!ye to his fatherDinDlaw Cethro, and Cethro went !ack to his own home. 19 1 3n the third month of their trip from -gypt, the 3sraelites reached the desert of Sinai. 2 They had traveled there from .ephidim. They camped in the desert near Ao+nt Sinai. 3 Then Aoses clim!ed +p the mo+ntain to meet with God. The 5.D spoke to him on the mo+ntain and said, Tell this to the 3sraelites, the great family of Caco!: # ;o+ people saw what 3 did to the people of -gypt. ;o+ saw that 3 carried yo+ o+t of -gypt like an eagle and !ro+ght yo+ here to me. -4od+s 1).%*1, '& % So now 3 tell yo+ to o!ey my commands and keep my agreement. So if yo+ do this, yo+ will !e my own special people. The whole world !elongs to me, !+t 3 am choosing yo+ to !e my own special people. & ;o+ will !e a special nationa kingdom of priests. Aoses, yo+ m+st tell the 3sraelites what 3 have said. ' So Aoses clim!ed down the mo+ntain and called the elders of the people together. Aoses told the elders everything the 5.D had commanded him to tell them. ( All the people spoke at the same time and said, >e will o!ey everything the 5.D says. Then Aoses went !ack +p the mo+ntain and told the ord that the people wo+ld o!ey him. ) Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 3 will come to yo+ in the thick clo+d. 3 will speak to yo+. All the people will hear me talking to yo+. 3 will do this so that they will always !elieve what yo+ tell -asy To .ead /ersion

them. Then Aoses told God everything the people had said. 1, And the 5.D said to Aoses, Today and tomorrow yo+ m+st prepare the -4od+s 1).11*1& '' people for a special meeting. They m+st wash their clothes 11 and !e ready for me on the third day. 5n the third day, the 5.D will come down to Ao+nt Sinai. And all the people will see me. 12 <+t yo+ m+st tell the people to stay away from the mo+ntain. Aake a line and dont let them cross it. Any person or animal that to+ches the mo+ntain m+st !e killed with stones or shot with arrows. <+t dont let anyone to+ch them. The people m+st wait +ntil the tr+mpet !lows. 5nly then can they go +p the mo+ntain. 13 71):128 1# So Aoses clim!ed down the mo+ntain and went to the people. $e got them ready for the special meeting and they washed their clothes. 1% Then Aoses said to the people, <e ready for the meeting with God in three days. Hntil that time do not have se4+al relations. 1& 5n the morning of the third day, a thick clo+d came down onto the mo+ntain. There was th+nder and lightning and a very lo+d so+nd from a -4od+s 1).1'*22 '( tr+mpet. All the people in the camp were frightened. 1' Then Aoses led the people o+t of the camp to a place near the mo+ntain to meet God. 1( Ao+nt Sinai was covered with smoke. Smoke rose off the mo+ntain like smoke from a f+rnace. This happened !eca+se the 5.D came down to the mo+ntain in fire. Also the whole mo+ntain !egan to shake. 1) The noise from the tr+mpet !ecame lo+der and lo+der. -very time Aoses spoke to God, God answered him with a voice like th+nder. 2, So the 5.D came down to Ao+nt pag. (20131#

Sinai. $e came from heaven to the top of the mo+ntain. Then he called Aoses to come +p to the top of the mo+ntain with him. So Aoses went +p the mo+ntain. 21 The 5.D said to Aoses, Go down and warn the people not to come near me and look at me. 3f they do, many will die. 22 Also tell the priests who come near the 5.D that they m+st prepare themselves for this special meeting. 3f they dont, 3, the 5.D, will p+nish them. -4od+s 1).23*2,.% ') 23 Aoses said to the 5.D, <+t the people cannot come +p the mo+ntain. ;o+ yo+rself told +s to make a line and not allow the people to cross the line to holy gro+nd. 2# The 5.D said to him, Go down to the people. Get Aaron and !ring him !ack with yo+. <+t dont let the priests or the people come near me. 3 will p+nish them if they come too close. 2% So Aoses went down to the people and told them these things. 20 1 Then God said, 2 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 led yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt where yo+ were slaves. These are the commands 3 give yo+: 3 ;o+ m+st not worship any other gods e4cept me. # ;o+ m+st not make any idols. Dont make any stat+es or pict+res of anything +p in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water. % Dont worship or serve idols of any kind, !eca+se 3, the 5.D, am yo+r God. 3 hate my people worshiping other gods. 6eople who sin against me !ecome my enemies, and 3 will p+nish -4od+s 2,.&*11 (, them. And 3 will p+nish their children, their grandchildren, and even their greatDgrandchildren. & <+t 3 will !e very kind to people who love me and o!ey my commands. 3 will !e kind to their families for tho+sands of generations. ' ;o+ m+st not +se the name of the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D yo+r God to make empty promises. 3f yo+ do, the 5.D will not let yo+ go +np+nished. ( ;o+ m+st remem!er to keep the Sa!!ath a special day. ) ;o+ may work si4 days a week to do yo+r =o!. 1, <+t the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the 5.D yo+r God. So on that day no one sho+ld worknot yo+, yo+r sons and da+ghters, or yo+r men and women slaves. -ven yo+r animals and the foreigners living in yo+r cities m+st not work" 11 That is !eca+se the 5.D worked si4 days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, he rested. 3n this way the 5.D !lessed the Sa!!aththe day of rest. $e made that a very special day. -4od+s 2,.12*1) (1 12 ;o+ m+st honor and respect yo+r father and yo+r mother. Do this so that yo+ will have a f+ll life in the land that the 5.D yo+r God gives yo+. 13 ;o+ m+st not m+rder anyone. 1# ;o+ m+st not commit ad+ltery. 1% ;o+ m+st not steal anything. 1& ;o+ m+st not tell lies a!o+t other people. 1' ;o+ m+st not want to take yo+r neigh!ors ho+se. ;o+ m+st not want his wife. And yo+ m+st not want his men and women servants or his cattle or his donkeys. ;o+ m+st not want to take anything that !elongs to another person. 1( D+ring all this time, the people in the valley heard the th+ndering and saw the lightning on the mo+ntain. They saw smoke rising from the mo+ntain and heard the so+nd of the tr+mpet. They were afraid and shook with fear. They stood away from the mo+ntain and watched. 1) Then the people said to Aoses, 3f yo+ want to speak to +s, then we will listen. <+t please dont let God speak to +s. 3f this happens, we will die. -4od+s 2,.2,*2& (2 2, Then Aoses said to them, Dont !e pag. (30131#

afraid" God has come to test yo+. $e wants yo+ to respect him so that yo+ will not sin. 21 The people stood far away from the mo+ntain while Aoses went to the dark clo+d where God was. 22 Then the 5.D told Aoses to say this to the 3sraelites: ;o+ people have seen that 3 talked with yo+ from heaven. 23 So yo+ m+st not make idols +sing gold or silver to compete with me. ;o+ m+st not make these false gods. 2# Aake a special altar for me. ;o+ sho+ld +se dirt to make this altar. 5ffer sheep and cattle as !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings on this altar. Do this in every place where 3 tell yo+ to remem!er me. Then 3 will come and !less yo+. 2% <+t if yo+ +se stones to make an altar, then dont +se stones that were c+t with an iron tool. 3f yo+ do that, it will make the altar +naccepta!le. 2& And yo+ m+st not make steps leading +p to the altar. 3f there are steps, when people look +p to the altar, they will !e a!le to see +nder yo+r clothes. -4od+s 21.1*& (3 21 1 Then God said to Aoses, These are the other laws that yo+ will give to the people: 2 3f yo+ !+y a $e!rew slave, then that slave will serve for only si4 years. After si4 years, he will !e free, and he will have to pay nothing. 3 3f he is not married when he !ecomes yo+r slave, when he !ecomes free, he will leave witho+t a wife. <+t if the man is married when he !ecomes yo+r slave, then he will keep his wife at the time he is made free. # 3f the slave is not married, the master can give him a wife. 3f that wife gives !irth to sons or da+ghters, she and her children will !elong to the master. After the slave is finished with his years of service, he will !e made free. % <+t if the slave decides that he wants to stay with the master, he m+st say, 3 love my master. 3 love my wife and my -asy To .ead /ersion

children. 3 will not !ecome free3 will stay. & 3f this happens, the master will !ring the slave !efore God. The master will take the slave to a door or the wooden frame aro+nd the door and pierce the slaves ear +sing a sharp tool to show -4od+s 21.'*12 (# that the slave will serve that master for all his life. ' A man might decide to sell his da+ghter as a slave. 3f this happens, the r+les for making her free are not the same as the r+les for making the men slaves free. ( 3f the master who chose her for himself is not pleased with her, then he can sell the woman !ack to her father. 3f the master !roke his promise to marry her, he loses the right to sell her to other people. ) 3f the master promised to let the slave woman marry his son, he m+st treat her like a da+ghter, not like a slave. 1, 3f the master marries another woman, he m+st not give less food or clothing to the first wife. And he m+st contin+e to give her what she has a right to have in marriage. 11 The man m+st do these three things for her. 3f he does not, the woman is made free, and it will cost her nothing. She owes no money to the man. 12 >hoever hits and kills someone m+st !e killed too. -4od+s 21.13*1) (% 13 <+t if an accident happens, and a person kills someone witho+t planning it, then God allowed that thing to happen. 3 will choose some special places where people can r+n to for safety. So that person can r+n to one of those places. 1# <+t whoever plans to kill someone o+t of anger or hatred m+st !e p+nished. Take them away from my altar and kill them. 1% >hoever hits their father or their mother m+st !e killed. 1& >hoever steals someone to sell them as a slave or to keep them for their own slave m+st !e killed. pag. (#0131#

1' >hoever c+rses their father or mother m+st !e killed. 1( Two men might arg+e and one might hit the other with a rock or with his fist. 3f the man who was h+rt is not killed, the man who h+rt him sho+ld not !e killed. 1) 3f the man was h+rt and m+st stay in !ed for some time, the man who h+rt him m+st s+pport him. The man who h+rt him m+st pay for the loss of his time. $e m+st s+pport him +ntil he is completely healed. -4od+s 21.2,*2& (& 2, Sometimes people !eat their slaves. 3f the slave dies after !eing !eaten, the killer m+st !e p+nished. 21 <+t if the slave gets +p after a few days, then the master will not !e p+nished. That is !eca+se someone paid their money for the slave, and the slave !elongs to them. 22 Two men might !e fighting and h+rt a pregnant woman. This might make the woman give !irth to her !a!y !efore its time. 3f the woman was not h+rt !adly, the man who h+rt her m+st pay a fine. The womans h+s!and will decide how m+ch the man m+st pay. The =+dges will help the man decide how m+ch the fine will !e. 23 <+t if the woman was h+rt !adly, then the man who h+rt her m+st !e p+nished. The p+nishment m+st fit the crime. ;o+ m+st trade one life for another life. 2# ;o+ m+st trade an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 2% a !+rn for a !+rn, a !r+ise for a !r+ise, a c+t for a c+t. 2& 3f a man hits a slave in the eye, and the slave is !linded in that eye, then the -4od+s 21.2'*31 (' slave will !e allowed to go free. $is eye is the payment for his freedom. This is the same for a man or a woman slave. 2' 3f a master hits his slave in the mo+th, and the slave loses a tooth, then the slave will !e allowed to go free. The slaves tooth is payment for the slaves freedom. This is the same for a man or a -asy To .ead /ersion

woman slave. 2( 3f a mans !+ll kills a man or woman, then yo+ sho+ld kill that !+ll with stones. ;o+ sho+ld not eat the !+ll. The owner of the !+ll is not g+ilty. 2) <+t if the !+ll had h+rt people in the past, and if the owner was warned, then the owner is g+ilty. That is !eca+se he did not keep the !+ll tied or locked in its place. So if the !+ll is allowed to !e free and kills someone, the owner is g+ilty. ;o+ sho+ld kill the !+ll with stones and also kill the owner. 3, <+t the family of the dead man may accept money. 3f they accept money, the man who owned the !+ll sho+ld not !e killed. <+t he m+st pay as m+ch money as the =+dge decides. 31 This same law m+st !e followed if the !+ll kills someones son or da+ghter. -4od+s 21.32*3& (( 32 <+t if the !+ll kills a slave, the owner of the animal m+st pay the master 3, pieces of silver. And the !+ll m+st also !e killed with stones. This law will !e the same for men and women slaves. 33 A man might take a cover off a well or dig a hole and not cover it. 3f another mans animal comes and falls into that hole, the man who owns the hole is g+ilty. 3# The man who owns the hole m+st pay for the animal. <+t after he pays for the animal, he will !e allowed to keep the !ody of that animal. 3% 3f one mans !+ll kills another mans !+ll, they sho+ld sell the !+ll that is alive. <oth men will get half of the money that comes from selling the !+ll, and !oth men will also get half of the !+ll that was killed. 3& <+t if a mans !+ll has h+rt other animals in the past, that owner is responsi!le for his !+ll. 3f his !+ll kills another !+ll, he is g+ilty !eca+se he allowed the !+ll to !e free. That man m+st pay !+ll for !+ll. $e m+st trade his !+ll for the !+ll that was killed. -4od+s 22.1*& () 22 1 $ow sho+ld yo+ p+nish a man pag. (%0131#

who steals a !+ll or a sheep? 3f the man kills the animal or sells it, then he cannot give it !ack. So he m+st pay five !+lls for the one he stole. 5r he m+st pay fo+r sheep for the one he stole. $e m+st pay for stealing. 2 3f he owns nothing, then he will !e sold as a slave. <+t if the man still has the animal and yo+ find it, that man m+st give the owner two animals for every animal he stole. 3t doesnt matter if the animal was a !+ll, a donkey, or a sheep. 3f a thief is killed while trying to !reak into a ho+se at night, then no one will !e g+ilty for killing him. <+t if this happens d+ring the day, the one who killed him will !e g+ilty of m+rder. 3 722:28 # 722:28 % A man might let his animal loose to graEe in his field or vineyard. 3f the animal wanders into another persons field or vineyard, then the owner m+st pay. The payment m+st come from the !est of his crop. & A man might start a fire to !+rn thorn!+shes on his field. <+t if the fire -4od+s 22.'*1, ), grows and !+rns his neigh!ors crops or the grain growing on the neigh!ors field, the man who started the fire m+st pay for what he !+rned. ' Someone might give some money or tools to a neigh!or for safekeeping. >hat sho+ld yo+ do if someone steals those things from the neigh!ors ho+se? 3f yo+ find the one who stole them, then that thief m+st pay twice as m+ch as the things are worth. ( 3f yo+ dont find the thief, then the owner of the ho+se m+st go !efore the =+dges who will decide if that person is g+ilty. ) >hat sho+ld yo+ do if two men disagree a!o+t a !+ll or a donkey or sheep or clothing or something that is lost? 5ne man says, This is mine, and the other says, 1o, it is mine. <oth men sho+ld go !efore the =+dges who will decide who is g+ilty. The one who was -asy To .ead /ersion

wrong m+st pay the other man twice as m+ch as the thing is worth. 1, A man might ask his neigh!or to take care of an animal for a short time. 3t might !e a donkey, a !+ll, or a sheep. <+t what sho+ld yo+ do if that animal is -4od+s 22.11*1% )1 h+rt or dies or someone takes the animal while no one is looking? 11 That neigh!or m+st e4plain that he did not steal the animal. 3f this is tr+e, the neigh!or will promise to the 5.D that he did not steal it. The owner of the animal m+st accept this promise. The neigh!or does not have to pay the owner for the animal. 12 <+t if the neigh!or stole the animal, then he m+st pay the owner for the animal. 13 3f wild animals killed the animal, then the neigh!or sho+ld !ring the !ody as proof. The neigh!or will not have to pay the owner for the animal that was killed. 1# 3f a man !orrows an animal from his neigh!or, and the animal is h+rt or dies, then the neigh!or m+st pay the owner for the animal. The neigh!or is responsi!le, !eca+se the owner was not there himself. 1% <+t if the owner was there, then the neigh!or does not have to pay. 5r if the neigh!or was paying money to +se the animal for work, he will not have to pay if the animal dies or is h+rt. The money -4od+s 22.1&*22 )2 he paid to +se the animal will !e eno+gh payment. 1& 3f a man has se4+al relations with a virgin who he is not engaged to, then he m+st pay her father the f+ll amo+nt necessary to marry her. 1' 3f the father ref+ses to allow his da+ghter to marry him, then the man m+st still pay the f+ll amo+nt for her. 1( ;o+ m+st not allow any woman to do evil magic. 3f she does magic, yo+ m+st not let her live. 1) ;o+ m+st not allow anyone to have se4+al relations with an animal. 3f this happens, that person m+st !e killed. pag. (&0131#

2, >hoever makes a sacrifice to a false god sho+ld !e destroyed. The 5.D is the only one yo+ sho+ld make sacrifices to. 21 .emem!er, in the past yo+ were foreigners in the land of -gypt. So yo+ sho+ld not cheat or h+rt anyone who is a foreigner in yo+r land. 22 ;o+ m+st never do anything !ad to women whose h+s!ands are dead or to orphans. -4od+s 22.23*3, )3 23 3f yo+ do anything wrong to these widows or orphans, 3 will know it. 3 will hear a!o+t their s+ffering. 2# And 3 will !e very angry. 3 will kill yo+ with a sword. Then yo+r wives will !ecome widows, and yo+r children will !ecome orphans. 2% 3f yo+ loan money to any of my people, that is, the poor among yo+, dont !e like a moneylender and charge them interest. 2& ;o+ might take their cloak to make s+re they pay the money !ack, !+t yo+ m+st give that cloak !ack to them !efore s+nset. 2' That cloak might !e their only protection against the cold when they lie down to sleep. 3f they call to me for help, 3 will listen !eca+se 3 am kind. 2( ;o+ m+st not c+rse God or the leaders of yo+r people. 2) At harvest time yo+ sho+ld give me the first grain and the first =+ice from yo+r fr+it. Dont wait +ntil late in the year. Give me yo+r first!orn sons. 3, Also, give me yo+r first!orn cattle and sheep. et the first!orn stay with -4od+s 22.31*23.% )# its mother for seven days. Then on the eighth day, give him to me. 31 ;o+ are my special people. So dont eat the meat from something that was killed !y wild animals. et the dogs eat that dead animal. 23 1 Dont tell lies against other people. 3f yo+ are a witness in co+rt, dont agree to help a !ad person tell lies. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 Dont do something =+st !eca+se everyone else is doing it. 3f yo+ see a gro+p of people doing wrong, dont =oin them. ;o+ m+st not let them pers+ade yo+ to do wrong thingsyo+ m+st do what is right and fair. 3 3n co+rt, dont treat a person in a special way simply !eca+se that person is poor. # 3f yo+ see a lost !+ll or donkey, then yo+ m+st ret+rn it to its ownereven if the owner is yo+r enemy. % 3f yo+ see an animal that cannot walk !eca+se it has too m+ch to carry, yo+ m+st stop and help that animal. ;o+ m+st help that animal even if it !elongs to one of yo+r enemies. -4od+s 23.&*11 )% & 3n co+rt, dont let anyone take advantage of a person simply !eca+se that person is poor. ' <e very caref+l if yo+ say that someone is g+ilty of something. Dont make false charges against a person. 1ever allow innocent people to !e killed as p+nishment for something they did not do. >hoever kills an innocent person is evil, and 3 will not treat a g+ilty person as innocent. ( 3f someone tries to pay yo+ to agree with them when they are wrong, dont accept that payment. A payment like that can !lind =+dges so that they cannot see the tr+th. 3t can make good people tell lies. ) ;o+ m+st never do wrong things to a foreigner. .emem!er, yo+ know what it is like to !e a foreigner !eca+se at one time yo+ were foreigners in the land of -gypt. 1, 6lant seeds, harvest yo+r crops, and work the gro+nd for si4 years. 11 <+t the seventh year m+st !e a special time of rest for the land. Dont plant anything in yo+r fields. 3f any crops grow there, allow the poor to have it. -4od+s 23.12*1& )& And allow the wild animals to eat the food that is left. ;o+ sho+ld do the same with yo+r vineyards and with yo+r fields pag. ('0131#

of olive trees. 12 >ork for si4 days, !+t on the seventh day, rest" This will allow yo+r slaves and other workers a time to rest and rela4. And yo+r !+lls and donkeys will also have a time of rest. 13 <e s+re that yo+ o!ey all these laws. Dont worship false gods. ;o+ sho+ld not even speak their names" 1# ;o+ will have three special festivals each year. ;o+ m+st come to my special place to worship me d+ring these festivals. 1% The first festival is the 2estival of Hnleavened <read. This is as 3 commanded yo+. D+ring this time yo+ will eat !read that is made witho+t yeast. This will contin+e for seven days. ;o+ will do this d+ring the month of A!i!, !eca+se this is the time when yo+ came o+t of -gypt. -veryone m+st !ring a sacrifice to me at that time. 1& The second festival will !e the 2estival of $arvest. This festival will !e d+ring the early s+mmer when yo+ -4od+s 23.1'*21 )' !egin harvesting the first crops that yo+ planted in yo+r fields. The third festival will !e the 2estival of Shelters. This will !e in the fall, when yo+ finish gathering the rest of the crops from yo+r fields. 1' So three times each year all the men will come to the special place to !e with the ord G5D. 1( >hen yo+ kill an animal and offer its !lood as a sacrifice, yo+ m+st not incl+de anything that has yeast in it. And when yo+ !+rn the fat from my sacrifice, dont let any of it remain +ntil morning. 1) >hen yo+ gather yo+r crops at harvest time, yo+ sho+ld !ring the first of everything yo+ harvest to the ho+se of the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ m+st not eat the meat from a yo+ng goat that is !oiled in its mothers milk. 2, 3 am sending an angel !efore yo+ to protect yo+ along the way and to lead yo+ to the place that 3 have prepared for yo+. 21 5!ey the angel and follow him. <e -asy To .ead /ersion

caref+l in his presence, and dont re!el against him. The angel will not forgive the wrong things yo+ do to him. $e has my power in him. -4od+s 23.22*2' )( 22 3f yo+ listen to what he says and do everything 3 tell yo+, then 3 will !e an enemy to all of yo+r enemies. 3 will !e against everyone who is against yo+. 23 Ay angel will lead yo+ thro+gh the land. $e will lead yo+ against many different peoplethe Amorites, $ittites, 6eriEEites, 9anaanites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. <+t 3 will defeat all of them. 2# Dont worship their gods. Dont ever !ow down to those gods. ;o+ m+st never live the way those people live. ;o+ m+st destroy their idols. And yo+ m+st !reak the stones that help them remem!er their gods. 2% ;o+ m+st serve the 5.D yo+r God. 3f yo+ do this, 3 will !less yo+ with plenty of !read and water. 3 will take away all sickness from yo+. 2& ;o+r women will all !e a!le to have !a!ies. 1one of their !a!ies will die at !irth. And 3 will allow yo+ to live long lives. 2' >hen yo+ fight against yo+r enemies, 3 will send my great power !efore yo+. 3 will help yo+ defeat all yo+r enemies. The people who are against yo+ will !ecome conf+sed in !attle and r+n away. -4od+s 23.2(*33 )) 2( 3 will send the hornet in front of yo+. $e will force yo+r enemies to leave. The $ivites, 9anaanites, and $ittites will leave yo+r co+ntry. 2) <+t 3 will not force all of them o+t of yo+r land J+ickly. 3 will not do this in only one year. The land will !e empty if 3 force the people o+t too fast. Then all the wild animals wo+ld increase and control the land. And they wo+ld !e m+ch tro+!le for yo+. 3, So 3 will force them o+t of yo+r land very slowly. 3 will do this as yo+ grow and event+ally take the land to !e yo+r own. 31 3 will give yo+ all the land from the pag. ((0131#

.ed Sea to the Aediterranean Sea, and from the desert of Sinai to the -+phrates .iver. 3 will let yo+ defeat the people living there and force them all to leave. 32 ;o+ m+st not make any agreements with any of those people or their gods. 33 Dont let them stay in yo+r co+ntry. 3f yo+ let them stay, they will !e like a trap to yo+they will ca+se yo+ to sin against me. And yo+ will !egin worshiping their gods. -4od+s 2#.1*& 1,, 24 1 The 5.D told Aoses, ;o+, Aaron, 1ada!, A!ih+, and the ', elders of 3srael m+st come +p the mo+ntain and worship me from a distance. 2 Then only Aoses will come close to the 5.D. The other men m+st not come close, and the rest of the people m+st not even come +p the mo+ntain. 3 Aoses told the people all the r+les and commands from the 5.D. Then all the people said, >e will o!ey all the commands that the 5.D has spoken. # So Aoses wrote down all the commands of the 5.D. The ne4t morning he got +p and !+ilt an altar near the !ottom of the mo+ntain. And he set +p twelve stonesone for each of the twelve tri!es of 3srael. % Then Aoses sent yo+ng men of 3srael to offer sacrifices. These men offered !+lls to the 5.D as !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings. & Aoses saved the !lood from these animals. $e p+t half of the !lood in !owls, and he po+red the other half of the !lood on the altar. -4od+s 2#.'*12 1,1 ' Aoses read the scroll with the special agreement written on it. $e read the agreement so that all the people co+ld hear him. And the people said, >e have heard the laws that the 5.D has given +s. And we agree to o!ey them. ( Then Aoses held the !owls f+ll of the !lood from the sacrifices. $e threw that !lood on the people. $e said, This !lood shows that the 5.D has made a special -asy To .ead /ersion

agreement with yo+. The laws God gave yo+ e4plain the agreement. ) Then Aoses, Aaron, 1ada!, A!ih+, and the ', elders of 3srael went +p the mo+ntain. 1, 5n the mo+ntain, these men saw the God of 3srael. $e was standing on something that looked like !l+e sapphires, as clear as the sky" 11 All the leaders of 3srael saw God, !+t God did not destroy them. They all ate and drank together. 12 The 5.D said to Aoses, 9ome to me on the mo+ntain. 3 have written my teachings and laws on two stone ta!lets. These teachings and laws are for the people. 3 will give these stone ta!lets to yo+. -4od+s 2#.13*2%.3 1,2 13 So Aoses and his helper, Cosh+a, went +p the mo+ntain of God. 1# Aoses said to the elders, >ait here for +s +ntil we come !ack to yo+. >hile 3 am gone, Aaron and $+r will r+le over yo+. Go to them if anyone has a pro!lem. 1% Then Aoses went +p the mo+ntain, and the clo+d covered the mo+ntain. 1& The Glory of the 5.D came down on Ao+nt Sinai. The clo+d covered the mo+ntain for si4 days. 5n the seventh day, the 5.D spoke to Aoses from the clo+d. 1' The 3sraelites co+ld see the Glory of the 5.D. 3t was like a fire !+rning on top of the mo+ntain. 1( Then Aoses went higher +p the mo+ntain into the clo+d. $e was on the mo+ntain for #, days and #, nights. 25 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites to !ring me gifts. ;o+ will accept gifts for me from everyone who is willing to give. 3 $ere is the list of the things that yo+ sho+ld accept from the people: gold, silver, and !ronEeF -4od+s 2%.#*13 1,3 # !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn and fine linenF goat hair, % ram skins dyed red, and fine leatherF pag. ()0131#

acacia woodF & oil for the lampsF spices for the anointing oil and spices for the sweetDsmelling incense. ' Also accept ony4 stones and other =ewels to !e p+t on the ephod and the =+dgment po+ch. ( The people will !+ild a holy place for me. Then 3 can live among them. ) 3 will show yo+ what the $oly Tent and everything in it sho+ld look like. <+ild everything e4actly as 3 show yo+. 1, Hse acacia wood and !+ild a special !o4. This $oly <o4 m+st !e 2 102 c+!its long, 1 102 c+!its wide, and 1 102 c+!its high. 11 Hse p+re gold to cover the <o4 inside and o+t. 6+t gold trim aro+nd the edges of the <o4. 12 Aake fo+r gold rings for carrying the <o4. 6+t the gold rings on the fo+r corners, two rings on each side. 13 Then make poles for carrying the <o4. These poles sho+ld !e made from acacia wood and covered with gold. -4od+s 2%.1#*22 1,# 1# 6+t the poles thro+gh the rings on the corners of the <o4. Hse these poles to carry the <o4. 1% These poles sho+ld always stay in the rings of the <o4. Dont take the poles o+t. 1& 3 will give yo+ the Agreement. 6+t it into this <o4. 1' Then make a lid, the mercyDcover. Aake it from p+re gold. Aake it 2 102 c+!its long and 1 102 c+!its wide. 1( Then make two 9her+! angels and p+t them on each end of the mercyDcover. $ammer gold to make these angels. 1) 6+t one angel on one end of the mercyDcover, and p+t the other angel on the other end. Coin the angels together with the mercyDcover to make one piece. 2, The wings of these angels sho+ld spread +p toward the sky. The angels sho+ld cover the <o4 with their wings and sho+ld face each other, looking toward the mercyDcover. 21 3 will give yo+ the Agreement. 6+t it -asy To .ead /ersion

in the <o4, and p+t the mercyDcover on the <o4. 22 >hen 3 meet with yo+, 3 will speak from !etween the 9her+! angels on the -4od+s 2%.23*3, 1,% mercyDcover that is on the <o4 of the Agreement. 2rom that place, 3 will give all my commands to the 3sraelites. 23 Aake a ta!le from acacia wood. The ta!le m+st !e 2 c+!its long, 1 c+!it wide, and 1 102 c+!its high. 2# 9over the ta!le with p+re gold and p+t gold trim aro+nd it. 2% Then make a frame 1 hand!readth wide aro+nd the ta!le. And p+t gold trim on the frame. 2& Then make fo+r gold rings and p+t them on the fo+r corners of the ta!le, where the fo+r legs are. 2' 6+t the rings close to the frame aro+nd the top of the ta!le. These rings will hold the poles +sed to carry the ta!le. 2( Hse acacia wood to make the poles, and cover them with gold. The poles are for carrying the ta!le. 2) Aake the plates, the spoons, the pitchers, and the !owls from p+re gold. The pitchers and !owls will !e +sed for po+ring the drink offerings. 3, 6+t the special !read !efore me on the ta!le. 3t m+st always !e there in front of me. -4od+s 2%.31*3' 1,& 31 Then yo+ m+st make a lampstand. Hse p+re gold and hammer it to make the !ase and the shaft. Aake flowers, !+ds, and petals from p+re gold. Coin all these things together into one piece. 32 The lampstand m+st have si4 !ranchesthree !ranches on one side and three !ranches on the other. 33 -ach !ranch m+st have three flowers. Aake these flowers like almond flowers with !+ds and petals. 3# Aake fo+r more flowers for the lampstand. These flowers m+st !e made like almond flowers with !+ds and petals. 3% There will !e si4 !ranches on the lampstandthree !ranches coming o+t pag. ),0131#

from each side of the shaft. Aake a flower with !+ds and petals !elow each of the three places where the !ranches =oin the shaft. 3& The whole lampstand with the flowers and !ranches m+st !e made from p+re gold. All this gold m+st !e hammered and =oined together into one piece. 3' Then make seven lamps to go on the lampstand. These lamps will give light to the area in front of the lampstand. -4od+s 2%.3(*2&.% 1,' 3( Hse p+re gold to make the lamp sn+ffers and trays. 3) Hse '% po+nds of p+re gold to make the lampstand and the things to !e +sed with it. #, <e very caref+l to make everything e4actly the way 3 showed yo+ on the mo+ntain. 26 1 The $oly Tent sho+ld !e made from ten c+rtains. These c+rtains m+st !e made from fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. A skilled worker sho+ld sew pict+res of 9her+! angels with wings into the c+rtains. 2 Aake each c+rtain the same siEe. -ach c+rtain sho+ld !e 2( c+!its long and # c+!its wide. 3 Coin the c+rtains together into two gro+ps. Coin five c+rtains together to make one gro+p and =oin five c+rtains together to make the other gro+p. # Hse !l+e cloth to make loops along the edge of the end c+rtain in one gro+p. Do the same on the end c+rtain in the other gro+p. % There m+st !e %, loops on the end c+rtain of the first gro+p. And there m+st !e %, loops on the end c+rtain of -4od+s 2&.&*13 1,( the other gro+p. These loops m+st !e opposite each other. & Then make %, gold rings to =oin the c+rtains together. This will =oin the $oly Tent together into one piece. ' Aake another tent that will cover the $oly Tent. Hse eleven c+rtains to make this tent. Aake these c+rtains from goat hair. -asy To .ead /ersion

( All these c+rtains m+st !e the same siEe. They m+st !e 3, c+!its long and # c+!its wide. ) Coin five of the c+rtains together into one gro+p. Then =oin the other si4 c+rtains together into another gro+p. 2old !ack half of the si4th c+rtain at the front of the Tent. 1, Aake %, loops down the edge of the end c+rtain of one gro+p. Do the same for the end c+rtain of the other gro+p. 11 Then make %, !ronEe rings to =oin the c+rtains together. This will =oin the tent together into one piece. 12 $alf of the end c+rtain of this tent will hang down !elow the !ack edge of the $oly Tent. 13 5n the sides, the c+rtains of this tent will hang down 1 c+!it !elow the !ottom -4od+s 2&.1#*22 1,) edges of the $oly Tent. So this tent will completely cover the $oly Tent. 1# Aake two coverings to go over the o+ter tent. 5ne covering sho+ld !e made from ram skins dyed red. The other covering sho+ld !e made from fine leather. 1% Hse acacia wood to make frames to s+pport the $oly Tent. 1& The frames sho+ld !e 1, c+!its high and 1 102 c+!its wide. 1' Two side poles sho+ld !e =oined together with cross pieces to make each frame. All the frames for the $oly Tent m+st !e the same. 1( Aake 2, frames for the so+th side of the $oly Tent. 1) And make #, silver !ases for the frames. -ach frame sho+ld have two silver !ases to go +nder itone !ase for each side pole. 2, Aake 2, more frames for the other side 7the north side8 of the $oly Tent. 21 And make #, silver !ases for these framestwo !ases +nder each frame. 22 Aake si4 more frames for the !ack 7the west side8 of the $oly Tent. -4od+s 2&.23*3, 11, 23 Aake two frames for the corners at the !ack of the $oly Tent. pag. )10131#

2# The frames at the corners sho+ld !e =oined together at the !ottom. At the top a ring will hold the frames together. Do the same for !oth corners. 2% There will !e a total of eight frames for the west end of the Tent. There will !e 1& silver !asestwo !ases +nder each frame. 2& Hse acacia wood and make !races for the frames of the $oly Tent. There sho+ld !e five !races for the first side of the $oly Tent. 2' And there sho+ld !e five !races for the frames on the other side of the $oly Tent. And there sho+ld !e five !races for the frames at the !ack 7the west side8 of the $oly Tent. 2( The middle !race sho+ld pass thro+gh the frames from one end to the other. 2) 9over the frames with gold. And make rings for the frames to hold the !races. Aake these rings from gold. Also cover the !races with gold. 3, <+ild the $oly Tent the way 3 showed yo+ on the mo+ntain. -4od+s 2&.31*3' 111 31 Hse fine linen and make a special c+rtain for the inside of the $oly Tent. Hse !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn and sew pict+res of 9her+! angels into the c+rtain. 32 Aake fo+r posts from acacia wood, and cover the posts with gold. 6+t hooks made from gold on the fo+r posts. 6+t fo+r silver !ases +nder the posts. Then hang the c+rtain on the gold hooks. 33 6+t the c+rtain +nder the gold rings. Then p+t the <o4 of the Agreement !ehind the c+rtain. This c+rtain will separate the $oly 6lace from the Aost $oly 6lace. 3# 6+t the mercyDcover on the <o4 of the Agreement in the Aost $oly 6lace. 3% 6+t the special ta!le yo+ made o+tside of the c+rtain. The ta!le sho+ld !e on the north side of the $oly Tent. Then p+t the lampstand on the so+th side, across from the ta!le. 3& Then make a c+rtain to cover the entrance to the $oly Tent. Hse !l+e, -asy To .ead /ersion

p+rple, and red yarn and fine linen to make this c+rtain. >eave pict+res into it. 3' Aake gold hooks for this c+rtain. Aake five posts +sing acacia wood -4od+s 2'.1*' 112 covered with gold and make five !ronEe !ases for the five posts. 27 1 Hse acacia wood and !+ild an altar. The altar sho+ld !e sJ+are. 3t m+st !e % c+!its long, % c+!its wide, and 3 c+!its high. 2 Aake a horn for each of the fo+r corners of the altar. Coin each horn to its corner so that everything is one piece. Then cover the altar with !ronEe. 3 Hse !ronEe to make all the tools and dishes that will !e +sed on the altar. Aake pots, shovels, !owls, forks, and pans. These will !e +sed for cleaning ashes from the altar. # Aake a grating for the altar. This grating will !e shaped like a net. And make a !ronEe ring at each of the fo+r corners of the grating. % 6+t the grating +nder the ledge at the !ottom of the altar. The grating will go halfway +p into the altar from !elow. & Hse acacia wood to make poles for the altar, and cover them with !ronEe. ' 6+t the poles thro+gh the rings on !oth sides of the altar. Hse these poles for carrying the altar. -4od+s 2'.(*1# 113 ( Aake the altar like an empty !o4 with the sides made from !oards. Aake the altar =+st as 3 showed yo+ on the mo+ntain. ) Aake a co+rtyard for the $oly Tent. The so+th side sho+ld have a wall of c+rtains 1,, c+!its long. These c+rtains m+st !e made from fine linen. 1, Hse 2, posts and 2, !ronEe !ases +nder the posts. The hooks for the posts and the c+rtain rods sho+ld !e made from silver. 11 The north side m+st also have a wall of c+rtains 1,, c+!its long. 3t m+st have 2, posts and 2, !ronEe !ases. The hooks for the posts and the c+rtain rods m+st !e made from silver. pag. )20131#

12 5n the west side of the co+rtyard there m+st !e a wall of c+rtains %, c+!its long. There m+st !e ten posts and ten !ases. 13 The east side of the co+rtyard m+st also !e %, c+!its long. 1# $ere at the entrance to the co+rtyard, one side m+st have c+rtains 1% c+!its long. There m+st !e three posts and three !ases on this side. -4od+s 2'.1%*1) 11# 1% The other side of the entrance m+st also have c+rtains 1% c+!its long. There m+st !e three posts and three !ases on that side. 1& Aake a c+rtain 2, c+!its long to cover the entrance to the co+rtyard. Aake that c+rtain from fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. >eave designs into that c+rtain. There m+st !e fo+r posts and fo+r !ases for that c+rtain. 1' All the posts aro+nd the co+rtyard m+st !e =oined with silver c+rtain rods. The hooks on the posts m+st !e made from silver, and the !ases for the posts m+st !e !ronEe. 1( The co+rtyard sho+ld !e 1,, c+!its long and %, c+!its wide. The wall of c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard sho+ld !e % c+!its high. The c+rtains m+st !e made from fine linen. The !ases +nder the posts m+st !e !ronEe. 1) All the tools, tent pegs, and other things +sed in the $oly Tent m+st !e made from !ronEe. And all the pegs for the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard m+st !e made from !ronEe. -4od+s 2'.2,*2(.# 11% 2, 9ommand the 3sraelites to !ring their !est olive oil for the lamp that m+st !e lit each evening. 21 This lamp is in the first room of the Aeeting Tent, o+tside the c+rtain for the room where the Agreement is. Aaron and his sons will make s+re this lamp is !+rning !efore the 5.D every day from evening +ntil morning. The 3sraelites and their descendants m+st o!ey this law forever. 28 1 Tell yo+r !rother Aaron and -asy To .ead /ersion

his sons, 1ada!, A!ih+, -leaEar, and 3thamar, to come to yo+ from the 3sraelites. These men will serve me as priests. 2 Aake special clothes for yo+r !rother Aaron. These clothes will give him honor and respect. 3 3 have given special wisdom to some of the skilled men. Tell them to make the clothes for Aaron. These clothes will show that he serves me in a special way. Then he can serve me as a priest. # These are the clothes the men sho+ld make: the =+dgment po+ch, the ephod, a !l+e ro!e, a white woven ro!e, a t+r!an, and a cloth !elt. They m+st make these -4od+s 2(.%*11 11& special clothes for yo+r !rother Aaron and his sons. Then Aaron and his sons can serve me as priests. % Tell the men to +se gold thread, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. & Hse gold thread, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn to make the ephod. This m+st !e the work of a very skilled person. ' At each sho+lder of the ephod, there sho+ld !e a sho+lder piece. These sho+lder pieces sho+ld !e tied to the two corners of the ephod. ( The men will very caref+lly weave a cloth !elt for the ephod. This !elt m+st !e made the same way as the ephod+se gold threads, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. ) Take two ony4 stones. >rite the names of the twelve sons of 3srael on these =ewels. 1, >rite si4 names on one =ewel and si4 names on the other =ewel. >rite the names in order, from the oldest son to the yo+ngest. 11 9+t the names of the sons of 3srael into these stones. Do this the way a -4od+s 2(.12*1( 11' worker makes a seal. 6+t the =ewels in gold settings. 12 Then p+t these two =ewels on the sho+lder pieces of the ephod. Aaron will wear this special coat when he stands pag. )30131#

!efore the 5.D. And the two stones with the names of the sons of 3srael will !e on the ephod. These =ewels will ca+se the ord to remem!er the 3sraelites. 13 Hse fine gold to hold the stones on the ephod. 1# Twist chains of p+re gold together like a rope. Aake two of these gold chains and fasten them to the gold settings. 1% Aake the =+dgment po+ch for the high priest. Skilled workers sho+ld make this po+ch =+st as they made the ephod. They m+st +se gold threads, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. 1& The =+dgment po+ch sho+ld !e folded do+!le to make a sJ+are pocket. 3t sho+ld !e 1 span long and 1 span wide. 1' 6+t fo+r rows of !ea+tif+l =ewels on the =+dgment po+ch. The first row of =ewels sho+ld have a r+!y, a topaE, and a !eryl. 1( The second row sho+ld have a t+rJ+oise, a sapphire, and an emerald. -4od+s 2(.1)*2& 11( 1) The third row sho+ld have a =acinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 2, The fo+rth row sho+ld have a chrysolite, an ony4, and a =asper. Set all these =ewels in gold. 21 There will !e twelve =ewels on the =+dgment po+chone stone for each of the sons of 3srael. -ach stone will !e like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tri!es c+t into it. 22 Aake chains of p+re gold for the =+dgment po+ch. These chains m+st !e !raided like a rope. 23 Aake two gold rings and p+t them on two corners of the =+dgment po+ch. 2# 6+t the two gold chains thro+gh the two rings at the corners of the =+dgment po+ch. 2% 2asten the other ends of the gold chains to the two settings. This will fasten them to the two sho+lder pieces of the ephod on the front. 2& Aake two more gold rings and p+t them on the other two corners of the =+dgment po+ch. This will !e on the inside edge of the =+dgment po+ch ne4t -asy To .ead /ersion

to the ephod. -4od+s 2(.2'*32 11) 2' Aake two more gold rings and p+t them on the !ottom of the sho+lder pieces on the front of the ephod. 6+t the gold rings a!ove the cloth !elt of the ephod. 2( Hse !l+e ri!!on to tie the rings of the =+dgment po+ch to the rings of the ephod. 3n this way the =+dgment po+ch will rest close to the cloth !elt and will !e held against the ephod. 2) >hen Aaron enters the $oly 6lace, he m+st wear the =+dgment po+ch. 3n this way he will wear the names of the twelve sons of 3srael over his heart. And the 5.D will always !e reminded of them. 3, 6+t the Hrim and Th+mmim inside the =+dgment po+ch. They will !e over Aarons heart when he goes !efore the 5.D. So Aaron will always carry with him a way of =+dging for the 3sraelites when he is !efore the 5.D. 31 Aake a !l+e ro!e for the ephod. 32 Aake a hole in the center for the head. And sew a piece of cloth aro+nd the edge of this hole. This cloth will !e like a collar that keeps the hole from tearing. -4od+s 2(.33*3( 12, 33 Hse !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn to make cloth pomegranates. $ang these pomegranates aro+nd the !ottom edge of the ro!e, and hang gold !ells !etween the pomegranates. 3# So aro+nd the !ottom edge of the ro!e there sho+ld !e !ells and pomegranates. There sho+ld !e a !ell following each pomegranate. 3% Aaron will wear this ro!e when he serves as a priest. The !ells will ring as Aaron goes into the $oly 6lace to stand !efore the 5.D, and the !ells will ring as he leaves the $oly 6lace. This way Aaron will not die. 3& Aake a strip of p+re gold and carve these words into the gold like the writing on a seal: $5 ; T5 T$- 5.D. 3' 2asten the gold strip to a !l+e ri!!on. Tie the !l+e ri!!on aro+nd the t+r!an. pag. )#0131#

The gold strip sho+ld !e on the front of the t+r!an. 3( Aaron will wear this on his head. 3n this way he will remove the g+ilt if anything is wrong with the gifts that the 3sraelites give to God. Aaron will always wear this on his head so that the 5.D will accept the gifts of the people. -4od+s 2(.3)*2).1 121 3) Hse fine linen to make the white woven ro!e and the t+r!an. The cloth !elt sho+ld have designs sewn into it. #, Also make coats, !elts, and cloth caps for Aarons sons. This will give them honor and respect. #1 6+t the clothes on yo+r !rother Aaron and his sons. Then po+r the special oil on them to make them priests. This will make them holy, and they will serve me as priests. #2 Hse linen to make +nderclothes for the priests. These +nderclothes will cover them from the waist to the thighs. #3 Aaron and his sons m+st wear these clothes whenever they enter the Aeeting Tent. They m+st wear these clothes when they come near to the altar to serve as priests in the $oly 6lace. 3f they dont wear these clothes, they will !e g+ilty of wrong and will have to die. All this sho+ld !e a law that contin+es forever for Aaron and all his family after him. 29 1 1ow 3 will tell yo+ what yo+ m+st do to show that Aaron and his sons serve me in a special way as priests. 2ind one yo+ng !+ll and two -4od+s 2).2*( 122 rams that have nothing wrong with them. 2 Then +se fine wheat flo+r witho+t yeast to make !read. And +se the same things to make cakes mi4ed with olive oil. Aake small thin cakes spread with oil. 3 6+t this !read and the cakes in a !asket. Then give the !asket to Aaron and his sons. At the same time, give them the !+ll and the two rams. # Then !ring Aaron and his sons to the -asy To .ead /ersion

entrance of the Aeeting Tent. >ash them with water. % 6+t the special clothes on Aaron. 6+t on him the white woven ro!e and the !l+e ro!e that is worn with the ephod. 6+t the ephod and the =+dgment po+ch on him. Then tie the !ea+tif+l cloth !elt on him. & 6+t the t+r!an on his head and the special crown aro+nd the t+r!an. ' Take the anointing oil and po+r it on Aarons head. This will show that he is chosen for this work. ( Then !ring Aarons sons to that place. 6+t the white woven ro!es on them. -4od+s 2).)*1# 123 ) Then tie cloth !elts aro+nd their waists, and give them cloth caps to wear. At that time they will !egin to !e priests. They will !e priests !eca+se of the special law that will contin+e forever. This is the way yo+ will make Aaron and his sons priests. 1, Then !ring the !+ll to that place at the front of the Aeeting Tent. Aaron and his sons m+st p+t their hands on the !+lls head. 11 Then kill the !+ll there in the 5.D@S presence at the entrance to the Aeeting Tent. 12 Then take some of the !+lls !lood and go to the altar. Hse yo+r finger to p+t some !lood on the horns of the altar. 6o+r o+t all the !lood that is left at the !ottom of the altar. 13 Then take all the fat from inside the !+ll, the fatty part of the liver, !oth kidneys, and the fat aro+nd them. <+rn this fat on the altar. 1# Then take the !+lls meat, his skin, and his other parts and go o+tside yo+r camp and !+rn them. This !+ll is an offering to take away the sins of the priests. -4od+s 2).1%*21 12# 1% Then tell Aaron and his sons to p+t their hands on the head of one of the rams. 1& Gill that ram and save the !lood. Throw the !lood against the altar on all pag. )%0131#

fo+r sides. 1' Then c+t the ram into several pieces. >ash all the parts from inside the ram and the legs. 6+t these things with the head and the other pieces of the ram. 1( Then !+rn everything on the altar. 3t is a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. 3t is a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 1) Tell Aaron and his sons to p+t their hands on the other ram. 2, Gill that ram and save some of its !lood. 6+t that !lood on the right ear lo!es of Aaron and his sons. Also p+t some of the !lood on the th+m!s of their right hands and on the !ig toes of their right feet. Then throw !lood against all fo+r sides of the altar. 21 Then take some of the !lood from the altar. Ai4 it with the special oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes. And sprinkle it on his sons and their clothes. This will show that Aaron and his sons serve me in a special way. And it will -4od+s 2).22*2& 12% show that their clothes are +sed only at special times. 22 Then take the fat from the ram. 7This is the ram that will !e +sed in the ceremony to make Aaron the high priest.8 Take the fat from aro+nd the tail and the fat that covers the organs inside the !ody. Then take the fat that covers the liver, !oth kidneys and the fat on them, and the right leg. 23 Then take the !asket of !read that yo+ made witho+t yeast. This is the !asket yo+ p+t !efore the 5.D. Take these things o+t of the !asket: one loaf of !read, one cake made with oil, and one small thin cake. 2# Give them to Aaron and his sons. Tell them to hold these things in their hands !efore the ord. This will !e a special offering to the 5.D. 2% Then take them from Aaron and his sons and p+t them on the altar with the ram. Then !+rn everything on the altar. 3t is a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. 3t is a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 2& Then take the !reast from the ram. -asy To .ead /ersion

7This is the ram that will !e +sed in the ceremony to make Aaron the high -4od+s 2).2'*31 12& priest.8 $old the !reast of the ram !efore the 5.D as a special offering. Then take it !ack and keep it. This part of the animal will !e for yo+. 2' Take the !reast and the leg of the ram that was +sed to make Aaron the high priest and make these parts holy. Then give these special parts to Aaron and his sons. 2( The 3sraelites will always give Aaron and his sons these parts. These parts will always !elong to the priests when the 3sraelites make an offering to the 5.D. >hen they give these parts to the priest, it will !e the same as giving them to the ord. 2) Save these special clothes that were made for Aaron and his descendants. They will wear these clothes when they are chosen to !e priests. 3, Aarons son will !ecome the ne4t high priest after him. That son will wear these clothes seven days when he comes to the Aeeting Tent to serve in the $oly 6lace. 31 9ook the meat from the ram that was +sed to make Aaron the high priest. 9ook that meat in a holy place. -4od+s 2).32*3' 12' 32 Then Aaron and his sons m+st eat the meat at the front door of the Aeeting Tent. And they m+st also eat the !read that is in the !asket. 33 These offerings were +sed to take away their sins when they were made priests. 1ow they sho+ld eat these offerings. 3# 3f any of the meat from that ram or any of the !read is left the ne4t morning, then it m+st !e !+rned. ;o+ m+st not eat that !read or the meat !eca+se it sho+ld !e eaten only in a special way at a special time. 3% ;o+ m+st do all these things for Aaron and his sons. ;o+ m+st do them e4actly as 3 told yo+. The ceremony for appointing them to !e priests m+st pag. )&0131#

contin+e for seven days. 3& ;o+ m+st kill one !+ll every day for seven days. This will !e an offering for the sins of Aaron and his sons. ;o+ will +se these sacrifices to make the altar p+re, and po+r olive oil on the altar to make it holy. 3' ;o+ will make the altar p+re and holy for seven days. At that time the altar will -4od+s 2).3(*#2 12( !e most holy. Anything that to+ches the altar will also !e holy. 3( -very day yo+ m+st make an offering on the altar. ;o+ m+st kill two lam!s that are one year old. 3) 5ffer one lam! in the morning and the other in the evening. #, >hen yo+ kill the first lam!, also offer ( c+ps of fine wheat flo+r. Ai4 that flo+r with 1 J+art of the !est oil. Also offer 1 J+art of wine as an offering. >hen yo+ kill the second lam! in the evening, also offer the ( c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with 1 J+art of the !est oil and offer 1 J+art of wine. This is the same as yo+ did in the morning. This will !e a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. >hen yo+ !+rn this offering, he will smell it, and it will please him. #1 72):#,8 #2 ;o+ m+st !+rn these things as an offering to the ord every day. Do this at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent !efore the 5.D. 9ontin+e to do this for all time. >hen yo+ make the offering, 3 will meet yo+ there and speak to yo+. -4od+s 2).#3*3,.# 12) #3 3 will meet with the 3sraelites at that place, and my Glory will make that place holy. ## So 3 will make the Aeeting Tent and the altar holy. 3 will also make Aaron and his sons holy so that they can serve me as priests. #% 3 will live with the 3sraelites. 3 will !e their God. #& The people will know that 3 am the 5.D their God. They will know that 3 am the one who led them o+t of -gypt so that 3 co+ld live with them. 3 am the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D their God. 30 1 Aake an altar from acacia wood. ;o+ will +se this altar for !+rning incense. 2 ;o+ m+st make the altar sJ+are1 c+!it long and 1 c+!it wide. 3t m+st !e 2 c+!its high. There will !e horns at the fo+r corners. These horns m+st !e made as one piece with the altar. 3 9over the top, the horns, and all fo+r sides of the altar with p+re gold. Then p+t gold trim all aro+nd the altar. # <elow this trim there sho+ld !e two gold rings. There sho+ld !e two gold rings on opposite sides of the altar. -4od+s 3,.%*1, 13, These gold rings will !e +sed with poles to carry the altar. % Aake the poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. & 6+t the altar =+st o+tside the special c+rtain that hangs in front of the <o4 of the Agreement. So the altar will !e in front of the mercyDcover that is a!ove the Agreement. This is the place where 3 will meet with yo+. ' Aaron m+st !+rn sweetDsmelling incense on the altar every morning. $e will do this when he comes to care for the lamps. ( $e m+st !+rn incense again when he checks the lamps in the evening so that incense will !e !+rned !efore the 5.D every day forever. ) Dont +se this altar for offering any other kind of incense or !+rnt offering or for any kind of grain offering or drink offering. 1, 5nce a year Aaron m+st make a special sacrifice. $e will +se the !lood of the sin offering to erase the sins of the people. $e will do this at the horns of this altar. This day will !e called the -4od+s 3,.11*1& 131 Day of Atonement, and it will !e a very special day for the 5.D. 11 The 5.D said to Aoses, 12 9o+nt the 3sraelites so that yo+ will know how many people there are. -very time this is done, each man m+st make pag. )'0131#

a payment for himself to the 5.D so that nothing terri!le will happen to the people. 13 -ach man who is co+nted m+st pay 102 shekel of silver. 7That is 102 shekel !y the official meas+re. This shekel weighs 2, gerahs.8 This half shekel is an offering to the 5.D. 1# -very man who is at least 2, years old m+st !e co+nted. And every man who is co+nted m+st give the 5.D this offering. 1% The rich m+st not give more than 102 shekel, and the poor m+st not give less than 102 shekel. All people will make the same offering to the 5.D. This will !e a payment for yo+r life. 1& Gather this money from the 3sraelites. Hse the money for the service in the Aeeting Tent. This payment will !e a way for the 5.D to remem!er his people. They will !e paying for their own lives. -4od+s 3,.1'*2# 132 1' The 5.D said to Aoses, 1( Aake a !ronEe !owl and p+t it on a !ronEe !ase. ;o+ will +se this for washing. 6+t the !owl !etween the Aeeting Tent and the altar. 2ill the !owl with water. 1) Aaron and his sons m+st wash their hands and feet with the water from this !owl. 2, -very time they enter the Aeeting Tent, they m+st wash with that water so that they will not die. They m+st also wash every time they come near the altar to !+rn incense or to offer gifts to the 5.D. 21 They m+st wash their hands and their feet so that they will not die. This will !e a law that contin+es forever for Aaron and his people who will live in the f+t+re. 22 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 23 2ind the finest spices. Get 12 po+nds of liJ+id myrrh, half that amo+nt 7that is, & po+nds8 of sweetDsmelling cinnamon, and 12 po+nds of sweetDsmelling cane, 2# and 12 po+nds of cassia. Hse the official meas+re to meas+re all these things. Also get 1 gallon of olive oil. -asy To .ead /ersion

-4od+s 3,.2%*32 133 2% Ai4 all these things to make a special sweetDsmelling anointing oil. 2& 6o+r this oil on the Aeeting Tent and on the <o4 of the Agreement. This will show that these things have a special p+rpose. 2' 6o+r the oil on the ta!le and on all the dishes on the ta!le. And po+r this oil on the lamp and on all its tools. 6o+r the oil on the incense altar. 2( Also, po+r the oil on the altar for !+rning offerings to God. 6o+r this oil on everything on that altar. 6o+r this oil on the !owl and on the !ase +nder the !owl. 2) ;o+ will make all these things holy. They will !e very special to the ord. Anything that to+ches these things will also !ecome holy. 3, 6o+r the oil on Aaron and his sons to show that they are separated from the rest of the people to serve as priests. 31 Tell the 3sraelites that the anointing oil is holyit m+st always !e +sed only for me. 32 This oil is holy and yo+ m+st treat it as something special. Dont +se the same form+la for making perf+me and dont -4od+s 3,.33*3( 13# let people +se this oil like an ordinary perf+me. 33 >hoever makes a perf+me like that and p+ts it on anyone e4cept a priest m+st !e separated from the people. 3# Then the 5.D said to Aoses, Get these sweetDsmelling spices: resin, onycha, gal!an+m, and p+re frankincense. <e s+re that yo+ have eJ+al amo+nts of these spices. 3% Ai4 the spices together to make a sweetDsmelling incense. Do this the same as a perf+me maker wo+ld do it. Also mi4 salt with this incense. This will make it p+re and special. 3& Grind some of the incense +ntil it !ecomes a fine powder. 6+t the powder in front of the $oly <o4 that holds the Agreement in the Aeeting Tent. This is the place where 3 meet with yo+. ;o+ pag. )(0131#

m+st +se this incense powder only for its very special p+rpose. 3' ;o+ m+st +se it only in this special way for the 5.D. ;o+ m+st also make it in a special way. Dont make any other incense in this way. 3( There may !e people who will want to make some of this incense for -4od+s 31.1*( 13% themselves so that they can en=oy the smell. <+t whoever does this m+st !e separated from their people. 31 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2 3 have chosen a man from the tri!e of C+dah to do some special work for me. $is name is <eEalel son of Hri son of $+r. 3 3 have filled <eEalel with the Spirit of God3 have given him the skill and knowledge to do all kinds of things. # $e is a very good designer. And he can make things from gold, silver, and !ronEe. % $e can c+t and set !ea+tif+l =ewels. And he can work with wood. $e can do all kinds of work. & 3 have also chosen 5holia! to work with him. 5holia! is the son of Ahisamach from the tri!e of Dan. And 3 have given skills to all the other workers so that they can make everything that 3 have commanded yo+: ' the Aeeting Tent the <o4 of the Agreement the mercyDcover that is on itF ( the ta!le and everything on itF the p+re gold lampstand and everything -4od+s 31.)*1% 13& +sed with itF the altar for !+rning incenseF ) the altar for !+rning offerings and the things +sed at the altarF the !owl and the !ase +nder itF 1, the special clothes for Aaron the priestF the special clothes for Aarons sons when they serve as priestsF 11 the sweetDsmelling anointing oilF the sweetDsmelling incense for the $oly 6lace. These workers m+st make everything the way that 3 have commanded yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 13 Tell the 3sraelites this: ;o+ m+st follow the r+les a!o+t my special days of rest. ;o+ m+st do this !eca+se they will !e a sign !etween yo+ and me for all generations. This will show yo+ that 3, the 5.D, have made yo+ my special people. 1# Aake the Sa!!ath a special day. 3f someone treats the Sa!!ath like any other day, that person m+st !e killed. >hoever works on the Sa!!ath day m+st !e separated from their people. 1% There are si4 other days in the week for working. <+t the seventh day is a -4od+s 31.1&*32.1 13' very special day of rest. That is the special day to honor the 5.D. Anyone who works d+ring the Sa!!ath m+st !e killed. 1& The 3sraelites m+st remem!er the Sa!!ath and make it a special day. They m+st contin+e to do this forever. 3t is an agreement !etween them and me that will contin+e forever. 1' The Sa!!ath will !e a sign !etween me and the 3sraelites forever. 7The 5.D worked si4 days and made the sky and the earth, and on the seventh day, he rested and rela4ed.8 1( >hen God finished speaking to Aoses on Ao+nt Sinai, he gave him the two stone ta!lets of the Agreement. God had written on the stones with his finger. 32 1 The people saw that a long time had passed and Aoses had not come down from the mo+ntain. So they gathered aro+nd Aaron. They said to him, ook, Aoses led +s o+t of the land of -gypt, !+t we dont know what has happened to him. So make +s some gods to go !efore +s and lead +s. -4od+s 32.2*' 13( 2 Aaron said to the people, <ring me the gold earrings that !elong to yo+r wives, sons, and da+ghters. 3 So the people collected all their gold earrings and !ro+ght them to Aaron. # $e took the gold from the people and +sed it to make an idol. Hsing a special pag. ))0131#

tool, he shaped the gold into a stat+e of a calf. Then the people said, 3srael, here are yo+r gods" These are the gods that !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt" % Aaron saw all these things, so he !+ilt an altar in front of the calf. Then Aaron made an anno+ncement. $e said, Tomorrow will !e a special festival to honor the 5.D. & The people woke +p very early the ne4t morning. They killed animals and offered them as !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink. Then they got +p and had a wild party. ' At the same time, the 5.D said to Aoses, Go down from this mo+ntain. ;o+r people, the people yo+ !ro+ght o+t of the land of -gypt, have committed a terri!le sin. -4od+s 32.(*13 13) ( They have very J+ickly t+rned away from what 3 commanded them to do. They made a calf from melted gold for themselves. They are worshiping that calf and making sacrifices to it. The people have said, 3srael, these are the gods that led yo+ o+t of -gypt. ) The 5.D said to Aoses, 3 have seen these people, and 3 know that they are very st+!!orn. They will always t+rn against me. 1, So now let me destroy them in anger. Then 3 will make a great nation from yo+. 11 <+t Aoses !egged the 5.D his God, 5.D, dont let yo+r anger destroy yo+r people. ;o+ !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt with yo+r great power and strength. 12 <+t if yo+ destroy yo+r people, the -gyptians will say, God planned to do !ad things to his people. That is why he led them o+t of -gypt. $e wanted to kill them in the mo+ntains. $e wanted to wipe them off the earth. So dont !e angry with yo+r people. 6lease change yo+r mind" Dont destroy them. 13 .emem!er A!raham, 3saac, and 3srael. These men served yo+, and yo+ -4od+s 32.1#*1) 1#, -asy To .ead /ersion

+sed yo+r name to make a promise to them. ;o+ said, 3 will make yo+r people as many as the stars in the sky. 3 will give yo+r people all this land as 3 promised. This land will !e theirs forever. 1# So the 5.D felt sorry for the people. $e did not do what he said he might dohe did not destroy them. 1% Then Aoses went down the mo+ntain. $e had the two stone ta!lets with the agreement on them. The commandments were written on !oth sides of the stone, front and !ack. 1& God himself made the stones, and God himself wrote the commandments on them. 1' Cosh+a heard the noise from the party in camp. $e said to Aoses, 3t so+nds like war down in the camp" 1( Aoses answered, 3t is not the noise of an army sho+ting for victory. And it is not the noise of an army crying from defeat. The noise 3 hear is the so+nd of m+sic. 1) >hen Aoses came near the camp, he saw the gold calf and the people dancing. $e !ecame very angry, and he threw the stone ta!lets on the gro+nd. -4od+s 32.2,*2% 1#1 The stones !roke into several pieces at the !ottom of the mo+ntain. 2, Then Aoses destroyed the calf that the people had made. $e melted it in the fire. Then he gro+nd the gold +ntil it !ecame d+st and threw it into the water. Then he forced the 3sraelites to drink that water. 21 Aoses said to Aaron, >hat did these people do to yo+ that wo+ld make yo+ do this? >hy did yo+ lead them to do s+ch a terri!le sin? 22 Aaron answered, Dont !e angry, sir. ;o+ know that these people are always ready to do wrong. 23 The people said to me, Aoses led +s o+t of -gypt, !+t we dont know what has happened to him. So make +s some gods to lead +s. 2# So 3 told the people, 3f yo+ have any gold rings, then give them to me. The pag. 1,,0131#

people gave me their gold. 3 threw the gold into the fire, and o+t of the fire came this calf" 2% Aoses saw that Aaron had let the people get o+t of control. They were !eing wild, and all their enemies co+ld see them acting like fools. -4od+s 32.2&*31 1#2 2& So Aoses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, Anyone who wants to follow the 5.D sho+ld come to me. -veryone from the tri!e of evi ran to Aoses. 2' Then Aoses said to them, 3 will tell yo+ what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: -very man m+st get his sword and go from one end of the camp to the other. ;o+ men m+st kill those who are against the ord, even if they are yo+r !rothers, friends, or neigh!ors. 2( The people from the tri!e of evi o!eyed Aoses. That day a!o+t 3,,, of the people died. 2) Then Aoses said, Take yo+r role today as special servants of the 5.D !eca+se yo+ were willing to fight against even yo+r own sons and !rothers. ;o+ will receive a !lessing for this. 3, The ne4t morning Aoses told the people, ;o+ have committed a terri!le sin" <+t now 3 will go +p to the 5.D, and may!e 3 can do something so that he will forgive yo+ for yo+r sin. 31 So Aoses went !ack to the 5.D and said, 6lease listen" These people -4od+s 32.32*33.2 1#3 committed a terri!le sin and made a god from gold. 32 1ow, forgive them of this sin. 3f yo+ will not forgive them, then erase my name from yo+r !ook. 33 <+t the 5.D said to Aoses, The only people 3 erase from my !ook are those who sin against me. 3# So now, go down and lead the people where 3 tell yo+ to go. Ay angel will go !efore yo+ and lead yo+. >hen the time comes to p+nish those who sinned, they will !e p+nished. 3% So the 5.D ca+sed a terri!le -asy To .ead /ersion

sickness to come to the people. $e did this !eca+se they told Aaron to make the gold calf. 33 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, ;o+ and the people yo+ !ro+ght o+t of -gypt m+st leave this place. Go to the land that 3 promised to give to A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 3 promised them that 3 wo+ld give that land to their descendants. 2 So 3 will send an angel to go !efore yo+, and 3 will defeat the 9anaanites, Amorites, $ittites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, -4od+s 33.3*( 1## and Ce!+sites. 3 will force them to leave yo+r land. 3 So go to the land filled with many good things, !+t 3 will not go with yo+. ;o+ people are very st+!!orn. 3f 3 go with yo+, 3 might destroy yo+ along the way. # The people heard this !ad news and !ecame very sad, so they stopped wearing =ewelry. % This was !eca+se the 5.D said to Aoses, Tell the 3sraelites, ;o+ are a st+!!orn people. 3 might destroy yo+ even if 3 travel with yo+ only a short time. So take off all yo+r =ewelry while 3 decide what to do with yo+. & So the 3sraelites stopped wearing their =ewelry at Ao+nt $ore!. ' Aoses +sed to take a tent a short way o+tside the camp. $e called it the meeting tent. Anyone who wanted to ask something from the 5.D wo+ld go to the meeting tent o+tside the camp. ( Any time Aoses went o+t to the tent, all the people watched him. They stood at the entrance of their tents and watched Aoses +ntil he entered the meeting tent. -4od+s 33.)*1% 1#% ) >henever Aoses went into the tent, the tall clo+d wo+ld come down and stay at the entrance to the tent. And the ord wo+ld speak with Aoses. 1, So when the people saw the clo+d at the entrance of the tent, they wo+ld go to the entrance of their own tents and pag. 1,10131#

!ow down to worship God. 11 3n this way the 5.D spoke to Aoses face to face like a man speaks with his friend. Then Aoses wo+ld go !ack to the camp, !+t his helper, Cosh+a son of 1+n, always stayed in the tent. 12 Aoses said to the 5.D, ;o+ told me to lead these people, !+t yo+ did not say who yo+ wo+ld send with me. ;o+ said to me, 3 know yo+ very well, and 3 am pleased with yo+. 13 3f 3 have really pleased yo+, then teach me yo+r ways. 3 want to know yo+. Then 3 can contin+e to please yo+. .emem!er that these people are yo+r nation. 1# The ord answered, 3 myself will go with yo+. 3 will lead yo+. 1% Then Aoses said to him, 3f yo+ dont go with +s, then dont make +s leave this place. -4od+s 33.1&*23 1#& 1& Also, how will we know if yo+ are pleased with me and these people? 3f yo+ go with +s, we will know for s+re. 3f yo+ dont go with +s, these people and 3 will !e no different from any other people on the earth. 1' Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 3 will do what yo+ ask. 3 will do this !eca+se 3 am pleased with yo+ and !eca+se 3 know yo+ very well. 1( Then Aoses said, 1ow, please show me yo+r Glory. 1) Then the ord answered, 3 will show my love and mercy to anyone 3 want to. So 3 will ca+se my perfect goodness to pass !y in front of yo+, and 3 will speak my name, ;A$>-$, so that yo+ can hear it. 2, <+t yo+ cannot see my face. 1o one can see me and contin+e to live. 21 Then the 5.D said, $ere is a place for yo+ to stand !y me on this large rock. 22 3 will p+t yo+ in a large crack in that rock. Then 3 will cover yo+ with my hand, and my Glory will pass !y. 23 Then 3 will take away my hand, and yo+ will see my !ack. <+t yo+ will not see my face. -asy To .ead /ersion

-4od+s 3#.1*& 1#' 34 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, Aake two more stone ta!lets like the first two that were !roken. 3 will write the same words on these stones that were written on the first two stones. 2 <e ready tomorrow morning and come +p on Ao+nt Sinai. Stand !efore me there on the top of the mo+ntain. 3 1o one will !e allowed to come with yo+. 1o one sho+ld even !e seen anywhere on the mo+ntain. -ven yo+r herds of animals or flocks of sheep will not !e allowed to eat grass at the !ottom of the mo+ntain. # So Aoses made two more stone ta!lets like the first ones. -arly the ne4t morning Aoses went +p Ao+nt Sinai, =+st as the 5.D had commanded. Aoses carried the two stone ta!lets with him. % Then the 5.D came down to him in a clo+d, stood there with Aoses, and spoke his own name. & That is, the 5.D passed in front of Aoses and said, ;A$>-$, the 5.D, is a kind and mercif+l God. $e is slow to !ecome angry. $e is f+ll of great love. $e can !e tr+sted. -4od+s 3#.'*11 1#( ' $e shows his faithf+l love to tho+sands of people. $e forgives people for the wrong things they do, !+t he does not forget to p+nish g+ilty people. 1ot only will he p+nish the g+ilty people, !+t their children, their grandchildren, and their greatDgrandchildren will also s+ffer for the !ad things these people do. ( Then Aoses J+ickly !owed to the gro+nd and worshiped the ord. Aoses said, ) ord, if yo+ are pleased with me, please go with +s. 3 know that these are st+!!orn people, !+t forgive +s for the !ad things we did. Accept +s as yo+r people. 1, Then the ord said, 3 am making this agreement with all of yo+r people. 3 will do amaEing things that have never !efore !een done for any other nation on earth. The people with yo+ will see pag. 1,20131#

that 3, the 5.D, am very great. They will see the wonderf+l things that 3 will do for yo+. 11 5!ey what 3 command yo+ today, and 3 will force yo+r enemies to leave yo+r land. 3 will force o+t the Amorites, -4od+s 3#.12*1( 1#) 9anaanites, $ittites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. 12 <e caref+l" Dont make any agreement with the people who live in the land where yo+ are going. 3f yo+ make an agreement with them, it will !ring yo+ tro+!le. 13 So destroy their altars, !reak the stones they worship, and c+t down their idols. 1# Dont worship any other god. 3 am ;A$>-$ GA1A$the =ealo+s 5.D. That is my name. 3 hate for my people to worship other gods. 1% <e caref+l not to make any agreements with the people who live in that land. 3f yo+ do this, yo+ might =oin them when they worship their gods. They will invite yo+ to =oin them, and yo+ will eat their sacrifices. 1& ;o+ might choose some of their da+ghters as wives for yo+r sons. Those da+ghters serve false gods. They might lead yo+r sons to do the same thing. 1' Dont make idols. 1( 9ele!rate the 2estival of Hnleavened <read. 2or seven days eat the !read made witho+t yeast as 3 commanded yo+ -4od+s 3#.1)*2# 1%, !efore. Do this d+ring the month 3 have chosen, the month of A!i!, !eca+se that is the month yo+ came o+t of -gypt. 1) A womans first !a!y always !elongs to me. -ven the first animals that are !orn from yo+r cattle or sheep !elong to me. 2, 3f yo+ want to keep a donkey that is the first !orn, then yo+ can !+y it with a lam!. <+t if yo+ dont !+y that donkey with a lam!, yo+ m+st !reak the donkeys neck. ;o+ m+st !+y !ack all of yo+r first!orn sons from me. 1o one sho+ld come !efore me witho+t a gift. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 ;o+ will work for si4 days, !+t on the seventh day, yo+ m+st rest. ;o+ m+st rest even d+ring the times of planting and harvesting. 22 9ele!rate the 2estival of $arvest. Hse the first grain from the wheat harvest for this festival. And in the fall cele!rate the 2estival of Shelters. 23 Three times each year all yo+r men m+st go to !e with the ord G5D, the God of 3srael. 2# >hen yo+ go into yo+r land, 3 will force yo+r enemies o+t of that land. 3 will e4pand yo+r !ordersyo+ will get more -4od+s 3#.2%*2) 1%1 and more land. ;o+ will go !efore the 5.D yo+r God three times each year. At that time no one will try to take yo+r land from yo+. 2% >hen yo+ kill an animal and offer its !lood as a sacrifice, yo+ m+st not incl+de anything that has yeast in it. Dont let any of the meat from the 6assover meal remain +ntil morning. 2& Give the ord the very first crops that yo+ harvest. <ring them to the ho+se of the 5.D yo+r God. 1ever cook a yo+ng goat in its mothers milk. 2' Then the 5.D said to Aoses, >rite everything that 3 have told yo+. This is the agreement that 3 made with yo+ and the 3sraelites. 2( Aoses stayed there with the 5.D for #, days and #, nights. Aoses did not eat any food or drink any water. And he wrote the words of the agreement 7the Ten 9ommandments8 on the two stone ta!lets. 2) >hen Aoses came down from Ao+nt Sinai, he carried the two stone ta!lets of the Agreement. <eca+se he had talked with the ord, his face was shining, !+t he did not know it. -4od+s 3#.3,*3%.2 1%2 3, Aaron and all the people of 3srael saw that Aoses face was shining !right. So they were afraid to go near him. 31 <+t Aoses called to them. So Aaron and all the leaders of the people went to him. Aoses talked with them. pag. 1,30131#

32 After that, all the 3sraelites came near Aoses, and he gave them the commands that the 5.D had given him on Ao+nt Sinai. 33 >hen Aoses finished speaking to the people, he p+t a covering over his face. 3# Any time Aoses went !efore the 5.D to speak with him, Aoses took off the covering. Then Aoses wo+ld come o+t and tell the 3sraelites what the ord commanded. 3% The people wo+ld see that Aoses face was shining !right, so he wo+ld cover his face again. $e kept his face covered +ntil the ne4t time he went in to speak with the ord. 35 1 Aoses gathered all the 3sraelites together and said to them, 3 will tell yo+ what the 5.D has commanded yo+ to do: 2 There are si4 days for working, !+t the seventh day, will !e a very special day of -4od+s 3%.3*1, 1%3 rest for yo+. ;o+ will honor the 5.D !y resting on that special day. Anyone who works on the seventh day m+st !e killed. 3 5n the Sa!!ath yo+ sho+ld not even light a fire in any of the places where yo+ live. # Aoses said to all the 3sraelites, This is what the 5.D commanded: % Gather special gifts for the 5.D. -ach of yo+ sho+ld decide in yo+r heart what yo+ will give. And then yo+ sho+ld !ring that gift to the 5.D. <ring gold, silver, and !ronEeF & !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn and fine linenF goat hairF ' ram skins dyed red and fine leatherF acacia woodF ( oil for the lampsF spices for the anointing oil and spices for the sweetDsmelling incense. ) Also, !ring ony4 stones and other =ewels to !e p+t on the ephod and the =+dgment po+ch. 1, All of yo+ who are skilled workers sho+ld make all the things the 5.D commanded: -4od+s 3%.11*1( 1%# -asy To .ead /ersion

11 the $oly Tent, its o+ter tent, and its coveringF the hooks, !oards, !races, posts, and !asesF 12 the $oly <o4, its poles, the mercycover, and the c+rtain that covers the area where the <o4 staysF 13 the ta!le and its poles, all the things on the ta!le, and the special !read on the ta!leF 1# the lampstand that is +sed for light and the things +sed with the lampstand, the lamps, and oil for the lightF 1% the altar for !+rning incense and its polesF the anointing oil and the sweetDsmelling incenseF the c+rtain that covers the door at the entrance to the $oly TentF 1& the altar for !+rning offerings and its !ronEe grating, the poles, and all the things +sed at the altarF the !ronEe !owl and its !aseF 1' the c+rtains aro+nd the yard, their posts and !ases, and the c+rtain that covers the entrance to the yardF 1( the pegs +sed to s+pport the Tent and the wall of c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard, and the ropes that tie to the pegsF -4od+s 3%.1)*2% 1%% 1) and the special woven clothes for the priest to wear in the $oly 6lace. These are the special clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they serve as priests. 2, Then all the 3sraelites went away from Aoses. 21 All the people who wanted to give came and !ro+ght a gift to the 5.D. These gifts were +sed for making the Aeeting Tent, everything in the Tent, and the special clothes. 22 All the men and women who wanted to give !ro+ght gold =ewelry of all kinds. They !ro+ght pins, earrings, rings, and other =ewelry. They all gave their =ewelry as a special offering to the 5.D. 23 -veryone who had fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn !ro+ght it to the ord. Anyone who had goat hair or ram skins dyed red or fine leather pag. 1,#0131#

!ro+ght it to the ord. 2# -veryone who wanted to give silver or !ronEe !ro+ght that as a gift to the 5.D. -veryone who had acacia wood came and gave it to the ord. 2% -very skilled woman made fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. -4od+s 3%.2&*32 1%& 2& And all the women who were skilled and wanted to help made cloth from the goat hair. 2' The leaders !ro+ght ony4 stones and other =ewels. These stones and =ewels were p+t on the ephod and =+dgment po+ch of the priest. 2( The people also !ro+ght spices and olive oil. These things were +sed for the sweetDsmelling incense, the anointing oil, and the oil for the lamps. 2) All the 3sraelites who wanted to help !ro+ght gifts to the 5.D. They gave these gifts freely, !eca+se they wanted to. These gifts were +sed to make everything the 5.D had commanded Aoses and the people to make. 3, Then Aoses said to the 3sraelites, ook, the 5.D has chosen <eEalel son of Hri, from the tri!e of C+dah. 7Hri was the son of $+r.8 31 And he has filled <eEalel with the Spirit of Godhe gave <eEalel special skill and knowledge to do all kinds of things. 32 $e can design and make things with gold, silver, and !ronEe. -4od+s 3%.33*3&.3 1%' 33 $e can c+t and set stones and =ewels. $e can work with wood and make all kinds of things. 3# The ord has given <eEalel and 5holia! special skills to teach other people. 75holia! was the son of Ahisamach from the tri!e of Dan.8 3% $e has given !oth of these men special skills to do all kinds of work. They are a!le to do the work of carpenters and metalworkers. They can weave cloth with designs in it from !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn and fine linen. And they are a!le to weave things with wool. 36 1 So <eEalel, 5holia!, and all the -asy To .ead /ersion

other skilled men m+st do the work the 5.D has commanded. The 5.D has given these men the wisdom and +nderstanding to do all the skilled work needed to !+ild this holy place. 2 Then Aoses called <eEalel, 5holia!, and all the other skilled men who the 5.D had given special skills to. And they came !eca+se they wanted to help with the work. 3 Aoses gave them everything the 3sraelites had !ro+ght as gifts, and they +sed these things to !+ild the holy place. -4od+s 3&.#*1, 1%( The people contin+ed to !ring gifts each morning. # 2inally, all the skilled workers left the work they were doing on the holy place, and they went to speak to Aoses. They said, % The people have !ro+ght too m+ch. >e have more than we need to finish the work the 5.D told +s to do. & Then Aoses sent this message thro+gho+t the camp: 1o man or woman sho+ld make anything else as a gift for the holy place. So the people were forced to stop giving more. ' The people had !ro+ght more than eno+gh things to finish the work of !+ilding Gods holy place. ( Then the skilled workers !egan making the $oly Tent. They made the ten c+rtains from fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. And they sewed pict+res of 9her+! angels with wings into the c+rtains. ) -ach c+rtain was the same siEe2( c+!its long and # c+!its wide. 1, The workers =oined the c+rtains together into two gro+ps of c+rtains. They =oined five c+rtains together to -4od+s 3&.11*1( 1%) make one gro+p and five c+rtains together to make the other gro+p. 11 Then they +sed !l+e cloth to make loops along the edge of the end c+rtain of one gro+p. And they did the same on the end c+rtain in the other gro+p. 12 There were %, loops on the end pag. 1,%0131#

c+rtain in one gro+p and %, loops on the end c+rtain in the other gro+p. The loops were opposite each other. 13 Then they made %, gold rings to =oin the two c+rtains together. So the $oly Tent was =oined together into one piece. 1# Then the workers made another tent to cover the $oly Tent. They +sed goat hair to make eleven c+rtains. 1% All the c+rtains were the same siEe3, c+!its long and # c+!its wide. 1& The workers =oined five c+rtains together into one gro+p and si4 c+rtains together into another gro+p. 1' They p+t %, loops along the edge of the end c+rtain of one gro+p. And they did the same on the end c+rtain of the other gro+p. 1( The workers made %, !ronEe rings to =oin the two gro+ps of c+rtains together to form one tent. -4od+s 3&.1)*2( 1&, 1) Then they made two more coverings for the $oly Tent. 5ne covering was made from ram skins dyed red. The other covering was made from fine leather. 2, Then the workers made frames from acacia wood to s+pport the $oly Tent. 21 -ach frame was 1, c+!its long and 1 102 c+!its wide. 22 There were two side poles =oined together with cross pieces to make each frame. -very frame for the $oly Tent was made the same. 23 They made 2, frames for the so+th side of the $oly Tent. 2# Then they made #, silver !ases for the frames. There were two !ases for each frameone !ase for each side pole. 2% They also made 2, frames for the other side 7the north side8 of the $oly Tent. 2& They made #, silver !ases for the framestwo !ases for each frame. 2' They made si4 more frames for the !ack 7the west side8 of the $oly Tent. 2( They also made two frames for the corners at the !ack of the $oly Tent. -4od+s 3&.2)*3& 1&1 -asy To .ead /ersion

2) These frames were =oined together at the !ottom. And at the top a ring held the corner frames together. They did the same for !oth corners. 3, There were eight frames for the west side of the $oly Tent. And there were 1& silver !asestwo !ases for each frame. 31 Then the workers +sed acacia wood to make the !races for the framesfive !races for the first side of the $oly Tent, 32 five !races for the other side, and five !races for the !ack of the $oly Tent 7that is, the west side8. 33 They made the middle !race so that it passed thro+gh the frames from one end to the other. 3# They covered these frames with gold. Then they +sed gold to make the rings to hold the !races, and they covered the !races with gold. 3% They +sed fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn to make the special c+rtain for the entrance to the Aost $oly 6lace. And they sewed pict+res of 9her+! angels into the c+rtain. 3& They made fo+r posts +sing acacia wood, and they covered the posts with -4od+s 3&.3'*3'.# 1&2 gold. Then they made gold hooks for the posts and fo+r silver !ases for the posts. 3' Then they made the c+rtain to cover the entrance to the Tent. They +sed !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn and fine linen to make this c+rtain. And they wove pict+res into it. 3( Then they made the five posts and the hooks for this c+rtain over the entrance. They covered the tops of the posts and the c+rtain rods with gold. And they made the five !ronEe !ases for the posts. 37 1 <eEalel made the $oly <o4 from acacia wood. The <o4 was 2 102 c+!its long, 1 102 c+!its wide, and 1 102 c+!its high. 2 $e covered the inside and o+tside of the <o4 with p+re gold. Then he p+t gold trim aro+nd the <o4. 3 $e made fo+r rings of gold and p+t them on the fo+r corners. These rings pag. 1,&0131#

were +sed for carrying the <o4. There were two rings on each side. # Then he made the poles for carrying the <o4. $e +sed acacia wood and covered the poles with p+re gold. -4od+s 3'.%*13 1&3 % $e p+t the poles thro+gh the rings on each side of the <o4. & Then he made the mercyDcover from p+re gold. 3t was 2 102 c+!its long and 1 102 c+!its wide. ' Then <eEalel hammered gold to make two 9her+! angels. $e p+t the 9her+! angels on each end of the mercyDcover. ( $e p+t one angel on one end and the other angel on the other end. The angels were =oined together with the mercyDcover to make one piece. ) The wings of the angels were spread +p toward the sky. The angels covered the <o4 with their wings and faced each other, looking toward the mercyDcover. 1, Then he made the ta!le from acacia wood. The ta!le was 2 c+!its long, 1 c+!it wide, and 1 102 c+!its high. 11 $e covered it with p+re gold and p+t gold trim aro+nd it. 12 Then he made a frame 1 hand!readth wide aro+nd the ta!le. $e p+t gold trim on the frame. 13 Then he made fo+r gold rings and p+t them at the fo+r corners of the ta!le, where the fo+r legs were. -4od+s 3'.1#*21 1&# 1# $e p+t the rings close to the frame. The rings were to hold the poles +sed to carry the ta!le. 1% Then he +sed acacia wood to make the poles for carrying the ta!le. $e covered the poles with p+re gold. 1& Then he made everything that was +sed on the ta!le. $e made the plates, the spoons, the !owls, and the pitchers from p+re gold. The !owls and pitchers are +sed for po+ring the drink offerings. 1' Then he made the lampstand. $e +sed p+re gold and hammered it to make the !ase and the shaft. Then he made flowers, !+ds, and petals and =oined everything together into one piece. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( The lampstand had si4 !ranchesthree !ranches on one side and three !ranches on the other side. 1) -ach !ranch had three flowers on it. These flowers were made like almond flowers with !+ds and petals. 2, The shaft of the lampstand had fo+r more flowers. They were also made like almond flowers with !+ds and petals. 21 There were si4 !ranchesthree !ranches coming o+t from each side of the shaft. And there was a flower with -4od+s 3'.22*2' 1&% !+ds and petals !elow each of the three places where the !ranches =oined the shaft. 22 The whole lampstand, with the flowers and !ranches, was made from p+re gold. All this gold was hammered and =oined together into one piece. 23 $e made seven lamps for this lampstand. Then he made lamp sn+ffers and trays from p+re gold. 2# $e +sed '% po+nds of p+re gold to make the lampstand and the things +sed with it. 2% $e made the altar for !+rning incense from acacia wood. The altar was sJ+are. 3t was 1 c+!it long, 1 c+!it wide, and 2 c+!its high. There were fo+r horns on the altar. There was one horn on each corner. These horns were =oined together with the altar to make one piece. 2& $e covered the top, all the sides, and the horns with p+re gold. Then he p+t gold trim aro+nd the altar. 2' $e made two gold rings for the altar. $e p+t the gold rings !elow the trim on each side of the altar. These gold rings held the poles for carrying the altar. -4od+s 3'.2(*3(.% 1&& 2( $e made the poles from acacia wood and covered them with gold. 2) Then he made the holy anointing oil. $e also made the p+re, sweetDsmelling incense. These things were made the same way that a perf+me maker wo+ld make them. 38 1 Then <eEalel +sed acacia wood to !+ild the altar. This was the pag. 1,'0131#

altar +sed for !+rning offerings. The altar was sJ+are. 3t was % c+!its long, % c+!its wide, and 3 c+!its high. 2 $e made a horn for each of the fo+r corners of the altar. $e =oined each horn to its corner so that everything was one piece. $e covered the altar with !ronEe. 3 Then he +sed !ronEe to make all the tools to !e +sed on the altar. $e made the pots, shovels, !owls, forks, and pans. # Then he made a !ronEe grating for the altar. This grating was shaped like a net. The grating was p+t +nder the ledge at the !ottom of the altar. 3t went halfway +p into the altar from !elow. % Then he made !ronEe rings to hold the poles for carrying the altar. $e p+t the rings at the fo+r corners of the grating. -4od+s 3(.&*12 1&' & Then he +sed acacia wood to make the poles and covered them with !ronEe. ' $e p+t the poles thro+gh the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it. $e +sed !oards to make the sides of the altar. 3t was hollow, like an empty !o4. ( $e made the !owl and its !ase with !ronEe. $e +sed the !ronEe mirrors that the women gave. These were the women who served at the entrance to the Aeeting Tent. ) Then he made a wall of c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard. 5n the so+th side, he made a wall of c+rtains 1,, c+!its long. The c+rtains were made from fine linen. 1, The c+rtains on the so+th side were s+pported !y 2, posts. The posts were on 2, !ronEe !ases. The hooks for the posts and the c+rtain rods were made from silver. 11 The north side of the co+rtyard also had a wall of c+rtains 1,, c+!its long. There were 2, posts with 2, !ronEe !ases. The hooks for the posts and the c+rtain rods were made from silver. 12 5n the west side of the co+rtyard, the wall of c+rtains was %, c+!its long. -4od+s 3(.13*1( 1&( There were 1, posts and 1, !ases. The -asy To .ead /ersion

hooks for the posts and the c+rtain rods were made from silver. 13 The east side of the co+rtyard was %, c+!its wide. The entrance to the co+rtyard was on this side. 1# 5n one side of the entrance, the wall of c+rtains was 1% c+!its long. There were three posts and three !ases on this side. 1% The wall of c+rtains on the other side of the entrance was also 1% c+!its long. There were three posts and three !ases on that side. 1& All the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard were made from fine linen. 1' The !ases for the posts were made from !ronEe. The hooks and the c+rtain rods were made from silver. The tops of the posts were covered with silver also. All the posts in the co+rtyard had silver c+rtain rods. 1( The c+rtain for the entrance of the co+rtyard was made from fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. Designs were woven into that c+rtain. The c+rtain was 2, c+!its long and % c+!its high. 3t was -4od+s 3(.1)*2# 1&) the same height as the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard. 1) The c+rtain was s+pported !y fo+r posts and fo+r !ronEe !ases. The hooks on the posts were made from silver. The tops on the posts were covered with silver, and the c+rtain rods were also made from silver. 2, All the tent pegs for the $oly Tent and for the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard were made from !ronEe. 21 Aoses commanded the evites to write down everything that was +sed to make the $oly Tent, that is, the Tent of the Agreement. 3thamar son of Aaron was in charge of keeping the list. 22 <eEalel son of Hri, the son of $+r, from the tri!e of C+dah, made everything the 5.D commanded Aoses. 23 Also 5holia! son of Ahisamach, from the tri!e of Dan, helped him. 5holia! was a skilled worker and designer. $e was skilled at weaving fine linen and pag. 1,(0131#

!l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. 2# The people gave over a ton of gold as an offering to the ord for his holy place. 7This was weighed +sing the official meas+re.8 -4od+s 3(.2%*31 1', 2% All the men 2, years old or older were co+nted. -ach man had to pay a ta4 of 1 !eka of silver. 7Hsing the official meas+re, 1 !eka is 102 shekel.8 There were &,3,%%, men. So they collected a!o+t '%%, po+nds of silver. 2& 73(:2%8 2' They +sed '%%, po+nds of that silver to make 1,, !ases for the holy place and its c+rtains. They +sed '% po+nds of silver for each !ase. 2( They +sed the remaining ## po+nds of silver to make the hooks, the c+rtain rods, and the silver covers for the posts. 2) They gave more than 2 102 tons of !ronEe. 3, That !ronEe was +sed to make the !ases at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. They also +sed the !ronEe to make the altar and the !ronEe grating. And the !ronEe was +sed to make all the tools and dishes for the altar. 31 3t was also +sed to make the !ases for the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard and the !ases for the c+rtains at the entrance. And the !ronEe was +sed to make the tent pegs for the $oly Tent and for the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard. -4od+s 3).1*& 1'1 39 1 The workers +sed the !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn to make special clothes for the priests to wear when they served in the holy place. They also made the special clothes for Aaron as the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 2 They made the ephod from gold thread, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. 3 7They hammered the gold into thin strips and c+t the gold into long threads. They wove the gold into the !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn and fine linen. This was the work of a very skilled person.8 # They made the sho+lder pieces for the -asy To .ead /ersion

ephod. They tied these sho+lder pieces to the two corners of the ephod. % They wove the cloth !elt and fastened it to the ephod. 3t was made the same way as the ephodthey +sed gold thread, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn, =+st as the 5.D commanded Aoses. & The workers p+t the ony4 stones for the ephod in gold settings. They wrote the names of the sons of 3srael on these stones. -4od+s 3).'*1# 1'2 ' Then they p+t these =ewels on the sho+lder pieces of the ephod. These =ewels were to help God to remem!er the 3sraelites. This was done as the 5.D commanded Aoses. ( Then they made the =+dgment po+ch. 3t was the work of a skilled person, =+st like the ephod. 3t was made from gold threads, fine linen, and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. ) The =+dgment po+ch was folded in half to make a sJ+are pocket. 3t was 1 span long and 1 span wide. 1, Then the workers p+t fo+r rows of !ea+tif+l =ewels on the =+dgment po+ch. The first row had a r+!y, a topaE, and a !eryl. 11 The second row had a t+rJ+oise, a sapphire, and an emerald. 12 The third row had a =acinth, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 The fo+rth row had a chrysolite, an ony4, and a =asper. All these =ewels were set in gold. 1# There were twelve =ewels on the =+dgment po+chone =ewel for each of the sons of 3srael. -ach stone had the name -4od+s 3).1%*21 1'3 of one of the sons of 3srael carved onto it, like a seal. 1% The workers made two chains from p+re gold for the =+dgment po+ch. The chains were !raided like a rope. 1& The workers made two gold rings and fastened them to two corners of the =+dgment po+ch. Then they made two gold settings for the sho+lder pieces. pag. 1,)0131#

1' They fastened the gold chains to the rings at the corners of the =+dgment po+ch. 1( They fastened the other ends of the gold chains to the settings on the sho+lder pieces. They fastened these to the front of the ephod. 1) Then they made two more gold rings and p+t them on the other two corners of the =+dgment po+ch. This was on the inside edge of the =+dgment po+ch ne4t to the ephod. 2, They also p+t two gold rings on the !ottom of the sho+lder pieces on the front of the ephod. These rings were near the fastener, =+st a!ove the cloth !elt. 21 Then they +sed a !l+e ri!!on and tied the rings of the =+dgment po+ch -4od+s 3).22*2& 1'# to the rings of the ephod. 3n this way the =+dgment po+ch wo+ld rest close to the cloth !elt and wo+ld !e held tight against the ephod. They did everything =+st as the 5.D commanded. 22 Then they made the ro!e for the ephod from !l+e cloth. 3t was woven !y a skilled worker. 23 They made a hole in the center of the ro!e and sewed a piece of cloth aro+nd the edge of this hole. This cloth kept the hole from tearing. 2# Then they +sed fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn to make the cloth pomegranates. They h+ng these pomegranates aro+nd the !ottom edge of the ro!e. 2% Then they made !ells from p+re gold. They h+ng these !ells aro+nd the !ottom edge of the ro!e !etween the pomegranates. 2& Aro+nd the !ottom edge of the ro!e, there were !ells and pomegranates. There was a !ell following each pomegranate. This ro!e was for the priest to wear when he served the ord. 3t was made =+st as the 5.D commanded Aoses. -4od+s 3).2'*33 1'% 2' Skilled workers wove shirts for Aaron -asy To .ead /ersion

and his sons. These shirts were made from fine linen. 2( And the workers made a t+r!an from fine linen. They also +sed fine linen to make cloth caps and +nderclothes. 2) Then they made the cloth !elt from fine linen and !l+e, p+rple, and red yarn. Designs were sewn into the cloth. These things were made as the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 3, Then they made a strip of p+re gold for the holy crown. They carved these words into the gold like the writing on a seal: $5 ; T5 T$- 5.D. 31 They fastened the gold strip to a !l+e ri!!on. Then they tied the !l+e ri!!on aro+nd the t+r!an like the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 32 So all the work on the $oly Tent, that is, the Aeeting Tent, was finished. The 3sraelites did everything =+st as the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 33 Then they showed the $oly Tent and everything in it to Aoses. They showed him the rings, the frames, the !races, the posts, and the !ases. -4od+s 3).3#*#, 1'& 3# They showed him the covering of the Tent that was made from ram skins dyed red and the covering that was made from fine leather. And they showed him the c+rtain that covered the entrance to the Aost $oly 6lace. 3% They showed Aoses the <o4 of the Agreement, the poles +sed for carrying it, and the mercyDcover. 3& They showed him the ta!le with everything on it and the special !read. 3' They showed him the p+re gold lampstand and the lamps on it, the oil, and all the other things that were +sed with the lamps. 3( They showed Aoses the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweetDsmelling incense, and the c+rtain that covered the entrance to the Tent. 3) They showed him the !ronEe altar, the !ronEe screen, the poles +sed for carrying the altar, and everything that was +sed on the altar. They showed him pag. 11,0131#

the !owl and the !ase +nder the !owl. #, They showed Aoses the wall of c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard with the posts and !ases. They showed him the c+rtain that covered the entrance to the -4od+s 3).#1*#,.# 1'' co+rtyard. They showed him the ropes and the tent pegs. They showed him everything in the $oly Tent, that is, the Aeeting Tent. #1 Then they showed Aoses the clothes that were made for the priests serving in the holy area. They showed him the special clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they served as priests. #2 The 3sraelites did all this work e4actly as the 5.D had commanded Aoses. #3 Aoses looked closely at all the work and saw that it was done e4actly as the 5.D had commanded. So Aoses !lessed them. 40 1 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2 5n the first day of the first month, set +p the $oly Tent, that is, the Aeeting Tent. 3 6+t the <o4 of the Agreement in the $oly Tent. 9over the <o4 with the c+rtain. # Then !ring in the ta!le. 6+t the things on the ta!le that sho+ld !e there. Then p+t the lampstand in the Tent. 6+t the lamps on the lampstand in the right places. -4od+s #,.%*13 1'( % 6+t the golden altar for offering incense in the Tent in front of the <o4 of the Agreement. Then p+t the c+rtain at the entrance to the $oly Tent. & 6+t the altar for !+rning offerings in front of the entrance of the $oly Tent, that is, the Aeeting Tent. ' 6+t the !owl !etween the Aeeting Tent and the altar. 6+t water in the !owl. ( Set +p the wall of c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard. Then p+t the c+rtain at the entrance to the co+rtyard. ) Hse the anointing oil and anoint the $oly Tent and everything in it. >hen yo+ p+t the oil on these things, yo+ will make -asy To .ead /ersion

them holy. 1, Anoint the altar for !+rning offerings. Anoint everything on the altar. ;o+ will make the altar holy. 3t will !e very holy. 11 Then anoint the !owl and the !ase +nder it to make these things holy. 12 <ring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. >ash them with water. 13 Then p+t the special clothes on Aaron. Anoint him with the oil and make him holy. Then he can serve me as a priest. -4od+s #,.1#*2, 1') 1# Then p+t the clothes on his sons. 1% Anoint the sons in the same way yo+ anointed their father. Then they can also serve me as priests. >hen yo+ anoint them, they will !ecome priests. That family will contin+e to !e priests for all time to come. 1& Aoses o!eyed the ord. $e did everything that the 5.D commanded him. 1' So the $oly Tent was set +p at the right time. 3t was the first day of the first month d+ring the second year from the time they left -gypt. 1( Aoses set +p the $oly Tent =+st as the ord had said. $e p+t the !ases down first. Then he p+t the frames on the !ases. Then he p+t the !races on and set +p the posts. 1) After that, Aoses p+t the o+ter tent over the $oly Tent. Then he p+t the covering over the o+ter tent. $e did these things =+st as the 5.D had commanded. 2, Aoses took the Agreement and p+t it in the $oly <o4. $e p+t the poles on the <o4 and p+t the mercyDcover on it. -4od+s #,.21*2) 1(, 21 Then Aoses p+t the $oly <o4 into the $oly Tent. $e h+ng the c+rtain in the right place to protect it. 3n this way he protected the <o4 of the Agreement !ehind the c+rtain =+st as the 5.D had commanded him. 22 Then Aoses p+t the ta!le in the Aeeting Tent on the north side of the pag. 1110131#

$oly Tent. $e p+t it in the $oly 6lace, in front of the c+rtain. 23 Then he p+t the !read on the ta!le !efore the 5.D. $e did this =+st as the 5.D had commanded him. 2# Then Aoses p+t the lampstand in the Aeeting Tent on the so+th side of the Tent, across from the ta!le. 2% Then Aoses p+t the lamps on the lampstand !efore the 5.D. $e did this =+st as the 5.D had commanded him. 2& Then Aoses p+t the golden altar in the Aeeting Tent, in front of the c+rtain. 2' Then he !+rned sweetDsmelling incense on the altar. $e did this as the 5.D had commanded him. 2( Then Aoses p+t the c+rtain at the entrance to the $oly Tent. 2) Aoses p+t the altar for !+rning offerings at the entrance to the $oly -4od+s #,.3,*3% 1(1 Tent, that is, the Aeeting Tent. Then Aoses offered a !+rnt offering on that altar. $e also offered grain offerings to the ord. $e did these things =+st as the 5.D had commanded him. 3, Then Aoses p+t the !owl !etween the Aeeting Tent and the altar. $e p+t water in the !owl for washing. 31 Aoses, Aaron, and Aarons sons +sed this !owl to wash their hands and feet. 32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Aeeting Tent. They also washed themselves every time they went near the altar. They did these things =+st as the 5.D commanded Aoses. 33 Then Aoses set +p the c+rtains aro+nd the co+rtyard of the $oly Tent. $e p+t the altar in the co+rtyard. Then he p+t the c+rtain at the entrance to the co+rtyard. So he finished all the work. 3# Then the clo+d covered the Aeeting Tent and the Glory of the 5.D filled the $oly Tent. 3% Aoses co+ld not go into the Aeeting Tent !eca+se the clo+d had settled on it, and the Glory of the 5.D had filled the $oly Tent. -4od+s #,.3&*3( 1(2 -asy To .ead /ersion

3& >hen the clo+d rose from the $oly Tent, the 3sraelites wo+ld !egin to travel. 3' <+t when the clo+d stayed on the $oly Tent, the people did not try to move. They stayed in that place +ntil the clo+d rose. 3( So the clo+d of the 5.D was over the $oly Tent d+ring the day, and at night there was a fire in the clo+d. So all the 3sraelites co+ld see the clo+d while they traveled. e!iti"us 1 1 So the 5.D called o+t to Aoses from inside the Aeeting Tent and said, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: >hen yo+ !ring an offering to the 5.D, the offering m+st !e one of yo+r tame animalsit can !e a sheep, a goat, or one of yo+r cattle. 3 3f yo+ offer one of yo+r cattle as a !+rnt offering, it m+st !e a !+ll that has nothing wrong with it. ;o+ m+st take the animal to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent where the 5.D will accept the offering. # ;o+ m+st p+t yo+r hand on the animals head while it is !eing killed. Then the ord will accept it as yo+r !+rnt offering to make yo+ p+re. % ;o+ m+st kill the yo+ng !+ll in front of the 5.D. Then Aarons sons, the priests, will !ring the !lood to the altar that is near the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. $e will splash the !lood on all fo+r sides of the altar. evitic+s 1.&*13 2 & ;o+ m+st remove the skin from that animal and then c+t the animal into pieces. ' Aarons sons, the priests, will p+t the fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. ( They will lay the pieces of the animal, incl+ding the head and fat, on top of the !+rning wood. ) ;o+ m+st wash the legs and inner parts of the animal with water. Then the priest will !ring all these parts to the altar to !e offered as a !+rnt offering, a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. pag. 1120131#

1, 3f yo+ offer a sheep or a goat as a !+rnt offering, it m+st !e a male that has nothing wrong with it. 11 ;o+ m+st kill the animal on the north side of the altar in front of the 5.D. Then Aarons sons, the priests, will splash the animals !lood on all fo+r sides of the altar. 12 ;o+ m+st c+t the animal into pieces and remove the head and the fat. The priest will then lay them on the wood that is on the fire of the altar. 13 ;o+ m+st wash the legs and inner parts of the animal with water. Then the evitic+s 1.1#*2.2 3 priest will !ring all these parts to the altar to !e offered as a !+rnt offering, a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 1# 3f yo+ offer a !ird as a !+rnt offering to the 5.D, that !ird m+st !e a dove or a yo+ng pigeon. 1% The priest will !ring the offering to the altar. There the priest will remove the !irds head, drain o+t the !lood on the side of the altar, and !+rn the !ird on the altar. 1& $e will remove the !irds tail and inner parts and throw them onto the pile of ashes east of the altar. 1' Then the priest will tear the !ird open !y its wings, !+t he m+st not divide it completely into two parts. So he will !ring the !ird to the altar to !e offered as a !+rnt offering, a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 2 1 >hen yo+ give a grain offering to the 5.D, yo+r offering m+st !e made from fine flo+r. ;o+ m+st po+r oil on this flo+r and p+t frankincense on it. 2 Then yo+ m+st !ring it to Aarons sons, the priests. 5ne of them will take a handf+l of the fine flo+r with oil and frankincense in it. $e will !ring this evitic+s 2.3*) # part, which represents the whole grain offering, to the altar. There it will !e !+rned +p as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 3 The rest of that grain offering will !elong to Aaron and his sons. This gift to -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D is very holy. # 3f yo+ give a grain offering that was !aked in the oven, it m+st !e +nleavened !read made from fine flo+r mi4ed with oil, or it m+st !e wafers with oil po+red over them. % 3f yo+ !ring a grain offering cooked in a !aking pan, it m+st !e made from fine flo+r witho+t yeast and mi4ed with oil. & ;o+ m+st !reak it into pieces and po+r oil over it. 3t is a grain offering. ' 3f yo+ !ring a grain offering cooked in a frying pan, it m+st !e made from fine flo+r mi4ed with oil. ( >hen yo+ !ring grain offerings made from these things to the 5.D, yo+ m+st give them to the priest, and he will take them to the altar. ) Then the priest will take part of the grain offering and lift it +p as a memorial offering. $e will !ring it to the altar to evitic+s 2.1,*1& % !e !+rned +p as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 1, The rest of that grain offering will !elong to Aaron and his sons. This gift to the 5.D is very holy. 11 ;o+ m+st not give any grain offering to the 5.D that has yeast in it. ;o+ m+st not !+rn yeast or honey as a gift to the 5.D. 12 ;o+ may !ring yeast and honey to the 5.D as an offering from the first harvest, !+t they m+st not !e p+t on the altar to !e !+rned as a sweet smell. 13 Also, yo+ m+st p+t salt on every grain offering yo+ !ring. ;o+ m+st not forget to add salt, !eca+se it represents Gods agreement with yo+. Always p+t salt on these offerings. 1# >hen yo+ offer the first part of yo+r grain harvest, roast the fresh grain and grind it. Then yo+ may !ring it as a grain offering to the 5.D. 1% ;o+ m+st p+t oil and frankincense on it. 3t is a grain offering. 1& The priest m+st !+rn part of the cr+shed grain, the oil, and all the frankincense on it as a memorial offering. 3t is a gift to the 5.D. pag. 1130131#

evitic+s 3.1*' & 3 1 3f yo+ offer one of yo+r cattle as a fellowship offering, it can !e a !+ll or a cow. <+t the animal yo+ offer to the 5.D m+st have nothing wrong with it. 2 ;o+ m+st p+t yo+r hand on the animals head and kill the animal at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. Then Aarons sons, the priests, will splash the !lood on all fo+r sides of the altar. 3 The priest will take a part of that fellowship offering as a gift to the 5.D. $e will take the fat that is over and aro+nd the inner parts. # $e will take the two kidneys and the fat covering them near the lower !ack m+scle. $e will also remove the fat part of the liver that is near the kidneys. % Then Aarons sons will !ring the fat to the altar and p+t it on the !+rnt offering that is on the wood on the fire. 3t is a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. & 3f yo+ offer a sheep or a goat as a fellowship offering to the 5.D, whether it is a male or a female, it m+st have nothing wrong with it. ' 3f yo+ !ring a lam! as an offering to the 5.D, evitic+s 3.(*1# ' ( yo+ m+st p+t yo+r hand on the animals head and kill it in front of the Aeeting Tent. Then Aarons sons will splash the animals !lood on all fo+r sides of the altar. ) The priest will take part of the fellowship offering to the altar as a gift to the 5.D. The priest m+st c+t off the tail close to the !ack!one. Then he will offer the tail with all its fat and the fat that is over and aro+nd the animals inner parts. 1, $e will also offer the two kidneys and the fat covering them near the lower !ack m+scles. $e will also offer the fat part of the liver. $e m+st remove it with the kidneys. 11 Then the priest will take that part to the altar to !e !+rned +p as food, a gift to the 5.D. 12 3f the offering is a goat, yo+ m+st !ring it !efore the 5.D. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 ;o+ m+st p+t yo+r hand on the goats head and kill it in front of the Aeeting Tent. Then Aarons sons, the priests, m+st splash the goats !lood on all fo+r sides of the altar. 1# The priest will give part of the fellowship offering as a gift to the 5.D. evitic+s 3.1%*#.3 ( $e will offer the fat that is over and aro+nd the animals inner parts. 1% $e will offer the two kidneys and the fat covering them near the lower !ack m+scle. $e will also offer the fat part of the liver. $e will remove it with the kidneys. 1& Then the priest will !+rn these parts on the altar as food offered !y fire. The smoke will !e a sweetDsmelling gift to the ord. All the !est part, the fat, !elongs to the 5.D. 1' This r+le will contin+e forever thro+gh all yo+r generations. >herever yo+ live, yo+ m+st never eat fat or !lood. 4 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses and said, 2 Tell the 3sraelites this: A person might sin witho+t meaning to and do something that the 5.D commanded sho+ld not !e done. 2or e4ample: 3 The anointed priest might make a mistake while he is making an offering for the sin of the people. 3f that happens, the people will still !e g+ilty for their sin. 3n that case, he m+st offer a yo+ng !+ll to the 5.D as an offering for his own sin. The !+ll m+st have nothing wrong with it. evitic+s #.#*) ) # The anointed priest m+st !ring the !+ll to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent in front of the 5.D. $e m+st p+t his hand on the !+lls head and kill the !+ll in front of the 5.D. % Then the anointed priest m+st get some of the !lood from the !+ll and take it into the Aeeting Tent. & $e m+st p+t his finger in the !lood and sprinkle the !lood seven times !efore the 5.D in front of the c+rtain of the Aost $oly 6lace. ' The priest m+st p+t some of the !lood pag. 11#0131#

on the corners of the incense altar. 7This altar is in the Aeeting Tent, in front of the 5.D.8 $e m+st po+r o+t the rest of the !+lls !lood at the !ase of the altar of !+rnt offering. 7This altar is at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent.8 ( Then the priest m+st take all the fat from the !+ll of the sin offering. $e m+st take the fat that is on and aro+nd the inner parts. ) $e m+st take the two kidneys and the fat covering them near the lower !ack m+scle. $e m+st also take the fat part of the liver. $e m+st remove it with the kidneys. evitic+s #.1,*1% 1, 1, The priest m+st lift +p these things and !+rn them on the altar for !+rnt offerings, =+st as they do for the fellowship offering. 11 <+t the priest m+st carry o+t the !+lls skin, inner parts and !ody waste, and all the meat, incl+ding the head and legs. $e m+st carry those parts o+tside the camp to the special place where the ashes are po+red o+t. $e m+st p+t those parts on the wood and !+rn them there on the ash pile. 12 7#:118 13 The whole nation of 3srael might sin witho+t knowing it. They might !reak one of the commands of the 5.D and !ecome g+ilty of doing something he said m+st not !e done. 1# >hen they learn a!o+t that sin, the comm+nity of 3srael m+st offer a yo+ng !+ll as a sin offering for the whole nation. They m+st !ring the !+ll to the Aeeting Tent. 1% The elders of the people m+st p+t their hands on the !+lls head in front of the 5.D. Then they m+st kill the !+ll in front of the 5.D. evitic+s #.1&*22 11 1& The anointed priest m+st get some of the !+lls !lood and take it into the Aeeting Tent. 1' $e m+st p+t his finger in the !lood and sprinkle it seven times in front of the c+rtain !efore the 5.D. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( $e m+st p+t some of the !lood on the corners of the altar. 7This altar is inside the Aeeting Tent, in front of the 5.D.8 $e m+st then po+r o+t all the !lood at the !ase of the altar of !+rnt offering. 7This altar is at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent.8 1) Then he m+st take all the fat from the animal and !ring it to the altar. 2, $e m+st offer these parts, =+st as he offered the !+ll of the sin offering. 3n this way the priest will make the people p+re, and God will forgive them. 21 The priest m+st carry this !+ll o+tside the camp and !+rn it, =+st as he !+rned the other !+ll. This is the sin offering for the whole comm+nity. 22 A r+ler might do something that the 5.D his God has said m+st not !e done. -ven if he did not realiEe at the time that he was committing a sin, he is still g+ilty. evitic+s #.23*2) 12 23 As soon as he learns that he has sinned, he m+st !ring a male goat that has nothing wrong with it as his offering. 2# The r+ler m+st p+t his hand on the goats head and kill the goat at the place where they kill the !+rnt offering !efore the 5.D. The goat is a sin offering. 2% The priest will take some of the !lood of the sin offering on his finger and p+t it on the corners of the altar of !+rnt offering. $e will po+r o+t the rest of the !lood at the !ase of the altar. 2& The priest will !+rn all the goats fat on the altar, =+st as they do for the fellowship offerings. 3n this way the priest will make the r+ler p+re, and God will forgive him. 2' 2inally, one of yo+ common people might sin witho+t meaning to. ;o+ might !reak one of the commands of the 5.D and !ecome g+ilty of doing something he said m+st not !e done. 2( 3f yo+ learn a!o+t that sin, yo+ m+st !ring a female goat that has nothing wrong with it as yo+r sin offering. 2) ;o+ m+st p+t yo+r hand on the animals head and kill it at the place for pag. 11%0131#

the !+rnt offering. evitic+s #.3,*3% 13 3, Then the priest will take some of the goats !lood on his finger and p+t it on the corners of the altar of !+rnt offering. $e will po+r o+t the rest of its !lood at the !ase of the altar. 31 The priest will then remove all of its fat, =+st as is done for the fellowship offerings. Then he will !ring it to the altar as a sweet smell to the 5.D. The priest will do this to make yo+ p+re, and God will forgive yo+. 32 3f yo+ !ring a lam! as yo+r sin offering, then yo+ m+st !ring a female lam! that has nothing wrong with it. 33 ;o+ m+st p+t yo+r hand on the animals head and kill it as a sin offering in the place where people kill the !+rnt offering. 3# The priest will take some of the !lood from the sin offering on his finger and p+t it on the corners of the altar of !+rnt offering. $e will po+r o+t the rest of the lam!s !lood at the !ase of the altar. 3% $e will then remove all the lam!s fat, =+st as is done for the fellowship offerings. Then he will !ring it to the altar as a gift to the 5.D. The priest evitic+s %.1*# 1# will do this to make yo+ p+re, and God will forgive yo+. 5 1 ;o+ might !e called as a witness and take an oath to tell the tr+th. 3f yo+ saw something or knew something !+t did not tell it, yo+ are g+ilty of doing wrong and m+st !ear the responsi!ility for yo+r g+ilt. 2 ;o+ might to+ch something +nclean. 3t might !e the dead !ody of any kind of animal. ;o+ might not know that yo+ to+ched these things, !+t yo+ will still !ecome +nclean and m+st pay a fine. 3 ;o+ might to+ch any of the many things that can make a person +nclean. ;o+ might to+ch something +nclean, !+t not know a!o+t it. >hen yo+ learn that yo+ have to+ched something +nclean, yo+ m+st pay a fine. # ;o+ might make a J+ick promise to -asy To .ead /ersion

do somethingit makes no difference if it is !ad or good. 6eople make many kinds of J+ick promises. ;o+ might make s+ch a promise and forget it. >hen yo+ remem!er yo+r promise, yo+ m+st pay a fine !eca+se yo+ did not keep it. evitic+s %.%*1, 1% % 3f yo+ are g+ilty of any of these things, yo+ m+st confess whatever yo+ did wrong. & Then yo+ m+st !ring yo+r g+ilt offering to the 5.D for the sin yo+ did. ;o+ m+st !ring a female lam! or a female goat as a sin offering. The priest will do this to make yo+ p+re from yo+r sin. ' 3f yo+ cannot afford a lam!, yo+ m+st !ring two doves or two yo+ng pigeons to the 5.D. These will !e the g+ilt offering for yo+r sin. 5ne !ird m+st !e for a sin offering, and the other m+st !e for a !+rnt offering. ( Take them to the priest. 2irst, the priest will offer one !ird for the sin offering. The priest will p+ll the !irds head from its neck !+t he will not p+ll it off completely. ) The priest will sprinkle the !lood from the sin offering on the side of the altar. Then he will po+r o+t the rest of the !lood at the !ase of the altar. 3t is a sin offering. 1, Then he will offer the second !ird according to the r+les for a !+rnt offering. The priest will do this to make evitic+s %.11*1& 1& yo+ p+re from the sin yo+ did, and God will forgive yo+. 11 3f yo+ cannot afford two doves or two pigeons, yo+ m+st !ring ( c+ps of fine flo+r as yo+r sin offering. ;o+ m+st not p+t oil or frankincense on the flo+r !eca+se it is a sin offering. 12 ;o+ m+st !ring the flo+r to the priest. The priest will take a handf+l of the flo+r as the memorial offering and !ring it to the altar as a gift to the 5.D. 3t is a sin offering. 13 The priest will do this to make yo+ p+re, and God will forgive yo+. The part pag. 11&0131#

that is left will !elong to the priest, =+st as the reg+lar grain offering. 1# The 5.D gave this command to Aoses for the people: 1% ;o+ might promise to give something to the 5.D. ;o+ might sin against me witho+t meaning to !y not giving what yo+ promised. 3f yo+ do that, yo+ m+st !ring a ram that has nothing wrong with it 7or the same amo+nt in silver +sing the official meas+re8 as a g+ilt offering. 1& ;o+ m+st give what yo+ promised and add oneDfifth of that amo+nt as a fine. Give it to the priest and he will +se evitic+s %.1'*&.3 1' the ram to make yo+ p+re, and God will forgive yo+. 1' 3f yo+ sin and !reak any of the commands that the 5.D said m+st not !e done, yo+ are g+ilty. -ven if yo+ did not know a!o+t it, yo+ are still responsi!le for yo+r sin. 1( ;o+ m+st !ring a ram that has nothing wrong with it 7or the same amo+nt in silver8 to the priest. The priest will offer the ram, and God will forgive yo+ for the sin yo+ did witho+t knowing it. 1) ;o+ are g+ilty, and yo+ m+st pay the g+ilt offering to the 5.D. 6 1 The 5.D told Aoses these r+les for the people: 2 ;o+ are g+ilty of sin against the 5.D when yo+ do any of these things: when yo+ lie a!o+t what happened to something yo+ were taking care of for someone elseF when yo+ lie a!o+t a deposit yo+ receivedF when yo+ steal somethingF when yo+ cheat someoneF 3 when yo+ find something that was lost and lie a!o+t having itF when yo+ fail to keep a promiseF or when yo+ do any other !ad things like these. evitic+s &.#*1, 1( # 3f yo+ do any of these things, yo+ are g+ilty of doing wrong. ;o+ m+st give !ack whatever yo+ stole or whatever yo+ took !y cheating. ;o+ m+st ret+rn whatever yo+ took that another person asked yo+ to hold, or whatever yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

fo+nd and lied a!o+t having, % or whatever yo+ made a false promise a!o+t. ;o+ m+st pay the f+ll price and then add oneDfifth of that amo+nt as a fine and give it all to the tr+e owner. & ;o+ m+st also !ring a ram to the 5.D that has nothing wrong with it 7or the same amo+nt in silver8 to the priest. ' Then the priest will go to the 5.D to make yo+ p+re, and God will forgive yo+ for whichever of these things yo+ did that made yo+ g+ilty. ( The 5.D said to Aoses, ) Give this command to Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the !+rnt offering. The !+rnt offering m+st stay on the hearth of the altar all night +ntil morning. The altars fire m+st !e kept !+rning. 1, The priest m+st change clothes and p+t on the special linen +nderwear and linen ro!e. Then he m+st gather +p the evitic+s &.11*1& 1) ashes from the fire and !+rnt offerings and set them down !y the altar. 11 Then he m+st take off the special clothes and p+t on the other clothes and carry the ashes o+tside the camp to a special place that is p+re. 12 The fire that was started on the altar m+st never !e allowed to stop !+rning. -very morning the priests m+st p+t wood on the altar. They m+st arrange the !+rnt offerings on the wood, and they m+st !+rn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 That fire m+st always !e kept !+rning on the altar. 3t m+st never !e allowed to stop !+rning. 1# This is the law for the grain offering: The sons of Aaron will !ring it to the front of the altar as an offering to the 5.D. 1% There m+st !e some oil and frankincense on the grain offering. The priest will take a handf+l of fine flo+r from the grain offering and !+rn it on the altar as a sweetDsmelling memorial offering to the 5.D. 1& Aaron and his sons will +se the rest of pag. 11'0131#

that grain to make !read witho+t yeast. evitic+s &.1'*22 2, This m+st !e eaten in a holy placein the co+rtyard aro+nd the Aeeting Tent. 1' 3 have given this part of the grain offering as the priests share of the gifts offered to me. ike the sin offering and the g+ilt offering, it is most holy. 3t m+st not !e !aked with yeast. 1( Any male descendant of Aaron may eat from these gifts to the 5.D. This is their share forever thro+gho+t yo+r generations. >hatever to+ches these offerings will !e made holy. 1) The 5.D said to Aoses, 2, This is the offering that Aaron and his sons m+st !ring to the 5.D when Aaron is anointed to !e the high priest. They m+st !ring ( c+ps of fine flo+r for a grain offering. This will !e offered at the times of the daily offeringhalf of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21 The fine flo+r m+st !e mi4ed with oil and !aked on a pan. After it is cooked, yo+ m+st !ring it in, !reak it into pieces, and offer it as a sweetDsmelling gift to 5.D. 22 3n the f+t+re, when Aarons descendants take their place as the anointed priests, they will contin+e to evitic+s &.23*2) 21 make this grain offering to the ord. This r+le will contin+e forever. The grain offering m+st !e completely !+rned for the 5.D. 23 -very grain offering that a priest gives m+st !e completely !+rned. 3t m+st not !e eaten. 2# The 5.D said to Aoses, 2% Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering. The sin offering m+st !e killed in the place where the !+rnt offering is killed !efore the 5.D. 3t is most holy. 2& The priest who offers the sin offering m+st eat it. <+t he m+st eat it in a holy place, in the co+rtyard aro+nd the Aeeting Tent. 2' To+ching the meat of the sin offering makes a person or a thing holy. 3f any -asy To .ead /ersion

of the sprinkled !lood falls on a persons clothes, yo+ m+st wash the clothes in a holy place. 2( 3f the sin offering was !oiled in a clay pot, the pot m+st !e !roken. 3f the sin offering was !oiled in a !ronEe pot, the pot m+st !e washed and rinsed in water. 2) Any male in a priests family may eat the sin offering. 3t is very holy. evitic+s &.3,*'.& 22 3, <+t if the !lood of the sin offering was taken into the Aeeting Tent and +sed in the $oly 6lace to make people p+re, that sin offering m+st not !e eaten. 3t m+st !e completely !+rned in the fire. 7 1 These are the r+les for the g+ilt offering, which is very holy: 2 A priest m+st kill the g+ilt offering in the same place where they kill the !+rnt offerings. Then he m+st sprinkle the !lood from the g+ilt offering aro+nd the altar. 3 The priest m+st offer all the fat from the g+ilt offering. $e m+st offer the fat tail and the fat that covers the inner parts. # $e m+st offer the two kidneys and the fat covering them at the lower !ack m+scle. $e m+st also offer the fat part of the liver. $e m+st remove it with the kidneys. % $e m+st !ring these things to the altar as a gift to the 5.D. 3t is a g+ilt offering. & Any male in a priests family may eat the g+ilt offering. 3t is very holy, so it m+st !e eaten in a holy place. evitic+s '.'*13 23 ' The g+ilt offering is like the sin offering. The same r+les are for !oth offerings. The priest who does the sacrificing will get the meat for food. ( $e will also get the skin from the !+rnt offering. ) -very grain offering !elongs to the priest who offers it. That priest will get the grain offerings that were !aked in an oven, or cooked on a frying pan, or in a !aking dish. 1, The grain offerings will !elong pag. 11(0131#

to Aarons sons. 3t doesnt make any difference if the grain offerings are dry or mi4ed with oil. The sons of Aaron will all share this food. 11 This is the law of the sacrifice of fellowship offerings that yo+ !ring to the 5.D: 12 6eople can !ring fellowship offerings to show their thanks to God. 3f yo+ !ring yo+r sacrifice to give thanks, yo+ sho+ld also !ring +nleavened !read mi4ed with oil, wafers with oil po+red over them, and loaves of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil. 13 ;o+ m+st also !ring loaves of !read made with yeast to go with yo+r fellowship offering. evitic+s '.1#*1( 2# 1# 5ffer one each of these different kinds of !read as a gift to the 5.D. Then it will !elong to the priest who sprinkles the !lood of the fellowship offerings. 1% The meat of the fellowship offering m+st !e eaten on the same day it is offered as a way of showing thanks to God. 1one of the meat sho+ld remain +ntil the ne4t morning. 1& 3f yo+ !ring a fellowship offering simply !eca+se yo+ want to give a gift to God or !eca+se it is part of a special promise yo+ made to him, the sacrifice sho+ld !e eaten the same day yo+ offer it. <+t if there is any left, it m+st !e eaten the ne4t day. 1' 3f any meat from this sacrifice is still left over on the third day, it m+st !e !+rned in the fire. 1( 3f anyone eats the meat from the fellowship offering on the third day, the ord will not accept it as a sacrifice. 3t will have no val+e for that person, and to the ord it will !e like rotten meat" >hoever eats it will !e responsi!le for their sin. evitic+s '.1)*2% 2% 1) 6eople m+st not eat any of the meat that to+ches anything +nclean. They m+st !+rn this meat in the fire. >hoever is clean may eat the meat from the fellowship offering. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, <+t anyone who is +nclean and eats the meat from the fellowship offerings that was offered to the 5.D m+st !e separated from their people. 21 3f yo+ to+ch something that is +nclean, it doesnt matter if it was made +nclean !y a person, an animal, or some disg+sting thing, yo+ will !ecome +nclean. And if yo+ eat any of the meat from the fellowship offerings that was given to the 5.D, yo+ m+st !e separated from yo+r people. 22 The 5.D said to Aoses, 23 Tell the 3sraelites: ;o+ m+st not eat any fat from yo+r cattle, sheep, or goats. 2# ;o+ may +se the fat from any animal that has died !y itself or was torn !y other animals, !+t yo+ m+st never eat it. 2% >hoever eats the fat from an animal that was offered as a gift to the 5.D m+st !e separated from their people. evitic+s '.2&*3# 2& 2& 1o matter where yo+ live, yo+ m+st never eat !lood from any !ird or any animal. 2' Anyone who eats !lood m+st !e separated from their people. 2( The 5.D said to Aoses, 2) Tell the 3sraelites: 3f yo+ !ring a fellowship offering to the 5.D, yo+ m+st present that gift to the 5.D yo+rself. 3, ;o+ m+st !ring the fat and the !reast of the animal to the priest. Then he will lift +p the !reast in front of the 5.D to show it was presented to God. 31 The priest will !+rn the fat on the altar, !+t the !reast of the animal will !elong to Aaron and his sons. 32 ;o+ m+st also give the right thigh from the fellowship offering as a gift to the priest. 33 That part of the fellowship offering will !elong to the priest who carries the !lood and fat to the altar. 3# 3 will accept the !reast that was lifted +p and the gift of the right thigh from the 3sraelites. Then 3 will give these things to Aaron and his sons. This is evitic+s '.3%*(.3 2' pag. 11)0131#

their share from the fellowship offerings of the 3sraelites forever. 3% Those parts from the gifts offered to the 5.D were given to Aaron and his sons. >henever Aaron and his sons serve as the 5.D@S priests, they get that share of the sacrifices. 3& The 5.D commanded the 3sraelites to give those parts to the priests once they have !een anointed. That will !e their share from the 3sraelites forever. 3' These are the laws a!o+t !+rnt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, g+ilt offerings, fellowship offerings, and offerings for when the priests are appointed. 3( The 5.D gave these laws to Aoses on Ao+nt Sinai when he commanded the 3sraelites to !ring their offerings to the 5.D in the desert of Sinai. 8 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him and the clothes, the anointing oil, the !+ll of the sin offering, the two rams, and the !asket of +nleavened !read. 3 Then gather the people together at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. evitic+s (.#*11 2( # Aoses did what the 5.D commanded him. The people met together at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. % Then Aoses said to them, This is what the 5.D has commanded m+st !e done. & Aoses !ro+ght Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. ' Aoses p+t the woven shirt on Aaron and tied the cloth !elt aro+nd him. Then Aoses p+t the ro!e and the ephod on Aaron and tied the !ea+tif+l cloth !elt aro+nd him. ( Aoses p+t the =+dgment po+ch on Aaron and p+t the Hrim and Th+mmim inside its pocket. ) $e also p+t the t+r!an on Aarons head. $e p+t the strip of gold on the front of the t+r!an. This strip of gold is the holy crown. Aoses did this =+st as the 5.D had commanded. 1, Then Aoses took the anointing oil -asy To .ead /ersion

and sprinkled it on the $oly Tent and on everything in it. 3n this way he made them holy. 11 $e sprinkled some of the anointing oil on the altar seven times. $e sprinkled the oil on the altar, on all its tools and evitic+s (.12*1' 2) dishes, and on the !owl and its !ase. 3n this way he made them holy. 12 $e po+red some of the anointing oil on Aarons head to make him holy. 13 Then Aoses !ro+ght Aarons sons forward. $e p+t their woven shirts on them, tied !elts aro+nd them, and p+t cloth caps on their heads. $e did everything =+st as the 5.D had commanded. 1# Then Aoses !ro+ght o+t the !+ll of the sin offering. Aaron and his sons p+t their hands on the !+lls head. 1% Then Aoses killed the !+ll and collected its !lood. $e +sed his finger to p+t some of the !lood on all the corners of the altar. 3n this way he made the altar ready for sacrifices. Then he po+red o+t the !lood at the !ase of the altar to make the altar ready for sacrifices to make the people p+re. 1& Aoses took all the fat from the inner parts of the !+ll. $e took the fat part of the liver with the two kidneys and the fat on them. Then he !+rned them on the altar. 1' Aoses took the !+lls skin, its meat, and its !ody waste o+tside the camp. evitic+s (.1(*2# 3, $e !+rned these things in a fire o+tside the camp. $e did everything =+st as the 5.D commanded him. 1( Then Aoses !ro+ght the ram of the !+rnt offering. Aaron and his sons p+t their hands on the rams head. 1) Then Aoses killed the ram. $e sprinkled the !lood aro+nd on the altar. 2, $e c+t the ram into pieces. $e washed the inner parts and legs with water. Then he !+rned the whole ram on the altar. $e !+rned the head, the pieces, and the fat as a !+rnt offering. 3t was a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. pag. 12,0131#

Aoses did everything =+st as the 5.D commanded. 21 7(:2,8 22 Then Aoses !ro+ght the other ram. This ram was +sed for appointing Aaron and his sons to !ecome priests. Aaron and his sons p+t their hands on the rams head. 23 Then Aoses killed the ram. $e p+t some of its !lood on the tip of Aarons ear, on the th+m! of his right hand, and on the !ig toe of his right foot. 2# Then Aoses !ro+ght Aarons sons close to the altar. $e p+t some of the evitic+s (.2%*2) 31 !lood on the tip of their right ears, on the th+m! of their right hands, and on the !ig toe of their right feet. Then he sprinkled the !lood aro+nd on the altar. 2% $e took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat on the inner parts, the fat covering of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh. 2& A !asket of +nleavened !read is p+t !efore the 5.D each day. Aoses took one of those loaves of !read, one loaf of !read mi4ed with oil, and one +nleavened wafer. $e p+t these pieces of !read on the fat and on the right thigh of the ram. 2' Then he p+t all of it in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Aoses lifted these pieces to show he was offering them !efore the 5.D. 2( Then Aoses took these things from the hands of Aaron and his sons and !+rned them on the altar on top of the !+rnt offering. So this was the offering for appointing Aaron and his sons as priests. 3t was a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 2) Aoses took the !reast and lifted it to show he had presented it to the evitic+s (.3,*3# 32 5.D. 3t was Aoses share of the ram for appointing the priests. This was =+st as the 5.D had commanded him. 3, Aoses took some of the anointing oil and some of the !lood that was on the altar. $e sprinkled some on Aaron and -asy To .ead /ersion

on Aarons clothes. $e sprinkled some on Aarons sons who were with Aaron and on their clothes. 3n this way Aoses made Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and his sons clothes holy. 31 Then Aoses said to Aaron and his sons, 3 told yo+, Aaron and his sons m+st eat these things. So take the !asket of !read and meat from the ceremony for appointing the priests. <oil that meat at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. -at the meat and !read at that place. Do this as 3 told yo+. 32 3f any of the meat or !read is left, !+rn it. 33 The ceremony for appointing the priests will last for seven days. ;o+ m+st not leave the entrance of the Aeeting Tent +ntil that time is finished. 3# -verything we did today was what the 5.D commanded +s to do in order to make yo+ p+re. evitic+s (.3%*).% 33 3% ;o+ m+st stay at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent day and night for seven days. 3f yo+ dont o!ey the 5.D@S commands, yo+ will die" The 5.D gave me these commands. 3& So Aaron and his sons did everything that the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 9 1 5n the eighth day, Aoses called for Aaron and his sons and the elders of 3srael. 2 $e said to Aaron, Take a !+ll and a ram. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. The !+ll will !e a sin offering, and the ram will !e a !+rnt offering. 5ffer these animals to the 5.D. 3 Tell the 3sraelites, Take a male goat for a sin offering, and take a calf and a lam! for a !+rnt offering. The calf and the lam! m+st each !e one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. # Take a !+ll and a ram for fellowship offerings. Take these animals and a grain offering mi4ed with oil for an offering to the 5.D. Do this !eca+se the 5.D will appear to yo+ today. % So all the people came to the Aeeting Tent. They all !ro+ght the things that pag. 1210131#

evitic+s ).&*12 3# Aoses had commanded. All the people stood !efore the 5.D. & Aoses said, ;o+ m+st do what the 5.D commanded. Then the Glory of the 5.D will appear to yo+. ' Then Aoses told Aaron: Go do what the 5.D commanded. Go to the altar and offer sin offerings and !+rnt offerings. Do what will make yo+ and the people p+re. Take the peoples sacrifices and make them p+re. ( So Aaron went to the altar. $e killed the !+ll for the sin offering. This sin offering was for himself. ) Then the sons of Aaron !ro+ght the !lood to Aaron. Aaron p+t his finger in the !lood and p+t it on the corners of the altar. Then he po+red o+t the !lood at the !ase of the altar. 1, $e took the fat, the kidneys, and the fat part of the liver from the sin offering. $e !+rned them on the altar =+st as the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 11 Then Aaron !+rned the meat and skin on a fire o+tside the camp. 12 1e4t, Aaron killed the animal for the !+rnt offering. $is sons !ro+ght the evitic+s ).13*1) 3% !lood to him, and he sprinkled the !lood aro+nd on the altar. 13 Aarons sons gave the pieces and head of the !+rnt offering to Aaron, and he !+rned them on the altar. 1# $e also washed the inner parts and the legs of the !+rnt offering and !+rned them on the altar. 1% Then Aaron !ro+ght the peoples offering. $e killed the goat of the sin offering that was for the people. $e offered the goat for sin, like the earlier sin offering. 1& $e !ro+ght the !+rnt offering and offered it in the way the ord had commanded. 1' $e !ro+ght the grain offering to the altar. $e took a handf+l of the grain and p+t it on the altar !eside that mornings daily sacrifice. 1( Aaron also killed the !+ll and the ram -asy To .ead /ersion

that were the fellowship offerings from the people. $is sons !ro+ght the !lood to him, and he sprinkled this !lood aro+nd on the altar. 1) Aarons sons also !ro+ght him the fat of the !+ll and the ram. They !ro+ght the fat tail, the fat covering the inner evitic+s ).2,*1,.1 3& parts, the kidneys, and the fat part of the liver. 2, Aarons sons p+t these fat parts on the !reasts of the !+ll and the ram. Aaron !+rned them on the altar. 21 $e lifted the !reasts and the gift of the right thigh to show he was offering them !efore the 5.D, =+st as Aoses had commanded. 22 Then Aaron lifted +p his hands toward the people and !lessed them. After he finished offering the sin offering, the !+rnt offering, and the fellowship offerings, he came down from the altar. 23 Aoses and Aaron went into the Aeeting Tent. They came o+t and !lessed the people. Then the Glory of the 5.D appeared to all the people. 2# 2ire came o+t from the 5.D and !+rned the !+rnt offering and fat on the altar. >hen all the people saw this, they sho+ted with =oy and then !owed to the gro+nd to show their respect. 10 1 Then Aarons sons 1ada! and A!ih+ made a mistake. They took their incense dishes and p+t some fire and incense in them. <+t they did not +se the fire that was on the altarthey evitic+s 1,.2*& 3' took fire from some other place and !ro+ght it to the 5.D. This was not what he had commanded. 2 So fire came from the 5.D and destroyed 1ada! and A!ih+, and they died there in front of the 5.D. 3 Then Aoses said to Aaron, The 5.D says, The priests who come near me m+st respect me. 3 m+st !e holy to them and to all the people. So Aaron did not say anything a!o+t his sons dying. # Aarons +ncle HEEiel had two sons. They were Aishael and -lEaphan. Aoses pag. 1220131#

said to these sons, 9ome here and get yo+r co+sins !odies and carry them away from this holy place and take them o+tside the camp. % So Aishael and -lEaphan o!eyed Aoses. They carried the !odies of 1ada! and A!ih+ o+tside the camp. 1ada! and A!ih+ were still wearing their special woven shirts. & Then Aoses spoke to Aaron and his other sons -leaEar and 3thamar. $e said, Dont show any sadness" Dont tear yo+r clothes or mess +p yo+r hair" 3f yo+ do anything to show yo+r sadness, yo+ will !e killed, and the ord will show his evitic+s 1,.'*12 3( anger against everyone. <+t let all the other people of 3srael, yo+r relatives, cry for those the 5.D destroyed with fire. ' <+t yo+ m+st not even leave the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 3f yo+ leave, yo+ will die !eca+se the 5.D@S anointing oil is on yo+. So Aaron, -leaEar, and 3thamar o!eyed Aoses. ( Then the 5.D said to Aaron, ) ;o+ and yo+r sons m+st not drink wine or !eer when yo+ come into the Aeeting Tent. 3f yo+ do, yo+ will die. This law contin+es forever thro+gh yo+r generations. 1, ;o+ m+st !e a!le to clearly tell the difference !etween what is holy and what is not holy, !etween what is clean and what is +nclean. 11 And yo+ m+st teach the people a!o+t all the laws that the 5.D gave them thro+gh Aoses. 12 Aaron had two sons who were still alive, -leaEar and 3thamar. Aoses said to Aaron and his two sons, >hen people give sacrifices as a gift to the 5.D, some of the grain offering is not !+rned. Hse that grain to make !read witho+t yeast. ;o+ priests m+st eat that !read evitic+s 1,.13*1& 3) near the altar !eca+se that grain is very holy. 13 The portion of food for yo+ and yo+r sons will come from the special gifts to the 5.D, so yo+ m+st eat that food in a -asy To .ead /ersion

holy place. 1# ;o+, yo+r sons, and yo+r da+ghters may all eat the !reast and thigh that were lifted +p !efore the ord as an offering. <+t yo+ m+st eat these in a place that is clean !eca+se they come from the fellowship offerings. They are yo+r share of those offerings that the 3sraelites give to God. 1% The people m+st !ring the gifts of fat from their animals as part of the sacrifice. They m+st also !ring the thigh of the fellowship offering and the !reast that is lifted +p to show it is offered in front of the 5.D. Then it will !e yo+r share of the offering. 3t will !elong to yo+ and yo+r children. That part of the sacrifices will !e yo+r share forever, =+st as the 5.D said. 1& Aoses looked for the goat of the sin offering, !+t it was already !+rned +p. Aoses !ecame very angry with Aarons evitic+s 1,.1'*11.# #, other sons -leaEar and 3thamar. Aoses said, 1' >hy did yo+ not eat the sin offering in the holy area" That meat is very holy" God gave it to yo+ to carry away the g+ilt of the peopleto make the people p+re !efore the 5.D. 1( That goats !lood was not !ro+ght into the $oly 6lace. So yo+ sho+ld have eaten the meat in the holy area, =+st as 3 commanded" 1) <+t Aaron said to Aoses, ook, today they !ro+ght their sin offering and !+rnt offering !efore the 5.D. <+t yo+ know what happened to me today" Do yo+ think the 5.D wo+ld !e happy if 3 ate the sin offering today? 2, >hen Aoses heard this, he agreed. 11 1 The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: These are the animals yo+ can eat: 3 3f an animal has hooves that are split into two parts, and if that animal also chews the c+d, then yo+ may eat the meat from that animal. # Some animals chew the c+d, !+t they pag. 1230131#

dont have split hooves. Dont eat these evitic+s 11.%*13 #1 animals. 9amels, rock !adgers, and ra!!its are like that, so they are +nclean for yo+. % 711:#8 & 711:#8 ' 5ther animals have hooves that are split into two parts, !+t they dont chew the c+d. Dont eat these animals. 6igs are like that, so they are +nclean for yo+. ( Dont eat the meat from these animals. Dont even to+ch their dead !odies" They are +nclean for yo+. ) ;o+ may eat everything that lives in the sea or in a river that has fins and scales. 1, <+t yo+ m+st not eat anything that lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales. C+st the tho+ght of eating s+ch a creat+re sho+ld make yo+ sick. This will never change. So dont ever eat meat from anything like that. Dont even to+ch its dead !ody" 11 711:1,8 12 3t is a sickening tho+ght for yo+ to to+ch anything that lives in the water and does not have fins and scales. 13 ;o+ m+st also treat some !irds as things that are wrong to eat. Stay away evitic+s 11.1#*2# #2 from them. 3t is a sickening tho+ght for yo+ to eat any of these !irds: eagles, v+lt+res, !+EEards, 1# kites, all kinds of falcons, 1% all kinds of !lack !irds, 1& ostriches, nighthawks, sea g+lls, all kinds of hawks, 1' owls, cormorants, great owls, 1( water hens, pelicans, carrion v+lt+res, 1) storks, all kinds of herons, hoopoes, and !ats. 2, Dont eat insects that have wings and crawl. -ven the tho+ght of eating them sho+ld make yo+ sick" 21 <+t yo+ may eat insects if they have legs with =oints a!ove their feet so that they can =+mp. 22 ;o+ may also eat all kinds of loc+sts, -asy To .ead /ersion

all kinds of winged loc+sts, all kinds of crickets, and all kinds of grasshoppers. 23 <+t stay away from all the other insects that have wings and crawl. 2# They will make yo+ +nclean. 3f yo+ to+ch the dead !odies of these insects, yo+ will !ecome +nclean +ntil evening. evitic+s 11.2%*32 #3 2% 3f yo+ pick +p one of these dead insects, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 2& Some animals have split hooves, !+t the hooves dont make e4actly two parts. Some animals dont chew the c+d. Some animals dont have hoovesthey walk on their paws. All these animals are +nclean for yo+. 3f yo+ to+ch them, yo+ will !ecome +nclean +ntil evening. 2' 711:2&8 2( 3f yo+ pick +p the dead !odies of these +nclean animals, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. These animals are +nclean for yo+. 2) These small animals are +nclean for yo+: moles, mice, all kinds of great liEards, 3, geckos, crocodiles, liEards, sand reptiles, and chameleons. 31 >hoever to+ches their dead !odies will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 32 3f any of these +nclean animals dies and falls on something, that thing will !ecome +nclean. 3t might !e something made from wood, cloth, leather, or sackcloth. >hatever it is or is +sed for, evitic+s 11.33*3( ## it m+st !e washed with water. 3t will !e +nclean +ntil evening. Then it will !ecome clean again. 33 3f any of these +nclean animals dies and falls into a clay dish, anything in the dish will !ecome +nclean. And yo+ m+st !reak the dish. 3# 3f water from the +nclean clay dish to+ches any food, that food will !ecome +nclean. Any drink in the +nclean dish will !ecome +nclean. 3% 3f any part of a dead, +nclean animal falls on something, that thing is +nclean. pag. 12#0131#

3t may !e a clay oven or a clay !aking pan. 3t m+st !e !roken into pieces. These things will remain +nclean. They will always !e +nclean for yo+. 3& A spring or a well that collects water will remain clean, !+t anyone who to+ches the dead !odies of any +nclean animal in that water will !ecome +nclean. 3' 3f any part of a dead, +nclean animal falls on seed that is to !e planted, that seed is still clean. 3( <+t if yo+ p+t water on some seed and if any part of a dead, +nclean animal evitic+s 11.3)*#% #% falls on those seeds, they are +nclean for yo+. 3) Also, if an animal which yo+ +se for food dies, whoever to+ches its dead !ody will !e +nclean +ntil evening. #, 3f yo+ eat meat from this animals !ody, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 3f yo+ pick +p the dead !ody of the animal, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. #1 ;o+ m+st not eat anything that crawls on the gro+nd. 3t is a sickening tho+ght for yo+ to eat s+ch a creat+re. #2 ;o+ m+st not eat any of the reptiles that crawl on their !ellies or that walk on all fo+r feet or that have many feet. 3t is a sickening tho+ght for yo+ to eat s+ch things" #3 Dont let them make yo+ filthy. ;o+ m+st not !ecome +nclean, ## !eca+se 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 am holy, so yo+ sho+ld keep yo+rselves holy. Dont make yo+rselves +nclean with these crawling things. #% 3, the 5.D, !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt so that yo+ co+ld !e my special people evitic+s 11.#&*12.% #& and 3 co+ld !e yo+r God. 3 am holy, so yo+ m+st !e holy too. #& These are the r+les a!o+t all the tame animals, !irds, all the animals in the sea, and all the animals that crawl on the gro+nd. #' These r+les will help the people know -asy To .ead /ersion

which animals are +nclean and which animals they are allowed to eat and which ones they cannot eat. 12 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: >hen a woman gives !irth, she will !e +nclean, =+st as she is d+ring her monthly time of !leeding. 3f the !a!y is a !oy, the mother will !e +nclean for seven days. 3 The !a!y !oy m+st !e circ+mcised on the eighth day. # <eca+se of the !lood from child!irth, another 33 days m+st pass !efore she can to+ch anything that is holy. She m+st not enter the $oly 6lace +ntil the time of her p+rification is finished. % <+t if she gives !irth to a girl, the mother will !e +nclean for 1# days, =+st as she is d+ring her monthly time of !leeding. <eca+se of the !lood from evitic+s 12.&*13.2 #' child!irth, another && days m+st pass !efore she !ecomes clean. & After the time of her p+rification is finished, the new mother of a !a!y girl or !oy m+st !ring special sacrifices to the Aeeting Tent. She m+st give her sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. She m+st !ring a oneDyearDold lam! for a !+rnt offering and a dove or yo+ng pigeon for a sin offering. ' 3f the woman cannot afford a lam!, she may !ring two doves or two yo+ng pigeons. 5ne !ird will !e for a !+rnt offering and one for a sin offering. The priest will offer them !efore the 5.D. 3n this way the priest will make her p+re, and she will !e clean from the !lood of child!irth. These are the r+les for a woman who gives !irth to a !a!y !oy or a !a!y girl. ( 712:'8 13 1 The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 2 Someone might have a swelling on their skin, or it may !e a rash or a !right spot. 3f the sore looks like the disease of leprosy, the person m+st !e !ro+ght to evitic+s 13.3*& #( pag. 12%0131#

Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests. 3 The priest m+st look at the sore on the persons skin. 3f the hair in the sore has !ecome white, and if the sore seems deeper than the persons skin, it is leprosy. >hen the priest has finished looking at the person, he m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. # Sometimes there is a white spot on a persons skin that does not seem deeper than the skin. 3f that is tr+e, the priest m+st separate that person from other people for seven days. % 5n the seventh day, the priest m+st look at the person again. 3f the priest sees that the sore has not changed and has not spread on the skin, he m+st separate the person for seven more days. & Seven days later the priest m+st look at the person again. 3f the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest m+st anno+nce that the person is clean. The sore is only a rash. After washing the clothes, that person will !e clean again. evitic+s 13.'*13 #) ' <+t if the rash spreads over the skin after the person has shown himself to the priest to !e made clean again, that person m+st come again to the priest. ( The priest m+st look, and if the rash has spread, he m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. The disease is leprosy. ) >hoever has leprosy m+st !e !ro+ght to the priest. 1, $e m+st look at that person. 3f there is a white swelling on the skin, if the hair has !ecome white, and if the skin looks raw in the swelling, 11 it is leprosy that has !een there for a long time. The priest m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. $e does not have to wait +ntil after a period of separation, !eca+se he already knows that the person is +nclean. 12 Sometimes a skin disease will spread all over a persons !ody, covering the skin from head to foot. The priest m+st -asy To .ead /ersion

look at that persons whole !ody. 13 3f the priest sees that the skin disease covers the whole !ody and that it has t+rned all the skin white, the priest m+st anno+nce that the person is clean. evitic+s 13.1#*21 %, 1# <+t if the skin is raw, that person is not clean. 1% >hen the priest sees the raw skin, he m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. The raw skin is not clean. 3t is leprosy. 1& 3f the raw skin changes and !ecomes white, the person m+st come to the priest. 1' The priest m+st look at the person. 3f the skin has !ecome white, the person who had the infection is clean, and the priest m+st anno+nce this. 1( Someone might get a !oil on their skin that heals over. 1) Then that !oil might !ecome a white swelling or a !right, white spot with red streaks in it. 3f this happens, the person m+st show that spot to the priest. 2, The priest m+st look at it. 3f the swelling is deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has !ecome white, the priest m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. The spot is leprosy that has !roken o+t from inside the !oil. 21 <+t if the priest looks at the spot, and there are no white hairs in it, and the spot is not deeper than the skin !+t evitic+s 13.22*2' %1 is faded, the priest m+st separate the person for seven days. 22 3f the spot spreads on the skin, the priest m+st anno+nce that the person is +ncleanF it is an infection. 23 <+t if the !right spot stays in its place and does not spread, it is only the scar from the old !oil. The priest m+st anno+nce that the person is clean. 2# Someone might get a !+rn on the skin. 3f the raw skin !ecomes a white spot or a white spot with red streaks in it, the priest m+st look at it. 3f that white spot seems to !e deeper than the skin, and the hair at that spot has !ecome pag. 12&0131#

white, it is leprosy that has !roken o+t in the !+rn. The priest m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. 2% 713:2#8 2& <+t if the priest looks at the spot, and there is no white hair in the !right spot, and the spot is not deeper than the skin !+t is faded, the priest m+st separate the person for seven days. 2' 5n the seventh day, the priest m+st look at the person again. 3f the spot has spread on the skin, the priest m+st evitic+s 13.2(*33 %2 anno+nce that the person is +nclean. 3t is leprosy. 2( <+t if the !right spot has not spread on the skin !+t has faded, it is only a scar from the !+rn. The priest m+st anno+nce that the person is clean. 2) Someone might get an infection on the scalp or !eard. 3, A priest m+st look at the infection. 3f the infection seems to !e deeper than the skin, and if the hair aro+nd it is thin and yellow, the priest m+st anno+nce that the person is +nclean. 3t is a serio+s skin disease. 31 3f the disease does not seem deeper than the skin, !+t there is no dark hair in it, the priest m+st separate that person for seven days. 32 5n the seventh day, the priest m+st look at it again. 3f the disease has not spread, and there are no yellow hairs growing in it, and the disease does not seem deeper than the skin, 33 the person m+st shave. <+t the diseased area sho+ld not !e shaved. The priest m+st separate that person for seven more days. evitic+s 13.3#*#, %3 3# 5n the seventh day, the priest m+st look at it again. 3f the disease has not spread, and it does not seem deeper than the skin, the priest m+st anno+nce that the person is clean. After washing those clothes, that person will !e clean. 3% <+t if the disease spreads on the skin after the person has !ecome clean, 3& then the priest m+st look at the -asy To .ead /ersion

person again. 3f the disease has spread, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair. The person is +nclean. 3' <+t if the priest thinks that the disease has stopped, and !lack hair is growing in it, the disease has healed. The person is clean, and the priest m+st anno+nce this. 3( 3f anyone has white spots on the skin, 3) a priest m+st look at them. 3f the spots on that persons skin are d+ll white, the disease is only a harmless rash. That person is clean. #, A man might !egin to lose the hair on his head. 3t is only !aldness, so he is clean. evitic+s 13.#1*#) %# #1 A man might lose hair from the sides of his head. $e is clean. 3t is only another kind of !aldness. #2 <+t if there is a red and white infection on his scalp, it is a skin disease. #3 A priest m+st look at him. 3f the swelling of the infection is red and white and looks like the leprosy on other parts of his !ody, ## then he has leprosy on his scalp. The person is +nclean. The priest m+st anno+nce that he is +nclean. #% 6eople with leprosy m+st warn other people. They m+st sho+t, Hnclean, +nclean" They m+st tear their clothes at the seams. They m+st let their hair grow wild, and they m+st cover their mo+th. #& They are +nclean the whole time that they have the infection. They are +nclean and m+st live o+tside the camp. #' Some clothing might have mildew on it. The cloth co+ld !e linen or wool, woven or knitted. 5r the mildew might !e on a piece of leather or on something made from leather. #( 713:#'8 #) 3f the mildew is green or red, it m+st !e shown to the priest. evitic+s 13.%,*%& %% %, The priest m+st look at it and p+t it in a separate place for seven days. %1 5n the seventh day, he m+st look at pag. 12'0131#

it again. 3t doesnt matter if the mildew is on leather or cloth or if the cloth is woven or knitted. And it doesnt matter what the leather was +sed for. 3f the mildew has spread, the o!=ect is +nclean !eca+se of the infection. The priest m+st !+rn it. %2 713:%18 %3 3f the priest sees that the mildew did not spread on the o!=ect, it m+st !e washed. 3t doesnt matter if it is leather or cloth, or if the cloth is knitted or woven, it m+st !e washed. %# $e m+st order the people to wash it. Then he m+st separate the clothing for seven more days. %% After that time, the priest m+st look at it again. 3f the mildew still looks the same, the o!=ect is +nclean. 3t doesnt matter if the infection has not spreadF yo+ m+st !+rn that cloth or piece of leather. %& <+t if the priest looks at that piece of leather or cloth, and the mildew has faded, he m+st tear the infected spot o+t evitic+s 13.%'*1#.# %& of the piece of leather or cloth. 3t doesnt matter if the cloth is woven or knitted. %' <+t the mildew might come !ack to that piece of leather or cloth. 3f that happens, the mildew is spreading, and the o!=ect m+st !e !+rned. %( <+t if the mildew did not come !ack after washing, that piece of leather or cloth is clean, whether the cloth was woven or knitted. %) These are the r+les for mildew on pieces of leather or cloth, whether the cloth is woven or knitted. 14 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 These are the r+les for people who have had a skin disease and have !een made well. These r+les are for making them clean. A priest m+st look at those who had the skin disease. 3 The priest m+st go to them o+tside the camp and look to see if the skin disease is healed. # 3f they are healthy, the priest will tell them to do these things: They m+st -asy To .ead /ersion

!ring two clean !irds that are still alive, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red cloth, and a hyssop plant. evitic+s 1#.%*1, %' % Then the priest m+st order one !ird to !e killed in a clay !owl over r+nning water. & $e m+st take the other !ird that is still alive and the piece of cedar wood, the piece of red cloth, and the hyssop plant and dip them in the !lood of the !ird that was killed over the r+nning water. ' $e m+st sprinkle the !lood seven times on those who had the skin disease. Then he m+st anno+nce that they are clean. After that the priest m+st go to an open field and let the live !ird go free. ( The people going thro+gh this p+rification ceremony m+st wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and wash with water. Then they will !e clean. They may then go into the camp, !+t they m+st stay o+tside their tent for seven days. ) 5n the seventh day, they m+st shave off all their hair. They m+st shave their head, their !eard, and their eye!rowsyes, all their hair. Then they m+st wash their clothes and !athe their !odies in water. Then they will !e clean. 1, 5n the eighth day, anyone who had a skin disease m+st take two male lam!s evitic+s 1#.11*1# %( that have nothing wrong with them and a oneDyearDold female lam! that has nothing wrong with it. They m+st also take 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil for a grain offering and 203 of a pint of olive oil. 11 The priest m+st !ring that person and those sacrifices !efore the 5.D at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 7This m+st !e the same priest who anno+nced that the person is clean.8 12 The priest will take one of the lam!s and the oil as a g+ilt offering. $e will lift them in front of the 5.D to show they were presented to God. 13 Then the priest will kill the male lam! in the holy place where they kill the sin pag. 12(0131#

offering and the !+rnt offering. ike the sin offering, the g+ilt offering !elongs to the priest. 3t is very holy. 1# The priest will take some of the !lood of the g+ilt offering. $e will p+t some of this !lood on the tip of the right ear of the person to !e made clean. The priest will p+t some of this !lood on the th+m! of the right hand and on the !ig toe of the right foot of that person. evitic+s 1#.1%*2, %) 1% The priest will also take some of the oil and po+r it into his own left palm. 1& Then the priest will dip the finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left palm. $e will +se his finger to sprinkle some of the oil seven times !efore the 5.D. 1' Then he will p+t some of the oil that is in his palm on the person to !e made clean. $e will p+t that oil on the same places he p+t the !lood of the g+ilt offering. The priest will p+t some of the oil on the tip of the persons right ear, on the th+m! of the right hand, and on the !ig toe of the persons right foot. 1( $e will p+t the oil that is left in his palm on the head of the person to !e made clean. 3n this way he will make that person p+re !efore the 5.D. 1) Then the priest m+st offer the sin offering to make that person p+re. After that he will kill the animal for the !+rnt offering. 2, $e will then offer +p the !+rnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. 3n this way the priest will make that person p+re, and that person will !ecome clean. evitic+s 1#.21*2% &, 21 A poor person might not !e a!le to afford all these offerings. So that poor person can +se one male lam! as a g+ilt offering. 3t will !e presented to God so that the priest can make that person p+re. The poor person m+st take ( c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil. This flo+r will !e +sed for a grain offering. The poor person m+st also take 203 of a pint of olive oil -asy To .ead /ersion

22 and two doves or two yo+ng pigeons. -ven poor people can afford these things. 5ne !ird will !e a sin offering, and the other will !e a !+rnt offering. 23 5n the eighth day, that person will !ring these things to the priest at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. These things will !e offered !efore the 5.D so that the person can !ecome clean. 2# The priest will take the lam! for the g+ilt offering and the oil, and he will lift them +p to show they were offered !efore the 5.D. 2% Then he will kill the lam! of the g+ilt offering, take some of its !lood, and p+t it on the tip of the right ear of the person to !e made clean. The priest will p+t some of this !lood on the th+m! of evitic+s 1#.2&*31 &1 the right hand and on the !ig toe of the right foot of this person. 2& $e will also po+r some of this oil into his own left palm. 2' $e will +se the finger of his right hand to sprinkle some of the oil that is in his left palm seven times !efore the 5.D. 2( Then he will p+t some of the oil that is in his palm on the same places he p+t the !lood from the g+ilt offering. $e will p+t some of the oil on the tip of the right ear of the person to !e made clean. The priest will p+t some of the oil on the th+m! of the right hand and on the !ig toe of the persons right foot. 2) $e will p+t the oil that is left in his palm on the head of the person to !e made clean. 3n this way he will make that person p+re !efore the 5.D. 3, Then the priest m+st offer one of the doves or yo+ng pigeons. 7$e m+st offer whichever the person can afford.8 31 $e m+st offer one of these !irds as a sin offering and the other !ird as a !+rnt offering. $e m+st offer the !irds with the grain offering. 3n this way the priest will make that person p+re !efore the 5.D, and that person will !ecome clean. evitic+s 1#.32*3( &2 32 These are the r+les for making people clean after they !ecome well from a skin pag. 12)0131#

disease. These are the r+les for those who cannot afford the reg+lar sacrifices for !ecoming clean. 33 The 5.D also said to Aoses and Aaron, 3# 3 am giving the land of 9anaan to yo+r people. ;o+r people will enter that land. At that time 3 might ca+se mildew to grow in someones ho+se. 3% The person who owns that ho+se m+st come and tell the priest, 3 see something like mildew in my ho+se. 3& Then the priest m+st order the people to take everything o+t of the ho+se !efore he goes in to look at the mildew. Then the priest will not have to say everything in the ho+se is +nclean. After the people have taken everything o+t of the ho+se, the priest will go in to look at the ho+se. 3' $e will look at the mildew. 3f the mildew on the walls of the ho+se has holes that are a green or red color, and if the mildew goes into the walls s+rface, 3( he m+st go o+t of the ho+se and lock the ho+se for seven days. evitic+s 1#.3)*## &3 3) 5n the seventh day, the priest m+st come !ack and check the ho+se. 3f the mildew has spread on the walls of the ho+se, #, then he m+st order the people to tear o+t the stones with the mildew on them and throw them away. They m+st p+t these stones at a special +nclean place o+tside the city. #1 Then the priest m+st have the entire ho+se scraped inside. The people m+st throw away the plaster that was scraped off the walls. They m+st p+t that plaster at a special +nclean place o+tside the city. #2 Then new stones m+st !e p+t in the walls, and the walls m+st !e covered with new plaster. #3 Aay!e someone took away the old stones and plaster and p+t in new stones and plaster. And may!e mildew again appears in that ho+se. ## Then the priest m+st come in and -asy To .ead /ersion

check the ho+se. 3f the infection has spread in the ho+se, it is a disease that spreads J+ickly to other places. So the ho+se is +nclean. evitic+s 1#.#%*%2 &# #% The ho+se m+st !e torn down. All the stones, plaster, and pieces of wood m+st !e taken to the special +nclean place o+tside the city. #& Anyone who goes into that ho+se will !e +nclean +ntil evening. #' Anyone who eats in that ho+se or lies down in there m+st wash their clothes. #( After new stones and plaster are p+t in a ho+se, the priest m+st check the ho+se. 3f the mildew has not spread thro+gh the ho+se, the priest will anno+nce that the ho+se is clean, !eca+se the mildew is gone. #) Then, to make the ho+se clean, the priest m+st take two !irds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red cloth, and a hyssop plant. %, $e will kill one !ird in a clay !owl over r+nning water. %1 Then he will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the piece of red cloth, and the live !ird and dip them in the !lood of the !ird that was killed over r+nning water. Then he will sprinkle that !lood on the ho+se seven times. %2 3n this way he will +se these things to make the ho+se clean. evitic+s 1#.%3*1%.% &% %3 $e will go to an open field o+tside the city and let the live !ird go free. 3n this way the priest will make the ho+se p+re. The ho+se will !e clean. %# These are the r+les for any infection of leprosy, %% for mildew on pieces of cloth or in a ho+se. %& These are the r+les for swellings, rashes, or !right spots on the skin. %' These r+les teach when something is clean and when something is +nclean. These are the r+les a!o+t these kinds of disease. 15 1 The 5.D also said to Aoses and Aaron, pag. 13,0131#

2 Say to the 3sraelites: >hoever has a genital discharge is +nclean. 3 The person is +nclean whether the discharge contin+es to flow or whether it stops. # 3f a man with a discharge lies on a !ed, that !ed !ecomes +nclean. -verything he sits on will !ecome +nclean. % 3f yo+ to+ch that !ed, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe in water. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. evitic+s 1%.&*1# && & 3f yo+ sit on anything that he sat on, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe in water. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. ' 3f yo+ to+ch him, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe in water. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. ( 3f he spits on yo+, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe in water. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. ) 3f that man sits on a saddle, it will !ecome +nclean. 1, 3f yo+ to+ch or carry anything that was +nder him, yo+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 11 3f he to+ches yo+, yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe in water. ;o+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 12 3f a man with a discharge to+ches a clay !owl, that !owl m+st !e !roken. 3f he to+ches a wooden !owl, that !owl m+st !e washed in water. 13 >hen it comes time for a man with a discharge to !e made clean, he m+st wait seven days. Then he m+st wash his clothes and !athe his !ody in r+nning water. Then he will !ecome clean. 1# 5n the eighth day, he m+st take for himself two doves or two yo+ng evitic+s 1%.1%*2, &' pigeons and come !efore the 5.D at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. $e will give the two !irds to the priest. 1% The priest will offer the !irds, one for a sin offering, and the other for a !+rnt offering. 3n this way the priest will make that man p+re !efore the 5.D. 1& 3f a man has a flow of semen, he m+st !athe his whole !ody in water. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 1' 3f the semen is on any clothing or leather, that clothing or leather m+st !e washed with water. 3t will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 1( 3f a woman has se4+al relations with a man, and he has a flow of semen, !oth the man and the woman m+st !athe in water. They will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 1) 3f a woman has a discharge from her monthly time of !leeding, she will !e +nclean for seven days. Anyone who to+ches her will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 2, -verything she lies on d+ring her monthly time of !leeding will !e +nclean. And everything she sits on d+ring that time will !e +nclean. evitic+s 1%.21*2& &( 21 >hoever to+ches her !ed m+st wash their clothes and !athe in water. They will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 22 >hoever to+ches anything she has sat on m+st wash their clothes and !athe in water. They will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 23 3t doesnt matter if they to+ched the womans !ed or if they to+ched something she sat on, they will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 2# 3f a man has se4+al relations with a woman d+ring her monthly time of !leeding, he will !e +nclean for seven days. -very !ed he lies on will !e +nclean. 2% 3f a woman has a discharge of !lood for many days, not d+ring her time of monthly !leeding, or if she has a discharge after that time, she will !e +nclean, =+st as d+ring the time of her monthly !leeding. She will !e +nclean for as long as she has a discharge. 2& Any !ed she lies on d+ring the time of her discharge will !e like her !ed d+ring the time of her monthly !leeding. -verything she sits on will !e +nclean, evitic+s 1%.2'*33 &) =+st as it is d+ring the time she is +nclean from her monthly !leeding. 2' >hoever to+ches these things will !e +nclean +ntil evening. They m+st wash pag. 1310131#

their own clothes and !athe in water. 2( After the womans discharge stops, she m+st wait seven days. After that she will !e clean. 2) Then on the eighth day, she m+st !ring two doves or two yo+ng pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 3, Then the priest m+st offer one !ird for a sin offering and the other !ird for a !+rnt offering. 3n this way the priest will make her p+re !efore the 5.D. 31 So yo+ m+st warn the 3sraelites a!o+t !eing +nclean. 3f yo+ dont warn the people, they might make my $oly Tent +nclean. And then they wo+ld have to die" 32 These are the r+les for anyone with a discharge from the !ody. These r+les are for men who !ecome +nclean from a flow of semen. 33 And these r+les are for women who !ecome +nclean from their monthly time of !leeding. And these are the r+les evitic+s 1&.1*% ', for anyone who !ecomes +nclean !y sleeping with another person who is +nclean. 16 1 Two of Aarons sons died while offering incense to the 5.D. After that time, the 5.D spoke to Aoses. 2 The 5.D said, Talk to yo+r !rother Aaron. Tell him that he cannot go !ehind the c+rtain into the Aost $oly 6lace anytime he wants to. The mercyDcover is in the room !ehind that c+rtain on top of the $oly <o4, and 3 appear in a clo+d over that mercyDcover. 3f Aaron goes into that room, he will die" 3 <efore Aaron enters the Aost $oly 6lace, he will offer a !+ll for a sin offering and a ram for a !+rnt offering. # Aaron will wash his whole !ody with water and p+t on the special clothes. $e will p+t on the linen +nderwear ne4t to his !ody, the linen ro!e, the linen !elt, and then he will p+t the linen t+r!an on his head. % 2rom the whole comm+nity of 3srael, -asy To .ead /ersion

Aaron will accept two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a !+rnt offering. evitic+s 1&.&*12 '1 & Then he will offer the !+ll for the sin offering. This sin offering is for himself. $e will do this to p+rify himself and his family. ' Then Aaron will take the two goats and !ring them !efore the 5.D at the doorway of the Aeeting Tent. ( Aaron will throw lots for the two goats. 5ne lot will !e for the 5.D. The other lot will !e for AEaEel. ) Then Aaron will offer the goat chosen !y the lot for the 5.D. Aaron will make this goat a sin offering. 1, <+t the goat chosen !y the lot for AEaEel will !e !ro+ght alive !efore the 5.D. Then this goat will !e sent o+t to AEaEel in the desert. This is to make the people p+re. 11 Then Aaron will offer the !+ll as a sin offering for himself. $e will p+rify himself and his family. $e will kill the !+ll for the sin offering for himself. 12 Then he will take a firepan f+ll of coals of fire from the altar !efore the 5.D. Aaron will take two handf+ls of sweet incense that has !een gro+nd into powder and take it into the room !ehind the c+rtain. evitic+s 1&.13*1' '2 13 $e will p+t the incense on the fire !efore the 5.D. Then the clo+d of incense will hide the mercyDcover that is over the <o4 that holds the Agreement. This way Aaron will not die. 1# Aaron will dip his finger into the !+lls !lood and sprinkle it on the front of the $oly <o4. Then he will sprinkle the !lood seven times onto the front of the mercyDcover. 1% Then Aaron will kill the goat of the sin offering for the people. $e will !ring this goats !lood into the room !ehind the c+rtain. $e will do with the goats !lood as he did with the !+lls !lood. $e will sprinkle the goats !lood on the mercyDcover and in front of it. pag. 1320131#

1& 3n this way Aaron will p+rify the Aost $oly 6lace from all the +ncleanness and sins of the 3sraelites. $e will also p+rify the Aeeting Tent, !eca+se it stands in the middle of people whose sins have made them +nclean. 1' 1o one m+st !e in the Aeeting Tent when Aaron goes in to p+rify the Aost $oly 6lace. 1o one is to go in there +ntil Aaron comes o+t after p+rifying himself, his family, and all the 3sraelites. evitic+s 1&.1(*22 '3 1( Then Aaron will go o+t to the altar that is !efore the 5.D. Aaron will make the altar p+re. $e will take some of the !lood from the !+ll and from the goat and p+t it on the corners of the altar on all fo+r sides. 1) Then he will dip his finger in the !lood and sprinkle it on the altar seven times. 3n this way Aaron will make the altar holy and clean from all the sins of the 3sraelites. 2, So Aaron will make the Aost $oly 6lace, the Aeeting Tent, and the altar p+re. Then he will !ring the live goat to the front of the tent. 21 $e will p+t !oth his hands on the head of the goat. Then he will confess the sins and crimes of the 3sraelites over the goat. 3n this way Aaron will lay the peoples sins on the goats head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert. A man will !e standing !y, ready to lead this goat away. 22 So the goat will carry all the peoples sins on itself into the empty desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose in the desert. evitic+s 1&.23*2( '# 23 Then Aaron will enter the Aeeting Tent. $e will take off the linen clothes that he p+t on when he went into the $oly 6lace. $e will leave these clothes there. 2# $e will wash his whole !ody with water in a holy place. Then he will p+t on his clothes. $e will come o+t and offer his !+rnt offering and the peoples !+rnt offering. $e will make himself and the -asy To .ead /ersion

people p+re. 2% Then he will !+rn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 2& The man who led the goat to AEaEel m+st wash his clothes and his whole !ody with water. After that he may come into the camp. 2' The !+ll and the goat for the sin offerings will !e taken o+tside the camp. 7The !lood from these animals was !ro+ght into the $oly 6lace to make the holy things p+re.8 The skins, !odies, and !ody waste of those animals will !e !+rned in the fire. 2( Then the man who !+rns them m+st wash his clothes and !athe his whole !ody with water. After that he may come into the camp. evitic+s 1&.2)*3# '% 2) This law will always contin+e for yo+: 5n the tenth day of the seventh month, yo+ m+st not eat food. ;o+ m+st not do any work. 1one of the travelers or foreigners living in yo+r land can do any work either. 3, <eca+se on this day, the priest will do this to make yo+ p+re and wash away yo+r sins. Then yo+ will !e clean to the 5.D. 31 ;o+ m+st h+m!le yo+rselves !eca+se this day is a very important day of rest for yo+. This law will contin+e forever. 32 3n the f+t+re this ceremony will !e done !y the priest who will !e anointed and appointed to serve after his father. That priest will p+t on the holy linen clothes 33 and make the Aost $oly 6lace, the Aeeting Tent, and the altar p+re. $e will also make the priests and all the people p+re. 3# That law will contin+e forever. 5nce every year yo+ will p+rify the 3sraelites from all their sins. So they did everything that the 5.D had commanded Aoses. evitic+s 1'.1*& '& 17 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the 3sraelites. Tell them this is what the 5.D has commanded: pag. 1330131#

3 Any one of yo+ 3sraelites might kill a !+ll, a lam!, or a goat. ;o+ might !e in the camp or o+tside the camp. # 3t doesnt matterF yo+ m+st !ring that animal to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. ;o+ m+st give a part of that animal as a gift to the 5.D. ;o+ spilled !lood, so yo+ m+st take a gift to the 5.D@S $oly Tent. 3f yo+ dont take part of the animal as a gift to the 5.D, yo+ m+st !e separated from yo+r people" % This r+le is so that yo+ will !ring yo+r fellowship offering to the 5.D. ;o+ m+st !ring any animal that yo+ kill in the field to the 5.D at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. <ring those animals to the priest. & Then the priest will throw their !lood onto the 5.D@S altar near the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. And the priest will !+rn the fat from those animals on the altar as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. evitic+s 1'.'*13 '' ' 3n this way yo+ will stop !eing +nfaithf+l to me !y offering sacrifices to yo+r goat gods. This law will contin+e forever. ( Tell the people: Any citiEen of 3srael, traveler, or foreigner living among yo+ might want to offer a !+rnt offering or some other sacrifice. ) They m+st take the sacrifice to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent and offer it to the 5.D. >hoever does not do this will !e separated from their people. 1, 3 will t+rn against those who eat !lood whether they are citiEens of 3srael or foreigners living among yo+, 3 will separate them from their people. 11 This is !eca+se the life of the !ody is in the !lood. 3 have told yo+ that yo+ m+st po+r the !lood on the altar to p+rify yo+rselves. 3t is the !lood that makes a person p+re. 12 That is why 3 am telling yo+ 3sraelites and the foreigners living among yo+ that yo+ m+st not eat !lood. 13 3f any of yo+, whether 3sraelite or foreigner living among yo+, goes h+nting -asy To .ead /ersion

and kills a wild animal or !ird that yo+ are allowed to eat, yo+ m+st po+r the evitic+s 1'.1#*1(.3 '( !lood of that animal on the gro+nd and cover it with dirt. 1# This is !eca+se the life of every kind of animal is in its !lood. So 3 give this command to the 3sraelites: Dont eat meat that still has !lood in it" >hoever eats !lood m+st !e separated from their people. 1% 3f any of yo+, whether 3sraelite or foreigner living among yo+, eats an animal that died !y itself or was killed !y some other animal, yo+ will !e +nclean +ntil evening. ;o+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe yo+r whole !ody with water. 1& 3f yo+ dont wash yo+r clothes and !athe yo+r whole !ody, yo+ will !e responsi!le for yo+r g+ilt. 18 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 ;o+ m+st not follow the c+stoms of -gypt where yo+ lived, and yo+ m+st not follow the c+stoms of the 9anaanites where 3 am leading yo+. ;o+ m+st not live the way they do. evitic+s 1(.#*1, ') # ;o+ m+st o!ey my r+les and follow my laws. <e s+re to follow my r+les !eca+se 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. % ;o+ m+st o!ey my r+les and my laws, !eca+se whoever o!eys them will live. 3 am the 5.D. & ;o+ m+st never have se4+al relations with yo+r close relatives. 3 am the 5.D. ' ;o+ m+st never have se4+al relations with yo+r father or mother. She is yo+r mother, so yo+ m+st not have se4+al relations with her. ( ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r fathers wife, even if she is not yo+r mother, !eca+se that is like having se4+al relations with yo+r father. ) ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r sister. 3t doesnt matter if she is the da+ghter of yo+r father or yo+r mother. And it doesnt matter if yo+r pag. 13#0131#

sister was !orn in yo+r ho+se or at some other place. 1, ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r grandda+ghter. 3t doesnt matter whether she is the da+ghter of yo+r son or the da+ghter of yo+r da+ghterthey are all a part of yo+" evitic+s 1(.11*1' (, 11 3f yo+r father and his wife have a da+ghter, she is yo+r sister. ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with her. 12 ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r fathers sister. She is yo+r fathers close relative. 13 ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r mothers sister. She is yo+r mothers close relative. 1# ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with the wife of yo+r fathers !rother. ;o+ m+st not go near yo+r +ncles wife for se4+al relations. She is yo+r a+nt. 1% ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r da+ghterDinDlaw. She is yo+r sons wife, so yo+ m+st not have se4+al relations with her. 1& ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r !rothers wife. That wo+ld !e like having se4+al relations with yo+r !rother. 1' ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with a mother and her da+ghter or her grandda+ghter. 3t doesnt matter if this grandda+ghter is the da+ghter of this womans son or da+ghter. $er grandda+ghters are her close relatives. 3t is wrong to do this. evitic+s 1(.1(*2# (1 1( >hile yo+r wife is still living, yo+ m+st not take her sister as another wife. This will make the sisters !ecome enemies. ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r wifes sister. 1) ;o+ m+st not go near a woman to have se4+al relations with her d+ring her monthly time of !leeding. She is +nclean d+ring this time. 2, ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r neigh!ors wife. This will only make yo+ filthy. 21 ;o+ m+st not give any of yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

children thro+gh the fire to Aolech. 3f yo+ do this, yo+ will show that yo+ dont respect the name of yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D. 22 Aen, yo+ m+st not have se4+al relations with another man as with a woman. That is a sickening sin" 23 Aen, yo+ m+st not have se4+al relations with any animal. This will make yo+ filthy. And women, yo+ m+st not have se4+al relations with any animal. 3t is against nat+re" 2# Dont make yo+rself +nclean !y doing any of these wrong things" 3 am throwing evitic+s 1(.2%*1).2 (2 nations off their land and giving it to yo+ !eca+se they did those terri!le sins. 2% They made the land filthy. 1ow the land is sick of those things, and it will vomit o+t the people who live there. 2& So yo+ m+st o!ey my laws and r+les. ;o+ m+st not do any of these sickening sins. These r+les are for the citiEens of 3srael and the people living among yo+. 2' Those who lived in the land !efore yo+ have done all these terri!le things. So the land !ecame filthy. 2( 3f yo+ do these things, yo+ will make the land filthy. And it will vomit yo+ o+t as it vomited o+t the nations that were there !efore yo+. 2) >hoever does any of these terri!le sins m+st !e separated from their people" 3, 5ther people have done these sickening sins, !+t yo+ m+st o!ey my laws. ;o+ m+st not do any of these sins. Do not make yo+rself filthy with them. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 19 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell all the 3sraelites: 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 am holy, so yo+ m+st !e holy. evitic+s 1).3*) (3 3 -ach of yo+ m+st honor yo+r mother and father and keep my special days of rest. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God" # Do not worship idols. Do not make stat+es of gods for yo+rselves. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. pag. 13%0131#

% >hen yo+ offer a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the 5.D, yo+ m+st offer it in the right way so that yo+ will !e accepted. & ;o+ may eat it the same day yo+ offer it and on the ne4t day. <+t if any of that sacrifice is left on the third day, yo+ m+st !+rn it in the fire. ' ;o+ m+st not eat any of that sacrifice on the third day. 3t will !e +nclean, and it will not !e accepted. ( ;o+ will !e g+ilty of sin if yo+ do that, !eca+se yo+ did not respect the holy things that !elong to the 5.D. 3f yo+ do that yo+ will !e separated from yo+r people. ) >hen yo+ c+t yo+r crops at harvest time, dont c+t all the way to the corners of yo+r fields. And if grain falls on the gro+nd, yo+ m+st not gather +p that grain. evitic+s 1).1,*1& (# 1, Dont pick all the grapes in yo+r vineyards or pick +p the grapes that fall to the gro+nd. ;o+ m+st leave those things for yo+r poor people and for people traveling thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 11 ;o+ m+st not steal. ;o+ m+st not cheat people. ;o+ m+st not lie to each other. 12 ;o+ m+st not +se my name to make false promises. 3f yo+ do that, yo+ will show that yo+ dont respect the name of yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D" 13 ;o+ m+st not cheat or ro! yo+r neigh!or. ;o+ m+st not hold a hired workers salary overnight +ntil morning. 1# ;o+ m+st not c+rse anyone who is deaf. ;o+ m+st not do anything to make a !lind person fall. <+t yo+ m+st respect yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D. 1% ;o+ m+st !e fair in =+dgment. ;o+ m+st not show special favor to the poor. And yo+ m+st not show special favor to important people. ;o+ m+st !e fair when yo+ =+dge yo+r neigh!or. 1& ;o+ m+st not go aro+nd spreading false stories against other people. evitic+s 1).1'*21 (% -asy To .ead /ersion

Dont do anything that wo+ld p+t yo+r neigh!ors life in danger. 3 am the 5.D. 1' Dont secretly hate any of yo+r neigh!ors. <+t tell them openly what they have done wrong. Then yo+ will not !e =+st as g+ilty of sin as they are. 1( 2orget a!o+t the wrong things people do to yo+. Dont try to get even. ove yo+r neigh!or as yo+rself. 3 am the 5.D. 1) ;o+ m+st o!ey my laws. ;o+ m+st not let yo+r animals mate with animals of a different kind. ;o+ m+st not sow yo+r field with two kinds of seed. ;o+ m+st not wear clothing made from two kinds of material mi4ed together. 2, 3t may happen that a man has se4+al relations with a woman who is the slave of another man. <+t this slave woman has not !een !o+ght or given her freedom. 3f this happens, there m+st !e p+nishment. <+t they will not !e p+t to death !eca+se the woman was not free. 21 The man m+st !ring his g+ilt offering to the 5.D at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. $e m+st !ring a ram for a g+ilt offering. evitic+s 1).22*2( (& 22 The priest will make him p+re !y offering the ram as a g+ilt offering !efore the 5.D. The offering is for the mans sins, which will then !e forgiven. 23 3n the f+t+re, when yo+ enter yo+r co+ntry, yo+ will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, yo+ m+st wait three years !efore yo+ can +se any of the fr+it from that tree. ;o+ m+st not +se that fr+it. 2# 3n the fo+rth year, the fr+it from that tree will !e the 5.D@S. 3t will !e a holy offering of praise to the 5.D. 2% Then, in the fifth year, yo+ can eat the fr+it from that tree. And the tree will prod+ce more and more fr+it for yo+. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 2& ;o+ m+st not eat any meat with !lood still in it. ;o+ m+st not try to +se different kinds of magic to tell the f+t+re. 2' ;o+ m+st not ro+nd off the hair that grows on the side of yo+r face. ;o+ m+st pag. 13&0131#

not c+t yo+r !eard that grows on the side of yo+r face. 2( ;o+ m+st not c+t yo+r !ody as a way to remem!er the dead. ;o+ m+st not make any tattoo marks on yo+rselves. 3 am the 5.D. evitic+s 1).2)*3& (' 2) Do not dishonor yo+r da+ghters !y making them !ecome prostit+tes. 3f yo+ do that, yo+r whole co+ntry will t+rn away from God and !e filled with all kinds of sinf+l things. 3, ;o+ m+st not work on my special days of rest. ;o+ m+st honor my holy place. 3 am the 5.D. 31 Do not go to medi+ms or wiEards for advicethey will only make yo+ +nclean. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 32 Show honor to old people. Stand +p when they come into the room. And show respect to yo+r leaders. 3 am the 5.D. 33 Do not do !ad things to foreigners living in yo+r co+ntry. 3# ;o+ m+st treat them the same as yo+ treat yo+r own citiEens. ove them as yo+ love yo+rselves. .emem!er, yo+ were foreigners in -gypt. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God" 3% ;o+ m+st !e fair when yo+ =+dge people, and yo+ m+st !e fair when yo+ meas+re and weigh things. 3& ;o+r !askets sho+ld !e the right siEe. ;o+r =ars sho+ld hold the right amo+nt of liJ+ids. ;o+r weights and !alances evitic+s 1).3'*2,.% (( sho+ld weigh things correctly. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt. 3' ;o+ m+st remem!er all my laws and r+les. And yo+ m+st o!ey them. 3 am the 5.D. 20 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 ;o+ m+st also tell the 3sraelites these things: Anyone living in 3srael who gives one of their children to the false god Aolech m+st !e killed" 3t doesnt matter if they are a citiEen of 3srael or a foreigner, yo+ m+st throw stones at them and kill them. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 3 will !e against them and separate them from their people, !eca+se they gave their children to Aolech. They showed that they did not respect my holy name. And they made my holy place +nclean. # Aay!e the common people will ignore them. Aay!e they will not kill those who gave their children to Aolech. % <+t 3 will !e against these people and their families. 3 will separate them from their people. 3 will separate anyone who is +nfaithf+l to me and chases after Aolech. evitic+s 2,.&*12 () & 3 will !e against anyone who goes to medi+ms and wiEards for advice. >hoever does this is !eing +nfaithf+l to me. So 3 will separate them from their people. ' <e special. Aake yo+rselves holy, !eca+se 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. ( .emem!er and o!ey my laws. 3 am the 5.D. And 3 have made yo+ my special people. ) >hoever c+rses their father or mother m+st !e p+t to death. They c+rsed their father or mother, so they are responsi!le for their own death" 1, 3f a man has se4+al relations with his neigh!ors wife, !oth the man and the woman are g+ilty of ad+ltery and m+st !e p+t to death" 11 3f a man has se4+al relations with his fathers wife, !oth the man and the woman m+st !e p+t to death. They are responsi!le for their own death. 3t is as if that man had se4+al relations with his father" 12 3f a man has se4+al relations with his da+ghterDinDlaw, !oth of them m+st !e p+t to death. They have committed a evitic+s 2,.13*1' ), terri!le se4+al sin" They are responsi!le for their own death. 13 3f a man has se4+al relations with another man as with a woman, !oth of them have committed a sickening sin. They m+st !e p+t to death. They are responsi!le for their own death. pag. 13'0131#

1# 3t is a terri!le sin if a man has se4+al relations with a woman and her mother. The people m+st !+rn that man and the two women in fire" Dont let this terri!le sin happen among yo+r people. 1% 3f a man has se4+al relations with an animal, !oth the man and the animal m+st !e p+t to death. 1& 3f a woman has se4+al relations with an animal, yo+ m+st kill the woman and the animal. They m+st !e p+t to death. They are responsi!le for their own death. 1' 3t is a shamef+l thing for a !rother and his sister or halfDsister to marry each other and have se4+al relations with each other. They m+st !e p+nished in p+!lic. They m+st !e separated from their people. The man who has se4+al relations with his sister m+st !e p+nished for his sin. evitic+s 2,.1(*23 )1 1( 3f a man has se4+al relations with a woman d+ring her monthly time of !leeding, !oth the woman and the man m+st !e separated from their people. They sinned !eca+se they e4posed her so+rce of !lood. 1) ;o+ m+st not have se4+al relations with yo+r mothers sister or yo+r fathers sister. That is a sin of incest. ;o+ m+st !e p+nished for yo+r sins. 2, A man m+st not have se4+al relations with his +ncles wife. 3t wo+ld !e like having se4+al relations with his +ncle. That man and his +ncles wife will !e p+nished for their sins. They will die witho+t children. 21 3t is wrong for a man to take his !rothers wife. 3t wo+ld !e like having se4+al relations with his !rother" They will have no children. 22 ;o+ m+st remem!er all my laws and r+les. And yo+ m+st o!ey them. 3 am leading yo+ to yo+r land. ;o+ will live in that co+ntry. 3f yo+ o!ey my laws and r+les, that land will not vomit yo+ o+t. 23 3 am forcing other people to leave that co+ntry !eca+se they committed all evitic+s 2,.2#*21.1 )2 those sins. 3 hate those sins" So dont -asy To .ead /ersion

live the way those people lived. 2# <+t 3 have told yo+ that yo+ will get their land. 3 will give their land to yo+. 3t will !e yo+r land" 3t is a land filled with many good things. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 have treated yo+ differently from other people. 2% So yo+ m+st treat clean animals differently from +nclean animals. ;o+ m+st also treat clean !irds differently from +nclean !irds. Dont eat any of these +nclean !irds or animals or things that crawl on the gro+nd. 3 have made these things +nclean. 2& 3 have separated yo+ from other nations to !e my own special people. So yo+ m+st !e holy !eca+se 3 am the 5.D, and 3 am holy. 2' A man or a woman who is a medi+m or a wiEard m+st !e p+t to death. The people m+st kill them with stones. They are responsi!le for their own death. 21 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, Tell these things to Aarons sons, the priests: A priest m+st not make himself +nclean !y to+ching a dead person. evitic+s 21.2*( )3 2 <+t if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he can to+ch the dead !ody. The priest can make himself +nclean if the dead person is his mother or father, his son or da+ghter, his !rother or 3 his +nmarried sister. 7This sister is close to him !eca+se she has no h+s!and. So the priest may make himself +nclean for her if she dies.8 # <+t a priest m+st not make himself +nclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves. % 6riests m+st not shave their heads !ald. They m+st not shave off the edges of their !eards. They m+st not make any c+ts in their !odies. & 6riests m+st !e holy for their God. They m+st show respect for Gods name. They offer the !read and special gifts to the 5.D, so they m+st !e holy. ' A priest serves God in a special way, so he m+st not marry a woman who pag. 13(0131#

has had se4+al relations with any other man. $e m+st not marry a prostit+te or a divorced woman. ( A priest serves God in a special way. So yo+ m+st treat him in a special way, evitic+s 21.)*12 )# !eca+se he carries holy things. $e !rings the holy !read to me, and 3 am holy. 3 am the 5.D, and 3 make yo+ holy. ) 3f a priests da+ghter !ecomes a prostit+te, she r+ins her rep+tation and !rings shame to her father. She m+st !e !+rned to death in the fire" 1, The high priest was chosen from among his !rothers. The anointing oil was po+red on his head. 3n this way he was chosen for the special =o! of !eing high priest. $e was chosen to wear the special clothes, so he m+st not do things to show his sadness in p+!lic. $e m+st not let his hair grow wild. $e m+st not tear his clothes. 11 $e m+st not make himself +nclean !y to+ching a dead !ody. $e m+st not go near a dead !ody, even if it is his own father or mother. 12 The high priest m+st not leave Gods holy place, !eca+se he might !ecome +nclean and then make Gods holy place +nclean. The anointing oil was po+red on the high priests head. This separated him from the rest of the people. 3 am the 5.D. evitic+s 21.13*21 )% 13 The high priest m+st marry a woman who is a virgin. 1# $e m+st not marry a woman who has had se4+al relations with any man. $e m+st not marry a prostit+te, a divorced woman, or a widow. The high priest m+st marry a virgin from his own people. 1% 3n this way people will show respect for his children. 3, the 5.D, have separated the high priest for his special work. 1& The 5.D said to Aoses, 1' Tell Aaron: 3f any of yo+r descendants have anything wrong with them, they m+st not carry the special !read to God. 1( Any man who has something wrong -asy To .ead /ersion

with him m+st not serve as priest and !ring sacrifices to me. These men cannot serve as priests: !lind men, crippled men, men with !ad scars on their faces, men with arms or legs that are too long, 1) men with !roken feet or hands, 2, men with !ent !acks, men who are dwarfs, men who are crossDeyed, men with rashes or !ad skin diseases, and men with cr+shed testicles. 21 3f one of Aarons descendants has something wrong with him, he cannot evitic+s 21.22*22.# )& approach the altar to !ring gifts to the 5.D. And he cannot carry the special !read to God. 22 $e is from the family of priests, so he can eat the holy !read. $e can also eat the very holy !read. 23 <+t he cannot go thro+gh the c+rtain into the Aost $oly 6lace and he cannot go near the altar. This is !eca+se he has something wrong with him. $e m+st not make my holy places +nholy. 3 am the 5.D, and 3 make these places holy. 2# So Aoses told these things to Aaron, Aarons sons, and all the 3sraelites. 22 1 The 5.D God said to Aoses, 2 Tell Aaron and his sons: The gifts that the 3sraelites !ring to me !ecome holy. They !elong to me, so yo+ priests m+st show respect for these gifts. 3f yo+ dont, yo+ will show that yo+ dont respect my holy name. 3 am the 5.D. 3 3f any one of yo+r descendants to+ches these things, that person will !ecome +nclean and m+st !e separated from me. The 3sraelites gave these things to me. 3 am the 5.D. # 3f any of Aarons descendants has a serio+s skin disease or a discharge, evitic+s 22.%*) )' he cannot eat the holy food +ntil he !ecomes clean. This r+le is for any priest who !ecomes +nclean. That priest can !ecome +nclean from a dead !ody or from his own semen. % $e can also !ecome +nclean if he to+ches any +nclean crawling animal. And he can !ecome +nclean if he to+ches pag. 13)0131#

an +nclean person. 3t doesnt matter what made that person +nclean. & 3f he to+ches any of these things, he will !ecome +nclean +ntil evening. $e m+st not eat any of the holy food. -ven if he washes with water, he cannot eat the holy food. ' $e will !e clean only after the s+n goes down. Then he can eat the holy food !eca+se it is his share. ( A priest m+st not eat any animal that died !y itself or that was killed !y wild animals. 3f he eats that animal, he will !e +nclean. 3 am the 5.D. ) The priests m+st !e very caref+l when it comes time to serve me. They m+st !e caref+l not to dishonor the holy things. 3f they are caref+l, they will not die. 3, the 5.D, have separated them from the rest of the people for this special =o!. evitic+s 22.1,*1% )( 1, 5nly a priests family can eat the holy food. A visitor staying with the priest or a hired worker m+st not eat any of the holy food. 11 <+t if the priest !+ys a person as a slave with his own money, that person may eat some of the holy things. Slaves who were !orn in the priests ho+se may also eat some of the priests food. 12 A priests da+ghter might marry a man who is not a priest. 3f she does that, she cannot eat any of the holy offerings. 13 A priests da+ghter might !ecome a widow, or she might !e divorced. 3f she does not have any children to s+pport her, and she goes !ack to her fathers ho+se where she lived as a child, she can eat some of her fathers food. <+t only people from a priests family can eat this food. 1# >hoever eats some of the holy food !y mistake m+st give the priest the price of that food and add another oneDfifth of the price as a fine. 1% The 3sraelites will !ring offerings to the 5.D. These offerings !ecome holy, so the priests m+st not let them !e +sed in a wrong way. evitic+s 22.1&*21 )) -asy To .ead /ersion

1& They m+st not let the people eat these offerings. 3f they do, they are g+ilty of doing wrong, and they m+st pay for it. 3 am the 5.D, the one who makes these offerings holy. 1' The 5.D God said to Aoses, 1( Tell Aaron and his sons and all the 3sraelites: A citiEen of 3srael or a foreigner might want to !ring an offering. 3t might !e !eca+se of a promise that person made, or it might =+st !e a special sacrifice that person wanted to give to the 5.D as a !+rnt offering. 1) These are gifts that the people !ring !eca+se they really want to give a gift to God. 3f the gift is a !+ll, or a sheep, or a goat, the animal m+st !e a male. And it m+st not have anything wrong with it. ;o+ m+st not accept any offering that has anything wrong with it. 3 will not accept that gift. 2, 722:1)8 21 ;o+ might !ring a fellowship offering to the 5.D. That fellowship offering might !e payment for a special promise that yo+ made. 5r may!e it is a special gift that yo+ wanted to give to the ord. 3t can !e a !+ll or a sheep, !+t it m+st evitic+s 22.22*2& 1,, !e healthy. There m+st !e nothing wrong with that animal. 22 ;o+ m+st not offer to the 5.D any animal that is !lind, that has !roken !ones or is crippled, or that has a discharge or a serio+s skin disease. ;o+ m+st not offer sick animals as a gift to the 5.D. ;o+ m+st not p+t anything like that on his altar. 23 Sometimes a !+ll or lam! will have a leg that is too long, or a foot that did not grow right. 3f yo+ want to give that animal as a special gift to the ord, it will !e accepted. <+t it will not !e accepted as payment for a special promise that yo+ made. 2# 3f an animal has !r+ised, cr+shed, or torn testicles, yo+ m+st not offer that animal to the 5.D. ;o+ m+st not do this anywhere in yo+r land. 2% ;o+ m+st not accept animals from pag. 1#,0131#

foreigners to offer as a sacrifice to yo+r God. The animals might have !een h+rt in some way. They might have something wrong with them, so they will not !e accepted. 2& The 5.D said to Aoses, evitic+s 22.2'*23.2 1,1 2' >hen a calf, or a sheep, or a goat is !orn, it m+st stay seven days with its mother. Then from the eighth day on, this animal will !e accepted as a sacrifice offered as a gift to the 5.D. 2( <+t yo+ m+st not kill the animal and its mother on the same day. This r+le is the same for cattle and sheep. 2) 3f yo+ want to offer some special offering of thanks to the 5.D, yo+ are free to offer that gift. <+t yo+ m+st do it in a way that pleases God. 3, ;o+ m+st eat the whole animal that day. ;o+ m+st not leave any of the meat for the ne4t morning. 3 am the 5.D. 31 .emem!er my commands, and o!ey them. 3 am the 5.D. 32 Show respect for my holy name. 3 m+st !e very special to the 3sraelites. 3, the 5.D, have made yo+ my special people. 33 3 !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt in order to !e yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D. 23 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: ;o+ will anno+nce the 5.D@S chosen festivals as holy meetings. These are my special festivals. evitic+s 23.3*1, 1,2 3 >ork for si4 days, !+t the seventh day, the Sa!!ath, will !e a special day of rest, a holy meeting. ;o+ m+st not do any work. 3t is a day of rest to honor the 5.D in all yo+r homes. # These are the 5.D@S chosen festivals. ;o+ will anno+nce the holy meetings at the times chosen for them. % The 5.D@S 6assover is on the 1#th day of the first month =+st !efore dark. & The 5.D@S 2estival of Hnleavened <read is on the 1%th day of the same month. ;o+ will eat +nleavened !read for seven days. -asy To .ead /ersion

' 5n the first day of this festival, yo+ will have a special meeting. ;o+ m+st not do any work on that day. ( 2or seven days, yo+ will !ring sacrifices offered as gifts to the 5.D. Then there will !e another special meeting on the seventh day. ;o+ m+st not do any work on that day. ) The 5.D said to Aoses, 1, Tell the 3sraelites: ;o+ will enter the land that 3 will give yo+ and reap its harvest. At that time yo+ m+st !ring in the first sheaf of yo+r harvest to the priest. evitic+s 23.11*1' 1,3 11 The priest will lift the sheaf to show it was offered !efore the 5.D. Then yo+ will !e accepted. The priest will present the sheaf on S+nday morning. 12 5n the day when yo+ present the sheaf, yo+ will offer a oneDyearDold male lam!. There m+st !e nothing wrong with that lam!. That lam! will !e a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. 13 ;o+ m+st also offer a grain offering of 1& c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil. ;o+ m+st also offer 1 J+art of wine. The smell of that offering will please the 5.D. 1# ;o+ m+st not eat any of the new grain, or fr+it, or !read made from the new grain +ntil yo+ !ring that offering to yo+r God. This law will always contin+e thro+gh yo+r generations, wherever yo+ live. 1% 2rom that S+nday morning 7the day yo+ !ring the sheaf to !e presented to God8, co+nt seven weeks. 1& 5n the S+nday following the seventh week 7that is, %, days later8, yo+ will !ring a new grain offering to the 5.D. 1' 5n that day, !ring two loaves of !read from yo+r homes. That !read will evitic+s 23.1(*22 1,# !e lifted +p to show it was offered to God. Hse yeast and 1& c+ps of flo+r to make those loaves of !read. That will !e yo+r gift to the 5.D from yo+r first harvest. 1( 5ne !+ll, one ram, and seven pag. 1#10131#

oneDyearDold male lam!s will !e offered with the grain offerings from the people. There m+st !e nothing wrong with these animals. They will !e a !+rnt offering offered as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 1) ;o+ will also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two oneDyearDold male lam!s as a fellowship offering. 2, The priest will lift them +p with the !read from the first harvest to show they were offered with the two lam!s !efore the 5.D. They are holy to the 5.D. They will !elong to the priest. 21 5n that same day yo+ will call a holy meeting. ;o+ m+st not do any work. This law contin+es forever in all yo+r homes. 22 Also, when yo+ harvest the crops on yo+r land, dont c+t all the way to the corners of yo+r field. Dont pick +p the grain that falls on the gro+nd. eave it for poor people and for foreigners evitic+s 23.23*3, 1,% traveling thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 23 Again the 5.D said to Aoses, 2# Tell the 3sraelites: 5n the first day of the seventh month, yo+ m+st have a special day of rest. <low the tr+mpet to remind the people that this is a holy meeting. 2% ;o+ m+st not do any work. ;o+ m+st !ring an offering as a gift to the 5.D. 2& The 5.D said to Aoses, 2' The Day of Atonement will !e on the tenth day of the seventh month. There will !e a holy meeting. ;o+ m+st not eat food, and yo+ m+st !ring an offering as a gift to the 5.D. 2( ;o+ m+st not do any work on that day, !eca+se it is the Day of Atonement. 5n that day the priests will go !efore the 5.D and perform the ceremony that makes yo+ p+re. 2) Anyone who ref+ses to fast on this day m+st !e separated from their people. 3, 3f anyone does any work on this day, 3 will destroy that person from among the people. evitic+s 23.31*3' 1,& -asy To .ead /ersion

31 ;o+ m+st not do any work at all. This is a law that contin+es forever for yo+, wherever yo+ live. 32 3t will !e a special day of rest for yo+. ;o+ m+st not eat food. ;o+ will start this special day of rest on the evening following the ninth day of the month. This special day of rest contin+es from that evening +ntil the ne4t evening. 33 Again the 5.D said to Aoses, 3# Tell the 3sraelites: 5n the 1%th day of the seventh month is the 2estival of Shelters. This festival to the 5.D will contin+e for seven days. 3% There will !e a holy meeting on the first day. ;o+ m+st not do any work. 3& ;o+ will !ring offerings as gifts to the 5.D for seven days. 5n the eighth day, yo+ will have another holy meeting. ;o+ m+st not do any work. ;o+ will !ring an offering as a gift to the 5.D. 3' These are the 5.D@S special festivals. There will !e holy meetings d+ring these festivals. ;o+ will !ring offerings as gifts to the 5.D!+rnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and drink offerings. ;o+ will !ring these gifts at the right time. evitic+s 23.3(*#2 1,' 3( ;o+ will cele!rate these festivals in addition to remem!ering the 5.D@S Sa!!ath days. ;o+ will offer these gifts in addition to yo+r other gifts and any offerings yo+ give as payment for yo+r special promises. They will !e in addition to any special offerings yo+ want to give to the 5.D. 3) 5n the 1%th day of the seventh month, when yo+ have gathered in the crops of the land, yo+ will cele!rate the 5.D@S festival for seven days. The first day will !e a special day of rest, and then the eighth day will also !e a special day of rest. #, 5n the first day yo+ will take good fr+it from fr+it trees. And yo+ will take !ranches from palm trees, poplar trees, and willow trees !y the !rook. ;o+ will cele!rate !efore the 5.D yo+r God for seven days. pag. 1#20131#

#1 ;o+ will cele!rate this festival to the 5.D for seven days each year. This law will contin+e forever. ;o+ will cele!rate this festival in the seventh month. #2 ;o+ will live in temporary shelters for seven days. All the people !orn in 3srael will live in them. evitic+s 23.#3*2#.& 1,( #3 >hy? So all yo+r descendants will know that 3 made the 3sraelites live in temporary shelters d+ring the time 3 !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. ## So Aoses told the 3sraelites a!o+t all the special meetings to honor the 5.D. 24 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 9ommand the 3sraelites to !ring to yo+ p+re oil from cr+shed olives. That oil is for the lamps that m+st !+rn witho+t stopping. 3 Aaron will keep the light !+rning in the Aeeting Tent !efore the 5.D from evening +ntil morning. This light will !e o+tside the c+rtain that hangs in front of the <o4 that holds the Agreement. This law will contin+e forever. # Aaron m+st always keep the lamps !+rning on the lampstand of p+re gold !efore the 5.D. % Take fine flo+r and !ake twelve loaves with it. Hse 1& c+ps of flo+r for each loaf. & 6+t them in two rows on the golden ta!le !efore the 5.D. Si4 loaves will !e in each row. evitic+s 2#.'*1# 1,) ' 6+t p+re frankincense on each row. This will help the 5.D remem!er the gift. ( -very Sa!!ath day Aaron will p+t the !read in order !efore the 5.D. This m+st !e done forever. This agreement with the 3sraelites will contin+e forever. ) That !read will !elong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat the !read in a holy place, !eca+se that !read is one of the special gifts to the 5.D. 3t is Aarons share forever. 1, There was a son of an 3sraelite woman and an -gyptian father. $e was walking among the 3sraelites, and he -asy To .ead /ersion

started fighting in camp. 11 The 3sraelite womans son !egan c+rsing, +sing the ords name in a !ad way, so the people !ro+ght him to Aoses. 7The name of the mans mother was Shelomith, the da+ghter of Di!ri, from the tri!e of Dan.8 12 The people held him as a prisoner and waited for the 5.D@S command to !e made clear to them. 13 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 1# <ring the man who c+rsed to a place o+tside the camp. Then !ring together evitic+s 2#.1%*21 11, everyone who heard him c+rse. They will p+t their hands on his head. And then all the people m+st throw stones at him and kill him. 1% ;o+ m+st tell the 3sraelites: Anyone who c+rses their God m+st !e p+nished. 1& Anyone who speaks against the name of the 5.D m+st !e p+t to death. All the people m+st stone him. Any foreigner or anyone !orn in 3srael who +ses the ords name in a !ad way m+st !e p+t to death. 1' And whoever kills another person m+st !e p+t to death. 1( >hoever kills an animal that !elongs to another person m+st give another animal to take its place. 1) And whoever ca+ses an in=+ry to their neigh!or m+st !e given the same kind of in=+ry: 2, a !roken !one for a !roken !one, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. The same kind of in=+ry a person gives another person m+st !e given that person. 21 >hoever kills an animal m+st pay for the animal. <+t whoever kills another person m+st !e p+t to death. evitic+s 2#.22*2%.% 111 22 The law will !e the same for foreigners and for people from yo+r own co+ntry. This is !eca+se 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 23 Then Aoses spoke to the 3sraelites, and they took the man who c+rsed to a place o+tside the camp. Then they killed him with stones. So the 3sraelites did pag. 1#30131#

=+st what the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 25 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses at Ao+nt Sinai. $e said, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: >hen yo+ enter the land that 3 am giving to yo+, yo+ m+st let the land have a special time of rest. This will !e a special time of rest to honor the 5.D. 3 ;o+ will plant seed in yo+r field for si4 years. ;o+ will trim yo+r vineyards for si4 years and !ring in its fr+its. # <+t d+ring the seventh year, yo+ will let the land rest. This will !e a special time of rest to honor the 5.D. ;o+ m+st not plant seed in yo+r field or trim yo+r vineyards. % ;o+ m+st not c+t the crops that grow !y themselves after yo+r harvest. ;o+ m+st not gather the grapes from yo+r evitic+s 2%.&*11 112 vines that are not trimmed. The land will have a year of rest. & The land will have a year of rest, !+t yo+ will still have eno+gh food. There will !e eno+gh food for yo+r men and women servants. There will !e food for yo+r hired workers and for the foreigners living in yo+r co+ntry. ' And there will !e eno+gh food for yo+r cattle and other animals to eat. ( ;o+ will also co+nt seven gro+ps of seven years. This will !e #) years. D+ring that time there will !e seven years of rest for the land. ) 5n the Day of Atonement, yo+ m+st !low a rams horn. That will !e on the tenth day of the seventh month. ;o+ m+st !low the rams horn thro+gh the whole co+ntry. 1, ;o+ will make the %,th year a special year. ;o+ will anno+nce freedom for everyone living in yo+r co+ntry. This time will !e called C+!ilee. -ach of yo+ will go !ack to yo+r own property. And each of yo+ will go !ack to yo+r own family. 11 The %,th year will !e a special cele!ration for yo+. Dont plant seeds, evitic+s 2%.12*1' 113 -asy To .ead /ersion

dont harvest the crops that grow !y themselves, and dont gather grapes from the vines that are not trimmed. 12 That year is C+!ilee. 3t will !e a holy time for yo+. ;o+ will eat the crops that come from the field. 13 3n the year of C+!ilee, yo+ will go !ack to yo+r own property. 1# Dont cheat yo+r neigh!ors when yo+ sell yo+r land to them. Dont cheat each other when yo+ !+y or sell land. 1% 3f yo+ want to !+y yo+r neigh!ors land, co+nt the n+m!er of years since the last C+!ilee, and +se that n+m!er to decide the right price. ;o+ are only !+ying the rights for harvesting crops +ntil the ne4t C+!ilee. 1& 3f there are many years !efore the ne4t C+!ilee, the price will !e high. 3f the years are few, the price will !e lower. So yo+r neigh!or is really only selling a n+m!er of crops to yo+. At the ne4t C+!ilee the land will again !elong to that family. 1' ;o+ m+st not cheat each other. ;o+ m+st honor yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. evitic+s 2%.1(*2% 11# 1( .emem!er my laws and r+les. 5!ey them and yo+ will live safely in yo+r co+ntry. 1) And the land will prod+ce good crops for yo+. Then yo+ will have plenty of food, and yo+ will live safely on the land. 2, <+t may!e yo+ will say, 3f we dont plant seeds or gather o+r crops, we will not have anything to eat d+ring the seventh year. 21 3 will order my !lessing to come to yo+ d+ring the si4th year. The land will contin+e growing crops for three years. 22 >hen yo+ plant in the eighth year, yo+ will still !e eating from the old crop. ;o+ will eat the old crop +ntil the ninth year, when the crop yo+ planted in the eighth year comes in. 23 The land really !elongs to me, so yo+ cannot sell it permanently. ;o+ are only foreigners and travelers living on my land with me. pag. 1##0131#

2# 6eople might sell their land, !+t the family will always get their land !ack. 2% 3f someone in yo+r co+ntry !ecomes very poor and m+st sell their property, a close relative m+st come and !+y it !ack. evitic+s 2%.2&*3, 11% 2& 3f there is not a close relative to !+y !ack the land, the person might get eno+gh money to !+y it !ack. 2' Then the years m+st !e co+nted since the land was sold. That n+m!er m+st !e +sed to decide how m+ch to pay for the land. The person m+st then !+y !ack the land, and it will !e their property again. 2( <+t if this first owner cannot find eno+gh money to !+y the land !ack, it will stay in the hands of the one who !o+ght it +ntil the year of C+!ilee. Then d+ring that special cele!ration, the land will go !ack to the first owners family. So the property will again !elong to the right family. 2) Anyone who sells a home in a walled city still has the right to get it !ack +ntil a f+ll year after it was sold. Their right to get the ho+se !ack will contin+e one year. 3, <+t if the owner does not !+y !ack the ho+se !efore a f+ll year is finished, the ho+se that is in the walled city will !elong to the one who !o+ght it and to their descendants. The ho+se will not go !ack to the first owner at the time of C+!ilee. evitic+s 2%.31*3' 11& 31 Towns witho+t walls aro+nd them will !e treated like open fields. So ho+ses !+ilt in these small towns will go !ack to the first owners at the time of C+!ilee. 32 <+t a!o+t the cities of the evites: The evites can !+y !ack at any time their ho+ses in the cities that !elong to them. 33 3f someone !+ys a ho+se from a evite, that ho+se in the evites city will again !elong to the evites at the time of C+!ilee. This is !eca+se ho+ses in evite cities !elong to those from the tri!e of evi. The 3sraelites gave these cities to -asy To .ead /ersion

the evites. 3# Also, the fields and past+res aro+nd the evite cities cannot !e sold. They !elong to the evites forever. 3% 3f anyone from yo+r own co+ntry !ecomes too poor to s+pport themselves, yo+ m+st let them live with yo+ like a visitor. 3& Dont charge them any interest on money yo+ might loan to them. .espect yo+r God and let those from yo+r own co+ntry live with yo+. 3' Dont charge them interest on any money yo+ lend them. And dont try to evitic+s 2%.3(*#% 11' make a profit from the food yo+ sell them. 3( 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt to give the land of 9anaan to yo+ and to !ecome yo+r God. 3) 3f anyone from yo+r own co+ntry !ecomes so poor that they m+st sell themselves to yo+, dont make them work like slaves. #, They will !e like hired workers and visitors with yo+ +ntil the year of C+!ilee. #1 Then they can leave yo+, take their children, and go !ack to their family. They can go !ack to the property of their ancestors, #2 !eca+se they are my servants. 3 !ro+ght them o+t of slavery in -gypt. They m+st not !ecome slaves again. #3 ;o+ m+st not !e a cr+el master to them. ;o+ m+st respect yo+r God. ## A!o+t yo+r men and women slaves: ;o+ may get men and women slaves from the other nations aro+nd yo+. #% Also, yo+ may get children as slaves if they come from the families of the foreigners living in yo+r land. These child slaves will !elong to yo+. evitic+s 2%.#&*%, 11( #& ;o+ may even pass these foreign slaves on to yo+r children after yo+ die so that they will !elong to them. They will !e yo+r slaves forever. ;o+ may make slaves of these foreigners. <+t yo+ m+st not !e a cr+el master over yo+r pag. 1#%0131#

own !rothers, the 3sraelites. #' Aay!e a foreigner or visitor among yo+ !ecomes rich. 5r may!e someone from yo+r own co+ntry !ecomes so poor that they sell themselves as slaves to a foreigner living among yo+ or to a mem!er of a foreigners family. #( These people have the right to !e !o+ght !ack and !ecome free. Someone from their own co+ntry can !+y them !ack. #) 5r their +ncle, their co+sin, or one of their close relatives from their family can !+y him !ack. 5r if they get eno+gh money, they can pay the money themselves and !ecome free again. %, ;o+ m+st co+nt the years from the time they sold themselves to the foreigner +p to the ne4t year of C+!ilee. Hse that n+m!er to decide the price, !eca+se really the person only hired them for a few years. evitic+s 2%.%1*2&.3 11) %1 3f there are still many years !efore the year of C+!ilee, the one sold m+st give !ack a large part of the price. 3t all depends on the n+m!er of years. %2 3f only a few years are left +ntil the year of C+!ilee, the one who was sold m+st pay a small part of the original price. %3 <+t that person will live like a hired worker with the foreigner every year. Dont let the foreigner !e a cr+el master over that person. %# Those who sold themselves will !ecome free, even if no one !+ys them !ack. At the year of C+!ilee they and their children will !ecome free. %% This is !eca+se the 3sraelites are my servants. They are the servants who 3 !ro+ght o+t of slavery in -gypt. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God" 26 1 Dont make idols for yo+rselves. Dont set +p stat+es or memorial stones in yo+r land to !ow down to, !eca+se 3 am the 5.D yo+r God" 2 .emem!er my special days of rest and honor my holy place. 3 am the 5.D. 3 .emem!er my laws and commands, -asy To .ead /ersion

and o!ey them. evitic+s 2&.#*1, 12, # 3f yo+ do these things, 3 will give yo+ rains at the time they sho+ld come. The land will grow crops and the trees of the field will grow their fr+it. % ;o+r threshing will contin+e +ntil it is time to gather grapes. And yo+r grape gathering will contin+e +ntil it is time to plant. Then yo+ will have plenty to eat. And yo+ will live safely in yo+r land. & 3 will give peace to yo+r co+ntry. ;o+ will lie down in peace. 1o one will come to make yo+ afraid. 3 will keep harmf+l animals o+t of yo+r co+ntry. And armies will not come thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. ' ;o+ will chase yo+r enemies and defeat them. ;o+ will kill them with yo+r swords. ( 2ive of yo+ will chase a h+ndred men, and a h+ndred of yo+ will chase ten tho+sand. ;o+ will defeat yo+r enemies and kill them with yo+r swords. ) Then 3 will t+rn to yo+. 3 will let yo+ have many children. 3 will keep my agreement with yo+. 1, ;o+ will have eno+gh crops to last for more than a year. ;o+ will harvest the new crops. <+t then yo+ will have to evitic+s 2&.11*1' 121 throw o+t the old crops to make room for the new crops. 11 Also, 3 will place my $oly Tent among yo+. 3 will not t+rn away from yo+. 12 3 will walk with yo+ and !e yo+r God. And yo+ will !e my people. 13 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ were slaves in -gypt, !+t 3 !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. ;o+ were !ent low from the heavy weights yo+ carried as slaves, !+t 3 !roke the poles that were on yo+r sho+lders. 3 let yo+ walk pro+dly again. 1# <+t if yo+ dont o!ey me and all my commands, !ad things will happen to yo+. 1% 3f yo+ ref+se to o!ey my laws and commands, yo+ have !roken my agreement. 1& 3f yo+ do that, 3 will ca+se terri!le things to happen to yo+. 3 will ca+se pag. 1#&0131#

yo+ to have disease and fever. They will destroy yo+r eyes and take away yo+r life. ;o+ will not have s+ccess when yo+ plant yo+r seed. And yo+r enemies will eat yo+r crops. 1' 3 will !e against yo+, so yo+r enemies will defeat yo+. These enemies will hate evitic+s 2&.1(*2% 122 yo+ and r+le over yo+. ;o+ will r+n away even when no one is chasing yo+. 1( After these things, if yo+ still dont o!ey me, 3 will p+nish yo+ seven times more for yo+r sins. 1) And 3 will also destroy the great cities that make yo+ pro+d. The skies will not give rain, and the earth will not prod+ce crops. 2, ;o+ will work hard, !+t it will not help. ;o+r land will not give any crops, and yo+r trees will not grow their fr+it. 21 3f yo+ still t+rn against me and ref+se to o!ey me, 3 will !eat yo+ seven times harder" The more yo+ sin, the more yo+ will !e p+nished. 22 3 will send wild animals against yo+. They will take yo+r children away from yo+. They will destroy yo+r animals. They will kill many of yo+r people. The roads will all !e empty. 23 3f yo+ dont learn yo+r lesson after all this, and if yo+ still t+rn against me, 2# then 3 will also t+rn against yo+. 3yes, 3 myselfwill p+nish yo+ seven times for yo+r sins. 2% ;o+ will have !roken my agreement, so 3 will p+nish yo+. 3 will !ring armies evitic+s 2&.2&*32 123 against yo+. ;o+ will go into yo+r cities for safety, !+t 3 will ca+se diseases to spread among yo+. And yo+r enemies will defeat yo+. 2& 3 will give yo+ a share of the grain left in that city. <+t there will !e very little food to eat. Ten women will !e a!le to cook all their !read in one oven. They will meas+re each piece of !read. ;o+ will eat, !+t yo+ will still !e h+ngry. 2' 3f yo+ still ref+se to listen to me, and if yo+ still t+rn against me, 2( then 3 will really show my anger" -asy To .ead /ersion

3yes, 3 myselfwill p+nish yo+ seven times for yo+r sins. 2) ;o+ will !ecome so h+ngry that yo+ will eat the !odies of yo+r sons and da+ghters. 3, 3 will destroy yo+r high places. 3 will c+t down yo+r incense altars. 3 will p+t yo+r dead !odies on the dead !odies of yo+r idols. ;o+ will !e disg+sting to me. 31 3 will destroy yo+r cities. 3 will make yo+r holy places empty. 3 will stop smelling yo+r offerings. 32 3 will make yo+r land empty. And yo+r enemies who come to live there will !e shocked at it. evitic+s 2&.33*3) 12# 33 3 will scatter yo+ among the nations. 3 will p+ll o+t my sword and destroy yo+. ;o+r land will !ecome empty, and yo+r cities will !e destroyed. 3# ;o+ will !e taken to yo+r enemys co+ntry. ;o+r co+ntry will !e empty. So yo+r land will finally get its rest. The land will en=oy its time of rest. 3% D+ring the time that the land is empty, it will get the time of rest that yo+ did not give it while yo+ lived there. 3& The s+rvivors will lose their co+rage in the land of their enemies. They will !e afraid of everything. They will r+n aro+nd like a leaf !lown !y the wind. They will r+n as if someone is chasing them with a sword. They will fall even when no one is chasing them. 3' They will r+n as if someone is chasing them with a sword. They will fall over each othereven when no one is chasing them. ;o+ will not !e strong eno+gh to stand +p against yo+r enemies. 3( ;o+ will !e lost in other nations. ;o+ will disappear in the land of yo+r enemies. 3) So the s+rvivors will rot away in their sin in their enemies co+ntries. They evitic+s 2&.#,*## 12% will rot away in their sins =+st as their ancestors did. #, <+t may!e the people will confess their sins. And may!e they will confess the sins of their ancestors. Aay!e they pag. 1#'0131#

will admit that they t+rned against me. Aay!e they will admit that they sinned against me. #1 Aay!e they will admit that 3 t+rned against them and !ro+ght them into the land of their enemies. These people will !e like strangers to me. <+t may!e they will !ecome h+m!le and accept the p+nishment for their sin. #2 3f they do, 3 will remem!er my agreement with Caco!. 3 will remem!er my agreement with 3saac. 3 will remem!er my agreement with A!raham, and 3 will remem!er the land. #3 The land will !e empty. The land will en=oy its time of rest. Then the s+rvivors will accept the p+nishment for their sins. They will learn that they were p+nished !eca+se they hated my laws and ref+sed to o!ey my r+les. ## They have sinned. <+t if they come to me for help, 3 will not t+rn away from them. 3 will listen to them, even if they evitic+s 2&.#%*2'.# 12& are in the land of their enemies. 3 will not completely destroy them. 3 will not !reak my agreement with them, !eca+se 3 am the 5.D their God. #% 2or them, 3 will remem!er the agreement with their ancestors. 3 !ro+ght their ancestors o+t of the land of -gypt so that 3 co+ld !ecome their God. The other nations saw these things. 3 am the 5.D. #& These are the laws, r+les, and teachings that the 5.D gave to the 3sraelites. These laws are the agreement !etween the ord and the 3sraelites. The ord gave these laws to Aoses at Ao+nt Sinai. 27 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites: ;o+ might promise to give someone to the 5.D as a servant. The priest m+st set a price for that person. 3 The price for a man from 2, to &, years old is %, shekels of silver. 7;o+ m+st +se the official meas+re for the silver.8 # The price for a woman who is 2, to &, -asy To .ead /ersion

years old is 3, shekels. evitic+s 2'.%*11 12' % The price for a man from % to 2, years old is 2, shekels. 2or a woman the price is 1, shekels. & The price for a !oy from one month to five years old is % shekels. 2or a girl, the price is 3 shekels. ' The price for a man who is &, years old or older is 1% shekels. The price for a woman is 1, shekels. ( 3f anyone is too poor to pay the price, !ring that person to the priest. The priest will decide how m+ch money the person can afford to pay. ) ;o+ might promise to give an animal to the ord. 3f it is a clean animalone that is accepta!le as an offering to the 5.Dthen the animal yo+ !ring will !ecome holy. 1, ;o+ m+st not p+t any other animal in its place. Dont try to trade a good animal for a !ad one or a !ad animal for a good one. 3f yo+ try to change animals, !oth animals will !ecome holythey will !oth !elong to the ord. 11 The animal yo+ promised might !e one that is not accepta!le as an offering to the 5.D. 3f yo+ promised one of evitic+s 2'.12*1( 12( these +nclean animals, yo+ m+st !ring it to the priest. 12 The priest will decide a price for that animal. The price will !e whatever the priest decides, whether good or !ad. 13 3f yo+ want to !+y !ack the animal, then yo+ m+st add oneDfifth to the price. 1# 3f yo+ dedicate yo+r ho+se as holy to the 5.D, the priest m+st decide its price. 3t doesnt make any difference if the ho+se is good or !ad. 3f the priest decides on a price, that is the price for the ho+se. 1% <+t if yo+ want to get the ho+se !ack, yo+ m+st add oneDfifth to the price. Then yo+ will get the ho+se !ack. 1& ;o+ might dedicate a field to the 5.D. The val+e of this field will depend on how m+ch seed is needed to plant it. 3t will !e %, shekels of silver for each pag. 1#(0131#

homer of !arley seed. 1' 3f yo+ give yo+r field to God d+ring the year of C+!ilee, then its val+e will !e whatever the priest decides. 1( <+t if yo+ give yo+r field after the C+!ilee, the priest m+st decide its e4act price. $e m+st co+nt the n+m!er of evitic+s 2'.1)*2% 12) years to the ne4t year of C+!ilee and +se that n+m!er to decide the price. 1) 3f yo+ want to !+y the field !ack, yo+ m+st add oneDfifth to that price. Then yo+ will get the field !ack. 2, 3f yo+ dont !+y the field !ack and the land is sold to someone else, yo+ cannot get the land !ack. 21 3f yo+ dont !+y the land !ack !y the year of C+!ilee, the field will remain holy to the 5.Dit will !elong to the priest forever. 3t will !e treated like any other thing that was given completely to the ord. 22 3f yo+ dedicate a field to the 5.D that yo+ had !o+ght, and it is not a part of yo+r familys property, 23 then the priest m+st co+nt the years to the year of C+!ilee and decide the price for the land. Then that land will !elong to the 5.D. 2# At the year of C+!ilee, the land will go to the family that originally owned the land. 2% ;o+ m+st +se the official meas+re in paying these prices. The shekel !y that meas+re weighs 2, gerahs. evitic+s 2'.2&*31 13, 2& ;o+ can give cattle and sheep as special gifts to the 5.D. <+t if the animal is the first!orn, it already !elongs to the 5.D. So yo+ cannot give these animals as special gifts. 2' 3f the first!orn animal is an +nclean animal, yo+ m+st !+y !ack that animal. The priest will decide the price of the animal, and yo+ m+st add oneDfifth to that price. 3f yo+ dont !+y that animal !ack, the priest will sell the animal for whatever price he decides. 2( There is a special kind of gift that people give to the 5.D. 3t !elongs only -asy To .ead /ersion

to him, and it cannot !e !o+ght !ack or sold. This gift !elongs to the 5.D. This type of gift incl+des people, animals, and fields from the family property. 2) 3f this gift is a person, that person cannot !e !o+ght !ack. That person m+st !e killed. 3, A tenth of all crops !elongs to the 5.D. This means the crops from fields and the fr+it from treesa tenth !elongs to the 5.D. 31 So if yo+ want to get !ack yo+r tenth, yo+ m+st add oneDfifth to its price and then !+y it !ack. evitic+s 2'.32*3# 131 32 The priests will take every tenth animal from a persons cattle or sheep. -very tenth animal will !elong to the 5.D. 33 The owner sho+ld not worry if the chosen animal is good or !ad or trade it for another animal. 3f this happens, then !oth animals will !elong to the 5.D. They cannot !e !o+ght !ack. 3# These are the commands that the 5.D gave Aoses at Ao+nt Sinai for the 3sraelites. #um$ers 1 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses in the Aeeting Tent. This was in the desert of Sinai. 3t was on the first day of the second month of the second year after the 3sraelites left -gypt. $e said to Aoses: 2 9o+nt all the 3sraelites. ist the name of each man with his family and his family gro+p. 3 ;o+ and Aaron m+st co+nt the men of 3srael who are 2, years old or older. 7These are all the men who are a!le to serve in the army of 3srael.8 ist them !y their divisions. # 5ne man from each tri!e will help yo+. This man will !e the leader of his tri!e. % These are the names of the men who will stand with yo+ and help yo+: from the tri!e of .e+!en-liE+r son of Shede+rF & from the tri!e of SimeonShel+miel son of B+rishaddaiF ' from the tri!e of C+dah1ahshon son of pag. 1#)0131#

Amminada!F 1+m!ers 1.(*1( 2 ( from the tri!e of 3ssachar1ethanel son of B+arF ) from the tri!e of Be!+l+n-lia! son of $elonF 1, from the descendants of Coseph: from the tri!e of -phraim-lishama son of Ammih+dF from the tri!e of AanassehGamaliel son of 6edahE+rF 11 from the tri!e of <en=aminA!idan son of GideoniF 12 from the tri!e of DanAhieEer son of AmmishaddaiF 13 from the tri!e of Asher6agiel son of 5cranF 1# from the tri!e of Gad-liasaph son of De+elF 1% from the tri!e of 1aphtaliAhira son of -nan. 1& All these men were the leaders of their families. The people also chose them to !e leaders of their tri!es. 1' Aoses and Aaron took the men who had !een chosen to !e leaders 1( and called all the 3sraelites together on the first day of the second month. Then the people were listed !y their families and their family gro+ps. All the 1+m!ers 1.1)*2% 3 men who were 2, years old or older were listed. 1) Aoses did e4actly what the 5.D commandedhe co+nted the people while they were in the desert of Sinai. 2, The tri!e of .e+!en was co+nted. 7.e+!en was the first!orn son of 3srael.8 The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 21 The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of .e+!en was #&,%,,. 22 The tri!e of Simeon was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 23 The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of Simeon was %),3,,. -asy To .ead /ersion

2# The tri!e of Gad was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 2% The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of Gad was #%,&%,. 1+m!ers 1.2&*32 # 2& The tri!e of C+dah was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 2' The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of C+dah was '#,&,,. 2( The tri!e of 3ssachar was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 2) The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of 3ssachar was %#,#,,. 3, The tri!e of Be!+l+n was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 31 The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of Be!+l+n was %',#,,. 32 The tri!e of -phraim was co+nted. 7-phraim was Cosephs son.8 The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 1+m!ers 1.33*#, % 33 The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of -phraim was #,,%,,. 3# The tri!e of Aanasseh was co+nted. 7Aanasseh was also Cosephs son.8 The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 3% The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of Aanasseh was 32,2,,. 3& The tri!e of <en=amin was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed pag. 1%,0131#

with their families and family gro+ps. 3' The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of <en=amin was 3%,#,,. 3( The tri!e of Dan was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. 3) The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of Dan was &2,',,. #, The tri!e of Asher was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the 1+m!ers 1.#1*#) & army were listed. They were listed with their families and family gro+ps. #1 The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of Asher was #1,%,,. #2 The tri!e of 1aphtali was co+nted. The names of all the men who were 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army were listed. They were listed !y name with their families and family gro+ps. #3 The total n+m!er of men co+nted from the tri!e of 1aphtali was %3,#,,. ## Aoses, Aaron, and the twelve leaders of 3srael co+nted these men. 7There was one leader from each tri!e.8 #% They co+nted every man who was 2, years old or older and a!le to serve in the army. -ach man was listed with his family. #& The total n+m!er of men co+nted was &,3,%%, men. #' The families from the tri!e of evi were not co+nted with the other 3sraelites. #( The 5.D had told Aoses: #) Dont co+nt the men from the tri!e of evi or incl+de them with the other 3sraelites. 1+m!ers 1.%,*2.2 ' %, Tell the evites that they are responsi!le for the Tent of the Agreement. They m+st take care of that tent and everything that is with it. They m+st carry the $oly Tent and everything in it. They m+st make their camp aro+nd it and take care of it. -asy To .ead /ersion

%1 >henever the $oly Tent is moved, the evites m+st do it. >henever the $oly Tent is set +p, the evites m+st do it. They are the men who will take care of the $oly Tent. Anyone else who tries to take care of the tent m+st !e killed. %2 The 3sraelites will make their camps in separate divisions. -veryone m+st camp near their family flag. %3 The evites will set +p their tents so that they s+rro+nd the Tent of the Agreement. They will serve as g+ards and keep the people away from the Tent. This will protect the 3sraelites from the ords anger. %# The 5.D had given these commandments to Aoses. So the 3sraelites did everything he commanded. 2 1 The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron: 2 The 3sraelites sho+ld make their camps aro+nd the Aeeting Tent. -ach 1+m!ers 2.3*11 ( division will have its own special flag, and everyone will camp near their gro+ps flag. 3 The flag of the camp of C+dah will !e on the east side, where the s+n rises. The people of C+dah will camp near its flag. The leader of the people of C+dah is 1ahshon son of Amminada!. # There are '#,&,, men in his division. % The tri!e of 3ssachar will camp ne4t to the tri!e of C+dah. The leader of the tri!e of 3ssachar is 1ethanel son of B+ar. & There are %#,#,, men in his division. ' The tri!e of Be!+l+n will also camp ne4t to the tri!e of C+dah. The leader of the tri!e of Be!+l+n is -lia! son of $elon. ( There are %',#,, men in his division. ) The total n+m!er of men in C+dahs camp is 1(&,#,,. All these men are divided into their different tri!es. C+dah will !e the first gro+p to move when the people travel from one place to another. 1, The flag of .e+!ens camp will !e so+th of the $oly Tent. -ach gro+p will camp near its flag. The leader of the tri!e of .e+!en is -liE+r son of Shede+r. 11 There are #&,%,, men in this division. 1+m!ers 2.12*2, ) pag. 1%10131#

12 The tri!e of Simeon will camp ne4t to the tri!e of .e+!en. The leader of the tri!e of Simeon is Shel+miel son of B+rishaddai. 13 There are %),3,, men in this division. 1# The tri!e of Gad will also camp ne4t to the tri!e of .e+!en. The leader of the tri!e of Gad is -liasaph son of De+el. 1% There are #%,&%, men in this division. 1& The total n+m!er of men in all the divisions of .e+!ens camp is 1%1,#%,. $is camp will !e the second gro+p to move when the people travel from place to place. 1' >hen the people travel, evis camp will move ne4t. The Aeeting Tent will !e with them !etween the other camps. The people will make their camps in the same order that they move. 1( The flag of the camp of -phraim will !e on the west side. The division of -phraim will camp there. The leader of the tri!e of -phraim is -lishama son of Ammih+d. 1) There are #,,%,, men in this division. 2, The tri!e of Aanasseh will camp ne4t to -phraims family. The leader of the 1+m!ers 2.21*31 1, tri!e of Aanasseh is Gamaliel son of 6edahE+r. 21 There are 32,2,, men in this division. 22 The tri!e of <en=amin will also camp ne4t to -phraims family. The leader of the tri!e of <en=amin is A!idan son of Gideoni. 23 There are 3%,#,, men in this division. 2# The total n+m!er of men in -phraims camp is 1,(,1,,. They will !e the third family to move when the people travel from one place to another. 2% The flag of Dans camp will !e on the north side. The tri!es of Dan will camp there. The leader of the tri!e of Dan is AhieEer son of Ammishaddai. 2& There are &2,',, men in this division. 2' The people from the tri!e of Asher will camp ne4t to the tri!e of Dan. The leader of the tri!e of Asher is 6agiel son of 5cran. 2( There are #1,%,, men in this division. -asy To .ead /ersion

2) The tri!e of 1aphtali will also camp ne4t to the tri!e of Dan. The leader of the tri!e of 1aphtali is Ahira son of -nan. 3, There are %3,#,, men in this division. 31 There are 1%',&,, men in Dans camp. They will !e the last to move 1+m!ers 2.32*3.# 11 when the people travel from place to place. -ach gro+p will have its own flag. 32 So these were the 3sraelites. They were co+nted !y families. The total n+m!er of 3sraelite men in the camps, co+nted !y divisions, is &,3,%%,. 33 Aoses o!eyed the 5.D and did not co+nt the evites with the other 3sraelites. 3# So the 3sraelites did everything the 5.D told Aoses. -ach gro+p camped +nder its own flag. And everyone stayed with their own family and family gro+p. 3 1 This is the family history of Aaron and Aoses at the time the 5.D talked to Aoses on Ao+nt Sinai. 2 Aaron had fo+r sons. 1ada! was the first!orn son. Then there were A!ih+, -leaEar, and 3thamar. 3 These sons were the chosen priests. They were given the special work of serving the 5.D as priests. # <+t 1ada! and A!ih+ died while serving the 5.D. They +sed fire that the 5.D did not allow when they made an offering to him. So 1ada! and A!ih+ died there, in the desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so -leaEar and 3thamar 1+m!ers 3.%*12 12 took their place and served the ord as priests. This happened while their father Aaron was still alive. % The 5.D said to Aoses, & <ring all the men from the tri!e of evi. <ring them to Aaron the priest. These men will !e his helpers. ' The evites will help him when he serves at the Aeeting Tent. And they will help all the 3sraelites when they come to worship at the $oly Tent. ( The 3sraelites sho+ld protect everything in the Aeeting TentF it is their d+ty. <+t the evites will serve the pag. 1%20131#

3sraelites !y caring for these things. This will !e their way of serving at the $oly Tent. ) Give the evites to Aaron and his sons. The evites were chosen from all the 3sraelites to help Aaron and his sons. 1, Appoint Aaron and his sons to !e priests. They m+st do their d+ty and serve as priests. Anyone else who tries to come near the holy things m+st !e killed. 11 The 5.D also said to Aoses, 12 3 destroyed all the first!orn in -gypt. At that time 3 chose all the first!orn 1+m!ers 3.13*21 13 from every family in 3srael to !e mine in a special way. That incl+ded all the first!orn men and animals. <+t now 3 am choosing the evites to take their place. 1ow they will !e my special servants. 3, the 5.D, give this command" 13 73:128 1# The 5.D again said to Aoses in the desert of Sinai, 1% 9o+nt all the families and family gro+ps in the tri!e of evi. 9o+nt every man or !oy who is one month old or older. 1& So Aoses o!eyed the 5.D. $e co+nted them all. 1' evi had three sons. Their names were Gershon, Gohath, and Aerari. 1( -ach son was the leader of several family gro+ps. The Gershon family gro+ps were i!ni and Shimei. 1) The Gohath family gro+ps were Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel. 2, The Aerari family gro+ps were Aahli and A+shi. These are the families that !elonged to evis family gro+p. 21 The families of i!ni and Shimei !elonged to the family of Gershon. They were the Gershonite family gro+ps. 1+m!ers 3.22*2( 1# 22 There were '%,, men and !oys over one month old in these two family gro+ps. 23 The Gershonite family gro+ps were told to camp in the west. They made their camp !ehind the $oly Tent. -asy To .ead /ersion

2# The leader of the family gro+ps of the Gershonites was -liasaph son of ael. 2% 3n the Aeeting Tent, the Gershonites had the =o! of taking care of the $oly Tent, the o+ter tent, and the covering. They also took care of the c+rtain at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 2& They cared for the c+rtain in the co+rtyard. And they cared for the c+rtain at the entrance of the co+rtyard. This co+rtyard was aro+nd the $oly Tent and the altar. And they cared for the ropes and for everything that was +sed with the c+rtains. 2' The families of Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel !elonged to the family of Gohath. They were the Gohathite family gro+ps. 2( 3n this family gro+p there were (3,, men and !oys a month old or over. The Gohathites were given the =o! of taking care of the things in the $oly 6lace. 1+m!ers 3.2)*3& 1% 2) The Gohathite family gro+ps were given the area to the so+th of the $oly Tent. This was the area where they camped. 3, The leader of the Gohathite family gro+ps was -liEaphan son of HEEiel. 31 Their =o! was to take care of the $oly <o4, the ta!le, the lampstand, the altars, and the dishes of the $oly 6lace. They also cared for the c+rtain and all the things that were +sed with the c+rtain. 32 The leader over the leaders of the evites was -leaEar son of Aaron the priest. -leaEar was in charge of everyone who took care of the holy things. 33 The family gro+ps of Aahli and A+shi !elonged to the Aerari family. There were &2,, men and !oys who were one month old or older in the Aahli family gro+p. 3# 73:338 3% The leader of the Aerari family gro+p was B+riel son of A!ihail. This family gro+p was given the area to the north of the $oly Tent. This is the area where they camped. 3& The people from the Aerari family pag. 1%30131#

were given the =o! of caring for the 1+m!ers 3.3'*#1 1& frames of the $oly Tent. They cared for all the !races, posts, !ases, and everything that was +sed with the frames of the $oly Tent. 3' They also cared for all the posts in the co+rtyard aro+nd the $oly Tent. This incl+ded all the !ases, tent pegs, and ropes. 3( Aoses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the $oly Tent, in front of the Aeeting Tent. They were given the work of caring for the $oly 6lace. They did this for all the 3sraelites. Anyone else who came near the $oly 6lace was to !e killed. 3) The 5.D commanded Aoses and Aaron to co+nt all the men and !oys one month old or older in evis family gro+p. The total n+m!er was 22,,,,. #, The 5.D said to Aoses, 9o+nt all the first!orn men and !oys in 3srael who are at least one month old. >rite their names on a list. #1 3 am the 5.D. 3 will take the evites instead of all the first!orn men and !oys of 3srael. 3 will also take the animals from the evites instead of taking all the 1+m!ers 3.#2*#) 1' first!orn animals from the other people in 3srael. #2 So Aoses did what the 5.D commanded. $e co+nted all the first!orn children of the 3sraelites. #3 $e listed all the first!orn men and !oys who were one month old or older. There were 22,2'3 names on that list. ## The 5.D also said to Aoses, #% 3, the 5.D, give this command: Take the evites instead of all the first!orn men from the other families of 3srael. And 3 will take the animals of the evites instead of the animals of the other people. The evites are mine. #& There are 22,,,, evites, !+t there are 22,2'3 first!orn sons from the other families. This leaves 2'3 more first!orn sons than evites. #' Hsing the official meas+re, collect -asy To .ead /ersion

five shekels of silver for each of the 2'3 people. 7The shekel !y the official meas+re weighs 2, gerahs.8 9ollect that silver from the 3sraelites. #( Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as payment for the 2'3 3sraelites. #) There were not eno+gh evites to take the place of all the men from the 1+m!ers 3.%,*#.& 1( other family gro+ps, so Aoses gathered the money for them. %, Aoses collected the silver from the first!orn men of the 3sraelites. $e collected 13&% shekels of silver, +sing the official meas+re. %1 Aoses o!eyed the 5.D@S command and gave the silver to Aaron and his sons. $e did it =+st as the 5.D had told him. 4 1 The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 2 9o+nt the men in the families of the Gohath family gro+p. 7The Gohath family gro+p is a part of evis family gro+p.8 3 9o+nt all the men from 3, to %, years old who come to serve. These men will work in the Aeeting Tent. # Their =o! is to take care of the most holy things in the Aeeting Tent. % >hen the 3sraelites travel to a new place, Aaron and his sons m+st go into the Aeeting Tent and take down the c+rtain and cover the <o4 of the Agreement with it. & Then they m+st cover all of this with covering made from fine leather. Then they m+st spread the solid !l+e cloth 1+m!ers #.'*12 1) over the leather and p+t the poles in the rings on the $oly <o4. ' Then they m+st spread a !l+e cloth over the holy ta!le. Then they m+st p+t the plates, spoons, !owls, and the =ars for drink offerings on the ta!le. 6+t the special !read on the ta!le. ( Then yo+ m+st p+t a red cloth over all these things, cover everything with fine leather, and p+t the poles in the rings of the ta!le. ) Then they m+st cover the lampstand pag. 1%#0131#

and its lamps with a !l+e cloth. They m+st also cover all the things +sed to keep the lamps !+rning and all the =ars of oil that are +sed in the lamps. 1, Then wrap everything in fine leather. Then they m+st p+t all these things on poles +sed for carrying them. 11 They m+st spread a !l+e cloth over the golden altar. They m+st cover that with fine leather. Then they m+st p+t the poles for carrying it in the rings on the altar. 12 Then they m+st gather together all the special things that are +sed for worship in the $oly 6lace. They m+st gather them together and wrap them in 1+m!ers #.13*1' 2, a !l+e cloth. Then they m+st cover that with fine leather. They m+st p+t these things on a frame for carrying them. 13 They m+st clean the ashes o+t of the !ronEe altar and spread a p+rple cloth over it. 1# Then they m+st gather together all the things that are +sed for worship at the altar. These are the firepans, forks, shovels, and the !owls. They m+st p+t these things on the !ronEe altar. Then they m+st spread a covering of fine leather over the altar and p+t the poles for carrying it in the rings on the altar. 1% Aaron and his sons m+st finish covering all the holy things in the $oly 6lace. Then the men from the Gohath family can go in and !egin carrying these things. 3n this way they will not to+ch the holy things and die. 1& -leaEar son of Aaron the priest will !e responsi!le for the $oly Tent. $e will !e responsi!le for everything in it, incl+ding the holy things. $e will !e responsi!le for the oil for the lamp, the sweetDsmelling incense, the daily offering, and the anointing oil. 1' The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 1+m!ers #.1(*2& 21 1( <e caref+l" Dont let these Gohathite men !e destroyed. 1) ;o+ m+st do these things so that the Gohathite men can go near the most holy -asy To .ead /ersion

things and not die. Aaron and his sons m+st go in and show each Gohathite man what to do and what to carry. 2, 3f yo+ dont do this, the Gohathite men might go in and look at the holy things. 3f they look at these things, even for a moment, they m+st die. 21 The 5.D said to Aoses, 22 9o+nt all the people of the Gershon family. ist them !y family and family gro+p. 23 9o+nt all the men who are from 3, to %, years old who come to serve. These men will have the =o! of caring for the Aeeting Tent. 2# This is what the Gershonite family m+st do and the things they m+st carry: 2% They m+st carry the c+rtains of the $oly Tent, the Aeeting Tent, its covering, and the covering made from fine leather. They m+st also carry the c+rtain at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 2& They m+st carry the c+rtains of the co+rtyard that are aro+nd the $oly Tent 1+m!ers #.2'*31 22 and the altar. And they m+st carry the c+rtain for the entrance of the co+rtyard. They m+st also carry all the ropes and all the things that are +sed with the c+rtains. The Gershonite men will !e responsi!le for anything that needs to !e done with these things. 2' Aaron and his sons will watch all the work that is done. -verything the Gershonites carry and the other work they do will !e watched !y Aaron and his sons. ;o+ m+st tell them what they are responsi!le for carrying. 2( This is the work that the men of the Gershonite family gro+p m+st do for the Aeeting Tent. 3thamar son of Aaron the priest will !e responsi!le for their work. 2) 9o+nt all the men in the families and family gro+ps in the Aerari family gro+p. 3, 9o+nt all the men who are from 3, to %, years old and come to serve. These men will do a special work for the Aeeting Tent. 31 >hen yo+ travel, it is their =o! to carry the frames of the Aeeting Tent. pag. 1%%0131#

They m+st carry the !races, the posts, and the !ases. 1+m!ers #.32*3' 23 32 They m+st also carry the posts that are aro+nd the co+rtyard. They m+st carry the !ases, the tent pegs, the ropes, and everything that is +sed for the poles aro+nd the co+rtyard. ist the names and tell each man e4actly what he m+st carry. 33 This is what the people from the Aerari family will do to serve in the work for the Aeeting Tent. 3thamar son of Aaron the priest will !e responsi!le for their work. 3# Aoses, Aaron, and the leaders of the 3sraelites co+nted the Gohathites. They co+nted them !y families and family gro+ps. 3% They co+nted all the men from 3, to %, years old who were a!le to serve. These men were given special work to do for the Aeeting Tent. 3& There were 2'%, men in the Gohath family gro+p who were J+alified to do this work. 3' So these men from the Gohath family gro+p were given their special work to do for the Aeeting Tent. Aoses and Aaron did this the way the 5.D had told Aoses to do. 1+m!ers #.3(*#% 2# 3( Also, the Gershonite family gro+p was co+nted. 3) All the men from 3, to %, years old who J+alified to serve were co+nted. These men were given their special work to do for the Aeeting Tent. #, There were 2&3, men in the families of the Gershon family gro+p who were J+alified. #1 So these men from the Gershon family gro+p were given their special work to do for the Aeeting Tent. Aoses and Aaron did this the way the 5.D had told Aoses to do. #2 Also, the men in the families and family gro+ps of the Aerari family were co+nted. #3 All the men from 3, to %, years old -asy To .ead /ersion

who J+alified to serve were co+nted. These men were given their special work to do for the Aeeting Tent. ## There were 32,, men in the families of the Aerari family gro+p who were J+alified. #% So these men from the Aerari family gro+p were given their special work. Aoses and Aaron did this the way the 5.D told Aoses to do. 1+m!ers #.#&*%.# 2% #& So Aoses, Aaron, and the leaders of the 3sraelites co+nted all the people in evis family gro+p. They had co+nted each family and each family gro+p. #' All the men !etween the ages of 3, and %, who J+alified to serve were co+nted. These men were given a special work to do for the Aeeting Tent. They did the work of carrying the Aeeting Tent when they traveled. #( The total n+m!er was (%(,. #) -ach man was co+nted =+st as the 5.D commanded Aoses. -ach man was given his own work and told what he m+st carry =+st as the 5.D had said. 5 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the people to send away from the camp anyone who is +nclean, that is, anyone who has a serio+s skin disease or discharge and anyone who has to+ched a dead !ody. 3 >hether they are a man or a woman, send them away so that the camp where 3 am living among yo+ will not !e made +nclean. # So the 3sraelites o!eyed Gods command. They sent those people 1+m!ers %.%*) 2& o+tside the camp. They did what the 5.D had told Aoses. % The 5.D said to Aoses, & Tell this to the 3sraelites: ;o+ might do something wrong to another person. >hen yo+ do that, yo+ are really sinning against God. So yo+ are g+ilty of doing wrong. ' ;o+ m+st confess that sin. Then yo+ m+st f+lly pay for that wrong thing yo+ did. ;o+ m+st add oneDfifth to the pag. 1%&0131#

payment and give it all to the person yo+ had done wrong to. ( <+t may!e the person is dead and does not have any close relatives to accept the payment. 3n that case, yo+ will give the payment to the 5.D. That is, yo+ will give the f+ll payment to the priest. The priest m+st sacrifice the ram that makes people p+re. This ram will !e sacrificed to cover over yo+r sins, !+t the priest will keep the rest of the payment. ) 3f any of yo+ 3sraelites gives a special gift to God, the priest who accepts that gift can keep it. 3t is his. 1+m!ers %.1,*1% 2' 1, ;o+ dont have to give these special gifts, !+t if yo+ do, the gifts !elong to the priest. 11 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 12 Tell the 3sraelites this: A mans wife might !e +nfaithf+l to him. 13 She might have se4+al relations with another man and hide this from her h+s!and. And there might not !e anyone to tell him that his wife committed this sin. $er h+s!and might never know a!o+t the wrong thing she did, and she might not tell her h+s!and a!o+t her sin. 1# <+t the h+s!and might !egin to think that his wife sinned against him, whether she has or not. $e might !ecome =ealo+s. $e might !egin to !elieve that she is not p+re and tr+e to him. 1% 3f that happens, he m+st take his wife to the priest. The h+s!and m+st also take an offering of ( c+ps of !arley flo+r. $e m+st not po+r oil or incense on the !arley flo+r. This !arley flo+r is a grain offering to the 5.D that is given !eca+se the h+s!and is =ealo+s. This offering will show that he thinks his wife has !een +nfaithf+l to him. 1+m!ers %.1&*21 2( 1& The priest will take the woman !efore the 5.D and make her stand there. 1' Then he will take some special water and p+t it in a clay =ar. $e will p+t some dirt from the floor of the $oly Tent into the water. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( $e will force the woman to stand !efore the 5.D. Then he will loosen her hair and p+t the grain offering in her hand. This is the !arley flo+r that her h+s!and gave !eca+se he was =ealo+s. At the same time, he will hold the clay =ar of special water. This is the special water that can !ring tro+!le to the woman. 1) Then the priest will make the woman promise to tell the tr+th and say to her: 3f yo+ have not slept with another man, and if yo+ have not sinned against yo+r h+s!and while yo+ were married to him, then this water that ca+ses tro+!le will not h+rt yo+. 2, <+t if yo+ have sinned against yo+r h+s!andif yo+ had se4+al relations with a man who is not yo+r h+s!andthen yo+ are not p+re. 21 3f that is tr+e, yo+ will have m+ch tro+!le when yo+ drink this special water. ;o+ will not !e a!le to have any 1+m!ers %.22*2& 2) children. And if yo+ are pregnant now, yo+r !a!y will die. And the 5.D will ca+se yo+r people to speak evil of yo+ and c+rse yo+. Then the priest m+st tell the woman to make an oath. She m+st agree for the 5.D to ca+se these things to happen to her if she lies. 22 The priest m+st say, ;o+ m+st drink this water that ca+ses tro+!le. 3f yo+ have sinned, yo+ will not !e a!le to have children. Any !a!y yo+ have will die !efore it is !orn. And the woman sho+ld say, 3 agree to do as yo+ say. 23 The priest sho+ld write these warnings on a scroll. Then he sho+ld wash the words off into the water. 2# Then the woman m+st drink the water that !rings tro+!le. This water will enter her and, if she is g+ilty, it will ca+se her m+ch s+ffering. 2% Then the priest will take the grain offering from her 7the offering for =ealo+sy8 and raise it !efore the 5.D. Then he will carry it to the altar. 2& The priest will fill his hands with some of the grain and p+t it on the altar and let it !+rn there. After that he will tell pag. 1%'0131#

the woman to drink the water. 1+m!ers %.2'*&.2 3, 2' 3f the woman has sinned against her h+s!and, the water will !ring her tro+!le. The water will go into her !ody and ca+se her m+ch s+ffering. Any !a!y that is in her will die !efore it is !orn, and she will never !e a!le to have children. All the people will t+rn against her. 2( <+t if the woman has not sinned against her h+s!and and she is p+re, the priest will say that she is not g+ilty. Then she will !e normal and a!le to have children. 2) So this is the law a!o+t =ealo+sy. This is what yo+ sho+ld do when a woman sins against her h+s!and while she is married to him. 3, 5r if the man !ecomes =ealo+s and thinks his wife has sinned against him, this is what the man sho+ld do. The priest m+st tell her to stand !efore the 5.D. Then the priest will do all these things. This is the law. 31 The h+s!and will not !e g+ilty of doing anything wrong, !+t the woman will s+ffer if she has sinned. 6 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites this: 3f there are people, men or women, who want to 1+m!ers &.3*' 31 make a vow dedicating themselves to the 5.D as 1aEirites for a time, this is what they m+st do: 3 They m+st stay away from wine or other strong drink. They m+st not drink vinegar that is made from wine or from other strong drink. They m+st not drink grape =+ice or eat grapes or raisins. # D+ring that special time of dedication, they m+st not eat anything that comes from grapes. They m+st not even eat the seeds or the skins from grapes. % The whole time of their 1aEirite vow they m+st not c+t their hair. They m+st !e holy +ntil this time of special dedication to the 5.D is ended. They m+st let their hair grow long. & They m+st not go near someone who is dying at any time d+ring the period for -asy To .ead /ersion

which they have given themselves f+lly to the 5.D. ' They m+st not let themselves !e made +nclean in this way, even if it is their own father, mother, !rother, or sister who is dying. This is !eca+se they have the hair that they dedicated to God on their head" 1+m!ers &.(*12 32 ( They are holy !eca+se they have given themselves f+lly to the 5.D for the f+ll time of that dedication. ) So if they are with someone when they s+ddenly die, they will !e +nclean and will have to shave the hair from their head. They m+st do that on the seventh day of their p+rification ceremony when they are made clean. 1, Then on the eighth day, they m+st !ring two doves or two yo+ng pigeons and give them to the priest at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 11 Then the priest will offer one !ird as a sin offering and the other one as a !+rnt offering. The !+rnt offering will !e a payment for the sin of to+ching a dead !ody d+ring the special time of dedication. Then they m+st again promise to give the hair on their head as a gift to God. 12 This means they m+st again give themselves to the 5.D for another time of dedication. They m+st !ring a oneDyearDold male lam! to offer as a g+ilt offering. They m+st start over from the !eginning with a new time of 1+m!ers &.13*1( 33 dedication !eca+se they to+ched a dead !ody d+ring their time of dedication. 13 After their time of dedication is ended, 1aEirites m+st go to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent 1# and give their offering to the 5.D. Their offering m+st !e: a oneDyearDold male lam! that has nothing wrong with it for a !+rnt offeringF a oneDyearDold female lam! that has nothing wrong with it for a sin offeringF a ram that has nothing wrong with it for a fellowship offeringF pag. 1%(0131#

1% a !asket of !read made witho+t yeast!read made with fine flo+r mi4ed with oil and wafers with oil spread on topF and the grain offerings and drink offerings that are a part of these gifts. 1& The priest will give these things to the 5.D, and then the priest will make the sin offering and the !+rnt offering. 1' $e will give the !asket of !read witho+t yeast to the 5.D. Then he will kill the ram as a fellowship offering to the ord. $e will give it to the ord with the grain offering and the drink offering. 1( The 1aEirites m+st go to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. There they m+st 1+m!ers &.1)*23 3# shave off their hair that they grew as a dedication to the ord. That hair will !e p+t in the fire that is !+rning +nder the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. 1) After the 1aEirites have c+t off their hair, the priest will give them a !oiled sho+lder from the ram and a large and a small cake from the !asket. <oth of these cakes are made witho+t yeast. 2, Then the priest will lift these things +p to show that they were presented !efore the 5.D. These things are holy and !elong to the priest. Also, the rams !reast and thigh that were lifted +p and presented !elong to the priest. After that the 1aEirites can drink wine. 21 These are the r+les for those who decide to make the 1aEirite vow. They m+st give all these gifts to the 5.D. <+t they might !e a!le to give m+ch more. 3f they promise to do more, they m+st keep their promise. <+t they m+st give at least all the things listed in these r+les for the 1aEirite vow. 22 The 5.D said to Aoses, 23 Tell Aaron and his sons that when they !less the 3sraelites, this is what they sho+ld say: 1+m!ers &.2#*'.# 3% 2# Aay the 5.D !less yo+ and keep yo+ safe. 2% Aay the 5.D smile down on yo+ and show yo+ his kindness. 2& Aay the 5.D answer yo+r prayers -asy To .ead /ersion

and give yo+ peace. 2' 3n this way Aaron and his sons will +se my name to give a !lessing to the 3sraelites, and 3 will !less them. 7 1 Aoses finished setting +p the $oly Tent. 5n that day he dedicated it to God. Aoses anointed the Tent and everything in it. $e also anointed the altar and all the things +sed with it. 2 Then the leaders of 3srael gave offerings to God. These men were the heads of their families and leaders of their tri!es. These were the same men who were in charge of co+nting the people. 3 These leaders !ro+ght gifts and gave them to the 5.D in front of the $oly Tent. They !ro+ght si4 covered wagons and twelve o4en for p+lling the wagons. -ach leader gave an o4 and =oined with another leader to give a wagon. # The 5.D said to Aoses, 1+m!ers '.%*11 3& % Accept these gifts from the leaders. These gifts can !e +sed in the work of the Aeeting Tent. Give them to the evites to help them do their work. & So Aoses accepted the wagons and the o4en and gave them to the evites. ' $e gave two wagons and fo+r o4en to the men in Gershons gro+p. They needed the wagons and the o4en for their work. ( Then Aoses gave fo+r wagons and eight o4en to the men in Aeraris gro+p. They needed the wagons and o4en for their work. 3thamar son of Aaron the priest was responsi!le for the work of all these men. ) Aoses did not give any o4en or wagons to the men in Gohaths gro+p, !eca+se their =o! was to carry the holy things on their sho+lders. 1, >hen Aoses anointed the altar, the leaders !ro+ght offerings for its dedication. They gave their offerings to the ord at the altar. 11 The 5.D told Aoses, -ach day one leader m+st !ring his gift for the dedication of the altar. pag. 1%)0131#

1+m!ers '.12 3' 12 -ach of the twelve leaders !ro+ght these gifts: -ach leader !ro+ght one silver plate that weighed 3 10# po+nds. -ach leader !ro+ght one silver !owl that weighed 1 30# po+nds. <oth of these gifts were weighed !y the official meas+re. The !owl and the plate were each filled with fine flo+r mi4ed with oil. This was to !e +sed as a grain offering. -ach leader also !ro+ght a large gold spoon that weighed a!o+t # o+nces. The spoon was filled with incense. -ach leader also !ro+ght 1 yo+ng !+ll, 1 ram, and 1 male lam! a year old. These animals were for a !+rnt offering. -ach leader also !ro+ght 1 male goat to !e +sed as a sin offering. -ach leader !ro+ght 2 cattle, % rams, % male goats, and % male lam!s a year old. All of them were sacrificed for a fellowship offering. 5n the first day, the leader of the tri!e of C+dah, 1ahshon son of Amminada! !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the second day, the leader of the tri!e of 3ssachar, 1ethanel son of B+ar !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the third day, the leader of the tri!e of Be!+l+n, -lia! son of $elon !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the fo+rth day, the leader of the 1+m!ers '.13*1) 3( tri!e of .e+!en, -liE+r son of Shede+r !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the fifth day, the leader of the tri!e of Simeon, Shel+miel son of B+rishaddai !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the si4th day, the leader of the tri!e of Gad, -liasaph son of De+el !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the seventh day, the leader of the tri!e of -phraim, -lishama son of Ammih+d !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the eighth day, the leader of the tri!e of Aanasseh, Gamaliel son of 6edahE+r !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the ninth day, the leader of the tri!e of <en=amin, A!idan son of Gideoni !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the tenth day, the leader of the tri!e of Dan, AhieEer son of Ammishaddai !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the eleventh day, the leader of the tri!e of Asher, 6agiel son of 5cran !ro+ght his gifts. 5n the twelfth day, the leader of the tri!e of 1aphtali, Ahira son -asy To .ead /ersion

of -nan !ro+ght his gifts. 13 7':128 1# 7':128 1% 7':128 1& 7':128 1' 7':128 1( 7':128 1) 7':128 1+m!ers '.2,*#' 3) 2, 7':128 21 7':128 22 7':128 23 7':128 2# 7':128 2% 7':128 2& 7':128 2' 7':128 2( 7':128 2) 7':128 3, 7':128 31 7':128 32 7':128 33 7':128 3# 7':128 3% 7':128 3& 7':128 3' 7':128 3( 7':128 3) 7':128 #, 7':128 #1 7':128 #2 7':128 #3 7':128 ## 7':128 #% 7':128 #& 7':128 #' 7':128 1+m!ers '.#(*'% #, #( 7':128 #) 7':128 %, 7':128 %1 7':128 %2 7':128 %3 7':128 %# 7':128 %% 7':128 %& 7':128 %' 7':128 %( 7':128 %) 7':128 pag. 1&,0131#

&, 7':128 &1 7':128 &2 7':128 &3 7':128 &# 7':128 &% 7':128 && 7':128 &' 7':128 &( 7':128 &) 7':128 ', 7':128 '1 7':128 '2 7':128 '3 7':128 '# 7':128 '% 7':128 1+m!ers '.'&*(' #1 '& 7':128 '' 7':128 '( 7':128 ') 7':128 (, 7':128 (1 7':128 (2 7':128 (3 7':128 (# So all these things were the gifts from the leaders of the 3sraelites. They !ro+ght them d+ring the time that Aoses dedicated the altar !y anointing it. They !ro+ght 12 silver plates, 12 silver !owls, and 12 gold spoons. (% -ach silver plate weighed a!o+t 3 10# po+nds. And each !owl weighed a!o+t 1 30# po+nds. The silver plates and the silver !owls together all weighed a!o+t &, po+nds, +sing the official meas+re (& The 12 gold spoons filled with incense weighed # o+nces each, +sing the official meas+re. The 12 gold spoons all together weighed a!o+t 3 po+nds. (' The total n+m!er of animals for the !+rnt offering was 12 !+lls, 12 rams, and 12 oneDyearDold male lam!s. There were also the grain offerings that m+st !e given with these offerings. And there 1+m!ers '.((*(.# #2 were 12 male goats to !e +sed for a sin offering. (( The leaders also gave animals to !e killed and +sed as a fellowship offering. -asy To .ead /ersion

The total n+m!er of these animals was 2# !+lls, &, rams, &, male goats, and &, oneDyearDold male lam!s. 3n this way they dedicated the altar after Aoses anointed it. () >hen Aoses went into the Aeeting Tent to speak to the ord, he heard the ords voice speaking to him. The voice was coming from the area !etween the two 9her+! angels on the mercyDcover on top of the <o4 of the Agreement. 3n this way the ord spoke to Aoses. 8 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Tell Aaron to p+t the seven lamps in the place 3 showed yo+. These lamps will light the area in front of the lampstand. 3 Aaron did this. $e p+t the lamps in the right place so that they lighted the area in front of the lampstand. $e o!eyed the command that the 5.D gave Aoses. # This is how the lampstand was made: 3t was made from hammered gold, all the way from the gold !ase at the 1+m!ers (.%*11 #3 !ottom to the gold flowers at the top. 3t looked =+st like the pattern that the 5.D had shown to Aoses. % The 5.D said to Aoses, & Separate the evites from the other 3sraelites. Aake these evites clean. ' This is what yo+ sho+ld do to make them clean: Sprinkle the special water from the sin offering on them. This water will make them clean. Then they m+st shave their !odies and wash their clothes. This will make their !odies clean. ( They m+st take a yo+ng !+ll and the grain offering that m+st !e offered with it. This grain offering will !e flo+r mi4ed with oil. Then take another yo+ng !+ll for a sin offering. ) <ring the evites to the area in front of the Aeeting Tent. Then !ring all the 3sraelites together at that place. 1, <ring the evites !efore the 5.D. The 3sraelites will p+t their hands on them. 11 Aaron will give the evites to the pag. 1&10131#

5.D as an offering from the 3sraelites. Then the evites will !e ready to do their special work for the 5.D. 1+m!ers (.12*1' ## 12 Tell the evites to p+t their hands on the heads of the !+lls. 5ne !+ll will !e a sin offering and the other !+ll will !e +sed as a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. These offerings will make the evites p+re. 13 Tell the evites to stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Then give the evites to the 5.D. They will !e like an offering. 1# This will make the evites holy. They will !e different from the other 3sraelites. The evites will !elong to me. 1% So make the evites p+re and give them to the ord as a special offering. After yo+ do this, they can come and do their work at the Aeeting Tent. 1& The 3sraelites will give me the evites. They will !elong to me. 3n the past 3 told every 3sraelite family to give me their first!orn son. <+t now 3 am taking the evites in place of these first!orn sons from the other families in 3srael. 1' -very first!orn in 3sraelman or animalis mine, !eca+se 3 killed all the first!orn children and animals in -gypt. And 3 chose to take the first!orn sons to !elong to me. 1+m!ers (.1(*22 #% 1( <+t now 3 will take the evites in their place. 3 will take the evites in place of all the first!orn sons from the other families in 3srael. 1) 3 chose the evites from among all the 3sraelites. And 3 give them as gifts to Aaron and his sons. 3 want them to do the work at the Aeeting Tent. They will serve for all the 3sraelites. They will help make the sacrifices that make the 3sraelites p+re. Then no great sickness or tro+!le will come to the 3sraelites when they come near the holy place. 2, So Aoses, Aaron, and all the 3sraelites o!eyed the 5.D. They did with the evites everything that the ord commanded Aoses. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 The evites washed themselves and their clothes. Then Aaron gave them to the 5.D as special offerings. Aaron gave the offerings that covered their sins and made them p+re. 22 After that the evites came to the Aeeting Tent to do their work. Aaron and his sons watched them. They were responsi!le for the work of the evites. Aaron and his sons did what the 5.D commanded Aoses. 1+m!ers (.23*).% #& 23 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2# This is a special command for the evites: -very evite man who is 2% years old or older m+st come and share in the work at the Aeeting Tent. 2% <+t when a man is %, years old, he will retire from this hard work. 2& Aen who are at least %, years old will !e on d+ty to help their !rothers, !+t they will not do the work themselves. That is what yo+ m+st do for the evites so that they can do their d+ty. 9 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses in the desert of Sinai. This was d+ring the first month of the second year after the 3sraelites came o+t of -gypt. $e said to Aoses, 2 Tell the 3sraelites to cele!rate 6assover at the chosen time. 3 They m+st eat the 6assover meal =+st !efore dark on the 1#th day of this month. They m+st do this at the chosen time, and they m+st follow all the r+les a!o+t 6assover. # So Aoses told the 3sraelites to cele!rate 6assover. % The people did this in the desert of Sinai =+st !efore dark on the 1#th day 1+m!ers ).&*11 #' of the first month. The 3sraelites did everything =+st as the 5.D commanded Aoses. & <+t some of the people co+ld not cele!rate 6assover that day. They were +nclean !eca+se they had to+ched a dead !ody. So they went to Aoses and Aaron that day ' and said to Aoses, >e to+ched a dead pag. 1&20131#

!ody and !ecame +nclean. <+t why m+st we !e kept from offering o+r gifts to the 5.D at the chosen time with the rest of the 3sraelites? ( Aoses said to them, 3 will ask the 5.D what he says a!o+t this. ) Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 1, Tell the 3sraelites this: 3t might happen sometimes that yo+ or yo+r descendants cannot cele!rate the 5.D@S 6assover at the right time. Someone might !e +nclean !eca+se they to+ched a dead !ody, or they might !e away on a trip. They will still !e a!le to cele!rate 6assover at another time. 11 They m+st cele!rate 6assover =+st !efore dark on the 1#th day of the second month. At that time they m+st 1+m!ers ).12*1& #( eat the lam!, the !read made witho+t yeast, and the !itter her!s. 12 They m+st not leave any of that food +ntil the ne4t morning. And they m+st not !reak any of the !ones of the lam!. They m+st follow all the r+les a!o+t 6assover. 13 <+t anyone who is a!le m+st cele!rate 6assover at the right time. 3f they are clean and they are not away on a trip, there is no e4c+se for them not to do it. 3f they dont cele!rate 6assover at the right time, they m+st !e separated from their people. They are g+ilty and m+st !e p+nished, !eca+se they did not give the 5.D his gift at the right time. 1# A foreigner living among yo+ might want to share in the 5.D@S 6assover with yo+. This is allowed, !+t that person m+st follow all the r+les a!o+t 6assover. The same r+les are for everyone. 1% 5n the day the $oly Tent, the Tent of the Agreement, was set +p, a clo+d covered it. At night the clo+d over the $oly Tent looked like fire. 1& The clo+d stayed over the $oly Tent all the time. And at night the clo+d looked like fire. 1+m!ers ).1'*22 #) 1' >hen the clo+d moved from its place over the $oly Tent, the 3sraelites -asy To .ead /ersion

followed it. >hen the clo+d stopped, that is the place where the 3sraelites camped. 1( This was the way the 5.D showed the 3sraelites when to move and when to stop and set +p camp. >hile the clo+d stayed over the $oly Tent, the people contin+ed to camp in that same place. 1) Sometimes the clo+d wo+ld stay over the $oly Tent for a long time. The 3sraelites o!eyed the 5.D and did not move. 2, Sometimes the clo+d was over the $oly Tent for only a few days. So the people o!eyed the 5.D@S commandthey followed the clo+d when it moved. 21 Sometimes the clo+d stayed only d+ring the nightthe ne4t morning the clo+d moved. So the people gathered their things and followed it. 3f the clo+d moved, d+ring the day or d+ring the night, they followed it. 22 3f the clo+d stayed over the $oly Tent for two days, a month, or a year, the people stayed at that place. They did not leave +ntil the clo+d moved. >hen the 1+m!ers ).23*1,.% %, clo+d rose from its place and moved, they also moved. 23 So the people o!eyed the 5.D@S commands. They camped when the 5.D told them to, and they moved when he told them to. They watched caref+lly and o!eyed the 5.D@S commands to Aoses. 10 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Aake two tr+mpets. Hse silver and hammer it to make the tr+mpets. These tr+mpets will !e for calling the people together and for telling them when it is time to move the camp. 3 3f yo+ !low long !lasts on !oth tr+mpets, all the people m+st meet together at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. # <+t if yo+ !low long !lasts on only one tr+mpet, only the leaders will come to meet with yo+. 7These are the leaders of the twelve tri!es of 3srael.8 % Short !lasts on the tr+mpets will !e the way to tell the people to move pag. 1&30131#

the camp. The first time yo+ !low a short !last on the tr+mpets, the tri!es camping on the east side of the Aeeting Tent m+st !egin to move. 1+m!ers 1,.&*11 %1 & The second time yo+ !low a short !last on the tr+mpets, the tri!es camping on the so+th side of the Aeeting Tent will !egin to move. ' <+t if yo+ want to gather the people together for a special meeting, !low the tr+mpets in a different way!low a long steady !last on the tr+mpets. ( 5nly Aarons sons, the priests, sho+ld !low the tr+mpets. This is a law for yo+ that will contin+e forever, for generations to come. ) 3f yo+ are fighting an enemy in yo+r own land, !low lo+dly on the tr+mpets !efore yo+ go to fight them. The 5.D yo+r God will hear yo+, and he will save yo+ from yo+r enemies. 1, Also !low these tr+mpets for yo+r special meetings, 1ew Aoon cele!rations, and all yo+r happy times together. <low the tr+mpets when yo+ give yo+r !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings. This will !e a special way for yo+r God to remem!er yo+. 3 command yo+ to do thisF 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 11 5n the 2,th day of the second month of the second year after the 3sraelites 1+m!ers 1,.12*1( %2 left -gypt, the clo+d rose from a!ove the Tent of the Agreement. 12 So the 3sraelites !egan their =o+rney. They left the desert of Sinai and traveled +ntil the clo+d stopped in the desert of 6aran. 13 This was the first time the people moved their camp. They moved it the way the 5.D commanded Aoses. 1# The three divisions from C+dahs camp went first. They traveled +nder their flag. The first gro+p was the tri!e of C+dah. 1ahshon son of Amminada! was the commander of that gro+p. 1% 1e4t came the tri!e of 3ssachar. 1ethanel son of B+ar was the commander of that gro+p. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& And then came the tri!e of Be!+l+n. -lia! son of $elon was the commander of that gro+p. 1' Then the $oly Tent was taken down. And the men from the Gershon and the Aerari families carried the $oly Tent. So the people from these families were ne4t in line. 1( Then came the three divisions from .e+!ens camp. They traveled +nder their flag. The first gro+p was the tri!e 1+m!ers 1,.1)*2% %3 of .e+!en. -liE+r son of Shede+r was the commander of that gro+p. 1) 1e4t came the tri!e of Simeon. Shel+miel son of B+rishaddai was the commander of that gro+p. 2, And then came the tri!e of Gad. -liasaph son of De+el was the commander of that gro+p. 21 Then came the Gohath family. They carried the holy things from inside the $oly Tent. These people came at this time so that the other people co+ld set +p the $oly Tent and make it ready at the new camp !efore these people arrived. 22 1e4t came the three gro+ps from -phraims camp. They traveled +nder their flag. The first gro+p was the tri!e of -phraim. -lishama son of Ammih+d was the commander of that gro+p. 23 1e4t came the tri!e of Aanasseh. Gamaliel son of 6edahE+r was the commander of that gro+p. 2# Then came the tri!e of <en=amin. A!idan son of Gideoni was the commander of that gro+p. 2% The last three tri!es in the line were the rear g+ard for all the other tri!es. 1+m!ers 1,.2&*31 %# These were the gro+ps from Dans camp. They traveled +nder their flag. The first gro+p was the tri!e of Dan. AhieEer son of Ammishaddai was their commander. 2& 1e4t came the tri!e of Asher. 6agiel son of 5cran was the commander of that gro+p. 2' Then came the tri!e of 1aphtali. Ahira son of -nan was the commander of pag. 1&#0131#

that gro+p. 2( That was the way the 3sraelites marched when they moved from place to place. 2) $o!a! was the son of .e+el, the Aidianite. 7.e+el was Aoses fatherinD law.8 Aoses said to $o!a!, >e are traveling to the land that the 5.D promised to give to +s. 9ome with +s and we will !e good to yo+. The 5.D has promised good things to the 3sraelites. 3, <+t $o!a! answered, 1o, 3 will not go with yo+. 3 will go !ack to my homeland and to my own people. 31 Then Aoses said, 6lease dont leave +s. ;o+ know more a!o+t the desert than we do. ;o+ can !e o+r g+ide. 1+m!ers 1,.32*11.1 %% 32 3f yo+ come with +s, we will share with yo+ all the good things that the 5.D gives +s. 33 So they !egan traveling from the mo+ntain of the 5.D. The priests took the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement and walked in front of the people. They carried the $oly <o4 for three days, looking for a place to camp. 3# The 5.D@S clo+d was over them every day. And when they left their camp every morning, the clo+d was there to lead them. 3% >hen the people lifted the $oly <o4 to move the camp, Aoses always said, Get +p, 5.D" Aay yo+r enemies !e scattered. Aay yo+r enemies r+n away from yo+. 3& And when the $oly <o4 was p+t in its place, Aoses always said, 9ome !ack, 5.D, to the millions of 3sraelites. 11 1 The people started complaining a!o+t their tro+!les. The 5.D heard their complaints. $e heard these things and !ecame angry. 2ire from the 5.D !+rned among the people. The fire !+rned some of the areas at the edge of the camp. 1+m!ers 11.2*( %& 2 So the people cried to Aoses for help. $e prayed to the 5.D and the fire stopped !+rning. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 So that place was called Ta!erah. The people gave the place that name !eca+se the 5.D ca+sed a fire to !+rn in their camp. # The foreigners who had =oined the 3sraelites !egan wanting other things to eat. Soon all the 3sraelites !egan complaining again. The people said, >e want to eat meat" % >e remem!er the fish we ate in -gypt. That fish cost +s nothing. >e also had good vegeta!les like c+c+m!ers, melons, chives, onions, and garlic. & <+t now we have lost o+r strength. >e never eat anythingonly this manna" ' 7The manna was like small coriander seeds, and it looked like sap from a tree. ( The people gathered the manna. Then they +sed rocks to cr+sh it and cooked it in a pot. 5r they gro+nd it into flo+r and made thin cakes with it. The cakes tasted like sweet cakes cooked with olive oil. 1+m!ers 11.)*1% %' ) The manna fell on the gro+nd each night when the gro+nd !ecame wet with dew.8 1, Aoses heard the people complaining. 6eople from every family were sitting !y their tents and complaining. The 5.D !ecame very angry, and this made Aoses very +pset. 11 $e asked the 5.D, >hy did yo+ !ring this tro+!le on me? 3 am yo+r servant. >hat did 3 do wrong? >hat did 3 do to +pset yo+? >hy did yo+ give me responsi!ility over all these people? 12 ;o+ know that 3 am not the father of all these people. ;o+ know that 3 did not give !irth to them. <+t 3 m+st take care of them, like a n+rse carrying a !a!y in her arms. >hy do yo+ force me to do this? >hy do yo+ force me to carry them to the land that yo+ promised to o+r fathers? 13 3 dont have eno+gh meat for all these people" And they contin+e complaining to me. They say, Give +s meat to eat" 1# 3 cannot take care of all these people alone. The !+rden is too heavy for me. pag. 1&%0131#

1% 3f yo+ plan to contin+e giving me their tro+!les, kill me now. 3f yo+ accept 1+m!ers 11.1&*2, %( me as yo+r servant, let me die now. Then 3 will !e finished with all my tro+!les" 1& The 5.D said to Aoses, <ring to me ', of the elders of 3srael. These men are the leaders among the people. <ring them to the Aeeting Tent. et them stand there with yo+. 1' Then 3 will come down and speak with yo+ there. The Spirit is on yo+ now. <+t 3 will also give some of that Spirit to them. Then they will help yo+ take care of the people. 3n this way yo+ will not have to !e responsi!le for these people alone. 1( Tell the people this: Aake yo+rselves ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow yo+ will eat meat. The 5.D heard yo+ when yo+ cried o+t and said, >e need meat to eat" 3t was !etter for +s in -gypt" So now the 5.D will give yo+ meat. And yo+ will eat it. 1) ;o+ will eat it for more than one, or two, or five, or ten, or even twenty days" 2, ;o+ will eat that meat for a whole month +ntil yo+ are sick of it. This will happen to yo+ !eca+se yo+ complained against the 5.D. $e lives among yo+ and knows what yo+ need, !+t yo+ cried 1+m!ers 11.21*2& %) and complained to him" ;o+ said, >hy did we ever leave -gypt? 21 Aoses said, There are &,,,,,, soldiers here, and yo+ say, 3 will give them eno+gh meat to eat for a whole month" 22 3f we were to kill all the sheep and cattle, that wo+ld still not !e eno+gh to feed this many people for a month. And if we ca+ght all the fish in the sea, it wo+ld not !e eno+gh for them" 23 <+t the 5.D said to Aoses, Dont limit my power" ;o+ will see that 3 can do what 3 say 3 can do. 2# So Aoses went o+t to speak with the people. $e told them what the 5.D said. Then he gathered ', of the elders together and told them to stand aro+nd -asy To .ead /ersion

the Tent. 2% Then the 5.D came down in the clo+d and spoke to Aoses. $e p+t on the ', elders some of the same Spirit that was on Aoses. After the Spirit came down on them, they !egan to prophesy. <+t that was the only time they ever did this. 2& Two of the elders, -ldad and Aedad, did not go o+t to the Tent. Their names 1+m!ers 11.2'*31 &, were on the list of elders, !+t they stayed in camp. <+t the Spirit also came on them, and they !egan prophesying in camp. 2' A yo+ng man ran and told Aoses. The man said, -ldad and Aedad are prophesying in camp. 2( Cosh+a son of 1+n said to Aoses, Aoses, sir, yo+ m+st stop them" 7Cosh+a had !een Aoses helper since Cosh+a was a !oy.8 2) <+t Aoses answered, Are yo+ afraid the people will think that 3 am not the leader now? 3 wish that all the 5.D@S people were a!le to prophesy. 3 wish that the 5.D wo+ld p+t his Spirit on all of them" 3, Then Aoses and the leaders of 3srael went !ack to the camp. 31 Then the 5.D made a powerf+l wind to !low in from the sea, and it !lew J+ail into the area all aro+nd the camp. There were so many !irds that the gro+nd was covered. They were a!o+t three feet deep on the gro+nd. There were J+ail in every direction as far as a man can walk in one day. 1+m!ers 11.32*12.2 &1 32 They went o+t and gathered J+ail all that day and all that night. And they gathered J+ail all the ne4t day too" The smallest amo+nt anyone gathered was &, !+shels. Then the people spread the J+ail meat all aro+nd the camp to dry in the s+n. 33 6eople !egan to eat the meat, !+t the 5.D !ecame very angry. >hile the meat was still in their mo+ths, !efore the people co+ld finish eating it, the 5.D pag. 1&&0131#

ca+sed the people to !ecome very sick and die. 3# So the people named that place Gi!roth $attaavah, !eca+se there they !+ried those who had the strong desire for meat. 3% 2rom Gi!roth $attaavah the people traveled to $aEeroth and stayed there. 12 1 Airiam and Aaron !egan to talk against Aoses. They criticiEed him !eca+se he married an -thiopian woman. 2 They said to themselves, Aoses is not the only one the 5.D has +sed to speak to the people. $e has also spoken thro+gh +s" The 5.D heard this. 1+m!ers 12.3*) &2 3 7Aoses was a very h+m!le man. $e was more h+m!le than any other man on earth.8 # So s+ddenly, the 5.D came and spoke to Aoses, Aaron, and Airiam. $e said, ;o+ three, come to the Aeeting Tent, now" So Aoses, Aaron, and Airiam went to the Tent. % The 5.D came down in the tall clo+d and stood at the entrance to the Tent. $e called o+t, Aaron and Airiam" They went to him. & God said, isten to me" ;o+ will have prophets. 3, the 5.D, will let them learn a!o+t me thro+gh visions. 3 will speak to them in dreams. ' <+t Aoses is not like that. $e is my faithf+l servant3 tr+st him with everyone in my ho+se. ( >hen 3 speak to him, 3 talk face to face with him. 3 dont +se stories with hidden meanings3 show him clearly what 3 want him to know. And Aoses can look at the very image of the 5.D. So why were yo+ !rave eno+gh to speak against my servant Aoses? ) The 5.D was very angry with them, and he left them. 1+m!ers 12.1,*13.2 &3 1, The clo+d rose from the Tent. Aaron t+rned and looked at Airiam. $er skin was white like snowshe had a terri!le skin disease" -asy To .ead /ersion

11 Then Aaron said to Aoses, 6lease, sir, forgive +s for the foolish sin that we did. 12 Dont let her lose her skin like a !a!y who is !orn dead. 7Sometimes a !a!y will !e !orn like that, with half of its skin eaten away.8 13 So Aoses prayed to the 5.D, God, please heal her from this sickness" 1# The 5.D answered Aoses, 3f her father spit in her face, she wo+ld !e shamed for seven days. So p+t her o+tside the camp for seven days. After that she can come !ack into the camp. 1% So they took Airiam o+tside the camp for seven days. And the people did not move from that place +ntil she was !ro+ght in again. 1& After that the people left $aEeroth and traveled to the desert of 6aran where they set +p camp. 13 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Send some men to e4plore the land of 9anaan. 3 will give this land 1+m!ers 13.3*1# &# to the 3sraelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve tri!es. 3 So Aoses o!eyed the 5.D@S command and sent o+t the 3sraelite leaders while the people were camped in the desert of 6aran. # These are their names: from the tri!e of .e+!enShamm+a son of Bacc+rF % from the tri!e of SimeonShaphat son of $oriF & from the tri!e of C+dah9ale! son of Ceph+nnehF ' from the tri!e of 3ssachar3gal son of CosephF ( from the tri!e of -phraim$oshea son of 1+nF ) from the tri!e of <en=amin6alti son of .aph+F 1, from the tri!e of Be!+l+nGaddiel son of SodiF 11 from the tri!e of Aanasseh 7a tri!e from Coseph8Gaddi son of S+siF 12 from the tri!e of DanAmmiel son of GemalliF 13 from the tri!e of AsherSeth+r son of AichaelF pag. 1&'0131#

1# from the tri!e of 1aphtali1ah!i son of /ophsiF 1+m!ers 13.1%*21 &% 1% from the tri!e of GadGe+el son of Aaki. 1& These are the names of the men Aoses sent to look at and st+dy the land. 7Aoses called $oshea son of 1+n !y another name. Aoses called him Cosh+a.8 1' >hen Aoses was sending them o+t to e4plore 9anaan, he said, Go thro+gh the 1egev and then into the hill co+ntry. 1( See what the land looks like. earn a!o+t the people who live there. Are they strong or are they weak? Are they few or are they many? 1) earn a!o+t the land that they live in. 3s it good land or !ad land? >hat kind of towns do they live in? Do the towns have walls protecting them? Are the towns strongly defended? 2, And learn other things a!o+t the land. 3s the soil good for growing things, or is it poor soil? Are there trees on the land? Try to !ring !ack some of the fr+it from that land. 7This was d+ring the time when the first grapes sho+ld !e ripe.8 21 So they went to e4plore the co+ntry. They e4plored the area from the desert of Bin to .eho! and e!o $amath. 1+m!ers 13.22*2' && 22 They entered the co+ntry thro+gh the 1egev and went to $e!ron. 7The town of $e!ron was !+ilt seven years !efore the town of Boan in -gypt.8 Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived there. These men were descendants of Anak. 23 Then the men went to -shcol /alley. There they c+t off a !ranch from a grapevine that had a !+nch of grapes on it. They p+t that !ranch on a pole, and two men carried it !etween them. They also carried some pomegranates and figs. 2# That place is called the -shcol /alley, !eca+se there the men of 3srael c+t off the !+nch of grapes. 2% The men e4plored that co+ntry for #, days, and then they went !ack to the -asy To .ead /ersion

camp. 2& The 3sraelites were camped near Gadesh, in the desert of 6aran. The men went to Aoses and Aaron and all the 3sraelites. They told Aoses, Aaron, and all the people what they saw and showed them the fr+it from the land. 2' The men told Aoses, >e went to the land where yo+ sent +s. 3t is a land filled 1+m!ers 13.2(*33 &' with many good things" $ere is some of the fr+it that grows there. 2( <+t the people living there are very powerf+l. The cities are very large and strongly defended. >e even saw some Anakites there. 2) The Amalekites live in the 1egev. The $ittites, Ce!+sites, and Amorites live in the hill co+ntry. The 9anaanites live near the sea and !y the Cordan .iver. 3, 9ale! told the people near Aoses to !e J+iet. Then 9ale! said, >e sho+ld go +p and take that land for o+rselves. >e can easily take that land. 31 <+t the men who had gone with him said, >e cannot fight those people" They are m+ch stronger than we are. 32 So those men gave a report that disco+raged the people. They said, The land we saw is f+ll of strong people. They are strong eno+gh to easily defeat anyone who goes there. 33 >e saw the giant 1ephilim people there" 7The descendants of Anak come from the 1ephilim.8 >e felt like little grasshoppers. ;es, we were like grasshoppers to them" 1+m!ers 1#.1*( &( 14 1 That night all the people in the camp !egan sho+ting lo+dly. 2 The 3sraelites complained against Aoses and Aaron. All the people came together and said to Aoses and Aaron, >e sho+ld have died in -gypt or in the desert. 3 Did the 5.D !ring +s to this new land to !e killed in war? The enemy will kill +s and take o+r wives and children" 3t wo+ld !e !etter for +s to go !ack to -gypt. pag. 1&(0131#

# Then the people said to each other, ets choose another leader and go !ack to -gypt. % Aoses and Aaron !owed low to the gro+nd in front of all the people gathered there. & Cosh+a and 9ale! !ecame very +pset. 7Cosh+a son of 1+n and 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh were two of the men who e4plored the land.8 ' These two men said to all the 3sraelites gathered there, The land that we saw is very good. ( 3t is a land filled with many good things. 3f the 5.D is pleased with +s, 1+m!ers 1#.)*13 &) he will lead +s into that land. And he will give that land to +s. ) So dont t+rn against the 5.D" Dont !e afraid of the people in that land. >e can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. <+t we have the 5.D with +s, so dont !e afraid" 1, All the people !egan talking a!o+t killing Cosh+a and 9ale! with stones. <+t the Glory of the 5.D appeared over the Aeeting Tent where all the people co+ld see it. 11 The 5.D spoke to Aoses and said, $ow long will these people contin+e to t+rn against me? They show that they dont tr+st me or !elieve in my power, in spite of the many miracles 3 have done among them. 12 3 will kill them all with a terri!le sickness. 3 will destroy them, and 3 will +se yo+ to make another nation. ;o+r nation will !e greater and stronger than these people. 13 Then Aoses said to the 5.D, 3f yo+ do that, the -gyptians will hear a!o+t it" They know that yo+ +sed yo+r great power to !ring yo+r people o+t of -gypt. 1+m!ers 1#.1#*1) ', 1# The -gyptians have already told the people in 9anaan a!o+t it. They already know yo+ are the 5.D. They know that yo+ are with yo+r people. They know that the people saw yo+. Those people -asy To .ead /ersion

know a!o+t the special clo+d. They know yo+ +se the clo+d to lead yo+r people d+ring the day. And they know the clo+d !ecomes a fire to lead yo+r people at night. 1% So yo+ m+st not kill these people now. 3f yo+ kill them, all the nations who have heard a!o+t yo+r power will say, 1& The 5.D was not a!le to !ring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert. 1' So now, ord, show yo+r strength" Show it the way yo+ said yo+ wo+ld. 1( ;o+ said, The 5.D is slow to !ecome angry. $e is f+ll of great love. $e forgives those who are g+ilty and !reak the law. <+t he always p+nishes those who are g+ilty. $e p+nishes them, and he also p+nishes their children, their grandchildren, and even their greatDgrandchildren for those !ad things. 1) 1ow, show yo+r great love to these people. 2orgive their sin. 2orgive them 1+m!ers 1#.2,*2& '1 the same way yo+ have !een forgiving them since the time they left -gypt +ntil now. 2, The 5.D answered, ;es, 3 will forgive the people as yo+ asked. 21 <+t 3 tell yo+ the tr+th. As s+rely as 3 live and as s+rely as the Glory of the 5.D fills the whole earth, 3 make yo+ this promise: 22 1one of the people 3 led o+t of -gypt will ever see the land of 9anaan. They saw my glory and the great signs that 3 did in -gypt and in the desert. <+t they diso!eyed me and tested me ten times. 23 3 promised their ancestors that 3 wo+ld give them that land. <+t none of those people who t+rned against me will ever enter that land" 2# <+t my servant 9ale! was different. $e follows me completely. So 3 will !ring him into the land that he has already seen, and his people will get that land. 2% The Amalekites and the 9anaanites are living in the valley. So tomorrow yo+ m+st leave this place. Go !ack to the desert on the road to the .ed Sea. pag. 1&)0131#

2& The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 1+m!ers 1#.2'*33 '2 2' $ow long will these evil people contin+e to complain against me? 3 have heard their complaints and their griping. 2( So tell them, The 5.D says that he will s+rely do all those things to yo+ that yo+ complained a!o+t. This is what will happen to yo+: 2) ;o+ will die in this desert. -very person who is 2, years old or older and was co+nted as one of my people will die. ;o+ complained against me. 3, So none of yo+ will ever enter and live in the land that 3 promised to give yo+. 5nly 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh and Cosh+a son of 1+n will enter that land. 31 ;o+ were afraid and complained that yo+r enemies in that new land wo+ld take yo+r children away from yo+. <+t 3 tell yo+ that 3 will !ring them into the land. They will en=oy what yo+ ref+sed to accept. 32 As for yo+ people, yo+ will die in this desert. 33 ;o+r children will wander aro+nd like shepherds here in the desert for #, years. They will s+ffer !eca+se yo+ were not faithf+l to me. They m+st s+ffer +ntil all of yo+ lie dead in the desert. 1+m!ers 1#.3#*3) '3 3# 2or #, years yo+ will s+ffer for yo+r sins. 7That is one year for each of the #, days that the men e4plored the land.8 ;o+ will know that it is a terri!le thing for me to !e against yo+. 3% 3 am the 5.D, and 3 have spoken. And 3 promise that 3 will do these things to all these evil people. They have come together against me. So they will all die here in this desert. 3& The men Aoses sent to e4plore the new land were the ones who came !ack complaining a!o+t him to all the 3sraelites. They said that the people were not strong eno+gh to enter that land. 3' The men were responsi!le for spreading the tro+!le among the 3sraelites. So the 5.D ca+sed a -asy To .ead /ersion

sickness to kill all those men. 3( <+t Cosh+a son of 1+n and 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh were among the men who were sent o+t to e4plore the land. They are the only ones who did not get the sickness that ca+sed the others to die. 3) >hen Aoses told the 3sraelites this, they were very sad. 1+m!ers 1#.#,*#% '# #, -arly the ne4t morning the people started to go +p to the high hill co+ntry. They said, >e have sinned. >e are sorry that we did not tr+st the ord. >e will go to the place that the 5.D promised. #1 <+t Aoses said, >hy are yo+ not o!eying the 5.D@S command? ;o+ will not !e s+ccessf+l" #2 Dont go into that land. The 5.D is not with yo+, so yo+r enemies will easily defeat yo+. #3 The Amalekites and 9anaanites will fight against yo+ there. ;o+ have t+rned away from the 5.D, so he will not !e with yo+ when yo+ fight them. And yo+ will all !e killed in !attle. ## <+t the people did not !elieve Aoses. They went toward the high hill co+ntry. <+t Aoses and the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement did not go with the people. #% The Amalekites and the 9anaanites living in the hill co+ntry came down and attacked the 3sraelites and easily defeated them and chased them all the way to $ormah. 1+m!ers 1%.1*( '% 15 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Speak to the 3sraelites and tell them this: 3 am giving yo+ a land to !e yo+r home. >hen yo+ enter that land, 3 yo+ m+st give special gifts to the 5.D. Their smell will please the 5.D. ;o+ will +se yo+r cattle, sheep, and goats for !+rnt offerings, sacrifices, special promises, special gifts, fellowship offerings, or at yo+r special festivals. # At the time someone !rings their offering, they m+st also give a grain offering to the 5.D. The grain offering will !e ( c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with 1 J+art of olive oil. pag. 1',0131#

% -ach time yo+ offer a lam! as a !+rnt offering or sacrifice, yo+ m+st also prepare a J+art of wine as a drink offering. & 3f yo+ are giving a ram, yo+ m+st also prepare a grain offering. This grain offering sho+ld !e 1& c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with 1 10# J+arts of olive oil. ' And yo+ m+st prepare 1 10# J+arts of wine as a drink offering. 3ts smell will please the 5.D. ( ;o+ might prepare a yo+ng !+ll as a !+rnt offering, a sacrifice, a fellowship 1+m!ers 1%.)*1& '& offering, or to keep a special promise to the 5.D. ) At that time yo+ m+st also !ring a grain offering with the !+ll. That grain offering sho+ld !e 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with 2 J+arts of olive oil. 1, Also !ring 2 J+arts of wine as a drink offering as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 11 -ach !+ll or ram, or lam! or yo+ng goat that yo+ give m+st !e prepared in this way. 12 Do this for every one of these animals that yo+ give. 13 This is the way every citiEen of 3srael m+st give gifts to please the 5.D. 1# 2oreigners will live among yo+. 3f they give gifts to please the 5.D, they m+st offer them the same way yo+ do. 1% The same r+les will !e for everyonethe 3sraelites and the foreigners living among yo+. This law will contin+e forever. ;o+ and the people living among yo+ will !e the same !efore the 5.D. 1& This means that yo+ m+st follow the same laws and the same r+les. These laws and r+les are for yo+ 3sraelites 1+m!ers 1%.1'*2# '' and for the other people who are living among yo+. 1' The 5.D said to Aoses, 1( Tell the 3sraelites this: 3 am taking yo+ to another land. 1) >hen yo+ eat the food that grows in that land, yo+ m+st give part of that food as an offering to the 5.D. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, ;o+ will gather grain and grind it into flo+r to make do+gh for !read. ;o+ m+st give the first !read from that flo+r as a gift to the ord. 3t will !e like the grain offering that comes from the threshing floor. 21 ;o+ and all yo+r descendants m+st give part of the first do+gh yo+ make from that flo+r as a gift to the 5.D. 22 As yo+ try to o!ey all the commands that the 5.D gave Aoses, yo+ might fail and make a mistake. 23 The 5.D gave yo+ those commands thro+gh Aoses, and they have !een in effect from the day they were given thro+gho+t the generations +ntil today. 2# 3f yo+ made this mistake where everyone co+ld see it, the whole comm+nity m+st offer a yo+ng !+ll as a !+rnt offering, as a sweetDsmelling gift 1+m!ers 1%.2%*3, '( to the 5.D. ;o+ m+st also offer the grain offering and the drink offering with the !+ll. And yo+ m+st also give a male goat as a sin offering. 2% So the priest will make p+rification for the whole comm+nity of 3srael, and they will !e forgiven for the mistake they made. Since they made the mistake, they m+st !ring a gift and a sin offering to the 5.D. 2& Then the whole comm+nity of 3srael and any foreigners among them will !e forgiven for the mistake. 2' <+t if only one person makes a mistake and sins, that person m+st !ring a female goat that is one year old. That goat will !e the sin offering. 2( The priest will make p+rification !efore the 5.D for the one who sinned, and that person will !e forgiven. 2) This law is for everyone who makes a mistake and sins. The same law is for the people !orn in the family of 3srael and for the foreigners living among yo+. 3, 3f someone sins and knows they are doing wrong, they are ins+lting the 5.D. They m+st !e separated from their people. The same law applies to 1+m!ers 1%.31*3( ') pag. 1'10131#

citiEens of 3srael and to foreigners living among yo+. 31 They tho+ght the 5.D@S word was not important, so they !roke his commands. That is why they m+st !e separated from their peoplethey m+st !ear the responsi!ility for their g+ilt. 32 >hile the 3sraelites were in the desert, some of them saw a man gathering firewood on the Sa!!ath day. 33 The people who saw him gathering the wood !ro+ght him to Aoses and Aaron and the whole comm+nity of 3srael. 3# They g+arded the man caref+lly !eca+se they did not know how they sho+ld p+nish him. 3% Then the 5.D said to Aoses, The man m+st die. All the people m+st throw stones at him o+tside the camp. 3& So the people took him o+tside the camp and killed him with stones. They did this =+st as the 5.D commanded Aoses. 3' The 5.D said to Aoses, 3( Speak to the 3sraelites. Tell them this: Tie several pieces of thread together and tie them in the corner of yo+r clothes. 1+m!ers 1%.3)*1&.2 (, 6+t a piece of !l+e thread in each one of these tassels. ;o+ m+st wear these things now and forever. 3) ;o+ will !e a!le to look at these tassels and remem!er all the commands that the 5.D has given yo+. Then yo+ will o!ey the commands. ;o+ will not do wrong !y forgetting a!o+t the commands and doing the things that yo+r own !odies and eyes want. #, ;o+ will remem!er to o!ey all my commands. Then yo+ will !e Gods special people. #1 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 am the one who !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. 3 did this to !e yo+r God. 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 16 1 Gorah, Dathan, A!iram, and 5n t+rned against Aoses. 7Gorah was the son of 3Ehar. 3Ehar was the son of Gohath, and Gohath was the son of evi. -asy To .ead /ersion

Dathan and A!iram were !rothers, the sons of -lia!. And 5n was the son of 6eleth. Dathan, A!iram, and 5n were descendants of .e+!en.8 2 These fo+r men gathered 2%, other men from 3srael together and came against Aoses. They were leaders who 1+m!ers 1&.3*( (1 had !een chosen !y the people. All the people knew them. 3 They came as a gro+p to speak against Aoses and Aaron and said, ;o+ have gone too faryo+ are wrong" All the 3sraelites are holythe 5.D still lives among them. ;o+ are making yo+rselves more important than the rest of the 5.D@S people. # >hen Aoses heard this, he !owed his face to the gro+nd to show he was not !eing pro+d. % Then Aoses said to Gorah and all his followers, Tomorrow morning the 5.D will show who !elongs to him. $e will show who is holy, and he will !ring that man near to him. $e will choose him and !ring that man near to him. & So Gorah, yo+ and all yo+r followers sho+ld do this: ' Tomorrow p+t fire and incense in some special pans. Then !ring those pans !efore the 5.D. $e will choose the man who is holy. ;o+ evites have gone too faryo+ are wrong" ( Aoses also said to Gorah, ;o+ evites, listen to me. 1+m!ers 1&.)*1# (2 ) ;o+ sho+ld !e happy that the God of 3srael chose yo+ to !e different from the rest of the 3sraelites. $e lets yo+ come near to him to do the special work in the 5.D@S $oly Tent to help the 3sraelites worship him. 3snt that eno+gh? 1, $e !ro+ght yo+ evites near to him to help the priests, !+t now yo+ are trying to !ecome priests also. 11 ;o+ and yo+r followers have =oined together and t+rned against the 5.D" Did Aaron do anything wrong? 1o, so why are yo+ complaining against Aaron? 12 Then Aoses called Dathan and pag. 1'20131#

A!iram, the sons of -lia!. <+t the two men said, >e will not come" 13 ;o+ have !ro+ght +s o+t of a land filled with many good things. ;o+ !ro+ght +s to the desert to kill +s. And now yo+ want to show that yo+ have even more power over +s. 1# >hy sho+ld we follow yo+? ;o+ did not !ring +s into the new land filled with many good things. ;o+ did not give +s the land God promised. ;o+ did not give +s the fields or the vineyards. >ill yo+ make these men yo+r slaves? 1o" >e will not come. 1+m!ers 1&.1%*22 (3 1% So Aoses !ecame very angry. $e said to the 5.D, 3 never did anything wrong to these people. 3 never took anything from themnot even a donkey" Dont accept their gifts" 1& Then Aoses said to Gorah, ;o+ and all yo+r followers will stand !efore the 5.D tomorrow. Aaron will also !e there with yo+ and yo+r followers. 1' -ach of yo+ m+st !ring a pan, p+t incense in it, and present it to the 5.D. There will !e 2%, pans for the leaders and one pan for yo+ and one pan for Aaron. 1( So each man got a pan and p+t !+rning incense in it. Then they stood at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. Aoses and Aaron also stood there. 1) Gorah also gathered all the people together at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. Then the Glory of the 5.D appeared to everyone there. 2, The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 21 Aove away from these men" 3 want to destroy them now" 22 <+t Aoses and Aaron !owed to the gro+nd and cried o+t, God, yo+ know what people are thinking. 6lease dont !e 1+m!ers 1&.23*3, (# angry with all these people. 5nly one man really sinned. 23 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2# Tell the people to move away from the tents of Gorah, Dathan, and A!iram. 2% Aoses stood and went to Dathan and -asy To .ead /ersion

A!iram. All the elders of 3srael followed him. 2& Aoses warned the people, Aove away from the tents of these evil men. Dont to+ch anything that !elongs to them" 3f yo+ do, yo+ will !e destroyed !eca+se of their sins. 2' So the men moved away from the tents of Gorah, Dathan, and A!iram. Dathan and A!iram went to their tents. They stood o+tside of their tents with their wives, children, and little !a!ies. 2( Then Aoses said, 3 will show yo+ proof that the 5.D sent me to do all the things 3 told yo+. 3 will show yo+ that all these things were not my own idea. 2) These men will die, !+t if they die in a normal waythe way people always diethen that will show that the 5.D did not really send me. 3, <+t if the 5.D ca+ses them to die in a different way, then yo+ will know 1+m!ers 1&.31*3' (% that these men have sinned against the 5.D. This is the proof: The earth will open and swallow them. They will go down to their grave still alive. And everything that !elongs to these men will go down with them. 31 >hen Aoses finished saying these things, the gro+nd +nder the men opened. 32 3t was as if the earth opened its mo+th and swallowed them. All of Gorahs men, their families, and everything they owned went down into the earth. 33 They went down into their grave alive. -verything they owned went with them. Then the earth closed over them. They were finishedgone from the camp" 3# The 3sraelites heard the cries of the men !eing destroyed. So they all ran in different directions and said, The earth will swallow +s too" 3% Then a fire came from the 5.D and destroyed the 2%, men who were offering the incense. 3& The 5.D said to Aoses, 3' Tell -leaEar son of Aaron the priest to get all the incense pans from the fire. pag. 1'30131#

Tell him to scatter the coals and ashes. 1+m!ers 1&.3(*#2 (& These men sinned against me, and their sin cost them their lives. <+t the incense pans are still holy. The pans !ecame holy when people gave them to the 5.D. $ammer the pans into flat sheets. Hse the metal sheets to cover the altar. This will !e a warning to all the 3sraelites. 3( 71&:3'8 3) So -leaEar the priest gathered together all the !ronEe pans that the men had !ro+ght. These men were all !+rned +p, !+t the pans were still there. Then -leaEar told some men to hammer the pans into flat metal. Then he p+t the metal sheets on the altar. #, $e did this the way the 5.D commanded him thro+gh Aoses. This was a sign to help the 3sraelites remem!er that only someone from the family of Aaron sho+ld !+rn incense !efore the 5.D. Any other person who !+rns incense !efore the ord will die like Gorah and his followers. #1 The ne4t day all the 3sraelites complained against Aoses and Aaron. They said, ;o+ killed the 5.D@S people. #2 Aoses and Aaron were standing at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. The 1+m!ers 1&.#3*#( (' people gathered together at that place to complain against Aoses and Aaron. <+t when they looked toward the Aeeting Tent, the clo+d covered it and the Glory of the 5.D appeared there. #3 Then Aoses and Aaron went to the front of the Aeeting Tent. ## The 5.D said to Aoses, #% Aove away from these people so that 3 can destroy them now. So Aoses and Aaron !owed with their faces to the gro+nd. #& Then Aoses said to Aaron, Get yo+r !ronEe pan and some fire from the altar. Then p+t incense in it. $+rry to the people and do the things that will make them p+re. The 5.D is angry with them. The tro+!le has already started. #' So Aaron got the incense and the fire, -asy To .ead /ersion

and he ran to the middle of the people. <+t the sickness had already started among them. So Aaron stood !etween the dead and those who were still alive. $e did what Aoses said to remove their sin, and the sickness stopped there. #( 71&:#'8 1+m!ers 1&.#)*1'.& (( #) <+t 1#,',, people died from that sicknessand that is not co+nting the people who died !eca+se of Gorah. %, So the terri!le sickness was stopped, and Aaron went !ack to Aoses at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. 17 1 The 5.D said to Aoses, 2 Speak to the 3sraelites. Get twelve wooden walking sticks from them. Get one from the leader of each of the twelve tri!es. >rite the name of each man on his walking stick. 3 5n the stick from evi, write Aarons name. There m+st !e one stick for the head of each of the twelve tri!es. # 6+t these walking sticks in the Aeeting Tent in front of the <o4 of the Agreement. This is the place where 3 meet with yo+. % 3 will choose one man to !e the tr+e priest. ;o+ will know which man 3 choose !eca+se his walking stick will !egin to grow new leaves. 3n this way 3 will stop the people from always complaining against yo+ and me. & So Aoses spoke to the 3sraelites. -ach of the leaders gave him a walking stick. There were twelve walking sticks. There was one stick from each leader of each 1+m!ers 1'.'*12 () tri!e. 5ne of the walking sticks !elonged to Aaron. ' Aoses p+t the walking sticks !efore the 5.D in the Tent of the Agreement. ( The ne4t day Aoses entered the Tent. $e saw that Aarons walking stick, the stick from the family of evi, was the one that had grown new leaves. That walking stick had even grown !ranches and made almonds. ) So Aoses !ro+ght o+t all the sticks from the 5.D@S place. $e showed the walking sticks to the 3sraelites. They all pag. 1'#0131#

looked at the sticks, and each man took his own stick !ack. 1, Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 6+t Aarons walking stick !ack in front of the <o4 that holds the Agreement. This will !e a warning for these people who are always t+rning against me. This will stop their complaining against me so that 3 will not destroy them. 11 So Aoses did what the 5.D commanded him. 12 The 3sraelites said to Aoses, >e know that we will die" >e are lost" >e will all !e destroyed" 1+m!ers 1'.13*1(.# ), 13 Anyone who even comes near the 5.D@S holy place will die. 3s it tr+e that we will all die? 18 1 The 5.D said to Aaron, ;o+, yo+r sons, and all the people in yo+r fathers family m+st !ear the responsi!ility for any wrong that is done against the holy place or against the priests. 2 To prevent that from happening, yo+ m+st !ring the rest of the men from the tri!e of evi to =oin yo+. These evites will help yo+ and yo+r sons do yo+r work in the Tent of the Agreement. 3 These evites will !e +nder yo+r control. They will do all the work that needs to !e done in the Tent. <+t they m+st not go near the things in the $oly 6lace or the altar. 3f they do, they will dieand yo+ also will die. # They will =oin yo+ and work with yo+. They will !e responsi!le for caring for the Aeeting Tent. All the work that m+st !e done in the Tent will !e done !y them. 1o one else may come near the place where yo+ are. 1+m!ers 1(.%*) )1 % ;o+ are responsi!le for caring for the holy place and the altar. 3 dont want to !ecome angry with the 3sraelites again. & 3 myself chose the evites from among all the 3sraelites. They are as a gift to yo+. 3 gave them to yo+ to serve the 5.D and work in the Aeeting Tent. ' <+t, Aaron, only yo+ and yo+r sons -asy To .ead /ersion

may serve as priests. ;o+ are the only ones who can go near the altar or !ehind the c+rtain into the Aost $oly 6lace. 3 am giving yo+ a giftyo+r service as a priest. Anyone else who tries to come too close m+st !e killed. ( Then the 5.D said to Aaron, 3 myself gave yo+ responsi!ility over all the special gifts people give to me. All the holy gifts that the 3sraelites give to me, 3 give to yo+. ;o+ and yo+r sons can share in these gifts. They will always !elong to yo+. ) The people will !ring gifts, grain offerings, sin offerings, and g+ilt offerings. These offerings are most holy. ;o+r share in the most holy offerings will come from the parts that are not !+rned. All these things will !e for yo+ and yo+r sons. 1+m!ers 1(.1,*1% )2 1, -at these things only in a very holy place. -very male in yo+r family may eat them, !+t yo+ m+st remem!er that these offerings are holy. 11 The 3sraelites will !ring special gifts that yo+ will lift +p to me. 3 give these gifts to yo+ and yo+r sons and da+ghters. That is yo+r share. -veryone in yo+r family who is clean will !e a!le to eat it. 12 And 3 give yo+ all the !est olive oil and all the !est new wine and grain. These are the things that the 3sraelites give to me, the 5.D. These are the first things that they gather in their harvest. 13 >hen the people gather a harvest, they !ring all the first things to the 5.D. So these things 3 will give to yo+. And everyone in yo+r family who is clean may eat it. 1# Anything in 3srael that is a special gift to God !elongs to yo+. 1% A womans first !a!y and an animals first !a!y m+st !e given to the 5.D. That !a!y will !elong to yo+. 3f the first!orn animal is +nclean, then it m+st !e !o+ght !ack. 3f the !a!y is a child, that child m+st !e !o+ght !ack. 1+m!ers 1(.1&*2, )3 pag. 1'%0131#

1& They m+st make the payment when the !a!y is one month old. The cost will !e % shekels of silver. ;o+ m+st +se the official meas+re to weigh this silver. A shekel !y the official meas+re is 2, gerahs. 1' <+t yo+ m+st not make a payment for the first!orn cow, sheep, or goat. These animals are holy. Sprinkle their !lood on the altar and !+rn their fat as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 1( <+t the meat from these animals will !e yo+rs. And also the !reast that was lifted +p to the ord will !e yo+rs. And the right thigh from other offerings will !e yo+rs. 1) 3, the 5.D, give yo+ everything that the people offer as holy gifts. This is yo+r share. 3 give it to yo+ and yo+r sons and da+ghters. This law will contin+e forever. 3t is an agreement with the 5.D that cannot !e !roken. 3 make this promise to yo+ and to yo+r descendants. 2, The 5.D also said to Aaron, ;o+ will not get any of the land. And yo+ will not own anything that the other people own. 3 myself will !e yo+rs. The 3sraelites will 1+m!ers 1(.21*2& )# get the land that 3 promised, !+t 3 am my gift to yo+. 21 The 3sraelites will give oneDtenth of everything they have. So 3 give that oneDtenth to the evites. This is their payment for the work that they do while they serve at the Aeeting Tent. 22 <+t the other 3sraelites m+st never go near that Aeeting Tent. 3f they do, they m+st !e p+t to death" 23 The evites will do the work of caring for the Aeeting Tent. They m+st !ear the responsi!ility for anything done against it. This is a law that will contin+e forever. The evites will not get any of the land that 3 promised to the other 3sraelites. 2# <+t the 3sraelites will give oneDtenth of everything they have to the 5.D, and 3 will give that oneDtenth to the evites. That is why 3 said these words a!o+t the evites: They will not get the land that 3 promised the 3sraelites. -asy To .ead /ersion

2% The 5.D said to Aoses, 2& Speak to the evites and tell them: The 3sraelites will give oneDtenth of everything they own to the 5.D. That oneDtenth will !elong to the evites. <+t 1+m!ers 1(.2'*32 )% yo+ m+st give oneDtenth of that to the ord as yo+r offering. 2' That tenth will !e yo+r offering to the ord. 3t will !e like grain from yo+r own threshing floor or wine from yo+r own winepress. 2( 3n this way yo+ will also give an offering to the 5.D =+st as the other 3sraelites do. ;o+ will get the oneDtenth that the 3sraelites give to the 5.D, and then yo+ will give oneDtenth of that to Aaron the priest. 2) >hen the 3sraelites give yo+ onetenth of everything that they own, then yo+ m+st give the !est and the holiest part of these things as yo+r gift to the 5.D. 3, Aoses, tell this to the evites: >hen yo+ give the !est part of what yo+ receive to the ord, it will !e the same as grain from yo+r own threshing floor and wine from yo+r own winepress. 31 ;o+ and yo+r families can eat all that is left. This is yo+r payment for the work yo+ do in the Aeeting Tent. 32 And if yo+ always give the !est part of it to the ord, yo+ will never !e g+ilty. ;o+ will always remem!er that these 1+m!ers 1).1*' )& gifts are the holy offerings from the 3sraelites. And yo+ will not die. 19 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses and Aaron. $e said, 2 These are the laws from the teachings that the 5.D gave to the 3sraelites. Get a red cow that has nothing wrong with it. That cow m+st not have any !r+ises. And it m+st never have worn a yoke. 3 Give that cow to -leaEar, and he will take it o+tside the camp and kill it there. # Then -leaEar the priest m+st p+t some of its !lood on his finger and sprinkle some of the !lood toward the $oly Tent. $e m+st do this seven times. pag. 1'&0131#

% Then the whole cow m+st !e !+rned in front of himF the skin, the meat, the !lood, and the intestines m+st all !e !+rned. & Then the priest m+st take a cedar stick, a hyssop !ranch, and some red string. $e m+st throw these things into the fire where the cow is !+rning. ' Then the priest m+st wash himself and his clothes with water. Then he m+st come !ack into the camp. $e will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 1+m!ers 1).(*13 )' ( The man who !+rns that cow m+st wash himself and his clothes in water. $e will !e +nclean +ntil evening. ) Then someone who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and p+t them in a clean place o+tside the camp. These ashes will !e +sed when someone m+st keep a special ceremony to !ecome clean. These ashes will also !e +sed to remove a persons sins. 1, The man who collected the cows ashes m+st wash his clothes. $e will !e +nclean +ntil evening. This r+le will contin+e forever. This r+le is for the citiEens of 3srael and for the foreigners living with yo+. 11 Those who to+ch a dead !ody will !e +nclean for seven days. 12 They m+st wash themselves with the special water on the third day and again on the seventh day. 3f they dont do this, they will remain +nclean. 13 Those who to+ch the !ody of someone who has died are +nclean. 3f they stay +nclean and then go to the 5.D@S $oly Tent, they make it +nclean. So they m+st !e separated from the 3sraelites. <eca+se the special water 1+m!ers 1).1#*1) )( was not thrown on them, they remain +nclean. 1# This is the r+le a!o+t those who die in their tents: 3f someone dies in the tent, everyone in the tent will !e +nclean for seven days. 1% And every =ar or pot witho+t a lid !ecomes +nclean. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& 3f there is a dead !ody o+t in a field, whether the person died in !attle or for some other reason, whoever to+ches that dead !ody, or its !ones, or even its grave will !e +nclean for seven days. 1' 3f yo+ have !ecome +nclean, someone m+st +se the ashes from the !+rned cow to make yo+ clean again. $e m+st po+r fresh water over the ashes into a =ar. 1( And then someone who is clean m+st take a hyssop !ranch and dip it into the water. $e m+st sprinkle it over the tent, the dishes, and any people who were in the tent. The same m+st !e done for anyone who to+ches a dead !ody, its !ones, or even a grave. 1) The one who is clean m+st sprinkle this water on yo+ on the third day and again on the seventh day to make yo+ 1+m!ers 1).2,*2,.2 )) clean. Then yo+ m+st wash yo+r clothes and !athe yo+rself in water, and that evening yo+ will !e clean. 2, >hoever !ecomes +nclean and does not make themselves clean again m+st !e separated from the comm+nity. 3f they are not sprinkled with the special water for cleansing, they remain +nclean and will !e g+ilty of making the 5.D@S $oly Tent +nclean. 21 This r+le will never change. And whoever sprinkled the special water m+st also wash his clothes. And anyone else who to+ches that water will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 22 And if an +nclean person to+ches anything, it !ecomes +nclean, and anyone else who to+ches it will !e +nclean +ntil evening. 20 1 The 3sraelites arrived at the desert of Bin in the first month of the year. The people stayed at Gadesh. Airiam died and was !+ried there. 2 There was not eno+gh water for the people at that place. So the people met together to complain against Aoses and Aaron. 1+m!ers 2,.3*) 1,, 3 The people arg+ed with Aoses and pag. 1''0131#

said, Aay!e we sho+ld have died in front of the 5.D like o+r !rothers did. # >hy did yo+ !ring the 5.D@S people into this desert? Do yo+ want +s and o+r animals to die here? % >hy did yo+ !ring +s from -gypt? >hy did yo+ !ring +s to this !ad place? There is no grain. There are no figs, grapes, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink. & So Aoses and Aaron left the crowd of people and went to the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. They !owed down to the gro+nd, and the Glory of the 5.D appeared to them. ' The 5.D spoke to Aoses and said, ( Get the special walking stick. Take yo+r !rother Aaron and the crowd of people and go to that rock. Speak to the rock in front of the people. Then water will flow from the rock, and yo+ can give that water to the people and to their animals. ) The walking stick was in the $oly Tent, in front of the 5.D. Aoses took the walking stick as the ord said. 1+m!ers 2,.1,*1% 1,1 1, Aoses and Aaron told the people to meet together in front of the rock. Then Aoses said, ;o+ people are always complaining. 1ow listen to me. 3 will ca+se water to flow from this rock. 11 Aoses lifted his arm and hit the rock twice. >ater !egan flowing from the rock, and the people and their animals drank that water. 12 <+t the 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, ;o+ did not tr+st me eno+gh to honor me and show the people that 3 am holy. ;o+ did not show the 3sraelites that the power to make the water came from me. So yo+ will not lead the people into the land that 3 have given them. 13 This place was called the waters of Aeri!ah. This is where the 3sraelites arg+ed with the 5.D and where he showed them that he was holy. 1# >hile Aoses was at Gadesh, he sent some men with a message to the king of -dom. The message said, This is what -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+r !rothers, the 3sraelites, say to yo+: ;o+ know a!o+t all the tro+!les we have had. 1% Aany years ago o+r ancestors went down into -gypt, and we lived there for 1+m!ers 2,.1&*2, 1,2 many years. The people of -gypt were cr+el to +s. 1& <+t we asked the 5.D for help, and he heard +s and sent an angel to help +s. The ord has !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt. 1ow we are here at Gadesh, where yo+r land !egins. 1' 6lease let +s travel thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. >e will not travel thro+gh any fields or vineyards. >e will not drink water from any of yo+r wells. >e will travel only along Gings .oad. >e will not leave that road to the right or to the left. >e will stay on the road +ntil we have traveled thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. 1( <+t the king of -dom answered, ;o+ may not travel thro+gh o+r land. 3f yo+ try to travel thro+gh o+r land, we will come and fight yo+ with swords. 1) The 3sraelites answered, >e will travel along the main road. 3f o+r animals drink any of yo+r water, we will pay yo+ for it. >e only want to walk thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. >e dont want to take it for o+rselves. 2, <+t again the king of -dom answered, >e will not allow yo+ to come thro+gh o+r co+ntry. Then the king of -dom 1+m!ers 2,.21*2' 1,3 gathered a large and powerf+l army and went o+t to fight against the 3sraelites. 21 The king of -dom ref+sed to let the 3sraelites travel thro+gh his co+ntry, so the 3sraelites t+rned aro+nd and went another way. 22 All the 3sraelites traveled from Gadesh to Ao+nt $or. 23 Ao+nt $or was near the !order of -dom. The 5.D said to Aoses and Aaron, 2# 3t is time for Aaron to die and go to !e with his ancestors. Aaron will not enter the land that 3 promised to the 3sraelites. Aoses, 3 say this to yo+ pag. 1'(0131#

!eca+se !oth yo+ and Aaron did not f+lly o!ey the command 3 gave yo+ at the waters of Aeri!ah. 2% 1ow, !ring Aaron and his son -leaEar +p to Ao+nt $or. 2& Take Aarons special clothes from him and p+t these clothes on his son -leaEar. Aaron will die there on the mo+ntain. And he will go to !e with his ancestors. 2' Aoses o!eyed the 5.D@S command. Aoses, Aaron, and -leaEar went +p on Ao+nt $or. All the 3sraelites watched them go. 1+m!ers 2,.2(*21.# 1,# 2( Aoses removed Aarons special clothes and p+t them on Aarons son -leaEar. Then Aaron died there on top of the mo+ntain. Aoses and -leaEar came !ack down the mo+ntain. 2) All the 3sraelites learned that Aaron was dead. So everyone in 3srael mo+rned for 3, days. 21 1 The 9anaanite king of Arad lived in the 1egev. $e heard that the 3sraelites were coming on the road to Atharim, so the king went o+t and attacked the 3sraelites. Arad capt+red some of the people and made them prisoners. 2 Then the 3sraelites made a special promise to the 5.D: 6lease help +s defeat these people. 3f yo+ do this, we will give their cities to yo+. >e will totally destroy them. 3 The 5.D listened to the 3sraelites and helped them defeat the 9anaanites. They completely destroyed the 9anaanites and their cities. So that place was named $ormah. # The 3sraelites left Ao+nt $or and traveled on the road that goes to the .ed Sea. They did this to go aro+nd the 1+m!ers 21.%*11 1,% co+ntry of -dom. <+t the people !ecame impatient. % They !egan complaining against God and Aoses. The people said, >hy did yo+ !ring +s o+t of -gypt? >e will die here in the desert" There is no !read and no water" And we hate this terri!le food" -asy To .ead /ersion

& So the 5.D sent poisono+s snakes among the people. The snakes !it the people, and many of the 3sraelites died. ' The people came to Aoses and said, >e know that we sinned when we spoke against the 5.D and against yo+. 6ray to the 5.D. Ask him to take away these snakes. So Aoses prayed for them. ( The 5.D said to Aoses, Aake a !ronEe snake and p+t it on a pole. 3f anyone is !itten !y a snake, that person sho+ld look at the !ronEe snake on the pole. Then that person will not die. ) So Aoses made a !ronEe snake and p+t it on a pole. Then when a snake !it anyone, that person looked at the !ronEe snake on the pole and lived. 1, The 3sraelites left that place and camped at 5!oth. 11 Then they left 5!oth and camped at 3ye A!arim in the desert east of Aoa!. 1+m!ers 21.12*1( 1,& 12 They left that place and camped in Bered /alley. 13 Then they moved and camped across from the Arnon .iver in the desert. This river started at the Ammonite !order. The valley was the !order !etween Aoa! and the Amorites. 1# That is why these words are written in the <ook of the >ars of the 5.D: and >ahe! in S+phah, and the /alleys of the Arnon, 1% and the hills !y the valleys that lead to the town of Ar. These places are at the !order of Aoa!. 1& The 3sraelites left that place and traveled to <eer. There is a well in <eer, where the 5.D said to Aoses, <ring the people together here, and 3 will give them water. 1' Then the 3sraelites sang this song: >ell, flow with water" Sing a!o+t it" 1( This is the well that princes d+g. 3t was opened +p !y o+r great leaders, +sing their staffs and walking sticks. 2rom the desert the 3sraelites traveled to the town of Aattanah. 1+m!ers 21.1)*2# 1,' 1) And from Aattanah they went to pag. 1')0131#

1ahaliel. Then from 1ahaliel they went to <amoth. 2, 2rom <amoth they travelled to the /alley of Aoa!. 3n this place the top of the 6isgah Ao+ntain looks over the desert. 21 The 3sraelites sent some men to Ging Sihon of the Amorites. The men said to the king, 22 Allow +s to travel thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. >e will not go thro+gh any field or vineyard. >e will not drink water from any of yo+r wells. >e will travel only along Gings .oad. >e will stay on that road +ntil we have traveled thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. 23 <+t Ging Sihon wo+ld not allow the 3sraelites to travel thro+gh his co+ntry. $e gathered together his army and marched o+t to the desert to fight against the 3sraelites. The kings army fo+ght against the 3sraelites at CahaE. 2# <+t the 3sraelites defeated the king and took his land from the Arnon .iver to the Ca!!ok .iver. The 3sraelites took the land as far as the Ammonite !order. They 1+m!ers 21.2%*31 1,( stopped at that !order !eca+se it was strongly defended !y the Ammonites. 2% 3srael took all the Amorite cities and !egan living in them. They even defeated the city of $esh!on and all the small towns aro+nd it. 2& $esh!on was the city where Sihon, the Amorite king, lived. 3n the past Sihon had fo+ght with the king of Aoa!. Sihon had taken the land as far as the Arnon .iver. 2' That is why the singers sing this song: Go in and re!+ild $esh!on" Aake Sihons city strong. 2( A fire !egan in $esh!on. That fire !egan in Sihons city. The fire destroyed Ar in Aoa!. 3t !+rned the hills a!ove Arnon .iver. 2) 3t is !ad for yo+, Aoa!. ;o+ lost 9hemoshs people. $is sons ran away. $is da+ghters were taken prisoners !y Sihon, king of the Amorites. 3, <+t we defeated those Amorites. >e -asy To .ead /ersion

destroyed their towns from $esh!on to Di!on, from 1ashim to 1ophah, near Aede!a. 31 So the 3sraelites made their camp in the land of the Amorites. 1+m!ers 21.32*22.2 1,) 32 Aoses sent some men to look at the town of CaEer. Then the 3sraelites capt+red that town and the small towns that were aro+nd it. They forced the Amorites who were living there to leave. 33 Then the 3sraelites traveled on the road toward <ashan. Ging 5g of <ashan got his army and marched o+t to meet the 3sraelites. $e fo+ght against them at -drei. 3# <+t the 5.D said to Aoses, Dont !e afraid of that king. 3 will allow yo+ to defeat him. ;o+ will take his whole army and all his land. Do the same to him as yo+ did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in $esh!on. 3% So the 3sraelites defeated 5g and his army. They killed him, his sons, and all his army. Then the 3sraelites took all his land. 22 1 Then the 3sraelites traveled to the Cordan /alley in Aoa!. They camped near the Cordan .iver across from Cericho. 2 <alak son of Bippor saw everything the 3sraelites had done to the Amorites. The king of Aoa! was very frightened 1+m!ers 22.3*' 11, of the 3sraelites !eca+se there were so many of them. $e was very afraid. 3 722:28 # The king of Aoa! said to the leaders of Aidian, This large gro+p of people will destroy everything aro+nd +s, the way an o4 eats all the grass in a field. <alak son of Bippor was the king of Aoa! at this time. % $e sent some men to <alaam son of <eor. <alaam was at 6ethor, near the -+phrates .iver. This was where <alaams people lived. This was <alaks message: A new nation of people has come o+t of -gypt. There are so many people that they cover all the land. They pag. 1(,0131#

have camped ne4t to me. & 9ome and help me. These people are too powerf+l for me. 3 know that yo+ have great power. 3f yo+ !less people, good things happen to them. And if yo+ c+rse people, !ad things happen to them. So come and c+rse these people. Aay!e then 3 will !e a!le to defeat them and force them to leave my co+ntry. ' The leaders of Aoa! and Aidian left. They went to talk to <alaam. They carried with them money to pay him 1+m!ers 22.(*1# 111 for his service. Then they told him what <alak had said. ( <alaam said to them, Stay here for the night. 3 will talk to the 5.D and tell yo+ the answer he gives me. So the leaders of Aoa! stayed there with <alaam that night. ) God came to <alaam and asked, >ho are these men with yo+? 1, <alaam said to God, The king of Aoa!, <alak son of Bippor, sent them to give me a message. 11 This is the message: A new nation of people has come o+t of -gypt. There are so many people that they cover the land. So come and c+rse these people. Then may!e 3 will !e a!le to fight them and force them to leave my land. 12 <+t God said to <alaam, Dont go with them. ;o+ m+st not c+rse those people. They are my people. 13 The ne4t morning <alaam got +p and said to leaders from <alak, Go !ack to yo+r own co+ntry. The 5.D will not let me go with yo+. 1# So the leaders of Aoa! went !ack to <alak and told him this. They said, <alaam ref+sed to come with +s. 1+m!ers 22.1%*2, 112 1% So <alak sent other leaders to <alaam. This time he sent many more than the first time. And these leaders were m+ch more important than the first ones he sent. 1& They went to <alaam and said, This is what <alak son of Bippor says to yo+: 6lease dont let anything stop yo+ from -asy To .ead /ersion

coming. 1' 3 will pay yo+ very m+ch, and 3 will do whatever yo+ ask. 9ome and c+rse these people for me. 1( <alaam gave <alaks officials his answer. $e said, 3 m+st o!ey the 5.D my God. 3 cannot do anything, great or small, against his command. -ven if Ging <alak offers to give me his !ea+tif+l home filled with silver and gold, 3 will not do anything against the ords command. 1) <+t yo+ can stay here tonight like the other men did, and d+ring the night 3 will learn what the 5.D wants to tell me. 2, That night, God came to <alaam. God said, These men have come again to ask yo+ to go with them. So yo+ can go with them. <+t do only what 3 tell yo+ to do. 1+m!ers 22.21*2& 113 21 The ne4t morning, <alaam got +p, p+t a saddle on his donkey, and went with the Aoa!ite leaders. 22 <alaam was riding on his donkey. Two of his servants were with him. >hile <alaam was traveling, God !ecame angry. So the angel of the 5.D stood in the road in front of <alaam to stop him. 23 >hen <alaams donkey saw the angel of the 5.D standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey t+rned from the road and went into the field. <alaam co+ld not see the angel, so he was very angry at the donkey. $e hit the donkey and forced it to go !ack on the road. 2# ater, the angel of the 5.D stood at a place where the road !ecame narrow. This was !etween two vineyards. There were walls on !oth sides of the road. 2% Again the donkey saw the angel of the 5.D. So the donkey walked very close to one wall. This cr+shed <alaams foot against the wall. So <alaam hit his donkey again. 2& ater, the angel of the 5.D stood at another place where the road !ecame narrow. There was no place where the 1+m!ers 22.2'*32 11# donkey co+ld go aro+nd him. 3t co+ld not t+rn to the left or to the right. pag. 1(10131#

2' The donkey saw the angel of the 5.D. So the donkey lay down with <alaam sitting on top of it. <alaam was very angry at the donkey. So he hit it with his walking stick. 2( Then the 5.D ca+sed the donkey to speak. The donkey said to <alaam, >hy are yo+ angry at me? >hat have 3 done to yo+? ;o+ have hit me three times" 2) <alaam answered the donkey, ;o+ have made me look foolish. 3f 3 had a sword in my hand, 3 wo+ld kill yo+ right now" 3, <+t the donkey said to <alaam, ook, 3 am yo+r donkey. ;o+ have ridden me for so many years. And yo+ know that 3 have never done this to yo+ !efore" That is tr+e, <alaam said. 31 Then the 5.D allowed <alaam to see the angel. The 5.D@S angel was standing in the road, holding a sword in his hand. <alaam !owed low to the gro+nd. 32 Then the angel of the 5.D asked <alaam, >hy did yo+ hit yo+r donkey 1+m!ers 22.33*3( 11% three times? 3 am the one who came to stop yo+. <+t =+st in time, 33 yo+r donkey saw me and t+rned away from me. That happened three times. 3f the donkey had not t+rned away, 3 pro!a!ly wo+ld have killed yo+ already. And 3 wo+ld have let yo+r donkey live. 3# Then <alaam said to the angel of the 5.D, 3 have sinned. 3 did not know that yo+ were standing in the road. 3f 3 am doing wrong, 3 will go !ack home. 3% Then the angel of the 5.D said to <alaam, 1o, yo+ can go with these men. <+t !e caref+l. Speak only the words that 3 will tell yo+ to say. So <alaam went with the leaders that <alak had sent. 3& <alak heard that <alaam was coming. So <alak went o+t to meet him at the Aoa!ite town near the Arnon .iver. This was at the northern !order of his co+ntry. 3' >hen <alak saw <alaam, he said to him, 3 asked yo+ !efore to come. 3 told yo+ it was very important. >hy didnt -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ come to me? Did yo+ think 3 might not !e a!le to pay yo+? 3( <alaam answered, >ell, 3 am here now. 3 came, !+t 3 might not !e a!le to 1+m!ers 22.3)*23.% 11& do what yo+ asked. 3 can only say the words God tells me to say. 3) Then <alaam went with <alak to Giriath $+Eoth. #, <alak killed some cattle and some sheep as his sacrifice. $e gave some of the meat to <alaam and some to the leaders who were with him. #1 The ne4t morning <alak took <alaam to the town of <amoth <aal. 2rom there they co+ld see part of the 3sraelite camp. 23 1 <alaam said, <+ild seven altars here. And prepare seven !+lls and seven rams for me. 2 <alak did what <alaam asked. Then <alak and <alaam killed a ram and a !+ll on each of the altars. 3 Then <alaam said to <alak, Stay here near this altar. 3 will go to another place. Then the 5.D will come to me, and he will tell me what 3 m+st say. Then <alaam went away to a higher place. # God came to <alaam at that place, and <alaam said, 3 have prepared seven altars. And 3 have killed a !+ll and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar. % Then the 5.D gave <alaam a message for <alak and said, Go !ack 1+m!ers 23.&*1, 11' to <alak and say the things that 3 have given yo+ to say. & So <alaam went !ack to <alak. <alak was still standing near the altar, and all the leaders of Aoa! were standing there with them. ' Then <alaam spoke, and this was his message: <alak, the king of Aoa!, !ro+ght me here from the eastern mo+ntains of Aram. <alak said to me, 9ome, c+rse Caco! for me. 9ome, speak against the 3sraelites. ( <+t God is not against them, so 3 cannot speak against them either" The 5.D has not asked for !ad things to happen to these people. So 3 cannot do pag. 1(20131#

that either. ) 3 see these people from the mo+ntain. 3 see them from the high hills. They live alone. They are not part of another nation. 1, >ho can co+nt Caco!s people? They are as many as the grains of d+st. 1o one can co+nt even a fo+rth of the 3sraelites. et me die like a good man. et my life end as happy as theirs" 1+m!ers 23.11*1' 11( 11 <alak said to <alaam, >hat have yo+ done to me? 3 !ro+ght yo+ here to c+rse my enemies, !+t yo+ have !lessed them" 12 <+t <alaam answered, 3 m+st say the things that the 5.D tells me to say. 13 Then <alak said to him, So come with me to another place. At that place yo+ can see more of these people. ;o+ cannot see all of themyo+ can only see part of them. Aay!e from that place yo+ can c+rse them for me. 1# So <alak led <alaam to >atchmen $ills. This was on top of Ao+nt 6isgah. There <alak !+ilt seven altars and killed a !+ll and a ram on each altar as a sacrifice. 1% Then <alaam said to <alak, Stay here !y this altar while 3 go meet with God over there. 1& So the 5.D came to <alaam and told <alaam what to say. Then he told <alaam to go !ack to <alak and say these things. 1' So <alaam went to <alak. <alak was still standing near the altar. The leaders of Aoa! were there with him. <alak saw <alaam coming and said, >hat did the 5.D say? 1+m!ers 23.1(*2# 11) 1( Then <alaam said this: Stand +p, <alak, and listen to me. $ear me, <alak son of Bippor. 1) God is not a manF he will not lie. God is not a h+man !eingF his decisions will not change. 3f he says he will do something, then he will do it. 3f he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised. 2, $e told me to !less them. $e !lessed -asy To .ead /ersion

them, so 3 cannot change that. 21 God saw no wrong in Caco!s people. $e saw no sin in the 3sraelites. The 5.D is their God, and he is with them. The Great Ging is with them" 22 God !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. They are as strong as a wild o4. 23 There is no power that can defeat the people of Caco!. There is no magic that can stop the 3sraelites. 6eople will say this a!o+t Caco! and the 3sraelites: ook at the great things God did" 2# The people are as strong as lions, and they fight like lions. And a lion will not rest +ntil it eats what it has ca+ght, +ntil it drinks the !lood of what it has killed. 1+m!ers 23.2%*2#.2 12, 2% Then <alak said to <alaam, ;o+ didnt ask for good things to happen to these people, !+t yo+ didnt ask for !ad things to happen to them either" 2& <alaam answered, 3 told yo+ !efore that 3 can only say what the 5.D tells me to say. 2' Then <alak said to <alaam, So come with me to another place. Aay!e God will !e pleased and will allow yo+ to c+rse them from that place. 2( So <alak led <alaam to the top of Ao+nt 6eor, which looks o+t over the desert. 2) <alaam said, <+ild seven altars here. Then prepare seven !+lls and seven rams for the altars. 3, <alak did what <alaam asked. <alak offered the !+lls and rams on the altars. 24 1 <alaam saw that the 5.D wanted to !less 3srael, so he did not try to change that !y +sing any kind of magic. <+t <alaam t+rned and looked toward the desert. 2 $e saw all the 3sraelites with each tri!e in a separate camp. Then the Spirit of God came on him, 1+m!ers 2#.3*) 121 3 and he gave this message: This message is from <alaam son of <eor. 3 am speaking a!o+t things 3 see clearly. # These are the words 3 heard from God. pag. 1(30131#

3 saw what God AllD6owerf+l showed me. 3 h+m!ly tell what 3 clearly see. % 6eople of Caco!, yo+r tents are !ea+tif+l" 3sraelites, yo+r homes are !ea+tif+l" & ;o+ are like rows of palm trees planted !y the streams. ;o+ are like gardens growing !y the rivers. ;o+ are like sweetDsmelling !+shes planted !y the 5.D. ;o+ are like cedar trees growing !y the water. ' ;o+ will always have eno+gh water, eno+gh water for yo+r seeds to grow. ;o+r king will !e greater than Ging Agag. ;o+r kingdom will !e very great. ( God !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. They are as strong as a wild o4. They will defeat all their enemies. They will !reak their !ones and shatter their arrows. ) 3srael is like a lion, c+rled +p and lying down. ;es, they are like a yo+ng lion, and no one wants to wake him" Anyone who !lesses yo+ will !e !lessed. And 1+m!ers 2#.1,*1% 122 anyone who c+rses yo+ will have great tro+!les. 1, >hen <alak heard this, he angrily str+ck his fist against his hand and said to <alaam, 3 called yo+ to come and c+rse my enemies. <+t yo+ have !lessed them. ;o+ have !lessed them three times. 11 1ow leave and go home" 3 told yo+ that 3 wo+ld give yo+ a very good payment, !+t the 5.D has ca+sed yo+ to lose yo+r reward. 12 <alaam said to <alak, ;o+ sent men to ask me to come. Dont yo+ remem!er what 3 told them? 3 said, 13 -ven if <alak gives me his most !ea+tif+l ho+se filled with silver and gold, 3 can still say only what the 5.D commands me to say. 3 cannot do anything myself, good or !ad. 3 m+st say what the 5.D commands. 1# 1ow 3 am going !ack to my own people. <+t 3 will give yo+ this warning. 3 will tell yo+ what these 3sraelites will do to yo+ and yo+r people in the f+t+re. 1% Then <alaam gave this message: This -asy To .ead /ersion

message is from <alaam son of <eor. 3 am speaking a!o+t things 3 see clearly. 1+m!ers 2#.1&*22 123 1& 3 heard this message from God. 3 learned what God Aost $igh ta+ght me. 3 saw what God AllD6owerf+l showed me. 3 h+m!ly tell what 3 clearly see. 1' 3 see him coming, !+t not now. 3 see him coming, !+t not soon. A star will come from the family of Caco!. A new r+ler will come from the 3sraelites. $e will smash the heads of the Aoa!ites and cr+sh the heads of all the sons of Sheth. 1( 3srael will grow strong" $e will get the land of -dom. $e will get the land of Seir, his enemy. 1) A new r+ler will come from the family of Caco!. That r+ler will destroy the people left alive in that city. 2, Then <alaam saw the Amalekites and said this: Amalek is the strongest of all nations, !+t even Amalek will !e destroyed" 21 Then <alaam saw the Genites and said this: ;o+ !elieve that yo+r co+ntry is safe, like a !irds nest high on a mo+ntain. 22 <+t yo+ Genites will !e destroyed, =+st as the ord destroyed 9ain. Assyria will make yo+ prisoners. 1+m!ers 2#.23*2%.% 12# 23 Then <alaam said this: 1o one can live when God does this. 2# Ships will come from 9ypr+s. They will defeat Assyria and -!er, !+t those ships will also !e destroyed. 2% Then <alaam got +p and went !ack home, and <alak went his own way. 25 1 >hile the 3sraelites were camped near Acacia, the men committed se4+al sins with Aoa!ite women. 2 The Aoa!ite women invited the men to come and =oin in their sacrifices to their false gods. So the 3sraelites =oined in worshiping these false godsthey ate the sacrifices and worshiped these gods. There the 3sraelites !egan worshiping the false god, <aal of 6eor. And the 5.D !ecame very angry with them. 3 72%:28 pag. 1(#0131#

# The 5.D said to Aoses, Get all the leaders of these people. Then kill them so that all the people can see. ay their !odies !efore the 5.D. Then the 5.D will not show his anger against all the 3sraelites. % So Aoses said to 3sraels =+dges, -ach of yo+ m+st find the men in yo+r tri!e who have led people to worship the false 1+m!ers 2%.&*11 12% god, <aal of 6eor. Then yo+ m+st kill these men. & At the time Aoses and all the elders of 3srael were gathered together at the entrance to the Aeeting Tent. An 3sraelite man !ro+ght a Aidianite woman home to his !rothers. $e did this where Aoses and all the leaders co+ld see. Aoses and the leaders were very sad. ' 6hinehas was the son of -leaEar and the grandson of Aaron the priest. 6hinehas saw this man !ring the woman into camp. So he left the meeting and got his spear. ( $e followed the 3sraelite into the tent. Then he +sed the spear to kill the 3sraelite man and the Aidianite woman in her tent. $e p+shed the spear thro+gh !oth of their !odies. At that time there was a great sickness among the 3sraelites. <+t when 6hinehas killed these two people, the sickness stopped. ) A total of 2#,,,, people died from that sickness. 1, The 5.D said to Aoses, 11 3 was so angry with the 3sraelites that 3 wanted to kill them. <+t 6hinehas, son of -leaEar and grandson of Aaron the 1+m!ers 2%.12*1( 12& priest, has saved them from my anger. $e did this !y showing that he feels strongly, =+st as 3 do, that my people m+st worship only me. 12 Tell 6hinehas that 3 am making a peace agreement with him. 13 This is the agreement: $e and all of his family who live after him will always !e priests, !eca+se he had strong feelings for his God. And he did what was needed to make the 3sraelites p+re. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# The 3sraelite man who was killed with the Aidianite woman was named Bimri son of Sal+. $e was the leader of a family in the tri!e of Simeon. 1% And the name of the Aidianite woman who was killed was 9oE!i. She was the da+ghter of B+r. B+r was the head of a family and leader of a Aidianite tri!e. 1& The 5.D said to Aoses, 1' The Aidianites are yo+r enemies. ;o+ m+st kill them. 1( They have already made yo+ their enemies. They tricked yo+ at 6eor. And they tricked yo+ with the woman named 9oE!i. She was the da+ghter of a Aidianite leader, !+t she was killed when the sickness came to the 3sraelites. That 1+m!ers 2&.1*& 12' sickness was ca+sed !eca+se the people were tricked into worshiping the false god <aal of 6eor. 26 1 After the great sickness, the 5.D spoke to Aoses and -leaEar son of Aaron the priest. 2 $e said, 9o+nt the 3sraelites. 9o+nt all the men who are 2, years old or older and list them !y families. These are the men who are a!le to serve in the army of 3srael. 3 At this time the people were camped in the Cordan /alley in Aoa!. This was near the Cordan .iver, across from Cericho. So Aoses and -leaEar the priest spoke to the people. They said, # ;o+ m+st co+nt every man who is 2, years old or older. The 5.D gave Aoses this command. $ere is the list of the 3sraelites who came o+t of -gypt: % These are the people from the tri!e of .e+!en. 7.e+!en was the first!orn son of 3srael.8 The family gro+ps were $anochthe $anochite family gro+pF 6all+the 6all+ite family gro+pF & $eEronthe $eEronite family gro+pF 9armithe 9armite family gro+p. 1+m!ers 2&.'*1% 12( ' The total n+m!er of men in these family gro+ps from the tri!e of .e+!en was #3,'3,. ( 6all+s son was -lia!. pag. 1(%0131#

) -lia! had three sons1em+el, Dathan, and A!iram. .emem!er, Dathan and A!iram were the two leaders who t+rned against Aoses and Aaron. They followed Gorah when Gorah t+rned against the 5.D. 1, That was the time when the earth opened and swallowed Gorah and all of his followers. And 2%, men died" That was a warning to all the 3sraelites. 11 <+t the other people who were from the family of Gorah did not die. 12 These are the family gro+ps from the tri!e of Simeon: 1em+elthe 1em+elite family gro+pF Caminthe Caminite family gro+pF Cakinthe Cakinite family gro+pF 13 Berahthe Berahite family gro+pF Sha+lthe Sha+lite family gro+p. 1# The total n+m!er of men in these family gro+ps from the tri!e of Simeon was 22,2,,. 1% These are the family gro+ps in the tri!e of Gad: Bephonthe Bephonite 1+m!ers 2&.1&*2# 12) family gro+pF $aggithe $aggite family gro+pF Sh+nithe Sh+nite family gro+pF 1& 5Enithe 5Enite family gro+pF -rithe -rite family gro+pF 1' Arodithe Arodite family gro+pF Arelithe Arelite family gro+p. 1( The total n+m!er of men in these family gro+ps from the tri!e of Gad was #,,%,,. 1) These are the family gro+ps from the tri!e of C+dah: Shelahthe Shelanite family gro+pF 6ereEthe 6ereEite family gro+pF Berahthe Berahite family gro+p. 7Two of C+dahs sons, -r and 5nan, died in 9anaan.8 2, 72&:1)8 21 These are the family gro+ps from 6ereE: $eEronthe $eEronite family gro+pF $am+lthe $am+lite family gro+p. 22 These were the family gro+ps from the tri!e of C+dah. The total n+m!er of men was '&,%,,. 23 The family gro+ps from the tri!e of 3ssachar were Tolathe Tolaite family gro+pF 6+ahthe 6+ite family gro+pF 2# Cash+!the Cash+!ite family gro+pF -asy To .ead /ersion

Shimronthe Shimronite family gro+p. 1+m!ers 2&.2%*33 13, 2% These were the family gro+ps from the tri!e of 3ssachar. The total n+m!er of men was &#,3,,. 2& The family gro+ps from the tri!e of Be!+l+n were Seredthe Seredite family gro+pF -lonthe -lonite family gro+pF Cahleelthe Cahleelite family gro+p. 2' These were the family gro+ps from the tri!e of Be!+l+n. The total n+m!er of men was &,,%,,. 2( Cosephs two sons were Aanasseh and -phraim. -ach son !ecame a tri!e with its own family gro+ps. 2) Aanassehs family gro+ps were Aakirthe Aakirite family gro+ps. 7Aakir was the father of Gilead.8 Gileadthe Gileadite family gro+ps. 3, The family gro+ps from Gilead were 3eEerthe 3eEerite family gro+pF $elekthe $elekite family gro+pF 31 Asrielthe Asrielite family gro+pF Shechemthe Shechemite family gro+pF 32 Shemidathe Shemidaite family gro+pF $epherthe $epherite family gro+p. 33 Belophehad was the son of $epher. <+t he had no sonsonly da+ghters. $is 1+m!ers 2&.3#*#, 131 da+ghters names were Aahlah, 1oah, $oglah, Ailcah, and TirEah. 3# These are all the family gro+ps from the tri!e of Aanasseh. The total n+m!er of men was %2,',,. 3% The family gro+ps from the tri!e of -phraim were Sh+thelahthe Sh+thelahite family gro+pF <ekerthe <ekerite family gro+pF Tahanthe Tahanite family gro+p. 3& -ran was from Sh+thelahs family gro+pF -ranthe -ranite family gro+p. 3' These were the family gro+ps from the tri!e of -phraim. The total n+m!er of men was 32,%,,. These family gro+ps of Aanasseh and -phraim are all the descendants of Coseph. 3( The family gro+ps from the tri!e of <en=amin were <elathe <elaite family gro+pF Ash!elthe Ash!elite family gro+pF Ahiramthe Ahiramite family gro+pF pag. 1(&0131#

3) Sh+phamthe Sh+phamite family gro+pF $+phamthe $+phamite family gro+pF #, The family gro+ps from <ela were Ardthe Ardite family gro+pF 1aamanthe 1aamanite family gro+p. 1+m!ers 2&.#1*#) 132 #1 These were all the family gro+ps from the tri!e of <en=amin. The total n+m!er of men was #%,&,,. #2 The family gro+ps from the tri!e of Dan were Sh+hamthe Sh+hamite family gro+p. That was the family gro+p from the tri!e of Dan. #3 There were many family gro+ps in the Sh+hamite tri!e. The total n+m!er of men was &#,#,,. ## The family gro+ps from the tri!e of Asher were 3mnahthe 3mnite family gro+pF 3shvithe 3shvite family gro+pF <eriahthe <eriite family gro+p. #% The family gro+ps from <eriah were $e!erthe $e!erite family gro+pF Aalkielthe Aalkielite family gro+p. #& 7Asher also had a da+ghter named Serah.8 #' These were the family gro+ps in the tri!e of Asher. The total n+m!er of men was %3,#,,. #( The family gro+ps from the tri!e of 1aphtali were CahEeelthe CahEeelite family gro+pF G+nithe G+nite family gro+pF #) CeEerthe CeEerite family gro+pF Shillemthe Shillemite family gro+p. 1+m!ers 2&.%,*%( 133 %, These were the family gro+ps from the tri!e of 1aphtali. The total n+m!er of men was #%,#,,. %1 So the total n+m!er of men of 3srael was &,1,'3,. %2 The 5.D said to Aoses, %3 The land will !e divided and given to these people. -ach tri!e will get eno+gh land for all the people who were co+nted. %# A large tri!e will get m+ch land, and a small tri!e will get less land. The land that they get will !e eJ+al to the n+m!er of people who were co+nted. %% <+t yo+ m+st +se lots to decide which -asy To .ead /ersion

tri!e gets which part of the land. -ach tri!e will get its share of the land, and that land will !e given the name of that tri!e. %& and will !e given to each tri!elarge and small. And yo+ will throw lots to make the decisions. %' They also co+nted the tri!e of evi. These are the family gro+ps from the tri!e of evi: Gershonthe Gershonite family gro+pF Gohaththe Gohathite family gro+pF Aerarithe Aerarite family gro+p. %( These are also family gro+ps from the tri!e of evi: the i!nite family gro+pF 1+m!ers 2&.%)*&# 13# the $e!ronite family gro+pF the Aahlite family gro+pF the A+shite family gro+pF the Gorahite family gro+p. Amram was from the Gohath family gro+p. %) Amrams wife was named Coche!ed. She was also from the tri!e of evi. She was !orn in -gypt. Amram and Coche!ed had two sons, Aaron and Aoses. They also had a da+ghter, Airiam. &, Aaron was the father of 1ada!, A!ih+, -leaEar, and 3thamar. &1 <+t 1ada! and A!ih+ died. They died !eca+se they made an offering to the 5.D with fire that was not allowed. &2 The total n+m!er of males one month or older from the tri!e of evi was 23,,,,. <+t these men were not co+nted with the other 3sraelites. They did not get a share of the land that the ord gave to the other people. &3 Aoses and -leaEar the priest co+nted all these people. They co+nted the 3sraelites while they were in the Cordan /alley in Aoa!. This was near the Cordan .iver across from Cericho. &# Aany years !efore, in the desert of Sinai, Aoses and Aaron the priest co+nted the 3sraelites. <+t all these 1+m!ers 2&.&%*2'.# 13% people were dead. 1ot one of them was still alive, &% !eca+se the 5.D told them that they wo+ld all die in the desert. The only two men who were left alive were 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh and Cosh+a son of pag. 1('0131#

1+n. 27 1 Belophehad was the son of $epher. $epher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Aakir. Aakir was the son of Aanasseh. Aanasseh was the son of Coseph. Belophehad had five da+ghters. Their names were Aahlah, 1oah, $oglah, Ailcah, and TirEah. 2 These five women went to the Aeeting Tent and stood !efore Aoses, -leaEar the priest, the leaders, and all the 3sraelites. The five da+ghters said, 3 5+r father died while we were traveling thro+gh the desert. $e died a nat+ral death. $e was not one of the men who =oined Gorahs gro+p. 7Gorah was the man who t+rned against the 5.D.8 <+t o+r father had no sons. # This means that o+r fathers name will not contin+e. 3t is not fair that o+r fathers name will not contin+e. $is name will end !eca+se he had no sons. So we 1+m!ers 2'.%*12 13& ask yo+ to give +s some of the land that o+r fathers !rothers will get. % So Aoses asked the 5.D what he sho+ld do. & The 5.D said to him, ' The da+ghters of Belophehad are right. They sho+ld share the land with their fathers !rothers. So give them the land that yo+ wo+ld have given to their father. ( So tell the 3sraelites, 3f a man has no son, when he dies everything he owns will !e given to his da+ghter. ) 3f he has no da+ghter, everything he owns will !e given to his !rothers. 1, 3f he has no !rothers, everything he owns will !e given to his fathers !rothers. 11 3f his father had no !rothers, everything he owns will !e given to the closest relative in his family. This will !e a law among the 3sraelites. The 5.D has given this command to Aoses. 12 Then the 5.D said to Aoses, Go +p on one of mo+ntains in the desert east of the Cordan .iver. There yo+ will see the land that 3 am giving to the 3sraelites. -asy To .ead /ersion

1+m!ers 2'.13*2, 13' 13 After yo+ have seen this land, yo+ will die like yo+r !rother Aaron. 1# .emem!er when the people !ecame angry at the water in the desert of Bin. <oth yo+ and Aaron ref+sed to o!ey my command. ;o+ did not honor me and show the people that 3 am holy. 7This was at the water of Aeri!ah near Gadesh in the desert of Bin.8 1% Aoses said to the 5.D, 1& 5.D, yo+ are the God who knows what people are thinking. 3 pray that yo+ will choose a leader for these people. 1' 3 pray that yo+ will choose a leader who will lead them o+t of this land and !ring them into the new land. Then yo+r people will not !e like sheep witho+t a shepherd. 1( So the 5.D said to Aoses, Cosh+a son of 1+n is very wise. ;o+ will place yo+r hand on him and make him the new leader. 1) Tell him to stand in front of -leaEar the priest and all the people. Then make him the new leader. 2, Show the people that yo+ are making him leader, then all the people will o!ey him. 1+m!ers 2'.21*2(.% 13( 21 3f Cosh+a needs to make a decision, he will go to -leaEar the priest. -leaEar will +se the Hrim to learn the 5.D@S answer. Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites will do the things God says. 3f he says, go to war, they will go to war. And if he says, go home, they will go home. 22 Aoses o!eyed the 5.D. Aoses told Cosh+a to stand !efore -leaEar the priest and all the 3sraelites. 23 Then Aoses p+t his hands on him to show that he was the new leader. $e did this =+st as the 5.D told him to. 28 1 Then the 5.D spoke to Aoses. $e said, 2 Give this command to the 3sraelites. Tell them to !e s+re to give the grain offerings and sacrifices to me at the right time as sweetDsmelling gifts. 3 These are gifts that they m+st give to pag. 1((0131#

the 5.D. -very day they m+st give 2 lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. # 5ffer one of the lam!s in the morning and the other lam! =+st !efore dark. % Also give a grain offering of ( c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with 1 J+art of olive oil. 1+m!ers 2(.&*11 13) & 7They started giving the daily offerings at Ao+nt Sinai as sweetDsmelling gifts to the 5.D.8 ' The people m+st also give the drink offerings that go with the gifts. They m+st give 1 J+art of wine with every lam!. 6o+r that drink offering on the altar in the $oly 6lace. This is a gift to the 5.D. ( 5ffer the second lam! =+st !efore dark. 5ffer it =+st as the morning offering. Also give the drink offering that goes with it. This will !e a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. ) 5n the Sa!!ath yo+ m+st give 2 lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. ;o+ m+st also give a grain offering of 1& c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil, and a drink offering. 1, This is a special offering for the day of rest. This offering is in addition to the reg+lar daily offering and drink offering. 11 5n the first day of each month yo+ will offer a special !+rnt offering to the 5.D. This offering will !e 2 male !+lls, 1 ram, and ' lam!s that are one year 1+m!ers 2(.12*1' 1#, old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 12 >ith each !+ll, yo+ m+st give a grain offering of 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil. And with the ram, yo+ m+st give a grain offering of 1& c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil. 13 Also give a grain offering of ( c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil with each lam!. This will !e a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. 1# The drink offering will !e 2 J+arts of wine with each !+ll, 1 10# J+arts of wine with the ram, and 1 J+art of wine with -asy To .ead /ersion

each lam!. That is the !+rnt offering that m+st !e offered each month of the year. 1% 3n addition to the reg+lar daily !+rnt offering and drink offering, yo+ m+st also give 1 male goat to the 5.D. That goat will !e a sin offering. 1& The 5.D@S 6assover will !e on the 1#th day of the first month. 1' The 2estival of Hnleavened <read !egins on the 1%th day of that month. This festival lasts for seven days. The only !read yo+ can eat is !read made witho+t yeast. 1+m!ers 2(.1(*2% 1#1 1( ;o+ m+st have a special meeting on the first day of this festival. ;o+ will not do any work on that day. 1) ;o+ will give !+rnt offerings to the 5.D. The !+rnt offerings will !e 2 !+lls, 1 ram, and ' lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 2, ;o+ m+st also give a grain offering of 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil with each !+ll, and 1& c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil with the ram, and ( c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil for each lam!. 21 72(:2,8 22 ;o+ m+st also give a male goat as a sin offering to make yo+ p+re. 23 ;o+ m+st give these offerings in addition to the morning !+rnt offerings that yo+ give every day. 2# 3n this way, each day for seven days, yo+ m+st !ring the food that is offered !y fire. The smell of these offerings will please the 5.D. ;o+ m+st give these offerings in addition to the daily !+rnt offering and the drink offering that goes with it. 2% Then, on the seventh day of this festival, yo+ will have another special 1+m!ers 2(.2&*2).1 1#2 meeting. ;o+ will not do any work on that day. 2& The first day of the 2estival of $arvest is the day yo+ !ring the first of yo+r new crops and give them as a grain offering to the 5.D. At that time yo+ m+st also call a special meeting. ;o+ m+st not do pag. 1()0131#

any work on that day. 2' ;o+ m+st offer a !+rnt offering as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. ;o+ m+st offer 2 !+lls, 1 ram, and ' lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 2( ;o+ m+st also give 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil with each !+ll, and 1& c+ps with each ram, 2) and ( c+ps with each lam!. 3, ;o+ m+st also sacrifice a male goat to make yo+ p+re. 31 ;o+ m+st give these offerings in addition to the daily !+rnt offerings and the grain offering yo+ give with them. <e s+re there is nothing wrong with the animals or the drink offerings that yo+ give with them. 29 1 There will !e a special meeting on the first day of the seventh month. ;o+ will not do any work on that 1+m!ers 2).2*( 1#3 day. That is the day for !lowing the tr+mpets. 2 ;o+ will offer !+rnt offerings. Their smell will please the 5.D. ;o+ will offer 1 !+ll, 1 ram, and ' lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 3 ;o+ will also offer 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil with the !+ll, 1& c+ps with the ram, # and ( c+ps with each of the ' lam!s. % Also offer a male goat as a sin offering to make yo+ p+re. & These offerings are in addition to the 1ew Aoon sacrifice and its grain offering. And they are in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. These m+st !e done according to the r+les. They will !e sweetDsmelling gifts to the 5.D. ' There will !e a special meeting on the tenth day of the seventh month. D+ring that day yo+ m+st not eat any food, and yo+ m+st not do any work. ( ;o+ will offer !+rnt offerings. Their smell will please the 5.D. ;o+ m+st offer 1 !+ll, 1 ram, and ' lam!s that 1+m!ers 2).)*1& 1## -asy To .ead /ersion

are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. ) ;o+ m+st also offer 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with olive oil with the !+ll, 1& c+ps with the ram, 1, and ( c+ps with each of the ' lam!s. 11 ;o+ will also offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This will !e in addition to the sin offering for the Day of Atonement. This will also !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 12 There will !e a special meeting on the 1%th day of the seventh month. ;o+ m+st not do any work on that day. ;o+ m+st cele!rate a special festival for the 5.D for seven days. 13 ;o+ will offer !+rnt offerings as sweetDsmelling gifts to the 5.D. ;o+ will offer 13 !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 1# ;o+ m+st also offer 2# c+ps of fine flo+r mi4ed with oil with each of the 13 !+lls, 1& c+ps with each of the 2 rams, 1% and ( c+ps with each of the 1# lam!s. 1& ;o+ m+st also offer 1 male goat. This m+st !e in addition to the daily 1+m!ers 2).1'*23 1#% sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 1' 5n the second day of this festival, yo+ m+st offer 12 !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 1( ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings with the !+lls, rams, and lam!s. 1) ;o+ m+st also offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This m+st !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 2, 5n the third day of this festival, yo+ m+st offer 11 !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 21 ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings with the !+lls, rams, and lam!s. 22 ;o+ m+st also give 1 goat as a sin pag. 1),0131#

offering. This m+st !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 23 5n the fo+rth day of this festival, yo+ m+st offer 1, !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 1+m!ers 2).2#*31 1#& 2# ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings with the !+lls, rams, and lam!s. 2% ;o+ m+st also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This m+st !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 2& 5n the fifth day of this festival, yo+ m+st offer ) !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 2' ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings with the !+lls, rams, and lam!s. 2( ;o+ m+st also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This m+st !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 2) 5n the si4th day of this festival, yo+ m+st offer ( !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 3, ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings for the !+lls, rams, and lam!s. 31 ;o+ m+st also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This m+st !e in addition to 1+m!ers 2).32*3( 1#' the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 32 5n the seventh day of this festival, yo+ m+st offer ' !+lls, 2 rams, and 1# lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 33 ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings with the !+lls, rams, and lam!s. 3# ;o+ m+st also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This m+st !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 3% The eighth day of this festival is a -asy To .ead /ersion

very special meeting for yo+. ;o+ m+st not do any work on that day. 3& ;o+ m+st offer a !+rnt offering as a sweetDsmelling gift to the 5.D. ;o+ m+st offer 1 !+ll, 1 ram, and ' lam!s that are one year old. There m+st !e nothing wrong with them. 3' ;o+ m+st also give the right amo+nt of grain and drink offerings with the !+ll, ram, and lam!s. 3( ;o+ m+st also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This m+st !e in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. 1+m!ers 2).3)*3,.% 1#( 3) At the special festivals yo+ m+st !ring yo+r !+rnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and fellowship offerings. ;o+ m+st give these offerings to the 5.D. They are in addition to any special gift yo+ might want to give him and any offering that is part of a special promise yo+ make. #, Aoses told the 3sraelites everything the 5.D had commanded him. 30 1 Aoses spoke with all the leaders of the 3sraelite tri!es and told them a!o+t these commands from the 5.D: 2 3f a man makes a vow to the 5.D or makes a promise with an oath, he m+st not !reak his promise. $e m+st do everything he said he wo+ld do. 3 A yo+ng woman might still !e living in her fathers ho+se. She might make a vow to the 5.D or promise something with an oath. # 3f her father hears a!o+t the vow or promise and says nothing against it, the yo+ng woman m+st do what she promised. % <+t if her father hears a!o+t it and does not agree for her to do it, she is 1+m!ers 3,.&*11 1#) free from her vow or any promise she made. She does not have to do what she said. $er father stopped her, so the 5.D will forgive her. & A woman might make a vow, or she might make a promise with an oath pag. 1)10131#

witho+t thinking eno+gh a!o+t it. 3f she then gets married, ' and her h+s!and hears a!o+t her vow or promise and says nothing against it, the woman m+st keep it. She m+st do whatever she said she wo+ld do. ( <+t if the h+s!and hears a!o+t her vow or promise and does not agree for her to do it, the wife does not have to keep her vow or the careless promise she made with an oath. 3f her h+s!and is against it, this ends her d+ty to keep it. So the 5.D will forgive her. ) <+t a woman who is a widow or divorced m+st keep any vow or promise she makes. She m+st do everything she said she wo+ld do. 1, A married woman living with her h+s!and might make a vow or a promise with an oath. 11 3f her h+s!and hears a!o+t it and says nothing against it, she m+st keep 1+m!ers 3,.12*1& 1%, any vow or promise she made. She m+st do everything she said she wo+ld do. 12 <+t if her h+s!and hears a!o+t her vows or promises and ref+ses to let her keep them, she does not have to keep them. 3t doesnt matter what she promised to doF if her h+s!and is against it, this ends her d+ty to do it. And the 5.D will forgive her. 13 >hen a married woman makes a vow or promises to do witho+t something, her h+s!and can allow her to keep her vows or promises, or he can stop her from keeping them. 1# 3f he hears a!o+t them and does not stop them, he is allowing her to keep them. She m+st then do everything she said she wo+ld do. <y saying nothing against her vows or promises the h+s!and agreed for her to keep them. 1% <+t if the h+s!and says nothing when he hears a!o+t them, !+t then later stops her from keeping them, he is the one responsi!le for !reaking her promises. 1& These are the commands the 5.D gave to Aoses. These are the commands -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t a man and his wife, and a!o+t a 1+m!ers 31.1*( 1%1 father and his da+ghter who is still yo+ng and living at home in her fathers ho+se. 31 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses and said, 2 Aoses, tell the 3sraelites to go and attack the Aidianites and do to them what they did to yo+. After that, yo+ will die. 3 So Aoses spoke to the people. $e said, 9hoose some of yo+r men to !e soldiers. The 5.D will +se these men to do to the Aidianites what they did to yo+. # 9hoose 1,,, men from each of the tri!es of 3srael. % There will !e a total of 12,,,, soldiers from the tri!es of 3srael. & Aoses sent these 12,,,, men to war. $e sent 6hineas son of -leaEar with them as the priest. 6hineas took the holy things and the horns and tr+mpets with him. ' The 3sraelites fo+ght the Aidianites as the 5.D had commanded. They killed all the Aidianite men. ( Among the people who they killed were -vi, .ekem, B+r, $+r, and .e!athe 1+m!ers 31.)*1& 1%2 five kings of Aidian. They also killed <alaam son of <eor with a sword. ) The 3sraelites took the Aidianite women and children as prisoners. They also took all their sheep, cattle, and other things. 1, Then they !+rned all their towns and villages. 11 They took all the people and animals 12 and !ro+ght them to Aoses, -leaEar the priest, and all the other 3sraelites. They !ro+ght all the things they took in war to the camp of 3srael. The 3sraelites were camped in the Cordan /alley in Aoa!, on the east side of the Cordan .iver across from Cericho. 13 Then Aoses, -leaEar the priest, and the leaders of the people went o+t of the camp to meet with the soldiers. 1# Aoses was very angry with the pag. 1)20131#

leaders of the army, the commanders of 1,,, men, and the commanders of 1,, men, who came !ack from the war. 1% Aoses said to them, >hy did yo+ let the women live? 1& These are the women who listened to <alaam and ca+sed the men of 3srael to t+rn away from the 5.D that time 1+m!ers 31.1'*22 1%3 at 6eor. The disease will come to the 5.D@S people again. 1' 1ow, kill all the Aidianite !oys, and kill all the Aidianite women who have had se4+al relations with a man. 1( ;o+ can let all the yo+ng girls live!+t only if they never had se4+al relations with any man. 1) And then, all yo+ men who killed other people m+st stay o+tside the camp for seven days. ;o+ m+st stay o+tside the camp even if yo+ =+st to+ched a dead !ody. 5n the third day, yo+ and yo+r prisoners m+st make yo+rselves p+re. ;o+ m+st do the same thing again on the seventh day. 2, ;o+ m+st wash all of yo+r clothes. ;o+ m+st wash anything made with leather, wool, or wood. ;o+ m+st p+rify yo+rselves. 21 Then -leaEar the priest spoke to the soldiers. $e said, These are the r+les that the 5.D gave to Aoses for soldiers coming !ack from war. 22 ;o+ m+st p+t gold, silver, !ronEe, iron, tin, or lead into the fire and then wash these things with the special water to make them p+re. 3f something can !e 1+m!ers 31.23*3, 1%# p+t in the fire, yo+ m+st p+t it in fire to p+rify it. 3f things cannot !e p+t in fire, yo+ m+st still wash them with the special water. 23 731:228 2# 5n the seventh day, yo+ m+st wash all yo+r clothes. Then yo+ will !e p+re. After that yo+ can come into camp. 2% Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 2& ;o+, -leaEar the priest, and all the leaders sho+ld co+nt all the prisoners, animals, and everything the soldiers -asy To .ead /ersion

took in war. 2' Then divide these things !etween the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the 3sraelites. 2( Take part of these things from the soldiers who went to war. That part will !elong to the 5.D. $is share is one from every %,, items. This incl+des people, cattle, donkeys, and sheep. 2) Take that share from the soldiers half of the things they took in war. Then give these things to -leaEar the priest. That part will !elong to the 5.D. 3, And then, from the peoples half, take one thing for every %, items. This incl+des people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, 1+m!ers 31.31*#2 1%% or any other animal. Give that share to the evites, !eca+se they take care of the 5.D@S $oly Tent. 31 So Aoses and -leaEar did what the 5.D commanded Aoses. 32 The soldiers had taken &'%,,,, sheep, 33 '2,,,, cattle, 3# &1,,,, donkeys, 3% and 32,,,, women. 7These are only the women who had not had se4+al relations with any man.8 3& The soldiers who went to war got 33',%,, sheep. 3' They gave &'% sheep to the 5.D. 3( The soldiers got 3&,,,, cattle. They gave '2 cattle to the 5.D. 3) The soldiers got 3,,%,, donkeys. They gave &1 donkeys to the 5.D. #, The soldiers got 1&,,,, women. They gave 32 women to the 5.D. #1 Aoses gave all these gifts for the 5.D to -leaEar the priest, as the 5.D had commanded him. #2 Then Aoses co+nted the peoples half. This was their share that Aoses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war. 1+m!ers 31.#3*%3 1%& #3 The people got 33',%,, sheep, ## 3&,,,, cattle, #% 3,,%,, donkeys, #& and 1&,,,, women. pag. 1)30131#

#' Aoses took one o+t of every %, women and animals. $e gave them to the evites !eca+se they took care of the 5.D@S $oly Tent. Aoses did this as the 5.D had commanded. #( Then the leaders of the army 7the leaders over 1,,, men and the leaders over 1,, men8 came to Aoses. #) They told Aoses, >e, yo+r servants, have co+nted o+r soldiers. >e have not missed any of them. %, So we are !ringing the 5.D@S gift from every soldier. >e are !ringing things that are made of goldarm!ands, !racelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This gift to the 5.D is to make +s p+re. %1 So Aoses and -leaEar the priest accepted all these gold items from them. %2 The gold that the commanders and captains gave to the 5.D weighed a!o+t #2# po+nds. %3 The soldiers kept the rest of their share of the things they took in war. 1+m!ers 31.%#*32.& 1%' %# Aoses and -leaEar the priest took the gold from the commanders and captains and then p+t that gold in the Aeeting Tent. This present was a memorial !efore the 5.D for the 3sraelites. 32 1 The tri!es of .e+!en and Gad had many cattle. These people looked at the land near CaEer and Gilead. They saw that this land was good for their cattle. 2 So the people from the tri!es of .e+!en and Gad came to Aoses. They spoke to Aoses, -leaEar the priest, and the leaders of the people. 3 They said, >e, yo+r servants, have many cattle. And the land that the 5.D let the people of 3srael capt+re is good land for cattle. This land incl+des the area aro+nd Ataroth, Di!on, CaEer, 1imrah, $esh!on, -lealeh, Si!mah, 1e!o, and <eon. # 732:38 % 3f it pleases yo+, we wo+ld like this land to !e given to +s. Dont take +s to the other side of the Cordan .iver. & Aoses told the people from the tri!es -asy To .ead /ersion

of .e+!en and Gad, >ill yo+ let yo+r 1+m!ers 32.'*13 1%( !rothers go and fight while yo+ settle here? ' >hy are yo+ trying to disco+rage the 3sraelites? ;o+ will make them not want to cross the river and take the land that the 5.D has given to them" ( ;o+r fathers did the same thing to me. 3n Gadesh <arnea 3 sent spies to look at the land. ) These men went as far as -shcol /alley. They saw the land, and they disco+raged the 3sraelites. These men made the 3sraelites not want to go into the land that the 5.D had given to them. 1, The 5.D !ecame very angry with the people. $e made this promise: 11 1one of the people who came from -gypt and are 2, years old or older will !e allowed to see this land. 3 made a promise to A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 3 promised to give this land to these people, !+t they did not really follow me. 12 5nly 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh the GeniEEite and Cosh+a son of 1+n really followed the 5.D" 13 The 5.D was very angry with the 3sraelites. So he made the people stay in 1+m!ers 32.1#*2, 1%) the desert for #, years. $e made them stay there +ntil all the people who had sinned against the 5.D were dead. 1# And now yo+ are doing the same thing that yo+r fathers did. ;o+ sinf+l people, do yo+ want the 5.D to !e even more angry with his people? 1% 3f yo+ stop following the ord, he will make 3srael stay even longer in the desert. Then yo+ will destroy all these people" 1& <+t the people from the tri!es of .e+!en and Gad went to Aoses. They said, >e will !+ild cities for o+r children and !arns for o+r animals here. 1' Then o+r children can !e safe from the other people who live in this land. <+t we will gladly come and help the other 3sraelites. >e will !ring them to pag. 1)#0131#

their land. 1( >e will not come !ack home +ntil everyone in 3srael has taken his part of the land. 1) >e will not take any of the land west of the Cordan .iver. 1o, o+r part of the land is east of the Cordan .iver. 2, So Aoses told them, 3f yo+ do all these things, this land will !elong to yo+. 1+m!ers 32.21*2( 1&, <+t yo+r soldiers m+st go !efore the 5.D into !attle. 21 ;o+r soldiers m+st cross the Cordan .iver and !e ready to fight for the 5.D +ntil he forces the enemy to leave. 22 After the 5.D helps +s all take the land, yo+ can go !ack home. Then the 5.D and 3srael will not think that yo+ are g+ilty. And the 5.D will let yo+ have this land. 23 <+t if yo+ dont do these things, yo+ will !e sinning against the 5.D. And know for s+re that yo+ will !e p+nished for yo+r sin. 2# <+ild cities for yo+r children and !arns for yo+r animals. <+t then, yo+ m+st do what yo+ promised. 2% Then the people from the tri!es of Gad and .e+!en said to Aoses, >e are yo+r servants. ;o+ are o+r master, so we will do what yo+ say. 2& 5+r wives, children, and all o+r animals will stay in the cities of Gilead. 2' <+t we, yo+r servants, will cross the Cordan .iver. >e will march !efore the 5.D into !attle, as o+r master says. 2( So Aoses, -leaEar the priest, Cosh+a son of 1+n, and all the leaders of the 1+m!ers 32.2)*33 1&1 tri!es of 3srael heard them make that promise. 2) Aoses said to them, The people of Gad and .e+!en will cross the Cordan .iver. They will march !efore the 5.D into !attle. They will help yo+ take the land. And yo+ will give the land of Gilead as their part of the co+ntry. 3, <+t if they do not cross the river with yo+ ready to fight, they will not !e given any land on this side. They will get only -asy To .ead /ersion

a share of the land of 9anaan with the rest of yo+. 31 The people of Gad and .e+!en answered, >e promise to do what the 5.D commanded. 32 >e will cross the Cordan .iver and march !efore the 5.D into the land of 9anaan. And o+r part of the co+ntry is the land east of the Cordan .iver. 33 So Aoses gave that land to the people of Gad, to the people of .e+!en, and to half the tri!e of Aanasseh. 7Aanasseh was Cosephs son.8 That land incl+ded the kingdom of Sihon the Amorite and the kingdom of Ging 5g of <ashan and all the cities aro+nd that area. 1+m!ers 32.3#*33.1 1&2 3# The people of Gad !+ilt the cities of Di!on, Ataroth, Aroer, 3% Atroth Shophan, CaEer, Cog!ehah, 3& <eth 1imrah, and <eth $aran. They !+ilt cities with strong walls, and they !+ilt !arns for their animals. 3' The people of .e+!en !+ilt $esh!on, -lealeh, Giriathaim, 3( 1e!o, <aal Aeon, and Si!mah. They +sed the names of the cities that they re!+ilt. <+t they changed the names of 1e!o and <aal Aeon. 3) 6eople from Aakirs family gro+p went to Gilead. 7Aakir was Aanassehs son.8 They defeated the city. They defeated the Amorites who lived there. #, So Aoses gave Gilead to Aakir from the tri!e of Aanasseh, and his family settled there. #1 Cair, from the family of Aanasseh, defeated the small towns there. Then he called them Towns of Cair. #2 1o!ah defeated Genath and the small towns near it. Then he called that place !y his own name. 33 1 $ere is a list of the places the 3sraelites went when they left -gypt. They were organiEed in gro+ps 1+m!ers 33.2*( 1&3 like an army and were led !y Aoses and Aaron. 2 2ollowing the 5.D@S command, Aoses kept a record of each place they pag. 1)%0131#

stayed !efore moving on to the ne4t place. These are all the places they went: 3 5n the 1%th day of the first month, they left .ameses. That morning after 6assover, the 3sraelites marched o+t of -gypt with their arms raised in victory. All the people of -gypt saw them. # The -gyptians were !+rying all the people the 5.D killed. They were !+rying all their first!orn sons. The 5.D had shown his =+dgment against the gods of -gypt. % The 3sraelites left .ameses and traveled to S+ccoth. & 2rom S+ccoth they traveled to -tham. They camped there at the edge of the desert. ' They left -tham and went to 6i $ahiroth. This was near <aal Bephon. They camped near Aigdol. ( They left 6i $ahiroth and walked thro+gh the middle of the sea. They went toward the desert. Then they traveled for 1+m!ers 33.)*2, 1&# three days thro+gh the desert of -tham. The people camped at Aarah. ) They left Aarah and went to -lim and camped there. There were 12 springs of water and ', palm trees there. 1, They left -lim and camped near the .ed Sea. 11 They left the .ed Sea and camped in the western Sinai desert. 12 They left there and camped at Dophkah. 13 They left Dophkah and camped at Al+sh. 1# They left Al+sh and camped at .ephidim. There was no water for the people to drink at that place. 1% They left .ephidim and camped in the desert of Sinai. 1& They left the desert of Sinai and camped at Gi!roth $attaavah. 1' They left Gi!roth $attaavah and camped at $aEeroth. 1( They left $aEeroth and camped at .ithmah. 1) They left .ithmah and camped at -asy To .ead /ersion

.immon 6ereE. 2, They left .immon 6ereE and camped at i!nah. 1+m!ers 33.21*3# 1&% 21 They left i!nah and camped at .issah. 22 They left .issah and camped at Gehelathah. 23 They left Gehelathah and camped at Ao+nt Shepher. 2# They left Ao+nt Shepher and camped at $aradah. 2% They left $aradah and camped at Aakheloth. 2& They left Aakheloth and camped at Tahath. 2' They left Tahath and camped at Terah. 2( They left Terah and camped at Aithcah. 2) They left Aithcah and camped at $ashmonah. 3, They left $ashmonah and camped at Aoseroth. 31 They left Aoseroth and camped at <ene Caakan. 32 They left <ene Caakan and camped at $or $aggidgad. 33 They left $or $aggidgad and camped at Cot!athah. 3# They left Cot!athah and camped at A!ronah. 1+m!ers 33.3%*## 1&& 3% They left A!ronah and camped at -Eion Ge!er. 3& They left -Eion Ge!er and camped at Gadesh, in the desert of Bin. 3' They left Gadesh and camped at $or. This was the mo+ntain at the !order of the co+ntry of -dom. 3( Aaron the priest o!eyed the 5.D and went +p Ao+nt $or. Aaron died at that place on the first day of the fifth month. That was the #,th year after the 3sraelites had left -gypt. 3) Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Ao+nt $or. #, Arad was a town in the 1egev, in the land of 9anaan. The 9anaanite king in that place heard that the 3sraelites were pag. 1)&0131#

coming. #1 The people left Ao+nt $or and camped at Balmonah. #2 They left Balmonah and camped at 6+non. #3 They left 6+non and camped at 5!oth. ## They left 5!oth and camped at 3ye A!arim. This was at the !order of the co+ntry of Aoa!. 1+m!ers 33.#%*%3 1&' #% They left 3yim 73ye A!arim8 and camped at Di!on Gad. #& They left Di!on Gad and camped at Almon Di!lathaim. #' They left Almon Di!lathaim and camped on the mo+ntains of A!arim near 1e!o. #( They left the mo+ntains of A!arim and camped in the Cordan /alley in Aoa!. This was near the Cordan .iver across from Cericho. #) They camped !y the Cordan .iver in the Cordan /alley in Aoa!. Their camp went from <eth Ceshimoth to Acacia 2ield. %, There, the 5.D spoke to Aoses and said, %1 Speak to the 3sraelites and tell them this: ;o+ will cross the Cordan .iver. ;o+ will go into the land of 9anaan. %2 ;o+ will take the land from the people yo+ find there. ;o+ m+st destroy all of their carved stat+es and idols. ;o+ m+st destroy all of their high places. %3 ;o+ will take the land and yo+ will settle there, !eca+se 3 am giving this land to yo+. 3t will !elong to yo+r family gro+ps. 1+m!ers 33.%#*3#.3 1&( %# -ach of yo+r family gro+ps will get part of the land. ;o+ will throw lots to decide which family gro+p gets each part of the co+ntry. arge family gro+ps will get large parts of the land. Small family gro+ps will get small parts of the land. The lots will show which family gro+p gets which part of the land. -ach tri!e will get its part of the land. %% ;o+ m+st force these other people -asy To .ead /ersion

to leave the co+ntry. 3f yo+ let them stay in yo+r co+ntry, they will !ring many tro+!les to yo+. They will !e like a needle in yo+r eye and a thorn in yo+r side. They will !ring many tro+!les to the co+ntry where yo+ will !e living. %& 3 showed yo+ what 3 wo+ld doand 3 will do that to yo+" 34 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses. $e said, 2 Speak to the 3sraelites and tell them this: ;o+ will soon enter the land of 9anaan. 3 am giving yo+ that land to !e yo+r very own. These will !e its !orders: 3 5n the so+th, yo+ will get part of the desert of Bin near -dom. ;o+r so+thern !order will start at the so+th end of the Dead Sea. 1+m!ers 3#.#*13 1&) # 3t will cross so+th of Scorpion 6ass. 3t will go thro+gh the town of Bin to Gadesh <arnea and then to $aEar Addar, and then it will pass thro+gh AEmon. % 2rom AEmon the !order will go to the .iver of -gypt, and it will end at the Aediterranean Sea. & ;o+r western !order will !e the Aediterranean Sea. ' ;o+r northern !order will !egin at the Aediterranean Sea and go to Ao+nt $or. ( 2rom Ao+nt $or it will go to e!o $amath, and then to Bedad. ) Then that !order will go to Biphron and it will end at $aEar -nan. So that will !e yo+r northern !order. 1, ;o+r eastern !order will !egin at -nan and it will go to Shepham. 11 2rom Shepham the !order will go east of Ain to .i!lah. The !order will contin+e along the hills !y ake Galilee. 12 Then the !order will contin+e along the Cordan .iver. 3t will end at the Dead Sea. These are the !orders aro+nd yo+r co+ntry. 13 So Aoses gave this command to the 3sraelites, That is the land that yo+ will get. ;o+ will throw lots to divide the land 1+m!ers 3#.1#*23 1', among the nine tri!es and half the tri!e of Aanasseh, as the 5.D commanded. pag. 1)'0131#

1# The tri!es of .e+!en and Gad, and half the tri!e of Aanasseh have already taken their land. 1% These two and a half tri!es took the land near Cerichothey took the land east of the Cordan .iver. 1& Then the 5.D spoke to Aoses. $e said, 1' These are the men who will help yo+ divide the land: -leaEar the priest, Cosh+a son of 1+n, 1( and the leaders of all the tri!es. There will !e one leader from each tri!e. These men will divide the land. 1) These are the names of the leaders: from the tri!e of C+dah9ale! son of Ceph+nnehF 2, from the tri!e of SimeonShem+el son of Ammih+dF 21 from the tri!e of <en=amin-lidad son of GislonF 22 from the tri!e of Dan<+kki son of CogliF 23 from the descendants of CosephF from the tri!e of Aanasseh$anniel son of -phodF 1+m!ers 3#.2#*3%.# 1'1 2# from the tri!e of -phraimGem+el son of ShiphtanF 2% from the tri!e of Be!+l+n-liEaphan son of 6arnachF 2& from the tri!e of 3ssachar6altiel son of AEEanF 2' from the tri!e of AsherAhih+d son of ShelomiF 2( from the tri!e of 1aphtali6edahel son of Ammih+d. 2) The 5.D chose these men to divide the land of 9anaan among the 3sraelites. 35 1 The 5.D spoke to Aoses. This was in the Cordan /alley in Aoa!, near the Cordan .iver, across from Cericho. $e said, 2 Tell the 3sraelites that they sho+ld give some of the cities in their part of the land to the evites. The 3sraelites sho+ld give these cities and the past+res aro+nd them to the evites. 3 The evites will !e a!le to live in them. And all the cattle and other animals that -asy To .ead /ersion

!elong to the evites will !e a!le to eat from the past+res aro+nd these cities. # $ow m+ch of yo+r land sho+ld yo+ give to the evites? 2rom the walls of 1+m!ers 3%.%*1, 1'2 the cities, go o+t 1%,, feet all of that land will !elong to the evites. % Aeas+re off an area aro+nd the city for the evites. Start at the northeast corner and meas+re 3,,, feet to the so+th. Then from this corner, meas+re 3,,, feet to the west. 2rom there meas+re 3,,, feet to the north and from that corner, 3,,, feet to the east. The city will !e in the center of this area. & Si4 of those cities will !e cities of safety. 3f a person accidentally kills someone, that person can r+n to those towns for safety. 3n addition to those si4 cities, yo+ will also give #2 more cities to the evites. ' So yo+ will give a total of #( cities to the evites. ;o+ will also give them the land aro+nd those cities. ( The large tri!es of 3srael will get large pieces of land. The small tri!es of 3srael will get small pieces of land. So the large tri!es will give more cities and the small tri!es will give fewer cities to the evites. ) Then the 5.D said to Aoses, 1, Tell the people this: ;o+ will cross the Cordan .iver and go into the land of 9anaan. 1+m!ers 3%.11*1( 1'3 11 ;o+ m+st choose towns to !e cities of safety. 3f someone accidentally kills another person, that person can r+n to one of those towns for safety. 12 That person will !e safe from anyone from the dead mans family who wants to p+nish the killer +ntil that person is =+dged in co+rt. 13 There will !e si4 cities of safety. 1# Three of them will !e east of the Cordan .iver and three of them will !e in the land of 9anaan, west of the Cordan .iver. 1% These cities will !e places of safety for citiEens of 3srael and for foreigners and travelers. Any of these people will pag. 1)(0131#

!e a!le to r+n to one of these cities if they accidentally kill someone. 1& 3f yo+ +se an iron weapon to kill someone, yo+ are a m+rderer, and yo+ m+st die. 1' 3f yo+ +se a rock large eno+gh to kill someone and yo+ kill another person, yo+ are a m+rderer, and yo+ m+st die. 1( 3f yo+ +se a piece of wood large eno+gh to kill someone and yo+ kill another person, yo+ are a m+rderer, and yo+ m+st die. 1+m!ers 3%.1)*2% 1'# 1) A mem!er of the dead persons family can chase yo+ and kill yo+. 2, ;o+ might hit someone with yo+r hand or p+sh someone or throw something at them and kill them. 3f yo+ did that from hate, yo+ are a m+rderer, and yo+ m+st !e killed. A mem!er of the dead persons family can chase yo+ and kill yo+. 21 73%:2,8 22 ;o+ might accidentally kill someone, may!e !y p+shing or !y accidentally hitting them with a tool or weapon. 23 6erhaps yo+ threw a rock that was large eno+gh to kill, !+t it hit someone yo+ didnt see and killed them. ;o+ didnt plan to kill anyone. ;o+ didnt hate the person yo+ killedit was only an accident. 2# 3f that happens, the comm+nity m+st decide what to do. The co+rt m+st decide if a mem!er of the dead persons family can kill yo+. 2% 3f the comm+nity decides to protect yo+ from the dead persons family, the comm+nity m+st take yo+ !ack to yo+r city of safety. ;o+ m+st stay there +ntil the official high priest dies. 1+m!ers 3%.2&*33 1'% 2& ;o+ m+st never go o+tside the limits of yo+r city of safety. 3f yo+ do and if a mem!er of the dead persons family catches yo+ and kills yo+, that family mem!er will not !e g+ilty of m+rder. 2' 73%:2&8 2( >hoever accidentally killed someone m+st stay in their city of safety +ntil the high priest dies. After the high priest -asy To .ead /ersion

dies, that person can go !ack to their own land. 2) These r+les will !e the law forever in all the towns of yo+r people. 3, A killer sho+ld !e p+t to death as a m+rderer only if there are witnesses. 1o one can !e p+t to death if there is only one witness. 31 A m+rderer m+st !e p+t to death. Dont take money to change the p+nishment. That m+rderer m+st !e killed. 32 3f a person killed someone and then ran to one of the cities of safety, dont take money to let that person go home. That person m+st stay in that city +ntil the high priest dies. 33 Dont let yo+r land !e poll+ted with innocent !lood. 3f a person m+rders 1+m!ers 3%.3#*3&.# 1'& someone, the only payment for that crime is that the m+rderer m+st !e killed" There is no other payment that will free the land from that crime. 3# 3 am the 5.D. 3 will !e living in yo+r co+ntry with the 3sraelites, so dont make it +nclean with the !lood of innocent people. 36 1 Aanasseh was Cosephs son. Aakir was Aanassehs son. Gilead was Aakirs son. The leaders of Gileads family went to talk to Aoses and the leaders of tri!es of 3srael. 2 They said, Sir, the 5.D commanded +s to get o+r land !y throwing lots. And sir, the 5.D commanded that the land of Belophehad o+r !rother !e given to his da+ghters. 3 Aay!e a man from one of the other tri!es will marry one of Belophehads da+ghters. >ill that land leave o+r family? >ill the people of that other tri!e get the land? >ill we lose the land that we got !y throwing lots? # 6eople might sell their land, !+t in the C+!ilee year, all the land is ret+rned to the tri!e that really owns it. At that time who will get the land that !elongs 1+m!ers 3&.%*11 1'' to Belophehads da+ghters? >ill o+r tri!e pag. 1))0131#

lose that land forever? % Aoses gave this command from the 5.D to the 3sraelites: The men from this tri!e of Cosephs people are right. & This is the 5.D@S command to Belophehads da+ghters: 3f yo+ want to marry someone, yo+ m+st marry someone from yo+r own tri!e. ' 3n this way land will not !e passed from tri!e to tri!e among the 3sraelites. -ach 3sraelite will keep the land that !elonged to their own ancestors. ( And if a woman gets her fathers land, she m+st marry someone from her own tri!e. That way everyone will keep the land that !elonged to his ancestors. ) So the land m+st not !e passed from tri!e to tri!e among the 3sraelites. -ach 3sraelite will keep the land that !elonged to their own ancestors. 1, So Belophehads da+ghters o!eyed the 5.D@S command to Aoses. 11 Belophehads da+ghtersAahlah, TirEah, $oglah, Ailcah, and 1oahmarried their co+sins on their fathers side of the family. 1+m!ers 3&.12*13 1'( 12 Their h+s!ands were from Aanassehs family gro+ps, so their land remained within their fathers family gro+p and tri!e. 13 So these are the laws and commands that the 5.D gave to Aoses in the Cordan /alley in Aoa! !y the Cordan .iver, across from Cericho. %euteronomy 1 1 These are the commands that Aoses gave the 3sraelites while they were in the Cordan /alley, in the desert east of the Cordan .iver. This was across from S+ph, !etween the desert of 6aran and the cities Tophel, a!an, $aEeroth, and DiEaha!. 2 The trip from Ao+nt $ore! thro+gh the mo+ntains of Seir to Gadesh <arnea takes only eleven days. 3 <+t it was #, years from the time the 3sraelites left -gypt +ntil the time they came to this place. 5n the first day of the eleventh month of the #,th year, -asy To .ead /ersion

Aoses spoke to the people and told them everything the 5.D commanded. # This was after he defeated Sihon and 5g. Sihon was the king of the Amorites and lived in $esh!on. 5g was the king of <ashan and lived in Ashtaroth and in -drei. % The 3sraelites were in Aoa! on the east side of the Cordan .iver when De+teronomy 1.&*11 2 Aoses !egan to e4plain what God had commanded: & At Ao+nt $ore! the 5.D o+r God spoke to +s. $e said, ;o+ have stayed at this mo+ntain long eno+gh. ' Go to the hill co+ntry where the Amorites live and to all the neigh!oring areas in the Cordan /alley, the hill co+ntry, the western slopes, the 1egev, and the seacoast. Go thro+gho+t the land of 9anaan and e!anon as far as the great river, the -+phrates. ( ook, 3 am giving yo+ this land. Go and take it. 3t is the land that 3, the 5.D, promised to give to yo+r ancestors A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 3 promised to give this land to them and to their descendants. ) At that time 3 told yo+, 3 cant take care of yo+ !y myself. 1, And now, there are even more of yo+. The 5.D yo+r God has added more and more people, so that today yo+ are as many as the stars in the sky. 11 Aay the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors, give yo+ 1,,, times more people than yo+ are now" Aay he !less yo+ as he promised. De+teronomy 1.12*1' 3 12 <+t 3 cannot take care of yo+ and solve all yo+r arg+ments !y myself. 13 So choose some men from each tri!e, and 3 will make them leaders over yo+. 9hoose wise men with e4perience who +nderstand people. 1# And yo+ said, That is a good thing to do. 1% So 3 took the wise, e4perienced men yo+ chose from yo+r tri!es, and 3 made them yo+r leaders. 3n this way 3 gave pag. 2,,0131#

yo+ leaders over 1,,, people, over 1,, people, over %, people, and over 1, people. 3 also gave yo+ officers for each of yo+r tri!es. 1& At that time 3 told these =+dges, isten to the arg+ments !etween yo+r people. <e fair when yo+ =+dge each case. 3t doesnt matter if the pro!lem is !etween two 3sraelites or !etween an 3sraelite and a foreigner. ;o+ m+st =+dge each case fairly. 1' ;o+ m+st treat everyone the same when yo+ =+dge. ;o+ m+st listen caref+lly to everyonewhether they are important or not. Dont !e afraid of anyone, !eca+se yo+r decision is from God. <+t if there is a case too hard for De+teronomy 1.1(*23 # yo+ to =+dge, !ring it to me and 3 will =+dge it. 1( At that same time 3 also told yo+ everything yo+ m+st do. 1) So we o!eyed the 5.D o+r God. >e left Ao+nt $ore! and went to the hill co+ntry of the Amorites. ;o+ remem!er that !ig, terri!le desert that we walked thro+gh. >e came as far as Gadesh <arnea. 2, Then 3 said to yo+, ;o+ have now come to the hill co+ntry of the Amorites. The 5.D o+r God will give +s this co+ntry. 21 ook, there it is" Go +p and take the land for yo+r own. The 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors, told yo+ to do this, so dont !e afraid or worry a!o+t anything. 22 <+t all of yo+ came to me and said, ets send some men to look at the land first. They can spy o+t the land and come !ack and tell +s the way we sho+ld go and which cities we will come to. 23 3 tho+ght that was a good idea. So 3 chose twelve men from among yo+, one man from each tri!e. De+teronomy 1.2#*31 % 2# Then they left and went +p to the hill co+ntry. They came to the /alley of -shcol and e4plored it. 2% They took some of the fr+it from that land and !ro+ght it !ack to +s. They told -asy To .ead /ersion

+s a!o+t the land and said, The 5.D o+r God is giving +s a good land. 2& <+t yo+ ref+sed to go into the land. ;o+ ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D yo+r God. 2' ;o+ went to yo+r tents and !egan to complain. ;o+ said, The 5.D hates +s" $e !ro+ght +s o+t of the land of -gypt =+st to let the Amorites destroy +s. 2( >here can we go now? The men we sent have frightened +s with their report. They said, The people there are !igger and taller than we are. The cities are !ig and have walls as high as the sky. And we saw giants there" 2) So 3 said to yo+, Dont !e +pset or afraid of those people. 3, The 5.D yo+r God is in front, leading yo+. $e will fight for yo+ =+st as he did in -gypt. 31 ;o+ saw what happened in the desert. ;o+ saw how the 5.D yo+r God carried yo+ like a man carries his child. De+teronomy 1.32*3) & $e !ro+ght yo+ safely all the way to this place. 32 <+t yo+ didnt tr+st the 5.D yo+r God then either. 33 <+t he was always in front, going ahead to find a place for yo+ to camp. At night, he was in the fire that showed yo+ where to go. And d+ring the day, he was in the clo+d. 3# The 5.D heard what yo+ said, and he was angry. $e made a vow. $e said, 3% 1ot one of yo+ evil people who are alive now will go into the good land that 3 promised to yo+r ancestors. 3& 5nly 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh will see that land. 3 will give 9ale! the land he walked on, and 3 will give that land to his descendants, !eca+se he did all that 3, the 5.D, commanded. 3' The 5.D was also angry with me !eca+se of yo+. $e said to me, Aoses, yo+ cannot enter the land, either. 3( <+t yo+r helper, Cosh+a son of 1+n, will go into the land. -nco+rage Cosh+a, !eca+se he will lead the 3sraelites to take the land for their own. 3) ;o+ tho+ght yo+r little children wo+ld pag. 2,10131#

!e taken !y yo+r enemies. <+t those De+teronomy 1.#,*## ' children, who are still too yo+ng to know right from wrong, will go into the land. 3 will give it to them. ;o+r children will take the land for their own. #, <+t yo+yo+ m+st t+rn aro+nd, take the road to the .ed Sea, and go !ack into the desert. #1 Then yo+ said, Aoses, we sinned against the 5.D, !+t now we will do what the 5.D o+r God commanded +s !eforewe will go and fight. Then each of yo+ p+t on yo+r weapons. ;o+ tho+ght it wo+ld !e easy to go and take the hill co+ntry. #2 <+t the 5.D said to me, Tell the people not to go +p there and fight, !eca+se 3 will not !e with them. Their enemies will defeat them" #3 3 spoke to yo+, !+t yo+ did not listen. ;o+ ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D@S command. ;o+ tho+ght yo+ co+ld +se yo+r own power, so yo+ went +p into the hill co+ntry. ## The Amorites who lived there came o+t like a swarm of !ees and chased yo+ all the way from Seir to $ormah. De+teronomy 1.#%*2.' ( #% Then yo+ came !ack crying to the 5.D for help, !+t the 5.D ref+sed to listen to yo+. #& So yo+ stayed at Gadesh for s+ch a long time. 2 1 Then we did what the 5.D told me to do. >e went !ack into the desert on the road that leads to the .ed Sea. >e traveled for many days to go aro+nd the mo+ntains of Seir. 2 Then the 5.D said to me, 3 ;o+ have traveled aro+nd these mo+ntains long eno+gh. T+rn north. # Tell the people this: ;o+ will pass thro+gh the land of Seir. This land !elongs to yo+r relatives, the descendants of -sa+. They will !e afraid of yo+. <e very caref+l. % Dont fight them. 3 will not give yo+ any of their landnot even a foot of it, !eca+se 3 gave the hill co+ntry of Seir to -asy To .ead /ersion

-sa+ to keep as his own. & ;o+ m+st pay the people of -sa+ for any food yo+ eat or water yo+ drink there. ' .emem!er that the 5.D yo+r God has !lessed yo+ in everything yo+ have done. $e knows a!o+t everything that De+teronomy 2.(*12 ) happened on the trip thro+gh this great desert. The 5.D yo+r God has !een with yo+ these #, years. ;o+ have always had everything yo+ needed. ( So we passed !y o+r relatives, the people of -sa+ living there in Seir. >e left the road that leads from the Cordan /alley to the towns of -lath and -Eion Ge!er. >e t+rned onto the road that goes to the desert in Aoa!. ) The 5.D said to me, Dont !other the Aoa!ites. Dont start a war against them. 3 will not give yo+ any of their land. They are the descendants of ot, and 3 gave them the city of Ar. 1, 73n the past, the -mites lived in Ar. They were strong people, and there were many of them. They were very tall, like the Anakites. 11 The Anakites were part of the .ephaites. 6eople tho+ght the -mites were also .ephaites, !+t the people of Aoa! called them -mites. 12 The $orites also lived in Seir in the past. Then -sa+s people destroyed the $orites, took their land, and settled there, =+st as the 3sraelites did to the De+teronomy 2.13*2, 1, people in the land that the 5.D gave them.8 13 The ord said to me, 1ow go to the other side of Bered /alley. So we crossed Bered /alley. 1# 3t was 3( years from the time we left Gadesh <arnea +ntil the time we crossed Bered /alley. As the 5.D had vowed, all the fighting men in o+r camp from that generation had died. 1% The 5.D had opposed those men +ntil they were all dead and gone from o+r camp. 1& After all the fighting men were dead pag. 2,20131#

and gone, 1' the 5.D said to me, 1( Today yo+ m+st cross the !order at Ar and go into Aoa!. 1) ;o+ will !e =+st across from the Ammonites. Dont !other them or fight with them, !eca+se 3 will not give yo+ their land. They are descendants of ot, and 3 have given that land to them. 2, 7That co+ntry is also known as the and of .ephaim. The .ephaites lived there in the past. The people of Ammon called them the BamE+mmites. De+teronomy 2.21*2& 11 21 There were many .ephaites, and they were very strong and tall like the Anakites. <+t the 5.D helped the Ammonites destroy them. The Ammonites took that land and live there now. 22 God did the same thing for -sa+s people. 3n the past the $orites lived in Seir. <+t -sa+s people destroyed the $orites, and -sa+s descendants still live there today. 23 God did the same thing for some people from 9rete. The Avvites lived in the towns aro+nd GaEa, !+t the 9retans destroyed them, took the land, and live there now.8 2# The ord said to me, Get ready to go across Arnon /alley. 3 will let yo+ defeat Sihon the Amorite, the king of $esh!on. 3 will let yo+ take his co+ntry. So fight against him and take his land. 2% Today 3 will make all people everywhere afraid of yo+. They will hear the news a!o+t yo+, and they will !e afraid and shake with fear. 2& >hile we were in the desert of Gedemoth, 3 sent messengers to Ging De+teronomy 2.2'*32 12 Sihon of $esh!on. The messengers offered peace to Sihon. They said, 2' et +s go thro+gh yo+r land. >e will stay on the road. >e will not t+rn off the road to the right or to the left. 2( >e will pay yo+ in silver for any food we eat or any water we drink. >e only want to march thro+gh yo+r co+ntry. -asy To .ead /ersion

2) et +s go thro+gh yo+r land +ntil we go across the Cordan .iver into the land that the 5.D o+r God is giving +s. 5ther people have let +s go thro+gh their landthe people of -sa+ living in Seir and the Aoa!ites living in Ar. 3, <+t Ging Sihon of $esh!on wo+ld not let +s pass thro+gh his co+ntry. The 5.D yo+r God had made him very st+!!orn and ready to fight. The ord did this so that he co+ld help yo+ defeat Ging Sihon. And today we know that is what happened. 31 The 5.D said to me, 3 am giving Ging Sihon and his co+ntry to yo+. 1ow, go take his land" 32 Then Ging Sihon and all his people came o+t to fight against +s at CahaE. De+teronomy 2.33*3.2 13 33 <+t the 5.D o+r God gave him to +s. >e defeated Ging Sihon, his sons, and all his people. 3# >e capt+red all the cities that !elonged to Ging Sihon at that time. >e completely destroyed the people in every citythe men, women, and children. >e did not leave anyone alive" 3% >e took only the cattle and the val+a!le things from those cities. 3& >e defeated the town of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon /alley and the other town in the middle of that valley. The 5.D let +s defeat all the cities !etween the Arnon /alley and Gilead. 1o city was too strong for +s. 3' <+t yo+ did not go near the land that !elongs to the people of Ammon. ;o+ did not go near the shores of the Ca!!ok .iver or the cities of the hill co+ntry. ;o+ did not go near any place that the 5.D o+r God wo+ld not let +s have. 3 1 >e t+rned and went on the road to <ashan. Ging 5g of <ashan and all his men came o+t to fight against +s at -drei. 2 The 5.D said to me, Dont !e afraid of 5g. 3 have decided to give him to yo+. De+teronomy 3.3*( 1# 3 will give yo+ all his men and his land. ;o+ will defeat him =+st as yo+ defeated pag. 2,30131#

Sihon, the Amorite king who r+led in $esh!on. 3 So the 5.D o+r God let +s defeat Ging 5g of <ashan. >e destroyed him and all his men. 1ot one of them was left. # Then we took all the cities that !elonged to 5g at that time. >e took all the cities from 5gs people&, cities in the area of Argo!, 5gs kingdom in <ashan. % All these cities were very strong. They had high walls, gates, and strong !ars on the gates. There were also many towns that did not have walls. & >e destroyed them =+st as we destroyed the cities of Ging Sihon of $esh!on. >e completely destroyed every city and all the people in them, even the women and the !a!ies. ' <+t we kept all the cattle and the val+a!le things from the cities for o+rselves. ( 3n that way we took the land from the two Amorite kings. >e took that land on the east side of the Cordan .iver, from Arnon /alley to Ao+nt $ermon. De+teronomy 3.)*1# 1% ) 7The people from Sidon call Ao+nt $ermon, Sirion, !+t the Amorites called it Senir.8 1, >e took all the cities in the high plain and all of Gilead. >e took all of <ashan, all the way to Salecah and -drei. Salecah and -drei were cities of 5gs kingdom of <ashan. 11 75g was the king of <ashan. $e was one of the few .ephaites still alive. $is !ed was made from iron, and it was over 13 feet long and & feet wide. The !ed is still in the city of .a!!ah, where the Ammonites live.8 12 So we took that land to !e o+rs. 3 gave part of this land to the tri!es of .e+!en and Gad. 3 gave them the land from Aroer in the Arnon /alley to the hill co+ntry of Gilead with the cities in it. They got half of the hill co+ntry of Gilead. 13 3 gave the other half of Gilead and the whole area of <ashan to half the tri!e -asy To .ead /ersion

of Aanasseh. 7<ashan was 5gs kingdom. 6art of <ashan was called Argo!. 3t was also called the and of .ephaim. 1# Cair, from the tri!e of Aanasseh, took the whole area of Argo!. That area De+teronomy 3.1%*2, 1& went all the way to the !order of the Gesh+rites and the Aaacathites. 3t was named for Cair, and even today people call <ashan the Towns of Cair.8 1% 3 gave Gilead to Aakir. 1& And to the tri!e of .e+!en and the tri!e of Gad, 3 gave the land that !egins at Gilead and goes from the Arnon /alley to the Ca!!ok .iver. The middle of the valley is one !order. The Ca!!ok .iver is the !order for the Ammonites. 1' The Cordan .iver near the desert is their western !order. ake Galilee is north of this area and the Dead Sea is to the so+th. 3t is at the !ottom of the cliffs of 6isgah, which are to the east. 1( At that time 3 gave those tri!es this command: The 5.D yo+r God has given yo+ the land on this side of the Cordan .iver to live in. <+t now yo+r fighting men m+st take their weapons and lead the other 3sraelite tri!es across the river. 1) ;o+r wives, yo+r little children, and yo+r cattle 73 know yo+ have many cattle8 will stay here in the cities 3 have given yo+. 2, <+t yo+ m+st help yo+r 3sraelite relatives +ntil they take the land that the De+teronomy 3.21*2& 1' 5.D is giving them on the other side of the Cordan .iver. $elp them +ntil the 5.D gives them peace there, =+st as he did for yo+ here. Then yo+ may come !ack to this land that 3 have given yo+. 21 Then 3 told Cosh+a, ;o+ have seen all that the 5.D yo+r God has done to these two kings. The 5.D will do the same thing to all the kingdoms yo+ will enter. 22 Dont fear the kings of these lands, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God will fight for yo+. 23 Then 3 !egged the 5.D to do something special for me. 3 said, pag. 2,#0131#

2# ord G5D, 3 am yo+r servant. 3 know that yo+ have shown me only a small part of the wonderf+l and powerf+l things yo+ will do. There is no god in heaven or earth that can do the great and powerf+l things yo+ have done. 2% 6lease let me go across the Cordan .iver and see the good land on the other side. et me see the !ea+tif+l hill co+ntry and e!anon. 2& <+t the 5.D was angry with me !eca+se of yo+ and ref+sed to listen to De+teronomy 3.2'*#.2 1( me. The 5.D said to me, Thats eno+gh" Dont say another word a!o+t this. 2' Go +p to the top of Ao+nt 6isgah. ook to the west, to the north, to the so+th, and to the east. ;o+ may see these things with yo+r eyes, !+t yo+ can never go across the Cordan .iver. 2( ;o+ m+st give instr+ctions to Cosh+a. -nco+rage him. Aake him strong, !eca+se Cosh+a m+st lead the people across the Cordan .iver. ;o+ can see the land, !+t Cosh+a will lead them into that land. $e will help them take the land and live in it. 2) So we stayed in the valley across from <eth 6eor. 4 1 1ow, 3srael, listen to the laws and to the commands that 3 teach yo+. 5!ey them and yo+ will live. Then yo+ can go in and take the land that the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors, is giving yo+. 2 ;o+ m+st not add to what 3 command yo+. And yo+ m+st not take anything away. ;o+ m+st o!ey the commands of the 5.D yo+r God that 3 have given yo+. De+teronomy #.3*) 1) 3 ;o+ have seen what the 5.D did at <aal 6eor. The 5.D yo+r God destroyed all yo+r people who followed the false god <aal at that place. # <+t all of yo+ who stayed with the 5.D yo+r God are alive today. % 3 ta+ght yo+ the laws and r+les that the 5.D my God commanded me. 3 did this so yo+ co+ld o!ey them in the land -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ are ready to enter and take for yo+r own. & 5!ey these laws caref+lly. This will show the people of the other nations that yo+ are wise and sensi!le. They will hear a!o+t these laws and say, Tr+ly, the people of this great nation are wise and sensi!le. ' The 5.D o+r God is near when we ask him to help +s. 1o other nation has a god like that" ( And no other nation is great eno+gh to have laws and r+les as good as the teachings 3 give yo+ today. ) <+t yo+ m+st !e caref+l" <e s+re that as long as yo+ live yo+ never forget what yo+ have seen. ;o+ m+st teach these things to yo+r children and grandchildren. De+teronomy #.1,*1# 2, 1, .emem!er the day yo+ stood !efore the 5.D yo+r God at Ao+nt $ore!. The 5.D said to me, Gather the people together to listen to what 3 have to say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children. 11 ;o+ came near and stood at the !ottom of the mo+ntain. The mo+ntain !+rned with fire that reached +p to the sky. There were thick !lack clo+ds and darkness. 12 Then the 5.D spoke to yo+ from the fire. ;o+ heard the so+nd of someone speaking, !+t yo+ did not see any form. There was only a voice. 13 The ord told yo+ a!o+t his agreement, which he commanded yo+ to o!ey. $e told yo+ a!o+t the Ten 9ommandments, which he wrote on two stone ta!lets. 1# At that time the 5.D also commanded me to teach yo+ the other laws and r+les that yo+ m+st follow in the land yo+ are going to take and live in. De+teronomy #.1%*21 21 1% 5n the day the 5.D spoke to yo+ from the fire at Ao+nt $ore!, yo+ did not see himthere was no shape for God. pag. 2,%0131#

1& So !e caref+l" Dont sin and destroy yo+rselves !y making false gods or stat+es in the shape of any living thing. Dont make an idol that looks like a man or a woman, 1' or like an animal on the earth, or like a !ird that flies in the sky. 1( And dont make an idol that looks like anything that crawls on the gro+nd or like a fish in the sea. 1) And !e caref+l when yo+ look +p and see the s+n, the moon, and the starsall the many things in the sky. <e caref+l that yo+ are not tempted to worship and serve them. The 5.D yo+r God lets the other people in the world do this. 2, <+t the 5.D !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt to make yo+ his own special people. $e saved yo+ from -gypt. 3t was as if he p+lled yo+ from a hot f+rnace. And now yo+ are his people. 21 The 5.D was angry with me !eca+se of yo+. $e swore that 3 co+ld not go across the Cordan .iver into the good De+teronomy #.22*2& 22 land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. 22 So 3 m+st die here in this land. 3 cannot go across the Cordan .iver, !+t yo+ will soon go across it and take that good land and live there. 23 ;o+ m+st !e caref+l not to forget the agreement that the 5.D yo+r God made with yo+. ;o+ m+st o!ey the 5.D@S command. Dont make any idols in any form, 2# !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God hates for his people to worship other gods. And he can !e like a fire that destroys" 2% ;o+ will live in the co+ntry a long time. ;o+ will have children and grandchildren there. After all that time, !e s+re that yo+ do not then r+in yo+r lives !y making any kind of idol" That is something the 5.D yo+r God considers evil, and it wo+ld make him very angry" 2& So 3 am warning yo+ now. $eaven and earth are my witnesses" 3f yo+ do s+ch an evil thing, yo+ will J+ickly !e destroyed" ;o+ are crossing the Cordan -asy To .ead /ersion

.iver now to take that land. <+t if yo+ make any idols, yo+ will not live there De+teronomy #.2'*32 23 very long. 1o, yo+ will !e destroyed completely" 2' The 5.D will scatter yo+ among the nations. And only a few of yo+ will !e left alive to go to the co+ntries where the 5.D will send yo+. 2( There yo+ will serve gods made !y menthings made of wood and stone that cannot see or hear or eat or smell" 2) <+t there in these other lands yo+ will look for the 5.D yo+r God. And if yo+ look for him with all yo+r heart and so+l, yo+ will find him. 3, >hen yo+ are in tro+!lewhen all these things happen to yo+then yo+ will come !ack to the 5.D yo+r God and o!ey him. 31 The 5.D yo+r God is a mercif+l God" $e will not leave yo+ there or destroy yo+ completely. $e will not forget the agreement that he made with yo+r ancestors. 32 $as anything this great ever happened !efore? 1ever" ook at the past. Think a!o+t everything that happened !efore yo+ were !orn. Go all the way !ack to the time when God made people on the earth. ook at De+teronomy #.33*3' 2# everything that has happened anywhere in the world. $as anyone ever heard a!o+t anything as great as this? 1o" 33 ;o+ people heard God speaking to yo+ from a fire, and yo+ are still alive. $as that ever happened to anyone else? 1o" 3# $as any other god ever tried to go and take a people for himself from inside another nation? 1o" <+t yo+ yo+rselves have seen everything that the 5.D yo+r God did for yo+. $e showed yo+ his power and strength. ;o+ saw the tro+!les that tested the people. ;o+ saw miracles and wonders. ;o+ saw war and the terri!le things that happened. 3% The 5.D showed yo+ all this so that yo+ wo+ld know that he is God. There is pag. 2,&0131#

no other god like him. 3& $e let yo+ hear his voice from heaven so that he co+ld teach yo+ a lesson. 5n earth he let yo+ see his great fire, and he spoke to yo+ from it. 3' $e loved yo+r ancestors. That is why he chose yo+, their descendants. And that is why he !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. $e was with yo+ and !ro+ght yo+ o+t with his great power. De+teronomy #.3(*## 2% 3( >hen yo+ moved forward, he forced o+t nations that were greater and more powerf+l than yo+. And he led yo+ into their land. $e gave yo+ their land to live in, as he is still doing today. 3) So today yo+ m+st remem!er and accept that the 5.D is God. $e is God in heaven a!ove and on the earth !elow. There is no other god" #, And yo+ m+st o!ey his laws and commands that 3 give yo+ today. Then everything will go well with yo+ and yo+r children who live after yo+. And yo+ will live a long time in the land the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+it will !e yo+rs forever. #1 Then Aoses chose three cities on the east side of the Cordan .iver. #2 Any person who killed someone !y accident and not o+t of hate co+ld r+n away to one of these three cities and not !e p+t to death. #3 The three cities that Aoses chose were <eEer in the high plains for the tri!e of .e+!en, .amoth in Gilead for the tri!e of Gad, and Golan in <ashan for the tri!e of Aanasseh. ## Aoses gave Gods law to the 3sraelites. De+teronomy #.#%*%.1 2& #% Aoses gave these teachings, laws, and r+les to the people after they came o+t of -gypt. #& $e gave them these laws while they were on the east side of the Cordan .iver, in the valley across from <eth 6eor. They were in the land of Sihon, the Amorite king who lived at $esh!on. Aoses and the 3sraelites had defeated Sihon when they came o+t of -gypt. -asy To .ead /ersion

#' They took Sihons land to keep. They also took the land of Ging 5g of <ashan. These two Amorite kings lived on the east side of the Cordan .iver. #( This land goes from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon /alley all the way to Ao+nt Sirion, that is, Ao+nt $ermon. #) This land also incl+ded the whole Cordan /alley on the east side of the Cordan .iver. To the so+th, this land reached to the Dead Sea. To the east, it reached to the foot of Ao+nt 6isgah. 5 1 Aoses called together all the 3sraelites and said to them, 3sraelites, listen to the laws and r+les that 3 tell yo+ today. earn these laws and !e s+re to o!ey them. De+teronomy %.2*) 2' 2 The 5.D o+r God made an agreement with +s at Ao+nt $ore!. 3 The 5.D did not make this agreement with o+r ancestors, !+t with +syes, with all of +s who are alive here today. # The 5.D spoke with yo+ face to face at that mo+ntain. $e spoke to yo+ from the fire. % <+t yo+ were afraid of the fire. And yo+ did not go +p the mo+ntain. So 3 stood !etween yo+ and the 5.D to tell yo+ what the 5.D said. $e said, & 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 led yo+ o+t of -gypt where yo+ were slaves. ' ;o+ m+st not worship any other gods e4cept me. ( ;o+ m+st not make any idols. Dont make any stat+es or pict+res of anything +p in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water. ) Dont worship or serve idols of any kind, !eca+se 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 hate for my people to worship other gods. 6eople who sin against me !ecome my enemies. And 3 will p+nish them, and their children, their grandchildren, and even their greatDgrandchildren. De+teronomy %.1,*1% 2( 1, <+t 3 will !e very kind to people who love me and o!ey my commands. 3 will !e kind to their families for tho+sands of generations" pag. 2,'0131#

11 ;o+ m+st not +se the name of the 5.D yo+r God to make empty promises. 3f yo+ do, the 5.D will not let yo+ go +np+nished. 12 ;o+ m+st keep the Sa!!ath a special day like the 5.D yo+r God commanded. 13 >ork si4 days a week and do yo+r =o!, 1# !+t the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the 5.D yo+r God. So on that day no one sho+ld worknot yo+, yo+r sons and da+ghters, foreigners living in yo+r cities or yo+r men and women slaves. 1ot even yo+r cattle, donkeys, and other animals sho+ld do any work" ;o+r slaves sho+ld !e a!le to rest =+st as yo+ do. 1% Dont forget that yo+ were slaves in the land of -gypt. The 5.D yo+r God !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt with his great power and made yo+ free. That is why the 5.D yo+r God commands yo+ to always make the Sa!!ath a special day. De+teronomy %.1&*22 2) 1& ;o+ m+st honor yo+r father and yo+r mother. The 5.D yo+r God has commanded yo+ to do this. 3f yo+ follow this command, yo+ will live a long time, and everything will go well for yo+ in the land that the 5.D yo+r God gives yo+. 1' ;o+ m+st not m+rder anyone. 1( ;o+ m+st not commit the sin of ad+ltery. 1) ;o+ m+st not steal. 2, ;o+ m+st not tell lies a!o+t other people. 21 ;o+ m+st not want another mans wife. ;o+ m+st not want his ho+se, his fields, his men and women servants, his cattle, or his donkeys. ;o+ m+st not want to take anything that !elongs to another person. 22 Aoses said, The 5.D gave these commands to all of yo+ when yo+ were together there at the mo+ntain. $e spoke in a lo+d voice that came from the fire, the clo+d, and the thick darkness. After he gave +s these commands, he didnt say any more. $e wrote his words on two stone ta!lets and gave them to -asy To .ead /ersion

me. De+teronomy %.23*2) 3, 23 ;o+ heard the voice from the darkness while the mo+ntain was !+rning with fire. Then all the elders and the other leaders of yo+r tri!es came to me. 2# They said, The 5.D o+r God has shown +s his Glory and his greatness" >e heard him speak from the fire. >e have seen today that it is possi!le to contin+e living even after God speaks to +s. 2% <+t if we hear the 5.D o+r God speak to +s again, s+rely we will die" That terri!le fire will destroy +s. >e dont want to die. 2& >e heard the living God speak from the fire" $as anyone ever done that and lived thro+gh it? 2' Aoses, yo+ go near and listen to everything the 5.D o+r God says. Then tell +s what the 5.D tells yo+. >e will listen and do everything he says. 2( The 5.D heard what yo+ said and told me, 3 heard what the people said. And that is fine. 2) 3 only wanted to change their way of thinking3 wanted them to respect me and o!ey all my commands from the De+teronomy %.3,*&.2 31 heart. Then everything wo+ld !e fine with them and with their descendants forever. 3, Go and tell the people to go !ack to their tents, 31 !+t yo+ stand here near me. 3 will tell yo+ all the commands, laws, and r+les that yo+ m+st teach them. They m+st do these things in the land that 3 am giving them to live in. 32 So yo+ people m+st !e caref+l to do everything the 5.D commanded yo+. Do not stop following God" 33 ;o+ m+st live the way the 5.D yo+r God commanded yo+. Then yo+ will contin+e to live, and everything will !e fine with yo+. ;o+ will live a long life in the land that will !elong to yo+. 6 1 These are the commands, the laws, pag. 2,(0131#

and the r+les that the 5.D yo+r God told me to teach yo+. 5!ey these laws in the land that yo+ are entering to live in. 2 ;o+ and yo+r descendants m+st respect the 5.D yo+r God as long as yo+ live. ;o+ m+st o!ey all his laws and commands that 3 give yo+. 3f yo+ do De+teronomy &.3*1, 32 this, yo+ will have a long life in that new land. 3 3sraelites, listen caref+lly and o!ey these laws. Then everything will !e fine with yo+. ;o+ will have many children, and yo+ will get the land filled with many good things =+st as the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors, promised. # isten, people of 3srael" The 5.D is o+r God. The 5.D is the only God. % ;o+ m+st love the 5.D yo+r God with all yo+r heart, with all yo+r so+l, and with all yo+r strength. & Always remem!er these commands that 3 give yo+ today. ' <e s+re to teach them to yo+r children. Talk a!o+t these commands when yo+ sit in yo+r ho+se and when yo+ walk on the road. Talk a!o+t them when yo+ lie down and when yo+ get +p. ( Tie them on yo+r hands and wear them on yo+r foreheads to help yo+ remem!er my teachings. ) >rite them on the doorposts of yo+r ho+ses and on yo+r gates. 1, The 5.D yo+r God made a promise to yo+r ancestors, A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. $e promised to give yo+ this land, De+teronomy &.11*1' 33 and he will give it to yo+. $e will give yo+ great and rich cities that yo+ did not !+ild. 11 $e will give yo+ ho+ses f+ll of good things that yo+ did not p+t there. $e will give yo+ wells that yo+ did not dig. $e will give yo+ vineyards and olive trees that yo+ did not plant, and yo+ will have plenty to eat. 12 <+t !e caref+l" Dont forget the 5.D. ;o+ were slaves in -gypt, !+t he !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 .espect the 5.D yo+r God and serve only him. ;o+ m+st +se only his name to make promises. 1# ;o+ m+st not follow other gods. ;o+ m+st not follow the gods of the people who live aro+nd yo+. 1% The 5.D yo+r God is always with yo+, and he hates for his people to worship other gods" So if yo+ follow those other gods, the ord will !ecome very angry with yo+. $e will destroy yo+ from the face of the earth. 1& ;o+ m+st not test the 5.D yo+r God like yo+ tested him at Aassah. 1' ;o+ m+st !e s+re to o!ey the commands of the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ De+teronomy &.1(*2# 3# m+st follow all the teachings and laws he has given yo+. 1( ;o+ m+st do what is right and goodwhat pleases the 5.D. Then everything will go well for yo+, and yo+ can go in and take the good land that the 5.D promised yo+r ancestors. 1) And yo+ will force o+t all yo+r enemies, =+st as the 5.D said. 2, 3n the f+t+re yo+r children might ask yo+, The 5.D o+r God gave yo+ teachings, laws, and r+les. >hat do they mean? 21 Then yo+ will say to them, >e were 6haraohs slaves in -gypt, !+t the 5.D !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt with his great power. 22 The 5.D did great and amaEing things. >e saw him do these things to the -gyptian people, to 6haraoh, and to the people in 6haraohs ho+se. 23 $e !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt so that he co+ld give +s the land that he promised o+r ancestors. 2# The 5.D commanded +s to follow all these teachings. >e m+st respect the 5.D o+r God. Then he will always keep +s alive and doing well, as we are today. De+teronomy &.2%*'.% 3% 2% 3f we caref+lly o!ey the whole law, e4actly as the 5.D o+r God told +s to, he will say that we have done a very good thing. pag. 2,)0131#

7 1 The 5.D yo+r God will lead yo+ into the land that yo+ are entering to take for yo+r own. $e will force o+t many nations for yo+the $ittites, Girgashites, Amorites, 9anaanites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sitesseven nations greater and more powerf+l than yo+. 2 The 5.D yo+r God will p+t these nations +nder yo+r power. And yo+ will defeat them. ;o+ m+st destroy them completely. Dont make an agreement with them or show them mercy. 3 Dont marry any of them, and dont let yo+r sons or da+ghters marry any of the people from those other nations. # 3f yo+ do, they will t+rn yo+r children away from following me. Then yo+r children will serve other gods, and the 5.D will !e very angry with yo+. $e will J+ickly destroy yo+" % This is what yo+ m+st do to those nations: ;o+ m+st smash their altars and !reak their memorial stones into pieces. De+teronomy '.&*1, 3& 9+t down their Asherah poles and !+rn their stat+es. & Do this !eca+se yo+ are the 5.D@S own people. 2rom all the people on earth, the 5.D yo+r God chose yo+ to !e his special peoplepeople who !elong only to him. ' >hy did the 5.D love and choose yo+? 3t was not !eca+se yo+ are s+ch a large nation. ;o+ had the fewest of all people" ( <+t the 5.D !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt with great power and made yo+ free from slavery. $e freed yo+ from the control of 6haraoh, the king of -gypt. The 5.D did this !eca+se he loves yo+ and he wanted to keep the promise he made to yo+r ancestors. ) So remem!er that the 5.D yo+r God is the only God, and yo+ can tr+st him" $e keeps his agreement. $e shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and o!ey his commands. $e contin+es to show his love and kindness thro+gh a tho+sand generations, 1, !+t the 5.D p+nishes people who -asy To .ead /ersion

hate him. $e will destroy them. $e will De+teronomy '.11*1% 3' not !e slow to p+nish those who hate him. 11 So yo+ m+st !e caref+l to o!ey the commands, laws, and r+les that 3 give yo+ today. 12 3f yo+ listen to these laws, and if yo+ are caref+l to o!ey them, the 5.D yo+r God will keep his agreement of love with yo+. $e promised this to yo+r ancestors. 13 $e will love yo+ and !less yo+. $e will make yo+r nation grow. $e will !less yo+r children. $e will !less yo+r fields with good crops and will give yo+ grain, new wine, and oil. $e will !less yo+r cows with calves and yo+r sheep with lam!s. ;o+ will have all these !lessings in the land that he promised yo+r ancestors to give yo+. 1# ;o+ will !e !lessed more than all people. -very h+s!and and wife will !e a!le to have children. ;o+r cows will !e a!le to have calves. 1% The 5.D will take away all sickness from yo+ and he will not let yo+ catch any of the terri!le diseases that yo+ had in -gypt. <+t he will make yo+r enemies catch those diseases. De+teronomy '.1&*22 3( 1& ;o+ m+st destroy all the people the 5.D yo+r God helps yo+ defeat. Dont feel sorry for them, and dont worship their gods" They will trap yo+they will r+in yo+r life. 1' Dont say in yo+r heart, These nations are stronger than we are. $ow can we force them o+t? 1( ;o+ m+st not !e afraid of them. ;o+ m+st remem!er what the 5.D yo+r God did to 6haraoh and to all the people of -gypt. 1) ;o+ saw the great tro+!les he gave them and the amaEing things he did. ;o+ saw the 5.D +se his great power and strength to !ring yo+ o+t of -gypt. The 5.D yo+r God will +se that same power against all the people yo+ fear. 2, The 5.D yo+r God will send the hornet against them. $e will do this +ntil pag. 21,0131#

he destroys all the people who escaped and tried to hide. 21 Dont !e afraid of them, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God is with yo+. $e is a great and awesome God. 22 The 5.D yo+r God will force those nations to leave yo+r co+ntry little !y little. ;o+ will not destroy them all at De+teronomy '.23*(.1 3) once. 3f yo+ did, the wild animals wo+ld grow to !e too many for yo+. 23 <+t the 5.D yo+r God will let yo+ defeat those nations. $e will conf+se them in !attle, +ntil they are destroyed. 2# $e will help yo+ defeat their kings. ;o+ will kill them, and the world will forget they ever lived. 1o one will !e a!le to stop yo+. ;o+ will destroy them all" 2% ;o+ m+st throw the stat+es of their gods into the fire and !+rn them. Dont even think a!o+t wanting or keeping the silver or gold on those stat+es for yo+rselves. Thats like walking into a trapit will r+in yo+r life. The 5.D yo+r God hates those idols. 2& ;o+ m+st not !ring any of those disg+sting idols into yo+r homes, or yo+ will !e destroyed =+st as they will !e. ;o+ m+st treat them as the disg+sting things they are" They are to !e destroyed. 8 1 ;o+ m+st o!ey all the commands that 3 give yo+ today, !eca+se then yo+ will live and grow to !ecome a great nation. ;o+ will get the land that the 5.D promised to yo+r ancestors. De+teronomy (.2*' #, 2 And yo+ m+st remem!er the entire trip that the 5.D yo+r God has led yo+ thro+gh these #, years in the desert. $e was testing yo+. $e wanted to make yo+ h+m!le. $e wanted to know what is in yo+r heart. $e wanted to know if yo+ wo+ld o!ey his commands. 3 $e h+m!led yo+ and let yo+ !e h+ngry. Then he fed yo+ with manna something yo+ did not know a!o+t !efore. 3t was something yo+r ancestors had never seen. >hy did the ord do this? <eca+se he wanted yo+ to know -asy To .ead /ersion

that it is not =+st !read that keeps people alive. 6eoples lives depend on what the 5.D says. # These past #, years, yo+r clothes did not wear o+t, and yo+r feet did not swell. % ;o+ m+st remem!er that the 5.D yo+r God teaches and corrects yo+ as a father teaches and corrects his son. & ;o+ m+st o!ey the commands of the 5.D yo+r God. 2ollow him and respect him. ' The 5.D yo+r God is !ringing yo+ into a good landa land with rivers and pools of water. >ater flows o+t of the gro+nd in the valleys and hills. De+teronomy (.(*1% #1 ( 3t is a land with wheat and !arley, grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates. 3t is a land with olive oil and honey. ) There yo+ will have plenty of food and everything yo+ need. 3t is a land where the rocks are iron. ;o+ can dig copper o+t of the hills. 1, ;o+ will have all yo+ want to eat. Then yo+ will praise the 5.D yo+r God for the good land he has given yo+. 11 <e caref+l. Dont forget the 5.D yo+r God" <e caref+l to o!ey the commands, laws, and r+les that 3 give yo+ today. 12 Then yo+ will have plenty to eat, and yo+ will !+ild good ho+ses and live in them. 13 ;o+r cattle, sheep, and goats will grow large. ;o+ will get plenty of gold and silver. ;o+ will have plenty of everything. 1# >hen that happens, yo+ m+st !e caref+l not to !ecome pro+d. ;o+ m+st not forget the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ were slaves in -gypt, !+t he made yo+ free and !ro+ght yo+ o+t of that land. 1% $e led yo+ thro+gh that great and terri!le desert where there were poisono+s snakes and scorpions. The De+teronomy (.1&*).1 #2 gro+nd was dry, and there was no water anywhere. <+t he gave yo+ water o+t of a solid rock. 1& 3n the desert he fed yo+ manna something yo+r ancestors had never pag. 2110131#

seen. $e tested yo+ to make yo+ h+m!le so that everything wo+ld go well for yo+ in the end. 1' Dont ever say to yo+rself, 3 got all this wealth !y my own power and a!ility. 1( .emem!er the 5.D yo+r God is the one who gives yo+ power to do these things. $e does this !eca+se he wants to keep the agreement that he made with yo+r ancestors, as he is doing today" 1) Dont ever forget the 5.D yo+r God. Dont ever follow other gods or worship and serve them. 3f yo+ do that, 3 warn yo+ today: ;o+ will s+rely !e destroyed" 2, The 5.D is destroying other nations for yo+. <+t if yo+ stop listening to the 5.D yo+r God, yo+ will !e destroyed =+st like them" 9 1 isten, yo+ 3sraelites" ;o+ will go across the Cordan .iver today. ;o+ will go into that land to force o+t nations greater and stronger than yo+. Their De+teronomy ).2*% #3 cities are !ig and have walls as high as the sky" 2 The people there are tall and strong. They are the Anakites. ;o+ know a!o+t them. ;o+ heard o+r spies say, 1o one can win against the Anakites. 3 <+t yo+ can !e s+re that it is the 5.D yo+r God who goes across the river !efore yo+and God is like a fire that destroys" $e will destroy those nations and make them fall !efore yo+. ;o+ will force those nations o+t and J+ickly destroy them. The 5.D has promised yo+ that this will happen. # The 5.D yo+r God will force those nations o+t for yo+. <+t dont say to yo+rselves, The 5.D !ro+ght +s to live in this land !eca+se we are s+ch good people. 1o, the 5.D forced those nations o+t !eca+se they were evil, not !eca+se yo+ were good. % ;o+ are going in to take their land, !+t not !eca+se yo+ are good and live right. ;o+ are going in, and the 5.D yo+r God is forcing those people o+t !eca+se of the evil way they lived. And the 5.D wants to keep the promise he made to -asy To .ead /ersion

De+teronomy ).&*1, ## yo+r ancestors, A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. & The 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+ that good land to live in, !+t yo+ sho+ld know that it is not !eca+se yo+ are good. The tr+th is that yo+ are very st+!!orn people" ' .emem!er how yo+ made the 5.D yo+r God angry in the desert. 1ever forget that" 2rom the day yo+ left the land of -gypt to the day yo+ came to this place, yo+ have ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D. ( ;o+ made the 5.D angry at Ao+nt $ore!. The 5.D was angry eno+gh to destroy yo+" ) 3 went +p the mo+ntain to get the stone ta!lets. The agreement that the 5.D made with yo+ was written on those stones. 3 stayed on the mo+ntain #, days and #, nights. 3 did not eat any food or drink any water. 1, The 5.D gave me the two stone ta!lets. $e wrote his commands on the stones with his finger. The 5.D wrote everything he said to yo+ from the fire when yo+ were gathered together at the mo+ntain. De+teronomy ).11*1& #% 11 So at the end of #, days and #, nights, the 5.D gave me two stone ta!letsthe stones of the agreement. 12 Then the 5.D said to me, Get +p and J+ickly go down from here. The people yo+ !ro+ght o+t of -gypt have r+ined themselves. They stopped o!eying my commands so J+ickly. They melted gold and made an idol for themselves. 13 The 5.D also said to me, 3 have watched these people. They are very st+!!orn" 1# et me destroy these people completely, so no one will even remem!er their names. Then 3 will make another nation from yo+ that is stronger and greater than these people. 1% Then 3 t+rned and came down from the mo+ntain. The mo+ntain was !+rning pag. 2120131#

with fire. And the two stone ta!lets of the agreement were in my hands. 1& 3 looked and 3 saw yo+ had sinned against the 5.D yo+r God. 3 saw the calf yo+ made from melted gold" ;o+ stopped o!eying the 5.D so J+ickly. De+teronomy ).1'*23 #& 1' So 3 took the two stone ta!lets and threw them down. There !efore yo+r eyes 3 !roke the stones into pieces. 1( Then 3 !owed down !efore the 5.D with my face to the gro+nd for #, days and #, nights, as 3 did !efore. 3 did not eat any food or drink any water. 3 did this !eca+se yo+ had sinned so !adly. ;o+ did what the 5.D considers evil, and yo+ made him angry. 1) 3 was afraid of the 5.D@S terri!le anger. $e was angry eno+gh to destroy yo+, !+t the 5.D listened to me again. 2, The 5.D was very angry with Aaroneno+gh to destroy him" So 3 also prayed for Aaron at that time. 21 3 took that terri!le thing, the calf yo+ made, and !+rned it in the fire. 3 !roke it into small pieces. And 3 cr+shed the pieces +ntil they were d+st. Then 3 threw the d+st into the river that came down from the mo+ntain. 22 Also, at Ta!erah, Aassah, and Gi!roth $attaavah yo+ made the 5.D angry. 23 And yo+ did not o!ey when the 5.D told yo+ to leave Gadesh <arnea. $e said, Go +p and take the land 3 am giving yo+. <+t yo+ ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D De+teronomy ).2#*1,.1 #' yo+r God. ;o+ did not tr+st him. ;o+ did not listen to his command. 2# All the time that 3 have known yo+, yo+ have ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D. 2% So 3 !owed down !efore the 5.D #, days and #, nights, !eca+se the 5.D said he wo+ld destroy yo+. 2& 3 prayed to the 5.D. 3 said, ord G5D, dont destroy yo+r people. They !elong to yo+. ;o+ freed them and !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt with yo+r great power and strength. 2' .emem!er yo+r promise to yo+r servants A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. -asy To .ead /ersion

2orget how st+!!orn these people are. Dont look at their evil ways or their sins. 2( 3f yo+ p+nish yo+r people, the -gyptians might say, The 5.D was not a!le to take his people into the land he promised them. And he hated them. So he took them into the desert to kill them. 2) <+t they are yo+r people, ord. They !elong to yo+. ;o+ !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt with yo+r great power and strength. 10 1 At that time the 5.D said to me, ;o+ m+st c+t o+t two stone ta!lets like the first two stones. Then yo+ De+teronomy 1,.2*& #( m+st come +p to me on the mo+ntain. Also make a wooden !o4. 2 3 will write on the stone ta!lets the same words that were on the first stonesthe stones yo+ !roke. Then yo+ m+st p+t these new stones in the <o4. 3 So 3 made a !o4 from acacia wood. 3 c+t two stone ta!lets like the first two stones. Then 3 went +p on the mo+ntain. 3 had the two stone ta!lets in my hand. # And the 5.D wrote on the stones the same words he had written !eforethe Ten 9ommandments he spoke to yo+ from the fire, when yo+ were gathered together at the mo+ntain. Then the 5.D gave the two stone ta!lets to me. % 3 came !ack down from the mo+ntain. 3 p+t the stones in the <o4 3 had made. The 5.D commanded me to p+t them there. And the stones are still there in that <o4. & 7The 3sraelites traveled from the wells of the people of Caakan to Aoserah. There Aaron died and was !+ried. Aarons son -leaEar served in Aarons place as priest. De+teronomy 1,.'*12 #) ' Then the 3sraelites went from Aoserah to G+dgodah. And they went from G+dgodah to Cot!athah, a land of rivers. ( At that time the 5.D separated the tri!e of evi from the other tri!es for his special work. They had the work of carrying the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. They also served as priests pag. 2130131#

!efore the 5.D. And they had the work of !lessing people in the 5.D@S name. They still do this special work today. ) That is why the people from the tri!e of evi did not get any share of land like the other tri!es did. They have the 5.D for their share. That is what the 5.D yo+r God promised them.8 1, 3 stayed on the mo+ntain #, days and #, nights, like the first time. The 5.D also listened to me at that time. $e decided not to destroy yo+. 11 The 5.D said to me, Go and lead the people on their trip. They will go in and live in the land that 3 promised to give to their ancestors. 12 1ow, 3sraelites, listen" >hat does the 5.D yo+r God really want from yo+? The 5.D yo+r God wants yo+ to respect him and do what he says. $e wants yo+ De+teronomy 1,.13*1( %, to love him and to serve the 5.D yo+r God with all yo+r heart and with all yo+r so+l. 13 So o!ey the laws and commands of the 5.D that 3 am giving yo+ today. These laws and commands are for yo+r own good. 1# -verything !elongs to the 5.D yo+r God. The heavens, even the highest heavens, !elong to him. The earth and everything on it !elong to him. 1% The 5.D loved yo+r ancestors very m+ch. $e loved them so m+ch that he chose yo+, their descendants, to !e his people. $e chose yo+ instead of any other nation, and yo+ are still his chosen people today. 1& Stop !eing st+!!orn. Give yo+r hearts to God. 1' The 5.D is yo+r God. $e is the God of gods and the ord of lords. $e is the great God. $e is the amaEing and powerf+l fighter. To him everyone is the same. $e does not accept money to change his mind. 1( $e defends widows and orphans. $e loves even the strangers living among +s. $e gives them food and clothes. De+teronomy 1,.1)*11.3 %1 -asy To .ead /ersion

1) So yo+ m+st also love them, !eca+se yo+ yo+rselves were strangers in the land of -gypt. 2, ;o+ m+st respect the 5.D yo+r God and worship only him. 1ever leave him. >hen yo+ make promises, yo+ m+st +se his name only. 21 $e is the one yo+ sho+ld praise. $e is yo+r God. $e has done great and amaEing things for yo+. ;o+ have seen them with yo+r own eyes. 22 >hen yo+r ancestors went down into -gypt, there were only ', people. 1ow the 5.D yo+r God has made yo+ as many as the stars in the sky. 11 1 So yo+ m+st love the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ m+st do what he tells yo+ to do and always o!ey his laws, r+les, and commands. 2 .emem!er today all the great things the 5.D yo+r God has done to teach yo+. 3t was yo+, not yo+r children, who saw those things happen and lived thro+gh them. ;o+ saw how great he is. ;o+ saw how strong he is, and yo+ saw the powerf+l things he does. 3 ;o+, not yo+r children, saw the miracles he did in -gypt. ;o+ saw what De+teronomy 11.#*) %2 he did to 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, and to his whole co+ntry. # ;o+, not yo+r children, saw what he did to the -gyptian armyto their horses and chariots. They were chasing yo+, !+t yo+ saw him cover them with the water from the .ed Sea. ;o+ saw how the 5.D completely destroyed them. % 3t was yo+, not yo+r children, who saw everything he did for yo+ in the desert +ntil yo+ came to this place. & ;o+ saw what he did to Dathan and A!iram, the sons of -lia! from .e+!ens family. All the 3sraelites watched as the gro+nd opened +p like a mo+th and swallowed them, their families, their tents, and all of their servants and animals. ' 3t was yo+, not yo+r children, who saw all the great things the 5.D did. ( So yo+ m+st o!ey every command 3 pag. 21#0131#

tell yo+ today. Then yo+ will !e strong. And yo+ will !e a!le to go across the Cordan .iver and take the land that yo+ are ready to enter. ) Then yo+ will live a long life in that co+ntry. The 5.D promised to give that land to yo+r ancestors and all their De+teronomy 11.1,*1# %3 descendants. 3t is a land filled with many good things. 1, The land that yo+ will get is not like the land of -gypt that yo+ came from. 3n -gypt yo+ planted yo+r seeds and +sed yo+r feet to p+mp water from the canals to water yo+r fields like a vegeta!le garden. 11 <+t the land that yo+ will soon get is not like that. 3n 3srael there are mo+ntains and valleys, and the land gets its water from the rain that falls from the sky. 12 The 5.D yo+r God cares for that land. The 5.D yo+r God watches over it, from the !eginning to the end of the year. 13 The ord says, ;o+ m+st listen caref+lly to the commands 3 give yo+ today: ;o+ m+st love the 5.D yo+r God, and serve him with all yo+r heart and all yo+r so+l. 3f yo+ do that, 1# 3 will send rain for yo+r land at the right time. 3 will send the a+t+mn rain and the spring rain. Then yo+ can gather yo+r grain, yo+r new wine, and yo+r oil. De+teronomy 11.1%*21 %# 1% And 3 will make grass grow in yo+r fields for yo+r cattle. ;o+ will have plenty to eat. 1& $e says, <e caref+l" Dont !e fooled. Dont t+rn away from me to serve other gods and to !ow down to them. 1' 3f yo+ do that, the 5.D will !ecome very angry with yo+. $e will sh+t the skies, and there will !e no rain. The land will not make a harvest, and yo+ will soon die in the good land that the 5.D is giving yo+. 1( .emem!er these commands 3 give yo+. Geep them in yo+r hearts. >rite them down and tie them on yo+r hands -asy To .ead /ersion

and wear them on yo+r foreheads as a way to remem!er my laws. 1) Teach these laws to yo+r children. Talk a!o+t these things when yo+ sit in yo+r ho+ses, when yo+ walk along the road, when yo+ lie down, and when yo+ get +p. 2, >rite these commands on the doorposts of yo+r ho+ses and on yo+r gates. 21 Then !oth yo+ and yo+r children will live a long time in the land that the 5.D promised to give to yo+r ancestors. ;o+ De+teronomy 11.22*2( %% will live there as long as the skies are a!ove the earth. 22 <e caref+l to o!ey every command 3 have told yo+ to follow: ove the 5.D yo+r God, follow all his ways, and !e faithf+l to him. 23 Then, when yo+ go into the land, the 5.D will force all those other nations o+t. ;o+ will take the land from nations that are larger and more powerf+l than yo+. 2# >herever yo+ go, the land will !e yo+rsfrom the desert in the so+th all the way to e!anon in the north and from the -+phrates .iver in the east all the way to the Aediterranean Sea. 2% 1o one will !e a!le to stand against yo+. The 5.D yo+r God will make the people fear yo+ wherever yo+ go in that land. That is what he promised yo+ !efore. 2& Today 3 am giving yo+ a choice. ;o+ may choose the !lessing or the c+rse. 2' ;o+ will get the !lessing if yo+ listen and o!ey the commands of the 5.D yo+r God that 3 have told yo+ today. 2( <+t yo+ will get the c+rse if yo+ ref+se to listen and o!ey the commands De+teronomy 11.2)*12.1 %& of the 5.D yo+r God. So dont stop living the way 3 command yo+ today, and dont follow other gods that yo+ dont know. 2) The 5.D yo+r God will lead yo+ to yo+r land. ;o+ will soon go in and take that land. At that time yo+ m+st go to pag. 21%0131#

the top of Ao+nt GeriEim and read the !lessings to the people from there. And then yo+ m+st go to the top of Ao+nt -!al and read the c+rses to the people from there. 3, These mo+ntains are on the other side of the Cordan .iver in the land of the 9anaanites living in the Cordan /alley. These mo+ntains are toward the west, not far from the oak trees of Aoreh near the town of Gilgal. 31 ;o+ will go across the Cordan .iver. ;o+ will take the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. This land will !elong to yo+. >hen yo+ are living in this land, 32 yo+ m+st caref+lly o!ey all the laws and r+les 3 give yo+ today. 12 1 These are the laws and r+les that yo+ m+st o!ey in yo+r new land. ;o+ m+st caref+lly o!ey them as long as yo+ live in that land. The 5.D De+teronomy 12.2*& %' is the God of yo+r ancestors, and he is giving that land to yo+. 2 ;o+ will take that land from the nations that live there now. ;o+ m+st completely destroy all the places where the people of those nations worship their gods. Those places are on high mo+ntains, on hills, and +nder green trees. 3 ;o+ m+st smash their altars and !reak their memorial stones into pieces. ;o+ m+st !+rn their Asherah poles and c+t down the stat+es of their gods. >ipe o+t everything that wo+ld remind yo+ of those gods. # ;o+ m+st not worship the 5.D yo+r God in the same way those people worship their gods. % The 5.D yo+r God will choose a special place among yo+r tri!es. That will !e the home for his name. ;o+ m+st go to that place to worship him. & There yo+ m+st !ring yo+r !+rnt offerings, yo+r sacrifices, oneDtenth of yo+r crops and animals, yo+r special gifts, any gifts yo+ promised to him, any special gift yo+ want to give, and the first animals !orn in yo+r herds and flocks. -asy To .ead /ersion

De+teronomy 12.'*11 %( ' ;o+ and yo+r families will eat together at that place, and the 5.D yo+r God will !e there with yo+. ;o+ will en=oy sharing the things yo+ worked for there. ;o+ will remem!er that the 5.D yo+r God !lessed yo+ and gave yo+ these good things. ( ;o+ m+st not contin+e to worship the way we have !een worshiping. Hntil now everyone has !een worshiping God any way they wanted. ) Thats !eca+se yo+ have not yet entered the peacef+l land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. 1, <+t yo+ will go across the Cordan .iver and live in the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. There he will give yo+ rest from all yo+r enemies, and yo+ will !e safe. 11 Then the 5.D yo+r God will choose a place that will !e the home for his name. ;o+ m+st !ring everything 3 command yo+ to that place. <ring yo+r !+rnt offerings, yo+r sacrifices, oneDtenth of yo+r crops and animals, yo+r special gifts, and any gifts that yo+ promised to give to the 5.D. De+teronomy 12.12*1' %) 12 9ome to that place with all yo+r peopleyo+r children, all yo+r servants, and the evites living in yo+r towns. 7These evites will not have a share of the land for their own.8 -n=oy yo+rselves together there with the 5.D yo+r God. 13 <e s+re yo+ dont offer yo+r !+rnt offerings in =+st any place yo+ see. 1# The 5.D will choose his special place among yo+r tri!es. 5ffer yo+r !+rnt offerings and do everything else 3 told yo+ only in that place. 1% >henever yo+ want to eat meat, yo+ can en=oy that !lessing from the 5.D yo+r God wherever yo+ live. ;o+ can !+tcher the animal =+st as yo+ do gaEelles and deer, and anyone, clean or +nclean, can eat it. 1& <+t yo+ m+st not eat the !lood. ;o+ m+st po+r the !lood on the gro+nd like water. pag. 21&0131#

1' Also, the things yo+ are offering to God m+st not !e eaten where yo+ live. These incl+de the part of yo+r grain that !elongs to God, the part of yo+r new wine and oil that !elongs to God, the first animals !orn in yo+r herd or flock, any gift that yo+ promised to God, any De+teronomy 12.1(*22 &, special gifts yo+ want to give, or any other gifts for God. 1( ;o+ m+st eat these offerings only in his presence at the special place that the 5.D yo+r God will choose. ;o+ m+st go there and eat together with yo+r sons, yo+r da+ghters, all yo+r servants, and the evites living in yo+r towns. -n=oy yo+rselves there with the 5.D yo+r God. -n=oy what yo+ have worked for. 1) <+t !e s+re that yo+ always share these meals with the evites. Do this as long as yo+ live in yo+r land. 2, The 5.D yo+r God promised to make yo+r co+ntry larger. >hen he does this, yo+ might live too far from the place the 5.D yo+r God chooses to !e the home for his name. 3f it is too far, and yo+ are h+ngry for meat, yo+ may eat any meat yo+ have. ;o+ may kill any animal from the herd or flock that he has given yo+. Do this the way 3 have commanded yo+. ;o+ may eat this meat there where yo+ live any time yo+ want. 21 712:2,8 22 ;o+ may eat this meat the same as yo+ wo+ld eat gaEelle or deer meat. De+teronomy 12.23*2( &1 Anyone can do thispeople who are clean and people who are +nclean. 23 <+t !e especially caref+l not to eat the !lood, !eca+se the life is in the !lood. ;o+ m+st not eat meat that still has its life in it. 2# Dont eat the !lood. 6o+r it o+t like water onto the gro+nd. 2% So dont eat !lood. ;o+ m+st do what the 5.D says is right, and good things will happen to yo+ and to yo+r descendants. 2& 3f yo+ decide to give something special to God, yo+ m+st go to the -asy To .ead /ersion

special place that the 5.D yo+r God will choose. And if yo+ make a special promise, yo+ m+st go to that place to give that gift to God. 2' ;o+ m+st offer yo+r !+rnt offerings in that place. 5ffer the meat and the !lood of yo+r !+rnt offerings on the altar of the 5.D yo+r God. 2or yo+r other sacrifices, yo+ m+st po+r the !lood on the altar of the 5.D yo+r God. Then yo+ may eat the meat. 2( 9aref+lly o!ey all the commands that 3 give yo+. >hen yo+ do what is good and rightwhat pleases the 5.D yo+r De+teronomy 12.2)*13.2 &2 Godthen everything will go well for yo+ and for yo+r descendants forever. 2) ;o+ are going to take yo+r land from other people. The 5.D yo+r God will destroy these people for yo+. ;o+ will force them o+t of that land, and then yo+ will live there. 3, <+t !e caref+l that yo+ dont fall into the same trap they did" Dont go to their false gods for help. Dont say to yo+rself, They worshiped these gods, so 3 will worship them too. 31 Dont do that to the 5.D yo+r God" These people do all kinds of !ad things that the 5.D hates. They even !+rn their children as sacrifices to their gods" 32 ;o+ m+st !e caref+l to do everything 3 command yo+. Dont add anything to what 3 tell yo+, and dont take anything away. 13 1 A prophet or someone who e4plains dreams might come to yo+ and tell yo+ that they will show yo+ a sign or a miracle. 2 And the sign or miracle they told yo+ a!o+t might come tr+e. Then they might ask yo+ to follow other gods 7gods yo+ De+teronomy 13.3*& &3 dont know8 and say to yo+, ets serve these gods" 3 Dont listen to them, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God is testing yo+. $e wants to know if yo+ love him with all yo+r heart and all yo+r so+l. # ;o+ m+st follow the 5.D yo+r God. pag. 21'0131#

.espect him. 5!ey his commands and do what he tells yo+. Serve the 5.D yo+r God, and never leave him. % Also, yo+ m+st kill that prophet or person who e4plains dreams, !eca+se they told yo+ to t+rn against the 5.D yo+r God. And it was the 5.D yo+r God who !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt, where yo+ were slaves. They tried to p+ll yo+ away from the life he commanded yo+ to live, so yo+ m+st kill them to remove this evil from yo+r people. & Someone close to yo+ might secretly pers+ade yo+ to worship other gods. 3t might !e yo+r own !rother, yo+r son, yo+r da+ghter, the wife yo+ love, or yo+r closest friend. They might say, ets go and serve other gods. 7These are gods that yo+ and yo+r ancestors never knew. De+teronomy 13.'*13 &# ' They are the gods of the people who live in the other lands aro+nd yo+, some near and some far away.8 ( ;o+ m+st not agree with them. Dont listen to them or feel sorry for them. Dont let them go free or protect them. ) 1o, yo+ m+st kill them with stones. ;o+ !e the first one to pick +p stones and throw at them. Then everyone m+st throw stones to kill them, !eca+se they tried to p+ll yo+ away from the 5.D yo+r God. And it was the ord who !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the land of -gypt, where yo+ were slaves. 1, 713:)8 11 Then all the 3sraelites will hear a!o+t it and !e afraid. And they will not do those evil things any more. 12 The 5.D yo+r God has given yo+ cities to live in. Sometimes yo+ might hear some !ad news a!o+t one of these cities. ;o+ might hear that 13 some tro+!lemakers from yo+r own nation are pers+ading the people of their city to do !ad things. They might say to the people of their city, ets go and serve other gods. 7These gods wo+ld !e gods that yo+ never knew !efore.8 De+teronomy 13.1#*1( &% -asy To .ead /ersion

1# 3f yo+ hear this kind of news, yo+ m+st do all yo+ can to learn if it is tr+e. 3f yo+ learn that it is tr+e, if yo+ prove that s+ch a terri!le thing really did happen, 1% then yo+ m+st kill all the people of that city and their animals too. ;o+ m+st destroy that city completely. 1& ;o+ m+st gather +p everything of val+e and take it to the center of the city. <+rn the whole city and everything in it as a !+rnt offering to the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ m+st t+rn that city into an empty pile of rocks forever, and that city m+st never !e re!+ilt. 1' -verything in that city m+st !e destroyed as an offering to God. So yo+ m+st not keep any of the things for yo+rselves. 3f yo+ follow this command, the 5.D will stop !eing so angry with yo+. $e will !e kind to yo+. $e will feel sorry for yo+. $e will let yo+r nation grow larger, as he promised yo+r ancestors. 1( This will happen if yo+ listen to the 5.D yo+r Godif yo+ o!ey all his commands that 3 give yo+ today. ;o+ m+st do what the 5.D yo+r God says is right. De+teronomy 1#.1*( && 14 1 ;o+ are the children of the 5.D yo+r God. >hen someone dies, yo+ m+st not c+t yo+rselves or shave yo+r heads to show yo+r sadness. 2 This is !eca+se yo+ are different from other people. ;o+ !elong to the 5.D yo+r God. 2rom all the people in the world, the 5.D chose yo+ to !e his own special people. 3 Dont eat anything that the ord hates. # ;o+ may eat these animals: cattle, sheep, goats, % deer, gaEelles, roe deer, wild sheep, wild goats, antelopes, and mo+ntain sheep. & ;o+ may eat any animal that has hooves divided into two parts and that chews the c+d. ' <+t dont eat camels, ra!!its, or rock !adgers. These animals chew the c+d, !+t they dont have split hooves. So these animals are not a clean food for pag. 21(0131#

yo+. ( And yo+ m+st not eat pigs. Their hooves are divided, !+t they dont chew the c+d. So pigs are not a clean food for yo+. Dont eat any meat from pigs. Dont even to+ch a pigs dead !ody. De+teronomy 1#.)*21 &' ) ;o+ may eat any kind of fish that has fins and scales. 1, <+t dont eat anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales. 3t is not a clean food for yo+. 11 ;o+ may eat any clean !ird. 12 <+t dont eat any of these !irds: eagles, v+lt+res, !+EEards, 13 red kites, falcons, any kind of kite, 1# any kind of raven, 1% horned owls, screech owls, sea g+lls, any kind of hawk, 1& little owls, great owls, white owls, 1' desert owls, ospreys, cormorants, 1( storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or !ats. 1) All insects with wings are +nclean, so dont eat them. 2, <+t yo+ may eat any clean !ird. 21 Dont eat any animal that has died !y itself. ;o+ may give the dead animal to the foreigner in yo+r town, and he can eat it. 5r yo+ may sell the dead animal to a foreigner. <+t yo+ yo+rselves m+st not eat the dead animal, !eca+se yo+ !elong to the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ are his special people. Dont cook a !a!y goat in its mothers milk. De+teronomy 1#.22*2' &( 22 -very year yo+ m+st !e s+re to save oneDtenth of all the crops that grow in yo+r fields. 23 Then yo+ m+st go to the place the ord chooses to !e the home for his name. ;o+ will go there to !e with the 5.D yo+r God. At that place yo+ will eat the tenth of yo+r cropsoneDtenth of yo+r grain, yo+r new wine, yo+r oil, and the first animals !orn in yo+r herds and flocks. 3n this way yo+ will always remem!er to respect the 5.D yo+r God. 2# <+t that place might !e too far for -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ to travel to. Aay!e yo+ will not !e a!le to carry oneDtenth of all the crops that the 5.D has !lessed yo+ with. 3f that happens, 2% sell that part of yo+r crops and take the money with yo+ to the special place the 5.D has chosen. 2& Hse the money to !+y anything yo+ wantcattle, sheep, wine or !eer or any other food. Then yo+ and yo+r family sho+ld eat and en=oy yo+rselves there in that place with the 5.D yo+r God. 2' <+t dont forget the evites living in yo+r town. Share yo+r food with them De+teronomy 1#.2(*1%.# &) !eca+se they dont get a share of the land the way yo+ do. 2( At the end of every three years, yo+ m+st gather oneDtenth of yo+r harvest for that year. Store this food in yo+r towns. 2) Geep this food for the evites, !eca+se they dont have any land of their own. Also keep this food for the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in yo+r towns. This will provide eno+gh for them to come and eat all they want. 3f yo+ do this, the 5.D yo+r God will !less yo+ in everything yo+ do. 15 1 At the end of every seven years, yo+ m+st cancel de!ts. 2 This is the way yo+ m+st do this: -veryone who has lent money to another 3sraelite m+st cancel the de!t. $e sho+ld not ask a fellow 3sraelite to repay the de!t, !eca+se the 5.D said to cancel de!ts d+ring that year. 3 ;o+ may reJ+ire a foreigner to repay yo+, !+t yo+ m+st cancel any de!t another 3sraelite owes yo+. # There sho+ld not !e any poor people in yo+r co+ntry, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r De+teronomy 1%.%*) ', God is giving yo+ this land. And the 5.D will greatly !less yo+. % <+t this will happen only if yo+ o!ey the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ m+st !e caref+l to o!ey every command that 3 have told yo+ today. & Then the 5.D yo+r God will !less pag. 21)0131#

yo+, as he promised. And yo+ will have eno+gh money to make loans to many nations. <+t yo+ will not need to !orrow from anyone. ;o+ will r+le over many nations. <+t none of these nations will r+le over yo+. ' >hen yo+ are living in the land the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+, there might !e some poor people living among yo+. ;o+ m+st not !e selfish. ;o+ m+st not ref+se to give help to them. ( ;o+ m+st !e willing to share with them. ;o+ m+st lend them whatever they need. ) Dont ever ref+se to help someone simply !eca+se the seventh year, the year for canceling de!ts, is near. Dont let an evil tho+ght like that enter yo+r mind. ;o+ m+st never have !ad tho+ghts a!o+t someone who needs help. ;o+ m+st not ref+se to help them. 3f yo+ dont help the De+teronomy 1%.1,*1% '1 poor, they might complain to the 5.D, and he will =+dge yo+ g+ilty of sin. 1, So !e s+re to give to the poor. Dont hesitate to give to them, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God will !less yo+ for doing this good thing. $e will !less yo+ in all yo+r work and in everything yo+ do. 11 There will always !e poor people in the land. That is why 3 command yo+ to !e ready to help yo+r !rother or sister. Give to the poor in yo+r land who need help. 12 ;o+ might !+y a $e!rew man or woman to serve yo+ as a slave. ;o+ may keep that person as a slave for si4 years. <+t in the seventh year, yo+ m+st let that person go free. 13 <+t when yo+ let yo+r slave go free, dont send him away with nothing. 1# ;o+ m+st give him some of yo+r animals, grain, and wine. The 5.D yo+r God !lessed yo+ and gave yo+ plenty of good things. 3n the same way, yo+ m+st give plenty of good things to yo+r slave. 1% .emem!er, yo+ were slaves in -gypt. And the 5.D yo+r God set yo+ free. So that is why 3 am giving yo+ this command today. -asy To .ead /ersion

De+teronomy 1%.1&*21 '2 1& <+t one of yo+r slaves might say to yo+, 3 will not leave yo+. $e might say this !eca+se he loves yo+ and yo+r family and !eca+se he has a good life with yo+. 1' Aake this servant p+t his ear against yo+r door and +se a sharp tool to make a hole in his ear. This will show that he is yo+r slave forever. ;o+ m+st do this even to the women slaves who want to stay with yo+. 1( Dont regret letting yo+r slave go free. .emem!er, he served yo+ si4 years for half of what yo+ wo+ld have paid a hired worker. The 5.D yo+r God will !less yo+ in everything yo+ do. 1) All the first male animals !orn in yo+r herd and flock are special. ;o+ m+st give them to the 5.D. Dont +se any of these animals for yo+r work and dont c+t wool from any of these sheep. 2, -very year yo+ m+st take these animals to the place the 5.D yo+r God will choose. There with the 5.D, yo+ and yo+r family will eat these animals. 21 <+t if an animal has something wrong with itif it is crippled or !lind or has something else wrong with itthen yo+ De+teronomy 1%.22*1&.3 '3 m+st not sacrifice that animal to the 5.D yo+r God. 22 <+t yo+ may eat the meat from that animal at home. Anyone may eat itpeople who are clean and people who are +nclean. The r+les for eating this meat are the same as the r+les for eating gaEelles and deer. 23 <+t yo+ m+st not eat the !lood from the animal. ;o+ m+st po+r the !lood o+t on the gro+nd like water. 16 1 .emem!er, in the month of A!i! yo+ m+st cele!rate 6assover to honor the 5.D yo+r God. 3t was that night in A!i! when the 5.D yo+r God !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. 2 ;o+ m+st go to the place the 5.D yo+r God will choose to !e the home for his name. There yo+ m+st offer the 6assover sacrifice to honor the 5.D. pag. 22,0131#

;o+ m+st offer the cattle and goats. 3 Dont eat !read that has yeast in it with this sacrifice. ;o+ m+st eat +nleavened !read for seven days. This !read is called <read of Tro+!le. 3t will help yo+ remem!er the tro+!les yo+ had in -gypt. .emem!er how J+ickly yo+ had to leave De+teronomy 1&.#*( '# that co+ntry. ;o+ m+st remem!er that day as long as yo+ live. # There m+st !e no yeast in anyones ho+se anywhere in the co+ntry for seven days. And all the meat yo+ sacrifice on the evening of the first day m+st !e eaten !efore morning. % ;o+ m+st not sacrifice the 6assover animal in any of the towns that the 5.D yo+r God gives yo+. & ;o+ m+st sacrifice the 6assover animal only at the place that the 5.D yo+r God will choose to !e the home for his name. There yo+ m+st sacrifice the 6assover animal in the evening when the s+n goes down. This is the festival when yo+ remem!er that God !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. ' ;o+ m+st cook the meal and eat it at the place the 5.D yo+r God will choose. The ne4t morning yo+ may go !ack home. ( ;o+ m+st eat +nleavened !read si4 days. 5n the seventh day, yo+ m+st not do any work. 5n this day the people will come together for a special meeting to honor the 5.D yo+r God. De+teronomy 1&.)*1# '% ) ;o+ m+st co+nt seven weeks from the time yo+ !egin to harvest the grain. 1, Then cele!rate the 2estival of $arvest for the 5.D yo+r God. Do this !y !ringing him some special gift yo+ want to !ring. Decide how m+ch to give !y thinking a!o+t how m+ch the 5.D yo+r God has !lessed yo+. 11 Go to the place the 5.D will choose to !e the home for his name. ;o+ and yo+r people sho+ld en=oy yo+rselves together there with the 5.D yo+r God. Take all yo+r people with yo+yo+r sons, yo+r da+ghters, and all yo+r servants. -asy To .ead /ersion

And take the evites, foreigners, orphans, and widows living in yo+r towns. 12 .emem!er, yo+ were slaves in -gypt. So !e s+re to o!ey these laws. 13 Seven days after yo+ have gathered yo+r harvest in from yo+r threshing floor and from yo+r winepress, yo+ sho+ld cele!rate the 2estival of Shelters. 1# -n=oy yo+rselves at this festivalyo+, yo+r sons, yo+r da+ghters, all yo+r servants, and the evites, foreigners, orphans, and widows living in yo+r towns. De+teronomy 1&.1%*1) '& 1% 9ele!rate this festival for seven days at the special place the 5.D will choose. Do this to honor the 5.D yo+r God. The 5.D yo+r God !lessed yo+r harvest and all the work yo+ did, so !e very happy" 1& Three times a year all yo+r men m+st come to meet with the 5.D yo+r God at the special place he will choose. They m+st come for the 2estival of Hnleavened <read, the 2estival of $arvest, and the 2estival of Shelters. -veryone who comes to meet with the 5.D m+st !ring a gift. 1' -ach man sho+ld give as m+ch as he can. $e sho+ld decide how m+ch to give !y thinking a!o+t how m+ch the 5.D has given him. 1( 9hoose men to !e =+dges and officers in every town that the 5.D yo+r God gives yo+. -very tri!e m+st do this. And these men m+st !e fair in =+dging the people. 1) ;o+ m+st always !e fair. ;o+ m+st not favor some people over other people. ;o+ m+st not take money to change yo+r mind in =+dgment. Aoney !linds the eyes De+teronomy 1&.2,*1'.3 '' of wise people and changes what a good person will say. 2, Goodness and 2airness" ;o+ m+st try very hard to !e good and fair all the time. Then yo+ will live and keep the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. pag. 2210131#

21 >hen yo+ set +p an altar for the 5.D yo+r God, yo+ m+st not place !eside the altar any of the wooden poles that honor the goddess Asherah. 22 ;o+ m+st not set +p special stones for worshiping false gods. The 5.D yo+r God hates them. 17 1 ;o+ m+st not sacrifice to the 5.D yo+r God an o4 or sheep that has anything wrong with it. The 5.D yo+r God wo+ld hate that. 2 ;o+ might hear a!o+t an evil thing that happens in one of the cities that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. ;o+ might hear that a man or woman in yo+r gro+p has sinned against the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ might hear that they have !roken his agreement or 3 that they have worshiped other gods or may!e the s+n, the moon or the stars. 3 never told yo+ to do that" De+teronomy 1'.#*( '( # 3f yo+ hear !ad news like this, yo+ m+st check it caref+lly. ;o+ m+st learn if it is tr+e that this terri!le thing has really happened in 3srael. 3f yo+ prove that it is tr+e, % yo+ m+st p+nish the person who did this evil thing. ;o+ m+st take that man or woman o+t to a p+!lic place near the city gates and kill them with stones. & <+t no one sho+ld !e p+nished with death if only one witness says that person did this evil thing. <+t if two or three witnesses say it is tr+e, the person m+st !e killed. ' The witnesses m+st throw the first stones to kill that person. Then the other people sho+ld throw stones to finish killing that person. 3n this way yo+ will remove this evil from yo+r gro+p. ( There might !e some pro!lems that are too hard for yo+r co+rts to =+dge. 3t might !e a m+rder case or an arg+ment !etween two people. 5r it might !e a fight in which someone was h+rt. >hen these cases are arg+ed in yo+r towns, yo+r =+dges there might not !e a!le to decide what is right. Then yo+ m+st go De+teronomy 1'.)*1% ') -asy To .ead /ersion

to the special place that the 5.D yo+r God will choose. ) ;o+ m+st go to the priests who are evites and to the =+dge on d+ty at that time. They will decide what to do a!o+t that pro!lem. 1, There at the 5.D@S special place they will tell yo+ their decision. ;o+ m+st do whatever they say. <e s+re to do everything they tell yo+ to do. 11 ;o+ m+st accept their decision and follow their instr+ctions e4actlydont change anything" 12 ;o+ m+st p+nish anyone who ref+ses to o!ey the =+dge or the priest who is there at that time serving the 5.D yo+r God. That person m+st die. ;o+ m+st remove this evil person from 3srael. 13 All the people will hear a!o+t this p+nishment and !e afraid. Then they will not !e st+!!orn anymore. 1# ;o+ will enter the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. ;o+ will take that land and live in it. Then yo+ will say, >e will p+t a king over +s, like all the nations aro+nd +s. 1% >hen that happens, yo+ m+st !e s+re to choose the king that the 5.D De+teronomy 1'.1&*2, (, yo+r God chooses. The king over yo+ m+st !e one of yo+r own people. ;o+ m+st not make a foreigner yo+r king. 1& The king m+st not get more and more horses for himself. And he m+st not send people to -gypt to get more horses, !eca+se the 5.D has told yo+, ;o+ m+st never go !ack that way. 1' Also, the king m+st not have too many wives, !eca+se that will make him t+rn away from the ord. And he m+st not make himself rich with silver and gold. 1( >hen the king !egins to r+le, he m+st write a copy of the law for himself in a !ook. $e m+st make that copy from the !ooks that the priests from the tri!e of evi keep. 1) $e m+st keep that !ook with him and read from it all his life, !eca+se he m+st learn to respect the 5.D his pag. 2220131#

God. $e m+st learn to completely o!ey everything the law commands. 2, Then the king will not think that he is !etter than any of his own people. $e will not t+rn away from the law, !+t he will follow it e4actly. Then he and his De+teronomy 1(.1*& (1 descendants will r+le the kingdom of 3srael a long time. 18 1 The tri!e of evi will not get any share of land in 3srael. The priests come from that tri!e and they will eat the special sacrifices that are offered as gifts to the 5.D. That is the share for the people from the tri!e of evi. 2 The tri!e of evi will not get any share of land like the other tri!es. Their share is the 5.D himself, as he said to them. 3 >hen yo+ kill one of yo+r sheep or cattle for a sacrifice, yo+ m+st give the priests these parts: the sho+lder, !oth cheeks, and the stomach. # ;o+ m+st give the priests the first part of yo+r harvest. ;o+ m+st give them the first part of yo+r grain, yo+r new wine, and yo+r oil. ;o+ m+st give the evites the first wool c+t from yo+r sheep. % This is !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God looked at all yo+r tri!es and chose evi and his descendants to serve him as priests forever. & Any evite living in any town anywhere in 3srael may leave his home and come to the 5.D@S special place. $e may do this anytime he wants. De+teronomy 1(.'*12 (2 ' And this evite may serve in the name of the 5.D his God, the same as all his !rother evites who are on d+ty !efore the 5.D. ( And that evite will get an eJ+al share with the other evites, in addition to the share his family normally gets. ) >hen yo+ come into the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+, dont learn to do the terri!le things the people of the other nations there do. 1, Dont sacrifice yo+r sons or da+ghters in the fires on yo+r altars. Dont try to learn what will happen in the f+t+re !y -asy To .ead /ersion

talking to a fort+neteller or !y going to a magician, a witch, or a sorcerer. 11 Dont let anyone try to p+t magic spells on other people. Dont let any of yo+r people !ecome a medi+m or a wiEard. And no one sho+ld try to talk with someone who has died. 12 The 5.D hates anyone who does these things. And !eca+se these other nations do these terri!le things, the 5.D yo+r God will force them o+t of the land as yo+ enter it. De+teronomy 1(.13*1( (3 13 ;o+ m+st !e faithf+l to the 5.D yo+r God, never doing anything he considers wrong. 1# ;o+ will force the other nations o+t of yo+r land. They listen to people who +se magic and try to tell the f+t+re. <+t the 5.D yo+r God will not let yo+ do these things. 1% The 5.D yo+r God will send to yo+ a prophet. This prophet will come from among yo+r own people, and he will !e like me. ;o+ m+st listen to him. 1& God will send yo+ this prophet !eca+se that is what yo+ asked him to do. >hen yo+ were gathered together at Ao+nt $ore!, yo+ !ecame frightened and said, Dont let +s hear the voice of the 5.D o+r God again" Dont let +s see that great fire or we will die" 1' The 5.D said to me, >hat they ask for is good. 1( 3 will send them a prophet like yo+. This prophet will !e one of their own people. 3 will tell him what he m+st say, and he will tell the people everything 3 command. De+teronomy 1(.1)*1).2 (# 1) This prophet will speak for me, and 3 will p+nish anyone who ref+ses to listen to my commands. 2, <+t a prophet might say something that 3 did not tell him to say. And he might tell people that he is speaking for me. 3f this happens, that prophet m+st !e killed. Also a prophet might come that speaks for other gods. That prophet m+st also !e killed. pag. 2230131#

21 ;o+ might !e thinking, $ow can we know if something a prophet says is not from the 5.D? 22 3f a prophet says he is speaking for the 5.D, !+t what he says does not happen, yo+ will know that the 5.D did not say it. ;o+ will know that this prophet was speaking his own ideas. ;o+ dont need to !e afraid of him. 19 1 The 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+ land that !elongs to other nations. The 5.D yo+r God will destroy those nations. ;o+ will live where these people lived. ;o+ will take their cities and their ho+ses. >hen that happens, 2 yo+ m+st divide the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. Divide it into three parts and choose a city in De+teronomy 1).3*& (% the middle of each part that can !e a place of safety. ;o+ m+st also !+ild good roads to these cities. Then whoever kills another person may r+n to the closest city of safety. 3 71):28 # This is the r+le for someone who kills another person and r+ns to one of these three cities for safety: 3t m+st !e someone who killed another person accidentally, not o+t of hatred. % $ere is an e4ample: A man goes into the forest with another person to c+t wood. The man swings his a4 to c+t down a tree, !+t the head of the a4 separates from the handle. The a4 head hits the other person and kills him. The man who sw+ng the a4 may then r+n to one of these three cities and !e safe. & <+t if the city is too far away, he might not !e a!le to r+n there fast eno+gh. A close relative of the person he killed might r+n after him and catch him !efore he reaches the city. The relative might kill the man in anger, even tho+gh he did not deserve to die !eca+se he did not mean to harm anyone. De+teronomy 1).'*12 (& ' That is why 3 commanded yo+ to choose three special cities. ( The 5.D yo+r God promised yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

fathers that he wo+ld make yo+r land larger. $e will give yo+ all the land that he promised to give to yo+r ancestors. ) $e will do this if yo+ completely o!ey his commands that 3 give yo+ todayif yo+ love the 5.D yo+r God and always live the way he wants. Then, when he gives yo+ more land, yo+ sho+ld choose three more cities for safety. They sho+ld !e added to the first three cities. 1, Then innocent people will not !e killed in the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. And yo+ will not !e g+ilty for any s+ch deaths. 11 <+t s+ppose there is a man who hates his neigh!or. That man might hide and wait to kill the person he hates. 3f he kills that person and r+ns to one of these cities of safety, 12 the elders in his hometown m+st send someone to get him and take him away from the city of safety. These leaders m+st hand him over to the close relative. $e is a m+rderer and he m+st die. De+teronomy 1).13*1) (' 13 Dont feel sorry for him. $e is g+ilty of killing an innocent person, and yo+ m+st remove that g+ilt from 3srael. Then everything will go well for yo+. 1# ;o+ m+st not move the stones that mark yo+r neigh!ors property. 6eople p+t them there in the past to mark each persons property. These stones mark the land that the 5.D yo+r God gave yo+. 1% 3f someone is acc+sed of doing something against the law, one witness is not eno+gh to prove that the person is g+ilty. There m+st !e two or three witnesses to prove that the person really did wrong. 1& A witness might try to h+rt another person !y lying and saying that this person did wrong. 1' 3f that happens, !oth of them m+st go to the 5.D@S special ho+se and !e =+dged !y the priests and =+dges who are on d+ty at that time. 1( >hen the =+dges caref+lly ask their J+estions, they might find that the pag. 22#0131#

witness lied against the other person. 3f the witnesses tell lies, 1) yo+ m+st p+nish them with the same p+nishment the other person wo+ld have De+teronomy 1).2,*2,.3 (( received. 3n this way yo+ will remove this evil from yo+r gro+p. 2, 5ther people will hear a!o+t this and !e afraid, and people will not do evil things like that again. 21 Dont feel sorry a!o+t p+nishing someone who does wrong. 3f a life is taken, a life m+st !e paid for it. The r+le is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a footthe p+nishment m+st eJ+al the crime. 20 1 >hen yo+ go o+t to !attle against yo+r enemies, and yo+ see horses, chariots, and many more people than yo+ have, yo+ m+st not !e afraid of them. The 5.D yo+r God is with yo+and he !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. 2 >hen yo+ go to the !attle, the priest m+st go to the soldiers and speak to them. 3 The priest will say, Aen of 3srael, listen to me" Today yo+ are going against yo+r enemies in !attle. Dont lose yo+r co+rage. Dont !e tro+!led or +pset. Dont !e afraid of the enemy. De+teronomy 2,.#*( () # The 5.D yo+r God is going with yo+ to help yo+ fight against yo+r enemies. $e will help yo+ win" % The evite officials will say to the soldiers, 3s there any man here who has !+ilt a new ho+se !+t has not yet dedicated it? That man sho+ld go !ack home. $e might !e killed in the !attle, and then another person will dedicate that mans ho+se. & 3s there any man here who has planted a vineyard !+t has not yet gathered any of the grapes? That man sho+ld go !ack home. 3f that man dies in the !attle, someone else will en=oy the fr+it from his field. ' 3s there any man here who is engaged to !e married? That man sho+ld go !ack -asy To .ead /ersion

home. 3f he dies in the !attle, another man will marry the woman he is engaged to. ( These evite officials m+st also say to the people, 3s there any man here who has lost his co+rage and is afraid? $e sho+ld go !ack home. Then he will not ca+se the other soldiers to lose their co+rage too. De+teronomy 2,.)*1& ), ) Then, after the officers have finished speaking to the army, they m+st choose captains to lead the soldiers. 1, >hen yo+ go to attack a city, yo+ m+st first offer peace to the people there. 11 3f they accept yo+r offer and open their gates, all the people in that city will !ecome yo+r slaves and !e forced to work for yo+. 12 <+t if the city ref+ses to make peace with yo+ and fights against yo+, yo+ sho+ld s+rro+nd the city. 13 And when the 5.D yo+r God lets yo+ take the city, yo+ m+st kill all the men in it. 1# <+t yo+ may take for yo+rselves the women, the children, the cattle, and everything else in the city. ;o+ may +se all these things. The 5.D yo+r God has given these things to yo+. 1% That is what yo+ m+st do to all the cities that are very far from yo+the cities that are not in the land where yo+ will live. 1& <+t when yo+ take cities in the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+, yo+ m+st kill everyone. De+teronomy 2,.1'*21.1 )1 1' ;o+ m+st completely destroy all the peoplethe $ittites, Amorites, 9anaanites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. The 5.D yo+r God has commanded yo+ to do this. 1( So then they will not !e a!le to teach yo+ to sin against the 5.D yo+r God or to do any of the terri!le things they do when they worship their gods. 1) >hen yo+ are making war against a city, yo+ might s+rro+nd that city for a pag. 22%0131#

long time. ;o+ m+st not c+t down the fr+it trees aro+nd that city. ;o+ may eat the fr+it from these trees, !+t yo+ m+st not c+t them down. These trees are not the enemy, so dont make war against them. 2, <+t yo+ may c+t down the trees that yo+ know are not fr+it trees. ;o+ may +se these trees to !+ild weapons for making war against that city. ;o+ may +se them +ntil the city falls. 21 1 3n the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+, yo+ might find a dead !ody in a field, !+t no one knows who killed that person. De+teronomy 21.2*' )2 2 ;o+r leaders and =+dges m+st come o+t and meas+re the distance to the towns aro+nd the dead !ody. 3 >hen yo+ learn which town is nearest to the dead !ody, the leaders of that town m+st take a cow from their herds. 3t m+st !e a cow that never had a calf and that has never !een +sed for work. # The leaders of that town m+st then !ring the cow down to a valley with r+nning water. 3t m+st !e a valley that has never !een plowed or had anything planted in it. Then the leaders m+st !reak the cows neck there in that valley. % The priests, the descendants of evi, m+st also go there. 7The 5.D yo+r God has chosen these priests to serve him and to !less people in the name of the 5.D. The priests will decide who is right in every laws+it and whenever someone is h+rt.8 & All the leaders of the town nearest the dead !ody m+st wash their hands over the cow that had its neck !roken in the valley. ' These leaders m+st say, >e did not kill this person, and we did not see it happen. De+teronomy 21.(*1# )3 ( 5.D, yo+ saved yo+r people 3srael. 1ow make +s p+re. Dont !lame +s for killing an innocent person. 3n this way these men will not !e !lamed for killing an innocent person. -asy To .ead /ersion

) 3n this way yo+ will remove that g+ilt from yo+r gro+p !y doing what the 5.D said. 1, ;o+ might fight against yo+r enemies, and the 5.D yo+r God might let yo+ defeat them and take them as captives. 11 ;o+ might see a !ea+tif+l woman among the captives who yo+ want to !e yo+r wife. 12 ;o+ m+st then !ring her into yo+r ho+se where she will shave her head and c+t her nails. 13 She m+st change her clothes and take off the clothes she was wearing when she was capt+red in war. She will stay in yo+r ho+se and !e sad a!o+t losing her father and her mother for a f+ll month. After that yo+ may go to her to !e her h+s!and, and she will !e yo+r wife. 1# 3f yo+ are not pleased with her and choose to divorce her, set her free. ;o+ cannot sell her. ;o+ had se4+al relations De+teronomy 21.1%*2, )# with her, so yo+ m+st not treat her like a slave. 1% A man might have two wives. $e might love one wife more than the other. <oth wives might have children for him, !+t the first!orn son might !e from the wife he does not love. 1& >hen the man divides his property among his children, he cannot give the rights of the first!orn to the son of his favorite wife. 1' The man m+st accept the first!orn son from the wife he does not love. The man m+st give that son a do+!le share of everything he owns !eca+se that son is his first child. The right of the first!orn !elongs to that son. 1( A man might have a son who is st+!!orn and ref+ses to o!ey. This son does not o!ey his father or mother. They p+nish the son, !+t he still ref+ses to listen to them. 1) $is father and mother m+st then take him to the leaders of the town at the town meeting place. 2, They m+st say to the leaders of the pag. 22&0131#

town: 5+r son is st+!!orn and ref+ses to o!ey. $e does not do anything we tell De+teronomy 21.21*22.2 )% him to do. $e eats and he drinks too m+ch. 21 Then the men in the town m+st kill the son with stones. <y doing this yo+ will remove this evil from yo+r gro+p. -veryone in 3srael will hear a!o+t this and !e afraid. 22 A man might !e g+ilty of a sin that m+st !e p+nished !y death. 6eople might kill him and hang his !ody on a tree. 23 ;o+ m+st not let that !ody stay on the tree overnight. ;o+ m+st !e s+re to !+ry this man on the same day, !eca+se the one who hangs on a tree is c+rsed !y God, and yo+ m+st not let the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+ !ecome +nclean. 22 1 3f yo+ see that yo+r neigh!ors o4 or sheep is loose, yo+ m+st not ignore it. <e s+re to take it !ack to its owner. 2 3f the owner does not live near yo+ or if yo+ dont know who it !elongs to, take the o4 or sheep to yo+r ho+se. Geep it there +ntil the owner comes looking for itF then give it !ack. De+teronomy 22.3*) )& 3 ;o+ m+st do the same thing when yo+ find anything that yo+r neigh!or might have lost. Dont try selling it to yo+r neigh!oryo+ m+st give it !ack. # 3f yo+r neigh!ors donkey or o4 has fallen down on the road, yo+ m+st not ignore it. ;o+ m+st help yo+r neigh!or lift it +p again. % A woman m+st not wear mens clothes, and a man m+st not wear womens clothes. That is disg+sting to the 5.D yo+r God. & ;o+ might !e walking along a path and find a !irds nest in a tree or on the gro+nd. 3f the mother !ird is sitting with her !a!y !irds or on the eggs, yo+ m+st not take the mother !ird with the !a!ies. ' ;o+ may take the !a!ies for yo+rself, !+t yo+ m+st let the mother go. 3f yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

o!ey these laws, things will go well for yo+, and yo+ will live a long time. ( >hen yo+ !+ild a new ho+se, yo+ m+st !+ild a wall aro+nd yo+r roof. Then yo+ will not !e g+ilty for the death of a person who falls from the ho+se. ) ;o+ m+st not plant seeds of grain in the same fields as yo+r grapevines. >hy? <eca+se then they !ecome +seless De+teronomy 22.1,*1' )' !oth the grapes and the grain prod+ced !y the seeds yo+ planted. 1, ;o+ m+st not plow with an o4 and a donkey together. 11 ;o+ m+st not wear clothes made !y weaving together wool and linen. 12 Tie several pieces of thread together. Then p+t these tassels on the fo+r corners of the ro!es yo+ wear. 13 A man might marry a woman and have se4+al relations with her. Then he might decide that he does not like her. 1# $e might acc+se her of doing wrong and say, 3 married this woman, !+t when we had se4+al relations, 3 fo+nd she was not a virgin. <y saying this against her, people might think !ad things a!o+t her. 1% 3f this happens, the girls father and mother m+st !ring the proof that the girl was a virgin to the town elders at the meeting place of the town. 1& The girls father m+st say to the leaders, 3 gave my da+ghter to this man to !e his wife, !+t now he does not want her. 1' This man acc+sed my da+ghter of doing wrong and said, 3 did not find the proof that yo+r da+ghter is a virgin. <+t De+teronomy 22.1(*22 )( here is the proof that my da+ghter was a virgin. Then they sho+ld show the cloth to the town leaders. 1( Then the leaders of that town m+st take that man and p+nish him. 1) They m+st fine him #, o+nces of silver. They will give the money to the girls father !eca+se her h+s!and !ro+ght shame to an 3sraelite girl. And the girl will contin+e to !e the mans wife. $e cannot divorce her for the rest of his life. pag. 22'0131#

2, <+t what the h+s!and said a!o+t his wife might !e tr+e. The wifes parents might not have the proof that she was a virgin. 3f this happens, 21 the town leaders m+st !ring the girl to the door of her fathers ho+se. Then the men of the town m+st kill her with stones. She has done a shamef+l thing in 3srael !y having se4+al relations !efore she was married. ;o+ m+st remove this evil from yo+r gro+p. 22 3f a man is fo+nd having se4+al relations with another mans wife, !oth of them m+st diethe woman and the man who had se4+al relations with her. ;o+ m+st remove this evil from 3srael. De+teronomy 22.23*2( )) 23 A man might meet a virgin girl engaged to another man. $e might have se4+al relations with her. 3f this happens in the city, 2# yo+ m+st !ring them !oth o+t to the p+!lic place near the gate of that city, and yo+ m+st kill them with stones. ;o+ m+st kill the man, !eca+se he +sed another mans wife for se4+al sin. And yo+ m+st kill the girl, !eca+se she was in the city !+t did not call for help. ;o+ m+st remove this evil from yo+r people. 2% <+t if a man finds an engaged girl o+t in the field and forces her to have se4+al relations with him, only the man m+st die. 2& ;o+ m+st do nothing to the girl. She did nothing that deserves the p+nishment of death. This is like someone attacking their neigh!or and killing them. 2' The man fo+nd the engaged girl o+t in the field and attacked her. Aay!e she called for help, !+t there was no one to help her. 2( A man might find a virgin girl who is not engaged and force her to have De+teronomy 22.2)*23.# 1,, se4+al relations with him. 3f other people see this happen, 2) he m+st pay the girls father 2, o+nces of silver. And the girl will !ecome the mans wife, !eca+se he +sed her for -asy To .ead /ersion

se4+al sin. $e cannot divorce her all his life. 3, A man m+st not !ring shame to his father !y marrying his fathers wife. 23 1 A man with a cr+shed testicle or part of his se4 organ c+t off may not =oin with the men of 3srael to worship the 5.D. 2 3f a mans parents were not legally married, that man may not =oin with the men of 3srael to worship the 5.D. And none of his descendants to the tenth generationmay =oin in that gro+p. 3 An Ammonite or Aoa!ite may not =oin with the men of 3srael when they gather to worship the 5.D. And none of their descendants, to the tenth generation, may =oin in the worship of the 5.D. # The Ammonites and Aoa!ites ref+sed to give yo+ !read and water on yo+r trip at the time yo+ came from -gypt. They also tried to hire <alaam, the son of <eor De+teronomy 23.%*11 1,1 from the Aesopotamian city of 6ethor, to c+rse yo+. % <+t the 5.D yo+r God ref+sed to do what <alaam asked. 3nstead, the 5.D changed the c+rse into a !lessing for yo+, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God loves yo+. & ;o+ m+st never try to make peace with the Ammonites or Aoa!ites. As long as yo+ live, dont !e friendly to them. ' ;o+ m+st not hate -domites, !eca+se they are yo+r relatives. ;o+ m+st not hate -gyptians, !eca+se yo+ were a stranger in their land. ( The children of the third generation !orn to the -domites and -gyptians may =oin with the people of 3srael to worship the 5.D. ) >hen yo+r army goes to fight against yo+r enemies, stay away from everything that wo+ld make yo+ +nclean. 1, 3f there is any man who is +nclean !eca+se he had a flow of semen d+ring the night, he m+st go o+t of the camp. $e m+st stay away from the camp. 11 Then, when evening comes, the man m+st !athe himself in water. And when pag. 22(0131#

De+teronomy 23.12*1( 1,2 the s+n goes down, he may come into the camp again. 12 ;o+ also m+st have a place o+tside the camp where people can go to relieve themselves. 13 Among yo+r weapons, yo+ m+st also carry a stick to dig with. Then, when yo+ relieve yo+rself, yo+ m+st dig a hole and cover it +p. 1# This is !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God is there with yo+ in yo+r camp to save yo+ and to help yo+ defeat yo+r enemies. So the camp m+st !e holy. Then he will not see something disg+sting and leave yo+. 1% 3f slaves r+n away and come to yo+, dont force them to go !ack to their masters. 1& .+naway slaves may live with yo+ wherever they like in whatever city they choose. ;o+ m+st not tro+!le them. 1' An 3sraelite man or woman m+st never !ecome a temple prostit+te. 1( The money earned !y a prostit+te, either a male or female, m+st not !e !ro+ght to the special ho+se of the 5.D yo+r God. That money cannot !e +sed to pay for a gift that was promised to the De+teronomy 23.1)*2# 1,3 5.D yo+r God, !eca+se that kind of sin is disg+sting to him. 1) >hen yo+ loan something to another 3sraelite, yo+ m+st not charge interest. Dont charge interest on money, on food or on anything that may earn interest. 2, ;o+ may charge interest to a foreigner. <+t yo+ m+st not charge interest to another 3sraelite. 3f yo+ follow these r+les, the 5.D yo+r God will !less yo+ in everything yo+ do in the land where yo+ are going to live. 21 >hen yo+ make a promise to the 5.D yo+r God, dont !e slow to pay everything yo+ promised. The 5.D yo+r God will demand that yo+ pay it. ;o+ will sin if yo+ dont pay what yo+ promised. 22 3f yo+ dont make a promise, yo+ are not sinning. 23 <+t yo+ m+st do what yo+ say yo+ will do. 3f yo+ make a special promise to -asy To .ead /ersion

God, yo+ chose to make that promise. God did not force yo+ to make that promise. So yo+ m+st do what yo+ promised" 2# >hen yo+ go thro+gh another persons vineyard, yo+ may eat as many De+teronomy 23.2%*2#.# 1,# grapes as yo+ want. <+t yo+ cannot p+t any of the grapes in yo+r !asket. 2% >hen yo+ go thro+gh another persons field of grain, yo+ may eat all the grain yo+ can pick with yo+r hands. <+t yo+ cannot +se a sickle to c+t that persons grain and take it with yo+. 24 1 A man might marry a woman, and then find some secret thing a!o+t her that he does not like. 3f that man is not pleased with her, he m+st write the divorce papers and give them to her. Then he m+st send her from his ho+se. 2 >hen she has left his ho+se, she may go and !ecome another mans wife. 3 <+t s+ppose the new h+s!and also does not like her and sends her away. 3f that man divorces her, the first h+s!and may not take her again to !e his wife. 5r if the new h+s!and dies, her first h+s!and may not take her again to !e his wife. She has !ecome +nclean to him. 3f he married her again, he wo+ld !e doing something the 5.D hates. ;o+ m+st not sin like this in the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. # 72#:38 De+teronomy 2#.%*1, 1,% % >hen a man is newly married, he m+st not !e sent into the army. And he m+st not !e given any other special work. 2or one year he m+st !e free to stay home and make his new wife happy. & >hen yo+ lend someone something, yo+ m+st not take as sec+rity any part of the stones +sed to grind flo+r. That wo+ld !e the same as taking away their food. ' Someone might kidnap another 3sraeliteone of their own people. And that kidnapper might sell that person as a slave. 3f that happens, that kidnapper pag. 22)0131#

m+st !e killed. ;o+ m+st remove this evil from yo+r gro+p. ( >hen yo+ have a very !ad skin disease, !e very caref+l to follow everything the evite priests teach yo+. ;o+ m+st follow caref+lly what 3 told the priests to do. ) .emem!er what the 5.D yo+r God did to Airiam on yo+r trip o+t of -gypt. 1, >hen yo+ give someone any kind of loan, yo+ can keep something they own +ntil they pay yo+ !ack. <+t yo+ m+st not go into their ho+se to get what yo+ will keep as the sec+rity. De+teronomy 2#.11*1' 1,& 11 ;o+ m+st wait o+tside for the person to !ring the sec+rity to yo+. 12 3f he is poor and gives yo+ his only coat as sec+rity, yo+ m+st not keep it overnight. 13 ;o+ m+st give that sec+rity !ack to him every evening. Then he will have a coat to sleep in. $e will !less yo+, and the 5.D yo+r God will accept this as living right and doing good. 1# ;o+ m+st not cheat a hired servant who is poor and needy. 3t does not matter if he is an 3sraelite or if he is a foreigner living in one of yo+r cities. 1% Give him his pay every day !efore s+nset, !eca+se he is poor and depends on the money. 3f yo+ dont pay him, he will complain against yo+ to the 5.D, and yo+ will !e g+ilty of sin. 1& 6arents m+st not !e p+t to death for something their children did. And children m+st not !e p+t to death for something their parents did. 6eople sho+ld !e p+t to death only for a !ad thing that they themselves did. 1' ;o+ m+st make s+re that foreigners and orphans are treated fairly. And yo+ De+teronomy 2#.1(*22 1,' m+st never take clothes from a widow as sec+rity. 1( .emem!er, yo+ were poor slaves in -gypt. And the 5.D yo+r God took yo+ from that place and set yo+ free. That is why 3 tell yo+ to do these things for the poor. -asy To .ead /ersion

1) ;o+ might !e gathering yo+r harvest in the field, and yo+ might forget and leave some grain there. ;o+ m+st not go !ack to get it. 3t will !e for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows. 3f yo+ leave some grain for them, the 5.D yo+r God will !less yo+ in everything yo+ do. 2, >hen yo+ !eat yo+r olive trees, yo+ m+st not go !ack to check the !ranches. The olives yo+ leave will !e for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows. 21 >hen yo+ gather the grapes from yo+r vineyard, yo+ m+st not go !ack to gather the grapes yo+ left. They will !e for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows. 22 .emem!er yo+ were poor slaves in -gypt. That is why 3 tell yo+ to do these things for the poor. De+teronomy 2%.1*& 1,( 25 1 >hen two people have an arg+ment, they sho+ld go to the co+rt. The =+dges will decide which person is right and which is wrong. 2 3f the =+dge decides a person m+st !e !eaten with a whip, the =+dge m+st make that person lie face down. Someone will !eat the g+ilty person while the =+dge watches. The n+m!er of times he m+st !e hit depends on the crime. 3 Dont hit anyone more than #, times d+ring p+nishment, !eca+se more than that means that their life is not important to yo+. # >hen an animal is !eing +sed to separate grain, yo+ m+st not cover its mo+th to stop it from eating. % 3f two !rothers live together, and one of them dies witho+t a son, the wife of the dead man m+st not marry a stranger o+tside the family. $er h+s!ands !rother m+st take her as his wife and have se4+al relations with her. $e m+st do the d+ty of a h+s!ands !rother for her. & Then the first son she has will !e considered the dead mans son in order to keep the dead mans name alive in 3srael. De+teronomy 2%.'*13 1,) pag. 23,0131#

' 3f the man does not want to take his !rothers wife, she m+st go to the town meeting place and tell the leaders, Ay h+s!ands !rother ref+ses to keep his !rothers name alive in 3srael. $e will not do the d+ty of a h+s!ands !rother to me. ( Then the leaders of the city m+st call the man and talk to him. 3f the man is st+!!orn and says, 3 dont want to take her, ) then his !rothers wife m+st come to him in front of the leaders. She m+st take his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. She m+st say, This is !eing done to the man who will not give his !rother a son" 1, 2rom then on, the !rothers family will !e known in 3srael as, the family of the man whose sandal was removed. 11 Two men might !e fighting against each other. 5ne mans wife might come to help her h+s!and, !+t she m+st not gra! the other mans private parts. 12 3f she does that, c+t off her hand. Dont feel sorry for her. 13 Dont +se weights that are too heavy or too light. De+teronomy 2%.1#*2&.1 11, 1# Dont keep meas+res in yo+r ho+se that are too large or too small. 1% ;o+ m+st +se weights and meas+res that are correct and acc+rate. Then yo+ will live a long time in the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. 1& The 5.D yo+r God hates people who cheat with false weights and meas+res. ;es, he hates all people who do wrong. 1' .emem!er what the Amalekites did to yo+ when yo+ were coming from -gypt. 1( The Amalekites did not respect God. They attacked yo+ when yo+ were weak and tired. They killed all yo+r people who were slow and walking !ehind everyone else. 1) That is why yo+ m+st destroy the memory of the Amalekites from the world. ;o+ will do this when yo+ enter the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. There he will give yo+ rest -asy To .ead /ersion

from all the enemies aro+nd yo+. <+t do not forget to destroy the Amalekites" 26 1 ;o+ will soon enter the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. ;o+ will take that land and live there. De+teronomy 2&.2*& 111 2 ;o+ will gather the crops that grow in the land the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. ;o+ m+st take some of the first crops yo+ gather and p+t them in !askets. Then take that part of yo+r harvest to the place that the 5.D yo+r God chooses to !e the home for his name. 3 Go to the priest who is serving at that time. Tell him, The 5.D promised o+r ancestors that he wo+ld give +s some land. Today 3 come to anno+nce to the 5.D yo+r God that 3 have come to that land. # Then the priest will take the !asket from yo+. $e will p+t it down in front of the altar of the 5.D yo+r God. % Then there !efore the 5.D yo+r God yo+ will say: Ay ancestor was a wandering Aramean. $e went down into -gypt and stayed there. >hen he went there, he had only a few people in his family. <+t in -gypt he !ecame a great nationa powerf+l nation with many people. & The -gyptians treated +s !adly. They made +s slaves. They h+rt +s and forced +s to work very hard. De+teronomy 2&.'*12 112 ' Then we prayed to the 5.D, the God of o+r ancestors, and complained a!o+t them. And the 5.D heard +s. $e saw o+r tro+!le, o+r hard work, and o+r s+ffering. ( Then the 5.D !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt with his great power and strength. $e +sed great miracles and wonders and did amaEing things. ) So he !ro+ght +s to this place. $e gave +s this landa land filled with many good things. 1, 1ow, 5.D, 3 !ring yo+ the first harvest from the land that yo+ gave me. Then yo+ m+st p+t the harvest down pag. 2310131#

!efore the 5.D yo+r God and !ow down to worship him. 11 Then yo+ m+st have a meal together and en=oy all the good things that the 5.D yo+r God has given to yo+ and yo+r family. ;o+ m+st share them with the evites and the foreigners living among yo+. 12 -very third year is the ;ear of Tithes. 3n that year, yo+ m+st give oneDtenth of yo+r harvest to the evites, to the foreigners living in yo+r co+ntry, and to De+teronomy 2&.13*1' 113 the widows and orphans. Then they will have plenty to eat in every city. 13 ;o+ m+st say to the 5.D yo+r God, 3 have taken o+t of my ho+se the holy part of my harvest. 3 have given it to the evites, to the foreigners, and to the orphans and widows. 3 have followed all the commands yo+ gave me. 3 have not ref+sed to o!ey any of yo+r commands. 3 have not forgotten them. 1# 3 have not eaten this food when 3 was sad. 3 was not +nclean when 3 collected this food. 3 have not offered any of this food for dead people. 3 have o!eyed yo+, 5.D my God. 3 have done everything yo+ commanded me. 1% ook down from yo+r holy home, from heaven, and !less yo+r people 3srael. And !less the land that yo+ gave +s. ;o+ promised o+r ancestors to give +s this landa land filled with many good things. 1& Today the 5.D yo+r God commands yo+ to o!ey all these laws and r+les. <e caref+l to follow them with all yo+r heart and so+l. 1' Today yo+ have said that the 5.D is yo+r God. ;o+ have promised to live De+teronomy 2&.1(*2'.3 11# the way he wants. ;o+ promised to follow his teachings and to o!ey his laws and commands. ;o+ said yo+ wo+ld do everything he tells yo+ to do. 1( And today the 5.D has accepted yo+ to !e his own people. $e has promised yo+ this. The 5.D also said that yo+ m+st o!ey all his commands. -asy To .ead /ersion

1) The 5.D will make yo+ greater than all the nations he made. $e will give yo+ praise, fame, and honor. And yo+ will !e his own special people, as he promised. 27 1 Aoses and the elders of 3srael spoke to the people. Aoses said, 5!ey all the commands that 3 give yo+ today. 2 ;o+ will soon go across the Cordan .iver into the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. 5n that day yo+ m+st p+t +p large stones. 9over them with plaster. 3 Then write on the stones all these commands and teachings. ;o+ m+st do this when yo+ go across the Cordan .iver. Then yo+ may go into the land that the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+a land filled with many good things. The 5.D, the De+teronomy 2'.#*1, 11% God of yo+r ancestors, promised to give yo+ this land. # After yo+ go across the Cordan .iver, yo+ m+st do what 3 command yo+ today. ;o+ m+st set +p the stones on Ao+nt -!al. ;o+ m+st cover these stones with plaster. % Also, +se some stones there to !+ild an altar to the 5.D yo+r God. Dont +se iron tools to c+t the stones. & ;o+ m+st not +se c+t stones to !+ild the altar for the 5.D yo+r God. 5ffer !+rnt offerings on this altar to the 5.D yo+r God. ' And yo+ m+st sacrifice and eat fellowship offerings there. -at and en=oy yo+rselves there together with the 5.D yo+r God. ( ;o+ m+st write all these teachings on the stones that yo+ set +p. >rite clearly so that they are easy to read. ) Aoses and the evite priests spoke to all the 3sraelites. Aoses said, <e J+iet and listen, 3srael" Today yo+ have !ecome the people of the 5.D yo+r God. 1, So yo+ m+st do everything that the 5.D yo+r God tells yo+. ;o+ m+st o!ey De+teronomy 2'.11*1( 11& his commands and his laws that 3 am pag. 2320131#

giving yo+ today. 11 That day Aoses also told the people, 12 After yo+ have gone across the Cordan .iver, these tri!es will stand on Ao+nt GeriEim to read the !lessings to the people: Simeon, evi, C+dah, 3ssachar, Coseph, and <en=amin. 13 And these tri!es will stand on Ao+nt -!al to read the c+rses: .e+!en, Gad, Asher, Be!+l+n, Dan, and 1aphtali. 1# And the evites will say to all the 3sraelites in a lo+d voice: 1% 9+rsed is the one who makes a false god and p+ts it in its secret place. These false gods are only stat+es that some worker makes from wood, stone or metal. The 5.D hates these things" Then all the people will answer, Amen" 1& The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who does not show respect to their father or their mother" Then all the people will answer, Amen" 1' The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who moves a neigh!ors landmark" Then all the people will say, Amen" 1( The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who tricks a !lind man into going De+teronomy 2'.1)*2% 11' the wrong way" Then all the people will say, Amen" 1) The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who does not give fair =+dgment for the foreigners, orphans, and widows" Then all the people will say, Amen" 2, The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who shames his father !y having se4+al relations with his fathers wife. Then all the people will say, Amen" 21 The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who has se4+al relations with any kind of animal" Then all the people will say, Amen" 22 The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who has se4+al relations with his sister or half sister" Then all the people will say, Amen" 23 The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who has se4+al relations with his motherDinDlaw" Then all the people will say, Amen" -asy To .ead /ersion

2# The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who kills anyone, even if he is not ca+ght" Then all the people will say, Amen" 2% The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who takes money to kill an innocent De+teronomy 2'.2&*2(.' 11( person" Then all the people will say, Amen" 2& The evites will say, 9+rsed is the one who does not s+pport this law and agree to o!ey it. Then all the people will say, Amen" 28 1 1ow, if yo+ will !e caref+l to o!ey the 5.D yo+r God and follow all his commands that 3 tell yo+ today, the 5.D yo+r God will p+t yo+ high a!ove all the nations on earth. 2 3f yo+ will o!ey the 5.D yo+r God, all these !lessings will come to yo+ and !e yo+rs: 3 $e will !less yo+ in the city and in the field. # $e will !less yo+ and give yo+ many children. $e will !less yo+r land and give yo+ good crops. $e will !less yo+r animals and let them have many !a!ies. $e will !less yo+ with calves and lam!s. % $e will !less yo+r !askets and pans and fill them with food. & $e will !less yo+ at all times in everything yo+ do. ' The 5.D will help yo+ defeat yo+r enemies who come to fight against yo+. ;o+r enemies will come against yo+ one De+teronomy 2(.(*13 11) way, !+t they will r+n away from yo+ seven different ways" ( The 5.D will !less yo+ and fill yo+r !arns. $e will !less everything yo+ do. The 5.D yo+r God will !less yo+ in the land that he is giving yo+. ) The 5.D will make yo+ his own special people, as he promised. The ord will do this if yo+ follow the 5.D yo+r God and o!ey his commands. 1, Then all the people in that land will see that yo+ are called to !e the 5.D@S people, and they will !e afraid of yo+. 11 And the 5.D will give yo+ many pag. 2330131#

good things. $e will give yo+ many children. $e will give yo+r cows many calves. $e will give yo+ a good harvest in the land that the 5.D promised yo+r ancestors to give yo+. 12 The 5.D will open his storeho+se where he keeps his rich !lessings. $e will send rain at the right time for yo+r land. $e will !less everything yo+ do. ;o+ will have money to lend to many nations. And yo+ will not need to !orrow anything from them. 13 The 5.D will make yo+ !e like the head, not the tail. ;o+ will !e on top, De+teronomy 2(.1#*2, 12, not on the !ottom. This will happen if yo+ listen to the commands of the 5.D yo+r God that 3 tell yo+ today. ;o+ m+st caref+lly o!ey these commands. 1# ;o+ m+st not t+rn away from any of the teachings that 3 give yo+ today. ;o+ m+st not t+rn away to the right or to the left. ;o+ m+st not follow other gods to serve them. 1% <+t if yo+ dont listen to what the 5.D yo+r God tells yo+if yo+ dont o!ey all his commands and laws that 3 tell yo+ todaythen all these !ad things will happen to yo+: 1& The ord will c+rse yo+ in the city and in the field. 1' $e will c+rse yo+ with empty !askets and pans. 1( $e will c+rse yo+, and yo+ will not have many children. $e will c+rse yo+r land, and yo+ will not have good crops. $e will c+rse yo+r animals, and they will not have many !a!ies. $e will c+rse yo+r calves and lam!s. 1) $e will c+rse yo+ at all times in everything yo+ do. 2, 3f yo+ do evil and t+rn away from the 5.D, he will make !ad things happen De+teronomy 2(.21*2% 121 to yo+. ;o+ will have fr+stration and tro+!le in everything yo+ do. $e will contin+e to do this +ntil yo+ are J+ickly and completely destroyed. $e will do this !eca+se yo+ t+rned away from him and left him. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 The 5.D will send yo+ terri!le diseases +ntil yo+ no longer e4ist, +ntil yo+ are completely gone from the land. 22 The 5.D will p+nish yo+ with diseases, fever, and swelling. $e will send yo+ terri!le heat and yo+ will have no rain. ;o+r crops will die from the heat and disease. All these !ad things will happen +ntil yo+ are destroyed" 23 There will !e no clo+ds in the skythe sky will look like polished !rass. And the gro+nd +nder yo+ will !e hard like iron. 2# The 5.D will not send rainonly sand and d+st will fall from the sky. 3t will come down on yo+ +ntil yo+ are destroyed. 2% The 5.D will let yo+r enemies defeat yo+. ;o+ will go to fight against yo+r enemies one way, !+t yo+ will r+n away from them seven different ways. The !ad things that happen to yo+ will make all the people on earth afraid. De+teronomy 2(.2&*31 122 2& ;o+r dead !odies will !e food for the wild !irds and animals. There will !e no one to scare them away from yo+r dead !odies. 2' The 5.D will p+nish yo+ with !oils, like those he sent on the -gyptians. $e will p+nish yo+ with t+mors, sores that r+n, and an itch that cannot !e c+red. 2( The 5.D will p+nish yo+ !y making yo+ craEy. $e will make yo+ !lind and conf+sed. 2) 3n daylight yo+ will have to feel yo+r way like a !lind man. ;o+ will fail in everything yo+ do. Again and again people will h+rt yo+ and steal from yo+. And there will !e no one to save yo+. 3, ;o+ will !e engaged to a woman, !+t another man will have se4+al relations with her. ;o+ will !+ild a ho+se, !+t yo+ will not live in it. ;o+ will plant a vineyard, !+t yo+ will not gather anything from it. 31 6eople will kill yo+r cattle in front of yo+, !+t yo+ will not eat any of the meat. 6eople will take yo+r donkeys, and they will not give them !ack to yo+. ;o+r enemies will get yo+r sheep, and there pag. 23#0131#

will !e no one to help yo+. De+teronomy 2(.32*3' 123 32 5ther people will !e allowed to take yo+r sons and yo+r da+ghters. Day after day yo+ will look for yo+r children. ;o+ will look for them +ntil yo+r eyes !ecome weak and !lind!+t yo+ will not find them. And God will not help yo+. 33 A nation that yo+ dont know will take all yo+r crops and everything yo+ worked for. 6eople will treat yo+ !adly and a!+se yo+. 3# The things yo+ see will make yo+ go craEy. 3% The 5.D will p+nish yo+ with sore !oils that cannot !e healed. These !oils will !e on yo+r knees and legs. The !oils will !e on every part of yo+r !odyfrom the !ottom of yo+r feet to the top of yo+r head. 3& The 5.D will send yo+ and yo+r king away to a nation yo+ dont know. ;o+ and yo+r ancestors have never seen that nation. There yo+ will serve false gods made of wood and stone. 3' 3n the co+ntries where the 5.D will send yo+, the people will !e shocked at the terri!le things that happen to yo+. They will la+gh at yo+ and say !ad things a!o+t yo+. De+teronomy 2(.3(*#% 12# 3( ;o+r fields will prod+ce plenty of grain. <+t yo+r harvest will !e small, !eca+se the loc+sts will eat yo+r harvest. 3) ;o+ will plant vineyards and work hard in them. <+t yo+ will not gather the grapes or drink the wine from them, !eca+se the worms will eat them. #, ;o+ will have olive trees everywhere on yo+r land. <+t yo+ will not have any of the oil to +se, !eca+se the olives will drop to the gro+nd and rot. #1 ;o+ will have sons and da+ghters. <+t yo+ will not !e a!le to keep them, !eca+se they will !e capt+red and taken away. #2 oc+sts will destroy all yo+r trees and the crops in yo+r fields. #3 The foreigners living among yo+ will get more and more power, and yo+ will -asy To .ead /ersion

lose the power yo+ had. ## The foreigners will have money to loan yo+, !+t yo+ will not have any money to loan them. They will control yo+ the way the head controls the !ody. ;o+ will !e like the tail. #% All these c+rses will come on yo+. They will keep chasing yo+ and catching yo+, +ntil yo+ are destroyed, !eca+se De+teronomy 2(.#&*%1 12% yo+ did not listen to what the 5.D yo+r God told yo+. ;o+ did not o!ey the commands and laws that he gave yo+. #& These c+rses will show people that God =+dged yo+ and yo+r descendants forever. 6eople will !e amaEed at the terri!le things that happen to yo+. #' The 5.D yo+r God gave yo+ many !lessings. <+t yo+ did not serve him with =oy and a glad heart. #( So yo+ will serve the enemies the 5.D will send against yo+. ;o+ will !e h+ngry, thirsty, naked, and poor. $e will p+t a load on yo+ that cannot !e removed. ;o+ will carry that load +ntil he destroys yo+. #) The 5.D will !ring a nation from far away to fight yo+. ;o+ will not +nderstand their lang+age. They will come J+ickly, like an eagle coming down from the sky. %, These people will !e cr+el. They will not care a!o+t old people or show mercy to yo+ng children. %1 They will take yo+r animals and the food yo+ grow. They will take everything +ntil they destroy yo+. They will not leave yo+ any grain, wine, oil, De+teronomy 2(.%2*%% 12& cattle, sheep, or goats. They will take everything, +ntil they destroy yo+. %2 That nation will s+rro+nd and attack yo+r cities. ;o+ think that the tall, strong walls aro+nd yo+r cities will protect yo+. <+t those walls will fall down. The enemy will s+rro+nd all yo+r cities everywhere in the land the 5.D yo+r God is giving yo+. %3 ;o+ will s+ffer very m+ch. The enemy will s+rro+nd yo+r cities. They will not pag. 23%0131#

let yo+ have any food. ;o+ will get very h+ngry. ;o+ will !e so h+ngry that yo+ will eat yo+r own sons and da+ghtersyo+ will eat the !odies of the children the 5.D yo+r God gave yo+. %# -ven the most kind and gentle man among yo+ will !ecome cr+el. $e will !e cr+el to his family, and he will !e cr+el to his wife he loves so m+ch. And he will !e cr+el to his children who are still alive. %% $e will have nothing left to eat, so he will eat his own children. And he will not share that meat with anyonenot even the other people in his own family. All these !ad things will happen when yo+r enemy comes to s+rro+nd yo+r cities and make yo+ s+ffer. De+teronomy 2(.%&*&, 12' %& -ven the most kind and gentle woman among yo+ will !ecome cr+el. She might !e a lady so gentle and delicate that she never p+t her feet on the gro+nd to walk anywhere. <+t she will !ecome cr+el to her h+s!and she loves so m+ch. And she will !e cr+el to her own son and da+ghter. %' She will hide and give !irth to a !a!y. And she will eat the !a!y and everything that comes o+t of her !ody with it. All these !ad things will happen when yo+r enemy comes to s+rro+nd yo+r cities and make yo+ s+ffer. %( ;o+ m+st o!ey all the commands and teachings that are written in this !ook. And yo+ m+st respect the wonderf+l and awesome name of the 5.D yo+r God. 3f yo+ dont o!ey, %) the 5.D will p+nish yo+ and yo+r descendants with terri!le diseases. $e will ca+se yo+ to s+ffer illnesses that have no c+re. And yo+ will find no relief for yo+r misery" &, $e will !ring on yo+ all the diseases yo+ saw in -gypt that filled yo+ with fear, and yo+ will not !e a!le to avoid them. De+teronomy 2(.&1*&% 12( &1 The 5.D will even !ring tro+!les and diseases that are not written in this <ook of Teachings. $e will contin+e to do this +ntil yo+ are destroyed. -asy To .ead /ersion

&2 ;o+ might have as many people as the stars in the sky. <+t only a few of yo+ will !e left, !eca+se yo+ did not listen to the 5.D yo+r God. &3 The 5.D was happy to !e good to yo+ and to make yo+r nation grow. 3n the same way, the 5.D will !e happy to r+in and destroy yo+. ;o+ are entering that land to make it yo+rs. <+t yo+ will !e forced to leave it" &# The 5.D will scatter yo+ among all the people in the world. $e will scatter yo+ from one end of the earth to the other. There yo+ will serve false gods made of wood and stone, gods that yo+ or yo+r ancestors never worshiped !efore. &% Among those nations yo+ will find no peace. ;o+ will have no place to rest. The 5.D will fill yo+r mind with worry. ;o+r eyes will feel tired. ;o+ will lose all hope. De+teronomy 2(.&&*2).3 12) && ;o+ will live in constant danger. ;o+ will !e f+ll of fear day and night, never s+re if yo+ will live or not. &' 3n the morning yo+ will say, 3 wish it were evening" 3n the evening yo+ will say, 3 wish it were morning" This will happen !eca+se of the fear in yo+r heart and the terri!le things yo+ will see. &( The 5.D will send yo+ !ack to -gypt in ships. 3 said yo+ wo+ld never have to go to that place again, !+t he will send yo+ there. 3n -gypt yo+ will try to sell yo+rselves as slaves to yo+r enemies, !+t no one will !+y yo+. 29 1 The 5.D made an agreement with the 3sraelites at Ao+nt $ore!. 3n addition to that agreement, he also commanded Aoses to make another agreement with them while they were in Aoa!. This is that agreement. 2 Aoses called together all the 3sraelites. $e said to them, ;o+ saw everything the 5.D did in the land of -gypt. ;o+ saw what he did to 6haraoh, to 6haraohs officers, and to his whole co+ntry. 3 ;o+ saw the great tro+!les he gave them. ;o+ saw the miracles and amaEing pag. 23&0131#

things he did. De+teronomy 2).#*11 13, # <+t even today, yo+ still dont +nderstand what happened. The 5.D has not let yo+ really +nderstand what yo+ saw and heard. % $e led yo+ thro+gh the desert for #, years, and in all that time, yo+r clothes and sandals did not wear o+t. & ;o+ did not have any food with yo+. ;o+ did not have any wine or anything else to drink. <+t the ord took care of yo+ so that yo+ wo+ld +nderstand that he is the 5.D yo+r God. ' ;o+ came to this place, and Ging Sihon of $esh!on and Ging 5g of <ashan came o+t to fight against +s. <+t we defeated them. ( Then we took their land and gave it to the people in the tri!es of .e+!en and Gad and to half the tri!e of Aanasseh. ) 3f yo+ o!ey all the commands in this agreement, yo+ will contin+e to s+cceed in everything yo+ do. 1, Today all of yo+ are standing here !efore the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+r leaders, yo+r officials, yo+r elders, and all the other men are here. 11 ;o+r wives and children are here and also the foreigners living among yo+the De+teronomy 2).12*1( 131 people who c+t yo+r wood and !ring yo+ water. 12 ;o+ are all here to enter into an agreement with the 5.D yo+r God. The 5.D yo+r God is making this agreement with yo+ today. 13 >ith this agreement he is making yo+ his own special people, and he himself will !ecome yo+r God. $e told yo+ this. $e promised this to yo+r ancestors A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 1# The 5.D is making this agreement with its promises with yo+ people, !+t not only with yo+. 1% ;es, he is making this agreement with all of yo+ who stand here with +s today !efore the 5.D o+r God. <+t this agreement is also for o+r descendants who are not here with +s today. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& ;o+ remem!er how we lived in the land of -gypt. And yo+ remem!er how we traveled thro+gh the co+ntries that were on o+r way here. 1' ;o+ saw their hated thingsthe idols they had made from wood, stone, silver, and gold. 1( <e s+re that there is no man, woman, family or tri!e here today who t+rns De+teronomy 2).1)*23 132 away from the 5.D o+r God. 1o one sho+ld go and serve the gods of the other nations. 6eople who do that are like a plant that grows !itter and poisono+s fr+it. 1) Some people might hear these c+rses and comfort themselves !y saying, 3 will contin+e doing what 3 want. 1othing !ad will happen to me. <+t that attit+de will !ring total disaster. 2, The 5.D will not forgive them for that. 1o, the 5.D will !e angry and +pset with them and p+nish them. The 5.D will separate them from the tri!es of 3srael. $e will completely destroy them. All the c+rses that are written in this !ook will happen to them. They are a part of the agreement that is written in this <ook of Teachings. 21 72):2,8 22 3n the f+t+re yo+r descendants and foreigners from faraway co+ntries will see how the land has !een r+ined. They will see the diseases that the 5.D has !ro+ght to it. 23 All the land will !e +selessdestroyed !y !+rning s+lf+r and covered with salt. The land will have nothing planted in it. De+teronomy 2).2#*2) 133 1othing will !e growingnot even weeds. The land will !e destroyed like Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Be!oiim, the cities the 5.D destroyed when he was very angry. 2# All the other nations will ask, >hy did the 5.D do this to this land? >hy was he so angry? 2% The answer will !e, This happened !eca+se the 3sraelites left the agreement of the 5.D, the God of their ancestors. pag. 23'0131#

They stopped following the agreement he made with them when he !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. 2& They started serving other gods. They !egan worshiping gods they had never worshiped !efore, gods that the ord never allowed them to worship. 2' That is why the 5.D !ecame very angry with the people of this land. So he !ro+ght to them all the c+rses that are written in this !ook. 2( The 5.D !ecame very angry and +pset with them. So he took them o+t of their land. $e p+t them in another land, where they are today. 2) There are some things that the 5.D o+r God has kept secret. 5nly he knows De+teronomy 3,.1*% 13# these things. <+t he told +s a!o+t some things. And these teachings are for +s and o+r descendants forever. And we m+st o!ey all the commands in that law. 30 1 -verything that 3 have mentioned will happen to yo+!oth the !lessings and the c+rses. And yo+ will remem!er these words when the 5.D yo+r God sends yo+ away to other nations. 2 Then yo+ and yo+r descendants will t+rn !ack to the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ will follow him with all yo+r heart and completely o!ey all his commands that 3 have given yo+ today. 3 Then the 5.D yo+r God will !e kind to yo+. The 5.D yo+r God will make yo+ free again" $e will !ring yo+ !ack from the nations where he sent yo+. # -ven if yo+ were sent to the farthest parts of the earth, the 5.D yo+r God will gather yo+ from there and !ring yo+ !ack. % The 5.D yo+r God will !ring yo+ into the land yo+r ancestors had, and the land will !ecome yo+rs. $e will do good to yo+, and yo+ will have more than yo+r ancestors had. ;o+ will have more De+teronomy 3,.&*1, 13% people in yo+r nation than they ever had. & The 5.D yo+r God will make yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

and yo+r descendants want to o!ey him. Then yo+ will love the 5.D yo+r God with all yo+r heart. And yo+ will live" ' Then the 5.D yo+r God will make all these !ad things happen to yo+r enemies, who hate yo+ and ca+se yo+ tro+!le. ( And yo+ will again o!ey the 5.D. ;o+ will o!ey all his commands that 3 give yo+ today. ) The 5.D yo+r God will make yo+ s+ccessf+l in everything yo+ do. $e will !less yo+ with many children. $e will !less yo+r cowsthey will have many calves. $e will !less yo+r fieldsthey will grow many good crops. $e will !e good to yo+. The 5.D will again en=oy doing good for yo+, the same as he en=oyed doing good for yo+r ancestors. 1, <+t yo+ m+st do what the 5.D yo+r God tells yo+ to do. ;o+ m+st o!ey his commands and follow the r+les that are written in this <ook of Teachings. ;o+ m+st o!ey the 5.D yo+r God with all De+teronomy 3,.11*1& 13& yo+r heart and with all yo+r so+l. Then these good things will happen to yo+. 11 This command that 3 give yo+ today is not too hard for yo+. 3t is not a secret hidden in some far away land. 12 This command is not in heaven so that yo+ sho+ld say, >ho will go +p to heaven for +s and !ring it to +s, so that we can hear and do it? 13 This command is not on the other side of the sea so that yo+ sho+ld say, >ho will go across the sea for +s and !ring it to +s, so that we can hear it and do it? 1# 1o, the word is very near to yo+. 3t is in yo+r mo+th and in yo+r heart. So yo+ can o!ey it. 1% Today 3 have given yo+ a choice !etween life and death, s+ccess and disaster. 1& 3 command yo+ today to love the 5.D yo+r God. 3 command yo+ to follow him and to o!ey his commands, laws, and r+les. Then yo+ will live, and yo+r nation will grow larger. And the 5.D pag. 23(0131#

yo+r God will !less yo+ in the land that yo+ are entering to take for yo+r own. De+teronomy 3,.1'*31.2 13' 1' <+t if yo+ t+rn away from yo+r God and ref+se to listen, if yo+ are led away to worship and serve other gods, 1( yo+ will !e destroyed. 3 am warning yo+ today, if yo+ t+rn away from God, yo+ will not live long in that land across the Cordan .iver that yo+ are ready to enter and take for yo+r own. 1) Today 3 am giving yo+ a choice of two ways. And 3 ask heaven and earth to !e witnesses of yo+r choice. ;o+ can choose life or death. The first choice will !ring a !lessing. The other choice will !ring a c+rse. So choose life" Then yo+ and yo+r children will live. 2, ;o+ m+st love the 5.D yo+r God and o!ey him. 1ever leave him, !eca+se he is yo+r life. And he will give yo+ a long life in the land that he, the 5.D, promised to give to yo+r ancestors A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 31 1 Then Aoses went and spoke these words to all the 3sraelites. 2 Aoses said to them, 3 am now 12, years old. 3 cannot lead yo+ anymore. The 5.D said to me, ;o+ will not go across the Cordan .iver. De+teronomy 31.3*) 13( 3 <+t the 5.D yo+r God will lead yo+ people into that land. $e will destroy these nations for yo+. ;o+ will take their land away from them. The 5.D said that Cosh+a m+st lead yo+. # The 5.D destroyed Sihon and 5g. $e destroyed those Amorite kings, and he will do the same for yo+" % The 5.D will help yo+ defeat these nations. <+t yo+ m+st do to them everything 3 told yo+ to do. & <e strong and !rave. Dont !e afraid of those people, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God is with yo+. $e will not fail yo+ or leave yo+. ' Then Aoses called Cosh+a. All the 3sraelites watched while Aoses said to Cosh+a, <e strong and !rave. ;o+ will lead these people into the land that -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D promised to give to their ancestors. ;o+ will help the 3sraelites take that land and divide it among them. ( The 5.D will lead yo+. $e himself is with yo+. $e will not fail yo+ or leave yo+. Dont worry. Dont !e afraid" ) Then Aoses wrote down these teachings in a !ook and gave it to the priests and the elders of 3srael. The De+teronomy 31.1,*1# 13) priests, who were from the tri!e of evi, carried the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. 1, Then Aoses spoke to these leaders. $e said, At the end of every seven years, in the ;ear of 2reedom, read these teachings at the 2estival of Shelters. 11 At that time all the 3sraelites m+st come to meet with the 5.D yo+r God at the special place he will choose. Then yo+ m+st read the teachings to the people so that they can hear them. 12 <ring together all the peoplethe men, the women, the little children, and the foreigners living in yo+r cities. They will hear the teachings, and they will learn to respect the 5.D yo+r God. Then they will !e a!le to do everything in this <ook of Teachings. 13 3f their descendants dont know the teachings, they will hear them, and they will learn to respect the 5.D yo+r God. They will respect him as long as yo+ live in yo+r co+ntry. ;o+ will soon go across the Cordan .iver and take that land to !e yo+r own. 1# The 5.D said to Aoses, 1ow the time is near for yo+ to die. Get Cosh+a De+teronomy 31.1%*1) 1#, and come to the Aeeting Tent. 3 will tell Cosh+a what he m+st do. So Aoses and Cosh+a went to the Aeeting Tent. 1% The 5.D appeared at the Tent in a tall clo+d. The tall clo+d stood over the entrance of the Tent. 1& The 5.D said to Aoses, ;o+ will die soon. And after yo+ have gone to !e with yo+r ancestors, these people will not contin+e to !e faithf+l to me. They will !reak the agreement 3 made with them. pag. 23)0131#

They will leave me and !egin worshiping other godsthe false gods of the land where they are going. 1' At that time 3 will !ecome very angry with them, and 3 will leave them. 3 will ref+se to help them, and they will !e destroyed. Terri!le things will happen to them, and they will have many tro+!les. Then they will say, These !ad things happened to +s !eca+se o+r God is not with +s. 1( And 3 will ref+se to help them, !eca+se they have done evil and worshiped other gods. 1) So write down this song, and teach it to the 3sraelites. Teach them to sing this De+teronomy 31.2,*2# 1#1 song. Then this song will !e a witness for me against the 3sraelites. 2, 3 will take them into the land that 3 promised to give to their ancestorsa land filled with many good things. And they will have all they want to eat. They will have a rich life. <+t then they will t+rn to other gods and serve them. They will t+rn away from me and !reak my agreement. 21 Then many terri!le things will happen to them. They will have many tro+!les. At that time their descendants will still know this song, and it will show them how wrong they are. 3 have not yet taken them into the land 3 promised to give them. <+t 3 already know what they are planning to do there. 22 So that same day Aoses wrote down the song and ta+ght it to the 3sraelites. 23 Then the ord spoke to Cosh+a son of 1+n and said, <e strong and !rave. ;o+ will lead the 3sraelites into the land 3 promised them, and 3 will !e with yo+. 2# Aoses caref+lly wrote all these teachings in a !ook. >hen he finished, De+teronomy 31.2%*3, 1#2 2% he gave this command to the evites in charge of the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement: 2& Take this <ook of Teachings and p+t it !y the side of the <o4 of the Agreement of the 5.D yo+r God. Then it will !e a -asy To .ead /ersion

witness against yo+. 2' 3 know yo+ are very st+!!orn. 3 know yo+ want to live yo+r own way. ook, yo+ ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D while 3 was with yo+. So 3 know yo+ will ref+se to o!ey him after 3 die. 2( <ring together all the officers and leaders of yo+r tri!es. 3 will tell them these things. And 3 will call heaven and earth to !e witnesses against them. 2) 3 know that after my death yo+ will !ecome evil. ;o+ will t+rn from the way 3 commanded yo+ to follow. Terri!le things will happen to yo+ in the f+t+re, !eca+se yo+ want to do what the 5.D says is wrong. ;o+ will make him angry !eca+se of the evil things yo+ do. 3, All the 3sraelites were gathered together, and Aoses sang this whole song for them: De+teronomy 32.1*( 1#3 32 1 Skies, listen and 3 will speak. -arth, hear the words of my mo+th. 2 Ay teachings will come like the rain, like a mist falling to the gro+nd, like a gentle rain on the soft grass, like rain on the green plants. 3 6raise God as 3 speak the 5.D@S name" # The ord is the .ock, and his work is perfect" ;es, all his ways are right" God is tr+e and faithf+l. $e is good and honest. % And yo+ are not really his children. ;o+ are completely +nfaithf+l to him. ;o+ are crooked liars. & 3s this the way yo+ repay the 5.D for all he has done for yo+? ;o+ are st+pid, foolish people. $e is yo+r 2ather and yo+r 9reator. $e made yo+, and he s+pports yo+. ' .emem!er the days of the past. Think a!o+t what happened so long ago. Ask yo+r fatherF he will tell yo+. Ask yo+r leadersF they will tell yo+. ( God Aost $igh separated the people on earth and gave each nation its land. $e set +p !orders for all people. $e De+teronomy 32.)*1% 1## pag. 2#,0131#

made as many nations as there are angels. ) The 5.D chose his people to !e his own. The people of Caco! !elong to him. 1, The ord fo+nd them in the desert, in an empty, windy land. $e s+rro+nded them and watched over them. $e protected them like the p+pil of his eye, 11 like an eagle when she makes her yo+ng leave the nest to fly. She stays close to them, ready to help. She spreads her wings to catch them when they fall and carries them to a safe place. 12 The 5.D alone led his people. They had no help from any foreign god. 13 The ord helped them take control of the hill co+ntry. They took the harvest in the fields. $e gave them honey from the cliffs and olive oil from the rocky gro+nd. 1# $e gave his people !+tter from the herd and milk from the flock. $e gave them lam!s and goats. They had the !est rams from <ashan and the finest wheat. They drank the !est wine made from the =+ice of red grapes. 1% <+t Cesh+r+n !ecame fat and kicked like a !+ll. 7;es, yo+ people were fed well and !ecame f+ll and fat.8 They left De+teronomy 32.1&*22 1#% the God who made them" They ran away from the .ock who saved them. 1& They made him =ealo+s !y worshiping other gods. They made him angry with those disg+sting idols. 1' They offered sacrifices to demonsgods that are not God. These were new gods they had not known !efore, gods their ancestors never knew. 1( ;o+ people left the .ock who made yo+F yo+ forgot the God who gave yo+ life. 1) The 5.D saw this and !ecame +pset. $is sons and da+ghters made him angry" 2, So he said, 3 will t+rn away from themF then lets see what happens" They are a re!ellio+s people. They are like children who will not learn their lessons. 21 They made me =ealo+s with things that are not really gods. They made -asy To .ead /ersion

me angry with their worthless idols. So 3 will +se people who are not really a nation to make them =ealo+s. 3 will +se a worthless nation to make them angry. 22 Ay anger will !+rn like a fire, !+rning down to the deepest grave, !+rning the De+teronomy 32.23*2) 1#& earth and all it prod+ces, !+rning deep down !elow the mo+ntains. 23 3 will !ring tro+!les to the 3sraelites. 3 will shoot all my arrows at them. 2# They will !ecome thin from h+nger. Terri!le diseases will destroy them. 3 will send wild animals against them. 6oisono+s snakes and liEards will !ite them. 2% 3n the streets, soldiers will kill them. 3n their ho+ses, terri!le things will happen. Soldiers will kill yo+ng men and women. They will kill !a!ies and old people. 2& 3 tho+ght a!o+t destroying the 3sraelites so that people wo+ld forget them completely" 2' <+t 3 know what their enemies wo+ld say. The enemy wo+ld not +nderstand. They wo+ld !rag and say, The 5.D did not destroy 3srael. >e won !y o+r own power" 2( They are foolish. They dont +nderstand. 2) 3f they were wise, they wo+ld +nderstandF they wo+ld know what wo+ld happen to them. De+teronomy 32.3,*3& 1#' 3, 9an one man chase away a tho+sand? 9an two men ca+se ten tho+sand to r+n away? This will happen only if the 5.D gives them to their enemy. 3t will happen only if their .ock sells them like slaves. 31 The rock of o+r enemies is not strong like o+r .ock. -ven o+r enemies know that. 32 Their vines and fields will !e destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. Their grapes are f+ll of !itter poison. 33 Their wine is as deadly as the poison of snakes. 3# The ord says, 3 am saving that p+nishment. 3 have it locked +p in my pag. 2#10131#

storeho+se" 3% 3 will p+nish those who do wrong. They will get what they deserve. 5ne day they will slip and fall. Their time of tro+!le is near. Their p+nishment will come J+ickly. 3& The 5.D will =+dge his people. They are his servants, and he will show them mercy. $e will see that their power is gone. $e will see that they are all helpless the slaves and free people too. De+teronomy 32.3'*#3 1#( 3' Then the ord will say, >here are the false gods? >here is the rock yo+ ran to for protection? 3( Those gods ate the fat of yo+r sacrifices. And they drank the wine of yo+r offerings. So let them get +p and help yo+" et them protect yo+" 3) 1ow, see that 3, and only 3, am God" There is no other God" 3 p+t people to death, and 3 let people live. 3 can h+rt people, and 3 can make them well. 1o one can save another person from my power" #, 3 raise my hand toward heaven and make this promise. As s+rely as 3 live forever, these things will happen" #1 3 swear, 3 will sharpen my flashing sword. 3 will +se it to p+nish my enemies. 3 will give them the p+nishment they deserve. #2 Ay enemies will !e killed and taken as prisoners. Ay arrows will !e covered with their !lood. Ay sword will c+t off the heads of their soldiers. #3 The whole world sho+ld !e happy for Gods people" God p+nishes people who kill his servants. $e gives his enemies De+teronomy 32.##*%, 1#) the p+nishment they deserve. And he makes his land and people p+re. ## Aoses and Cosh+a son of 1+n came and sang all the words of this song for the 3sraelites to hear. #% >hen Aoses finished giving these teachings to the people, #& he said to them, ;o+ m+st !e s+re to pay attention to all the commands 3 tell yo+ today. And yo+ m+st tell -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+r children to o!ey completely the commands in this aw. #' Dont think these teachings are not important. They are yo+r life" Thro+gh these teachings yo+ will live a long time in the land across the Cordan .iver that yo+ are ready to take. #( The 5.D spoke to Aoses that same day. $e said, #) Go to the A!arim Ao+ntains. Go +p on Ao+nt 1e!o in the land of Aoa! across from the city of Cericho. Then yo+ can look at the land of 9anaan that 3 am giving to the 3sraelites to live in. %, ;o+ will die on that mo+ntain. ;o+ will go to !e with yo+r people, the same as yo+r !rother Aaron died on Ao+nt $or. De+teronomy 32.%1*33.& 1%, %1 This is !eca+se yo+ !oth sinned against me. ;o+ were at the waters of Aeri!ah near Gadesh, in the desert of Bin. There, in front of the 3sraelites, yo+ did not honor me and show that 3 am holy. %2 So now yo+ may see the land that 3 am giving to the 3sraelites. <+t yo+ cannot go into that land. 33 1 This is the !lessing that Aoses, the man of God, gave the 3sraelites !efore he died: 2 The 5.D came from Sinai, like a light shining at dawn over Seir, like a light shining from Ao+nt 6aran. $e came with 1,,,,, holy ones. Gods mighty soldiers were !y his side. 3 ;es, the ord loves his people. All his holy people are in his hand. They sit at his feet and learn his teachings" # Aoses gave +s the law. These teachings are for Caco!s people. % At that time the 3sraelites and their leaders met together, and the ord !ecame 3sraels king" & et .e+!en live, and not die" <+t let there !e only a few people in his tri!e" De+teronomy 33.'*12 1%1 ' Aoses said this a!o+t C+dah and his people: 5.D, listen to the leader from C+dah when he calls for help. <ring him to his people. Aake him strong, and help pag. 2#20131#

him defeat his enemies" ( Aoses said this a!o+t evi and his people: evi is yo+r tr+e follower. $e keeps the Hrim and Th+mmim. At Aassah yo+ tested the people of evi. At the waters of Aeri!ah, yo+ challenged them. ) They were more loyal to yo+, ord, than to their own families. They ignored their fathers and mothers. They did not recogniEe their !rothers. They did not pay attention to their children. <+t they o!eyed yo+r commands. They kept yo+r agreement. 1, They will teach yo+r r+les to Caco! and yo+r aw to 3srael. They will !+rn incense !efore yo+. They will offer !+rnt offerings on yo+r altar. 11 5.D, !less everything evi has. Accept what he does. Destroy those who attack him" Defeat his enemies so that they will never attack again. 12 Aoses said this a!o+t <en=amin and his people: <en=amin is loved !y the De+teronomy 33.13*1) 1%2 5.D and lives close to him in safety. The 5.D protects him all the time like a child at rest on its mothers !ack. 13 Aoses said this a!o+t Coseph and his people: Aay the 5.D !less Cosephs land with rain from the skies a!ove and water from the gro+nd !elow. 1# et the s+n give them good fr+it. et each month !ring its !est fr+it. 1% et the hills and ancient mo+ntains prod+ce their !est fr+it. 1& et the earth give its !est to Coseph. $e was separated from his !rothers. So may the ord in the !+rning !+sh give his !est to Coseph. 1' Coseph is like a powerf+l !+ll. $is two sons are like !+lls horns. They will attack other people and p+sh them to the ends of the earth" ;es, Aanasseh has tho+sands of people, and -phraim has ten tho+sands. 1( Aoses said this a!o+t Be!+l+n and his people: Be!+l+n, !e happy when yo+ go o+t. And yo+, 3ssachar, !e happy in yo+r tents at home. -asy To .ead /ersion

1) They will call the people to their mo+ntain. There they will offer good De+teronomy 33.2,*2% 1%3 sacrifices. They will take riches from the sea and treas+res from the shore. 2, Aoses said this a!o+t Gad and his people: 6raise God who gave Gad more land" Gad is like a lion that lies down and waits. Then he attacks and tears the animal in pieces. 21 $e chose the !est part for himself. $e took the kings share. The leaders of the people come to him. $e did what the 5.D says is good. $e did what is right for the 3sraelites. 22 Aoses said this a!o+t Dan and his people: Dan is a lions c+! that =+mps o+t from <ashan. 23 Aoses said this a!o+t 1aphtali and his people: 1aphtali, yo+ will get all yo+ want. The 5.D will really !less yo+. ;o+ will get the land !y ake Galilee. 2# Aoses said this a!o+t Asher and his people: Asher is the most !lessed of the sons. et him !e the favorite of his !rothers. And let him wash his feet in olive oil. 2% ;o+r gates will have locks made from iron and !ronEe. ;o+ will !e strong all yo+r life. De+teronomy 33.2&*3#.2 1%# 2& There is no one like the God of 3srael" $e rides on the clo+ds in his divine greatness. $e comes riding thro+gh the skies to help yo+. 2' God lives forever. $e is yo+r place of safety. $is power contin+es forever" $e is protecting yo+. $e will force yo+r enemies to leave yo+r land. $e will say, Destroy the enemy" 2( So 3srael will live in safety. Caco!s well !elongs to them. They will get a land of grain and wine. And that land will get plenty of rain. 2) 3srael, yo+ are !lessed. 1o other nation is like yo+. The 5.D saved yo+. $e is like a strong shield protecting yo+. $e is like a powerf+l sword. ;o+r enemies will !e afraid of yo+, and yo+ will p+t yo+r foot on their !acks" pag. 2#30131#

34 1 Aoses clim!ed Ao+nt 1e!o. Aoses went from the Cordan /alley in Aoa! to the top of Ao+nt 6isgah. This was across the Cordan .iver from Cericho. The 5.D showed Aoses all the land from Gilead to Dan. 2 $e showed him all the land of 1aphtali, -phraim, and Aanasseh. $e showed De+teronomy 3#.3*) 1%% him all the land of C+dah as far as the Aediterranean Sea. 3 $e showed Aoses the 1egev and the valley that goes from Boar to Cericho, the city of palm trees. # The 5.D said to Aoses, This is the land 3 promised to A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 3 said to them, 3 will give this land to yo+r descendants. 3 have let yo+ see the land, !+t yo+ cannot go there. % Then the 5.D@S servant Aoses died there in the land of Aoa!. The 5.D had told Aoses this wo+ld happen. & $e !+ried Aoses in Aoa!. This was in the valley across from <eth 6eor. <+t even today no one knows e4actly where Aoses grave is. ' Aoses was 12, years old when he died. $e was as strong as ever, and his eyes were still good. ( The 3sraelites cried for Aoses for 3, days. They stayed in the Cordan /alley in Aoa! +ntil the time of mo+rning was finished. ) Aoses had p+t his hands on Cosh+a and appointed him to !e the new leader. Then Cosh+a son of 1+n was filled with the spirit of wisdom. So the 3sraelites De+teronomy 3#.1,*12 1%& !egan to o!ey Cosh+a, and they did what the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 1, 3srael never had another prophet like Aoses: The 5.D knew Aoses face to face. 11 The 5.D sent Aoses to do powerf+l miracles in the land of -gypt. 6haraoh, all his officers, and all the people in -gypt saw those miracles. 12 1o other prophet ever did as many powerf+l and amaEing things as Aoses did for the 3sraelites to see. -asy To .ead /ersion

&os'ua 1 1 Aoses was the 5.D@S servant, and Cosh+a son of 1+n was Aoses helper. After Aoses died, the 5.D spoke to Cosh+a and said, 2 Ay servant Aoses is dead. 1ow yo+ and all these people m+st go across the Cordan .iver. ;o+ m+st go into the land 3 am giving to the 3sraelites. 3 3 promised Aoses that 3 wo+ld give yo+ this land, so 3 will give yo+ all the land wherever yo+ go. # All the land from the desert to e!anon all the way to the great river 7that is, the -+phrates .iver8 and all the land of the $ittites will !e yo+rs. And all the land from here to the Aediterranean Sea in the west 7that is, the place where the s+n sets8 will !e within yo+r !orders. % C+st as 3 was with Aoses, 3 will !e with yo+. 1o one will !e a!le to stop yo+ all yo+r life. 3 will not a!andon yo+. 3 will never leave yo+. & Cosh+a, yo+ m+st !e strong and !rave" ;o+ m+st lead these people so Cosh+a 1.'*12 2 that they can take their land. 3 promised their fathers that 3 wo+ld give them this land. ' <+t yo+ m+st !e strong and !rave a!o+t o!eying the commands my servant Aoses gave yo+. 3f yo+ follow his teachings e4actly, yo+ will !e s+ccessf+l in everything yo+ do. ( Always remem!er what is written in that !ook of law. Speak a!o+t that !ook and st+dy it day and night. Then yo+ can !e s+re to o!ey what is written there. 3f yo+ do this, yo+ will !e wise and s+ccessf+l in everything yo+ do. ) .emem!er, 3 commanded yo+ to !e strong and !rave. Dont !e afraid, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God will !e with yo+ wherever yo+ go. 1, So Cosh+a gave orders to the leaders of the people: 11 Go thro+gh the camp and tell the people, Get some food ready. Three days from now we will go across the Cordan .iver and take the land that the 5.D pag. 2##0131#

o+r God is giving +s. 12 Then Cosh+a said to the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and half the tri!e of Aanasseh, Cosh+a 1.13*1' 3 13 .emem!er what the 5.D@S servant Aoses told yo+. $e said that the 5.D yo+r God wo+ld give yo+ a place to live. So he has given yo+ this land east of the Cordan .iver. <+t now yo+ m+st help yo+r relatives get their land. ;o+r wives and children can stay here with yo+r animals. <+t all yo+r fighting men m+st prepare for !attle and lead the men of the other tri!es across the river. 1# 71:138 1% The 5.D has given yo+ a place to live, and he will do the same for yo+r !rothers. <+t yo+ m+st help them +ntil they take control of the land the 5.D yo+r God is giving them. Then yo+ can come !ack and settle here on the east side of the river. This is the land that the 5.D@S servant Aoses said wo+ld !e yo+rs. 1& Then the people answered Cosh+a, >e will do whatever yo+ command +s to do. >e will go wherever yo+ tell +s to go. 1' >e will o!ey whatever yo+ say, =+st as we o!eyed Aoses. >e only ask that the 5.D yo+r God !e with yo+ =+st as he was with Aoses. Cosh+a 1.1(*2.& # 1( Then anyone who ref+ses to o!ey yo+r commands or t+rns against yo+ will !e killed. C+st !e strong and !rave" 2 1 Cosh+a son of 1+n and all the people were camped at Acacia. Cosh+a sent o+t two spies. 1o one knew that Cosh+a sent o+t these men. Cosh+a said to them, Go and look at the land, especially the city of Cericho. So the men went to the city of Cericho and stayed at the ho+se of a prostit+te named .aha!. 2 <+t someone told the king of Cericho, ast night some men from 3srael came to look for weaknesses in o+r co+ntry. 3 So the king of Cericho sent this message to .aha!: Do not hide the men who came and stayed in yo+r ho+se. -asy To .ead /ersion

<ring them o+t. They have come to spy on o+r co+ntry. # .aha! had hidden the two men, !+t she said, They did come here, !+t 3 didnt know where they came from. % 3n the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. 3 dont know where they went. <+t if yo+ go J+ickly, may!e yo+ can catch them. & 7.aha! said this, !+t really she had taken the men +p to the roof and had Cosh+a 2.'*11 % hidden them in the fla4 that she had piled +p there.8 ' So the kings men went o+t of the city, and the people closed the city gates. The kings men went to look for the two men from 3srael. They went to the Cordan .iver and looked at all the places where people cross the river. ( The two men were ready to sleep for the night, !+t .aha! went to the roof to talk to them. ) She said, 3 know that the 5.D has given this land to yo+r people. ;o+ frighten +s. -veryone living in this co+ntry is afraid of yo+. 1, >e are afraid !eca+se we have heard a!o+t the ways that the 5.D helped yo+. >e heard that he dried +p the .ed Sea when yo+ came o+t of -gypt. >e also heard what yo+ did to the two Amorite kings, Sihon and 5g. >e heard how yo+ destroyed those kings living east of the Cordan .iver. 11 >hen we heard a!o+t this, we were very afraid. And now, not one of o+r men is !rave eno+gh to fight yo+, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God r+les the heavens a!ove and the earth !elow" Cosh+a 2.12*1( & 12 So now, 3 want yo+ to make a promise to me. 3 was kind to yo+ and helped yo+. So promise me !efore the 5.D that yo+ will !e kind to my family. 6lease tell me that yo+ will do this. 13 Tell me that yo+ will allow my family to livemy father, mother, !rothers, sisters, and all their families. 6romise me that yo+ will save +s from death. pag. 2#%0131#

1# The men agreed and said, >e will trade o+r lives for yo+rs. Dont tell anyone what we are doing. Then, when the 5.D gives +s the land, we will !e kind to yo+. ;o+ can tr+st +s. 1% .aha!s ho+se was !+ilt into the city wall, so she +sed a rope to let the men down thro+gh a window. 1& Then she said to them, Go into the hills so that the kings men will not accidentally find yo+. $ide there for three days. After the kings men come !ack, yo+ can go on yo+r way. 1' The men said to her, >e made a promise to yo+. <+t yo+ m+st do one thing, or we will not !e responsi!le for o+r promise. 1( >hen we come !ack to this land, yo+ m+st tie in yo+r window this red rope Cosh+a 2.1)*23 ' yo+ are +sing to help +s escape. ;o+ m+st !ring yo+r father, yo+r mother, yo+r !rothers, and all yo+r family into yo+r ho+se with yo+. 1) >e will protect everyone who stays in this ho+se. 3f anyone in yo+r ho+se is h+rt, we will !e responsi!le. <+t if they go o+t of yo+r ho+se and are killed, we will not !e responsi!le. 3t will !e their own fa+lt. 2, >e are making this agreement with yo+. <+t if yo+ tell anyone a!o+t what we are doing, we will !e free from this agreement. 21 .aha! answered, 3 will do =+st what yo+ said. She said good!ye, and the men left her ho+se. Then she tied the red rope in the window. 22 The men left her ho+se and went into the hills. They stayed there for three days. The kings men looked all along the road. After three days, they stopped looking and went !ack to the city. 23 Then the two men went !ack to Cosh+a. They left the hills and crossed the river. They went to Cosh+a and told him everything that they had learned. Cosh+a 2.2#*3.' ( 2# They said to him, The 5.D really has given +s all the land. All the people -asy To .ead /ersion

in that co+ntry are afraid of +s. 3 1 -arly the ne4t morning, Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites got +p and left Acacia. They traveled to the Cordan .iver and camped there !efore they crossed it. 2 After three days the leaders went thro+gh the camp. 3 They gave orders to the people: >hen yo+ see the evite priests carrying the <o4 of the Agreement of the 5.D yo+r God, follow them. # <+t do not follow too closely. Stay a!o+t 1,,, yards !ehind them. ;o+ have not !een here !efore, !+t if yo+ follow them, yo+ will know where to go. % Then Cosh+a told the people, Aake yo+rselves p+re. Tomorrow the 5.D will do amaEing things among +s. & Then Cosh+a said to the priests, Take the <o4 of the Agreement and go across the river in front of the people. So the priests lifted the <o4 and carried it in front of the people. ' Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, Today 3 will !egin to make yo+ a great man for all the 3sraelites to see. Then the people Cosh+a 3.(*13 ) will know that 3 am with yo+ =+st as 3 was with Aoses. ( The priests will carry the <o4 of the Agreement. Tell them this, >alk to the shore of the Cordan .iver and stop =+st !efore yo+ step into the water. ) Then Cosh+a said to the 3sraelites, 9ome and listen to the words of the 5.D yo+r God. 1, $ere is proof that the living God is really with yo+ and that he will s+rely defeat yo+r enemies. $e will defeat the 9anaanites, $ittites, $ivites, 6eriEEites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Ce!+sitesF he will force them to leave their land. 11 The <o4 of the Agreement of the ord of the whole world will go !efore yo+ as yo+ cross the Cordan .iver. 12 1ow choose twelve men, one from each of the twelve tri!es of 3srael. 13 The priests will carry the $oly <o4 of the 5.D. $e is the ord of the whole world. They will carry that <o4 in front pag. 2#&0131#

of yo+ into the Cordan .iver. >hen they enter the water, the water of the Cordan .iver will stop flowing and fill !ehind that place like at a dam. Cosh+a 3.1#*#.1 1, 1# The priests carried the <o4 of the Agreement, and the people left the place they had camped. The people started going across the Cordan .iver. 1% 7D+ring harvest time the Cordan .iver overflows its !anks, so the river was at its f+llest.8 The priests who were carrying the <o4 came to the shore of the river. >hen they stepped into the water, 1& immediately the water stopped flowing and piled +p like a wall. The water piled +p high a long way +p the riverall the way to Adam 7a town near Barethan8. And the water flowing down to the sea of Ara!ah 7the Dead Sea8 was completely c+t off. The people crossed the river near Cericho. 1' The gro+nd at that place !ecame dry, and the priests carried the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement to the middle of the river and stopped. They waited there while all the 3sraelites walked across the Cordan .iver on dry land. 4 1 After all the people had crossed the Cordan .iver, the 5.D said to Cosh+a, Cosh+a #.2*( 11 2 9hoose twelve men, one from each tri!e. 3 Tell them to look in the river where the priests were standing and get twelve rocks from that place. 9arry these rocks with yo+ and p+t them where yo+ stay tonight. # So Cosh+a chose one man from each tri!e. Then he called the twelve men together. % $e said to them, Go o+t into the river where the $oly <o4 of the 5.D yo+r God is. -ach of yo+ m+st find one rock. There will !e one rock for each of the twelve tri!es of 3srael. 9arry that rock on yo+r sho+lder. & These rocks will !e a sign for yo+. 3n -asy To .ead /ersion

the f+t+re yo+r children will ask yo+, >hat do these rocks mean? ' ;o+ will tell them that the ord stopped the water from flowing in the Cordan .iver. >hen the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement crossed the river, the water stopped flowing. These rocks will help the 3sraelites remem!er this forever. ( So the 3sraelites o!eyed Cosh+a. They carried twelve rocks from the middle of the Cordan .iver. There was one rock Cosh+a #.)*12 12 for each of the twelve tri!es of 3srael. They did this the way the 5.D had commanded Cosh+a. The men carried the rocks with them. Then they p+t the rocks at the place where they made their camp. ) Cosh+a also p+t twelve rocks in the middle of the Cordan .iver. $e p+t them at the place where the priests had stood while carrying the $oly <o4. These rocks are still there today. 1, The 5.D had commanded Cosh+a to tell the people what to do. This is what Aoses had said Cosh+a m+st do. So the priests carrying the $oly <o4 stood in the middle of the river +ntil everything was done. Aeanwhile, the people h+rried across the river. 11 After the people finished crossing the river, the priests carried the 5.D@S $oly <o4 to the front of the people. 12 The men from the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and half the tri!e of Aanasseh o!eyed Aoses. These men crossed the river in front of the other people. These men were prepared for war. They were going to help the rest of the 3sraelites Cosh+a #.13*2, 13 take the land God had promised to give them. 13 A!o+t #,,,,, soldiers, prepared for war, passed !efore the 5.D. They were marching toward the plains of Cericho. 1# That day the 5.D made Cosh+a a great man to all the 3sraelites. 2rom that time on, they respected Cosh+a =+st as they had Aoses. 1% Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, pag. 2#'0131#

1& 9ommand the priests carrying the <o4 that holds the Agreement to come o+t of the river. 1' So Cosh+a commanded the priests, 9ome o+t of the Cordan .iver. 1( The priests o!eyed Cosh+a. They carried the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement with them and came o+t of the river. >hen their feet to+ched the land on the other side of the river, the water in the river !egan flowing again. The water again overflowed its !anks =+st as it had !efore the people crossed. 1) The people crossed the Cordan .iver on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, east of Cericho. 2, They carried with them the twelve rocks that they had taken from the Cosh+a #.21*%.1 1# Cordan .iver, and Cosh+a set them +p at Gilgal. 21 Then Cosh+a told the 3sraelites, 3n the f+t+re yo+r children will ask yo+, >hat do these rocks mean? 22 Tell them, These rocks help +s remem!er the way the people of 3srael crossed the Cordan .iver on dry land. 23 The 5.D yo+r God ca+sed the water in the Cordan .iver to stop flowing so that yo+ co+ld cross it on dry land=+st as the 5.D had stopped the water at the .ed Sea so that we co+ld cross it on dry land. 2# The 5.D did this so that all the people in this co+ntry wo+ld know that he is very powerf+l. Then they will always !e afraid of the 5.D yo+r God. 5 1 So the 5.D dried +p the Cordan .iver +ntil the 3sraelites finished crossing it. The kings of the Amorites living west of the Cordan .iver and the 9anaanites living !y the Aediterranean Sea heard a!o+t this and !ecame very frightened. After that they were not !rave eno+gh to stand and fight against the 3sraelites. Cosh+a %.2*' 1% 2 At that time the 5.D said to Cosh+a, Aake knives from flint rocks and circ+mcise the men of 3srael. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 So Cosh+a made knives from flint rocks and circ+mcised the men of 3srael at Gi!eath $aaraloth. # This is why Cosh+a circ+mcised the men: After the 3sraelites left -gypt, all the men who were a!le to serve in the army were circ+mcised. >hile in the desert, many of the fighting men did not listen to the 5.D. So the 5.D vowed that they wo+ld not see the land where m+ch food grows. The 5.D had promised o+r ancestors that he wo+ld give +s that land. <+t !eca+se of those men, he forced the people to wander in the desert for #, years. D+ring that time all the fighting men died, and their sons took their place. <+t none of the !oys who were !orn in the desert on the trip from -gypt had !een circ+mcised. So Cosh+a circ+mcised them. % 7%:#8 & 7%:#8 ' 7%:#8 Cosh+a %.(*13 1& ( Cosh+a finished circ+mcising all the men. The people camped at that place +ntil all the men were healed. ) Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, ;o+ were slaves in -gypt, and this made yo+ ashamed. <+t today 3 have taken away that shame. So Cosh+a named that place Gilgal. And that place is still named Gilgal today. 1, The 3sraelites cele!rated 6assover while they were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Cericho. This was on the evening of the 1#th day of the month. 11 The day after 6assover, the people ate food that grew in that land. They ate !read made witho+t yeast and roasted grain. 12 The ne4t morning, the manna from heaven stopped coming. This happened the first day after the people ate the food that grew in the land of 9anaan. 2rom that time on, the 3sraelites did not get the manna from heaven. 13 >hen Cosh+a was near Cericho, he looked +p and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in pag. 2#(0131#

his hand. Cosh+a went to the man and Cosh+a %.1#*&.# 1' asked, Are yo+ a friend to o+r people or are yo+ one of o+r enemies? 1# The man answered, 3 am not an enemy. 3 am the commander of the 5.D@S army. 3 have =+st now come to yo+. Then Cosh+a !owed his face to the gro+nd to show respect and said, 3 am yo+r servant. Does my master have a command for me? 1% The commander of the 5.D@S army answered, Take off yo+r sandals. The place where yo+ are standing is holy. So Cosh+a o!eyed him. 6 1 The gates of the city of Cericho were closed. The people in the city were afraid !eca+se the 3sraelites were near. 1o one went into the city, and no one came o+t. 2 Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, ook, 3 will let yo+ defeat the city of Cericho. ;o+ will defeat the king and all the fighting men in the city. 3 Aarch aro+nd the city with yo+r army once every day for si4 days. # Tell seven of the priests to carry tr+mpets made from the horns of male sheep and to march in front of the priests who are carrying the $oly <o4. Cosh+a &.%*) 1( 5n the seventh day, march aro+nd the city seven times and tell the priests to !low the tr+mpets while they march. % They will make one lo+d noise from the tr+mpets. >hen yo+ hear that noise, tell all the people to !egin sho+ting. >hen yo+ do this, the walls of the city will fall down and yo+r people will !e a!le to go straight into the city. & So Cosh+a son of 1+n called the priests together and said to them, 9arry the $oly <o4 of the 5.D. Tell seven priests to carry the tr+mpets and march in front of it. ' Then Cosh+a ordered the people, 1ow go" Aarch aro+nd the city. The soldiers with weapons will march in front of the $oly <o4 of the 5.D. ( After Cosh+a finished speaking to -asy To .ead /ersion

the people, the seven priests with the tr+mpets !egan marching !efore the 5.D, !lowing the tr+mpets as they marched. The priests carrying the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement followed them. ) The soldiers with weapons marched in front of the priests who were !lowing the horns. And the rest of the men Cosh+a &.1,*1% 1) walked !ehind the $oly <o4, marching and !lowing their tr+mpets. 1, Cosh+a had told the people not to give a war cry. $e said, Dont sho+t. Dont say a word +ntil the day 3 tell yo+. Then yo+ will sho+t. 11 So Cosh+a made the priests carry the $oly <o4 of the 5.D aro+nd the city one time. Then they went !ack to the camp and spent the night there. 12 -arly the ne4t morning Cosh+a got +p, and the priests carried the 5.D@S $oly <o4 again. 13 The seven priests with the tr+mpets marched in front of the 5.D@S $oly <o4, !lowing their tr+mpets. The soldiers with weapons marched in front of them. The rest of the people marched !ehind the 5.D@S $oly <o4. D+ring the whole time they marched, the priests were !lowing the tr+mpets. 1# 5n the second day, they all marched aro+nd the city one time. And then they went !ack to the camp. They contin+ed to do this every day for si4 days. 1% 5n the seventh day, they got +p at dawn and marched aro+nd the city seven times. They marched in the same way Cosh+a &.1&*2, 2, they had marched on the days !efore, !+t on that day they marched aro+nd the city seven times. 1& The seventh time they marched aro+nd the city, the priests !lew their tr+mpets. Then Cosh+a gave the command: 1ow, sho+t" The 5.D is giving yo+ this city" 1' The city and everything is to !e destroyed as an offering to the 5.D. 5nly .aha! the prostit+te and everyone in her ho+se will !e left alive. These pag. 2#)0131#

people m+st not !e killed !eca+se she helped the two spies. 1( .emem!er, we m+st destroy everything else. Dont take anything. 3f yo+ take anything and !ring it into o+r camp, yo+ yo+rselves will !e destroyed, and yo+ will ca+se tro+!le for the rest of o+r people. 1) All the things made from silver, gold, !ronEe, and iron !elong to the 5.D. They m+st !e p+t in the 5.D@S treas+ry. 2, So then the priests !lew the tr+mpets. >hen the people heard the tr+mpets, they !egan sho+ting. The walls fell down, and the people ran +p Cosh+a &.21*2% 21 into the city. So the 3sraelites defeated that city. 21 The people destroyed everything in the city. They destroyed everything that was living there. They killed the yo+ng and old men, the yo+ng and old women, and the cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 22 Cosh+a talked to the two spies. $e said, ;o+ made a promise to the prostit+te. So go to her ho+se and !ring her o+t and all those who are with her. 23 So the two men went into the ho+se and !ro+ght o+t .aha!, her father, mother, !rothers, all her family, and all those who were with her. They p+t all the people in a safe place o+tside the camp of 3srael. 2# Then the 3sraelites !+rned the whole city and everything in it e4cept for the things made from silver, gold, !ronEe, and iron. They p+t these things in the 5.D@S treas+ry. 2% Cosh+a saved .aha! the prostit+te, her family, and all those who were with her. Cosh+a let them live !eca+se .aha! helped the spies Cosh+a had sent o+t to Cericho. .aha! still lives among the 3sraelites today. Cosh+a &.2&*'.3 22 2& At that time Cosh+a made this important promise. $e said: >hoever re!+ilds Cericho will !e in danger from the 5.D. >hen he lays the fo+ndation, he will lose his oldest son. >hen he sets -asy To .ead /ersion

+p the gates, he will lose his yo+ngest son. 2' So the 5.D was with Cosh+a, and Cosh+a !ecame famo+s thro+gho+t the whole co+ntry. 7 1 <+t the 3sraelites did not o!ey God. There was a man from the tri!e of C+dah named Achan son of 9armi, grandson of Bimri, greatDgrandson of Berah. Achan kept some of the things that sho+ld have !een destroyed. So the 5.D !ecame very angry with the 3sraelites. 2 After they defeated Cericho, Cosh+a sent some men to Ai. Ai was near <eth Aven, east of <ethel. $e told them, Go to Ai and look for weaknesses in that area. So the men went to spy on that land. 3 ater, the men came !ack to Cosh+a. They said, Ai is a weak area. >e will not need all of o+r people to defeat them. Send 2,,, or 3,,, men to fight there. There is no need to +se the whole army. Cosh+a '.#*( 23 There are only a few men there to fight against +s. # So a!o+t 3,,, men went to Ai, !+t the people of Ai killed a!o+t 3& men of 3srael. And the 3sraelites ran away. The people of Ai chased them from the city gates all the way to the J+arries. The people of Ai !eat them !adly. >hen the people from 3srael saw this, they !ecame very frightened and lost their co+rage. % 7':#8 & >hen Cosh+a heard a!o+t this, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. $e !owed down to the gro+nd !efore the $oly <o4 and stayed there +ntil evening. The leaders of 3srael did the same thing. They also threw dirt on their heads to show their sadness. ' Cosh+a said, ord G5D, yo+ !ro+ght o+r people across the Cordan .iver. >hy did yo+ !ring +s this far and then allow the Amorites to destroy +s? >e sho+ld have !een satisfied and stayed on the other side of the Cordan .iver. ( 3 promise !y my life, ord" There is nothing 3 can say now. 3srael has pag. 2%,0131#

s+rrendered to the enemy. Cosh+a '.)*13 2# ) The 9anaanites and all the other people in this co+ntry will hear a!o+t what happened. Then they will attack +s and kill all of +s" Then what will yo+ do to protect yo+r great name? 1, The 5.D said to Cosh+a, >hy are yo+ down there with yo+r face on the gro+nd? Stand +p" 11 The 3sraelites sinned against me. They have !roken the agreement that 3 commanded them to o!ey. They took some of the things that 3 commanded them to destroy. They have stolen from me. They have lied. They have taken those things for themselves. 12 That is why the army of 3srael t+rned and ran away from the fight. They did that !eca+se they have done wrong. They sho+ld !e destroyed. 3 will not contin+e to help yo+ or !e with yo+ +nless yo+ destroy everything 3 commanded yo+ to destroy. 13 1ow go and make the people p+re. Tell them, Aake yo+rselves p+re. 6repare for tomorrow. The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says that some people are keeping things that he commanded to !e destroyed. ;o+ will never !e a!le Cosh+a '.1#*1' 2% to defeat yo+r enemies +ntil yo+ throw away those things. 1# Tomorrow morning yo+ m+st all stand !efore the 5.D. All the tri!es will stand !efore the 5.D, and he will choose one tri!e. 5nly that tri!e will stand !efore him. Then the 5.D will choose one family gro+p from that tri!e. 5nly that family gro+p m+st stand !efore him. Then he will look at each family in that family gro+p, and the 5.D will choose one family. Then he will look at each man in that family. 1% The man who is keeping those things that we sho+ld have destroyed will !e ca+ght. Then he will !e destroyed !y fire, and everything that he owns will !e destroyed with him. $e !roke the agreement with the 5.D. $e has done -asy To .ead /ersion

a very !ad thing to the 3sraelites" 1& -arly the ne4t morning, Cosh+a led all the 3sraelites !efore the 5.D. All the tri!es stood !efore the ord. $e chose the tri!e of C+dah. 1' So all the family gro+ps of C+dah stood !efore the ord. $e chose the Berah family gro+p. Then all the families Cosh+a '.1(*23 2& of the Berah gro+p stood !efore the 5.D. The family of Bimri was chosen. 1( Then Cosh+a told all the men in that family to come !efore the ord. $e chose Achan the son of 9armi. 79armi was the son of Bimri. And Bimri was the son of Berah.8 1) Then Cosh+a said to Achan, Son, yo+ m+st honor the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 6raise him and confess yo+r sins to him. Tell me what yo+ did, and dont try to hide anything from me. 2, Achan answered, 3t is tr+e" 3 sinned against the 5.D, the God of 3srael. This is what 3 did: 21 3n Cericho, 3 saw a !ea+tif+l coat from <a!ylon, a!o+t % po+nds of silver, and a!o+t a po+nd of gold. 3 wanted these things for myself, so 3 took them. ;o+ will find them !+ried in the gro+nd +nder my tent. The silver is +nder the coat. 22 So Cosh+a sent some men to the tent. They ran to the tent and fo+nd the things hidden there. The silver was +nder the coat. 23 The men !ro+ght the things o+t of the tent and took them to Cosh+a and all Cosh+a '.2#*(.2 2' the 3sraelites. They threw them on the gro+nd !efore the 5.D. 2# Then Cosh+a and all the people led Achan son of Berah to the /alley of Achor. They also took the silver, the coat, the gold, Achans sons and da+ghters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything he owned. They took all these things to the /alley of Achor with Achan. 2% Then Cosh+a said, ;o+ ca+sed m+ch tro+!le for +s, !+t now the 5.D will !ring tro+!le to yo+. Then all the people pag. 2%10131#

threw stones at Achan and his family +ntil they died. Then the people !+rned them and everything he owned. 2& After they !+rned Achan, they p+t many rocks over his !ody. The rocks are still there today. That is why it is called the /alley of Achor. After this the 5.D was not angry with the people. 8 1 Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, Dont !e afraidF dont give +p. ead all yo+r fighting men to Ai. 3 will help yo+ defeat the king of Ai. 3 am giving yo+ his people, his city, and his land. 2 ;o+ will do to Ai and its king the same thing yo+ did to Cericho and its king. 5nly Cosh+a (.3*' 2( this time yo+ can take all the wealth and animals and keep it for yo+rselves. ;o+ will share the wealth with yo+r people. 1ow, tell some of yo+r soldiers to hide !ehind the city. 3 So Cosh+a led his whole army toward Ai. Then Cosh+a chose 3,,,,, of his !est fighting men and sent them o+t at night. # Cosh+a gave them this command: isten caref+lly to what 3 tell yo+. ;o+ m+st hide in the area !ehind the city. >ait for the time to attack. Dont go far from the city. 9ontin+e to watch and !e ready. % 3 will lead the men with meF we will march toward the city. The men in the city will come o+t to fight against +s. >e will t+rn and r+n away from them as we did !efore. & These men will chase +s away from the city, so we will r+n away. They will think that we are r+nning away from them as we did !efore. ' Then yo+ sho+ld come o+t of yo+r hiding place and take control of the city. The 5.D yo+r God will give yo+ the power to win. Cosh+a (.(*1# 2) ( ;o+ m+st do what the 5.D says. >atch me and 3 will give yo+ the command to attack the city. >hen yo+ have taken control of the city, !+rn it. ) Then Cosh+a sent them to their hiding place and waited. They went to a place -asy To .ead /ersion

west of Ai, !etween <ethel and Ai. <+t Cosh+a stayed the night with his people. 1, -arly the ne4t morning Cosh+a gathered the men together. Then Cosh+a and the leaders of 3srael led the men to Ai. 11 All the soldiers who were with Cosh+a marched to Ai. They stopped in front of the city. The army made its camp north of the city. There was a valley !etween the army and Ai. 12 Then Cosh+a chose a!o+t %,,, men. $e sent these men to hide in the area west of the city, !etween <ethel and Ai. 13 So Cosh+a had prepared his men for the fight. The main camp was north of the city. The other men were hiding to the west. That night Cosh+a went down into the valley. 1# ater, the king of Ai saw the army of 3srael. The king and his people h+rried o+t to fight the army of 3srael. The king Cosh+a (.1%*2, 3, of Ai went o+t the east side of the city toward the Cordan /alley, so he did not see the soldiers hiding !ehind the city. 1% Cosh+a and all the men of 3srael let the army of Ai p+sh them !ack. Cosh+a and his men !egan r+nning east toward the desert. 1& The people in the city !egan to sho+t and started to chase them. All the people left the city. 1' All the men of Ai and <ethel chased the army of 3srael. The city was left openno one stayed to protect the city. 1( Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, $old yo+r spear toward the city of Ai, !eca+se 3 will give yo+ that city. So Cosh+a held his spear toward the city of Ai. 1) >hen the 3sraelites who were hiding saw this, they J+ickly came o+t from their hiding place and h+rried toward the city. They entered the city and took control of it. Then the soldiers started fires to !+rn the city. 2, The men from Ai looked !ack and saw their city !+rning. >hen they saw the smoke rising into the sky, they lost their strength and co+rage. They stopped pag. 2%20131#

chasing the men of 3srael. The 3sraelites Cosh+a (.21*2% 31 stopped r+nning away. They t+rned and went to fight the men from Ai. There was no safe place for the men from Ai to r+n to. 21 >hen Cosh+a and his men saw that his army had taken control of the city and that smoke was rising from it, they stopped r+nning away and t+rned to fight the men of Ai. 22 Then the men who were hiding came o+t of the city to help with the fight. The army of 3srael was on !oth sides of the men of Aithe men of Ai were trapped. 3srael defeated them. They fo+ght +ntil none of the men from Ai were left alivenone of the enemy escaped. 23 <+t the king of Ai was left alive. Cosh+as men !ro+ght him to Cosh+a. 2# D+ring the fighting, the army of 3srael chased the men from Ai into the fields and into the desert. So the army of 3srael finished killing all the men from Ai in the fields and in the desert. Then the 3sraelites went !ack to Ai and killed all the people who were still alive in the city. 2% All the people of Ai died that dayF there were 12,,,, men and women. Cosh+a (.2&*31 32 2& Cosh+a had held his spear toward Ai as a sign to his people to destroy the city. And he did not stop +ntil all the people of Ai were destroyed. 2' The 3sraelites kept the animals and other things from the city for themselves. This is what the 5.D said they co+ld do when he gave Cosh+a the commands. 2( Then Cosh+a !+rned the city of Ai. That city !ecame an empty pile of rocks. 3t is still like that today. 2) Cosh+a hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left him hanging there +ntil evening. At s+nset, Cosh+a told his men to take the kings !ody down from the tree. They threw his !ody down at the city gate. Then they covered the !ody with many rocks. That pile of rocks is still there today. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, Then Cosh+a !+ilt an altar for the 5.D, the God of 3srael. $e !+ilt the altar on Ao+nt -!al. 31 The 5.D@S servant Aoses told the 3sraelites how to !+ild altars. So Cosh+a !+ilt the altar the way it was e4plained in the <ook of the aw of Aoses. The altar was made from stones that were not c+t. 1o tool had ever !een +sed on those Cosh+a (.32*3% 33 stones. They offered !+rnt offerings to the 5.D on that altar. They also gave fellowship offerings. 32 There Cosh+a copied onto the stones the law Aoses had written down. This was for all the people of 3srael to see. 33 The elders, officers, =+dges, and all the 3sraelites were standing aro+nd the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. They were standing in front of the priests, the evites who carried the $oly <o4. The 3sraelites and the other people with them were all standing there. $alf of the people stood in front of Ao+nt -!al and the other half of the people stood in front of Ao+nt GeriEim. The 5.D@S servant Aoses had told the people to do this. $e told them to do this to !e !lessed. 3# Then Cosh+a read all the words from the law. $e read the !lessings and the c+rses. $e read everything the way it was written in the <ook of the aw. 3% All the 3sraelites were gathered together there. All the women and children and all the foreigners who lived with the 3sraelites were there. And Cosh+a read every command that Aoses had given. Cosh+a ).1*& 3# 9 1 All the kings west of the Cordan .iver heard a!o+t these things. They were the kings of the $ittites, Amorites, 9anaanites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. They lived in the hill co+ntry and in the plains. They also lived along the seacoast of the Aediterranean Sea as far as e!anon. 2 All these kings came together and made plans to fight against Cosh+a and the 3sraelites. pag. 2%30131#

3 The people from the city of Gi!eon heard a!o+t the way Cosh+a had defeated Cericho and Ai. # So they decided to try to trick the 3sraelites. This was their plan: They gathered together old wineskins that were cracked and !roken. They p+t these old wineskins on the !acks of their animals. They p+t old pieces of cloth on their animals to look as if they had traveled from far away. % The men p+t old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. They fo+nd some old !read that was dry and moldy. & Then they went to the camp of the 3sraelites. This camp was near Gilgal. The men went to Cosh+a and said to Cosh+a ).'*11 3% him, >e have traveled from a faraway co+ntry. >e want to make a peace agreement with yo+. ' The men of 3srael said to these $ivite men, Aay!e yo+ are trying to trick +s. Aay!e yo+ live near +s. >e cannot make a peace agreement with yo+ +ntil we know where yo+ are from. ( The $ivite men said to Cosh+a, >e are yo+r servants. <+t Cosh+a asked, >ho are yo+? >here do yo+ come from? ) The men answered, >e are yo+r servants. >e have come from a faraway co+ntry. >e came !eca+se we heard of the great power of the 5.D yo+r God. >e heard a!o+t what he has done and a!o+t everything he did in -gypt. 1, And we heard that he defeated the two kings of the Amorites east of the Cordan .iver. This was Ging Sihon of $esh!on and Ging 5g of <ashan in the land of Ashtaroth. 11 So o+r elders and o+r people said to +s, Take eno+gh food for yo+r =o+rney. Go and meet with the 3sraelites. Tell them, >e are yo+r servants. Aake a peace agreement with +s. Cosh+a ).12*1( 3& 12 ook at o+r !read. >hen we left home, it was warm and fresh. <+t now yo+ can see that it is dry and old. 13 ook at o+r wineskins. >hen we left -asy To .ead /ersion

home they were new and filled with wine. <+t now yo+ can see that they are cracked and old. ook at o+r clothes and sandals. ;o+ can see that the long =o+rney has almost destroyed the things we wear. 1# The men of 3srael wanted to know if these men were telling the tr+th. So they tasted the !read!+t they did not ask the 5.D what they sho+ld do. 1% Cosh+a agreed to make peace with them. $e agreed to let them live. The leaders of 3srael agreed !y making a promise with an oath. 1& Three days later the 3sraelites learned that these men lived very near their camp. 1' So the 3sraelites went to the place where they lived. 5n the third day, the 3sraelites came to the cities of Gi!eon, Gephirah, <eeroth, and Giriath Cearim. 1( <+t the army of 3srael did not try to fight against those cities. They had made a peace agreement with them. They Cosh+a ).1)*2# 3' had made a promise to them !efore the 5.D, the God of 3srael. All the people complained against the leaders who made the agreement. 1) <+t the leaders answered, >e have given o+r promise with an oath !efore the 5.D, the God of 3srael. >e cannot fight against them now. 2, This is what we m+st do. >e m+st let them live. >e cannot h+rt them or God will !e angry with +s !eca+se we !roke the promise we made to them. 21 So let them live, !+t they will !e o+r servants. They will c+t wood for +s and carry water for all o+r people. So the leaders did not !reak their promise of peace to them. 22 Cosh+a called the Gi!eonites together. $e said, >hy did yo+ lie to +s? ;o+r land was near o+r camp. <+t yo+ told +s yo+ were from a faraway co+ntry. 23 1ow, yo+r people will have many tro+!les. All of yo+r people will !e slavesthey will have to c+t wood and carry water for the ho+se of God. pag. 2%#0131#

2# The Gi!eonites answered, >e lied to yo+ !eca+se we were afraid yo+ wo+ld kill +s. >e heard that God commanded Cosh+a ).2%*1,.2 3( his servant Aoses to give yo+ all this land. And God told yo+ to kill all the people who lived in this land. That is why we lied to yo+. 2% 1ow we are yo+r servants. ;o+ can do whatever yo+ think is right. 2& So the Gi!eonites !ecame slaves, !+t Cosh+a let them live. $e did not allow the 3sraelites to kill them. 2' $e made them slaves of the 3sraelites. They c+t wood and carried water for the 3sraelites and for the altar of the 5.Dwherever the 5.D chose it to !e. They are still slaves today. 10 1 At this time Adoni Bedek was the king of Cer+salem. $e heard that Cosh+a had defeated Ai and completely destroyed it. The king learned that Cosh+a had done the same thing to Cericho and its king. $e also learned that the Gi!eonites had made a peace agreement with 3srael and that they lived very near Cer+salem. 2 So Adoni Bedek and his people were very frightened. Gi!eon was not a small town like Ai. 3t was a very !ig cityas !ig as any royal city. And all the men in that Cosh+a 1,.3*& 3) city were good fighters, so the king was afraid. 3 Ging Adoni Bedek of Cer+salem talked with Ging $oham of $e!ron. $e also talked with Ging 6iram of Carm+th, Ging Caphia of achish, and Ging De!ir of -glon. The king of Cer+salem !egged these men, # 9ome with me and help me attack Gi!eon. Gi!eon has made a peace agreement with Cosh+a and the 3sraelites. % So these five Amorite kings =oined their armies together. 7The five kings were the king of Cer+salem, the king of $e!ron, the king of Carm+th, the king of achish, and the king of -glon.8 Their armies went to Gi!eon, s+rro+nded the -asy To .ead /ersion

city, and !egan fighting against it. & The people in the city of Gi!eon sent a message to Cosh+a at his camp at Gilgal: >e are yo+r servants" Dont leave +s alone. 9ome and help +s" $+rry" Save +s" All the Amorite kings from the hill co+ntry have !ro+ght their armies together to fight against +s. Cosh+a 1,.'*12 #, ' So Cosh+a marched o+t of Gilgal with his whole army. $is !est fighting men were with him. ( The 5.D said to Cosh+a, Dont !e afraid of those armies. 3 will allow yo+ to defeat them. 1one of them will !e a!le to defeat yo+. ) Cosh+a and his army marched all night to Gi!eon, so it was a complete s+rprise when he attacked them. 1, The 5.D ca+sed those armies to !e very conf+sed when 3srael attacked. So 3srael defeated them and won a great victory. 3srael chased the enemy from Gi!eon along the road going +p to <eth $oron. The army of 3srael killed men all the way to AEekah and Aakkedah. 11 Then they chased the enemy down the road from <eth $oron to AEekah. >hile they were chasing the enemy, the 5.D ca+sed large hailstones to fall from the sky. Aany of the enemy were killed !y these large hailstones. Aore men were killed !y the hailstones than !y the swords of the soldiers of 3srael. 12 5n that day the 5.D gave 3srael the victory against the Amorites. Cosh+a stood !efore all the 3sraelites and said to Cosh+a 1,.13*1) #1 the 5.D: S+n, stop over Gi!eon. Aoon, stand still over the /alley of Ai=alon. 13 So the s+n did not move, and the moon stopped +ntil the people defeated their enemies. This story is written in the <ook of Cashar. The s+n stopped in the middle of the sky. 3t did not move for a f+ll day. 1# That had never happened !efore, and it has never happened again. That was the day the 5.D o!eyed a man. The 5.D really was fighting for 3srael" pag. 2%%0131#

1% After this, Cosh+a and his army went !ack to the camp at Gilgal. 1& <+t d+ring the fight, the five kings ran away. They hid in a cave near Aakkedah, 1' !+t someone fo+nd them hiding in that cave. Cosh+a learned a!o+t this. 1( $e said, 9over the entrance to the cave with large rocks. 6+t some men there to g+ard the cave. 1) <+t dont stay there yo+rselves. 9ontin+e chasing the enemy and attacking them from !ehind. Dont let the enemy get !ack to their cities. The 5.D yo+r God has given yo+ the victory over them. Cosh+a 1,.2,*2% #2 2, So Cosh+a and the 3sraelites killed the enemy. <+t some of them were a!le to go to their cities that had tall walls aro+nd them and hide. These men were not killed. 21 After the fighting, Cosh+as men came !ack to him at Aakkedah. 1ot one of the people in that co+ntry was !rave eno+gh to say anything against the 3sraelites. 22 Cosh+a said, Aove the rocks that are covering the entrance to the cave. <ring the five kings to me. 23 So Cosh+as men !ro+ght the five kings o+t of the cavethe kings of Cer+salem, $e!ron, Carm+th, achish, and -glon. 2# >hen they !ro+ght the five kings to Cosh+a, he called all his men to come to that place. $e said to the officers of his army, 9ome here" 6+t yo+r feet on the necks of these kings. So the officers of Cosh+as army came close and p+t their feet on the necks of the kings. 2% Then Cosh+a said to his men, <e strong and !rave" Dont !e afraid. 3 will show yo+ what the 5.D will do to all the enemies yo+ will fight in the f+t+re. Cosh+a 1,.2&*31 #3 2& Then Cosh+a killed the five kings and hanged their !odies on five trees. $e left them hanging in the trees +ntil evening. 2' At s+nset Cosh+a told his men to take the !odies down from the trees. So they threw the !odies into the cave where the -asy To .ead /ersion

kings had !een hiding and covered the entrance of the cave with large rocks. Their !odies are still in that cave today. 2( That day Cosh+a defeated Aakkedah. $e killed the king and the people in that city. 1o one was left alive. Cosh+a did the same thing to the king of Aakkedah that he had done to the king of Cericho. 2) Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites traveled from Aakkedah to i!nah and attacked that city. 3, The 5.D allowed the 3sraelites to defeat that city and its king. They killed everyone in the city. 1o one was left alive. And they did the same thing to that king as they had done to the king of Cericho. 31 Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites left i!nah and went to achish. Cosh+a and his army camped aro+nd that city and attacked it. Cosh+a 1,.32*3) ## 32 The 5.D allowed them to defeat the city of achish. They defeated it on the second day. The 3sraelites killed everyone in the city, =+st as they had done in i!nah. 33 Ging $oram of GeEer came to help achish, !+t Cosh+a also defeated him and his army. 1o one was left alive. 3# Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites traveled from achish to -glon. They camped aro+nd -glon and attacked it. 3% That day they capt+red the city and killed everyone in the city. This was the same thing they had done to achish. 3& Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites traveled from -glon to $e!ron and attacked it. 3' They capt+red the city and all the small towns near $e!ron. The 3sraelites killed everyone in the city, =+st as they did to -glon. 1o one was left alive there. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it as an offering to the ord. 3( Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites went !ack to De!ir and attacked it. 3) They capt+red the city, its king, and all the towns near De!ir. They killed everyone in the city, =+st as they had pag. 2%&0131#

Cosh+a 1,.#,*11.2 #% done to i!nah and its king. 1o one was left alive there. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it as an offering to the ord. #, So Cosh+a defeated all the kings of the cities of the hill co+ntry, the 1egev, the western foothills, and the eastern foothills. The 5.D, the God of 3srael, had told Cosh+a to kill all the people, so Cosh+a did not leave anyone alive in those places. #1 Cosh+a capt+red all the cities from Gadesh <arnea to GaEa. $e capt+red all the cities from Goshen to Gi!eon. #2 Cosh+a capt+red all these cities and their kings in one series of !attles. $e did this !eca+se the 5.D, the God of 3srael, was fighting for 3srael. #3 Then Cosh+a and all the 3sraelites ret+rned to their camp at Gilgal. 11 1 Ging Ca!in of $aEor heard a!o+t everything that had happened. So he decided to call together the armies of several kings. $e sent a message to Ging Co!a! of Aadon to the king of Shimron, to the king of Acshaph, 2 and to the kings of the north in the hill co+ntry and in the desert. Ca!in sent the Cosh+a 11.3*& #& message to the kings of the Ginnereth, the 1egev, and the western foothills. $e also sent the message to the king of 1aphoth Dor in the west. 3 Ca!in sent the message to the kings of the 9anaanites in the east and in the west. $e sent the message to the Amorites, $ittites, 6eriEEites, and Ce!+sites living in the hill co+ntry. $e also sent the message to the $ivites living !elow Ao+nt $ermon near AiEpah. # So the armies of all these kings came together. There were many fighting men and many horses and chariots. 3t was a very large armyit looked as if there were as many men as grains of sand on the seashore. % All these kings met together at the small river of Aerom. They =oined their armies together into one camp and made -asy To .ead /ersion

plans for the !attle against 3srael. & Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a, Dont !e afraid of that army, !eca+se 3 will allow yo+ to defeat them. <y this time tomorrow, yo+ will have killed them all. ;o+ will c+t the legs of the horses and !+rn all their chariots. Cosh+a 11.'*13 #' ' So Cosh+a and his whole army s+rprised the enemy and attacked them at the river of Aerom. ( The 5.D allowed 3srael to defeat them. The army of 3srael defeated them and chased them to Greater Sidon, Aisrephoth Aaim, and the /alley of AiEpah in the east. The army of 3srael fo+ght +ntil none of the enemy was left alive. ) Cosh+a did what the 5.D said to doF he c+t the legs of their horses and !+rned their chariots. 1, Then Cosh+a went !ack and capt+red the city of $aEor and killed its king. 7$aEor was the leader of all the kingdoms that fo+ght against 3srael.8 11 The army of 3srael killed everyone in that city and completely destroyed all the people. There was nothing left alive. Then they !+rned the city. 12 Cosh+a capt+red all these cities and killed all their kings. $e completely destroyed everything in these cities=+st as the 5.D@S servant Aoses had commanded. 13 <+t the army of 3srael did not !+rn any cities that were !+ilt on hills. The Cosh+a 11.1#*1) #( only city !+ilt on a hill that they !+rned was $aEor. This is the city Cosh+a !+rned. 1# The 3sraelites kept for themselves all the things and all the animals they fo+nd in the cities. <+t they killed all the people there. They left no one alive. 1% ong ago the 5.D commanded his servant Aoses to do this. Then Aoses commanded Cosh+a to do this. So Cosh+a o!eyed God. $e did everything that the 5.D had commanded Aoses. 1& So Cosh+a defeated all the people in pag. 2%'0131#

that whole area. $e had control over the hill co+ntry, the 1egev, all the area of Goshen, the western foothills, the Cordan /alley, and the mo+ntains of 3srael and all the hills near them. 1' Cosh+a had control of all the land from Ao+nt $alak near Seir to <aal Gad in the /alley of e!anon !elow Ao+nt $ermon. $e capt+red all the kings in that land and killed them. 1( Cosh+a fo+ght against them for many years. 1) 5nly one city in all the land made a peace agreement with 3srael. That was Cosh+a 11.2,*12.1 #) the $ivite city of Gi!eon. All the other cities were defeated in war. 2, The 5.D made those people feel !rave eno+gh to fight against 3srael. This was so that 3srael co+ld destroy them completely witho+t mercy =+st as the 5.D had commanded Aoses to do. 21 The Anakites lived in the hill co+ntry in the area of $e!ron, De!ir, Ana!, and C+dah. Cosh+a fo+ght them and completely destroyed all the people and their towns. 22 There were no Anakites left living in the land of 3srael. The only Anakites who were left alive were in GaEa, Gath, and Ashdod. 23 Cosh+a took control of the whole land of 3srael as the 5.D had told Aoses long ago. The ord gave that land to 3srael as he promised. And Cosh+a divided the land among the tri!es of 3srael. 2inally, the fighting ended and there was peace in the land. 12 1 The 3sraelites had taken control of the land east of the Cordan .iver. They had all the land from Arnon .avine to Ao+nt $ermon and all the land along the eastern side of the Cordan Cosh+a 12.2*& %, /alley. These are all the kings the 3sraelites defeated to take this land: 2 They defeated Ging Sihon of the Amorites living in the city of $esh!on. $e r+led the land from Aroer at the Arnon .avine to the Ca!!ok .iver. $is land -asy To .ead /ersion

started in the center of that ravine. This was their !order with the Ammonites. Sihon r+led over half of the land of Gilead. 3 $e also r+led over the eastern side of the Cordan /alley from ake Galilee to the Dead Sea 7Salt Sea8. And he r+led from <eth Ceshimoth to the so+th to the hills of 6isgah. # They also defeated Ging 5g of <ashan. 5g was from the .ephaites. $e r+led the land in Ashtaroth and -drei. % 5g r+led over Ao+nt $ermon, Salecah, and all of the area of <ashan. $is land ended where the people of Gesh+r and Aaacah lived. 5g also r+led half of the land of Gilead. This land ended at the land of Ging Sihon of $esh!on. & The 5.D@S servant Aoses and the 3sraelites defeated all these kings. And Aoses gave that land to the tri!e of .e+!en, the tri!e of Gad, and half the Cosh+a 12.'*1% %1 tri!e of Aanasseh. Aoses gave them this land to !e their own. ' These are the kings of the land west of the Cordan .iver who were defeated !y Cosh+a and the 3sraelites. This land was in the area west of <aal Gad in the e!anon /alley as far as Ao+nt $alak that rises toward Seir. Cosh+a divided it among the tri!es. ( This incl+ded the hill co+ntry, the western foothills, the Cordan /alley, the eastern mo+ntains, the desert, and the 1egev. This was where the $ittites, Amorites, 9anaanites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites had lived. These are the kings the 3sraelites defeated: ) the king of Cericho, the king of Ai near <ethel, 1, the king of Cer+salem, the king of $e!ron, 11 the king of Carm+th, the king of achish, 12 the king of -glon, the king of GeEer, 13 the king of De!ir, the king of Geder, 1# the king of $ormah, the king of Arad, 1% the king of i!nah, the king of Ad+llam, pag. 2%(0131#

Cosh+a 12.1&*13.3 %2 1& the king of Aakkedah, the king of <ethel, 1' the king of Tapp+ah, the king of $epher, 1( the king of Aphek, the king of Sharon, 1) the king of Aadon, the king of $aEor, 2, the king of Shimron Aeron, the king of Acshaph, 21 the king of Taanach, the king of Aegiddo, 22 the king of Gedesh, the king of Cokneam in 9armel, 23 the king of Dor at Ao+nt Dor, the king of Goyim in Gilgal, 2# and the king of TirEah. The total n+m!er of kings was 31. 13 1 >hen Cosh+a was very old, the 5.D said to him, Cosh+a yo+ have grown old, !+t there is still m+ch land for yo+ to take control of. 2 ;o+ have not yet taken the land of Gesh+r or the land of the 6hilistines. 3 ;o+ have not yet taken the area from the Shihor .iver at -gypt to the !order of -kron and the land f+rther north. That land still !elongs to the 9anaanites. ;o+ m+st still defeat the five 6hilistine leaders at GaEa, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Cosh+a 13.#*) %3 Gath, and -kron. ;o+ m+st also defeat the Avvites # who live so+th of the 9anaanite land. And yo+ m+st still go north to take Aearah, which the Sidonians control. 2rom there yo+ m+st still go as far as Aphek on the Amorite !order. % ;o+ have not yet defeated the area of the Ge!alites. And also there is the area of e!anon east of <aal Gad !elow Ao+nt $ermon to e!o $amath. & The people of Sidon are living in the hill co+ntry from e!anon to Aisrephoth Aaim. <+t 3 will force them o+t for the 3sraelites. <e s+re to remem!er this land when yo+ divide the land among the 3sraelites. Do this as 3 told yo+. ' 1ow divide the land among the nine tri!es and half the tri!e of Aanasseh. ( The tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and the -asy To .ead /ersion

other half of the tri!e of Aanasseh had already received all their land. The 5.D@S servant Aoses gave them the land east of the Cordan .iver. ) Their land started at Aroer !y the Arnon .avine and contin+ed to the town in the middle of the ravine. And it Cosh+a 13.1,*1# %# incl+ded the whole plain from Aede!a to Di!on. 1, All the towns that Ging Sihon of the Amorites r+led were in that land. $e r+led in the city of $esh!on. The land contin+ed to the area where the Ammonites lived. 11 Also the town of Gilead was in that land. And the area where the people of Gesh+r and Aaacah lived was in that land. All of Ao+nt $ermon and all of <ashan as far as Salecah was in that land. 12 The whole kingdom of Ging 5g of <ashan was in that land. 5g, one of the last .ephaites, had once r+led in Ashtaroth and -drei. Aoses had defeated those people and had taken their land. 13 <+t the 3sraelites did not force the people of Gesh+r and Aaacah to leave the land. So they still live among the 3sraelites today. 1# The tri!e of evi is the only tri!e that did not get any land. 3nstead, the evites were given all the animals offered !y fire to the 5.D, the God of 3srael. That is what the ord promised them. Cosh+a 13.1%*22 %% 1% Aoses had given each family gro+p from the tri!e of .e+!en some land. This is the land they received: 1& 3t was the land from Aroer near the Arnon .avine to the town of Aede!a. This incl+ded the whole plain and the town in the middle of the ravine. 1' The land contin+ed to $esh!on. 3t incl+ded all the towns on the plain. Those towns were Di!on, <amoth <aal, <eth <aal Aeon, 1( CahaE, Gedemoth, Aephaath, 1) Giriathaim, Si!mah, Bereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, pag. 2%)0131#

2, <eth 6eor, the hills of 6isgah, and <eth Ceshimoth. 21 So that land incl+ded all the towns on the plain and all the area that Ging Sihon of the Amorites had r+led. $e r+led in the town of $esh!on, !+t Aoses had defeated him and the leaders of the Aidianites. Those leaders were -vi, .ekem, B+r, $+r, and .e!a. 7They all fo+ght together with Sihon.8 All of them lived in that co+ntry. 22 The 3sraelites defeated <alaam son of <eor. 7<alaam tried to +se magic to tell Cosh+a 13.23*2( %& the f+t+re.8 The 3sraelites killed many people d+ring the fighting. 23 The land that was given to .e+!en stopped at the shore of the Cordan .iver. So the land that was given to the family gro+ps of .e+!en incl+ded all these towns and their fields that were listed. 2# This is the land Aoses gave to the tri!e of Gad. $e gave this land to each tri!e: 2% $e gave them the land of CaEer, all the towns of Gilead, and half of the land of the Ammonites that went as far as Aroer near .a!!ah. 2& Their land incl+ded the area from $esh!on to .amath AiEpah and <etonim, from Aahanaim to the land of De!ir, 2' the valley of <eth $aram, <eth 1imrah, S+ccoth and Baphon, incl+ding the rest of the kingdom of Ging Sihon of $esh!on, along the Cordan all the way +p to ake Galilee on the eastern side of the river. 2( All this land is the land Aoses gave the family gro+ps of Gad. That land incl+ded all the towns that were listed. Aoses gave that land to each family gro+p. Cosh+a 13.2)*1#.1 %' 2) This is the land Aoses gave to half the tri!e of Aanasseh. $alf of all the families in the tri!e of Aanasseh got this land: 3, The land started at Aahanaim. The land incl+ded all of <ashan, all the land r+led !y Ging 5g of <ashan, and all the -asy To .ead /ersion

towns of Cair in <ashan. 73n all, there were &, cities.8 31 The land also incl+ded half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and -drei. 7Gilead, Ashtaroth, and -drei were the cities where Ging 5g had lived.8 All this land was given to the family of Aakir son of Aanasseh. $alf of all his sons got this land. 32 Aoses gave all this land to these tri!es. $e did this while the people were camped on the plains of Aoa!. This was across the Cordan .iver, east of Cericho. 33 Aoses did not give any land to the tri!e of evi. The 5.D, God of 3srael, promised that he himself wo+ld !e the gift for the tri!e of evi. 14 1 -leaEar the priest, Cosh+a son of 1+n, and the leaders of all the tri!es of 3srael decided what land to give to the people. Cosh+a 1#.2*& %( 2 The 5.D had commanded Aoses long ago how he wanted the people to choose their land. The people of the nine and a half tri!es threw lots to decide which land they wo+ld get. 3 Aoses had already given the two and a half tri!es their land east of the Cordan .iver. The tri!e of evi did not receive any land like the other tri!es. # The descendants of Coseph had divided into two tri!esAanasseh and -phraim. -ach of these tri!es received some landF the tri!e of evi was not given any land. They were given only some towns scattered thro+gho+t the other tri!es and some fields aro+nd those towns for their animals. % The 5.D had told Aoses how to divide the land among the tri!es of 3srael. The 3sraelites divided the land the way the ord had commanded. & 5ne day some people from the tri!e of C+dah went to Cosh+a at Gilgal. 5ne of them was 9ale!, the son of Ceph+nneh the GeniEEite. 9ale! said to Cosh+a, ;o+ remem!er what the 5.D said at Gadesh <arnea. The ord was speaking Cosh+a 1#.'*12 %) to Aoses, his servant. The ord was pag. 2&,0131#

talking a!o+t yo+ and me. ' The 5.D@S servant Aoses sent me to look at the land where we were going. 3 was #, years old at that time. >hen 3 came !ack, 3 told Aoses what 3 tho+ght a!o+t the land. ( The other men who went with me told the people things that made them afraid. <+t 3 really !elieved that the 5.D wo+ld allow +s to take that land. ) So that day Aoses made a promise to me. $e said, The land where yo+ went will !ecome yo+r land. ;o+r children will own that land forever. 3 will give yo+ that land !eca+se yo+ really !elieved in the 5.D, my God. 1, 1ow the 5.D has kept me alive for #% more yearsas he said he wo+ld. D+ring that time we all wandered in the desert. 1ow, here 3 am, (% years old. 11 3 am still as strong today as 3 was the day Aoses sent me o+t. 3 am as ready to fight as 3 was then. 12 So give me the hill co+ntry that the 5.D promised me that day long ago. At that time yo+ heard that the strong Anakites lived there and the cities were Cosh+a 1#.13*1%.3 &, very !ig and well protected. <+t now, may!e the 5.D will !e with me, and 3 will take that land =+st as the 5.D said. 13 Cosh+a !lessed 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh. Cosh+a gave him the city of $e!ron as his own. 1# And that city still !elongs to the family of 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh the GeniEEite. That land still !elongs to his people !eca+se he tr+sted and o!eyed the 5.D, God of 3srael. 1% 3n the past that city was called Giriath Ar!a. 3t was named for the greatest man among the Anakitesa man named Ar!a. After this there was peace in the land. 15 1 The land that was given to C+dah was divided among the families of that tri!e. That land went to the !order of -dom and so+th all the way to the desert of Bin at the edge of Teman. 2 The so+thern !order of C+dahs land started at the so+th end of the Dead -asy To .ead /ersion

Sea. 3 The !order went so+th to Scorpion 6ass and contin+ed on to Bin. Then the !order contin+ed so+th to Gadesh <arnea. 3t contin+ed past $eEron to Cosh+a 1%.#*( &1 Addar. 2rom Addar the !order t+rned and contin+ed to Garka. # The !order contin+ed to AEmon, the !rook of -gypt, and then to the Aediterranean Sea. All that land was on their so+thern !order. % Their eastern !order was the shore of the Dead Sea to the area where the Cordan .iver flowed into the sea. Their northern !order started at the area where the Cordan .iver flowed into the Dead Sea. & Then the northern !order went to <eth $oglah and contin+ed north of <eth Ara!ah. The !order contin+ed to the stone of <ohan. 7<ohan was the son of .e+!en8. ' Then the northern !order went thro+gh the /alley of Achor to De!ir. There the !order t+rned to the north and went to Gilgal. Gilgal is across from the road that goes thro+gh the mo+ntain of Ad+mmim. 3t is on the so+th side of the !rook. The !order contin+ed along the waters of -n Shemesh. The !order stopped at -n .ogel. ( Then the !order went thro+gh the /alley of <en $innom !eside the Cosh+a 1%.)*12 &2 so+thern side of the Ce!+site city 7that is, Cer+salem8. There the !order went to the top of the hill on the west side of $innom /alley. This was at the northern end of .ephaim /alley. ) 2rom there the !order went to the spring of water of 1ephtoah. Then the !order went to the cities near Ao+nt -phron. There the !order t+rned and went to <aalah. 7<aalah is also called Giriath Cearim.8 1, At <aalah the !order t+rned west and went to the hill co+ntry of Seir. The !order contin+ed along the north side of Ao+nt Cearim 7Gesalon8 and contin+ed pag. 2&10131#

down to <eth Shemesh. 2rom there the !order went past Timnah. 11 Then the !order went to the hill north of -kron. 2rom there the !order t+rned to Shikkeron and went past Ao+nt <aalah. The !order contin+ed on to Ca!neel and ended at the Aediterranean Sea. 12 The Aediterranean Sea was the western !order. So the land of C+dah was inside these fo+r !orders. The families of C+dah lived in this area. Cosh+a 1%.13*1) &3 13 The 5.D had commanded Cosh+a to give 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh part of the land in C+dah. So Cosh+a gave 9ale! the land God had commanded. Cosh+a gave him the town of Giriath Ar!a, that is, $e!ron. 7Ar!a was the father of Anak.8 1# 9ale! forced the three Anakite families living in $e!ron to leave there. Those families were Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. They were from the family of Anak. 1% Then 9ale! fo+ght against the people living in De!ir. 73n the past, De!ir was also called Giriath Sepher.8 1& 9ale! said, 3 will give my da+ghter in marriage to the man who attacks and conJ+ers Giriath Sepher. 1' 5thniel was the son of 9ale!s !rother GenaE. 5thniel defeated that city, so 9ale! gave his da+ghter Acsah to 5thniel to !e his wife. 1( Acsah went to live with 5thniel. 5thniel told Acsah to ask her father 9ale! for some more land. Acsah went to her father. >hen she got off her donkey, 9ale! asked her, >hat do yo+ want? 1) Acsah answered, Give me a !lessing. ;o+ gave me dry desert land in the Cosh+a 1%.2,*32 &# 1egev. 6lease give me some land with water on it. So 9ale! gave her what she wanted. $e gave her the +pper and lower pools of water in that land. 2, The tri!e of C+dah got the land that God promised them. -ach family gro+p got part of the land. 21 The tri!e of C+dah got all the towns -asy To .ead /ersion

in the so+thern part of the 1egev. These towns were near the !order of -dom. $ere is a list of the towns: Ga!Eeel, -der, Cag+r, 22 Ginah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Gedesh, $aEor, 3thnan, 2# Biph, Telem, <ealoth, 2% $aEor $adattah, Gerioth $eEron 7$aEor8, 2& Amam, Shema, Aoladah, 2' $aEar Gaddah, $eshmon, <eth 6elet, 2( $aEar Sh+al, <eershe!a, <iEiothiah, 2) <aalah, 3im, -Eem, 3, -ltolad, Gesil, $ormah, 31 Biklag, Aadmannah, Sansannah, 32 e!aoth, Shilhim, Ain, and .immon. 3n all, there were 2) towns and all their fields. Cosh+a 1%.33*#& &% 33 The tri!e of C+dah also got these towns in the western foothills: -shtaol, Borah, Ashnah, 3# Banoah, -n Gannim, Tapp+ah, -nam, 3% Carm+th, Ad+llam, Socoh, AEekah, 3& Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah 7Gederothaim8. 3n all, there were 1# towns and all their fields. 3' The tri!e of C+dah was also given these towns: Benan, $adashah, Aigdal Gad, 3( Dilean, AiEpah, Coktheel, 3) achish, <oEkath, -glon, #, 9a!!on, ahmas, Gitlish, #1 Gederoth, <eth Dagon, 1aamah, and Aakkedah. 3n all, there were 1& towns and all the fields aro+nd them. #2 The people of C+dah also got these towns: i!nah, -ther, Ashan, #3 3phtah, Ashnah, 1eEi!, ## Geilah, AcEi!, and Aareshah. 3n all, there were nine towns and all the fields aro+nd them. #% The people of C+dah also got the town of -kron and all the small towns and fields near it. #& They also got the area west of -kron and all the fields and towns near Ashdod. Cosh+a 1%.#'*%& && #' All the area aro+nd Ashdod and the small towns there were part of the land pag. 2&20131#

of C+dah. The people of C+dah also got the area aro+nd GaEa and the fields and towns that were near it. Their land contin+ed to the .iver of -gypt. And their land contin+ed along the coast of the Aediterranean Sea. #( The people of C+dah were also given these towns in the hill co+ntry: Shamir, Cattir, Socoh, #) Dannah, Giriath Sannah 7De!ir8, %, Ana!, -shtemoh, Anim, %1 Goshen, $olon, and Giloh. 3n all, there were eleven towns and all the fields aro+nd them. %2 The people of C+dah were also given these towns: Ara!, D+mah, -shan, %3 Canim, <eth Tapp+ah, Aphekah, %# $+mtah, Giriath Ar!a 7$e!ron8, and Bior. There were nine towns and all the fields aro+nd them. %% The people of C+dah were also given these towns: Aaon, 9armel, Biph, C+ttah, %& CeEreel, Cokdeam, Banoah, Cosh+a 1%.%'*1&.1 &' %' Gain, Gi!eah, and Timnah. 3n all, there were ten towns and all the fields aro+nd them. %( The people of C+dah were also given these towns: $alh+l, <eth B+r, Gedor, %) Aaarath, <eth Anoth, and -ltekon. 3n all, there were si4 towns and all the fields aro+nd them. &, The people of C+dah were also given the two towns of .a!!ah and Giriath <aal 7Giriath Cearim8. &1 The people of C+dah were also given these towns in the desert: <eth Ara!ah, Aiddin, Secacah, &2 1i!shan, Salt 9ity, and -n Gedi. 3n all, there were si4 towns and all the fields aro+nd them. &3 The army of C+dah was not a!le to force o+t the Ce!+sites living in Cer+salem. So today there are still Ce!+sites living among the people of C+dah in Cer+salem. 16 1 This is the land that the family of Coseph received. This land started at the Cordan .iver near Cericho and -asy To .ead /ersion

contin+ed to the waters of Cericho. 7This was =+st east of Cericho.8 The !order Cosh+a 1&.2*( &( went +p from Cericho to the hill co+ntry of <ethel. 2 Then the !order contin+ed from <ethel 7 +E8 to the Arkite !order at Ataroth. 3 Then the !order went west to the !order of the Caphletites. The !order contin+ed to ower <eth $oron. Then the !order went to GeEer and contin+ed to the Aediterranean Sea. # So the people of Aanasseh and -phraim got their land. 7Aanasseh and -phraim were sons of Coseph.8 % This is the land that was given to the people of -phraim: Their eastern !order started at Ataroth Addar near Hpper <eth $oron. & And the western !order started at Aicmethath. The !order t+rned to the east to Taanath Shiloh and contin+ed east to Canoah. ' Then it went from Canoah down to Ataroth and to 1aarah. The !order contin+ed +ntil it to+ched Cericho and ended at the Cordan .iver. ( The !order went from Tapp+ah west to Ganah .avine and ended at the sea. This is all the land that was given to the Cosh+a 1&.)*1'.3 &) -phraimites. -ach family in that tri!e got a part of this land. ) Aany of the !order towns of -phraim were act+ally in Aanassehs !orders, !+t the -phraimites got the towns and the fields aro+nd them. 1, <+t the -phraimites were not a!le to force the 9anaanites to leave the town of GeEer. So the 9anaanites still live among the -phraimites today, altho+gh they did !ecome slaves of the -phraimites. 17 1 Then land was given to the tri!e of Aanasseh. Aanasseh was Cosephs first son. Aanassehs first son was Aakir, the father of Gilead. Aakir was a great soldier, so the areas of Gilead and <ashan were given to his family. 2 and was also given to the other pag. 2&30131#

families in the tri!e of Aanasseh. These families were A!ieEer, $elek, Asriel, Shechem, $epher, and Shemida. All these men were the other sons of Aanasseh, the son of Coseph. The families of these men got their share of the land. 3 Belophehad was the son of $epher. $epher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was Cosh+a 1'.#*( ', the son of Aakir, and Aakir was the son of Aanasseh. Belophehad did not have any sons, !+t he had five da+ghters. The da+ghters were named Aahlah, 1oah, $oglah, Ailcah, and TirEah. # The da+ghters went to -leaEar the priest, Cosh+a son of 1+n, and all the leaders. The da+ghters said, The 5.D told Aoses to give +s land the same as o+r male relatives. So -leaEar o!eyed the 5.D and gave the da+ghters some land, =+st like their +ncles. % So the tri!e of Aanasseh had ten areas of land west of the Cordan .iver and two more areas of land, Gilead and <ashan, on the other side of the Cordan .iver. & So these women from the tri!e of Aanasseh got land the same as the men. The land of Gilead was given to the rest of the families of Aanasseh. ' The lands of Aanasseh were in the area !etween Asher and Aicmethath. This is near Shechem. The !order went so+th to the -n Tapp+ah area. ( The land aro+nd Tapp+ah !elonged to Aanasseh, !+t the town itself did not. The town of Tapp+ah was at the !order Cosh+a 1'.)*12 '1 of Aanassehs land, and it !elonged to the people of -phraim. ) The !order of Aanasseh contin+ed so+th to Ganah .avine. This area !elonged to the tri!e of Aanasseh, !+t the cities !elonged to the people of -phraim. Aanassehs !order was on the north side of the river and it contin+ed west to the Aediterranean Sea. 1, The land to the so+th !elonged to -phraim. And the land to the -asy To .ead /ersion

north !elonged to Aanasseh. The Aediterranean Sea was the western !order. The !order to+ched Ashers land in the north and 3ssachars land in the east. 11 The people of Aanasseh had towns in the area of 3ssachar and Asher. <eth Shean, 3!leam, and the small towns aro+nd them also !elonged to them. The people of Aanasseh also lived in Dor, -ndor, Taanach, Aegiddo, and the small towns aro+nd these cities. They also lived in the three towns of 1aphoth. 12 The people of Aanasseh were not a!le to defeat those cities. So the 9anaanites contin+ed to live there. Cosh+a 1'.13*1' '2 13 <+t the 3sraelites grew strong. >hen this happened, they forced the 9anaanites to work for them. <+t they did not force them to leave that land. 1# The descendants of Coseph spoke to Cosh+a and said, ;o+ gave +s only one area of land, !+t we are many people. >hy did yo+ give +s only one part of all the land that the 5.D gave his people? 1% Cosh+a answered them, 3f yo+ have too many people, go +p to the wooded area in the hill co+ntry and clear that land for a place to live. That land now !elongs to the 6eriEEites and the .ephaites. <+t if the hill co+ntry of -phraim is too small for yo+, go take that land. 1& The people of Coseph said, 3t is tr+e that the hill co+ntry of -phraim is not large eno+gh for +s. <+t the 9anaanites living there have powerf+l weaponsthey have iron chariots" And they control CeEreel /alley, <eth Shean, and all the small towns in that area. 1' Then Cosh+a said to the people of Coseph, the tri!es of -phraim and Aanasseh, ;o+ have many people and Cosh+a 1'.1(*1(.% '3 yo+ are very strong, so yo+ sho+ld get more than one share of the land. 1( ;o+ will take these mo+ntains. 3t is a forest, !+t yo+ can c+t down the trees and make it a good place to live. ;o+ can pag. 2&#0131#

take it from the 9anaanites and force them to leave. ;o+ can defeat them, even if they are strong and have iron chariots. 18 1 All the 3sraelites gathered together at Shiloh where they set +p the Aeeting Tent. The 3sraelites controlled that co+ntry. They had defeated all the enemies in that land. 2 <+t at this time there were still seven tri!es of 3srael that had not yet received their land. 3 So Cosh+a said to the 3sraelites, >hy do yo+ wait so long to take yo+r land? The 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors, has given this land to yo+. # So each of yo+r tri!es sho+ld choose three men. 3 will send them o+t to st+dy the land. They will descri!e that land, and then they will come !ack to me. % They will divide the land into seven parts. The people of C+dah will keep their Cosh+a 1(.&*) '# land in the so+th. The people of Coseph will keep their land in the north. & <+t yo+ sho+ld descri!e the land and divide it into seven parts. <ring the map to me and we will throw lots to let the 5.D o+r God decide how to divide the land among the tri!es. ' The evites dont get a share of the land. Their share is to serve the 5.D as priests. Gad, .e+!en, and half the tri!e of Aanasseh have already received the land that was promised to them. They are on the east side of the Cordan .iver. The 5.D@S servant Aoses gave them that land. ( So the men who were chosen went to look at the land and write down what they saw. Cosh+a told them, Go thro+gh the land and descri!e it in writing. Then come !ack to me at Shiloh. 3 will throw lots and let the 5.D decide how yo+ will share the land. ) So the men went into the land. As they walked thro+gh it, they wrote down what they saw. They listed all the cities and divided the land into seven parts. Then they went !ack to Cosh+a at Shiloh. -asy To .ead /ersion

Cosh+a 1(.1,*1% '% 1, Cosh+a threw lots for them in front of the 5.D at Shiloh. 3n this way Cosh+a divided the land and gave each tri!e its part of the land. 11 The tri!e of <en=amin was given the land that was !etween the areas of C+dah and Coseph. -ach family in the tri!e of <en=amin got its land. This is the land that was chosen for <en=amin: 12 The northern !order started at the Cordan .iver. 3t went along the northern edge of Cericho. Then the !order went west into the hill co+ntry. 3t contin+ed +ntil it was =+st east of <eth Aven. 13 Then the !order went so+th to +E 7<ethel8, then down to Ataroth Addar. Ataroth Addar is on the hill so+th of ower <eth $oron. 1# At the hill so+th of <eth $oron, the !order t+rned so+th and went along the west side of the hill. The !order went to Giriath <aal 7also called Giriath Cearim8. This town !elonged to the people of C+dah. This was the western !order. 1% The so+thern !order started near Giriath Cearim and went to the .iver of 1ephtoah. Cosh+a 1(.1&*22 '& 1& Then the !order went down to the !ottom of the hill near the valley of <en $innom, north of .ephaim /alley. 3t contin+ed down $innom /alley =+st so+th of the Ce!+site city. Then the !order went on to -n .ogel. 1' There it t+rned north, went to -n Shemesh, and then contin+ed on to Geliloth. 7Geliloth is near the Ad+mmim 6ass in the mo+ntains.8 The !order went down to the Great Stone that was named for <ohan, the son of .e+!en. 1( 3t contin+ed to the northern part of <eth Ara!ah. Then the !order went down into the Cordan /alley. 1) Then it went to the northern part of <eth $oglah and ended at the north shore of the Dead Sea. This is where the Cordan .iver flows into that sea. That was the so+thern !order. 2, The Cordan .iver was the eastern pag. 2&%0131#

!order. So this was the land that was given to the tri!e of <en=amin. These were the !orders on all sides. 21 -ach family got its land. These are their cities: Cericho, <eth $oglah, -mek GeEiE, 22 <eth Ara!ah, Bemaraim, <ethel, Cosh+a 1(.23*1).' '' 23 Avvim, 6arah, 5phrah, 2# Gephar Ammoni, 5phni, and Ge!a. There were twelve cities and the fields aro+nd them. 2% The tri!e of <en=amin also got Gi!eon, .amah, <eeroth, 2& AiEpah, Gephirah, AoEah, 2' .ekem, 3rpeel, Taralah, 2( Belah, $aeleph, the Ce!+site city 7that is, Cer+salem8, Gi!eah, and Giriath. There were 1# cities and the fields aro+nd them. The tri!e of <en=amin got all these areas. 19 1 Then Cosh+a gave all the families in the tri!e of Simeon their share of the land. The land they got was inside the area that !elonged to C+dah. 2 This is the land that was given to that tri!e: <eershe!a 7also called She!a8, Aoladah, 3 $aEar Sh+al, <alah, -Eem, # -ltolad, <eth+l, $ormah, % Biklag, <eth Aarca!oth, $aEar S+sah, & <eth e!aoth, and Shar+hen. There were 13 towns and all the fields aro+nd them. ' They also got the towns of Ain, .immon, -ther, and Ashan. There were Cosh+a 1).(*1# '( fo+r towns and all the fields aro+nd them. ( They also got all the fields aro+nd the cities as far as <aalath <eer 7.amah in the 1egev8. So this was the area that was given to the tri!e of Simeon. -ach family got its land. ) Simeons share of land was within the area that C+dah got. The people of C+dah had more land than they needed, so the people of Simeon got part of their land. 1, The ne4t tri!e to get their land was Be!+l+n. -ach family in Be!+l+n got the -asy To .ead /ersion

land that was promised to them. The !order of Be!+l+n went as far as Sarid. 11 Then the !order went west to Aaralah and =+st to+ched Da!!esheth. Then it went along the ravine near Cokneam. 12 Then the !order t+rned to the east. 3t went from Sarid to Gisloth Ta!or. Then it went on to Da!erath and to Caphia. 13 Then the !order contin+ed to the east to Gath $epher and -th GaEin. 3t ended at .immon. Then it t+rned and went to 1eah. 1# At 1eah the !order t+rned again, went north to $annathon, and then contin+ed to the /alley of 3phtah -l. Cosh+a 1).1%*23 ') 1% 3nside this !order were the cities of Gattath, 1ahalal, Shimron, 3dalah, and <ethlehem. 3n all, there were twelve towns and all the fields aro+nd them. 1& So these are the towns and fields aro+nd them that were given to Be!+l+n. -ach family in Be!+l+n got its part of the land. 1' The fo+rth part of the land was given to the tri!e of 3ssachar. -ach family in that tri!e got its part of the land. 1( This is the land that was given to that tri!e: CeEreel, Ges+lloth, Sh+nem, 1) $apharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 2, .a!!ith, Gishion, -!eE, 21 .emeth, -n Gannim, -n $addah, and <eth 6aEEeE. 22 The !order of their land to+ched Ta!or, ShahaE+mah, and <eth Shemesh. 3t ended at the Cordan .iver. 3n all, there were 1& towns and the fields aro+nd them. 23 These cities and towns were part of the land that was given to the tri!e of 3ssachar. -ach family got its part of the land. Cosh+a 1).2#*31 (, 2# The fifth part of land was given to the tri!e of Asher. -ach family in that tri!e got its part of the land. 2% This is the land that was given to that tri!e: $elkath, $ali, <eten, Acshaph, 2& Allammelech, Amad, and Aishal. The western !order contin+ed to Ao+nt pag. 2&&0131#

9armel and Shihor i!nath. 2' Then the !order t+rned to the east. 3t went to <eth Dagon. The !order to+ched Be!+l+n and the /alley of 3phtah -l. Then it went north of <eth -mek and 1eiel. 3t passed north of 9a!+l. 2( Then the !order went to A!don, .eho!, $ammon, and Ganah. 3t contin+ed to the Greater Sidon area. 2) Then the !order went !ack so+th to .amah. 3t contin+ed to the strong city of Tyre. Then the !order t+rned and went to $osah. 3t ended at the sea, near AcEi!, 3, Hmmah, Aphek, and .eho!. 3n all there were 22 towns and the fields aro+nd them. 31 These cities and the fields aro+nd them were given to the tri!e of Asher. -ach family in that tri!e got its share of the land. Cosh+a 1).32*3) (1 32 The si4th part of land was given to the tri!e of 1aphtali. -ach family in that tri!e got its share of the land. 33 The !order of their land started at the large tree near Baanannim. This is near $eleph. Then the !order went thro+gh Adami 1eke! and Ca!neel. 3t contin+ed to akk+m and ended at the Cordan .iver. 3# Then the !order went to the west thro+gh AEnoth Ta!or. 3t ended at $+kkok. The so+thern !order to+ched Be!+l+n and the western !order to+ched Asher. The !order went to C+dah, at the Cordan .iver to the east. 3% There were some very strong cities inside these !orders. They were Biddim, Ber, $ammath, .akkath, Ginnereth, 3& Adamah, .amah, $aEor, 3' Gedesh, -drei, -n $aEor, 3( 3ron, Aigdal -l, $orem, <eth Anath, and <eth Shemesh. 3n all, there were 1) towns and all the fields aro+nd them. 3) These cities and the fields aro+nd them were given to the tri!e of 1aphtali. -ach family in that tri!e got its land. Cosh+a 1).#,*#) (2 #, Then land was given to the tri!e of -asy To .ead /ersion

Dan. -ach family in that tri!e got its land. #1 This is the land that was given to them: Borah, -shtaol, 3r Shemesh, #2 Shaala!!in, Ai=alon, 3thlah, #3 -lon, Timnah, -kron, ## -ltekeh, Gi!!ethon, <aalath, #% Ceh+d, <ene <erak, Gath .immon, #& Ae Carkon, .akkon, and the area near Coppa. #' <+t the people of Dan had tro+!le taking their land. There were strong enemies there and the people of Dan co+ld not easily defeat them. So the people of Dan went to the northern part of 3srael and fo+ght against aish. They defeated aish and killed the people who lived there. So the people of Dan lived in the town of aish. They changed the name to Dan !eca+se that was the name of the father of their tri!e. #( All these cities and fields aro+nd them were given to the tri!e of Dan. -ach family got its share of the land. #) So the leaders finished dividing the land and giving it to the different tri!es. After they finished, all the 3sraelites Cosh+a 1).%,*2,.# (3 decided to give Cosh+a son of 1+n some land too. This was land that was promised to him. %, The 5.D had commanded that he get this land. So they gave Cosh+a the town of Timnath Serah in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. This was the town that Cosh+a told them he wanted. So he !+ilt the town stronger and lived there. %1 All of these lands were given to the different tri!es of 3srael. -leaEar the priest, Cosh+a son of 1+n, and the leaders of each tri!e met together at Shiloh to divide the land. They met !efore the 5.D at the entrance of the Aeeting Tent. So they finished dividing the land. 20 1 Then the 5.D said to Cosh+a: 2 Thro+gh Aoses, 3 told yo+ to choose some cities to !e cities of safety. 3 Anyone who kills someone accidentally can go to a city of safety to hide from pag. 2&'0131#

the relatives who want to kill him. # 3f yo+ accidentally kill someone and yo+ r+n away to one of those cities, yo+ m+st stop at the entrance of the city and tell the leaders of the people what happened. Then the leaders can allow Cosh+a 2,.%*) (# yo+ to enter the city. They will give yo+ a place to live among them. % 3f someone chases yo+ and follows yo+ to that city, the leaders of the city m+st not give yo+ +p. They m+st protect yo+ !eca+se yo+ came to them for safety after killing someone !y accidentyo+ were not angry and did not plan to kill the person. 3t was something that =+st happened. & ;o+ sho+ld stay in that city +ntil the co+rt has =+dged yo+ and +ntil the high priest dies. Then yo+ may go !ack to yo+r hometown. ' So the 3sraelites chose some cities to !e called cities of safety. These are the cities: Gedesh in Galilee in the hill co+ntry of 1aphtaliF Shechem in the hill co+ntry of -phraimF Giriath Ar!a 7$e!ron8 in the hill co+ntry of C+dahF ( <eEer, east of the Cordan .iver across from Cericho, in the desert area in the land of .e+!enF .amoth in Gilead in the land of GadF and Golan in <ashan in the land of Aanasseh. ) All 3sraelites or any foreigners living among them who killed someone !y accident were allowed to r+n away to Cosh+a 21.1*% (% one of these cities of safety. They co+ld !e safe there and not !e killed !y anyone chasing them. The co+rt in that city wo+ld =+dge them. 21 1 The family r+lers of the evite tri!e went to talk to -leaEar the priest, to Cosh+a son of 1+n, and to the r+lers of the other tri!es of 3srael. 2 At Shiloh in the land of 9anaan, the evite r+lers said to them, The 5.D gave Aoses a command. $e commanded that yo+ give +s towns to live in and that yo+ give +s fields where o+r animals can eat. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 So the 3sraelites o!eyed this command from the 5.D and gave the evites these towns and the land aro+nd them for their animals: # The Gohath family gro+ps were descendants of Aaron the priest from the tri!e of evi. 6art of the Gohath family was given 13 towns in the areas that !elonged to C+dah, Simeon, and <en=amin. % The other Gohath families were given ten towns in the areas that !elonged to -phraim, Dan, and half of Aanasseh. Cosh+a 21.&*13 (& & The people from the Gershon family were given 13 towns. These towns were in the areas that !elonged to 3ssachar, Asher, 1aphtali, and the half of Aanasseh that was in <ashan. ' The people from the Aerari family were given twelve towns. These towns came from the areas that !elonged to .e+!en, Gad, and Be!+l+n. ( So the 3sraelites gave the evites these towns and the fields aro+nd them, =+st as the 5.D had told Aoses. ) These are the names of the towns that were in the areas that !elonged to C+dah and Simeon. 1, The first choice of towns was given to the evites from the Gohath family gro+p. 11 They gave them Giriath Ar!a 7This is $e!ron. 3t was named for a man named Ar!a. Ar!a was the father of Anak.8 They also gave them some land near the town for their animals. 12 <+t the fields and the small towns aro+nd the city of Giriath Ar!a !elonged to 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh. 13 So they gave the city of $e!ron to Aarons descendants. 7$e!ron was a Cosh+a 21.1#*21 (' city of safety.8 They also gave Aarons descendants the towns of i!nah, 1# Cattir, -shtemoa, 1% $olon, De!ir, 1& Ain, C+ttah, and <eth Shemesh. They also gave them some of the land near these towns for their animals. These two pag. 2&(0131#

tri!es gave them nine towns. 1' They also gave Aarons descendants cities that !elonged to the tri!e of <en=amin. These cities were Gi!eon, Ge!a, 1( Anathoth, and Almon. They gave them these fo+r towns and some of the land near the towns for their animals. 1) 3n all, they gave 13 towns to the priests. 7All priests were descendants of Aaron.8 They also gave them some land near each town for their animals. 2, The other people from the Gohathite family gro+ps were given towns that were in the areas that !elonged to the tri!e of -phraim. They got these towns: 21 the city of Shechem from the hill co+ntry of -phraim 7which was a city of safety8, GeEer, Cosh+a 21.22*2( (( 22 Gi!Eaim, and <eth $oron. 3n all, -phraim gave them fo+r towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 23 The tri!e of Dan gave them -ltekeh, Gi!!ethon, 2# Ai=alon, and Gath .immon. 3n all, Dan gave them fo+r towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 2% $alf the tri!e of Aanasseh gave them Taanach and Gath .immon. 3n all, this half of Aanasseh gave them two towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 2& 3n all, the rest of the people from the Gohath family gro+ps got ten towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 2' The Gershon family gro+ps were also from the tri!e of evi. They got these towns: $alf the tri!e of Aanasseh gave them Golan in <ashan. 7Golan was a city of safety.8 Aanasseh also gave them <e -shtarah. 3n all, this half of Aanasseh gave them two towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 2( The tri!e of 3ssachar gave them Gishion, Da!erath, Cosh+a 21.2)*3# () 2) Carm+th, and -n Gannim. 3n all, 3ssachar gave them fo+r towns and some -asy To .ead /ersion

land aro+nd each town for their animals. 3, The tri!e of Asher gave them Aishal, A!don, 31 $elkath, and .eho!. 3n all, Asher gave them fo+r towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 32 The tri!e of 1aphtali gave them Gedesh in Galilee. 7Gedesh was a city of safety.8 1aphtali also gave them $ammoth Dor and Gartan. 3n all, 1aphtali gave them three towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 33 3n all, the Gershon family gro+ps got 13 towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 3# The other evite gro+p was the Aerari family gro+p. They were given these towns: The tri!e of Be!+l+n gave them Cokneam, Gartah, Dimnah, and 1ahalal. 3n all, Be!+l+n gave them fo+r towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. The tri!e of .e+!en gave them <eEer, CahaE, Gedemoth, and Aephaath. 3n all, .e+!en gave them fo+r towns and some land aro+nd each town Cosh+a 21.3%*## ), for their animals. The tri!e of Gad gave them .amoth in Gilead. 7.amoth was a city of safety.8 They also gave them Aahanaim, $esh!on, and CaEer. 3n all, Gad gave them fo+r towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. 3% 721:3#8 3& 721:3#8 3' 721:3#8 3( 721:3#8 3) 721:3#8 #, 3n all, the last family of evites, the Aerari family, got twelve towns. #1 So the evites were given a total of #( towns and some land aro+nd each town for their animals. All these towns were in areas that !elonged to the other tri!es. #2 -ach of these towns had some land in it for their animals. That was tr+e for every town. #3 So the 5.D kept the promise that he had made to the 3sraelites and gave the pag. 2&)0131#

people all the land that he had promised. The people took the land and lived there. ## And the 5.D allowed them to have peace on all sides of their land, =+st as he had promised their ancestors. 1one Cosh+a 21.#%*22.% )1 of their enemies defeated them. The 5.D allowed the 3sraelites to defeat every enemy. #% The 5.D kept every promise that he made to the 3sraelites. There were no promises that he failed to keep. -very promise came tr+e. 22 1 Then Cosh+a called a meeting of all the people from the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and half the tri!e of Aanasseh. 2 Cosh+a said to them, Aoses was the 5.D@S servant. ;o+ o!eyed everything that Aoses told yo+ to do. And yo+ also o!eyed all of my commands. 3 All this time yo+ have s+pported all the other 3sraelites. ;o+ caref+lly o!eyed all the commands that the 5.D yo+r God gave yo+. # The 5.D yo+r God promised to give the 3sraelites peace. And now, he has kept his promise, so now yo+ can go home. The 5.D@S servant Aoses gave yo+ the land on the east side of the Cordan .iver. 1ow yo+ can go home to that land. % <+t remem!ercontin+e to o!ey the law that the 5.D@S servant Aoses Cosh+a 22.&*1, )2 gave yo+. ;o+ m+st love the 5.D yo+r God and o!ey his commands. ;o+ m+st contin+e to follow him and serve him the very !est that yo+ can. & Then Cosh+a said good!ye to them, and they left and went home. ' Aoses had given the land of <ashan to half of the Aanasseh tri!e. Cosh+a gave land on the west side of the Cordan .iver to the other half of the Aanasseh tri!e. Cosh+a !lessed them and sent them home. ( $e said, ;o+ have !ecome very rich. ;o+ have many animals. ;o+ have gold, silver, and e4pensive =ewelry. ;o+ have -asy To .ead /ersion

many !ea+tif+l clothes. ;o+ have taken many things from yo+r enemies. Go home and divide these things among yo+rselves. ) So the people from the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and Aanasseh left the other 3sraelites at Shiloh in 9anaan. They went !ack home to Gilead. This was their own land, the land that Aoses gave them, as the 5.D had commanded. 1, They went to the place called Geliloth, near the Cordan .iver in the land of Cosh+a 22.11*1& )3 9anaan. There they !+ilt a !ea+tif+l altar. 11 <+t the other 3sraelites who were still at Shiloh heard a!o+t the altar that these three tri!es !+ilt. They heard that the altar was at the !order of 9anaan at the place called Geliloth. 3t was near the Cordan .iver on 3sraels side. 12 All the 3sraelites !ecame very angry with these three tri!es. They met together and decided to fight against them. 13 So the 3sraelites sent some men to talk to the people of .e+!en, Gad, and Aanasseh. The leader of these men was 6hinehas, son of -leaEar the priest. 1# They also sent ten of the leaders of the tri!es there. There was one man from each family gro+p of 3srael who was at Shiloh. 1% So these eleven men went to Gilead. They went to talk to the people of .e+!en, Gad, and Aanasseh. The eleven men said to them, 1& All the 5.D@S people sent +s to ask yo+ this: >hy did yo+ do this thing against the God of 3srael? >hy did yo+ stop following the 5.D? >hy did Cosh+a 22.1'*2, )# yo+ !+ild an altar for yo+rselves? ;o+ know that this is against the 5.D@S command. 1' .emem!er what happened at 6eor? >as the sin we committed there not !ad eno+gh? <eca+se of that sin, the 5.D p+nished his people with a terri!le sickness. And we are still s+ffering from pag. 2',0131#

that sin. 1( And now yo+ are doing the same thing. ;o+ are t+rning against the 5.D. >ill yo+ ref+se to follow the 5.D? 3f yo+ dont stop what yo+ are doing, he will !e angry with everyone in 3srael. 1) 3f yo+r land is not a good place to worship God, come over to the 5.D@S land. This is where the 5.D@S Tent is. ;o+ can have some of the land and live here. <+t dont t+rn against the 5.D or against +s !y !+ilding another altar. >e already have the altar of the 5.D o+r God at the Aeeting Tent. 2, .emem!er how Achan son of Berah ref+sed to o!ey the command a!o+t things that m+st !e destroyed. <eca+se that one man !roke Gods law, all the 3sraelites were p+nished. Achan died Cosh+a 22.21*2% )% !eca+se of his sin, !+t also many other people died. 21 The people from the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and Aanasseh answered the eleven men. They said, 22 The 5.D is o+r God" Again we say that the 5.D is o+r God" And God knows why we did this. >e want yo+ to know too. ;o+ can =+dge what we did. 3f yo+ think we did it !eca+se we are against the 5.D or ref+se to o!ey him, yo+ can kill +s today. 23 Do yo+ think we !+ilt o+r own altar !eca+se we want to t+rn away from the 5.D? Do yo+ think we !+ilt another altar for !+rnt offerings, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings? 3f that is why we !+ilt this altar, we ask the 5.D himself to p+nish +s. 2# <+t that is not why we !+ilt it. >e !+ilt it !eca+se we were afraid that in the f+t+re yo+r descendants might not accept +s as part of Gods people. So yo+r children might say to o+r children, ;o+ people have no reason to worship the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 2% The 5.D separated yo+ people of .e+!en and Gad from +s !y giving yo+ Cosh+a 22.2&*2) )& the land on the other side of the Cordan -asy To .ead /ersion

.iver. So yo+ are not part of the 5.D@S people. 3f yo+r children said that, it might make o+r children stop worshiping the 5.D. 2& So we decided to !+ild this altar. <+t we did not plan to +se it for !+rning offerings and sacrifices. 2' The real reason we wanted o+r altar was to show o+r people that we worship the same God that yo+ do. This altar will !e the proof to yo+ and +s and to all o+r f+t+re children that we worship the 5.D. >e give o+r sacrifices, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings to the 5.D. >e wanted yo+r children to grow +p and know that we are also 3sraelites like yo+rselves. 2( 3n the f+t+re, if it happens that yo+r children say that we dont !elong to 3srael, then o+r children can say, ook, o+r fathers who lived !efore +s made an altar. That altar is e4actly like the 5.D@S altar at the $oly Tent. >e dont +se this altar for sacrificesthis altar is proof that we are part of 3srael. 2) The tr+th is, we dont want to !e against the 5.D. >e dont want to stop Cosh+a 22.3,*33 )' following him now. >e know that the only tr+e altar is the one that is in front of the $oly Tent. That altar !elongs to the 5.D o+r God. 3, 6hinehas the priest and the leaders with him heard what the people from .e+!en, Gad, and Aanasseh said. They were satisfied that they were telling the tr+th. 31 So 6hinehas the priest said, 1ow we know that the 5.D is with +s and that yo+ did not t+rn against him. >e are happy that the 3sraelites will not !e p+nished !y the 5.D. 32 Then 6hinehas and the leaders left that place and went home. They left the people of .e+!en and Gad in the land of Gilead and went !ack to 9anaan. They went !ack to the 3sraelites and told them what had happened. 33 The 3sraelites were also satisfied. They were happy and thanked God. They pag. 2'10131#

decided not to go and fight against the people of .e+!en, Gad, and Aanasseh. They decided not to destroy the land where those people live. Cosh+a 22.3#*23.& )( 3# The people of .e+!en and Gad named the altar 6roof That >e <elieve the 5.D is God. 23 1 The 5.D gave 3srael peace from their enemies aro+nd them. $e made 3srael safe. Aany years passed, and Cosh+a !ecame very old. 2 At this time Cosh+a called a meeting of all the older leaders, heads of families, =+dges, and officers of the 3sraelites. Cosh+a said, 3 have grown very old. 3 ;o+ have seen what the 5.D did to o+r enemies. $e did this to help +s. The 5.D yo+r God fo+ght for yo+. # .emem!er that 3 told yo+ that yo+r people co+ld have the land !etween the Cordan .iver and the Aediterranean Sea in the west. 3 promised to give yo+ that land, !+t yo+ dont control it yet. 3 have taken the land away from those nations, !+t they are still living there. % <+t the 5.D yo+r God will force the people living there to leave. ;o+ will take that land. The 5.D will force them to leave, =+st as he promised. & ;o+ m+st !e caref+l to o!ey every command written in the <ook of the aw of Aoses. 1ever t+rn away from that law. Cosh+a 23.'*13 )) ' There are still some people living among +s who are not 3sraelites. They worship their own gods. Dont !ecome friends with them. Dont serve or worship their gods. ( ;o+ m+st contin+e to follow the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ have done this in the past, and yo+ m+st contin+e to do it. ) The 5.D helped yo+ defeat many great and powerf+l nations. $e forced them to leave. 1o nation has !een a!le to defeat yo+. 1, >ith his help, one man from 3srael co+ld defeat 1,,, enemy soldiers, !eca+se the 5.D yo+r God fights for yo+, as he promised. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 So yo+ m+st contin+e to love the 5.D yo+r God. 12 1ever stop following him. Dont !ecome friends with those people who did not leave when yo+ took the land. They are not part of 3srael. Dont marry any of their people. 3f yo+ !ecome friends with those people, 13 the 5.D yo+r God will not help yo+ defeat yo+r enemies. They will !ecome like a trap for yo+. They will ca+se yo+ painlike smoke and d+st in yo+r eyes. Cosh+a 23.1#*2#.1 1,, And yo+ will !e forced to leave this good land. The 5.D yo+r God gave yo+ this land. <+t yo+ can lose it if yo+ dont o!ey this command. 1# 3t is almost time for me to die. ;o+ know and really !elieve that the ord has done many great things for yo+. ;o+ know that the 5.D yo+r God has not failed in any of his promises. $e has kept every promise that he has made to +s. 1% -very good promise that the 5.D yo+r God made to +s has come tr+e. <+t in the same way, the 5.D will make his other promises come tr+e: 3f yo+ do wrong, !ad things will happen to yo+. ;o+ will !e forced to leave this good land that the 5.D yo+r God has given to yo+. 1& This will happen if yo+ ref+se to keep yo+r agreement with the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ will lose this land if yo+ go and serve other gods. ;o+ m+st not worship those other gods. 3f yo+ do, the 5.D will !ecome very angry with yo+. Then yo+ will J+ickly !e forced to leave this good land that he gave yo+. 24 1 Cosh+a called all the tri!es of 3srael to meet together at Cosh+a 2#.2*% 1,1 Shechem. Then Cosh+a called the older leaders, heads of the families, =+dges, and the officers of 3srael. These men stood !efore God. 2 Then Cosh+a spoke to all the people. $e said, 3 am telling yo+ what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says to yo+: A long time ago, yo+r ancestors lived on the pag. 2'20131#

other side of the -+phrates .iver. 3 am talking a!o+t men like Terah, the father of A!raham and 1ahor. At that time they worshiped other gods. 3 <+t 3 took yo+r father A!raham o+t of the land on the other side of the .iver. 3 led him thro+gh the land of 9anaan and gave him many children. 3 gave A!raham his son 3saac. # And 3 gave 3saac two sons, Caco! and -sa+. To -sa+, 3 gave the land aro+nd the mo+ntains of Seir. Caco! and his sons did not live there. They went to live in the land of -gypt. % Then 3 sent Aoses and Aaron to -gypt. 3 wanted them to !ring my people o+t of -gypt. 3 ca+sed many terri!le things to happen to the people of -gypt. Then 3 !ro+ght yo+r people o+t of -gypt. Cosh+a 2#.&*11 1,2 & >hen 3 !ro+ght yo+r ancestors o+t of -gypt, they came to the .ed Sea, and the men of -gypt were chasing them. There were chariots and men on horses. ' So the people asked me, the 5.D, for help. And 3 ca+sed great tro+!le to come to the men of -gypt. 3 ca+sed the sea to cover them. ;o+ yo+rselves saw what 3 did to the army of -gypt. After that yo+ lived in the desert for a long time. ( Then 3 !ro+ght yo+ to the land of the Amorites, east of the Cordan .iver. Those people fo+ght against yo+, !+t 3 allowed yo+ to defeat them. 3 gave yo+ the power to destroy them, and yo+ took control of that land. ) Then <alak, the son of Bippor, the king of Aoa!, prepared to fight against the 3sraelites. The king sent for <alaam the son of <eor to c+rse yo+, 1, !+t 3 ref+sed to listen to <alaams prayer. So he asked me to !less yo+, and 3 saved yo+ from the enemy. 11 Then yo+ went across the Cordan .iver to the city of Cericho. The people in Cericho fo+ght against yo+. Also, the Amorites, 6eriEEites, 9anaanites, $ittites, Girgashites, $ivites, and Cosh+a 2#.12*1% 1,3 Ce!+sites fo+ght against yo+. <+t 3 -asy To .ead /ersion

allowed yo+ to defeat them all. 12 As yo+r army went forward, 3 sent the $ornet ahead of it. 3 made all those other people leave the land, as 3 did when yo+ fo+ght the two Amorite kings. 3t was not yo+r swords and !ows that !ro+ght yo+ victory. 13 3, the ord, gave yo+ that land. ;o+ did not work for it3 gave it to yo+" And 3 gave yo+ cities yo+ did not !+ild. 1ow yo+ live there in those cities, and yo+ en=oy food from vineyards and olive trees that yo+ did not plant. 1# Then Cosh+a said to the people, 1ow yo+ have heard the ords words. So yo+ m+st respect the 5.D and sincerely serve him. Throw away the false gods that yo+r ancestors worshiped. That was something that happened a long time ago on the other side of the -+phrates .iver and in -gypt. 1ow yo+ m+st serve only the 5.D. 1% <+t may!e yo+ dont want to serve the 5.D. ;o+ m+st choose for yo+rselves today. Today yo+ m+st decide who yo+ will serve. >ill yo+ serve the gods that yo+r ancestors worshiped when they Cosh+a 2#.1&*1) 1,# lived on the other side of the -+phrates .iver? 5r will yo+ serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? ;o+ m+st choose for yo+rselves. <+t as for me and my family, we will serve the 5.D. 1& Then the people answered, >e will never stop following the 5.D. >e will never serve other gods" 1' >e know that it was the 5.D God who !ro+ght o+r people o+t of -gypt. >e were slaves in that land, !+t he did great things for +s there. $e !ro+ght +s o+t of that land and protected +s while we traveled thro+gh other lands. 1( The 5.D helped +s defeat the people living in these lands. $e helped +s defeat the Amorites who lived in this land where we are now. So we will contin+e to serve the 5.D, !eca+se he is o+r God. 1) Then Cosh+a said, ;o+ will not !e pag. 2'30131#

a!le to contin+e serving the 5.D. God is holy. And God hates his people worshiping other gods. $e will not forgive yo+ if yo+ t+rn against him like that. Cosh+a 2#.2,*2& 1,% 2, 3f yo+ leave the 5.D and serve other gods, he will ca+se terri!le things to happen to yo+. $e will destroy yo+. $e has !een good to yo+, !+t if yo+ t+rn against him he will destroy yo+. 21 Then the people said to Cosh+a, 1o, we will serve the 5.D" 22 Then Cosh+a said, ook aro+nd at yo+rselves and the people with yo+. Do yo+ all know and agree that yo+ have chosen to serve the 5.D? Are yo+ all witnesses to this? The people answered, ;es, it is tr+e. >e all see that we have chosen to serve the 5.D. 23 Then Cosh+a said, So throw away the false gods that yo+ have among yo+. ove the 5.D, the God of 3srael, with all yo+r heart. 2# Then the people said to Cosh+a, >e will serve the 5.D o+r God. >e will o!ey him. 2% So that day Cosh+a made an agreement for the people. $e made this agreement at the town called Shechem. 3t !ecame a law for them to follow. 2& Cosh+a wrote these things in the <ook of the aw of God. Then he fo+nd a large stone to !e the proof of this Cosh+a 2#.2'*32 1,& agreement. $e p+t the stone +nder the oak tree near the 5.D@S $oly Tent. 2' Then Cosh+a said to all the people, This stone will help yo+ remem!er what we said today. This stone was here when the 5.D was speaking to +s today. So this stone will !e something that helps yo+ remem!er what happened today. The stone will !e a witness against yo+. 3t will stop yo+ from t+rning against yo+r God. 2( Then Cosh+a told the people to go home. So everyone went !ack to his own land. 2) After that, the 5.D@S servant Cosh+a -asy To .ead /ersion

son of 1+n died. $e was 11, years old. 3, Cosh+a was !+ried on his own land at Timnath Serah, in the hill co+ntry of -phraim, north of Ao+nt Gaash. 31 The 3sraelites served the 5.D d+ring the time Cosh+a was living. After Cosh+a died, the people contin+ed to serve the ord while their leaders were alive. These were the leaders who had seen what the 5.D had done for 3srael. 32 >hen the 3sraelites left -gypt, they carried the !ones from the !ody of Coseph with them. They !+ried the Cosh+a 2#.33 1,' !ones of Coseph at Shechem on the land that Caco! had !o+ght from the sons of $amor, the father of the man named Shechem. Caco! had !o+ght that land for 1,, pieces of p+re silver. This land !elonged to Cosephs children. 33 Aarons son, -leaEar, died and was !+ried at Gi!eah in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. Gi!eah had !een given to -leaEars son 6hinehas. &ud(es 1 1 After Cosh+a died, the 3sraelites prayed to the 5.D, >hich of o+r tri!es sho+ld !e the first to go and fight for +s against the 9anaanites? 2 The 5.D said to the 3sraelites, The tri!e of C+dah will go. 3 will let them take this land. 3 The men of C+dah went to their relatives from the tri!e of Simeon and asked for help. They said, <rothers, if yo+ will come and help +s fight for the land God gave +s, we will go and help yo+ fight for yo+r land. The men of Simeon agreed and went with them. # The 5.D helped the men of C+dah defeat the 9anaanites and the 6eriEEites. They killed 1,,,,, men at the city of <eEek. % 3n the city of <eEek, they fo+nd the r+ler of <eEek and fo+ght him, and they defeated the 9anaanites and the 6eriEEites. & The r+ler of <eEek tried to escape, !+t the men of C+dah chased him and ca+ght C+dges 1.'*12 2 pag. 2'#0131#

him. >hen they ca+ght him, they c+t off his th+m!s and !ig toes. ' Then the r+ler of <eEek said, 3 c+t off the th+m!s and !ig toes of ', kings. And they had to eat pieces of food that fell from my ta!le. 1ow God has paid me !ack for what 3 did to them. The men of C+dah took the r+ler of <eEek to Cer+salem, and he died there. ( The men of C+dah fo+ght against Cer+salem and capt+red it. They +sed their swords to kill the people of Cer+salem. Then they !+rned the city. ) ater, they went down to fight against some more 9anaanites who lived in the hill co+ntry, in the 1egev, and in the western foothills. 1, Then the men of C+dah went to fight against the 9anaanites who lived in the city of $e!ron. 7$e!ron +sed to !e called Giriath Ar!a.8 They defeated the men named Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 11 The men of C+dah left that place. They went to the city of De!ir to fight against the people there. 73n the past, De!ir was called Giriath Sepher.8 12 <efore they started to fight, 9ale! made a promise to the men. $e said, 3 C+dges 1.13*1' 3 will give my da+ghter Acsah in marriage to whoever attacks and conJ+ers Giriath Sepher. 13 9ale! had a yo+nger !rother named GenaE. GenaE had a son named 5thniel. 5thniel capt+red the city of Giriath Sepher. So 9ale! gave his da+ghter Acsah to 5thniel to !e his wife. 1# Acsah went to live with 5thniel. 5thniel told Acsah to ask her father for some land. She went to her father. >hen she got off her donkey, 9ale! asked her, >hat is wrong? 1% Acsah answered him, Give me a !lessing. ;o+ gave me dry desert land in the 1egev. 6lease give me some land with water on it. So 9ale! gave her what she wanted. $e gave her the +pper and lower pools of water in that land. 1& The Genites left the 9ity of 6alm Trees and went with the men of C+dah. They -asy To .ead /ersion

went to the desert of C+dah to live with the people there. This was in the 1egev near the city Arad. 7The Genites were from the family of Aoses fatherDinDlaw.8 1' Some 9anaanites lived in the city of Bephath. The men of C+dah and men from the tri!e of Simeon attacked them C+dges 1.1(*2# # and completely destroyed the city. So they named the city $ormah. 1( The men of C+dah also capt+red the cities of GaEa, Ashkelon, and -kron and all the small towns aro+nd them. 1) The 5.D was on the side of the men of C+dah when they fo+ght. They took the land in the hill co+ntry, !+t they failed to take the land in the valleys, !eca+se the people living there had iron chariots. 2, Aoses had promised to give the land near $e!ron to 9ale!, so that land was given to 9ale!s family. The men of 9ale! forced the three sons of Anak to leave that place. 21 The tri!e of <en=amin co+ld not force the Ce!+sites to leave Cer+salem. So even today, the Ce!+sites live with the people of <en=amin in Cer+salem. 22 The descendants of Coseph went to fight against the city of <ethel, and the 5.D was with them. 23 They sent some spies to the city of <ethel 7which was then called +E8. 2# >hile the spies were watching, they saw a man come o+t of the city. They said to the man, Show +s a secret way C+dges 1.2%*2) % into the city. 3f yo+ help +s, we will not h+rt yo+. 2% The man showed the spies the secret way into the city. The men of Coseph +sed their swords to kill the people of <ethel. <+t they did not h+rt the man who helped them or anyone in his family. The man and his family were allowed to go free. 2& $e went to the land where the $ittites lived and !+ilt a city. $e named it +E, and that city is still called +E today. 2' There were 9anaanites living in the pag. 2'%0131#

cities of <eth Shean, Taanach, Dor, 3!leam, Aegiddo, and the small towns aro+nd the cities. The people from the tri!e of Aanasseh co+ld not force those people to leave their towns. So the 9anaanites stayed. They ref+sed to leave their homes. 2( ater, the 3sraelites grew stronger and forced the 9anaanites to work as slaves for them. <+t the 3sraelites co+ld not force all the 9anaanites to leave their land. 2) There were 9anaanites living in GeEer. And the -phraimites did not make all the 9anaanites leave their land. So C+dges 1.3,*3# & they contin+ed to live in GeEer with the -phraimites. 3, Some 9anaanites lived in the cities of Gitron and 1ahalol. The people of Be!+l+n did not force those people to leave their land. They stayed and lived with the people of Be!+l+n. <+t the people of Be!+l+n made them work as slaves. 31 The people of Asher did not force the other people to leave the cities of Acco, Sidon, Ahla!, AcEi!, $el!ah, Aphek, and .eho!. 32 The people of Asher did not force those 9anaanites to leave their land, so the 9anaanites contin+ed to live with them. 33 The people of 1aphtali did not force the people to leave the cities of <eth Shemesh and <eth Anath, so the people of 1aphtali contin+ed to live with the people in those cities. Those 9anaanites worked as slaves for the people of 1aphtali. 3# The Amorites forced the tri!e of Dan to live in the hill co+ntry. They had to stay in the hills !eca+se the Amorites C+dges 1.3%*2.3 ' wo+ld not let them come down to live in the valleys. 3% The Amorites decided to stay in Ao+nt $eres, Ai=alon, and Shaal!im. ater, when the descendants of Coseph grew stronger, they made the Amorites -asy To .ead /ersion

work as slaves for them. 3& The land of the Amorites was from Scorpion 6ass to Sela and +p into the hill co+ntry past Sela. 2 1 The angel of the 5.D went +p to the city of <okim from the city of Gilgal. The angel spoke this message from the ord to the 3sraelites: 3 !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt and led yo+ to the land that 3 promised to give to yo+r ancestors. 3 told yo+ 3 wo+ld never !reak my agreement with yo+. 2 <+t in ret+rn, yo+ m+st never make any agreement with the people living in that land. ;o+ m+st destroy their altars. 3 told yo+ that, !+t yo+ didnt o!ey me. 3 1ow 3 will tell yo+ this, 3 will not force the other people to leave this land any longer. These people will !ecome a pro!lem for yo+. They will !e like a trap to yo+. Their false gods will !ecome like a net to trap yo+. C+dges 2.#*11 ( # After the angel gave the 3sraelites this message from the 5.D, the people cried lo+dly. % So they named the place <okim. There they offered sacrifices to the 5.D. & Then Cosh+a told the people to go home, so each tri!e went to take their area of land. ' The 3sraelites served the 5.D as long as Cosh+a was alive, and they contin+ed serving the ord d+ring the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Cosh+a had died. These old men had seen all the great things the 5.D had done for the 3sraelites. ( Cosh+a son of 1+n, the servant of the 5.D, died at the age of 11, years. ) The 3sraelites !+ried Cosh+a on the land that he had !een given. That was at Timnath $eres, in the hill co+ntry of -phraim, north of Ao+nt Gaash. 1, After that whole generation died, the ne4t generation grew +p. This new generation did not know a!o+t the 5.D or what he had done for the 3sraelites. 11 So the 3sraelites did something the 5.D considered evil: They !egan pag. 2'&0131#

serving the false god <aal. C+dges 2.12*1& ) 12 3t was the 5.D, the God their ancestors worshiped, who had !ro+ght the 3sraelites o+t of -gypt. <+t they stopped following him and !egan to worship the false gods of the people living aro+nd them. This made the 5.D angry. 13 The 3sraelites stopped following the 5.D and !egan worshiping <aal and Ashtoreth. 1# The 5.D was angry with the 3sraelites, so he let enemies attack them and take their possessions. $e let their enemies who lived aro+nd them defeat them. The 3sraelites co+ld not protect themselves from their enemies. 1% >hen the 3sraelites went o+t to fight, they always lost. They lost !eca+se the 5.D was not on their side. $e had already warned them that they wo+ld lose if they served the gods of the people living aro+nd them. The 3sraelites s+ffered very m+ch. 1& Then the 5.D chose leaders called =+dges. These leaders saved the 3sraelites from the enemies who took their possessions. C+dges 2.1'*2, 1, 1' <+t the 3sraelites did not listen to these =+dges and were +nfaithf+l to God. 3nstead of worshiping him, they worshiped other gods. 2or a short time they had followed the e4ample of their ancestors, o!eying the 5.D@S commands. <+t then they t+rned away from him. 1( Aany times the enemies of 3srael did !ad things to them, so the 3sraelites wo+ld cry for help. And each time, the 5.D felt sorry for the people and sent a =+dge to save them from their enemies. The 5.D was always with those =+dges. As long as the =+dges lived, the 3sraelites were saved from their enemies. 1) <+t when each =+dge died, the 3sraelites again sinned and started worshiping the false gods. They acted worse than their ancestors did. The -asy To .ead /ersion

3sraelites were very st+!!orn and ref+sed to change their evil ways. 2, So the 5.D !ecame angry with the 3sraelites, and he said, This nation has !roken the agreement that 3 made with their ancestors. They have not listened to me. C+dges 2.21*3.3 11 21 So 3 will no longer defeat the nations and clear the way for the 3sraelites. Those nations were still in this land when Cosh+a died, and 3 will let them stay in this land. 22 3 will +se them to test the 3sraelites. 3 will see if the 3sraelites can keep the 5.D@S commands as their ancestors did. 23 The 5.D allowed those nations to stay in the land. $e did not J+ickly force them to leave the co+ntry. $e did not help Cosh+as army defeat them. 3 1 The 5.D did not force all the other nations to leave 3sraels land. $e wanted to test the 3sraelites. 1one of the 3sraelites living at this time had fo+ght in the wars to take the land of 9anaan. So he let those other nations stay in their co+ntry. 7$e did this to teach the 3sraelites who had not fo+ght in those wars.8 $ere are the names of the nations the ord left in the land: 2 73:18 3 the five r+lers of the 6hilistines, all the 9anaanites, the people of Sidon, and the $ivites who lived in the e!anon C+dges 3.#*) 12 mo+ntains from Ao+nt <aal $ermon to e!o $amath. # $e left those nations in the land to test the 3sraelites. $e wanted to see if the 3sraelites wo+ld o!ey the 5.D@S commands that he had given to their ancestors thro+gh Aoses. % The 3sraelites lived with the 9anaanites, $ittites, the Amorites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. & The 3sraelites !egan to marry the da+ghters of those people. They allowed their own da+ghters to marry the sons of those people. The 3sraelites also !egan pag. 2''0131#

to worship their gods. ' The 3sraelites did something the 5.D considered evil: They forgot a!o+t the 5.D their God and served the false gods <aal and Asherah. ( The 5.D was angry with the 3sraelites, so he allowed Ging 9+shan .ishathaim of Aram 1aharaim to defeat the 3sraelites and to r+le over them. The 3sraelites were +nder that kings r+le for eight years. ) <+t the 3sraelites cried to the 5.D for help, and the 5.D sent a man named 5thniel to save them. $e was the son of C+dges 3.1,*1% 13 GenaE, who was 9ale!s yo+nger !rother. 5thniel saved the 3sraelites. 1, The Spirit of the 5.D filled 5thniel, and he !ecame a =+dge for the 3sraelites. $e led the 3sraelites to war. The 5.D helped 5thniel defeat Ging 9+shan .ishathaim of Aram. 11 So the land was at peace for #, years, +ntil 5thniel son of GenaE died. 12 Again the 3sraelites did things the 5.D considered evil, and the 5.D saw them doing these things. So the 5.D gave Ging -glon of Aoa! power to defeat the 3sraelites. 13 -glon got help from the Ammonites and the Amalekites. They =oined him and attacked the 3sraelites. -glon and his army defeated the 3sraelites and forced them to leave the 9ity of 6alm Trees. 1# Ging -glon of Aoa! r+led over the 3sraelites for 1( years. 1% The 3sraelites cried to the 5.D for help, so he sent a man named -h+d son of Gera to save them. -h+d was from the tri!e of <en=amin and was trained to fight with his left hand. The 3sraelites sent -h+d with a gift to Ging -glon of Aoa!. C+dges 3.1&*22 1# 1& -h+d made himself a sword with two sharp edges that was a!o+t 12 inches long. $e tied the sword to his right thigh and hid it +nder his +niform. 1' So -h+d !ro+ght the gift to Ging -glon of Aoa!. -glon was a very fat man. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( After offering the gift, -h+d left the palace with the men who had carried the gift. 1) >hen -h+d reached the stat+es near Gilgal, he t+rned and went !ack to Ging -glon and said, Ging, 3 have a secret message for yo+. The king told him to !e J+iet and then sent all the servants o+t of the room. 2, -h+d went to Ging -glon. The king was sitting all alone in the +pper room of his palace. Then -h+d said, 3 have a message from God for yo+. The king stood +p from his throne. $e was very close to -h+d. 21 As the king was getting +p from his throne, -h+d reached with his left hand and took o+t the sword that was tied to his right thigh. Then he p+shed the sword into the kings !elly. 22 The sword went into -glons !elly so far that even the handle sank in and the C+dges 3.23*2( 1% fat closed aro+nd it. The point of the !lade came o+t his !ack. -h+d left the sword inside -glon. 23 Then -h+d went o+t of the private room, closed the doors to the +pper room, and locked the king inside. 2# -h+d then left the main room, and the servants went !ack in. The servants fo+nd the doors to the +pper room locked, so they said, The king m+st !e relieving himself in his private toilet. 2% The servants waited for a long time, !+t the king never opened the doors to the +pper room. 2inally the servants got worried. They got the key and +nlocked the doors. >hen they went inside, they saw their king lying dead on the floor. 2& >hile the servants were waiting for the king, -h+d had time to escape. $e passed !y the stat+es and went toward the place named Seirah. 2' >hen -h+d came to Seirah, he !lew a tr+mpet there in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. The 3sraelites heard the tr+mpet and went down from the hills with -h+d leading them. 2( $e said to the 3sraelites, 2ollow pag. 2'(0131#

me" The 5.D has helped +s defeat C+dges 3.2)*#.3 1& o+r enemies, the Aoa!ites. So the 3sraelites followed -h+d. They went down with him to take control of the places where people co+ld easily cross the Cordan .iver into the land of Aoa!. The 3sraelites did not allow any one to go across the Cordan .iver. 2) They killed a!o+t 1,,,,, strong and !rave men from Aoa!. 1ot one Aoa!ite man escaped. 3, So on that day the 3sraelites !egan to r+le over the Aoa!ites, and there was peace in the land for (, years. 31 After -h+d saved the 3sraelites, another man saved 3srael. That mans name was Shamgar son of Anath. Shamgar +sed an o4 goad to kill &,, 6hilistine men. 4 1 After -h+d died, the people again did what the 5.D considered evil. 2 So the 5.D allowed Ging Ca!in of 9anaan to defeat the 3sraelites. Ca!in r+led in a city named $aEor. A man named Sisera was the commander of Ging Ca!ins army. Sisera lived in a town called $arosheth $aggoyim. 3 Sisera had ),, iron chariots, and he was very cr+el to the 3sraelites for 2, C+dges #.#*' 1' years. So they cried to the 5.D for help. # There was a woman prophet named De!orah. She was the wife of a man named appidoth. She was =+dge of 3srael at that time. % 5ne day De!orah was sitting +nder the 6alm Tree of De!orah, and the 3sraelites came +p to her to ask what to do a!o+t Sisera. 7The 6alm Tree of De!orah is !etween the cities of .amah and <ethel in the hill co+ntry of -phraim.8 & De!orah sent a message to a man named <arak and asked him to come meet with her. <arak was the son of a man named A!inoam. <arak lived in the city of Gedesh, which is in the area of 1aphtali. De!orah said to <arak, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, commands -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+: Go and gather 1,,,,, men from the tri!es of 1aphtali and Be!+l+n. ead them to Ao+nt Ta!or. ' 3 will make Sisera, the commander of Ging Ca!ins army, come to yo+. 3 will make Sisera, his chariots, and his army come to the Gishon .iver. 3 will help yo+ defeat Sisera there. C+dges #.(*1# 1( ( Then <arak said to De!orah, 3 will go and do this if yo+ will go with me. <+t if yo+ will not go with me, 3 will not go. ) 5f co+rse 3 will go with yo+, De!orah answered. <+t !eca+se of yo+r attit+de, yo+ will not !e honored when Sisera is defeated. The 5.D will allow a woman to defeat Sisera. So De!orah went with <arak to the city of Gedesh. 1, At the city of Gedesh, <arak called the tri!es of Be!+l+n and 1aphtali together. $e gathered 1,,,,, men to follow him from these tri!es, and De!orah also went with him. 11 There was a man named $e!er who was from the Genites. The Genites were descendants of Aoses fatherDinDlaw, $o!a!. $e!er had left the other Genites and had made his home !y the oak tree in Baanannim, near the city of Gedesh. 12 Someone told Sisera that <arak son of A!inoam was at Ao+nt Ta!or. 13 So Sisera gathered his ),, iron chariots and all the men with him, and they marched from the city of $arosheth $aggoyim to the Gishon .iver. 1# Then De!orah said to <arak, Today the 5.D will help yo+ defeat Sisera. C+dges #.1%*1) 1) S+rely yo+ know that the 5.D has already cleared the way for yo+. So <arak led the 1,,,,, men down from Ao+nt Ta!or. 1% <arak and his men attacked Sisera. D+ring the !attle, the 5.D conf+sed Sisera and his army and chariots. They did not know what to do. <arak and his men defeated Siseras army, !+t Sisera left his chariot and ran away on foot. 1& <arak contin+ed fighting Siseras army. $e and his men chased Siseras pag. 2')0131#

chariots and army all the way to $arosheth $aggoyim. They +sed their swords to kill all of Siseras men. 1ot one of Siseras men was left alive. 1' <+t Sisera ran away to the tent where a woman named Cael lived. Cael was the wife of $e!er the Genite. $is family was at peace with Ging Ca!in of $aEor. That is why Sisera ran to Caels tent. 1( Cael saw him coming, so she went o+t to meet him and said, Sir, come into my tent. 9ome in. Dont !e afraid. So Sisera went into Caels tent, and she covered him with a !lanket. 1) <+t first, Sisera asked Cael for a drink of water. Cael had some milk in a !ottle C+dges #.2,*2# 2, made from animal skin. So she gave him a drink of the milk and then covered him +p. 2, Then Sisera said to Cael, Go stand at the entrance to the tent. 3f anyone comes !y and asks yo+, 3s anyone in there? say, 1o. 21 <+t Cael fo+nd a tent peg and a hammer. She J+ietly went to Sisera. Sisera was very tired, so he was sleeping. She p+t the tent peg to the side of Siseras head and hit it with a hammer. The tent peg went thro+gh the side of his head and into the gro+nd. Sisera died. 22 C+st then <arak came !y Caels tent, looking for Sisera. Cael went o+t to meet <arak and said, 9ome in here, and 3 will show yo+ the man yo+ are looking for. So <arak entered the tent with Cael. There <arak fo+nd Sisera lying dead on the gro+nd, with the tent peg thro+gh the side of his head. 23 5n that day God defeated Ging Ca!in of 9anaan for the 3sraelites. 2# So the 3sraelites !ecame stronger and stronger +ntil they defeated Ging C+dges %.1*( 21 Ca!in of 9anaan. The 3sraelites finally destroyed him. 5 1 5n the day that the 3sraelites defeated Sisera, De!orah and <arak son of A!inoam sang this song: -asy To .ead /ersion

2 The men of 3srael prepared for !attle. They vol+nteered to go to war. 6raise the 5.D" 3 isten, kings. 6ay attention, r+lers. 3 will sing. 3 myself will sing to the 5.D. 3 will make m+sic to the 5.D, to the God of the 3sraelites. # 5.D, in the past yo+ came from Seir. ;o+ marched from the land of -dom. ;o+ marched and the earth shook. The skies rained. The clo+ds dropped water. % The mo+ntains shook !efore the 5.D, the God of Ao+nt Sinai, !efore the 5.D, the God of 3srael" & 3n the days of Shamgar son of Anath, and in the days of Cael, the main roads were empty. 9aravans and travelers traveled on the !ack roads. ' There were no soldiers in 3srael +ntil yo+ came, De!orah, +ntil yo+ came to !e a mother to 3srael. ( God chose new leaders to fight at the city gates. 1o one co+ld find a shield or C+dges %.)*1# 22 a spear among the #,,,,, soldiers of 3srael. ) Ay heart is with the commanders of 3srael. They vol+nteered to go to war. 6raise the 5.D" 1, 6ay attention yo+ people riding on white donkeys, sitting on saddle !lankets, and walking along the road. 11 At the watering holes for the animals, we hear the m+sic of cym!als. 6eople sing a!o+t the victories of the 5.D, the victories of his soldiers in 3srael when the 5.D@S people fo+ght at the city gates and won" 12 >ake +p, wake +p, De!orah" >ake +p, wake +p, sing the song" Get +p, <arak" Go capt+re yo+r enemies, son of A!inoam" 13 1ow, s+rvivors, go to the leaders. 6eople of the 5.D, come with me and the soldiers. 1# The men of -phraim came from the hill co+ntry of Amalek. <en=amin, those men followed yo+ and yo+r people. And there were commanders from the family of Aakir. eaders from the tri!e of pag. 2(,0131#

Be!+l+n came with their !ronEe cl+!s. C+dges %.1%*21 23 1% The leaders of 3ssachar were with De!orah. The family of 3ssachar was tr+e to <arak. Those men marched to the valley on foot. .e+!en, there are many !rave soldiers in yo+r army gro+ps. 1& So why did yo+ sit there against the walls of yo+r sheep pens? The !rave soldiers of .e+!en tho+ght hard a!o+t war. <+t they stayed home listening to the m+sic they played for their sheep. 1' The people of Gilead stayed in their camps on the other side of the Cordan .iver. As for yo+, people of Dan, why did yo+ stay !y yo+r ships? The people of Asher remained !y the sea, camped near their safe har!ors. 1( <+t the men of Be!+l+n and 1aphtali risked their lives fighting on those hills. 1) The kings of 9anaan came to fight, !+t they didnt carry any treas+res home. They fo+ght at the city of Taanach, !y the waters of Aegiddo. 2, The stars fo+ght them from heaven. 2rom their paths across the sky, they fo+ght against Sisera. 21 The Gishon .iver, that ancient river, swept Siseras men away. Ay so+l, march on with strength" C+dges %.22*2( 2# 22 The horses hooves hammered the gro+nd. Siseras mighty horses ran and ran. 23 The angel of the 5.D said, 9+rse the city of AeroE. 9+rse its people" They did not come to help the 5.D fight. They did not help the 5.D against his powerf+l enemies. 2# Cael was the wife of $e!er the Genite. She will !e !lessed a!ove all women. 2% Sisera asked for water. Cael gave him milk. 3n a !owl fit for a r+ler, she !ro+ght him cream. 2& Then Cael reached o+t and took a tent peg. $er right hand reached for a workmans hammer. She p+t the peg against the side of Siseras head and hit it with the hammer. 2' $e sank down !etween Caels feet. -asy To .ead /ersion

$e fell, and there he lay. $e sank down !etween her feet. $e fell there. >here Sisera sank, he fell, and there he lay, dead" 2( There is Siseras mother, looking o+t the window, looking thro+gh the c+rtains and crying. >hy is Siseras chariot so late? >hy cant 3 hear his wagons? C+dges %.2)*&.# 2% 2) $er wisest servant girl answers her. ;es, the servant gives her an answer: 3, 3m s+re they won the war, and they are now taking things from the people they defeated. They are dividing those things among themselves. -ach soldier is taking a girl or two. Aay!e Sisera fo+nd a piece of dyed cloth. Thats it" Sisera fo+nd a piece of fancy cloth, or may!e two, to wear aro+nd his neck in victory. 31 Aay all yo+r enemies die like this, 5.D" <+t may all those who love yo+ !e as strong as the rising s+n" And there was peace in the land for #, years. 6 1 Again the 3sraelites did what the 5.D considered evil. So for seven years the 5.D allowed the Aidianites to defeat the 3sraelites. 2 The Aidianites were very powerf+l and were cr+el to the 3sraelites. So the 3sraelites made many hiding places in the mo+ntains. They hid their food in caves and places that were hard to find. 3 They did that !eca+se the Aidianites and Amalekites from the east always came and destroyed their crops. # They camped in the land and destroyed the crops that the 3sraelites C+dges &.%*) 2& had planted. They r+ined the crops of the 3sraelites as far as the land near the city of GaEa. They did not leave anything for the 3sraelites to eat. They did not even leave them any sheep, cattle, or donkeys. % The Aidianites came with their families, animals, and tents. They were like a swarm of loc+sts" They and their camels were too many to co+nt. They came into the land and r+ined it. & The 3sraelites !ecame very poor pag. 2(10131#

!eca+se of the Aidianites. So the 3sraelites cried to the 5.D for help. ' The Aidianites did all these !ad things, so the 3sraelites cried to the 5.D for help. ( The 5.D sent a prophet to them. $e said, This is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: ;o+ were slaves in the land of -gypt. 3 made yo+ free and !ro+ght yo+ o+t of that land. ) 3 saved yo+ from the powerf+l -gyptians. Then the 9anaanites h+rt yo+, so 3 saved yo+ again. 3 made them leave their land. And 3 gave their land to yo+. C+dges &.1,*1# 2' 1, Then 3 said to yo+, 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ will live in the land of the Amorites, !+t yo+ m+st not worship their false gods. <+t yo+ did not o!ey me. 11 5ne time the angel of the 5.D came to a place called 5phrah and sat +nder an oak tree. This oak tree !elonged to a man named Coash from the A!ieEer family. $is son Gideon was !eating some wheat in a winepress. $e was hiding so that the Aidianites co+ld not see the wheat. The angel of the 5.D appeared to Gideon and said, The 5.D !e with yo+, !rave soldier. 12 7&:118 13 Then Gideon said, 6ardon me, sir, !+t if the 5.D is with +s, why are we having so many tro+!les? >e heard that he did wonderf+l things for o+r ancestors. They tell +s that the 5.D took them o+t of -gypt. <+t now it seems the 5.D has left +s and is letting the Aidianites defeat +s. 1# The 5.D t+rned toward Gideon and said, Then +se yo+r great power and go save the 3sraelites from the Aidianites. 3 am sending yo+ to save them. C+dges &.1%*2, 2( 1% <+t Gideon answered and said, 6ardon me, sir. $ow can 3 save 3srael? Ay family gro+p is the weakest in the tri!e of Aanasseh, and 3 am the yo+ngest one in my family. 1& The 5.D answered Gideon and said, -asy To .ead /ersion

3 will !e with yo+, so yo+ can defeat the Aidianites as easily as if they were only one man. 1' Then Gideon said to him, 3f yo+ wo+ld, please give me some proof that yo+ really are the ord. 1( 6lease wait here. Dont go away +ntil 3 come !ack to yo+. et me !ring my offering and set it down !efore yo+. And the ord said, 3 will wait +ntil yo+ come !ack. 1) So Gideon went in and cooked a yo+ng goat in !oiling water. $e also took a!o+t 2, po+nds of flo+r and made !read witho+t yeast. Then he p+t the meat into a !asket and the !roth from the meat into a pot. $e !ro+ght o+t the meat, the !roth, and the !read witho+t yeast and gave them to the ord +nder the oak tree. 2, The angel of God said to Gideon, 6+t the meat and the !read on that rock C+dges &.21*2& 2) over there. Then po+r the !roth on it. Gideon did as he was told. 21 The angel of the 5.D had a walking stick in his hand. $e to+ched the meat and the !read with the end of the stick, and fire =+mped +p o+t of the rock and !+rned +p the meat and the !read. Then the angel of the 5.D disappeared. 22 Then Gideon realiEed that he had !een talking to the Angel of the 5.D. So he sho+ted, 5h ord G5D" 3 have seen the angel of the 5.D face to face" 23 <+t the 5.D said to Gideon, 9alm down" Dont !e afraid" ;o+ will not die" 2# So Gideon !+ilt an altar there to worship the 5.D and named it The 5.D is 6eace. 3t still stands in the city of 5phrah, where the A!ieEer family lives. 2% That same night the 5.D said to Gideon, 9hoose yo+r fathers !est !+ll, the one that is seven years old. 2irst, +se it to p+ll down the altar yo+r father !+ilt to worship <aal. Also, c+t down the Asherah pole !eside the altar. 2& Then !+ild the right kind of altar for the 5.D yo+r God. <+ild it on this pag. 2(20131#

high gro+nd. Then kill and !+rn the !+ll C+dges &.2'*3, 3, on this altar. Hse the wood from the Asherah pole to !+rn yo+r offering. 2' So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the 5.D had told him to do. <+t Gideon was afraid that his family and the men of the city might see what he was doing, so he did it all at night, not in the daytime. 2( The men of the city got +p the ne4t morning and saw that the altar for <aal had !een destroyed" They also saw that the Asherah pole had !een c+t down. 3t had !een sitting ne4t to the altar for <aal. They also saw the altar that Gideon had !+ilt. And they saw the !+ll that had !een sacrificed on that altar. 2) The men of the city looked at each other and asked, >ho p+lled down o+r altar? >ho c+t down o+r Asherah pole? >ho sacrificed this !+ll on this new altar? They asked many J+estions and tried to learn who did this. Someone told them, Gideon son of Coash did this. 3, So the men of the city came to Coash and said, ;o+ m+st !ring yo+r son o+t. $e p+lled down the altar for <aal, and he c+t down the Asherah pole that was !eside it. So yo+r son m+st die. C+dges &.31*3% 31 31 Then Coash spoke to the crowd that was standing aro+nd him. Coash said, Are yo+ going to take <aals side? Are yo+ going to resc+e <aal? 3f anyone takes <aals side, let him !e p+t to death !y morning. 3f <aal really is a god, let him defend himself when someone p+lls down his altar. 32 Coash said, 3f Gideon p+lled <aals altar down, let <aal arg+e with him. 5n that day Coash gave Gideon a new name. $e called him Cer+! <aal. 33 The Aidianites, Amalekites, and other people from the east =oined together to fight against the 3sraelites. They went across the Cordan .iver and camped in the CeEreel /alley. 3# The Spirit of the 5.D filled Gideon. So Gideon !lew a tr+mpet to call the -asy To .ead /ersion

family of A!ieEer to follow him. 3% $e sent messengers to all the people of the tri!e of Aanasseh and told them to get their weapons and prepare for !attle. Gideon also sent messengers to the tri!es of Asher, Be!+l+n, and 1aphtali. The messengers took the same message to them. So they also went +p to meet Gideon and his men. C+dges &.3&*'.1 32 3& Then Gideon said to God, ;o+ said that yo+ wo+ld help me save the 3sraelites. Give me proof. 3' 3 will p+t a sheepskin on the threshing floor. 3f there is dew only on the sheepskin, while all the gro+nd is dry, 3 will know that yo+ will +se me to save 3srael, as yo+ said. 3( And that is e4actly what happened. Gideon got +p early the ne4t morning and sJ+eeEed the sheepskin. $e was a!le to drain a !owl f+ll of water from it. 3) Then Gideon said to God, Dont !e angry with me. et me ask =+st one more thing. et me test yo+ one more time with the sheepskin. This time let the sheepskin !e dry, while the gro+nd aro+nd it gets wet with dew. #, That night God did that very thing. C+st the sheepskin was dry, !+t the gro+nd aro+nd it was wet with dew. 7 1 -arly in the morning Cer+! <aal 7Gideon8 and all his men set +p their camp at the spring of $arod. The Aidianites were camped in the valley at the !ottom of the hill called Aoreh, north of Gideon and his men. C+dges '.2*& 33 2 Then the 5.D said to Gideon, 3 am going to help yo+r men defeat the Aidianites, !+t yo+ have too many men. 3 dont want the 3sraelites to forget me and !rag that they saved themselves. 3 So make an anno+ncement to yo+r men. Tell them, Anyone who is afraid may leave Ao+nt Gilead and go !ack home. At that time 22,,,, men left Gideon and went !ack home, !+t 1,,,,, still remained. # Then the 5.D said to Gideon, There pag. 2(30131#

are still too many men. Take the men down to the water, and 3 will test them for yo+ there. 3f 3 say, This man will go with yo+, he will go. <+t if 3 say, That one will not go with yo+, then he will not go. % So Gideon led the men down to the water. There the 5.D said to him, Separate the men like this: Those who drink the water !y +sing their tong+e to lap it +p like a dog will !e in one gro+p. And those who !end down to drink will !e in the other gro+p. & There were 3,, men who +sed their hands to !ring water to their mo+th and C+dges '.'*12 3# lapped it like a dog does. All the other people !ent down and drank the water. ' The 5.D said to Gideon, 3 will +se the 3,, men who lapped the water like a dog. 3 will +se them to save yo+, and 3 will allow yo+ to defeat the Aidianites. et the other men go home. ( So Gideon sent the other men of 3srael home. $e kept the 3,, men with him. Those 3,, men kept the s+pplies and the tr+mpets of the other men who went home. The Aidianites were camped in the valley !elow Gideons camp. ) D+ring the night the 5.D spoke to Gideon and said, Get +p. 3 will let yo+ defeat the Aidianite army. Go down to their camp. 1, 3f yo+ are afraid to go alone, take yo+r servant 6+rah with yo+. Go into the camp of the Aidianites. 11 isten to what they are saying. After that yo+ will not !e afraid to attack them. So Gideon and his servant 6+rah went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The Aidianites, the Amalekites, and all the other people from the east were camped in that valley. There were so C+dges '.13*1& 3% many people that they seemed like a swarm of loc+sts. 3t seemed like they had as many camels as there are grains of sand on the seashore. 13 Gideon came to the enemy camp, -asy To .ead /ersion

and he heard a man talking. That man was telling his friend a!o+t a dream that he had. $e was saying, 3 dreamed that a ro+nd loaf of !read came rolling into the camp of the Aidianites. That loaf of !read hit the tent so hard that the tent t+rned over and fell flat. 1# The mans friend knew the meaning of the dream. $e said, ;o+r dream can only have one meaning. ;o+r dream is a!o+t that man from 3srael. 3t is a!o+t Gideon son of Coash. 3t means that God will let Gideon defeat the whole army of Aidian. 1% After he heard the men talking a!o+t the dream and what it meant, Gideon !owed down to God. Then Gideon went !ack to the camp of the 3sraelites and called o+t to the people, Get +p" The 5.D will help +s defeat the Aidianites. 1& Then Gideon divided the 3,, men into three gro+ps. $e gave each man a tr+mpet and an empty =ar with a !+rning torch inside it. C+dges '.1'*21 3& 1' Then Gideon told the men, >atch me and do what 3 do. 2ollow me to the edge of the enemy camp. >hen 3 get to the edge of the camp, do e4actly what 3 do. 1( ;o+ men s+rro+nd the enemy camp. 3 and all the men with me will !low o+r tr+mpets. >hen we !low o+r tr+mpets, yo+ !low yo+r tr+mpets too. Then sho+t these words: 2or the 5.D and for Gideon" 1) So Gideon and the 1,, men with him went to the edge of the enemy camp. They came there =+st after the enemy changed g+ards. 3t was d+ring the middle watch of the night. Gideon and his men !lew their tr+mpets and smashed their =ars. 2, Then all three gro+ps of Gideons men !lew their tr+mpets and smashed their =ars. The men held the torches in their left hands and the tr+mpets in their right hands. As they !lew their tr+mpets, they sho+ted, A sword for the 5.D and a sword for Gideon" 21 Gideons men stayed where they were. <+t inside the camp, the men pag. 2(#0131#

of Aidian !egan sho+ting and r+nning away. C+dges '.22*2% 3' 22 >hen Gideons 3,, men !lew their tr+mpets, the 5.D ca+sed the men of Aidian to kill each other with their swords. The enemy army ran away to the city of <eth Shittah, which is toward the city of Bererah. They ran as far as the !order of the city of A!el Aeholah, which is near the city of Ta!!ath. 23 Then soldiers from the tri!es of 1aphtali, Asher, and all of Aanasseh were told to chase the Aidianites. 2# Gideon sent messengers thro+gh all the hill co+ntry of -phraim. The messengers said, 9ome down and attack the Aidianites. Take control of the river as far as <eth <arah and the Cordan .iver. Do this !efore the Aidianites get there. So they called all men from the tri!e of -phraim. They took control of the river as far as <eth <arah. 2% The men of -phraim ca+ght two of the Aidianite leaders named 5re! and Bee!. They killed 5re! at a place named the .ock of 5re! and Bee! at a place named the >inepress of Bee!. They contin+ed chasing the Aidianites, !+t first they c+t off the heads of 5re! and Bee! and took the heads to Gideon. C+dges (.1*% 3( Gideon was at the place where people cross the Cordan .iver. 8 1 The men of -phraim were angry with Gideon. >hen they fo+nd him, they asked, >hy did yo+ treat +s this way? >hy didnt yo+ call +s when yo+ went to fight against the Aidianites? 2 <+t Gideon answered the men of -phraim, 3 have not done as well as yo+. ;o+ people of -phraim have a m+ch !etter harvest than my family, the A!ieEers. At harvest time yo+ leave more grapes in the vineyard than my family gathers" 3snt that tr+e? 3 3n the same way, yo+ have a !etter harvest now. God allowed yo+ to capt+re 5re! and Bee!, the leaders of Aidian. $ow can 3 compare my s+ccess with -asy To .ead /ersion

what yo+ did? >hen the men of -phraim heard Gideons answer, they were not as angry as they had !een. # Then Gideon and his 3,, men came to the Cordan .iver and went across to the other side, !+t they were tired and h+ngry. % Gideon said to the men of the city of S+ccoth, Give my soldiers something to eat. They are very tired. >e are still C+dges (.&*1, 3) chasing Be!ah and Balm+nna, kings of Aidian. & <+t the leaders of the city of S+ccoth said to Gideon, >hy sho+ld we give yo+r soldiers something to eat? ;o+ havent ca+ght Be!ah and Balm+nna yet. ' Then Gideon said, The 5.D will help me capt+re Be!ah and Balm+nna. And since yo+ wo+ld not give +s any food, 3 will come !ack and !eat yo+ with thorns and !riers from the desert. ( Gideon left the city of S+ccoth and went to the city of 6en+el. $e asked the men of 6en+el for food, =+st as he had asked the men of S+ccoth. <+t the men of 6en+el gave Gideon the same answer that the men of S+ccoth had given. ) So Gideon said to the men of 6en+el, After 3 win the victory, 3 will come !ack here and p+ll this tower down. 1, Be!ah and Balm+nna and their army were in the city of Garkor. Their army had 1%,,,, soldiers in it. These soldiers were all who were left of the army of the people of the east. 12,,,,, strong soldiers of that army had already !een killed. C+dges (.11*1% #, 11 Gideon and his men +sed Tent Dwellers .oad, which is east of the cities of 1o!ah and Cog!ehah and attacked the enemy at Garkor. The enemy army did not e4pect the attack. 12 Be!ah and Balm+nna, kings of the Aidianites, ran away. <+t Gideon chased and ca+ght them. Gideon and his men defeated the enemy army. 13 Then Gideon son of Coash ret+rned from the !attle. $e and his men ret+rned pag. 2(%0131#

!y going thro+gh a mo+ntain pass called the 6ass of $eres. 1# Gideon capt+red a yo+ng man from the city of S+ccoth. $e asked the yo+ng man some J+estions. The yo+ng man wrote down some names for Gideon. The yo+ng man wrote down the names of the leaders and elders of the city of S+ccoth. $e gave Gideon the names of '' men. 1% >hen Gideon came to the city of S+ccoth, he said to the men of that city, $ere are Be!ah and Balm+nna. ;o+ made f+n of me !y saying, >hy sho+ld we give food to yo+r tired soldiers? ;o+ have not ca+ght Be!ah and Balm+nna yet. C+dges (.1&*21 #1 1& Gideon took the elders of the city of S+ccoth and !eat them with thorns and !riers from the desert. 1' Gideon also p+lled down the tower in the city of 6en+el and killed the men living in that city. 1( Then Gideon said to Be!ah and Balm+nna, ;o+ killed some men on Ao+nt Ta!or. >hat were the men like? Be!ah and Balm+nna answered, They were like yo+. -ach one of them seemed like a prince. 1) Gideon said, Those men were my !rothers, my mothers sons" As the 5.D lives, if yo+ had not killed them, 3 wo+ld not kill yo+ now. 2, Then Gideon t+rned to Cether, his oldest son, and said, Gill these kings. <+t Cether was only a !oy and was afraid, so he wo+ld not take o+t his sword. 21 Then Be!ah and Balm+nna said to Gideon, 9ome on, kill +s yo+rself. ;o+ are a man and strong eno+gh to do the =o!. So Gideon got +p and killed Be!ah and Balm+nna. Then he took the decorations shaped like a halfDmoon off their camels necks. C+dges (.22*2& #2 22 The 3sraelites said to Gideon, ;o+ saved +s from the Aidianites. So now r+le over +s. >e want yo+, yo+r son, and yo+r grandson to r+le over +s. 23 <+t Gideon told the 3sraelites, The -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D will !e yo+r r+ler. 3 will not r+le over yo+, and my son will not r+le over yo+. 2# Some of the people who the men of 3srael defeated were 3shmaelites. And the 3shmaelite men wore gold earrings. So Gideon said to the 3sraelites, 3 want yo+ to do this one thing for me. 3 want each of yo+ to give me a gold earring from the things yo+ took in the !attle. 2% The 3sraelites said to Gideon, >e will gladly give yo+ what yo+ want. So they p+t a coat down on the gro+nd, and each man threw an earring onto the coat. 2& >hen the earrings were gathered +p, they weighed a!o+t #3 po+nds. This did not incl+de the other gifts the 3sraelites gave to Gideon. They also gave him =ewelry shaped like the moon and =ewelry shaped like teardrops. And they gave him p+rple ro!es. The kings of the Aidianites had worn these things. C+dges (.2'*33 #3 They also gave him the chains from the camels of the Aidianite kings. 2' Gideon +sed the gold to make an ephod, which he p+t in his hometown, the town called 5phrah. All the 3sraelites !ecame +nfaithf+l to God !y worshiping the ephod. 3t !ecame a trap that ca+sed Gideon and his family to sin. 2( The Aidianites were forced to !e +nder the r+le of the 3sraelites. The Aidianites did not ca+se tro+!le anymore. And the land was at peace for #, years, as long as Gideon was alive. 2) Cer+! <aal 7Gideon8 son of Coash went home. 3, Gideon had ', sons of his own. $e had so many sons !eca+se he had many wives. 31 $e had a slave woman who lived in the city of Shechem. $e had a son !y her. $e named that son A!imelech. 32 So Gideon son of Coash died at a good old age. $e was !+ried in the tom! that Coash, his father, owned. That tom! is in the city of 5phrah, where the family of A!ieEer lives. 33 As soon as Gideon died, the 3sraelites pag. 2(&0131#

again !ecame +nfaithf+l to God !y C+dges (.3#*).# ## worshiping <aal. They made <aal <erith their god. 3# The 3sraelites did not remem!er the 5.D their God, who had saved them from all their enemies living aro+nd them. 3% The 3sraelites were not loyal to the family of Cer+! <aal, even tho+gh he had done many good things for them. 9 1 A!imelech was the son of Cer+! <aal 7Gideon8. A!imelech went to his +ncles who lived in the city of Shechem. $e said to his +ncles and all of his mothers family, 2 Ask the leaders of the city of Shechem this J+estion: 3s it !etter for yo+ to !e r+led !y the ', sons of Cer+! <aal or to !e r+led !y only one man? .emem!er, 3 am yo+r relative. 3 A!imelechs +ncles spoke to the leaders of Shechem and asked them that J+estion. The leaders of Shechem decided to follow A!imelech. They said, After all, he is o+r !rother. # So the leaders of Shechem gave A!imelech ', pieces of silver. That silver was from the temple of the god <aal <erith. A!imelech +sed the silver to hire C+dges ).%*) #% some men. These men were worthless, reckless men. They followed A!imelech wherever he went. % A!imelech went to his fathers ho+se at 5phrah and m+rdered his !rothers. $e killed the ', sons of his father, Cer+! <aal. $e killed them all at the same time, !+t Cer+! <aals yo+ngest son hid from A!imelech and escaped. The yo+ngest sons name was Cotham. & Then all the leaders in Shechem and the ho+se of Aillo came together. -veryone gathered !eside the !ig tree of the pillar in Shechem and made A!imelech their king. ' Cotham heard that the leaders of the city of Shechem had made A!imelech king. >hen he heard this, he went and stood on the top of Ao+nt GeriEim and -asy To .ead /ersion

sho+ted o+t this story to the people: isten to me yo+ leaders of the city of Shechem. Then let God listen to yo+. ( 5ne day the trees decided to choose a king to r+le over them. The trees said to the olive tree, ;o+ !e king over +s. ) <+t the olive tree said, Ay oil is +sed to honor gods and h+mans. Sho+ld 3 C+dges ).1,*1& #& stop making my oil =+st to go and sway over the other trees? 1, Then the trees said to the fig tree, 9ome and !e o+r king. 11 <+t the fig tree answered, Sho+ld 3 stop making my good, sweet fr+it =+st to go and sway over the other trees? 12 Then the trees said to the vine, 9ome and !e o+r king. 13 <+t the vine answered, Ay wine makes men and kings happy. Sho+ld 3 stop making my wine =+st to go and sway over the trees? 1# 2inally all the trees said to the thorn!+sh, 9ome and !e o+r king. 1% <+t the thorn!+sh said to the trees, 3f yo+ really want to make me king over yo+, come and find shelter in my shade. <+t if yo+ dont want to do this, let fire come o+t of the thorn!+sh. et the fire !+rn even the cedar trees of e!anon. 1& 1ow if yo+ were completely honest when yo+ made A!imelech king, may yo+ !e happy with him. And if yo+ have !een fair to Cer+! <aal 7Gideon8 and his family, and if yo+ have treated him as yo+ sho+ld, this is also good. C+dges ).1'*23 #' 1' <+t remem!er what my father did for yo+. $e fo+ght for yo+ and risked his life when he saved yo+ from the Aidianites. 1( <+t now yo+ have t+rned against my fathers family. ;o+ have killed ', of his sons all at the same time. ;o+ made A!imelech the new king over the city of Shechem. $e is only the son of my fathers slave girl. <+t yo+ made him king !eca+se he is yo+r relative. 1) So if yo+ have !een completely honest to Cer+! <aal and his family today, then may yo+ !e happy with pag. 2('0131#

A!imelech as yo+r king. And may he !e happy with yo+. 2, <+t leaders of Shechem and the ho+se of Aillo, if yo+ have not acted right, may A!imelech destroy yo+. And may A!imelech !e destroyed too" 21 After Cotham had said this, he ran away and escaped to the city named <eer. $e stayed there !eca+se he was afraid of his !rother A!imelech. 22 A!imelech r+led the 3sraelites for three years. 23 A!imelech had killed Cer+! <aals 7Gideon8 ', sonsand they were his own !rothers. The leaders of Shechem had C+dges ).2#*2( #( s+pported him in doing this evil thing. So God ca+sed tro+!le !etween A!imelech and the leaders of Shechem. And they !egan planning ways to h+rt A!imelech. 2# 7):238 2% The leaders of the city of Shechem did not like A!imelech anymore. They p+t men on the hilltops to attack and ro! everyone who went !y. A!imelech fo+nd o+t a!o+t the attacks. 2& A man named Gaal son of -!ed and his !rothers moved to the city of Shechem. The leaders of the city of Shechem decided to tr+st and follow Gaal. 2' 5ne day the people of Shechem went o+t to the vineyards to pick grapes. They sJ+eeEed the grapes to make wine. And then they had a party at the temple of their god. The people ate and drank and c+rsed A!imelech. 2( Then Gaal son of -!ed said, >e are the men of Shechem. >hy sho+ld we o!ey A!imelech? >ho does he think he is? A!imelech is one of Cer+! <aals sons, right? And A!imelech made Be!+l his officer, right? >e sho+ld not o!ey A!imelech. >e sho+ld follow o+r own C+dges ).2)*3# #) people, men from $amor. 7$amor was the father of Shechem.8 2) 3f yo+ make me the commander of these people, 3 will destroy A!imelech. 3 will say to him, Get yo+r army ready and -asy To .ead /ersion

come o+t to !attle. 3, Be!+l was the governor of the city of Shechem. Be!+l heard what Gaal son of -!ed said, and he !ecame very angry. 31 Be!+l sent messengers to A!imelech in the city of Ar+mah. This is the message: Gaal son of -!ed and Gaals !rothers have come to the city of Shechem. They are making tro+!le for yo+. Gaal is t+rning the whole city against yo+. 32 So now yo+ and yo+r men sho+ld come tonight and hide in the fields o+tside the city. 33 >hen the s+n comes +p in the morning, attack the city. Gaal and his men will come o+t of the city to fight yo+. >hen they come o+t to fight, do what yo+ can to them. 3# So A!imelech and all his soldiers got +p d+ring the night and went to the city. The soldiers separated into fo+r gro+ps. They hid near the city of Shechem. C+dges ).3%*#, %, 3% Gaal son of -!ed went o+t and was standing at the entrance to the gate of the city of Shechem. >hile Gaal was standing there, A!imelech and his soldiers came o+t of their hiding places. 3& >hen Gaal saw the soldiers, he said to Be!+l, ook, there are people coming down from the mo+ntains. <+t Be!+l said, ;o+ are only seeing the shadows of the mo+ntains. The shadows =+st look like people. 3' <+t again Gaal said, ook, there are some people coming down from that place over there !y ands 1avel. And there" 3 saw someones head over !y Aagicians Tree. 3( Be!+l said to Gaal, >hy arent yo+ !ragging now? ;o+ said, >ho is A!imelech? >hy sho+ld we o!ey him? ;o+ made f+n of these men. 1ow go o+t and fight them. 3) So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem o+t to fight A!imelech. #, A!imelech and his men chased Gaal and his men. Gaals men ran !ack toward the gate of the city of Shechem, !+t pag. 2((0131#

many were killed !efore they co+ld get !ack to the gate. C+dges ).#1*#& %1 #1 Then A!imelech ret+rned to the city of Ar+mah. Be!+l forced Gaal and his !rothers to leave the city of Shechem. #2 The ne4t day the people of Shechem went o+t to the fields to work. A!imelech fo+nd o+t a!o+t it. #3 So A!imelech separated his men into three gro+ps. $e wanted to attack the people of Shechem !y s+rprise. So he hid his men in the fields. >hen he saw the people coming o+t of the city, he =+mped +p and attacked them. ## A!imelech and his gro+p ran to a place near the gate to Shechem. The other two gro+ps ran o+t to the people in the fields and killed them. #% A!imelech and his men fo+ght against the city of Shechem all that day. They capt+red the city of Shechem and killed its people. Then A!imelech tore down the city and threw salt over the r+ins. #& There were some people who lived at the Tower of Shechem. >hen they heard what had happened to Shechem, they gathered together in the safest room of the temple of the god -l <erith. C+dges ).#'*%2 %2 #' A!imelech heard that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered together. #( So A!imelech and all his men went +p to Ao+nt Balmon. A!imelech took an a4 and c+t off some !ranches and carried them on his sho+lders. Then A!imelech said to the men with him, $+rry" Do the same thing that 3 have done. #) So all the men c+t !ranches and followed A!imelech. They piled the !ranches against the safest room of the temple of the god -l <erith. Then they set the !ranches on fire and !+rned the people in the room. A!o+t 1,,, men and women living near the Tower of Shechem died. %, Then A!imelech and his men went to the city of The!eE and capt+red that city. -asy To .ead /ersion

%1 <+t inside the city there was a strong tower, so all the leaders and other men and women of that city ran to the tower. >hen the people were inside the tower, they locked the door !ehind them. Then they clim!ed +p to the roof of the tower. %2 A!imelech and his men came to the tower to attack it. A!imelech went +p to the door of the tower to !+rn it. C+dges ).%3*1,.1 %3 %3 <+t, while A!imelech was standing at the door of the tower, a woman on the roof dropped a grinding stone on his head. The grinding stone cr+shed his sk+ll. %# A!imelech J+ickly said to the servant who carried his weapons, Take o+t yo+r sword and kill me. 3 want yo+ to kill me so that people will not say, A woman killed A!imelech. So the servant sta!!ed A!imelech with his sword, and he died. %% The 3sraelites saw that A!imelech was dead, so they all went !ack home. %& 3n that way God p+nished A!imelech for all the !ad things he had done. A!imelech sinned against his own father !y killing his ', !rothers. %' God also p+nished the men of the city of Shechem for the !ad things they had done. So the things said !y Cotham son of Cer+! <aal 7Gideon8 came tr+e. 10 1 After A!imelech died, God sent another =+dge to save the 3sraelites. $is name was Tola. $e was the son of 6+ah, who was the son of Dodo. Tola was from the tri!e of 3ssachar and lived in the city of Shamir, in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. C+dges 1,.2*( %# 2 Tola was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for 23 years. Then he died and was !+ried in the city of Shamir. 3 After Tola died, God sent another =+dge. $is name was Cair, and he lived in the area of Gilead. $e was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for 22 years. # Cair had 3, sons who rode 3, donkeys. These 3, sons controlled 3, towns in the area of Gilead. These towns are called the Towns of Cair to this very day. pag. 2()0131#

% Cair died and was !+ried in the city of Gamon. & Again the 3sraelites did what the 5.D considered evil: They !egan worshiping the false gods <aal and the Ashtoreth. They also worshiped the gods of the people of Aram, the gods of the people of Sidon, the gods of the Aoa!ites, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the 6hilistines. The 3sraelites left the 5.D and stopped serving him. ' So the 5.D !ecame angry with the 3sraelites and allowed the 6hilistines and the Ammonites to defeat them. ( 3n that same year those people destroyed the 3sraelites who lived on the east side of the Cordan .iver, in the C+dges 1,.)*1# %% area of Gilead. That is the land where the Amorites had lived. The 3sraelites s+ffered for 1( years. ) The Ammonites then went across the Cordan .iver to fight against the people of C+dah, <en=amin, and -phraim. The Ammonites !ro+ght many tro+!les to the 3sraelites. 1, So the 3sraelites cried to the 5.D for help. They said, God, we have sinned against yo+. >e left o+r God and worshiped the false god <aal. 11 The 5.D answered the 3sraelites, ;o+ cried to me when the -gyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the 6hilistines h+rt yo+. 3 saved yo+ from these people. 12 ;o+ cried to me when the people of Sidon, the Amalekites, and the Aidianites h+rt yo+. 3 also saved yo+ from those people. 13 <+t yo+ left me and started worshiping other gods, so 3 ref+se to save yo+ again. 1# ;o+ like worshiping those gods, so go call to them for help. et them save yo+ when yo+ are in tro+!le. C+dges 1,.1%*11.3 %& 1% <+t the 3sraelites said to the 5.D, >e have sinned. Do whatever yo+ want to do to +s, !+t please save +s today. 1& Then the 3sraelites threw away the -asy To .ead /ersion

foreign gods and !egan to worship the 5.D again. So he felt sorry for them when he saw them s+ffering. 1' The Ammonites gathered together for war. Their camp was in the area of Gilead. The 3sraelites gathered together. Their camp was at the city of AiEpah. 1( The leaders of the people living in the area of Gilead said, >hoever leads +s in the attack against the Ammonites will !ecome the head of all the people living in Gilead. 11 1 Cephthah was from the tri!e of Gilead. $e was a strong soldier. <+t Cephthah was the son of a prostit+te. $is father was a man named Gilead. 2 Gileads wife had several sons. >hen they grew +p, they did not like Cephthah. They forced Cephthah to leave his hometown. They said to him, ;o+ will not get any of o+r fathers property, !eca+se yo+ are the son of another woman. 3 So Cephthah went away !eca+se of his !rothers and lived in the land of To!. 3n C+dges 11.#*) %' the land of To!, some ro+gh men !egan to follow Cephthah. # After a time the Ammonites fo+ght with the 3sraelites. % The Ammonites were fighting against 3srael, so the elders in Gilead went to Cephthah. They wanted Cephthah to leave the land of To! and come !ack to Gilead. & The elders said to Cephthah, 9ome and !e o+r leader so that we can fight the Ammonites. ' <+t Cephthah said to the elders of the land of Gilead, ;o+ forced me to leave my fathers ho+se. ;o+ hate me. So why are yo+ coming to me now that yo+ are having tro+!le? ( The elders from Gilead said to Cephthah, That is the reason we have come to yo+ now. 6lease come with +s and fight against the Ammonites. ;o+ will !e the commander over all the people living in Gilead. ) Then Cephthah said to the elders from Gilead, 3f yo+ want me to come !ack to pag. 2),0131#

Gilead and fight the Ammonites, 3 will do it. <+t if the 5.D helps me win, 3 will !e yo+r new leader. C+dges 11.1,*1# %( 1, The elders from Gilead said to Cephthah, The 5.D is listening to everything we are saying. And we promise to do everything yo+ tell +s to do. 11 So Cephthah went with the elders from Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. Cephthah repeated all of his words in front of the 5.D at the city of AiEpah. 12 Cephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites with this message: >hat is the pro!lem !etween the Ammonites and the 3sraelites? >hy have yo+ come to fight in o+r land? 13 The king of the Ammonites said to the messengers of Cephthah, >e are fighting 3srael !eca+se the 3sraelites took o+r land when they came +p from -gypt. They took o+r land from the Arnon .iver to the Ca!!ok .iver to the Cordan .iver. 1ow, tell the 3sraelites to give o+r land !ack to +s witho+t fighting for it. 1# So the messengers of Cephthah took this message !ack to Cephthah. Then Cephthah sent the messengers to the king of the Ammonites again. C+dges 11.1%*1) %) 1% They took this message: This is what Cephthah says: 3srael did not take the land of the Aoa!ites or the land of the Ammonites. 1& >hen the 3sraelites came o+t of the land of -gypt, they went into the desert. They went to the .ed Sea. Then they went to Gadesh. 1' The 3sraelites sent messengers to the king of -dom. The messengers asked for a favor. They said, et the 3sraelites cross thro+gh yo+r land. <+t the king of -dom didnt let +s go thro+gh his land. >e also sent the same message to the king of Aoa!. <+t the king of Aoa! wo+ld not let +s go thro+gh his land either. So the 3sraelites stayed at Gadesh. 1( Then the 3sraelites went thro+gh the -asy To .ead /ersion

desert and aro+nd the edges of the land of -dom and the land of Aoa!. They traveled east of the land of Aoa!. They made their camp on the other side of the Arnon .iver. They did not cross the !order of the land of Aoa!. 7The Arnon .iver was the !order of the land of Aoa!.8 1) Then the 3sraelites sent messengers to Ging Sihon of the Amorites. Sihon C+dges 11.2,*2% &, was the king of the city of $esh!on. The messengers asked Sihon, et the 3sraelites pass thro+gh yo+r land. >e want to go to o+r land. 2, <+t Ging Sihon of the Amorites wo+ld not let the 3sraelites cross his !orders. So Sihon gathered all of his people and made a camp at CahaE. Then the Amorites fo+ght with the 3sraelites. 21 <+t the 5.D, the God of 3srael, helped the 3sraelites defeat Sihon and his army. So the land of the Amorites !ecame the property of the 3sraelites. 22 The 3sraelites got all the land of the Amorites from the Arnon .iver to the Ca!!ok .iver. The land also went from the desert to the Cordan .iver. 23 3t was the 5.D, the God of 3srael, who forced the Amorites to leave their land. And he gave the land to the 3sraelites. Do yo+ think yo+ can make the 3sraelites leave this land? 2# S+rely yo+ can live in the land that yo+r god 9hemosh has given to yo+. So we will live in the land that the 5.D o+r God has given to +s. 2% Are yo+ any !etter than <alak son of Bippor? $e was the king of the land of C+dges 11.2&*31 &1 Aoa!. Did he arg+e with the 3sraelites? Did he act+ally fight with the 3sraelites? 2& The 3sraelites have lived in the city of $esh!on and the towns aro+nd it for 3,, years. They have lived in the city of Aroer and the towns aro+nd it for 3,, years. They have lived in all the cities along the side of the Arnon .iver for 3,, years. >hy have yo+ not tried to take these cities in all that time? pag. 2)10131#

2' The 3sraelites have not sinned against yo+. <+t yo+ are doing a very !ad thing against them. Aay the 5.D, the tr+e C+dge, decide whether the 3sraelites or the Ammonites are right. 2( The king of the Ammonites ref+sed to listen to this message from Cephthah. 2) Then the Spirit of the 5.D came on Cephthah, and he passed thro+gh the area of Gilead and Aanasseh. $e went thro+gh the city of AiEpah in Gilead on his way to the land of the Ammonites. 3, Cephthah made a promise to the 5.D. $e said, 3f yo+ will let me defeat the Ammonites, 31 3 will give yo+ the first thing that comes o+t of my ho+se when 3 come C+dges 11.32*3& &2 !ack from the victory. 3 will give it to the 5.D as a !+rnt offering. 32 Then Cephthah went to the land of the Ammonites. $e fo+ght the Ammonites, and the 5.D helped him defeat them. 33 $e defeated them from the city of Aroer to the city of Ainnith. Cephthah capt+red 2, cities. Then he fo+ght the Ammonites to the city of A!el Geramim. The 3sraelites defeated them. 3t was a very great defeat for the Ammonites. 3# Cephthah went !ack to AiEpah. $e went to his ho+se, and his da+ghter came o+t to meet him. She was playing a tam!o+rine and dancing. She was his only da+ghter, and Cephthah loved her very m+ch. $e did not have any other sons or da+ghters. 3% >hen Cephthah saw that his da+ghter was the first thing to come o+t of his ho+se, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. Then he said, 5h, my da+ghter" ;o+ have r+ined me" ;o+ have made me very sad" 3 made a promise to the 5.D, and 3 cannot change it" 3& Then his da+ghter said to Cephthah, 2ather, yo+ have made a promise to the 5.D, so keep yo+r promise. Do what C+dges 11.3'*12.1 &3 yo+ said yo+ wo+ld do. After all, the 5.D did help yo+ defeat yo+r enemies, the Ammonites. -asy To .ead /ersion

3' Then Cephthahs da+ghter said to her father, <+t do this one thing for me first. et me !e alone for two months. et me go to the mo+ntains. 3 will not marry and have children, so let me and my friends go and cry together. 3( Cephthah said, Go. $e sent her away for two months. Cephthahs da+ghter and her friends stayed in the mo+ntains. They cried for her !eca+se she wo+ld not marry and have children. 3) At the end of two months, Cephthahs da+ghter ret+rned to her father, and Cephthah did what he had vowed to do. $is da+ghter never had se4+al relations with anyone. So this !ecame a c+stom in 3srael. #, -very year the yo+ng women of 3srael wo+ld go o+t for fo+r days to remem!er the da+ghter of Cephthah from Gilead and to cry for her. 12 1 The men from the tri!e of -phraim called all their soldiers together. Then they went across the river to the city of Baphon. They said to C+dges 12.2*% &# Cephthah, >hy didnt yo+ call +s to help yo+ fight the Ammonites? >e will !+rn yo+r ho+se down with yo+ in it. 2 Cephthah answered them, The Ammonites have !een giving +s many pro!lems. So my people and 3 fo+ght against them. 3 called yo+, !+t yo+ didnt come to help +s. 3 3 saw that yo+ wo+ld not help +s, so 3 risked my own life. 3 went across the river to fight against the Ammonites. The 5.D helped me defeat them. 1ow why have yo+ come to fight against me today? # Then Cephthah called the men of Gilead together. They fo+ght against the men from the tri!e of -phraim !eca+se they had ins+lted the men of Gilead. They had said, ;o+ men of Gilead are nothing !+t s+rvivors of the men of -phraim. 6art of yo+ !elongs to -phraim, and part of yo+ !elongs to Aanasseh. The men of Gilead defeated the men of -phraim. pag. 2)20131#

% The men of Gilead capt+red the places where people cross the Cordan .iver. Those places led to the co+ntry of -phraim. Any time a s+rvivor from C+dges 12.&*1, &% -phraim came to the river and said, et me cross, the men of Gilead wo+ld ask him, Are yo+ from -phraim? 3f he said, 1o, & they wo+ld say, Say the word Shi!!oleth. The men of -phraim co+ld not say that word correctly. They prono+nced the word Si!!oleth. So if the man said, Si!!oleth, then the men of Gilead knew he was from -phraim. So they wo+ld kill him at the crossing place. They killed #2,,,, men from -phraim. ' Cephthah was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for si4 years. Then Cephthah from Gilead died and was !+ried in his town in Gilead. ( After Cephthah, a man named 3!Ean was a =+dge for the 3sraelites. 3!Ean was from the city of <ethlehem. ) 3!Ean had 3, sons and 3, da+ghters. $e told his 3, da+ghters to marry men who were not his relatives. And he fo+nd 3, women who were not his relatives, and his sons married these women. 3!Ean was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for seven years. 1, Then 3!Ean died and was !+ried in the city of <ethlehem. C+dges 12.11*13.3 && 11 After 3!Ean, a man named -lon was a =+dge for the 3sraelites. -lon was from the tri!e of Be!+l+n. $e was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for ten years. 12 Then -lon from the tri!e of Be!+l+n died and was !+ried in the city of Ai=alon in the land of Be!+l+n. 13 After -lon died, a man named A!don son of $illel was a =+dge for the 3sraelites. A!don was from the city of 6irathon. 1# A!don had #, sons and 3, grandsons. They rode on ', donkeys. A!don was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for eight years. 1% Then A!don son of $illel died and was !+ried in the city of 6irathon. 6irathon is -asy To .ead /ersion

in the land of -phraim in the hill co+ntry where the Amalekites lived. 13 1 Again the people did what the 5.D considered evil. So the 5.D allowed the 6hilistines to r+le over them for #, years. 2 There was a man named Aanoah from the city of Borah. $e was from the tri!e of Dan. Aanoah had a wife, !+t she was not a!le to have any children. 3 The angel of the 5.D appeared to Aanoahs wife and said, ;o+ have not C+dges 13.#*( &' !een a!le to have children. <+t yo+ will !ecome pregnant and have a son. # Dont drink any wine or any other strong drink. Dont eat any food that is +nclean, % !eca+se yo+ are pregnant, and yo+ will have a son. $e will !e dedicated to God in a special way. $e will !e a 1aEirite. So yo+ m+st never c+t his hair. $e will !e Gods special person from !efore he is !orn. $e will save the 3sraelites from the power of the 6hilistines. & Then the woman went to her h+s!and and told him what had happened. She said, A man of God came to me. $e looked like the angel of God. $e frightened me. 3 didnt ask him where he was from, and he didnt tell me his name. ' <+t he said to me, ;o+ are pregnant and will have a son. Dont drink any wine or other strong drink. Dont eat any food that is +nclean, !eca+se the !oy will !e dedicated to God in a special way. The !oy will !e Gods special person from !efore he is !orn +ntil the day he dies. ( Then Aanoah prayed to the 5.D. $e said, ord, 3 !eg yo+ to send the man of C+dges 13.)*1% &( God to +s again. >e want him to teach +s what we sho+ld do for the !oy who will soon !e !orn. ) God heard Aanoahs prayer. The angel of God came to the woman again. She was sitting in a field and her h+s!and Aanoah was not with her. 1, So the woman ran to tell her h+s!and, pag. 2)30131#

The man is !ack" The man who came to me the other day is here. 11 Aanoah got +p and followed his wife. >hen he came to the man, he said, Are yo+ the same man who spoke to my wife !efore? The angel said, 3 am. 12 So Aanoah said, Aay what yo+ say happen. Tell me, what kind of life will the !oy live? >hat will he do? 13 The angel of the 5.D said to Aanoah, ;o+r wife m+st do everything 3 told her. 1# She m+st not eat anything that grows on a grapevine. She m+st not drink any wine or strong drink. She m+st not eat any food that is +nclean. She m+st do everything that 3 have commanded her to do. 1% Then Aanoah said to the angel of the 5.D, >e wo+ld like for yo+ to stay a C+dges 13.1&*2, &) while. >e want to cook a yo+ng goat for yo+ to eat. 1& The angel of the 5.D said to Aanoah, -ven if yo+ keep me from leaving, 3 will not eat yo+r food. <+t if yo+ want to prepare something, offer a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. 7Aanoah did not +nderstand that the man was really the angel of the 5.D.8 1' Then Aanoah asked the angel of the 5.D, >hat is yo+r name? >e want to know so that we can honor yo+ when what yo+ have said really happens. 1( The angel of the 5.D said, >hy do yo+ ask my name? 3t is too amaEing for yo+ to !elieve. 1) Then Aanoah sacrificed a yo+ng goat on a rock. $e offered the goat and a grain offering as a gift to the 5.D and to the 5ne >ho Does AmaEing Things. 2, Aanoah and his wife were watching what happened. As the flames went +p to the sky from the altar, the angel of the 5.D went +p to heaven in the fire. >hen Aanoah and his wife saw that, they !owed down with their faces to the gro+nd. C+dges 13.21*1#.2 ', 21 $e finally +nderstood that the man -asy To .ead /ersion

was really the angel of the 5.D. The angel of the 5.D did not appear to Aanoah and his wife again. 22 Aanoah said to his wife, >e have seen God. S+rely we will die !eca+se of this. 23 <+t his wife said to him, The 5.D does not want to kill +s. 3f he wanted to kill +s, he wo+ld not have accepted o+r !+rnt offering and grain offering. $e wo+ld not have shown +s all these things or told +s this. 2# So the woman had a !oy. She named him Samson. $e grew and the 5.D !lessed him. 2% The Spirit of the 5.D !egan to work in Samson while he was in the city of Aahaneh Dan. That city is !etween the cities of Borah and -shtaol. 14 1 Samson went down to the city of Timnah. $e saw a yo+ng 6hilistine woman there. 2 >hen he ret+rned home, he said to his father and mother, 3 saw a 6hilistine woman in Timnah. 3 want yo+ to get her for me. 3 want to marry her. C+dges 1#.3*' '1 3 $is father and his mother answered, <+t s+rely there is a woman from the 3sraelites yo+ can marry. Do yo+ have to marry a woman from the 6hilistines? Their men are not even circ+mcised. <+t Samson said, Get that woman for me" She is the one 3 want" # 7Samsons parents did not know that the 5.D wanted this to happen. $e was looking for a way to do something against the 6hilistines. They were r+ling over the 3sraelites at that time.8 % Samson went down with his father and mother to the city of Timnah. They went as far as the vineyards near that city. There a yo+ng lion s+ddenly roared and =+mped at Samson" & The Spirit of the 5.D came on Samson with great power. $e tore the lion apart with his !are hands. 3t seemed easy to him. 3t was as easy as tearing apart a yo+ng goat. <+t Samson did not tell his father or mother what he had pag. 2)#0131#

done. ' So Samson went down to the city and talked to the 6hilistine woman. She pleased him. C+dges 1#.(*13 '2 ( Several days later, Samson came !ack to marry her. 5n his way, he went over to look at the dead lion. $e fo+nd a swarm of !ees in its !ody. They had made some honey. ) Samson got some of the honey with his hands. $e walked along eating the honey. >hen he came to his parents, he gave them some of the honey, and they ate it too. <+t Samson did not tell his parents that he had taken the honey from the !ody of the dead lion. 1, Samsons father went down to see the 6hilistine woman. The c+stom was for the !ridegroom to give a party. So Samson gave a party. 11 >hen the 6hilistines saw that he was having a party, they sent 3, men to !e with him. 12 Then Samson said to the 3, men, 3 want to tell yo+ a story. This party will last for seven days. Try to find the answer d+ring that time. 3f yo+ can answer the riddle in that time, 3 will give yo+ 3, linen shirts and 3, changes of clothes. 13 <+t if yo+ cannot find the answer, yo+ m+st give me 3, linen shirts and 3, C+dges 1#.1#*1' '3 changes of clothes. So the 3, men said, Tell +s yo+r riddle, we want to hear it. 1# Samson told them this riddle: 5+t of the eater came something to eat. 5+t of the strong came something sweet. The 3, men tried for three days to find the answer, !+t they co+ldnt. 1% 5n the fo+rth day, the men came to Samsons wife. They said, Did yo+ invite +s here =+st to make +s poor? ;o+ m+st trick yo+r h+s!and into telling +s the answer to the riddle. 3f yo+ dont get the answer for +s, we will !+rn yo+ and everyone in yo+r fathers ho+se to death. 1& So Samsons wife went to him and !egan crying. She said, ;o+ =+st hate -asy To .ead /ersion

me" ;o+ dont really love me" ;o+ told my people a riddle, and yo+ will not tell me the answer. Samson said to her, ook, 3 have not even told my father and mother. So why sho+ld 3 tell yo+? 1' Samsons wife cried for the rest of the seven days of the party. So he finally gave her the answer to the riddle on the seventh day. $e told her !eca+se she kept !othering him. Then she went to her people and told them the answer to the riddle. C+dges 1#.1(*1%.2 '# 1( So !efore the s+n went down on the seventh day of the party, the 6hilistine men had the answer. They came to Samson and said, >hat is sweeter than honey? >hat is stronger than a lion? Then Samson said to them, 3f yo+ had not plowed with my cow, yo+ wo+ld not have solved my riddle" 1) Samson was very angry. The Spirit of the 5.D came on Samson with great power. $e went down to the city of Ashkelon and killed 3, 6hilistine men. $e took all the clothes and property from the dead !odies and gave them to the men who had answered his riddle. Then he went to his fathers ho+se. 2, So Samsons wife was given to his !est man. 15 1 At the time of the wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife. $e took a yo+ng goat with him as a gift. $e said, 3 am going to my wifes room. <+t her father wo+ld not let Samson go in. 2 $e said, 3 tho+ght yo+ hated her, so 3 let her marry the !est man at the wedding. $er yo+nger sister is more !ea+tif+l. Take her yo+nger sister. C+dges 1%.3*( '% 3 <+t Samson said to him, 1ow 3 have a good reason to h+rt yo+ 6hilistines. 1o one will !lame me now. # So Samson went o+t and ca+ght 3,, fo4es. $e took two fo4es at a time and tied their tails together to make pairs. Then he tied a torch !etween the tails of each pair of fo4es. % $e lit the torches that were !etween pag. 2)%0131#

the fo4es tails and let them r+n thro+gh the grain fields of the 6hilistines. 3n this way he !+rned +p the plants growing in their fields and the stacks of grain they had c+t. $e also !+rned +p their vineyards and their olive trees. & The 6hilistines asked, >ho did this? Someone told them, Samson, the sonDinDlaw of the man from Timnah, did this. $e did this !eca+se his fatherDinDlaw gave Samsons wife to the !est man at his wedding. So the 6hilistines !+rned Samsons wife and her father to death. ' Then Samson said to the 6hilistines, ;o+ did this !ad thing to me. So now 3 will do !ad things to yo+. Then 3 will !e finished with yo+" ( Samson attacked the 6hilistines and killed many of them. Then he went and C+dges 1%.)*13 '& stayed in a cave in a place named the .ock of -tam. ) The 6hilistines went to the land of C+dah and stopped near a place named ehi. Their army camped there. 1, The men of the tri!e of C+dah asked them, >hy have yo+ 6hilistines come here to fight +s? They answered, >e have come to get Samson. >e want to make him o+r prisoner. >e want to p+nish him for what he has done to o+r people. 11 Then 3,,, men from the tri!e of C+dah went to the cave near the .ock of -tam and said to Samson, >hat have yo+ done to +s? Dont yo+ know that the 6hilistines r+le over +s? Samson answered, 3 only p+nished them for what they did to me. 12 Then they said to Samson, >e have come to tie yo+ +p. >e will give yo+ to the 6hilistines. Samson said to the men from C+dah, 6romise me that yo+ yo+rselves will not h+rt me. 13 The men from C+dah said, >e agree. >e will =+st tie yo+ +p and give yo+ to the 6hilistines. >e promise that we will not kill yo+. So they tied Samson with C+dges 1%.1#*1) '' two new ropes and led him +p from the -asy To .ead /ersion

cave in the rock. 1# >hen Samson came to the place called ehi, the 6hilistines came to meet him. They were sho+ting with =oy. Then the Spirit of the 5.D came on Samson with great power. Samson !roke the ropesthey were like !+rned strings falling from his arms and the ropes on his hands seemed to melt away. 1% Samson fo+nd a =aw!one of a dead donkey and killed 1,,, 6hilistine men with it. 1& Then Samson said, >ith a donkeys =aw!one, 3 killed 1,,, men" >ith a donkeys =aw!one, 3 piled them into a tall pile. 1' >hen Samson finished speaking, he threw the =aw!one down. So that place was named .amath ehi. 1( Samson was very thirsty. So he cried to the 5.D. $e said, 3 am yo+r servant. ;o+ gave me this great victory. 6lease dont let me die from thirst now. 6lease dont let me !e capt+red !y men who are not even circ+mcised. 1) There is a hole in the gro+nd at ehi. God made that hole crack open, and C+dges 1%.2,*1&.3 '( water came o+t. Samson drank the water and felt !etter. $e felt strong again. So he named that water spring -n $akkore. 3t is still there in the city of ehi today. 2, Samson was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for 2, years d+ring the time of the 6hilistines. 16 1 5ne day Samson went to the city of GaEa. $e saw a prostit+te there and went in to stay the night with her. 2 Someone told the people of GaEa, Samson has come here. They wanted to kill him, so they s+rro+nded the city. They hid near the city gate and waited all night for him. They were very J+iet all night long. They had said to each other, >hen morning comes, we will kill Samson. 3 <+t Samson only stayed with the prostit+te +ntil midnight. Then he got +p and gra!!ed the doors of the city gate pag. 2)&0131#

and p+lled them loose from the wall. $e p+lled down the doors, the two posts, and the !ars that lock the doors sh+t. $e p+t them on his sho+lders and carried them to the top of the hill near the city of $e!ron. C+dges 1&.#*) ') # ater, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who was from Sorek /alley. % The r+lers of the 6hilistines went to Delilah and said, >e want to know what makes Samson so strong. Try to trick him into telling yo+ his secret. Then we will know how to capt+re him and tie him +p. Then we will !e a!le to control him. 3f yo+ do this, each one of +s will give yo+ 2( po+nds of silver. & So Delilah said to Samson, Tell me why yo+ are so strong. $ow co+ld someone tie yo+ +p and make yo+ helpless? ' Samson answered, Someone wo+ld have to tie me +p with seven fresh, new !owstrings. 3f someone did that, 3 wo+ld !e as weak as any other man. ( Then the r+lers of the 6hilistines !ro+ght seven fresh, new !owstrings to Delilah, and she tied Samson with the !owstrings. ) Some men were hiding in the ne4t room. Delilah said to Samson, Samson, the 6hilistine men are going to capt+re yo+" <+t Samson easily !roke the !owstrings. They snapped like a string when it comes too close to a flame. So C+dges 1&.1,*1# (, the 6hilistines did not find o+t the secret of Samsons strength. 1, Then Delilah said to Samson, ;o+ lied to me. ;o+ made me look foolish. 6lease tell me the tr+th. $ow co+ld someone tie yo+ +p? 11 Samson said, Someone wo+ld have to tie me +p with new ropes. They wo+ld have to tie me with ropes that have not !een +sed !efore. 3f someone did that, 3 wo+ld !ecome as weak as any other man. 12 So Delilah took some new ropes and tied +p Samson. Some men were hiding -asy To .ead /ersion

in the ne4t room. Then Delilah called o+t to him, Samson, the 6hilistine men are going to capt+re yo+" <+t he !roke the ropes easily as if they were threads. 13 Then Delilah said to Samson, ;o+ lied to me again. ;o+ made me look foolish. 1ow, tell me how someone co+ld tie yo+ +p. Samson said, 3f yo+ +se the loom to weave the seven !raids of hair on my head and tighten it with a pin, 3 will !ecome as weak as any other man. 1# ater, Samson went to sleep, so Delilah +sed the loom to weave the seven !raids of hair on his head. Then C+dges 1&.1%*1( (1 Delilah fastened the loom to the gro+nd with a tent peg. Again she called o+t to him, Samson, the 6hilistine men are going to capt+re yo+" Samson p+lled +p the tent peg, the loom, and the sh+ttle. 1% Then Delilah said to Samson, $ow can yo+ say, 3 love yo+, when yo+ dont even tr+st me? ;o+ ref+se to tell me yo+r secret. This is the third time yo+ made me look foolish. ;o+ havent told me the secret of yo+r great strength. 1& She kept !othering Samson day after day. $e got so tired of her asking him a!o+t his secret that he felt like he was going to die. 1' 2inally, Samson told Delilah everything. $e said, 3 have never had my hair c+t. 3 was dedicated to God !efore 3 was !orn. 3f someone shaved my head, 3 wo+ld lose my strength. 3 wo+ld !ecome as weak as any other man. 1( Delilah saw that Samson had told her his secret. She sent a message to the r+lers of the 6hilistines. She said, 9ome !ack again. Samson has told me everything. So the r+lers of the 6hilistines came !ack and !ro+ght the C+dges 1&.1)*2# (2 money that they had promised to give her. 1) Delilah got Samson to go to sleep with his head lying in her lap. Then she called in a man to shave off the seven !raids of Samsons hair. 3n this way she made Samson weak, and his strength pag. 2)'0131#

left him. 2, Then Delilah called o+t to him, Samson, the 6hilistine men are going to capt+re yo+" $e woke +p and tho+ght, 3 will escape as 3 did !efore and free myself. <+t Samson did not know that the 5.D had left him. 21 The 6hilistine men capt+red Samson. They tore o+t his eyes and took him down to the city of GaEa. Then they p+t chains on him to keep him from r+nning away. They p+t him in prison and made him work grinding grain. 22 <+t his hair !egan to grow again. 23 The 6hilistine r+lers came together to cele!rate. They were going to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said, 5+r god helped +s defeat Samson o+r enemy. 2# >hen the 6hilistines saw Samson, they praised their god. They said, This C+dges 1&.2%*2) (3 man destroyed o+r people" $e killed many of o+r people" <+t o+r god helped +s take o+r enemy" 2% The people were having a good time at the cele!ration. So they said, <ring Samson o+t. >e want to make f+n of him. So they !ro+ght Samson from the prison and made f+n of him. They made him stand !etween the col+mns in the temple of the god Dagon. 2& A servant was holding his hand. Samson said to him, 6+t me where 3 can feel the col+mns that hold this temple +p. 3 want to lean against them. 2' The temple was crowded with men and women. All the 6hilistine r+lers were there. There were a!o+t 3,,, men and women on the roof of the temple. They were la+ghing and making f+n of Samson. 2( Then Samson said a prayer to the 5.D, ord G5D, remem!er me. God, please give me strength one more time. et me do this one thing to p+nish these 6hilistines for tearing o+t !oth of my eyes" 2) Then Samson took hold of the two col+mns in the center of the temple that -asy To .ead /ersion

C+dges 1&.3,*1'.3 (# s+pported the whole temple. $e !raced himself !etween the two col+mns. 5ne col+mn was at his right side and the other at his left side. 3, Samson said, et me die with these 6hilistines" Then he p+shed as hard as he co+ld, and the temple fell on the r+lers and everyone in it. 3n this way Samson killed many more 6hilistines when he died than when he was alive. 31 Samsons !rothers and all the people in his fathers family went down to get his !ody. They !ro+ght him !ack and !+ried him in his fathers tom!, which is !etween the cities of Borah and -shtaol. Samson was a =+dge for the 3sraelites for 2, years. 17 1 There was a man named Aicah who lived in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. 2 Aicah said to his mother, Do yo+ remem!er that someone stole 2( po+nds of silver from yo+? 3 heard yo+ say a c+rse a!o+t that. >ell, 3 have the silver. 3 took it. $is mother said, The 5.D !less yo+, my son. 3 Aicah gave the 2( po+nds of silver !ack to his mother. Then she said, 3 will C+dges 1'.#*) (% give this silver as a special gift to the 5.D. 3 will give it to my son so that he can make a stat+e and cover it with the silver. So now, son, 3 give the silver !ack to yo+. # <+t Aicah gave the silver !ack to his mother. So she took a!o+t % po+nds of the silver and gave them to a silversmith. $e +sed the silver to make a stat+e covered with silver. The stat+e was p+t in Aicahs ho+se. % Aicah had a temple for worshiping idols. $e made an ephod and some ho+se idols. Then Aicah chose one of his sons to !e his priest. & 7At that time the 3sraelites did not have a king, so everyone did what they tho+ght was right.8 ' There was a yo+ng man who was a evite from the city of <ethlehem in pag. 2)(0131#

C+dah. $e had !een living among the tri!e of C+dah. ( $e left <ethlehem to look for another place to live. As he was traveling, he came to Aicahs ho+se in the hill co+ntry of the land of -phraim. ) Aicah asked him, >here have yo+ come from? The yo+ng man answered, 3 C+dges 1'.1,*1(.2 (& am a evite from the city of <ethlehem in C+dah. 3 am looking for a place to live. 1, Then Aicah said to him, ive with me. <e my father and my priest. 3 will give yo+ # o+nces of silver each year. 3 will also give yo+ clothes and food. The evite did what Aicah asked. 11 The yo+ng evite agreed to live with Aicah. $e !ecame like one of Aicahs own sons. 12 Aicah chose him to !e his priest. So the yo+ng man !ecame a priest and lived in Aicahs ho+se. 13 And Aicah said, 1ow 3 know that the 5.D will !e good to me. 3 know this !eca+se 3 have a man from the tri!e of evi to !e my priest. 18 1 At that time the 3sraelites did not have a king. And the tri!e of Dan was still looking for a place to live. They did not have their own land yet. The other tri!es of 3srael already had their land, !+t the tri!e of Dan had not taken their land yet. 2 So the tri!e of Dan sent five soldiers to look for some land. They went to search for a good place to live. These five men were from the cities of Borah C+dges 1(.3*' (' and -shtaol. They were chosen !eca+se they were from all the families of Dan. They were told, Go, look for some land. The five men came to the hill co+ntry of -phraim. They came to Aicahs ho+se and spent the night there. 3 >hen the five men came close to Aicahs ho+se, they heard the voice of the yo+ng evite. They recogniEed his voice, so they stopped at Aicahs ho+se. They asked the yo+ng man, >ho !ro+ght yo+ to this place? >hat are yo+ doing? -asy To .ead /ersion

>hy are yo+ here? # The yo+ng man told them what Aicah had done for him. Aicah hired me, he said. 3 am his priest. % So they said to him, 6lease ask God if o+r search for a place to live will !e s+ccessf+l. & The priest said to the five men, ;es. Go in peace. The 5.D will lead yo+ on yo+r way. ' So the five men left. They came to the city of aish and saw that the people of that city lived in safety. They were r+led !y the people of Sidon. -verything was peacef+l and J+iet. The people had plenty of everything, and they didnt C+dges 1(.(*12 (( have any enemies near!y to h+rt them. Also they lived a long way from the city of Sidon, and they did not have any agreements with the people of Aram. ( The five men went !ack to the cities of Borah and -shtaol. Their relatives asked them, >hat did yo+ learn? ) The five men answered, >e have fo+nd some land, and it is very good. >e sho+ld attack them. Dont wait" ets go and take that land" 1, >hen yo+ come to that place, yo+ will see that there is plenty of land. There is plenty of everything there. ;o+ will also see that the people are not e4pecting an attack. S+rely God has given that land to +s. 11 So &,, men from the tri!e of Dan left the cities of Borah and -shtaol. They were ready for war. 12 5n their way to the city of aish, they stopped near the city of Giriath Cearim in the land of C+dah. They set +p a camp there. That is why the place west of Giriath Cearim is named Aahaneh Dan to this very day. C+dges 1(.13*1) () 13 2rom there the &,, men traveled on to the hill co+ntry of -phraim. Then they came to Aicahs ho+se. 1# So the five men who had e4plored the land aro+nd aish spoke. They said to their relatives, There is an ephod in pag. 2))0131#

one of these ho+ses. And there are also ho+sehold gods, a carved stat+e, and a silver idol. ;o+ know what to do. 1% So they stopped at Aicahs ho+se, where the yo+ng evite lived. They asked the yo+ng man how he was. 1& The &,, men from the tri!e of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate. They all had their weapons and were ready for war. 1' The five spies went into the ho+se. The priest stood =+st o+tside !y the gate with the &,, men who were ready for war. The men took the carved idol, the ephod, the ho+sehold idols, and the silver idol. The yo+ng evite priest said, >hat are yo+ doing? 1( 71(:1'8 1) The five men answered, <e J+iet" Dont say a word. 9ome with +s. <e o+r father and o+r priest. ;o+ m+st choose. 3s it !etter for yo+ to !e a priest for =+st C+dges 1(.2,*2% ), one man or for a whole tri!e of 3sraelites with many family gro+ps? 2, This made the evite happy. So he took the ephod, the ho+sehold idols, and the idol. $e went with the men from the tri!e of Dan. 21 Then the &,, men from the tri!e of Dan and the evite priest t+rned and left Aicahs ho+se. They p+t their little children, their animals, and all their things in front of them. 22 The men from the tri!e of Dan went a long way from that place. <+t the people living near Aicah met together. Then they !egan chasing the men of Dan and ca+ght +p with them. 23 The men with Aicah were sho+ting at the men of Dan. The men of Dan t+rned aro+nd and said to Aicah, >hats the pro!lem? >hy are yo+ sho+ting? 2# Aicah answered, ;o+ men from Dan took my idols. 3 made them for myself. ;o+ have also taken my priest. >hat do 3 have left now? $ow can yo+ ask me, >hats the pro!lem? 2% The men from the tri!e of Dan answered, ;o+ had !etter not arg+e with -asy To .ead /ersion

+s. Some of o+r men !ecome angry C+dges 1(.2&*2) )1 easily. 3f yo+ sho+t at +s, they will attack yo+. ;o+ and yo+r families will !e killed. 2& Then the men of Dan t+rned aro+nd and went on their way. Aicah knew that these men were too strong for him, so he went !ack home. 2' So the men of Dan took the idols that Aicah made. They also took the priest who had !een with Aicah. Then they came to aish. They attacked the people living in aish. Those people were at peace. They were not e4pecting an attack. The men of Dan killed them with their swords and then !+rned the city. 2( The people living in aish did not have anyone to resc+e them. They lived too far from the city of Sidon for the people there to help. And the people of aish did not have any agreements with the people of Aramso they did not help them. The city of aish was in a valley, which !elonged to the town of <eth .eho!. The people from Dan !+ilt a new city in that place, and it !ecame their home. 2) The people of Dan gave the city a new name. That city had !een called aish, !+t they changed the name to C+dges 1(.3,*1).3 )2 Dan. They named the city after their ancestor Dan, one of the sons of 3srael. 3, The people of the tri!e of Dan set +p the idol in the city of Dan. They made Conathan son of Gershom their priest. Gershom was the son of Aoses. Conathan and his sons were priests for the tri!e of Dan +ntil the time when the 3sraelites were taken into captivity. 31 The people of Dan set +p for themselves the idol that Aicah had made. That idol was there the whole time that the ho+se of God was in Shiloh. 19 1 At that time the 3sraelites did not have a king. There was a evite who lived far !ack in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. $e had taken as a wife a slave woman. She was from the city of <ethlehem in the co+ntry of C+dah. pag. 3,,0131#

2 <+t his slave woman had an arg+ment with him. She left him and went !ack to her fathers ho+se in <ethlehem in C+dah. She stayed there for fo+r months. 3 Then her h+s!and went after her. $e wanted to speak kindly to her so that she wo+ld come !ack to him. $e took with him his servant and two donkeys. The evite came to her fathers ho+se. C+dges 1).#*( )3 $er father saw the evite and came o+t to greet him. The father was very happy. # The womans father led the evite into his ho+se. The evites fatherDinDlaw invited him to stay. So he stayed for three days. $e ate, drank, and slept in his fatherDinDlaws ho+se. % 5n the fo+rth day, they got +p early in the morning. The evite was getting ready to leave. <+t the yo+ng womans father said to his sonDinDlaw, -at something first. After yo+ eat, yo+ can go. & So the evite and his fatherDinDlaw sat down to eat and drink together. After that, the yo+ng womans father said to the evite, 6lease stay tonight. .ela4 and en=oy yo+rself. So the two men ate together. ' The evite got +p to leave, !+t his fatherDinDlaw pers+aded him to stay the night again. ( Then, on the fifth day, the evite got +p early in the morning. $e was ready to leave. <+t the womans father said to his sonDinDlaw, -at something first. .ela4 and stay +ntil this afternoon. So they !oth ate together again. C+dges 1).)*1# )# ) Then the evite, his slave woman, and his servant got +p to leave. <+t the yo+ng womans father said, 3t is almost dark. The day is almost gone. So stay the night here and en=oy yo+rself. Tomorrow morning yo+ can get +p early and go on yo+r way. 1, <+t the evite did not want to stay another night. $e took his two donkeys and his slave woman. $e traveled as far as the city of Ce!+s 7that is, Cer+salem8. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 The day was almost over. They were near the city of Ce!+s. So the servant said to his master, the evite, ets stop at this Ce!+site city. ets stay the night here. 12 <+t his master, the evite man, said, 1o, we will not go inside a strange city. Those people are not 3sraelites. >e will go to the city of Gi!eah. 13 The evite said, 9ome on. ets try to make it to Gi!eah or .amah. >e can stay the night in one of those cities. 1# So the evite and those with him traveled on. The s+n was going down =+st as they entered the city of Gi!eah. Gi!eah is in the area that !elongs to the tri!e of <en=amin. C+dges 1).1%*2, )% 1% They planned to stop there and stay the night. They came to the city sJ+are and sat down, !+t no one invited them home to stay the night. 1& That evening an old man came into the city from the fields. $is home was in the hill co+ntry of -phraim, !+t now he was living in the city of Gi!eah. 7The men of Gi!eah were from the tri!e of <en=amin.8 1' The old man saw the traveler in the p+!lic sJ+are and asked, >here are yo+ going? >here did yo+ come from? 1( The evite answered, >e have come from <ethlehem in C+dah, where 3 went for a visit. 1ow 3 am on my way home, which is a long way into the hill co+ntry of -phraim. 3 e4pected that someone here wo+ld invite +s in for the night, !+t no one has. 1) >e already have straw and food for o+r donkeys. There is also !read and wine for me, the yo+ng woman, and my servant. >e dont need anything else. 2, The old man said, ;o+ are welcome to stay at my ho+se. 3 will give yo+ anything yo+ need, !+t dont stay the night in the p+!lic sJ+are. C+dges 1).21*2% )& 21 Then the old man took the evite and the people with him to his ho+se. $e fed their donkeys. They washed their pag. 3,10131#

feet and then had something to eat and drink. 22 >hile the evite and those who were with him were en=oying themselves, some very !ad men from the city s+rro+nded the ho+se. They !egan !eating on the door. They sho+ted at the old man who owned the ho+se. They said, <ring o+t the man who came to yo+r ho+se. >e want to have se4 with him. 23 The old man went o+tside and said to them, Ay friends, dont do s+ch an evil thing" This man is a g+est in my ho+se. Dont commit this terri!le sin. 2# ook, here is my da+ghter. She has never had se4 !efore. 3 will !ring her o+t to yo+ now. This man also has a slave woman. ;o+ can +se them any way yo+ want, !+t dont do s+ch a terri!le sin against this man. 2% <+t those evil men wo+ld not listen to the old man. So the evite took his slave woman and p+t her o+tside with them. C+dges 1).2&*2,.1 )' They h+rt her and raped her all night long. Then, at dawn, they let her go. 2& At dawn, the woman came !ack to the ho+se where her master was staying. She fell down at the front door and lay there +ntil it was daylight. 2' The evite got +p early the ne4t morning. $e wanted to go home. $e opened the door to go o+tside, and a hand fell across the threshold of the door. There was his slave woman. She had fallen down against the door. 2( The evite said to her, Get +pF lets go. <+t there was no answer. The evite p+t her !ody on his donkey and went home. 2) >hen he arrived at his ho+se, he took a knife and c+t her !ody into 12 parts. Then he sent the 12 parts of the woman to each of the areas where the 3sraelites lived. 3, -veryone who saw this said, 1othing like this has ever happened in 3srael !efore. >e havent seen anything like this from the time we came o+t of -gypt. -asy To .ead /ersion

Disc+ss this and tell +s what to do. 20 1 So all the 3sraelites =oined together. They all came together C+dges 2,.2*& )( to stand !efore the 5.D in the city of AiEpah. 6eople came from everywhere in 3srael. -ven the 3sraelites from Gilead were there. 2 The leaders of all the tri!es of 3srael were there. They took their places in the p+!lic meeting of Gods people. There were #,,,,,, soldiers with swords in that place. 3 The people from the tri!e of <en=amin heard that the 3sraelites were meeting together in AiEpah. The 3sraelites said, Tell +s how this terri!le thing happened. # So the evite, the h+s!and of the woman who had !een m+rdered, told them the story. $e said, Ay slave woman and 3 came to the city of Gi!eah in the area of <en=amin. >e spent the night there. % <+t d+ring the night the men of the city of Gi!eah came to the ho+se where 3 was staying. They s+rro+nded the ho+se, and they wanted to kill me. They raped my slave woman, and she died. & So 3 took her and c+t her into pieces. Then 3 sent one piece to each of the tri!es of 3srael. 3 sent the 12 pieces to the lands we have received. 3 did that C+dges 2,.'*12 )) !eca+se the people of <en=amin have done this terri!le thing in 3srael. ' 1ow, all yo+ men of 3srael, speak +p. Give yo+r decision a!o+t what we sho+ld do. ( Then all the people stood +p at the same time. They said together, 1one of +s will go home. 1o, not one of +s will go !ack to his ho+se. ) 1ow this is what we will do to the city of Gi!eah. >e will throw lots to let God show +s who will lead the attack. 1, 3n this way we will choose men from every tri!e of 3sraelten men from every h+ndred, a h+ndred men from every tho+sand, and a tho+sand men from every ten tho+sand. These men will get pag. 3,20131#

s+pplies for the army. Then the army will go to the <en=amite city of Gi!eah and p+nish those people for the terri!le thing they did among the 3sraelites. 11 So all the men of 3srael gathered together at the city of Gi!eah, +nited together and in agreement a!o+t what sho+ld happen. 12 They sent men to the tri!e of <en=amin with this message: >hat a!o+t C+dges 2,.13*1( 1,, this terri!le thing that some of yo+r men have done? 13 Send the !ad men from the city of Gi!eah to +s so that we can p+t them to death. >e m+st remove the evil from among the 3sraelites. <+t the people from the tri!e of <en=amin wo+ld not listen to the messengers from their relatives, the other 3sraelites. 1# The people from the tri!e of <en=amin left their cities and went to the city of Gi!eah. They went to Gi!eah to fight against the other tri!es of 3srael. 1% The people from the tri!e of <en=amin got 2&,,,, soldiers together who were trained for war. They also had ',, trained soldiers from the city of Gi!eah. 1& There were also ',, trained soldiers who were trained to fight with their left hand. -ach one of them co+ld +se a sling with great skill. They all co+ld +se a sling to throw a stone at a hair and not miss" 1' All the tri!es of 3srael, e4cept <en=amin, gathered together #,,,,,, fighting men with swords. -ach one was a trained soldier. 1( The 3sraelites went +p to the city of <ethel. At <ethel they asked God, >hich C+dges 2,.1)*2% 1,1 tri!e will !e first to attack the tri!e of <en=amin? The 5.D answered, The tri!e of C+dah will go first. 1) The ne4t morning the 3sraelites got +p. They made a camp near the city of Gi!eah. 2, Then the army of 3srael took their positions for !attle against the army of <en=amin at the city of Gi!eah. 21 Then the army of <en=amin came -asy To .ead /ersion

o+t of the city of Gi!eah. The army of <en=amin killed 22,,,, men in the army of 3srael d+ring the !attle that day. 22 The 3sraelites went to the 5.D and cried +ntil evening. They asked the 5.D, Sho+ld we go to fight the people of <en=amin again? They are o+r relatives. The 5.D answered, Go fight against them. The men of 3srael enco+raged each other. So they again went o+t to fight, as they had done the first day. 23 72,:228 2# Then the army of 3srael came near the army of <en=amin. This was the second day of the war. 2% The army of <en=amin came o+t of the city of Gi!eah to attack the army of C+dges 2,.2&*3, 1,2 3srael on the second day. This time, the army of <en=amin killed another 1(,,,, men from the army of 3srael. All the men in the army of 3srael were trained soldiers. 2& Then all the 3sraelites went +p to the city of <ethel. There they sat down and cried to the 5.D. They did not eat anything all day, +ntil evening. They also offered !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the 5.D. 2' The men of 3srael asked the 5.D a J+estion. 73n those days Gods <o4 of the Agreement was there at <ethel. 2( 6hinehas was the priest who served God there. 6hinehas was the son of -leaEar. -leaEar was the son of Aaron.8 The 3sraelites asked, The people of <en=amin are o+r relatives. Sho+ld we again go to fight against them? 5r sho+ld we stop fighting? The 5.D answered, Go. Tomorrow 3 will help yo+ defeat them. 2) Then the army of 3srael hid some men all aro+nd the city of Gi!eah. 3, The army of 3srael went to fight against the city of Gi!eah on the third C+dges 2,.31*33 1,3 day. They got ready for !attle as they had done !efore. 31 The army of <en=amin came o+t of pag. 3,30131#

the city of Gi!eah to fight the army of 3srael. The army of 3srael !acked +p and let the army of <en=amin chase them. 3n this way the army of <en=amin was tricked into leaving the city far !ehind them. The army of <en=amin !egan to kill some of the men in the army of 3srael, as they had done !efore. They killed a!o+t 3, men from 3srael. They killed some of them in the fields, and they killed some of them on the roads. 5ne road led to the city of <ethel. The other road led to the city of Gi!eah. 32 The men of <en=amin said, >e are winning as !efore" The men of 3srael were r+nning away, !+t it was a trick. They wanted to lead the men of <en=amin away from their city and onto the roads. 33 So all the men ran away. They stopped at a place named <aal Tamar. Some of the men of 3srael were hiding west of Gi!eah. They ran from their hiding places. C+dges 2,.3#*3) 1,# 3# 1,,,,, of 3sraels !estDtrained soldiers attacked the city of Gi!eah. The fighting was very heavy. <+t the army of <en=amin did not know that a terri!le thing was a!o+t to happen to them. 3% The 5.D +sed the army of 3srael and defeated the army of <en=amin. 5n that day, the army of 3srael killed 2%,1,, soldiers from <en=amin. All of them had !een trained for war. 3& So the people of <en=amin saw that they were defeated. The army of 3srael had moved !ack !eca+se they were depending on the s+rprise attack. They had men hiding near Gi!eah. 3' The men who were hiding r+shed into the city of Gi!eah. They spread o+t and killed everyone in the city with their swords. 3( 1ow the men of 3srael had made a plan with the men who were hiding. The men who were hiding were s+pposed to send a special signal. They were s+pposed to make a !ig clo+d of smoke. 3) The army of <en=amin had killed -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t 3, 3sraelite soldiers. So the men of <en=amin were saying, >e are winning, as !efore. <+t then a !ig clo+d of smoke C+dges 2,.#,*#% 1,% !egan to rise from the city. The men of <en=amin t+rned aro+nd and saw the smoke. The whole city was on fire. Then the army of 3srael stopped r+nning away. They t+rned aro+nd and !egan to fight. The men of <en=amin were afraid !eca+se they knew that a terri!le thing had happened to them. #, 72,:3)8 #1 72,:3)8 #2 So the army of <en=amin ran away from the army of 3srael. They ran toward the desert. <+t they co+ld not escape the fighting. And the men of 3srael came o+t of the cities and killed them. #3 The men of 3srael s+rro+nded the men of <en=amin and !egan chasing them. They did not let them rest. They defeated them in the area east of Gi!eah. ## So 1(,,,, !rave and strong fighters from the army of <en=amin were killed. #% The army of <en=amin t+rned aro+nd and ran toward the desert. They ran to a place called the .ock of .immon, !+t the army of 3srael killed %,,, soldiers from <en=amin along the roads. They kept chasing the men of <en=amin. They C+dges 2,.#&*21.3 1,& chased them as far as a place named Gidom. The army of 3srael killed 2,,, more men from <en=amin in that place. #& 5n that day, 2%,,,, men of the army of <en=amin were killed. All of them fo+ght !ravely with their swords. #' <+t &,, men from <en=amin ran into the desert to the place called the .ock of .immon and stayed there for fo+r months. #( The men of 3srael went !ack to the land of <en=amin. They killed the people and all the animals in every city. They destroyed everything they co+ld find and !+rned every city they came to. 21 1 At AiEpah, the men of 3srael made a promise. This was their pag. 3,#0131#

promise: 1ot one of +s will let his da+ghter marry a man from the tri!e of <en=amin. 2 The 3sraelites went to the city of <ethel. There they sat !efore God +ntil evening. They cried lo+dly as they sat there. 3 They said to God, 5.D, yo+ are the God of the 3sraelites. >hy has this terri!le thing happened to +s? >hy has C+dges 21.#*( 1,' one tri!e of the 3sraelites !een taken away? # -arly the ne4t day, the 3sraelites !+ilt an altar. They p+t !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God on that altar. % Then the 3sraelites said, Are there any tri!es of 3srael who did not come here to meet with +s !efore the 5.D? They asked this J+estion !eca+se they had vowed that anyone who did not come together with the other tri!es at the city of AiEpah wo+ld !e killed. & Then the 3sraelites felt sorry for their relatives, the people of <en=amin. They said, Today, one tri!e has !een separated from 3srael. ' >e made a promise with an oath !efore the 5.D. >e promised not to allow o+r da+ghters to marry a man from <en=amin. $ow can we make s+re that the men of <en=amin will have wives? ( Then the 3sraelites asked, >hich one of the tri!es of 3srael did not come here to AiEpah? >e have come together !efore the 5.D. S+rely one family was not here" Then they fo+nd that no one from the city of Ca!esh Gilead had met together with the other 3sraelites. C+dges 21.)*1# 1,( ) The 3sraelites co+nted everyone to see who was there and who was not. They fo+nd that no one from Ca!esh Gilead was there. 1, So the 3sraelites sent 12,,,, soldiers to the city of Ca!esh Gilead. They told the soldiers, Go to Ca!esh Gilead, and +se yo+r swords to kill everyone who lives there, even the women and children. 11 ;o+ m+st do this" ;o+ m+st kill every -asy To .ead /ersion

man in Ca!esh Gilead and every woman who has had se4+al relations with a man. <+t do not kill any woman who has never had se4 with a man. So the soldiers did these things. 12 The 12,,,, soldiers fo+nd #,, yo+ng women in the city of Ca!esh Gilead who had never had se4 with a man. They !ro+ght these women to the camp at Shiloh in the land of 9anaan. 13 Then the 3sraelites sent a message to the men of <en=amin. They offered to make peace with the men of <en=amin. The men of <en=amin were at the place named the .ock of .immon. 1# So the men of <en=amin came !ack to 3srael. The 3sraelites gave them the women from Ca!esh Gilead who they had C+dges 21.1%*1) 1,) not killed. <+t there were not eno+gh women for all the men of <en=amin. 1% The 3sraelites felt sorry for the men of <en=amin. They felt sorry for them !eca+se the 5.D had separated them from the other tri!es of 3srael. 1& The elders of the 3sraelites said, The women of the tri!e of <en=amin have !een killed. >here can we get wives for the men of <en=amin who are still alive? 1' The men of <en=amin who are still alive m+st have children to contin+e their families. This m+st !e done so that a tri!e in 3srael will not die o+t" 1( <+t we cannot allow o+r da+ghters to marry the men of <en=amin. >e have made this promise: <ad things will happen to anyone who gives a wife to a man of <en=amin. 1) >e have an idea" This is the time for the festival of the 5.D at the city of Shiloh. This festival is cele!rated every year there. 7The city of Shiloh is north of the city of <ethel and east of the road that goes from <ethel to Shechem. And it is also to the so+th of the city of e!onah.8 C+dges 21.2,*2# 11, 2, So the elders told the men of <en=amin a!o+t their idea. They said, Go and hide in the vineyards. pag. 3,%0131#

21 >atch for the time d+ring the festival when the yo+ng women from Shiloh come o+t to =oin the dancing. Then r+n o+t from where yo+ are hiding in the vineyards. -ach of yo+ sho+ld take one of the yo+ng women from the city of Shiloh. Take them to the land of <en=amin and marry them. 22 The fathers or !rothers of the yo+ng women will come and complain to +s. <+t we will say, <e kind to the men of <en=amin. et them marry the women. >e co+ld not get wives for each of them d+ring the war. And yo+ did not willingly give the women to the men of <en=amin, so yo+ did not !reak yo+r promise. 23 So that is what the men of the tri!e of <en=amin did. >hile the yo+ng women were dancing, each man ca+ght one of them. They took them away and married them. Then they went !ack to their land. The men of <en=amin !+ilt cities again in that land, and they lived in them. 2# Then the 3sraelites went home. They went to their own land and tri!e. C+dges 21.2% 111 2% 3n those days the 3sraelites did not have a king, so everyone did whatever they tho+ght was right. Rut' 1 1 ong ago, d+ring the time the =+dges r+led, there was a famine in the land, and a man named -limelech left the town of <ethlehem in C+dah. $e, his wife, and his two sons moved to the co+ntry of Aoa!. 2 The mans wife was named 1aomi, and his two sons were named Aahlon and Gilion. They were from the -phrathah family of <ethlehem in C+dah. The family traveled to the hill co+ntry of Aoa! and stayed there. 3 ater, 1aomis h+s!and, -limelech, died, so only 1aomi and her two sons were left. # $er sons married women from the co+ntry of Aoa!. 5ne wifes name was 5rpah, and the other wifes name was .+th. They lived in Aoa! a!o+t ten yearsF -asy To .ead /ersion

% then Aahlon and Gilion also died. So 1aomi was left alone witho+t her h+s!and or her two sons. .+th 1.&*12 2 & >hile 1aomi was in the co+ntry of Aoa!, she heard that the 5.D had helped his people !y giving them food. So she decided to leave the hill co+ntry of Aoa! and go !ack home. $er da+ghtersDinDlaw decided to go with her. ' They left the place where they had !een living and started walking !ack to the land of C+dah. ( Then 1aomi told her da+ghtersDinDlaw, -ach of yo+ sho+ld go !ack home to yo+r mother. ;o+ have !een very kind to me and my sons who are now dead. So 3 pray the 5.D will !e =+st as kind to yo+. ) 3 pray that he helps each of yo+ find a h+s!and and a good home. 1aomi kissed her da+ghtersDinDlaw, and they all started crying. 1, Then the da+ghters said, <+t we want to come with yo+ and go to yo+r family. 11 <+t 1aomi said, 1o, da+ghters, go !ack to yo+r own homes. >hy sho+ld yo+ go with me? 3 cant have any more sons to !e yo+r h+s!ands. 12 Go !ack home. 3 am too old to have a new h+s!and. -ven if 3 tho+ght 3 co+ld !e married again, 3 co+ld not help yo+. 3f .+th 1.13*1( 3 3 !ecame pregnant tonight and had two sons, 13 yo+ wo+ld have to wait +ntil they grew to !ecome men !efore yo+ co+ld marry them. 3 cannot make yo+ wait that long for h+s!ands. That wo+ld make me very sad. And 3 am already sad eno+ghthe 5.D has done many things to me" 1# So again they cried very m+ch. Then 5rpah kissed 1aomi good!ye, !+t .+th h+gged her and stayed. 1% 1aomi said, ook, yo+r sisterDinDlaw has gone !ack to her own people and her own gods. ;o+ sho+ld do the same. 1& <+t .+th said, Dont force me to leave yo+" Dont force me to go !ack to my own pag. 3,&0131#

people. et me go with yo+. >herever yo+ go, 3 will go. >herever yo+ sleep, 3 will sleep. ;o+r people will !e my people. ;o+r God will !e my God. 1' >here yo+ die, 3 will die, and that is where 3 will !e !+ried. 3 ask the 5.D to p+nish me if 3 dont keep this promise: 5nly death will separate +s. 1( 1aomi saw that .+th wanted very m+ch to go with her. So 1aomi stopped arg+ing with her. .+th 1.1)*2.2 # 1) 1aomi and .+th traveled +ntil they came to the town of <ethlehem. >hen the two women entered <ethlehem, all the people were very e4cited. They said, 3s this 1aomi? 2, <+t 1aomi told the people, Dont call me 1aomiF call me Aarah. Hse this name !eca+se God AllD6owerf+l has made my life very sad. 21 3 had everything 3 wanted when 3 left, !+t now, the 5.D !rings me home with nothing. The 5.D has made me sad, so why sho+ld yo+ call me $appy? God AllD6owerf+l has given m+ch tro+!le to me. 22 So 1aomi and her da+ghterDinDlaw .+th, the Aoa!ite, came !ack from the hill co+ntry of Aoa!. These two women came to <ethlehem at the !eginning of the !arley harvest. 2 1 There was a rich man named <oaE living in <ethlehem. <oaE was one of 1aomis close relatives from -limelechs family. 2 5ne day .+th, the Aoa!ite, said to 1aomi, 3 think 3 will go to the fields. Aay!e 3 can find someone who will !e kind to me and let me gather the grain .+th 2.3*( % they leave in their field. 1aomi said, 2ine, da+ghter, go ahead. 3 So .+th went to the fields. She followed the workers who were c+tting the grain and gathered the grain that was left. 3t happened that part of the field !elonged to <oaE, the man from -limelechs family. # ater, <oaE came to the field from -asy To .ead /ersion

<ethlehem and greeted his workers. $e said, The 5.D !e with yo+" And the workers answered, And may the 5.D !less yo+" % Then <oaE spoke to his servant who was in charge of the workers. $e asked, >hose girl is that? & The servant answered, She is the Aoa!ite woman who came with 1aomi from the co+ntry of Aoa!. ' She came early this morning and asked me if she co+ld follow the workers and gather the grain that was left on the gro+nd. And she has !een working ever since. She rested only a short time in that shelter. ( Then <oaE said to .+th, isten, child. Stay here in my field to gather grain for yo+rself. There is no need for yo+ to go .+th 2.)*13 & to any other field. 9ontin+e following !ehind my women workers. ) >atch to see which fields they go into to c+t the grain and follow them. 3 have warned the yo+ng men not to !other yo+. >hen yo+ are thirsty, go and drink from the same water =+g my men drink from. 1, Then .+th !owed very low to the gro+nd. She said to <oaE, 3 am a foreigner, so 3 am s+rprised yo+ even noticed me. 11 <oaE answered her, 3 know a!o+t all the help yo+ have given to yo+r motherDinDlaw 1aomi. 3 know yo+ helped her even after yo+r h+s!and died. And 3 know that yo+ left yo+r father and mother and yo+r own co+ntry and came here to this co+ntry. ;o+ did not know anyone from this co+ntry, !+t yo+ came here with 1aomi. 12 The 5.D will reward yo+ for all the good things yo+ have done. The 5.D, the God of 3srael, will pay yo+ in f+ll. ;o+ have come to him for safety, and he will protect yo+. 13 Then .+th said, 3 hope 3 can contin+e to please yo+, sir. ;o+ are very kind. 3 .+th 2.1#*1) ' am only a servant and not even one of pag. 3,'0131#

yo+r own servants. <+t yo+ have said kind words to me and comforted me. 1# At mealtime, <oaE told .+th, 9ome and eat some of o+r !read. $ere, dip yo+r !read in o+r vinegar. So .+th sat down with the workers. <oaE gave her some roasted grain. .+th ate +ntil she was f+ll, and there was some food left. 1% Then .+th got +p and went !ack to work. Then <oaE told his servants, et .+th gather even aro+nd the piles of grain. Dont stop her. 1& And make her work easier !y dropping some f+ll heads of grain for her. et her gather that grain. Dont tell her to stop. 1' .+th worked in the fields +ntil evening. Then she separated the grain from the chaff. There was a!o+t oneDhalf !+shel of !arley. 1( .+th carried the grain into town to show her motherDinDlaw what she had gathered. She also gave her the food that was left from l+nch. 1) $er motherDinDlaw asked her, >here did yo+ gather all this grain? >here did yo+ work? <less the man who noticed .+th 2.2,*3.1 ( yo+. Then .+th told her a!o+t the man she had worked with. She said, The man 3 worked with today is named <oaE. 2, 1aomi told her da+ghterDinDlaw, The 5.D !less him" $e has contin+ed showing his kindness to the living as well as the dead. Then 1aomi told her da+ghterDinDlaw, <oaE is one of o+r relatives. $e is one of o+r protectors. 21 Then .+th said, <oaE also told me to come !ack and contin+e working. $e said that 3 sho+ld work closely with his servants +ntil the harvest is finished. 22 Then 1aomi said to her da+ghterDinlaw .+th, 3t is good for yo+ to contin+e working with his women servants. 3f yo+ work in another field, some man might h+rt yo+. 23 So .+th contin+ed working closely with the women servants of <oaE. She gathered grain +ntil the !arley harvest was finished. She also worked -asy To .ead /ersion

there thro+gh the end of the wheat harvest. .+th contin+ed living with her motherDinDlaw 1aomi. 3 1 Then 1aomi, .+ths motherDinDlaw, said to her, Ay da+ghter, may!e 3 .+th 3.2*( ) sho+ld find a h+s!and and a good home for yo+. That wo+ld !e good for yo+. 2 <oaE is o+r close relative. ;o+ worked with his women servants. Tonight he will !e working at the threshing floor. 3 Go wash yo+rself and get dressed. 6+t on a nice dress, and go down to the threshing floor. <+t dont let <oaE see yo+ +ntil he has finished eating his dinner. # After he eats, he will lie down to rest. >atch him so that yo+ will know where he lies down. Go there and lift the cover off his feet. Then lie down there with <oaE. $e will tell yo+ what to do ne4t. % Then .+th answered, 3 will do what yo+ say. & So .+th went down to the threshing floor and did everything that her motherDinDlaw told her to do. ' After eating and drinking, <oaE was very satisfied. $e went to lie down near the pile of grain. Then .+th went to him very J+ietly and lifted the cover from his feet and lay down !y his feet. ( A!o+t midnight, <oaE rolled over in his sleep and woke +p. $e was very s+rprised to see a woman lying near his feet. .+th 3.)*1# 1, ) <oaE said, >ho are yo+? She said, 3 am .+th, yo+r servant girl. ;o+ are o+r familys protector. So spread yo+r cover over me. 1, Then <oaE said, Aay the 5.D !less yo+, yo+ng woman. ;o+ have !een very kind to me. ;o+r kindness to me is greater than the kindness yo+ showed to 1aomi in the !eginning. ;o+ co+ld have looked for a yo+ng man to marry, rich or poor. <+t yo+ did not. 11 1ow, yo+ng woman, dont !e afraid. 3 will do what yo+ ask. All the people in o+r town know that yo+ are a very good woman. pag. 3,(0131#

12 And it is tr+e that 3 am a close relative. <+t there is a man who is a closer relative to yo+ than 3 am. 13 Stay here tonight. 3n the morning we will see if he will help yo+. 3f he decides to help yo+, that is fine. 3f he ref+ses to help, 3 promise, as s+rely as the 5.D lives, 3 will marry yo+ and !+y !ack -limelechs land for yo+. So lie here +ntil morning. 1# So .+th lay near <oaEs feet +ntil morning. She got +p while it was still dark, !efore it was light eno+gh for .+th 3.1%*#.1 11 people to recogniEe each other. <oaE said to her, >e will keep it a secret that yo+ came here to me last night. 1% Then he said, <ring that cloak yo+ are wearing and hold it o+t. So .+th held it o+t, and <oaE po+red si4 meas+res of !arley into it. $e lifted it +p for her to carry. Then he ret+rned to the city. 1& >hen .+th came !ack to her motherDinDlaws ho+se, 1aomi asked her what happened. .+th told 1aomi everything <oaE had done for her. 1' She said, <oaE gave me this !arley and said, ;o+ m+st not go home witho+t taking this as a gift for yo+r motherDinDlaw. 1( 1aomi said, Ay da+ghter, !e patient +ntil we see what happens ne4t. <oaE will not rest +ntil he has done all that he sho+ld do. >e will know something !efore the end of the day. 4 1 <oaE went to the place where people gather near the city gates. $e sat there +ntil the close relative <oaE had mentioned passed !y. <oaE called to him, 9ome here, friend. Sit here. .+th #.2*' 12 2 <oaE gathered ten of the elders of the city. $e told them, Sit here" So they sat down. 3 Then <oaE spoke to the close relative. $e said, 1aomi came !ack from the hill co+ntry of Aoa!. She is selling the land that !elonged to o+r relative -limelech. # 3 decided to tell yo+ a!o+t this in front of the people living here and in front of -asy To .ead /ersion

the elders of my people. 3f yo+ want to !+y !ack the land, !+y it. 3f yo+ dont want to redeem the land, tell me. 3 know that 3 am the ne4t one after yo+ who can redeem the land. 3f yo+ dont !+y the land !ack, 3 will. % Then <oaE said, 3f yo+ !+y the land from 1aomi, yo+ also get the dead mans wife, .+th, the Aoa!ite woman, and the first child will get the land. That way, the land will stay in the dead mans family. & The close relative answered, 3 cannot !+y !ack the land. That land sho+ld !elong to me, !+t 3 cannot !+y it. 3f 3 do, 3 might lose my own land. So yo+ can !+y the land. ' 7 ong ago in 3srael, when people !o+ght or redeemed property, one person took off a sandal and gave it to .+th #.(*12 13 the other person. This was their proof of p+rchase.8 ( So the close relative said to <oaE, <+y the land. And then the close relative took off his sandal and gave it to <oaE. ) Then <oaE said to the elders and all the people, ;o+ are witnesses today that 3 am !+ying from 1aomi everything that !elonged to -limelech, Gilion, and Aahlon. 1, 3 am also taking .+th to !e my wife. 3 am doing this so that the dead mans property will stay with his family. This way, the dead mans name will not !e separated from his family and his land. ;o+ are witnesses this day. 11 So all the people and elders that were near the city gates were witnesses. They said, Aay the 5.D make this woman who is coming into yo+r home like .achel and eah who !+ilt the ho+se of 3srael. <ecome powerf+l in -phrathah" <e famo+s in <ethlehem" 12 Tamar gave !irth to C+dahs son 6ereE. And his family !ecame great. 3n the same way, may the 5.D give yo+ many children thro+gh .+th, and may yo+r family !e great like his. .+th #.13*21 1# 13 So <oaE married .+th. The 5.D pag. 3,)0131#

allowed .+th to !ecome pregnant, and she had a son. 1# The women told 1aomi, 6raise the 5.D who gave yo+ this child. $e will !ecome famo+s in 3srael. 1% $e will make yo+ alive again and will care for yo+ in yo+r old age. ;o+r da+ghterDinDlaw made it happen. She !ore this child for yo+. She loves yo+, and she is !etter for yo+ than seven sons. 1& 1aomi took the !oy, held him in her arms, and cared for him. 1' The neigh!ors gave the !oy his name. These women said, 1aomi has a son now" They named him 5!ed. 5!ed was the father of Cesse, and Cesse was the father of David. 1( This is the family history of 6ereE: 6ereE was the father of $eEron. 1) $eEron was the father of .am. .am was the father of Amminada!. 2, Amminada! was the father of 1ahshon. 1ahshon was the father of Salmon. 21 Salmon was the father of <oaE. <oaE was the father of 5!ed. .+th #.22 1% 22 5!ed was the father of Cesse. Cesse was the father of David. 1 )amuel 1 1 There was a man named -lkanah from the B+ph family who lived in .amah in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. -lkanah was the son of Ceroham, the son of -lih+, the son of Toh+, the son of B+ph from the tri!e of -phraim. 2 -lkanah had two wives. 5ne wife was named $annah and the other wife was named 6eninnah. 6eninnah had children, !+t $annah did not. 3 -very year -lkanah left his town of .amah and went +p to Shiloh. $e worshiped the 5.D AllD6owerf+l at Shiloh and offered sacrifices to the ord there. Shiloh was where -lis sons, $ophni and 6hinehas, served as priests of the 5.D. # >henever -lkanah offered his sacrifices, he always gave one share -asy To .ead /ersion

of the food to his wife 6eninnah and a share of the food to each of 6eninnahs children. % -lkanah always gave an eJ+al share of the food to $annah. $e did this !eca+se 1 Sam+el 1.&*11 2 he loved her very m+ch, even tho+gh the 5.D had not let $annah have any children. & 6eninnah always +pset $annah and made her feel !ad !eca+se the 5.D had not made her a!le to have children. ' This happened every year when their family went to the 5.D@S ho+se at Shiloh. 6eninnah wo+ld +pset $annah so m+ch that she wo+ld !egin to cry and wo+ld not eat anything. 5ne year when this happened, ( her h+s!and -lkanah said to her, $annah, why are yo+ crying? >hy wont yo+ eat? >hy are yo+ so sad? ;o+ have me. 3snt that !etter than having even ten sons? ) After eating and drinking, $annah J+ietly got +p and went to pray to the ord. -li the priest was sitting on a chair near the door of the 5.D@S $oly <+ilding. 1, $annah was so sad that she cried the whole time she was praying to the 5.D. 11 She made a special promise to God and said, 5.D AllD6owerf+l, yo+ can see how sad 3 am. .emem!er me. Dont forget me. 3f yo+ will give me a son, 3 1 Sam+el 1.12*1( 3 will give him to yo+. $e will !e yo+rs his whole life, and as a 1aEirite, he will not drink wine or strong drink, and no one will ever c+t his hair. 12 $annah prayed to the 5.D a long time. -li was watching her mo+th while she was praying. 13 $annah was praying in her heart. $er lips were moving, !+t since she did not say the words o+t lo+d, -li tho+ght she was dr+nk. 1# $e said to her, ;o+ have had too m+ch to drink. 3t is time to p+t away the wine. 1% $annah answered, Sir, 3 have not pag. 31,0131#

dr+nk any wine or !eer. 3 am deeply tro+!led, and 3 was telling the 5.D a!o+t all my pro!lems. 1& Dont think 3 am a !ad woman. 3 have !een praying so long !eca+se 3 have so many tro+!les and am very sad. 1' -li answered, Go in peace. Aay the God of 3srael give yo+ what yo+ asked for. 1( $annah said, Aay yo+ !e happy with me. Then she left and ate something. She was not sad anymore. 1 Sam+el 1.1)*23 # 1) -arly the ne4t morning -lkanahs family got +p. They worshiped the 5.D and then went !ack home to .amah.-lkanah had se4+al relations with his wife $annah, and the 5.D remem!ered $annah. 2, <y that time the following year, $annah had !ecome pregnant and had a son. She named him Sam+el. She said, $is name is Sam+el !eca+se 3 asked the 5.D for him. 21 -lkanah went to Shiloh to offer the sacrifice for that year and the gift he had promised to the 5.D. $e took his family with him. 22 <+t $annah did not go. She told -lkanah, >hen the !oy is old eno+gh to eat solid food, 3 will take him to Shiloh. Then 3 will give him to the 5.D. $e will !ecome a 1aEirite. $e will stay there at Shiloh. 23 $annahs h+s!and -lkanah said to her, Do what yo+ think is !est. ;o+ may stay home +ntil the !oy is old eno+gh to eat solid food. Aay the 5.D do what yo+ have said. So $annah stayed at home to n+rse her son +ntil he was old eno+gh to eat solid food. 1 Sam+el 1.2#*2.2 % 2# >hen the !oy was old eno+gh to eat solid food, $annah took him to the 5.D@S ho+se at Shiloh. She also took a !+ll that was three years old, 2, po+nds of flo+r, and a !ottle of wine. 2% They went !efore the ord. -lkanah killed the !+ll as a sacrifice to the ord as he +s+ally did. Then $annah gave the -asy To .ead /ersion

!oy to -li. 2& She said to him, 6ardon me, sir. 3 am the same woman who stood near yo+ praying to the 5.D. 3 promise that 3 am telling the tr+th. 2' 3 prayed for this child, and the 5.D answered my prayer. $e gave me this child. 2( And now 3 give this child to the 5.D. $e will serve the 5.D all his life. Then $annah left the !oy there and worshiped the 5.D. 2 1 $annah said: Ay heart is happy in the 5.D. 3 feel very strong in my God. 3 la+gh at my enemies. 3 am very happy in my victory. 2 There is no holy God like the 5.D. There is no God !+t yo+. There is no .ock like o+r God. 1 Sam+el 2.3*( & 3 Dont contin+e !ragging. Dont speak pro+d words, !eca+se the 5.D God knows everything. $e leads and =+dges people. # The !ows of strong soldiers !reak, and weak people !ecome strong. % 6eople who had plenty of food in the past m+st now work to get food. <+t those who were h+ngry in the past now grow fat on food. The woman who was not a!le to have children now has seven children. <+t the woman who had many children is sad !eca+se her children are gone. & The 5.D ca+ses people to die, and he ca+ses them to live. $e sends people down to the grave, and he can raise them +p to live again. ' The 5.D makes some poor, and he makes others rich. $e h+m!les some people, and he honors others. ( $e raises the poor from the d+st, and he takes away their sadness. $e makes them important and seats them with princes and at the places for honored g+ests. The 5.D made the whole world, and the whole world !elongs to him. 1 Sam+el 2.)*1# ' ) $e protects his holy people. $e keeps them from st+m!ling. <+t evil people pag. 3110131#

will !e destroyed. They will fall in the darkness. Their power wont help them win. 1, The 5.D destroys his enemies. God Aost $igh will th+nder in heaven against people. The 5.D will =+dge even the lands that are far away. $e will give power to his king. $e will make his chosen king strong. 11 -lkanah and his family went home to .amah, !+t the !oy stayed in Shiloh and served the 5.D +nder -li the priest. 12 -lis sons were evil men who did not care a!o+t the 5.D. 13 They did not care a!o+t how priests were s+pposed to treat people. >henever someone !rings a sacrifice, priests are s+pposed to p+t the meat in a pot of !oiling water. Then their servant is s+pposed to get the threeDpronged fork 1# and +se it to get some meat o+t of the pot or kettle. The priest is s+pposed to take whatever his helper removes from the pot with the special fork. This is what the priests sho+ld have done 1 Sam+el 2.1%*2, ( for the 3sraelites who came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh. 1% <+t that is not what the sons of -li did. -ven !efore the fat was !+rned on the altar, their servant wo+ld go to the people offering sacrifices and say, Give the priest some meat to roast. The priest wont accept !oiled meat from yo+. 1& Aay!e the man offering the sacrifice wo+ld say, <+rn the fat first, and then yo+ can take whatever yo+ want. <+t the servant wo+ld answer: 1o, give me the meat now. 3f yo+ dont give it to me, 3ll take it from yo+" 1' 3n this way $ophni and 6hinehas showed that they did not respect the offerings made to the 5.D. This was a terri!le sin against the 5.D. 1( <+t Sam+el served the 5.D. $e was a helper who wore the linen ephod. 1) -very year Sam+els mother made a ro!e for Sam+el. She took the little ro!e to Sam+el when she went +p to Shiloh with her h+s!and for the sacrifice every -asy To .ead /ersion

year. 2, -li wo+ld !less -lkanah and his wife. $e wo+ld say, Aay the 5.D give yo+ more children thro+gh $annah who will 1 Sam+el 2.21*2' ) take the place of the !oy she prayed for and gave to the 5.D. -lkanah and $annah went home. 21 The 5.D was kind to $annah, and she had three sons and two da+ghters. The !oy Sam+el grew +p at the holy place near the 5.D. 22 -li was very old. $e heard a!o+t the !ad things his sons were doing to the 3sraelites at Shiloh and how his sons were having se4+al relations with the women who served at the door of the Aeeting Tent. 23 -li said to his sons, The people here told me a!o+t the evil things yo+ have done. >hy are yo+ doing s+ch things? 2# Sons, stop that" The 5.D@S people are saying !ad things a!o+t yo+. 2% 3f yo+ sin against other people, God might protect yo+. <+t who can help yo+ if yo+ sin against the 5.D? -lis sons ref+sed to listen to him, so the 5.D decided to kill them. 2& The !oy Sam+el kept growing. $e was pleasing to the 5.D and to the people. 2' A man of God came to -li and said, The 5.D says, 3 appeared to yo+r 1 Sam+el 2.2(*32 1, ancestors when they were slaves of 6haraoh. 2( 2rom all the tri!es of 3srael, 3 chose yo+r tri!e to !e my priests. 3 chose them to offer sacrifices on my altar, to !+rn incense, and wear the ephod. 3 also let yo+r tri!e have the meat from the sacrifices that the 3sraelites give to me. 2) So why dont yo+ respect these gifts and sacrifices? ;o+ honor yo+r sons more than me. ;o+ !ecome fat eating the !est parts of the meat that the 3sraelites !ring to me. 3, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, promised that yo+r fathers family wo+ld serve him forever. <+t now the 5.D pag. 3120131#

says, That will never !e" 3 will honor people who honor me, !+t !ad things will happen to those who ref+se to respect me. 31 The time is coming when 3 will destroy all yo+r descendants. 1o one in yo+r family will live to !e an old man. 32 Good things will happen to 3srael, !+t yo+ will see !ad things happening at home. 1o one in yo+r family will live to !e an old man. 1 Sam+el 2.33*3.2 11 33 There is only one man 3 will save to serve as priest at my altar. $e will live +ntil his eyes wear o+t and his strength is gone. <+t all of yo+r descendants will die !y the sword. 3# 3 will give yo+ a sign to show that these things will come tr+e. ;o+r two sons, $ophni and 6hinehas, will die on the same day. 3% 3 will choose a priest 3 can tr+st. This priest will listen to me and do what 3 want. 3 will make his family strong, and he will always serve !efore my chosen king. 3& Then whoever is left in yo+r family will come and !ow down !efore this priest and !eg for a little money or a piece of !read. They will say, 6lease give me a =o! as priest so that 3 can have some food to eat. 3 1 The !oy Sam+el was -lis helper and served the 5.D with him. At that time the 5.D did not speak directly to people very often. There were very few visions. 2 -lis eyes were getting so weak that he was almost !lind. 5ne night he went to his room to go to !ed. 1 Sam+el 3.3*1, 12 3 The special lamp in the 5.D@S temple was still !+rning, so Sam+el lay down in the temple near where the $oly <o4 was. # The 5.D called Sam+el, and Sam+el answered, $ere 3 am. % Sam+el tho+ght -li was calling him, so he ran to -li and said, $ere 3 am. ;o+ called me. <+t -li said, 3 didnt call yo+. Go !ack to !ed. So Sam+el went !ack to -asy To .ead /ersion

!ed. & Again the 5.D called, Sam+el" Again Sam+el ran to -li and said, $ere 3 am. ;o+ called me. -li said, 3 didnt call yo+. Go !ack to !ed. ' Sam+el did not yet know the 5.D !eca+se the 5.D had not spoken directly to him !efore. ( The 5.D called Sam+el the third time. Again Sam+el got +p and went to -li and said, $ere 3 am. ;o+ called me. 2inally, -li +nderstood that the 5.D was calling the !oy. ) -li told Sam+el, Go to !ed. 3f he calls yo+ again, say, Speak, 5.D. 3 am yo+r servant, and 3 am listening. So Sam+el went !ack to !ed. 1, The 5.D came and stood there. $e called as he did !efore, saying, Sam+el, 1 Sam+el 3.11*1' 13 Sam+el" Sam+el said, Speak. 3 am yo+r servant, and 3 am listening. 11 The 5.D said to Sam+el, 3 will soon do things in 3srael that will shock anyone who hears a!o+t them. 12 3 will do everything 3 said 3 wo+ld do against -li and his family, everything from the !eginning to the end. 13 3 told -li 3 wo+ld p+nish his family forever. 3 will do this !eca+se -li knew his sons were saying and doing !ad things against God. <+t he failed to control them. 1# That is why 3 swore an oath that sacrifices and offerings will never take away the sins of the people in -lis family. 1% Sam+el lay down in !ed +ntil the morning came. $e got +p early and opened the doors of the 5.D@S ho+se. Sam+el was afraid to tell -li a!o+t the vision. 1& <+t -li said to Sam+el, Sam+el, my son. Sam+el answered, ;es, sir. 1' -li asked, >hat did God say to yo+? Dont hide it from me. God will p+nish yo+ if yo+ hide anything from the message he spoke to yo+. 1 Sam+el 3.1(*#.3 1# 1( So Sam+el told -li everything. $e did not hide anything from him. -li said, $e pag. 3130131#

is the 5.D. et him do whatever he thinks is right. 1) The 5.D was with Sam+el as he grew +p. $e made everything happen =+st as Sam+el said it wo+ld. 2, Then all 3srael, from Dan to <eershe!a, knew that Sam+el was a tr+e prophet of the 5.D. 21 And the 5.D contin+ed to appear to Sam+el at Shiloh. $e revealed himself to Sam+el as the word of the 5.D. 4 1 1ews a!o+t Sam+el spread thro+gho+t 3srael. -li was very old, and his sons kept doing !ad things !efore the ord.At that time the 3sraelites went o+t to fight against the 6hilistines. The 3sraelites made their camp at -!eneEer. The 6hilistines made their camp at Aphek. 2 The 6hilistines lined +p their soldiers in front of the 3sraelites and !egan the attack. The 6hilistines defeated the 3sraelites. They killed a!o+t #,,, soldiers from 3sraels army. 3 The rest of the 3sraelite soldiers went !ack to their camp. The elders of 1 Sam+el #.#*( 1% 3srael asked, >hy did the 5.D let the 6hilistines defeat +s? ets !ring the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement from Shiloh. God will go with +s into !attle and save +s from o+r enemies. # So the people sent men to Shiloh. The men !ro+ght !ack the <o4 of the Agreement of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 5n top of the <o4 are the 9her+! angels. They are like a throne where the ord sits. -lis two sons, $ophni and 6hinehas, came with the <o4. % >hen the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement came into the camp, all the 3sraelites gave a great sho+t lo+d eno+gh to make the gro+nd shake. & The 6hilistines heard 3sraels sho+t and asked, >hy are the people so e4cited in the $e!rew camp? Then the 6hilistines learned that the 5.D@S $oly <o4 had !een !ro+ght into 3sraels camp. ' They !ecame afraid and said, Gods have come to their camp" >ere in -asy To .ead /ersion

tro+!le. This has never happened !efore. ( >e are worried. >ho can save +s from these powerf+l gods? These gods are the same ones that gave the -gyptians those diseases and terri!le sicknesses. 1 Sam+el #.)*1# 1& ) <e !rave, 6hilistines. 2ight like men. 3n the past they were o+r slaves, so fight like men or yo+ will !ecome their slaves. 1, So the 6hilistines fo+ght very hard and defeated the 3sraelites. The 3sraelite soldiers ran away and went home. 3t was a terri!le defeat for 3srael. Thirty tho+sand 3sraelite soldiers were killed. 11 The 6hilistines took Gods $oly <o4 and killed -lis two sons, $ophni and 6hinehas. 12 5ne of the men who ran from the !attle was a man from the tri!e of <en=amin. $e tore his clothes and p+t d+st on his head to show his great sadness. 13 -li was worried a!o+t the $oly <o4, so he was sitting there !y the city gate waiting and watching when the <en=amite man came into Shiloh and told the !ad news. All the people in town !egan to cry lo+dly. 1# -li was )( years old. $e was !lind, so he co+ld not see what was happening, !+t he co+ld hear the lo+d noise of the people crying. -li asked, >hy are the people making this lo+d noise? The 1 Sam+el #.1%*2, 1' <en=amite man ran to -li and told him what happened. 1% 7#:1#8 1& $e said, 3 am the man who =+st came from the !attle. 3 ran away from the !attle today. -li asked, >hat happened, son? 1' The <en=amite man answered, 3srael ran away from the 6hilistines. The 3sraelite army has lost many soldiers. ;o+r two sons are !oth dead, and the 6hilistines took Gods $oly <o4. 1( >hen the <en=amite man mentioned Gods $oly <o4, -li fell !ackward off his chair near the gate and !roke his neck. -li was old and fat, so he died. $e had pag. 31#0131#

led 3srael for 2, years. 1) -lis da+ghterDinDlaw, the wife of 6hinehas, was pregnant. 3t was nearly time for her !a!y to !e !orn. She heard the news that Gods $oly <o4 was taken. She also heard that her fatherDinDlaw -li and her h+s!and 6hinehas were !oth dead. As soon as she heard the news, her pain started and she !egan giving !irth to her !a!y. 2, She was a!o+t to die when the women who were helping her said, Dont 1 Sam+el #.21*%.# 1( worry, yo+ have given !irth to a son. <+t she did not answer or pay attention. 21 She named the !a!y 3cha!od, that is to say, 3sraels glory has !een taken away. She did this !eca+se Gods $oly <o4 was taken away and !eca+se !oth her fatherDinDlaw and her h+s!and were dead. 22 She said, 3sraels glory has !een taken away !eca+se the 6hilistines had taken Gods $oly <o4. 5 1 The 6hilistines carried Gods $oly <o4, from -!eneEer to Ashdod. 2 They carried Gods $oly <o4 into the temple of Dagon and p+t it ne4t to the stat+e of Dagon. 3 The ne4t morning, the people of Ashdod got +p and fo+nd Dagon lying face down on the gro+nd !efore the 5.D@S <o4. The people of Ashdod p+t the stat+e of Dagon !ack in its place. # <+t the ne4t morning when the people of Ashdod got +p, they fo+nd Dagon on the gro+nd again. Dagon had fallen down !efore the 5.D@S $oly <o4. This time, Dagons head and hands were !roken off and were lying in the doorway. 5nly his !ody was still in one piece. 1 Sam+el %.%*) 1) % That is why, even today, the priests or other people ref+se to step on the threshold when they enter Dagons temple at Ashdod. & The 5.D made life hard for the people of Ashdod and their neigh!ors. $e gave them many tro+!les and ca+sed them to get t+mors. $e also sent mice to -asy To .ead /ersion

them. The mice ran all over their ships and then onto their land. The people in the city were very afraid. ' They saw what was happening and said, The $oly <o4 of the God of 3srael cant stay here. God is p+nishing +s and Dagon o+r god. ( The people of Ashdod called the five 6hilistine r+lers together and asked them, >hat m+st we do with the $oly <o4 of the God of 3srael? The r+lers answered, Aove the $oly <o4 of the God of 3srael to Gath. So the 6hilistines moved Gods $oly <o4. ) <+t after the 6hilistines had moved Gods $oly <o4 to Gath, the 5.D p+nished that city. The people !ecame very frightened. God ca+sed many tro+!les for all the peopleyo+ng and old. 1 Sam+el %.1,*&.3 2, $e ca+sed the people in Gath to have t+mors. 1, So the 6hilistines sent Gods $oly <o4 to -kron. <+t when Gods $oly <o4 came into -kron, the people of -kron complained. They said, >hy are yo+ !ringing the <o4 of the God of 3srael to o+r city -kron? Do yo+ want to kill +s and o+r people? 11 The people of -kron called all the 6hilistine r+lers together and said to the r+lers, Send the <o4 of the God of 3srael !ack home !efore it kills +s and o+r people" The people of -kron were deathly afraid !eca+se God severely p+nished them there. 12 Aany people died, and those who did not, had t+mors. The people of -kron cried lo+dly to heaven. 6 1 The 6hilistines kept the 5.D@S $oly <o4 in their land for seven months. 2 The 6hilistines called their priests and magicians and said, >hat m+st we do with the 5.D@S <o4? Tell +s how to send it !ack home. 3 The priests and magicians answered, 3f yo+ send !ack the $oly <o4 of the God of 3srael, dont send it away empty. 1 Sam+el &.#*' 21 ;o+ m+st offer gifts to the God of 3srael. pag. 31%0131#

Then yo+ will !e healed. ;o+ m+st do this so that God will stop p+nishing yo+. # The 6hilistines asked, >hat kind of gifts sho+ld we send for 3sraels God to forgive +s? The priests and magicians answered, There are five 6hilistine leaders, one leader for each city. All of yo+ and yo+r leaders had the same pro!lems. So yo+ m+st make five gold models to look like five t+mors. And yo+ m+st make five gold models to look like five mice. % So make models of the t+mors and models of the mice that are r+ining the co+ntry. Give these gold models to the God of 3srael as payment. Then may!e the God of 3srael will stop p+nishing yo+, yo+r gods, and yo+r land. & Dont !e st+!!orn like 6haraoh and the -gyptians. God p+nished the -gyptians. That is why the -gyptians let the 3sraelites leave -gypt. ' ;o+ m+st !+ild a new wagon and get two cows that have =+st had calves. These m+st !e cows that have never worked in the fields. Tie the cows to the wagon so that they can p+ll it. Then 1 Sam+el &.(*12 22 take the calves !ack home and p+t them in their pen. Dont let them follow their mothers. ( 6+t the 5.D@S $oly <o4 on the wagon. ;o+ m+st p+t the gold models in the !ag !eside the <o4. They are yo+r gifts for God to forgive yo+r sins. Send the wagon straight on its way. ) >atch the wagon. 3f the wagon goes toward <eth Shemesh in 3sraels own land, then it is their God who has given +s this great sickness. <+t if the cows dont go straight to <eth Shemesh, we will know it was not their God who !ro+ght this sickness to +s. 3t was =+st one of those things that sometimes happen. 1, The 6hilistines did what the priests and magicians said. They fo+nd two cows that had =+st had calves and tied them to the wagon. <+t they kept the calves at home in a pen. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 Then the 6hilistines p+t the 5.D@S $oly <o4 on the wagon along with the !ag that held the gold models of the t+mors and mice. 12 The cows went straight to <eth Shemesh. The cows stayed on the road, 1 Sam+el &.13*1' 23 mooing all the way. They did not t+rn right or left. The 6hilistine r+lers followed the cows as far as the city limits of <eth Shemesh. 13 The people of <eth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. They looked +p and saw the $oly <o4. They were very happy to see it again. They ran to get it. 1# The wagon came to the field that !elonged to Cosh+a of <eth Shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. Some evites took down the 5.D@S $oly <o4 and the !ag that had the gold models. The evites p+t the 5.D@S <o4 and the !ag that was with it on the large rock. The people of <eth Shemesh c+t +p the wagon and killed the cows. That day, they sacrificed the cows as !+rnt offerings to the 5.D. 1% 7&:1#8 1& The five 6hilistine r+lers watched the people of <eth Shemesh do this and then went !ack to -kron that same day. 1' 3n this way the 6hilistines sent gold models of t+mors as gifts for their sins to the 5.D. They sent one gold model of a t+mor for each of the 6hilistine towns 1 Sam+el &.1(*21 2# of Ashdod, GaEa, Ashkelon, Gath, and -kron. 1( The 6hilistines also sent gold models of mice. The n+m!er of these gold mice was the same n+m!er as the towns that !elonged to the five 6hilistine r+lers. These towns had walls aro+nd them, and each town had villages aro+nd it. The 5.D@S $oly <o4 was p+t on a large rock. That rock is still in the field of Cosh+a from <eth Shemesh. 1) >hen the men of <eth Shemesh first saw the 5.D@S $oly <o4 coming, they !egan to cele!rate. <+t there were no pag. 31&0131#

priests there to take charge. So the 5.D killed ', of the men there. The people of <eth Shemesh cried lo+dly !eca+se of this hard p+nishment. 2, They said, >here can we find a priest who can take care of the $oly <o4? >here sho+ld it go from here? 21 There was a priest at Giriath Cearim, so the people of <eth Shemesh sent messengers there. They said, The 6hilistines have !ro+ght !ack the 5.D@S $oly <o4. 9ome down and take it to yo+r city. 1 Sam+el '.1*& 2% 7 1 The men of Giriath Cearim came and took the 5.D@S $oly <o4 +p the hill to the ho+se of A!inada! the priest. They performed a special ceremony to prepare A!inada!s son, -leaEar, to g+ard the 5.D@S $oly <o4. 2 The <o4 stayed there at Giriath Cearim for a long time.Twenty years passed while the $oly <o4 was in Giriath Cearim, and the 3sraelites !egan to follow the 5.D again. 3 Sam+el told the 3sraelites, 3f yo+ are really coming !ack to the 5.D with all yo+r heart, yo+ m+st throw away yo+r foreign gods and yo+r idols of Ashtoreth. ;o+ m+st give yo+rselves f+lly to the 5.D and serve only him. Then he will save yo+ from the 6hilistines. # So the 3sraelites threw away their stat+es of <aal and Ashtoreth. The 3sraelites served only the 5.D. % Sam+el said, All 3srael m+st meet at AiEpah. 3 will pray to the 5.D for yo+. & The 3sraelites met together at AiEpah. They got water and po+red it o+t !efore the 5.D. 3n this way they !egan a time of fasting. They did not eat any food that day, and they confessed their sins. They 1 Sam+el '.'*12 2& said, >e have sinned against the 5.D. So Sam+el served as a =+dge of 3srael at AiEpah. ' >hen the 6hilistines heard that the 3sraelites were meeting at AiEpah, they went to fight them. The 3sraelites were frightened when they heard the -asy To .ead /ersion

6hilistines were coming ( and said to Sam+el, Dont stop praying to the 5.D o+r God for +s. Ask him to save +s from the 6hilistines. ) Sam+el took a !a!y lam! and offered it as a whole !+rnt offering to the 5.D. $e prayed to the 5.D for 3srael, and the 5.D answered his prayer. 1, The 6hilistines came closer and closer to fight the 3sraelites while Sam+el offered the sacrifice. <+t then, the 5.D ca+sed a lo+d clap of th+nder to hit near the 6hilistines. The th+nder scared the 6hilistines, and they !ecame conf+sed, so the 3sraelites defeated them in !attle. 11 The men of 3srael ran o+t of AiEpah and chased the 6hilistines all the way to <eth 9ar. They killed 6hilistine soldiers all along the way. 12 After this Sam+el set +p a special stone to help people remem!er what 1 Sam+el '.13*(.2 2' God did. Sam+el p+t the stone !etween AiEpah and Shen and named the stone Stone of $elp. Sam+el said, The 5.D helped +s all the way to this place. 13 The 6hilistines were defeated and did not enter the land of 3srael again. The 5.D was against the 6hilistines d+ring the rest of Sam+els life. 1# The 6hilistines had taken some cities from 3srael, !+t the 3sraelites won them !ack. They recovered those cities thro+gho+t the 6hilistine area, from -kron to Gath. There was also peace !etween 3srael and the Amorites. 1% Sam+el led 3srael all his life. 1& $e went from place to place =+dging the 3sraelites. -very year he traveled aro+nd the co+ntry. $e went to <ethel, Gilgal, and AiEpah and he =+dged the 3sraelites in all these places. 1' <+t Sam+el always went !ack to his home in .amah. There he !+ilt an altar to the 5.D and =+dged 3srael. 8 1 >hen Sam+el was old, he appointed his sons to !e =+dges for 3srael. 2 Sam+els first son was named Coel. $is second son was named A!i=ah. Coel and A!i=ah were =+dges in <eershe!a. pag. 31'0131#

1 Sam+el (.3*) 2( 3 <+t Sam+els sons did not live the same way he did. Coel and A!i=ah accepted !ri!es. They took money secretly and changed their decisions in co+rt. They cheated people in co+rt. # So all the elders of 3srael met together and went to .amah to meet with Sam+el. % The elders said to Sam+el, ;o+re old, and yo+r sons dont live right. They are not like yo+. 1ow, give +s a king to r+le +s like all the other nations. & So the elders asked for a king to lead them. Sam+el tho+ght this was a !ad idea, so he prayed to the 5.D. ' The 5.D told Sam+el, Do what the people tell yo+. They have not re=ected yo+. They have re=ected me. They dont want me to !e their king. ( They are doing the same thing they have always done. 3 took them o+t of -gypt, !+t they left me and served other gods. They are doing the same to yo+. ) So listen to the people and do what they say. <+t give them a warning. Tell the people what a king will do to them. Tell them how a king r+les people. 1 Sam+el (.1,*1# 2) 1, Those people asked for a king. So Sam+el told them everything the 5.D said. 11 Sam+el said, 3f yo+ have a king r+ling over yo+, this is what he will do: $e will take away yo+r sons and force them to serve him. $e will force them to !e soldiersthey m+st fight from his chariots and !ecome horse soldiers in his army. ;o+r sons will !ecome g+ards r+nning in front of the kings chariot. 12 A king will force yo+r sons to !ecome soldiers. $e will choose which of yo+r sons will !e officers over 1,,, men and which will !e officers over %, men. A king will force some of yo+r sons to plow his fields and gather his harvest. $e will force some of yo+r sons to make weapons for war and to make things for his chariots. 13 A king will take yo+r da+ghters and force some of them to make perf+me for -asy To .ead /ersion

him and some to cook and !ake for him. 1# A king will take yo+r !est fields, vineyards, and olive groves. $e will take them from yo+ and give them to his officers. 1 Sam+el (.1%*).1 3, 1% $e will take oneDtenth of yo+r grain and grapes, and he will give them to his officers and servants. 1& A king will take yo+r men and women servants. $e will take yo+r !est cattle and yo+r donkeys. $e will +se them all for his own work. 1' $e will take oneDtenth of yo+r flocks. And yo+ yo+rselves will !ecome slaves of this king. 1( >hen that time comes, yo+ will cry !eca+se of the king yo+ chose. <+t the 5.D wont answer yo+ at that time. 1) <+t the people wo+ld not listen to Sam+el. They said, 1o, we want a king to r+le over +s. 2, Then we will !e the same as all the other nations. 5+r king will lead +s. $e will go !efore +s and fight o+r !attles. 21 Sam+el listened to the people and then repeated their words to the 5.D. 22 The 5.D answered, isten to them and give them a king. Then Sam+el told the 3sraelites, ;o+ will have a king. 1ow go home. 9 1 Gish was an important man from the tri!e of <en=amin. $e was the son of A!iel. A!iel was the son of Beror. 1 Sam+el ).2*& 31 Beror was the son of <ecorath. <ecorath was the son of Aphiah, a man from <en=amin. 2 Gish had a son named Sa+l, who was a handsome yo+ng man. There was no one more handsome than Sa+l. $e stood a head taller than any other man in 3srael. 3 5ne day, Gishs donkeys got lost. So he said to his son Sa+l, Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys. # Sa+l went to look for the donkeys. $e walked thro+gh the hills of -phraim and thro+gh the area aro+nd Shalisha. <+t Sa+l and the servant co+ld not find Gishs donkeys. So they went to the area pag. 31(0131#

aro+nd Shaalim, !+t the donkeys were not there either. Then Sa+l traveled thro+gh the land of <en=amin, !+t he and the servant still co+ld not find the donkeys. % 2inally, Sa+l and the servant came to the town named B+ph. Sa+l said to his servant, ets go !ack. Ay father will stop worrying a!o+t the donkeys and start worrying a!o+t +s. & <+t the servant answered, A man of God is in this town. 6eople respect him. -verything he says comes tr+e, so lets 1 Sam+el ).'*12 32 go into town. Aay!e the man of God will tell +s where we sho+ld go ne4t. ' Sa+l said to his servant, S+re, we can go into town, !+t what can we give to him? >e have no gift to give the man of God. -ven the food in o+r !ags is gone. >hat can we give him? ( Again the servant answered Sa+l. ook, 3 have a little !it of money. ets give it to the man of God. Then he will tell +s where we sho+ld go. ) Sa+l said to his servant, That is a good idea. ets go. So they went to the town where the man of God was. Sa+l and the servant were walking +p the hill toward town when they met some yo+ng women on the road. The yo+ng women were coming o+t to get water. Sa+l and the servant asked the yo+ng women, 3s the seer here? 73n the past, people in 3srael called a prophet a seer. So if they wanted to ask something from God, they wo+ld say, ets go to the seer.8 1, 7):)8 11 7):)8 12 The yo+ng women answered, ;es, the seer is here. $e is =+st +p the road. $e came to town today. Some people 1 Sam+el ).13*1' 33 are meeting together today to share in a fellowship offering at the place for worship. 13 So go into town and yo+ will find him. 3f yo+ h+rry, yo+ can catch him !efore he goes +p to eat at the place for worship. The seer !lesses the sacrifice, so the -asy To .ead /ersion

people wont !egin eating +ntil he gets there. 3f yo+ h+rry, yo+ can find him. 1# Sa+l and the servant started walking +p the hill to town. C+st as they came into town, they saw Sam+el coming o+t of town, walking toward them. $e was on his way to the place for worship. 1% The day !efore, the 5.D had told Sam+el, 1& At this time tomorrow 3 will send a man to yo+. $e will !e from the tri!e of <en=amin. ;o+ m+st anoint him and make him the new leader over my people 3srael. This man will save my people from the 6hilistines. 3 have seen my people s+ffering, and 3 have heard their cries for help. 1' >hen Sam+el saw Sa+l, the 5.D said to Sam+el, This is the man 3 told yo+ a!o+t. $e will r+le my people. 1 Sam+el ).1(*22 3# 1( Sa+l went +p to a man near the gate to ask directions. This man =+st happened to !e Sam+el. Sa+l said, -4c+se me. 9o+ld yo+ tell me where the seers ho+se is? 1) Sam+el answered, 3 am the seer. Go on +p ahead of me to the place for worship. ;o+ and yo+r servant will eat with me today. 3 will let yo+ go home tomorrow morning. 3 will answer all yo+r J+estions. 2, And dont worry a!o+t the donkeys that yo+ lost three days ago. They have !een fo+nd. 1ow, there is something that everyone in 3srael is looking for and that something is yo+ and yo+r family. 21 Sa+l answered, <+t 3 am a mem!er of the tri!e of <en=amin. 3t is the smallest tri!e in 3srael. And my family is the smallest in the tri!e of <en=amin. >hy do yo+ say 3srael wants me? 22 Then Sam+el took Sa+l and his servant to the eating area. A!o+t 3, people had !een invited to eat together and share the sacrifice. Sam+el gave Sa+l and his servant the most important place at the ta!le. 1 Sam+el ).23*1,.1 3% 23 Sam+el said to the cook, <ring the pag. 31)0131#

meat 3 gave yo+. 3t is the share 3 told yo+ to save. 2# The cook !ro+ght o+t the thigh and p+t it on the ta!le in front of Sa+l. Sam+el said, -at the meat that was p+t in front of yo+. 3t was saved for yo+ for this special time when 3 called the people together. So Sa+l ate with Sam+el that day. 2% After they finished eating, they came down from the place for worship and went !ack to town. Sam+el made a !ed for Sa+l on the roof, 2& and Sa+l went to sleep. -arly the ne4t morning, Sam+el sho+ted to Sa+l on the roof and said, Get +p. 3 will send yo+ on yo+r way. Sa+l got +p and went o+t of the ho+se with Sam+el. 2' Sa+l, his servant, and Sam+el were walking together near the edge of town. Sam+el said to Sa+l, Tell yo+r servant to go on ahead of +s. 3 have a message for yo+ from God. So the servant walked ahead of them. 10 1 Sam+el took a =ar of the special oil and po+red the oil on Sa+ls head. Sam+el kissed Sa+l and said, 1 Sam+el 1,.2*# 3& The 5.D has anointed yo+ to !e the leader over the people who !elong to him. ;o+ will control the people. ;o+ will save them from the enemies that are all aro+nd them. $e has anointed yo+ to !e r+ler over his people. $ere is a sign that will prove this is tr+e: 2 After yo+ leave me today, yo+ will meet two men near .achels tom! on the !order of <en=amin at BelEah. The two men will say to yo+, Someone fo+nd the donkeys yo+ were looking for. ;o+r father stopped worrying a!o+t his donkeys. 1ow he is worrying a!o+t yo+. $e is saying: >hat will 3 do a!o+t my son? 3 Sam+el said, Then yo+ will go +ntil yo+ come to the large oak tree at Ta!or. Three men will meet yo+ there. They will !e on their way to worship God at <ethel. 5ne man will !e carrying three yo+ng goats. The second man will !e -asy To .ead /ersion

carrying three loaves of !read. And the third man will have a leather !ag f+ll of wine. # These three men will say hello to yo+. They will offer yo+ two loaves of !read, and yo+ will accept the two loaves. 1 Sam+el 1,.%*1, 3' % Then yo+ will go to Gi!eath -lohim. There is a 6hilistine fort in that place. >hen yo+ come to this town, a gro+p of prophets will come o+t. These prophets will come down from the place for worship. They will !e prophesying. They will !e playing harps, tam!o+rines, fl+tes, and lyres. & Then the 5.D@S Spirit will come on yo+ with great power. ;o+ will !e changed. ;o+ will !e like a different man. ;o+ will !egin to prophesy with these prophets. ' After that happens, yo+ can do whatever yo+ choose to do, !eca+se God will !e with yo+. ( Go to Gilgal !efore me. Then 3 will come there to yo+. And 3 will offer !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings. <+t yo+ m+st wait seven days. Then 3 will come and tell yo+ what to do. ) C+st as Sa+l t+rned to leave Sam+el, God t+rned Sa+ls life aro+nd. All these things happened that day. 1, >hen Sa+l and his servant came to Gi!eath -lohim, Sa+l met a gro+p of prophets. Gods Spirit came on Sa+l with 1 Sam+el 1,.11*1' 3( great power, and Sa+l prophesied with the prophets. 11 Some of the people who had known Sa+l !efore saw him prophesying with the prophets. So they asked each other, >hat has happened to Gishs son? 3s Sa+l also one the prophets? 12 A man living in Gi!eath -lohim said, ;es, and it seems that he is their leader. That is why this !ecame a famo+s saying: 3s Sa+l also one of the prophets? 13 After Sa+l finished prophesying, he went to the place of worship. 1# Sa+ls +ncle asked Sa+l and his servant, >here have yo+ !een? Sa+l pag. 32,0131#

said, >e were looking for the donkeys. >hen we co+ldnt find them, we went to see Sam+el. 1% Sa+ls +ncle said, 6lease tell me, what did Sam+el say to yo+? 1& Sa+l answered, Sam+el told +s the donkeys were already fo+nd. $e did not tell his +ncle everything. Sa+l did not tell him what Sam+el said a!o+t the kingdom. 1' Sam+el told all the 3sraelites to meet together with the 5.D at AiEpah. 1 Sam+el 1,.1(*23 3) 1( Sam+el told the 3sraelites, The 5.D, the God of 3srael says, 3 led 3srael o+t of -gypt. 3 saved yo+ from -gypts control and from the other kingdoms that tried to h+rt yo+. 1) <+t today yo+ have re=ected yo+r God. ;o+r God saves yo+ from all yo+r tro+!les and pro!lems. <+t yo+ said, 1o, we want a king to r+le +s. 1ow come, stand !efore the 5.D in yo+r family gro+ps and tri!es. 2, Sam+el !ro+ght all the tri!es of 3srael near. Then Sam+el !egan to choose the new king. 2irst, the tri!e of <en=amin was chosen. 21 Sam+el told each family in the tri!e of <en=amin to pass !y. Aatris family was chosen. Then Sam+el told each man in Aatris family to walk !y. Sa+l son of Gish was chosen. <+t when the people looked for Sa+l, they co+ld not find him. 22 Then they asked the 5.D, $as Sa+l come here yet? The 5.D said, Sa+l is hiding !ehind the s+pplies. 23 The people ran and took Sa+l o+t from !ehind the s+pplies. Sa+l stood +p among the people. $e was a head taller than anyone else. 1 Sam+el 1,.2#*11.1 #, 2# Sam+el said to all the people, See the man the 5.D has chosen. There is no one like Sa+l among the people. Then the people sho+ted, ong live the king" 2% Sam+el e4plained the r+les of the kingdom to the people. $e wrote the r+les in a !ook and p+t the !ook !efore the 5.D. Then Sam+el told the people -asy To .ead /ersion

to go home. 2& Sa+l also went to his home in Gi!eah. God to+ched the hearts of !rave men who then !egan to follow Sa+l. 2' <+t some tro+!lemakers said, $ow can this man save +s? They said !ad things a!o+t Sa+l and ref+sed to !ring gifts to him. <+t Sa+l said nothing.Ging 1ahash of the Ammonites had !een h+rting the tri!es of Gad and .e+!en. 1ahash poked o+t the right eye of each of the men and did not allow anyone to help them. $e poked o+t the right eye of every 3sraelite man living in the area east of the Cordan .iver. <+t ',,, 3sraelite men ran away from the Ammonites and came to Ca!esh Gilead. 11 1 A!o+t a month later, 1ahash the Ammonite and his army s+rro+nded Ca!esh Gilead. All the people 1 Sam+el 11.2*' #1 of Ca!esh said to 1ahash, 3f yo+ will make a treaty with +s, we will serve yo+. 2 <+t he answered, 3 will make a treaty with yo+ people only if 3 can poke o+t the right eye of each person. Then all 3srael will !e ashamed. 3 The leaders of Ca!esh said to 1ahash, et +s have seven days. >e will send messengers thro+gh all 3srael. 3f no one comes to help +s, we will come +p to yo+ and s+rrender to yo+. # The messengers came to Gi!eah where Sa+l lived. They told the news to the people. The people cried lo+dly. % Sa+l had !een o+t in the field with his o4en. >hen he came in from the field he heard the people crying and asked, >hats wrong with the people? >hy are they crying? Then the people told Sa+l what the messengers from Ca!esh said. & Sa+l listened to their story. Then Gods Spirit came on him with great power. Sa+l !ecame very angry. ' $e took a pair of o4en and c+t them in pieces. Then he gave the pieces of the o4en to messengers. $e ordered the messengers to carry the pieces thro+gho+t the land of 3srael. $e told 1 Sam+el 11.(*11 #2 pag. 3210131#

them to give this message to the 3sraelites: 9ome follow Sa+l and Sam+el. 3f anyone doesnt come and help them, this same thing will happen to his o4en. A great fear from the 5.D came on the people. They all came together like one person. ( Sa+l gathered the men together at <eEek. There were 3,,,,,, men from 3srael and 3,,,,, men from C+dah. ) Sa+l and his army told the messengers from Ca!esh, Tell the people at Ca!esh in Gilead that !y noon tomorrow, yo+ will !e saved. The messengers told Sa+ls message to the people at Ca!esh, and they were very happy. 1, Then the people of Ca!esh said to 1ahash the Ammonite, Tomorrow we will come to yo+, and yo+ can do whatever yo+ want to +s. 11 The ne4t morning Sa+l separated his soldiers into three gro+ps. At s+nrise, Sa+l and his soldiers entered the Ammonite camp. Sa+l attacked while they were changing g+ards that morning. $e and his soldiers defeated the Ammonites !efore noon. The Ammonite soldiers all ran away in 1 Sam+el 11.12*12.3 #3 different directionsno two soldiers stayed together. 12 Then the people said to Sam+el, >here are the people who said they didnt want Sa+l to r+le as king? <ring them here, and we will kill them. 13 <+t Sa+l said, 1o, dont kill anyone today" The 5.D saved 3srael today. 1# Then Sam+el said to the people, 9ome, lets go to Gilgal. At Gilgal we will again make Sa+l the king. 1% All the people went to Gilgal. There, in front of the 5.D, the people made Sa+l king. They offered fellowship offerings to the 5.D. Sa+l and all the 3sraelites had a great cele!ration. 12 1 Sam+el said to all 3srael: 3 have done everything yo+ wanted me to do. 3 have p+t a king over yo+. 2 1ow yo+ have a king to lead yo+. 3 am old and gray, !+t my sons are here with -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. 3 have !een yo+r leader since 3 was yo+ng. 3 $ere 3 am. 3f 3 have done anything wrong, yo+ m+st tell these things to the 5.D and his chosen king. Did 3 steal anyones cow or donkey? Did 3 h+rt or cheat anyone? Did 3 ever take money, or 1 Sam+el 12.#*( ## even a pair of sandals, to do something wrong? 3f 3 did any of these things, 3 will make it right. # The 3sraelites answered, 1o, yo+ never did anything !ad to +s. ;o+ never cheated +s or took things from +s. % Sam+el said to the 3sraelites, The 5.D and his chosen king are witnesses today. They heard what yo+ saidthat yo+ fo+nd nothing wrong with me. The people answered, ;es, the ord is witness" & Then Sam+el said to the people, The 5.D has seen what happened. $e is the one who chose Aoses and Aaron and !ro+ght yo+r ancestors o+t of -gypt. ' So now yo+ take yo+r place and 3 will present my arg+ments against yo+ !efore the 5.D. 3 will tell a!o+t all the great things the 5.D has done to save yo+ and yo+r ancestors. ( Caco! went to -gypt. ater, the -gyptians made life hard for his descendants. So they cried to the 5.D for help. The 5.D sent Aoses and Aaron, and they took yo+r ancestors o+t of -gypt and led them to live in this place. 1 Sam+el 12.)*1# #% ) <+t yo+r ancestors forgot the 5.D their God. So he let them !ecome the slaves of Sisera, the commander of the army at $aEor. Then the ord let them !ecome the slaves of the 6hilistines and the king of Aoa!. They all fo+ght against yo+r ancestors. 1, <+t yo+r ancestors cried to the 5.D for help. They said, >e have sinned. >e left the 5.D, and we served the false gods <aal and Ashtoreth. <+t now save +s from o+r enemies, and we will serve yo+. pag. 3220131#

11 So the 5.D sent Cer+! <aal 7Gideon8, <arak, Cephthah, and Sam+el. $e saved yo+ from yo+r enemies aro+nd yo+, and yo+ lived in safety. 12 <+t then yo+ saw Ging 1ahash of the Ammonites coming to fight against yo+. ;o+ said, 1o, we want a king to r+le over +s" ;o+ said that, even tho+gh the 5.D yo+r God was already yo+r king. 13 1ow, here is the king yo+ chose. The 5.D p+t this king over yo+. 1# ;o+ m+st fear and respect the 5.D. ;o+ m+st serve him and o!ey his commands. ;o+ m+st not t+rn against him. ;o+ and the king r+ling over yo+ 1 Sam+el 12.1%*2, #& m+st follow the 5.D yo+r God. 3f yo+ do, God will save yo+. 1% <+t if yo+ dont listen to the 5.D, if yo+ ref+se to do what the 5.D says, he will !e against yo+. The 5.D will destroy yo+ and yo+r king. 1& 1ow stand still and see the great thing the 5.D will do !efore yo+r eyes. 1' 1ow is the time of the wheat harvest. 3 will pray to the 5.D and ask him to send th+nder and rain. Then yo+ will know yo+ did a very !ad thing against the 5.D when yo+ asked for a king. 1( So Sam+el prayed to the 5.D. That same day the 5.D sent th+nder and rain. And the people !ecame very afraid of the 5.D and Sam+el. 1) All the people said to Sam+el, 6ray to the 5.D yo+r God for +s, yo+r servants. Dont let +s die" >e have sinned many times. And now we have added to these sinswe have asked for a king. 2, Sam+el answered, Dont !e afraid. 3t is tr+e that yo+ did all these !ad things, !+t dont stop following the 5.D. Serve the 5.D with all yo+r heart. 1 Sam+el 12.21*13.2 #' 21 3dols are only stat+esthey cant help yo+. So dont worship them. 3dols cant help yo+ or save yo+. They are nothing" 22 <+t the 5.D wont leave his people. 1o, the 5.D was pleased to make yo+ his own people. So for his own good name, he wont leave yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 And as for me, 3 wo+ld never stop praying for yo+. 3f 3 stopped praying for yo+, 3 wo+ld !e sinning against the 5.D. 3 will contin+e to teach yo+ the right way to live a good life. 2# <+t yo+ m+st honor the 5.D. ;o+ m+st serve him sincerely with all yo+r heart. .emem!er the wonderf+l things he has done for yo+. 2% <+t if yo+ are st+!!orn and do evil, God will throw yo+ and yo+r king away, like dirt swept o+t with a !room. 13 1 Sa+l was 3, years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led over 3srael #2 years. 2 Sa+l chose 3,,, men from 3srael. There were 2,,, men who stayed with him at Aicmash in the hill co+ntry of <ethel. There were 1,,, men who stayed with Conathan at Gi!eah in 1 Sam+el 13.3*' #( <en=amin. Sa+l sent the other men in the army !ack home. 3 Conathan defeated the 6hilistines at their camp in Ge!a. The 6hilistines heard a!o+t this. They said, The $e!rews have re!elled. Sa+l said, et the $e!rew people hear what happened. So Sa+l told the men to !low tr+mpets thro+gh all the land of 3srael. # All the 3sraelites heard this news: Sa+l has killed the 6hilistine leader. 1ow the 6hilistines will really hate the 3sraelites" The 3sraelites were called to =oin Sa+l at Gilgal. % The 6hilistines gathered to fight 3srael. The 6hilistines camped at Aicmash, east of <eth Aven. They had 3,,, chariots and &,,, horse soldiers. There were so many 6hilistines that they were like sand on the seashore. & The 3sraelites saw that they were in tro+!le. They felt trapped. They ran away to hide in caves and cracks in the rock. They hid among the rocks, in wells, and in other holes in the gro+nd. ' Some $e!rews even went across the Cordan .iver to the land of Gad and 1 Sam+el 13.(*1# #) Gilead. Sa+l was still at Gilgal. All the pag. 3230131#

men in his army were shaking with fear. ( Sam+el said he wo+ld meet Sa+l at Gilgal. Sa+l waited there seven days. <+t Sam+el had not yet come to Gilgal, and the soldiers !egan to leave Sa+l. ) So Sa+l said, <ring me the !+rnt offerings and the fellowship offerings. Then Sa+l offered the !+rnt offering. 1, As soon as Sa+l finished offering that sacrifice, Sam+el arrived. Sa+l went o+t to meet him. 11 Sam+el asked, >hat have yo+ done? Sa+l answered, 3 saw the soldiers leaving me. ;o+ were not here on time, and the 6hilistines were gathering at Aicmash. 12 3 tho+ght to myself, The 6hilistines will come here and attack me at Gilgal, and 3 havent asked the 5.D to help +s yet. So 3 forced myself to offer the !+rnt offering. 13 Sam+el said, ;o+ did a foolish thing. ;o+ did not o!ey the 5.D yo+r God. 3f yo+ had done what he commanded, the 5.D wo+ld have let yo+r family r+le 3srael forever. 1# <+t now yo+r kingdom wont contin+e. The 5.D was looking for a man who 1 Sam+el 13.1%*2, %, wants to o!ey him. $e has fo+nd that manand the 5.D has chosen him to !e the new leader of his people, !eca+se yo+ didnt o!ey his command. 1% Then Sam+el got +p and left Gilgal.Sa+l and the rest of his army left Gilgal and went to Gi!eah in <en=amin. Sa+l co+nted the men who were still with him. There were a!o+t &,,. 1& Sa+l, his son Conathan, and the soldiers went to Ge!a in <en=amin. The 6hilistines were camped at Aicmash. 1' So their !est soldiers !egan the attack. The 6hilistine army split into three gro+ps. 5ne gro+p went north on the road to 5phrah, near Sh+al. 1( The second gro+p went so+theast on the road to <eth $oron, and the third gro+p went east on the road to the !order. That road looks over the /alley of Be!oim toward the desert. 1) There were no !lacksmiths in 3srael. -asy To .ead /ersion

The 6hilistines wo+ld not allow them !eca+se they were afraid the 3sraelites wo+ld make iron swords and spears. 2, 5nly the 6hilistines co+ld sharpen iron tools. So if the 3sraelites needed 1 Sam+el 13.21*1#.3 %1 to sharpen their plows, hoes, a4es, or sickles, they had to go to the 6hilistines. 21 .The 6hilistine !lacksmiths charged 103 o+nce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes and 10& o+nce of silver for sharpening picks, a4es, and the iron tip on o4 goads. 22 So on the day of !attle, none of the 3sraelite soldiers with Sa+l had iron swords or spears. 5nly Sa+l and his son Conathan had s+ch weapons. 23 A gro+p of 6hilistine soldiers g+arded the mo+ntain pass at Aicmash. 14 1 That day, Sa+ls son Conathan was talking with the yo+ng man who carried his weapons. Conathan said, ets go to the 6hilistine camp on the other side of the valley. <+t Conathan did not tell his father. 2 Sa+l was sitting +nder a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor at the edge of the hill. Sa+l had a!o+t &,, men with him. 3 5ne of the men was named Ahi=ah. Ahi=ah was a son of 3cha!ods !rother Ahit+!. Ahit+! was the son of 6hinehas. 6hinehas was the son of -li. -li had !een the 5.D@S priest at Shiloh. 1ow Ahi=ah 1 Sam+el 1#.#*( %2 was the priest who wore the ephod. These men did not know that Conathan had left. # Conathan was planning to go thro+gh a pass to get to the 6hilistine camp. There was a large rock on each side of the pass. The large rock on one side was named <oEeE. The large rock on the other side was named Seneh. % 5ne of the rocks faced north toward Aicmash, and the other faced so+th toward Ge!a. & Conathan said to his yo+ng helper who carried his weapons, 9ome on, lets go to the camp of those foreigners. Aay!e pag. 32#0131#

the 5.D will +se +s to defeat them. 1othing can stop the 5.Dit doesnt matter if we have many soldiers or =+st a few soldiers. ' The yo+ng man who carried Conathans weapons said to him, Do what yo+ think is !est. >hatever yo+ decide, 3 am with yo+ all the way. ( Conathan said, ets go" >ell cross the valley and go to the 6hilistine g+ards. >ell let them see +s. 1 Sam+el 1#.)*13 %3 ) 3f they say to +s, Stay there +ntil we come to yo+, we will stay where we are. >e wont go +p to them. 1, <+t if the 6hilistine men say, 9ome +p here, then we will clim! +p to them. That will !e a sign from God. That will mean that the 5.D will allow +s to defeat them. 11 So Conathan and his helper let the 6hilistines see them. The 6hilistine g+ards said, ook" The $e!rews are coming o+t of the holes they were hiding in. 12 The 6hilistines in the fort sho+ted to Conathan and his helper, 9ome +p here. >ell teach yo+ a lesson. Conathan said to his helper, 2ollow me +p the hill. The 5.D is letting 3srael defeat the 6hilistines. 13 So Conathan clim!ed +p the hill with his hands and feet, and his helper was right !ehind him. Conathan and his helper attacked them. 3n the first attack, they killed 2, 6hilistines in an area a!o+t oneDhalf acre in siEe. Conathan fo+ght the men who attacked from the front. $is helper came !ehind him and killed the men who were only wo+nded. 1 Sam+el 1#.1#*2, %# 1# 71#:138 1% Great fear spread among the 6hilistine soldiersthose in the field, in the camp, and at the fort. -ven the !ravest soldiers were afraid. The gro+nd !egan to shake, and they were completely overcome with fear. 1& Sa+ls g+ards at Gi!eah in the land of <en=amin saw the 6hilistine soldiers -asy To .ead /ersion

r+nning away in different ways. 1' Sa+l said to the army with him, 9o+nt the men. 3 want to know who left camp. They co+nted the men. Conathan and his helper were gone. 1( Sa+l said to Ahi=ah, <ring Gods $oly <o4" 7At that time Gods $oly <o4 was there with the 3sraelites.8 1) Sa+l was talking to Ahi=ah the priest waiting for advice from God. <+t the noise and conf+sion in the 6hilistine camp was growing and growing. Sa+l was !ecoming impatient. 2inally, he said to Ahi=ah the priest, Thats eno+gh. 6+t yo+r hand down and stop praying. 2, Sa+l gathered his army together and went to the !attle. The 6hilistine soldiers were very conf+sed. They were even fighting each other with their swords. 1 Sam+el 1#.21*2% %% 21 There were $e!rews who served the 6hilistines in the past and who stayed in the 6hilistine camp. <+t now these $e!rews =oined the 3sraelites with Sa+l and Conathan. 22 All the 3sraelites who had hidden in the hill co+ntry of -phraim heard the 6hilistine soldiers were r+nning away. So these 3sraelites also =oined in the !attle and !egan chasing the 6hilistines. 23 So the 5.D saved the 3sraelites that day. The !attle moved on past <eth Aven. The whole army was with Sa+lhe now had a!o+t 1,,,,, men. The !attle spread to every city in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. 2# <+t Sa+l made a !ig mistake that day. $e made this oath: 3f any man eats food !efore evening comes, !efore 3 finish defeating my enemies, he will !e +nder a c+rse. $e made the soldiers promise not to eat. So none of them ate anything. 2% <eca+se of the fighting, the people went into some woods. Then they saw a honeycom! on the gro+nd. The 3sraelites went +p to the honeycom!, !+t they 1 Sam+el 1#.2&*31 %& didnt eat any of it. They were afraid to !reak the promise. pag. 32%0131#

2& 71#:2%8 2' <+t Conathan didnt know a!o+t the oath. $e didnt hear his father make the soldiers promise not to eat. Conathan had a stick in his hand, so he dipped the end of the stick into the honeycom! and p+lled o+t some honey. $e ate the honey and !egan to feel m+ch !etter. 2( 5ne of the soldiers told Conathan, ;o+r father forced the soldiers to make a special promise. $e said that any man who eats today will !e +nder a c+rse. So the men have not eaten anything. Thats why they are weak. 2) Conathan said, Ay father has !ro+ght a lot of tro+!le to the land. See how m+ch !etter 3 feel after tasting =+st a little of this honey. 3, 3t wo+ld have !een m+ch !etter for the men to eat the food that they took from their enemies today. >e co+ld have killed more 6hilistines. 31 That day the 3sraelites defeated the 6hilistines. They fo+ght them all the way from Aicmash to Ai=alon. So the people were very tired and h+ngry. 1 Sam+el 1#.32*3' %' 32 They had taken sheep, cows, and calves from the 6hilistines. 1ow they were so h+ngry that they killed the animals on the gro+nd and ate them. And the !lood was still in the animals. 33 Someone said to Sa+l, ook, the men are sinning against the 5.D. Theyre eating meat that still has !lood in it" Sa+l said, ;o+ have sinned. .oll a large stone over here now" 3# Then Sa+l said, Go to the men and tell them that each one m+st !ring his !+ll and sheep to me. Then the men m+st kill their !+lls and sheep here. Dont sin against the 5.D" Dont eat meat that still has !lood in it. That night everyone !ro+ght their animals and killed them there. 3% Then Sa+l !+ilt an altar for the 5.D. Sa+l himself !egan !+ilding that altar for the 5.D. 3& Sa+l said, ets go after the 6hilistines tonight. >e will take everything from -asy To .ead /ersion

them. >e will kill them all" The army answered, Do whatever yo+ think is !est. <+t the priest said, ets ask God. 3' So Sa+l asked God, Sho+ld 3 go chase the 6hilistines? >ill yo+ let +s defeat the 1 Sam+el 1#.3(*#3 %( 6hilistines? <+t God did not answer Sa+l that day. 3( So Sa+l said, <ring all the leaders to me" ets find who committed the sin today. 3) 3 swear !y the 5.D who saves 3srael, that even if my own son Conathan sinned, he m+st die. 1one of the people said a word. #, Then Sa+l said to all the 3sraelites, ;o+ stand on this side. 3 and my son Conathan will stand on the other side. The soldiers answered, As yo+ wish, sir. #1 Then Sa+l prayed, 5.D, God of 3srael, why havent yo+ answered me today? Show +s who sinned. 3f it was 3 or my son Conathan, give Hrim. <+t if it was yo+r people 3srael who sinned, give Th+mmim. Sa+l and Conathan were shown to !e the ones who sinned, and the people went free. #2 Sa+l said, Throw them again to show the g+ilty oneme or my son Conathan. Conathan was shown to !e the one. #3 Sa+l said to Conathan, Tell me what yo+ have done. Conathan told Sa+l, 3 only tasted a little honey from the end of my stick. Sho+ld 3 die for doing that? 1 Sam+el 1#.##*#) %) ## Sa+l said, 3 made an oath and asked God to p+nish me if 3 didnt keep it. Conathan, yo+ m+st die. #% <+t the soldiers said to Sa+l, Conathan led 3srael to a great victory today. A+st Conathan die? 1ever" As s+rely as the 5.D lives, not one hair of Conathans head will fall to the gro+nd" God helped Conathan fight against the 6hilistines today. So the people saved Conathan from death. #& Sa+l did not chase the 6hilistines. The 6hilistines went !ack to their place. #' Sa+l took f+ll control of 3srael and fo+ght all the enemies who lived pag. 32&0131#

aro+nd 3srael. Sa+l fo+ght Aoa!, the Ammonites, -dom, the king of Bo!ah, and the 6hilistines. $e defeated 3sraels enemies wherever he went. #( Sa+l was very !rave. $e saved 3srael from all the enemies who tried to take things from the 3sraelites. $e even defeated the Amalekites. #) Sa+ls sons were Conathan, 3shvi, and Aalki Sh+a. Sa+ls older da+ghter was named Aera!. Sa+ls yo+nger da+ghter was named Aichal. 1 Sam+el 1#.%,*1%.3 &, %, Sa+ls wife was named Ahinoam. Ahinoam was the da+ghter of AhimaaE. The commander of Sa+ls army was named A!ner son of 1er. 1er was Sa+ls +ncle. %1 Sa+ls father Gish and A!ners father 1er were sons of A!iel. %2 Sa+l was !rave all his life. $e fo+ght hard against the 6hilistines. Any time Sa+l saw a man who was strong or !rave, he took that man and p+t him into the gro+p of soldiers who stayed near the king and protected him. 15 1 5ne day Sam+el said to Sa+l, The 5.D sent me to anoint yo+ king over his people 3srael. 1ow listen to his message. 2 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, >hen the 3sraelites came o+t of -gypt, the Amalekites tried to stop them from going to 9anaan. 3 saw what the Amalekites did. 3 1ow go fight against the Amalekites. ;o+ m+st completely destroy the Amalekites and everything that !elongs to them. Dont let anything liveF yo+ m+st kill all the men and women and all of their children and little !a!ies. ;o+ 1 Sam+el 1%.#*) &1 m+st kill all of their cattle and sheep and all of their camels and donkeys. # Sa+l gathered the army together at Telaim. There were 2,,,,,, foot soldiers and 1,,,,, other men, incl+ding the men from C+dah. % Then Sa+l went to the city of Amalek and waited in the valley. -asy To .ead /ersion

& $e said to the Genites, Go away" eave the Amalekites. Then 3 wont destroy yo+ with the Amalekites. ;o+ showed kindness to the 3sraelites when they came o+t of -gypt. So the Genites left the Amalekites. ' Sa+l defeated the Amalekites. $e fo+ght them and chased them all the way from $avilah to Sh+r, at the !order of -gypt. ( Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Sa+l capt+red Agag alive. Sa+l let Agag live, !+t he killed all the men in Agags army. ) Sa+l and the 3sraelite soldiers felt !ad a!o+t destroying everything. So they let Agag live. They also kept the fat cattle, the !est sheep, and the lam!s. They kept everything that was worth keeping. They didnt want to destroy those things. 1 Sam+el 1%.1,*1% &2 They destroyed only what was not worth keeping. 1, Then Sam+el received this message from the 5.D: 11 Sa+l has stopped following me, so 3 am sorry that 3 made him king. $e is not doing what 3 tell him. Sam+el !ecame angry and cried to the 5.D all night. 12 Sam+el got +p early the ne4t morning and went to meet Sa+l. <+t the people told Sam+el, Sa+l went to 9armel. $e went there to set +p a stone mon+ment to honor himself. Then he left there and went down to Gilgal. So Sam+el went to Sa+l. Sa+l had =+st offered the first part of the things he took from the Amalekites as a !+rnt offering to the ord. 13 >hen Sam+al came near to Sa+l, Sa+l greeted him and said, The 5.D !less yo+" 3 have o!eyed the 5.D@S commands. 1# <+t Sam+el said, Then what is that so+nd 3 hear? >hy do 3 hear sheep and cattle? 1% Sa+l said, The soldiers took them from the Amalekites. They saved the !est sheep and cattle to !+rn as 1 Sam+el 1%.1&*22 &3 pag. 32'0131#

sacrifices to the 5.D yo+r God. <+t we destroyed everything else. 1& Sam+el said to Sa+l, Stop" et me tell yo+ what the 5.D told me last night. Sa+l answered, Tell me what he said. 1' Sam+el said, 3n the past yo+ didnt think that yo+ were important, !+t the 5.D chose yo+ to !e the king. So yo+ !ecame the leader of the tri!es of 3srael. 1( The 5.D sent yo+ on a special mission. $e said, Go and destroy all the Amalekites. They are evil people. Destroy them all" 2ight them +ntil they are completely finished 1) So why didnt yo+ listen to the 5.D? ;o+ did what the 5.D said is wrong !eca+se yo+ wanted to keep what yo+ took in !attle. 2, Sa+l said, <+t 3 did o!ey the 5.D" 3 went where the 5.D sent me. 3 destroyed all the Amalekites. 3 !ro+ght !ack only onetheir king Agag. 21 And the soldiers took the !est sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the 5.D yo+r God at Gilgal. 22 <+t Sam+el answered, >hich pleases the 5.D more: !+rnt offerings and sacrifices or o!eying his commands? 3t 1 Sam+el 1%.23*2( &# is !etter to o!ey the 5.D than to offer sacrifices to him. 3t is !etter to listen to him than to offer the fat from rams. 23 .ef+sing to o!ey is as !ad as the sin of sorcery. <eing st+!!orn and doing what yo+ want is like the sin of worshiping idols. ;o+ ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D@S command, so he now ref+ses to accept yo+ as king. 2# Then Sa+l said to Sam+el, 3 have sinned. 3 did not o!ey the 5.D@S commands, and 3 did not do what yo+ told me. 3 was afraid of the people, and 3 did what they said. 2% 1ow 3 !eg yo+, forgive me for doing this sin. 9ome !ack with me, so 3 may worship the 5.D. 2& <+t Sam+el said to Sa+l, 3 wont go !ack with yo+. ;o+ re=ected the 5.D@S command, and now the 5.D re=ects yo+ as king of 3srael. -asy To .ead /ersion

2' >hen Sam+el t+rned to leave, Sa+l ca+ght Sam+els ro!e. The ro!e tore. 2( Sam+el said to Sa+l, 3n this same way the 5.D has torn the kingdom of 3srael from yo+ today. $e has given the kingdom to one of yo+r friends, a man who is a !etter person than yo+. 1 Sam+el 1%.2)*3% &% 2) The one who lives forever, the God of 3srael, does not lie and will not change his mind. $e is not like a man who is always changing his mind. 3, Sa+l answered, 3t is tr+e that 3 sinned" <+t please come !ack with me. Show me some respect in front of the leaders and the 3sraelites. 9ome with me so that 3 may worship the 5.D yo+r God. 31 Sam+el went !ack with Sa+l, and Sa+l worshiped the 5.D. 32 Sam+el said, <ring Ging Agag of the Amalekites to me. Agag came to Sam+el. Agag was tied with chains and tho+ght, S+rely he wont kill me. 33 <+t Sam+el said to Agag, ;o+r sword took !a!ies from their mothers. So now, yo+r mother will have no children. And Sam+el c+t Agag to pieces !efore the 5.D at Gilgal. 3# Then Sam+el left and went to .amah. And Sa+l went +p to his home in Gi!eah. 3% After that, Sam+el never saw Sa+l again. Sam+el was very sad for Sa+l. And the 5.D was very sorry that he had made Sa+l king of 3srael. 1 Sam+el 1&.1*& && 16 1 The 5.D said to Sam+el, $ow long will yo+ feel sorry for Sa+l? 3 have re=ected him as king of 3srael. 2ill yo+r horn with oil and go to <ethlehem. 3 am sending yo+ to Cesse who lives in <ethlehem, !eca+se 3 have chosen one of his sons to !e the new king. 2 <+t Sam+el said, 3f 3 go, Sa+l will hear the news and try to kill me. The 5.D said, Go to <ethlehem. Take a yo+ng calf with yo+ and tell them, 3 have come to make a sacrifice to the 5.D. 3 3nvite Cesse to the sacrifice. Then 3 will show yo+ what to do. ;o+ m+st anoint pag. 32(0131#

the person 3 show yo+. # Sam+el did what the 5.D told him to do and went to <ethlehem. The elders of <ethlehem shook with fear. They met Sam+el and asked, Do yo+ come in peace? % Sam+el answered, ;es, 3 come in peace. 3 come to make a sacrifice to the 5.D. 6repare yo+rselves and come to the sacrifice with me. Sam+el prepared Cesse and his sons. Then he invited them to come and share the sacrifice. & >hen Cesse and his sons arrived, Sam+el saw -lia! and tho+ght, S+rely 1 Sam+el 1&.'*12 &' this is the man who the 5.D has chosen. ' <+t the 5.D said to Sam+el, -lia! is tall and handsome, !+t dont =+dge !y things like that. God doesnt look at what people see. 6eople =+dge !y what is on the o+tside, !+t the 5.D looks at the heart. -lia! is not the right man. ( Then Cesse called his second son, A!inada!. A!inada! walked !y Sam+el. <+t Sam+el said, 1o, this is not the man who the 5.D chose. ) Then Cesse told Shammah to walk !y Sam+el. <+t Sam+el said, 1o, the 5.D did not choose this man, either. 1, Cesse showed seven of his sons to Sam+el. <+t Sam+el said to Cesse, The 5.D has not chosen any of these men. 11 Then he asked Cesse, Are these all the sons yo+ have? Cesse answered, 1o, 3 have another sonmy yo+ngest, !+t he is o+t taking care of the sheep. Sam+el said, Send for him. <ring him here. >e wont sit down to eat +ntil he arrives. 12 Cesse sent someone to get his yo+ngest son. This son was a goodlooking, healthy yo+ng man. $e was very 1 Sam+el 1&.13*1( &( handsome. The 5.D said to Sam+el, Get +p and anoint him. $e is the one. 13 Sam+el took the horn with the oil in it, and po+red the special oil on Cesses yo+ngest son in front of his !rothers. The Spirit of the 5.D came on David with great power from that day on. Then -asy To .ead /ersion

Sam+el went !ack home to .amah. 1# The 5.D@S Spirit left Sa+l. Then the 5.D sent an evil spirit to Sa+l that ca+sed him m+ch tro+!le. 1% Sa+ls servants said to him, An evil spirit from God is !othering yo+. 1& Give +s the command and we will look for someone who can play the harp. 3f the evil spirit from God comes on yo+, this person will play m+sic for yo+. Then yo+ will feel !etter. 1' So Sa+l said to his servants, 2ind someone who plays m+sic well and !ring him to me. 1( 5ne of the servants said, There is a man named Cesse living in <ethlehem. 3 saw Cesses son. $e knows how to play the harp. $e is also a !rave man and fights well. $e is smart and handsome, and the 5.D is with him. 1 Sam+el 1&.1)*1'.2 &) 1) So Sa+l sent messengers to Cesse. They told Cesse, ;o+ have a son named David. $e takes care of yo+r sheep. Send him to me. 2, So Cesse got some things as a gift for Sa+l. Cesse got a donkey, some !read and a leather !ag f+ll of wine, and a yo+ng goat. $e gave them to David and sent him to Sa+l. 21 So David went to Sa+l and stood in front of him. Sa+l loved David very m+ch. David !ecame the helper who carried Sa+ls weapons. 22 Sa+l sent a message to Cesse. et David stay and serve me. 3 like him very m+ch. 23 Any time the evil spirit from God came on Sa+l, David wo+ld take his harp and play it. The evil spirit wo+ld leave Sa+l and he wo+ld !egin to feel !etter. 17 1 The 6hilistines gathered their armies together for war. They met at Socoh in C+dah. Their camp was !etween Socoh and AEekah, at a town called -phes Dammim. 2 Sa+l and the 3sraelite soldiers also gathered together. Their camp was in the 1 Sam+el 1'.3*( ', /alley of -lah. Sa+ls soldiers were lined pag. 32)0131#

+p and ready to fight the 6hilistines. 3 The 6hilistines were on one hill. The 3sraelites were on the other hill. The valley was !etween them. # The 6hilistines had a champion fighter named Goliath, who was from Gath. $e was over ) feet tall. Goliath came o+t of the 6hilistine camp. % $e had a !ronEe helmet on his head. $e wore a coat of armor that was made like the scales on a fish. This armor was made of !ronEe and weighed a!o+t 12% po+nds. & Goliath wore !ronEe protectors on his legs. $e had a !ronEe =avelin tied on his !ack. ' The wooden part of his spear was as !ig as a weavers rod. The spears !lade weighed 1% po+nds. Goliaths helper walked in front of him, carrying Goliaths shield. ( -ach day Goliath wo+ld come o+t and sho+t a challenge to the 3sraelite soldiers. $e wo+ld say, >hy are all of yo+r soldiers lined +p ready for !attle? ;o+ are Sa+ls servants. 3 am a 6hilistine. 1 Sam+el 1'.)*1% '1 So choose one man and send him to fight me. ) 3f that man kills me, he wins and we 6hilistines will !ecome yo+r slaves. <+t if 3 kill yo+r man, then 3 win, and yo+ will !ecome o+r slaves. ;o+ will have to serve +s. 1, The 6hilistine also said, Today 3 stand and make f+n of the army of 3srael. 3 dare yo+ to send me one of yo+r men and let +s fight. 11 Sa+l and the 3sraelite soldiers heard what Goliath said, and they were very afraid. 12 David was the son of Cesse. Cesse was from the -phrathah family in <ethlehem, C+dah. Cesse had eight sons. 3n Sa+ls time Cesse was an old man. 13 Cesses three oldest sons went with Sa+l to the war. The first son was -lia!, the second was A!inada!, and the third was Shammah. 1# David was the yo+ngest son. The -asy To .ead /ersion

three oldest sons were in Sa+ls army, 1% !+t David left Sa+l from time to time to take care of his fathers sheep at <ethlehem. 1 Sam+el 1'.1&*21 '2 1& The 6hilistine came o+t every morning and evening and stood !efore the 3sraelite army. Goliath ins+lted 3srael like this for #, days. 1' 5ne day Cesse said to his son David, Take this !asket of cooked grain and these ten loaves of !read to yo+r !rothers in the camp. 1( Also take these ten pieces of cheese for the officer who commands yo+r !rothers gro+p of 1,,, soldiers. See how yo+r !rothers are doing. <ring !ack something to show me yo+r !rothers are all right. 1) ;o+r !rothers are with Sa+l and all the 3sraelite soldiers in the /alley of -lah. They are there to fight against the 6hilistines. 2, -arly in the morning, David had another shepherd take care of the sheep while he took the food and left as Cesse had told him to. David drove their wagon to the camp. The soldiers were going o+t to their !attle positions =+st as David arrived. The soldiers !egan sho+ting their war cry. 21 The 3sraelites and 6hilistines were lined +p and ready for !attle. 1 Sam+el 1'.22*2& '3 22 David left the food with the man who kept s+pplies. Then he ran to the place where the 3sraelite soldiers were and asked a!o+t his !rothers. 23 >hile David was talking with his !rothers, the 6hilistine champion fighter came o+t from the 6hilistine army. This was Goliath, the 6hilistine from Gath. Goliath sho+ted things against 3srael as +s+al. David heard what he said. 2# The 3sraelite soldiers saw Goliath and ran away. They were all afraid of him. 2% 5ne of the 3sraelite men said, Did yo+ see that man? ook at him" $e comes o+t each day and makes f+n of 3srael. >hoever kills him will get rich. Ging Sa+l pag. 33,0131#

will give him a lot of money. Sa+l will also let his da+ghter marry the man who kills Goliath. $e will also make that mans family free from ta4es in 3srael. 2& David asked the men standing near him, >hat did he say? >hat is the reward for killing this 6hilistine and taking away this shame from 3srael? >ho is this Goliath anyway? $e is only some foreigner, nothing !+t a 6hilistine. >hy does he think he can speak against the army of the living God? 1 Sam+el 1'.2'*33 '# 2' So the 3sraelite told David a!o+t the reward for killing Goliath. 2( Davids oldest !rother -lia! heard David talking with the soldiers and !ecame angry. -lia! asked David, >hy did yo+ come here? >ho did yo+ leave those few sheep with in the desert? 3 know why yo+ came down here. ;o+ didnt want to do what yo+ were told to do. ;o+ =+st wanted to come down here to watch the !attle. 2) David said, >hat did 3 do now? 3 didnt do anything wrong" 3 was only talking. 3, $e t+rned to some other people and asked them the same J+estions. They gave him the same answers as !efore. 31 Some men heard David talking. They took David to Sa+l and told him what David had said. 32 David said to Sa+l, 6eople sho+ldnt let Goliath disco+rage them. 3 am yo+r servant. 3 will go fight this 6hilistine. 33 Sa+l answered, ;o+ cant go o+t and fight against this 6hilistine. ;o+re not even a soldier" Goliath has !een fighting in wars since he was a !oy. 1 Sam+el 1'.3#*3) '% 3# <+t David said to Sa+l, There were times when 3 was taking care of my fathers sheep that wild animals came to take some sheep from the flock. 5nce there was a lion and another time, a !ear. 3% 3 chased that wild animal, attacked it, and took the sheep from its mo+th. The wild animal =+mped on me, !+t 3 ca+ght -asy To .ead /ersion

it !y the f+r +nder its mo+th. And 3 hit it and killed it. 3& 3 killed !oth a lion and a !ear like that" And 3 will kill that foreigner, Goliath, =+st like them. Goliath will die !eca+se he made f+n of the army of the living God. 3' The 5.D saved me from the lion and the !ear. $e will also save me from this 6hilistine. Sa+l said to David, Go and may the 5.D !e with yo+. 3( Sa+l p+t his own clothes on David. $e p+t a !ronEe helmet on Davids head and armor on his !ody. 3) David p+t on the sword and tried to walk aro+nd. $e tried to wear Sa+ls +niform, !+t David was not +sed to all those heavy things. David said to Sa+l, 3 1 Sam+el 1'.#,*#% '& cant fight in these things. 3m not +sed to them. So David took them all off. #, $e took his walking stick in his hand and went to find five smooth stones from the stream. $e p+t the five stones in his shepherds !ag and held his sling in his hand. Then he went o+t to meet the 6hilistine. #1 The 6hilistine slowly walked closer and closer to David. Goliaths helper walked in front of him, carrying a large shield. #2 Goliath looked at David with disg+st. $e saw that David was only a handsome, healthy !oy. #3 Goliath said to David, >hat is that stick for? Did yo+ come to chase me away like a dog? Then Goliath +sed the names of his gods to say c+rses against David. ## $e said to David, 9ome here, and 3ll feed yo+r !ody to the !irds and wild animals. #% David said to the 6hilistine, ;o+ come to me +sing sword, spear, and =avelin. <+t 3 come to yo+ in the name of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of the armies 1 Sam+el 1'.#&*%, '' of 3srael. ;o+ have said !ad things a!o+t him. #& Today the 5.D will let me defeat pag. 3310131#

yo+. 3 will kill yo+. 3 will c+t off yo+r head and feed yo+r !ody to the !irds and wild animals. And we will do the same thing to all the other 6hilistines too. Then all the world will know there is a God in 3srael. #' All the people gathered here will know that the 5.D doesnt need swords or spears to save people. The !attle !elongs to the 5.D, and he will help +s defeat all of yo+. #( Goliath the 6hilistine started to attack David. $e slowly walked closer and closer toward David, !+t David ran o+t to meet Goliath. #) David took o+t a stone from his !ag. $e p+t it in his sling and sw+ng the sling. The stone flew from the sling and hit Goliath right !etween the eyes. The stone sank deep into his head, and Goliath fell to the gro+ndface down. %, So David defeated the 6hilistine with only a sling and one stone" $e hit the 6hilistine and killed him. David didnt have a sword, 1 Sam+el 1'.%1*%% '( %1 so he ran and stood !eside the 6hilistine. Then David took Goliaths own sword o+t of its sheath and +sed it to c+t off his head. That is how David killed the 6hilistine. >hen the other 6hilistines saw their hero was dead, they t+rned and ran. %2 The soldiers of 3srael and C+dah sho+ted and started chasing the 6hilistines. The 3sraelites chased them all the way to the city limits of Gath and to the gates of -kron. They killed many of the 6hilistines. Their !odies were scattered along the Shaaraim road all the way to Gath and -kron. %3 After chasing the 6hilistines, the 3sraelites came !ack to the 6hilistine camp and took many things from that camp. %# David took the 6hilistines head to Cer+salem, !+t he kept the 6hilistines weapons at home. %% Sa+l watched David go o+t to fight Goliath. Sa+l spoke to A!ner, -asy To .ead /ersion

the commander of the army. A!ner, who is that yo+ng mans father? A!ner answered, 3 swear 3 dont know, sir. 1 Sam+el 1'.%&*1(.% ') %& Ging Sa+l said, 2ind o+t who his father is. %' >hen David came !ack after killing Goliath, A!ner !ro+ght him to Sa+l. David was still holding the 6hilistines head. %( Sa+l asked him, ;o+ng man, who is yo+r father? David answered, 3 am the son of yo+r servant Cesse, from <ethlehem. 18 1 Sa+l decided to take David with him. $e wo+ld not let David go !ack home to his father. After David finished talking with Sa+l, Conathan developed a strong friendship with David. 2 71(:18 3 Conathan loved David as m+ch as himself, so they made a special agreement. # Conathan took off the coat he was wearing and gave it to David. 3n fact, Conathan gave David his whole +niformincl+ding his sword, his !ow, and even his !elt. % David went to fight wherever Sa+l sent him. $e was very s+ccessf+l, so Sa+l 1 Sam+el 1(.&*11 (, p+t him in charge of the soldiers. This pleased everyone, even Sa+ls officers. & David wo+ld go o+t to fight against the 6hilistines. 5n the way home after the !attles, women in every town in 3srael wo+ld come o+t to meet him. They sang and danced for =oy as they played their tam!o+rines and lyres. They did this right in front of Sa+l" ' The women sang, Sa+l has killed his tho+sands, !+t David has killed tens of tho+sands. ( This song +pset Sa+l and he !ecame very angry. Sa+l tho+ght, The women give David credit for killing tens of tho+sands of the enemy, and they give me credit for only tho+sands. A little more of this and they will give him the pag. 3320131#

kingdom itself" ) So from that time on, Sa+l watched David very closely. 1, The ne4t day, an evil spirit from God took control of Sa+l and he went wild in his ho+se. David played the harp to calm him as he +s+ally did, 11 !+t Sa+l had a spear in his hand. $e tho+ght, 3ll pin David to the wall. Sa+l 1 Sam+el 1(.12*1( (1 threw the spear twice, !+t David =+mped o+t of the way !oth times. 12 The 5.D had left Sa+l and was now with David, so Sa+l was afraid of David. 13 Sa+l sent David away and made him a commander over 1,,, soldiers. This p+t David o+t among the men even more as they went into !attle and ret+rned. 1# The 5.D was with David, so he was s+ccessf+l in everything. 1% Sa+l saw how s+ccessf+l David was and !ecame even more afraid of him. 1& <+t all the people in 3srael and C+dah loved David !eca+se he was o+t among them and led them into !attle. 1' 5ne day, Sa+l said to David, $ere is my oldest da+ghter, Aera!. 3 will let yo+ marry her. Then yo+ will !e like a son to me and yo+ will !e a real soldier. Then yo+ will go and fight the 5.D@S !attles. Sa+l was really thinking, 1ow 3 wont have to kill David. 3 will let the 6hilistines kill him for me. 1( <+t David said, 3 am not an important man from an important family. 3 cant marry the kings da+ghter. 1 Sam+el 1(.1)*2% (2 1) So when the time came for David to marry Sa+ls da+ghter, Sa+l let her marry Adriel from Aeholah. 2, 6eople told Sa+l that his da+ghter Aichal loved David. This made Sa+l happy. 21 $e tho+ght, 3 will +se Aichal to trap David. 3 will let Aichal marry David, and then 3 will let the 6hilistines kill him. So Sa+l said to David a second time, ;o+ can marry my da+ghter today. 22 Sa+l commanded his officers to speak to David in private. $e told them to say, -asy To .ead /ersion

ook, the king likes yo+. $is officers like yo+. ;o+ sho+ld marry his da+ghter. 23 Sa+ls officers said these things to David, !+t David answered, Do yo+ think it is easy to !ecome the kings sonDinDlaw? 3 am =+st a poor, ordinary man. 2# Sa+ls officers told Sa+l what David said. 2% Sa+l told them, Say this to David, David, the king doesnt want yo+ to pay money for his da+ghter. $e wants to get even with his enemy, so the price for marrying his da+ghter is 1,, 6hilistine 1 Sam+el 1(.2&*1).2 (3 foreskins. That was Sa+ls secret plan. $e tho+ght the 6hilistines wo+ld kill David. 2& Sa+ls officers told this to David. David was happy that he had a chance to !ecome the kings sonDinDlaw, so immediately 2' he and his men went o+t to fight the 6hilistines. They killed 2,, 6hilistines. David took these 6hilistine foreskins and gave them to Sa+l. $e did this !eca+se he wanted to !ecome the kings sonDinDlaw. Sa+l let David marry his da+ghter Aichal. 2( $e saw that the 5.D was with David and he also saw that his da+ghter, Aichal, loved David. 2) So Sa+l !ecame even more afraid of David and was against him all that time. 3, The 6hilistine commanders contin+ed to go o+t to fight the 3sraelites, !+t David defeated them every time. $e !ecame famo+s as Sa+ls !est officer. 19 1 Sa+l told his son Conathan and his officers to kill David. <+t Conathan liked David very m+ch, 2 so he warned him. <e caref+l" Sa+l is looking for a chance to kill yo+. 3n the morning go into the field and hide. 3 1 Sam+el 1).3*( (# will go o+t into the field with my father. >e will stand in the field where yo+ are hiding. 3 will talk to my father a!o+t yo+, and 3 will tell yo+ what 3 learn. 3 71):28 # Conathan talked to his father Sa+l. pag. 3330131#

Conathan said good things a!o+t David. $e said, ;o+ are the king. David is yo+r servant. David hasnt done anything wrong to yo+, so dont do anything wrong to him. $e has always !een good to yo+. % $e risked his life when he killed the 6hilistine. The 5.D won a great victory for all 3srael. ;o+ saw it, and yo+ were happy. >hy do yo+ want to h+rt David? $es innocent. There is no reason to kill him. & Sa+l listened to Conathan and made a promise. $e said, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, David wont !e p+t to death. ' So Conathan called David and told him everything that was said. Then Conathan !ro+ght David to Sa+l, and David was with Sa+l as !efore. ( 5nce again there was war with the 6hilistines, and David went o+t to fight. $e defeated them !adly, and they ran away. 1 Sam+el 1).)*1% (% ) ater, in Sa+ls ho+se, David was playing the harp. Sa+l was there with his spear in his hand. Then an evil spirit from the 5.D came on Sa+l. 1, Sa+l threw his spear at David and tried to pin him to the wall. David =+mped o+t of the way, so the spear missed him and st+ck in the wall. That night, David ran away. 11 Sa+l sent men to watch Davids ho+se. They stayed there all night. They were waiting to kill David in the morning, !+t Davids wife Aichal warned him. She said, ;o+ m+st r+n away tonight and save yo+r life. 3f yo+ dont, yo+ will !e killed tomorrow. 12 Then Aichal let David down o+t of a window, and he escaped and ran away. 13 Aichal took the ho+sehold god, p+t clothes on it, and p+t goats hair on its head. Then she p+t the stat+e in the !ed. 1# Sa+l sent messengers to take David prisoner. <+t Aichal said, David is sick. 1% The men went and told Sa+l, !+t he sent the messengers !ack to see David. Sa+l told these men, <ring David to me. -asy To .ead /ersion

1 Sam+el 1).1&*21 (& <ring him lying on his !ed if yo+ m+st, even if it kills him. 1& The messengers went to Davids ho+se. They went inside to get him, !+t they saw it was only a stat+e and that its hair was only goats hair. 1' Sa+l said to Aichal, >hy did yo+ trick me like this? ;o+ let my enemy escape, and now he is gone. Aichal answered Sa+l, David told me he wo+ld kill me if 3 didnt help him escape. 1( David escaped and ran away to Sam+el at .amah. $e told Sam+el everything that Sa+l had done to him. Then David and Sam+el went to the camps where the prophets stayed. David stayed there. 1) Sa+l heard that David was there in the camps near .amah. 2, So he sent some men to arrest David. <+t when they came to the camps, there was a gro+p of prophets prophesying. Sam+el was standing there leading the gro+p. The Spirit of God came on Sa+ls messengers and they !egan prophesying. 21 Sa+l heard a!o+t this, so he sent other messengers, !+t they also !egan 1 Sam+el 1).22*2,.2 (' prophesying. So Sa+l sent messengers a third time, and they also !egan prophesying. 22 2inally, Sa+l himself went to .amah. Sa+l came to the !ig well !y the threshing floor at Sec+. $e asked, >here are Sam+el and David? The people answered, 3n the camps near .amah. 23 So Sa+l went o+t to the camps near .amah. The Spirit of God came on Sa+l, and he also !egan prophesying. $e prophesied all the way to the camps at .amah. 2# Sa+l even took off his clothes. $e lay there naked all day and thro+gh the night. So even Sa+l prophesied there in front of Sam+el. That is why people say, 3s Sa+l also one of the prophets? 20 1 David ran away from the camps at .amah and went to Conathan pag. 33#0131#

and asked him, >hat have 3 done wrong? >hat is my crime? >hy is yo+r father trying to kill me? 2 Conathan answered, That cant !e tr+e" Ay father isnt trying to kill yo+. Ay father doesnt do anything witho+t first telling me. 3t doesnt matter how important it is, my father always tells me. >hy wo+ld 1 Sam+el 2,.3*( (( my father ref+se to tell me that he wants to kill yo+? 1o, it is not tr+e" 3 <+t David answered, ;o+r father knows very well that 3 am yo+r friend. ;o+r father said to himself, Conathan m+st not know a!o+t it. 3f he knows, he will tell David. <+t as s+rely as yo+ and the 5.D are alive, 3 am very close to death. # Conathan said to David, 3 will do anything yo+ want me to do. % Then David said, ook, tomorrow is the 1ew Aoon cele!ration. 3 am s+pposed to eat with the king, !+t let me hide in the field +ntil the evening. & 3f yo+r father notices 3 am gone, tell him, David wanted to go home to <ethlehem. $is family is having its own feast for this monthly sacrifice. David asked me to let him r+n down to <ethlehem and =oin his family. ' 3f yo+r father says, 2ine, then 3 am safe. <+t if yo+r father !ecomes angry, yo+ will know that he wants to h+rt me. ( Conathan, !e kind to me. 3 am yo+r servant. ;o+ have made an agreement with me !efore the 5.D. 3f 3 am g+ilty, 1 Sam+el 2,.)*1# () yo+ may kill me yo+rself, !+t dont take me to yo+r father. ) Conathan answered, 1o, never" 3f 3 learn that my father plans to h+rt yo+, 3 will warn yo+. 1, David said, >ho will warn me if yo+r father says !ad things to yo+? 11 Then Conathan said, 9ome, lets go o+t into the field. So Conathan and David went together into the field. 12 Conathan said to David, 3 make this promise !efore the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 3 promise that 3 will learn how my -asy To .ead /ersion

father feels a!o+t yo+. 3 will learn if he feels good a!o+t yo+ or not. Then, in three days, 3 will send a message to yo+ in the field. 13 3f my father wants to h+rt yo+, 3 will let yo+ know. 3 will let yo+ leave in safety. Aay the 5.D p+nish me if 3 dont do this. Aay the 5.D !e with yo+ as he has !een with my father. 1# As long as 3 live, show me the same kindness the 5.D does. And if 3 die, never stop showing this kindness to my family. <e faithf+l to +s, even when the 5.D destroys all yo+r enemies from the earth. 1 Sam+el 2,.1%*22 ), 1% 72,:1#8 1& So Conathan made this agreement with David and his family, and he asked the 5.D to hold them responsi!le for keeping it. 1' Conathan loved David as himself, and !eca+se of this love, he asked David to repeat this agreement for himself. 1( Conathan said to David, Tomorrow is the 1ew Aoon cele!ration. ;o+r seat will !e empty, so my father will see that yo+ are gone. 1) 5n the third day, go to the same place yo+ hid when this tro+!le !egan. >ait !y that hill. 2, 5n the third day, 3 will go to that hill and shoot three arrows as if 3 am shooting at a target. 21 Then 3 will tell the !oy to go find the arrows. 3f everything is fine, 3 will tell the !oy, ;o+ went too far" The arrows are closer to me. 9ome !ack and get them. 3f 3 say that, yo+ can come o+t of hiding. 3 promise, as s+rely as the 5.D lives, yo+ are safe. There is no danger. 22 <+t if there is tro+!le, 3 will say to the !oy, The arrows are farther away. Go 1 Sam+el 2,.23*2) )1 get them. 3f 3 say that, yo+ m+st leave. The 5.D is sending yo+ away. 23 .emem!er this agreement !etween yo+ and me. The 5.D is o+r witness forever. 2# Then David hid in the field.The time pag. 33%0131#

for the 1ew Aoon cele!ration came, and the king sat down to eat. 2% $e sat ne4t to the wall where he +s+ally sat, and Conathan sat across from him. A!ner sat ne4t to Sa+l, !+t Davids place was empty. 2& That day Sa+l said nothing. $e tho+ght, Aay!e something happened to David so that he is not clean. 2' 5n the ne4t day, the second day of the month, Davids place was empty again. Then Sa+l said to his son Conathan, >hy didnt Cesses son come to the 1ew Aoon cele!ration yesterday or today? 2( Conathan answered, David asked me to let him go to <ethlehem. 2) $e said, et me go. 5+r family is having a sacrifice in <ethlehem. Ay !rother ordered me to !e there. 1ow if 3 am yo+r friend, please let me go and 1 Sam+el 2,.3,*3% )2 see my !rothers. That is why David has not come to the kings ta!le. 3, Sa+l was very angry with Conathan and said to him, ;o+ son of a twisted, re!ellio+s woman" 3 know that yo+ have chosen to s+pport that son of Cesseit will !ring shame to yo+ and to yo+r mother. 31 As long as Cesses son lives, yo+ will never !e king and have a kingdom. 1ow, !ring David to me" $e is a dead man. 32 Conathan asked his father, >hy sho+ld David !e killed? >hat did he do wrong? 33 <+t Sa+l threw his spear at Conathan and tried to kill him. So Conathan knew that his father wanted very m+ch to kill David. 3# Conathan !ecame angry and left the ta!le. $e was so +pset and angry with his father that he ref+sed to eat any food on the second day of the festival. $e was angry !eca+se Sa+l h+miliated him and !eca+se Sa+l wanted to kill David. 3% The ne4t morning Conathan went o+t to the field to meet David as they had agreed. Conathan !ro+ght a little !oy with him. 1 Sam+el 2,.3&*#2 )3 -asy To .ead /ersion

3& $e said to the !oy, .+n. Go find the arrows 3 shoot. The !oy !egan to r+n, and Conathan shot the arrows over his head. 3' The !oy ran to the place where the arrows fell, !+t Conathan called, The arrows are farther away. 3( Then he sho+ted, $+rry" Go get them. Dont =+st stand there. The !oy picked +p the arrows and !ro+ght them !ack to his master. 3) The !oy knew nothing a!o+t what went on. 5nly Conathan and David knew. #, Conathan gave his !ow and arrows to the !oy and told him to go !ack to town. #1 >hen the !oy left, David came o+t from his hiding place on the other side of the hill. David gave a formal greeting !y !owing to the gro+nd three times to show his respect for Conathan. <+t then David and Conathan kissed each other and cried together. 3t was a very sad good!ye, especially for David. #2 Then Conathan said to David, Go in peace. >e have taken an oath in the 5.D@S name to !e friends forever. >e have asked the 5.D to !e a witness !etween +s and o+r descendants forever. 1 Sam+el 21.1*& )# 21 1 Then David left and Conathan went !ack to the town. David went to the town named 1o! to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech went o+t to meet David. $e was afraid of David and asked, >hy are yo+ alone? >hy isnt anyone with yo+? 2 David answered him, The king gave me a special order. $e told me, Dont let anyone know a!o+t this mission. 1o one m+st know what 3 told yo+ to do. 3 told my men where to meet me. 3 1ow, what food do yo+ have with yo+? Give me five loaves of !read or whatever yo+ have to eat. # The priest said to David, 3 dont have any ordinary !read here, !+t 3 do have some of the holy !read. ;o+r officers can eat it if they have not had se4+al relations with any women. % David answered the priest, >e have pag. 33&0131#

not !een with any women. Ay men keep their !odies holy every time we go o+t to fight, even on ordinary missions. And this is especially tr+e today. & There was no !read e4cept the holy !read, so the priest gave David this !read. This was the !read that the 1 Sam+el 21.'*11 )% priests p+t on the holy ta!le !efore the 5.D. -ach day they took this !read away and p+t fresh !read in its place. ' 5ne of Sa+ls officers was there that day. $e was Doeg the -domite, the leader of Sa+ls shepherds. $e had !een kept there !efore the 5.D. ( David asked Ahimelech, Do yo+ have a spear or sword here? The kings !+siness is very important. 3 had to leave J+ickly, and 3 didnt !ring my sword or any other weapon. ) The priest answered, The only sword here is the sword of Goliath the 6hilistine. 3t is the sword yo+ took from him when yo+ killed him in the /alley of -lah. That sword is !ehind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. ;o+ may take it if yo+ want to. David said, Goliaths swordtheres not another one like it. Give it to me. 1, That day David ran away from Sa+l and went to Ging Achish of Gath. 11 Achishs officers said, 3snt this David, the king of the land of 3srael? $e is the one the 3sraelites sing a!o+t. They dance and sing this song a!o+t him: Sa+l has killed tho+sands of enemies, !+t David has killed tens of tho+sands. 1 Sam+el 21.12*22.3 )& 12 David paid close attention to what they said. $e was afraid of Ging Achish of Gath, 13 so he pretended to !e craEy in front of Achish and his officers. $e scratched marks on the doors of the city gate, and he let spit r+n down his !eard. 1# Achish said to his officers, ook at the man" $e is craEy. >hy did yo+ !ring him to me? 1% 3 have eno+gh craEy men. 3 dont need yo+ to !ring this man to my ho+se to act craEy in front of me. Dont let this -asy To .ead /ersion

man come into my ho+se again. 22 1 David left Gath and ran away to the cave of Ad+llam. Davids !rothers and relatives heard that David was at Ad+llam and went to see him there. 2 Aany people =oined David. There were men who were in some kind of tro+!le, men who owed a lot of money, and men who were =+st not satisfied with life. All kinds of people =oined David, and he !ecame their leader. $e had a!o+t #,, men with him. 3 David left Ad+llam and went to AiEpah in Aoa!. David said to the king of Aoa!, 1 Sam+el 22.#*( )' 6lease let my father and mother come and stay with yo+ +ntil 3 learn what God is going to do to me. # So David left his parents with the king of Aoa!. They stayed with the king of Aoa! as long as David was at the fort. % <+t the prophet Gad said to David, Dont stay in the fort. Go to the land of C+dah. So David left and went to $ereth 2orest. & Sa+l heard the report a!o+t David and his men while sitting +nder the tree on the hill at Gi!eah. Sa+l had his spear in his hand. All of his officers were standing aro+nd him. ' Sa+l said to his officers who were standing aro+nd him, isten, men of <en=amin. Do yo+ think the son of Cesse 7David8 will give yo+ fields and vineyards? Do yo+ think he will promote yo+ and make yo+ officers over 1,,, men and officers over 1,, men? ( 1o, !+t all of yo+ are plotting against me. 1one of yo+ told me a!o+t my son Conathan and the agreement he made with the son of Cesse. 1one of yo+ cares eno+gh a!o+t me to tell me that my own son Conathan enco+raged David to t+rn 1 Sam+el 22.)*1# )( against me and attack me. And that is what David is doing now. ) Doeg the -domite was standing there with Sa+ls officers. Doeg said, 3 saw Cesses son at 1o!. David came to see pag. 33'0131#

Ahimelech son of Ahit+!. 1, Ahimelech prayed to the 5.D for David and gave him some food. $e even gave David the sword of Goliath the 6hilistine. 11 Then Ging Sa+l ordered some men to !ring the priest to him. Sa+l told them to !ring Ahimelech son of Ahit+! and all his relatives who were priests at 1o!. So all of them came to the king. 12 Sa+l said to Ahimelech, isten now, son of Ahit+!. Ahimelech answered, ;es, sir. 13 Sa+l said to him, >hy did yo+ and Cesses son make secret plans against me? ;o+ gave David !read and a sword. ;o+ prayed to God for him. And right now, David is waiting to attack me. 1# Ahimelech answered, David is very faithf+l to yo+. 1ot one of yo+r other officers is as faithf+l as David. $e is yo+r own sonDinDlaw and the captain of yo+r 1 Sam+el 22.1%*2, )) !odyg+ards. ;o+r own family respects David. 1% That was not the first time 3 prayed to God for David. 1ot at all" Dont !lame me or any of my relatives. >e are yo+r servants. 3 know nothing a!o+t what is happening. 1& <+t the king said, Ahimelech, yo+ and all yo+r relatives m+st die. 1' Then the king told the g+ards at his side, Go and kill the priests of the 5.D !eca+se they are on Davids side too. They knew he was r+nning away, !+t they didnt tell me. The kings officers ref+sed to h+rt the priests of the 5.D. 1( So the king gave the order to Doeg. Sa+l said, Doeg, yo+ go kill the priests. So Doeg the -domite went and killed the priests. That day he killed (% men who were priests. 1) 1o! was the city of the priests. Doeg killed all the people of 1o!. $e +sed his sword and killed men, women, children, and !a!ies. $e even killed their cattle, donkeys, and sheep. 2, <+t A!iathar son of Ahimelech escaped. $e ran away and =oined David. -asy To .ead /ersion

1 Sam+el 22.21*23.# 1,, 21 A!iathar told David that Sa+l had killed the 5.D@S priests. 22 Then David told A!iathar, 3 saw Doeg the -domite at 1o! that day. 3 knew he wo+ld tell Sa+l" 3 am responsi!le for the death of yo+r fathers family. 23 Stay with me. Dont !e afraid, !eca+se the man 7Sa+l8 who tried to kill yo+ is the same man who wants to kill me. 3 will protect yo+ if yo+ stay with me. 23 1 6eople told David, ook, the 6hilistines are fighting against the city of Geilah. They are ro!!ing grain from the threshing floors. 2 David asked the 5.D, Sho+ld 3 go and fight these 6hilistines? The 5.D answered David, ;es, go attack the 6hilistines. Save Geilah. 3 <+t Davids men said to him, ook, o+r men are afraid here in C+dah. C+st think how afraid we will !e if we go to Geilah, where the 6hilistine army is lined +p and ready for !attle. # David again asked the 5.D. And the 5.D answered David, Go down to Geilah. 3 will help yo+ defeat the 6hilistines. 1 Sam+el 23.%*11 1,1 % So David and his men went to Geilah. Davids men fo+ght the 6hilistines. They defeated them and took their cattle. 3n this way David saved the people of Geilah. & A!iathar son of Ahimelech was the man who had r+n away from Sa+l and was now in Geilah with David. A!iathar had !ro+ght an ephod with him. ' 6eople told Sa+l that David was now at Geilah. Sa+l said, God has given David to me. David trapped himself when he went into a city s+rro+nded !y a wall with gates and !ars to lock them. ( Sa+l called all his army together for !attle. They prepared to go down to Geilah to attack David and his men. ) David learned that Sa+l was making plans against him. David then said to A!iathar the priest, <ring the ephod. pag. 33(0131#

1, David prayed, 5.D, God of 3srael, 3 have heard that Sa+l plans to come to Geilah and destroy the town !eca+se of me. 11 >ill Sa+l come to Geilah? >ill the people of Geilah give me to Sa+l? 5.D, God of 3srael, 3 am yo+r servant. 6lease 1 Sam+el 23.12*1' 1,2 tell me" The 5.D answered, Sa+l will come. 12 Again David asked, >ill the people of Geilah give me and my men to Sa+l? The 5.D answered, They will. 13 So David and his men left Geilah. There were a!o+t &,, men who went with David. They kept moving from place to place. Sa+l learned that David had escaped from Geilah, so he did not go to that city. 1# David went into the desert of Biph and stayed in the mo+ntains and fortresses there. Sa+l looked for David the whole time, !+t the ord didnt let Sa+l catch him. 1% David was at $oresh in the desert of Biph. $e was afraid !eca+se Sa+l was coming to kill him. 1& <+t Sa+ls son Conathan went to see David at $oresh and enco+raged him to have a stronger faith in God. 1' Conathan told David, Dont !e afraid. Ay father Sa+l wont h+rt yo+. ;o+ will !ecome the king of 3srael, and 3 will !e second to yo+. -ven my father knows this. 1 Sam+el 23.1(*2% 1,3 1( Conathan and David !oth made an agreement !efore the 5.D. Then Conathan went home, and David stayed at $oresh. 1) Some people from Biph went to Sa+l at Gi!eah and told him, David is hiding in o+r area. $e is at the fortresses of $oresh on $akilah $ill, so+th of Ceshimon. 2, 1ow, Ging, come down any time yo+ want. 3t is o+r d+ty to give David to yo+. 21 Sa+l answered, Aay the 5.D !less yo+ for helping me. 22 Go and learn more a!o+t David. Geep -asy To .ead /ersion

track of where he goes and who goes to see him. 3 am told that David is smart and that he is trying to trick me. 23 2ind all the hiding places that David +ses. Then come !ack to me and tell me everything. Then 3ll go with yo+. 3f David is in the area, 3 will find him, even if 3 m+st go to every family gro+p in C+dah. 2# So those people went !ack to Biph !efore Sa+l. David and his men were in the desert of Aaon, so+th of Ceshimon. 2% Sa+l and his men went to look for David, !+t the people warned him. They told David that Sa+l was looking for him. 1 Sam+el 23.2&*2#.3 1,# So David then went down to The .ock in the desert of Aaon. Sa+l heard that David had gone there, so Sa+l went to that place to find him. 2& Sa+l was on one side of the mo+ntain. David and his men were on the other side of the same mo+ntain. David was moving as J+ickly as possi!le to get away from Sa+l. <+t Sa+l and his soldiers were going aro+nd the mo+ntain to c+t them off and trap David and his men. 2' Then a messenger arrived and told Sa+l, 9ome J+ickly" The 6hilistines are attacking. 2( So Sa+l stopped chasing David and went to fight the 6hilistines. That is why people call this place Slippery .ock. 2) David left the desert of Aaon and went to the fortresses near -n Gedi. 24 1 After Sa+l had chased the 6hilistines away, people told him, David is in the desert area near -n Gedi. 2 So Sa+l chose 3,,, men from all over 3srael and !egan searching for David and his men. They looked near >ild Goat .ocks. 3 Sa+l came to some sheep pens !eside the road. There was a cave near there, 1 Sam+el 2#.#*) 1,% so Sa+l went in to relieve himself. David and his men were deep inside that same cave. # Davids men told him, This is day the 5.D told yo+ a!o+t when he said, 3 will give yo+r enemy to yo+, and yo+ can pag. 33)0131#

do whatever yo+ want to him. So David crawled closer and closer to Sa+l and c+t off a corner of Sa+ls ro!e. Sa+l didnt notice what happened. % ater, David felt !ad a!o+t what he did. & $e said to his men, 3 pray the 5.D never lets me do anything like that to my master again. 3 m+st not do anything against Sa+l, !eca+se he is the 5.D@S chosen king. ' David said these things to stop his men. $e wo+ld not let his men h+rt Sa+l. Sa+l left the cave and went on his way. ( ater, David came o+t of the cave and called o+t to Sa+l, Ay lord the king" Sa+l looked !ack. David !owed with his face to the gro+nd to show his respect. ) David said to Sa+l, >hy do yo+ listen when people say, David plans to h+rt yo+? 1 Sam+el 2#.1,*1% 1,& 1, ;o+ can see that with yo+r own eyes that is not tr+e. The 5.D p+t yo+ within my grasp today in the cave, !+t 3 ref+sed to kill yo+. 3 was mercif+l to yo+. 3 said, 3 wont h+rt my master. Sa+l is the 5.D@S chosen king. 11 ook at this piece of cloth in my hand. 3 c+t off the corner of yo+r ro!e. 3 co+ld have killed yo+, !+t 3 didnt. 1ow, 3 want yo+ to +nderstand this. 3 want yo+ to know that 3 am not planning anything against yo+. 3 did nothing wrong to yo+, !+t yo+ are h+nting me and trying to kill me. 12 et the 5.D !e the =+dge. 3 hope the 5.D will p+nish yo+ for the wrong yo+ did to me, !+t 3 wont fight yo+ myself. 13 There is an old saying: <ad things come from !ad people. 3 havent done anything !ad, and 3 wont h+rt yo+. 1# >hy are yo+ chasing me anyway? Sho+ld the king of 3srael !e o+t chasing someone no more important than a dying dog or a little flea? 1% et the 5.D !e the =+dge. et him decide !etween yo+ and me. $e will s+pport me and show that 3 am right. $e will save me from yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

1 Sam+el 2#.1&*22 1,' 1& >hen David finished speaking, Sa+l asked, 3s that yo+r voice, David my son? Then Sa+l lifted his voice and !egan to cry. 1' $e said, ;o+ are right, and 3 am wrong. ;o+ were good to me, even tho+gh 3 have !een !ad to yo+. 1( ;o+ yo+rself said it when yo+ told me a!o+t the good things yo+ did. The 5.D p+t my life in yo+r hands, !+t yo+ did not kill me. 1) This shows that yo+ are not my enemy. A man doesnt catch his enemy and then =+st let him go. $e doesnt do good things for his enemy. Aay the 5.D reward yo+ for !eing good to me today. 2, 1ow 3 know that yo+ will !ecome the new king. ;o+ will r+le the kingdom of 3srael. 21 1ow make a promise to me with an oath +sing the 5.D@S name. 6romise that yo+ will not kill my descendants, even after 3 die. 6romise me that yo+ will not erase my name from my fathers family. 22 So David made this promise to Sa+l with an oath. Then Sa+l went home. <+t 1 Sam+el 2%.1*' 1,( David and his men went !ack +p to the fort. 25 1 Sam+el died. All the 3sraelites met together and mo+rned his death. They !+ried him at his home in .amah. Then David moved to the desert of Aaon. 2 There was a very rich man living in Aaon. $e had 3,,, sheep and 1,,, goats. That man was in 9armel taking care of some !+siness. $e went there to c+t the wool from his sheep. 3 This mans name was 1a!al. $e was from 9ale!s family. 1a!als wife was named A!igail. She was a wise and !ea+tif+l woman, !+t 1a!al was a mean and cr+el man. # David was in the desert when he heard that 1a!al was c+tting the wool from his sheep. % David sent ten yo+ng men to talk to pag. 3#,0131#

1a!al. $e told them, Go to 9armel. 2ind 1a!al and tell him $ello for me. & David gave them this message for 1a!al: Aay yo+ and yo+r family !e well and all that yo+ own !e well. ' 3 heard that yo+ are c+tting wool from yo+r sheep. ;o+r shepherds were with +s 1 Sam+el 2%.(*1# 1,) for a while, and we did nothing wrong to them. >e never took anything from yo+r shepherds while they were at 9armel. ( Ask yo+r servants and they will tell yo+ this is tr+e. 6lease !e kind to my yo+ng men. >e come to yo+ now, at this happy time. 6lease give these yo+ng men anything yo+ can. 6lease do this for me, yo+r friend David. ) Davids men went to 1a!al. They gave his message to 1a!al, 1, !+t 1a!al said, >ho is David? >ho is this son of Cesse? There are many slaves who have r+n away from their masters these days. 11 3 have !read and water, and 3 have the meat 3 killed for my servants who c+t the wool from my sheep. <+t 3 wont give them to men 3 dont even know. 12 Davids men went !ack and told him everything that 1a!al had said. 13 David told them, 6+t on yo+r swords. So David and his men p+t on their swords. A!o+t #,, men went with David while 2,, of them stayed with the s+pplies. 1# 5ne of 1a!als servants spoke to 1a!als wife A!igail. The servant said, 1 Sam+el 2%.1%*2, 11, David sent messengers from the desert to meet o+r master, !+t 1a!al was r+de to them. 1% These men were very good to +s while we were o+t in the fields with the sheep. Davids men were with +s the whole time, and they never did anything wrong to +s. They did not take anything from +s. 1& $is men protected +s night and day. They were like a wall aro+nd +sthey protected +s while we were with them caring for the sheep. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' 1a!al was foolish to say what he did. Terri!le tro+!le is coming to o+r master and all his family. ;o+ need to think of something to do. 1( A!igail J+ickly gathered +p 2,, loaves of !read, two f+ll wine !ags, five cooked sheep, a!o+t a !+shel of cooked grain, a!o+t 2 J+arts of raisins, and 2,, cakes of pressed figs. She p+t them on donkeys. 1) Then A!igail told her servants, Go on. 3ll follow yo+. <+t she did not tell her h+s!and. 2, A!igail rode her donkey down to the other side of the mo+ntain. She met 1 Sam+el 2%.21*2' 111 David and his men coming from the other direction. 21 David was saying, 3 protected 1a!als property in the desert. 3 made s+re not one of his sheep was missing. 3 did all that for nothing. 3 was good to him, !+t he was r+de to me. 22 3 swear, 3 wont let even one man in 1a!als family live +ntil tomorrow morning. 23 C+st then A!igail arrived. >hen she saw David, she J+ickly got off her donkey and !owed down with her face to the gro+nd in front of him. 2# A!igail fell at his feet and said, Sir, please let me talk to yo+. isten to what 3 say. <lame me for what happened. 2% 3 didnt see the men yo+ sent. Sir, dont pay any attention to that worthless man, 1a!al. $is name means 2oolish, and that is what he is. 2& The 5.D has kept yo+ from killing innocent people. As s+rely as the 5.D lives and yo+ as well, may yo+r enemies and anyone else who wants to harm yo+ !e as c+rsed as 1a!al is. 2' 1ow, 3 am !ringing this gift to yo+. 6lease give these things to yo+r men. 1 Sam+el 2%.2(*3# 112 2( 6lease forgive me for doing wrong. 3 know the 5.D will make yo+r family strong !eca+se yo+ fight his !attles. 6eople will never find anything !ad a!o+t yo+ as long as yo+ live. pag. 3#10131#

2) 3f someone chases yo+ to kill yo+, the 5.D yo+r God will save yo+r life. <+t he will throw away yo+r enemies like a stone from a sling. 3, The 5.D promised to do many good things for yo+, and he will keep his promises. $e will make yo+ leader over 3srael. 31 So dont do anything that wo+ld make yo+ g+ilty of killing innocent people. 6lease dont fall into that trap. 6lease remem!er me when the 5.D !lesses yo+. 32 David answered A!igail, 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 6raise God for sending yo+ to meet me. 33 God !less yo+ for yo+r good =+dgment. ;o+ kept me from killing innocent people today. 3# As s+rely as the 5.D, the God of 3srael, lives, if yo+ hadnt come J+ickly to meet me, not one man in 1a!als family wo+ld have lived +ntil tomorrow 1 Sam+el 2%.3%*#, 113 morning. <+t the ord prevented me from h+rting yo+. 3% Then David accepted A!igails gifts. $e told her, Go home in peace. 3 have listened to yo+r reJ+est, and 3 will do what yo+ asked. 3& A!igail went !ack to 1a!al, who was in the ho+se. $e had !een eating like a king, and he was dr+nk and feeling good. So A!igail told 1a!al nothing +ntil the ne4t morning. 3' The ne4t morning, 1a!al was so!er, so his wife told him everything. $e had a heart attack and !ecame as stiff as a rock. 3( A!o+t ten days later, the 5.D gave him a stroke and 1a!al died. 3) >hen David heard that 1a!al was dead, he said, 6raise the 5.D" $e =+dged 1a!al to !e wrong for ins+lting me and kept me from doing something wrong. The 5.D made 1a!al pay for what he did. Then David sent a message to A!igail and asked her to !e his wife. #, $is servants went to 9armel with this message, David sent +s to get yo+. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

wants yo+ to !e his wife. 1 Sam+el 2%.#1*2&.3 11# #1 A!igail !owed her face to the gro+nd. She said, 3 am willing to !e yo+r slave woman, even if it is only to wash the feet of my masters servants. #2 A!igail J+ickly got on a donkey and !ro+ght five of her maids with her. They followed Davids messengers. So A!igail !ecame Davids wife. #3 David had also married Ahinoam of CeEreel. <oth Ahinoam and A!igail were Davids wives. ## David was also married to Sa+ls da+ghter Aichal, !+t Sa+l had taken her away from him and had given her to a man named 6alti, son of aish. 6alti was from the town named Gallim. 26 1 The people of Biph went to see Sa+l at Gi!eah and said to him, David is hiding on $akilah $ill, across from Ceshimon. 2 Sa+l gathered 3,,, of the !est soldiers in 3srael and went down to the desert of Biph to search for David there. 3 Sa+l set +p his camp !y the road at $akilah $ill, across from Ceshimon. David was o+t in the desert and saw that Sa+l had come o+t into the desert after him. 1 Sam+el 2&.#*) 11% # So David sent o+t spies to know for certain that Sa+l had come after him again. % Then David went to where Sa+l had set +p his camp. David saw where Sa+l and A!ner were sleeping. 7A!ner son of 1er was the commander of Sa+ls army.8 Sa+l was sleeping in the center of a circle of men that s+rro+nded him. & David talked to Ahimelech the $ittite and A!ishai son of Ber+iah. 7A!ishai was Coa!s !rother.8 $e asked them, >ho wo+ld like to go down into the camp with me after Sa+l? A!ishai answered, 3ll go with yo+. ' >hen night came, David and A!ishai went into Sa+ls camp. Sa+l was asleep in the middle of the circle of men. $is spear was st+ck in the gro+nd near his pag. 3#20131#

head. A!ner and the other soldiers were asleep aro+nd Sa+l. ( A!ishai said to David, Today God has given yo+r enemy to yo+. et me pin Sa+l to the gro+nd with his spear. 3ll only do it once" ) <+t David said to A!ishai, Dont kill Sa+l" Anyone who h+rts the 5.D@S chosen king m+st !e p+nished. 1 Sam+el 2&.1,*1% 11& 1, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, the 5.D himself will p+nish Sa+l. Aay!e Sa+l will die nat+rally or may!e he will !e killed in !attle. 11 <+t 3 pray that the 5.D never lets me h+rt the 5.D@S chosen king. 1ow pick +p the spear and water =+g !y Sa+ls head and lets go. 12 So David took the spear and water =+g that were near Sa+ls head, and then David and A!ishai left Sa+ls camp. 1o one knew what had happened. 1o one saw it. 1o one even woke +p. Sa+l and all of his soldiers slept !eca+se the 5.D had p+t them into a deep sleep. 13 David crossed over to the other side of the valley. $e stood on top of the mo+ntain across the valley from Sa+ls camp. David and Sa+ls camp were far apart. 1# David sho+ted to the army and to A!ner son of 1er, Answer me, A!ner" A!ner answered, >ho are yo+? >hy are yo+ calling the king? 1% David said, ;o+ are an important man, arent yo+? ;o+ are !etter than any other man in 3srael. 3s that right? So why didnt yo+ g+ard yo+r master, the 1 Sam+el 2&.1&*2, 11' king? An ordinary man came into yo+r camp to kill yo+r master, the king. 1& ;o+ made a !ig mistake. As s+rely as the 5.D is alive, yo+ and yo+r men sho+ld die, !eca+se yo+ didnt protect yo+r master, the 5.D@S chosen king. ook for the kings spear and the water =+g that was near Sa+ls head. >here are they? 1' Sa+l knew Davids voice and said, 3s that yo+r voice, David my son? David -asy To .ead /ersion

answered, ;es, it is my voice, my lord the king. 1( Sir, why are yo+ chasing me? >hat wrong have 3 done? >hat am 3 g+ilty of? 1) Ay lord the king, listen to me. 3f the 5.D ca+sed yo+ to !e angry with me, let him accept an offering. <+t if men ca+sed yo+ to !e angry with me, 3 ask the 5.D to c+rse them !eca+se they forced me to leave the land that the 5.D gave me and told me to go serve other gods. 2, 1ow dont make me die far away from the 5.D@S presence. The king of 3srael has come o+t looking for a flea. ;o+ are like a man h+nting partridges in the mo+ntains. 1 Sam+el 2&.21*2'.1 11( 21 Then Sa+l said, David, my son" 3 have sinned. 9ome !ack. Today yo+ showed me that my life is important to yo+, so 3 wont try to h+rt yo+. 3 have acted foolishly. 3 have made a !ig mistake. 22 David answered, $ere is the kings spear. et one of yo+r yo+ng men come here and get it. 23 The 5.D pays every man for what he doeshe rewards him if he does right, and he p+nishes him if he does wrong. The 5.D gave yo+ to me today, !+t 3 wo+ldnt harm the 5.D@S chosen king. 2# Today 3 showed yo+ that yo+r life is important to me. 3n the same way, the 5.D will show that my life is important to him. $e will save me from every tro+!le. 2% Then Sa+l said to David, God !less yo+, David my son. ;o+ will do great things and yo+ will win. David went on his way, and Sa+l went !ack home. 27 1 <+t David tho+ght to himself, Sa+l will catch me some day. The !est thing 3 can do is to escape to the land of the 6hilistines. Then Sa+l will give +p looking for me in 3srael. That way 3 will escape from Sa+l. 1 Sam+el 2'.2*) 11) 2 So David and his &,, men left 3srael and went to Achish son of Aaoch. Achish was king of Gath. pag. 3#30131#

3 David, his men, and their families lived in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with himAhinoam of CeEreel and A!igail of 9armel. A!igail was the widow of 1a!al. # 6eople told Sa+l that David had r+n away to Gath, so Sa+l stopped looking for him. % David said to Achish, 3f yo+ are pleased with me, give me a place in one of the co+ntry towns. 3 am only yo+r servant. 3 sho+ld live there, not here with yo+ in this royal city. & That day Achish gave David the town of Biklag. And Biklag has !elonged to the kings of C+dah ever since. ' David lived with the 6hilistines one year and fo+r months. ( David and his men went to fight the Amalekites and Gesh+rites who lived in the area from Telem near Sh+r all the way to -gypt. Davids men defeated them and took their wealth. ) David defeated the people in that area. $e took all their sheep, cattle, donkeys, 1 Sam+el 2'.1,*2(.2 12, camels, and clothes and !ro+ght them !ack to Achish. <+t David didnt let any of those people live. 1, David did this many times. -ach time Achish asked David where he fo+ght and took those things. David said, 3 fo+ght against the so+thern part of C+dah, or 3 fo+ght against the so+thern part of Cerahmeel, or 3 fo+ght against the so+thern part of the GeniEEites. 11 David never !ro+ght a man or woman alive to Gath. $e tho+ght, 3f we let anyone live, they might tell Achish what 3 really did. David did this all the time he lived in the 6hilistine land. 12 Achish !egan to tr+st David and said to himself, 1ow Davids own people hate him. The 3sraelites hate him very m+ch. 1ow he will serve me forever. 28 1 ater, the 6hilistines gathered their armies to fight against 3srael. Achish said to David, Do yo+ +nderstand that yo+ and yo+r men m+st go with me to fight against 3srael? -asy To .ead /ersion

2 David answered, 9ertainly, then yo+ can see for yo+rself what 3 can do. Achish said, 2ine, 3 will make yo+ my permanent !odyg+ard. 1 Sam+el 2(.3*( 121 3 After Sam+el died, all the 3sraelites mo+rned for him and !+ried him in .amah, his hometown. Sa+l had removed the medi+ms and fort+netellers from 3srael. # The 6hilistines prepared for war. They came to Sh+nem and made their camp at that place. Sa+l gathered all the 3sraelites together and made his camp at Gil!oa. % Sa+l saw the 6hilistine army, and he was afraid. $is heart po+nded with fear. & $e prayed to the 5.D, !+t the 5.D did not answer him. God did not talk to Sa+l in dreams. God did not +se the Hrim to give him an answer, and God did not +se prophets to speak to Sa+l. ' 2inally, Sa+l said to his officers, 2ind me a woman who is a medi+m. Then 3 can go ask her what will happen. $is officers answered, There is a medi+m at -ndor. ( That night, Sa+l p+t on different clothes so that no one wo+ld know who he was. Then Sa+l and two of his men went to see the woman. Sa+l said to her, 3 want yo+ to !ring +p a ghost who can tell me what will happen in the f+t+re. 1 Sam+el 2(.)*1% 122 ;o+ m+st call for the ghost of the person 3 name. ) <+t the woman said to him, ;o+ know that Sa+l forced all the medi+ms and fort+netellers to leave the land of 3srael. ;o+ are trying to trap me and kill me. 1, Sa+l +sed the 5.D@S name to make a promise to the woman. $e said, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, yo+ wont !e p+nished for doing this. 11 The woman asked, >ho do yo+ want me to !ring +p for yo+? Sa+l answered, <ring +p Sam+el. 12 And it happenedthe woman saw Sam+el and screamed. She said to Sa+l, ;o+ tricked me" ;o+ are Sa+l. pag. 3##0131#

13 The king said to the woman, Dont !e afraid" >hat do yo+ see? The woman said, 3 see a spirit coming +p o+t of the gro+nd. 1# Sa+l asked, >hat does he look like? The woman answered, $e looks like an old man wearing a special ro!e. Then Sa+l knew it was Sam+el, and he !owed down. $is face to+ched the gro+nd. 1% Sam+el said to Sa+l, >hy did yo+ !other me? >hy did yo+ !ring me +p? Sa+l answered, 3 am in tro+!le" The 1 Sam+el 2(.1&*21 123 6hilistines have come to fight me, and God has left me. God wont answer me anymore. $e wont +se prophets or dreams to answer me, so 3 called yo+. 3 want yo+ to tell me what to do. 1& Sam+el said, The 5.D left yo+ and is now yo+r enemy, so why are yo+ asking me for advice? 1' The 5.D +sed me to tell yo+ what he wo+ld do, and now he is doing what he said he wo+ld do. $e is tearing the kingdom o+t of yo+r hands and giving it to yo+r neigh!or, David. 1( The 5.D was angry with the Amalekites and told yo+ to destroy them. <+t yo+ did not o!ey him. Thats why the 5.D is doing this to yo+ today. 1) The 5.D will let the 6hilistines defeat yo+ and the army of 3srael today. Tomorrow, yo+ and yo+r sons will !e here with me. 2, Sa+l J+ickly fell to the gro+nd and lay stretched o+t there. Sa+l was afraid !eca+se of what Sam+el said. Sa+l was also very weak !eca+se he had not eaten any food all that day and night. 21 The woman came over to Sa+l and saw how afraid he was. She said, ook, 1 Sam+el 2(.22*2).2 12# 3 am yo+r servant. 3 have o!eyed yo+. 3 risked my life and did what yo+ told me to do. 22 6lease, listen to me. ;o+ need to eat. et me get yo+ some food. Then yo+ will have eno+gh strength to go on yo+r way. 23 <+t Sa+l ref+sed. $e said, 3 wont eat. Sa+ls officers =oined the woman and -asy To .ead /ersion

!egged him to eat. 2inally, Sa+l listened to them. $e got +p from the gro+nd and sat on the !ed. 2# The woman had a calf that she had !een fattening. She J+ickly killed the calf. She took some flo+r and pressed it with her hands. Then she !aked some !read witho+t yeast. 2% The woman p+t the food !efore Sa+l and his officers and they ate. Then they got +p and left d+ring the night. 29 1 Aeanwhile, the 6hilistines had gathered all of their army camps at Aphek. The 3sraelites were camped !y the spring near CeEreel. 2 The 6hilistine r+lers were marching in divisions of 1,, and 1,,, men. David and his men were at the !ack with Achish. 1 Sam+el 2).3*' 12% 3 The 6hilistine captains asked, >hat are these $e!rews doing here? Achish told the 6hilistine captains, This is David. $e was one of Sa+ls officers, !+t he has !een with me for a long time. 3 fo+nd nothing wrong in David since the time he left Sa+l and came to me. # <+t the 6hilistine captains were angry with Achish. They said, Send him !ack. et him go !ack to the city yo+ gave him, !+t he cant go into !attle with +s. As long as he is here, we have an enemy in o+r own camp. $e wo+ld make his king happy !y killing o+r men. % 3snt David the one the 3sraelites sing a!o+t? They dance and sing this song: Sa+l has killed tho+sands of enemies, !+t David has killed tens of tho+sands. & So Achish called David and said, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, yo+ are loyal to me. 3 wo+ld !e pleased to have yo+ serve in my army. 3 havent fo+nd anything wrong with yo+ since the day yo+ came to me. The 6hilistine r+lers also think yo+ are a good man. ' Go !ack in peace. Dont do anything against the 6hilistine r+lers. 1 Sam+el 2).(*3,.2 12& ( David asked, >hat have 3 done wrong? $ave yo+ fo+nd anything wrong pag. 3#%0131#

with me since the day 3 came to yo+? So why wont yo+ let me go to fight the enemies of my lord the king? ) Achish answered, 3 !elieve that yo+ are a good man. ;o+ are like an angel from God. <+t the 6hilistine captains still say, David cant go with +s into !attle. 1, -arly in the morning, yo+ and yo+r men sho+ld go !ack to the city 3 gave yo+. Dont pay attention to the !ad things the captains say a!o+t yo+. ;o+ are a good man, !+t yo+ m+st leave as soon as there is eno+gh light in the morning. 11 So David and his men got +p early in the morning and went !ack to the co+ntry of the 6hilistines, and the 6hilistines went +p to CeEreel. 30 1 As soon as David and his men arrived at Biklag on the third day, they saw that the Amalekites had attacked Biklag. The Amalekites invaded the 1egev area, attacked Biklag, and !+rned the city. 2 They took all the women in Biklag, !oth yo+ng and old, as prisoners. They 1 Sam+el 3,.3*) 12' didnt kill anyoneF they only took them as prisoners. 3 >hen David and his men came to Biklag, they fo+nd the city !+rning. Their wives, sons, and da+ghters were all gone. The Amalekites had taken them. # David and the other men in his army cried lo+dly +ntil they were too weak to cry anymore. % The Amalekites had taken Davids two wives, Ahinoam of CeEreel and A!igail, who had !een the wife of 1a!al from 9armel. & All the men in the army were sad and angry !eca+se their sons and da+ghters were taken as prisoners. The men were talking a!o+t killing David with stones. This +pset David very m+ch, !+t he fo+nd strength in the 5.D his God. ' David said to A!iathar the priest, <ring the ephod. ( Then David prayed to the 5.D. Sho+ld 3 chase the people who took o+r families? >ill 3 catch them? The ord -asy To .ead /ersion

answered, 9hase them. ;o+ will catch them, and yo+ will save yo+r families. ) David took the &,, men with him and went to <esor .avine. A!o+t 2,, of his 1 Sam+el 3,.1,*1% 12( men stayed there !eca+se they were too weak and tired to contin+e. <+t David and the other #,, men contin+ed to chase the Amalekites. 1, 73,:)8 11 Davids men fo+nd an -gyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave the -gyptian some water to drink and some food to eat. 12 The -gyptian had not had any food or water for three days and nights, so they gave him a piece of fig cake and two cl+sters of raisins. $e felt !etter after eating. 13 David asked the -gyptian, >ho is yo+r master? >here do yo+ come from? The -gyptian answered, 3 am an -gyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago 3 got sick, and my master left me !ehind. 1# >e had attacked the 1egev area where the Gerethites live. >e also attacked C+dah and the 1egev area where 9ale!s people live. >e !+rned Biklag. 1% David asked the -gyptian, >ill yo+ lead me to the people who took o+r families? The -gyptian answered, 3f yo+ 1 Sam+el 3,.1&*2, 12) make a special promise !efore God, 3 will help yo+ find them. <+t yo+ m+st promise that yo+ will not kill me or give me !ack to my master. 1& The -gyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying aro+nd on the gro+nd, eating and drinking. They were cele!rating with the many things they had taken from the 6hilistines and from C+dah. 1' David attacked them and killed them. They fo+ght from s+nrise +ntil the evening of the ne4t day. 1one of the Amalekites escaped, e4cept for #,, yo+ng men who =+mped onto their camels and rode away. pag. 3#&0131#

1( David got !ack everything the Amalekites had taken, incl+ding his two wives. 1) 1othing was missing. They fo+nd all the children and old people, all their sons and da+ghters, and all their val+a!les. They got !ack everything the Amalekites had taken. David !ro+ght everything !ack. 2, $e took all the sheep and cattle. $is men led these animals to the front of the gro+p and said, This is Davids priEe. 1 Sam+el 3,.21*2& 13, 21 David came to the 2,, men who had stayed at <esor .avine. These were the men who were too weak and tired to follow David. They came o+t to meet him and the soldiers who went with him. They greeted David and his army as they approached. 22 There were some tro+!lemakers in the gro+p who went with David who started complaining, These 2,, men didnt go with +s, so we why sho+ld we give them any of the things we took. These men get nothing !+t their own wives and children. 23 David answered, 1o, my !rothers. Dont do that" Think a!o+t what the 5.D gave +s. $e let +s defeat the enemy that attacked +s. 2# 1o one will listen to what yo+ say. The share will !e the same for the man who stayed with the s+pplies and for the man who went into !attle. -veryone will share alike. 2% David made this an order and r+le for 3srael. This r+le contin+es even today. 2& >hen David got to Biklag, he sent some of the things he took from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders 1 Sam+el 3,.2'*31.# 131 of C+dah. David said, $ere is a present for yo+ that we took from the 5.D@S enemies. 2' David sent some of the gifts to the leaders in <ethel, .amoth in the 1egev, Cattir, 2( Aroer, Siphmoth, -shtemoa, 2) .acal, the cities of the Cerahmeelites -asy To .ead /ersion

and the cities of the Genites, 3, $ormah, <or Ashan, Athach, 31 and $e!ron, and to all the other places where David and his men had stayed. 31 1 Aeanwhile, the 6hilistines fo+ght against the 3sraelites, and the 3sraelites ran from them. There were many dead !odies that fell at Ao+nt Gil!oa. 2 The 6hilistines fo+ght hard against Sa+l and his sons. They killed Conathan, A!inada!, and Aalki Sh+a. 3 The !attle grew even more intense aro+nd Sa+l. The archers closed in on Sa+l and wo+nded him with many arrows. # Sa+l told the helper who carried his armor, Take yo+r sword and kill me or else these foreigners will do it and 1 Sam+el 31.%*1, 132 torment me as well" <+t Sa+ls helper was afraid and ref+sed to kill him. So Sa+l +sed his own sword to kill himself !y falling on it. % >hen the helper saw that Sa+l was dead, he took o+t his own sword, fell on it, and died there with Sa+l. & So Sa+l, his three sons, and the helper who carried his armor all died together that day. ' The 3sraelites who lived on the other side of the valley saw the 3sraelite army r+nning away. They saw that Sa+l and his sons were dead, so they left their cities and ran away. Then the 6hilistines came and lived in their cities. ( The ne4t day, the 6hilistines went !ack to take things from the dead !odies. They fo+nd Sa+l and his three sons dead on Ao+nt Gil!oa. ) The 6hilistines c+t off Sa+ls head and took all his armor. They carried the news to the 6hilistines and to all the temples of their idols. 1, They p+t Sa+ls armor in the temple of Ashtoreth. The 6hilistines also h+ng Sa+ls !ody on the wall of <eth Shan. 1 Sam+el 31.11*13 133 11 The people living in Ca!esh Gilead pag. 3#'0131#

heard what the 6hilistines did to Sa+l. 12 So all the soldiers of Ca!esh went to <eth Shan. They marched all night, went to the wall of <eth Shan, and took down the !odies of Sa+l and his sons. Then they carried them to Ca!esh. There the people of Ca!esh !+rned the !odies of Sa+l and his three sons. 13 ater, they !+ried the !ones of Sa+l and his three sons +nder the !ig tree in Ca!esh. Then the people of Ca!esh showed their sadnessthey did not eat for seven days. 2 )amuel 1 1 After David defeated the Amalekites, he went !ack to Biklag. This was =+st after Sa+l had !een killed. David had !een there two days. 2 Then, on the third day, a yo+ng soldier from Sa+ls camp came to Biklag. $is clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head. $e came to David and !owed with his face to the gro+nd. 3 David asked him, >here have yo+ come from? The man answered, 3 =+st came from the 3sraelite camp. # David asked him, 6lease tell me, who won the !attle? The man answered, 5+r people ran away from the !attle. Aany of them were killed in the !attle. -ven Sa+l and his son Conathan are dead. % David said to the yo+ng soldier, $ow do yo+ know Sa+l and his son Conathan are dead? & The yo+ng soldier said, 3 happened to !e on Ao+nt Gil!oa. 3 saw Sa+l leaning on his spear. The 6hilistine chariots and 2 Sam+el 1.'*13 2 horse soldiers were coming closer and closer to Sa+l. ' Sa+l looked !ack and saw me. $e called to me and 3 answered him. ( Then Sa+l asked me who 3 was. 3 told him that 3 was an Amalekite. ) Then Sa+l said, 6lease kill me. 3 am h+rt !adly. And 3 am a!o+t to die anyway. 1, $e was h+rt so !adly that 3 knew he wo+ldnt live. So 3 stopped and killed him. Then 3 took the crown from his -asy To .ead /ersion

head and the !racelet from his arm and !ro+ght them here to yo+, my lord. 11 Then David tore his clothes to show he was very sad. All the men with him did the same thing. 12 They were very sad and cried. They did not eat +ntil evening. They cried !eca+se Sa+l and his son Conathan were dead. David and his men cried for the 5.D@S people, and they cried for 3srael. They cried !eca+se Sa+l, his son Conathan, and many 3sraelites had !een killed in !attle. 13 Then David talked with the yo+ng soldier who had told him a!o+t Sa+ls death. David asked, >here are yo+ 2 Sam+el 1.1#*2, 3 from? The yo+ng soldier answered, 3 am the son of a foreigner. 3 am an Amalekite. 1# David said to the yo+ng soldier, >hy were yo+ not afraid to kill the 5.D@S chosen king? 1% Then David told the Amalekite, ;o+ are responsi!le for yo+r own death. ;o+ said yo+ killed the 5.D@S chosen king, so yo+r own words prove yo+ are g+ilty. Then David called one of his yo+ng servants and told him to kill the Amalekite. So the yo+ng 3sraelite killed him. 1& 71:1%8 1' David sang a sad song a!o+t Sa+l and his son Conathan. 1( David told his men to teach the song to the people of C+dah. This song is called The <ow, and it is written in the <ook of Cashar. 1) 3srael, yo+r !ea+ty was r+ined on yo+r hills. 5h, how those heroes fell" 2, Dont tell the news in Gath. Dont anno+nce it in the streets of Ashkelon. Those 6hilistine cities wo+ld !e happy" Those foreigners wo+ld !e glad. 2 Sam+el 1.21*2.1 # 21 Aay no rain or dew fall on yo+, mo+ntains of Gil!oa. Aay there !e no offerings coming from yo+r fields. The shields of the heroes r+sted there. Sa+ls shield was not r+!!ed with oil. pag. 3#(0131#

22 Conathans !ow killed its share of enemies, and Sa+ls sword killed its share" They have spilled the !lood of men now dead. They c+t into the fat of strong men. 23 Sa+l and Conathanhow dear they were to +s" 3n life they loved !eing together, and even death did not separate them" They were faster than eagles and stronger than lions. 2# Da+ghters of 3srael, cry for Sa+l" Sa+l gave yo+ !ea+tif+l red dresses and covered them with gold =ewelry" 2% Strong men have fallen in the !attle. Conathan is dead on Gil!oas hills. 2& Conathan, my !rother, 3 miss yo+" 3 en=oyed yo+r friendship so m+ch. ;o+r love for me was wonderf+l, stronger than the love of women. 2' $eroes have fallen in !attle. Their weapons of war are lost. 2 1 ater David asked the 5.D for advice. David said, Sho+ld 3 take 2 Sam+el 2.2*( % control of any of the cities of C+dah? The 5.D said to David, ;es. David asked, >here sho+ld 3 go? The ord answered, To $e!ron. 2 So David and his two wives moved to $e!ron. 7$is wives were Ahinoam from CeEreel and A!igail, who had !een the wife of 1a!al from 9armel.8 3 David also !ro+ght his men and their families. All of them made their homes in $e!ron and the towns near!y. # The men of C+dah came to $e!ron and anointed David to !e the king of C+dah. Then they told David, The men of Ca!esh Gilead !+ried Sa+l. % David sent messengers to the men of Ca!esh Gilead. These messengers told the men in Ca!esh: The 5.D !less yo+, !eca+se yo+ have shown kindness to yo+r lord Sa+l !y !+rying him. & The 5.D will !e kind and tr+e to yo+, and so will 3. ' 1ow !e strong and !rave. ;o+r lord, Sa+l, is dead, !+t the tri!e of C+dah has anointed me to !e their king. ( A!ner son of 1er was the captain of -asy To .ead /ersion

Sa+ls army. A!ner took 3sh <osheth son of Sa+l to Aahanaim 2 Sam+el 2.)*1% & ) and made him king of Gilead, Asher, CeEreel, -phraim, <en=amin, and all 3srael. 1, 3sh <osheth son of Sa+l was #, years old when he !egan to r+le over 3srael. $e r+led 3srael two years, !+t the tri!e of C+dah followed David. 11 David r+led over the tri!e of C+dah from $e!ron for seven years and si4 months. 12 A!ner son of 1er and the officers of 3sh <osheth son of Sa+l left Aahanaim and went to Gi!eon. 13 Coa!, Ber+iahs son, and the officers of David also went to Gi!eon. They met A!ner and 3sh <osheths officers at the pool of Gi!eon. A!ners gro+p sat on one side of the pool. Coa!s gro+p sat on the other side. 1# A!ner said to Coa!, ets have the yo+ng soldiers get +p and have a contest here. Coa! said, ;es, lets have a contest. 1% So the yo+ng soldiers got +p to !e co+nted. Twelve were chosen from the tri!e of <en=amin to fight for 3sh <osheth son of Sa+l against twelve of Davids men. 2 Sam+el 2.1&*23 ' 1& -ach man gra!!ed his enemys head and st+ck his sword into the other mans side, and they !oth fell down dead. That is why this place in Gi!eon is called 2ield of Swords. 1' This contest started a terri!le !attle, and Davids officers defeated A!ner and the 3sraelites that day. 1( Ber+iah had three sons there that dayCoa!, A!ishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast r+nner, as fast as a wild deer. 1) Asahel ran straight toward A!ner and !egan chasing him. 2, A!ner looked !ack and asked, 3s that yo+, Asahel? Asahel said, ;es, its me. 21 A!ner didnt want to h+rt Asahel, so he said to Asahel, Stop chasing mego after one of the yo+ng soldiers. ;o+ co+ld easily take his armor for yo+rself. <+t pag. 3#)0131#

Asahel ref+sed to stop chasing A!ner. 22 A!ner again said to Asahel, Stop chasing me, or 3 will have to kill yo+. Then 3 will not !e a!le to look yo+r !rother Coa! in the face again. 23 <+t Asahel ref+sed to stop chasing A!ner. So A!ner +sed the !ack end of his spear and p+shed it into Asahels stomach. The spear went deep into 2 Sam+el 2.2#*2) ( Asahels stomach and came o+t of his !ack. Asahel died right there.Asahels !ody lay on the gro+nd. -veryone who came that way stopped to look at Asahel, 2# !+t Coa! and A!ishai contin+ed chasing A!ner. The s+n was =+st going down when they came to Ammah $ill. 7Ammah $ill is in front of Giah on the way to the desert of Gi!eon.8 2% The men from the tri!e of <en=amin gathered aro+nd A!ner at the top of the hill. 2& A!ner sho+ted to Coa! and said, A+st we fight and kill each other forever? S+rely yo+ know that this will only end in sadness. Tell the people to stop chasing their own !rothers. 2' Then Coa! said, As s+rely as God is alive, if yo+ had not said something, people wo+ld still !e chasing their !rothers in the morning. 2( So Coa! !lew a tr+mpet, and his people stopped chasing the 3sraelites. They did not try to fight the 3sraelites anymore. 2) A!ner and his men marched all night thro+gh the Cordan /alley. They crossed 2 Sam+el 2.3,*3.3 ) the Cordan .iver and then marched all day +ntil they came to Aahanaim. 3, Coa! stopped chasing A!ner and t+rned !ack. Coa! had gathered his men and learned that 1) of Davids officers were missing, incl+ding Asahel. 31 <+t Davids officers had killed 3&, of A!ners men from the tri!e of <en=amin. 32 Davids officers took Asahel and !+ried him in the tom! of his father at <ethlehem. Coa! and his men marched all night. The s+n came +p =+st as they -asy To .ead /ersion

reached $e!ron. 3 1 There was war for a long time !etween Sa+ls family and Davids family. David !ecame stronger and stronger, !+t Sa+ls family !ecame weaker and weaker. 2 Several of Davids sons were !orn at $e!ron. The first son was Amnon. Amnons mother was Ahinoam from CeEreel. 3 The second son was Gilea!. $is mother was A!igail, who had !een the wife of 1a!al from 9armel. The third son was A!salom. A!saloms mother was Aaacah da+ghter of Ging Talmai of Gesh+r. 2 Sam+el 3.#*11 1, # The fo+rth son was Adoni=ah. Adoni=ahs mother was $aggith. The fifth son was Shephatiah. Shephatiahs mother was A!ital. % The si4th son was 3thream. 3threams mother was Davids wife -glah. These sons were all !orn at $e!ron. & As the families of Sa+l and David fo+ght each other, A!ner !ecame more and more powerf+l in Sa+ls army. ' Sa+l had a slave woman named .iEpah da+ghter of Aiah. 3sh <osheth said to A!ner, >hy did yo+ have se4+al relations with my fathers servant woman? ( This made A!ner very angry. $e said, 3 have !een loyal to Sa+l and his family. 3 did not give yo+ to David. 3 am not a traitor working for C+dah. <+t now yo+ are saying that 3 did this !ad thing. ) The 5.D promised with an oath that he wo+ld take the kingdom away from Sa+ls family and give it to David. And 3 swear 3 will make s+re that happens. God will make David king of C+dah and 3srael. $e will r+le from Dan to <eershe!a. 1, 73:)8 11 3sh <osheth was too afraid of A!ner to say anything in response. 2 Sam+el 3.12*1( 11 12 A!ner sent messengers to David and said, >ho do yo+ think sho+ld r+le this co+ntry? Aake an agreement with me, and 3 will help yo+ !ecome the r+ler of all the people of 3srael. pag. 3%,0131#

13 David answered, Good" 3 will make an agreement with yo+. <+t 3 ask yo+ only one thing: 3 will not meet with yo+ +ntil yo+ !ring Sa+ls da+ghter Aichal to me. 1# David sent messengers to Sa+ls son 3sh <osheth. David said, Give me my wife Aichal. She was promised to me. 3 killed 1,, 6hilistines to get her. 1% Then 3sh <osheth told the men to go and take Aichal from a man named 6altiel son of aish. 1& Aichals h+s!and, 6altiel, followed them, crying all the way to <ah+rim. 2inally A!ner said to him, Go !ack home. So 6altiel went !ack home. 1' A!ner sent this message to the leaders of 3srael. $e said, 2or a long time yo+ have wanted to make David yo+r king. 1( 1ow do it" The 5.D was talking a!o+t David when he said, 3 will save my people the 3sraelites from the 6hilistines 2 Sam+el 3.1)*23 12 and all their other enemies. 3 will do this thro+gh my servant David. 1) A!ner said these things to David in $e!ron, and he said these things to the people of the tri!e of <en=amin. The things A!ner said so+nded good to the tri!e of <en=amin and to all the people of 3srael. 2, Then A!ner came +p to David at $e!ron. A!ner !ro+ght 2, men with him. David gave a party for A!ner and for all the men who came with him. 21 A!ner said to David, Ay lord and king, let me go !ring all the 3sraelites to yo+. Then they will make an agreement with yo+, and yo+ will r+le over all 3srael, as yo+ wanted. So David let A!ner leave in peace. 22 Coa! and Davids officers came !ack from !attle. They had many val+a!le things that they had taken from the enemy. David had =+st let A!ner leave in peace. So A!ner was not there in $e!ron with David. 23 Coa! and all his army arrived at $e!ron. The army said to Coa!, A!ner -asy To .ead /ersion

son of 1er came to Ging David, and David let A!ner leave in peace. 2 Sam+el 3.2#*2) 13 2# Coa! came to the king and said, >hat have yo+ done? A!ner came to yo+, !+t yo+ sent him away witho+t h+rting him" >hy? 2% ;o+ know A!ner son of 1er. $e came to trick yo+. $e came to learn all a!o+t what yo+ are doing. 2& Coa! left David and sent messengers to A!ner at the well of Sirah. The messengers !ro+ght A!ner !ack, !+t David did not know this. 2' >hen A!ner arrived at $e!ron, Coa! met him in the gateway, p+lled him aside to talk in private, and then sta!!ed him in the stomach. So he got his revenge against A!ner. Coa! killed A!ner !eca+se A!ner had killed Coa!s !rother Asahel. 2( ater David heard the news and said, Ay kingdom and 3 are innocent of the death of A!ner son of 1er. The 5.D knows this. 2) Coa! and his family are responsi!le for this, and they will !e c+rsed. Aany tro+!les will come to his family. $is people will !e sick with leprosy, crippled, killed in war, and not have eno+gh food to eat" 2 Sam+el 3.3,*3& 1# 3, Coa! and his !rother A!ishai killed A!ner !eca+se A!ner had killed their !rother Asahel in the !attle at Gi!eon. 31 David said to Coa! and to all the people with Coa!, Tear yo+r clothes and p+t on sackcloth. 9ry for A!ner. They !+ried A!ner in $e!ron. David went to the f+neral. Ging David and all the people cried at A!ners grave. 32 73:318 33 Ging David sang this sad song at A!ners f+neral: Did A!ner die like some foolish criminal? 3# A!ner, yo+r hands were not tied. ;o+r feet were not p+t in chains. 1o, A!ner, evil men killed yo+" Then all the people cried again for A!ner. 3% All day long people came to enco+rage David to eat food. <+t David pag. 3%10131#

had made a special promise. $e said, Aay God p+nish me and give me many tro+!les if 3 eat !read or any other food !efore the s+n goes down. 3& All the people saw what happened, and they were pleased with what Ging David had done. 2 Sam+el 3.3'*#.# 1% 3' All the people of C+dah and 3srael +nderstood that Ging David had not killed A!ner son of 1er. 3( Ging David said to his officers, ;o+ know that a very important leader died today in 3srael. 3) And it was on the very same day that 3 was anointed to !e the king. These sons of Ber+iah have ca+sed me a lot of tro+!le. Aay the 5.D give them the p+nishment they deserve. 4 1 Sa+ls son 3sh <osheth heard that A!ner had died at $e!ron. 3sh <osheth and all his people !ecame very afraid. 2 Two men went to see to Sa+ls son. These two men were captains in the army. They were .eca! and <aanah, the sons of .immon from <eeroth. 7They were <en=amites !eca+se the town <eeroth !elonged to the tri!e of <en=amin. 3 <+t all the people in <eeroth ran away to Gittaim, and they are still living there today.8 # Sa+ls son Conathan had a son named Aephi!osheth. $e was five years old when the news came from CeEreel that 2 Sam+el #.%*) 1& Sa+l and Conathan had !een killed. The woman who cared for Aephi!osheth picked him +p and ran away. <+t while r+nning away, she dropped the !oy, and he !ecame crippled in !oth feet. % .eca! and <aanah, sons of .immon from <eeroth, went to 3sh <osheths ho+se at noon. 3sh <osheth was resting !eca+se it was hot. & .eca! and <aanah came into the ho+se as if they were going to get some wheat. 3sh <osheth was lying on his !ed in his !edroom, and they sta!!ed and -asy To .ead /ersion

killed him. Then they c+t off his head and took it with them. They traveled all night on the road thro+gh the Cordan /alley. ' 7#:&8 ( >hen they arrived at $e!ron, they gave 3sh <osheths head to David. .eca! and <aanah said to Ging David, $ere is the head of yo+r enemy, 3sh <osheth son of Sa+l. $e tried to kill yo+, !+t the 5.D has p+nished Sa+l and his family for yo+ today. ) <+t David told .eca! and his !rother <aanah, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, he 2 Sam+el #.1,*%.2 1' is the one who has resc+ed me from all my tro+!les" 1, 5nce !efore a man tho+ght he wo+ld !ring me good news. $e told me, ook" Sa+l is dead. $e tho+ght 3 wo+ld reward him for !ringing me the news. <+t 3 gra!!ed this man and killed him at Biklag. 11 3 will kill yo+ too and remove this evil from o+r land !eca+se yo+ evil men killed a good man sleeping on his own !ed, in his own ho+se. 12 So David commanded his yo+ng helpers to kill .eca! and <aanah. The yo+ng men c+t off the hands and feet of .eca! and <aanah and hanged them !y the pool of $e!ron. Then they took the head of 3sh <osheth and !+ried it where A!ner was !+ried at $e!ron. 5 1 All the tri!es of 3srael came to David at $e!ron. They said to David, ook, we are one family" 2 -ven when Sa+l was o+r king, yo+ were the one who led +s into !attle. And yo+ were the one who !ro+ght 3srael !ack home from war. The 5.D himself said to yo+, ;o+ will !e the shepherd of 2 Sam+el %.3*( 1( my people, the 3sraelites. ;o+ will !e the r+ler over 3srael. 3 So all the leaders of 3srael came to meet with Ging David at $e!ron. $e made an agreement with them in $e!ron in front of the 5.D, and they anointed David to !e the king of 3srael. pag. 3%20131#

# David was 3, years old when he !egan to r+le. $e was king for #, years. % 3n $e!ron he r+led over C+dah for ' years and & months, and in Cer+salem he r+led over all 3srael and C+dah for 33 years. & The king and his men went to fight against the Ce!+sites living in Cer+salem. The Ce!+sites said to David, ;o+ cannot come into o+r city. -ven o+r !lind and crippled people can stop yo+. 7They said this !eca+se they tho+ght that David wo+ld not !e a!le to enter into their city. ' <+t David did take the fort of Bion. This fort !ecame the 9ity of David.8 ( That day David said to his men, >henever yo+ strike at the Ce!+sites, aim for the throat and kill them. David said this !eca+se he hates to have people left who are crippled and !lind. 2 Sam+el %.)*1' 1) That is why people now say, The lame and !lind are not allowed in the temple. ) David lived in the fort and called it The 9ity of David. David !+ilt +p the city from the Aillo inward. 1, $e !ecame stronger and stronger !eca+se the 5.D AllD6owerf+l was with him. 11 Ging $iram of Tyre sent messengers to David. $e also sent cedar trees, carpenters, and stonemasons. They !+ilt a ho+se for David. 12 Then David knew that the 5.D had really made him king of 3srael and had made him r+ler over his kingdom for the good of his people, 3srael. 13 David moved from $e!ron to Cer+salem. 3n Cer+salem, he got more slave women and wives. So David had more children who were !orn in Cer+salem. 1# Davids sons who were !orn in Cer+salem are Shamm+a, Sho!a!, 1athan, Solomon, 1% 3!har, -lish+a, 1epheg, Caphia, 1& -lishama, -liada, and -liphelet. 1' >hen the 6hilistines heard that the 3sraelites had anointed David to !e the 2 Sam+el %.1(*2# 2, -asy To .ead /ersion

king of 3srael, all the 6hilistines went +p to kill him. David heard a!o+t this and went down into the fort at Cer+salem. 1( The 6hilistines came and camped in .ephaim /alley. 1) David asked the 5.D, saying, Sho+ld 3 go +p to fight against the 6hilistines? >ill yo+ help me defeat them? The 5.D answered, ;es, 3 certainly will help yo+ defeat the 6hilistines. 2, Then David went to <aal 6eraEim and defeated the 6hilistines in that place. $e said, The 5.D !roke thro+gh my enemies like water !reaking thro+gh a dam. That is why David named that place <aal 6eraEim. 21 The 6hilistines left the stat+es of their gods !ehind at <aal 6eraEim. David and his men took them away. 22 Again the 6hilistines came +p and camped in .ephaim /alley. 23 David prayed to the 5.D again and got this answer: Dont go +p the valley. Go aro+nd them to the other side of their army. Attack them from the other side of the !alsam trees. 2# >hen yo+ hear the so+nd of marching in the tops of the !alsam trees, yo+ m+st 2 Sam+el %.2%*&.# 21 act J+ickly !eca+se that is the sign that the 5.D has gone o+t in front of yo+ to defeat the 6hilistines. 2% David did what the 5.D commanded him to do, and he defeated the 6hilistines. $e chased them from Ge!a to GeEer, killing them all along the way. 6 1 David again gathered all the !est soldiers in 3srael. There were 3,,,,, men. 2 Then David and all his men went to <aalah in C+dah to take Gods $oly <o4 there. The $oly <o4 is like Gods throne people go there to call on the name of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l who sits as king a!ove the 9her+! angels that are on that <o4. 3 Davids men !ro+ght the $oly <o4 o+t of A!inada!s ho+se on the hill. Then they p+t Gods $oly <o4 on a new wagon. HEEah and Ahio, sons of A!inada!, were pag. 3%30131#

driving the new wagon. # So they carried the $oly <o4 o+t of A!inada!s ho+se on the hill. The sons of A!inada!, HEEah and Ahio, drove the new wagon. Ahio was walking in front of the $oly <o4. 2 Sam+el &.%*1, 22 % David and all the 3sraelites were dancing in front of the 5.D and playing all kinds of m+sical instr+ments. There were lyres, harps, dr+ms, rattles, instr+ments made from cypress wood, and cym!als. & >hen Davids men came to the threshing floor of 1acon, the cows st+m!led, and Gods $oly <o4 !egan to fall off the wagon. HEEah ca+ght the $oly <o4. ' <+t the 5.D was angry with HEEah and killed him for that mistake. HEEah showed he did not honor God when he to+ched the $oly <o4, so he died there !y Gods $oly <o4. ( David was +pset !eca+se the 5.D had killed HEEah. David called that place 6ereE HEEah. 3t is still called 6ereE HEEah today. ) David !ecame afraid of the 5.D that day, and he said, $ow can 3 !ring Gods $oly <o4 here now? 1, So David wo+ld not move the 5.D@S $oly <o4 into the 9ity of David. $e p+t the $oly <o4 at the ho+se of 5!ed -dom from Gath. 2 Sam+el &.11*1' 23 11 The 5.D@S $oly <o4 stayed in 5!ed -doms ho+se for three months. The 5.D !lessed 5!ed -dom and all his family. 12 ater people told David, The 5.D has !lessed the family of 5!ed -dom and everything he owns, !eca+se Gods $oly <o4 is there. So David went and !ro+ght Gods $oly <o4 from 5!ed -doms ho+se. David was very happy and e4cited. 13 >hen the men who carried the 5.D@S $oly <o4 had walked si4 steps, they stopped and David sacrificed a !+ll and a fat calf. 1# David was dancing in front of the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D. $e was wearing a linen ephod. 1% David and all the 3sraelites were e4citedthey sho+ted and !lew the tr+mpet as they !ro+ght the 5.D@S $oly <o4 into the city. 1& Sa+ls da+ghter Aichal was looking o+t the window. >hile the 5.D@S $oly <o4 was !eing carried into the city, David was =+mping and dancing !efore the 5.D. Aichal saw this, and she was +pset at David. 1' David p+t +p a tent for the $oly <o4. The 3sraelites p+t the 5.D@S $oly <o4 2 Sam+el &.1(*22 2# in its place +nder the tent. Then David offered !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings !efore the 5.D. 1( After David had finished offering the !+rnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he !lessed the people in the name of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1) $e also gave a share of !read, a raisin cake, and some date !read to every man and woman of 3srael. Then all the people went home. 2, David went !ack to !less his ho+se, !+t Sa+ls da+ghter Aichal came o+t to meet him. She said, The king of 3srael did not honor himself today" ;o+ took off yo+r clothes in front of yo+r servants girls. ;o+ were like a fool who takes off his clothes witho+t shame" 21 Then David said to Aichal, The 5.D chose me, not yo+r father or anyone from his family. The 5.D chose me to !e leader of his people, the 3sraelites. So 3 will contin+e dancing and cele!rating in front of the 5.D. 22 3 might do things that are even more em!arrassing" Aay!e yo+ will not respect me, !+t the girls yo+ are talking a!o+t are pro+d of me" 2 Sam+el &.23*'.( 2% 23 Sa+ls da+ghter Aichal never had a child. She died witho+t having any children. 7 1 After Ging David moved into his new ho+se the 5.D gave him some relief from all of his enemies aro+nd him. 2 Ging David said to 1athan the prophet, pag. 3%#0131#

ook, 3 am living in a fancy ho+se made of cedar wood, !+t Gods $oly <o4 is still kept in a tent" 3 1athan said to Ging David, Do whatever yo+ want to do. The 5.D will !e with yo+. # <+t that night, the 5.D@S word came to 1athan: % Go and tell my servant David, This is what the 5.D says: ;o+ are not the one to !+ild a ho+se for me to live in. & 3 did not live in a ho+se at the time 3 took the 3sraelites o+t of -gypt. 1o, 3 traveled aro+nd in a tent. 3 +sed the tent for my home. ' 3 never told any of the tri!es of 3srael to !+ild me a fancy ho+se made from cedar wood. ( ;o+ m+st tell my servant David, This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: 3 chose yo+ while yo+ were o+t in the 2 Sam+el '.)*1# 2& past+re following the sheep. 3 took yo+ from that =o! and made yo+ the leader of my people, the 3sraelites. ) 3 have !een with yo+ every place yo+ went. 3 have defeated yo+r enemies for yo+. 3 will make yo+ one of the most famo+s people on earth. 1, And 3 chose a place for my people, the 3sraelites. 3 planted the 3sraelites. 3 gave them their own place to live so that they will not have to move from place to place anymore. 3n the past, 3 sent =+dges to lead my people, !+t evil people gave them many tro+!les. That will not happen now. 3 am giving yo+ peace from all of yo+r enemies. 3 promise that 3 will make yo+r family a family of kings. 11 7':1,8 12 >hen yo+r life is finished, yo+ will die and !e !+ried with yo+r ancestors. <+t then 3 will make one of yo+r own children !ecome the king. 13 $e will !+ild a ho+se for my name, and 3 will make his kingdom strong forever. 1# 3 will !e his father, and he will !e my son. >hen he sins, 3 will +se other 2 Sam+el '.1%*21 2' -asy To .ead /ersion

people to p+nish him. They will !e my whips. 1% <+t 3 will never stop loving him. 3 will contin+e to !e loyal to him. 3 took away my love and kindness from Sa+l. 3 p+shed Sa+l away when 3 t+rned to yo+. 1& ;o+r family of kings will contin+eyo+ can depend on that" 2or yo+, yo+r kingdom will last forever" ;o+r throne will stand forever" 1' 1athan told David a!o+t that vision. $e told David everything God had said. 1( Then Ging David went in and sat in front of the 5.D. David said, ord G5D, why am 3 so important to yo+? >hy is my family important? >hy have yo+ made me so important? 1) 3 am nothing !+t a servant, !+t ord G5D, yo+ have also said these kind things a!o+t my f+t+re family. ord G5D, yo+ dont always talk like this to people, do yo+? 2, $ow can 3 contin+e talking to yo+? ord G5D, yo+ know that 3 am only a servant. 21 ;o+ will do all these wonderf+l things !eca+se yo+ said yo+ wo+ld do them and !eca+se yo+ want to do them. And yo+ 2 Sam+el '.22*2& 2( decided to let me know a!o+t all these things. 22 ord G5D, this is why yo+ are so great" There is no one like yo+. There is no god e4cept yo+" >e know that !eca+se of what we o+rselves have heard a!o+t what yo+ did. 23 And there is no nation on earth like yo+r people, 3srael. They are a special people. They were slaves, !+t yo+ took them o+t of -gypt and made them free. ;o+ made them yo+r people. ;o+ did great and wonderf+l things for the 3sraelites and for yo+r land. 2# ;o+ made the people of 3srael yo+r very own people forever, and 5.D, yo+ !ecame their God. 2% 1ow, 5.D God, yo+ promised to do something for me, yo+r servant, and for my family. 1ow please do what yo+ promisedmake my family a family of pag. 3%%0131#

kings forever" 2& Then yo+r name will !e honored forever. 6eople will say, The 5.D God AllD6owerf+l r+les 3srael" And may the family of yo+r servant David contin+e to !e strong in serving yo+. 2 Sam+el '.2'*(.3 2) 2' ;o+, 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, have shown things to me. ;o+ said, 3 will make yo+r family great. That is why 3, yo+r servant, decided to pray this prayer to yo+. 2( ord G5D, yo+ are God, and 3 can tr+st what yo+ say. And yo+ said that these good things wo+ld happen to me, yo+r servant. 2) 1ow, please, !less my family. et them stand !efore yo+ and serve yo+ forever. ord G5D, yo+ yo+rself said these things. ;o+ yo+rself !lessed my family with a !lessing that will contin+e forever. 8 1 ater David defeated the 6hilistines and took control of a large area of land aro+nd Gath. 2 $e also defeated the Aoa!ites. $e forced them to lie on the gro+nd in a long row. Hsing a rope to meas+re, those within two lengths of the rope were killed and those within every third length were allowed to live. So the Aoa!ites !ecame servants of David and paid tri!+te to him. 3 David went to an area near the -+phrates to set +p a mon+ment for 2 Sam+el (.#*1, 3, himself. There he defeated the king of Bo!ah, $adadeEer son of .eho!. # David took 1,,, chariots, ',,, horse soldiers, and 2,,,,, foot soldiers from $adadeEer. $e crippled all !+t 1,, of the chariot horses. % Arameans from Damasc+s came to help Ging $adadeEer of Bo!ah, !+t David defeated those 22,,,, Arameans. & Then David p+t his soldiers in Damasc+s, Aram. The Arameans !ecame Davids servants and !ro+ght tri!+te. The 5.D gave victory to David wherever he went. -asy To .ead /ersion

' David took the gold shields that had !elonged to $adadeEers servants and !ro+ght them to Cer+salem. ( David also took many things made of !ronEe from Te!ah and <erothai. 7Te!ah and <erothai were cities that had !elonged to $adadeEer.8 ) Ging Toi of $amath heard that David had defeated $adadeEers whole army. 1, $adadeEer had fo+ght against Toi in the past, so Toi sent his son Coram to Ging David. Coram greeted him and !lessed him !eca+se David had fo+ght against $adadeEer and defeated him. 2 Sam+el (.11*1( 31 Coram !ro+ght gifts of silver, gold, and !ronEe. 11 David took these things and dedicated them to the 5.D, as he had done with all the other things he had taken from the nations he had defeated: 12 Aram, Aoa!, Ammon, 6hilistia, and Amalek. $e had also defeated $adadeEer son of .eho!, king of Bo!ah. 13 David had defeated 1(,,,, -domites in Salt /alley. $e was famo+s when he came home. 1# $e p+t teams of soldiers thro+gho+t -dom, and the whole nation !ecame his servants. The 5.D gave victory to him wherever he went. 1% David r+led over all 3srael, and he made good and fair decisions for all of his people. 1& Coa! son of Ber+iah was the captain over the army. Cehoshaphat son of Ahil+d was the historian. 1' Badok son of Ahit+! and Ahimelech son of A!iathar were priests. Seraiah was secretary. 1( <enaiah son of Cehoiada was in charge of the Gerethites and 6elethites, and Davids sons were priests. 2 Sam+el ).1*& 32 9 1 David asked, 3s there anyone still left in Sa+ls family? 3 want to show kindness to this person. 3 want to do it for Conathan. 2 There was a servant named Bi!a from Sa+ls family. Davids servants called Bi!a pag. 3%&0131#

to David. Ging David said to Bi!a, Are yo+ Bi!a? Bi!a said, ;es, 3 am yo+r servant Bi!a. 3 The king said, 3s there anyone left in Sa+ls family? 3 want to show Gods kindness to this person. Bi!a said to Ging David, Conathan has a son still living. $e is crippled in !oth feet. # The king said to Bi!a, >here is this son? Bi!a said to the king, $e is at the ho+se of Aakir son of Ammiel in o De!ar. % Then Ging David sent some of his officers to o De!ar to !ring Conathans son from the ho+se of Aakir son of Ammiel. & Conathans son Aephi!osheth came to David and !owed with his face low to the floor. David said, Aephi!osheth? Aephi!osheth said, ;es sir, it is 3, yo+r servant Aephi!osheth. 2 Sam+el ).'*11 33 ' David said to Aephi!osheth, Dont !e afraid. 3 will !e kind to yo+ !eca+se of yo+r father Conathan. 3 will give !ack to yo+ all the land of yo+r grandfather Sa+l. And yo+ will always !e a!le to eat at my ta!le. ( Aephi!osheth !owed to David again and he said, 3 am no !etter than a dead dog, !+t yo+ are !eing very kind to me. ) Then Ging David called Sa+ls servant Bi!a and said, 3 have given Sa+ls family and everything he owns to yo+r masters grandson, Aephi!osheth. 1, ;o+ will farm the land for Aephi!osheth. ;o+r sons and servants will do this for him. ;o+ will harvest the crops. Then yo+r masters grandson will have plenty of food to eat, !+t Aephi!osheth will always !e allowed to eat at my ta!le. Bi!a had 1% sons and 2, servants. 11 $e said to Ging David, 3 am yo+r servant. 3 will do everything that my lord the king commands. So Aephi!osheth ate at Davids ta!le like one of the kings sons. 2 Sam+el ).12*1,.% 3# 12 Aephi!osheth had a yo+ng son -asy To .ead /ersion

named Aica. All the people in Bi!as family !ecame Aephi!osheths servants. 13 Aephi!osheth lived in Cer+salem. $e was crippled in !oth feet, and every day he ate at the kings ta!le. 10 1 ater Ging 1ahash of the Ammonites died. $is son $an+n !ecame the new king after him. 2 David said, 1ahash was kind to me, so 3 will !e kind to his son $an+n. So David sent his officers to comfort $an+n a!o+t his fathers death. Davids officers went to the land of the Ammonites. 3 <+t the Ammonite leaders said to $an+n, their lord, Do yo+ think that David is trying to honor yo+r father !y sending some men to comfort yo+? 1o, David sent these men to spy on yo+r city. They plan to make war against yo+. # So $an+n took Davids officers and shaved off one half of their !eards. $e c+t off their clothes at the hips. Then he sent them away. % >hen the people told David, he sent messengers to meet his officers. $e did this !eca+se these men were very ashamed. Ging David said, >ait at 2 Sam+el 1,.&*11 3% Cericho +ntil yo+r !eards grow again. Then come !ack home. & The Ammonites saw that they had !ecome Davids enemies, so they hired Arameans from <eth .eho! and Bo!ah. There were 2,,,,, Aramean foot soldiers. The Ammonites also hired the king of Aaacah with 1,,, men and 12,,,, men from To!. ' David heard a!o+t this, so he sent Coa! and the whole army of powerf+l men. ( The Ammonites came o+t and got ready for the !attle. They stood at the city gate. The Arameans from Bo!ah and .eho! and the men from To! and Aaacah did not stand together with the Ammonites in the field. ) Coa! saw that there were enemies in front of him and !ehind him. So he chose some of the !est 3sraelite soldiers and lined them +p for !attle against the pag. 3%'0131#

Arameans. 1, Then Coa! gave the other men to his !rother A!ishai to lead against the Ammonites. 11 Coa! said to A!ishai, 3f the Arameans are too strong for me, yo+ will help me. 2 Sam+el 1,.12*1' 3& 3f the Ammonites are too strong for yo+, 3 will come and help yo+. 12 <e strong, and let +s fight !ravely for o+r people and for the cities of o+r God. The 5.D will do what he decides is right. 13 Then Coa! and his men attacked the Arameans. The Arameans ran away from Coa! and his men. 1# The Ammonites saw that the Arameans were r+nning away, so they ran away from A!ishai and went !ack to their city. So Coa! came !ack from the !attle with the Ammonites and went !ack to Cer+salem. 1% >hen the Arameans saw that the 3sraelites had defeated them, they came together into one !ig army. 1& $adadeEer sent messengers to !ring the Arameans who lived on the other side of the -+phrates .iver. These Arameans came to $elam. Their leader was Sho!ach, the captain of $adadeEers army. 1' >hen David heard a!o+t this, he gathered all the 3sraelites together. They crossed over the Cordan .iver and went 2 Sam+el 1,.1(*11.3 3' to $elam. There the Arameans prepared for !attle and attacked, 1( !+t David defeated them, and they ran from the 3sraelites. David killed ',, chariot drivers and #,,,,, horse soldiers as well as Sho!ach, the captain of the Aramean army. 1) The kings who served $adadeEer saw that the 3sraelites had defeated them, so they made peace with the 3sraelites and !ecame their servants. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites again. 11 1 3n the spring, when kings go o+t to war, David sent Coa!, his officers, and all the 3sraelites o+t to -asy To .ead /ersion

destroy the Ammonites. Coa!s army s+rro+nded their capital city, .a!!ah. David stayed in Cer+salem. 2 5ne evening he got +p from his !ed and walked aro+nd on the roof of his ho+se. 2rom there, he saw a woman !athing. She was very !ea+tif+l, 3 so David sent for his officers and asked them who she was. An officer answered, That is <athshe!a, da+ghter of -liam. She is the wife of Hriah the $ittite. 2 Sam+el 11.#*11 3( # David sent messengers to go and !ring <athshe!a to him. She had =+st p+rified herself after her monthly time of !leeding. She went to David, he had se4+al relations with her, and then she went !ack to her ho+se. % ater, <athshe!a !ecame pregnant. She sent word to him saying, 3 am pregnant. & David sent a message to Coa!. Send Hriah the $ittite to me. So Coa! sent Hriah to David. ' >hen Hriah came, David asked him how Coa! was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going. ( Then David said to Hriah, Go home and rela4. So Hriah left the kings palace. The king also sent a gift to Hriah. ) <+t Hriah did not go home. $e slept o+tside the door of the kings palace, as the rest of the kings servants did. 1, The servants told David, Hriah did not go home. Then David said to Hriah, ;o+ came from a long trip. >hy did yo+ not go home? 11 Hriah said to David, The $oly <o4 and the soldiers of 3srael and C+dah are staying in tents. Ay lord Coa! and my 2 Sam+el 11.12*1' 3) lords officers are camping o+t in the field. So it is not right for me to go home to eat and drink and sleep with my wife. As s+rely as yo+ live, 3 will not do this. 12 David said to Hriah, Stay here today. Tomorrow 3 will send yo+ !ack to the !attle. Hriah stayed in Cer+salem +ntil the ne4t morning. pag. 3%(0131#

13 Then David called Hriah to come and see him. Hriah ate and drank with David. David got him dr+nk, !+t Hriah still did not go home. That evening, Hriah again slept at the palace with the rest of the kings servants. 1# The ne4t morning David wrote a letter to Coa! and made Hriah carry the letter. 1% 3n the letter David wrote: 6+t Hriah on the front lines where the fighting is the hardest. Then leave him there alone, and let him !e killed in !attle. 1& Coa! watched the city and saw where the !ravest Ammonites were. $e chose Hriah to go to that place. 1' The men of the city came o+t to fight against Coa!. Some of Davids men were killed. Hriah the $ittite was one of them. 2 Sam+el 11.1(*2# #, 1( Then Coa! sent a report to David a!o+t what happened in the !attle. 1) Coa! told the messenger to tell Ging David what had happened in the !attle. 2, The king might get +pset and ask, >hy did Coa!s army go that close to the city to fight? S+rely he knows that there are men on the city walls who can shoot arrows down at his men? 21 S+rely he remem!ers that at The!eE a woman killed A!imelech son of Cer+! <esheth when he threw the top part of a grinding stone down from the wall. So why did he go that close to the wall? 3f Ging David says something like that, tell him, ;o+r officer, Hriah the $ittite, also died. 22 The messenger went in and told David everything Coa! told him to say. 23 The messenger told David, The men of Ammon attacked +s in the field. >e fo+ght them and chased them all the way to the city gate. 2# Then the men on the city wall shot arrows at yo+r officers. Some of yo+r officers were killed, incl+ding Hriah the $ittite. 2 Sam+el 11.2%*12.3 #1 2% David said to the messenger, Give this message to Coa!: Dont !e too +pset -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t this. A sword can kill one person as well as the ne4t. Aake a stronger attack against .a!!ah and yo+ will win. -nco+rage Coa! with these words. 2& <athshe!a heard that her h+s!and Hriah had died, so she mo+rned for him. 2' After her time of sadness, David sent servants to !ring her to his ho+se. She !ecame Davids wife and gave !irth to a son for David. <+t the 5.D did not like what David had done. 12 1 The 5.D sent 1athan to David. 1athan went to him and said, There were two men in a city. 5ne man was rich, !+t the other man was poor. 2 The rich man had lots of sheep and cattle. 3 <+t the poor man had nothing e4cept one little female lam! that he !o+ght. The poor man fed the lam!, and the lam! grew +p with this poor man and his children. She ate from the poor mans food and drank from his c+p. The lam! slept on the poor mans chest. The lam! was like a da+ghter to the poor man. 2 Sam+el 12.#*) #2 # Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to give food to the traveler, !+t he did not want to take any of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler. 1o, the rich man took the lam! from the poor man and cooked it for his visitor. % David !ecame very angry with the rich man. $e said to 1athan, As the 5.D lives, the man who did this sho+ld die" & $e m+st pay fo+r times the price of the lam! !eca+se he did this terri!le thing and !eca+se he had no mercy. ' Then 1athan said to David, ;o+ are that rich man" This is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: 3 chose yo+ to !e the king of 3srael. 3 saved yo+ from Sa+l. ( 3 let yo+ take his family and his wives, and 3 made yo+ king of 3srael and C+dah. As if that had not !een eno+gh, 3 wo+ld have given yo+ more and more. ) So why did yo+ ignore my command? >hy did yo+ do what 3 say is wrong? ;o+ pag. 3%)0131#

let the Ammonites kill Hriah the $ittite, and yo+ took his wife. 3t is as if yo+ yo+rself killed Hriah in war. 2 Sam+el 12.1,*1& #3 1, So yo+r family will never have peace" >hen yo+ took Hriahs wife, yo+ showed that yo+ did not respect me. 11 This is what the 5.D says: 3 am !ringing tro+!le against yo+. This tro+!le will come from yo+r own family. 3 will take yo+r wives from yo+ and give them to someone who is very close to yo+. $e will have se4+al relations with yo+r wives, and everyone will know it" 12 ;o+ had se4+al relations with <athshe!a in secret, !+t 3 will p+nish yo+ so that all the people of 3srael can see it. 13 Then David said to 1athan, 3 have sinned against the 5.D. 1athan said to David, The 5.D will forgive yo+, even for this sin. ;o+ will not die. 1# <+t yo+ did things that made the 5.D@S enemies lose their respect for him, so yo+r new !a!y son will die. 1% Then 1athan went home. And the 5.D ca+sed the !a!y !oy who was !orn to David and Hriahs wife to !ecome very sick. 1& David prayed to God for the !a!y. David ref+sed to eat or drink. $e went 2 Sam+el 12.1'*21 ## into his ho+se and stayed there and lay on the gro+nd all night. 1' The leaders of Davids family came and tried to p+ll David +p from the gro+nd, !+t he ref+sed to get +p. $e ref+sed to eat with these leaders. 1( 5n the seventh day, the !a!y died. Davids servants were afraid to tell him that the !a!y was dead. They said, ook, we tried to talk to David while the !a!y was alive, !+t he ref+sed to listen to +s. 3f we tell David that the !a!y is dead, he might do something !ad to himself. 1) David saw his servants whispering and +nderstood that the !a!y was dead. So David asked his servants, 3s the !a!y dead? The servants answered, ;es, he is dead. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, Then David got +p from the floor. $e washed himself. $e changed his clothes and got dressed. Then he went into the 5.D@S ho+se to worship. After that he went home and asked for something to eat. $is servants gave him some food, and he ate. 21 Davids servants asked him, >hy are yo+ doing this? >hen the !a!y was alive, 2 Sam+el 12.22*2( #% yo+ cried and ref+sed to eat. <+t when the !a!y died yo+ got +p and ate food. 22 David said, >hile the !a!y was still living, 3 cried and ref+sed to eat !eca+se 3 tho+ght, >ho knows? Aay!e the 5.D will feel sorry for me and let the !a!y live. 23 <+t now the !a!y is dead, so why sho+ld 3 ref+se to eat? 9an 3 !ring the !a!y !ack to life? 1o. Some day 3 will go to him, !+t he cannot come !ack to me. 2# Then David comforted <athshe!a his wife. $e slept with her and had se4+al relations with her. <athshe!a !ecame pregnant again and had another son. David named the !oy Solomon. The 5.D loved Solomon 2% and sent word for 1athan the prophet to give Solomon the name Cedidiah. So 1athan did this for the 5.D. 2& .a!!ah was the capital city of the Ammonites. Coa! fo+ght against .a!!ah and capt+red it. 2' Coa! sent messengers to David and said, 3 have fo+ght against .a!!ah and have capt+red its water s+pply. 2( 1ow !ring the rest of the army together and attack .a!!ah. 9apt+re 2 Sam+el 12.2)*13.2 #& this city !efore 3 do, or else it will !e called !y my name. 2) So David gathered all the soldiers together and went to .a!!ah. $e fo+ght against .a!!ah and capt+red the city. 3, David took the crown off their kings head. The crown was gold and weighed a!o+t '% po+nds. This crown had precio+s stones in it. They p+t the crown on Davids head. David took many val+a!le things o+t of the city. pag. 3&,0131#

31 David also !ro+ght o+t the people of the city of .a!!ah and made them work with saws, iron picks, and a4es. $e also forced them to !+ild things with !ricks. $e did the same thing to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and the army went !ack to Cer+salem. 13 1 David had a son named A!salom. A!salom had a very !ea+tif+l sister named Tamar. Another one of Davids sons, Amnon, was in love with Tamar. 2 She was a virgin. Amnon wanted her very m+ch, !+t he did not think it was possi!le for him to have her. $e tho+ght a!o+t her so m+ch that he made himself sick. 2 Sam+el 13.3*' #' 3 Amnon had a friend named Conada! son of Shimeah. 7Shimeah was Davids !rother.8 Conada! was a very clever man. # $e said to Amnon, -very day yo+ look thinner and thinner. ;o+ are the kings son. ;o+ have plenty to eat, so why are yo+ losing weight? Tell me" Amnon told Conada!, 3 love Tamar. <+t she is the sister of my halfD!rother A!salom. % Conada! said to Amnon, Go to !ed. 6retend yo+ are sick. Then yo+r father will come to see yo+. Tell him, 6lease let my sister Tamar come in and give me food to eat. et her make the food in front of me. Then 3 will see it, and eat it from her hand. & So Amnon lay down in !ed and pretended to !e sick. Ging David came in to see Amnon. $e said to Ging David, 6lease let my sister Tamar come in. et her make two cakes for me while 3 watch. Then 3 can eat from her hands. ' David sent messengers to Tamars ho+se. They told her, Go to yo+r !rother Amnons ho+se and make some food for him. 2 Sam+el 13.(*1# #( ( So Tamar went to the ho+se of her !rother Amnon. $e was in !ed. Tamar took some do+gh, pressed it together with her hands, and cooked the cakes. -asy To .ead /ersion

She did this while he watched. ) Then Tamar took the cakes o+t of the pan and set them o+t for him. <+t he ref+sed to eat. $e said to his servants, Get o+t of here. eave me alone" So all of his servants left the room. 1, Then Amnon said to Tamar, <ring the food into the !edroom and feed me !y hand. So Tamar took the cakes she had made and went into her !rothers !edroom. 11 She started to feed Amnon, !+t he gra!!ed her hand. $e said to her, Sister, come and sleep with me. 12 Tamar said to Amnon, 1o, !rother" Dont force me to do this. Dont do this shamef+l thing" Terri!le things like this sho+ld never !e done in 3srael" 13 3 wo+ld never get rid of my shame, and people wo+ld think that yo+ are =+st a common criminal. 6lease, talk with the king. $e will let yo+ marry me. 1# <+t Amnon ref+sed to listen to Tamar. $e was stronger than she was, so he 2 Sam+el 13.1%*2, #) forced her to have se4+al relations with him. 1% Then Amnon !egan to hate Tamar. $e hated her m+ch more than he had loved her !efore. Amnon said to her, Get +p and get o+t of here" 1& Tamar said to Amnon, 1o" Dont send me away like this. That wo+ld !e even worse than what yo+ did !efore" <+t Amnon ref+sed to listen to Tamar. 1' $e called his servant and said, Get this girl o+t of this room, now" And lock the door after her. 1( So Amnons servant led Tamar o+t of the room and locked the door. Tamar was wearing a long ro!e with many colors. The kings virgin da+ghters wore ro!es like this. 1) Tamar tore her ro!e of many colors and p+t ashes on her head. Then she p+t her hand on her head and !egan crying. 2, Then Tamars !rother A!salom said to her, $ave yo+ !een with yo+r !rother Amnon? Did he h+rt yo+? 1ow, calm down sister. Amnon is yo+r !rother, so pag. 3&10131#

we will take care of this. Dont let it +pset yo+ too m+ch. So Tamar did not say 2 Sam+el 13.21*2& %, anything. She J+ietly went to live at A!saloms ho+se. 21 Ging David heard the news and !ecame very angry, !+t he did not want to say anything to +pset Amnon, !eca+se he loved him since he was his first!orn son. 22 A!salom !egan to hate Amnon. A!salom did not say one word, good or !ad, to Amnon, !+t he hated him !eca+se Amnon had raped his sister Tamar. 23 Two years later, A!salom had some men come to <aal $aEor to c+t the wool from his sheep. $e invited all the kings sons to come and watch. 2# A!salom went to the king and said, 3 have some men coming to c+t the wool from my sheep. 6lease come with yo+r servants and watch. 2% Ging David said to A!salom, 1o, son. >e will not all go. 3t will !e too m+ch tro+!le for yo+. A!salom !egged David to go. David did not go, !+t he did give his !lessing. 2& A!salom said, 3f yo+ dont want to go, please let my !rother Amnon go with 2 Sam+el 13.2'*32 %1 me. Ging David asked A!salom, >hy sho+ld he go with yo+? 2' A!salom kept !egging David. 2inally, David let Amnon and all the kings other sons go with A!salom. 2( Then A!salom gave this command to his servants, >atch Amnon. >hen he is dr+nk and feeling good from the wine, 3 will give yo+ the command. ;o+ m+st attack Amnon and kill him. Dont !e afraid of !eing p+nished. After all, yo+ will only !e o!eying my command. 1ow, !e strong and !rave. 2) So A!saloms yo+ng soldiers did what he said. They killed Amnon. <+t all of Davids other sons escaped. -ach son got on his m+le and escaped. 3, The kings sons were still on their way into town. <+t Ging David got a message -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t what happened. <+t the message was, A!salom has killed all the kings sons" 1ot one of the sons was left alive. 31 Ging David tore his clothes and lay on the gro+nd. All of Davids officers standing near him also tore their clothes. 32 <+t then Conada!, the son of Davids !rother Shimeah, said, Dont think that all the kings sons were killed" 5nly 2 Sam+el 13.33*1#.1 %2 Amnon is dead. A!salom has !een planning this from the day that Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 Ay lord and king, dont think that all of yo+r sons are dead. 5nly Amnon is dead. 3# A!salom ran away. There was a g+ard standing on the city wall. $e saw many people coming from the other side of the hill, and went to tell the king. 3% So Conada! said to Ging David, ook, 3 was right" The kings sons are coming. 3& The kings sons came in =+st after Conada! said that. They were crying lo+dly. David and all of his officers !egan crying. They all cried very hard. 3' David cried for his son every day.A!salom ran away to Talmai son of Ammih+d, the king of Gesh+r. 3( After A!salom had r+n away to Gesh+r, he stayed there for three years. 3) Ging David was comforted after Amnon died, !+t he missed A!salom very m+ch. 14 1 Coa! son of Ber+iah knew that Ging David missed A!salom very m+ch. 2 Sam+el 1#.2*' %3 2 So Coa! sent messengers to Tekoa to !ring a wise woman from there. Coa! said to this wise woman, 6lease pretend to !e very sad. 6+t on sackcloth. Dont dress +p. Act like a woman who has !een crying many days for someone who died. 3 Go to the king and talk to him +sing these words that 3 tell yo+. Then Coa! told the wise woman what to say. # Then the woman from Tekoa talked to the king. She !owed with her face to the gro+nd. Then she said, Ging, please help pag. 3&20131#

me" % Ging David said to her, >hats yo+r pro!lem? The woman said, 3 am a widow. Ay h+s!and is dead. & 3 had two sons. They were o+t in the field fighting. There was no one to stop them. 5ne son killed the other son. ' 1ow the whole family is against me. They said to me, <ring +s the son who killed his !rother and we will kill him, !eca+se he killed his !rother. Ay son is like the last spark of a fire. 3f they kill my son, that fire will !+rn o+t and !e finished. $e is the only son left alive to get his fathers property. So my dead h+s!ands property will go to someone 2 Sam+el 1#.(*13 %# else and his name will !e removed from the land. ( Then the king said to the woman, Go home. 3 will take care of things for yo+. ) The woman of Tekoa said to the king, et the !lame !e on me, my lord and king. ;o+ and yo+r kingdom are innocent. 1, Ging David said, 3f anyone is saying !ad things to yo+, !ring them to me. They will not !other yo+ again. 11 The woman said, 6lease, +se the name of the 5.D yo+r God and swear that yo+ will stop these people. They want to p+nish my son for m+rdering his !rother. Swear that yo+ will not let them destroy my son. David said, As the 5.D lives, no one will h+rt yo+r son. 1ot even one hair from yo+r sons head will fall to the gro+nd. 12 The woman said, Ay lord and king, please let me say something else to yo+. The king said, Speak. 13 Then the woman said, >hy have yo+ planned these things against the people of God? >hen yo+ say these things, yo+ show yo+ are g+ilty !eca+se yo+ have 2 Sam+el 1#.1#*1( %% not !ro+ght !ack the son who yo+ forced to leave home. 1# >e will all die some day. >e will !e like water that is spilled on the gro+nd. 1o one can gather this water !ack from -asy To .ead /ersion

the gro+nd. ;o+ know God forgives people. God made plans for people who are forced to r+n away for safetyGod does not force them to r+n away from him" 1% Ay lord and king, 3 came to say these words to yo+, !eca+se the people made me afraid. 3 said to myself, 3 will talk to the king. Aay!e the king will help me. 1& The king will listen to me and save me from the man who wants to kill me and my son. That man =+st wants to keep +s from getting what God gave +s. 1' 3 know that the words of my lord the king will give me rest, !eca+se yo+ are like an angel from God. ;o+ know what is good and what is !ad. And the 5.D yo+r God is with yo+. 1( Ging David answered the woman, ;o+ m+st answer the J+estion 3 will ask yo+. The woman said, Ay lord and king, please ask yo+r J+estion. 2 Sam+el 1#.1)*2% %& 1) The king said, Did Coa! tell yo+ to say all these things? The woman answered, As yo+ live, my lord and king, yo+ are right. ;o+r officer Coa! did tell me to say these things. 2, Coa! did this so that yo+ wo+ld see things differently. Ay lord, yo+ are as wise as Gods angel. ;o+ know everything that happens on earth. 21 The king said to Coa!, ook, 3 will do what 3 promised. 1ow please !ring !ack the yo+ng man A!salom. 22 Coa! !owed with his face on the gro+nd. $e !lessed Ging David, and said, Today 3 know that yo+ are pleased with me. 3 know !eca+se yo+ have done what 3 asked. 23 Then Coa! got +p and went to Gesh+r and !ro+ght A!salom to Cer+salem. 2# <+t Ging David said, A!salom m+st go !ack to his own ho+se. $e cannot come to see me. So A!salom went !ack to his own ho+se, !+t he co+ld not go to see the king. 2% 6eople really !ragged a!o+t how goodDlooking A!salom was. 1o man in 3srael was as handsome as A!salom. pag. 3&30131#

2 Sam+el 1#.2&*32 %' -very part of his !ody was perfectfrom his head to his feet. 2& At the end of every year, A!salom c+t the hair from his head and weighed it. The hair weighed a!o+t five po+nds. 2' A!salom had three sons and one da+ghter. $er name was Tamar, and she was a !ea+tif+l woman. 2( A!salom lived in Cer+salem for two f+ll years witho+t !eing allowed to visit Ging David. 2) A!salom sent a message to Coa!, asking for permission to see the king, !+t Coa! ref+sed to come see him. So A!salom sent a second message to Coa!. Again, Coa! ref+sed to come see him. 3, Then A!salom said to his servants, ook, Coa!s field is ne4t to my field. $e has !arley growing in that field. Go !+rn the !arley. So A!saloms servants went and started a fire in Coa!s field. 31 Coa! got +p and came to A!saloms ho+se. $e said to him, >hy did yo+r servants !+rn my field? 32 A!salom said to Coa!, 3 sent a message to yo+. 3 asked yo+ to come here. 3 wanted to send yo+ to the king to ask him why he asked me to come 2 Sam+el 1#.33*1%.# %( home from Gesh+r. 3 cannot see him, so it wo+ld have !een !etter for me to stay in Gesh+r. 1ow let me see the king. 3f 3 have sinned, he can kill me" 33 Then Coa! came to the king and told him what A!salom said. The king called for A!salom. A!salom came to the king and !owed low on the gro+nd !efore the king. The king kissed him. 15 1 After this, A!salom got a chariot and horses for himself. $e had %, men r+n in front of him while he drove the chariot. 2 A!salom wo+ld get +p early and stand near the gate. $e wo+ld watch for anyone with pro!lems who was going to Ging David for =+dgment. Then A!salom wo+ld talk to them and say, >hat city are yo+ from? They wo+ld say they were from s+ch and s+ch tri!e in 3srael. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 Then A!salom wo+ld say, ook, yo+ are right, !+t Ging David will not listen to yo+. # A!salom wo+ld also say, 5h, 3 wish someone wo+ld make me a =+dge in this co+ntry" Then 3 co+ld help everyone who comes to me with a pro!lem. 3 wo+ld 2 Sam+el 1%.%*11 %) help them get a fair sol+tion to their pro!lem. % And if anyone came to A!salom and started to !ow down to him, A!salom wo+ld treat him like a close friendhe wo+ld reach o+t and to+ch him and kiss him. & A!salom did that to all the 3sraelites who came to Ging David for =+dgment. 3n this way A!salom won the hearts of all the people of 3srael. ' After fo+r years, A!salom said to Ging David, 6lease let me go to $e!ron to complete a special promise that 3 made to the 5.D. ( 3 made that promise while 3 was still living in Gesh+r in Aram. 3 said, 3f the 5.D !rings me !ack to Cer+salem, 3 will serve the 5.D in a special way. ) Ging David said, Go in peace. A!salom went to $e!ron. 1, <+t he also sent spies to all the tri!es of 3srael. They told the people, >hen yo+ hear the tr+mpet, say, A!salom is king in $e!ron" 11 A!salom invited 2,, men to go with him. They left Cer+salem with him, !+t they did not know what he was planning. 2 Sam+el 1%.12*1( &, 12 Ahithophel was one of Davids advisors. $e was from the town of Giloh. >hile A!salom was offering sacrifices, he invited Ahithophel to =oin. A!saloms plans were working very well and more and more people !egan to s+pport him. 13 A man came in to tell the news to David. The man said, The people of 3srael are !eginning to follow A!salom. 1# Then David said to all of his officers who were still in Cer+salem with him, 9ome on, we cannot let him trap +s here in Cer+salem. $+rry +p, !efore he pag. 3&#0131#

catches +s. $e will destroy +s all, and Cer+salem will !e destroyed in the !attle. 1% The kings officers told him, >e will do whatever yo+ tell +s. 1& Ging David left with everyone in his family, e4cept ten of his slave women. $e left them to take care of the ho+se. 1' The king left with everyone in his ho+se following him on foot. They stopped at the last ho+se. 1( All the kings officers passed !y him. And all the Gerethites, all the 6elethites, and the Gittites 7&,, men from Gath8 passed !y the king. 2 Sam+el 1%.1)*2% &1 1) The king said to 3ttai from Gath, >hy are yo+ also going with +s? ;o+ are a foreignerF this is not yo+r homeland. Go !ack and stay with the new king. 2, ;o+ came to =oin me only yesterday. ;o+ dont need to wander from place to place with me. Take yo+r !rothers and go !ack. Go with my faithf+l, loving kindness. 21 <+t 3ttai answered the king, As the 5.D lives, and as long as yo+ live, 3 will stay with yo+, in life or death" 22 David said to 3ttai, Then come, lets go cross Gidron <rook. So 3ttai from Gath and all of his people and their children crossed over Gidron <rook. 23 All the people were crying lo+dly. Then Ging David crossed over Gidron <rook, and all of the people went o+t to the desert. 2# Badok and all the evites with him were carrying the <o4 of Gods Agreement. They set down Gods $oly <o4, and A!iathar said prayers +ntil all of the people had left Cer+salem. 2% Ging David said to Badok, Take Gods $oly <o4 !ack to Cer+salem. 3f the 5.D is pleased with me, he will !ring me 2 Sam+el 1%.2&*32 &2 !ack and let me see Cer+salem and his Temple. 2& <+t if he says he is not pleased with me, let him do whatever he wants to me. 2' The king said to Badok the priest, ;o+ are a seer. Go !ack to the city in peace. -asy To .ead /ersion

Take yo+r son AhimaaE and Conathan the son of A!iathar. 2( 3 will !e waiting near the places where people cross the river into the desert. 3 will wait there +ntil 3 hear from yo+. 2) So Badok and A!iathar took Gods $oly <o4 !ack to Cer+salem and stayed there. 3, David walked +p the path to the Ao+nt of 5lives. $e was crying, his head was covered, and he went witho+t sandals on his feet. All the people with David also covered their heads and were crying as they walked with him. 31 Someone told David, Ahithophel is one who =oined in A!saloms plot against yo+. Then David prayed, 5.D, 3 ask yo+ to make Ahithophel give only foolish advice. 32 >hen David got to the top of the mo+ntain, he !owed down to worship 2 Sam+el 1%.33*1&.1 &3 God. Then David noticed $+shai the Arkite. $+shais coat was torn, and there was d+st on his head. 33 David said to $+shai, 3f yo+ go with me, yo+ will !e =+st one more person to care for. 3# <+t if yo+ go !ack to Cer+salem, yo+ can disagree with Ahithophel and make his advice +seless. Tell A!salom, Ging, 3 am yo+r servant. 3 served yo+r father, !+t now 3 will serve yo+. 3% The priests Badok and A!iathar will !e with yo+. ;o+ m+st tell them everything yo+ hear in the kings palace. 3& Badoks son AhimaaE and A!iathars son Conathan will !e with them. ;o+ can send them to tell me everything yo+ hear. 3' So Davids friend $+shai went !ack to the city, =+st as A!salom arrived in Cer+salem. 16 1 David went a short way over the top of the Ao+nt of 5lives and met Bi!a, the servant of Aephi!osheth. Bi!a had two donkeys with saddles on them. The donkeys also carried 2,, loaves of !read, 1,, !+nches of raisins, pag. 3&%0131#

2 Sam+el 1&.2*' &# 1,, s+mmer fr+its, and a wineskin f+ll of wine. 2 Ging David said to Bi!a, >hat are these things for? Bi!a answered, The donkeys are for the kings family to ride on. The !read and the s+mmer fr+it are for the servants to eat. And the wine is refreshment for whoever !egins to feel weak in the desert. 3 Then the king asked, And where is Aephi!osheth? Bi!a answered the king, Aephi!osheth is staying in Cer+salem. $e said, Today the 3sraelites will give my fathers kingdom !ack to me. # Then the king said to Bi!a, All right, 3 now give yo+ everything that !elonged to Aephi!osheth. Bi!a said, 3 !ow to yo+. 3 pray 3 will always !e a!le to please yo+. % As David came to <ah+rim, a man from Sa+ls family, Shimei son of Gera, came o+t c+rsing David again and again. & Shimei !egan throwing stones at David and his officers. <oth the people and the soldiers gathered aro+nd David to protect himthey were all aro+nd him. ' Shimei c+rsed David. $e said, Get o+t, get o+t, yo+ noDgood m+rderer" 2 Sam+el 1&.(*12 &% ( The 5.D is p+nishing yo+ !eca+se yo+ killed people in Sa+ls family. ;o+ stole Sa+ls place as king. <+t now the same !ad things are happening to yo+. The 5.D has given the kingdom to yo+r son A!salom, !eca+se yo+ are a m+rderer. ) A!ishai son of Ber+iah said to the king, >hy sho+ld this dying dog c+rse yo+, my lord the king? et me go over and c+t off Shimeis head. 1, <+t the king answered, >hat can 3 do, sons of Ber+iah? ;es, Shimei is c+rsing me, !+t the 5.D told him to c+rse me. And who can ask him why he did that? 11 David also said to A!ishai and all his servants, ook, my very own son is trying to kill me, so why sho+ldnt this man from the tri!e of <en=amin want to -asy To .ead /ersion

do the same? eave him alone. et him contin+e to c+rse me. The 5.D told him to do this. 12 Aay!e the 5.D will see the wrong things that are happening to me and give me something good for every !ad thing that Shimei says today. 2 Sam+el 1&.13*21 && 13 So David and his men went on their way down the road. Shimei kept following David. $e walked on the other side of the road !y the side of the hill. $e kept c+rsing David on his way. Shimei also threw stones and dirt at David. 1# Ging David and all his people came to the Cordan .iver. They were tired, so they rested and refreshed themselves there. 1% Aeanwhile, A!salom, Ahithophel, and all the 3sraelites came to Cer+salem. 1& Davids friend, $+shai the Arkite, came to A!salom and told him, ong live the king" ong live the king" 1' A!salom answered, >hy are yo+ not loyal to yo+r friend David? >hy did yo+ not leave Cer+salem with yo+r friend? 1( $+shai said, 3 !elong to the one that the 5.D chooses. These people and the people of 3srael chose yo+. 3 will stay with yo+. 1) 3n the past, 3 served yo+r father. So now 3 will serve yo+, Davids son. 2, A!salom said to Ahithophel, 6lease tell +s what we sho+ld do. 21 Ahithophel said to A!salom, ;o+r father left some of his slave women here 2 Sam+el 1&.22*1'.% &' to take care of the ho+se. Go and have se4+al relations with them. Then all the 3sraelites will hear how yo+ h+miliated yo+r father, and they will !e enco+raged to give yo+ more s+pport. 22 Then they p+t +p a tent for A!salom +p on the roof of the ho+se. A!salom had se4+al relations with his fathers wives so that all the 3sraelites co+ld see what happened. 23 So in those days, Ahithophels advice was very important. <oth David and A!salom accepted his advice as tho+gh pag. 3&&0131#

it were the word of God. 17 1 Ahithophel also said to A!salom, 1ow, let me choose 12,,,, men to chase David tonight. 2 3 will catch him while he is tired and weak. 3 will frighten him, and all his people will r+n away. <+t 3 will kill only Ging David. 3 Then 3 will !ring all the people !ack to yo+. 3f David is dead, all the people will come !ack in peace. # This plan seemed good to A!salom and all the leaders of 3srael. % <+t A!salom said, 1ow call $+shai the Arkite. 3 also want to hear what he says. 2 Sam+el 1'.&*12 &( & $+shai came to A!salom. A!salom said to $+shai, This is the plan Ahithophel gave. Sho+ld we follow it? 3f not, tell +s. ' $+shai said to A!salom, Ahithophels advice is not good this time. ( $+shai added, ;o+ know that yo+r father and his men are strong men. They are as dangero+s as a wild !ear when something has taken its c+!s. ;o+r father is a skilled fighter. $e will not stay all night with the people. ) $e is pro!a!ly already hiding in a cave or some other place. 3f yo+r father attacks yo+r men first, people will hear the news and think, A!saloms followers are losing" 1, Then even yo+r !ravest men will !e frightened, !eca+se all the 3sraelites know that yo+r father is a powerf+l soldier and that his men are very !rave. 11 This is what 3 s+ggest: ;o+ m+st gather all the 3sraelites together from Dan to <eershe!a. Then there will !e many people, like the sand !y the sea. Then yo+ yo+rself m+st go into the !attle. 12 >e will catch David wherever he is hiding and attack him with so many 2 Sam+el 1'.13*1& &) soldiers that they will !e like the dew that covers the gro+nd. >e will kill David and all of his menno one will !e left alive. 13 <+t if David escapes into a city, all the 3sraelites can !ring ropes to that city -asy To .ead /ersion

and p+ll its walls down into the valley. 1ot even a small stone will !e left in that city. 1# A!salom and all the 3sraelites said, $+shais advice is !etter than Ahithophels. Act+ally, Ahithophels advice was good, !+t they said this !eca+se the 5.D had decided to make Ahithophels advice +seless. $e did this to p+nish A!salom. 1% $+shai told the priests, Badok and A!iathar, what was said. $e told them what Ahithophel s+ggested to A!salom and the leaders of 3srael. $+shai also told them what he himself had s+ggested. $e said, 1& Send a message to David now" Tell him not to spend the night at the places where people cross into the desert. Tell him to go across the Cordan .iver at once. 3f he crosses the river, the king and all his people will not !e ca+ght. 2 Sam+el 1'.1'*21 ', 1' The priests sons, Conathan and AhimaaE, did not want to !e seen going into the town, so they waited at -n .ogel. A servant girl went o+t to them and gave them the message. Then Conathan and AhimaaE carried the message to Ging David. 1( <+t a !oy saw Conathan and AhimaaE and ran to tell A!salom. Conathan and AhimaaE ran away J+ickly. They arrived at a mans ho+se in <ah+rim. The man had a well in his co+rtyard. Conathan and AhimaaE went down into this well. 1) The mans wife spread a sheet over the mo+th of the well and covered it with grain. The well looked like a pile of grain, so no one wo+ld know to look there. 2, A!saloms servants came to the woman at the ho+se. They asked, >here are AhimaaE and Conathan? The woman said to A!saloms servants, They have already crossed over the !rook. A!saloms servants then went to look for Conathan and AhimaaE, !+t they co+ld not find them. So A!saloms servants went !ack to Cer+salem. 21 After A!saloms servants left, pag. 3&'0131#

Conathan and AhimaaE clim!ed o+t of 2 Sam+el 1'.22*2' '1 the well and went to Ging David. They said to David, $+rry, go across the river. Ahithophel is planning to do something to yo+. 22 So David and his people crossed over the Cordan .iver. <y s+nrise, all of Davids people had crossed the Cordan .iver. 1o one was left !ehind. 23 >hen Ahithophel saw that the 3sraelites did not do what he s+ggested, he saddled his donkey and went !ack to his hometown. $e made plans for his family and then hanged himself. They !+ried him in his fathers tom!. 2# David arrived at Aahanaim =+st as A!salom and the 3sraelites who were with him crossed over the Cordan .iver. 2% A!salom and the 3sraelites made their camp in the land of Gilead. A!salom had made Amasa the new captain of the army. $e took Coa!s place. Amasa was the son of 3thra the 3shmaelite. $is mother was A!igail, the da+ghter of 1ahash, the sister of Coa!s mother, Ber+iah. 2& 71':2%8 2' >hen David arrived at Aahanaim, Sho!i, Aakir, and <arEillai were there. 2 Sam+el 1'.2(*1(.3 '2 Sho!i son of 1ahash was from the Ammonite town of .a!!ah. Aakir son of Ammiel was from o De!ar. <arEillai was from .ogelim in Gilead. 2( These three men said, The people are tired, h+ngry, and thirsty from the desert. So they !ro+ght many things to David and those with him. They !ro+ght !eds, !owls, and other kinds of dishes. They also !ro+ght wheat, !arley, flo+r, roasted grain, !eans, lentils, dried seeds, honey, !+tter, sheep, and cheese made from cows milk. 2) 71':2(8 18 1 David co+nted his men and chose captains over 1,,, and captains over 1,, to lead them. 2 $e separated the people into three gro+ps and sent them o+t. Coa! led a -asy To .ead /ersion

third of the men. Coa!s !rother, A!ishai son of Ber+iah, led another third. And 3ttai from Gath led the last third. Ging David said to the people, 3 will also go with yo+. 3 <+t they said, 1o" ;o+ m+st not go with +s. 3f we r+n away in the !attle, A!saloms men will not care. 1o, even if only half of +s are killed, A!saloms men 2 Sam+el 1(.#*) '3 will not care. <+t yo+ are worth 1,,,,, of +s" 3t is !etter for yo+ to stay in the city. Then, if we need help, yo+ can come to help +s. # The king said to them, 3 will do what yo+ think is !est. Then the king stood !y the gate as the army went o+t in gro+ps of 1,, and 1,,,. % The king gave a command to Coa!, A!ishai, and 3ttai. $e said, Do this for me: <e gentle with yo+ng A!salom" -veryone heard the kings orders a!o+t A!salom to the captains. & Davids army went o+t into the field against A!saloms 3sraelites. They fo+ght in the forest of -phraim. ' Davids army defeated the 3sraelites. 3t was a great defeat !eca+se 2,,,,, men were killed that day. ( The !attle spread thro+gho+t the co+ntry, !+t more men died in the forest than !y the sword. ) 3t so happened that Davids officers fo+nd A!salom. A!salom =+mped on his m+le and tried to escape, !+t the m+le went +nder the !ranches of a large oak tree. The !ranches were thick, and A!saloms head got ca+ght in the tree. 2 Sam+el 1(.1,*1& '# $is m+le ran o+t from +nder him, so A!salom was left hanging a!ove the gro+nd. 1, Someone saw this happen and told Coa!, 3 saw A!salom hanging in an oak tree. 11 Coa! said to the man, >hy didnt yo+ kill him and let him fall to the gro+nd? 3 wo+ld have given yo+ a !elt and ten pieces of silver" 12 The man said to Coa!, 3 wo+ld not try pag. 3&(0131#

to h+rt the kings son even if yo+ gave me 1,,, pieces of silver. >e heard the kings command to yo+, A!ishai, and 3ttai. The king said, <e caref+l not to h+rt yo+ng A!salom. 13 3f 3 had killed A!salom, the king himself wo+ld find o+t, and yo+ wo+ld p+nish me. 1# Coa! said, 3 will not waste my time here with yo+" A!salom was still alive and hanging in the oak tree. Coa! took three sticks in his hand and hit him in the heart. 1% Ten of Coa!s yo+ng helpers gathered aro+nd A!salom and killed him. 1& Coa! !lew the tr+mpet and called the people to stop chasing 3sraelites. 2 Sam+el 1(.1'*22 '% 1' Then Coa!s men took A!saloms !ody and threw it into a large hole in the forest and covered it with stones. All the 3sraelites ran away and went home. 1( >hile A!salom was alive he p+t +p a memorial stone in Gings /alley. $e said, 3 have no son to keep my name alive. So he named that mon+ment after himself. 3t is called A!saloms Aon+ment even today. 1) AhimaaE the son of Badok said to Coa!, Aay 3 r+n and take the news to Ging David? 3ll tell him the 5.D has destroyed the enemy for him. 2, Coa! answered AhimaaE, 1o, yo+ will not carry the message today. ;o+ can do it some other time, !+t not today !eca+se it is the kings son who is dead. 21 Then Coa! said to a man from -thiopia, Go, tell the king what yo+ have seen. So the -thiopian !owed to Coa! and ran to tell David. 22 <+t AhimaaE son of Badok !egged Coa! again, 1o matter what happens, please let me also r+n after the -thiopian" Coa! said, Son, why do yo+ want to carry the news? ;o+ will not get any reward for the news yo+ !ring. 2 Sam+el 1(.23*2( '& 23 AhimaaE answered, 1o matter what happens, 3 will r+n to David. Coa! said to AhimaaE, All right, r+n to David" Then -asy To .ead /ersion

AhimaaE ran thro+gh Cordan /alley and passed the -thiopian. 2# David was sitting !etween the two gates of the city. The watchman went +p to the roof over the gate walls and saw a man r+nning alone. 2% The watchman sho+ted to tell Ging David. Ging David said, 3f the man is alone, he is !ringing news. The man came closer and closer to the city. 2& <+t then the watchman saw another man r+nning. $e called to the gatekeeper, ook" Another man is r+nning alone. The king said, $e is also !ringing news. 2' The watchman said, 3 think the first man r+ns like AhimaaE son of Badok. The king said, AhimaaE is a good man, he m+st !e !ringing good news. 2( AhimaaE called to the king, All is well" AhimaaE !owed with his face to the gro+nd in front of the king and said, 6raise the 5.D yo+r God" The 5.D has defeated the men who were against yo+, my lord and king. 2 Sam+el 1(.2)*1).2 '' 2) The king asked, 3s yo+ng A!salom all right? AhimaaE answered, >hen Coa! sent me, 3 saw some great e4citement, !+t 3 dont know what it was. 3, Then the king said, Step over here and wait. AhimaaE went there and stood waiting. 31 The -thiopian arrived and said, 1ews for my lord and king. Today the 5.D has p+nished all those who were against yo+" 32 The king asked the -thiopian, 3s yo+ng A!salom all right? The -thiopian answered, Aay yo+r enemies, or whoever tries to h+rt yo+, s+ffer the same as this yo+ng man did. 33 So the king knew A!salom was dead and he !ecame very +pset. $e went +pstairs to the room over the gate, crying, 5 my son A!salom" Ay son A!salom, 3 wish 3 had died instead of yo+" 5 A!salom, my son, my son" 19 1 6eople told Coa! what had happened, ook, the king is crying pag. 3&)0131#

and mo+rning for A!salom. 2 So the =oy of victory t+rned to sadness for everyone. 3t was a very sad day 2 Sam+el 1).3*' '( !eca+se the people heard, The king is mo+rning for his son. 3 The people came into the city J+ietly as if they were the ones who had !een defeated in !attle. # The king had covered his face and was crying lo+dly, 5 my son A!salom, 5 A!salom, my son, my son" % Coa! came into the kings palace and said to the king, ;o+ are h+miliating every one of yo+r officers" ook, they saved yo+r life today and the lives of yo+r sons and da+ghters and yo+r wives and slave women. & 3t seems that yo+ love those who hate yo+, and yo+ hate those who love yo+" Today yo+ have made it clear to yo+r officers and men that they mean nothing to yo+. 3t appears as if yo+ wo+ld have !een perfectly happy if A!salom had lived and the rest of +s had !een killed today" ' 1ow get +p and go enco+rage yo+r officers. 3 swear !y the 5.D, if yo+ dont go o+t and do that right now, not one man will !e with yo+ tonight. And that will !e worse for yo+ than all the tro+!le yo+ have had since yo+ were a child. 2 Sam+el 1).(*13 ') ( So the king went to the city gate. The news spread that the king was at the gate, so all the people came to see him, e4cept for the 3sraelites who had r+n away to their homes. ) The tri!es of 3srael !egan disc+ssing what to do ne4t. They said, Ging David saved +s from the 6hilistines and o+r other enemies. David left the co+ntry !eca+se he was r+nning away from A!salom. 1, >e anointed A!salom to !e the king, !+t he was killed in !attle. So we sho+ld !ring David !ack to !e the king again. 11 Ging David sent a message to Badok and A!iathar the priests. David said, Speak to the leaders of C+dah and tell -asy To .ead /ersion

them, >hy are yo+ the last tri!e to !ring Ging David !ack home? See, all the 3sraelites are talking a!o+t !ringing the king !ack home. 12 ;o+ are my !rothers, my family, so why are yo+ the last tri!e to !ring the king !ack? 13 Also tell Amasa, ;o+ are part of my family. 3 swear that 3 will make yo+ captain of the army in Coa!s place. 2 Sam+el 1).1#*1) (, 1# David to+ched the hearts of the people of C+dah, and they all agreed as one. The people of C+dah sent a message to the king, saying, ;o+ and all yo+r officers come !ack" 1% Ging David came to the Cordan .iver. The people of C+dah came to Gilgal to meet the king and take him across the Cordan .iver. 1& Shimei son of Gera, from the tri!e of <en=amin, lived in <ah+rim. Shimei r+shed down to meet Ging David, with the rest of the people of C+dah. 1' A!o+t 1,,, people from the tri!e of <en=amin came with Shimei. Bi!a the servant from Sa+ls family also came. Bi!a !ro+ght his 1% sons and 2, servants with him. All these people h+rried to the Cordan .iver to meet Ging David. 1( The people went across the Cordan .iver to help !ring the kings family !ack to C+dah. They did whatever the king wanted. >hile the king was crossing the river, Shimei son of Gera came to meet him. $e !owed down to the gro+nd in front of the king. 1) Shimei said to the king, Ay lord, dont think a!o+t the wrong things 3 did. Ay 2 Sam+el 1).2,*2% (1 lord and king, dont remem!er the !ad things 3 did when yo+ left Cer+salem. 2, 3 know that 3 sinned. That is why today 3 am the first person from Cosephs family to come down and meet yo+, my lord and king. 21 A!ishai son of Ber+iah said, ets kill him for all the !ad things he said a!o+t the 5.D@S chosen king. 22 David said, >hat sho+ld 3 do with pag. 3',0131#

yo+, sons of Ber+iah? Are yo+ trying to ca+se me tro+!le? 1o one will !e p+t to death in 3srael today" Today 3 know that 3 am king over 3srael. 23 Then the king said to Shimei, ;o+ will not die. The king made a promise to Shimei that he himself wo+ld not kill Shimei. 2# Sa+ls grandson, Aephi!osheth, came down to meet Ging David. Aephi!osheth had not cared for his feet, trimmed his m+stache, or washed his clothes since the day the king left Cer+salem. 2% >hen he met the king at Cer+salem, the king said, Aephi!osheth, why didnt yo+ go with me when 3 ran away from Cer+salem? 2 Sam+el 1).2&*31 (2 2& Aephi!osheth answered, Ay lord and king, my servant tricked me. 3 am crippled so 3 said to my servant, Bi!a, Go saddle a donkey for me so that 3 can go with the king. 2' <+t my servant tricked me and said !ad things a!o+t me. Ay lord and king, yo+ are like an angel from God. Do whatever yo+ think is right. 2( ;o+ co+ld have killed all my grandfathers family, !+t yo+ did not do that. 3nstead, yo+ incl+ded me among the people who eat at yo+r own ta!le. So 3 dont have a right to complain to the king a!o+t anything. 2) The king said to Aephi!osheth, Dont say anything more a!o+t yo+r pro!lems. This is what 3 have decided: ;o+ and Bi!a will divide the land. 3, Aephi!osheth said to the king, Ay lord and king, it is eno+gh that yo+ have come home in peace. et Bi!a have the land. 31 <arEillai of Gilead came down from .ogelim to cross the Cordan .iver with Ging David and send him on his way home. 2 Sam+el 1).32*3( (3 32 <arEillai was a very old man, (, years old. $e had given the king food and other things when David was staying at Aahanaim. <arEillai co+ld do this -asy To .ead /ersion

!eca+se he was a very rich man. 33 David said to <arEillai, 9ome across the river with me. 3 will take care of yo+ if yo+ will live in Cer+salem with me. 3# <+t <arEillai said to the king, Do yo+ know how old 3 am? Do yo+ think 3 can go with yo+ to Cer+salem? 3% 3 am (, years old" 3 am too old to tell what is !ad or good. 3 cannot taste what 3 eat or drink or hear the voices of men and women singers. >hy sho+ld yo+ want to !e !othered with me? 3& 3 dont need any of the things that yo+ want to give me. 3 will cross the Cordan .iver with yo+. 3' Then please let me go !ack so that 3 can die in my own town and !e !+ried in the grave of my father and mother. <+t here is GimhamF take him !ack with yo+ as a servant, my lord and king. Do whatever yo+ want with him. 3( The king answered, Gimham will go !ack with me. 3 will !e kind to him for yo+. 3 will do anything for yo+. 2 Sam+el 1).3)*#3 (# 3) The king kissed <arEillai and !lessed him. <arEillai went !ack home, and the king and all the people went across the river. #, The king crossed the Cordan .iver to Gilgal. Gimham went with him. All the people of C+dah and half the people of 3srael led David across the river. #1 All the 3sraelites came to the king and said to him, >hy did o+r !rothers, the people of C+dah, steal yo+ away? >hy did they !ring yo+ and yo+r family !ack across the Cordan .iver with yo+r men? #2 All the people of C+dah answered the 3sraelites, >e did it !eca+se the king is o+r close relative. >hy are yo+ angry with +s a!o+t this? >e have not eaten food at the kings e4pense. The king did not give +s any gifts. #3 The 3sraelites answered, >e have ten shares in David, so we have more right to David than yo+ do. >hy did yo+ ignore +s? >e were the first ones to talk a!o+t !ringing o+r king !ack. <+t the people of C+dah replied with words that pag. 3'10131#

were even lo+der and angrier than those of the 3sraelites. 2 Sam+el 2,.1*# (% 20 1 At that place there was a man named She!a son of <icri. She!a was a worthless tro+!lemaker from the tri!e of <en=amin. $e !lew a tr+mpet to gather the people together and said, >e have no share in David. >e have no part in the son of Cesse. 3srael, lets all go home. 2 So all the 3sraelites left David and followed She!a son of <icri. <+t the people from C+dah stayed with their king all the way from the Cordan .iver to Cer+salem. 3 David went !ack to his ho+se in Cer+salem. $e had left ten of his slave women to take care of the ho+se. $e p+t these women in a special ho+se. Then he p+t g+ards aro+nd the ho+se. They stayed in this ho+se +ntil they died. David took care of the women and gave them food, !+t he did not have se4+al relations with them. They lived like widows +ntil they died. # The king told Amasa, Tell the people of C+dah to meet with me in three days. ;o+ m+st !e here, too. 2 Sam+el 2,.%*1, (& % So Amasa called the people of C+dah together, !+t he took longer than the king had told him. & David said to A!ishai, She!a son of <icri is more dangero+s to +s than A!salom was. So take my officers and chase She!a. $+rry !efore he gets into cities with walls. 3f he gets into the wellDprotected cities, we will not !e a!le to get him. ' So Coa! took the Gerethites and 6elethites and the other soldiers with him and left Cer+salem to chase after She!a son of <icri. ( >hen Coa! and the army came to <ig .ock at Gi!eon, Amasa came o+t to meet them. Coa! was wearing his +niform with a !elt that held a knife. As he walked toward Amasa, the knife on the !elt came o+t. -asy To .ead /ersion

) Coa! asked Amasa, $ow are yo+ doing, !rother? Coa! reached o+t with his right hand and gra!!ed Amasa !y the !eard to greet him with a kiss. 1, Amasa didnt see the knife that was now in Coa!s other hand. Coa! sta!!ed him in the !elly, and Amasas intestines spilled o+t on the gro+nd. There was no 2 Sam+el 2,.11*1& (' need for Coa! to sta! him againF he was already dead.Then Coa! and his !rother A!ishai res+med the chase after She!a son of <icri. 11 5ne of Coa!s yo+ng soldiers stood !y Amasas !ody and said, All of yo+ who s+pport Coa! and David, lets follow Coa!. 12 Amasa was there in the middle of road, lying in his own !lood. The yo+ng soldier noticed that all the people kept stopping to look at the !ody, so he rolled the !ody off the road and into the field and covered it with a cloth. 13 5nce the !ody was o+t of the way, the people simply passed it !y and =oined +p with Coa! to go after She!a son of <icri. 1# She!a son of <icri passed thro+gh all the tri!es of 3srael on his way to A!el <eth Aaacah. All the <erites =oined together and followed She!a. 1% >hen Coa! and his men came to A!el <eth Aaacah, they s+rro+nded the town. They piled dirt +p against the city wall and !egan !reaking stones o+t of the wall to make it fall down. 1& <+t there was a very wise woman in that city who sho+ted o+t to them and 2 Sam+el 2,.1'*22 (( said, isten to me" Tell Coa! to come here. 3 want to talk with him. 1' Coa! went to talk with the woman. She asked him, Are yo+ Coa!? Coa! answered, ;es, 3 am. Then the woman said, isten to me. Coa! said, 3 am listening. 1( Then the woman said, 3n the past people wo+ld say, Ask for help in A!el and yo+ will get what yo+ need. 1) 3 am one of many peacef+l, loyal people in this town. ;o+ are trying to pag. 3'20131#

destroy an important city of 3srael. >hy do yo+ want to destroy something that !elongs to the 5.D? 2, Coa! answered, 3 dont want to destroy anything. 3 dont want to r+in yo+r city. 21 <+t there is a man in yo+r city from the hill co+ntry of -phraim. $e is named She!a son of <icri. $e re!elled against Ging David. <ring him to me, and 3 will leave the city alone. The woman said to Coa!, All right. $is head will !e thrown over the wall to yo+. 22 Then the woman spoke very wisely to all the people of the city. They c+t off the head of She!a son of <icri and threw it 2 Sam+el 2,.23*21.2 () over the city wall to Coa!. So Coa! !lew the tr+mpet and the army left the city. The soldiers went home, and Coa! went !ack to the king in Cer+salem. 23 Coa! was captain of the whole army of 3srael. <enaiah son of Cehoiada led the Gerethites and 6elethites. 2# Adoniram led the men who were forced to do hard work. Cehoshaphat son of Ahil+d was the historian. 2% Sheva was the secretary. Badok and A!iathar were the priests. 2& And 3ra from Cair was Davids personal priest. 21 1 >hile David was king, there was a famine that contin+ed for three years. So David prayed to the 5.D. And the 5.D answered, Sa+l and his family of m+rderers are the reason for the famine, !eca+se he killed the Gi!eonites. 2 7The Gi!eonites were not 3sraelites. They were a gro+p of Amorites. The 3sraelites had promised with an oath not to h+rt them, !+t Sa+l tried to kill the Gi!eonites. $e did this !eca+se of his strong feelings for the people of 3srael and C+dah.8 Ging David called the Gi!eonites together and talked to them. 2 Sam+el 21.3*( ), 3 David said to the Gi!eonites, >hat can 3 do for yo+? >hat can 3 do to take away 3sraels sin, so that yo+ can !less the 5.D@S people? -asy To .ead /ersion

# The Gi!eonites said to David, There isnt eno+gh gold and silver for Sa+ls family to pay for what they did. <+t we dont have the right to kill anyone else in 3srael. David said, >ell, what can 3 do for yo+? % The Gi!eonites said to Ging David, The person who plotted against +s was Sa+l. $e is the one who tried to destroy all o+r people living in the land of 3srael. & Give +s seven of Sa+ls sons. Sa+l was the 5.D@S chosen king, so we will hang his sons in front of the 5.D on Ao+nt Gi!eah of Sa+l. Ging David said, All right, 3 will give them to yo+. ' <+t the king protected Conathans son, Aephi!osheth. Conathan was Sa+ls son, and David had made a promise with an oath in the 5.D@S name to Conathan. So the king did not let them h+rt Aephi!osheth. ( David gave them Armoni and Aephi!osheth. These were the sons of Sa+l and .iEpah. Sa+l also had a 2 Sam+el 21.)*12 )1 da+ghter named Aera! who was married to Adriel son of <arEillai, from Aeholah. David took the five sons of Aera! and Adriel. ) David gave these seven men to the Gi!eonites who then !ro+ght them to Ao+nt Gi!eah and hanged them in front of the 5.D. Those seven men died together in the spring, d+ring the first days of the !arley harvest. 1, .iEpah the da+ghter of Aiah took a mo+rning cloth and p+t it on the rock. That cloth stayed on the rock from the time the harvest !egan +ntil the rains came. .iEpah watched the !odies day and night. She protected them from the wild !irds d+ring the day and the wild animals at night. 11 6eople told David what Sa+ls slave woman .iEpah was doing. 12 Then David took the !ones of Sa+l and Conathan from the men of Ca!esh Gilead. 7The men of Ca!esh Gilead got these !ones after Sa+l and Conathan were killed at Gil!oa. The 6hilistines had pag. 3'30131#

hanged the !odies of Sa+l and Conathan on a wall in <eth Shan. <+t the men 2 Sam+el 21.13*1' )2 of <eth Shan went there and stole the !odies from that p+!lic area.8 13 David !ro+ght the !ones of Sa+l and his son Conathan from Ca!esh Gilead and !+ried them with the !odies of the seven men who were hanged. 1# They !+ried the !ones of Sa+l and his son Conathan in the area of <en=amin, in one of the t+nnels in the grave of Sa+ls father Gish, as the king commanded. After that God again listened to the prayers of the people in that land. 1% The 6hilistines started another war with 3srael. David and his men went o+t to fight them, !+t David !ecame very tired and weak. 1& 3sh!iD<eno! was one of the soliders dedicated to the god .apha. $is spear weighed over ' po+nds. $e p+t on new armor and tho+ght he wo+ld !e a!le to kill David. 1' <+t A!ishai son of Ber+iah killed this giant 6hilistine and saved Davids life. Then Davids men made him promise that he wo+ld not go o+t to !attle anymore. They said, 3f yo+ do, 3srael might lose its !rightest leader. 2 Sam+el 21.1(*22.2 )3 1( ater, there was another !attle with the 6hilistines at Go!. Si!!ecai the $+shathite killed Saph, another one of the soliders dedicated to .apha. 1) ater, there was another !attle at Go! against the 6hilistines. -lhanan the son of Caare 5regim from <ethlehem killed ahmi, the !rother of Goliath from Gath. $is spear was as !ig as a post. 2, There was another !attle at Gath. There was a very large man who had si4 fingers on each hand and si4 toes on each foot. $e had 2# fingers and toes in all. This man was also one of the soliders dedicated to .apha. 21 This man challenged 3srael and made f+n of them, !+t Conathan killed this man. 7This was Conathan, the son of Davids !rother Shimei.8 -asy To .ead /ersion

22 All fo+r of these men were giants from Gath. They were killed !y David and his men. 22 1 David sang this song to the 5.D when the 5.D saved him from Sa+l and all his other enemies. 2 The 5.D is my .ock, my fortress, my place of safety. 2 Sam+el 22.3*1, )# 3 $e is my God, the .ock 3 r+n to for protection. $e is my shieldF !y his power 3 am saved. $e is my hiding place, my place of safety, high in the hills. $e is my savior, the one who resc+es me from the cr+el enemy. # 3 called to the 5.D for help, and he saved me from my enemies. $e is worth of my praise" % >aves of death were crashing aro+nd me. A deadly flood was carrying me away. & The ropes of the grave wrapped aro+nd me. Death set its trap right there in front of me. ' 3n my tro+!le 3 called to the 5.D. ;es, 3 cried o+t to my God for help. There in his temple he heard my voice. $e heard my cry for help. ( The earth shook and shivered. The fo+ndations of heaven trem!led. They shook !eca+se he was angry" ) Smoke came from his nose. <+rning flames came from his mo+th. .edDhot coals fell from him. 1, $e tore open the sky and came down. $e stood on a thick, dark clo+d. 2 Sam+el 22.11*2, )% 11 $e flew across the sky, riding on a 9her+! angel, gliding on the wings of the wind. 12 $e wrapped himself in darkness that covered him like a tent. $e was hidden !y dark clo+ds filled with water. 13 5+t of the !rightness !efore him, flashes of lightning came down. 1# The 5.D th+ndered from the sky. God Aost $igh let his voice !e heard. 1% $e scattered the enemy with his arrows the lightning !olts that threw them into conf+sion. pag. 3'#0131#

1& The 5.D sho+ted his command, and a powerf+l wind !egan to !low. Then the !ottom of the sea co+ld !e seen, and the earths fo+ndations were +ncovered. 1' The ord reached down from a!ove and gra!!ed me. $e p+lled me from the deep water. 1( $e saved me from my powerf+l enemies, who hated me. They were too strong for me, so he saved me. 1) They attacked me in my time of tro+!le, !+t the 5.D was there to s+pport me. 2, $e was pleased with me, so he resc+ed me. $e took me to a safe place. 2 Sam+el 22.21*3, )& 21 The 5.D rewarded me for doing what is right. $e was good to me !eca+se 3 am innocent. 22 The 5.D did this !eca+se 3 have o!eyed him. 3 have not t+rned against my God. 23 3 always remem!ered his laws. 3 never stopped following his r+les. 2# $e knows 3 did nothing that was wrong. 3 have kept myself from sinning. 2% So the 5.D rewarded me for doing what is right. $e co+ld see that 3 am innocent. 2& ord, yo+ are faithf+l to those who are faithf+l. ;o+ are good to those who are good. 2' ;o+ never do wrong to those who have done no wrong. <+t yo+ o+tsmart the wicked, no matter how clever they are. 2( ;o+ help those who are h+m!le, !+t as soon as yo+ see the pro+d, yo+ h+miliate them. 2) 5.D, yo+ are my lamp. ;o+, 5.D, t+rn the darkness aro+nd me into light. 3, >ith yo+r help 3 can defeat an army. 3f my God is with me, 3 can clim! over enemy walls. 2 Sam+el 22.31*#1 )' 31 Gods way is perfect. The 5.D@S promise always proves to !e tr+e. $e protects those who tr+st in him. 32 There is no God e4cept the 5.D. There is no .ock e4cept o+r God. -asy To .ead /ersion

33 God is my strong fortress. $e clears the path 3 need to take. 3# $e makes my feet as steady as those of a deer. -ven on steep mo+ntains he keeps me from falling. 3% $e trains me for war so that my arms can !end the most powerf+l !ow. 3& ord, yo+ have given me yo+r shield to protect me. 3t is yo+r help that has made me great. 3' ;o+ cleared a path for my feet so that 3 co+ld walk witho+t st+m!ling. 3( 3 chased my enemies and defeated them. 3 did not stop +ntil they were destroyed. 3) 3 destroyed my enemies. 3 str+ck them down. They did not get +p again. They fell +nder my feet. #, ord, yo+ made me strong in !attle. ;o+ made my enemies fall !efore me. #1 ;o+ made my enemies t+rn and r+n away. 3 destroyed those who hated me. 2 Sam+el 22.#2*%, )( #2 They looked for help, !+t there was no one to save them. They cried o+t to the 5.D, !+t he did not answer them. #3 3 !eat my enemies to pieces like d+st on the gro+nd. 3 smashed them and walked on them like m+d in the streets. ## ;o+ saved me from those who fo+ght against me. ;o+ made me the r+ler over nations. 6eople 3 never knew now serve me. #% 2oreigners fall helpless !efore me" As soon as they heard a!o+t me, they were ready to o!ey. #& They lose all their co+rage and come o+t of their hiding places shaking with fear. #' The 5.D lives" 3 praise my .ock" $ow great is my God, the .ock who saves me" #( $e is the God who p+nishes my enemies for me, the one who p+ts people +nder my r+le. #) $e saves me from my enemies" ;o+ help me defeat those who attack me. ;o+ save me from cr+el people. %, 5.D, that is why 3 praise yo+ among the nations. That is why 3 sing songs of pag. 3'%0131#

praise to yo+r name. 2 Sam+el 22.%1*23.& )) %1 ;o+ help yo+r king win !attle after !attle. ;o+ show yo+r faithf+l love to yo+r chosen one, to David and his descendants forever" 23 1 These are the last words of David: This message is from David son of Cesse. This message is from the man God made great. $e is the king chosen !y the God of Caco!, the sweet singer of 3srael. 2 The 5.D@S Spirit spoke thro+gh me. $is word was on my tong+e. 3 The God of 3srael spoke. The .ock of 3srael said to me, >hoever r+les people fairly, who r+les with respect for God, # is like the morning light at dawn, like a morning witho+t clo+ds. $e is like s+nshine after a rain that makes tender grass grow from the gro+nd. % God made my family strong and sec+re. $e made an agreement with me forever. God made s+re this agreement was good and sec+re in every way. So s+rely he will give me every victory. $e will give me everything 3 want" & <+t evil people are like thorns. 6eople dont hold thorns. They throw them away. 2 Sam+el 23.'*12 1,, ' 3f someone to+ches them, it h+rts like a spear made of wood and iron. ;es, evil people are like thorns. They will !e thrown into the fire, and they will !e completely !+rned. ( These are the names of Davids special soldiers: Coshe! <asshe!eth the Tahkemonite was captain of the kings special forces. $e +sed his spear to kill (,, men at one time. ) 1e4t, there was -leaEar son of Dodai who was there with David when he challenged the 6hilistines who had gathered for !attle. The 3sraelites ran away, 1, !+t -leaEar stood and fo+ght the 6hilistines +ntil his hand !ecame so tired that it cramped aro+nd his sword handle. The 5.D won a great victory that day. The people of 3srael came !ack, !+t only -asy To .ead /ersion

to take things from the dead. 11 1e4t there was Shammah son of Agee from $arar. The 6hilistines came together to fight. They fo+ght in a field of lentils. The people ran away from the 6hilistines. 12 <+t Shammah stood in the middle of the field and defended it. $e defeated 2 Sam+el 23.13*1' 1,1 the 6hilistines. The 5.D gave 3srael a great victory that day. 13 5nce d+ring harvest time David was at the cave of Ad+llam, and three of the Thirty $eroes went down to meet him there. At the same time the 6hilistine army was camped in the /alley of .ephaim. 1# Another time David was in the fortress, and a gro+p of 6hilistines soldiers was stationed in <ethlehem. 1% David was thirsty for some water from his hometown, so he said, 5h, if only 3 co+ld have some water from that well !y the gate in <ethlehem. 1& So the Three $eroes fo+ght their way thro+gh the 6hilistine army and got some water from the well near the city gate in <ethlehem. They took it to David, !+t he ref+sed to drink it. $e po+red it on the gro+nd as an offering to the 5.D. 1' David said, 5.D, 3 cannot drink this water. 3t wo+ld !e like drinking the !lood of the men who risked their lives for me. This is why David ref+sed to drink the water. The Three $eroes did many !rave things like that. 2 Sam+el 23.1(*23 1,2 1( A!ishai was the !rother of Coa! son of Ber+iah. A!ishai was the leader of the Three $eroes. $e +sed his spear against 3,, enemies and killed them. $e !ecame as famo+s as the Three. 1) A!ishai was as famo+s as the Three $eroes. $e !ecame their leader, even tho+gh he was not one of them. 2, Then there was <enaiah son of Cehoiada, from Ga!Eeel. $e was the son of a powerf+l man. <enaiah did many !rave things. $e killed two of the !est soldiers in Aoa!. 5ne day when it was pag. 3'&0131#

snowing, <enaiah went down into a hole in the gro+nd and killed a lion. 21 <enaiah also killed a !ig -gyptian soldier. The -gyptian had a spear in his hand, and <enaiah only had a cl+!. $e gra!!ed the spear in the -gyptians hands and took it away from him. Then <enaiah killed the -gyptian with his own spear. 22 <enaiah son of Cehoiada did many more !rave things like that. $e was as famo+s as the Three $eroes. 23 <enaiah was even more famo+s than the Thirty $eroes, !+t he did not !ecome a mem!er of the Three $eroes. 2 Sam+el 23.2#*3# 1,3 David made <enaiah the leader of his !odyg+ards. 2# The following men were among the Thirty $eroes: Asahel, the !rother of Coa!F -lhanan son of Dodo from <ethlehemF 2% Shammah the $aroditeF -lika the $aroditeF 2& $eleE the 6altiteF 3ra son of 3kkesh from TekoaF 2' A!ieEer from AnathothF Ae!+nnai the $+shathiteF 2( Balmon the AhohiteF Aaharai from 1etophahF 2) $eled son of <aanah from 1etophahF 3thai son of .i!ai from Gi!eah of <en=aminF 3, <enaiah the 6irathoniteF $iddai from the <rooks of GaashF 31 A!i Al!on the Ar!athiteF AEmaveth the <arh+miteF 32 -liah!a the Shaal!oniteF the sons of CashenF Conathan 33 the son of Shammah from $ararF Ahiam son of Sharar from $ararF 3# -liphelet son of Ahas!ai the AaacathiteF -liam son of Ahithophel the GiloniteF 2 Sam+el 23.3%*2#.# 1,# 3% $eEro the 9armeliteF 6aarai the Ar!iteF 3& 3gal son of 1athan of Bo!ahF <ani the GaditeF 3' Belek the AmmoniteF 1aharai from -asy To .ead /ersion

<eeroth 71aharai carried the armor for Coa! son of Ber+iah8F 3( 3ra the 3thriteF Gare! the 3thriteF 3) and Hriah the $ittite. There were 3' in all. 24 1 The 5.D was angry with 3srael again. $e ca+sed David to t+rn against the 3sraelites. $e told David, Go co+nt the people of 3srael and C+dah. 2 Ging David said to Coa!, the captain of the army, Go thro+gh all the tri!es of 3srael from Dan to <eershe!a, and co+nt the people. Then 3 will know how many people there are. 3 <+t Coa! said to the king, Aay the 5.D yo+r God give yo+ 1,, times as many people, no matter how many there are" And may yo+r eyes see this thing happen. <+t why do yo+ want to do this? # Ging David strongly commanded Coa! and the other captains of the army to co+nt the people. So they went o+t from the king to co+nt the people of 3srael. 2 Sam+el 2#.%*11 1,% % After they crossed over the Cordan .iver, they made their camp in Aroer on the right side of the city. 7The city is in the middle of the valley of Gad, on the way to CaEer.8 & Then they went east to Gilead, all the way to Tahtim $odshi. Then they went north to Dan Caan and aro+nd to Sidon. ' They went to the fort of Tyre. They went to all the cities of the $ivites and of the 9anaanites. Then they went so+th to <eershe!a in the so+thern part of C+dah. ( 3t took them nine months and 2, days for them to go thro+gh the co+ntry. After nine months and 2, days they came !ack to Cer+salem. ) Coa! gave the list of the people to the king. There were (,,,,,, men in 3srael who co+ld +se the sword. And there were %,,,,,, men in C+dah. 1, David felt ashamed after he had co+nted the people and said to the 5.D, 3 have sinned greatly in what 3 did" 5.D, 3 !eg yo+, forgive me for my sin. 3 have !een very foolish. 11 >hen David got +p in the morning, pag. 3''0131#

the 5.D gave this message to Gad, Davids seer: 2 Sam+el 2#.12*1& 1,& 12 Go and tell David, This is what the 5.D says: There are three ways yo+ can !e p+nished. 9hoose the one yo+ want. 13 So Gad went to David and said to him, 9hoose one of these three: seven years of famine for yo+ and yo+r co+ntry, !eing chased !y yo+r enemies for three months, or three days of disease in yo+r co+ntry. Think a!o+t it, and decide which one yo+ want. 3 m+st give yo+r answer to the one who sent me. 1# David said to Gad, This is a terri!le sit+ation to !e in. <+t it wo+ld !e !etter to !e p+nished !y the 5.D than !y anyone else, !eca+se he is very mercif+l. 1% So the 5.D sent a disease against 3srael. 3t !egan in the morning and contin+ed +ntil the chosen time to stop. 2rom Dan to <eershe!a ',,,,, people died. 1& The angel raised his arm over Cer+salem and was ready to destroy it, !+t the 5.D felt very sorry a!o+t the !ad things that had happened. $e said to the angel who destroyed the people, Thats eno+gh" 6+t down yo+r arm. The 2 Sam+el 2#.1'*22 1,' 5.D@S angel was !y the threshing floor of Ara+nah the Ce!+site. 1' >hen he saw the angel who killed the people, David spoke to the 5.D. David said, 3 sinned" 3 did wrong" And these people only did what 3 told themthey only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong. 6lease let yo+r p+nishment !e against me and my fathers family. 1( That day Gad came to David and said, Go and !+ild an altar to the 5.D on the threshing floor of Ara+nah the Ce!+site. 1) So David did what Gad told him to. David did what the 5.D wanted and went to see Ara+nah. 2, Ara+nah looked and saw Ging David and his officers coming to him. Ara+nah went o+t and !owed his face to the -asy To .ead /ersion

gro+nd. 21 $e said, >hy has my lord and king come to me? David answered, 3 came to !+y the threshing floor from yo+. Then 3 can !+ild an altar to the 5.D. Then the disease will stop. 22 Ara+nah said to David, Ay lord and king, yo+ can take anything yo+ want for a sacrifice. $ere are some cows for the 2 Sam+el 2#.23*2% 1,( !+rnt offering, and the threshing !oards and the yokes for the wood. 23 5 king, 3 give everything to yo+" Ara+nah also said to the king, Aay the 5.D yo+r God !e pleased with yo+. 2# <+t the king said to Ara+nah, 1o" 3 m+st pay yo+ for everything. 3 will not offer !+rnt offerings to the 5.D my God that cost me nothing. So David !o+ght the threshing floor and the cows for %, shekels of silver. 2% Then David !+ilt an altar to the 5.D there and offered !+rnt offerings and peace offerings. The 5.D answered his prayer for the co+ntry. $e stopped the disease in 3srael. 1 *in(s 1 1 Ging David was very old and co+ld not keep warm. $is servants covered him with !lankets, !+t he was still cold. 2 So they said to him, >e will find a yo+ng woman to care for yo+. She will lie ne4t to yo+ and keep yo+ warm. 3 So the kings servants !egan looking everywhere in the co+ntry of 3srael for a !ea+tif+l yo+ng woman to keep the king warm. They fo+nd a yo+ng woman named A!ishag, from the town of Sh+nem, and !ro+ght her to the king. # She was very !ea+tif+l. She cared for the king and served him, !+t Ging David did not have se4+al relations with her. % Adoni=ah was the son of Ging David and his wife $aggith. $e was !orn after A!salom. Adoni=ah was a very handsome man. Ging David never corrected his son Adoni=ah, and he never made him e4plain his actions. Adoni=ah !ecame very pro+d and decided that he wo+ld !e the ne4t king. $e wanted very m+ch to pag. 3'(0131#

1 Gings 1.&*11 2 !e the king, so he got himself a chariot, horses, and %, men to r+n ahead of him. & 71:%8 ' Adoni=ah talked with Coa! son of Ber+iah and A!iathar the priest. They decided to help make him the new king, ( !+t several important men did not =oin Adoni=ah. They were Badok the priest, <enaiah son of Cehoiada, 1athan the prophet, Shimei, .ei, and Ging Davids special g+ard. ) 5ne day, at Boheleth .ock near -n .ogel, Adoni=ah sacrificed some sheep, cattle, and fat calves as a fellowship offering. $e invited his !rothers 7the other sons of Ging David8 and all the officers from C+dah. 1, <+t he did not invite his !rother Solomon, 1athan the prophet, <enaiah, or the men in the kings special g+ard. 11 >hen 1athan heard a!o+t this, he went to Solomons mother <athshe!a and asked her, $ave yo+ heard what $aggiths son, Adoni=ah, is doing? $e is making himself king. And o+r master, Ging David, knows nothing a!o+t it. 1 Gings 1.12*1) 3 12 ;o+ and yo+r son Solomon are in danger, !+t 3 will tell yo+ what to do to save yo+rself. 13 Go to Ging David and tell him, Ay lord and king, yo+ promised me that my son Solomon wo+ld !e the ne4t king after yo+. So why is Adoni=ah !ecoming the new king? 1# Then while yo+ are still talking with him, 3 will come in. After yo+ leave 3 will tell the king what has happened. This will show that what yo+ said is tr+e. 1% So <athshe!a went in to see the king in his !edroom. The king was very old. A!ishag, the girl from Sh+nem, was caring for him there. 1& <athshe!a !owed down !efore the king. The king asked, >hat can 3 do for yo+? 1' <athshe!a answered, Sir, yo+ +sed the name of the 5.D yo+r God and made a promise to me. ;o+ said, ;o+r -asy To .ead /ersion

son Solomon will !e the ne4t king after me. $e will sit on my throne. 1( 1ow, yo+ dont know this, !+t Adoni=ah is making himself king. 1) $e is giving a !ig fellowship meal. $e has killed many cattle and the !est 1 Gings 1.2,*2% # sheep, and he has invited all of yo+r sons to the meal. $e also invited A!iathar the priest and Coa!, the commander of yo+r army, !+t he did not invite yo+r faithf+l son Solomon. 2, 1ow, my lord and king, all the 3sraelites are watching yo+. They are waiting for yo+ to decide who will !e the ne4t king after yo+. 21 3f yo+ dont decide, then after yo+ are !+ried, these men will say that Solomon and 3 are criminals. 22 >hile <athshe!a was still talking with the king, 1athan the prophet came to see him. 23 The servants told the king, 1athan the prophet is here. 1athan went in to speak to the king. $e !owed down !efore the king 2# and said, Ay lord and king, did yo+ anno+nce that Adoni=ah will !e the new king after yo+? $ave yo+ decided that he will r+le the people now? 2% Today he went down into the valley to offer many cattle and the !est sheep as fellowship offerings. $e invited all yo+r other sons, the commanders of the army, and A!iathar the priest. They are 1 Gings 1.2&*32 % now eating and drinking with him. And they are saying, ong live Ging Adoni=ah" 2& <+t he did not invite me, or Badok the priest, or <enaiah son of Cehoiada, or yo+r son Solomon. 2' Ay lord and king, did yo+ do this witho+t telling +s? 6lease tell +s, who will !e the ne4t king after yo+? 2( Then Ging David said, Tell <athshe!a to come in" So she came in and stood !efore the king. 2) Then the king made a promise: The 5.D has saved me from every danger. As s+rely as he lives, 3 make this promise pag. 3')0131#

to yo+. 3, Today 3 will do what 3 promised yo+ in the past. 3 made that promise !y the power of the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 3 promised that yo+r son Solomon wo+ld !e the ne4t king after me. 3 promised that he wo+ld take my place on my throne, and 3 will keep my promise" 31 Then <athshe!a !owed down !efore the king and said, ong live Ging David" 32 Then Ging David said, Tell Badok the priest, 1athan the prophet, and <enaiah son of Cehoiada to come in here. So the 1 Gings 1.33*3( & three men came in to meet with the king. 33 Then the king said to them, Take my officers with yo+. 6+t my son Solomon on my m+le and take him to Gihon Spring. 3# There Badok the priest and 1athan the prophet will anoint him to !e the new king of 3srael. <low the tr+mpet and anno+nce, This is the new king, Solomon" 3% Then come !ack here with him. Solomon will sit on my throne and !e the new king in my place. 3 have chosen him to !e the r+ler of 3srael and C+dah. 3& <enaiah son of Cehoiada answered the king, Amen" 3t is as tr+e as if the 5.D God himself had said it, my lord and king. 3' Ay lord and king, the 5.D has !een with yo+, and now 3 pray that he will !e with Solomon" And 3 pray that Ging Solomons kingdom will grow and !e even more powerf+l than yo+rs, my lord and king. 3( So Badok, 1athan, <enaiah, and the kings officers o!eyed Ging David. They p+t Solomon on Davids m+le and went with him down to Gihon Spring. 1 Gings 1.3)*## ' 3) Badok the priest carried the oil from the $oly Tent and po+red it on Solomons head to show that he was the new king. They !lew the tr+mpet and all the people sho+ted, ong live Ging Solomon" #, Then all the people followed Solomon !ack into the city. They were very happy -asy To .ead /ersion

and e4cited. They were playing fl+tes and making so m+ch noise that the gro+nd shook. #1 Aeanwhile, Adoni=ah and his g+ests were =+st finishing their meal. They heard the so+nd of the tr+mpet, and Coa! asked, >hat is that noise? >hat is happening in the city? #2 >hile Coa! was still speaking, Conathan, son of A!iathar the priest, arrived. Adoni=ah said, 9ome here" ;o+ are a good man, so yo+ m+st !e !ringing good news. #3 <+t Conathan answered, 1o, it is not good news for yo+" Ging David has made Solomon the new king. ## Ging David sent Badok the priest, 1athan the prophet, <enaiah son of Cehoiada, and all the kings officers with Solomon o+t to Gihon Spring. They p+t Solomon on the kings m+le. 1 Gings 1.#%*%, ( #% Badok the priest and 1athan the prophet anointed Solomon at Gihon Spring and then went !ack into the city. The people followed them, and now everyone in the city is cele!rating. That is the noise yo+ hear. #& Solomon is sitting on the kings throne and the kings officers are congrat+lating Ging David, saying, Ging David, yo+ are a great king" And now we pray that yo+r God will make Solomon a great king too. >e pray yo+r God will make him even more famo+s than yo+. And we pray that his kingdom will !e even greater than yo+rs is" -ven Ging David was there. 2rom his !ed, the king !owed !efore Solomon #' 71:#&8 #( and said, 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael. $e has p+t one of my own sons on my throne, and he has let me live to see it. #) All of Adoni=ahs g+ests were afraid and left very J+ickly. %, Adoni=ah was also afraid of Solomon, so he went to the altar and held onto the horns of the altar. 1 Gings 1.%1*2.3 ) pag. 3(,0131#

%1 Then someone told Solomon, Adoni=ah is afraid of yo+, Ging Solomon. $e is at the $oly Tent holding onto the horns of the altar, and he ref+ses to leave. Adoni=ah says, Tell Ging Solomon to promise that he will not kill me. %2 So Solomon answered, 3f Adoni=ah shows that he is a good man, 3 promise that not a hair on his head will !e h+rt. <+t if he does anything wrong, he will die. %3 Then Ging Solomon sent some men to get Adoni=ah and !ro+ght him in. $e approached the king and !owed !efore him. Then Solomon said, Go home. 2 1 The time came for David to die, so he gave these commands to Solomon, 2 3 am a!o+t to die, like all men m+st. <+t yo+ are growing stronger and !ecoming a man. 3 1ow, caref+lly o!ey all the commands of the 5.D yo+r God. 9aref+lly o!ey all his laws, commands, decisions, and agreements. 5!ey everything that is written in the aw of Aoses. 3f yo+ do this, yo+ will !e s+ccessf+l at whatever yo+ do and wherever yo+ go. 1 Gings 2.#*( 1, # And if yo+ o!ey the 5.D, he will keep his promise a!o+t me. $e said, 3f yo+r sons caref+lly live the way 3 tell them, sincerely, with all their heart, the king of 3srael will always !e a man from yo+r family. % David also said, ;o+ remem!er what Coa! son of Ber+iah did to me. $e killed two of the commanders of 3sraels army, A!ner son of 1er and Amasa son of Cether. .emem!er, it was d+ring a time of peace when he spilled the !lood that splattered onto his sword !elt and army !oots. 3 sho+ld have p+nished him then. & Hse yo+r wisdom, !+t dont let him die peacef+lly of old age. ' Also, !e kind to the children of <arEillai from Gilead. <e friends with them, and let them eat at yo+r ta!le, !eca+se they helped me when 3 ran away from yo+r !rother A!salom. -asy To .ead /ersion

( And remem!er, Shimei son of Gera is still aro+nd. $e is the <en=amite from <ah+rim who c+rsed me when 3 ran away to Aahanaim. <+t when he came down to meet me at the Cordan .iver, 3 made a promise to him !efore the 5.D that 3 wo+ld not kill him. 1 Gings 2.)*1& 11 ) 1ow, dont leave him +np+nished. ;o+ are a wise man. ;o+ will know what yo+ m+st do, !+t dont let him die peacef+lly of old age. 1, Then David died and was !+ried in the 9ity of David. 11 David r+led 3srael #, years. $e r+led seven years in $e!ron and 33 years in Cer+salem. 12 1ow Solomon was king. $e sat on the throne of his father David and was in complete control of his kingdom. 13 5ne day Adoni=ah, the son of $aggith, went to Solomons mother, <athshe!a. She asked him, Do yo+ come in peace? Adoni=ah answered, ;es, this is a peacef+l visit. 1# 3 have something to ask yo+. <athshe!a said, Then speak. 1% Adoni=ah said, ;o+ know that at one time the kingdom was mine. All the people of 3srael wanted me to !e their king. <+t things have changed, and now my !rother is the king. The 5.D chose him to !e king. 1& <+t now 3 have one thing to ask yo+. 6lease dont ref+se me. <athshe!a answered, >hat do yo+ want? 1 Gings 2.1'*22 12 1' Adoni=ah said, 3 know that Ging Solomon will do whatever yo+ ask. So please ask him to let me marry A!ishag, the woman from Sh+nem. 1( Then <athshe!a said, /ery well, 3 will speak to the king for yo+. 1) So <athshe!a went to Ging Solomon to talk with him. >hen the king saw her, he stood +p, !owed !efore her, and then sat !ack down. $e told some servants to !ring another throne for his mother, and she sat down at his right side. 2, <athshe!a said to him, 3 have one pag. 3(10131#

small thing to ask yo+. 6lease dont ref+se me. The king answered, Ask whatever yo+ want, mother. 3 will not ref+se yo+. 21 So <athshe!a said, et yo+r !rother Adoni=ah marry A!ishag, the woman from Sh+nem. 22 Ging Solomon answered his mother, >hy are yo+ asking me to give A!ishag to Adoni=ah? >hy dont yo+ =+st ask me to give him the whole kingdom" After all, he is my older !rother, and !oth A!iathar the priest and Coa! s+pport him" 1 Gings 2.23*2( 13 23 Then Solomon said, <y the 5.D, 3 swear 3ll make Adoni=ah pay for this with his life" 2# The ord made me the king of 3srael. $e gave me the throne of my father David. The ord kept his promise and gave the kingdom to me and my family. 1ow, as s+rely as the 5.D lives, 3 swear Adoni=ah will die today" 2% Ging Solomon gave the command to <enaiah, and <enaiah went o+t and killed Adoni=ah. 2& Then Ging Solomon said to A!iathar the priest, 3 sho+ld kill yo+, !+t 3 will let yo+ go !ack to yo+r home in Anathoth. 3 will not kill yo+ now !eca+se yo+ helped carry the $oly <o4 of the ord G5D while marching with my father David. And 3 know that yo+ shared in the hard times with my father. 2' So Solomon told A!iathar that he co+ld not contin+e to serve as a priest of the 5.D. This happened as the 5.D said it wo+ld when he told -li the priest what wo+ld happen to him and his family. 2( Coa! had s+pported Adoni=ah, !+t not A!salom. <+t when Coa! heard what 1 Gings 2.2)*33 1# happened to A!iathar, he was frightened and ran to the tent of the 5.D to hold onto the horns of the altar. 2) Someone told Ging Solomon that Coa! was at the altar in the 5.D@S Tent. So Solomon ordered <enaiah to go and kill him. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, <enaiah went into the 5.D@S Tent and said to Coa!, The king says, 9ome o+t" <+t Coa! answered, 1o, 3 will die here. <enaiah went !ack to the king and told him what Coa! had said. 31 The king commanded <enaiah, Do as he says" Gill him there and take him o+t to !+ry him. Then my family and 3 will !e free of Coa!s g+ilt from killing innocent people. 32 Coa! killed two men who were m+ch !etter than he was. $e killed A!ner son of 1er, the commander of the army of 3srael, and Amasa son of Cether, the commander of the army of C+dah. $e did this witho+t my fathers knowledge. <+t now the 5.D will p+nish Coa! for the men he killed. 33 $e and his family will always !e g+ilty for their deaths. <+t the 5.D will !ring 1 Gings 2.3#*#, 1% peace to David, his descendants, his family of kings, and his kingdom forever. 3# So <enaiah son of Cehoiada killed Coa!, and he was !+ried near his home in the desert. 3% Solomon then made <enaiah son of Cehoiada the commander of the army in Coa!s place. Solomon also made Badok the new high priest in A!iathars place. 3& 1e4t, the king sent for Shimei and said to him, <+ild yo+rself a ho+se here in Cer+salem to live in and dont leave the city. 3' 3f yo+ leave the city and go any f+rther than Gidron <rook, yo+ will !e killed, and it will !e yo+r own fa+lt. 3( Shimei answered, ;es, my king. 3 will o!ey yo+. So Shimei lived in Cer+salem for a long time. 3) <+t three years later, two of Shimeis slaves ran away. They went to Ging Achish of Gath, who was the son of Aaacah. Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath, #, so he saddled his donkey and went to Ging Achish at Gath to find them. $e fo+nd them there and !ro+ght them !ack home. 1 Gings 2.#1*3.2 1& pag. 3(20131#

#1 <+t someone told Solomon that Shimei had left Cer+salem and gone to Gath and !ack. #2 So Solomon sent for him and said, 3 made yo+ promise in the 5.D@S name not to leave Cer+salem. And 3 warned yo+ that if yo+ went anywhere, yo+ wo+ld die. And yo+ agreed to what 3 said. ;o+ said that yo+ wo+ld o!ey me. #3 So why didnt yo+ o!ey me? >hy did yo+ !reak yo+r promise to the 5.D? ## ;o+ know all the !ad things yo+ did to my father David. 1ow the 5.D will p+nish yo+ for it. #% <+t the 5.D will !less me and keep Davids throne !efore him forever. #& Then the king ordered <enaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. So Solomon had f+ll control of his kingdom. 3 1 Solomon made a peace treaty with 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, !y marrying his da+ghter. Solomon !ro+ght her to the 9ity of David. This was when Solomon was still !+ilding his palace, the Temple of the 5.D, and the wall aro+nd Cer+salem. 2 The Temple to honor the 5.D had not yet !een finished, so people were 1 Gings 3.3*' 1' still making animal sacrifices on altars at the high places. 3 Solomon showed that he loved the 5.D !y o!eying everything his father David told him to do, e4cept that Solomon contin+ed to go to the high places to offer sacrifices and to !+rn incense. # Ging Solomon went to Gi!eon to offer a sacrifice !eca+se that was the most important high place. $e offered a tho+sand !+rnt offerings on that altar. % >hile Solomon was at Gi!eon, the 5.D came to him at night in a dream. God said, Solomon, ask me what yo+ want me to give yo+. & Solomon answered, ;o+ were very kind and loyal to yo+r servant, my father David. $e was faithf+l to yo+ and lived a good, honest life. And yo+ showed him the greatest kindness when yo+ let his -asy To .ead /ersion

son take his place as king. ' 5.D my God, yo+ have made me the king in my fathers place, !+t 3 am like a small child. 3 dont have the wisdom 3 need to do what 3 m+st do. 1 Gings 3.(*1# 1( ( 3 am yo+r servant here among yo+r chosen people. There are so many that they cannot !e co+nted. ) So 3 ask yo+ to give me the wisdom to r+le and =+dge them well and to help me know the difference !etween right and wrong. >itho+t s+ch great wisdom, it wo+ld !e impossi!le to r+le this great nation. 1, The 5.D was happy that Solomon asked for wisdom. 11 So God said to him, ;o+ did not ask for long life and riches for yo+rself. ;o+ did not ask for the death of yo+r enemies. ;o+ asked for the wisdom to listen and make the right decisions. 12 So 3 will give yo+ what yo+ asked for. 3 will make yo+ wise and intelligent. 3 will make yo+ wiser than anyone who ever lived or ever will live. 13 And 3 will also give yo+ what yo+ did not ask for. ;o+ will have riches and honor all yo+r life. There will !e no other king in the world as great as yo+. 1# And 3 will give yo+ a long life if yo+ follow me and o!ey my laws and commands as yo+r father David did. 1 Gings 3.1%*21 1) 1% Solomon woke +p and knew that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then Solomon went to Cer+salem and stood !efore the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. $e offered a !+rnt offering and fellowship offerings to the ord and then gave a party for all of his officials. 1& 5ne day two prostit+tes came to Solomon and stood !efore the king. 1' 5ne of the women said, Sir, this woman and 3 live in the same ho+se. >e were !oth pregnant and ready to give !irth to o+r !a!ies. 3 had my !a!y while she was there with me. 1( Three days later she also gave !irth to her !a!y. There was no one else in pag. 3(30131#

the ho+se with +s, =+st the two of +s. 1) 5ne night while this woman was asleep with her !a!y, the !a!y died. 2, That night while 3 was asleep, she took my son from my !ed and carried him to her !ed. Then she p+t the dead !a!y in my !ed. 21 3n the morning 3 woke +p and was a!o+t to feed the !a!y when 3 saw he was dead. >hen 3 looked at him more closely, 3 saw that he was not my !a!y. 1 Gings 3.22*2( 2, 22 <+t the other woman said, 1o" The dead !a!y is yo+rs, and the one still alive is mine" <+t the first woman said, 1o, yo+ are wrong" The dead !a!y is yo+rs" The one that is still alive is mine. So the two women arg+ed in front of the king. 23 Then Ging Solomon said, -ach of yo+ says that the living !a!y is yo+r own and that the dead !a!y !elongs to the other woman. 2# Then Ging Solomon sent his servant to get a sword. 2% $e told the servant, 9+t the living !a!y in two and give one half of the !a!y to each woman. 2& The second woman said, ;es, c+t him in two. Then neither of +s will have him. <+t the first woman, the real mother, loved her son and said to the king, 6lease, sir, dont kill the !a!y" Give him to her. 2' Then Ging Solomon said, Stop, dont kill the !a!y. Give him to this woman. She is the real mother. 2( The people of 3srael respected the king when they heard a!o+t this 1 Gings #.1*' 21 decision. They saw he had the wisdom of God to make the right decisions. 4 1 Ging Solomon r+led over all 3srael. 2 These are the names of his leading officials: AEariah son of Badok was the priestF 3 -lihoreph and Ahi=ah, sons of Shisha, had the =o! of writing notes a!o+t what happened in the co+rtsF Cehoshaphat son of Ahil+d wrote notes a!o+t the history -asy To .ead /ersion

of the peopleF # <enaiah son of Cehoiada was the commander of the armyF Badok and A!iathar were priestsF % AEariah son of 1athan was in charge of the district governorsF Ba!+d son of 1athan was a priest and an advisor to Ging SolomonF & Ahishar was responsi!le for everything in the kings palaceF Adoniram son of A!da was in charge of the slaves. ' 3srael was divided into twelve districts. Solomon chose governors to r+le over each district. These governors were ordered to gather food from their districts and give it to the king and his family. -ach of the twelve governors was 1 Gings #.(*1# 22 responsi!le for giving food to the king one month each year. ( These are the names of the twelve governors: <en $+r was governor of the hill co+ntry of -phraim. ) <en Deker was governor of AakaE, Shaal!im, <eth Shemesh, and -lon <ethhanan. 1, <en $esed was governor of Ar+!!oth, Socoh, and $epher. 11 <en A!inada! was governor of 1aphoth Dor. $e was married to Taphath, da+ghter of Solomon. 12 <aana son of Ahil+d was governor of Taanach and Aegiddo and all of <eth Shean ne4t to Barethan. This was !elow CeEreel, from <eth Shean to A!el Aeholah across from Cokmeam. 13 <en Ge!er was governor of .amoth Gilead. $e was governor of all the towns and villages of Cair son of Aanasseh in Gilead. $e was also governor of the district of Argo! in <ashan. 3n this area there were &, cities with !ig walls aro+nd them. These cities also had !ronEe !ars on the gates. 1# Ahinada! son of 3ddo was governor of Aahanaim. 1 Gings #.1%*22 23 1% AhimaaE was governor of 1aphtali. $e was married to <asemath the da+ghter of Solomon. pag. 3(#0131#

1& <aana son of $+shai was governor of Asher and Aloth. 1' Cehoshaphat son of 6ar+ah was governor of 3ssachar. 1( Shimei son of -la was governor of <en=amin. 1) Ge!er son of Hri was governor of Gilead. There had !een two kings in this area, Ging Sihon of the Amorites and Ging 5g of <ashan, !+t Solomon appointed only one governor for that district. 2, 3n C+dah and 3srael there were as many people as sand on the seashore. The people were happy and had plenty to eat and drink. 21 Solomon r+led over all the kingdoms from the -+phrates .iver to the land of the 6hilistines. $is kingdom went as far as the !order of -gypt. These co+ntries sent gifts to Solomon, and they o!eyed him all of his life. 22 This is the amo+nt of food that Solomon needed each day for himself and for everyone who ate at his ta!le: 1 Gings #.23*2( 2# 1%, !+shels of fine flo+r, 3,, !+shels of flo+r, 1, cattle that were fed grain, 2, cattle that were raised in the fields, 1,, sheep, wild animals s+ch as deer, gaEelles, roe!+cks, and game !irds. 23 7#:228 2# Solomon r+led over all the co+ntries west of the -+phrates .iver, from Tiphsah to GaEa. And Solomon had peace along all the !orders of his kingdom. 2% D+ring Solomons life everyone in C+dah and 3srael, all the way from Dan to <eershe!a, lived in peace and sec+rity. The people were at peace sitting +nder their own fig trees and grapevines. 2& Solomon had places to keep #,,, horses for his chariots and he had 12,,,, horse soldiers. 2' And each month one of the twelve district governors gave Ging Solomon everything he needed for all the people who ate at the kings ta!le. 2( The district governors also gave the -asy To .ead /ersion

king eno+gh straw and !arley for the chariot horses and the riding horses. -veryone !ro+ght this grain to the necessary places. 1 Gings #.2)*%.1 2% 2) God made Solomon very wise. Solomon co+ld +nderstand more than yo+ can imagine. 3, $e was wiser than anyone in the -ast or in -gypt. 31 $e was wiser than anyone on earth, even -than the -Erahite and the sons of Aahol$eman, 9alcol, and Darda. Ging Solomon !ecame famo+s in all the s+rro+nding co+ntries. 32 <y the end of his life, he had written 3,,, prover!s and 1,,% songs. 33 Solomon also knew very m+ch a!o+t nat+re. $e ta+ght a!o+t many different kinds of plantseverything from the great cedar trees of e!anon to the little vines that grow o+t of the walls. $e also ta+ght a!o+t animals, !irds, and snakes. 3# 6eople from every nation came to listen to Solomons wisdom. Gings all over the world sent their people to listen to him. 5 1 $iram was the king of Tyre. $e had always !een Davids friend. So when $iram heard that Solomon had !ecome the new king after David, he sent his servants to Solomon. 1 Gings %.2*' 2& 2 This is what Solomon said to Ging $iram: 3 ;o+ remem!er that my father, Ging David, had to fight many wars all aro+nd him. So he was never a!le to !+ild a temple to honor the 5.D his God. Ging David was waiting +ntil the 5.D allowed him to defeat all his enemies. # <+t now the 5.D my God has given me peace along all the !orders of my co+ntry. 3 have no enemies, and my people are in no danger. % The 5.D made a promise to my father David. $e said, 3 will make yo+r son king after yo+, and he will !+ild a temple to honor me. So now 3 plan to !+ild that temple to honor the 5.D my pag. 3(%0131#

God. & And so 3 ask yo+ to help me. Send yo+r men to e!anon to c+t down cedar trees for me. Ay servants will work with yo+rs. 3 will pay yo+ any price that yo+ decide as yo+r servants wages, !+t 3 need yo+r help. 5+r carpenters are not as good as the carpenters of Sidon. ' $iram was very happy when he heard what Solomon asked. $e said, 3 praise 1 Gings %.(*1# 2' the 5.D today for giving David a wise son to r+le this great nation" ( Then $iram sent this message to Solomon, 3 heard what yo+ asked for. 3 will give yo+ all the cedar trees and the fir trees yo+ want. ) Ay servants will !ring them down from e!anon to the sea. Then 3 will tie them together and float them down the shore to the place yo+ choose. There 3 will separate the logs, and yo+ can take them from there. As payment for this, yo+ will give food to all those who live in my palace. 1, So $iram gave Solomon all the cedar and fir logs that he wanted. 11 Solomon gave $iram a!o+t 12,,,,, !+shels of wheat and a!o+t 12,,,,, gallons of p+re olive oil every year for his family. 12 The 5.D made Solomon wise as he had promised. $iram and Solomon made a treaty !etween themselves and were at peace with each other. 13 Ging Solomon forced 3,,,,, men of 3srael to help in this work. 1# $e chose a man named Adoniram to !e in charge of them. Solomon divided 1 Gings %.1%*&.3 2( the men into three gro+ps with 1,,,,, men in each gro+p. -ach gro+p worked one month in e!anon and then went home for two months. 1% Solomon also forced (,,,,, men to work in the hill co+ntry c+tting stone. There were also ',,,,, men to carry the stones. 1& There were 33,, men to s+pervise the workers. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' Ging Solomon commanded them to c+t large, e4pensive stones for the fo+ndation of the Temple. 1( Then Solomon and $irams !+ilders and the men from <y!los carved the stones and prepared them and the logs for +se in !+ilding the Temple. 6 1 So in the month of Biv, the second month of the year, d+ring Solomons fo+rth year as king, he !egan work on the Temple. This was #(, years after the 3sraelites left -gypt. 2 The Temple was &, c+!its long, 2, c+!its wide, and 3, c+!its high. 3 The porch of the Temple was 2, c+!its long and 1, c+!its wide. The porch ran along the front of the main part of the 1 Gings &.#*( 2) Temple itself. 3ts length was eJ+al to the width of the Temple. # There were narrow windows in the Temple. These windows were smaller on the inside of the wall than on the o+tside. % Then Solomon !+ilt a row of rooms aro+nd the main part of the Temple. This row of rooms was three stories tall with the rooms !+ilt one a!ove the other. & The rooms to+ched the Temple wall, !+t their !eams were not !+ilt into that wall. The Temple wall !ecame thinner at the top, so the rooms on the +pper floors were larger than the ones !elow them. The rooms on the !ottom floor were % c+!its wide. The rooms on the middle floor were & c+!its wide. The rooms a!ove that were ' c+!its wide. ' The stones were completely finished !efore they were !ro+ght into the Temple area, so there was no noise of hammers, a4es, or any other iron tools in the Temple. ( The entrance to these rooms was on !ottom floor at the so+th side of the Temple. 3nside there were stairs that 1 Gings &.)*1& 3, went +p to the second floor and from there to the third floor. ) Solomon finished !+ilding the main part of the Temple and then covered it pag. 3(&0131#

inside with cedar !oards. 1, Then he finished !+ilding the rooms aro+nd the Temple. -ach story was % c+!its tall. The cedar !eams in these rooms rested on a ledge of the Temple wall. 11 The 5.D said to Solomon, 12 3f yo+ o!ey all my laws and commands, 3 will do for yo+ what 3 promised yo+r father David. 13 3 will live among the children of 3srael in this Temple that yo+ are !+ilding, and 3 will never leave the people of 3srael. 1# >hen Solomon finished the stonework on the Temple, 1% the stone walls inside the Temple were covered with cedar !oards from floor to ceiling. Then the stone floor was covered with pine !oards. 1& They !+ilt an inner room 2, c+!its long in the !ack part of the Temple. This room was called the Aost $oly 6lace. They covered the walls in this room with cedar !oards, from floor to ceiling. 1 Gings &.1'*23 31 1' 3n front of the Aost $oly 6lace was the main part of the Temple. This room was #, c+!its long. 1( They covered the walls in this room with cedar !oardsnone of the stones in the walls co+ld !e seen. They carved pict+res of flowers and go+rds into the cedar. 1) Solomon finished the inner room in the !ack part of the Temple. This room was for the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement 2, This room was 2, c+!its long, 2, c+!its wide, and 2, c+!its high. Solomon covered it with p+re gold. $e also covered the cedar altar. 21 $e covered the inside of the Temple with p+re gold and wrapped gold chains aro+nd it. 22 The inside of the Temple was covered with gold, and the altar in front of the Aost $oly 6lace was covered with gold. 23 The workers made two stat+es of 9her+! angels with wings. They made the stat+es from olive wood and p+t -asy To .ead /ersion

them in the Aost $oly 6lace. -ach angel was 1, c+!its tall. 1 Gings &.2#*32 32 2# <oth 9her+! angels were the same siEe and !+ilt the same way. -ach one had two wings. -ach wing was % c+!its long. 2rom the end of one wing to the end of the other wing was 1, c+!its. And each 9her+! angel was 1, c+!its tall. 2% 7&:2#8 2& 7&:2#8 2' They p+t the 9her+! angels !eside each other in the Aost $oly 6lace. Their wings to+ched each other in the middle of the room. The other two wings to+ched each side wall. 2( The two 9her+! angels were covered with gold. 2) The walls aro+nd the main room and the inner room were carved with pict+res of 9her+! angels, palm trees, and flowers. 3, The floor of !oth rooms was covered with gold. 31 The workers made two doors from olive wood. They p+t these doors at the entrance of the Aost $oly 6lace. The frame aro+nd the doors was made with five sides. 32 They made the two doors from olive wood. The workers carved pict+res of 1 Gings &.33*3( 33 9her+! angels, palm trees, and flowers on the doors. Then they covered the doors with gold. 33 They also made doors for the entrance to the main room. They +sed olive wood to make a sJ+are doorframe. 3# There were two doors made from pine. -ach door had two parts that folded together. 3% They carved pict+res of 9her+! angels, palm trees, and flowers on the doors. Then they covered them with gold. 3& Then they !+ilt a wall aro+nd the inner yard. -ach wall was made from three rows of c+t stones and one row of cedar tim!ers. 3' They started working on the 5.D@S pag. 3('0131#

Temple in the month of Biv, the second month of the year. This was d+ring Solomons fo+rth year as king of 3srael. 3( The Temple was finished in the month of <+l, the eighth month of the year, in Solomons eleventh year as king. 3t took seven years to !+ild the Temple. 3t was !+ilt e4actly as planned. 1 Gings '.1*' 3# 7 1 Ging Solomon also !+ilt a palace for himself. 3t took 13 years to !+ild Solomons palace. 2 5ne !+ilding, called the 2orestDofD e!anon $o+se, was 1,, c+!its long, %, c+!its wide, and 3, c+!its high. 3t had fo+r rows of cedar col+mns. 5n top of each col+mn was a cedar capital. 3 There were cedar !eams going across the rows of col+mns. There were 1% !eams for each section of col+mns, making a total of #% !eams. 5n top of these !eams there were cedar !oards for the ceiling. # There were three rows of windows across from each other on the side walls. % There were three doors at each end. All the door openings and frames were sJ+are. & Solomon also !+ilt the $all of 9ol+mns. 3t was %, c+!its long and 3, c+!its wide. Along the front was a porch with a covering s+pported !y col+mns. ' $e also !+ilt a throne room where he =+dged people. $e called this the C+dgment $all. The room was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling. 1 Gings '.(*12 3% ( <ehind the C+dgment $all was a co+rtyard. The palace where Solomon lived was !+ilt aro+nd that co+rtyard and looked like the C+dgment $all. $e also !+ilt the same kind of palace for his wife, the da+ghter of the king of -gypt. ) All these !+ildings were made with e4pensive !locks of stone. The stones were c+t to the right siEe with a saw and then smoothed on front and !ack. These e4pensive stones went from the fo+ndation all the way +p to the top layer of the wall. -ven the wall aro+nd the -asy To .ead /ersion

yard was made with e4pensive !locks of stone. 1, The fo+ndations were made with large, e4pensive stones. Some of the stones were 1, c+!its long and the others were ( c+!its long. 11 5n top of these stones there were other e4pensive stones and cedar !eams. 12 There were walls aro+nd the palace yard and aro+nd the yard and porch of the 5.D@S Temple. The walls were !+ilt with three rows of stone and one row of cedar tim!ers. 1 Gings '.13*1( 3& 13 Ging Solomon sent for a man named $+ram who lived in Tyre and !ro+ght him to Cer+salem. 1# $+rams mother was an 3sraelite from the tri!e of 1aphtali. $is dead father was from Tyre. $+ram made things from !ronEe. $e was a very skilled and e4perienced !+ilder. So Ging Solomon asked him to come, and $+ram accepted. Ging Solomon p+t him in charge of all the !ronEe work, and $+ram did all the work he was given to do. 1% $+ram made two !ronEe col+mns for the porch. -ach col+mn was 1( c+!its tall and 12 c+!its aro+nd. The col+mns were hollow and their metal walls were 3 inches thick. 1& $e also made two !ronEe capitals that were % c+!its tall. $e p+t these capitals on top of the col+mns. 1' $e made two nets of chain to cover the capitals on top of the two col+mns. 1( Then he made two rows of !ronEe pomegranates. $e p+t the !ronEe pomegranates on the nets of each col+mn to cover the capitals at the top of the col+mns. 1 Gings '.1)*2# 3' 1) The capitals on top of the col+mns were shaped like flowers. 2, The capitals were on top of the col+mns, a!ove the !owlDshaped net. There were 2,, pomegranates in rows all aro+nd the capitals. 21 $+ram p+t these two !ronEe col+mns pag. 3((0131#

at the porch of the Temple. 5ne col+mn was p+t on the so+th side of the entrance and one was p+t on the north side of it. The col+mn on the so+th was named Cakin. The col+mn on the north was named <oaE. 22 They p+t the flowerDshaped capitals on top of the col+mns, and the work on the two col+mns was finished. 23 Then $+ram melted !ronEe and po+red it into a h+ge mold to make a tank, which was called The Sea. The tank was a!o+t 3, c+!its aro+nd. 3t was 1, c+!its across and % c+!its deep. 2# There was a rim aro+nd the o+ter edge of the tank. Hnder this rim there were two rows of !ronEe go+rds all aro+nd the tank. The !ronEe go+rds were made in one piece as part of the tank. 1 Gings '.2%*31 3( 2% The tank rested on the !acks of 12 !ronEe !+lls. All 12 of the !+lls were looking o+t, away from the tank. Three were looking north, three east, three so+th, and three west. 2& The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. The rim aro+nd the tank was like the rim of a c+p or like the petals on a flower. The tank held a!o+t 11,,,, gallons of water 2' Then $+ram made ten !ronEe carts. -ach cart was # c+!its long, # c+!its wide, and 3 c+!its high. 2( The carts were made with sJ+are panels set in frames. 2) 5n the panels and frames were !ronEe !+lls, lions, and 9her+! angels. There were designs of flowers hammered into the !ronEe a!ove and !elow the !+lls and lions. 3, -ach cart had fo+r !ronEe wheels with !ronEe a4les. At the corners there were !ronEe s+pports for a large !owl. The s+pports had designs of flowers hammered into the !ronEe. 31 There was a frame aro+nd the top with an opening for the !owl. The frame was 1 c+!it tall, and the opening was 1 Gings '.32*3' 3) -asy To .ead /ersion

1 102 c+!its in diameter. There were designs carved into the !ronEe on the frame. The frame was sJ+are, not ro+nd. 32 There were fo+r wheels +nder the frame. The wheels were 1 102 c+!its in diameter. The a4les !etween the wheels were made as one piece with the cart. 33 The wheels were like the wheels on a chariot. -verything on the wheelsthe a4les, the rims, the spokes, and the h+!s were made from !ronEe. 3# There were s+pports at each of the fo+r corners of the carts. They were made as one piece with the cart. 3% There was a strip of !ronEe aro+nd the top of each cart. 3t was made as one piece with the cart. 3& The sides of the cart and the frames had pict+res of 9her+! angels, lions, and palm trees carved into the !ronEe. These pict+res were carved all over the cartswherever there was room. And there were flowers carved on the frame aro+nd the cart. 3' $+ram made ten carts, and they were all the same. -ach cart was made from !ronEe. The !ronEe was melted and 1 Gings '.3(*#, #, po+red into a mold. So all the carts were the same siEe and shape. 3( $+ram also made ten !owls. There was one !owl for each of the ten carts. -ach !owl was # c+!its across and co+ld hold a!o+t 23, gallons. 3) $e p+t five carts on the so+th side of the Temple and five carts on the north side. $e p+t the large tank in the so+theast corner of the Temple. #, $+ram also made pots, small shovels, and small !owls. $e finished making all the things Ging Solomon wanted him to make. This is a list of the things that $+ram made for the Temple of the 5.D: 2 col+mnsF 2 capitals shaped like !owls for the top of the col+mnsF 2 nets to go aro+nd the capitalsF #,, pomegranates for the two nets 7two rows of pomegranates for each net to cover the two !owls for the capitals on top of the col+mns8F 1, carts with a !owl pag. 3()0131#

on each cartF the large tank with 12 !+lls +nder itF the pots, small shovels, small !owls, and all the dishes for the 5.D@S Temple. $+ram made everything Ging Solomon wanted. They were all made from polished !ronEe. 1 Gings '.#1*#( #1 #1 7':#,8 #2 7':#,8 #3 7':#,8 ## 7':#,8 #% 7':#,8 #& Solomon never weighed the !ronEe that was +sed to make these things. There was too m+ch to weigh. So the total weight of all the !ronEe was never known. The king ordered these things to !e made near the Cordan .iver !etween S+ccoth and Barethan. They made them !y melting the !ronEe and po+ring it into molds in the gro+nd. #' 7':#&8 #( Solomon also commanded that all these things !e made from gold for the Temple: the golden altarF the gold ta!le that held the special !read offered to GodF the lampstands of p+re gold 7five on the so+th side and five on the north side in front of the Aost $oly 6lace8F the gold flowers, lamps, and tongsF the p+re gold !owls, lamp sn+ffers, small !owls, pans, and dishes for carrying coalsF the gold hinges for the doors to the inner room 7the Aost $oly 6lace8 and for the doors to the main room of the Temple. 1 Gings '.#)*(.# #2 #) 7':#(8 %, 7':#(8 %1 So Ging Solomon finished all the work he wanted to do for the 5.D@S Temple. Then he took everything his father David had saved for this special p+rpose and p+t them in the Temple. $e p+t the silver and gold in the special storage rooms in the 5.D@S Temple. 8 1 Then Ging Solomon told all the elders of 3srael, the heads of the tri!es, and the leaders of the families of 3srael to come together in Cer+salem. Solomon wanted them to =oin in moving -asy To .ead /ersion

the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement from the 9ity of David +p to the Temple. 2 So d+ring the special festival in the month of -thanim, the seventh month of the year, all the men of 3srael came to the meeting with Ging Solomon. 3 >hen all the elders of 3srael arrived, the priests and evites carried the $oly <o4 of the 5.D +p to the Temple. They also carried the Aeeting Tent and all the holy things that were in it +p to the Temple. # 7(:38 1 Gings (.%*11 #3 % Ging Solomon and all 3srael met together !efore the <o4 of the Agreement and sacrificed so many sheep and cattle that no one was a!le to co+nt them all. & The priests carried the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement to its proper place inside the Aost $oly 6lace in the Temple, +nder the wings of the 9her+! angels. ' The wings of the 9her+! angels spread o+t over the $oly <o4, and they covered the $oly <o4 and its carrying poles. ( The poles are still there today. They are too long for the Aost $oly 6lace, so anyone standing in the $oly 6lace can see the ends of the poles, altho+gh no one o+tside can see them. ) The only things inside the $oly <o4 are the two ta!lets that Aoses p+t there at At. $ore!. This is where the 5.D made his agreement with the 3sraelites after they came o+t of -gypt. 1, >hen the priests came o+t of the $oly 6lace, the clo+d filled the 5.D@S Temple. 11 The priests co+ld not contin+e their work !eca+se the Temple was filled with the Glory of the 5.D. 1 Gings (.12*1( ## 12 Then Solomon said: The 5.D ca+sed the s+n to shine in the sky, !+t he chose to live in a dark clo+d. 13 1ow, ord, 3 have !+ilt a !ea+tif+l Temple for yo+, where yo+ may live forever. 1# Then Ging Solomon t+rned toward all pag. 3),0131#

the 3sraelites who were standing there and asked God to !less them. 1% $e prayed this long prayer to the ord: The 5.D, the God of 3srael, is great. $e has done what he promised my father David. $e told my father, 1& 3 !ro+ght my people, 3srael, o+t of -gypt, !+t 3 had not yet chosen a city from among the tri!es of 3srael for a temple to honor me. And 3 had not chosen a man to !e leader over my people, 3srael. <+t now 3 have chosen Cer+salem to !e the city where 3 will !e honored. And 3 have chosen David to r+le over my people, 3srael. 1' Ay father David wanted very m+ch to !+ild a temple to honor the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1( <+t the 5.D said to my father, 3 know that yo+ want very m+ch to !+ild a 1 Gings (.1)*2# #% temple to honor me, and it is good that yo+ want to !+ild it. 1) <+t yo+ are not the one to !+ild my temple. ;o+r son will !+ild my temple. 2, So the 5.D has kept his promises. 3 am the king now in place of my father David. 3 r+le the people of 3srael as the 5.D promised. And 3 have !+ilt the Temple for the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 21 3 have made a place in the Temple for the $oly <o4. 3nside that $oly <o4 is the agreement that the 5.D made with o+r ancestors when he !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. 22 Then Solomon stood in front of whole assem!ly of 3srael and faced the 5.D@S altar. Solomon spread his hands and looked toward heaven 23 and said: 5.D, God of 3srael, there is no other god like yo+ in heaven or on the earth. ;o+ keep the agreement that yo+ made with yo+r people. ;o+ are kind and loyal to those who follow yo+ with all their heart. 2# ;o+ made a promise to yo+r servant, my father David, and yo+ kept that promise. ;o+ made that promise with 1 Gings (.2%*3, #& yo+r own mo+th, and with yo+r own -asy To .ead /ersion

hands yo+ made it come tr+e today. 2% 1ow, 5.D, God of 3srael, keep the other promises yo+ made to yo+r servant David, my father. ;o+ said, David, if yo+r sons caref+lly o!ey me as yo+ did, yo+ will always have someone from yo+r family r+ling the people of 3srael. 2& Again, God of 3srael, 3 ask yo+ to keep the promise yo+ made to yo+r servant, my father David. 2' <+t, God, will yo+ really live here with +s on the earth? The whole sky and the highest heaven cannot contain yo+. 9ertainly this Temple that 3 !+ilt cannot contain yo+ either. 2( <+t please listen to my prayer and my reJ+est. 3 am yo+r servant, and yo+ are the 5.D my God. $ear this prayer that 3 am praying to yo+ today. 2) 3n the past yo+ said, 3 will !e honored there. So please watch over this Temple, night and day. And please listen to my prayer as 3 t+rn toward this Temple and pray to yo+. 3, And please listen to o+r prayers in the f+t+re when 3 and yo+r people 3srael t+rn to this place and pray to yo+. >e 1 Gings (.31*3% #' know that yo+ live in heaven. >e ask yo+ to hear o+r prayer there and forgive +s. 31 Those who wrong others will !e !ro+ght to this altar. 3f they are not g+ilty, they will make an oath and promise that they are innocent. 32 6lease listen from heaven and =+dge them. 3f they are g+ilty, please show +s that they are g+ilty. And if they are innocent, please show +s that they are not g+ilty. 33 Sometimes yo+r people 3srael will sin against yo+, and their enemies will defeat them. Then the people will come !ack to yo+ and praise yo+. They will pray to yo+ in this Temple. 3# 6lease listen in heaven to the prayers of yo+r people 3srael. 2orgive them for their sins and let them have their land again. ;o+ gave this land to their ancestors. pag. 3)10131#

3% Sometimes they will sin against yo+, and yo+ will stop the rain from falling on their land. Then they will pray toward this place and praise yo+r name. ;o+ make them s+ffer, and they will !e sorry for their sins. 1 Gings (.3&*#1 #( 3& So please listen in heaven to their prayer. Then forgive +s for o+r sins. Teach the people to live right. Then, ord, please send rain to the land yo+ gave them. 3' The land might !ecome very dry and no food will grow on it. 5r may!e a great sickness will spread among the people. Aay!e all the food that is growing will !e destroyed !y insects. 5r yo+r people might !e attacked in some of their cities !y their enemies. 5r many of yo+r people might get sick. 3( >hen any of these things happen, and people feel compelled in their hearts to spread their hands in prayer toward this Temple, 3) please listen to their prayer. isten while yo+ are in yo+r home in heaven and forgive them and help them. 5nly yo+ know what people are really thinking, so only yo+ can =+dge then fairly. #, Do this so that yo+r people will fear and respect yo+ all the time that they live in this land that yo+ gave to o+r ancestors. #1 6eople from other places will hear a!o+t yo+r greatness and yo+r power. 1 Gings (.#2*#' #) They will come from far away to pray at this Temple. #2 7(:#18 #3 2rom yo+r home in heaven please listen to their prayers. 6lease do everything the people from other places ask yo+. Then they will fear and respect yo+ the same as yo+r people in 3srael. Then all people everywhere will know that 3 !+ilt this Temple to honor yo+. ## Sometimes yo+ will command yo+r people to go and fight against their enemies. Then yo+r people will t+rn toward the city that yo+ have chosen -asy To .ead /ersion

and the Temple that 3 !+ilt in yo+r honor, and they will pray to yo+, 5.D. #% 6lease listen to their prayers from yo+r home in heaven, and help them. #& ;o+r people will sin against yo+. 3 know this !eca+se everyone sins. And yo+ will !e angry with yo+r people. ;o+ will let their enemies defeat them. Their enemies will make them prisoners and carry them to some faraway land. #' 3n that faraway land, yo+r people will think a!o+t what happened. They will !e sorry for their sins, and they will pray to 1 Gings (.#(*%3 %, yo+. They will say, >e have sinned and done wrong. #( They will !e in that faraway land of their enemies, !+t they will t+rn !ack to yo+. They will feel sorry for their sins with their whole heart and so+l. They will t+rn toward the land yo+ gave their ancestors. They will look toward the city yo+ chose and toward the Temple 3 !+ilt, and they will pray to yo+. #) 6lease listen to their prayers from yo+r home in heaven, and do what is right. %, 2orgive yo+r sinf+l people for all the things they have done against yo+. Aake their enemies !e kind to them. %1 .emem!er that they are yo+r people and that yo+ !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. 3t was as if yo+ saved them !y p+lling them o+t of a hot oven" %2 6lease listen to my prayers and to the prayers of yo+r people 3srael. isten to their prayers any time that they ask yo+ for help. %3 ;o+ have chosen them from all the peoples of the earth to !e yo+r own special people. ord G5D, yo+ promised to do that for +s. ;o+ +sed yo+r servant 1 Gings (.%#*%) %1 Aoses to make that promise when yo+ !ro+ght o+r ancestors o+t of -gypt. %# >hen Solomon prayed this prayer to the 5.D, he was on his knees in front of the 5.D@S altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. >hen he finished praying, he stood +p. pag. 3)20131#

%% Then, in a lo+d voice, he asked God to !less all the people of 3srael. Solomon said: %& 6raise the 5.D" $e promised to give rest to his people, 3srael. And he has given +s rest" $e +sed his servant Aoses and made many good promises to the people of 3srael. And he has kept every one of them" %' 3 pray that the 5.D o+r God will !e with +s, as he was with o+r ancestors. 3 pray that he will never leave +s. %( 3 pray that we will t+rn to him and follow him. Then we will o!ey all the laws, decisions, and commands that he gave o+r ancestors. %) 3 pray that the 5.D o+r God will always remem!er this prayer and what 3 have asked. 3 pray that he will do these things for his servant, the king, and for 1 Gings (.&,*&# %2 his people, 3srael. 3 pray that he will do this every day. &, 3f he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the 5.D is the only tr+e God. &1 ;o+ people m+st !e loyal and tr+e to the 5.D o+r God. ;o+ m+st always follow and o!ey all of his laws and commands. ;o+ m+st contin+e to o!ey in the f+t+re as yo+ do now. &2 Then Ging Solomon and all the 3sraelites with him offered sacrifices to the 5.D. &3 Solomon killed 22,,,, cattle and 12,,,,, sheep as fellowship offerings to the 5.D. 3n this way the king and the people showed that they had dedicated the Temple to the 5.D. &# Ging Solomon also dedicated the yard right in front of the 5.D@S Temple. $e offered !+rnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were +sed as fellowship offerings. Ging Solomon made these offerings there in the yard. $e did this !eca+se the !ronEe altar in front of the 5.D was too small to hold them all. 1 Gings (.&%*).3 %3 &% So there at the Temple, Ging Solomon -asy To .ead /ersion

and all the people of 3srael cele!rated the festival. 6eople came from as far away as $amath 6ass in the north and the !order of -gypt in the so+th. This h+ge crowd of people ate, drank, and en=oyed themselves together with the 5.D for seven days. Then they stayed for another seven days. They cele!rated for a total of 1# days. && The ne4t day Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said good!ye, and went home. They were happy !eca+se of all the good things that the 5.D had done for David his servant and for his people 3srael. 9 1 So Solomon finished !+ilding the 5.D@S Temple and his own palace. Solomon !+ilt everything that he wanted to !+ild. 2 Then the 5.D appeared to Solomon again, =+st as he did at Gi!eon. 3 The 5.D said to him, 3 heard yo+r prayer and what yo+ asked me to do. ;o+ !+ilt this Temple, and 3 have made it a holy place. So 3 will !e honored there forever. 3 will watch over it and think of it always. 1 Gings ).#*) %# # ;o+ m+st serve me with a p+re and honest heart, =+st as yo+r father David did. ;o+ m+st o!ey my laws and do everything that 3 commanded yo+. % 3f yo+ do, 3 will make s+re that yo+r family will always r+le 3srael, =+st as 3 promised yo+r father David when 3 told him that 3srael wo+ld always !e r+led !y one of his descendants. & <+t if yo+ or yo+r children stop following me, and dont o!ey the laws and commands that 3 have given yo+, and if yo+ serve and worship other gods, 3 will force 3srael to leave the land that 3 have given to them. 3srael will !e an e4ample to other people. 5ther people will make =okes a!o+t 3srael. 3 made the Temple holy. 3t is the place where people honor me. <+t 3 will tear it down. ' 7):&8 ( This Temple will !e destroyed. -veryone who sees it will !e amaEed. pag. 3)30131#

They will ask, >hy did the 5.D do this terri!le thing to this land and to this temple? ) 6eople will say, This happened !eca+se they left the 5.D their God. $e !ro+ght their ancestors o+t of -gypt, !+t they 1 Gings ).1,*1% %% decided to follow other gods. They worshiped and served those gods. That is why the 5.D ca+sed all these !ad things to happen to them. 1, 3t took 2, years for Ging Solomon to !+ild the 5.D@S Temple and the kings palace. 11 $iram s+pplied Solomon with all the cedar, pine and gold that he wanted, so Solomon gave him 2, cities in Galilee. 12 So $iram traveled from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him. <+t $iram was not pleased when he saw them. 13 Ging $iram said, >hat are these towns that yo+ have given me, my !rother? Ging $iram named that land the and of 9a!+l. And that area is still called 9a!+l today. 1# $iram had sent Ging Solomon a!o+t ),,, po+nds of gold to +se in !+ilding the Temple. 1% Ging Solomon forced slaves to work for him to !+ild the Temple and his palace. Then he +sed these slaves to !+ild many other things. $e !+ilt the Aillo and the city wall aro+nd Cer+salem. 1 Gings ).1&*22 %& Then he re!+ilt the cities of $aEor, Aegiddo, and GeEer. 1& 3n the past the king of -gypt had fo+ght against the city of GeEer and !+rned it. $e killed the 9anaanites who lived there. >hen Solomon married 6haraohs da+ghter, 6haraoh gave him that city as a wedding present. 1' Solomon re!+ilt GeEer and the city of ower <eth $oron. 1( $e also !+ilt the cities of <aalath and Tamar in the C+dean desert. 1) $e also !+ilt cities where he co+ld store grain, and he !+ilt places for his chariots and his horses. Ging Solomon -asy To .ead /ersion

also !+ilt whatever he wanted in Cer+salem, e!anon, and all the places he r+led. 2, There were people left in the land who were not 3sraelites. There were Amorites, $ittites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. 21 The 3sraelites had not !een a!le to destroy them, !+t Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves. They are still slaves today. 22 Solomon did not force any 3sraelites to !e his slaves. The 3sraelites were 1 Gings ).23*2( %' soldiers, government officials, officers, captains, and chariot commanders and drivers. 23 There were %%, s+pervisors over Solomons pro=ects. They s+pervised the men who did the work. 2# 6haraohs da+ghter moved from the 9ity of David to the palace that Solomon had !+ilt for her. Then he !+ilt the Aillo. 2% Three times each year Solomon offered !+rned sacrifices and fellowship offerings on the altar that he !+ilt for the 5.D. Ging Solomon also !+rned incense !efore the 5.D and s+pplied what was needed for the Temple. 2& Ging Solomon also !+ilt ships at -Eion Ge!er. This town is near -lath on the shore of the .ed Sea, in the land of -dom. 2' Ging $iram had some skilled sailors who knew the sea well. $e sent them to serve in Solomons navy and work with Solomons men. 2( Solomons ships went to 5phir and !ro+ght !ack a!o+t 1& tons of gold for him. 1 Gings 1,.1*' %( 10 1 The J+een of She!a heard a!o+t Solomon, so she came to test him with hard J+estions. 2 She traveled to Cer+salem with a very large gro+p of servants. There were many camels carrying spices, =ewels, and a lot of gold. She met Solomon and asked him all the J+estions that she co+ld think of. pag. 3)#0131#

3 Solomon answered all the J+estions. 1one of her J+estions was too hard for him to e4plain. # The J+een of She!a saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the !ea+tif+l palace he had !+ilt. % She saw the food at the kings ta!le. She saw his officials meeting together. She saw the servants in the palace and the good clothes they wore. She saw his parties and the sacrifices that he offered in the 5.D@S Temple. She was so amaEed, she co+ld hardly !reathe" & Then she said to Ging Solomon, The stories 3 heard in my co+ntry a!o+t yo+r great works and yo+r wisdom are tr+e. ' 3 did not !elieve it +ntil 3 came and saw it with my own eyes. 1ow 3 see that it is even greater than what 3 heard. ;o+r 1 Gings 1,.(*13 %) wealth and wisdom are m+ch greater than people told me. ( ;o+r wives and officers are very fort+nate, !eca+se they serve yo+ and hear yo+r wisdom every day. ) 6raise the 5.D yo+r God" $e was pleased to make yo+ king of 3srael. <eca+se of the 5.D@S +nending love for 3srael, he has made yo+ king to r+le with =+stice and fairness. 1, Then the I+een of She!a gave Ging Solomon # 102 tons of gold, a h+ge amo+nt of spices, and precio+s stones. She gave him more spices than anyone has ever !ro+ght into 3srael. 11 $irams ships !ro+ght gold from 5phir. They also !ro+ght =ewels and a special kind of wood. 12 Solomon +sed this special wood to !+ild s+pports in the Temple and the palace as well as harps and lyres for the singers. That was the last time s+ch a large shipment of that kind of wood was !ro+ght to 3srael. There hasnt !een any seen aro+nd here since then. 13 Ging Solomon gave the I+een of She!a everything she asked for. $e gave her more than she !ro+ght to give 1 Gings 1,.1#*1) &, him. Then the I+een of She!a and her -asy To .ead /ersion

servants left and went !ack to their own co+ntry. 1# -very year Ging Solomon received almost 2% tons of gold. 1% 3n addition to the gold !ro+ght in !y the traveling merchants and traders, all the kings of Ara!ia and the governors of the land also !ro+ght gold and silver to Solomon. 1& Ging Solomon made 2,, large shields of hammered gold. A!o+t 1% po+nds of gold was +sed for each shield. 1' $e also made 3,, smaller shields of hammered gold. A!o+t # po+nds of gold was +sed for each shield. The king p+t them in the 2orestDofD e!anon $o+se. 1( Ging Solomon also !+ilt a large throne with ivory decorations. 3t was covered with p+re gold. 1) There were si4 steps leading +p to the throne. The !ack of the throne was ro+nd at the top. There were armrests on !oth sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne +nder the armrests. 1 Gings 1,.2,*2% &1 2, There were also two lions on each of the si4 steps, one at each end. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 21 All of Solomons c+ps and glasses were made of gold, and all of the dishes in the 2orestDofD e!anon $o+se were made from p+re gold. 1othing in the palace was made from silver. There was so m+ch gold that in Solomons time people did not think silver was important. 22 The king also had many cargo ships that he sent o+t to trade things with other co+ntries. These were $irams ships. -very three years the ships wo+ld come !ack with a new load of gold, silver, ivory, and apes and !a!oons. 23 Ging Solomon !ecame greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth. 2# 6eople everywhere wanted to see Ging Solomon and listen to the great wisdom that God had given him. 2% -very year people came to see the pag. 3)%0131#

king and !ro+ght gifts made from gold and silver, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and m+les. 1 Gings 1,.2&*11.2 &2 2& Solomon had a great n+m!er of chariots and horses. $e had 1#,, chariots and 12,,,, horse soldiers. $e !+ilt special cities for these chariots. So the chariots were kept in these cities. Ging Solomon also kept some of the chariots with him in Cer+salem. 2' The king made 3srael very rich. 3n the city of Cer+salem, silver was as common as rocks and cedar wood was as common as the many fig trees growing on the hills. 2( Solomon !ro+ght horses from -gypt and G+e. $is traders !o+ght them in G+e and !ro+ght them to 3srael. 2) A chariot from -gypt cost a!o+t 1% po+nds of silver, and a horse cost almost # po+nds of silver. Solomon sold horses and chariots to the kings of the $ittites and the Arameans. 11 1 Ging Solomon loved many foreign women, incl+ding the da+ghter of 6haraoh and women from Aoa!, Ammon, -dom, Sidon, and the $ittites. 2 3n the past the 5.D had said to the 3sraelites, ;o+ m+st not marry people from other nations. 3f yo+ do, they will 1 Gings 11.3*( &3 ca+se yo+ to follow their gods. <+t Solomon fell in love with these women. 3 $e had ',, wives who were the da+ghters of leaders from other nations. $e also had 3,, slave women who were like wives to him. $is wives ca+sed him to t+rn away from God. # >hen Solomon was old, his wives ca+sed him to follow other gods, so he did not follow the 5.D completely as his father David did. % Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of Sidon, and Ailcom, the horri!le god of the Ammonites. & So Solomon did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did not follow the 5.D completely as his father David did. -asy To .ead /ersion

' 5n the mo+ntain ne4t to Cer+salem, Solomon !+ilt a place for worshiping 9hemosh, that horri!le idol of the Aoa!ites. 5n the same mo+ntain, Solomon !+ilt a place for worshiping Aolech, that horri!le idol of the Ammonites. ( Solomon did the same thing for all of his other foreign wives who !+rned incense and gave sacrifices to their gods. 1 Gings 11.)*1# &# ) So Solomon did not remain faithf+l to the 5.D, the God of 3srael, even tho+gh God had appeared to him twice. The 5.D !ecame angry with him. 1, $e had told Solomon that he m+st not follow other gods, !+t Solomon did not o!ey the 5.D@S command. 11 So the 5.D said to Solomon, ;o+ have chosen to !reak yo+r agreement with me. ;o+ have not o!eyed my commands. So 3 promise that 3 will tear yo+r kingdom away from yo+ and give it to one of yo+r servants. 12 <+t 3 loved yo+r father David, so 3 will not take yo+r kingdom away from yo+ while yo+ are alive. 3 will wait +ntil yo+r son !ecomes king. Then 3 will take it from him. 13 Still, 3 will not tear away all the kingdom from yo+r son. 3 will leave him one tri!e to r+le. 3 will do this for my servant David and for Cer+salem, the city 3 chose. 1# Then the 5.D raised +p $adad the -domite to !ecome Solomons enemy. $adad was from the royal family of -dom. 1 Gings 11.1%*21 &% 1% This is how it happened. 3n the past David fo+ght against -dom. Coa! was the commander of Davids army. Coa! went to -dom to !+ry his dead soldiers. >hile there Coa! killed all the -domite men who were still alive. 1& Coa! and the men of 3srael stayed in -dom for si4 months +ntil they killed all the men of -dom. 1' At the time $adad was only a yo+ng !oy. $e and some of his fathers servants pag. 3)&0131#

ran away to -gypt. 1( They left Aidian and went to 6aran. 3n 6aran some other people =oined them and the whole gro+p went to -gypt. They went to 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, and asked for help. 6haraoh gave $adad a ho+se, some land, and food to eat. 1) 6haraoh liked $adad so m+ch that he gave $adad a wife. She was 6haraohs sisterDinDlaw. 76haraohs wife was I+een Tahpenes.8 2, $adad and the sister of Tahpenes had a son named Gen+!ath. I+een Tahpenes let Gen+!ath grow +p in 6haraohs ho+se with his children. 21 3n -gypt $adad heard that David had died and that Coa!, the commander of 1 Gings 11.22*2& && the army, was dead. So $adad said to 6haraoh, et me go home to my own co+ntry. 22 <+t 6haraoh answered, 3 have given yo+ everything yo+ need here. >hy do yo+ want to go !ack to yo+r own co+ntry? $adad answered, 6lease, =+st let me go home. 23 God also raised +p another man to !ecome one of Solomons enemies. This man was .eEon, son of -liada. .eEon ran away from his master, Ging $adadeEer of Bo!ah. 2# After David defeated the army of Bo!ah, .eEon gathered some men and !ecame the leader of a small army. $e went to Damasc+s and stayed there to r+le from Damasc+s. 2% .eEon !ecame the king of Aram. $e was an enemy of 3srael thro+gho+t Solomons life and added to the tro+!le that $adad created for 3srael. 2& There was also another person who !ecame an enemy of Solomon. $e was Cero!oam son of 1e!at. $e was an -phraimite from the town of Beredah. $is mother was a widow named Ber+ah. 1 Gings 11.2'*32 &' $e was one of Solomons servants, !+t he re!elled against the king. 2' This is the story a!o+t how Cero!oam t+rned against the king. Solomon was -asy To .ead /ersion

!+ilding the Aillo and repairing the wall aro+nd the city of David, his father. 2( Cero!oam was a free man. Solomon saw that this yo+ng man was a skilled worker, so he made him the s+pervisor over all the workers from the tri!es that descended from Coseph. 2) 5ne day as Cero!oam was leaving Cer+salem, the prophet Ahi=ah from Shiloh met him on the road. They were alone o+t in the co+ntry, and Ahi=ah was wearing a new coat. 3, Ahi=ah took his new coat and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Cero!oam, Take ten pieces of this coat for yo+rself !eca+se the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, 3 will tear the kingdom away from Solomon, and 3 will give yo+ ten of the tri!es. 32 3 will let Davids family keep only one tri!e. 3 will do this !eca+se of my servant David and !eca+se of Cer+salem, the city that 3 chose from among all the tri!es of 3srael. 1 Gings 11.33*3( &( 33 3 will take the kingdom from Solomon !eca+se he stopped following me and !egan worshiping Ashtoreth, the goddess of SidonF 9hemosh, the god of Aoa!F and Ailcom, the god of the Ammonites. Solomon stopped following my ways and doing what 3 say is right. $e does not o!ey my laws and commands as his father David did. 3# So 3 will take the kingdom away from Solomons family. 3 chose David !eca+se he o!eyed all my laws and commands. So for my servant David, 3 will let Solomon !e the king for the rest of his life. 3% <+t Cero!oam, 3 will take the ten tri!es away from his son and give them to yo+. 3& 3 will let Solomons son keep one tri!e to r+le over. 3 will do this for my servant David, so he will always have someone to r+le near me in Cer+salem, the city that 3 chose to !e my own. 3' <+t 3 will make yo+ king of 3srael. ;o+ will r+le over everything yo+ want. pag. 3)'0131#

3( 3f yo+ live right and o!ey all my commands as David did, 3 will !e with yo+ and make yo+r family a family of 1 Gings 11.3)*12.3 &) kings, =+st as 3 did for David. And yo+ will have 3srael as yo+r kingdom. 3) 3 will p+nish Davids descendants !eca+se of what Solomon did, !+t not forever. #, Solomon tried to kill Cero!oam, !+t Cero!oam ran away to -gypt. $e went to Ging Shishak of -gypt and stayed there +ntil Solomon died. #1 -verything else Solomon did, from the !eginning to the end, is written in the !ook, The $istory of Solomon. #2 Solomon r+led in Cer+salem over all 3srael for #, years. #3 Then he died and was !+ried in the city of David, his father. Then Solomons son, .eho!oam, !ecame the ne4t king after him. 12 1 Cero!oam son of 1e!at was still in -gypt where he had r+n away from Solomon. >hen he heard a!o+t Solomons death, he ret+rned to his city, Beredah, in the hills of -phraim. .eho!oam and all the 3sraelites went to Shechem to make him the king. The people said to .eho!oam, 2 712:18 3 712:18 1 Gings 12.#*1, ', # ;o+r father forced +s to work very hard. 1ow, make it easier for +s. Stop the heavy work that yo+r father forced +s to do and we will serve yo+. % .eho!oam answered, 9ome !ack to me in three days, and 3 will answer yo+. So the people left. & There were some older men who had helped Solomon make decisions when he was alive. So Ging .eho!oam asked these men what he sho+ld do. $e said, $ow do yo+ think 3 sho+ld answer the people? ' They answered, 3f yo+ are like a servant to them today, they will sincerely serve yo+. 3f yo+ speak kindly to them, they will always work for yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

( <+t .eho!oam did not listen to the advice from the older men. $e asked the yo+ng men who were his friends. ) .eho!oam asked them, The people said, Give +s easier work than yo+r father gave +s. $ow do yo+ think 3 sho+ld answer them? >hat sho+ld 3 tell them? 1, Then the yo+ng men who grew +p with him answered, Those people came to yo+ and said, ;o+r father forced +s 1 Gings 12.11*1% '1 to work very hard. 1ow make o+r work easier. So yo+ sho+ld tell them, Ay little finger is stronger than my fathers whole !ody. 11 Ay father forced yo+ to work hard, !+t 3 will make yo+ work m+ch harder" Ay father p+nished yo+ with whips, !+t 3 will p+nish yo+ with whips that have sharp metal tips. 12 Three days later, Cero!oam and all the people came !ack as .eho!oam had said. 13 Ging .eho!oam did not listen to the advice from the older men, and he was r+de to the people. 1# $e did what his friends told him to do and said, Ay father forced yo+ to work hard, !+t 3 will make yo+ work m+ch harder" Ay father p+nished yo+ with whips, !+t 3 will p+nish yo+ with whips that have sharp metal tips. 1% So the king did not do what the people wanted. The 5.D ca+sed this to happen. $e did this in order to keep the promise he made to Cero!oam son of 1e!at when he sent the prophet Ahi=ah from Shiloh to speak to him. 1 Gings 12.1&*21 '2 1& The 3sraelites saw that the new king ref+sed to listen to them, so they said to him, >e are not part of Davids family are we? >e dont get any of Cesses land, do we? So, people of 3srael, lets go home and let Davids son r+le his own people" So the 3sraelites went home. 1' <+t .eho!oam still r+led over the 3sraelites who lived in the cities of C+dah. 1( A man named Adoniram was one of pag. 3)(0131#

the men who directed the workers. Ging .eho!oam sent Adoniram to talk to the people, !+t the 3sraelites threw stones at him +ntil he died. Ging .eho!oam ran to his chariot and escaped to Cer+salem. 1) So 3srael re!elled against the family of David, and this is how things are even today. 2, >hen all the 3sraelites heard that Cero!oam had come !ack, they called him to a meeting and made him king over all 3srael. The tri!e of C+dah was the only tri!e that contin+ed to follow the family of David. 21 .eho!oam went !ack to Cer+salem and gathered together an army of 1(,,,,, men from the families of C+dah and the tri!e of <en=amin. .eho!oam 1 Gings 12.22*2( '3 wanted to go fight against the 3sraelites and take !ack his kingdom. 22 <+t God spoke to a prophet named Shemaiah. $e said, 23 Talk to .eho!oam, the son of Solomon, king of C+dah, and to men of C+dah and <en=amin. 2# Say to them, The 5.D says that yo+ m+st not go to war against yo+r !rothers. -veryone, go home" 3 made all this happen. So all the men in .eho!oams army o!eyed the 5.D. They went home, =+st as the 5.D had commanded. 2% Cero!oam re!+ilt the city of Shechem, in the hill co+ntry of -phraim, and lived there. ater he went to the city of 6en+el and re!+ilt it. 2& Cero!oam said to himself, 3f the people keep going to Cer+salem to offer sacrifices at the 5.D@S Temple, someday they will want to !e r+led !y their old masters. They will want to !e r+led !y Ging .eho!oam of C+dah. And then they will kill me. 2' 712:2&8 2( So the king asked his advisors what to do. They gave him their advice, and 1 Gings 12.2)*33 '# Ging Cero!oam made two gold calves. $e said to the people, ;o+ dont have to go -asy To .ead /ersion

to Cer+salem to worship anymore. 3srael, these are the gods that !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. 2) Ging Cero!oam p+t one gold calf in <ethel and the other one in the city of Dan. 3, >hat a terri!le sin this was, !eca+se the 3sraelites started going to the cities of Dan and <ethel to worship the calves. 31 Cero!oam also !+ilt temples at the high places and chose priests from among the different tri!es of 3srael. 7$e did not choose priests only from the tri!e of evi.8 32 Then Ging Cero!oam started a new festival that was like the festival in C+dah, !+t it was on the 1%th day of the eighth month. At this time the king offered sacrifices on the altar at <ethel. $e and the priests he chose offered the sacrifices to the calves that he had set +p at the high places he had made. 33 So Ging Cero!oam chose his own time for a festival for the 3sraelites, the 1%th day of the eighth month. And d+ring that time he offered sacrifices and !+rned 1 Gings 13.1*# '% incense on the altar he had !+ilt at <ethel. 13 1 The 5.D commanded a man of God from C+dah to go to the city of <ethel. Ging Cero!oam was standing at the altar offering incense when the man of God arrived. 2 The 5.D had commanded the man of God to speak against the altar. $e said, Altar, the 5.D says to yo+: Davids family will have a son. $is name will !e Cosiah. The priests of the high places are now !+rning incense on yo+, !+t Cosiah will offer the priests on yo+ and !+rn h+man !ones on yo+, so yo+ can never !e +sed again" 3 The man of God gave proof to the people that this wo+ld happen. $e said, This is the proof that the 5.D told me a!o+t. $e said, This altar will !reak apart, and the ashes on it will fall onto the gro+nd. # >hen Ging Cero!oam heard the pag. 3))0131#

message from the man of God a!o+t the altar in <ethel, he took his hand off the altar and pointed at the man. $e said, Arrest that man" <+t when the king 1 Gings 13.%*11 '& said this, his arm !ecame paralyEed. $e co+ld not move it. % Then the altar !roke into pieces, and all its ashes fell onto the gro+nd. This proved that what the man of God had said came from the 5.D. & Then Ging Cero!oam said to the man of God, 6lease pray to the 5.D yo+r God for me. Ask him to heal my arm. So the man of God prayed to the 5.D, and the kings arm was healed, as it was !efore. ' Then the king said to the man of God, 6lease come home with me. 9ome and eat with me. 3 will give yo+ a gift. ( <+t the man of God said to the king, 3 will not go home with yo+, even if yo+ give me half of yo+r kingdom" 3 will not eat or drink anything in this place. ) The 5.D commanded me not to eat or drink anything here. $e also commanded me not to go !ack the same way 3 came. 1, So he took a different road home. $e did not go !ack the same way he came to <ethel. 11 There was an old prophet living in <ethel. $is sons came and told him what 1 Gings 13.12*1( '' the man of God did in <ethel and what he said to Ging Cero!oam. 12 The old prophet said, >hich way did he go when he left? So the sons showed their father which road the man of God from C+dah had taken. 13 The old prophet told his sons to saddle his donkey. They p+t the saddle on the donkey, and the prophet left. 1# The old prophet went after the man of God. $e fo+nd him sitting +nder an oak tree and asked him, Are yo+ the man of God who =+st came from C+dah? The man of God answered, ;es, 3 am. 1% So the old prophet said, 6lease come home and eat with me. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& <+t the man of God said, 3 cannot go home with yo+. 3 cannot eat or drink anything in this place. 1' The 5.D said to me, ;o+ m+st not eat or drink anything in that place, and yo+ m+st go !ack on a different road. 1( The old prophet lied to him and said, <+t 3 am a prophet like yo+. And an angel from the 5.D came to me and told me to !ring yo+ home and give yo+ something to eat and drink. 1 Gings 13.1)*2% '( 1) So the man of God went to the old prophets ho+se and ate and drank with him. 2, >hile they were sitting at the ta!le, the 5.D spoke to the old prophet, 21 and the old prophet spoke to the man of God from C+dah. $e said, The 5.D said that yo+ did not o!ey him" ;o+ did not do what he commanded. 22 $e told yo+ not to eat or drink anything in this place, !+t yo+ came !ack here and ate and drank. So yo+r !ody will not !e !+ried in yo+r family grave. 23 The man of God finished eating and drinking. Then the old prophet saddled the mans donkey for him and the man left. 2# 5n the way home, a lion attacked and killed the man of God. $is !ody was lying on the road while the lion stood ne4t to it. The donkey stood near!y. 2% Some people came walking !y and saw the !ody and the lion standing !y it. They went into the city where the old prophet lived and told people what they had seen on the road. 1 Gings 13.2&*32 ') 2& The old prophet heard the story and said, This is the man of God who did not o!ey the 5.D@S command, so the 5.D sent a lion to attack him. The lion has killed him, =+st as the 5.D said wo+ld happen. 2' Then the prophet told his sons to saddle his donkey, and they did so. 2( The old prophet went to find the !ody lying on the road. The donkey and pag. #,,0131#

the lion were still standing near it. The lion had not eaten the !ody or h+rt the donkey. 2) The old prophet p+t the !ody on his donkey and carried it !ack to the city to cry for him and !+ry him. 3, The old prophet !+ried the man in his own family grave. The old prophet cried for him and said, 5h, my !rother, 3 am sorry for yo+. 31 So the old prophet !+ried the !ody. Then he said to his sons, >hen 3 die, !+ry me in this same grave. 6+t my !ones ne4t to his. 32 The 5.D +sed him to speak against the altar at <ethel and against the high places in the other towns in Samaria. And what he said will certainly happen. 1 Gings 13.33*1#.% (, 33 Ging Cero!oam did not change. $e contin+ed doing evil. $e contin+ed to choose people from different tri!es to serve as priests at the high places. >hoever wanted to !e a priest was allowed to !e one. 3# This is the sin that ca+sed the r+in and destr+ction of his kingdom. 14 1 At that time Cero!oams son A!i=ah !ecame very sick. 2 Cero!oam said to his wife, Go to Shiloh and see the prophet Ahi=ah. $e is the one who said that 3 wo+ld !ecome king of 3srael. Dress yo+rself so that people will not know that yo+ are my wife. 3 Give the prophet ten loaves of !read, some cakes, and a =ar of honey. Then ask him what will happen to o+r son, and he will tell yo+. # So the kings wife did what he said. She went to the home of Ahi=ah the prophet in Shiloh. Ahi=ah was very old and had !ecome !lind. % <+t the 5.D said to him, Cero!oams wife is coming to ask yo+ a!o+t her son !eca+se he is sick. 3 will tell yo+ what to say to her. >hen she came to Ahi=ahs 1 Gings 1#.&*1, (1 ho+se, she pretended to !e someone else. & <+t when Ahi=ah heard her coming to -asy To .ead /ersion

the door, he said, 9ome in" 3 know who yo+ are. ;o+ are Cero!oams wife. >hy are yo+ pretending to !e someone else? 3 have some !ad news for yo+. ' Go !ack and tell Cero!oam that this is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: Cero!oam, 3 chose yo+ from among all the 3sraelites. 3 made yo+ the r+ler of my people. ( Davids family was r+ling the kingdom of 3srael, !+t 3 took the kingdom away from them and gave it to yo+. <+t yo+ are not like my servant David. $e always o!eyed my commands and followed me with his whole heart. $e did only what 3 accepted. ) <+t yo+ have sinned worse than anyone who r+led !efore yo+. ;o+ stopped following me and made other gods for yo+rself. ;o+ made those stat+es to make me angry. 1, So Cero!oam, 3 will !ring tro+!les to yo+r family. 3 will kill all the men in yo+r family. 3 will destroy yo+r family completely, like fire !+rning +p d+ng. 1 Gings 1#.11*1% (2 11 Anyone from yo+r family who dies in the city will !e eaten !y dogs. And anyone from yo+r family who dies in the fields will !e eaten !y !irds. The 5.D has spoken. 12 Then Ahi=ah said, 1ow, go home. ;o+r son will die as soon as yo+r enter the city. 13 All 3srael will cry for him. They will !+ry him, !+t he is the only one from Cero!oams family who will !e !+ried. This is !eca+se he is the only one in Cero!oams family who pleased the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1# Soon, the 5.D will p+t a new king over 3srael who will destroy Cero!oams family. 1% Then the 5.D will p+nish 3srael. The 3sraelites will !e so f+ll of fear that they will shake like tall grass in the water. $e will p+ll 3srael +p from this good land that he gave their ancestors. $e will scatter them to the other side of the -+phrates .iver. The 5.D will do this pag. #,10131#

!eca+se the people made him angry when they !+ilt sacred poles. 1 Gings 1#.1&*22 (3 1& $e will let the 3sraelites !e defeated !eca+se Cero!oam sinned, and then he made the 3sraelites sin. 1' Cero!oams wife went !ack to TirEah. As soon as she stepped into the ho+se, the !oy died. 1( They !+ried him and all the people of 3srael cried for him. This happened =+st as the 5.D said it wo+ld thro+gh his servant, the prophet Ahi=ah. 1) The rest of what Ging Cero!oam did is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 3t incl+des the wars he fo+ght and the way he r+led. 2, Cero!oam r+led as king for 22 years. Then he died and was !+ried with his ancestors. $is son 1ada! !ecame the new king after him. 21 Solomons son, .eho!oam, was #1 years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. .eho!oam r+led 1' years in Cer+salem, the city the 5.D chose for his own. $e chose this city from all the other tri!es of 3srael. .eho!oams mother was 1aamah. She was an Ammonite. 22 The people of C+dah did things that the 5.D considered evil. They made 1 Gings 1#.23*2( (# him angry with all their sinsmore than any of their ancestors had done. 23 They !+ilt high places, memorial stones, and sacred poles. They !+ilt them on every high hill and +nder every green tree. 2# There were also men who served other gods !y selling their !odies for se4. So the people of C+dah were worse than the people who had lived in the land !efore them. And the 5.D took the land away from those people to give it to the 3sraelites. 2% 3n the fifth year that .eho!oam was king, Ging Shishak of -gypt came to attack Cer+salem. 2& $e took the treas+res from the 5.D@S Temple and from the kings palace. $e even took the gold shields -asy To .ead /ersion

that David had taken from the officers of Ging $adadeEer of Aram and p+t on the walls of Cer+salem. 2' Ging .eho!oam made more shields to p+t in their places, !+t they were made from !ronEe. $e gave them to the g+ards on d+ty at the palace gates. 2( -very time the king went to the 5.D@S Temple, the g+ards took o+t the 1 Gings 1#.2)*1%.# (% shields and went with him. After they were finished, they p+t the shields !ack on the wall in the g+ardroom. 2) The rest of what Ging .eho!oam did is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 3, .eho!oam and Cero!oam were always fighting against each other. 31 .eho!oam died and was !+ried with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. 7$is mother was 1aamah. She was an Ammonite.8 .eho!oams son A!i=ah !ecame the ne4t king after him. 15 1 A!i=ah !ecame the new king of C+dah d+ring the 1(th year that Cero!oam son of 1e!at r+led 3srael. 2 A!i=ah r+led in Cer+salem for three years. $is mothers name was Aaacah. She was A!saloms da+ghter. 3 $e did all the same sins that his father !efore him had done. A!i=ah was not faithf+l to the 5.D his God. 3n this way he was not like his grandfather, David. # <+t for Davids sake, the 5.D gave A!i=ah a kingdom in Cer+salem and allowed him to have a son. $e also kept Cer+salem safe. 1 Gings 1%.%*12 (& % David had always done what the 5.D said was right. $e had always o!eyed his commands. The only time David did not o!ey the ord was when he sinned against Hriah the $ittite. & .eho!oam and Cero!oam were always fighting against each other. ' The rest of what A!i=ah did is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. There was war !etween A!i=ah and Cero!oam d+ring the whole time that A!i=ah was king. pag. #,20131#

( >hen A!i=ah died, he was !+ried in the 9ity of David. A!i=ahs son Asa !ecame the new king after him. ) D+ring Cero!oams 2,th year as king over 3srael, Asa !ecame king of C+dah. 1, $e r+led in Cer+salem for #1 years. $is grandmothers name was Aaacah, and she was the da+ghter of A!salom. 11 Asa did what the 5.D said is right, as his ancestor David did. 12 D+ring Asas time there were men who served other gods !y selling their !odies for se4. Asa forced them to leave the co+ntry. $e took away the idols that his ancestors had made. 1 Gings 1%.13*1( (' 13 Ging Asa also took away the right of his mother Aaacah to !e J+een mother. $e did this !eca+se she had set +p one of those awf+l Asherah poles. Asa c+t down the pole and !+rned it in the Gidron /alley. 1# Asa did not destroy the high places, even tho+gh he was faithf+l to the 5.D all his life. 1% Asa and his father had given some special gifts to God. Asa p+t these gifts of gold, silver, and other things in the 5.D@S Temple. 1& The whole time that Ging Asa was king of C+dah, he fo+ght a war against Ging <aasha of 3srael. 1' 5nce <aasha attacked C+dah and then !+ilt +p the city of .amah to keep Asa from leaving C+dah on any kind of military campaign. 1( So Asa took gold and silver from the treas+ries of the 5.D@S Temple and the kings palace. $e gave it to his officials and sent them to Ging <enD$adad of Aram. <enD$adad was the son of Ta!rimmon. Ta!rimmon was the son of $eEion. Damasc+s was <enD$adads capital city. 1 Gings 1%.1)*23 (( 1) Asa sent this message: Ay father and yo+r father had a peace agreement. 1ow 3 want to make a peace agreement with yo+. 3 am sending yo+ this gift of gold and silver. 6lease !reak yo+r treaty -asy To .ead /ersion

with Ging <aasha of 3srael and make him leave +s alone. 2, Ging <enD$adad made the agreement with Ging Asa and sent his army to fight against the 3sraelite towns of 3=on, Dan, A!el <eth Aaacah, the towns near ake Galilee, and the area of 1aphtali. 21 >hen <aasha heard a!o+t these attacks, he stopped !+ilding +p .amah and went !ack to TirEah. 22 Then Ging Asa gave an order to all the men in C+dah. -veryone had to help. They had to go to .amah and carry o+t all the stone and wood that <aasha was +sing to !+ild +p the city. They carried the material to Ge!a in <en=amin and to AiEpah and +sed it to strengthen those two cities. 23 All the other things a!o+t Asathe great things he did and the cities he !+iltare written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. >hen Asa !ecame old, his feet !ecame infected. 1 Gings 1%.2#*2) () 2# $e died and was !+ried in the 9ity of David, his ancestor. Then Asas son Cehoshaphat !ecame the new king after him. 2% D+ring Asas second year as king of C+dah, Cero!oams son 1ada! !ecame king of 3srael. 1ada! r+led over 3srael for two years. 2& $e did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e sinned =+st as his father Cero!oam did when he ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. 2' <aasha was the son of Ahi=ah. They were from the tri!e of 3ssachar. <aasha made a plan to kill Ging 1ada!. 1ada! and all 3srael were fighting against the 6hilistine town of Gi!!ethon. And that is where <aasha killed 1ada!. 2( This happened d+ring Asas third year as king of C+dah. So <aasha !ecame the ne4t king of 3srael. 2) >hen <aasha !ecame the new king, he killed everyone in Cero!oams family. $e left no one in Cero!oams family alive. This happened =+st as the 5.D said it wo+ld when he spoke thro+gh his pag. #,30131#

servant Ahi=ah at Shiloh. 1 Gings 1%.3,*1&.2 ), 3, This happened !eca+se Ging Cero!oam had committed many sins and had ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. This made the 5.D, the God of 3srael, very angry. 31 The other things that 1ada! did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 32 All d+ring the time that <aasha r+led over 3srael, he was fighting wars against Ging Asa of C+dah. 33 Ahi=ahs son <aasha !ecame king of 3srael d+ring the third year that Asa r+led over C+dah. <aasha r+led in TirEah for 2# years, 3# !+t he did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did the same sins that Cero!oam had done that ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. 16 1 Then the 5.D spoke against Ging <aasha thro+gh the prophet, Ceh+ son of $anani. $e said, 2 3 made yo+ an important prince over my people 3srael. <+t yo+ have done the same things Cero!oam did. ;o+ have ca+sed my people 3srael to sin. Their sins have made me angry. 1 Gings 1&.3*) )1 3 So <aasha, 3 will destroy yo+ and yo+r family, =+st as 3 did Cero!oam son of 1e!at and his family. # Dogs will eat the !odies of those in yo+r family who die in the city. And wild !irds will eat the !odies of those who die o+t in the fields. % The rest of the story a!o+t <aasha and the great things he did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. & <aasha died and was !+ried in TirEah. $is son -lah !ecame the new king after him. ' That !ook also has the story of the time the 5.D gave the message to Ceh+ the prophet a!o+t <aasha and his family. <aasha did many things the 5.D said were wrong, =+st as Cero!oam and his family had done. This and the fact that -asy To .ead /ersion

<aasha had killed everyone in Cero!oams family made the ord very angry. ( -lah son of <aasha !ecame king d+ring the 2&th year that Asa was the king of C+dah. $e r+led in TirEah for two years. ) Bimri was one of Ging -lahs officers. Bimri commanded half of -lahs chariots, 1 Gings 1&.1,*1% )2 !+t Bimri plotted against -lah. Ging -lah was in TirEah, drinking and getting dr+nk at ArEas home. ArEa was the man in charge of the palace at TirEah. 1, Bimri went into the ho+se and killed Ging -lah. Then Bimri !ecame the new king of 3srael after -lah. This was d+ring the 2'th year that Asa was king in C+dah. 11 After Bimri !ecame the new king, he killed all of <aashas family and friends. $e did not let any male in <aashas family live. 12 So Bimri destroyed <aashas family =+st as the 5.D said he wo+ld when he spoke against <aasha thro+gh the prophet Ceh+. 13 This happened !eca+se of all the sins of <aasha and his son, -lah. They sinned and they ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. They worshiped worthless idols, and this made the 5.D angry. 1# The rest of what that -lah did is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 1% Bimri !ecame king of 3srael d+ring the 2'th year that Asa was king of C+dah. Bimri r+led in TirEah only seven days. This is what happened: The army 1 Gings 1&.1&*21 )3 of 3srael was at Gi!!ethon, which was +nder 6hilistine control. 1& 5mri was the commander of the army of 3srael. The men in the camp heard that Bimri had made secret plans against the king and killed him. So in the camp all the soldiers made 5mri the new king. 1' Then 5mri and all the soldiers of 3srael left Gi!!ethon and went to TirEah. They s+rro+nded the city and attacked it. pag. #,#0131#

1( >hen Bimri saw the city had !een capt+red, he ran to the palace fortress, !+t the soldiers !+rned it down with him still in it. 1) So Bimri died !eca+se he sinned and did what the 5.D said was wrong, =+st as Cero!oam did when he ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. 2, The story a!o+t Bimris secret plans and the other things that he did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 21 Then the 3sraelites were divided. $alf of the people followed Ti!ni the son of Ginath and wanted to make him king. 1 Gings 1&.22*2' )# The other half of the people followed 5mri. 22 <+t 5mris followers were stronger than the followers of Ti!ni son of Ginath. Ti!ni died, and 5mri !ecame king. 23 5mri !ecame king of 3srael d+ring Asas 31st year as the king of C+dah. 5mri r+led over 3srael for 12 years. Si4 of those years he r+led from TirEah. 2# Then 5mri !o+ght the hill of Samaria from Shemer for a!o+t 1%, po+nds of silver. 5mri !+ilt a city on that hill. $e named the city Samaria after the name of its owner, Shemer. 2% 5mri did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e was worse than all the kings who were !efore him. 2& $e committed all the sins that Cero!oam son of 1e!at had committed when he ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. They worshiped worthless idols, and this made the 5.D, the God of 3srael, very angry. 2' The rest of the story a!o+t 5mri and the great things he did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 1 Gings 1&.2(*3# )% 2( 5mri died and was !+ried in Samaria. $is son Aha! !ecame the new king after him. 2) Aha! son of 5mri !ecame king of 3srael d+ring the 3(th year that Asa was king of C+dah. Aha! r+led 3srael from the town of Samaria for 22 years. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, $e did what the 5.D said was wrong. Aha! was worse than all the kings who were !efore him. 31 3t was not eno+gh for Aha! to commit the same sins that Cero!oam, son of 1e!at, had done. Aha! also married CeEe!el, da+ghter of Ging -th!aal of Sidon. Then Aha! !egan to serve and worship <aal. 32 $e !+ilt a temple and an altar in Samaria for worshiping <aal. 33 $e also set +p a sacred pole. Aha! did more to make the 5.D, the God of 3srael, angry than all the other kings who were !efore him. 3# D+ring Aha!s time, $iel from <ethel re!+ilt the town of Cericho. >hen $iel started work on the city, his oldest son A!iram died. And when $iel !+ilt the gates of the city, his yo+ngest son Seg+! died. This happened =+st as the 5.D 1 Gings 1'.1*) )& said it wo+ld happen when he spoke thro+gh Cosh+a son of 1+n. 17 1 -li=ah was a prophet from the town of Tish!e in Gilead. $e said to Ging Aha!, 3 serve the 5.D, the God of 3srael. <y his power, 3 promise that no dew or rain will fall for the ne4t few years. The rain will fall only when 3 command it to fall. 2 Then the 5.D said to -li=ah, 3 eave this place and go east. $ide near Gerith .avine, east of the Cordan .iver. # ;o+ can get yo+r water from that stream, and 3 have commanded ravens to !ring food to yo+ there. % So -li=ah did what the 5.D told him to do. $e went to live near Gerith .avine, east of the Cordan .iver. & .avens !ro+ght -li=ah food every morning and every evening, and he drank water from the stream. ' There was no rain, so after a while the stream !ecame dry. ( Then the 5.D said to -li=ah, ) Go to Barephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that 3 commanded to take care of yo+. pag. #,%0131#

1 Gings 1'.1,*1% )' 1, So -li=ah went to Barephath. $e went to the town gate and saw a woman there gathering wood for a fire. She was a widow. -li=ah said to her, >o+ld yo+ !ring me a small c+p of water to drink? 11 As she was going to get the water, -li=ah said, <ring me a piece of !read too, please. 12 The woman answered, 3 promise yo+, !efore the 5.D yo+r God, that 3 have nothing !+t a handf+l of flo+r in a =ar and a little !it of olive oil in a =+g. 3 came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook o+r last meal. Ay son and 3 will eat it and then die from h+nger. 13 -li=ah said to the woman, Dont worry. Go home and cook yo+r food as yo+ said. <+t first make a small piece of !read from the flo+r that yo+ have and !ring it to me. Then cook some for yo+rself and yo+r son. 1# The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, That =ar of flo+r will never !e empty and the =+g will always have oil in it. This will contin+e +ntil the day the 5.D sends rain to the land. 1% So the woman went home and did what -li=ah told her to do. And -li=ah, the 1 Gings 1'.1&*22 )( woman, and her son had eno+gh food for a long time. 1& The =ar of flo+r and the =+g of oil were never empty. This happened =+st as the 5.D said thro+gh -li=ah. 1' Some time later the womans son !ecame sick. $e !ecame worse and worse +ntil he stopped !reathing. 1( Then the woman said to -li=ah, ;o+ are a man of God. 9an yo+ help me? 5r did yo+ come here only to remind me of my sins and to make my son die? 1) -li=ah said to her, Give me yo+r son. $e took the !oy from her and carried him +pstairs. $e laid him on the !ed in the room where he was staying. 2, Then -li=ah cried o+t to the 5.D. $e said, 5.D my God, this widow is letting me stay in her ho+se. >ill yo+ do this !ad thing to her? >ill yo+ ca+se her son -asy To .ead /ersion

to die? 21 Then -li=ah lay on top of the !oy three times. $e prayed, 5.D my God, let this !oy live again" 22 The 5.D answered -li=ahs prayer. The !oy !egan !reathing again and was alive. 1 Gings 1'.23*1(.% )) 23 -li=ah carried the !oy downstairs, gave him to his mother, and said, ook, yo+r son is alive" 2# The woman answered, 1ow 3 know that yo+ really are a man from God. 3 know that the 5.D really speaks thro+gh yo+" 18 1 D+ring the third year that no rain fell, the 5.D said to -li=ah, Go meet with Ging Aha!, and 3 will make it rain. 2 So -li=ah went to meet with Aha!. The famine was very !ad in Samaria. 3 So Ging Aha! told 5!adiah to come to him. 5!adiah was the man in charge of the kings palace. 75!adiah was a tr+e follower of the 5.D. # 5ne time when CeEe!el was killing all the 5.D@S prophets, 5!adiah hid 1,, prophets in two caves. $e p+t %, prophets in one cave and %, prophets in another cave. Then he !ro+ght them food and water.8 % Ging Aha! said to 5!adiah, 9ome with me. >e will look at every spring and every stream in the land. >e will see if we can find eno+gh grass to keep o+r 1 Gings 1(.&*12 1,, horses and m+les alive. Then we will not have to kill o+r animals. & They decided where each of them wo+ld go to look for water. Aha! went in one direction !y himself, and 5!adiah went in another direction !y himself. ' As 5!adiah was walking along the road !y himself, he looked +p, and there was -li=ah. 5!adiah recogniEed him and !owed down to show his respect. $e said, -li=ah? 3s it really yo+, master? ( -li=ah answered, ;es, it is me. 1ow, go and tell yo+r master, the king, that 3 am here. pag. #,&0131#

) 5!adiah said, 3f 3 tell Aha! that 3 know where yo+ are, he will kill me" 3 have done nothing wrong to yo+. >hy do yo+ want me to die? 1, As s+rely as the 5.D yo+r God lives, the king has !een looking for yo+ everywhere. $e has sent people to every co+ntry to find yo+. $e even made the r+lers of those co+ntries swear that yo+ were not there. 11 1ow yo+ want me to go and tell him that yo+ are here" 12 3f 3 go tell Ging Aha! that yo+ are here, the Spirit of the 5.D might carry 1 Gings 1(.13*1( 1,1 yo+ away. Then when Ging Aha! comes here and cannot find yo+, he will kill me" 3 have followed the 5.D since 3 was a !oy. 13 S+rely yo+ have heard what 3 did when CeEe!el was killing the 5.D@S prophets. 3 hid 1,, of the 5.D@S prophets in caves. 3 p+t %, prophets in one cave and %, in another. 3 !ro+ght them food and water. 1# 1ow yo+ want me to go and tell the king that yo+ are here. The king will kill me" 1% -li=ah answered, 3 serve the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. As s+rely as he lives, 3 promise that 3 will stand !efore the king today. 1& So 5!adiah went to Ging Aha! and told him where -li=ah was. Ging Aha! went to meet -li=ah. 1' >hen Aha! saw -li=ah he said, 3s that really yo+, the tro+!lemaker of 3srael? 1( -li=ah answered, 3 have not made tro+!le for 3srael. ;o+ and yo+r fathers family ca+sed all the pro!lems when yo+ stopped o!eying the 5.D@S commands and !egan following the false gods. 1 Gings 1(.1)*2# 1,2 1) 1ow tell all the people of 3srael to meet me at Ao+nt 9armel. Also !ring the #%, prophets of <aal and the #,, prophets of the goddess Asherah that I+een CeEe!el s+pports. 2, So Aha! called all the 3sraelites and those prophets to Ao+nt 9armel. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 -li=ah came to all the people and said, ;o+ m+st decide what yo+ are going to do. $ow long will yo+ keep =+mping from one side to the other? 3f the 5.D is the tr+e God, follow him. <+t if <aal is the tr+e God, then follow him" The people said nothing. 22 So -li=ah said, 3 am the only prophet of the 5.D here, !+t there are #%, prophets of <aal. 23 So !ring +s two !+lls. et the prophets of <aal have one !+ll. et them kill it, c+t it into pieces, and then p+t the meat on the wood. <+t dont start the fire. 3 will do the same with the other !+ll, and 3 will not start the fire either. 2# 6rophets of <aal, pray to yo+r god, and 3 will pray to the 5.D. >hichever god answers the prayer and starts the fire is the tr+e God. All the people agreed that this was a good idea. 1 Gings 1(.2%*2) 1,3 2% Then -li=ah said to the prophets of <aal, There are many of yo+, so yo+ go first. 9hoose a !+ll and prepare it, !+t dont start yo+r fire. 2& So the prophets took the !+ll that was given to them and prepared it. They started praying to <aal and prayed +ntil noon. They said, <aal, please answer +s" <+t there was no so+nd. 1o one answered. Then they !egan =+mping aro+nd on the altar they had !+ilt. 2' At noon -li=ah !egan to make f+n of them. $e said, 3f <aal really is a god, may!e yo+ sho+ld pray lo+der" Aay!e he is !+sy. Aay!e he is thinking a!o+t something, or may!e he stepped o+t for a moment" $e co+ld !e sleeping" Aay!e yo+ sho+ld pray lo+der and wake him +p" 2( So the prophets prayed lo+der. They c+t themselves with swords and spears. 7This was the way they worshiped.8 They c+t themselves +ntil they were !leeding all over. 2) The afternoon passed !+t the fire still had not started. The prophets were o+t of control and contin+ed to act this way +ntil the time came for the evening pag. #,'0131#

1 Gings 1(.3,*3& 1,# sacrifice. <+t nothing happenedthere was no answer from <aal. There was no so+nd. There was no one listening. 3, Then -li=ah said to all the people, 1ow come here. So they gathered aro+nd -li=ah. The 5.D@S altar had !een torn down, so -li=ah repaired it. 31 -li=ah fo+nd twelve stones. There was one stone for each of the twelve tri!es. These twelve tri!es were named for the twelve sons of Caco!, the man who the 5.D had named 3srael. 32 -li=ah +sed these stones to repair the altar to honor the 5.D. $e d+g a small ditch aro+nd the altar. 3t was wide eno+gh and deep eno+gh to hold a!o+t # gallons of water. 33 Then -li=ah p+t the wood on the altar. $e c+t the !+ll into pieces and laid the pieces on the wood. 3# Then he said, 2ill fo+r =ars with water. 6o+r the water on the pieces of meat and on the wood. Then -li=ah said, Do it again. Then he said, Do it a third time. 3% The water ran down off the altar and filled the ditch. 3& At a!o+t the time for the afternoon sacrifice, the prophet -li=ah approached 1 Gings 1(.3'*#2 1,% the altar and prayed, 5.D, the God of A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!, 3 ask yo+ now to prove that yo+ are the God of 3srael and that 3 am yo+r servant. Show these people that it was yo+ who commanded me to do all these things. 3' 5.D, answer my prayer. Show these people that yo+, 5.D, are God and that yo+ are the one who is !ringing them !ack to yo+. 3( Then fire came down from the 5.D and !+rned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the gro+nd aro+nd the altar. Then it dried +p all the water in the ditch. 3) All the people saw this happen and !owed down to the gro+nd and !egan saying, The 5.D is God" The 5.D is God" #, Then -li=ah said, Get the prophets of <aal" Dont let any of them escape" -asy To .ead /ersion

So the people capt+red all the prophets. Then -li=ah led them down to Gishon 9reek and killed them all. #1 Then -li=ah said to Ging Aha!, 1ow go eat and drink. A heavy rain is coming. #2 So Ging Aha! went to eat. At the same time -li=ah clim!ed to the top of Ao+nt 9armel. At the top of the 1 Gings 1(.#3*1).1 1,& mo+ntain -li=ah !ent down. $e p+t his head !etween his knees. #3 Then -li=ah said to his servant, Go +p higher and look toward the sea. The servant went and looked. $e came !ack and said, 3 saw nothing. -li=ah told him to go look again. This happened seven times. ## The seventh time, the servant came !ack and said, 3 saw a small clo+d the siEe of a mans fist that was coming in from the sea. -li=ah told the servant, Go to tell Ging Aha! to get his chariot ready and go home now. 3f he does not leave now, the rain will stop him. #% After a short time the sky was covered with dark clo+ds. The wind !egan to !low, and a heavy rain !egan to fall. Aha! got in his chariot and started !ack to CeEreel. #& The power of the 5.D came to -li=ah. $e +sed his !elt to hold +p the !ottom of his ro!e away from his feet. Then he ran ahead of Ging Aha! all the way to CeEreel. 19 1 Ging Aha! told CeEe!el everything that -li=ah did and how 1 Gings 1).2*' 1,' -li=ah had killed all the prophets of <aal with a sword. 2 So CeEe!el sent a messenger to -li=ah and said, 3 swear that !y this time tomorrow, yo+ will !e =+st as dead as those prophets. 3f 3 dont s+cceed, may the gods do the same or worse to me. 3 >hen -li=ah heard this, he was afraid. So he ran away to save his life. $e took his servant with him, and they went to <eershe!a in C+dah. Then -li=ah left his servant in <eershe!a # and walked for a whole day into the pag. #,(0131#

desert. Then he sat down +nder a !+sh and asked to die. $e said, 3 have had eno+gh, 5.D" Take my life. 3 am no !etter than my ancestors. % Then -li=ah lay down +nder the !+sh and went to sleep. An angel came to him and to+ched him. The angel said, Get +p and eat" & -li=ah looked aro+nd, and !y his head there was a cake that had !een !aked over coals and a =ar of water. $e ate and drank and then went !ack to sleep. ' ater the angel of the 5.D came to him again, to+ched him, and said, Get 1 Gings 1).(*12 1,( +p and eat" 3f yo+ dont, yo+ will not !e strong eno+gh to make the long trip. ( So -li=ah got +p. $e ate and drank and felt strong. Then -li=ah walked for #, days and nights to Ao+nt $ore!, the mo+ntain of God. ) There -li=ah went into a cave and spent the night. Then the 5.D said to him, -li=ah, why are yo+ here? 1, -li=ah answered, 5.D God AllD 6owerf+l, 3 have always served yo+ the !est 3 can, !+t the 3sraelites have !roken their agreement with yo+. They destroyed yo+r altars and killed yo+r prophets. 3 am the only prophet left alive, and now they are trying to kill me" 11 Then the 5.D said to -li=ah, Go, stand in front of me on the mo+ntain. 3, the 5.D, will pass !y yo+. Then a very strong wind !lew. The wind ca+sed the mo+ntains to !reak apart. 3t !roke large rocks in front of the 5.D. <+t that wind was not the 5.D. After that wind, there was an earthJ+ake. <+t that earthJ+ake was not the 5.D. 12 After the earthJ+ake, there was a fire. <+t that fire was not the 5.D. After the fire, there was a J+iet, gentle voice. 1 Gings 1).13*1) 1,) 13 >hen -li=ah heard the voice, he +sed his coat to cover his face and went to the entrance to the cave and stood there. Then a voice said to him, -li=ah, why are yo+ here? 1# -li=ah said, 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, 3 -asy To .ead /ersion

have always served yo+ the !est 3 can, !+t the 3sraelites !roke their agreement with yo+. They destroyed yo+r altars and killed yo+r prophets. 3 am the only prophet left alive, and now they are trying to kill me. 1% The 5.D said, Go !ack. Take the road that leads to the desert aro+nd Damasc+s. Go into Damasc+s and anoint $aEael as king over Aram. 1& Then anoint Ceh+ son of 1imshi as king over 3srael. 1e4t, anoint -lisha son of Shaphat from A!el Aeholah. $e will !e the prophet who takes yo+r place. 1' Ceh+ will kill anyone who escapes $aEaels sword, and -lisha will kill anyone who escapes from Ceh+s sword. 1( 3 still have ',,, people in 3srael who have never !owed down to <aal or kissed that idol. 1) So -li=ah left that place and went to find -lisha son of Shaphat. -lisha 1 Gings 1).2,*2,.3 11, was plowing 12 acres of land and was working on the last acre when -li=ah came. -li=ah went to -lisha and p+t his coat on -lisha. 2, -lisha immediately left his o4en and ran after -li=ah. -lisha said, et me kiss my mother and father good!ye. Then 3 will follow yo+. -li=ah answered, ;o+ can do that. 3 will not stop yo+. 21 -lisha t+rned away from him and went !ack. $e killed the o4en and +sed the yoke for firewood. $e !oiled the meat, gave it to the people, and they all ate together. Then -lisha went to follow -li=ah and !ecame his helper. 20 1 Ging <enD$adad of Aram gathered his army together. There were 32 kings with him and many horses and chariots. They s+rro+nded Samaria and attacked it. 2 The king sent messengers to Ging Aha! of 3srael who was inside the city. 3 The message was, <enD$adad says, ;o+r silver and yo+r gold are mine, and so are the !est of yo+r wives and children. 1 Gings 2,.#*1, 111 pag. #,)0131#

# The king of 3srael answered, ;es, my lord and king, 3 am yo+rs now, and everything 3 have !elongs to yo+. % Then the messengers came !ack to Aha!. They said, <enD$adad says, 3 told yo+ !efore that all of yo+r silver and gold and yo+r wives and children !elong to me. So give them to me" & Tomorrow 3 will send my men to search thro+gh yo+r ho+se and thro+gh the ho+ses of yo+r officials. Give my men all of yo+r val+a!les, and they will !ring them !ack to me. ' So Ging Aha! called a meeting of all the elders of his co+ntry and said, ook, <enD$adad is looking for tro+!le. 2irst he told me that 3 m+st give him my wives and children and my silver and gold. 3 agreed to give them to him. ( <+t the elders and all the people said, Dont o!ey him or do what he says. ) So Aha! sent a message to <enD$adad that said, 3 will do what yo+ said at first, !+t 3 cannot o!ey yo+r second command. Ging <enD$adads men carried the message to the king. 1, Then they came !ack with another message from <enD$adad that said, 3 will 1 Gings 2,.11*1# 112 completely destroy Samaria. 3 promise that there will !e nothing left of that city" There will not !e eno+gh of that city left for my men to find any so+venirs to take home. Aay the gods destroy me if 3 dont do this" 11 Ging Aha! answered, Tell <enD$adad that the man who p+ts on his armor sho+ld not !oast as m+ch as the man who lives long eno+gh to take it off. 12 Ging <enD$adad was drinking in his tent with the other r+lers when the messengers came !ack and gave him the message from Ging Aha!. Ging <enD$adad commanded his men to prepare to attack the city, so the men moved into their places for the !attle. 13 Then a prophet went to Ging Aha! and said, Ging Aha!, the 5.D says to yo+, Do yo+ see that great army? 3 will defeat that army for yo+ today. Then yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1# Aha! said, >ho will yo+ +se to defeat them? The prophet answered, The 5.D says, The yo+ng men who carry the weapons for the government officials. Then the king asked, >ho 1 Gings 2,.1%*21 113 sho+ld command the main army? The prophet answered, ;o+ will. 1% So Aha! gathered the yo+ng helpers of the government officials. There were 232 of these yo+ng men. Then the king called together the army of 3srael. The total n+m!er was ',,,. 1& Ging Aha! !egan his attack at noon, while Ging <enD$adad and the 32 kings were drinking and getting dr+nk in their tents. 1' The yo+ng helpers went o+t first. Ging <enD$adads men told him that some soldiers had come o+t of Samaria. 1( So <enD$adad said, They might !e coming to fight, or they might !e coming to ask for peace. 9apt+re them alive. 1) The yo+ng men of Ging Aha! were the first to come o+t, !+t the rest of the army of 3srael was following them. 2, -ach of the men of 3srael killed the man who had come against him. So the men from Aram !egan to r+n away and the army of 3srael chased them. Ging <enD$adad escaped on a horse with the chariots. 21 Ging Aha! led the army and attacked all the horses and chariots. So Ging 1 Gings 2,.22*2' 11# Aha! made the Arameans s+ffer a great defeat. 22 Then the prophet went to Ging Aha! and said, The king of Aram will come !ack to fight again ne4t spring. So go !ack and strengthen yo+r army and make caref+l plans to defend yo+rself against him. 23 Ging <enD$adads officers said to him, The gods of 3srael are mo+ntain gods. >e fo+ght in a mo+ntain area, so the 3sraelites won. 3f we fight them on level gro+nd, we will win. 2# Also, dont let the 32 kings command pag. #1,0131#

the armies. 6+t yo+r commanders in charge of the armies. 2% ets gather an army like the one that was destroyed. Gather as many men, horses, and chariots as !efore, and fight the 3sraelites on level gro+nd. Then we will win. <enD$adad followed their advice and did what they said. 2& So in the spring, <enD$adad gathered the men of Aram and went to Aphek to fight against 3srael. 2' The 3sraelites also prepared for war and went to fight the army of Aram. They made their camp opposite the camp of 1 Gings 2,.2(*32 11% Aram. The Aramean soldiers filled the land, !+t 3sraels army looked like two small flocks of goats. 2( A man of God came to the king of 3srael with this message: The 5.D said, The people of Aram said that 3, the 5.D, am a god of the mo+ntains and not a god of the valleys. So 3 will let yo+ defeat this great army. Then all of yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D, wherever yo+ are" 2) The armies were camped across from each other for seven days. 5n the seventh day, the !attle !egan. The 3sraelites killed 1,,,,,, Aramean soldiers in one day. 3, The s+rvivors ran away to the city of Aphek. The wall of the city fell on 2',,,, of those soldiers. <enD$adad also ran away to the city and hid in a room. 31 $is servants said to him, >e heard that the kings of 3srael are mercif+l. ets dress in ro+gh cloth with ropes on o+r heads. Then lets go to the king of 3srael. Aay!e he will let +s live. 32 They dressed in ro+gh cloth with ropes on their heads. They came to the king of 3srael. They said, ;o+r servant, 1 Gings 2,.33*3& 11& <enD$adad, says, 6lease let me live. Aha! said, 3s he still alive? $e is my !rother. 33 <enD$adads men wanted Ging Aha! to say something to show that he wo+ld not kill Ging <enD$adad. >hen -asy To .ead /ersion

Aha! called <enD$adad his !rother, the advisors J+ickly said, ;es" <enD$adad is yo+r !rother. Aha! said, <ring him to me. So <enD$adad came to Ging Aha!. Ging Aha! asked him to get in the chariot with him. 3# <enD$adad said to him, Aha!, 3 will give yo+ the towns that my father took from yo+r father. And yo+ can p+t shops in Damasc+s, as my father did in Samaria. Aha! answered, 3f yo+ agree to this, 3 will let yo+ go free. So the two kings made a peace agreement. Then Ging Aha! let Ging <enD$adad go free. 3% 5ne of the prophets told another prophet, $it me" $e said that !eca+se the 5.D had commanded it. <+t the other prophet ref+sed to hit him. 3& So the first prophet said, ;o+ did not o!ey the 5.D@S command. So a lion will kill yo+ when yo+ leave this place. >hen the second prophet left, a lion killed him. 1 Gings 2,.3'*#3 11' 3' The first prophet went to another man and said, $it me" This man hit him and h+rt the prophet. 3( So the prophet wrapped his face with a cloth. This way no one co+ld see who he was. The prophet went and waited for the king !y the road. 3) The king came !y and the prophet said to him, 3 went to fight in the !attle. 5ne of o+r men !ro+ght an enemy soldier to me. The man said, G+ard this man. 3f he r+ns away, yo+ will have to give yo+r life in his place or yo+ will have to pay a fine of '% po+nds of silver. #, >hile 3 was !+sy doing other things, the man ran away. The king of 3srael answered, ;o+ admitted that yo+ are g+ilty, so yo+ know the answer. ;o+ m+st do what the man said. #1 Then the prophet J+ickly took the cloth from his face, and the king of 3srael saw that he was one of the prophets. #2 Then the prophet said to the king, The 5.D says to yo+, ;o+ set free the man 3 said sho+ld die. So yo+ will take his placeyo+ and yo+r people will die" #3 Then the king went !ack home to pag. #110131#

Samaria. $e was worried and +pset. 1 Gings 21.1*' 11( 21 1 There was a vineyard near Ging Aha!s palace in Samaria. A man from CeEreel named 1a!oth owned it. 2 5ne day Aha! said to 1a!oth, Give me yo+r vineyard that is near my palace. 3 want to make it a vegeta!le garden. 3 will give yo+ a !etter vineyard in its place. 5r, if yo+ prefer, 3 will pay yo+ for it. 3 1a!oth answered, <y the 5.D, 3 will never give my land to yo+. This land !elongs to my family. # So Aha! went home angry and +pset !eca+se 1a!oth told him, 3 will not give yo+ my familys land. Aha! went to !ed, t+rned away from everyone, and ref+sed to eat. % $is wife CeEe!el went to him and asked him, >hy are yo+ +pset? >hy do yo+ ref+se to eat? & Aha! answered, 3 asked 1a!oth from CeEreel to give me his vineyard. 3 told him that 3 wo+ld pay him the f+ll price. 5r, if he preferred, 3 wo+ld give him another vineyard. <+t he ref+sed to give it to me. ' CeEe!el answered, <+t yo+ are the king over 3srael" Get o+t of !ed and eat 1 Gings 21.(*13 11) something, and yo+ will feel !etter. 3 will get 1a!oths vineyard for yo+. ( Then CeEe!el wrote some letters. She signed Aha!s name to them and +sed his seal to seal the letters. Then she sent them to the elders and important men who lived in the same town as 1a!oth. ) This is what the letter said: Anno+nce that there will !e a day of fasting when the people will eat nothing. Then call all the people of the town together for a meeting. At the meeting we will talk a!o+t 1a!oth. 1, 2ind some men who will tell lies a!o+t 1a!oth. They sho+ld say that they heard 1a!oth speak against the king and against God. Then take 1a!oth o+t of the city and kill him with stones. 11 So the elders and important men of -asy To .ead /ersion

CeEreel o!eyed the command. 12 The leaders anno+nced that there wo+ld !e a day when all the people wo+ld eat nothing. 5n that day they called all the people together for a meeting. They p+t 1a!oth in a special place !efore the people. 13 Then two men told the people that they heard 1a!oth speak against God 1 Gings 21.1#*2, 12, and the king. So the people carried 1a!oth o+t of the city and killed him with stones. 1# Then the leaders sent a message to CeEe!el that said: 1a!oth has !een killed. 1% >hen CeEe!el heard this, she said to Aha!, 1a!oth is dead. 1ow yo+ can go and take the vineyard that yo+ wanted. 1& So Aha! went to the vineyard and took it for his own. 1' Then the 5.D spoke to -li=ah, the prophet from Tish!e: 1( Go to Ging Aha! in Samaria. $e will !e at 1a!oths vineyard. $e is there to take the vineyard as his own. 1) Tell Aha! that 3, the 5.D, say to him, Aha!" ;o+ killed the man 1a!oth and now yo+ are taking his land. So 3, the 5.D, tell yo+ this: >here the dogs licked +p the !lood of 1a!oth, they will lick +p yo+r !lood as well. 2, So -li=ah went to Aha!. >hen Aha! saw him, he said, >ell, my enemy has fo+nd me again" -li=ah answered, ;es, 3 fo+nd yo+, !eca+se yo+ have again sold yo+rself o+t to do what the 5.D says is evil. 1 Gings 21.21*2& 121 21 So this is what he says to yo+: 3 will make something !ad happen to yo+. 3 will kill yo+ and every male in yo+r family. 22 3 will destroy yo+r family =+st as 3 destroyed the families of Ging Cero!oam son of 1e!at and Ging <aasha. 3 will do this to yo+ !eca+se yo+ have made me angry and yo+ have ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. 23 The 5.D also says this a!o+t yo+r pag. #120131#

wife CeEe!el: Dogs will eat the !ody of CeEe!el !y the wall of the city of CeEreel. 2# As for the family of Aha!, whoever dies in the city will !e eaten !y dogs, and whoever dies in the fields will !e eaten !y !irds. 2% So Aha! sold himself o+t to do what the 5.D says is evil. There is no one who did as m+ch evil as Aha! and his wife CeEe!el, who ca+sed him to do these things. 2& Aha! committed the terri!le sin of worshiping those filthy idols, =+st as the Amorites did. And that is why the 5.D took the land from them and gave it to the 3sraelites. 1 Gings 21.2'*22.% 122 2' >hen Aha! heard what -li=ah said, he tore his clothes to show how sad he was. Then he p+t on sackcloth and ref+sed to eat. $e even slept in these clothes. $e was very sad and +pset. 2( The 5.D said to the prophet -li=ah from Tish!e, 2) ook, Aha! has h+m!led himself !efore me. So 3 will not make that disaster happen d+ring his lifetime. 3 will wait +ntil his son is king. Then 3 will destroy his family. 22 1 2or the ne4t two years there was peace !etween 3srael and Aram. 2 Then d+ring the third year, Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah went to visit Ging Aha! of 3srael. 3 Aha! asked his officials, .emem!er when the king of Aram took .amoth Gilead from +s? That city is o+rs, so why have we done nothing to get it !ack? # So Aha! asked Ging Cehoshaphat, >ill yo+ =oin with +s to go fight the Arameans at .amoth Gilead? Cehoshaphat answered, ;es, yo+ and 3 will !e as onemy men and my horses will !e as yo+rs. % <+t first lets ask the 5.D for advice. 1 Gings 22.&*11 123 & So Aha! called a meeting of the prophets. There were a!o+t #,, prophets at that time. Aha! asked the prophets, Sho+ld 3 go and attack the -asy To .ead /ersion

Arameans at .amoth Gilead or not? The prophets answered Aha!, ;es, !eca+se the ord will let yo+ defeat .amoth Gilead. ' <+t Cehoshaphat said, Doesnt the 5.D have another prophet here? ets ask him the same J+estion. ( Ging Aha! answered, ;es, there is another prophet. $is name is Aicaiah son of 3mlah. <+t 3 hate him !eca+se he will not say anything good a!o+t me when he speaks for the 5.D. $e always says things that 3 dont like. Cehoshaphat said, The king sho+ld not say that" ) So Ging Aha! told one of his officers to go and find Aicaiah. 1, At that time the two kings were sitting on their thrones, with their royal ro!es on, at the =+dgment place near the gates of Samaria. All the prophets were standing !efore them, prophesying. 11 5ne of the prophets was named Bedekiah son of Genaanah. Bedekiah made some iron horns and said to Aha!, 1 Gings 22.12*1& 12# The 5.D says, ;o+ will +se these iron horns to fight against the army of Aram. ;o+ will defeat them and destroy them. 12 All the other prophets agreed with Bedekiah and said, ;o+r army sho+ld march now to go fight against the Arameans at .amoth Gilead. ;o+ will win the !attle. The 5.D will let yo+ defeat them. 13 >hile this was happening, the officer went to find Aicaiah. >hen he fo+nd him, the officer told him, All the other prophets have said that the king will s+cceed, so yo+ sho+ld say the same thing. 1# <+t Aicaiah answered, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, 3 can say only what the 5.D says. 1% Aicaiah went and stood !efore Ging Aha!. The king asked him, Aicaiah, sho+ld we go and attack the Arameans at .amoth Gilead or not? Aicaiah answered, ;es, go and !e s+ccessf+l" The 5.D will let yo+ take the city. 1& <+t Aha! answered, $ow many times pag. #130131#

do 3 have to tell yo+? Tell me the tr+th. >hat does the 5.D say? 1 Gings 22.1'*23 12% 1' So Aicaiah answered, 3 can see the army of 3srael scattered all over the hills, like sheep with no one to lead them. This is what the 5.D says, These men have no leaders. et them go home in peace. 1( Then Aha! said to Cehoshaphat, See, 3 told yo+" This prophet never says anything good a!o+t me. $e always says something !ad. 1) <+t Aicaiah said, isten to this message from the 5.D: 3 saw the 5.D sitting on his throne. All of heavens army was standing aro+nd him, some on his left side and some on his right side. 2, The 5.D said, >hich of yo+ will go fool Aha! into attacking the Arameans at .amoth Gilead so that he will !e killed? The angels disc+ssed many different plans. 21 Then a spirit went and stood !efore the 5.D and said, 3 will fool him" The 5.D asked, $ow will yo+ do it? 22 The spirit answered, 3 will go to Aha!s prophets and ca+se them to tell lies. So the ord said, ;es, that will fool Aha!. Go o+t and do that. 23 So that is what has happened here. The 5.D made yo+r prophets lie to 1 Gings 22.2#*3, 12& yo+. The 5.D himself decided to !ring this disaster to yo+. 2# Then the prophet Bedekiah went to Aicaiah and hit him on the face. Bedekiah said, $ow is it that the Spirit of the 5.D left me to speak thro+gh yo+? 2% Aicaiah answered, ook, what 3 said will happen" And yo+ will see it one day when yo+ are in a secret room somewhere hiding. 2& Then Ging Aha! ordered one of his officers to arrest Aicaiah. Aha! said, Arrest him and take him to Amon the governor of the city and prince Coash. 2' Tell them to p+t Aicaiah in prison. Give him nothing !+t !read and water to eat. Geep him there +ntil 3 come home from the !attle. -asy To .ead /ersion

2( Aicaiah said, isten to me, everyone" Aha!, if yo+ come !ack alive from the !attle, the 5.D has not spoken thro+gh me. 2) Ging Aha! of 3srael and Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah went to fight the Arameans at .amoth Gilead. 3, Aha! said to Cehoshaphat, Disg+ise yo+rself when yo+ go into !attle, !+t wear yo+r own clothes. And 3 will 1 Gings 22.31*3% 12' disg+ise myself. The king of 3srael went into !attle dressed like an ordinary soldier. 31 The king of Aram had 32 chariot commanders. $e gave them this command, Dont go after anyone e4cept the king of 3srael, no matter how important they are. 32 >hen the commanders saw Ging Cehoshaphat, they tho+ght he was the king of 3srael, and so they went to kill him. Cehoshaphat started sho+ting. 33 >hen the commanders saw that he was not Ging Aha!, they stopped chasing him. 3# Then a soldier in the distance p+lled !ack as far as he co+ld on his !ow and shot an arrow into the air. The arrow happened to hit the king of 3srael in a small hole where his armor was fastened together. Ging Aha! said to his chariot driver, 3ve !een hit" T+rn the chariot aro+nd and take me off the !attlefield" 3% The armies contin+ed to fight while Ging Aha! was propped +p in his chariot. $e was leaning against the sides of the chariot, looking o+t toward the Arameans. $is !lood ran down onto the 1 Gings 22.3&*#2 12( floor of the chariot. ater in the evening, he died. 3& At s+nset all the 3sraelites cheered when they were told to go home. So they all went !ack to their hometowns. 3' And that is how Ging Aha! died. Some men carried his !ody to Samaria and !+ried him there. 3( They took his chariot to the large pool in Samaria to clean it. The dogs licked pag. #1#0131#

+p Aha!s !lood while the prostit+tes washed the chariot. This happened =+st as the 5.D said it wo+ld. 3) The rest of what Ging Aha! did d+ring the time he r+led is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. That !ook tells a!o+t all the cities he !+ilt and a!o+t all the ivory that he +sed to decorate his palace. #, Aha! died and was !+ried with his ancestors. $is son AhaEiah !ecame the ne4t king after him. #1 Cehoshaphat son of Asa !ecame the king of C+dah in Aha!s fo+rth year as king of 3srael. #2 Cehoshaphat was 3% years old when he !ecame king, and he r+led in 1 Gings 22.#3*#) 12) Cer+salem for 2% years. $is mother was AE+!ah, the da+ghter of Shilhi. #3 ike his father Asa, Cehoshaphat was good and did everything that the 5.D wanted, !+t he did not destroy the high places. The people contin+ed offering sacrifices and !+rning incense there. ## Cehoshaphat made a peace agreement with the king of 3srael. #% Cehoshaphat was very !rave and fo+ght many wars. The rest of what he did is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. #& Cehoshaphat forced all the men and women who sold their !odies for se4 to leave the places of worship. They had served in these places of worship while his father Asa was king. #' 3n those days -dom did not have a kingF it was r+led !y a governor who was chosen !y the king of C+dah. #( Ging Cehoshaphat !+ilt some cargo ships. $e wanted the ships to sail to 5phir for gold, !+t they never went therethey were destroyed in their home port at -Eion Ge!er. #) Then Ging AhaEiah of 3srael offered to p+t some of his own sailors with 1 Gings 22.%,*%3 13, Cehoshaphats men on the ships, !+t Cehoshaphat ref+sed to accept his help. %, Cehoshaphat died and was !+ried -asy To .ead /ersion

with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. Then his son Cehoram !ecame the ne4t king. %1 AhaEiah was the son of Aha!. $e !ecame king of 3srael d+ring the 1'th year that Ging Cehoshaphat r+led C+dah. AhaEiah r+led in Samaria for two years. %2 $e sinned against the 5.D =+st as his parents, Aha! and CeEe!el, did. $e ca+sed 3srael to sin =+st as Cero!oam son of 1a!at did. %3 AhaEiah served the false god <aal and worshiped him, =+st as his father did !efore him. $e did all the things that his father did to make the 5.D, the God of 3srael, angry. 2 *in(s 1 1 After Ging Aha! died, Aoa! !roke away from 3sraels r+le. 2 5ne day AhaEiah was on the roof of his ho+se in Samaria. $e fell down thro+gh the wooden !ars on top of his ho+se and was !adly h+rt. $e called messengers and told them, Go to the priests of <aal Be!+!, the god of -kron and ask them if 3 will get well from my in=+ries. 3 <+t the angel of the 5.D said to -li=ah the Tish!ite, Ging AhaEiah has sent some messengers from Samaria. Go meet those men and ask them, There is a God in 3srael, so why are yo+ men going to ask J+estions of <aal Be!+!, the god of -kron? # Since yo+ did this, the 5.D says, ;o+ will not get +p from yo+r !ed. ;o+ will die" Then -li=ah left. % >hen messengers came !ack to AhaEiah, he asked them, >hy did yo+ come !ack so soon? & The messengers said to AhaEiah, A man came +p to meet +s and told +s 2 Gings 1.'*11 2 to go !ack to the king who sent +s and tell him what the 5.D says: There is a God in 3srael, so why did yo+ send messengers to ask J+estions of <aal Be!+!, the god of -kron? Since yo+ did this, yo+ will not get +p from yo+r !ed. ;o+ will die" ' AhaEiah said to the messengers, >hat pag. #1%0131#

did the man look like who met yo+ and told yo+ this? ( They answered AhaEiah, This man was wearing a hairy coat with a leather !elt aro+nd his waist. Then AhaEiah said, That was -li=ah the Tish!ite. ) AhaEiah sent a captain and %, men to -li=ah. The captain went to -li=ah, who was sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to -li=ah, Aan of God, the king says, 9ome down" 1, -li=ah answered the captain of %,, 3f 3 am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy yo+ and yo+r %, men" So fire came down from heaven and destroyed the captain and his %, men. 11 AhaEiah sent another captain with %, men to -li=ah. $e said to -li=ah, Aan of God, the king says, 9ome down J+ickly" 2 Gings 1.12*1' 3 12 -li=ah told the captain and his %, men, 3f 3 am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy yo+ and yo+r %, men" Then Gods fire came down from heaven and destroyed the captain and his %, men. 13 AhaEiah sent a third captain with %, men. The third captain came to -li=ah. $e fell down on his knees and !egged -li=ah, saying to him, Aan of God, 3 ask yo+, please let my life and the lives of yo+r %, servants !e val+a!le to yo+. 1# 2ire came down from heaven and destroyed the first two captains and their %, men. <+t now, have mercy and let +s live" 1% The 5.D@S angel said to -li=ah, Go with the captain. Dont !e afraid of him. So -li=ah went with the captain to see Ging AhaEiah. 1& -li=ah told AhaEiah, This is what the 5.D says: There is a God in 3srael, so why did yo+ send messengers to ask J+estions of <aal Be!+!, the god of -kron? Since yo+ did this, yo+ will not get +p from yo+r !ed. ;o+ will die" 1' AhaEiah died, =+st as the 5.D said thro+gh -li=ah. AhaEiah did not have 2 Gings 1.1(*2.# # -asy To .ead /ersion

a son, so Coram !ecame the new king after AhaEiah. $e !egan to r+le d+ring the second year that Cehoram son of Cehoshaphat was the king of C+dah. 1( The other things that AhaEiah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 2 1 3t was near the time for the 5.D to take -li=ah !y a whirlwind +p into heaven. -li=ah and -lisha started to leave Gilgal. 2 -li=ah said to -lisha, 6lease stay here, !eca+se the 5.D told me to go to <ethel. <+t -lisha said, 3 promise, as the 5.D lives and as yo+ live, 3 will not leave yo+. So the two men went down to <ethel. 3 The gro+p of prophets at <ethel came to -lisha and said to him, Do yo+ know that the 5.D will take yo+r master away from yo+ today? -lisha said, ;es, 3 know. Dont talk a!o+t it. # -li=ah said to -lisha, 6lease stay here, !eca+se the 5.D told me to go to Cericho. <+t -lisha said, 3 promise, as the 5.D lives and as yo+ live, 3 will not leave yo+" So the two men went to Cericho. 2 Gings 2.%*1, % % The gro+p of prophets at Cericho came to -lisha and said to him, Do yo+ know that the 5.D will take yo+r master away from yo+ today? -lisha answered, ;es, 3 know. Dont talk a!o+t it. & -li=ah said to -lisha, 6lease stay here, !eca+se the 5.D told me to go to the Cordan .iver. -lisha answered, 3 promise, as the 5.D lives and as yo+ live, 3 will not leave yo+" So the two men went on. ' There were %, men from the gro+p of prophets who followed them. -li=ah and -lisha stopped at the Cordan .iver. The %, men stood far away from -li=ah and -lisha. ( -li=ah took off his coat, folded it, and hit the water with it. The water separated to the right and to the left. Then -li=ah and -lisha crossed the river on dry gro+nd. ) After they crossed the river, -li=ah said pag. #1&0131#

to -lisha, >hat do yo+ want me to do for yo+ !efore God takes me away from yo+? -lisha said, 3 ask yo+ for a do+!le share of yo+r spirit on me. 1, -li=ah said, ;o+ have asked a hard thing. 3f yo+ see me when 3 am taken from yo+, it will happen. <+t if yo+ dont 2 Gings 2.11*1& & see me when 3 am taken from yo+, it will not happen. 11 -li=ah and -lisha were walking and talking together. S+ddenly, some horses and a chariot came and separated -li=ah from -lisha. The horses and the chariot were like fire. Then -li=ah was carried +p into heaven in a whirlwind. 12 -lisha saw it, and sho+ted, Ay father" Ay father" The chariot of 3srael and his horses" -lisha never saw -li=ah again. -lisha gra!!ed his own clothes and tore them in two to show his sadness. 13 -li=ahs coat had fallen to the gro+nd, so -lisha picked it +p. $e went !ack and stood at the edge of the Cordan .iver. 1# $e hit the water and said, >here is the 5.D, the God of -li=ah? C+st as -lisha hit the water, the water separated to the right and to the left" Then -lisha crossed the river. 1% >hen the gro+p of prophets at Cericho saw -lisha, they said, -li=ahs spirit is now on -lisha" They came to meet -lisha. They !owed very low to the gro+nd !efore him. 1& They said, ook, we have %, good men. 6lease let them go and look for 2 Gings 2.1'*21 ' yo+r master. Aay!e the 5.D@S Spirit has taken -li=ah +p and dropped him on some mo+ntain or in some valley. <+t -lisha answered, 1o, dont send men to look for -li=ah" 1' The gro+p of prophets !egged -lisha +ntil he was em!arrassed. Then -lisha said, Send the men to look for -li=ah. The gro+p of prophets sent the %, men to look for -li=ah. They looked three days, !+t they co+ld not find him. 1( So the men went to Cericho where -lisha was staying and told him. -lisha -asy To .ead /ersion

said to them, 3 told yo+ not to go. 1) The men of the city said to -lisha, Sir, yo+ can see this city is in a nice place, !+t the water is !ad. That is why the land cannot grow crops. 2, -lisha said, <ring me a new !owl and p+t salt in it. They !ro+ght the !owl to -lisha. 21 Then he went o+t to the place where the water !egan flowing from the gro+nd. -lisha threw the salt into the water and said, The 5.D said, 3 am making this water p+re" 2rom now on this water will not ca+se any more death or keep the land from growing crops. 2 Gings 2.22*3.2 ( 22 The water !ecame p+re and is still good today. 3t happened =+st as -lisha had said. 23 -lisha went from that city to <ethel. $e was walking +p the hill to the city, and some !oys were coming down o+t of the city. They !egan making f+n of him. They said, Go away, yo+ !aldheaded man" Go away, yo+ !aldheaded man" 2# -lisha looked !ack and saw them. $e asked the 5.D to ca+se !ad things to happen to them. Then two !ears came o+t of the forest and attacked the !oys. There were #2 !oys ripped apart !y the !ears. 2% -lisha left <ethel and went to Ao+nt 9armel and from there he went !ack to Samaria. 3 1 Coram son of Aha! !ecame king over 3srael at Samaria. $e !egan to r+le d+ring Cehoshaphats 1(th year as king of C+dah. Coram r+led 12 years. 2 $e did what the 5.D said was wrong. <+t he was not like his father and mother, !eca+se he removed the pillar that his father had made for worshiping <aal. 2 Gings 3.3*) ) 3 <+t he contin+ed to do the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at who had ca+sed the 3sraelites to sin. Coram did not stop the sins of Cero!oam. # Aesha was the king of Aoa!. $e owned many sheep. $e gave the wool of pag. #1'0131#

1,,,,,, lam!s and 1,,,,,, rams to the king of 3srael. % <+t when Aha! died, the king of Aoa! !roke away from the r+le of the king of 3srael. & Then Ging Coram went o+t of Samaria and gathered together all the men of 3srael. ' Coram sent messengers to Cehoshaphat, the king of C+dah. Coram said, The king of Aoa! has !roken away from my r+le. >ill yo+ go with me to fight against Aoa!? Cehoshaphat said, ;es, 3 will go with yo+. >e will =oin together as one army. Ay people will !e like yo+r people, and my horses will !e like yo+r horses. ( Cehoshaphat asked Coram, >hich way sho+ld we go? Coram answered, >e sho+ld go thro+gh the Desert of -dom. ) So the king of 3srael went with the king of C+dah and the king of -dom. 2 Gings 3.1,*1# 1, They traveled aro+nd for seven days. There was not eno+gh water for the army or for their animals. 1, 2inally the king of 3srael said, 5h, 3 think the 5.D really !ro+ght +s three kings together only to let the Aoa!ites defeat +s" 11 <+t Cehoshaphat said, S+rely one of the 5.D@S prophets is here. ets ask the prophet what the 5.D says we sho+ld do. 5ne of the servants of the king of 3srael said, -lisha son of Shaphat is here. -lisha was -li=ahs servant. 12 Cehoshaphat said, The 5.D@S word is with -lisha. So the king of 3srael, Cehoshaphat, and the king of -dom went down to see -lisha. 13 -lisha said to the king of 3srael, >hat do yo+ want from me? Go to the prophets of yo+r father and mother. The king of 3srael said to -lisha, 1o, we have come to see yo+ !eca+se the 5.D called +s three kings together to let the Aoa!ites defeat +s. 1# -lisha said, 3 respect Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah, and 3 serve the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. As s+rely as -asy To .ead /ersion

he lives, 3 came here only !eca+se of 2 Gings 3.1%*21 11 Cehoshaphat. 3 tell yo+ the tr+th, if he were not here, 3 wo+ld not pay any attention to yo+. 3 wo+ld ignore yo+ completely. 1% <+t now !ring me someone who plays the harp. >hen the person played the harp, the 5.D@S power came on -lisha. 1& Then -lisha said, This is what the 5.D says: Dig holes in the valley. 1' ;es, this is what the 5.D says: ;o+ will not see wind or rain, !+t that valley will !e filled with water. Then yo+ and yo+r cows and other animals will have water to drink. 1( This is an easy thing for the 5.D to do. $e will also help yo+ defeat the Aoa!ites. 1) ;o+ will attack every strong city and every good city. ;o+ will c+t down every good tree. ;o+ will stop +p all the springs of water. ;o+ will r+in every good field with stones. 2, 3n the morning, at the time for the morning sacrifice, water !egan flowing from the direction of -dom and filled the valley. 21 The Aoa!ites heard that the kings had come +p to fight against them. So 2 Gings 3.22*2& 12 they gathered together all the men old eno+gh to wear armor and waited at the !order. 22 The Aoa!ites got +p early that morning. The rising s+n was shining on the water in the valley, and it looked like !lood to the Aoa!ites. 23 They said, ook at the !lood" The kings m+st have fo+ght against each other. They m+st have destroyed each other. ets go take the val+a!le things from the dead !odies" 2# The Aoa!ites came to the 3sraelite camp, !+t the 3sraelites came o+t and attacked the Aoa!ite army. The Aoa!ites ran away from the 3sraelites. The 3sraelites followed them into Aoa! to fight them. 2% The 3sraelites destroyed the cities. pag. #1(0131#

They threw their stones at every good field in Aoa!. They stopped +p all the springs of water and c+t down all the good trees. The 3sraelites fo+ght all the way to Gir $areseth. The soldiers s+rro+nded Gir $areseth and attacked it too. 2& The king of Aoa! saw that the !attle was too strong for him, so he took ',, 2 Gings 3.2'*#.# 13 men with swords to !reak thro+gh to the king of -dom. <+t they were not a!le to do it. 2' Then the king of Aoa! took his oldest son, who wo+ld !ecome the ne4t king after him. 5n the wall aro+nd the city, the king of Aoa! offered his son as a !+rnt offering. This +pset the 3sraelites very m+ch. So the 3sraelites left the king of Aoa! and went !ack to their own land. 4 1 A man from the gro+p of prophets had a wife. This man died, and his wife cried o+t to -lisha, Ay h+s!and was like a servant to yo+. 1ow he is dead" ;o+ know he honored the 5.D. <+t he owed money to a man. 1ow that man is coming to take my two !oys and make them his slaves" 2 -lisha answered, $ow can 3 help yo+? Tell me, what do yo+ have in yo+r ho+se? The woman said, 3 dont have anything in the ho+se e4cept a =ar of olive oil. 3 Then -lisha said, Go and !orrow !owls from all yo+r neigh!ors. They m+st !e empty. <orrow plenty of !owls. # Then go to yo+r ho+se and close the doors. 5nly yo+ and yo+r sons will !e in the ho+se. Then po+r the oil into all 2 Gings #.%*1, 1# the !owls. 2ill them, and p+t them in a separate place. % So the woman left -lisha, went into her ho+se, and sh+t the door. 5nly she and her sons were in the ho+se. $er sons !ro+ght the !owls to her and she po+red oil. & She filled many !owls. 2inally, she said to her son, <ring me another !owl. <+t all of the !owls were f+ll. 5ne of the sons said to her, There arent any more !owls. -asy To .ead /ersion

Then the oil in the =ar was finished" ' >hen she told the man of God what had happened, -lisha said to her, Go, sell the oil and pay yo+r de!t. ;o+ and yo+r sons can live on the money that is left. ( 5ne day -lisha went to Sh+nem, where an important woman lived. She asked -lisha to stop and eat at her ho+se. So every time -lisha went thro+gh that place, he stopped there to eat. ) The woman said to her h+s!and, ook, 3 can see that -lisha is a holy man of God. $e passes !y o+r ho+se all the time. 1, 6lease, lets make a little room on the roof for him. ets p+t a !ed in this room 2 Gings #.11*1& 1% and a ta!le, a chair, and a lampstand. Then when he comes to o+r ho+se, he can have this room for himself. 11 5ne day -lisha came to the womans ho+se. $e went to this room and rested there. 12 -lisha said to his servant GehaEi, 9all this Sh+nammite woman. The servant called the Sh+nammite woman, and she stood in front of -lisha. 13 -lisha told his servant, 1ow say to her, ook, yo+ have done yo+r !est to take care of +s. >hat can we do for yo+? Do yo+ want +s to speak to the king for yo+, or to the captain of the army? She answered, 3 am fine living here among my own people. 1# -lisha said to GehaEi, >hat can we do for her? $e answered, 3 know" She does not have a son, and her h+s!and is old. 1% Then -lisha said, 9all her. So GehaEi called the woman. She came and stood at his door. 1& -lisha said, A!o+t this time ne4t spring, yo+ will !e holding yo+r own !a!y !oy in yo+r arms. The woman said, 1o, sir" Aan of God, dont lie to me" 2 Gings #.1'*2% 1& 1' <+t the woman did !ecome pregnant and gave !irth to a son that ne4t spring, =+st as -lisha had said. 1( The !oy grew. 5ne day the !oy went pag. #1)0131#

o+t into the fields to see his father and the men c+tting the grain. 1) The !oy said to his father, 5h, my head" Ay head h+rts" The father said to his servant, 9arry him to his mother" 2, The servant took the !oy to his mother. The !oy sat on his mothers lap +ntil noon. Then he died. 21 The woman laid the !oy on the !ed of -lisha, the man of God. Then she sh+t the door to that room and went o+tside. 22 She called to her h+s!and and said, 6lease send me one of the servants and a donkey. Then 3 will go J+ickly to get the man of God and come !ack. 23 The womans h+s!and said, >hy wo+ld yo+ want to go to the man of God today? 3t isnt the 1ew Aoon or Sa!!ath day. She said, Good!ye" 2# Then she p+t a saddle on a donkey and said to her servant, ets go, and h+rry" Go slow only when 3 tell yo+. 2% The woman went to Ao+nt 9armel to get the man of God. The man of God saw 2 Gings #.2&*31 1' the Sh+nammite woman coming from far away and said to his servant GehaEi, ook, theres the Sh+nammite woman" 2& 6lease r+n now to meet her" Say to her, Are yo+ all right? 3s yo+r h+s!and all right? 3s the child all right? She answered, -verything is all right. 2' <+t the Sh+nammite woman went +p the hill to the man of God. She !owed down and to+ched -lishas feet. GehaEi came near to p+ll her away. <+t the man of God said to GehaEi, eave her alone" Shes very +pset, and the 5.D didnt tell me a!o+t it. $e hid this news from me. 2( Then she said, Sir, 3 never asked for a son. 3 told yo+, Dont trick me" 2) Then -lisha said to GehaEi, Get ready to go. Take my walking stick and go" 3f yo+ meet anyone along the way, dont even stop to say hello to him. 3f anyone says hello to yo+, dont answer. 6+t my walking stick on the childs face. 3, <+t the childs mother said, 3 promise, as the 5.D lives and as yo+ live, 3 will not leave witho+t yo+" So -lisha got +p -asy To .ead /ersion

and followed her. 31 GehaEi arrived at the ho+se !efore -lisha and the Sh+nammite woman. 2 Gings #.32*3' 1( GehaEi laid the walking stick on the childs face, !+t the child did not talk or show any sign that he heard anything. Then GehaEi came !ack to meet -lisha and said, The child will not wake +p" 32 -lisha went into the ho+se, and there was the child, lying dead on his !ed. 33 -lisha went into the room and sh+t the door. $e and the child were alone in the room now. Then he prayed to the 5.D. 3# -lisha went to the !ed and lay on the child. $e p+t his eyes on the childs eyes, his mo+th on the childs mo+th, and his hands on the childs hands. $e lay there on top of the child +ntil the childs !ody !ecame warm. 3% Then -lisha t+rned away and walked aro+nd the room. $e went !ack and lay on the child +ntil the child sneeEed seven times and opened his eyes. 3& -lisha called GehaEi and said, 9all the Sh+nammite woman" GehaEi called her, and she came to -lisha. -lisha said, 6ick +p yo+r son. 3' Then the Sh+nammite woman went into the room and !owed down at -lishas 2 Gings #.3(*#2 1) feet. Then she picked +p her son and went o+t. 3( -lisha went to Gilgal again. There was a famine in the land. The gro+p of prophets was sitting in front of -lisha. -lisha said to his servant, 6+t the large pot on the fire, and make some so+p for the gro+p of prophets. 3) 5ne man went o+t into the field to gather her!s. $e fo+nd a wild vine and picked the fr+it from it. $e p+t that fr+it in his ro!e and !ro+ght it !ack. $e c+t +p the wild fr+it and p+t it into the pot. <+t the gro+p of prophets did not know what kind of fr+it it was. #, Then they po+red some of the so+p for the men to eat. <+t when they !egan to eat the so+p, they sho+ted o+t, Aan pag. #2,0131#

of God" Theres poison in the pot" The food tasted like poison, so they co+ld not eat that food. #1 <+t -lisha said, <ring some flo+r. $e threw the flo+r into the pot. Then he said, 6o+r the so+p for the people so that they can eat. And there was nothing wrong with the so+p. #2 A man from <aal Shalishah came and !ro+ght !read from the first harvest to 2 Gings #.#3*%.3 2, the man of God. This man !ro+ght 2, loaves of !arley !read and fresh grain in his sack. Then -lisha said, Give this food to the people, so that they can eat. #3 -lishas servant said, >hat? There are 1,, men here. $ow can 3 give this food to all those men? <+t -lisha said, Give the food to the people to eat. The 5.D says, They will eat and there will still !e food left over. ## Then -lishas servant p+t the food in front of the gro+p of prophets. The gro+p of prophets had eno+gh to eat, and they even had food left over. This happened =+st as the 5.D had said. 5 1 1aaman was the captain of the army of the king of Aram. $e was very important to his king !eca+se the 5.D +sed him to lead Aram to victory. 1aaman was a great and powerf+l man, !+t he was also sick with leprosy. 2 The Aramean army sent many gro+ps of soldiers to fight in 3srael. 5ne time they took a little girl from the land of 3srael. This girl !ecame a servant of 1aamans wife. 3 She said to his wife, 3 wish that my master wo+ld meet the prophet who 2 Gings %.#*( 21 lives in Samaria. $e co+ld heal 1aaman of his leprosy. # 1aaman went to the king and told him what the 3sraelite girl said. % Then the king of Aram said, Go now, and 3 will send a letter to the king of 3srael. So 1aaman went to 3srael. $e took '%, po+nds of silver, &,,, pieces of gold and ten changes of clothes as gifts. & 1aaman took the letter from the king -asy To .ead /ersion

of Aram to the king of 3srael. The letter said: 1ow this letter is to show that 3 am sending my servant 1aaman to yo+. 9+re his leprosy. ' >hen the king of 3srael had read the letter, he tore his clothes to show he was sad and +pset. $e said, Am 3 God? 3 dont have the power over life and death. So why did the king of Aram send a man sick with leprosy for me to heal? Think a!o+t it, and yo+ will see that it is a trick. The king of Aram is trying to start a fight. ( -lisha, the man of God, heard that the king of 3srael had torn his clothes. So -lisha sent this message to the king: >hy did yo+ tear yo+r clothes? et 2 Gings %.)*1# 22 1aaman come to me. Then he will know there is a prophet in 3srael. ) So 1aaman came with his horses and chariots to -lishas ho+se and stood o+tside the door. 1, -lisha sent a messenger to 1aaman who said, Go and wash in the Cordan .iver seven times. Then yo+r skin will !e healed, and yo+ will !e p+re and clean. 11 1aaman !ecame angry and left. $e said, 3 tho+ght -lisha wo+ld at least come o+t and stand in front of me and call on the name of the 5.D his God. 3 tho+ght he wo+ld wave his hand over my !ody and heal the leprosy. 12 A!ana and 6harpar, the rivers of Damasc+s, are !etter than all the water in 3srael. >hy cant 3 wash in those rivers in Damasc+s and !ecome clean? $e was very angry and t+rned to leave. 13 <+t 1aamans servants went to him and talked to him. They said, 2ather, if the prophet told yo+ to do some great thing, yo+ wo+ld do it, isnt that right? <+t he said, >ash, and yo+ will !e p+re and clean. 1# So 1aaman did what the man of God said. $e went down and dipped himself 2 Gings %.1%*1( 23 in the Cordan .iver seven times, and he !ecame p+re and clean. $is skin !ecame soft like the skin of a !a!y. pag. #210131#

1% 1aaman and his whole gro+p came !ack to the man of God. $e stood !efore -lisha and said, ook, 3 now know there is no God in all the earth e4cept in 3srael. 1ow please accept a gift from me. 1& <+t -lisha said, The 5.D is the one 3 serve, and as s+rely as he lives, 3 will not accept any gift. 1aaman tried hard to make -lisha take the gift, !+t he ref+sed. 1' Then 1aaman said, 3f yo+ will not accept this gift, at least do this for me. et me have eno+gh dirt from 3srael to fill the !askets on two of my m+les. 3 ask this !eca+se 3 will never again offer any !+rnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods. 3 will offer sacrifices only to the 5.D" 1( And 3 pray that the 5.D will forgive me for this: >hen my master goes to the temple of .immon to worship that false god, he will want to lean on me for s+pport. So 3 m+st !ow down in the temple of .immon. 3 ask the 5.D now to forgive me when that happens. 2 Gings %.1)*23 2# 1) Then -lisha said to 1aaman, Go in peace. So 1aaman left -lisha and went a short way. 2, <+t GehaEi, the servant of -lisha the man of God, said, ook, my master has let 1aaman the Aramean go witho+t accepting the gift that he !ro+ght. As the 5.D lives, 3 will r+n after 1aaman and get something from him. 21 So GehaEi ran to 1aaman. 1aaman saw someone r+nning after him. $e stepped down from the chariot to meet GehaEi. 1aaman said, 3s everything all right? 22 GehaEi said, ;es, everything is all right. Ay master has sent me. $e said, ook, two yo+ng men came to me from the gro+p of prophets in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. 6lease give them '% po+nds of silver and two changes of clothes. 23 1aaman said, 6lease, take 1%, po+nds. $e pers+aded GehaEi to take the silver. 1aaman p+t 1%, po+nds of silver in two !ags and took two changes -asy To .ead /ersion

of clothes. Then he gave these things to two of his servants. The servants carried these things for GehaEi. 2 Gings %.2#*&.3 2% 2# >hen GehaEi came to the hill, he took these things from the servants. $e sent the servants away, and they left. Then he hid those things in the ho+se. 2% GehaEi came in and stood !efore his master. -lisha said to GehaEi, >here have yo+ !een GehaEi? GehaEi answered, 3 didnt go anywhere. 2& -lisha said to him, That is not tr+e" Ay heart was with yo+ when the man t+rned from his chariot to meet yo+. This is not the time to take money, clothes, olives, grapes, sheep, cows, or men and women servants. 2' 1ow yo+ and yo+r children will catch 1aamans disease. ;o+ will have leprosy forever" >hen GehaEi left -lisha, his skin was as white as snow" $e was sick with leprosy. 6 1 The gro+p of prophets said to -lisha, >e are staying in that place over there, !+t it is too small for +s. 2 ets go to the Cordan .iver and c+t some wood. -ach of +s will get a log and we will !+ild +s a place to live there. -lisha answered, Go and do it. 3 5ne of them said, 6lease go with +s. -lisha said, ;es, 3 will go with yo+. 2 Gings &.#*1, 2& # So -lisha went with the gro+p of prophets. >hen they arrived at the Cordan .iver, they !egan to c+t down some trees. % <+t when one man was c+tting down a tree, the iron a4 head slipped from the handle and fell into the water. $e sho+ted, 5h, master" 3 !orrowed that a4" & The man of God said, >here did it fall? The man showed -lisha the place where the a4 head fell. Then -lisha c+t a stick and threw the stick into the water. The stick made the iron a4 head float. ' -lisha said, So pick +p the a4 head. Then the man reached o+t and took the a4 head. pag. #220131#

( The king of Aram was making war against 3srael. $e had a co+ncil meeting with his army officers. $e said, Go to s+ch and s+ch a place and prepare to attack the 3sraelites when they come !y. ) <+t the man of God sent a message to the king of 3srael. -lisha said, <e caref+l" Dont go !y that place, !eca+se the Aramean soldiers are hiding there" 1, The king of 3srael sent a message to his men at the place that the man of God 2 Gings &.11*1& 2' warned him a!o+t. And the king of 3srael saved J+ite a few men. 11 The king of Aram was very +pset a!o+t this. $e called his army officers and said to them, Tell me who is spying for the king of 3srael. 12 5ne of the officers of the king of Aram said, Ay lord and king, not one of +s is a spy. -lisha, the prophet from 3srael, can tell the king of 3srael many secret thingseven the words that yo+ speak in yo+r !edroom" 13 The king of Aram said, 2ind -lisha, and 3 will send men to catch him. The servants told the king of Aram, -lisha is in Dothan. 1# Then the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a large army to Dothan. They arrived at night and s+rro+nded the city. 1% -lishas servant got +p early that morning. >hen he went o+tside, he saw an army with horses and chariots all aro+nd the city. The servant said to -lisha, 5h, my master, what can we do? 1& -lisha said, Dont !e afraid. The army that fights for +s is larger than the army that fights for Aram. 2 Gings &.1'*21 2( 1' Then -lisha prayed and said, 5.D, 3 ask yo+, open my servants eyes so that he can see. The 5.D opened the eyes of the yo+ng man, and the servant saw the mo+ntain was f+ll of horses and chariots of fire. They were all aro+nd -lisha. 1( These horses and chariots of fire came down to -lisha. $e prayed to the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D and said, 3 pray that yo+ will ca+se these people to !ecome !lind. So God did what -lisha asked. $e ca+sed the Aramean army to !ecome !lind. 1) -lisha said to the Aramean army, This is not the right way. This is not the right city. 2ollow me. 3 will lead yo+ to the man yo+ are looking for. Then -lisha led them to Samaria. 2, >hen they arrived at Samaria, -lisha said, 5.D, open the eyes of these men so that they can see. Then the 5.D opened their eyes, and the Aramean army saw they were in the city of Samaria" 21 The king of 3srael saw the Aramean army and said to -lisha, Ay father, sho+ld 3 kill them? Sho+ld 3 kill them? 2 Gings &.22*2' 2) 22 -lisha answered, 1o, dont kill them. They are not soldiers yo+ capt+red in !attle. Give them some !read and water. et them eat and drink. Then let them go home to their leader. 23 So the king prepared a !ig meal for the Aramean army. After they ate and drank, he sent them !ack home to their leader. The Arameans did not send any more soldiers into the land of 3srael to make raids. 2# After this happened, Ging <enD$adad of Aram gathered all his army and went to s+rro+nd and attack the city of Samaria. 2% The soldiers wo+ld not let people !ring food into the city, so there was a time of terri!le h+nger in Samaria. 3t was so !ad in Samaria that a donkeys head was sold for (, pieces of silver and one pint of doves d+ng sold for five pieces of silver. 2& The king of 3srael was walking on the wall aro+nd the city. A woman sho+ted o+t to him. She said, Ay lord and king, please help me" 2' The king of 3srael said, 3f the 5.D does not help yo+, how can 3 help yo+? 3 2 Gings &.2(*32 3, cannot give yo+ grain from the threshing floor or wine from the winepress. pag. #230131#

2( Then he said to her, >hat is yo+r tro+!le? She answered, This woman said to me, Give me yo+r son so that we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow. 2) So we !oiled my son and ate him. Then the ne4t day, 3 said to this woman, Give me yo+r son so that we can eat him. <+t she has hidden her son" 3, >hen the king heard the womans words, he tore his clothes to show he was +pset. As he passed !y on the wall, the people saw the king was wearing the ro+gh cloth +nder his clothes to show he was sad and +pset. 31 The king said, Aay God p+nish me if the head of -lisha son of Shaphat is still on his !ody at the end of this day" 32 The king sent a messenger to -lisha. -lisha was sitting in his ho+se, and the elders were sitting with him. <efore the messenger arrived, -lisha said to the elders, ook, that son of a m+rderer is sending men to c+t off my head. >hen the messenger arrives, sh+t the door. $old the door and dont let him in. 3 hear 2 Gings &.33*'.# 31 the so+nd of his masters feet coming !ehind him. 33 >hile -lisha was still talking with the elders, the messenger came to him. This was the message: This tro+!le has come from the 5.D. >hy sho+ld 3 wait for the 5.D any longer? 7 1 -lisha said, isten to the message from the 5.D" The 5.D says, A!o+t this time tomorrow, there will !e plenty of food, and it will !e cheap again. A person will !e a!le to !+y a !asket of fine flo+r or two !askets of !arley for only one shekel in the marketplace !y the city gates of Samaria. 2 Then the officer who was close to the king answered the man of God. The officer said, -ven if the 5.D made windows in heaven, this co+ld not happen. -lisha said, ;o+ will see it with yo+r own eyes, !+t yo+ will not eat any of that food. 3 There were fo+r men sick with leprosy -asy To .ead /ersion

near the city gate. They said to each other, >hy are we sitting here waiting to die? # There is no food in Samaria. 3f we go into the city, we will die there. 3f we stay 2 Gings '.%*) 32 here, we will also die. So lets go to the Aramean camp. 3f they let +s live, we will live. 3f they kill +s, we will =+st die. % So that evening the fo+r lepers went to the Aramean camp. >hen they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there" & The ord had ca+sed the Aramean army to hear the so+nd of chariots, horses, and a large army. So the soldiers said to each other, The king of 3srael has hired the kings of the $ittites and -gyptians to come against +s. ' The Arameans ran away early that evening. They left everything !ehind. They left their tents, horses, and donkeys and ran for their lives. ( >hen these lepers came to where the camp !egan, they went into one tent. They ate and drank. Then they carried silver, gold, and clothes o+t of the camp and hid them. Then they came !ack and entered another tent. They carried things o+t from this tent and went o+t and hid them. ) Then they said to each other, >e are doing wrong" Today we have good news, !+t we are silent. 3f we wait +ntil the s+n 2 Gings '.1,*13 33 comes +p, we will !e p+nished. 1ow lets go and tell the people who live in the kings palace. 1, So the lepers came and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They told the gatekeepers, >e went to the Aramean camp, !+t we did not hear anyone. 1o one was there, !+t the horses and donkeys were still tied +p, and the tents were still standing. 11 Then the gatekeepers of the city sho+ted o+t and told the people in the kings palace. 12 3t was night, !+t the king got +p from !ed and said to his officers, 3 will tell yo+ pag. #2#0131#

what the Aramean soldiers are doing to +s. They know we are h+ngry. They left the camp to hide in the field. They are thinking, >hen the 3sraelites come o+t of the city, we will capt+re them alive. And then we will enter the city. 13 5ne of the kings officers said, et some men take five of the horses that are still left in the city. The horses will soon die anyway, =+st as all the 3sraelites who are still left in the city. ets send these men to see what happened. 2 Gings '.1#*1( 3# 1# So the men took two chariots with horses. The king sent these men after the Aramean army. $e told them, Go and see what happened. 1% The men went after the Aramean army as far as the Cordan .iver. All along the road there were clothes and weapons. The Arameans had thrown these things down when they h+rried away. The messengers went !ack to Samaria and told the king. 1& Then the people ran o+t to the Aramean camp and took val+a!le things from there. So it happened =+st as the 5.D had said. A person co+ld !+y a !asket of fine flo+r or two !askets of !arley for only one shekel. 1' There was one officer who always stayed close !y the king to help him. The king sent this officer to g+ard the gate, !+t the people knocked him down and trampled him, and he died. So everything happened =+st as the man of God had said when the king came to -lishas ho+se. 1( -lisha had said, A person will !e a!le to !+y a !asket of fine flo+r or two !askets of !arley for only one shekel 2 Gings '.1)*(.# 3% in the marketplace !y the city gates of Samaria. 1) <+t that officer had answered the man of God, -ven if the 5.D made windows in heaven, this co+ld not happen" And -lisha had told the officer, ;o+ will see it with yo+r own eyes, !+t yo+ will not eat any of that food. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, 3t happened to the officer =+st that way. The people knocked him down at the gate and trampled him, and he died. 8 1 -lisha talked to the woman whose son he had !ro+ght !ack to life. $e said, ;o+ and yo+r family sho+ld move to another co+ntry, !eca+se the 5.D has decided that there will !e a famine here. 3t will last for seven years. 2 So the woman did what the man of God said. She went with her family to stay in the land of the 6hilistines for seven years. 3 After seven years she ret+rned from the land of the 6hilistines. She went to speak with the king to ask him to help her get !ack her ho+se and land. # The king was talking with GehaEi, the servant of the man of God. The king said 2 Gings (.%*) 3& to GehaEi, 6lease tell me all the great things -lisha has done. % GehaEi was telling the king a!o+t -lisha !ringing a dead person !ack to life. At that same time the woman whose son -lisha !ro+ght !ack to life went to the king. She wanted to ask him to help her get !ack her ho+se and land. GehaEi said, Ay lord and king, this is the woman, and this is the son who -lisha !ro+ght !ack to life. & The king asked the woman what she wanted, and she told him. Then the king chose an officer to help her. The king said, Give to the woman all that !elongs to her. And give her all the harvest of her land from the day she left the co+ntry +ntil now. ' -lisha went to Damasc+s. Ging <enD$adad of Aram was sick. Someone told <enD$adad, The man of God has come here. ( Then the Ging <enD$adad said to $aEael, Take a gift and go meet the man of God. Ask him to ask the 5.D if 3 will get well from my sickness. ) So $aEael went to meet -lisha. $aEael !ro+ght a gift with him. $e !ro+ght all 2 Gings (.1,*1# 3' kinds of good things from Damasc+s. pag. #2%0131#

3t took #, camels to carry everything. $aEael came to -lisha and said, ;o+r follower, Ging <enD$adad of Aram, sent me to yo+. $e asks if he will get well from his sickness. 1, Then -lisha said to $aEael, Go and tell <enD$adad, ;o+ will live. <+t really the 5.D told me, $e will die. 11 -lisha !egan to stare. $e stared for an em!arrassingly long time. Then the man of God !egan to cry. 12 $aEael said, Sir, why are yo+ crying? -lisha answered, 3 am crying !eca+se 3 know the !ad things yo+ will do to the 3sraelites. ;o+ will !+rn their strong cities and kill their yo+ng men with swords. ;o+ will kill their !a!ies and split open their pregnant women. 13 $aEael said, 3 am not a powerf+l man" $ow can 3 do these great things? -lisha answered, The 5.D showed me that yo+ will !e king over Aram. 1# Then $aEael left -lisha and went to his king. <enD$adad said to $aEael, >hat did -lisha say to yo+? $e answered, -lisha told me that yo+ will live. 2 Gings (.1%*21 3( 1% <+t the ne4t day $aEael took a thick cloth and dipped it in water. Then he held it on <enD$adads face +ntil he died. Then $aEael !ecame the new king. 1& Cehoram son of Cehoshaphat was the king of C+dah. $e !egan to r+le in the fifth year that Coram son of Aha! was king of 3srael. 1' Cehoram was 32 years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led eight years in Cer+salem. 1( <+t Cehoram lived as the kings of 3srael and did what the 5.D saw as evil. $e lived as the people from Aha!s family, !eca+se his wife was Aha!s da+ghter. 1) <+t the 5.D wo+ld not destroy C+dah !eca+se of the promise to his servant David. $e had promised David that someone from his family wo+ld always !e king. 2, 3n Cehorams time -dom !roke away from C+dahs r+le. The people of -dom -asy To .ead /ersion

chose a king for themselves. 21 Then Cehoram and all his chariots went to Bair. The -domite army s+rro+nded them, !+t Cehoram and his officers attacked them and escaped. 2 Gings (.22*2( 3) Cehorams soldiers all ran away and went home. 22 So the -domites !roke away from the r+le of C+dah. And they have !een free from the r+le of C+dah +ntil today. At the same time i!nah also !roke away from C+dahs r+le. 23 All the things Cehoram did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 2# Cehoram died and was !+ried with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. Cehorams son AhaEiah !ecame the new king. 2% AhaEiah son of Cehoram !ecame the king of C+dah in the 12th year that Coram son of Aha! was king of 3srael. 2& AhaEiah was 22 years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led one year in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Athaliah. She was the da+ghter of Ging 5mri of 3srael. 2' AhaEiah did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did many !ad things, =+st as the people from Aha!s family had done. $e lived like this !eca+se his wife was from Aha!s family. 2( Coram was from Aha!s family. AhaEiah went with Coram to fight against 2 Gings (.2)*).% #, Ging $aEael of Aram at .amoth Gilead. The Arameans wo+nded Coram. 2) Ging Coram went !ack to 3srael so that he co+ld get well from those wo+nds. $e went to the area of CeEreel. AhaEiah son of Cehoram was the king of C+dah. AhaEiah went to CeEreel to see Coram. 9 1 -lisha the prophet called one of the men from the gro+p of prophets and said to him, Get ready and take this small !ottle of oil in yo+r hand. Go to .amoth Gilead. 2 >hen yo+ arrive, find Ceh+ son of Cehoshaphat, the son of 1imshi. Then go pag. #2&0131#

in and make him get +p from among his !rothers. Take him to an inner room. 3 Take the small !ottle of oil and po+r the oil on Ceh+s head. Say, This is what the 5.D says: 3 have anointed yo+ to !e the new king over 3srael. Then open the door and r+n away. Dont wait" # So this yo+ng man, the prophet, went to .amoth Gilead. % >hen the yo+ng man arrived, he saw the captains of the army sitting. $e said, 9aptain, 3 have a message for yo+. Ceh+ 2 Gings ).&*11 #1 asked, >hich one of +s is the message for? The yo+ng man said, 2or yo+, sir. & Ceh+ got +p and went into the ho+se. Then the yo+ng prophet po+red the oil on Ceh+s head and said to him, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, 3 am anointing yo+ to !e the new king over the 5.D@S people, 3srael. ' ;o+ m+st destroy the family of Aha! yo+r king. 3n this way 3 will p+nish CeEe!el for the deaths of my servants, the prophets, and the deaths of all the 5.D@S servants who were m+rdered. ( So all Aha!s family will die. 3 will not let any male child in Aha!s family live. 3t doesnt matter if that male child is a slave or a free person in 3srael. ) 3 will make Aha!s family like the family of Cero!oam son of 1e!at and like the family of <aasha son of Ahi=ah. 1, The dogs will eat CeEe!el in the area of CeEreel, and she will not !e !+ried. Then the yo+ng prophet opened the door and ran away. 11 Ceh+ went !ack to his kings officers. 5ne of the officers said to Ceh+, 3s everything all right? >hy did this craEy man come to yo+? Ceh+ answered the 2 Gings ).12*1& #2 servants, ;o+ know the man and the craEy things he says. 12 The officers said, 1o, tell +s the tr+th. >hat did he say? Ceh+ told the officers what the yo+ng prophet said. Ceh+ said, $e said a few things and then he said, This is what the 5.D says: 3 have anointed yo+ to !e the new king -asy To .ead /ersion

over 3srael. 13 Then each officer J+ickly took his ro!e off and p+t it on the steps in front of Ceh+. Then they !lew the tr+mpet and made the anno+ncement, Ceh+ is king" 1# So Ceh+ son of Cehoshaphat, son of 1imshi, made plans against Coram. At that time Coram and the 3sraelites had !een trying to defend .amoth Gilead from Ging $aEael of Aram. 1% Ging Coram had fo+ght against Ging $aEael of Aram. <+t the Arameans wo+nded Ging Coram, and he went to CeEreel to get well from those in=+ries. So Ceh+ told the officers, 3f yo+ agree that 3 am the new king, dont let anyone escape from the city to tell the news in CeEreel. 1& Coram was resting in CeEreel, so Ceh+ got in his chariot and drove to CeEreel. 2 Gings ).1'*21 #3 Ging AhaEiah of C+dah had also come to CeEreel to see Coram. 1' A g+ard was standing on the tower in CeEreel. $e saw Ceh+s large gro+p coming. $e said, 3 see a large gro+p of people" Coram said, Send someone on a horse to meet them. Tell this messenger to ask if they come in peace. 1( So the messenger rode on a horse to meet Ceh+. The messenger said, Ging Coram says, Do yo+ come in peace? Ceh+ said, ;o+ have nothing to do with peace. 9ome and follow me. The g+ard told Coram, The messenger went to the gro+p, !+t he has not come !ack yet. 1) Then Coram sent o+t a second messenger on a horse. This man came to Ceh+s gro+p and said, Ging Coram says, 6eace. Ceh+ answered, ;o+ have nothing to do with peace. 9ome and follow me. 2, The g+ard told Coram, The second messenger went to the gro+p, !+t he has not come !ack yet. There is a man driving his chariot like a mad man. $e is driving like Ceh+ son of 1imshi. 21 Coram said, Get me my chariot" So the servant got Corams chariot. <oth Ging Coram of 3srael and Ging AhaEiah 2 Gings ).22*2' ## pag. #2'0131#

of C+dah got their chariots and drove o+t to meet Ceh+. They met him at the property of 1a!oth from CeEreel. 22 Coram saw Ceh+ and asked, Do yo+ come in peace, Ceh+? Ceh+ answered, There is no peace as long as yo+r mother CeEe!el does many acts of prostit+tion and witchcraft. 23 Coram t+rned the horses to r+n away. $e said to AhaEiah, 3t is a trick, AhaEiah" 2# <+t Ceh+ gra!!ed his !ow and shot Coram in the middle of his !ack, thro+gh the heart. Coram fell dead in his chariot. 2% Ceh+ said to his chariot driver <idkar, Take Corams !ody +p and throw it into the field of 1a!oth from CeEreel. .emem!er when yo+ and 3 rode together with Corams father Aha!, the 5.D said this wo+ld happen to him. 2& The 5.D said, ;esterday 3 saw the !lood of 1a!oth and his sons. And 3, the 5.D, am telling yo+ that 3 will p+nish Aha! in this field. So take Corams !ody and throw it into the field, =+st as the 5.D said. 2' Ging AhaEiah of C+dah saw this and ran away. $e tried to escape thro+gh the garden ho+se, !+t Ceh+ followed 2 Gings ).2(*3# #% him. Ceh+ had said, Shoot AhaEiah too" AhaEiah was wo+nded when he was in his chariot on the road to G+r near 3!leam. $e got as far as Aegiddo, !+t he died there. 2( AhaEiahs servants carried his !ody in the chariot to Cer+salem. They !+ried him in his tom! with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. 2) AhaEiah had !ecome king over C+dah d+ring Corams eleventh year as king of 3srael. 3, >hen Ceh+ came to CeEreel, CeEe!el heard the news. She p+t her make+p on and fi4ed her hair. Then she stood !y the window and looked o+t. 31 Ceh+ entered the city. CeEe!el said, $ello, yo+ Bimri. ;o+ killed yo+r master =+st as he did. 32 Ceh+ looked +p at the window and said, >ho is on my side? >ho? Two or -asy To .ead /ersion

three e+n+chs looked o+t at Ceh+. 33 Ceh+ said, Throw CeEe!el down" Then the e+n+chs threw her down. Some of her !lood splashed on the wall and on the horses that trampled her !ody. 3# Ceh+ went into the ho+se and ate and drank. Then he said, 1ow see a!o+t this 2 Gings ).3%*1,.3 #& c+rsed woman. <+ry her, !eca+se she is a kings da+ghter. 3% The men went to !+ry CeEe!el, !+t they co+ld not find her !ody. They co+ld only find her sk+ll, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 3& >hen the men came !ack and told Ceh+, he said, The 5.D told his servant -li=ah the Tish!ite to give this message: Dogs will eat the !ody of CeEe!el in the area of CeEreel. 3' $er !ody will !e like d+ng on the field in the area of CeEreel. 1o one will !e a!le to recogniEe her !ody" 10 1 Aha! had ', sons in Samaria. Ceh+ wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the r+lers and leaders of CeEreel. $e also sent the letters to the people who raised Aha!s sons saying, 2 As soon as yo+ get this letter, choose the one who is the !est and most worthy among yo+r masters sons. ;o+ have chariots and horses. And yo+ are living in a strong city. ;o+ also have weapons. 6+t the son yo+ choose on his fathers throne. Then fight for yo+r masters family. 3 71,:28 2 Gings 1,.#*( #' # <+t the r+lers and leaders of CeEreel were very afraid. They said, The two kings co+ld not stop Ceh+. So we cannot stop him either" % The palace manager, the official in charge of the city, the elders, and the people who raised the kings children sent a message to Ceh+. >e are yo+r servants and we will do whatever yo+ tell +s. >e will not make anyone kingF yo+ may do whatever yo+ think is !est. & Then Ceh+ wrote a second letter to these leaders. $e said, 3f yo+ s+pport pag. #2(0131#

me and o!ey me, c+t off the heads of Aha!s sons. <ring them to me at CeEreel a!o+t this time tomorrow. Aha! had ', sons. They were with the leaders of the city who raised them. ' >hen the leaders of the city received the letter, they took the kings sons and killed all ', of them. Then the leaders p+t the heads of the kings sons in !askets and sent the !askets to Ceh+ at CeEreel. ( The messenger came to Ceh+ and told him, They have !ro+ght the heads of the kings sons. Then Ceh+ said, ay the 2 Gings 1,.)*13 #( heads in two piles at the city gate +ntil morning. ) 3n the morning Ceh+ went o+t and stood !efore the people. $e said to them, ;o+ are innocent. ook, 3 made plans against my master. 3 killed him. <+t who killed all these sons of Aha!? ;o+ killed them. 1, ;o+ sho+ld know that everything the 5.D says will happen. The 5.D +sed -li=ah to say these things a!o+t Aha!s family. 1ow the 5.D has done what he said he wo+ld do. 11 So Ceh+ killed all the people in Aha!s family living in CeEreel. $e killed all the important men, close friends, and priests. 1one of Aha!s people were left alive. 12 Ceh+ left CeEreel and went to Samaria. 5n the way he stopped at a place called Shepherds 9amp. 13 There he met with the relatives of Ging AhaEiah of C+dah. Ceh+ asked, >ho are yo+? They answered, >e are the relatives of Ging AhaEiah of C+dah. >e have come down to visit the kings children and the J+een mothers children. 2 Gings 1,.1#*1( #) 1# Then Ceh+ said, Take them alive" Ceh+s men capt+red AhaEiahs relatives alive. There were #2 of them. Ceh+ killed them at the well near <eth -ked. $e did not leave anyone alive. 1% After Ceh+ left there, he met Cehonada! son of .eca!. Cehonada! was -asy To .ead /ersion

on his way to meet Ceh+. Ceh+ greeted Cehonada! and said to him, Are yo+ a faithf+l friend to me, as 3 am to yo+? Cehonada! answered, ;es, 3 am a faithf+l friend to yo+. Ceh+ said, 3f yo+ are, give me yo+r hand. Then Ceh+ reached o+t and p+lled Cehonada! +p into the chariot. 1& Ceh+ said, 9ome with me. ;o+ can see how strong my feelings are for the 5.D. So Cehonada! rode in Ceh+s chariot. 1' Ceh+ came to Samaria and killed all Aha!s family who were still alive in Samaria. $e killed them all. $e did what the 5.D had told -li=ah. 1( Then Ceh+ gathered all the people together and said to them, Aha! served <aal a little, !+t Ceh+ will serve <aal m+ch. 2 Gings 1,.1)*2# %, 1) 1ow call together all the priests and prophets of <aal. And call together everyone who worships <aal. Dont let anyone miss this meeting. 3 have a great sacrifice to give to <aal. 3 will kill anyone who does not come to this meeting. <+t Ceh+ was tricking them. $e wanted to destroy the worshipers of <aal. 2, Ceh+ said, 6repare a holy meeting for <aal. So the priests anno+nced the meeting. 21 Then Ceh+ sent a message thro+gh all the land of 3srael. All the worshipers of <aal came. 1ot one stayed home. The <aal worshipers came into the temple of <aal. The temple was filled with people. 22 Ceh+ said to the man who kept the ro!es, <ring o+t the ro!es for all the worshipers of <aal. So that man !ro+ght o+t the ro!es for the <aal worshipers. 23 Then Ceh+ and Cehonada! son of .eca! went into the temple of <aal. Ceh+ said to the worshipers of <aal, ook aro+nd and !e s+re that there are no servants of the 5.D with yo+. <e s+re there are only people who worship <aal. 2# The worshipers of <aal went into the temple of <aal to offer sacrifices and 2 Gings 1,.2%*2) %1 pag. #2)0131#

!+rnt offerings. <+t o+tside, Ceh+ had (, men waiting. $e told them, Dont let anyone escape. 3f any man lets one person escape, that man m+st pay with his own life. 2% I+ickly after Ceh+ had finished offering the !+rnt offering, he said to the g+ards and to the captains, Go in and kill the worshipers of <aal" Dont let anyone come o+t of the temple alive" So the captains +sed thin swords and killed the worshipers of <aal. They threw the !odies of the worshipers of <aal o+t. Then the g+ards and the captains went to the inner room of the temple of <aal. 2& They !ro+ght o+t the memorial stones that were in the temple of <aal and !+rned that temple. 2' Then they smashed the memorial stones of <aal. They also smashed the temple of <aal. They made the temple of <aal into a p+!lic toilet, which is still +sed today. 2( So Ceh+ destroyed <aal worship in 3srael, 2) !+t he did not completely t+rn away from the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at that ca+sed 3srael to sin. Ceh+ did not 2 Gings 1,.3,*3% %2 destroy the gold calves in <ethel and in Dan. 3, The 5.D said to Ceh+, ;o+ have done well. ;o+ have done what 3 say is good. ;o+ destroyed Aha!s family the way 3 wanted yo+ to, so yo+r descendants will r+le 3srael for fo+r generations. 31 <+t Ceh+ was not caref+l to follow the law of the 5.D with all his heart. Ceh+ did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam that ca+sed 3srael to sin. 32 At that time the 5.D !egan to c+t away sections of 3srael and give them to other nations. Ging $aEael of Aram defeated the 3sraelites on every !order of 3srael. 33 $e won the land east of the Cordan .iverall the land of Gilead, incl+ding the land that !elonged to the tri!es of Gad, .e+!en, and Aanasseh. $e won all the -asy To .ead /ersion

land from Aroer !y the Arnon /alley to Gilead and <ashan. 3# All the other great things that Ceh+ did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 3% Ceh+ died and was !+ried with his ancestors. The people !+ried him in 2 Gings 1,.3&*11.# %3 Samaria. $is son CehoahaE !ecame the new king of 3srael after him. 3& Ceh+ r+led over 3srael in Samaria for 2( years. 11 1 Athaliah was AhaEiahs mother. She saw that her son was dead, so she got +p and killed all the kings family. 2 Cehoshe!a was Ging Corams da+ghter and AhaEiahs sister. Coash was one of the kings sons. >hile the other children were !eing killed, Cehoshe!a took Coash and hid him. She p+t him and his n+rse in her !edroom, so Cehoshe!a and the n+rse hid Coash from Athaliah. That way Coash was not killed. 3 Then Coash and Cehoshe!a hid in the 5.D@S Temple. Coash hid there for si4 years. D+ring that time Athaliah r+led over the land of C+dah. # 3n the seventh year Cehoiada the high priest sent for the captains of the 9arites and g+ards. $e !ro+ght them together in the 5.D@S Temple and made an agreement with them. There in the Temple of the 5.D he forced them to make a promise. Then he showed the kings son to them. 2 Gings 11.%*11 %# % Then Cehoiada gave them a command. $e said, This is what yo+ m+st do. 5neDthird of yo+, from those who go on d+ty on the Sa!!ath day, m+st stand g+ard at the royal palace. & Another third will !e at the S+r Gate, and the other third will !e at the gate !ehind the g+ard. This way yo+ will stand g+ard over the palace on all sides. ' ;o+r two divisions who go off d+ty on the Sa!!ath day will stand g+ard at the 5.D@S Temple and protect Ging Coash. ( ;o+ m+st stay with him wherever he pag. #3,0131#

goes. The whole gro+p m+st s+rro+nd the king. -ach g+ard m+st have his weapon in his hand, and yo+ m+st kill anyone who comes too close to yo+. ) The captains o!eyed everything that Cehoiada the priest commanded. -ach captain took his men, !oth those who were going on d+ty on the Sa!!ath day and those who were going off d+ty. All these men went to Cehoiada the priest, 1, and he gave spears and shields to the captains. These were the spears and shields David p+t in the 5.D@S Temple. 11 These g+ards stood with their weapons in their hands from the right 2 Gings 11.12*1% %% corner of the Temple to the left corner. They stood aro+nd the altar and the Temple and aro+nd the king when he went to the Temple. 12 These men !ro+ght o+t Coash. They p+t the crown on him and gave him a copy of the agreement. Then they anointed him and made him the new king. They clapped their hands and sho+ted, ong live the king" 13 I+een Athaliah heard the noise from the g+ards and the people, so she went to them at the 5.D@S Temple. 1# Athaliah saw the king !y the col+mn where new kings +s+ally stood. She also saw the leaders and men playing the tr+mpets for him. She saw that all the people were very happy. She heard the tr+mpets, and she tore her clothes to show she was +pset. Then Athaliah sho+ted, Treason" Treason" 1% Cehoiada the priest gave a command to the captains who were in charge of the soldiers. Cehoiada told them, Take Athaliah o+tside of the Temple area. Gill any of her followers, !+t dont kill them in the 5.D@S Temple. 2 Gings 11.1&*2, %& 1& So the soldiers gra!!ed Athaliah and killed her as soon as she went thro+gh the horses entrance to the palace. 1' Then Cehoiada made the agreement !etween the 5.D and the king and the people. This agreement showed -asy To .ead /ersion

that the king and the people !elonged to the 5.D. Cehoiada also made the agreement !etween the king and the people. 1( Then all the people went to the temple of <aal. They destroyed the stat+e of <aal and his altars. They !roke them into many pieces. They also killed <aals priest, Aattan, in front of the altars. So Cehoiada the priest p+t men in charge of maintaining the 5.D@S Temple. 1) The priest led all the people. They went from the 5.D@S Temple to the kings palace. The kings special g+ards and the captains went with the king, and all the other people followed them. They went to the entrance to the kings palace. Then Ging Coash sat on the throne. 2, All the people were happy, and the city was peacef+l. And I+een Athaliah 2 Gings 11.21*12.% %' was killed with a sword near the kings palace. 21 Coash was seven years old when he !ecame king. 12 1 Coash !egan to r+le d+ring Ceh+s seventh year as king of 3srael. Coash r+led #, years in Cer+salem. $is mother was named Bi!iah of <eershe!a. 2 2or as long as he lived, Coash did what the 5.D considered right. $e did what Cehoiada the priest ta+ght him. 3 <+t he did not destroy the high places. The people still made sacrifices and !+rned incense at those places of worship. # Coash said to the priests, There is m+ch money in the 5.D@S Temple. 6eople have given things to the Temple and have paid the Temple ta4 when they were co+nted. And they have given money simply !eca+se they wanted to. ;o+ priests sho+ld take that money and repair the 5.D@S Temple. -ach priest sho+ld +se the money he gets from the people he serves. $e sho+ld +se that money to repair the damage to the Temple. % 712:#8 pag. #310131#

2 Gings 12.&*11 %( & 3n the 23rd year that Coash was king, the priests still had not repaired the Temple, ' so Ging Coash called for Cehoiada and the other priests. Coash said to them, >hy havent yo+ repaired the Temple? Stop taking money from the people yo+ serve. That money m+st !e +sed to repair the Temple. ( The priests agreed to stop taking money from the people, !+t they also decided not to repair the Temple. ) So Cehoiada the priest took a !o4 and made a hole in the top of it. Then he p+t the !o4 on the so+th side of the altar. This !o4 was !y the door where people came into the 5.D@S Temple. Some of the priests were there to g+ard this doorway. They took the money that people !ro+ght for the 5.D@S temple and p+t it into this !o4. 1, >henever the kings secretary and the high priest saw that the !o4 was f+ll, they co+nted all the money that had !een given for the 5.D@S Temple and p+t it in !ags. 11 Then they paid the men who were in charge of the work on the 5.D@S 2 Gings 12.12*1' %) Temple. They paid the carpenters and other !+ilders who worked on the 5.D@S Temple. 12 They +sed that money to pay the stoneworkers and stonec+tters, and they +sed it to !+y tim!er, c+t stone, and everything else to repair the 5.D@S Temple. 13 6eople gave money for the 5.D@S Temple, !+t the priests co+ld not +se this money to make silver c+ps, sn+ffers, !asins, tr+mpets, or any of the gold and silver dishes that were to !e +sed inside the 5.D@S temple. This money was +sed only to pay the workers who repaired the 5.D@S Temple. 1# 712:138 1% Those who were in charge of paying the workers did not have to give a report of how they spent the money, !eca+se -asy To .ead /ersion

they co+ld !e tr+sted. 1& 6eople gave money when they offered g+ilt offerings and sin offerings, !+t that money was not +sed for the 5.D@S temple. 3t !elonged to the priests. 1' $aEael was the king of Aram. $e went to fight against the city of Gath and 2 Gings 12.1(*13.1 &, defeated it. Then he made plans to go fight against Cer+salem. 1( Coash and his ancestors Cehoshaphat, Cehoram, and AhaEiahhad all !een kings of C+dah. They had given many things to the 5.D that were kept in his Temple. Coash gathered all these things and all the gold that was stored in the Temple and in his palace. $e sent all this treas+re to Ging $aEael of Aram, who then commanded his army to leave Cer+salem. 1) All the great things that Coash did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 2, Coashs officers made plans against him. They killed Coash at the ho+se of Aillo on the road that goes down to Silla. 21 CoEa!ad son of Shimeath and CehoEa!ad son of Shomer were Coashs officers. These men killed Coash. The people !+ried Coash with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. $is son AmaEiah !ecame the new king after him. 13 1 CehoahaE son of Ceh+ !ecame king over 3srael in Samaria. This was d+ring the 23rd year that Coash son 2 Gings 13.2*' &1 of AhaEiah was king in C+dah. CehoahaE r+led 1' years. 2 CehoahaE did what the 5.D considered wrong. ike Cero!oam son of 1e!at, he committed sins that also ca+sed the people of 3srael to sin. And he never stopped doing those things. 3 Then the 5.D was angry with 3srael. $e let Ging $aEael of Aram and $aEaels son <enD$adad gain control of 3srael. # Then CehoahaE !egged the 5.D to help them. The 5.D listened to him !eca+se he had seen the terri!le tro+!les that the king of Aram had ca+sed the pag. #320131#

3sraelites. % So the 5.D sent a man to save 3srael. The 3sraelites were free from the Arameans. So the 3sraelites went to their own homes, as they did !efore. & <+t the 3sraelites still did not stop committing the sins of the family of Cero!oam that ca+sed 3srael to sin. The 3sraelites contin+ed committing the sins of Cero!oam. They also kept the Asherah poles in Samaria. ' The king of Aram defeated CehoahaEs army and destroyed most of the men in the army. $e left only %, horse 2 Gings 13.(*13 &2 soldiers, 1, chariots, and 1,,,,, foot soldiers. CehoahaEs soldiers were like chaff !lown away !y the wind at the time of threshing. ( All the great things that CehoahaE did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. ) CehoahaE died and was !+ried with his ancestors. The people !+ried CehoahaE in Samaria. $is son Cehoash !ecame the new king after him. 1, Cehoash son of CehoahaE !ecame king over 3srael in Samaria. This was d+ring the 3'th year that Coash was king of C+dah. Cehoash r+led 3srael for 1& years. 11 $e did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at who ca+sed 3srael to sin. Cehoash contin+ed to commit those sins. 12 All the great things that Cehoash did and his wars against Ging AmaEiah of C+dah are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 13 Cehoash died and was !+ried with his ancestors. Cero!oam !ecame the new king and sat on Cehoashs throne. 2 Gings 13.1#*1) &3 Cehoash was !+ried at Samaria with the kings of 3srael. 1# -lisha !ecame sick, and later he died from this sickness. Ging Cehoash of 3srael went to visit -lisha. Cehoash cried for him and said, Ay father, my father" -asy To .ead /ersion

3s it time for the chariot of 3srael and its horses? 1% -lisha said to Cehoash, Take a !ow and some arrows. Cehoash took a !ow and some arrows. 1& Then -lisha said to the king of 3srael, 6+t yo+r hand on the !ow. Cehoash p+t his hand on the !ow. Then -lisha p+t his hands on the kings hands. 1' -lisha said, 5pen the east window. Cehoash opened the window. Then -lisha said, Shoot. Cehoash shot. Then -lisha said, This is the 5.D@S arrow of victory over Aram" ;o+ will defeat the Arameans at Aphek +ntil yo+ destroy them. 1( -lisha said, Take the arrows. Cehoash took the arrows. Then -lisha said to him, $it on the gro+nd. Cehoash hit the gro+nd three times. Then he stopped. 1) The man of God was angry with Cehoash. -lisha said, ;o+ sho+ld have hit five or si4 times" Then yo+ wo+ld have 2 Gings 13.2,*2% &# defeated Aram +ntil yo+ destroyed it" <+t now, yo+ will defeat Aram only three times. 2, -lisha died, and the people !+ried him. 5ne time in the spring, a gro+p of Aoa!ite soldiers came to fight against 3srael. 21 Some 3sraelites were !+rying a dead man when they saw that gro+p of soldiers. The 3sraelites J+ickly threw the dead man into -lishas grave. As soon as the dead man to+ched the !ones of -lisha, he came !ack to life and stood +p on his feet. 22 D+ring all the days that CehoahaE r+led, Ging $aEael of Aram ca+sed tro+!le to 3srael. 23 <+t the 5.D was kind to the 3sraelites. $e had mercy and showed his care for them !eca+se of his agreement with A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. $e did not want them to !e destroyed. $e has never completely left them. 2# Ging $aEael of Aram died, and <enD$adad !ecame the new king after him. 2% <efore he died, $aEael had taken pag. #330131#

some cities in war from CehoahaE, 2 Gings 1#.1*& &% Cehoashs father. <+t now Cehoash took !ack these cities from $aEaels son <enD$adad. Cehoash defeated <enD$adad three times and took !ack the cities of 3srael. 14 1 AmaEiah son of Ging Coash of C+dah !ecame king in the second year that Cehoash son of CehoahaE was king of 3srael. 2 AmaEiah was 2% years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led 2) years in Cer+salem. $is mother was Cehoaddin from Cer+salem. 3 AmaEiah did what the 5.D said was right, !+t he did not follow God completely like David his ancestor. AmaEiah did everything that Coash his father had done. # $e did not destroy the high places. The people still sacrificed and !+rned incense at those places of worship. % At the time that AmaEiah had strong control of the kingdom, he killed the officers who had killed his father. & <+t he did not kill the children of the m+rderers !eca+se of the r+les written in the !ook, The aw of Aoses. The 5.D gave this command in there: 6arents 2 Gings 1#.'*1, && m+st not !e p+t to death for something their children did. And children m+st not !e p+t to death for something their parents did. 6eople sho+ld !e p+t to death only for what that they themselves did. ' AmaEiah killed 1,,,,, -domites in the /alley of Salt. 3n war AmaEiah took Sela and called it Coktheel. 3t is still called Coktheel today. ( AmaEiah sent messengers to Cehoash son of CehoahaE, son of Ging Ceh+ of 3srael. AmaEiahs message said, 9ome on, lets meet together face to face and fight. ) Ging Cehoash of 3srael sent an answer to Ging AmaEiah of C+dah. Cehoash said, The thorn!+sh in e!anon sent a message to the cedar tree in e!anon. -asy To .ead /ersion

3t said, Give yo+r da+ghter for my son to marry. <+t a wild animal from e!anon passed !y and trampled down the thorn!+sh. 1, Tr+e, yo+ have defeated -dom. <+t yo+ have !ecome pro+d !eca+se of yo+r victory over -dom. <+t stay at home and !rag" Dont make tro+!le for yo+rself. 3f 2 Gings 1#.11*1& &' yo+ do this, yo+ will fall, and C+dah will fall with yo+" 11 <+t AmaEiah wo+ld not listen to Cehoashs warning. So Ging Cehoash of 3srael went to fight against Ging AmaEiah of C+dah at <eth Shemesh in C+dah. 12 3srael defeated C+dah. -very man of C+dah ran home. 13 At <eth Shemesh, Ging Cehoash of 3srael capt+red Ging AmaEiah of C+dah, the son of Coash, the son of AhaEiah. Cehoash took AmaEiah to Cer+salem. Cehoash !roke down the wall of Cer+salem from the Gate of -phraim to the corner gate, a!o+t &,, feet. 1# Then Cehoash took all the gold and silver and all the dishes in the 5.D@S Temple and in the treas+res of the kings palace. Cehoash also took people to !e his prisoners. Then he went !ack to Samaria. 1% All the great things that Cehoash did, incl+ding how he fo+ght against Ging AmaEiah of C+dah, are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 1& Cehoash died and was !+ried with his ancestors. $e was !+ried in Samaria with the kings of 3srael. Cehoashs son 2 Gings 1#.1'*23 &( Cero!oam !ecame the new king after him. 1' Ging AmaEiah son of Coash of C+dah lived 1% years after the death of Ging Cehoash son of CehoahaE of 3srael. 1( All the great things that AmaEiah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 1) The people made a plan against AmaEiah in Cer+salem, so he ran away to achish. <+t the people sent men after AmaEiah to achish, and they killed him pag. #3#0131#

there. 2, The people !ro+ght AmaEiahs !ody !ack on horses. $e was !+ried at Cer+salem with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. 21 Then all the people of C+dah made AEariah the new king. AEariah was 1& years old. 22 So Ging AmaEiah died and was !+ried with his ancestors. Then AEariah re!+ilt -lath and got it !ack for C+dah. 23 Ging Cero!oam son of Ging Cehoash of 3srael !egan to r+le in Samaria d+ring the 1%th year that AmaEiah son of Coash was king of C+dah. Cero!oam r+led #1 years. 2 Gings 1#.2#*2) &) 2# Cero!oam did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at who ca+sed 3srael to sin. 2% Cero!oam took !ack 3sraels land, which ran from the e!o $amath to the Ara!ah Sea. This happened as the 5.D of 3srael had told his servant Conah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath $epher. 2& The 5.D saw that all the 3sraelites, !oth slaves and free men, had many tro+!les. 1o one was left who co+ld help 3srael. 2' The 5.D did not say that he wo+ld take away the name of 3srael from the world. So he +sed Cero!oam son of Cehoash to save the 3sraelites. 2( All the great things that Cero!oam did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. This incl+des the story a!o+t Cero!oam winning !ack Damasc+s and $amath for 3srael. 7These cities had !elonged to C+dah.8 2) Cero!oam died and was !+ried with his ancestors, the kings of 3srael. Cero!oams son Bechariah !ecame the new king after him. 2 Gings 1%.1*( ', 15 1 Ging AEariah son of AmaEiah of C+dah !ecame king in the 2'th year that Cero!oam was king of 3srael. 2 AEariah was 1& years old when he -asy To .ead /ersion

!egan to r+le. $e r+led %2 years in Cer+salem. $is mother was named Cecoliah of Cer+salem. 3 AEariah did what the 5.D said was right, =+st as his father AmaEiah had done. # <+t he did not destroy the high places. 6eople still made sacrifices and !+rned incense in these places of worship. % The 5.D ca+sed Ging AEariah to !ecome sick with leprosy. $e was a leper +ntil the day he died. AEariah lived in a separate ho+se. $is son Cotham was in charge of the kings palace, and he =+dged the people. & All the great things that AEariah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. ' AEariah died and was !+ried with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. AEariahs son Cotham !ecame the new king after him. ( Bechariah son of Cero!oam r+led over Samaria in 3srael for si4 months. This 2 Gings 1%.)*1% '1 was d+ring the 3(th year that AEariah was king of C+dah. ) Bechariah did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did the same things his ancestors did. $e did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at who ca+sed 3srael to sin. 1, Shall+m son of Ca!esh made plans against Bechariah. Shall+m killed Bechariah in 3!leam. Shall+m !ecame the new king. 11 All the other things that Bechariah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 12 3n this way the 5.D@S word came tr+e. $e had told Ceh+ that fo+r generations of his descendants wo+ld !e kings of 3srael. 13 Shall+m son of Ca!esh !ecame king of 3srael d+ring the 3)th year that HEEiah was king of C+dah. Shall+m r+led for one month in Samaria. 1# Aenahem son of Gadi came +p from TirEah to Samaria and killed Shall+m son of Ca!esh. Then Aenahem !ecame the pag. #3%0131#

new king after him. 1% All the things Shall+m did, incl+ding his plans against Bechariah, are written 2 Gings 1%.1&*2, '2 in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 1& Aenahem defeated Tiphsah and the area aro+nd it. The people ref+sed to open the city gate for him. So Aenahem defeated them and ripped open all the pregnant women in that city. 1' Aenahem son of Gadi !ecame king over 3srael d+ring the 3)th year that AEariah was king of C+dah. Aenahem r+led ten years in Samaria. 1( Aenahem did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at who ca+sed 3srael to sin. 1) Ging 6+l of Assyria came to fight against 3srael. Aenahem gave 6+l '%,,,, po+nds of silver so that 6+l wo+ld s+pport him and help him gain complete control of the kingdom. 2, Aenahem raised the money !y making all the rich and powerf+l men pay ta4es. $e ta4ed each man 2, o+nces of silver and gave the money to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria left and did not stay there in 3srael. 2 Gings 1%.21*2' '3 21 All the great things that Aenahem did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 22 Aenahem died and was !+ried with his ancestors. $is son 6ekahiah !ecame the new king after him. 23 6ekahiah son of Aenahem !ecame king over 3srael in Samaria d+ring the %,th year that AEariah was king of C+dah. 6ekahiah r+led two years. 2# $e did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at that ca+sed 3srael to sin. 2% The commander of 6ekahiahs army was 6ekah son of .emaliah. 6ekah took %, men from Gilead with him and killed 6ekahiah, along with Argo! and Arieh, in Samaria at the kings palace. Then 6ekah -asy To .ead /ersion

!ecame the new king. 2& All the great things 6ekahiah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 2' 6ekah son of .emaliah !egan to r+le over 3srael in Samaria d+ring the %2nd year that AEariah was king of C+dah. 6ekah r+led 2, years. 2 Gings 1%.2(*33 '# 2( 6ekah did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did not stop committing the sins of Cero!oam son of 1e!at who ca+sed 3srael to sin. 2) Ging Tiglath 6ileser of Assyria came to fight against 3srael while 6ekah was king of 3srael. Tiglath 6ileser capt+red 3=on, A!el <ethmaacah, Canoah, Gedesh, $aEor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the area of 1aphtali. $e took the people from these places as prisoners to Assyria. 3, $oshea son of -lah made plans against 6ekah son of .emaliah and killed him. Then $oshea !ecame the new king. This was d+ring the 2,th year that Cotham son of HEEiah was king of C+dah. 31 All the great things that 6ekah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 32 Cotham son of HEEiah !ecame king of C+dah. This was d+ring the second year that 6ekah son of .emaliah was king of 3srael. 33 Cotham was 2% years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led 1& years in Cer+salem. $is mother was named Cer+sha, the da+ghter of Badok. 2 Gings 1%.3#*1&.3 '% 3# Cotham did what the 5.D said was right, =+st as his father HEEiah had done. 3% <+t he did not destroy the high places. The people still made sacrifices and !+rned incense at those places of worship. Cotham !+ilt the +pper gate of the 5.D@S Temple. 3& All the great things that Cotham did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 3' At that time the 5.D sent Ging .eEin of Aram and 6ekah son of .emaliah to fight against C+dah. pag. #3&0131#

3( Cotham died and was !+ried with his ancestors in the 9ity of David, his ancestor. Cothams son AhaE !ecame the new king after him. 16 1 AhaE son of Cotham !ecame king of C+dah d+ring the 1'th year that 6ekah son of .emaliah was king of 3srael. 2 AhaE was 2, years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led 1& years in Cer+salem. Hnlike his ancestor David, AhaE did not do what the 5.D said was right. 3 $e did the same !ad things the kings of 3srael had done. $e even !+rned his 2 Gings 1&.#*( '& son as a sacrifice. $e copied the terri!le sins of the nations that the 5.D had forced to leave the co+ntry when the 3sraelites came. # AhaE made sacrifices and !+rned incense at the high places and on the hills and +nder every green tree. % Ging .eEin of Aram and Ging 6ekah son of .emaliah of 3srael came to fight against Cer+salem. .eEin and 6ekah s+rro+nded AhaE, !+t co+ld not defeat him. & At that time Ging .eEin of Aram took !ack -lath for Aram. .eEin took all the people of C+dah who were living in -lath. The Arameans settled in -lath, and they still live there today. ' AhaE sent messengers to Ging Tiglath 6ileser of Assyria with this message: 3 am yo+r servant. 3 am like a son to yo+. 9ome and save me from the king of Aram and the king of 3srael. They have come to fight me. ( AhaE also took the silver and gold that was in the Temple of the 5.D and in the treas+ries of the kings palace. Then AhaE sent a gift to the king of Assyria. 2 Gings 1&.)*1# '' ) The king of Assyria listened to AhaE and went to fight against Damasc+s. The king capt+red that city and took the people from Damasc+s as prisoners to Gir. $e also killed .eEin. 1, Ging AhaE went to Damasc+s to meet -asy To .ead /ersion

Ging Tiglath 6ileser of Assyria. AhaE saw the altar at Damasc+s. $e sent a model and pattern of this altar to Hriah the priest. 11 Then Hriah the priest !+ilt an altar =+st like the model Ging AhaE had sent him from Damasc+s. Hriah the priest !+ilt the altar this way !efore Ging AhaE came !ack from Damasc+s. 12 >hen the king arrived from Damasc+s, he saw the altar. $e offered sacrifices on the altar. 13 AhaE !+rned his !+rnt offerings and grain offerings on it. $e po+red his drink offering and sprinkled the !lood of his fellowship offerings on this altar. 1# AhaE took the !ronEe altar that was !efore the 5.D from the front of the Temple. This !ronEe altar was !etween AhaEs altar and the Temple of the 5.D. AhaE p+t the !ronEe altar on the north side of his own altar. 2 Gings 1&.1%*1) '( 1% $e commanded Hriah the priest, Hse the large altar to !+rn the morning !+rnt offerings, the evening grain offerings, and the drink offerings from all the people of this co+ntry. Sprinkle all the !lood from the !+rnt offering and other sacrifices on the large altar. <+t 3 will +se the !ronEe altar to get answers from God. 1& Hriah the priest did everything that Ging AhaE commanded him to do. 1' There were carts with !ronEe panels and !asins for the priests to wash their hands. Ging AhaE removed the panels and !asins and c+t +p the carts. $e also took the large tank off the !ronEe !+lls that stood +nder it. $e p+t the large tank on a stone pavement. 1( >orkers had !+ilt a covered place inside the Temple area for the Sa!!ath meetings. <+t AhaE removed the covered place and the o+tside entrance for the king. $e removed all these from the 5.D@S Temple. AhaE did this !eca+se of the king of Assyria. 1) All the great things that AhaE did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the pag. #3'0131#

Gings of C+dah. 2 Gings 1&.2,*1'.& ') 2, AhaE died and was !+ried with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. AhaEs son $eEekiah !ecame the new king after him. 17 1 $oshea son of -lah !egan to r+le in Samaria over 3srael. This was d+ring the 12th year that AhaE was king of C+dah. $oshea r+led nine years. 2 $e did what the 5.D said was wrong, !+t he was not as !ad as the kings of 3srael who had r+led !efore him. 3 Ging Shalmaneser of Assyria came to fight against $oshea and defeated him. So $oshea paid tri!+te to Shalmaneser. # ater, $oshea sent messengers to the king of -gypt to ask for help. That kings name was So. That year $oshea did not pay tri!+te to the king of Assyria as he did every other year. The king of Assyria learned that $oshea had made plans against him. So he arrested $oshea and p+t him in =ail. % The king of Assyria attacked many places in 3srael. Then he came to Samaria and fo+ght against it for three years. & The king of Assyria took Samaria d+ring the ninth year that $oshea 2 Gings 1'.'*11 (, was king of 3srael. $e capt+red many 3sraelites and took them as prisoners to Assyria. $e made them live in $alah !y the $a!or .iver at GoEan and in other cities of the Aedes. ' These things happened !eca+se the 3sraelites had sinned against the 5.D their God. And it was the ord who !ro+ght the 3sraelites o+t of the land of -gypt" $e saved them from the power of 6haraoh, the king of -gypt. <+t the 3sraelites !egan worshiping other gods. ( They !egan doing the same things that other people did. And the 5.D had forced those people to leave their land when the 3sraelites came. The 3sraelites also chose to !e r+led !y kings. ) The 3sraelites secretly did things against the 5.D their God, and those -asy To .ead /ersion

things were wrong" The 3sraelites !+ilt high places in all their citiesfrom the smallest town to the largest city. 1, They p+t +p memorial stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and +nder every green tree. 11 They !+rned incense there in all those places for worship. They did these things like the nations that the 5.D 2 Gings 1'.12*1& (1 forced o+t of the land !efore them. The 3sraelites did evil things that made the 5.D angry. 12 They served idols, and the 5.D had said to them, ;o+ m+st not do this. 13 The 5.D +sed every prophet and every seer to warn 3srael and C+dah. $e said, T+rn away from the evil things yo+ do. 5!ey my commands and laws. 2ollow all the law that 3 gave to yo+r ancestors. 3 +sed my servants the prophets to give this law to yo+. 1# <+t the people wo+ld not listen. They were very st+!!orn like their ancestors. Their ancestors did not !elieve the 5.D their God. 1% They ref+sed to follow his laws and the agreement he made with their ancestors. They wo+ld not listen to his warnings. They worshiped idols that were worth nothing and they themselves !ecame worth nothing. The 5.D had warned them not to do the evil things that the people in the nations aro+nd them did. <+t they lived the same way those people lived. 1& They stopped following the commands of the 5.D their God. They 2 Gings 1'.1'*21 (2 made two gold stat+es of calves. They made Asherah poles. They worshiped all the stars of heaven and served <aal. 1' They sacrificed their sons and da+ghters in the fire. They +sed magic and witchcraft to try to learn the f+t+re. They sold themselves to do what the 5.D said was evil, =+st trying to make him angry. 1( So the 5.D !ecame very angry with 3srael and removed them from his sight. pag. #3(0131#

There were no 3sraelites left, e4cept the tri!e of C+dah. 1) <+t even the people of C+dah did not o!ey the commands of the 5.D their God. They lived the same way the 3sraelites had. 2, The 5.D re=ected all the people of 3srael. $e ca+sed them many tro+!les. $e let people destroy them. 2inally, he removed them completely from his sight. 21 $e tore them o+t of Davids family. And then they made Cero!oam son of 1e!at their king. Cero!oam led the 3sraelites away from following the 5.D. $e ca+sed them to commit great sin. 2 Gings 1'.22*2' (3 22 So the 3sraelites sinned in all the ways Cero!oam did. And they did not stop committing these sins 23 +ntil the 5.D removed 3srael from his sight. Thro+gh his prophets he had warned the people that this wo+ld happen. So the 3sraelites were taken o+t of their co+ntry into Assyria. And they are still there today. 2# The king of Assyria took the 3sraelites o+t of Samaria and !ro+ght in other people from <a!ylon, 9+thah, Avva, $amath, and Sepharvaim. They took over Samaria and lived in the cities aro+nd it. 2% >hen these people !egan to live in Samaria, they did not honor the 5.D, so the 5.D sent lions to attack them. The lions killed some of them. 2& Some people said to the king of Assyria, The people who yo+ took away and p+t in the cities of Samaria dont know the law of the god of that co+ntry. So that god sent lions to attack them. The lions killed them !eca+se they dont know the law of the god of that co+ntry. 2' So the king of Assyria gave this command: ;o+ took some priests from 2 Gings 1'.2(*32 (# Samaria. Send one of them who 3 capt+red !ack to Samaria. et that priest go and live there. Then he can teach the people the law of the god of that co+ntry. 2( So one of the priests who the -asy To .ead /ersion

Assyrians had carried away from Samaria came to live in <ethel. $e ta+ght the people how they sho+ld honor the 5.D. 2) <+t all those people made gods of their own. They p+t them in the temples at the high places that the people of Samaria had made. They did this wherever they lived. 3, The people of <a!ylon made the false god S+ccoth <enoth. The people of 9+thah made the false god 1ergal. The people of $amath made the false god Ashima. 31 The people of Avva made the false gods 1i!haE and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim also !+rned their children in the fire to honor their false gods, Adrammelech and Anammelech. 32 <+t they also worshiped the 5.D. They chose priests for the high places from among the people. These priests 2 Gings 1'.33*3( (% made sacrifices for the people in the temples at those places of worship. 33 They respected the 5.D !+t also served their own gods, =+st as they did in their own co+ntries. 3# -ven today they live the same way they did in the past. They dont honor the 5.D. They dont o!ey the r+les and commands of the 3sraelites. They dont o!ey the law or the commands that the 5.D gave to the children of Caco!. 3% The 5.D made an agreement with the 3sraelites. $e commanded them, ;o+ m+st not honor other gods. ;o+ m+st not worship them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them. 3& <+t yo+ m+st follow the 5.D, who !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. $e +sed his great power to save yo+. ;o+ m+st worship him and make sacrifices to him. 3' ;o+ m+st o!ey the r+les, laws, teachings, and commands that he wrote for yo+. ;o+ m+st o!ey these things all the time. ;o+ m+st not respect other gods. 3( ;o+ m+st not forget the agreement that 3 made with yo+. ;o+ m+st not pag. #3)0131#

respect other gods. 2 Gings 1'.3)*1(.# (& 3) 1o, yo+ m+st respect only the 5.D yo+r God. Then he will save yo+ from all yo+r enemies. #, <+t the 3sraelites did not listen. They kept on doing the same things they did !efore. #1 So now those other nations respected the 5.D, !+t they also served their own idols. Their children and grandchildren did the same thing their ancestors did. They still do these things to this day. 18 1 $eEekiah son of AhaE was king of C+dah. $eEekiah !egan to r+le d+ring the third year that $oshea son of -lah was king of 3srael. 2 $eEekiah was 2% years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led 2) years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was A!i, the da+ghter of Bechariah. 3 $eEekiah did what the 5.D said was right, =+st as David his ancestor had done. # $eEekiah destroyed the high places. $e !roke the memorial stones and c+t down the Asherah poles. At that time the 3sraelites !+rned incense to the !ronEe snake made !y Aoses. This !ronEe snake 2 Gings 1(.%*1, (' was called 1eh+shtan. $eEekiah !roke this !ronEe snake into pieces. % $eEekiah tr+sted in the 5.D, the God of 3srael. There was no one like $eEekiah among all the kings of C+dah !efore him or after him. & $e was very faithf+l to the 5.D and did not stop following him. $e o!eyed the commands that the 5.D had given to Aoses. ' The 5.D was with $eEekiah, so he was s+ccessf+l in everything he did. $eEekiah !roke away from the king of Assyria and stopped serving him. ( $eEekiah defeated the 6hilistines all the way to GaEa and the area aro+nd it. $e defeated all the 6hilistine citiesfrom the smallest town to the largest city. ) Ging Shalmaneser of Assyria went to fight against Samaria. $is army -asy To .ead /ersion

s+rro+nded the city. This happened d+ring the fo+rth year that $eEekiah was king of C+dah. 7This was also the seventh year that $oshea son of -lah was king of 3srael.8 1, At the end of the third year Shalmaneser capt+red Samaria. $e took Samaria d+ring the si4th year that 2 Gings 1(.11*1# (( $eEekiah was king of C+dah. 7This was also the ninth year that $oshea was king of 3srael.8 11 The king of Assyria took the 3sraelites as prisoners to Assyria. $e made them live in $alah, on the $a!or 7the river of GoEan8, and in the cities of the Aedes. 12 This happened !eca+se the 3sraelites did not o!ey the 5.D their God. They !roke his agreement and did not o!ey everything that the 5.D@S servant Aoses had commanded. The 3sraelites wo+ld not listen to the ords agreement, or do what it ta+ght them to do. 13 D+ring $eEekiahs 1#th year as king, Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria went to fight against all the strong cities of C+dah. Sennacheri! defeated them all. 1# Then Ging $eEekiah of C+dah sent a message to the king of Assyria at achish. $eEekiah said, 3 have done wrong. eave me alone, and 3 will pay whatever yo+ want. Then the king of Assyria told Ging $eEekiah of C+dah to pay over 11 tons of silver and over 1 ton of gold. 2 Gings 1(.1%*2, () 1% $eEekiah gave all the silver that was in the 5.D@S Temple and in the kings treas+ries. 1& That is when $eEekiah c+t off the gold that he had p+t on the doors and doorposts of the 5.D@S Temple and gave it to the king of Assyria. 1' The king of Assyria sent his three most important officers with a large army to Ging $eEekiah in Cer+salem. They left achish and went to Cer+salem. They stood near the aJ+ed+ct !y the Hpper 6ool, on the street that leads +p to a+ndrymans 2ield. pag. ##,0131#

1( These men called for the king, !+t -liakim son of $ilkiah, She!na, and Coah son of Asaph went o+t to meet them. -liakim was the palace manager, Coah was the record keeper, and She!na was the royal secretary. 1) The commander said to them, Tell $eEekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: >hat are yo+ tr+sting in to help yo+? 2, 3f yo+ say, 3 tr+st in power and great !attle plans, then that is +seless. 1ow 3 ask yo+, who do yo+ tr+st so m+ch that yo+ are willing to re!el against me? 2 Gings 1(.21*2% ), 21 Are yo+ depending on -gypt to help yo+? -gypt is like a !roken walking stick. 3f yo+ lean on it for s+pport, it will only h+rt yo+ and make a hole in yo+r hand. 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, cannot !e tr+sted !y anyone who depends on him for help. 22 Aay!e yo+ will say, >e tr+st the 5.D o+r God to help +s. <+t 3 know that $eEekiah destroyed the altars and high places where people worshiped the ord. $eEekiah told the people of C+dah and Cer+salem, ;o+ m+st worship only at this one altar here in Cer+salem. 23 3f yo+ still want to fight my master, the king of Assyria, 3 will make this agreement with yo+. 3 promise that 3 will give yo+ 2,,, horses if yo+ can find eno+gh men to ride them into !attle. 2# <+t even then yo+ co+ldnt !eat one of my masters lowest ranking officers. So why do yo+ still depend on -gypts chariots and horse soldiers? 2% 1ow, do yo+ think 3 came to this co+ntry to destroy it witho+t the 5.D@S help? 1o, the 5.D said to me, Go +p against this co+ntry and destroy it" 2 Gings 1(.2&*31 )1 2& Then -liakim son of $ilkiah, She!na, and Coah said to the commander, 6lease speak to +s in Aramaic. >e +nderstand that lang+age. Dont speak to +s in the lang+age of C+dah !eca+se the people on the wall will +nderstand yo+. 2' <+t the commander said to them, Ay -asy To .ead /ersion

master did not send me to speak only to yo+ and yo+r master. 3 was also sent to speak to those people sitting on the wall. They, too, will not have eno+gh food or waterF they, too, will eat their own waste and drink their own +rine like yo+" 2( Then the commander sho+ted lo+dly in $e!rew, $ear this message from the great king, the king of Assyria" 2) The king says, Dont let $eEekiah fool yo+, !eca+se he cannot save yo+ from my power. 3, Dont let $eEekiah make yo+ tr+st in the 5.D. $eEekiah says, The 5.D will save +s. The king of Assyria will not defeat this city. 31 <+t dont listen to $eEekiah. The king of Assyria says this: Do this favor for meF come o+t to me and then everyone will !e free to have grapes from their 2 Gings 1(.32*3' )2 own vines, figs from their own trees, and water from their own well. 32 ;o+ can do this +ntil 3 come and take yo+ away to a land like yo+r own. 3n that new land, yo+ will have good grain and new wine, !read, vineyards, olive oil, and honey. Then yo+ can live and not die. <+t dont listen to $eEekiah. $e is trying to change yo+r mind. $e is saying, The 5.D will save +s. 33 Did any of the gods of the other nations save their land from the king of Assyria? 3# >here are the gods of $amath and Arpad? >here are the gods of Sepharvaim, $ena, and 3vvah? Did they save Samaria from me? 3% Did any of the gods in the other co+ntries save their land from me? 1o" So do yo+ think the 5.D will save Cer+salem from me? 3& <+t the people were silent. They did not say a word to the commander !eca+se Ging $eEekiah had commanded them, Dont say anything to him. 3' Then the palace manager 7-liakim son of $ilkiah8, the royal secretary 7She!na8, and the record keeper 7Coah 2 Gings 1).1*# )3 pag. ##10131#

son of Asaph8 went to $eEekiah. Their clothes were torn to show they were +pset. They told $eEekiah everything the Assyrian commander had said. 19 1 >hen Ging $eEekiah heard this, he tore his clothes to show he was +pset. Then he p+t on sackcloth and went to the 5.D@S Temple. 2 $eEekiah sent -liakim the palace manager, She!na the royal secretary, and the elders of the priests to the prophet 3saiah son of AmoE. They wore the special clothes that showed they were sad and +pset. 3 They said to 3saiah, Ging $eEekiah has commanded that today will !e a special day for sorrow and sadness. 3t will !e a very sad day, like the time a child sho+ld !e !orn, !+t is not strong eno+gh to come from its mothers wom!. # The commanders master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to say !ad things a!o+t the living God. Aay!e the 5.D yo+r God will hear all those things and answer them. Aay!e the 5.D yo+r God will show how wrong the enemy is" So pray for the people who are still left alive. 2 Gings 1).%*11 )# % Ging $eEekiahs officers went to 3saiah. & 3saiah said to them, Give this message to yo+r master, $eEekiah: The 5.D says, Dont !e afraid of what yo+ heard from the commanders. Dont !elieve what those !oys from the king of Assyria said to make f+n of me. ' ook, 3 will send a spirit against the king of Assyria. $e will get a report warning him a!o+t a danger, so he will ret+rn to his own co+ntry. And 3 will c+t him down with a sword in his own co+ntry. ( The commander heard that the king of Assyria had left achish. $e fo+nd him at i!nah, fighting against that city. ) Then the king of Assyria heard a report that said, Tirhakah, the king of -thiopia, has come to fight against yo+. So the king of Assyria sent messengers to $eEekiah again. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, $e told them, Tell Ging $eEekiah of C+dah these things: Dont !e fooled !y the god yo+ tr+st when he says Cer+salem will not !e defeated !y the king of Assyria. 11 ;o+ have heard what the kings of Assyria did to all the other co+ntries. >e 2 Gings 1).12*1( )% completely destroyed them" >ill yo+ !e saved? 1o" 12 Did the gods of those nations save their people? 1o, my ancestors destroyed them all. They destroyed GoEan, $aran, .eEeph, and the people of -den living in Tel Assar. 13 >here is the king of $amath? The king of Arpad? The king of the city of Sepharvaim? The kings of $ena and 3vvah? 1# $eEekiah received the letters from the messengers and read them. Then he went +p to the 5.D@S Temple and laid the letters o+t in front of the 5.D. 1% $eEekiah prayed !efore the 5.D and said, 5.D, God of 3srael, yo+ sit as Ging a!ove the 9her+! angels. ;o+ alone are the God who r+les all the kingdoms on earth. ;o+ made heaven and earth. 1& 5.D, please listen to me. 5.D, open yo+r eyes and look at this message. $ear the words that Sennacheri! sent to ins+lt the living God. 1' 3t is tr+e, 5.D. The kings of Assyria did destroy all those nations. 1( They did throw the gods of those nations into the fire. <+t they were not 2 Gings 1).1)*23 )& real gods. They were only wood and stonestat+es that people made. That is why the kings of Assyria co+ld destroy them. 1) <+t yo+ are the 5.D o+r God, so please save +s from the king of Assyria. Then all the other nations will know that yo+, 5.D, are the only God. 2, Then 3saiah son of AmoE sent this message to $eEekiah. 3saiah said, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says this: ;o+ prayed to me a!o+t the message that came from Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria. pag. ##20131#

3 have heard yo+. 21 This is the 5.D@S message against Sennacheri!: The virgin da+ghter Bion does not think yo+ are important. She makes f+n of yo+. Da+ghter Cer+salem shakes her head at yo+ and la+ghs !ehind yo+r !ack. 22 <+t who is the one yo+ have ins+lted and made f+n of? >ho is the one yo+ have !een sho+ting at with s+ch a pro+d look on yo+r face? All this yo+ have done against the $oly 5ne of 3srael" 23 ;o+ sent yo+r messengers to ins+lt the ord. ;o+ said, 3 came with my many chariots to the high mo+ntains 2 Gings 1).2#*2( )' deep inside e!anon. 3 c+t down the tallest cedar trees and the !est fir trees of e!anon. 3 went to its highest mo+ntains, its thickest forests. 2# 3 d+g wells, and drank water from new places. 3 dried +p the rivers of -gypt and walked on the land there. 2% That is what yo+ said, !+t havent yo+ heard what 3 said? 3 planned it long agoF from ancient times 3 planned it. And now 3 have made it happen. 3 let yo+ tear down the strong cities and change them into piles of rocks. 2& The people in the cities had no power. They were afraid and conf+sed. They were a!o+t to !e c+t down like grass and plants in the field. They were like grass growing on the ho+setops, dying !efore it grows tall. 2' 3 know all a!o+t yo+r !attlesF 3 know when yo+ rested, when yo+ went o+t to war, and when yo+ came home. 3 also know when yo+ got +pset at me. 2( ;es, yo+ were +pset at me. 3 heard yo+r pro+d ins+lts. So 3 will p+t my hook in yo+r nose and my !it in yo+r mo+th. Then 3 will t+rn yo+ aro+nd and lead yo+ !ack the way yo+ came. 2 Gings 1).2)*32 )( 2) Then the ord said, 3 will give yo+ a sign to show that these words are tr+e. ;o+ were not a!le to plant seeds this year, so ne4t year yo+ will eat grain that grows wild from the previo+s years crop. -asy To .ead /ersion

<+t in the third year, yo+ will eat grain from seeds that yo+ planted. ;o+ will harvest yo+r crops and have plenty to eat. ;o+ will plant grapevines and eat their fr+it. ;o+ will plant vineyards and eat the grapes from them. 3, The people from the family of C+dah who have escaped and are left alive will !e like plants that send their roots deep into the gro+nd and prod+ce fr+it a!ove the gro+nd. 31 That is !eca+se a few people will come o+t of Cer+salem alive. There will !e s+rvivors coming from Ao+nt Bion. The strong love of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will do this. 32 So the 5.D says this a!o+t the king of Assyria: $e will not come into this city or shoot an arrow at this city. $e will not !ring his shields +p against this city or !+ild +p a hill of dirt to attack its walls. 2 Gings 1).33*2,.1 )) 33 $e will go !ack the way he came, and he will not come into this city. The 5.D says this. 3# 3 will protect this city and save it. 3 will do this for myself and for my servant David. 3% That night the angel of the 5.D went o+t and killed 1(%,,,, people in the Assyrian camp. >hen the others got +p in the morning, they saw all the dead !odies. 3& So Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria left and went !ack to 1ineveh where he stayed. 3' 5ne day Sennacheri! was in the temple of his god 1isroch, worshiping him. $is sons Adrammelech and ShareEer killed him with a sword and ran away to Ararat. So his son -sarhaddon !ecame the new king of Assyria. 20 1 At that time $eEekiah !ecame sick and almost died. The prophet 3saiah son of AmoE went to see him and told him, The 5.D says, ;o+ will die soon, so yo+ sho+ld tell yo+r family what they sho+ld do when yo+ die. ;o+ will not get well. 2 Gings 2,.2*' 1,, pag. ##30131#

2 $eEekiah t+rned his face to the wall that faced the Temple and !egan praying to the 5.D. 3 5.D, remem!er that 3 have sincerely served yo+ with all my heart. 3 have done what yo+ say is good. Then $eEekiah cried very hard. # <efore 3saiah had left the middle co+rtyard, he received this message from the 5.D, % Go !ack and speak to $eEekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, This is what the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestor David, says: 3 heard yo+r prayer and 3 saw yo+r tears, so 3 will heal yo+. 5n the third day, yo+ will go +p to the Temple of the 5.D. & 3 will add 1% years to yo+r life. 3 will save yo+ and this city from the king of Assyria. 3 will protect this city. 3 will do this for myself and !eca+se of the promise 3 made to my servant David. ' Then 3saiah said, 9r+sh figs together and p+t them on yo+r soreF yo+ will get well. So they took the mi4t+re of figs and p+t it on $eEekiahs sore place, and he got well. 2 Gings 2,.(*13 1,1 ( $eEekiah asked 3saiah, >hat will !e the sign that the 5.D will heal me, and that 3 will go +p to the Temple of the 5.D on the third day? ) 3saiah said, >hich do yo+ want? Sho+ld the shadow go forward ten steps or go !ack ten steps? This is the sign for yo+ from the 5.D to show that the 5.D will do what he said he wo+ld do. 1, $eEekiah answered, 3t is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten steps. 1o, make the shadow go !ack ten steps. 11 Then 3saiah prayed, and the 5.D made the shadow move !ack ten steps. 3t went !ack +p the steps that it had already !een on. 12 At that time Aerodach <aladan son of <aladan was king of <a!ylon. $e sent letters and a gift to $eEekiah when he heard that $eEekiah had !een sick. 13 $eEekiah listened to the messengers -asy To .ead /ersion

and then showed them all the val+a!le things he owned. $e showed them the silver, the gold, the spices, the e4pensive perf+me, and the !+ilding where he stored the weapons. $e showed them 2 Gings 2,.1#*2, 1,2 everything in his treas+ries, in his palace, and in his kingdom. 1# Then 3saiah the prophet came to Ging $eEekiah and asked him, >hat did these men say? >here did they come from? $eEekiah said, These men came from a faraway co+ntry, from <a!ylon. 1% 3saiah said, >hat did they see in yo+r palace? $eEekiah answered, They saw everything 3 own. 3 showed them all my wealth. 1& Then 3saiah said to $eEekiah, isten to this message from the 5.D. 1' The time is coming when everything in yo+r palace and everything yo+r ancestors have saved +ntil today will !e carried away to <a!ylon. 1othing will !e left" The 5.D said this. 1( The <a!ylonians will take yo+r sons, and yo+r sons will !ecome officers in the palace of the king of <a!ylon. 1) Then $eEekiah told 3saiah, This message from the 5.D is good. 7$eEekiah said this !eca+se he tho+ght, There will !e real peace and sec+rity d+ring my lifetime.8 2, All the great things that $eEekiah did, incl+ding his work on the pool and 2 Gings 2,.21*21.% 1,3 the aJ+ed+ct to !ring water into the city, are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 21 $eEekiah died and was !+ried with his ancestors. And his son Aanasseh !ecame the new king after him. 21 1 Aanasseh was twelve years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led %% years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was $ephEi!ah. 2 Aanasseh did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did the terri!le things the other nations did. 7And the 5.D forced those nations to leave their co+ntry when the 3sraelites came.8 pag. ###0131#

3 Aanasseh re!+ilt the high places that his father $eEekiah had destroyed. $e also !+ilt altars for <aal and made an Asherah pole, =+st as Ging Aha! of 3srael had done. Aanasseh worshiped and served the stars of heaven. # $e !+ilt altars to honor false gods in the 5.D@S Temple. 7This is the place the 5.D was talking a!o+t when he said, 3 will p+t my name in Cer+salem.8 % Aanasseh !+ilt altars for the stars of heaven in the two co+rtyards of the 5.D@S Temple. 2 Gings 21.&*1, 1,# & $e sacrificed his own son and !+rned him on the altar. $e +sed different ways of trying to know the f+t+re. $e visited medi+ms and wiEards. Aanasseh did more and more things that the 5.D saw as evil, which made the ord angry. ' Aanasseh made a carved stat+e of Asherah. $e p+t this stat+e in the Temple. The 5.D had said to David and to Davids son Solomon a!o+t this Temple: 3 have chosen Cer+salem from all the cities in 3srael. 3 will p+t my name in the Temple in Cer+salem forever. ( 3 will not ca+se the 3sraelites to leave the land that 3 gave to their ancestors. 3 will let the people stay in their land if they o!ey everything 3 commanded them and all the teachings that my servant Aoses gave them. ) <+t the people did not listen to God. Aanasseh did more evil things than all the nations that lived in 9anaan !efore 3srael came. And the 5.D destroyed those nations when the 3sraelites came to take their land. 1, The 5.D +sed his servants the prophets to say this: 2 Gings 21.11*1& 1,% 11 Ging Aanasseh of C+dah has done these hated things and has done more evil than the Amorites !efore him. $e also has ca+sed C+dah to sin !eca+se of his idols. 12 So the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, ook" 3 will !ring so m+ch tro+!le against Cer+salem and C+dah that anyone who -asy To .ead /ersion

hears a!o+t it will !e shocked. 13 3 will stretch the meas+ring line of Samaria and the pl+m! line of Aha!s family over Cer+salem. A man wipes a dish, and then he t+rns it +pside down. 3 will do that to Cer+salem. 1# There will still !e a few of my people left, !+t 3 will leave them. 3 will give them to their enemies. Their enemies will take them as prisonersthey will !e like the val+a!le things soldiers take in war. 1% This is !eca+se my people did what 3 said was wrong. They have made me angry with them since the day their ancestors came +p o+t of -gypt. 1& And Aanasseh killed many innocent people. $e filled Cer+salem from one end to another with !lood. And all these sins are in addition to the sins that ca+sed 2 Gings 21.1'*23 1,& C+dah to sin. Aanasseh ca+sed C+dah to do what the 5.D said was wrong. 1' All the things that Aanasseh did, incl+ding the sins that he committed, are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 1( Aanasseh died and was !+ried with his ancestors. $e was !+ried in the garden at his ho+se. 3t was called the Garden of HEEa. $is son Amon !ecame the new king after him. 1) Amon was 22 years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led two years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Aesh+llemeth da+ghter of $ar+E from Cot!ah. 2, Amon did what the 5.D said was wrong, =+st as his father Aanasseh had done. 21 Amon lived =+st as his father had lived. $e worshiped and served the same idols his father had worshiped. 22 Amon left the 5.D, the God of his ancestors, and did not live the way the 5.D wanted. 23 Amons servants made plans against him and killed him in his palace. 2 Gings 21.2#*22.# 1,' 2# The common people killed all the pag. ##%0131#

officers who made plans against Ging Amon. Then the people made Amons son Cosiah the new king after him. 2% The other things that Amon did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 2& Amon was !+ried in his grave at the Garden of HEEa. $is son Cosiah !ecame the new king. 22 1 Cosiah was eight years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led 31 years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Cedidah the da+ghter of Adaiah of <oEkath. 2 Cosiah did what the 5.D said was right. $e followed God like his ancestor David. Cosiah o!eyed Gods teachingshe did e4actly what God wanted. 3 D+ring the 1(th year that Cosiah was king, he sent Shaphan son of AEaliah son of Aesh+llam, the secretary, to the 5.D@S Temple. Cosiah said, # Go +p to $ilkiah the high priest. Tell him that he m+st get the money that people !ro+ght to the 5.D@S Temple. The gatekeepers collected that money from the people. 2 Gings 22.%*1, 1,( % The priests m+st +se that money to pay the workers to repair the 5.D@S Temple. They m+st give that money to the men who s+pervise the work on the 5.D@S Temple. & Hse that money for the carpenters, stonemasons, and stonec+tters. Also +se that money to !+y the tim!er and c+t stones that are needed to repair the Temple. ' Dont co+nt the money that yo+ give to the workers. They can !e tr+sted. ( $ilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, ook, 3 fo+nd the <ook of the aw in the 5.D@S Temple" $ilkiah gave the !ook to Shaphan, and Shaphan read it. ) $e went to Ging Cosiah and told him what happened. Shaphan said, ;o+r servants have gathered all the money that was in the Temple. They gave it to the men who s+pervise the work on the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D@S Temple. 1, Then he told the king, And $ilkiah the priest also gave this !ook to me. Then Shaphan read the !ook to the king. 2 Gings 22.11*1& 1,) 11 >hen the king heard the words of the <ook of the aw, he tore his clothes to show he was sad and +pset. 12 Then he gave a command to $ilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Ac!or son of Aicaiah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the kings servant. 13 Ging Cosiah said, Go and ask the 5.D what we sho+ld do. Ask for me, for the people, and for all C+dah. Ask a!o+t the words of this !ook that was fo+nd. The 5.D is angry with +s, !eca+se o+r ancestors did not listen to the words of this !ook. They did not o!ey all the commands that were written for +s. 1# So $ilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Ac!or, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to $+ldah the woman prophet. $+ldah was the wife of Shall+m son of Tikvah, son of $arhas. $e took care of the priests clothes. $+ldah was living in the second J+arter in Cer+salem. They went and talked with $+ldah. 1% Then $+ldah said to them, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: Tell the man who sent yo+ to me: 1& The 5.D says this: 3 am !ringing tro+!le on this place and on the people 2 Gings 22.1'*2, 11, who live here. These are the tro+!les that are mentioned in the !ook that the king of C+dah read. 1' The people of C+dah have left me and have !+rned incense to other gods. They made me very angry. They made many idols. That is why 3 will show my anger against this place. Ay anger will !e like a fire that cannot !e stopped" 1( Ging Cosiah of C+dah sent yo+ to ask advice from the 5.D. Tell Cosiah that this is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: ;o+ heard the words 3 spoke against this place and those who live here. And when yo+ heard those things, yo+r heart was soft, and yo+ pag. ##&0131#

showed yo+r sorrow !efore the 5.D. 3 said that terri!le things wo+ld happen to this place. So yo+ tore yo+r clothes to show yo+r sadness, and yo+ !egan to cry. That is why 3 heard yo+. This is what the 5.D says. 1) 722:1(8 2, 3 will !ring yo+ to !e with yo+r ancestors. ;o+ will die and go to yo+r grave in peace. So yo+r eyes will not see all the tro+!le that 3 am !ringing on this place. Then $ilkiah the priest, Ahikam, 2 Gings 23.1*# 111 Ac!or, Shaphan, and Asaiah gave that message to the king. 23 1 Ging Cosiah told all the leaders of C+dah and Cer+salem to come and meet with him. 2 Then the king went +p to the 5.D@S Temple. All the people of C+dah and the people who lived in Cer+salem went with him. The priests, the prophets, and all the peoplefrom the least important to the most importantwent with him. Then he read the <ook of the Agreement. This was the <ook of the aw that was fo+nd in the ords Temple. Cosiah read the !ook so that all the people co+ld hear it. 3 The king stood !y the col+mn and made an agreement with the 5.D. $e agreed to follow the 5.D and to o!ey his commands, the agreement, and his r+les. $e agreed to do this with all his heart and so+l. $e agreed to o!ey the agreement written in this !ook. All the people stood to show that they agreed to follow the agreement. # Then the king commanded $ilkiah the high priest, the other priests, and the gatekeepers to !ring o+t of the 5.D@S Temple all the dishes and things that 2 Gings 23.%*( 112 were made to honor <aal, Asherah, and the stars of heaven. Then Cosiah !+rned those things o+tside Cer+salem in the fields in Gidron /alley. Then they carried the ashes to <ethel. % The kings of C+dah had chosen some ordinary men to serve as priests. These false priests were !+rning incense at the -asy To .ead /ersion

high places in every city of C+dah and all the towns aro+nd Cer+salem. They !+rned incense to honor <aal, the s+n, the moon, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky. <+t Cosiah stopped those false priests. & Cosiah removed the Asherah pole from the 5.D@S Temple. $e took the Asherah pole o+tside the city to the Gidron /alley and !+rned it there. Then he !eat the !+rned pieces into d+st and scattered the d+st over the graves of the common people. ' Then Ging Cosiah !roke down the ho+ses of the male prostit+tes who were in the 5.D@S Temple. >omen also +sed these ho+ses and made little tent covers to honor the false goddess Asherah. ( At that time the priests did not !ring the sacrifices to Cer+salem and 2 Gings 23.)*11 113 offer them on the 5.D@S altar in the Temple. The priests lived in cities all over C+dah. They !+rned incense and offered sacrifices at the high places in those cities. The high places were everywhere, from Ge!a to <eershe!a. And the priests ate their +nleavened !read in those towns with the ordinary people not at the special place for priests in the Temple in Cer+salem. <+t Ging Cosiah r+ined the high places and !ro+ght the priests to Cer+salem. Cosiah also destroyed the high places that were on the left side of the city gate, !y the Gate of Cosh+a. 7Cosh+a was the r+ler of the city.8 ) 723:(8 1, Topheth was a place in the /alley of $innoms Son where people killed their children and !+rned them on an altar to honor the false god Aolech. Cosiah r+ined that place so that no one co+ld +se it again. 11 3n the past the kings of C+dah had p+t some horses and a chariot near the entrance to the 5.D@S Temple. This was near the room of an important official named 1athan Aelech. The horses and chariot were to honor the s+n god. 2 Gings 23.12*1% 11# pag. ##'0131#

Cosiah removed the horses and !+rned the chariot. 12 3n the past the kings of C+dah had !+ilt altars on the roof of Aha!s !+ilding. Ging Aanasseh had also !+ilt altars in the two co+rtyards of the 5.D@S Temple. Cosiah destroyed all the altars and threw the !roken pieces into the Gidron /alley. 13 3n the past Ging Solomon !+ilt some high places on Destroyer $ill near Cer+salem. The high places were on the so+th side of that hill. Ging Solomon !+ilt one of these places of worship to honor Ashtoreth, that horri!le thing the people of Sidon worship. $e also !+ilt one to honor 9hemosh, that horri!le thing the Aoa!ites worship. And Ging Solomon !+ilt one high place to honor Ailcom, that horri!le thing the Ammonites worship. <+t Ging Cosiah r+ined all these places of worship. 1# $e !roke all the memorial stones and Asherah poles. Then he scattered dead mens !ones over that place. 1% Cosiah also !roke down the altar and high place at <ethel. Cero!oam son of 1e!at had made this altar. Cero!oam 2 Gings 23.1&*1( 11% ca+sed 3srael to sin. Cosiah !roke down !oth that altar and the high place. $e !roke the stones of the altar to pieces. Then he !eat it into d+st and he !+rned the Asherah pole. 1& Cosiah looked aro+nd and saw graves on the mo+ntain. $e sent men, and they took the !ones from the graves. Then he !+rned the !ones on the altar. 3n this way Cosiah r+ined the altar. This happened according to the message from the 5.D that the man of God anno+nced. The man of God anno+nced these things when Cero!oam stood !eside the altar at the feast. Then Cosiah looked aro+nd and saw the grave of the man of God. 1' Cosiah said, >hat is that mon+ment 3 see? The people of the city told him, 3t is the grave of the man of God who came from C+dah. This man of God told a!o+t -asy To .ead /ersion

the things yo+ have done to the altar at <ethel. $e said them a long time ago. 1( Cosiah said, eave the man of God alone. Dont move his !ones. So they left his !ones and the !ones of the man of God from Samaria. 2 Gings 23.1)*2# 11& 1) Cosiah also destroyed all the temples at the high places in the cities of Samaria. The kings of 3srael had !+ilt those temples, which had made the 5.D very angry. Cosiah destroyed them, =+st as he had destroyed the place of worship at <ethel. 2, Cosiah killed all the priests of the high places that were in Samaria. $e killed the priests on those altars and !+rned mens !ones on the altars so that they co+ld never !e +sed again. Then he went !ack to Cer+salem. 21 Then Ging Cosiah gave a command to all the people. $e said, 9ele!rate 6assover for the 5.D yo+r God. Do this =+st as it is written in the <ook of the Agreement. 22 The people had not cele!rated a 6assover like this since the days when the =+dges r+led 3srael. 1one of the kings of 3srael or the kings of C+dah ever had s+ch a !ig cele!ration for 6assover. 23 They cele!rated this 6assover for the 5.D in Cer+salem d+ring Cosiahs 1(th year as king. 2# Cosiah destroyed the medi+ms, wiEards, the ho+se gods, the idols, and 2 Gings 23.2%*2( 11' all the horri!le things people worshiped in C+dah and Cer+salem. $e did this to o!ey the law written in the !ook that $ilkiah the priest fo+nd in the 5.D@S Temple. 2% There had never !een a king like Cosiah !efore. Cosiah t+rned to the 5.D with all his heart, with all his so+l, and with all his strength. 1o king had followed all the aw of Aoses like Cosiah. And there has never !een another king like Cosiah since that time. 2& <+t the 5.D did not stop !eing angry with the people of C+dah. $e was pag. ##(0131#

still angry with them for everything that Aanasseh had done. 2' The 5.D said, 3 forced the 3sraelites to leave their land. 3 will do the same to C+dah. 3 will take C+dah o+t of my sight. 3 will not accept Cer+salem. ;es, 3 chose that city. 3 was talking a!o+t Cer+salem when 3 said, Ay name will !e there. <+t 3 will destroy the Temple that is in that place. 2( All the other things that Cosiah did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. 2 Gings 23.2)*3# 11( 2) >hile Cosiah was king, 6haraoh 1eco, the king of -gypt, went to fight against the king of Assyria at the -+phrates .iver. Cosiah went o+t to meet 1eco at Aegiddo. 6haraoh saw Cosiah and killed him. 3, Cosiahs officers p+t his !ody in a chariot and carried him from Aegiddo to Cer+salem. They !+ried Cosiah in his own grave. Then the common people took Cosiahs son CehoahaE and anointed him. They made CehoahaE the new king. 31 CehoahaE was 23 years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led three months in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was $am+tal, da+ghter of Ceremiah from i!nah. 32 CehoahaE did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did all the same things that his ancestors had done. 33 6haraoh 1eco p+t CehoahaE in prison at .i!lah in the land of $amath. So CehoahaE co+ld not r+le in Cer+salem. 6haraoh 1eco forced C+dah to pay '%,, po+nds of silver and '% po+nds of gold. 3# 6haraoh 1eco made Cosiahs son -liakim the new king. -liakim took the place of Cosiah his father. 6haraoh 1eco 2 Gings 23.3%*2#.2 11) changed -liakims name to Cehoiakim. And 6haraoh 1eco took CehoahaE away to -gypt where he died. 3% Cehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to 6haraoh. <+t Cehoiakim made the common people pay ta4es and +sed that money to give to 6haraoh 1eco. -asy To .ead /ersion

So everyone paid their share of silver and gold, and Ging Cehoiakim gave the money to 6haraoh 1eco. 3& Cehoiakim was 2% years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led eleven years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Be!idah da+ghter of 6edaiah from .+mah. 3' Cehoiakim did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did all the same things his ancestors had done. 24 1 3n the time of Cehoiakim, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon came to the co+ntry of C+dah. Cehoiakim served 1e!+chadneEEar for three years. Then Cehoiakim t+rned against 1e!+chadneEEar and !roke away from his r+le. 2 The 5.D sent gro+ps of <a!ylonians, Arameans, Aoa!ites, and Ammonites to fight against Cehoiakim. $e sent them 2 Gings 2#.3*( 12, to destroy C+dah. This happened =+st as the 5.D had said. $e +sed his servants the prophets to say those things. 3 The 5.D commanded this to happen to C+dah. 3n this way he wo+ld remove them from his sight. $e did this !eca+se of all the sins that Aanasseh committed. # $e did this !eca+se Aanasseh killed many innocent people and filled Cer+salem with their !lood. The 5.D wo+ld not forgive these sins. % The other things that Cehoiakim did are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah. & Cehoiakim died and was !+ried with his ancestors. $is son Cehoiachin !ecame the new king after him. ' The king of <a!ylon capt+red all the land !etween the <rook of -gypt and the -+phrates .iver. This land was previo+sly controlled !y -gypt. So the king of -gypt did not leave -gypt anymore. ( Cehoiachin was 1( years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led three months in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was 1eh+shta da+ghter of -lnathan from Cer+salem. 2 Gings 2#.)*1# 121 pag. ##)0131#

) Cehoiachin did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e did all the same things that his father had done. 1, At that time the officers of Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon came to Cer+salem and s+rro+nded it. 11 Then Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon came to the city. 12 Ging Cehoiachin of C+dah went o+t to meet the king of <a!ylon. $is mother, his officers, leaders, and officials also went with him. Then the king of <a!ylon capt+red Cehoiachin. This was d+ring the eighth year of 1e!+chadneEEars r+le. 13 1e!+chadneEEar took from Cer+salem all the treas+res in the 5.D@S Temple and all the treas+res in the kings palace. $e c+t +p all the gold dishes that Ging Solomon of 3srael had p+t in the 5.D@S Temple. This happened =+st as the 5.D had said. 1# 1e!+chadneEEar capt+red all the people of Cer+salem, incl+ding the leaders and other wealthy people. $e took 1,,,,, people and made them prisoners. $e took all the skilled workers and craftsmen. 1o one was left, e4cept the poorest of the common people. 2 Gings 2#.1%*2, 122 1% 1e!+chadneEEar took Cehoiachin to <a!ylon as a prisoner. $e also took the kings mother, his wives, officers, and the leading men of the land. $e took them from Cer+salem to <a!ylon as prisoners. 1& There were ',,, soldiers. 1e!+chadneEEar took all the soldiers and 1,,, of the skilled workers and craftsmen. All these men were trained soldiers, ready for war. The king of <a!ylon took them to <a!ylon as prisoners. 1' The king of <a!ylon made Aattaniah the new king. Aattaniah was Cehoiachins +ncle. $e changed his name to Bedekiah. 1( Bedekiah was 21 years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led 11 years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was $am+tal da+ghter of Ceremiah from i!nah. 1) Bedekiah did what the 5.D said was -asy To .ead /ersion

wrong. $e did all the same things that Cehoiakim did. 2, The 5.D !ecame so angry with Cer+salem and C+dah that he threw them away.Bedekiah re!elled and ref+sed to o!ey the king of <a!ylon. 2 Gings 2%.1*% 123 25 1 So Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon and all his army came to fight against Cer+salem. This happened on the 1,th day of the tenth month of Bedekiahs ninth year as king. 1e!+chadneEEar p+t his army aro+nd Cer+salem to stop people from going in and o+t of the city. Then he !+ilt a wall of dirt aro+nd the city. 2 $is army stayed aro+nd Cer+salem +ntil Bedekiahs eleventh year as king of C+dah. 3 The famine was getting worse and worse in the city. <y the )th day of the fo+rth month there was no more food for the common people in the city. # 1e!+chadneEEars army finally !roke thro+gh the city wall. That night Ging Bedekiah and all his soldiers ran away. They +sed the secret gate that went thro+gh the do+!le walls. 3t was !y the kings garden. The enemy soldiers were all aro+nd the city, !+t Bedekiah and his men escaped on the road to the desert. % The <a!ylonian army chased Ging Bedekiah and ca+ght him near Cericho. All of Bedekiahs soldiers left him and ran away. 2 Gings 2%.&*12 12# & The <a!ylonians took Ging Bedekiah to the king of <a!ylon at .i!lah. The <a!ylonians decided to p+nish Bedekiah. ' They killed Bedekiahs sons in front of him. Then they p+t o+t Bedekiahs eyes. They p+t chains on him and took him to <a!ylon. ( 1e!+chadneEEar came to Cer+salem on the 'th day of the fifth month of his nineteenth year as king of <a!ylon. The captain of 1e!+chadneEEars !est soldiers was 1e!+Earadan. ) 1e!+Earadan !+rned the 5.D@S Temple, the kings palace, and all the pag. #%,0131#

ho+ses in Cer+salem. $e destroyed even the largest ho+ses. 1, Then the <a!ylonian army that was with 1e!+Earadan p+lled down the walls aro+nd Cer+salem. 11 1e!+Earadan capt+red all the people who were still left in the city. $e took all the people as prisoners, even those who had tried to s+rrender. 12 $e let only the poorest of the common people stay there. $e let them stay so that they co+ld take care of the grapes and other crops. 2 Gings 2%.13*1( 12% 13 The <a!ylonian soldiers !roke into pieces the !ronEe col+mns in the 5.D@S Temple. They also !roke the !ronEe carts and the large !ronEe tank that were in the 5.D@S Temple. They took all of that !ronEe to <a!ylon. 1# They also took the pots, the shovels, the tools for trimming the lamps, the spoons, and all the !ronEe dishes that were +sed in the Temple. 1% 1e!+Earadan took all the firepans and !owls. $e took all the things made of gold for the gold. And he took everything made of silver for the silver. 1& So 1e!+Earadan took the large !ronEe tank and the 2 !ronEe col+mns. 7-ach col+mn was a!o+t 31 feet tall. The capitals on the col+mns were over % feet tall. They were made from !ronEe and had a design like a net and pomegranates. <oth col+mns had the same kind of design.8 $e also took the carts that Solomon made for the 5.D@S Temple. The !ronEe from these things was too heavy to !e weighed. 1' 72%:1&8 1( 2rom the Temple, 1e!+Earadan took Seraiah the high priest, Bephaniah the 2 Gings 2%.1)*23 12& second priest, and the three men who g+arded the entrance. 1) 2rom the city 1e!+Earadan took one official who was in charge of the army and five of the kings advisors who were still in the city. $e took one secretary of the commander of the army who -asy To .ead /ersion

was in charge of co+nting the common people and choosing some of them to !e soldiers and &, people who =+st happened to !e in the city. 2, Then 1e!+Earadan took all these people to the king of <a!ylon at .i!lah in the area of $amath. The king of <a!ylon killed them there at .i!lah. And the people of C+dah were led away as prisoners from their land. 21 72%:2,8 22 Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon left some people in the land of C+dah. There was a man named Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. 1e!+chadneEEar made Gedaliah governor over the people in C+dah. 23 The army captains were 3shmael son of 1ethaniah, Cohanan son of Gareah, Seraiah son of Tanh+meth from 1etophah, and CaaEaniah son of the 2 Gings 2%.2#*2' 12' Aaachathite. These army captains and their men heard that the king of <a!ylon had made Gedaliah governor, so they went to AiEpah to meet with him. 2# Gedaliah made promises to these officers and their men. $e said to them, Dont !e afraid of the <a!ylonian officers. Stay here and serve the king of <a!ylon. Then everything will !e all right with yo+. 2% 3shmael son of 1ethaniah son of -lishama was from the kings family. 3n the seventh month 3shmael and ten of his men attacked Gedaliah and killed all the men of C+dah and <a!ylonians who were with Gedaliah at AiEpah. 2& Then the army officers and all the people ran away to -gypt. -veryone, from the least important to the most important, ran away !eca+se they were afraid of the <a!ylonians. 2' ater, -vil Aerodach !ecame the king of <a!ylon. $e let Ging Cehoiachin of C+dah o+t of prison. This happened in the 3'th year after Cehoiachin was capt+red. This was on the 2'th day of the twelfth month from the time that -vil Aerodach !egan to r+le. pag. #%10131#

2 Gings 2%.2(*3, 12( 2( -vil Aerodach was kind to Cehoiachin. $e gave him a more important place to sit than the other kings who were with him in <a!ylon. 2) -vil Aerodach let Cehoiachin stop wearing prison clothes. And every day for the rest of his life he ate at the same ta!le with the king. 3, And each day, for as long as Cehoiachin lived, the king gave him eno+gh money to pay for whatever he needed. 1 +'roni"les 1 1 The first generations of people were Adam, Seth, -nosh, Genan, Aahalalel, Cared, -noch, Aeth+selah, amech, and 1oah. 2 71:18 3 71:18 # The sons of 1oah were Shem, $am, and Capheth. % The sons of Capheth were Gomer, Aagog, Aadai, Cavan, T+!al, Aeshech, and Tiras. & The sons of Gomer were AshkenaE, .iphath, and Togarmah. ' The sons of Cavan were -lishah, Tarshish, Gittim, and .odanim. ( The sons of $am were 9+sh, AiEraim, 6+t, and 9anaan. ) The sons of 9+sh were Se!a, $avilah, Sa!tah, .aamah, and Sa!tecah. The sons of .aamah were She!a and Dedan. 1, 1imrod, a descendant of 9+sh, grew +p to !ecome the strongest and !ravest soldier in the world. 1 9hronicles 1.11*23 2 11 AiEraim was the father of the people of +d, Anam, eha!, 1apht+h, 12 6athr+s, 9asl+h, and 9aphtor. 7The 6hilistines came from 9asl+h.8 13 9anaan was the father of Sidon. Sidon was his first child. 9anaan was also the father of the $ittites, 1# Ce!+sites, Amorites, Girgashites, 1% $ivites, Arkites, Sinites, 1& Arvadites, Bemarites, and the people from $amath. 1' Shems sons were -lam, Assh+r, -asy To .ead /ersion

Arpha4ad, +d, and Aram. Arams sons were HE, $+l, Gether, and Aeshech. 1( Arpha4ad was the father of Shelah. Shelah was the father of -!er. 1) -!er had two sons. 5ne son was named 6eleg, !eca+se the people on the earth were divided into different lang+ages d+ring his lifetime. 6elegs !rother was named Coktan. 2, 7Coktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, $aEarmaveth, Cerah, 21 $adoram, HEal, Diklah, 22 -!al, A!imael, She!a, 23 5phir, $avilah, and Co!a!. All these men were Coktans sons.8 1 9hronicles 1.2#*3% 3 2# Shems descendants were Arpha4ad, Shelah, 2% -!er, 6eleg, .e+, 2& Ser+g, 1ahor, Terah, 2' and A!ram. 7A!ram is also called A!raham.8 2( A!rahams sons were 3saac and 3shmael. 2) These are their descendants: 3shmaels first son was 1e!aioth. $is other sons were Gedar, Ad!eel, Ai!sam, 3, Aishma, D+mah, Aassa, $adad, Tema, 31 Cet+r, 1aphish, and Gedemah. These were 3shmaels sons. 32 A!raham also had sons !y Get+rah, his slave woman. They were Bimran, Cokshan, Aedan, Aidian, 3sh!ak, and Sh+ah. Cokshans sons were She!a and Dedan. 33 Aidians sons were -phah, -pher, $anoch, A!ida, and -ldaah. These men were the descendants of Get+rah. 3# A!raham was the father of 3saac. 3saacs sons were -sa+ and 3srael. 3% -sa+s sons were -liphaE, .e+el, Ce+sh, Calam, and Gorah. 1 9hronicles 1.3&*#% # 3& -liphaEs sons were Teman, 5mar, Bepho, Gatam, and GenaE. Also -liphaE and Timna had a son named Amalek. 3' .e+els sons were 1ahath, Berah, Shammah, and AiEEah. 3( Seirs sons were otan, Sho!al, pag. #%20131#

Bi!eon, Anah, Dishon, -Eer, and Dishan. 3) otans sons were $ori and $omam. otan had a sister named Timna. #, Sho!als sons were Alvan, Aanahath, -!al, Shepho, and 5nam. Bi!eons sons were Aiah and Anah. #1 Anahs son was Dishon. Dishons sons were $emdan, -sh!an, 3thran, and Geran. #2 -Eers sons were <ilhan, Baavan, and Akan. Dishans sons were HE and Aran. #3 There were kings in -dom long !efore there were kings in 3srael. These are the names of the kings of -dom: <ela was the son of <eor. The name of <elas city was Dinha!ah. ## >hen <ela died, Co!a! son of Berah !ecame the new king. Co!a! came from <oErah. #% >hen Co!a! died, $+sham !ecame the new king. $+sham was from the co+ntry of the Temanites. 1 9hronicles 1.#&*2.2 % #& >hen $+sham died, $adad son of <edad !ecame the new king. $adad defeated Aidian in the co+ntry of Aoa!. $adads city was named Avith. #' >hen $adad died, Samlah !ecame the new king. Samlah was from Aasrekah. #( >hen Samlah died, Sha+l !ecame the new king. Sha+l was from .eho!oth !y the -+phrates .iver. #) >hen Sha+l died, <aal $anan son of Ac!or !ecame the new king. %, >hen <aal $anan died, $adad !ecame the new king. $adads city was named 6a+. $adads wife was named Aeheta!el. Aeheta!el was Aatreds da+ghter. Aatred was AeEaha!s da+ghter. %1 Then $adad died. The leaders of -dom were Timna, Alvah, Cetheth, %2 5holi!amah, -lah, 6inon, %3 GenaE, Teman, Ai!Ear, %# Aagdiel, and 3ram. This is a list of the leaders of -dom. 2 1 3sraels sons were .e+!en, Simeon, evi, C+dah, 3ssachar, Be!+l+n, 2 Dan, Coseph, <en=amin, 1aphtali, Gad, -asy To .ead /ersion

and Asher. 1 9hronicles 2.3*12 & 3 C+dahs sons were -r, 5nan, and Shelah. <athsh+a from 9anaan was their mother. The 5.D killed -r, the first son, !eca+se he saw that he was evil. # C+dahs da+ghterDinDlaw Tamar gave !irth to 6ereE and Berah. So C+dah had five sons. % 6ereEs sons were $eEron and $am+l. & Berah had five sons. They were Bimri, -than, $eman, 9alcol, and Darda. ' Bimris son was 9armi. 9armis son was Achar. Achar was the man who !ro+ght many tro+!les to 3srael. Achar kept the things he took in !attle, !+t he was s+pposed to give them all to God. ( -thans son was AEariah. ) $eErons sons were Cerahmeel, .am, and 9ale!. 1, .am was Amminada!s father, and Amminada! was 1ahshons father. 1ahshon was the leader of the people of C+dah. 11 1ahshon was Salmons father. Salmon was <oaEs father. 12 <oaE was 5!eds father. 5!ed was Cesses father. 1 9hronicles 2.13*21 ' 13 Cesse was -lia!s father. -lia! was Cesses first son. Cesses second son was A!inada!. $is third son was Shimea. 1# 1ethanel was Cesses fo+rth son. Cesses fifth son was .addai. 1% 5Eem was Cesses si4th son, and David was his seventh son. 1& Their sisters were Ber+iah and A!igail. Ber+iahs three sons were A!ishai, Coa!, and Asahel. 1' A!igail was Amasas mother. Amasas father was Cether. Cether was from the 3shmaelites. 1( 9ale! was $eErons son. 9ale! had children with his wife AE+!ah. AE+!ah was the da+ghter of Cerioth. AE+!ahs sons were Cesher, Sho!a!, and Ardon. 1) >hen AE+!ah died, 9ale! married -phrath. 9ale! and -phrath had a son. They named him $+r. 2, $+r was Hris father. Hri was <eEalels pag. #%30131#

father. 21 ater when $eEron was &, years old, he married Aakirs da+ghter. Aakir was the father of Gilead. $eEron had se4+al relations with Aakirs da+ghter, and she gave !irth to Seg+!. 1 9hronicles 2.22*3, ( 22 Seg+! was Cairs father. Cair had 23 cities in the co+ntry of Gilead. 23 <+t Gesh+r and Aram took Cairs villages. Among them were Genath and the small towns aro+nd it. There were &, small towns in all. All these towns !elonged to the sons of Aakir, the father of Gilead. 2# After $eEron died in the town of 9ale! -phrathah, his wife A!i=ah had his son, who was named Ashh+r. Ashh+r was the father of Tekoa. 2% Cerahmeel was $eErons first son. Cerahmeels sons were .am, <+nah, 5ren, 5Eem, and Ahi=ah. .am was Cerahmeels first son. 2& Cerahmeel had another wife named Atarah. 5nams mother was Atarah. 2' Cerahmeels first son, .am, had sons. They were AaaE, Camin, and -ker. 2( 5nams sons were Shammai and Cada. Shammais sons were 1ada! and A!ish+r. 2) A!ish+rs wife was named A!ihail. They had two sons. Their names were Ah!an and Aolid. 3, 1ada!s sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled died witho+t having children. 1 9hronicles 2.31*#2 ) 31 Appaims son was 3shi. 3shis son was Sheshan. Sheshans son was Ahlai. 32 Cada was Shammais !rother. Cadas sons were Cether and Conathan. Cether died witho+t having children. 33 Conathans sons were 6eleth and BaEa. This was the list of Cerahmeels children. 3# Sheshan did not have sons. $e only had da+ghters. Sheshan had a servant from -gypt named Carha. 3% Sheshan let his da+ghter marry Carha. They had a son. $is name was Attai. -asy To .ead /ersion

3& Attai was 1athans father. 1athan was Ba!ads father. 3' Ba!ad was -phlals father. -phlal was 5!eds father. 3( 5!ed was Ceh+s father. Ceh+ was AEariahs father. 3) AEariah was $eleEs father. $eleE was -leasahs father. #, -leasah was Sismais father. Sismai was Shall+ms father. #1 Shall+m was Cekamiahs father, and Cekamiah was -lishamas father. #2 9ale! was Cerahmeels !rother. 9ale! had some sons. $is first son was Aesha. 1 9hronicles 2.#3*%, 1, Aesha was Biphs father. There was also 9ale!s son Aareshah. Aareshah was the father of $e!ron. #3 $e!rons sons were Gorah, Tapp+ah, .ekem, and Shema. ## Shema was .ahams father. .aham was Corkeams father. .ekem was Shammais father. #% Shammais son was Aaon. Aaon was <eth B+rs father. #& 9ale!s slave woman was named -phah. -phah was the mother of $aran, AoEa, and GaEeE. $aran was GaEeEs father. #' Cahdais sons were .egem, Cotham, Geshan, 6elet, -phah, and Shaaph. #( Aaacah was another slave woman of 9ale!. Aaacah was the mother of She!er and Tirhana. #) Aaacah was also the mother of Shaaph and Sheva. Shaaph was Aadmannahs father. Sheva was the father of Aac!enah and Gi!ea. 9ale!s da+ghter was Acsah. %, This is a list of 9ale!s descendants: $+r was 9ale!s first son. $e was !orn to -phrathah. $+rs sons were Sho!al, the fo+nder of Giriath Cearim, 1 9hronicles 2.%1*3.1 11 %1 Salma, the fo+nder of <ethlehem, and $areph, the fo+nder of <eth Gader. %2 Sho!al was the fo+nder of Giriath Cearim. This is a list of Sho!als descendants: $aroeh, half the people in Aanahti, pag. #%#0131#

%3 and the tri!es from Giriath Cearim. These are the 3thrites, 6+thites, Sh+mathites, and Aishraites. The Borathites and the -shtaolites came from the Aishraites. %# This is a list of Salmas descendants: the people from <ethlehem, 1etophah, Atroth <eth Coa!, half the people from Aanahti, the Borites, %% and the families of scri!es who lived at Ca!eE, Tirath, Shimeath, and S+cah. These scri!es are the Genites who came from $ammath. $ammath was the fo+nder of <eth .eca!. 3 1 Some of Davids sons were !orn in the town of $e!ron. This is a list of Davids sons: Davids first son was Amnon. Amnons mother was Ahinoam. She was from the town of CeEreel. The second son was Daniel. $is mother was A!igail from 9armel in C+dah. 1 9hronicles 3.2*) 12 2 The third son was A!salom. $is mother was Aaacah, da+ghter of Talmai. Talmai was the king of Gesh+r. The fo+rth son was Adoni=ah. $is mother was $aggith. 3 The fifth son was Shephatiah. $is mother was A!ital. The si4th son was 3thream. $is mother was -glah, Davids wife. # These si4 sons were !orn to David in $e!ron. David r+led as king in $e!ron for seven years and si4 months. $e r+led as king in Cer+salem 33 years. % These are the children !orn to David in Cer+salem: There were fo+r sons from <athshe!a, the da+ghter of Ammiel. They were Shimea, Sho!a!, 1athan, and Solomon. & There were nine other sons. They were 3!har, -lish+a, -liphelet, 1ogah, 1epheg, Caphia, -lishama, -liada, and -liphelet. ' 73:&8 ( 73:&8 ) They were all Davids sons. Their sister was named Tamar. David also had other sons !y his slave women. 1 9hronicles 3.1,*1) 13 1, Solomons son was .eho!oam. -asy To .ead /ersion

.eho!oams son was A!i=ah. A!i=ahs son was Asa. Asas son was Cehoshaphat. 11 Cehoshaphats son was Cehoram. Cehorams son was AhaEiah. AhaEiahs son was Coash. 12 Coashs son was AmaEiah. AmaEiahs son was AEariah. AEariahs son was Cotham. 13 Cothams son was AhaE. AhaEs son was $eEekiah. $eEekiahs son was Aanasseh. 1# Aanassehs son was Amon. Amons son was Cosiah. 1% This is a list of Cosiahs sons: The first son was Cohanan. The second son was Cehoiakim. The third son was Bedekiah. The fo+rth son was Shall+m. 1& Cehoiakims sons were Cehoiachin, his son, and Bedekiah, his son. 1' This is a list of Cehoiachins children after Cehoiachin !ecame a prisoner in <a!ylon: $is children were Shealtiel, 1( Aalkiram, 6edaiah, ShenaEEar, Cekamiah, $oshama, and 1eda!iah. 1) 6edaiahs sons were Ber+!!a!el and Shimei. Ber+!!a!els sons were 1 9hronicles 3.2,*#.3 1# Aesh+llam and $ananiah. Shelomith was their sister. 2, Ber+!!a!el had five other sons also. Their names were $ash+!ah, 5hel, <erekiah, $asadiah, and C+sha! $esed. 21 $ananiahs son was 6elatiah. $is son was Ceshaiah. $is son was .ephaiah. $is son was Arnan. $is son was 5!adiah. $is son was Shecaniah. 22 This is a list of Shecaniahs descendants: Shemaiah. Shemaiah had si4 sons: Shemaiah, $att+sh, 3gal, <ariah, 1eariah, and Shaphat. 23 1eariah had three sons. They were -lioenai, $iEkiah, and AErikam. 2# -lioenai had seven sons. They were $odaviah, -liashi!, 6elaiah, Akk+!, Cohanan, Delaiah, and Anani. 4 1 This is a list of C+dahs sons: They were 6ereE, $eEron, 9armi, $+r, and Sho!al. 2 Sho!als son was .eaiah. .eaiah was Cahaths father. Cahath was the father of pag. #%%0131#

Ah+mai and ahad. The Borathites are descendants of Ah+mai and ahad. 3 -tams sons were CeEreel, 3shma, and 3d!ash. And they had a sister named $aEEelelponi. 1 9hronicles #.#*1, 1% # 6en+el was Gedors father, and -Eer was $+shahs father. These were $+rs sons. $+r was -phrathahs first son, and -phrathah was the fo+nder of <ethlehem. % Tekoas father was Ashh+r. Ashh+r had two wives. Their names were $elah and 1aarah. & 1aarah had Ah+EEam, $epher, Temeni, and $aahashtari. These were the sons 1aarah had with Ashh+r. ' The sons of $elah were Bereth, Bohar, -thnan, and GoE. ( GoE was the father of An+! and $aEEo!e!ah. GoE also was the father of the tri!es of Aharhel. Aharhel was $ar+ms son. ) Ca!eE was a very good man, who was !etter than his !rothers. $is mother said, 3 have named him Ca!eE !eca+se 3 was in m+ch pain when 3 had him. 1, Ca!eE prayed to the God of 3srael and said, 3 pray that yo+ wo+ld !less me and give me more land" <e near me and dont let anyone h+rt me" Then 3 will not have any pain. God gave Ca!eE what he asked for. 1 9hronicles #.11*1' 1& 11 Gel+! was Sh+hahs !rother. Gel+! was Aehirs father. Aehir was -shtons father. 12 -shton was the father of <eth .apha, 6aseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the father of 3r 1ahash. These men were from .ecah. 13 The sons of GenaE were 5thniel and Seraiah. 5thniels sons were $athath and Aeonothai. 1# Aeonothai was 5phrahs father. And Seraiah was Coa!s father. Coa! was the fo+nder of the Ge $arashim. The people +sed that name !eca+se they were skilled workers. 1% 9ale! was Ceph+nnehs son. 9ale!s -asy To .ead /ersion

sons were 3r+, -lah, and 1aam. -lahs son was GenaE. 1& Cehallelels sons were Biph, Biphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 1' -Erahs sons were Cether, Aered, -pher, and Calon. Aered was the father of Airiam, Shammai, and 3sh!ah. 3sh!ah was the father of -shtemoa. Aered had a wife from -gypt. She had Cered, $e!er, and Cek+thiel. Cered was Gedors father. $e!er was Socos father. And Cek+thiel was Banoahs father. These were the 1 9hronicles #.1(*23 1' sons of <ithiah. <ithiah was 6haraohs da+ghter. She was Aereds wife from -gypt. 1( 7#:1'8 1) Aereds wife was 1ahams sister. Aereds wife was from C+dah. The sons of Aereds wife were the father of Geilah and -shtemoa. Geilah was from the Garmites. And -shtemoa was from the Aaacathites. 2, Shimons sons were Amnon, .innah, <en $anan, and Tilon. 3shis sons were Boheth and <en Boheth. 21 Shelah was C+dahs son. Shelahs sons were -r, aadah, Cokim, the men from 9oEe!a, Coash, and Saraph. -r was the father of ecah. aadah was the father of Aareshah and the tri!es of linen workers at <eth Ash!ea. Coash and Saraph married Aoa!ite women. Then they went !ack to <ethlehem. The writings a!o+t this family are very old. 22 7#:218 23 These sons of Shelah were workers who made things from clay. They lived in 1etaim and Gederah and worked for the king. 1 9hronicles #.2#*33 1( 2# Simeons sons were 1em+el, Camin, Cari!, Berah, and Sha+l. 2% Sha+ls son was Shall+m. Shall+ms son was Ai!sam. Ai!sams son was Aishma. 2& Aishmas son was $amm+el. $amm+els son was Bacc+r. Bacc+rs son was Shimei. 2' Shimei had si4teen sons and si4 pag. #%&0131#

da+ghters, !+t Shimeis !rothers did not have many children. Shimeis !rothers did not have large families. Their families were not as large as the other tri!es in C+dah. 2( Shimeis descendants lived in <eershe!a, Aoladah, $aEar Sh+al, 2) <ilhah, -Eem, Tolad, 3, <eth+el, $ormah, Biklag, 31 <eth Aarca!oth, $aEar S+sim, <eth <iri, and Shaaraim. They lived in these towns +ntil David !ecame king. 32 The five villages near these towns were -tam, Ain, .immon, Token, and Ashan. 33 There were also other villages as far away as <aalath. This is where they lived. And they also wrote the history a!o+t their family. 1 9hronicles #.3#*#1 1) 3# This is the list of men who were leaders of their tri!es: They were Aesho!a!, Camlech, Coshah 7AmaEiahs son8, Coel, Ceh+ son of Coshi!iah, Coshi!iah son of Seraiah, Seraiah son of Asiel, -lioenai, Caako!ah, Ceshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Cesimiel, <enaiah, and BiEa 7Shiphis son8. Shiphi was Allons son, and Allon was Cedaiahs son. Cedaiah was Shimris son, and Shimri was Shemaiahs son. These mens families grew to !e very large. 3% 7#:3#8 3& 7#:3#8 3' 7#:3#8 3( 7#:3#8 3) They went to the area o+tside the town of Gedor to the east side of the valley. They went to that place to look for fields for their sheep and cattle. #, They fo+nd good fields with plenty of grass. They fo+nd plenty of good land there. The land was peacef+l and J+iet. $ams descendants lived there in the past. #1 This happened d+ring the time that $eEekiah was king of C+dah. These men came to Gedor and fo+ght against the 1 9hronicles #.#2*%.1 2, $amites. They destroyed the tents of the -asy To .ead /ersion

$amites. They also fo+ght against the Ae+nites who lived there. These men destroyed all the Ae+nites. There are no Ae+nites in this place even today. So these men !egan to live there. They lived there !eca+se the land had grass for their sheep. #2 2ive h+ndred people from the tri!e of Simeon went to the hill co+ntry of Seir. 3shis sons led these men. The sons were 6elatiah, 1eariah, .ephaiah, and HEEiel. The Simeonite men fo+ght against the people living in that place. #3 There were only a few Amalekites still living, and these Simeonites killed them. Since that time +ntil now, the Simeonites have lived in Seir. 5 1 .e+!en was 3sraels first son. .e+!en sho+ld have received the special privileges of the oldest son. <+t he had se4+al relations with his fathers wife. So those privileges were given to Cosephs sons. 3n the family history, .e+!ens name is not listed as the first son. C+dah !ecame stronger than his !rothers, so the leaders came from his family. <+t Cosephs family got the 1 9hronicles %.2*) 21 other privileges that !elong to the oldest son. .e+!ens sons were $anoch, 6all+, $eEron, and 9armi. 2 7%:18 3 7%:18 # These are the names of Coels descendants: Shemaiah was Coels son. Gog was Shemaiahs son. Shimei was Gogs son. % Aicah was Shimeis son. .eaiah was Aicahs son. <aal was .eaiahs son. & <eerah was <aals son. Ging Tiglath 6ileser of Assyria forced <eerah to leave his home. So <eerah !ecame the kings prisoner. <eerah was a leader of the tri!e of .e+!en. ' Coels !rothers and all his tri!es are listed =+st as they are written in the family histories: Ceiel was the first son, then Bechariah, ( and <ela. <ela was AEaEs son. AEaE was Shemas son. Shema was Coels son. pag. #%'0131#

They lived in the area of Aroer all the way to 1e!o and <aal Aeon. ) <elas people lived to the east as far as the edge of the desert, near the -+phrates .iver. They lived there 1 9hronicles %.1,*1% 22 !eca+se they had many cattle in the land of Gilead. 1, >hen Sa+l was king, <elas people fo+ght a war against the $agrites. They defeated the $agrites. <elas people lived in the tents that had !elonged to the $agrites. They lived in those tents and traveled thro+gho+t the area east of Gilead. 11 The people of Gad lived across the river from .e+!en, in the area of <ashan. They spread all the way to the town of Salecah. 12 Coel was the first leader in <ashan. Shapham was the second leader. Then Canai !ecame the leader. 13 The seven !rothers in their families were Aichael, Aesh+llam, She!a, Corai, Cacan, Bia, and -!er. 1# They were the descendants of A!ihail. A!ihail was $+ris son. $+ri was Caroahs son. Caroah was Gileads son. Gilead was Aichaels son. Aichael was Ceshishais son. Ceshishai was Cahdos son. Cahdo was <+Es son. 1% Ahi was A!diels son. A!diel was G+nis son. Ahi was the leader of their family. 1 9hronicles %.1&*2, 23 1& The people in the tri!e of Gad lived in the area of Gilead. They lived in the area of <ashan, in the small towns aro+nd <ashan, and in all the past+res in the area of Sharon all the way to the !orders. 1' D+ring the time of Cotham and Cero!oam, all these peoples names were written in the family history of Gad. Cotham was the king of C+dah and Cero!oam was the king of 3srael. 1( 2rom half the tri!e of Aanasseh and from the tri!es of .e+!en and Gad there were ##,'&, !rave men ready for war. They were skilled in war. They carried shields and swords. And they were also -asy To .ead /ersion

good with !ows and arrows. 1) They started a war against the $agrites and the people of Cet+r, 1aphish, and 1oda!. 2, The men from the tri!es of Aanasseh, .e+!en, and Gad prayed to God d+ring the war. They asked God to help them !eca+se they tr+sted him, so God helped them. $e allowed them to defeat the $agrites and those who were with the $agrites. 1 9hronicles %.21*2& 2# 21 They took the animals that !elonged to the $agrites. They took %,,,,, camels, 2%,,,,, sheep, 2,,, donkeys, and 1,,,,,, people. 22 Aany $agrites were killed !eca+se God helped the people of .e+!en win the war. Then the tri!es of Aanasseh, .e+!en, and Gad settled in the land of the $agrites. They lived there +ntil the time when the 3sraelites were taken into captivity. 23 $alf the tri!e of Aanasseh lived in the area of <ashan all the way to <aal $ermon, Senir, and Ao+nt $ermon. They !ecame a very large gro+p of people. 2# These were the family leaders from half the tri!e of Aanasseh: -pher, 3shi, -liel, AEriel, Ceremiah, $odaviah, and Cahdiel. They were all strong, !rave, and famo+s men, and they were leaders in their families. 2% <+t they sinned against the God their ancestors had worshiped. They !egan worshiping the false gods of the people God had destroyed, the people who had lived in the land !efore them. 2& The God of 3srael made Ging 6+l of Assyria want to go to war. $e was 1 9hronicles &.1*) 2% also called Tiglath 6ileser. $e fo+ght against the tri!es of Aanasseh, .e+!en, and Gad. $e forced them to leave their homes and made them prisoners. 6+l took them to $alah, $a!or, $ara, and near the GoEan .iver. Those tri!es from 3srael have lived in those places since that time +ntil today. 6 1 evis sons were Gershon, Gohath, pag. #%(0131#

and Aerari. 2 Gohaths sons were Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel. 3 Amrams children were Aaron, Aoses, and Airiam. Aarons sons were 1ada!, A!ih+, -leaEar, and 3thamar. # -leaEar was 6hinehas father. 6hinehas was A!ish+as father. % A!ish+a was <+kkis father. <+kki was HEEis father. & HEEi was Berahiahs father. Berahiah was Aeraioths father. ' Aeraioth was Amariahs father. Amariah was Ahit+!s father. ( Ahit+! was Badoks father. Badok was AhimaaEs father. ) AhimaaE was AEariahs father. AEariah was Cohanans father. 1 9hronicles &.1,*1) 2& 1, Cohanan was AEariahs father. 7AEariah is the one who served as priest in the Temple that Solomon !+ilt in Cer+salem.8 11 AEariah was Amariahs father. Amariah was Ahit+!s father. 12 Ahit+! was Badoks father. Badok was Shall+ms father. 13 Shall+m was $ilkiahs father. $ilkiah was AEariahs father. 1# AEariah was Seraiahs father. Seraiah was CehoEadaks father. 1% CehoEadak was forced to leave his home when the 5.D sent the people of C+dah and Cer+salem away. Thro+gh 1e!+chadneEEar the ord ca+sed them all to !e made prisoners in another co+ntry. 1& evis sons were Gershon, Gohath, and Aerari. 1' The names of Gershons sons were i!ni and Shimei. 1( Gohaths sons were Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel. 1) Aeraris sons were Aahli and A+shi. This is a list of the families in the tri!e of evi. They are listed with their fathers names first: 1 9hronicles &.2,*2) 2' 2, These were Gershons descendants: i!ni was Gershons son. Cahath was i!nis son. Bimmah was Cahaths son. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 Coah was Bimmahs son. 3ddo was Coahs son. Berah was 3ddos son. Ceatherai was Berahs son. 22 These were Gohaths descendants: Amminada! was Gohaths son. Gorah was Amminada!s son. Assir was Gorahs son. 23 -lkanah was Assirs son. -!iasaph was -lkanahs son. Assir was -!iasaphs son. 2# Tahath was Assirs son. Hriel was Tahaths son. HEEiah was Hriels son. Sha+l was HEEiahs son. 2% -lkanahs sons were Amasai and Ahimoth. 2& Bophai was -lkanahs son. 1ahath was Bophais son. 2' -lia! was 1ahaths son. Ceroham was -lia!s son. -lkanah was Cerohams son. Sam+el was -lkanahs son. 2( Sam+els sons were his oldest son Coel, and A!i=ah. 2) These are Aeraris sons: Aahli was Aeraris son, i!ni was Aahlis son, Shimei was i!nis son, and HEEah was Shimeis son. 1 9hronicles &.3,*3& 2( 3, Shimea was HEEahs son. $aggiah was Shimeas son. Asaiah was $aggiahs son. 31 These are the men David chose to take care of the m+sic at the tent of the 5.D@S ho+se after Gods $oly <o4 was p+t there. 32 These men served !y singing at the $oly Tent. The $oly Tent is also called the Aeeting Tent. These men served +ntil Solomon !+ilt the 5.D@S Temple in Cer+salem. They served !y following the r+les given to them for their work. 33 These are the names of the men and their sons who served with m+sic: The descendants from the Gohath family were $eman the singer who was Coels sonF Coel was Sam+els sonF 3# Sam+el was -lkanahs sonF -lkanah was Cerohams sonF Ceroham was -liels sonF -liel was Toahs sonF 3% Toah was B+phs sonF B+ph was -lkanahs sonF -lkanah was Aahaths sonF Aahath was Amasais sonF pag. #%)0131#

3& Amasai was -lkanahs sonF -lkanah was Coels sonF Coel was AEariahs sonF AEariah was Bephaniahs sonF 1 9hronicles &.3'*#% 2) 3' Bephaniah was Tahaths sonF Tahath was Assirs sonF Assir was -!iasaphs sonF -!iasaph was Gorahs sonF 3( Gorah was 3Ehars sonF 3Ehar was Gohaths sonF Gohath was evis sonF evi was 3sraels son. 3) $emans relative was Asaph. Asaph served !y $emans right side. Asaph was <erekiahs son. <erekiahs was Shimeas son. #, Shimea was Aichaels son. Aichael was <aaseiahs son. <aaseiah was Aalki=ahs son. #1 Aalki=ah was -thnis son. -thni was Berahs son. Berah was Adaiahs son. #2 Adaiah was -thans son. -than was Bimmahs son. Bimmah was Shimeis son. #3 Shimei was Cahaths son. Cahath was Gershons son. Gershon was evis son. ## Aeraris descendants were the relatives of $eman and Asaph. They were the singing gro+p on $emans left side. -than was Gishis son. Gishi was A!dis son. A!di was Aall+chs son. #% Aall+ch was $asha!iahs son. $asha!iah was AmaEiahs son. AmaEiah was $ilkiahs son. 1 9hronicles &.#&*%2 3, #& $ilkiah was AmEis son. AmEi was <anis son. <ani was Shemers son. #' Shemer was Aahlis son. Aahli was A+shis son. A+shi was Aeraris son. Aerari was evis son. #( $eman and Asaphs !rothers were from the tri!e of evi. The tri!e of evi was also called evites. The evites were chosen to do the work in the $oly Tent. The $oly Tent was Gods ho+se. #) <+t only Aarons descendants were permitted to !+rn incense on the altar of !+rnt offering and on the altar of incense. Aarons descendants did all the work in the Aost $oly 6lace in Gods ho+se. They also did the ceremonies to make the 3sraelites p+re. They followed all the r+les and laws that Aoses, Gods -asy To .ead /ersion

servant, commanded. %, These were Aarons sons: -leaEar was Aarons son. 6hinehas was -leaEars son. A!ish+a was 6hinehas son. %1 <+kki was A!ish+as son. HEEi was <+kkis son. Berahiah was HEEis son. %2 Aeraioth was Berahiahs son. Amaraiah was Aeraioths son. Ahit+! was Amariahs son. 1 9hronicles &.%3*&, 31 %3 Badok was Ahit+!s son. AhimaaE was Badoks son. %# These are the places where Aarons descendants lived. They lived in their camps in the land that was given to them. The Gohath families got the first share of the land that was given to the evites. %% They were given the town of $e!ron and the fields aro+nd it. This was in the area of C+dah. %& <+t the fields farther from town and the villages near the town of $e!ron were given to 9ale! son of Ceph+nneh. %' The descendants of Aaron were given the city of $e!ron. $e!ron was a city of safety. They were also given the cities of i!nah, Cattir, -shtemoa, %( $ilen, De!ir, %) Ashan, C+ttah, and <eth Shemesh. They got all the cities and the fields aro+nd them. &, 2rom the tri!e of <en=amin they got the cities of Gi!eon, Ge!a, Alemeth, and Anathoth. They got all the cities and the fields aro+nd them. Thirteen cities were given to the Gohath families. 1 9hronicles &.&1*&( 32 &1 The rest of Gohaths descendants got ten towns from half the tri!e of Aanasseh. &2 The tri!es that were the descendants of Gershon got 13 cities. They got the cities from the tri!es of 3ssachar, Asher, 1aphtali, and the part of Aanasseh living in the area of <ashan. &3 The tri!es that were the descendants of Aerari got 12 cities. They got the cities from the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and Be!+l+n. They got them !y throwing pag. #&,0131#

lots. &# So the 3sraelites gave those towns and fields to the evites. &% All those cities came from the tri!es of C+dah, Simeon, and <en=amin. They decided which evite family got which city !y throwing lots. && The tri!e of -phraim gave some of the Gohath families some towns. Those towns were chosen !y throwing lots. &' They were given the city of Shechem. Shechem is a city of safety. They were also given the towns of GeEer, &( Cokmeam, <eth $oron, 1 9hronicles &.&)*'& 33 &) Ai=alon, and Gath .immon. They also got fields with those towns. Those towns were in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. ', And from half the tri!e of Aanasseh, the 3sraelites gave the towns of Aner and <ileam to the Gohath families. The Gohath families also got fields with those towns. '1 The Gershon families got the towns of Golan in the area of <ashan and Ashtaroth from half the tri!e of Aanasseh. They also got the fields near those towns. '2 The Gershon families also got the towns of Gedesh, Da!erath, .amoth, and Gannim from the tri!e of 3ssachar. They also got the fields near those towns. '3 7&:'28 '# The Gershon families also got the towns of Aashal, A!don, $+kok, and .eho! from the tri!e of Asher. They also got the fields near those towns. '% 7&:'#8 '& The Gershon families also got the towns of Gedesh in Galilee, $ammon, and Giriathaim from the tri!e of 1aphtali. They also got the fields near those towns. 1 9hronicles &.''*'.2 3# '' The rest of the evites, from the Aerari families, got the towns of Cokneam, Gartah, .immono, and Ta!or from the tri!e of Be!+l+n. They also got the fields near those towns. '( The Aerari families also got the -asy To .ead /ersion

towns of <eEer in the desert, CahEah, Gedemoth, and Aephaath from the tri!e of .e+!en. The tri!e of .e+!en lived on the east side of the Cordan .iver, east of the city of Cericho. These Aerari families also got the fields near those towns. ') 7&:'(8 (, And the Aerari families got the towns of .amoth in Gilead, Aahanaim, $esh!on, and CaEer from the tri!e of Gad. They also got the fields near those towns. (1 7&:(,8 7 1 3ssachar had fo+r sons. Their names were Tola, 6+ah, Cash+!, and Shimron. 2 Tolas sons were HEEi, .ephaiah, Ceriel, Cahmai, 3!sam, and Sam+el. They were all leaders of their families. Those men and their descendants were strong soldiers. Their families grew. <y the time 1 9hronicles '.3*) 3% David was king, there were 22,&,, men ready for war. 3 HEEis son was 3Erahiah. 3Erahiahs sons were Aichael, 5!adiah, Coel, and 3sshiah. All five of them were leaders of their families. # Their family history shows they had 3&,,,, soldiers ready for war. They had a large family !eca+se they had many wives and children. % The family history shows there were (',,,, strong soldiers in all the tri!es of 3ssachar. & <en=amin had three sons. Their names were <ela, <eker, and Cediael. ' <ela had five sons. Their names were -E!on, HEEi, HEEiel, Cerimoth, and 3ri. They were leaders of their families. Their family history shows they had 22,,3# soldiers. ( <ekers sons were Bemirah, Coash, -lieEer, -lioenai, 5mri, Ceremoth, A!i=ah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. They all were <ekers children. ) Their family history shows who the family leaders were. And it also shows they had 2,,2,, soldiers. 1 9hronicles '.1,*1' 3& pag. #&10131#

1, Cediaels son was <ilhan. <ilhans sons were Ce+sh, <en=amin, -h+d, Genaanah, Bethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All of Cediaels sons were leaders of their families. They had 1',2,, soldiers ready for war. 12 The Sh+ppites and $+ppites were the descendants of 3r. $+shim was the son of Aher. 13 1aphtalis sons were CahEiel, G+ni, CeEer, and Shall+m. And these are the descendants of <ilhah. 1# These are Aanassehs descendants: Aanassehs Aramean slave woman had a son named Asriel. She also !ore Aakir, the father of Gilead. 1% Aakir married a woman from the $+ppites and Sh+ppites. Aakirs sister was named Aaacah. The name of the second was Belophehad, who had only da+ghters. 1& Aakirs wife Aaacah had a son. She named this son 6eresh. $is !rother was named Sheresh. The sons of Sheresh were Hlam and .akem. 1' Hlams son was <edan. These were the descendants of Gilead. Gilead was Aakirs son. Aakir was Aanassehs son. 1 9hronicles '.1(*2# 3' 1( Aakirs sister $ammoleketh had 3shhod, A!ieEer, and Aahlah. 1) Shemidas sons were Ahian, Shechem, ikhi, and Aniam. 2, These were the names of -phraims descendants. -phraims son was Sh+thelah. Sh+thelahs son was <ered. <ereds son was Tahath. 21 Tahaths son was -leadah. -leadahs son was Tahath. Tahaths son was Ba!ad. Ba!ads son was Sh+thelah. Some men who grew +p in the city of Gath killed -Eer and -lead. This happened !eca+se -Eer and -lead went there to steal cattle and sheep from those men in Gath. 22 -phraim was the father of -Eer and -lead. $e cried for many days !eca+se -Eer and -lead were dead. -phraims family came to comfort him. 23 Then -phraim had se4+al relations with his wife. She !ecame pregnant and -asy To .ead /ersion

had a son. -phraim named this new son <eriah !eca+se something !ad had happened to his family. 2# -phraims da+ghter was Sheerah. Sheerah !+ilt ower <eth $oron and Hpper <eth $oron and ower HEEen Sheerah and Hpper HEEen Sheerah. 1 9hronicles '.2%*31 3( 2% .ephah was -phraims son. .esheph was .ephahs son. Telah was .eshephs son. Tahan was Telahs son. 2& adan was Tahans son. Ammih+d was adans son. -lishama was Ammih+ds son. 2' 1+n was -lishamas son. Cosh+a was 1+ns son. 2( These are the cities and lands where -phraims descendants lived: <ethel and the villages near it, 1aaran to the east, GeEer and the villages near it on the west, and Shechem and the villages near it all the way to Ayyah and the villages near it. 2) Along the !orders of Aanassehs land were the towns of <eth Shan, Taanach, Aegiddo, and Dor, and the small towns near them. The descendants of Coseph lived in these towns. Coseph was the son of 3srael. 3, Ashers sons were 3mnah, 3shvah, 3shvi, and <eriah. Their sister was named Serah. 31 <eriahs sons were $e!er and Aalkiel. Aalkiel was <irEaiths father. 1 9hronicles '.32*(.1 3) 32 $e!er was the father of Caphlet, Shomer, $otham, and of their sister Sh+a. 33 Caphlets sons were 6asach, <imhal, and Ashvath. These were Caphlets children. 3# Shomers sons were Ahi, .ohgah, Ceh+!!ah, and Aram. 3% Shomers !rother was $elem. $elems sons were Bophah, 3mna, Shelesh, and Amal. 3& Bophahs sons were S+ah, $arnepher, Sh+al, <eri, 3mrah, 3' <eEer, $od, Shamma, Shilshah, 3thran, and <eera. pag. #&20131#

3( Cethers sons were Ceph+nneh, 6ispah, and Ara. 3) Hllas sons were Arah, $anniel, and .iEia. #, All these men were descendants of Asher. They were leaders of their families. They were the !est men. They were soldiers and great leaders. Their family history shows 2&,,,, soldiers ready for war. 8 1 <en=amin was <elas father. <ela was <en=amins first son. Ash!el 1 9hronicles (.2*11 #, was <en=amins second son. Aharah was <en=amins third son. 2 1ohah was <en=amins fo+rth son. And .apha was <en=amins fifth son. 3 <elas sons were Addar, Gera, A!ih+d, A!ish+a, 1aaman, Ahoah, Gera, Sheph+phan, and $+ram. # 7(:38 % 7(:38 & These were the descendants of -h+d. They were leaders of their families in Ge!a. They were forced to leave their homes and move to Aanahath. -h+ds descendants were 1aaman, Ahi=ah, and Gera. Gera forced them to leave their homes. $e was the father of HEEa and Ahih+d. ' 7(:&8 ( Shaharaim divorced his wives $+shim and <aara in Aoa!. After he did this he had some children with another wife. ) Shaharaim had Co!a!, Bi!ia, Aesha, Aalcam, Ce+E, Sakia, and Airmah with his wife $odesh. They were leaders of their families. 1, 7(:)8 11 Shaharaim and $+shim had two sons named A!it+! and -lpaal. 1 9hronicles (.12*2' #1 12 -lpaals sons were -!er, Aisham, Shemed, <eriah, and Shema. Shemed !+ilt the towns of 5no and od and the small towns aro+nd od. <eriah and Shema were the leaders of the families living in Ai=alon. They forced the people who lived in Gath to leave. 13 7(:128 -asy To .ead /ersion

1# <eriahs sons were Shashak and Ceremoth, 1% Be!adiah, Arad, -der, 1& Aichael, 3shpah, and Coha. 1' -lpaals sons were Be!adiah, Aesh+llam, $iEki, $e!er, 1( 3shmerai, 3Eliah, and Co!a!. 1) Shimeis sons were Cakim, Bicri, Ba!di, 2, -lienai, Billethai, -liel, 21 Adaiah, <eraiah, and Shimrath. 22 Shashaks sons were 3shpan, -!er, -liel, 23 A!don, Bicri, $anan, 2# $ananiah, -lam, Anthothi=ah, 2% 3phdeiah, and 6en+el. 2& Cerohams sons were Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 2' Caareshiah, -li=ah, and Bicri. 1 9hronicles (.2(*3' #2 2( All these men were leaders of their families. They were listed in their family histories as leaders. They lived in Cer+salem. 2) Ceiel was Gi!eons father. $e and his wife, Aaacah, lived in the town of Gi!eon. 3, $is oldest son was A!don. 5ther sons were B+r, Gish, <aal, 1er, 1ada!, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Beker, and Aikloth. 32 Aikloth was the father of Shimeah. These sons also lived near their relatives in Cer+salem. 33 1er was Gishs father. Gish was Sa+ls father, and Sa+l was the father of Conathan, Aalki Sh+a, A!inada!, and -sh <aal. 3# Conathans son was Aeri! <aal. Aeri! <aal was Aicahs father. 3% Aicahs sons were 6ithon, Aelech, Tarea, and AhaE. 3& AhaE was Cehoaddahs father. Cehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, AEmaveth, and Bimri. Bimri was AoEas father. 3' AoEa was <ineas father. .aphah was <ineas son. -leasah was .aphahs son. And AEel was -leasahs son. 1 9hronicles (.3(*).2 #3 3( AEel had si4 sons. Their names were pag. #&30131#

AErikam, <oker+, 3shmael, Sheariah, 5!adiah, and $anan. All these sons were AEels children. 3) AEels !rother was -shek. -shek had some sons. These were -sheks sons: Hlam was AEels oldest son. Ce+sh was -sheks second son. -liphelet was -sheks third son. #, Hlams sons were strong soldiers who were very good with !ows and arrows. They had many sons and grandsons. 3n all, there were 1%, sons and grandsons. All these men were descendants of <en=amin. 9 1 The names of all the 3sraelites were listed in their family histories. Those family histories were p+t in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael.The people of C+dah were made prisoners and forced to go to <a!ylon. They were taken there !eca+se they were not faithf+l to God. 2 The first people to come !ack and live in their own lands and towns were some 3sraelites, priests, evites, and servants who work in the Temple. 1 9hronicles ).3*1, ## 3 These are the people from the tri!es of C+dah, <en=amin, -phraim, and Aanasseh who lived in Cer+salem: # Hthai was Ammih+ds son. Ammih+d was 5mris son. 5mri was 3mris son. 3mri was <anis son. <ani was a descendant of 6ereE. 6ereE was C+dahs son. % The Shilonites who lived in Cer+salem were Asaiah the oldest son and his sons. & The Berahites who lived in Cer+salem were Ce+el and their relatives. There were &), of them in all. ' These are the people from the tri!e of <en=amin who lived in Cer+salem: Sall+ was Aesh+llams son. Aesh+llam was $odaviahs son. $odaviah was $assen+ahs son. ( 3!neiah was Cerohams son. -lah was HEEis son. HEEi was Aicris son. And Aesh+llam was Shephatiahs son. Shephatiah was .e+els son. .e+el was 3!ni=ahs son. ) The family history of <en=amin -asy To .ead /ersion

shows there were )%& of them living in Cer+salem. All these men were leaders in their families. 1, These are the priests who lived in Cer+salem: Cedaiah, Cehoiari!, Cakin, and 1 9hronicles ).11*1% #% 11 AEariah. AEariah was $ilkiahs son. $ilkiah was Aesh+llams son. Aesh+llam was Badoks son. Badok was Aeraioths son. Aeraioth was Ahit+!s son. Ahit+! was the important official responsi!le for Gods Temple. 12 Also there was Cerohams son, Adaiah. Ceroham was 6ashh+rs son. 6ashh+r was Aalki=ahs son. And there was Adiels son, Aaasai. Adiel was CahEerahs son. CahEerah was Aesh+llams son. Aesh+llam was Aeshillemiths son. Aeshillemith was 3mmers son. 13 There were 1'&, priests. They were leaders of their families. They were responsi!le for the work of serving in Gods Temple. 1# These are the people from the tri!e of evi who lived in Cer+salem: $assh+!s son, Shemaiah. $assh+! was AErikams son. AErikam was $asha!iahs son. $asha!iah was a descendant of Aerari. 1% Also living in Cer+salem were <ak!akkar, $eresh, Galal, and Aattaniah. Aattaniah was Aicas son. Aica was Bicris son. Bicri was Asaphs son. 1 9hronicles ).1&*2, #& 1& 5!adiah was Shemaiahs son. Shemaiah was Galals son. Galal was Ced+th+ns son. <erekiah was Asas son. Asa was -lkanahs son. <erekiah lived in the small towns near the people of 1etophah. 1' These are the gatekeepers who lived in Cer+salem: Shall+m, Akk+!, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shall+m was their leader. 1( 1ow these men stand ne4t to the Gings Gate on the east side. They were the gatekeepers from the tri!e of evi. 1) Shall+m was Gores son. Gore was -!iasaphs son. -!iasaph was Gorahs son. Shall+m and his !rothers were pag. #&#0131#

gatekeepers. They were from the family of Gorah. They had the =o! of g+arding the entrance to the $oly Tent. They did this =+st as their ancestors had done !efore them. Their ancestors had the =o! of g+arding the entrance to the area where the 5.D lived among the people. 2, 3n the past, 6hinehas was in charge of the gatekeepers. 6hinehas was -leaEars son. The 5.D was with 6hinehas. 1 9hronicles ).21*2' #' 21 Bechariah son of Aeshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the $oly Tent. 22 3n all there were 212 men who were chosen to g+ard the gates of the $oly Tent. Their names were written in their family histories in their small towns. David and Sam+el the seer chose these men !eca+se they co+ld !e tr+sted. 23 The gatekeepers and their descendants had the responsi!ility of g+arding the gates of the 5.D@S ho+se, the $oly Tent. 2# There were gates on the fo+r sides: east, west, north, and so+th. 2% The gatekeepers relatives who lived in the small towns had to come and help them at certain times. They came and helped the gatekeepers for seven days each time. 2& There were fo+r gatekeepers who were the leaders of all the gatekeepers. They were evites. They had the =o! of caring for the rooms and treas+res in Gods Temple. 2' They stayed +p all night g+arding Gods Temple, and they had the =o! of opening Gods Temple every morning. 1 9hronicles ).2(*33 #( 2( Some of the gatekeepers had the =o! of caring for the dishes +sed in the Temple services. They co+nted them when they were !ro+ght in. They also co+nted these dishes when they were taken o+t. 2) 5ther gatekeepers were chosen to care for the f+rnit+re and the special dishes. They also took care of the flo+r, wine, oil, incense, and special oil. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, <+t it was the priests who had the =o! of mi4ing the special oil. 31 There was a evite named Aattithiah who had the =o! of !aking the !read +sed for the offerings. Aattithiah was Shall+ms oldest son. Shall+m was from the Gorah family. 32 Some of the gatekeepers who were in the Gorah family had the =o! of preparing the !read p+t on the ta!le every Sa!!ath. 33 The evites who were singers and leaders of their families stayed in the rooms at the Temple. They did not have to do other work !eca+se they were responsi!le for the work in the Temple day and night. 1 9hronicles ).3#*#3 #) 3# All these evites were leaders of their families. They were listed as leaders in their family histories. They lived in Cer+salem. 3% Ceiel was Gi!eons father. Ceiel lived in the town of Gi!eon. $is wife was named Aaacah. 3& Ceiels oldest son was A!don. 5ther sons were B+r, Gish, <aal, 1er, 1ada!, 3' Gedor, Ahio, Bechariah, and Aikloth. 3( Aikloth was Shimeams father. Ceiels family lived near their relatives in Cer+salem. 3) 1er was Gishs father. Gish was Sa+ls father. And Sa+l was the father of Conathan, Aalki Sh+a, A!inada!, and -sh <aal. #, Conathans son was Aeri! <aal. Aeri! <aal was Aicahs father. #1 Aicahs sons were 6ithon, Aelech, Tahrea, and AhaE. #2 AhaE was the father of Cadah. Cadah was the father of Alemeth, AEmaveth, and Bimri. Bimri was AoEas father. #3 AoEa was the father of <inea. .ephaiah was <ineas son. -leasah was .ephaiahs son. And AEel was -leasahs son. 1 9hronicles ).##*1,.% %, ## AEel had si4 sons. Their names were AErikam, <oker+, 3shmael, Sheariah, 5!adiah, and $anan. They were AEels pag. #&%0131#

children. 10 1 The 6hilistines fo+ght against the 3sraelites. The 3sraelites ran away from the 6hilistines. Aany 3sraelites were killed on Ao+nt Gil!oa. 2 The 6hilistines contin+ed chasing Sa+l and his sons. They ca+ght them and killed them. The 6hilistines killed Sa+ls sons Conathan, A!inada!, and Aalki Sh+a. 3 The fighting was heavy aro+nd Sa+l. The archers shot Sa+l with their arrows and wo+nded him. # Then Sa+l said to the helper who carried his armor 6+ll o+t yo+r sword and +se it to kill me. Then these foreigners will not h+rt me and make f+n of me when they come. <+t the helper was afraid. $e ref+sed to kill Sa+l. So Sa+l +sed his own sword to kill himself !y falling on it. % >hen the helper saw that Sa+l was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died. 1 9hronicles 1,.&*12 %1 & So Sa+l and three of his sons died. All of Sa+ls family died together. ' >hen all the 3sraelites living in the valley saw that their own army had r+n away and that Sa+l and his sons were dead, they left their towns and ran away. Then the 6hilistines came into the towns and lived in them. ( The ne4t day, the 6hilistines came to take val+a!le things from the dead !odies. They fo+nd Sa+ls !ody and the !odies of his sons on Ao+nt Gil!oa. ) The 6hilistines took things from Sa+ls !ody. They took Sa+ls head and armor. They sent messengers thro+gh all their co+ntry to tell the news to their false gods and to their people. 1, The 6hilistines p+t Sa+ls armor in the temple of their false gods. They h+ng Sa+ls head in the temple of Dagon. 11 All the people living in the town of Ca!esh Gilead heard everything that the 6hilistines had done to Sa+l. 12 All the !rave men from Ca!esh Gilead went to get the !odies of Sa+l and his -asy To .ead /ersion

sons. They !ro+ght them !ack to Ca!esh Gilead. They !+ried the !ones of Sa+l and his sons +nder the large tree in 1 9hronicles 1,.13*11.# %2 Ca!esh. Then they showed their sadness and fasted for seven days. 13 Sa+l died !eca+se he was not faithf+l to the 5.D. $e did not o!ey the 5.D@S word. Sa+l also went to a medi+m and asked her for advice 1# instead of asking the 5.D. That is why the ord killed Sa+l and gave the kingdom to Cesses son David. 11 1 All the 3sraelites came to David at the town of $e!ron. They said to David, >e are yo+r own flesh and !lood. 2 3n the past yo+ led +s in war. ;o+ led +s even tho+gh Sa+l was the king. The 5.D said to yo+ David, yo+ will !e the shepherd of my people, the 3sraelites. ;o+ will !ecome the leader over my people. 3 All the leaders of 3srael came to Ging David at the town of $e!ron. David made an agreement with them in $e!ron !efore the 5.D. The leaders anointed David. That made him king over 3srael. The 5.D had promised thro+gh Sam+el that this wo+ld happen. # David and all the 3sraelites went to the city of Cer+salem. Cer+salem was called 1 9hronicles 11.%*1, %3 Ce!+s at that time. The people living in that city were named Ce!+sites. They % said to David, ;o+ cannot get inside o+r city. <+t David did defeat them. $e took over the fortress of Bion, and it !ecame the 9ity of David. & David said, The one who leads the attack on the Ce!+sites will !ecome the commander over all my army. So Coa! led the attack. $e was Ber+iahs son. Coa! !ecame the commander of the army. ' Then David made his home in the fortress. That is why it is named the 9ity of David. ( David !+ilt the city aro+nd the fort. $e !+ilt it from the Aillo to the wall aro+nd pag. #&&0131#

the city. Coa! repaired the other parts of the city. ) David contin+ed to grow greater, and the 5.D AllD6owerf+l was with him. 1, This is a list of the leaders over Davids special soldiers. These heroes !ecame very powerf+l with David in his kingdom. They and all the 3sraelites s+pported David and made him king, =+st as the 5.D had promised. 1 9hronicles 11.11*1' %# 11 This is a list of Davids special soldiers: Casho!eam the $acmonite was the leader of the kings special forces. Casho!eam +sed his spear to kill 3,, men at one time. 12 1e4t there was -leaEar son of Dodai from Ahoah. -leaEar was one of the Three $eroes. 13 -leaEar was with David at 6asdammim. The 6hilistines had come to that place to fight a war. There was a field f+ll of !arley there. The 3sraelites ran away from the 6hilistines. 1# <+t the Three $eroes stood there in that field and defended it. They defeated the 6hilistines. The 5.D gave the 3sraelites a great victory. 1% 5nce David was at the cave of Ad+llam, and three of the Thirty $eroes went down to meet him !y a rock near the cave. At the same time the 6hilistine army was camped in the /alley of .ephaim. 1& Another time David was in the fortress, and a gro+p of 6hilistine soldiers was stationed in <ethlehem. 1' David was thirsty for some water from his hometown, so he said, 5h, if 1 9hronicles 11.1(*22 %% only 3 co+ld have some water from that well !y the gate in <ethlehem. 1( So the Three $eroes fo+ght their way thro+gh the 6hilistine army and got some water from the well near the city gate in <ethlehem. They took it to David, !+t he ref+sed to drink it. $e po+red it on the gro+nd as an offering to the 5.D. 1) David said, God, 3 cannot drink this water. 3t wo+ld !e like drinking the !lood -asy To .ead /ersion

of the men who risked their lives to get this water for me. That is why David ref+sed to drink the water. The Three $eroes did many !rave things like that. 2, Coa!s !rother, A!ishai, was the leader of the Three $eroes. A!ishai +sed his spear against 3,, enemies and killed them. $e was as famo+s as the Three $eroes. 21 A!ishai was even more famo+s than the Three $eroes. $e !ecame their leader, even tho+gh he was not one of the Three $eroes. 22 Then there was <enaiah son of Cehoiada, from Ga!Eeel. $e was the son of a powerf+l man. <enaiah did many !rave things. $e killed two of the !est soldiers in Aoa!. 5ne day when it was 1 9hronicles 11.23*2) %& snowing, <enaiah went down into a hole in the gro+nd and killed a lion. 23 And <enaiah killed a !ig -gyptian soldier. That man was a!o+t ' 102 feet tall. The -gyptian had a spear that was very large and heavy. 3t was as !ig as the pole on a weavers loom. <enaiah had only a cl+!. $e gra!!ed the spear in the -gyptians hands and took it away from him. Then <enaiah killed the -gyptian with his own spear. 2# <enaiah son of Cehoiada did many !rave things like that. $e was as famo+s as the Three $eroes. 2% <enaiah was even more famo+s than the Thirty $eroes, !+t he was not one of the Three $eroes. David made <enaiah the leader of his !odyg+ards. 2& The following men were among the kings special forces: Asahel, Coa!s !rotherF -lhanan son of Dodai from <ethlehemF 2' Shammoth the $aroditeF $eleE the 6eloniteF 2( 3ra son of 3kkesh from TekoaF A!ieEer from AnathothF 2) Si!!ecai the $+shathiteF 3lai from AhoahF 1 9hronicles 11.3,*#2 %' 3, Aaharai from 1etophahF $eled son of <aanah from 1etophahF pag. #&'0131#

31 3thai son of .i!ai from Gi!eah in <en=aminF <enaiah the 6irathoniteF 32 $+rai from the <rooks of GaashF A!iel the Ar!athiteF 33 AEmaveth the <ahar+miteF -liah!a the Shaal!oniteF 3# the sons of $ashem the GiEoniteF Conathan son of Shagee the $arariteF 3% Ahiam son of Sacar the $arariteF -liphal son of HrF 3& $epher the AekerathiteF Ahi=ah the 6eloniteF 3' $eEro the 9armeliteF 1aarai son of -E!aiF 3( Coel, 1athans !rotherF Ai!har son of $agriF 3) Belek the AmmoniteF 1aharai the officer from <eeroth, who carried the armor for Coa! son of Ber+iahF #, 3ra the 3thriteF Gare! the 3thriteF #1 Hriah the $ittiteF Ba!ad son of AhlaiF #2 Adina who was the son of ShiEa from the tri!e of .e+!en and was the leader of the tri!e of .e+!en, !+t he was also one of the Thirty $eroesF 1 9hronicles 11.#3*12.# %( #3 $anan son of AaacahF Coshaphat the AithniteF ## HEEia the AshterathiteF Shama and Ceiel sons of $otham from AroerF #% Cediael son of Shimri and his !rother Coha the TiEiteF #& -liel the AahaviteF Ceri!ai and Coshaviah the sons of -lnaamF 3thmah the Aoa!iteF #' -lielF 5!edF and Caasiel the AeEo!aite. 12 1 This is a list of the men who came to David while he was at Biklag. This was when David was hiding from Sa+l son of Gish. These men helped David in !attle. 2 They co+ld shoot arrows from their !ows with either their right or left hand. They co+ld also throw stones from their slings with either their right or left hand. They were Sa+ls relatives from the tri!e of <en=amin. They were 3 AhieEer, their leader, and Coash 7sons of Shemaah the Gi!eathite8F CeEiel and -asy To .ead /ersion

6elet 7sons of AEmaveth8F <eracah and Ceh+ from the town of AnathothF # 3shmaiah the Gi!eonite 7a hero and leader of the Thirty $eroes8F Ceremiah, 1 9hronicles 12.%*13 %) CahaEiel, Cohanan, and CoEa!ad from the GederathitesF % -l+Eai, Cerimoth, <ealiah, and ShemariahF Shephatiah from $ariphaF & -lkanah, 3sshiah, AEarel, CoeEer, and Casho!eam, all from the tri!e of GorahF ' and Coelah and Be!adiah, the sons of Ceroham from the town of Gedor. ( 6art of the tri!e of Gad =oined David at his fortress in the desert. They were !rave soldiers trained for war and skilled with the shield and spear. They looked as fierce as lions, and they co+ld r+n as fast as gaEelles thro+gh the mo+ntains. ) -Eer was the leader of the army from the tri!e of Gad. 5!adiah was the second in command. -lia! was the third in command. 1, Aishmannah was the fo+rth in command. Ceremiah was the fifth in command. 11 Attai was the si4th in command. -liel was the seventh in command. 12 Cohanan was the eighth in command. -lEa!ad was the ninth in command. 13 Ceremiah was the tenth in command. Aac!annai was the eleventh in command. 1 9hronicles 12.1#*1( &, 1# These men were leaders of the Gadite army. The weakest from that gro+p was worth 1,, men, and the strongest was worth 1,,, men. 1% They were the soldiers who crossed the Cordan .iver in the first month of the year, when it was flooded over its !anks. They chased away the people in the valley who were on !oth sides of the river. 1& 5ther men from the tri!es of <en=amin and C+dah also came to David at the fortress. 1' David went o+t to meet them and said, 3f yo+ have come in peace to help me, 3 welcome yo+. Coin me. <+t if yo+ pag. #&(0131#

have come to spy on me when 3 have done nothing wrong, may the God of o+r ancestors see what yo+ did and p+nish yo+. 1( Amasai was the leader of the Thirty $eroes. Then the Spirit came on Amasai, and he said, >e are yo+rs, David" >e are with yo+, son of Cesse. 6eace, peace to yo+. 6eace to those who help yo+, !eca+se yo+r God helps yo+. So David welcomed these men into his gro+p and p+t them in charge of the troops. 1 9hronicles 12.1)*23 &1 1) Some of the men from the tri!e of Aanasseh also =oined David. They =oined him when he went with the 6hilistines to fight Sa+l. <+t David and his men did not really help the 6hilistines. The 6hilistine leaders talked a!o+t David helping them, !+t then they decided to send him away. They said, 3f David goes !ack to his master Sa+l, o+r heads will !e c+t off" 2, These were the men from Aanasseh who =oined David when he went to the town of Biklag: Adnah, CoEa!ad, Cediael, Aichael, CoEa!ad, -lih+, and Billethai. All of them were generals from the tri!e of Aanasseh. 21 They helped David fight against !ad men who were going aro+nd the co+ntry and stealing things from people. All these men of Aanasseh were !rave soldiers. They !ecame leaders in Davids army. 22 Aore and more men came every day to help David. So he had a large and powerf+l army. 23 These are the n+m!ers of the men who came to David at the town of $e!ron. These men were ready for war. They came to give Sa+ls kingdom to 1 9hronicles 12.2#*31 &2 David. That is what the 5.D said wo+ld happen. This is their n+m!er: 2# 2rom the tri!e of C+dah there were &(,, men ready for war. They carried shields and spears. 2% 2rom the tri!e of Simeon there were '1,, men. They were !rave soldiers ready for war. -asy To .ead /ersion

2& 2rom the tri!e of evi there were #&,, men. 2' Cehoiada was in that gro+p. $e was a leader from Aarons family. There were 3',, men with Cehoiada. 2( Badok was also in that gro+p. $e was a !rave yo+ng soldier. $e came with 22 officers from his family. 2) 2rom the tri!e of <en=amin there were 3,,, men. They were Sa+ls relatives. Aost of them stayed faithf+l to Sa+ls family +ntil that time. 3, 2rom the tri!e of -phraim there were 2,,(,, men. They were !rave soldiers. They were famo+s men in their own families. 31 2rom half the tri!e of Aanasseh there were 1(,,,, men. They were called !y name to come and make David king. 1 9hronicles 12.32*3( &3 32 2rom the family of 3ssachar there were 2,, wise leaders. These men +nderstood the right thing for 3srael to do at the right time. Their relatives were with them and +nder their command. 33 2rom the tri!e of Be!+l+n there were %,,,,, trained soldiers. They were trained to +se all kinds of weapons and were very loyal to David. 3# 2rom the tri!e of 1aphtali there were 1,,, officers. They had 3',,,, men with them. These men carried shields and spears. 3% 2rom the tri!e of Dan there were 2(,&,, men ready for war. 3& 2rom the tri!e of Asher there were #,,,,, trained soldiers ready for war. 3' 2rom the east side of the Cordan .iver, there were 12,,,,, men from the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and half of Aanasseh. They had all kinds of weapons. 3( All these men were !rave fighters. They came to the town of $e!ron for one reasonto make David king of all 3srael. All the other 3sraelites also agreed that David sho+ld !e king. 1 9hronicles 12.3)*13.# &# 3) The men spent three days at $e!ron with David. They ate and drank, !eca+se pag. #&)0131#

their relatives had prepared food for them. #, Also, their neigh!ors from the areas where the tri!es of 3ssachar, Be!+l+n, and 1aphtali live !ro+ght food on donkeys, camels, m+les, and cattle. They !ro+ght m+ch flo+r, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep. The people in 3srael were very happy. 13 1 David talked with all the officers of his army. 2 Then he called the 3sraelites together and said, 3f yo+ think it is a good idea, and if it is what the 5.D o+r God wants, let +s send a message to o+r !rothers in all the areas of 3srael. ets also send the message to the priests and evites who live with o+r !rothers in their towns and the fields near those towns. et the message tell them to come and =oin +s. 3 ets !ring o+r Gods $oly <o4 !ack to +s in Cer+salem. >e did not pay attention to it while Sa+l was king. # So all the 3sraelites agreed with David. They all tho+ght it was the right thing to do. 1 9hronicles 13.%*1, &% % So David gathered all the 3sraelites from the Shihor .iver in -gypt to the town of e!o $amath. They came together to !ring the <o4 of the Agreement !ack from the town of Giriath Cearim. & David and all the 3sraelites with him went to <aalah of C+dah. 7<aalah is another name for Giriath Cearim.8 They went there to !ring o+t the $oly <o4 of God the 5.D, who sits a!ove the 9her+! angels. 3t is the <o4 that is called !y his name. ' The people moved Gods $oly <o4 from A!inada!s ho+se and p+t it on a new wagon. HEEah and Ahio were driving the wagon. ( David and all the 3sraelites were cele!rating !efore God. They were praising God and singing songs. They were playing harps, lyres, dr+ms, cym!als, and tr+mpets. ) They came to Gidons threshing floor. -asy To .ead /ersion

The o4en p+lling the wagon st+m!led, and the $oly <o4 almost fell. HEEah reached o+t with his hand to catch it. 1, The 5.D !ecame very angry with HEEah and killed him !eca+se he to+ched 1 9hronicles 13.11*1#.2 && the $oly <o4. So HEEah died there !efore God. 11 And David was angry !eca+se the 5.D had shown his anger in killing HEEah. So that place has !een called 6ereE HEEah ever since then. 12 That day David !egan to fear what God might do to him. So he said, Sho+ld 3 really !e the one in charge of Gods $oly <o4? 13 So he did not take the $oly <o4 with him to the 9ity of David. $e left it at 5!ed -doms ho+se. 5!ed -dom was from the city of Gath. 1# Gods $oly <o4 stayed with 5!ed -doms family in his ho+se for three months. The 5.D !lessed 5!ed -doms family and everything 5!ed -dom owned. 14 1 $iram was king of the city of Tyre. $e sent messengers to David. $e also sent logs from cedar trees, stonec+tters, and carpenters to David. $iram sent them to !+ild a ho+se for David. 2 Then David +nderstood that the 5.D had really made him king of 3srael. And he had made his kingdom large and 1 9hronicles 1#.3*11 &' powerf+l for the !enefit of 3srael, his people. 3 David married more women in the city of Cer+salem and had more sons and da+ghters. # These are the names of Davids children !orn in Cer+salem: Shamm+a, Sho!a!, 1athan, Solomon, % 3!har, -lish+a, -lpelet, & 1ogah, 1epheg, Caphia, ' -lishama, <eeliada, and -liphelet. ( The 6hilistines heard that David had !een chosen to !e the king of 3srael, so all the 6hilistines went to look for him. >hen David heard a!o+t it, he went o+t pag. #',0131#

to fight them. ) The 6hilistines attacked the people living in the /alley of .ephaim and stole their things. 1, David asked God, Sho+ld 3 go and fight the 6hilistines? >ill yo+ let me defeat them? The 5.D answered David, Go. 3 will let yo+ defeat the 6hilistines. 11 Then David and his men went +p to the town of <aal 6eraEim. There David and his men defeated the 6hilistines. David said, >aters !reak o+t from a !roken dam. 3n the same way, God has 1 9hronicles 1#.12*1' &( !roken thro+gh my enemies" God has done this thro+gh me. That is why that place is named <aal 6eraEim. 12 The 6hilistines had left their idols at <aal 6eraEim. David ordered his men to !+rn the idols. 13 The 6hilistines attacked the people living in the /alley of .ephaim again. 1# David prayed to God again, and God answered his prayer. God said, David, dont follow the 6hilistines +p the hill when yo+ attack. 3nstead, go aro+nd them and hide on the other side of the !alsam trees. 1% >hen yo+ hear the so+nd of marching in the tops of the !alsam trees, go o+t to !attle !eca+se that is the sign that God has gone o+t in front of yo+ to defeat the 6hilistines. 1& David did what God told him to do. So David and his men defeated the 6hilistine army. They killed 6hilistine soldiers all the way from the town of Gi!eon to the town of GeEer. 1' So David !ecame famo+s in all the co+ntries. The 5.D made all nations afraid of him. 1 9hronicles 1%.1*11 &) 15 1 David !+ilt ho+ses for himself in the 9ity of David. Then he !+ilt a place to p+t Gods $oly <o4. $e set +p a tent for it. 2 Then he said, 5nly the evites are permitted to carry Gods $oly <o4. The 5.D chose them to carry it and to serve him forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 David told all the 3sraelites to meet together at Cer+salem to see the 5.D@S $oly <o4 carried to the place he had made for it. # $e called together the descendants of Aaron and the evites. % There were 12, people from the tri!e of Gohath. Hriel was their leader. & There were 22, people from the tri!e of Aerari. Asaiah was their leader. ' There were 13, people from the tri!e of Gershon. Coel was their leader. ( There were 2,, people from the tri!e of -liEaphan. Shemaiah was their leader. ) There were (, people from the tri!e of $e!ron. -liel was their leader. 1, There were 112 people from the tri!e of HEEiel. Amminada! was their leader. 11 Then David asked the priests, Badok and A!iathar, to come to him. David also 1 9hronicles 1%.12*1' ', asked these evites to come to him: Hriel, Asaiah, Coel, Shemaiah, -liel, and Amminada!. 12 David said to them, ;o+ are the leaders from the tri!e of evi. ;o+ and the other evites m+st make yo+rselves holy. Then !ring the $oly <o4 of the 5.D, the God of 3srael, to the place 3 have made for it. 13 The first time we tried to !ring it, we failed to ask the 5.D a!o+t the right way to move it. And he p+nished +s !eca+se yo+ evites did not carry it. 1# Then the priests and evites made themselves holy so that they co+ld carry the $oly <o4 of the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1% The evites +sed the special poles to carry Gods $oly <o4 on their sho+lders, the way Aoses commanded. They carried the $oly <o4 =+st as the 5.D had said. 1& David told the evite leaders to get their !rothers, the singers. The singers were to take their lyres, harps, and cym!als and sing happy songs. 1' Then the evites got $eman and his !rothers, Asaph and -than. $eman was Coels son. Asaph was <erekiahs son. 1 9hronicles 1%.1(*2# '1 pag. #'10131#

-than was G+shaiahs son. These men were from the Aerari tri!e. 1( There was also a second gro+p of evites. They were Bechariah, CaaEiel, Shemiramoth, Cehiel, Hnni, -lia!, <enaiah, Aaaseiah, Aattithiah, -lipheleh+, Aikneiah, 5!ed -dom, and Ceiel. These men were the evite g+ards. 1) The singers $eman, Asaph, and -than played !ronEe cym!als. 2, Bechariah, CaaEiel, Shemiramoth, Cehiel, Hnni, -lia!, Aaaseiah, and <enaiah played the alamoth harps. 21 Aattithiah, -lipheleh+, Aikneiah, 5!ed -dom, Ceiel, and AEaEiah played the sheminith harps. This was their =o! forever. 22 The evite leader Genaniah was in charge of the singing. Genaniah had this =o! !eca+se he was very skilled at singing. 23 <erekiah and -lkanah were two of the g+ards for the $oly <o4. 2# The priests She!aniah, Coshaphat, 1ethanel, Amasai, Bechariah, <enaiah, and -lieEer had the =o! of !lowing tr+mpets as they walked in front of Gods 1 9hronicles 1%.2%*2) '2 $oly <o4. 5!ed -dom and Cehiah were the other g+ards for the $oly <o4. 2% David, the elders of 3srael, and the generals went to get the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. They !ro+ght it o+t from 5!ed -doms ho+se. -veryone was very happy" 2& God had helped the evites who carried the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. So they sacrificed seven !+lls and seven rams to him. 2' All the evites who carried the $oly <o4 wore ro!es made from fine linen. Genaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers had ro!es made from fine linen. David also wore a ro!e made from fine linen. $e also wore an ephod made of fine linen. 2( So all the 3sraelites =oined in !ringing +p the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. They sho+ted, they !lew rams horns and tr+mpets, and they played cym!als, -asy To .ead /ersion

lyres, and harps. 2) >hen the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement arrived at the 9ity of David, Sa+ls da+ghter Aichal looked thro+gh a window. >hen she saw Ging David 1 9hronicles 1&.1*% '3 dancing and playing, she lost her respect for him. 16 1 The evites !ro+ght Gods $oly <o4 and p+t it inside the tent David had set +p for it. Then they offered !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God. 2 After David had finished giving the !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he +sed the 5.D@S name to !less the people. 3 Then he gave a loaf of !read, some dates, and raisins to every 3sraelite man and woman. # Then David chose some of the evites to serve !efore the 5.D@S $oly <o4. They had the =o! of cele!rating and giving thanks and praise to the 5.D, the God of 3srael. % Asaph was the leader of the first gro+p. $is gro+p played the cym!als. Bechariah was the leader of the second gro+p. The other evites were HEEiel, Shemiramoth, Cehiel, Aattithiah, -lia!, <enaiah, 5!ed -dom, and Ceiel. These men played the lyres and harps. 1 9hronicles 1&.&*1& '# & <enaiah and CahaEiel were the priests who always !lew the tr+mpets !efore the <o4 of Gods Agreement. ' This was when David first gave Asaph and his !rothers the =o! of singing praises to the 5.D. ( Give thanks to the 5.D and call o+t to him" Tell the nations what he has done" ) Sing to himF sing praises to him. Tell a!o+t the amaEing things he has done. 1, <e pro+d of his holy name. ;o+ followers of the 5.D, !e happy" 11 Depend on the 5.D for strength. Always go to him for help. 12 .emem!er the amaEing things he has done. .emem!er his miracles and pag. #'20131#

his fair decisions. 13 The people of 3srael are his servants. The descendants of Caco! are his chosen people. 1# The 5.D is o+r God. $e r+les the whole world. 1% .emem!er his agreement forever, the promise he gave that will never end. 1& .emem!er the agreement he made with A!raham .emem!er his promise to 3saac. 1 9hronicles 1&.1'*2& '% 1' $e gave it as a law for Caco!, as an agreement with 3srael that will last forever. 1( $e said, 3 will give yo+ the land of 9anaan. 3t will !e yo+r very own. 1) At the time God said this, there were only a few of his people, and they were strangers there. 2, They traveled aro+nd from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 21 <+t the ord did not let anyone mistreat them. $e warned kings not to harm them. 22 $e said, Dont h+rt my chosen people. Dont h+rt my prophets. 23 et the whole world sing to the 5.D" Tell the good news every day a!o+t how he saves +s. 2# Tell all the nations how wonderf+l he is" Tell people everywhere a!o+t the amaEing things he does. 2% The 5.D is great and worthy of praise. $e is more awesome than any of the gods. 2& All the gods in other nations are nothing !+t stat+es, !+t the 5.D made the heavens" 1 9hronicles 1&.2'*3% '& 2' $e lives in the presence of glory and honor. $is Temple is a place of power and =oy. 2( 6raise the 5.D, all people of every nationF praise the 5.D@S glory and power" 2) Give the 5.D praise worthy of his glory. 9ome into his presence with yo+r offerings. >orship the 5.D in all his holy !ea+ty. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, -veryone on earth sho+ld trem!le !efore him" <+t the world stands firm and cannot !e moved. 31 et the heavens re=oice and the earth !e happy" et people everywhere say, The 5.D r+les" 32 et the sea and everything in it sho+t for =oy" et the fields and everything in them !e happy" 33 The trees of the forest will sing for =oy when they see the 5.D, !eca+se he is coming to r+le the world. 3# Give thanks to the 5.D !eca+se he is good. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 3% Say to him, Save +s, God o+r Savior. <ring +s !ack together, and save +s from the other nations. Then we will give 1 9hronicles 1&.3&*#1 '' thanks to yo+r holy name and =oyf+lly praise yo+. 3& 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael" $e always was and will always !e worthy of praise" All the people praised the 5.D and said Amen" 3' Then David left Asaph and his !rothers there in front of the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. David left them there to serve in front of it every day. 3( $e also left 5!ed -dom and &( other evites to serve with Asaph and his !rothers. 5!ed -dom and $osah were g+ards. 5!ed -dom was Ced+th+ns son. 3) David left Badok the priest and the other priests who served with him in front of the 5.D@S Tent at the high place in Gi!eon. #, -very morning and evening Badok and the other priests offered !+rnt offerings to the 5.D on the altar of !+rnt offerings. They did this to follow the r+les written in the law of the 5.D, which he had given 3srael. #1 $eman, Ced+th+n, and all the other evites were chosen !y name to sing the songs of praise s+ch as, 6raise the 1 9hronicles 1&.#2*1'.% '( 5.D <eca+se $is 2aithf+l ove >ill ast 2orever. #2 $eman and Ced+th+n were with them. They had the =o! of !lowing the pag. #'30131#

tr+mpets and playing cym!als. They also had the =o! of playing other m+sical instr+ments when songs were s+ng to God. Ced+th+ns sons g+arded the gates. #3 After the cele!ration, all the people left and went home. David also went home to !less his family. 17 1 After David had moved into his palace, he said to 1athan the prophet, ook, 3 am living in this nice palace made of cedar, !+t the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement sits in a tent. 2 1athan answered David, ;o+ may do what yo+ want to do. God is with yo+. 3 <+t that night the word of God came to 1athan. # God said, Go and tell this to my servant David: The 5.D says, David, yo+ are not the one to !+ild a ho+se for me to live in. % Since the time 3 !ro+ght 3srael o+t of -gypt +ntil now, 3 have not lived in a ho+se. 3 have moved aro+nd in a tent. 3 chose people to !e special leaders for 1 9hronicles 1'.&*11 ') the 3sraelites. They were like shepherds for my people. >hile 3 was going aro+nd in 3srael to different places, 3 never said to any of them: >hy havent yo+ !+ilt a ho+se of cedar wood for me? & 71':%8 ' 1ow, tell this to my servant David: The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 took yo+ from the fields and from taking care of the sheep. 3 made yo+ king of my people 3srael. ( 3 have !een with yo+ everywhere yo+ went. 3 went ahead of yo+ and 3 killed yo+r enemies. 1ow 3 will make yo+ one of the most famo+s men on earth. ) 3 am giving this place to my people 3srael. They will plant their trees, and they will sit in peace +nder those trees. They will not !e !othered anymore. -vil people will not h+rt them as they did at first. 1, Those !ad things happened, !+t 3 chose leaders to care for my people 3srael. And 3 will also defeat all yo+r enemies. 3 tell yo+ that the 5.D will -asy To .ead /ersion

!+ild a ho+se for yo+. 11 >hen yo+ die, and yo+ =oin yo+r ancestors, then 3 will let yo+r own son 1 9hronicles 1'.12*1) (, !e the new king. The new king will !e one of yo+r sons, and 3 will make his kingdom strong. 12 ;o+r son will !+ild a ho+se for me. 3 will make yo+r sons family r+le forever. 13 3 will !e his father, and he will !e my son. Sa+l was the king !efore yo+, and 3 took away my s+pport from Sa+l. <+t 3 will never stop loving yo+r son. 1# 3 will p+t him in charge of my ho+se and kingdom forever. $is r+le will contin+e forever" 1% 1athan told David a!o+t the vision and everything God had said. 1& Then Ging David went to the $oly Tent and sat !efore the 5.D. David said, 5.D God, yo+ have done so m+ch for me and my family. And 3 dont +nderstand why. 1' <esides all these things, God, yo+ let me know what will happen to my family in the f+t+re. 5.D God, yo+ have treated me like a very important man. 1( >hat more can 3 say? ;o+ have done so m+ch for me. And 3 am only yo+r servant. ;o+ know that. 1) 5.D, yo+ have done this wonderf+l thing for me and !eca+se yo+ wanted to. 1 9hronicles 1'.2,*2% (1 2, There is no one like yo+, 5.D. There is no God e4cept yo+. >e have never heard of any god doing wonderf+l things like those" 21 3s there any other nation like 3srael? 1o, 3srael is the only nation on earth that yo+ have done these wonderf+l things for. ;o+ took +s o+t of -gypt and yo+ made +s free. ;o+ made yo+rself famo+s. ;o+ went in front of yo+r people, and forced other people to leave their land for +s. 22 ;o+ took 3srael to !e yo+r people forever, and yo+, 5.D, !ecame their God" 23 5.D, yo+ made this promise to me and my family. 1ow, keep yo+r promise pag. #'#0131#

forever. Do what yo+ said yo+ wo+ld. 2# Geep yo+r promise so that people will honor yo+r name forever. Then people will say, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is 3sraels God" 3 am yo+r servant. 6lease let my family !e strong and contin+e to serve yo+. 2% Ay God, yo+ spoke to me, yo+r servant. ;o+ made it clear that yo+ wo+ld make my family a family of kings. 1 9hronicles 1'.2&*1(.# (2 That is why 3 am !eing so !oldthat is why 3 am asking yo+ to do these things. 2& 5.D, yo+ are God, and yo+ yo+rself promised to do these good things for me. 2' ;o+ have !een kind eno+gh to !less my family. ;o+ were kind eno+gh to promise that my family will serve yo+ forever. 5.D, yo+ yo+rself !lessed my family, so my family really will !e !lessed forever. 18 1 ater, David attacked the 6hilistines and defeated them. $e took the town of Gath and the other small towns aro+nd it from the 6hilistines. 2 Then David defeated the co+ntry of Aoa!. The Aoa!ites !ecame Davids servants and !ro+ght tri!+te to him. 3 David also fo+ght against $adadeEers army. $adadeEer was the king of Bo!ah. David fo+ght against that army all the way to the town of $amath. David did this when he went to set +p a mon+ment for himself at the -+phrates .iver. # David took 1,,, chariots, ',,, chariot drivers, and 2,,,,, soldiers from $adadeEer. David also crippled most of 1 9hronicles 1(.%*1, (3 $adadeEers horses that were +sed for p+lling chariots. <+t David saved eno+gh horses to p+ll 1,, chariots. % The Arameans from the city of Damasc+s came to help Ging $adadeEer of Bo!ah. <+t David defeated and killed 22,,,, Aramean soldiers. & Then David p+t fortresses in the city of Damasc+s in Aram. The Arameans !ecame Davids servants and !ro+ght -asy To .ead /ersion

tri!+te to him. So the 5.D gave victory to David everywhere he went. ' David took the gold shields from $adadeEers army leaders and !ro+ght them to Cer+salem. ( David also took m+ch !ronEe from the towns of Te!ah and 9+n. These towns !elonged to $adadeEer. ater, Solomon +sed this !ronEe to make the !ronEe tank, the !ronEe col+mns, and other things made from !ronEe for the Temple. ) To+ was king of the city of $amath. $adadeEer was the king of Bo!ah. To+ heard that David had defeated all of $adadeEers army. 1, So To+ sent his son $adoram to Ging David to ask for peace and to !less him. $e did this !eca+se David had fo+ght 1 9hronicles 1(.11*1' (# against $adadeEer and defeated him. $adadeEer had !een at war with To+ !efore. $adoram gave David all kinds of things made of gold, silver, and !ronEe. 11 Ging David made these things holy and gave them to the 5.D. David did the same thing with all the silver and gold he had gotten from -dom, Aoa!, the Ammonites, the 6hilistines, and Amalekites. 12 A!ishai son of Ber+iah killed 1(,,,, -domites in the /alley of Salt. 13 A!ishai also p+t fortresses in -dom and all the -domites !ecame Davids servants. The 5.D gave David victory everywhere he went. 1# David was king over all 3srael. $e did what was right and fair for everyone. 1% Coa! son of Ber+iah was the commander of Davids army. Cehoshaphat son of Ahil+d wrote a!o+t the things David did. 1& Badok and A!imelech were the priests. Badok was Ahit+!s son, and A!imelech was A!iathars son. Shavsha was the scri!e. 1' <enaiah was responsi!le for leading the Gerethite and 6elethites. <enaiah 1 9hronicles 1).1*% (% was Cehoiadas son. And Davids sons were important officials. They served at pag. #'%0131#

Ging Davids side. 19 1 1ahash was king of the Ammonites. >hen 1ahash died, his son !ecame the new king. 2 Then David said, 1ahash was kind to me, so 3 will !e kind to $an+n, 1ahashs son. So David sent messengers to comfort $an+n a!o+t the death of his father. Davids messengers went to the co+ntry of Ammon to comfort $an+n. 3 <+t the Ammonite leaders said to $an+n, Dont !e fooled. David didnt really send these men to comfort yo+ or to honor yo+r dead father" 1o, David sent his servants to spy on yo+ and yo+r land. $e really wants to destroy yo+r co+ntry" # So $an+n arrested Davids servants and c+t off their !eards. $an+n also c+t their clothes off at the hip and sent them away. % Davids men were too em!arrassed to go home. Some people went to David and told him what happened to his men. So Ging David sent this message to his men: Stay in the town of Cericho +ntil 1 9hronicles 1).&*1, (& yo+r !eards grow again. Then yo+ can come !ack home. & The Ammonites saw they had ca+sed themselves to !ecome hated enemies of David. Then $an+n and the Ammonites +sed '%,,,, po+nds of silver to !+y chariots and chariot drivers from Aesopotamia. They also got chariots and chariot drivers from the towns of Aaacah and Bo!ah in Aram. ' The Ammonites !o+ght 32,,,, chariots. They also paid the king of Aaacah and his army to come and help them. The king of Aaacah and his people came and set +p a camp near the town of Aede!a. The Ammonites themselves came o+t of their towns and got ready for !attle. ( David heard that the Ammonites were getting ready for war. So he sent Coa! and the whole army of 3srael to fight the Ammonites. ) The Ammonites came o+t and got -asy To .ead /ersion

ready for !attle. They were near the city gate. The kings who had come to help stayed o+t in the fields !y themselves. 1, Coa! saw that there were two army gro+ps ready to fight against him. 5ne 1 9hronicles 1).11*1& (' gro+p was in front of him and the other gro+p was !ehind him. So Coa! chose some of the !est soldiers of 3srael and sent them o+t to fight against the Aramean army. 11 $e p+t the rest of the 3sraelite army +nder his !rother A!ishais command. These soldiers went o+t to fight against the Ammonite army. 12 Coa! said to A!ishai, 3f the Arameans are too strong for me, yo+ m+st help me. <+t if the Ammonites are too strong for yo+, 3 will help yo+. 13 ets !e !rave and strong while we fight for o+r people and for the cities of o+r God" Aay the 5.D do what he thinks is right. 1# Coa! and the army with him attacked the Aramean army. The Arameans ran away from Coa! and his army. 1% >hen the Ammonite army saw that the Aramean army was r+nning away, they also ran away. They ran away from A!ishai and his army. The Ammonites went !ack to their city, and Coa! went !ack to Cer+salem. 1& The Aramean leaders saw that 3srael had defeated them. So they 1 9hronicles 1).1'*2,.1 (( sent messengers to get help from the Arameans living east of the -+phrates .iver. Shophach was the commander of $adadeEers army from Aram. Shophach also led the other Aramean soldiers. 1' David heard the news that the Arameans were gathering for !attle, so he gathered all the 3sraelites. David led them across the Cordan .iver, and they came face to face with the Arameans. David got his army ready for !attle and they attacked the Arameans. 1( The Arameans ran away from the 3sraelites. David and his army killed ',,, Aramean chariot drivers and #,,,,, pag. #'&0131#

Aramean soldiers. David and his army also killed Shophach, the commander of the Aramean army. 1) >hen $adadeEers officers saw that 3srael had defeated them, they made peace with David. They !ecame his servants. So the Arameans ref+sed to help the Ammonites again. 20 1 3n the spring, Coa! led the army of 3srael o+t to !attle. That was the time of year when kings went o+t to !attle, !+t David stayed in Cer+salem. The army of 3srael went to the co+ntry 1 9hronicles 2,.2*% () of Ammon and destroyed it. Then they went to the city of .a!!ah. The army camped aro+nd the citythey stayed there to keep people from going in or o+t of the city. Coa! and the army of 3srael fo+ght against the city of .a!!ah +ntil they destroyed it. 2 David took the crown from their kings head. 3t was made of gold and weighed a!o+t '% po+nds. There were also val+a!le stones in it. The crown was p+t on Davids head. Then David ordered that anything of val+e !e taken from the city. 3 $e forced the people who lived there to leave, and he p+t them to work +sing saws, iron picks, and a4es. $e did the same thing to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the army went !ack to Cer+salem. # ater, the 3sraelites went to war against the 6hilistines at the town of GeEer. At that time Si!!ecai from $+shah killed Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the giant .ephaites. So those 6hilistines !ecame like slaves to the 3sraelites. % Another time when the 3sraelites fo+ght against the 6hilistines, -lhanan 1 9hronicles 2,.&*21.2 ), son of Cair killed ahmi. ahmi was Goliaths !rother. Goliath was from the town of Gath. ahmis spear was very !ig and heavy. 3t was like the large pole on a loom. & ater, the 3sraelites fo+ght another war with the 6hilistines at the town of -asy To .ead /ersion

Gath. 3n this town there was a very large man. $e had 2# fingers and toessi4 fingers on each hand and si4 toes on each foot. $e was another descendant of the .ephaites. ' So when that man made f+n of 3srael, Conathan killed him. Conathan was Shimeas son. Shimea was Davids !rother. ( These 6hilistine men were descendants of the .ephaites from the town of Gath. David and his servants killed those giants. 21 1 Satan was against the 3sraelites. $e enco+raged David to co+nt the 3sraelites. 2 So David said to Coa! and the leaders of the people, Go and co+nt all the 3sraelites. 9o+nt everyone in the co+ntryfrom the town of <eershe!a all the way to the town of Dan. Then tell 1 9hronicles 21.3*( )1 me, so 3 will know how many people there are. 3 <+t Coa! answered, Aay the 5.D make his nation 1,, times as large" Sir, all the 3sraelites are yo+r servants. >hy do yo+ want to do this thing, my lord and king? ;o+ will make all the 3sraelites g+ilty of sin" # <+t Ging David was st+!!orn. Coa! had to do what the king said. So Coa! left and went thro+gh all the co+ntry of 3srael co+nting the people. Then he came !ack to Cer+salem % and told David how many people there were. 3n 3srael there were 1,1,,,,,, men who co+ld +se a sword. And there were #',,,,, men in C+dah who co+ld +se a sword. & Coa! did not co+nt the tri!es of evi and <en=amin !eca+se he did not like Ging Davids order. ' David had done a !ad thing in Gods sight, so God p+nished 3srael. ( Then David said to God, 3 have done something very foolish. 3 have committed a terri!le sin !y co+nting the 3sraelites. 1ow, 3 !eg yo+ to take the sin away from me, yo+r servant. pag. #''0131#

1 9hronicles 21.)*1# )2 ) Gad was Davids seer. The 5.D said to Gad, Go and tell David: This is what the 5.D says: 3 am going to give yo+ three choices. ;o+ m+st choose one of them. Then 3 will p+nish yo+ the way yo+ choose. 1, 721:)8 11 Then Gad went to David. $e said to David, The 5.D says, David, choose which p+nishment yo+ want: three years witho+t eno+gh food, or three months of r+nning away from yo+r enemies while they +se their swords to chase yo+, or three days of p+nishment from the 5.D. Terri!le sicknesses will spread thro+gh the co+ntry, and the angel of the 5.D will go thro+gh 3srael destroying the people. David, God sent me. 1ow, yo+ m+st decide which answer 3 will give to him. 12 721:118 13 David said to Gad, 3 am in tro+!le" 3 dont want some man to decide my p+nishment. The 5.D is very mercif+l, so let him decide how to p+nish me. 1# So the 5.D sent terri!le sicknesses to 3srael, and ',,,,, people died. 1 9hronicles 21.1%*1( )3 1% God sent an angel to destroy Cer+salem. <+t when the angel started to destroy Cer+salem, the 5.D saw it and felt sorry for all the s+ffering. So he said to the angel who was destroying the people, Stop" That is eno+gh" This happened when the angel of the 5.D was standing at the threshing floor of Ara+nah the Ce!+site. 1& David looked +p and saw the angel of the 5.D in the sky. The angel was holding his sword over the city of Cer+salem. Then David and the elders !owed with their faces to+ching the gro+nd. They were wearing the special clothes to show their sadness. 1' David said to God, 3 am the one who sinned. 3 gave the order for the people to !e co+nted" 3 was wrong. The 3sraelites did not do anything wrong. 5.D my God, p+nish me and my family, !+t stop -asy To .ead /ersion

the terri!le sicknesses that are killing yo+r people. 1( Then the angel of the 5.D spoke to Gad. $e said, Tell David to !+ild an altar to worship the 5.D. David m+st !+ild that altar near the threshing floor of Ara+nah the Ce!+site. 1 9hronicles 21.1)*2# )# 1) Gad told David this, and David went to Ara+nahs threshing floor. 2, Ara+nah was threshing the wheat. $e t+rned aro+nd and saw the angel. $is fo+r sons ran away to hide. 21 David walked +p the hill to Ara+nah. Ara+nah saw him and left the threshing floor. $e walked to David and !owed with his face to the gro+nd in front of him. 22 David said to Ara+nah, Sell me yo+r threshing floor. 3 will pay yo+ the f+ll price. Then 3 can +se the area to !+ild an altar to worship the 5.D. Then the terri!le sicknesses will !e stopped. 23 Ara+nah said to David, Take this threshing floor. ;o+ are my lord and king, so do whatever yo+ want. ook, 3 will also give yo+ cattle for the !+rnt offering. ;o+ can have the wooden threshing tools to !+rn for the fire on the altar. And 3 will give the wheat for the grain offering. 3 will give all this to yo+. 2# <+t Ging David answered Ara+nah, 1o, 3 will pay yo+ the f+ll price. 3 will not take anything that is yo+rs and give it to the 5.D. 3 will not give offerings that cost me nothing. 1 9hronicles 21.2%*22.1 )% 2% So David gave Ara+nah a!o+t 1% po+nds of gold for the place. 2& David !+ilt an altar for worshiping the 5.D there. David offered !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings. $e prayed to the 5.D. The 5.D answered David !y sending fire down from heaven. The fire came down on the altar of !+rnt offering. 2' Then the 5.D commanded the angel to p+t his sword !ack into its sheath. 2( David saw that the 5.D had answered him on the threshing floor of Ara+nah, so David offered sacrifices pag. #'(0131#

there. 2) 7The 5.D@S $oly Tent and the altar of !+rnt offerings were at the high place in the town of Gi!eon. Aoses had made the $oly Tent while the 3sraelites were in the desert. 3, David co+ld not go to the $oly Tent to speak with God !eca+se he was afraid. $e was afraid of the angel of the 5.D and his sword.8 22 1 David said, The Temple of the 5.D God and the altar for !+rning offerings for the 3sraelites will !e !+ilt here. 1 9hronicles 22.2*& )& 2 David gave an order for all foreigners living in 3srael to !e gathered together. $e chose stonec+tters from that gro+p of foreigners. Their =o! was to c+t stones ready to !e +sed for !+ilding Gods Temple. 3 David got iron for making nails and hinges for the gate doors. $e also got more !ronEe than co+ld !e weighed # and more cedar logs than co+ld !e co+nted. The people from the cities of Sidon and Tyre !ro+ght many cedar logs to David. % David said, >e sho+ld !+ild a very great Temple for the 5.D, !+t my son Solomon is yo+ng and does not yet have eno+gh e4perience to know how to do it well. 3t sho+ld !e so great and !ea+tif+l that it will !e famo+s among all the nations. So 3 will prepare what is needed to !+ild it. So !efore David died he prepared everything needed to !+ild a great Temple. & Then David called for his son Solomon and told him to !+ild the Temple for the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1 9hronicles 22.'*12 )' ' David said to Solomon, Ay son, 3 wanted to !+ild a temple for the name of the 5.D my God. ( <+t the 5.D said to me, David, yo+ have fo+ght many wars and yo+ have killed many people. So yo+ cannot !+ild a temple for my name. ) <+t yo+ have a son who is a man of -asy To .ead /ersion

peace. 3 will give yo+r son a time of peace. $is enemies aro+nd him will not !other him. $is name is Solomon. And 3 will give 3srael peace and J+iet d+ring the time that he is king. 1, Solomon will !+ild a temple for my name. $e will !e my son, and 3 will !e his 2ather. 3 will make his kingdom strong, and someone from his family will r+le 3srael forever" 11 David also said, 1ow, son, may the 5.D !e with yo+. Aay yo+ !e s+ccessf+l and !+ild the Temple for the 5.D yo+r God, as he said yo+ wo+ld. 12 $e will make yo+ the king of 3srael. Aay the 5.D give yo+ wisdom and +nderstanding so that yo+ can lead the people and o!ey the law of the 5.D yo+r God. 1 9hronicles 22.13*1( )( 13 And yo+ will have s+ccess, if yo+ are caref+l to o!ey the r+les and laws that the 5.D gave Aoses for 3srael. <e strong and !rave. Dont !e afraid. 1# Solomon, 3 have worked hard making plans for !+ilding the 5.D@S Temple. 3 have given 3'%, tons of gold and a!o+t 3',%,, tons of silver. 3 have given so m+ch !ronEe and iron that it cannot !e weighed. And 3 have given wood and stone. Solomon, yo+ can add to them. 1% ;o+ have many stonec+tters and carpenters. ;o+ have men skilled in every kind of work. 1& They are skilled in working with gold, silver, !ronEe, and iron. ;o+ have more skilled workers than can !e co+nted. 1ow !egin the work. And may the 5.D !e with yo+. 1' Then David ordered all the leaders of 3srael to help his son Solomon. 1( David said to these leaders, The 5.D yo+r God is with yo+. $e has given yo+ a time of peace. $e helped me defeat the people living aro+nd +s. The 5.D and his people are now in control of this land. 1 9hronicles 22.1)*23.' )) 1) 1ow give yo+r heart and so+l to the 5.D yo+r God, and do what he pag. #')0131#

says. <+ild the holy place of the 5.D God. Then !ring the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement and all the other holy things into the Temple !+ilt for the 5.D@S name. 23 1 David !ecame an old man, so he made his son Solomon the new king of 3srael. 2 David gathered all the leaders of 3srael and also the priests and evites. 3 David co+nted the evites who were 3, years old and older. All together there were 3(,,,, evites. # David said, 2#,,,, will s+pervise the work of !+ilding the 5.D@S Temple. &,,, will !e co+rt officers and =+dges. % #,,, will !e gatekeepers, and #,,, will !e m+sicians. 3 made special m+sical instr+ments for them. They will +se them to praise the 5.D. & David separated the evites into three gro+ps. They were the tri!es of evis three sons, Gershon, Gohath, and Aerari. ' 2rom the tri!e of Gershon there were adan and Shimei. 1 9hronicles 23.(*1% 1,, ( adan had three sons. $is oldest son was Cehiel. $is other sons were Bethan and Coel. ) Shimeis sons were Shelomoth, $aEiel, and $aran. These three sons were leaders in adans families. 1, Shimei had fo+r sons. They were Cahath, BiEa, Ce+sh, and <eriah. 11 Cahath was the oldest son and BiEa was the second son. <+t Ce+sh and <eriah did not have many children. So Ce+sh and <eriah were co+nted like one family. 12 Gohath had fo+r sons. They were Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel. 13 Amrams sons were Aaron and Aoses. Aaron was chosen for a special work. $e and his descendants were chosen to always !e the ones to do this special workto prepare the holy things for the Temple service. They were the ones to !+rn the incense !efore the 5.D, to serve him as priests and give !lessings to the people in his name forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# Aoses was the man of God, and his sons were part of the tri!e of evi. 1% Aoses sons were Gershom and -lieEer. 1 9hronicles 23.1&*2% 1,1 1& Gershoms oldest son was Sh+!ael. 1' -lieEers oldest son was .eha!iah. -lieEer had no other sons. <+t .eha!iah had very many sons. 1( 3Ehars oldest son was Shelomith. 1) $e!rons oldest son was Ceriah. $e!rons second son was Amariah. CahaEiel was the third son, and Cekameam was the fo+rth son. 2, HEEiels oldest son was Aicah, and 3sshiah was his second son. 21 Aeraris sons were Aahli and A+shi. Aahlis sons were -leaEar and Gish. 22 -leaEar died witho+t having sons. $e only had da+ghters. -leaEars da+ghters married their own relatives. Their relatives were Gishs sons. 23 A+shis sons were Aahli, -der, and Ceremoth. There were three sons in all. 2# These were evis descendants. They were listed !y their families. They were the leaders of families. -ach persons name was listed. The people who were listed were 2, years old or older. They served in the 5.D@S Temple. 2% David had said, The 5.D, the God of 3srael, has given peace to his people. 1 9hronicles 23.2&*3, 1,2 And he has come to live in Cer+salem forever. 2& So the evites dont need to carry the $oly Tent or any of the things +sed in its services anymore. 2' Davids last instr+ctions for the 3sraelites were to co+nt the descendants from the tri!e of evi. They co+nted the evite men who were 2, years old and older. 2( The evites had the =o! of helping Aarons descendants in the service of the 5.D@S Temple. They also took care of the Temple co+rtyard and the side rooms in the Temple. And they made s+re all the holy things were kept p+re. 3t was their =o! to serve in Gods Temple. pag. #(,0131#

2) They were responsi!le for p+tting the special !read on the ta!le in the Temple and for the flo+r, the grain offerings, and the !read made witho+t yeast. They were also responsi!le for the !aking pans and the mi4ed offerings. They did all the meas+ring. 3, The evites stood every morning and gave thanks and praise to the 5.D. They also did this every evening. 1 9hronicles 23.31*2#.3 1,3 31 The evites prepared all the !+rnt offerings to the 5.D on the Sa!!ath days, d+ring 1ew Aoon cele!rations, and on the other special meeting days. They served !efore the 5.D every day. There were special r+les for how many evites sho+ld serve each time. 32 So the evites did everything that they were s+pposed to do. They took care of the $oly Tent and the $oly 6lace. And they helped their relatives, the priests, Aarons descendants, with the services at the 5.D@S Temple. 24 1 These were the gro+ps of Aarons sons: Aarons sons were 1ada!, A!ih+, -leaEar, and 3thamar. 2 <+t 1ada! and A!ih+ died !efore their father did. 1ada! and A!ih+ had no sons, so -leaEar and 3thamar served as the priests. 3 David separated the tri!es of -leaEar and 3thamar into two different gro+ps. $e did this so that these gro+ps co+ld do the d+ties of work they were given to do. David did this with the help of Badok and Ahimelech. Badok was a descendant of -leaEar, and Ahimelech was a descendant of 3thamar. 1 9hronicles 2#.#*' 1,# # There were more leaders from -leaEars family than from 3thamars. There were 1& leaders from -leaEars family and there were eight leaders from 3thamars family. % Aen were chosen from each family. They were chosen !y throwing lots. Some of the men were chosen to !e in charge of the $oly 6lace. And other men were chosen to serve as priests. -asy To .ead /ersion

All these men were from the families of -leaEar and 3thamar. & Shemaiah was the secretary. $e was 1ethanels son. Shemaiah was from the tri!e of evi. Shemaiah wrote the names of those descendants. $e wrote their names in front of Ging David and these leaders: Badok the priest, Ahimelech, and the leaders from the families of the priests and of the evites. Ahimelech was A!iathars son. -ach time they threw the lots a man was chosen, and Shemaiah wrote down that mans name. So they divided the work among gro+ps of men from the families of -leaEar and 3thamar. ' The first was Cehoiari!s gro+p. The second was Cedaiahs gro+p. 1 9hronicles 2#.(*1) 1,% ( The third was $arims gro+p. The fo+rth was Seorims gro+p. ) The fifth was Aalki=ahs gro+p. The si4th was Ai=amins gro+p. 1, The seventh was $akkoEs gro+p. The eighth was A!i=ahs gro+p. 11 The ninth was Cesh+as gro+p. The tenth was Shecaniahs gro+p. 12 The eleventh was -liashi!s gro+p. The twelfth was Cakims gro+p. 13 The thirteenth was $+ppahs gro+p. The fo+rteenth was Ceshe!ea!s gro+p. 1# The fifteenth was <ilgahs gro+p. The si4teenth was 3mmers gro+p. 1% The seventeenth was $eEirs gro+p. The eighteenth was $appiEEeEs gro+p. 1& The nineteenth was 6ethahiahs gro+p. The twentieth was CeheEkels gro+p. 1' The twentyDfirst was Cakins gro+p. The twentyDsecond was Gam+ls gro+p. 1( The twentyDthird was Delaiahs gro+p. The twentyDfo+rth was AaaEiahs gro+p. 1) These were the gro+ps chosen to serve in the 5.D@S Temple. They o!eyed Aarons r+les for serving in the Temple. The 5.D, the God of 3srael, had given them to Aaron. 1 9hronicles 2#.2,*3, 1,& 2, These are the names of the rest of evis descendants: Sh+!ael was a descendant of Amram. Cehdeiah was a pag. #(10131#

descendant of Sh+!ael. 21 3sshiah was the oldest son of .eha!iah. 22 2rom the 3Ehar family gro+p there was Shelomoth. Cahath was a descendant of Shelomoth. 23 Ceriah was the oldest son of $e!ron. Amariah was $e!rons second son. CahaEiel was his third son, and Cekameam was his fo+rth son. 2# HEEiels son was Aicah. Aicahs son was Shamir. 2% 3sshiah was Aicahs !rother. 3sshiahs son was Bechariah. 2& Aeraris descendants were Aahli, A+shi, and CaaEiah his son. 2' CaaEiah son of Aerari had sons named Shoham, Bacc+r, and 3!ri. 2( Aahlis son was -leaEar, !+t -leaEar did not have sons. 2) Gishs son was Cerahmeel. 3, A+shis sons were Aahli, -der, and Cerimoth. These are the leaders of the evite families. They are listed !y their families. 1 9hronicles 2#.31*2%.# 1,' 31 They were chosen for special =o!s !y throwing lots, like their relatives, the priests. The priests were Aarons descendants. They threw lots in front of Ging David, Badok, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priests and evite families. The older families and the yo+nger families were treated the same when their =o!s were chosen. 25 1 David and the leaders of the army separated the sons of Asaph, $eman, and Ced+th+n for special service. Their special service was to prophesy Gods message with harps, lyres, and cym!als. $ere is a list of the men who served this way: 2 2rom Asaphs family: Bacc+r, Coseph, 1ethaniah, and Asarelah. Ging David chose Asaph to prophesy. And Asaph led his sons. 3 2rom Ced+th+ns family: Gedaliah, Beri, Ceshaiah, Shimei, $asha!iah, and Aattithiah. There were si4 of them. Ced+th+n led his sons. Ced+th+n +sed -asy To .ead /ersion

harps to prophesy and give thanks and praise to the 5.D. # $emans sons who served were <+kkiah, Aattaniah, HEEiel, Sh+!ael, 1 9hronicles 2%.%*) 1,( and CerimothF $ananiah, $anani, -liathah, Giddalti, and .omamti -EerF Cosh!ekashah, Aallothi, $othir, and AahaEioth. % All these men were $emans sons. $eman was Davids seer. God promised to make $eman strong. So $eman had many sons. God gave $eman fo+rteen sons and three da+ghters. & $eman led all his sons in singing in the 5.D@S temple. $is sons +sed cym!als, lyres, and harps. That was their way of serving in Gods temple. Ging David chose these men. ' These men and their relatives from the tri!e of evi were trained to sing. There were 2(( men who learned to sing praises to the 5.D. ( They threw lots to choose the different kinds of work each person was to do. -veryone was treated the same. ;o+ng and old were treated the same. And the teacher was treated the same as the st+dent. ) The first one chosen was Asaph 7Coseph8. Second, there were 12 men chosen from Gedaliahs sons and relatives. 1 9hronicles 2%.1,*22 1,) 1, Third, there were 12 men chosen from Bacc+rs sons and relatives. 11 2o+rth, there were 12 men chosen from 3Eris sons and relatives. 12 2ifth, there were 12 men chosen from 1ethaniahs sons and relatives. 13 Si4th, there were 12 men chosen from <+kkiahs sons and relatives. 1# Seventh, there were 12 men chosen from Asarelahs sons and relatives. 1% -ighth, there were 12 men chosen from Ceshaiahs sons and relatives. 1& 1inth, there were 12 men chosen from Aattaniahs sons and relatives. 1' Tenth, there were 12 men chosen from Shimeis sons and relatives. pag. #(20131#

1( -leventh, there were 12 men chosen from AEarels sons and relatives. 1) Twelfth, there were 12 men chosen from $asha!iahs sons and relatives. 2, Thirteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Sh+!aels sons and relatives. 21 2o+rteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Aattithiahs sons and relatives. 22 2ifteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Ceremoths sons and relatives. 1 9hronicles 2%.23*2&.2 11, 23 Si4teenth, there were 12 men chosen from $ananiahs sons and relatives. 2# Seventeenth, there were 12 men chosen from Cosh!ekashahs sons and relatives. 2% -ighteenth, there were 12 men chosen from $ananis sons and relatives. 2& 1ineteenth, there were 12 men chosen from Aallothis sons and relatives. 2' Twentieth, there were 12 men chosen from -liathahs sons and relatives. 2( TwentyDfirst, there were 12 men chosen from $othirs sons and relatives. 2) TwentyDsecond, there were 12 men chosen from Giddaltis sons and relatives. 3, TwentyDthird, there were 12 men chosen from AahaEioths sons and relatives. 31 TwentyDfo+rth, there were 12 men chosen from .omamti -Eers sons and relatives. 26 1 These are the gro+ps of the gatekeepers from the Gorah family: Aeshelemiah was the son of Gore, who was from the family of Asaph. 2 These were Aeshelemiahs sons: Bechariah was the oldest son, and 1 9hronicles 2&.3*1, 111 Cediael was the second. Be!adiah was the third, Cathniel the fo+rth, 3 -lam the fifth, Cehohanan the si4th, and -liehoenai the seventh son. # These were 5!ed -doms sons: $is oldest son was Shemaiah. CehoEa!ad was his second son, Coah his third, Sacar his fo+rth, 1ethanel his fifth, % Ammiel his si4th, 3ssachar his seventh, -asy To .ead /ersion

and 6e+llethai his eighth son. God really !lessed 5!ed -dom. & 5!ed -doms son Shemaiah also had sons. $is sons were leaders in their fathers family !eca+se they were !rave soldiers. ' Shemaiahs sons were 5thni, .ephael, 5!ed, -lEa!ad, -lih+, and Semakiah. -lEa!ads relatives were skilled workers. ( All these men were 5!ed -doms descendants. >ith their sons and relatives there were &2 of them, all powerf+l men and good g+ards. ) Aeshelemiahs sons and relatives were also powerf+l men. 3n all there were 1( of them. 1, These are the gatekeepers from the Aerari family: $osah, son of Aerari, 1 9hronicles 2&.11*1& 112 chose his son Shimri to !e the leader, even tho+gh he was not the oldest son. 11 $ilkiah was $osahs second son, Te!aliah his third, and Bechariah his fo+rth son. 3n all $osah had 13 sons and relatives who were gatekeepers. 12 These were the leaders of the gro+ps of the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers had a special way to serve in the 5.D@S Temple, =+st as their relatives did. 13 -ach family was given a gate to g+ard. ots were thrown to choose a gate for a family. ;o+ng and old were treated the same. 1# Aeshelemiah was chosen to g+ard the -ast Gate. Then lots were thrown for Aeshelemiahs son Bechariah. Bechariah was a wise co+nselor. Bechariah was chosen for the 1orth Gate. 1% 5!ed -dom was chosen for the So+th Gate. And 5!ed -doms sons were chosen to g+ard the ho+se where the val+a!le things were kept. 1& Sh+ppim and $osah were chosen for the >est Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the +pper road. G+ards stood side !y side. 1 9hronicles 2&.1'*23 113 1' Si4 evites stood g+ard every day at the -ast Gate. 2o+r evites stood g+ard every day at the 1orth Gate. 2o+r evites pag. #(30131#

stood g+ard at the So+th Gate. And two evites g+arded the ho+se where the val+a!le things were kept. 1( There were fo+r g+ards at the western co+rt and two g+ards on the road to the co+rt. 1) These were the gro+ps of the gatekeepers from the families of Gorah and Aerari. 2, Ahi=ah was from the tri!e of evi. Ahi=ah was responsi!le for taking care of the val+a!le things in Gods Temple. Ahi=ah also was responsi!le for the places where the holy things were kept. 21 adan was from Gershons family. Cehieli was one of the leaders of the tri!e of adan. 22 Cehielis sons were Betham and Bethams !rother Coel. They were responsi!le for the val+a!le things in the 5.D@S Temple. 23 5ther leaders were chosen from the tri!es of Amram, 3Ehar, $e!ron, and HEEiel. 1 9hronicles 2&.2#*2) 11# 2# Sh+!ael was the leader responsi!le for the val+a!le things kept in the Temple. Sh+!ael was Gershoms son. Gershom was Aoses son. 2% These were Sh+!aels relatives: $is relatives from -lieEer were .eha!iah, -lieEers sonF Ceshaiah, .eha!iahs sonF Coram, Ceshaiahs sonF Bicri, Corams sonF and Shelomith, Bicris son. 2& Shelomith and his relatives were responsi!le for everything that David had collected for the Temple. The officers of the army also gave things for the Temple. 2' They gave some of the things taken in wars. They gave these things to !e +sed for the 5.D@S Temple. 2( Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the things that people gave to !e +sed for the Temple. This incl+ded the things given !y Sam+el the seer, Sa+l son of Gish, A!ner son of 1er, and Coa! son of Ber+iah. 2) Genaniah was from the 3Ehar family. Genaniah and his sons had work o+tside -asy To .ead /ersion

the Temple. They worked as co+rt officers and =+dges in different places in 3srael. 1 9hronicles 2&.3,*2'.1 11% 3, $asha!iah was from the $e!ron family. $asha!iah and his relatives were responsi!le for all the 5.D@S work and for the kings !+siness in 3srael west of the Cordan .iver. There were 1',, powerf+l men in $asha!iahs gro+p. 31 The family history of the $e!ron family shows that Ceriah was their leader. >hen David had !een king for #, years, he ordered his people to search thro+gh the family histories for strong and skilled men. Some of them were fo+nd among the $e!ron family living in the town of CaEer in Gilead. 32 Ceriah had 2',, relatives who were powerf+l men and leaders of families. Ging David gave these 2',, relatives the responsi!ility of leading the tri!es of .e+!en, Gad, and half of Aanasseh in taking care of Gods work and the kings !+siness. 27 1 This is the list of the 3sraelites who served the king in the army. -ach gro+p was on d+ty one month each year. There were r+lers of families, captains, generals, and the co+rt officers who served the king. -ach army gro+p had 2#,,,, men. 1 9hronicles 2'.2*( 11& 2 Casho!eam son of Ba!diel was in charge of the first gro+p for the first month. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 3 Casho!eam was a descendant of 6ereE and was the leader of all the army officers for the first month. # Dodai, from the Ahoahites, was in charge of the army gro+p for the second month. Aikloth was a leader in this gro+p, which also had 2#,,,, men. % The third commander, for the third month, was <enaiah son of Cehoiada, the leading priest. There were 2#,,,, men in the gro+p <enaiah led. & $e was the same <enaiah who was a !rave soldier from the Thirty $eroes. pag. #(#0131#

$e was their leader. $is son AmmiEa!ad was in charge of his gro+p. ' The fo+rth commander, for the fo+rth month, was Asahel the !rother of Coa!. ater, his son Be!adiah took his place as commander. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. ( The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamh+th from 3Erahs family. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 1 9hronicles 2'.)*1% 11' ) The si4th commander, for the si4th month, was 3ra son of 3kkesh from the town of Tekoa. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 1, The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was $eleE from the 6elonites and a descendant of -phraim. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Si!!ecai from $+shah and from Berahs family. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was A!ieEer from the town of Anathoth and the tri!e of <en=amin. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Aaharai from 1etophah and from Berahs family. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 1# The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was <enaiah from 6irathon and the tri!e of -phraim. There were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 1% The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was $eldai from 1etophah and from 5thniels family. And there were 2#,,,, men in this gro+p. 1 9hronicles 2'.1&*23 11( 1& These were the leaders of the tri!es of 3srael: -lieEer son of Bicri, leader of the tri!e of .e+!enF Shephatiah son of Aaacah, leader of the tri!e of SimeonF 1' $asha!iah son of Gem+el, leader of the tri!e of eviF Badok, leader of the people of AaronF 1( -lih+, one of Davids !rothers, leader of the tri!e of C+dahF 5mri son of -asy To .ead /ersion

Aichael, leader of the tri!e of 3ssacharF 1) 3shmaiah son of 5!adiah, leader of the tri!e of Be!+l+nF Ceremoth son of AEriel, leader of the tri!e of 1aphtaliF 2, $oshea son of AEaEiah, leader of the tri!e of -phraimF Coel son of 6edaiah, leader of >est AanassehF 21 3ddo son of Bechariah, leader of -ast AanassehF Caasiel son of A!ner, leader of the tri!e of <en=aminF 22 AEarel son of Ceroham, leader of the tri!e of Dan. 23 David decided to co+nt the men in 3srael. There were very many people !eca+se the 5.D had promised to make the 3sraelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David co+nted only the men who were 2, years old and older. 1 9hronicles 2'.2#*2) 11) 2# Coa! son of Ber+iah !egan to co+nt the people, !+t he did not finish. God !ecame angry with the 3sraelites. That is why the n+m!er of the people was not p+t in the !ook, The $istory of Ging David. 2% This is the list of men who were responsi!le for the kings property: AEmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the kings storerooms. Conathan son of HEEiah was in charge of the storerooms in the small towns, villages, fields, and towers. 2& -Eri son of Gel+! was in charge of the field workers. 2' Shimei from .amah was in charge of the vineyards. Ba!di from Shepham was in charge of the storage and care of the wine that came from the vineyards. 2( <aal $anan from Geder was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hill co+ntry. Coash was in charge of storing the olive oil. 2) Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle aro+nd Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys. 1 9hronicles 2'.3,*2(.1 12, 3, 5!il the 3shmaelite was in charge of the camels. Cehdeiah the Aeronothite was in charge of the donkeys. pag. #(%0131#

31 CaEiE the $agrite was in charge of the sheep. All these men were the leaders who took care of Ging Davids property. 32 Conathan was a wise co+nselor and a scri!e. $e was Davids +ncle. Cehiel son of $acmoni took care of the kings sons. 33 Ahithophel was the kings co+nselor. $+shai was the kings friend. $+shai was from the Arkites. 3# Cehoiada and A!iathar later took Ahithophels place as the kings co+nselor. Cehoiada was <enaiahs son. Coa! was the commander of the kings army. 28 1 David gathered all the leaders of the 3sraelites and commanded them to come to Cer+salem. David called all the leaders of the tri!es, the commanders of the army gro+ps serving the king, the captains, the generals, the officials taking care of the property and animals that !elonged to the king and his sons, the kings important officials, the powerf+l heroes, and all the !rave soldiers. 1 9hronicles 2(.2*& 121 2 Ging David stood +p and said, isten to me, my !rothers and my people. 3n my heart 3 wanted to !+ild a place to keep the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. 3 wanted to !+ild a place that wo+ld !e Gods footstool. And 3 made the plans for !+ilding that ho+se for God. 3 <+t God said to me, 1o David, yo+ m+st not !+ild a ho+se for my name. ;o+ m+st not do that !eca+se yo+ are a soldier, and yo+ have killed many men. # The 5.D, the God of 3srael, chose the tri!e of C+dah to lead the twelve tri!es of 3srael. Then from that tri!e he chose my fathers family. And from that family he chose me to !e the king of 3srael forever. ;es, God wanted to make me king of 3srael. % The 5.D has given me many sons. And from all those sons, he chose Solomon to !e the new king of 3srael. <+t really, 3srael is the 5.D@S kingdom. & $e said to me, David, yo+r son Solomon will !+ild my Temple and the area aro+nd it, !eca+se 3 have chosen -asy To .ead /ersion

Solomon to !e my son, and 3 will !e his father. 1 9hronicles 2(.'*11 122 ' Solomon is o!eying my laws and commands now. 3f he contin+es to o!ey my laws, 3 will make Solomons kingdom strong forever. ( David said, 1ow, in front of all 3srael, the 5.D@S people, and !efore God, 3 tell yo+ these things: <e caref+l to o!ey all the commands of the 5.D yo+r God. Then yo+ can keep this good land and pass it on to yo+r descendants forever. ) And yo+, my son Solomon, know the God of yo+r father. Serve God with a p+re heart. <e happy to serve him, !eca+se the 5.D knows what is in everyones heart. $e knows what yo+ are thinking. 3f yo+ go to him for help, yo+ will get an answer. <+t if yo+ t+rn away from him, he will leave yo+ forever. 1, Solomon, yo+ m+st +nderstand that the 5.D has chosen yo+ to !+ild his holy placethe Temple. <e strong and finish the =o!. 11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for !+ilding the Temple. They incl+ded plans for the porch aro+nd the Temple, its !+ildings, its storerooms, its +pper rooms, its inside rooms, and the room for the mercyDcover. 1 9hronicles 2(.12*1& 123 12 David had made plans for all parts of the Temple. $e gave them to Solomon. David gave him all the plans for the co+rtyard aro+nd the 5.D@S Temple and for all the rooms aro+nd it. $e gave him the plans for the Temple storerooms and for the storerooms where they kept the holy things +sed in the Temple. 13 David told Solomon a!o+t the gro+ps of the priests and evites. $e told Solomon a!o+t all the work of serving in the 5.D@S Temple and a!o+t all the things to !e +sed in the Temple service. 1# David told Solomon how m+ch gold and silver sho+ld !e +sed to make all the things to !e +sed in the Temple. 1% There were plans for gold lamps and lampstands, and there were plans for pag. #(&0131#

silver lamps and lampstands. David told Solomon how m+ch gold or silver to +se for each lampstand and its lamps. The different lampstands were to !e +sed where needed. 1& David told him how m+ch gold sho+ld !e +sed for each ta!le for the holy !read and how m+ch silver sho+ld !e +sed for the silver ta!les. 1 9hronicles 2(.1'*21 12# 1' $e told Solomon how m+ch p+re gold sho+ld !e +sed to make the forks, sprinkling !owls, and pitchers. $e told him how m+ch gold sho+ld !e +sed to make each gold dish and how m+ch silver sho+ld !e +sed to make each silver dish. 1( $e told him how m+ch p+re gold sho+ld !e +sed for the altar of incense. David also gave Solomon the plans for Gods chariotthe mercyDcover with the 9her+! angels spreading their wings over the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. The 9her+! angels were made of gold. 1) David said, All these plans were written with the 5.D g+iding me. $e helped me +nderstand everything in the plans. 2, David also said to his son Solomon, <e strong and !rave and finish this work. Dont !e afraid, !eca+se the 5.D God, my God, is with yo+. $e will help yo+ +ntil all the work is finished. $e will not leave yo+. ;o+ will !+ild the 5.D@S Temple. 21 The gro+ps of the priests and evites are ready for all the work on Gods Temple. -very skilled worker is ready to 1 9hronicles 2).1*3 12% help yo+ with all the work. The officials and all the people will o!ey every command yo+ give. 29 1 Ging David said to all the 3sraelites who were gathered together, God chose my son Solomon. Solomon is yo+ng and does not know all that he needs to do this work. <+t the work is very important. This ho+se is not for peopleF this ho+se is for the 5.D God. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 3 have done my !est to provide what is needed for the !+ilding of my Gods Temple. 3 have given gold for the things made of gold. 3 have given silver for the things made of silver. 3 have given !ronEe for the things made of !ronEe. 3 have given iron for the things made of iron. 3 have given wood for the things made of wood. 3 have also given ony4 stones for the settings, mosaic tiles, all kinds of val+a!le stones in many different colors, and white mar!le stones. 3 3 am making a special gift of gold and silver things for my Gods Temple. 3 am doing this !eca+se 3 really want the Temple of my God to !e !+ilt. 3 am 1 9hronicles 2).#*) 12& giving all these things to !+ild this holy Temple. # 3 have given 11, tons of p+re gold from 5phir. 3 have given 2&3 tons of p+re silver. The silver is for covering the walls of the !+ildings in the Temple. % 3 have given gold and silver for all the things made of gold and silver. 3 have given gold and silver so that skilled men can make all different kinds of things for the Temple. 1ow, how many of yo+ 3sraelites are ready to give yo+rselves to the 5.D today? & The family leaders, the leaders of the tri!es of 3srael, the generals, the captains, and the officials responsi!le for the kings work, were all ready and gave their val+a!le things. ' These are the things they gave for Gods ho+se: 1), tons of goldF 3'% tons of silverF &'% tons of !ronEeF and 3'%, tons of iron. ( 6eople who had val+a!le stones gave them to the 5.D@S Temple. Cehiel took care of the val+a!le stones. $e was from the Gershon family. ) The people were very happy !eca+se their leaders were willing to give so 1 9hronicles 2).1,*1% 12' m+ch. The leaders had given freely to the 5.D from good hearts. Ging David was also very happy. pag. #('0131#

1, Then David praised the 5.D in front of all the people who were gathered together. David said, 5.D, the God of 3srael, o+r 2ather, may yo+ !e praised forever and ever" 11 Greatness, power, glory, victory, and honor !elong to yo+, !eca+se everything in heaven and on earth !elongs to yo+" The kingdom !elongs to yo+, 5.D" ;o+ are the head, the .+ler over everything. 12 .iches and honor come from yo+. ;o+ r+le everything. ;o+ have the power and strength in yo+r hand" And in yo+r hand is the power to make anyone great and powerf+l" 13 1ow, o+r God, we thank yo+, and we praise yo+r glorio+s name" 1# All these things didnt come from me and my people. All these things come from yo+. >e are only giving !ack to yo+ things that came from yo+. 1% >e are only strangers traveling thro+gh this world like o+r ancestors. 5+r time on earth is like a passing shadow, and we cannot stop it. 1 9hronicles 2).1&*2, 12( 1& 5.D o+r God, we gathered all these things to !+ild yo+r Temple. >e !+ild it to honor yo+r name. <+t all these things have come from yo+. -verything !elongs to yo+. 1' Ay God, 3 know that yo+ test people, and that yo+ are happy when people do what is right. 3 gladly give yo+ all these things with a p+re, honest heart. 3 see yo+r people gathered here, and 3 see that they are happy a!o+t giving these things to yo+. 1( 5.D, yo+ are the God of o+r ancestors, A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. 6lease help yo+r people plan the right things. $elp them !e loyal and tr+e to yo+. 1) And help my son Solomon !e tr+e to yo+. $elp him always o!ey yo+r commands, laws, and r+les. $elp Solomon do these things. And help him !+ild this Temple that 3 have planned. 2, Then David said to all the gro+p of people gathered together, 1ow give -asy To .ead /ersion

praise to the 5.D yo+r God. So all the people gave praise to the 5.D God, the God their ancestors worshiped. They 1 9hronicles 2).21*2% 12) !owed to the gro+nd to give honor to the 5.D and to the king. 21 The ne4t day the people offered sacrifices and !+rnt offerings to the 5.D1,,, !+lls, 1,,, rams, 1,,, lam!s, and the drink offerings that go with them. They offered these and many other sacrifices to the 5.D for all the 3sraelites. 22 That day the people were very happy as they ate and drank there together with the 5.D. And they made Davids son Solomon king the second time. They anointed Solomon to !e king, and they anointed Badok to !e priest. They did this in the place where the 5.D was. 23 Then Solomon sat on the 5.D@S throne as king. Solomon took his fathers place. $e was very s+ccessf+l. All the 3sraelites o!eyed him. 2# All the leaders, soldiers, and all of Ging Davids sons accepted Solomon as king and o!eyed him. 2% The 5.D made Solomon very great. All the 3sraelites knew that the ord was making him great. $e gave Solomon the honor that a king sho+ld have. 1o king in 3srael !efore Solomon had s+ch honor. 1 9hronicles 2).2&*3, 13, 2& David son of Cesse was king over all 3srael for #, years. $e was king in the city of $e!ron for seven years. Then he was king in the city of Cer+salem for 33 years. 2' 72):2&8 2( David died when he was old. $e had lived a good, long life and had many riches and honors. $is son Solomon !ecame the new king after him. 2) The things that Ging David did, from !eginning to end, are in the !ooks written !y Sam+el the seer, 1athan the prophet, and Gad the seer. 3, Those writings tell all a!o+t what David did as king of 3srael. They tell a!o+t Davids power and what happened pag. #((0131#

to him and to 3srael and to all the kingdoms aro+nd them. 2 +'roni"les 1 1 Solomon, the son of David, !ecame a very strong king, !eca+se the 5.D his God was with him and made him very great. 2 The people of 3srael and the captains, generals, =+dges, leaders, and heads of the families were all gathered together. Solomon spoke to them, and then they all went to the high place at Gi!eon. They went there !eca+se Gods Aeeting Tent was there. The 5.D@S servant Aoses made this tent when he and the 3sraelites were in the desert. 3 71:28 # David had carried Gods <o4 of the Agreement from Giriath Cearim to Cer+salem where he had set +p another tent for it. % <+t the !ronEe altar that <eEalel son of Hri, who was the son of $+r, had made was in front of the $oly Tent at Gi!eon. So Solomon and the people went there to ask the 5.D for advice. 2 9hronicles 1.&*12 2 & Solomon went +p to the !ronEe altar !efore the 5.D at the Aeeting Tent and offered a tho+sand !+rnt offerings on it. ' That night God came to Solomon and said, Ask me for whatever yo+ want me to give yo+. ( Solomon said to God, ;o+ were very kind to my father David when yo+ allowed me to r+le on his throne after him. ) 1ow, 5.D God, contin+e to keep yo+r promise to my father David. ;o+ made me king over so many people that they are like the d+st of the earth. 1, 1ow give me wisdom and knowledge so that 3 can lead these people in the right way. 1o one co+ld r+le this great nation witho+t yo+r help. 11 God said to Solomon, ;o+ have the right attit+de. ;o+ did not ask for long life and riches for yo+rself. ;o+ did not ask for the death of yo+r enemies. ;o+ asked for the wisdom and knowledge so -asy To .ead /ersion

that yo+ can make the right decisions. 12 So 3 will give yo+ wisdom and knowledge, !+t 3 will also give yo+ wealth, riches, and honor. 1o king who lived !efore yo+ has ever had so m+ch 2 9hronicles 1.13*2.1 3 wealth and honor, and no king in the f+t+re will have as m+ch wealth and honor. 13 Solomon left the Aeeting Tent that was at the high place in Gi!eon and went !ack to Cer+salem to r+le as the king of 3srael. 1# Solomon started gathering horses and chariots for his army. $e had 1#,, chariots and 12,,,, horse soldiers. $e kept them in the chariot cities and in Cer+salem where he lived. 1% 3n Cer+salem, Solomon gathered so m+ch gold and silver that it was as common as rocks. $e gathered so m+ch cedar wood that it was as common as sycamore trees in the western hill co+ntry. 1& Solomon imported horses from -gypt and G+e. $is merchants !o+ght the horses in G+e for a set price. 1' They also !o+ght chariots from -gypt for &,, shekels of silver each and horses for 1%, shekels of silver each. They then sold the horses and chariots to the kings of the $ittites and Arameans. 2 1 Solomon planned to !+ild a Temple to give honor to the 5.D@S name. 2 9hronicles 2.2*& # $e also planned to !+ild a palace for himself. 2 $e got ',,,,, la!orers and (,,,,, stonemasons to c+t stones in the mo+ntains. $e chose 3&,, foremen to s+pervise the workers. 3 Then Solomon sent this message to Ging $iram of Tyre: $elp me as yo+ helped my father David. ;o+ sent him cedar logs so that he co+ld !+ild a palace for himself to live in. # 3 will !+ild a Temple to honor the name of the 5.D my God. At the Temple we will !+rn incense in front of him, and we will always p+t the holy !read on pag. #()0131#

the special ta!le. >e will offer !+rnt offerings every morning and evening, on the Sa!!ath days, d+ring 1ew Aoon cele!rations, and on the other special meeting days that the 5.D o+r God has commanded +s to cele!rate. This is a r+le for the people of 3srael to o!ey forever. % 3 will !+ild a great temple !eca+se o+r God is greater than all the other gods. & 1o one can really !+ild a ho+se to p+t o+r God in. The whole sky and the highest heaven cannot contain o+r God, 2 9hronicles 2.'*11 % so 3 cannot !+ild a temple to p+t him in. 3 can only !+ild a place to !+rn incense to honor him. ' 1ow 3 wo+ld like yo+ to send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, !ronEe, and iron. $e m+st know how to work with p+rple, red, and !l+e cloth. $e will work here in C+dah and Cer+salem with the craftsmen my father chose. ( Also send me wood from cedar trees, pine trees, and alg+m trees from the co+ntry of e!anon. 3 know yo+r servants are e4perienced at c+tting down trees from e!anon. Ay servants will help yo+r servants. ) 3 will need lots of wood !eca+se the Temple 3 am !+ilding will !e very large and !ea+tif+l. 1, This is what 3 will pay for yo+r servants to c+t down the trees for wood. 3 will give them 12%,,,, !+shels of wheat for food, 12%,,,, !+shels of !arley, 11%,,,, gallons of wine, and 11%,,,, gallons of oil. 11 Then $iram answered Solomon and sent this message to him: Solomon, the 2 9hronicles 2.12*1& & 5.D loves his people. That is why he chose yo+ to !e their king. 12 $iram also said, 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael" $e made heaven and earth. $e gave a wise son to Ging David. Solomon, yo+ have wisdom and +nderstanding. ;o+ are !+ilding a Temple for the 5.D. ;o+ are also !+ilding a -asy To .ead /ersion

palace for yo+rself. 13 3 will send yo+ a skilled craftsman named $+ram A!i. 1# $is mother was from the tri!e of Dan, and his father was from the city of Tyre. $+ram A!i has skill in working with gold, silver, !ronEe, iron, stone, and wood. $e also has skill in working with p+rple, !l+e, and red cloth and e4pensive linen. $+ram A!i can design and !+ild anything yo+ tell him. $e will work with yo+r craftsmen and with the craftsmen of yo+r father Ging David. 1% 1ow, sir, yo+ offered to give +s wheat, !arley, oil, and wine. Give them to my servants, 1& and we will c+t as m+ch wood as yo+ need from e!anon. >e will tie the logs together and float them !y sea to the 2 9hronicles 2.1'*3.# ' town of Coppa. Then yo+ can carry the wood to Cer+salem. 1' So Solomon co+nted all the foreigners living in 3srael. 7This was after the time when his father David co+nted the people.8 They fo+nd 1%3,&,, strangers in the co+ntry. 1( Solomon chose ',,,,, men to carry the stones, (,,,,, men to c+t the stone in the mo+ntains, and 3&,, men to s+pervise the workers. 3 1 Solomon !egan !+ilding the 5.D@S Temple at Cer+salem on Ao+nt Aoriah, where the 5.D appeared to David, Solomons father. This was the place David had prepared for the Temple. 3t had !een the threshing floor of Ara+nah the Ce!+site. 2 Solomon started to !+ild on the second day of the second month of his fo+rth year as king of 3srael. 3 These are the meas+rements he +sed for !+ilding the fo+ndation of Gods Temple, +sing the old c+!it. The fo+ndation was &, c+!its long and 2, c+!its wide. # The porch in front of the Temple was 2, c+!its long and 2, c+!its high. $e 2 9hronicles 3.%*11 ( covered the inside of the porch with p+re pag. #),0131#

gold. % $e p+t panels made of cypress wood on the walls of the larger room. Then he p+t p+re gold over the cypress panels and then p+t pict+res of palm trees and chains on the gold. & $e p+t val+a!le stones in the Temple for !ea+ty. The gold he +sed was gold from 6arvaim. ' $e covered the inside of the Temple with the gold. $e p+t the gold on the ceiling !eams, doorposts, walls, and doors. $e carved 9her+! angels on the walls. ( Then he made the Aost $oly 6lace. This room was 2, c+!its long and 2, c+!its wide. 3t was as wide as the Temple was. $e p+t p+re gold on the walls of the Aost $oly 6lace. The gold weighed a!o+t 22 102 tons. ) The gold nails weighed 1 10# po+nds. $e covered the +pper rooms with gold. 1, $e made two 9her+! angels to p+t in the Aost $oly 6lace. The workers covered the 9her+! angels with gold. 11 -ach wing of the 9her+! angels was % c+!its long. The total length of the 2 9hronicles 3.12*1' ) wings was 2, c+!its. 5ne wing of the first 9her+! angel to+ched the wall on one side of the room. The other wing to+ched one of the wings of the second 9her+! angel. 12 And the other wing of the second 9her+! angel to+ched the wall on the other side of the room. 13 So the wings of the two 9her+! angels together reached across the rooma total of 2, c+!its. The 9her+! angels stood facing the $oly 6lace. 1# $e made the c+rtain from !l+e, p+rple, and red materials and e4pensive linen. There were 9her+! angels on the c+rtain. 1% $e p+t two col+mns in front of the Temple. The col+mns were 3% c+!its tall. The top part of the two col+mns was % c+!its long. 1& $e made chains in a necklace and p+t them on the tops of the col+mns. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

made 1,, pomegranates and p+t them on the chains. 1' Then he p+t the col+mns +p in front of the Temple. 5ne col+mn stood on the right side. The other col+mn stood on the left side. $e named the col+mn on 2 9hronicles #.1*% 1, the right side Cakin. And he named the col+mn on the left side <oaE. 4 1 $e made a !ronEe altar that was 2, c+!its long, 2, c+!its wide, and 1, c+!its tall. 2 Then he made a large tank from melted !ronEe. 3t was ro+nd and it meas+red 1, c+!its across from edge to edge. 3t was % c+!its tall and a!o+t 3, c+!its aro+nd. 3 There were images of !+lls +nder the lip of the large !ronEe tank. They were in two rows that went 1, c+!its aro+nd the tank. The !+lls were molded in place when the tank was shaped. # The large !ronEe tank was on top of twelve large stat+es of !+lls. Three !+lls looked toward the north. Three !+lls looked toward the west. Three !+lls looked toward the so+th. Three !+lls looked toward the east. The large !ronEe tank was on top of these !+lls. All the !+lls stood with their rear ends to each other and to the center. % The large !ronEe tank was 3 inches thick. The edge of the large tank was like the edge of a c+p. The edge looked 2 9hronicles #.&*1, 11 like a lily !lossom. The tank co+ld hold a!o+t 1',#,, gallons. & $e made ten !asins. $e p+t five !asins on the right side of the large !ronEe tank and five !asins on the left side. These ten !asins were to !e +sed to wash the things offered for the !+rnt offerings. <+t the large !ronEe tank was to !e +sed !y the priests for washing !efore they offered sacrifices. ' $e made ten lampstands of gold. $e followed the plans made for these lampstands. $e p+t the lampstands in the Temple. There were five lampstands on the right side and five lampstands on pag. #)10131#

the left side. ( $e made ten ta!les and p+t them in the Temple. 2ive ta!les were on the right side and five ta!les on the left side in the Temple. And he +sed gold to make 1,, !asins. ) $e also made the priests co+rtyard, the large co+rtyard, and the doors that open to them. $e +sed !ronEe to cover these doors. 1, Then he p+t the large !ronEe tank on the right side of the Temple on the so+theast side. 2 9hronicles #.11*1( 12 11 $+ram made the pots, shovels, and !asins. Then he finished his work for Ging Solomon on Gods Temple. 12 $+ram had made the two col+mns and the large !owls on the top parts of the two col+mns. $e also made the two net decorations to cover the two large !owls on the top parts of the two col+mns. 13 $+ram made #,, pomegranates for the two net decorations. There were two rows of pomegranates for each net. The nets covered the large !owls on the top parts on the two col+mns. 1# $e also made the stands and the !owls on the stands. 1% $e made the one large !ronEe tank and twelve !+lls +nder the tank. 1& $+ram made the pots, shovels, forks, and all the things for Ging Solomon for the 5.D@S Temple. These things were made of polished !ronEe. 1' Ging Solomon first po+red these things in clay molds. The molds were made in the Cordan /alley !etween the towns of S+ccoth and Beredah. 1( Solomon made so many of them that no one tried to weigh the !ronEe +sed. 2 9hronicles #.1)*%.2 13 1) Solomon also made the dishes and things for Gods Temple. $e made the golden altar and the ta!les where they p+t the !read of the 6resence. 2, $e made the lamps and lampstands of p+re gold. These were p+t inside the $oly 6lace in front of the Aost $oly -asy To .ead /ersion

6lace. 21 $e +sed p+re gold to make the flowers, lamps, and tongs. 22 $e +sed p+re gold to make the lamp sn+ffers, !owls, pans, and the censers. $e +sed p+re gold to make the doors for the Temple, the inside doors for the Aost $oly 6lace and the doors for the main hall. 5 1 >hen all the work was completed on the 5.D@S Temple, Solomon !ro+ght in everything his father David had set aside for the Temple. Solomon p+t all the f+rnit+re and all the things made of silver and gold into the storage rooms in Gods Temple. 2 Solomon commanded the elders of 3srael, the leaders of the tri!es, and the heads of families to meet together in Cer+salem. $e did this so that they co+ld !ring the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement 2 9hronicles %.3*( 1# +p to the Temple from the 9ity of David, that is, Bion. 3 All the men of 3srael met together !efore Ging Solomon d+ring the special festival in the seventh month of the year. # >hen all the elders of 3srael arrived, the evites lifted the <o4 of the Agreement % and carried it +p to the Temple. The priests and the evites also !ro+ght the Aeeting Tent and all the holy things that were in it to the Temple in Cer+salem. & Then Ging Solomon and all the 3sraelites met in front of the <o4 of the Agreement to offer sheep and !+lls as sacrifices. There were so many offerings that no one co+ld co+nt them. ' Then the priests carried the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement to the place that was prepared for it in the Aost $oly 6lace inside the Temple. They p+t the <o4 of the Agreement +nder the wings of the 9her+! angels. ( The 9her+! angels stood with their wings spread over the <o4 of the Agreement and the poles that were +sed to carry it. 2 9hronicles %.)*13 1% pag. #)20131#

) The poles are still there today. They were too long for the Aost $oly 6lace, so their ends co+ld !e seen !y anyone standing in the $oly 6lace, altho+gh no one o+tside co+ld see them. 1, The only things inside the $oly <o4 are the two ta!lets that Aoses p+t there at At. $ore!. This is where the 5.D made his agreement with the 3sraelites after they came o+t of -gypt. 11 All the priests who were there did the ceremony to make themselves holy. Then, as they came o+t of the $oly 6lace, they stood together, !+t not in their special gro+ps. 12 The evite singers stood at the east side of the altar. All the singing gro+ps of Asaph, $eman, and Ced+th+n were there. And their sons and relatives were there. The evite singers were dressed in white linen. They had cym!als, lyres, and harps. There were 12, priests there with the evite singers. The 12, priests !lew tr+mpets. 13 Those who !lew the tr+mpets and those who sang were like one person. They made one so+nd when they praised and thanked the 5.D. They made a 2 9hronicles %.1#*&.& 1& lo+d noise with the tr+mpets, cym!als, and instr+ments of m+sic. They sang the song, 6raise the 5.D <eca+se $e 3s Good. $is 2aithf+l ove >ill ast 2orever. Then the 5.D@S Temple was filled with a clo+d. 1# The priests co+ld not contin+e to serve !eca+se of the clo+d, !eca+se the Glory of the 5.D filled the Temple. 6 1 Then Solomon said, The 5.D chose to live in a dark clo+d. 2 <+t, ord, 3 have !+ilt a !ea+tif+l ho+se for yo+ to live in forever. 3 Ging Solomon t+rned aro+nd and !lessed all the 3sraelites gathered in front of him. # $e said, 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael, who has done what he promised my father David. The ord said, % 3 led 3srael o+t of -gypt long ago. And in all that time, 3 have not chosen a city -asy To .ead /ersion

from any tri!e of 3srael for a place to !+ild a ho+se for my name. 3 have not chosen a man to lead my people, the people of 3srael. & <+t now 3 have chosen Cer+salem as a place for my name, and 3 have chosen David to lead my people 3srael. 2 9hronicles &.'*13 1' ' Ay father David wanted to !+ild a temple for the name of the 5.D, the God of 3srael. ( <+t the 5.D said to my father, David, it is good that yo+ want to !+ild a temple for my name, ) !+t yo+ cannot !+ild the Temple. ;o+r son will !+ild the Temple for my name. 1, 1ow, the 5.D has done what he said he wo+ld do. 3 am the new king in my fathers place. David was my father. 1ow 3 am 3sraels king. That is what the 5.D promised, and 3 have !+ilt the Temple for the name of the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 11 3 have p+t the <o4 of the Agreement in the Temple. The 5.D@S Agreement with 3srael is in that !o4. 12 Solomon had made a !ronEe platform and placed it in the middle of the o+ter co+rtyard. The platform was % c+!its long, % c+!its wide, and 3 c+!its tall. Solomon stood on the platform and faced the 5.D@S altar. 3n front of all the 3sraelites who were gathered together, Solomon kneeled, spread his hands o+t toward heaven, 13 7&:128 2 9hronicles &.1#*1) 1( 1# and said, 5.D, God of 3srael, there is no god like yo+ in heaven or on earth. ;o+ keep the agreement that yo+ made with yo+r people. ;o+ are kind and loyal to those who follow yo+ with all their heart. 1% ;o+ made a promise to yo+r servant, my father David, and yo+ kept that promise. ;o+ made that promise with yo+r own mo+th, and with yo+r own hands yo+ made it come tr+e today. 1& 1ow, 5.D, God of 3srael, keep the other promises yo+ made to yo+r servant pag. #)30131#

David, my father. ;o+ said, David, if yo+r sons caref+lly o!ey me as yo+ did, yo+ will always have someone from yo+r family r+ling the people of 3srael. 1' Again, 5.D, God of 3srael, 3 ask yo+ to keep the promise yo+ made to yo+r servant, my father David. 1( <+t, God, will yo+ really live here with +s on the earth? The whole sky and the highest heaven cannot contain yo+. 9ertainly this ho+se that 3 !+ilt cannot contain yo+ either. 1) <+t please listen to my prayer and my reJ+est. 3 am yo+r servant, and yo+ 2 9hronicles &.2,*2# 1) are the 5.D my God. $ear this prayer that 3 am praying to yo+ today. 2, 3n the past yo+ said, 3 will !e honored there. So please watch over this Temple, night and day. And listen to my prayer as 3 t+rn toward this Temple and pray to yo+. 21 And please listen to o+r prayers in the f+t+re when 3 and yo+r people 3srael t+rn to this place and pray to yo+. >e know that yo+ live in heaven. >e ask yo+ to hear o+r prayer there and forgive +s. 22 >hoever does wrong to someone will !e !ro+ght to this altar. 3f they are not g+ilty, they will make an oath and promise that they are innocent. 23 6lease listen from heaven and =+dge them. 3f they are g+ilty, please show +s that they are g+ilty. And if they are innocent, please show +s that they are not g+ilty. 2# Sometimes yo+r people 3srael will sin against yo+, and their enemies will defeat them. Then the people will come !ack to yo+ and praise yo+. They will pray to yo+ in this Temple. 2 9hronicles &.2%*2) 2, 2% 3n heaven, please listen to the prayers of yo+r people 3srael. 2orgive them for their sins and let them have their land again. ;o+ gave this land to their ancestors. 2& Sometimes they will sin against yo+, and yo+ will stop the rain from falling on -asy To .ead /ersion

their land. Then they will pray toward this place and praise yo+r name. ;o+ will make them s+ffer, and they will !e sorry for their sins. 2' So please listen in heaven to their prayer. Then forgive +s for o+r sins. Teach the people to live right. Then, please send rain to the land yo+ gave them. 2( The land might !ecome very dry so that no food will grow on it. 5r may!e a great sickness will spread among the people. Aay!e all the food that is growing will !e destroyed !y insects. 5r yo+r people might !e attacked in some of their cities !y their enemies. 5r many of yo+r people might get sick. 2) >hen any of these things happen, people feel the need to spread their hands in prayer toward this Temple. 2 9hronicles &.3,*3% 21 3, 6lease listen to their prayer while yo+ are in yo+r home in heaven and forgive them and help them. 5nly yo+ know what people are really thinking, so only yo+ can =+dge them fairly. 31 Do this so that yo+r people will fear and respect yo+ all the time that they live in this land yo+ gave to o+r ancestors. 32 6eople from other places will hear a!o+t yo+r greatness and yo+r power. They will come from far away to pray at this Temple. 33 2rom yo+r home in heaven please listen to their prayers. 6lease do everything those from other places ask yo+. Then they will fear and respect yo+ the same as yo+r people in 3srael. Then all people everywhere will know that 3 !+ilt this Temple to honor yo+. 3# Sometimes yo+ will command yo+r people to go and fight against their enemies. Then yo+r people will t+rn toward this city that yo+ have chosen and the Temple that 3 !+ilt in yo+r honor, and they will pray to yo+. 3% isten to their prayers from yo+r home in heaven, and help them. 2 9hronicles &.3&*#, 22 pag. #)#0131#

3& ;o+r people will sin against yo+. 3 know this !eca+se everyone sins. And yo+ will !e angry with yo+r people. ;o+ will let their enemies defeat them. Their enemies will make them prisoners and carry them to some faraway land. 3' 3n that faraway land, yo+r people will think a!o+t what happened. They will !e sorry for their sins, and they will pray to yo+. They will say, >e have sinned and done wrong. 3( They will !e in that faraway land of their enemies, !+t they will t+rn !ack to yo+. They will feel sorry for their sins with their whole heart and so+l. They will t+rn toward the land yo+ gave their ancestors. They will look toward the city yo+ chose and toward the Temple 3 !+ilt, and they will pray to yo+. 3) 6lease listen from yo+r home in heaven. Accept their prayers when they !eg for help, and help them. 2orgive yo+r people who have sinned against yo+. #, 1ow, my God, 3 ask yo+, open yo+r eyes and yo+r ears. isten and pay attention to the prayers we are praying in this place. 2 9hronicles &.#1*'.# 23 #1 1ow, 5.D God, get +p and come to yo+r special place, the <o4 of the Agreement that shows yo+r strength. 5.D God, may yo+r priests !e dressed with salvation, and may yo+r tr+e followers !e happy a!o+t these good things. #2 5.D God, accept yo+r anointed king. .emem!er yo+r loyal servant David. 7 1 >hen Solomon finished praying, fire came down from the sky and !+rned +p the !+rnt offering and the sacrifices. The Glory of the 5.D filled the Temple. 2 The priests co+ld not enter the 5.D@S Temple !eca+se the Glory of the 5.D filled it. 3 >hen all the 3sraelites saw the fire come down from heaven and the Glory of the 5.D on the Temple, they !owed their faces down low to the gro+nd on -asy To .ead /ersion

the pavement. They worshiped and thanked the 5.D. They sang the song, $e 3s Good. $is 2aithf+l ove >ill ast 2orever. # Then Ging Solomon and all the 3sraelites offered sacrifices to the 5.D. 2 9hronicles '.%*( 2# % Ging Solomon offered 22,,,, !+lls and 12,,,,, sheep. So the king and the people showed that they had dedicated the Temple to God. & The priests stood ready to do their work. The evites stood with the instr+ments they wo+ld +se to play m+sic to the 5.D. Ging David made these instr+ments to +se in giving thanks to the 5.D. The priests and evites sang the song, 6raise the ord <eca+se $is 2aithf+l ove >ill ast 2orever. The priests !lew their tr+mpets as they stood across from the evites. And all the 3sraelites were standing. ' Ging Solomon also dedicated the middle of the co+rtyard, the part that is in front of the Temple of the 5.D. There he offered !+rnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were +sed as fellowship offerings. $e did this !eca+se the !ronEe altar he had !+ilt was too small to hold all these offerings. ( So there at the Temple, Ging Solomon and all the people of 3srael cele!rated the festival. 6eople came from as far away as $amath 6ass in the north and the 2 9hronicles '.)*13 2% !order of -gypt in the so+th. This h+ge crowd of people en=oyed themselves for seven days. ) 5n the eighth day, they had a holy meeting !eca+se they had cele!rated for seven days. They made the altar holy and it was to !e +sed only for worshiping the ord. And they cele!rated the festival for seven days. 1, 5n the 23rd day of the seventh month Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said good!ye, and went home. They were happy !eca+se of all the good pag. #)%0131#

things that the 5.D had done for David his servant and for his people 3srael. 11 So Solomon finished !+ilding the 5.D@S Temple and the kings palace. Solomon did everything that he had planned to do in !+ilding a ho+se for the 5.D and for himself. 12 Then the 5.D appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, Solomon, 3 have heard yo+r prayer, and 3 have chosen this place for myself to !e a ho+se for sacrifices. 13 >hen 3 close the sky so that there is no rain, or command the loc+sts to 2 9hronicles '.1#*1( 2& destroy the land, or send sicknesses to my people 1# and if my people who are called !y my name !ecome h+m!le and pray, and look for me, and t+rn away from their evil ways, then 3 will hear them from heaven. 3 will forgive their sin and heal their land. 1% 1ow, my eyes are open, and my ears will pay attention to the prayers prayed in this place. 1& 3 have chosen this Temple, and 3 have made it a holy place. So 3 will !e honored there forever. 3 will watch over it and think of it always. 1' ;o+ m+st serve me with a p+re and honest heart, =+st as yo+r father David did. ;o+ m+st o!ey my laws and do everything that 3 commanded yo+. 3f yo+ o!ey all 3 have commanded, and if yo+ o!ey my laws and r+les, 1( then 3 will make yo+ a strong king and yo+r kingdom will !e great. That is the agreement 3 made with David yo+r father when 3 told him that 3srael wo+ld always !e r+led !y one of his descendants. 2 9hronicles '.1)*(.3 2' 1) <+t if yo+ dont o!ey my laws and commands that 3 gave yo+, and if yo+ worship other gods and serve them, 2, then 3 will take the 3sraelites o+t from my land that 3 gave them. And 3 will leave this Temple that 3 have made holy for my name. 3 will make this Temple -asy To .ead /ersion

something that all the nations will speak evil a!o+t. 21 -veryone who sees it will !e amaEed. They will ask, >hy did the 5.D do this terri!le thing to this land and to this temple? 22 6eople will say, This happened !eca+se they left the 5.D, the God of their ancestors. $e !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt, !+t they decided to follow other gods. They !egan to worship and to serve those gods. That is why he ca+sed all these !ad things to happen to them. 8 1 3t took 2, years for Ging Solomon to !+ild the 5.D@S Temple and the kings palace. 2 Then Solomon re!+ilt the towns that $iram gave him and then moved 3sraelites into those towns to live there. 3 After this Solomon went to $amath of Bo!ah and capt+red it. 2 9hronicles (.#*) 2( # $e also !+ilt the town of Tadmor in the desert. $e !+ilt all the towns in $amath to store things in. % $e re!+ilt the towns of Hpper <eth $oron and ower <eth $oron. $e made them into strong forts with strong walls, gates, and !ars in the gates. & $e also re!+ilt the town of <aalath and all the other towns where he stored things. $e !+ilt all the cities where the chariots were kept and where the horse riders lived. Solomon !+ilt all he wanted in Cer+salem, e!anon, and in all the co+ntry where he was king. ' There were many people left in the land who were not 3sraelites. There were $ittites, Amorites, 6eriEEites, $ivites, and Ce!+sites. The 3sraelites had not !een a!le to destroy them, !+t Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves. They are still slaves today. ( 7(:'8 ) Solomon did not force any of the 3sraelites to !e his slaves. They were soldiers, government officials, officers, captains, and chariot commanders and drivers. 2 9hronicles (.1,*1# 2) pag. #)&0131#

1, There were 2%, s+pervisors over Solomons pro=ects. They s+pervised the men. 11 Solomon !ro+ght 6haraohs da+ghter +p from the 9ity of David to the ho+se he !+ilt for her. $e said, Ay wife m+st not live in Ging Davids palace !eca+se the places where the 5.D@S $oly <o4 has !een are holy places. 12 Then Solomon offered !+rnt offerings to the 5.D on the 5.D@S altar. $e !+ilt that altar in front of the Temple porch. 13 Solomon offered sacrifices every day the way Aoses commanded. Sacrifices were to !e offered on Sa!!ath days, d+ring 1ew Aoon cele!rations, and at the three yearly festivals. The three yearly festivals were the 2estival of Hnleavened <read, the 2estival of $arvest, and the 2estival of Shelters. 1# Solomon followed his father Davids instr+ctions. $e chose the gro+ps of priests for their service and the evites for their d+ties. The evites were to lead the praise and help the priests from day to day to do what needed to !e done in the Temple service. And he chose the gatekeepers !y their gro+ps to serve at 2 9hronicles (.1%*).1 3, each gate. This is the way David, the man of God, instr+cted. 1% The 3sraelites did not change or diso!ey any of Solomons instr+ctions to the priests and evites. They did not change any of the instr+ctions, even in the way they sho+ld keep the val+a!le things. 1& So Solomon completed his work on the 5.D@S Temple. >ork !egan the day they laid the fo+ndation and contin+ed witho+t stopping +ntil the day the Temple was finished. 1' Ging Solomon also !+ilt ships at -Eion Ge!er. This town is near -lath on the shore of the .ed Sea, in the land of -dom. 1( $iram sent ships to Solomon. $irams own men sailed the ships. They were skilled at sailing on the sea. $is men went with Solomons servants to 5phir -asy To .ead /ersion

and !ro+ght !ack 1' tons of gold to Ging Solomon. 9 1 The J+een of She!a heard a!o+t Solomon, so she came to test him with hard J+estions. She had a very large gro+p with her. She had camels that carried spices, m+ch gold, and val+a!le 2 9hronicles ).2*& 31 stones. She traveled to Cer+salem with a very large gro+p of servants. There were many camels carrying spices, =ewels, and a lot of gold. She met Solomon and asked him all the J+estions that she co+ld think of. 2 Solomon answered all the J+estions. 1one of her J+estions was too hard for him to e4plain. 3 The J+een of She!a saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the !ea+tif+l palace he had !+ilt. # She saw the food at the kings ta!le. She saw his officials meeting together. She saw the servants in the palace and the good clothes they wore. She saw his parties and the sacrifices that he offered in the 5.D@S Temple. She was so amaEed, she co+ld hardly !reathe" % Then she said to Ging Solomon, -verything 3 heard in my co+ntry a!o+t yo+r great works and yo+r wisdom is tr+e. & 3 did not !elieve what people told me +ntil 3 came and saw it with my own eyes. <+t yo+ have twice as m+ch wisdom as what 3 heard. ;o+ are m+ch greater than people told me. 2 9hronicles ).'*12 32 ' ;o+r wives and officers are very fort+nate" They can serve yo+ and hear yo+r wisdom every day. ( 6raise the 5.D yo+r God" $e was pleased to make yo+ king of 3srael. The 5.D God loves 3srael, so he made yo+ the king. ;o+ follow the law and treat people fairly. ) Then the I+een of She!a gave Ging Solomon # 102 tons of gold, a h+ge amo+nt of spices, and precio+s stones. She gave Solomon more spices than anyone has ever !ro+ght into 3srael. pag. #)'0131#

1, $irams servants !ro+ght gold from 5phir. They also !ro+ght in =ewels and a special kind of wood. 11 Ging Solomon +sed this special wood to make steps for the 5.D@S Temple and the kings palace. Solomon also +sed the alg+m wood to make lyres and harps for the singers. 1o one ever saw s+ch !ea+tif+l things like those made from the alg+m wood in the co+ntry of C+dah. 12 Ging Solomon gave the I+een of She!a everything she asked for. $e gave her more than she !ro+ght to give him. Then the I+een of She!a and her 2 9hronicles ).13*1( 33 servants left and went !ack to their own co+ntry. 13 -very year Solomon got almost 2% tons of gold. 1# 3n addition to the gold !ro+ght in !y the traveling merchants and traders, all the kings of Ara!ia and the governors of the land also !ro+ght gold and silver to Solomon. 1% Ging Solomon made 2,, large shields from hammered gold. $e +sed a!o+t 1% po+nds of gold for each shield. 1& $e also made 3,, small shields of hammered gold. $e +sed a!o+t ' 102 po+nds of gold for each shield. The king p+t them in the 2orestDofD e!anon $o+se. 1' Ging Solomon also !+ilt a large throne with ivory decorations. 3t was covered with p+re gold. 1( There were si4 steps leading +p to the throne. The !ack of the throne was ro+nd at the top. There were armrests on !oth sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne +nder the armrests. 2 9hronicles ).1)*2# 3# 1) There were also two lions on each of the si4 steps, one at each end. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 2, All of Solomons c+ps and glasses were made of gold. And all of the dishes in the 2orestDofD e!anon $o+se were made from p+re gold. 1othing in the palace was made from silver. There -asy To .ead /ersion

was so m+ch gold that in Solomons time people did not think silver was important" 21 The king also had cargo ships that went to Tarshish to trade things with other co+ntries. $irams men were on these ships. -very three years the ships wo+ld come !ack with a new load of gold, silver, ivory, and apes and !a!oons. 22 Ging Solomon !ecame greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth. 23 6eople everywhere wanted to see Ging Solomon. They wanted to hear the great wisdom that God had given him. 2# -very year people came to see the king, and everyone !ro+ght a gift. They !ro+ght things made from gold and silver, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and m+les. 2 9hronicles ).2%*3, 3% 2% Solomon had #,,, stalls to keep horses and chariots. $e had 12,,,, horse soldiers. Solomon !+ilt special cities for these chariots. So the chariots were kept in these cities. Ging Solomon also kept some of the chariots with him in Cer+salem. 2& Solomon was the king over all the kings from the -+phrates .iver all the way to the land of the 6hilistines, and to the !order of -gypt. 2' Ging Solomon had so m+ch silver that it was as common as rocks in Cer+salem. And he had so m+ch cedar wood that it was as common as sycamore trees in the hill co+ntry. 2( The people !ro+ght horses to Solomon from -gypt and from all the other co+ntries. 2) -verything else Solomon did, from the !eginning to the end, is written in the writings of 1athan the 6rophet, in The 6rophecy of Ahi=ah from Shiloh, and in The /isions of 3ddo the Seer. 3ddo was a seer who wrote a!o+t Cero!oam son of 1e!at. 3, Solomon r+led in Cer+salem over all 3srael for #, years. 2 9hronicles ).31*1,.& 3& pag. #)(0131#

31 Then he died and was !+ried in the city of David, his father. Then Solomons son .eho!oam !ecame the ne4t king. 10 1 .eho!oam went to Shechem, where all the 3sraelites had gone to make him king. 2 Cero!oam son of 1e!at was still in -gypt, where he had gone to escape from Solomon. >hen he heard a!o+t the plans to make .eho!oam king, he ret+rned from -gypt. 3 The people of 3srael sent for Cero!oam, and together they went and spoke to .eho!oam. They said, # ;o+r father forced +s to work very hard. 1ow, make it easier for +s. Stop the heavy work that yo+r father forced +s to do and we will serve yo+. % .eho!oam answered, 9ome !ack to me in three days, and 3 will answer yo+. So the people left. & There were some older men who had helped Solomon make decisions when he was alive. So Ging .eho!oam asked these men what he sho+ld do. $e said, $ow do yo+ think 3 sho+ld answer the people? 2 9hronicles 1,.'*12 3' ' They answered, 3f yo+ do what is good for the people, yo+ will please them. 3f yo+ speak kindly to them, they will always work for yo+. ( <+t .eho!oam did not listen to the advice from the older men. $e asked the yo+ng men who were his friends. ) .eho!oam said, The people said, Give +s easier work than yo+r father gave +s. $ow do yo+ think 3 sho+ld answer them? >hat sho+ld 3 tell them? 1, Then the yo+ng men who grew +p with him answered, Those people came to yo+ and said, ;o+r father forced +s to work very hard. 1ow make o+r work easier. So yo+ sho+ld tell them, Ay little finger is stronger than my fathers whole !ody. 11 Ay father forced yo+ to work hard, !+t 3 will make yo+ work m+ch harder" Ay father p+nished yo+ with whips, !+t 3 will p+nish yo+ with whips that have -asy To .ead /ersion

sharp metal tips. 12 Three days later, Cero!oam and all the people came !ack to .eho!oam, =+st as he had told them to do. 2 9hronicles 1,.13*1( 3( 13 Ging .eho!oam did not follow the advice of the older men. 3nstead, he was r+de to the people. 1# $e did what his friends told him to do and said, Ay father forced yo+ to work hard, !+t 3 will make yo+ work m+ch harder" Ay father p+nished yo+ with whips, !+t 3 will p+nish yo+ with whips that have sharp metal tips. 1% So the king did not do what the people wanted. The 5.D ca+sed this to happen. $e did this in order to keep the promise he made to Cero!oam son of 1e!at when he sent Ahi=ah, the prophet from Shiloh, to speak to him. 1& The 3sraelites saw that the new king ref+sed to listen to them, so they said to the king, Are we part of Davids family? 1o. Do we get any of Cesses land? 1o. So 3srael, lets go home and let Davids son r+le his own people" So the 3sraelites went home. 1' <+t .eho!oam still r+led over the 3sraelites who lived in the cities of C+dah. 1( A man named Adoniram was one of the men who directed the workers. Ging .eho!oam sent Adoniram to talk to the people, !+t the 3sraelites threw stones 2 9hronicles 1,.1)*11.% 3) at him +ntil he died. Ging .eho!oam ran to his chariot and escaped to Cer+salem. 1) So 3srael re!elled against the family of David, and that is how things are even today. 11 1 .eho!oam went !ack to Cer+salem and gathered together an army of 1(,,,,, men from the families of C+dah and the tri!e of <en=amin. .eho!oam wanted to go fight against the 3sraelites and take !ack his kingdom. 2 <+t the 5.D spoke to a man of God named Shemaiah. $e said, 3 Talk to .eho!oam, the son of Solomon, king of C+dah, and to men of C+dah and pag. #))0131#

<en=amin. # Say to them, The 5.D says that yo+ m+st not go to war against yo+r !rothers. -veryone, go home" 3 made all this happen. So all the men in .eho!oams army o!eyed the 5.D and went home. They did not attack Cero!oam. % .eho!oam lived in Cer+salem and !+ilt strong cities in C+dah to defend against attacks. 2 9hronicles 11.&*1% #, & $e repaired the cities of <ethlehem, -tam, Tekoa, ' <eth B+r, Soco, Ad+llam, ( Gath, Aareshah, Biph, ) Adoraim, achish, AEekah, 1, Borah, Ai=alon, and $e!ron. These cities in C+dah and <en=amin were made strong. 11 >hen .eho!oam made these cities strong, he p+t commanders in them. $e also p+t s+pplies of food, oil, and wine in them. 12 Also, he p+t shields and spears in every city and made the cities very strong. $e kept the peoples and cities of C+dah and <en=amin +nder his control. 13 The priests and the evites from all over 3srael agreed with .eho!oam and =oined him. 1# The evites left their grasslands and their own fields and came to C+dah and Cer+salem. The evites did this !eca+se Cero!oam and his sons ref+sed to let them serve as priests to the 5.D. 1% Cero!oam chose his own priests to serve in the high places, where he set +p the goat and calf idols he had made. 2 9hronicles 11.1&*21 #1 1& >hen the evites left 3srael, the people in all the tri!es of 3srael who were faithf+l to the 5.D, the God of 3srael, came to Cer+salem to sacrifice to the 5.D, the God of their fathers. 1' These people made the kingdom of C+dah strong, and they s+pported Solomons son .eho!oam for three years. They did this !eca+se d+ring that time they lived the way David and Solomon -asy To .ead /ersion

had lived. 1( .eho!oam married Aahalath. $er father was Cerimoth. $er mother was A!ihail. Cerimoth was Davids son. A!ihail was -lia!s da+ghter, and -lia! was Cesses son. 1) Aahalath gave .eho!oam these sons: Ce+sh, Shemariah, and Baham. 2, Then .eho!oam married Aaacah. Aaacah was A!saloms grandda+ghter. And Aaacah gave .eho!oam these children: A!i=ah, Attai, BiEa, and Shelomith. 21 .eho!oam loved Aaacah more that he loved all his other wives and slave women. .eho!oam had 1( wives and &, slave women. $e was the father of 2( sons and &, da+ghters. 2 9hronicles 11.22*12.# #2 22 .eho!oam chose A!i=ah to !e the leader among his own !rothers. $e did this !eca+se he planned to make A!i=ah king. 23 .eho!oam acted wisely and spread all his sons thro+gh all the areas of C+dah and <en=amin to every strong city. And .eho!oam gave plenty of s+pplies to his sons. $e also looked for wives for them. 12 1 .eho!oam !ecame a strong king and made his kingdom strong. Then .eho!oam and the whole tri!e of C+dah ref+sed to o!ey the law of the 5.D. 2 D+ring the fifth year that .eho!oam was king, Shishak king of -gypt came to attack Cer+salem. This happened !eca+se .eho!oam and the people of C+dah re!elled against the 5.D. 3 Shishak had 12,,,, chariots, &,,,,, horse riders, and an army that no one co+ld co+nt. 3n Shishaks large army there were i!yan soldiers, S+kkite soldiers, and -thiopian soldiers. # Shishak defeated the strong cities of C+dah. Then Shishak !ro+ght his army to Cer+salem. 2 9hronicles 12.%*( #3 % Then Shemaiah the prophet came to .eho!oam and the leaders of C+dah. The pag. %,,0131#

leaders of C+dah had gathered together in Cer+salem !eca+se they all were afraid of Shishak. Shemaiah said to .eho!oam and the leaders of C+dah, This is what the 5.D says: .eho!oam, yo+ and the people of C+dah have left me and ref+sed to o!ey my law. So now 3 will leave yo+ to face Shishak witho+t my help. & Then the leaders of C+dah and Ging .eho!oam were sorry and h+m!led themselves. They said, The 5.D is right. ' The 5.D saw that the king and the leaders of C+dah had h+m!led themselves. Then the message from the ord came to Shemaiah. The 5.D said, The king and the leaders h+m!led themselves. So 3 will not destroy them, !+t 3 will save them soon. 3 will not +se Shishak to po+r o+t my anger on Cer+salem. ( <+t the people of Cer+salem will !ecome Shishaks servants. This will happen so that they may learn that serving me is different from serving the kings of other nations. 2 9hronicles 12.)*1# ## ) Shishak took the treas+res from the 5.D@S Temple and from the kings palace. $e also took the gold shields that Solomon had made. 1, Ging .eho!oam made more shields to p+t in their places, !+t they were made from !ronEe. $e gave them to the g+ards on d+ty at the palace gates. 11 -very time the king went to the 5.D@S Temple, the g+ards took o+t the shields and went with him. After they were finished, they p+t the shields !ack on the wall in the g+ardroom. 12 .eho!oam h+m!led himself, and the 5.D stopped !eing angry with him. So he did not completely destroy .eho!oam. There was some good in C+dah. 13 Ging .eho!oam made himself a strong king in Cer+salem. $e was #1 years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. .eho!oam r+led 1' years in Cer+salem, the city the 5.D chose for his own. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

chose this city from all the other cities of 3srael. .eho!oams mother was 1aamah. She was an Ammonite. 1# .eho!oam did evil !eca+se he didnt decide in his heart to o!ey the 5.D. 2 9hronicles 12.1%*13.3 #% 1% All the things .eho!oam did when he was king, from the !eginning to the end of his r+le, are written in the writings of Shemaiah the prophet and in the writings of 3ddo the seer. Those men wrote family histories. And there were wars !etween .eho!oam and Cero!oam all the time !oth kings r+led. 1& .eho!oam rested with his ancestors and was !+ried in the 9ity of David. Then .eho!oams son A!i=ah !ecame the ne4t king after him. 13 1 A!i=ah !ecame the new king of C+dah. This was d+ring the 1(th year that Cero!oam son of 1e!at r+led 3srael. 2 A!i=ah r+led in Cer+salem for three years. $is mothers name was Aaacah. She was the da+ghter of Hriel, from the town of Gi!eah. And there was war !etween A!i=ah and Cero!oam. 3 A!i=ahs army had #,,,,,, !rave soldiers. A!i=ah led that army into !attle. Cero!oams army had (,,,,,, !rave soldiers. Cero!oam got ready to have a war with A!i=ah. 2 9hronicles 13.#*) #& # Then A!i=ah stood on Ao+nt Bemaraim in the hill co+ntry of -phraim and said, Cero!oam and all 3srael, listen to me" % ;o+ sho+ld know that the 5.D, the God of 3srael, gave David and his sons the right to !e king over 3srael forever. God gave this right to David with an agreement of salt. & <+t Cero!oam t+rned against his master. Cero!oam son of 1e!at was one of the servants of Davids son Solomon. ' Then worthless, evil men !ecame friends with Cero!oam. Then Cero!oam and the !ad men t+rned against .eho!oam, Solomons son. .eho!oam was yo+ng and did not have e4perience. So he co+ld not stop Cero!oam and his pag. %,10131#

!ad friends. ( 1ow, yo+ people have decided to defeat the 5.D@S kingdomthe kingdom that is r+led !y Davids sons. ;o+ have so many people with yo+ and yo+ have the gold calvesthe gods that Cero!oam made for yo+. ) ;o+ threw o+t the 5.D@S priests, the descendants of Aaron. And yo+ threw o+t the evites. Then yo+ chose yo+r own priests, as every other nation on 2 9hronicles 13.1,*13 #' earth does. And now, anyone who will !ring a yo+ng !+ll and seven rams can !ecome a priest to serve these noDgods. 1, <+t as for +s, the 5.D is o+r God. >e people of C+dah have not ref+sed to o!ey God. >e have not left him. The priests who serve the 5.D are Aarons sons, and the evites help the priests in their work. 11 They offer !+rnt offerings and !+rn incense of spices to the 5.D every morning and every evening. They p+t the !read in rows on the special ta!le in the Temple. And they take care of the lamps on the gold lampstand so that it shines !right each and every evening. >e very caref+lly serve the 5.D o+r God, !+t yo+ people have a!andoned him. 12 God himself is with +s. $e is o+r r+ler, and his priests are with +s. Gods priests !low his tr+mpets to wake yo+ +p and make yo+ e4cited a!o+t coming to him. Aen of 3srael, dont fight against the 5.D, God of yo+r ancestors, !eca+se yo+ will not s+cceed" 13 <+t Cero!oam sent a gro+p of soldiers to sneak !ehind A!i=ahs army. Cero!oams 2 9hronicles 13.1#*1) #( army was in front of A!i=ahs army. The hidden soldiers from Cero!oams army were !ehind A!i=ahs army. 1# >hen the soldiers in A!i=ahs army from C+dah looked aro+nd, they saw Cero!oams army attacking !oth in front and in !ack. The men of C+dah sho+ted o+t to the 5.D and the priests !lew the tr+mpets. -asy To .ead /ersion

1% Then the men in A!i=ahs army sho+ted. >hen the men of C+dah sho+ted, God defeated Cero!oams army. Cero!oams whole army from 3srael was defeated !y A!i=ahs army from C+dah. 1& The men of 3srael ran away from the men of C+dah. God let the army from C+dah defeat the army from 3srael. 1' A!i=ahs army greatly defeated the army of 3srael, and %,,,,,, of the !est men of 3srael were killed. 1( So at that time the 3sraelites were defeated, and the people of C+dah won. The army from C+dah won !eca+se they depended on the 5.D the God of their ancestors. 1) A!i=ahs army chased Cero!oams army, and they capt+red the towns of <ethel, Ceshanah, and -phron from 2 9hronicles 13.2,*1#.% #) Cero!oam. They capt+red the towns and the small villages near them. 2, Cero!oam never !ecame strong again while A!i=ah lived. The 5.D killed Cero!oam, 21 !+t A!i=ah !ecame strong. $e married 1# women and was the father of 22 sons and 1& da+ghters. 22 -verything else A!i=ah did is written in the !ooks of the prophet 3ddo. 14 1 >hen A!i=ah died, they !+ried him in the 9ity of David. A!i=ahs son Asa !ecame the new king after him. There was peace in the co+ntry for ten years in Asas time. 2 Asa did what the 5.D his God said was good and right. 3 $e took away the altars of the foreigners and the high places. $e also smashed the memorial stones and c+t down the Asherah poles. # $e commanded the people of C+dah to follow the 5.D, the God their ancestors had worshiped, and to o!ey his laws and commands. % $e also removed all the high places and incense altars from all the towns in 2 9hronicles 1#.&*) %, C+dah. So the kingdom had peace when Asa was king. pag. %,20131#

& Asa !+ilt strong cities in C+dah while there was peace in C+dah. $e had no war in these years !eca+se the 5.D gave him peace. ' Asa said to the people of C+dah, ets !+ild these towns and make walls aro+nd them. ets make towers, gates, and !ars in the gates. ets do this while we still live in this co+ntry. This co+ntry is o+rs !eca+se we have followed the 5.D o+r God. $e has given +s peace all aro+nd +s. So they !+ilt and had s+ccess. ( Asa had an army of 3,,,,,, men from the tri!e of C+dah and 2(,,,,, men from the tri!e of <en=amin. The men from C+dah carried large shields and spears. The men from <en=amin carried small shields and shot arrows from !ows. All of them were strong and !rave soldiers. ) Then Berah from -thiopia came o+t against Asas army. $e had 1,,,,,,,, men and 3,, chariots in his army. $is army went as far as the town of Aareshah. 2 9hronicles 1#.1,*1# %1 1, Asa went o+t to fight against Berah. Asas army got ready for !attle in the /alley of Bephathah at Aareshah. 11 Asa called o+t to the 5.D his God and said, 5.D, only yo+ can help weak people against those who are strong" $elp +s, 5.D o+r God" >e depend on yo+. >e fight against this large army in yo+r name. 5.D, yo+ are o+r God" Dont let anyone defeat yo+" 12 Then the 5.D +sed Asas army from C+dah to defeat the -thiopian army. And the army ran away. 13 Asas army chased the -thiopian army all the way to the town of Gerar. So many -thiopians were killed that they co+ld not get together as an army to fight again. They were cr+shed !y the 5.D and his army. Asa and his army carried many val+a!le things away from the enemy. 1# Asa and his army defeated all the towns near Gerar. The people living in those towns were afraid of the 5.D. Those towns had very many val+a!le -asy To .ead /ersion

things. Asas army took those val+a!le things away from those towns. 2 9hronicles 1#.1%*1%.& %2 1% $is army also attacked the camps where the shepherds lived and took many sheep and camels. Then they went !ack to Cer+salem. 15 1 The Spirit of God came on AEariah, who was 5!eds son. 2 AEariah went to meet Asa and said, isten to me, Asa and all yo+ people of C+dah and <en=amin. The 5.D is with yo+ when yo+ are with him. 3f yo+ look for him, yo+ will find him. <+t if yo+ leave him, he will leave yo+. 3 2or a long time 3srael was witho+t the tr+e God. And they were witho+t a teaching priest, and witho+t the law. # <+t when the 3sraelites had tro+!le, they t+rned again to the 5.D, the God of 3srael. They looked for him and fo+nd him. % 3n those times of tro+!le, no one co+ld travel safely. There was great tro+!le in all the nations. & 5ne nation wo+ld destroy another nation and one city wo+ld destroy another city. This was happening !eca+se God gave them all kinds of tro+!le. 2 9hronicles 1%.'*11 %3 ' <+t Asa, yo+ and the people of C+dah and <en=amin, !e strong. Dont !e weak and dont give +p, !eca+se yo+ will get a reward for yo+r good work" ( Asa felt enco+raged when he heard these words and the message from 5!ed the prophet. Then he removed the hated idols from the whole area of C+dah and <en=amin. $e also removed the hated idols from the towns he had capt+red in the hill co+ntry of -phraim. And he repaired the 5.D@S altar that was in front of the porch of the 5.D@S Temple. ) Then Asa gathered all the people from C+dah and <en=amin and the people from the tri!es of -phraim, Aanasseh, and Simeon who had moved from the co+ntry of 3srael to live in the co+ntry of C+dah. A great many of these people pag. %,30131#

came to C+dah !eca+se they saw that the 5.D, Asas God, was with him. 1, Asa and these people gathered together in Cer+salem on the third month in the 1%th year of Asas r+le. 11 At that time they sacrificed ',, !+lls and ',,, sheep and goats to the 5.D. Asas army had taken the animals and other val+a!le things from their enemies. 2 9hronicles 1%.12*1& %# 12 Then they made an agreement to serve the 5.D God with all their heart and with all their so+l. $e is the God their ancestors served. 13 Anyone who ref+sed to serve the 5.D God was to !e killed. 3t did not matter if that person was important or not or if that person was a man or woman. 1# Then Asa and the people made an oath to the 5.D. They sho+ted it o+t lo+dly and !lew their tr+mpets and rams horns. 1% All the people of C+dah were happy a!o+t the oath, !eca+se they had promised with all their heart. They followed God with all their heart. They looked for God and fo+nd him, so the 5.D gave them peace in all the co+ntry. 1& Ging Asa also removed Aaacah, his mother, from !eing J+een mother. $e did this !eca+se she had set +p one of those awf+l poles to honor the goddess Asherah. Asa c+t down that Asherah pole, smashed it into small pieces, and !+rned the pieces in the Gidron /alley. 2 9hronicles 1%.1'*1&.3 %% 1' Asa did not destroy the high places, even tho+gh he was faithf+l to God all his life. 1( Asa and his father had given some special gifts to God. Asa p+t these gifts of gold, silver, and other things into the Temple. 1) There was no more war +ntil the 3%th year of Asas r+le. 16 1 3n Asas 3&th year as king, <aasha attacked C+dah and then !+ilt +p the city of .amah to keep Asa from leaving C+dah on any kind of -asy To .ead /ersion

military campaign. 2 So Asa took gold and silver from the treas+ries of the 5.D@S Temple and the kings palace. $e gave it to his officials and sent them to Ging <enD$adad of Aram. <enD$adad was the son of Ta!rimmon. Ta!rimmon was the son of $eEion. Damasc+s was <enD$adads capital city. 3 Asa sent this message, Ay father and yo+r father had a peace agreement. 1ow 3 want to make a peace agreement with yo+. 3 am sending yo+ this gift of gold and silver. 6lease !reak yo+r treaty with 2 9hronicles 1&.#*( %& Ging <aasha of 3srael and make him leave +s alone. # Ging <enD$adad made that agreement with Ging Asa and sent his army to fight against the 3sraelite towns of 3=on, Dan, A!el Aaim, and the storage cities in the area of 1aphtali. % >hen <aasha heard a!o+t these attacks, he stopped !+ilding +p .amah and went !ack to TirEah. $e stopped all the work he was doing. & Then Ging Asa gave an order for all the men in C+dah, with no e4ceptions. They had to go to .amah and carry o+t all the stone and wood that <aasha was +sing to !+ild +p the city. They carried the material to Ge!a in <en=amin and to AiEpah and +sed it to strengthen those two cities. ' At that time $anani the seer came to Ging Asa of C+dah and said to him, Asa, yo+ depended on the king of Aram to help yo+ and not the 5.D yo+r God. Thats why the kings army has escaped from yo+. ( Did yo+ forget what happened with the -thiopians and the i!yans who also had a powerf+l army with many chariots and 2 9hronicles 1&.)*1# %' horse soldiers? That time yo+ depended on the 5.D to help yo+, and he let yo+ defeat them. ) The eyes of the 5.D go aro+nd looking in all the earth for people who are faithf+l to him so that he can make pag. %,#0131#

them strong. Asa, yo+ did a foolish thing. So from now on yo+ will have wars. 1, Asa was angry with $anani !eca+se of what he said. $e was so mad that he p+t $anani in prison. $e was also very ro+gh and cr+el to some of the people then. 11 -verything Asa did, from the !eginning to the end, is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah and 3srael. 12 Asas feet !ecame infected in his 3)th year as king. -ven tho+gh the infection was very serio+s, Asa did not go to the 5.D for help. $e went to the doctors instead. 13 Asa died in the #1st year as king and rested with his ancestors. 1# The people !+ried Asa in his own tom! that he made for himself in the 9ity of David. They laid him in a !ed that was filled with spices and different kinds 2 9hronicles 1'.1*& %( of mi4ed perf+mes, and they !+rned a large fire for him. 17 1 Asas son Cehoshaphat !ecame the new king after him. Cehoshaphat made C+dah strong so that they co+ld fight against 3srael. 2 $e p+t gro+ps of soldiers in all the towns of C+dah that were made into fortresses. $e !+ilt fortresses in C+dah and in the towns of -phraim that his father Asa had capt+red. 3 The 5.D was with Cehoshaphat !eca+se in his yo+ng life he did the good things his ancestor David did. Cehoshaphat did not follow the <aal idols. # $e looked for the God his ancestors followed. $e followed Gods commands and did not live the same way the 3sraelites lived. % The 5.D made Cehoshaphat a strong king over C+dah. All the people of C+dah !ro+ght gifts to Cehoshaphat. So he had m+ch wealth and honor. & $is heart fo+nd pleas+re in the ways of the 5.D. $e removed the high places and the Asherah poles from the co+ntry -asy To .ead /ersion

of C+dah. 2 9hronicles 1'.'*11 %) ' D+ring the third year of Cehoshaphats r+le, he sent his leaders to teach in the towns of C+dah. These leaders were <en $ail, 5!adiah, Bechariah, 1ethanel, and Aicaiah. ( Cehoshaphat also sent evites with these leaders. These evites were Shemaiah, 1ethaniah, Be!adiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Cehonathan, Adoni=ah, and To!i=ah. $e also sent the priests -lishama and Cehoram. ) These leaders, evites, and priests ta+ght the people in C+dah. They had the <ook of the aw of the 5.D with them. They went thro+gh all the towns of C+dah and ta+ght the people. 1, The nations near C+dah were afraid of the 5.D, so they did not start a war against Cehoshaphat. 11 Some of the 6hilistines !ro+ght gifts to Cehoshaphat. They also !ro+ght silver to him !eca+se they knew he was a very powerf+l king. Some Ara!ian people !ro+ght flocks to Cehoshaphat. They !ro+ght '',, rams and '',, goats to him. 2 9hronicles 1'.12*1) &, 12 Cehoshaphat !ecame more and more powerf+l. $e !+ilt fortresses and storage towns in the co+ntry of C+dah. 13 $e kept many s+pplies in the storage towns. And Cehoshaphat kept trained soldiers in Cer+salem. 1# These soldiers were listed in their tri!es. This is the list of these soldiers in Cer+salem: 2rom the tri!e of C+dah, these were the generals: Adnah was the general of 3,,,,,, soldiers. 1% Cehohanan was the general of 2(,,,,, soldiers. 1& Amasiah was the general of 2,,,,,, soldiers. Amasiah was Bicris son. Amasiah was happy to give himself to serve the 5.D. 1' 2rom the tri!e of <en=amin these were the generals: -liada had 2,,,,,, soldiers who +sed !ows, arrows, and shields. -liada was a very !rave soldier. pag. %,%0131#

1( CehoEa!ad had 1(,,,,, men ready for war. 1) All these soldiers served Ging Cehoshaphat. The king also had other men in the fortresses in all the co+ntry of C+dah. 2 9hronicles 1(.1*& &1 18 1 Cehoshaphat !ecame very rich and famo+s. $e made an agreement with Ging Aha! thro+gh marriage. 2 A few years later, Cehoshaphat visited Aha! in the town of Samaria. Aha! sacrificed many sheep and cattle for Cehoshaphat and the people with him. Aha! enco+raged Cehoshaphat to =oin in an attack on the city of .amoth Gilead. 3 Aha! said to Cehoshaphat, >ill yo+ go with me to attack .amoth Gilead? Aha! was the king of 3srael and Cehoshaphat was the king of C+dah. Cehoshaphat answered, ;es, yo+ and 3 will !e as onemy men will !e as yo+rs in !attle. # <+t first lets ask the 5.D for advice. % So Aha! called a meeting of the prophets. There were a!o+t #,, prophets at that time. Aha! asked the prophets, Sho+ld we go and attack .amoth Gilead or not? The prophets answered Aha!, ;es, !eca+se God will let yo+ defeat .amoth Gilead. & <+t Cehoshaphat said, Doesnt the 5.D have another prophet here? ets ask him what God says. 2 9hronicles 1(.'*12 &2 ' Ging Aha! answered, ;es, there is another prophet. $is name is Aicaiah son of 3mlah. <+t 3 hate him. $e never says anything good a!o+t me when he speaks for the 5.D. $e always says things that 3 dont like. Cehoshaphat said, The king sho+ldnt say things like that" ( So Ging Aha! told one of his officers to go and find Aicaiah. ) At that time the two kings were sitting on their thrones, with their royal ro!es on, at the =+dgment place near the gates of Samaria. All the prophets were standing !efore them, prophesying. 1, 5ne of the prophets was named -asy To .ead /ersion

Bedekiah son of Genaanah. Bedekiah made some iron horns and said to Aha!, The 5.D says, ;o+ will +se these iron horns to fight against the army of Aram. ;o+ will defeat them and destroy them. 11 All the other prophets agreed with Bedekiah and said, ;o+r army sho+ld march now to go fight against the Arameans at .amoth Gilead. ;o+ will win the !attle. The 5.D will let yo+ defeat them. 12 >hile this was happening, the officer went to find Aicaiah. >hen he fo+nd 2 9hronicles 1(.13*1( &3 him, the officer told him, All the other prophets have said that the king will s+cceed, so yo+ sho+ld say the same thing. 13 <+t Aicaiah answered, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, 3 can say only what my God says. 1# Aicaiah went and stood !efore Ging Aha!. The king asked him, Aicaiah, sho+ld we go and attack the Arameans at .amoth Gilead or not? Aicaiah answered, ;es, go and !e s+ccessf+l" ;o+ will take the city. 1% <+t Aha! answered, $ow many times do 3 have to tell yo+? Tell me the tr+th. >hat does the 5.D say? 1& So Aicaiah answered, 3 can see the army of 3srael scattered all over the hills, like sheep with no one to lead them. This is what the 5.D says, These men have no leaders. et them go home in peace. 1' Then Aha! said to Cehoshaphat, See, 3 told yo+" This prophet never says anything good a!o+t me. $e always says something !ad. 1( Aicaiah said, $ear the message from the 5.D: 3 saw the 5.D sitting on his throne. All of heavens army was 2 9hronicles 1(.1)*2# &# standing aro+nd him, some on his left side and some on his right side. 1) The 5.D said, >hich of yo+ will go fool Aha! into attacking the Arameans at .amoth Gilead so that he will !e killed? The angels disc+ssed many different plans. pag. %,&0131#

2, Then a spirit went and stood !efore the 5.D. $e said, 3 will fool him" The 5.D asked, $ow will yo+ do it? 21 $e answered, 3 will go o+t and !ecome a spirit of lies in the mo+ths of Aha!s prophetsthey will all speak lies. So the ord said, ;es, that will fool Aha!. Go o+t and do that" 22 So that is what has happened here. The 5.D made yo+r prophets lie to yo+. The 5.D himself decided to !ring this disaster to yo+. 23 Then the prophet Bedekiah went to Aicaiah and hit him on the face. Bedekiah said, $ow is it that the Spirit of the 5.D left me to speak thro+gh yo+? 2# Aicaiah answered, ook, what 3 said will happen" And when yo+ see it, yo+ will go into the deepest part of yo+r ho+se to hide" 2 9hronicles 1(.2%*31 &% 2% Then Ging Aha! ordered one of his officers to arrest Aicaiah. Aha! said, Arrest him and take him to Amon the governor of the city and prince Coash. 2& Tell them to p+t Aicaiah in prison. Give him nothing !+t !read and water to eat. Geep him there +ntil 3 come home from the !attle. 2' Aicaiah said, isten to me, everyone" Aha!, if yo+ come !ack alive from the !attle, the 5.D has not spoken thro+gh me. 2( Ging Aha! of 3srael and Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah went to fight the Arameans at .amoth Gilead. 2) Aha! said to Cehoshaphat, Disg+ise yo+rself when yo+ go into !attle, !+t wear yo+r own clothes. And 3 will disg+ise myself. The king of 3srael went into !attle dressed like an ordinary soldier. 3, The king of Aram had 32 chariot commanders. $e gave them this command, Dont go after anyone e4cept the king of 3srael, no matter how important they are" 31 D+ring the !attle, the commanders saw Ging Cehoshaphat and tho+ght he 2 9hronicles 1(.32*1).2 && -asy To .ead /ersion

was the king of 3srael. So they went to kill him. Cehoshaphat started sho+ting, and the 5.D helped him. God made the chariot commanders t+rn away from Cehoshaphat. 32 >hen the commanders saw that he was not Ging Aha!, they stopped chasing him. 33 Then a soldier p+lled !ack on his !ow and shot an arrow into the air. <y chance it hit the king of 3srael !etween two pieces of his armor. Ging Aha! said to his chariot driver, 3ve !een hit" T+rn the chariot aro+nd and take me off the !attlefield" 3# The armies contin+ed fighting all that day. Ging Aha! leaned against the side of his chariot to hold himself +p, facing the Arameans. $e watched +ntil evening. Then, =+st as the s+n was setting, he died. 19 1 Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah came !ack safely to his ho+se in Cer+salem. 2 The prophet Ceh+, son of $anani, went o+t to meet the king. Ceh+ said to him, >hy did yo+ help those who are wicked? >hy do yo+ love those who hate the 2 9hronicles 1).3*( &' 5.D? Thats the reason the 5.D is angry with yo+ now. 3 2ort+nately, yo+ did some good things in yo+r life. ;o+ did remove the Asherah poles from this co+ntry, and yo+ did decide to ask God for his advice. # Cehoshaphat lived in Cer+salem, !+t he wo+ld go o+t among the people thro+gho+t C+dah, from <eershe!a to the hill co+ntry of -phraim. $e helped the people t+rn !ack to the 5.D, the God their ancestors worshiped. % Cehoshaphat went from town to town and appointed =+dges in each of the fortresses of C+dah. & $e told the =+dges, <e caref+l in what yo+ are doing, !eca+se yo+ are not =+dging for people, !+t for the 5.D. $e will !e with yo+ when yo+ make decisions. ' ;o+ m+st fear the 5.D. 6rotect pag. %,'0131#

=+stice and do what is right !eca+se the 5.D o+r God is fair. $e does not treat some people as if they are more important than others, and he does not accept !ri!es to change his =+dgments. ( 3n Cer+salem, Cehoshaphat chose some of the evites, priests, and heads 2 9hronicles 1).)*2,.1 &( of the families of 3srael to !e =+dges. These men lived in Cer+salem and +sed the law of the 5.D to settle pro!lems among the people. ) Cehoshaphat commanded them, ;o+ m+st serve faithf+lly with all yo+r heart. ;o+ m+st fear the 5.D. 1, 6eople from cities aro+nd the co+ntry will !ring their pro!lems to yo+. ;o+ will listen to cases where people have !roken a law or a command or may!e killed someone. 3n all these cases yo+ m+st warn the people not to sin against the 5.D so that he will not get angry and p+nish yo+ and yo+r people. 11 Amariah is the high priest, so he will make the final decision a!o+t the peoples responsi!ilities to the 5.D. Be!adiah son of 3shmael is the leader of the tri!e of C+dah, so he will make the final decision a!o+t the peoples responsi!ilities to the king. The evites will serve as scri!es for yo+. <e !rave and do what is right" Aay the 5.D !e with those of yo+ who are good =+dges. 20 1 ater, the Aoa!ites, the Ammonites, and some Ae+nites came to start a war with Cehoshaphat. 2 9hronicles 2,.2*' &) 2 Some men came and told Cehoshaphat, There is a large army coming against yo+ from -dom. They are coming from the other side of the Dead Sea. They are already in $aEaEon Tamar" 7$aEaEon Tamar is also called -n Gedi.8 3 Cehoshaphat !ecame afraid, and he decided to ask the 5.D what to do. $e anno+nced a time of fasting for everyone in C+dah. # The people of C+dah came together to ask the 5.D for help. They came from o+t of all the towns of C+dah to ask for -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D@S help. % Cehoshaphat was in the new co+rtyard of the 5.D@S Temple. $e stood +p in the meeting of the people from C+dah and Cer+salem & and said, 5.D God of o+r ancestors, yo+ are the God in heaven. ;o+ r+le over all the kingdoms in all the nations. ;o+ have power and strength. 1o one can stand against yo+. ' ;o+ are o+r God" ;o+ forced the people living in this land to leave. ;o+ did this in front of yo+r people 3srael. ;o+ gave this land to the descendants of A!raham forever. A!raham was yo+r friend. 2 9hronicles 2,.(*1# ', ( $is descendants lived in this land, and !+ilt a Temple for yo+r name. ) They said, 3f tro+!le comes to +sthe sword, p+nishment, sicknesses, or faminewe will stand in front of this Temple and in front of yo+. ;o+r name is on this Temple. >e will sho+t to yo+ when we are in tro+!le. Then yo+ will hear and save +s. 1, <+t now, here are men from Ammon, Aoa!, and Ao+nt Seir. ;o+ wo+ld not let the 3sraelites enter their lands when they came o+t of -gypt. So the 3sraelites t+rned away and didnt destroy them. 11 <+t see the kind of reward those people give +s for not destroying them. They have come to force +s o+t of yo+r land that yo+ gave to +s. 12 5+r God, p+nish those people. >e dont have the strength to stop this large army that is coming against +s. >e dont know what to do" >e are looking to yo+ for help. 13 All the men of C+dah stood !efore the 5.D with their wives, !a!ies, and children. 1# Then the Spirit of the 5.D came on CahaEiel son of Bechariah. 7Bechariah 2 9hronicles 2,.1%*1) '1 was the son of <enaiah, the son of Ceiel, the son of Aattaniah.8 CahaEiel was a evite from the family of Asaph. 3n the middle of the meeting, 1% CahaEiel said, isten to me Ging pag. %,(0131#

Cehoshaphat and everyone living in C+dah and Cer+salem" The 5.D says this to yo+: Dont !e afraid or worry a!o+t this large army, !eca+se the !attle is not yo+r !attle. 3t is Gods !attle" 1& Tomorrow, they will come +p thro+gh the BiE 6ass. ;o+ m+st go down to them. ;o+ will find them at the end of the valley on the other side of the Desert of Cer+el. 1' ;o+ will not have to fight this !attle. C+st stand there and watch the 5.D save yo+. C+dah and Cer+salem, dont !e afraid. Dont worry, !eca+se the 5.D is with yo+. So go o+t to stand against those people tomorrow. 1( Cehoshaphat !owed with his face to the gro+nd. And all the people of C+dah and Cer+salem !owed down !efore the 5.D and worshiped him. 1) The evites from the Gohath family gro+ps and the Gorah family stood +p to praise the 5.D, the God of 3srael. They sang very lo+dly. 2 9hronicles 2,.2,*2# '2 2, -arly the ne4t morning, Cehoshaphats army went o+t into the Desert of Tekoa. As they marched o+t, Cehoshaphat stood there saying, isten to me, men of C+dah and Cer+salem. $ave faith in the 5.D yo+r God, and yo+ will stand strong" $ave faith in his prophets, and yo+ will s+cceed" 21 Cehoshaphat enco+raged the men and gave them instr+ctions. Then he had the temple singers stand +p in their special clothes to praise the 5.D. They marched in front of the army and sang praises. They sang the song, 6raise the 5.D <eca+se $is 2aithf+l ove >ill ast 2orever" 22 As they !egan to sing and to praise God, the 5.D set an am!+sh for the army from Ammon, Aoa!, and Ao+nt Seir who had come to attack C+dah. The enemy was defeated" 23 The Ammonites and the Aoa!ites started to fight the men from Ao+nt Seir. After they killed them, the Ammonites and Aoa!ites t+rned on themselves and killed each other. -asy To .ead /ersion

2# The men from C+dah arrived at the looko+t point in the desert. They looked 2 9hronicles 2,.2%*2) '3 for the enemys large army, !+t all they saw were dead !odies lying on the gro+nd. There were no s+rvivors. 2% Cehoshaphat and his army came to take things from the !odies. They fo+nd many animals, riches, clothes, and other val+a!le things. 3t was more than Cehoshaphat and his men co+ld carry away. There was so m+ch that they spent three days taking everything from the dead !odies. 2& 5n the fo+rth day Cehoshaphat and his army met in the /alley of <eracah. They praised the 5.D. That is why people still call that place, The /alley of <eracah. 2' All the men from C+dah and Cer+salem were very happy as they marched !ack to Cer+salem with Cehoshaphat in the front. The 5.D made them very happy when he defeated their enemy. 2( They entered Cer+salem with lyres, harps, and tr+mpets and went to the Temple of the 5.D. 2) 6eople in all the s+rro+nding kingdoms !ecame afraid of God when they heard that the 5.D fo+ght against the enemies of 3srael. 2 9hronicles 2,.3,*3& '# 3, That is why there was peace for Cehoshaphats kingdomhis God !ro+ght him rest from the enemies that were all aro+nd him. 31 Cehoshaphat r+led over the co+ntry of C+dah. $e was 3% years old when he !ecame king, and he r+led 2% years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was AE+!ah, the da+ghter of Shilhi. 32 ike his father Asa, Cehoshaphat was good and did everything that the 5.D wanted, e4cept he did not destroy the high places. Also, the people did not t+rn !ack to the God that their ancestors worshiped. 33 72,:328 3# -verything else Cehoshaphat did, from !eginning to end, is written in The pag. %,)0131#

5fficial .ecords of Ceh+ Son of $anoni. 3t was copied and incl+ded in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael. 3% ater on, Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah made an agreement with Ging AhaEiah of 3srael. AhaEiah was very evil. 3& Cehoshaphat =oined with AhaEiah to make ships to go to the town of Tarshish. They !+ilt some ships at -Eion Ge!er. 2 9hronicles 2,.3'*21.# '% 3' There was a man from the town of Aareshah named -lieEer son of Dodavah+. $e spoke against Cehoshaphat and said, Cehoshaphat, since yo+ have =oined with AhaEiah, the 5.D will destroy what yo+ have !+ilt. The ships were wrecked, so Cehoshaphat and AhaEiah were not a!le to send them to Tarshish. 21 1 Then Cehoshaphat died and was !+ried with his ancestors in the 9ity of David. Then his son, Cehoram !ecame the ne4t king. 2 Cehorams !rothers were AEariah, Cehiel, Bechariah, AEariah, Aichael, and Shephatiah. They were the sons of Ging Cehoshaphat of C+dah. 3 Cehoshaphat gave his sons many gifts of silver, gold, and precio+s things. $e also gave them strong fortresses in C+dah. <+t Cehoshaphat gave the kingdom to Cehoram !eca+se he was his oldest son. # Cehoram took over his fathers kingdom and made himself strong. Then he +sed a sword to kill all his !rothers. $e also killed some of the leaders of 3srael. 2 9hronicles 21.%*1, '& % Cehoram was 32 years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led eight years in Cer+salem. & $e lived the same way the kings of 3srael lived. $e lived the same way Aha!s family lived. This was !eca+se Cehoram married Aha!s da+ghter. And Cehoram did evil in the 5.D@S sight. ' <+t the 5.D wo+ld not destroy Davids family !eca+se of the agreement he made with David. $e had promised to keep a lamp !+rning for David and his -asy To .ead /ersion

children forever. ( 3n Cehorams time, -dom !roke away from +nder C+dahs a+thority. The people of -dom chose their own king. ) So Cehoram went to -dom with all his commanders and chariots. The -domite army s+rro+nded Cehoram and his chariot commanders. <+t Cehoram fo+ght his way o+t at night. 1, Since that time and +ntil now the co+ntry of -dom has !een re!ellio+s against C+dah. The people from the town of i!nah also t+rned against Cehoram. This happened !eca+se Cehoram left the 5.D God. $e is the God Cehorams ancestors followed. 2 9hronicles 21.11*1% '' 11 Cehoram also !+ilt high places on the hills in C+dah. $e ca+sed the people of Cer+salem to start worshiping other gods. $e led the people of C+dah away from their God. 12 Cehoram received this message from -li=ah the prophet: This is what the 5.D, the God yo+r father David followed, says, Cehoram, yo+ have not lived the way yo+r father Cehoshaphat lived. ;o+ have not lived the way Ging Asa of C+dah lived. 13 <+t yo+ have lived the way the kings of 3srael lived. ;o+ have ca+sed the people of C+dah and Cer+salem to stop doing what God wants. That is what Aha! and his family did. They were +nfaithf+l to God. ;o+ have killed yo+r !rothers, and they were !etter than yo+. 1# So now, the 5.D will soon p+nish yo+r people with terri!le s+ffering. $e will p+nish yo+r children, yo+r wives, and all yo+r property. 1% ;o+ will have a painf+l sickness in yo+r intestines that will get worse and worse. ;o+r intestines will finally come o+t. 2 9hronicles 21.1&*22.1 '( 1& The 5.D ca+sed the 6hilistines and the Ara!s living near the -thiopians to !e angry with Cehoram. 1' They attacked C+dah and carried away all the riches in the kings palace. pag. %1,0131#

They also took Cehorams sons and wives. 5nly Cehorams yo+ngest son, AhaEiah, was left. 1( After this happened, the 5.D made Cehoram sick with a disease in his intestines that co+ld not !e c+red. 1) $is intestines fell o+t two years later !eca+se of his sickness. $e died in very !ad pain. The people did not make a large fire to honor Cehoram as they did for his father. 2, Cehoram was 32 years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led eight years in Cer+salem. 1o one was sad when he died. The people !+ried Cehoram in the 9ity of David, !+t not in the graves where the kings are !+ried. 22 1 The people of Cer+salem chose AhaEiah to !e the new king in Cehorams place. AhaEiah was Cehorams yo+ngest son. The people who came with the Ara!s to attack Cehorams camp killed 2 9hronicles 22.2*' ') all of Cehorams older sons. So AhaEiah !egan to r+le in C+dah. 2 $e was 22 years old when he !egan to r+le. $e r+led one year in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Athaliah. $er father was 5mri. 3 AhaEiah also lived the way Aha!s family lived !eca+se his mother enco+raged him to do wrong. # AhaEiah did what the 5.D considered to !e evil. That is what Aha!s family did. And Aha!s family gave advice to AhaEiah after his father died. They gave AhaEiah !ad advice that led to his death. % AhaEiah followed the advice of Aha!s family and =oined Ging Coram to fight against Ging $aEael from Aram. They fo+ght near the town of .amoth in Gilead. Coram, who was the son of Ging Aha! of 3srael, was wo+nded in the !attle. $e went !ack to the town of CeEreel to heal from the wo+nds he s+ffered at .amoth. Ging AhaEiah went there later to visit him. & 722:%8 ' God ca+sed AhaEiahs death when he went to visit Coram. AhaEiah arrived and -asy To .ead /ersion

went o+t with Coram to meet Ceh+ son of 2 9hronicles 22.(*11 (, 1imshi. The 5.D chose Ceh+ to destroy Aha!s family. ( Ceh+ was p+nishing Aha!s family. $e fo+nd the leaders of C+dah and AhaEiahs relatives who served AhaEiah. $e killed the leaders of C+dah and AhaEiahs relatives. ) Then Ceh+ looked for AhaEiah. Ceh+s men ca+ght him when he tried to hide in the town of Samaria. They !ro+ght him to Ceh+. They killed AhaEiah and !+ried him. They said, AhaEiah is the descendant of Cehoshaphat. Cehoshaphat followed the 5.D with all his heart. AhaEiahs family had no power to hold the kingdom of C+dah together. 1, Athaliah was AhaEiahs mother. >hen she saw that her son was dead, she killed all the kings children in C+dah. 11 <+t Cehoshe!a took AhaEiahs son Coash and hid him. Cehoshe!a p+t Coash and his n+rse in the inside !edroom. Cehoshe!a was Ging Cehorams da+ghter. She was also Cehoiadas wife. Cehoiada was a priest, and Cehoshe!a was AhaEiahs sister. Athaliah did not kill Coash, !eca+se Cehoshe!a hid him. 2 9hronicles 22.12*23.% (1 12 Coash was hidden with the priests in Gods Temple for si4 years. D+ring that time, Athaliah r+led over the land as J+een. 23 1 After si4 years, Cehoiada showed his strength and made an agreement with the captains. These captains were AEariah son of Ceroham, 3shmael son of Cehohanan, AEariah son of 5!ed, Aaaseiah son of Adaiah, and -lishaphat son of Bicri. 2 They went aro+nd in C+dah and gathered the evites from all the towns of C+dah. They also gathered the leaders of the families of 3srael. Then they went to Cer+salem. 3 All the people meeting together made an agreement with the king in Gods Temple. Cehoiada said to the people, The kings son will r+le. That is what the 5.D pag. %110131#

promised a!o+t Davids descendants. # 1ow, this is what yo+ m+st do: 5neDthird of yo+ priests and evites who go on d+ty on the Sa!!ath will g+ard the doors. % And oneDthird of yo+ will !e at the kings palace, and oneDthird of yo+ will !e at the 2o+ndation Gate. <+t all the 2 9hronicles 23.&*1, (2 other people will stay in the yards of the 5.D@S Temple. & 5nly the priests and evites who serve in the 5.D@S Temple are permitted to enter it. They are the only ones who have !een made holy. Dont let anyone else enter. All the others m+st do only the work the 5.D has given them. ' The evites m+st stay near the king. -very man m+st have his sword with him. 3f anyone tries to enter the Temple, kill that person. ;o+ m+st stay with the king everywhere he goes. ( The evites and all the people of C+dah o!eyed all that Cehoiada the priest commanded. Cehoiada the priest did not e4c+se anyone from the gro+ps of the priests. So each captain and all his men came in on the Sa!!ath with those who went o+t on the Sa!!ath. ) Cehoiada the priest gave the spears and the large and small shields that !elonged to Ging David to the officers. The weapons were kept in Gods Temple. 1, Then Cehoiada told the men where to stand. -very man had his weapon in his hand. The men stood all the way from the right side of the Temple to the left 2 9hronicles 23.11*1# (3 side of the Temple. They stood near the altar and the Temple, and near the king. 11 They !ro+ght o+t the kings son and p+t the crown on him. They gave him a copy of the agreement. Then they made Coash king. Cehoiada and his sons anointed Coash and said, ong live the king" 12 Athaliah heard the noise of the people r+nning to the Temple and praising the king. She came into the 5.D@S Temple to the people. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 She looked and saw the king standing !y his col+mn at the front entrance. The officers and the men who !lew tr+mpets were near the king. The people of the land were happy and !lowing tr+mpets. The singers were playing on instr+ments of m+sic. They led the people in singing praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, Treason" Treason" 1# Cehoiada the priest !ro+ght o+t the army captains. $e said to them, Take Athaliah o+tside among the army. Hse yo+r swords to kill anyone who follows her. Then the priest warned the soldiers, Dont kill Athaliah in the 5.D@S Temple. 2 9hronicles 23.1%*1) (# 1% Then those men gra!!ed Athaliah when she came to the entrance of the $orse Gate at the kings palace. Then they killed her there. 1& Then Cehoiada made an agreement with all the people and the king. They all agreed that they all wo+ld !e the 5.D@S people. 1' All the people went into the temple of the idol <aal and tore it down. They also !roke the altars and idols that were in <aals temple. They killed Aattan the priest of <aal in front of the altars of <aal. 1( Then Cehoiada chose the priests to !e responsi!le for the 5.D@S Temple. The priests were evites, and David had given them the =o! of !eing responsi!le for the 5.D@S Temple. They were to offer the !+rnt offerings to the 5.D the way the aw of Aoses commanded. They offered the sacrifices with m+ch =oy and singing the way David commanded. 1) Cehoiada p+t g+ards at the gates of the 5.D@S Temple to prevent any +nclean person from entering the Temple. 2 9hronicles 23.2,*2#.% (% 2, Cehoiada took the army captains, the leaders, the r+lers of the people, and all the people of the land with him. Then Cehoiada took the king o+t of the 5.D@S Temple. They went thro+gh the Hpper Gate to the kings palace and p+t the pag. %120131#

king on the throne. 21 All the people of C+dah were very happy, and the city of Cer+salem had peace !eca+se Athaliah was killed with a sword. 24 1 Coash was seven years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led #, years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Bi!iah. Bi!iah was from the town of <eershe!a. 2 Coash did right in front of the 5.D as long as Cehoiada the priest was living. 3 Cehoiada chose two wives for Coash. Coash had sons and da+ghters. # Then later on, Coash decided to re!+ild the 5.D@S Temple. % Coash called the priests and the evites together. $e said to them, Go o+t to the towns of C+dah and gather the money all the 3sraelites pay every year. Hse that money to re!+ild yo+r 2 9hronicles 2#.&*1, (& Gods Temple. $+rry and do this. <+t the evites didnt h+rry. & So Ging Coash called Cehoiada the leading priest. The king said, Cehoiada, why havent yo+ made the evites !ring in the ta4 money from C+dah and Cer+salem? The 5.D@S servant Aoses and the 3sraelites +sed that ta4 money for the Tent of the Agreement. ' 3n the past, Athaliahs sons !roke into Gods Temple and +sed the holy things in the 5.D@S Temple for their worship of the <aal gods. Athaliah was a very wicked woman. ( Ging Coash gave a command for a !o4 to !e made and p+t o+tside the gate at the 5.D@S Temple. ) Then the evites made an anno+ncement in C+dah and Cer+salem. They told the people to !ring in the ta4 money for the 5.D. That ta4 money is what Aoses the servant of God had reJ+ired the 3sraelites to give while they were in the desert. 1, All the leaders and the people were happy. They !ro+ght their money and p+t it in the !o4. They contin+ed giving +ntil the !o4 was f+ll. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 9hronicles 2#.11*1# (' 11 Then the evites wo+ld take the !o4 to the kings officials. They saw that the !o4 was f+ll of money. The kings secretary and the leading priests officer came and took the money o+t of the !o4. Then they took the !o4 !ack to its place again. They did this often and gathered m+ch money. 12 Then Ging Coash and Cehoiada gave the money to the people who worked on the 5.D@S Temple. And the people who worked on the 5.D@S Temple hired skilled woodcarvers and carpenters to re!+ild the 5.D@S Temple. They also hired workers who knew how to work with iron and !ronEe to re!+ild the 5.D@S Temple. 13 The men who s+pervised the work were very faithf+l, and the work they did went well. They re!+ilt Gods Temple the way it was !efore and made it strong. 1# >hen the workers finished, they !ro+ght the money that was left to Ging Coash and Cehoiada. They +sed that money to make things for the 5.D@S Temple. These things were +sed for the service in the Temple and for offering !+rnt offerings. They also made !owls 2 9hronicles 2#.1%*2, (( and other things from gold and silver. The priests offered !+rnt offerings in the 5.D@S Temple every day while Cehoiada was alive. 1% Cehoiada !ecame old. $e had a very long life, and he died when he was 13, years old. 1& The people !+ried Cehoiada in the 9ity of David where the kings are !+ried. The people !+ried Cehoiada there !eca+se in his life he did m+ch good in 3srael for God and for Gods Temple. 1' After Cehoiada died, the leaders of C+dah came and !owed to Ging Coash. The king listened to the leaders. 1( They all stopped worshiping at the Temple of the 5.D, the God their ancestors worshiped. 3nstead, they started worshiping Asherah poles and other idols. <eca+se they sinned in this pag. %130131#

way, God was angry with the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. 1) God sent prophets to the people to !ring them !ack to the 5.D. The prophets warned them, !+t they ref+sed to listen. 2, The Spirit of God filled Bechariah the son of Cehoiada the priest, and he stood 2 9hronicles 2#.21*2# () in front of the people and said, This is what God says: >hy do yo+ people ref+se to o!ey the 5.D@S commands? ;o+ will not !e s+ccessf+l. ;o+ have left the 5.D. So hehas also left yo+" 21 <+t the people made plans against Bechariah. The king commanded the people to kill Bechariah, so they threw rocks at him +ntil he was dead. The people did this in the co+rtyard of the 5.D@S Temple. 22 Coash the king didnt remem!er Cehoiadas kindness to him. Cehoiada was Bechariahs father. <+t Coash killed Bechariah, Cehoiadas son. <efore Bechariah died, he said, Aay the 5.D see what yo+ are doing and p+nish yo+" 23 At the end of the year, the Aramean army came against Coash. They attacked C+dah and Cer+salem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the val+a!le things to the king of Damasc+s. 2# The Aramean army came with only a small gro+p of men, !+t the 5.D let them defeat the m+ch larger army of C+dah. This was a p+nishment for Coash !eca+se the people of C+dah had 2 9hronicles 2#.2%*2%.2 ), left the 5.D, the God their ancestors worshiped. 2% >hen the Arameans left Coash, he was !adly wo+nded. $is own servants made plans against him !eca+se he had killed Bechariah the son of Cehoiada the priest. They killed Coash on his own !ed. After he died, the people !+ried him in the 9ity of David, !+t not in the place where the kings are !+ried. 2& 5ne of the servants who agreed to kill Coash was Ba!ad, son of Shimeath, a woman from Ammon. The other was -asy To .ead /ersion

CehoEa!ad, son of Shimrith, a woman from Aoa!. 2' The story a!o+t Coashs sons, the great prophecies against him, and how he re!+ilt Gods Temple are written in the !ook, 9ommentary on the Gings. Coashs son AmaEiah !ecame the new king after him. 25 1 AmaEiah was 2% years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led for 2) years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Cehoaddin. Cehoaddin was from Cer+salem. 2 AmaEiah did what the 5.D wanted him to do, !+t not with all his heart. 2 9hronicles 2%.3*' )1 3 $e !ecame a strong king and killed the officials who had killed his father the king. # <+t AmaEiah o!eyed the law written in the <ook of Aoses and did not kill the officials children. The 5.D commanded, 6arents m+st not !e p+t to death for something their children did, and children m+st not !e p+t to death for something their parents did. 6eople sho+ld !e p+t to death only for what they themselves did. % AmaEiah gathered the people of C+dah together. $e gro+ped them !y families and he p+t generals and captains in charge of these gro+ps. The leaders were in charge of all the soldiers from C+dah and <en=amin. All the men who were chosen to !e soldiers were 2, years old and older. 3n all there were 3,,,,,, skilled soldiers ready to fight with spears and shields. & AmaEiah also hired 1,,,,,, soldiers from 3srael. $e paid 3 30# tons of silver to hire these soldiers. ' <+t a man of God came to AmaEiah and said, Ging, dont let the army of 2 9hronicles 2%.(*13 )2 3srael go with yo+. The 5.D is not with 3srael or the people of -phraim. ( Aay!e yo+ will make yo+rself strong and ready for war, !+t God can help yo+ win or help yo+ lose. ) AmaEiah said to the man of God, <+t pag. %1#0131#

what a!o+t the money 3 already paid to the 3sraelite army? The man of God answered, The 5.D has plenty. $e can give yo+ m+ch more than that. 1, So AmaEiah sent the 3sraelite army !ack home to -phraim. These men were very angry with the king and the people of C+dah. They went !ack home very angry. 11 Then AmaEiah !ecame very !rave and led his army to the Salt /alley in the co+ntry of -dom. There his army killed 1,,,,, men from Seir. 12 They also capt+red 1,,,,, men from Seir and took them to the top of a cliff. Then the army of C+dah threw them from the top of the cliff while they were still alive and their !odies were !roken on the rocks !elow. 13 Aeanwhile, the 3sraelite army was attacking towns in C+dah. They attacked the towns from <eth $oron all the way 2 9hronicles 2%.1#*1' )3 to Samaria. They killed 3,,, people and took many val+a!le things. They were angry !eca+se AmaEiah didnt let them =oin him in the war. 1# AmaEiah came home after he defeated the -domites. $e !ro+ght the idols that the people of Seir worshiped. $e started to worship those idols. $e !owed down in front of them and !+rned incense to them. 1% The 5.D was very angry with AmaEiah, so he sent a prophet to him. The prophet said, AmaEiah, why have yo+ worshiped the gods those people worship? Those gods co+ld not even save their own people from yo+" 1& >hen the prophet spoke, AmaEiah said to the prophet, >e never made yo+ an advisor to the king. <e J+iet" 3f yo+ dont !e J+iet, yo+ will !e killed. The prophet !ecame J+iet, !+t then said, God has decided to destroy yo+ !eca+se yo+ did this and didnt listen to my advice. 1' Ging AmaEiah of C+dah talked with his advisors. Then he sent a message to Ging Cehoash of 3srael. AmaEiah said to -asy To .ead /ersion

Cehoash, ets meet face to face. Cehoash 2 9hronicles 2%.1(*22 )# was CehoahaEs son. CehoahaE was Ceh+s son. 1( Then Cehoash sent his answer to AmaEiah. Cehoash was the king of 3srael and AmaEiah was the king of C+dah. Cehoash told this story: A little thorn!+sh of e!anon sent a message to a !ig cedar tree of e!anon. The little thorn!+sh said, et yo+r da+ghter marry my son. <+t a wild animal came and walked over the thorn!+sh and destroyed it. 1) ;o+ say to yo+rself, 3 have defeated -dom" ;o+ are pro+d and yo+ !rag. <+t yo+ sho+ld stay at home. There is no need for yo+ to get into tro+!le. 3f yo+ fight me, yo+ and C+dah will !e destroyed. 2, <+t AmaEiah ref+sed to listen. God made this happen. God planned to let 3srael defeat C+dah, !eca+se the people of C+dah followed the gods the people of -dom followed. 21 So Ging Cehoash of 3srael met Ging AmaEiah of C+dah face to face at the town of <eth Shemesh in C+dah. 22 3srael defeated C+dah. -very man of C+dah ran away to his home. 2 9hronicles 2%.23*2' )% 23 Cehoash capt+red AmaEiah at <eth Shemesh and took him to Cer+salem. AmaEiah was the son of Coash, and Coash was the son of CehoahaE. Cehoash tore down the wall of Cer+salem from the -phraim Gate to the 9orner Gate, a section a!o+t &,, feet long. 2# $e took the gold and silver and all the other things in Gods Temple that 5!ed -dom was responsi!le for. Cehoash also took the treas+res from the kings palace and some people as hostages. Then he went !ack to Samaria. 2% AmaEiah lived 1% years after Cehoash died. AmaEiahs father was Ging Coash of C+dah. 2& -verything else AmaEiah did, from !eginning to end, is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah and 3srael. pag. %1%0131#

2' >hen AmaEiah stopped o!eying the 5.D, the people in Cer+salem made plans against AmaEiah. $e ran away to the town of achish. <+t the people sent men to achish and they killed AmaEiah there. 2 9hronicles 2%.2(*2&.& )& 2( Then they carried his !ody on horses and !+ried him with his ancestors in the 9ity of C+dah. 26 1 Then the people of C+dah chose HEEiah to !e the new king in place of AmaEiah. AmaEiah was HEEiahs father. HEEiah was 1& years old when he !ecame king. 2 HEEiah re!+ilt the town of -lath and gave it !ack to C+dah. $e did this after AmaEiah died and was !+ried with his ancestors. 3 HEEiah was 1& years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led %2 years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Cecoliah. Cecoliah was from Cer+salem. # HEEiah did what the 5.D wanted him to do. $e o!eyed God the same as his father AmaEiah had done. % HEEiah followed God in the time of Bechariahs life. Bechariah ta+ght HEEiah how to respect and o!ey God. >hen HEEiah was o!eying the 5.D, God gave him s+ccess. & HEEiah fo+ght a war against the 6hilistines. $e tore down the walls aro+nd the towns of Gath, Ca!neh, and Ashdod. HEEiah !+ilt towns near the 2 9hronicles 2&.'*11 )' town of Ashdod and in other places among the 6hilistines. ' God helped HEEiah fight the 6hilistines, the Ara!s living in the town of G+r <aal, and the Ae+nites. ( The Ammonites paid tri!+te to HEEiah. $is name !ecame famo+s all the way to the !order of -gypt. $e was famo+s !eca+se he was very powerf+l. ) HEEiah !+ilt towers in Cer+salem at the 9orner Gate, at the /alley Gate, and at the place where the wall t+rned. $e made them strong. 1, $e !+ilt towers in the desert. $e also -asy To .ead /ersion

d+g many wells. $e had many cattle in the hill co+ntry and in the flat lands. $e had farmers in the mo+ntains and in the lands where growth was good. $e also had men who took care of vineyards. $e loved farming. 11 HEEiah had an army of trained soldiers. They were p+t in gro+ps !y Ceiel the secretary and Aaaseiah the officer. $ananiah was their leader. Ceiel and Aaaseiah co+nted the soldiers and p+t them into gro+ps. $ananiah was one of the kings officers. 2 9hronicles 2&.12*1( )( 12 There were 2&,, leaders over the soldiers. 13 These family leaders were in charge of an army of 3,',%,, men who fo+ght with great power. These soldiers helped the king against the enemy. 1# HEEiah gave the army shields, spears, helmets, armor, !ows, and stones for the slings. 1% 3n Cer+salem, HEEiah made machines that were invented !y clever men. These machines were p+t on the towers and corner walls. They shot arrows and large rocks. HEEiah !ecame famo+s. 6eople knew his name in far away places. $e had m+ch help and !ecame a powerf+l king. 1& <+t when HEEiah !ecame strong, his pride ca+sed him to !e destroyed. $e was not faithf+l to the 5.D his God. $e went into the 5.D@S Temple to !+rn incense on the altar for incense. 1' AEariah the priest and (, !rave priests who served the 5.D followed HEEiah into the Temple. 1( They told him to stop what he was doing. They said, HEEiah, it is not yo+r =o! to !+rn incense to the 5.D. 3t is not 2 9hronicles 2&.1)*22 )) right. That is only for the priests, Aarons descendants, to do. They are the ones who have !een prepared for the holy work of !+rning incense. ;o+ have done wrong, so yo+ m+st go o+t of the Aost $oly 6lace. The 5.D God will not honor yo+ for this. pag. %1&0131#

1) HEEiah was still standing !eside the incense altar holding the pan for !+rning the incense. $e !ecame very angry at the priests and !egan sho+ting at them. S+ddenly, there in the 5.D@S Temple as the priests watched, leprosy !egan to !reak o+t on HEEiahs forehead. 2, AEariah the leading priest and all the priests co+ld see the leprosy on his forehead. They immediately forced him to leave the Temple. And HEEiah got o+t as fast as he co+ld, !eca+se the 5.D had p+nished him. 21 So HEEiah the king was a leper. $e co+ld not enter the 5.D@S Temple. $is son Cotham controlled the kings palace and !ecame governor for the people. 22 -verything else HEEiah did, from !eginning to end, is written !y the prophet 3saiah son of AmoE. 2 9hronicles 2&.23*2'.% 1,, 23 HEEiah died and was !+ried near his ancestors in the field near the kings !+rial places. This was !eca+se the people said, HEEiah has leprosy. And HEEiahs son Cotham !ecame the new king in his place. 27 1 Cotham was 2% years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led 1& years in Cer+salem. $is mothers name was Cer+sha. Cer+sha was Badoks da+ghter. 2 Cotham did what the 5.D wanted him to do. $e o!eyed God =+st as his father HEEiah had done. <+t Cotham did not enter the 5.D@S Temple to !+rn incense as his father had. <+t the people contin+ed doing wrong. 3 Cotham re!+ilt the Hpper Gate of the 5.D@S Temple. $e did m+ch !+ilding on the wall at the place named 5phel. # $e also !+ilt towns in the hill co+ntry of C+dah. $e !+ilt fortresses and towers in the forests. % Cotham also fo+ght against the king of the Ammonites and his army and defeated them. So each year for three years the Ammonites gave Cotham 3 30# 2 9hronicles 2'.&*2(.3 1,1 tons of silver, &2,,,, !+shels of wheat, -asy To .ead /ersion

and &2,,,, !+shels of !arley. & Cotham !ecame powerf+l !eca+se he faithf+lly o!eyed the 5.D his God. ' -verything else Cotham did and all his wars are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael and C+dah. ( Cotham was 2% years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led 1& years in Cer+salem. ) Then Cotham died and was !+ried with his ancestors. The people !+ried him in the 9ity of David. Cothams son AhaE !ecame king in his place. 28 1 AhaE was 2, years old when he !ecame king. $e r+led 1& years in Cer+salem. $e did not live right, as David his ancestor had done. AhaE did not do what the 5.D wanted him to do. 2 $e followed the !ad e4ample of the kings of 3srael. $e +sed molds to make idols to worship the <aal gods. 3 $e !+rned incense in the /alley of <en $innom and sacrificed his own sons !y !+rning them in the fire. $e did the same terri!le sins that the peoples living in that land did. The 5.D had forced 2 9hronicles 2(.#*( 1,2 them o+t when the 3sraelites entered that land. # AhaE offered sacrifices and !+rned incense in the high places, on the hills, and +nder every green tree. % <eca+se AhaE did these things, the 5.D his God let the king of Aram defeat him. The king and his army defeated AhaE and took many people of C+dah as prisoners to the city of Damasc+s. AhaE also s+ffered a terri!le defeat !y the king of 3srael, 6ekah son of .emaliah. 6ekah and his army killed 12,,,,, of the !ravest soldiers in C+dah in one day. All this happened !eca+se the people of C+dah had t+rned away from the 5.D, the God their ancestors worshiped. & 72(:%8 ' Bicri was a !rave soldier from -phraim. $e killed the kings son Aaaseiah. $e also killed AErikam, the officer in charge of the kings palace, and -lkanah, who was second in command to the king. pag. %1'0131#

( The 3sraelite army capt+red 2,,,,,, of their own relatives living in C+dah. They took women, children, and many val+a!le things from C+dah and carried them !ack to Samaria. 2 9hronicles 2(.)*13 1,3 ) <+t one of the 5.D@S prophets named 5ded was there. 5ded met the 3sraelite army that came !ack to Samaria. $e said to the 3sraelite army, The 5.D, the God yo+r ancestors worshiped, let yo+ defeat the people of C+dah !eca+se he was angry with them. <+t now he is angry with yo+, !eca+se he has seen how cr+el yo+ were in killing them. 1, And now yo+ plan to keep the people of C+dah and Cer+salem as slaves. <+t yo+ are as g+ilty as they are for sinning against the 5.D yo+r God. 11 1ow listen to me. Send !ack all those yo+ capt+red, yo+r own !rothers and sisters, !eca+se the 5.D@S terri!le anger is against yo+. 12 Then some of the leaders in -phraim saw the 3sraelite soldiers coming home from war. They met the 3sraelite soldiers and warned them. The leaders were AEariah son of Cehohanan, <erekiah son of Aeshillemoth, CehiEkiah son of Shall+m, and Amasa son of $adlai. 13 They said to the 3sraelite soldiers, Dont !ring the prisoners from C+dah here. 3f yo+ do that, it will add to o+r sin against the 5.D. 3t will make o+r sin 2 9hronicles 2(.1#*1' 1,# and g+ilt !efore him even worse than it is now, and he is already very angry with 3srael" 1# So the soldiers gave the prisoners and val+a!le things to the leaders and to the people. 1% The leaders 7AEariah, <erekiah, CehiEkiah, and Amasa8 stood +p and helped the prisoners. These fo+r men got the clothes that the 3sraelite army took and gave them to the people who were naked. The leaders also gave them sandals. They gave the prisoners from C+dah something to eat and drink. They r+!!ed oil on them to soften and heal -asy To .ead /ersion

their wo+nds. Then the leaders from -phraim p+t the weak prisoners on donkeys and took them !ack home to their families in Cericho, the city of palm trees. Then the fo+r leaders went !ack home to Samaria. 1& At that same time, the people from -dom came again and defeated the people of C+dah. The -domites capt+red people and took them away as prisoners. So Ging AhaE asked the king of Assyria to help him. 1' 72(:1&8 2 9hronicles 2(.1(*23 1,% 1( The 6hilistines also attacked the towns in the hills and in so+th C+dah. The 6hilistines capt+red the towns of <eth Shemesh, Ai=alon, Gederoth, Soco, Timnah, and GimEo. They also capt+red the villages near these towns. Then the 6hilistines lived in them. 1) The 5.D gave tro+!les to C+dah !eca+se Ging AhaE of C+dah enco+raged the people of C+dah to sin. $e was very +nfaithf+l to the 5.D. 2, Ging Tiglath 6ileser of Assyria came and gave AhaE tro+!le instead of helping him. 21 AhaE took some val+a!le things from the 5.D@S Temple and from the kings palace and from the princes ho+se. AhaE gave them to the king of Assyria, !+t that didnt help him. 22 3n AhaEs tro+!les, he sinned worse and !ecame more +nfaithf+l to the 5.D. 23 $e offered sacrifices to the gods the people of Damasc+s worshiped. The people of Damasc+s had defeated AhaE. So he tho+ght to himself, The gods the people of Aram worship helped them. So if 3 offer sacrifices to them, may!e 2 9hronicles 2(.2#*2).1 1,& they will help me also. AhaE worshiped these gods. 3n this way he sinned, and he made the people of 3srael sin. 2# AhaE gathered the things from Gods Temple and !roke them to pieces. Then he closed the doors of the 5.D@S Temple. $e made altars and p+t them on pag. %1(0131#

every street corner in Cer+salem. 2% 3n every town in C+dah AhaE made high places for !+rning incense to worship other gods. AhaE made the 5.D, the God his ancestors o!eyed, very angry. 2& -verything else AhaE did, from the !eginning to the end, is written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah and 3srael. 2' AhaE died and was !+ried with his ancestors. The people !+ried him in the city of Cer+salem. <+t they didnt !+ry him in the same !+rial place where the kings of 3srael were !+ried. AhaEs son $eEekiah !ecame the new king in his place. 29 1 $eEekiah !ecame king when he was 2% years old. $e r+led 2) years in Cer+salem. $is mothers 2 9hronicles 2).2*& 1,' name was A!i=ah. A!i=ah was Bechariahs da+ghter. 2 $eEekiah did what the 5.D wanted him to do. $e did what was right =+st as David his ancestor had done. 3 $eEekiah repaired the doors of the 5.D@S Temple and made them strong. $e opened the Temple again. $e did this in the first month of the first year after he !ecame king. # $eEekiah got the priests and evites together in one assem!ly. $e had a meeting with them in the co+rtyard on the east side of the Temple. $eEekiah said to them, isten to me, evites" Aake yo+rselves ready for holy service. Aake the Temple of the 5.D God ready for holy service. $e is the God yo+r ancestors o!eyed. Take away the things from the Temple that dont !elong in there. These things make the Temple +nclean. % 72):#8 & 5+r ancestors were not faithf+l and did what the 5.D says is evil. They stopped following him. They no longer paid any attention to the 5.D@S ho+se and t+rned their !acks on him. 2 9hronicles 2).'*12 1,( -asy To .ead /ersion

' They sh+t the doors of the porch of the Temple and let the fire go o+t in the lamps. They stopped !+rning incense and offering !+rnt offerings in the $oly 6lace to the God of 3srael. ( So the 5.D !ecame very angry with the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. $e p+nished them so !adly that it shocks and scares people to hear a!o+t it. <+t then they =+st la+gh and sho+t their own ins+lts against C+dah. ;o+ know this is tr+e. ;o+ have seen it happen. ) That is why o+r ancestors were killed in !attle. 5+r sons, da+ghters, and wives were made prisoners. 1, So now 3, $eEekiah, have decided to make an agreement with the 5.D, the God of 3srael. Then he will not !e angry with +s anymore. 11 So my sons, dont !e laEy or waste any more time. The 5.D chose yo+ to serve him in the Temple and to !+rn incense. 12 This is a list of the evites who started to work: 2rom the Gohath family there were Aahath son of Amasai and Coel son of AEariah. 2rom the Aerari family there were Gish son of A!di and AEariah 2 9hronicles 2).13*1' 1,) son of Cehallelel. 2rom the Gershon family there were Coah son of Bimmah and -den son of Coa!. 2rom -liEaphans descendants there were Shimri and Ceiel. 2rom Asaphs descendants there were Bechariah and Aattaniah. 2rom $emans descendants there were Cehiel and Shimei. 2rom Ced+th+ns descendants there were Shemaiah and HEEiel. 13 72):128 1# 72):128 1% Then these evites gathered their !rothers together and made themselves ready for holy service in the Temple. They o!eyed the kings command that came from the 5.D. They went into the 5.D@S Temple to clean it. 1& The priests went into the inside part of the 5.D@S Temple to clean it. They took o+t all the +nclean things they fo+nd there. They !ro+ght the +nclean pag. %1)0131#

things o+t to the co+rtyard of the 5.D@S Temple. Then the evites took these things o+t to the Gidron /alley. 1' 5n the first day of the first month, the evites !egan to make the Temple ready for holy service. <y the eighth day, they had finished cleaning all the area 2 9hronicles 2).1(*21 11, +p to the porch of the 5.D@S Temple. 2or eight more days they cleaned the 5.D@S Temple itself to make it ready for holy +se. They finished on the 1&th day of the first month. 1( Then they went to Ging $eEekiah and said to him, Ging $eEekiah, we cleaned all the 5.D@S Temple and the altar for !+rning offerings and all the things in the Temple. >e cleaned the ta!le for the rows of !read with all the things +sed for that ta!le. 1) D+ring the time that AhaE was king, he re!elled against God. $e threw away many of the things that were in the Temple. <+t we repaired all those things and made them ready for their special +se. They are now in front of the 5.D@S altar. 2, Ging $eEekiah gathered the city officials and went +p to the Temple of the 5.D early the ne4t morning. 21 They !ro+ght seven !+lls, seven rams, seven lam!s, and seven yo+ng male goats. These animals were for a sin offering for the kingdom of C+dah, for the $oly 6lace to make it clean, and for the people of C+dah. Ging $eEekiah 2 9hronicles 2).22*2% 111 commanded the priests who were descendants of Aaron to offer these animals on the 5.D@S altar. 22 So the priests killed the !+lls and kept the !lood. Then they sprinkled the !+lls !lood on the altar. Then they killed the rams and sprinkled the rams !lood on the altar. Then they killed the lam!s and sprinkled the lam!s !lood on the altar. 23 Then the priests !ro+ght the male goats in front of the king, and the people gathered together. The goats were the -asy To .ead /ersion

sin offering. The priests p+t their hands on the goats and killed the goats. They made a sin offering with the goats !lood on the altar. They did this so that God wo+ld forgive the sins of the 3sraelites. The king said that the !+rnt offering and the sin offering sho+ld !e made for all the 3sraelites. 2# 72):238 2% Ging $eEekiah p+t the evites in the 5.D@S Temple with cym!als, harps, and lyres as David, Gad, the kings seer, and the prophet 1athan had commanded. This command came from the 5.D thro+gh his prophets. 2 9hronicles 2).2&*31 112 2& So the evites stood ready with Davids instr+ments of m+sic, and the priests stood ready with their tr+mpets. 2' Then $eEekiah gave the order to sacrifice the !+rnt offering on the altar. >hen the !+rnt offering !egan, singing to the 5.D also !egan. The tr+mpets were !lown, and the instr+ments of David king of 3srael were played. 2( All the assem!ly !owed down, the m+sicians sang, and the tr+mpet players !lew their tr+mpets +ntil the !+rnt offering was finished. 2) After the sacrifices were finished, Ging $eEekiah and all the people with him !owed down and worshiped. 3, Ging $eEekiah and his officials ordered the evites to give praise to the 5.D. They sang songs that David and Asaph the seer had written. They praised God and !ecame happy. They all !owed and worshiped God. 31 $eEekiah said, 1ow yo+ people of C+dah have given yo+rselves to the 5.D. 9ome near and !ring sacrifices and thank offerings to the 5.D@S Temple. So the people !ro+ght sacrifices and thank offerings, and those who 2 9hronicles 2).32*3& 113 wanted to offer more also !ro+ght !+rnt offerings. 32 This is how many !+rnt offerings the assem!ly !ro+ght to the Temple: ', !+lls, 1,, rams, and 2,, lam!s. All pag. %2,0131#

these animals were sacrificed as !+rnt offerings to the 5.D. 33 There were also &,, !+lls and 3,,, sheep and goats that were sacrificed as holy offerings. 3# <+t there were not eno+gh priests to skin and c+t +p all the animals for the !+rnt offerings. So their relatives, the evites, helped them +ntil the work was finished and +ntil other priests co+ld make themselves ready for holy service. The evites had !een more serio+s than the priests a!o+t making themselves ready to serve. 3% There were many !+rnt offerings, and the fat of fellowship offerings, and drink offerings. So the service in the 5.D@S Temple !egan again. 3& $eEekiah and the people were very happy a!o+t the things God prepared for his people. And they were happy he did it so J+ickly" 2 9hronicles 3,.1*% 11# 30 1 Ging $eEekiah sent messages to all the people of 3srael and C+dah. $e wrote letters to the people of -phraim and Aanasseh also. $e invited all these people to come to the 5.D@S Temple in Cer+salem so that they all co+ld cele!rate the 6assover for the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 2 Ging $eEekiah agreed with all his officials and all the assem!ly in Cer+salem to have the 6assover in the second month. 3 They co+ld not cele!rate the 6assover 2estival at the reg+lar time, !eca+se not eno+gh priests had made themselves ready for holy service and the people had not gathered in Cer+salem. # The agreement satisfied Ging $eEekiah and all the assem!ly. % So they sent the anno+ncement thro+gho+t 3srael, from the town of <eershe!a all the way to the town of Dan. They told the people to come to Cer+salem to cele!rate the 6assover for the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1ot many people had !een cele!rating it as it was descri!ed in the law. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 9hronicles 3,.&*) 11% & So the messengers took the kings letters all thro+gh 3srael and C+dah. This is what the letters said: 9hildren of 3srael, t+rn !ack to the 5.D, the God who A!raham, 3saac, and 3srael o!eyed. Then God will come !ack to yo+ who are still alive and have escaped from the kings of Assyria. ' Dont !e like yo+r fathers or yo+r !rothers. The 5.D was their God, !+t they t+rned against him. So he made people hate them and speak evil a!o+t them. ;o+ can see with yo+r own eyes that this is tr+e. ( Dont !e st+!!orn as yo+r ancestors were. <+t o!ey the 5.D with a willing heart. 9ome to the Temple that he has made to !e holy forever. Serve the 5.D yo+r God. Then his fearf+l anger will t+rn away from yo+. ) 3f yo+ come !ack and o!ey the 5.D, yo+r relatives and yo+r children will find mercy from the people who capt+red them. And yo+r relatives and yo+r children will come !ack to this land. The 5.D yo+r God is kind and mercif+l. $e will not t+rn away from yo+ if yo+ come !ack to him. 2 9hronicles 3,.1,*1% 11& 1, The messengers went to every town in the area of -phraim and Aanasseh. They went all the way to the area of Be!+l+n, !+t the people la+ghed at the messengers and made f+n of them. 11 <+t, some men from the areas of Asher, Aanasseh, and Be!+l+n h+m!led themselves and went to Cer+salem. 12 Also, in C+dah Gods power +nited the people so that they wo+ld o!ey the king and his officials concerning the word of the 5.D. 13 Aany people came together in Cer+salem to cele!rate the 2estival of Hnleavened <read in the second month. 3t was a very large crowd. 1# The people took away the altars in Cer+salem that were for false gods and all the incense altars that were for false gods. They threw them into the Gidron pag. %210131#

/alley. 1% Then they killed the 6assover lam! on the 1#th day of the second month. The priests and the evites felt ashamed. They made themselves ready for holy service. The priests and the evites !ro+ght !+rnt offerings into the 5.D@S Temple. 2 9hronicles 3,.1&*1( 11' 1& They took their reg+lar places in the Temple as descri!ed in the aw of Aoses, the man of God. The evites gave the !lood to the priests. Then the priests sprinkled the !lood on the altar. 1' There were many people in the gro+p who had not made themselves ready for holy service, so they were not permitted to kill the 6assover lam!s. That is why the evites were responsi!le for killing the 6assover lam!s for everyone who was not clean. The evites made each lam! holy for the 5.D. 1( Aany people from -phraim, Aanasseh, 3ssachar, and Be!+l+n had not prepared themselves in the right way for the 6assover 2estival. They did not cele!rate the 6assover the right way, as the aw of Aoses says. <+t $eEekiah prayed for the people. So he said this prayer, 5.D God, yo+ are good. These people sincerely wanted to worship yo+ in the right way, !+t they did not make themselves clean as the law says. 6lease forgive these people. ;o+ are the 5.D, the God o+r ancestors worshiped. 2orgive them, even if some did not make 2 9hronicles 3,.1)*2# 11( themselves clean as the r+les of the Aost $oly 6lace say. 1) 73,:1(8 2, The 5.D listened to Ging $eEekiahs prayer and forgave the people. 21 The people of 3srael in Cer+salem cele!rated the 2estival of Hnleavened <read with great =oy for seven days. And the evites and priests praised the 5.D every day with all their strength. 22 Ging $eEekiah enco+raged all the evites who +nderstood very well how to do the service of the 5.D. The people -asy To .ead /ersion

cele!rated the festival for seven days and offered fellowship offerings. They gave thanks and praise to the 5.D, the God of their ancestors. 23 All the people agreed to stay seven more days. They were =oyf+l as they cele!rated the 6assover for seven more days. 2# Ging $eEekiah of C+dah gave 1,,, !+lls and ',,, sheep to the assem!ly to kill and eat. The leaders gave 1,,, !+lls and 1,,,,, sheep to the assem!ly. Aany priests prepared themselves for holy service. 2 9hronicles 3,.2%*31.1 11) 2% All the assem!ly of C+dah, the priests, the evites, all the assem!ly who came from 3srael, and the travelers who came from 3srael and moved to C+dahall these people were very happy. 2& So there was m+ch =oy in Cer+salem. There had not !een a cele!ration like this since the time of Solomon son of Ging David of 3srael. 2' The priests and the evites stood +p and asked God to !less the people, and he heard them. Their prayer came +p to heaven, the holy place where he lives. 31 1 >hen the 6assover cele!ration was finished, the 3sraelites who were in Cer+salem for 6assover went o+t to the towns of C+dah. Then they smashed the stone idols that were in the towns. These stone idols were +sed to worship false gods. They also c+t down the Asherah poles. And they destroyed the high places and the altars all thro+gh the areas of C+dah and <en=amin. They did the same things in the area of -phraim and Aanasseh. They did these things +ntil they destroyed all the things +sed for worshiping the false gods. Then 2 9hronicles 31.2*# 12, all the 3sraelites went !ack home to their own towns. 2 The priests and evites had !een divided into gro+ps, and each gro+p had its own special =o! to do. So Ging $eEekiah told these gro+ps to !egin doing their =o!s again. So the priests pag. %220131#

and evites again had the =o! of offering the !+rnt offerings and the fellowship offerings. And they had the =o! of serving in the Temple and singing and praising God !y the doors to the 5.D@S ho+se. 3 $eEekiah gave some of his own animals to !e offered as the !+rnt offerings. These animals were +sed for the daily !+rnt offerings that were given each morning and each evening. They were offered on the Sa!!ath days, d+ring 1ew Aoon cele!rations, and on the other special meeting days, as law of the 5.D commands. # The people were s+pposed to give a part of their crops and things to the priests and evites. So $eEekiah commanded the people living in Cer+salem to give them their share. 3n that way the priests and evites co+ld 2 9hronicles 31.%*1, 121 spend all of their time doing what the law of the 5.D told them to do. % 6eople all aro+nd the co+ntry heard a!o+t this command. So the 3sraelites gave the first part of their harvest of grain, grapes, oil, honey, and all the things they grew in their fields. They !ro+ght oneDtenth of all these many things. & The men of 3srael and C+dah living in the towns of C+dah also !ro+ght oneDtenth of their cattle and sheep. They also !ro+ght oneDtenth of the things that were p+t in a special place that was only for the 5.D their God. They !ro+ght all these things and p+t them in piles. ' The people !egan to !ring these things in the third month and they finished !ringing the collection in the seventh month. ( >hen $eEekiah and the leaders came, they saw the piles of things that were collected. They praised the 5.D and his people, the 3sraelites. ) Then $eEekiah asked the priests and the evites a!o+t the piles of things. 1, AEariah the high priest from Badoks family said to $eEekiah, 2rom the time 2 9hronicles 31.11*1# 122 -asy To .ead /ersion

that the people started !ringing the offerings into the 5.D@S ho+se, we have had plenty to eat. >e have eaten +ntil we are f+ll and there is still plenty left over" The 5.D has really !lessed his people. That is why we have so m+ch left over. 11 Then $eEekiah commanded the priests to make storerooms ready in the 5.D@S Temple. So this was done. 12 Then the priests !ro+ght the offerings, tithes, and other things that were to !e given only to God. All these things collected were p+t in the storerooms in the Temple. 9onaniah the evite was in charge of everything that was collected. Shimei was second in charge of these things. Shimei was 9onaniahs !rother. 13 9onaniah and his !rother Shimei were s+pervisors of these men: Cehiel, AEaEiah, 1ahath, Asahel, Cerimoth, CoEa!ad, -liel, 3smakiah, Aahath, and <enaiah. Ging $eEekiah and AEariah the official in charge of Gods Temple chose these men. 1# Gore was in charge of the offerings that the people freely gave to God. 2 9hronicles 31.1%*1' 123 $e was responsi!le for giving o+t the collections that were given to the 5.D. And he was responsi!le for giving o+t the gifts that had !een made holy. Gore was the gatekeeper at the -ast Gate. $is fathers name was 3mnah the evite. 1% -den, Ainiamin, Cesh+a, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah helped Gore. These men served faithf+lly in the towns where the priests were living. They gave the collection of things to their relatives in each gro+p of priests. They gave the same things to the more important people and to the less important. 1& These men also gave the collection of things to the males three years old and older who had their names in the evite family histories. All these males were to enter the 5.D@S Temple for daily service to do the things they were responsi!le to do. -ach gro+p of evites pag. %230131#

had their own responsi!ility. 1' The priests were given their part of the collection. This was done !y families, in the way they were listed in the family histories. The evites who were 2, years old and older were given their part of the 2 9hronicles 31.1(*21 12# collection, according to their gro+ps and responsi!ilities. 1( The evites !a!ies, wives, sons, and da+ghters also got part of the collection. This was done for all the evites who were listed in the family histories. This was !eca+se the evites were faithf+l to always keep themselves holy and ready for service. 1) Some of Aarons descendants, the priests, lived in the towns or on farms near the towns where the evites were living. Aen were chosen !y name in each of these towns to give part of the collection to these descendants of Aaron. All the males and those named in the family histories of the evites got part of the collection. 2, So Ging $eEekiah did those good things in all C+dah. $e did what was good and right and faithf+l !efore the 5.D his God. 21 $e had s+ccess in every work he !eganthe service of Gods Temple and in o!eying the law and commands, and in following his God. $eEekiah did all these things with all his heart. 2 9hronicles 32.1*% 12% 32 1 After all these things that $eEekiah had faithf+lly done happened, Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria came to attack the co+ntry of C+dah. Sennacheri! and his army camped o+tside the fortresses. $e did this so that he co+ld make plans to defeat these towns. Sennacheri! wanted to win them for himself. 2 $eEekiah knew that Sennacheri! came to Cer+salem to attack it. 3 Then $eEekiah talked to his officials and army officers. They all agreed to stop the waters of the water springs o+tside the city. The officials and army -asy To .ead /ersion

officers helped $eEekiah. # Aany people came together and stopped all the springs and the stream that flowed thro+gh the middle of the co+ntry. They said, The king of Assyria will not find m+ch water when he comes here" % $eEekiah made Cer+salem stronger. This is how he did it: $e re!+ilt all the parts of the wall that were !roken down. $e also !+ilt towers on the wall. $e also !+ilt another wall o+tside the first wall. $e re!+ilt the strong places on the east 2 9hronicles 32.&*1, 12& side of the old part of Cer+salem. $e made many weapons and shields. & $eEekiah chose officers of war to !e in charge of the people. $e met with these officers at the open place near the city gate. $e talked to the officers and enco+raged them. $e said, <e strong and !rave. Dont !e afraid or worry a!o+t the king of Assyria or the large army with him. There is a greater power with +s than the king of Assyria has with him" ' 732:&8 ( The king of Assyria only has men. <+t we have the 5.D o+r God with +s" 5+r God will help +s. $e will fight o+r !attles" So Ging $eEekiah of C+dah enco+raged the people and made them feel stronger. ) Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria and all his army were camped near the town of achish so that they co+ld defeat it. Then Sennacheri! sent his officers to Ging $eEekiah of C+dah and to all the people of C+dah in Cer+salem. $is officers had a message for $eEekiah and all the people in Cer+salem. 1, They said, Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria says this: >hat do yo+ tr+st in 2 9hronicles 32.11*1% 12' that makes yo+ stay +nder attack in Cer+salem? 11 $eEekiah is fooling yo+. ;o+ are !eing tricked into staying in Cer+salem so that yo+ will die from h+nger and thirst. $eEekiah says to yo+, The 5.D o+r God will save +s from the king of Assyria. 12 <+t $eEekiah himself took away the pag. %2#0131#

high places and altars that !elonged to that god. $e told yo+ people of C+dah and Cer+salem that yo+ m+st worship and !+rn incense on only one altar. 13 5f co+rse, yo+ know what my ancestors and 3 have done to all the peoples in other co+ntries. The gods of the other co+ntries co+ld not save their people. Those gods co+ld not stop me from destroying their people. 1# Ay ancestors destroyed those co+ntries. There is no god that can stop me from destroying his people. So yo+ think yo+r god can save yo+ from me? 1% Dont let $eEekiah fool yo+ or trick yo+. Dont !elieve him !eca+se no god of any nation or kingdom has ever !een a!le to keep his people safe from me or my ancestors. Dont think yo+r god can stop me from destroying yo+. 2 9hronicles 32.1&*2, 12( 1& The officers of the king of Assyria said worse things against the 5.D God and against $eEekiah, Gods servant. 1' The king of Assyria also wrote letters that ins+lted the 5.D, the God of 3srael. This is what the king of Assyria said in those letters: The gods of the other nations co+ld not stop me from destroying their people. 3n the same way, $eEekiahs god will not !e a!le to stop me from destroying his people. 1( Then the Assyrian officers sho+ted lo+dly to the people of Cer+salem who were on the city wall. They spoke in the lang+age of C+dah so that the people on the wall co+ld +nderstand and !e frightened eno+gh that the Assyrians co+ld capt+re the city of Cer+salem. 1) Then they ins+lted the God of Cer+salem =+st as they had ins+lted all the gods of the people from other nationseven tho+gh those gods are only things people made with their hands. 2, $eEekiah the king and the prophet 3saiah son of AmoE prayed a!o+t this pro!lem. They prayed very lo+dly to heaven. 2 9hronicles 32.21*2% 12) 21 Then the 5.D sent an angel to the -asy To .ead /ersion

king of Assyrias camp. That angel killed all the soldiers, leaders, and officers in the Assyrian army. So the king of Assyria went !ack home to his own co+ntry, and his people were ashamed of him. $e went into the temple of his god and some of his own sons killed him there with a sword. 22 So the 5.D saved $eEekiah and the people in Cer+salem from Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria and from all other people. $e cared for $eEekiah and the people of Cer+salem. 23 Aany people !ro+ght gifts for the 5.D to Cer+salem. They !ro+ght val+a!le things to Ging $eEekiah of C+dah. 2rom that time on, all the nations respected $eEekiah. 2# 3t was in those days that $eEekiah !ecame very sick and near death. $e prayed to the 5.D, and he spoke to $eEekiah and gave him a sign. 2% <+t $eEekiahs heart was pro+d, so he did not give God thanks for his kindness. This is why God was angry with $eEekiah and with the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. 2 9hronicles 32.2&*31 13, 2& <+t $eEekiah and the people living in Cer+salem changed their hearts and lives. They !ecame h+m!le and stopped !eing pro+d. So the 5.D@S anger didnt come on them while $eEekiah was alive. 2' $eEekiah had many riches and m+ch honor. $e made places to keep silver, gold, val+a!le =ewels, spices, shields, and all kinds of things. 2( $eEekiah had storage !+ildings for the grain, new wine, and oil that people sent to him. $e had stalls for all the cattle and stalls for the sheep. 2) $eEekiah also !+ilt many towns, and he got many flocks of sheep and cattle. God gave him m+ch wealth. 3, 3t was $eEekiah who stopped +p the +pper so+rce of the waters of the Gihon Spring in Cer+salem and made the waters flow straight down on the west side of the 9ity of David. And he was s+ccessf+l in everything he did. pag. %2%0131#

31 5ne time the leaders of <a!ylon sent messengers to $eEekiah. The messengers asked a!o+t a strange sign that had happened in the nations. >hen they came, God left $eEekiah alone to 2 9hronicles 32.32*33.3 131 test him and to know everything that was in $eEekiahs heart. 32 -verything else $eEekiah did as king and the ways he served God faithf+lly are written in the !ook, The /ision of the 6rophet 3saiah Son of AmoE and in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of C+dah and 3srael. 33 $eEekiah died and was !+ried with his ancestors. The people !+ried him on the hill where the graves of Davids ancestors are. All the people of C+dah and those living in Cer+salem gave honor to $eEekiah when he died. $eEekiahs son Aanasseh !ecame the new king in his place. 33 1 Aanasseh was twelve years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. $e was king for %% years in Cer+salem. 2 Aanasseh did what the 5.D said was wrong. $e followed the terri!le and sinf+l ways of the nations that the 5.D had forced o+t of the land !efore the 3sraelites. 3 Aanasseh re!+ilt the high places that his father $eEekiah had !roken down. Aanasseh !+ilt altars for the <aal gods and made Asherah poles. $e !owed 2 9hronicles 33.#*( 132 down to the constellations and worshiped those gro+ps of stars. # Aanasseh !+ilt altars for false gods in the 5.D@S Temple. The 5.D said a!o+t the Temple, Ay name will !e in Cer+salem forever. % $e !+ilt altars for all the gro+ps of stars in the two yards of the 5.D@S Temple. & $e also !+rned his own children for a sacrifice in the /alley of <en $innom. $e also +sed magic !y doing soothsaying, divination, and sorcery. $e talked with medi+ms and wiEards. $e did many things that the 5.D said were evil and -asy To .ead /ersion

made him angry. ' Aanasseh also made a stat+e of an idol and p+t it in Gods Templethe very same Temple that God had talked a!o+t to David and his son Solomon. God had said, 3 will p+t my name in this ho+se and in Cer+salemthe city that 3 chose from all the cities in all the tri!esand my name will !e there forever" ( 3 will not contin+e to keep the 3sraelites off the land that 3 chose to give to their ancestors. <+t they m+st o!ey everything 3 commanded them. 2 9hronicles 33.)*13 133 The 3sraelites m+st o!ey all the laws, r+les, and commands that 3 gave Aoses to give to them. ) Aanasseh enco+raged the people of C+dah and the people living in Cer+salem to do wrong. They were worse than the nations that were in the land !efore the 3sraelitesand the 5.D destroyed those people. 1, The 5.D spoke to Aanasseh and to his people, !+t they ref+sed to listen. 11 So the 5.D !ro+ght commanders from the king of Assyrias army to attack C+dah. These commanders capt+red Aanasseh and made him their prisoner. They p+t hooks in him and !rass chains on his hands and took him to the co+ntry of <a!ylon. 12 >hen these tro+!les came to him, Aanasseh !egged for help from the 5.D his God. $e h+m!led himself !efore the God of his ancestors. 13 Aanasseh prayed to God and !egged him for help. The God heard his !egging and felt sorry for him, so he let Aanasseh ret+rn to Cer+salem and to his throne. Then Aanasseh knew that the 5.D was the tr+e God. 2 9hronicles 33.1#*1( 13# 1# After that happened, Aanasseh !+ilt an o+ter wall for the 9ity of David. This wall went to the west of Gihon Spring in Gidron /alley, to the entrance of the 2ish Gate, and aro+nd the hill of 5phel. $e made the wall very tall. Then he p+t officers in all the fortresses in C+dah. pag. %2&0131#

1% Aanasseh took away the strange idol gods, and he took the idol o+t of the 5.D@S Temple. $e took away all the altars he had !+ilt on the Temple hill, and in Cer+salem. Aanasseh threw all the altars o+t of the city of Cer+salem. 1& Then he set +p the 5.D@S altar and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it. $e gave a command for all the people of C+dah to serve the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1' The people contin+ed to offer sacrifices at the high places, !+t their sacrifices were only to the 5.D their God. 1( -verything else Aanasseh did, his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the 5.D, the God of 3srael, are all written in the !ook, The 5fficial .ecords of the Gings of 3srael. 2 9hronicles 33.1)*2% 13% 1) Aanassehs prayer and how God listened and felt sorry for him are written in The <ook of the Seers. Also all his sins, the wrongs he did !efore he h+m!led himself, and the places where he !+ilt high places and set +p the Asherah poles are written in The <ook of the Seers. 2, So Aanasseh died and was !+ried with his ancestors. The people !+ried Aanasseh in his own palace. Aanassehs son Amon !ecame the new king in his place. 21 Amon was 22 years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. $e was king for two years in Cer+salem. 22 Amon did evil !efore the 5.D, =+st as his father Aanasseh had done. Amon offered sacrifices for all the carved idols and stat+es that Aanasseh his father made. Amon worshiped those idols. 23 Amon did not h+m!le himself in front of the 5.D like Aanasseh his father h+m!led himself. <+t Amon sinned more and more. 2# $is servants made plans against him. They killed Amon in his own ho+se. 2% <+t the people of C+dah killed all the servants who planned against Ging -asy To .ead /ersion

2 9hronicles 3#.1*# 13& Amon. Then the people chose Amons son Cosiah to !e the new king. 34 1 Cosiah was eight years old when he !ecame king. $e was king for 31 years in Cer+salem. 2 $e lived in a way that pleased the 5.D, always doing what was right, as his ancestor David had done. Cosiah never changed this way of life. 3 >hen Cosiah was in his eighth year as king, he !egan to follow the God worshiped !y David his ancestor. $e was still yo+ng when he !egan to o!ey God. >hen he was in his twelfth year as king he !egan to destroy the high places, the Asherah poles, and idols that were carved and idols that were made from molds from C+dah and Cer+salem. # As Cosiah watched, the people !roke down the altars for the <aal gods. Then he c+t down the incense altars that stood high a!ove the people. $e !roke the idols that were carved and the idols that were made from molds. $e !eat the idols into powder and sprinkled the powder on the graves of the people who had offered sacrifices to the <aal gods. 2 9hronicles 3#.%*) 13' % Cosiah even !+rned the !ones of the priests who had served the <aal gods on their own altars. This is how he destroyed idols and idol worship from C+dah and Cer+salem. & Cosiah did the same for the towns in the areas of Aanasseh, -phraim, Simeon, and all the way to 1aphtali. $e did the same for the r+ins near all these towns. ' Cosiah !roke down the altars and the Asherah poles. $e !eat the idols into powder. $e c+t down all the incense altars +sed for <aal worship in all the co+ntry of 3srael. Then he went !ack to Cer+salem. ( >hen Cosiah was in his 1(th year as king of C+dah, he sent Shaphan, Aaaseiah, and Coah to re!+ild and repair the Temple of the 5.D his God. Shaphan was the son of AEaliah. pag. %2'0131#

Aaaseiah was the city leader. Coah, who was the son of CoahaE, wrote a!o+t what happened. So Cosiah commanded the Temple to !e repaired so that he co+ld make C+dah and the Temple clean. ) These men came to $ilkiah the high priest. They gave him the money that 2 9hronicles 3#.1,*12 13( people gave for Gods Temple. The evite doorkeepers had collected this money from the people of Aanasseh, -phraim, and from all the 3sraelites who were left. They also collected this money from all C+dah, <en=amin, and all the people living in Cer+salem. 1, Then the evites paid the men who s+pervised the work on the 5.D@S Temple. And the s+pervisors paid the workers who repaired the 5.D@S Temple. 11 They gave the money to carpenters and !+ilders to !+y large rocks that were already c+t, and to !+y wood. The wood was +sed to re!+ild the !+ildings and to make !eams for the !+ildings. 3n the past, the kings of C+dah did not take care of the Temple !+ildings. The !+ildings had !ecome old and r+ined. 12 The men worked faithf+lly. Their s+pervisors were Cahath and 5!adiah. Cahath and 5!adiah were evites, and they were descendants of Aerari. 5ther s+pervisors were Bechariah and Aesh+llam. They were descendants of Gohath. The evites who were skilled in playing instr+ments of m+sic also 2 9hronicles 3#.13*2, 13) s+pervised the la!orers and all the other workers. Some evites worked as secretaries, officials, and doorkeepers. 13 73#:128 1# The evites !ro+ght o+t the money that was in the 5.D@S Temple. At that time $ilkiah the priest fo+nd the <ook of the aw of the 5.D that was given thro+gh Aoses. 1% $ilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, 3 fo+nd the <ook of the aw in the 5.D@S ho+se. $ilkiah gave the !ook to Shaphan. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& Shaphan !ro+ght the !ook to Ging Cosiah. Shaphan reported to the king, ;o+r servants are doing everything yo+ told them to do. 1' They got the money that was in the 5.D@S Temple and are paying the s+pervisors and the workers. 1( Then Shaphan said to Ging Cosiah, $ilkiah the priest gave a !ook to me. Then Shaphan read from the !ook in front of the king. 1) >hen Ging Cosiah heard the words of the law !eing read, he tore his clothes. 2, Then the king gave a command to $ilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, A!don 2 9hronicles 3#.21*2% 1#, son of Aicah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the servant. 21 The king said, Go, ask the 5.D for me, and for the people who are left in 3srael and in C+dah. Ask a!o+t the words in the !ook that was fo+nd. The 5.D is very angry with +s !eca+se o+r ancestors did not o!ey the 5.D@S word. They did not do everything this !ook says to do. 22 $ilkiah and the kings servants went to the newer part of Cer+salem to see $+ldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shall+m, the son of Tokhath, whose father was $asrah. Shall+m had the =o! of taking care of the kings clothes. $ilkiah and the kings servants told $+ldah what had happened. 23 $+ldah said to them, This is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: Tell Ging Cosiah that 2# the 5.D says, 3 will !ring tro+!le to this place and to the people living here. 3 will !ring all the terri!le things that are written in the !ook that was read in front of the king of C+dah. 2% 3 will do this !eca+se the people left me and !+rned incense to other gods. 2 9hronicles 3#.2&*3, 1#1 They made me angry !eca+se of all the !ad things they did. So 3 will po+r o+t my anger on this place. ike a hot !+rning fire, my anger will not !e p+t o+t" 2& Go !ack to Ging Cosiah of C+dah, who pag. %2(0131#

sent yo+ to ask what the 5.D wants. Tell him, This is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says a!o+t the words yo+ heard !eing read: 2' Cosiah, yo+ repented and h+m!led yo+rself. 3n yo+r sorrow yo+ tore yo+r clothes and cried !efore me. So !eca+se yo+r heart was tender, 2( 3 will take yo+ to !e with yo+r ancestors. ;o+ will go to yo+r grave in peace. ;o+ will not have to see any of the tro+!le that 3 will !ring on this place and on the people living here. This was the message that $ilkiah and the kings servants !ro+ght !ack to Ging Cosiah. 2) Then Ging Cosiah called for all the elders of C+dah and Cer+salem to come and meet with him. 3, The king went +p to the 5.D@S Temple. All the people from C+dah, the people living in Cer+salem, the priests, the evites, and all the people, !oth important and not important, were with 2 9hronicles 3#.31*3%.1 1#2 Cosiah. $e read to them all the words in the <ook of the Agreement. That !ook was fo+nd in the 5.D@S Temple. 31 Then the king stood +p in his place. $e made an agreement with the 5.D. $e agreed to follow the 5.D and to o!ey his commands, laws, and r+les. $e agreed to o!ey with all his heart and so+l the words of the agreement written in this !ook. 32 Then Cosiah made all the people in Cer+salem and <en=amin promise to accept the agreement. The people of Cer+salem o!eyed the agreement of God, the God their ancestors o!eyed. 33 The 3sraelites had idols from many different co+ntries, !+t Cosiah destroyed all of the terri!le idols. $e made all the people in 3srael serve the 5.D their God. And as long as Cosiah was alive, the people contin+ed to serve the 5.D, the God of their ancestors. 35 1 Ging Cosiah cele!rated the 6assover to the 5.D in Cer+salem. The 6assover lam! was killed on the 1#th day of the first month. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 9hronicles 3%.2*' 1#3 2 Cosiah chose the priests to do their d+ties. $e enco+raged the priests while they were serving in the 5.D@S Temple. 3 $e spoke to the evites who ta+ght the 3sraelites and who were made holy for service to the 5.D. $e said to the evites, 6+t the $oly <o4 in the Temple that Solomon !+ilt. Solomon was Davids son. David was king of 3srael. Dont carry the $oly <o4 from place to place on yo+r sho+lders again. 1ow serve the 5.D yo+r God and his people, the 3sraelites. # Aake yo+rselves ready for service in the Temple !y yo+r tri!es. Do the =o!s that Ging David and his son Ging Solomon gave yo+ to do. % Stand in the $oly 6lace with a gro+p of evites. Do this for each different tri!e of the people so that yo+ can help them. & Gill the 6assover lam!s and make yo+rselves holy to the ord. Get ready to help yo+r fellow 3sraelites. Do everything the 5.D commanded +s in the laws he gave to Aoses. ' Cosiah gave the 3sraelites 3,,,,, sheep and goats to kill for the 6assover sacrifices. $e also gave 3,,, cattle to 2 9hronicles 3%.(*12 1## the people. All these animals were from Ging Cosiahs own animals. ( Cosiahs officials also freely gave animals and things to the people, to the priests, and evites to +se for the 6assover. $ilkiah the high priest, Bechariah, and Cehiel were the officials in charge of the Temple. They gave the priests 2&,, lam!s and goats and 3,, !+lls for 6assover sacrifices. ) Also 9onaniah with Shemaiah and 1ethanel, his !rothers, and $asha!iah, Ceiel and CoEa!ad gave %,, sheep and goats and %,, !+lls for 6assover sacrifices to the evites. These men were leaders of the evites. 1, >hen everything was ready for the 6assover service to !egin, the priests and evites went to their places. This is what the king commanded. 11 The 6assover lam!s were killed. Then pag. %2)0131#

the evites skinned the animals and gave the !lood to the priests. The priests sprinkled the !lood on the altar. 12 Then they gave the animals to !e +sed for !+rnt offerings to the different tri!es. This was done so that the !+rnt offerings co+ld !e offered to the 5.D 2 9hronicles 3%.13*1& 1#% the way the aw of Aoses ta+ght. And they did the same with the !+lls. 13 The evites roasted the 6assover sacrifices over the fire in the way they were commanded. And they !oiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. Then they J+ickly gave the meat to the people. 1# After this was finished, the evites got meat for themselves and for the priests who were descendants of Aaron. These priests were kept very !+sy, working +ntil it got dark. They worked hard !+rning the !+rnt offerings and the fat of the sacrifices. 1% The evite singers from Asaphs family got in the places that Ging David had chosen for them to stand. They were Asaph, $eman, and Ced+th+n the kings prophet. The gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their places !eca+se their !rother evites made everything ready for them for the 6assover. 1& So everything was done that day for the worship of the 5.D as Ging Cosiah commanded. The 6assover was 2 9hronicles 3%.1'*21 1#& cele!rated and the !+rnt offerings were offered on the 5.D@S altar. 1' The 3sraelites who were there cele!rated 6assover and the 2estival of Hnleavened <read for seven days. 1( 6assover hadnt !een cele!rated like this since the time of Sam+el the prophet" 1one of the kings of 3srael had ever cele!rated a 6assover like this. Ging Cosiah, the priests, the evites, and the people of C+dah and 3srael who were there with all the people in Cer+salem cele!rated the 6assover in a very special way. -asy To .ead /ersion

1) They cele!rated this 6assover in Cosiahs 1(th year as king. 2, Cosiah did all these good things for the Temple. ater, Ging 1eco of -gypt led an army to fight against the town of 9archemish on the -+phrates .iver. Ging Cosiah went o+t to fight against 1eco. 21 <+t 1eco sent messengers to Cosiah. They said, Ging Cosiah, this war is not yo+r pro!lem. 3 didnt come to fight against yo+. 3 came to fight my enemies. God told me to h+rry. $e is on my side, so dont !other me. 3f yo+ fight against me, God will destroy yo+" 2 9hronicles 3%.22*2& 1#' 22 <+t Cosiah did not go away. $e p+t on different clothes to hide who he was and went to fight the !attle. Cosiah ref+sed to listen to the warning 1eco had received from God and went to fight on the plain of Aegiddo. 23 Then Ging Cosiah was shot !y arrows while he was in the !attle. $e told his servants, Take me away, 3 am wo+nded !adly" 2# So the servants took Cosiah o+t of his chariot and p+t him in another chariot he had !ro+ght with him to the !attle. Then they took Cosiah to Cer+salem. $e died there and was !+ried in the tom!s where his ancestors were !+ried. All the people of C+dah and Cer+salem were very sad !eca+se Cosiah was dead. 2% Ceremiah wrote and sang some f+neral songs for Cosiah. And the men and women singers still sing these sad songs today. 3t !ecame something the people of 3srael always dothey sing a sad song for Cosiah. These songs are written in the !ook, 2+neral Songs. 2& -verything else Cosiah did while he was king, from the !eginning to the end of his r+le, is written in the !ook, The 2 9hronicles 3%.2'*3&.& 1#( $istory of the Gings of 3srael and C+dah. The !ook tells a!o+t the way he served God faithf+lly !y o!eying the law of the 5.D. 2' 73%:2&8 36 1 The people of C+dah chose pag. %3,0131#

CehoahaE to !e the new king in Cer+salem. CehoahaE was Cosiahs son. 2 $e was 23 years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. $e was king in Cer+salem for three months. 3 Then Ging 1eco from -gypt made CehoahaE a prisoner. 1eco made the people of C+dah pay 3 30# tons of silver and '% po+nds of gold for a fine. # 1eco chose CehoahaEs !rother -liakim to !e the new king of C+dah and Cer+salem. 1eco gave -liakim a new name. $e named him Cehoiakim. <+t 1eco took CehoahaE to -gypt. % Cehoiakim was 2% years old when he !ecame the new king of C+dah. $e was king in Cer+salem for eleven years. Cehoiakim did not o!ey God. $e did what the 5.D his God considered evil. & Ging 1e!+chadneEEar from <a!ylon attacked C+dah. $e made Cehoiakim a prisoner and p+t !ronEe chains on 2 9hronicles 3&.'*11 1#) him. Then 1e!+chadneEEar took Ging Cehoiakim to <a!ylon. ' 1e!+chadneEEar took some of the things from the 5.D@S Temple. $e carried them to <a!ylon and p+t them in his own ho+se. ( -verything else Cehoiakim did, the terri!le sins he did, and everything he was g+ilty of doing, are written in the !ook, The $istory of the Gings of 3srael and C+dah. Cehoiakims son Cehoiachin !ecame the new king in his place. ) Cehoiachin was 1( years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. $e was king in Cer+salem for three months and ten days. $e did not o!ey God. $e did what the 5.D considered evil. 1, 3n the spring, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar sent some servants to get Cehoiachin. They !ro+ght Cehoiachin and some val+a!le treas+res from the 5.D@S Temple to <a!ylon. 1e!+chadneEEar chose Bedekiah to !e the new king of C+dah and Cer+salem. Bedekiah was one of Cehoiachins relatives. 11 Bedekiah was 21 years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. $e was king in -asy To .ead /ersion

Cer+salem for eleven years. 2 9hronicles 3&.12*1& 1%, 12 Bedekiah did what the 5.D considered evil. Ceremiah the prophet told him messages from the 5.D. <+t Bedekiah did not h+m!le himself and o!ey what Ceremiah said. 13 Bedekiah t+rned against Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. 3n the past 1e!+chadneEEar had forced Bedekiah to make a promise with an oath in Gods name to !e faithf+l to him. <+t Bedekiah was st+!!orn and wo+ld not change his life. $e ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1# Also, all the leaders of the priests and the leaders of the people of C+dah !ecame +nfaithf+l to the ord, sinning more and more. They followed the evil e4ample of the other nations. They r+ined the Temple that the 5.D had made holy in Cer+salem. 1% The 5.D, the God of their ancestors, sent prophets again and again to warn his people. $e did this !eca+se he felt sorry for them and for his Temple. $e didnt want to destroy them or his Temple. 1& <+t they made f+n of Gods prophets and ref+sed to listen to them. They 2 9hronicles 3&.1'*1) 1%1 hated Gods messages. 2inally, the 5.D co+ld not hold his anger any longer. $e !ecame angry with his people and there was nothing that co+ld !e done to stop it. 1' So God !ro+ght the king of <a!ylon to attack the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. The king of <a!ylon killed the yo+ng men even when they were in the Temple. $e didnt have mercy on the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. The king of <a!ylon killed yo+ng and old people. $e killed men and women. $e killed sick and healthy people. God permitted 1e!+chadneEEar to p+nish the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. 1( 1e!+chadneEEar carried all the things in Gods Temple away to <a!ylon. $e took all the val+a!le things from the pag. %310131#

5.D@S Temple, from the king, and from the kings officials. 1) 1e!+chadneEEar and his army !+rned the Temple. They !roke down Cer+salems wall and !+rned all the ho+ses that !elonged to the king and his officials. They took or destroyed every val+a!le thing in Cer+salem. 2 9hronicles 3&.2,*23 1%2 2, 1e!+chadneEEar took the people who were still alive !ack to <a!ylon and forced them to !e slaves. They stayed in <a!ylon as slaves +ntil the 6ersian kingdom defeated the kingdom of <a!ylon. 21 The land of C+dah !ecame an empty desert and stayed that way for ', years. All this time the land rested to make +p for the Sa!!ath rests that the people had not kept. This is =+st what the 5.D said wo+ld happen in the warning he gave thro+gh the prophet Ceremiah. 22 D+ring the first year that 9yr+s was king of 6ersia, the 5.D ca+sed 9yr+s to make a special anno+ncement. $e did this so that what the 5.D had promised thro+gh Ceremiah the prophet wo+ld really happen. 9yr+s sent messengers to every place in his kingdom. They carried this message: 23 This is what Ging 9yr+s of 6ersia says: The 5.D, the God of heaven, made me king over the whole earth. $e gave me the responsi!ility of !+ilding a Temple for him in Cer+salem. 1ow, all of yo+ who are his people are free to go to 2 9hronicles 3&.23 1%3 Cer+salem. And may the 5.D yo+r God !e with yo+. E,ra 1 1 D+ring the first year that 9yr+s was king of 6ersia, the 5.D ca+sed him to make an anno+ncement. 3t was written down, and 9yr+s ordered that it !e read thro+gho+t his kingdom. This was done so that what the 5.D had told Ceremiah years !efore wo+ld now happen. This was the anno+ncement: 2 2rom Ging 9yr+s of 6ersia: The 5.D, the God of heaven, gave all the kingdoms -asy To .ead /ersion

on earth to me. And he chose me to !+ild a temple for him at Cer+salem in the co+ntry of C+dah. 3 3f any of Gods people are living among yo+, 3 pray God will !less them. ;o+ m+st let them go to Cer+salem in the co+ntry of C+dah. ;o+ m+st let them go !+ild the Temple of the 5.D, the God of 3srael, the God who is in Cer+salem. # And so in any place where there might !e s+rvivors of 3srael, the men in that place m+st s+pport these s+rvivors. Give them silver, gold, animals, and other -Era 1.%*) 2 things. Give them gifts for Gods Temple in Cer+salem. % So the family leaders from the tri!es of C+dah and <en=amin prepared to go +p to Cer+salem. They were going to Cer+salem to !+ild the 5.D@S Temple. Also everyone who God had enco+raged prepared to go to Cer+salem. & All their neigh!ors gave them many gifts. They gave them silver, gold, animals, and other e4pensive things. Their neigh!ors freely gave them all those things. ' Also, Ging 9yr+s !ro+ght o+t the things that !elonged in the 5.D@S Temple that 1e!+chadneEEar had taken away from Cer+salem. $e had p+t them in his temple where he kept his false gods. ( Ging 9yr+s of 6ersia told Aithredath, the man who keeps his money, to !ring those things o+t. So Aithredath !ro+ght them o+t to Shesh!aEEar, the leader of C+dah. ) This is what Aithredath !ro+ght o+t of the ords Temple: 3, gold dishes, 1,,, silver dishes, 2) knives and pans, -Era 1.1,*2.) 3 1, 3, gold !owls, #1, silver !owls similar to the gold !owls, and 1,,, other dishes. 11 All together, there were %#,, things made from gold and silver. Shesh!aEEar !ro+ght them all with him when the prisoners left <a!ylon and went !ack to Cer+salem. pag. %320131#

2 1 These are the people of the province who ret+rned from captivity. Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon had taken these people as prisoners to <a!ylon. They now ret+rned to Cer+salem and C+dah, everyone to their own town. 2 These are the people who ret+rned with Ber+!!a!el: Cesh+a, 1ehemiah, Seraiah, .eelaiah, Aordecai, <ilshan, Aispar, <igvai, .eh+m, and <aanah. This is the list of names and n+m!ers of men from 3srael who ret+rned: 3 the descendants of 6aroshK21'2 # the descendants of ShephatiahK3'2 % the descendants of ArahK''% & the descendants of 6ahath Aoa! of the family of Cesh+a and Coa!K2(12 ' the descendants of -lamK12%# ( the descendants of Batt+K)#% ) the descendants of BaccaiK'&, -Era 2.1,*32 # 1, the descendants of <aniK&#2 11 the descendants of <e!aiK&23 12 the descendants of AEgadK1222 13 the descendants of AdonikamK&&& 1# the descendants of <igvaiK2,%& 1% the descendants of AdinK#%# 1& the descendants of Ater thro+gh the family of $eEekiahK)( 1' the descendants of <eEaiK323 1( the descendants of CorahK112 1) the descendants of $ash+mK223 2, the descendants of Gi!!arK)% 21 from the town of <ethlehemK123 22 from the town of 1etophahK%& 23 from the town of AnathothK12( 2# from the town of AEmavethK#2 2% from the towns of Giriath Cearim, Gephirah, and <eerothK'#3 2& from the towns of .amah and Ge!aK&21 2' from the town of AicmashK122 2( from the towns of <ethel and AiK223 2) from the town of 1e!oK%2 3, from the town of Aag!ishK1%& 31 from the other town named -lamK12%# 32 from the town of $arimK32, -Era 2.33*#( % 33 from the towns of od, $adid, and -asy To .ead /ersion

5noK'2% 3# from the town of CerichoK3#% 3% from the town of SenaahK3&3, 3& These are the priests: the descendants of Cedaiah thro+gh the family of Cesh+aK)'3 3' the descendants of 3mmerK1,%2 3( the descendants of 6ashh+rK12#' 3) the descendants of $arimK1,1' #, These are the people from the tri!e of evi: the descendants of Cesh+a and Gadmiel thro+gh the family of $odaviahK'# #1 These are the singers: the descendants of AsaphK12( #2 These are the descendants of the Temple gatekeepers: the descendants of Shall+m, Ater, Talmon, Akk+!, $atita, and Sho!aiK13) #3 These are the descendants of the special Temple servants: Biha, $as+pha, Ta!!aoth, ## Geros, Siaha, 6adon, #% e!anah, $aga!ah, Akk+!, #& $aga!, Shalmai, $anan, #' Giddel, Gahar, .eaiah, #( .eEin, 1ekoda, GaEEam, -Era 2.#)*&2 & #) HEEa, 6aseah, <esai, %, Asnah, Ae+nim, 1eph+ssim, %1 <ak!+k, $ak+pha, $arh+r, %2 <aEl+th, Aehida, $arsha, %3 <arkos, Sisera, Temah, %# 1eEiah, and $atipha. %% These are the descendants of Solomons servants: Sotai, $assophereth, 6er+da, %& Caala, Darkon, Giddel, %' Shephatiah, $attil, 6okereth $aEEe!aim, and Ami, %( the Temple servants and descendants of Solomons servantsK3)2 %) Some people came to Cer+salem from the towns of Tel Aelah, Tel $arsha, Ger+!, Addon, and 3mmer. <+t these people co+ld not prove that their families were from the family of 3srael: &, the descendants of Delaiah, To!iah, and 1ekodaK&%2 &1 2rom the family of priests there were pag. %330131#

descendants of $o!aiah, $akkoE, and <arEillai 73f a man married a da+ghter of <arEillai from Gilead, he was co+nted as a descendant of <arEillai.8 &2 These people searched for their family histories, !+t they co+ld not find -Era 2.&3*&) ' them. Their names were not incl+ded in the list of priests. They co+ld not prove that their ancestors were priests, so they co+ld not serve as priests. &3 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the holy food +ntil there was a priest who co+ld +se the Hrim and Th+mmim to ask God what to do. &# All together, there were #2,3&, people in the gro+p who came !ack. This is not co+nting their '33' men and women slaves. They also had 2,, men and women singers with them. &% 72:&#8 && They had '3& horses, 2#% m+les, #3% camels, and &'2, donkeys. &' 72:&&8 &( >hen the gro+p arrived at the place in Cer+salem where the 5.D@S Temple had !een, the family leaders gave their gifts for !+ilding this ho+se of God again. They wanted to !+ild it in this same place. &) They gave as m+ch as they were a!le. These are the things they gave for !+ilding the Temple: 11,, po+nds of gold, a!o+t # tons of silver, and 1,, coats that priests wear. -Era 2.',*3.# ( ', So the priests, evites, and some of the other people moved to Cer+salem and the area aro+nd it. This gro+p incl+ded the Temple singers, gatekeepers, and the Temple servants. The other 3sraelites settled in their own hometowns. 3 1 So !y the seventh month, the 3sraelites had moved !ack to their own hometowns. At that time all the people met together in Cer+salem. They were all +nited as one people. 2 Then Cesh+a son of CoEadak and the priests with him, along with Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel, and the people with -asy To .ead /ersion

him, !+ilt the altar of the God of 3srael. They !+ilt the altar of the God of 3srael so that they co+ld offer sacrifices on it. They !+ilt it =+st as it says in the aw of Aoses. Aoses was Gods special servant. 3 They were afraid of the other people living near them, !+t that didnt stop them. They !+ilt the altar on its old fo+ndation and offered !+rnt offerings on it to the 5.D. They offered sacrifices in the morning and in the evening. # Then they cele!rated the 2estival of Shelters =+st as the aw of Aoses said. -Era 3.%*( ) They offered the right n+m!er of !+rnt offerings for each day of the festival. % After that, they !egan offering the contin+al !+rnt offerings each day and the offerings for the 1ew Aoon and all the other festivals that were commanded !y the 5.D. The people also !egan giving any other gifts they wanted to give to the 5.D. & So on the first day of the seventh month, these 3sraelites again !egan offering sacrifices to the 5.D. This was done, even tho+gh the 5.D@S Temple had not !een re!+ilt. ' Then those who had come !ack from captivity gave money to the stonec+tters and carpenters. They also gave food, wine, and olive oil. They +sed these things to pay the people of Tyre and Sidon to !ring cedar logs from e!anon. They wanted to !ring the logs in ships to the seacoast town of Coppa as they did for the first Temple. Ging 9yr+s of 6ersia gave permission for them to do this. ( So in the second month of the second year after they came to the Temple in Cer+salem, Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel and Cesh+a son of CoEadak !egan -Era 3.)*11 1, the work. Their !rothers, the priests, evites, and everyone who came !ack to Cer+salem from captivity !egan working with them. They chose evites who were 2, years old and older to !e the leaders in the !+ilding of the 5.D@S Temple. ) These were the men who s+pervised pag. %3#0131#

the work of !+ilding the 5.D@S Temple: Cesh+a and his sons, Gadmiel and his sons 7the descendants of C+dah8, the sons of $enadad and their !rothers, the evites. 1, The !+ilders finished laying the fo+ndation for the 5.D@S Temple. >hen the fo+ndation was finished, the priests p+t on their special clothing. Then they got their tr+mpets, and the sons of Asaph got their cym!als. They all took their places to praise the 5.D. This was done the way Ging David of 3srael had ordered in the past. 11 They sang the response songs, Songs of 6raise and 6raise the 5.D <eca+se $e is Good. $is 2aithf+l ove >ill ast 2orever. Then all the people cheeredthey gave a lo+d sho+t and praised the 5.D !eca+se the fo+ndation of the 5.D@S Temple had !een laid. -Era 3.12*#.3 11 12 <+t many of the older priests, evites, and family leaders, who co+ld remem!er seeing the first Temple, !egan to cry alo+d. They cried while the others there sho+ted for =oy. 13 The so+nd co+ld !e heard far away. All of them made so m+ch noise that no one co+ld tell the difference !etween the sho+ts of =oy and the crying. 4 1 Some people living in the area were against the people of C+dah and <en=amin. They heard that these people who had ret+rned from captivity were !+ilding a temple for the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 2 So they came to Ber+!!a!el and to the family leaders and said, et +s help yo+ !+ild. >e want to worship yo+r God, the same as yo+. >e have offered sacrifices to him ever since Ging -sarhaddon of Assyria !ro+ght +s here. 3 <+t Ber+!!a!el, Cesh+a, and the other family leaders of 3srael answered, 1o, yo+ people cannot help +s !+ild a temple for o+r God. 5nly we can !+ild the Temple for the 5.D. $e is the God of 3srael. This is what Ging 9yr+s of 6ersia commanded +s to do. -asy To .ead /ersion

-Era #.#*( 12 # So these people who lived near them tried to disco+rage them and make them afraid so that they wo+ld stop !+ilding the Temple. % They paid government officials to work against the people of C+dah to keep them from completing their !+iding plans. They did this the whole time 9yr+s was the king of 6ersia and contin+ed +p to the time Dari+s !ecame king. & The year Ler4es !ecame the king of 6ersia, these enemies of C+dah sent him a letter containing their complaints against the people of C+dah and Cers+alem. ' ater, when Arta4er4es !ecame the new king of 6ersia, some of these men wrote another letter complaining a!o+t the Cews. The men who wrote the letter were <ishlam, Aithredath, Ta!eel, and the other people in their gro+p. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. ( Then .eh+m the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against the people of Cer+salem. They wrote the letter to Arta4er4es the king. This is what they wrote: -Era #.)*13 13 ) 2rom .eh+m the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, and from the =+dges and important officials over the men from Tripolis, 6ersia, -rech, and <a!ylon, and from the -lamites from S+sa, 1, and from the other people who the great and powerf+l Ash+r!anipal moved to the city of Samaria and other places in the co+ntry west of the -+phrates .iver. 11 This is the copy of the letter sent to Ging Arta4er4es: 2rom yo+r servants living in the area west of the -+phrates .iver. 12 Ging Arta4er4es, we wish to inform yo+ that the Cews yo+ sent from there are now in Cer+salem. They are trying to re!+ild that terri!le city. The people there have always ref+sed to o!ey other kings. 1ow they have almost finished repairing the fo+ndations and !+ilding pag. %3%0131#

the walls. 13 Also, Ging Arta4er4es, yo+ sho+ld know that if Cer+salem and its walls are re!+ilt, the people of Cer+salem will stop paying their ta4es. They will stop sending money to honor yo+. They also -Era #.1#*1) 1# will stop paying c+stoms fees, and the king will lose all that money. 1# >e have a responsi!ility to the king. >e dont want to see this happen, so we are sending this letter to inform the king. 1% Ging Arta4er4es, we s+ggest that yo+ search the writings of the kings who r+led !efore yo+. ;o+ will see in the writings that Cer+salem is a city that is diffic+lt to r+le. 3t has always ref+sed to o!ey other kings and nations who tried to control it. 3t has a long history as a place where tro+!le !egins. That is why it was destroyed. 1& Ging Arta4er4es, we wish to inform yo+ that if this city and its walls are re!+ilt, yo+ will lose control of the area west of the -+phrates .iver. 1' Then Ging Arta4er4es sent this answer: To .eh+m the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary, and all the people with them living in Samaria and other places west of the -+phrates .iver. Greetings: 1( The letter yo+ sent +s has !een translated and read to me. 1) 3 gave an order for the writings of the kings !efore me to !e searched. -Era #.2,*2# 1% The writings were read, and we fo+nd o+t that Cer+salem has a long history of ref+sing to o!ey their kings. Cer+salem has !een a place where this kind of ref+sal and revolt has happened often. 2, Cer+salem has had powerf+l kings r+ling over it and over the whole area west of the -+phrates .iver. Their kings received ta4es, c+stoms, fees, and tri!+te. 21 1ow, yo+ m+st give an order for these men to stop work. That order m+st !e given to keep Cer+salem from !eing re!+ilt +ntil 3 say so. -asy To .ead /ersion

22 <e caref+l not to overlook this matter. >e sho+ld not let the !+ilding of Cer+salem contin+e. 3f that work contin+es, 3 will not get any more money from Cer+salem. 23 So a copy of the letter that Ging Arta4er4es sent was read to .eh+m, Shimshai the secretary, and the people with them. They went very J+ickly to the Cews in Cer+salem and forced them to stop !+ilding. 2# So the work stopped on Gods Temple in Cer+salem. The work did not contin+e -Era %.1*% 1& +ntil the second year that Dari+s was king of 6ersia. 5 1 At that time the prophets $aggai and Bechariah son of 3ddo !egan to prophesy in the name of God. They enco+raged the Cews in C+dah and Cer+salem. 2 So Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel and Cesh+a son of CoEadak again started working on the Temple in Cer+salem. All of Gods prophets were with them and were s+pporting the work. 3 At that time Tattenai was the governor of the area west of the -+phrates .iver. Tattenai, Shethar <oEenai, and the men with them went to Ber+!!a!el, Cesh+a, and the others who were !+ilding. Tattenai and the people with him asked Ber+!!a!el and the people with him, >ho gave yo+ permission to re!+ild this Temple and repair it like new? # They also asked Ber+!!a!el, >hat are the names of the men who are working on this !+ilding? % <+t God was watching over the Cewish leaders. The !+ilders didnt have to stop working +ntil a report co+ld !e sent to -Era %.&*1, 1' Ging Dari+s. They contin+ed working +ntil the king sent his answer !ack. & Tattenai the governor of the area west of the -+phrates .iver, Shethar <oEenai, and the important people with them sent a letter to Ging Dari+s. ' This is a copy of that letter: To Ging Dari+s. Greetings: pag. %3&0131#

( Ging Dari+s, yo+ sho+ld know that we went to the province of C+dah. >e went to the Temple of the great God. The people in C+dah are !+ilding that Temple with large stones. They are p+tting !ig wooden tim!ers in the walls. The work is !eing done with m+ch care and the people of C+dah are working very hard. They are !+ilding very fastF it will soon !e done. ) >e asked their leaders some J+estions a!o+t the work they are doing. >e asked them, >ho gave yo+ permission to re!+ild this temple and repair it like new? 1, >e also asked for their names. >e wanted to write down the names of their leaders so that yo+ wo+ld know who they are. -Era %.11*1% 1( 11 This is the answer they gave +s: >e are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. >e are re!+ilding the Temple that a great king of 3srael !+ilt and finished many years ago. 12 <+t o+r ancestors made the God of heaven angry, so God gave o+r ancestors to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. 1e!+chadneEEar destroyed this Temple, and he forced the people to go to <a!ylon as prisoners. 13 <+t, in the first year that 9yr+s was king of <a!ylon, Ging 9yr+s gave a special order for Gods Temple to !e re!+ilt. 1# And 9yr+s !ro+ght o+t from his false gods temple in <a!ylon the gold and silver things that were taken from Gods Temple in the past. 1e!+chadneEEar took them from the Temple in Cer+salem and !ro+ght them to his false gods temple in <a!ylon. Then Ging 9yr+s gave those gold and silver things to Shesh!aEEar. 9yr+s chose Shesh!aEEar to !e governor. 1% Then 9yr+s said to Shesh!aEEar, Take these gold and silver things and p+t them !ack in the Temple in Cer+salem. -Era %.1&*&.3 1) .e!+ild Gods Temple in the same place it was in the past. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& So Shesh!aEEar came and !+ilt the fo+ndations of Gods Temple in Cer+salem. 2rom that day +ntil now, the work has contin+ed, !+t it is not yet finished. 1' 1ow, if it pleases the king, please search the official records of the king. See if it is tr+e that Ging 9yr+s gave an order to re!+ild Gods Temple in Cer+salem. And then, sir, please send +s a letter to let +s know what yo+ have decided to do a!o+t this. 6 1 So Ging Dari+s gave an order to search the writings of the kings !efore him. The writings were kept in <a!ylon in the same place the money was kept. 2 A scroll was fo+nd in the fortress of -c!atana. 7-c!atana is in the province of Aedia.8 This is what was written on that scroll: 5fficial 1ote: 3 D+ring the first year that 9yr+s was king, he gave an order a!o+t the Temple of God in Cer+salem. The order said: et the Temple of God !e re!+ilt. 3t will !e a place to offer sacrifices. et its -Era &.#*( 2, fo+ndations !e !+ilt. The Temple m+st !e &, c+!its high and &, c+!its wide. # 3ts wall will !e in layers that have three rows of large stones and one row of wooden tim!ers. The cost of !+ilding the Temple m+st !e paid for from the kings treas+ry. % Also, the gold and silver things from Gods Temple m+st !e p+t !ack in their places. 1e!+chadneEEar took them from the Temple in Cer+salem and !ro+ght them to <a!ylon. They m+st !e p+t !ack in Gods Temple. & 1ow then, 3, Dari+s, order yo+ Tattenai, governor of the area west of the -+phrates .iver, and Shethar <oEenai, and all the officials living in that province, to stay away from Cer+salem. ' Dont !other the workers. Dont try to stop the work on this Temple of God. et the Cewish governor and the Cewish leaders re!+ild it. et them re!+ild Gods Temple in the same place it was in the pag. %3'0131#

past. ( 1ow 3 give this order. ;o+ m+st do this for the Cewish leaders !+ilding Gods Temple: The cost of the !+ilding m+st !e f+lly paid from the kings treas+ry. -Era &.)*12 21 The money will come from the ta4es collected from the provinces in the area west of the -+phrates .iver. Do these things J+ickly, so the work will not stop. ) Give them anything they need. 3f they need yo+ng !+lls, rams, or male lam!s for sacrifices to the God of heaven, give these things to them. 3f the priests of Cer+salem ask for wheat, salt, wine, and oil, give these things to them every day witho+t fail. 1, Give them to the Cewish priests so that they may offer sacrifices that please the God of heaven. Give these things so that the priests may pray for me and my sons. 11 Also, 3 give this order: 3f anyone changes this order, a wooden !eam m+st !e p+lled from their ho+se and p+shed thro+gh their !ody. Then their ho+se m+st !e destroyed +ntil it is only a pile of rocks. 12 God p+t his name there in Cer+salem. Aay God defeat any king or other person who tries to change this order. 3f anyone tries to destroy this Temple in Cer+salem, may God destroy that person. 3, Dari+s, -Era &.13*1' 22 have ordered it. This order m+st !e o!eyed J+ickly and completely. 13 So Tattenai the governor of the area west of the -+phrates .iver, Shethar <oEenai, and the men with them o!eyed Ging Dari+s order. They o!eyed the order J+ickly and completely. 1# So the Cewish leaders contin+ed to !+ild. -nco+raged !y the preaching of $aggai the prophet and Bechariah son of 3ddo, they had great s+ccess. They finished !+ilding the Temple as the God of 3srael had commanded and as 9yr+s, Dari+s, and Arta4er4es, the kings of 6ersia, had ordered. 1% The Temple was finished on the third -asy To .ead /ersion

day of the month of Adar. That was in the si4th year of the r+le of Ging Dari+s. 1& Then the 3sraelites cele!rated the dedication of Gods Temple with m+ch happiness. The priests, the evites, and all the other people who came !ack from captivity =oined in the cele!ration. 1' This is the way they dedicated Gods Temple: They offered 1,, !+lls, 2,, rams, and #,, male lam!s. And they offered twelve male goats for all 3srael -Era &.1(*21 23 for a sin offering. That is one goat for each of the twelve tri!es of 3srael. 1( Then they chose the priests in their gro+ps and the evites in their gro+ps to serve in Gods Temple in Cer+salem. They did these things as it is written in the <ook of Aoses. 1) 5n the fo+rteenth day of the first month, the Cews who came !ack from captivity cele!rated the 6assover. 2, The priests and evites made themselves p+re. They all made themselves clean and ready to cele!rate the 6assover. The evites killed the 6assover lam! for all the Cews who came !ack from captivity. They did that for their !rothers the priests, and for themselves. 21 So all the 3sraelites who came !ack from captivity ate the 6assover meal. 5ther people washed themselves and made themselves p+re from the +nclean things of the people living in that co+ntry. These p+re people also shared in the 6assover meal. They did this so that they co+ld go to the 5.D, the God of 3srael, for help. -Era &.22*'.& 2# 22 They cele!rated the 2estival of Hnleavened <read with m+ch =oy for seven days. The 5.D made them very happy !eca+se he had changed the attit+de of the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria had helped them do the work on Gods Temple. 7 1 After these things, d+ring the r+le of Ging Arta4er4es of 6ersia, -Era came to Cer+salem from <a!ylon. -Era pag. %3(0131#

was the son of Seraiah. Seraiah was the son of AEariah. AEariah was the son of $ilkiah. 2 $ilkiah was the son of Shall+m. Shall+m was the son of Badok. Badok was the son of Ahit+!. 3 Ahit+! was the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of AEariah. AEariah was the son of Aeraioth. # Aeraioth was the son of Berahiah. Berahiah was the son of HEEi. HEEi was the son of <+kki. % <+kki was the son of A!ish+a. A!ish+a was the son of 6hinehas. 6hinehas was the son of -leaEar. -leaEar was the son of Aaron the high priest. & -Era came to Cer+salem from <a!ylon. $e was a teacher and knew the aw of -Era '.'*11 2% Aoses very well. The aw of Aoses was given !y the 5.D, the God of 3srael. Ging Arta4er4es gave -Era everything he asked for !eca+se the 5.D was with -Era. ' Among the people who came with -Era were 3sraelites, priests, evites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants. They arrived in Cer+salem d+ring the seventh year of Ging Arta4er4es. ( -Era arrived in Cer+salem in the fifth month of the seventh year that Arta4er4es was king. ) -Era left <a!ylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Cer+salem on the first day of the fifth month. >ith Gods !lessing his trip went well. 1, -Era had always given his time and attention to st+dying and o!eying the law of the 5.D. $e also loved to teach its r+les and commandments to others in 3srael. 11 -Era was a priest and teacher. $e knew m+ch a!o+t the commands and laws the 5.D gave 3srael. This is a copy of the letter Ging Arta4er4es gave to -Era the teacher: -Era '.12*1( 2& 12 2rom Ging Arta4er4es. To -Era the priest, a teacher of the law of the God of heaven. Greetings" -asy To .ead /ersion

13 3 give this order: Any of the 3sraelites living in my kingdom, incl+ding priests and evites, who want to go with yo+ to Cer+salem, may go. 1# 3 and my seven advisors send yo+ to C+dah and Cer+salem. Go and see how yo+r people are doing in o!eying the law of yo+r God. ;o+ have that law with yo+. 1% 3 and my advisors are giving gold and silver to the God of 3srael, who lives in Cer+salem. ;o+ m+st take this gold and silver with yo+. 1& ;o+ m+st also go thro+gh all the provinces of <a!ylonia. 9ollect the gifts from yo+r people, from the priests, and from the evites. The gifts are for the Temple of their God in Cer+salem. 1' Hse this money to !+y !+lls, rams, and male lam!s. <+y the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with these sacrifices. Then sacrifice them on the altar in the Temple of yo+r God in Cer+salem. 1( Then yo+ and the other Cews may spend the silver and gold left over any -Era '.1)*2# 2' way yo+ want to. Hse it in a way that is pleasing to yo+r God. 1) Take all these things to the God of Cer+salem. They are for the worship in the Temple of yo+r God. 2, And yo+ may get any other things that yo+ need for the Temple of yo+r God. Hse the money in the kings treas+ry to !+y anything yo+ need. 21 1ow 3, Ging Arta4er4es, give this order: 3 order all the men who keep the kings money in the area west of the -+phrates .iver to give -Era anything he wants. -Era is a priest and a teacher of the aw of the God of heaven. Do this J+ickly and completely. 22 Give this m+ch to -Era: 3 30# tons of silver, &,, !+shels of wheat, &,, gallons of wine, &,, gallons of olive oil, and as m+ch salt as -Era wants. 23 Anything that the God of heaven has ordered for -Era to get, yo+ m+st give to -Era J+ickly and completely. Do this for the Temple of the God of heaven. pag. %3)0131#

>e dont want God to !e angry with my kingdom or my sons. 2# 3 want yo+ men to know that it is against the law to make the priests, -Era '.2%*2( 2( evites, singers, gatekeepers, Temple servants, and other workers in Gods Temple pay ta4es. They dont have to pay ta4es, money to honor the king, or any c+stoms fees. 2% -Era, 3 give yo+ the a+thority to +se the wisdom yo+ have from yo+r God and choose civil and religio+s =+dges. These men will !e =+dges for all the people living in the area west of the -+phrates .iver. They will =+dge all the people who know the laws of yo+r God and they will teach those who dont know those laws. 2& Anyone who does not o!ey the law of yo+r God, or the law of the king, m+st !e p+nished. Depending on the crime, they m+st !e p+nished with death, or sent away to another co+ntry, or their property taken away, or p+t into prison. 2' <lessed is the 5.D, the God of o+r ancestors. $e p+t the idea into the kings heart to honor the 5.D@S Temple in Cer+salem. 2( God showed his faithf+l love to me in front of the king, his advisors, and the kings important officials. The 5.D my God was with me, and that gave me -Era (.1*' 2) co+rage. 3 gathered together the leaders of 3srael to go with me to Cer+salem. 8 1 These are the names of the family leaders and the other people who came with me to Cer+salem from <a!ylon. >e came to Cer+salem d+ring the r+le of Ging Arta4er4es. $ere is the list of names: 2 from the descendants of 6hinehas: GershomF from the descendants of 3thamar: DanielF from the descendants of David: $att+shF 3 from the descendants of Shecaniah: the descendants of 6arosh, Bechariah, and 1%, other menF # from the descendants of 6ahath Aoa!: -liehoenai son of Berahiah, and 2,, -asy To .ead /ersion

other menF % from the descendants of Batt+: Shecaniah son of CahaEiel, and 3,, other menF & from the descendants of Adin: -!ed son of Conathan, and %, other menF ' from the descendants of -lam: Ceshaiah son of Athaliah, and ', other menF -Era (.(*1& 3, ( from the descendants of Shephatiah: Be!adiah son of Aichael, and (, other menF ) from the descendants of Coa!: 5!adiah son of Cehiel, and 21( other menF 1, from the descendants of <ani: Shelomith son of Cosiphiah, and 1&, other menF 11 from the descendants of <e!ai: Bechariah son of <e!ai, and 2( other menF 12 from the descendants of AEgad: Cohanan son of $akkatan, and 11, other menF 13 from the last of the descendants of Adonikam: -liphelet, Ce+el, Shemaiah, and &, other menF 1# from the descendants of <igvai: Hthai, Bacc+r, and ', other men. 1% 3 called all these people to meet together at the river that flows toward Ahava. >e camped at that place for three days. 3 learned there were priests in the gro+p, !+t there were no evites. 1& So 3 called these leaders: -lieEer, Ariel, Shemaiah, -lnathan, Cari!, -lnathan, 1athan, Bechariah, and -Era (.1'*21 31 Aesh+llam, and 3 called Coiari! and -lnathan. 7These men were teachers.8 1' 3 sent the men to 3ddo, leader in the town of 9asiphia. 3 told them what to say to 3ddo and his relatives, who are the Temple workers in 9asiphia. 3 told the men to ask 3ddo and his relatives to send +s workers to serve in Gods Temple. 1( <eca+se God was with +s, they sent Shere!iah, a skilled man from the descendants of Aahli 7Aahli was a son of pag. %#,0131#

evi, one of 3sraels sons.8 They also sent his sons and !rothers, 1( men in all. 1) They also sent $asha!iah and Ceshaiah from the descendants of Aerari, along with their !rothers and nephews. 3n all there were 2, men. 2, <esides these, there were 22, Temple workers whose ancestors had !een chosen !y David and his officials to help the evites. The names of all these men were written on the list. 21 There near the Ahava .iver, 3 anno+nced that all of +s sho+ld fast to h+m!le o+rselves !efore o+r God. >e wanted to ask God to give +s a safe trip and protect +s, o+r children, and everything we owned. -Era (.22*2' 32 22 3 didnt want to ask Ging Arta4er4es for protection !eca+se of what we had told him. >e had said, 5+r God is with everyone who tr+sts him, !+t he is very angry with everyone who t+rns away from him. So 3 was em!arrassed to ask the king to send soldiers and horsemen to protect +s from enemies on o+r trip. 23 So we fasted and prayed to o+r God a!o+t o+r trip. And he answered o+r prayers. 2# Then 3 chose twelve of the priests who were leaders. 3 chose Shere!iah, $asha!iah, and ten of their !rothers. 2% 3 weighed the silver, gold, and the other things that were given for Gods Temple. 3 gave them to the twelve priests 3 had chosen. Ging Arta4er4es, his advisors, his important officials, and all the 3sraelites in <a!ylon gave those things for Gods Temple. 2& 3 weighed all these things. There were 2% tons of silver. There were also '%,, po+nds of silver dishes and things. There were 3 30# tons of gold. 2' And 3 gave them 2, gold !owls. The !owls weighed a!o+t 1) po+nds. And 3 gave them two !ea+tif+l dishes -Era (.2(*33 33 made from polished !ronEe that were as val+a!le as gold. 2( Then 3 said to the twelve priests: ;o+ -asy To .ead /ersion

and these things are holy to the 5.D. 6eople gave this silver and gold to the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors. 2) So g+ard these things caref+lly. ;o+ are responsi!le for them +ntil yo+ give them to the Temple leaders in Cer+salem. ;o+ will give them to the leading evites and the family leaders of 3srael. They will weigh them and p+t them in the rooms of the 5.D@S Temple in Cer+salem. 3, So the priests and evites accepted the silver, gold, and special things that -Era had weighed and given to them. They were told to take them to Gods Temple in Cer+salem. 31 5n the twelfth day of the first month we left the Ahava .iver and started toward Cer+salem. God was with +s, and he protected +s from enemies and ro!!ers along the way. 32 Then we arrived in Cer+salem. >e rested there for three days. 33 5n the fo+rth day, we went to the Temple and weighed the silver, gold, and special things. >e gave them to -Era (.3#*).1 3# Aeremoth son of Hriah the priest. -leaEar son of 6hinehas was with Aeremoth. The evites, CoEa!ad son of Cesh+a, and 1oadiah son of <inn+i were with them also. 3# >e co+nted and weighed everything and we wrote down the total weight. 3% Then the Cewish people who came !ack from captivity offered !+rnt offerings to the God of 3srael. They offered twelve !+lls for all 3srael, )& rams, '' male lam!s, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. All this was a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. 3& Then the people gave the letter from Ging Arta4er4es to the royal satraps and to the governors of the area west of the -+phrates .iver. Then the leaders gave their s+pport to the 3sraelites and to the Temple. 9 1 After we finished all these things, the leaders of the 3sraelites came to me and said, -Era, the 3sraelites have not kept themselves separate from the pag. %#10131#

other people living aro+nd +s. And the priests and the evites have not kept themselves separate. The 3sraelites are !eing infl+enced !y evil things done -Era ).2*% 3% !y the 9anaanites, $ittites, 6eriEEites, Ce!+sites, Ammonites, Aoa!ites, -gyptians, and Amorites. 2 The 3sraelites have married the people living aro+nd +s. The 3sraelites are s+pposed to !e special, !+t now they are mi4ed with the other people living aro+nd them. The leaders and important officials of the 3sraelites have set a !ad e4ample in this thing. 3 >hen 3 heard a!o+t this, 3 tore my ro!e and my coat to show 3 was +pset. 3 p+lled hair from my head and !eard. 3 sat down, shocked and +pset. # Then everyone who respected Gods aw shook with fear. They were afraid !eca+se the 3sraelites who came !ack from captivity were not faithf+l to God. 3 was shocked and +pset. 3 sat there +ntil the evening sacrifice, and the people gathered aro+nd me. % Then, when it was time for the evening sacrifice, 3 got +p. 3 had made myself look shamef+l while 3 was sitting there. Ay ro!e and coat were torn, and 3 fell on my knees with my hands spread o+t to the 5.D my God. -Era ).&*1, 3& & Then 3 prayed this prayer: Ay God, 3 am too ashamed and em!arrassed to look at yo+. 3 am ashamed !eca+se o+r sins are higher than o+r heads. 5+r g+ilt has reached all the way +p to the heavens. ' >e have !een g+ilty of many sins from the days of o+r ancestors +ntil now. >e sinned so o+r kings and priests were p+nished. 2oreign kings attacked +s and took o+r people away. They took away o+r wealth and made +s ashamed. 3t is the same even today. ( <+t now, finally, yo+ have !een kind to +s. ;o+ have let a few of +s escape captivity and come to live in this holy place. 5.D, yo+ gave +s new life and -asy To .ead /ersion

relief from o+r slavery. ) ;es, we were slaves, !+t yo+ wo+ld not let +s !e slaves forever. ;o+ were kind to +s. ;o+ made the kings of 6ersia !e kind to +s. ;o+r Temple was r+ined, !+t yo+ gave +s new life so that we can re!+ild yo+r Temple and repair it like new. God, yo+ helped +s !+ild a wall to protect C+dah and Cer+salem. 1, 1ow, God, what can we say to yo+? >e have stopped o!eying yo+ again. -Era ).11*1# 3' 11 ;o+ +sed yo+r servants the prophets to give these commands to +s. ;o+ said, The land yo+ are going to live in and own is a r+ined land. 3t has !een r+ined !y evil things the people living there have done. They have done very !ad things in every place in this land. They have made this land dirty with their sins. 12 So 3sraelites, dont let yo+r children marry their children. Dont =oin them. Dont want the things they have. 5!ey my commands so that yo+ will !e strong and en=oy the good things of the land. And then yo+ can keep this land and give it to yo+r children. 13 >hat has happened to +s is o+r own fa+lt. >e have done evil things, and we have m+ch g+ilt. <+t yo+, o+r God, have p+nished +s m+ch less than we sho+ld have !een. >e have done many terri!le sins, and we sho+ld have !een p+nished worse. And yo+ have even let some of o+r people escape captivity. 1# So we know that we m+st not !reak yo+r commands. >e m+st not marry those people. They do very !ad things. God, if we contin+e to marry these !ad people, we know yo+ will destroy +s. -Era ).1%*1,.3 3( Then there wo+ld !e no one from the 3sraelites left alive. 1% 5.D, God of 3srael, yo+ are good, and yo+ still have let some of +s live. ;es, we are g+ilty, and !eca+se of o+r g+ilt, not one of +s sho+ld !e allowed to stand in front of yo+. 10 1 -Era was praying and confessing. $e was crying and !owing down pag. %#20131#

in front of Gods Temple. >hile -Era was doing that, a large gro+p of the 3sraelitesmen, women, and childrengathered aro+nd him. They were crying. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Cehiel, one of the descendants of -lam, spoke to -Era and said, >e have not !een faithf+l to o+r God. >e have married the people living aro+nd +s. <+t, even tho+gh we have done this, there is still hope for 3srael. 3 1ow let +s make an agreement !efore o+r God to send away all these women and their children. >e will do that to follow the advice of -Era and the people who respect the laws of o+r God. >e will o!ey Gods law. -Era 1,.#*) 3) # Get +p, -Era. This is yo+r responsi!ility, !+t we will s+pport yo+. So !e !rave and do it. % So -Era got +p. $e made the leading priests, the evites, and all the 3sraelites promise to do what he said. & Then -Era went away from the front of Gods ho+se. $e went to the room of Cehohanan son of -liashi!. >hile -Era was there, he didnt eat food or drink water. $e did that !eca+se he was still very sad. $e was very sad a!o+t the 3sraelites who came !ack to Cer+salem. ' Then he sent a message to every place in C+dah and Cer+salem. The message told all the Cewish people who had come !ack from captivity to meet together in Cer+salem. ( Those who did not come to Cer+salem in three days like the officials and elders said wo+ld lose their property and !e removed from the gro+p. ) So in three days all the men from the families of C+dah and <en=amin gathered in Cer+salem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people met together in the Temple yard. They were -Era 1,.1,*1# #, very +pset !eca+se of the reason for the meeting and !eca+se of the heavy rain. 1, Then -Era the priest stood and said -asy To .ead /ersion

to them, ;o+ people have not !een faithf+l to God. ;o+ have married foreign women. ;o+ have made 3srael more g+ilty !y doing that. 11 1ow yo+ m+st confess yo+r sins to the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestors. ;o+ m+st o!ey his command. Separate yo+rselves from the people living aro+nd yo+ and from yo+r foreign wives. 12 Then the whole gro+p who met together answered -Era. They sho+ted, -Era, yo+ are right" >e m+st do what yo+ say. 13 <+t there are many people here. And it is the rainy time of year, so we cannot stay o+tside. This pro!lem cannot !e solved in a day or two !eca+se we have sinned in a very !ad way. 1# et o+r leaders decide for the whole gro+p meeting here. Then let every man in o+r towns who married a foreign woman come here to Cer+salem at a planned time. et them come here with the elders and =+dges of their towns. Then God will stop !eing angry with +s. -Era 1,.1%*1) #1 1% 5nly a few men were against this plan. They were Conathan son of Asahel and CahEeiah son of Tikvah. Aesh+llam and Sha!!ethai the evite also were against the plan. 1& So the 3sraelites who came !ack to Cer+salem accepted the plan. -Era the priest chose men who were family leaders. $e chose one man from each tri!e. -ach man was chosen !y name. 5n the first day of the tenth month, the men who were chosen sat down to st+dy each of the cases. 1' And !y the first day of the first month, they finished disc+ssing all the men who had married foreign women. 1( These are the names of the descendants of the priests who married foreign women: 2rom the descendants of Cesh+a son of CoEadak and Cesh+as !rothers, these men: Aaaseiah, -lieEer, Cari!, and Gedaliah. 1) All of them promised to divorce their wives. And then each one of them pag. %#30131#

offered a ram from the flock for a g+ilt offering. They did that !eca+se of their g+ilt. -Era 1,.2,*2' #2 2, 2rom the descendants of 3mmer, these men: $anani and Be!adiah. 21 2rom the descendants of $arim, these men: Aaaseiah, -li=ah, Shemaiah, Cehiel, and HEEiah. 22 2rom the descendants of 6ashh+r, these men: -lioenai, Aaaseiah, 3shmael, 1ethanel, CoEa!ad, and -lasah. 23 Among the evites, these are the men who married foreign women: CoEa!ad, Shimei, Gelaiah 7also called Gelita8, 6ethahiah, C+dah, and -lieEer. 2# Among the singers, this is the man who married a foreign woman: -liashi!. Among the gatekeepers, these are the men who married foreign women: Shall+m, Telem, and Hri. 2% Among the 3sraelites, these men married foreign women: 2rom the descendants of 6arosh, these men: .amiah, 3EEiah, Aalki=ah, Ai=amin, -leaEar, Aalki=ah, and <enaiah. 2& 2rom the descendants of -lam, these men: Aattaniah, Bechariah, Cehiel, A!di, Ceremoth, and -li=ah. 2' 2rom the descendants of Batt+, these men: -lioenai, -liashi!, Aattaniah, Ceremoth, Ba!ad, and AEiEa. -Era 1,.2(*#1 #3 2( 2rom the descendants of <e!ai, these men: Cehohanan, $ananiah, Ba!!ai, and Athlai. 2) 2rom the descendants of <ani, these men: Aesh+llam, Aall+ch, Adaiah, Cash+!, Sheal, and Ceremoth. 3, 2rom the descendants of 6ahath Aoa!, these men: Adna, Gelal, <enaiah, Aaaseiah, Aattaniah, <eEalel, <inn+i, and Aanasseh. 31 2rom the descendants of $arim, these men: -lieEer, 3shi=ah, Aalki=ah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 <en=amin, Aall+ch, and Shemariah. 33 2rom the descendants of $ash+m, these men: Aattenai, Aattattah, Ba!ad, -liphelet, Ceremai, Aanasseh, and -asy To .ead /ersion

Shimei. 3# 2rom the descendants of <ani, these men: Aaadai, Amram, Hel, 3% <enaiah, <edeiah, Gel+hi, 3& /aniah, Aeremoth, -liashi!, 3' Aattaniah, Aattenai, and Caas+. 3( 2rom the descendants of <inn+i, these men: Shimei, 3) Shelemiah, 1athan, Adaiah, #, Aacnade!ai, Shashai, Sharai, #1 AEarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, -Era 1,.#2*## ## #2 Shall+m, Amariah, and Coseph. #3 2rom the descendants of 1e!o, these men: Ceiel, Aattithiah, Ba!ad, Be!ina, Caddai, Coel, and <enaiah. ## All these men married foreign women, and some of them had children with these wives. #e'emia' 1 1 These are the words of 1ehemiah son of $acaliah: 3, 1ehemiah, was in the capital city of S+sa in the month of Gislev. This was in the 2,th year that Arta4er4es was king. 2 >hile 3 was in S+sa, one of my !rothers named $anani and some other men came from C+dah. 3 asked them a!o+t the Cews who had escaped captivity and still lived in C+dah. 3 also asked them a!o+t the city of Cer+salem. 3 They answered, 1ehemiah, the Cews who escaped captivity and are in the land of C+dah are in m+ch tro+!le. They are having many pro!lems and are f+ll of shame !eca+se the wall of Cer+salem is !roken down, and its gates have !een !+rned with fire. # >hen 3 heard this a!o+t the people of Cer+salem and a!o+t the wall, 3 sat down and cried. 3 was very sad. 3 fasted and prayed to the God of heaven for several days. 1ehemiah 1.%*) 2 % Then 3 prayed this prayer: 5.D, God of heaven, yo+ are the great and powerf+l God. ;o+ are the God who keeps his agreement of love with people who love yo+ and o!ey yo+r commands. & 6lease open yo+r eyes and ears and pag. %##0131#

listen to the prayer yo+r servant is praying !efore yo+ day and night. 3 am praying for yo+r servants, the 3sraelites. 3 confess the sins we 3sraelites have done against yo+. 3 am confessing that 3 have sinned against yo+ and that the other people in my fathers family have sinned against yo+. ' >e 3sraelites have !een very !ad to yo+. >e have not o!eyed the commands, r+les, and laws yo+ gave yo+r servant Aoses. ( 6lease remem!er the teaching yo+ gave yo+r servant Aoses. ;o+ said to him, 3f yo+ 3sraelites are not faithf+l, 3 will force yo+ to !e scattered among the other nations. ) <+t if yo+ 3sraelites come !ack to me and o!ey my commands, this is what 3 will do: -ven if yo+r people have !een forced to leave their homes and go to the ends of the earth, 3 will gather them 1ehemiah 1.1,*2.3 3 from there. And 3 will !ring them !ack to the place 3 have chosen to p+t my name. 1, The 3sraelites are yo+r servants and yo+r people. ;o+ +sed yo+r great power and resc+ed them. 11 So, ord, please listen to my prayer. 3 am yo+r servant. 6lease listen to the prayers of yo+r servants who want to show respect for yo+r name. ;o+ know 3 am the kings wine servant, so please help me today. $elp me as 3 ask the king for help. Give me s+ccess and help me to !e pleasing to the king. 2 1 3n the month of 1isan in the 2,th year of Ging Arta4er4es, some wine was !ro+ght to the king. 3 took the wine and gave it to the king. 3 had never !efore !een sad when 3 was with him, !+t now 3 was sad. 2 So the king asked me, Are yo+ sick? >hy do yo+ look sad? 3 think yo+r heart is f+ll of sadness. Then 3 was very afraid. 3 <+t even tho+gh 3 was afraid, 3 said to the king, Aay the king live forever" 3 am sad !eca+se the city where my ancestors are !+ried lies in r+ins, and the gates of that city have !een destroyed !y fire. -asy To .ead /ersion

1ehemiah 2.#*( # # Then the king said to me, >hat do yo+ want me to do? <efore 3 answered, 3 prayed to the God of heaven. % Then 3 answered the king, 3f it wo+ld please the king, and if 3 have !een good to yo+, please send me to Cer+salem, the city in C+dah where my ancestors are !+ried. 3 want to go there and re!+ild that city. & The king and the J+een who was sitting ne4t to him asked me, $ow long will yo+r trip take? >hen will yo+ get !ack here? The king was happy to send me, so 3 gave him a certain time. ' 3 also said to the king, 3f it wo+ld please the king to do something else for me, let me ask. 6lease give me some letters to show the governors of the area west of the -+phrates .iver. 3 need these letters so that the governors will give me permission to pass safely thro+gh their lands on my way to C+dah. ( 3 also need l+m!er for the heavy wooden !eams for the gates, the walls, the walls aro+nd the Temple, and my ho+se. So 3 need a letter from yo+ to Asaph, who is in charge of yo+r forests. The king gave me the letters 1ehemiah 2.)*13 % and everything 3 asked for. The king did that !eca+se my God was kind to me. ) So 3 went to the governors of the area west of the -+phrates .iver and gave them the letters from the king. The king had also sent army officers and soldiers on horses with me. 1, San!allat from $oron and To!iah the Ammonite official heard a!o+t what 3 was doing. They were very +pset and angry that someone had come to help the 3sraelites. 11 3 went to Cer+salem and stayed there three days. Then at night 3 started o+t with a few men. 3 had not said anything to anyone a!o+t what my God had p+t on my heart to do for Cer+salem. There were no horses with me e4cept the horse 3 was riding. 12 72:118 pag. %#%0131#

13 >hile it was dark 3 went o+t thro+gh the /alley Gate. 3 rode toward the Dragon >ell and the Gate of the Ash 6iles. 3 was inspecting the walls of Cer+salem that had !een !roken down and the gates in the wall that had !een !+rned with fire. 1ehemiah 2.1#*1) & 1# Then 3 rode on toward the 2o+ntain Gate and the Gings 6ool. As 3 got close, 3 co+ld see there was not eno+gh room for my horse to get thro+gh. 1% So 3 went +p the valley in the dark, inspecting the wall. 2inally, 3 t+rned !ack and went !ack in thro+gh the /alley Gate. 1& The officials and important 3sraelites didnt know where 3 had gone. They didnt know what 3 was doing. 3 had not yet said anything to the Cews, the priests, the kings family, the officials, or any of the other people who wo+ld !e doing the work. 1' Then 3 said to them, ;o+ can see the tro+!le we have here: Cer+salem is a pile of r+ins, and its gates have !een !+rned with fire. 9ome, lets re!+ild the wall of Cer+salem. Then we will not !e ashamed anymore. 1( 3 also told them that my God had !een kind to me. 3 told them what the king had said to me. Then they answered, ets start to work, now" So we !egan this good work. 1) <+t San!allat from $oron, To!iah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the 1ehemiah 2.2,*3.3 ' Ara! heard that we were !+ilding again. They made f+n of +s in a very +gly way. They said, >hat are yo+ doing? Are yo+ t+rning against the king? 2, <+t this is what 3 said to them: The God of heaven will help +s s+cceed. >e are Gods servants and we will re!+ild this city. ;o+ cannot help +s in this work !eca+se none of yo+r family lived here in Cer+salem. ;o+ dont own any of this land, and yo+ have no right to !e in this place. 3 1 The name of the high priest was -asy To .ead /ersion

-liashi!. $e and his !rothers, the priests, went to work and !+ilt the Sheep Gate. They prayed to make that gate holy to God. They set its doors in place in the wall. The priests worked on the wall of Cer+salem as far as the Tower of the $+ndred and the Tower of $ananel. They prayed to make all this work holy to God. 2 The men from Cericho !+ilt the wall ne4t to the priests. And Bacc+r son of a man named 3mri !+ilt the wall ne4t to the men of Cericho. 3 The sons of a man named $assenaah !+ilt the 2ish Gate. They set the !eams 1ehemiah 3.#*' ( in place. They p+t doors on the !+ilding. Then they p+t the locks and !olts on the doors. # Aeremoth son of Hriah repaired the ne4t section of the wall. 7Hriah was the son of $akkoE.8 Aesh+llam son of <erekiah repaired the ne4t section of the wall. 7<erekiah was the son of AesheEa!el.8 Badok son of <aana repaired the ne4t section of the wall. % The men from Tekoa repaired the ne4t section of the wall, !+t the leaders from Tekoa ref+sed to work for 1ehemiah their governor. & Coiada and Aesh+llam fi4ed the 5ld Gate. Coiada is the son of 6aseah and Aesh+llam is the son of <esodeiah. They set the !eams in place. They p+t the doors on the hinges. Then they p+t the locks and !olts on the doors. ' The men from Gi!eon and AiEpah fi4ed the ne4t section of the wall. Aelatiah from Gi!eon and Cadon from Aeronoth did the work. Gi!eon and Aeronoth are places that are controlled !y the governors of the area west of the -+phrates .iver. 1ehemiah 3.(*13 ) ( HEEiel son of $arhaiah repaired the ne4t section of the wall. HEEiel was a goldsmith. $ananiah was one of the perf+me makers. These men !+ilt and repaired Cer+salem as far as the <road >all. pag. %#&0131#

) .ephaiah son of $+r repaired the ne4t section of the wall. .ephaiah was the governor of half of Cer+salem. 1, Cedaiah son of $ar+maph repaired the ne4t section of the wall. Cedaiah repaired the wall ne4t to his own ho+se. $att+sh son of $asha!neiah repaired the ne4t section. 11 Aalki=ah son of $arim and $assh+! son of 6ahathDAoa! repaired the ne4t section. They also repaired 5ven Tower. 12 Shall+m son of $allohesh repaired the ne4t section of the wall. $is da+ghters helped him. Shall+m was the governor of the other half of Cer+salem. 13 The /alley Gate was repaired !y $an+n and the people who live in the town of Banoah. They !+ilt the /alley Gate. They p+t the doors on their hinges. Then they p+t the locks and !olts on the doors. They also repaired %,, yards of 1ehemiah 3.1#*1' 1, the wall. They worked on the wall all the way to the Gate of Ash 6iles. 1# Aalki=ah son of .eca! repaired the Gate of Ash 6iles. Aalki=ah was the governor of the district of <eth $akkerem. $e repaired the gate. $e p+t the doors on the hinges. Then he p+t the locks and !olts on the doors. 1% Shall+n son of 9olD$oEeh repaired the 2o+ntain Gate. Shall+n was the governor of the district of AiEpah. $e repaired the gate and p+t a roof over it. $e p+t the doors on the hinges. Then he p+t the locks and !olts on the doors. $e also repaired the wall of the 6ool of Siloam that is ne4t to the Gings Garden. $e repaired the wall all the way to the steps that go down from the 9ity of David. 1& 1ehemiah son of AE!+k repaired the ne4t section. This 1ehemiah was the governor of half the district of <eth B+r. $e made repairs +p to a place that is across from the tom!s of David. And he worked as far as the manDmade pool and the $o+se of $eroes. 1' The men from the tri!e of evi repaired the ne4t section. They worked +nder .eh+m son of <ani. $asha!iah -asy To .ead /ersion

1ehemiah 3.1(*23 11 repaired the ne4t section. $asha!iah was governor of half the district of Geilah. $e made repairs for his own district. 1( Their !rothers repaired the ne4t section. They worked +nder <inn+i son of $enadad. <inn+i was the governor of the other half of the district of Geilah. 1) -Eer son of Cesh+a repaired the ne4t section. -Eer was governor of AiEpah. $e repaired the section of wall from the room for weapons to the corner of the wall. 2, <ar+ch son of Ba!!ai repaired the ne4t section. <ar+ch worked very hard and repaired the section of wall from the corner to the entrance to the ho+se of -liashi! the high priest. 21 Aeremoth son of Hriah, the son of $akkoE, repaired the ne4t section of wall from the entrance to -liashi!s ho+se to the end of that ho+se. 22 The ne4t section of walls was repaired !y the priests who lived in that area. 23 <en=amin and $assh+! repaired the wall in front of their own ho+se. And AEariah son of Aaaseiah, the son of Ananiah, repaired the wall ne4t to his ho+se. 1ehemiah 3.2#*3, 12 2# <inn+i son of $enadad repaired the section of wall from AEariahs ho+se to the !end in the wall and then to the corner. 2% 6alal son of HEai worked across from the !end in the wall near the tower. This is the tower at the kings +pper ho+se. That is near the co+rtyard of the kings g+ard. 6edaiah son of 6arosh worked ne4t to 6alal. 2& The Temple servants lived on 5phel $ill. They repaired the ne4t section all the way to the east side of the >ater Gate and the tower near it. 2' The men from Tekoa repaired the rest of that section from the !ig tower all the way to the 5phel wall. 2( The priests repaired the section over the $orse Gate. -ach priest repaired the wall in front of his own ho+se. pag. %#'0131#

2) Badok son of 3mmer repaired the section in front of his ho+se. Shemaiah son of Shecaniah repaired the ne4t section. Shemaiah was the g+ard of the -ast Gate. 3, $ananiah son of Shelemiah and $an+n son of Balaph repaired the rest of that section of wall. 7$an+n was Balaphs 1ehemiah 3.31*#.3 13 si4th son.8 Aesh+llam son of <erekiah repaired the section in front of his ho+se. 31 Aalki=ah repaired the ne4t section of wall all the way to the ho+ses of the Temple servants and the merchants. That is across from the 3nspection Gate. Aalki=ah repaired the section all the way to the room over the corner of the wall. Aalki=ah was a goldsmith. 32 The goldsmiths and the merchants repaired the section of wall from that corner to the Sheep Gate. 4 1 >hen San!allat heard that we were !+ilding the wall of Cer+salem, he was very angry and +pset. $e started making f+n of the Cews. 2 San!allat talked with his friends and the army at Samaria and said, >hat are these weak Cews doing? Do they think we will leave them alone? Do they think they will offer sacrifices? Aay!e they think they can finish !+ilding in only one day. They cannot !ring stones !ack to life from these piles of trash and dirt. These are =+st piles of ashes and dirt" 3 To!iah the Ammonite was with San!allat. To!iah said, >hat do these Cews think they are !+ilding? 3f even 1ehemiah #.#*( 1# a small fo4 clim!ed +p on it, he wo+ld !reak down their wall of stones" # 1ehemiah prayed and said, 5+r God, listen to o+r prayer. These men hate +s. San!allat and To!iah are ins+lting +s. Aake !ad things happen to them. Aake them ashamed, like people taken away as prisoners. % Dont take away their g+ilt or forgive the sins they have done in yo+r sight. They have ins+lted and disco+raged the !+ilders. -asy To .ead /ersion

& >e !+ilt the wall of Cer+salem all the way aro+nd the city. <+t it was only half as tall as it sho+ld !e. >e did this m+ch !eca+se the people worked with all their heart. ' <+t San!allat, To!iah, the Ara!s, the Ammonites, and the men from Ashdod were very angry. They heard that the people contin+ed working on the walls of Cer+salem. They heard the people were repairing the holes in the wall. ( So all these men got together and made plans against Cer+salem. They planned to stir +p tro+!le against Cer+salem. They planned to come and fight against the city. 1ehemiah #.)*1# 1% ) <+t we prayed to o+r God. And we p+t g+ards on the walls to watch day and night so that we co+ld !e ready to meet them. 1, And so at that time the people of C+dah said, The workers are !ecoming tired. There is too m+ch dirt and trash in the way. >e cannot contin+e to !+ild the wall. 11 And o+r enemies are saying, <efore the Cews know it or see +s, we will !e right there among them. >e will kill them and that will stop the work. 12 Then the Cews living among o+r enemies came and said this to +s ten times, 5+r enemies are all aro+nd +s. They are everywhere we t+rn. 13 So 3 p+t some of the people !ehind the lowest places along the wall, and 3 p+t them !y the holes in the wall. 3 p+t families together, with their swords, spears, and !ows. 1# After looking over everything, 3 stood +p and spoke to the important families, the officials, and the rest of the people. 3 said, Dont !e afraid of o+r enemies. .emem!er the ord, who is great and powerf+l" ;o+ m+st fight 1ehemiah #.1%*1) 1& for yo+r !rothers, yo+r sons, and yo+r da+ghters" ;o+ m+st fight for yo+r wives and yo+r homes" 1% Then o+r enemies heard that we pag. %#(0131#

knew a!o+t their plans. They knew that God r+ined their plans. So we all went !ack to work on the wall. -veryone went !ack to their own place and did their part. 1& 2rom that day on, half of my men worked on the wall. The other half of my men were on g+ard, ready with spears, shields, !ows, and armor. The army officers stood !ehind all the people of C+dah who were !+ilding the wall. 1' The !+ilders and their helpers had their tools in one hand and a weapon in the other hand. 1( -ach of the !+ilders wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who !lew the tr+mpet to warn the people stayed ne4t to me. 1) Then 3 spoke to the leading families, the officials, and the rest of the people. 3 said, This is a very !ig =o! and we are spread o+t along the wall. >e are far from each other. 1ehemiah #.2,*%.3 1' 2, So if yo+ hear the tr+mpet, r+n to that place. >e will all meet together there, and o+r God will fight for +s" 21 So we contin+ed to work on the wall of Cer+salem, and half the men held spears. >e worked from the first light of the morning +ntil the stars came o+t at night. 22 At that time 3 also said this to the people, -very !+ilder and his helper m+st stay inside Cer+salem at night. Then they can !e g+ards at night and workers d+ring the day. 23 So none of +s took off o+r clothesnot me, not my !rothers, not my men, and not the g+ards. -ach of +s had o+r weapon ready at all times, even when we went to get water. 5 1 Aany of the poor people !egan to complain against their fellow Cews. 2 Some of them were saying, >e have many children. >e m+st get some grain if we are going to eat and stay alive. 3 5ther people were saying, This is a time of famine. >e have to +se o+r fields, vineyards, and homes to pay for -asy To .ead /ersion

grain. 1ehemiah %.#*( 1( # And still other people were saying, >e have to pay the kings ta4 on o+r fields and vineyards. <+t we cannot afford to pay, so we are !orrowing money to pay the ta4. % >e are as good as the others. 5+r sons are as good as their sons. <+t we will have to sell o+r sons and da+ghters as slaves. Some of +s have already had to sell o+r da+ghters as slaves. There is nothing we can do. >e have already lost o+r fields and vineyards. 5ther people own them now. & >hen 3 heard their complaints, 3 was very angry. ' 3 calmed myself down, and then 3 went to the rich families and the officials. 3 told them, ;o+ are forcing yo+r own people to pay interest on the money yo+ loan them. ;o+ m+st stop doing that" Then 3 called for all the people to meet together ( and said to them, 5+r fellow Cews were sold as slaves to people in other co+ntries. >e did o+r !est to !+y them !ack and make them free. And now, yo+ are selling them like slaves again" The 1ehemiah %.)*13 1) rich people and officials kept J+iet. They co+ld not find anything to say. ) So 3 contin+ed speaking. 3 said, >hat yo+ people are doing is not right" ;o+ know that yo+ sho+ld fear and respect o+r God. ;o+ sho+ld not do the shamef+l things other people do" 1, Ay men, my !rothers, and 3 are also lending money and grain to the people. <+t lets stop forcing them to pay interest on these loans. 11 ;o+ m+st give their fields, vineyards, olive fields, and ho+ses !ack to them, right now" And yo+ m+st give !ack the interest yo+ charged them. ;o+ charged them one percent for the money, grain, new wine, and oil that yo+ loaned them. 12 Then the rich people and the officials said, >e will give it !ack and not demand anything more from them. 1ehemiah, pag. %#)0131#

we will do as yo+ say. Then 3 called the priests. 3 made the rich people and the officials promise to God that they wo+ld do what they said. 13 Then 3 shook o+t the folds of my clothes. 3 said, God will do the same thing to everyone who does not keep their promise. God will shake them 1ehemiah %.1#*1& 2, o+t of their ho+ses and they will lose everything they worked for. They will lose everything" 3 finished saying these things and all the people agreed. They all said, Amen and praised the 5.D. So the people did as they had promised. 1# And also, d+ring the whole time that 3 was appointed to !e governor in the land of C+dah, neither my !rothers nor 3 ate the food that was allowed for the governor. 3 never forced the people to pay ta4es to !+y my food. 3 was governor from the 2,th year +ntil the 32nd year that Arta4er4es was king. 3 was governor of C+dah for twelve years. 1% <+t the governors who r+led !efore me made life hard for the people. The governors forced everyone to pay 1 po+nd of silver. They also made the people give them food and wine. The leaders +nder these governors also r+led over the people and made life even harder. <+t 3 respected and feared God, so 3 didnt do things like that. 1& 3 worked hard at !+ilding the wall of Cer+salem. All my men gathered there to work on the wall. >e didnt take any land from anyone. 1ehemiah %.1'*&.3 21 1' Also, 3 reg+larly fed 1%, Cews who were always welcome at my ta!le, and 3 fed those who came to +s from the nations aro+nd +s. 1( -very day 3 prepared this m+ch food for the people who ate at my ta!le: one o4, si4 good sheep, and different kinds of !irds. -very ten days all kinds of wine were !ro+ght to my ta!le. <+t 3 never demanded that they give me the food that was allowed for the governor. 3 knew that the work the people were -asy To .ead /ersion

doing was very hard. 1) Ay God, remem!er all the good 3 have done for these people. 6 1 Then San!allat, To!iah, Geshem the Ara!, and o+r other enemies heard that 3 had !+ilt the wall. >e repaired all the holes in the wall, !+t we had not yet p+t the doors in the gates. 2 So San!allat and Geshem sent me this message: 9ome 1ehemiah, lets meet together. >e can meet in the town of Gephirim on the plain of 5no. <+t they were planning to h+rt me. 3 So 3 sent messengers to them with this answer: 3 am doing important work, so 3 cannot come down. 3 dont want the 1ehemiah &.#*( 22 work to stop =+st so 3 can come down and meet with yo+. # San!allat and Geshem sent the same message to me fo+r times, and 3 sent the same answer !ack to them each time. % Then, the fifth time, San!allat sent his helper to me with the same message. And he had a letter in his hand that was not sealed. & This is what the letter said: There is a r+mor going aro+nd. 6eople are talking a!o+t it everywhere. And, !y the way, Geshem says it is tr+e. 6eople are saying that yo+ and the Cews are planning to t+rn against the king. This is why yo+ are !+ilding the wall of Cer+salem. 6eople are also saying that yo+ will !e the new king of the Cews. ' And the r+mor is that yo+ have chosen prophets to anno+nce this a!o+t yo+ in Cer+salem: There is a king in C+dah" 1ow 3 warn yo+, 1ehemiah, Ging Arta4er4es will hear a!o+t this. So come, lets meet and talk a!o+t this together. ( So 3 sent this answer !ack to San!allat: 1othing yo+ are saying is 1ehemiah &.)*13 23 happening. ;o+ are =+st making all that +p in yo+r own head. ) 5+r enemies were only trying to make +s afraid. They are thinking to themselves, The Cews will !e afraid and pag. %%,0131#

too weak to keep on working. Then the wall will not !e finished. <+t 3 prayed, God, make me strong. 1, 5ne day 3 went to the ho+se of a man named Shemaiah son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Aeheta!el. Shemaiah had to stay in his ho+se. $e said, 1ehemiah, lets meet in Gods Temple. ets go inside the $oly 6lace and lock the doors. Aen are coming to kill yo+. Tonight they are coming to kill yo+. 11 <+t 3 said to Shemaiah, Sho+ld a man like me r+n away? ;o+ know that an ordinary man like me cannot go into the $oly 6lace witho+t !eing p+t to death. 3 will not go" 12 3 knew that God had not sent Shemaiah. 3 knew that he had prophesied against me !eca+se To!iah and San!allat had paid him to do that. 13 They hired Shemaiah to scare me and make me sin !y going into that part of the Temple. They were planning those 1ehemiah &.1#*1( 2# !ad things against me so that they co+ld shame me. 1# Ay God, please remem!er To!iah and San!allat and the !ad things they have done. Also remem!er the woman prophet 1oadiah and the other prophets who have !een trying to scare me. 1% So the wall of Cer+salem was completed on the 2%th day of the month of -l+l. 3t had taken %2 days to finish !+ilding the wall. 1& Then all o+r enemies heard that we had completed the wall, and all the nations aro+nd +s saw that it was finished. So they lost their co+rage, !eca+se they +nderstood that this work had !een done with the help of o+r God. 1' Also in those days after the wall had !een completed, the rich people of C+dah were sending many letters to To!iah, and he was answering their letters. 1( They sent those letters !eca+se many people in C+dah had promised to !e loyal to him. The reason for this is that To!iah was sonDinDlaw to Shecaniah son of Arah. And To!iahs son Cehohanan -asy To .ead /ersion

had married the da+ghter of Aesh+llam. Aesh+llam is the son of <erekiah. 1ehemiah &.1)*'.3 2% 1) And in the past, those people had made a special promise to To!iah. So they kept telling me how good To!iah was. And they kept telling To!iah what 3 was doing. To!iah kept sending me letters to make me afraid. 7 1 After we finished !+ilding the wall and p+t the doors in the gates, we chose the men who wo+ld g+ard the gates and the men to sing in the Temple and help the priests. 2 1e4t, 3 p+t my !rother $anani in charge of Cer+salem. 3 chose another man named $ananiah to !e the commander of the fort. 3 picked $anani !eca+se he was a very honest man and he feared God more than most people do. 3 Then 3 said to $anani and $ananiah, -ach day yo+ m+st wait +ntil the s+n has !een +p for several ho+rs !efore yo+ open the gates of Cer+salem. ;o+ m+st sh+t and lock the gates !efore the s+n goes down. Also choose people who live in Cer+salem as g+ards. 6+t some of them at special places to g+ard the city, and p+t the other people near their own ho+ses. 1ehemiah '.#*) 2& # 1ow the city was large and there was plenty of room. <+t there were few people in it, and the ho+ses had not yet !een re!+ilt. % So my God p+t it in my heart to have all the people meet together. 3 called together all the important people, the officials, and the common people. 3 did this so that 3 co+ld make a list of all the families. 3 fo+nd the family lists of the people who had !een the first to ret+rn from captivity. This is what 3 fo+nd written there: & These are the people of the province who came !ack from captivity. 3n the past, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon took them as prisoners to <a!ylon. These people came !ack to Cer+salem pag. %%10131#

and C+dah. They all went to their own towns. ' They ret+rned with Ber+!!a!el, Cesh+a, 1ehemiah, AEariah, .aamiah, 1ahamani, Aordecai, <ilshan, Aispereth, <igvai, 1eh+m, and <aanah. This is the list of names and n+m!ers of men from 3srael who came !ack: ( the descendants of 6aroshK21'2 ) the descendants of ShephatiahK3'2 1ehemiah '.1,*32 2' 1, the descendants of ArahK&%2 11 the descendants of 6ahath Aoa! of the family line of Cesh+a and Coa!K2(1( 12 the descendants of -lamK12%# 13 the descendants of Batt+K(#% 1# the descendants of BaccaiK'&, 1% the descendants of <inn+iK&#( 1& the descendants of <e!aiK&2( 1' the descendants of AEgadK2322 1( the descendants of AdonikamK&&' 1) the descendants of <igvaiK2,&' 2, the descendants of AdinK&%% 21 the descendants of Ater thro+gh the family of $eEekiahK)( 22 the descendants of $ash+mK32( 23 the descendants of <eEaiK32# 2# the descendants of $ariphK112 2% the descendants of Gi!eonK)% 2& from the towns of <ethlehem and 1etophahK1(( 2' from the town of AnathothK12( 2( from the town of <eth AEmavethK#2 2) from the towns of Giriath Cearim, Gephirah, and <eerothK'#3 3, from the towns of .amah and Ge!aK&21 31 from the town of AicmashK122 32 from the towns of <ethel and AiK123 1ehemiah '.33*#) 2( 33 from the other town of 1e!oK%2 3# from the other town of -lamK12%# 3% from the town of $arimK32, 3& from the town of CerichoK3#% 3' from the towns of od, $adid, and 5noK'21 3( from the town of SenaahK3)3, 3) These are the priests: the descendants of Cedaiah thro+gh the family of Cesh+aK)'3 -asy To .ead /ersion

#, the descendants of 3mmerK1,%2 #1 the descendants of 6ashh+rK12#' #2 the descendants of $arimK1,1' #3 These are the people from the tri!e of evi: the descendants of Cesh+a thro+gh Gadmiel thro+gh the family of $odeiah K'# ## These are the singers: the descendants of AsaphK1#( #% These are the gatekeepers: the descendants of Shall+m, Ater, Talmon, Akk+!, $atita, and Sho!aiK13( #& These are the special Temple servants: the descendants of Biha, $as+pha, Ta!!aoth, #' Geros, Sia, 6adon, #( e!ana, $aga!a, Shalmai, #) $anan, Giddel, Gaher, 1ehemiah '.%,*&3 2) %, .eaiah, .eEin, 1ekoda, %1 GaEEam, HEEa, 6aseah, %2 <esai, Ae+nim, 1eph+ssim, %3 <ak!+k, $ak+pha, $arh+r, %# <aEl+th, Aehida, $arsha, %% <arkos, Sisera, Temah, %& 1eEiah, and $atipha. %' These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: Sotai, Sophereth, 6erida, %( Caala, Darkon, Giddel, %) Shephatiah, $attil, 6okereth $aEEe!aim, and Amon, &, the Temple servants and the descendants of Solomons servantsK3)2 &1 Some people came to Cer+salem from these towns of Tel Aelah, Tel $arsha, Ger+!, Addon, and 3mmer. <+t these people co+ld not prove that their families really came from the 3sraelites: &2 the descendants of Delaiah, To!iah, and 1ekodaK&#2 &3 2rom the family of priests there were the descendants of $o!aiah, $akkoE, and <arEillai 73f a man married a da+ghter of <arEillai from Gilead, he was co+nted as a descendant of <arEillai.8 1ehemiah '.&#*'1 3, &# These people searched for their family histories, !+t they co+ld not find them. They co+ld not prove that their pag. %%20131#

ancestors were priests, so they co+ld serve as priests. Their names were not incl+ded in the list of priests. &% The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most holy food +ntil a priest co+ld +se the Hrim and Th+mmim to ask God what to do. && All together, there were #2,3&, people in the gro+p who came !ack. This is not co+nting their '33' men and women slaves. They also had 2#% men and women singers with them. &' 7':&&8 &( They had '3& horses, 2#% m+les, #3% camels, and &'2, donkeys. &) 7':&(8 ', Some of the family leaders gave money to s+pport the work. The governor gave 1) po+nds of gold to the treas+ry. $e also gave %, !owls and %3, pieces of clothing for the priests. '1 The family leaders gave 3'% po+nds of gold to the treas+ry to s+pport the work. They also gave 2'%, po+nds of silver. 1ehemiah '.'2*(.3 31 '2 All together the other people gave 3'% po+nds of gold, 2%,, po+nds of silver, and &' pieces of clothing for the priests. '3 So the priests, the people from the tri!e of evi, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Temple servants settled down in their own towns. And all the other 3sraelites settled down in their own towns. <y the seventh month of the year, all the 3sraelites had settled down in their own towns. 8 1 So all the 3sraelites met together in the seventh month of the year. They were +nited and in complete agreement. They all met together in the open place in front of the >ater Gate. All the people asked -Era the teacher to !ring o+t the <ook of the aw of Aoses, which the 5.D had given to the 3sraelites. 2 So -Era the priest !ro+ght the law !efore those who had met together. This was on the first day of the month. 3t was the seventh month of the year. Aen, -asy To .ead /ersion

women, and anyone old eno+gh to listen and +nderstand were at the meeting. 3 -Era read in a lo+d voice from the <ook of the aw from early morning 1ehemiah (.#*' 32 +ntil noon. $e was facing the open place that was in front of the >ater Gate. $e read to all the men and women, and to everyone old eno+gh to listen and +nderstand. All the people listened caref+lly and paid attention to the <ook of the aw. # -Era stood on a high wooden stage. 3t had !een !+ilt =+st for this special time. 5n his right side stood Aattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Hriah, $ilkiah, and Aaaseiah. And on his left side stood 6edaiah, Aishael, Aalki=ah, $ash+m, $ash!addanah, Bechariah, and Aesh+llam. % So -Era opened the !ook. All the people co+ld see him !eca+se he was standing a!ove them on the high stage. As he opened the <ook of the aw, all the people stood +p. & -Era praised the 5.D, the great God, and all the people held +p their hands and said, Amen" Amen" Then all the people !owed down and p+t their faces low to the gro+nd and they worshiped the 5.D. ' These men from the tri!e of evi ta+ght the people a!o+t the law as they 1ehemiah (.(*12 33 were all standing there. The evites were Cesh+a, <ani, Shere!iah, Camin, Akk+!, Sha!!ethai, $odiah, Aaaseiah, Gelita, AEariah, CoEa!ad, $anan, and 6elaiah. ( They read the <ook of the aw of God. They made it easy to +nderstand, and e4plained what it meant. They did this so that the people co+ld +nderstand what was !eing read. ) Then 1ehemiah the governor, -Era the priest and teacher, and the evites who were teaching the people spoke. They said, Today is a special day to the 5.D yo+r God. Dont !e sad and cry. They said that !eca+se all the people had !eg+n to cry as they were listening pag. %%30131#

to the messages of God in the law. 1, 1ehemiah said, Go and en=oy the good food and sweet drinks. Give some food and drinks to those who didnt prepare any food. Today is a special day to o+r ord. Dont !e sad, !eca+se the =oy of the 5.D will make yo+ strong. 11 The evites helped the people to calm down. They said, <e J+iet, calm down, this is a special day. Dont !e sad. 12 Then all the people went to eat the special meal. They shared their food and 1ehemiah (.13*1& 3# drinks. They cele!rated that special day. They were happy that they co+ld hear the reading of Gods law and were now a!le to +nderstand it. 13 Then on the second day of the month, the leaders of all the families went to meet with -Era, the priests, and the evites. They all gathered aro+nd -Era the teacher to st+dy the words of the law. 1# They st+died and fo+nd these commands in the law. The 5.D gave this command to the people thro+gh Aoses: 3n the seventh month of the year, the 3sraelites m+st go to Cer+salem to cele!rate a special festival. They m+st live in temporary shelters. And the people are s+pposed to go thro+gh all of their towns and Cer+salem and say this: Go o+t into the hill co+ntry and get !ranches from different kinds of olive trees. Get !ranches from myrtle trees, palm trees, and shade trees. Hse the !ranches to make temporary shelters. Do what the law says. 1% 7(:1#8 1& So the people went o+t and got tree !ranches. Then they !+ilt temporary 1ehemiah (.1'*).2 3% shelters for themselves. They !+ilt shelters on their own roofs and in their own yards. And they !+ilt shelters in the Temple yard, in the open place near the >ater Gate, and near -phraim Gate. 1' The whole gro+p that had come !ack from captivity !+ilt shelters. They lived in the shelters they had !+ilt. Since the -asy To .ead /ersion

days of Cosh+a son of 1+n +p +ntil that day, the 3sraelites had not cele!rated the 2estival of Shelters like this. -veryone was very happy" 1( -Era read to them from the <ook of the aw every day of the festival from the first day of the festival to the last day. The 3sraelites cele!rated the festival for seven days. Then on the eighth day the people met together for a special meeting, as the law says. 9 1 Then on the 2#th day of that same month, the 3sraelites gathered together for a day of fasting. They wore sackcloth and p+t ashes on their heads to show they were sad and +pset. 2 Those people who were tr+e 3sraelites separated themselves from foreigners. The 3sraelites stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 1ehemiah ).3*& 3& 3 They stood there for a!o+t three ho+rs, and the people read the <ook of the aw of the 5.D their God. Then for three more ho+rs they confessed their sins and !owed down to worship the 5.D their God. # Then these evites stood on the stairs: Cesh+a, <ani, Gadmiel, She!aniah, <+nni, Shere!iah, <ani, and Genani. They called o+t to the 5.D their God with lo+d voices. % Then these evites spoke again: Cesh+a, <ani, Gadmiel, <ani, $asha!neiah, Shere!iah, $odiah, She!aniah, and 6ethahiah. They said, Stand +p and praise the 5.D yo+r God" God has always lived and will live forever. 6eople sho+ld praise yo+r glorio+s name. Aay yo+r name !e lifted a!ove all !lessing and praise. & ;o+ are God. 5.D, only yo+ are God. ;o+ made the sky and the highest heavens and everything in them. ;o+ made the earth and everything on it. ;o+ made the seas and everything in them. ;o+ give life to everything. All the heavenly angels !ow down and worship yo+. 1ehemiah ).'*11 3' pag. %%#0131#

' ;o+ are the 5.D, the God who chose A!ram. ;o+ led him from Hr in <a!ylonia. ;o+ changed his name to A!raham. ( ;o+ saw he was tr+e and loyal to yo+, and yo+ made an agreement with him. ;o+ promised to give him the land of the 9anaanites, $ittites, and Amorites, 6eriEEites, Ce!+sites, and Girgashites. <+t yo+ promised to give that land to A!rahams descendants. And yo+ kept yo+r promise !eca+se yo+ are good. ) ;o+ saw o+r ancestors s+ffering in -gypt and heard them call for help !y the .ed Sea. 1, ;o+ showed the miracles to 6haraoh. ;o+ did amaEing things to his officials and his people. ;o+ knew that the -gyptians tho+ght they were !etter than o+r ancestors. <+t yo+ proved how great yo+ are, and they remem!er that even today. 11 ;o+ split the .ed Sea in front of them, and they walked thro+gh on dry land. The -gyptian soldiers were chasing them, !+t yo+ threw that enemy into the sea. And they sank like a rock into the sea. 1ehemiah ).12*1' 3( 12 >ith the tall clo+d, yo+ led them !y day, and at night yo+ +sed the col+mn of fire. That is the way yo+ lit their path and showed them where to go. 13 Then yo+ came down to Ao+nt Sinai. ;o+ spoke to them from heaven. ;o+ gave them good laws. ;o+ gave them tr+e teachings. ;o+ gave them laws and commands that were very good. 1# ;o+ told them a!o+t yo+r special day of restthe Sa!!ath. Thro+gh yo+r servant Aoses, yo+ gave them commands, laws, and teachings. 1% They were h+ngry, so yo+ gave them food from heaven. They were thirsty, so yo+ gave them water from a rock. ;o+ told them, 9ome, take this land. ;o+ +sed yo+r power, and took the land for them. 1& <+t o+r ancestors !ecame pro+d and st+!!orn. They ref+sed to o!ey yo+r commands. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' They ref+sed to listen. They forgot the amaEing things yo+ did with them. They !ecame st+!!orn. They decided to ret+rn to -gypt and !ecome slaves again. <+t yo+ are a forgiving God" ;o+ are kind and f+ll of mercy. ;o+ are 1ehemiah ).1(*23 3) patient and f+ll of love. So yo+ didnt leave them" 1( ;o+ didnt leave them even when they made gold calves and said, These are the gods that led +s o+t of -gypt. 1) ;o+ are very kind, so yo+ didnt leave them in the desert. ;o+ didnt take the tall clo+d away from them !y day. ;o+ contin+ed to lead them. ;o+ didnt take the col+mn of fire away from them at night. ;o+ contin+ed to light their path and to show them which way to go. 2, ;o+ gave them yo+r good Spirit to make them wise. ;o+ gave them manna for food. ;o+ gave them water for their thirst. 21 ;o+ took care of them for #, years. They had all they needed in the desert. Their clothes didnt wear o+t, and their feet didnt swell and h+rt. 22 ;o+ gave them kingdoms and nations, and yo+ gave them faraway places where few people live. They got the land of Ging Sihon of $esh!on. They got the land of Ging 5g of <ashan. 23 ;o+ made their descendants as many as the stars in the sky. ;o+ !ro+ght them to the land yo+ promised to give their 1ehemiah ).2#*2' #, ancestors. They went in and took that land. 2# Their children took the land. They defeated the 9anaanites living there. ;o+ let them defeat those people. ;o+ let them do whatever they wanted to those nations, people, and kings. 2% They defeated powerf+l cities. They took the fertile land. They got ho+ses filled with good things. They got wells that were already d+g. They got vineyards, olive trees, and plenty of fr+it trees. They ate +ntil they were f+ll and fat. They en=oyed all the wonderf+l pag. %%%0131#

things yo+ gave them. 2& And then they t+rned against yo+. They threw away yo+r teachings. They killed yo+r prophets. Those prophets warned the people. They tried to !ring them !ack to yo+. <+t o+r ancestors said terri!le things against yo+. 2' So yo+ let their enemies have them. The enemy ca+sed them m+ch tro+!le. >hen tro+!le came, o+r ancestors called to yo+ for help. And in heaven, yo+ heard them. ;o+ are very kind, so yo+ sent people to save them. And they resc+ed them from their enemies. 1ehemiah ).2(*32 #1 2( Then as soon as o+r ancestors were rested, they started doing terri!le things again" So yo+ let the enemy defeat them and p+nish them. They called to yo+ for help, and in heaven yo+ heard them and helped them. ;o+ are so kind. That happened so many times. 2) ;o+ warned them. ;o+ told them to come !ack, !+t they were too pro+d. They ref+sed to listen to yo+r commands. 3f people o!ey yo+r laws, they will live. <+t o+r ancestors !roke yo+r laws. They were st+!!orn. They t+rned their !acks on yo+. They ref+sed to listen. 3, ;o+ were very patient with o+r ancestors. ;o+ let them mistreat yo+ for many years. ;o+ warned them with yo+r Spirit. ;o+ sent the prophets to warn them. <+t o+r ancestors didnt listen. So yo+ gave them to people in other co+ntries. 31 <+t yo+ are so kind" ;o+ didnt completely destroy them. ;o+ didnt leave them. ;o+ are s+ch a kind and mercif+l God" 32 5+r God, yo+ are the great God, the awesome, powerf+l soldier" ;o+ are kind and loyal. ;o+ keep yo+r agreement. 1ehemiah ).33*3' #2 >e have had many tro+!les, and o+r tro+!les are important to yo+. <ad things happened to all o+r people, and to o+r kings and leaders, and to o+r priests and prophets. Those terri!le things have happened from the days of the king of -asy To .ead /ersion

Assyria +ntil today" 33 <+t God, yo+ were right a!o+t everything that happened to +s. ;o+ were right, and we were wrong. 3# 5+r kings, leaders, priests, and fathers did not o!ey yo+r law. They didnt listen to yo+r commands. They ignored yo+r warnings. 3% 5+r ancestors didnt serve yo+ even when they were living in their own kingdom. They didnt stop doing evil. They en=oyed all the wonderf+l things yo+ gave them. They en=oyed the rich land and had plenty of room, !+t they didnt stop their evil ways. 3& And now, we are slaves. >e are slaves in this land, the land yo+ gave o+r ancestors so they co+ld en=oy its fr+it and all the good things that grow here. 3' The harvest is !ig in this land. <+t we sinned, so that harvest goes to the kings yo+ p+t over +s. They control +s and o+r 1ehemiah ).3(*1,.12 #3 cattle. They do anything they want. >e are in a lot of tro+!le. 3( <eca+se of all these things, we are making an agreement that cannot !e changed. >e are p+tting this agreement in writing. 5+r leaders, evites, and priests are signing their names to this agreement and sealing it with a seal. 10 1 These are the names on the sealed agreement: 1ehemiah the governor, the son of $acaliah. Bedekiah, 2 Seraiah, AEariah, Ceremiah, 3 6ashh+r, Amariah, Aalki=ah, # $att+sh, She!aniah, Aall+ch, % $arim, Aeremoth, 5!adiah, & Daniel, Ginnethon, <ar+ch, ' Aesh+llam, A!i=ah, Ai=amin, ( AaaEiah, <ilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests who p+t their names on the sealed agreement. ) And these are the evites who p+t their names on the sealed agreement: Cesh+a son of AEaniah, <inn+i from the family of $enadad, Gadmiel, 1, and their !rothers: She!aniah, $odiah, Gelita, 6elaiah, $anan, 11 Aica, .eho!, $asha!iah, pag. %%&0131#

12 Bacc+r, Shere!iah, She!aniah, 1ehemiah 1,.13*2( ## 13 $odiah, <ani, and <enin+. 1# And these are the names of the leaders who p+t their names on the sealed agreement: 6arosh, 6ahathDAoa!, -lam, Batt+, <ani, 1% <+nni, AEgad, <e!ai, 1& Adoni=ah, <igvai, Adin, 1' Ater, $eEekiah, AEE+r, 1( $odiah, $ash+m, <eEai, 1) $ariph, Anathoth, 1e!ai, 2, Aagpiash, Aesh+llam, $eEir, 21 AesheEa!el, Badok, Cadd+a, 22 6elatiah, $anan, Anaiah, 23 $oshea, $ananiah, $assh+!, 2# $allohesh, 6ilha, Sho!ek, 2% .eh+m, $asha!nah, Aaaseiah, 2& Ahiah, $anan, Anan, 2' Aall+ch, $arim, and <aanah. 2( So all these people now make this special promise to God. And they all ask for !ad things to happen if they dont keep their promise. All these people promise to follow the law of God. That law of God was given to +s thro+gh Aoses his servant. These people promise with an oath to caref+lly o!ey all the commands, r+les, and teachings of o+r ord G5D. 1ow, these are the people 1ehemiah 1,.2)*31 #% who are making this promise: The rest of the peoplethe priests, evites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple servants, and all the 3sraelites who separated themselves from the people living aro+nd them. They have separated themselves to o!ey Gods law. Their wives, sons, and da+ghters who are a!le to listen and +nderstand also did this. All these people =oined their !rothers and the important people to accept for themselves the promise to o!ey Gods law. And they accepted the c+rse that asks for !ad things to happen to them if they dont o!ey Gods law. 2) 71,:2(8 3, >e promise not to let o+r da+ghters marry the people living aro+nd +s. And we promise not to let o+r sons marry -asy To .ead /ersion

their da+ghters. 31 >e promise not to work on the Sa!!ath day. 3f the people living aro+nd +s !ring grain or other things to sell on the Sa!!ath, we will not !+y them on that special day or on any other festival. -very seventh year, we will not plant or work the land. And every seventh year, 1ehemiah 1,.32*3% #& we will cancel every de!t that other people owe to +s. 32 >e will accept the responsi!ility for o!eying the commands to take care of Gods Temple. >e will give 103 shekel of silver each year to s+pport the Temple service to honor o+r God. 33 This money will pay for the special !read that the priests p+t on the ta!le in the Temple. 3t will pay for the daily grain offerings and !+rnt offerings. 3t will pay for the offerings on the Sa!!aths, 1ew Aoon cele!rations, and other special meeting days. 3t will pay for the holy offerings and for the sin offerings that make the 3sraelites p+re. 3t will pay for any work needed on the Temple of o+r God. 3# >e, the priests, the evites, and the people have thrown lots to decide when each of o+r families is to !ring a gift of wood to the Temple of o+r God at certain times each year. The wood is to !+rn on the altar of the 5.D o+r God. >e m+st do that =+st as it is written in the law. 3% >e also accept the responsi!ility of !ringing the first part of o+r harvest, whether from the grain in o+r fields or 1ehemiah 1,.3&*3) #' the fr+it from o+r trees. >e will !ring them to the 5.D@S Temple each year. 3& C+st as it is also written in the law, this is what we will do: >e will !ring o+r first!orn sons and o+r first!orn cattle, sheep, and goats. >e will !ring these to the Temple of o+r God, to the priests who are serving there. 3' And we will also !ring the first part of o+r harvest to priests to p+t in the storage rooms of o+r Gods Temple. >e will !ring the first of o+r gro+nd meal, pag. %%'0131#

the first of o+r grain offerings, the first fr+it from o+r trees, and the first of o+r new wine and oil. And we will !ring a tenth of o+r crops to the evites, !eca+se they are the ones who collect these things in all the towns where we work. 3( A priest from the family of Aaron m+st !e with the evites when they receive the crops. Then the evites m+st !ring the crops to the Temple of o+r God and p+t them in the storerooms of the Temple treas+ry. 3) The 3sraelites and the evites m+st !ring their gifts to the storerooms. They are to !ring their gifts of grain, 1ehemiah 11.1*# #( new wine, and oil. All the things for the Temple are kept in the storerooms, and that is where the priests who are on d+ty stay. The singers and gatekeepers also stay there. >e all promise that we will take care of the Temple of o+r God. 11 1 1ow the leaders of the 3sraelites moved into the city of Cer+salem. The other 3sraelites had to decide who else wo+ld move into the city. So they threw lots, and one o+t of every ten people had to live in Cer+salem, the holy city. The other nine people co+ld live in their own hometowns. 2 Some people vol+nteered to live in Cer+salem. The other people thanked and !lessed them for vol+nteering. 3 $ere are the leaders of the provinces who lived in Cer+salem. 7Some of the 3sraelites, priests, evites, Temple servants, and descendants of Solomons servants lived in the towns of C+dah. -veryone lived on their own land in the different towns. # And other people from the families of C+dah and <en=amin lived in the city of Cer+salem.8 These are the descendants of C+dah who moved into Cer+salem: 1ehemiah 11.%*) #) Athaiah son of HEEiah 7the son of Bechariah, who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Aahalalel, who was a -asy To .ead /ersion

descendant of 6ereE8 % and Aaaseiah son of <ar+ch 7the son of 9olD$oEeh, who was the son of $aEaiah, who was the son of Adaiah, who was the son of Coiari!, who was the son of Bechariah, who was a descendant of Shelah8. & The n+m!er of 6ereEs descendants living in Cer+salem was #&(. All of them were !rave men. ' These are the descendants of <en=amin who moved into Cer+salem: Sall+ son of Aesh+llam 7the son of Coed, who was the son of 6edaiah, who was the son of Golaiah, who was the son of Aaaseiah, who was the son of 3thiel, who was the son of Ceshaiah8, ( and those who followed Ceshaiah were Ga!!ai and Sallai. All together there were )2( men. ) Coel son of Bicri was in charge of them. And C+dah son of $assen+ah was in charge of the Second District of the city of Cer+salem. 1ehemiah 11.1,*1% %, 1, These are the priests who moved into Cer+salem: Cedaiah son of Coiari!, Cakin, 11 and Seraiah son of $ilkiah 7the son of Aesh+llam, who was the son of Badok, who was the son of Aeraioth, who was the son of Ahit+!8, who was the s+pervisor in the Temple of God, 12 and (22 men of their !rothers that did the work for the Temple, and Adaiah son of Ceroham 7the son of 6elaliah, who was the son of AmEi, who was the son of Bechariah, who was the son of 6ashh+r, who was the son of Aalki=ah8, 13 and 2#2 men who were Adaiahs !rothers 7leaders of their families8, Amashsai son of AEarel 7the son of AhEai, who was the son of Aeshillemoth, who was the son of 3mmer8, 1# and 12( of Amashsais !rothers. 7These men were !rave soldiers. The officer over them was Ba!diel son of $aggedolim.8 1% These are the evites who moved into Cer+salem: Shemaiah son of $assh+! 7the son of AErikam, who was the son of pag. %%(0131#

$asha!iah, who was the son of <+nni8, 1ehemiah 11.1&*22 %1 1& Sha!!ethai and CoEa!ad 7two of the leaders of the evites in charge of the o+tside work of Gods Temple8, 1' Aattaniah 7the son of Aica, who was the son of Ba!di, who was the son of Asaph8, the director who led the people in singing songs of praise and prayer, <ak!+kiah 7the second in charge over his !rothers8, and A!da son of Shamm+a 7the son of Galal, who was the son of Ced+th+n8. 1( So there were 2(# evites who moved into Cer+salem, the holy city. 1) These are the gatekeepers who moved into Cer+salem: Akk+!, Talmon, and 1'2 of their !rothers. They watched and g+arded the gates of the city. 2, The other 3sraelites, and the other priests and evites, lived in all the towns of C+dah. -veryone lived on the land that their ancestors had owned. 21 The Temple servants lived on the hill of 5phel. Biha and Gishpa were in charge of the Temple servants. 22 The officer over the evites in Cer+salem was HEEi. HEEi was the son of <ani 7the son of $asha!iah, who was the son of Aattaniah, who was the son of 1ehemiah 11.23*3, %2 Aica8. HEEi was a descendant of Asaph. Asaphs descendants were the singers who were responsi!le for the service in Gods Temple. 23 The singers o!eyed orders from the king, which told them what to do from day to day. 2# 6ethahiah son of AesheEa!el told the people what the king wanted done. 7AesheEa!el was one of the descendants of Berah. Berah was C+dahs son.8 2% The people of C+dah lived in these towns: 3n Giriath Ar!a and the small towns aro+nd it, in Di!on and the small towns aro+nd it, in Ceka!Eeel and the small towns aro+nd it, 2& and in Cesh+a, in Aoladah, in <eth 6elet, 2' in $aEar Sh+al, in <eershe!a and the -asy To .ead /ersion

small towns aro+nd it, 2( and in Biklag, in Aeconah and the small towns aro+nd it, 2) and in -n .immon, in Borah, in Carm+th, 3, and in Banoah and Ad+llam and the small towns aro+nd them, in achish and the fields aro+nd it, and in AEekah and the small towns aro+nd it. So the people 1ehemiah 11.31*12.' %3 of C+dah were living all the way from <eershe!a to the /alley of $innom. 31 The descendants of the family of <en=amin from Ge!a lived in Aicmash, Ai=a, <ethel, and the small towns aro+nd it, 32 in Anathoth, 1o!, and Ananiah, 33 in $aEor, .amah, and Gittaim, 3# in $adid, Be!oim, and 1e!allat, 3% in od and 5no, and in the /alley of the 9raftsmen. 3& Some of the gro+ps from the family of evi moved to the land of <en=amin. 12 1 These are the priests and evites who came !ack to the land of C+dah. They came !ack with Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel and Cesh+a. This is a list of their names: Seraiah, Ceremiah, -Era, 2 Amariah, Aall+ch, $att+sh, 3 Shecaniah, .eh+m, Aeremoth, # 3ddo, Ginnethon, A!i=ah, % Ai=amin, Aaadiah, <ilgah, & Shemaiah, Coiari!, Cedaiah, ' Sall+, Amok, $ilkiah, and Cedaiah. These men were the leaders of the priests and their relatives in the days of Cesh+a. 1ehemiah 12.(*1% %# ( The evites were Cesh+a, <inn+i, Gadmiel, Shere!iah, C+dah, and also Aattaniah. These men, with Aattaniahs relatives, were in charge of the songs of praise to God. ) <ak!+kiah and Hnni were the relatives of those evites. These two men stood across from them in the services. 1, Cesh+a was the father of Coiakim. Coiakim was the father of -liashi!. -liashi! was the father of Coiada. 11 Coiada was the father of Conathan, pag. %%)0131#

and Conathan was the father of Cadd+a. 12 3n the days of Coiakim, these men were the leaders of the families of priests: The leader of Seraiahs family was Aeraiah. The leader of Ceremiahs family was $ananiah. 13 The leader of -Eras family was Aesh+llam. The leader of Amariahs family was Cehohanan. 1# The leader of Aall+chs family was Conathan. The leader of Shecaniahs family was Coseph. 1% The leader of $arims family was Adna. The leader of Aeremoths family was $elkai. 1ehemiah 12.1&*2# %% 1& The leader of 3ddos family was Bechariah. The leader of Ginnethons family was Aesh+llam. 1' The leader of A!i=ahs family was Bicri. The leader of Ainiamin and Aaadiahs families was 6iltai. 1( The leader of <ilgahs family was Shamm+a. The leader of Shemaiahs family was Cehonathan. 1) The leader of Coiari!s family was Aattenai. The leader of Cedaiahs family was HEEi. 2, The leader of Sall+s family was Gallai. The leader of Amoks family was -!er. 21 The leader of $ilkiahs family was $asha!iah. The leader of Cedaiahs family was 1ethanel. 22 The names of the leaders of the families of the evites and the priests in the days of -liashi!, Coiada, Cohanan, and Cadd+a were written down d+ring the r+le of Dari+s the 6ersian king. 23 The family leaders among the descendants of the evites and +p to the time of Cohanan son of -liashi! were written in the history !ook. 2# And these were the leaders of the evites: $asha!iah, Shere!iah, Cesh+a 1ehemiah 12.2%*2( %& the son of Gadmiel, and their !rothers. Their !rothers stood across from them to sing praise and honor to God. 5ne gro+p answered the other gro+p. That is what was commanded !y David the man of -asy To .ead /ersion

God. 2% The gatekeepers who g+arded the storerooms ne4t to the gates were Aattaniah, <ak!+kiah, 5!adiah, Aesh+llam, Talmon, and Akk+!. 2& They served in the days of Coiakim. Coiakim was the son of Cesh+a, who was the son of CoEadak. And the gatekeepers also served in the days of 1ehemiah the governor and in the days of -Era the priest and teacher. 2' The people dedicated the wall of Cer+salem. They !ro+ght all the evites to Cer+salem. The evites came from the towns they lived in. They came to Cer+salem to cele!rate the dedication of the wall of Cer+salem. They came to sing songs of praise and thanks to God. They played their cym!als, harps, and lyres. 2( And all the singers also came to Cer+salem. They came from the towns all aro+nd Cer+salem. They came from the town of 1etophah, from <eth Gilgal, 1ehemiah 12.2)*3% %' Ge!a, and AEmaveth. The singers had !+ilt small towns for themselves in the area aro+nd Cer+salem. 2) 712:2(8 3, So the priests and evites made themselves p+re in a ceremony. Then they also made the people, the gates, and the wall of Cer+salem p+re in a ceremony. 31 3 told the leaders of C+dah to go +p and stand on top of the wall. 3 also chose two large singing gro+ps to give thanks to God. 5ne gro+p was to start going +p on top of the wall on the right side, toward the Ash 6ile Gate. 32 $oshaiah and half of the leaders of C+dah followed the singers. 33 Also following them were AEariah, -Era, Aesh+llam, 3# C+dah, <en=amin, Shemaiah, and Ceremiah. 3% And some of the priests with tr+mpets also followed them +p to the wall. Bechariah also followed them. 7Bechariah was the son of Conathan, who was the son of Shemaiah, who was the pag. %&,0131#

son of Aattaniah, who was the son of 1ehemiah 12.3&*#, %( Aicaiah, who was the son of Bacc+r, who was the son of Asaph.8 3& There were also Asaphs !rothers, who were Shemaiah, AEarel, Ailalai, Gilalai, Aaai, 1ethanel, C+dah, and $anani. They had the m+sical instr+ments that David, the man of God, had made. -Era the teacher led the gro+p of people who were there to dedicate the wall. 3' They went to the 2o+ntain Gate and walked +p the stairs all the way to the 9ity of David. They were on top of the city wall. They walked over the ho+se of David and went toward the >ater Gate. 3( The second gro+p of singers started o+t in the other direction, to the left. 3 followed them as they went +p to the top of the wall. $alf of the people also followed them. They went past the Tower of 5vens to the <road >all. 3) Then they went over these gates: the Gate of -phraim, the 5ld Gate, and the 2ish Gate. And they went over the Tower of $ananel and the Tower of the $+ndred. They went as far as the Sheep Gate and stopped at the G+ard Gate. #, Then the two singing gro+ps went to their places in Gods Temple. And 3 stood 1ehemiah 12.#1*## %) in my place. And half the officials stood in their places in the Temple. #1 Then these priests stood in their places: -liakim, Aaaseiah, Ai=amin, Aicaiah, -lioenai, Bechariah, and $ananiah. These priests had their tr+mpets with them. #2 Then these priests stood in their places in the Temple: Aaaseiah, Shemaiah, -leaEar, HEEi, Cehohanan, Aalki=ah, -lam, and -Eer. Then two singing gro+ps !egan singing with CeErahiah leading them. #3 So on that special day, the priests offered many sacrifices. -veryone was very happy !eca+se God had made them happy. -ven the women and children were e4cited and happy. 6eople far away co+ld hear the happy so+nds coming -asy To .ead /ersion

from Cer+salem. ## Aen were chosen to !e in charge of the storerooms on that day. 6eople !ro+ght the first part of the harvest and a tenth of their crops. So the men in charge p+t these things in the storerooms. The Cewish people were very happy a!o+t the priests and evites 1ehemiah 12.#%*13.2 &, on d+ty. So they !ro+ght many things to !e p+t in the storerooms. #% The priests and evites did their work for their God. They did the ceremonies that made people p+re, and the singers and gatekeepers did their part. They did everything that David and Solomon had commanded. #& 7 ong ago, in the days of David, Asaph had !een the director. And he had many songs of praise and thanks to God.8 #' So in the days of Ber+!!a!el and of 1ehemiah, all the 3sraelites gave every day to s+pport the singers and gatekeepers. The people also set aside the money for the other evites. And the evites set aside the money for the descendants of Aaron. 13 1 5n that day the <ook of Aoses was read o+t lo+d, so that all the people co+ld hear. They fo+nd this law written there: 1o Ammonite and no Aoa!ite wo+ld !e permitted to =oin in the meetings with God. 2 That law was written !eca+se those people didnt give the 3sraelites food and water. And they had paid <alaam to say 1ehemiah 13.3*& &1 a c+rse against the 3sraelites. <+t o+r God changed that c+rse and made it a !lessing for +s. 3 So when the 3sraelites heard that law, they o!eyed it. They separated themselves from the people who were descendants of foreigners. # <+t, !efore that happened, -liashi! had given a room in the Temple to To!iah. -liashi! was the priest in charge of the storerooms in o+r Gods Temple. And he was a close friend of To!iah. pag. %&10131#

That room had !een +sed for storing the grain offerings, incense, and the Temple dishes and things. They also kept the tenth of grain, new wine, and oil for the evites, singers, and gatekeepers in that room. And they also kept the gifts for the priests in that room. <+t -liashi! gave that room to To!iah. % 713:#8 & 3 was not in Cer+salem while all of this was happening. 3 had gone !ack to the king of <a!ylon. 3 went !ack to <a!ylon in the 32nd year that Arta4er4es was king of <a!ylon. ater, 3 asked the king for permission to go !ack to Cer+salem. 1ehemiah 13.'*13 &2 ' So 3 came !ack to Cer+salem. There 3 heard a!o+t the sad thing that -liashi! had done. $e had given To!iah a room in the Temple of God" ( 3 was very angry a!o+t what -liashi! had done, so 3 threw all of To!iahs things o+t of the room. ) 3 gave commands for the rooms to !e made p+re and clean. Then 3 p+t the Temple dishes and things, the grain offerings, and the incense !ack into the rooms. 1, 3 also heard that the people had not given the evites their share. So the evites and singers had gone !ack to work in their own fields. 11 So 3 told the officials that they were wrong. 3 asked them, >hy didnt yo+ take care of Gods Temple? Then 3 called all evites together and told them to go !ack to their places and d+ties in the Temple. 12 Then everyone in C+dah !ro+ght their tenth of grain, new wine, and oil to the Temple. These things were p+t into the storerooms. 13 3 p+t these men in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Badok 1ehemiah 13.1#*1' &3 the teacher, and a evite named 6edaiah. And 3 made $anan son of Bacc+r, son of Aattaniah, their helper. 3 knew 3 co+ld tr+st these men. They were responsi!le for giving the s+pplies to their relatives. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# Ay God, please remem!er me for these things 3 have done. Dont forget all 3 have faithf+lly done for the Temple of my God and for its services. 1% 3n those days in C+dah, 3 saw people working on the Sa!!ath day. 3 saw people pressing grapes to make wine. 3 saw people !ringing in grain and loading it on donkeys. 3 saw people carrying grapes, figs, and all kinds of things in the city. They were !ringing all these things into Cer+salem on the Sa!!ath day, so 3 warned them a!o+t this. 3 told them they m+st not sell food on the Sa!!ath day. 1& There were some men from the city of Tyre living in Cer+salem. They were !ringing fish and all kinds of things into Cer+salem and selling them on the Sa!!ath day. And the Cews were !+ying them. 1' 3 told the important people of C+dah that they were wrong. 3 said, ;o+ are 1ehemiah 13.1(*21 &# doing a very !ad thing. ;o+ are r+ining the Sa!!ath day. 1( ;o+ know that yo+r ancestors did the same things. That is why o+r God !ro+ght all the tro+!les and disaster to +s and to this city. 1ow yo+ people are making it so that more of these !ad things will happen to 3srael. They are doing this !eca+se yo+ are !reaking the Sa!!ath !y treating it =+st as if it were any other day. 1) So this is what 3 did: -very 2riday evening, =+st !efore dark, 3 commanded the gatekeepers to sh+t and lock the gates to Cer+salem. They were not to !e opened +ntil the Sa!!ath day was over. 3 p+t some of my own men at the gates. They were commanded to make s+re that no load was !ro+ght into Cer+salem on the Sa!!ath day. 2, 5ne or two times, traders and merchants had to stay the night o+tside Cer+salem. 21 <+t 3 warned them, Dont stay the night in front of the wall. 3f yo+ do that again, 3 will arrest yo+. So from that pag. %&20131#

time on they didnt come on the Sa!!ath day to sell their things. 1ehemiah 13.22*2& &% 22 Then 3 commanded the evites to make themselves p+re. After they did that, they were to go and g+ard the gates. This was done to make s+re the Sa!!ath day was kept a holy day. Ay God, please remem!er me for doing this. <e kind to me and show me yo+r great love" 23 3n those days 3 also noticed that some Cewish men had married women from the co+ntries of Ashdod, Ammon, and Aoa!. 2# And half of the children from those marriages didnt know how to speak the Cewish lang+age. They spoke the lang+age of Ashdod, Ammon, or Aoa!. 2% So 3 told the men that they were wrong. 3 said !ad things to them. 3 hit some of them, and 3 p+lled o+t their hair. 3 forced them to make a promise in Gods name. 3 said to them, ;o+ m+st not marry the da+ghters of these foreigners. Dont let their da+ghters marry yo+r sons, and dont let yo+r da+ghters marry the sons of these foreigners. 2& ;o+ know that marriages like this ca+sed Solomon to sin. 3n all the many nations, there was not a king as great as 1ehemiah 13.2'*31 && Solomon. God loved him and made him king over the whole nation of 3srael. <+t even Solomon was made to sin !eca+se of foreign women. 2' And now, we hear that yo+ also are doing this terri!le sin. ;o+ are not !eing tr+e to o+r God. ;o+ are marrying foreign women. 2( Coiada was the son of -liashi! the high priest. 5ne of Coiadas sons was a sonDinDlaw of San!allat from $oron. 3 forced him to leave this place. 3 forced him to r+n away. 2) Ay God, p+nish these people. They made the priesthood +nclean. They treated it as if it was not important. They did not o!ey the agreement that yo+ made with the priests and evites. -asy To .ead /ersion

3, So 3 made the priests and evites clean and p+re. 3 took away all the foreigners and the strange things they ta+ght. And 3 gave the evites and priests their own d+ties and responsi!ilities. 31 And 3 made s+re that people will !ring gifts of wood and the first part of their harvest at the right times. Ay God, remem!er me for doing these good things. Est'er 1 1 This is what happened d+ring the time when Ler4es was king. Ler4es r+led over the 12' provinces from 3ndia to -thiopia. 2 Ging Ler4es r+led from his throne in the capital city of S+sa. 3 3n the third year of Ler4es r+le, he gave a party for his officers and leaders. The army leaders and important leaders from all of 6ersia and Aedia were there. # The party contin+ed for 1(, days. All d+ring this time, Ging Ler4es was showing the great wealth of his kingdom and the ma=estic !ea+ty and wealth of his palace. % And when the 1(, days were over, Ging Ler4es gave another party that contin+ed for seven days. 3t was held in the inside garden of the palace. All the people who were in the capital city of S+sa were invited, from the most important to the least important. & The inside garden had white and !l+e linen hangings aro+nd the room. They -sther 1.'*1, 2 were held in place with cords of white linen and p+rple material on silver rings and mar!le pillars. There were co+ches made of gold and silver. They were sitting on mosaic pavement made of porphyry, mar!le, motherDofDpearl, and other e4pensive stones. ' >ine was served in gold c+ps, and every c+p was different. There was plenty of the kings wine, !eca+se the king was very genero+s. ( The king had given a command to his servants. $e told them that each g+est m+st !e given as m+ch wine as he pag. %&30131#

wanted, and the wine server o!eyed the king. ) I+een /ashti also gave a party for the women in the kings palace. 1, 5n the seventh day of the party, Ging Ler4es was in high spirits from drinking wine. $e gave a command to the seven e+n+chs who served him. The e+n+chs were Aeh+man, <iEtha, $ar!ona, <igtha, A!agtha, Bethar, and 9arcas. $e commanded them to !ring I+een /ashti to him wearing her royal crown. She was to come so that she co+ld show her !ea+ty to the leaders -sther 1.11*1& 3 and important people. She was very !ea+tif+l. 11 71:1,8 12 <+t when the e+n+chs told I+een /ashti a!o+t the kings command, she ref+sed to come. Then the king was very angry. 13 3t was the c+stom for the king to ask the advice of the e4perts a!o+t the law and p+nishments. So Ging Ler4es spoke with the wise men who +nderstood the laws. They were very close to the king. Their names were 9arshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Aeres, Aarsena, and Aem+can. They were the seven most important officials of 6ersia and Aedia. They had special privileges to see the king. They were the highest officials in the kingdom. 1# 71:138 1% The king asked them, >hat does the law say m+st !e done to I+een /ashti? She has not o!eyed the command of Ging Ler4es that the e+n+chs had taken to her. 1& Then Aem+can answered the king with the other officials listening, I+een /ashti has done wrong. She has done -sther 1.1'*1) # wrong against the king and also against all the leaders and people of all the provinces of Ging Ler4es. 1' 3 say this, !eca+se all the other women will hear a!o+t what I+een /ashti did. Then they will stop o!eying -asy To .ead /ersion

their h+s!ands. They will say to their h+s!ands, Ging Ler4es commanded I+een /ashti to !e !ro+ght to him, !+t she ref+sed to come. 1( Today the wives of the 6ersian and Aedian leaders have heard what the J+een did, and these women will !e infl+enced !y what she did. They will do the same thing to the kings important leaders. And there will !e plenty of disrespect and anger. 1) So if it pleases the king, here is a s+ggestion: et the king give a royal command and let it !e written in the laws of 6ersia and Aedia. The laws of 6ersia and Aedia cannot !e changed. The royal command sho+ld !e that /ashti is never again to enter the presence of Ging Ler4es. et the king also give her royal position to someone else who is !etter than she is. -sther 1.2,*2.3 % 2, Then when the kings command is anno+nced in all parts of his large kingdom, all the women will respect their h+s!ands. 2rom the most important to the least important, all the women will respect their h+s!ands. 21 The king and his important officials were happy with this advice, so Ging Ler4es did as Aem+can s+ggested. 22 Ging Ler4es sent letters to all parts of the kingdom. $e sent them to each province, written in its own lang+age. $e sent them to each nation in its own lang+age. These letters anno+nced in each persons lang+age that every man was to !e the r+ler over his own family. 2 1 ater, Ging Ler4es stopped !eing angry. Then he remem!ered /ashti and what she had done. $e remem!ered his commands a!o+t her. 2 Then the kings personal servants had a s+ggestion. They said, Search for !ea+tif+l yo+ng virgins for the king. 3 et the king choose leaders in every province of his kingdom. Then let the leaders !ring every !ea+tif+l yo+ng virgin to the capital city of S+sa. These yo+ng women will !e p+t with the gro+p pag. %&#0131#

-sther 2.#*' & of the kings women. They will !e +nder the care of $egai, the kings e+n+ch, who is in charge of the women. Then give !ea+ty treatments to all of them. # Then let the one who is pleasing to the king !ecome the new J+een in /ashtis place. The king liked this s+ggestion, so he accepted it. % 1ow there was a Cew from the tri!e of <en=amin named Aordecai. Aordecai was the son of Cair, and Cair was the son of Shimei, and Shimei was the son of Gish. Aordecai was in the capital city, S+sa. & Aordecai had !een carried into captivity from Cer+salem !y Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. $e was with the gro+p that was taken into captivity with Ging Cehoiachin of C+dah. ' Aordecai had a co+sin named $adassah. She didnt have a father or a mother, so Aordecai took care of her. Aordecai had adopted her as his own da+ghter when her father and mother died. $adassah was also called -sther. She had a very pretty face and a good fig+re. -sther 2.(*12 ' ( >hen the kings command had !een heard, many yo+ng women were !ro+ght to the capital city of S+sa. They were p+t +nder the care of $egai. -sther was one of these women. She was taken to the kings palace and p+t into $egais care. $egai was in charge of the kings women. ) $e liked -sther. She !ecame his favorite, so he J+ickly gave -sther !ea+ty treatments and special food. $e chose seven slave women from the kings palace and gave them to -sther. Then he moved -sther and her seven women servants into the !est place where the kings women lived. 1, -sther didnt tell anyone she was a Cew. She didnt tell anyone a!o+t her family !ackgro+nd, !eca+se Aordecai had told her not to. 11 -very day Aordecai walked !ack and forth near the area where the kings -asy To .ead /ersion

women lived. $e did this !eca+se he wanted to find o+t how -sther was, and what was happening to her. 12 <efore a yo+ng woman co+ld take her t+rn to go in !efore Ging Ler4es, she had to complete twelve months of !ea+ty treatmentssi4 months with oil of -sther 2.13*1& ( myrrh and si4 months with perf+mes and cosmetics. 13 >hen her time came to go in to the king, she co+ld choose to wear or take whatever she wanted from the womens living area. 1# 3n the evening the yo+ng woman wo+ld go to the kings palace. And in the morning she wo+ld ret+rn to another area where the kings women lived. Then she wo+ld !e placed +nder the care of a man named ShaashgaE. $e was the kings e+n+ch in charge of the slave women. She wo+ld not go !ack to the king again +nless he was pleased with her. Then he wo+ld call her !y name to come !ack to him. 1% The time came for -sther to go to the king. She was the one Aordecai had adopted, the da+ghter of his +ncle A!ihail. All she wanted to take with her was what $egai, the kings officer in charge of the women, s+ggested. -veryone who saw -sther liked her. 1& So -sther was taken to Ging Ler4es in the palace. This happened in the tenth month, the month of Te!eth, in the seventh year of his r+le. -sther 2.1'*21 ) 1' The king loved -sther more than any of the other yo+ng women, and she !ecame his favorite. $e approved of her more than any of the others. So Ging Ler4es p+t a crown on -sthers head and made her the new J+een in place of /ashti. 1( And the king gave a !ig party for -sther. 3t was for all his important people and leaders. $e anno+nced a festival in all the provinces and sent o+t gifts to people, !eca+se he was a genero+s king. 1) Aordecai was sitting ne4t to the kings pag. %&%0131#

gate at the time the yo+ng women were gathered together the second time. 2, -sther had still kept it a secret that she was a Cew. She had not told anyone a!o+t her family !ackgro+nd. This is what Aordecai had told her to do. She still o!eyed Aordecai =+st as she had done when he was taking care of her. 21 D+ring the time Aordecai was sitting ne4t to the kings gate, this happened: <igthana and Teresh, two of the kings officers who g+arded the doorway, !ecame angry with the king. They !egan to make plans to kill Ging Ler4es. -sther 2.22*3.3 1, 22 <+t Aordecai learned a!o+t these plans and told I+een -sther. Then she told the king. She also told him that Aordecai was the one who had learned a!o+t the evil plan. 23 Then the report was checked o+t. 3t was learned that Aordecais report was tr+e. The two g+ards who had planned to kill the king were hanged on a post. All these things were written down in a !ook of the kings histories in front of the king. 3 1 After these things happened, Ging Ler4es honored $aman son of $ammedatha the Agagite. The king promoted $aman and gave him a place of honor more important than any of the other leaders. 2 All the kings leaders at the kings gate wo+ld !ow down and give honor to $aman. This is what the king commanded them to do. <+t Aordecai ref+sed to !ow down or give honor to $aman. 3 Then the kings leaders at the gate asked Aordecai, >hy dont yo+ o!ey the kings command to !ow down to $aman? -sther 3.#*( 11 # Day after day, the kings leaders spoke to Aordecai, !+t he ref+sed to o!ey the command to !ow down to $aman. So they told $aman a!o+t it. They wanted to see what $aman wo+ld do a!o+t Aordecai. Aordecai had told them that he was a Cew. -asy To .ead /ersion

% >hen $aman saw that Aordecai ref+sed to !ow down to him or give him honor, he was very angry. & $aman had learned that Aordecai was a Cew. <+t he was not satisfied to kill only Aordecai. $e also wanted to find a way to destroy all of Aordecais people, the Cews, in all of Ler4es kingdom. ' 3n the twelfth year of Ging Ler4es r+le, in the first month, the month of 1isan, $aman threw lots to choose a special day and month. And the twelfth month, the month of Adar was chosen. 7At that time the lot was called p+r.8 ( Then $aman came to Ging Ler4es and said, Ging Ler4es, there is a certain gro+p of people scattered among the people in all the provinces of yo+r kingdom. They keep themselves separate from other people. Their c+stoms are different from those of all other people. And they dont -sther 3.)*12 12 o!ey the kings laws. 3t is not right for the king to allow them to contin+e to live in yo+r kingdom. ) 3f it pleases the king, 3 have a s+ggestion: Give a command to destroy these people. And 3 will p+t '%,,,,, po+nds of silver into the kings treas+ry. This money co+ld !e +sed to pay the men who do these things. 1, So the king took the official ring off his finger and gave it to $aman son of $ammedatha the Agagite. $aman was the enemy of the Cews. 11 Then the king said to $aman, Geep the money. Do what yo+ want with them. 12 Then on the 13th day of the first month the kings secretaries were called. They wrote o+t all of $amans commands in the lang+age of each province. And they wrote them in the lang+age of each gro+p of people. They wrote to the kings satraps, the governors of the different provinces, and the leaders of the different gro+ps of people. They wrote with the a+thority of Ging Ler4es himself, and sealed the commands with the kings own ring. -sther 3.13*#.1 13 pag. %&&0131#

13 Aessengers carried the letters to all the kings provinces. The letters were the kings command to r+in, kill, and completely destroy all the Cews. This meant yo+ng people and old people, women, and little children too. The command was to kill all the Cews on a single day. The day was to !e the 13th day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. And the command was to take everything that !elonged to the Cews. 1# A copy of the letters with the command was to !e given as a law. 3t was to !e a law in every province and anno+nced to the people of every nation living in the kingdom. Then everyone wo+ld !e ready for that day. 1% At the kings command the messengers h+rried off. The command was given in the capital city of S+sa. The king and $aman sat down to drink, !+t the city of S+sa was in conf+sion. 4 1 >hen Aordecai heard a!o+t all that had !een done, he tore his clothes. Then he p+t on sackcloth, p+t ashes on his head, and went o+t into the city crying lo+dly. -sther #.2*' 1# 2 <+t Aordecai went only as far as the kings gate. 1o one was allowed to enter the gate dressed in sackcloth. 3 3n every province where the kings command had come, there was m+ch crying and sadness among the Cews. They were fasting and crying lo+dly. Aany Cews were lying on the gro+nd dressed in sackcloth with ashes on their heads. # -sthers slave women and e+n+chs came to her and told her a!o+t Aordecai. This made I+een -sther very sad and +pset. She sent clothes for Aordecai to p+t on instead of the sackcloth, !+t he wo+ld not accept them. % Then -sther called $athach, one of the kings e+n+chs who had !een chosen to serve her. She commanded him to find o+t what was !othering Aordecai, and why. & So $athach went o+t to where -asy To .ead /ersion

Aordecai was in the open place of the city in front of the kings gate. ' Then Aordecai told $athach everything that had happened to him. Aordecai told him a!o+t the e4act amo+nt of money -sther #.(*12 1% $aman had promised to p+t into the kings treas+ry for killing Cews. ( Aordecai also gave $athach a copy of the kings command to kill the Cews. The command had !een sent o+t all over the city of S+sa. $e wanted $athach to show it to -sther and tell her everything. And he told him to enco+rage -sther to go to the king and !eg him for mercy for Aordecai and her people. ) $athach went !ack and told -sther everything Aordecai had said. 1, Then -sther told $athach to say this to Aordecai: 11 Aordecai, all the kings leaders and all the people of the kings provinces know this: The king has one law for any man or woman who goes to the king witho+t !eing called. That person m+st !e p+t to death +nless the king holds o+t his gold scepter to them. 3f the king does this, that persons life will !e saved. And 3 have not !een called to go see the king for 3, days. 12 Then -sthers message was given to Aordecai. >hen he got her message, Aordecai sent his answer !ack: -sther, dont think that =+st !eca+se yo+ live in -sther #.13*%.1 1& the kings palace yo+ will !e the only Cew to escape. 13 7#:128 1# 3f yo+ keep J+iet now, help and freedom for the Cews will come from another place. <+t yo+ and yo+r fathers family will all die. And who knows, may!e yo+ have !een chosen to !e the J+een for s+ch a time as this. 1% Then -sther sent this answer to Aordecai: Aordecai, go and get all the Cews in S+sa together, and fast for me. Dont eat or drink for three days and nights. 3 and my women servants will fast too. After we fast, 3 will go to the pag. %&'0131#

king. 3 know it is against the law to go to the king if he didnt call me, !+t 3 will do it anyway. 3f 3 die, 3 die. 1& 7#:1%8 1' So Aordecai went away and did everything -sther told him to do. 5 1 5n the third day, -sther p+t on her special ro!es. Then she stood in the inside area of the kings palace, in front of the kings hall. The king was sitting on his throne in the hall, facing the place where people enter the throne room. -sther %.2*( 1' 2 >hen the king saw I+een -sther standing in the co+rt, he was very pleased. $e held o+t to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So -sther went in to the room and went near the king. Then she to+ched the end of the kings gold scepter. 3 Then the king asked, >hat is !othering yo+ I+een -sther? >hat do yo+ want to ask me? 3 will give yo+ anything yo+ ask for, even half my kingdom. # -sther said, 3 have prepared a party for yo+ and $aman. >ill yo+ and $aman please come to the party today? % Then the king said, <ring $aman J+ickly so that we may do what -sther asks. So the king and $aman went to the party -sther had prepared for them. & >hile they were drinking wine, the king asked her again, 1ow -sther, what do yo+ want to ask for? Ask for anything, 3 will give it to yo+. So what is it yo+ want? 3 will give yo+ anything yo+ want, +p to half my kingdom. ' -sther answered, This is what 3 want to ask for: ( 3f the king is pleased with me and thinks it good to give me what 3 ask for, -sther %.)*12 1( let the king and $aman come tomorrow. 3 will prepare another party for them. Then 3 will tell what 3 really want. ) $aman left the kings palace that day very happy and in a good mood. <+t when he saw Aordecai at the kings gate, he !ecame very angry. $aman was very mad at him !eca+se Aordecai didnt -asy To .ead /ersion

show any respect when $aman walked !y. Aordecai was not afraid of $aman, and this made $aman mad. 1, <+t $aman controlled his anger and went home. Then $aman called together his friends and his wife, Beresh. 11 $aman started !ragging a!o+t how rich he was. $e was !ragging to his friends a!o+t his many sons, and a!o+t all the ways the king had honored him. And he was !ragging a!o+t how the king had promoted him higher than all the other leaders. 12 And thats not all, $aman added. 3m the only one I+een -sther invited to !e with the king at the party she gave. And the I+een also has invited me to !e with the king again tomorrow. -sther %.13*&.2 1) 13 <+t all this means nothing to me. 3 cannot !e happy as long as 3 see that Cew Aordecai sitting at the kings gate. 1# Then $amans wife Beresh and all his friends had a s+ggestion. They said, Tell someone to !+ild a post to hang him on. Aake it '% feet tall. 3n the morning, ask the king to hang Aordecai on it. Then go to the party with the king and yo+ can !e happy. $aman liked this s+ggestion, so he ordered someone to !+ild the hanging post. 6 1 That same night, the king co+ld not sleep. So he told a servant to !ring the history !ook and read it to him. 7The <ook of $istory of the Gings lists everything that happens d+ring a kings r+le.8 2 The servant read the !ook to the king. $e read a!o+t the evil plan to kill Ging Ler4es. That was when Aordecai had learned a!o+t <igthana and Teresh. These two men were the kings officers who g+arded the doorway. They had planned to kill the king, !+t Aordecai learned a!o+t the plan and told someone a!o+t it. -sther &.3*( 2, 3 Then the king asked, >hat honor and good things have !een given to Aordecai for this? The servants answered the king, pag. %&(0131#

1othing has !een done for Aordecai. # $aman had =+st entered the o+ter area of the kings palace. $e had come to ask the king to hang Aordecai on the hanging post $aman had commanded to !e !+ilt. The king said, >ho =+st came into the co+rtyard? % The kings servants said, $aman is standing in the co+rtyard. So the king said, <ring him in. & >hen $aman came in, the king asked him a J+estion. $e said, $aman, what sho+ld !e done for a man the king wants to honor? $aman tho+ght to himself, >ho is there that the king wo+ld want to honor more than me? 3m s+re that the king is talking a!o+t honoring me. ' So $aman answered the king, Do this for the man the king loves to honor: ( $ave the servants !ring a special ro!e the king himself has worn and a horse the king himself has ridden. $ave the servants p+t the kings special mark on the horses head. -sther &.)*13 21 ) Then p+t one of the kings most important leaders in charge of the ro!e and the horse, and let the leader p+t the ro!e on the man the king wants to honor. Then let him lead him on the horse thro+gh the city streets. As he leads him, let him anno+nce, This is done for the man the king wants to honor" 1, Go J+ickly, the king commanded $aman. Get the ro!e and the horse and do =+st as yo+ have s+ggested for Aordecai the Cew. $e is sitting near the kings gate. Do everything that yo+ s+ggested. 11 So $aman got the ro!e and the horse. Then he p+t the ro!e on Aordecai and led him on horse!ack thro+gh the city streets. $aman anno+nced ahead of Aordecai, This is done for the man the king wants to honor" 12 After that Aordecai went !ack to the kings gate, !+t $aman h+rried home with his head covered !eca+se he was em!arrassed and ashamed. 13 Then $aman told his wife Beresh -asy To .ead /ersion

and all his friends everything that had happened to him. $is wife and the men who gave him advice said, 3f Aordecai is -sther &.1#*'.% 22 a Cew, yo+ cannot win. ;o+ have already started to fall. S+rely yo+ will !e r+ined" 1# >hile they were still talking to $aman, the kings e+n+chs came to $amans ho+se. They made $aman h+rry to the party that -sther had prepared. 7 1 So the king and $aman went to eat with I+een -sther. 2 Then as they were drinking wine on the second day of the party, the king again asked -sther a J+estion, I+een -sther, what is it yo+ want to ask for? Ask anything and it will !e given to yo+. >hat do yo+ want? 3 will give yo+ anything, even half my kingdom. 3 Then I+een -sther answered, Ging, if yo+ like me and it pleases yo+, please let me live. And 3 ask yo+ to let my people live too. This is what 3 ask for. # 3 ask this !eca+se my people and 3 have !een sold to !e destroyedto !e killed and wiped o+t completely. 3f we had =+st !een sold as slaves, 3 wo+ld have kept J+iet, !eca+se that wo+ld not !e eno+gh of a pro!lem to !other the king. % Then Ging Ler4es asked I+een -sther, >ho did this to yo+? >here is the man -sther '.&*) 23 who dared to do s+ch a thing to yo+r people? & -sther said, The man against +s, o+r enemy, is this wicked $aman. Then $aman was filled with terror !efore the king and J+een. ' The king was very angry. $e got +p, left his wine, and went o+t into the garden. <+t $aman stayed inside to !eg I+een -sther to save his life. $e !egged for his life !eca+se he knew that the king had already decided to kill him. ( C+st as the king was coming !ack in from the garden to the party room, he saw $aman falling on the co+ch where -sther was lying. The king said with anger in his voice, >ill yo+ attack the pag. %&)0131#

J+een even while 3 am in the ho+se? As soon as the king had said this, servants came in and killed $aman. ) 5ne of the e+n+chs who served the king was named $ar!ona. $e said, A hanging post '% feet tall has !een !+ilt near $amans ho+se. $aman had it made so that he co+ld hang Aordecai on it. Aordecai is the man who helped yo+ when he told a!o+t the evil plans to kill -sther '.1,*(.% 2# yo+. The king said, $ang $aman on that post" 1, So they hanged $aman on the hanging post he had !+ilt for Aordecai. Then the king stopped !eing angry. 8 1 That same day Ging Ler4es gave I+een -sther everything that !elonged to $aman, the enemy of the Cews. -sther told the king that Aordecai was her co+sin. Then Aordecai came to see the king. 2 The king had gotten his ring !ack from $aman. The king took the ring off his finger and gave it to Aordecai. Then -sther p+t Aordecai in charge of everything that !elonged to $aman. 3 Then -sther spoke to the king again. She fell at the kings feet and !egan crying. She !egged the king to cancel the evil plan of $aman the Agagite. $aman had tho+ght +p the plan to h+rt the Cews. # Then the king held o+t the gold scepter to -sther. -sther got +p and stood in front of the king. % Then she said, Ging, if yo+ like me and if it pleases yo+, please do this for me. 6lease do this if yo+ think it is a good -sther (.&*) 2% idea. 3f the king is happy with me, please write a command that wo+ld stop the command $aman sent o+t. $aman the Agagite tho+ght of a plan to destroy the Cews in all the kings provinces, and he sent o+t commands for this to happen. & 3 am !egging the king !eca+se 3 co+ld not !ear to see these terri!le things happen to my people. 3 co+ld not !ear to see my family killed. -asy To .ead /ersion

' Ging Ler4es answered I+een -sther and Aordecai the Cew, <eca+se $aman was against the Cews, 3 have given his property to -sther. And my soldiers have hanged him on the hanging post. ( 1ow write another command !y the a+thority of the king. >rite it to help the Cews in a way that seems !est to yo+. Then seal the order with the kings special ring. 1o official letter written !y the a+thority of the king and sealed with the kings ring can !e canceled. ) /ery J+ickly the kings secretaries were called. This was done on the 23rd day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote o+t all of Aordecais commands to the Cews, and to the satraps, the governors, and officials -sther (.1,*13 2& of the 12' provinces. These provinces reached from 3ndia to -thiopia. The commands were written in the lang+age of each province and translated into the lang+age of each gro+p of people. The commands were written to the Cews in their own lang+age and alpha!et. 1, Aordecai wrote commands !y the a+thority of Ging Ler4es. Then he sealed the letters with the kings ring and sent them !y messengers on horses. The messengers rode fast horses, which were raised especially for the king. 11 The kings commands in the letters said this: The Cews in every city have the right to gather together to protect themselves. They have the right to r+in, kill, and completely destroy any army from any gro+p who might attack them and their women and children. And the Cews have the right to take and destroy the property of their enemies. 12 The day set for the Cews to do this was the 13th day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. They were permitted to do this in all Ging Ler4es provinces. 13 A copy of the letter with the kings command was to !e sent o+t. 3t !ecame -sther (.1#*1' 2' a law in every province. They anno+nced it to all the people of every nation living pag. %',0131#

in the kingdom. They did this so that the Cews wo+ld !e ready for that special day. They wo+ld !e allowed to pay their enemies !ack. 1# The messengers h+rried o+t, riding on the kings horses. The king commanded them to h+rry. And the command was also p+t in the capital city of S+sa. 1% Aordecai left the king. $e was wearing special clothes from the king. $is clothes were !l+e and white, and he had on a large gold crown. $e also had a p+rple ro!e made of the !est linen. There was a special cele!ration in S+sa. The people were very happy. 1& 3t was an especially happy day for the Cews, a day of great =oy and happiness. 1' >herever the kings command went in every province and every city, there was =oy and gladness among the Cews. They were having parties and cele!rating. Aany of the common people from other gro+ps !ecame Cews. They did this !eca+se they were very afraid of the Cews. -sther ).1*% 2( 9 1 5n the 13th day of the twelfth month 7Adar8, the people were s+pposed to o!ey the kings command. This was the day the enemies of the Cews hoped to defeat them, !+t now things had changed. The Cews were stronger than their enemies who hated them. 2 The Cews met together in their cities in all the provinces of Ging Ler4es so that they wo+ld !e strong eno+gh to attack the people who wanted to destroy them. 1o one was strong eno+gh to stand against them. They were afraid of the Cews. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the kings administrators helped the Cews. All the leaders helped them !eca+se they were afraid of Aordecai. # Aordecai had !ecome a very important man in the kings palace. -veryone in the provinces knew his name and knew how important he was. And Aordecai !ecame more and more powerf+l. -asy To .ead /ersion

% The Cews defeated all their enemies. They +sed swords to kill and destroy them. They did what they wanted to the people who hated them. -sther ).&*1# 2) & They killed and destroyed %,, men in the capital city of S+sa. ' They also killed these men: 6arshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ( 6oratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ) 6armashta, Arisai, Aridai, and /aiEatha. 1, These men were the ten sons of $aman. $aman son of $ammedatha was the enemy of the Cews. The Cews killed all the men, !+t they didnt take anything that !elonged to them. 11 That day the king heard how many men had !een killed in the capital city of S+sa. 12 So the king said to I+een -sther, The Cews have killed %,, men in S+sa, incl+ding $amans ten sons. 1ow, what do yo+ want done in the other provinces of the king? Tell me, and 3 will have it done. Ask, and 3 will do it. 13 -sther said, 3f it pleases the king, please let the Cews in S+sa do the same thing again tomorrow. Also, hang the !odies of $amans ten sons on posts. 1# So the king gave the command that it sho+ld !e done. So the law was given -sther ).1%*1) 3, in S+sa, and they hanged $amans ten sons. 1% The Cews in S+sa met together on the 1#th day of the month of Adar. They killed 3,, men in S+sa, !+t they didnt take the things that !elonged to them. 1& At the same time, the Cews living in the other provinces also met together. They met together so that they wo+ld !e strong eno+gh to protect themselves. And so they got rid of their enemies. They killed '%,,,, of their enemies. <+t the Cews didnt take anything that !elonged to them. 1' This happened on the 13th day of the month Adar. 5n the 1#th day the Cews rested and made that day a happy day pag. %'10131#

of feasting. 1( The Cews in S+sa had met together on the 13th and 1#th days of the month of Adar. And then on the 1%th day they rested. So they made the 1%th day a happy day of feasting. 1) So those who live in the co+ntry and small villages cele!rate 6+rim on the 1#th day of Adar. They keep the 1#th day as a happy day of feasting. 5n this -sther ).2,*2# 31 day they have parties and give presents to each other. 2, Aordecai wrote everything down that had happened, and then he sent letters to all the Cews in all of Ging Ler4es provinces. $e sent letters far and near. 21 $e did this to tell the Cews to cele!rate 6+rim every year on the 1#th and 1%th days of the month of Adar. 22 They were to cele!rate those days !eca+se on those days the Cews got rid of their enemies. And they were also to cele!rate that month as the month when their sadness was t+rned into =oy. 3t was a month when their crying was changed into a day of cele!ration. Aordecai wrote letters to all the Cews and told them to cele!rate those days as a happy day of feasting. They sho+ld have parties, give gifts to each other, and give presents to the poor. 23 So the Cews agreed to do what Aordecai had written to them. And they agreed to contin+e the cele!ration they had !eg+n. 2# $aman son of $ammedatha the Agagite was the enemy of all the Cews. $e had made an evil plan against the -sther ).2%*2( 32 Cews to destroy them. And $aman had thrown the lot to choose a day to r+in and to destroy the Cews. At that time the lot was called a p+r. 2% $aman did this, !+t -sther went to talk to the king. So he sent o+t new commands. These commands not only r+ined $amans plans, !+t these commands ca+sed those !ad things to happen to $aman and his family" So -asy To .ead /ersion

$aman and his sons were hanged on the posts. 2& At this time, lots were called p+rim. So this festival is called 6+rim. Aordecai wrote a letter and told the Cews to cele!rate this festival. And so the Cews started the c+stom of cele!rating these two days every year. 2' 7):2&8 2( They do this to help them remem!er what they had seen happen to them. The Cews and all the people who =oin them cele!rate these two days every year at the right time in =+st the right way. -very generation and every family remem!ers these two days. They cele!rate this festival in each and every province and in each and every town. And the Cews -sther ).2)*32 33 will never stop cele!rating the days of 6+rim. Their descendants will always remem!er this festival. 2) So I+een -sther da+ghter of A!ihail, along with Aordecai the Cew, wrote an official letter a!o+t 6+rim. They wrote with f+ll a+thority of the king to prove that the second letter was tr+e. 3, So Aordecai sent letters to all the Cews in the 12' provinces of Ging Ler4es kingdom. $e told the people that the festival sho+ld !ring peace and make people tr+st each other. 31 $e wrote these letters to tell the people to start cele!rating 6+rim. And he told them when to cele!rate this new festival. Aordecai the Cew and I+een -sther had sent o+t the command for the Cews to esta!lish this twoDday festival for themselves and their descendants. They will remem!er this festival =+st as they remem!er the other festivals when they fast and cry a!o+t the !ad things that had happened. 32 -sthers letter made the r+les for 6+rim official, and these things were written down in a !ook. -sther 1,.1*3 3# 10 1 Ging Ler4es made people pay ta4es. All the people in the kingdom, even the faraway cities on the pag. %'20131#

seacoast, had to pay ta4es. 2 And all the great things Ler4es did are written in the <ook of $istory of the Gings of Aedia and 6ersia. Also written in those history !ooks are all the things Aordecai did. The king made Aordecai a great man. 3 Aordecai the Cew was second in importance to Ging Ler4es. $e was the most important man among the Cews. $is fellow Cews respected him very m+ch, !eca+se he worked hard for the good of his people and !ro+ght peace to all the Cews. &o$ 1 1 There was a man named Co! who lived in the co+ntry of HE. $e was a good, honest man. $e respected God and ref+sed to do evil. 2 Co! had seven sons and three da+ghters. 3 $e owned ',,, sheep, 3,,, camels, 1,,, o4en, and %,, female donkeys. $e had many servants. $e was the richest man in the east. # Co!s sons took t+rns having dinner parties in their homes, and they invited their sisters. % The day after each of these parties, Co! got +p early in the morning, sent for his children, and offered a !+rnt offering for each of them. $e tho+ght, Aay!e my children were careless and sinned against God at their party. Co! always did this so that his children wo+ld !e forgiven of their sins. & Then the day came for the angels to meet with the 5.D. -ven Satan was there with them. Co! 1.'*13 2 ' The 5.D said to Satan, >here have yo+ !een? Satan answered the 5.D, 3 have !een roaming aro+nd the earth, going from place to place. ( Then the 5.D said to Satan, $ave yo+ noticed my servant Co!? There is no one on earth like him. $e is a good, faithf+l man. $e respects God and ref+ses to do evil. ) Satan answered the 5.D, <+t Co! -asy To .ead /ersion

has a good reason to respect yo+. 1, ;o+ always protect him, his family, and everything he has. ;o+ have !lessed him and made him s+ccessf+l in everything he does. $e is so wealthy that his herds and flocks are all over the co+ntry. 11 <+t if yo+ were to destroy everything he has, 3 promise yo+ that he wo+ld c+rse yo+ to yo+r face. 12 The 5.D said to Satan, All right, do whatever yo+ want with anything that he has, !+t dont h+rt Co! himself. Then Satan left the meeting. 13 5ne day Co!s sons and da+ghters were eating and drinking wine at the oldest !rothers ho+se. Co! 1.1#*1) 3 1# A messenger came to Co! and said, >e were plowing the fields with the o4en and the donkeys were eating grass near!y, 1% when some Sa!eans attacked +s and took yo+r animals" They killed the other servants. 3 am the only one who escaped to come and tell yo+ the news" 1& That messenger was still speaking when another one came in and said, A !olt of lightning str+ck yo+r sheep and servants and !+rned them +p. 3 am the only one who escaped to come and tell yo+ the news" 1' That messenger was still speaking when another one came in and said, The 9haldeans sent o+t three raiding parties that attacked +s and took the camels" They killed the other servants. 3 am the only one who escaped to come and tell yo+ the news" 1( That messenger was still speaking when another one came in and said, ;o+r sons and da+ghters were eating and drinking wine at the oldest !rothers ho+se. 1) A strong wind s+ddenly came in from across the desert and !lew the ho+se Co! 1.2,*2.3 # down. 3t fell on yo+r sons and da+ghters, and they are all dead. 3 am the only one who escaped to come and tell yo+ the pag. %'30131#

news" 2, >hen Co! heard this, he got +p, tore his clothes, and shaved his head to show his sadness. Then he fell to the gro+nd to !ow down !efore God 21 and said, >hen 3 was !orn into this world, 3 was naked and had nothing. >hen 3 die and leave this world, 3 will !e naked and have nothing. The 5.D gives, and the 5.D takes away. 6raise the name of the 5.D" 22 -ven after all this, Co! did not sin. $e did not acc+se God of doing anything wrong. 2 1 Then another day came for the angels to meet with the 5.D. Satan =oined them for this meeting with the 5.D. 2 The 5.D said to Satan, >here have yo+ !een? Satan answered the 5.D, 3 have !een roaming aro+nd the earth, going from place to place. 3 Then the 5.D said to Satan, $ave yo+ noticed my servant Co!? There is no one on earth like him. $e is a Co! 2.#*1, % good, faithf+l man. $e respects God and ref+ses to do evil. $e is still faithf+l, even tho+gh yo+ asked me to let yo+ destroy, witho+t reason, everything he has. # Satan answered, Skin for skin" A man will give everything he has to protect himself. % 3 swear, if yo+ attack his flesh and !ones, he will c+rse yo+ to yo+r face" & So the 5.D said to Satan, All right, Co! is in yo+r hands, !+t yo+ are not allowed to kill him. ' So Satan left the meeting with the 5.D and gave Co! painf+l sores all over his !ody, from the !ottom of his feet to the top of his head. ( Co! sat on the pile of ashes where he was mo+rning and +sed a piece of !roken pottery to scrape his sores. ) $is wife said to him, Are yo+ still holding on to yo+r faith? >hy dont yo+ =+st c+rse God and die" 1, Co! answered, ;o+ so+nd like one of those fools on the street corner" $ow can -asy To .ead /ersion

we accept all the good things that God gives +s and not accept the pro!lems? So even after all that happened to Co!, Co! 2.11*3.# & he did not sin. $e did not acc+se God of doing anything wrong. 11 Co!s three friends heard a!o+t all the !ad things that happened to him, so -liphaE came from Teman, <ildad from Sh+ah, and Bophar from 1aamah. They met together and went to comfort Co! and show him their sympathy. 12 <+t his friends didnt even recogniEe him when they first saw him in the distance" They !egan to cry lo+dly. They tore their clothes and threw dirt in the air over their heads to show how sad they were. 13 Then they sat on the gro+nd with Co! for seven days and seven nights. They didnt say a word, !eca+se they saw he was in so m+ch pain. 3 1 Then Co! opened his mo+th and c+rsed the day he was !orn. 2 $e said, 3 3 wish the day 3 was !orn wo+ld !e lost forever. 3 wish the night they said, 3ts a !oy" had never happened. # 3 wish that day had remained dark. 3 wish God a!ove had forgotten that day and not let any light shine on it. Co! 3.%*13 ' % 3 wish that !itter day had remained as dark as death, covered with the darkest clo+ds. & 3 wish the darkness had carried away that night, that it was left off the calendar and not incl+ded in any of the months. ' 3 wish that night had prod+ced nothing and no happy sho+ts had !een heard. ( Some magicians think they can wake eviathan. So let them say their c+rses and c+rse the day 3 was !orn. ) et that days morning star !e dark. et that night wait for a morning that never comes. 3 wish it had never seen the first rays of s+nlight. 1, 3 wish it had stopped me from !eing !orn and kept me from seeing all these pag. %'#0131#

tro+!les. 11 >hy didnt 3 die when 3 was !orn? >hy didnt 3 die as 3 came from my mothers wom!? 12 >hy did my mother hold me on her knees? >hy did her !reasts feed me? 13 3f 3 had died when 3 was !orn, 3 wo+ld !e at peace now. 3 wish 3 were asleep and at rest Co! 3.1#*23 ( 1# with the kings and their advisors who !+ilt palaces that are now in r+ins. 1% 3 wish 3 were !+ried with r+lers who filled their graves with gold and silver. 1& >hy wasnt 3 a child who died at !irth and was p+t in the gro+nd? 3 wish 3 had !een !+ried like a !a!y who never saw the light of day. 1' There the wicked stop ca+sing tro+!le, and the weary find rest. 1( -ven prisoners find relief thereF they no longer hear their g+ards sho+ting at them. 1) -veryonefrom the greatest to the least importantwill !e there, and even the slave is free from his master. 2, >hy m+st a s+ffering person contin+e to live? >hy let anyone live s+ch a !itter life? 21 S+ch people want to die, !+t death does not come. They search for death more than for hidden treas+re. 22 They wo+ld !e happy to find their grave. They wo+ld re=oice to find their tom!. 23 <+t God keeps their f+t+re a secret and !+ilds a wall aro+nd them to protect them. Co! 3.2#*#.' ) 2# >hen it is time to eat, all 3 can do is sigh with sadness, not =oy. Ay groans po+r o+t like water. 2% 3 was afraid something terri!le wo+ld happen, and what 3 feared most has happened. 2& 3 cannot calm down or rela4. 3 am too +pset to rest" 4 1 -liphaE from Teman answered: 2 3 m+st say something. >o+ld it +pset yo+ if 3 speak? -asy To .ead /ersion

3 Co!, yo+ have ta+ght many people. ;o+ enco+raged those who were ready to J+it. # ;o+r words helped those who were ready to fall. ;o+ gave strength to those who co+ld not stand !y themselves. % <+t now tro+!le comes to yo+, and yo+ are disco+raged. Tro+!le hits yo+, and yo+ are +pset. & ;o+ worship God. ;o+ tr+st him. ;o+ are a good man, so let that !e yo+r hope. ' 9an yo+ think of any innocent person who was ever destroyed? Do yo+ know of any place where good people are p+nished? Co! #.(*1( 1, ( ;es, 3 have seen people whose lives were c+t short, !+t they were evil tro+!lemakers. ) They lost the !reath God gave them. They were c+t off from his !reath of life. 1, They were like roaring lions, like growling lions with !roken teeth 11 like a lioness that cannot find prey. They died, and their c+!s starved to death. 12 3 happened to hear a message. Ay ears ca+ght a whisper of it. 13 ike a !ad dream in the night, it r+ined my sleep. 1# 3t frightened me, and 3 trem!led down to my !ones. 1% A spirit passed !y my face. The hair on my !ody stood +p" 1& The spirit stood still, !+t 3 co+ld not see what it was. A shape stood !efore my eyes, and there was silence. Then 3 heard a J+iet voice: 1' A person cannot !e more right than God. 6eople cannot !e more p+re than their Aaker. 1( ook, God cannot even tr+st his heavenly servants. $e sees fa+lts even in his angels. Co! #.1)*%.( 11 1) So s+rely people are worse" They live in ho+ses of clay !+ilt on d+st. They can !e cr+shed as easily as a moth" 2, 2rom dawn to s+nset people are pag. %'%0131#

destroyed. They diegone foreverand no one even notices. 21 The ropes of their tent are p+lled +p, and they die !efore gaining wisdom. 5 1 Co!, call o+t if yo+ want, and see if anyone answers" <+t to which of the angels will yo+ t+rn? 2 A fools anger will kill him. $is =ealo+sy will destroy him. 3 3 saw a fool who tho+ght he was safe, !+t s+ddenly he died. # There was no one to help his children. 1o one defended them in co+rt. % $+ngry people ate all his crops, even the grain growing among the thorns, and greedy people took all he had. & <ad times dont come +p from the dirt. Tro+!le does not grow from the gro+nd. ' <+t people are !orn to have tro+!le, as s+rely as sparks rise from a fire. ( 3f 3 were yo+, 3 wo+ld t+rn to God and tell him a!o+t my pro!lems. Co! %.)*1( 12 ) 6eople cannot +nderstand the wonderf+l things God does. $is miracles are too many to co+nt. 1, $e sends rain all over the earth and waters the fields. 11 $e raises +p the h+m!le and makes sad people happy. 12 $e spoils the plans of even the smartest people so that they will not s+cceed. 13 $e catches those who think they are wise in their own clever traps and !rings to an end their evil plans. 1# Daylight will !e like darkness for them. -ven at noon they will have to feel their way as in the dark. 1% God saves the poor from the h+rtf+l words of the wicked. $e saves them from those who are powerf+l. 1& So the poor have hopeF God sh+ts the mo+ths of those who wo+ld ca+se them harm. 1' ;o+ are fort+nate when God corrects yo+. So dont complain when God AllD6owerf+l p+nishes yo+. 1( God might in=+re yo+, !+t he will !andage those wo+nds. $e might h+rt -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+, !+t his hands also heal. Co! %.1)*2' 13 1) $e will save yo+ again and again. 1o evil will harm yo+. 2, God will save yo+ from death when there is famine. $e will protect yo+ from the sword when there is war. 21 6eople might say !ad things a!o+t yo+ with their sharp tong+es. <+t God will protect yo+. ;o+ will not !e afraid when !ad things happen" 22 ;o+ will la+gh at destr+ction and famine. ;o+ will not !e afraid of wild animals" 23 3t is as if yo+ have a peace treaty with the wild animals and the rocks in the field. 2# ;o+ will live in peace !eca+se yo+r tent is safe. ;o+ will co+nt yo+r property and find nothing missing. 2% ;o+ will have many children. They will !e as many as the !lades of grass on the earth. 2& ;o+ will !e like the wheat that grows +ntil harvest time. ;es, yo+ will live to a ripe old age. 2' >e have st+died this and know it is tr+e. So listen to +s, and learn for yo+rself. Co! &.1*11 1# 6 1 Then Co! answered: 2 3 wish my s+ffering co+ld !e weighed and all my tro+!le !e p+t on the scales. 3 They wo+ld !e heavier than all the sand of the sea" That is why my words are so craEy. # God AllD6owerf+l has shot me with his arrows. Ay spirit feels their poison" Gods terri!le weapons are lined +p against me. % -ven a wild donkey does not complain when it has grass to eat. And a cow is J+iet when it has food. & 2ood witho+t salt does not taste good, and the white of an egg has no taste. ' 3 ref+se to to+ch that kind of foodF it makes me sick" ( 3 wish 3 co+ld have what 3 ask for. 3 wish God wo+ld give me what 3 want. pag. %'&0131#

) 3 wish he wo+ld cr+sh me =+st go ahead and kill me" 1, Then 3 wo+ld !e comforted !y this one thing: -ven thro+gh all this pain, 3 never stopped o!eying the $oly 5ne. 11 >ith my strength gone, 3 have no hope to go on living. >ith nothing to look forward to, why sho+ld 3 !e patient? Co! &.12*22 1% 12 3 am not strong like a rock. Ay !ody is not made from !ronEe. 13 3 dont have the power to help myself, !eca+se all hope of s+ccess has !een taken away from me. 1# 2riends sho+ld !e loyal to yo+ in times of tro+!le, even if yo+ t+rn away from God AllD6owerf+l. 1% <+t 3 cannot depend on yo+, my !rothers. ;o+ are like a stream that has no water when the weather is dry !+t is flooded when the rains come. 1& 3n the winter, it is choked with ice and melting snow. 1' <+t when the weather is hot and dry, the water stops flowing, and the stream disappears. 1( 3t twists and t+rns along the way and then disappears into the desert. 1) Traders from Tema search for it. Travelers from She!a hope to find it. 2, They are s+re they can find water, !+t they will !e disappointed. 21 1ow, yo+ are like those streams. ;o+ see my tro+!les and are afraid. 22 <+t have 3 ever asked yo+ to help me or to offer a !ri!e for me from yo+r wealth? Co! &.23*'.3 1& 23 1o, and 3 never said, Save me from my enemies" or Save me from those who are cr+el" 2# So now, teach me, and 3 will !e J+iet. Show me what 3 have done wrong. 2% $onest words are powerf+l, !+t yo+r arg+ments prove nothing. 2& Do yo+ plan to criticiEe me? >ill yo+ speak more tiring words? 2' Are yo+ the kind of people who wo+ld gam!le for orphans and sell o+t yo+r own friends? -asy To .ead /ersion

2( 1ow, look me in the face, and see that 3 am telling the tr+th" 2) ;o+ need to start over and stop !eing so +nfair" Think again, !eca+se 3 am innocent. 3, 3 am not lying. 3 know right from wrong. 7 1 6eople have a hard str+ggle on earth. Their life is like that of a hired worker. 2 They are like a slave looking for cool shade or a hired worker waiting for payday. 3 Aonth after fr+strating month has gone !y. 3 have s+ffered night after night. Co! '.#*12 1' # >hen 3 lie down, 3 think, $ow long !efore its time to get +p? The night drags on. 3 toss and t+rn +ntil the s+n comes +p. % Ay skin is covered with worms and sca!s. 3t is cracked and covered with sores. & Ay days pass !y faster than a weavers sh+ttle, and my life will end witho+t hope. ' God, remem!er, my life is like a !reath. 3 will not get a second chance to en=oy it. ( Those who see me now will never see me again. ;o+ watch me for a while, !+t then 3 am gone. ) C+st as clo+ds that come and go, people are p+t in the grave, never to rise again. 1, They dont come !ack to their old homes. The people there wo+ld not know them. 11 So 3 will not !e J+iet" 3 will let my s+ffering spirit speak" 3 will let my !itter so+l complain" 12 Am 3 one of yo+r enemies? 3s that why yo+ p+t a g+ard over me? Co! '.13*(.2 1( 13 Ay !ed sho+ld !ring me comfort. Ay co+ch sho+ld give me rest and relief. 1# <+t when 3 lie down, yo+ scare me with dreamsF yo+ frighten me with visions. pag. %''0131#

1% So 3 wo+ld rather !e choked to death than to live like this. 1& 3 hate my life3 give +p. 3 dont want to live forever. eave me alone" Ay life means nothing. 1' God, why are people so important to yo+? >hy do yo+ even notice them? 1( >hy do yo+ visit them every morning and test them at every moment? 1) ;o+ never look away from me or leave me alone for a second. 2, ;o+ are always watching +s" 3f 3 sinned, wo+ld that h+rt yo+? >hy have yo+ made me yo+r target? $ave 3 !ecome a pro!lem for yo+? 21 >hy dont yo+ =+st pardon me for doing wrong? >hy dont yo+ =+st forgive me for my sins? Soon 3 will die and !e in my grave. ;o+ will search for me, !+t 3 will !e gone. 8 1 Then <ildad from Sh+ah answered: 2 $ow long will yo+ talk like that? ;o+r words are nothing !+t hot air" Co! (.3*13 1) 3 God is always fair. God AllD6owerf+l does what is right. # 3f yo+r children sinned against God, he p+nished them. They paid for their sins. % <+t now, look to God and pray to the AllD6owerf+l. & 3f yo+ are p+re and good, he will J+ickly come to help yo+. $e will give yo+r family !ack to yo+. ' Then yo+ will have a lot more than yo+ had in the !eginning" ( Ask those who are now old. 2ind o+t what their ancestors learned. ) 3t seems as tho+gh we were !orn yesterday. >e are too yo+ng to know anything. 5+r days on earth are very short, like a shadow. 1, Aay!e the old people can tell yo+ something. Aay!e they will teach yo+ what they learned. 11 9an papyr+s grow tall on a dry land? 9an reeds grow witho+t water? 12 1o, they will dry +p !efore harvest. They will !e too small to c+t and +se. 13 6eople who forget God are like that. -asy To .ead /ersion

Those who oppose him have no hope. Co! (.1#*).2 2, 1# They have p+t their tr+st in something weak. 3t is like a spiders we!. 1% >hen they lean against it, it will !reak. >hen they reach o+t for it, it will not hold them +p. 1& S+ch people are like a vine that gets plenty of water and s+nshine, and its !ranches spread thro+gho+t the garden. 1' 3ts roots spread among the rocks, searching for good soil. 1( <+t if yo+ move it, it will die, and no one can tell it was ever there. 1) -verything might have !een going well, !+t another vine will take its place. 2, God does not s+pport evil people, and he does not a!andon the innocent. 21 So perhaps yo+ might la+gh again. Aay!e sho+ts of =oy will come from yo+r lips. 22 Aay!e yo+r enemies will !e h+miliated and the homes of the wicked destroyed. 9 1 Then Co! answered: 2 5f co+rse, 3 know that this is tr+e. <+t how can a h+man !eing win an arg+ment with God? Co! ).3*13 21 3 Anyone who chose to arg+e with him co+ld not answer one J+estion in a tho+sand" # God is so wise and powerf+l that no one co+ld oppose him and s+rvive. % >hen God is angry, he moves mo+ntains !efore they know what happened. & $e can shake the earth, and it will trem!le down to its fo+ndations. ' >ith one command he can stop the s+n from rising. $e can lock +p the stars and keep them from shining. ( $e alone made the skies, and he walks on the ocean waves. ) God made the <ear, 5rion, and the 6leiades. $e made the planets that cross the so+thern sky. 1, $e does things too marvelo+s for people to +nderstand. $e does too many miracles to co+nt" pag. %'(0131#

11 >hen he passes !y, 3 cannot see him. $e goes right past me, and 3 dont notice. 12 3f he takes something away, no one can stop him. 1o one can say to him, >hat are yo+ doing? 13 God will not hold !ack his anger. -ven .aha!s helpers are afraid of him. Co! ).1#*23 22 1# So 3 cannot arg+e with God. 3 wo+ld not know what to say to him. 1% 3 am innocent, !+t 3 cannot give him an answer. All 3 can do is !eg my C+dge for mercy. 1& -ven if 3 called and he answered, 3 cannot !elieve he wo+ld listen to me. 1' $e wo+ld =+st send storms to cr+sh me. $e wo+ld give me more wo+nds for no reason. 1( $e wo+ld not let me catch my !reath again. $e wo+ld =+st give me more tro+!le. 1) 3 cannot defeat God. $e is too powerf+l" 3 cannot take him to co+rt for =+stice. >ho co+ld force him to come? 2, 3 am innocent, !+t anything 3 say makes me seem g+ilty. 3 am innocent, !+t if 3 speak, my mo+th proves me wrong. 21 3 am innocent, !+t 3 dont know what to think. 3 hate my own life. 22 So 3 say, Does it make any difference? God destroys the innocent as well as the g+ilty. 23 3t m+st !e God who la+ghs when a disaster kills innocent people. Co! ).2#*32 23 2# 3t m+st !e God who keeps the leaders from seeing when an evil person takes control. 3f it is not God, then who is it? 2% Ay days are passing faster than a r+nner. They are flying !y witho+t any =oy. 2& They go !y as J+ickly as papyr+s !oats, as fast as an eagle swooping down on its prey. 2' 3 co+ld say, 3 will not complain. 3 will forget my pain and p+t a smile on my face. 2( <+t the s+ffering still frightens me. 3 know that God will not see me as -asy To .ead /ersion

innocent. 2) 3 will !e fo+nd g+ilty, so why sho+ld 3 even think a!o+t it? 3, -ven if 3 scr+!!ed my hands with soap and washed myself whiter than snow, 31 God wo+ld still p+sh me into the slime pit, and even my clothes wo+ld hate to to+ch me. 32 God is not a h+man like me, so 3 cannot arg+e with him. 3 cannot take him to co+rt. Co! ).33*1,.' 2# 33 3 wish there were someone who co+ld listen to !oth sides, someone to =+dge !oth of +s in a fair way. 3# 3 wish someone co+ld take away the threat of Gods p+nishment. Then he wo+ld not frighten me anymore. 3% Then 3 co+ld say what 3 want witho+t !eing afraid of him. <+t 3 cannot do that now. 10 1 3 hate my own life, so 3 will complain freely. 3 am very !itter, so now 3 will speak. 2 3 will say to God, Dont =+st say 3 am g+ilty" Tell me what yo+ have against me. 3 Do yo+ en=oy h+rting me? Do yo+ en=oy ignoring me while smiling at what evil people say? # Do yo+ have h+man eyes? Do yo+ see things the way people do? % 3s yo+r life as short as o+rs? 3s yo+r life as short as a mans life? & ;o+ look for my wrong and search for my sin. ' ;o+ know 3 am innocent, !+t no one can save me from yo+r power" Co! 1,.(*1& 2% ( ;o+r hands made me and shaped my !ody. <+t now they are closing aro+nd me and sJ+eeEing me to death" ) .emem!er, yo+ molded me like clay. >ill yo+ t+rn me into clay again? 1, ;o+ po+red me o+t like milk. ;o+ sp+n me aro+nd and sJ+eeEed me like someone making cheese. 11 ;o+ p+t me together with !ones and m+scles, and then yo+ clothed me with pag. %')0131#

skin and flesh. 12 ;o+ gave me life and were very kind to me. ;o+ cared for me and watched over my spirit. 13 <+t this is what yo+ hid in yo+r heart. 1ow 3 know what yo+ were planning for me. 1# 3f 3 sinned, yo+ wo+ld !e watching me so that yo+ co+ld p+nish me for doing wrong. 1% 3f 3 sin, 3 am g+ilty and sho+ld !e c+rsed. <+t even when 3 am innocent, 3 cannot lift +p my head. 3 am so ashamed !eca+se of all the tro+!les 3 have. 1& 3f 3 have any s+ccess and feel pro+d, yo+ h+nt me down like a lion and show yo+r power over me. Co! 1,.1'*11.# 2& 1' ;o+ !ring witness after witness to prove that 3 am wrong. Again and again yo+ show yo+r anger as yo+ send army after army against me. 1( So why did yo+ let me !e !orn? 3 wish 3 had died !efore anyone saw me. 1) 3 wish 3 had never lived. 3 wish they had carried me from my mothers wom! straight to the grave. 2, Ay life is almost finished. So leave me alone" et me en=oy the little time 3 have left. 21 3 am going soon to the land of no ret+rn, the place of death and darkness 22 that land of darkest night, of shadows and conf+sion, where even the light is darkness. 11 1 Then Bophar from 1aamah answered Co! and said, 2 This flood of words sho+ld !e answered" Does all this talking make Co! right? 3 Do yo+ think we dont have an answer for yo+? Do yo+ think no one will warn yo+ when yo+ la+gh at God? # ;o+ say to God, Ay arg+ments are right, and yo+ can see 3 am p+re. Co! 11.%*1# 2' % 3 wish God wo+ld answer yo+ and tell yo+ that yo+ are wrong. & $e co+ld tell yo+ the secret of wisdom. $e wo+ld tell yo+ that every story has -asy To .ead /ersion

two sides. ;o+ can !e s+re of this: God is not p+nishing yo+ as m+ch as he sho+ld. ' Do yo+ think yo+ really +nderstand God? Do yo+ completely +nderstand God AllD6owerf+l? ( That knowledge is higher than the heavens and deeper than the place of death. So what can yo+ do? $ow can yo+ learn it all? ) 3t is greater than the earth and !igger than the seas. 1, 3f God decides to arrest yo+ and take yo+ to co+rt, no one co+ld stop him. 11 God knows who is worthless. >hen he sees evil, he remem!ers it. 12 A wild donkey cannot give !irth to a man, and a st+pid person will never !ecome wise. 13 6repare yo+r heart to serve only God. ift yo+r arms and pray to him. 1# 6+t away the sin that yo+ still hold on to. Dont keep evil in yo+r tent. Co! 11.1%*12.# 2( 1% 3f yo+ will do that, yo+ can look to God witho+t shame. ;o+ can stand strong and not !e afraid. 1& Then yo+ can forget yo+r tro+!les, like water that has already passed !y. 1' ;o+r life will !e !righter than the s+nshine at noon. ifes darkest ho+rs will shine like the morning s+n. 1( ;o+ will feel safe !eca+se there is hope. God will protect yo+ and give yo+ rest. 1) ;o+ will lie down witho+t fear of anyone. Aany people will come to yo+ for help. 2, -vil people might look for help, !+t they will not escape their tro+!les. Their hope leads only to death. 12 1 Then Co! answered them: 2 3m s+re yo+ think yo+ are the only wise people left. ;o+ think that when yo+ die, wisdom will !e gone with yo+. 3 <+t my mind is as good as yo+rs. ;o+ arent any smarter than 3 am. ;o+ havent said anything that people dont already know. # Ay friends la+gh at me now. They say, pag. %(,0131#

$e prayed to God and got his answer. 3 Co! 12.%*13 2) am a good, innocent man, !+t still they la+gh at me. % Those who have no tro+!les make f+n of those who do. They hit a man when he is down. & <+t ro!!ers tents are not !othered. Those who make God angry live in peace, even tho+gh God has them in his power. ' <+t ask the animals, and they will teach yo+. 5r ask the !irds of the air, and they will tell yo+. ( 5r speak to the earth, and it will teach yo+. 5r let the fish in the sea tell yo+ their wisdom. ) -veryone knows the 5.D made these things. 1, -very animal that lives and everyone who !reathes they are all +nder Gods power. 11 <+t =+st as the tong+e tastes food, the ears test the words they hear. 12 6eople say, >isdom is to !e fo+nd in those who are old. ong life !rings +nderstanding. 13 <+t wisdom and power !elong to God. Good advice and +nderstanding are his. Co! 12.1#*23 3, 1# Anything God tears down cannot !e re!+ilt. Anyone he p+ts in prison cannot !e set free. 1% 3f he holds !ack the rain, the earth will dry +p. 3f he lets the rain loose, it will flood the land. 1& God is strong and always wins. $e controls those who fool others and those who are fooled. 1' $e strips advisors of their wisdom and makes leaders act like fools. 1( $e strips kings of their a+thority and makes them slaves. 1) $e strips priests of their power and removes those who feel so sec+re in their position. 2, $e makes tr+sted advisors !e silent. $e takes away the wisdom of the older leaders. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 $e !rings disgrace to important people. $e takes power away from r+lers. 22 $e e4poses even the darkest secrets. $e sends light into places that are as dark as death. 23 God makes nations great, and then he destroys them. $e makes nations Co! 12.2#*13.' 31 grow large, and then he scatters their people. 2# $e makes their leaders foolish. $e makes them wander aro+nd in the desert. 2% They are like someone feeling their way in the dark. They are like dr+nks who dont know where they are going. 13 1 3 have seen all this !efore. 3 have already heard everything yo+ say. 3 +nderstand all these things. 2 3 know as m+ch as yo+ do. 3 am as smart as yo+ are. 3 <+t 3 dont want to arg+e with yo+. 3 want to speak to God AllD6owerf+l. 3 want to arg+e with God a!o+t my tro+!les. # <+t yo+ men try to cover +p yo+r ignorance with lies. ;o+ are like worthless doctors who cannot heal anyone. % 3 wish yo+ wo+ld =+st !e J+iet. That wo+ld !e the wisest thing yo+ co+ld do. & 1ow, listen to my arg+ment. isten to what 3 have to say. ' >ill yo+ speak lies for God? Do yo+ really !elieve yo+r lies are what God wants yo+ to say? Co! 13.(*1& 32 ( Are yo+ trying to defend God against me? ;o+ are not !eing fair. ;o+ are choosing Gods side simply !eca+se he is God. ) 3f God checked yo+ very closely, wo+ld he see that yo+ are right? Do yo+ really think yo+ can fool God the same as yo+ fool people? 1, ;o+ know that God wo+ld criticiEe yo+ if yo+ chose someones side simply !eca+se they were important. 11 Gods ma=esty frightens yo+. ;o+ are afraid of him. pag. %(10131#

12 The wise sayings yo+ J+ote are worthless. ;o+r arg+ments are as weak as clay. 13 <e J+iet and let me talk" 3 accept whatever happens to me. 1# 3 will p+t myself in danger and take my life in my own hands. 1% 3 will contin+e to tr+st God even if he kills me. <+t 3 will defend myself to his face. 1& And if he lets me live, it will !e !eca+se 3 had the confidence to speak. 1o g+ilty person wo+ld dare meet God face to face. Co! 13.1'*2' 33 1' isten caref+lly to what 3 say. et me e4plain. 1( 3 am ready now to defend myself. 3 will caref+lly present my arg+ments. 3 know 3 will !e shown to !e right. 1) 3f anyone can prove 3 am wrong, 3 will sh+t +p and wait to die. 2, God, =+st give me two things, and then 3 will not hide from yo+: 21 Stop p+nishing me, and dont frighten me with yo+r terrors. 22 Then call to me, and 3 will answer yo+. 5r let me speak, and yo+ answer me. 23 $ow many sins have 3 committed? >hat wrongs have 3 done? Show me where 3 went wrong or how 3 sinned. 2# God, why do yo+ avoid me and treat me like yo+r enemy? 2% Are yo+ trying to scare me? 3 am only a leaf !lowing in the wind. ;o+ are attacking a piece of straw" 2& ;o+ have a list of terri!le charges against me. Are yo+ making me s+ffer for the sins 3 did when 3 was yo+ng? 2' ;o+ have p+t chains on my feet. ;o+ watch every step 3 take. ;o+ see every move 3 make. Co! 13.2(*1#.( 3# 2( So 3 am !ecoming weaker and weaker, like a piece of wood rotting away, like a piece of cloth eaten !y moths. 14 1 >e are all h+man !eings. 5+r life is short and f+ll of tro+!le. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 5+r life is like a flower. 3t grows J+ickly and then dies away. 5+r life is like a shadow that is here for a short time and then is gone. 3 God, do yo+ need to keep an eye on something so small? >hy !other to !ring charges against me? # 1o one can make something clean from something so dirty. % The length of o+r life has !een decided. ;o+ alone know how long that is. ;o+ have set the limits for +s and nothing can change them. & So stop watching +sF leave +s alone, and let +s en=oy this hard life +ntil we have p+t in o+r time. ' There is always hope for a tree. 3f it is c+t down, it can grow again. 3t will keep sending o+t new !ranches. ( 3ts roots might grow old in the gro+nd and its st+mp die in the dirt, Co! 1#.)*1' 3% ) !+t with water, it will grow again. 3t will grow !ranches like a new plant. 1, <+t when a man dies, he !ecomes weak and sick, and then he is gone" 11 ike a lake that goes dry or a river that loses its so+rce, 12 so people lose their lives, never to live again. The skies will all pass away !efore they rise from death. The skies will all disappear !efore anyone wakes +p from that sleep" 13 3 wish yo+ wo+ld hide me in my grave. 3 wish yo+ wo+ld hide me there, +ntil yo+r anger is gone. Then yo+ co+ld pick a time to remem!er me. 1# 3f a man dies, will he live again? 3f so, 3 wo+ld gladly s+ffer thro+gh this time waiting for my release. 1% God, yo+ wo+ld call me, and 3 wo+ld answer yo+. Then 3, the one yo+ made, wo+ld !e important to yo+. 1& ;o+ wo+ld still watch every step 3 take, !+t yo+ wo+ld not remem!er my sins. 1' 3t wo+ld !e as if yo+ had sealed my sins in a !ag. 3t wo+ld !e as if yo+ had covered my g+ilt with plaster. Co! 1#.1(*1%.# 3& pag. %(20131#

1( Ao+ntains fall and cr+m!le away. arge rocks !reak loose and fall. 1) >ater flowing over stones wears them down. 2loods wash away the soil on the gro+nd. 3n the same way, God, yo+ destroy the hope people have. 2, ;o+ defeat them completely and then they are gone. ;o+ change the way they look and send them away forever to the place of death. 21 3f their sons are honored, they will never know it. 3f their sons do wrong, they will never see it. 22 They only feel the pain in their !odies, and they alone cry for themselves. 15 1 Then -liphaE from Teman answered Co!: 2 3f yo+ were really wise, yo+ wo+ld not answer with yo+r worthless personal opinions" A wise man wo+ld not !e so f+ll of hot air. 3 Do yo+ think a wise man wo+ld +se empty words and meaningless speeches to win his arg+ments? # 3f yo+ had yo+r way, no one wo+ld respect God and pray to him. Co! 1%.%*1# 3' % >hat yo+ say clearly shows yo+r sin. Co!, yo+ are trying to hide yo+r sin !y +sing clever words. & 3 dont need to prove to yo+ that yo+ are wrong. The words from yo+r own mo+th show that yo+ are wrong. ;o+r own lips speak against yo+. ' Do yo+ think yo+ were the first person ever to !e !orn? >ere yo+ !orn !efore the hills? ( Did yo+ listen to Gods secret plans? Do yo+ think yo+ are the only wise person? ) >e know as m+ch as yo+ do" >e +nderstand as well as yo+. 1, The old, grayDhaired men agree with +s. 6eople older than yo+r father are on o+r side. 11 God tries to comfort yo+, !+t that is not eno+gh for yo+. >e have spoken his message to yo+ in a gentle way. 12 >hy will yo+ not +nderstand? >hy can yo+ not see the tr+th? -asy To .ead /ersion

13 ;o+ are e4pressing yo+r anger against God when yo+ say these things. 1# 6eople cannot really !e p+re. They cannot !e more right than God" Co! 1%.1%*2# 3( 1% God does not even tr+st his angels. $e does not even think the sky is p+re. 1& 6eople are even worse. They are disg+sting and dirty. They drink +p evil like water. 1' isten to me, and 3 will e4plain it to yo+. et me tell yo+ what 3 have seen. 1( 3 will tell yo+ what wise men wo+ld say, things they heard from their fathers and then freely passed on. They didnt hide any secrets from me. 1) These are important people in o+r co+ntry" -veryone knows who they are. 2, And they said that an evil man s+ffers all his life. A cr+el man s+ffers all his n+m!ered years. 21 -very noise scares him. $is enemy will attack him when he thinks he is safe. 22 An evil man has no hope of escaping the darkness. There is a sword somewhere waiting to kill him. 23 $e wanders from place to place, looking for food. <+t he knows a dark day is coming, which he !ro+ght on himself. 2# $e lives in fear, with worry and s+ffering threatening him like a king ready to attack. Co! 1%.2%*3# 3) 2% That is !eca+se that evil man shook his fist at God, ref+sing to o!ey. $e dared to attack God AllD6owerf+l, 2& like a soldier with a thick, strong shield who r+ns at his enemy to strike him in the neck. 2' $e might !e rich and fat, 2( !+t his town will !e r+inedF his home will !e destroyedF his ho+se will !e empty. 2) $e will not !e rich for long. $is wealth will not last. $is crops will not grow large. 3, $e will not escape the darkness. $e will !e like a tree whose leaves die from disease and are !lown away !y the wind. pag. %(30131#

31 That evil man sho+ld not fool himself !y tr+sting in worthless things, !eca+se he will keep nothing. 32 $e will die !efore his time, like a tree whose top !ranches have already !eg+n to die. 33 $e will !e like a vine that loses its grapes !efore they ripen. $e will !e like an olive tree that loses its !+ds. 3# That is !eca+se people witho+t God have nothing. Those who take !ri!es will have their homes destroyed !y fire. Co! 1%.3%*1&.) #, 3% They are always thinking of ways to do evil and ca+se tro+!le. They are always planning how they might cheat others. 16 1 Then Co! answered: 2 3 have heard all these things !efore. ;o+ men give me tro+!le, not comfort. 3 ;o+r long speeches never end" >hy do yo+ contin+e arg+ing? # 3 also co+ld say the same things yo+ say, if yo+ had my tro+!les. 3 co+ld say wise things against yo+ and shake my head at yo+. % <+t 3 wo+ld say things to enco+rage yo+ and give yo+ hope. & 1othing 3 say makes my pain go away. <+t keeping J+iet does not help either. ' God, yo+ s+rely took away my strength. ;o+ destroyed my whole family. ( ;o+ have made me thin and weak, and people think that means 3 am g+ilty. ) God attacks meF he is angry with me and tears my !ody apart. $e grinds his teeth against me. Ay enemy looks at me with hate. Co! 1&.1,*1) #1 1, 6eople have crowded aro+nd me. They make f+n of me and slap my face. 11 God has given me to evil people. $e let the wicked h+rt me. 12 3 was en=oying a J+iet, peacef+l life, !+t then God cr+shed me. ;es, he took me !y the neck and !roke me into pieces. $e has made me his target. 13 >ith his archers all aro+nd me, -asy To .ead /ersion

he shoots arrows into my kidneys. $e shows no mercy and spills my gall on the gro+nd. 1# Again and again he attacks me. $e r+ns at me like a soldier in !attle. 1% 3 am very sad, so 3 wear this sackcloth. 3 sit here in d+st and ashes, feeling defeated. 1& Ay face is red from crying. There are dark rings aro+nd my eyes. 1' 3 was never cr+el to anyone, and my prayers are p+re. 1( -arth, dont hide the wrong things that were done to me. Dont let my !egging for fairness !e stopped. 1) -ven now there is someone in heaven who will speak for me. There is someone a!ove who will testify for me. Co! 1&.2,*1'.' #2 2, Ay friend speaks for me, while my eyes po+r o+t tears to God. 21 $e speaks to God for me, like someone presenting an arg+ment for a friend. 22 3n only a few years 3 will go to that place of no ret+rn. 17 1 Ay spirit is !rokenF 3 am ready to give +p. Ay life is almost goneF the grave is waiting for me. 2 6eople stand aro+nd me and la+gh at me. 3 watch them as they tease and ins+lt me. 3 God, give me some s+pport. 1o one else will" # ;o+ have closed my friends minds, and they dont +nderstand. 6lease dont let them win. % ;o+ know what people say: A man neglects his own children to help his friends. <+t my friends have t+rned against me. & God has made my name a !ad word to everyone. 6eople spit in my face. ' Ay eyes are almost !lind from my grief. Ay whole !ody is as thin as a shadow. Co! 1'.(*1(.1 #3 ( Good people wonder how this co+ld happen. The innocent are +pset with anyone who is against God. pag. %(#0131#

) <+t those who do right will contin+e to do what is right. Those who are not g+ilty grow stronger and stronger. 1, <+t come on, all of yo+, and try to prove me wrong. 3 dont find any of yo+ to !e wise. 11 Ay life is passing away, and my plans are destroyed. Ay hope is gone. 12 -verything is conf+sed night is day, and evening comes when it sho+ld !e dawn. 13 3 might hope for the grave to !e my new home. 3 might hope to make my !ed in the dark grave. 1# 3 might say to the grave, ;o+ are my father, and to the worms, my mother or my sister. 1% <+t yo+ cant really call that hope, can yo+? Does anyone see any hope for me? 1& >ill hope go down with me to the place of death? >ill we go down into the dirt together? 18 1 Then <ildad from Sh+ah answered: Co! 1(.2*13 ## 2 >hen will yo+ stop talking? <e sensi!leF let +s say something. 3 >hy do yo+ think we are st+pid, like d+m! cows? # ;o+r anger is h+rting no one !+t yo+. Do yo+ think this world was made for yo+ alone? Do yo+ think God sho+ld move mo+ntains =+st to satisfy yo+? % ;es, the light of those who are evil will go o+t. Their fire will stop !+rning. & The light in their ho+ses will !ecome dark. The lamps ne4t to them will go o+t. ' Their steps, once strong and fast, !ecome weak. Their own evil plans make them fall. ( Their own feet lead them into a net. They fall into its hidden pit and are ca+ght. ) A trap catches them !y the heel, and it holds them tight. 1, A rope is hidden on the gro+nd to trip them. A trap is waiting in their path. 11 5n every side terrors frighten them. 2ears follow every step they take. 12 Disaster is h+ngry for them. .+in -asy To .ead /ersion

stands close !y, waiting for them to fall. 13 Diseases will eat away their skin. Death itself will eat their arms and legs. Co! 1(.1#*1).3 #% 1# They will !e taken away from the safety of their tents and !e led away to meet death, the king of terrors. 1% 1othing will !e left in their tents, which will !e sprinkled with !+rning s+lf+r. 1& Their roots !elow will dry +p, and their !ranches a!ove will die. 1' 6eople on earth will not remem!er them. Their names will !e forgotten. 1( They will !e forced from light into darkness. They will !e chased o+t of this world. 1) They will leave !ehind no children, no descendants. 1one of their people will !e left alive. 2, 6eople in the west will !e shocked at what happened to them. 6eople in the east will !e n+m! with fear. 21 This is what will happen to the homes of those who are evil. This is the place of those who dont know God" 19 1 Then Co! answered: 2 $ow long will yo+ h+rt me and cr+sh me with yo+r words? 3 ;o+ have ins+lted me ten times now. ;o+ have attacked me witho+t shame" Co! 1).#*1# #& # -ven if 3 have sinned, it is my pro!lem, not yo+rs" % ;o+ want me to look !ad to make yo+rselves look good. ;o+ say my tro+!les are proof that 3 did wrong. & 3 want yo+ to know it was God who did this. $e set this trap for me. ' 3 sho+t, $e h+rt me" !+t get no answer. 1o one hears my cry for fairness. ( God has !locked my way to keep me from getting thro+gh. $e has hidden my path in darkness. ) $e took away my honor. $e took the crown from my head. 1, $e hits me on every side +ntil 3 am worn o+t. $e takes away my hope. 3t is like a tree p+lled +p !y the roots. pag. %(%0131#

11 $is anger !+rns against me. $e treats me like an enemy. 12 $e sends his army to attack me. They !+ild attack towers aro+nd me. They camp aro+nd my tent. 13 God has made my !rothers hate me. Those who knew me have !ecome strangers. 1# Ay relatives have left me. Ay friends have forgotten me. Co! 1).1%*2% #' 1% Ay servant girls and visitors in my home look at me as if 3 am a stranger and a foreigner. 1& 3 call for my servant, !+t he does not answer. -ven if 3 !eg for help, he will not answer. 1' Ay wife hates the smell of my !reath. Ay own !rothers hate me. 1( -ven little children make f+n of me. >hen 3 get +p, they say !ad things a!o+t me. 1) All my close friends hate me. -ven my loved ones have t+rned against me. 2, 3 am so thin, my skin hangs loose on my !ones. 3 have little life left in me. 21 6ity me, my friends, pity me, !eca+se God is against me. 22 >hy do yo+ persec+te me as God does? Dont yo+ get tired of h+rting me? 23 3 wish someone wo+ld write down everything 3 say. 3 wish my words were written on a scroll. 2# 3 wish they were carved with an iron tool into lead or scratched on a rock so that they wo+ld last forever. 2% 3 know that there is someone to defend me and that he lives" And in the Co! 1).2&*2,.# #( end, he will stand here on earth and defend me. 2& After 3 leave my !ody and my skin has !een destroyed, 3 know 3 will still see God. 2' 3 will see him with my own eyes. 3 myself, not someone else, will see God. And 3 cannot tell yo+ how e4cited that makes me feel" 2( Aay!e yo+ will say, $ow can we p+sh Co! a little harder and make him realiEe -asy To .ead /ersion

that he is the so+rce of his pro!lems? 2) <+t yo+ need to worry a!o+t yo+r own p+nishment. God might +se the sword against yo+" Then yo+ will know there is a time for =+dgment. 20 1 Then Bophar from 1aamah answered: 2 ;o+ +pset me, so 3 m+st answer yo+. 3 m+st tell yo+ what 3 am thinking. 3 ;o+ ins+lted me with yo+r answers" <+t 3 am wise and know how to answer yo+. # ;o+ know that the =oy of the wicked does not last long. That has !een tr+e a long time, ever since Adam was p+t on earth. Those who dont know God are happy for only a short time. Co! 2,.%*1# #) % 72,:#8 & Aay!e an evil mans pride will reach +p to the sky, and his head will to+ch the clo+ds. ' <+t he will !e gone forever like his own !ody waste. 6eople who knew him will say, >here is he? ( ike a dream, he will fly away, never to !e fo+nd. $e will !e chased away like a !ad dream. ) Those who knew him !efore will not see him again. $is family will never again get to see him. 1, $is children will have to give !ack what he took from the poor. $is own hands will give +p his wealth. 11 >hen he was yo+ng, his !ones were strong, !+t, like the rest of his !ody, they will soon lie in the dirt. 12 -vil tastes sweet in his mo+th. $e keeps it +nder his tong+e to en=oy it f+lly. 13 $e hates to let it go and holds it in his mo+th. 1# <+t that evil will t+rn so+r in his stomach. 3t will !e like a snakes !itter poison inside him. Co! 2,.1%*23 %, 1% The evil man will spit o+t the riches he has swallowed. God will make him vomit them +p. 1& >hat he drank will !e like a snakes pag. %(&0131#

poisonF it will kill him like the !ite of a deadly snake. 1' $e will never again en=oy so m+ch wealth rivers flowing with honey and cream. 1( $e will !e forced to give !ack his profits. $e will not !e allowed to en=oy what he worked for, 1) !eca+se he h+rt the poor and left them with nothing. $e took ho+ses he did not !+ild. 2, The evil man is never satisfied. <+t the things he wants cannot save him. 21 After filling himself, there is nothing left. $is s+ccess will not contin+e. 22 -ven while he has plenty, he will !e pressed down with tro+!le. $is pro!lems will come down on him" 23 3f he does get all he wants, God will throw his !+rning anger against him. God will attack him and rain down p+nishment on him. Co! 2,.2#*21.# %1 2# Aay!e he will r+n away from an iron sword, !+t then a !ronEe arrow will strike him down. 2% 3t will go thro+gh his !ody and stick o+t of his !ack. 3ts shining point will pierce his liver, and he will !e shocked with terror. 2& All his treas+res will !e lost in darkness. $e will !e destroyed !y a fire, a fire that no h+man started. 3t will destroy everything left in his ho+se. 2' $eaven will prove that he is g+ilty. The earth will !e a witness against him. 2( $is ho+se and everything in it will !e carried away in the flood of Gods anger. 2) That is what God will do to those who are evil. That is what he plans to give them. 21 1 Then Co! answered: 2 isten to what 3 say. et this !e yo+r way of comforting me. 3 <e patient while 3 speak. Then after 3 have finished speaking, yo+ may make f+n of me. # Ay complaint is not against people. There is a good reason why 3 am not patient. -asy To .ead /ersion

Co! 21.%*1& %2 % ook at me and !e shocked. 6+t yo+r hand over yo+r mo+th, and stare at me in shock" & >hen 3 think a!o+t what happened to me, 3 feel afraid and my !ody shakes" ' >hy do evil people live long lives? >hy do they grow old and s+ccessf+l? ( They watch their children grow +p and live to see their grandchildren. ) Their homes are safe and free from fear. God does not p+nish them. 1, Their !+lls never fail to mate. Their cows have healthy calves. 11 They send their children o+t to play like lam!s. Their children dance aro+nd. 12 They sing and dance to the so+nd of harps and fl+tes. 13 -vil people en=oy s+ccess d+ring their lives and then go to the grave witho+t s+ffering. 1# They say to God, eave +s alone" >e dont care what yo+ want +s to do" 1% And they say, >ho is God AllD 6owerf+l? >e dont need to serve him" 3t will not help to pray to him" 1& 5f co+rse, evil people dont make their own s+ccess. 3 wo+ld never follow their advice. Co! 21.1'*2# %3 1' <+t how often does God !low o+t their light? $ow often does tro+!le come to them? $ow often does God !ecome angry with them and p+nish them? 1( Does God !low them away, as the wind !lows straw or as strong winds !low the grain h+sks? 1) <+t yo+ say, God is saving their p+nishment for their children. 1o" et God p+nish the evil people themselves so that they will know what they have done" 2, et them see their own p+nishment. et them feel the anger of God AllD6owerf+l. 21 >hen their life is finished and they are dead, they will not care a!o+t the family they leave !ehind. 22 1o one can teach God anything he doesnt already know. God =+dges even pag. %('0131#

those in high places. 23 5ne person dies after living a f+ll and s+ccessf+l life, a life completely safe and comforta!le, 2# with a !ody that was well fed and !ones that were still strong. Co! 21.2%*3# %# 2% <+t another person dies after a hard life that has made them !itter, never having en=oyed anything good. 2& 3n the end, !oth of these people will lie together in the dirt. The worms will cover them !oth. 2' <+t 3 know what yo+ are thinking, and 3 know yo+ want to h+rt me. 2( ;o+ might say, Show me a good mans ho+se. 1ow, show me where evil people live. 2) S+rely yo+ have talked with travelers. S+rely yo+ will accept their stories. 3, -vil people are spared when disaster comes. They s+rvive when God shows his anger. 31 1o one criticiEes them to their faces for how they lived. 1o one p+nishes them for the evil they have done. 32 >hen they are carried to the grave, they will have someone to watch over the place they are !+ried. 33 So even the soil in the valley will !e pleasant for them, and tho+sands of people will =oin their f+neral procession. 3# So yo+r empty words are no comfort to me. There is no tr+th at all in yo+r answers" Co! 22.1*11 %% 22 1 Then -liphaE from Teman answered: 2 Does God need o+r help? -ven the wisest of +s is not really +sef+l to him. 3 Does yo+r living right !enefit him? Does God AllD6owerf+l gain anything if yo+ follow him? # >hy does God !lame and p+nish yo+? 3s it !eca+se yo+ worship him? % 1o, it is !eca+se yo+ sin so m+ch. ;o+ never stop sinning. & Aay!e to g+arantee loans yo+ took things from people for no reason. Aay!e yo+ took a poor mans clothes to make -asy To .ead /ersion

s+re he paid yo+ !ack. ' Aay!e yo+ failed to give water or food to people who were tired or h+ngry. ( ;o+ have a lot of farmland, and people respect yo+. ) <+t may!e yo+ sent widows away witho+t giving them anything. And may!e yo+ took advantage of orphans. 1, That is why traps are all aro+nd yo+, and s+dden tro+!le makes yo+ afraid. 11 That is why it is so dark yo+ cannot see, and why a flood of water covers yo+. Co! 22.12*21 %& 12 God lives in the highest part of heaven and looks down on the highest stars. 13 <+t yo+ might say, >hat does God know? 9an he see thro+gh the dark clo+ds to =+dge +s? 1# Thick clo+ds hide +s from his eyes, so he cannot see +s as he walks aro+nd the edge of the sky. 1% Co!, yo+ are walking on the old path that evil people walked on long ago. 1& They were destroyed !efore it was their time to die. They were washed away !y the flood. 1' They told God, eave +s alone" and said, God AllD6owerf+l cannot do anything to +s" 1( And it was God who filled their ho+ses with good things. 1o, 3 wo+ld never follow the advice of evil people. 1) Those who do what is right are happy to see them destroyed. The innocent la+gh at them and say, 2, S+rely o+r enemies are destroyed" Their wealth !+rned +p in the fire" 21 1ow, Co!, give yo+rself to God and make peace with him. Do this, and yo+ will get many good things. Co! 22.22*23.2 %' 22 Accept his teaching. 6ay attention to what he says. 23 3f yo+ ret+rn to God AllD6owerf+l, yo+ will !e restored. <+t remove the evil from yo+r ho+se. 2# Think of yo+r gold as nothing !+t dirt. Think of yo+r finest gold as rocks pag. %((0131#

from a stream. 2% And let God AllD6owerf+l !e yo+r gold. et him !e yo+r pile of silver. 2& Then yo+ will en=oy God AllD6owerf+l, and yo+ will look +p to him. 2' >hen yo+ pray, he will hear yo+. And yo+ will !e a!le to do all that yo+ promised him. 2( 3f yo+ decide to do something, it will !e s+ccessf+l. And yo+r f+t+re will !e very !right" 2) >hen people are !ro+ght down and yo+ ask God to help them, he will resc+e those who have !een h+m!led. 3, -ven those who are g+ilty will !e forgiven. They will !e saved !eca+se yo+ did what was right. 23 1 Then Co! answered: 2 3 am still complaining today. 3 groan !eca+se God is still making me s+ffer. Co! 23.3*12 %( 3 3 wish 3 knew where to find him. 3 wish 3 knew how to go to where he lives. # 3 wo+ld present my case to him. 3 wo+ld make my arg+ments to show that 3 am innocent. % $e co+ld give his reply, and 3 wo+ld +nderstand. 3 wo+ld listen closely to what he says. & >o+ld God +se his power against me? 1o, he wo+ld listen to me" ' Since 3 am an honest man, he wo+ld let me tell my story. Then my C+dge wo+ld set me free" ( 3f 3 go to the east, God is not there. 3f 3 go to the west, 3 still dont see him. ) >hen he is working in the north, 3 dont see him. >hen he t+rns to the so+th, 3 still dont see him. 1, <+t God knows me. $e is testing me and will see that 3 am as p+re as gold. 11 3 have always lived the way God wants. 3 have never stopped following him. 12 3 always o!ey his commands. 3 love the words from his mo+th more than 3 love my food. Co! 23.13*2#.# %) 13 <+t God never changes, and who can -asy To .ead /ersion

stand against him? $e does anything he wants. 1# $e will do to me what he planned, and he has many other plans for me. 1% That is why 3 am terrified to stand !efore him. C+st thinking a!o+t it makes me afraid. 1& The fear of God has made me lose my co+rage. God AllD6owerf+l makes me afraid. 1' >hat has happened to me is like a dark clo+d over my face. <+t the darkness will not keep me J+iet. 24 1 >hy doesnt God AllD6owerf+l set times for =+dgment? And why cant his followers know when those times will !e? 2 6eople move property markers to get more of their neigh!ors land. 6eople steal flocks and lead them to other grasslands. 3 They steal a donkey that !elongs to an orphan. They take a widows cow +ntil she pays what she owes them. # They force the poor to move o+t of their way and to get off the road. Co! 2#.%*12 &, % The poor are like wild donkeys that go o+t to the desert to find food. 2rom morning to night they work to gather food for their children. & They have to work in the fields, harvesting grain. They work for the rich, gathering grapes in their vineyards. ' They m+st sleep all night witho+t clothes. They have no covers to protect them from the cold. ( They are soaked with rain in the mo+ntains. They stay close to the large rocks for shelter. ) They take a n+rsing !a!y from its mother. They take a poor persons child to g+arantee a loan. 1, They have no clothes, so they work naked. They carry piles of grain for others, !+t they go h+ngry. 11 They press olives for oil and trample grapes in the winepress, !+t they have nothing to drink. 12 3n the city yo+ can hear the sad pag. %()0131#

so+nds of dying people. Those who are h+rt cry o+t for help, !+t God does not listen. Co! 2#.13*2, &1 13 Some people re!el against the light. They dont know what God wants. They dont live the way he wants. 1# A m+rderer gets +p at dawn and kills poor, helpless people. And at night he !ecomes a thief. 1% A man who commits ad+ltery waits for the night to come. $e thinks, 1o one will see me, !+t still, he covers his face. 1& >hen it is dark, evil people go o+t and !reak into ho+ses. <+t d+ring the day they lock themselves in their homes to avoid the light. 1' The darkest night is their morning. They are friends with the terrors of darkness. 1( ;o+ say, -vil people are taken away like things carried away in a flood. The land they own is c+rsed, so no one goes to work in their vineyards. 1) As hot, dry weather melts away the winter snows, so the grave takes away those who have sinned. 2, Their own mothers will forget them. 5nly the worms will want them. 1o one will remem!er them. They will !e !roken like a rotten stick" Co! 2#.21*2%.% &2 21 These evil people h+rt women who have no children to protect them, and they ref+se to help widows. 22 <y his power God removes the powerf+l. -ven if they have a high position, they cannot !e s+re of their lives. 23 They might feel safe and sec+re, !+t God is watching how they live. 2# They might !e s+ccessf+l for a while, !+t then they will !e gone. ike everyone else, they will !e c+t down like grain. 2% 3 swear these things are tr+e" >ho can prove that 3 lied? >ho can show that 3 am wrong? 25 1 Then <ildad from Sh+ah answered: 2 God is the r+ler. $e makes people fear -asy To .ead /ersion

and respect him. $e keeps peace in his kingdom a!ove. 3 1o one can co+nt his stars. $is s+n rises on all people. # $ow can anyone claim to !e right !efore God? 1o h+man !eing can really !e p+re. % 3n Gods eyes even the moon is not p+re and !rightF even the stars are not p+re. Co! 2%.&*2&.1, &3 & 6eople are m+ch less p+re. They are like maggots, as worthless as worms" 26 1 Then Co! answered: 2 <ildad, what a great help yo+ are to this tired, weary man" ;o+ have really s+pported me" 3 ;o+ have given s+ch wonderf+l advice to this foolish man" ;o+ have provided so m+ch +sef+l information" # >ho helped yo+ say these things? >hose spirit inspired yo+ to speak? % The ghosts and their neigh!ors in the +nderworld shake with fear. & <+t God can see clearly into that place of death. Death is not hidden from God. ' God stretched the northern sky over empty space. $e h+ng the earth on nothing. ( $e fills the thick clo+ds with water. <+t he does not let its heavy weight !reak the clo+ds open. ) $e covers the face of the f+ll moon. $e spreads his clo+ds over it and hides it. 1, $e drew the horiEon on the ocean, like a circle where light and darkness meet. Co! 2&.11*2'.' &# 11 The fo+ndations that hold +p the sky shake with fear when God threatens them. 12 >ith his own power God calmed the sea. >ith his wisdom he destroyed .aha!. 13 $is !reath made the skies clear. $is hand destroyed the snake that tried to get away. 1# These are only a few of the amaEing things God has done. >e hear only a pag. %),0131#

small whisper of Gods th+ndering power. 27 1 Co! contin+ed his answer: 2 God AllD6owerf+l has !een +nfair to meF he has made my life !itter. <+t 3 swear !y his life, 3 as long as 3 have life in me, as long as !reath from God is in my nostrils, # 3 will not !e a hypocrite. 3 will not lie. % ;o+ will never hear me say yo+ men are right" Hntil the day 3 die 3 will not !e +ntr+e to myself. & 3 will never stop !elieving that what 3 have done is right" Ay conscience will always !e clear" ' Aay my enemies !e p+nished like those who are evil. Aay those who stood Co! 2'.(*1& &% against me end +p like all who have done wrong. ( >hat hope do people witho+t God have when it is time to die, when God takes their life away? ) >hen they have tro+!les and cry o+t for help, God will not listen to them" 1, 3t will !e too late for them to en=oy talking with God AllD6owerf+l. They sho+ld have prayed to God all the time. 11 3 will teach yo+ a!o+t Gods power. 3 will not hide anything a!o+t God AllD6owerf+l. 12 <+t yo+ have seen it all with yo+r own eyes. So why do yo+ say s+ch +seless things? 13 $ere is what God has planned for those who are evil. This is what cr+el people will get from God AllD6owerf+l. 1# They may have many children, !+t all of them will !e killed in war. 5r their children will not have eno+gh to eat. 1% All those who are left will die, and the widows will not even cry for them. 1& -vil people collect silver as easily as dirt. They may have so many clothes that they are piled +p like clay. Co! 2'.1'*2(.2 && 1' <+t their piles of clothes will !e worn !y those who have lived right. All that silver will !e given to those who have done no wrong. 1( -vil people might !+ild ho+ses, !+t -asy To .ead /ersion

they will not last long. They will !e like a spiders we! or a g+ards tent. 1) They might !e rich when they go to !ed, !+t when they open their eyes, all their riches will !e gone. 2, Terri!le fears will come over them like a flood, like a storm in the night that !lows everything away. 21 The east wind will carry them away, and they will !e gone. The storm will sweep them o+t of their homes. 22 They may try to r+n away from the power of the storm, !+t it will come down on them witho+t mercy. 23 3t will make a so+nd like clapping hands as they r+n away. 3t will whistle at them as they r+n from their homes. 28 1 There are mines where people get silver and places where people melt gold to make it p+re. 2 3ron is d+g o+t of the gro+nd, and copper is melted o+t of the rocks. Co! 2(.3*12 &' 3 Ainers carry lights deep into caves to search for these rocks in the deepest darkness. # 2ar from where people live, they dig deep into the gro+nd, down where no one else has !een !efore. There they work all alone, hanging from ropes. % 2ood grows on the gro+nd a!ove. <+t +ndergro+nd it is different, as if everything were melted !y fire. & 3n the rocks there are sapphires and grains of p+re gold. ' >ild !irds know nothing a!o+t the way to these places. 1o falcon has ever seen it. ( >ild animals have never !een there. ions have not traveled that way. ) Ainers dig the hardest rocks. They dig away at the mo+ntains and make them !are. 1, They c+t t+nnels thro+gh the rocks and see all the treas+res they hold. 11 They even find places where rivers !egin. They !ring to light what once was hidden. 12 <+t where can anyone find wisdom? >here can we get +nderstanding? pag. %)10131#

Co! 2(.13*23 &( 13 6eople dont know where wisdom is. 3t cannot !e fo+nd !y anyone on earth. 1# The deep ocean says, 3ts not here with me. The sea says, 3ts not here with me. 1% ;o+ cannot !+y wisdom with even the p+rest gold. Theres not eno+gh silver in the world to pay for it. 1& ;o+ cannot !+y it with gold from 5phir or with precio+s ony4 or sapphires. 1' >isdom is worth more than gold or crystal. 3t cannot !e !o+ght with e4pensive =ewels set in gold. 1( 3t is far more val+a!le than coral and =asper, more precio+s than r+!ies. 1) The topaE from -thiopia cannot match its val+e, which is greater than the p+rest gold. 2, So where does wisdom come from? >here can we find +nderstanding? 21 >isdom is hidden from every living thing on earth. -ven !irds in the sky cannot see it. 22 Death and destr+ction say, >e have never seen wisdomF we have only heard r+mors a!o+t it. 23 5nly God knows the way to wisdom. 5nly he knows where wisdom is. Co! 2(.2#*2).& &) 2# $e can see to the very ends of the earth. $e sees everything +nder the sky. 2% God gave the wind its power. $e decided how !ig to make the oceans. 2& $e decided where to send the rain and where the th+nderstorms sho+ld go. 2' $e looked at wisdom and disc+ssed it. $e e4amined it and saw how m+ch it is worth. 2( Then he said to h+mans, To fear and respect the ord is wisdom. To t+rn away from evil is +nderstanding. 29 1 Co! contin+ed to speak: 2 3 wish my life co+ld !e the same as it was a few months ago, when God watched over me and cared for me. 3 Gods light shined a!ove me, so 3 co+ld walk thro+gh the darkness. # 3 wish for the days when 3 was s+ccessf+l, when 3 en=oyed Gods -asy To .ead /ersion

friendship and !lessing in my home. % God AllD6owerf+l was still with me then, and my children were all aro+nd me. & ife was so good that 3 washed my feet in cream and had plenty of the finest oils. Co! 2).'*1% ', ' Those were the days when 3 went to the city gate and sat in the p+!lic meeting of the elders. ( >hen the yo+ng men saw me coming, they stepped o+t of my way. And the old men stood +p to show they respected me. ) The leaders of the people stopped talking and p+t their hands over their mo+ths. 1, -ven the most important leaders were J+iet, as if their tong+es were st+ck to the roof of their mo+ths. 11 All who heard me said good things a!o+t me. Those who saw what 3 did praised me, 12 !eca+se 3 helped the poor when they cried o+t. 3 helped the orphans who had no one to care for them. 13 6eople who were dying asked God to !less me. Ay help !ro+ght =oy to widows in need. 1# .ight living was my clothing. 2airness was my ro!e and t+r!an. 1% 3 was like eyes for the !lind, like feet for the crippled. Co! 2).1&*2% '1 1& 3 was like a father to the poor. 3 helped people 3 didnt even know win their case in co+rt. 1' 3 stopped evil people from h+rting others and saved innocent people from their attacks. 1( 3 always tho+ght 3 wo+ld live a long life, growing old with my family aro+nd me. 1) 3 was like a healthy plant with roots that have plenty of water and !ranches that are wet with dew. 2, 3 tho+ght each new day wo+ld !ring more honor and !e f+ll of new possi!ilities. pag. %)20131#

21 3n the past people listened to me. They waited J+ietly for my advice. 22 >hen 3 finished speaking, they had nothing more to say. Ay words fell gently on their ears. 23 They waited for my words as they wo+ld for rain. They drank them in like rain in the springtime. 2# 3 smiled at them, and they co+ld hardly !elieve it. Ay smile made them feel !etter. 2% 3 was their leader and made decisions a!o+t their f+t+re. 3 was like a king Co! 3,.1*1, '2 among his troops, comforting those who were sad. 30 1 <+t now men yo+nger than 3 make f+n of me men whose fathers were too worthless to p+t with my sheep dogs. 2 Their fathers are still too weak to !e of any +se to me. All their strength is gone. 3 They are starving with nothing to eat, so they chew on the dry, r+ined land. # They p+ll +p salt plants in the desert and eat the roots from the !room tree. % They are forced away from other people, who sho+t at them as if they were thieves. & They m+st live in the dry river!eds, hillside caves, and holes in the gro+nd. ' They howl in the !+shes and h+ddle together +nder thorn!+shes. ( They are a !+nch of worthless people witho+t names, who were forced to leave their co+ntry. ) 1ow their sons sing songs to make f+n of me. Ay name has !ecome a !ad word to them. 1, They hate me and stay far away from me, e4cept when they come to spit in my face" Co! 3,.11*2, '3 11 God has taken the string from my !ow and made me weak, so they feel free to do whatever they want to me. 12 They attack me on my right side. They knock my feet o+t from +nder me. They !+ild ramps to attack and destroy me like a city. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 They g+ard the road so that 3 cannot escape. They s+cceed in destroying me, witho+t help from anyone. 1# They !reak a hole in the wall and come r+shing thro+gh it, and the crashing rocks fall on me. 1% 3 am shaking with fear. They chased my honor away like d+st in the wind. Ay safety disappears like a clo+d. 1& 1ow my life is almost gone, and soon 3 will die. Days of s+ffering have gra!!ed me. 1' All my !ones ache at night. 6ain never stops chewing on me. 1( God gra!!ed the collar of my coat and twisted my clothes o+t of shape. 1) $e threw me into the m+d, and 3 !ecame like d+st and ashes. 2, God, 3 cry o+t to yo+ for help, !+t yo+ dont answer. 3 stand +p and pray, !+t yo+ dont pay attention to me. Co! 3,.21*31 '# 21 ;o+ have !ecome cr+el to meF yo+ +se yo+r power to h+rt me. 22 ;o+ let the strong wind !low me away. ;o+ throw me aro+nd in the storm. 23 3 know yo+ will lead me to my death, to that place where all the living m+st go. 2# S+rely no one wo+ld attack a man who is already r+ined, when he is h+rt and crying for help. 2% God, yo+ know that 3 cried for those who were in tro+!le. ;o+ know that 3 mo+rned for the poor. 2& <+t when 3 hoped for good, tro+!le came instead. >hen 3 looked for light, darkness came. 2' 3 constantly feel +pset. And my s+ffering has only =+st !eg+n. 2( 3 am always sad and depressed, witho+t any relief. 3 stand +p in the p+!lic meeting and cry for help, 2) making sad so+nds like the wild dogs or ostriches in the desert. 3, Ay skin is !+rned and peeling away. Ay !ody is hot with fever. 31 Ay harp is t+ned to play songs of sorrow. Ay fl+te makes sad so+nds like someone crying. pag. %)30131#

Co! 31.1*11 '% 31 1 3 made an agreement with my eyes not to look at a yo+ng woman in a way that wo+ld make me want her. 2 >hat does God a!ove have for +s? $ow does God AllD6owerf+l repay people from his home high in heaven? 3 $e sends tro+!le to the wicked and disaster to those who do wrong. # God is the one who knows what 3 do and sees every step 3 take. % 3 have not lied to anyone. 3 never tried to cheat people. & 3f God wo+ld +se acc+rate scales, he wo+ld know that 3 am innocent. ' 3f 3 ever stepped off the right path, if my eyes led my heart to do evil, or if my hands are dirty with sin, ( then let others eat what 3 planted. et my crops !e p+lled +p !y the roots. ) 3f 3 have desired another woman or waited at my neigh!ors door to sin with his wife, 1, then let my wife serve someone else, and let other men sleep with her. 11 To do s+ch a thing wo+ld !e shamef+l, a sin that m+st !e p+nished. Co! 31.12*21 '& 12 S+ch sin is like a fire that !+rns +ntil it destroys everything. 3t wo+ld completely r+in my lifes work. 13 3f 3 ref+sed to !e fair to my slaves when they had a complaint against me, 1# then what will 3 do when 3 m+st face God? >hat will 3 say when he asks me to e4plain what 3 did? 1% The one who made me in my mothers wom! also made them. God shaped +s all inside o+r mothers. 1& 3 have never ref+sed to help the poor. 3 always gave widows what they needed. 1' 3 have never !een selfish with my food. 3 shared what 3 had with orphans. 1( All my life 3 have !een like a father to orphans and have taken care of widows. 1) >henever 3 fo+nd people s+ffering !eca+se they didnt have clothes or saw a poor man with no coat, 2, 3 always gave them something to -asy To .ead /ersion

wear. 3 +sed the wool from my own sheep to make them warm. And they thanked me with all their heart. 21 3 never threatened an orphan, even when 3 knew 3 had s+pport in co+rt. Co! 31.22*31 '' 22 3f 3 ever did that, may my arm !e p+lled from its socket and fall from my sho+lder" 23 <+t 3 didnt do any of these !ad things. 3 fear Gods p+nishment too m+ch. $is ma=esty scares me. 2# 3 have never tr+sted in riches. 3 never said even to p+re gold, ;o+ are my hope. 2% 3 have !een wealthy, !+t that didnt make me pro+d. 3 earned a lot of money, !+t that is not what made me happy. 2& 3 have never worshiped the !right s+n or the !ea+tif+l moon. 2' 3 was never foolish eno+gh to worship the s+n and the moon. 2( This is also a sin that m+st !e p+nished. 3f 3 had worshiped them, 3 wo+ld have !een +nfaithf+l to God AllD6owerf+l. 2) 3 have never !een happy when my enemies were destroyed. 3 have never la+ghed at my enemies when !ad things happened to them. 3, 3 have never let my mo+th sin !y c+rsing my enemies and wishing for them to die. 31 The people in my ho+se know that 3 have never let anyone go h+ngry. Co! 31.32*#, '( 32 3 always invited strangers into my home so that they wo+ld not have to sleep in the streets. 33 3 have not tried to hide my sins as some people do. 3 have never hidden my g+ilt. 3# 3 was never so afraid of what people might say or of making enemies that 3 kept my sins secret and avoided going o+t. 3% $ow 3 wish someone wo+ld listen to me" 3 will sign my name to all 3 have said. 1ow let God AllD6owerf+l answer me. et him make a list of what he thinks 3 did wrong. pag. %)#0131#

3& 3 wo+ld wear it aro+nd my neck. 3 wo+ld p+t it on my head like a crown. 3' Then 3 co+ld e4plain everything 3 have done. 3 co+ld come to God with my head held high like a prince. 3( 3 did not +se my land in a wrong way. 3 never ca+sed it to s+ffer. 3) 3 always paid the workers for the food 3 got from the land. 3 never let any of them starve. #, 3f 3 ever did any of these !ad things, let thorns and weeds grow in my fields Co! 32.1*& ') instead of wheat and !arley" Co!s words are finished. 32 1 Then Co!s three friends gave +p trying to answer him, !eca+se he was so s+re that he was innocent. 2 <+t there was a yo+ng man there named -lih+ son of <arakel. $e was a descendant of a man named <+E. -lih+ was from the family of .am. $e !ecame very angry !eca+se Co! kept saying he was innocentthat he was right and God was wrong. 3 -lih+ was also angry with Co!s three friends !eca+se they co+ld not answer him, and yet they still considered him g+ilty of doing wrong. # -lih+ was the yo+ngest one there, so he had waited +ntil everyone finished talking. % <+t when he saw that Co!s three friends had nothing more to say, his anger forced him to speak. & So heres what -lih+ son of <arakel the <+Eite said: 3 am only a yo+ng man, and yo+ are all older. That is why 3 was afraid to tell yo+ what 3 think. Co! 32.'*1% (, ' 3 tho+ght to myself, 5lder people sho+ld speak first. They have lived many years, so they have learned many things. ( <+t it is the spirit in people, the !reath from God AllD6owerf+l, that makes them +nderstand. ) 5ld men are not the only wise people. They are not the only ones who +nderstand what is right. 1, So please listen to me, and 3 will tell -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ what 3 think. 11 3 waited patiently while yo+ men talked. 3 listened to the answers yo+ gave as yo+ searched for the right words. 12 3 listened caref+lly to what yo+ said. 1ot one of yo+ proved Co! wrong. 1ot one of yo+ answered his arg+ments. 13 ;o+ men cannot say that yo+ have fo+nd wisdom. The answer to Co!s arg+ments m+st come from God, not people. 1# Co! was arg+ing with yo+, not me, so 3 will not +se yo+r arg+ments to answer him. 1% Co!, these men lost the arg+ment. They dont have anything more to say. They dont have any more answers. Co! 32.1&*33.% (1 1& 3 waited for them to answer yo+. <+t now they are J+iet. They stand there with nothing more to say. 1' So now 3 will give yo+ my answer. ;es, 3 will tell yo+ what 3 think. 1( 3 have so m+ch to say that 3 cannot hold it in. 1) 3 feel like a =ar of wine that has never !een opened. 3 am like a new wineskin ready to !+rst. 2, 3 m+st speak so that 3 will feel !etter. 3 m+st answer yo+r arg+ments. 21 3 will treat yo+ the same as 3 wo+ld treat anyone else. 3 will not praise yo+ to win yo+r favor. 22 3 cannot treat one person !etter than another. 3f 3 did, God my Aaker wo+ld p+nish me" 33 1 1ow, Co!, listen to me. isten caref+lly to what 3 say. 2 3 am ready to speak. 3 Ay heart is honest, so my words are sincere. 3 will speak the tr+th a!o+t what 3 know. # Gods Spirit made me. Ay life comes from God AllD6owerf+l. % isten to me and answer if yo+ can. Get yo+r arg+ments ready to face me. Co! 33.&*1& (2 & ;o+ and 3 are the same !efore God. $e +sed clay to make +s !oth. pag. %)%0131#

' Dont !e afraid of me. 3 will not !e hard on yo+. ( <+t, Co!, 3 heard what yo+ said. These were yo+r very words: ) 3 am p+re and innocentF 3 did nothing wrongF 3 am not g+ilty" 1, <+t God fo+nd an e4c+se to attack me. $e treats me like an enemy. 11 $e p+t chains on my feet and watches everything 3 do. 12 <+t yo+ are wrong a!o+t this, and 3 will prove it to yo+. God knows more than any of +s. 13 ;o+ are arg+ing with God" >hy do yo+ think he sho+ld e4plain everything to yo+? 1# <+t may!e God does e4plain what he does !+t speaks in ways that people dont +nderstand. 1% $e may speak in a dream, or in a vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep lying in their !eds. 1& $e may whisper something in their ear, and they are frightened when they hear his warnings. Co! 33.1'*2% (3 1' God warns people to stop them from doing wrong and to keep them from !ecoming pro+d. 1( $e does this to save them from death. $e wants to keep them from !eing destroyed. 1) 5r those who are sick in !ed might !e s+ffering p+nishment from God. The pain that makes their !ones ache might !e a warning from him. 2, They feel so !ad they cannot eat. -ven the !est food makes them sick. 21 Their !odies might waste away +ntil they !ecome thin and all their !ones stick o+t. 22 They might !e close to death, their lives a!o+t to end. 23 <+t may!e one of Gods tho+sands of angels is watching over them, to speak for them and tell a!o+t the good things they have done. 2# Aay!e the angel will !e kind and say to God, Save this one from the place of death" 3 have fo+nd a way to pay for his -asy To .ead /ersion

life. 2% Then that persons !ody will !ecome yo+ng and strong again. $e will !e as he was when he was yo+ng. Co! 33.2&*3#.3 (# 2& $e will pray and God will answer. $e will worship God and sho+t with =oy. $e will again stand as right !efore God. 2' $e will tell everyone, 3 sinned. 3 changed good into !ad, !+t God didnt give me the p+nishment 3 deserved" 2( God saved me from going down to the place of death. 1ow 3 can en=oy life again. 2) God does all these things for people again and again. 3, $e wants them to !e saved from death so that they can en=oy life. 31 Co!, pay attention and listen to me. <e J+iet and let me talk. 32 <+t if yo+ have an answer, go ahead and speak. Tell me yo+r arg+ment. 3 wo+ld !e happy to know that yo+ are innocent" 33 <+t if yo+ have nothing to say, then listen to me. <e J+iet, and 3 will teach yo+ wisdom. 34 1 Then -lih+ contin+ed his speech: 2 isten to what 3 say, yo+ wise men. 6ay attention, yo+ who know so m+ch. 3 ;o+r tong+e tastes the food it to+ches, and yo+r ear tests the words it hears. Co! 3#.#*1# (% # So let +s test these arg+ments and decide for o+rselves what is right. Together we will learn what is good. % Co! says, 3 am innocent, and God is not !eing fair to me. & 3 am right, !+t 3 am =+dged to !e a liar. 3 have done no wrong, !+t 3 am !adly h+rt. ' >o+ld anyone !+t Co! say s+ch things? $e has more thirst for ins+lting God than for water. ( $e is a friend of evil people. $e likes to spend time with the wicked. ) 3 know this !eca+se he says, ;o+ will gain nothing if yo+ try to please God. 1, ;o+ men can +nderstand, so listen to pag. %)&0131#

me. God wo+ld never do what is evil" God AllD6owerf+l wo+ld never do wrong. 11 $e pays +s !ack for what we have done. $e gives +s what we deserve. 12 The tr+th is that God does no wrong. God AllD6owerf+l is always fair. 13 1o one chose God to !e in charge of the earth. 1o one gave him responsi!ility for the whole world. 1# 3f God decided to take away his spirit and the !reath of life he gave +s, Co! 3#.1%*2# (& 1% then everything on earth wo+ld die. >e wo+ld all !ecome d+st again. 1& 3f yo+ men are wise, yo+ will listen to what 3 say. 1' 9an someone !e a r+ler if he hates =+stice? Co!, God is not only powerf+l, !+t he is fair. Do yo+ think yo+ can =+dge him g+ilty? 1( God is the one who says to kings, ;o+ are worthless" $e says to leaders, ;o+ are evil" 1) $e does not respect leaders more than other people. And he does not respect the rich more than the poor. God made everyone. 2, Any of +s can die s+ddenly, in the middle of the night. Anyone can get sick and pass away. -ven powerf+l people die for no reason we can see. 21 God watches what people do. $e sees every step they take. 22 There is no place dark eno+gh for evil people to hide from God. 23 God does not need to set a time for people to come !efore him and !e =+dged. 2# $e does not have to ask J+estions when people do wrong, even if they are Co! 3#.2%*33 (' powerf+l leaders. $e simply destroys them and chooses others to take their place. 2% >hen he learns what people have done, he defeats them, and overnight they are gone. 2& $e will p+nish them for the evil they have done, and he will do it where everyone can see. -asy To .ead /ersion

2' $e will do this !eca+se they re!elled against him and ignored what he wanted. 2( They h+rt the poor and made them cry to God for help. And he hears their cry" 2) <+t if God decides not to help them, no one can =+dge him g+ilty. 3f he hides himself, no one can find him. $e is the r+ler over every person and nation. 3, And if a r+ler ca+ses people to sin, God will remove him from power. 31 <+t what if someone says to God, 3 am g+iltyF 3 will not sin anymore? 32 >hat if that person says, Show me the sins 3 am not a!le to see. 3f 3 have done wrong, 3 will not do it again? 33 Co!, yo+ want God to reward yo+, !+t yo+ ref+se to change. 3t is yo+r decision, not mine. Tell me what yo+ think. Co! 3#.3#*3%.( (( 3# A wise person wo+ld listen to me. A wise person wo+ld say, 3% Co! talks like an ignorant person. >hat he says doesnt make sense" 3& 3 think Co! sho+ld !e p+nished even more !eca+se he answers +s like someone who is evil" 3' To his other sins he adds ref+sal to listen. $e sits there ins+lting +s and arg+ing with God" 35 1 -lih+ contin+ed talking and said, 2 Co!, it is not fair for yo+ to say, 3 am more right than God, 3 !eca+se yo+ also ask him, >hats the +se of trying to please yo+? >hat good will it do me if 3 dont sin? # Co!, 3 want to answer yo+ and yo+r friends here with yo+. % ook +p at the sky. ook at the clo+ds, which are so m+ch higher than yo+. & 3f yo+ sin, it does not h+rt God. -ven if yo+r sins are too many to co+nt, that does nothing to God. ' And if yo+ are good, that does not help God. $e gets nothing from yo+. ( Co!, the good and !ad things yo+ do affect only other people like yo+rself. Co! 3%.)*1& () ) 3f people are !eing h+rt, they cry o+t and !eg for protection from those who pag. %)'0131#

h+rt them. 1, <+t they forget to say, >here is God, the one who made me? $e is the one who gives +s songs to sing in the night. 11 $e is the one who makes +s smarter than any animal on earth and wiser than any !ird. 12 5r if evil people ask God for help, he will not answer them, !eca+se they are too pro+d. 13 God will not listen to their worthless !egging. God AllD6owerf+l will not pay attention to them. 1# So, Co!, God will not listen to yo+ when yo+ say that yo+ dont see him. ;o+ say yo+ are waiting for yo+r chance to meet with him and prove that yo+ are innocent. 1% Co! thinks that God does not p+nish evil and that he pays no attention to sin. 1& So he contin+es his worthless talking. -verything he has said shows he does not know what he is talking a!o+t. Co! 3&.1*11 ), 36 1 -lih+ contin+ed talking and said, 2 <e patient with me a little longer. God has a few more words that he wants me to say. 3 3 will share my knowledge with everyone. 3 will prove that my Aaker is right. # Co!, 3 am telling the tr+th. 3 know what 3 am talking a!o+t. % God is very powerf+l, !+t he does not hate people. $e is very powerf+l, !+t he is also very wise. & $e will not let evil people live. $e !rings =+stice to the poor. ' $e watches over those who live right. $e lets them r+le in high places. ( So if people are p+nished, if they are tied with chains and ropes, they did something wrong. ) And God will tell them what they did, that they sinned and were pro+d. 1, $e will force them to listen to his warning. $e will command them to stop sinning. 11 3f they serve and o!ey him, he will make them s+ccessf+l and they will live -asy To .ead /ersion

a happy life. Co! 3&.12*2, )1 12 <+t if they ref+se to o!ey him, they will !e destroyed. They will die like fools. 13 6eople who dont care a!o+t God are always !itter. -ven when he p+nishes them, they ref+se to pray to him for help. 1# They will die while they are still yo+ng, like the male prostit+tes. 1% God saves those who s+ffer !y +sing their s+ffering. $e +ses their tro+!les to speak in a way that makes them listen. 1& 3n fact, God wants to help yo+ o+t of yo+r tro+!les. $e wants to take away yo+r !+rdens that are cr+shing yo+. $e wants to load yo+r ta!le with plenty of food. 1' <+t yo+ are f+ll of this talk a!o+t g+ilt, =+dgment, and =+stice" 1( Co!, dont let yo+r anger fill yo+ with do+!t a!o+t God. And dont let the price of forgiveness t+rn yo+ away. 1) Do yo+ think yo+r wealth will keep yo+ o+t of tro+!le? >ill yo+r great strength !e of any help to yo+ now? 2, Dont !e like those who wish darkness wo+ld come and hide them. They try to disappear into the night. Co! 3&.21*31 )2 21 Co!, dont let yo+r s+ffering ca+se yo+ to choose evil. <e caref+l not to do wrong. 22 ook, Gods power makes him great" $e is the greatest teacher of all. 23 1o one can tell him what to do. 1o one can say, God, yo+ have done wrong. 2# .emem!er to praise him for what he has done, as many others have done in song. 2% -veryone can see what he has done, even people in faraway co+ntries. 2& ;es, God is great, !+t we cannot +nderstand his greatness. >e dont know how long he has lived. 2' God takes +p water from the earth and changes it into mist and rain. 2( So the clo+ds po+r o+t the water, and the rain falls on many people. 2) 1o one can +nderstand how he pag. %)(0131#

spreads the clo+ds o+t or how the th+nder r+m!les from his home in the sky. 3, ook, he spreads lightning all over the sky and covers the deepest part of the ocean. 31 $e +ses them to control the nations and to give them plenty of food. Co! 3&.32*3'.' )3 32 $e gra!s the lightning with his hands, and commands it to strike where he wants. 33 The th+nder warns that a storm is coming. So even the cattle know it is near. 37 1 The th+nder and lightning frighten meF my heart po+nds in my chest. 2 isten to Gods th+ndering voice" isten to the so+nd coming from his mo+th. 3 $e sends his lightning to flash across the whole sky. 3t lights +p the earth from one end to the other. # After the flashes of lightning yo+ can hear his roaring voice. $e th+nders with his wonderf+l voice" And while his voice th+nders, the lightning flashes contin+e. % Gods th+ndering voice is amaEing" $e does great things that we cannot +nderstand. & $e says to the snow, 2all on the earth. And he says to the rain, 6o+r down on the earth. ' God does this to stop everyones work and to show the people he made what he can do. Co! 3'.(*1' )# ( The animals r+n into their dens and stay there. ) >hirlwinds come from the so+th. The cold winds come from the north. 1, Gods !reath makes ice and freeEes even large !odies of water. 11 $e fills the clo+ds with water and scatters his lightning thro+gh them. 12 $e orders the clo+ds to !e !lown all aro+nd the earth. The clo+ds do whatever he commands. 13 $e ca+ses the clo+ds to p+nish people with floods or to water his earth -asy To .ead /ersion

and show his love. 1# Co!, stop for a min+te and listen. Think a!o+t the wonderf+l things God does. 1% Do yo+ know how God controls the clo+ds? Do yo+ know how he makes his lightning flash? 1& Do yo+ know how the clo+ds hang in the sky? This is =+st one of the amaEing works of the one who knows everything. 1' All yo+ know is that yo+ sweat, yo+r clothes stick to yo+, and all is still and J+iet when the heat wave comes from the so+th. Co! 3'.1(*3(.3 )% 1( 9an yo+ help God spread o+t the sky and make it shine like polished !rass? 1) Co!, tell +s what we sho+ld say to God" >e cannot think of what to say !eca+se of o+r ignorance. 2, 3 wo+ld not tell God that 3 wanted to talk to him. That wo+ld !e like asking to !e destroyed. 21 A person cannot look at the s+n. 3t is too !right as it shines in the sky after the wind !lows the clo+ds away. 22 3n the same way, Gods golden glory shines from the $oly Ao+ntain. $e is s+rro+nded !y the !rightest light. 23 >e have seen that God AllD6owerf+l really is all powerf+l" <+t he is =+st and never treats anyone +nfairly. 2# That is why people fear and respect him. $e shows no respect for those who think they are wise. 38 1 Then the 5.D spoke to Co! from a whirlwind and said, 2 >ho is this ignorant person saying these foolish things? 3 6repare yo+rself for an attack" Get ready to answer the J+estions 3 will ask yo+. Co! 3(.#*1# )& # >here were yo+ when 3 made the earth? 3f yo+ are so smart, answer me. % And who decided how !ig the earth sho+ld !e? >ho meas+red it with a meas+ring line? & >hat is the earth resting on? >ho p+t the first stone in its place pag. %))0131#

' when the morning stars sang together and the angels sho+ted with =oy? ( >ho closed the flood gates as the sea g+shed from the wom!? ) >ho covered it with clo+ds and wrapped it in darkness? 1, 3 set the limits for the sea and p+t it !ehind locked gates. 11 3 said to the sea, ;o+ can come this far, !+t no farther. This is where yo+r pro+d waves will stop. 12 Did yo+ ever in yo+r life command the morning to !egin or the day to dawn? 13 Did yo+ ever tell the morning light to gra! the earth and shake those who are evil o+t of their hiding places? 1# The morning light makes the hills and valleys easy to see. >hen the daylight comes to the earth, the shapes of these places stand o+t like the folds of a coat. Co! 3(.1%*23 )' They take shape like soft clay that is pressed with a stamp. 1% -vil people dont like the daylight. >hen it shines !right, it keeps them from doing the !ad things they do. 1& $ave yo+ ever gone to the deepest parts of the sea? $ave yo+ ever walked on the ocean !ottom? 1' $as anyone shown yo+ the gates to the world of the dead? $ave yo+ ever seen those gates that lead to the dark place of death? 1( Do yo+ really +nderstand how !ig the earth is? Tell me, if yo+ know all this. 1) >here does light come from? >here does darkness come from? 2, 9an yo+ take them !ack to where they !elong? Do yo+ know how to get there? 21 S+rely yo+ know these things, since yo+ are so old and wise. ;o+ were alive when 3 made them, werent yo+? 22 $ave yo+ ever gone into the storerooms where 3 keep the snow and the hail? 23 3 save them there for times of tro+!le, for the times of war and !attle. Co! 3(.2#*3# )( 2# $ave yo+ ever gone to the place -asy To .ead /ersion

where the s+n comes +p, where it makes the east wind !low all over the earth? 2% >ho d+g ditches in the sky for the heavy rain? >ho made a path for the th+nderstorm? 2& >ho makes it rain even in desert places where no one lives? 2' The rain gives that dry empty land all the water it needs, and grass !egins to grow. 2( Does the rain have a father? >ho prod+ces the drops of dew? 2) Does ice have a mother? >ho gives !irth to the frost? 3, Thats when the water freeEes as hard as a rock. -ven the deep sea freeEes over" 31 9an yo+ tie +p the 6leiades? 9an yo+ +nfasten the !elt of 5rion? 32 9an yo+ !ring o+t the other constellations at the right times? 9an yo+ lead o+t the <ear with its c+!s? 33 Do yo+ know the laws that control the sky? 9an yo+ p+t each star in its place a!ove the earth? 3# 9an yo+ sho+t at the clo+ds and command them to cover yo+ with rain? Co! 3(.3%*3).2 )) 3% 9an yo+ give a command to the lightning? >ill it come to yo+ and say, $ere we areF what do yo+ want, sir? >ill it go wherever yo+ want it to go? 3& >ho makes people wise? >ho p+ts wisdom deep inside them? 3' >ho is wise eno+gh to co+nt the clo+ds and tip them over to po+r o+t their rain? 3( The rain makes the d+st !ecome m+d, and the cl+mps of dirt stick together. 3) Do yo+ find food for the lions? Do yo+ feed their h+ngry !a!ies? #, 1o, they hide in their caves or wait in the grass, ready to attack their prey. #1 >ho feeds the ravens when their !a!ies cry o+t to God and wander aro+nd witho+t food? 39 1 Do yo+ know when the mo+ntain goats are !orn? Do yo+ watch when the mother deer gives !irth? pag. &,,0131#

2 Do yo+ know how many months they m+st carry their !a!ies? Do yo+ know when it is the right time for them to !e !orn? Co! 3).3*12 1,, 3 >hen these animals feel their !irth pains, they lie down, and their !a!ies are !orn. # Their !a!ies grow strong o+t in the wild. Then they leave their mothers and never come !ack. % >ho let the wild donkeys go free? >ho +ntied their ropes and let them loose? & 3 let the wild donkey have the desert for a home. 3 gave the salt lands to them for a place to live. ' They are happy to !e away from the noise of the city. They never have to listen to their drivers sho+ting at them. ( They live in the mo+ntains. That is their past+re. That is where they look for food to eat. ) >ill a wild !+ll agree to serve yo+? >ill he stay in yo+r !arn at night? 1, >ill he let yo+ p+t ropes on him to plow yo+r fields? 11 A wild !+ll is very strong, !+t can yo+ tr+st him to do yo+r work? 12 9an yo+ tr+st him to gather yo+r grain and !ring it to yo+r threshing place? Co! 3).13*21 1,1 13 An ostrich gets e4cited and flaps its wings, !+t it cannot fly. 3ts wings and feathers are not like the wings of a stork. 1# An ostrich lays her eggs on the gro+nd and lets the sand keep them warm. 1% The ostrich forgets that someone might step on her eggs or that a wild animal might !reak them. 1& An ostrich leaves her little !a!ies. She treats them as if they were not her own. 3f her !a!ies die, she does not care that all her work was for nothing. 1' Thats !eca+se 3 did not give wisdom to the ostrich. She is foolish, and 3 made her that way. 1( <+t when the ostrich gets +p to r+n, she la+ghs at the horse and its rider, -asy To .ead /ersion

!eca+se she can r+n faster than any horse. 1) Did yo+ give the horse its strength? Did yo+ p+t the mane on its neck? 2, Did yo+ make it a!le to =+mp like a loc+st or snort so lo+dly that it scares people? 21 A horse is happy to !e so strong. 3t scratches the gro+nd with its foot and r+ns into !attle. Co! 3).22*#,.2 1,2 22 3t la+ghs at fearF nothing makes it afraid" 3t does not r+n away from !attle. 23 The soldiers J+iver shakes on the horses side. The spear and weapons its rider carries shine in the s+n. 2# The horse gets very e4cited and races over the gro+nd. >hen it hears the tr+mpet !low, it cannot stand still. 2% >hen the tr+mpet so+nds, it snorts, $+rray" 3t can smell the !attle from far away and hear the sho+ts of commanders with all the other so+nds of !attle. 2& Did yo+ teach the hawk how to spread its wings and fly so+th? 2' Are yo+ the one who told the eagle to fly high into the sky? Did yo+ tell it to !+ild its nest high in the mo+ntains? 2( 3t lives high on a peak at the top of a cliff. That is its fortress. 2) 2rom there it looks far into the distance, searching for its food. 3, The eagles gather aro+nd dead !odies, and their yo+ng eat the !lood. 40 1 Then the 5.D said to Co!, 2 ;o+ wanted to arg+e with God AllD6owerf+l. ;o+ wanted to correct me Co! #,.3*12 1,3 and prove that 3 was wrong. So give me yo+r answer" 3 Then Co! answered the 5.D: # 3 am not worthy to speak" >hat can 3 say to yo+? 3 cannot answer yo+" 3 will p+t my hand over my mo+th. % 3 spoke once, !+t 3 will not speak again. 3 spoke twice, !+t 3 will not say anything more. & Then the 5.D spoke to Co! again from the storm: pag. &,10131#

' <race yo+rself and get ready to answer the J+estions 3 will ask yo+. ( Are yo+ trying to show that 3 am +nfair? Are yo+ trying to look innocent !y saying that 3 am g+ilty? ) Are yo+r arms as strong as mine? Do yo+ have a voice like mine that is as lo+d as th+nder? 1, 3f so, yo+ can !e pro+d and wear glory and honor like clothes. 11 3f yo+ are as powerf+l as God, then show yo+r anger" 6+nish those who are pro+d and h+m!le them. 12 ;es, =+st look at the pro+d and make them h+m!le. 9r+sh those evil people where they stand. Co! #,.13*23 1,# 13 <+ry them all in the dirt. >rap their !odies +p and p+t them in their graves. 1# 3f yo+ can do any of these things, then even 3 will praise yo+. And 3 will admit that yo+ can save yo+rself !y yo+r own power. 1% ook at the !ehemoth. 3 made the !ehemoth, and 3 made yo+. $e eats grass like a cow. 1& <+t he has great strength in his !ody. The m+scles in his stomach are powerf+l. 1' $is tail stands strong like a cedar tree. $is leg m+scles are very strong. 1( $is !ones are as strong as !ronEe. $is legs are like iron !ars. 1) The !ehemoth is the most amaEing animal 3 made, !+t 3 can defeat him. 2, $e eats the grass that grows on the hills where the wild animals play. 21 $e lies +nder the lot+s plants. $e hides among the reeds of the swamp. 22 The lot+s plants hide him in their shade. $e lives +nder the willow trees that grow near the river. 23 3f the river floods, the !ehemoth will not r+n away. $e is not afraid if the Cordan .iver splashes on his face. Co! #,.2#*#1.) 1,% 2# 1o one can !lind his eyes and capt+re him. 1o one can catch him in a trap. 41 1 9an yo+ catch eviathan with a fishhook? 9an yo+ tie his tong+e with a rope? -asy To .ead /ersion

2 9an yo+ p+t a rope thro+gh his nose or a hook thro+gh his =aw? 3 >ill he !eg yo+ to let him go free? >ill he speak to yo+ with gentle words? # >ill he make an agreement with yo+ and promise to serve yo+ forever? % >ill yo+ play with eviathan as yo+ wo+ld play with a !ird? >ill yo+ p+t a rope on him so that yo+r girls can play with him? & >ill fishermen try to !+y him from yo+? >ill they c+t him into pieces and sell him to the merchants? ' 9an yo+ throw spears into his skin or head? ( 3f yo+ ever lay a hand on eviathan, yo+ will never do it again" C+st think a!o+t the !attle that wo+ld !e" ) Do yo+ think yo+ can defeat him? >ell, forget it" There is no hope. C+st looking at him will scare yo+" Co! #1.1,*21 1,& 1, 1o one is !rave eno+gh to wake him +p and make him angry. >ell, no one can challenge me either" 11 3 owe nothing to anyone. -verything +nder heaven !elongs to me. 12 3 will tell yo+ a!o+t eviathans legs, his strength, and his gracef+l shape. 13 1o one can pierce his skin. 3t is like armor" 1# 1o one can force him to open his =aws. The teeth in his mo+th scare people. 1% $is !ack has rows of shields tightly sealed together. 1& They are so close to each other that no air can pass !etween them. 1' The shields are =oined to each other. They hold together so tightly that they cannot !e p+lled apart. 1( >hen eviathan sneeEes, it is like lightning flashing o+t. $is eyes shine like the light of dawn. 1) <+rning torches come from his mo+th. Sparks of fire shoot o+t. 2, Smoke po+rs from his nose like !+rning weeds +nder a !oiling pot. 21 $is !reath sets coals on fire, and flames shoot from his mo+th. pag. &,20131#

Co! #1.22*31 1,' 22 $is neck is very powerf+l. 6eople are afraid and r+n away from him. 23 There is no soft spot in his skin. 3t is as hard as iron. 2# $is heart is like a rockF he has no fear. 3t is as hard as a millstone. 2% >hen he gets +p, even the strongest people are afraid. They r+n away when he swings his tail. 2& Swords, spears, and darts only !o+nce off when they hit him. These weapons dont h+rt him at all" 2' $e !reaks iron as easily as straw. $e !reaks !ronEe like rotten wood. 2( Arrows dont make him r+n away. .ocks thrown at him seem as light as chaff. 2) >hen a wood cl+! hits him, it feels to him like a piece of straw. $e la+ghs when anyone throws a spear at him. 3, The skin on his !elly is like sharp pieces of !roken pottery. $e leaves tracks in the m+d like a threshing !oard. 31 $e stirs +p the water like a !oiling pot. $e makes it !+!!le like a pot of !oiling oil. Co! #1.32*#2.' 1,( 32 >hen he swims, he leaves a sparkling path !ehind him. $e stirs +p the water and makes it white with foam. 33 1o animal on earth is like him. $e is an animal made witho+t fear. 3# $e looks down on the pro+dest of creat+res. $e is king over all the wild animals. 42 1 Then Co! answered the 5.D: 2 3 know yo+ can do everything. ;o+ make plans, and nothing can change or stop them. 3 ;o+ asked, >ho is this ignorant person saying these foolish things? 3 talked a!o+t things 3 did not +nderstand. 3 talked a!o+t things too amaEing for me to know. # ;o+ said to me, isten, and 3 will speak. 3 will ask yo+ J+estions, and yo+ will answer me. % 3n the past 3 heard a!o+t yo+, !+t now 3 have seen yo+ with my own eyes. -asy To .ead /ersion

& And 3 am ashamed of myself. 3 am so sorry. As 3 sit in the d+st and ashes, 3 promise to change my heart and my life. ' After the 5.D finished talking to Co!, he spoke to -liphaE from Teman. $e said, 3 am angry with yo+ and yo+r Co! #2.(*11 1,) two friends, !eca+se yo+ did not tell the tr+th a!o+t me, as my servant Co! did. ( So now, -liphaE, get seven !+lls and seven rams. Take them to my servant Co!. Gill them and offer them as a !+rnt offering for yo+rselves. Ay servant Co! will pray for yo+, and 3 will answer his prayer. Then 3 will not give yo+ the p+nishment yo+ deserve. ;o+ sho+ld !e p+nished, !eca+se yo+ were very foolish. ;o+ did not say what is right a!o+t me, as my servant Co! did. ) So -liphaE from Teman, <ildad from Sh+ah, and Bophar from 1aamah o!eyed the 5.D. Then the 5.D answered Co!s prayer. 1, Co! prayed for his friends, and the 5.D made Co! s+ccessf+l again. The 5.D gave him twice as m+ch as he had !efore. 11 Then all his !rothers and sisters and all the people who knew him !efore came to his ho+se. They all ate a !ig meal with him. They comforted him and were sorry that the 5.D had !ro+ght him so m+ch tro+!le. -ach person gave Co! a piece of silver and a gold ring. Co! #2.12*1' 11, 12 The 5.D !lessed Co! with even more than he had in the !eginning. Co! got 1#,,,, sheep, &,,, camels, 2,,, o4en, and 1,,, female donkeys. 13 $e also got seven sons and three da+ghters. 1# $e named the first da+ghter Cemimah and the second da+ghter GeEiah. $e named the third da+ghter Geren $app+ch. 1% Co!s da+ghters were among the most !ea+tif+l women in all the co+ntry. And, like their !rothers, they each got a share of their fathers property. 1& So Co! lived for 1#, years more. pag. &,30131#

$e lived to see his children, his grandchildren, his greatDgrandchildren, and his greatDgreatDgrandchildren. 1' Co! lived to !e a very old man who had lived a good, long life. -salms 1 1 Great !lessings !elong to those who dont listen to evil advice, who dont live like sinners, and who dont =oin those who make f+n of God. 2 3nstead, they love the 5.D@S teachings and think a!o+t them day and night. 3 So they grow strong, like a tree planted !y a stream a tree that prod+ces fr+it when it sho+ld and has leaves that never fall. -verything they do is s+ccessf+l. # <+t the wicked are not like that. They are like chaff that the wind !lows away. % >hen the time for =+dgment comes, the wicked will !e fo+nd g+ilty. Sinners have no place among those who do what is right. & The 5.D shows his people how to live, !+t the wicked have lost their way. 2 1 >hy are the nations so angry? >hy are the people making s+ch foolish plans? 6salms 2.2*12 2 2 Their kings and leaders =oin together to fight against the 5.D and his chosen king. 3 They say, ets re!el against them. ets !reak free from them" # <+t the one who r+les in heaven la+ghs at them. The ord makes f+n of them. % $e speaks to them in anger, and it fills them with fear. & $e says, 3 have chosen this man to !e king, and he will r+le on Bion, my holy mo+ntain. ' et me tell yo+ a!o+t the 5.D@S agreement: $e said to me, Today 3 have !ecome yo+r father, and yo+ are my son. ( 3f yo+ ask, 3 will give yo+ the nations. -veryone on earth will !e yo+rs. ) ;o+ will r+le over them with great -asy To .ead /ersion

power. ;o+ will scatter yo+r enemies like !roken pieces of pottery" 1, So, kings and r+lers, !e smart and learn this lesson. 11 Serve the 5.D with fear and trem!ling. 12 Show that yo+ are loyal to his son, or the ord will !e angry and destroy yo+. $e is almost angry eno+gh to do 6salms 3.1*#.1 3 that now, !+t those who go to him for protection will !e !lessed. 3 1 5.D, 3 have so many enemies. So many people have t+rned against me. 2 They say to themselves, God will not resc+e him" Selah 3 <+t yo+, 5.D, protect me. ;o+ !ring me honorF yo+ give me hope. # 3 will pray to the 5.D, and he will answer me from his holy mo+ntain. Selah % 3 can lie down to rest and know that 3 will wake +p, !eca+se the 5.D covers and protects me. & So 3 will not !e afraid of my enemies, even if tho+sands of them s+rro+nd me. ' 5.D, get +p" Ay God, come resc+e me" 3f yo+ hit my enemies on the cheek, yo+ will !reak all their teeth. ( 5.D, the victory is yo+rs" ;o+ are so good to yo+r people. Selah 4 1 God, yo+ showed that 3 was innocent. ;o+ gave me relief from all my tro+!les. So listen to me now when 3 call to yo+ for help. <e kind to me and hear my prayer. 6salms #.2*%.# # 2 Aen, how long will yo+ try to dishonor me? Do yo+ en=oy wasting yo+r time searching for new lies against me? Selah 3 ;o+ can !e s+re that anyone who serves the 5.D faithf+lly is special to him. The 5.D listens when 3 pray to him. # Trem!le with fear, and stop sinning. Think a!o+t this when yo+ go to !ed, and calm down. Selah % Give the right sacrifices to the 5.D, and p+t yo+r tr+st in him" pag. &,#0131#

& Aany people say, 3 wish 3 co+ld en=oy the good life. 5.D, give +s some of those !lessings. ' <+t yo+ have made me happier than they will ever !e with all their wine and grain. ( >hen 3 go to !ed, 3 sleep in peace, !eca+se, 5.D, yo+ keep me safe. 5 1 5.D, listen to me and +nderstand what 3 am trying to say. 2 Ay God and Ging, listen to my prayer. 3 -very morning, 5.D, 3 lay my gifts !efore yo+ and look to yo+ for help. And every morning yo+ hear my prayers. # God, yo+ dont want evil people near yo+. They cannot stay in yo+r presence. 6salms %.%*12 % % 2ools cannot come near yo+. ;o+ hate those who do evil. & ;o+ destroy those who tell lies. 5.D, yo+ hate those who make secret plans to h+rt others. ' <+t !y yo+r great mercy, 3 can enter yo+r ho+se. 3 can worship in yo+r holy Temple with fear and respect for yo+. ( 5.D, show me yo+r right way of living, and make it easy for me to follow. 6eople are looking for my weaknesses, so show me how yo+ want me to live. ) Ay enemies never tell the tr+th. They only want to destroy people. Their words come from mo+ths that are like open graves. They +se their lying tong+es to deceive others. 1, 6+nish them, God" et them !e ca+ght in their own traps. They have t+rned against yo+, so p+nish them for their many crimes. 11 <+t let those who tr+st in yo+ !e happy forever. 6rotect and strengthen those who love yo+r name. 12 5.D, when yo+ !less good people, yo+ s+rro+nd them with yo+r love, like a large shield that protects them. 6salms &.1*'.1 & 6 1 5.D, dont p+nish me. Dont correct me when yo+ are so angry. 2 5.D, !e kind to me. 3 am sick and weak. $eal me, 5.D" Ay !ones are shaking. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 3 am trem!ling all over. 5.D, how long +ntil yo+ heal me? # 5.D, come !ack and make me strong again. Save me !eca+se yo+ are so loyal and kind. % 3f 3 am dead, 3 cannot sing a!o+t yo+. Those in the grave dont praise yo+. & ord, 3 am so weak. 3 cried to yo+ all night. Ay pillow is soakedF my !ed is dripping wet from my tears. ' Ay enemies have ca+sed me s+ch sorrow that my eyes are worn o+t from crying. ( Go away, yo+ wicked people, !eca+se the 5.D has heard my cries. ) The 5.D has heard my reJ+est for mercy. The 5.D has accepted my prayer. 1, All my enemies will !e filled with fear and shame. They will !e sorry when disgrace s+ddenly comes +pon them. 7 1 of David that he sang to the 5.D a!o+t 9+sh from the tri!e of 6salms '.2*) ' <en=amin. 5.D my God, 3 come to yo+ for protection. Save me from those who are chasing me. 2 3f yo+ dont help me, 3 will !e torn apart like an animal ca+ght !y a lion. 3 will !e carried away with no one to save me. 3 5.D my God, 3 have done nothing wrong. # 3 have done nothing to h+rt a friend or to help his enemies. % 3f that is not the tr+th, then p+nish me. et an enemy chase me, catch me, and kill me. et him grind me into the dirt and p+t me in my grave. Selah & 5.D, get +p and show yo+r anger" Ay enemy is angry, so stand and fight against him. Get me the =+stice that yo+ demand. ' Gather the nations aro+nd yo+, and take yo+r place as =+dge. ( 5.D, =+dge the people. 5.D, =+dge me. 6rove that 3 am right and that 3 am innocent. ) Stop those who do evil. S+pport those who do good. God, yo+ are fair. ;o+ pag. &,%0131#

know what people are thinking. 6salms '.1,*(.2 ( 1, God helps people who want to do right, so he will protect me. 11 God is a good =+dge. $e always condemns evil. 12 3f the wicked will not change, then God is ready to p+nish them. $e has prepared his deadly weapons. $is sword is sharp. $is !ow is str+ng, drawn !ack, and ready to shoot its flaming arrow. 13 7':128 1# The minds of the wicked are f+ll of evilF they are pregnant with wicked plans, which give !irth to lies. 1% They dig a pit to trap others, !+t they are the ones who will fall into it. 1& The tro+!le they ca+se will come !ack on them. They plan harm for others, !+t they are the ones who will !e h+rt. 1' 3 praise the 5.D !eca+se he is good. 3 praise the name of the 5.D Aost $igh. 8 1 5.D o+r ord, yo+r name is the most wonderf+l in all the earth" 3t !rings yo+ praise everywhere in heaven. 2 2rom the mo+ths of children and !a!ies come songs of praise to yo+. They sing of yo+r power to silence yo+r enemies who were seeking revenge. 6salms (.3*).3 ) 3 3 look at the heavens yo+ made with yo+r hands. 3 see the moon and the stars yo+ created. # And 3 wonder, >hy are people so important to yo+? >hy do yo+ even think a!o+t them? >hy do yo+ care so m+ch a!o+t h+mans? >hy do yo+ even notice them? % <+t yo+ made them almost like gods and crowned them with glory and honor. & ;o+ p+t them in charge of everything yo+ made. ;o+ p+t everything +nder their control. ' 6eople r+le over the sheep and cattle and all the wild animals. ( They r+le over the !irds in the sky and the fish that swim in the sea. ) 5.D o+r ord, yo+r name is the most wonderf+l name in all the earth" -asy To .ead /ersion

9 1 A song of David. 3 will praise yo+, 5.D, with all my heart. 3 will tell a!o+t the wonderf+l things yo+ have done. 2 ;o+ make me happy, so 3 will re=oice in yo+. God Aost $igh, 3 praise yo+r name. 3 Ay enemies t+rned to r+n from yo+, !+t they fell and were destroyed. 6salms ).#*12 1, # ;o+ listened to me from yo+r throne like a good =+dge, and yo+ decided that 3 was right. % ;o+ told the nations how wrong they were. ;o+ destroyed those evil people. ;o+ erased their names from o+r memory forever and ever. & The enemy is finished" ;o+ destroyed their cities. There is nothing left to remind +s of them. ' The 5.D set +p his throne to !ring =+stice, and he will r+le forever. ( $e =+dges everyone on earth fairly. $e =+dges all nations honestly. ) Aany people are s+ffering cr+shed !y the weight of their tro+!les. <+t the 5.D is a ref+ge for them, a safe place they can r+n to. 1, 5.D, those who know yo+r name come to yo+ for protection. And when they come, yo+ do not leave them witho+t help. 11 Sing praises to the 5.D, who sits as Ging in Bion. Tell the nations a!o+t the great things he has done. 12 $e p+nishes m+rderers and remem!ers those who are in need. >hen 6salms ).13*2, 11 s+ffering people cry for help, he does not ignore them. 13 3 said this prayer: 5.D, !e kind to me. See how my enemies are h+rting me. Save me from the gates of death. 1# Then, at the gates of Cer+salem, 3 can sing praises to yo+. 3 will !e so happy !eca+se yo+ saved me. 1% Those other nations have fallen into the pit they d+g to catch others. They have !een ca+ght in their own trap. 1& The 5.D showed that he =+dges fairly. The wicked were ca+ght !y what pag. &,&0131#

they did to h+rt others. $iggayon Selah 1' The wicked will go to the place of death, as will all the nations that forget God. 1( 3t may seem that those who are poor and needy have !een forgotten, !+t God will not forget them. $e will not leave them witho+t hope. 1) 5.D, get +p and =+dge the nations. Dont let anyone think they can win against yo+. 2, Teach them a lesson, 5.D. et them know they are only h+man. Selah 6salms 1,.1*) 12 10 1 5.D, why do yo+ stay so far away? >hy do yo+ hide from people in times of tro+!le? 2 The wicked are pro+d and make evil plans to h+rt the poor, who are ca+ght in their traps and made to s+ffer. 3 Those greedy people !rag a!o+t the things they want to get. They c+rse the 5.D and show that they hate him. # The wicked are too pro+d to ask God for help. $e does not fit into their plans. % They s+cceed in everything they do. They dont +nderstand how yo+ can =+dge them. They make f+n of all their enemies. & They say to themselves, 1othing !ad will ever happen to +s. >e will have o+r f+n and never !e p+nished. ' They are always c+rsing, lying, and planning evil things to do. ( They hide =+st o+tside the villages, waiting to kill innocent people, always looking for any helpless person they can h+rt. ) They are like lions hiding in the !+shes to catch weak and helpless animals. They lay their traps for the poor, who are ca+ght in their nets. 6salms 1,.1,*1( 13 1, Again and again they h+rt people who are already weak and s+ffering. 11 They say to themselves, God has forgotten a!o+t +s. $e is not watching. $e will never see what we are doing. 12 5.D, get +p and do something. 6+nish those who are wicked, God. Dont -asy To .ead /ersion

forget those who are poor and helpless. 13 The wicked t+rn against God !eca+se they think he will not p+nish them. 1# <+t, ord, yo+ do see the pain and s+ffering they ca+se. ;o+ see it, so p+nish them. Those who were left helpless p+t their tr+st in yo+. After all, yo+ are the one who cares for orphans. 1% <reak the arms of those who are wicked and evil. 6+nish them for the evil they have done, and stop them from doing any more. 1& 5.D, yo+ are Ging forever and ever, so 3 know yo+ will remove the wicked nations from yo+r land. 1' 5.D, yo+ have heard what the poor want. isten to their prayers, and do what they ask. 1( 6rotect the orphans and those who have !een h+rt. Dont let powerf+l people drive +s from o+r land" 6salms 11.1*12.1 1# 11 1 3 tr+st in the 5.D, so why did yo+ tell me to r+n and hide? >hy did yo+ say, 2ly like a !ird to yo+r mo+ntain? 2 ike h+nters, the wicked hide in the dark. They get their !ows ready and aim their arrows. They shoot at good, honest people. 3 >hat wo+ld good people do if the wicked destroyed all that is good? # The 5.D is in his holy temple. The 5.D sits on his throne in heaven. $e sees everything that happens. $e watches people closely. % The 5.D e4amines those who are good and those who are wickedF he hates those who en=oy h+rting others. & $e will make hot coals and !+rning s+lf+r fall like rain on the wicked. They will get nothing !+t a hot, !+rning wind. ' The 5.D always does what is right, and he loves seeing people do right. Those who live good lives will !e with him. 12 1 Save me, 5.D" >e can no longer tr+st anyone" All the good, loyal people are gone. 6salms 12.2*13.2 1% pag. &,'0131#

2 6eople lie to their neigh!ors. They say whatever they think people want to hear. 3 The 5.D sho+ld c+t off their lying lips and c+t o+t their !ragging tong+es. # Those people think they can win any arg+ment. They say, >e are so good with words, no one will !e o+r master. % They took advantage of the poor and stole what little they had. <+t the 5.D knows what they did, and he says, 3 will resc+e those who are poor and helpless, and 3 will p+nish those who h+rt them. & The 5.D@S words are tr+e and p+re, like silver p+rified !y fire, like silver melted seven times to make it perfectly p+re. ' 5.D, take care of the helpless. 6rotect them forever from the wicked people in this world. ( The wicked are all aro+nd +s, and everyone thinks evil is something to !e praised" 13 1 $ow long will yo+ forget me, 5.D? >ill yo+ forget me forever? $ow long will yo+ ref+se to accept me? 2 $ow long m+st 3 wonder if yo+ have forgotten me? $ow long m+st 3 feel this 6salms 13.3*1#.% 1& sadness in my heart? $ow long will my enemy win against me? 3 5.D my God, look at me and give me an answer. Aake me feel strong again, or 3 will die. # Then my enemy will say, 3 have won" $e will !e so happy to see me defeated. % <+t 3 tr+st in yo+r faithf+l love, ord. 3 will !e happy when yo+ save me. & Then 3 will sing to the 5.D !eca+se he was so good to me. 14 1 5nly fools think there is no God. 6eople like that are evil and do terri!le things. They never do what is right. 2 The 5.D looks down from heaven to see if there is anyone who is wise, anyone who looks to him for help. 3 <+t everyone has gone the wrong way. -veryone has t+rned !ad. 1o one does anything good. 1o, not one person" # Those who are evil treat my people -asy To .ead /ersion

like !read to !e eaten. And they never ask for the 5.D@S help. Dont they know what they are doing? % They will have plenty to fear, !eca+se God is with those who do what is right. 6salms 1#.&*1%.% 1' & ;o+ wicked people want to spoil the hopes of the poor, !+t the 5.D will protect them. ' 3 wish the one who lives on Ao+nt Bion wo+ld !ring victory to 3srael" >hen the 5.D makes his people s+ccessf+l again, the people of Caco! will !e happyF the people of 3srael will !e glad. 15 1 5.D, who can live in yo+r $oly Tent? >ho can live on yo+r holy mo+ntain? 2 5nly those who live p+re lives, do what is right, and speak the tr+th from their hearts. 3 S+ch people dont say !ad things a!o+t others. They dont do things to h+rt their neigh!ors. They dont tell shamef+l things a!o+t those close to them. # They hate those who fail to please God and honor those who respect the 5.D. 3f they make a promise to their neigh!or, they do what they promised. % 3f they loan money to someone, they do not charge them interest. And they ref+se to testify against an innocent person, even if someone offers them money to do it. >hoever lives like this will always stand strong. 6salms 1&.1*1, 1( 16 1 6rotect me, God, !eca+se 3 depend on yo+. 2 Some of yo+ have said to the 5.D, ;o+ are my ord. -very good thing 3 have comes from yo+. 3 <+t yo+ have also said a!o+t the gods of this land, They are my powerf+l gods. They are the ones who make me happy. # <+t those who worship other gods will have many tro+!les. 3 will not share in the gifts of !lood they offer to their idols. 3 will not even say their names. % 5.D, yo+ give me all that 3 need. ;o+ s+pport me. ;o+ give me my share. & Ay share is wonderf+l. Ay inheritance pag. &,(0131#

is very !ea+tif+l. ' 3 praise the 5.D !eca+se he ta+ght me well. -ven at night he p+t his instr+ctions deep inside my mind. ( 3 always remem!er that the 5.D is with me. $e is here, close !y my side, so nothing can defeat me. ) So my heart and so+l will !e very happy. -ven my !ody will live in safety, 1, !eca+se yo+ will not leave me in the place of death. ;o+ will not let yo+r faithf+l one rot in the grave. 6salms 1&.11*1'.( 1) 11 ;o+ will teach me the right way to live. C+st !eing with yo+ will !ring complete happiness. <eing at yo+r right side will make me happy forever. 17 1 5.D, hear my prayer for =+stice. 3 am calling lo+dly to yo+. 3 am !eing honest in what 3 say, so please listen to my prayer. 2 ;o+ will make the right decision, !eca+se yo+ can see the tr+th. 3 ;o+ were with me all night and looked deep into my heart. ;o+ J+estioned me and fo+nd that 3 did not say or do anything wrong. # Hnlike most people, 3 have o!eyed yo+r commands, so 3 have never !een like those who are cr+el and evil. % 3 have followed yo+r way. Ay feet never left yo+r path. & -very time 3 call to yo+, God, yo+ answer me. So listen to me now, and hear what 3 say. ' Show yo+r amaEing kindness and resc+e those who depend on yo+. Hse yo+r great power and protect them from their enemies. ( 6rotect me like the p+pil of yo+r eye. $ide me in the shadow of yo+r wings. 6salms 1'.)*1(.1 2, ) Save me from the wicked people who are trying to destroy me. 6rotect me from those who come to h+rt me. 1, They think only of themselves and !rag a!o+t what they will do. 11 They have !een following me, and now they are all aro+nd me. They watch me, waiting to throw me to the gro+nd. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 ike h+ngry lions, they want to kill and eat. ike yo+ng lions, they hide, ready to attack. 13 5.D, get +p and face the enemy. Aake them s+rrender. Hse yo+r sword and save me from these wicked people. 1# Hse yo+r power, 5.D, and remove them from this life. <+t as for the people yo+ treas+re, fill them with food. Give them plenty for their children and their grandchildren. 1% 3 have done only what is right, so 3 will see yo+r face. And seeing yo+, 3 will !e f+lly satisfied. 18 1 To the director: A song of David, the 5.D@S servant. $e sang this song to the 5.D when the 5.D saved him from Sa+l and all his other enemies. 3 love yo+, 5.D" ;o+ are my strength. 6salms 1(.2*) 21 2 The 5.D is my .ock, my fortress, my place of safety. $e is my God, the .ock 3 r+n to for protection. $e is my shieldF !y his power 3 am saved. $e is my hiding place high in the hills. 3 3 called to the 5.D for help, and he saved me from my enemies" $e is worthy of my praise" # Death had its ropes wrapped aro+nd me. A deadly flood was carrying me away. % The ropes of the grave wrapped aro+nd me. Death set its trap right there in front of me. & 3n my tro+!le 3 called to the 5.D. ;es, 3 cried o+t to my God for help. There in his temple he heard my voice. $e heard my cry for help. ' The earth shook and shivered. The fo+ndations of the mo+ntains trem!led. They shook !eca+se he was angry. ( Smoke came from his nose. <+rning flames came from his mo+th. .edDhot coals fell from him. ) $e tore open the sky and came down" $e stood on a thick, dark clo+d. 6salms 1(.1,*1( 22 1, $e flew across the sky, riding on a 9her+! angel racing on the wings of the wind. pag. &,)0131#

11 $e wrapped himself in darkness that covered him like a tent. $e was hidden !y dark clo+ds heavy with water. 12 5+t of the !rightness !efore him, hail !roke thro+gh the clo+ds with flashes of lightning. 13 The 5.D th+ndered from the skyF God Aost $igh let his voice !e heard. 1# $e scattered his enemies with his arrows the lightning !olts that threw them into conf+sion. 1% 5.D, yo+ sho+ted yo+r command, and a powerf+l wind !egan to !low. Then the !ottom of the sea co+ld !e seen, and the earths fo+ndations were +ncovered. 1& $e reached down from a!ove and gra!!ed me. $e p+lled me from the deep water. 1' $e saved me from my powerf+l enemies, who hated me. They were too strong for me, so he saved me. 1( They attacked me in my time of tro+!le, !+t the 5.D was there to s+pport me. 6salms 1(.1)*2( 23 1) $e was pleased with me, so he resc+ed me. $e took me to a safe place. 2, The 5.D rewarded me for doing what is right. $e was good to me !eca+se 3 am innocent. 21 The 5.D did this !eca+se 3 have o!eyed him. 3 have not t+rned against my God. 22 3 always remem!ered his laws. 3 never re=ected his r+les. 23 $e knows 3 did nothing that was wrong. 3 have kept myself from sinning. 2# So the 5.D rewarded me for doing what is right. $e co+ld see that 3 am innocent. 2% ord, yo+ are faithf+l to those who are faithf+l. ;o+ are good to those who are good. 2& ;o+ never do wrong to those who have done no wrong. <+t yo+ o+tsmart the wicked, no matter how clever they are. 2' ;o+ help those who are h+m!le, !+t yo+ h+miliate the pro+d. 2( 5.D, yo+ provide the flame for -asy To .ead /ersion

my lamp. ;o+, God, t+rn the darkness aro+nd me into light. 6salms 1(.2)*3( 2# 2) >ith yo+r help 3 can defeat an army. 3f my God is with me, 3 can clim! over enemy walls. 3, Gods way is perfect. The 5.D@S promise always proves to !e tr+e. $e protects those who tr+st in him. 31 There is no God e4cept the 5.D. There is no .ock e4cept o+r God. 32 God is the one who gives me strength. $e clears the path 3 need to take. 33 $e makes my feet as steady as those of a deer. -ven on steep mo+ntains he keeps me from falling. 3# $e trains me for war so that my arms can !end the most powerf+l !ow. 3% ord, yo+ have given me yo+r shield to protect me. ;o+ s+pport me with yo+r right hand. 3t is yo+r help that has made me great. 3& ;o+ cleared a path for my feet so that 3 co+ld walk witho+t st+m!ling. 3' 3 chased my enemies and ca+ght them. 3 did not stop +ntil they were destroyed. 3( 3 str+ck them down, and they co+ld not get +p again. They fell +nder my feet. 6salms 1(.3)*#( 2% 3) God, yo+ made me strong in !attle. ;o+ made my enemies fall !efore me. #, ;o+ made my enemies t+rn and r+n away. 3 destroyed those who hated me. #1 They cried o+t for help, !+t there was no one to save them. They cried o+t to the 5.D, !+t he did not answer them. #2 3 !eat them to pieces like d+st !lown !y the wind. 3 smashed them like m+d in the streets. #3 ;o+ saved me from those who fo+ght against me. ;o+ made me the r+ler over nations. 6eople 3 never knew now serve me. ## As soon as they heard a!o+t me, they were ready to o!ey. Those foreigners fall helpless !efore me" #% They lose all their co+rage and come pag. &1,0131#

o+t of their hiding places shaking with fear. #& The 5.D lives" 3 praise my .ock, the God who saves me. $ow great he is" #' $e is the God who p+nishes my enemies for me, the one who p+ts people +nder my control. #( $e saves me from my enemies" ;o+, ord, help me defeat those who attack me. ;o+ save me from cr+el people. 6salms 1(.#)*1).' 2& #) 5.D, that is why 3 praise yo+ among the nations. That is why 3 sing songs of praise to yo+r name. %, The ord helps his king win !attle after !attle. $e shows his faithf+l love to his chosen one, to David and his descendants forever. 19 1 The heavens tell a!o+t the glory of God. The skies anno+nce what his hands have made. 2 -ach new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more a!o+t Gods power. 3 ;o+ cannot hear them say anything. They dont make any so+nd we can hear. # <+t their message goes thro+gho+t the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth. The s+ns tent is set +p in the heavens. % 3t comes o+t like a happy !ridegroom from his !edroom. 3t !egins its path across the sky like an athlete eager to r+n a race. & 3t starts at one end of the sky and r+ns all the way to the other end. 1othing can hide from its heat. ' The 5.D@S teachings are perfect. They give strength to his people. The 6salms 1).(*2,.1 2' 5.D@S r+les can !e tr+sted. They help even the foolish !ecome wise. ( The 5.D@S laws are right. They make people happy. The 5.D@S commands are good. They show people the right way to live. ) earning respect for the 5.D is good. 3t will last forever. The 5.D@S =+dgments are right. They are completely fair. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, $is teachings are worth more than p+re gold. They are sweeter than the !est honey dripping from the honeycom!. 11 $is teachings warn his servants, and good things come to those who o!ey them. 12 6eople cannot see their own mistakes, so dont let me commit secret sins. 13 Dont let me do what 3 know is wrong. Dont let sin control me. 3f yo+ help me, 3 can !e p+re and free from sin. 1# Aay my words and tho+ghts please yo+. 5.D, yo+ are my .ock the one who resc+es me. 20 1 Aay the 5.D answer yo+ in times of tro+!le. Aay the God of Caco! protect yo+. 6salms 2,.2*21.3 2( 2 Aay he send yo+ help from his $oly 6lace. Aay he s+pport yo+ from Bion. 3 Aay he remem!er all the gifts yo+ have offered. Aay he accept all yo+r sacrifices. Selah # Aay he give yo+ what yo+ really want. Aay he make all yo+r plans s+ccessf+l. % >e will cele!rate when he helps yo+. >e will praise the name of God. Aay the 5.D give yo+ everything yo+ ask for. & 1ow 3 know the 5.D helps his chosen king. 2rom his holy heaven he answered. >ith his great power he saved him. ' Some give the credit for victory to their chariots and soldiers, !+t we honor the 5.D o+r God. ( They fall in !attle, totally defeated, !+t we s+rvive and stand strong" ) 5.D, save the king" Answer +s when we call to yo+ for help. 21 1 5.D, yo+r strength makes the king happy. $e is so happy when yo+ give him victory. 2 And yo+ gave him what he wanted. ;o+ gave him what he asked for. Selah 3 ;o+ gave the king s+ch wonderf+l !lessings. ;o+ p+t a gold crown on his head. 6salms 21.#*12 2) # $e asked for life, and yo+ gave it. ;o+ gave him life that goes on forever. pag. &110131#

% ;o+ led him to victory that !ro+ght him great glory. ;o+ gave him honor and fame. & ;o+ have given him !lessings that will last forever. ;o+ have given him the =oy of !eing near yo+. ' The king tr+sts in the 5.D, and the faithf+l love of God Aost $igh will keep him from falling. ( ord, yo+ will show all yo+r enemies that yo+ are strong. ;o+r power will defeat those who hate yo+. ) >hen yo+ appear, yo+ will !+rn them +p like a !laEing f+rnace. 3n yo+r anger, 5.D, yo+ will completely destroy themF they will !e swallowed !y flames of fire. 1, Their families will !e destroyed. They will !e removed from the earth. 11 That is !eca+se they made evil plans against yo+. They wanted to do things they co+ld not do. 12 ;o+ will make them t+rn and r+n away when yo+ aim yo+r arrows at their faces. 6salms 21.13*22.) 3, 13 5.D, we lift yo+ +p with o+r songs of praise. >e sing and play songs a!o+t yo+r power" 22 1 Ay God, my God, why have yo+ left me? ;o+ seem too far away to save me, too far to hear my cries for help" 2 Ay God, 3 kept calling !y day, and 3 was not silent at night. <+t yo+ did not answer me. 3 God, yo+ are the $oly 5ne. ;o+ sit as Ging +pon the praises of 3srael. # 5+r ancestors tr+sted yo+. ;es, they tr+sted yo+, and yo+ saved them. % They called to yo+ for help and escaped their enemies. They tr+sted yo+ and were not disappointed" & <+t 3 feel like a worm, less than h+man" 6eople ins+lt me and look down on me. ' -veryone who sees me makes f+n of me. They shake their heads and stick o+t their tong+es at me. ( They say, 9all to the 5.D for help. Aay!e he will save yo+. 3f he likes yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

so m+ch, s+rely he will resc+e yo+" ) God, the tr+th is, yo+ are the one who !ro+ght me into this world. ;o+ 6salms 22.1,*1( 31 made me feel safe while 3 was still at my mothers !reasts. 1, ;o+ have !een my God since the day 3 was !orn. 3 was thrown into yo+r arms as 3 came from my mothers wom!. 11 So dont leave me" Tro+!le is near, and there is no one to help me. 12 Ay enemies s+rro+nd me like angry !+lls. They are like the powerf+l !+lls of <ashan, and they are all aro+nd me. 13 Their mo+ths are opened wide, like a lion roaring and tearing at its prey. 1# Ay strength is gone, like water po+red o+t on the gro+nd. Ay !ones have separated. Ay co+rage is gone. 1% Ay mo+th is as dry as a piece of !aked pottery. Ay tong+e is sticking to the roof of my mo+th. ;o+ have left me dying in the d+st. 1& -vil people are all aro+nd me. They are closing in on me like a pack of dogs. They have pierced my hands and feet. 1' 3 can see each one of my !ones. Ay enemies are looking at meF they =+st keep staring. 1( They divide my clothes among themselves, and they throw lots for what 3 am wearing. 6salms 22.1)*2' 32 1) 5.D, dont leave me" ;o+ are my strengthh+rry and help me" 2, Save me from the sword. Save my precio+s life from these dogs. 21 .esc+e me from the lions mo+th. 6rotect me from the horns of the !+lls. 22 3 will tell my people a!o+t yo+. 3 will praise yo+ in the great assem!ly. 23 6raise the 5.D, all yo+ who worship him" $onor him, yo+ descendants of Caco!" 2ear and respect him, all yo+ people of 3srael" 2# $e does not ignore those who need help. $e does not hate them. $e does not t+rn away from them. $e listens when they cry for help. 2% ord, !eca+se of yo+ 3 offer praise in pag. &120131#

the great assem!ly. 3n front of all these worshipers 3 will do all that 3 promised. 2& 6oor people, come eat and !e satisfied. ;o+ who have come looking for the 5.D, praise him" Aay yo+r hearts !e happy forever. 2' Aay those in faraway co+ntries remem!er the 5.D and come !ack to him. Aay those in distant lands worship him, 6salms 22.2(*23.% 33 2( !eca+se the 5.D is the Ging. $e r+les all nations. 2) The people have eaten all they wanted and !owed down to worship him. ;es, everyone will !ow down to him all who are on the way to the grave, +na!le to hold on to life. 3, 5+r descendants will serve him. Those who are not yet !orn will !e told a!o+t him. 31 -ach generation will tell their children a!o+t the good things the ord has done. 23 1 The 5.D is my shepherd. 3 will always have everything 3 need. 2 $e gives me green past+res to lie in. $e leads me !y calm pools of water. 3 $e restores my strength. $e leads me on right paths to show that he is good. # -ven if 3 walk thro+gh a valley as dark as the grave, 3 will not !e afraid of any danger, !eca+se yo+ are with me. ;o+r rod and staff comfort me. % ;o+ prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies. ;o+ welcomed me as an honored g+est. Ay c+p is f+ll and spilling over. 6salms 23.&*2#.( 3# & ;o+r goodness and mercy will !e with me all my life, and 3 will live in the 5.D@S ho+se a long, long time. 24 1 The earth and everything on it !elong to the 5.D. The world and all its people !elong to him. 2 $e !+ilt the earth on the water. $e !+ilt it over the rivers. 3 >ho can go +p on the 5.D@S mo+ntain? >ho can stand in his holy Temple? # 5nly those who have not done evil, -asy To .ead /ersion

who have p+re hearts, who have not +sed my name to hide their lies, and who have not made false promises. % Good people ask the 5.D to !less others. They ask God, their Savior, to do good things. & They try to follow God. They go to the God of Caco! for help. Selah ' Gates, pro+dly lift yo+r heads" 5pen, ancient doors, and the glorio+s Ging will come in. ( >ho is the glorio+s Ging? $e is the 5.D, the powerf+l soldier. $e is the 5.D, the war hero. 6salms 2#.)*2%.' 3% ) Gates, pro+dly lift yo+r heads" 5pen, ancient doors, and the glorio+s Ging will come in. 1, >ho is the glorio+s Ging? The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is the glorio+s Ging. 25 1 5.D, 3 p+t my life in yo+r hands. 2 3 tr+st in yo+, my God, and 3 will not !e disappointed. Ay enemies will not la+gh at me. 3 1o one who tr+sts in yo+ will !e disappointed. <+t disappointment will come to those who try to deceive others. They will get nothing. # 5.D, help me learn yo+r ways. Show me how yo+ want me to live. % G+ide me and teach me yo+r tr+ths. ;o+ are my God, my Savior. ;o+ are the one 3 have !een waiting for. & .emem!er to !e kind to me, 5.D. Show me the tender love that yo+ have always had. ' Dont remem!er the sinf+l things 3 did when 3 was yo+ng. <eca+se yo+ are good, 5.D, remem!er me with yo+r faithf+l love. 6salms 2%.(*1) 3& ( The 5.D is good and does what is right. $e shows sinners the right way to live. ) $e teaches his ways to h+m!le people. $e leads them with fairness. 1, The 5.D is kind and tr+e to those who o!ey what he said in his agreement. 11 5.D, 3 have done many wrong pag. &130131#

things. <+t 3 ask yo+ to forgive them all to show yo+r goodness. 12 >hen people choose to follow the 5.D, he shows them the !est way to live. 13 They will en=oy good things, and their children will get the land God promised. 1# The 5.D tells his secrets to his followers. $e teaches them a!o+t his agreement. 1% 3 always look to the 5.D for help. 5nly he can free me from my tro+!les. 1& 3 am h+rt and lonely. T+rn to me, and show me mercy. 1' 2ree me from my tro+!les. $elp me solve my pro!lems. 1( ook at my trials and tro+!les. 2orgive me for all the sins 3 have done. 1) ook at all the enemies 3 have. They hate me and want to h+rt me. 6salms 2%.2,*2&.( 3' 2, 6rotect me" Save me from them" 3 come to yo+ for protection, so dont let me !e disappointed. 21 ;o+ are good and do what is right. 3 tr+st yo+ to protect me. 22 God, save the people of 3srael from all their enemies. 26 1 5.D, yo+ !e the =+dge and prove that 3 have lived a p+re life. 3 have depended on yo+, 5.D, to keep me from falling. 2 ook closely at me, 5.D, and test me. C+dge my deepest tho+ghts and emotions. 3 3 always remem!er yo+r faithf+l love. 3 depend on yo+r faithf+lness. # 3 dont r+n aro+nd with tro+!lemakers. 3 have nothing to do with hypocrites. % 3 hate !eing aro+nd evil people. 3 ref+se to =oin those gangs of crooks. & 5.D, 3 wash my hands to make myself p+re, so that 3 can come to yo+r altar. ' 3 sing a song to give yo+ thanks, and 3 tell a!o+t all the wonderf+l things yo+ have done. ( 5.D, 3 love the ho+se where yo+ live, the place where yo+r glory is. 6salms 2&.)*2'.# 3( -asy To .ead /ersion

) ord, dont treat me like one of those sinners. Dont kill me with those m+rderers. 1, They are g+ilty of cheating people. They take !ri!es to do wrong. 11 <+t 3 am innocent, so !e kind to me and save me. 12 3 am safe from all danger as 3 stand here praising yo+, 5.D, in the assem!ly of yo+r people. 27 1 5.D, yo+ are my ight and my Savior, so why sho+ld 3 !e afraid of anyone? The 5.D is where my life is safe, so 3 will !e afraid of no one" 2 -vil people might attack me. They might try to destroy my !ody. ;es, my enemies might attack and try to destroy me, !+t they will st+m!le and fall. 3 -ven if an army s+rro+nds me, 3 will not !e afraid. -ven if people attack me in war, 3 will tr+st in the ord. # 3 ask only one thing from the 5.D. This is what 3 want most: et me live in the 5.D@S ho+se all my life, en=oying the 5.D@S !ea+ty and spending time in his palace. 6salms 2'.%*1# 3) % $e will protect me when 3 am in danger. $e will hide me in his tent. $e will take me +p to his place of safety. & 3f he will help me defeat the enemies aro+nd me, 3 will offer sacrifices in his tent with sho+ts of =oy. 3 will sing and play songs to honor the 5.D. ' 5.D, hear my voice. <e kind and answer me. ( Ay heart told me to come to yo+, 5.D, so 3 am coming to ask for yo+r help. ) Dont t+rn away from me. Dont !e angry with yo+r servant. ;o+ are the only one who can help me. Ay God, dont leave me all alone. ;o+ are my Savior. 1, -ven if my mother and father leave me, the 5.D will take me in. 11 3 have enemies, 5.D, so teach me yo+r ways. Show me the right way to live. 12 Ay enemies have attacked me. They have told lies a!o+t me and have tried to pag. &1#0131#

h+rt me. 13 <+t 3 really !elieve that 3 will see the 5.D@S goodness !efore 3 die. 1# >ait for the 5.D@S help. <e strong and !rave, and wait for the 5.D@S help. 6salms 2(.1*( #, 28 1 5.D, yo+ are my .ock. 3 am calling to yo+ for help. Dont close yo+r ears to my prayers. 3f yo+ dont answer me, 3 will !e co+nted among the dead. 2 3 lift my hands and pray toward yo+r Aost $oly 6lace. $ear me when 3 call to yo+. Show mercy to me. 3 Dont treat me like the evil people who do wicked things. They greet their neigh!ors like friends, !+t secretly plan to h+rt them. # They do !ad things to others, so make !ad things happen to them. Give them the p+nishment they deserve. % They dont notice what the 5.D does. They ignore all the good things he has made. So instead of !+ilding them +p, he will destroy them. & 6raise the 5.D" $e has heard my prayer for mercy. ' The 5.D is my strength and shield. 3 tr+sted him with all my heart. $e helped me, so 3 am happy. 3 sing songs of praise to him. ( The 5.D protects his chosen one. $e saves him and gives him strength. 6salms 2(.)*2).) #1 ) Save yo+r people. <less those who !elong to yo+. ead them and honor them forever. 29 1 6raise the 5.D, yo+ heavenly angels" 6raise the 5.D@S glory and power. 2 6raise the 5.D and honor his name" >orship the 5.D in all his holy !ea+ty. 3 The 5.D@S voice can !e heard over the sea. The voice of o+r glorio+s 5.D God is like th+nder over the great ocean. # The 5.D@S voice is powerf+l. 3t shows the 5.D@S glory. % The 5.D@S voice shatters great cedar trees. The 5.D !reaks the great cedars of e!anon. -asy To .ead /ersion

& $e makes e!anon shake like a yo+ng calf dancing. Sirion trem!les like a yo+ng !+ll =+mping +p and down. ' The 5.D@S voice c+ts the air with flashes of lightning. ( The 5.D@S voice shakes the desert. The desert of Gadesh trem!les at the 5.D@S voice. ) The 5.D@S voice frightens the deer. $e destroys the forests. 3n his temple everyone sho+ts, Glory to God" 6salms 2).1,*3,.' #2 1, The 5.D r+led as king at the time of the flood, and the 5.D will r+le as king forever. 11 Aay the 5.D make his people strong. Aay the 5.D !less his people with peace. 30 1 5.D, yo+ lifted me o+t of my tro+!les. ;o+ did not give my enemies a reason to la+gh, so 3 will praise yo+. 2 5.D my God, 3 prayed to yo+, and yo+ healed me. 3 5.D, yo+ lifted me o+t of the grave. 3 was falling into the place of death, !+t yo+ saved my life. # 6raise the 5.D, yo+ who are loyal to him" 6raise his holy name" % $is anger lasts for a little while, !+t then his kindness !rings life. The night may !e filled with tears, !+t in the morning we can sing for =oy" & >hen 3 was safe and sec+re, 3 tho+ght nothing co+ld h+rt me. ' ;es, 5.D, while yo+ were kind to me, 3 felt that nothing co+ld defeat me. <+t when yo+ t+rned away from me, 3 was filled with fear. 6salms 3,.(*31.% #3 ( So, 5.D, 3 t+rned and prayed to yo+. 3 asked yo+, ord, to show me mercy. ) 3 said, >hat good is it if 3 die and go down to the grave? The dead =+st lie in the dirt. They cannot praise yo+. They cannot tell anyone how faithf+l yo+ are. 1, 5.D, hear my prayer, and !e kind to me. 5.D, help me" 11 ;o+ have changed my sorrow into dancing. ;o+ have taken away my pag. &1%0131#

sackcloth and clothed me with =oy. 12 ;o+ wanted me to praise yo+ and not !e silent. 5.D my God, 3 will praise yo+ forever" 31 1 5.D, 3 come to yo+ for protection. Dont let me !e disappointed. ;o+ always do what is right, so save me. 2 isten to me. 9ome J+ickly and save me. <e my .ock, my place of safety. <e my fortress and protect me" 3 ;es, yo+ are my .ock and my protection. 2or the good of yo+r name, lead me and g+ide me. # Save me from the traps my enemy has set. ;o+ are my place of safety. % 5.D, yo+ are the God we can tr+st. 3 p+t my life in yo+r hands. Save me" 6salms 31.&*1% ## & 3 hate those who worship false gods. 3 tr+st only in the 5.D. ' ;o+r kindness makes me so happy. ;o+ have seen my s+ffering. ;o+ know a!o+t the tro+!les 3 have. ( ;o+ will not let my enemies take me. ;o+ will free me from their traps. ) 5.D, 3 have many tro+!les, so !e kind to me. 3 have cried +ntil my eyes h+rt. Ay throat and stomach are aching. 1, <eca+se of my sin, my life is ending in griefF my years are passing away in sighs of pain. Ay life is ending in weakness. Ay strength is draining away. 11 Ay enemies despise me, and even my neigh!ors have t+rned away. >hen my friends see me in the street, they t+rn the other way. They are afraid to !e aro+nd me. 12 6eople want to forget me like someone already dead, thrown away like a !roken dish. 13 3 hear them whispering a!o+t me. They have t+rned against me and plan to kill me. 1# 5.D, 3 tr+st in yo+. ;o+ are my God. 1% Ay life is in yo+r hands. Save me from those who are persec+ting me. 6salms 31.1&*22 #% 1& 6lease welcome and accept yo+r servant. <e kind to me and save me. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' 5.D, 3 am praying to yo+. Dont let me !e disappointed. The wicked are the ones who sho+ld !e disappointed. et them go to the grave in silence. 1( Those evil people !rag and tell lies a!o+t those who do right. They are so pro+d now, !+t their lying lips will !e silent. 1) ord, yo+ have hidden away many wonderf+l things for yo+r followers. ;o+ have done so many good things for those who tr+st in yo+. ;o+ have !lessed them so that all the world can see. 2, 5thers make plans to h+rt them. They say s+ch !ad things a!o+t them. <+t yo+ hide yo+r people in yo+r shelter and protect them. 21 6raise the 5.D, !eca+se he showed me how wonderf+l his faithf+l love is when the city was s+rro+nded !y enemies. 22 3 was afraid and said, 3 am in a place where he cannot see me. <+t 3 prayed to yo+, and yo+ heard my lo+d cries for help. 6salms 31.23*32.& #& 23 ove the 5.D, all of yo+ who are his loyal followers. The 5.D protects those who are loyal to him. <+t he p+nishes those who !rag a!o+t their own power. $e gives them all the p+nishment they deserve. 2# <e strong and !rave, all of yo+ who are waiting for the 5.D@S help. 32 1 3t is a great !lessing when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done, when their sins are erased. 2 3t is a great !lessing when the 5.D says they are not g+ilty, when they dont try to hide their sins. 3 ord, 3 prayed to yo+ again and again, !+t 3 did not talk a!o+t my sins. So 3 only !ecame weaker and more misera!le. # -very day yo+ made life harder for me. 3 !ecame like a dry land in the hot s+mmertime. Selah % <+t then 3 decided to confess my sins to the 5.D. 3 stopped hiding my g+ilt and told yo+ a!o+t my sins. And yo+ pag. &1&0131#

forgave them all" Selah & That is why yo+r loyal followers pray to yo+ while there is still time. Then 6salms 32.'*33.# #' when tro+!le rises like a flood, it will not reach them. ' ;o+ are a hiding place for me. ;o+ protect me from my tro+!les. ;o+ s+rro+nd me and protect me, so 3 sing a!o+t the way yo+ saved me. Selah ( The ord says, 3 will teach yo+ and g+ide yo+ in the way yo+ sho+ld live. 3 will watch over yo+ and !e yo+r g+ide. ) Dont !e like a st+pid horse or m+le that will not come to yo+ +nless yo+ p+t a !it in its mo+th and p+ll it with reins. 1, Aany pains will come to the wicked, !+t the 5.D@S faithf+l love will s+rro+nd those who tr+st in him. 11 Good people, re=oice and !e very happy in the 5.D. All yo+ who want to do right, re=oice" 33 1 .e=oice in the 5.D, good people" 3t is only right for good people to praise him. 2 6lay the lyre and praise the 5.D. 6lay the tenDstringed harp for him. 3 Sing a new song to him. 6lay it well and sing it lo+d" # The 5.D@S word is tr+e, and he is faithf+l in everything he does. 6salms 33.%*1# #( % $e loves goodness and =+stice. The 5.D@S faithf+l love fills the earth. & The 5.D spoke the command, and the world was made. The !reath from his mo+th created everything in the heavens. ' $e gathered together the water of the sea. $e p+t the ocean in its place. ( -veryone on earth sho+ld fear and respect the 5.D. All the people in the world sho+ld fear him, ) !eca+se when he speaks, things happen. And if he says, Stop"then it stops. 1, The 5.D can r+in every decision the nations make. $e can spoil all their plans. 11 <+t the 5.D@S decisions are good -asy To .ead /ersion

forever. $is plans are good for generation after generation. 12 Great !lessings !elong to those who have the 5.D as their God" $e chose them to !e his own special people. 13 The 5.D looked down from heaven and saw all the people. 1# 2rom his high throne he looked down at all the people living on earth. 6salms 33.1%*3#.3 #) 1% $e created every persons mind, and he knows what each one is doing. 1& A king is not saved !y the power of his army. A soldier does not s+rvive !y his own great strength. 1' $orses dont really !ring victory in war. Their strength cannot help yo+ escape. 1( The 5.D watches over his followers, those who wait for him to show his faithf+l love. 1) $e saves them from death. $e gives them strength when they are h+ngry. 2, So we will wait for the 5.D. $e helps +s and protects +s. 21 $e makes +s happy. >e tr+st his holy name. 22 5.D, we worship yo+, so show yo+r great love for +s. 34 1 3 will praise the 5.D at all times. 3 will never stop singing his praises. 2 $+m!le people, listen and !e happy, while 3 !rag a!o+t the 5.D. 3 6raise the 5.D with me. et +s honor his name. 6salms 3#.#*13 %, # 3 went to the 5.D for help, and he listened. $e saved me from all that 3 fear. % 3f yo+ look to him for help, he will p+t a smile on yo+r face. ;o+ will have no need to !e ashamed. & As a poor, helpless man 3 prayed to the 5.D, and he heard me. $e saved me from all my tro+!les. ' The 5.D@S angel !+ilds a camp aro+nd his followers, and he protects them. ( Give the 5.D a chance to show yo+ pag. &1'0131#

how good he is. Great !lessings !elong to those who depend on him" ) The 5.D@S holy people sho+ld fear and respect him. Those who respect him will always have what they need. 1, -ven strong lions get weak and h+ngry, !+t those who go to the 5.D for help will have every good thing. 11 9hildren, come and listen to meF 3 will teach yo+ to respect the 5.D. 12 Do yo+ want to en=oy life? Do yo+ want to have many happy days? 13 Then avoid saying anything h+rtf+l, and never let a lie come o+t of yo+r mo+th. 6salms 3#.1#*3%.1 %1 1# Stop doing anything evil, and do good. ook for peace, and do all yo+ can to help people live peacef+lly. 1% The 5.D watches over those who do what is right, and he hears their prayers. 1& <+t the 5.D is against those who do evil, so they are forgotten soon after they die. 1' 6ray to the 5.D, and he will hear yo+. $e will save yo+ from all yo+r tro+!les. 1( The 5.D is close to those who have s+ffered disappointment. $e saves those who are disco+raged. 1) Good people might have many pro!lems, !+t the 5.D will take them all away. 2, $e will protect them completely. 1ot one of their !ones will !e !roken. 21 <+t tro+!les will kill the wicked. The enemies of those who live right will all !e p+nished. 22 The 5.D saves his servants. All who go to him for protection will escape p+nishment. 35 1 5.D, oppose those who oppose me. 2ight those who fight me. 6salms 3%.2*1, %2 2 6ick +p yo+r shields, large and small. Get +p and help me" 3 Take a spear and =avelin and fight those who are chasing me. Tell me, 3 will resc+e yo+. # Some people are trying to kill me. -asy To .ead /ersion

Disappoint them and make them ashamed. Aake them t+rn and r+n away. They are planning to h+rt me. Defeat and em!arrass them. % Aake them like chaff !lown !y the wind. et them !e chased !y the angel of the 5.D. & Aake their road dark and slippery. et the angel of the 5.D chase them. ' 3 did nothing wrong, !+t they tried to trap me. 2or no reason at all, they d+g a pit to catch me. ( So let them fall into their own traps. et them st+m!le into their own nets. et some +nknown danger catch them. ) Then 3 will re=oice in the 5.D. 3 will !e happy when he saves me. 1, >ith my whole self 3 will say, 5.D, there is no one like yo+. ;o+ protect the poor from those who are stronger. ;o+ save the poor and helpless from those who try to ro! them. 6salms 3%.11*1( %3 11 There are witnesses trying to harm me. They ask me J+estions that 3 know nothing a!o+t. 12 They pay me !ack evil for the good 3 have done. They make me so very sad. 13 >hen they were sick, 3 was sad and wore sackcloth. 3 went witho+t eating to show my sorrow. And when my prayers for them were not answered, 1# 3 mo+rned for them as 3 wo+ld for a friend or a !rother. 3 !owed low in sadness, crying as 3 wo+ld for my own mother. 1% <+t when 3 had tro+!les, they la+ghed at me. They were not really friends. 3 was s+rro+nded and attacked !y people 3 didnt even know. 1& They made f+n of me, +sing the worst lang+age. They gro+nd their teeth to show their anger. 1' Ay ord, how long will yo+ watch this happen? Save my life from these people who are attacking me like lions and trying to destroy me. 1( 3 will praise yo+ in the great assem!ly. 3 will praise yo+ there among the crowds. pag. &1(0131#

6salms 3%.1)*2' %# 1) Dont let my lying enemies keep on la+ghing at me. They have no reason to hate me. S+rely they will !e p+nished for their secret plans. 2, They have no friendly words for others, !+t plan ways to h+rt those who want to live in peace. 21 They are telling lies a!o+t me. They say, Aha" >e know what yo+ did" 22 5.D, s+rely yo+ can see what is happening. So dont keep J+iet. ord, dont leave me. 23 >ake +p" Get +p" Ay God and my ord, fight for me, and !ring me =+stice. 2# 5.D my God, =+dge me with yo+r fairness. Dont let those people la+gh at me. 2% Dont let them think, Aha" >e got what we wanted" Dont let them say, >e destroyed him" 2& et my enemies !e ashamed and em!arrassed all those who were happy a!o+t my tro+!les. 6ro+d of themselves, they treated me as worthless. So let them !e covered with shame and disgrace. 2' To those who want the !est for me, 3 wish them =oy and happiness. Aay they 6salms 3%.2(*3&.' %% always say, 6raise the 5.D, who wants what is !est for his servant. 2( So, ord, 3 will tell people how good yo+ are. 3 will praise yo+ all day long. 36 1 Deep in the hearts of the wicked a voice tells them to do wrong. They have no respect for God. 2 They lie to themselves. They dont see their own fa+lts, so they are not sorry for what they do. 3 Their words are wicked lies. They have stopped doing anything wise or good. # They make wicked plans in !ed at night. They choose a way of life that does no good. And they never say no to anything evil. % 5.D, yo+r faithf+l love reaches to the sky. ;o+r faithf+lness is as high as the clo+ds. & ;o+r goodness is higher than the -asy To .ead /ersion

highest mo+ntains. ;o+r fairness is deeper than the deepest ocean. 5.D, yo+ protect people and animals. ' 1othing is more precio+s than yo+r loving kindness. All people can find protection close to yo+. 6salms 3&.(*3'.& %& ( They get strength from all the good things in yo+r ho+se. ;o+ let them drink from yo+r wonderf+l river. ) The fo+ntain of life flows from yo+. ;o+r light lets +s see light. 1, 9ontin+e to love those who really know yo+, and do good to those who are tr+e to yo+. 11 Dont let pro+d people trap me. Dont let the wicked force me to r+n away. 12 6+t this on their grave markers: $ere fell the wicked. They were cr+shed. They will never stand +p again. 37 1 Dont get +pset a!o+t evil people. Dont !e =ealo+s of those who do wrong. 2 They are like grass and other green plants that dry +p J+ickly and then die. 3 So tr+st in the 5.D and do good. ive on yo+r land and !e dependa!le. # -n=oy serving the 5.D, and he will give yo+ whatever yo+ ask for. % Depend on the 5.D. Tr+st in him, and he will help yo+. & $e will make it as clear as day that yo+ are right. -veryone will see that yo+ are !eing fair. 6salms 3'.'*1' %' ' Tr+st in the 5.D and wait J+ietly for his help. Dont !e angry when people make evil plans and s+cceed. ( Dont !ecome so angry and +pset that yo+, too, want to do evil. ) The wicked will !e destroyed, !+t those who call to the 5.D for help will get the land he promised. 1, 3n a short time there will !e no more evil people. ;o+ can look for them all yo+ want, !+t they will !e gone. 11 $+m!le people will get the land God promised, and they will en=oy peace. 12 The wicked plan !ad things for those who are good. They show their teeth in pag. &1)0131#

anger at them. 13 <+t o+r ord will la+gh at them. $e will make s+re they get what they deserve. 1# The wicked draw their swords to kill the poor and the helpless. They aim their arrows to m+rder all who live right. 1% <+t their !ows will !reak, and their swords will pierce their own hearts. 1& A few good people are !etter than a large crowd of those who are evil. 1' The wicked will !e destroyed, !+t the 5.D cares for those who are good. 6salms 3'.1(*2& %( 1( The 5.D protects p+re people all their life. Their reward will last forever. 1) >hen tro+!le comes, good people will not !e destroyed. >hen times of h+nger come, good people will have plenty to eat. 2, <+t evil people are the 5.D@S enemies, and they will !e destroyed. Their valleys will dry +p and !+rn. They will !e destroyed completely. 21 The wicked !orrow money and never pay it !ack. <+t good people are kind and genero+s. 22 -veryone the ord !lesses will get the land he promised. -veryone he c+rses will !e destroyed. 23 The 5.D shows +s how we sho+ld live, and he is pleased when he sees people living that way. 2# 3f they st+m!le, they will not fall, !eca+se the 5.D reaches o+t to steady them. 2% 3 was yo+ng, and now 3 am old, !+t 3 have never seen good people left with no one to help themF 3 have never seen their children !egging for food. 2& They are kind and genero+s, and their children are a !lessing. 6salms 3'.2'*3' %) 2' Stop doing anything evil and do good, and yo+ will always have a place to live. 2( The 5.D loves what is right, and he will never leave his followers witho+t help. $e will always protect them, !+t he will destroy the families of the wicked. 2) Good people will get the land God -asy To .ead /ersion

promised and will live on it forever. 3, Those who do what is right give good advice. Their decisions are always fair. 31 They have learned Gods teachings, and they will never stop living right. 32 The wicked are always looking for ways to kill good people. 33 <+t the 5.D will not let the wicked defeat them. $e will not let good people !e =+dged g+ilty. 3# Do what the 5.D says, and wait for his help. $e will reward yo+ and give yo+ the land he promised. ;o+ will see the wicked !eing forced to leave. 3% 3 once saw a wicked man who was powerf+l. $e was like a strong, healthy tree. 3& <+t then he was gone. 3 looked for him, !+t 3 co+ld not find him. 3' <e p+re and honest. 6eace loving people will have many descendants. 6salms 3'.3(*3(.( &, 3( <+t those who !reak the law will !e destroyed completely. And their descendants will !e forced to leave the land. 3) The 5.D saves those who are good. >hen they have tro+!les, he is their strength. #, The 5.D helps good people and resc+es them. They depend on him, so he resc+es them from the wicked. 38 1 5.D, dont criticiEe me when yo+ are angry. Dont discipline me in anger. 2 ;o+ have h+rt me. ;o+ p+nished me and h+rt me deeply. 3 ;o+ p+nished me severely, so my whole !ody is sore. 3 sinned, and now all my !ones h+rt. # Ay g+ilt is like a heavy !+rden. 3 am sinking !eneath its weight. % 3 did a foolish thing, and now 3 have infected sores that stink. & 3 am !ent and !owed down. 3 am depressed all day long. ' 3 am !+rning with fever, and my whole !ody h+rts. ( 3 h+rt so m+ch 3 cannot feel anything. Ay po+nding heart makes me scream" pag. &2,0131#

6salms 3(.)*1) &1 ) Ay ord, yo+ heard my groaning. ;o+ can hear my sighs. 1, Ay heart is po+nding. Ay strength is gone, and 3 am going !lind. 11 <eca+se of my sickness, my friends and neigh!ors will not visit meF my family will not come near me. 12 Ay enemies say !ad things a!o+t me. They are spreading lies and r+mors. They talk a!o+t me all the time. 13 <+t 3 am like a deaf man and cannot hear. 3 am like someone who cannot speak. 1# 3 am like those who cannot hear what people are saying a!o+t them. 3 cannot answer to prove my enemies wrong. 1% 5.D, yo+ m+st defend me. ord my God, yo+ m+st speak for me. 1& Thats why 3 prayed, Dont let my enemies smile at my pain. 2+ll of pride, they will la+gh if 3 st+m!le and fall. 1' 3 know 3 am g+ilty of doing wrong. 3 cannot forget my pain. 1( ord, 3 told yo+ a!o+t the evil 3 have done. 3 am sorry for my sin. 1) <+t my enemies are alive and healthy, and they have told many lies. 6salms 3(.2,*3).& &2 2, 3 did nothing !+t good, and they paid me !ack with evil. 3 try to do what is right, !+t that only makes them t+rn against me. 21 5.D, dont leave me. Ay God, stay close to me. 22 9ome J+ickly and help me. Ay ord, yo+ are the one who saves me. 39 1 3 said, 3 will !e caref+l a!o+t what 3 say. 3 will not let my tong+e ca+se me to sin. 3 will keep my mo+th closed when 3 am aro+nd wicked people. 2 So 3 didnt say anything. 3 didnt even say anything good, !+t 3 !ecame even more +pset. 3 3 was very angry, and the more 3 tho+ght a!o+t it, the angrier 3 !ecame. So 3 said something. # 5.D, tell me, what will happen to me now? Tell me, how long will 3 live? et -asy To .ead /ersion

me know how short my life really is. % ;o+ gave me only a short life. 9ompared to yo+, my whole life is nothing. The life of every h+man is like a clo+d that J+ickly disappears. Selah & 5+r life is like an image in a mirror. >e r+sh thro+gh life collecting things, !+t 6salms 3).'*#,.2 &3 we dont know who will get them after we die. ' So, ord, what hope do 3 have? ;o+ are my hope" ( Save me from the !ad things 3 did. Dont let me !e treated like a fool. ) 3 will not open my mo+th. 3 will not say anything. ;o+ did what sho+ld have !een done. 1, <+t please stop p+nishing me. ;o+ will destroy me if yo+ do not stop. 11 ;o+ p+nish people for doing wrong to teach them the right way to live. As a moth destroys cloth, yo+ destroy what people love. ;es, o+r lives are like a small clo+d that J+ickly disappears. Selah 12 5.D, hear my prayer" isten to the words 3 cry to yo+. ook at my tears. 3 am only a traveler passing thro+gh this life with yo+. ike all my ancestors, 3 will live here only a short time. 13 eave me alone and let me !e happy !efore 3 am dead and gone. 40 1 3 called to the 5.D, and he heard me. $e heard my cries. 2 $e lifted me o+t of the grave. $e lifted me from that m+ddy place. $e picked 6salms #,.3*) &# me +p, p+t me on solid gro+nd, and kept my feet from slipping. 3 $e p+t a new song in my mo+th, a song of praise to o+r God. Aany will see what he did and worship him. They will p+t their tr+st in the 5.D. # Great !lessings !elong to those who tr+st in the 5.D, for those who do not t+rn to demons and false gods for help. % 5.D my God, yo+ have done many amaEing things" ;o+ have made great plans for +stoo many to list. 3 co+ld talk on and on a!o+t them, !eca+se there pag. &210131#

are too many to co+nt. & ord, yo+ made me +nderstand this: ;o+ dont really want sacrifices and grain offerings. ;o+ dont want !+rnt offerings and sin offerings. ' So 3 said, $ere 3 am, ready to do what was written a!o+t me in the !ook. ( Ay God, 3 am happy to do whatever yo+ want. 3 never stop thinking a!o+t yo+r teachings. ) 3 told the good news of victory to the people in the great assem!ly. And, 5.D, yo+ know that 3 will never stop telling that good news. 6salms #,.1,*1' &% 1, 3 told a!o+t the good things yo+ did. 3 did not hide these things in my heart. 3 spoke of how yo+ can !e tr+sted to save +s. 3 did not hide yo+r love and loyalty from those in the great assem!ly. 11 5.D, do not hide yo+r mercy from me. et yo+r love and loyalty always protect me. 12 Tro+!les have s+rro+nded me. They are too many to co+nt" Ay sins have ca+ght me, and 3 cannot escape them. They are more than the hairs on my head. 3 have lost my co+rage. 13 6lease, 5.D, resc+e me" 5.D, h+rry and help me" 1# 6eople are trying to kill me. 6lease disappoint them. $+miliate them completely" They wanted to h+rt me. Aake them r+n away in shame" 1% Aay those who make f+n of me !e too em!arrassed to speak" 1& <+t may those who come to yo+ !e happy and re=oice. Aay those who love !eing saved !y yo+ always !e a!le to say, 6raise the 5.D" 1' Ay ord, 3 am only a poor, helpless man, !+t please pay attention to me. 6salms #1.1*( && ;o+ are my helper, the one who can save me. Ay God, dont !e too late. 41 1 Those who help the poor s+cceed will get many !lessings. >hen tro+!le comes, the 5.D will save them. 2 The 5.D will protect them and save their lives. $e will !less them in this -asy To .ead /ersion

land. $e will not let their enemies harm them. 3 >hen they are sick in !ed, the 5.D will give them strength and make them well" # 3 say, 5.D, !e kind to me. 3 sinned against yo+, !+t forgive me and make me well. % Ay enemies say !ad things a!o+t me. They ask, >hen will he die and !e forgotten? & 3f they come to see me, they dont say what they are really thinking. They come to gather a little gossip and then go to spread their r+mors. ' Those who hate me whisper a!o+t me. They think the worst a!o+t me. ( They say, $e did something wrong. That is why he is sick. $e will never get well. 6salms #1.)*#2.# &' ) Ay !est friend, the one 3 tr+sted, the one who ate with meeven he has t+rned against me. 1, 5.D, please !e kind to me. et me get +p, and 3 will pay them !ack. 11 Dont let my enemy defeat me. Then 3 will know that yo+ care for me. 12 3 was innocent and yo+ s+pported me. ;o+ let me stand and serve yo+ forever. 13 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael. $e always was, and he always will !e. Amen and Amen" 42 1 ike a deer drinking from a stream, 3 reach o+t to yo+, my God. 2 Ay so+l thirsts for the living God. >hen can 3 go to meet with him? 3 3nstead of food, 3 have only tears day and night, as my enemies la+gh at me and say, >here is yo+r God? # Ay heart !reaks as 3 remem!er the pleasant times in the past, when 3 walked with the crowds as 3 led them +p to Gods Temple. 3 remem!er the happy songs of praise as they cele!rated the festival. 6salms #2.%*11 &( % >hy am 3 so sad? >hy am 3 so +pset? pag. &220131#

3 tell myself, >ait for Gods help" ;o+ will again !e a!le to praise him, yo+r God, the one who will save yo+. 3n my sadness 3 say, 3 will remem!er yo+ from here on this small hill, where Ao+nt $ermon and the Cordan .iver meet. & 7#2:%8 ' 3 hear the roar of the water coming from deep within the earth. 3t sho+ts to the water !elow as it t+m!les down the waterfall. God, yo+r waves come one after another, crashing all aro+nd and over me. ( <y day the 5.D shows his faithf+l love, and at night 3 have a song for hima prayer for the God of my life. ) 3 say to God, my .ock, >hy have yo+ forgotten me? >hy m+st 3 s+ffer this sadness that my enemies have !ro+ght me? 1, Their constant ins+lts are killing me. They never stop asking, >here is yo+r God? 11 >hy am 3 so sad? >hy am 3 so +pset? 3 tell myself, >ait for Gods help" ;o+ will again !e a!le to praise him, yo+r God, the one who will save yo+. 6salms #3.1*##.2 &) 43 1 Defend me, God. Arg+e my case against those people who dont know yo+. 6rotect me from those evil liars. 2 God, yo+ are my place of safety. >hy have yo+ t+rned me away? >hy m+st 3 s+ffer this sadness that my enemies have !ro+ght me? 3 Send yo+r light and yo+r tr+th to g+ide me, to lead me to yo+r holy mo+ntain, to yo+r home. # 3 want to go to Gods altar, to the God who makes me so very happy. God, my God, 3 want to play my harp and sing praises to yo+" % >hy am 3 so sad? >hy am 3 so +pset? 3 tell myself, >ait for Gods help" ;o+ will again have a chance to praise him, yo+r God, the one who will save yo+. 44 1 God, we have heard a!o+t yo+. 5+r fathers told +s what yo+ did in their lifetime. They told +s what yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

did long ago. 2 >ith yo+r great power yo+ took this land from other people, and yo+ gave it to +s. ;o+ cr+shed those foreigners and forced them to leave this land. 6salms ##.3*12 ', 3 3t was not o+r fathers swords that took the land. 3t was not their strong arms that !ro+ght them victory. 3t was yo+r power. 3t was !eca+se yo+ accepted them and smiled down on them. # God, yo+ are my king. Give the command and lead Caco!s people to victory. % >e need yo+r help to p+sh o+r enemies !ack. 5nly in yo+r name can we trample those who attacked +s. & 3 dont p+t my tr+st in my !ow. Ay sword cannot save me. ' ;o+ are the one who saved +s from o+r enemies. ;o+ are the one who p+t o+r enemies to shame. ( >e have praised yo+ all day long, and we will praise yo+r name forever. Selah ) <+t yo+ left +s and p+t +s to shame. ;o+ did not go with +s into !attle. 1, ;o+ let o+r enemies p+sh +s !ack. ;o+ let them take o+r wealth. 11 ;o+ gave +s away like sheep to !e killed and eaten. ;o+ scattered +s among the nations. 12 ;o+ sold yo+r people for nothing. ;o+ did not even arg+e over the price. 6salms ##.13*2# '1 13 ;o+ made +s a =oke to o+r neigh!ors. They la+gh and make f+n of +s. 1# ;o+ made +s one of the stories that people love to tell. 6eople all over the world la+gh at +s and shake their heads. 1% All 3 can think a!o+t is my shame. C+st look at my face, and yo+ will see it. 1& All 3 can hear are the =okes and ins+lts of my enemies, as 3 watch them take their revenge. 1' >e have not forgotten yo+. <+t yo+ do all those things to +s. >e did not !reak the agreement yo+ gave +s. 1( >e did not t+rn away from yo+. >e did not stop following yo+. 1) <+t yo+ cr+shed +s in this home of pag. &230131#

=ackals. ;o+ left +s in this place as dark as death. 2, Did we forget the name of o+r God? Did we pray to foreign gods? 21 3f we did, then God knows it, !eca+se he knows o+r deepest secrets. 22 All day long we died for yo+. >e are like sheep !eing led away to !e killed. 23 ord, wake +p" >hy are yo+ sleeping? Get +p" Dont ignore +s forever" 2# >hy are yo+ hiding from +s? $ave yo+ forgotten o+r pain and tro+!les? 6salms ##.2%*#%.( '2 2% >e have !een p+shed down into the dirt. >e are lying face down in the d+st. 2& Get +p and help +s" .esc+e +s !eca+se of yo+r faithf+l love. 45 1 <ea+tif+l tho+ghts fill my mind as 3 speak these lines for the king. These words come from my tong+e as from the pen of a skilled writer. 2 ;o+ are more handsome than anyone, and yo+ say s+ch pleasant things. So God will always !less yo+. 3 6+t on yo+r sword, mighty warrior, so impressive in yo+r splendid +niform. # Go o+t in yo+r greatness to win the victory for what is tr+e and right. et +s see the amaEing things yo+ can do with yo+r powerf+l right arm. % ;o+r sharp arrows will go deep into the hearts of yo+r enemies, who will fall to the gro+nd in front of yo+. & God, yo+r kingdom will last forever. ;o+ +se yo+r a+thority for =+stice. ' ;o+ love what is right and hate what is wrong. So God, yo+r God, chose yo+ to !e king, giving yo+ more =oy and honor than anyone like yo+. ( 2rom yo+r clothes comes the wonderf+l smell of myrrh, aloes, and 6salms #%.)*1' '3 cassia. 3n palaces decorated with ivory, yo+ en=oy the m+sic of stringed instr+ments. ) $ere are ladies of honor, da+ghters of kings. ;o+r !ride stands at yo+r right side, wearing a gown decorated with the finest gold. 1, Ay lady, listen to me. isten caref+lly -asy To .ead /ersion

and +nderstand me. 2orget yo+r people and yo+r fathers family, 11 so that the king will !e pleased with yo+r !ea+ty. $e will !e yo+r new h+s!and, so yo+ m+st honor him. 12 6eople from Tyre will !ring yo+ gifts. Their richest people will try to win yo+r friendship. 13 The princess is so !ea+tif+l in her gown, like a pearl set in gold. 1# 9lothed in !ea+ty, she is led to the king, followed !y her !ridesmaids. 1% 2illed with =oy and e4citement, they enter into the kings palace. 1& ;o+r sons will !e kings like their ancestors. ;o+ will make them r+lers thro+gho+t the land. 1' ;o+ will !e famo+s for generations. 6eople will praise yo+ forever and ever. 6salms #&.1*1, '# 46 1 God is o+r protection and so+rce of strength. $e is always ready to help +s in times of tro+!le. 2 So we are not afraid when the earth J+akes and the mo+ntains fall into the sea. 3 >e are not afraid when the seas !ecome ro+gh and dark and the mo+ntains trem!le. Selah # There is a river whose streams !ring happiness to Gods city, to the holy city of God Aost $igh. % God is in that city, so it will never !e destroyed. $e is there to help even !efore s+nrise. & 1ations will shake with fear and kingdoms will fall when God sho+ts and makes the earth move. ' The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is with +s. The God of Caco! is o+r place of safety. Selah ( ook at the powerf+l things the 5.D has done. See the awesome things he has done on earth. ) $e stops wars all over the world. $e !reaks the soldiers !ows, shatters their spears, and !+rns their shields. 1, God says, Stop fighting and know that 3 am God" 3 am the one who defeats 6salms #&.11*#(.1 '% the nationsF 3 am the one who controls pag. &2#0131#

the world. 11 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is with +s. The God of Caco! is o+r place of safety. Selah 47 1 -veryone, clap yo+r hands. Sho+t with =oy to God" 2 The 5.D Aost $igh is awesome. $e is the great Ging over all the earth. 3 $e helped +s defeat other nations. $e p+t those people +nder o+r control. # $e chose o+r land for +s. $e chose that wonderf+l land for Caco!, the one he loved. Selah % The 5.D God goes +p to his throne at the so+nd of the tr+mpet and horn. & Sing praises to God, sing praises" Sing praises to o+r Ging, sing praises" ' God is the Ging of the whole world. Sing songs of praise" ( God sits on his holy throneF he r+les all the nations. ) The leaders of the nations have come together with the people of the God of A!raham. All the r+lers of the world !elong to God. $e is over them all" 48 1 The 5.D is great" $e is praised thro+gho+t the city of o+r God, his holy mo+ntain. 6salms #(.2*1, '& 2 $is city is s+ch a pleasant place. 3t !rings =oy to people from aro+nd the world. Ao+nt Bion is the tr+e mo+ntain of God. 3t is the city of the great Ging. 3 3n the palaces of that city, God is known as the fortress. # 5nce some kings met together and planned an attack against this city. They marched toward the city, % !+t when they saw it, they were amaEed. They all panicked and ran away. & 2ear gra!!ed themF they trem!led like a woman giving !irth. ' God, with a strong east wind, yo+ wrecked their !ig ships. ( ;es, we heard the stories a!o+t yo+r power. <+t we also saw it in the city of o+r God, the city of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. God makes that city strong forever. Selah ) God, in yo+r Temple we remem!er yo+r loving kindness. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, ;o+r name is known everywhere, God, and people thro+gho+t the earth praise yo+. ;o+ have shown that yo+ do what is right. 6salms #(.11*#).' '' 11 Ao+nt Bion is happy, and the towns of C+dah re=oice, !eca+se yo+r decisions are fair. 12 >alk aro+nd Cer+salem, and co+nt its towers. 13 ook at the tall walls, and see the palaces. Then yo+ can tell the ne4t generation a!o+t them. 1# This God is o+r God forever and ever. $e will lead +s from now to the end of time" 49 1 isten to this, all yo+ nations. 6ay attention, all yo+ people on earth. 2 -veryone, rich and poor, listen to me. 3 3 have some very wise words for yo+. Ay tho+ghts will give yo+ +nderstanding. # 3 listened to these sayings. And now, with my harp, 3 will sing and make the hidden meaning clear. % >hy sho+ld 3 !e afraid when tro+!le comes? There is no need to fear when evil enemies s+rro+nd me. & They think their wealth will protect them. They !rag a!o+t how rich they are. ' <+t no one has eno+gh to !+y !ack a life, and yo+ cannot !ri!e God. 6salms #).(*1& '( ( ;o+ will never get eno+gh money to pay for yo+r own life. ) ;o+ will never have eno+gh to !+y the right to live forever and keep yo+r !ody o+t of the grave. 1, ook, the wise die the same as fools and st+pid people. They die and leave their wealth to others. 11 The grave will !e their new home forever. And how m+ch land they owned will not make any difference. 12 6eople might !e wealthy, !+t they cannot stay here forever. They will die like the animals. 13 That is what happens to all who tr+st in themselves and to anyone who pag. &2%0131#

accepts their way of life. Selah 1# They are =+st like sheep, !+t the grave will !e their pen. Death will !e their shepherd. >hen morning comes, the good people will en=oy victory, as the !odies of the pro+d slowly rot in the grave, far away from their fancy ho+ses. 1% <+t God will pay the price to save me from the grave. $e will take me to !e with him. Selah 1& Dont !e afraid of people =+st !eca+se they are rich. Dont !e afraid of people 6salms #).1'*%,.% ') =+st !eca+se they have !ig, fancy ho+ses. 1' They will not take anything with them when they die. They will not take their wealth with them. 1( A wealthy man might tell himself how well he has done in life. And other people might praise him. 1) <+t the time will come for him to die and go to his ancestors. And he will never again see the light of day. 2, >ealthy people dont seem to +nderstand that they will die like the animals. 50 1 The 5.D God Aost 6owerf+l has spoken. $e calls to everyone on earth, from where the s+n rises to where it sets. 2 God appeared from Bion, the city of perfect !ea+ty. 3 5+r God is coming and will not keep J+iet. 2ire !+rns in front of him. There is a great storm aro+nd him. # $e tells the sky and the earth to !e witnesses as he =+dges his people. % $e says, Ay followers, gather aro+nd me. 9ome, my worshipers, who made an agreement with me. 6salms %,.&*1% (, & God is the =+dge, and the skies tell how fair he is. Selah ' God says, Ay people, listen to me" 6eople of 3srael, 3 will show my evidence against yo+. 3 am God, yo+r God. ( The pro!lem 3 have with yo+ is not yo+r sacrifices or the !+rnt offerings yo+ !ring to me everyday. -asy To .ead /ersion

) >hy wo+ld 3 want more !+lls from yo+r !arns or goats from yo+r pens? 1, 3 already own all the animals in the forest. 3 own all the animals on a tho+sand hills. 11 3 know every !ird in the mo+ntains. -verything that moves in the fields is mine. 12 3f 3 were h+ngry, 3 wo+ld not ask yo+ for food. 3 already own the world and everything in it. 13 3 dont eat the meat of !+lls or drink the !lood of goats. 1# ;o+ made promises to God Aost $igh, so give him what yo+ promised. <ring yo+r sacrifices and thank offerings. 1% God says, 9all me when tro+!le comes. 3 will help yo+, and yo+ will honor me. 6salms %,.1&*%1.1 (1 1& <+t God says to the wicked, Stop J+oting my laws" Stop talking a!o+t my agreement" 1' ;o+ hate for me to tell yo+ what to do. ;o+ ignore what 3 say. 1( ;o+ see a thief and r+n to =oin him. ;o+ =+mp into !ed with those who commit ad+ltery. 1) ;o+ say evil things and tell lies. 2, ;o+ sit aro+nd talking a!o+t people, finding fa+lt with yo+r own !rothers. 21 >hen yo+ did these things, 3 said nothing. So yo+ tho+ght that 3 was =+st like yo+. <+t 3 will not !e J+iet any longer. 3 will correct yo+ and make clear what 3 have against yo+. 22 ;o+ people who have forgotten God, +nderstand what 3 am telling yo+, or 3 will tear yo+ apart, and no one will !e a!le to save yo+" 23 >hoever gives a thank offering shows me honor. And whoever decides to live right will see my power to save. 51 1 God, !e mercif+l to me !eca+se of yo+r faithf+l love. <eca+se of yo+r great compassion, erase all the wrongs 3 have done. 6salms %1.2*12 (2 2 Scr+! away my g+ilt. >ash me clean from my sin. pag. &2&0131#

3 3 know 3 have done wrong. 3 remem!er my sin all the time. # 3 did what yo+ said is wrong. ;o+ are the one 3 have sinned against. 3 say this so that people will know that 3 am wrong and yo+ are right. >hat yo+ decided is fair. % 3 was !orn to do wrong, a sinner !efore 3 left my mothers wom!. & ;o+ want me to !e completely loyal, so p+t tr+e wisdom deep inside of me. ' .emove my sin and make me p+re. >ash me +ntil 3 am whiter than snow" ( et me hear so+nds of =oy and happiness again. et the !ones yo+ cr+shed !e happy again. ) Dont look at my sins. -rase them all. 1, God, create a p+re heart in me, and make my spirit strong again. 11 Dont p+sh me away or take yo+r $oly Spirit from me. 12 ;o+r help made me so happy. Give me that =oy again. Aake my spirit strong and ready to o!ey yo+. 6salms %1.13*%2.2 (3 13 3 will teach the g+ilty how yo+ want them to live, and the sinners will come !ack to yo+. 1# God, spare me from the p+nishment of death. Ay God, yo+ are the one who saves me" et me sing a!o+t all the good things yo+ do for me" 1% Ay ord, 3 will open my mo+th and sing yo+r praises" 1& ;o+ dont really want sacrifices, or 3 wo+ld give them to yo+. 1' The sacrifice that God wants is a h+m!le spirit. God, yo+ will not t+rn away someone who comes with a h+m!le heart and is willing to o!ey yo+. 1( God, please !e good to Bion. .e!+ild the walls of Cer+salem. 1) Then yo+ can en=oy the kind of sacrifices yo+ want. ;o+ will receive whole !+rnt offerings, and people will again offer !+lls on yo+r altar. 52 1 Great warrior, why are yo+ !ragging a!o+t the evil yo+ did? ;o+ are a disgrace to God. 2 ;o+ are nothing !+t a hired killer, -asy To .ead /ersion

making plans to h+rt people and making +p lies" 6salms %2.3*%3.2 (# 3 ;o+ love evil more than goodness. ;o+ love lies more than tr+th. Selah # ;o+ and yo+r lying tong+e love to h+rt people. % So God will r+in yo+ forever" $e will gra! yo+ and p+ll yo+ from yo+r home, like someone p+lling +p a plant !y the roots" & Good people will see this and learn to fear and respect God. They will la+gh at yo+ and say, ' ook what happened to the warrior who did not depend on God. That fool tho+ght his wealth and lies wo+ld protect him. ( <+t 3 am like a green olive tree growing in Gods Temple. 3 will tr+st Gods faithf+l love forever and ever. ) God, 3 praise yo+ forever for what yo+ have done. 3 will speak yo+r name !efore yo+r followers !eca+se it is so good" 53 1 A maskil of David. 5nly fools think there is no God. 6eople like that are evil and do terri!le things. They never do what is right. 2 God looks down from heaven to see if there is anyone who is wise, anyone who looks to him for help. 6salms %3.3*%#.# (% 3 <+t everyone has t+rned away from him. -veryone has !ecome evil. 1o one does anything good. 1o, not one person" # Those who are evil treat my people like !read to !e eaten. And they never ask for Gods help. Dont they +nderstand what they are doing? % They will !e filled with fear a fear like they have never felt !efore" 6eople of 3srael, yo+ will defeat those who attacked yo+, !eca+se God has re=ected them. And he will scatter their !ones. & 3 wish the one who lives on Ao+nt Bion wo+ld !ring victory to 3srael" >hen God makes 3srael s+ccessf+l again, the people of Caco! will !e very happyF the people of 3srael will !e glad. 54 1 God, +se yo+r power and save pag. &2'0131#

me. Hse yo+r great power to set me free. 2 God, listen to my prayer. isten to what 3 say. 3 Strangers who dont even think a!o+t God have t+rned against me. Those powerf+l men are trying to kill me. Selah # ook, my God will help me. Ay ord will s+pport me. 6salms %#.%*%%.) (& % $e will p+nish the people who t+rned against me. God, !e faithf+l to me and destroy them. & 5.D, 3 will give freewill offerings to yo+. 3 will praise yo+r good name. ' ;o+ saved me from all my tro+!les. 3 saw my enemies defeated. 55 1 God, hear my prayer. Dont ignore my cry for help. 2 6lease listen and answer me. et me speak to yo+ and tell yo+ what +psets me. 3 Ay enemies sho+t at me and threaten me. 3n their anger they attack me. They !ring tro+!les crashing down on me. # Ay heart is po+nding inside me. 3 am afraid to die. % 3 am trem!ling with fear. 3 am terrified" & 5h, 3 wish 3 had wings like a dove. 3 wo+ld fly away and find a place to rest. ' 3 wo+ld go far into the desert and stay there. Selah ( 3 wo+ld r+n away. 3 wo+ld escape from this storm of tro+!le. ) Ay ord, conf+se their words and stop their plans. 3 see so m+ch cr+elty and fighting in this city. 6salms %%.1,*1) (' 1, Day and night, in every neigh!orhood, the city is filled with evil and tro+!le. 11 There is so m+ch crime in the streets. 6eople who h+rt and cheat others are everywhere. 12 3f it were an enemy ins+lting me, 3 co+ld !ear it. 3f it were my enemies attacking me, 3 co+ld hide. 13 <+t it is yo+, the one so close to me, my companion, my good friend, who does this. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# >e +sed to share o+r secrets with each other, as we walked thro+gh the crowds together in Gods Temple. 1% 3 wish death wo+ld take my enemies !y s+rprise" 3 wish the earth wo+ld open +p and swallow them alive, !eca+se they plan s+ch terri!le things together. 1& 3 will call to God for help, and the 5.D will save me. 1' 3 speak to God morning, noon, and night. 3 tell him what +psets me, and he listens to me" 1( 3 have fo+ght in many !attles, !+t he has always resc+ed me and !ro+ght me !ack safely. 1) God, who has always r+led as king, will hear me and p+nish my enemies. 6salms %%.2,*%&.# (( Selah <+t they will never change. They dont fear and respect God. 2, This one who was once my friend now attacks his friends. $e is !reaking every promise he made. 21 $is words a!o+t peace are as smooth as !+tter, !+t he has only war on his mind. $is words are as slick as oil, !+t they c+t like a knife. 22 Give yo+r worries to the 5.D, and he will care for yo+. $e will never let those who are good !e defeated. 23 <+t, God, yo+ will send those liars and m+rderers to the grave. They will die !efore their life is half finished" As for me, 3 will p+t my tr+st in yo+. 56 1 God, people have attacked me, so !e mercif+l to me. They have !een chasing me all day, closing in to attack me. 2 Ay enemies come at me constantly. There are too many fighters to co+nt. 3 >hen 3 am afraid, 3 p+t my tr+st in yo+. # 3 tr+st God, so 3 am not afraid of what people can do to me" 3 praise God for his promise to me. 6salms %&.%*%'.1 () % Ay enemies are always twisting my words. They are always making plans against me. & They hide together and watch every pag. &2(0131#

move 3 make, hoping for some way to kill me. ' God, send them away !eca+se of the !ad things they did. Show yo+r anger and defeat those people. ( ;o+ know 3 am very +pset. ;o+ know how m+ch 3 have cried. S+rely yo+ have kept an acco+nt of all my tears. ) 3 know that when l call for help, my enemies will t+rn and r+n. 3 know that !eca+se God is with me" 1, 3 praise God for his promise. 3 praise the 5.D for his promise to me. 11 3 tr+st God, so 3 am not afraid of what people can do to me" 12 God, 3 will keep the special promises 3 made to yo+. 3 will give yo+ my thank offering. 13 ;o+ saved me from death. ;o+ kept me from !eing defeated. So 3 will serve yo+ in the light that only the living can see. 57 1 God, !e mercif+l to me. <e kind !eca+se my so+l tr+sts in yo+. 3 6salms %'.2*11 ), have come to yo+ for protection, while the tro+!le passes. 2 3 pray to God Aost $igh for help, and he takes care of me completely" 3 2rom heaven he helps me and saves me. $e will p+nish the one who attacks me. Selah God will remain loyal to me and send his love to protect me. # Ay life is in danger. Ay enemies are all aro+nd me. They are like manDeating lions, with teeth like spears or arrows and tong+es like sharp swords. % God, rise a!ove the heavens" et all the world see yo+r glory. & Ay enemies set a trap for my feet to !ring me down. They d+g a deep pit to catch me, !+t they fell into it. Selah ' God, 3 am ready, heart and so+l, to sing songs of praise. ( >ake +p, my so+l" $arps and lyres, wake +p, and lets wake the dawn" ) Ay ord, 3 will praise yo+ !efore all people. 3 will sing praises a!o+t yo+ to every nation. 1, ;o+r faithf+l love is higher than the -asy To .ead /ersion

highest clo+ds in the sky" 11 .ise a!ove the heavens, God. et all the world see yo+r glory. 6salms %(.1*1, )1 58 1 ;o+ =+dges are not !eing fair in yo+r decisions. ;o+ are not =+dging people fairly. 2 1o, yo+ only think of evil things to do. ;o+ do violent crimes in this co+ntry. 3 Those wicked people started doing wrong as soon as they were !orn. They have !een liars from !irth. # Their anger is as deadly as the poison of a snake. They sh+t their ears like a deaf co!ra % that does not listen to the m+sic of the snake charmers, no matter how well they play. & God, they are like lions. So 5.D, !reak their teeth. ' Aay they disappear like water down a drain. Aay they !e cr+shed like weeds on a path. ( Aay they !e like snails melting away as they move. Aay they !e like a !a!y !orn dead, who never saw the light of day. ) Aay they !e destroyed s+ddenly, like the thorns that are !+rned to J+ickly heat a pot. 1, Good people will !e happy when they see the wicked getting the p+nishment 6salms %(.11*%).' )2 they deserve. They will feel like soldiers walking thro+gh the !lood of their enemies" 11 Then people will say, Good people really are rewarded. ;es, there is a God =+dging the world" 59 1 God, save me from my enemies. 6rotect me from those who stand against me. 2 Save me from those who do wrong. Save me from those m+rderers. 3 ook, powerf+l men are waiting for me. 5.D, they are waiting to kill me, even tho+gh 3 did not sin or commit a crime. # 3 have done nothing wrong, !+t they are r+shing to attack me. 9ome and see pag. &2)0131#

for yo+rself" % ;o+ are the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael" Get +p and p+nish them. Dont show any mercy to those traitors. Selah & Those evil men are like dogs that come into town in the evening, growling and roaming the streets. ' isten to their threats and ins+lts. They say s+ch cr+el things, and they dont care who hears them. 6salms %).(*1& )3 ( 5.D, la+gh at them. Aake f+n of them all. ) God, my strength, 3 look to yo+ for help. ;o+ are my place of safety, high in the mo+ntains. 1, God loves me, and he will help me win. $e will help me defeat my enemies. 11 Dont =+st kill them, or my people might forget. Ay ord and 6rotector, scatter and defeat them with yo+r strength. 12 Those evil people c+rse and tell lies. 6+nish them for what they said. et their pride trap them. 13 Destroy them in yo+r anger. Destroy them completely" Then people all over the world will know that God r+les over the people of Caco!. Selah 1# Those evil men are like dogs that come into town in the evening, growling and roaming the streets. 1% They roam aro+nd looking for food, !+t even if they eat their fill, they still growl and complain. 1& <+t 3 will sing a!o+t yo+r strength. 3 will re=oice in yo+r love every morning. ;o+ have !een my place of safety, the place 3 can r+n to when tro+!les come. 6salms %).1'*&,.( )# 1' 3 will sing praises to yo+, my so+rce of strength. ;o+, God, are my place of safety. ;o+ are the God who loves me" 60 1 God, yo+ were angry with +s. ;o+ re=ected +s and destroyed o+r defenses. 6lease make +s strong again. 2 ;o+ shook the earth and split it open. 3t is falling apart like a !roken wall. 6lease p+t it !ack together. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 ;o+ have given yo+r people many tro+!les. >e are diEEy and fall down like dr+nks. # <+t yo+ have provided a flag to show yo+r faithf+l followers where to gather to escape the enemys attack. Selah % Hse yo+r great power and give +s victory" Answer o+r prayer and save the people yo+ love. & God has spoken in his Temple: 3 will win the war and re=oice in victory" 3 will divide this land among my people. 3 will give them Shechem. 3 will give them S+ccoth /alley. ' Gilead and Aanasseh will !e mine. -phraim will !e my helmet. C+dah will !e my royal scepter. ( Aoa! will !e the !owl for washing my feet. -dom will !e the slave who carries 6salms &,.)*&1.& )% my sandals. 3 will defeat the 6hilistines and sho+t in victory" ) <+t, God, it seems that yo+ have left +s" ;o+ do not go o+t with o+r army. So who will lead me into the strong, protected city? >ho will lead me into !attle against -dom? 1, 7&,:)8 11 $elp +s defeat the enemy" 1o one on earth can resc+e +s. 12 5nly God can make +s strong. 5nly God can defeat o+r enemies" 61 1 God, hear my cry for help. isten to my prayer. 2 2rom a faraway land 3 call to yo+ for help. 3 feel so weak and helpless" 9arry me to a high rock where no one can reach me. 3 ;o+ are my place of safety, a strong tower that protects me from my enemies. # 3 want to live in yo+r tent forever. 3 want to hide where yo+ can protect me. Selah % God, yo+ heard what 3 promised to give yo+, !+t everything yo+r worshipers have comes from yo+. & Give the king a long life. et him live forever" 6salms &1.'*&2.( )& ' et him r+le in yo+r presence forever. pag. &3,0131#

6rotect him with yo+r faithf+l love. ( Then 3 will praise yo+r name forever. -very day 3 will do what 3 promised. 62 1 3 m+st calm down and t+rn to GodF only he can resc+e me. 2 $e is my .ock, the only one who can save me. $e is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me. 3 $ow long will yo+ people attack me? Do yo+ all want to kill me? 3 am like a leaning wall, like a fence ready to fall. # ;o+ want only to destroy me, to !ring me down from my important position. 3t makes yo+ happy to tell lies a!o+t me. 3n p+!lic, yo+ say nice things, !+t in private, yo+ c+rse me. Selah % 3 m+st calm down and t+rn to GodF he is my only hope. & $e is my .ock, the only one who can save me. $e is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me. ' Ay victory and honor come from God. $e is the mighty .ock, where 3 am safe. ( 6eople, always p+t yo+r tr+st in God" Tell him all yo+r pro!lems. God is o+r place of safety. Selah 6salms &2.)*&3.& )' ) 6eople cannot really help. ;o+ cannot depend on them. 9ompared to God, they are nothing no more than a gentle p+ff of air" 1, Dont tr+st in yo+r power to take things !y force. Dont think yo+ will gain anything !y stealing. And if yo+ !ecome wealthy, dont p+t yo+r tr+st in riches. 11 God says there is one thing yo+ can really depend on, and 3 !elieve it: Strength comes from God" 12 Ay ord, yo+r love is real. ;o+ reward all people for what they do. 63 1 God, yo+ are my God. 3 am searching so hard to find yo+. <ody and so+l, 3 thirst for yo+ in this dry and weary land witho+t water. 2 ;es, 3 have seen yo+ in yo+r Temple. 3 have seen yo+r strength and glory. 3 ;o+r faithf+l love is !etter than life, so my lips praise yo+. # <y my life, 3 will praise yo+. 3n yo+r name, 3 lift my hands in prayer. -asy To .ead /ersion

% >hen 3 sit down to satisfy my h+nger, my =oyf+l lips h+nger to praise yo+" & 3 remem!er yo+ while lying on my !ed. 3 think a!o+t yo+ in the middle of the night. 6salms &3.'*&#.# )( ' That is !eca+se yo+ are the one who helps me. 3t makes me happy to !e +nder yo+r protection" ( 3 stay close to yo+, and yo+ hold me with yo+r powerf+l arm. ) Those who are trying to kill me will !e destroyed. They will go down to their graves. 1, They will !e killed with swords. >ild dogs will eat their dead !odies. 11 <+t the king will !e happy with his God, and those who promised to o!ey him will praise him when he defeats those liars. 64 1 God, listen to my complaint. Save me from the terri!le threats of my enemies" 2 6rotect me from the secret plans of the wicked. $ide me from that gang of evil people. 3 They sharpen their tong+es to +se like swords. They aim their poisono+s words like arrows. # S+ddenly, from their hiding places, they let their arrows fly. They shoot to kill innocent people. 6salms &#.%*&%.3 )) % They enco+rage each other to do wrong. They talk a!o+t setting traps and say, 1o one will see them here" & 1o one will discover o+r crime. >e have the perfect plan" ;es, people can !e very tricky and hard to +nderstand. ' <+t s+ddenly, God will shoot his arrows, and those wicked people will !e hit. ( $e will +se their own words against them, and they will !e destroyed. Then everyone who sees them will shake their heads in amaEement. ) 6eople will see what God has done. They will tell other people a!o+t him. Then everyone will learn more a!o+t God. They will learn to fear and respect pag. &310131#

him. 1, Good people are happy to serve the 5.D. They depend on him to protect them. All those who want to do right will praise him" 65 1 God in Bion, we praise yo+ and give yo+ what we promised. 2 Anyone can come to yo+, and yo+ will listen to their prayers. 3 >hen o+r sins !ecome too heavy for +s, yo+ wipe them away. 6salms &%.#*1, 1,, # 5h, how wonderf+l it is to !e the people yo+ chose to come and stay in yo+r Temple. And we are so happy to have the wonderf+l things that are in yo+r Temple, yo+r holy palace. % God, yo+ answer o+r prayers and do what is right. ;o+ do amaEing things to save +s. 6eople all over the world know they can tr+st in yo+, even those who live across the sea. & ;o+ made the mo+ntains. >e see yo+r power all aro+nd +s. ' ;o+ can calm the ro+ghest seas or the nations raging aro+nd +s. ( 6eople all aro+nd the world are amaEed at the wonderf+l things yo+ do. ;o+ make all people, east and west, sing with =oy. ) ;o+ take care of the land. ;o+ water it and make it fertile. ;o+r streams are always filled with water. Thats how yo+ make the crops grow. 1, ;o+ po+r rain on the plowed fieldsF yo+ soak the fields with water. ;o+ make the gro+nd soft with rain, and yo+ make the yo+ng plants grow. 6salms &%.11*&&.' 1,1 11 ;o+ start the new year with a good harvest. ;o+ end the year with many crops. 12 The desert and hills are covered with grass. 13 The past+res are covered with sheep. The valleys are filled with grain. -verything is singing and sho+ting for =oy. 66 1 -verything on earth, sho+t with =oy to God" -asy To .ead /ersion

2 6raise his glorio+s name" $onor him with songs of praise" 3 Tell God, ;o+r works are wonderf+l" ;o+r great power makes yo+r enemies !ow down in fear !efore yo+. # et the whole world worship yo+. et everyone sing praises to yo+r name. Selah % ook at what God has done" These things amaEe +s. & $e changed the sea to dry land, and his people went across the water on foot. So lets cele!rate !eca+se of what he has done" ' $e r+les the world with his great power. $e watches people everywhere. 1o one can re!el against him. Selah 6salms &&.(*1( 1,2 ( 6eople, praise o+r God. Sing lo+d songs of praise to him. ) $e contin+es to give +s life, and he keeps +s from falling. 1, God, yo+ have tested +s, as people test silver with fire. 11 ;o+ let +s !e trapped. ;o+ p+t heavy !+rdens on +s. 12 ;o+ let o+r enemies r+n over +s. >e went thro+gh fire and water, !+t yo+ !ro+ght +s to a safe place. 13 So 3 !ring sacrifices to yo+r Temple. >hen 3 was in tro+!le, 3 asked for help and made promises to yo+. 1ow 3 am giving yo+ what 3 promised. 1# 7&&:138 1% 3 !ring my !est sheep as !+rnt offerings. 3 offer the smoke from them +p to yo+. 3 give yo+ sacrifices of !+lls and goats. Selah 1& All yo+ people who worship God, come and 3 will tell yo+ what he has done for me. 1' 3 cried o+t to him for help, and 3 praised him. 3f 3 had !een hiding sin in my heart, the ord wo+ld not have listened to me. 1( 7&&:1'8 6salms &&.1)*&(.2 1,3 1) <+t God did listen to meF he heard my prayer. 2, 6raise God" $e did not t+rn away pag. &320131#

from mehe listened to my prayer. $e contin+es to show his love to me" 67 1 God, show mercy to +s and !less +s. 6lease accept +s" Selah 2 et everyone on earth learn a!o+t yo+. et every nation see how yo+ save people. 3 Aay people praise yo+, God" Aay all people praise yo+. # Aay all nations re=oice and !e happy !eca+se yo+ =+dge people fairly. ;o+ r+le over every nation. % Aay the people praise yo+, God" Aay all people praise yo+. & God, o+r God, !less +s. et o+r land give +s a great harvest. ' Aay God !less +s, and may all people on earth fear and respect him. 68 1 God, get +p and scatter yo+r enemies" Aay all yo+r enemies r+n from yo+. 2 Aay yo+r enemies !e scattered like smoke !lown away !y the wind. Aay yo+r enemies !e destroyed like wa4 melting in a fire. 6salms &(.3*11 1,# 3 <+t let good people !e happy. et them gather !efore God and en=oy themselves together. # Sing to God" Sing praises to his name" 6repare the way for the one who rides on the clo+ds. $is name is ;A$. >orship !efore him with =oy. % God, who lives in his holy palace, is a father to orphans, and he takes care of widows. & God provides homes for those who are lonely. $e frees people from prison and makes them happy. <+t those who t+rn against him will live in the desert. ' God, yo+ led yo+r people o+t of -gypt. ;o+ marched across the desert. Selah ( The gro+nd shook and rain po+red from the sky when God, the God of 3srael, came to Sinai. ) God, yo+ sent the rain to make a tired, old land strong again. 1, ;o+r people came !ack to live there, and yo+ provided good things for the poor. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 Ay ord gave the command, and many people went to tell the good news: 6salms &(.12*2, 1,% 12 The armies of powerf+l kings ran away" At home, the women divide the things !ro+ght from the !attle. 13 Those who stayed home will share in the wealth metal doves with wings covered in silver and feathers sparkling with gold. 1# God AllD6owerf+l scattered the kings like snow falling on Ao+nt Balmon. 1% Ao+nt <ashan is a great mo+ntain with many high peaks. 1& <+t, <ashan, why are yo+ =ealo+s of Ao+nt Bion? That is where God has chosen to live. The 5.D will live there forever. 1' >ith his millions of chariots the ord came from Sinai into the holy place. 1( ;o+ went +p to yo+r high place, leading a parade of captives. ;o+ received gifts from people, even those who t+rned against yo+. The 5.D God went +p there to live. 1) 6raise the ord" -very day he helps +s with the loads we m+st carry. $e is the God who saves +s. Selah 2, $e is o+r God, the God who saves +s. Ay ord G5D saves +s from death. 6salms &(.21*2) 1,& 21 God will smash the heads of his enemies. $e will p+nish those who fight against him. 22 Ay ord said, 3f they r+n +p to <ashan or down to the depths of the sea, 3 will !ring them !ack. 23 So yo+ will march thro+gh pools of their !lood, and there will !e plenty left for yo+r dogs. 2# God, everyone can see yo+r victory parade the victory march of my God and Ging into his holy place" 2% Singers come marching in front, followed !y the m+siciansF they are s+rro+nded !y yo+ng girls playing tam!o+rines. 2& 6raise God in the meeting place. 6raise the 5.D, people of 3srael" 2' There is the smallest tri!e, <en=amin, pag. &330131#

leading them. And there comes a large gro+p of leaders from C+dah. 2ollowing them are the leaders of Be!+l+n and 1aphtali. 2( God, show +s yo+r power" Show +s the power yo+ +sed for +s in the past. 2) Gings will !ring their wealth to yo+, to yo+r Temple in Cer+salem. 6salms &(.3,*&).2 1,' 3, 6+nish the people in -gypt. They are like cattle in the marshes, like !+lls among the calves. ;o+ h+miliated them. ;o+ scattered them in war. 1ow let them come crawling to yo+, !ringing their pieces of silver. 31 Aessengers from -gypt will come !earing gifts. -thiopia will offer God their tri!+te. 32 Gings on earth, sing to God" Sing songs of praise to o+r ord" Selah 33 Sing to him who rides his chariot thro+gh the ancient skies. isten to his powerf+l voice" 3# Tell everyone how powerf+l he is" $e r+les over 3srael. $is power fills the skies. 3% God, yo+ are awesome in yo+r Temple" The God of 3srael is the one who gives strength and power to his people. 6raise God" 69 1 God, save me from all my tro+!les" The rising water has reached my neck. 2 3 have nothing to stand on. 3 am sinking down, down into the m+d. 3 am in deep water, and the waves are a!o+t to cover me. 6salms &).3*11 1,( 3 3 am getting weak from calling for help. Ay throat is sore. 3 have waited and looked for yo+r help +ntil my eyes are h+rting. # 3 have more enemies than the hairs on my head. They hate me for no reason. They try hard to destroy me. Ay enemies tell lies a!o+t me. They say 3 stole from them and they demand that 3 pay for things 3 did not steal. % God, yo+ know my fa+lts. 3 cannot hide my sins from yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

& Ay ord G5D AllD6owerf+l, dont let me em!arrass yo+r followers. God of 3srael, dont let me !ring disgrace to those who worship yo+. ' Ay face is covered with shame. 3 carry this shame for yo+. ( Ay own !rothers treat me like a stranger. They act as if 3 came from a foreign land. ) Ay strong devotion to yo+r Temple is destroying me. Those who ins+lt yo+ are also ins+lting me. 1, >hen 3 spend time crying and fasting, they make f+n of me. 11 >hen 3 wear sackcloth to show my sorrow, they tell =okes a!o+t me. 6salms &).12*2, 1,) 12 They talk a!o+t me in p+!lic places. The !eer drinkers make +p songs a!o+t me. 13 As for me, 5.D, this is my prayer to yo+: 6lease accept me" God, 3 want yo+ to answer me with love. 3 know 3 can tr+st yo+ to save me. 1# 6+ll me from the m+d, and dont let me sink down deeper. Save me from those who hate me. Save me from this deep water. 1% Dont let the waves drown me. Dont let the deep sea swallow me or the grave close its mo+th on me. 1& Answer me, 5.D, from the goodness of yo+r faithf+l love. 5+t of yo+r great kindness t+rn to me and help me" 1' Dont t+rn away from yo+r servant. 3 am in tro+!le, so h+rry and help me" 1( 9ome save my so+l. .esc+e me from my enemies. 1) ;o+ know the shame 3 have s+ffered. ;o+ know all my enemies. ;o+ saw how they h+miliated me. 2, 3 feel the pain of their ins+lts. The shame makes me feel like dying" 3 wanted some sympathy, !+t there was 6salms &).21*31 11, none. 3 waited for someone to comfort me, !+t no one came. 21 They gave me poison, not food. They gave me vinegar, not wine. 22 Their ta!les are covered with food. pag. &3#0131#

et their fellowship meals destroy them. 23 et them go !lind and their !acks !ecome weak. 2# Show them how angry yo+ are. et them feel what yo+r anger can do. 2% Aake their homes empty. Dont let anyone live there. 2& They try to h+rt people yo+ have already p+nished. They tell everyone a!o+t the s+ffering yo+ gave them. 2' 6+nish them for the !ad things they have done. Dont show them how good yo+ can !e. 2( -rase their names from the !ook of life. Dont let their names appear on the list of those who do what is right. 2) 3 am sad and h+rting. God, lift me +p and save me" 3, 3 will praise Gods name in song. 3 will honor him !y giving him thanks. 31 The 5.D will !e happier with this than with the offering of an o4 or a f+llDgrown !+ll as a sacrifice. 6salms &).32*',.% 111 32 6oor people, yo+ came to worship God. ;o+ will !e happy to know these things. 33 The 5.D listens to poor, helpless people. $e does not t+rn away from those who are in prison. 3# 6raise him, heaven and earth" Sea and everything in it, praise him" 3% God will save Bion. $e will re!+ild the cities of C+dah. The people will settle there again and own the land. 3& The descendants of his servants will get that land. Those who love his name will live there. 70 1 6lease, God, resc+e me" 5.D, h+rry and help me" 2 6eople are trying to kill me. 6lease disappoint them. $+miliate them" They want to h+rt me. Aake them r+n away in shame. 3 Aay those who make f+n of me !e too em!arrassed to speak. # <+t may those who come to yo+ !e happy and re=oice. Aay those who love !eing saved !y yo+ always !e a!le to say, 6raise God" -asy To .ead /ersion

% 3 am only a poor, helpless man. God, please h+rry to me. ;o+ are my helper, 6salms '1.1*1, 112 the one who can save me. 5.D, dont !e too late" 71 1 5.D, 3 depend on yo+ for protection. Dont let me !e disappointed. 2 ;o+ always do what is right, so come and save me. isten to me and save me. 3 <e my .ock, my place of safety. <e my fortress, and protect me" ;o+ are my .ock and my protection. # Ay God, save me from wicked people. Save me from cr+el, evil people. % ord G5D, yo+ are my hope. 3 have tr+sted yo+ since 3 was a yo+ng !oy. & 3 depended on yo+ even !efore 3 was !orn. 3 relied on yo+ even in my mothers wom!. 3 have always prayed to yo+. ' ;o+ are my so+rce of strength, so 3 have !een an e4ample to others. ( 3 am always singing a!o+t the wonderf+l things yo+ do. ) Dont throw me away =+st !eca+se 3 am old. Dont leave me as 3 lose my strength. 1, Ay enemies make plans against me. They have met together and are making plans to kill me. 6salms '1.11*1) 113 11 They say, Go get him" God has left him, so there is no one to help him. 12 God, dont leave me" Ay God, h+rry and help me" 13 Defeat my enemies. Destroy them completely" They are trying to h+rt me. et them s+ffer shame and disgrace. 1# Then 3 will always tr+st in yo+ and praise yo+ more and more. 1% 3 will tell people how good yo+ are. 3 will tell a!o+t all the times yo+ saved me too many times to co+nt. 1& 3 will tell a!o+t yo+r greatness, my ord G5D. 3 will talk only a!o+t yo+ and yo+r goodness. 1' God, yo+ have ta+ght me since 3 was a yo+ng !oy. And to this day 3 have told people a!o+t the wonderf+l things yo+ do. pag. &3%0131#

1( 1ow that 3 am old and my hair is gray, dont leave me, God. 3 m+st tell the ne4t generation a!o+t yo+r power and greatness. 1) God, yo+r goodness reaches far a!ove the skies. ;o+ have done wonderf+l things. God, there is no one like yo+. 6salms '1.2,*'2.# 11# 2, ;o+ have let me see tro+!les and hard times, !+t yo+ will give me new lifeF yo+ will lift me +p from this pit of death" 21 ;o+ will help me do even greater things. ;o+ will comfort me again" 22 3 will play the harp and praise yo+. Ay God, 3 will sing a!o+t yo+r faithf+lness. 3 will play songs on my lyre for the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 23 3 will sho+t for =oy, singing songs of praise to yo+ for saving me. 2# Ay tong+e will sing a!o+t yo+r goodness all the time, !eca+se those who wanted to kill me have !een defeated and disgraced. 72 1 God, help the king !e like yo+ and make fair decisions. $elp the kings son know what =+stice is. 2 $elp the king =+dge yo+r people fairly. $elp him make wise decisions for yo+r poor people. 3 et there !e peace and =+stice thro+gho+t the land, known on every mo+ntain and hill. # Aay the king !e fair to the poor. Aay he help the helpless and p+nish those who h+rt them. 6salms '2.%*13 11% % Aay people always fear and respect yo+, God, as long as the s+n shines and the moon is in the sky. & $elp the king !e like rain falling on the fields, like showers falling on the land. ' et goodness grow everywhere while he is king. et peace contin+e as long as there is a moon. ( et his kingdom grow from sea to sea, from the -+phrates .iver to the faraway places on earth. ) Aay all the people living in the desert -asy To .ead /ersion

!ow down to him. Aay all his enemies !ow !efore him with their faces in the dirt. 1, Aay the kings of Tarshish and all the faraway lands !y the sea !ring gifts to him. Aay the kings of She!a and Se!a !ring their tri!+te to him. 11 Aay all kings !ow down to o+r king. Aay all nations serve him. 12 5+r king helps the poor who cry o+t to him those in need who have no one to help them. 13 $e feels sorry for all who are weak and poor. $e protects their lives. 6salms '2.1#*'3.2 11& 1# $e saves them from the cr+el people who try to h+rt them. Their lives are important to him. 1% ong live the king" et him receive gold from She!a. Always pray for the king. Ask God to !less him every day. 1& Aay the fields grow plenty of grain and the hills !e covered with crops. Aay the fields !e as fertile as e!anon, and may people fill the cities as grass covers a field. 1' Aay the king !e famo+s forever. Aay people remem!er his name as long as the s+n shines. Aay all nations !e !lessed thro+gh him, and may they all !less him. 1( 6raise the 5.D God, the God of 3srael" 5nly he can do s+ch amaEing things. 1) 6raise his glorio+s name forever" et his glory fill the whole world. Amen and Amen" 2, 7This ends the prayers of David son of Cesse.8 73 1 God is so good to 3srael, to those whose hearts are p+re. 2 <+t 3 almost slipped and lost my !alance. 3 almost fell into sin. 6salms '3.3*12 11' 3 3 saw that wicked people were s+ccessf+l, and 3 !ecame =ealo+s of those pro+d people. # They are healthy. They dont have to str+ggle to s+rvive. % They dont s+ffer like the rest of +s. pag. &3&0131#

They dont have tro+!les like other people. & So they are pro+d and hatef+l. This is as easy to see as the =ewels and fancy clothes they wear. ' 3f they see something they like, they go and take it. They do whatever they want. ( They make f+n of others and say cr+el things a!o+t them. 3n their pride they make plans to h+rt people. ) They think they are gods" They think they are the r+lers of the earth. 1, -ven Gods people t+rn to them and do what they say. 11 Those evil people say, God does not know what we are doing" God Aost $igh does not know" 12 Those pro+d people are wicked, !+t they are rich and getting richer. 6salms '3.13*22 11( 13 9learly, then, 3 gain nothing !y keeping my tho+ghts p+re" >hat good is it to keep myself from sin? 1# God, 3 s+ffer all day long, and yo+ p+nish me every morning. 1% 3 wanted to tell others these things, !+t that wo+ld have made me a traitor to yo+r people. 1& 3 tried hard to +nderstand all this, !+t it was too hard for me. 1' <+t then, God, 3 went to yo+r Temple, and 3 +nderstood what will happen to the wicked. 1( 9learly, yo+ have p+t them in danger. ;o+ make it easy for them to fall and !e destroyed. 1) Tro+!le can come s+ddenly, and they will !e r+ined. Terri!le things can happen to them, and they will !e finished. 2, Then they will !e like a dream that we forget when we wake +p. ;o+ will make them disappear like the monsters in o+r dreams. 21 3 let tho+ghts a!o+t s+ch people +pset me. 3 was always angry. 22 3 was so st+pid and ignorant. 3 was like an animal in the way 3 treated yo+. 6salms '3.23*'#.3 11) 23 <+t 3 am always with yo+. ;o+ hold -asy To .ead /ersion

my hand. 2# ;o+ lead me and give me good advice, and later yo+ will lead me to glory. 2% 3n heaven, God, 3 have only yo+. And if 3 am with yo+, what on earth co+ld 3 want? 2& Aay!e my mind and !ody will !ecome weak, !+t God is my so+rce of strength. $e is mine forever" 2' God, people who leave yo+ will !e lost. ;o+ will destroy all who are not faithf+l to yo+. 2( As for me, all 3 need is to !e close to God. 3 have made the ord G5D my place of safety. And, God, 3 will tell a!o+t all that yo+ have done. 74 1 God, why have yo+ t+rned away from +s for so long? >hy are yo+ still angry with +s, yo+r own flock? 2 .emem!er the people yo+ !o+ght so long ago. ;o+ saved +s, and we !elong to yo+. And remem!er Ao+nt Bion, the place where yo+ lived. 3 God, come walk thro+gh these ancient r+ins. 9ome !ack to the $oly 6lace that the enemy destroyed. 6salms '#.#*13 12, # The enemy sho+ted their war cries in the Temple. They p+t +p their flags there to show they had won the war. % Their soldiers attacked the doors, like workmen chopping down trees. & Hsing a4es and hatchets, they smashed the carved panels inside. ' They !+rned down yo+r $oly 6lace. 3t was !+ilt to honor yo+r name, !+t they p+lled it down to the gro+nd. ( The enemy decided to cr+sh +s completely. They !+rned every holy place in the co+ntry. ) >e do not see any of o+r signs. There are no more prophets. And no one knows how long this will last. 1, God, how m+ch longer will the enemy make f+n of +s? >ill yo+ let them ins+lt yo+r name forever? 11 >hy wont yo+ help +s? Hse yo+r power to defeat o+r enemies" 12 God, yo+ have !een o+r Ging for pag. &3'0131#

a long time. ;o+ have saved +s many times on this earth. 13 >ith yo+r great power yo+ split open the sea and !roke the heads of the sea monster. 6salms '#.1#*23 121 1# ;es, yo+ smashed the heads of eviathan and left his !ody for animals to eat. 1% ;o+ make the springs and rivers flow, and yo+ make the rivers dry +p. 1& ;o+ control the day and the night. ;o+ made the s+n and the moon. 1' ;o+ set the limits for everything on earth. And yo+ created s+mmer and winter. 1( 5.D, remem!er, the enemy ins+lted yo+" Those foolish people hate yo+r name" 1) Dont give +s like a helpless dove to those wild animals. 1ever forget yo+r poor, s+ffering people. 2, .emem!er the agreement yo+ gave +s, !eca+se violence fills every dark place in this land. 21 ;o+r people were treated !adly. Dont let them !e h+rt anymore. et yo+r poor, helpless people praise yo+. 22 God, get +p and defend yo+rself" .emem!er, those fools challenged yo+. 23 Dont forget the sho+ts of yo+r enemies. They ins+lted yo+ again and again. 6salms '%.1*1, 122 75 1 >e praise yo+, God" >e praise yo+ !eca+se yo+ are near to +s. >e tell a!o+t the amaEing things yo+ have done. 2 God says, 3 have chosen a time for =+dgment, and 3 will =+dge fairly. 3 The earth and all its people may shake, !+t 3 am the one who keeps it steady. Selah # To those who are pro+d 3 say, Stop yo+r !oasting. 3 warn the wicked, Dont !rag a!o+t how strong yo+ are. % Dont !e so s+re that yo+ will win. Dont !oast that victory is yo+rs" & There is no power on earth that can decide what will happen. -asy To .ead /ersion

' God is the =+dge. $e decides who will !e important. $e lifts one person +p and !rings another down. ( The 5.D has a c+p in his hand. 3t is filled with the poisoned wine of his anger. $e will po+r o+t this wine, and the wicked will drink it to the last drop. ) 3 will always tell people how great God is. 3 will sing praise to the God of Caco!. 1, God says, 3 will take away any power the wicked have and give it to those who are good. 6salms '&.1*1, 123 76 1 6eople in C+dah know God. 6eople in 3srael respect his name. 2 $is Temple is in Salem. $is ho+se is on Ao+nt Bion. 3 There he shattered the arrows, shields, swords, and other weapons of war. Selah # God, yo+ are glorio+s coming !ack from the hills where yo+ defeated yo+r enemies. % They tho+ght they were strong, !+t now they lie dead in the fields. Their !odies are stripped of all they owned. They co+ld not defend themselves. & The God of Caco! sho+ted at them, and their army of chariots and horses fell dead. ' God, yo+ are awesome" 1o one can stand against yo+ when yo+ are angry. ( ;o+ stood as =+dge and anno+nced yo+r decision. ;o+ saved the h+m!le people of the land. 2rom heaven yo+ gave the decision, and the whole earth was silent and afraid. ) 7'&:(8 1, -ven h+man anger can !ring yo+ honor when yo+ +se it to p+nish yo+r enemies. 6salms '&.11*''.) 12# 11 6eople, yo+ made promises to the 5.D yo+r God. 1ow give him what yo+ promised. 6eople everywhere fear and respect God, and they will !ring gifts to him. 12 God defeats great leadersF all the kings on earth fear him. 77 1 3 cry o+t to God for help. 3 cry pag. &3(0131#

o+t to yo+, GodF listen to me" 2 Ay ord, in my time of tro+!le 3 came to yo+. 3 reached o+t for yo+ all night long. Ay so+l ref+sed to !e comforted. 3 3 tho+ght a!o+t yo+, God, and tried to tell yo+ how 3 felt, !+t 3 co+ld not. Selah # ;o+ wo+ld not let me sleep. 3 tried to say something, !+t 3 was too +pset. % 3 kept thinking a!o+t the past, a!o+t things that happened long ago. & D+ring the night, 3 tho+ght a!o+t my songs. 3 talked to myself, trying to +nderstand what was happening. ' 3 wondered, $as o+r ord re=ected +s forever? >ill he ever accept +s again? ( 3s his love gone forever? >ill he never again speak to +s? ) $as God forgotten what mercy is? $as his compassion changed to anger? Selah 6salms ''.1,*1) 12% 1, Then 3 said, >hat !others me most is the tho+ght that the power of God Aost $igh is no longer there for +s. 11 5.D, 3 remem!er what yo+ have done. 3 remem!er the amaEing things yo+ did long ago. 12 3 think a!o+t those things. 3 think a!o+t them all the time. 13 God, all that yo+ do is holy. 1o god is as great as yo+ are. 1# ;o+ are the God who does amaEing things. ;o+ showed the nations yo+r great power. 1% <y yo+r power yo+ saved yo+r people, the descendants of Caco! and Coseph. Selah 1& God, the water saw yo+ and !ecame afraid. The deep water shook with fear. 1' The thick clo+ds dropped their water. Th+nder roared in the sky a!ove. ;o+r arrows of lightning flashed thro+gh the clo+ds. 1( There were lo+d claps of th+nder. ightning lit +p the world. The earth shook and trem!led. 1) ;o+ walked thro+gh the water and crossed the deep sea, !+t yo+ left no footprints. 6salms ''.2,*'(.( 12& 2, ;o+ led yo+r people like sheep, +sing -asy To .ead /ersion

Aoses and Aaron to g+ide them. 78 1 Ay people, listen to my teachings. isten to what 3 say. 2 3 will tell yo+ a story. 3 will tell yo+ a!o+t things from the past that are hard to +nderstand. 3 >e have heard the story, and we know it well. 5+r fathers told it to +s. # And we will not forget it. 5+r people will !e telling this story to the last generation. >e will all praise the 5.D and tell a!o+t the amaEing things he did. % $e made an agreement with Caco!. $e gave the law to 3srael. $e gave the commands to o+r ancestors. $e told them to teach the law to their children. & Then the ne4t generation, even the children not yet !orn, wo+ld learn the law. And they wo+ld !e a!le to teach it to their own children. ' So they wo+ld all tr+st in God, never forgetting what he had done and always o!eying his commands. ( They wo+ld not !e like their ancestors, who were st+!!orn and ref+sed to o!ey. Their hearts were not devoted to God, and they were not faithf+l to him. 6salms '(.)*1( 12' ) The men from -phraim had their weapons, !+t they ran from the !attle. 1, They did not keep their agreement with God. They ref+sed to o!ey his teachings. 11 They forgot the great things he had done and the amaEing things he had shown them. 12 >hile their ancestors watched, he showed his great power at Boan in -gypt. 13 $e split the .ed Sea and led the people across. The water stood like a solid wall on !oth sides of them. 1# -ach day God led them with the tall clo+d, and each night he led them with the light from the col+mn of fire. 1% $e split the rocks in the desert and gave them an ocean of fresh water. 1& $e !ro+ght a stream of water o+t of the rock and made it flow like a river" 1' <+t they contin+ed sinning against pag. &3)0131#

him. They re!elled against God Aost $igh in the desert. 1( Then they decided to test God !y telling him to give them the food they wanted. 6salms '(.1)*2( 12( 1) They complained a!o+t him and said, 9an God give +s food in the desert? 2, ;es, he str+ck the rock and a flood of water came o+t. <+t can he give +s !read and meat? 21 The 5.D heard what they said and !ecame angry with Caco!s people. $e was angry with 3srael, 22 !eca+se they did not tr+st in him. They did not !elieve that God co+ld save them. 23 <+t then God opened the clo+ds a!ove, and manna rained down on them for food. 3t was as if doors in the sky opened, and grain po+red down from a storeho+se in the sky. 2# 7'(:238 2% These people ate the food of angels. God sent plenty of food to satisfy them. 2& $e sent a strong wind from the east, and !y his power he made the so+th wind !low. 2' $e made J+ail fall like rain +ntil they covered the gro+nd. There were so many !irds that they were like sand on the seashore. 2( The !irds fell in the middle of the camp, all aro+nd their tents. 6salms '(.2)*3( 12) 2) The people ate +ntil they were f+ll. God had given them what they wanted. 3, <+t !efore they were f+lly satisfied, while the food was still in their mo+ths, 31 God !ecame angry and killed even the strongest of them. $e !ro+ght down 3sraels !est yo+ng men. 32 <+t the people contin+ed to sin" They did not tr+st in the amaEing things God co+ld do. 33 So he ended their worthless livesF he !ro+ght their years to a close with disaster. 3# >hen he killed some of them, the others wo+ld t+rn !ack to him. They -asy To .ead /ersion

wo+ld come r+nning !ack to God. 3% They wo+ld remem!er that God was their .ock. They wo+ld remem!er that God Aost $igh had saved them. 3& <+t they tried to fool him with their wordsF they told him lies. 3' Their hearts were not really with him. They were not faithf+l to the agreement he gave them. 3( <+t God was mercif+l. $e forgave their sins and did not destroy them. Aany times he held !ack his anger. $e never let it get o+t of control. 6salms '(.3)*#) 13, 3) $e remem!ered that they were only people, like a wind that !lows and then is gone. #, 5h, they ca+sed him so m+ch tro+!le in the desert" They made him so sad. #1 Again and again they tested his patience. They really h+rt the $oly 5ne of 3srael. #2 They forgot a!o+t his power. They forgot the many times he saved them from the enemy. #3 They forgot the miracles in -gypt, the miracles in the fields of Boan. ## God t+rned the rivers into !lood, and the -gyptians co+ld not drink the water. #% $e sent swarms of flies that !it them. $e sent the frogs that r+ined their lives. #& $e gave their crops to grasshoppers and their other plants to loc+sts. #' $e destroyed their vines with hail and their trees with sleet. #( $e killed their animals with hail and their cattle with lightning. #) $e showed the -gyptians his anger. $e sent his destroying angels against them. 6salms '(.%,*%( 131 %, $e fo+nd a way to show his anger. $e did not spare their lives. $e let them die with a deadly disease. %1 $e killed all the first!orn sons in -gypt. $e killed every first!orn in $ams family. %2 Then he led 3srael like a shepherd. $e led his people like sheep into the desert. %3 $e g+ided them safely. They had pag. &#,0131#

nothing to fear. $e drowned their enemies in the sea. %# $e led his people to his holy land, to the mo+ntain he took with his own power. %% $e forced the other nations o+t !efore them and gave each family its share of the land. $e gave each tri!e of 3srael a place to live. %& <+t they tested God Aost $igh and made him very sad. They didnt o!ey his commands. %' They t+rned against him and were +nfaithf+l =+st like their ancestors. They changed directions like a !oomerang. %( They !+ilt high places and made God angry. They !+ilt stat+es of false gods and made him =ealo+s. 6salms '(.%)*&( 132 %) God heard what they were doing and !ecame very angry. So he re=ected 3srael completely" &, $e a!andoned his place at Shiloh, the $oly Tent where he lived among the people. &1 $e let foreigners capt+re the <o4 of the Agreement, the sym!ol of his power and glory. &2 $e showed his anger against his people and let them !e killed in war. &3 Their yo+ng men were !+rned to death, and there were no wedding songs for their yo+ng women. &# Their priests were killed, !+t the widows had no time to mo+rn for them. &% 2inally, o+r ord got +p like a man waking from his sleep, like a soldier after drinking too m+ch wine. && $e forced his enemies to t+rn !ack defeated. $e !ro+ght them shame that will last forever. &' Then he re=ected Cosephs family. $e did not accept -phraims family. &( 1o, he chose the tri!e of C+dah, and he chose Ao+nt Bion, the place he loves. 6salms '(.&)*').% 133 &) $e !+ilt his holy Temple high on that mo+ntain. ike the earth, God !+ilt his Temple to last forever. ', $e chose David to !e his special -asy To .ead /ersion

servant. $e took him from the sheep pens. '1 $e took him away from the =o! of caring for sheep and gave him the =o! of caring for the descendants of Caco!3srael, his chosen people. '2 And David led them with a p+re heart and g+ided them very wisely. 79 1 God, some people from other nations came to fight yo+r people. They r+ined yo+r holy Temple. They left Cer+salem in r+ins. 2 They left the !odies of yo+r servants for the wild !irds to eat. They let wild animals eat the !odies of yo+r followers. 3 <lood flowed like water all over Cer+salem. 1o one is left to !+ry the !odies. # The co+ntries aro+nd +s ins+lt +s. The people aro+nd +s la+gh at +s and make f+n of +s. % 5.D, will yo+ !e angry with +s forever? >ill yo+r strong feelings contin+e to !+rn like a fire? 6salms ').&*(,.1 13# & T+rn yo+r anger against the nations that do not know yo+, against the people who do not honor yo+ as God. ' Those nations killed Caco!s family and destroyed their land. ( 6lease dont p+nish +s for the sins of o+r ancestors. $+rry, show +s yo+r mercy" >e need yo+ so m+ch" ) 5+r God and Savior, help +s" That will !ring glory to yo+r name. Save +s and forgive o+r sins for the good of yo+r name. 1, Dont give the other nations a reason to say, >here is their God? 9ant he help them? et +s see yo+ p+nish those people. 6+nish them for killing yo+r servants. 11 isten to the sad cries of the prisoners" Hse yo+r great power to free those who are sentenced to die. 12 6+nish the nations aro+nd +s" 6ay them !ack seven times for what they did to +s. 6+nish them for ins+lting yo+. 13 >e are yo+r people, the sheep of yo+r flock. >e will praise yo+ forever. >e pag. &#10131#

will praise yo+ forever and ever" 80 1 Shepherd of 3srael, listen to +s. ;o+ lead yo+r people like sheep. 6salms (,.2*1, 13% ;o+ sit on yo+r throne a!ove the 9her+! angels. et +s see yo+. 2 Shepherd of 3srael, show yo+r greatness to the tri!es of -phraim, <en=amin, and Aanasseh. 9ome and save yo+r people. 3 God, accept +s again. Smile down on +s and save +s" # 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, when will yo+ listen to o+r prayers? $ow long will yo+ !e angry with +s? % 3nstead of !read and water, yo+ gave yo+r people tears. & ;o+ made +s the target of everyones hatred. 5+r enemies make f+n of +s. ' God AllD6owerf+l, accept +s again. Smile down on +s and save +s" ( >hen yo+ !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt, we were like yo+r special vine. ;o+ forced other nations to leave this land, and yo+ planted that vine here. ) ;o+ prepared the gro+nd for it, and it sent its roots down deep and spread thro+gho+t the land. 1, 3t covered the mo+ntains, and its leaves shaded even the giant cedar trees. 6salms (,.11*(1.2 13& 11 3ts !ranches spread to the Aediterranean Sea, its shoots to the -+phrates .iver. 12 God, why did yo+ p+ll down the walls that protect yo+r vine? 1ow everyone who passes !y picks its grapes. 13 >ild pigs come and r+in it. >ild animals eat the leaves. 1# God AllD6owerf+l, come !ack. ook down from heaven at yo+r vine and protect it. 1% ook at the vine yo+ planted with yo+r own hands. ook at the yo+ng plant yo+ raised. 1& 5+r enemies have c+t it down and !+rned it +p. Show them how angry yo+ are and destroy them. 1' .each o+t and help yo+r chosen one. -asy To .ead /ersion

.each o+t to the people yo+ raised +p. 1( Then we will never leave yo+. et +s live, and we will worship yo+. 1) 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, accept +s again. Smile down on +s and save +s" 81 1 <e happy and sing to God, o+r strength. Sho+t with =oy to the God of Caco!. 2 <egin the m+sic. 6lay the tam!o+rines. 6lay the pleasant harps and lyres. 6salms (1.3*12 13' 3 <low the rams horn at the time of the new moon and at the time of the f+ll moon, when o+r festival !egins. # This is the law for the people of 3srael. The God of Caco! gave the command. % God made this agreement with Cosephs people, when he led them o+t of -gypt. 3n a lang+age we didnt +nderstand, God said, & 3 took the load from yo+r sho+lder. 3 let yo+ drop the workers !asket. ' >hen yo+ were in tro+!le, yo+ called for help, and 3 set yo+ free. 3 was hidden in the storm clo+ds, and 3 answered yo+. 3 tested yo+ !y the water at Aeri!ah. Selah ( Ay people, 3 am warning yo+. 3srael, listen to me" ) Dont worship any of the false gods that the foreigners worship. 1, 3, the 5.D, am yo+r God. 3 !ro+ght yo+ o+t of -gypt. 3srael, open yo+r mo+th, and 3 will feed yo+. 11 <+t my people did not listen to me. 3srael did not o!ey me. 12 So 3 let them go their own st+!!orn way and do whatever they wanted. 6salms (1.13*(2.& 13( 13 3f my people wo+ld listen to me and wo+ld live the way 3 want, 1# then 3 wo+ld defeat their enemies. 3 wo+ld p+nish those who ca+se them tro+!le. 1% Those who hate the 5.D wo+ld shake with fear. They wo+ld !e p+nished forever. 1& 3 wo+ld give the !est wheat to my people. 3 wo+ld give them the p+rest honey, +ntil they were satisfied. pag. &#20131#

82 1 God stands in the assem!ly of the gods. $e stands as =+dge among the =+dges. 2 $e says, $ow long will yo+ =+dge +nfairly and show special favors to the wicked? Selah 3 Defend the poor and orphans. 6rotect the rights of the poor. # $elp those who are poor and helpless. Save them from those who are evil. % They dont know what is happening. They dont +nderstand" They dont know what they are doing. Their world is falling down aro+nd them" & 3, God Aost $igh, say, ;o+ are gods, my own sons. 6salms (2.'*(3.( 13) ' <+t yo+ will die as all people m+st die. ;o+r life will end like that of any r+ler. ( Get +p, God" ;o+ !e the =+dge" ;o+ !e the leader over all the nations" 83 1 God, dont keep J+iet" Dont close yo+r ears" 6lease say something, God. 2 ;o+r enemies are getting ready to do something. Those who hate yo+ will soon attack. 3 They are making secret plans against yo+r people. ;o+r enemies are disc+ssing plans against the people yo+ love. # They say, 9ome, let +s destroy them completely. Then no one will ever again remem!er the name 3srael. % God, they have all =oined together. They have +nited against yo+. & Their army incl+des the -domites, 3shmaelites, Aoa!ites, and $agars descendants, the people of <y!los, Ammon, and Amalek, the 6hilistines, and the people of Tyre. ' 7(3:&8 ( -ven the Assyrians have =oined them. They have made ots descendants very powerf+l. Selah 6salms (3.)*(#.1 1#, ) God, defeat them =+st as yo+ defeated Aidian. Do what yo+ did to Sisera and Ca!in at the Gishon .iver. 1, ;o+ destroyed the enemy at -ndor, and their !odies rotted on the gro+nd. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 6+nish their leaders as yo+ did 5re! and Bee!. Do what yo+ did to Be!ah and Balm+nna. 12 They said, ets make this land o+r own these fields of grass that !elong to God" 13 Aake them like weeds !lown !y the wind. Scatter them the way wind scatters straw. 1# <e like a fire that destroys a forest or like a flame that sets the hills on fire. 1% 9hase them away with yo+r !lasts of windF frighten them with yo+r storms. 1& 5.D, cover them with shame +ntil they come to yo+ for help. 1' Aay they !e forever ashamed and afraid. Disgrace and defeat them. 1( Then they will know that yo+r name is ;A$>-$ that yo+ alone are the 5.D. They will know that yo+ are God Aost $igh, r+ler over all the earth" 84 1 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the place where yo+ live is so !ea+tif+l" 6salms (#.2*1, 1#1 2 5.D, 3 cannot wait to enter yo+r Temple. 3 am so e4cited" -very part of me cries o+t to !e with the iving God. 3 5.D AllD6owerf+l, my Ging, my God, even the !irds have fo+nd a home in yo+r Temple. They make their nests near yo+r altar, and there they have their !a!ies. # Great !lessings !elong to those who live at yo+r Temple" They contin+e to praise yo+. Selah % Great !lessings !elong to those who depend on yo+ for strength" Their hearts desire is to make the trip to yo+r Temple. & They travel thro+gh <aca /alley, which God has made into a place of springs. A+t+mn rains form pools of water there. ' The people travel from town to town on their way to Bion, where they will meet with God. ( 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, listen to my prayer. God of Caco!, listen to me. Selah ) God, watch over the king, o+r protector. <e kind to him, the one yo+ have chosen. 1, 5ne day in yo+r Temple is !etter than pag. &#30131#

a tho+sand days anywhere else. Serving as a g+ard at the gate of my Gods ho+se 6salms (#.11*(%.( 1#2 is !etter than living in the homes of the wicked. 11 The 5.D God is o+r protector and glorio+s king. $e !lesses +s with kindness and honor. The 5.D freely gives every good thing to those who do what is right. 12 5.D AllD6owerf+l, great !lessings !elong to those who tr+st in yo+" 85 1 5.D, yo+ have !een so kind to yo+r land. ;o+ have !ro+ght s+ccess again to the people of Caco!. 2 ;o+ have forgiven the !ad things yo+r people did. ;o+ have taken away the g+ilt of their sins" Selah 3 ;o+ stopped !eing angry with them. ;o+r terri!le anger has gone away. # 5+r God and Savior, accept +s again. Dont !e angry with +s anymore. % >ill yo+ !e angry with +s forever? >ill yo+r anger reach to o+r children and to their children? & 6lease, give +s new life" Aake yo+r people happy to !e yo+rs. ' 5.D, save +s and show +s yo+r love. ( 3 heard what the 5.D God said. $e said there wo+ld !e peace for his people 6salms (%.)*(&.% 1#3 and his loyal followers. So they m+st not go !ack to their foolish way of living. ) $e will soon save his faithf+l followers. $is glory will again live in o+r land. 1, Gods love will come together with his faithf+l people. Goodness and peace will greet them with a kiss. 11 6eople on earth will !e loyal to God, and God in heaven will !e good to them. 12 The 5.D will give +s many good things. The gro+nd will grow many good crops. 13 Goodness will go !efore the ord and prepare the way for him. 86 1 3 am a poor, helpless man. 5.D, please listen to me and answer my prayer" 2 3 am yo+r follower, so please protect me. 3 am yo+r servant, and yo+ are my -asy To .ead /ersion

God. 3 tr+st in yo+, so save me. 3 Ay ord, !e kind to me. 3 have !een praying to yo+ all day. # Ay ord, 3 p+t my life in yo+r hands. 3 am yo+r servant, so make me happy. % Ay ord, yo+ are good and mercif+l. ;o+ love all those who call to yo+ for help. 6salms (&.&*1& 1## & 5.D, hear my prayer. isten to my cry for mercy. ' 3 am praying to yo+ in my time of tro+!le. 3 know yo+ will answer me. ( Ay ord, there is no God like yo+. 1o one can do what yo+ have done. ) Ay ord, yo+ made everyone. 3 wish they all wo+ld come worship yo+ and honor yo+r name. 1, ;o+ are great and do amaEing things. ;o+ and yo+ alone are God. 11 5.D, teach me yo+r ways, and 3 will live and o!ey yo+r tr+ths. $elp me make worshiping yo+r name the most important thing in my life. 12 Ay ord God, 3 praise yo+ with all my heart. 3 will honor yo+r name forever" 13 ;o+ have s+ch great love for me. ;o+ save me from the place of death. 1# 6ro+d people are attacking me, God. A gang of cr+el men is trying to kill me. They dont respect yo+. 1% Ay ord, yo+ are a kind and mercif+l God. ;o+ are patient, loyal, and f+ll of love. 1& Show that yo+ hear me and !e kind to me. 3 am yo+r servant, so give me 6salms (&.1'*((.2 1#% strength. 3 am yo+r slave, as my mother was, so save me" 1' 5.D, show me a sign that yo+ care for me. Ay enemies will see it and !e disappointed, !eca+se yo+ helped and comforted me. 87 1 The 5.D !+ilt his city on the holy hills. $e loves the gates of Bion more than any other place in 3srael. 2 7(':18 3 >onderf+l things are said a!o+t yo+, 9ity of God. Selah # God says, Some of my people live in pag. &##0131#

-gypt and <a!ylon. Some of them were !orn in 6hilistia, Tyre, and even -thiopia. % <+t a!o+t Bion he says, 3 know each and every person !orn there. 3t is the city !+ilt !y God Aost $igh. & The 5.D keeps a list of all his people, and he knows where each of them was !orn. Selah ' At the festivals, people will dance and sing, All good things come from Bion. 88 1 5.D God, yo+ are my Savior. 3 have !een praying to yo+ day and night. 2 6lease pay attention to my prayers. isten to my prayers for mercy. 6salms ((.3*12 1#& 3 Ay so+l has had eno+gh of this pain" 3 am ready to die. # 6eople already treat me like a dead man, like someone too weak to live. % ook for me among the dead, like a !ody in the grave. 3 am one of those yo+ have forgotten, c+t off from yo+ and yo+r care. & ;o+ p+t me in that hole in the gro+nd. ;es, yo+ p+t me in that dark place. ' ;o+r anger presses down on me like a heavy weight. 3ts like one wave after another po+nding against me. Selah ( ;o+ made my friends leave me. They all avoid me like someone no one wants to to+ch. ike a prisoner in my ho+se, 3 cannot go o+t. ) Ay eyes h+rt from crying. 5.D, 3 pray to yo+ constantly" 3 lift my arms in prayer to yo+. 1, Do yo+ do miracles for the dead? Do ghosts rise +p and praise yo+? 1o" Selah 11 The dead in their graves cannot talk a!o+t yo+r faithf+l love. 6eople in the world of the dead cannot talk a!o+t yo+r faithf+lness. 12 The dead who lie in darkness cannot see the amaEing things yo+ do. Those 6salms ((.13*().# 1#' in the world of the forgotten cannot talk a!o+t yo+r goodness. 13 5.D, 3 am asking yo+ to help me" -arly each morning 3 pray to yo+. 1# 5.D, why have yo+ a!andoned me? -asy To .ead /ersion

>hy do yo+ ref+se to listen to me? 1% 3 have !een sick and weak since 3 was yo+ng. 3 have s+ffered yo+r anger, and 3 am helpless. 1& ;o+r anger covers me like a flood. ;o+r attacks are killing me. 1' They s+rro+nd me on every side. 3 feel like a drowning man. 1( ;o+ ca+sed my friends and loved ones to leave me. 1ow darkness is my closest friend. 89 1 3 will sing forever a!o+t the 5.D@S love. 3 will sing a!o+t his faithf+lness forever and ever" 2 3 will say, ;o+r faithf+l love will last forever. ;o+r loyalty is like the skythere is no end to it" 3 ;o+ said, 3 made an agreement with my chosen king. 3 made this promise to my servant David: # There will always !e someone from yo+r family to r+le. 3 will make yo+r 6salms ().%*13 1#( kingdom contin+e forever and ever. Selah % 5.D, the heavens praise yo+ for the amaEing things yo+ do. The assem!ly of holy ones sings a!o+t yo+r loyalty. & 1o one in heaven is eJ+al to the 5.D. 1one of the gods can compare to the 5.D. ' >hen Gods holy onesthe angels aro+nd his thronemeet together, they fear and respect himF he is more awesome than all those aro+nd him. ( 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, there is no one like yo+. ;o+ are strong, 5.D, and always faithf+l. ) ;o+ r+le the stormy sea. ;o+ can calm its angry waves. 1, ;o+ defeated .aha!. ;o+ scattered yo+r enemies with yo+r own powerf+l arm. 11 -verything in heaven and earth !elongs to yo+. ;o+ made the world and everything in it. 12 ;o+ created everything north and so+th. Ao+nt Ta!or and Ao+nt $ermon sing praises to yo+r name. 13 ;o+ have the power" ;o+r power is pag. &#%0131#

great" /ictory is yo+rs" 6salms ().1#*2% 1#) 1# ;o+r kingdom is !+ilt on tr+th and =+stice. ove and faithf+lness are servants !efore yo+r throne. 1% 5.D, yo+r loyal followers are happy. They live in the light of yo+r kindness. 1& ;o+r name always makes them happy. They praise yo+r goodness. 1' ;o+ are their amaEing strength. Their power comes from yo+. 1( The king, o+r protector, !elongs to the 5.D, who is the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 1) ord, yo+ once spoke in a vision to yo+r followers: 3 have made a yo+ng soldier strong. 2rom among my people 3 chose him for an important position. 2, 3 have fo+nd my servant David and anointed him as king with my special oil. 21 3 will s+pport him with my right hand, and my arm will make him strong. 22 So no enemy will ever control him. The wicked will never defeat him. 23 3 will destroy his enemies !efore his eyes. 3 will defeat those who hate him. 2# 3 will always love and s+pport him. 3 will always make him strong. 2% 3 will p+t him in charge of the sea. $e will control the rivers. 6salms ().2&*3' 1%, 2& $e will say to me, ;o+ are my father. ;o+ are my God, my .ock, my Savior. 2' And 3 will make him my first!orn son. $e will !e the great king on earth. 2( Ay love will protect him forever. Ay agreement with him will never end. 2) 3 will make his family contin+e forever. $is kingdom will last as long as the skies. 3, 3f his descendants stop following my law and stop o!eying my commands, 31 if they !reak my laws and ignore my commands, 32 3 will p+nish them severely for their sins and wrongs. 33 <+t 3 will never take my love from him. 3 will never stop !eing loyal to him. 3# 3 will not !reak my agreement with David. 3 will never change what 3 said. 3% <y my holiness, 3 made a promise to -asy To .ead /ersion

him, and 3 wo+ld not lie to David. 3& $is family will contin+e forever. $is kingdom will last as long as the s+n. 3' ike the moon, it will last forever. The sky is a witness to the agreement that can !e tr+sted. Selah 6salms ().3(*#( 1%1 3( <+t now, ord, yo+ have !ecome angry with yo+r chosen king, and yo+ have left him all alone. 3) ;o+ ended the agreement yo+ made with yo+r servant. ;o+ threw the kings crown into the dirt. #, ;o+ p+lled down the walls of his city. ;o+ destroyed all his fortresses. #1 -veryone passing !y steals from him. $is neigh!ors la+gh at him. #2 ;o+ made all the kings enemies happy and let his enemies win the war. #3 ;o+ helped them defend themselves. ;o+ did not help yo+r king win the !attle. ## ;o+ did not let him win. ;o+ threw his throne to the gro+nd. #% ;o+ c+t his life short. ;o+ shamed him. Selah #& 5.D, how long will this contin+e? >ill yo+ ignore +s forever? >ill yo+r anger !+rn like a fire forever? #' .emem!er how short my life is. ;o+ created +s to live a short life and then die. #( 3s there anyone alive who will never die? >ill anyone escape the grave? Selah 6salms ().#)*),.' 1%2 #) ord, where is the love yo+ showed in the past? ;o+ promised David that yo+ wo+ld !e loyal to his family. %, Ay ord, please remem!er how people ins+lted yo+r servant. 5.D, 3 had to listen to all the ins+lts from yo+r enemies. They ins+lted yo+r chosen king wherever he went. %1 7():%,8 %2 6raise the 5.D forever" Amen and Amen" 90 1 Ay ord, yo+ have !een o+r home forever and ever. 2 ;o+ were God !efore the mo+ntains were !orn, !efore the earth and the world were made. ;o+ have always !een pag. &#&0131#

and will always !e God" 3 ;o+ !ring people into this world, and yo+ change them into d+st again. # To yo+, a tho+sand years is like yesterday, like a few ho+rs in the night. % 5+r life is like a dream that ends when morning comes. >e are like grass & that grows and looks so fresh in the morning, !+t in the evening it is dry and dying. ' ;o+r anger co+ld destroy +s. ;o+r anger frightens +s" 6salms ),.(*1' 1%3 ( ;o+ know a!o+t all o+r sins. ;o+ see every one of o+r secret sins. ) ;o+r anger can end o+r life. 5+r lives fade away like a whisper. 1, >e live a!o+t ', years or, if we are strong, (, years. <+t most of them are filled with hard work and pain. Then, s+ddenly, the years are gone, and we fly away. 11 1o one really knows the f+ll power of yo+r anger, !+t o+r fear and respect for yo+ is as great as yo+r anger. 12 Teach +s how short o+r lives are so that we can !ecome wise. 13 5.D, come !ack to +s. <e kind to yo+r servants. 1# 2ill +s with yo+r love every morning. et +s !e happy and en=oy o+r lives. 1% 2or years yo+ have made life hard for +s and have given +s many tro+!les. 1ow make +s happy for =+st as long. 1& et yo+r servants see the wonderf+l things yo+ can do for them. And let their children see yo+r glory. 1' ord, o+r God, !e kind to +s. Aake everything we do s+ccessf+l. ;es, make it all s+ccessf+l. 6salms )1.1*) 1%# 91 1 ;o+ can go to God Aost $igh to hide. ;o+ can go to God AllD6owerf+l for protection. 2 3 say to the 5.D, ;o+ are my place of safety, my fortress. Ay God, 3 tr+st in yo+. 3 God will save yo+ from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. # ;o+ can go to him for protection. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

will cover yo+ like a !ird spreading its wings over its !a!ies. ;o+ can tr+st him to s+rro+nd and protect yo+ like a shield. % ;o+ will have nothing to fear at night and no need to !e afraid of enemy arrows d+ring the day. & ;o+ will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terri!le s+ffering that comes at noon. ' A tho+sand people may fall dead at yo+r side or ten tho+sand right !eside yo+, !+t nothing !ad will happen to yo+" ( All yo+ will have to do is watch, and yo+ will see that the wicked are p+nished. ) ;o+ tr+st in the 5.D for protection. ;o+ have made God Aost $igh yo+r place of safety. 6salms )1.1,*)2.3 1%% 1, So nothing !ad will happen to yo+. 1o diseases will come near yo+r home. 11 $e will command his angels to protect yo+ wherever yo+ go. 12 Their hands will catch yo+ so that yo+ will not hit yo+r foot on a rock. 13 ;o+ will have power to trample on lions and poisono+s snakes. 1# The ord says, 3f someone tr+sts me, 3 will save them. 3 will protect my followers who call to me for help. 1% >hen my followers call to me, 3 will answer them. 3 will !e with them when they are in tro+!le. 3 will resc+e them and honor them. 1& 3 will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save. 92 1 3t is good to praise the 5.D. God Aost $igh, it is good to praise yo+r name. 2 3t is good to sing a!o+t yo+r love in the morning and a!o+t yo+r faithf+lness at night. 3 3t is good to play for yo+ on the tenDstringed instr+ment and lyre and to add the soft so+nds of the harp to my praise. 6salms )2.#*12 1%& # 5.D, yo+ make +s very happy !eca+se of what yo+ did. 3 gladly sing a!o+t it. pag. &#'0131#

% 5.D, yo+ did s+ch great things. ;o+r tho+ghts are too hard for +s to +nderstand. & St+pid people dont know this. 2ools dont +nderstand. ' The wicked may spro+t like grass, and those who do evil may !lossom like flowers, !+t they will !e destroyed, never to !e seen again. ( <+t, 5.D, yo+ will !e honored forever. ) 5.D, all yo+r enemies will !e destroyed, and all who do evil will !e scattered. 1, <+t yo+ have made me as strong as a wild o4. ;o+ have given me yo+r !lessing. 11 Ay eyes will see the defeat of those waiting to attack me. Ay ears will hear the cries of my evil enemies. 12 Good people are like !+dding palm trees. They grow strong like the cedar trees of e!anon. 6salms )2.13*)#.1 1%' 13 They are planted in the the 5.D@S ho+se. They grow strong there in the co+rtyards of o+r God. 1# -ven when they are old, they will contin+e prod+cing fr+it like yo+ng, healthy trees. 1% They are there to show everyone that the 5.D is good. $e is my .ock, and he does nothing wrong. 93 1 The 5.D is Ging. The 5.D wears ma=esty and strength like clothes. $e is ready, so the whole world is safe. 3t will not !e shaken. 2 ;o+r kingdom has contin+ed forever. ;o+ have lived forever" 3 5.D, the ocean roars. The mighty ocean so+nds like th+nder as the waves crash on the shore. # The crashing waves of the sea are lo+d and powerf+l, !+t the 5.D a!ove is even more powerf+l. % 5.D, yo+r laws will contin+e forever. ;o+r holy Temple will stand for a long time. 94 1 The 5.D is a God who p+nishes people. God, come p+nish them. -asy To .ead /ersion

6salms )#.2*11 1%( 2 ;o+ are the =+dge of the whole earth. Give pro+d people the p+nishment they deserve. 3 5.D, how long will the wicked have their f+n? $ow m+ch longer? # $ow m+ch longer will those criminals !rag a!o+t the evil they did? % 5.D, they h+rt yo+r people and make them s+ffer. & They kill widows and foreigners living in o+r co+ntry. They m+rder orphans. ' And they say the 5.D does not see them doing these evil things" They say the God of Caco! does not know what is happening. ( ;o+ evil people are foolish. >hen will yo+ learn yo+r lesson? ;o+ are so st+pid" ;o+ m+st try to +nderstand. ) God made o+r ears, so s+rely he can hear what is happening" $e made o+r eyes, so s+rely he can see yo+" 1, The one who disciplines nations will s+rely correct yo+. $e is the one who teaches +s everything. 11 The 5.D knows what people are thinking. $e knows that their tho+ghts are like a p+ff of wind. 6salms )#.12*21 1%) 12 5.D, great !lessings !elong to those yo+ discipline, to those yo+ teach from yo+r law. 13 ;o+ help them stay calm when tro+!le comes. ;o+ will help them +ntil the wicked are p+t in their graves. 1# The 5.D will not leave his people. $e will not leave them witho+t help. 1% C+stice will ret+rn and !ring fairness. And those who want to do right will !e there to see it. 1& 1o one helped me fight against the wicked. 1o one stood with me against those who do evil. 1' And if the 5.D had not helped me, 3 wo+ld have !een silenced !y death. 1( 3 know 3 was ready to fall, !+t, 5.D, yo+r faithf+l love s+pported me. 1) 3 was very worried and +pset, !+t yo+ comforted me and made me happy" 2, ;o+ dont help crooked =+dges. They pag. &#(0131#

+se the law to make life hard for the people. 21 They attack those who do right. They say innocent people are g+ilty and p+t them to death. 6salms )#.22*)%.( 1&, 22 <+t the 5.D is my place of safety, high on the mo+ntain. God, my .ock, is my safe place" 23 $e will p+nish those evil =+dges for the !ad things they did. $e will destroy them !eca+se they sinned. The 5.D o+r God will destroy them. 95 1 9ome, let +s sing praise to the 5.D" et +s sho+t praises to the .ock who saves +s. 2 9ome and worship him with songs of thanks. et +s sing happy songs of praise to him. 3 2or the 5.D is a great God, the great Ging r+ling over all the other gods. # The deepest caves and the highest mo+ntains !elong to him. % The ocean is hishe created it. $e made the dry land with his own hands. & 9ome, let +s !ow down and worship him" et +s kneel !efore the 5.D who made +s. ' $e is o+r God, and we are the people he cares for, his sheep that walk !y his side. isten to his voice today: ( Dont !e st+!!orn, as yo+ were at Aeri!ah, as yo+ were at Aassah in the desert. 6salms )%.)*)&.' 1&1 ) ;o+r ancestors do+!ted and tested me, even after they saw what 3 co+ld do" 1, 3 was angry with them for #, years. 3 said, They are not faithf+l to me. They ref+se to do what 3 say. 11 So in my anger 3 made this vow: They will never enter my land of rest. 96 1 Sing a new song to the 5.D" et the whole world sing to the 5.D" 2 Sing to the 5.D and praise his name" Tell the good news every day a!o+t how he saves +s" 3 Tell all the nations how wonderf+l he is" Tell people everywhere a!o+t the -asy To .ead /ersion

amaEing things he does. # The 5.D is great and worthy of praise. $e is more awesome than any of the gods. % All the gods in other nations are nothing !+t stat+es, !+t the 5.D made the heavens. & $e lives in the presence of glory and honor. $is Temple is a place of power and !ea+ty. ' 6raise the 5.D, all people of every nationF praise the 5.D@S glory and power. 6salms )&.(*)'.# 1&2 ( Give the 5.D praise worthy of his glory" 9ome, !ring yo+r offerings into his co+rtyard. ) >orship the 5.D in all his holy !ea+ty. -veryone on earth sho+ld trem!le !efore him. 1, Tell the nations that the 5.D is Ging" The world stands firm and cannot !e moved. $e will =+dge all people fairly. 11 et the heavens re=oice and the earth !e happy" et the sea and everything in it sho+t for =oy" 12 et the fields and everything in them !e happy" et the trees in the forest sing for =oy 13 when they see the 5.D coming" $e is coming to =+dge the world. $e will =+dge the nations with tr+th. 97 1 The 5.D r+les, and the earth is happy. All the faraway lands are happy. 2 Thick, dark clo+ds s+rro+nd him. Goodness and =+stice make his kingdom strong. 3 2ire goes !efore him and destroys his enemies. # $is lightning flashes in the sky. The earth sees it and trem!les with fear. 6salms )'.%*)(.1 1&3 % The mo+ntains melt like wa4 !efore the 5.D, !efore the ord of all the earth. & The skies tell a!o+t his goodness, and the nations see his glory. ' 6eople worship their idols. They !rag a!o+t their gods. <+t they will !e pag. &#)0131#

em!arrassed. And all their gods will !ow down !efore the ord. ( Bion, listen and !e happy" 9ities of C+dah, !e glad" .e=oice !eca+se the 5.D@S decisions are fair. ) 5.D Aost $igh, yo+ really are the r+ler of the earth. ;o+ are m+ch !etter than the gods. 1, $ate evil, yo+ who love the 5.D. $e protects his followers and saves them from evil people. 11 ight and happiness shine on those who want to do right. 12 Good people, !e happy in the 5.D" 6raise his holy name" 98 1 Sing a new song to the 5.D, !eca+se he has done amaEing things" $is powerf+l and holy right arm has !ro+ght him another victory. 6salms )(.2*)).1 1&# 2 The 5.D showed the nations his power to save. $e showed them his goodness. 3 $e has kept his promise of love and loyalty to the people of 3srael. 6eople everywhere have seen o+r Gods power to save. # -veryone on earth, sho+t with =oy to the 5.D. Start singing happy songs of praise" % 6raise the 5.D with harps. ;es, praise him with m+sic from the harps. & <low the pipes and horns, and sho+t for =oy to the 5.D o+r Ging" ' et the sea and everything in it, the earth and all who live in it sho+t his praise" ( .ivers, clap yo+r hands" All together now, mo+ntains sing o+t" ) Sing !efore the 5.D !eca+se he is coming to =+dge the world. $e will =+dge the world fairly. $e will =+dge the nations in a way that is right. 99 1 The 5.D is Ging, so let the nations shake with fear. $e sits as Ging a!ove the 9her+! angels, so let the whole earth shake. 6salms )).2*) 1&% 2 The 5.D in Bion is great" $e is the great leader over all people. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 et all the nations praise yo+r name. ;o+r name is great and awesome. ;o+r name is holy. # ;o+ are the powerf+l Ging who loves =+stice. ;o+ have made things right. ;o+ have !ro+ght goodness and fairness to Caco!. % 6raise the 5.D o+r God, and !ow down !efore his footstool, for he is holy. & Aoses and Aaron were some of his priests, and Sam+el was one of the men who called on his name. They prayed to the 5.D, and he answered them. ' God spoke from the tall clo+d, and they o!eyed his commands and the law he gave them. ( 5.D o+r God, yo+ answered their prayers. ;o+ showed them that yo+ are a forgiving God and that yo+ p+nish people for the evil they do. ) 6raise the 5.D o+r God. <ow down toward his holy mo+ntain and worship him. The 5.D o+r God is holy" 6salms 1,,.1*1,1.% 1&& 100 1 -arth, sing to the 5.D" 2 <e happy as yo+ serve the 5.D" 9ome !efore him with happy songs" 3 Gnow that the 5.D is God. $e made +s, and we !elong to him. >e are his people, the sheep he takes care of. # 9ome thro+gh the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him. -nter his co+rtyards with songs of praise. $onor him and !less his name. % The 5.D is good" There is no end to his faithf+l love. >e can tr+st him forever and ever" 101 1 3 will sing a!o+t love and =+stice. 5.D, 3 will sing to yo+. 2 3 will !e caref+l to live a p+re life. 3 will live in my ho+se with complete honesty. >hen will yo+ come to me? 3 3 will not even look at anything shamef+l. 3 hate all wrongdoing. 3 want no part of it" # 3 will not !e involved in anything dishonest. 3 will have nothing to do with evil. pag. &%,0131#

% 3 will stop anyone who secretly says !ad things a!o+t a neigh!or. 3 will not 6salms 1,1.&*1,2.& 1&' allow people to !e pro+d and think they are !etter than others. & 3 will look thro+gho+t the land for those who can !e tr+sted. 5nly s+ch people can live with me. 5nly those who live p+re lives can !e my servants. ' 3 will never let a dishonest person live in my ho+se. 3 will not let liars stay near me. ( Ay goal each day will !e to destroy the wicked living in o+r land. 3 will force all who do evil to leave the city of the 5.D. 102 1 5.D, hear my prayer. isten to my cry for help. 2 Dont t+rn away from me when 3 have tro+!les. isten to me, and answer me J+ickly when 3 cry for help. 3 Ay life is passing away like smoke. Ay life is like a fire slowly !+rning o+t. # Ay strength is gone 3 am like dry, dying grass. 3 even forget to eat. % <eca+se of my sadness, 3 am losing so m+ch weight that my skin hangs from my !ones. & 3 am lonely, like an owl living in the desert, like an owl living among old r+ined !+ildings. 6salms 1,2.'*1' 1&( ' 3 cannot sleep. 3 am like a lonely !ird on the roof. ( Ay enemies ins+lt me all the time. They make f+n of me and +se me as an e4ample in their c+rses. ) Ay great sadness is my only food. Ay tears fall into my drink. 1, ;o+ were angry with me, so yo+ picked me +p and threw me away. 11 Ay life is almost finished, like the long shadows at the end of the day. 3 am like dry and dying grass. 12 <+t yo+, 5.D, will r+le as king forever" ;o+r name will last forever and ever" 13 ;o+ will rise +p and comfort Bion. The time has come for yo+ to !e kind to Bion. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# ;o+r servants love her stones. They love even the d+st of that city" 1% The nations will worship the 5.D@S name. All the kings on earth will honor yo+. 1& The 5.D will re!+ild Bion, and people will again see her glory. 1' $e will listen to the prayers of those in poverty. $e will not ignore them. 6salms 1,2.1(*2' 1&) 1( >rite these things for f+t+re generations, so that they will praise the 5.D. 1) The 5.D will look down from his $oly 6lace a!ove. $e will look down at the earth from heaven. 2, And he will hear the prisoners prayers. $e will free those who were condemned to die. 21 Then people in Bion will tell a!o+t the 5.D. They will praise his name in Cer+salem 22 when nations gather together and kingdoms come to serve the 5.D. 23 Ay strength failed me. Ay life is c+t short. 2# So 3 said, Dont let me die while 3 am still yo+ng. God, yo+ will live forever and ever" 2% ong ago, yo+ made the world. ;o+ made the sky with yo+r own hands" 2& The earth and sky will end, !+t yo+ will live forever" They will wear o+t like clothes, and like clothes, yo+ will change them. 2' <+t yo+ never change. ;o+ will live forever" 6salms 1,2.2(*1,3.1, 1', 2( >e are yo+r servants today. 5+r children will live here, and their descendants will come here to worship yo+. 103 1 Ay so+l, praise the 5.D" -very part of me, praise his holy name" 2 Ay so+l, praise the 5.D and never forget how kind he is" 3 $e forgives all o+r sins and heals all o+r sicknesses. # $e saves +s from the grave, and he pag. &%10131#

gives +s love and compassion. % $e gives +s plenty of good things. $e makes +s yo+ng again, like an eagle that grows new feathers. & The 5.D does what is fair. $e !rings =+stice to all who have !een h+rt !y others. ' $e ta+ght his laws to Aoses. $e let 3srael see the powerf+l things he can do. ( The 5.D is kind and mercif+l. $e is patient and f+ll of love. ) $e does not always criticiEe. $e does not stay angry with +s forever. 1, >e sinned against him, !+t he didnt give +s the p+nishment we deserved. 6salms 1,3.11*2, 1'1 11 $is love for his followers is as high a!ove +s as heaven is a!ove the earth. 12 And he has taken o+r sins as far away from +s as the east is from the west. 13 The 5.D is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children. 1# $e knows all a!o+t +s. $e knows we are made from d+st. 1% $e knows o+r lives are short, that they are like grass. $e knows we are like a little wildflower that grows so J+ickly, 1& !+t when the hot wind !lows, it dies. Soon, yo+ cannot even see where the flower was. 1' <+t the 5.D has always loved his followers, and he will contin+e to love them forever and ever" $e will !e good to all their descendants, 1( to those who are faithf+l to his agreement and who remem!er to o!ey his commands. 1) The 5.D set his throne +p in heaven, and he r+les over everything. 2, Angels, praise the 5.D" ;o+ angels are the powerf+l soldiers who o!ey his commands. ;o+ listen to him and o!ey his commands. 6salms 1,3.21*1,#.' 1'2 21 6raise the 5.D, all his armies. ;o+ are his servants, and yo+ do what he wants. 22 -verything the 5.D has made sho+ld praise him thro+gho+t the world that he r+les" Ay so+l, praise the 5.D" -asy To .ead /ersion

104 1 Ay so+l, praise the 5.D" 5.D my God, yo+ are very great" ;o+ are clothed with glory and honor. 2 ;o+ wear light like a ro!e. ;o+ spread o+t the skies like a c+rtain. 3 ;o+ !+ilt yo+r home a!ove them. ;o+ +se the thick clo+ds like a chariot and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind. # ;o+ make the winds yo+r messengers and flames of fire yo+r servants. % ;o+ !+ilt the earth on its fo+ndations, so it can never !e moved. & ;o+ covered it with water like a !lanket. The water covered even the mo+ntains. ' <+t yo+ gave the command, and the water t+rned !ack. ;o+ sho+ted at the water, and it r+shed away. 6salms 1,#.(*1& 1'3 ( The water flowed down from the mo+ntains into the valleys, to the places yo+ made for it. ) ;o+ set the limits for the seas, and the water will never again rise to cover the earth. 1, ord, yo+ ca+se water to flow from springs into the streams that flow down !etween the mo+ntains. 11 The streams provide water for all the wild animals. -ven the wild donkeys come there to drink. 12 >ild !irds come to live !y the poolsF they sing in the !ranches of near!y trees. 13 ;o+ send rain down on the mo+ntains. The earth gets everything it needs from what yo+ have made. 1# ;o+ make the grass grow to feed the animals. ;o+ provide plants for the crops we growthe plants that give +s food from the earth. 1% ;o+ give +s the wine that makes +s happy, the oil that makes o+r skin soft, and the food that makes +s strong. 1& The great cedar trees of e!anon !elong to the 5.D. $e planted them and gives them the water they need. 6salms 1,#.1'*2% 1'# pag. &%20131#

1' Thats where the !irds make their nests, and the storks live in the fir trees. 1( The high mo+ntains are a home for wild goats. The large rocks are hiding places for rock !adgers. 1) ord, yo+ made the moon to show +s when the festivals !egin. And the s+n always knows when to set. 2, ;o+ made darkness to !e the night the time when wild animals come o+t and roam aro+nd. 21 ions roar as they attack, as if they are asking God for the food he gives them. 22 >hen the s+n rises, they leave and go !ack to their dens to rest. 23 Then people go o+t to do their work, and they work +ntil evening. 2# 5.D, yo+ created so many things" >ith yo+r wisdom yo+ made them all. The earth is f+ll of the living things yo+ made. 2% ook at the ocean, so !ig and wide" 3t is filled with all kinds of sea life. There are creat+res large and smalltoo many to co+nt" 6salms 1,#.2&*3# 1'% 2& Ships sail over the ocean, and playing there is eviathan, the great sea creat+re yo+ made. 2' ord, all living things depend on yo+. ;o+ give them food at the right time. 2( ;o+ give it, and they eat it. They are filled with good food from yo+r open hands. 2) >hen yo+ t+rn away from them, they !ecome frightened. >hen yo+ take away their !reath, they die, and their !odies ret+rn to the d+st. 3, <+t when yo+ send o+t yo+r lifegiving !reath, things come alive, and the world is like new again" 31 Aay the 5.D@S glory contin+e forever" Aay the 5.D en=oy what he made. 32 $e =+st looks at the earth, and it trem!les. $e =+st to+ches the mo+ntains, and smoke rises from them. 33 3 will sing to the 5.D for the rest of my life. 3 will sing praises to my God as -asy To .ead /ersion

long as 3 live. 3# Aay my words !e pleasing to him. The 5.D is the one who makes me happy. 6salms 1,#.3%*1,%.) 1'& 3% 3 wish sinners wo+ld disappear from the earth. 3 wish the wicked wo+ld !e gone forever. Ay so+l, praise the 5.D" 6raise the 5.D" 105 1 Give thanks to the 5.D and call o+t to him" Tell the nations what he has done" 2 Sing to himF sing praises to him. Tell a!o+t the amaEing things he has done. 3 <e pro+d of his holy name. ;o+ followers of the 5.D, !e happy" # Depend on the 5.D for strength. Always go to him for help. % .emem!er the amaEing things he has done. .emem!er his miracles and his fair decisions. & ;o+ !elong to the family of his servant A!raham. ;o+ are descendants of Caco!, the people God chose. ' The 5.D is o+r God. $e r+les the whole world. ( $e will remem!er his agreement forever. $e will always keep the promises he made to his people. ) $e will keep the agreement he made with A!raham and the promise he made to 3saac. 6salms 1,%.1,*2, 1'' 1, $e gave it as a law to Caco!. $e gave it to 3srael as an agreement that will last forever" 11 $e said, 3 will give yo+ the land of 9anaan. 3t will !e yo+r very own. 12 At the time God said this, there were only a few of his people, and they were strangers there. 13 They traveled aro+nd from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 1# <+t the ord did not let anyone mistreat them. $e warned kings not to harm them. 1% $e said, Dont h+rt my chosen people. Dont harm my prophets. 1& $e ca+sed a famine in that co+ntry, and people did not have eno+gh food. pag. &%30131#

1' <+t he sent a man named Coseph to go ahead of them. Coseph was sold like a slave. 1( They tied a rope aro+nd his feet and p+t an iron ring aro+nd his neck. 1) Coseph was a slave +ntil what he said had really happened. The 5.D@S message proved that Coseph was right. 2, So the king of -gypt set him free. That nations leader let him o+t of =ail. 6salms 1,%.21*32 1'( 21 $e p+t Coseph in charge of his ho+se. Coseph took care of everything the king owned. 22 Coseph gave instr+ctions to the other leaders. $e ta+ght the older men. 23 Then 3srael came to -gypt. Caco! lived there in $ams co+ntry. 2# Caco!s family !ecame very large and more powerf+l than their enemies. 2% So the -gyptians !egan to hate his people. They made plans against his servants. 2& So the ord sent Aoses, his servant, and Aaron, his chosen priest. 2' $e +sed Aoses and Aaron to do many miracles in $ams co+ntry. 2( $e sent darkness to cover their land, !+t the -gyptians did not listen to him. 2) So he changed the water into !lood, and all their fish died. 3, Their co+ntry was filled with frogs, even in the kings !edroom. 31 The ord gave the command, and the flies and gnats came. They were everywhere" 32 $e made the rain !ecome hail. ightning str+ck thro+gho+t their land. 6salms 1,%.33*#2 1') 33 $e destroyed their vines and fig trees. $e destroyed every tree in their co+ntry. 3# $e gave the command, and the loc+sts and grasshoppers came. There were too many to co+nt" 3% They ate all the plants in the co+ntry, incl+ding all the crops in their fields. 3& Then the ord killed every first!orn in their co+ntry. $e killed their oldest sons. 3' $e led his people o+t of -gypt. They -asy To .ead /ersion

were carrying gold and silver, and none of them st+m!led or fell !ehind. 3( -gypt was happy to see his people go, !eca+se they were afraid of them. 3) The ord spread o+t his clo+d like a !lanket. $e +sed his col+mn of fire to give his people light at night. #, They asked for food, and he sent them J+ail. $e also gave them plenty of !read from heaven. #1 $e split the rock, and water came !+!!ling o+t. A river !egan flowing in the desert" #2 The ord remem!ered his holy promise that he had made to his servant A!raham. 6salms 1,%.#3*1,&.' 1(, #3 $e !ro+ght his people o+t of -gypt. They came o+t re=oicing and singing their happy songs" ## Then he gave his people the lands of other nations. $is people got what others had worked for. #% $e did this so that his people wo+ld o!ey his laws and follow his teachings. 6raise the 5.D" 106 1 6raise the 5.D" Give thanks to the 5.D !eca+se he is good" $is faithf+l love will last forever" 2 1o one can descri!e how great the 5.D really is. 1o one can praise him eno+gh. 3 Those who o!ey his commands are happy. They do good things all the time. # 5.D, remem!er me when yo+ show kindness to yo+r people. .emem!er to save me too" % et me share in the good things that yo+ do for yo+r chosen people. et me re=oice with yo+r nation. et me =oin with yo+r people in praise. & >e sinned =+st as o+r ancestors did. >e were wrongF we did !ad things" ' ord, o+r ancestors learned nothing from the miracles yo+ did in -gypt. They 6salms 1,&.(*1' 1(1 forgot yo+r kindness at the .ed Sea and re!elled against yo+. ( <+t the ord saved o+r ancestors for the honor of his name. $e saved them to pag. &%#0131#

show his great power. ) $e gave the command, and the .ed Sea !ecame dry. $e led them thro+gh the deep sea on land as dry as the desert. 1, $e saved o+r ancestors and resc+ed them from their enemies. 11 $e covered their enemies with the sea. 1ot one of them escaped" 12 Then o+r ancestors !elieved what he had said. They sang praises to him. 13 <+t they J+ickly forgot a!o+t what he did. They did not listen to his advice. 1# They !ecame h+ngry in the desert, and they tested him in the wilderness. 1% $e gave them what they asked for, !+t he also gave them a terri!le disease. 1& The people !ecame =ealo+s of Aoses. They !ecame =ealo+s of Aaron, the 5.D@S holy priest. 1' The gro+nd opened +p and swallowed Dathan. Then the gro+nd closed +p and covered A!irams gro+p. 6salms 1,&.1(*2' 1(2 1( Then a fire !+rned that mo! of people. 3t !+rned those wicked people. 1) The people made a gold calf at Ao+nt $ore!. They worshiped a stat+e" 2, They traded their glorio+s God for a stat+e of a grassDeating !+ll" 21 They forgot all a!o+t God, the one who saved them, the one who did the miracles in -gypt. 22 $e did amaEing things there in $ams co+ntry" $e did awesome things at the .ed Sea" 23 God wanted to destroy those people, !+t Aoses, the leader he chose, stood in the way. God was very angry, !+t Aoses !egged him to stop, so God did not destroy the people. 2# <+t then they ref+sed to go into the wonderf+l land of 9anaan. They did not !elieve that God wo+ld help them defeat the people there. 2% 5+r ancestors complained in their tents and ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D. 2& So he swore that they wo+ld die in the desert. 2' $e promised to scatter them among -asy To .ead /ersion

the nations and to let other people defeat their descendants. 6salms 1,&.2(*3( 1(3 2( At <aal 6eor they =oined in worshiping <aal and ate sacrifices to honor the dead. 2) The 5.D !ecame angry with his people, so he made them sick. 3, <+t 6hinehas prayed to God, and God stopped the sickness. 31 $e considered what 6hinehas did a good work, and it will !e remem!ered forever and ever. 32 At Aeri!ah the people made the 5.D angry and created tro+!le for Aoses. 33 They +pset Aoses, and he spoke witho+t stopping to think. 3# The 5.D told the people to destroy the other nations living in 9anaan. <+t the 3sraelites did not o!ey him. 3% They mi4ed with the other people and did what those people were doing. 3& They !egan worshiping the false gods those people worshiped. And their idols !ecame a trap. 3' They even offered their own children as sacrifices to demons. 3( They killed their innocent sons and da+ghters and offered them to the false 6salms 1,&.3)*#' 1(# gods of 9anaan. So the land was poll+ted with the sin of m+rder. 3) They were +nfaithf+l to him, and they !ecame dirty with the sins of other nations. #, So the 5.D !ecame angry with his people. $e re=ected those who !elonged to him. #1 $e gave his people to other nations and let their enemies r+le over them. #2 Their enemies controlled them and made life hard for them. #3 $e saved his people many times, !+t they t+rned against him and did what they wanted to do. $is people did many !ad things. ## <+t whenever they were in tro+!le, he listened to their prayers. #% $e always remem!ered his pag. &%%0131#

agreement, and !eca+se of his faithf+l love, he comforted them. #& 5ther nations took them as prisoners, !+t the ord ca+sed them to !e kind to his people. #' 5.D o+r God, save +s" <ring +s !ack together from those nations. Then we will give thanks to yo+r holy name and =oyf+lly praise yo+. 6salms 1,&.#(*1,'.( 1(% #( 6raise the 5.D, the God of 3srael" $e always was and will always !e worthy of praise. et all the people say, Amen" 6raise the 5.D" 107 1 6raise the 5.D, !eca+se he is good" $is faithf+l love will last forever" 2 -veryone the 5.D has saved sho+ld repeat that word of thanks. 6raise him, all who have !een resc+ed from the enemy. 3 $e gathered his people together from many different co+ntries. $e !ro+ght them from east and west, north and so+th. # Some of them wandered in the dry desert. They were looking for a place to live, !+t they co+ld not find a city. % They were h+ngry and thirsty and growing weak. & Then they called to the 5.D for help, and he saved them from their tro+!les. ' $e led them straight to the city where they wo+ld live. ( Thank the 5.D for his faithf+l love and for the amaEing things he does for people. 6salms 1,'.)*1( 1(& ) $e satisfies those who are thirsty. $e fills those who are h+ngry with good things. 1, Some of Gods people were prisoners, locked !ehind !ars in dark prisons. 11 That was !eca+se they had fo+ght against what God said. They ref+sed to listen to the advice of God Aost $igh. 12 God made life hard for those people !eca+se of what they did. They st+m!led and fell, and there was no one to help them. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 They were in tro+!le, so they called to the 5.D for help, and he saved them from their tro+!les. 1# $e took them o+t of their dark prisons. $e !roke the ropes that held them. 1% Thank the 5.D for his faithf+l love and for the amaEing things he does for people. 1& $e !reaks down their !ronEe gates. $e shatters their iron !ars. 1' Some people !ecame fools and t+rned against God, and they s+ffered for the evil they did. 1( They !ecame so sick that they ref+sed to eat, so they almost died. 6salms 1,'.1)*2' 1(' 1) They were in tro+!le, so they called to the 5.D for help, and he saved them from their tro+!les. 2, $e gave the command and healed them, so they were saved from the grave. 21 Thank the 5.D for his faithf+l love and for the amaEing things he does for people. 22 5ffer sacrifices of thanks to him. Sing with =oy a!o+t all that he has done. 23 Some sailed the sea in ships. Their work carried them across the water. 2# They saw what the 5.D can do. They saw the amaEing things he did at sea. 2% $e gave the command, and a strong wind !egan to !low. The waves !ecame higher and higher. 2& The waves lifted them high into the sky and dropped them into the deep sea. The storm was so dangero+s that the men lost their co+rage. 2' They were st+m!ling and falling like someone who is dr+nk. Their skill as sailors was +seless. 6salms 1,'.2(*3' 1(( 2( They were in tro+!le, so they called to the 5.D for help, and he saved them from their tro+!les. 2) $e stopped the storm and calmed the waves. 3, The sailors were happy that the sea pag. &%&0131#

!ecame calm, and he led them safely to where they wanted to go. 31 Thank the 5.D for his faithf+l love and for the amaEing things he does for people. 32 6raise God in the great assem!ly. 6raise him when the older leaders meet together. 33 $e changed rivers into a desert. $e stopped springs from flowing. 3# $e made the fertile land !ecome salty, !eca+se the people living there did s+ch evil things. 3% $e changed the desert into a land with pools of water. $e ca+sed springs to flow from dry gro+nd. 3& $e led the h+ngry to that good land, and they !+ilt a city to live in. 3' They planted seeds in their fields and grapes in their vineyards, and they had a good harvest. 6salms 1,'.3(*1,(.% 1() 3( God !lessed them with many children and plenty of animals. 3) <+t !eca+se of disaster and tro+!les, their families !ecame small and weak. #, God shames even great leaders and makes them wander thro+gh empty deserts. #1 <+t he resc+es the poor from their misery. $e makes their families large like flocks of sheep. #2 Good people see this and are happy. <+t the wicked see it and dont know what to say. #3 >hoever is wise will remem!er these things and !egin to +nderstand the 5.D@S faithf+l love. 108 1 God, 3 am ready, heart and so+l, to sing songs of praise. >ake +p, my so+l" 2 $arps and lyres, wake +p, and lets wake the dawn" 3 5.D, 3 will praise yo+ !efore all people. 3 will sing praises a!o+t yo+ to every nation. # ;o+r faithf+l love is higher than the highest clo+ds in the sky" % .ise a!ove the heavens, God. et all the world see yo+r glory. -asy To .ead /ersion

6salms 1,(.&*1,).1 1), & Hse yo+r great power and help +s" Answer my prayer and save the people yo+ love. ' God has made this promise in his Temple: 3 will win the war and re=oice in victory" 3 will divide this land among my people. 3 will give them Shechem. 3 will give them S+ccoth /alley. ( Gilead and Aanasseh will !e mine. -phraim will !e my helmet. C+dah will !e my royal scepter. ) Aoa! will !e the !owl for washing my feet. -dom will !e the slave who carries my sandals. 3 will defeat the 6hilistines and sho+t in victory" 1, <+t, God, it seems that yo+ have left +s" ;o+ do not go o+t with o+r army. So who will lead me into the strong, protected city? >ho will lead me into !attle against -dom? 11 71,(:1,8 12 $elp +s defeat the enemy" 1o one on earth can resc+e +s. 13 5nly God can make +s strong. 5nly God can defeat o+r enemies" 109 1 God, 3 praise yo+" $ear my prayer and do something" 6salms 1,).2*12 1)1 2 >icked people are telling lies a!o+t me. They are saying things that are not tr+e. 3 They are saying hatef+l things a!o+t me. They are attacking me for no reason. # 3 loved them, !+t they were against me. So 3 said a prayer. % 3 did good things to them, !+t they are doing !ad things to me. 3 loved them, !+t they hated me. & They said, 9hoose someone evil to represent him. et the one at his side really !e his acc+ser. ' et even his prayer !e +sed as evidence against him, and let the co+rt find him g+ilty. ( et his life !e c+t short, and let someone else take over his work. ) et his children !ecome orphans and his wife a widow. 1, Aake his children wander aro+nd as pag. &%'0131#

!eggars, forced from homes that lie in r+ins. 11 et the people he owes take everything he owns. et strangers get everything he worked for. 12 et no one !e kind to him. et no one show mercy to his children. 6salms 1,).13*2, 1)2 13 Aay his family come to an end. Aay his name !e +nknown to f+t+re generations. 1# Aay the 5.D remem!er the sins of his father, and may his mothers sins never !e erased. 1% Aay the 5.D remem!er their sins forever, and may he ca+se people to forget his family completely. 1& $e never did anything good. $e never loved anyone. $e made life hard for the poor and the helpless. 1' $e loved to c+rse others, so let those !ad things happen to him. $e never !lessed others, so dont let good things happen to him. 1( 9+rsing was a daily part of his life, like the clothes he wears. 9+rsing others !ecame a part of him, like the water he drinks and the oil he p+ts on his !ody. 1) So let c+rses cover him like the ro!e he wears and always s+rro+nd him like a !elt. 2, Ay enemies said these evil things against me. <+t may those c+rses !e the way the 5.D p+nishes them. 6salms 1,).21*31 1)3 21 Ay ord G5D, treat me in a way that !rings honor to yo+r name. Save me !eca+se of yo+r faithf+l love. 22 3 am only a poor, helpless man. 3 am so sadF my heart is !roken. 23 3 feel my life is over, fading like a shadow at days end. 3 feel like a !+g that someone !r+shed away. 2# Ay knees are weak from fasting. 3 have lost weight and !ecome thin. 2% Ay enemies ins+lt me. They look at me and shake their heads. 2& 5.D my God, help me" Show yo+r faithf+l love and save me" 2' Then they will know that yo+ did it. -asy To .ead /ersion

They will know that it was yo+r power, 5.D, that helped me. 2( They c+rse me, !+t yo+ can !less me. They attacked me, so defeat them. Then 3, yo+r servant, will !e happy. 2) $+miliate my enemies" et them wear their shame like a coat. 3, 3 give thanks to the 5.D. 3 praise him in front of everyone. 31 $e stands !y the helpless and saves them from those who try to p+t them to death. 6salms 11,.1*' 1)# 110 1 The 5.D said to my lord, Sit at my right side, while 3 p+t yo+r enemies +nder yo+r control. 2 The 5.D will ca+se yo+r kingdom to grow, !eginning at Bion, +ntil yo+ r+le the lands of yo+r enemies" 3 ;o+r people will gladly =oin yo+ when yo+ gather yo+r army together. ;o+ will wear yo+r special clothes and meet together early in the morning. ;o+r yo+ng men will !e all aro+nd yo+ like dew on the gro+nd. # The 5.D has made a promise with an oath and will not change his mind: ;o+ are a priest forever the kind of priest AelchiEedek was. % Ay ord is at yo+r right side. $e will defeat the other kings when he !ecomes angry. & $e will =+dge the nations. The gro+nd will !e covered with dead !odies. $e will p+nish the leaders of powerf+l nations all aro+nd the world. ' The king will drink from a stream on the way. Then he will lift his head and !ecome strong" 6salms 111.1*1, 1)% 111 1 6raise the 5.D" 3 thank the 5.D with all my heart in the assem!ly of his good people. 2 The 5.D does wonderf+l things, greater than anyone co+ld ask for. 3 The things he does are great and glorio+s" There is no end to his goodness. # $e does amaEing things so that we will remem!er that the 5.D is kind and mercif+l. pag. &%(0131#

% $e gives food to his followers. $e remem!ers his agreement forever. & $e has shown his people how powerf+l he is !y giving them the land of other nations. ' -verything he does is good and fair. All his commands can !e tr+sted. ( $is commands will contin+e forever. They m+st !e done with tr+th and honesty. ) $e resc+ed his people and made his agreement with them forever. $is name is awesome and holy. 1, >isdom !egins with fear and respect for the 5.D. Those who o!ey him are very wise. 6raises will !e s+ng to him forever. 6salms 112.1*1, 1)& 112 1 6raise the 5.D" Great !lessings !elong to those who fear and respect the 5.D, who are happy to do what he commands. 2 Their descendants will !e given power on earth. Those who do right will !e greatly !lessed. 3 Their family will !e very rich, and their goodness will last forever. # A light shines in the dark for those who are good, for those who are mercif+l, kind, and fair. % 3t is good for people to !e kind and genero+s and to !e fair in !+siness. & S+ch good people will never fall. They will always !e remem!ered. ' They will not !e afraid of !ad news. They are confident !eca+se they tr+st in the 5.D. ( They remain confident and witho+t fear, so they defeat their enemies. ) They freely give to the poor. Their goodness will last forever. They will !e honored with victory. 1, The wicked !ecome angry when they see this. They grind their teeth in anger, !+t then they disappear. They will never get what they want most. 6salms 113.1*11#.2 1)' 113 1 6raise the 5.D" Servants of the 5.D, praise him" 6raise the 5.D@S name. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 Aay the 5.D@S name !e praised now and forever. 3 Aay the 5.D@S name !e praised from where the s+n rises to where it goes down. # The 5.D is higher than all nations. $is glory rises to the skies. % There is no one like the 5.D o+r God. $e sits on his throne high in heaven. & $e is so high a!ove +s that he m+st look down to see the sky and the earth. ' $e lifts the poor o+t of the dirt and resc+es !eggars from the gar!age d+mp. ( $e p+ts them in important positions, giving them a place among the leaders of his people. ) $e gives children to the woman whose home is empty. $e makes her a happy mother. 6raise the 5.D" 114 1 The people of 3srael escaped from -gypt. ;es, Caco!s descendants left that foreign co+ntry. 2 Then C+dah !ecame Gods special people, and 3srael !ecame his kingdom. 6salms 11#.3*11%.# 1)( 3 The .ed Sea saw this and ran away. The Cordan .iver t+rned and ran. # The mo+ntains danced like rams. The hills danced like lam!s. % .ed Sea, why did yo+ r+n away? Cordan .iver, why did yo+ t+rn and r+n away? & Ao+ntains, why did yo+ dance like rams? $ills, why did yo+ dance like lam!s? ' The earth shook in front of the ord, the God of Caco!. ( $e is the one who ca+sed water to flow from a rock. $e made a spring of water flow from that hard rock. 115 1 5.D, yo+ sho+ld receive the honor, not +s. The honor !elongs to yo+ !eca+se of yo+r faithf+l love and loyalty. 2 >hy sho+ld the nations wonder where o+r God is? 3 5+r God is in heaven, and he does whatever he wants. # The gods of those nations are only stat+es that some h+man made from pag. &%)0131#

gold and silver. 6salms 11%.%*1& 1)) % Those stat+es have mo+ths, !+t cannot talk. They have eyes, !+t cannot see. & They have ears, !+t cannot hear. They have noses, !+t cannot smell. ' They have hands, !+t cannot feel. They have feet, !+t cannot walk. 1o so+nds come from their throats. ( The people who make and tr+st in those stat+es will !ecome like them" ) 6eople of 3srael, tr+st in the 5.D" $e is yo+r strength and shield. 1, Aarons family, tr+st in the 5.D" $e is yo+r strength and shield. 11 2ollowers of the 5.D, tr+st in the 5.D" $e is yo+r strength and shield. 12 The 5.D remem!ers +s, and he will !less +s. $e will !less the people of 3srael. $e will !less Aarons family. 13 The 5.D will !less his followers, great and small. 1# Aay the 5.D give more and more to yo+ and to yo+r children. 1% Aay yo+ receive !lessings from the 5.D, who made heaven and earth. 1& $eaven !elongs to the 5.D, !+t he gave the earth to people. 6salms 11%.1'*11&.1, 2,, 1' The dead dont praise him. Those in the grave dont praise the 5.D. 1( <+t we will praise the 5.D now and forever" 6raise the 5.D" 116 1 3 love the 5.D for hearing me, for listening to my prayers. 2 ;es, he paid attention to me, so 3 will always call to him whenever 3 need help. 3 Deaths ropes were aro+nd me. The grave was closing in on me. 3 was worried and afraid. # Then 3 called on the 5.D@S name. 3 said, 5.D, save me" % The 5.D is good and mercif+lF o+r God is so kind. & The 5.D takes care of helpless people. 3 was witho+t help, and he saved me. ' Ay so+l, rela4" The 5.D is caring for -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. ( ord, yo+ saved my so+l from death. ;o+ stopped my tears. ;o+ kept me from falling. ) 3 will contin+e to serve the 5.D in the land of the living. 1, 3 contin+ed !elieving even when 3 said, 3 am completely r+ined" 6salms 11&.11*11'.1 2,1 11 ;es, even when 3 was +pset and said, There is no one 3 can tr+st" 12 >hat can 3 give the 5.D for all that he has done for me? 13 $e saved me, so 3 will give him a drink offering, and 3 will call on the 5.D@S name. 1# 3 will give the 5.D what 3 promised. 3 will go in front of all his people now. 1% /ery dear to the 5.D are the lives of his followers. $e cares when they face death. 1& 5.D, 3 am yo+r servant" ;es, 3 am yo+r slave, as my mother was. ;o+ set me free from the chains of death. 1' 3 will give yo+ a thank offering. 3 will call on the 5.D@S name. 1( 3 will stand !efore the gathering of his people and give the 5.D what 3 promised. 1) 3 will do this in Cer+salem, in the co+rtyards of the 5.D@S Temple. 6raise the 5.D" 117 1 6raise the 5.D, all yo+ nations. 6raise him, all yo+ people. 6salms 11'.2*11(.1, 2,2 2 $e loves +s very m+ch" The 5.D will !e faithf+l to +s forever" 6raise the 5.D" 118 1 6raise the 5.D !eca+se he is good" $is faithf+l love will last forever" 2 3srael, say it: $is faithf+l love will last forever" 3 Aarons family, say it: $is faithf+l love will last forever" # ;o+ people worshiping the 5.D, say it: $is faithf+l love will last forever" % 3 was in tro+!le, so 3 called to the 5.D for help. The 5.D answered and pag. &&,0131#

made me free. & The 5.D is with me, so 3 will not !e afraid. 1o one on earth can do anything to harm me. ' The 5.D is my helper. 3 will see my enemies defeated. ( 3t is !etter to tr+st in the 5.D than to tr+st in people. ) 3t is !etter to tr+st in the 5.D than to tr+st in great leaders. 1, Aany enemies s+rro+nded me, !+t with the 5.D@S power 3 defeated them. 6salms 11(.11*21 2,3 11 They s+rro+nded me again and again, !+t 3 defeated them with the 5.D@S power. 12 They s+rro+nded me like a swarm of !ees, !+t they were J+ickly destroyed like a fastD!+rning !+sh. 3 defeated them with the 5.D@S power. 13 Ay enemy attacked me and almost destroyed me, !+t the 5.D helped me. 1# The 5.D is my strength and my reason for singing. $e saved me" 1% ;o+ can hear the victory cele!ration in the homes of those who live right. The 5.D has shown his great power again" 1& The 5.D@S arm is raised in victory. The 5.D has shown his great power again. 1' 3 will live and not die, and 3 will tell what the 5.D has done. 1( The 5.D p+nished me, !+t he did not let me die. 1) Gates of goodness, open for me, and 3 will come in and worship the 5.D. 2, Those are the 5.D@S gates, and only good people can go thro+gh them. 21 ord, 3 thank yo+ for answering my prayer. 3 thank yo+ for saving me. 6salms 11(.22*11).# 2,# 22 The stone that the !+ilders re=ected !ecame the cornerstone. 23 The 5.D made this happen, and we think it is wonderf+l" 2# This is the day the 5.D has made. et +s re=oice and !e happy today" 2% The people say, 6raise the 5.D" The 5.D saved +s" 2& >elcome to the one who comes in the -asy To .ead /ersion

name of the 5.D. The priests answer, >e welcome yo+ to the 5.D@S ho+se" 2' The 5.D is God, and he accepts +s. Tie +p the lam! for the sacrifice and carry it to the horns of the altar. 2( ord, yo+ are my God, and 3 thank yo+. Ay God, 3 praise yo+" 2) 6raise the 5.D !eca+se he is good. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 119 1 Great !lessings !elong to those who live p+re lives" They follow the 5.D@S teachings. 2 Great !lessings !elong to those who follow his r+les" They seek him with all their heart. 3 They dont do wrong. They follow his ways. # ord, yo+ gave +s yo+r instr+ctions and told +s to always o!ey them. 6salms 11).%*1' 2,% % $ow 3 wish 3 co+ld !e more faithf+l in o!eying yo+r laws" & Then 3 wo+ld never feel ashamed when 3 look closely at yo+r commands. ' The more 3 +nderstand how fair yo+r laws are, the more sincerely 3 will praise yo+. ( 3 will o!ey yo+r laws, so please dont leave me" ) $ow can a yo+ng person live a p+re life? <y o!eying yo+r word. 1, 3 try with all my heart to serve yo+. $elp me o!ey yo+r commands. 11 3 st+dy yo+r teachings very caref+lly so that 3 will not sin against yo+. 12 5.D, yo+ are worthy of praise" Teach me yo+r laws. 13 3 will repeat the laws we have heard from yo+. 1# 3 en=oy following yo+r r+les as m+ch as others en=oy great riches. 1% 3 will st+dy yo+r instr+ctions. 3 will give tho+ght to yo+r way of life. 1& 3 en=oy yo+r laws. 3 will not forget yo+r word. 1' <e good to me, yo+r servant, so that 3 may live to o!ey yo+r word. 6salms 11).1(*2) 2,& 1( 5pen my eyes so that 3 can see all the wonderf+l things in yo+r teachings. pag. &&10131#

1) 3 feel like a stranger visiting here on earth. 3 need to know yo+r commands. Dont keep them hidden from me. 2, 3 constantly feel a h+nger to +nderstand yo+r laws. 21 ;o+ tell the pro+d how angry yo+ are with them. All those who ref+se to o!ey yo+r word are c+rsed. 22 Dont let me !e ashamed and em!arrassed. 3 have o!eyed yo+r r+les. 23 -ven if r+lers say !ad things a!o+t me, 3 am yo+r servant, and 3 contin+e to st+dy yo+r laws. 2# ;o+r r+les make me happy. They give me good advice. 2% 3 lie here like a dying man. Say the word, and 3 will live again. 2& 3 told yo+ a!o+t my life, and yo+ answered me. 1ow, teach me yo+r laws. 2' $elp me +nderstand yo+r instr+ctions, and 3 will think a!o+t yo+r wonderf+l teachings. 2( 3 am sad and tired. Say the word, and make me strong again. 2) Dont let me live a lie. G+ide me with yo+r teachings. 6salms 11).3,*#1 2,' 3, 3 have chosen to !e loyal to yo+. 3 respect yo+r laws. 31 3 follow yo+r r+les closely, 5.D. Dont let me !e p+t to shame. 32 3 do my !est to follow yo+r commands, !eca+se yo+ are the one who gives me the desire. 33 5.D, teach me yo+r laws, and 3 will always follow them. 3# $elp me +nderstand yo+r teachings, and 3 will follow them. 5!eying them will !e my greatest desire. 3% $elp me follow yo+r commands, !eca+se that makes me happy. 3& Give me the desire to follow yo+r r+les, not the desire to get rich. 3' Dont let me look at worthless things. $elp me live yo+r way. 3( Do what yo+ promised me, yo+r servant, so that people will respect yo+. 3) Take away the shame 3 fear. ;o+r laws are good. #, See how m+ch 3 want to o!ey yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

instr+ctions" <e good to me, and let me live. #1 5.D, show me yo+r faithf+l love. Save me, as yo+ promised. 6salms 11).#2*%2 2,( #2 Then 3 will have an answer for those who make f+n of me for tr+sting what yo+ say. #3 et me always say what is tr+e. 3 depend on yo+r =+dgment to !e fair. ## 3 will follow yo+r teachings forever and ever. #% So 3 will live in freedom, !eca+se 3 do my !est to know yo+r instr+ctions. #& 3 will disc+ss yo+r r+les with kings, and no one will em!arrass me. #' >hat =oy yo+r commands give me" $ow 3 love them" #( 1ot only do 3 love yo+r commands, !+t 3 also honor them. 3 will st+dy yo+r laws. #) .emem!er yo+r promise to me, yo+r servant. 3t gives me hope. %, ;o+ comfort me in my s+ffering, !eca+se yo+r promise gives me new life. %1 6eople f+ll of pride are always making f+n of me, !+t 3 have not stopped following yo+r teachings. %2 3 remem!er the laws yo+ gave +s long ago, 5.D, and they !ring me comfort. 6salms 11).%3*&# 2,) %3 3 am overcome with anger when 3 see wicked people, who have stopped following yo+r teachings. %# ;o+r laws are the songs 3 sing wherever 3 am living. %% 5.D, in the night 3 remem!ered yo+r name, and 3 o!eyed yo+r teachings. %& This happened !eca+se 3 caref+lly o!ey yo+r instr+ctions. %' 5.D, 3 decided that my d+ty is to o!ey yo+r commandments. %( 3 !eg yo+ with all my heart, !e kind to me, as yo+ promised. %) 3 tho+ght very caref+lly a!o+t my life, and 3 decided to follow yo+r r+les. &, >itho+t wasting any time, 3 h+rried !ack to o!ey yo+r commands. &1 The wicked tried to trap me, !+t 3 pag. &&20131#

have not forgotten yo+r teachings. &2 3n the middle of the night, 3 get +p to thank yo+ !eca+se yo+r laws are so fair. &3 3 am a friend to everyone who worships yo+. 3 am a friend to everyone who o!eys yo+r instr+ctions. &# 5.D, yo+r faithf+l love fills the earth. Teach me yo+r laws. 6salms 11).&%*'# 21, &% 5.D, yo+ did good things for me, yo+r servant. ;o+ did what yo+ promised to do. && Give me the knowledge to make wise decisions. 3 tr+st yo+r commands. &' <efore 3 s+ffered, 3 did many wrong things. <+t now 3 caref+lly o!ey everything yo+ say. &( ;o+ are good, and yo+ do good things. Teach me yo+r laws. &) 6eople f+ll of pride made +p lies a!o+t me. <+t 3 keep o!eying yo+r instr+ctions with all my heart. ', Those people are so st+pid that they care for nothing, !+t 3 en=oy st+dying yo+r teachings. '1 S+ffering was good for meF 3 learned yo+r laws. '2 ;o+r teachings are worth more to me than a tho+sand pieces of silver and gold. '3 >ith yo+r hands yo+ made me and helped me !ecome what 3 am. 1ow help me learn and +nderstand yo+r commands. '# ;o+r followers will see me and !e happy, !eca+se 3 tr+st in yo+r word. 6salms 11).'%*(% 211 '% 5.D, 3 know that yo+r decisions are fair, and yo+ were right to p+nish me. '& 1ow comfort me with yo+r faithf+l love, as yo+ promised. '' 9omfort me and let me live. 3 en=oy yo+r teachings. '( <ring shame on those pro+d people who lied a!o+t me. All 3 want to do is st+dy yo+r instr+ctions. ') et yo+r followers come !ack to me so that they may learn yo+r r+les. (, et me o!ey yo+r laws perfectly so that 3 will not !e ashamed. -asy To .ead /ersion

(1 3 feel weaker and weaker as 3 wait for yo+ to save me. <+t 3 p+t my tr+st in yo+r word. (2 3 keep looking for what yo+ promised, !+t my eyes are feeling tired. >hen will yo+ comfort me? (3 -ven when 3 am like a dried wineskin on the trash pile, 3 will not forget yo+r laws. (# $ow long m+st 3 wait for yo+ to p+nish those who persec+te me? (% 6ro+d people have tried to trap me and make me diso!ey yo+r teachings. 6salms 11).(&*)' 212 (& All yo+r commands can !e tr+sted. Those people are wrong to persec+te me. $elp me" (' They have almost destroyed me, !+t 3 have not stopped o!eying yo+r instr+ctions. (( Show me yo+r faithf+l love and let me live. 3 will do whatever yo+ say. () 5.D, yo+r word contin+es forever in heaven. ), ;o+ are loyal forever and ever. ;o+ made the earth, and it still stands. )1 All things contin+e today !eca+se of yo+r laws. ike slaves, they all o!ey yo+. )2 3f 3 had not fo+nd =oy in yo+r teachings, my s+ffering wo+ld have destroyed me. )3 3 will never forget yo+r commands, !eca+se thro+gh them yo+ gave me new life. )# 3 am yo+rs, so save me" 3 have done my !est to know yo+r instr+ctions. )% The wicked tried to destroy me, !+t yo+r r+les made me wise. )& -verything has its limits, e4cept yo+r commands. )' 5h, how 3 love yo+r teachings" 3 talk a!o+t them all the time. 6salms 11).)(*1,( 213 )( ;o+r commands are always with me, and they make me wiser than my enemies. )) 3 am wiser than all my teachers, !eca+se 3 st+dy yo+r r+les. 1,, 3 +nderstand more than those who are older, !eca+se 3 o!ey yo+r pag. &&30131#

instr+ctions. 1,1 3 have avoided every path that leads to evil so that 3 co+ld o!ey yo+r word. 1,2 ;o+ are my teacher, so 3 will always do whatever yo+ decide. 1,3 ;o+r words are so sweet to me, like the taste of honey" 1,# 3 gain +nderstanding from yo+r instr+ctions, so 3 hate anything that leads people the wrong way. 1,% ;o+r word is like a lamp that g+ides my steps, a light that shows the path 3 sho+ld take. 1,& ;o+r laws are good and fair. 3 have promised to o!ey them, and 3 will keep my promise. 1,' 5.D, 3 have s+ffered for a long time. Say the word, and 3 will live again" 1,( 5.D, accept the praise 3 want to give yo+, and teach me yo+r laws. 6salms 11).1,)*11) 21# 1,) Ay life is always in danger, !+t 3 have not forgotten yo+r teachings. 11, The wicked try to trap me, !+t 3 have not diso!eyed yo+r instr+ctions. 111 The r+les yo+ have given me to follow will !e mine forever. They give me great =oy. 112 Aore than anything, 3 want to o!ey yo+r laws always, +ntil the end of my life. 113 ord, 3 hate those who are not completely loyal to yo+, !+t 3 love yo+r teachings. 11# $ide me and protect me. 3 tr+st what yo+ say. 11% Dont come near me, yo+ who are evil, so that 3 can o!ey my Gods commands. 11& S+pport me, ord, as yo+ promised, and 3 will live. 3 tr+st in yo+, so dont disappoint me. 11' $elp me and 3 will !e saved. And 3 will always give attention to yo+r laws. 11( ;o+ re=ect all who dont o!ey yo+r laws, !eca+se they are liars and did not do what they said. 11) ;o+ throw away the wicked of this world like trash. So 3 love yo+r r+les. 6salms 11).12,*13, 21% -asy To .ead /ersion

12, 3 am shaking with fear !efore yo+. 3 fear and respect yo+r =+dgments. 121 3 have done what is right and good. Dont let me fall into the hands of those who want to h+rt me. 122 6romise to !e good to me, yo+r servant. Dont let those pro+d people do harm to me. 123 3 have worn o+t my eyes looking for yo+r help, waiting for yo+ to save me, as yo+ promised. 12# Show yo+r faithf+l love to me, yo+r servant. Teach me yo+r laws. 12% 3 am yo+r servant. Give me wisdom to +nderstand yo+r r+les. 12& 5.D, it is time for yo+ to do something. The people do what is against yo+r teachings. 12' 3 love yo+r commands more than gold, more than the p+rest gold. 12( 3 caref+lly o!ey all yo+r commands. So 3 hate anything that leads people the wrong way. 12) ord, yo+r r+les are wonderf+l. That is why 3 follow them. 13, As people +nderstand yo+r word, it !rings light to their lives. ;o+r word makes even simple people wise. 6salms 11).131*1#1 21& 131 Ay desire to hear yo+r commands is so strong that 3 wait with open mo+th, gasping for !reath. 132 ook at me, and !e kind to me, =+st as yo+ always are to those who love yo+r name. 133 G+ide me, as yo+ promised. Dont let evil r+le over me. 13# Save me from those who want to h+rt me, and 3 will o!ey yo+r instr+ctions. 13% Accept yo+r servant, and teach me yo+r laws. 13& 3 have cried a river of tears !eca+se people dont o!ey yo+r teachings. 13' 5.D, yo+ do what is right, and yo+r decisions are fair. 13( The r+les yo+ have given +s are right. >e can tr+st them completely. 13) Something that really +psets me is the tho+ght that my enemies ignore yo+r pag. &&#0131#

commands. 1#, 3 love yo+r word. Time and again it has !een proven tr+e. 1#1 3 am yo+ng, and people dont respect me. <+t 3 have not forgotten yo+r instr+ctions. 6salms 11).1#2*1%# 21' 1#2 ;o+r goodness is forever, and yo+r teachings can !e tr+sted. 1#3 -ven tho+gh 3 have tro+!les and hard times, yo+r commands give me =oy. 1## ;o+r r+les are always right. $elp me +nderstand them so that 3 can live. 1#% 5.D, 3 call to yo+ with all my heart. Answer me, and 3 will o!ey yo+r laws. 1#& 3 call to yo+. Save me, and 3 will o!ey yo+r r+les. 1#' 3 get +p early in the morning to pray to yo+. 3 tr+st what yo+ say. 1#( ate into the night 3 stay awake to think a!o+t yo+r word. 1#) 3 know yo+r love is tr+e, so listen to me. 5.D, yo+ always do what is right, so let me live. 1%, $ere come those who have evil plans to h+rt me. They live far away from yo+r teachings. 1%1 <+t yo+ are near me, 5.D, and all yo+r commands can !e tr+sted. 1%2 ong ago 3 learned from yo+r r+les that yo+ made them to last forever. 1%3 ook at my s+ffering and resc+e me. 3 have not forgotten yo+r teachings. 1%# Arg+e my case, and set me free. et me live, as yo+ promised. 6salms 11).1%%*1&# 21( 1%% The wicked have no hope of !eing saved, !eca+se they dont follow yo+r laws. 1%& 5.D, yo+ are very kind. ;o+ always do what is right, so let me live. 1%' 3 have many enemies trying to h+rt me, !+t 3 have not stopped following yo+r r+les. 1%( 3 look at those traitors and hate what 3 see, !eca+se they ref+se to do what yo+ say. 1%) See how m+ch 3 love yo+r instr+ctions" 5.D, 3 know yo+r love is tr+e, so let me live. -asy To .ead /ersion

1&, -very word yo+ say can !e tr+sted. ;o+r laws are fair and will last forever. 1&1 6owerf+l leaders attack me for no reason, !+t the only thing 3 fear is yo+r command. 1&2 ;o+r word makes me happy, like someone who has fo+nd a great treas+re. 1&3 3 hate liesF they make me sick" <+t 3 love yo+r teachings. 1&# Seven times a day 3 praise yo+ !eca+se yo+r laws are fair. 6salms 11).1&%*1'& 21) 1&% Those who love yo+r teachings will find tr+e peace. 1othing can make them fall. 1&& 5.D, 3 am waiting for yo+ to save me. 3 o!ey yo+r commands. 1&' 3 follow yo+r r+les. 3 love them very m+ch. 1&( 3 o!ey all yo+r instr+ctions and r+les, !eca+se yo+ know everything 3 do. 1&) 5.D, listen to my cry for help. Aake me wise, as yo+ promised. 1', isten to my prayer. Save me, as yo+ promised. 1'1 3 will !+rst into songs of praise, !eca+se yo+ have ta+ght me yo+r laws. 1'2 et my voice sing a!o+t yo+r word, !eca+se all yo+r commands are good. 1'3 3 have chosen to follow yo+r instr+ctions, so reach o+t and help me" 1'# 5.D, 3 want yo+ to save me. ;o+r teachings make me happy. 1'% et me live to praise yo+. et me find the help 3 need in yo+r laws. 1'& 3 have wandered away like a lost sheep. 9ome and find me. 3 am yo+r servant, and 3 have not forgotten yo+r commands. 6salms 12,.1*121.% 22, 120 1 3 was in tro+!le. 3 called to the 5.D for help, and he answered me" 2 3 said, 5.D, save me from liars, from those who say things that are not tr+e. 3 iars, do yo+ know what the ord has for yo+? Do yo+ know what yo+ will get? # ;o+ will get a soldiers sharp arrow and hot coals to p+nish yo+. pag. &&%0131#

% $ow 3 hate living here among these people" 3ts like living in Aeshech or in the tents of Gedar. & 3 have lived too long with those who hate peace. ' 3 ask for peace, !+t they want war. 121 1 3 look +p to the hills, !+t where will my help really come from? 2 Ay help will come from the 5.D, the 9reator of heaven and earth. 3 $e will not let yo+ fall. ;o+r 6rotector will not fall asleep. # 3sraels 6rotector does not get tired. $e never sleeps. % The 5.D is yo+r 6rotector. The 5.D stands !y yo+r side, shading and protecting yo+. 6salms 121.&*122.' 221 & The s+n cannot harm yo+ d+ring the day, and the moon cannot harm yo+ at night. ' The 5.D will protect yo+ from every danger. $e will protect yo+r so+l. ( The 5.D will protect yo+ as yo+ come and go, !oth now and forever" 122 1 3 was happy when the people said, et +s go to the 5.D@S Temple. 2 $ere we are, standing at the gates of Cer+salem. 3 This is 1ew Cer+salem" The city has !een re!+ilt as one +nited city. # This is where the tri!es come, the tri!es who !elong to the 5.D. The people of 3srael come here to praise the 5.D@S name. % The kings from Davids family p+t their thrones here. They set +p their thrones to =+dge the people. & 6ray for peace in Cer+salem: Aay those who love yo+ find peace. ' Aay there !e peace within yo+r walls. Aay there !e safety in yo+r great !+ildings. 6salms 122.(*12#.3 222 ( 2or the good of my family and neigh!ors, 3 pray that there will !e peace here. ) 2or the good of the Temple of the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D o+r God, 3 pray that good things will happen to this city. 123 1 ord, 3 look +p and pray to yo+. ;o+ sit as Ging in heaven. 2 A slave looks to his master to provide what he needs, and a servant girl depends on the woman she serves. So we depend on the 5.D o+r God, waiting for him to have mercy on +s. 3 5.D, !e mercif+l to +s, !eca+se we have !een ins+lted m+ch too long. # >e have had eno+gh of the hatef+l words of those pro+d people who make f+n of +s and show +s no respect. 124 1 >hat wo+ld have happened to +s if the 5.D had not !een on o+r side? Tell +s a!o+t it, 3srael. 2 >hat wo+ld have happened to +s if the 5.D had not !een on o+r side when people attacked +s? 3 They wo+ld have swallowed +s alive when they !ecame angry with +s. 6salms 12#.#*12%.% 223 # Their armies wo+ld have !een like a flood washing over +s, like a river drowning +s. % Those pro+d people wo+ld have !een like water rising +p to o+r mo+th and drowning +s. & 6raise the 5.D" $e did not let o+r enemies tear +s apart. ' >e escaped like a !ird from the net of a h+nter. The net !roke, and we escaped" ( 5+r help came from the 5.D, the one who made heaven and earth" 125 1 Those who tr+st in the 5.D are like Ao+nt Bion. They will never !e shaken. They will contin+e forever. 2 ike the mo+ntains that s+rro+nd Cer+salem, the 5.D s+rro+nds and protects his people now and forever. 3 The wicked will not always control the land of those who do right. 3f they did, even those who do right might start doing wrong. # 5.D, !e good to those who are good, to those who have p+re hearts. % <+t, 5.D, when yo+ p+nish those pag. &&&0131#

who do evil, also p+nish those who have 6salms 12&.1*12'.2 22# stopped following yo+r way. et 3srael always en=oy peace" 126 1 3t will !e like a dream when the 5.D comes !ack with the captives of Bion. 2 >e will la+gh and sing happy songs" Then the other nations will say, The 5.D did a great thing for Bion" 3 ;es, we will !e happy !eca+se the 5.D did a great thing for +s. # So, 5.D, !ring !ack the good times, like a desert stream filled again with flowing water. % Then those who were sad when they planted will !e happy when they gather the harvest" & Those who cried as they carried the seeds will !e happy when they !ring in the crops" 127 1 3f it is not the 5.D who !+ilds a ho+se, the !+ilders are wasting their time. 3f it is not the 5.D who watches over the city, the g+ards are wasting their time. 2 3t is a waste of time to get +p early and stay +p late, trying to make a living. The ord provides for those he loves, even while they are sleeping. 6salms 12'.3*12(.& 22% 3 9hildren are a gift from the 5.D, a reward from a mothers wom!. # A yo+ng mans sons are like the arrows in a soldiers hand. % The man who fills his J+iver with sons will !e very !lessed. $e will never !e defeated when he opposes his enemy at the city gates. 128 1 Great !lessings !elong to those who fear and respect the 5.D and live the way he wants. 2 ;o+ will get what yo+ work for. ;o+ will en=oy the ords !lessings, and all will go well for yo+. 3 At home, yo+r wife will have many children, like a vine f+ll of grapes. The children aro+nd yo+r ta!le will !e like an orchard f+ll of olive trees. # ;es, the 5.D will really !less those -asy To .ead /ersion

who respect him. % Aay the 5.D !less yo+ from Ao+nt Bion. Aay yo+ en=oy the !lessings of Cer+salem all yo+r life. & And may yo+ live to see yo+r grandchildren. et 3srael always en=oy peace" 6salms 12).1*13,.3 22& 129 1 All my life enemies have attacked me. Say it again, 3srael. 2 All my life enemies have attacked me, !+t they have never defeated me. 3 They !eat me +ntil 3 had deep c+ts. Ay !ack looked like a freshly plowed field. # <+t the 5.D does what is rightF he c+t the ropes and set me free from those wicked people. % Aay those who hate Bion !e p+t to shame. Aay they !e stopped and chased away. & They will !e like grass on a flat roof that dies !efore it has time to grow. ' The one who goes to harvest it will not find eno+gh to c+t and stack. ( Aay no one walking !y those wicked people ever say, Aay the 5.D !less yo+" >e !less yo+ in the name of the 5.D. 130 1 5.D, 3 am in deep tro+!le, so 3 am calling to yo+ for help. 2 Ay ord, listen to me. isten to my cry for help. 3 5.D, if yo+ p+nished people for all their sins, no one wo+ld !e left alive. 6salms 13,.#*132.2 22' # <+t yo+ forgive people, so they fear and respect yo+. % 3 am waiting for the 5.D to help me. Ay so+l waits for him. 3 tr+st what he says. & 3 am waiting for my ord, like a g+ard waiting and waiting for the morning to come. ' 3srael, tr+st in the 5.D. The 5.D is the one who is faithf+l and tr+e. $e saves +s again and again, ( and he is the one who will save the people of 3srael from all their sins. pag. &&'0131#

131 1 5.D, 3 dont feel pro+d. 3 dont see myself as !etter than others. 3 am not thinking a!o+t doing great things or reaching impossi!le goals. 2 1o, right now 3 am calm and J+iet, like a child after n+rsing, content in its mothers arms. 3 3srael, tr+st in the 5.D. Tr+st in him now and forever" 132 1 5.D, remem!er how David s+ffered. 2 $e made a promise to yo+, 5.D, an oath to the Aighty God of Caco!. 6salms 132.3*13 22( 3 $e said, 3 will not go into my ho+se or lie down on my !ed. # 3 will not sleep or let my eyes rest, % +ntil 3 find a home for the 5.D, a tent for the Aighty God of Caco!" & >e heard a!o+t this in -phrathah. >e fo+nd the <o4 of the Agreement at Giriath Cearim. ' 1ow, lets go to the ords ho+se. ets worship at his throne. ( 5.D, get +p and go to yo+r resting placeF go with the <o4 that shows yo+r power. ) Aay yo+r priests !e clothed in victory and yo+r loyal followers !e filled with =oy. 1, 2or the sake of yo+r servant David, dont re=ect yo+r chosen king. 11 The 5.D made a promise to David, an oath of loyalty to him: 3 will always p+t one of yo+r descendants on yo+r throne. 12 3f yo+r descendants o!ey my agreement and the laws 3 teach them, then the king will always !e someone from yo+r family. 13 The 5.D has chosen Bion to !e the place for his Temple, the place he wanted for his home. 6salms 132.1#*13#.1 22) 1# $e said, This will always !e my place of rest. This is where 3 want to sit on my throne. 1% 3 will !less this city with plenty of food. -ven the poor will have eno+gh to eat. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& 3 will clothe the priests with salvation, and my followers will !e filled with =oy. 1' This is where 3 will make Davids family strong. 3 will never let the lamp of my chosen king stop !+rning. 1( 3 will cover his enemies with shame, and on his head will !e a shining crown. 133 1 5h, how wonderf+l, how pleasing it is when Gods people all come together as one" 2 3t is like the sweetDsmelling oil that is po+red over the high priests head, that r+ns down his !eard flowing over his ro!es. 3 3t is like a gentle rain from Ao+nt $ermon falling on Ao+nt Bion. 3t is there that the 5.D has promised his !lessing of eternal life. 134 1 6raise the 5.D, all his servants who serve in the Temple at night. 6salms 13#.2*13%.( 23, 2 ift yo+r hands toward the Temple, and praise the 5.D. 3 Aay the 5.D, who made heaven and earth, !less yo+ from Bion. 135 1 6raise the 5.D" 6raise the name of the 5.D" 6raise him, yo+ servants of the 5.D, 2 yo+ who serve in the 5.D@S Temple, in the co+rtyard of the Temple of o+r God. 3 6raise the 5.D, !eca+se he is good. 6raise his name, !eca+se it !rings s+ch =oy" # The 5.D chose Caco! to !e his own. ;es, he chose 3srael to !e his own people. % 3 know the 5.D is great" 5+r ord is greater than all the gods" & The 5.D does whatever he wants, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and the deep oceans. ' $e !rings the clo+ds from the other side of the earth. $e sends the lightning and the rain, and he opens the doors to release the winds. ( $e destroyed the first!orn males of the people in -gypt and their animals. 6salms 13%.)*1) 231 pag. &&(0131#

) $e did great wonders and miracles in -gypt. $e +sed them against 6haraoh and his officials. 1, $e defeated many nations and killed powerf+l kings. 11 $e defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, 5g, king of <ashan, and all the kingdoms in 9anaan. 12 Then he gave their land to 3srael, his people. 13 5.D, yo+r name will !e famo+s forever" 5.D, people will remem!er yo+ forever and ever. 1# The 5.D defends his peopleF he is kind to his servants. 1% The gods of other nations are only gold and silver idols that people have made. 1& They have mo+ths, !+t cannot speak. They have eyes, !+t cannot see. 1' They have ears, !+t cannot hear. They have mo+ths, !+t no !reath. 1( Those who make idols and tr+st in them will !ecome =+st like the idols they have made. 1) 2amily of 3srael, praise the 5.D" Aarons family, praise the 5.D" 6salms 13%.2,*13&.) 232 2, evis family, praise the 5.D" All yo+ who worship the 5.D, praise the 5.D" 21 The 5.D sho+ld !e praised from Bion, from Cer+salem, his home. 6raise the 5.D" 136 1 6raise the 5.D !eca+se he is good. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 2 6raise the God of gods" $is faithf+l love will last forever. 3 6raise the ord of lords" $is faithf+l love will last forever. # 6raise him who alone does wonderf+l miracles" $is faithf+l love will last forever. % 6raise the one who +sed wisdom to make the skies" $is faithf+l love will last forever. & $e spread the land over the sea. $is faithf+l love will last forever. ' $e made the great lights. $is faithf+l love will last forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

( $e made the s+n to r+le the day. $is faithf+l love will last forever. ) $e made the moon and stars to r+le the night. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 6salms 13&.1,*21 233 1, $e killed the first!orn males in -gypt, !oth men and animals. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 11 $e took 3srael o+t of -gypt. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 12 $e +sed his powerf+l arms and strong hands. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 13 $e split the .ed Sea into two parts. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 1# $e led 3srael thro+gh the sea. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 1% $e drowned 6haraoh and his army in the .ed Sea. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 1& $e led his people thro+gh the desert. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 1' $e defeated powerf+l kings. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 1( $e defeated strong kings. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 1) $e defeated Sihon king of the Amorites. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 2, $e defeated 5g king of <ashan. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 21 $e gave their land to 3srael. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 6salms 13&.22*13'.& 23# 22 $e gave it as a gift to 3srael, his servant. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 23 $e remem!ered +s when we were defeated. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 2# $e saved +s from o+r enemies. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 2% $e provides food for all living things. $is faithf+l love will last forever. 2& 6raise the God of heaven" $is faithf+l love will last forever. 137 1 >e sat !y the rivers in <a!ylon and cried as we remem!ered Bion. 2 >e h+ng o+r harps near!y, there on the willow trees. pag. &&)0131#

3 There in <a!ylon, those who capt+red +s told +s to sing. 5+r enemies told +s to entertain them. They said, Sing +s one of yo+r songs a!o+t Bion. # <+t we cannot sing the 5.D@S songs in a foreign co+ntry" % Cer+salem, if 3 ever forget yo+, may 3 never play a song again. & 3f 3 fail to remem!er yo+, may 3 never sing again. 3 will always remem!er Cer+salem as my greatest =oy" 6salms 13'.'*13(.& 23% ' 5.D, !e s+re to p+nish the -domites for what they did when Cer+salem was capt+red. They sho+ted, Destroy its !+ildings" 6+ll them down to the gro+nd" ( <a!ylon, yo+ will !e destroyed" <less the one who pays yo+ !ack for what yo+ did to +s. ) <less the one who gra!s yo+r !a!ies and smashes them against a rock. 138 1 5.D, 3 praise yo+ with all my heart. 3 sing songs of praise to yo+ !efore the gods. 2 3 !ow down toward yo+r holy Temple, and 3 praise yo+r name for yo+r love and loyalty. ;o+ are famo+s, and doing what yo+ promised will make yo+ even more famo+s" 3 >hen 3 called to yo+ for help, yo+ answered me and gave me strength. # 5.D, all the kings on earth will praise yo+ when they hear what yo+ say. % They will sing a!o+t what the 5.D has done, !eca+se the glory of the 5.D is very great. & The 5.D has the highest place a!ove all others, !+t he still cares for the h+m!le. -ven from there, so high a!ove, he knows what the pro+d do. 6salms 13(.'*13).) 23& ' 3f 3 am in tro+!le, yo+ keep me alive. 3f my enemies are angry, yo+ save me from them. ( 5.D, 3 know yo+ will do what yo+ have promised. 5.D, yo+r faithf+l love will last forever. ;o+ are the one who made +s, so dont leave +s" 139 1 5.D, yo+ have tested me, so yo+ know all a!o+t me. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 ;o+ know when 3 sit down and when 3 get +p. ;o+ know my tho+ghts from far away. 3 ;o+ know where 3 go and where 3 lie down. ;o+ know everything 3 do. # 5.D, yo+ know what 3 want to say, even !efore the words leave my mo+th. % ;o+ are all aro+nd mein front of me and !ehind me. 3 feel yo+r hand on my sho+lder. & 3 am amaEed at what yo+ knowF it is too m+ch for me to +nderstand. ' ;o+r Spirit is everywhere 3 go. 3 cannot escape yo+r presence. ( 3f 3 go +p to heaven, yo+ will !e there. 3f 3 go down to the place of death, yo+ will !e there. ) 3f 3 go east where the s+n rises or go to live in the west !eyond the sea, 6salms 13).1,*1( 23' 1, even there yo+ will take my hand and lead me. ;o+r strong right hand will protect me. 11 S+ppose 3 wanted to hide from yo+ and said, S+rely the darkness will hide me. The day will change to night and cover me. 12 -ven the darkness is not dark to yo+. The night is as !right as the day. Darkness and light are the same. 13 ;o+ formed the way 3 think and feel. ;o+ p+t me together in my mothers wom!. 1# 3 praise yo+ !eca+se yo+ made me in s+ch a wonderf+l way. 3 know how amaEing that was" 1% ;o+ co+ld see my !ones grow as my !ody took shape, hidden in my mothers wom!. 1& ;o+ co+ld see my !ody grow each passing day. ;o+ listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing. 1' ;o+r tho+ghts are !eyond my +nderstanding. They cannot !e meas+red" 1( 3f 3 co+ld co+nt them, they wo+ld !e more than all the grains of sand. 6salms 13).1)*1#,.# 23( <+t when 3 finished, 3 wo+ld have =+st !eg+n. pag. &',0131#

1) ;o+ m+rderers, get away from me" God, kill those wicked people 2, those who say !ad things a!o+t yo+. ;o+r enemies +se yo+r name falsely. 21 5.D, 3 hate those who hate yo+. 3 hate those who are against yo+. 22 3 hate them completely" ;o+r enemies are also my enemies. 23 God, e4amine me and know my mind. Test me and know all my worries. 2# Aake s+re that 3 am not going the wrong way. ead me on the path that has always !een right. 140 1 5.D, save me from people who are evil. 6rotect me from those who are cr+el, 2 from those who plan to do evil and always ca+se tro+!le. 3 Their words are as harmf+l as the fangs of a snake, as deadly as its venom. Selah # 5.D, save me from the wicked" 6rotect me from these cr+el people who plan to h+rt me. 6salms 1#,.%*1#1.1 23) % These pro+d people are trying to trap me. They spread nets to catch meF they set traps in my path. Selah & 5.D, yo+ are my God. 5.D, listen to my prayer. ' Ay ord G5D, yo+ are the powerf+l one who saves me. ;o+ protect my head in !attle. ( 5.D, dont let the wicked have what they want. Dont let their plans s+cceed. Selah ) Ay enemies are planning tro+!le for me. ord, make that tro+!le fall on them. 1, 6o+r !+rning coals on their heads. Throw them into the fire. Throw them into pits they can never escape. 11 Dont let those cr+el liars en=oy s+ccess here. et disaster h+nt them down. 12 3 know the 5.D will provide =+stice for the poor and will defend the helpless. 13 Those who do what is right will praise yo+r nameF those who are honest will live in yo+r presence. -asy To .ead /ersion

141 1 5.D, 3 call to yo+ for help. isten to me as 3 pray. 6lease h+rry and help me" 6salms 1#1.2*1#2.1 2#, 2 Accept my prayer like a gift of !+rning incense, the words 3 lift +p like an evening sacrifice. 3 5.D, help me control what 3 say. Dont let me say anything !ad. # Take away any desire to do evil. Geep me from =oining the wicked in doing wrong. $elp me stay away from their feasts. % 3f good people correct me, 3 will consider it a good thing. 3f they criticiEe me, 3 will accept it like a warm welcome. <+t my prayer will always !e against the wicked and the evil they do. & et their =+dges !e p+t to death. Then everyone will know that 3 told the tr+th. ' ike rocks in a field that a farmer has plowed, so o+r !ones will !e scattered in the grave. ( Ay ord G5D, 3 look to yo+ for help. 3 look to yo+ for protectionF dont let me die. ) Those evil people are trying to trap me. Dont let me fall into their traps. 1, et the wicked fall into their own traps, while 3 walk away +nharmed. 142 1 3 cry o+t to the 5.D. 3 !eg the 5.D to help me. 6salms 1#2.2*1#3.3 2#1 2 3 tell him my pro!lemsF 3 tell him a!o+t my tro+!les. 3 3 am ready to give +p. <+t yo+, ord, know the path 3 am on, and yo+ know that my enemies have set a trap for me. # 3 look aro+nd, and 3 dont see anyone 3 know. 3 have no place to r+n. There is no one to save me. % 5.D, 3 cry o+t to yo+ for help: ;o+ are my place of safety. ;o+ are all 3 need in life. & isten to my prayer. 3 am so weak. Save me from those who are chasing me. They are stronger than 3 am. ' $elp me escape this trap, so that 3 can praise yo+r name. Then good people will cele!rate with me, !eca+se yo+ took pag. &'10131#

care of me. 143 1 5.D, hear my prayer. isten to my call for help and answer my prayer. Show me how good and loyal yo+ are. 2 Dont =+dge me, yo+r servant. 1o one alive co+ld !e =+dged innocent !y yo+r standards. 3 Ay enemies are chasing me. They have cr+shed me into the dirt. They are 6salms 1#3.#*11 2#2 p+shing me into the dark grave, like people who died long ago. # 3 am ready to give +p. 3 am losing my co+rage. % <+t 3 remem!er what happened long ago. 3 am thinking a!o+t all yo+ have done. 3 am talking a!o+t what yo+ made with yo+r hands" & 3 lift my hands in prayer to yo+. 3 am waiting for yo+r help, like a dry land waiting for rain. Selah ' $+rry and answer me, 5.D" 3 have lost my co+rage. Dont t+rn away from me. Dont let me die and !ecome like the people lying in the grave. ( Show me yo+r faithf+l love this morning. 3 tr+st in yo+. Show me what 3 sho+ld do. 3 p+t my life in yo+r hands" ) 5.D, 3 come to yo+ for protection. Save me from my enemies. 1, Show me what yo+ want me to do. ;o+ are my God. et yo+r good Spirit lead me over level gro+nd. 11 5.D, let me live so that people will praise yo+r name. Show me how good yo+ are and save me from my tro+!le. 6salms 1#3.12*1##.) 2#3 12 Show me yo+r love and defeat my enemies. Destroy those who are trying to kill me !eca+se 3 am yo+r servant. 144 1 6raise the 5.D" $e is my .ock. $e prepares me for war. $e trains me for !attle. 2 $e loves me and protects me. $e is my safe place high on the mo+ntain. $e resc+es me. $e is my shield. 3 tr+st in him. $e helps me r+le my people. 3 5.D, why are people important to yo+? >hy do yo+ even notice +s? -asy To .ead /ersion

# 5+r life is like a p+ff of air. 3t is like a passing shadow. % 5.D, tear open the skies and come down. To+ch the mo+ntains, and smoke will rise from them. & Send the lightning and make my enemies r+n away. Shoot yo+r arrows and make them r+n away. ' .each down from heaven and save me" Dont let me drown in this sea of enemies. Save me from these foreigners. ( They are all liars, even when they swear to tell the tr+th. ) God, 3 will sing a new song for yo+. 3 will play a tenDstringed harp and sing praise to yo+. 6salms 1##.1,*1#%.3 2## 1, ;o+ are the one who gives victory to kings. ;o+ saved yo+r servant David from the sword of his enemy. 11 Save me from these foreigners. They are all liars, even when they swear to tell the tr+th. 12 Save +s so that o+r sons will !e as strong as trees, and o+r da+ghters as !ea+tif+l as the carved col+mns of a palace. 13 Save +s so that o+r !arns will !e filled with crops, and there will !e tho+sands of sheep in o+r fields. 1# Then o+r soldiers will !e safe, and no enemy will try to !reak in. Then we will not go to war, and people will not !e screaming in o+r streets. 1% $ow wonderf+l to have s+ch !lessings" ;es, great !lessings !elong to those who have the 5.D as their God. 145 1 3 will tell of yo+r greatness, my God and Ging. 3 will praise yo+r name forever and ever. 2 3 will praise yo+ every day. 3 will praise yo+r name forever and ever. 3 The 5.D is great and deserves all o+r praise" 1o one can f+lly +nderstand his greatness" 6salms 1#%.#*1# 2#% # -ach generation will praise yo+ and tell the ne4t generation a!o+t the great things yo+ do. % ;o+r ma=esty and glory are wonderf+l. pag. &'20131#

3 will tell a!o+t yo+r miracles. & 6eople will tell a!o+t the amaEing things yo+ do, and 3 will tell everyone how great yo+ are. ' They will talk a!o+t yo+r goodness and sing a!o+t yo+r =+stice. ( The 5.D is kind and mercif+l, patient and f+ll of love. ) The 5.D is good to everyone. $e shows his mercy to everything he made. 1, 5.D, all yo+ have made will give thanks to yo+. ;o+r loyal followers will praise yo+. 11 They will tell how great yo+r kingdom is. They will tell how great yo+ are. 12 So others will learn a!o+t the mighty things yo+ do, a!o+t the glory of yo+r kingdomhow marvelo+s it is" 13 ;o+r kingdom will never end, and yo+ will r+le forever. The 5.D can !e tr+sted in all he says. $e is loyal in all that he does. 1# The 5.D lifts +p people who have fallen. $e helps those who are in tro+!le. 6salms 1#%.1%*1#&.# 2#& 1% All living things look to yo+ for their food, and yo+ give them their food at the right time. 1& ;o+ open yo+r hands and give every living thing all that it needs. 1' -verything the 5.D does is good. -verything he does shows how loyal he is. 1( The 5.D is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help. 1) $e listens to his followers and does what they want. $e answers their prayers and saves them. 2, The 5.D protects everyone who loves him, !+t he destroys all who do evil. 21 3 will praise the 5.D" et everyone praise his holy name forever and ever" 146 1 6raise the 5.D" Ay so+l, praise the 5.D" 2 3 will praise the 5.D all my life. 3 will sing praises to him as long as 3 live. 3 Dont depend on yo+r leaders for help. Dont depend on people, !eca+se they cannot save yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

# 6eople die and are !+ried. Then all their plans to help are gone. 6salms 1#&.%*1#'.3 2#' % 3t is a great !lessing for people to have the God of Caco! to help them. They depend on the 5.D their God. & $e made heaven and earth. $e made the sea and everything in it. $e can !e tr+sted to do what he says. ' $e does what is right for those who have !een h+rt. $e gives food to the h+ngry. The 5.D frees people locked +p in prison. ( The 5.D makes the !lind see again. The 5.D helps those who are in tro+!le. The 5.D loves those who do right. ) The 5.D protects strangers in o+r co+ntry. $e cares for widows and orphans, !+t he destroys the wicked. 1, The 5.D will r+le forever" Bion, yo+r God will r+le forever and ever" 6raise the 5.D" 147 1 6raise the 5.D !eca+se he is good. Sing praises to o+r God. 3t is good and pleasant to praise him. 2 The 5.D re!+ilds Cer+salem. $e !rings !ack the 3sraelites who were taken as prisoners. 3 $e heals their !roken hearts and !andages their wo+nds. 6salms 1#'.#*1& 2#( # $e co+nts the stars and knows each of them !y name. % 5+r ord is great and powerf+l. There is no limit to what he knows. & The 5.D s+pports the h+m!le, !+t he shames the wicked. ' Give thanks to the 5.D. 6raise o+r God with harps. ( $e fills the sky with clo+ds. $e sends rain to the earth. $e makes the grass grow on the mo+ntains. ) $e gives food to the animals. $e feeds the yo+ng !irds. 1, >ar horses and powerf+l soldiers are not what he cares a!o+t. 11 The 5.D en=oys people who worship him and tr+st in his faithf+l love. 12 Cer+salem, praise the 5.D" Bion, pag. &'30131#

praise yo+r God" 13 $e makes yo+r gates strong, and he !lesses the people in yo+r city. 1# $e !ro+ght peace to yo+r co+ntry, so yo+ have plenty of grain for food. 1% $e gives a command to the earth, and it J+ickly o!eys. 1& $e makes the snow fall +ntil the gro+nd is as white as wool. $e makes sleet !low thro+gh the air like d+st. 6salms 1#'.1'*1#(.' 2#) 1' $e makes hail fall like rocks from the sky. 1o one can stand the cold he sends. 1( Then he gives another command, and warm air !egins to !low. The ice melts, and water !egins to flow. 1) $e gave his commands to Caco!. $e gave his laws and r+les to 3srael. 2, $e did not do this for any other nation. $e did not teach his laws to other people. 6raise the 5.D" 148 1 6raise the 5.D" Angels a!ove, praise the 5.D from heaven" 2 6raise him, all yo+ angels" 6raise him, all his army" 3 S+n and moon, praise him" Stars and lights in the sky, praise him" # 6raise him, highest heaven" >aters a!ove the sky, praise him" % et them praise the 5.D@S name, !eca+se he gave the command and created them all" & $e made all these contin+e forever. $e made the laws that will never end. ' -verything on earth, praise him" Great sea animals and all the oceans, praise the 5.D" 6salms 1#(.(*1#).3 2%, ( 6raise him, fire and hail, snow and clo+ds, and the stormy winds that o!ey him. ) 6raise him, mo+ntains and hills, fr+it trees and cedar trees. 1, 6raise him, wild animals and cattle, reptiles and !irds. 11 6raise him, kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all r+lers on earth. 12 6raise him, yo+ng men and women, old people and children. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 6raise the 5.D@S name" $onor his name forever" $is name is greater than any other. $e is more glorio+s than heaven and earth. 1# $e made his people strong. $is loyal followers praise him. 3srael, his precio+s people, praise the 5.D" 149 1 6raise the 5.D. Sing a new song to the 5.D" Sing his praise in the assem!ly of his followers. 2 et 3srael !e happy with their Aaker. et the people of Bion re=oice with their Ging. 3 et them praise him !y dancing and playing their tam!o+rines and harps. 6salms 1#).#*1%,.% 2%1 # The 5.D is happy with his people. $e did a wonderf+l thing for his h+m!le people. $e saved them" % et his followers re=oice in this victory" et them sing for =oy, even in their !eds" & et the people sho+t praise to God. And with a sharp sword in their hand, ' let them take revenge on the other nations. et them go p+nish those people. ( They will p+t their kings in chains and their leaders in chains of iron. ) They will p+nish those nations as God commanded. This is an honor for all his followers. 6raise the 5.D" 150 1 6raise the 5.D" 6raise God in his Temple" 6raise him in heaven, his strong fortress" 2 6raise him for the great things he does" 6raise him for all his greatness" 3 6raise him with tr+mpets and horns" 6raise him with harps and lyres" # 6raise him with tam!o+rines and dancing" 6raise him with stringed instr+ments and fl+tes" % 6raise him with lo+d cym!als" 6raise him with crashing cym!als" 6salms 1%,.& 2%2 & -verything that !reathes, praise the 5.D" 6raise the 5.D" -ro!er$s 1 1 These are the prover!s of Solomon, the son of David and king of 3srael. 2 6rover!s will help yo+ learn to !e wise, pag. &'#0131#

to accept correction, and to +nderstand wise sayings. 3 They will teach yo+ to develop yo+r mind in the right way. ;o+ will learn to do what is right and to !e honest and fair. # These prover!s will make even those witho+t ed+cation smart. They will teach yo+ng people what they need to know and how to +se what they have learned. % -ven the wise co+ld !ecome wiser !y listening to these prover!s. They will gain +nderstanding and learn to solve diffic+lt pro!lems. & These sayings will help yo+ +nderstand prover!s, stories with hidden meanings, words of the wise, and other diffic+lt sayings. ' Gnowledge !egins with fear and respect for the 5.D, !+t st+!!orn fools hate wisdom and ref+se to learn. 6rover!s 1.(*1) 2 ( Ay son, listen to yo+r father when he corrects yo+, and dont ignore what yo+r mother teaches yo+. ) >hat yo+ learn from yo+r parents will !ring yo+ honor and respect, like a crown or a gold medal. 1, Ay son, those who love to do wrong will try to trick yo+. Dont listen to them. 11 They will say, 9ome with +s. ets hide and !eat to death anyone who happens to walk !y. 12 >e will swallow them whole, as the grave swallows the dying. 13 >e will take everything they have and fill o+r ho+ses with stolen goods. 1# So =oin +s, and yo+ can share everything we get. 1% Ay son, dont follow them. Dont even take the first step along that path. 1& They r+n to do something evil, and they cannot wait to kill someone. 1' ;o+ cannot trap !irds with a net if they see yo+ spreading it o+t. 1( <+t evil people cannot see the trap they set for themselves. 1) This is what happens to those who are greedy. >hatever they get destroys them. -asy To .ead /ersion

6rover!s 1.2,*2( 3 2, >isdom is sho+ting in the streets. She is crying o+t in the marketplace. 21 She is calling o+t where the noisy crowd gathers: 22 2ools, how long will yo+ love !eing ignorant? $ow long will yo+ make f+n of wisdom? $ow long will yo+ hate knowledge? 23 3 wanted to tell yo+ everything 3 knew and give yo+ all my knowledge, !+t yo+ didnt listen to my advice and teaching. 2# 3 tried to help, !+t yo+ ref+sed to listen. 3 offered my hand, !+t yo+ t+rned away from me. 2% ;o+ ignored my advice and ref+sed to !e corrected. 2& So 3 will la+gh at yo+r tro+!les and make f+n of yo+ when what yo+ fear happens. 2' Disasters will strike yo+ like a storm. 6ro!lems will po+nd yo+ like a strong wind. Tro+!le and misery will weigh yo+ down. 2( 2ools will call for me, !+t 3 will not answer. They will look for me, !+t they will not find me. 6rover!s 1.2)*2.% # 2) That is !eca+se they hated knowledge. They ref+sed to fear and respect the 5.D. 3, They ignored my advice and ref+sed to !e corrected. 31 They filled their lives with what they wanted. They went their own way, so they will get what they deserve. 32 2ools die !eca+se they ref+se to follow wisdom. They are content to follow their foolish ways, and that will destroy them. 33 <+t those who listen to me will live in safety and comfort. They will have nothing to fear. 2 1 Ay son, pay attention to what 3 say. .emem!er my commands. 2 isten to wisdom, and do yo+r !est to +nderstand. 3 Ask for good =+dgment. 9ry o+t for +nderstanding. pag. &'%0131#

# ook for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treas+re. % 3f yo+ do this, yo+ will +nderstand what it means to respect the 5.D, and yo+ will come to know God. 6rover!s 2.&*1& % & The 5.D is the so+rce of wisdomF knowledge and +nderstanding come from his mo+th. ' $e gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is right. ( $e makes s+re that people are treated fairly. $e watches over his loyal followers. ) 3f yo+ listen to him, yo+ will +nderstand what is =+st and fair and how to do what is right. 1, ;o+ will gain wisdom, and knowledge will !ring yo+ =oy. 11 6lanning ahead will protect yo+, and +nderstanding will g+ard yo+. 12 These will keep yo+ from following the wrong path and will protect yo+ from those who have evil plans. 13 S+ch people have left the straight path and now walk in darkness. 1# They en=oy doing evil and are happy with the conf+sion it !rings. 1% Their ways are crookedF they lie and cheat. 1& >isdom will save yo+ from that other woman, another mans wife, who tempts yo+ with sweet words. 6rover!s 2.1'*3.% & 1' She married when she was yo+ng, !+t then she left her h+s!and. She forgot the marriage vows she made !efore God. 1( Going into her ho+se leads to death. She will lead yo+ to the grave. 1) All who enter lose their life and never ret+rn. 2, >isdom will help yo+ follow the e4ample of good people and stay on the right path. 21 $onest people will live in the land, and those who do right will remain there. 22 <+t the wicked will !e forced to leave. Those who lie and cheat will !e thrown o+t of the land. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 1 Ay son, dont forget my teaching. .emem!er what 3 tell yo+ to do. 2 >hat 3 teach will give yo+ a good, long life, and all will go well for yo+. 3 Dont ever let love and loyalty leave yo+. Tie them aro+nd yo+r neck, and write them on yo+r heart. # Then God will !e pleased and think well of yo+ and so will everyone else. % Tr+st the 5.D completely, and dont depend on yo+r own knowledge. 6rover!s 3.&*1% ' & >ith every step yo+ take, think a!o+t what he wants, and he will help yo+ go the right way. ' Dont tr+st in yo+r own wisdom, !+t fear and respect the 5.D and stay away from evil. ( 3f yo+ do this, it will !e like a refreshing drink and medicine for yo+r !ody. ) $onor the 5.D with yo+r wealth and the first part of yo+r harvest. 1, Then yo+r !arns will !e f+ll of grain, and yo+r !arrels will !e overflowing with wine. 11 Ay son, dont re=ect the 5.D@S discipline, and dont !e angry when he corrects yo+. 12 The 5.D corrects the one he loves, =+st as a father corrects a child he cares a!o+t. 13 Those who find wisdom are fort+nateF they will !e !lessed when they gain +nderstanding. 1# 6rofit that comes from wisdom is !etter than silver and even the finest gold. 1% >isdom is worth more than fine =ewels. 1othing yo+ desire has more val+e. 6rover!s 3.1&*2& ( 1& >ith her right hand, >isdom offers long lifewith the other hand, riches and honor. 1' >isdom will lead yo+ to a life of =oy and peace. 1( >isdom is like a lifeDgiving tree to those who hold on to herF she is a !lessing to those who keep her close. 1) >ith wisdom and +nderstanding, the pag. &'&0131#

5.D created the earth and sky. 2, >ith his knowledge, he made the oceans and the clo+ds that prod+ce rain. 21 Ay son, dont ever let wisdom o+t of yo+r sight. $old on to wisdom and caref+l planning. 22 They will !ring yo+ a long life filled with honor. 23 As yo+ go thro+gh life, yo+ will always !e safe and never fall. 2# >hen yo+ lie down, yo+ will not !e afraid. >hen yo+ rest, yo+r sleep will !e peacef+l. 2% ;o+ have no reason to fear a s+dden disaster or the destr+ction that comes to the wicked. 2& ;o+ can tr+st the 5.D to protect yo+. $e will not let yo+ fall into harm. 6rover!s 3.2'*#.1 ) 2' Do everything yo+ possi!ly can for those who need help. 2( 3f yo+r neigh!or needs something yo+ have, dont say, 9ome !ack tomorrow. Give it to him immediately. 2) Dont make plans to harm yo+r neigh!or, who lives near yo+ and tr+sts yo+. 3, Dont take people to co+rt witho+t good reason, especially when they have done nothing to harm yo+. 31 Dont envy those who are violent. 1ever choose to !e like them. 32 S+ch crooked people are disg+sting to the 5.D. <+t he is a friend to those who are good and honest. 33 The 5.D c+rses a wicked family, !+t he !lesses the homes of those who live right. 3# $e will h+miliate those who make f+n of others, !+t he is kind to those who are h+m!le. 3% The way the wise live will !ring them honor, !+t the way fools live will !ring them shame. 4 1 9hildren, listen to yo+r fathers teaching. 6ay attention and yo+ will learn how to learn. 6rover!s #.2*12 1, 2 The advice 3 give is good, so dont ever forget what 3 teach yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 >hen 3 was my fathers little !oy and my mothers dear son, # my father ta+ght me this: 6ay attention to what 3 say. 5!ey my commands and yo+ will have a good life. % Try to get wisdom and +nderstanding. Dont forget my teaching or ignore what 3 say. & Dont t+rn away from wisdom, and she will protect yo+. ove her, and she will keep yo+ safe. ' The first step to !ecoming wise is to look for wisdom, so +se everything yo+ have to get +nderstanding. ( ove wisdom, and she will make yo+ great. $old on to wisdom, and she will !ring yo+ honor. ) >isdom will reward yo+ with a crown of honor and glory. 1, Son, listen to me. Do what 3 say, and yo+ will live a long time. 11 3 am teaching yo+ a!o+t wisdom and g+iding yo+ on the right path. 12 As yo+ walk on it, yo+ will not step into a trap. -ven if yo+ r+n, yo+ will not trip and fall. 6rover!s #.13*23 11 13 Always remem!er this teaching. Dont forget it. 3t is the key to life, so g+ard it well. 1# Dont take the path of the wickedF dont follow those who do evil. 1% Stay away from that pathF dont even go near it. T+rn aro+nd and go another way. 1& The wicked cannot sleep +ntil they have done something evil. They will not rest +ntil they !ring someone down. 1' -vil and violence are their food and drink. 1( The path of those who live right is like the early morning light. 3t gets !righter and !righter +ntil the f+ll light of day. 1) <+t the path of the wicked is like a dark night. They trip and fall over what they cannot see. 2, Ay son, pay attention to what 3 say. isten closely to my words. 21 Dont let them o+t of yo+r sight. 1ever stop thinking a!o+t them. pag. &''0131#

22 These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. 23 A!ove all, !e caref+l what yo+ think !eca+se yo+r tho+ghts control yo+r life. 6rover!s #.2#*%.' 12 2# Dont !end the tr+th or say things that yo+ know are not right. 2% Geep yo+r eyes on the path, and look straight ahead. 2& Aake s+re yo+ are going the right way, and nothing will make yo+ fall. 2' Dont go to the right or to the left, and yo+ will stay away from evil. 5 1 Son, listen to this piece of wisdom from me. 6ay attention to what 3 know to !e tr+e. 2 .emem!er to live wisely, and what yo+ learn will keep yo+r lips from saying the wrong thing. 3 1ow, another mans wife might !e very charming, and the words from her lips so sweet and inviting. # <+t in the end, she will !ring only !itterness and pain. 3t will !e like !itter poison and a sharp sword. % She is on a path leading to death, and she will lead yo+ straight to the grave. & Dont follow her. She has lost her way and does not even know it. <e caref+l. Stay on the road that leads to life. ' 1ow, my sons, listen to me. Dont forget the words 3 say. 6rover!s %.(*1' 13 ( Stay away from the woman who commits ad+ltery. Dont even go near her ho+se. ) 3f yo+ do, others will get the honor yo+ sho+ld have had. Some stranger will get everything yo+ worked years to get. 1, 6eople yo+ dont know will take all yo+r wealth. 5thers will get what yo+ worked for. 11 At the end of yo+r life, yo+ will !e sad that yo+ r+ined yo+r health and lost everything yo+ had. 12 Then yo+ will say, >hy didnt 3 listen to my parents? >hy didnt 3 pay attention to my teachers? 3 didnt want to !e disciplined. 3 ref+sed to !e corrected. 13 7%:128 -asy To .ead /ersion

1# So now 3 have s+ffered thro+gh =+st a!o+t every kind of tro+!le anyone can have, and everyone knows it. 1% 1ow, a!o+t se4 and marriage: Drink only the water that comes from yo+r own well, 1& and dont let yo+r water flow o+t into the streets. 1' Geep it for yo+rself, and dont share it with strangers. 6rover!s %.1(*&.% 1# 1( <e happy with yo+r own wife. -n=oy the woman yo+ married while yo+ were yo+ng. 1) She is like a !ea+tif+l deer, a lovely fawn. et her love satisfy yo+ completely. Stay dr+nk on her love, 2, and dont go st+m!ling into the arms of another woman. 21 The 5.D clearly sees everything yo+ do. $e watches where yo+ go. 22 The sins of the wicked will trap them. Those sins will !e like ropes holding them !ack. 23 -vil people will die !eca+se they ref+se to !e disciplined. They will !e trapped !y their own desires. 6 1 Ay son, dont make yo+rself responsi!le for the de!ts of others. Dont make s+ch deals with friends or strangers. 2 3f yo+ do, yo+r words will trap yo+. 3 ;o+ will !e +nder the power of other people, so yo+ m+st go and free yo+rself. <eg them to free yo+ from that de!t. # Dont wait to rest or sleep. % -scape from that trap like a deer r+nning from a h+nter. 2ree yo+rself like a !ird flying from a trap. 6rover!s &.&*1& 1% & ;o+ laEy people, yo+ sho+ld watch what the ants do and learn from them. ' Ants have no r+ler, no !oss, and no leader. ( <+t in the s+mmer, ants gather all of their food and save it. So when winter comes, there is plenty to eat. ) ;o+ laEy people, how long are yo+ going to lie there? >hen will yo+ get +p? 1, ;o+ say, 3 need a rest. 3 think 3ll take pag. &'(0131#

a short nap. 11 <+t then yo+ sleep and sleep and !ecome poorer and poorer. Soon yo+ will have nothing. 3t will !e as if a thief came and stole everything yo+ owned. 12 Some people are =+st tro+!lemakers. They are always thinking +p some crooked plan and telling lies. 13 They +se secret signals to cheat peopleF they wink their eyes, sh+ffle their feet, and point a finger. 1# They are always planning to do something !ad. 1% <+t they will !e p+nished. Disaster will strike, and they will !e destroyed. There will !e no one to help them. 1& The 5.D hates these seven things: 6rover!s &.1'*2% 1& 1' eyes that show pride, tong+es that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, 1( hearts that plan evil things to do, feet that r+n to do evil, 1) witnesses in co+rt who tell lies, and anyone who ca+ses family mem!ers to fight. 2, Ay son, remem!er yo+r fathers command, and dont forget yo+r mothers teaching. 21 .emem!er their words always. Tie them aro+nd yo+r neck and keep them over yo+r heart. 22 et this teaching lead yo+ wherever yo+ go. 3t will watch over yo+ while yo+ sleep. And when yo+ wake +p, it will give yo+ good advice. 23 ;o+r parents give yo+ commands and teachings that are like lights to show yo+ the right way. This teaching corrects yo+ and trains yo+ to follow the path to life. 2# 3t stops yo+ from going to an evil woman, and it protects yo+ from the smooth talk of another mans wife. 2% S+ch a woman might !e !ea+tif+l, !+t dont let that !ea+ty tempt yo+. Dont let her eyes capt+re yo+. 6rover!s &.2&*'.1 1' 2& A prostit+te might cost a loaf of !read, !+t the wife of another man co+ld cost yo+ yo+r life. 2' 3f yo+ drop a hot coal in yo+r lap, -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+r clothes will !e !+rned. 2( 3f yo+ step on one, yo+r feet will !e !+rned. 2) 3f yo+ sleep with another mans wife, yo+ will !e p+nished. 3, A h+ngry man might steal to fill his stomach. 3f he is ca+ght, he m+st pay seven times more than he stole. 3t might cost him everything he owns, !+t other people +nderstand. They dont lose all their respect for him. 31 7&:3,8 32 <+t a man who commits ad+ltery is a fool. $e !rings a!o+t his own destr+ction. 33 $e will s+ffer disease and disgrace and never !e free from the shame. 3# The womans h+s!and will !e =ealo+s and angry and do everything he can to get revenge. 3% 1o paymentno amo+nt of moneywill stop him. 7 1 Ay son, remem!er my words. Dont forget what 3 have told yo+. 6rover!s '.2*12 1( 2 9onsider my teaching as precio+s as yo+r own eyes. 5!ey my commands, and yo+ will have a good life. 3 Tie them aro+nd yo+r finger. >rite them on yo+r heart. # Treat wisdom like the woman yo+ love and knowledge like the one dearest to yo+. % >isdom will save yo+ from that other woman, the other mans wife, who tempts yo+ with s+ch sweet words. & 5ne day 3 was looking o+t my window ' at some foolish teenagers and noticed one who had no sense at all. ( $e was walking thro+gh the marketplace and came to the corner where a certain woman lived. $e then t+rned +p the road that goes !y her ho+se. ) The day was ending. The s+n had set, and it was almost dark. 1, S+ddenly, there she was in front of him, dressed like a prostit+te. She had plans for him. 11 She was a wild and re!ellio+s woman pag. &')0131#

who wo+ld not stay at home. 12 She walked the streets, always looking for someone to trap. 6rover!s '.13*23 1) 13 She gra!!ed the yo+ng man and kissed him. >itho+t shame, she looked him in the eye and said, 1# 3 offered a fellowship offering today. 3 gave what 3 promised to give, 1% and 3 still have plenty of food left. So 3 came o+t to find yo+, and here yo+ are" 1& 3 have clean sheets on my !edspecial ones from -gypt. 1' Ay !ed smells wonderf+l with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 1( 9ome, lets en=oy o+rselves all night. >e can make love +ntil dawn. 1) Ay h+s!and has gone on a !+siness trip. 2, $e took eno+gh money for a long trip and wont !e home for two weeks. 21 This is what the woman said to tempt the yo+ng man, and her smooth words tricked him. 22 $e followed her, like a !+ll !eing led to the sla+ghter. $e was like a deer walking into a trap, 23 where a h+nter waits to shoot an arrow thro+gh its heart. The !oy was like a !ird flying into a net, never seeing the danger he was in. 6rover!s '.2#*(.( 2, 2# 1ow, sons, listen to me. 6ay attention to what 3 say. 2% Dont let yo+r heart lead yo+ to an evil woman like that. Dont go where she wants to lead yo+. 2& She has !ro+ght down some of the most powerf+l menF she has left many dead !odies in her path. 2' $er ho+se is the place of death. The road to it leads straight to the grave. 8 1 isten, >isdom is calling. ;es, Hnderstanding is sho+ting for +s. 2 >isdom stands at the top of the hill, !y the road where the paths meet. 3 She is near the entrance to the city, calling from the open gates. # 3 am calling o+t to all of yo+. 3 am speaking to everyone. -asy To .ead /ersion

% ;o+ who are ignorant, learn to !e wise. ;o+ who are foolish, get some common sense. & isten, 3 have something important to say, and 3 am telling yo+ what is right. ' Ay words are tr+e, and 3 will not say anything that is wrong. ( -verything 3 say is rightF there is nothing false or crooked a!o+t it. 6rover!s (.)*2, 21 ) These things are clear to any intelligent person. They are right to anyone with knowledge. 1, 9hoose discipline over silver and knowledge over the finest gold. 11 >isdom is !etter than pearls, and nothing yo+ desire compares with her. 12 3 am >isdom. 3 live with Good C+dgment. 3 am at home with Gnowledge and 6lanning. 13 To respect the 5.D means to hate evil. 3 hate pride and !oasting, evil lives and h+rtf+l words. 1# 3 have good advice and common sense to offer. 3 have +nderstanding and power. 1% >ith my help kings r+le, and governors make good laws. 1& >ith my help leaders govern, and important officials make good decisions. 1' 3 love those who love me, and those who look for me will find me. 1( >ith me there are riches and honor. 3 have lasting wealth to give to yo+. 1) >hat 3 give is !etter than fine gold. >hat 3 prod+ce is !etter than p+re silver. 2, 3 lead people the right way along the paths of =+stice. 6rover!s (.21*32 22 21 3 give riches to those who love me, and 3 fill their ho+ses with treas+res. 22 The 5.D made me in the !eginning, long !efore he did anything else. 23 3 was formed a long time ago, !efore the world was made. 2# 3 was !orn !efore there was an ocean, !efore the springs !egan to flow. 2% 3 was !orn !efore the mo+ntains and hills were set into place, 2& !efore the earth and fields were pag. &(,0131#

made, !efore the d+st of this world was formed. 2' 3 was there when he set +p the skies, when he drew a circle in the ocean to make a place for the land. 2( 3 was there when he p+t the clo+ds in the sky and made the deep springs flow. 2) 3 was there when he set the limits on the sea to make it stop where he said. 3 was there when he laid the fo+ndations of the earth. 3, 3 grew +p as a child !y his side, la+ghing and playing all the time. 31 3 played in the world he made and en=oyed the people he p+t there. 32 1ow, children, listen to me. 3f yo+ follow my ways, yo+ will !e happy too. 6rover!s (.33*).' 23 33 isten to my teaching and !e wiseF dont ignore what 3 say. 3# >hoever waits at my door and listens for me will !e !lessed. 3% Those who find me find life, and the 5.D will reward them. 3& <+t those who do not find me p+t their lives in danger. >hoever hates me loves death. 9 1 >isdom has !+ilt her ho+seF she has made it strong with seven col+mns. 2 She has cooked meat, mi4ed wine, and p+t food on the ta!le. 3 She has sent her servant girls to anno+nce from the highest hill in the city, # >hoever needs instr+ction, come. She invites all the simple people and says, % 9ome, eat my food and drink the wine 3 have prepared. & eave yo+r old, foolish ways and live" Advance along the path of +nderstanding. ' 9riticiEe a person who is r+de and shows no respect, and yo+ will only get ins+lts. 9orrect the wicked, and yo+ will only get h+rt. 6rover!s ).(*1' 2# ( Dont correct s+ch people, or they will hate yo+. <+t correct those who are wise, and they will love yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

) Teach the wise, and they will !ecome wiser. 3nstr+ct those who live right, and they will gain more knowledge. 1, >isdom !egins with fear and respect for the 5.D. Gnowledge of the $oly 5ne leads to +nderstanding. 11 >isdom will help yo+ live longerF she will add years to yo+r life. 12 3f yo+ !ecome wise, it will !e for yo+r own good. 3f yo+ are r+de and show no respect, yo+ are the one who will s+ffer. 13 2oolishness is that other woman, who is lo+d, st+pid, and knows nothing. 1# She sits on her chair at the door of her ho+se, +p on the highest hill of the city. 1% >hen people walk !y, she calls o+t to them. They show no interest in her, !+t still she says, 1& >hoever needs instr+ction, come. She invites all the simple people and says, 1' Stolen water is sweet. Stolen !read tastes good. 6rover!s ).1(*1,.( 2% 1( Those simple people dont realiEe that her ho+se is f+ll of ghosts and that her g+ests have entered the world of the dead. 10 1 These are prover!s of Solomon: A wise son makes his father happyF a foolish son makes his mother sad. 2 The money yo+ get !y doing wrong is not worth it, !+t doing good will save yo+r life. 3 The 5.D does not let good people go h+ngry, !+t he keeps the wicked from getting what they want. # aEiness makes yo+ poor, !+t working hard makes yo+ rich. % A smart son works hard all s+mmer, !+t the son who sleeps thro+gh the harvest is a disgrace. & 6eople say things to !less those who live right, !+t the things the wicked say hide their violent plans. ' Good people leave memories that !less +s, !+t the wicked are soon forgotten. pag. &(10131#

( The wise follow instr+ction, !+t the fool who wont stop talking will s+ffer for it. 6rover!s 1,.)*1( 2& ) >hoever lives honestly is safe and sec+re, !+t those who lie and cheat will !e ca+ght. 1, -vil secrets lead to pain and s+ffering, !+t speaking openly !rings peace. 11 >ords that !ring life flow from good people, !+t the words of the wicked hide their violent plans. 12 $ate stirs +p arg+ments, !+t love forgives and forgets. 13 >ords of wisdom come from those who are smartF the st+pid wont learn witho+t a !eating. 1# >ise people are J+iet and learn new things, !+t fools talk and !ring tro+!le on themselves. 1% >ealth protects the rich, !+t poverty destroys the poor. 1& >hat good people do !rings life, !+t wicked people prod+ce only sin. 1' Those who accept correction show others how to live. Those who re=ect correction lead others the wrong way. 1( ;o+ might have to lie to hide yo+r hatred, !+t saying something h+rtf+l co+ld !e even more foolish. 6rover!s 1,.1)*2( 2' 1) A person who talks too m+ch gets into tro+!le. A wise person learns to !e J+iet. 2, >ords from good people are like p+re silver, !+t tho+ghts from the wicked are worthless. 21 Good people say things that help others, !+t the wicked die from a lack of +nderstanding. 22 3t is the 5.D@S !lessing that !rings wealth, and no hard work can add to it. 23 2ools en=oy doing wrong, !+t the wise en=oy wisdom. 2# The wicked will !e defeated !y what they fear, !+t good people will get what they want. 2% The wicked are destroyed when tro+!le comes, !+t good people stand strong forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

2& Sending a laEy person to do anything is as irritating as vinegar on yo+r teeth or smoke in yo+r eyes. 2' .espect for the 5.D will add years to yo+r life, !+t the wicked will have their lives c+t short. 2( >hat good people hope for !rings happiness, !+t what the wicked hope for !rings destr+ction. 6rover!s 1,.2)*11.& 2( 2) The 5.D protects those who do right, !+t he destroys those who do wrong. 3, Good people will always !e safe, !+t the wicked will !e forced o+t of the land. 31 Those who live right say wise things, !+t people stop listening to tro+!lemakers. 32 Good people know the right things to say, !+t the wicked say things to make tro+!le. 11 1 The 5.D hates false scales, !+t he loves acc+rate weights. 2 6ro+d and !oastf+l people will !e shamed, !+t wisdom stays with those who are modest and h+m!le. 3 Good people are g+ided !y their honesty, !+t crooks who lie and cheat will r+in themselves. # Aoney is worthless when yo+ face Gods p+nishment, !+t living right will save yo+ from death. % Doing right makes life !etter for those who are good, !+t the wicked are destroyed !y their own wicked ways. & Doing right sets honest people free, !+t people who cant !e tr+sted are trapped !y their greed. 6rover!s 11.'*1% 2) ' >hen the wicked die, all their hopes are lostF everything they tho+ght they co+ld do comes to nothing. ( Good people escape from tro+!le, !+t the wicked come along and are trapped !y it. ) >ith their words hypocrites can destroy their neigh!ors. <+t with what they know, good people can escape. 1, >hen good people are s+ccessf+l, the whole city is happy, and they all sho+t pag. &(20131#

with =oy when evil people are destroyed. 11 <lessings from the honest people living in a city will make it great, !+t the things evil people say can destroy it. 12 St+pid people say !ad things a!o+t their neigh!ors. >ise people know to !e J+iet. 13 6eople who tell secrets a!o+t others cannot !e tr+sted. Those who can !e tr+sted keep J+iet. 1# A nation witho+t wise leaders will fall. Aany good advisors make a nation safe. 1% ;o+ will !e sorry if yo+ promise to pay a strangers de!t. .ef+se to make s+ch promises and yo+ will !e safe. 6rover!s 11.1&*2# 3, 1& A kind and gentle woman gains respect, !+t violent men gain only wealth. 1' 6eople who are kind will !e rewarded for their kindness, !+t cr+el people will !e rewarded with tro+!le. 1( The work of evil people is all lies, !+t those who do right will receive a good reward. 1) 6eople who do what is right are on their way to life, !+t those who always want to do wrong are on their way to death. 2, The 5.D hates those who love to do evil, !+t he is pleased with those who try to do right. 21 The tr+th is, evil people will !e p+nished, and good people will !e set free. 22 A !ea+tif+l woman witho+t good sense is like a gold ring in a pigs nose. 23 >hat good people want !rings more good. >hat evil people want !rings more tro+!le. 2# Some people give freely and gain moreF others ref+se to give and end +p with less. 6rover!s 11.2%*12.2 31 2% Give freely, and yo+ will profit. $elp others, and yo+ will gain more for yo+rself. 2& 6eople c+rse a greedy man who ref+ses to sell his grain, !+t they !less a man who sells his grain to feed others. -asy To .ead /ersion

2' 6eople are pleased with those who try to do good. Those who look for tro+!le will find it. 2( Those who tr+st in their riches will fall like dead leaves, !+t good people will !lossom. 2) Those who ca+se tro+!le for their families will inherit nothing !+t the wind. A foolish person will end +p as a servant to one who is wise. 3, >hat good people prod+ce is like a lifeDgiving tree. Those who are wise give new life to others. 31 3f good people are rewarded here on earth, then s+rely those who do evil will also get what they deserve. 12 1 >hoever loves discipline loves to learnF whoever hates to !e corrected is st+pid. 2 3t is good to learn what pleases the 5.D, !eca+se he condemns those who plan to do wrong. 6rover!s 12.3*11 32 3 -vil people are never safe, !+t good people remain safe and sec+re. # A good wife is like a crown to her h+s!and, !+t a shamef+l wife is like a cancer. % Good people are honest and fair in all they do, !+t those who are evil lie and cannot !e tr+sted. & -vil people +se their words to h+rt others, !+t the words from good people can save others from danger. ' >hen evil people are destroyed, they are gone and forgotten, !+t good people are remem!ered long after they are gone. ( ;o+ praise people for their intelligence, !+t no one respects those who are st+pid. ) 3t is !etter to appear +nimportant and have a servant than to pretend to !e important and have no food. 1, Good people take good care of their animals, !+t the wicked know only how to !e cr+el. 11 2armers who work their land have plenty of food, !+t those who waste their time on worthless pro=ects are foolish. pag. &(30131#

6rover!s 12.12*21 33 12 The wicked want a share of what an evil man might catch. <+t like a plant with deep roots, a good man is the one who prod+ces the most. 13 The wicked are trapped !y their foolish words, !+t good people escape from s+ch tro+!le. 1# 6eople get good things for the words they say, and they are rewarded for the work they do. 1% 2ools always think their own way is !est, !+t wise people listen to what others tell them. 1& 2ools are easily +pset, !+t wise people avoid ins+lting others. 1' Good people speak the tr+th and can !e tr+sted in co+rt, !+t liars make !ad witnesses. 1( Speak witho+t thinking, and yo+r words can c+t like a knife. <e wise, and yo+r words can heal. 1) ies last only a moment, !+t the tr+th lasts forever. 2, 6eople who work for evil make tro+!le, !+t those who plan for peace !ring happiness. 21 The ord will keep good people safe, !+t evil people will have many tro+!les. 6rover!s 12.22*13.3 3# 22 The 5.D hates people who tell lies, !+t he is pleased with those who tell the tr+th. 23 Smart people dont tell everything they know, !+t fools tell everything and show they are fools. 2# Those who work hard will !e p+t in charge of others, !+t laEy people will have to work like slaves. 2% >orry takes away yo+r =oy, !+t a kind word makes yo+ happy. 2& Good people are caref+l a!o+t choosing their friends, !+t evil people always choose the wrong ones. 2' aEy people dont get what they want, !+t riches come to those who work hard. 2( Along the path of goodness there is lifeF that is the way to live forever. 13 1 A wise son listens to his fathers advice, !+t a pro+d son will not -asy To .ead /ersion

listen to correction. 2 6eople get good things for the words they say, !+t those who cannot !e tr+sted say only !ad things. 3 6eople who are caref+l a!o+t what they say will save their lives, !+t those who speak witho+t thinking will !e destroyed. 6rover!s 13.#*13 3% # aEy people always want things !+t never get them. Those who work hard get plenty. % Good people hate lies, !+t the wicked do evil, shamef+l things. & Goodness protects honest people, !+t evil destroys those who love to sin. ' Some people pretend they are rich, !+t they have nothing. 5thers pretend they are poor, !+t they are really rich. ( The rich might have to pay a ransom to save their lives, !+t the poor never receive s+ch threats. ) The light of those who do right shines !righter and !righter, !+t the lamp of the wicked !ecomes darker and darker. 1, 6ride ca+ses arg+ments, !+t those who listen to others are wise. 11 Aoney gained !y cheating others will soon !e gone. Aoney earned thro+gh hard work will grow and grow. 12 $ope that is delayed makes yo+ sad, !+t a wish that comes tr+e fills yo+ with =oy. 13 Those who re=ect a command h+rt themselvesF those who respect a command will !e rewarded. 6rover!s 13.1#*21 3& 1# The teaching of the wise is a so+rce of lifeF their words will save yo+ from deadly traps. 1% 6eople like a person with good sense, !+t life is hard for someone who cannot !e tr+sted. 1& >ise people always think !efore they do anything, !+t fools show how st+pid they are !y what they do. 1' Disaster will catch +p to the wicked messenger, !+t a r+nner who can !e tr+sted will !ring peace. 1( 3f yo+ ref+se to learn from yo+r pag. &(#0131#

mistakes, yo+ will !e poor, and no one will respect yo+. 3f yo+ listen when yo+ are criticiEed, yo+ will !e honored. 1) 6eople are happy when they get what they want. <+t st+pid people want nothing !+t evil, and they ref+se to change. 2, <e friends with those who are wise, and yo+ will !ecome wise. 9hoose fools to !e yo+r friends, and yo+ will have tro+!le. 21 Tro+!le chases sinners wherever they go, !+t good things happen to good people. 6rover!s 13.22*1#.% 3' 22 3t is good to have something to pass down to yo+r grandchildren. <+t wealth hidden away !y sinners will !e given to those who live right. 23 The poor might have good land that prod+ces plenty of food, !+t !ad decisions can take it away. 2# 3f yo+ dont correct yo+r children, yo+ dont love them. 3f yo+ love them, yo+ will !e J+ick to discipline them. 2% Good people will have plenty to eat, !+t the wicked will go h+ngry. 14 1 A wise woman makes her home what it sho+ld !e, !+t the home of a foolish woman is destroyed !y her own actions. 2 Those who live right respect the 5.D, !+t dishonest people hate him. 3 2oolish words ca+se yo+ tro+!leF wise words protect yo+. # A !arn with no cattle might !e clean, !+t strong !+lls are needed for a good harvest. % A good witness is one who does not lie. A !ad witness is a liar who cannot !e tr+sted. 6rover!s 1#.&*1% 3( & Anyone who makes f+n of wisdom will never find it, !+t knowledge comes easily to those who +nderstand its val+e. ' Stay away from fools, there is nothing they can teach yo+. ( >isdom lets smart people know what they are doing, !+t st+pid people only think they know. -asy To .ead /ersion

) 2ines are needed to make fools o!ey the law, !+t good people are happy to o!ey it. 1, >hen yo+ are sad, no one else feels the painF and when yo+ are happy, no one else can really feel the =oy. 11 An evil persons ho+se will !e destroyed, !+t a good persons family will do well. 12 There is a way that people think is right, !+t it leads only to death. 13 a+ghter might hide yo+r sadness. <+t when the la+ghter is gone, the sadness remains. 1# -vil people will !e paid !ack for the wrong they do, and good people will !e rewarded for the good they do. 1% 2ools !elieve every word they hear, !+t wise people think caref+lly a!o+t everything. 6rover!s 1#.1&*2% 3) 1& >ise people are caref+l and avoid tro+!leF fools are too confident and careless. 1' A J+ickDtempered person does st+pid things, !+t it is also tr+e that people dont like anyone who J+ietly plans evil. 1( 2ools are rewarded with more foolishness. Smart people are rewarded with knowledge. 1) Good people will defeat those who are evil, and the wicked will !e forced to show respect to those who live right. 2, The poor have no friends, not even their neigh!ors, !+t the rich have many friends. 21 3t is wrong to say !ad things a!o+t yo+r neigh!ors. <e kind to the poor, and yo+ will !e !lessed. 22 >hoever works to do good will find love and loyalty. 3t is a mistake to work at doing evil. 23 3f yo+ work hard, yo+ will have plenty. 3f yo+ do nothing !+t talk, yo+ will not have eno+gh. 2# A wise persons reward is wealth, !+t a fools reward is foolishness. 2% A witness who tells the tr+th saves lives, !+t one who tells lies h+rts others. 6rover!s 1#.2&*3% #, pag. &(%0131#

2& 6eople who respect the 5.D will !e safe, and they will make their children feel sec+re. 2' .espect for the 5.D gives tr+e life and will save yo+ from deaths trap. 2( Gings of large nations have great honor. .+lers witho+t a co+ntry have nothing. 2) A patient person is very smart. A J+ickDtempered person makes st+pid mistakes. 3, 6eace of mind makes the !ody healthy, !+t =ealo+sy is like a cancer. 31 >hoever takes advantage of the poor ins+lts their Aaker, !+t whoever is kind to them honors him. 32 The wicked will !e defeated !y their evil, !+t good people are protected !y their honesty. 33 A wise person is always thinking wise tho+ghts, !+t a fool knows nothing a!o+t wisdom. 3# Goodness makes a nation great, !+t sin is a shame to any people. 3% Gings are pleased with intelligent officials, !+t they will p+nish shamef+l ones. 6rover!s 1%.1*) #1 15 1 A gentle answer makes anger disappear, !+t a ro+gh answer makes it grow. 2 istening to wise people increases yo+r knowledge, !+t only nonsense comes from the mo+ths of fools. 3 The 5.D sees what happens everywhere. $e watches everyone, good and evil. # Gind words are like a lifeDgiving tree, !+t lying words will cr+sh yo+r spirit. % 2ools ref+se to listen to their fathers advice, !+t those who accept discipline are smart. & Good people are rich in many ways, !+t those who are evil get nothing !+t tro+!le. ' >ise people say things that give yo+ new knowledge, !+t fools say nothing worth hearing. ( The 5.D hates the offerings of the wicked, !+t he is happy to hear the -asy To .ead /ersion

prayers of those who live right. ) The 5.D hates the way evil people live, !+t he loves those who try to do good. 6rover!s 1%.1,*1) #2 1, >hoever stops living right will !e p+nished. >hoever hates to !e corrected will !e destroyed. 11 The 5.D knows everything, even what happens in the place of death. So s+rely he knows what people are thinking. 12 2ools hate to !e told they are wrong, so they ref+se to ask wise people for advice. 13 3f yo+ are happy, yo+r face shows it. 3f yo+ are sad, yo+r spirit feels defeated. 1# 3ntelligent people want more knowledge, !+t fools only want more nonsense. 1% ife is always hard for the poor, !+t the right attit+de can t+rn it into a party. 1& 3t is !etter to !e poor and respect the 5.D than to !e rich and have many tro+!les. 1' 3t is !etter to eat a little where there is love than to eat a lot where there is hate. 1( A J+ick temper ca+ses fights, !+t patience !rings peace and calm. 1) 2or laEy people, life is a path overgrown with thorns and thistles. 2or 6rover!s 1%.2,*2( #3 those who do what is right, it is a smooth highway. 2, >ise children make their parents happy. 2oolish children !ring them shame. 21 Doing foolish things makes a fool happy, !+t a wise person is caref+l to do what is right. 22 3f yo+ dont ask for advice, yo+r plans will fail. >ith many advisors, they will s+cceed. 23 6eople are happy when they give a good answer. And there is nothing !etter than the right word at the right time. 2# >hat wise people do leads to life here on earth and stops them from going down to the place of death. pag. &(&0131#

2% The 5.D destroys a pro+d mans ho+se !+t protects a widows property. 2& The 5.D hates evil tho+ghts, !+t he is pleased with kind words. 2' >hoever takes money to do wrong invites disaster. .ef+se s+ch gifts, and yo+ will live. 2( Good people think !efore they answer, !+t the wicked do not, and what they say ca+ses tro+!le. 6rover!s 1%.2)*1&.& ## 2) The 5.D is far away from the wicked, !+t he always hears the prayers of those who do what is right. 3, A smile makes people happy. Good news makes them feel !etter. 31 To !e co+nted among the wise, yo+ m+st learn to accept helpf+l criticism. 32 3f yo+ ref+se to !e corrected, yo+ are only h+rting yo+rself. isten to criticism, and yo+ will gain +nderstanding. 33 >isdom teaches yo+ to respect the 5.D. ;o+ m+st !e h+m!led !efore yo+ can !e honored. 16 1 6eople might plan what they want to say, !+t it is the 5.D who gives them the right words. 2 6eople think that whatever they do is right, !+t the 5.D =+dges their reason for doing it. 3 T+rn to the 5.D for help in everything yo+ do, and yo+ will !e s+ccessf+l. # The 5.D has a plan for everything. 3n his plan, the wicked will !e destroyed. % The 5.D hates those who are pro+d. ;o+ can !e s+re he will p+nish them all. & 2aithf+l love and loyalty will remove yo+r g+ilt. .espect the 5.D, and yo+ will stay far away from evil. 6rover!s 1&.'*1& #% ' >hen people live to please the 5.D, even their enemies will !e at peace with them. ( 3t is !etter to !e poor and do right than to !e rich and do wrong. ) 6eople can plan what they want to do, !+t it is the 5.D who g+ides their steps. 1, >hen a king speaks, his words are law. So when he makes a decision, it is -asy To .ead /ersion

never a mistake. 11 The 5.D wants all scales and !alances to !e rightF he wants all !+siness agreements to !e fair. 12 Gings hate to see anyone doing wrong, !eca+se kingdoms grow strong only when everyone is honest and fair. 13 Gings want to hear the tr+th. They like those who are honest. 1# >hen a king gets angry, he can p+t someone to death. So it is wise to keep the king happy. 1% >hen the king is happy, life is !etter for everyone. >hen he is pleased, it is like a refreshing spring rain. 1& >isdom is worth m+ch more than gold. Hnderstanding is worth m+ch more than silver. 6rover!s 1&.1'*2& #& 1' Good people try to avoid evil. They watch what they do and protect themselves. 1( 6ride is the first step toward destr+ction. 6ro+d tho+ghts will lead yo+ to defeat. 1) 3t is !etter to !e a h+m!le person living among the poor than to share the wealth among the pro+d. 2, Good things happen to those who learn from their e4periences, and the 5.D !lesses those who tr+st him. 21 6eople will know if someone is wise. Those who choose their words caref+lly can !e very convincing. 22 Good sense is a spring of fresh water to those who have it, !+t fools can offer only foolishness. 23 >ise people always think !efore they speak, so what they say is worth listening to. 2# Gind words are like honeyF they are easy to accept and good for yo+r health. 2% There is a way that seems right to people, !+t that way leads only to death. 2& The tho+ght of h+nger keeps the workers working so that they can eat. 6rover!s 1&.2'*1'.2 #' 2' Tro+!lemakers create disasters. Their advice destroys like a wildfire. 2( Tro+!lemakers are always ca+sing pag. &('0131#

pro!lems. Their gossip !reaks +p the closest of friends. 2) 9r+el people trick their neigh!ors and make them do wrong. 3, >ith a wink of the eye, they plan to trick someone. >ith a grin, they make plans to h+rt their friends. 31 Gray hair is a crown of glory on people who have lived good lives. 3t is earned !y living right. 32 3t is !etter to !e patient than to !e a strong soldier. 3t is !etter to control yo+r anger than to capt+re a city. 33 6eople might throw lots to make a decision, !+t the answer always comes from the 5.D. 17 1 3t is !etter to have nothing !+t a dry piece of !read to eat in peace than a whole ho+se f+ll of food with everyone arg+ing. 2 A smart servant will gain control over his masters foolish son. $e will !e treated like a son and get a share of the inheritance. 6rover!s 1'.3*11 #( 3 2ire is +sed to make gold and silver p+re, !+t a persons heart is made p+re !y the 5.D. # 6eople who do evil listen to evil ideas. iars listen to liars. % >hoever makes f+n of !eggars ins+lts their Aaker. >hoever la+ghs at someone elses tro+!le will !e p+nished. & Grandchildren are the pride and =oy of old age, and children take great pride in their parents. ' ;o+ wo+ldnt e4pect to hear a fine speech from a fool, and yo+ sho+ldnt e4pect lies from a r+ler. ( Some people think a !ri!e is like a l+cky charmit seems to work wherever they go. ) 2orgive someone, and yo+ will strengthen yo+r friendship. Geep reminding them, and yo+ will destroy it. 1, Smart people learn more from a single correction than fools learn from a h+ndred !eatings. 11 Those who are evil only want to ca+se tro+!le. 3n the end, p+nishment witho+t -asy To .ead /ersion

mercy will !e sent to them. 6rover!s 1'.12*2, #) 12 3t is !etter to meet a !ear ro!!ed of her c+!s than a fool who is !+sy doing foolish things. 13 3f yo+ do wrong to those who were good to yo+, yo+ will have tro+!le the rest of yo+r life. 1# The start of an arg+ment is like a small leak in a dam. Stop it !efore a !ig fight !reaks o+t. 1% The 5.D hates these two things: p+nishing the innocent and letting the g+ilty go free. 1& Aoney is wasted on fools. They cannot !+y wisdom when they have no sense. 1' A friend loves yo+ all the time, !+t a !rother was !orn to help in times of tro+!le. 1( 5nly a fool wo+ld promise to pay for someone elses de!ts. 1) A tro+!lemaker loves to start arg+ments. Anyone who likes to !rag is asking for tro+!le. 2, 9rooks will not profit from their crimes, and those who plan to ca+se tro+!le will !e trapped when it comes. 6rover!s 1'.21*1(.2 %, 21 A man who has a fool for a son will !e disappointed. A fool !rings no =oy to his father. 22 $appiness is good medicine, !+t sorrow is a disease. 23 A wicked =+dge will accept a !ri!e, and that keeps =+stice from !eing done. 2# 3ntelligent people think a!o+t what needs to !e done here and now. 2ools are always dreaming a!o+t faraway places. 2% 2oolish children +pset their parents and make them sad. 2& 3t is wrong to p+nish an innocent person or attack leaders for doing what is right. 2' 3ntelligent people choose their words caref+lly. Those who know what they are doing remain calm. 2( Silent fools seem wise. They say nothing and appear to !e smart. pag. &((0131#

18 1 Some people like to do things their own way, and they get +pset when people give them advice. 2 2ools dont want to learn from others. They only want to tell their own ideas. 6rover!s 1(.3*13 %1 3 Do something evil, and people will hate yo+. Do something shamef+l, and they will have no respect for yo+. # >ords from wise people are like water !+!!ling +p from a deep wellthe well of wisdom. % ;o+ m+st !e fair in =+dging others. 3t is wrong to favor the g+ilty and ro! the innocent of =+stice. & 2ools say things to start arg+ments. They are =+st asking for a !eating. ' 2ools h+rt themselves when they speak. Their own words trap them. ( 6eople love to hear gossip. 3t is like tasty food on its way to the stomach. ) Someone who does careless work is as !ad as someone who destroys things. 1, The name of the 5.D is like a strong tower. Those who do what is right can r+n to him for protection. 11 The rich think their wealth will protect them. They think it is a strong fortress. 12 A pro+d person will soon !e r+ined, !+t a h+m!le person will !e honored. 13 et people finish speaking !efore yo+ try to answer them. That way yo+ will not em!arrass yo+rself and look foolish. 6rover!s 1(.1#*22 %2 1# A good attit+de will s+pport yo+ when yo+ are sick, !+t if yo+ give +p, nothing can help. 1% >ise people want to learn more, so they listen closely to gain knowledge. 1& Gifts can open many doors and help yo+ meet important people. 1' The first person to speak always seems right +ntil someone comes and asks the right J+estions. 1( The !est way to settle an arg+ment !etween two powerf+l people may !e to +se lots. 1) An ins+lted !rother is harder to win !ack than a city with strong walls. Arg+ments separate people like the -asy To .ead /ersion

strong !ars of a palace gate. 2, ;o+r words can !e as satisfying as fr+it, as pleasing as the food that fills yo+r stomach. 21 The tong+e can speak words that !ring life or death. Those who love to talk m+st !e ready to accept what it !rings. 22 3f yo+ find a wife, yo+ have fo+nd something good. She shows that the 5.D is happy with yo+. 6rover!s 1(.23*1).( %3 23 The poor are polite when they !eg for help. The rich are r+de with their answer. 2# Some friends are f+n to !e with, !+t a tr+e friend can !e !etter than a !rother. 19 1 3t is !etter to !e poor and honest than to !e a liar and a fool. 2 <eing e4cited a!o+t something is not eno+gh. ;o+ m+st also know what yo+ are doing. Dont r+sh into something, or yo+ might do it wrong. 3 6eople r+in their lives with the foolish things they do, and then they !lame the 5.D for it. # >ealth will !ring yo+ many friends, !+t !ecome poor and yo+r friends will leave yo+. % A witness who lies will !e p+nishedF that liar will not escape. & Aany people are nice to a genero+s person. -veryone wants to !e friends with someone who gives gifts. ' 3f yo+ are poor, yo+r family will t+rn against yo+, and yo+r friends will avoid yo+ even more. ;o+ might !eg them for help, !+t no one will come to help yo+. ( <e a friend to yo+rselfF do all yo+ can to !e wise. Try hard to +nderstand, and yo+ will !e rewarded. 6rover!s 1).)*1) %# ) A witness who lies will !e p+nished. That liar will !e destroyed. 1, A fool sho+ld not !e rich, and a slave sho+ld not r+le over princes. 11 -4perience makes yo+ more patient, and yo+ are most patient when yo+ ignore ins+lts. 12 The sho+ts of an angry king are like a roaring lion, !+t his kind words are like pag. &()0131#

a gentle rain falling softly on the grass. 13 A foolish son !rings a flood of tro+!les to his father, and a complaining wife is like the constant dripping of water. 1# 6eople receive ho+ses and money from their parents, !+t a good wife is a gift from the 5.D. 1% aEiness !rings on sleep, and an appetite for rest !rings on h+nger. 1& 5!ey the law and liveF ignore it and die. 1' Giving help to the poor is like loaning money to the 5.D. $e will pay yo+ !ack for yo+r kindness. 1( Discipline yo+r children while there is still hope. Avoiding it can !e deadly. 1) 6eople who are J+ick to !ecome angry m+st pay the price. 6rotect them 6rover!s 1).2,*2( %% from p+nishment, and they !ecome worse. 2, isten to advice and accept disciplineF then yo+, too, will !ecome wise. 21 6eople might make many plans, !+t what the 5.D says is what will happen. 22 6eople want a friend they can tr+st. 3t is !etter to !e poor than to !e a liar. 23 .espect the 5.D and yo+ will have a good life, one that is satisfying and free from tro+!le. 2# Some people are too laEy to take care of themselves. They will not even lift the food from their plate to their mo+th. 2% 6+nish a r+de, arrogant person, and even slow learners will !ecome wiser. <+t =+st a little correction is eno+gh to teach a person who has +nderstanding. 2& Those who wo+ld steal from their father and chase away their mother are disg+sting, shamef+l people. 2' Ay son, if yo+ stop listening to instr+ctions, yo+ will keep making st+pid mistakes. 2( Hsing a criminal as a witness makes a =oke of =+stice. 6eople like that only want to do wrong. 6rover!s 1).2)*2,.) %& 2) 6eople who show no respect for anything m+st !e !ro+ght to =+stice. ;o+ m+st p+nish s+ch fools. -asy To .ead /ersion

20 1 >ine and !eer make people lose controlF they get lo+d and st+m!le aro+nd. And that is foolish. 2 An angry king is like a roaring lion. 3f yo+ make him angry, yo+ co+ld lose yo+r life. 3 6eople who ref+se to arg+e deserve respect. Any fool can start an arg+ment. # Some people are too laEy to plant seeds. So at harvest time, they look for food and find nothing. % Getting information from someone can !e like getting water from a deep well. 3f yo+ are smart, yo+ will draw it o+t. & ;o+ might call many people yo+r friends, !+t it is hard to find someone who can really !e tr+sted. ' >hen people live good, honest lives, their children are !lessed. ( >hen the king sits and =+dges people, he m+st look caref+lly to separate the evil from the good. ) 9an anyone say their heart is p+re? >ho can say, 3 am free from sin? 6rover!s 2,.1,*1) %' 1, The 5.D hates for people to +se the wrong weights and meas+res to cheat others. 11 -ven children show what they are like !y the things they do. ;o+ can see if their actions are p+re and right. 12 3t was the 5.D who gave +s eyes for seeing and ears for hearing. 13 3f yo+ love to sleep, yo+ will !ecome poor. Hse yo+r time working and yo+ will have plenty to eat. 1# >hen !+ying something, people always say, 3ts no good. 3t costs too m+ch. Then they go away and tell others what a good deal they got. 1% The right knowledge can !ring yo+ gold, pearls, and other e4pensive things. 1& 3f someone promises to pay the de!t of a stranger, get a coat or something from him to keep +ntil the de!t is paid. 1' 3t may seem to !e a good thing to get something !y cheating, !+t in the end, it will !e worth nothing. 1( Get good advice when yo+ make yo+r plans. <efore yo+ start a war, find good pag. &),0131#

advisors. 1) ;o+ cannot tr+st someone who wo+ld talk a!o+t things told in private. So dont 6rover!s 2,.2,*2( %( !e friends with someone who talks too m+ch. 2, Those who wo+ld c+rse their father or mother are like a lamp that goes o+t on the darkest night. 21 3f yo+r wealth was easy to get, it will not !e worth m+ch to yo+. 22 Dont ever say, 3ll pay them !ack for what they did to me" >ait for the 5.D. $e will make things right. 23 The 5.D hates for people to +se the wrong weights to cheat others. 3t is wrong to +se scales that are not acc+rate. 2# The 5.D g+ides o+r steps, and we never know where he will lead +s. 2% Think caref+lly !efore yo+ promise to give something to God. ater, yo+ might wish yo+ had not made that promise. 2& ike a farmer who separates wheat from the chaff, a wise king will decide who is wrong and cr+sh them. 2' ;o+r spirit is like a lamp to the 5.D. $e is a!le to see into yo+r deepest parts. 2( A king who is loyal and tr+e will keep his power. oyalty will keep his kingdom strong. 6rover!s 2,.2)*21.) %) 2) >e admire a yo+ng man for his strength, !+t we respect an old man for his gray hair. 3, A !eating can remove evil and make yo+ completely clean. 21 1 To the 5.D, a kings mind is like a ditch +sed to water the fields. $e can lead the king wherever he wants him to go. 2 6eople think that whatever they do is right, !+t the 5.D =+dges the reasons for everything they do. 3 Do what is right and fair. The 5.D loves that more than sacrifices. # 6ro+d looks and pro+d tho+ghts are sins. They show a person is evil. % 9aref+l planning leads to profit. Acting too J+ickly leads to poverty. -asy To .ead /ersion

& >ealth that comes from telling lies disappears J+ickly and leads to death. ' The !ad things that evil people do will destroy them, !eca+se they ref+se to do what is right. ( 9riminals ca+se tro+!le wherever they go, !+t good people are honest and fair. ) 3t is !etter to live in a small corner on the roof than to share the ho+se with a woman who is always arg+ing. 6rover!s 21.1,*1' &, 1, -vil people always want to do more evil, and they show no mercy to people aro+nd them. 11 >hen yo+ p+nish a pro+d person who la+ghs at what is right, even fools will learn something. <+t a little instr+ction is eno+gh for the wise to learn what they sho+ld. 12 God is good. $e knows what the wicked are doing, and he will p+nish them. 13 Those who ref+se to help the poor will not receive help when they need it themselves. 1# 3f anyone is angry with yo+, give them a gift in private. A gift given in secret will calm even the strongest anger. 1% A decision that is fair makes good people happy, !+t it makes those who are evil very afraid. 1& >hoever leaves the path of wisdom will !e on their way to an early death. 1' oving pleas+re leads to poverty. >ine and l+4+ry will never make yo+ wealthy. 6rover!s 21.1(*2& &1 1( The wicked m+st pay for what happens to good peoplethe cheaters will !e taken in e4change for the honest. 1) 3t is !etter to live alone in the desert than with a J+ickDtempered wife who loves to arg+e. 2, >ise people save the nice things they have. 2ools +se +p everything as soon as they get it. 21 6eople who try hard to do good and !e faithf+l will find life, goodness, and honor. pag. &)10131#

22 A wise person can defeat a city f+ll of warriors and tear down the defenses they tr+st in. 23 6eople who are caref+l a!o+t what they say will save themselves from tro+!le. 2# 6ro+d people think they are !etter than others. They show they are evil !y what they do. 2% aEy people will ca+se their own destr+ction !eca+se they ref+se to work. 2& Some people are greedy and never have eno+gh. Good people are genero+s and have plenty. 6rover!s 21.2'*22.% &2 2' God hates sacrifices from the wicked, especially when their reason for offering them is evil. 2( >itnesses who lie will !e ca+ght and p+nished. A caref+l listener will always !e there to speak +p. 2) Good people know they are right, !+t the wicked have to pretend. 3, There is no one wise eno+gh to make a plan that can s+cceed if the 5.D is against it. 31 ;o+ can prepare yo+r horses for !attle, !+t only the 5.D can give yo+ the victory. 22 1 3t is !etter to !e respected than to !e rich. A good name is worth more than silver or gold. 2 The rich and the poor are the same. The 5.D made them all. 3 >ise people see tro+!le coming and get o+t of its way, !+t fools go straight to it and s+ffer for it. # .espect the 5.D and !e h+m!le. Then yo+ will have wealth, honor, and tr+e life. % -vil people are trapped !y many tro+!les, !+t those who want to live avoid them. 6rover!s 22.&*1# &3 & Teach children in a way that fits their needs, and even when they are old, they will not leave the right path. ' The rich r+le over the poor. The one who !orrows is a slave to the one who lends. -asy To .ead /ersion

( Those who spread tro+!le will harvest tro+!le. 3n the end, they will !e destroyed for the tro+!le they ca+sed. ) Genero+s people will !e !lessed, !eca+se they share their food with the poor. 1, Get rid of the pro+d who la+gh at what is right, and tro+!le will leave with them. All arg+ments and ins+lts will end. 11 ove a p+re heart and kind words, and the king will !e yo+r friend. 12 The 5.D watches over tr+e knowledge, and he opposes those who try to deceive others. 13 A person who is laEy and wants to stay home says, There is a lion o+tside, and 3 might !e killed in the streets" 1# The sin of ad+ltery is a trap, and the 5.D gets very angry with those who fall into it. 6rover!s 22.1%*23 &# 1% 9hildren do foolish things, !+t if yo+ p+nish them, they will learn not to do them. 1& These two things will make yo+ poor: h+rting the poor to make yo+rself rich and giving gifts to the rich. 1' isten caref+lly to these words from the wise. 6ay attention to what 3 have learned. 1( 3t will !e good for yo+ to remem!er these words and have them ready when they are needed. 1) 3 will teach yo+ these things now. 3 want yo+ to tr+st the 5.D. 2, 3 have written 3, sayings for yo+. These are words of advice and wisdom. 21 They will teach yo+ things that yo+ can know for s+re to !e tr+e. Then yo+ can give good answers to the one who sent yo+. 22 3t is easy to steal from the poor, !+t dont do it. And dont take advantage of them in co+rt. 23 The 5.D is on their side. $e s+pports the poor, and he will take from those who take from them. 6rover!s 22.2#*23.% &% 2# Dont !e friends with people who !ecome angry easily. Dont stay aro+nd pag. &)20131#

J+ickDtempered people. 2% 3f yo+ do, yo+ may learn to !e like them. Then yo+ will have the same pro!lems they do. 2& Dont promise to pay someone elses de!t. 2' 3f yo+ cannot pay, yo+ will lose everything yo+ have. So why sho+ld yo+ lose the !ed yo+ sleep on? 2( 1ever move an old property line that was marked long ago !y yo+r ancestors. 2) Skilled workers will always serve kings. They will never have to work for less important people. 23 1 >hen yo+ sit and eat with an important person, remem!er who yo+ are with. 2 1ever eat too m+ch, even if yo+ are very h+ngry. 3 Dont eat too m+ch of his fine food. 3t might !e a trick. # Dont r+in yo+r health trying to get rich. 3f yo+ are smart, yo+ will give it +p. % 3n the !link of an eye, money can disappear, as if it grew wings and flew away like a !ird. 6rover!s 23.&*1' && & Dont eat with selfish people. 9ontrol any desire yo+ have for their finest foods. ' They might tell yo+ to eat and drink all yo+ want, !+t they dont really mean it. They are the kind of people who are only thinking a!o+t the cost. ( And if yo+ eat their food, yo+ will get sick and !e em!arrassed. ) Dont try to teach fools. They will make f+n of yo+r wise words. 1, 1ever move an old property line, and dont take land that !elongs to orphans. 11 The ord will !e against yo+. $e is powerf+l and protects orphans. 12 isten to yo+r teacher and learn all yo+ can. 13 Always correct children when they need it. 3f yo+ spank them, it will not kill them. 1# 3n fact, yo+ might save their lives. 1% Ay son, it makes me happy when yo+ make a wise decision. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& 3t makes me feel good inside when yo+ say the right things. 1' 1ever envy evil people, !+t always respect the 5.D. 6rover!s 23.1(*2' &' 1( This will give yo+ something to hope for that will not disappoint yo+. 1) So listen, my son, and !e wise. Always !e caref+l to follow the right path. 2, Dont make friends with people who drink too m+ch wine and eat too m+ch food. 21 Those who eat and drink too m+ch !ecome poor. They sleep too m+ch and end +p wearing rags. 22 isten to yo+r father. >itho+t him, yo+ wo+ld never have !een !orn. .espect yo+r mother, even when she is old. 23 Tr+th, wisdom, learning, and +nderstanding are worth paying money for. They are worth far too m+ch to ever sell. 2# The father of a good person is very happy. A wise child !rings him =oy. 2% Aake !oth of yo+r parents happy. Give yo+r mother that same =oy. 2& Ay son, listen closely to what 3 am saying. et my life !e yo+r e4ample. 2' 6rostit+tes and !ad women are a trap. They are like a deep well that yo+ cannot escape. 6rover!s 23.2(*2#.1 &( 2( A !ad woman waits for yo+ like a thief, and she ca+ses many men to !e +nfaithf+l to their wives. 2) >ho gets into fights and arg+ments? >ho gets h+rt for no reason and has red, !loodshot eyes? 6eople who stay o+t too late drinking wine, staring into their strong drinks. 3, 723:2)8 31 So !e caref+l with wine. 3t is pretty and red as it sparkles in the c+p. And it goes down so smoothly when yo+ drink it. 32 <+t in the end, it will !ite like a snake. 33 >ine will ca+se yo+ to see strange pag. &)30131#

things and to say things that make no sense. 3# >hen yo+ lie down, yo+ will think yo+ are on a ro+gh sea and feel like yo+ are at the top of the mast. 3% ;o+ will say, They hit me, !+t 3 never felt it. They !eat me, !+t 3 dont remem!er it. 1ow 3 cant wake +p. 3 need another drink. 24 1 Dont !e =ealo+s of evil people. $ave no desire to !e aro+nd them. 6rover!s 2#.2*12 &) 2 3n their hearts they plan to do evil. All they talk a!o+t is making tro+!le. 3 Good homes are !+ilt on wisdom and +nderstanding. # Gnowledge fills the rooms with rare and !ea+tif+l treas+res. % >isdom makes a man more powerf+l. Gnowledge gives a man strength. & Get good advice !efore yo+ start a war. To win, yo+ m+st have many good advisors. ' 2ools cannot +nderstand wisdom. They have nothing to say when people are disc+ssing important things. ( 3f yo+ start planning ways to do wrong, people will learn that yo+ are a tro+!lemaker. ) S+ch foolish plans are wrong, and people have no respect for someone who la+ghs at what is right. 1, 3f yo+ are weak in times of tro+!le, that is real weakness. 11 3f yo+ see someone on their way to death or in danger of !eing killed, yo+ m+st do something to save them. 12 ;o+ cannot say, 3ts none of my !+siness. The ord knows everything, and he knows why yo+ do things. $e 6rover!s 2#.13*21 ', watches yo+, and he will pay yo+ !ack for what yo+ do. 13 Ay son, eat honeyF it is good. $oney straight from the honeycom! is the sweetest. 1# 3n the same way, know that wisdom is good for yo+. >isdom will give yo+ something to hope for that will not -asy To .ead /ersion

disappoint yo+. 1% Dont !e like a criminal who makes plans to ro! those who are good or take away their homes. 1& Good people might fall again and again, !+t they always get +p. 3t is the wicked who are defeated !y their tro+!les. 1' Dont !e happy when yo+r enemy has tro+!les. Dont !e glad when they fall. 1( The 5.D will see this, and he might !e +pset with yo+ and decide not to p+nish yo+r enemy. 1) Dont let those who are evil +pset yo+, and dont !e =ealo+s of them. 2, They have no hope. Their light will !+rn o+t. 21 Son, respect the 5.D and the king, and dont =oin with those who are against them, 6rover!s 2#.22*3, '1 22 !eca+se people like that can J+ickly !e destroyed. ;o+ have no idea how m+ch tro+!le God and the king can make for their enemies. 23 These are also words from the wise: A =+dge m+st !e fair. $e m+st not s+pport some people simply !eca+se he knows them. 2# The people will t+rn against a =+dge who lets the g+ilty go free. -ven the people of other nations will c+rse him. 2% <+t if a =+dge p+nishes the g+ilty, then people will !e happy with him, and he will !e a !lessing to them. 2& An honest answer is as pleasing as a kiss on the lips. 2' 2irst get yo+r fields ready, ne4t plant yo+r crops, and then !+ild yo+r ho+se. 2( Dont speak against someone witho+t a good reason, or yo+ will appear foolish. 2) Dont say, ;o+ h+rt me, so 3 will do the same to yo+. 3 will p+nish yo+ for what yo+ did to me. 3, 3 walked past a field that !elonged to a laEy man. 3t was a vineyard that !elonged to someone who +nderstood nothing. 6rover!s 2#.31*2%.# '2 31 >eeds were growing everywhere" pag. &)#0131#

>ild vines covered the gro+nd, and the wall aro+nd the vineyard was !roken and falling down. 32 3 looked at this and tho+ght a!o+t it. This is what 3 learned: 33 a little sleep, a little rest, folding yo+r arms, and taking a nap 3# these things will make yo+ poor very J+ickly. Soon yo+ will have nothing, as if a thief !roke in and took everything away. 25 1 These are some more wise sayings from Solomon. These prover!s were copied !y servants of $eEekiah, the king of C+dah. 2 >e honor God for the things he keeps secret. <+t we honor kings for the things they can discover. 3 >e cannot discover how high the sky is a!ove +s or how deep the earth is !elow. The same is tr+e with the minds of kings. >e cannot +nderstand them. # .emove the worthless things from silver to make it p+re, and a worker can make something !ea+tif+l. 6rover!s 2%.%*13 '3 % Take the evil advisors away from a king, and goodness will make his kingdom strong. & Dont !rag a!o+t yo+rself !efore the king and pretend yo+ are someone important. ' 3t is m+ch !etter for the king to invite yo+ to take a more important position than to em!arrass yo+ in front of his officials. ( Dont !e too J+ick to tell a =+dge a!o+t something yo+ saw. ;o+ will !e em!arrassed if someone else proves yo+ wrong. ) 3f yo+ want to tell yo+r friends a!o+t yo+r own pro!lems, tell them. <+t dont disc+ss what someone told yo+ in private. 1, >hoever hears it will lose their respect for yo+ and will never tr+st yo+ again. 11 Saying the right thing at the right time is like a gold apple in a silver setting. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 >ise advice to a listening ear is like gold earrings or fine =ewelry. 13 To his master who sent him, a messenger who can !e tr+sted is as 6rover!s 2%.1#*22 '# refreshing as a drink of cold water on a hot s+mmer day. 1# 6eople who promise to give gifts !+t never give them are like clo+ds and wind that !ring no rain. 1% >ith patience, yo+ can make anyone change their thinking, even a r+ler. Gentle speech is very powerf+l. 1& $oney is good, !+t dont eat too m+ch of it, or yo+ will !e sick. 1' And dont visit yo+r neigh!ors homes too often, or they will !egin to hate yo+. 1( A person who gives false testimony against a neigh!or is as deadly as a cl+!, a sword, or a very sharp arrow. 1) 1ever depend on a liar in times of tro+!le. 3ts like chewing with a !ad tooth or walking with a crippled foot. 2, Singing happy songs to a sad person is as foolish as taking a coat off on a cold day or mi4ing soda and vinegar. 21 3f yo+r enemies are h+ngry, give them something to eat. 3f they are thirsty, give them some water. 22 This will make them feel the !+rning pain of shame, and the 5.D will reward yo+ for !eing good to them. 6rover!s 2%.23*2&.3 '% 23 C+st as wind !lowing from the north !rings rain, telling secrets !rings anger. 2# 3t is !etter to live in a small corner of the roof than to share the ho+se with a woman who is always arg+ing. 2% Good news from a faraway place is like a cool drink of water when yo+ are hot and thirsty. 2& Good people who dont stand strong against evil are like springs that have !een poll+ted or pools that have t+rned dirty and m+ddy. 2' C+st as eating too m+ch honey is not good, it is not good for people to always !e looking for honor. 2( 6eople who cannot control themselves are like cities witho+t walls to protect pag. &)%0131#

them. 26 1 C+st as snow sho+ld not fall in s+mmer, nor rain at harvest time, so people sho+ld not honor a fool. 2 Dont worry when someone c+rses yo+ for no reason. 1othing !ad will happen. S+ch words are like !irds that fly past and never stop. 3 ;o+ have to whip a horse, yo+ have to p+t a !ridle on a m+le, and yo+ have to !eat a fool. 6rover!s 2&.#*13 '& # There is no good way to answer fools when they say something st+pid. 3f yo+ answer them, then yo+, too, will look like a fool. 3f yo+ dont answer them, they will think they are smart. % 72&:#8 & 1ever let a fool carry yo+r message. 3f yo+ do, it will !e like c+tting off yo+r own feet. ;o+ are only asking for tro+!le. ' A fool trying to say something wise is like a crippled person trying to walk. ( Showing honor to a fool is as !ad as tying a rock in a sling. ) A fool trying to say something wise is like a dr+nk trying to pick a thorn o+t of his hand. 1, $iring a fool or a stranger who is =+st passing !y is dangero+syo+ dont know who might get h+rt. 11 ike a dog that ret+rns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again. 12 6eople who think they are wise when they are not are worse than fools. 13 A person who is laEy and wants to stay home says, >hat if there is a lion o+t there? .eally, there might !e a lion in the street" 6rover!s 2&.1#*2# '' 1# ike a door on its hinges, a laEy man t+rns !ack and forth on his !ed. 1% aEy people are too laEy to lift the food from their plate to their mo+th. 1& aEy people think they are seven times smarter than the people who really have good sense. 1' To step !etween two people arg+ing is as foolish as going o+t into the street -asy To .ead /ersion

and gra!!ing a stray dog !y the ears. 1( Anyone who wo+ld trick someone and then say, 3 was only =oking is like a fool who shoots flaming arrows into the air and accidentally kills someone. 1) 72&:1(8 2, >itho+t wood, a fire goes o+t. >itho+t gossip, arg+ments stop. 21 9harcoal keeps the coals glowing, wood keeps the fire !+rning, and tro+!lemakers keep arg+ments alive. 22 6eople love to hear gossip. 3t is like tasty food on its way to the stomach. 23 Good words that hide an evil heart are like silver paint over a cheap, clay pot. 2# -vil people say things to make themselves look good, !+t they keep their evil plans a secret. 6rover!s 2&.2%*2'.' '( 2% >hat they say so+nds good, !+t dont tr+st them. They are f+ll of evil ideas. 2& They hide their evil plans with nice words, !+t in the end, everyone will see the evil they do. 2' >hoever digs a pit can fall into it. >hoever rolls a large stone can !e cr+shed !y it. 2( iars hate the people they h+rt, and false praise can h+rt people. 27 1 1ever !rag a!o+t what yo+ will do in the f+t+reF yo+ have no idea what tomorrow will !ring. 2 1ever praise yo+rself. et others do it. 3 A stone is heavy, and sand is hard to carry, !+t the irritation ca+sed !y a fool is m+ch harder to !ear. # Anger is cr+el and can destroy like a flood, !+t =ealo+sy is m+ch worse. % 5pen criticism is !etter than hidden love. & ;o+ can tr+st what yo+r friend says, even when it h+rts. <+t yo+r enemies want to h+rt yo+, even when they act nice. ' >hen yo+ are f+ll, yo+ will not even eat honey. >hen yo+ are h+ngry, even something !itter tastes sweet. 6rover!s 2'.(*1& ') ( A man away from home is like a !ird pag. &)&0131#

away from its nest. ) 6erf+me and incense make yo+ feel good, and so does good advice from a friend. 1, Dont forget yo+r own friends or yo+r fathers friends. 3f yo+ have a pro!lem, go to yo+r neigh!or for help. 3t is !etter to ask a neigh!or who is near than a !rother who is far away. 11 Ay son, !e wise. This will make me happy. Then 3 will !e a!le to answer those who criticiEe me. 12 >ise people see tro+!le coming and get o+t of its way, !+t fools go straight to the tro+!le and s+ffer for it. 13 >hen yo+ make a deal with a stranger, get something from him and any other foreigners with him to make s+re he will pay yo+. 1# Dont wake +p yo+r neigh!ors early in the morning with a sho+t of Good morning" They will treat it like a c+rse, not a !lessing. 1% A complaining wife is like water that never stops dripping on a rainy day. 1& Stopping her is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold oil in yo+r hand. 6rover!s 2'.1'*2& (, 1' As one piece of iron sharpens another, so friends keep each other sharp. 1( 6eople who take care of fig trees are allowed to eat the fr+it. 3n the same way, people who take care of their masters will !e rewarded. 1) C+st as yo+ can see yo+r own face reflected in water, so yo+r heart reflects the kind of person yo+ are. 2, C+st as the place of death and destr+ction is never f+ll, people always want more and more. 21 6eople +se fire to p+rify gold and silver. 3n the same way, yo+ are tested !y the praise people give yo+. 22 -ven if yo+ po+nd fools to powder like grain in a !owl, yo+ will never force the foolishness o+t of them. 23 earn all yo+ can a!o+t yo+r sheep. Take care of yo+r goats the !est yo+ can. 2# 1either wealth nor nations last forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

2% 9+t the hay, and new grass will grow. Then gather the new plants that grow on the hills. 2& 9+t the wool from yo+r lam!s, and make yo+r clothes. Sell some of yo+r goats, and !+y some land. 6rover!s 2'.2'*2(.( (1 2' Then there will !e plenty of goats milk for yo+ and yo+r family, with eno+gh to keep the servants healthy. 28 1 The wicked are afraid of everything, !+t those who live right are as !rave as lions. 2 A lawless nation will have many !ad leaders. <+t a smart leader will r+le for a long time in a land where people o!ey the law. 3 A leader who takes advantage of the poor is like a hard rain that destroys the crops. # Those who ref+se to o!ey the law promote evil. Those who o!ey the law oppose evil. % The wicked dont +nderstand =+stice, !+t those who love the 5.D +nderstand it completely. & 3t is !etter to !e poor and honest than rich and evil. ' A smart son o!eys the laws, !+t a son who spends time with worthless people !rings shame to his father. ( 3f yo+ get rich !y charging high interest rates, yo+r wealth will go to someone who is kind to the poor. 6rover!s 2(.)*1' (2 ) >hen people do not listen to Gods teachings, he does not listen to their prayers. 1, Those who plan to h+rt good people will fall into their own traps, !+t good things will happen to those who are good. 11 The rich always think they are wise, !+t a poor person who is wise can see the tr+th. 12 >hen good people !ecome leaders, everything is great, !+t when the wicked rise to power, everyone hides. 13 >hoever hides their sins will not !e s+ccessf+l, !+t whoever confesses their pag. &)'0131#

sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy. 1# 6eople who respect others will !e !lessed, !+t st+!!orn people will have plenty of tro+!les. 1% An evil r+ler over those who are helpless is like an angry lion or a charging !ear. 1& A foolish r+ler h+rts the people +nder him, !+t a r+ler who hates wrong will r+le for a long time. 1' A m+rderer will never have peace. Dont s+pport s+ch a person. 6rover!s 2(.1(*2% (3 1( $onest people will !e safe, !+t dishonest people will !e r+ined. 1) >hoever works hard will have plenty to eat, !+t whoever wastes their time with dreams will always !e poor. 2, 6eople who can !e tr+sted will have many !lessings, !+t those who are =+st trying to get rich in a h+rry will !e p+nished. 21 3t is wrong for a =+dge to s+pport someone simply !eca+se he knows them. <+t some =+dges will change their decisions for the price of a loaf of !read. 22 Selfish people only want to get rich. They do not realiEe that they are very close to !eing poor. 23 9orrect someone, and later they will thank yo+. That is m+ch !etter than =+st saying something to !e nice. 2# Someone might steal from their parents and say, 3 did nothing wrong. <+t that person is as !ad as an enemy who smashes everything in the ho+se. 2% Greedy people might s+e yo+ in co+rt, !+t those who tr+st the 5.D are rewarded. 6rover!s 2(.2&*2).& (# 2& 3t is foolish to !e too confident. Those who ask for advice are wise and will escape disaster. 2' >hoever gives to the poor will have plenty. >hoever ref+ses to help them will get nothing !+t c+rses. 2( >hen the wicked rise to power, everyone hides. >hen they are defeated, good people m+ltiply. -asy To .ead /ersion

29 1 Some people ref+se to !end when someone corrects them. -vent+ally they will !reak, and there will !e no one to repair the damage. 2 >hen the r+lers are good, the people are happy. >hen the r+lers are evil, the people complain. 3 A son who loves wisdom makes his father happy. 5ne who wastes his money on prostit+tes will lose his wealth. # A nation will !e strong when it has a fair and =+st king. A nation will !e weak when it has a king who is selfish and demands gifts. % 3f yo+ give false praise to others in order to get what yo+ want, yo+ are only setting a trap for yo+rself. & -vil people are defeated !y their sin, !+t good people will sing and !e happy. 6rover!s 2).'*1% (% ' Good people want to do what is right for the poor, !+t the wicked dont care. ( 6ro+d people who la+gh at what is right ca+se pro!lems that divide whole cities, !+t people who are wise are a!le to calm those who are angry. ) 3f someone who is wise tries to settle a pro!lem with a fool, the fool will arg+e and say st+pid things, and they will never agree. 1, 3f yo+ always try to !e honest, m+rderers will hate yo+, !+t those who do what is right will want yo+ to !e their friend. 11 2ools are J+ick to e4press their anger, !+t wise people are patient and control themselves. 12 3f a r+ler listens to lies, all his officials will !e evil. 13 3n one way the poor and those who steal from them are the samethe 5.D made them !oth. 1# 3f a king =+dges the poor fairly, he will r+le for a long time. 1% 6+nishment and discipline can make children wise, !+t children who are never corrected will !ring shame to their mother. 6rover!s 2).1&*2# (& 1& 3f the wicked are r+ling the nation, pag. &)(0131#

sin will !e everywhere, !+t those who live right will win in the end. 1' 9orrect yo+r children whenever they are wrong. Then yo+ will always !e pro+d of them. They will never make yo+ ashamed. 1( 3f a nation is not g+ided !y God, the people will lose selfDcontrol, !+t the nation that o!eys Gods law will !e happy. 1) Servants will not learn a lesson if yo+ only talk to them. They might +nderstand yo+, !+t they will not o!ey. 2, There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks witho+t thinking. 21 Give yo+r servants everything they want, and they will learn to !e wastef+l. 22 An angry person ca+ses arg+ments, and someone who is J+ickDtempered is g+ilty of many sins. 23 ;o+r pride can !ring yo+ down. $+mility will !ring yo+ honor. 2# ;o+ are yo+r own worst enemy if yo+ take part in a crime. ;o+ will not !e a!le to tell the tr+th even when people threaten yo+. 6rover!s 2).2%*3,.& (' 2% 2ear can !e a trap, !+t if yo+ tr+st in the 5.D, yo+ will !e safe. 2& Aany people want the friendship of a r+ler, !+t the 5.D is the only one who =+dges people fairly. 2' Good people think the wicked are disg+sting, and the wicked feel disg+st for those who are honest. 30 1 These are the wise sayings of Ag+r son of Cakeh from Aassa. $e says, God, 3 am tired, so tired. $ow can 3 keep going? 2 3 am st+pid. 3 am not as smart as other people are. 3 3 have not learned to !e wise. 3 know nothing a!o+t the $oly 5ne. # >ho has ever gone +p to heaven and come !ack down? >ho gathered the winds in his hand? >ho can gather +p all the water in his lap? >ho set the limits for the world? >hat is his name, and what is his sons name? Do yo+ know? % ;o+ can tr+st this: -very word that -asy To .ead /ersion

God speaks is tr+e. God is a safe place for those who go to him. & So dont try to change what God says. 3f yo+ do, he will p+nish yo+ and prove that yo+ are a liar. 6rover!s 3,.'*1% (( ' God, 3 ask yo+ to do two things for me !efore 3 die. ( Dont let me tell lies. And dont make me too rich or too poorgive me only eno+gh food for each day. ) 3f 3 have too m+ch, 3 might deny that 3 need yo+, 5.D. <+t if 3 am too poor, 3 might steal and !ring shame to the name of my God. 1, 1ever say !ad things a!o+t a slave to his master. 3f yo+ do, he will c+rse yo+, and yo+ will s+ffer for it. 11 Some people c+rse their fathers and ref+se to !less their mothers. 12 Some people think they are p+re, !+t they have done nothing to remove the filth of their sin. 13 Some people are so pro+d of themselves, and they look down on everyone else. 1# There are people whose teeth are like swords and their =aws like knives. They take everything they can from the poor. 1% Greedy people know only two things: Give me, and Give me. There are three other things that are never satisfiedreally, fo+r things that never have eno+gh: 6rover!s 3,.1&*23 () 1& the place of death, a woman with no children, dry gro+nd that needs rain, and a fire that will never stop !y itself. 1' 6eople who make f+n of their father or ref+se to o!ey their mother sho+ld have their eyes pl+cked o+t !y wild !irds and !e eaten !y v+lt+res. 1( There are three things that are hard for me to +nderstandreally, fo+r things that 3 dont +nderstand: 1) an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship moving across the ocean, and a man in love with a woman. 2, A woman who is not faithf+l to her pag. &))0131#

h+s!and acts innocent. She eats, wipes her mo+th, and says she has done nothing wrong. 21 There are three things that make tro+!le on the earthreally, fo+r that the earth cannot !ear: 22 a slave who !ecomes a king, fools who have everything they need, 23 a woman whose h+s!and hated her !+t still married her, and a servant girl who !ecomes r+ler over the woman she serves. 6rover!s 3,.2#*31.1 ), 2# There are fo+r things on the earth that are small !+t very wise: 2% Ants are small and weak, !+t they save their food all s+mmerF 2& !adgers are small animals, !+t they make their homes in the rocksF 2' loc+sts have no king, !+t they are a!le to work togetherF 2( liEards are small eno+gh to catch with yo+r hands, !+t yo+ can find them living in kings palaces. 2) There are three things that act important when they walkreally, there are fo+r: 3, a lionhe is the warrior of the animals and r+ns from nothing, 31 a rooster walking pro+dly, a goat, and a king among his people. 32 3f yo+ have !een foolish eno+gh to !ecome pro+d and make plans against other people, stop and think a!o+t what yo+ are doing. 33 Stirring milk ca+ses !+tter to form. $itting someones nose ca+ses !lood to flow. And making people angry ca+ses tro+!le. 31 1 These are the wise sayings that Ging em+els mother ta+ght him: 6rover!s 31.2*12 )1 2 3 prayed for a son, and yo+ are the son 3 gave !irth to. 3 Dont waste yo+r strength on women. >omen destroy kings, so dont waste yo+rself on them. # em+el, it is not wise for kings to drink wine. 3t is not wise for r+lers to want !eer. -asy To .ead /ersion

% They may drink too m+ch and forget what the law says. Then they might take away the rights of the poor. & Give !eer to people witho+t hope. Give wine to those who are in tro+!le. ' et them drink to forget their tro+!les. et them forget they are poor. ( Speak +p for people who cannot speak for themselves. $elp people who are in tro+!le. ) Stand +p for what yo+ know is right, and =+dge all people fairly. 6rotect the rights of the poor and those who need help. 1, $ow hard it is to find the perfect wife. She is worth far more than =ewels. 11 $er h+s!and depends on her. $e will never !e poor. 12 She does good for her h+s!and all her life. She never ca+ses him tro+!le. 6rover!s 31.13*22 )2 13 She is always gathering wool and fla4 and en=oys making things with her hands. 1# She is like a ship from a faraway place. She !rings home food from everywhere. 1% She wakes +p early in the morning, cooks food for her family, and gives the servants their share. 1& She looks at land and !+ys it. She +ses the money she has earned and plants a vineyard. 1' She works very hard. She is strong and a!le to do all her work. 1( She works late into the night to make s+re her !+siness earns a profit. 1) She makes her own thread and weaves her own cloth. 2, She always gives to the poor and helps those who need it. 21 She does not worry a!o+t her family when it snows. She has given them all good, warm clothes. 22 She makes sheets and spreads for the !eds, and she wears clothes of fine linen. 6rover!s 31.23*31 )3 23 $er h+s!and is a respected mem!er of the city co+ncil, where he meets with pag. ',,0131#

the other leaders. 2# She makes clothes and !elts and sells them to the merchants. 2% She is a strong person, and people respect her. She looks to the f+t+re with confidence. 2& She speaks with wisdom and teaches others to !e loving and kind. 2' She oversees the care of her ho+se. She is never laEy. 2( $er children say good things a!o+t her. $er h+s!and !rags a!o+t her and says, 2) There are many good women, !+t yo+ are the !est. 3, Grace and !ea+ty can fool yo+, !+t a woman who respects the 5.D sho+ld !e praised. 31 Give her the reward she deserves. 6raise her in p+!lic for what she has done. E""lesiastes 1 1 These are the words from the Teacher, a son of David and king of Cer+salem. 2 -verything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time" 3 Do people really gain anything from all the hard work they do in this life? # 6eople live and people die, !+t the earth contin+es forever. % The s+n rises and the s+n goes down, and then it h+rries to rise again in the same place. & The wind !lows to the so+th, and the wind !lows to the north. The wind !lows aro+nd and aro+nd. Then it t+rns and !lows !ack to the place it !egan. ' All rivers flow again and again to the same place. They all flow to the sea, !+t the sea never !ecomes f+ll. ( >ords cannot f+lly e4plain things, !+t people contin+e speaking. >ords come again and again to o+r ears, !+t o+r ears dont !ecome f+ll. And o+r eyes dont !ecome f+ll of what we see. -cclesiastes 1.)*1% 2 ) All things contin+e the way they have !een since the !eginning. The same things will !e done that have always -asy To .ead /ersion

!een done. There is nothing new in this life. 1, Someone might say, ook, this is new, !+t that thing has always !een here. 3t was here !efore we were. 11 6eople dont remem!er what happened long ago. 3n the f+t+re they will not remem!er what is happening now. And later, other people will not remem!er what the people !efore them did. 12 3, the Teacher, was king over 3srael in Cer+salem. 13 3 decided to st+dy and to +se my wisdom to learn a!o+t everything that is done in this life. 3 learned that it is a very hard thing that God has given +s to do. 1# 3 looked at everything done on earth, and 3 saw that it is all a waste of time. 3t is like trying to catch the wind. 1% 3f something is crooked, yo+ cannot say it is straight. And if something is missing, yo+ cannot say it is there. -cclesiastes 1.1&*2.# 3 1& 3 said to myself, 3 am very wise. 3 am wiser than all the kings who r+led Cer+salem !efore me. 3 know what wisdom and knowledge really are. 1' 3 decided to learn how wisdom and knowledge are !etter than thinking foolish tho+ghts. <+t 3 learned that trying to !ecome wise is like trying to catch the wind. 1( >ith m+ch wisdom comes fr+stration. The one who gains more wisdom also gains more sorrow. 2 1 3 said to myself, 3 sho+ld have f+n3 sho+ld en=oy everything as m+ch as 3 can. <+t 3 learned that this is also +seless. 2 3t is foolish to la+gh all the time. $aving f+n does not do any good. 3 So 3 decided to fill my !ody with wine while 3 filled my mind with wisdom. 3 tried this foolishness !eca+se 3 wanted to find a way to !e happy. 3 wanted to see what was good for people to do d+ring their few days of life. # Then 3 !egan doing great things. 3 pag. ',10131#

!+ilt ho+ses, and 3 planted vineyards for myself. -cclesiastes 2.%*11 # % 3 planted gardens, and 3 made parks. 3 planted all kinds of fr+it trees. & 3 made pools of water for myself, and 3 +sed them to water my growing trees. ' 3 !o+ght men and women slaves, and there were slaves !orn in my ho+se. 3 owned many great things. 3 had herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. 3 owned more things than any other person in Cer+salem did. ( 3 also gathered silver and gold for myself. 3 took treas+res from kings and their nations. 3 had men and women singing for me. 3 had everything any man co+ld want. ) 3 !ecame very rich and famo+s. 3 was greater than anyone who lived in Cer+salem !efore me. Ay wisdom was always there to help me. 1, Anything my eyes saw and wanted, 3 got for myself. Ay mind was pleased with everything 3 did. And this happiness was the reward for all my hard work. 11 <+t then 3 looked at everything 3 had done and the wealth 3 had gained. 3 decided it was all a waste of time" 3t was like trying to catch the wind. There -cclesiastes 2.12*1& % is nothing to gain from anything we do in this life. 12 Then 3 decided to think a!o+t what it means to !e wise or to !e foolish or to do craEy things. And 3 tho+ght a!o+t the one who will !e the ne4t king. The new king will do the same as the kings !efore him. 13 3 saw that wisdom is !etter than foolishness in the same way that light is !etter than darkness. 1# >ise people +se their minds like eyes to see where they are going. <+t for fools, it is as if they are walking in the dark. 3 also saw that fools and wise people !oth end the same way. 1% 3 tho+ght to myself, The same thing that happens to a fool will also happen to me. So why have 3 tried so hard to -asy To .ead /ersion

!ecome wise? 3 said to myself, <eing wise is also meaningless. 1& >hether people are wise or foolish, they will still die, and no one will remem!er either one of them forever. 3n the f+t+re people will forget everything !oth of them did. So the two are really the same. -cclesiastes 2.1'*23 & 1' This made me hate life. 3t was depressing to think that everything in this life is +seless, like trying to catch the wind. 1( 3 !egan to hate all the hard work 3 had done, !eca+se 3 saw that 3 wo+ld not !e the one to en=oy all that 3 had worked for. Someone else will get it. 1) And 3 dont know if they will !e wise or foolish. <+t they will control everything 3 earned !y all my hard work and wisdom. This doesnt make any sense. 2, So 3 !egan to feel sad a!o+t all the work 3 had done. 21 6eople can work hard +sing all their wisdom and knowledge and skill. <+t they will die and other people will get the things they worked for. They did not do the work, !+t they will get everything. That makes me very sad. 3t is also not fair and is senseless. 22 >hat do people really have after all their work and str+ggling in this life? 23 Thro+gho+t their life, they have pain, fr+strations, and hard work. -ven at night, a persons mind does not rest. This is also senseless. -cclesiastes 2.2#*3.# ' 2# There is no one who has tried to en=oy life more than 3 have. And this is what 3 learned: The !est thing people can do is eat, drink, and en=oy the work they m+st do. 3 also saw that this comes from God. 2% 72:2#8 2& 3f people do good and please God, he will give them wisdom, knowledge, and =oy. <+t those who sin will get only the work of gathering and carrying things. God takes from the !ad person and gives to the good person. <+t all this work pag. ',20131#

is +seless. 3t is like trying to catch the wind. 3 1 There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time. 2 There is a time to !e !orn and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to p+ll +p plants. 3 There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There is a time to destroy and a time to !+ild. # There is a time to cry and a time to la+gh. There is a time to !e sad and a time to dance with =oy. -cclesiastes 3.%*13 ( % There is a time to throw weapons down and a time to pick them +p. There is a time to h+g someone and a time to stop holding so tightly. & There is a time to look for something and a time to consider it lost. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away. ' There is a time to tear cloth and a time to sew it. There is a time to !e silent and a time to speak. ( There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace. ) Do people really gain anything from their hard work? 1, 3 saw all the hard work God gave +s to do. 11 God gave +s the a!ility to think a!o+t his world, !+t we can never completely +nderstand everything he does. And yet, he does everything at =+st the right time. 12 3 learned that the !est thing for people to do is to !e happy and en=oy themselves as long as they live. 13 God wants everyone to eat, drink, and en=oy their work. These are gifts from God. -cclesiastes 3.1#*1) ) 1# 3 learned that anything God does will contin+e forever. 6eople cannot add anything to the work of God, and they cannot take anything away from it. God did this so that people wo+ld respect him. -asy To .ead /ersion

1% >hat happened in the past has happened, and what will happen in the f+t+re will happen. <+t God wants to help those who have !een treated !adly. 1& 3 also saw these things in this life: 3 saw that the co+rts sho+ld !e filled with goodness and fairness, !+t there is evil there now. 1' So 3 said to myself, God has planned a time for everything, and he has planned a time to =+dge everything people do. $e will =+dge good people and !ad people. 1( 3 tho+ght a!o+t what people do to each other. And 3 said to myself, God wants people to see that they are like animals. 1) The same thing happens to animals and to peoplethey die. 6eople and animals have the same !reath. 3s a dead animal different from a dead person? 3t is all so senseless" -cclesiastes 3.2,*#.# 1, 2, The !odies of people and animals end the same way. They came from the earth, and, in the end, they will go !ack to the earth. 21 >ho knows what happens to a persons spirit? >ho knows if a h+mans spirit goes +p to God while an animals spirit goes down into the gro+nd? 22 So 3 saw that the !est thing people can do is to en=oy what they do, !eca+se that is all they have. <esides, no one can help another person see what will happen in the f+t+re. 4 1 Again 3 saw that many people are treated !adly. 3 saw their tears, and 3 saw that there was no one to comfort them. 3 saw that cr+el people had all the power, and 3 saw that there was no one to comfort the people they h+rt. 2 3 decided that it is !etter for those who have died than for those who are still alive. 3 And it is even !etter for those who die at !irth, !eca+se they never saw the evil that is done in this world. # Then 3 tho+ght, >hy do people work so hard? 3 saw people try to s+cceed and !e !etter than other people. They do pag. ',30131#

-cclesiastes #.%*1, 11 this !eca+se they are =ealo+s. They dont want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. 3t is like trying to catch the wind. % Some people say, 3t is foolish to fold yo+r hands and do nothing. 3f yo+ dont work, yo+ will starve to death. & Aay!e that is tr+e. <+t 3 say it is !etter to !e satisfied with the few things yo+ have than to always !e str+ggling to get more. ' Again 3 saw something else that didnt make sense: ( 3 saw a man who has no family, not a son or even a !rother. <+t he contin+es to work very hard. $e is never satisfied with what he has. And he works so hard that he never stops and asks himself, >hy am 3 working so hard? >hy dont 3 let myself en=oy my life? This is also a very !ad and senseless thing. ) Two people are !etter than one. >hen two people work together, they get more work done. 1, 3f one person falls, the other person can reach o+t to help. <+t those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them. -cclesiastes #.11*%.1 12 11 3f two people sleep together, they will !e warm. <+t a person sleeping alone will not !e warm. 12 An enemy might !e a!le to defeat one person, !+t two people can stand !ackDtoD!ack to defend each other. And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope that has three parts wrapped togetherit is very hard to !reak. 13 A yo+ng leader who is poor !+t wise is !etter than a king who is old !+t foolish. That old king does not listen to warnings. 1# Aay!e the yo+ng r+ler was !orn a poor man in the kingdom. And may!e he came from prison to r+le the co+ntry. 1% <+t 3 have watched people in this life, and 3 know this: 6eople will follow that yo+ng man. $e will !ecome the new king. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& Aany people will follow this yo+ng man. <+t later, those same people will not like him. This is also senseless. 3t is like trying to catch the wind. 5 1 <e very caref+l when yo+ go to worship God. 3t is !etter to listen to God than to give sacrifices like fools. -cclesiastes %.2*' 13 2ools often do !ad things, and they dont even know it. 2 <e caref+l when yo+ make promises to God. <e caref+l a!o+t what yo+ say to him. Dont let yo+r feelings ca+se yo+ to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and yo+ are on the earth. So yo+ need to say only a few things to him. This saying is tr+e: 3 <ad dreams come from too many worries, and too many words come from the mo+th of a fool. # 3f yo+ make a vow to God, keep yo+r vow. Dont !e slow to do what yo+ promised. God is not happy with fools. Give God what yo+ promised to give him. % 3t is !etter to promise nothing than to promise something and not !e a!le to do it. & So dont let yo+r words ca+se yo+ to sin. Dont say to the priest, 3 didnt mean what 3 said. 3f yo+ do this, God might !ecome angry with yo+r words and destroy everything yo+ have worked for. ' ;o+ sho+ld not let yo+r +seless dreams and !ragging !ring yo+ tro+!le. ;o+ sho+ld respect God. -cclesiastes %.(*13 1# ( 3n some co+ntry yo+ will see poor people who are forced to work very hard. ;o+ will see that this is not fair to them. 3t is against their rights. <+t dont !e s+rprised" The r+ler who forces them to work has another r+ler who forces him. And there is still another r+ler who forces !oth of these r+lers. ) -ven the king is a slavehis co+ntry owns him. 1, Those who love money will never !e satisfied with the money they have. Those who love wealth will not !e satisfied when they get more and more. pag. ',#0131#

This is also senseless. 11 The more wealth people have, the more friends they have to help spend it. So the rich really gain nothing. They can only look at their wealth. 12 Those who work hard all day come home and sleep in peace. 3t is not important if they have little or m+ch to eat. <+t the rich worry a!o+t their wealth and are not a!le to sleep. 13 There is a very sad thing that 3 have seen happen in this life. 6eople save their money for the f+t+re. -cclesiastes %.1#*2, 1% 1# Then something !ad happens and they lose everything. So they have nothing to give to their children. 1% 6eople come into the world with nothing. And when they die, they leave with nothing. They might work hard to get things, !+t they cannot take anything with them when they die. 1& 3t is very sad that people leave the world =+st as they came. So what does a person gain from trying to catch the wind? 1' They only get days that are filled with sadness and sorrow. 3n the end, they are tro+!led, sick, and angry. 1( 3 have seen what is !est for people to do on earth: They sho+ld eat, drink, and en=oy the work they have d+ring their short time here. God has given them these few days, and that is all they have. 1) 3f God gives some people wealth, property, and the power to en=oy those things, they sho+ld en=oy them. They sho+ld accept the things they have and en=oy their workthat is a gift from God. 2, 6eople dont have many years to live, so they m+st remem!er these things all -cclesiastes &.1*& 1& their life. God will keep them !+sy with the work they love to do. 6 1 3 have seen another thing in this life that is not fair and is very hard to +nderstand. 2 God gives some people great wealth, riches, and honor. They have everything they need and everything they co+ld -asy To .ead /ersion

ever want. <+t then God does not let them en=oy those things. Some stranger comes and takes everything. This is a very !ad and senseless thing. 3 A man might live a long time and have 1,, children. <+t if he is not satisfied with those good things, and if no one remem!ers him after his death, 3 say that a !a!y who dies at !irth is !etter off than that man. # 3t is senseless when a !a!y is !orn dead. The !a!y is J+ickly !+ried in a dark grave, witho+t even a name. % The !a!y never saw the s+n and never knew anything. <+t the !a!y finds more rest than the man who never en=oyed what God gave him. & $e might live 2,,, years. <+t if he does not en=oy life, then the !a!y who -cclesiastes &.'*'.1 1' was !orn dead has fo+nd the easiest way to the same end. ' 6eople work and work to feed themselves, !+t they are never satisfied. ( 3n the same way, a wise person is no !etter than a fool is. 3t is !etter to !e a poor person who knows how to accept life as it is. ) 3t is !etter to !e happy with what yo+ have than to always want more and more. Always wanting more and more is +seless. 3t is like trying to catch the wind. 1, ;o+ are only what yo+ were created to !ea h+man, and it is +seless to arg+e a!o+t it. 6eople cannot arg+e with God a!o+t this !eca+se he is more powerf+l than they are, and a long arg+ment will not change that fact. 11 7&:1,8 12 >ho knows what is !est for people d+ring their short life on earth? Their life passes like a shadow. 1o one can tell them what will happen later. 7 1 A good rep+tation is !etter than e4pensive pleas+res. The day someone dies is !etter than the day they were !orn. -cclesiastes '.2*1, 1( 2 3t is !etter to go to a f+neral than to a pag. ',%0131#

party, !eca+se everyone m+st die, and the living need to remem!er this. 3 Sorrow is even !etter than la+ghter, !eca+se when o+r face is sad, o+r heart !ecomes good. # A wise person thinks a!o+t death, !+t a fool thinks only a!o+t having a good time. % 3t is !etter to !e criticiEed !y the wise than praised !y the foolish. & The la+ghter of fools is s+ch a waste. 3t is like thorns !+rning +nder a pot. The thorns !+rn so J+ickly that the pot does not get hot. ' -ven the wise will forget their wisdom, if someone pays them eno+gh. That money destroys their +nderstanding. ( 3t is !etter to finish something than to start it. 3t is !etter to !e gentle and patient than to !e pro+d and impatient. ) Dont !ecome angry J+ickly, !eca+se anger is foolish. 1, Dont say, ife was !etter in the good old days. >hat happened? >isdom does not lead +s to ask that J+estion. -cclesiastes '.11*1) 1) 11 >isdom is !etter if yo+ also have property. >ise people will get more than eno+gh wealth. 12 >isdom and money can protect yo+. <+t knowledge gained thro+gh wisdom is even !etterit can save yo+r life. 13 ook at what God has made. ;o+ cannot change a thing, even if yo+ think it is wrong. 1# >hen life is good, en=oy it. <+t when life is hard, remem!er that God gives +s good times and hard times. And no one knows what will happen in the f+t+re. 1% 3n my short life, 3 have seen everything. 3 have seen good people die yo+ng, and 3 have seen evil people live long lives. 1& So why r+in yo+r life? Dont !e too good or too !ad, and dont !e too wise or too foolish. >hy sho+ld yo+ die !efore yo+r time? 1' 7':1&8 1( Try to !e a little of this and a little of that. -ven Gods followers will do some -asy To .ead /ersion

good things and some !ad things. 1) S+rely there is no one on earth who always does good and never sins. <+t -cclesiastes '.2,*2' 2, wisdom can make one person stronger than ten leaders in a city. 2, 7':1)8 21 Dont listen to everything people say. ;o+ might hear yo+r own servant saying !ad things a!o+t yo+. 22 And yo+ know that many times yo+ too have said !ad things a!o+t other people. 23 3 +sed my wisdom and tho+ght a!o+t all these things. 3 wanted to !e wise, !+t 3 co+ldnt do it. 2# 3 cannot +nderstand why things are as they are. 3t is too hard for anyone to +nderstand. 2% 3 st+died and 3 tried very hard to find tr+e wisdom. 3 tried to find a reason for everything. 3 did learn that it is foolish to !e evil, and it is craEy to act like a fool. 2& 3 also fo+nd that some women are dangero+s like traps. Their hearts are like nets, and their arms are like chains. 3t is worse than death to !e ca+ght !y these women. Gods followers sho+ld r+n away from them. et the sinners !e ca+ght !y them. 2' The Teacher says, 3 added all this together to see what answer 3 co+ld -cclesiastes '.2(*(.& 21 find. 3 am still looking for answers, !+t 3 did find this: 3 fo+nd one good man in a tho+sand. <+t 3 did not find even one good woman. 2( 7':2'8 2) There is one other thing 3 have learned. God made people good, !+t they have fo+nd many ways to !e !ad. 8 1 1o one can +nderstand and e4plain things the way wise people can. Their wisdom makes them happy. 3t changes a sad face into a happy one. 2 3 say yo+ sho+ld always o!ey the kings command. Do this !eca+se yo+ made a promise to God. 3 Dont !e afraid to give s+ggestions to the king, and dont s+pport something pag. ',&0131#

that is wrong. <+t remem!er, the king gives the commands that please him. # $e has the a+thority to give commands, and no one can tell him what to do. % 6eople will !e safe if they o!ey his command. <+t wise people know the right time to do this, and they also know when to do the right thing. & There is a right time and a right way to do everything. ;o+ m+st decide what -cclesiastes (.'*11 22 yo+ sho+ld do, even when it might ca+se pro!lems ' and yo+ are not s+re what will happen. 1o one can tell yo+ what will happen in the f+t+re. ( 1o one has the power to keep their spirit from leaving or to stop their death. D+ring war, no soldier has the freedom to go wherever he wants. 3n the same way, evil does not allow anyone who does wrong to go free. ) 3 saw all this. 3 tho+ght very hard a!o+t the things that happen in this world. 3 saw that people always str+ggle for the power to r+le others, and this is !ad for them. 1, 3 also saw great and !ea+tif+l f+nerals for evil people. >hile the people were going home after the f+neral services, they said good things a!o+t the evil people who had died. This happened even in the same towns where the evil people had done many !ad things. This is senseless. 11 Sometimes people are not immediately p+nished for the !ad things they do. Their p+nishment is slow to -cclesiastes (.12*1& 23 come, and that makes other people want to do !ad things too. 12 A sinner might do a h+ndred evil things and still live a long time. <+t 3 know that it is still !etter to o!ey and respect God. 13 -vil people dont respect God, so they will not get good things or live long lives. Their lives will not !e like the shadows that !ecome longer and longer as the -asy To .ead /ersion

s+n goes down. 1# There is something else that happens on earth that does not seem fair. <ad things sho+ld happen to !ad people, and good things sho+ld happen to good people. <+t sometimes !ad things happen to good people, and good things happen to !ad people. This is not fair. 1% So 3 decided it was more important to en=oy life !eca+se the !est thing people can do in this life is to eat, drink, and en=oy life. At least that will help people en=oy the hard work God gave them to do d+ring their life on earth. 1& 3 caref+lly st+died the things people do in this life. 3 saw how !+sy people are. They work day and night, and they almost never sleep. -cclesiastes (.1'*).3 2# 1' 3 also saw that no one can +nderstand all that God does. 6eople can try and try to +nderstand the things that happen here on earth, !+t they cannot. There may !e wise people who claim to +nderstand the meaning of these things, !+t they are wrong. 1o one can +nderstand it all. 9 1 3 tho+ght a!o+t all this very caref+lly. 3 saw that God controls what happens to the good and wise people and what they do. 6eople dont know if they will !e loved or hated, and they dont know what will happen in the f+t+re. 2 <+t, there is one thing that happens to everyonewe all die" Death comes to good people and !ad people. Death comes to those who are p+re and to those who are not p+re. Death comes to those who give sacrifices and to those who dont give sacrifices. Good people will die =+st as sinners do. Those who make promises to God will die =+st as those who are afraid to make those promises. 3 5f all the things that happen in this life, the worst thing is that all people end life the same way. <+t it is also very !ad -cclesiastes ).#*1, 2% that people always think evil and foolish tho+ghts. And those tho+ghts lead to pag. ','0131#

death. # There is hope for those who are still aliveit does not matter who they are. <+t this saying is tr+e: A living dog is !etter than a dead lion. % The living know that they will die, !+t the dead dont know anything. They have no more reward. 6eople will soon forget them. & After people are dead, their love, hate, and =ealo+sy are all gone. And they will never again share in what happens on earth. ' So go and eat yo+r food now and en=oy it. Drink yo+r wine and !e happy. 3t is all right with God if yo+ do these things. ( >ear nice clothes and make yo+rself look good. ) -n=oy life with the wife yo+ love. -n=oy every day of yo+r short life. God has given yo+ this short life on earthand it is all yo+ have. So en=oy the work yo+ have to do in this life. 1, -very time yo+ find work to do, do it the !est yo+ can. 3n the grave there -cclesiastes ).11*1% 2& is no work. There is no thinking, no knowledge, and there is no wisdom. And we are all going to the place of death. 11 3 also saw other things in this life that were not fair. The fastest r+nner does not always win the raceF the strongest soldier does not always win the !attleF wise people dont always get the foodF smart people dont always get the wealthF ed+cated people dont always get the praise they deserve. >hen the time comes, !ad things can happen to anyone" 12 ;o+ never know when hard times will come. ike fish in a net or !irds in a snare, people are often trapped !y some disaster that s+ddenly falls on them. 13 3 also saw a person doing a wise thing in this life, and it seemed very important to me. 1# There was a small town with a few people in it. A great king fo+ght against that town and p+t his armies all aro+nd -asy To .ead /ersion

it. 1% <+t there was a wise man in that town. $e was poor, !+t he +sed his wisdom to save his town. After -cclesiastes ).1&*1,.# 2' everything was finished, the people forgot a!o+t the poor man. 1& <+t 3 still say that wisdom is !etter than strength. They forgot a!o+t the poor mans wisdom, and the people stopped listening to what he said. <+t 3 still !elieve that wisdom is !etter. 1' >ords spoken !y the wise are heard more clearly than those sho+ted !y a leader among fools. 1( >isdom is !etter than weapons of war, !+t one fool can destroy m+ch good. 10 1 A few dead flies will make even the !est perf+me stink. 3n the same way, a little foolishness can r+in m+ch wisdom and honor. 2 The tho+ghts of the wise lead them the right way, !+t the tho+ghts of the foolish lead them the wrong way. 3 2ools show how foolish they are, =+st walking down the road. Their minds are empty, and everyone knows it. # Dont J+it yo+r =o! simply !eca+se the !oss is angry with yo+. 3f yo+ remain calm and helpf+l, yo+ can correct even great mistakes. -cclesiastes 1,.%*13 2( % $ere is something else that 3 have seen in this life that isnt fair. 3t is the kind of mistake that r+lers make. & 2ools are given important positions, while the rich get =o!s that are not important. ' 3 have seen servants riding on horses, while r+lers were walking !eside them like slaves. ( 3f yo+ dig a hole, yo+ might fall into it. 3f yo+ !reak down a wall, yo+ might !e !itten !y a snake. ) 3f yo+ are moving large stones, yo+ might !e h+rt !y them. 3f yo+ c+t down a tree, yo+ are in danger of it falling on yo+. 1, <+t wisdom will make any =o! easier. 3t is very hard to c+t with a d+ll knife. pag. ',(0131#

<+t if yo+ sharpen the knife, the =o! is easier. 11 Someone might know how to control snakes. <+t that skill is +seless if a snake !ites when that person is not aro+nd. 12 >ords from the wise !ring praise, !+t words from a fool !ring destr+ction. 13 2ools !egin !y saying something foolish. <+t in the end, they speak nonsense. -cclesiastes 1,.1#*2, 2) 1# 2ools are always talking a!o+t what they will do, !+t yo+ never know what will happen. 6eople cannot tell what will happen in the f+t+re. 1% 2ools arent smart eno+gh to find their way home, so they m+st work hard all their lives. 1& 3t is very !ad for a co+ntry if the king is like a child. And it is very !ad for a co+ntry if its r+lers +se all their time eating. 1' <+t it is very good for a co+ntry if the king comes from a good family. And it is very good for a co+ntry if the r+lers control their eating and drinking. They eat and drink to !ecome strong, not to !ecome dr+nk. 1( 3f someone is too laEy to work, their ho+se will !egin to leak, and the roof will fall in. 1) 6eople en=oy eating, and wine makes life happier. <+t money solves a lot of pro!lems. 2, Dont say !ad things a!o+t the king. Dont even think !ad things a!o+t him. And dont say !ad things a!o+t rich people, even if yo+ are alone in yo+r -cclesiastes 11.1*& 3, home. A little !ird might fly and tell them everything yo+ said. 11 1 Do good wherever yo+ go. After a while, the good yo+ do will come !ack to yo+. 2 3nvest what yo+ have in several different things. ;o+ dont know what !ad things might happen on earth. 3 There are some things yo+ can !e s+re of. 3f clo+ds are f+ll of rain, they will po+r water on the earth. 3f a tree fallsto -asy To .ead /ersion

the so+th or to the norththen it will stay where it falls. # <+t there are some things that yo+ cannot !e s+re of. ;o+ m+st take a chance. 3f yo+ wait for perfect weather, yo+ will never plant yo+r seeds. 3f yo+ are afraid that every clo+d will !ring rain, yo+ will never harvest yo+r crops. % ;o+ dont know where the wind !lows. And yo+ dont know how a !a!y grows in its mothers wom!. 3n the same way, yo+ dont know what God will doand he makes everything happen. & So !egin planting early in the morning, and dont stop working +ntil evening. ;o+ dont know what might make yo+ -cclesiastes 11.'*12.2 31 rich. Aay!e everything yo+ do will !e s+ccessf+l. ' 3t is good to !e alive. 3t is nice to see the light from the s+n. ( ;o+ sho+ld en=oy every day of yo+r life, no matter how long yo+ live. <+t remem!er that yo+ will die, and yo+ will !e dead m+ch longer than yo+ were alive. And after yo+ are dead, yo+ cannot do anything. ) So yo+ng people, en=oy yo+rselves while yo+ are yo+ng. <e happy. Do whatever yo+r heart leads yo+ to do. Do whatever yo+ want, !+t remem!er that God will =+dge yo+ for everything yo+ do. 1, Dont let yo+r anger control yo+, and dont let yo+r !ody lead yo+ to sin. 6eople do foolish things in the dawn of life while they are yo+ng. 12 1 .emem!er yo+r 9reator while yo+ are yo+ng, !efore the !ad times come!efore the years come when yo+ say, 3 have wasted my life. 2 .emem!er yo+r 9reator while yo+ are yo+ng, !efore the time comes when the s+n and the moon and the stars !ecome -cclesiastes 12.3*& 32 dark to yo+!efore pro!lems come again and again like one storm after another. 3 At that time yo+r arms will lose their strength. ;o+r legs will !ecome weak and !ent. ;o+r teeth will fall o+t, and pag. ',)0131#

yo+ will not !e a!le to chew yo+r food. ;o+r eyes will not see clearly. # ;o+ will !ecome hard of hearing. ;o+ will not hear the noise in the streets. -ven the stone grinding yo+r grain will seem J+iet to yo+. ;o+ will not !e a!le to hear the women singing. <+t even the so+nd of a !ird singing will wake yo+ early in the morning !eca+se yo+ will not !e a!le to sleep. % ;o+ will !e afraid of high places. ;o+ will !e afraid of tripping over every small thing in yo+r path. ;o+r hair will !ecome white like the flowers on an almond tree. ;o+ will drag yo+rself along like a grasshopper when yo+ walk. ;o+ will lose yo+r desire, and then yo+ will go to yo+r eternal home. The mo+rners will gather in the streets as they carry yo+r !ody to the grave. & .emem!er yo+r 9reator while yo+ are yo+ng, !efore the silver rope snaps and the gold !owl is cr+shed like a =ar !roken -cclesiastes 12.'*13 33 at the well, like a stone cover on a well that !reaks and falls in. ' ;o+r !ody came from the earth. And when yo+ die, it will ret+rn to the earth. <+t yo+r spirit came from God, and when yo+ die, it will ret+rn to him. ( -verything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time" ) The Teacher was very wise. $e +sed his wisdom to teach the people. $e very caref+lly st+died and arranged many wise teachings. 1, The Teacher tried very hard to find the right words, and he wrote the teachings that are tr+e and dependa!le. 11 >ords from the wise are like sharp goads. >hen these sayings are written down and saved, they can !e +sed to g+ide people, =+st as a shepherd +ses a sharp stick to make his sheep go the right way. 12 So, son, st+dy these sayings, !+t !e caref+l a!o+t other teachings. 6eople are always writing !ooks, and too m+ch st+dy will make yo+ very tired. 13 1ow, what sho+ld we learn from -asy To .ead /ersion

everything that is written in this !ook? The most important thing a person -cclesiastes 12.1# 3# can do is to respect God and o!ey his commands, !eca+se he knows a!o+t everything people doeven the secret things. $e knows a!o+t all the good and all the !ad, and he will =+dge people for everything they do. 1# 712:138 T'e )on( o. )on(s 1 1 Solomons Aost >onderf+l Song. 2 9over me with kisses, for yo+r love is !etter than wine. 3 ;o+r perf+me smells wonderf+l, !+t yo+r name is sweeter than the !est perf+me. That is why the yo+ng women love yo+. # Take me with yo+. ets r+n away. The king took me into his room.>e will re=oice and !e happy for yo+. .emem!er, yo+r love is !etter than wine. >ith good reason, the yo+ng women love yo+. % Da+ghters of Cer+salem, 3 am dark and !ea+tif+l, as !lack as the tents of Gedar and Salma. & Dont look at how dark 3 am, at how dark the s+n has made me. Ay !rothers were angry with me. They forced me to take care of their vineyards, so 3 co+ld not take care of myself. ' 3 love yo+ with all my so+l" Tell me, where do yo+ feed yo+r sheep? >here do yo+ lay them down at noon? 3 sho+ld come to !e with yo+ or 3 will !e like a The Song of Songs 1.(*1% 2 hired woman caring for the sheep of yo+r friends. ( ;o+ are s+ch a !ea+tif+l woman. S+rely yo+ know what to do. Go, follow the sheep. 2eed yo+r yo+ng goats near the shepherds tents. ) Ay darling, yo+ are more e4citing to me than any mare among the stallions p+lling 6haraohs chariots. Those horses have !ea+tif+l decorations at the side of their faces and aro+nd their necks. 1, $ere are the decorations made for yo+, a gold head!and and a silver necklace. ;o+r cheeks are so !ea+tif+l pag. '1,0131#

decorated with gold. ;o+r neck is so !ea+tif+l laced with silver. 11 71:1,8 12 The smell of my perf+me reaches o+t to the king lying on his co+ch. 13 Ay lover is like the small !ag of myrrh aro+nd my neck, lying all night !etween my !reasts. 1# Ay lover is like a !+nch of henna flowers near the vineyards of -n Gedi. 1% Ay darling, yo+ are so !ea+tif+l" 5h, yo+ are !ea+tif+l" ;o+r eyes are like doves. The Song of Songs 1.1&*2.) 3 1& ;o+ are so handsome, my lover" ;es, and so charming" 5+r !ed is so fresh and pleasant. 1' The !eams of o+r ho+se are cedar. The rafters are fir. 2 1 3 am a rose on the plain of Sharon, a lily in the valleys. 2 Ay darling, among other women, yo+ are like a lily among thorns" 3 Ay lover, among other men, yo+ are an apple tree among the wild trees in the forest"3 en=oy sitting in my lovers shadowF his fr+it is so sweet to my taste. # Ay lover took me to the wine ho+seF his intent toward me was love. % Strengthen me with raisinsF refresh me with apples, !eca+se 3 am weak with love. & Ay lovers left arm is +nder my head, and his right arm holds me. ' >omen of Cer+salem, promise me !y the gaEelles and wild deer, dont awaken love, dont aro+se love, +ntil 3 am ready. ( 3 hear my lovers voice. $ere it comes, =+mping over the mo+ntains, skipping over the hills. ) Ay lover is like a gaEelle or a yo+ng deer. ook at him standing !ehind o+r The Song of Songs 2.1,*1' # wall, staring o+t the window, looking thro+gh the lattice. 1, Ay lover speaks to me, Get +p, my darling, my !ea+tif+l one. ets go away" 11 ook, winter is past, the rains have come and gone. 12 The flowers are !looming in the -asy To .ead /ersion

fields. 3ts time to sing" isten, the doves have ret+rned. 13 ;o+ng figs are growing on the fig trees. Smell the vines in !loom. Get +p, my darling, my !ea+tif+l one. ets go away" 1# Ay dove, hiding in the caves high on the cliff, hidden here on the mo+ntain, let me see yo+, let me hear yo+r voice. ;o+r voice is so pleasant, and yo+ are so !ea+tif+l" 1% 9atch the fo4es for +s the little fo4es that spoil the vineyard. 5+r vineyard is now in !loom. 1& Ay lover is mine, and 3 am his" Ay lover feeds among the lilies, 1' while the day !reathes its last !reath and the shadows r+n away. T+rn, my lover, !e like a gaEelle or a yo+ng deer on the cleft mo+ntains" The Song of Songs 3.1*' % 3 1 At night on my !ed, 3 look for the man 3 love. 3 looked for him, !+t 3 co+ld not find him. 2 3 will get +p now" 3 will go aro+nd the city. 3n the streets and sJ+ares, 3 will look for the man 3 love. 3 looked for him, !+t 3 co+ld not find him. 3 The g+ards patrolling the city fo+nd me. 3 asked them, $ave yo+ seen the man 3 love? # 3 had =+st left the g+ards when 3 fo+nd the man 3 love" 3 held him. 3 wo+ld not let him go, while 3 took him to my mothers ho+se, to the room of one who !ore me. % >omen of Cer+salem, promise me !y the gaEelles and wild deer, dont awaken love, dont aro+se love, +ntil 3 am ready. & >ho is this woman coming from the desert with this large gro+p of people? The d+st rises !ehind them like clo+ds of smoke from !+rning myrrh and frankincense and other spices. ' ook, Solomons traveling chair. There are &, soldiers g+arding it, strong soldiers of 3srael. The Song of Songs 3.(*#.3 & ( All of them are trained fighting men with their swords at their side, ready for pag. '110131#

any danger of the night. ) Ging Solomon made a traveling chair for himself. The wood came from e!anon. 1, The poles were made from silver, and the s+pports were made from gold. The seat was covered with p+rple cloth. 3t was inlaid with love !y the women of Cer+salem. 11 >omen of Bion, come o+t and see Ging Solomon. See the crown his mother p+t on him the day he was married, the day he was so happy" 4 1 Ay darling, yo+ are so !ea+tif+l" 5h, yo+ are !ea+tif+l" ;o+r eyes are like doves +nder yo+r veil. ;o+r hair is long and flowing, like little goats dancing down the slopes of Ao+nt Gilead. 2 ;o+r teeth are white like ewes =+st coming from their !ath. They all give !irth to twinsF not one of them has lost a !a!y. 3 ;o+r lips are like a red silk thread. ;o+r mo+th is !ea+tif+l. ;o+r cheeks +nder yo+r veil are like two slices of pomegranate. The Song of Songs #.#*1, ' # ;o+r neck is long and thin like Davids tower. That tower was !+ilt to !e decorated with a tho+sand shields on its walls, with the shields of powerf+l soldiers. % ;o+r !reasts are like twin fawns, like twins of a gaEelle, feeding among the lilies. & 3 will go to that mo+ntain of myrrh and to that hill of frankincense while the day !reathes its last !reath, and the shadows r+n away. ' Ay darling, yo+ are !ea+tif+l all over. -very part of yo+ is perfect. ( 9ome with me, my !ride, from e!anon. 9ome with me from e!anon. 9ome from the peak of Amana, from the top of Senir and $ermon, from the lions caves, from the mo+ntain of the leopards. ) Ay darling, my !ride, yo+ e4cite me" ;o+ have stolen my heart with =+st one J+ick look from yo+r eyes, with =+st one -asy To .ead /ersion

of the =ewels from yo+r necklace. 1, ;o+r love is so !ea+tif+l, my darling, my !ride" ;o+r love is !etter than wine. The smell of yo+r perf+me is !etter than any kind of spice" The Song of Songs #.11*%.2 ( 11 Ay !ride, yo+r lips drip honey. $oney and milk are +nder yo+r tong+e. ;o+r clothes smell as sweet as perf+me. 12 Ay darling, my !ride, yo+ are p+re like a locked garden. ;o+ are like a locked pool, a closed fo+ntain. 13 ;o+r lim!s are like a garden filled with pomegranates and other pleasant fr+it, with all the !est spices: henna, 1# nard, saffron, calam+s, and cinnamon. ;o+r lim!s are like a garden filled with trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloe. 1% ;o+ are like a garden fo+ntain a well of fresh water flowing down from the mo+ntains of e!anon. 1& >ake +p, north wind. 9ome, so+th wind. <low on my garden. Spread its sweet smell. et my lover enter his garden and eat its pleasant fr+it. 5 1 Ay darling my !ride, 3 have entered my garden. 3 have gathered my myrrh and spice. 3 have eaten my honey and honeycom!. 3 have dr+nk my wine and milk.Dearest friends, eat, drink" <e dr+nk with love" 2 3 am asleep, !+t my heart is awake. 3 hear my lover knocking, saying, 5pen The Song of Songs %.3*) ) to me, my darling, my love, my dove, my perfect one" Ay head is soaked with dew. Ay hair is wet with the mist of the night. 3 3 have taken off my ro!e. 3 dont want to p+t it on again. 3 have washed my feet. 3 dont want to get them dirty again. # <+t my lover p+t his hand thro+gh the opening, and 3 felt sorry for him. % 3 got +p to open for my lover, myrrh dripping from my hands, myrrh scented lotion dripped from my fingers onto the handles of the lock. & 3 opened for my lover, !+t my lover had t+rned away and was gone" 3 nearly pag. '120131#

died when he came and went. 3 looked for him, !+t 3 co+ldnt find him. 3 called for him, !+t he didnt answer me. ' The g+ards patrolling the city fo+nd me. They hit me. They h+rt me. The g+ards on the wall took my ro!e from me. ( 3 tell yo+, women of Cer+salem, if yo+ find my lover, tell him 3 am weak with love. ) <ea+tif+l woman, how is yo+r lover different from other lovers? 3s yo+r lover The Song of Songs %.1,*&.2 1, !etter than other lovers? 3s that why yo+ ask +s to make this promise? 1, Ay lover is tanned and radiant. $e wo+ld stand o+t among 1,,,,, men. 11 $is head is like the p+rest gold. $is hair is c+rly and as !lack as a raven. 12 $is eyes are like doves !y a stream, like doves in a pool of milk, like a =ewel in its setting. 13 $is cheeks are like a garden of spices, like flowers +sed for perf+me. $is lips are like lilies, dripping with liJ+id myrrh. 1# $is arms are like gold rods, filled with =ewels. $is !ody is like smooth ivory with sapphires set in it. 1% $is legs are like mar!le pillars on !ases of fine gold. $e stands tall like the finest cedar tree in e!anon" 1& ;es, women of Cer+salem, my lover is everything 3 desire. $is mo+th is the sweetest of all. This is my loverF this is my darling. 6 1 <ea+tif+l woman, where has yo+r lover gone? >hich way did yo+r lover go? Tell +s so that we can help yo+ look for him. 2 Ay lover has gone down to his garden, where sweetDsmelling spices grow. The Song of Songs &.3*) 11 There, like a sheep, he will eat the grass, and he will en=oy the lilies. 3 3 !elong to my lover, and my lover !elongs to me. $e is the one feeding among the lilies. # Ay darling, yo+ are as !ea+tif+l as TirEah, as pleasant as Cer+salem, as awesome as the stars in the sky. -asy To .ead /ersion

% Dont look at me" ;o+r eyes e4cite me too m+ch" And yo+r hair is long and flowing, like little goats dancing down the slopes of Ao+nt Gilead. & ;o+r teeth are white like ewes =+st coming from their !ath. They all give !irth to twins. 1ot one of them has lost a !a!y. ' ;o+r cheeks +nder yo+r veil are like slices of pomegranate. ( There might !e &, J+eens and (, slave women, and yo+ng women too many to co+nt, ) !+t there is only one woman for me, my dove, my perfect one. She is the favorite of her mother, her mothers favorite child. The yo+ng women see her and praise her. -ven the J+eens and slave women praise her. The Song of Songs &.1,*'.# 12 1, >ho is that yo+ng woman? She shines o+t like the dawn. She is as pretty as the moon. She is as !right as the s+n. She is as awesome as the stars in the sky. 11 3 went down to the grove of waln+t trees, to see the fr+it of the valley, to see if the vines were in !loom, to see if the pomegranates had !+dded. 12 3 was so e4cited when she p+t me in the royal chariot. 13 9ome !ack, come !ack, Sh+lamith" 9ome !ack, come !ack, so we may look at yo+. >hy are yo+ staring at Sh+lamith, as she dances the Aahanaim dance? 7 1 6rincess, yo+r feet are !ea+tif+l in those sandals. The c+rves of yo+r thighs are like =ewelry made !y an artist. 2 ;o+r navel is like a ro+nd c+pF may it never !e witho+t wine. ;o+r !elly is like a pile of wheat s+rro+nded !y lilies. 3 ;o+r !reasts are like twin fawns of a yo+ng gaEelle. # ;o+r neck is like an ivory tower. ;o+r eyes are like the pools in $esh!on near the gate of <ath .a!!im. ;o+r nose is The Song of Songs '.%*13 13 like the tower of e!anon that looks toward Damasc+s. pag. '130131#

% ;o+r head is like 9armel, and the hair on yo+r head is like silk. ;o+r long flowing hair capt+res even a king. & ;o+ are so !ea+tif+l and so pleasant, a lovely, delightf+l yo+ng woman" ' ;o+ are tall as tall as a palm tree. And yo+r !reasts are like the cl+sters of fr+it on that tree. ( 3 wo+ld love to clim! that tree and take hold of its !ranches. Aay yo+r !reasts !e like cl+sters of grapes, yo+r fragrance like apples, ) and yo+r lips like the !est wine.So let this wine flow straight to my lover, flowing gently over lips and teeth. 1, 3 !elong to my lover, and he wants me. 11 9ome, my lover, lets go o+t into the fieldF lets spend the night in the villages. 12 ets get +p early and go to the vineyards. ets see if the vines are in !loom. ets see if the !lossoms have opened and if the pomegranates are in !loom. There 3 will give yo+ my love. 13 Smell the mandrakes and all the pleasant flowers !y o+r door. 3 have The Song of Songs (.1*' 1# saved many pleasant things for yo+, my lover, pleasant things, new and old. 8 1 3f yo+ were a !a!y, like my little !rother n+rsing at his mothers !reasts, and if 3 fo+nd yo+ o+tside, 3 co+ld kiss yo+, and no one wo+ld say it was wrong. 2 3 wo+ld lead yo+ into my mothers ho+se, to the room of she who ta+ght me. 3 wo+ld give yo+ spiced wine sJ+eeEed from my pomegranate. 3 $is left arm is +nder my head, and his right hand holds me. # >omen of Cer+salem, promise me, dont awaken love, dont aro+se love, +ntil 3 am ready. % >ho is this woman coming from the desert, leaning on her lover?3 woke yo+ +nder the apple tree, where yo+r mother gave !irth to yo+, where yo+ were !orn. & Geep me near yo+ like a seal yo+ wear over yo+r heart, like a signet ring yo+ wear on yo+r hand. ove is as strong as -asy To .ead /ersion

death. 6assion is as strong as the grave. 3ts sparks !ecome a flame, and it grows to !ecome a great fire" ' A flood cannot p+t o+t love. .ivers cannot drown love. >o+ld people despise The Song of Songs (.(*1# 1% a man for giving everything he owns for love? ( >e have a little sister, and her !reasts are not yet grown. >hat sho+ld we do for o+r sister when a man comes asking to marry her? ) 3f she were a wall, we wo+ld p+t silver trim aro+nd her. 3f she were a door, we wo+ld p+t a cedar !oard aro+nd her. 1, 3 am a wall, and my !reasts are my towers. And he is satisfied with me" 11 Solomon had a vineyard at <aal $amon. $e p+t men in charge of the vineyard. -ach man !ro+ght in grapes worth 1,,, shekels of silver. 12 Solomon, yo+ can keep yo+r 1,,, shekels. Give 2,, shekels to each man for the grapes he !ro+ght. <+t 3 will keep my own vineyard. 13 There yo+ are, sitting in the garden. 2riends are listening to yo+r voice. et me hear it too" 1# $+rry, my lover" <e like a gaEelle or a yo+ng deer on the mo+ntains of spice. /saia' 1 1 This is the vision of 3saiah son of AmoE. God showed 3saiah what wo+ld happen to C+dah and Cer+salem. 3saiah saw this d+ring the time when HEEiah, Cotham, AhaE, and $eEekiah were kings of C+dah. 2 $eaven and earth, listen" This is what the 5.D says: 3 raised my children and helped them grow +p, !+t they have t+rned against me. 3 A !+ll knows its master, and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it. <+t 3srael does not know me. Ay people do not +nderstand. # 5h, what a sinf+l nation" Their g+ilt is like a heavy weight that they m+st carry. They are evil, destr+ctive children. They left the 5.D and ins+lted the $oly 5ne of 3srael. They t+rned away and treated pag. '1#0131#

him like a stranger. % >hat good will it do to keep p+nishing yo+? ;o+ will contin+e to re!el. ;o+r whole head and heart are already sick and aching. 3saiah 1.&*11 2 & 2rom the !ottom of yo+r feet to the top of yo+r head, every part of yo+r !ody has wo+nds, c+ts, and open sores. ;o+ have not taken care of them. ;o+r wo+nds have not !een cleaned and !andaged. ' ;o+r land is in r+ins, and yo+r cities are in flames. ;o+r enemies have taken yo+r land, and foreigners are taking what it prod+ces. 3t looks like some foreigners destroyed it. ( The city of Cer+salem is now like an empty shed left in a vineyard. 3t is like an old straw h+t a!andoned in a field of c+c+m!ers or like a city s+rro+nded !y enemies. ) 3f the 5.D AllD6owerf+l had not allowed a few people to live, we wo+ld have !een destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened" 1, ;o+ officers of Sodom, listen to the 5.D@S message. ;o+ people of Gomorrah, listen to Gods teaching. 11 The 5.D says, >hy do yo+ contin+e giving me all these sacrifices 3 have had eno+gh of yo+r sacrifices of rams and the fat from wellDfed animals. 3 don@t 3saiah 1.12*1' 3 want the !lood of those !+lls, sheep, and goats. 12 >hen yo+ people come to meet with me, yo+ trample everything in my yard. >ho told yo+ to do this? 13 Stop !ringing me these worthless sacrifices. 3 hate the incense yo+ give me. 3 cannot stand yo+r festivals for the 1ew Aoon, the Sa!!ath, and other special meeting days. 3 hate the evil yo+ do d+ring these holy times together. 1# 3 hate yo+r monthly meetings and co+ncils. They have !ecome like heavy weights to me, and 3 am tired of carrying them. -asy To .ead /ersion

1% >hen yo+ raise yo+r arms to pray to me, 3 will ref+se to look at yo+. ;o+ will say more and more prayers, !+t 3 will ref+se to listen !eca+se yo+r hands are covered with !lood. 1& >ash yo+rselves and make yo+rselves clean. Stop doing the evil things 3 see yo+ do. Stop doing wrong. 1' earn to do good. Treat people fairly. 6+nish those who h+rt others. Speak +p for the widows and orphans. Arg+e their cases for them in co+rt. 3saiah 1.1(*23 # 1( 3, the 5.D, am the one speaking to yo+. 9ome, let@s disc+ss this. -ven if yo+r sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can !e removed and yo+ will !e as p+re as wool that is as white as snow. 1) 3f yo+ listen to what 3 say, yo+ will get the good things from this land. 2, <+t if yo+ ref+se to listen and re!el against me, yo+r enemies will destroy yo+. The 5.D himself said this. 21 ook at Cer+salem. She was a faithf+l city. >hat made her !ecome like a prostit+te? 3n the past, Cer+salem was filled with =+stice, and goodness sho+ld live there now. 3nstead, there are m+rderers. 22 5nce yo+ were like p+re silver, !+t now yo+ are like the imp+rities that people throw away when the silver is p+rified. ;o+ are like good wine that has !een weakened with water. 23 ;o+r r+lers are re!els and friends of thieves. They demand !ri!es and accept money for doing wrong. They take money to cheat people, and they don@t speak +p for widows and orphans. They will not even listen to their cries for help. 3saiah 1.2#*31 % 2# <eca+se of this, the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l, the Aighty 5ne of 3srael, says, ook, 3 will get relief from my enemies. ;o+ will not ca+se me any more tro+!le. 2% 6eople +se lye to clean silver. 3n the same way, 3 will clean away all yo+r wrongs. 3 will remove all the imp+rities pag. '1%0131#

from yo+. 2& 3 will !ring !ack the kind of =+dges that yo+ had in the !eginning. ;o+r co+nselors will !e like those that yo+ had long ago. Then yo+ will !e called The Good and 2aithf+l 9ity. 2' God is good and does what is right, so he will resc+e Bion and the people who come !ack to him. 2( <+t all the criminals and sinners will !e destroyed. Those who stop following the 5.D will !e removed. 2) 3n the f+t+re yo+ will !e ashamed of the oak trees and special gardens yo+ chose to worship, 3, ;o+ will !e like an oak tree whose leaves are dying. ;o+ will !e like a garden dying witho+t water. 31 6owerf+l people will !e like small, dry pieces of wood, and what they did will 3saiah 2.1*# & !e like the sparks that start a fire. These people and their works will !oth !+rn +p, and no one will !e a!le to p+t o+t that fire. 2 1 3saiah son of AmoE saw this message a!o+t C+dah and Cer+salem. 2 3n the last days the mo+ntain of the 5.D@S Temple will !e the highest of all mo+ntains. 3t will !e raised higher than the hills. There will !e a steady stream of people from all nations going there. 3 6eople from many places will go there and say, 9ome, let@s go +p to the mo+ntain of the 5.D, to the Temple of the God of Caco!. Then God will teach +s his way of living, and we will follow him. $is teaching, the 5.D@S message, will !egin in Cer+salem on Ao+nt Bion and will go o+t to all the world. # Then God will act as =+dge to end arg+ments !etween nations. $e will decide what is right for people from many lands. They will stop +sing their weapons for war. They will hammer their swords into plows and +se their spears to make tools for harvesting. All fighting !etween nations will end. They will never again train for war. 3saiah 2.%*12 ' -asy To .ead /ersion

% 2amily of Caco!, let +s follow the 5.D. & 2amily of Caco!, yo+ have a!andoned yo+r people. This is clear !eca+se they have !een filled with !ad infl+ences from the -ast, and now yo+r people try to tell the f+t+re like the 6hilistines. They have completely accepted those strange ideas. ' Caco!@s land has !een filled with silver and gold from other places. There are many treas+res there. $is land has !een filled with horses and many chariots. ( $is land is f+ll of gods that the people !ow down to worship. They made those idols themselves. ) The people have !ecome worse and worse. They have !ecome very low, and yo+ leaders did nothing to lift them +p" 1, ;o+ sho+ld !e afraid of the 5.D" Go hide in the dirt and !ehind the rocks. $ide from his glorio+s power" 11 6ro+d people will stop !eing pro+d. They will !ow down to the gro+nd with shame, and only the 5.D will still stand high. 12 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l has a special day planned when he will p+nish the 3saiah 2.13*2, ( pro+d and !oastf+l people. They will !e !ro+ght down. 13 They might !e like the tall cedar trees from e!anon or the great oak trees from <ashan, !+t they will !e c+t down. 1# They might !e like the tall mo+ntains and high hills 1% or like the tall towers and high walls, !+t they will !e !ro+ght down. 1& They might !e like great ships from Tarshish, filled with s+ch wonderf+l cargo, !+t they will !e !ro+ght down. 1' At that time those pro+d people will fall. They will !ow low to the gro+nd, and only the 5.D will stand high. 1( All the idols will !e gone. 1) 6eople will go into the holes in the gro+nd and the cracks in the rocks !eca+se they fear the 5.D and his great power as he stands to shake the earth. pag. '1&0131#

2, At that time people will throw away their idols they made from gold and silver. They made these stat+es to worship, !+t they will throw them into holes in the gro+nd where !ats and moles live. 3saiah 2.21*3.% ) 21 They will go down into cracks in the rocks and !o+lders !eca+se they are afraid of the 5.D and his glorio+s power as he stands to shake the earth. 22 Stop tr+sting other people to save yo+. Do not think too highly of themF they are only h+mans who have not stopped !reathing yet. 3 1 Hnderstand what 3 am telling yo+: The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l will take away everything C+dah and Cer+salem depend on. $e will take away all the food and water. 2 $e will take away all the heroes and soldiers. $e will take away all the =+dges, the prophets, the fort+netellers, and the elders. 3 $e will take away the army officers and important officials. $e will take away the skilled co+nselors, the magicians, and those who try to tell the f+t+re. # $e says, 3 will p+t yo+ng !oys in charge of yo+. They will !e yo+r leaders. % The people will t+rn against each other. ;o+ng people will not respect those who are older. The common people will not respect important leaders. 3saiah 3.&*11 1, & At that time a man will gra! one of his !rothers from his own family and tell him, ;o+ have a coat, so yo+ will !e o+r leader. ;o+ will !e the leader over all these r+ins. ' <+t the !rother will ref+se and say, 3 cannot help yo+. 3 dont have eno+gh food or clothes for my own family. ;o+ will not make me yo+r leader. ( This will happen !eca+se Cer+salem has st+m!led, and C+dah has fallen. They t+rned against the 5.D. They said and did things against him, right in front of his glorio+s eyes. ) The look on their faces shows that -asy To .ead /ersion

they are g+ilty. They are like the people of SodomF they dont care who sees their sin. <+t it will !e very !ad for them. They will get what they deserve. 1, Tell the good people who do what is right that good things will happen to them. They will receive a reward for what they do. 11 <+t it will !e very !ad for wicked people, !eca+se they, too, will get what they deserve. They will get what they did to others. 3saiah 3.12*1( 11 12 -ven children will defeat my people, and women will r+le over them. Ay people, yo+r g+ides lead yo+ the wrong way, and they destroy the path yo+ sho+ld follow. 13 ook, the 5.D is standing to =+dge his people. 1# The 5.D is ready to present his case against the elders and leaders of his people. $e says, ;o+ people have !+rned the vineyard, and what yo+ stole from the poor is still in yo+r ho+ses. 1% >hat gives yo+ the right to h+rt my people? >hat gives yo+ the right to p+sh the faces of the poor into the dirt? The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l said this. 1& The 5.D says, The women in Bion have !ecome very pro+d. They walk aro+nd with their heads in the air, acting like they are !etter than other people. They flirt with their eyes and make tinkling so+nds with their ankle !racelets as they take their J+ick little steps. 1' The ord will p+t sores on the heads of those women in Bion. The 5.D will make their heads !ald. 1( Then the ord will take away everything they are pro+d of: the 3saiah 3.1)*2& 12 !ea+tif+l ankle !racelets, the necklaces that look like the s+n and the moon, 1) the earrings, !racelets, and veils, 2, the scarves, the ankle chains, the cloth !elts worn aro+nd their waists, the !ottles of perf+me, the charms, 21 the signet rings, and the nose rings, 22 the fine dresses, ro!es, cloaks, and pag. '1'0131#

p+rses, 23 the mirrors, linen dresses, t+r!ans, and long shawls. 2# Those women now have sweetsmelling perf+me, !+t it will get moldy and stink. 1ow they wear !elts, !+t then they will have only ropes to wear. 1ow they have their hair fi4ed in fancy ways, !+t then their heads will !e shavedthey will have no hair. 1ow they have party dresses, !+t then they will have only mo+rning clothes. They have !ea+ty marks on their faces now, !+t then they will have another mark. 3t will !e a mark !+rned into their skin to show that they are slaves. 2% ;o+r men will !e killed with swords. ;o+r heroes will die in war. 2& There will !e crying and sadness in the meeting places !y the city gates. 3saiah #.1*% 13 Cer+salem will sit there empty, like a woman who has lost everything to thieves and ro!!ers and now =+st sits on the gro+nd and cries. 4 1 At that time seven women will gra! one man and say, 6lease marry +s" >e will s+pply o+r own food and make o+r own clothes. ;o+ wont have to do anything else if yo+ let +s wear yo+r name and take away o+r shame. 2 At that time the 5.D@S plant will !e very !ea+tif+l and glorio+s. The people in 3srael who s+rvived will !e very pro+d of what the land grows. 3 And all those who are left in Bion and Cer+salem will !e called holy. Their names were on the list of people in Cer+salem who were allowed to live. # The ord will wash away the filth from the da+ghters of Bion. $e will wash away the !lood from Cer+salem. >ith a spirit of =+dgment that !+rns like fire, he will make everything p+re. % Then the 5.D will create a clo+d of smoke in the day and a !right flame of fire at night over every !+ilding and over every meeting of the people on the 3saiah #.&*%.% 1# mo+ntain of Bion. And there will !e a -asy To .ead /ersion

covering over everyone for protection. & 3t will !e a shelter to protect the people from the heat of the s+n and from all kinds of storms and rain. 5 1 1ow 3 will sing a song for my friend, my love song a!o+t his vineyard. Ay friend had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 $e d+g and cleared the field and planted the !est grapevines there. $e !+ilt a tower in the middle and c+t a winepress into the stone. $e e4pected good grapes to grow there, !+t there were only rotten ones. 3 Ay friend said, ;o+ people living in Cer+salem and yo+ people of C+dah, think a!o+t me and my vineyard. # >hat more co+ld 3 do for my vineyard? 3 did everything 3 co+ld. 3 hoped for good grapes to grow, !+t there were only rotten ones. >hy did that happen? % 1ow 3 will tell yo+ what 3 will do to my vineyard: 3 will p+ll +p the thorn!+shes that protect it, and 3 will !+rn them. 3 will !reak down the stone wall and +se the stones for a walkway. 3saiah %.&*11 1% & 3 will t+rn my vineyard into +seless land. 1o one will care for the plants or work in the field. >eeds and thorns will grow there. 3 will command the clo+ds not to rain on it. ' The vineyard that !elongs to the 5.D AllD6owerf+l is the ho+se of 3srael. The grapevine, the plant he loves, is the man of C+dah. The ord hoped for =+stice, !+t there was only killing. $e hoped for fairness, !+t there were only cries from people !eing treated !adly. ( ook at yo+ people" ;o+ =oin ho+ses to ho+ses and fields to fields +ntil there is no room for anyone else. <+t when the p+nishment comes, yo+ will !e forced to live alone. ;o+ will !e the only people in the whole land. ) 3 heard the 5.D AllD6owerf+l make this oath: 3 swear, all these ho+ses will !e destroyed. These !ig, fancy ho+ses will !e empty. 1, A tenDacre vineyard will make only a pag. '1(0131#

little wine, and many sacks of seed will grow only a little grain. 11 $ow terri!le it will !e for yo+ people who rise early in the morning and go 3saiah %.12*1& 1& looking for !eer to drink. ;o+ stay awake late at night, getting dr+nk on wine. 12 At yo+r parties with yo+r wine, harps, dr+ms, fl+tes, and other m+sical instr+ments, yo+ dont see what the 5.D has done. ;o+ dont notice what his hands have made. 13 Ay people dont really know God. So they will !e capt+red and taken away. -veryone, the respected leaders and the common people as well, will !e h+ngry and thirsty. 1# They will die, and the place of death will open its mo+th wide and swallow many of them. Then the noisy crowds and all the !ea+tif+l, happy people who are now so comforta!le will go down into the grave. 1% -veryone, common people and leaders alike, will !e h+m!led. Those who are now so pro+d will !ow their heads in shame. 1& The 5.D AllD6owerf+l will =+dge fairly, and people will honor him. They will respect the $oly God when he !rings =+stice. 3saiah %.1'*2# 1' 1' Their cities will !ecome fields where lam!s can graEe. ;o+ng goats will eat grass where rich people once lived. 1( ook at those people" They p+ll their g+ilt and sins !ehind them like people p+lling wagons with ropes. 1) They say, >e wish God wo+ld h+rry and do what he plans to do so that we can see it. et his plan happen soon so that we can know what it is. 2, ook at those people" They say good is !ad and !ad is good. They think light is dark and dark is light. They think so+r is sweet and sweet is so+r. 21 They think they are so smart. They think they are very intelligent. 22 They are famo+s for drinking wine and are heroes known for mi4ing drinks. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 And if yo+ pay them eno+gh money, they will forgive a criminal. <+t they will not let good people !e =+dged fairly. 2# So !ad things will happen to them. Their descendants will !e destroyed completely, =+st as fire !+rns straw and leaves. Their descendants will !e like plants with rotten roots, whose flowers have all !lown away like d+st in the wind. Those people ref+sed to o!ey the 3saiah %.2%*2) 1( teachings of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. They hated the message from the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 2% So the 5.D !ecame angry with his people, and he raised his hand to p+nish them. -ven the mo+ntains shook with fear. Dead !odies were left in the streets like gar!age. And he is not finished yet. $e is still angry, and his arm is raised to contin+e p+nishing his people. 2& ook" God is giving a sign to the nations far away. $e is raising a flag and whistling for them to come. 1ow the enemy is coming from a faraway land and will soon enter the co+ntry. They are moving very J+ickly. 2' The enemy soldiers never get tired and st+m!le. They never get sleepy and fall asleep. Their weapon !elts are always ready. Their sandal straps never !reak. 2( Their arrows are sharp. Their !ows are str+ng and ready to shoot. The horses hooves are as hard as flint. 9lo+ds of d+st rise from !ehind their chariots. 2) The sho+ts of the enemy so+nd like the roar of lions. ike strong, yo+ng 3saiah %.3,*&.% 1) lions, they growl and gra! their prey. The captives str+ggle and try to escape, !+t there is no one to save them. 3, Then there is a roar as lo+d as the ocean waves, and the captives t+rn their faces to the gro+nd. And there is only darkness closing in as the light fades away in a !lack clo+d. 6 1 3n the year that Ging HEEiah died, 3 saw the ord sitting on a very high pag. '1)0131#

and wonderf+l throne. $is long ro!e filled the Temple. 2 Seraph angels stood aro+nd him. -ach angel had si4 wings. They +sed two wings to cover their faces, two wings to cover their !odies, and two wings to fly. 3 The angels were calling to each other, $oly, holy, holy is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. $is Glory fills the whole earth. # The so+nd was so lo+d that it ca+sed the frame aro+nd the door to shake, and the Temple was filled with smoke. % 3 was frightened and said, 5h, no" 3 will !e destroyed. 3 am not p+re eno+gh to speak to God, and 3 live among people who are not p+re eno+gh to speak to him. <+t 3 have seen the Ging, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 3saiah &.&*11 2, & There was a fire on the altar. 5ne of the Seraph angels +sed a pair of tongs to take a hot coal from the fire. Then the angel flew to me with it in his hand. ' Then he to+ched my mo+th with the hot coal and said, >hen this hot coal to+ched yo+r lips, yo+r g+ilt was taken away, and yo+r sins were erased. ( Then 3 heard the ords voice, saying, >ho can 3 send? >ho will go for +s? So 3 said, $ere 3 am. Send me" ) Then the ord said, Go and tell the people, isten closely, !+t dont +nderstand. ook closely, !+t dont learn. 1, 9onf+se them. Aake them +na!le to +nderstand what they hear and see. 3f yo+ dont do this, they might really look with their eyes, hear with their ears, and +nderstand with their minds. Then they might come !ack to me and !e healed" 11 Then 3 asked, ord, how long sho+ld 3 do this? $e answered, Do this +ntil the cities are destroyed and all the people are gone. Do this +ntil there is no one left living in the ho+ses and the land is destroyed and empty. 3saiah &.12*'.3 21 12 The 5.D will make the people go far away, and there will !e large areas of empty land in the co+ntry. 13 A tenth of the people will !e allowed -asy To .ead /ersion

to stay in the land, !+t it will !e destroyed again. They will !e like an oak tree. >hen the tree is chopped down, a st+mp is left. This st+mp will !e a very special seed that will grow again. 7 1 AhaE was the son of Cotham, who was the son of HEEiah. .eEin was the king of Aram, 6ekah son of .emaliah was the king of 3srael. >hen AhaE was king of C+dah, .eEin and 6ekah went +p to Cer+salem to attack it, !+t they were not a!le to defeat the city. 2 The family of David received a message that said, The armies of Aram and -phraim have =oined together in one camp. >hen Ging AhaE heard this message, he and the people !ecame frightened. They shook with fear like trees of the forest !lowing in the wind. 3 Then the 5.D told 3saiah, ;o+ and yo+r son Shear Cash+! sho+ld go o+t and talk to AhaE. Go to the place where the water flows into the Hpper 6ool, on 3saiah '.#*11 22 the street that leads +p to a+ndrymans 2ield. # Tell AhaE, <e caref+l, !+t !e calm. Dont !e afraid. Dont let those two men, .eEin and .emaliahs son, frighten yo+" They are like two !+rning sticks. They might !e hot now, !+t soon they will !e nothing !+t smoke. .eEin, Aram, and .emaliahs son !ecame angry % and made plans against yo+. They said, & ets go fight against C+dah and divide it among o+rselves. Then we will make Ta!eels son the new king of C+dah. ' <+t the ord G5D says, Their plan will not s+cceedF it will not happen, ( !eca+se Damasc+s is the capital of Aram, and .eEin is the r+ler of Damasc+s for now. ) Samaria is the capital of -phraim, and .emaliahs son is the r+ler of Samaria for now. 3f yo+ dont !elieve this, yo+ will not s+rvive. 1, Then the 5.D spoke to AhaE again 11 and said, Ask for a sign from the 5.D yo+r God to prove to yo+rself that pag. '2,0131#

this is tr+e. ;o+ can ask for any sign yo+ 3saiah '.12*1( 23 want. The sign can come from a place as deep as Sheol or as high as the skies. 12 <+t AhaE said, 3 will not ask for a sign as proof. 3 will not test the 5.D. 13 Then 3saiah said, 2amily of David, listen very caref+lly" 3s it not eno+gh that yo+ wo+ld test the patience of h+mans? >ill yo+ now test the patience of my God? 1# <+t the ord will still show yo+ this sign: The yo+ng woman is pregnant and will give !irth to a son. She will name him 3mman+el. 1% $e will eat milk c+rds and honey as he learns to choose good and ref+se evil. 1& <+t !efore he is old eno+gh to make that choice, the land of the two kings yo+ fear will !e empty. 1' <+t the 5.D will !ring tro+!led times to yo+. These tro+!les will !e worse than anything that has happened since the time 3srael separated from C+dah. This will happen to yo+r people and to yo+r fathers family when God !rings the king of Assyria to fight against yo+. 1( At that time the 5.D will call for the 2ly that is now near the streams of 3saiah '.1)*2% 2# -gypt, and he will call for the <ee that is now in the co+ntry of Assyria. Those enemies will come to yo+r co+ntry. 1) They will settle in the deep valleys and in the caves, !y the thorn!+shes and watering holes. 2, The ord will +se Assyria to p+nish C+dah. Assyria will !e hired and +sed like a raEor to shave off C+dahs !eard and to remove the hair from his head and !ody. 21 At that time someone might keep only one yo+ng cow and two sheep alive. 22 <+t there will !e eno+gh milk for them to eat milk c+rds. 3n fact, everyone left in the co+ntry will eat milk c+rds and honey. 23 There are now fields that have 1,,, grapevines, and each grapevine is worth 1,,, pieces of silver. <+t those fields will -asy To .ead /ersion

!e covered with weeds and thorns. 2# That land will !e wild and +sed only as a h+nting gro+nd where people go with !ows and arrows. 2% 6eople once worked the soil and grew food on these hills, !+t at that time they will not go there, !eca+se the fields will !e covered with weeds and thorns. 3t will 3saiah (.1*' 2% !e a place where cattle graEe and sheep wander. 8 1 The 5.D told me, Get a large scroll, and +se an ordinary pen to write these words: This is for Aaher Shalal $ash <aE. 2 3 fo+nd some men who co+ld !e tr+sted to serve as witnesses: Hriah the priest and Bechariah son of Ce!erekiah. They watched me write those words. 3 Then 3 went to my wife, the woman prophet. She !ecame pregnant and had a son. The 5.D told me, 1ame the !oy Aaher Shalal $ash <aE. # $e said that !eca+se !efore the !oy learns to say Aama and Daddy, God will take all the wealth and riches from Damasc+s and Samaria and give them to the king of Assyria. % The 5.D spoke to me again. & $e said, These people ref+se to accept the slowDmoving waters of Shiloah. They prefer .eEin and .emaliahs son. ' <+t the ord will !ring the king of Assyria and all his power against them. The Assyrians will come like their swift moving river, like water that rises and spills over its !anks. 3saiah (.(*1# 2& ( This water will !e like a flash flood as it passes thro+gh C+dah. 3t will rise to C+dahs throat and almost drown him. <+t he will spread his wings over yo+r whole co+ntry, 3mman+el. ) All yo+ nations, prepare for war. ;o+ will !e defeated. isten, all yo+ faraway co+ntries" 6repare for !attle. ;o+ will !e defeated. 1, Aake yo+r plans for the fight. ;o+r plans will !e defeated. Give orders to yo+r armies, !+t yo+r orders will !e pag. '210131#

+seless, !eca+se God is with +s" 11 The 5.D spoke to me with his great power and warned me not to !e like these people. $e said, 12 Dont think there is a plan against yo+ =+st !eca+se the people say there is. Dont !e afraid of what they fear. Dont let them frighten yo+" 13 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is the one yo+ sho+ld fear. $e is the one yo+ sho+ld respect. $e is the one who sho+ld frighten yo+. 1# 3f yo+ people wo+ld respect him, he wo+ld !e a safe place for yo+. <+t yo+ dont respect him, so he is like a stone that yo+ st+m!le over. $e is a rock that 3saiah (.1%*2, 2' makes !oth families of 3srael fall. $e has !ecome a trap that all the people of Cer+salem will fall into. 1% 7Aany people will trip over this rock. They will fall and !e !roken. They will !e ca+ght in the trap.8 1& The ord said, >rite this agreement. Tie it +p and seal it so that it cannot !e changed. Give these teachings to my followers for safekeeping. 1' The 5.D has t+rned away from the family of Caco!. <+t 3 will wait for him. 3 tr+st that he will come to save +s. 1( $ere 3 am with the children the 5.D has given me. >e are here as signs from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, who lives on Ao+nt Bion. $e is +sing +s to show his plans for the people of 3srael. 1) The people will say, Go to the fort+netellers and wiEards who m+m!le and chirp like !irds. Ask them what to do. <+t 3 say, Sho+ldnt people go to their God for help? >hy go to the dead to get help for the living? 2, ;o+ sho+ld follow the teachings and the agreement. 3 swear, if yo+ follow those other things, there is no f+t+re for yo+. 3saiah (.21*).3 2( 21 >hen the enemy comes, there will !e hard times and h+nger. And when he !ecomes h+ngry, he will !ecome angry. $e will say c+rses in the name of his king -asy To .ead /ersion

and his gods. Then he will lift his head +pwards like a roaring lion. 22 And when the captives t+rn their faces to the gro+nd, there is only a depressing darkness closing inthe dark sadness of people forced to leave their co+ntry. 9 1 <+t there will !e an end to the gloom those people s+ffered. 3n the past, people tho+ght the land of Be!+l+n and 1aphtali was not important. <+t later, that land will !e honoredthe land along the sea, the land east of the Cordan .iver, and Galilee where the people from other nations live. 2 Those people lived in darkness, !+t they will see a great light. They lived in a place as dark as death, !+t a great light will shine on them. 3 God, yo+ will make the nation grow, and yo+ will make the people happy. They will re=oice in yo+r presence as they do at harvest time. 3t will !e like 3saiah ).#*( 2) the =oy when people take their share of things they have won in war. # That will happen !eca+se yo+ will lift the heavy yoke off their sho+lders and take away their heavy !+rden. ;o+ will take away the rod that the enemy +sed to p+nish yo+r people, as yo+ did when yo+ defeated Aidian. % -very !oot that marched in !attle and every +niform stained with !lood will !e destroyed and thrown into the fire. & This will happen when the special child is !orn. God will give +s a son who will !e responsi!le for leading the people. $is name will !e >onderf+l 9o+nselor, 6owerf+l God, 2ather >ho ives 2orever, 6rince of 6eace. ' $is power will contin+e to grow, and there will !e peace witho+t end. This will esta!lish him as the king sitting on Davids throne and r+ling his kingdom. $e will r+le with goodness and =+stice forever and ever. The strong love that the 5.D AllD6owerf+l has for his people will make this happen" ( The ord gave a command against pag. '220131#

Caco!, and someone in 3srael fell. 3saiah ).)*1% 3, ) So all the people in -phraim, incl+ding the r+ler in Samaria, learned their lesson. Those people are very pro+d and !oastf+l now. They say, 1, ;es, those !ricks fell, !+t we will re!+ild with strong stone. ;es, those little trees were chopped down, !+t we will plant new trees. And they will !e large, strong trees. 11 The 5.D fo+nd people to go +p and fight against .eEin. $e stirred +p .eEins enemies. 12 As for 3srael, the Arameans are in front of him and the 6hilistines are !ehind him. And they are !oth eating away at him. <+t the ord is not finished yet. $e is still angry, and his arm is raised to contin+e p+nishing 3srael. 13 The people did not stop sinning. They did not come to the 5.D AllD6owerf+l for help. 1# So the 5.D c+t off 3sraels head and tail. $e took away the !ranch and the stalk in one day. 1% The head means the elders and important leaders. The tail means the prophets who told lies. 3saiah ).1&*2, 31 1& Their g+ides are leading them the wrong way, so those who follow them will !e destroyed. 1' All of them are evil. So the ord is not happy with the yo+ng men, and he will not show mercy to their widows and orphans. That is !eca+se they are evil hypocrites. They tell lies. The ord has p+nished them, !+t he is not finished yet. $e is still angry, and his arm is raised to contin+e p+nishing his people. 1( That evil was like a small fire that started among the weeds and thorns and then spread to the larger !+shes in the forest. 2inally, it !ecame a giant fire, and everything went +p in smoke. 1) The 5.D AllD6owerf+l was angry, so the land was !+rned. The people were f+el for the fire. 1o one showed any compassion to anyone else. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, 6eople looked to the right and gra!!ed whatever they co+ld, !+t they were still h+ngry. They gra!!ed whatever was on their left, !+t still they were not satisfied. So they t+rned on themselves and !egan to eat the !odies of their own children. 3saiah ).21*1,.& 32 21 Aanasseh fo+ght against -phraim, and -phraim fo+ght against Aanasseh. Then !oth of them t+rned on C+dah. <+t the ord is not finished p+nishing his people. $e is still angry, and his arm is raised to contin+e p+nishing them. 10 1 C+st look at those lawmakers who write evil laws and make life hard for the people. 2 They are not fair to the poor. They take away the rights of the poor and allow people to steal from widows and orphans. 3 awmakers, yo+ will have to e4plain what yo+ have done. >hat will yo+ do then? ;o+r destr+ction is coming from a faraway co+ntry. >here will yo+ r+n for help? ;o+r money and yo+r riches will not help yo+. # ;o+ will have to !ow down like a prisoner. ;o+ will fall down like a dead man, !+t that will not help yo+. God will still !e angry and ready to p+nish yo+. % The ord says, 3 will +se Assyria like a stick. 3n my anger 3 will +se Assyria to p+nish 3srael. & 3 will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. 3 am angry with 3saiah 1,.'*12 33 them, and 3 will command Assyria to fight against them. Assyria will defeat them and take their wealth. 3srael will !e like dirt for Assyria to trample in the streets. ' <+t Assyria does not +nderstand that 3 will +se him. $e does not think of himself as my tool. $e only wants to destroy other people. $e only plans to destroy many nations. ( Assyria says to himself, All of my officers are like kings" ) The city of 9alno is no !etter than the pag. '230131#

city of 9archemish. Arpad is like $amath, and Samaria is like Damasc+s. 1, 3 defeated those evil kingdoms, and now 3 control them. The idols those people worship are !etter than the idols of Cer+salem and Samaria. 11 3 defeated Samaria and her gods. 3 will also defeat Cer+salem and the idols her people have made. 12 >hen the ord finishes doing what he planned to Cer+salem and Ao+nt Bion, he will p+nish Assyria. The king of Assyria is very pro+d. $is pride made him do many !ad things, so God will p+nish him. 3saiah 1,.13*1& 3# 13 The king of Assyria said, 3 am very wise. <y my own wisdom and power 3 have done many great things. 3 have defeated many nations. 3 have taken their wealth and their people as slaves. 3 am a very powerf+l man. 1# >ith my own hands 3 have taken the riches of all these people, like someone taking eggs from a !irds nest. A !ird often leaves its nest and eggs, and there is nothing to protect the nest. There is no !ird to chirp and fight with its wings and !eak, so anyone can come take the eggs. And there is no one to stop me from taking all the people on earth. 1% An a4 is not !etter than the one who c+ts with it. A saw is not !etter than the one who +ses it. 3s a stick stronger than the one who picks it +p? 3t cant do anything to the person who is +sing it to p+nish someone" 1& <+t Assyria doesnt +nderstand this. So the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l will send a terri!le disease against him. $e will lose his wealth and power like a sick man losing weight. Then Assyrias glory will !e destroyed. 3t will !e like a fire !+rning +ntil everything is gone. 3saiah 1,.1'*23 3% 1' The ight of 3srael will !e like a fire. The $oly 5ne will !e like a flame. $e will !e like a fire that first !egins to !+rn the weeds and thorns 1( and then spreads to !+rn +p the tall trees and vineyards. 2inally, everything -asy To .ead /ersion

will !e destroyedeven the people. Assyria will !e like a rotting log. 1) There will !e a few trees left standing in the forest, so few that even a child co+ld co+nt them. 2, Then the people from Caco!s family who are left living in 3srael will stop depending on the one who !eat them. They will learn to depend on the 5.D, the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 21 Those who are left in Caco!s family will again follow the 6owerf+l God. 22 3srael, yo+r people are as many as the sands of the sea, !+t only a few of them will !e left to come !ack to God. <+t !efore that happens, yo+r co+ntry will !e destroyed. God has anno+nced that he will destroy the land. And then =+stice will come into the land like a river flowing f+ll. 23 The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l really will destroy this land. 3saiah 1,.2#*2) 3& 2# The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l says, Ay people living in Bion, dont !e afraid of Assyria" ;es, he will !eat yo+, and it will !e =+st like the time when -gypt !eat yo+ with a stick. 2% <+t after a short time, my anger will stop. 3 will !e satisfied that Assyria has p+nished yo+ eno+gh. 2& Then the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will !eat Assyria with a whip, =+st as he defeated Aidian at .aven .ock. $e will p+nish his enemies, as he did when he raised his stick over the sea and led his people from -gypt. 2' $e will take away the tro+!les Assyria !ro+ght yo+, tro+!les that are like heavy weights carried with a yoke on yo+r neck. <+t that yoke will !e taken off yo+r neck. The !+rden will !e lifted from yo+r sho+lders. 2( The army of Assyria will enter near the .+ins 7Aiath8. They will walk on the Threshing 2loor 7Aigron8. They will keep their food in the Storeho+se 7Aicmash8. 2) The army will cross the river at the 9rossing 7Aaa!arah8 and sleep at Ge!a. .amah will !e afraid, and the people at pag. '2#0131#

Gi!eah of Sa+l will r+n away. 3saiah 1,.3,*11.3 3' 3, 9ry o+t, <ath Gallim" aishah, listen" Anathoth, answer me" 31 The people of Aadmenah are r+nning away. The people of Ge!im are hiding. 32 This day the army will stop at 1o! and prepare to fight against Ao+nt Bion, the hill of Cer+salem. 33 ook, the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l will +se his great power and chop down that great tree. Their highest officials will !e !ro+ght down. Their most important leaders will !e h+m!led. 3# God will c+t down his enemies. ike the tall trees of e!anon he will c+t them down with an a4. 11 1 A small tree will !egin to grow from the st+mp of Cesse. That !ranch will grow from Cesses roots. 2 The 5.D@S Spirit will always !e with this new king to give him wisdom, +nderstanding, g+idance, and power. The Spirit will help him know and respect the 5.D. 3 $e will find =oy in o!eying the 5.D. This king will not =+dge people !y the way things look. $e will not =+dge !y listening to r+mors. 3saiah 11.#*) 3( # $e will =+dge the poor fairly and honestly. $e will !e fair when he decides what to do for the poor of the land. 3f he decides people sho+ld !e !eaten, he will give the command, and they will !e !eaten. 3f he decides people m+st die, he will give the command, and those evil people will !e killed. Goodness and fairness will !e like a !elt he wears aro+nd his waist. % 711:#8 & Then wolves will live at peace with lam!s, and leopards will lie down with yo+ng goats. An o4 and a lion will eat together. And a little child will !e a!le to lead them. ' <ears and cattle will graEe in the same field, and all their yo+ng will lie down together and will not h+rt each other. ions will eat hay like cattle. -asy To .ead /ersion

( -ven snakes will not harm people. <a!ies will !e a!le to play near a co!ras hole and p+t their hands into the nest of a poisono+s snake. ) 6eople will stop h+rting each other. 6eople on my holy mo+ntain will not want to destroy things !eca+se they will know the 5.D. The world will !e f+ll of 3saiah 11.1,*1# 3) knowledge a!o+t him, like the sea is f+ll of water. 1, At that time there will !e someone special from Cesses family. $e will !e like a flag that all the nations gather aro+nd. The nations will come to him and ask him what they sho+ld do. And the place where he is will !e filled with glory. 11 At that time the ord will again reach o+t and gather his people who are left in co+ntries like Assyria, 1orth -gypt, So+th -gypt, -thiopia, -lam, <a!ylonia, $amath, and other faraway co+ntries aro+nd the world. 12 $e will gather the people of 3srael and C+dah who were forced to leave their co+ntry. They were scattered to all the faraway places on earth. <+t he will raise the flag as a sign for the other nations, and he will gather his people together again. 13 Then -phraim will not !e =ealo+s of C+dah, and C+dah will have no enemies left. And C+dah will not ca+se tro+!le for -phraim. 1# <+t -phraim and C+dah will attack the 6hilistines. These two nations will !e like !irds flying down to catch a 3saiah 11.1%*12.# #, small animal. Together, they will take the riches from the people in the -ast. -phraim and C+dah will control -dom, Aoa!, and the people in Ammon. 1% C+st as the 5.D divided the .ed Sea near -gypt, he will raise his arm in anger over the -+phrates .iver and hit it. 3t will divide into seven small rivers. They will !e so small that the people can walk across with their sandals on. 1& Then Gods people who are left in Assyria will have a way to leave. 3t will pag. '2%0131#

!e =+st like the time God took the people o+t of -gypt. 12 1 At that time yo+ will say, 3 praise yo+, 5.D" ;o+ have !een angry with me, !+t dont !e angry with me now. Show yo+r love to me. 2 God is the one who saves me. 3 tr+st him, and 3 am not afraid. The 5.D ;A$ is my strength. $e saves me, and 3 sing songs of praise a!o+t him. 3 ;o+ people will get yo+r water from the spring of salvation. Then yo+ will !e happy. # At that time yo+ will say, 6raise the 5.D and call o+t his name" Tell 3saiah 12.%*13.# #1 everyone what he has done and how wonderf+l he is. % Sing songs of praise a!o+t the 5.D, !eca+se he has done great things. Spread this news a!o+t God thro+gho+t the whole world. et all people know these things. & 6eople of Bion, sho+t a!o+t these things" The $oly 5ne of 3srael is with yo+ in a powerf+l way. So sing and !e happy" 13 1 God gave 3saiah son of AmoE this message a!o+t <a!ylon: 2 .aise a flag on that mo+ntain where nothing grows. 9all o+t to the men. >ave yo+r arms to let them know they sho+ld enter thro+gh the gates for important leaders. 3 3 have separated these men from the people, and 3 myself will command them. 3 have gathered these pro+d, happy soldiers of mine to show how angry 3 am. # isten to that lo+d noise in the mo+ntains. 3t so+nds like crowds of people. 6eople from many kingdoms are gathering together. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is calling his army together. 3saiah 13.%*11 #2 % They are coming from a faraway land. They are coming from !eyond the horiEon. The 5.D will +se this army as a weapon to show his anger. They will destroy the whole co+ntry. & The 5.D@S special day is near. So -asy To .ead /ersion

cry and !e sad for yo+rselves. A time is coming when the enemy will steal yo+r wealth. God AllD6owerf+l will make that happen. ' 6eople will lose their co+rage. 2ear will make them weak. ( -veryone will !e afraid. They will stare at each other with shock on their faces. 2ear will grip them like the pains of a woman in child!irth. ) ook, the 5.D@S special day is coming" 3t will !e a terri!le day. God will !e very angry. $e will destroy the co+ntry and wipe o+t the sinf+l people who live there. 1, The skies will !e dark. The s+n, the moon, and the stars will not shine. 11 The ord says, 3 will ca+se !ad things to happen to the world. 3 will p+nish the evil people for their sin. 3 will make pro+d people lose their pride. 3 will stop the !ragging of cr+el people. 3saiah 13.12*1) #3 12 There will !e only a few people left. They will !e as rare as p+re gold. 13 3n my anger 3 will shake the sky, and the earth will !e moved from its place. That will happen on the day the 5.D AllD6owerf+l shows his anger. 1# Then the people from <a!ylon will r+n away like wo+nded deer or sheep that have no shepherd. -veryone will t+rn and r+n !ack to their own co+ntry and people. 1% Anyone ca+ght !y the enemy will !e killed with a sword. 1& -verything in their ho+ses will !e stolen. Their wives will !e raped, and their little children will !e !eaten to death while they watch. 1' The ord says, ook, 3 will ca+se the armies of Aedia to attack <a!ylon. 1o one can stop them even with offers of gold and silver. 1( >ith their !ows and arrows they will kill the yo+ng men. They will not show any kindness or mercy even to the !a!ies and yo+ng children. 1) <a!ylon is the most !ea+tif+l of all kingdoms, and the <a!ylonians are very pag. '2&0131#

3saiah 13.2,*1#.2 ## pro+d of it. <+t 3, the ord, will destroy <a!ylon like Sodom and Gomorrah. 2, 1o one will ever live in <a!ylon again. 6eople will stay away from there. 1ot even those who move from place to place will ever set +p their tents there. And shepherds will not let their sheep rest there. 21 The only animals living there will !e wild animals from the desert. 6eople will not !e living in their ho+ses in <a!ylon. The ho+ses will !e f+ll of owls and large !irds. >ild goats will play in the ho+ses. 22 >ild dogs and wolves will howl in the great and !ea+tif+l !+ildings. <a!ylon will !e finished. The end is near, and it will not !e delayed. 14 1 The 5.D will again show his love to Caco!. $e will again choose the people of 3srael. $e will give them their land. Then the nonD3sraelites will =oin the 3sraelites, and !oth will !ecome one familyCaco!s family. 2 Those nations will !ring the 3sraelites !ack to their land. The men and women from the other nations will !ecome slaves to 3srael. 3n the past, those people forced the 3sraelites to !ecome their 3saiah 1#.3*) #% slaves. <+t in the f+t+re the 3sraelites will defeat those nations, and 3srael will then r+le over them in the 5.D@s land. 3 3n the past, yo+ were slaves. 6eople forced yo+ to work hard. <+t the 5.D will take away the hard work yo+ were forced to do. # At that time yo+ will !egin to sing this song a!o+t the king of <a!ylon: The king was cr+el when he r+led +s, !+t now his r+le is finished. % The 5.D !reaks the scepter of evil r+lersF he takes away their power. & 3n anger, the king of <a!ylon !eat the people. $e never stopped !eating them. $e was an evil r+ler who r+led in anger. $e never stopped h+rting people. ' <+t now, the whole co+ntry rests and is J+iet. 1ow the people !egin to cele!rate. -asy To .ead /ersion

( ;o+ were an evil king, and now yo+ are finished. -ven the pine trees are happy. The cedar trees of e!anon re=oice. They say, The king chopped +s down, !+t now the king has fallen, and he will never stand again. ) The place of death is e4cited that yo+ are coming. Sheol is waking the spirits 3saiah 1#.1,*1% #& of all the leaders of the earth for yo+. Sheol is making the kings stand +p from their thrones to meet yo+. 1, They will make f+n of yo+, saying, 1ow yo+ are as dead as we are. 1ow yo+ are =+st like +s. 11 ;o+r pride has !een sent down to Sheol. The m+sic from yo+r harps anno+nces the coming of yo+r pro+d spirit. Aaggots will !e the !ed yo+ lie on, and other worms will cover yo+r !ody like a !lanket. 12 ;o+ were like the morning star, !+t yo+ have fallen from the sky. 3n the past, all the nations on earth !owed down !efore yo+, !+t now yo+ have !een c+t down. 13 ;o+ always told yo+rself, 3 will go to the skies a!ove. 3 will p+t my throne a!ove Gods stars. 3 will sit on Baphon, the holy mo+ntain where the gods meet. 1# 3 will go +p to the altar a!ove the tops of the clo+ds. 3 will !e like God Aost $igh. 1% <+t that did not happen. ;o+ were !ro+ght down to the deep pitSheol, the place of death. 3saiah 1#.1&*22 #' 1& 6eople will come to look at yo+r dead !ody. They will think a!o+t yo+ and say, 3s this the same man who ca+sed great fear in all the kingdoms on earth, 1' who destroyed cities and t+rned the land into a desert, who capt+red people in war and wo+ld not let them go home? 1( The kings of other nations lie !+ried with honor, each king with his own grave. 1) <+t yo+ were thrown o+t, far from yo+r grave, like a rotting !ranch c+t from a tree. ;o+ are like a dead man who fell in !attle, trampled +nder the pag. '2'0131#

feet of other soldiers. 1ow yo+ look like any other dead man wrapped in !+rial clothes. 2, 5ther kings have their own graves, !+t yo+ will not =oin them, !eca+se yo+ r+ined yo+r own co+ntry and killed yo+r own people. So yo+r wicked descendants will !e stopped. 21 6repare to kill his children, !eca+se their father is g+ilty. $is children will never take control of the land. They will never fill the world with their cities. 22 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, 3 will stand and fight against those people. 3 will destroy the famo+s city, 3saiah 1#.23*2' #( <a!ylon. 3 will destroy all the people there. 3 will destroy their children, their grandchildren, and their greatgrandchildren. The 5.D himself said this. 23 3 will change <a!ylon. 3t will !e a place for animals, not people. 3t will !e a swamp. 3 will +se the !room of destr+ction to sweep <a!ylon away. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said this. 2# The 5.D AllD6owerf+l made this promise: This will happen e4actly as 3 meant for it to happen. 3t will happen =+st the way 3 planned. 2% 3 will destroy the king of Assyria in my co+ntry. 3 will trample him on my mo+ntains. $e forced my people to !e his slavesF he p+t a yoke on their necks. <+t that pole will !e taken off C+dahs neck, and that !+rden will !e removed. 2& This is what 3 plan to do for this land. 3 will +se my power to p+nish all those nations. 2' >hen the 5.D AllD6owerf+l makes a plan, no one can change it. >hen he raises his arm to p+nish, no one can stop him. 3saiah 1#.2(*1%.1 #) 2( This message was given to me the year Ging AhaE died: 2) 9o+ntry of 6hilistia, dont !e happy that the king who !eat yo+ is now dead. 3t is tr+e that his r+le has ended, !+t his -asy To .ead /ersion

son will come and r+le. 3t will !e like one snake giving !irth to a more dangero+s one. The new king will !e like a J+ick and dangero+s snake to yo+. 3, <+t even the poorest of my people will !e a!le to eat safely. And their children will !e a!le to lie down and feel safe. <+t 3 will make yo+r family die from h+nger, and yo+r enemy will kill anyone who s+rvives. 31 6eople near the city gates, cry" 6eople in the city, cry o+t" -veryone in 6hilistia, yo+r co+rage will melt like hot wa4. ook to the north" There is a clo+d of d+st. An army is coming, and everyone in that army is strong. 32 <+t what will the messengers from that nation report a!o+t +s? They will say, The 5.D made Bion strong, and his poor people went there for safety. 15 1 This is a message a!o+t Aoa!: 5ne night armies took the wealth from Ar in Aoa!, and the city was 3saiah 1%.2*& %, destroyed. 5ne night armies took the wealth from Gir in Aoa!, and the city was destroyed. 2 The kings family and the people of Di!on go to the places of worship to cry. The people of Aoa! are crying for 1e!o and Aede!a. They have shaved their heads and !eards to show their sadness. 3 -verywhere in Aoa!, on the ho+setops and in the streets, people are wearing sackcloth. -veryone is crying. # 3n $esh!on and -lealeh they are crying lo+dly. ;o+ can hear their voices as far away as CahaE. -ven the soldiers are frightened. They are shaking with fear. % Ay heart cries, f+ll of sorrow for Aoa!. 3ts people r+n away to Boar for safety. They r+n to -glath Shelishiyah. The people are crying as they go +p the road to +hith. ;o+ can hear their cries of sorrow as they follow the road to $oronaim. & <+t 1imrim <rook is as dry as a desert. The grass has dried +p, and the plants are all dead. 1othing is green. pag. '2(0131#

3saiah 1%.'*1&.# %1 ' So the people gather +p everything they own and cross the !order at Ara!ah stream. ( ;o+ can hear crying everywhere in Aoa! as far away as -glaim and <eer -lim. ) The water of Dimon is f+ll of !lood, and 3 will !ring even more tro+!les to Dimon. A few people living in Aoa! have escaped the enemy, !+t 3 will send lions to eat them. 16 1 ;o+ people sho+ld send a gift to the king of the land. ;o+ sho+ld send a lam! from Sela, thro+gh the desert, to the mo+ntain in the city of Cer+salem. 2 The women of Aoa! try to cross the river Arnon. They r+n aro+nd looking for help, like little !irds that have fallen from their nest. 3 They say, $elp +s" Tell +s what to do. 6rotect +s from o+r enemies as shade protects +s from the noon s+n. >e are r+nning from o+r enemies. $ide +s" Dont give +s to o+r enemies. # 6eople from Aoa! were forced to leave their homes. So let them live in yo+r land. $ide them from their enemies. 3saiah 1&.%*) %2 The ro!!ing will stop. The enemy will !e defeated. The men who h+rt the people will !e gone from the land. % Then a new king will come. $e will !e from Davids family. $e will !e loyal, loving, and kind. $e will !e a king who =+dges fairly. $e will do what is right and good. & >e have heard that the people of Aoa! are very pro+d and conceited. They are hotDtempered !raggers, !+t their !oasts are only empty words. ' <eca+se of their pride, everyone in Aoa! will mo+rn. They will wish for the way things +sed to !e. They will wish for the raisin cakes from Gir $areseth. ( The fields of $esh!on and the vines of Si!mah no longer grow grapes. 2oreign r+lers have destroyed the vines. The enemy has reached CaEer and has spread -asy To .ead /ersion

into the desert and down to the sea. ) 3 will cry with the people of CaEer and Si!mah, !eca+se the grapes have !een destroyed. 3 will cry with the people of $esh!on and -lealeh !eca+se there will !e no harvest. There will !e no s+mmer fr+it, and there will !e no sho+ts of =oy for the harvest. 3saiah 1&.1,*1'.2 %3 1, There will !e no =oy and happiness in the orchard. 3 will end the happy singing and sho+ting in the vineyard. The grapes are ready to make wine, !+t they will all !e r+ined. 11 So 3 will h+m a sad song for Aoa! and Gir $eres, like a harp playing a f+neral song. 12 The people of Aoa! will go to their high places to worship. They will go to their temple to pray, !+t it will not help them. 13 The 5.D said these things a!o+t Aoa! many times. 1# And now the 5.D says, 3n three years 7co+nting as e4actly as a hired helper wo+ld8 all those people and the things they are pro+d of will !e gone. 5nly a few of their weakest people will !e left. 17 1 This is a message a!o+t Damasc+s: Damasc+s is now a city, !+t it will !e destroyed. 5nly r+ined !+ildings will !e left there. 2 6eople will leave the cities of Aroer. 2locks of sheep will wander freely in those empty townsF there will !e no one to !other them. 3saiah 1'.3*( %# 3 The fort cities of -phraim will !e destroyed. The government in Damasc+s will !e finished. Those left in Aram will lose everything, =+st like the people of 3srael, says the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. # At that time Caco!s wealth will all !e gone. ;es, 3srael will !e like a sick man who has !ecome weak and thin. % That time will !e like the grain harvest in .ephaim /alley. The workers gather the plants that grow in the field. Then they c+t the heads of grain from the pag. '2)0131#

plants and collect the grain. & That time will also !e like the olive harvest. 6eople knock olives from the trees, !+t a few olives are +s+ally left at the top of each tree. 2o+r or five olives are left on some of the top !ranches. 3t will !e the same for those cities, says the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. ' Then the people will look +p to the one who made them. Their eyes will see the $oly 5ne of 3srael. ( They will not tr+st the great things they have made. They will not go to the special gardens and altars they made for false gods. 3saiah 1'.)*13 %% ) At that time all the walled cities will !e empty. They will !e like the mo+ntains and the forests in the land !efore the 3sraelites came. 3n the past, all the people ran away !eca+se the 3sraelites were coming. 3n the f+t+re the co+ntry will !e empty again. 1, This will happen !eca+se yo+ have forgotten the God who saves yo+. ;o+ have not remem!ered that God is yo+r place of safety. ;o+ !ro+ght some very good grapevines from faraway places. ;o+ might plant those grapevines, !+t they will not grow. 11 ;o+ will plant yo+r grapevines one day and try to make them grow, and the ne4t day they will !lossom. <+t at harvest time, yo+ will go to gather the fr+it from the plants, and yo+ will see that everything is dead. A sickness will kill all the plants. 12 isten to all these people" Their lo+d crying so+nds like the noise from the sea. isten, it is like the crashing of waves in the sea. 13 And like the waves, they will r+sh away when God speaks harshly to them. They will !e like chaff !lown away !y the 3saiah 1'.1#*1(.# %& wind. They will !e like weeds chased !y a storm. 1# That night, the people will !e frightened. <y morning, nothing will !e left. So o+r enemies will get nothing. -asy To .ead /ersion

They will come to o+r land, !+t nothing will !e there. 18 1 ook at the land along the rivers of -thiopia where yo+ can hear the !+EEing of insect wings. 2 That land sends people down the 1ile .iver in reed !oats. 2ast messengers, go to the people who are tall and smooth, who are feared far and wide. Go to that powerf+l nation that defeats other co+ntries and whose land is divided !y rivers. Go warn them" 3 ike a flag on a hill, everyone on earth will see what happens. ike a tr+mpet call, everyone in the co+ntry will hear it. # The 5.D said, 3 will !e in the place prepared for me. 3 will J+ietly watch these things happen: 5n a !ea+tif+l s+mmer day, at noon, people will !e resting. 3t will !e d+ring the hot harvest time when there is no rain, !+t only early morning dew. 3saiah 1(.%*1).2 %' % Then something terri!le will happen. -arlier in the year, the flowers !loomed and the new grapes formed !+ds and !egan to grow. <+t !efore the crop is harvested, the enemy will come and c+t the plants. They will !reak the vines and throw them away. & The vines will !e left for the !irds from the mo+ntains and the wild animals to eat. The !irds will feed on them thro+gho+t the s+mmer, and that winter the wild animals will eat the vines. ' At that time a special offering will !e !ro+ght to the 5.D AllD6owerf+l from the people who are tall and smooth, from those who are feared far and wide, from that powerf+l nation that defeats other co+ntries and whose land is divided !y rivers. This offering will !e !ro+ght to the 5.D@S place on Ao+nt Bion. 19 1 A message a!o+t -gypt: ook, the 5.D is coming on a fast clo+d. $e will enter -gypt, and all the false gods of -gypt will shake with fear. -gypts co+rage will melt away like hot wa4. 2 The ord says, 3 will ca+se the pag. '3,0131#

-gyptians to fight against themselves. 3saiah 1).3*) %( Aen will fight their !rothers. 1eigh!ors will !e against neigh!ors. 9ities will !e against cities. Gingdoms will !e against kingdoms. 3 The -gyptians will !e afraid and conf+sed. They will ask their false gods and wise men what they sho+ld do. They will ask their wiEards and magicians, !+t 3 will r+in their plans. # The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 will give -gypt to a hard master. A powerf+l king will r+le over the people. % The water in the 1ile .iver will dry +p and disappear. & All the rivers will smell very !ad. The canals in -gypt will !e dry, and the water will !e gone. All the water plants will rot. ' All the plants along the river!anks will die and !low away. -ven the plants at the widest part of the river will dry +p, !low away, and disappear. ( The fishermen, all those who catch fish from the 1ile .iver, will !ecome sad and they will cry. They depend on the 1ile .iver for their food, !+t it will !e dry. ) Those who make cloth from fla4, who weave it into linen, will all !e sad. 3saiah 1).1,*1& %) 1, Those who weave cloth will !e !roken, and those who work for money will !e depressed. 11 The leaders of the city of Boan are fools. 6haraohs wise advisors give !ad advice. They say they are wise. They say they are from the old family of the kings, !+t they are not as smart as they think. 12 -gypt, where are yo+r wise men? They sho+ld learn what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l has planned for -gypt. They sho+ld !e the ones to tell yo+ what will happen. 13 The leaders of Boan have !een fooled. The leaders of 1oph have !elieved lies, so they lead -gypt the wrong way. 1# The 5.D conf+sed them, so they wander aro+nd and lead -gypt the wrong way. -verything they do is wrong. They -asy To .ead /ersion

are like dr+nks rolling in their vomit. 1% There is nothing the leaders can do. They are the heads and the tails. They are the tops and the stalks of plants. 1& At that time the -gyptians will !e like frightened women. They will !e afraid of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, !eca+se he will raise his arm to p+nish the people. 3saiah 1).1'*21 &, 1' The land of C+dah !rings fear to everyone in -gypt. Anyone in -gypt who hears the name C+dah will !e afraid. This will happen !eca+se the 5.D AllD6owerf+l has planned terri!le things to happen to -gypt. 1( At that time there will !e five cities in -gypt where people speak $e!rew. 5ne of these cities will !e named Destr+ction 9ity. The people in these cities will promise to follow the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1) At that time there will !e an altar for the 5.D in the middle of -gypt. At the !order of -gypt there will !e a mon+ment to show honor to the 5.D. 2, This will !e a sign to show that the 5.D AllD6owerf+l does amaEing things. Any time the people cry for help from the 5.D, he will send help. $e will send someone to save and defend the peopleto resc+e the people from those who h+rt them. 21 At that time the 5.D will make himself known to the -gyptians, and they really will know the 5.D. They will serve him and give him many sacrifices. They will make promises to the 5.D, and they will do what they promise. 3saiah 1).22*2,.3 &1 22 The 5.D will p+nish the -gyptians, !+t then he will heal them, and they will come !ack to him. The 5.D will listen to their prayers and heal them. 23 At that time there will !e a highway from -gypt to Assyria. Then the Assyrians will go to -gypt, and the -gyptians will go to Assyria. -gypt will work with Assyria. 2# Then 3srael, Assyria, and -gypt will =oin together and control the land. This will !e a !lessing for the land. pag. '310131#

2% The 5.D AllD6owerf+l will !less these co+ntries. $e will say, -gypt, yo+ are my people. Assyria, 3 made yo+. 3srael, 3 own yo+. ;o+ are all !lessed" 20 1 Sargon was the king of Assyria. $e sent his military commander to fight against Ashdod. The commander went there and capt+red the city. 2 At that time the 5.D spoke thro+gh 3saiah son of AmoE. $e said, Go, take the sackcloth off yo+r waist and the sandals off yo+r feet. So 3saiah o!eyed the ord and went witho+t clothes or sandals. 3 Then the 5.D said, Ay servant 3saiah has gone witho+t clothes or sandals for 3saiah 2,.#*21.2 &2 three years. This is a sign for -gypt and -thiopia. # The king of Assyria will defeat -gypt and -thiopia. Assyria will take prisoners and lead them away from their co+ntries. The people, yo+ng and old, will !e led away witho+t clothes or sandals. They will !e completely naked. % Those who looked to -thiopia for help will !e shattered. Those who were amaEed !y -gypts glory will !e ashamed. & 6eople living along the coast will say, >e tr+sted those co+ntries to help +s. >e ran to them so that they wo+ld resc+e +s from the king of Assyria. <+t look at them. They have !een capt+red, so how can we escape? 21 1 This is a message a!o+t the desert !y the sea: 3t is coming like a storm !lowing thro+gh the 1egev. 3t is coming in from the desert, from a frightening nation. 2 3 was given a vision of the hard times to come. 3 see traitors t+rning against yo+. 3 see people taking yo+r wealth. -lam, go against them" Aedia, s+rro+nd the city" 3 will p+t an end to all their moaning. 3saiah 21.3*) &3 3 3 saw those terri!le things, and now 3 am afraid. Ay fear makes my stomach h+rt like the pain of giving !irth. >hat 3 hear frightens me. >hat 3 see makes me shake with fear. -asy To .ead /ersion

# 3 am worried and shaking with fear. Ay pleasant evening has !ecome a nightmare. % 6eople are r+shing aro+nd sho+ting their orders: Set the ta!le" 6ost the g+ard" Get something to eat and drink" 5fficers, get +p" 6olish yo+r shields" & The ord said to me, Go find someone to g+ard this city. $e m+st report whatever he sees. ' >hether he sees a chariot and a team of horses or men riding donkeys or camels, he m+st listen caref+lly. ( Then one day the watchman called o+t, Ay master, every day 3 have !een in the watchtower watching. -very night 3 have !een standing on d+ty. ) ook" 3 see a man in a chariot with a team of horses. The messenger said, <a!ylon has !een defeated" 3t has fallen to the gro+nd" All the stat+es of her false gods were thrown to the gro+nd and !roken to pieces. 3saiah 21.1,*1& &# 1, Ay people, yo+ will !e like the grain cr+shed on my threshing floor. 3 have told yo+ everything 3 heard from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael. 11 This is a message a!o+t D+mah: There is someone calling to me from Seir, G+ard, how m+ch of the night is left? $ow m+ch longer will it !e night? 12 The g+ard answered, Aorning is coming, !+t then night will come again. 3f yo+ have something else to ask, then come !ack later and ask. 13 This is a message a!o+t Ara!ia: A caravan from Dedan spent the night near some trees in the Ara!ian Desert. 1# They gave water to some thirsty travelers. The people of Tema gave them food. 1% They were r+nning from swords that were ready to kill. They were r+nning from !ows that were ready to shoot. They were r+nning from a hard !attle. 1& The ord told me this wo+ld happen. $e said, 3n one year, the way a hired helper co+nts time, all Gedars glory will !e gone. pag. '320131#

3saiah 21.1'*22.& &% 1' 5nly a few of the archers, the great soldiers of Gedar, will !e left alive. The 5.D, the God of 3srael, told me this. 22 1 This is a message a!o+t the /alley of /ision: Cer+salem, what is wrong? >hy has everyone gone +p to hide in their +pper rooms? 2 This city was so happy, !+t now there is a terri!le +proar. There are !odies lying everywhere, !+t they were not killed with swords. The people died, !+t not while fighting. 3 All yo+r officers ran away together, !+t they have all !een capt+red witho+t !ows. All the leaders ran away together, !+t they were fo+nd and capt+red. # So 3 say, Dont look at me" et me cry" Dont r+sh to comfort me a!o+t the destr+ction of Cer+salem. % The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l chose a special day for there to !e riots and conf+sion. 6eople trampled on each other in the /alley of /ision. The city walls were p+lled down. 6eople in the valley sho+ted +p at those on the mo+ntain. & $orse soldiers from -lam took their !ags of arrows and rode into !attle. Soldiers from Gir rattled their shields. 3saiah 22.'*13 && ' ;o+r favorite valley was filled with chariots. $orse soldiers were stationed in front of the city gates. ( Then the cover protecting C+dah was removed, and the people t+rned to the weapons they kept at the 2orest 6alace. ) Then yo+ noticed how many cracks there were in the walls aro+nd the 9ity of David, so yo+ !egan collecting water from the ower 6ool. ;o+ co+nted the ho+ses and +sed stones from them to repair the walls. Then yo+ !+ilt a pool !etween the do+!le walls for storing water from the 5ld 6ool. ;o+ did all this to protect yo+rselves and did not tr+st God who made all these things. ;o+ did not even notice the one who planned these things long ago. 1, 722:)8 11 722:)8 -asy To .ead /ersion

12 So the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l told the people to cry and mo+rn for their dead friends. $e told them to shave their heads and wear mo+rning clothes. 13 <+t instead, everyone was happy. The people cele!rated !y killing cattle and sheep for a feast. -ating meat and 3saiah 22.1#*1( &' drinking wine, they said, ets eat and drink now, for tomorrow we die. 1# The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said this to me, and 3 heard it with my own ears: ;o+ are g+ilty of doing wrong, and 3 promise that yo+ will die !efore this g+ilt is forgiven. The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l said these things. 1% The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l told me to go to She!na, the palace manager, 1& and say this: >hat are yo+ doing here? 1one of yo+r relatives are !+ried here, are they? Then what right do yo+ have to prepare a tom! for yo+rself in this high place? >hy are yo+ c+tting a tom! o+t of this rock? 1' >hat a !ig man yo+ are" <+t the 5.D will cr+sh yo+. $e will roll yo+ into a small !all and throw yo+ far away into the open arms of another co+ntry, and there yo+ will die. ;o+ are very pro+d of yo+r chariots. <+t in that faraway land, yo+r new r+ler will have !etter chariots. And yo+r chariots will not look important in his palace. 1( 722:1'8 3saiah 22.1)*2% &( 1) 3 will force yo+ o+t of yo+r position here. ;o+r new leader will take yo+ away from yo+r important =o!. 2, At that time 3 will call for my servant -liakim son of $ilkiah. 21 3 will take yo+r ro!e and p+t it on him. 3 will give him yo+r scepter. 3 will give him the important =o! yo+ have, and he will !e like a father to the people of Cer+salem and C+dahs family. 22 3 will p+t the key to Davids ho+se aro+nd his neck. 3f he opens a door, no one will !e a!le to close it. 3f he closes a door, no one will !e a!le to open it. 23 $e will !e like a favorite chair in his pag. '330131#

fathers ho+se. 3 will make him like a strong peg in a solid !oard. 2# All the honored and important things of his fathers ho+se will hang on him. All the ad+lts and little children will depend on him. They will !e like little dishes and !ig water !ottles hanging on him. 2% The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, At that time the peg that is now in the solid !oard will get weak and !reak. 3t will fall to the gro+nd, and everything hanging on it will !e destroyed. Then everything 3 said in this message will happen. 3t 3saiah 23.1*' &) will happen !eca+se 3, the 5.D, said it wo+ld. 23 1 This is a message a!o+t Tyre: Ships traveling from 9ypr+s heard this message: 9ry, yo+ ships from Tarshish" ;o+r har!or has !een destroyed. 2 ;o+ people living near the sea, mo+rn in silence. The merchants of Sidon sent traders across the sea and filled the city with riches. 3 They traveled the seas looking for grain. The men from Tyre !o+ght grain that grows near the 1ile .iver and sold it to other nations. # Sidon, yo+ sho+ld !e very sad, !eca+se now the Sea and the 2ort of the Sea say, 3 have no children. 3 have never felt the pain of !irthF 3 have never given !irth to children. 3 have never raised yo+ng men and women. % >hen -gypt hears the news a!o+t Tyre, it will feel the pain of sorrow. & ;o+ ships, try to escape to Tarshish" 9ry o+t, yo+ people living near the sea" ' 9an this !e that happy city that was fo+nded so long ago? 3s it that same city 3saiah 23.(*13 ', whose people traveled so far to settle other lands? ( This city prod+ced so many leaders. 3ts merchants were like princes. 3ts traders had the whole worlds respect. So who made these plans against Tyre? ) 3t was the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. $e decided to destroy the great things they -asy To .ead /ersion

were so pro+d of. $e wanted to disgrace those who were so highly respected. 1, Ships from Tarshish, go !ack home. 9ross the sea as if it were a river. 1o one will stop yo+ now. 11 The 5.D raised his arm over the sea to make the kingdoms angry eno+gh to fight against Tyre. $e commanded 9anaan to destroy her place of safety. 12 $e said, 9ity of Sidon, yo+ have !een h+rt !adly, so yo+ will no longer re=oice like a !ride. Go ahead, go to 9ypr+s for help, !+t yo+ will not find a place to rest there either. 13 As for <a!ylon, look at the land of the 9haldeans" 3t is not even a co+ntry now. Assyria !+ilt war towers to attack it. The soldiers took everything from the !ea+tif+l ho+ses. Assyria destroyed <a!ylon. They t+rned it into a pile 3saiah 23.1#*2#.2 '1 of r+ins and made it a place for wild animals. 1# So !e sad, yo+ ships from Tarshish. ;o+r place of safety has !een destroyed. 1% 6eople will forget a!o+t Tyre for ', yearsthat is, a!o+t the length of a kings r+le. After ', years, Tyre will !e like the prostit+te in this song: 1& 5h, woman who men forgot, take yo+r harp and walk thro+gh the city. 6lay yo+r song well and sing it often. Aay!e someone will remem!er yo+. 1' After ', years, the 5.D will review Tyres case, and he will give her a decision. Tyre will again have trade. She will !e like a prostit+te for all the nations on earth. 1( <+t Tyre will not keep the money she earns. The profit from her trade will !e saved for the 5.D. Tyre will give that money to the people who serve the 5.D to !+y good food and nice clothes. 24 1 ook, the 5.D is destroying this land. $e will clean o+t the land completely and force all the people to go far away. 2 At that time, whatever happens to the common people will also happen 3saiah 2#.3*' '2 pag. '3#0131#

to the priests. Slaves and masters will !e the same. >omen slaves and their women masters will !e the same. <+yers and sellers will !e the same. Those who !orrow and those who lend will !e the same. <ankers and those who owe the !ank will !e the same. 3 -veryone will !e forced o+t of the land. All the wealth will !e taken. This will happen !eca+se the 5.D commanded it. # The co+ntry will !e empty and sad. The world will !e empty and weak. The great leaders of the people in this land will !ecome weak. % The people have r+ined the land. They did what God said was wrong. They did not o!ey Gods laws. They made an agreement with God a long time ago, !+t they !roke their agreement with God. & The people living in this land are g+ilty of doing wrong, so God has vowed to destroy the land. The people will !e p+nished, and only a few of them will s+rvive. ' The grapevines are dying. The new wine is !ad. 6eople who were happy are now sad. 3saiah 2#.(*1& '3 ( They have stopped showing their =oy. The happy m+sic from the dr+ms and harps has ended. ) They no longer sing as they drink their wine. The !eer now tastes !itter to those who drink it. 1, Total 9onf+sion is a good name for this city. The city has !een destroyed. 6eople cannot enter the ho+ses. The doors are !locked. 11 6eople still ask for wine in the marketplaces, !+t all the =oy is gone. 3t was carried off with everything else. 12 All that is left is destr+ction. -ven the gates are cr+shed. 13 At harvest time, people knock olives from the trees. <+t a few olives are left in the trees. 3t will !e like that in this land and among the nations. 1# Those who are left will !egin sho+ting lo+der than the ocean. They will re=oice -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t the 5.D@S greatness. 1% They will say, 6eople in the east, praise the 5.D" 6eople in faraway lands, praise the name of the 5.D, the God of 3srael. 1& >e hear songs of praise for God from every place on earth. They praise the 3saiah 2#.1'*22 '# God who does what is right. <+t 3 say, -no+gh" 3 have had eno+gh. >hat 3 see is terri!le. Traitors are t+rning against people and h+rting them. 1' 3 see tro+!les for yo+ people living in this land. 3 see fear, pits, and pro!lems all aro+nd. 1( 6eople will hear a!o+t the danger, and they will !e afraid. Some of them will r+n away, !+t they will fall into holes and !e trapped. Some of them will clim! o+t of the holes, !+t they will !e ca+ght in another trap. The floodgates in the sky a!ove will open, and the floods will !egin. The fo+ndations of the earth will shake. 1) There will !e earthJ+akes, and the earth will split open. 2, The sins of the world are very heavy, so the earth will fall +nder the weight. 3t will shake like an old ho+se. 3t will fall like a dr+nk. 3t will not !e a!le to stand. 21 At that time the 5.D will =+dge the heavenly armies in heaven and the earthly kings on earth. 22 Aany people will !e gathered together. They have !een locked in the 3saiah 2#.23*2%.# '% 6it. They have !een in prison. <+t finally, after a long time, they will !e =+dged. 23 The 5.D will r+le as king on Ao+nt Bion in Cer+salem. $is Glory will !e shown to the city leaders with s+ch !rightness that the moon will !e em!arrassed and the s+n will !e ashamed. 25 1 5.D, yo+ are my God. 3 honor yo+ and praise yo+r name, !eca+se yo+ have done amaEing things. The words yo+ said long ago are completely tr+eF everything happened e4actly as yo+ said it wo+ld. pag. '3%0131#

2 And yo+ destroyed the city that was protected !y strong walls. 1ow it is only a pile of rocks. The foreign palace has !een destroyed. 3t will never !e re!+ilt. 3 That is why powerf+l nations will honor yo+. 6owerf+l people from strong cities will fear yo+. # ;o+ have !een a safe place for poor people in tro+!le. ;o+ are like a shelter from floods and shade from the heat when powerf+l men attack. They are like rain streaming down the walls that protect +s from the storm. 3saiah 2%.%*1, '& % ike the heat of s+mmer in a dry land, the angry sho+ts of those foreigners !ro+ght +s to o+r knees. <+t like a thick clo+d that !locks the s+mmer heat, yo+ answered their challenge. & The 5.D AllD6owerf+l will give a feast for all the people on this mo+ntain. At the feast, there will !e the !est foods and wines. The meat will !e good and tender, the wine p+re and clear. ' <+t now there is a veil covering all nations and people. This veil is called death. ( <+t death will !e destroyed forever. And the ord G5D will wipe away every tear from every face. 3n the past, all of his people were sad, !+t God will take away that sadness from the earth. All of this will happen !eca+se the 5.D said it wo+ld. ) At that time people will say, $ere is o+r God" $e is the one we have !een waiting for. $e has come to save +s. >e have !een waiting for o+r 5.D. So we will re=oice and !e happy when he saves +s. 1, The 5.D@S power is on this mo+ntain, and Aoa! will !e defeated. 3saiah 2%.11*2&.% '' The ord will trample the enemy like someone walking on straw in a pile of waste. 11 They will reach o+t their arms to escape like someone trying to swim. <+t their pride will sink with each stroke they take. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 $e will destroy their high walls and safe places. $e will throw them down into the d+st on the gro+nd. 26 1 At that time people will sing this song in C+dah: >e have a strong city with strong walls and defenses. <+t God gives +s o+r salvation. 2 5pen the gates for those who do what is right. They are the Gods faithf+l followers. 3 God, yo+ give tr+e peace to people who depend on yo+, to those who tr+st in yo+. # So tr+st the 5.D always, !eca+se in the 5.D ;A$ yo+ have a place of safety forever. % <+t he will destroy the pro+d city and p+nish those who live there. $e will throw that high city down to the gro+nd. 3t will fall into the d+st. 3saiah 2&.&*11 '( & And those who were h+rt !y that city will walk all over its r+ins. Those who lost everything will trample it +nder their feet. ' $onesty is the path good people follow. They follow the path that is straight and tr+e. And God, yo+ make that way smooth and easy to follow. ( <+t, 5.D, we are waiting for yo+r way of =+stice. >e want to honor yo+ and yo+r name. ) At night my so+l longs to !e with yo+, and the spirit in me wants to !e with yo+ at the dawn of every new day. >hen yo+r way of =+stice comes to the world, people will learn the right way of living. 1, -vil people will not learn to do good, even if yo+ show them only kindness. They will still do wrong, even if they live in a good world. They never see the 5.D@S greatness. 11 5.D, yo+r arm is raised to p+nish them, !+t they dont see it. Show them how strong yo+r love is for yo+r people. Then those who are evil will !e ashamed. ;es, yo+r fire will destroy yo+r enemies. 3saiah 2&.12*1) ') 12 5.D, yo+ have s+cceeded in doing everything we tried to do, so give +s pag. '3&0131#

peace. 13 5.D, yo+ are o+r God, !+t in the past, we followed other lords. >e !elonged to other masters, !+t now we want people to remem!er only one nameyo+rs. 1# Those dead lords will not come to life. Those ghosts will not rise from death. ;o+ decided to destroy them, and yo+ destroyed everything that makes +s think a!o+t them. 1% 5.D, yo+ have helped the nation yo+ love. ;o+ made o+r nation grow and !ro+ght honor to yo+rself. 1& 5.D, people remem!er yo+ when they are in tro+!le. So !eca+se of yo+r p+nishment, we called o+t to yo+. 1' 5.D, !eca+se of yo+ we were in pain, like a woman giving !irth, who str+ggles and cries o+t when it is time. 1( <+t we str+ggled in pain for nothing. >e gave !irth only to wind. >e did nothing to save the land. 1o one was !orn to live in the world. 1) <+t the ord says, ;o+r people have died, !+t they will live again. The !odies 3saiah 2&.2,*2'.3 (, of my people will rise from death. Dead people in the gro+nd, stand and !e happy" The dew covering yo+ is like the dew sparkling in the light of a new day. 3t shows that a new time is coming, when the earth will give !irth to the dead who are in it. 2, Ay people, go into yo+r rooms and lock yo+r doors. $ide in there for a short time +ntil Gods anger is finished. 21 ook" The 5.D is coming o+t from his place to =+dge the people of the world for the !ad things they have done. The earth will reveal the !lood that has !een spilled on it. 3t will no longer hide the proof of those m+rders. 27 1 At that time the 5.D will =+dge eviathan, the crooked snake. $e will +se his great sword, his hard and powerf+l sword, to p+nish eviathan, that twisting, t+rning snake. $e will kill the monster of the sea. 2 At that time people will sing a!o+t the -asy To .ead /ersion

pleasant vineyard. 3 3, the 5.D, will care for the vineyard. 3 will water it at the right time. 3 will g+ard it day and night. 1o one will h+rt it. 3saiah 2'.#*1, (1 # 3 am not angry. <+t if there is war and someone !+ilds a wall of thorn!+shes, then 3 will march to it and !+rn it. % <+t if anyone comes to me for safety and wants to make peace with me, then let them come and make peace. & 3n the f+t+re Caco! will take root firmly on his soil. Then 3srael will spro+t and !loom, and the world will !e filled with his fr+it. ' 3srael was not h+rt as !adly as the enemy who tried to h+rt it. Aany of its people were killed, !+t not as many as those who tried to kill them. ( The ord will settle his arg+ment with 3srael !y sending the people far away. $e will speak harshly to 3srael. $is words will !+rn like the hot desert wind. ) $ow will Caco!s g+ilt !e forgiven? >hat will happen so his sins can !e taken away? The rocks of the altar will !e cr+shed to d+stF the stat+es and altars for worshiping false gods will all !e destroyed. 1, The great city will !e emptyF it will !e like a desert. All the people will !e gone they will r+n away. The city will !e like an open past+re. ;o+ng cattle will 3saiah 2'.11*2(.1 (2 eat grass there. The cattle will eat leaves from the !ranches of the vines. 11 The vines will !ecome dry, and the !ranches will !reak off. >omen will +se them for firewood. The people ref+se to +nderstand. So God, their Aaker, will not comfort them or !e kind to them. 12 At that time the 5.D will !egin separating his people from others. $e will !egin at the -+phrates .iver and will gather his people from there to the .iver of -gypt. ;o+ people of 3srael will !e gathered together one !y one. 13 Aany of my people are now lost in Assyria. Some of my people have r+n pag. '3'0131#

away to -gypt. <+t at that time a great tr+mpet will !e !lown, and all those people will come !ack to Cer+salem. They will !ow down !efore the 5.D on that holy mo+ntain. 28 1 ook at Samaria" The dr+nks of -phraim are pro+d of that city. 3t sits on a hill with a rich valley aro+nd it. The Samarians think their city is a !ea+tif+l crown of flowers. <+t they are dr+nk with wine, and this !ea+tif+l crown is =+st a dying plant. 3saiah 2(.2*' (3 2 ook, the ord has someone who is strong and !rave. $e will come into the co+ntry like a storm of hail and rain. ike a powerf+l river of water flooding the co+ntry, he will throw that crown down to the gro+nd. 3 The dr+nks of -phraim are pro+d of their !ea+tif+l crown, !+t that city will !e trampled down. # That city sits on a hill with a rich valley aro+nd it. <+t that !ea+tif+l crown of flowers is =+st a dying plant. 3t will !e like the first figs of s+mmer. As soon as someone sees a ripe one, they pick it and eat it. % At that time the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will !ecome the <ea+tif+l 9rown. $e will !e the >onderf+l 9rown of 2lowers for his people who are left. & Then he will give wisdom to the =+dges who r+le his people. $e will give strength to the people who are in !attles at the city gates. ' <+t now those leaders are dr+nk. The priests and prophets are all dr+nk with wine and !eer. They st+m!le and fall down. The prophets are dr+nk when they 3saiah 2(.(*13 (# see their dreams. The =+dges are dr+nk when they make their decisions. ( -very ta!le is covered with vomit. There is not a clean place anywhere. ) The people say, >ho does he think he is trying to teach and e4plain his message to? Does he think we are !a!ies who were at their mothers !reast only a very short time ago? -asy To .ead /ersion

1, $e speaks to +s as tho+gh we were !a!ies: Saw lasaw saw lasaw Iaw laJaw Jaw laJaw Beer sham Eeer sham. 11 So God will +se this strange way of talking, and he will +se other lang+ages to speak to these people. 12 3n the past he spoke to them and said, $ere is a resting place. et those who are tired come and rest. This is the place of peace. <+t they wo+ld not listen to him. 13 So the 5.D@S words will !e senseless so+nds to them: Saw lasaw saw lasaw. Iaw laJaw Jaw laJaw. Beer sham Eeer sham. >hen the people try to walk, they will fall !ackwards. They will !e defeated, trapped, and capt+red. 3saiah 2(.1#*1( (% 1# ;o+ leaders in Cer+salem sho+ld listen to the 5.D@S message, !+t now yo+ ref+se to listen to him. 1% ;o+ have said, >e have made an agreement with death. >e have a contract with death. So we will not !e p+nished. 6+nishment will pass +s witho+t h+rting +s. >e will hide !ehind o+r tricks and lies. 1& <eca+se of these things, the ord G5D says, ook, 3 am p+tting a fo+ndation stone in the gro+nd in Bion, a stone that has !een tested. 3t is a cornerstone of great val+e that will make a strong fo+ndation to !+ild on. Anyone who tr+sts in this stone will never !e p+t to shame. 1' >orkers +se a string and weight to show their work is straight and tr+e. 3 will +se =+stice as the string and goodness as the weight when 3 lay that fo+ndation. <+t yo+r safe places were !+ilt on lies. So they will !e destroyed and washed away when the tro+!les come against yo+ like hail storms and floods. 1( ;o+r agreement with death will !e erased. ;o+r contract with Sheol will not 3saiah 2(.1)*22 (& help yo+. Someone will come and p+nish yo+. $e will make yo+ like the dirt he walks on. pag. '3(0131#

1) $e will come and take yo+ away. ;o+r p+nishment will !e terri!le. ;o+r p+nishment will come early in the morning, and it will contin+e late into the night. Then yo+ will +nderstand this story: 2, A man tried to sleep on a !ed that was too short for him. $e had a !lanket that was not wide eno+gh to cover him. The !ed and !lanket were +seless, and so were yo+r agreements. 21 The 5.D will fight as he did at Ao+nt 6eraEim. $e will !e angry as he was in Gi!eon /alley. $e will do what he m+st do. 3t will !e what some stranger sho+ld do, !+t he will finish his work. ;es, this is a strangers =o!. 22 1ow dont complain a!o+t these things. 3f yo+ fight against them, yo+ will only tighten the ropes aro+nd yo+. The words 3 heard will not change. They came from the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l, the r+ler of all the earth, and these things will !e done. 3saiah 2(.23*2( (' 23 isten closely to the message 3 am telling yo+. 2# Does a farmer plow his field all the time? 1o, he doesnt =+st work the soil. 2% $e prepares the gro+nd, and then he plants the seed. $e plants different kinds of seeds in different ways. $e scatters dill seeds, he throws c+min seeds on the gro+nd, and he plants wheat in rows. A farmer plants !arley in its special place, and he plants spelt seeds at the edge of his field. 2& 5+r God is +sing this to teach yo+ a lesson. This e4ample shows +s that God is fair when he p+nishes his people. 2' Does a farmer +se large !oards with sharp teeth to cr+sh dill seeds? 1o, and he doesnt +se a wagon to cr+sh c+min seeds. $e +ses a small stick to !reak the h+lls off. 2( 6eople grind grain to make flo+r, !+t they dont grind it forever. As God does in p+nishing people, a worker might drive his wagon over the grain to remove the h+lls, !+t he does not allow the horses -asy To .ead /ersion

to cr+sh it. 3saiah 2(.2)*2).( (( 2) This lesson comes from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, who gives wonderf+l advice. $e is very wise. 29 1 God says, ook at Ariel, the city where David camped. Geep on having yo+r festivals, year after year. 2 <+t 3 will p+nish Ariel. The city will !e filled with sadness and crying, !+t it will always !e my Ariel. 3 3 will p+t armies all aro+nd yo+, Ariel. 3 will raise war towers against yo+. # ;o+ will !e p+lled to the gro+nd. ;o+r voice will rise from the gro+nd like the voice of a ghost. ;o+r words come like a whisper from the dirt. % There will !e so many foreigners that they will !e like d+st. 9r+el people will !e like the chaff !lowing in the wind. Then s+ddenly, & the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will p+nish yo+ with earthJ+akes, th+nder, and lo+d noises. There will !e storms, strong winds, and a !+rning, destr+ctive fire. ' Aany nations will fight against Ariel. 3t will !e a nightmare. Armies will s+rro+nd Ariel and p+nish her. ( <+t it will also !e like a dream to those armies. They will not get what 3saiah 2).)*12 () they want. 3t will !e like a h+ngry man dreaming a!o+t food. >hen the man wakes +p, he is still h+ngry. 3t will !e like a thirsty man dreaming a!o+t water. >hen the man wakes +p, he is still thirsty. The same thing is tr+e a!o+t all the nations fighting against Bion. Those nations will not get what they want. ) <e s+rprised and amaEed" ;o+ will !ecome dr+nk, !+t not from wine. ook and !e amaEed" ;o+ will st+m!le and fall, !+t not from !eer. 1, The 5.D will make yo+ sleepy. $e will close yo+r eyes. 7The prophets are yo+r eyes.8 $e will cover yo+r heads. 7The prophets are yo+r heads.8 11 To yo+ my words are like the words in a !ook that is closed and sealed. ;o+ can give the !ook to someone who can pag. '3)0131#

read and tell that person to read it. <+t that person will say, 3 cannot read the !ook. 3t is closed and 3 cannot open it. 12 5r yo+ can give the !ook to someone who cannot read and tell that person to read it. That person will say, 3 cannot read the !ook !eca+se 3 dont know how to read. 3saiah 2).13*1' ), 13 The ord says, These people come to honor me with words, !+t 3 am not really important to them. The worship they give me is nothing !+t h+man r+les they have memoriEed. 1# So 3 will contin+e to amaEe them !y doing powerf+l and amaEing things. Their wise men will lose their wisdom. -ven the most intelligent among them will not !e a!le to +nderstand. 1% ook at them" They try to hide things from the 5.D. They think he will not +nderstand. They do their evil things in darkness. They tell themselves: 1o one can see +s. 1o one will know who we are. 1& ;o+ t+rn things +pside down. ;o+ think the clay is eJ+al to the potter. ;o+ think that something that is made can tell the one who made it, ;o+ did not make me" This is like a pot telling its maker, ;o+ know nothing. 1' This is the tr+th: After a very short time, e!anon will !ecome rich farmland, and the farmland will !e like thick forests. 3saiah 2).1(*2# )1 1( The deaf will hear the words in the !ook. The !lind will see thro+gh the darkness and fog. 1) The 5.D will make poor people happy. The poorest people will re=oice in the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 2, This will happen when the people who are mean and cr+el have come to an end. 3t will happen when those who en=oy doing !ad things are gone. 21 They lie a!o+t good people. They try to trap people in co+rt. They try to destroy innocent people. 22 So the 5.D, who made A!raham -asy To .ead /ersion

free, speaks to Caco!s family. $e says, 1ow the people of Caco! will not !e em!arrassed and ashamed. 23 They will look aro+nd at all the children they have 3 made with my hands, and they will say that my name is holy. They will honor the $oly 5ne of Caco!. They will respect the God of 3srael. 2# Aany of these people did not +nderstand, so they did what was wrong. They complained, !+t now they will learn their lesson. 3saiah 3,.1*& )2 30 1 The 5.D said, ook at these children. They dont o!ey me. They make plans, !+t they dont ask me to help them. They make agreements with other nations, !+t my Spirit does not want those agreements. These people are adding more and more sins to the ones they have already done. 2 They are going down to -gypt for help, !+t they did not ask me if that was the right thing to do. They hope they will !e saved !y the 6haraoh. They want -gypt to protect them. 3 <+t 3 tell yo+, hiding in -gypt will not help yo+. 6haraoh will not !e a!le to protect yo+. # ;o+r leaders have gone to Boan, and yo+r representatives have gone to $anes. % <+t they will !e disappointed. They are depending on a nation that cannot help them. -gypt is +selessit will not help. -gypt will !ring nothing !+t shame and em!arrassment. & This is a message a!o+t the 1egev animals: This desert is a dangero+s place f+ll of tro+!le. There are lions, adders, and deadly snakes. 6eople travel 3saiah 3,.'*13 )3 thro+gh there with their wealth loaded onto donkeys. They carry treas+res on the !acks of camels to pay a nation that cannot help them. ' ;es, -gypts help is worth nothing" so 3 call -gypt the DoD1othing Dragon. ( 1ow write this on a sign so everyone pag. '#,0131#

can see it, and write this in a !ook. >rite these things for a f+t+re time. This will !e far, far in the f+t+re: ) These people are like children who ref+se to o!ey. They lie and ref+se to listen to the 5.D@S teachings. 1, They tell the prophets, Dont see dreams a!o+t things we sho+ld do. Dont tell +s the tr+th. Say nice things to +s and make +s feel good. See only good things for +s. 11 Stop seeing things that will really happen. Get o+t of o+r way. Stop telling +s a!o+t the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 12 The $oly 5ne of 3srael says, ;o+ people have ref+sed to accept this message from me. ;o+ depend on fighting and lies to help yo+. 13 ;o+ are g+ilty of these things. So yo+ are like a tall wall with cracks in it. That wall will fall and !reak into small pieces. 3saiah 3,.1#*1) )# 1# ;o+ will !e like a large clay =ar that !reaks into many small, +seless pieces. ;o+ cannot +se them to get a hot coal from the fire or to get water from a pool in the gro+nd. 1% The ord G5D, the $oly 5ne of 3srael, says, 3f yo+ come !ack to me yo+ will !e saved. 5nly !y remaining calm and tr+sting in me can yo+ !e strong. <+t yo+ dont want to do that. 1& ;o+ say, 1o, we need fast horses for !attle. That is tr+eyo+ will need fast horses, !+t only to r+n away !eca+se yo+r enemy will !e faster than yo+r horses. 1' 5ne enemy soldier will make threats, and a tho+sand of yo+r men will r+n away. And when five of them make threats, all of yo+ will r+n away. The only thing that will !e left of yo+r army will !e a flagpole on a hill. 1( So the 5.D is waiting to show his mercy to yo+. $e wants to rise and comfort yo+. The 5.D is the God who does the right thing, so he will !less everyone who waits for his help. 1) ;o+ people who live in Cer+salem on Ao+nt Bion will not contin+e crying. The -asy To .ead /ersion

3saiah 3,.2,*2# )% ord will hear yo+r crying, and he will comfort yo+. >hen he hears yo+, he will help yo+. 2, The ord might give yo+ sorrow and pain like the !read and water yo+ eat every day. <+t God is yo+r teacher, and he will not contin+e to hide from yo+. ;o+ will see yo+r teacher with yo+r own eyes. 21 3f yo+ wander from the right path, either to the right or to the left, yo+ will hear a voice !ehind yo+ saying, ;o+ sho+ld go this way. $ere is the right way. 22 Then yo+ will take yo+r idols covered with gold and silver and make them +nfit to !e +sed again. ;o+ will throw them away like filthy rags and say, Go away" 23 At that time the ord will send yo+ rain. ;o+ will plant seeds, and the gro+nd will grow food for yo+. ;o+ will have a very large harvest. ;o+ will have plenty of food in the fields for yo+r animals. There will !e large fields for yo+r sheep. 2# ;o+r cattle and donkeys will have all the food they need. There will !e m+ch food. ;o+ will have to +se shovels and pitchforks to spread all the food for yo+r animals to eat. 3saiah 3,.2%*2) )& 2% -very mo+ntain and hill will have streams filled with water. These things will happen after many people are killed and the enemys towers are p+lled down. 2& At that time the light from the moon will !e as !right as the s+n, and the light from the s+n will !e seven times !righter than it is now. 5ne day of s+nlight will !e like a whole weeks worth. This will happen when the 5.D !andages his !roken people and heals the h+rts from their !eatings. 2' ook" The 5.D is coming from far away. $is anger is like a fire with thick clo+ds of smoke. $is mo+th is filled with anger, and his tong+e is like a !+rning fire. 2( $is !reath is like a great river that rises +ntil it reaches the throat. $e will =+dge the nations as if p+tting them pag. '#10131#

thro+gh a strainer that separates the ones fit for destr+ction. $e will p+t a !it in their mo+ths to lead them to the place they dont want to go. 2) ;o+ will sing happy songs, like the nights when yo+ !egin a festival. ;o+ will !e very happy walking to the 5.D@S 3saiah 3,.3,*31.1 )' mo+ntain and listening to the fl+te on the way to worship the .ock of 3srael. 3, The 5.D will ca+se all people to hear his great voice and to see his powerf+l arm come down in anger. That arm will !e like a great fire that !+rns everything. $is power will !e like a great storm with m+ch rain and hail. 31 Assyria will !e frightened !y the 5.D@S voice and the stick that will !eat him. 32 And as the 5.D !eats Assyria, his people will keep the rhythm with their dr+ms and harps. 33 Topheth has !een made ready for a long time. 3t is ready for the king. 3t was made very deep and wide. There is a very !ig pile of wood and fire there, and the 5.D@S !reath will come like a stream of !+rning s+lf+r to start the fire. 31 1 ook at the people going down to -gypt for help. They think the horses they get will save them. They hope the many chariots and powerf+l soldiers will protect them. <+t the people dont tr+st the $oly 5ne of 3srael. They didnt ask the 5.D for help. 3saiah 31.2*& )( 2 <+t he is the wise one who is !ringing the disaster. And they will not !e a!le to stop what he commanded. The ord will attack those who are evil and all who try to help them. 3 The -gyptians are only h+man, not God. The horses from -gypt are only animals, not spirit. The 5.D will stretch o+t his arm, and the helper will !e defeated. And those who wanted help will fall. They will all !e destroyed together. # The 5.D told me: >hen a lion or its c+! catches an animal to eat, the lion -asy To .ead /ersion

stands over the dead animal and roars, and nothing can frighten it away. 3f men come and yell at the lion, the lion will not !e afraid. They might make a lot of noise, !+t the lion will not r+n away. 3n the same way, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will come down to Ao+nt Bion. $e will fight on that hill. % C+st as !irds fly over their nest to protect it, so the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will defend Cer+salem. $e will save her. $e will pass over and save Cer+salem. & 6eople of 3srael, yo+ sho+ld come !ack to the God yo+ t+rned away from. 3saiah 31.'*32.2 )) ' That is !eca+se when those things happen, people will re=ect the gold and silver idols yo+ made when yo+ sinned against me. ( 3t is tr+e that Assyria will !e defeated with a sword, !+t it will not !e a h+man sword that defeats him. Assyria will !e destroyed, !+t that destr+ction will not come from a mans sword. Assyria will r+n away from Gods sword, !+t the yo+ng men will !e ca+ght and made slaves. ) Their place of safety will !e destroyed. Their leaders will !e defeated, and they will a!andon their flag. The 5.D, whose fireplace is on Bion and whose oven is in Cer+salem, is the one who said this. 32 1 isten to what 3 say" A king sho+ld r+le in a way that !rings =+stice. eaders sho+ld make fair decisions when they lead the people. 2 3f this wo+ld happen, the king wo+ld !e like a shelter to hide from the wind and rain, like streams of water in a dry land, and like the cool shadow of a large rock in a hot land. 3saiah 32.3*1, 1,, 3 Then people wo+ld act+ally see what they look at. They wo+ld act+ally listen to what they hear. # 6eople who are now conf+sed wo+ld !e a!le to +nderstand. Those who cannot speak clearly now wo+ld !e a!le to speak clearly and J+ickly. % 2ools wo+ld not !e called great men. pag. '#20131#

6eople wo+ld not respect men who make secret plans. & 2ools say foolish things, and in their minds they plan evil things to do. They want to do what is wrong. They say !ad things a!o+t the 5.D. They dont let h+ngry people eat their food. They dont let thirsty people drink the water. ' They +se evil like a tool and plan ways to steal from the poor. They tell lies a!o+t the poor and keep them from !eing =+dged fairly. ( <+t a good leader plans good things to do, and that will make him a leader over other leaders. ) Some of yo+ women are calm nowF yo+ feel safe. <+t yo+ sho+ld stand and listen to the words 3 say. 1, ;o+ feel safe now, !+t after one year yo+ will !e tro+!led. That is !eca+se yo+ 3saiah 32.11*1& 1,1 will not gather grapes ne4t year there will !e no grapes to gather. 11 >omen, yo+ are calm now, !+t yo+ sho+ld !e afraid. ;o+ feel safe now, !+t yo+ sho+ld !e worried. Take off yo+r nice clothes and p+t on sackcloth. >rap it aro+nd yo+r waist. 12 <eat yo+r !reasts in sorrow. 9ry !eca+se yo+r fields are empty. ;o+r vineyards once gave grapes, !+t now they are empty. 13 9ry for the land of my people. 9ry !eca+se only thorns and weeds will grow there. 9ry for the city and for all the ho+ses that were once filled with =oy. 1# 6eople will leave the capital city. The palace and towers will !e left empty. 6eople will not live in ho+sesF they will live in caves. >ild donkeys and sheep will live in the cityF animals will go there to eat grass. 1% This will contin+e +ntil God gives +s his Spirit from a!ove. Then the desert will !ecome rich farmland and the farmland will !e like thick forests. 1& That is, what is now a desert will !e filled with right decisions, and what is now a farmland will !e filled with =+stice. 3saiah 32.1'*33.# 1,2 -asy To .ead /ersion

1' That =+stice will !ring peace and safety forever. 1( Ay people will !e safe in their homes and in their calm, peacef+l fields. 1) <+t !efore this happens, the forest m+st fall and the city m+st !e torn down. 2, Some of yo+ live away from the cities. ;o+ plant seeds !y every stream and let yo+r cattle and donkeys roam free. ;o+ will !e very !lessed. 33 1 ook at yo+. ;o+ attack others when yo+ have not !een attacked. ;o+ t+rn against others when no one has t+rned against yo+. So when yo+ stop yo+r attacks, yo+ will !e attacked. >hen yo+ stop t+rning against others, they will t+rn against yo+. 2 5.D, !e kind to +s. >e have waited for yo+r help. Give +s strength every morning. Save +s when we are in tro+!le. 3 ;o+r powerf+l voice makes people r+n away in fear. ;o+r greatness ca+ses the nations to r+n away. # ;o+ people stole things in war. Those things will !e taken from yo+. Aany will come and take yo+r wealth. 3t will !e like 3saiah 33.%*11 1,3 the times when loc+sts come and eat all yo+r crops. % The 5.D is very great. $e lives in a very high place. $e fills Bion with =+stice and goodness. & Cer+salem, yo+ are rich with wisdom and knowledge of God. ;o+ are rich with salvation. ;o+ respect the 5.D, and that makes yo+ rich. ' <+t listen" The messengers are crying o+tside. The messengers who !ring peace are crying very hard. ( The roads are emptyF there is no one walking along the paths. 6eople dont respect each other. They have !roken the agreements they made, and they ref+se to !elieve what witnesses tell them. ) The land is sick and dying. e!anon is dying and Sharon /alley is dry and empty. <ashan and 9armel once grew !ea+tif+l plants, !+t now those plants pag. '#30131#

have stopped growing. 1, The 5.D says, 1ow, 3 will stand and show people how great and powerf+l 3 am. 11 ;o+ people have done +seless things. These things are like hay and straw. 3saiah 33.12*1( 1,# They are worth nothing" ;o+r spirit will !e like a fire and !+rn yo+. 12 6eople will !e !+rned +ntil their !ones !ecome lime. They will !+rn J+ickly like thorns and dry !+shes. 13 ;o+ people in faraway lands, listen to what 3 have done. ;o+ people who are near me, learn a!o+t my power. 1# The sinners in Bion are afraid. Those who do wrong shake with fear. They say, 9an any of +s live thro+gh this fire that destroys? >ho can live near this fire that !+rns forever? 1% Good, honest people who ref+se to h+rt others for money will live thro+gh that fire. They ref+se to take !ri!es or listen to plans to m+rder other people. They ref+se to look at plans for doing !ad things. 1& They will live safely in high places. They will !e protected in high rock fortresses. They will always have food and water. 1' ;o+r eyes will see the Ging in his !ea+ty. ;o+ will see the great land. 1( >hen yo+ think a!o+t the tro+!les yo+ had in the past, yo+ will wonder, >here are those foreigners who spoke 3saiah 33.1)*2# 1,% lang+ages we co+ld not +nderstand. >here are the officials and ta4 collectors from other lands? >here are the spies who co+nted o+r defense towers? 1) 733:1(8 2, ook at Bion, the city of o+r religio+s festivals. ook at Cer+salemthat !ea+tif+l place of rest. Cer+salem is like a tent that will never !e moved. The pegs that hold her in place will never !e p+lled +p. $er ropes will never !e !roken, 21 !eca+se the 5.D is o+r powerf+l leader there. That land is a place with streams and wide rivers, !+t there will -asy To .ead /ersion

!e no enemy !oats or powerf+l ships on those rivers. ;o+ men who work on s+ch !oats can stop yo+r work with the ropes. ;o+ cannot make the mast strong eno+gh. ;o+ will not !e a!le to open yo+r sails, !eca+se the 5.D is o+r =+dge. $e makes o+r laws. $e is o+r king. $e saves +s. The 5.D will give +s o+r wealth. -ven crippled people will get their share. 22 733:218 23 733:218 2# 1o one living there will say, 3 am sick, !eca+se everyone living there has had their g+ilt removed. 3saiah 3#.1*& 1,& 34 1 All yo+ nations, come near and listen" isten, all yo+ people. The earth and everyone on it sho+ld listen to these things. -verything in this world sho+ld hear this. 2 The 5.D is angry with all the nations and their armies. $e will destroy them completely. $e will p+t them all to death. 3 Those who are killed will !e thrown o+tside. The smell will rise from their !odies. Their !lood will flow down the mo+ntains. # -very star in the sky will disappear, and the skies will !e rolled sh+t like a scroll. -verything in the sky will wither and fall like dead leaves from the vine, like figs dried +p on the tree. % The ord says, >hen my sword is finished with everything in the sky, it will come down on -dom. 3 have =+dged them g+ilty, and they m+st die. & The 5.D has decided on a time for sacrifice in <oErah, a time for killing in all of -dom. So the sword of the 5.D is covered with !lood and fat !lood from the goats and fat from the kidneys of the rams. 3saiah 3#.'*13 1,' ' So the rams, the cattle, and even the strong !+lls will !e killed. The land will !e wet with their !lood. The soil will !e soaked with their fat. ( ;es, the 5.D has chosen a time for p+nishment. $e has chosen a year when people m+st pay for the wrong they did pag. '##0131#

to Bion. ) -doms rivers will !e like hot tar. -doms gro+nd will !e like !+rning s+lf+r. 1, The fires will !+rn day and night no one will stop the fire. The smoke will rise from -dom forever. The land will !e destroyed forever and ever. 1o one will ever travel thro+gh that land again. 11 <irds and small animals will own that land. 3t will !e a home for owls and ravens. God will leave that land in r+ins. 6eople will call it the empty desert. 12 The freemen and leaders will all !e gone, and there will !e nothing left for them to r+le. 13 Thorns and wild !+shes will grow in all the !ea+tif+l homes there. >ild dogs and owls will live in them. >ild animals will make their homes there. <ig !irds will live in the grasses that grow there. 3saiah 3#.1#*3%.2 1,( 1# >ild cats will live there with hyenas. >ild goats will call to their friends. 1ight animals will spend some time there and find a place to rest. 1% Snakes will make their homes there and lay their eggs. The eggs will open, and small snakes will crawl from the dark places. <irds that eat dead things will gather there like women visiting their friends. 1& ook in the 5.D@S scroll and read what it says: 1ot one of these will !e missing. 1ot one will !e witho+t its mate. God said he wo+ld make this happen, so his Spirit will !ring them together. 1' God decided what he sho+ld do with them, and then he chose a place for them. $e drew a line and showed them their land. So they will own that land forever. They will live there year after year. 35 1 The dry desert will re=oice. The desert will !e glad and !lossom. 2 3t will !e covered with flowers and dance with =oy. 3t will !e as !ea+tif+l as the forest of e!anon, the hill of 9armel, and the Sharon /alley. This will happen !eca+se all people will see the Glory of 3saiah 3%.3*( 1,) -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D. They will see the !ea+ty of o+r God. 3 Aake the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. # Say to those who are afraid and conf+sed, <e strong" Dont !e afraid" ook, yo+r God will come, and he will p+nish yo+r enemies. $e will pay them !ack for what they have done. $e will come and save yo+. % Then the eyes of the !lind will !e opened so that they can see, the ears of the deaf will !e opened so that they can hear. & 9rippled people will dance like deer, and those who cannot speak now will +se their voices to sing happy songs. This will happen when springs of water !egin to flow in the dry desert. ' 1ow people see mirages that look like water, !+t then there will !e real pools of water. There will !e wells in the dry land and water will flow from the gro+nd. Tall water plants will grow where wild animals once r+led. ( There will !e a great road there, a highway called The $oly .oad. -vil people will not !e allowed to +se that 3saiah 3%.)*3&.3 11, road. 3t will !e only for those who follow the right way, never for those who live foolishly. ) There will !e no dangers on that road no lions or other animals that attack people. The only people to travel that road will !e the people God saves. 1, The 5.D will make his people free, and they will come !ack to him. They will come into Bion re=oicing. They will !e happy forever. Their happiness will !e like a crown on their heads. Gladness and =oy will fill them completely. Sorrow and sadness will !e far, far away. 36 1 D+ring $eEekiahs 1#th year as king, Sennacheri! king of Assyria went to fight against all the strong cities of C+dah. Sennacheri! defeated those cities. 2 $e sent his commander with a large army to Ging $eEekiah in Cer+salem. The pag. '#%0131#

commander and his army left achish and went to Cer+salem. They stopped near the aJ+ed+ct !y the Hpper 6ool, on the street that leads +p to a+ndrymans 2ield. 3 Three men from Cer+salem went o+t to talk with the commander. These 3saiah 3&.#*' 111 men were -liakim son of $ilkiah, Coah son of Asaph, and She!na. -liakim was the palace manager, Coah was the record keeper, and She!na was the royal secretary. # The commander told them, Tell $eEekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: >hat are yo+ tr+sting in to help yo+? % 3 tell yo+, if yo+ are tr+sting in power and great !attle plans, that is +seless. Those are nothing !+t empty words. 1ow 3 ask yo+, who do yo+ tr+st so m+ch that yo+ are willing to re!el against me? & Are yo+ depending on -gypt to help yo+? -gypt is like a !roken walking stick. 3f yo+ lean on it for s+pport, it will only sta! yo+ and h+rt yo+. 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, cannot !e tr+sted !y anyone who depends on him for help. ' So may!e yo+ will say, >e tr+st the 5.D o+r God to help +s. <+t $eEekiah destroyed the altars and high places where people worshiped yo+r God, right? $eEekiah told the people of C+dah and Cer+salem, ;o+ m+st worship only at this one altar here in Cer+salem. 3saiah 3&.(*12 112 ( 3f yo+ still want to fight, my master, the king of Assyria, will make this agreement with yo+. 3 promise that 3 will give yo+ 2,,, horses if yo+ can find eno+gh men to ride them into !attle. ) <+t even then, yo+ co+ldnt !eat even one of my masters lowest ranking officers. So why do yo+ still depend on -gypts chariots and horse soldiers? 1, 1ow, do yo+ think 3 came to this co+ntry to destroy it witho+t the 5.D@S help. 1o, it was the 5.D who said to me, Go +p against this co+ntry and destroy it" -asy To .ead /ersion

11 Then -liakim, She!na, and Coah said to the commander, 6lease, speak to +s in $e!rew. >e +nderstand that lang+age. Dont speak to +s in the lang+age of C+dah. 3f yo+ +se o+r lang+age, the people on the city walls will +nderstand yo+. 12 <+t the commander said, Ay master did not send me to speak only to yo+ and yo+r master. 3 was also sent to speak to those people sitting there on the wall. They will not have eno+gh food or water eitherF they, too, will eat their own waste and drink their own +rine like yo+" 3saiah 3&.13*1) 113 13 Then the commander sho+ted lo+dly in $e!rew, 1# $ear this message from the great king, the king of Assyria: Dont let $eEekiah fool yo+. $e cannot save yo+ from my power. 1% Dont !elieve $eEekiah when he says, Tr+st in the 5.D" The 5.D will save +s. $e will not let the king of Assyria defeat the city. 1& Dont listen to $eEekiah. isten to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria says, Do this favor for meF come o+t to me, and then everyone will !e free to have grapes from their own vines, figs from their own trees, and water from their own well. 1' ;o+ can do this +ntil 3 come and take yo+ away to a land like yo+r own. 3n that new land, yo+ will have good grain, new wine, !read, and vineyards. 1( Dont let $eEekiah change yo+r mind when he says, The 5.D will save +s. Did any of the gods of other nations save their land from the king of Assyria? 1) >here are the gods of their cities, $amath and Arpad? >here are the gods 3saiah 3&.2,*3'.2 11# of Sepharvaim? Did they save Samaria from my power? 2, Did any of the gods in the other co+ntries save their land from me? So why do yo+ think the 5.D will save Cer+salem from me? 21 <+t the people were silent. They pag. '#&0131#

did not say a word to the commander !eca+se Ging $eEekiah had given them a command. $e said, Dont say anything to him. 22 Then the palace manager 7-liakim son of $ilkiah8, the royal secretary 7She!na8, and the record keeper 7Coah son of Asaph8 went to $eEekiah. Their clothes were torn to show they were +pset. They told $eEekiah everything the Assyrian commander had said. 37 1 >hen Ging $eEekiah listened to their message, he tore his clothes to show he was +pset. Then he p+t on sackcloth and went to the 5.D@S Temple. 2 $eEekiah sent -liakim, the palace manager, She!na, the royal secretary, and the elders of the priests to the prophet, 3saiah son of AmoE. They wore 3saiah 3'.3*' 11% the special clothes that showed they were sad and +pset. 3 They said to 3saiah, Ging $eEekiah has commanded that today will !e a special day for sorrow and sadness. 3t will !e a very sad dayas sad as when a !a!y sho+ld !e !orn, !+t there is not eno+gh strength for the !irth. # The commanders master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to say !ad things a!o+t the living God. Aay!e the 5.D yo+r God will hear it and prove the enemy is wrong. So pray for those who are still left alive. % >hen Ging $eEekiahs officers came to 3saiah, & he said to them, Give this message to yo+r master, $eEekiah: The 5.D says, Dont !e afraid of what yo+ heard from the commanders" Dont !elieve what those !oys from the king of Assyria said to make f+n of me. ' ook, 3 will send a spirit against the king of Assyria. $e will get a report that will make him ret+rn to his own co+ntry. And 3 will c+t him down with a sword in his own co+ntry. 3saiah 3'.(*1# 11& ( The commander heard that the king -asy To .ead /ersion

of Assyria had left achish. $e fo+nd him at i!nah, fighting against that city. ) Then the king of Assyria got a report that said, Ging Tirhakah of -thiopia is coming to fight yo+. So the king of Assyria sent messengers to $eEekiah again. 1, $e told them, Tell Ging $eEekiah of C+dah these things: Dont !e fooled !y the god yo+ tr+st when he says, Cer+salem will not !e defeated !y the king of Assyria. 11 ;o+ have heard what the kings of Assyria did to all the other co+ntries. >e destroyed them completely. >ill yo+ !e saved? 1o" 12 Did the gods of those people save them? 1o, my ancestors destroyed them all. They destroyed the cities of GoEan, $aran, .eEeph, and the people of -den living in Tel Assar. 13 >here is the king of $amath? The king of Arpad? The king of the city of Sepharvaim? The kings of $ena and 3vvah? 1# $eEekiah received the letters from the messengers and read them. Then he 3saiah 3'.1%*21 11' went +p to the 5.D@S Temple and laid the letters o+t in front of the 5.D. 1% $e prayed to the 5.D: 1& 5.D AllD6owerf+l, God of 3srael, yo+ sit as Ging a!ove the 9her+! angels. ;o+ alone are the God who r+les all the kingdoms on earth. ;o+ made heaven and earth. 1' 5.D, please pay attention and hear this. 5pen yo+r eyes, 5.D, and see what is happening. isten to all the ins+lts against the living God in the message Sennacheri! sent" 1( 3t is tr+e, 5.D. The kings of Assyria did destroy all those nations. 1) They did throw the gods of those nations into the fire, !+t they were not real gods. They were only wood and stonestat+es that people made. That is why the kings of Assyria co+ld destroy them. 2, <+t yo+ are the 5.D o+r God, so pag. '#'0131#

please save +s from the king of Assyria. Then all the other nations will know that yo+ are the 5.D, the only God. 21 Then 3saiah son of AmoE sent this message to $eEekiah: The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, ;o+ prayed to me 3saiah 3'.22*2& 11( a!o+t the message that came from Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria. 3 have heard yo+. 22 So this is the 5.D@S message against Sennacheri!: The virgin da+ghter Bion does not think yo+ are important. She makes f+n of yo+. Da+ghter Cer+salem shakes her head at yo+ and la+ghs !ehind yo+r !ack. 23 <+t who is the one yo+ have ins+lted and made f+n of? >ho is the one yo+ have !een sho+ting at with s+ch a pro+d look on yo+r face? All this yo+ have done against the $oly 5ne of 3srael" 2# ;o+ sent yo+r officers to ins+lt the ord. This is what yo+ said: 3 took my many chariots +p the high mo+ntains deep inside e!anon. 3 c+t down its tallest cedars and its !est fir trees. 3 have !een on its highest mo+ntain and deep inside its forests. 2% 3 d+g wells and drank water from new places. 3 dried +p the rivers of -gypt and walked where the water was. 2& $ow co+ld yo+ say this, Sennacheri!? Did no one ever tell yo+ that 3, the ord, planned these things long ago? 2rom ancient times 3 decided what wo+ld 3saiah 3'.2'*3, 11) happen. And now 3 have made it happen. 3 let yo+ tear down strong cities and change them into piles of rocks. 2' The people living there had no power. They were afraid and conf+sed. They were a!o+t to !e c+t down like grass and plants in the field. They were like grass growing on the ho+setops, dying !efore it grows tall. 2( 3 know all a!o+t yo+r !attlesF 3 know when yo+ rested, when yo+ went o+t to war, and when yo+ came home. 3 also know when yo+ got +pset at me. 2) ;es, yo+ were +pset at me. 3 heard -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+r pro+d ins+lts. So 3 will p+t my hook in yo+r nose and my !it in yo+r mo+th. Then 3 will t+rn yo+ aro+nd and lead yo+ !ack the way yo+ came. 3, Then the ord said, 3 will give yo+ a sign to show yo+ that these words are tr+e. ;o+ will not !e a!le to plant seeds this year, so ne4t year yo+ will eat grain that grew wild from the previo+s years crop. <+t in the third year, yo+ will eat grain from seeds that yo+ planted. ;o+ will harvest yo+r crops, and yo+ will have plenty to eat. ;o+ will plant vineyards and eat grapes from them. 3saiah 3'.31*3' 12, 31 The people from the family of C+dah who have escaped and are left alive will !e like plants that send their roots deep into the gro+nd and prod+ce fr+it a!ove the gro+nd. 32 That is !eca+se a few people will come o+t of Cer+salem alive. There will !e s+rvivors coming from Ao+nt Bion. The strong love of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will do this. 33 So the 5.D says this a!o+t the king of Assyria: $e will not come into this city or shoot an arrow here. $e will not !ring his shields +p against this city or !+ild +p a hill of dirt to attack its walls. 3# $e will go !ack the way he came. $e will not come into this city. The 5.D says this" 3% 3 will protect this city and save it. 3 will do this for myself and for my servant David. 3& That night the angel of the 5.D went o+t and killed 1(%,,,, men in the Assyrian camp. >hen the people got +p in the morning, they saw all the dead !odies. 3' So Ging Sennacheri! of Assyria went !ack to 1ineveh and stayed there. 3saiah 3'.3(*3(.% 121 3( 5ne day Sennacheri! was in the temple of his god 1isroch, worshiping him. $is sons Adrammelech and ShareEer killed him with a sword and ran away to Ararat. So Sennacheri!s son -sarhaddon !ecame the new king of pag. '#(0131#

Assyria. 38 1 At that time $eEekiah !ecame sick and almost died. The prophet 3saiah son of AmoE went to see him and told him, The 5.D told me to tell yo+ this: ;o+ will die soon. So yo+ sho+ld tell yo+r family what they sho+ld do when yo+ die. ;o+ will not get well. 2 $eEekiah t+rned toward the wall that faced the Temple and !egan praying to the 5.D. 3 5.D, remem!er that 3 have faithf+lly served yo+ with all my heart. 3 have done what yo+ say is good. Then $eEekiah cried very hard. # Then 3saiah received this message from the 5.D: % Go to $eEekiah and tell him that the 5.D, the God of yo+r ancestor David, says, 3 heard yo+r prayer, and 3 saw yo+r tears. 3 will add 1% years to yo+r life. 3saiah 3(.&*1# 122 & 3 will save yo+ and this city from the king of Assyria. 3 will protect this city. ' This is the sign from the 5.D to show yo+ that he will do what he says: ( ook, 3 am ca+sing the shadow that is on the steps of AhaE to move !ack ten steps. The s+ns shadow will go !ack +p the ten steps that it has already !een on. ) This is the letter from $eEekiah when he !ecame well: 1, 3 tho+ght 3 wo+ld live a f+ll life. <+t now, in the middle of my life, the time has come for me to die. 11 So 3 said, 3 will not see the 5.D ;A$ in the land of the living again. 3 will not see the people living on earth. 12 Ay home, my shepherds tent, is !eing p+lled down and taken from me. 3 am finished like the cloth someone rolls +p and c+ts from the loom. ;o+ ended my life in s+ch a short time. 13 All night 3 cried as lo+d as a lion, !+t my hopes were cr+shed like a lion eating !ones. ;o+ finished my life in s+ch a short time. 1# 3 cried like a !ird and moaned like a dove. Ay eyes !ecame tired, !+t 3 3saiah 3(.1%*21 123 -asy To .ead /ersion

contin+ed looking to the heavens. ord, 3 am so depressed. 6romise to help me. 1% >hat can 3 say? $e told me what wo+ld happen, and he will make it happen. 3 have had these tro+!les in my so+l, so now 3 will !e h+m!le all my life. 1& ord, +se this hard time to make my spirit live again. $elp my spirit !ecome strong and healthy. $elp me !ecome well" $elp me live again" 1' ook, my tro+!les are gone" 3 now have peace. ;o+ love me very m+ch. ;o+ did not let me rot in the grave. ;o+ took my sins and threw them away. 1( The dead cannot praise yo+. 6eople in Sheol cannot sing praises to yo+. Those who have died and gone !elow are not tr+sting in yo+r faithf+lness. 1) 6eople who are alive, people like me, are the ones who will praise yo+. 2athers sho+ld tell their children a!o+t how faithf+l yo+ are. 2, So 3 say, The 5.D saved me. So we will sing and play songs in the 5.D@S Temple all o+r lives. 21 Then 3saiah told $eEekiah, 9r+sh figs together and p+t them on yo+r sore. Then yo+ will get well. 3saiah 3(.22*3).# 12# 22 $eEekiah asked 3saiah, >hat is the sign that proves 3 will get well and go to the 5.D@S Temple? 39 1 At that time Aerodach <aladan son of <aladan was king of <a!ylon. $e sent some men with letters and a gift to $eEekiah when he heard that $eEekiah had !een sick. 2 This made $eEekiah very happy, so he showed them all the val+a!le things in his storeho+ses. $e showed them the silver, the gold, the spices, and the e4pensive perf+mes. $e showed them the !+ilding where he stored the weapons. $e showed them everything in his treas+ries and everything in his ho+se and thro+gho+t his kingdom. 3 Then 3saiah the prophet went to Ging $eEekiah and asked him, >hat did these men say? >here did they come from? $eEekiah said, These men came all the pag. '#)0131#

way from <a!ylon =+st to see me. # So 3saiah asked him, >hat did they see in yo+r ho+se? $eEekiah said, They saw everything in my palace. 3 showed them all my wealth. 3saiah 3).%*#,.3 12% % Then 3saiah said to $eEekiah, isten to this message from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l: & The time is coming when everything in yo+r ho+se and everything yo+r ancestors have saved +ntil today will !e carried away to <a!ylon. 1othing will !e left" The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said this. ' The <a!ylonians will take yo+r own sons, and yo+r sons will !ecome officers in the palace of the king of <a!ylon. ( Then $eEekiah told 3saiah, This message from the 5.D is good. 7$eEekiah said this !eca+se he tho+ght, There will !e real peace and sec+rity d+ring my lifetime.8 40 1 ;o+r God says, 9omfort, comfort my people. 2 Speak kindly to Cer+salem and tell her, ;o+r time of service is finished. ;o+ have paid the price for yo+r sins. 3, the 5.D, have p+nished yo+ twice for every sin yo+ committed. 3 isten, there is someone sho+ting: 6repare a way in the desert for the 5.D. Aake a straight road there for o+r God. 3saiah #,.#*1, 12& # -very valley m+st !e filled. -very mo+ntain and hill sho+ld !e made flat. The crooked roads sho+ld !e made straight, and the ro+gh gro+nd made smooth. % Then the Glory of the 5.D will !e shown to everyone. Together, all people will see it. ;es, this is what the 5.D himself said" & A voice said, Speak" So the man said, >hat sho+ld 3 say? The voice said, 6eople are like grass. Any glory they en=oy is like a wildflower. ' >hen a wind from the 5.D !lows on them, the grass dies and the flower falls. ;es, all people are like grass. -asy To .ead /ersion

( Grass dies and flowers fall, !+t the word of o+r God lasts forever. ) Bion, yo+ have good news to tell. Go +p on a high mo+ntain and sho+t the good news. Cer+salem, yo+ have good news to tell. Dont !e afraidF speak lo+dly. Tell this news to all the cities of C+dah: ook, here is yo+r God" 1, The ord G5D is coming with power. $e will +se his power to r+le all the people. $e will !ring rewards for his 3saiah #,.11*1& 12' people. $e will have their payment with him. 11 ike a good shepherd, he takes care of his people. $e gathers them like lam!s in his arms. $e holds them close, while their mothers walk !eside him. 12 >ho meas+red the oceans in the palm of his hand? >ho +sed his hand to meas+re the sky? >ho +sed a !owl to meas+re all the d+st of the earth? >ho +sed scales to meas+re the mo+ntains and hills? 13 >ho co+ld know the 5.D@S mind? >ho co+ld !e his teacher or give him advice? 1# Did the ord ask for anyones help? Did anyone teach him to !e fair? Did anyone teach him knowledge? Did anyone teach him to !e wise? 1% ook, all the nations in the world are like one small drop in the !+cket. 3f the ord took all the faraway nations and p+t them on his scales, they wo+ld !e like small pieces of d+st. 1& All the trees in e!anon are not eno+gh to !+rn on the altar for the ord. And all the animals in e!anon are not eno+gh to kill for a sacrifice. 3saiah #,.1'*23 12( 1' 9ompared to God, all the nations of the world are nothing. 9ompared to him, they are worth nothing at all. 1( 9an yo+ compare God to anything? 9an yo+ make a pict+re of God? 1) 1o, !+t some people make stat+es from rock or wood, and they call them gods. 5ne worker makes a stat+e. Then another worker covers it with gold and pag. '%,0131#

makes silver chains for it. 2, 2or the !ase he chooses special wood, a kind of wood that will not rot. Then he finds a good wood worker, and the worker makes a god that will not fall over. 21 S+rely yo+ know the tr+th, dont yo+? S+rely yo+ have heard. S+rely someone told yo+ long ago. S+rely yo+ +nderstand who made the earth. 22 3t is the ord who sits a!ove the circle of the earth. And compared to him, people are like grasshoppers. $e rolled open the skies like a piece of cloth. $e stretched o+t the skies like a tent to sit +nder. 23 $e takes away the power of r+lers. $e makes the worlds leaders completely worthless. 3saiah #,.2#*3, 12) 2# They are like plants that are planted in the gro+nd. <+t !efore they can send their roots into the gro+nd, God !lows on the plantsF they !ecome dead and dry, and the wind !lows them away like straw. 2% The $oly 5ne says, 9an yo+ compare me to anyone? 1o one is eJ+al to me. 2& ook +p to the skies. >ho created all those stars? >ho created all those armies in the sky? >ho knows every star !y name? $e is very strong and powerf+l, so not one of these stars is lost. 2' 6eople of Caco!, this is tr+e. 3srael, yo+ sho+ld !elieve it. So why do yo+ say, The 5.D cannot see the way 3 liveF he will not find me and p+nish me? 2( S+rely yo+ know the tr+th. S+rely yo+ have heard. The 5.D is the God who lives forever" $e created all the faraway places on earth. $e does not get tired and weary. ;o+ cannot learn all he knows. 2) $e helps tired people !e strong. $e gives power to those witho+t it. 3, ;o+ng men get tired and need to rest. -ven yo+ng !oys st+m!le and fall. 3saiah #,.31*#1.% 13, 31 <+t those who tr+st in the 5.D will -asy To .ead /ersion

!ecome strong againlike eagles that grow new feathers. They will r+n and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired. 41 1 The ord says, 2araway co+ntries, !e J+iet and listen to me" 1ations !e !rave. 9ome to me and speak. >e will meet together and decide who is right. 2 >ho woke +p the man who is coming from the east? $e called C+stice to march with him. $e +ses his sword to cr+sh nations. $e +ses his !ow and conJ+ers kings they r+n away like straw !lown !y the wind. 3 $e chases armies and is never h+rt. $e goes places he has never !een !efore. # >ho was a!le to make all this happen? >ho controlled the lives of everyone from the !eginning? 3, the 5.D, am the one. 3 was here at the !eginning, and 3 will !e here when all things are finished. % 6eople along the coast saw this, and they were frightened. 1ations at the ends of the earth shook with fear. They have come near. They have arrived. 3saiah #1.&*11 131 & >orkers help each other. They enco+rage each other to !e strong. ' 5ne worker c+ts wood to make a stat+e. $e enco+rages the man who works with gold. Another worker +ses a hammer and makes the metal smooth. Then he enco+rages the man at the anvil. This last worker says, This work is goodF the metal will not come off. Then he nails the stat+e to a !ase so that it will not fall over. And it never moves" ( The ord says, ;o+, 3srael, are my servant. Caco!, 3 chose yo+. ;o+ are from the family of my friend, A!raham. ) ;o+ were in a faraway co+ntry, !+t 3 reached o+t to yo+. 3 called yo+ from that faraway place. 3 said, ;o+ are my servant. 3 chose yo+, and 3 have not re=ected yo+. 1, Dont worry3 am with yo+. Dont !e afraid3 am yo+r God. 3 will make yo+ strong. 3 will help yo+. 3 will s+pport yo+ pag. '%10131#

with my right hand that !rings victory. 11 ook, some people are angry with yo+, !+t they will !e ashamed and disgraced. ;o+r enemies will !e lost and disappear. 3saiah #1.12*1' 132 12 ;o+ will look for the people who were against yo+, !+t yo+ will not !e a!le to find them. Those who fo+ght against yo+ will disappear completely. 13 3 am the 5.D yo+r God, who holds yo+r right hand. And 3 tell yo+, Dont !e afraid" 3 will help yo+. 1# 6eople of 3srael, descendants of Caco!, yo+ may !e weak and worthless, !+t do not !e afraid. 3 myself will help yo+. This is what the 5.D himself says. 3 am the $oly 5ne of 3srael, the one who saves yo+. 1% ook, 3 have made yo+ like a new threshing !oard with many sharp teeth. ;o+ will trample mo+ntains and cr+sh them. ;o+ will make the hills like chaff. 1& ;o+ will throw them into the air, and the wind will !low them away and scatter them. Then yo+ will !e happy in the 5.D. ;o+ will !e pro+d of the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 1' The poor and needy look for water, !+t they cannot find any. Their tong+es are dry with thirst. 3, the 5.D, will answer their prayers. 3, the God of 3srael, will not leave them to die. 3saiah #1.1(*23 133 1( 3 will make rivers flow on dry hills. 3 will make springs of water flow thro+gh the valleys. 3 will change the desert into a lake filled with water. There will !e springs of water in that dry land. 1) 3 will make trees grow in the desert. There will !e cedar, acacia, olive, cypress, fir, and pine trees. 2, 3 will do this so that people will see it and know who did it. They will notice what happened. Then they will +nderstand that the 5.D@S hand made it happen, that the $oly 5ne of 3srael created it all. 21 The 5.D, the king of Caco!, says, 9ome, present yo+r arg+ments. Show -asy To .ead /ersion

me yo+r proof. 22 et yo+r idols come in and tell +s what will happen. 3dols, tell +s what happened in the !eginning. >e will listen closely so that we can make a decision. Tell +s what will happen in the f+t+re. 23 >hat signs did yo+ give in the past to prove that yo+ really are gods? Do something" Do anything, good or !ad, so that we can see that yo+ are alive. Then we might fear and respect yo+. 3saiah #1.2#*#2.1 13# 2# ook, yo+ false gods are worthless. ;o+ cannot do anything. 5nly some horri!le fool wo+ld want to worship yo+. 2% 3 called someone in the north to come. $e is coming from the east where the s+n rises, and he honors my name. $e tramples kings the way a potter softens clay with his feet. 2& >ho told +s a!o+t this !efore it happened so that we co+ld say he was right? 1one of yo+r idols told +s anything. They didnt say a word, and they cannot hear anything yo+ say. 2' 3, the ord, was the first one to tell Bion a!o+t these things. 3 sent a messenger to Cer+salem to say, ook, yo+r people are coming !ack" 2( 3 looked at those false gods. 1ot one of them said anything. They had no advice to offer. 3 asked them J+estions, !+t they didnt say a word. 2) Those gods are all less than nothing. They cannot do anything. They are worthless. 42 1 $ere is my servant, the one 3 s+pport. $e is the one 3 have chosen, and 3 am very pleased with him. 3saiah #2.2*' 13% 3 have filled him with my Spirit, and he will !ring =+stice to the nations. 2 $e will not cry o+t or sho+t or try to make himself heard in the streets. 3 $e will not !reak even a cr+shed reed. $e will not p+t o+t even the weakest flame. $e will !ring tr+e =+stice. # $e will not grow weak or give +p +ntil he has !ro+ght =+stice to the world. And people in faraway places will hope to pag. '%20131#

receive his teachings. % The 5.D, the tr+e God, said these things. $e is the one who created the sky and spread it o+t over the earth. $e formed the earth and everything it prod+ced. $e !reathes life into all the people on earth. $e gives a spirit to everyone who walks on the earth. & 3, the 5.D, was right to call yo+. 3 will hold yo+r hand and protect yo+. ;o+ will !e the sign of my agreement with the people. ;o+ will !e a light for the other nations. ' ;o+ will make the !lind a!le to see. ;o+ will free those who are held as captives. ;o+ will lead those who live in darkness o+t of their prison. 3saiah #2.(*1# 13& ( 3 am ;A$>-$. That is my name. 3 will not give my glory to another. 3 will not let stat+es take the praise that sho+ld !e mine. ) 3n the past, 3 told yo+ what wo+ld happen, and it happened" 1ow 3 am telling yo+ something new, and 3 am telling yo+ now, !efore it happens. 1, Sing a new song to the 5.DF praise him everywhere on earth all yo+ who sail on the seas, everything in the sea, and all yo+ people in faraway places" 11 Deserts and cities, villages of Gedar, praise the ord" 6eople living in Sela, sing for =oy" Sing from the top of yo+r mo+ntain. 12 Give glory to the 5.D. 6raise him, all yo+ people in faraway lands" 13 The 5.D will go o+t like a strong soldier. ike a man going into !attle, he will !e f+ll of e4citement. $e will sho+t with a lo+d cry, and he will defeat his enemies. 1# 2or a long time 3 have said nothing. 3 have controlled myself and kept J+iet. <+t now 3 will cry o+t like a woman giving !irth. Ay !reathing is getting faster and lo+der. 3saiah #2.1%*2, 13' 1% 3 will destroy the hills and mo+ntains. 3 will dry +p all the plants that grow there. 3 will change rivers to dry land -asy To .ead /ersion

and dry +p pools of water. 1& Then 3 will lead the !lind along a path they never knew to places where they have never !een !efore. 3 will change darkness into light for them. 3 will make the ro+gh gro+nd smooth. 3 will do these things for themF 3 will not a!andon my people. 1' <+t some of them have left me. They say to their gold stat+es, ;o+ are my gods. They tr+st their false gods, !+t they will !e disappointed and shamed. 1( Deaf people, listen to me" <lind people, look and see" 1) 3n all the world, no one is more !lind than my servant. 1o one is more deaf than my messenger. 1o one is more !lind than my chosen people, the servant of the 5.D. 2, Ay people see what they sho+ld do, !+t they do not o!ey me. They can hear with their ears, !+t they ref+se to listen to me. 3saiah #2.21*#3.1 13( 21 The 5.D wants them to do what is right. $e wants them to honor his wonderf+l teachings. 22 <+t look at his people. 5thers have defeated them and have stolen from them. The yo+ng men are afraid. They are locked in prisons. 6eople have taken advantage of them, and there is no one to protect them. 5thers take their money, and there is no one to say, Give it !ack" 23 >ill any of yo+ pay attention to this warning? >ill yo+ ever learn to listen? 2# >ho let Caco! !e defeated? >ho let others take what !elonged to 3srael? The 5.D allowed them to do this. >e sinned against him, so he let others take away o+r wealth. The people did not want to live the way he wanted. They ref+sed to listen to his teaching. 2% So he po+red o+t his anger on them and !ro+ght wars against them. 3t was as if there were fires all aro+nd them, !+t they didnt know what was happening. 3t was as if they were !+rning, !+t they didnt try to +nderstand. pag. '%30131#

43 1 Caco!, the 5.D created yo+. 3srael, he made yo+, and now 3saiah #3.2*' 13) he says, Dont !e afraid. 3 saved yo+. 3 named yo+. ;o+ are mine. 2 >hen yo+ have tro+!les, 3 am with yo+. >hen yo+ cross rivers, yo+ will not !e h+rt. >hen yo+ walk thro+gh fire, yo+ will not !e !+rnedF the flames will not h+rt yo+. 3 Thats !eca+se 3, the 5.D, am yo+r God. 3, the $oly 5ne of 3srael, am yo+r Savior. 3 gave -gypt to pay for yo+. 3 gave -thiopia and Se!a to make yo+ mine. # ;o+ are precio+s to me, and 3 have given yo+ a special place of honor. 3 love yo+. Thats why 3 am willing to trade others, to give +p whole nations, to save yo+r life. % So dont !e afraid, !eca+se 3 am with yo+. 3 will gather yo+r children and !ring them to yo+. 3 will gather them from the east and from the west. & 3 will tell the north: Give my people to me. 3 will tell the so+th: Dont keep my people in prison. <ring my sons and da+ghters to me from the faraway places. ' <ring to me all the people who are mine, the people who have my name. 3saiah #3.(*13 1#, 3 made them for myself. 3 made them, and they are mine. ( <ring o+t the people who have eyes !+t are !lind. <ring o+t the people who have ears !+t are deaf. ) All people and all nations sho+ld also !e gathered together. >hich of their gods said this wo+ld happen? >hich of their gods wo+ld tell what happened in the !eginning? They sho+ld !ring their witnesses. The witnesses sho+ld speak the tr+th. This will show they are right. 1, The 5.D says, ;o+ people are my witnesses and the servant 3 chose. 3 chose yo+ so that yo+ wo+ld help people !elieve me. 3 chose yo+ so that yo+ wo+ld +nderstand that 3 Am $e 3 am the tr+e God. There was no God !efore me, -asy To .ead /ersion

and there will !e no God after me. 11 3 myself am the 5.D, and there is no other Savior. 12 3 am the one who spoke to yo+, saved yo+, and told yo+ those things. 3t was not some stranger who was with yo+. ;o+ are my witnesses, and 3 am God. This is what the 5.D himself said. 13 3 have always !een God. >hen 3 do something, no one can change what 3 3saiah #3.1#*1) 1#1 have done. And no one can save people from my power. 1# The 5.D, the $oly 5ne of 3srael, saves yo+, and he says, 3 will send armies to <a!ylon for yo+. Aany people will !e capt+red. Those 9haldeans will !e taken away in their own !oats. They are so pro+d of those !oats. 1% 3 am the 5.D yo+r $oly 5ne. 3 made 3srael. 3 am yo+r Ging. 1& The ord is making roads thro+gh the sea. $e is making a path for his people, even thro+gh ro+gh waters. The 5.D says, 1' Those who fight against me with their chariots, horses, and armies will !e defeated. They will never rise again. They will !e destroyed. They will !e p+t o+t like the flame in a lamp. 1( So dont remem!er what happened in earlier times. Dont think a!o+t what happened a long time ago, 1) !eca+se 3 am doing something new" 1ow yo+ will grow like a new plant. S+rely yo+ know this is tr+e. 3 will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow thro+gh that dry land. 3saiah #3.2,*2& 1#2 2, The wild animals will thank me. The large animals and !irds will honor me when 3 p+t water in the desert and make rivers flow thro+gh that dry land. 3 will do this to give water to my chosen people. 21 3 made them, and they will sing songs of praise to me. 22 Caco!, yo+ did not pray to me. 3srael, yo+ !ecame tired of me. 23 ;o+ have not !ro+ght yo+r sheep as pag. '%#0131#

sacrifices to me. ;o+ have not honored me with yo+r sacrifices. 3 did not force yo+ to give gifts to me like slaves. 3 did not force yo+ to !+rn incense +ntil yo+ !ecame tired. 2# So yo+ did not +se yo+r money to !+y things to honor me. <+t yo+ did force me to !e like yo+r slave. ;o+ sinned +ntil the !ad things yo+ did made me very tired. 2% 3, 3 am the one who wipes away all yo+r sins. 3 do this to please myself. 3 will not remem!er yo+r sins. 2& <+t yo+ sho+ld remem!er me. ets meet together and decide what is right. Tell yo+r story and prove that yo+ are innocent. 3saiah #3.2'*##.& 1#3 2' ;o+r first father sinned, and yo+r lawyers committed crimes against me. 2( 3 will make yo+r Temple leaders +nfit to serve there. 3 will destroy Caco!. <ad things will happen to 3srael. 44 1 Caco!, yo+ are my servant. 3srael, 3 chose yo+. isten to me" 2 3 am the 5.D, and 3 made yo+. 3 am the one who created yo+. 3 have helped yo+ since yo+ were in yo+r mothers wom!. Caco!, my servant, dont !e afraid. Cesh+r+n, 3 chose yo+. 3 3 will po+r water for thirsty people, and streams will flow thro+gh the desert. 3 will po+r my Spirit on yo+r children, and 3 will !less yo+r family. # They will spro+t like grass in the spring and grow like trees !y streams of water. % 5ne man will call himself, 3 am the 5.D@S. Another will +se the name, Caco!. Another man will sign his name as The 5.D@S $and. And another will +se the name, 3srael. & The 5.D is the king of 3srael. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is the one who will set 3srael free. And he says, 3 am the only God. There are no other gods. 3 am the <eginning and the -nd. 3saiah ##.'*12 1## ' There is no other God like me. 3f there is, that god sho+ld speak now. et him lay o+t everything he has done since the time 3 made these ancient people. et -asy To .ead /ersion

him show me the signs he gave long ago that prove he knew what wo+ld happen in the f+t+re. ( Dont !e afraid" Dont worry. 3 am the one who always told yo+ what wo+ld happen. ;o+ are my proof. There is no other GodF 3 am the only one. There is no other .ockF 3 know 3 am the only one. ) Some people make idols, !+t they are worthless. They love their stat+es, which are +seless. Those who serve as witnesses for these stat+es cannot even see. They dont know eno+gh to !e ashamed. 1, >ho made these false gods? >ho covered these +seless stat+es? 11 >orkers made them, and the workers are only h+man. 3f they all wo+ld come together !efore me, we co+ld disc+ss this. Then they wo+ld all !e ashamed and afraid. 12 5ne worker +ses his tools to heat iron over hot coals. Then he +ses his hammer to !eat the metal to shape it 3saiah ##.13*1& 1#% into a stat+e. $e +ses his own powerf+l arms. <+t when he gets h+ngry, he loses his strength. 3f he does not drink water,he !ecomes weak. 13 Another worker +ses his string line and compass to draw lines on the wood to show where he sho+ld c+t. Then he +ses his chisels and c+ts a stat+e from the wood. $e +ses his calipers to meas+re the stat+e. 3n this way, the worker makes the wood look e4actly like a man, and this stat+e of a man does nothing !+t sit in the ho+se. 1# To split the cedar tree, the worker took some oak or cypress wedges. To make s+re he had plenty of wood, he planted some pines. <+t it was the rain that made them grow. 1% >hen the man wanted a fire, he took some of the wood to keep him warm. $e also +sed some of it to !ake his !read. <+t then he +sed that same wood to make a stat+e to worship as a god" That god is only a stat+e that he made, !+t he !ows down to it" pag. '%%0131#

1& $e !+rns half of the wood in the fire. $e +ses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat +ntil he is f+ll. $e !+rns 3saiah ##.1'*21 1#& the wood to keep himself warm $e says, Good" 1ow 3 am warm, and 3 can see !y the light of the fire. 1' There is a little of the wood left, so he makes a stat+e and calls it his god. $e !ows down !efore it and worships it. $e prays to it and says, ;o+ are my god, save me" 1( 6eople like that dont know what they are doing" They dont +nderstand. 3t is as if they have m+d in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot +nderstand. 1) They dont realiEe what they are doing. They arent smart eno+gh to think, 3 !+rned half of the wood in the fire. 3 +sed the hot coals to !ake my !read and cook the meat 3 ate. And 3 +sed the wood that was left to make this terri!le thing. 3 am worshiping a !lock of wood" 2, Someone like that is deceived. They dont know what they are doing. They cannot save themselves, and they will not admit, This stat+e 3 am holding is a lie" 21 Caco!, remem!er these things" 3srael, remem!er, yo+ are my servant. 3 3saiah ##.22*2& 1#' made yo+, and yo+ are my servant. So, 3srael, dont forget me. 22 ;o+r sins were like a !ig clo+d, !+t 3 wiped them all away. ;o+r sins are gone, like a clo+d that disappeared into thin air. 3 resc+ed and protected yo+, so come !ack to me. 23 Skies, re=oice for what the 5.D has done. -arth, sho+t for =oy down to yo+r deepest parts" Start singing, yo+ mo+ntains and all yo+ trees in the forest" ;es, the 5.D has saved Caco!. $e has shown his glory !y saving 3srael. 2# The one who resc+ed yo+ is the 5.D, the one who formed yo+ in yo+r mothers wom!. $e says, 3, the 5.D, made everything. 3 p+t the skies there myself. 3 spread o+t the earth !efore -asy To .ead /ersion

me. 2% 2alse prophets tell lies, !+t the ord shows that their lies are false. $e makes fools of those who do magic. $e conf+ses even the wise. They think they know a lot, !+t he makes them look foolish. 2& The ord sends his servants to tell his messages to the people, and he makes those messages come tr+e. $e sends messengers to tell the people what they 3saiah ##.2'*#%.3 1#( sho+ld do, and he proves that the advice is good.The ord says to Cer+salem, 6eople will live in yo+ again. $e says to the cities of C+dah, ;o+ will !e re!+ilt. $e says to them, 3 will repair yo+r r+ins. 2' $e tells the deep waters, <ecome dry" 3 will make yo+r streams dry too. 2( $e says to 9yr+s, ;o+ are my shepherd. ;o+ will do what 3 want. ;o+ will say to Cer+salem, ;o+ will !e re!+ilt" ;o+ will tell the Temple, ;o+r fo+ndations will !e p+t in place" 45 1 This is what the 5.D said to 9yr+s, his chosen king: 3 took yo+ !y yo+r right hand to help yo+ defeat nations, to strip other kings of their power, and to open city gates that will not !e closed again. 2 3 will go in front of yo+ and make the mo+ntains flat. 3 will !reak the city gates of !ronEe and c+t the iron !ars on the gates. 3 3 will give yo+ the wealth that is stored in secret places. 3 will give yo+ those hidden treas+res. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D, the God of 3srael, who calls yo+ !y name. 3saiah #%.#*) 1#) # 3 do this for my servant, Caco!. 3 do it for my chosen people, 3srael. 9yr+s, 3 am calling yo+ !y name. ;o+ dont know me, !+t 3 know yo+. % 3 am the 5.D, the only God. There is no other God e4cept me. 3 p+t yo+r clothes on yo+, !+t still yo+ dont know me. & 3 am doing this so that everyone will know that 3 am the only God. 2rom the east to the west people will know that 3 pag. '%&0131#

am the 5.D and that there is no other God. ' 3 made the light and the darkness. 3 !ring peace, and 3 ca+se tro+!le. 3, the 5.D, do all these things. ( Aay the clo+ds in the skies a!ove drop goodness on the earth like rain. Aay the earth open and let salvation grow. And may victory grow with it" 3, the 5.D, created him. ) ook at these people" They are arg+ing with the one who made them. ook at them arg+e with me. They are like pieces of clay from a !roken pot. 9lay does not say to the one molding it, Aan, what are yo+ doing? Things that are made dont 3saiah #%.1,*1# 1%, have the power to J+estion the one who makes them. 1, A father gives life to his children, and they cannot ask, >hy are yo+ giving me life? They cannot J+estion their mother and ask, >hy are yo+ giving !irth to me? 11 The 5.D God is the $oly 5ne of 3srael. $e created 3srael, and he says, Ay children, yo+ asked me to show yo+ a sign. ;o+ told me to show yo+ what 3 have done. 12 3 made the earth, and 3 created the people on it. 3 +sed my own hands to make the skies. And 3 command all the armies in the sky. 13 3 was right to give power to 9yr+s, and 3 will make his work easy. $e will re!+ild my city, and he will set my people free witho+t !ri!es or payment. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said this. 1# The 5.D says, -gypt and -thiopia are rich, !+t, 3srael, yo+ will get those riches. The tall people from Se!a will !e yo+rs. They will walk !ehind yo+ with chains aro+nd their necks. They will !ow down !efore yo+ and ask yo+ to pray for them and say, The tr+e God really is with yo+, and there is no other God. 3saiah #%.1%*21 1%1 1% ;o+ are the God people cannot see. ;o+ are the God who saves 3srael. 1& Aany people make false gods, !+t they will !e disappointed. All of them will -asy To .ead /ersion

go away ashamed. 1' <+t 3srael will !e saved !y the 5.D. That salvation will contin+e forever. 1ever again will 3srael !e shamed. 1( The 5.D is God. $e made the skies and the earth. $e p+t the earth in its place. $e did not want the earth to !e empty when he made it. $e created it to !e lived on. 3 am the 5.D. There is no other God. 1) 3 have spoken openly, not in secret. 3 did not hide my words in a dark and secret place. 3 did not tell the people of Caco! to look for me in empty places. 3 am the 5.D, and 3 speak the tr+th. 3 say only what is right. 2, ;o+ people who escaped from other nations, gather together !efore me. These people carry stat+es of false gods. They pray to +seless gods, !+t they dont know what they are doing. 21 Tell them to come to me. et them present their case and disc+ss these things. >ho told yo+ a!o+t this !efore 3saiah #%.22*#&.2 1%2 it happened? >ho told yo+ this so long ago? 3, the 5.D, am the one who said these things. 3 am the only God, the one who does what is right. 3 am the one who saves, and there is no other" 22 So all yo+ people in faraway places, t+rn to me and !e saved, !eca+se 3 am God, and there is no other. 23 >hen 3 make a promise, that promise is tr+e. 3t will happen. And 3 swear !y my own power that everyone will !ow !efore me and will take an oath to o!ey me. 2# They will say, Goodness and strength come only from the 5.D. And all who show their anger against him will !e h+miliated. 2% The 5.D will help the people of 3srael live right and praise their God. 46 1 The ord says, <el has fallen to the gro+nd. 1e!o is kneeling !efore me. Aen p+t those idols on the !acks of animals. They are only heavy !+rdens that m+st !e carried. They do nothing !+t make people tired. pag. '%'0131#

2 <+t they all !owed down and fell to the gro+nd. They co+ldnt escapeF they were all carried away like prisoners. 3saiah #&.3*' 1%3 3 2amily of Caco!, listen to me" ;o+ who are left from the family of 3srael, listen" 3 have carried yo+ since yo+ left yo+r mothers wom!. 3 carried yo+ when yo+ were !orn, # and 3 will still !e carrying yo+ when yo+ are old. ;o+r hair will t+rn gray, and 3 will still carry yo+. 3 made yo+, and 3 will carry yo+ to safety. % 9an yo+ compare me to anyone? 1o one is eJ+al to me. ;o+ cannot +nderstand everything a!o+t me. There is nothing like me. & Some people are rich with gold and silver. Gold falls from their p+rses, and they weigh their silver on scales. They pay an artist to make a false god from wood. Then they !ow down and worship that false god. ' They p+t their false god on their sho+lders and carry it. That false god is +selessF people have to carry it" 6eople set the stat+e on the gro+nd, and it cannot move. That false god never walks away from its place. 6eople can yell at it, !+t it will not answer. That false god is only a stat+eF it cannot save people from their tro+!les. 3saiah #&.(*#'.1 1%# ( Sinners, change yo+r heart and mind. Think a!o+t this again. .emem!er it and !e strong. ) .emem!er what happened long ago. .emem!er, 3 am God and there is no other God. There is no other like me. 1, 3n the !eginning, 3 told yo+ what wo+ld happen in the end. A long time ago, 3 told yo+ things that have not happened yet. >hen 3 plan something, it happens. 3 do whatever 3 want to do. 11 3 am calling a man from the east to do what 3 want. $e will come like an eagle from a faraway co+ntry. $e will do all that 3 have planned. -verything 3 said will happen =+st as 3 said it wo+ld. 12 isten to me, yo+ st+!!orn people" -asy To .ead /ersion

;o+ are far from doing what is right. 13 <+t 3 am close to making things right. Salvation will not !e delayed m+ch longer. 3 will !ring salvation to Bion and to my wonderf+l 3srael. 47 1 2all down and sit in the dirt, city of <a!ylon. ;o+ have no throne, so sit on the gro+nd, people of <a!ylon. ;o+ are not the r+ler now. ;o+ are no longer the !ea+tif+l yo+ng princess that people said yo+ were. 3saiah #'.2*( 1%% 2 Get the millstones ready and grind the grain into flo+r. Take off yo+r veil and fancy clothes. ift yo+r skirt and get ready to cross the rivers. 3 Aen will see yo+r naked !ody and +se yo+ for se4. 3 will make yo+ pay for the !ad things yo+ did, and 3 will not let anyone help yo+. # Ay people say, God saves +s. $is name is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the $oly 5ne of 3srael. % So <a!ylon, sit down and sh+t +p. Da+ghter of the 9haldeans, go into the dark prison. ;o+ will no longer !e The I+een of the Gingdoms. & 3 was angry with my people. They were mine, !+t 3 t+rned against them. 3 let yo+ p+nish them, !+t yo+ showed them no mercy. -ven for those who were old yo+ made the work hard. ' ;o+ said, 3 will live forever. 3 will always !e the J+een. ;o+ didnt care what yo+ did to my people. ;o+ didnt think a!o+t what might happen later. ( So now listen, yo+ who love only pleas+re" 2eeling so safe, yo+ tell yo+rself, 3 alone am important, and no 3saiah #'.)*13 1%& one else matters. 3 will never !e a widow or lose my children. ) These two things will happen to yo+: 2irst, yo+ will lose yo+r children and then yo+r h+s!and. And none of yo+r magic spells will help yo+. 1, ;o+ do !ad things !+t still feel safe. ;o+ say to yo+rself, 1o one sees the wrong 3 do. ;o+ tho+ght that yo+r wisdom and knowledge wo+ld save yo+. pag. '%(0131#

;o+ tell yo+rself, 3 alone am important, and no one else matters. 11 <+t disaster is coming yo+r way. ;o+ dont know when it will happen, !+t disaster is coming. And there is nothing yo+ can do to stop it. 12 ;o+ worked hard all yo+r life learning magic and spells. So start +sing that magic. Aay!e those spells will help yo+. Aay!e yo+ will !e a!le to frighten someone. 13 ;o+ have many advisors. Are yo+ tired of the advice they give? Then send o+t yo+r men who read the stars. They can tell when the month starts, so may!e they can tell yo+ when yo+r tro+!les will come. 3saiah #'.1#*#(.% 1%' 1# <+t they cannot even save themselves. They will !+rn like straw. They will !+rn so fast that there will !e no coals left to cook !read. There will !e no fire left to sit !y. 1% Thats what will happen to those yo+ have worked with, the people yo+ did !+siness with all yo+r life. They will all go their own way. There will !e no one left to save yo+. 48 1 2amily of Caco!, listen to me" ;o+ people call yo+rself 3srael, !+t yo+ are from C+dahs family. >hen yo+ take an oath, 3, the 5.D, the God of 3srael, am the one whose name yo+ +se, !+t yo+ are not honest and sincere. 2 ;es, yo+ call yo+rselves citiEens of the holy city, those who depend on the God of 3srael. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is his name. 3 ong ago 3 told yo+ what wo+ld happen. 3 told yo+ a!o+t these things. And s+ddenly 3 made them happen. # 3 did that !eca+se 3 knew yo+ were st+!!orn. ;o+ were like iron that will not !end, with heads as hard as !ronEe. % So long ago 3 told yo+ what wo+ld happen. 3 told yo+ a!o+t those things 3saiah #(.&*11 1%( long !efore they happened. 3 did this so that yo+ co+ld not say, The gods we made did this. 5+r idols, o+r stat+es, -asy To .ead /ersion

made this happen. & ;o+ heard what 3 said wo+ld happen. And yo+ can see it has all !een done. Sho+ldnt yo+ tell this to others? 1ow 3 will tell yo+ a!o+t new things, secrets yo+ have not known !efore. ' This is something that is happening now, not long ago. ;o+ have not heard a!o+t it !efore today. So yo+ cannot say, >e already knew that. ( <+t even in the past yo+ didnt listen. ;o+ didnt learn anything. ;o+ never listen to what 3 say. 3 have always known that yo+ wo+ld t+rn against me. ;o+ have re!elled against me from the time yo+ were !orn. ) <+t 3 will !e patient. 3 will do this for myself. 6eople will praise me for not !ecoming angry and destroying yo+. ;o+ will praise me for waiting. 1, ook, 3 will make yo+ p+re, !+t not in the way yo+ make silver p+re. 3 will make yo+ p+re !y giving yo+ tro+!les. 11 3 will do this for myselffor me" 3 will not let yo+ treat me as if 3 am not 3saiah #(.12*1( 1%) important. 3 will not let some false god take my glory and praise. 12 Caco!, listen to me" 3srael, 3 called yo+ to !e my people. So listen to me" 3 am the <eginning, and 3 am the -nd. 13 3 made the earth with my own hands. Ay right hand made the sky. And if 3 call them, they will come to stand !efore me. 1# All of yo+, come here and listen to me. Did any of the false gods say these things wo+ld happen? 1o" The 5.D@S friend will do what he wants to <a!ylon and the 9haldeans. 1% 3 told yo+ that 3 wo+ld call him. 3 will lead him, and 3 will make him s+cceed. 1& 9ome here and listen to me" 3 was there when <a!ylon !egan as a nation. And from the !eginning, 3 spoke clearly so that people co+ld know what 3 said. 1ow, the ord G5D sends me and his Spirit to tell yo+ these things. 1' The 5.D, the Savior, the $oly 5ne of 3srael, says, 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 teach yo+ for yo+r own good. 3 lead pag. '%)0131#

yo+ in the way yo+ sho+ld go. 1( 3f yo+ had o!eyed me, then peace wo+ld have come to yo+ like a f+ll flowing river. Good things wo+ld have 3saiah #(.1)*#).2 1&, come to yo+ again and again, like the waves of the sea. 1) 3f yo+ had o!eyed me, yo+ wo+ld have had as many children as there are grains of sand. And they wo+ld always have !een mine and wo+ld never have !een destroyed. 2, Ay people, leave <a!ylon" Ay people, r+n from the 9haldeans" Tell the news with =oy. Spread the news aro+nd the world. Tell them, The 5.D resc+ed his servant Caco!. 21 They never got thirsty as he led them thro+gh the desert, !eca+se he made water flow from a rock. $e split the rock, and water flowed o+t. 22 <+t the 5.D also said, There is no peace for evil people. 49 1 $ear me, people !y the sea. isten to me, yo+ faraway nations. The 5.D called me !efore 3 was !orn. $e called my name while 3 was still in my mothers wom!. 2 $e +sed me to speak for him. $e +sed me like a sharp sword, !+t he also held me in his hand to protect me. $e +sed me like a sharp arrow, !+t he also kept me safe in his arrow !ag. 3saiah #).3*' 1&1 3 $e told me, 3srael, yo+ are my servant. 3 will do wonderf+l things with yo+. # 3 said, 3 worked hard for nothing. 3 wore myself o+t, !+t 3 did nothing +sef+l. 3 +sed all my power, !+t 3 did not really do anything. So the 5.D m+st decide what to do with me. $e m+st decide my reward. % The 5.D is the one who made me in my mothers wom!, so that 3 co+ld !e his servant. $e wanted me to lead Caco! and 3srael !ack to him. The 5.D gives me honor. 3 get my strength from my God. & And now he says, ;o+ are a very important servant to me. ;o+ m+st !ring -asy To .ead /ersion

!ack to me the tri!es of Caco!. ;o+ m+st !ring !ack the people of 3srael who are still alive. <+t 3 have something else for yo+ to do that is even more important: 3 will make yo+ a light for the other nations. ;o+ will show people all over the world the way to !e saved. ' The 5.D, the Savior and $oly 5ne of 3srael, speaks to his servant. 6eople hate that servant. 1ations despise him. $e is now a slave to r+lers. The ord says to him, Gings will see yo+ and stand to 3saiah #).(*12 1&2 honor yo+. Great leaders will !ow down to yo+. This will happen for the 5.D. The $oly 5ne of 3srael is the one who chose yo+, and he can !e tr+sted. ( This is what the 5.D says, There will !e a special time when 3 show my kindness. Then 3 will answer yo+r prayers. There will !e a special day when 3 will save yo+. Then 3 will help yo+ and protect yo+. And yo+ will !e the proof of my agreement with the people. The co+ntry is destroyed now, !+t yo+ will give the land !ack to the people who own it. ) ;o+ will tell the prisoners, 9ome o+t of yo+r prison" ;o+ will tell those who are in darkness, 9ome o+t of the dark" The people will eat along the road, and they will have food even on empty hills. 1, They will not !e h+ngry or thirsty. The hot s+n and wind will not h+rt them. Their 9omforter will lead them. $e will lead them !y springs of water. 11 3 will make a road for my people. The mo+ntains will !e made flat, and the low roads will !e raised. 12 ook" 6eople are coming to me from faraway places. They are coming to me 3saiah #).13*1) 1&3 from the north and from the west. They are coming to me from Aswan in -gypt. 13 $eavens and earth, !e happy" Ao+ntains, sho+t with =oy" The 5.D comforts his people. $e is good to his poor people. 1# <+t now Bion says, The 5.D has left meF the ord has forgotten me. pag. '&,0131#

1% <+t the ord says, 9an a woman forget her !a!y? 9an she forget the child who came from her !ody? -ven if she can forget her children, 3 cannot forget yo+. 1& 3 drew a pict+re of yo+ on my hand. ;o+ are always !efore my eyes. 1' ;o+r children will come !ack to yo+, and those who destroyed yo+ will leave. 1( ook +p" ook all aro+nd yo+" All of yo+r children are gathering together and coming to yo+. The 5.D says, 5n my life, 3 promise yo+ this: ;o+r children will !e like =ewels that yo+ tie aro+nd yo+r neck. ;o+r children will !e like the necklace that a !ride wears. 1) ;o+ are destroyed and defeated now. ;o+r land is +seless. <+t after a short time, yo+ will have many people in yo+r 3saiah #).2,*2# 1&# land. And those who destroyed yo+ will !e far, far away. 2, ;o+ were sad for the children yo+ lost, !+t they will tell yo+, This place is too small" Give +s a !igger place to live" 21 Then yo+ will say to yo+rself, >ho gave me all these children? 3 was sad and lonely. Ay children were taken away. They were gone. So who gave me these children? ook, 3 was the only one left. >here did all these children come from? 22 This is what the ord G5D says: ook, 3 will wave my hand to the nations. 3 will raise my flag for everyone to see. Then they will !ring yo+r children to yo+. They will carry yo+r children on their sho+lders, and they will hold them in their arms. 23 Gings will !e their teachers. The da+ghters of kings will care for them. The kings and their da+ghters will !ow down to yo+. They will kiss the dirt at yo+r feet. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D, and anyone who tr+sts in me will not !e disappointed. 2# 3f a strong soldier takes a prisoner, can yo+ set him free? 3f a powerf+l 3saiah #).2%*%,.2 1&% soldier g+ards someone, can the prisoner escape? -asy To .ead /ersion

2% $ere is the 5.D@S answer: The prisoners will escape. Those capt+red !y the strong soldier will !e set free. Thats !eca+se 3 will fight yo+r !attles, and 3 will save yo+r children. 2& Those people h+rt yo+, !+t 3 will force them to eat their own !odies. Their own !lood will !e the wine that makes them dr+nk. Then everyone will know that the 5.D saved yo+. -veryone will know that the 6owerf+l 5ne of Caco! saved yo+. 50 1 This is what the 5.D says: 6eople of 3srael, yo+ say that 3 divorced yo+r mother, Cer+salem. <+t where is the legal paper that proves 3 divorced her? Ay children, did 3 owe money to someone? Did 3 sell yo+ to pay a de!t? 1o, yo+ were sold !eca+se of the !ad things yo+ did. ;o+r mother was sent away !eca+se of the !ad things yo+ did. 2 3 came home and fo+nd no one there. 3 called and called, !+t no one answered. Do yo+ think 3 cannot get yo+ !ack? Do yo+ think 3 cannot save yo+? ook, if 3 3saiah %,.3*) 1&& gave the command, the ocean wo+ld dry +p" 3 can t+rn rivers into a desert. The fish wo+ld die witho+t water, and their !odies wo+ld rot. 3 3 can make the skies dark. 3 can cover the skies in darkness as !lack as sackcloth. # The ord G5D gave me the a!ility to teach, so now 3 teach these sad people. -very morning he wakes me and teaches me like a st+dent. % The ord G5D helps me learn, and 3 have not t+rned against him. 3 will not stop following him. & 3 will let those people !eat me and p+ll the hair from my !eard. 3 will not hide my face when they say !ad things to me and spit at me. ' The ord G5D will help me, so the !ad things they say will not h+rt me. 3 will !e strong. 3 know 3 will not !e disappointed. ( God is with me, and he is the one who shows that 3 am innocent. So no one can pag. '&10131#

say 3 am g+ilty. 3f anyone wants to try to prove me wrong, they sho+ld come here, and we will have a trial. ) <+t look, the ord G5D helps me, so no one can prove me g+ilty. As for them, 3saiah %,.1,*%1.3 1&' they will all !e like worthless old clothes, eaten !y moths. 1, 6eople who respect the 5.D also listen to his servant. That servant lives completely tr+sting in God witho+t knowing what will happen. $e really tr+sts in the 5.D@S name and depends on his God. 11 The ord says, ook, yo+ people want to do whatever yo+ want. So light yo+r own fires and torches, !+t yo+ will !e p+nished. ;o+ will fall into yo+r fires and torches and !e !+rned. 3 will make that happen. 51 1 Some of yo+ people try hard to live good lives. ;o+ go to the 5.D for help. isten to me. ;o+ sho+ld look at A!raham yo+r father. $e is the rock yo+ were c+t from. 2 A!raham is yo+r father, so look at him. ook at Sarah, who gave !irth to yo+. A!raham was alone when 3 called him. Then 3 !lessed him, and he !egan a great family with many descendants. 3 3n the same way, the 5.D will !less Bion. $e will feel sorry for her and her people, and he will do something great for her. $e will t+rn the desert into a 3saiah %1.#*( 1&( garden. 3t will !e like the Garden of -den. The land was empty, !+t it will !ecome like the 5.D@S garden. 6eople there will !e very happy. They will sing victory songs to thank God for what he did. # Ay people, listen to me" Ay decisions will !e like lights showing people how to live. % 3 will soon save yo+ and show that 3 am fair. 3 will +se my power and =+dge all nations. All the faraway places are waiting for me. They wait for my power to help them. & ook +p to the heavens" ook aro+nd -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ at the earth !elow" The skies will disappear like clo+ds of smoke. The earth will !ecome like worthless old clothes. The people on earth will die, !+t my salvation will contin+e forever. Ay goodness will never end. ' ;o+ people who +nderstand goodness sho+ld listen to me. ;o+ people who follow my teachings sho+ld hear the things 3 say. Dont !e afraid of evil people. Dont let their ins+lts +pset yo+. ( They will !e like old clothes eaten !y moths. They will !e like wool eaten 3saiah %1.)*13 1&) !y worms. <+t my goodness will last forever. Ay salvation will contin+e forever and ever. ) >ake +p" >ake +p" Arm of the 5.D, clothe yo+rself with strength. Show yo+r power the way yo+ did long ago, as yo+ have from ancient times. ;o+ are the one who destroyed .aha!. ;o+ defeated the Dragon. 1, ;o+ dried +p the water that was in the deep sea. ;o+ made a road thro+gh the deepest parts of the sea. ;o+r people crossed over and were saved. 11 The 5.D will save his people. They will ret+rn to Bion with =oy. They will !e very happy. Their happiness will !e like a crown on their heads forever. They will !e singing with =oy. All sadness will !e gone far away. 12 The ord says, 3 am the one who comforts yo+. So why sho+ld yo+ !e afraid of people? They are only h+mans who live and die like the grass. 13 3, the 5.D, am the one who made yo+. >ith my power 3 made the earth and spread the sky over the earth. <+t yo+ have forgotten me, so yo+ are always afraid that angry men will h+rt 3saiah %1.1#*1) 1', yo+. Those men planned to destroy yo+, !+t where are they now? 1# 6eople in prison will soon !e made free. They will not die and rot in prison. They will have plenty of food. 1% 3 am the 5.D yo+r God, the one who stirs +p the sea and makes the pag. '&20131#

waves roar. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is his name. 1& Ay servant, 3 gave yo+ the words 3 want yo+ to say, and 3 covered yo+ with my hands to protect yo+. 3 did this to make a new heaven and earth and so that yo+ wo+ld say to 3srael, ;o+ are my people. 1' >ake +p" >ake +p" Cer+salem, get +p" The 5.D was very angry with yo+. So yo+ were p+nished. 3t was like a c+p of poison yo+ had to drink, and yo+ drank it all. 1( Cer+salem had many people, !+t none of them !ecame leaders for her. 1one of the children she raised !ecame g+ides to lead her. 1) Tro+!les came to yo+, Cer+salem, in pairs: ;o+r land was destroyed and lies in r+ins, and yo+r people s+ffered from 3saiah %1.2,*23 1'1 famine and war. <+t no one felt sorry for yo+ or showed yo+ mercy. 2, ;o+r people !ecame weak. They fell on the gro+nd and lay there. They were lying on every street corner, like animals ca+ght in a net. They were p+nished !y the 5.D@S anger +ntil they co+ld not accept any more p+nishment. >hen God said he wo+ld give them more p+nishment, they !ecame very weak. 21 isten to me, poor Cer+salem. ;o+ are weak like a dr+nk, !+t yo+ are not dr+nk from wine. ;o+ are weak from that c+p of poison. 22 ;o+r God is the one who fights for his people. $e is yo+r ord G5D, and he says to yo+, ook, 3 am taking this c+p of poison away from yo+. 3t is f+ll of my anger, and 3 am taking it o+t of yo+r hand. ;o+ will not !e p+nished !y my anger again. 23 3 will now +se my anger to p+nish the people who h+rt yo+. They tried to kill yo+. They told yo+, <ow down !efore +s, and we will walk all over yo+. ;o+r !ack !ecame like the gro+nd +nder their feet. ;o+ were like a dirt road for them to walk on. 3saiah %2.1*' 1'2 -asy To .ead /ersion

52 1 >ake +p" >ake +p" Bion, clothe yo+rself with strength. $oly city of Cer+salem, stand +p and p+t on yo+r !ea+tif+l clothes" Those filthy foreigners will not enter yo+ again. 2 Cer+salem, get +p and shake off the d+st" 9ity of Bion, yo+ were a prisoner, !+t take the chains off yo+r neck. 3 The 5.D says, ;o+ were not sold for money. So 3 will not +se money to set yo+ free. # The ord G5D says, 2irst, my people went down to -gypt and !ecame slaves. Then Assyria made them slaves. % 1ow look what has happened. Another nation has taken my people, says the 5.D. That co+ntry did not pay to take my people, !+t they r+le over them and la+gh at them, and they say !ad things a!o+t me all the time. The 5.D is the one saying these things. & This happened so that my people will learn a!o+t me. Ay people will know who 3 am. Ay people will know my name, and they will know that 3 Am $e is speaking to them. ' $ow wonderf+l it is to see someone coming over the hills to tell good news. 3saiah %2.(*1# 1'3 $ow wonderf+l to hear him anno+nce, There is peace" >e have !een saved" and to hear him say to Bion, ;o+r God is the king" ( The city g+ards are sho+ting. They are all re=oicing together. They can all see the 5.D ret+rning to Bion. ) .+ins of Cer+salem, !e happy again" .e=oice !eca+se the 5.D comforted his people and set Cer+salem free. 1, The 5.D showed his holy strength to all the nations. All the faraway co+ntries saw how God saved his people. 11 So leave <a!ylon" eave that place" 6riests, yo+ carry the things that !elong to the 5.D. So make yo+rselves p+re. Dont to+ch anything that is not p+re. 12 ;o+ will leave <a!ylon, !+t they will not force yo+ to leave in a h+rry. ;o+ will not !e forced to r+n away. The 5.D will !e in front of yo+. The God of 3srael will pag. '&30131#

!e !ehind yo+. 13 The ord says, ook, my servant will s+cceed in what he has to do, and he will !e raised to a position of high honor. 1# <+t many people were shocked when they saw him. $e was !eaten so !adly 3saiah %2.1%*%3.# 1'# that they co+ld hardly recogniEe him as a man. 1% 3t is also tr+e that many nations will !e amaEed at him. Gings will look at him and !e +na!le to speak. They will not hear the story a!o+t my servantF they will see it happen" They will not hear the story, !+t they will +nderstand" 53 1 >ho really !elieved what we heard? >ho saw in it the 5.D@S great power? 2 $e was always close to the ord. $e grew +p like a yo+ng plant, like a root growing in dry gro+nd. There was nothing special or impressive a!o+t the way he looked, nothing we co+ld see that wo+ld ca+se +s to like him. 3 6eople made f+n of him, and even his friends left him. $e was a man who s+ffered a lot of pain and sickness. >e treated him like someone of no importance, like someone people will not even look at !+t t+rn away from in disg+st. # The fact is, it was o+r s+ffering he took on himselfF he !ore o+r pain. <+t we tho+ght that God was p+nishing him, 3saiah %3.%*1, 1'% that God was !eating him for something he did. % <+t he was !eing p+nished for what we did. $e was cr+shed !eca+se of o+r g+ilt. $e took the p+nishment we deserved, and this !ro+ght +s peace. >e were healed !eca+se of his pain. & >e had all wandered away like sheep. >e had gone o+r own way. And yet the 5.D p+t all o+r g+ilt on him. ' $e was treated !adly, !+t he never protested. $e said nothing, like a lam! !eing led away to !e killed. $e was like a sheep that makes no so+nd as its wool is !eing c+t off. $e never opened his -asy To .ead /ersion

mo+th to defend himself. ( $e was taken away !y force and =+dged +nfairly. The people of his time did not even notice that he was killed. <+t he was p+t to death for the sins of his people. ) $e had done no wrong to anyone. $e had never even told a lie. <+t he was !+ried among the wicked. $is tom! was with the rich. 1, <+t the 5.D was pleased with this h+m!le servant who s+ffered s+ch pain. -ven after giving himself as an offering 3saiah %3.11*%#.2 1'& for sin, he will see his descendants and en=oy a long life. $e will s+cceed in doing what the 5.D wanted. 11 After his s+ffering he will see the light, and he will !e satisfied with what he e4perienced. The ord says, Ay servant, who always does what is right, will make his people right with meF he will take away their sins. 12 2or this reason 3 will treat him as one of my great people. 3 will give him the rewards of one who wins in !attle, and he will share them with his powerf+l ones. 3 will do this !eca+se he gave his life for the people. $e was considered a criminal, !+t the tr+th is, he carried away the sins of many. 1ow he will stand !efore me and speak for those who have sinned. 54 1 >oman, !e happy" ;o+ have not had any children, !+t yo+ sho+ld !e very happy. ;es, the woman who is alone will have more children than the woman with a h+s!and. This is what the 5.D says. 2 Aake yo+r tent !igger. 5pen yo+r doors wide. Dont think small" Aake yo+r tent large and strong, 3saiah %#.3*( 1'' 3 !eca+se yo+ will grow in all directions. ;o+r children will take over many nations and live in the cities that were destroyed. # Dont !e afraid" ;o+ will not !e disappointed. 6eople will not say !ad things against yo+. ;o+ will not !e em!arrassed. >hen yo+ were yo+ng, pag. '&#0131#

yo+ felt shame. <+t yo+ will forget that shame now. ;o+ will not remem!er the shame yo+ felt when yo+ lost yo+r h+s!and. % ;o+r real h+s!and is the one who made yo+. $is name is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. The $oly 5ne of 3srael is yo+r Savior, and he is the God of all the earth" & ike a woman whose h+s!and has left her, yo+ were very sad. ;o+ were like a yo+ng wife left all alone. <+t the 5.D has called yo+ !ack to him. This is what yo+r God says. ' 2or a short time 3 t+rned away from yo+, !+t with all my love 3 will welcome yo+ again. ( 3 was so angry that for a while 3 did not want to see yo+. <+t now 3 want to comfort yo+ with kindness forever. The 5.D yo+r Savior said this. 3saiah %#.)*1# 1'( ) .emem!er, in 1oahs time 3 p+nished the world with the flood. <+t 3 made a promise to 1oah that 3 wo+ld never again destroy the world with water. 3n the same way, 3 promise that 3 will never again !e angry with yo+ and say !ad things to yo+. 1, The mo+ntains may disappear, and the hills may !ecome d+st, !+t my faithf+l love will never leave yo+. 3 will make peace with yo+, and it will never end. The 5.D who loves yo+ said this. 11 ;o+ poor city" -nemies came against yo+ like storms, and no one comforted yo+. <+t 3 will re!+ild yo+. 3 will +se a !ea+tif+l mortar to lay the stones of yo+r walls. 3 will +se sapphire stones when 3 lay the fo+ndation. 12 The stones on top of the wall will !e made from r+!ies. 3 will +se shiny =ewels for the gates. 3 will +se precio+s stones to !+ild the walls aro+nd yo+. 13 3, the 5.D, will teach yo+r children, and they will have real peace. 1# ;o+ will !e !+ilt on goodness. ;o+ will !e safe from cr+elty and fear. So yo+ will have nothing to fear. 1othing will come to h+rt yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

3saiah %#.1%*%%.2 1') 1% 3 will never send anyone to attack yo+. And if any army tries to attack yo+, yo+ will defeat them. 1& ook, 3 made the !lacksmith. $e !lows on the fire to make it hotter. Then he takes the hot iron and makes the kind of tool he wants to make. 3n the same way, 3 made the Destroyer to destroy things. 1' 6eople will make weapons to fight against yo+, !+t their weapons will not defeat yo+. Some people will say things against yo+, !+t anyone who speaks against yo+ will !e proved wrong. The 5.D says, That is what my servants get" They get the good things that come from me, their 5.D. 55 1 All yo+ people who are thirsty, come" $ere is water for yo+ to drink. Dont worry if yo+ have no money. 9ome, eat and drink +ntil yo+ are f+ll" ;o+ dont need money. The milk and wine are free. 2 >hy waste yo+r money on something that is not real food? >hy sho+ld yo+ work for something that does not really satisfy yo+? isten closely to me and yo+ 3saiah %%.3*' 1(, will eat what is good. ;o+ will en=oy the food that satisfies yo+r so+l. 3 isten closely to what 3 say. isten to me so that yo+ will live. 3 will make an agreement with yo+ that will last forever. 3t will !e an agreement yo+ can tr+st, like the one 3 made with David a promise to love him and !e loyal to him forever. # 3 made David a witness of my power for all nations. 3 promised him that he wo+ld !ecome a r+ler and commander of many nations. % There are nations in places yo+ dont know, !+t yo+ will call for them to come. They dont know yo+, !+t they will r+n to yo+. This will happen !eca+se the 5.D, yo+r God, wants it. 3t will happen !eca+se the $oly 5ne of 3srael honors yo+. & So yo+ sho+ld look for the 5.D !efore it is too late. ;o+ sho+ld call to pag. '&%0131#

him now, while he is near. ' -vil people sho+ld stop living evil lives. They sho+ld stop thinking !ad tho+ghts. They sho+ld come to the 5.D again, and he will comfort them. They sho+ld come to o+r God !eca+se he will freely forgive them. 3saiah %%.(*13 1(1 ( The 5.D says, Ay tho+ghts are not like yo+rs. ;o+r ways are not like mine. ) C+st as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than yo+r ways, and my tho+ghts are higher than yo+r tho+ghts. 1, .ain and snow fall from the sky and dont ret+rn +ntil they have watered the gro+nd. Then the gro+nd ca+ses the plants to spro+t and grow, and they prod+ce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 3n the same way, my words leave my mo+th, and they dont come !ack witho+t res+lts. Ay words make the things happen that 3 want to happen. They s+cceed in doing what 3 send them to do. 12 So yo+ will go o+t from there with =oy. ;o+ will !e led o+t in peace. >hen yo+ come to the mo+ntains and hills, they will !egin singing. All the trees in the fields will clap their hands. 13 arge cypress trees will grow where there were thorn!+shes. Ayrtle trees will grow where there were weeds. All this will happen to make the 5.D 3saiah %&.1*% 1(2 known, to !e a permanent reminder of his goodness and power. 56 1 The 5.D said these things, <e fair to all people. Do what is right, !eca+se soon my salvation will come to yo+. Ay goodness will soon !e shown to the whole world. 2 3 will !less those who ref+se to do wrong and who o!ey the law a!o+t the Sa!!ath. 3 Some foreigners who choose to follow the 5.D sho+ld not say, The 5.D will not really accept me like the rest of his people. A e+n+ch sho+ld not say, 3 am -asy To .ead /ersion

only a dry piece of wood. 3 cannot have any children. # They sho+ld not say that !eca+se the 5.D says, Some e+n+chs o!ey the laws a!o+t the Sa!!ath. They choose to do what 3 want, and they follow my agreement. % So 3 will p+t a memorial stone in my Temple for them. Their name will !e remem!ered in my city" ;es, 3 will give those e+n+chs something !etter than sons and da+ghters. 3 will give them a name that will last forever" They will not !e c+t off from my people. 3saiah %&.&*11 1(3 & Some foreigners will choose to follow me, the 5.D. They will want to serve me and love my name. They will want to !e my servants. They will keep the Sa!!ath as a special day of worship, and they will contin+e to follow closely my agreement. ' So 3 will !ring them to my holy mo+ntain and make them happy in my ho+se of prayer. The offerings and sacrifices they give me will please me, !eca+se my Temple will !e called a ho+se of prayer for all nations. ( The ord G5D said these things. The 3sraelites were forced to leave their co+ntry, !+t the ord will gather them together again. $e says, 3 will !ring them !ack together" ) >ild animals in the forest, come and eat. 1, The watchmen are all !lind. They dont know what they are doing. They are like dogs that will not !ark. They lie on the gro+nd and sleep. 5h, they love to sleep. 11 They are like h+ngry dogs. They are never satisfied. The shepherds dont know what they are doing. ike their 3saiah %&.12*%'.& 1(# sheep, they have all wandered away. They are greedy. All they want is to satisfy themselves. 12 They come and say, 3 will drink some wine. 3 will drink some !eer. 3 will do the same thing tomorrow, !+t 3 will drink pag. '&&0131#

even more. 57 1 All the good people are gone, and no one even noticed. The loyal followers were gathered +p, !+t no one knows why. The reason they were gathered +p is that tro+!le is coming. 2 <+t peace will come too, and those who tr+st him will get to rest in their own !eds. 3 9ome here, yo+ children of witches. ;o+r father committed ad+ltery, and yo+r mother was +nfaithf+l. # ;o+ are children o+t of control, f+ll of lies. ;o+ make f+n of me. ;o+ make faces and stick o+t yo+r tong+e at me. % All yo+ want is to worship false gods +nder every green tree. ;o+ kill children !y every stream and sacrifice them in the rocky places. & ;o+ love to worship the smooth rocks in the rivers. ;o+ po+r wine on them to worship them. ;o+ give sacrifices to 3saiah %'.'*11 1(% them, !+t those rocks are all yo+ get. Do yo+ think this makes me happy? ;o+ make yo+r !ed on every hill and high mo+ntain. ' ;o+ go +p to those places and offer sacrifices. ( ;o+ hide the things that help yo+ remem!er me !ehind the doors and doorframes. ;o+ were with me, !+t yo+ got +p to go to them. ;o+ spread o+t yo+r !ed and gave yo+rself to them. ;o+ love their !eds and en=oy looking at their naked !odies. ) ;o+ +se yo+r oils and perf+mes to look nice for Aolech. ;o+ sent yo+r messengers to faraway lands, and this will !ring yo+ down to the place of death. 1, All of them made yo+ tired, !+t yo+ never gave +p. ;o+ fo+nd new strength, !eca+se yo+ en=oyed them. 11 ;o+ did not remem!er me. ;o+ did not even notice me" So who were yo+ worrying a!o+t? >ho were yo+ afraid of? >hy did yo+ lie? ook, 3 have !een J+iet for a long time. 3s that why yo+ didnt honor me? 3saiah %'.12*1' 1(& -asy To .ead /ersion

12 3 co+ld tell a!o+t yo+r good works and all the religio+s things yo+ do, !+t that will not help yo+. 13 >hen yo+ need help, yo+ cry to those false gods that yo+ have gathered aro+nd yo+. et them help yo+" <+t 3 tell yo+, the wind will !low them all away. A p+ff of wind will !low them all away. <+t the one who depends on me will get the land 3 promised and en=oy my holy mo+ntain. 1# 9lear the road" 9lear the road" Aake the way clear for my people" 1% God is high and lifted +p. $e lives forever. $is name is holy. $e says, 3 live in a high and holy place, !+t 3 also live with people who are h+m!le and sorry for their sins. 3 will give new life to those who are h+m!le in spirit. 3 will give new life to those who are sorry for their sins. 1& 3 will not acc+se my people forever. 3 will not always !e angry. 3f 3 contin+ed to show my anger, then the h+man spirit, the life 3 gave them, wo+ld die !efore me. 1' 3sraels evil greed made me angry, so 3 p+nished them. 3 t+rned away from them !eca+se 3 was angry. <+t 3saiah %'.1(*%(.3 1(' they contin+ed to do wrong. They did whatever they wanted. 1( 3 have seen their way of life, !+t 3 will heal them. 3 will g+ide and comfort them and those who mo+rn for them. 1) 3 will teach them a new word: peace. 3 will give peace to those who are near and to those who are far away. 3 will heal them. The 5.D himself said this. 2, <+t evil people are like the angry ocean. They cannot !e J+iet and peacef+l. They are angry, and like the ocean, they stir +p m+d. Ay God says, 21 There is no peace for evil people. 58 1 Sho+t as lo+d as yo+ can and dont stop. Sho+t like a tr+mpet" Tell the people what they did wrong. Tell the family of Caco! a!o+t their sins. 2 They still come every day to worship me, acting as if they want to learn my ways. They pretend to !e a nation that pag. '&'0131#

lives right and o!eys the commands of their God. They ask me to =+dge them fairly. They want their God to !e near them. 3 They say, >e fast to show honor to yo+. >hy dont yo+ see +s? >e starve o+r !odies to show honor to yo+. >hy 3saiah %(.#*' 1(( dont yo+ notice +s? <+t God says, ;o+ do things to please yo+rselves on those special days of fasting. And yo+ p+nish yo+r servants, not yo+r own !odies. # ;o+ are h+ngry, !+t not for food. ;o+ are h+ngry for arg+ing and fighting, not for !read. ;o+ are h+ngry to hit people with yo+r evil hands. This is not the way to fast if yo+ want yo+r prayers to !e heard in heaven" % Do yo+ think 3 want to see people p+nish their !odies on those days of fasting? Do yo+ think 3 want people to look sad and !ow their heads like dead plants? Do yo+ think 3 want people to wear mo+rning clothes and sit in ashes to show their sadness? That is what yo+ do on yo+r days of fasting. Do yo+ think that is what the 5.D wants? & 3 will tell yo+ the kind of day 3 want: a day to set people free. 3 want a day that yo+ take the !+rdens off others. 3 want a day when yo+ set tro+!led people free and yo+ take the !+rdens from their sho+lders. ' 3 want yo+ to share yo+r food with the h+ngry. 3 want yo+ to find the poor who dont have homes and !ring them into 3saiah %(.(*11 1() yo+r own homes. >hen yo+ see people who have no clothes, give them yo+r clothes" Dont hide from yo+r relatives when they need help. ( 3f yo+ do these things, yo+r light will !egin to shine like the light of dawn. Then yo+r wo+nds will heal. ;o+r Goodness will walk in front of yo+, and the Glory of the 5.D will come following !ehind yo+. ) Then yo+ will call to the 5.D, and he will answer yo+. ;o+ will cry o+t to him, and he will say, $ere 3 am. Stop ca+sing -asy To .ead /ersion

tro+!le and p+tting !+rdens on people. Stop saying things to h+rt people or acc+sing them of doing things they didnt do. 1, 2eel sorry for h+ngry people and give them food. $elp those who are tro+!led and satisfy their needs. Then yo+r light will shine in the darkness. ;o+ will !e like the !right s+nshine at noon. 11 The 5.D will always lead yo+ and satisfy yo+r needs in dry lands. $e will give strength to yo+r !ones. ;o+ will !e like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring that never goes dry. 3saiah %(.12*%).3 1), 12 ;o+r cities have !een destroyed for many years, !+t yo+ will re!+ild them and their fo+ndations will last for a long time. ;o+ will !e called 2ence 2i4er and <+ilder of .oads and $o+ses. 13 That will happen when yo+ stop sinning against Gods law a!o+t the Sa!!ath and when yo+ stop doing things to please yo+rself on that special day. ;o+ sho+ld call the Sa!!ath a happy day. ;o+ sho+ld honor the 5.D@S special day !y not saying and doing things that yo+ do every other day of the week. 1# Then yo+ co+ld en=oy the 5.D. As the 5.D himself says, 3 co+ld carry yo+ +p to the highest mo+ntain and let yo+ en=oy the land that 3 gave to yo+r father Caco!. 59 1 ook, the 5.D@S power is eno+gh to save yo+. $e can hear yo+ when yo+ ask him for help. 2 3t is yo+r sins that separate yo+ from yo+r God. $e t+rns away from yo+ when he sees them. 3 Thats !eca+se yo+r hands are covered with !lood from the people yo+ m+rdered. ;o+ tell lies and say evil things. 3saiah %).#*1, 1)1 # ;o+ cant !e tr+sted, even in co+rt. ;o+ lie a!o+t each other and depend on false arg+ments to win yo+r cases. ;o+ create pain and prod+ce wickedness. % ;o+ hatch evil, like eggs from a poisono+s snake. Anyone who eats the pag. '&(0131#

eggs will die. And if yo+ !reak one of them open, a poisono+s snake will come o+t. ;o+r lies are like spider we!s. & They cannot !e +sed for clothes, and yo+ cannot cover yo+rself with them. ;o+r hands are always !+sy sinning and h+rting others. ' ;o+r feet r+n toward evil. ;o+ are always ready to kill innocent people. ;o+ think of nothing !+t evil. -verywhere yo+ go yo+ ca+se tro+!le and r+in. ( ;o+ dont know how to live in peace. ;o+ dont do what is right and fair. ;o+ are crooked, and anyone who lives like that will never know tr+e peace. ) All fairness and goodness is gone. There is only darkness aro+nd +s, so we m+st wait for the light. >e hope for a !right light, !+t all we have is darkness. 1, >e are like people witho+t eyes. >e walk into walls like !lind people. >e st+m!le and fall as if it was night. 3saiah %).11*1& 1)2 -ven in the daylight, we cannot see. At noontime, we fall like dead men. 11 >e are always complainingF we growl like !ears and moan like doves. >e are waiting for =+stice, !+t there is none. >e are waiting to !e saved, !+t salvation is still far away. 12 Thats !eca+se we committed crimes against o+r God. 5+r own sins speak o+t against +s. >e know we are g+ilty. >e know we have sinned. 13 >e re!elled against the 5.D and lied to him. >e t+rned away from o+r God and left him. >e planned to h+rt others and to re!el against God. 2rom hearts filled with lies, we talked a!o+t it and made o+r plans. 1# >e p+shed C+stice away. 2airness stands off in the distance. Tr+th has fallen in the streets. Goodness is not allowed in the city. 1% oyalty is gone, and people who try to do good are ro!!ed. The 5.D looked and saw there was no =+stice. $e did not like what he saw. 1& $e did not see anyone speak +p for the people. $e was shocked to see that -asy To .ead /ersion

no one stood +p for them. So with his 3saiah %).1'*&,.1 1)3 own power he saved them. $is desire to do what is right gave him strength. 1' $e p+t on the armor of goodness, the helmet of salvation, the +niform of p+nishment, and the coat of strong love. 1( $e will give his enemies the p+nishment they deserve. They will feel his anger. $e will p+nish all his enemies. 6eople along the coast will get the p+nishment they deserve. 1) 6eople from the west to the east will fear the 5.D and respect his Glory. $e will come J+ickly, like a fastDflowing river driven !y a wind from the 5.D. 2, Then a redeemer will come to Bion to save the people of Caco! who have t+rned away from sin. 21 The 5.D says, As for me, this is the agreement that 3 will make with these people. 3 promise my Spirit that 3 p+t on yo+ and my words that 3 p+t in yo+r mo+th will never leave yo+. They will !e with yo+ and yo+r children and yo+r childrens children, for now and forever. 60 1 Cer+salem, get +p and shine" ;o+r ight is coming" The Glory of the 5.D will shine on yo+. 3saiah &,.2*' 1)# 2 Darkness now covers the earth, and the people are in darkness. <+t the 5.D will shine on yo+, and his Glory will appear over yo+. 3 Then the nations will come to yo+r light. Gings will come to yo+r !right s+nrise. # ook aro+nd yo+" See all the people gathering aro+nd. Those are yo+r sons coming from far away, and yo+r da+ghters are there !eside them. % At that time yo+ will see yo+r people, and yo+r faces will shine with happiness. 2irst, yo+ will !e afraid, !+t then yo+ will !e e4cited. All the riches from across the seas will !e set !efore yo+. The riches of the nations will come to yo+. & $erds of camels from Aidian and -phah will cross yo+r land. ong lines of camels will come from She!a. They will pag. '&)0131#

!ring gold and incense. 6eople will sing praises to the 5.D. ' 6eople will collect all the sheep from Gedar and give them to yo+. They will !ring yo+ rams from 1e!aioth. ;o+ will offer those animals on my altar, and 3 will accept them. 3 will make my wonderf+l Temple even more !ea+tif+l. 3saiah &,.(*13 1)% ( ook at the people. They are r+shing toward yo+ like clo+ds J+ickly crossing the sky. They are like doves flying to their nests. ) The faraway lands are waiting for me. The great cargo ships are ready to sail. They are ready to !ring yo+r children from faraway lands. They will !ring silver and gold with them to honor the 5.D yo+r God, the $oly 5ne of 3srael. $e has done wonderf+l things for yo+. 1, 9hildren from other lands will re!+ild yo+r walls. Their kings will serve yo+. >hen 3 was angry, 3 h+rt yo+, !+t now 3 want to !e kind to yo+. So 3 will comfort yo+. 11 ;o+r gates will always !e open. They will not !e closed, day or night. 1ations and kings will !ring their wealth to yo+. 12 Any nation or kingdom that does not serve yo+ will !e destroyed. 13 All the great things of e!anon will !e given to yo+. 6eople will !ring pine trees, fir trees, and cypress trees to yo+. These trees will !e +sed for l+m!er to make my $oly 6lace more !ea+tif+l. This place is like a stool in front of my throne, and 3 will honor it. 3saiah &,.1#*1( 1)& 1# 3n the past, people h+rt yo+, !+t they will !ow down !efore yo+. 3n the past, people hated yo+, !+t they will !ow down at yo+r feet. They will call yo+ The 9ity of the 5.D@S, Bion of the $oly 5ne of 3srael. 1% 6eople hated yo+. ;o+ were left all alone with no one passing thro+gh. <+t 3 will make yo+ great from now on. ;o+ will !e happy forever and ever. 1& 1ations will give yo+ what yo+ need, like a child drinking milk from its mother. -asy To .ead /ersion

<+t yo+ will drink riches from kings. Then yo+ will know that 3, the 5.D, who saves yo+. ;o+ will know that 3, the Great God of Caco!, protects yo+. 1' ;o+ now have copper, !+t 3 will !ring yo+ gold. ;o+ now have iron, !+t 3 will !ring yo+ silver. 3 will change yo+r wood into copper and yo+r rocks into iron. 3 will change yo+r p+nishment into peace. And those who p+nished yo+ will !e replaced with those who are kind to yo+. 1( There will never again !e news of violence in yo+r co+ntry. 6eople will never again attack yo+r co+ntry and steal from yo+. ;o+ will name yo+r walls, Salvation and yo+r gates, 6raise. 3saiah &,.1)*&1.2 1)' 1) The s+n will no longer !e yo+r light d+ring the day. The light from the moon will no longer !e yo+r light at night. The 5.D will !e yo+r light forever. ;o+r God will !e yo+r glory. 2, ;o+r s+n will never go down again. ;o+r moon will never again !e dark. Thats !eca+se the 5.D will !e yo+r light forever, and the dark days of mo+rning will end. 21 All yo+r people will !e good. They will get the land forever. They are the yo+ng plant in my garden that will grow to !e a wonderf+l tree. 3 made them with my own hands. 22 The smallest family will !ecome a large family gro+p. The smallest tri!e will !ecome a powerf+l nation. >hen the time is right, 3, the 5.D, will come J+ickly. 3 will make these things happen. 61 1 The Spirit of the ord G5D is on me. The 5.D has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. $e sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have !een set free. 2 $e sent me to anno+nce that the time has come for the 5.D to show his 3saiah &1.3*' 1)( kindness, when o+r God will also p+nish evil people. $e has sent me to comfort those who are sad, 3 those in Bion who mo+rn. 3 will take pag. '',0131#

away the ashes on their head, and 3 will give them a crown. 3 will take away their sadness, and 3 will give them the oil of happiness. 3 will take away their sorrow, and 3 will give them cele!ration clothes. $e sent me to name them Good Trees and The 5.D@S >onderf+l 6lant. # Then the old cities that were destroyed will !e re!+ilt. Those ancient r+ins will !e made new, as they were in the !eginning. % Then yo+r enemies will come to care for yo+r sheep, and their children will work in yo+r fields and in yo+r gardens. & ;o+ will !e called, The 5.D@S 6riests, The Servants of o+r God. ;o+ will !e pro+d of all the riches that have come to yo+ from all the nations on earth. ' 3n the past, other people shamed yo+ and said !ad things to yo+. ;o+ were shamed m+ch more than any other people. So in yo+r land yo+ will get two times more than other people. ;o+ will get the =oy that contin+es forever. 3saiah &1.(*&2.1 1)) ( Thats !eca+se 3 am the 5.D and 3 love =+stice. 3 hate stealing and everything that is wrong. So 3 will give the people what they deserve. 3 will make an agreement with my people forever. ) Their descendants will !e known thro+gho+t the earth, and everyone will know their children. >hoever sees them will know that the 5.D has !lessed them. 1, The 5.D makes me very happy. 3 am completely happy with my God. $e dressed me in the clothes of salvation. $e p+t the victory coat on me. 3 look like a man dressed for his wedding, like a !ride covered with =ewels. 11 The earth ca+ses plants to grow, and a garden makes the seeds planted there rise +p. 3n the same way, the ord G5D will make goodness and praise grow thro+gho+t the nations. 62 1 3 love Bion, so 3 will contin+e to speak for her. 3 love Cer+salem, so 3 will not stop speaking. 3 will speak -asy To .ead /ersion

+ntil goodness shines like a !right light, +ntil salvation !+rns !right like a flame. 3saiah &2.2*' 2,, 2 Then all nations will see yo+r goodness. All kings will see yo+r honor. Then yo+ will have a new name that the 5.D himself will give yo+. 3 ;o+ will !e like a !ea+tif+l crown that the 5.D holds +p, like a kings crown in the hand of yo+r God. # ;o+ will never again !e called The 6eople God eft. ;o+r land will never again !e called The and God Destroyed. ;o+ will !e called The 6eople God oves. ;o+r land will !e called Gods <ride, !eca+se the 5.D loves yo+, and yo+r land will !e his. % As a yo+ng man takes a !ride and she !elongs to him, so yo+r land will !elong to yo+r children. As a man is happy with his new wife, so yo+r God will !e happy with yo+. & Cer+salem, 3 p+t g+ards on yo+r walls. They will not !e silent. They will keep praying day and night. G+ards, keep praying to the 5.D. .emind him of his promise. Dont ever stop praying. ' Dont give him any rest +ntil he re!+ilds Cer+salem and makes it a place that everyone on earth will praise. 3saiah &2.(*&3.1 2,1 ( The 5.D made a promise and g+aranteed it !y his own power. And he will +se that power to keep his promise. The ord said, 3 promise that 3 will never again give yo+r food to yo+r enemies. 3 promise that they will never again take the wine yo+ make. ) >hoever gathers the food will eat it and praise the 5.D. >hoever gathers the grape will drink the wine in the co+rtyards of my Temple. 1, 9ome thro+gh the gates" 9lear the way for the people" 6repare the road" Aove all the stones off the road" .aise a flag as a sign for the nations" 11 isten, the 5.D is speaking to all the faraway lands: Tell the people of Bion, ook, yo+r Savior is coming. $e is !ringing yo+r reward to yo+. $e is pag. ''10131#

!ringing it with him. 12 $is people will !e called The $oly 6eople, The Saved 6eople of the 5.D. And yo+, Cer+salem, will !e called The 9ity God >ants, The 9ity God 3s >ith. 63 1 >ho is this coming from -dom, from the city of <oErah? $is clothes are stained !right red. $e is glorio+s in his clothes. $e is walking tall 3saiah &3.2*' 2,2 with his great power. $e says, 3 have the power to save yo+, and 3 speak the tr+th. 2 >hy are yo+r clothes !right red? They are like the clothes of someone who tramples grapes to make wine. 3 $e answers, 3 walked in the winepress !y myself. 1o one helped me. 3 was angry, and 3 trampled the grapes. The =+ice splashed on my clothes, so now they are stained. # 3 chose a time to p+nish people. 1ow the time has come for me to save and protect my people. % 3 looked aro+nd, !+t 3 saw no one to help me. 3 was s+rprised that no one s+pported me. So 3 +sed my own power to save my people. Ay own anger s+pported me. & 3n my anger 3 trampled down the nations. 3 p+nished them in anger and spilled their !lood on the gro+nd. ' 3 will remem!er the kind things the 5.D has done, and 3 will remem!er to praise him. The 5.D has given many good things to the family of 3srael. $e has !een very kind to +s. $e has shown +s mercy. 3saiah &3.(*13 2,3 ( $e said, These are my people. These are my real children. So he saved them. ) The people had many tro+!les, !+t he was not against them. $e loved them and felt sorry for them, so he saved them. $e sent his special angel to save them. $e picked them +p and carried them, =+st as he did long ago. 1, <+t they t+rned against him and made his $oly Spirit very sad. So the ord !ecame their enemy and fo+ght -asy To .ead /ersion

against them. 11 Then they remem!ered what happened long ago. They remem!ered Aoses and those with him. So where is the one who !ro+ght them thro+gh the sea along with the shepherds who led his flock? >here is the one who sent his $oly Spirit to live among them? 12 $e was !y Aoses side and led him with his wonderf+l hand. $e divided the water, so that the people co+ld walk thro+gh the sea. $e made his name famo+s !y doing those great things. 13 $e led the people thro+gh the deep sea. ike a horse r+nning thro+gh the desert, they walked witho+t falling. 3saiah &3.1#*&#.1 2,# 1# ike cattle going down to the valley, The Spirit of the 5.D led them. This is how yo+ led yo+r people and made yo+r name wonderf+l. 1% 6lease, look down from the heavens. See what is happening now. ook down at +s from yo+r great and holy home in heaven. >here is yo+r strong love for +s? >here is yo+r compassion? >hy are yo+ hiding yo+r kind love from me? 1& ook, yo+ are o+r father" A!raham does not know +s. 3srael does not recogniEe +s. 5.D, yo+ are o+r father" ;o+ are the one who has always saved +s" 1' 5.D, why are yo+ p+shing +s away from yo+? >hy are yo+ making it hard for +s to follow yo+? 9ome !ack to +s" >e are yo+r servants. 9ome to +s and help +s" 5+r tri!es !elong to yo+. 1( ;o+r holy people had their land only a short time. Then o+r enemies trampled down yo+r holy Temple. 1) Some people dont follow yo+. They dont wear yo+r name. And we have !een like them for a very long time. 64 1 3f yo+ wo+ld tear open the skies and come down to earth, then 3saiah &#.2*' 2,% everything wo+ld change. Ao+ntains wo+ld melt !efore yo+. 2 The mo+ntains wo+ld !+rst into flames like !+rning !+shes. The mo+ntains pag. ''20131#

wo+ld !oil like water on the fire. Then yo+r enemies wo+ld learn a!o+t yo+. And all nations wo+ld shake with fear when they see yo+. 3 <+t yo+ have done awesome things that we did not e4pect. ;o+ came down, and mo+ntains shook in fear !efore yo+. # 1o one has ever heard of s+ch a God. 1o one has ever heard s+ch a story. 1o one has ever seen any God e4cept yo+, who does s+ch great things for those who tr+st him. % ;o+ welcome people who en=oy doing good and who remem!er yo+ !y living the way yo+ want them to. <+t we sinned against yo+, and yo+ !ecame angry with +s. <+t yo+ always saved +s" & >e are all dirty with sin. -ven o+r good works are not p+re. They are like !loodstained rags. >e are all like dead leaves. 5+r sins have carried +s away like wind. ' >e dont call to yo+ for help. >e arent e4cited a!o+t following yo+, so yo+ have 3saiah &#.(*&%.2 2,& t+rned away from +s. >e are helpless !efore yo+, !eca+se we are f+ll of sin. ( <+t, 5.D, yo+ are o+r father. >e are like clay, and yo+ are the potter. ;o+r hands made +s all. ) 5.D, dont contin+e to !e angry with +s" Dont remem!er o+r sins forever" 6lease, look at +s" >e are all yo+r people. 1, ;o+r holy cities are as empty as the desert. Bion has !ecome a desert. Cer+salem is destroyed. 11 5+r ancestors worshiped yo+ in o+r holy Temple. That wonderf+l Temple has now !een !+rned. All o+r precio+s possessions have !een destroyed. 12 5.D, will these things always keep yo+ from helping? >ill yo+ contin+e to say nothing? >ill yo+ p+nish +s forever? 65 1 3 helped people who had not come to me for advice. Those who fo+nd me were not looking for me. 3 spoke to a nation that does not +se my name. 3 said, $ere 3 am" $ere 3 am" 2 All day long 3 stood ready to accept -asy To .ead /ersion

those who t+rned against me. <+t they kept doing whatever they wanted to do, and all they did was wrong. 3saiah &%.3*( 2,' 3 They keep doing things, right in front of me, that make me angry. They offer sacrifices and !+rn incense in their special gardens. # They sit among the graves, waiting to get messages from the dead. They eat the meat of pigs, and their pots are f+ll of so+p made from +nclean meat. % <+t they tell others, Dont come near me" Dont to+ch me !eca+se 3 am holy" They are like smoke in my eyes, and their fire !+rns all the time. & ook, here is a letter that lists all yo+r sins. 3 will not !e J+iet +ntil 3 pay yo+ !ack for these sins. 3 will do it !y p+nishing yo+. ' 3, the 5.D, am doing this !eca+se of yo+r sins and the sins of yo+r ancestors. They did these sins when they !+rned incense in the mo+ntains. They shamed me on those hills, and 3 p+nished them first. ( The 5.D says, >hen there is new wine in the grapes, people sJ+eeEe o+t the wine. <+t they dont completely destroy the grapes !eca+se the grapes can still !e +sed. 3 will do the same thing 3saiah &%.)*13 2,( to my servants. 3 will not destroy them completely. ) 3 will keep some of the people of Caco!. Some of the people of C+dah will get my mo+ntains. 3 will choose the people who will get the land. Ay servants will live there. 1, Then Sharon /alley will !e a field for sheep. The /alley of Achor will !e a place for cattle to rest. All this will !e for my people, for the people who come to me for help. 11 <+t yo+ people left the 5.D, so yo+ will !e p+nished. ;o+ forgot a!o+t my holy mo+ntain. ;o+ !egan to worship +ck. ;o+ held feasts for the false god, 2ate. 12 <+t 3 decided what wo+ld happen to pag. ''30131#

yo+: yo+ will !e killed with a sword. ;o+ will all !e killed, !eca+se 3 called to yo+, !+t yo+ ref+sed to answer me. 3 spoke to yo+, !+t yo+ wo+ld not listen. ;o+ did what 3 said is evil and chose to do what 3 did not like. 13 So this is what the ord G5D says: Ay servants will eat, !+t yo+ evil people will !e h+ngry. Ay servants will drink, 3saiah &%.1#*1( 2,) !+t yo+ will !e thirsty. Ay servants will !e happy, !+t yo+ will s+ffer shame. 1# Ay servants will sho+t for =oy, !+t yo+ will cry o+t in pain. ;o+r spirits will !e !roken, and yo+ will !e very sad. 1% ;o+r names will !e like c+rses to my chosen servants. The ord G5D will kill yo+, and then he will call his servants !y a new name. 1& The ord says, 6eople now ask !lessings from the earth. <+t in the f+t+re they will ask !lessings from the faithf+l God. 6eople now tr+st in the power of the earth when they make a promise. <+t in the f+t+re they will tr+st in the God who is faithf+l. Thats !eca+se the tro+!les in the past will all !e forgotten. They will !e hidden from my sight. 1' 3 am creating a new heaven and a new earth. The tro+!les of the past will !e forgotten. 1o one will remem!er them. 1( Ay people will !e happy and re=oice forever and ever !eca+se of what 3 will make. 3 will make a Cer+salem that is f+ll of =oy, and 3 will make her people happy. 3saiah &%.1)*2# 21, 1) Then 3 will re=oice with Cer+salem. 3 will !e happy with my people. There will never again !e crying and sadness in that city. 2, 3n that city there will never !e a !a!y who lives only a few days, and every older person will live for a long, long time. A person who lives 1,, years will !e called yo+ng. And whoever doesnt live that long will !e considered c+rsed. 21 3n that city whoever !+ilds a ho+se will live thereF whoever plants a vineyard -asy To .ead /ersion

will eat the grapes from that garden. 22 1ever again will one person !+ild a ho+se and another person live there. 1ever again will one person plant a garden and another eat the fr+it from it. Ay people will live as long as the trees. Ay chosen people will get f+ll +se of whatever they make. 23 1ever again will a woman s+ffer child!irth and have her !a!y die. >omen will not fear child!irth. 3, the 5.D, will !less all my people and their children. 2# 3 will answer them !efore they call for help. 3 will help them !efore they finish asking. 3saiah &%.2%*&&.# 211 2% >olves and little lam!s will eat together. ions will eat hay like cattle, and snakes will eat only d+st. They will not h+rt or destroy each other on my holy mo+ntain. This is what the 5.D said. 66 1 This is what the 5.D says: $eaven is my throne, and the earth is where 3 rest my feet. So do yo+ think yo+ can !+ild a ho+se for me? Do 3 need a place to rest? 2 3 am the one who made all things. They are all here !eca+se 3 made them, says the 5.D. These are the people 3 care for: the poor, h+m!le people who o!ey my commands. 3 Some people kill !+lls as a sacrifice, !+t they also !eat people. They kill sheep as a sacrifice, !+t they also !reak the necks of dogs. They offer +p grain offerings, !+t they also offer the !lood of pigs. They !+rn incense, !+t they also love their worthless idols. They choose their own ways, and they love their terri!le idols. # So 3 decided to +se their own tricks. 3 will p+nish them +sing what they are most afraid of. 3 will do this !eca+se 3 3saiah &&.%*( 212 called to them, !+t they did not answer. 3 spoke to them, !+t they did not listen. They did what 3 said is evil. They chose to do what 3 did not like. % ;o+ who o!ey the 5.D@S commands, pag. ''#0131#

listen to what he says: ;o+r !rothers hated yo+. They t+rned against yo+ !eca+se yo+ followed me. ;o+r !rothers said, >hen the 5.D shows his glory, then we will re=oice with yo+. <+t they will !e p+nished. & isten" There is a lo+d noise coming from the city and from the Temple. 3t is the 5.D p+nishing his enemies. $e is giving them the p+nishment they deserve. ' A woman does not give !irth !efore she feels the pain. A woman m+st feel the pain of child!irth !efore she can see the !oy she gives !irth to. >ho ever heard of s+ch a thing? 3n the same way, no one ever saw a new world !egin in one day. 1o one has ever heard of a new nation that !egan in one day. <+t when Bion feels the pain, she will give !irth to her children. ( 7&&:'8 3saiah &&.)*1# 213 ) 3n the same way, 3 will not ca+se pain witho+t allowing something new to !e !orn. The 5.D says this: 3 promise that if 3 ca+se yo+ the pain of !irth, 3 will not stop yo+ from having yo+r new nation. ;o+r God said this. 1, Cer+salem and all her friends, !e happy" All of yo+ who were sad for her, !e happy and re=oice with her" 11 <e happy that yo+ will receive mercy like milk coming from her !reast. Cer+salems milk will satisfy yo+" ;o+ will drink it and en=oy her glory. 12 This is what the 5.D says: ook, 3 will give Cer+salem peace that will flow in like a river. >ealth from all the nations will come flowing into her like a flood. And like little !a!ies, yo+ will drink that milk. 3 will hold yo+ in my arms, and !o+nce yo+ on my knees. 13 3 will comfort yo+ like a mother comforting her child. ;o+ will !e comforted in Cer+salem. 1# >hen yo+ see these things, yo+ will !e happy. ;o+ will !e free and grow like grass. The 5.D@S servants will see his power, !+t his enemies will see his anger. -asy To .ead /ersion

3saiah &&.1%*1) 21# 1% ook, the 5.D is coming with fire. $is armies are coming with clo+ds of d+st. $e is angry, and he will p+nish his enemies with flames. 1& The 5.D will =+dge the people and will p+nish them with fire and his sword. There will !e many people killed !y the 5.D. 1' The 5.D says, These are the people who wash themselves and make themselves p+re so that they can go into their special gardens to worship their idols. They follow each other into the gardens to eat meat from pigs, rats, and other dirty things. <+t they will all !e destroyed together. 1( They have evil tho+ghts and do evil things, so 3 am coming to p+nish them. 3 will gather all nations and all people. -veryone will !e gathered together to see my Glory. 1) 3 will p+t a mark on some of the people. 3 will send some of these saved people to the nations of Tarshish, i!ya, +d 7the land of archers8, T+!al, Greece, and all the faraway lands. Those people have never heard my teachings. They have never seen my Glory. So the saved 3saiah &&.2,*2# 21% people will tell the nations a!o+t my glory. 2, And they will !ring all yo+r !rothers and sisters from those other nations to my holy mo+ntain Cer+salem as an offering to the 5.D. ;o+r !rothers and sisters will ride on horses, m+les, camels, and in chariots and wagons. They will !e like the gifts that the 3sraelites !ring on clean plates to the Temple of the 5.D. 21 3 will also choose some of these people to !e priests and evites. The 5.D himself said this. 22 The 5.D says, 3 will make a new worldnew heavens and a new earththat will last forever. 3n the same way, yo+r names and yo+r children will always !e with me. 23 -veryone will come to worship me pag. ''%0131#

on every worship dayF they will come every Sa!!ath and every first day of the month. This is what 3, the 5.D, have said. 2# >hoever goes o+t of the city will see the dead !odies of those who sinned against me. The worms eating those !odies will never die, and the fires 3saiah &&.2# 21& !+rning them will never go o+t. 3t will !e horri!le to anyone who sees it. &eremia' 1 1 These are the messages of Ceremiah, the son of $ilkiah. Ceremiah !elonged to the family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth. That town is in the land that !elongs to the tri!e of <en=amin. 2 The 5.D !egan to speak to Ceremiah in the 13th year that Cosiah, son of Amon, was king of the nation of C+dah. 3 $e contin+ed to speak to Ceremiah d+ring the time that Cehoiakim, son of Cosiah, was king of C+dah and d+ring the eleven years and five months that Bedekiah, also a son of Cosiah, was king of C+dah. 3n the fifth month of Bedekiahs eleventh year as king, the people who lived in Cer+salem were taken away into e4ile. # The 5.D@S message came to me: % <efore 3 made yo+ in yo+r mothers wom!, 3 knew yo+. <efore yo+ were !orn, 3 chose yo+ for a special work. 3 chose yo+ to !e a prophet to the nations. Ceremiah 1.&*13 2 & Then 3 said, <+t, ord G5D, 3 dont know how to speak. 3 am only a !oy. ' <+t the 5.D said to me, Dont say, 3 am only a !oy. ;o+ m+st go everywhere 3 send yo+ and say everything 3 tell yo+ to say. ( Dont !e afraid of anyone. 3 am with yo+, and 3 will protect yo+. This message is from the 5.D. ) Then the 5.D reached o+t with his hand and to+ched my mo+th. $e said to me, Ceremiah, 3 am p+tting my words in yo+r mo+th. 1, Today 3 have p+t yo+ in charge of -asy To .ead /ersion

nations and kingdoms. ;o+ will p+ll +p and tear down. ;o+ will destroy and overthrow. ;o+ will !+ild +p and plant. 11 The 5.D@S message came to me: Ceremiah, what do yo+ see? 3 answered, 3 see a stick made from almond wood. 12 The 5.D said to me, ;o+ have seen very well, and 3 am watching to make s+re that my message to yo+ comes tr+e. 13 The 5.D@S message came to me again: Ceremiah, what do yo+ see? 3 answered, 3 see a pot of !oiling water. That pot is tipping over from the north. Ceremiah 1.1#*1( 3 1# The 5.D said to me, Something terri!le will come from the north. 3t will happen to all the people who live in this co+ntry. 1% 3n a short time 3 will call all the people in the northern kingdoms. This is what the 5.D says. The kings of those co+ntries will come and set +p their thrones near the gates of Cer+salem. They will attack the city walls of Cer+salem. They will attack all the cities in C+dah. 1& And 3 will anno+nce =+dgment against my people, !eca+se they are evil and have t+rned away from me. They offered sacrifices to other gods and worshiped idols they made with their own hands. 1' As for yo+, Ceremiah, get ready. Stand +p and speak to the people. Tell them everything that 3 tell yo+ to say. Dont !e afraid of the people. 3f yo+ are afraid of them, 3 will give yo+ good reason to !e afraid of them. 1( As for me, today 3 will make yo+ like a strong city, an iron col+mn, a !ronEe wall. ;o+ will !e a!le to stand against everyone in the land, against the kings of the land of C+dah, the leaders of Ceremiah 1.1)*2.% # C+dah, the priests of C+dah, and against the people of the land of C+dah. 1) All those people will fight against yo+, !+t they will not defeat yo+, !eca+se 3 am with yo+, and 3 will save yo+. This message is from the 5.D. pag. ''&0131#

2 1 The 5.D@S message came to me: 2 Ceremiah, go and speak to the people of Cer+salem. Tell them that this is what the 5.D says: At the time yo+ were a yo+ng nation, yo+ were faithf+l to me. ;o+ followed me like a yo+ng !ride. ;o+ followed me thro+gh the desert, thro+gh a land that had never !een +sed for farmland. 3 The people of 3srael were a holy gift to the 5.D. They were the first fr+it he gathered. Anyone who tried to h+rt them was =+dged g+ilty and was p+nished severely. This message is from the 5.D. # 2amily of Caco!, hear the 5.D@S message. Tri!es of 3srael, listen. % This is what the 5.D says: Do yo+ think that 3 was not fair to yo+r ancestors? 3s that why they t+rned away from me? ;o+r ancestors worshiped Ceremiah 2.&*1, % worthless idols, and they !ecame worthless themselves. & ;o+r ancestors did not say, The 5.D !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt. $e led +s thro+gh the desert, thro+gh a dry and rocky land. $e led +s thro+gh a dark and dangero+s land. 1o one lives thereF people dont even travel thro+gh that land. <+t the ord led +s thro+gh that land. So where is he now? ' 3 !ro+ght yo+ into a good land, a land filled with many good things. 3 did this so that yo+ co+ld eat the fr+it and crops that grow there. <+t yo+ only made my land dirty. 3 gave that land to yo+, !+t yo+ made it a !ad place. ( The priests did not ask, >here is the 5.D? The people who know the law did not want to know me. The leaders of the people of 3srael t+rned against me. The prophets spoke in the name of the false god <aal. They worshiped worthless idols. ) The 5.D says, So now 3 will acc+se yo+ again, and 3 will also acc+se yo+r grandchildren. 1, Go across the sea to the island of 9ypr+s. Send someone to the land of -asy To .ead /ersion

Ceremiah 2.11*1& & Gedar. ook very caref+lly. See if anyone has ever done anything like this. 11 $as any nation ever stopped worshiping their old gods so that they co+ld worship new gods? 1o" And their gods are not really gods at all" <+t my people stopped worshiping their glorio+s God and started worshiping idols that are worth nothing. 12 Skies, !e shocked at what happened" Shake with great fear" This message is from the 5.D. 13 Ay people have done two evil things. They t+rned away from me, and they d+g their own water cisterns. 3 am the so+rce of living waterF those cisterns are !roken and cannot hold water. 1# 3srael is not a slave, is he? $e was not !orn a slave, was he? Then why did the enemy carry him away as a captive? 1% ike a lion the enemy has roared at 3srael. They have destroyed 3sraels land. The cities have !een !+rned, and no one is left in them. 1& 6eople of 3srael, armies from Aemphis and Tahpanhes have smashed the top of yo+r head. Ceremiah 2.1'*22 ' 1' This tro+!le is yo+r own fa+lt. The 5.D yo+r God was leading yo+ the right way, !+t yo+ t+rned away from him. 1( 6eople of C+dah, think a!o+t this: $ow did it help yo+ to go to -gypt and drink from the 1ile .iver? $ow did it help yo+ to go to Assyria and drink from the -+phrates .iver? 1) ;o+ have done wrong, and that will only !ring p+nishment to yo+. Tro+!le will come to yo+, and it will teach yo+ a lesson. Think a!o+t it and +nderstand how !ad it is to t+rn away from the 5.D yo+r God. 3t is wrong not to fear and respect me. This message is from ord G5D AllD6owerf+l. 2, C+dah, long ago yo+ !roke free from me, like an o4 that !reaks its yoke and the ropes holding it. ;o+ said to me, 3 will not serve yo+" 5n every high hill and +nder every green tree yo+ offered yo+r pag. '''0131#

!ody in the worship of false gods. 21 C+dah, 3 planted yo+ like a special vine. ;o+ were all from good seed. $ow did yo+ t+rn into a different vine that grows !ad fr+it? 22 -ven if yo+ wash yo+rself with lye, even if yo+ +se m+ch soap, 3 can still Ceremiah 2.23*2' ( see yo+r g+ilt. This message is from the ord G5D. 23 C+dah, how can yo+ say to me, 3 am not g+ilty !eca+se 3 have not worshiped the <aal idols? Think a!o+t what yo+ did in the valley. Think a!o+t what yo+ have done. ;o+ are like a fast sheDcamel that r+ns from place to place. 2# ;o+ are like a wild donkey that lives in the desert. At mating time, she sniffs the wind. 1o one can control her when she is in heat. At mating time, every male that wants her will get her. She is easy to find. 2% C+dah, stop chasing after idols" Stop wanting those other gods. <+t yo+ say, 3t is no +se" 3 cannot stop" 3 love those other gods. 3 cant stop chasing them. 2& A thief is ashamed when people catch him stealing. The people of 3srael sho+ld !e ashamed too and so sho+ld their kings and leaders, priests and prophets. 2' They say to pieces of wood, ;o+ are my father. They say to a rock, ;o+ gave !irth to me. All these people will !e ashamed. They dont look to me for help. They have t+rned their !acks on me. <+t when the people of C+dah get into Ceremiah 2.2(*32 ) tro+!le, they say to me, 9ome and save +s" 2( <+t where are the idols yo+ made for yo+rselves? ets see if they come and save yo+ when yo+ are in tro+!le" 6eople of C+dah, yo+ have as many idols as yo+ have cities" 2) >hy do yo+ arg+e with me? ;o+ have all t+rned against me. This message was from the 5.D. 3, 3 p+nished yo+ people of C+dah, !+t it did not help. ;o+ did not come !ack when yo+ were p+nished. >ith yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

swords yo+ killed the prophets who came to yo+. ike a dangero+s lion, yo+ killed the prophets. 31 6eople of this generation, pay attention to the 5.D@S message: $ave 3 !een like a desert to the people of 3srael? $ave 3 !een like a dark and dangero+s land to them? Ay people say, >e are free to go o+r own way. >e will not come !ack to yo+" >hy do they say these things? 32 A yo+ng woman does not forget her =ewelry. A !ride does not forget to wear her wedding dress. <+t my people have forgotten me too many times to co+nt. Ceremiah 2.33*3.1 1, 33 C+dah, yo+ have !ecome so good at finding lovers. -ven the worst women co+ld learn some evil ways from yo+. 3# ;o+ have !lood on yo+r hands" 3t is the !lood of poor, innocent people. ;o+ did not catch them !reaking into yo+r ho+se. ;o+ killed them for no reason" 3% <+t still, yo+ say, 3 am innocent. God is not angry with me. So 3 will also =+dge yo+ g+ilty of lying, !eca+se yo+ say, 3 have done nothing wrong. 3& ;o+ go from one place to another looking for help, always changing yo+r mind. <+t -gypt will also disappoint yo+, =+st as Assyria did. 3' So yo+ will event+ally leave -gypt too, and yo+ will hide yo+r face in shame. ;o+ tr+sted these co+ntries, !+t the 5.D re=ected them, so they cannot help yo+ win. 3 1 3f a man divorces his wife and she goes and marries someone else, the first h+s!and cannot take her !ack. 3f he did, it wo+ld make the land +nclean. C+dah, yo+ and all yo+r false gods are like a prostit+te with many lovers" So why do yo+ think yo+ can come !ack to me? This message is from the 5.D. Ceremiah 3.2*' 11 2 ook +p to the !are hilltops, C+dah. 3s there any place where yo+ have not had se4 with yo+r lovers? ;o+ sat !y the road waiting for lovers, like an Ara! in the desert. ;o+ made the land dirty with pag. ''(0131#

all the evil sins yo+ did when yo+ were +nfaithf+l to me. 3 ;o+ sinned, so the rain has not come. There has not !een any springtime rains. <+t still yo+ ref+se to !e ashamed. The look on yo+r face is like that of a prostit+te who ref+ses to !e ashamed. # <+t didnt yo+ =+st call me 2ather? Didnt yo+ say, ;o+ have !een my friend since 3 was a child? % ;o+ also said, God will not always !e angry with me. $is anger will not contin+e forever. C+dah, yo+ say that, !+t yo+ do as m+ch evil as yo+ can. & The 5.D spoke to me d+ring the time Ging Cosiah was r+ling the nation of C+dah. $e said, Ceremiah, yo+ saw the !ad things 3srael did" ;o+ saw how she was +nfaithf+l to me. She was +nfaithf+l to me with every idol on every hill and +nder every green tree. ' 3 said to myself, 3srael will come !ack to me after she has finished doing these Ceremiah 3.(*13 12 evil things. <+t she did not come !ack to me. And 3sraels +nfaithf+l sister, C+dah, saw what she did. ( C+dah knew why 3 sent 3srael away. 3 divorced her !eca+se she committed the sin of ad+ltery. <+t that did not make her +nfaithf+l sister C+dah afraid. She also went o+t and acted like a prostit+te. ) And that did not !other her at all. ike a prostit+te she committed ad+ltery !y worshiping idols made from stone and wood. She poll+ted the whole co+ntry with her sin. 1, 3sraels +nfaithf+l sister did not come !ack to me with her whole heart. She only pretended to come !ack. This message is from the 5.D. 11 The 5.D said to me, 3srael was not faithf+l to me, !+t she had a !etter e4c+se than +nfaithf+l C+dah. 12 Ceremiah, look toward the north and speak this message: 9ome !ack, yo+ faithless people of 3srael. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will stop frowning at yo+. 3 am f+ll of mercy. The 5.D says, 3 will not !e angry with yo+ forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 <+t yo+ m+st recogniEe yo+r sin. ;o+ t+rned against the 5.D yo+r God. Ceremiah 3.1#*1' 13 That is yo+r sin. ;o+ worshiped the idols of other nations. ;o+ worshiped them +nder every green tree. ;o+ did not o!ey me. This message is from the 5.D. 1# The 5.D says, ;o+ people are +nfaithf+l, !+t come !ack to !eca+se 3 am yo+r master. 3 will take one person from every city and two people from every family and !ring yo+ to Bion. 1% Then 3 will give yo+ new r+lers who will !e faithf+l to me. They will lead yo+ with knowledge and +nderstanding. 1& 3n those days there will !e many of yo+ in the land. This message is from the 5.D. At that time people will never again say, 3 remem!er the days when we had the <o4 of the 5.D@S Agreement. They will not even think a!o+t the $oly <o4 anymore. They will not even remem!er or miss it. They will never make another $oly <o4. 1' At that time the city of Cer+salem will !e called The 5.D@S Throne. All nations will come together in the city of Cer+salem to give honor to the name of the 5.D. They will not follow their st+!!orn, evil hearts anymore. Ceremiah 3.1(*23 1# 1( 3n those days the family of C+dah will =oin the family of 3srael. They will come together from a land in the north to the land 3 gave to their ancestors. 1) This message is from the 5.D: 3 want to treat yo+ like my own children. 3 want to give yo+ a pleasant land, a land more !ea+tif+l than any other nation. 3 tho+ght yo+ wo+ld call me 2ather. 3 tho+ght yo+ wo+ld always follow me. <+t yo+ have !een +nfaithf+l to me, family of 3srael" ;o+ have !een like an +nfaithf+l wife who leaves her h+s!and. 2, 73:1)8 21 ;o+ can hear crying on the !are hills. The people of 3srael are crying and praying for mercy. They have taken the wrong path. They have forgotten me, the 5.D their God. pag. '')0131#

22 Ay children, yo+ have !een +nfaithf+l, !+t 3 want yo+ to come !ack to me. 9ome !ack and 3 will show yo+ the way to !e faithf+l. C+st say, ;es, we will come !ack, !eca+se yo+ are the 5.D o+r God. 23 3t was +seless for +s to worship idols on the hills. The wild cele!rations we had there were foolish. S+rely the salvation Ceremiah 3.2#*#.3 1% of 3srael comes only from the 5.D o+r God. 2# As long as we can remem!er, that shamef+l god <aal has eaten everything o+r fathers owned. $e took their sheep and cattle, their sons and da+ghters. 2% et +s lie down in o+r shame. et disgrace cover +s like a !lanket. >e have sinned against the 5.D o+r God. >e and o+r fathers have sinned. >e have not o!eyed the 5.D o+r God from the time we were children. 4 1 This message is from the 5.D. 3srael, if yo+ want to come !ack, then come !ack to me. Throw away yo+r idols. Dont wander farther away from me. 2 3f yo+ do these things, then yo+ will !e a!le to +se my name to make a promise. ;o+ will !e a!le to say, As the 5.D lives. ;o+ will !e a!le to +se these words in a tr+thf+l, honest, and right way. 3f yo+ do these things, the nations will !e !lessed !y the ord. They will !rag a!o+t what the ord has done. 3 This is what the 5.D says to the people of C+dah and to Cer+salem: ;o+r fields have not !een plowed. 6low those Ceremiah #.#*) 1& fields" Dont plant seeds among the thorns. # <ecome the 5.D@S people. 9hange yo+r hearts. Aen of C+dah and people of Cer+salem, if yo+ dont change, then 3 will !ecome very angry. Ay anger will spread fast like a fire, and it will !+rn yo+ +p. 1o one will !e a!le to p+t o+t that fire !eca+se of the evil yo+ have done. % Give this message to the people of C+dah: Tell everyone in the city of -asy To .ead /ersion

Cer+salem: <low the tr+mpet all over the co+ntry. Sho+t o+t lo+d and say, 9ome together" et +s all escape to the strong cities for protection. & .aise the signal flag toward Bion. .+n for yo+r lives" Dont wait" Do this !eca+se 3 am !ringing disaster from the north. 3 am !ringing terri!le destr+ction. ' A lion has come o+t of his cave. A destroyer of nations has !eg+n to march. $e has left his home to destroy yo+r land. ;o+r towns will !e destroyed. There will !e no one left to live in them. ( The 5.D is angry with +s, so p+t on sackcloth and cry o+t lo+d" ) The 5.D says, >hen this happens, the king and his officers will lose their Ceremiah #.1,*1% 1' co+rage. The priests will !e filled with fear, and the prophets will !e shocked. 1, Then 3, Ceremiah, said, ord G5D, yo+ have tricked the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. ;o+ said to them, ;o+ will have peace. <+t now the sword is pointing at their throats" 11 At that time this message will !e given to the people of C+dah and Cer+salem: A hot wind !lows from the !are hills. 3t comes from the desert to my people. 3t is not like the gentle wind that is +sed to separate the grain from the chaff. 12 3t is a stronger wind than that, and it comes from me. 1ow 3 will anno+nce my =+dgment against the people of C+dah. 13 ook" The enemy rises +p like a clo+d. $is chariots look like a windstorm. $is horses are faster than eagles. 3t will !e very !ad for +s" >e are r+ined" 1# 6eople of Cer+salem, wash the evil from yo+r hearts. Aake yo+r hearts p+re so that yo+ can !e saved. Dont contin+e making evil plans. 1% isten" The voice of a messenger from the land of Dan is speaking. Someone is Ceremiah #.1&*2, 1( !ringing !ad news from the hill co+ntry of -phraim: 1& .eport it to this nation. Spread the news to the people in Cer+salem. pag. '(,0131#

-nemies are coming from a faraway co+ntry. They are sho+ting words of war against the cities of C+dah. 1' The enemy has s+rro+nded Cer+salem like men g+arding a field. C+dah, yo+ t+rned against me, so the enemy is coming against yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 1( The way yo+ lived and the things yo+ did !ro+ght this tro+!le to yo+. 3t is yo+r evil that made yo+r life so hard. ;o+r evil life !ro+ght the pain that h+rts deep in yo+r heart. 1) Ay sadness and worry is making my stomach h+rt. 3 am !ent over in pain. 3 am so afraid. Ay heart is po+nding inside me. 3 cannot keep J+iet, !eca+se 3 have heard the tr+mpet !low. The tr+mpet is calling the army to war. 2, Disaster follows disaster. The whole co+ntry is destroyed" S+ddenly my tents are destroyed. Ay c+rtains are torn down. Ceremiah #.21*2( 1) 21 $ow long m+st 3 see the war flags and hear the tr+mpets call to !attle? 22 The ord said, Ay people are foolish. They dont know me. They are st+pid children. They dont +nderstand. They are skillf+l at doing evil, !+t they dont know how to do good. 23 3 looked at the earth. 3t was emptyF there was nothing on it. 3 looked at the sky, and its light was gone. 2# 3 looked at the mo+ntains, and they were shaking. All the hills were trem!ling. 2% 3 looked, !+t there were no people. All the !irds of the sky had flown away. 2& 3 looked, and the good land had !ecome a desert. All the cities in that land were destroyed !y the 5.D and his great anger. 2' This is what the 5.D says: The whole co+ntry will !e r+ined, !+t 3 will not completely destroy the land. 2( So the people in the land will cry for the dead. The sky will grow dark. 3 have spoken and will not change. 3 have made a decision, and 3 will not change my -asy To .ead /ersion

mind. Ceremiah #.2)*%.1 2, 2) The people of C+dah will hear the so+nd of the horse soldiers and the archers, and the people will r+n away" Some of them will hide in cavesF some will hide in the !+shesF some will clim! +p into the rocks. All the cities of C+dah will !e empty. 1o one will live in them. 3, C+dah, yo+ have !een destroyed. So what are yo+ doing now? >hy are yo+ p+tting on yo+r !est red dress? >hy are yo+ p+tting on yo+r gold =ewelry? >hy are yo+ p+tting on yo+r eye make+p? ;o+ make yo+rself !ea+tif+l, !+t it is a waste of time. ;o+r lovers hate yo+. They are trying to kill yo+. 31 3 hear a cry like a woman in la!or, a scream like a woman giving !irth to her first !a!y. 3t is the cry of da+ghter Bion. She is lifting her hands in prayer, saying, 5h" 3 am a!o+t to faint" A+rderers are all aro+nd me" 5 1 The ord says, >alk the streets of Cer+salem. ook aro+nd and think a!o+t these things. Search the p+!lic sJ+ares of the city. See if yo+ can find one good person, one who does honest things and who searches for the tr+th. 3f Ceremiah %.2*& 21 yo+ find one good person, 3 will forgive Cer+salem. 2 The people make promises and say, As the 5.D lives. <+t they dont really mean it" 3 5.D, 3 know that yo+ want people to !e loyal to yo+. ;o+ hit the people of C+dah, !+t they did not feel any pain. ;o+ destroyed them, !+t they ref+sed to learn their lesson. They !ecame very st+!!orn. They ref+sed to !e sorry for the !ad things they did. # <+t 3 said to myself, 3t m+st !e only the poor who are so foolish. They have not learned the way of the 5.D. They dont know the teachings of their God. % So 3 will go to the leaders of C+dah. 3 will talk to them. S+rely they know the way of the 5.D, the law of their God. <+t the leaders had all =oined together pag. '(10131#

to !reak away from serving God. & So a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the desert will kill them. A leopard is hiding near their cities, to tear to pieces anyone who comes o+t. Thats !eca+se the people have sinned again and again. Aany times they have wandered away from God. Ceremiah %.'*12 22 ' God says, 6eople of C+dah, why sho+ld 3 forgive yo+? ;o+r children have a!andoned me. They made promises to idols that are not really gods" 3 gave yo+r children everything they needed, !+t they were still +nfaithf+l to me" They spent their time with prostit+tes. ( They are like horses that have had plenty to eat and are ready to mate. They are like a horse that is calling its neigh!ors wife. ) Sho+ld 3 p+nish the people of C+dah for doing these things? This message is from the 5.D. ;o+ know 3 sho+ld p+nish a nation s+ch as this. 3 sho+ld give it the p+nishment it deserves. 1, Go along the rows of C+dahs grapevines. 9+t down the vines. 7<+t dont completely destroy them.8 9+t off all their !ranches, !eca+se they dont !elong to the 5.D. 11 The family of 3srael and the family of C+dah have !een +nfaithf+l to me in every way. This message is from the 5.D. 12 Those people lied a!o+t the 5.D. They said, $e will not do anything to +s. 1othing !ad will happen to +s. >e will Ceremiah %.13*1' 23 never see an army attack +s. >e will never starve. 13 The prophets are only empty wind. The word of God is not in them. <ad things will happen to them. 1# The 5.D God AllD6owerf+l said these things: The people said 3 wo+ld not p+nish them. So, Ceremiah, the words 3 give yo+ will !e like fire, and these people will !e like wood. That fire will !+rn them +p completely. 1% 2amily of 3srael, this message is from -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D. 3 will soon !ring a nation from far away to attack yo+. 3t is an old nationF it is an ancient nation. The people of that nation speak a lang+age that yo+ do not know. ;o+ cannot +nderstand what they say. 1& Their arrow !ags are like open graves. All their men are strong soldiers. 1' They will eat all the crops that yo+ gathered. They will eat all yo+r food. They will destroy yo+r sons and da+ghters. They will eat yo+r flocks and yo+r herds. They will eat yo+r grapes and yo+r figs. They will destroy yo+r strong cities with their swords. They will Ceremiah %.1(*22 2# destroy the strong cities that yo+ tr+st in. 1( This message is from the 5.D: <+t, C+dah, when these terri!le days come, 3 will not f+lly destroy yo+. 1) The people will ask, >hy has the 5.D o+r God done all these things to +s? Give them this answer from me: ;o+ people of C+dah left me, and yo+ served foreign idols in yo+r own land. <eca+se yo+ did this, yo+ will now serve foreigners in a land that does not !elong to yo+. 2, Tell this message to the family of Caco!, and tell it in the nation of C+dah. 21 $ear this message, yo+ foolish people who have no sense. ;o+ have eyes, !+t yo+ dont see" ;o+ have ears, !+t yo+ dont listen" 22 S+rely yo+ are afraid of me. This message is from the 5.D. ;o+ sho+ld shake with fear in front of me. 3 am the one who made the sandy shores to hold !ack the sea. 3 made it that way to keep the water in its place forever. The waves may po+nd the !each, !+t they will not destroy it. The waves may roar as they Ceremiah %.23*2( 2% come in, !+t they cannot go !eyond the !each. 23 <+t the people of C+dah are st+!!orn. They are always planning ways to t+rn against me. They t+rned away from me and left me. pag. '(20131#

2# The people of C+dah never say to themselves, ets fear and respect the 5.D o+r God. $e gives +s a+t+mn and spring rains at =+st the right time. $e makes s+re that we have a good harvest time. 2% ;o+ dont have these !lessings !eca+se yo+ have done wrong. ;o+r sins have kept these good things away from yo+. 2& Among my people are those who are evil. They are like men who make nets for catching !irds. They set their traps, !+t they catch people instead of !irds. 2' ike a cage f+ll of !irds, their lives are f+ll of evil lies. Their cheating has made them rich and powerf+l. 2( They are well fed and well dressed. There is no end to the evil they do. They dont care what happens to orphans, and they dont help the poor get what they need. Ceremiah %.2)*&.# 2& 2) Sho+ld 3 p+nish the people of C+dah for these things? This is what the 5.D is asking yo+, and he says, A nation like this sho+ld get the p+nishment it deserves. 3, A terri!le and shocking thing has happened in the land of C+dah. 31 The prophets tell lies. The priests will not do what they were chosen to do, and my people love it this way" <+t what will yo+ people do when yo+r p+nishment comes? 6 1 .+n for yo+r lives, people of <en=amin" .+n away from the city of Cer+salem" <low the war tr+mpet in the city of Tekoa" 6+t +p the warning flag in the city of <eth $akkerem" Do these things !eca+se disaster is coming from the north. Terri!le destr+ction is coming to yo+. 2 Cer+salem, yo+ are like a !ea+tif+l meadow. <+t 3 will destroy yo+" 3 -nemy shepherds will s+rro+nd yo+ with all their flocks. They will set +p their tents all aro+nd yo+, and each one will let his sheep eat the grass. # Get ready to fight against Cer+salem. -asy To .ead /ersion

Get +p" >e will attack the city at noon. Ceremiah &.%*) 2' <+t it is already getting late. The evening shadows are growing long. % So get +p" >e will attack the city at night" ets destroy the strong walls that are aro+nd Cer+salem. & This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: 9+t down the trees aro+nd Cer+salem, and !+ild a siege mo+nd against it. This city sho+ld !e p+nished !eca+se inside there is no =+sticeonly slavery. ' As a well keeps its water fresh, so Cer+salem keeps its wickedness fresh. 3 hear a!o+t the ro!!ing and violence in this city all the time. 3 see nothing !+t pain and sickness there all the time. ( isten to this warning, Cer+salem, or 3 will t+rn my !ack on yo+. 3 will make yo+r land an empty desert. 1o one will !e a!le to live there. ) This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: Gather the people of 3srael who were left on their land. Gather them the way yo+ wo+ld gather the last grapes on a grapevine. 9heck each vine, like the workers check each vine when they pick the grapes. Ceremiah &.1,*1# 2( 1, >ho can 3 speak to? >ho can 3 warn? >ho will listen to me? The people of 3srael have closed their ears, so they cannot hear my warnings. They dont like the 5.D@S teachings. They dont want to hear his message. 11 <+t 3 am f+ll of the 5.D@S anger, and 3 am tired of holding it in" 6o+r o+t my anger on the children playing in the streets and on the yo+ng soldiers gathered there as well. A man and his wife will !oth !e capt+red as well as all the old people. 12 Their ho+ses will !e given to others. Their fields and their wives will !e given to other people. 3 will raise my hand and p+nish the people of C+dah. This message is from the 5.D. 13 All the people of 3srael want more and more money. All of them, from the pag. '(30131#

least important to the most important, are like that. -ven the prophets and priests tell lies. 1# They sho+ld !andage the wo+nds my people have s+ffered, !+t they treat their wo+nds like small scratches. They say, 3ts all right, everything is all right. <+t it is not all right" Ceremiah &.1%*2, 2) 1% They sho+ld !e ashamed of the evil things they do, !+t they are not ashamed at all. They dont know eno+gh to !e em!arrassed !y their sins. So they will !e p+nished with everyone else. They will !e thrown to the gro+nd when 3 p+nish the people. This is what the 5.D says. 1& And the 5.D says this: Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask where the old road is. Ask for the road that will lead the right way, and walk on that road. 3f yo+ do, yo+ will find rest for yo+rselves. <+t yo+ said, >e will not walk on the good road. 1' 3 chose watchmen to watch over yo+. 3 told them, isten for the so+nd of the war tr+mpet. <+t they said, >e will not listen" 1( So listen, all yo+ nations, and pay attention, yo+ people in those co+ntries. 1) $ear this, people of the earth: 3 am going to !ring disaster to the people of C+dah !eca+se of all the evil they planned, and !eca+se they ignored my messages. They ref+sed to o!ey my law. 2, >hy do yo+ !ring me incense from the co+ntry of She!a? >hy do yo+ !ring Ceremiah &.21*2& 3, me sweetDsmelling cane from a faraway co+ntry? ;o+r !+rnt offerings dont make me happy. ;o+r sacrifices dont please me. 21 So this is what the 5.D says: 3 will give the people of C+dah pro!lems. They will !e like stones that make people fall. 2athers and sons will st+m!le over them. 2riends and neigh!ors will die. 22 This is what the 5.D says: An army is coming from the north. A great nation is coming from faraway places on earth. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 The soldiers carry !ows and spears. They are cr+elF they have no mercy. They are so powerf+l. They so+nd like the roaring ocean as they ride their horses. That army is coming, ready for !attle. 3t is coming to attack yo+, Cer+salem. 2# >e have heard the news a!o+t that army, and we are paralyEed with fear. >e feel trapped !y o+r tro+!les, in pain like a woman giving !irth. 2% Dont go o+t into the fields. Dont go on the roads !eca+se the enemy has swords, and there is danger everywhere. 2& Ay people, p+t on sackcloth and roll in the ashes. 9ry lo+dly for the dead. Ceremiah &.2'*'.2 31 9ry as if yo+ lost an only son. Do this !eca+se the destroyer will come against +s very J+ickly. 2' Ceremiah, 3 want yo+ to !e like a worker who tests metals. ;o+ will test my people and watch how they live. 2( Ay people have t+rned against me, and they are very st+!!orn. They say !ad things a!o+t people. They are like !ronEe and iron that are covered with r+st and tarnish. 2) They are like a worker who tried to make silver p+re. The !ellows !lew strongly, and the fire !ecame hotter, !+t only lead came from the fire. The worker wasted his time trying to make that silver p+re. 3n the same way, the evil was not removed from my people. 3, Ay people will !e called .e=ected Silver. They will !e given that name !eca+se the 5.D did not accept them. 7 1 This is the 5.D@S message to Ceremiah: 2 Ceremiah, stand at the gate of the 5.D@S ho+se. Teach this message at the gate: $ear the message from the 5.D, all yo+ people of the nation of C+dah. All yo+ who come thro+gh these Ceremiah '.3*) 32 gates to worship the 5.D, hear this message. 3 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 9hange yo+r lives and do pag. '(#0131#

what is right. Then 3 will let yo+ live in this place. # Dont tr+st the lies that some people say. They say, This is the Temple of the 5.D, the Temple of the 5.D, the Temple of the 5.D" % 3f yo+ change yo+r lives and do what is right, 3 will let yo+ live in this place. ;o+ m+st !e fair to each other. & ;o+ m+st not take advantage of widows or orphans or people visiting in yo+r land. Dont kill innocent people" And dont follow other gods, !eca+se they will only r+in yo+r lives. ' 3f yo+ o!ey me, 3 will let yo+ live in this place. 3 gave this land to yo+r ancestors for them to keep forever. ( <+t yo+ are tr+sting lies that are worthless. ) >ill yo+ steal and m+rder? >ill yo+ commit ad+ltery? >ill yo+ falsely acc+se other people? >ill yo+ worship the false god <aal and follow other gods that yo+ have not known? Ceremiah '.1,*1# 33 1, 3f yo+ commit these sins, do yo+ think that yo+ can stand !efore me in this ho+se that is called !y my name? Do yo+ think yo+ can stand !efore me and say, >e are safe, =+st so yo+ can do all these terri!le things? 11 This Temple is called !y my name. 3s this Temple nothing more to yo+ than a hideo+t for ro!!ers? 3 have !een watching yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 12 ;o+ people of C+dah, go now to the town of Shiloh. Go to the place where 3 first made a ho+se for my name. The people of 3srael also did evil things. Go and see what 3 did to that place !eca+se of the evil they did. 13 ;o+ people of 3srael were doing all these evil things. This message is from the 5.D" 3 spoke to yo+ again and again, !+t yo+ ref+sed to listen to me. 3 called to yo+, !+t yo+ did not answer. 1# So 3 will destroy the ho+se called !y my name in Cer+salem. 3 will destroy that Temple as 3 destroyed Shiloh. And -asy To .ead /ersion

that ho+se in Cer+salem that is called !y my name is the Temple yo+ tr+st in. Ceremiah '.1%*2, 3# 3 gave that place to yo+ and to yo+r ancestors. 1% 3 will throw yo+ away from me =+st as 3 threw away all yo+r !rothers from -phraim. 1& As for yo+, Ceremiah, dont pray for these people of C+dah. Dont !eg for them or pray for them. Dont !eg me to help them. 3 will not listen to yo+r prayer for them. 1' 3 know yo+ see what they are doing in the towns of C+dah. ;o+ can see what they are doing in the streets of the city of Cer+salem. 1( This is what the people of C+dah are doing: The children gather wood. The fathers +se the wood to make a fire. The women make the do+gh and then make cakes of !read to offer to the I+een of $eaven. The people of C+dah po+r o+t drink offerings to worship other gods. They do this to make me angry. 1) <+t 3 am not the one they are really h+rting. This message is from the 5.D. They are only h+rting themselves. They are !ringing shame on themselves. 2, So this is what the ord G5D says: 3 will show my anger against this place. Ceremiah '.21*2% 3% 3 will p+nish people and animals. 3 will p+nish the trees in the field and the crops that grow in the gro+nd. Ay anger will !e like a hot fireno one will !e a!le to stop it. 21 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: Go and offer as many !+rnt offerings and sacrifices as yo+ want. -at the meat of those sacrifices yo+rselves. 22 3 !ro+ght yo+r ancestors o+t of -gypt. 3 spoke to them, !+t 3 did not give them any commands a!o+t !+rnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 3 only gave them this command: 5!ey me and 3 will !e yo+r God, and yo+ will !e my people. Do all that 3 command, and good things will happen pag. '(%0131#

to yo+. 2# <+t yo+r ancestors did not listen to me. They did not pay attention to me. They were st+!!orn and did what they wanted to do. They did not !ecome good. They !ecame even more evilthey went !ackward, not forward. 2% 2rom the day that yo+r ancestors left -gypt to this day, 3 have sent my servants to yo+. Ay servants are the Ceremiah '.2&*3, 3& prophets. 3 sent them to yo+ again and again. 2& <+t yo+r ancestors did not listen to me. They did not pay attention to me. They were very st+!!orn and did evil even worse than their fathers did. 2' Ceremiah, yo+ will tell these things to the people of C+dah. <+t they will not listen to yo+. ;o+ will call to them, !+t they will not answer yo+. 2( So yo+ m+st tell them these things: This is the nation that did not o!ey the 5.D its God. These people did not listen to Gods teachings. They dont know the tr+e teachings. 2) Ceremiah, c+t off yo+r hair and throw it away. Go +p to the !are hilltop and cry, !eca+se the 5.D has re=ected this generation of people. $e has t+rned his !ack on these people. And in anger he will p+nish them. 3, Do this !eca+se 3 have seen the people of C+dah doing evil things. This message is from the 5.D. They have set +p their idols, and 3 hate those idols. They have set +p idols in the Temple that is called !y my name. They have made my ho+se dirty" Ceremiah '.31*(.1 3' 31 The people of C+dah !+ilt the high places of Topheth in the /alley of <en $innom where they killed their own sons and da+ghters and !+rned them as sacrifices. This is something 3 never commanded. Something like this never even entered my mind" 32 So 3 warn yo+. The days are coming, says the 5.D, when people will not call this place Topheth or the /alley of <en -asy To .ead /ersion

$innom anymore. 1o, they will call it the /alley of Sla+ghter. They will give it this name !eca+se they will !+ry the dead people in Topheth +ntil there is no more room to !+ry anyone else. 33 Then the !odies of the dead people will !ecome food for the !irds of the sky. >ild animals will eat the !odies of those people. There will !e no one left alive to chase the !irds or animals away. 3# 3 will !ring an end to the so+nds of =oy and happiness in the towns of C+dah and in the streets of Cer+salem. There will !e no more so+nds of the !ride and !ridegroom in C+dah or Cer+salem. The land will !ecome an empty desert. 8 1 This message is from the 5.D: At that time men will take the !ones of Ceremiah (.2*% 3( the kings and important r+lers of C+dah from their tom!s. They will take the !ones of the priests and prophets from their tom!s. They will take the !ones of all the people of Cer+salem from their tom!s. 2 They will spread the !ones on the gro+nd +nder the s+n, the moon, and the stars. The people of Cer+salem love to worship the s+n, the moon, and the stars. 1o one will gather the !ones and !+ry them again. So the !ones of those people will !e like d+ng thrown on the gro+nd. 3 3 will force the people of C+dah to leave their homes and their land. They will !e taken away to foreign lands. Some of the people of C+dah who were not killed in the war will wish that they had !een killed. This message is from the 5.D. # Ceremiah, say this to the people of C+dah: This is what the 5.D says: ;o+ know if a man falls down, he gets +p again. And if a man goes the wrong way, he t+rns aro+nd and comes !ack. % The people of C+dah went the wrong way. <+t why do the people of Cer+salem Ceremiah (.&*1, 3) contin+e going the wrong way? They !elieve their own lies. They ref+se to pag. '(&0131#

t+rn aro+nd and come !ack. & 3 have listened to them very caref+lly, !+t they dont say what is right. They are not sorry for their sins. They dont think a!o+t the evil they have done. They do things witho+t thinking. They are like horses r+nning into a !attle. ' -ven the !irds in the sky know the right time to do things. The storks, doves, swifts, and thr+shes know when it is time to fly to a new home. <+t my people dont know what the 5.D wants them to do. ( ;o+ keep saying, >e have the 5.D@S teachings. So we are wise" <+t this is not tr+e, !eca+se the scri!es have lied with their pens. ) These wise people ref+sed to listen to the 5.D@S teachings. So they are not really wise at all. These wise people were trapped. They !ecame shocked and ashamed. 1, So 3 will give their wives to other men. 3 will give their fields to new owners. All the people of 3srael want more and more money. All of them, Ceremiah (.11*1# #, from the least important to the most important, are like that. -ven the prophets and priests tell lies. 11 They sho+ld !andage the wo+nds my people have s+ffered, !+t they treat their wo+nds like small scratches. They say, 3ts all right, everything is all right. <+t it is not all right" 12 They sho+ld !e ashamed of the evil things they do, !+t they are not ashamed at all. They dont know eno+gh to !e em!arrassed !y their sins. So they will !e p+nished with everyone else. They will !e thrown to the gro+nd when 3 p+nish the people. This is what the 5.D says. 13 3 will take away their fr+it and crops so that there will !e no harvest, says the 5.D. There will !e no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree. -ven the leaves will !ecome dry and die. 3 will take away the things 3 gave them. 1# They will say, >hy are we =+st sitting -asy To .ead /ersion

here? 9ome, lets r+n to the strong cities. 3f the 5.D o+r God is going to make +s die, then lets die there. >e have sinned against the 5.D, so he has given +s poisoned water to drink. Ceremiah (.1%*21 #1 1% >e hoped to have peace, !+t nothing good has come. >e hoped that he wo+ld forgive +s, !+t only disaster has come. 1& 2rom the land of the tri!e of Dan, we hear the snorting of the enemys horses. The gro+nd shakes from the po+nding of their hooves. They have come to destroy the land and everything in it. They have come to destroy the city and all the people who live there. 1' 6eople of C+dah, 3 am sending poisono+s snakes to attack yo+. These snakes cannot !e controlled. They will !ite yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 1( God, 3 am very sad and afraid. 1) isten to my people. -verywhere in this co+ntry, people are crying for help. They say, 3s the 5.D still at Bion? 3s Bions Ging still there? <+t God says, The people of C+dah worshiped their worthless foreign idols. That made me very angry" >hy did they do that? 2, And the people say, $arvest time is over. S+mmer is gone, and still we have not !een saved. 21 Ay people are h+rt, so 3 am h+rt. 3 am too sad to speak. Ceremiah (.22*).% #2 22 S+rely there is some medicine in Gilead. S+rely there is a doctor in Gilead. So why are the wo+nds of my people not healed? 9 1 3f my head were filled with water, and if my eyes were a fo+ntain of tears, 3 wo+ld cry day and night for my people who have !een destroyed. 2 3f only 3 had a place in the desert a ho+se where travelers spend the night so 3 co+ld leave my people. 3 co+ld go away from them, !eca+se they are all +nfaithf+l to God. They have all t+rned against him. 3 They +se their tong+es like a !owF lies fly from their mo+ths like arrows. ies, pag. '('0131#

not tr+th, have grown strong in this land. They go from one sin to another. They dont know me. This is what the 5.D says. # >atch yo+r neigh!ors" Dont tr+st yo+r own !rothers, !eca+se every !rother is a cheat. -very neigh!or talks !ehind yo+r !ack. % -veryone lies to their neigh!or. 1o one speaks the tr+th. The people of C+dah have ta+ght their tong+es to lie. They Ceremiah ).&*1, #3 sinned +ntil they were too tired to come !ack. & 5ne !ad thing followed another, and lies followed lies. The people ref+sed to know me. This is what the 5.D says. ' So the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, A worker heats metal in a fire to test it and see if it is p+re. 3 will test the people of C+dah like that. 3 have no other choice. Ay people have sinned. ( The people of C+dah have tong+es as sharp as arrows. Their mo+ths speak lies. They all speak kindly to their neigh!ors, !+t they are secretly planning ways to attack them. ) Sho+ld 3 p+nish the people of C+dah for doing these things? This message is from the 5.D. ;o+ know 3 sho+ld p+nish a nation s+ch as this. 3 sho+ld give it the p+nishment it deserves. 1, 3, Ceremiah, will cry for the mo+ntains. 3 will sing a f+neral song for the empty fields, !eca+se all the animals were taken away. 1o one goes there anymore. The so+nds of cattle cannot !e heard. The !irds have flown away, and the animals are gone. Ceremiah ).11*1& ## 11 The ord says, 3 will make the city of Cer+salem a pile of gar!age. 3t will !e a home for =ackals. 3 will destroy the cities in the land of C+dah, so no one will live there. 12 3s there a man who is wise eno+gh to +nderstand these things? 3s there someone who has !een ta+ght !y the 5.D? 9an anyone e4plain his message? >hy was the land r+ined? >hy was it -asy To .ead /ersion

made like an empty desert where no one goes? 13 The 5.D answered, 3t is !eca+se the people of C+dah stopped following my teachings. 3 gave them my teachings, !+t they ref+sed to listen to me. They did not follow my teachings. 1# The people of C+dah lived their own way. They were st+!!orn. They followed the false god <aal. Their fathers ta+ght them to follow those false gods. 1% So the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says, 3 will soon make the people of C+dah eat !itter food and drink poisoned water. 1& 3 will scatter the people of C+dah thro+gho+t other nations. They will live in strange nations that they and their Ceremiah ).1'*21 #% fathers never knew a!o+t. 3 will send men with swords. They will kill the people of C+dah. They will kill them +ntil all the people are gone. 1' This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: 1ow think a!o+t these things" 9all for the women who get paid to cry at f+nerals. Send for the people who are good at that =o!. 1( The people say, et those women come J+ickly and cry for +s. Then o+r eyes will fill with tears that flow over o+r eyelids like streams of water. 1) The so+nd of lo+d crying is heard from Bion: >e are really r+ined" >e are so ashamed" >e m+st leave o+r land, !eca+se o+r ho+ses have !een destroyed. 1ow o+r ho+ses are only piles of rock. 2, 1ow, women of C+dah, listen to the message from the 5.D. isten to the words from his mo+th. Teach yo+r da+ghters how to cry lo+dly. -ach of them m+st learn to sing this f+neral song: 21 Death has clim!ed in thro+gh o+r windows and has come into o+r palaces. Death has come to o+r children who play Ceremiah ).22*2& #& in the streets and to the yo+ng men who meet in the p+!lic places. pag. '((0131#

22 This is what yo+ sho+ld say: The 5.D says, Dead !odies will lie in the fields like d+ng. Their !odies will lie on the gro+nd like grain a farmer has c+t. <+t there will !e no one to gather them. 23 This is what the 5.D says: The wise m+st not !rag a!o+t their wisdom. The strong men m+st not !rag a!o+t their strength. The rich m+st not !rag a!o+t their money. 2# <+t if someone wants to !rag, then let them !rag a!o+t this: et them !rag that they learned to know me. et them !rag that they +nderstand that 3 am the 5.D, that 3 am kind and fair, and that 3 do good things on earth. 3 love this kind of !ragging. This message is from the 5.D. 2% This is what the 5.D says: The time is coming when 3 will p+nish all those who are circ+mcised only in the !ody. 2& 3 am talking a!o+t the people of the nations of -gypt, C+dah, -dom, Ammon, Aoa!, and all those who live in the desert. The circ+mcision they do is not the kind the ord wants. <+t the people Ceremiah 1,.1*' #' of 3srael are not really circ+mcised either. They are not circ+mcised in their hearts. 10 1 2amily of 3srael, listen to the 5.D" $e is speaking to yo+. 2 This is what the 5.D says: Dont live like people from other nations. Dont !e afraid of special signs in the sky. The other nations are afraid of what they see in the sky. <+t yo+ m+st not !e afraid of them. 3 The c+stoms of other people are worth nothing. Their idols are nothing !+t wood from the forest. Their idols are made !y workers with their chisels. # They make their idols !ea+tif+l with silver and gold. They +se hammers and nails to fasten their idols down so they will not fall over. % The idols of the other nations are like a scarecrow in a c+c+m!er field. They cannot walk. They cannot talk, and the people m+st carry them. So dont !e afraid of their idols. They cannot h+rt -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. And they cannot help yo+ either. & 5.D, there is no one like yo+. ;o+ are great" ;o+r name is great and powerf+l" ' -veryone sho+ld respect yo+, Ging of all the nations. ;o+ deserve their Ceremiah 1,.(*13 #( respect. There are many wise men among the nations, !+t not one of them is as wise as yo+. ( All the people of the other nations are st+pid and foolish. Their teachings come from worthless wooden stat+es. ) They +se silver from the city of Tarshish and gold from the city of HphaE and make their stat+es. 9arpenters and metalworkers make the idols. They p+t !l+e and p+rple clothes on them. >ise men make these gods. 1, <+t the 5.D is the only tr+e God. $e is the only God who is alive. $e is the Ging who r+les forever. The earth shakes when he is angry. The people of the nations cannot stop his anger. 11 The ord says, Tell them this message: These false gods did not make heaven and earth. They will !e destroyed and disappear from heaven and earth. 12 God is the one who +sed his power and made the earth. $e +sed his wisdom and !+ilt the world. >ith his +nderstanding he stretched the sky over the earth. 13 God ca+ses the lo+d th+nder, and he ca+ses great floods of water to fall from Ceremiah 1,.1#*1) #) the sky. $e makes clo+ds rise in the sky every place on earth. $e sends lightning with the rain. $e !rings o+t the wind from his storeho+ses. 1# 6eople are so st+pid" Aetalworkers are fooled !y the idols that they themselves made. These stat+es are nothing !+t lies. They are st+pid. 1% These idols are worth nothing. They are something to make f+n of. 3n the time of =+dgment they will !e destroyed. 1& <+t Caco!s God is not like the idols. $e made everything, and 3srael is the family that God chose to !e his own people. $is name is 5.D AllD6owerf+l. pag. '()0131#

1' Get everything yo+ own and prepare to leave. 6eople of C+dah, yo+ are trapped in the city, and the enemy is all aro+nd it. 1( This is what the 5.D says: This time, 3 will throw the people of C+dah o+t of this co+ntry. 3 will !ring pain and tro+!le to them. 3 will do this so that they will learn their lesson. 1) 3 am h+rt !adly. 3 am in=+red and 3 cannot !e healed. <+t 3 told myself, This is my sicknessF 3 m+st s+ffer thro+gh it. Ceremiah 1,.2,*11.2 %, 2, Ay tent is r+ined. All its ropes are !roken. Ay children left me. They are gone. 1o one is left to p+t +p my tent. 1o one is left to fi4 a shelter for me. 21 The shepherds are st+pid. They dont try to find the 5.D. They are not wise, so their flocks are scattered and lost. 22 isten" A lo+d noise" The noise is coming from the north. 3t will destroy the cities of C+dah. C+dah will !ecome an empty desert. 3t will !e a home for =ackals. 23 5.D, 3 know people dont really know how to live right. 2# 5.D, correct +s" <+t !e fair" Dont p+nish +s in anger" 2% 3f yo+ are angry, then p+nish the other nations. They dont know or respect yo+. They dont worship yo+. Those nations destroyed Caco!s family. They destroyed 3srael completely. They destroyed 3sraels homeland. 11 1 This is the message from the 5.D: 2 Ceremiah, listen to the words of this agreement and tell them to the people living in Cer+salem and the rest of C+dah. Ceremiah 11.3*' %1 3 Tell them that this is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: <ad things will happen to anyone who does not o!ey this agreement. # 3 am talking a!o+t the agreement 3 made with yo+r ancestors when 3 !ro+ght them o+t of that f+rnace called -gypt. At that time 3 told them, isten to me and o!ey all the commands 3 give -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. Then yo+ will !e my people and 3 will !e yo+r God. % 3 did this to keep the promise that 3 had made to yo+r ancestors. 3 promised to give them a very fertile landa land flowing with milk and honey. And yo+ are living in that co+ntry today. 3 answered, Amen, 5.D. & The 5.D said to me, Ceremiah, tell this message in the towns of C+dah and in the streets of Cer+salem: isten to the words of this agreement, and then o!ey these laws. ' 3 gave a warning to yo+r ancestors at the time 3 !ro+ght them o+t of the land of -gypt. 3 have warned them again and again to this day. 3 told them to o!ey me. Ceremiah 11.(*12 %2 ( <+t yo+r ancestors did not listen to me. They were st+!!orn and did what their own evil hearts wanted. The agreement says that !ad things will happen to them if they dont o!ey. So 3 made all the !ad things happen to them. 3 commanded them to o!ey the agreement, !+t they did not. ) The 5.D said to me, Ceremiah, 3 know that the people of C+dah and the people living in Cer+salem have made secret plans. 1, They are committing the same sins that their ancestors did. Their ancestors ref+sed to listen to my message. They followed and worshiped other gods. The family of 3srael and the family of C+dah have !roken the agreement 3 made with their ancestors. 11 So this is what the 5.D says: 3 will soon make something terri!le happen to the people of C+dah. They will not !e a!le to escape. They will !e sorry and cry to me for help, !+t 3 will not listen to them. 12 The people in the towns of C+dah and in the city of Cer+salem will go and pray to their idols for help. They !+rn incense Ceremiah 11.13*1' %3 to those idols. <+t their idols will not !e a!le to help the people of C+dah when pag. '),0131#

that terri!le disaster comes. 13 6eople of C+dah, yo+ have many idolsthere are as many idols as there are towns in C+dah. ;o+ have !+ilt many altars for worshiping that disg+sting god <aal there are as many altars as there are streets in Cer+salem. 1# As for yo+, Ceremiah, dont pray for these people of C+dah. Dont !eg for them. Dont say prayers for them. 3 will not listen. They will s+ffer and then call to me for help, !+t 3 will not listen. 1% C+dah is the one 3 love, !+t why is she in my temple? She has done too many evil things. C+dah, do yo+ think vows and sacrifices will keep yo+ from !eing destroyed? >ill 3 then allow yo+ to en=oy yo+r evil ways? 1& The 5.D gave yo+ a name. $e called yo+, A green olive tree, !ea+tif+l to look at. <+t with a powerf+l storm, he will set that tree on fire, and its !ranches will !e !+rned +p. 1' The 5.D AllD6owerf+l planted yo+, and he said that disaster will come to yo+. That is !eca+se the family of 3srael Ceremiah 11.1(*22 %# and the family of C+dah have done evil things. They offered sacrifices to <aal, and that made him angry" 1( The 5.D showed me that the men of Anathoth were making plans against me. $e showed me what they were doing, so 3 knew they were against me. 1) <efore he showed me this, 3 was like a gentle lam! waiting to !e !+tchered. 3 did not +nderstand that they were against me. They were saying this a!o+t me: et +s destroy the tree and its fr+it" et +s kill him" Then people will forget him. 2, So 3 prayed, 5.D AllD6owerf+l, yo+ are a fair =+dge. ;o+ know how to test peoples hearts and minds. 3 will tell yo+ my arg+ments, and 3 will let yo+ give them the p+nishment they deserve. 21 The 5.D said to me: Those people from Anathoth are planning to take yo+r life. They are telling yo+ not to prophesy in the name of the 5.D or they will kill -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. This is what 3 have to say a!o+t them: 22 3, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, promise that 3 will soon p+nish those people. Ceremiah 11.23*12.# %% Their yo+ng men will die in war. Their sons and da+ghters will die from h+nger. 23 1o one from the city of Anathoth will !e left. 1o one will s+rvive. 3 will p+nish them and ca+se something !ad to happen to them. 12 1 5.D, if 3 arg+e with yo+, yo+ are always right. <+t 3 want to ask yo+ a!o+t some things that dont seem right. >hy are wicked people s+ccessf+l? >hy do people yo+ cannot tr+st have s+ch easy lives? 2 ;o+ have p+t these wicked people here like plants with strong roots. They grow and prod+ce fr+it. >ith their mo+ths they say that yo+ are near and dear to them, !+t in their hearts they are really far away from yo+. 3 <+t yo+ know my heart, 5.D. ;o+ see me and test my mind. Drag the evil people away like sheep to !e killed. 9hoose them for the day of sla+ghter. # $ow m+ch longer will the land !e dry? $ow long will the grass !e dry and dead? The !irds and the animals of this land have all died, and it is the fa+lt of the wicked. <+t they are saying, Ceremiah Ceremiah 12.%*1, %& will not live long eno+gh to see what happens to +s. % Ceremiah, if r+nning a race against men makes yo+ tired, how will yo+ race against horses? 3f yo+ trip and fall in an open field, what will yo+ do in the thorn!+shes !y the Cordan .iver? & These men are yo+r own !rothers. Aem!ers of yo+r own family are making plans against yo+. 6eople from yo+r own family are sho+ting at yo+. Dont tr+st them, even when they speak to yo+ like friends. ' 3 have a!andoned my ho+se. 3 have left my own property. 3 have given C+dah, the one 3 love, to her enemies. ( Ay own people t+rned against me pag. ')10131#

like a wild lion. They roared at me, so 3 t+rned away from them. ) Ay own people have !ecome like a dying animal s+rro+nded !y v+lt+res. These !irds are circling aro+nd her. 9ome on, wild animals. 9ome get something to eat. 1, Aany shepherds have r+ined my vineyard. They have trampled the plants in my field. They have made my !ea+tif+l field a desert. Ceremiah 12.11*1% %' 11 They have t+rned it into an empty desert. 3t is dry and dead. The whole land has !een r+ined, and no one is left to care for it. 12 The empty hills are covered with soldiers who have come to destroy everything. The 5.D is +sing them to p+nish that land from one end to the other. 1o one is safe. 13 The people will plant wheat, !+t they will harvest only thorns. They will work hard +ntil they are very tired, !+t they will get nothing for all their work. They will !e ashamed of their crop. The 5.D@S anger ca+sed this. 1# This is what the 5.D says: 3 will tell yo+ what 3 will do for all those who live aro+nd the land of 3srael. They are very wicked. They have destroyed the land 3 gave to the people of 3srael. 3 will p+ll the evil people +p and throw them o+t of their land, and 3 will p+ll the people of C+dah +p with them. 1% <+t after 3 p+ll them +p o+t of their land, 3 will feel sorry for them. 3 will !ring each family !ack to its own property and to its own land. Ceremiah 12.1&*13.% %( 1& 3 want these people to learn their lessons well. 3n the past they ta+ght my people to +se <aals name to make promises. 1ow, 3 want them to learn to +se my name. 3 want them to say, As the 5.D lives . 3f they do that, 3 will allow them to !e s+ccessf+l, and 3 will let them live among my people. 1' <+t if a nation does not listen to my message, 3 will completely destroy it. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 will p+ll it +p like a dead plant. This message is from the 5.D. 13 1 This is what the 5.D said to me: Ceremiah, go and !+y a linen loincloth. Then p+t it aro+nd yo+r waist. Dont let it get wet. 2 So 3 !o+ght a linen loincloth, =+st as the 5.D told me to do, and 3 p+t it aro+nd my waist. 3 Then the message from the 5.D came to me a second time. # This was the message: Ceremiah, take the loincloth yo+ !o+ght and are wearing, and go to 6erath. $ide the loincloth there in a crack in the rocks. % So 3 went to 6erath and hid the loincloth there, =+st as the 5.D told me to do. Ceremiah 13.&*11 %) & Aany days later the 5.D said to me, 1ow, Ceremiah, go to 6erath. Get the loincloth that 3 told yo+ to hide there. ' So 3 went to 6erath and d+g +p the loincloth. 3 took it o+t of the crack in the rocks where 3 had hidden it. <+t now 3 co+ld not wear the loincloth, !eca+se it was r+ined. 3t was not good for anything. ( Then the message from the 5.D came to me. ) This is what the 5.D said: The loincloth is r+ined and not good for anything. 3n the same way, 3 will r+in the pro+d people of C+dah and Cer+salem. 1, 3 will r+in them !eca+se they ref+se to listen to my messages. They are st+!!orn and do only what they want to do. They follow and worship other gods. They will !e like this linen loincloth. They will !e r+ined and not good for anything. 11 A loincloth is wrapped tightly aro+nd a mans waist. 3n the same way, 3 wrapped the family of 3srael and the family of C+dah aro+nd me. This message is from the 5.D. 3 did that so that they wo+ld !e my people and !ring me fame, praise, and honor. <+t my people did not listen to me. Ceremiah 13.12*1& &, 12 Ceremiah, say to the people of C+dah: This is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, pag. ')20131#

says: -very wineskin sho+ld !e filled with wine. They will la+gh and say to yo+, 5f co+rse, we know that every wineskin sho+ld !e filled with wine. 13 Then yo+ will say to them, This is what the 5.D says: 3 will make everyone who lives in this land helpless, like a dr+nken man. 3 am talking a!o+t the kings who sit on Davids throne. 3 am also talking a!o+t the priests, the prophets, and all the people who live in Cer+salem. 1# 3 will make them st+m!le and fall against each another, even the fathers and sons. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will not feel sorry or have pity for them. 3 will not allow compassion to stop me from destroying the people of C+dah. 1% isten and pay attention. The 5.D has spoken to yo+. Do not !e pro+d. 1& $onor the 5.D yo+r God. 6raise him or he will !ring darkness. 6raise him !efore yo+ fall on the dark hills. ;o+ people of C+dah are hoping for light, !+t the ord will t+rn the light into thick Ceremiah 13.1'*22 &1 darkness. $e will change it into the deepest gloom. 1' 3f yo+ people of C+dah dont listen to him, 3 will hide and cry. ;o+r pride will ca+se me to cry. 3 will cry very hard. Ay eyes will overflow with tears, !eca+se the 5.D@S flock will !e capt+red. 1( Tell these things to the king and his wife, 9ome down from yo+r thrones. ;o+r !ea+tif+l crowns have fallen from yo+r heads. 1) The cities in the 1egev are locked. 1o one can open them. All the people of C+dah have !een taken away as captives. They were carried away as prisoners. 2, Cer+salem, look" The enemy is coming from the north" >here is the flock yo+ were once in charge of? That !ea+tif+l flock is gone now. 21 3 will let yo+r enemies !ecome yo+r r+lers people yo+ once tr+sted with yo+r secrets. >hat will yo+ say then? S+rely yo+ will feel great pain, like a woman -asy To .ead /ersion

giving !irth. 22 ;o+ might ask yo+rself, >hy has this !ad thing happened to me? 3t happened !eca+se of yo+r many sins. Thats why Ceremiah 13.23*2' &2 they were allowed to tear off yo+r clothes and take advantage of yo+. 23 A !lack man cannot change the color of his skin, and a leopard cannot change its spots. And yo+, Cer+salem, who always do what is evil, cannot change and do good. 2# 3 will force yo+ to leave yo+r homes. ;o+ will r+n in all directions. ;o+ will !e like chaff !lown away !y the desert wind. 2% This is what will happen to yo+. This is yo+r part in my plans. This message is from the 5.D. >hy will this happen? <eca+se yo+ forgot me. ;o+ tr+sted false gods. 2& Cer+salem, 3 will p+ll yo+r skirt +p over yo+r face. -veryone will see yo+, and yo+ will !e ashamed. 2' 3 have seen the terri!le things yo+ have done. 3 have seen yo+ la+ghing and having se4 with yo+r lovers. 3 know all a!o+t yo+r disg+sting worship of other gods. 3 have seen yo+ on the hills and in the fields. 3t will !e very !ad for yo+, Cer+salem. $ow long will yo+ contin+e yo+r filthy sins? Ceremiah 1#.1*' &3 14 1 This is the 5.D@S message to Ceremiah a!o+t the time of no rain: 2 The nation of C+dah cries for people who have died. The people in the cities of C+dah grow weaker and weaker. They lie on the gro+nd. 6eople in Cer+salem, cry to God for help. 3 The leaders of the people send their servants to get water. The servants go to the water storage places, !+t they dont find any water. The servants come !ack with empty =ars, so they are ashamed and em!arrassed. They cover their heads from shame. # 1o one prepares the gro+nd for crops. 1o rain falls on the land. The farmers are depressed. So they cover their heads pag. ')30131#

from shame. % -ven the mother deer in the field leaves her new!orn !a!y alone, !eca+se there is no grass. & >ild donkeys stand on the !are hills. They sniff the wind like =ackals. <+t their eyes cannot find any food, !eca+se there are no plants to eat. ' >e know that this is o+r fa+lt. >e are now s+ffering !eca+se of o+r sins. 5.D, Ceremiah 1#.(*12 &# do something to help +s for the good of yo+r name. >e admit that we have left yo+ many times. >e have sinned against yo+. ( God, yo+ are the hope of 3srael" ;o+ save 3srael in times of tro+!le. <+t now it seems like yo+ are a stranger in the land, like yo+ are a traveler who only stays one night. ) ;o+ seem like a man who has !een attacked !y s+rprise, like a soldier who does not have the power to save anyone. <+t, 5.D, yo+ are with +s. >e are called !y yo+r name, so dont leave +s witho+t help" 1, This is what the 5.D says a!o+t the people of C+dah: The people of C+dah love nothing more than to wander away from me. They dont hesitate to leave me. So now the 5.D will not accept them. 1ow he will remem!er the evil they do. $e will p+nish them for their sins. 11 Then the 5.D said to me, Ceremiah, dont pray for good things to happen to the people of C+dah. 12 They might !egin to fast and pray to me, !+t 3 will not listen to their prayers. Ceremiah 1#.13*1& &% -ven if they offer !+rnt offerings and grain offerings to me, 3 will not accept them. 3 will destroy the people of C+dah with war. 3 will take away their food, and they will starve. And 3 will destroy them with terri!le diseases. 13 <+t 3 said, ord G5D, the prophets were telling the people something different. They were telling the people of C+dah, ;o+ will not s+ffer from war -asy To .ead /ersion

or from h+nger. The ord will give yo+ peace in this land. 1# Then the 5.D said to me, Ceremiah, those prophets are telling lies in my name. 3 did not send them or command them or speak to them. Their prophecies came from false visions, worthless magic, and their own wishf+l thinking. 1% So this is what 3, the 5.D, say a!o+t the prophets who are speaking in my name. 3 did not send them. They said, 1o enemy will ever attack this co+ntry. There will never !e h+nger in this land. So those prophets will die from h+nger or !y an enemys sword. 1& And the people they spoke to will !e thrown into the streets. The people will die from h+nger and from an enemys Ceremiah 1#.1'*21 && sword. 3 will p+nish them, and no one will !e there to !+ry them, their wives, their sons, or their da+ghters. 1' Ceremiah, speak this message to the people of C+dah: Ay eyes fill with tears night and day witho+t stopping. 3 will cry for my dear people, !eca+se someone hit them and cr+shed them. They have !een h+rt very !adly. 1( 3f 3 go into the co+ntry, 3 see the !odies of those killed in war. 3f 3 go into the city, 3 see people sick from h+nger. The priests and prophets contin+e their work, !+t they dont +nderstand what is happening. 1) ord, have yo+ completely re=ected the nation of C+dah? Do yo+ hate Bion? ;o+ h+rt +s so !adly that we cannot !e made well again. >hy did yo+ do that? >e were hoping for peace, !+t nothing good has come. >e were hoping for a time of healing, !+t only terror came. 2, 5.D, we know that we are wicked. >e know that o+r ancestors did evil things. ;es, we sinned against yo+. 21 2or the good of yo+r name, dont p+sh +s away. Dont take away the honor from Ceremiah 1#.22*1%.3 &' yo+r glorio+s throne. .emem!er yo+r agreement with +s and do not !reak it. 22 2oreign idols dont have the power to pag. ')#0131#

!ring rain. The sky does not have the power to send down showers of rain. ;o+, the 5.D o+r God, are o+r only hope. ;o+ are the one who made all these things. 15 1 The 5.D said to me, Ceremiah, even if Aoses and Sam+el were here to pray for the people of C+dah, 3 wo+ld not feel sorry for them. Send the people of C+dah away from me" Tell them to go" 2 They might ask yo+, >here will we go? Tell them this is what the 5.D says: 3 have chosen some people to die. They will die. 3 have chosen some to !e killed with swords. They will !e killed with swords. 3 have chosen some to die from h+nger. They will die from h+nger. 3 have chosen some to !e taken away to a foreign co+ntry. They will !e prisoners there. 3 3 will send fo+r kinds of destroyers against them. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will send the enemy with a sword to kill. 3 will send the dogs to drag Ceremiah 1%.#*( &( their !odies away. 3 will send !irds of the air and wild animals to eat and destroy their !odies. # 3 will make the people of C+dah an e4ample of something terri!le for all the people on earth. 3 will do this to the people of C+dah !eca+se of what Aanasseh did in Cer+salem. Aanasseh was the son of Ging $eEekiah. Aanasseh was a king of C+dah. % 1o one will feel sorry for yo+, city of Cer+salem. 1o one will !e sad and cry for yo+. 1o one will go o+t of their way to even ask how yo+ are. & Cer+salem, yo+ left me. This message is from the 5.D. Again and again yo+ left me" So 3 will p+nish and destroy yo+. 3 am tired of holding !ack yo+r p+nishment. ' 3 will separate the people of C+dah with my pitchfork. 3 will scatter them at the city gates of the land. Ay people have not changed, so 3 will destroy them. 3 will take away their children. -asy To .ead /ersion

( Aany women will lose their h+s!ands. There will !e more widows than there is sand in the sea. 3 will !ring a destroyer at noontime. The destroyer will attack Ceremiah 1%.)*13 &) the mothers of the yo+ng men of C+dah. 3 will !ring pain and fear on the people of C+dah. 3 will make this happen very J+ickly. ) The enemy will attack with swords and kill the people. They will kill the s+rvivors from C+dah. A woman with seven children will lose them. She will cry +ntil she !ecomes weak and str+ggles to !reathe. She will !e +pset and conf+sed, !eca+se her !right day has !ecome dark. This message is from the 5.D. 1, Aother, 3 am sorry that yo+ gave !irth to me. 3 am the one who m+st acc+se and criticiEe the whole land. 3 have not loaned or !orrowed anything, !+t everyone c+rses me. 11 S+rely, 5.D, 3 have served yo+ well. 3n times of disaster and tro+!le, 3 prayed to yo+ a!o+t my enemies. 12 Ceremiah, yo+ know that no one can shatter a piece of iron. 3 mean the iron mi4ed with !ronEe that is from the north. 13 The people of C+dah have many treas+res. 3 will give these riches to other people. They will not have to !+y Ceremiah 1%.1#*1( ', them, !eca+se C+dah has many sins. The people sinned in every part of C+dah. 1# 6eople of C+dah, 3 will make yo+ slaves of yo+r enemies. ;o+ will !e slaves in a land that yo+ never knew. 3 am very angry. Ay anger is like a hot fire, and yo+ will !e !+rned. 1% 5.D, yo+ +nderstand me. .emem!er me and take care of me. 6eople are h+rting me. Give them the p+nishment they deserve. ;o+ are !eing patient with them. <+t dont destroy me while yo+ remain patient with them. Think a!o+t me. Think a!o+t the pain 3 s+ffer for yo+. 1& ;o+r words came to me, and 3 ate them +p. They made me very happy. pag. ')%0131#

3 was glad to !e called !y yo+r name, 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1' 3 never sat with the crowd as they la+ghed and had f+n. 3 sat !y myself !eca+se of yo+r infl+ence on me. ;o+ filled me with anger at the evil aro+nd me. 1( 3 dont +nderstand why 3 still h+rt. 3 dont +nderstand why my wo+nd is not c+red and cannot !e healed. 3 think yo+ have changed. ;o+ are like a spring of Ceremiah 1%.1)*1&.2 '1 water that !ecame dry. ;o+ are like a spring whose water has stopped flowing. 1) Then the 5.D said, Ceremiah, if yo+ change and come !ack to me, 3 will not p+nish yo+. 3f yo+ change and come !ack to me, then yo+ may serve me. 3f yo+ speak important things, not worthless words, then yo+ may speak for me. The people of C+dah sho+ld change and come !ack to yo+. <+t dont yo+ change and !e like them. 2, 3 will make yo+ strong. The people will think yo+ are strong, like a wall made of !ronEe. The people of C+dah will fight against yo+, !+t they will not defeat yo+. They will not defeat yo+, !eca+se 3 am with yo+. 3 will help yo+, and 3 will save yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 21 3 will save yo+ from these evil people. They frighten yo+, !+t 3 will save yo+ from them. 16 1 The 5.D@S message came to me: 2 Ceremiah, yo+ m+st not get married. ;o+ m+st not have sons or da+ghters in this place. Ceremiah 1&.3*' '2 3 This is what the 5.D says a!o+t the sons and da+ghters who are !orn in the land of C+dah and a!o+t their mothers and fathers: # They will die from terri!le diseases. And no one will cry for them or !+ry them. Their !odies will lie on the gro+nd like d+ng. 5r they will die in war, or they will starve to death. Their dead !odies will !e food for the !irds of the sky and -asy To .ead /ersion

the wild animals of the earth. % So the 5.D says, Ceremiah, dont go into a ho+se where people are eating a f+neral meal. Dont go there to cry for the dead or to show yo+r sorrow. Dont do these things, !eca+se 3 have taken !ack my !lessing. 3 will not !e kind to the people of C+dah. 3 will not feel sorry for them. This message is from the 5.D. & 3mportant people and common people will die in the land of C+dah. 1o one will !+ry them or cry for them. 1o one will c+t himself or shave his head to show sorrow for them. ' 1o one will !ring food to those who are crying for the dead. 1o one will comfort those whose mother or father has died. Ceremiah 1&.(*11 '3 1o one will offer a drink to comfort those who are crying for the dead. ( Ceremiah, dont go into a ho+se where the people are having a party. Dont go into that ho+se and sit down to eat and drink. ) This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael says: 3 will soon stop the so+nds of people having f+n. 3 will stop the happy so+nds of people en=oying a wedding party. This will happen d+ring yo+r lifetime. 3 will do these things very soon. 1, Ceremiah, yo+ will tell the people of C+dah these things, and the people will ask yo+, >hy has the 5.D said these terri!le things to +s? >hat have we done wrong? >hat sin have we done against the 5.D o+r God? 11 ;o+ m+st tell them: Terri!le things will happen to yo+ !eca+se yo+r ancestors stopped following me. This message is from the 5.D. They stopped following me and !egan to follow and serve other gods. They worshiped those other gods. ;o+r ancestors left me and stopped o!eying my law. Ceremiah 1&.12*1& '# 12 <+t yo+ people have sinned more than yo+r ancestors. ;o+ are very st+!!orn, and yo+ are doing only what yo+ want to do. ;o+ are not o!eying me. pag. ')&0131#

<eca+se yo+ do only what yo+ want to do, 13 so 3 will throw yo+ o+t of this co+ntry. 3 will force yo+ to go to a foreign land. ;o+ will go to a land that yo+ and yo+r ancestors never knew. There yo+ can serve false gods all yo+ want to. 3 will not help yo+ or show yo+ any favors. 1# 6eople make promises and say, As s+rely as the 5.D livesthe ord who !ro+ght the 3sraelites o+t of the land of -gypt . <+t the time is coming, says the 5.D, when people will not say that. 1% They will say something new. They will say, As s+rely as the 5.D livesthe ord who !ro+ght the 3sraelites o+t of the northern land, who !ro+ght them o+t of all the co+ntries where he had sent them . >hy will they say that? <eca+se 3 will !ring the 3sraelites !ack to the land that 3 gave to their ancestors. 1& 3 will soon send for many fishermen to come to this land. This message is from the 5.D. They will catch the Ceremiah 1&.1'*21 '% people of C+dah. After that happens, 3 will send for many h+nters to come to this land. They will h+nt the people of C+dah on every mo+ntain and hill and in the cracks of the rocks. 1' 3 see everything they do. The people of C+dah cannot hide the things they do. Their sin is not hidden from me. 1( 3 will pay the people of C+dah !ack for the evil things they did3 will p+nish them two times for every sin. 3 will do this !eca+se they have made my land dirty. They made my land dirty with their terri!le idols. 3 hate those idols, !+t they have filled my co+ntry with their idols. 1) 5.D, yo+ are my strength and my protection. ;o+ are a safe place to r+n to in time of tro+!le. The nations will come to yo+ from all aro+nd the world. They will say, 5+r fathers had false gods. They worshiped those worthless idols, !+t the idols did not help them. 2, 9an people make real gods for themselves? 1o, they can only make stat+es that are not really gods. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 So 3 will teach those who make idols. .ight now 3 will teach them a!o+t my power and my strength. Then they will Ceremiah 1'.1*% '& know that 3 am God. They will know that 3 am the 5.D. 17 1 The sins of C+dah are written where they cannot !e erased c+t into stone with an iron pen, c+t deep with a hard tip into the stone that is the hearts of the people. Their sins are carved into the horns of their altars. 2 Their children remem!er the altars that were dedicated to false gods. They remem!er the wooden poles that were dedicated to Asherah. They remem!er those things +nder the green trees and on the hills. 3 They remem!er those things on the mo+ntains in the open co+ntry. The people of C+dah have many treas+res. 3 will give those things to other people. 6eople will destroy all the high places in yo+r co+ntry. ;o+ worshiped there, and that was a sin. # ;o+ will lose the land 3 gave yo+. 3 will let yo+r enemies take yo+ to !e their slaves. That is !eca+se 3 am very angry. Ay anger is like a hot fire, and yo+ will !e !+rned forever. % This is what the 5.D says: <ad things will happen to those who p+t their Ceremiah 1'.&*11 '' tr+st in people. <ad things will happen to those who depend on h+man strength. That is !eca+se they have stopped tr+sting the 5.D. & They are like a !+sh in a desert where no one lives. 3t is in a hot and dry land. 3t is in !ad soil. That !+sh does not know a!o+t the good things that God can give. ' <+t those who tr+st in the 5.D will !e !lessed. They know that the 5.D will do what he says. ( They will !e strong like trees planted near a stream that send o+t roots to the water. They have nothing to fear when the days get hot. Their leaves are always green. They never worry, even in a year that has no rain. They always prod+ce pag. ')'0131#

fr+it. ) 1othing can hide its evil as well as the h+man mind. 3t can !e very sick, and no one really +nderstands it. 1, <+t 3 am the 5.D, and 3 can look into a persons heart. 3 can test a persons mind and decide what each one sho+ld have. 3 can give each person the right payment for what they do. 11 Sometimes a !ird will hatch an egg that it did not lay. Those who cheat to Ceremiah 1'.12*1( '( get money are like that !ird. <+t when their lives are half finished, they will lose the money. At the end of their lives, it will !e clear that they were fools. 12 2rom the very !eginning, o+r Temple has !een a glorio+s throne for God. 3t is a very important place. 13 5.D, yo+ are the hope of 3srael. ;o+ are like a spring of living water. Those who stop following the 5.D will have a very short life. 1# 5.D, if yo+ heal me, 3 s+rely will !e healed. Save me, and 3 s+rely will !e saved. ord, 3 praise yo+" 1% The people of C+dah contin+e to ask me J+estions. They say, Ceremiah, what a!o+t the message from the 5.D? ets see that message come tr+e. 1& ord, 3 did not r+n away from yo+. 3 followed yo+. 3 !ecame the shepherd yo+ wanted. 3 did not want the terri!le day to come. ;o+ know what 3 said. ;o+ see all that is happening. 1' 6lease dont make me afraid of yo+. 3 depend on yo+ in times of tro+!le. 1( 6eople are h+rting me. Aake them ashamed, !+t dont disappoint me. et them !e filled with fear, !+t dont give Ceremiah 1'.1)*23 ') me any reason to fear. <ring the terri!le day of disaster to my enemies. <reak them, and !reak them again. 1) This is what the 5.D said to me: Ceremiah, go and stand at the 6eoples Gate, where the kings of C+dah go in and o+t. Tell the people my message, and then go to all the other gates of Cer+salem and do the same. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, Say to the people, isten to this message from the 5.D. isten, kings of C+dah. isten, all yo+ people of C+dah. All yo+ who come thro+gh these gates into Cer+salem, listen to me" 21 This is what the 5.D says: <e caref+l that yo+ dont carry a load on the Sa!!ath day. And dont !ring a load thro+gh the gates of Cer+salem on the Sa!!ath day. 22 Dont !ring a load o+t of yo+r ho+ses on the Sa!!ath day. Dont do any work on that day. ;o+ m+st make the Sa!!ath day a holy day. 3 gave this same command to yo+r ancestors, 23 !+t they did not o!ey me. They did not pay attention to me. ;o+r ancestors were very st+!!orn. 3 p+nished them, Ceremiah 1'.2#*2' (, !+t it did not do any good. They did not listen to me. 2# <+t yo+ m+st !e caref+l to o!ey me, says the 5.D. ;o+ m+st not !ring a load thro+gh the gates of Cer+salem on the Sa!!ath. ;o+ m+st make the Sa!!ath day a holy day. ;o+ will do this !y not doing any work on that day. 2% 3f yo+ o!ey this command, the kings and leaders will !e from Davids family. 3t will !e the kings who sit on Davids throne and the leaders from C+dah and Cer+salem who come thro+gh the gates of Cer+salem riding on chariots and on horses. And Cer+salem will have people living in it forever. 2& 6eople will come to Cer+salem from the towns and villages of C+dah, from the land where the tri!e of <en=amin lives, from the western foothills, from the hill co+ntry, and from the 1egev. All these people will !ring !+rnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, incense, and thank offerings to the Temple of the 5.D in Cer+salem. 2' <+t if yo+ dont listen to me and o!ey me, !ad things will happen. 3f yo+ carry loads into Cer+salem on the Sa!!ath Ceremiah 1(.1*' (1 day, yo+ are not keeping it as a holy day. So 3 will start a fire that cannot !e p+t pag. ')(0131#

o+t. That fire will start at the gates of Cer+salem, and it will !+rn +ntil it !+rns even the palaces. 18 1 This is the message that came to Ceremiah from the 5.D: 2 Ceremiah, go down to the potters ho+se. 3 will give yo+ my message there. 3 So 3 went down to the potters ho+se. 3 saw the potter working with clay at the wheel. # $e was making a pot from clay. <+t there was something wrong with the pot. So the potter +sed that clay again, and he made another pot. $e +sed his hands to shape the pot the way he wanted it to !e. % Then this message from the 5.D came to me: & 2amily of 3srael, yo+ know that 3 can do the same thing with yo+. ;o+ are like the clay in the potters hands, and 3 am like the potter. This message is from the 5.D. ' There may come a time when 3 will speak a!o+t a nation or a kingdom that 3 will p+ll +p !y its roots. 5r may!e 3 will Ceremiah 1(.(*13 (2 say that 3 will p+ll that nation or kingdom down and destroy it. ( <+t if the people of that nation change their hearts and lives and stop doing evil things, 3 will change my mind and not follow my plans to !ring disaster to them. ) There may come another time when 3 speak a!o+t a nation that 3 will !+ild +p or plant. 1, <+t if 3 see that nation doing evil things and not o!eying me, 3 will think again a!o+t the good 3 had planned to do for that nation. 11 So, Ceremiah, say to the people of C+dah and those who live in Cer+salem, This is what the 5.D says: 3 am preparing tro+!les for yo+ right now. 3 am making plans against yo+. So stop doing the evil things yo+ are doing. -ach person m+st change and start doing good things. 12 <+t the people of C+dah will answer, -asy To .ead /ersion

3t will not do any good to try. >e will contin+e to do what we want. >e will do what o+r st+!!orn, evil hearts want. 13 isten to what the 5.D says: Ask the other nations this J+estion: $ave Ceremiah 1(.1#*1' (3 yo+ ever heard of anyone doing the evil things that 3srael has done? And 3srael is special to God. 3srael is like Gods !ride" 1# ;o+ know that rocks never leave the fields !y themselves. ;o+ know that the snow on the mo+ntains of e!anon never melts. ;o+ know that cool, flowing streams dont !ecome dry. 1% <+t my people have forgotten a!o+t me. They make offerings to worthless idols. Ay people st+m!le in the things they do. They st+m!le aro+nd in the old paths of their ancestors. Ay people wo+ld rather walk along !ack roads and poor highways than to follow me on the good roads. 1& So C+dahs co+ntry will !ecome an empty desert. 6eople will whistle and shake their heads every time they pass !y. They will !e shocked at how the co+ntry was destroyed. 1' 3 will scatter the people of C+dah. They will r+n from their enemies. 3 will scatter the people of C+dah like an east wind that !lows things away. 3 will destroy them. They will not see me coming to help them. 1o, they will see me leaving. Ceremiah 1(.1(*22 (# 1( Then the enemies of Ceremiah said, 9ome, let +s make plans against Ceremiah. S+rely the teaching of the law !y the priest will not !e lost, and the advice from the wise men will still !e with +s. >e will still have the words of the prophets. So let +s tell lies a!o+t him. That will r+in him. >e will not pay attention to anything he says. 1) 5.D, listen to me" isten to my arg+ments and decide who is right. 2, 3 have !een good to the people of C+dah, !+t now they are paying me !ack with evil. They are trying to trap me and kill me. pag. '))0131#

21 So make their children starve in a famine. et their enemies defeat them with swords. et their wives !e witho+t children. T+rn their wives into widows. et the men from C+dah !e p+t to death. et the yo+ng men !e killed in !attle. 22 et there !e crying in their ho+ses. Aake them cry when yo+ s+ddenly !ring an enemy against them. et all this happen !eca+se my enemies tried to trap me. They hid traps for me to step in. Ceremiah 1(.23*1).# (% 23 5.D, yo+ know a!o+t their plans to kill me. Dont forgive their crimes. Dont erase their sins. Destroy my enemies" 6+nish them while yo+ are angry" 19 1 The 5.D said to me, Ceremiah, go and !+y a clay =ar from a potter. 2 Go o+t to the /alley of <en $innom, near the front of the 6otsherd Gate. Take some of the elders of the people and some priests with yo+. Tell them what 3 tell yo+. 3 Say to those who are with yo+, Ging of C+dah and people of Cer+salem, listen to this message from the 5.D" This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 will soon make a terri!le thing happen to this place" -veryone who hears a!o+t it will !e amaEed and f+ll of fear. # 3 will do these things !eca+se the people of C+dah have stopped following me. They have made this a place for foreign gods. The people of C+dah have !+rned sacrifices in this place to other gods. The people long ago did not worship those gods. Their ancestors did not worship them. These are new Ceremiah 1).%*( (& gods from other co+ntries. The kings of C+dah filled this place with the !lood of innocent children. % The kings of C+dah !+ilt high places for the god <aal. They +se those places to !+rn their sons in the fire. They !+rned their sons as !+rnt offerings to the god <aal. 3 did not tell them to do that. 3 -asy To .ead /ersion

did not ask them to offer their sons as sacrifices. 3 never even tho+ght of s+ch a thing. & 1ow people call this place Topheth and the /alley of $innom. <+t 3 give yo+ this warning. This message is from the 5.D: The days are coming, when people will call this place the /alley of Sla+ghter. ' At this place, 3 will r+in the plans of the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. The enemy will chase them, and 3 will let the people of C+dah !e killed with swords in this place. 3 will make their dead !odies food for the !irds and wild animals. ( 3 will completely destroy this city. 6eople will whistle and shake their heads when they pass !y Cer+salem. They will !e shocked when they see how the city was destroyed. Ceremiah 1).)*13 (' ) The enemy will !ring its army aro+nd the city. That army will not let people go o+t to get food, so the people in the city will !egin to starve. They will !ecome so h+ngry that they will eat the !odies of their own sons and da+ghters, and then they will !egin to eat each other. 1, Ceremiah, tell this to the people, and while they are watching, !reak the =ar. 11 Then say this: The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 will !reak the nation of C+dah and the city of Cer+salem, =+st as someone !reaking a clay =ar" And like a !roken =ar, the nation of C+dah cannot !e p+t !ack together again. The dead people will !e !+ried here in Topheth +ntil there is no more room. 12 3 will do this to these people and to this place. 3 will make this city like Topheth. This message is from the 5.D. 13 The ho+ses in Cer+salem will !ecome as dirty as this place, Topheth. The kings palaces will !e r+ined like this place, Topheth, !eca+se the people worshiped false gods on the roofs of their ho+ses. They worshiped the stars and !+rned sacrifices to honor them. They gave drink offerings to false gods. Ceremiah 1).1#*2,.3 (( pag. (,,0131#

1# Then Ceremiah left Topheth where the 5.D had told him to speak. Ceremiah went to the 5.D@S Temple and stood in the co+rtyard of the Temple. Ceremiah said to all the people: 1% This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael says: 3 said 3 wo+ld !ring many disasters to Cer+salem and the villages aro+nd it. 3 will soon make this happen !eca+se the people are very st+!!orn. They ref+se to listen and o!ey me. 20 1 6ashh+r son of 3mmer was a priest. $e was the highest officer in the Temple of the 5.D. >hen he heard Ceremiah say those things in the Temple yard, 2 he had Ceremiah the prophet !eaten. And he had his hands and feet locked !etween large !locks of wood. This was at the Hpper Gate of <en=amin of the 5.D@S Temple. 3 The ne4t day 6ashh+r took Ceremiah o+t from !etween the !locks of wood. Then Ceremiah said to him, The 5.D@S name for yo+ is not 6ashh+r. 1ow his name for yo+ is, S+rro+nded !y Terror. Ceremiah 2,.#*' () # That is yo+r name !eca+se of what the 5.D says: 3 will soon make yo+ a terror to yo+rself and to all yo+r friends. ;o+ will watch enemies killing yo+r friends with swords. 3 will give all the people of C+dah to the king of <a!ylon. $e will take them away to the co+ntry of <a!ylon, and his army will kill the people of C+dah with their swords. % The people of Cer+salem worked hard to !+ild things and !ecome wealthy, !+t 3 will give all these things to their enemies. The king in Cer+salem has many treas+res, !+t 3 will give all the treas+res to the enemy. The enemy will take them and carry them away to the co+ntry of <a!ylon. & And 6ashh+r, yo+ and all the people living in yo+r ho+se will !e taken away. ;o+ will !e forced to go and live in the co+ntry of <a!ylon. ;o+ will die in <a!ylon, and yo+ will !e !+ried in that -asy To .ead /ersion

foreign co+ntry. ;o+ told lies to yo+r friends. ;o+ said these things wo+ld not happen. <+t all yo+r friends will also die and !e !+ried in <a!ylon. ' 5.D, yo+ tricked me, and 3 certainly was fooled. ;o+ are stronger than 3 am, Ceremiah 2,.(*1, ), so yo+ won. 3 have !ecome a =oke. 6eople la+gh at me and make f+n of me all day long. ( -very time 3 speak, 3 sho+t. 3 am always sho+ting a!o+t violence and destr+ction. 3 tell the people a!o+t the message that 3 received from the 5.D. <+t they only ins+lt me and make f+n of me. ) Sometimes 3 say to myself, 3 will forget a!o+t him. 3 will not speak anymore in his name. <+t when 3 say that, his message is like a fire !+rning inside me" 3t feels like it is !+rning deep in my !ones" 3 get tired of trying to hold his message inside. And finally, 3 am not a!le to hold it in. 1, 3 hear people whispering against me. -verywhere, 3 hear things that frighten me. -ven my friends are speaking against me. 6eople are =+st waiting for me to make a mistake. They are saying, et +s lie and say that he did something !ad. Aay!e we can trick Ceremiah. Then we will have him. >e will finally !e rid of him. Then we will gra! him and take o+r revenge on him. Ceremiah 2,.11*1' )1 11 <+t the 5.D is with me. $e is like a strong soldier. So those who are chasing me will fall. They will not defeat me. They will fail. They will !e disappointed. They will !e ashamed, and they will never forget that shame. 12 5.D AllD6owerf+l, yo+ test good people. ;o+ look deeply into a persons mind. 3 told yo+ my arg+ments against these people. So let me see yo+ give them the p+nishment they deserve. 13 Sing to the 5.D" 6raise the 5.D" $e saves the lives of the poor" $e saves them from the wicked" 1# 9+rse the day that 3 was !orn" Dont pag. (,10131#

!less the day my mother had me. 1% 9+rse the man who told my father the news that 3 was !orn. 3ts a !oy" he said. ;o+ have a son. $e made my father very happy when he told him the news. 1& et that man !e like the cities the 5.D destroyed. $e had no pity on them. et him hear sho+ts of war in the morningF let him hear !attle cries at noontime, 1' !eca+se he did not kill me while 3 was in my mothers wom!. 3f he had killed me Ceremiah 2,.1(*21.# )2 then, my mother wo+ld have !een my grave, and 3 wo+ld not have !een !orn. 1( >hy did 3 have to come o+t of her !ody? All 3 have seen is tro+!le and sorrow, and my life will end in shame. 21 1 This is the message that came to Ceremiah from the 5.D. This was when Ging Bedekiah of C+dah sent 6ashh+r son of Aalki=ah and the priest Bephaniah son of Aaaseiah to Ceremiah. They !ro+ght a message for Ceremiah. 2 They said to Ceremiah, 6ray to the 5.D for +s. Ask him what will happen. >e want to know, !eca+se Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon is attacking +s. Aay!e the 5.D will do great things for +s, as he did in the past. Aay!e he will make 1e!+chadneEEar stop attacking +s and leave. 3 Then Ceremiah answered 6ashh+r and Bephaniah. $e said, Tell Ging Bedekiah, # This is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says: ;o+ have weapons of war in yo+r hands that yo+ are +sing to defend yo+rselves from the <a!ylonians and their king. <+t 3 will make those weapons worthless. The army from <a!ylon is Ceremiah 21.%*' )3 o+tside the wall all aro+nd the city. Soon 3 will !ring that army into Cer+salem. % 3 myself will fight against yo+ people of C+dah. 3 will fight against yo+ with my own powerf+l hand. 3 am very angry with yo+, so 3 will fight against yo+ with my own powerf+l arm. 3 will fight very hard against yo+ and show how angry 3 am. & 3 will kill everything living in Cer+salem, -asy To .ead /ersion

!oth people and animals. They will die from a terri!le disease that will spread all thro+gh the city. ' After that happens, says the 5.D, 3 will give Ging Bedekiah of C+dah and all his officials to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. And 3 will give to 1e!+chadneEEar the people who remain alive in Cer+salemthose who did not die from the terri!le disease and the people who did not die in war or from h+nger. 3 will give them all to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. The people of C+dah will !e capt+red !y their enemies who want to kill them. 1e!+chadneEEars army will +se their swords to kill the people of C+dah and Cer+salem. 1e!+chadneEEar will not show any mercy. $e will not feel sorry for them. Ceremiah 21.(*13 )# ( Also tell the people of Cer+salem, This is what the 5.D says: Hnderstand that 3 will let yo+ choose to live or die. ) Anyone who stays in Cer+salem will die in war or from h+nger or from a terri!le disease. <+t anyone who goes o+t of Cer+salem and s+rrenders to the <a!ylonians attacking yo+ will live. 5nly those who leave the city will win anything in this wartheir lives" 1, 3 have decided to make tro+!le for the city of Cer+salem. 3 will not help this city" 3 will give it to the king of <a!ylon, who will !+rn it with fire. This message is from the 5.D. 11 Say this to C+dahs royal family: isten to the message from the 5.D. 12 2amily of David, this is what the 5.D says: ;o+ m+st =+dge people fairly every day. Save people from those who ro! them. 3f yo+ dont do that, 3 will !e angry. Ay anger will !e like a fire that no one can p+t o+t. This will happen !eca+se yo+ have done evil things. 13 Cer+salem, 3 am against yo+. ;o+ sit on top of the mo+ntain. ;o+ sit like a J+een over this valley. ;o+ people of Cer+salem say, 1o one can attack +s. 1o Ceremiah 21.1#*22.# )% one can come into o+r strong city. This pag. (,20131#

message is from the 5.D. 1# ;o+ will get the p+nishment yo+ deserve. 3 will start a fire in yo+r forests that will completely !+rn everything aro+nd yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 22 1 The 5.D said, Ceremiah, go down to the kings palace. Go to the king of C+dah and tell this message there: 2 isten to this message from the 5.D, Ging of C+dah. ;o+ r+le from Davids throne, so listen. Ging, yo+ and yo+r officials m+st listen well. All of yo+r people who come thro+gh the gates of Cer+salem m+st listen to the message from the ord. 3 This is what the 5.D says: Do what is right and fair. 6rotect those who have !een ro!!ed from the ones who ro!!ed them. Dont take advantage of orphans or widows. Dont kill innocent people. # 3f yo+ o!ey these commands, kings who sit on Davids throne will contin+e to come thro+gh the gates into the city of Cer+salem. They will come thro+gh the gates with their officials. The kings, Ceremiah 22.%*) )& their officials, and their people will come riding in chariots and on horses. % <+t 3, the 5.D, tell yo+ that if yo+ dont o!ey these commands, then 3 promise with an oath in my own name that this kings palace will !e destroyedit will !ecome a pile of rocks. & This is what the 5.D says a!o+t the palace where the king of C+dah lives: The palace is tall like the forests of Gilead, like the mo+ntains of e!anon. <+t 3 will make it like a desert, as empty as a city where no one lives. ' 3 will send men to destroy the palace, each armed with weapons. They will c+t +p yo+r strong, !ea+tif+l cedar !eams and throw them into the fire. ( 6eople from many nations will pass !y this city. They will ask each other, >hy has the 5.D done s+ch a terri!le thing to Cer+salem? Cer+salem was s+ch a great city. -asy To .ead /ersion

) This will !e the answer to that J+estion: God destroyed Cer+salem !eca+se the people of C+dah stopped following the agreement of the 5.D their God. They worshiped and served other gods. Ceremiah 22.1,*1% )' 1, Dont cry for the king who has died. Dont cry for him. <+t cry very hard for the king who m+st leave this place. 9ry for him !eca+se he will never ret+rn or see his homeland again. 11 This is what the 5.D says a!o+t CehoahaE son of Cosiah, who !ecame king of C+dah after his father Cosiah died: CehoahaE has gone away from Cer+salem. $e will never ret+rn. 12 $e will die in the place where the -gyptians have taken him, and he will not see this land again. 13 3t will !e very !ad for Ging Cehoiakim. $e is doing wrong so that he can !+ild his palace. $e is cheating people so that he can !+ild rooms +pstairs. $e is not paying his own people. $e is making them work for nothing. 1# Cehoiakim says, 3 will !+ild myself a great palace, with h+ge rooms +pstairs. So he !+ilt it with large windows. $e +sed cedar word for paneling, and he painted it red. 1% Cehoiakim, having a lot of cedar in yo+r ho+se does not make yo+ a great king. ;o+r father Cosiah was satisfied to have food and drink. $e did what was Ceremiah 22.1&*2, )( right and fair, so everything went well for him. 1& Cosiah helped poor and needy people, so everything went well for him. Cehoiakim, what does it mean to know God? 3t means living right and !eing fair. That is what it means to know me. This message is from the 5.D. 1' Cehoiakim, yo+r eyes look only for what !enefits yo+rself. ;o+ are always thinking a!o+t getting more for yo+rself. ;o+ are willing to kill innocent people. ;o+ are willing to steal things from other people. pag. (,30131#

1( So this is what the 5.D says to Ging Cehoiakim son of Cosiah: The people of C+dah will not cry for Cehoiakim. They will not say to each other, <rother, 3 am so sad" Sister, 3 am so sad" They will not cry for Cehoiakim. They will not say a!o+t him, Aaster, 3 am so sad" Ging, 3 am so sad" 1) The people of Cer+salem will !+ry Cehoiakim like a donkey. They will drag his !ody away and throw it o+tside the gates of Cer+salem. 2, C+dah, go +p to the mo+ntains of e!anon and cry o+t. et yo+r voice !e Ceremiah 22.21*2% )) heard in the mo+ntains of <ashan. 9ry o+t in the mo+ntains of A!arim, !eca+se all yo+r lovers will !e destroyed. 21 C+dah, yo+ felt safe, !+t 3 warned yo+. 3 warned yo+, !+t yo+ ref+sed to listen. ;o+ have lived like this from the time yo+ were yo+ng. And from the time yo+ were yo+ng, yo+ have not o!eyed me, C+dah. 22 C+dah, the p+nishment 3 give will come like a storm, and it will !low all yo+r shepherds away. ;o+ tho+ght some of the other nations wo+ld help yo+. <+t these nations will also !e defeated. Then yo+ will really !e disappointed. ;o+ will !e ashamed of all the evil things yo+ did. 23 Ging, yo+ seem so safe in yo+r palace of cedar. 3ts as if yo+ live in e!anon" <+t when yo+r p+nishment comes, yo+ will groan. ;o+ will !e in pain like a woman giving !irth" 2# As s+rely as 3 live, says the 5.D, 3 will do this to yo+, Cehoiachin son of Cehoiakim, king of C+dah: -ven if yo+ were a signet ring on my right hand, 3 wo+ld still p+ll yo+ off. 2% Cehoiachin, 3 will give yo+ to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon and the Ceremiah 22.2&*23.1 1,, <a!ylonians. Those are the people yo+ are afraid of. They want to kill yo+. 2& 3 will throw yo+ and yo+r mother into another co+ntry where neither of yo+ was !orn. ;o+ and yo+r mother will die in that co+ntry. -asy To .ead /ersion

2' Cehoiachin, yo+ will want to come !ack to yo+r land, !+t yo+ will never !e allowed to come !ack. 2( Cehoiachin is like a !roken pot that someone threw away. $e is like a pot that no one wants. >hy will Cehoiachin and his children !e thrown o+t and sent away into a foreign land? 2) and, land, land of C+dah" isten to this message from the 5.D" 3, The 5.D says, >rite this down a!o+t Cehoiachin: $e does not have children anymore" Cehoiachin will not !e s+ccessf+l !eca+se none of his children will sit on the throne of David. 1one of his children will r+le in C+dah. 23 1 3t will !e very !ad for the shepherds of the people of C+dah. They are destroying the sheep. They are making the sheep r+n from my past+re in all directions. This message is from the 5.D. Ceremiah 23.2*& 1,1 2 They are responsi!le for my people. And this is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says to them: ;o+ shepherds have made my sheep r+n away in all directions. ;o+ have forced them to go away, and yo+ have not taken care of them. <+t 3 will take care of yo+3 will p+nish yo+ for the evil things yo+ did. This message is from the 5.D: 3 3 sent my sheep to other co+ntries. <+t 3 will gather together my sheep that are left, and 3 will !ring them !ack to their past+re. >hen my sheep are !ack in their past+re, they will have many children and grow in n+m!er. # 3 will place new shepherds over my sheep. They will take care of my sheep, and my sheep will never again feel afraid. 1one of my sheep will !e lost. This message is from the 5.D. % This message is from the 5.D: The time is coming, when 3 will raise +p a good !ranch from Davids family. $e will !e a king who will r+le in a wise way. $e will do what is fair and right in the land. & >hen he r+les, C+dah will !e saved, and 3srael will live in safety. This will !e pag. (,#0131#

Ceremiah 23.'*1, 1,2 his name: The 5.D Aakes Things .ight for Hs. ' So the time is coming, says the 5.D, when people will not make a promise !y saying, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, the one who !ro+ght the 3sraelites o+t of the land of -gypt . ( <+t people will say something new: As s+rely as the 5.D lives, the one who !ro+ght the 3sraelites o+t of the land of the north and o+t of all the co+ntries where he had sent them . Then the people of 3srael will live in their own land. ) A message to the prophets: 3 am very sadmy heart is !roken. All my !ones are shaking. <eca+se of the 5.D and his holy words, 3 am like a man who is dr+nk. 1, The land of C+dah is f+ll of people who commit ad+ltery. They are +nfaithf+l in many ways. So God c+rsed the land, and it !ecame very dry. The plants are dried and dying in the past+res. The fields have !ecome like the desert. The prophets are evil. They +se their infl+ence and power in the wrong way. Ceremiah 23.11*1% 1,3 11 This message is from the 5.D: The prophets and even the priests are evil. 3 have seen them doing evil things in my own Temple. 12 So 3 will make their path dark and slippery, and they will fall in the darkness. 3 will !ring disaster on themF 3 will p+nish them. This message is from the 5.D. 13 3 saw the prophets of Samaria doing something very wrong. 3 saw them prophesy in the name of the false god <aal. They led the people of 3srael away from me. 1# 3 have even seen the prophets of Cer+salem doing sinf+l things. They are committing ad+ltery and living a life of lies. They s+pport their fellow prophets and never stop doing evil. They have !ecome like SodomF they are all like Gomorrah. -asy To .ead /ersion

1% So this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says a!o+t those Cer+salem prophets: 3 will make them s+ffer. Their food will !e !itter, their water like poison. 3 will p+nish them !eca+se they started a spirit+al sickness that spread thro+gh the whole co+ntry. Ceremiah 23.1&*2, 1,# 1& This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: Dont pay attention to what those prophets are saying to yo+. They are trying to fool yo+. They talk a!o+t visions, !+t they did not get their visions from me. Their visions come from their own minds. 1' Some of the people hate the real messages from the 5.D, so the prophets give them a different message. They say, ;o+ will have peace. Some of the people are very st+!!orn. They do only what they want to do. So the prophets say, 1othing !ad will happen to yo+" 1( <+t none of these prophets has stood in the heavenly co+ncil. 1one of them has seen or heard the message from the 5.D. 1one of them has paid close attention to his message. 1) 1ow the p+nishment from the 5.D will come like a storm. $is anger will !e like a tornado. 3t will come crashing down on the heads of those wicked people. 2, The 5.D@S anger will not stop +ntil he finishes what he plans to do. >hen Ceremiah 23.21*2& 1,% that day is over, yo+ will +nderstand this clearly. 21 3 did not send those prophets, !+t they ran to tell their messages. 3 did not speak to them, !+t they spoke in my name. 22 3f they had stood in my heavenly co+ncil, then they wo+ld have told my messages to the people of C+dah. They wo+ld have stopped the people from doing !ad things. They wo+ld have stopped them from doing evil. 23 This message is from the 5.D. 3 am God, and 3 am always near. 3 am not far pag. (,%0131#

away. 2# Someone might try to hide from me in some hiding place. <+t it is easy for me to see that person, says the 5.D, !eca+se 3 am everywhere in heaven and earth. This message is from the 5.D: 2% There are prophets who tell lies in my name. They say, 3 have had a dream" 3 have had a dream" 3 heard them say those things. 2& $ow long will this contin+e? They think +p lies and then they teach them to the people. Ceremiah 23.2'*32 1,& 2' They are trying to make the people of C+dah forget my name !y telling each other these false dreams. They are trying to make my people forget me, =+st as their ancestors forgot me and worshiped the false god <aal. 2( Straw is not the same as wheat" 3n the same way, the dreams of those prophets are not messages from me. 3f people want to tell a!o+t their dreams, let them. <+t those who hear my message m+st speak it tr+thf+lly. This is what the 5.D says. 2) ;es, the 5.D says, ;o+ m+st treat my message caref+lly, like a fire or like a hammer that can smash a rock. 3, This message is from the 5.D: So 3 am against the false prophets. They keep stealing my words from each other. 31 ;es, the 5.D says, 3 am against the false prophets. They +se their own words and pretend that it is a message from me. 32 3 am against the false prophets who tell false dreams. This message is from the 5.D. They mislead my people with their lies and false teachings. 3 did not send them to teach the people. 3 never Ceremiah 23.33*3' 1,' commanded them to do anything for me. They cannot help the people of C+dah at all. This message is from the 5.D. 33 The people of C+dah, or a prophet or a priest, may ask yo+, Ceremiah, what is the 5.D@S anno+ncement? ;o+ will answer them and say, ;o+ are his -asy To .ead /ersion

!+rden, and 3 will throw this !+rden down. This message is from the 5.D. 3# A prophet or a priest, or may!e one of the people, might say, This is the 5.D@S anno+ncement . <eca+se of that lie, 3 will p+nish that person and their whole family. 3% This is what yo+ will say to each other: >hat was the 5.D@S answer? or >hat did the 5.D say? 3& <+t yo+ will never again +se the e4pression, The 5.D@S anno+ncement. That is !eca+se his message sho+ld not !e a !+rden for anyone. <+t yo+ changed the words of o+r God. $e is the living God, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l" 3' 3f yo+ want to learn a!o+t Gods message, ask a prophet, >hat answer did the 5.D give yo+? or >hat did the 5.D say? Ceremiah 23.3(*2#.2 1,( 3( <+t dont say, >hat was the 5.D@S anno+ncement? 3f yo+ +se these words, the 5.D will say this to yo+: ;o+ sho+ld not have called my message the 5.D@S anno+ncement. 3 told yo+ not to +se those words. 3) <+t yo+ called my message a !+rden, so 3 will pick yo+ +p like a !+rden and throw yo+ away from me. 3 gave the city of Cer+salem to yo+r ancestors. <+t 3 will throw yo+ and that city away from me, #, and 3 will make yo+ a disgrace forever. ;o+ will never forget yo+r shame. 24 1 The 5.D showed me these things: 3 saw two !askets of figs arranged in front of the Temple of the 5.D. 73 saw this vision after Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon took Cehoiachin as a prisoner. Cehoiachin, the son of Ging Cehoiakim, and all his important officials were taken away from Cer+salem. They were taken to <a!ylon. 1e!+chadneEEar also took away all the carpenters and metalworkers of C+dah.8 2 5ne !asket had very good figs in it, the kind that ripen early in the season. Ceremiah 2#.3*( 1,) <+t the other !asket had rotten figs. pag. (,&0131#

They were too rotten to eat. 3 The 5.D said to me, >hat do yo+ see, Ceremiah? 3 answered, 3 see figs. The good figs are very good, and the rotten figs are very rotten. They are too rotten to eat. # Then the message from the 5.D came to me. % The 5.D, the God of 3srael, said: The people of C+dah were taken from their co+ntry. Their enemy !ro+ght them to <a!ylon. Those people will !e like these good figs. 3 will !e kind to them. & 3 will protect them. 3 will !ring them !ack to the land of C+dah. 3 will not tear them down3 will !+ild them +p. 3 will not p+ll them +p3 will plant them so that they can grow. ' 3 will make them want to know me. They will know that 3 am the 5.D. They will !e my people, and 3 will !e their God. 3 will do this !eca+se the prisoners in <a!ylon will t+rn to me with their whole hearts. ( <+t the 5.D also says, 3 will treat Ging Bedekiah of C+dah like those figs that are too rotten to eat. Bedekiah, his Ceremiah 2#.)*2%.3 11, high officials, all those who are left in Cer+salem, and those people of C+dah who are living in -gypt will !e like those rotten figs. ) 3 will p+nish them. Their p+nishment will shock all the people on earth. 6eople will make f+n of those people from C+dah. 6eople will tell =okes a!o+t them and c+rse them in all the places where 3 scatter them. 1, 3 will !ring war, famine, and disease against them. 3 will attack them +ntil they have all !een killed. Then they will no longer !e on the land that 3 gave to them and to their ancestors. 25 1 This is the message that came to Ceremiah concerning all the people of C+dah. This message came in the fo+rth year that Cehoiakim son of Cosiah was king of C+dah. The fo+rth year of his time as king was the first year that 1e!+chadneEEar was king of -asy To .ead /ersion

<a!ylon. 2 This is the message that Ceremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of C+dah and all the people of Cer+salem: 3 3 have !een a prophet for these past 23 years, from the 13th year that Cosiah Ceremiah 2%.#*) 111 son of Amon was the king of C+dah. And from that time +ntil today 3 have spoken messages to yo+ from the 5.D again and again. <+t yo+ have not listened. # The 5.D has sent his servants, the prophets, to yo+ over and over again. <+t yo+ have not listened to them. ;o+ have not paid any attention to them. % Those prophets said, 9hange yo+r lives and stop doing evil" 3f yo+ change, yo+ can ret+rn to the land that the 5.D gave yo+ and yo+r ancestors long ago. $e gave yo+ this land to live in forever. & Dont follow other gods. Dont serve or worship them. Dont worship idols that someone has made. That only makes me angry with yo+. <y doing this yo+ only h+rt yo+rselves. ' <+t yo+ did not listen to me. This message is from the 5.D. ;o+ worshiped idols that someone made, and that made me angry. And it only h+rt yo+. ( So this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, ;o+ have not listened to my messages. ) 3 will soon send for all the tri!es of the north. This message is from the 5.D. 3 Ceremiah 2%.1,*13 112 will soon send for Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. $e is my servant. 3 will !ring those people against the land of C+dah and against the people of C+dah. 3 will !ring them against all the nations aro+nd yo+ too. 3 will destroy all those co+ntries. 3 will make those lands like an empty desert forever. 6eople will see those co+ntries, and whistle at how !adly they were destroyed. 1, 3 will !ring an end to the so+nds of =oy and happiness in those places. There will !e no more happy so+nds of the !rides and !ridegrooms. 3 will take away pag. (,'0131#

the so+nd of people grinding meal. 3 will take away the light of the lamp. 11 That whole area will !e an empty desert. All these people will !e slaves of the king of <a!ylon for ', years. 12 <+t when the ', years have passed, 3 will p+nish the king of <a!ylon. 3 will p+nish the nation of <a!ylon. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will p+nish the land of the <a!ylonians for their sins. 3 will make that land a desert forever. 13 3 said many !ad things will happen to <a!ylon, and all of them will happen. Ceremiah spoke a!o+t those foreign Ceremiah 2%.1#*1( 113 nations. And all the warnings are written in this !ook. 1# ;es, the people of <a!ylon will have to serve many nations and many great kings. 3 will give them the p+nishment they deserve for all the things they have done. 1% The 5.D, the God of 3srael, said this to me: Ceremiah, take this c+p of wine from my hand. 3t is the wine of my anger. 3 am sending yo+ to different nations. Aake all the nations drink from this c+p. 1& They will drink this wine. Then they will vomit and act like craEy people. They will do this !eca+se of the war that 3 will soon !ring against them. 1' So 3 took the c+p of wine from the 5.D@S hand. 3 went to those nations and 3 made them drink from the c+p. 1( 3 po+red this wine for the people of Cer+salem and C+dah. 3 made the kings and leaders of C+dah drink from the c+p. 3 did this so that they wo+ld !ecome an empty desert. 3 did this so that place wo+ld !e destroyed so !adly that people wo+ld whistle and say c+rses a!o+t it. And it happenedC+dah is like that now. Ceremiah 2%.1)*2& 11# 1) 3 also made 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, drink from that c+p. 3 made his officials, his important leaders, and all his people drink from it. 2, 3 also made all the Ara!s and all the kings of the land of HE drink from the -asy To .ead /ersion

c+p. 3 made all the kings of the land of the 6hilistines drink from it too. These were the kings of the cities of Ashkelon, GaEa, -kron, and what remains of the city Ashdod. 21 Then 3 made the people of -dom, Aoa!, and Ammon drink from the c+p. 22 3 made all the kings of Tyre and Sidon and all the kings of the faraway co+ntries drink from that c+p. 23 3 made the people of Dedan, Tema, and <+E and all those who c+t their hair at their temples drink from it. 2# 3 made all the kings of Ara!ia drink from the c+p. These kings live in the desert. 2% 3 made all the kings from Bimri, -lam, and Aedia drink from the c+p. 2& 3 made all the kings of the north, those who were near and far, drink from the c+p. 3 made them drink one after the other. 3 made all the kingdoms that Ceremiah 2%.2'*3, 11% are on earth drink from that c+p. 2inally, after all these other nations, the king of <a!ylon will drink from it too. 2' Ceremiah, say to those nations, this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: Drink this c+p of my anger. Get dr+nk from it and vomit. 2all down and dont get +p. Dont get +p !eca+se 3 am !ringing wars against yo+. 2( They will ref+se to take the c+p from yo+r hand. They will ref+se to drink it, !+t yo+ will tell them, This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: ;o+ will s+rely drink from this c+p" 2) 3 am already making these !ad things happen to Cer+salem, the city that is called !y my name. Aay!e yo+ people think that yo+ will not !e p+nished, !+t yo+ are wrong. ;o+ will !e p+nished" 3 am giving the command for war to come against all the people of the earth. This message is from the 5.D. 3, Ceremiah, yo+ will tell them this message: The 5.D sho+ts from a!ove. $e sho+ts from his holy Temple. $e sho+ts against his people. $is sho+ts are lo+d like the songs of people walking on pag. (,(0131#

grapes to make wine. Ceremiah 2%.31*3% 11& 31 The noise spreads to all the people on earth. >hat is all the noise a!o+t? The 5.D tells why he is p+nishing all the nations. $e has given his arg+ments against them. $e has =+dged them, and now he is killing the wicked with his sword. This message is from the 5.D. 32 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: Disasters will soon spread from co+ntry to co+ntry. They will come like a powerf+l storm to all the faraway places on earth" 33 The dead !odies of those killed !y the 5.D will reach from one end of the earth to the other. 1o one will cry for them. 1o one will gather +p their !odies and !+ry them. They will !e left lying on the gro+nd like d+ng. 3# Shepherds, yo+ sho+ld !e leading the sheep. Start crying, yo+ great leaders" .oll aro+nd on the gro+nd in pain, yo+ leaders of the sheep. 3t is now time for yo+r sla+ghter. ;o+ will !e scattered everywhere, like pieces flying from a !roken =ar. 3% There will !e no place for the shepherds to hide. They will not escape. Ceremiah 2%.3&*2&.3 11' 3& 3 hear the shepherds sho+ting. 3 hear the leaders of the sheep crying, !eca+se the 5.D is destroying their past+res. 3' Those peacef+l past+res will !e r+ined !eca+se of the 5.D@S anger. 3( $e is like an angry lion that has left his cave. And !eca+se of his terri!le anger and !y the attacks of the enemy army, their land will !ecome an empty desert. 26 1 This message came from the 5.D d+ring the first year that Cehoiakim son of Cosiah was king of C+dah. 2 The 5.D said, Ceremiah, stand in the Temple yard of the 5.D. Give this message to all the people of C+dah who are coming to worship at the Temple of the 5.D. Tell them everything that 3 tell yo+ to speak. Dont leave o+t any part of -asy To .ead /ersion

my message. 3 Aay!e they will listen and o!ey my message. Aay!e they will stop living s+ch evil lives. 3f they change, 3 will change my mind a!o+t my plans to p+nish them. 3 am planning this p+nishment !eca+se of the many evil things they have done. Ceremiah 2&.#*) 11( # ;o+ will say to them, This is what the 5.D says: 3 gave my teachings to yo+. ;o+ m+st o!ey me and follow my teachings. % ;o+ m+st listen to what my servants say to yo+. The prophets are my servants. 3 have sent my prophets to yo+ again and again, !+t yo+ did not listen to them. & 3f yo+ dont o!ey me, 3 will make my Temple in Cer+salem =+st like my $oly Tent at Shiloh. 6eople all over the world will think of Cer+salem when they ask for !ad things to happen to other cities. ' The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Ceremiah say all these words at the 5.D@S Temple. ( Ceremiah finished speaking everything the 5.D had commanded him to say to the people. Then the priests, the prophets, and all the people gra!!ed Ceremiah. They said, ;o+ will die for saying s+ch terri!le things" ) $ow dare yo+ say s+ch a thing in the name of the 5.D" $ow dare yo+ say that this Temple will !e destroyed like the one at Shiloh" $ow dare yo+ say that Cer+salem will !ecome a desert with no Ceremiah 2&.1,*13 11) one living in it" All the people gathered aro+nd Ceremiah in the Temple of the 5.D. 1, 1ow the r+lers of C+dah heard a!o+t everything that was happening. So they came o+t of the kings palace. They went +p to the 5.D@S Temple. They took their places at the entrance of the 1ew Gate. The 1ew Gate is a gate leading to the 5.D@S Temple. 11 Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the r+lers and all the other pag. (,)0131#

people. They said, Ceremiah sho+ld !e killed. $e said !ad things a!o+t Cer+salem. ;o+ heard him say those things. 12 Then Ceremiah spoke to all the r+lers of C+dah and all the other people. $e said, The 5.D sent me to say these things a!o+t this Temple and this city. -verything that yo+ have heard is from the ord. 13 ;o+ people, change yo+r lives" ;o+ m+st start doing good" ;o+ m+st o!ey the 5.D yo+r God. 3f yo+ do that, he will change his mind. $e will not do the !ad things he told yo+ a!o+t. Ceremiah 2&.1#*1) 12, 1# As for me, 3 am in yo+r power. Do to me what yo+ think is good and right. 1% <+t if yo+ kill me, !e s+re of one thing. ;o+ will !e g+ilty of killing an innocent person. ;o+ will make this city and everyone living in it g+ilty too. The 5.D really did send me to yo+. The message yo+ heard really is from the ord. 1& Then the r+lers and all the people spoke. They said to the priests and the prophets, Ceremiah m+st not !e killed. >hat he told +s comes from the 5.D o+r God. 1' Then some of the elders stood +p and spoke to all the people. 1( They said, Aicah the prophet was from the city of Aoresheth. $e was a prophet d+ring the time that $eEekiah was king of C+dah. Aicah said this to all the people of C+dah: This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: Bion will !e destroyed. 3t will !ecome a plowed field. Cer+salem will !ecome a pile of rocks. Temple Ao+nt will !e an empty hill overgrown with !+shes. 1) Ging $eEekiah of C+dah and the people of C+dah did not kill Aicah. ;o+ Ceremiah 2&.2,*2# 121 know that $eEekiah respected the 5.D and wanted to please him. So the 5.D changed his mind and didnt do the !ad things to C+dah that he said he wo+ld do. 3f we h+rt Ceremiah, we will !ring -asy To .ead /ersion

many tro+!les on o+rselves. And those tro+!les will !e o+r own fa+lt. 2, 3n the past there was another man who spoke the 5.D@S message. $is name was Hriah son of Shemaiah from the city of Giriath Cearim. Hriah said the same things against this city and this land that Ceremiah did. 21 Ging Cehoiakim, his army officers, and the leaders of C+dah heard Hriah and !ecame angry. Ging Cehoiakim wanted to kill Hriah, !+t Hriah heard a!o+t it. Hriah was afraid, so he escaped to the land of -gypt. 22 <+t Ging Cehoiakim sent -lnathan son of Ac!or and some other men to -gypt. 23 They !ro+ght Hriah from -gypt and took him to Ging Cehoiakim. Cehoiakim ordered Hriah to !e killed with a sword. Hriahs !ody was thrown into the !+rial place where the poor are !+ried. 2# There was an important man named Ahikam son of Shaphan who s+pported Ceremiah 2'.1*& 122 Ceremiah. $e kept Ceremiah from !eing killed !y the priests and prophets. 27 1 A message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah. 3t came d+ring the fo+rth year that Bedekiah son of Cosiah was king of C+dah. 2 This is what the 5.D said to me: Ceremiah, make a yoke o+t of straps and poles. 6+t that yoke on the !ack of yo+r neck. 3 Then send a message to the kings of -dom, Aoa!, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send the message with the messengers of these kings who have come to Cer+salem to see Ging Bedekiah of C+dah. # Tell them to give the message to their masters. Tell them that this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: Tell yo+r masters that % 3 made the earth and all the people on it. 3 made all the animals on the earth. 3 did this with my great power and my strong arm. 3 can give the earth to anyone 3 want. & 1ow 3 have given all yo+r co+ntries to pag. (1,0131#

Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. $e is Ceremiah 2'.'*1, 123 my servant. 3 will make even the wild animals o!ey him. ' All nations will serve 1e!+chadneEEar and his son and his grandson. Then the time will come for <a!ylon to !e defeated. Aany nations and great kings will make <a!ylon their servant. ( <+t if some nations or kingdoms ref+se to serve Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon and ref+se to !e p+t +nder his control, 3 will p+nish them, says the 5.D. 3 will destroy them with war, h+nger, and disease. 3 will +se 1e!+chadneEEar to destroy any nation that fights against him. ) So dont listen to yo+r prophets. Dont listen to those who +se magic to tell what will happen in the f+t+re. Dont listen to those who say they can interpret dreams. Dont listen to those who talk to the dead or to people who practice magic. All of them tell yo+, ;o+ will not !e slaves to the king of <a!ylon. 1, <+t they are telling yo+ lies. They will only ca+se yo+ to !e taken far from yo+r homeland. 3 will force yo+ to leave yo+r homes, and yo+ will die in another land. Ceremiah 2'.11*1% 12# 11 <+t the nations that p+t their necks +nder the yoke of the king of <a!ylon and o!ey him will live. 3 will let them stay in their own co+ntry and serve the king of <a!ylon, says the 5.D. The people from those nations will live in their own land and farm it. 12 3 gave the same message to Ging Bedekiah of C+dah. 3 said, Bedekiah, yo+ m+st place yo+r neck +nder the yoke of the king of <a!ylon and o!ey him. 3f yo+ serve the king of <a!ylon and his people, yo+ will live. 13 3f yo+ dont agree to serve the king of <a!ylon, yo+ and yo+r people will die from war, h+nger, and disease. This is what the 5.D said wo+ld happen. 1# <+t the false prophets are saying, ;o+ will never !e slaves to the king of <a!ylon. Dont listen to those prophets, -asy To .ead /ersion

!eca+se they are telling yo+ lies. 1% 3 didnt send them, says the 5.D. They are telling lies and saying that the message is from me. So 3 will send yo+ people of C+dah away. ;o+ will die, and the prophets who spoke to yo+ will die also. Ceremiah 2'.1&*2, 12% 1& Then 3 told the priests and all the people that this is what the 5.D says: Those false prophets are saying, The <a!ylonians took many things from the 5.D@S Temple. These things will !e !ro+ght !ack soon. Dont listen to them !eca+se they are telling yo+ lies. 1' Dont listen to those prophets. Serve the king of <a!ylon. Accept yo+r p+nishment, and yo+ will live. There is no reason for yo+ to ca+se this city of Cer+salem to !e destroyed. 1( 3f they are prophets and their message is from the 5.D, let them pray. et them pray to the 5.D a!o+t the things that are still in the 5.D@S Temple, in the kings palace, and in Cer+salem. et them pray that all those things will not !e taken away to <a!ylon. 1) This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says a!o+t the things that are still left in Cer+salem. 3n the Temple, there are the pillars, the !ronEe sea, the movea!le stands, and other things. Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon left those things in Cer+salem. 2, $e didnt take them away when he took Cehoiachin son of Cehoiakim Ceremiah 2'.21*2(.2 12& king of C+dah away as a prisoner. 1e!+chadneEEar also took other important people away from C+dah and Cer+salem. 21 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says a!o+t the things still left in the 5.D@S Temple and in the kings palace and in Cer+salem: 22 All those things will also !e taken to <a!ylon. They will !e !ro+ght to <a!ylon +ntil the day comes when 3 go to get them, says the 5.D. Then 3 will !ring those things !ack. 3 will p+t them !ack pag. (110131#

in this place. 28 1 That same year, in the fifth month of the fo+rth year that Bedekiah was king of C+dah, the prophet $ananiah son of AEE+r spoke to me. $ananiah was from the town of Gi!eon. $e was in the 5.D@S Temple when he spoke to me. The priests and all the people were there also. This is what $ananiah said: 2 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 will !reak the yoke that the king of <a!ylon has p+t on the people of C+dah. Ceremiah 2(.3*& 12' 3 <efore two years are over, 3 will !ring !ack all the things that Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon took from the 5.D@S Temple. 1e!+chadneEEar has carried those things to <a!ylon. <+t 3 will !ring them !ack here to Cer+salem. # 3 will also !ring the king of C+dah, Cehoiachin son of Cehoiakim, !ack to this place. And 3 will !ring !ack all the people of C+dah that 1e!+chadneEEar forced to leave their homes and go to <a!ylon, says the 5.D. So 3 will !reak the yoke that the king of <a!ylon p+t on the people of C+dah. % Then the prophet Ceremiah answered the prophet $ananiah. They were standing in the Temple of the 5.D. The priests and all the people there co+ld hear Ceremiahs answer. & Ceremiah said to $ananiah, Amen" Aay the 5.D do that. Aay the 5.D make the message yo+ say come tr+e. Aay he !ring the things of the 5.D@S Temple !ack to this place from <a!ylon. And may he !ring all those who were forced to leave their homes !ack to this place. Ceremiah 2(.'*12 12( ' <+t listen to what 3 have to say to yo+ and to all the people. ( There were prophets long !efore yo+ and 3 !ecame prophets, $ananiah. They spoke against many co+ntries and great kingdoms and always warned that war, h+nger, and disease wo+ld come to -asy To .ead /ersion

them. ) <+t the prophet who says that we will have peace m+st !e tested. 3f his message comes tr+e, people can know that he really was sent !y the 5.D. 1, Ceremiah was wearing a yoke aro+nd his neck. The prophet $ananiah took the yoke from Ceremiahs neck and !roke it. 11 Then $ananiah spoke lo+dly so that all the people co+ld hear him. $e said, This is what the 5.D says: 3n the same way, 3 will !reak the yoke of Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. $e p+t that yoke on all the nations of the world, !+t 3 will !reak it !efore two years are over. After $ananiah said that, Ceremiah left the Temple. 12 After $ananiah had taken the yoke off Ceremiahs neck and had !roken it, this message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah: Ceremiah 2(.13*2).1 12) 13 The 5.D said to Ceremiah, Go and tell $ananiah that this is what the 5.D says: ;o+ have !roken a wooden yoke, !+t 3 will make a yoke of iron in the place of the wooden yoke. 1# The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, is the one saying this. 3 will p+t a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations. 3 will do that to make them serve Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon, and they will !e slaves to him. 3 will even give 1e!+chadneEEar control over the wild animals. 1% Then the prophet Ceremiah said to the prophet $ananiah, isten, $ananiah" The 5.D did not send yo+. <+t yo+ have made the people of C+dah tr+st in lies. 1& So this is what the 5.D says: Soon 3 will take yo+ from this world, $ananiah. ;o+ will die this year, !eca+se yo+ ta+ght the people to t+rn against the 5.D. 1' $ananiah died in the seventh month of that same year. 29 1 Ceremiah sent a letter to the captives in <a!ylon. $e sent it to the elders, the priests, the prophets, and Ceremiah 2).2*& 13, pag. (120131#

all the other people who 1e!+chadneEEar had taken from Cer+salem to <a!ylon. 2 7This letter was sent after Ging Cehoiachin, the J+een mother, the officials and the leaders of C+dah and Cer+salem, the carpenters, and the metalworkers had !een taken from Cer+salem.8 3 Ging Bedekiah of C+dah sent -lasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of $ilkiah to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. Ceremiah gave them the letter to take to <a!ylon. This is what the letter said: # This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says to all the people he sent into captivity from Cer+salem to <a!ylon: % <+ild ho+ses and live in them. Settle in the land. 6lant gardens and eat the food yo+ grow. & Get married and have sons and da+ghters. 2ind wives for yo+r sons, and let yo+r da+ghters !e married. Do this so that they also may have sons and da+ghters. $ave many children and grow in n+m!er in <a!ylon. Dont !ecome fewer in n+m!er. Ceremiah 2).'*13 131 ' Also, do good things for the city 3 sent yo+ to. 6ray to the 5.D for the city yo+ are living in, !eca+se if there is peace in that city, yo+ will have peace also. ( The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says, Dont let yo+r prophets and those who practice magic fool yo+. Dont listen to the dreams they have. ) They are telling lies, and they are saying that their message is from me. <+t 3 didnt send it. This message is from the 5.D. 1, This is what the 5.D says: <a!ylon will !e powerf+l for ', years. After that time, 3 will come to yo+ people who are living in <a!ylon. 3 will keep my good promise to !ring yo+ !ack to Cer+salem. 11 3 say this !eca+se 3 know the plans that 3 have for yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 3 have good plans for yo+. 3 dont plan to h+rt yo+. 3 plan to give yo+ hope and a good f+t+re. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 Then yo+ will call my name. ;o+ will come to me and pray to me, and 3 will listen to yo+. 13 ;o+ will search for me, and when yo+ search for me with all yo+r heart, yo+ will find me. Ceremiah 2).1#*1( 132 1# 3 will let yo+ find me. This message is from the 5.D. And 3 will !ring yo+ !ack from yo+r captivity. 3 forced yo+ to leave this place. <+t 3 will gather yo+ from all the nations and places where 3 have sent yo+, says the 5.D, and 3 will !ring yo+ !ack to this place. 1% ;o+ people might say, <+t the 5.D has given +s prophets here in <a!ylon. 1& <+t this is what the 5.D says a!o+t yo+r relatives who were not carried away to <a!ylon. 3 am talking a!o+t the king who is sitting on Davids throne now and all the other people who are still in the city of Cer+salem. 1' The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 will soon !ring war, h+nger, and disease against those who are still in Cer+salem. And 3 will make them the same as !ad figs that are too rotten to eat. 1( 3 will attack those who are still in Cer+salem with war, h+nger, and disease. 3 will ca+se s+ch pain that all the kingdoms of the earth will !e frightened at what has happened to those people. They will !e destroyed. 6eople will whistle with amaEement when they hear what happened. And people will +se Ceremiah 2).1)*22 133 them as an e4ample when they ask for !ad things to happen to people. 6eople will ins+lt them wherever 3 force them to go. 1) 3 will make all these things happen !eca+se the people of Cer+salem have not listened to my message. This message is from the 5.D. 3 sent my message to them again and again. 3 +sed my servants, the prophets, to give my messages to them, !+t they didnt listen. This message is from the 5.D. 2, ;o+ people are captives. 3 forced yo+ to leave Cer+salem and go to <a!ylon. pag. (130131#

So listen to the message from the 5.D. 21 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says a!o+t Aha! son of Golaiah and Bedekiah son of Aaaseiah: These two men have !een telling yo+ lies. They have said that their message is from me. 3 will give these two prophets to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. And he will kill them in front of all yo+ who are captives in <a!ylon. 22 They will !e an e4ample of a terri!le way to die. ;es, in the f+t+re, when the Cewish captives want something !ad to happen to someone, they will say Ceremiah 2).23*2& 13# this c+rse: Aay the 5.D treat yo+ like Bedekiah and Aha!, those men the king of <a!ylon !+rned in the fire" 23 They did very !ad things among the people of 3srael. They committed the sin of ad+ltery with their neigh!ors wives. They also spoke lies and said those lies were a message from me. 3 did not tell them to do that. 3 know what they have done. 3 am a witness. This message is from the 5.D. 2# Also give a message to Shemaiah from the 1ehelam family. 2% This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: Shemaiah, yo+ sent letters to all the people in Cer+salem and to the priest Bephaniah son of Aaaseiah. ;o+ also sent letters to all the priests. ;o+ sent those letters in yo+r own name, not !y my a+thority. ;o+r letter to Bephaniah said, 2& The 5.D has made yo+ priest in place of Cehoiada. ;o+ are to !e in charge of the 5.D@S Temple. ;o+ know yo+ sho+ld arrest anyone who acts craEy and pretends to !e a prophet. Anyone like that sho+ld have chains p+t aro+nd his feet and neck. Ceremiah 2).2'*32 13% 2' ;o+ have Ceremiah from Anathoth there, who is pretending to !e a prophet. So why have yo+ not stopped him? 2( $e has sent this message to +s in <a!ylon: ;o+ people in <a!ylon will !e there for a long time, so !+ild ho+ses -asy To .ead /ersion

and settle down. 6lant gardens and eat what they prod+ce. 2) Bephaniah the priest read the letter to Ceremiah the prophet. 3, Then this message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah: 31 Ceremiah, send this message to all the captives in <a!ylon: This is what the 5.D says a!o+t Shemaiah, the man from the 1ehelam family: Shemaiah has spoken to yo+, !+t 3 didnt send him. $e has made yo+ !elieve a lie. 32 <eca+se Shemaiah has done that, says the 5.D, 3 will soon p+nish Shemaiah, the man from the 1ehelam family. 3 will completely destroy his family, and he will not share in the good things 3 will do for my people. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will p+nish Shemaiah !eca+se he has ta+ght the people to t+rn against the 5.D. Ceremiah 3,.1*' 13& 30 1 This is the message that came to Ceremiah from the 5.D. 2 The 5.D, the God of the people of 3srael, said, Ceremiah, write in a !ook the words 3 have spoken to yo+. >rite this !ook for yo+rself. 3 Do this !eca+se the days will comethis message is from the 5.D when 3 will !ring my people, 3srael and C+dah, !ack from e4ile. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will p+t the people !ack in the land that 3 gave to their ancestors. Then my people will own that land again. # The 5.D spoke to me a!o+t the people of 3srael and C+dah. % This is what the 5.D said: >e hear people crying from fear. There is fear, not peace. & Ask this J+estion and consider it: 9an a man have a !a!y? 5f co+rse not" Then why do 3 see every strong man holding his stomach like a woman having la!or pains? >hy is everyones face t+rning white like a dead man? ' This is a very important time for Caco!. This is a time of great tro+!le. There will never !e another time like this, !+t Caco! will !e saved. pag. (1#0131#

Ceremiah 3,.(*11 13' ( At that time, says the 5.D AllD 6owerf+l, 3 will !reak the yoke from the necks of the people of 3srael and C+dah, and 3 will !reak the ropes holding yo+. 6eople from foreign co+ntries will never again force my people to !e slaves. ) The people of 3srael and C+dah will not serve foreign co+ntries. 1o, they will serve the 5.D their God. 3 will send them David their king, and they will serve him. 1, So Caco!, my servant, dont !e afraid" This message is from the 5.D. 3srael, dont !e afraid. 3 will save yo+ from that faraway place. ;o+ are captives in that faraway land, !+t 3 will save yo+r descendants. 3 will !ring them !ack from that land. Caco! will have peace again. 6eople will not !other Caco!. There will !e no enemy to frighten my people. 11 6eople of 3srael and C+dah, 3 am with yo+. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will save yo+. 3 sent yo+ to those nations, !+t 3 will completely destroy all of them. 3t is tr+eF 3 will destroy those nations, !+t 3 will not destroy yo+. ;o+ m+st !e p+nished for the !ad things yo+ did, !+t 3 will discipline yo+ fairly. Ceremiah 3,.12*1' 13( 12 This is what the 5.D says: ;o+ people of 3srael and C+dah have a wo+nd that cannot !e c+red. ;o+ have an in=+ry that will not heal. 13 There is no one to care for yo+r sores, so yo+ will not !e healed. 1# ;o+ !ecame friends with many nations, !+t those nations dont care a!o+t yo+. ;o+r friends have forgotten yo+. 3 h+rt yo+ like an enemy. 3 p+nished yo+ very hard. 3 did this !eca+se of yo+r great g+ilt. 3 did this !eca+se of yo+r many sins. 1% 3srael and C+dah, why are yo+ still crying a!o+t yo+r wo+nd? There is no c+re for it. 3 did this to yo+ !eca+se of yo+r great g+ilt. 3 did this !eca+se of yo+r many sins. 1& Those nations destroyed yo+, !+t now they have !een destroyed. 3srael -asy To .ead /ersion

and C+dah, yo+r enemies will !ecome captives. They stole things from yo+, !+t others will steal from them. They took things from yo+ in war, !+t others will take things from them in war. 1' And 3 will !ring yo+r health !ack and heal yo+r wo+nds, says the 5.D, !eca+se other people said yo+ were Ceremiah 3,.1(*22 13) o+tcasts. They said, 1o one cares a!o+t Bion. 1( This is what the 5.D says: Caco!s people are now in captivity, !+t they will come !ack. And 3 will have pity on Caco!s ho+ses. The city is now only an empty hill covered with r+ined !+ildings, !+t the city will !e re!+ilt on its hill. And the kings palace will !e re!+ilt where it sho+ld !e. 1) 6eople in those places will sing songs of praise, and there will !e the so+nd of la+ghter. 3 will give them many children. 3srael and C+dah will not !e small. 3 will !ring honor to them. 1o one will look down on them. 2, Caco!s family will !e like the family of 3srael long ago. 3 will make 3srael and C+dah strong, and 3 will p+nish those who h+rt them. 21 The 5.D says, 5ne of their own people will lead them. That r+ler will come from my people. 6eople can come close to me only if 3 ask them to. So 3 will ask that leader to come near, and he will !e close to me. 22 ;o+ will !e my people, and 3 will !e yo+r God. Ceremiah 3,.23*31.# 1#, 23 The 5.D was very angry" $e p+nished the people. The p+nishment came like a storm. 3t came like a tornado against those wicked people. 2# The 5.D will !e angry +ntil he is thro+gh p+nishing them. $e will !e angry +ntil he finishes the p+nishment he planned. >hen that day comes, yo+ people of C+dah will +nderstand. 31 1 This is what the 5.D said, At that time 3 will !e the God of all the tri!es of 3srael. And they will !e my pag. (1%0131#

people. 2 This is what the 5.D says: Those who escaped the enemys sword will find comfort in the desert. 3srael will go there looking for rest. 3 2rom far away, the 5.D will appear to his people. The ord says, 3 love yo+ people with a love that contin+es forever. That is why 3 have contin+ed showing yo+ kindness. # 3srael, my !ride, 3 will re!+ild yo+. ;o+ will !e a co+ntry again. ;o+ will pick +p yo+r tam!o+rines again. ;o+ will dance with all the other people who are having f+n. Ceremiah 31.%*) 1#1 % ;o+ farmers of 3srael will plant vineyards again. ;o+ will plant the vineyards on the hills aro+nd the city of Samaria. The farmers will en=oy the fr+it from the vineyards. & There will !e a time when watchmen sho+t this message: 9ome, lets go +p to Bion to worship the 5.D o+r God" -ven the watchmen in the hill co+ntry of -phraim will sho+t that message. ' This is what the 5.D says: <e happy and sing for Caco!" Sho+t for 3srael, the greatest of the nations" Sing yo+r praises and sho+t: 5.D, save yo+r people" Save those of 3srael who are still living. ( .emem!er, 3 will !ring 3srael from that co+ntry in the north. 3 will gather the people of 3srael from the faraway places on earth. Some of the people will !e !lind and crippled. Some of the women will !e pregnant and ready to give !irth. <+t many people will come !ack. ) They will come !ack crying, !+t 3 will lead them and comfort them. 3 will lead them !y streams of water. 3 will lead them on an easy road, where they will not st+m!le. 3 will lead them in that way Ceremiah 31.1,*1# 1#2 !eca+se 3 am 3sraels father. And -phraim is my first!orn son. 1, 1ations, listen to this message from the 5.D" Tell this message in the faraway lands !y the sea: God scattered the people of 3srael, !+t he will !ring -asy To .ead /ersion

them !ack together. And he will watch over his flock like a shepherd. 11 The 5.D will !ring Caco! !ack. $e will save his people from those who are stronger. 12 The people of 3srael will come to the top of Bion, and they will sho+t with =oy. Their faces will shine with happiness a!o+t the good things the 5.D gives them. $e will give them grain, new wine, olive oil, yo+ng sheep and cattle. They will !e like a garden that has plenty of water. And the people of 3srael will not !e tro+!led anymore. 13 Then the yo+ng women of 3srael will !e happy and dance. And the men, yo+ng and old, will =oin in the dancing. 3 will change their sadness into happiness. 3 will comfort my people, making them happy instead of sad. 1# 3 will give the priests plenty of food. And my people will !e filled and satisfied Ceremiah 31.1%*2, 1#3 with the good things 3 give them. This message is from the 5.D. 1% This is what the 5.D says: A so+nd is heard in .amah !itter crying and great sadness. .achel cries for her children, and she ref+ses to !e comforted, !eca+se her children are gone. 1& <+t the 5.D says, Stop crying. Dont fill yo+r eyes with tears. ;o+ will !e rewarded for yo+r work. This message is from the 5.D. The people of 3srael will come !ack from their enemys land. 1' 3srael, there is hope for yo+. This message is from the 5.D. ;o+r children will come !ack to their own land. 1( 3 have heard -phraim crying: ord, yo+ p+nished me, and 3 learned my lesson. 3 was like a calf that was never trained. 6lease stop p+nishing me, and 3 will come !ack to yo+. ;o+ really are the 5.D my God. 1) 3 wandered away from yo+. <+t 3 finally realiEed how wrong 3 was. So 3 changed my heart and life. 3 am ashamed and em!arrassed a!o+t the foolish things 3 did when 3 was yo+ng. 2, The 5.D says, ;o+ know that pag. (1&0131#

-phraim is my dear son. 3 love that child. Ceremiah 31.21*2% 1## ;es, 3 often criticiEed him, !+t 3 still think a!o+t him. 3 love him very m+ch, and 3 really do want to comfort him. 21 6eople of 3srael, repair the road signs. 6+t +p signs that show the way home. >atch the road. .emem!er the road yo+ are leaving on. 3srael, my !ride, come home. 9ome !ack to yo+r towns. 22 Hnfaithf+l da+ghter, how long will yo+ wander aro+nd? The 5.D has created something new in the land: A woman s+rro+nding a man. 23 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 will again do good things for the people of C+dah. 3 will !ring !ack those who were taken away as prisoners. At that time the people in the land of C+dah and in its towns will once again +se these words: Aay the 5.D !less yo+, good home and holy mo+ntain" 2# 6eople in all the towns of C+dah will live together in peace. 2armers and those who move aro+nd with their flocks will live peacef+lly together in C+dah. 2% 3 will give rest and strength to those who are weak and tired. Ceremiah 31.2&*32 1#% 2& After hearing that, 3, Ceremiah, woke +p and looked aro+nd. Ay sleep was very pleasant. 2' The days are coming, says the 5.D, when 3 will help the family of 3srael and C+dah to grow. 3 will help their children and animals to grow too. 3t will !e like planting and caring for a plant. 2( 3n the past 3 watched over 3srael and C+dah, !+t 3 watched for the time to p+ll them +p. 3 tore them down. 3 destroyed them. 3 gave many tro+!les to them. <+t now 3 will watch over them to !+ild them +p and make them strong. This message is from the 5.D. 2) 6eople will not +se this saying anymore: The parents ate the so+r grapes, !+t the children got the so+r taste. 3, 1o, people will die for their own sins. -asy To .ead /ersion

Those who eat so+r grapes will get the so+r taste. 31 This is what the 5.D said, The time is coming when 3 will make a new agreement with the family of 3srael and with the family of C+dah. 32 3t will not !e like the agreement 3 made with their ancestors. 3 made that Ceremiah 31.33*3& 1#& agreement when 3 took them !y the hand and !ro+ght them o+t of -gypt. 3 was their master, !+t they !roke that agreement. This message is from the 5.D. 33 3n the f+t+re 3 will make this agreement with the people of 3srael. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will p+t my teachings in their minds, and 3 will write them on their hearts. 3 will !e their God, and they will !e my people. 3# 6eople will not have to teach their neigh!ors and relatives to know the 5.D, !eca+se all people, from the least important to the most important, will know me. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will forgive them for the evil things they did. 3 will not remem!er their sins. 3% $e makes the s+n shine in the day, and he makes the moon and the stars shine at night. $e stirs +p the sea so that its waves crash on the shore. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l is his name. This is what the 5.D says: 3& The descendants of 3srael will never stop !eing a nation. That wo+ld happen Ceremiah 31.3'*32.1 1#' only if 3 lost control of the s+n, moon, stars, and sea. 3' The 5.D says, 3 will never re=ect the descendants of 3srael. That wo+ld happen only if people co+ld meas+re the sky a!ove, and learn all the secrets of the earth !elow. 5nly then wo+ld 3 re=ect them for the !ad things they have done. This message is from the 5.D. 3( This message is from the 5.D, The days are coming when the city of Cer+salem will !e re!+ilt for the 5.D. The whole city will !e re!+iltfrom the pag. (1'0131#

Tower of $ananel to the 9orner Gate. 3) The meas+ring line will stretch from the 9orner Gate straight to the hill of Gare! and then t+rn to the place named Gorah. #, The whole valley where dead !odies and ashes are thrown and all the terraces down to the !ottom of Gidron /alley all the way to the corner of $orse Gate will !e holy to the 5.D. The city of Cer+salem will never again !e torn down or destroyed. 32 1 This is the message from the 5.D that came to Ceremiah d+ring the tenth year that Bedekiah was Ceremiah 32.2*% 1#( king of C+dah. The tenth year of Bedekiah was the 1(th year of 1e!+chadneEEar. 2 At that time the army of the king of <a!ylon was s+rro+nding the city of Cer+salem, and Ceremiah was +nder arrest in the co+rtyard of the g+ard. This co+rtyard was at the palace of the king of C+dah. 3 Ging Bedekiah of C+dah had p+t Ceremiah in prison in that place. Bedekiah didnt like the things Ceremiah prophesied. Ceremiah had said, This is what the 5.D says: 3 will soon give the city of Cer+salem to the king of <a!ylon. 1e!+chadneEEar will capt+re this city. # Ging Bedekiah of C+dah will not escape from the army of the <a!ylonians. <+t he will s+rely !e given to the king of <a!ylon. And Bedekiah will speak to the king of <a!ylon face to face. $e will see him with his own eyes. % The king of <a!ylon will take Bedekiah to <a!ylon. Bedekiah will stay there +ntil 3 have p+nished him. This message is from the 5.D. 3f yo+ fight against the army of the <a!ylonians, yo+ will not s+cceed. Ceremiah 32.&*11 1#) & >hile Ceremiah was a prisoner, he said, This message from the 5.D came to me. This was the message: ' Ceremiah, yo+r co+sin, $anamel, will come to yo+ soon. $e is the son of yo+r +ncle Shall+m. $anamel will say to yo+, -asy To .ead /ersion

Ceremiah, !+y my field near the town of Anathoth. <+y it !eca+se yo+ are my nearest relative. 3t is yo+r right and yo+r responsi!ility to !+y that field. ( Then it happened =+st as the 5.D said. Ay co+sin $anamel came to me in the co+rtyard of the g+ard. $anamel said to me, Ceremiah, !+y my field near the town of Anathoth, in the land of the tri!e of <en=amin. <+y that land for yo+rself !eca+se it is yo+r right to !+y it and own it. So 3 knew that this was a message from the 5.D. ) 3 !o+ght the field at Anathoth from my co+sin $anamel. 3 weighed o+t 1' shekels of silver for him. 1, 3 signed the deed and had a copy of the deed sealed +p. 3 got some men to witness what 3 had done, and 3 weighed o+t the silver on the scales. 11 Then 3 took the sealed copy of the deed, which contained the demands and Ceremiah 32.12*1( 1%, limits of my p+rchase, and the copy that was not sealed. 12 3 gave the deed to <ar+ch son of 1eriah, the son of Aahseiah. 3 did this while my co+sin $anamel and the other witnesses were there. They also signed the deed. There were also many people of C+dah sitting in the co+rtyard who saw me give the deed to <ar+ch. 13 >ith all the people watching, 3 said to <ar+ch, 1# This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: Take !oth copies of the deedthe sealed copy and the copy that was not sealedand p+t them in a clay =ar. Do this so that these deeds will last a long time. 1% The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says, 3n the f+t+re my people will once again !+y ho+ses, fields, and vineyards in the land of 3srael. 1& After 3 gave the deed to <ar+ch son of 1eriah, 3 prayed to the 5.D: 1' ord G5D, with yo+r great power yo+ made the earth and the sky. There is nothing too hard for yo+ to do. 1( ;o+ are loyal and kind to tho+sands pag. (1(0131#

of people, !+t yo+ also !ring p+nishment Ceremiah 32.1)*2# 1%1 to children for their fathers sins. Great and powerf+l God, yo+r name is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1) ;o+ plan and do great things. ;o+ see everything that people do. ;o+ give a reward to those who do good things, and yo+ p+nish those who do !ad thingsyo+ give them what they deserve. 2, ;o+ have !een doing powerf+l miracles in the land of -gypt +ntil now, in 3srael and elsewhere. ;o+ are the one who made yo+rself as famo+s as yo+ are today. 21 ;o+ +sed powerf+l miracles and !ro+ght yo+r people 3srael o+t of -gypt. ;o+ +sed yo+r own powerf+l hand to do this. ;o+r power was amaEing" 22 ;o+ gave the 3sraelites this land that yo+ promised to give to their ancestors long ago. 3t is a very good land filled with many good things. 23 They came into this land and took it for their own. <+t they didnt o!ey yo+. They didnt follow yo+r teachings or do what yo+ commanded. So yo+ made all these terri!le things happen to them. 2# And now the enemy has s+rro+nded the city. They are !+ilding ramps so that Ceremiah 32.2%*2) 1%2 they can get over the walls of Cer+salem and capt+re it. <eca+se of war, h+nger, and disease, the city of Cer+salem will fall to the <a!ylonian army. The <a!ylonians are attacking the city now. ;o+ said this wo+ld happen, and now yo+ see it is happening. 2% ord G5D, all those !ad things are happening. <+t now yo+ are telling me, Ceremiah, !+y the field with silver and choose some men to witness the p+rchase. ;o+ are telling me this while the <a!ylonian army is ready to capt+re the city. >hy sho+ld 3 waste my money like that? 2& Then this message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah: 2' 3 am the 5.D. 3 am the God of every person on the earth. ;o+ know -asy To .ead /ersion

that nothing is impossi!le for me. 2( The 5.D also said, 3 will soon give the city of Cer+salem to the <a!ylonian army and to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. The army will capt+re the city. 2) The <a!ylonian army is already attacking the city of Cer+salem. They will soon enter the city and start a fire. They will !+rn down this city. There are ho+ses Ceremiah 32.3,*33 1%3 in this city where the people of Cer+salem made me angry !y offering sacrifices to the false god <aal on the ho+setops. And they po+red o+t drink offerings to other idol gods. The <a!ylonian army will !+rn down those ho+ses. 3, 3 have watched the people of 3srael and the people of C+dah. -verything they do is evil. They have done evil things since they were yo+ng. The people of 3srael have made me very angry !eca+se they worship idols that they made with their own hands. This message is from the 5.D. 31 2rom the time that Cer+salem was !+ilt +ntil now, the people of this city have made me angry. This city has made me very angry, so 3 m+st remove it from my sight. 32 3 will destroy Cer+salem !eca+se of all the evil things the people of 3srael and C+dah have done. The people, their kings, leaders, their priests and prophets, the men of C+dah, and the people of Cer+salem have all made me angry. 33 They sho+ld have come to me for help, !+t they t+rned their !acks on me. Ceremiah 32.3#*3' 1%# 3 tried to teach them again and again, !+t they wo+ld not listen to me. 3 tried to correct them, !+t they wo+ld not listen. 3# They have made their idols, and 3 hate those idols. They p+t their idols in the Temple that is called !y my name, so they made my Temple dirty. 3% 3n the /alley of <en $innom, they !+ilt high places to the false god <aal. They !+ilt those worship places so that they co+ld !+rn their sons and da+ghters pag. (1)0131#

as sacrifices. 3 never commanded them to do s+ch a terri!le thing. 3 never even tho+ght the people of C+dah wo+ld do s+ch a terri!le thing. 3& ;o+ people are saying, The king of <a!ylon will capt+re Cer+salem. $e will +se war, h+nger, and disease to defeat this city. <+t this is what the 5.D, the God of the people of 3srael, says: 3' 3 have forced the people of 3srael and C+dah to leave their land. 3 was very angry with them, !+t 3 will !ring them !ack to this place. 3 will gather them from the land where 3 forced them to go. 3 will !ring them !ack to this place. 3 will let them live in peace and safety. Ceremiah 32.3(*#3 1%% 3( The people of 3srael and C+dah will !e my people, and 3 will !e their God. 3) 3 will give them the desire to !e one, +nited people. They will have one goalto worship me all their lives. They and their children will want to do this. #, 3 will make an agreement with the people of 3srael and C+dah that will last forever. 3n this agreement 3 will never t+rn away from them. 3 will always !e good to them. 3 will make them want to respect me. Then they will never t+rn away from me. #1 They will make me happy. 3 will en=oy doing good to them. And 3 will s+rely plant them in this land and make them grow. 3 will do this with all my heart and so+l. #2 This is what the 5.D says: 3 have !ro+ght this great disaster to the people of 3srael and C+dah. 3n the same way, 3 will !ring good things to them. 3 promise to do good things for them. #3 ;o+ people are saying, This land is an empty desert. There are no people or animals here. The <a!ylonian army defeated this co+ntry. <+t in the f+t+re Ceremiah 32.##*33.# 1%& people will once again !+y fields in this land. ## They will +se their money and !+y fields. They will sign and seal their agreements. They will witness the people -asy To .ead /ersion

signing their deeds. They will again !+y fields in the land where the tri!e of <en=amin lives, in the area aro+nd Cer+salem, in the towns of the land of C+dah, in the hill co+ntry, in the western foothills, and in the area of the so+thern desert. This will happen !eca+se 3 will !ring them !ack home. This message is from the 5.D. 33 1 >hile Ceremiah was still locked +p in the co+rtyard of the g+ards, the message from the 5.D came to him a second time: 2 The 5.D, made the earth, and it contin+es the way he made it. The 5.D is his name. $e says, 3 C+dah, pray to me, and 3 will answer yo+. 3 will tell yo+ important secrets. ;o+ have never heard these things !efore. # The 5.D is the God of 3srael. This is what he says a!o+t the ho+ses in Cer+salem and a!o+t the palaces of the kings of C+dah: The enemy will p+ll these Ceremiah 33.%*) 1%' ho+ses down. They will !+ild ramps +p to the top of the city walls. They will +se swords and fight the people in these cities. % The people in Cer+salem have done many !ad things. 3 am angry with them. 3 have t+rned against them, so 3 will kill many people there. The <a!ylonian army will come to fight against Cer+salem. There will !e many dead !odies in the ho+ses in Cer+salem. & <+t then 3 will heal the people in that city. 3 will let them en=oy peace and safety. ' 3 will make good things happen to C+dah and 3srael again and make them strong as in the past. ( They sinned against me, !+t 3 will wash away that sin. They fo+ght against me, !+t 3 will forgive them. ) Then Cer+salem will !e a wonderf+l place. The people will !e happy. 6eople from other nations will praise it when they hear a!o+t the good things happening there. They will hear a!o+t the good things 3 am doing for pag. (2,0131#

Cer+salem. Ceremiah 33.1,*13 1%( 1, This is what the 5.D says: ;o+ people say that yo+r co+ntry is an empty desert, with no people or animals living there. ;es, the streets of Cer+salem and the towns of C+dah are empty. 1othing lives there now, people or animals. <+t someday the so+nds of life will ret+rn 11 so+nds of =oy and happiness. There will !e the happy so+nds of a !ride and groom. There will !e the so+nds of people !ringing their gifts to the 5.D@S Temple. They will say, 6raise the 5.D AllD6owerf+l" The 5.D is good" $is faithf+l love will last forever" They will say this !eca+se 3 will again do good things to C+dah. 3t will !e as it was in the !eginning. This is what the 5.D says. 12 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, This place is empty now. There are no people or animals living here. <+t there will !e people in all the towns of C+dah. There will !e shepherds, and there will !e past+res where they will let their flocks rest. 13 Shepherds will co+nt their sheep as the sheep walk in front of them. They will !e co+nting their sheep all aro+nd the co+ntryin the hill co+ntry, in the Ceremiah 33.1#*2, 1%) western foothills, in the 1egev, and in all the other towns of C+dah. 1# This message is from the 5.D: 3 made a special promise to the people of 3srael and C+dah. The time is coming when 3 will do what 3 promised. 1% At that time 3 will make a good !ranch grow from Davids family. That !ranch will do what is good and right for the co+ntry. 1& >hen he r+les, the people of C+dah will !e saved. They will live safely in Cer+salem. This will !e his name: The 5.D Aakes Things .ight 2or Hs. 1' The 5.D says, Someone from Davids family will always sit on the throne and r+le the family of 3srael. 1( And there will always !e priests from the family of evi. They will always stand -asy To .ead /ersion

!efore me and offer !+rnt offerings and sacrifice grain offerings and give sacrifices to me. 1) This message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah. 2, The 5.D says, 3 have an agreement with day and night. 3 agreed that they wo+ld contin+e forever. ;o+ cannot change that agreement. Day and night Ceremiah 33.21*2& 1&, will always come at the right time. 3f yo+ co+ld change that agreement, 21 then yo+ co+ld change my agreement with David and evi. Then descendants from David wo+ld not !e the kings, and the family of evi wo+ld not !e priests. 22 <+t 3 will give many descendants to my servant David and to the tri!e of evi. They will !e as many as the stars in the skyno one can co+nt all the stars. And they will !e as many as the grains of sand on the seashoreno one can co+nt the grains of sand. 23 Ceremiah received this message from the 5.D: 2# Ceremiah, have yo+ heard what the people are saying? They are saying, The 5.D t+rned away from the two families of 3srael and C+dah. $e chose those people, !+t now he does not even accept them as a nation. 2% The 5.D says, 3f my agreement with day and night does not contin+e, and if 3 had not made the laws for the sky and earth, may!e 3 wo+ld leave those people. 2& Then may!e 3 wo+ld t+rn away from Caco!s descendants. And then may!e 3 Ceremiah 3#.1*# 1&1 wo+ld not let Davids descendants r+le over the descendants of A!raham, 3saac, and Caco!. <+t David is my servant, and 3 will !e kind to those people. 3 will again ca+se good things to happen to them. 34 1 The 5.D spoke his message to Ceremiah at the time when Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon was fighting against Cer+salem and all the towns aro+nd it. 1e!+chadneEEar had with him all his army and the armies of all the pag. (210131#

kingdoms and peoples in the empire he r+led. 2 This is what the 5.D, the God of the people of 3srael, said: Ceremiah, go to Ging Bedekiah of C+dah and give him this message: Bedekiah, this is what the 5.D says: 3 will give the city of Cer+salem to the king of <a!ylon very soon, and he will !+rn it down. 3 ;o+ will not escape from the king of <a!ylon. ;o+ will s+rely !e ca+ght and given to him. ;o+ will see the king of <a!ylon with yo+r own eyes. $e will talk to yo+ face to face, and yo+ will go to <a!ylon. # <+t listen to the promise of the 5.D, Ging Bedekiah of C+dah. This is what the Ceremiah 3#.%*) 1&2 5.D says a!o+t yo+: ;o+ will not !e killed with a sword. % ;o+ will die in a peacef+l way. 6eople made f+neral fires to honor yo+r ancestors, the kings who r+led !efore yo+ !ecame king. 3n the same way, people will make a f+neral fire to honor yo+. They will cry for yo+ and sadly say, 5h, my master" 3 myself make this promise to yo+. This message is from the 5.D. & So Ceremiah told all this message to Bedekiah in Cer+salem. ' This was while the army of the king of <a!ylon was fighting against Cer+salem. The army of <a!ylon was also fighting against the cities of C+dah that had not !een capt+red. These cities were achish and AEekah. These were the only fortified cities left in the land of C+dah. ( Ging Bedekiah had made an agreement with all the people in Cer+salem to give freedom to all the $e!rew slaves. A message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah after Bedekiah had made that agreement. ) -veryone was s+pposed to free their $e!rew slaves. All male and female Ceremiah 3#.1,*1# 1&3 $e!rew slaves were to !e set free. 1o one was s+pposed to keep another person from the tri!e of C+dah in slavery. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, So all the leaders of C+dah and all the people accepted this agreement. They wo+ld free their male and female slaves so that they wo+ld no longer serve them. -veryone agreed, and so all the slaves were set free. 11 <+t after that, the people who had slaves changed their minds. So they took the people they had set free and made them slaves again. 12 Then this message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah: 13 This is what the 5.D, the God of the people of 3srael, says: 3 !ro+ght yo+r ancestors o+t of the land of -gypt, where they were slaves. >hen 3 did that, 3 made an agreement with them. 1# 3 said to yo+r ancestors, At the end of every seven years, everyone m+st set their $e!rew slaves free. 3f yo+ have fellow $e!rews who have sold themselves to yo+, yo+ m+st let them go free after they have served yo+ for si4 years. <+t yo+r ancestors did not listen to me or pay attention to me. Ceremiah 3#.1%*1( 1&# 1% A short time ago yo+ changed yo+r hearts to do what is right. -veryone set free their fellow $e!rews who were slaves. And yo+ even made an agreement !efore me in the Temple that is called !y my name. 1& <+t now yo+ have changed yo+r minds. ;o+ have shown that yo+ do not honor my name, !eca+se each of yo+ has taken !ack the male and female slaves that yo+ had set free. ;o+ have forced them to !ecome slaves again. 1' So this is what the 5.D says: ;o+ people have not o!eyed me. ;o+ have not given freedom to yo+r fellow $e!rews. So, !eca+se yo+ have not given them freedom, 3 will give yo+ a special kind of freedomfreedom to die in war or !y disease or !y h+nger" This message is from the 5.D. >hen the other nations see what 3 have done to yo+, they will all !e shocked. 1( 3 will hand over those who !roke my agreement and have not kept the pag. (220131#

promises they made !efore me. They c+t a calf in half !efore me and made a vow !y walking !etween the two pieces. Ceremiah 3#.1)*3%.1 1&% 1) These are the people who made that agreement !efore me !y walking !etween the pieces of the calf: the leaders of C+dah and Cer+salem, the important officials of the co+rt, the priests, and the people of the land. 2, So 3 will give them to their enemies and to everyone who wants to kill them. Their !odies will !ecome food for the !irds of the air and for the wild animals of the earth. 21 3 will give Ging Bedekiah of C+dah and his leaders to their enemies and to everyone who wants to kill them. 3 will give Bedekiah and his people to the army of the king of <a!ylon, even tho+gh that army has left Cer+salem. 22 <+t 3 will give the order, says the 5.D, to !ring the <a!ylonian army !ack to Cer+salem. That army will fight against Cer+salem. They will capt+re it, set it on fire, and !+rn it down. And 3 will destroy the towns in the land of C+dah. They will !ecome empty deserts. 1o one will live there. 35 1 D+ring the time when Cehoiakim, son of Ging Cosiah, was king of Ceremiah 3%.2*& 1&& C+dah, the 5.D spoke this message to Ceremiah: 2 Go to the .eca!ite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the 5.D@S Temple. 5ffer them wine to drink. 3 So 3 went to get CaaEaniah son of Ceremiah, who was the son of $a!aEEiniah. And 3 got all of CaaEaniahs !rothers and sons and the whole family of the .eca!ites together. # Then 3 !ro+ght them into the Temple of the 5.D. >e went into the room of the sons of $anan, the son of 3gdaliah. $anan was a man of God. The room was ne4t to the room where the princes of C+dah stay. 3t was over the room of Aaaseiah son of Shall+m. Aaaseiah was -asy To .ead /ersion

the doorkeeper in the Temple. % Then 3 p+t some !owls f+ll of wine and some c+ps in front of the .eca!ite family. And 3 said to them, Drink some wine. & <+t the .eca!ite family answered, >e never drink wine. >e never drink it !eca+se o+r ancestor Conada! son of .eca! gave +s this command: ;o+ Ceremiah 3%.'*12 1&' and yo+r descendants m+st never drink wine. ' Also yo+ m+st never !+ild ho+ses, plant seeds, or plant vineyards. ;o+ m+st never do any of those things. ;o+ m+st live only in tents. 3f yo+ do that, yo+ will live a long time in the land where yo+ move from place to place. ( So we have o!eyed everything o+r ancestor Conada! commanded +s. 1one of +s ever drinks wine, and neither do o+r wives, sons, or da+ghters. ) >e never !+ild ho+ses to live in, we never own vineyards or fields, and we never plant crops. 1, >e have lived in tents and have o!eyed everything o+r ancestor Conada! commanded +s. 11 <+t when Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon attacked the co+ntry of C+dah, we did go into Cer+salem. >e said to each other, 9ome, we m+st enter the city of Cer+salem so that we can escape the <a!ylonian army and the Aramean army. So we have stayed in Cer+salem. 12 Then this message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah: Ceremiah 3%.13*1' 1&( 13 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says to go to the people of C+dah and Cer+salem and tell them this message: ;o+ sho+ld learn a lesson and o!ey my message. This message is from the 5.D. 1# Conada! son of .eca! ordered his sons not to drink wine, and that command has !een o!eyed. To this day the descendants of Conada! have o!eyed their ancestors command. They do not drink wine. <+t 3 have given commands pag. (230131#

to yo+ people of C+dah again and again, and yo+ have not o!eyed me. 1% Time after time 3 have sent my servants the prophets to yo+. They said, ;o+ m+st each stop doing evil things and do what is right. Dont follow other gods. Dont worship or serve them. 3f yo+ o!ey me, yo+ will live in the land 3 have given to yo+ and yo+r ancestors. <+t yo+ have not paid attention to my message. 1& The descendants of Conada! o!eyed the commands that their ancestor gave them, !+t the people of C+dah have not o!eyed me. 1' So this is what the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 Ceremiah 3%.1(*3&.2 1&) said that many !ad things wo+ld happen to C+dah and Cer+salem. 3 will soon make all those !ad things happen. 3 spoke to the people, !+t they ref+sed to listen. 3 called o+t to them, !+t they didnt answer me. 1( Then Ceremiah said to the .eca!ite family, This is what the 5.D AllD 6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: ;o+ have o!eyed the commands of yo+r ancestor Conada!. ;o+ have followed all of his teachings. ;o+ have done everything he commanded. 1) So the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: There will always !e a descendant of Conada! son of .eca! to serve me. 36 1 The 5.D spoke his message to Ceremiah d+ring the fo+rth year that Cehoiakim son of Cosiah was king of C+dah. This was the message from the ord: 2 Ceremiah, get a scroll and write on it all the messages 3 have spoken to yo+. 3 have spoken to yo+ a!o+t the nations of 3srael and C+dah and all the other nations. >rite all the words that 3 have Ceremiah 3&.3*' 1', spoken to yo+ from the time that Cosiah was king, +ntil now. 3 Aay!e the people of C+dah will hear what 3 am planning to do to them and will stop doing !ad things. 3f they will do -asy To .ead /ersion

that, 3 will forgive them for the !ad sins they have committed. # So Ceremiah called a man named <ar+ch son of 1eriah. Ceremiah spoke the messages the 5.D had given him. >hile he spoke, <ar+ch wrote the messages on the scroll. % Then Ceremiah said to <ar+ch, 3 cannot go to the 5.D@S Temple. 3 am not allowed to go there. & So 3 want yo+ to go to the Temple of the 5.D. Go there on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll. .ead to the people the messages from the 5.D that yo+ wrote on the scroll as 3 spoke them to yo+. .ead them to all the people of C+dah who come into Cer+salem from the towns where they live. ' 6erhaps they will ask the 5.D to help them. 6erhaps each person will stop doing !ad things. The 5.D has Ceremiah 3&.(*11 1'1 anno+nced that he is very angry with them. ( So <ar+ch son of 1eriah did everything Ceremiah the prophet told him to do. <ar+ch read alo+d the scroll that had the 5.D@S messages written on it. $e read it in the 5.D@S Temple. ) 3n the ninth month of the fifth year that Cehoiakim was king, a fast was anno+nced. All those who lived in the city of Cer+salem and everyone who had come into Cer+salem from the towns of C+dah were s+pposed to fast !efore the 5.D. 1, At that time <ar+ch read the scroll that contained Ceremiahs words. $e read the scroll in the Temple of the 5.D to all the people who were there. <ar+ch was in the room of Gemariah in the +pper co+rtyard when he read from the scroll. That room was located at the entrance of the 1ew Gate of the Temple. Gemariah was the son of Shaphan. Gemariah was a scri!e in the Temple. 11 A man named Aicaiah heard all the messages from the 5.D that <ar+ch read from the scroll. Aicaiah was the son pag. (2#0131#

of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. Ceremiah 3&.12*1& 1'2 12 >hen Aicaiah heard the messages from the scroll, he went down to the secretarys room in the kings palace. All the royal officials were sitting there in the kings palace. These are the names of the officials: -lishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, -lnathan son of Ac!or, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Bedekiah son of $ananiahF all the other royal officials were there too. 13 Aicaiah told them everything he had heard <ar+ch read from the scroll. 1# Then all the officials sent a man named Ceh+di to <ar+ch. 7Ceh+di was the son of 1ethaniah, son of Shelemiah. Shelemiah was the son of 9+shi.8 Ceh+di said to <ar+ch, <ring the scroll that yo+ read from and come with me. <ar+ch son of 1eriah took the scroll and went with Ceh+di to the officials. 1% Then the officials said to <ar+ch, Sit down and read the scroll to +s. So <ar+ch read the scroll to them. 1& >hen the royal officials heard all the messages from the scroll, they were afraid and looked at each other. They said to <ar+ch, >e m+st tell Ging Ceremiah 3&.1'*22 1'3 Cehoiakim a!o+t these messages on the scroll. 1' Then the officials asked <ar+ch, Tell +s, <ar+ch, where did yo+ get these messages that yo+ wrote on the scroll? Did yo+ write down what Ceremiah said to yo+? 1( ;es, <ar+ch answered. Ceremiah spoke, and 3 wrote down all the messages with ink on this scroll. 1) Then the royal officials said to <ar+ch, ;o+ and Ceremiah m+st go and hide. Dont tell anyone where yo+ are hiding. 2, Then the royal officials p+t the scroll in the room of -lishama the scri!e. They went to Ging Cehoiakim and told him all a!o+t the scroll. 21 So Ging Cehoiakim sent Ceh+di to get the scroll. Ceh+di !ro+ght the scroll from -asy To .ead /ersion

the room of -lishama the scri!e. Then Ceh+di read the scroll to the king and all the servants who stood aro+nd the king. 22 The time this happened was in the ninth month, so Ging Cehoiakim was sitting in the part of the palace +sed for winter. There was a fire !+rning in a small fireplace in front of the king. Ceremiah 3&.23*2' 1'# 23 Ceh+di !egan to read from the scroll. <+t after he wo+ld read two or three col+mns, Ging Cehoiakim wo+ld gra! the scroll. Then he wo+ld c+t those col+mns off the scroll with a small knife and throw them into the fireplace. 2inally, the whole scroll was !+rned in the fire. 2# And, when Ging Cehoiakim and his servants heard the message from the scroll, they were not afraid. They did not tear their clothes to show sorrow for doing wrong. 2% -lnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah tried to talk Ging Cehoiakim o+t of !+rning the scroll, !+t he wo+ld not listen to them. 2& 3nstead Ging Cehoiakim commanded some men to arrest <ar+ch the scri!e and Ceremiah the prophet. These men were Cerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of AEriel, and Shelemiah son of A!deel. <+t they co+ld not find <ar+ch and Ceremiah, !eca+se the 5.D had hidden them. 2' Ging Cehoiakim !+rned the scroll on which <ar+ch had written all the words that Ceremiah had spoken to him. Then Ceremiah 3&.2(*31 1'% this message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah: 2( Get another scroll. >rite all the messages on it that were on the first scroll that Ging Cehoiakim of C+dah !+rned. 2) Also tell Ging Cehoiakim of C+dah that this is what the 5.D says: Cehoiakim, yo+ !+rned that scroll. ;o+ said, >hy did Ceremiah write that the king of <a!ylon will s+rely come and destroy this land and kill all the people and animals in it? 3, So this is what the 5.D says a!o+t pag. (2%0131#

Ging Cehoiakim of C+dah: Cehoiakims descendants will not sit on Davids throne. >hen Cehoiakim dies, he will not get a kings f+neral, !+t his !ody will !e thrown o+t on the gro+nd. $is !ody will !e left o+t in the heat of the day and the cold frost of the night. 31 3 will p+nish Cehoiakim and his children, and 3 will p+nish his officials. 3 will do this !eca+se they are wicked. 3 will !ring terri!le disasters on them and on all those who live in Cer+salem and on the people from C+dah. 3 will !ring all these !ad things on them, =+st as Ceremiah 3&.32*3'.# 1'& 3 warned them, !eca+se they have not listened to me. 32 Then Ceremiah took another scroll and gave it to <ar+ch son of 1eriah, the scri!e. As Ceremiah spoke, <ar+ch wrote on the scroll the same messages that were on the scroll that Ging Cehoiakim had !+rned in the fire. And many other words like those messages were added to the second scroll. 37 1 1e!+chadneEEar was the king of <a!ylon. $e appointed Bedekiah son of Cosiah to !e the king of C+dah in the place of Cehoiachin son of Cehoiakim. 2 <+t Bedekiah, his servants, and the people of C+dah did not pay attention to the messages the 5.D had given to Ceremiah the prophet. 3 Ging Bedekiah sent Ceh+cal son of Shelemiah and the priest Bephaniah son of Aaaseiah to Ceremiah the prophet with a message. This was the message they !ro+ght to Ceremiah: Ceremiah, pray to the 5.D o+r God for +s. # At that time Ceremiah had not yet !een p+t into prison, so he was free to go anywhere he wanted. Ceremiah 3'.%*1, 1'' % Also at that time 6haraohs army had marched from -gypt toward C+dah. The <a!ylonian army had s+rro+nded the city of Cer+salem in order to defeat it. Then they had heard a!o+t the army from -gypt marching toward them. So the army from <a!ylon left Cer+salem to -asy To .ead /ersion

fight with the army from -gypt. & This message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah the prophet: ' This is what the 5.D, the God of the people of 3srael, says: Ceh+cal and Bephaniah, 3 know that Ging Bedekiah of C+dah sent yo+ to me to ask J+estions. Tell Ging Bedekiah this: 6haraohs army marched o+t of -gypt to come here to help yo+ against the army of <a!ylon. <+t 6haraohs army will go !ack to -gypt. ( After that, the army from <a!ylon will come !ack here and attack Cer+salem. Then they will capt+re and !+rn it. ) This is what the 5.D says: 6eople of Cer+salem, dont fool yo+rselves. Dont say to yo+rselves, The army of <a!ylon will s+rely leave +s alone. They will not. 1, 6eople of Cer+salem, even if yo+ co+ld defeat all the <a!ylonian army that is attacking yo+, there wo+ld still !e a few Ceremiah 3'.11*1% 1'( wo+nded men left in their tents. -ven those few wo+nded men wo+ld come o+t of their tents and !+rn Cer+salem down. 11 >hen the <a!ylonian army left Cer+salem to fight the army of the 6haraoh of -gypt, 12 Ceremiah wanted to travel from Cer+salem to the land of <en=amin. $e wanted to !e there for a division of some property that !elonged to his family. 13 <+t when Ceremiah got to the <en=amin Gate of Cer+salem, the captain in charge of the g+ards arrested him. The captains name was 3ri=ah son of Shelemiah. Shelemiah was the son of $ananiah. So 3ri=ah the captain arrested Ceremiah and said, Ceremiah, yo+ are leaving +s to =oin the <a!ylonian side. 1# Ceremiah said to 3ri=ah, That is not tr+e" 3 am not leaving to =oin the <a!ylonians. <+t 3ri=ah ref+sed to listen to Ceremiah. And 3ri=ah arrested Ceremiah and took him to the royal officials of Cer+salem. 1% Those officials were very angry with Ceremiah. They gave an order for Ceremiah to !e !eaten. Then they p+t him in a prison. The prison was in the pag. (2&0131#

Ceremiah 3'.1&*2, 1') ho+se of Conathan, a scri!e for the king of C+dah. $is ho+se had !een made into a prison. 1& They p+t Ceremiah into a cell +nder the ho+se of Conathan. The cell was in a d+ngeon +nder the gro+nd. Ceremiah was there for a long time. 1' Then Ging Bedekiah sent for Ceremiah and had him !ro+ght to the palace. Bedekiah talked to Ceremiah in private. $e asked Ceremiah, 3s there any message from the 5.D? Ceremiah answered, ;es, he said that yo+ will !e given to the king of <a!ylon. 1( Then Ceremiah said to Ging Bedekiah, >hat have 3 done wrong? >hat crime have 3 done against yo+ or yo+r officials or the people of Cer+salem? >hy have yo+ thrown me into prison? 1) Ging Bedekiah, where are yo+r prophets now? They told yo+ a false message. They said, The king of <a!ylon will not attack yo+ or this land of C+dah. 2, <+t now, my lord, king of C+dah, please listen to me. 6lease let me !ring my reJ+est to yo+. This is what 3 ask: Dont send me !ack to the ho+se of Ceremiah 3'.21*3(.# 1(, Conathan the scri!e. 3f yo+ send me !ack, 3 will die there. 21 So Ging Bedekiah gave orders for Ceremiah to !e p+t +nder g+ard in the co+rtyard. And he ordered that Ceremiah sho+ld !e given !read from the street !akers. $e was given !read +ntil there was no more !read in the city. So Ceremiah stayed +nder g+ard in the co+rtyard. 38 1 Some of the royal officials heard what Ceremiah was saying. They were Shephatiah son of Aattan, Gedaliah son of 6ashh+r, Ceh+cal son of Shelemiah, and 6ashh+r son of Aalki=ah. Ceremiah was telling all the people this message: 2 This is what the 5.D says: -veryone who stays in Cer+salem will die from war, h+nger, or disease. <+t everyone who s+rrenders to the army of <a!ylon will -asy To .ead /ersion

live and escape with their lives. 3 And this is what the 5.D says: This city of Cer+salem will s+rely !e given to the army of the king of <a!ylon. $e will capt+re this city. # Then the royal officials who heard what Ceremiah was telling the people Ceremiah 3(.%*( 1(1 went to Ging Bedekiah. They said to the king, Ceremiah sho+ld !e p+t to death. $e is disco+raging the soldiers who are still in the city and everyone else !y what he is saying. $e is not looking for peaceF he is =+st trying to ca+se tro+!le. % So Ging Bedekiah said to the officials, Ceremiah is in yo+r control. 3 cannot do anything to stop yo+. & So the officials took Ceremiah and p+t him into Aalki=ahs cistern. Aalki=ah was the kings son. The cistern was in the Temple yard where the kings g+ard stayed. They +sed ropes to lower Ceremiah into the cistern. The cistern didnt have any water in it, only m+d. And Ceremiah sank down into the m+d. ' <+t a man named -!ed Aelech heard that the officials had p+t Ceremiah into the cistern. -!ed Aelech was from -thiopia, and he was a e+n+ch in the kings palace. Ging Bedekiah was sitting at the <en=amin Gate, so -!ed Aelech left the kings palace and went to talk to the king at the gate. ( -!ed Aelech said, Ay lord and king, these officials have done evil. They have treated Ceremiah the prophet !adly. Ceremiah 3(.)*1# 1(2 They have thrown him into a cistern and left him there to die. ) 73(:(8 1, Then Ging Bedekiah gave a command to -!ed Aelech, the -thiopian: -!ed Aelech, take three men from the palace with yo+, and go get Ceremiah o+t of the cistern !efore he dies. 11 So -!ed Aelech took the men with him. <+t first he went to a room +nder the storeroom in the kings palace. $e took some old rags and wornDo+t clothes from that room. Then he let the rags pag. (2'0131#

down with some ropes to Ceremiah in the cistern. 12 -!ed Aelech, the -thiopian, said to Ceremiah, 6+t these old rags and wornDo+t clothes +nder yo+r arms. >hen we p+ll yo+ o+t, these rags will pad yo+r +nderarms. Then the ropes will not h+rt yo+. So Ceremiah did as -!ed Aelech said. 13 The men p+lled Ceremiah +p with the ropes and lifted him o+t of the cistern. And Ceremiah stayed +nder g+ard in the Temple yard. 1# Then Ging Bedekiah sent someone to get Ceremiah the prophet. $e had Ceremiah 3(.1%*1) 1(3 Ceremiah !ro+ght to the third entrance to the Temple of the 5.D. Then the king said, Ceremiah, 3 am going to ask yo+ something. Dont hide anything from me, !+t tell me everything honestly. 1% Ceremiah said to Bedekiah, 3f 3 give yo+ an answer, yo+ will pro!a!ly kill me. And even if 3 give yo+ advice, yo+ will not listen to me. 1& <+t Ging Bedekiah secretly swore an oath to Ceremiah. Bedekiah said, As s+rely as the 5.D lives, who gives +s !reath and life, 3 will not kill yo+, Ceremiah. And 3 promise not to give yo+ to the officials who want to kill yo+. 1' Then Ceremiah said to Ging Bedekiah, The 5.D God AllD6owerf+l is the God of 3srael. This is what he says, 3f yo+ s+rrender to the officials of the king of <a!ylon, yo+r life will !e saved, and Cer+salem will not !e !+rned down. And yo+ and yo+r family will live. 1( <+t if yo+ ref+se to s+rrender, Cer+salem will !e given to the <a!ylonian army. They will !+rn Cer+salem down, and yo+ will not escape from them. 1) <+t Ging Bedekiah said to Ceremiah, <+t 3 am afraid of the men of C+dah who Ceremiah 3(.2,*23 1(# have already gone over to the side of the <a!ylonian army. 3 am afraid that the soldiers will give me to those men, and they will treat me !adly. 2, <+t Ceremiah answered, The soldiers -asy To .ead /ersion

will not give yo+ to the men of C+dah. Ging Bedekiah, o!ey the 5.D !y doing what 3 tell yo+. Then things will go well for yo+, and yo+r life will !e saved. 21 <+t if yo+ ref+se to s+rrender to the army of <a!ylon, the 5.D has shown me what will happen. This is what he has told me: 22 All the women who are left in the ho+se of the king of C+dah will !e !ro+ght o+t. They will !e !ro+ght to the important officials of the king of <a!ylon. ;o+r women will make f+n of yo+ with a song. This is what they will say: ;o+r friends were stronger than yo+, and they led yo+ the wrong way. ;o+ tr+sted them, !+t now yo+r feet are st+ck in the m+d, and yo+r friends have left yo+. 23 All yo+r wives and children will !e !ro+ght o+t. They will !e given to the <a!ylonian army. ;o+ yo+rself will not escape from the army of <a!ylon. ;o+ Ceremiah 3(.2#*3).1 1(% will !e capt+red !y the king of <a!ylon, and Cer+salem will !e !+rned down. 2# Then Bedekiah said to Ceremiah, Dont tell anyone that 3 have !een talking to yo+. 3f yo+ do, yo+ might die. 2% 3f the officials find o+t that 3 talked to yo+, they will come to yo+ and say, Ceremiah, tell +s what yo+ said to Ging Bedekiah and what he said to yo+. <e honest with +s, and tell +s everything, or we will kill yo+. 2& 3f they say this to yo+, tell them, 3 was !egging the king not to send me !ack to the cell in the d+ngeon +nder Conathans ho+se. 3f 3 were to go !ack there, 3 wo+ld die. 2' 3t happened that the royal officials of the king did come to Ceremiah to J+estion him. So Ceremiah told them everything the king had ordered him to say. Then they left Ceremiah alone. 1o one had heard what Ceremiah and the king had talked a!o+t. 2( So Ceremiah stayed +nder g+ard in the Temple yard +ntil the day Cer+salem was capt+red. 39 1 This is how Cer+salem was pag. (2(0131#

capt+red: D+ring the tenth month Ceremiah 3).2*% 1(& of the ninth year that Bedekiah was king of C+dah, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon marched against Cer+salem with his whole army. $e s+rro+nded the city to defeat it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fo+rth month in Bedekiahs eleventh year, the wall of Cer+salem was !roken thro+gh. 3 Then all the royal officials of the king of <a!ylon came into the city of Cer+salem. They came in and sat down at the Aiddle Gate. These are the names of the officials: 1ergalDShareEer, the governor of the district of Samgar, a very high officialF 1e!o Sarsekim, another very high officialF and vario+s other important officials were there also. # Ging Bedekiah of C+dah saw the officials from <a!ylon, so he and the soldiers with him ran away. They left Cer+salem at night. They went o+t thro+gh the kings garden and o+t thro+gh the gate that was !etween the two walls. Then they went toward the desert. % The <a!ylonian army chased Bedekiah and the soldiers with him. They ca+ght +p with Bedekiah in the plains of Cericho. Ceremiah 3).&*1, 1(' They capt+red Bedekiah and took him to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. 1e!+chadneEEar was at the town of .i!lah in the land of $amath. At that place, 1e!+chadneEEar decided what to do to Bedekiah. & There at the town of .i!lah, the king of <a!ylon killed Bedekiahs sons and he killed all the royal officials of C+dah while Bedekiah watched. ' Then 1e!+chadneEEar tore o+t Bedekiahs eyes. $e p+t !ronEe chains on Bedekiah and took him to <a!ylon. ( The army of <a!ylon set fire to the kings palace and the ho+ses of the people of Cer+salem. And they !roke down the walls of Cer+salem. ) 1e!+Earadan was the commander of the king of <a!ylons special g+ards. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

took all the people who had s+rrendered to him and all the people still in Cer+salem and made them captives. $e carried them away to <a!ylon. 1, <+t commander 1e!+Earadan left !ehind some of the poor people of C+dah who owned nothing. 1e!+Earadan gave them vineyards and farmland in C+dah. Ceremiah 3).11*1& 1(( 11 1e!+chadneEEar also gave an order a!o+t Ceremiah to commander 1e!+Earadan: 12 2ind Ceremiah and take care of him. Dont h+rt him. Give him whatever he asks for. 13 So 1e!+Earadan, the commander of the kings special g+ards, 1e!+shaE!an, a chief officer in the army of <a!ylon, 1ergalDShareEer, a high official, and all the other officers of the army of <a!ylon sent for Ceremiah. 1# They had Ceremiah taken o+t of the Temple yard where he had !een +nder the g+ard of the king of C+dah. They t+rned Ceremiah over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. Gedaliah had orders to take Ceremiah !ack home. So Ceremiah was taken home, and he stayed among his own people. 1% >hile the g+ards were watching Ceremiah in the Temple yard, a message from the 5.D came to him. This was the message: 1& Ceremiah, go and tell -!ed Aelech the -thiopian this message: This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: /ery soon 3 will make my Ceremiah 3).1'*#,.2 1() messages a!o+t this city of Cer+salem come tr+e. Ay messages will come tr+e thro+gh disaster, not thro+gh something good. ;o+ will see everything come tr+e with yo+r own eyes. 1' <+t 3 will save yo+ on that day, -!ed Aelech. This is the message from the 5.D. ;o+ will not !e given to the people yo+ are afraid of. 1( 3 will save yo+, -!ed Aelech. ;o+ will not die from a sword, !+t yo+ will escape and live. That will happen !eca+se yo+ pag. (2)0131#

have tr+sted in me. This message is from the 5.D. 40 1 The 5.D spoke his message to Ceremiah after he was set free at the city of .amah. 1e!+Earadan, the commander of the king of <a!ylons special g+ards, fo+nd Ceremiah in .amah. Ceremiah was !o+nd with chains. $e was with all the captives from Cer+salem and C+dah. They were !eing taken away in captivity to <a!ylon. 2 >hen commander 1e!+Earadan fo+nd Ceremiah, he spoke to him. $e said, Ceremiah, the 5.D, yo+r God, anno+nced that this disaster wo+ld come to this place. Ceremiah #,.3*' 1), 3 And now the 5.D has done everything =+st as he said he wo+ld do. This disaster happened !eca+se yo+ people of C+dah sinned against the 5.D. ;o+ did not o!ey him. # <+t now, Ceremiah, 3 will set yo+ free. 3 am taking the chains off yo+r wrists. 3f yo+ want to, come with me to <a!ylon, and 3 will take good care of yo+. <+t if yo+ dont want to come with me, then dont come. ook, the whole co+ntry is open to yo+. Go anywhere yo+ want. % 5r go !ack to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. The king of <a!ylon has chosen Gedaliah to !e governor over the towns of C+dah. Go and live with Gedaliah among the people. 5r yo+ can go anywhere yo+ want. Then 1e!+Earadan gave Ceremiah some food and a present and let him go. & So Ceremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at AiEpah. $e stayed with Gedaliah among those who were left !ehind in the land of C+dah. ' There were some soldiers from the army of C+dah, officers and their men, still o+t in the open co+ntry when Cer+salem was destroyed. They heard Ceremiah #,.(*1, 1)1 that the king of <a!ylon had p+t Gedaliah son of Ahikam in charge of those who were left in the land. Those who were left were men, women, and children who -asy To .ead /ersion

were very poor. They were not carried off to <a!ylon as captives. ( So the soldiers came to Gedaliah at AiEpah. They were 3shmael son of 1ethaniah, Cohanan and his !rother Conathan, sons of Gareah, Seraiah son of Tanh+meth, sons of -phai from 1etophah, and CaaEaniah son of the Aaacathite, and the men who were with them. ) Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, made an oath to make the soldiers and their men feel more sec+re. This is what he said: ;o+ soldiers, dont !e afraid to serve the <a!ylonian people. Settle down in the land and serve the king of <a!ylon. 3f yo+ do this, things will go well for yo+. 1, 3 myself will live in AiEpah. 3 will speak for yo+ !efore the 9haldeans who come here. ;o+ leave that work to me. ;o+ sho+ld harvest the wine, the s+mmer fr+it, and the oil. 6+t what yo+ Ceremiah #,.11*1# 1)2 harvest in yo+r storage =ars. ive in the towns that yo+ control. 11 All the people of C+dah who were in the co+ntries of Aoa!, Ammon, -dom, and all the other co+ntries heard that the king of <a!ylon had left some people of C+dah in the land. And they heard that the king of <a!ylon had chosen Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, to !e governor over them. 12 >hen the people of C+dah heard this news, they came !ack to the land of C+dah. They came !ack to Gedaliah at AiEpah from all the co+ntries where they had !een scattered. So they came !ack and gathered a large harvest of wine and s+mmer fr+it. 13 Cohanan son of Gareah and all the officers of the army of C+dah who were still in the open co+ntry came to Gedaliah. Gedaliah was at the town of AiEpah. 1# Cohanan and the officers with him said to Gedaliah, Do yo+ know that <aalis, the king of the Ammonites, wants to kill yo+? $e has sent 3shmael son of pag. (3,0131#

1ethaniah to kill yo+. <+t Gedaliah son of Ahikam didnt !elieve them. Ceremiah #,.1%*#1.2 1)3 1% Then Cohanan son of Gareah spoke to Gedaliah in private at AiEpah. Cohanan said to Gedaliah, et me go and kill 3shmael son of 1ethaniah. 1o one will know anything a!o+t it. >e sho+ld not let 3shmael kill yo+. That wo+ld ca+se all the people of C+dah who are gathered aro+nd yo+ to !e scattered to different co+ntries again. And that wo+ld mean that the few s+rvivors of C+dah wo+ld !e lost. 1& <+t Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Cohanan son of Gareah, Dont kill 3shmael. The things yo+ are saying a!o+t 3shmael are not tr+e. 41 1 3n the seventh month, 3shmael son of 1ethaniah 7the son of -lishama8 came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. 3shmael came with ten of his men. They came to the town of AiEpah. 3shmael was a mem!er of the kings family. $e had !een one of the officers of the king of C+dah. 3shmael and his men ate a meal with Gedaliah. 2 >hile they were eating together, 3shmael and his ten men got +p and killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam with a sword. Gedaliah was the man the king of Ceremiah #1.3*' 1)# <a!ylon had chosen to !e governor of C+dah. 3 3shmael also killed all the Cews who were with Gedaliah at the town of AiEpah. $e also killed the <a!ylonian soldiers who were there with Gedaliah. # The day after Gedaliah was m+rdered, (, men came to AiEpah. They were !ringing grain offerings and incense to the 5.D@S Temple. They had shaved off their !eards, torn their clothes, and c+t themselves. They came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. 1one of these men knew that Gedaliah had !een m+rdered. % 7#1:#8 & 3shmael left AiEpah and went to meet the (, men. $e cried while he walked o+t to meet them. 3shmael met them -asy To .ead /ersion

and said, 9ome with me to meet with Gedaliah son of Ahikam. ' As soon as they were in the city, 3shmael and the men with him !egan to kill the (, men and throw them into a deep cistern" <+t ten of the men said to 3shmael, Dont kill +s" >e have hidden some things in a field. >e have wheat and !arley and oil and honey. So 3shmael Ceremiah #1.(*12 1)% stopped and didnt kill them with the others. ( 7#1:'8 ) 73shmael threw the dead !odies into the cistern +ntil it was f+ll, and that cistern was very !ig" 3t had !een !+ilt !y a king of C+dah named Asa. Ging Asa had made the cistern so that d+ring war there wo+ld !e water in the city. Asa did this to protect his city from Ging <aasha of 3srael.8 1, 3shmael capt+red all the other people in the town of AiEpah and started to cross over to the co+ntry of the Ammonites. They incl+ded the kings da+ghters, and all those who were left there. 1e!+Earadan, the commander of the king of <a!ylons special g+ards, had chosen Gedaliah to watch over those people. 11 Cohanan son of Gareah and all the army officers who were with him heard a!o+t all the evil things 3shmael had done. 12 So Cohanan and the army officers with him took their men and went to fight 3shmael son of 1ethaniah. They Ceremiah #1.13*1' 1)& ca+ght 3shmael near the !ig pool of water that is at the town of Gi!eon. 13 >hen the captives that 3shmael had taken saw Cohanan and the army officers, they were very happy. 1# Then all the captives who 3shmael had taken from the town of AiEpah ran to Cohanan son of Gareah. 1% <+t 3shmael and eight of his men escaped from Cohanan and ran away to the Ammonites. 1& So Cohanan son of Gareah and all pag. (310131#

his army officers resc+ed the captives. 3shmael had m+rdered Gedaliah and then he had taken those people from AiEpah. Among the s+rvivors were soldiers, women, children, and co+rt officials. Cohanan !ro+ght them !ack from the town of Gi!eon. 1' Cohanan and the other army officers were afraid of the 9haldeans. The king of <a!ylon had chosen Gedaliah to !e governor of C+dah. <+t 3shmael m+rdered Gedaliah, and Cohanan was afraid that the 9haldeans wo+ld !e angry. So they decided to r+n away to -gypt. 5n the way to -gypt, they stayed Ceremiah #1.1(*#2.% 1)' at Ger+th Gimham, near the town of <ethlehem. 1( 7#1:1'8 42 1 >hile they were at Ger+th Gimham, Cohanan son of Gareah and CeEaniah son of $oshaiah went to Ceremiah the prophet. All the army officers went with Cohanan and CeEaniah. All the people, from the least important to the most important, went to Ceremiah. 2 They said to him, Ceremiah, please listen to what we ask. 6ray to the 5.D yo+r God for all those who are s+rvivors from the family of C+dah. Ceremiah, yo+ can see that there are not many of +s left. At one time there were many of +s. 3 Ceremiah, pray that the 5.D yo+r God will tell +s where we sho+ld go and what we sho+ld do. # Then Ceremiah the prophet answered, 3 +nderstand what yo+ want me to do. 3 will pray to the 5.D yo+r God, as yo+ asked me to do. 3 will tell yo+ everything the 5.D says. 3 will not hide anything from yo+. % Then the people said to Ceremiah, 3f we dont do everything the 5.D yo+r God tells +s, then we hope the 5.D will Ceremiah #2.&*1, 1)( !e a tr+e and faithf+l witness against +s. >e know he will send yo+ to tell +s what to do. & 3t doesnt matter if we like the message or if we dont like the message. >e will -asy To .ead /ersion

o!ey the 5.D o+r God. >e are sending yo+ to the ord for a message from him. >e will o!ey what he says. Then good things will happen to +s. ;es, we will o!ey the 5.D o+r God. ' At the end of ten days, the message from the 5.D came to Ceremiah. ( Then Ceremiah called together Cohanan son of Gareah and the army officers who were with him. $e also called all the other people together, from the least important to the most important. ) Then Ceremiah said to them, ;o+ sent me to the 5.D, the God of 3srael, and 3 asked him what yo+ wanted me to ask. This is what he says: 1, 3f yo+ will stay in C+dah, 3 will make yo+ strong3 will not destroy yo+. 3 will plant yo+, and 3 will not p+ll yo+ +p. 3 will do this !eca+se 3 am sad a!o+t the terri!le things that 3 made happen to yo+. Ceremiah #2.11*1& 1)) 11 1ow yo+ are afraid of the king of <a!ylon. <+t dont !e afraid of him. Dont !e afraid of the king of <a!ylon, says the 5.D, !eca+se 3 am with yo+. 3 will save yo+. 3 will resc+e yo+. $e will not get his hands on yo+. 12 3 will !e kind to yo+, and the king of <a!ylon will also treat yo+ with mercy. $e will !ring yo+ !ack to yo+r land. 13 <+t yo+ might say, >e will not stay in C+dah. 3f yo+ say that, yo+ will diso!ey the 5.D yo+r God. 1# And yo+ might say, 1o, we will go and live in -gypt. >e will not !e !othered with war there. >e will not hear the tr+mpets of war, and in -gypt we will not !e h+ngry. 1% 3f yo+ say that, listen to this message from the 5.D, yo+ s+rvivors from C+dah. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3f yo+ decide to go and live in -gypt, this will happen: 1& ;o+ are afraid of the sword of war, !+t it will defeat yo+ there. And yo+ are worried a!o+t h+nger, !+t yo+ will !e pag. (320131#

h+ngry in -gypt. ;o+ will die there. Ceremiah #2.1'*21 2,, 1' -veryone who decides to go live in -gypt will die !y war, h+nger, or disease. 1ot one person who goes to -gypt will s+rvive. 1ot one of them will escape the terri!le things that 3 will !ring to them. 1( This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 showed my anger against Cer+salem. 3 p+nished the people who lived there. 3n the same way, 3 will show my anger against everyone who goes to -gypt. 6eople will +se yo+ as an e4ample when they ask for !ad things to happen to other people. ;o+ will !ecome like a c+rse word. 6eople will !e ashamed of yo+, and they will ins+lt yo+. And yo+ will never see C+dah again. 1) S+rvivors of C+dah, the 5.D told yo+: Dont go to -gypt. 3 warn yo+ right now, 2, yo+ are making a mistake that will ca+se yo+r deaths. ;o+ sent me to the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ said to me, 6ray to the 5.D o+r God for +s. Tell +s everything the 5.D o+r God says to do. >e will o!ey him. 21 So today, 3 have told yo+ the message from the ord. <+t yo+ have not o!eyed Ceremiah #2.22*#3.# 2,1 the 5.D yo+r God. ;o+ have not done all that he sent me to tell yo+ to do. 22 So now !e s+re yo+ +nderstand this: ;o+ want to go live in -gypt. <+t these things will happen to yo+ in -gypt: ;o+ will die !y a sword, or h+nger, or terri!le sickness. 43 1 So Ceremiah finished telling the people the message from the 5.D their God. $e told them everything that the 5.D their God had sent him to tell them. 2 AEariah son of $oshaiah, Cohanan son of Gareah, and some other men were pro+d and st+!!orn. They !ecame angry with Ceremiah. They said to him, Ceremiah, yo+ are lying" The 5.D o+r God didnt send yo+ to say to +s, ;o+ m+st not go to -gypt to live there. 3 Ceremiah, we think that <ar+ch son of -asy To .ead /ersion

1eriah is enco+raging yo+ to !e against +s. $e wants yo+ to give +s to the <a!ylonians. $e wants yo+ to do this so they can kill +s. 5r he wants yo+ to do this so that they can make +s captives and take +s to <a!ylon. # So Cohanan, the army officers, and all the people diso!eyed the 5.D@S Ceremiah #3.%*) 2,2 command. The ord had commanded them to stay in C+dah. % <+t Cohanan, son of Gareah, and the army officers did not o!ey this command. 3nstead, they took the s+rvivors from C+dah to -gypt. 3n the past the enemy had taken the s+rvivors to other co+ntries, !+t they had come !ack to C+dah. & 1ow Cohanan and all the army officers took all the men, women, and children and led them to -gypt. Among those people were the kings da+ghters. 71e!+Earadan had p+t Gedaliah in charge of those people. 1e!+Earadan was the commander of the king of <a!ylons special g+ards.8 Cohanan also took Ceremiah the prophet and <ar+ch son of 1eriah. ' These people didnt listen to the 5.D. So they all went to -gypt to the town of Tahpanhes. ( 3n the town of Tahpanhes, Ceremiah received this message from the 5.D: ) Ceremiah, get some large stones. Take them and !+ry them in the clay and !rick sidewalk in front of 6haraohs official Ceremiah #3.1,*13 2,3 !+ilding in Tahpanhes. Do this while the people of C+dah are watching yo+. 1, Then say to those who are watching yo+: This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 will send for Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon to come here. $e is my servant, and 3 will set his throne over these stones 3 have !+ried here. 1e!+chadneEEar will spread his canopy a!ove these stones. 11 $e will come here and attack -gypt. $e will !ring death to those who are to die. $e will !ring captivity to those who pag. (330131#

are to !e taken captive. And he will !ring the sword to those who are to !e killed with a sword. 12 1e!+chadneEEar will start a fire in the temples of the false gods of -gypt. $e will !+rn the temples and he will take the idols away. Shepherds pick the !+gs and thorns off their clothes to make them clean. 3n the same way, 1e!+chadneEEar will pick -gypt clean. Then he will safely leave -gypt. 13 $e will destroy the memorial stones that are in the temple of the S+n God in -gypt, and he will !+rn down the temples of the false gods of -gypt. Ceremiah ##.1*& 2,# 44 1 Ceremiah received a message from the ord for all the people of C+dah living in the -gyptian towns of Aigdol, Tahpanhes, Aemphis, and in so+thern -gypt. This was the message: 2 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: ;o+ people saw the disasters that 3 !ro+ght on the city of Cer+salem and on all the towns of C+dah. The towns are empty piles of stones today. 3 They were destroyed !eca+se the people living in them did evil. They gave sacrifices to other gods, and that made me angry" ;o+r people and yo+r ancestors did not worship those gods in the past. # 3 sent my servants, the prophets, to those people again and again. They spoke my message and said to the people, Dont do this terri!le thing. 3 hate for yo+ to worship idols. % <+t they didnt listen to the prophets or pay attention to them. They didnt stop doing wicked things. They didnt stop making sacrifices to other gods. & So 3 showed my anger against them. 3 p+nished the towns of C+dah and the Ceremiah ##.'*) 2,% streets of Cer+salem. Ay anger made Cer+salem and the towns of C+dah the empty piles of stone they are today. ' So this is what the 5.D God AllD 6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: >hy -asy To .ead /ersion

are yo+ h+rting yo+rselves !y contin+ing to worship idols? ;o+ are separating the men and women, the children and !a!ies from the family of C+dah. And so yo+ leave yo+rselves witho+t anyone left from the family of C+dah. ( >hy do yo+ people want to make me angry !y making idols? 1ow yo+ are living in -gypt. And now yo+ are making me angry !y offering sacrifices to the false gods of -gypt. ;o+ will destroy yo+rselves, and it will !e yo+r own fa+lt. The people of all the other nations on the earth will say !ad things a!o+t yo+ and make f+n of yo+. ) $ave yo+ forgotten a!o+t the wicked things yo+r ancestors did? And have yo+ forgotten a!o+t the wicked things the kings and J+eens of C+dah did? $ave yo+ forgotten a!o+t the wicked things yo+ and yo+r wives did in C+dah and in the streets of Cer+salem? Ceremiah ##.1,*1# 2,& 1, -ven to this day the people of C+dah have not made themselves h+m!le. They have not shown any respect for me, and they have not followed my teachings. They have not o!eyed the laws 3 gave yo+ and yo+r ancestors. 11 So this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 have decided to make terri!le things happen to yo+. 3 will destroy the whole family of C+dah. 12 There were a few s+rvivors from C+dah. They came here to -gypt. <+t 3 will destroy the few s+rvivors from the family of C+dah. They will !e killed with swords or die from h+nger. The people of other nations will point at them and wish evil for them. 6eople will !e shocked and frightened !y what has happened to them. The name C+dah will !ecome a c+rse word and an ins+lt. 13 3 will p+nish those who have gone to live in -gypt. 3 will +se war, h+nger, and disease to p+nish them. 3 will p+nish them =+st as 3 p+nished the city of Cer+salem. 1# 1ot one of the few s+rvivors of C+dah who have gone to live in -gypt will pag. (3#0131#

escape my p+nishment. 1one of them Ceremiah ##.1%*1( 2,' will s+rvive to come !ack to C+dah. They want to come !ack to C+dah and live there. <+t not one of them will go !ack to C+dah, e4cept a few people who escape. 1% There were many people from C+dah living in so+thern -gypt. Aany of the women from C+dah were meeting together in a large gro+p and making sacrifices to other gods, and their h+s!ands knew what they were doing. Those men said to Ceremiah, 1& >e will not listen to the message from the 5.D that yo+ spoke to +s. 1' >e promised to make sacrifices to the I+een of $eaven, and we will do everything we promised. >e will offer sacrifices and po+r o+t drink offerings in worship to her. >e did that in the past. 5+r ancestors, o+r kings, and o+r officials did that in the past. All of +s did those things in the towns of C+dah and in the streets of Cer+salem. >hen we worshiped the I+een of $eaven, we had plenty of food. >e were s+ccessf+l. 1othing !ad happened to +s. 1( <+t then we stopped making sacrifices to the I+een of $eaven, and Ceremiah ##.1)*22 2,( we stopped po+ring o+t drink offerings to her. And we have had pro!lems ever since we stopped worshiping her. 5+r people have !een killed !y war and h+nger. 1) Then the women spoke +p and said to Ceremiah, 5+r h+s!ands knew what we were doing. >e had their permission to make sacrifices to the I+een of $eaven. >e had their permission to po+r o+t drink offerings to her. 5+r h+s!ands also knew that we were making cakes that looked like her. 2, Then Ceremiah spoke to all the men and women who told him these things. 21 $e said, The 5.D remem!ered that yo+ made sacrifices in the towns of C+dah and in the streets of Cer+salem. ;o+ and yo+r ancestors, yo+r kings, yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

officials, and the people of the land did that. $e remem!ered what yo+ had done and tho+ght a!o+t it. 22 The 5.D hated the terri!le things yo+ did, and he co+ld not !e patient with yo+ any longer. So he made yo+r co+ntry an empty desert. 1o one lives there now. 5ther people say !ad things a!o+t that co+ntry. Ceremiah ##.23*2& 2,) 23 The reason all those !ad things happened to yo+ is that yo+ made sacrifices to other gods. ;o+ sinned against the 5.D. ;o+ didnt o!ey him or follow his teachings or the laws he gave yo+. ;o+ didnt keep yo+r part of the agreement. 2# Then Ceremiah spoke to all the men and women. $e said, All yo+ people of C+dah who are now in -gypt, listen to this message from the 5.D. 2% This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: ;o+ women did what yo+ said yo+ wo+ld do. ;o+ said, >e will keep the promises we made. >e promised to make sacrifices and po+r o+t drink offerings to the I+een of $eaven. So go ahead. Do what yo+ promised yo+ wo+ld do. Geep yo+r promises. 2& <+t listen to this message from the 5.D, all yo+ people of C+dah who are living in -gypt: 3, the 5.D, +se my own great name to make this promise: 1one of the people of C+dah who are now living in -gypt will ever again +se my name to make promises. They will never again say, As s+rely as the ord G5D lives . Ceremiah ##.2'*3, 21, 2' 3 am watching over the people of C+dah, !+t 3 am not watching over them to take care of them. 3 am watching over them to !ring them harm. The people of C+dah who live in -gypt will die from h+nger or !e killed in war +ntil they are completely destroyed. 2( Some people of C+dah will escape !eing killed !y the sword. They will come !ack to C+dah from -gypt. <+t only a few people of C+dah will escape. Then pag. (3%0131#

the s+rvivors of C+dah who came to live in -gypt will know whose word proves to !e tr+e. They will know whether my word or their word came tr+e. 2) 3 will give yo+ people proof, says the 5.D, that 3 will p+nish yo+ here in -gypt. Then yo+ will know for s+re that my promises to harm yo+ will really happen. 3, This will !e yo+r proof that 3 will do what 3 say. This is what the 5.D says: 6haraoh $ophra is the king of -gypt. $is enemies want to kill him. 3 will give 6haraoh $ophra to his enemies. C+st as 3 gave Bedekiah king of C+dah to his enemy 1e!+chadneEEar, in the same Ceremiah #%.1*#&.1 211 way 3 will give 6haraoh $ophra to his enemies. 45 1 3n the fo+rth year that Cehoiakim son of Cosiah was king of C+dah, Ceremiah the prophet spoke to <ar+ch son of 1eriah. <ar+ch wrote down on a scroll everything Ceremiah said: 2 <ar+ch, this is what the 5.D, the God of 3srael, says to yo+: 3 ;o+ have !een complaining a!o+t how !ad things are for yo+. ;o+ say that 3, the 5.D, have given yo+ pain and sorrow. ;o+ say yo+ are worn o+t from yo+r s+ffering and cant get any rest. # <ar+ch, this is what the 5.D told me to say to yo+: Thro+gho+t C+dah 3 will tear down everything 3 have !+ilt, and 3 will p+ll +p all that 3 have planted. % 3 will ca+se everyone to s+ffer terri!le things. So if yo+ are making any great plans for yo+rself, <ar+ch, forget a!o+t them. ;o+ will !e r+nning for yo+r life. <+t 3 promise that wherever yo+ go, 3 will protect yo+ from death. This is what the 5.D says. 46 1 Ceremiah received the following messages from the 5.D a!o+t many different nations. Ceremiah #&.2*( 212 2 This message is a!o+t the nation of -gypt when Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon defeated the -gyptian army of 6haraoh 1eco. This happened at -asy To .ead /ersion

9archemish, a city !y the -+phrates .iver, in the fo+rth year that Cehoiakim son of Cosiah was king of C+dah. The ord said, 3 Get yo+r large and small shields ready. Aarch o+t for !attle. # Get the horses ready. Soldiers, get on yo+r horses. Go to yo+r places for !attle. 6+t yo+r helmets on. Sharpen yo+r spears. 6+t yo+r armor on. % >hat do 3 see? That army is afraid. The soldiers are r+nning away. Their !rave soldiers are defeated. They r+n away in a h+rry. They dont look !ack. There is danger all aro+nd. This is what the 5.D says. & 2ast men cannot r+n away. Strong soldiers cannot escape. They will all st+m!le and fall. This will happen in the north, !y the -+phrates .iver. ' >ho is coming like the 1ile .iver? >ho is coming like that strong, fast river? ( 3t is -gypt that comes like the rising 1ile .iver. 3t is -gypt that comes like Ceremiah #&.)*13 213 that strong, fast river. -gypt says, 3 will come and cover the earth. 3 will destroy the cities and the people in them. ) $orse soldiers, charge into !attle. 9hariot drivers, drive fast. Aarch on, !rave soldiers. Soldiers from 9+sh and 6+t, carry yo+r shields. Soldiers from ydia, +se yo+r !ows. 1, <+t on that day, the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l will win. $e will give his enemies the p+nishment they deserve. $is sword will kill +ntil it is finished, +ntil it has satisfied its thirst for !lood. ;es, the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l will kill them as a sacrifice in the land of the north !y the -+phrates .iver. 11 -gypt, go to Gilead and get some medicine. ;o+ will make +p many medicines, !+t they will not help. ;o+ will not !e healed. 12 The nations will hear yo+ crying. ;o+r cries will !e heard all over the earth. 5ne !rave soldier will r+n into another !rave soldier. And !oth !rave soldiers will fall down together. pag. (3&0131#

13 This is the message the 5.D spoke to Ceremiah the prophet a!o+t 1e!+chadneEEar coming to attack -gypt. Ceremiah #&.1#*1) 21# 1# Anno+nce this message in -gypt. Tell it in the city of Aigdol. Tell it in Aemphis and Tahpanhes. Get ready for war, !eca+se people all aro+nd yo+ are !eing killed with swords. 1% -gypt, yo+r strong soldiers will !e killed. They will not !e a!le to stand !eca+se the 5.D will p+sh them down. 1& They will st+m!le again and again. They will fall over each other. They will say, Get +pF lets go !ack to o+r own people. et +s go !ack to o+r homeland. 5+r enemy is defeating +s. >e m+st get away. 1' 3n their homelands, those soldiers will say, 6haraoh, the king of -gypt, is only a lot of noise. $is time of glory is over. 1( This message is from the Ging. The Ging is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 3 promise, as s+rely as 3 live, a powerf+l leader will come. $e will !e like Ao+nt Ta!or or Ao+nt 9armel among smaller mo+ntains. 1) 6eople of -gypt, pack yo+r things. Get ready for captivity, !eca+se Aemphis will !e a r+ined, empty land. Those cities will !e destroyed, and no one will live there. Ceremiah #&.2,*2% 21% 2, -gypt is like a !ea+tif+l cow. <+t a stinging fly is coming from the north to attack her. 21 The hired soldiers in -gypts army are like fat calves. They will all t+rn and r+n away. They will not stand strong against the attack. Their time of destr+ction is coming. They will soon !e p+nished. 22 -gypt is like a snake hissing and trying to escape. The enemy comes closer and closer, and the -gyptian army is trying to slither away. The enemy will attack -gypt with a4es, like men c+tting down trees. 23 This is what the 5.D says: They will chop down -gypts forest. There are many trees in that forest, !+t they will -asy To .ead /ersion

all !e c+t down. There are more enemy soldiers than loc+sts. There are so many soldiers that no one can co+nt them. 2# -gypt will !e ashamed. The enemy from the north will defeat her. 2% The 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says, /ery soon 3 will p+nish Amon, the god of The!es, and 3 will p+nish 6haraoh, -gypt, and her gods. 3 will p+nish the kings of -gypt, and 3 Ceremiah #&.2&*#'.1 21& will p+nish the people who depend on 6haraoh. 2& 3 will let all of them !e defeated !y their enemiestheir enemies want to kill them. 3 will give the people to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon and his servants. ong ago, -gypt lived in peace. And after all these times of tro+!le, -gypt will live in peace again. This is what the 5.D says. 2' Caco!, my servant, do not !e afraid. Do not !e frightened, 3srael. 3 will save yo+ from those faraway places. 3 will save yo+r children from the co+ntries where they are captives. Caco! will have peace and safety again, and no one will make him afraid. 2( This is what the 5.D says. Caco!, my servant, do not !e afraid. 3 am with yo+. 3 sent yo+ away to many different places. <+t 3 will not destroy yo+ completely. <+t 3 will destroy all those nations. ;o+ m+st !e p+nished for the !ad things yo+ did. So 3 will not let yo+ escape yo+r p+nishment. 3 will discipline yo+, !+t 3 will !e fair. 47 1 This is the message from the 5.D that came to Ceremiah Ceremiah #'.2*& 21' the prophet a!o+t the 6hilistines. This message came !efore 6haraoh attacked the city of GaEa. 2 This is what the 5.D says: ook, the enemy is gathering in the north like rising water. They will come like a river spilling over its !anks. They will cover the whole co+ntry like a flood. They will cover the towns and the people living in them. -veryone in the co+ntry will cry pag. (3'0131#

for help. -veryone will cry o+t in pain. 3 They will hear the so+nd of r+nning horses, the noisy chariots, the r+m!ling wheels. 2athers will not !e a!le to protect their children. They will !e too weak to help, # !eca+se the time has come to destroy all the 6hilistines. The time has come to destroy all who help Tyre and Sidon. The 5.D will destroy the 6hilistines, those who came from the island of 9rete. % The people from GaEa will !e sad and shave their heads. The people from Ashkelon will !e silenced. S+rvivors from the valley, how long will yo+ c+t yo+rselves? & Sword of the 5.D, yo+ have not stopped. $ow long will yo+ keep fighting? Ceremiah #'.'*#(.% 21( Go !ack into yo+r sca!!ard" Stop" <e still" ' <+t how can the sword of the ord rest? The 5.D gave it a command. $e commanded it to attack the city of Ashkelon and the seacoast. 48 1 This message is a!o+t the co+ntry of Aoa!. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3t will !e !ad for Ao+nt 1e!o. Ao+nt 1e!o will !e r+ined. The town of Giriathaim will !e h+m!led. 3t will !e capt+red. The strong place will !e h+m!led. 3t will !e shattered. 2 Aoa! will not !e praised again. Aen in $esh!on will plan Aoa!s defeat. They will say, 9ome, let +s p+t an end to that nation. Aadmenah, yo+ will also !e silenced. The sword will chase yo+. 3 isten to the cries from $oronaim. They are cries of m+ch conf+sion and destr+ction. # Aoa! will !e destroyed. $er little children will cry for help. % Aoa!s people go +p the path to +hith. They are crying !itterly as they go. 5n the road down to the town of $oronaim, cries of pain and s+ffering can !e heard. Ceremiah #(.&*12 21) & .+n away" .+n for yo+r lives" .+n away like a weed !lowing thro+gh the -asy To .ead /ersion

desert. ' ;o+ tr+st in the things yo+ made and in yo+r wealth, so yo+ will !e capt+red. The god 9hemosh will !e taken into captivity, and his priests and officials will !e taken with him. ( The Destroyer will come against every town. 1ot one town will escape. The valley will !e r+ined. The high plain will !e destroyed. The 5.D said this wo+ld happen, so it will happen. ) Spread salt over the fields in Aoa!. The co+ntry will !e an empty desert. Aoa!s towns will !ecome empty. 1o one will live in them. 1, <ad things will happen to those who dont o!ey the 5.D and dont +se their swords to kill those people. 11 Aoa! has never known tro+!le. Aoa! is like wine left to settle. Aoa! has never !een po+red from one =ar to another. $e has not !een taken into captivity. So he tastes as he did !efore, and his smell has not changed. 12 This is what the 5.D says: <+t 3 will soon send men to po+r yo+ from yo+r Ceremiah #(.13*1( 22, =ars. Then they will empty the =ars and smash them to pieces. 13 Then the people of Aoa! will !e ashamed of their false god, 9hemosh. They will !e like the people of 3srael who tr+sted that god in <ethel !+t were ashamed when he did not help them. 1# ;o+ cannot say, >e are good soldiers. >e are !rave men in !attle. 1% The enemy will attack Aoa!. The enemy will enter its towns and destroy them. 3ts !est yo+ng men will !e killed in the sla+ghter. This message is from the Ging. The Gings name is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1& The end of Aoa! is near. Aoa! will soon !e destroyed. 1' All yo+ who live aro+nd Aoa! sho+ld cry for that co+ntry. ;o+ know how famo+s Aoa! is. So cry for it. Say, The r+lers power is !roken. Aoa!s power and glory is gone. 1( ;o+ people living in Di!on, come pag. (3(0131#

down from yo+r place of honor. Sit on the gro+nd in the d+st, !eca+se the Destroyer is coming. And he will destroy yo+r strong cities. Ceremiah #(.1)*2' 221 1) ;o+ people living in Aroer, stand ne4t to the road and watch. See the man r+nning away. See that woman r+nning away. Ask them what happened. 2, Aoa! will !e r+ined and filled with shame. Aoa! will cry and cry. Anno+nce at the Arnon .iver that Aoa! is destroyed. 21 6eople on the high plain have !een p+nished. C+dgment has come to the towns of $olon, CahEah, and Aephaath. 22 C+dgment has come to the towns of Di!on, 1e!o, and <eth Di!lathaim. 23 C+dgment has come to the towns of Giriathaim, <eth Gam+l, and <eth Aeon. 2# C+dgment has come to the towns of Gerioth and <oErah. C+dgment has come to all the towns of Aoa!, far and near. 2% Aoa!s strength has !een c+t off. 3ts arm has !een !roken. This is what the 5.D says. 2& The people of Aoa! tho+ght they were greater than the 5.D. So p+nish them +ntil they act like a dr+nk, falling and rolling aro+nd in his vomit. Then people will make f+n of them. 2' Aoa!, yo+ made f+n of 3srael. 3srael was ca+ght !y a gang of thieves. -very Ceremiah #(.2(*33 222 time yo+ spoke a!o+t 3srael, yo+ shook yo+r head and acted as if yo+ were !etter than 3srael. 2( 6eople in Aoa!, leave yo+r towns. Go live among the rocksF !e like a dove that makes its nest at the opening of a cave. 2) >e have heard a!o+t Aoa!s pride. $e was very pro+d. $e tho+ght he was important. $e was always !ragging. $e was very, very pro+d. 3, The 5.D says, 3 know Aoa! gets angry J+ickly and !rags a!o+t himself, !+t his !oasts are lies. $e cannot do what he says. 31 So 3 cry for Aoa!. 3 cry for everyone in Aoa!. 3 cry for the men from Gir -asy To .ead /ersion

$areseth. 32 3 cry with the people of CaEer for CaEer. Si!mah, in the past yo+r vines spread all the way to the sea. They reached as far as the town of CaEer. <+t the Destroyer has taken yo+r fr+it and grapes. 33 Coy and happiness are gone from the large vineyards of Aoa!. 3 stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses. There is no singing and dancing from people Ceremiah #(.3#*3( 223 walking on the grapes to make wine. There are no sho+ts of =oy. 3# The people of the towns of $esh!on and -lealeh are crying. Their cry is heard even as far away as the town of CahaE. Their cry is heard from the town of Boar, as far away as the towns of $oronaim and -glath Shelishiyah. -ven the waters of 1imrim are dried +p. 3% 3 will stop Aoa! from making !+rnt offerings on the high places. 3 will stop them from making sacrifices to their gods. This is what the 5.D says. 3& 3 am very sad for Aoa!. Ay heart cries like the sad so+nd of a fl+te playing a f+neral song. 3 am sad for the people from Gir $areseth. Their money and riches have all !een taken away. 3' -veryone has a shaved head. -veryones !eard is c+t off. -veryones hands are c+t and !leeding. -veryone is wearing sackcloth aro+nd their waists. 3( 6eople are crying for the dead everywhere in Aoa!on every ho+setop and in every p+!lic sJ+are. There is sadness !eca+se 3 have !roken Aoa! like an empty =ar. This is what the 5.D says. Ceremiah #(.3)*#% 22# 3) Aoa! is shattered. The people are crying. Aoa! s+rrendered. 1ow Aoa! is ashamed. 6eople make f+n of Aoa!, !+t what happened fills them with fear. #, The 5.D says, ook" An eagle is diving down from the sky. 3t is spreading its wings over Aoa!. #1 The towns of Aoa! will !e capt+red. The strong hiding places will !e defeated. pag. (3)0131#

At that time Aoa!s soldiers will !e filled with fear, like a woman giving !irth. #2 The nation of Aoa! will !e destroyed, !eca+se they tho+ght that they were more important than the 5.D. #3 This is what the 5.D says: 6eople of Aoa!, fear, deep holes, and traps wait for yo+. ## 6eople will !e afraid and r+n away, and they will fall into the deep holes. Anyone who clim!s o+t of the deep holes will !e ca+ght in the traps. 3 will !ring the year of p+nishment to Aoa!. This is what the 5.D says. #% 6eople have r+n from the powerf+l enemy. They ran to safety in the town of $esh!on. <+t a fire started in $esh!on. That fire started in Sihons town, and it Ceremiah #(.#&*#).2 22% is destroying the leaders of Aoa!. 3t is destroying those pro+d people. #& 3t will !e !ad for yo+, Aoa!. 9hemoshs people are !eing destroyed. ;o+r sons and da+ghters are !eing taken away as prisoners and captives. #' Aoa!s people will !e taken away as captives. <+t in days to come, 3 will !ring them !ack. This message is from the 5.D. This ends the =+dgment on Aoa!. 49 1 This message is a!o+t the Ammonites. This is what the 5.D says: Ammonites, do yo+ think that the people of 3srael dont have children? Do yo+ think there are no children to take the land when the parents die? Aay!e that is why Ailcom took Gads land? 2 The 5.D says, The time will come in .a!!ah of Ammon when people hear the so+nds of !attle. .a!!ah of Ammon will !e destroyed. 3t will !e an empty hill covered with r+ined !+ildings, and the towns aro+nd it will !e !+rned. Those people forced the people of 3srael to leave their own land. <+t later, 3srael will force them to leave. This is what the 5.D says. Ceremiah #).3*( 22& 3 6eople in $esh!on, cry !eca+se the town of Ai is destroyed" >omen in -asy To .ead /ersion

.a!!ah of Ammon, cry" 6+t on sackcloth and cry. .+n to the city for safety, !eca+se the enemy will take away the god Ailcom, with his priests and officials. # ;o+ !rag a!o+t yo+r strength, !+t yo+ are losing yo+r strength. ;o+ tr+st in yo+r wealth to save yo+. ;o+ think no one wo+ld even think of attacking yo+. % <+t this is what the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l says: 3 will !ring tro+!les to yo+ from every side. ;o+ will all r+n away, and no one will !e a!le to !ring yo+ together again. & The Ammonites will !e taken away as captives. <+t the time will come when 3 will !ring the Ammonites !ack. This message is from the 5.D. ' This message is a!o+t -dom. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: 3s there no more wisdom in Teman? Are the wise men of -dom not a!le to give good advice? $ave they lost their wisdom? ( ;o+ people living in Dedan, r+n away and hide, !eca+se 3 will p+nish -sa+ for the !ad things he did. Ceremiah #).)*1# 22' ) >orkers pick grapes from grapevines, !+t they leave a few grapes on the plants. 3f thieves come at night, they dont take everything. 1, <+t 3 will take everything from -sa+. 3 will find all his hiding places. $e will not !e a!le to hide from me. $is children, relatives, and neigh!ors will all die. 11 1o one will !e left to care for his children. $is wives will have no one to depend on. 12 This is what the 5.D says: Some people dont deserve to !e p+nished, !+t they s+ffer. <+t, -dom, yo+ deserve to !e p+nished, so yo+ will really !e p+nished. ;o+ will not escape the p+nishment yo+ deserve. ;o+ will !e p+nished. 13 The 5.D says, <y my own power, 3 make this promise: 3 promise that the city of <oErah will !e destroyed. 3t will !ecome a r+ined pile of rocks. 6eople will +se it as an e4ample when they ask for !ad things to happen to other cities. 6eople will ins+lt that city, and all the pag. (#,0131#

towns aro+nd <oErah will !ecome r+ins forever. 1# 3 heard a message from the 5.D: $e sent this messenger to the nations. Ceremiah #).1%*1) 22( This is the message: Gather yo+r armies together" Get ready for !attle" Aarch against the nation of -dom" 1% -dom, 3 will make yo+ !ecome +nimportant. -veryone will hate yo+. 1& -dom, yo+ made other nations afraid, so yo+ tho+ght yo+ were important. <+t yo+r pride has fooled yo+. ;o+ live in caves, high on the cliff. ;o+r home is high in the hills. <+t even if yo+ !+ild yo+r home as high as an eagles nest, 3 will !ring yo+ down from there. This is what the 5.D says. 1' -dom will !e destroyed. 6eople will !e shocked to see the destroyed cities. They will whistle from amaEement at the destroyed cities. 1( -dom will !e destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns aro+nd them. 1o one will live there. This is what the 5.D says. 1) Sometimes a lion will come from the thick !+shes near the Cordan .iver. And it will go into the fields where people p+t their sheep and cattle. 3 am like that lion. 3 will go to -dom. And 3 will frighten the people and make them r+n away. 1one of their yo+ng men will stop me. Ceremiah #).2,*2# 22) 1o one is like me. 1o one will challenge me. 1one of their leaders will stand +p against me. 2, So listen to what the 5.D has planned to do to the people of -dom. isten to what he has decided to do to the people in Teman. The enemy will drag away the yo+ng kids of -doms flock. -doms past+res will !e empty !eca+se of what they did. 21 At the so+nd of -doms fall, the earth will shake. Their cry will !e heard all the way to the .ed Sea. 22 C+st as an eagle flies high to see the animal it will attack, so the ord will spread his wings over <oErah. And -asy To .ead /ersion

-doms soldiers will !e filled with fear like a woman giving !irth. 23 This message is a!o+t the city of Damasc+s: The towns of $amath and Arpad are afraid. They are afraid !eca+se they heard the !ad news. They are disco+raged. They are worried and afraid. 2# The city of Damasc+s has !ecome weak. The people want to r+n away. They are ready to panic. They are overcome Ceremiah #).2%*3, 23, with fear and pain, like a woman giving !irth. 2% Damasc+s is a happy city. The people have not left that f+n city yet. 2& So the yo+ng men will die in the p+!lic sJ+ares of that city. All her soldiers will !e killed at that time. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says. 2' 3 will set the walls of Damasc+s on fire. The fire will completely !+rn +p the strong forts of <enD$adad. 2( This message is a!o+t the tri!e of Gedar and the r+lers of $aEor. Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon defeated them. This is what the 5.D says: Go and attack the tri!e of Gedar. Destroy the people of the -ast. 2) Their tents and flocks will !e taken away. Their tents and all their riches will !e carried off. Their enemy will take away the camels. Aen will sho+t this to them: Terri!le things are happening all aro+nd +s. 3, .+n away J+ickly" 6eople in $aEor, find a good place to hide. This message is from the 5.D. 1e!+chadneEEar has made plans against yo+. $e tho+ght of a smart plan to defeat yo+. Ceremiah #).31*3& 231 31 There is a nation that feels so safe and sec+re that it does not have gates or fences to protect it. And no one lives near eno+gh to help them. So attack that nation" says the 5.D. 32 Their camels are there to !e taken in !attle. Their large herds of cattle will !e yo+rs. 3 will scatter them thro+gho+t the earththose people who c+t their hair pag. (#10131#

short. 3 will !ring disaster on them from every direction. This message is from the 5.D. 33 $aEor will !ecome a home for wild dogs, an empty desert forever. 1o one will live there. 1o one will stay in that place. 3# -arly in the time when Bedekiah was king of C+dah, Ceremiah the prophet received a message from the 5.D a!o+t the nation of -lam. 3% The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 will !reak -lams !ow very soon. 3t is -lams strongest weapon. 3& 3 will !ring the fo+r winds against -lam. 3 will !ring them from the fo+r corners of the skies. 3 will send the people of -lam to every place on the earth where the fo+r winds !low. -lams Ceremiah #).3'*%,.2 232 captives will !e carried away to every nation. 3' 3 will !reak -lam to pieces while their enemies are watching. 3 will !reak -lam in front of the people who want to kill them. 3 will !ring terri!le tro+!les to them. 3 will show them how angry 3 am. This message is from the 5.D. 3 will send a sword to chase -lam. The sword will chase them +ntil 3 have killed them all. 3( 3 will show -lam that 3 am in control, and 3 will destroy its king and his officials. This message is from the 5.D. 3) <+t in the f+t+re 3 will make good things happen to -lam. This message is from the 5.D. 50 1 This is the message the 5.D spoke thro+gh the prophet Ceremiah a!o+t <a!ylon and its people. 2 Anno+nce this to all nations" ift +p a flag and anno+nce the message" Speak the whole message and say, The nation of <a!ylon will !e capt+red. The god <el will !e p+t to shame. The god Aard+k will !e very afraid. <a!ylons idols will !e p+t to shame. $er gods will !e filled with terror. Ceremiah %,.3*' 233 3 A nation from the north will attack -asy To .ead /ersion

<a!ylon. That nation will make <a!ylon like an empty desert. 1o one will live there. All the people and animals will r+n away. # The 5.D says, At that time the people of 3srael and C+dah will come together. Together they will cry, and they will look for the 5.D their God. % They will ask how to go to Bion. They will start in that direction, And they will say, 9ome, let +s =oin o+rselves to the 5.D. ets make an agreement that will last forever. ets make an agreement that we will never forget. & Ay people have !een like lost sheep. Their shepherds led them the wrong way and ca+sed them to wander into the mo+ntains and hills. They forgot where their resting place was. ' They were attacked !y all who saw them. And their attackers said, >e were not wrong to attack them !eca+se they sinned against the 5.D. They sho+ld have stayed close to him, their tr+e resting place. The 5.D is the one their fathers tr+sted in. Ceremiah %,.(*13 23# ( .+n away from <a!ylon. eave the land of the <a!ylonians. <e like the goats that lead the flock. ) 3 will !ring many nations together from the north. This gro+p of nations will get ready for war against <a!ylon. <a!ylon will !e capt+red !y people from the north. Those nations will shoot many arrows at <a!ylon. Their arrows will !e like soldiers who dont come !ack from war with their hands empty. 1, The enemy will take all the wealth from the 9haldeans. The soldiers will take all they want. This is what the 5.D says. 11 <a!ylon, yo+ are e4cited and happy. ;o+ took my land. ;o+ dance aro+nd like a yo+ng cow that got into the grain. ;o+r la+ghter is like the happy so+nds that horses make. 12 1ow yo+r mother will !e very ashamed. The woman who gave yo+ !irth will !e em!arrassed. <a!ylon will pag. (#20131#

!e the least important of all the nations. She will !e an empty, dry desert. 13 The 5.D will show his anger, so no one will live there. <a!ylon will !e completely empty. -veryone who passes Ceremiah %,.1#*1' 23% !y <a!ylon will !e afraid. They will shake their heads when they see how !adly it has !een destroyed. 1# 6repare for war against <a!ylon. All yo+ soldiers with !ows, shoot yo+r arrows at <a!ylon. Dont save any of yo+r arrows. <a!ylon has sinned against the 5.D. 1% Soldiers aro+nd <a!ylon, sho+t the cry of victory" <a!ylon has s+rrendered" $er walls and towers have !een p+lled down" The 5.D is giving her people the p+nishment they deserve. ;o+ nations sho+ld give <a!ylon the p+nishment she deserves. Do to her what she has done to other nations. 1& Dont let the people from <a!ylon plant their crops. Dont let them gather the harvest. The soldiers of <a!ylon !ro+ght many prisoners to their city. 1ow the enemy soldiers have come, so the prisoners are going !ack home. They are r+nning !ack to their own co+ntries. 1' 3srael is like a flock of sheep that was scattered all over the co+ntry. 3srael is like sheep that were chased away !y lions. The first lion to attack was the king of Assyria. The last lion to cr+sh Ceremiah %,.1(*23 23& 3sraels !ones was Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon. 1( So this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: 3 will soon p+nish the king of <a!ylon and his co+ntry as 3 p+nished the king of Assyria. 1) 3 will !ring 3srael !ack to his own fields. $e will eat food that grows on Ao+nt 9armel and in the land of <ashan. $e will eat and !e f+ll. $e will eat on the hills in the lands of -phraim and Gilead. 2, The 5.D says, At that time people will try hard to find 3sraels g+ilt, !+t there will !e no g+ilt. 6eople will try to find C+dahs sins, !+t no sins will !e -asy To .ead /ersion

fo+nd. That is !eca+se 3 am saving a few s+rvivors from 3srael and C+dah. And 3 am forgiving them for all their sins. 21 The 5.D says, Attack the co+ntry of Aerathaim" Attack the people living in 6ekod" Attack them" Gill them and destroy them completely" Do everything 3 commanded yo+" 22 The noise of !attle can !e heard all over the co+ntry. 3t is the noise of m+ch destr+ction. 23 <a!ylon was called The $ammer of the >hole -arth. <+t now the $ammer Ceremiah %,.2#*2( 23' is shattered. <a!ylon is the most r+ined of the nations. 2# <a!ylon, 3 set a trap for yo+, and yo+ were ca+ght !efore yo+ knew it. ;o+ fo+ght against the 5.D, so yo+ were fo+nd and capt+red. 2% The 5.D has opened +p his storeroom and !ro+ght o+t the weapons of his anger. The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l !ro+ght o+t those weapons !eca+se he has work to do in the land of the 9haldeans. 2& 9ome against <a!ylon from far away. <reak open the storeho+ses where she keeps her grain. Destroy <a!ylon completely. Dont leave anyone alive. 6ile +p her dead !odies like !ig piles of grain. 2' Gill all the yo+ng men in <a!ylon. et them !e sla+ghtered like !+lls. $ow terri!le for them that their day of defeat has come" 3t is time for them to !e p+nished. 2( 6eople are r+nning o+t of <a!ylon. They are escaping from that co+ntry and coming to Bion. They are telling everyone the good news a!o+t what the ord is doing. The 5.D o+r God is giving <a!ylon the p+nishment it deserves. The Ceremiah %,.2)*3# 23( ord is destroying <a!ylon, !eca+se it destroyed his Temple" 2) 9all for the archers. Tell them to attack <a!ylon. Tell them to s+rro+nd the city. Dont let anyone escape. 6ay her !ack for the !ad things she has done. Do to her what she has done to pag. (#30131#

other nations. <a!ylon did not respect the 5.D. <a!ylon was very r+de to the $oly 5ne of 3srael. So p+nish <a!ylon. 3, <a!ylons yo+ng men will !e killed in the streets. All her soldiers will die on that day. This is what the 5.D says. 31 <a!ylon, yo+ are too pro+d, and 3 am against yo+, says the ord G5D AllD6owerf+l. 3 am against yo+, and the time has come for yo+ to !e p+nished. 32 6ro+d <a!ylon will st+m!le and fall, and no one will help her get +p. 3 will start a fire in her towns. That fire will completely !+rn +p everyone aro+nd her. 33 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: The people of 3srael and C+dah are slaves. The enemy took them, and the enemy will not let 3srael go. 3# <+t God will get them !ack. $is name is the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l. $e will defend them very strongly. $e will arg+e Ceremiah %,.3%*#, 23) their case so that he can let their land rest. <+t there will !e no rest for those living in <a!ylon. 3% The 5.D says, Sword, kill the people living in <a!ylon. Sword, kill the kings officials and the wise men of <a!ylon. 3& Sword, kill the priests of <a!ylon. They will !e like fools. Sword, kill the soldiers of <a!ylon. They will !e f+ll of fear. 3' Sword, kill the horses and chariots of <a!ylon. Sword, kill all the soldiers hired from other co+ntries. They will !e like frightened women. Sword, destroy the treas+res of <a!ylon. Those treas+res will !e taken away. 3( Sword, strike the waters of <a!ylon. Those waters will !e dried +p. <a!ylon has many, many idols. These idols show that the people of <a!ylon are foolish. So !ad things will happen to them. 3) <a!ylon will never again !e filled with people. >ild dogs, ostriches, and other desert animals will live there. <+t no one will live there ever again. #, God completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns aro+nd them. 3n the same way, no one will live -asy To .ead /ersion

Ceremiah %,.#1*## 2#, in <a!ylon, and no one will ever go to live there. This is what the 5.D says. #1 ook" There are people coming from the north. They come from a powerf+l nation. Aany kings are coming together from all aro+nd the world. #2 Their armies have !ows and spears. The soldiers are cr+el. They have no mercy. The soldiers come riding on their horsesF the so+nd is as lo+d as the roaring sea. They stand in their places, ready for !attle. They are ready to attack yo+, city of <a!ylon. #3 The king of <a!ylon heard a!o+t those armies, and he is paralyEed with fear. $e is overcome with fear and pain, like a woman giving !irth. ## Sometimes a lion will come from the thick !+shes near the Cordan .iver. 3t will walk into the fields where people have their animals. 3 will !e like that lionF 3 will chase <a!ylon from its land. >ho sho+ld 3 choose to do this? There is no one like me. There is no one who can challenge me. 1o shepherd will come to chase me away. 3 will chase away the <a!ylonians. Ceremiah %,.#%*%1.% 2#1 #% isten to what the 5.D has planned to do to <a!ylon. isten to what he has decided to do to the <a!ylonians. 3 promise that an enemy will drag away the yo+ng kids of <a!ylons flock, and <a!ylon will !ecome an empty past+re. #& <a!ylon will fall, and that fall will shake the earth. 6eople in all nations will hear a!o+t the destr+ction of <a!ylon. 51 1 The 5.D says, 3 will ca+se a powerf+l, destr+ctive wind to !low against <a!ylon and the <a!ylonians. 2 3 will send foreigners to destroy <a!ylon like a wind that !lows away chaff. They will strip everything from the land. Armies will s+rro+nd the city, and there will !e terri!le destr+ction. 3 The <a!ylonian soldiers will not get to +se their !ows and arrows. They will not even p+t on their armor. Dont feel sorry for the soldiers of <a!ylon. Destroy her pag. (##0131#

army completely" # <a!ylons soldiers will !e killed in the land of the 9haldeans. They will !e !adly wo+nded in the streets of <a!ylon. % The 5.D AllD6owerf+l did not leave 3srael and C+dah alone, like a widow. 1o, they are g+ilty of leaving the $oly 5ne Ceremiah %1.&*11 2#2 of 3srael. Their God did not leave them. They left him" & .+n away from <a!ylon. .+n to save yo+r lives" Dont stay and !e killed !eca+se of <a!ylons sins" 3t is time for the 5.D to p+nish the <a!ylonians for the !ad things they have done. <a!ylon will get the p+nishment that she deserves. ' <a!ylon was like a gold c+p in the 5.D@S hand. She made the whole world dr+nk. The nations drank <a!ylons wine, so they went craEy. ( <+t <a!ylon will s+ddenly fall and !e !roken. 9ry for her" Get medicine for her pain, and may!e she can !e healed. ) >e tried to heal <a!ylon, !+t she cannot !e healed. So let +s leave her, and let each of +s go to o+r own co+ntry. God in heaven will decide <a!ylons p+nishment. $e will decide what will happen to <a!ylon. 1, The 5.D got even for +s. 9ome, lets tell a!o+t that in Bion. ets tell what the 5.D o+r God has done. 11 Sharpen the arrows" Get yo+r shields" The 5.D has stirred +p the kings of the Aedes !eca+se he wants to Ceremiah %1.12*1& 2#3 destroy <a!ylon. The army from <a!ylon destroyed his Temple in Cer+salem, so he will give them the p+nishment they deserve. 12 ift +p a flag against the walls of <a!ylon. <ring more g+ards. 6+t the watchmen in their places. Get ready for a secret attack. The 5.D will do what he has planned. $e will do what he said he wo+ld do against the people of <a!ylon. 13 <a!ylon, yo+ live near m+ch water. ;o+ are rich with treas+res, !+t yo+r end as a nation has come. 3t is time for yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

to !e destroyed. 1# The 5.D AllD6owerf+l +sed his name to make this promise: <a!ylon, 3 will fill yo+ with so many enemy soldiers they will !e like a clo+d of loc+sts. They will win their war against yo+. They will stand over yo+ sho+ting their victory cry. 1% God +sed his great power and made the earth. $e +sed his wisdom to !+ild the world and his +nderstanding to stretch o+t the skies. 1& >hen he th+nders, the waters in the skies roar. $e sends clo+ds all over the earth. $e sends lightning with the Ceremiah %1.1'*23 2## rain. $e !rings o+t the wind from his storeho+ses. 1' <+t people are so st+pid. They dont +nderstand what God has done. Skilled workers make stat+es of false gods. Those stat+es are only false gods. They show how foolish those workers are. Those stat+es are not alive. 1( Those idols are worthless. 6eople made them, and they are nothing !+t a =oke. Their time of =+dgment will come, and those idols will !e destroyed. 1) <+t God, who is Caco!s 6ortion, is not like those worthless stat+es. 6eople didnt make GodF God made his people. $e made everything. $is name is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 2, The ord says, <a!ylon, yo+ are my cl+!. 3 +sed yo+ to smash nations. 3 +sed yo+ to destroy kingdoms. 21 3 +sed yo+ to smash horse and rider. 3 +sed yo+ to smash chariot and driver. 22 3 +sed yo+ to smash men and women. 3 +sed yo+ to smash men, old and yo+ng. 3 +sed yo+ to smash yo+ng men and yo+ng women. 23 3 +sed yo+ to smash shepherds and flocks. 3 +sed yo+ to smash farmers and Ceremiah %1.2#*2' 2#% o4en. 3 +sed yo+ to smash governors and important officials. 2# <+t 3 will repay <a!ylonia and all the <a!ylonians for all the evil things they did to Bion. 3 will pay them !ack so that yo+ can see it, C+dah. This is what the pag. (#%0131#

5.D says. 2% And the 5.D says, <a!ylon, yo+ are like a volcano that destroys the whole co+ntry. <+t 3 have t+rned against yo+, and 3 will t+rn yo+ into a !+rnedDo+t mo+ntain. 2& 6eople will not take stones from <a!ylon to +se as the fo+ndation of a !+ilding. That is !eca+se they will not find any stones !ig eno+gh for cornerstones. ;o+r city will !e a pile of !roken rocks forever. This is what the 5.D says. 2' ift +p the war flag in the land" <low the tr+mpet in all the nations" 6repare the nations for war against <a!ylon. 9all these kingdoms to come fight against <a!ylon: Ararat, Ainni, and AshkenaE. 9hoose a commander to lead the army against her. Send so many horses that they are like a swarm of loc+sts. Ceremiah %1.2(*33 2#& 2( Get the nations ready for !attle against her. Get the kings of the Aedes ready. Get their governors and all their important officials ready. Get all the co+ntries they r+le ready for !attle against <a!ylon. 2) The land shakes and moves as if it is in pain. 3t will shake when the 5.D does to <a!ylon what he plans to make the land of <a!ylon an empty desert, a place where no one will live. 3, <a!ylons soldiers have stopped fighting. They stay in their forts. Their strength is gone. They have !ecome like frightened women. <a!ylons ho+ses are !+rning. The !ars of her gates are !roken. 31 5ne messenger follows another. Aessenger follows messenger. They anno+nce to the king of <a!ylon that his whole city has !een capt+red. 32 The places where people cross the rivers have !een capt+red. The swamplands are !+rning. All of <a!ylons soldiers are afraid. 33 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, says: <a!ylon is like a threshing floor, where people !eat the -asy To .ead /ersion

Ceremiah %1.3#*3' 2#' grain at harvest time. And the time to !eat <a!ylon is coming soon. 3# Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon destroyed +s in the past. 3n the past he h+rt +s. 3n the past he took o+r people away, and we !ecame like an empty =ar. $e took the !est we had. $e was like a giant monster that ate everything +ntil it was f+ll. $e took the !est we had and then threw +s away. 3% <a!ylon did terri!le things to h+rt +s. 1ow 3 want those things to happen to <a!ylon. The people living in Bion said, The people of <a!ylon are g+ilty of killing o+r people. 1ow they are !eing p+nished for the !ad things they did. The city of Cer+salem said those things. 3& So this is what the 5.D says: 3 will defend yo+, C+dah. 3 will make s+re that <a!ylon is p+nished. 3 will dry +p <a!ylons sea. And 3 will make her water springs !ecome dry. 3' <a!ylon will !ecome a pile of r+ined !+ildings, a place fit only for wild dogs. 6eople will !e shocked and shake their heads at what is left there. 3t will !e a place where no one lives. Ceremiah %1.3(*## 2#( 3( The people of <a!ylon are like roaring yo+ng lions. They growl like !a!y lions. 3) They are acting like powerf+l lions. 3 will give a party for them. 3 will make them dr+nk. They will la+gh and have a good time, and then they will sleep forever. They will never wake +p. This is what the 5.D says. #, <a!ylon will !e like sheep, rams, and goats waiting to !e killed. 3 will lead them to the sla+ghter. #1 Sheshach will !e defeated. The !est and pro+dest co+ntry of the whole earth will !e taken captive. 6eople from other nations will look at <a!ylon, and what they see will make them afraid. #2 The sea will rise over <a!ylon. 3ts roaring waves will cover her. #3 <a!ylon will !e like a dry, desert land. 3ts cities will !e empty r+ins. 1o one will live in those cities. 1o one will pag. (#&0131#

even travel thro+gh them. ## 3 will p+nish the false god <el in <a!ylon. 3 will make him vomit o+t the people he swallowed. The wall aro+nd <a!ylon will fall, and other nations will stop coming to <a!ylon. Ceremiah %1.#%*%, 2#) #% 9ome o+t of the city of <a!ylon, my people. .+n to save yo+r lives. .+n from the 5.D@S great anger. #& Dont !e sad, my people. .+mors will spread, !+t dont !e afraid. 5ne r+mor comes this year. Another r+mor will come ne4t year. There will !e r+mors a!o+t terri!le fighting in the co+ntry. There will !e r+mors a!o+t r+lers fighting against other r+lers. #' The time will s+rely come when 3 will p+nish the false gods of <a!ylon, and the whole land of <a!ylon will !e p+t to shame. There will !e many dead people, lying in the streets of that city. #( Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will sho+t with =oy a!o+t <a!ylon. They will sho+t !eca+se an army came from the north and fo+ght against <a!ylon. This is what the 5.D says. #) <a!ylon killed people from 3srael. <a!ylon killed people from every place on earth. So <a!ylon m+st fall" %, ;o+ people escaped the swords. ;o+ m+st h+rry and leave <a!ylon. Dont wait" ;o+ are in a faraway land, !+t Ceremiah %1.%1*%& 2%, remem!er the 5.D where yo+ are and remem!er Cer+salem. %1 >e people of C+dah are ashamed. >e have !een ins+lted, !eca+se +nfit strangers have gone into the holy places of the 5.D@S Temple. %2 The 5.D says, The time is coming, when 3 will p+nish the idols of <a!ylon. At that time wo+nded people will cry with pain everywhere in that co+ntry. %3 <a!ylon might grow +ntil she to+ches the sky. <a!ylon might make her forts strong, !+t 3 will send people to fight against that city. And they will destroy her. This is what the 5.D says. -asy To .ead /ersion

%# >e can hear people crying in <a!ylon. >e hear the so+nd of people destroying things in the land of <a!ylon. %% The 5.D will destroy <a!ylon very soon. $e will stop the lo+d noises in that city. -nemies will come roaring in like ocean waves. 6eople all aro+nd will hear that roar. %& The army will come and destroy <a!ylon. 3ts soldiers will !e capt+red, and their !ows will !e !roken, This will happen !eca+se the 5.D p+nishes people for the !ad things they do. $e Ceremiah %1.%'*&, 2%1 gives them the f+ll p+nishment they deserve. %' 3 will make <a!ylons wise men and important officials dr+nk. 3 will make the governors, officers, and soldiers dr+nk too. Then they will sleep forever. They will never wake +p. This is what the Ging says. $is name is the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. %( This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: <a!ylons thick, strong wall will !e p+lled down. $er high gates will !e !+rned. The people of <a!ylon will work hard, !+t it will not help. They will get very tired trying to save the city. <+t they will only !e f+el for the flames. %) This is the message that Ceremiah gave to the officer Seraiah son of 1eriah. 1eriah was the son of Aahseiah. Seraiah went to <a!ylon with Ging Bedekiah of C+dah. This happened in the fo+rth year that Bedekiah was king of C+dah. At that time Ceremiah gave this message to Seraiah, the officer. &, Ceremiah had written on a scroll all the terri!le things that wo+ld happen to <a!ylon. $e had written all these things a!o+t <a!ylon. Ceremiah %1.&1*%2.3 2%2 &1 Ceremiah said to Seraiah, Seraiah, go to <a!ylon. <e s+re to read this message so that all the people can hear yo+. &2 Then say, 5.D, yo+ have said that yo+ will destroy this place, <a!ylon. ;o+ will destroy it so that no people or animals will live in it. This place will !e an empty r+in forever. pag. (#'0131#

&3 After yo+ finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the -+phrates .iver. &# Then say, 3n the same way, <a!ylon will sink. <a!ylon will rise no more. 3t will sink !eca+se of the terri!le things that 3 will make happen here. The words of Ceremiah end here. 52 1 Bedekiah was 21 years old when he !ecame king of C+dah. $e r+led in Cer+salem for eleven years. $is mothers name was $am+tal da+ghter of Ceremiah. $am+tals family was from the town of i!nah. 2 Bedekiah did evil things, =+st as Ging Cehoiakim had done. The 5.D did not like Bedekiah doing those evil things. 3 Terri!le things happened to the people of Cer+salem and C+dah !eca+se the 5.D was angry with them. 2inally, Ceremiah %2.#*' 2%3 he threw them o+t of his presence. Bedekiah re!elled against the king of <a!ylon. # So in the ninth year of Bedekiahs r+le, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon marched against Cer+salem with his whole army. The army of <a!ylon set +p their camp o+tside of Cer+salem. Then they !+ilt ramps all aro+nd the city walls so that they co+ld get over the walls. % The city of Cer+salem was s+rro+nded !y the army of <a!ylon +ntil the eleventh year that Bedekiah was king. & <y the ninth day of the fo+rth month of that year, the h+nger in the city was very !ad. There was no food left for the people in the city to eat. ' 5n that day the army of <a!ylon !roke into Cer+salem. The soldiers of Cer+salem ran away. They left the city at night. They went thro+gh the gate !etween the two walls. That gate was near the kings garden. -ven tho+gh the army of <a!ylon had s+rro+nded the city, the soldiers of Cer+salem still ran away toward the desert. Ceremiah %2.(*13 2%# ( <+t the <a!ylonian army chased Ging -asy To .ead /ersion

Bedekiah and ca+ght him on the plains of Cericho. All of Bedekiahs soldiers ran away. ) The army of <a!ylon capt+red Ging Bedekiah and took him to the king of <a!ylon who was at the city of .i!lah, in the land of $amath. At .i!lah the king of <a!ylon anno+nced his =+dgment on Ging Bedekiah. 1, There at the town of .i!lah, the king of <a!ylon killed Bedekiahs sons while Bedekiah watched. The king of <a!ylon also killed all the royal officials of C+dah. 11 Then the king of <a!ylon tore o+t Bedekiahs eyes. $e p+t !ronEe chains on him and took him to <a!ylon. 3n <a!ylon he p+t Bedekiah into prison. $e stayed in prison +ntil the day he died. 12 1e!+Earadan was the commander of the king of <a!ylons special g+ard. $e was one of the kings most important officials while at Cer+salem. $e came to Cer+salem on the tenth day of the fifth month, in the 1)th year that 1e!+chadneEEar was king. 13 1e!+Earadan !+rned the 5.D@S Temple, the kings palace, and every Ceremiah %2.1#*1) 2%% important !+ilding in Cer+salem, as well as all the ho+ses. 1# All the <a!ylonian soldiers that were with the commander !roke down the walls aro+nd Cer+salem. 1% 9ommander 1e!+Earadan took the people who were still in Cer+salem and those who had s+rrendered earlier and made them captives. $e took them and the skilled craftsmen who were left in Cer+salem as captives to <a!ylon. 1& <+t 1e!+Earadan left some of the poorest people !ehind in the land. $e left them to work in the vineyards and the fields. 1' The <a!ylonian army !roke +p the !ronEe col+mns of the 5.D@S Temple. They also !roke +p the stands and the !ronEe tank that were in the 5.D@S Temple. They carried all that !ronEe to <a!ylon. 1( The army of <a!ylon also took these pag. (#(0131#

things from the Temple: pots, shovels, lamp sn+ffers, large !owls, pans, and all the !ronEe things that were +sed in the Temple service. 1) The commander of the kings special g+ards took these things away: !asins, Ceremiah %2.2,*2# 2%& firepans, large !owls, pots, lampstands, pans, and !owls +sed for drink offerings. $e took everything that was made of gold or silver. 2, The two pillars, the Sea and the twelve !ronEe !+lls +nder it, and the movea!le stands were very heavy. Ging Solomon had made those things for the 5.D@S Temple. The !ronEe that those things were made of was so heavy it co+ld not !e weighed. 21 -ach of the !ronEe pillars was 31 feet tall. -ach pillar was almost 21 feet aro+nd. -ach pillar was hollow. The wall of each pillar was 3 inches thick. 22 The !ronEe capital on top of the first pillar was over % feet tall. 3t was decorated with a net design and !ronEe pomegranates all aro+nd it. The other pillar had pomegranates too. 3t was like the first pillar. 23 There were )& pomegranates on the sides of the pillars. All together, there were 1,, pomegranates a!ove the net design that went aro+nd the pillars. 2# The commander of the kings special g+ards took Seraiah the high priest and Bephaniah the ne4t highest priest as Ceremiah %2.2%*2) 2%' prisoners. The three doorkeepers were also taken as prisoners. 2% The commander of the kings special g+ards also took the officer in charge of the fighting men. $e also took seven of the kings advisors as prisoners. They were still there in Cer+salem. $e also took the scri!e who was in charge of p+tting people in the army. And he took &, of the ordinary people who were there in the city. 2& 1e!+Earadan, the commander, took all these officials and !ro+ght them to the king of <a!ylon. The king was at the -asy To .ead /ersion

city of .i!lah in the co+ntry of $amath. There at .i!lah the king ordered all of them to !e killed. So the people of C+dah were taken from their co+ntry. 2' 7%2:2&8 2( This is how many people 1e!+chadneEEar carried into captivity: 3n 1e!+chadneEEars 'th year as king of <a!ylon, 3,23 people were taken from C+dah. 2) 3n 1e!+chadneEEars 1(th year as king of <a!ylon, (32 people were taken from Cer+salem. Ceremiah %2.3,*3# 2%( 3, 3n 1e!+chadneEEars 23rd year as king, 1e!+Earadan took '#% people of C+dah into captivity. 1e!+Earadan was the commander of the kings special g+ards. 3n all, #&,, people were taken captive. 31 Ging Cehoiachin of C+dah was in prison in <a!ylon for 3' years. 3n the 3'th year of his imprisonment, Ging -vil Aerodach of <a!ylon was very kind to Cehoiachin. $e let Cehoiachin o+t of prison in that year. This was the same year that -vil Aerodach !ecame king of <a!ylon. $e set Cehoiachin free from prison on the 2%th day of the 12th month. 32 -vil Aerodach spoke kindly to Cehoiachin. $e gave Cehoiachin a place of honor higher than the other kings who were with him in <a!ylon. 33 So Cehoiachin took his prison clothes off. 2or the rest of his life, he ate reg+larly at the kings ta!le. 3# -very day the king of <a!ylon paid Cehoiachin eno+gh to take care of his needs +ntil the day Cehoiachin died. amentations 1 1 Cer+salem was once a city f+ll of people, !+t now the city is so empty. She was one of the greatest cities in the world, !+t now she is like a poor widow. She was once a princess among cities, !+t now she has !een made a slave. 2 She cries !itterly in the night. $er tears are on her cheeks. She has no one to comfort her. Aany nations were pag. (#)0131#

friendly to her, !+t not one of them comforts her now. All her friends have t+rned their !acks on her and have !ecome her enemies. 3 C+dah s+ffered very m+ch, and then she was taken into captivity. She lives among other nations !+t has fo+nd no rest. The people who chased her ca+ght her where there was no way o+t. # The roads to Bion are very sad, !eca+se no one comes to Bion for the festivals anymore. All of Bions gates have !een destroyedF all her priests groan in sorrow. Bions yo+ng women amentations 1.%*( 2 have !een taken away, and all this made Bion sad. % Cer+salems enemies have won. $er enemies have !een s+ccessf+l. This happened !eca+se the 5.D p+nished her. $e p+nished Cer+salem for her many sins. $er children have gone away. Their enemies capt+red them and took them away. & Da+ghter Bion has lost her !ea+ty. $er princes are like starving deer looking for grass. They are too weak to r+n away from those who chase them. ' 1ow that Cer+salem is s+ffering and homeless, she thinks a!o+t her past. She remem!ers all the nice things she had long ago. <+t her people were capt+red !y the enemy, and there was no one to help her. >hen her enemies saw her, they la+ghed, !eca+se she was destroyed. ( Cer+salem sinned very !adly. <eca+se Cer+salem sinned, she !ecame a r+ined city that people shake their heads a!o+t. 3n the past people respected her. <+t now they hate her, !eca+se they a!+sed her. Cer+salem groaned and t+rned away. amentations 1.)*13 3 ) Cer+salems skirts were dirty. She gave no tho+ght to what wo+ld !ecome of her. $er fall was amaEing. She had no one to comfort her. She says, 5.D, see how 3 am h+rt" See how my enemy thinks he is so great" 1, The enemy stretched o+t his hand. -asy To .ead /ersion

$e took all her nice things. 3n fact, she saw the foreign nations go inside her Temple. And yo+ said those people co+ld not =oin in o+r assem!ly" 11 All the people of Cer+salem are groaning. All of her people are looking for food. They are giving away all their nice things for food to stay alive. Cer+salem says, ook, 5.D. ook at me" See how people hate me. 12 All yo+ who pass !y on the road, yo+ dont seem to care. <+t look at me and see. 3s there any pain like my pain? 3s there any pain like the pain that has come to me? 3s there any pain like the pain that the 5.D has p+nished me with? $e has p+nished me on the day of his great anger. 13 The ord sent fire from a!ove that went down into my !ones. $e stretched o+t a net for my feet. $e t+rned me all amentations 1.1#*1( # the way aro+nd. $e made me into a wasteland. 3 am sick all day. 1# Ay sins were tied +p like a yoke. Ay sins were tied +p in the ords hands. $is yoke is on my neck. $e has made me weak. $e has given me to those who 3 cannot stand +p against. 1% The ord t+rned away all my powerf+l men who were inside my walls. Then he !ro+ght an army against me. $e !ro+ght them to kill my yo+ng soldiers. The ord has trampled his dearest city like grapes in a winepress. 1& 3 cry a!o+t all these things. Tears are flowing down my cheeks. There is no one near to comfort me. There is no one who can make me feel !etter. Ay children are like a wasteland, !eca+se the enemy won. 1' Bion spread o+t her hands. There was no one to comfort her. The 5.D had given orders to Caco!s enemies. $e ordered them to s+rro+nd the city. Cer+salem has !ecome a dirty rag that her enemies threw away. 1( 1ow Cer+salem says, 3 ref+sed to listen to the 5.D, so he is right for doing these things. So listen, all yo+ people" pag. (%,0131#

amentations 1.1)*2.1 % ook at my pain" Ay yo+ng women and men have gone into captivity. 1) 3 called o+t to my lovers, !+t they tricked me. Ay priests and my elders have died in the city. They were looking for food for themselves. They wanted to keep themselves alive. 2, ook at me, 5.D. 3 am in distress" 3 am +pset, as if my heart t+rned +pside down inside of me. 3 feel this way !eca+se 3 have !een so st+!!orn. 5+t in the streets, 3 lost my children to the swords. 3nside, it is like death. 21 isten to me, 3 am groaning. 3 have no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my tro+!le. They are happy that yo+ did this to me. ;o+ said there wo+ld !e a time of p+nishment. ;o+ said yo+ wo+ld p+nish my enemies. 1ow do what yo+ said. et my enemies !e like 3 am now. 22 ook how evil my enemies are" Then yo+ can treat them the same way yo+ treated me !eca+se of all my sins. Do this !eca+se 3 am groaning again and again. Do this !eca+se my heart is sick. 2 1 ook how the ord has covered da+ghter Bion with the clo+d of his amentations 2.2*& & anger. $e has thrown her, the glory of 3srael, from the sky to the gro+nd. 3n his anger he showed no care even for the Temple where he rests his feet. 2 The ord destroyed the ho+ses of Caco!s people witho+t mercy. 3n his anger he tore down the strong walls of C+dah. $e threw that kingdom and its r+lers down to the gro+nd in shame. 3 $e was so angry that he took away the strength of 3srael. $e ref+sed to help them when the enemy came. $e came against the people of Caco! like a flaming fire that !+rns everything aro+nd it. # $e !ent his !ow like an enemy. >ith his right hand he p+lled !ack the arrow. $e killed all o+r finest yo+ng men. $e po+red o+t his anger like fire on the tents of Bion. % ike an enemy the ord has swallowed -asy To .ead /ersion

+p 3srael. $e has destroyed her palaces and strong walls. $e has ca+sed great sadness and crying for the dead in C+dah. & $e tore +p the place where he lived like someone plowing +p a garden. $e r+ined the place where the people came together to worship him. The 5.D amentations 2.'*1, ' has made people forget the special assem!lies and special days of rest in Bion. $e re=ected the king and the priests. $e was angry and re=ected them. ' $e re=ected his altar, and he left his holy place of worship. $e let the enemy p+ll down the walls of the palaces of Cer+salem. The enemy sho+ted with =oy in the 5.D@S Temple. They made noise as tho+gh it were a festival. ( The 5.D planned to destroy the wall of Cer+salem. $e marked it with a meas+ring line. $e didnt stop himself from destroying it. $e made all the walls cry o+t in sadness. Together they wasted away. ) Cer+salems gates have s+nk into the gro+nd. The !ars on her gates are completely destroyed. $er king and princes have !een taken to other nations. The teaching of the law has stopped. And her prophets no longer receive visions from the 5.D. 1, The elders of Bion sit on the gro+nd. They sit on the gro+nd and are J+iet. They po+r d+st on their heads. They p+t on sackcloth. The yo+ng women of amentations 2.11*1% ( Cer+salem !ow their heads to the gro+nd in sorrow. 11 Ay eyes are worn o+t with tears, and my insides are +pset. Ay heart feels like it has !een po+red on the gro+ndF 3 feel this way !eca+se of the destr+ction of my people. 9hildren and !a!ies are fainting in the p+!lic sJ+ares of the city. 12 They ask their mothers, >here is the !read and wine? as they po+r o+t their life in their mothers laps. 13 Ay dear Cer+salem, what can 3 say a!o+t yo+? >hat can 3 compare yo+ to? pag. (%10131#

>hat can 3 say yo+ are like? $ow can 3 comfort yo+, city of Bion? ;o+ have !een h+rt m+ch too !adly for anyone to heal. 1# ;o+r prophets saw visions for yo+, !+t their visions were only worthless lies. They didnt speak against yo+r sins. They didnt try to make things !etter. They spoke messages for yo+, !+t they were false messages that fooled yo+. 1% Those who pass !y on the road clap their hands and la+gh at yo+. They make f+n of Cer+salem, shaking their heads at the sight of her. They ask, 3s this the city that people called The Aost <ea+tif+l 9ity and The Coy of all the -arth? amentations 2.1&*2, ) 1& All yo+r enemies la+gh at yo+. They whistle and grind their teeth at yo+. They say, >e have swallowed them +p" This is the day we were hoping for. >e have finally seen this happen" 1' The 5.D did what he planned to do. $e did what he said he wo+ld do. $e did what he commanded a long time ago. $e destroyed, and he had no pity. $e made yo+r enemies happy !eca+se of what happened to yo+. $e made yo+r enemies strong. 1( 9ry o+t with all yo+r heart to the ord" Cer+salem, let tears roll down yo+r walls. et yo+r tears flow like a river day and night. Dont stop crying or let yo+r eyes dry. 1) Get +p thro+gho+t the night and cry for help. et yo+r sorrow po+r o+t !efore the ord like water. ift +p yo+r hands in prayer to him. Ask him to let yo+r children live. They are starving to death on every street corner. 2, ook at +s, 5.D" $ave yo+ ever treated anyone else so !adly? 3s it right for women to eat their own !a!ies, the children they have cared for? Sho+ld amentations 2.21*3.& 1, priests and prophets !e killed in the Temple of the ord? 21 ;o+ng men and old men lie on the gro+nd in the streets of the city. Ay yo+ng women and yo+ng men have !een killed !y the sword. ;o+ killed them on -asy To .ead /ersion

the day of yo+r anger. ;o+ killed them witho+t mercy" 22 ;o+ invited terror to come to me from all aro+nd. ;o+ invited terror as tho+gh yo+ were inviting it to a festival. 1o one escaped on the day of the 5.D@S anger. Ay enemy killed the people who 3 raised and !ro+ght +p. 3 1 3 am a man who has seen m+ch tro+!le. God !eat +s with a stick, and 3 saw it happen. 2 $e led and !ro+ght me into darkness, not light. 3 $e t+rned his hand against me. $e did this again and again, all day. # $e wore o+t my flesh and skin. $e !roke my !ones. % $e !+ilt +p !itterness and tro+!le against me. $e s+rro+nded me with !itterness and tro+!le. & $e p+t me in the dark, like someone who died long ago. amentations 3.'*1) 11 ' $e sh+t me in, so 3 co+ld not get o+t. $e p+t heavy chains on me. ( -ven when 3 cry o+t and ask for help, he does not listen to my prayer. ) $e has !locked +p my path with stones. $e has made my path crooked. 1, $e is like a !ear a!o+t to attack me, like a lion that is in a hiding place. 11 $e led me off my path. $e tore me to pieces and r+ined me. 12 $e made his !ow ready. $e made me the target for his arrows. 13 $e shot me in the stomach with his arrows. 1# 3 have !ecome a =oke to all my people. All day long they sing songs a!o+t me and make f+n of me. 1% $e gave me this poison to drink. $e filled me with this !itter drink. 1& $e p+shed my teeth into rocky gro+nd. $e p+shed me into the dirt. 1' 3 tho+ght 3 wo+ld never have peace again. 3 forgot a!o+t good things. 1( 3 said to myself, 3 no longer have any hope that the 5.D will help me. 1) .emem!er, 3 am very sad, and 3 have no home. .emem!er the !itter poison pag. (%20131#

that yo+ gave me. amentations 3.2,*32 12 2, 3 remem!er well all my tro+!les, and 3 am very sad. 21 <+t then 3 think a!o+t this, and 3 have hope: 22 >e are still alive !eca+se the 5.D@S faithf+l love never ends. 23 -very morning he shows it in new ways" ;o+ are so very tr+e and loyal" 2# 3 say to myself, The 5.D is my God, and 3 tr+st him. 2% The 5.D is good to those who wait for him. $e is good to those who look for him. 2& 3t is good to wait J+ietly for the 5.D to save them. 2' 3t is good for a man to wear his yoke from the time he is yo+ng. 2( $e sho+ld sit alone and !e J+iet when the ord p+ts his yoke on him. 2) $e sho+ld !ow down to the ord. Aay!e there is still hope. 3, $e sho+ld t+rn his cheek to the one who hits him and let people ins+lt him. 31 $e sho+ld remem!er that the ord does not re=ect people forever. 32 >hen he p+nishes, he also has mercy. $e has mercy !eca+se of his great love and kindness. amentations 3.33*#3 13 33 $e does not en=oy ca+sing people pain. $e does not like to make anyone +nhappy. 3# $e does not like any prisoner on earth to !e trampled down. 3% $e does not like anyone to !e +nfair to another person. Some people will do s+ch things right in front of God Aost $igh. 3& $e does not like anyone to cheat another person. $e does not like any of these things. 3' 1o one can say something and make it happen, +nless the ord orders it. 3( God Aost $igh commands !oth good and !ad things to happen. 3) 1o one alive can complain when he p+nishes them for their sins. #, et +s check and see what we have -asy To .ead /ersion

done. Then let +s t+rn !ack to the 5.D. #1 et +s lift +p o+r hearts and o+r hands to the God of heaven. #2 et +s say to him, >e have sinned and have !een st+!!orn. <eca+se of this, yo+ have not forgiven +s. #3 ;o+ wrapped yo+rself with anger. ;o+ chased +s. ;o+ killed +s witho+t mercy" amentations 3.##*%% 1# ## ;o+ wrapped yo+rself in a clo+d so that no prayer co+ld get thro+gh. #% ;o+ made +s like gar!age and dirt to the other nations. #& All of o+r enemies speak angrily against +s. #' >e have !een frightened. >e have fallen into a pit. >e have !een !adly h+rt. >e have !een !roken. #( Ay eyes flow with streams of tears. 3 cry !eca+se of the destr+ction of my people. #) Ay eyes will flow witho+t stopping. 3 will keep on crying. %, 3 will contin+e to cry +ntil yo+ look down and see +s, 5.D" 3 will contin+e to cry +ntil yo+ see +s from heaven. %1 Ay eyes make me sad, when 3 see what happened to the yo+ng women in my city. %2 2or no reason, my enemies h+nted me like a !ird. %3 They threw me alive into a pit and then threw stones at me. %# >ater came +p over my head. 3 said to myself, 3 am finished. %% 5.D, 3 called yo+r name from the !ottom of the pit. amentations 3.%&*&% 1% %& ;o+ heard my voice. ;o+ didnt close yo+r ears. ;o+ didnt ref+se to resc+e me. %' ;o+ came to me on the day that 3 called o+t to yo+. ;o+ said to me, Dont !e afraid. %( ;o+ defended me and !o+ght me !ack to life. %) 5.D, yo+ have seen my tro+!le. 1ow =+dge my case for me. &, ;o+ have seen how my enemies have h+rt me. ;o+ have seen all the evil plans pag. (%30131#

that they made against me. &1 ;o+ heard them ins+lt me, 5.D. ;o+ have heard all the evil plans that they made against me. &2 The words and the tho+ghts of my enemies are against me all the time &3 when they sit down and when they stand +p. ook how they make f+n of me" &# Give them !ack what they deserve, 5.D. 6ay them !ack for what they have done. &% Aake them st+!!orn and then c+rse them. amentations 3.&&*#.& 1& && 9hase them in anger and destroy them. >ipe them off the face of the earth, 5.D" 4 1 See how the gold has t+rned dark, how the p+re gold has changed. There are =ewels scattered all aro+nd at every street corner. 2 The precio+s people of Bion were once worth more than gold. <+t now they are treated like something worthless, like the cheap clay =ars a potter makes. 3 -ven a wild dog feeds her !a!ies. -ven the =ackal lets her p+ps s+ck at her !reast. <+t my people neglect their yo+ng, like ostriches in the desert. # <a!ies are so thirsty their tong+es stick to the roof of their mo+ths. ;o+ng children ask for !read, !+t no one gives them any. % Those who ate rich food are now dying in the streets. Those who grew +p wearing nice red clothes now pick thro+gh gar!age piles. & The sin of my people was very great greater than the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities were destroyed s+ddenly, !+t not !y any h+man hand. amentations #.'*12 1' ' Some of the men of C+dah were dedicated to God in a special way. They were p+rer than snow, whiter than milk. Their skin glowed with color like coral, and their !eards shined like sapphire. ( <+t now their faces are !lacker than soot. 1o one even recogniEes them in -asy To .ead /ersion

the streets. Their skin is wrinkled over their !ones. Their skin is like wood. ) 3t was !etter for those who were killed !y the sword than for those who died of h+nger. Those starving people were sad and h+rt. They died !eca+se they got no food from the field. 1, Then even nice women cooked their own children. The children were food for their mothers. This happened when my people were destroyed. 11 The 5.D +sed all of his anger. $e po+red o+t all his anger. $e made a fire in Bion that !+rned it down to the fo+ndations. 12 The kings of the earth co+ld not !elieve what had happened. The people of the world co+ld not !elieve what had happened. They co+ld not !elieve that enemies wo+ld !e a!le to come thro+gh the city gates of Cer+salem. amentations #.13*1( 1( 13 This happened !eca+se the prophets of Cer+salem sinned. This happened !eca+se the priests of Cer+salem did evil things. They were shedding the !lood of good people in the city of Cer+salem. 1# The prophets and priests walked aro+nd like !lind men in the streets. They had !ecome dirty with !lood. 1o one co+ld even to+ch their clothes !eca+se they were dirty. 1% 6eople sho+ted, Go away" Go away" Dont to+ch +s. They wandered aro+nd and had no home. 6eople in other nations said, >e dont want them to live with +s. 1& The 5.D himself destroyed them. $e didnt look after them anymore. $e didnt respect the priests. $e was not friendly to the elders of C+dah. 1' >e have worn o+t o+r eyes looking for help, !+t no help comes. >e kept on looking for a nation to save +s. >e kept watch from o+r watchtower, !+t no nation came to +s. 1( 5+r enemies h+nted +s all the time. >e co+ld not even go o+t into the streets. 5+r end came near. 5+r time was +p. 5+r end came" pag. (%#0131#

amentations #.1)*%.3 1) 1) The men who chased +s were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased +s into the mo+ntains. They hid in the desert to catch +s. 2, The king was very important to +s. $e was like the !reath we !reathe, !+t he was trapped !y them. The 5.D himself chose the king, and we said this a!o+t the king, >e will live in his shadow. $e protects +s from the nations. 21 <e happy, people of -dom. <e happy, yo+ who live in the land of HE. <+t remem!er, the c+p of the ords anger will come aro+nd to yo+ too. >hen yo+ drink from that c+p, yo+ will get dr+nk and strip off all yo+r clothes. 22 ;o+r p+nishment is complete, Bion. ;o+ will not go into captivity again. <+t the ord will p+nish yo+r sins, people of -dom. $e will +ncover yo+r sins. 5 1 .emem!er, 5.D, what happened to +s. ook and see o+r shame. 2 5+r land has !een t+rned over to strangers. 5+r ho+ses have !een given to foreigners. 3 >e have !ecome orphans. >e have no father. 5+r mothers have !ecome like widows. amentations %.#*13 2, # >e have to !+y the water that we drink. >e have to pay for the wood that we +se. % >e are forced to wear a yoke on o+r necks. >e get tired, and we have no rest. & >e made an agreement with -gypt. >e also made an agreement with Assyria to get eno+gh !read. ' 5+r ancestors sinned against yo+, and now they are dead. And we are s+ffering !eca+se of their sins. ( Slaves have !ecome o+r r+lers. 1o one can save +s from them. ) >e risk o+r lives to get food. There are men in the desert with swords. 1, 5+r skin is hot like an oven. >e have a high fever !eca+se of o+r h+nger. 11 The enemy raped the women of Bion. They raped the women in the cities of -asy To .ead /ersion

C+dah. 12 The enemy hanged o+r princes. They didnt honor o+r elders. 13 The enemy made o+r yo+ng men grind grain at the mill. 5+r yo+ng men st+m!led +nder loads of wood. amentations %.1#*22 21 1# The elders no longer sit at the gates of the city. The yo+ng men no longer make m+sic. 1% >e have no more =oy in o+r hearts. 5+r dancing has changed to crying for the dead. 1& The crown has fallen from o+r head. Things have gone !ad for +s !eca+se we sinned. 1' 2or this reason o+r hearts have !ecome sick, and o+r eyes cannot see clearly. 1( Ao+nt Bion is a wasteland. 2o4es r+n aro+nd on Ao+nt Bion. 1) <+t yo+ r+le forever, 5.D. ;o+r kingly chair lasts forever and ever. 2, ;o+ seem to have forgotten +s forever. ;o+ seem to have left +s alone for s+ch a long time. 21 <ring +s !ack to yo+, 5.D. >e will gladly come !ack to yo+. Aake o+r lives as they were !efore. 22 ;o+ were very angry with +s. $ave yo+ completely re=ected +s? E,e0iel 1 1 3 am the priest, -Eekiel son of <+EEi. 3 was in e4ile !y the Ge!ar 9anal in <a!ylonia when the skies opened +p, and 3 saw visions of God. This was on the fifth day of the fo+rth month of the thirtieth year. 7This was the fifth year of Ging Cehoiachins e4ile. The word of the 5.D came to -Eekiel. The power of the 5.D came over him at that place.8 2 71:18 3 71:18 # 3 was watching a !ig storm come in from the north. 3t was a !ig clo+d with a strong wind, and there was fire flashing from it. ight was shining o+t all aro+nd it. 3t looked like hot metal glowing in a fire. % 3nside the clo+d, there were fo+r living pag. (%%0131#

!eings that looked like people. & <+t each one of them had fo+r faces and fo+r wings. ' Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like calves feet, and they sparkled like polished !rass. -Eekiel 1.(* 13 2 ( Hnder their wings were h+man arms. There were fo+r living !eings. -ach living !eing had fo+r faces and fo+r wings. ) The wings to+ched each other. The living !eings did not t+rn when they moved. They went in the direction they were looking. 1, -ach living !eing had fo+r faces. 3n the front they each had a mans face. There was a lions face on the right side and a !+lls face on the left side. There was an eagles face on the !ack. 11 Their wings were spread o+t over them. >ith two of the wings each living !eing reached o+t to to+ch the one near it, and with the other two wings it covered its !ody. 12 -ach living !eing went in the direction it was looking. They went wherever the spirit ca+sed them to go, !+t they did not t+rn when they moved. 13 That is what the living !eings looked like. 3nside the area !etween the living !eings, there was something that looked like !+rning coals of fire. This fire was like small torches that kept moving aro+nd among the living !eings. The fire -Eekiel 1.1#*21 3 glowed !rightly and lightning flashed from it. 1# The living !eings ran !ack and forthas fast as lightning. 1% 3 was looking at the living !eings when 3 noticed fo+r wheels that to+ched the gro+nd. There was one wheel !y each living !eing. All the wheels looked the same. The wheels looked as if they were made from a clear, yellow =ewel. They looked like there was a wheel inside a wheel. 1& 71:1%8 1' They co+ld t+rn to move in any direction. <+t the living !eings did not -asy To .ead /ersion

t+rn when they moved. 1( The rims of the wheels were tall and frightening. There were eyes all over the rims of all fo+r wheels. 1) The wheels always moved with the living !eings. 3f the living !eings went +p into the air, the wheels went with them. 2, They went wherever the spirit wanted them to go, and the wheels went with them, !eca+se the power that moved the living !eing was in the wheels. 21 So if the living !eings moved, the wheels moved. 3f the living !eings -Eekiel 1.22*2& # stopped, the wheels stopped. 3f the wheels went into the air, the living !eings went with them, !eca+se the spirit was in the wheels. 22 There was an amaEing thing over the heads of the living !eings. 3t was like a !owl t+rned +pside down, and the !owl was clear like crystal. 23 Hnder this !owl, each living !eing had wings reaching o+t to the one ne4t to it. Two wings spread o+t one way and two wings spread o+t the other way, covering its !ody. 2# Then 3 heard the wings. -very time the living !eings moved, their wings made a very lo+d noise like a lot of water r+shing !y. They were lo+d like the ord AllD6owerf+l. They were as lo+d as an army or a crowd of people. >hen the living !eings stopped moving, they p+t their wings down !y their side. 2% The living !eings stopped moving and lowered their wings. Then there was another lo+d so+nd that came from a!ove the !owl over their heads. 2& There was something that looked like a throne on top of the !owl. 3t was !l+e like sapphire. There was also something -Eekiel 1.2'*2.# % that looked like a man sitting on the throne. 2' 3 looked at him from his waist +p. $e looked like hot metal with fire all aro+nd him. 3 looked at him from his waist down. 3t looked like fire with a glow that was shining all aro+nd him. pag. (%&0131#

2( The light shining aro+nd him was like a rain!ow in a clo+d. 3t was the Glory of the 5.D. As soon as 3 saw that, 3 fell to the gro+nd. 3 !owed with my face to the gro+nd, and then 3 heard a voice speaking to me. 2 1 The voice said, Son of man, stand +p and 3 will speak with yo+. 2 Then the Spirit came into me and lifted me +p on my feet, and 3 listened to the one who spoke to me. 3 $e said, Son of man, 3 am sending yo+ to speak to the family of 3srael. Those people and their ancestors t+rned against me many times. They have sinned against me many timesand they are still sinning against me today. # 3 am sending yo+ to speak to them, !+t they are very st+!!orn. They are very hardheaded, !+t yo+ m+st speak -Eekiel 2.%* 1, & to them. ;o+ m+st say, This is what the ord G5D says. % They are people who ref+se to o!ey, so they may not listen to yo+. <+t even if they dont stop sinning, at least they will know that there is a prophet living among them. & Son of man, dont !e afraid of the people or what they say. 3t is tr+e that they will t+rn against yo+ and try to h+rt yo+. Their words will !e sharp like thorns and will sting like scorpions. <+t dont !e afraid of what they say. They are people who ref+se to o!ey, !+t dont !e afraid of them. ' ;o+ m+st tell them what 3 say, whether they listen or not. They are people who +s+ally ref+se to listen" ( Son of man, listen to what 3 am telling yo+. Dont t+rn against me like those people who ref+se to o!ey. 1ow open yo+r mo+th to receive the words 3 will give yo+ to speak. ) Then 3 saw an arm reach o+t toward me. 3t was holding a scroll with words written on it. 1, 3t rolled the scroll open in front of me. >ords were on the front and on the -Eekiel 3.1*' ' -asy To .ead /ersion

!ack of the scroll. There were all kinds of sad songs, sad stories, and warnings. 3 1 God said to me, Son of man, eat what yo+ see. -at this scroll, and then go tell these things to the family of 3srael. 2 So 3 opened my mo+th and he p+t the scroll into my mo+th. 3 Then God said, Son of man, 3 am giving yo+ this scroll. Swallow it" et that scroll fill yo+r !ody. So 3 ate the scroll. 3t was as sweet as honey in my mo+th. # Then God said to me, Son of man, go to the family of 3srael. Speak my words to them. % 3 am not sending yo+ to some foreigners yo+ cannot +nderstand. ;o+ dont have to learn another lang+age. 3 am sending yo+ to the family of 3srael. & 3 am not sending yo+ to many different co+ntries where people speak lang+ages yo+ cannot +nderstand. 3f yo+ went to those people and spoke to them, they wo+ld listen to yo+. <+t yo+ will not have to learn those hard lang+ages. ' 1o, 3 am sending yo+ to the family of 3srael. 5nly, these people have hard headsthey are very st+!!orn" And the -Eekiel 3.(* 13 ( people of 3srael will ref+se to listen to yo+. They dont want to listen to me. ( <+t 3 will make yo+ =+st as st+!!orn as they are, and yo+r head =+st as hard. ) A diamond is harder than flint rock. 3n the same way, yo+ will !e more st+!!orn than they are, and yo+r head will !e harder. Then yo+ will not !e afraid of them or those who always t+rn against me. 1, Then God said to me, Son of man, listen to every word 3 say to yo+ and remem!er them. 11 Then go to all of yo+r people in e4ile and tell them, This is what the ord G5D says . They will not listen, and they will not stop sinning, !+t yo+ m+st still tell them my message. 12 Then the Spirit lifted me +p, and 3 heard a voice !ehind me. 3t was very lo+d, like th+nder. 3t said, <lessed is the pag. (%'0131#

Glory of the 5.D" 13 Then the wings of the living !eings !egan moving. The wings made a very lo+d noise as they to+ched each other, and the wheels in front of them !egan making a noise as lo+d as th+nder. -Eekiel 3.1#*1) ) 1# The Spirit lifted me and took me away. 3 was very sad and +pset in my spirit, !+t 3 felt the 5.D@S power in me. 1% 3 went to the people of 3srael who were forced to live in Tel Aviv !y the Ge!ar 9anal. 3 sat there among them for seven days, shocked and silent. 1& After seven days, the 5.D spoke to me and said, 1' Son of man, 3 am making yo+ a watchman for 3srael. 3 will tell yo+ a!o+t !ad things that will happen to them, and yo+ m+st warn 3srael. 1( 3f 3 say, These evil people will die" Then yo+ m+st warn them. ;o+ m+st tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil. 3f yo+ dont warn them, they will die !eca+se they sinned. <+t 3 will also make yo+ responsi!le for their death, !eca+se yo+ did not go to them and save their lives. 1) 3f yo+ warn them and tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil, !+t they ref+se to listen, they will die !eca+se they sinned. <+t since yo+ warned them, yo+ will have saved yo+r own life. -Eekiel 3.2,*2& 1, 2, 3f good people stop !eing good and !egin to do evil, and 3 send something that makes them st+m!le and sin, they will die !eca+se they sinned. <+t since yo+ did not warn them and remind them of the good things they had done, 3 will make yo+ responsi!le for their death. 21 <+t if yo+ warn good people and tell them to stop sinning, and they listen to yo+r warning and stop sinning, they will not die. 3n that way yo+ will have saved yo+r own life. 22 The 5.D@S power came to me. $e said to me, Get +p and go to the valley. 3 will speak to yo+ in that place. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 So 3 got +p and went o+t to the valley. The Glory of the 5.D was thereas 3 had seen it !y the Ge!ar 9anal. So 3 !owed with my face to the gro+nd. 2# <+t the Spirit came into me and lifted me +p on my feet. $e said to me, Go home and lock yo+rself in yo+r ho+se. 2% Son of man, people will come with ropes and tie yo+ +p. They will not let yo+ go o+t among the people. 2& 3 will make yo+r tong+e stick to the roof of yo+r mo+thyo+ will not !e a!le to talk. So they will not have anyone to -Eekiel 3.2'*#.# 11 teach them that they are doing wrong, !eca+se they are always t+rning against me. 2' <+t 3 will talk to yo+, and then 3 will allow yo+ to speak. <+t yo+ m+st say to them, This is what the ord G5D says. 3f a person wants to listen, fine. 3f a person ref+ses to listen, fine. <+t those people always t+rn against me. 4 1 Son of man, take a !rick and scratch a pict+re on it. Draw a pict+re of a citythe city of Cer+salem. 2 And then pretend yo+ are an army s+rro+nding the city. <+ild a dirt wall aro+nd the city to help yo+ attack it. <+ild a dirt road leading +p to the city wall. <ring !attering rams and set +p army camps aro+nd the city. 3 And then take an iron pan and p+t it !etween yo+ and the city. 3t will !e like an iron wall separating yo+ and the city. 3n this way yo+ will show that yo+ are against it. ;o+ will s+rro+nd the city and attack it. This is an e4ample for the family of 3srael to show that 3 will destroy Cer+salem. # Then yo+ m+st lie down on yo+r left side. ;o+ m+st do this thing that shows -Eekiel #.%*) 12 that yo+ are taking the sins of the people of 3srael on yo+rself. ;o+ will carry the g+ilt for as many days as yo+ lie on yo+r left side. % ;o+ m+st !ear the g+ilt of 3srael for 3), days. 3n this way 3 am telling yo+ how long 3srael will !e p+nishedF one pag. (%(0131#

day eJ+als one year. & After that time, yo+ will lie on yo+r right side for #, days. This time yo+ will !ear the g+ilt of C+dah for #, days. 5ne day eJ+als one year. 3 am telling yo+ how long C+dah m+st !e p+nished. ' 1ow, roll +p yo+r sleeve and raise yo+r arm over the !rick. Act like yo+ are attacking the city of Cer+salem. Do this to show that yo+ are speaking as my messenger to the people. ( 1ow look, 3 am tying ropes on yo+. ;o+ will not !e a!le to roll over from one side to another +ntil yo+r attack against the city is finished. ) ;o+ m+st get some grain to make !read. Get some wheat, !arley, !eans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Ai4 all these things together in one !owl and grind them to make flo+r. ;o+ will +se this flo+r to make !read. ;o+ will eat only -Eekiel #.1,*1# 13 this !read d+ring the 3), days that yo+ lie on yo+r side. 1, ;o+ will !e allowed to +se only 1 c+p of that flo+r each day to make !read. ;o+ will eat that !read from time to time thro+gho+t the day. 11 ;o+ can drink only 3 c+ps of water each day. ;o+ can drink it from time to time thro+gho+t the day. 12 ;o+ m+st make yo+r !read each day. ;o+ m+st get dry h+man d+ng and !+rn it. Then yo+ m+st cook the !read over this !+rning d+ng. ;o+ m+st eat this !read in front of the people. 13 Then the 5.D said, This will show that the family of 3srael will eat +nclean !read in foreign co+ntries and that 3 am the one who forced them to leave 3srael and go to there" 1# Then 3 said, 5h, !+t ord G5D, 3 have never eaten any +nclean food. 3 have never eaten meat from an animal that died from a disease or from an animal that was killed !y a wild animal. 3 have never eaten +nclean meatnot from the time that 3 was a little !a!y +ntil now. 1one of that !ad meat ever entered my mo+th. -asy To .ead /ersion

-Eekiel #.1%*%.1 1# 1% Then God said to me, /ery well, 3 will let yo+ +se dry cow d+ng to cook yo+r !read. ;o+ dont have to +se dry h+man d+ng. 1& Then God said to me, Son of man, 3 am destroying Cer+salems s+pply of !read. 6eople will have only a little !read to eat. They will !e very worried a!o+t their food s+pply, and they will have only a little water to drink. -very time they take a drink, they will feel more afraid. 1' That is !eca+se there will not !e eno+gh food and water for everyone. They will !e terrified as they watch each other wasting away !eca+se of their sins. 5 1 Son of man, after yo+r famine yo+ m+st do this: Take a sharp sword and +se it like a !ar!ers raEor. Shave off yo+r hair and !eard. 6+t the hair on a scale and weigh it. Separate it into three eJ+al parts. 6+t a third of yo+r hair on the !rick that has the pict+re of the city on it. <+rn that hair in that city. Then +se the sword and c+t a third of yo+r hair into small pieces all aro+nd the o+tside of the city. 1e4t, throw a third of yo+r hair into the air and let the wind !low it -Eekiel %.2*' 1% away. This will show that 3 will p+ll o+t my sword and chase some of the people into faraway co+ntries. 2 7%:18 3 <+t then yo+ m+st get a few of those hairs and wrap them +p in yo+r ro!e. # Take some of those hairs and throw them into the fire. This will show that a fire will start there and !+rn thro+gho+t the whole ho+se of 3srael. % Then the ord G5D said to me, The !rick is a pict+re of Cer+salem. 3 p+t Cer+salem in the middle of other nations with co+ntries all aro+nd her. & The people ref+sed to o!ey my commands. They were worse than any of the other nations" They !roke more of my laws than any of the people in the co+ntries aro+nd them. They ref+sed to listen to my commands. They did not pag. (%)0131#

o!ey my laws. ' So the ord G5D says, 3 will do this !eca+se yo+ did not o!ey my laws and commands. ;o+ !roke more of my laws than the people who lived aro+nd yo+, and yo+ did what even they know is wrong" -Eekiel %.(* 13 1& ( So the ord G5D says, So now, even 3 am against yo+" 3 will p+nish yo+ while those other people watch. ) 3 will do things to yo+ that 3 have never done !efore. And 3 will never do those terri!le things again, !eca+se yo+ did so many terri!le things. 1, 6eople in Cer+salem will !e so h+ngry that parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their own parents. 3 will p+nish yo+ in many ways, and those who are left alive, 3 will scatter to the winds. 11 The ord G5D says, Cer+salem, 3 promise !y my life that 3 will p+nish yo+" 3 promise that 3 will p+nish yo+, !eca+se yo+ did terri!le things to my $oly 6lace. ;o+ did horri!le things that made it dirty. 3 will p+nish yo+. 3 will not show any mercy or feel sorry for yo+. 12 A third of yo+r people will die inside the city from diseases and h+nger. Another third will die in !attle o+tside the city. And then 3 will p+ll o+t my sword and chase the last third of yo+r people into faraway co+ntries. 13 5nly then will 3 stop !eing angry with yo+r people. 3 will know that they have -Eekiel %.1#*1' 1' !een p+nished for the !ad things they did to me. They will know that 3 am the 5.D and that 3 spoke to them !eca+se of my strong love for them" 1# God said, Cer+salem, 3 will destroy yo+yo+ will !e nothing !+t a pile of rocks. The people aro+nd yo+ will make f+n of yo+. -veryone who walks !y will make f+n of yo+. 1% 6eople aro+nd yo+ will make f+n of yo+, !+t yo+ will also !e a lesson for them. They will see that 3 was angry and p+nished yo+. 3 was very angry and 3 -asy To .ead /ersion

warned yo+. 3, the 5.D, told yo+ what 3 wo+ld do. 1& 3 told yo+ 3 wo+ld send yo+ terri!le times of h+nger. 3 told yo+ 3 wo+ld send yo+ things that wo+ld destroy yo+. 3 told yo+ that 3 wo+ld take away yo+r s+pply of food and that those times of h+nger wo+ld come again and again. 1' 3 told yo+ 3 wo+ld send h+nger and wild animals against yo+ that wo+ld kill yo+r children. 3 told yo+ there wo+ld !e disease and death everywhere in the city. 3 told yo+ 3 wo+ld !ring enemy soldiers to fight against yo+. 3, the 5.D, told yo+ all these things wo+ld happen" -Eekiel &.1*& 1( 6 1 Then the word of the 5.D came to me again. 2 $e said, Son of man, t+rn toward the mo+ntains of 3srael and speak against them for me. 3 Tell them this: Ao+ntains of 3srael, listen to this message from the ord G5D" This is what the ord G5D says to the hills and mo+ntains and to the ravines and valleys: ook" 3 am !ringing the enemy to fight against yo+. 3 will destroy yo+r high places. # ;o+r altars will !e !roken into pieces. ;o+r incense altars will !e smashed, and 3 will throw down yo+r dead !odies in front of yo+r filthy idols. % 3 will p+t the dead !odies of the people of 3srael in front of their filthy idols. 3 will scatter yo+r !ones aro+nd yo+r altars. & <ad things will happen wherever yo+r people live. Their cities will !ecome piles of rock. Their high places will !e destroyed so that those places of worship will never !e +sed again. The altars will all !e destroyed. 6eople will never worship those filthy idols again. The incense altars will !e smashed. -Eekiel &.'* 11 1) -verything yo+ made will !e destroyed completely. ' ;o+r people will !e killed, and then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D" ( God said, <+t 3 will let a few of yo+r people escape. They will live in other pag. (&,0131#

co+ntries for a short time. 3 will scatter them and force them to live in other co+ntries. ) Then the s+rvivors will !e taken as prisoners. They will !e forced to live in other co+ntries, !+t they will remem!er me. 3 !roke their spirit. They will hate themselves for the evil things they did. 3n the past, they t+rned away from me and left me. They chased after their filthy idols. They were like a woman leaving her h+s!and and r+nning off with another man. They did many terri!le things, 1, !+t they will learn that 3 am the 5.D. Then they will know that if 3 say that 3 will do something, 3 will do it" They will know that 3 ca+sed all the tro+!les that happened to them. 11 Then the ord G5D said to me, 9lap yo+r hands and stamp yo+r feet. Speak against all the terri!le things that the -Eekiel &.12*'.1 2, people of 3srael have done. >arn them that they will !e killed !y disease and h+nger. Tell them they will !e killed in war. 12 6eople far away will die from disease. 6eople near this place will !e killed with swords, and those who are left in the city will starve to death. 5nly then will 3 stop !eing angry. 13 5nly then will yo+ know that 3 am the 5.D. ;o+ will know this when yo+ see yo+r dead !odies in front of yo+r filthy idols and aro+nd their altars. Those !odies will !e near every one of yo+r places for worship, on every high hill and mo+ntain, +nder every green tree and every oak tree with leaves. ;o+ offered yo+r sacrifices everywhere. They were a sweet smell for yo+r filthy idols. 1# <+t 3 will raise my arm over yo+ and p+nish yo+ and yo+r people, wherever they live" 3 will destroy yo+r co+ntry" 3t will !e completely empty from the desert in the so+th to .i!lah in the north. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D" 7 1 Then the word of the 5.D came to me. -asy To .ead /ersion

-Eekiel '.2*( 21 2 $e said, 1ow, son of man, here is a message from the ord G5D. This message is for the land of 3srael: The end" The end is coming. The whole co+ntry will !e destroyed. 3 ;o+r end is coming now" 3 will show how angry 3 am with yo+. 3 will p+nish yo+ for the evil things yo+ did. 3 will make yo+ pay for all the terri!le things yo+ did. # 3 will not show yo+ any mercy or feel sorry for yo+. 3 am p+nishing yo+ for the evil things yo+ did. ;o+ have done s+ch terri!le things. 1ow, yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. % This is what the ord G5D said: There will !e one disaster after another" & The end is coming, and it will come J+ickly" ' ;o+ people living in 3srael, do yo+ hear the whistle? The enemy is coming. That time of p+nishment is coming very soon. The noise of the enemy is getting lo+der and lo+der on the mo+ntains. ( /ery soon now, 3 will show yo+ how angry 3 am. 3 will show all of my anger against yo+. 3 will p+nish yo+ for the evil -Eekiel '.)* 13 22 things yo+ did. 3 will make yo+ pay for all the terri!le things yo+ did. ) 3 will not show yo+ any mercy or feel sorry for yo+. 3 am p+nishing yo+ for the evil things yo+ did. ;o+ have done s+ch terri!le things. 1ow, yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1, That time of p+nishment has come like a plant spro+ting, !+dding, and flowering. God has given the signal, the enemy is prepared, and the pro+d king 71e!+chadneEEar8 is ready. 11 This violent man is ready to p+nish the evil people. There are many people in 3srael!+t he is not one of them. $e is not a person in that crowd. $e is not some important leader from them. 12 The time of p+nishment has come. The day is here. Those who !+y things will not !e happy, and those who sell things will not feel !ad a!o+t selling pag. (&10131#

them !eca+se that terri!le p+nishment will happen to everyone. 13 The people who sold their property will never go !ack to it. -ven if some people escape alive, they will never go !ack to their property, !eca+se this vision is for the whole crowd. So even -Eekiel '.1#*1) 23 if some people escape alive, it will not make everyone feel !etter. 1# They will !low the tr+mpet to warn the people. The people will get ready for !attle, !+t they will not go o+t to fight !eca+se 3 will show the whole crowd how angry 3 am. 1% The enemy with his sword is o+tside the city. Disease and h+nger is inside the city. 3f some people go o+t into the fields, enemy soldiers will kill them. 3f they stay in the city, h+nger and disease will destroy them. 1& <+t some people will escape. The s+rvivors will r+n to the mo+ntains, !+t they will not !e happy. They will !e sad for all their sins. They will cry and make sad noises like doves. 1' They will !e too tired and sad to raise their arms. Their legs will !e like water. 1( They will wear sackcloth and !e covered with fear. ;o+ will see the shame on every face. They will shave their heads to show their sadness. 1) They will throw their silver idols into the streets. They will treat their gold stat+es like dirty rags, !eca+se those things will not !e a!le to save them when -Eekiel '.2,*2# 2# the 5.D shows his anger. Those things were nothing !+t a trap that ca+sed the people to fall. They will not give food to the people or p+t food in their !ellies. 2, They +sed their !ea+tif+l =ewelry and made an idol. They were pro+d of that stat+e. They made their terri!le stat+es. They made those filthy things, so 3 will throw them away like a dirty rag. 21 3 will let strangers take them. Those strangers will make f+n of them. They will kill some of the people and take others away as prisoners. -asy To .ead /ersion

22 3 will t+rn my head away from them3 will not look at them. The strangers will r+in my Templethey will go into the secret parts of that holy !+ilding and make it +nfit for worship. 23 Aake chains for the prisoners, !eca+se many people will !e p+nished for killing other people. There will !e violence every place in the city. 2# 3 will !ring evil people from other nations, and they will get all the ho+ses of the people of 3srael. 3 will stop all yo+ powerf+l people from !eing so pro+d. Those people from other nations will get all yo+r places of worship. -Eekiel '.2%*(.3 2% 2% ;o+ will shake with fear. ;o+ will look for peace, !+t there will !e none. 2& ;o+ will hear one sad story after another. ;o+ will hear nothing !+t !ad news. ;o+ will look for a prophet and ask him for a vision. The priests will have nothing to teach yo+, and the elders will not have any good advice to give yo+. 2' ;o+r king will !e crying for the people who died. The leaders will wear sackcloth. The common people will !e very afraid, !eca+se 3 will pay them !ack for what they did. 3 will decide their p+nishment, and 3 will p+nish them. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 8 1 5ne day 3, -Eekiel, was sitting in my ho+se, and the elders of C+dah were sitting there in front of me. This was on the fifth day of the si4th month of the si4th year of e4ile. S+ddenly, the power of the ord G5D came on me. 2 3 saw something that looked like fire, like a mans !ody. 2rom the waist down, he was like fire. 2rom the waist +p, he was !right and shining like hot metal in a fire. 3 Then 3 saw something that looked like an arm. The arm reached o+t and -Eekiel (.#*( 2& gra!!ed me !y the hair on my head. Then the Spirit lifted me into the air, and in a vision from God he took me to Cer+salem. $e took me to the inner gatethe gate that is on the north side. pag. (&20131#

The stat+e that makes God =ealo+s is !y that gate. # <+t the Glory of the God of 3srael was there. The Glory looked =+st like the vision 3 saw in the valley !y the Ge!ar 9anal. % God spoke to me. $e said, Son of man, look toward the north. So 3 looked, and there, north of the Altar Gate !y the entrance, was that stat+e that made God =ealo+s. & Then God said to me, Son of man, do yo+ see what terri!le things the people of 3srael are doing? They !+ilt that thing here, right ne4t to my Temple" And if yo+ come with me, yo+ will see even more terri!le things" ' So 3 went to the entrance to the co+rtyard, and 3 saw a hole in the wall. ( God said to me, Son of man, make a hole in the wall. So 3 made a hole in the wall, and there 3 saw a door. -Eekiel (.)* 13 2' ) Then God said to me, Go in and look at the terri!le, evil things that the people are doing here. 1, So 3 went in and looked. 3 saw stat+es of all kinds of reptiles and animals that yo+ hate to think a!o+t. The stat+es were the filthy idols that the people of 3srael worshiped. There were pict+res of those animals carved all aro+nd on every wall" 11 Then 3 noticed that CaaEaniah son of Shapham and the ', elders of 3srael were there with the people worshiping in that place. There they were, right at the front of the people, and each leader had his own incense dish in his hand. The smoke from the !+rning incense was rising into the air. 12 Then God said to me, Son of man, do yo+ see what the elders of 3srael do in the dark? -ach man has a special room for his own false god. They say to themselves, The 5.D cannot see +s. The 5.D left this co+ntry. 13 Then he said to me, 3f yo+ come with me, yo+ will see these men doing even more terri!le things" -asy To .ead /ersion

-Eekiel (.1#*1( 2( 1# Then God led me to the entrance to the 5.D@S Temple. This gate was on the north side. 3 saw women sitting there and crying. They were sad a!o+t the false god Tamm+E" 1% God said to me, Son of man, do yo+ see these terri!le things? 9ome with me and yo+ will see things that are even worse than this" 1& Then he led me to the inner co+rtyard of the 5.D@S Temple area. There 3 saw 2% men !owing down and worshiping. They were at the entrance to the 5.D@S Temple !etween the porch and the altar!+t they were facing the wrong way. Their !acks were to the $oly 6lace. They were !owing down to worship the s+n" 1' Then God said, Son of man, do yo+ see this? The people of C+dah think my Temple is so +nimportant that they will do these terri!le things here in my Temple" This co+ntry is filled with violence, and they constantly do things to make me angry. ook, they are wearing rings in their noses to honor the moon as a false god" 1( 3 will show them my anger" 3 will not show them any mercy or feel sorry for -Eekiel ).1*% 2) them" They will sho+t to me!+t 3 ref+se to listen to them" 9 1 Then God sho+ted to the leaders in charge of p+nishing the city. -ach leader had his own destr+ctive weapon in his hand. 2 Then 3 saw si4 men walking on the road from the +pper gate. This gate is on the north side. -ach man had his own deadly weapon in his hand. 5ne of the men wore linen clothes. $e wore a scri!es pen and ink set at his waist. Those men went to the !ronEe altar in the Temple and stood there. 3 Then the Glory of the God of 3srael rose from a!ove the 9her+! angels where he had !een. Then the Glory went to the door of the Temple and stopped when he was over the threshold. Then he called to the man wearing the linen pag. (&30131#

clothes and the scri!es pen and ink set. # Then the 5.D said to him, Go thro+gh the city of Cer+salem. 6+t a mark on the forehead of everyone who feels sad and +pset a!o+t all the terri!le things people are doing in this city. % Then 3 heard God say to the other men, 3 want yo+ to follow the first man. -Eekiel ).&*) 3, ;o+ m+st kill all those who do not have the mark on their foreheads. 3t doesnt matter if they are elders, yo+ng men or yo+ng women, children or mothersyo+ m+st +se yo+r weapon and kill everyone who does not have the mark on their forehead. Dont show any mercy. Dont feel sorry for anyone. Start here at my Temple. So they started with the elders in front of the Temple. & 7):%8 ' $e said to them, Aake this Temple +nclean fill this co+rtyard with dead !odies" 1ow go" So they went and killed the people in the city. ( 3 stayed there while the men went to kill the people. 3 !owed with my face to the gro+nd and said, 5h, ord G5D, in showing yo+r anger against Cer+salem, are yo+ killing all the s+rvivors in 3srael? ) $e said, The family of 3srael and C+dah has committed many terri!le sins" 6eople are !eing m+rdered everywhere in this co+ntry, and the city is filled with crime. That is !eca+se the people say to themselves, The 5.D has left this co+ntry. The 5.D cannot see what we are doing. -Eekiel ).1,*1,.# 31 1, So 3 will not show any mercy or feel sorry for them. They !ro+ght it on themselves. 3 am only giving them the p+nishment they deserve" 11 Then the man wearing linen clothes and a scri!es pen and ink set spoke +p. $e said, 3 have done what yo+ commanded. 10 1 Then 3 looked +p at the !owl over the heads of the 9her+! angels. The !owl looked clear !l+e like sapphire, and there was something that -asy To .ead /ersion

looked like a throne over it. 2 Then the one sitting on the throne said to the man dressed in linen clothes, Step into the area !etween the wheels +nder the 9her+! angels. Take a handf+l of the !+rning coals from !etween the 9her+! angels and go throw them over the city of Cer+salem. The man walked past me. 3 The 9her+! angels were standing in the area so+th of the Temple as the man walked to them. The clo+d filled the inner co+rtyard. # Then the Glory of the 5.D rose +p off the 9her+! angels near the threshold of the door of the Temple. Then the clo+d filled the Temple, and the !right light -Eekiel 1,.%*1, 32 from the Glory of the 5.D filled the whole co+rtyard. % The noise from the wings of the 9her+! angels co+ld !e heard all the way o+t into the o+ter co+rtyard. The so+nd was very lo+dlike the th+ndering voice when God AllD6owerf+l speaks. & God had given the man dressed in linen clothes a command. $e had told him to go into the area !etween the wheels among the 9her+! angels and get some hot coals. So the man went there and stood !y the wheel. ' 5ne of the 9her+! angels reached o+t his hand and took some of the hot coals from the area !etween the 9her+! angels. $e po+red the coals into the mans hands, and the man left. ( 7The 9her+! angels had what looked like h+man arms +nder their wings.8 ) Then 3 noticed that there were fo+r wheels. There was one wheel !y each 9her+! angel, and the wheels looked like a clear yellow =ewel. 1, There were fo+r wheels, and they all looked the same. They looked like there was a wheel in a wheel. -Eekiel 1,.11*1' 33 11 They co+ld go in any direction when they moved, !+t the 9her+! angels did not t+rn aro+nd when they moved. They went in the direction that the head was looking. They did not t+rn aro+nd when pag. (&#0131#

they moved. 12 There were eyes all over their !odies. There were eyes on their !acks, on their arms, on their wings, and on their wheelson all fo+r wheels" 13 These wheels were what 3 heard called, the area !etween the wheels. 1# -ach 9her+! angel had fo+r faces. The first was the face of a 9her+!, the second was the face of a man, the third was a lions face, and the fo+rth was an eagles face. 7These 9her+! angels were the living !eings 3 saw in the vision !y the Ge!ar 9anal.8 Then the 9her+! angels rose into the air, 1% 71,:1#8 1& and the wheels rose with them. >hen the 9her+! angels raised their wings and flew into the air, not even the wheels t+rned aro+nd. 1' 3f they flew into the air, the wheels went with them. 3f they stood still, so -Eekiel 1,.1(*11.1 3# did the wheels, !eca+se the spirit of the living !eing was in them. 1( Then the Glory of the 5.D rose from the threshold of the Temple, moved to the place over the 9her+! angels, and stopped there. 1) Then the 9her+! angels raised their wings and flew into the air. 3 saw them leave. The wheels went with them. Then they stopped at the -ast Gate of the 5.D@S Temple. The Glory of the God of 3srael was in the air a!ove them. 2, These were the living !eings +nder the Glory of the God of 3srael in the vision at the Ge!ar 9anal, and now 3 realiEed that they were 9her+! angels. 21 -ach living !eing had fo+r faces, fo+r wings, and something that looked like h+man arms +nder their wings. 22 The faces of the 9her+! angels were the same as the fo+r faces on the living !eings in the vision !y the Ge!ar 9anal. They all looked straight ahead in the direction they were going. 11 1 Then the Spirit carried me to the -ast Gate of the 5.D@S Temple. This gate faces the east, where the -asy To .ead /ersion

s+n comes +p. 3 saw 2% men there at -Eekiel 11.2* ' 3% the entrance of this gate. Some of the leaders were among them, incl+ding CaaEaniah son of AEE+r and 6elatiah son of <enaiah. 2 Then God spoke to me and said, Son of man, these are the men who make evil plans for this city. They always tell the people to do evil things. 3 These men say, >e will !e !+ilding o+r ho+ses again very soon. >e are as safe in this city as meat in a pot" # So yo+ m+st speak to the people for me. Son of man, prophesy against the people. % Then the Spirit of the 5.D came on me. $e said to me, Tell them that this is what the 5.D said: $o+se of 3srael, yo+ are planning !ig things. <+t 3 know what yo+ are thinking. & ;o+ have killed many people in this city. ;o+ have filled the streets with dead !odies. ' 1ow, the ord G5D says this, The dead !odies are the meat, and the city is the pot. <+t he 71e!+chadneEEar8 will come and take yo+ o+t of this safe pot. -Eekiel 11.(*1% 3& ( ;o+ are afraid of the sword, !+t 3 am !ringing the sword against yo+" This is what the ord G5D said. ) $e also said, 3 will take yo+ o+t of this city and give yo+ to strangers. 3 will p+nish yo+. 1, ;o+ will die !y the sword. 3 will p+nish yo+ here in 3srael, so yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 11 ;es, this place will !e the cooking pot, and yo+ will !e the meat cooking in it. 3 will p+nish yo+ here in 3srael. 12 Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 3t was my law that yo+ !roke. ;o+ did not o!ey my commands. ;o+ decided to live like the nations aro+nd yo+. 13 As soon as 3 finished speaking for God, 6elatiah son of <enaiah died" 3 fell to the gro+nd. 3 !owed with my face to+ching the gro+nd and said, 5h, ord G5D, yo+ are going to completely pag. (&%0131#

destroy all the s+rvivors of 3srael" 1# <+t then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 1% Son of man, remem!er yo+r !rothers, the family of 3srael. They were forced to leave their co+ntry, !+t 3 will !ring them !ack. <+t now, the people living -Eekiel 11.1&*2, 3' in Cer+salem are saying, Stay far away from the 5.D. This land was given to +sit is o+rs" 1& So tell them this: The ord G5D says, 3t is tr+e, 3 forced my people to go far away to other nations. 3 did scatter them among many co+ntries. <+t 3 will !e their temple for a short time while they are in those other co+ntries. 1' <+t yo+ m+st tell those people that the ord G5D will !ring them !ack. 3 have scattered yo+ among many nations, !+t 3 will gather yo+ together and !ring yo+ !ack from those nations. 3 will give the land of 3srael !ack to yo+. 1( >hen my people come !ack, they will destroy all the terri!le, filthy idols that are here now. 1) 3 will !ring them together and make them like one person. 3 will p+t a new spirit in them. 3 will take away that heart of stone, and 3 will p+t a real heart in its place. 2, Then they will o!ey my laws and my commands. They will do the things 3 tell them. They will !e my people, and 3 will !e their God. -Eekiel 11.21*12.2 3( 21 Then God said, <+t now, their hearts !elong to those terri!le, filthy idols, and 3 m+st p+nish those people for the !ad things they have done. This is what the ord G5D said. 22 Then the 9her+! angels raised their wings and flew into the air. The wheels went with them. The Glory of the God of 3srael was a!ove them. 23 The Glory of the 5.D rose into the air and left the city and stopped on the hill east of Cer+salem. 2# Then the Spirit lifted me into the air and !ro+ght me !ack to <a!ylonia. 3t -asy To .ead /ersion

!ro+ght me !ack to the people who were forced to leave 3srael. 3 saw all this in the vision from God. Then the one 3 saw in the vision rose into the air and left me. 2% Then 3 spoke to the people in e4ile. 3 told them a!o+t everything the 5.D showed me. 12 1 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, yo+ live among people who ref+se to o!ey me. They have eyes to see what 3 have done for them, !+t they dont see those things. They have ears to hear what 3 told them to do, !+t -Eekiel 12.3* ' 3) they will not listen. They are people who ref+se to o!ey. 3 So, son of man, pack some things as if yo+ are leaving on a trip. 6retend that yo+ are a prisoner !eing taken far away. Do this d+ring the day so that everyone can see yo+. -ven tho+gh these people ref+se to listen to me, may!e when they see yo+ going away, they will +nderstand what 3 have !een trying to tell them. # D+ring the day, take yo+r !ags o+tside so that the people can see yo+. Then in the evening, pretend yo+ are going away. Act as if yo+ are a prisoner going to a faraway co+ntry. % >hile the people are watching, make a hole in the wall and go o+t thro+gh that hole in the wall. & At night, p+t yo+r !ag on yo+r sho+lder and leave. 9over yo+r face so that yo+ cannot see where yo+ are going. ;o+ m+st do these things so that the people can see yo+, !eca+se 3 am +sing yo+ as an e4ample to the family of 3srael. ' So 3 did as 3 was commanded. D+ring the day, 3 took my !ags and acted as if 3 were going to a faraway co+ntry. That -Eekiel 12.(*13 #, evening, 3 +sed my hands and made a hole in the wall. D+ring the night, 3 p+t my !ag on my sho+lder and left. 3 did this so that all the people co+ld see me. ( The ne4t morning, the 5.D spoke to me and said, pag. (&&0131#

) Son of man, did the people of 3sraelthose people who always ref+se to o!eyask yo+ what yo+ were doing? 1, Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: This sad message is a!o+t the leader of Cer+salem and all the people of 3srael who live there. 11 Tell them, 3 am an e4ample for all of yo+. >hat 3 have done will happen to yo+. ;o+ will !e forced to go to a faraway co+ntry as prisoners. 12 And yo+r leader will make a hole in the wall and sneak o+t at night. $e will cover his face so that people will not recogniEe him. $is eyes will not !e a!le to see where he is going. 13 $e will try to escape, !+t 3 will catch him" $e will !e ca+ght in my trap. Then 3 will !ring him to <a!yloniathe land of the 9haldeans. <+t he will not !e a!le to see where he is going. -Eekiel 12.1#*1) #1 1# 3 will force the kings people to live in the foreign co+ntries aro+nd 3srael, and 3 will scatter his army to the winds. The enemy soldiers will chase after them. 1% Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. They will know that 3 scattered them among the nations. They will know that 3 forced them to go to other co+ntries. 1& <+t 3 will let a few of the people live. They will not die from the disease, h+nger, and war. 3 will let them live so that they can tell other people a!o+t the terri!le things they did against me. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1' Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 1( Son of man, yo+ m+st act as if yo+ are very frightened. ;o+ m+st shake when yo+ eat yo+r food. ;o+ m+st act worried and afraid when yo+ drink yo+r water. 1) ;o+ m+st say this to the common people: This is what the ord G5D says to the people living in Cer+salem and in the other parts of 3srael. ;o+ will !e very worried while yo+ eat yo+r food. ;o+ will !e terrified while yo+ drink yo+r water, !eca+se everything in yo+r co+ntry will -asy To .ead /ersion

-Eekiel 12.2,*2% #2 !e destroyed" This will happen !eca+se the people living there are so violent. 2, Aany people live in yo+r cities now, !+t those cities will !e r+ined. ;o+r whole co+ntry will !e destroyed" Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 21 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 22 Son of man, why do people J+ote this saying a!o+t the land of 3srael: Tro+!le will not come soonF what is seen in visions will not come? 23 Tell the people that the ord G5D will end that saying. They will not say that a!o+t 3srael anymore. 1ow they will J+ote this saying: Tro+!le will come soonF what is seen in visions will happen. 2# There will not !e any more false visions in 3srael. There will not !e any more magicians telling things that dont come tr+e. 2% Thats !eca+se 3 am the 5.D, and if 3 say something will happen, it will happen" 3 will not wait any longer. Those tro+!les are coming soonin yo+r own lifetime. $ear me, yo+ people who always ref+se to o!ey" >hen 3 say something, 3 make it happen. This is what the ord G5D said. -Eekiel 12.2&*13.% #3 2& Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2' Son of man, the people of 3srael think that the visions 3 give yo+ are for a time far in the f+t+re. They think yo+ are talking a!o+t things that will happen many years from now. 2( So yo+ m+st tell them this, The ord G5D says: 3 will not delay any longer. 3f 3 say something will happen, it will happen" This is what the ord G5D said. 13 1 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, yo+ m+st speak to the prophets of 3srael for me. They are only saying what they want to say. ;o+ m+st speak to them. Tell them, isten to this message from the 5.D" 3 This is what the ord G5D says. <ad things will happen to yo+ foolish prophets. ;o+ are following yo+r own pag. (&'0131#

spirits. ;o+ are not telling people what yo+ really see in visions. # 3srael, yo+r prophets are false prophets. They are like =ackals h+nting for food among the r+ins of a city. % ;o+ have not p+t g+ards where the city walls are !roken. And yo+ have not repaired the walls to protect the family -Eekiel 13.&* ) ## of 3srael. So when the day comes for the 5.D to p+nish yo+, yo+ will lose the war" & ;o+r prophets say they have seen visions. They did their magic to see what will happen ne4t. <+t everything they said wo+ld happen is a lie. They claim to speak for the 5.D, !+t the 5.D did not send them. And they still think that what they said is what will happen. ' 3f yo+ prophets saw visions, they were not tr+e. And all yo+ got from yo+r magic was lies" So how can yo+ say that the 5.D told yo+ those things? 3 did not speak to yo+" ( So now, the ord G5D really will speak. $e says, ;o+ told lies. ;o+ saw visions that were not tr+e. So now 3 am against yo+" This is what the ord G5D said. ) 3 will p+nish those prophets who tell their false visions and lie a!o+t the f+t+re. 3 will remove them from my people. Their names will not !e in the list of the family of 3srael. They will never again come to the land of 3srael. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the ord G5D" -Eekiel 13.1,*1& #% 1, Again and again those false prophets lied to my people. They said there wo+ld !e peace, !+t there is no peace. The people need to fi4 the walls and prepare for war. <+t they only slap a thin coat of plaster over the !roken walls. 11 Tell them that 3 will send hail and a strong rain. The wind will !low hard, and a tornado will come. Then the wall will fall down. 12 >hen the wall falls down, the people will ask the prophets, >hat happened to the plaster yo+ p+t on the wall? -asy To .ead /ersion

13 The ord G5D says, 3 am angry and 3 will send a storm against yo+. 3 am angry and 3 will send a strong rain. 3 am angry and 3 will make hail fall from the sky and completely destroy yo+" 1# ;o+ p+t plaster on the wall, !+t 3 will destroy the whole wall. 3 will p+ll it to the gro+nd. The wall will fall on yo+, and then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1% 3 will finish showing my anger against the wall and those who p+t plaster on it. Then 3 will say, There is no wall, and there are no workers to p+t plaster on it. 1& All these things will happen to the false prophets of 3srael. They speak to -Eekiel 13.1'*2, #& the people of Cer+salem and say there will !e peace, !+t there is no peace. This is what the ord G5D said. 1' God said, Son of man, look at the women prophets in 3srael. They say the things they want to say, so yo+ m+st speak against them for me. ;o+ m+st say this to them: 1( This is what the ord G5D says: <ad things will happen to yo+ women. ;o+ sew cloth !racelets for people to wear on their arms. ;o+ make special scarves for people to wear on their heads. ;o+ say those things have magic powers to control peoples lives. ;o+ trap the people only to keep yo+rselves alive" 1) ;o+ make them think 3 am not important. ;o+ t+rn them against me for a few handf+ls of !arley and a few scraps of !read. ;o+ tell lies to my people. They love to listen to lies. ;o+ kill those who sho+ld live, and yo+ let people live who sho+ld die. 2, So this is what the ord G5D says to yo+: ;o+ make those cloth !racelets to trap people, !+t 3 will set them free. 3 will tear those !racelets off yo+r arms, -Eekiel 13.21*1#.# #' and the people will !e free from yo+. They will !e like !irds flying from a trap. 21 And 3 will tear +p those scarves and save my people from yo+r power. They will escape from yo+r trap, and yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. pag. (&(0131#

22 ;o+ prophets tell lies. ;o+r lies h+rt good people3 did not want to h+rt them" ;o+ s+pport the wicked and enco+rage them. ;o+ dont tell them to change their lives. ;o+ dont try to save their lives" 23 So yo+ will not see any more +seless visions or do any more magic. 3 will save my people from yo+r power, and yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 14 1 Some of the elders of 3srael came to me. They sat down to talk with me. 2 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 3 Son of man, these men came to talk to yo+. <+t they still have their filthy idols. They kept the things that made them sin. They still worship those stat+es, so why do they come to me for advice? Sho+ld 3 answer their J+estions? # <+t 3 will give them an answer. ;o+ m+st tell them this: This is what the ord G5D says: 3f any 3sraelites come to a -Eekiel 1#.%* ( #( prophet and ask me for advice, 3 myself will answer their J+estions. 3, the 5.D, will answer them even if they still have their filthy idols, even if they kept the things that made them sin, and even if they still worship those stat+es. 3 will speak to them in spite of all their filthy idols. % This is !eca+se 3 want to to+ch their hearts. 3 want to show them that 3 love them, even tho+gh they left me for their filthy idols. & So tell the family of 3srael, This is what the ord G5D says: 9ome !ack to me and leave yo+r filthy idols. T+rn away from those terri!le, false gods. ' 3f any 3sraelites or foreigners who live in 3srael come to me for advice, 3 will give them an answer. 3, the 5.D, will answer them even if they still have their filthy idols, even if they kept the things that made them sin, and even if they worship those stat+es. This is the answer 3 will give them: ( 3 will t+rn against them and destroy them. They will !e an e4ample to others. 6eople will la+gh at them. 3 will remove -asy To .ead /ersion

-Eekiel 1#.)*1# #) them from my people. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D" ) And if a prophet is foolish eno+gh to give his own answer, 3, the 5.D, will show him how foolish he is" 3 will +se my power against him. 3 will destroy him and remove him from among my people, 3srael. 1, So !oth the one who came for advice and the prophet who gave an answer will get the same p+nishment. 11 >hy? So that those prophets will stop leading my people away from me, and my people will stop !eing filthy with sin. Then they will !e my special people, and 3 will !e their God. This is what the ord G5D said. 12 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 13 Son of man, 3 will p+nish any nation that leaves me and sins against me. 3 will stop their food s+pply. 3 might ca+se a famine and remove the people and animals from that co+ntry. 1# 3 wo+ld p+nish that co+ntry even if 1oah, Daniel, and Co! lived there. They co+ld save their own lives !y their goodness, !+t they co+ld not save the -Eekiel 1#.1%*1( %, whole co+ntry. This is what the ord G5D said. 1% 5r 3 might send wild animals thro+gh that co+ntry to kill all the people. Then no one wo+ld travel thro+gh that co+ntry !eca+se of the wild animals. 1& 3f 1oah, Daniel, and Co! lived there, those three men co+ld save their own lives. <+t 3 promise !y my own life that they co+ld not save the lives of other peoplenot even their own sons and da+ghters" That evil co+ntry wo+ld !e destroyed. This is what the ord G5D said. 1' 5r 3 might send an enemy army to fight against that co+ntry. The soldiers wo+ld destroy that co+ntry3 wo+ld remove all the people and animals from that co+ntry. 1( 3f 1oah, Daniel, and Co! lived there, those three men co+ld save their own pag. (&)0131#

lives. <+t 3 promise !y my own life that they co+ld not save the lives of other peoplenot even their own sons and da+ghters" That evil co+ntry wo+ld !e destroyed. This is what the ord G5D said. -Eekiel 1#.1)*23 %1 1) 5r 3 might send a disease against that co+ntry. 3 will po+r my anger down on the people. 3 will remove all the people and animals from that co+ntry. 2, 3f 1oah, Daniel, and Co! lived there, those three men co+ld save their own lives !eca+se they are good men. <+t 3 promise !y my own life that they co+ld not save the lives of other peoplenot even their own sons and da+ghters" This is what the ord G5D said. 21 Then the ord G5D said, So think how !ad it will !e for Cer+salem. 3 will send all fo+r of those p+nishments against that city" 3 will send enemy soldiers, h+nger, disease, and wild animals against that city. 3 will remove all the people and animals from that co+ntry. 22 Some of the people will escape from that co+ntry. They will !ring their sons and da+ghters and come to yo+ for help. Then yo+ will see how !ad those people really are, and yo+ will feel !etter a!o+t all the tro+!les that 3 am !ringing to Cer+salem. 23 ;o+ will see how they live and all the !ad things they do. Then yo+ will know -Eekiel 1%.1* ' %2 that 3 had a good reason for p+nishing them. This is what the ord G5D said. 15 1 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, are the pieces of wood from a grapevine any !etter than the little !ranches c+t from trees in the forest? 3 ;o+ cant +se its wood to make anything, can yo+? 3ts not even good for pegs to hang dishes on" # 3t can !e +sed to make a fire. <+t after the ends !+rn and the middle is scorched, what then? % 3f yo+ cant make anything from that -asy To .ead /ersion

wood !efore it is !+rned, yo+ s+rely cant make anything after it is !+rned" & The people of Cer+salem are as +seless as the wood from the grapevines growing among the trees of the forest. So 3 will throw them into the fire to !+rn like that wood" This is what the ord G5D said. ' 3 will p+nish those people. <+t some of them will !e like the sticks that dont !+rn completely. They will !e p+nished, !+t they will not !e destroyed completely. ;o+ will see that 3 p+nished them, and yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D" -Eekiel 1%.(*1&.& %3 ( 3 will destroy that co+ntry !eca+se the people left me to worship false gods. This is what the ord G5D said. 16 1 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, tell the people of Cer+salem a!o+t the terri!le things they have done. 3 ;o+ m+st say, This is what the ord G5D says to Cer+salem: ook at yo+r history. ;o+ were !orn in 9anaan. ;o+r father was an Amorite. ;o+r mother was a $ittite. # Cer+salem, on the day yo+ were !orn, there was no one to c+t yo+r navel cord. 1o one p+t salt on yo+ and washed yo+ to make yo+ clean. 1o one wrapped yo+ in cloth. % 1o one felt sorry for yo+ or took care of yo+. 5n the day yo+ were !orn, yo+r parents threw yo+ o+t into the field, !eca+se no one wanted yo+. & Then 3 passed !y. 3 saw yo+ lying there, kicking in the !lood. ;o+ were covered with !lood, !+t 3 said, 6lease live" ;es, yo+ were covered with !lood, !+t 3 said, 6lease live" -Eekiel 1&.'*13 %# ' 3 helped yo+ grow like a plant in the field. ;o+ grew and grew. ;o+ !ecame a yo+ng woman: yo+r periods !egan, yo+r !reasts grew, and yo+r hair !egan to grow. <+t yo+ were still !are and naked. ( 3 looked yo+ over. 3 saw yo+ were ready for love, so 3 spread my clothes over yo+ and covered yo+r nakedness. pag. (',0131#

3 promised to marry yo+. 3 made the agreement with yo+, and yo+ !ecame mine. This is what the ord G5D said. ) 3 washed yo+ in water. 3 po+red water over yo+ to wash away the !lood that was on yo+, and then 3 p+t oil on yo+r skin. 1, 3 gave yo+ a nice dress and soft leather sandals, a linen head!and, and a silk scarf. 11 3 also gave yo+ some =ewelry. 3 p+t !racelets on yo+r arms and a necklace aro+nd yo+r neck. 12 3 gave yo+ a nose ring, earrings, and a !ea+tif+l crown to wear. 13 ;o+ were !ea+tif+l in yo+r gold and silver =ewelry, and yo+r linen, silk, and em!roidered material. ;o+ ate the !est foods. ;o+ were very, very !ea+tif+l, and yo+ !ecame the J+een" -Eekiel 1&.1#*2, %% 1# ;o+ !ecame famo+s for yo+r !ea+ty, all !eca+se 3 made yo+ so lovely" This is what the ord G5D said. 1% <+t yo+ !egan to tr+st in yo+r !ea+ty. <eing well known, yo+ !ecame a prostit+te and gave yo+rself to every man who passed !y. ;o+r !ea+ty !ecame theirs to en=oy" 1& ;o+ took yo+r !ea+tif+l clothes and +sed them to decorate yo+r places for worship. And yo+ offered yo+rself as a prostit+te there. ;o+ gave yo+rself to every man who came !y" 1' Then yo+ took yo+r !ea+tif+l =ewelry that 3 gave yo+, and yo+ +sed the gold and silver to make stat+es of men, and yo+ had se4 with them too" 1( Then yo+ took the !ea+tif+l cloth and made clothes for those stat+es. ;o+ took the perf+me and incense 3 gave yo+ and p+t it in front of those idols. 1) 3 gave yo+ !read, honey, and oil, !+t yo+ gave that food to yo+r idols. ;o+ offered them as a sweet smell to please yo+r false gods. This act+ally happened" This is what the ord G5D said. 2, ;o+ and 3 had children together, !+t yo+ took o+r children. ;o+ killed them -Eekiel 1&.21*2& %& -asy To .ead /ersion

and gave them to those false gods" <+t that is only some of the evil things yo+ did when yo+ were +nfaithf+l to me and went to those false gods. 21 ;o+ sla+ghtered my sons and then passed them thro+gh the fire to those false gods. 22 ;o+ left me and did all those terri!le things. ;o+ never remem!ered what happened when yo+ were yo+ng. ;o+ did not remem!er that yo+ were naked and kicking in !lood when 3 fo+nd yo+. 23 After all these evil things, it will !e very !ad for yo+" The ord G5D said all these things. 2# After all those things, yo+ made a mo+nd for worshiping that false god. ;o+ !+ilt places for worshiping those gods on every street corner. 2% There yo+ made yo+r !ea+ty a disgrace. ;o+ +sed it to catch every man who walked !y. ;o+ raised yo+r skirt so that they co+ld see yo+r legs, and yo+ offered yo+rself as a prostit+te to them. 2& Then yo+ went to -gypt, yo+r neigh!or that is always ready for se4. >ith more and more se4+al sin, yo+ made me angry. -Eekiel 1&.2'*33 %' 2' So 3 p+nished yo+" 3 took away part of yo+r land. 3 let yo+r enemies, the da+ghters of the 6hilistines, do what they wanted to yo+. -ven they were shocked at the evil things yo+ did. 2( Then yo+ went to have se4 with Assyria. ;o+ co+ld not get eno+gh. ;o+ were never satisfied. 2) So yo+ t+rned to 9anaan, and then to <a!ylonia, and still yo+ were not satisfied. 3, ;o+ are so weak. ;o+ let all those men ca+se yo+ to sin. ;o+ acted =+st like a prostit+te who wants to !e the one in control. This is what the ord G5D said. 31 God said, <+t yo+ were not e4actly like a prostit+te. ;o+ !+ilt yo+r mo+nds at the head of every road, and yo+ !+ilt yo+r places for worship at every street corner. ;o+ had se4 with all those men, !+t yo+ did not ask them to pay yo+ the pag. ('10131#

way a prostit+te does. 32 ;o+ are a woman g+ilty of ad+ltery. ;o+ wo+ld rather have se4 with strangers than with yo+r own h+s!and. 33 Aost prostit+tes force men to pay them for se4, !+t yo+ gave money to -Eekiel 1&.3#*3) %( yo+r many lovers. ;o+ paid all the men aro+nd to come in to have se4 with yo+. 3# ;o+ are =+st the opposite of most prostit+tes who force men to pay them, !eca+se yo+ pay the men to have se4 with yo+. 3% 6rostit+te, listen to the message from the 5.D. 3& This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ have spent yo+r money and let yo+r lovers and filthy gods see yo+r naked !ody and have se4 with yo+. ;o+ have killed yo+r children and po+red o+t their !lood. This was yo+r gift to those false gods. 3' So 3 am !ringing all of yo+r lovers together. 3 will !ring all the men yo+ loved and all the men yo+ hated. 3 will !ring them all together and let them see yo+ naked. They will see yo+ completely naked. 3( Then 3 will p+nish yo+. 3 will p+nish yo+ as a m+rderer and a woman who committed the sin of ad+ltery. ;o+ will !e p+nished as if !y an angry and =ealo+s h+s!and. 3) 3 will let those lovers have yo+. They will destroy yo+r mo+nds. They will !+rn -Eekiel 1&.#,*#% %) yo+r places for worship. They will tear off yo+r clothes and take yo+r !ea+tif+l =ewelry. They will leave yo+ !are and naked as yo+ were when 3 fo+nd yo+. #, They will !ring a crowd of people and throw rocks at yo+ to kill yo+. Then they will c+t yo+ into pieces with their swords. #1 They will !+rn yo+r ho+se. They will p+nish yo+ so that all the other women can see. 3 will stop yo+ from living like a prostit+te. 3 will stop yo+ from paying money to yo+r lovers. #2 Then 3 will stop !eing angry and =ealo+s. 3 will calm down. 3 will not !e -asy To .ead /ersion

angry anymore. #3 >hy will all these things happen? <eca+se yo+ did not remem!er what happened when yo+ were yo+ng. ;o+ did all those !ad things and made me angry. So 3 had to p+nish yo+ for doing them, !+t yo+ planned even more terri!le things. This is what the ord G5D said. ## All the people who talk a!o+t yo+ will now have one more thing to say. They will say, ike mother, like da+ghter. #% ;o+ are yo+r mothers da+ghter. ;o+ dont care a!o+t yo+r h+s!and or yo+r children. ;o+ are like yo+r sister. <oth -Eekiel 1&.#&*%1 &, of yo+ hated yo+r h+s!and and yo+r children. ;o+ are like yo+r parents. ;o+r mother was a $ittite and yo+r father was an Amorite. #& ;o+r older sister was Samaria. She lived to the north of yo+ with her da+ghters. ;o+r yo+nger sister was Sodom. She lived to the so+th of yo+ with her da+ghters. #' ;o+ did all the terri!le things they did, !+t yo+ also did m+ch worse" #( 3 am the ord G5D. As 3 live, 3 swear that yo+r sister Sodom and her da+ghters never did as many !ad things as yo+ and yo+r da+ghters. #) ;o+r sister Sodom and her da+ghters were pro+d. They had too m+ch to eat and too m+ch time on their hands, and they did not help poor, helpless people. %, Sodom and her da+ghters !ecame too pro+d and !egan to do terri!le things in front of me. So 3 p+nished them" %1 And Samaria did only half as many !ad things as yo+ did. ;o+ did many more terri!le things than Samaria" ;o+ have done so many more terri!le things than yo+r sisters have done. Sodom and Samaria seem good compared to yo+. -Eekiel 1&.%2*%( &1 %2 So yo+ m+st !ear yo+r shame. ;o+ have made yo+r sisters look good compared to yo+. ;o+ have done terri!le things, so yo+ sho+ld !e ashamed. %3 3 destroyed Sodom and the towns aro+nd it, and 3 destroyed Samaria and pag. ('20131#

the towns aro+nd it. And 3 will destroy yo+ too, Cer+salem. <+t 3 will !+ild those cities again, and 3 will re!+ild yo+ too. %# 3 will comfort yo+. Then yo+ will remem!er the terri!le things yo+ did, and yo+ will !e ashamed. %% So yo+ and yo+r sisters will !e re!+ilt. Sodom and the towns aro+nd her, Samaria and the towns aro+nd her, and yo+ and the towns aro+nd yo+ will all !e re!+ilt. %& 3n the past, yo+ were pro+d and made f+n of yo+r sister Sodom. <+t yo+ will not do that again. %' ;o+ did that !efore yo+ were p+nished, !efore yo+r neigh!ors started making f+n of yo+. The da+ghters of -dom and 6hilistia are making f+n of yo+ now. %( 1ow yo+ m+st s+ffer for the terri!le things yo+ did. This is what the 5.D said. -Eekiel 1&.%)*1'.2 &2 %) This is what the ord G5D said: 3 will treat yo+ like yo+ treated me" ;o+ !roke yo+r marriage promise. ;o+ did not respect o+r agreement. &, <+t 3 will remem!er the agreement we made when yo+ were yo+ng. 3 made an agreement with yo+ that will contin+e forever" &1 3 will !ring yo+r sisters to yo+, and 3 will make them yo+r da+ghters. That was not in o+r agreement, !+t 3 will do that for yo+. Then yo+ will remem!er the terri!le things yo+ did, and yo+ will !e ashamed. &2 So 3 will make my agreement with yo+, and yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. &3 ;o+ will remem!er me, and yo+ will !e so ashamed of the evil things yo+ did that yo+ will not !e a!le to say anything. <+t 3 will make yo+ p+re, and yo+ will never !e ashamed again" This is what the ord G5D said. 17 1 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, 3 have a story with a hidden meaning for yo+ to tell the family -asy To .ead /ersion

of 3srael. -Eekiel 1'.3* ( &3 3 Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: A large eagle with !ig wings came to e!anon. $e had feathers covered with spots. # $e !roke the top o+t of the !ig cedar tree 7 e!anon8 and !ro+ght it to 9anaan. $e set the !ranch down in a city of merchants. % Then the eagle took some of the seeds from 9anaan. $e planted them in good soil !y a good river. & The seeds grew and !ecame a grapevine. 3t was a good vine. The vine was not tall, !+t it spread to cover a large area. The vine grew stems, and smaller vines grew very long. ' Then another eagle with !ig wings saw the grapevine. The eagle had many feathers. The grapevine wanted this new eagle to care for it. So it stretched its roots and !ranches toward the eagle. 3ts !ranches stretched toward this eagle. The !ranches grew away from the field where it was planted. The grapevine wanted the new eagle to water it. ( The grapevine was planted in a good field near plenty of water. 3t co+ld have -Eekiel 1'.)*13 &# grown !ranches and fr+it. 3t co+ld have !ecome a very good grapevine. ) This is what the ord G5D says: Do yo+ think that plant will s+cceed? 1o, the new eagle will p+ll the plant from the gro+nd, and the !ird will !reak the plants roots. 3t will eat +p all the grapes. Then the new leaves will wilt. That plant will !e very weak. 3t will not take strong arms or a powerf+l nation to p+ll that plant +p !y the roots. 1, >ill the plant grow where it is planted? 1o, the hot east wind will !low, and the plant will !ecome dry and die. 3t will die there where it was planted. 11 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 12 -4plain this story to the people of 3srael who always t+rn against me. Tell them this: The first eagle is the king of <a!ylonia. $e came to Cer+salem and pag. ('30131#

took away the king and other leaders. $e !ro+ght them to <a!ylonia. 13 Then 1e!+chadneEEar made an agreement with a man from the kings family. 1e!+chadneEEar forced that man to make a promise. So this man promised to !e loyal to 1e!+chadneEEar. 1e!+chadneEEar made this man the -Eekiel 1'.1#*1' &% new king of C+dah. Then he took all the powerf+l men away from C+dah. 1# So C+dah !ecame a weak kingdom that co+ld not t+rn against Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. The people were forced to keep the agreement 1e!+chadneEEar made with the new king of C+dah. 1% <+t this new king tried to re!el against 1e!+chadneEEar anyway" $e sent messengers to -gypt to ask for help. The new king asked for many horses and soldiers. 1ow, do yo+ think the new king of C+dah will s+cceed? Do yo+ think the new king will have eno+gh power to !reak the agreement and escape p+nishment? 1& The ord G5D says, <y my life, 3 swear that this new king will die in <a!ylonia" 1e!+chadneEEar made this man the new king of C+dah, !+t he !roke his promise with 1e!+chadneEEar. This new king ignored that agreement. 1' The king of -gypt will not !e a!le to save the king of C+dah. $e might send many soldiers, !+t -gypts great power will not save C+dah. 1e!+chadneEEars army will !+ild dirt roads and dirt walls to capt+re the city. Aany people will die. -Eekiel 1'.1(*23 && 1( <+t the king of C+dah will not escape, !eca+se he ignored his agreement. $e !roke his promise to 1e!+chadneEEar. 1) The ord G5D makes this promise: <y my life, 3 swear that 3 will p+nish the king of C+dah, !eca+se he ignored my warnings and !roke o+r agreement. 2, 3 will set my trap, and he will !e ca+ght in it. Then 3 will !ring him to <a!ylon, and 3 will p+nish him there. 3 will p+nish him !eca+se he t+rned against me, -asy To .ead /ersion

21 and 3 will destroy his army. 3 will destroy his !est soldiers and scatter them to the wind. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D and that 3 told yo+ these things. 22 This is what the ord G5D says: 3 will take a !ranch from a tall cedar tree. 3 will take a small !ranch from the top of the tree, and 3 myself will plant it on a very high mo+ntain. 23 3 myself will plant it on a high mo+ntain in 3srael. That !ranch will grow into a tree. 3t will grow !ranches and make fr+it and !ecome a !ea+tif+l cedar tree. Aany !irds will sit on its -Eekiel 1'.2#*1(.& &' !ranches and live in the shadows +nder its !ranches. 2# Then the other trees will know that 3, the 5.D, make tall trees fall to the gro+nd, and 3 make small trees grow tall. 3 make green trees !ecome dry, and 3 make dry trees !ecome green. 3 am the 5.D. 3f 3 say that 3 will do something, then 3 will do it" 18 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 >hy do yo+ people say this prover!: The parents ate the so+r grapes, !+t the children got the so+r taste? 3 <+t the ord G5D says, <y my life, 3 swear that people in 3srael will not think this prover! is tr+e anymore" # 3 will treat everyone, child and parent, =+st the same. The one who sins is the one who will die" % A person who is good will live" $e is fair and does what is right. & $e doesnt go to the mo+ntains to share food offered to idols. $e doesnt pray to those filthy idols in 3srael. $e doesnt commit ad+ltery with his neigh!ors wife or with a woman d+ring her period. -Eekiel 1(.'*12 &( ' $e doesnt take advantage of others. 3f someone !orrows money from him, he might take something of val+e !efore he gives the money. <+t when that person pays him !ack, he ret+rns what he took. pag. ('#0131#

$e gives food to the h+ngry and clothes to people who need them. ( 3f someone wants to !orrow money from him, he lends the money and doesnt charge interest on the loan. $e ref+ses to !e crooked. $e is always fair with everyone. 6eople can tr+st him. ) $e o!eys my laws and st+dies my r+les so that he can learn to !e fair and dependa!le. $e is good, so he will live. This is what the ord G5D said. 1, <+t someone like that might have a son who does not do any of these good things. The son steals things and kills people. 11 $e does things his father never did. $e goes to the mo+ntains and eats foods offered to false gods. $e commits the sin of ad+ltery with his neigh!ors wife. 12 $e mistreats poor, helpless people. $e takes advantage of them. >hen a de!t is paid, he does not give !ack what -Eekiel 1(.13*1' &) he took from them. $e prays to filthy idols and does other terri!le things. 13 $e lends money to people who need it, !+t he forces them to pay interest on the loan. The evil son will not !e allowed to live. $e will !e p+t to death !eca+se he did s+ch terri!le things, and he will !e responsi!le for his own death. 1# 1ow, that evil son might also have a son. <+t this son sees the !ad things his father did, and he ref+ses to live as his father did. $e treats people fairly. 1% $e does not go to the mo+ntains and eat foods offered to false gods. $e does not pray to filthy idols in 3srael. $e does not commit the sin of ad+ltery with his neigh!ors wife. 1& $e does not take advantage of people. 3f someone !orrows money from him, the good son takes something of val+e and then gives the other person the money. >hen that person pays him !ack, the good son gives !ack what he took. The good son gives food to h+ngry people, and he gives clothes to those who need them. 1' $e helps the poor. 3f people want -asy To .ead /ersion

to !orrow money, the good son lends -Eekiel 1(.1(*21 ', them the money, and he does not charge interest on the loan. $e o!eys my laws and follows them. $e will not !e p+t to death for his fathers sins. The good son will live. 1( The father h+rts people and steals things. $e never does anything good for my people" $e will die !eca+se of his own sins. 1) ;o+ might ask, >hy will the son not !e p+nished for his fathers sins? The reason is that the son was fair and did good things. $e very caref+lly o!eyed my laws, so he will live. 2, The one who sins is the one who will !e p+t to death. A son will not !e p+nished for his fathers sins, and a father will not !e p+nished for his sons sins. A good mans goodness !elongs to him alone, and a !ad mans evil !elongs to him alone. 21 1ow, if evil people change their lives, they will live and not die. They might stop doing all the !ad things they did and !egin to caref+lly o!ey all my laws. They might !ecome fair and good. -Eekiel 1(.22*2( '1 22 God will not remem!er all the !ad things they did. $e will remem!er only their goodness, so they will live" 23 The ord G5D says, 3 dont want evil people to die. 3 want them to change their lives so that they can live" 2# 1ow, may!e good people might stop !eing good. They might change their lives and !egin to do all the terri!le things that evil people have done in the past. 7The evil people changed, so they can live.8 So if those good people change and !ecome !ad, God will not remem!er all the good things they did. $e will remem!er that they t+rned against him and !egan to sin. So they will die !eca+se of their sin. 2% ;o+ people might say, The ord isnt fair" <+t listen, family of 3srael. 3 am fair. ;o+ are the ones who are not fair" 2& 3f good people change and !ecome pag. ('%0131#

evil, they m+st die for the !ad things they do. 2' And if evil people change and !ecome good and fair, they will save their lives. They will live" 2( They saw how wicked they were and came !ack to me. They stopped doing -Eekiel 1(.2)*1).3 '2 the evil things they did in the past. So they will live" They will not die" 2) The people of 3srael said, Thats not fair" The ord isnt fair" 3 am fair" ;o+ are the ones who are not fair" 3, >hy? <eca+se, family of 3srael, 3 will =+dge each of yo+ only for what yo+ do" This is what the ord G5D said. So come !ack to me" Stop committing those crimes and do away with those things that ca+se yo+ to sin" 31 Throw away all the terri!le idols with which yo+ committed yo+r crimes" 9hange yo+r heart and spirit. 6eople of 3srael, why sho+ld yo+ do things that will cost yo+ yo+r life? 32 3 dont want to kill yo+" 6lease come !ack and live" This is what the ord G5D said. 19 1 The ord said to me, ;o+ m+st sing this sad song a!o+t the leaders of 3srael: 2 ;o+r mother is like a female lion, lying there with the male lions. She went to lie down with the yo+ng male lions and had many !a!ies. 3 5ne of her c+!s gets +p. $e has grown to !e a strong yo+ng lion. $e has learned -Eekiel 1).#* ) '3 to catch his food. $e killed and ate a man. # The people heard him roar, and they ca+ght him in their trap. They p+t hooks in his mo+th and carried the yo+ng lion to -gypt. % The mother lion had hoped that c+! wo+ld !ecome the leader, !+t now she has lost all hope. So she took another of her c+!s and trained him to !e a lion. & $e h+nted with the ad+lt lions and !ecame a strong yo+ng lion. $e learned to catch his food. $e killed and ate a -asy To .ead /ersion

man. ' $e attacked the palaces and destroyed the cities. -veryone in that co+ntry was too afraid to speak when hearing his growl. ( Then the people who lived aro+nd him set a trap for him, and they ca+ght him in their trap. ) They p+t hooks on him and locked him +p. They had him in their trap, so they took him to the king of <a!ylon. And now, yo+ cannot hear his roar on the mo+ntains of 3srael. -Eekiel 1).1,*2,.2 '# 1, ;o+r mother is like a grapevine planted near the water. She had plenty of water, so she grew many strong vines. 11 Then she grew large !ranches. They were like a strong walking stick. They were like a kings scepter. The vine grew taller and taller. 3t had many !ranches and reached to the clo+ds. 12 <+t the vine was p+lled +p !y the roots, and thrown down to the gro+nd. The hot east wind !lew and dried its fr+it. The strong !ranches !roke, and they were thrown into the fire. 13 1ow that grapevine is planted in the desert. 3t is a very dry and thirsty land. 1# A fire started in the large !ranch and spread to destroy all of its vines and fr+it. So there was no strong walking stick. There was no kings scepter. This was a sad song a!o+t death, and it was s+ng as a sad song a!o+t death. 20 1 5ne day, some of the elders of 3srael came to me to ask the 5.D for advice. This was on the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of e4ile. The elders sat down in front of me. 2 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, -Eekiel 2,.3* ' '% 3 Son of man, speak to the elders of 3srael. Tell them This is what the ord G5D says: $ave yo+ come to ask me what yo+ sho+ld do? 3, the ord G5D, tell yo+ that, as s+rely as 3 live, 3 will not listen to yo+. # Sho+ld yo+ =+dge them? >ill yo+ pag. ('&0131#

=+dge them, son of man? ;o+ m+st tell them a!o+t the terri!le things their fathers have done. % ;o+ m+st tell them, This is what the ord G5D says: 5n the day 3 chose 3srael, 3 raised my hand to Caco!s family and made a promise to them in -gypt. >hen 3 let them know who 3 was, 3 raised my hand and said: 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. & 5n that day, 3 promised to take yo+ o+t of -gypt and lead yo+ to the land 3 was giving to yo+. That was a good land filled with many good things. 3t was the most !ea+tif+l of all co+ntries" ' 3 told the family of 3srael to throw away their horri!le idols. 3 told them not to !ecome filthy with those filthy stat+es from -gypt. 3 said, 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. -Eekiel 2,.(*13 '& ( <+t they t+rned against me and ref+sed to listen to me. They did not throw away their horri!le idols. They did not leave their filthy stat+es in -gypt. So 3 decided to destroy them in -gyptto let them feel the f+ll force of my anger. ) <+t 3 did not destroy them. 3 had already told the -gyptians that 3 wo+ld !ring my people o+t of -gypt. 3 did not want to r+in my good name, so 3 did not destroy 3srael in front of those other people. 1, 3 !ro+ght the family of 3srael o+t of -gypt. 3 led them into the desert. 11 Then 3 gave them my laws and told them all my r+les. All those who o!ey them will live. 12 3 also told them a!o+t all the special days of rest, which were a special sign !etween +s. They showed that 3 am the 5.D and that 3 was making them special to me. 13 <+t the family of 3srael t+rned against me in the desert. They did not follow my laws. They ref+sed to o!ey my r+leseven tho+gh people who o!ey my laws live !eca+se of them. They treated my special days of rest as if they were -Eekiel 2,.1#*1( '' -asy To .ead /ersion

not important. They worked on those days many times. 3 decided to destroy them in the desertto let them feel the f+ll force of my anger. 1# <+t 3 did not destroy them. The other nations saw me !ring 3srael o+t of -gypt. 3 did not want to r+in my good name, so 3 did not destroy 3srael in front of those other people. 1% 3 made another promise to those people in the desert. 3 promised that 3 wo+ld not !ring them into the land 3 was giving them. That was a good land filled with many good things. 3t was the most !ea+tif+l of all co+ntries" 1& The people of 3srael ref+sed to o!ey my r+les or to follow my laws. They treated my days of rest as if they were not important. They did all these things !eca+se their hearts !elonged to their filthy idols. 1' <+t 3 felt sorry for them, so 3 did not destroy them. 3 did not completely destroy them in the desert. 1( 3 spoke to their children and told them, Dont !e like yo+r parents. Dont make yo+rselves filthy with their filthy -Eekiel 2,.1)*23 '( idols. Dont follow their laws or o!ey their commands. 1) 3 am the 5.D. 3 am yo+r God. 5!ey my laws and keep my commands. Do the things 3 tell yo+. 2, Show that my days of rest are important to yo+. .emem!er, they are a special sign !etween +s. 3 am the 5.D, and these days show yo+ that 3 am yo+r God. 21 <+t the children t+rned against me and did not o!ey my laws. They did not keep my commandseven tho+gh people who o!ey my laws live !eca+se of them. They treated my special days of rest as tho+gh they were not important. So 3 decided to destroy them completely in the desertto let them feel the f+ll force of my anger. 22 <+t 3 stopped myself. The other nations saw me !ring 3srael o+t of -gypt. 3 did not want to r+in my good name, so pag. (''0131#

3 did not destroy 3srael in front of those other people. 23 So 3 made vow against those people in the desert. 3 vowed to scatter them among the nations, to send them to many different co+ntries. -Eekiel 2,.2#*2( ') 2# The people of 3srael did not o!ey my commands. They ref+sed to o!ey my laws. They treated my special days of rest as tho+gh they were not important, and they worshiped the filthy idols of their fathers. 2% So 3 gave them laws that were not good. 3 gave them commands that wo+ld not !ring life. 2& 3 let them make themselves filthy with their gifts. They even !egan to sacrifice their own first!orn children. 3n this way 3 wo+ld destroy them. Then they wo+ld know that 3 am the 5.D. 2' So now, son of man, speak to the family of 3srael. Tell them, This is what the ord G5D says: The people of 3srael said !ad things a!o+t me and made evil plans against me. 2( <+t 3 still !ro+ght them to the land 3 promised to give them. They saw all the hills and green trees, so they went to all those places to worship. They took their sacrifices and anger offerings to all those places. They offered their sacrifices that made a sweet smell, and they offered their drink offerings at those places. -Eekiel 2,.2)*33 (, 2) 3 asked the people of 3srael why they were going to the high places. <+t that high place is still there today. 3, Since 3srael did those things, speak to them and tell them, This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ people are poll+ting yo+rselves !y doing the things yo+r ancestors did. <y offering yo+rselves as prostit+tes to their disg+sting idols, yo+ make yo+rselves +nfaithf+l to me. 3s that what yo+ want? 31 ;o+ offer to those idols the same gifts yo+r ancestors did. ;o+ are p+tting yo+r children in the fire as an offering to yo+r false gods. ;o+ are still poll+ting -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+rselves with these filthy idols today" Do yo+ really think that 3 sho+ld let yo+ come to me and ask me for advice? 3 am the ord G5D. <y my life, 3 swear that 3 will not answer yo+r J+estions or give yo+ advice" 32 ;o+ keep saying yo+ want to !e like the other nations. ;o+ live like the people in other nations. ;o+ serve pieces of wood and stone idols" 33 The ord G5D says, <y my life, 3 swear that 3 will r+le over yo+ as king. <+t 3 will raise my powerf+l arm and -Eekiel 2,.3#*3) (1 p+nish yo+. 3 will show my anger against yo+" 3# 3 will !ring yo+ o+t of these other nations. 3 scattered yo+ among these nations, !+t 3 will gather yo+ together and !ring yo+ !ack from these co+ntries. <+t 3 will raise my powerf+l arm and p+nish yo+. 3 will show my anger against yo+" 3% 3 will lead yo+ into a desert as 3 did !efore, !+t this will !e a place where other nations live. >e will stand face to face, and 3 will =+dge yo+. 3& 3 will =+dge yo+ as 3 =+dged yo+r ancestors in the desert near -gypt. This is what the ord G5D said. 3' 3 will =+dge yo+ g+ilty and p+nish yo+ according to the agreement. 3( 3 will remove all those who t+rned against me and sinned against me. 3 will remove them from yo+r homeland. They will never again come to the land of 3srael. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 3) 1ow, family of 3srael, this is what the ord G5D says: >hoever wants to worship their filthy idols, let them go and worship them. <+t later, dont think -Eekiel 2,.#,*#2 (2 yo+ will get any advice from me. ;o+ will not r+in my name anymorenot when yo+ contin+e to give yo+r gifts to yo+r filthy idols" #, The ord G5D says, 6eople m+st come to my holy mo+ntainthe high mo+ntain in 3sraelto serve me" The pag. ('(0131#

whole family of 3srael will !e on their landF they will !e there in their co+ntry. There yo+ can come to ask me for advice, and yo+ m+st come there to !ring me yo+r offerings. ;o+ m+st !ring the first part of yo+r crops to me there. ;o+ m+st !ring all yo+r holy gifts to me in that place. #1 Then 3 will !e pleased with the sweet smell of yo+r sacrifices. That will happen when 3 !ring yo+ !ack. 3 scattered yo+ among many nations, !+t 3 will gather yo+ together and make yo+ my special people again. And all the nations will see it. #2 Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. ;o+ will know this when 3 !ring yo+ !ack to the land of 3srael, the land 3 promised to give to yo+r ancestors. -Eekiel 2,.#3*#( (3 #3 3n that co+ntry yo+ will remem!er all the evil things yo+ did that made yo+ filthy, and yo+ will !e ashamed. ## 2amily of 3srael, yo+ did many evil things, and yo+ sho+ld !e destroyed !eca+se of them. <+t to protect my good name, 3 will not give yo+ the p+nishment yo+ really deserve. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. This is what the ord G5D said. #% Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, #& Son of man, look toward the 1egev. Speak against the so+thern part of C+dah. Tell them what will happen to the 1egev 2orest. #' Say to the 1egev 2orest, isten to the word of the 5.D. This is what the ord G5D said: ook, 3 am ready to start a fire in yo+r forest. The fire will destroy every green tree and every dry tree. The flame that !+rns will not !e p+t o+t. All the land from so+th to north will !e !+rned !y the fire. #( Then all people will see that 3, the 5.D, have started the fire. The fire will not !e p+t o+t" -Eekiel 2,.#)*21.' (# #) Then 3 said, 5h, ord G5D" 3f 3 say this, the people will say that 3 am only telling them stories. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 1 So the word of the 5.D came to me again. $e said, 2 Son of man, look toward Cer+salem and speak against their holy places. Speak against the land of 3srael for me. 3 Say to the land of 3srael, This is what the 5.D said: 3 am against yo+" 3 will p+ll my sword from its sheath. 3 will remove all people from yo+the good and the evil. # 3 will c+t off !oth good people and evil people from yo+. 3 will p+ll my sword from its sheath and +se it against all people from so+th to north. % Then everyone will know that 3 am the 5.D. They will know that 3 have p+lled my sword from its sheath. Ay sword will not go !ack into its sheath again +ntil it is finished. & Son of man, make sad so+nds like a sad person with a !roken heart. Aake these sad so+nds in front of the people. ' Then they will ask yo+, >hy are yo+ making these sad so+nds? Then yo+ m+st say, <eca+se of the sad news that -Eekiel 21.(*13 (% is coming. -very heart will melt with fear. All hands will !ecome weak. -very spirit will !ecome weak. All knees will !e like water. ook, that !ad news is coming. These things will happen" This is what the ord G5D said. ( The 5.D spoke to me and said, ) Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, This is what the ord says: ook, a sword, a sharp sword, and it has !een polished. 1, The sword was made sharp for killing. 3t was polished to flash like lightning. Ay son, yo+ ran away from the stick 3 +sed to p+nish yo+. ;o+ ref+sed to !e p+nished with that wooden stick. 11 So the sword has !een polished. 1ow it can !e +sed. The sword was sharpened and polished. 1ow it can !e p+t in the hand of the killer. 12 Son of man, sho+t o+t and scream !eca+se the sword will !e +sed against my people and all the r+lers of 3srael. They wanted warso they will !e with my pag. (')0131#

people when the sword comes. So slap yo+r thigh to show yo+r sadness, 13 !eca+se it is not =+st a test. ;o+ ref+sed to !e p+nished with the wooden -Eekiel 21.1#*1) (& stick, so what else sho+ld 3 +se to p+nish yo+? A sword? This is what the ord G5D said. 1# Son of man, speak to the people for me. Strike yo+r hands together" et the sword come down twice, no, three times" This is a sword for killing. 3t is a sword for killing many, many people. 3t will c+t into them from every side. 1% Their hearts will melt with fear, and many people will fall. The sword is ready at their city gates. 3t has !een polished for killing and will flash like lightning. 1& Sword, !e sharp" 9+t on the right side. 9+t straight ahead. 9+t on the left side. Go wherever yo+r edge was chosen to go. 1' Then 3, too, will clap my hands and stop showing my anger. 3, the 5.D, have spoken" 1( The 5.D spoke to me and said, 1) Son of man, draw a map showing two roads that the king of <a!ylon can follow with his sword in hand. <oth roads will !egin at the same place, !+t then they will separate and go different directions. At that place yo+ sho+ld p+t +p a sign. -Eekiel 21.2,*23 (' 2, The sign sho+ld show where each road goes. 5ne road leads to the Ammonite city of .a!!ah. The other road leads to C+dah, to the protected city, Cer+salem. 21 The king of <a!ylon will come to where the two roads separate. $e will decide which way to go !y +sing different kinds of magicshaking his arrows, asking his family idols, and looking at the liver from an animal he has killed. 22 These things will point to the road on his right, the road leading to Cer+salem. They will tell him to attack it with !attering rams and command his soldiers to !egin the killing. They will sho+t the !attle cry and set the !attering -asy To .ead /ersion

rams against the gates. They will !+ild a wall of dirt aro+nd the city and a road leading +p to the walls. They will !+ild wooden towers to attack the city. 23 <+t the people in Cer+salem will think this is all a !ig mistake. They will not !elieve that this co+ld happen, !eca+se they had made a peace agreement with <a!ylons king. <+t the king will remind them that they are g+ilty of !reaking -Eekiel 21.2#*2( (( that agreement, and he will take them captive. 2# This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ have done many evil things. ;o+r sins are very clear. ;o+ forced me to remem!er that yo+ are g+ilty, so the enemy will catch yo+ in his hand. 2% And yo+, evil leader of 3srael, yo+ will !e killed. ;o+r time of p+nishment has come" The end is here" 2& This is what the ord G5D says: Take off the t+r!an" Take off the crown" The time has come to change. The important leaders will !e !ro+ght low, and those who are not important now will !ecome important leaders. 2' 3 will completely destroy that city" <+t this will not happen +ntil the right man !ecomes the new king. Then 3 will let him have this city. 2( Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, This is what the ord G5D says to the people of Ammon and their shamef+l god: ook, a sword" The sword is o+t of its sheath. 3t has !een polished. The sword is ready to kill. 3t was polished to flash like lightning" -Eekiel 21.2)*22.3 () 2) ;o+r visions are +seless. ;o+r magic will not help yo+. 3t is only a !+nch of lies. The sword is now at the throats of evil men. They will soon !e only dead !odies. Their time has come. The time has come for their evil to end. 3, 6+t the sword !ack in its sheath. <a!ylon, 3 will =+dge yo+ in the place where yo+ were created, in the land where yo+ were !orn. 31 3 will po+r o+t my anger against yo+. pag. ((,0131#

Ay anger will !+rn yo+ like a hot wind. 3 will hand yo+ over to cr+el men. Those men are skilled at killing people. 32 ;o+ will !e like f+el for the fire. ;o+r !lood will flow deep into the earthpeople will never remem!er yo+ again. 3, the 5.D, have spoken" 22 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, will yo+ =+dge the city of m+rderers? >ill yo+ tell her a!o+t all the terri!le things she has done? 3 ;o+ m+st say, This is what the ord G5D says: The city is f+ll of m+rderers, so her time of p+nishment will come. She made filthy idols for herself, and those idols made her filthy" -Eekiel 22.#*1, ), # 6eople of Cer+salem, yo+ killed many people. ;o+ made filthy idols. ;o+ are g+ilty, and the time has come to p+nish yo+. ;o+r end has come. 5ther nations will make f+n of yo+ and la+gh at yo+. % 6eople far and near will make f+n of yo+. ;o+ have r+ined yo+r name. ;o+ are filled with conf+sion. & ook, all the leaders in 3srael are +sing their strength =+st to kill other people. ' And the people in Cer+salem dont respect their parents. There in the city, they mistreat the foreigners. They cheat orphans and widows in that place. ( ;o+ hate all that 3 consider holy. ;o+ treat my special days of rest as if they are not important. ) 3n Cer+salem, people tell lies in order to kill innocent people. They go to the mo+ntains to worship false gods and then come !ack to Cer+salem to eat their fellowship meals. 3n Cer+salem, people commit many se4+al sins. 1, There men commit se4+al sins with their fathers wife. There the men rape womeneven d+ring their monthly time of !leeding. -Eekiel 22.11*1' )1 11 5ne man commits a terri!le sin against his own neigh!ors wife. Another man has se4 with his da+ghterDinDlaw and makes her +nclean. Another man rapes his fathers da+ghterhis very own -asy To .ead /ersion

sister. 12 There men accept !ri!es to kill people. ;o+ lend money and charge interest on the loans. ;o+ cheat yo+r neigh!ors =+st to make a little money. ;o+ have even forgotten me. This is what the ord G5D said. 13 1ow look" 3 will slam my hand down and stop yo+" 3 will p+nish yo+ for cheating and killing people. 1# >ill yo+ !e !rave then? >ill yo+ !e strong at the time 3 come to p+nish yo+? 3 am the 5.D. 3 have spoken, and 3 will do what 3 said" 1% 3 will scatter yo+ among the nations. 3 will force yo+ to go to many co+ntries. 3 will completely destroy the filthy things in this city. 1& <+t Cer+salem, yo+ will !ecome +nclean. And the other nations will see all these things happen. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1' The 5.D spoke to me and said, -Eekiel 22.1(*2% )2 1( Son of man, !ronEe, iron, lead, and tin are important metals, !+t when a worker melts silver to make it p+re, those metals are po+red off as waste. 3srael has !ecome like that waste to me. 1) So this is what the ord G5D says: All of yo+ have !ecome like worthless waste. So 3 will gather yo+ into Cer+salem. 2, >orkers p+t silver, !ronEe, iron, lead, and tin into a fire. They !low on the fire to make it hotter. Then the metals !egin to melt. 3n the same way, 3 will p+t yo+ in my fire and melt yo+. That fire is my hot anger. 21 3 will p+t yo+ in my fire of anger and !low on it, and yo+ will !egin to melt. 22 3n that city, yo+ will !e like silver melting in a fire. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D, and that 3 po+red o+t my anger on yo+. 23 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2# Son of man, speak to 3srael. Tell her that she is not p+re. 3 am angry at that co+ntry, so that co+ntry has not received its rain. 2% The prophets in Cer+salem are pag. ((10131#

making evil plans. They are like a lionit roars when it !egins to eat the animal it -Eekiel 22.2&*2( )3 ca+ght. They have destroyed many lives. They have taken many val+a!le things and made widows of many of the women in Cer+salem. 2& The priests have really h+rt my teachings. They dont treat my holy things rightthey dont show they are important. They treat holy things the same as things that are not holy. They treat clean things like things that are +nclean. They dont teach the people a!o+t these things. They ref+se to respect my special days of rest. They treat me as tho+gh 3 am not important. 2' The leaders in Cer+salem are like a wolf eating the animal it has ca+ght. They attack people and kill them =+st to get rich. 2( The prophets dont warn the peoplethey cover +p the tr+th. They are like workers who dont really repair a wallthey only p+t plaster over the holes. They only see lies. They do their magic to learn the f+t+re, !+t they only tell lies. They say, This is what the ord G5D said. <+t they are only lyingthe 5.D did not speak to them" -Eekiel 22.2)*23.# )# 2) The common people take advantage of each other. They cheat and steal from each other. They get rich !y taking advantage of poor, helpless !eggars, and they really cheat the foreigners. They are not fair to them at all" 3, 3 asked the people to change their lives and protect their co+ntry. 3 asked people to fi4 the walls. 3 wanted them to stand !y those holes in the wall and fight to protect their city. <+t no one came to help" 31 So 3 will show them my anger3 will completely destroy them. 3 will p+nish them for the evil things they have done. 3t is all their fa+lt. This is what the ord G5D said. 23 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, listen to this story -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t Samaria and Cer+salem. There were two sisters, da+ghters of the same mother. 3 They !ecame prostit+tes in -gypt while they were still yo+ng girls. Thats where they first let men to+ch and handle their yo+ng !reasts. # The older da+ghter was named 5holah, and her sister was named -Eekiel 23.%*11 )% 5holi!ah. They !ecame my wives, and we had children. 3 am +sing the name 5holah to mean Samaria and the name 5holi!ah to mean Cer+salem. % Then 5holah !ecame +nfaithf+l to meshe !egan to live like a prostit+te. She !egan to want her lovers. She saw the Assyrian soldiers & in their !l+e +niforms. They were all handsome yo+ng men riding horses. They were leaders and officers, ' and 5holah gave herself to them. They were handpicked soldiers in the Assyrian army, and she wanted them all" She poll+ted herself with their filthy idols. ( She contin+ed the prostit+tion she !egan in -gypt. There men made love to her when she was a yo+ng girl. They to+ched her yo+ng !reasts and +sed her as a prostit+te. ) So 3 let her lovers have her. She wanted Assyria, so 3 gave her to them" 1, They raped her. They took her children and killed her. They p+nished her, and women still talk a!o+t her. 11 $er yo+nger sister 5holi!ah saw all these things happen. <+t 5holi!ah -Eekiel 23.12*1( )& sinned more than her sister did" She was more +nfaithf+l than 5holah. 12 She wanted the Assyrian leaders and officers. She wanted those soldiers in !l+e +niforms riding their horses. They were all handsome yo+ng men. 13 3 saw that !oth women were going to r+in their lives with the same mistakes. 1# 5holi!ah contin+ed to !e +nfaithf+l to me. 3n <a!ylon she saw pict+res of men carved on the walls. These were pict+res of 9haldean men wearing their pag. ((20131#

red +niforms. 1% They wore !elts aro+nd their waists and long t+r!ans on their heads. All those men looked like chariot officers. They all looked like nativeD!orn <a!ylonian men, 1& and 5holi!ah wanted them. 1' So the <a!ylonian men came to her !ed to have se4 with her. They +sed her and made her so filthy that she !ecame disg+sted with them. 1( 5holi!ah let everyone see that she was +nfaithf+l. She let so many men en=oy her naked !ody that 3 !ecame disg+sted with her=+st as 3 had !ecome disg+sted with her sister. -Eekiel 23.1)*2# )' 1) <+t 5holi!ah tho+ght a!o+t her time as a prostit+te in -gypt when she was yo+ng, and she t+rned to even more prostit+tion. 2, She remem!ered the lovers who e4cited her there, who were like animals in their se4+al desires and a!ilities. 21 5holi!ah, yo+ dreamed of those times when yo+ were yo+ng, when yo+r lovers to+ched and handled yo+r yo+ng !reasts. 22 So, 5holi!ah, this is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ !ecame disg+sted with yo+r lovers, !+t 3 will !ring them here, and they will s+rro+nd yo+. 23 3 will !ring all the men from <a!ylon, especially the 9haldeans. 3 will !ring the men from 6ekod, Shoa, and Goa, and all the men from Assyria. 3 will !ring all the leaders and officers, all those handsome yo+ng men, chariot officers, and handpicked soldiers riding their horses. 2# That crowd of men will come to yo+ in large gro+ps, riding on their horses and in their chariots. They will have their spears, shields, and helmets. They will gather aro+nd yo+, and 3 will tell them -Eekiel 23.2%*3, )( what yo+ have done to me. Then they will p+nish yo+ their own way. 2% 3 will show yo+ how =ealo+s 3 am. They will !ecome angry and h+rt yo+. They will c+t off yo+r nose and ears. -asy To .ead /ersion

They will kill yo+ with a sword. Then they will take yo+r children and !+rn whatever is left of yo+. 2& They will take yo+r nice clothes and =ewelry. 2' This is how 3 will stop yo+r shamef+l acts and yo+r love affair with -gypt. ;o+ will stop wishing yo+ co+ld go !ack there. ;o+ will never remem!er -gypt again" 2( This is what the ord G5D says: 3 am giving yo+ to those yo+ hate, to those yo+ tho+ght were sickening. 2) And they will show how m+ch they hate yo+" They will take everything yo+ worked for, and they will leave yo+ !are and naked" -veryone will see that yo+ are nothing !+t a prostit+te. ;o+r own shamef+l sins 3, are the reason 3 am p+nishing yo+. ;o+ acted like a prostit+te with other nations, poll+ting yo+rself !y worshiping their idols. -Eekiel 23.31*3& )) 31 ;o+ followed the e4ample of yo+r sister 5holah. So 3 will p+nish yo+ the same way. 3 will give yo+ the same c+p 3 gave her to drink. 32 This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ will drink from yo+r sisters c+p, a !ig c+p, tall and wide. 3t holds so m+ch that after yo+ drink it all, everyone will la+gh and make f+n of yo+. 33 ;o+ will !e dr+nk and misera!le, !eca+se that c+p is f+ll of fear and r+in. 3t is the same c+p yo+r sister Samaria drank. 3# ;o+ will drink +ntil the c+p is empty. Then yo+ will !reak it to pieces and +se them to tear at yo+r !reasts. This will happen !eca+se 3, the ord G5D, have said so. 3% So this is what the ord G5D said: Cer+salem, yo+ forgot me. ;o+ threw me away and left me !ehind. So now yo+ m+st s+ffer for leaving me and living like a prostit+te. ;o+ m+st s+ffer for yo+r wicked dreams. 3& The 5.D said to me, Son of man, will yo+ =+dge 5holah and 5holi!ah? pag. ((30131#

Then tell them a!o+t the terri!le things they have done. -Eekiel 23.3'*#2 1,, 3' They committed the sin of ad+ltery. They are g+ilty of m+rder. They acted like prostit+testhey left me to !e with their filthy idols. They had my children, !+t they forced them to pass thro+gh fire. They did this to give food to their filthy idols. 3( They also treated my special days of rest and my holy place as tho+gh they were not important. 3) They killed their children for their idols, and then they went into my holy place and made it filthy too" They did this inside my Temple" #, They have sent for men from faraway places. ;o+ sent a messenger to these men, and they came to see yo+. ;o+ !athed for them, painted yo+r eyes, and p+t on yo+r =ewelry. #1 ;o+ sat on a fine !ed with a ta!le set !efore it. ;o+ p+t my incense and my oil on this ta!le. #2 The noise in Cer+salem so+nded like a crowd of people having a party. Aany people came to the party. 6eople were already drinking as they came in from the desert. They gave !racelets and !ea+tif+l crowns to the women. -Eekiel 23.#3*#) 1,1 #3 Then 3 spoke to one of the women who was worn o+t from her se4+al sins. 3 asked her, >ill they contin+e to do se4+al sins with her, and she with them? ## <+t they kept going to her as they wo+ld go to a prostit+te. ;es, they went again and again to 5holah and 5holi!ah, those wicked women. #% <+t good men will =+dge them g+ilty of ad+ltery and m+rder, !eca+se 5holah and 5holi!ah committed ad+ltery and their hands are covered with !lood" #& This is what the ord G5D said: Gather the people together to p+nish and terroriEe 5holah and 5holi!ah. #' They will throw stones at these women and kill them. They will c+t the women to pieces with their swords. They -asy To .ead /ersion

will kill their children and !+rn their ho+ses. #( 3n this way 3 will remove that shame from this co+ntry, and all the other women will !e warned not to do the shamef+l things yo+ have done. #) They will p+nish yo+ for the wicked things yo+ did. ;o+ will !e p+nished for worshiping yo+r filthy idols. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the ord G5D. -Eekiel 2#.1* & 1,2 24 1 The word of the 5.D came to me. This was on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of e4ile. $e said, 2 Son of man, write todays date and this note: 5n this date the army of the king of <a!ylon s+rro+nded Cer+salem. 3 Tell this story to the family who ref+ses to o!ey 73srael8. Tell them, This is what the ord G5D says: 6+t the pot on the fire. 6+t on the pot and po+r in the water. # 6+t in the pieces of meat. 6+t in every good piece, the thighs and the sho+lders. 2ill the pot with the !est !ones. % Hse the !est animals in the flock. 6ile the wood +nder the pot, and !oil the pieces of meat. <oil the so+p +ntil even the !ones are cooked. & So this is what the ord G5D says: 3t will !e !ad for Cer+salem. 3t will !e !ad for that city of m+rderers. Cer+salem is like a pot with r+st on it, and those spots of r+st cannot !e removed" That pot is not clean, and the r+st cannot !e removed, so the meat m+st !e thrown o+t and not divided among the priests. -Eekiel 2#.'*13 1,3 ' Cer+salem is like a pot with r+st on it. This is !eca+se the !lood from the m+rders is still there" She p+t the !lood on the !are rock. She did not po+r the !lood on the gro+nd and cover it with dirt. ( 3 p+t her !lood on the !are rock so it wo+ld not !e covered. 3 did this so that people wo+ld !ecome angry and p+nish her for killing innocent people. ) So this is what the ord G5D says: 3t pag. ((#0131#

will !e !ad for that city of m+rderers" 3 will pile +p plenty of wood for the fire. 1, 6+t plenty of wood +nder the pot. ight the fire. 9ook the meat +ntil it is well done. Ai4 in the spices, and let the !ones !e !+rned +p. 11 Then let the pot stand empty on the coals. et it !ecome so hot that its stains !egin to glow. Those stains will !e melted away. The r+st will !e destroyed. 12 Cer+salem might work hard to scr+! away her stains. <+t that r+st will not go away" 5nly the fire of p+nishment will remove it. 13 ;o+ sinned against me and !ecame stained with sin. 3 wanted to wash yo+ and make yo+ clean, !+t the stains wo+ld -Eekiel 2#.1#*1) 1,# not come o+t. 3 will not try washing yo+ again +ntil my hot anger is finished with yo+" 1# 3 am the 5.D. 3 said yo+r p+nishment wo+ld come, and 3 will make it happen. 3 will not hold !ack the p+nishment or feel sorry for yo+. 3 will p+nish yo+ for the evil things yo+ did. This is what the ord G5D said. 1% Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 1& Son of man, yo+ love yo+r wife very m+ch, !+t 3 am going to take her away from yo+. ;o+r wife will die s+ddenly, !+t yo+ m+st not show yo+r sadness. ;o+ m+st not cry lo+dly. ;o+ will cry and yo+r tears will fall, 1' !+t yo+ m+st mo+rn J+ietly. Dress as yo+ normally doF wear yo+r t+r!an and sandalsF dont cover yo+r m+stache, and dont eat the food people normally eat when someone dies. 1( The ne4t morning 3 told the people what God had said. That evening, my wife died. The ne4t morning 3 did what God commanded. 1) Then the people said to me, >hy are yo+ doing this? >hat does it mean? -Eekiel 2#.2,*2% 1,% 2, Then 3 said to them, The word of the 5.D came to me. $e told me 21 to speak to the family of 3srael. The ord G5D said, ook, 3 will destroy my -asy To .ead /ersion

holy place. ;o+ are pro+d of that place and sing songs of praise a!o+t it. ;o+ love to see it. ;o+ really love that place. <+t 3 will destroy it, and yo+r children that yo+ left !ehind will !e killed in !attle. 22 <+t yo+ will do the same things that 3 have done a!o+t my dead wife. ;o+ will not cover yo+r m+stache or eat the food people normally eat when someone dies. 23 ;o+ will wear yo+r t+r!ans and yo+r sandals. ;o+ will not show yo+r sadness p+!licly or cry p+!licly, !+t yo+ will waste away with g+ilt and talk to each other J+ietly a!o+t yo+r grief. 2# So -Eekiel is an e4ample for yo+. ;o+ will do all the same things he did. That time of p+nishment will come, and then yo+ will know that 3 am the ord G5D. 2% The ord said, Son of man, 3 will take away the place that makes the people feel safeCer+salem, that !ea+tif+l city that makes them so happy. They really love that place. They love to look at it. -Eekiel 2#.2&*2%.# 1,& <+t 3 will take it away from them, and 3 will also take their children. 5n that day one of the s+rvivors will come to yo+ with the !ad news a!o+t Cer+salem. 2& 72#:2%8 2' That same day yo+ will !e a!le to talk to the messenger. ;o+ will not !e silent anymore. This will !e a sign to the people, and they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 25 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, look toward the people of Ammon and speak against them for me. 3 Say to them: isten to the word of the ord G5D" This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ were happy when my holy place was destroyed. ;o+ were against the land of 3srael when it was poll+ted. ;o+ were against the family of C+dah when the people were carried away as prisoners. # So 3 will give yo+ to the people from the east. They will get yo+r land. Their armies will set +p their camps in yo+r pag. ((%0131#

co+ntry and will live among yo+. They will eat yo+r fr+it and drink yo+r milk. -Eekiel 2%.%*1, 1,' % 3 will make the city .a!!ah a past+re for camels and the co+ntry of Ammon a sheep pen. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. & This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ were happy that Cer+salem was destroyed. ;o+ clapped yo+r hands and stamped yo+r feet. ;o+ had f+n ins+lting the land of 3srael, ' so 3 will p+nish yo+. ;o+ will !e like the val+a!le things soldiers take in war. ;o+ will lose yo+r inheritance and die in faraway lands. 3 will destroy yo+r co+ntry" Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. ( This is what the ord G5D says: Aoa! and Seir say, The family of C+dah is =+st like any other nation. ) 3 will c+t into Aoa!s sho+lder3 will take away its cities t=at are on its !ordersthe glory of the land, <eth Ceshimoth, <aal Aeon, and Giriathaim. 1, Then 3 will give these cities to the people of the east. They will get yo+r land. 3 will also let those people from the east destroy the Ammonites, and people will forget they were ever a nation. -Eekiel 2%.11*1& 1,( 11 So 3 will p+nish Aoa!, and then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 12 This is what the ord G5D says: The people of -dom t+rned against the family of C+dah and tried to get even. The people of -dom are g+ilty. 13 So the ord G5D says: 3 will p+nish -dom. 3 will destroy the people and the animals in -dom. 3 will destroy the whole co+ntry of -dom, all the way from Teman to Dedan. The -domites will !e killed in !attle. 1# 3 will +se my people 3srael and get even against -dom. 3n this way the people of 3srael will show my anger against -dom. Then the people of -dom will know that 3 p+nished them. This is what the ord G5D said. 1% This is what the ord G5D says: The -asy To .ead /ersion

6hilistines tried to get even. They were very cr+el. They let their anger !+rn inside them too long. 1& So the ord G5D said, 3 will p+nish the 6hilistines. ;es, 3 will destroy those people from 9rete. 3 will completely destroy those people who live on the seacoast. -Eekiel 2%.1'*2&.& 1,) 1' 3 will p+nish them3 will get even. 3 will let my anger teach them a lesson. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D" 26 1 3n the eleventh year of e4ile, on the first day of the month, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, 2 Son of man, Tyre said !ad things a!o+t Cer+salem: $+rray" The city gate protecting the people is destroyed" The city gate is open for me. The city of Cer+salem is r+ined, so 3 can get plenty of val+a!le things o+t of it" 3 So the ord G5D says: 3 am against yo+, Tyre" 3 will !ring many nations to fight against yo+. They will come again and again, like waves on the !each. # The enemy soldiers will destroy the walls of Tyre and p+ll down her towers. 3 will also scrape the topsoil from her land. 3 will make Tyre a !are rock. % Tyre will !ecome a place !y the sea for spreading fishing nets. 3 have spoken" The ord G5D says, Tyre will !e like the val+a!le things soldiers take in war. & $er da+ghters on the mainland will !e killed in !attle. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. -Eekiel 2&.'*11 11, ' This is what the ord G5D says: 3 will !ring an enemy from the north against Tyre. That enemy is 1e!+chadneEEar, the great king of <a!ylon" $e will !ring a very large army. There will !e horses, chariots, horse soldiers and many other soldiers. They will !e from many different nations. ( 1e!+chadneEEar will kill yo+r da+ghters on the mainland. $e will !+ild towers to attack yo+r city. $e will !+ild a dirt road aro+nd yo+r city and a dirt road leading +p to the walls. pag. ((&0131#

) $e will !ring the logs to !reak down yo+r walls. $e will +se picks and !reak down yo+r towers. 1, There will !e so many of his horses that the d+st from them will cover yo+. ;o+r walls will shake at the noise of horse soldiers, wagons, and chariots when the king of <a!ylon enters the city thro+gh yo+r city gates. ;es, they will come into yo+r city !eca+se its walls will !e p+lled down. 11 The king of <a!ylon will come riding thro+gh yo+r city. $is horses hoofs will come po+nding over yo+r streets. $e will kill yo+r people with swords. The -Eekiel 2&.12*1& 111 strong col+mns in yo+r city will fall to the gro+nd. 12 1e!+chadneEEars men will take away yo+r riches. They will take the things yo+ wanted to sell. They will !reak down yo+r walls and destroy yo+r pleasant ho+ses. They will throw the wood and stones into the sea like gar!age. 13 So 3 will stop the so+nd of yo+r happy songs. 6eople will not hear yo+r harps anymore. 1# 3 will make yo+ a !are rock. ;o+ will !e a place !y the sea for spreading fishing nets" ;o+ will not !e re!+ilt, !eca+se 3, the 5.D, have spoken" This is what the ord G5D said. 1% This is what the ord G5D says to Tyre: The co+ntries along the Aediterranean coast will shake at the so+nd of yo+r fall. That will happen when yo+r people are h+rt and killed. 1& Then all the leaders of the co+ntries !y the sea will step down from their thrones and show their sadness. They will take off their special ro!es and their !ea+tif+l clothes. Then they will p+t on their clothes of shaking. They will sit on the gro+nd and shake with fear. They -Eekiel 2&.1'*2, 112 will !e shocked at how J+ickly yo+ were destroyed. 1' They will sing this sad song a!o+t yo+: Tyre, yo+ were a famo+s city. 6eople came from across the sea to live -asy To .ead /ersion

in yo+. ;o+ were famo+s, !+t now yo+ are gone" ;o+ were strong on the sea, and so were the people who lived in yo+. ;o+ made all who live on the mainland afraid of yo+. 1( 1ow, on the day yo+ fall, the co+ntries along the coast will shake with fear. ;o+ started many colonies along the coast. 1ow those people will !e afraid when yo+ are gone" 1) This is what the ord G5D says: Tyre, yo+ will !ecome an old, empty city. 1o one will live there. 3 will ca+se the sea to flow over yo+. The great sea will cover yo+. 2, 3 will send yo+ down into that deep holeto the place of death. ;o+ will =oin those who died long ago. 3 will send yo+ to the world !elow, like all the other old, empty cities. ;o+ will !e with all the others who go down to the grave. 1o one will live in yo+ then. ;o+ will never again !e in the land of the living" -Eekiel 2&.21*2'.& 113 21 5ther people will !e afraid a!o+t what happened to yo+. ;o+ will !e finished. 6eople will look for yo+, !+t they will never find yo+ again. That is what the ord G5D says. 27 1 The word of the 5.D came to me again. $e said, 2 Son of man, sing this sad song a!o+t Tyre. 3 Say this a!o+t Tyre: Tyre, yo+ are the door to the seas. ;o+ are the merchant for many nations. ;o+ travel to many co+ntries along the coast. This is what the ord G5D says: Tyre, yo+ think that yo+ are so !ea+tif+l. ;o+ think yo+ are perfectly !ea+tif+l" # The Aediterranean Sea is the !order aro+nd yo+r city. ;o+r !+ilders made yo+ perfectly !ea+tif+l, like the ships that sail from yo+. % ;o+r !+ilders +sed cypress trees from the mo+ntains of Senir to make yo+r planks. They +sed cedar trees from e!anon to make yo+r mast. & They +sed oak trees from <ashan to make yo+r oars. They +sed pine trees pag. (('0131#

from 9ypr+s to make the ca!in on yo+r -Eekiel 2'.'*12 11# deck. They decorated that shelter with ivory. ' 2or yo+r sail they +sed colorf+l linen made in -gypt. That sail was yo+r flag. The coverings over yo+r ca!in were !l+e and p+rple. They came from the island of 9ypr+s. ( Aen from Sidon and Arvad rowed yo+r !oats for yo+. Tyre, yo+r wise men were the pilots on yo+r ships. ) The elders and wise men from <y!los were on !oard to help p+t ca+lking !etween the !oards on yo+r ship. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came to trade and do !+siness with yo+. 1, Aen from 6ersia, +d, and 6+t were in yo+r army. They were yo+r men of war who h+ng their shields and helmets on yo+r walls. They !ro+ght honor and glory to yo+r city. 11 Aen from Arvad and 9ilicia were g+ards standing on the wall aro+nd yo+r city. Aen from Gammad were in yo+r towers. They h+ng their shields on the walls aro+nd yo+r city and made yo+r !ea+ty complete. 12 Tarshish was one of yo+r !est c+stomers. They traded silver, iron, tin, -Eekiel 2'.13*1( 11% and lead for all the wonderf+l things yo+ sold. 13 6eople in Greece, T+rkey, and the area aro+nd the <lack Sea traded with yo+. They traded slaves and !ronEe for the things yo+ sold. 1# 6eople from the nation of Togarmah traded horses, war horses, and m+les for the things yo+ sold. 1% The people of .hodes traded with yo+. ;o+ sold yo+r things in many places. 6eople !ro+ght ivory t+sks and e!ony wood to pay yo+. 1& Aram traded with yo+ !eca+se yo+ had so many good things. They traded emeralds, p+rple cloth, fine needlework, fine linen, coral, and r+!ies for the things yo+ sold. 1' The people in C+dah and 3srael traded -asy To .ead /ersion

with yo+. They paid for the things yo+ sold with the wheat, olives, early figs, honey, oil, and !alm. 1( Damasc+s was a good c+stomer. They traded with yo+ for the many wonderf+l things yo+ had. They traded wine from $el!on and white wool for those things. -Eekiel 2'.1)*2& 11& 1) Damasc+s traded wine from HEal for the things yo+ sold. They paid with wro+ght iron, cassia, and s+gar cane. 2, Dedan provided good !+siness and traded with yo+ for saddle !lankets and riding horses. 21 Ara!ia and all the leaders of Gedar traded lam!s, rams, and goats for yo+r goods. 22 The merchants of She!a and .aamah traded with yo+. They traded all the !est spices and every kind of precio+s stone and gold for yo+r goods. 23 $aran, 9anneh, -den, the merchants of She!a, Assh+r, and Gilmad traded with yo+. 2# They paid with the finest clothing, !l+e cloth, cloth with fine needlework, r+gs of many colors, and the strongest ropes. These were the things they traded with yo+. 2% The ships from Tarshish carried the things yo+ sold. Tyre, yo+ are like one of those cargo ships. ;o+ are on the sea, loaded with many riches. 2& ;o+r oarsmen rowed yo+ far o+t to sea. <+t a powerf+l east wind will destroy yo+r ship at sea. -Eekiel 2'.2'*33 11' 2' All yo+r wealth will spill into the sea. ;o+r wealththe things yo+ !+y and sellwill spill into the sea. ;o+r whole crewsailors, pilots, and the men who p+t ca+lking !etween the !oards on yo+r ship will spill into the sea. The merchants and soldiers in yo+r city will all sink into the sea. That will happen on the day that yo+ are destroyed" 2( ;o+ send yo+r merchants to faraway places. Those places will shake with fear when they hear yo+r pilots cry" 2) ;o+r whole crew will =+mp ship. The pag. (((0131#

sailors and pilots will =+mp ship and swim to the shore. 3, They will !e very sad a!o+t yo+. They will cry, throw d+st on their heads, and roll in ashes. 31 They will shave their heads for yo+. They will p+t on sackcloth. They will cry for yo+ like someone crying for someone who died. 32 And in their lo+d crying they will sing this sad song a!o+t yo+: 1o one is like Tyre" Tyre is destroyed, in the middle of the sea" 33 ;o+r merchants sailed across the seas. ;o+ satisfied many people with -Eekiel 2'.3#*2(.# 11( yo+r great wealth and the things yo+ sold. ;o+ made the kings of the earth rich" 3# <+t now yo+ are !roken !y the seas and !y the deep waters. All the things yo+ sell and all yo+r people have fallen. 3% All the people living on the coast are shocked a!o+t yo+. Their kings are terrified. Their faces show their shock. 3& The merchants in other nations whistle a!o+t yo+. >hat happened to yo+ will frighten people, !eca+se yo+ were destroyed. ;o+ are gone forever. 28 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, say to the r+ler of Tyre, This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ are very pro+d" And yo+ say, 3 am a god" 3 sit on the seat of gods in the middle of the seas. <+t yo+ are a man and not God" ;o+ only think yo+ are a god. 3 ;o+ think yo+ are wiser than Daniel and no secret is hidden from yo+. # Thro+gh yo+r wisdom and +nderstanding yo+ have gotten riches for yo+rself. And yo+ p+t gold and silver in yo+r treas+ries. -Eekiel 2(.%*12 11) % Thro+gh yo+r great wisdom and trade, yo+ have made yo+r riches grow. And now yo+ are pro+d !eca+se of those riches. & So this is what the ord G5D says: Tyre, yo+ tho+ght yo+ were like a god. -asy To .ead /ersion

' 3 will !ring strangers to fight against yo+. They are most terri!le among the nations" They will p+ll o+t their swords and +se them against the !ea+tif+l things yo+r wisdom !ro+ght yo+. They will r+in yo+r glory. ( They will !ring yo+ down to the grave. ;o+ will !e like a sailor who died at sea. ) That person will kill yo+. >ill yo+ still say, 3 am a god? 1o, he will have yo+ in his power. ;o+ will see that yo+ are a man, not God" 1, Strangers will treat yo+ like a foreigner and kill yo+, !eca+se 3 gave the command" This is what the ord G5D said. 11 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 12 Son of man, sing this sad song a!o+t the king of Tyre. Say to him, This is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ were the perfect man so f+ll of wisdom and perfectly handsome. -Eekiel 2(.13*1' 12, 13 ;o+ were in -den, the garden of God. ;o+ had every precio+s stone r+!ies, topaE, and diamonds, !eryls, ony4, and =asper, sapphires, t+rJ+oise, and emeralds. And each of these stones was set in gold. ;o+ were given this !ea+ty on the day yo+ were created. God made yo+ strong. 1# ;o+ were one of the chosen 9her+!s who spread yo+r wings over my throne. 3 p+t yo+ on the holy mo+ntain of God. ;o+ walked among the =ewels that sparkled like fire. 1% ;o+ were good and honest when 3 created yo+, !+t then yo+ !ecame evil. 1& ;o+r !+siness !ro+ght yo+ many riches. <+t they also p+t cr+elty inside yo+, and yo+ sinned. So 3 treated yo+ like something +nclean and threw yo+ off the mo+ntain of God. ;o+ were one of the chosen 9her+!s who spread yo+r wings over my throne. <+t 3 forced yo+ to leave the =ewels that sparkled like fire. 1' ;o+r !ea+ty made yo+ pro+d. ;o+r glory r+ined yo+r wisdom. So 3 threw yo+ down to the gro+nd, and now other kings stare at yo+. pag. (()0131#

-Eekiel 2(.1(*2# 121 1( ;o+ did many wrong things. ;o+ were a very crooked merchant. 3n this way, yo+ made the holy places +nclean. So 3 !ro+ght fire from inside yo+. 3t !+rned yo+" ;o+ !+rned to ashes on the gro+nd. 1ow everyone can see yo+r shame. 1) All the people in other nations were shocked a!o+t what happened to yo+. >hat happened to yo+ will make people very afraid. ;o+ are finished" 2, The 5.D spoke to me and said, 21 Son of man, look toward Sidon and speak for me against that place. 22 Say, This is what the ord G5D says: 3 am against yo+, Sidon" ;o+r people will learn to respect me. 3 will p+nish Sidon. Then people will know that 3 am the 5.D. Then they will learn that 3 am holy, and they will treat me that way. 23 3 will send disease and death to Sidon, and many people inside the city will die. Soldiers o+tside the city will kill many people. Then people will know that 3 am the 5.D" 2# Then the s+rro+nding nations that hate 3srael will no longer !e like stinging nettles and painf+l thorns. And they will know that 3 am the ord G5D. -Eekiel 2(.2%*2).# 122 2% This is what the ord G5D said: 3 scattered the people of 3srael among other nations, !+t 3 will gather the family of 3srael together again. Then the nations will know that 3 am holy, and they will treat me that way. At that time the people of 3srael will live in their land3 gave that land to my servant Caco!. 2& They will live safely in the land. They will !+ild ho+ses and plant vineyards. 3 will p+nish the nations aro+nd them that hated them. Then the people of 3srael will live in safety, and they will know that 3 am the 5.D their God. 29 1 5n the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of e4ile, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, 2 Son of man, look toward 6haraoh, king of -gypt. Speak for me against him and -gypt. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 Say, This is what the ord G5D says: 3 am against yo+, 6haraoh, king of -gypt. ;o+ are the great monster lying !eside the 1ile .iver. ;o+ say, This is my river" 3 made this river" # <+t 3 will p+t hooks in yo+r =aws. The fish in the 1ile .iver will stick to yo+r scales. 3 will p+ll yo+ and yo+r fish +p -Eekiel 2).%*1, 123 o+t of yo+r rivers and onto the dry land. ;o+ will fall on the gro+nd, and no one will pick yo+ +p or !+ry yo+. 3 will give yo+ to the wild animals and !irds. ;o+ will !e their food. % 72):#8 & Then all the people living in -gypt will know that 3 am the 5.D" >hy will 3 do these things? <eca+se the people of 3srael leaned on -gypt for s+pport, !+t -gypt was only a weak !lade of grass. ' The people of 3srael leaned on -gypt for s+pport, !+t -gypt only pierced their hands and sho+lder. They leaned on yo+ for s+pport, !+t yo+ !roke and twisted their !ack. ( So this is what the ord G5D says: 3 will !ring a sword against yo+. 3 will destroy all yo+r people and animals. ) -gypt will !e empty and destroyed. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. God said, >hy will 3 do these things? <eca+se yo+ said, This is my river. 3 made this river. 1, So 3 am against yo+. 3 am against the many !ranches of yo+r 1ile .iver. 3 will destroy -gypt completely. The cities -Eekiel 2).11*1& 12# will !e empty from Aigdol to Aswan and as far as the !order of -thiopia. 11 1o person or animal will pass thro+gh -gypt. 1othing will pass thro+gh or settle there for #, years. 12 3 will destroy -gypt. The cities will !e in r+ins for #, years" 3 will scatter the -gyptians among the nations. 3 will make them strangers in foreign lands. 13 This is what the ord G5D says: 3 will scatter the people of -gypt among many nations. <+t at the end of #, years, 3 will gather those people together again. pag. (),0131#

1# 3 will !ring !ack the -gyptian captives. 3 will !ring !ack the -gyptians to the land of 6athros, to the land where they were !orn. <+t their kingdom will not !e important. 1% 3t will !e the least important kingdom. 3t will never again lift itself a!ove the other nations. 3 will make them so small that they will not r+le over the nations. 1& And the family of 3srael will never again depend on -gypt. The 3sraelites will remem!er their sinthey will remem!er that they t+rned to -gypt for help and not to God, and they will know that 3 am the ord G5D. -Eekiel 2).1'*3,.2 12% 1' 5n the first day of the first month in the twentyDseventh year of e4ile, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, 1( Son of man, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. They shaved every soldiers head. -very sho+lder was r+!!ed !are from carrying heavy loads. 1e!+chadneEEar and his army worked hard to defeat Tyre, !+t they got nothing from all that hard work. 1) So this is what the ord G5D says: 3 will give -gypt to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar of <a!ylon, and he will carry away the people. $e will take the many val+a!le things in -gypt to pay his army. 2, 3 will give -gypt to 1e!+chadneEEar as a reward for the hard work he did for me. This is what the ord G5D said" 21 5n that day 3 will make the family of 3srael strong. So -Eekiel, 3 will let yo+ speak to them. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 30 1 The word of the 5.D came to me again. $e said, 2 Son of man, speak for me. Say, This is what the ord G5D says: 9ry and say, A terri!le day is coming. -Eekiel 3,.3* ) 12& 3 That day is near" ;es, the 5.D@S day for =+dging is near. 3t will !e a clo+dy day, the time for =+dging the nations. # A sword will come against -gypt" 6eople in -thiopia will shake with fear, -asy To .ead /ersion

when -gypt falls. The army of <a!ylon will take the -gyptians as prisoners. -gypts fo+ndations will !e torn down. % Aany people made peace agreements with -gypt. <+t all those people from -thiopia, 6+t, +d, all Ara!ia, i!ya, and the people of 3srael will !e destroyed" & This is what the 5.D says: Those who s+pport -gypt will fall" The pride in her power will end. The people in -gypt will !e killed in !attle, all the way from Aigdol to Aswan. This is what the ord G5D said" ' -gypt will =oin the other co+ntries that were destroyed. 3ts cities will !e among those that are in r+ins. ( 3 will start a fire in -gypt, and all her helpers will !e destroyed. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D" ) At that time 3 will send o+t messengers. They will go in ships to carry the !ad news to -thiopia. -thiopia now feels safe, !+t the people of -thiopia -Eekiel 3,.1,*1& 12' will shake with fear when -gypt is p+nished. That time is coming" 1, This is what the ord G5D says: 3 will +se the king of <a!ylon. 3 will +se 1e!+chadneEEar to destroy the people of -gypt. 11 1e!+chadneEEar and his people are the most terri!le of the nations, and 3 will !ring them to destroy -gypt. They will p+ll o+t their swords against -gypt. They will fill the land with dead !odies. 12 3 will make the 1ile .iver !ecome dry land. Then 3 will sell the dry land to evil people. 3 will +se strangers to make that land empty. 3, the 5.D, have spoken" 13 This is what the ord G5D says: 3 will also destroy the idols in -gypt. 3 will take the stat+es away from Aemphis. There will no longer !e a leader in the land of -gypt. 3 will p+t fear there instead. 1# 3 will make 6athros empty. 3 will start a fire in Boan. 3 will p+nish The!es. 1% 3 will po+r o+t my anger against 6el+si+m, the fortress of -gypt" 3 will destroy the people of The!es. 1& 3 will start a fire in -gyptF the city of pag. ()10131#

6el+si+m will ache with fear. The soldiers will !reak into the city The!es, and -Eekiel 3,.1'*23 12( Aemphis will have new tro+!les every day. 1' The yo+ng men of $eliopolis and <+!astis will die in !attle, and the women will !e taken away as prisoners. 1( 3t will !e a dark day in Tahpanhes when 3 !reak -gypts control. $er pro+d power will !e finished" A clo+d will cover -gypt, and her da+ghters will !e taken away as prisoners. 1) So 3 will p+nish -gypt. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D" 2, 5n the seventh day of the first month of the eleventh year of e4ile, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, 21 Son of man, 3 have !roken the arm of 6haraoh, king of -gypt. 1o one will wrap his arm with a !andage. 3t will not heal, so his arm will not !e strong eno+gh to hold a sword. 22 This is what the ord G5D says: 3 am against 6haraoh, king of -gypt. 3 will !reak !oth his arms, the strong arm and the arm that is already !roken. 3 will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 3 will scatter the -gyptians among the nations. -Eekiel 3,.2#*31.# 12) 2# 3 will make the arms of the king of <a!ylon strong. 3 will p+t my sword in his hand, !+t 3 will !reak the arms of 6haraoh. Then 6haraoh will cry o+t in pain, the kind of cry that a dying man makes. 2% So 3 will make the arms of the king of <a!ylon strong, !+t the arms of 6haraoh will fall. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 3 will p+t my sword in the hand of the king of <a!ylon. Then he will stretch the sword o+t against the land of -gypt. 2& 3 will scatter the -gyptians among the nations. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D" 31 1 5n the first day of the third month in the eleventh year of e4ile, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, -asy To .ead /ersion

2 Son of man, say this to 6haraoh, king of -gypt, and to his people: ;o+ are so great" >ho can 3 compare yo+ to? 3 Assyria was a cedar tree in e!anon with !ea+tif+l !ranches, with forest shade, and very tall. 3ts top was among the clo+ds" # The water made the tree grow. The deep river made the tree tall. .ivers -Eekiel 31.%*1, 13, flowed aro+nd the place where the tree was planted. 5nly small streams flowed from that tree to all the other trees of the field. % So that tree was taller than all the other trees of the field, and it grew many !ranches. There was plenty of water, so the tree !ranches spread o+t. & All the !irds of the sky made their nests in the !ranches of that tree, and all the animals of the field gave !irth +nder the !ranches of that tree. All the great nations lived +nder the shade of that tree. ' The tree was very !ea+tif+l. 3t was so large" 3t had s+ch long !ranches. 3ts roots had plenty of water. ( -ven the cedar trees in Gods garden were not as !ig as this tree. 9ypress trees did not have as many !ranches. 6lane trees did not have s+ch !ranches. 1o tree in Gods garden was as !ea+tif+l as this tree. ) 3 gave it many !ranches and made it !ea+tif+l. And all the trees in -den, Gods garden, were =ealo+s" 1, So this is what the ord G5D says: That tree grew tall. 3ts top reached +p to -Eekiel 31.11*1% 131 the clo+ds. 3t grew so !ig that it !ecame pro+d" 11 So 3 let a powerf+l king have that tree. That r+ler p+nished the tree for the !ad things it did. 3 took that tree o+t of my garden. 12 Strangersthe most terri!le people in the worldc+t it down and scattered its !ranches on the mo+ntains and in the valleys. 3ts !roken lim!s drifted down the rivers flowing thro+gh that land. pag. ()20131#

There was no more shadow +nder that tree, so all the people left. 13 1ow !irds live in that fallen tree. >ild animals walk over its fallen !ranches. 1# 1ow, none of the trees !y that water will !e pro+d. They will not try to reach the clo+ds. 1one of the strong trees that drink that water will !rag a!o+t !eing tall, !eca+se all of them m+st die. They will all go down into the world !elow, to Sheol, the place of death. They will =oin the other people who died and went down into that deep hole. 1% This is what the ord G5D says: 3 made the people cry on the day that tree went down to Sheol. 3 covered him with the deep ocean. 3 stopped its rivers and -Eekiel 31.1&*1( 132 all the water stopped flowing. 3 made e!anon mo+rn for it. All the trees of the field !ecame sick with sadness for that !ig tree. 1& 3 made the tree falland the nations shook with fear at the so+nd of the falling tree. 3 sent the tree down to the place of death to =oin the other people who had gone down into that deep hole. 3n the past, all the trees of -den, the !est of e!anon, drank that water. The trees were comforted in the world !elow. 1' ;es, those trees also went down with the !ig tree to the place of death. They =oined the people who were killed in !attle. That !ig tree made the other trees strong. Those trees had lived +nder the !ig trees shadow among the nations. 1( -gypt, there were many !ig and powerf+l trees in -den. >hich of those trees sho+ld 3 compare yo+ to? They all went down into the world !elow" And yo+, too, will =oin those foreigners in that place of death. ;o+ will lie there among the people killed in !attle. ;es, that will happen to 6haraoh and to the crowds of people with him" This is what the ord G5D said. -Eekiel 32.1* & 133 32 1 5n the first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year of e4ile, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, -asy To .ead /ersion

2 Son of man, sing this sad song a!o+t 6haraoh, king of -gypt. Say to him: ;o+ tho+ght yo+ were like a powerf+l yo+ng lion walking pro+d among the nations. <+t really, yo+ are like a dragon in the lakes. ;o+ p+sh yo+r way thro+gh the streams. ;o+ make the water m+ddy with yo+r feet and stir +p the rivers of -gypt. 3 This is what the ord G5D says: 3 have gathered many people together. 1ow 3 will throw my net over yo+. Then those people will p+ll yo+ in. # Then 3 will drop yo+ on the dry gro+nd. 3 will throw yo+ down in the field. 3 will let all the !irds come and eat yo+. 3 will let wild animals from every place come and eat yo+ +ntil they are f+ll. % 3 will scatter yo+r !ody on the mo+ntains. 3 will fill the valleys with yo+r dead !ody. & 3 will po+r yo+r !lood on the mo+ntains, and it will soak down into the gro+nd. The rivers will !e f+ll of yo+. -Eekiel 32.'*13 13# ' 3 will make yo+ disappear. 3 will cover the sky and make the stars dark. 3 will cover the s+n with a clo+d, and the moon will not shine. ( 3 will darken the lights in the sky over yo+. 3 will make yo+r whole co+ntry dark. This is what the ord G5D said. ) 3 will make many people sad and +pset when 3 !ring an enemy to destroy yo+. 1ations yo+ dont even know will !e +pset. 1, 3 will make many people shocked a!o+t yo+. Their kings will !e terrified of yo+, when 3 swing my sword !efore them. They will shake with fear on the day yo+ fall. -ach king will !e afraid for his own life. 11 That will happen !eca+se of what the ord G5D said: The sword of the king of <a!ylon will come to fight against yo+. 12 3 will +se those soldiers to kill yo+r people in !attle. They come from the most terri!le of the nations. They will destroy the things -gypt is pro+d of. The people of -gypt will !e destroyed. pag. ()30131#

13 There are many animals !y the rivers in -gypt. 3 will also destroy all those animals. 6eople will not make the waters -Eekiel 32.1#*1( 13% m+ddy with their feet anymore. The hoofs of cattle will not make the water m+ddy anymore. 1# So 3 will make the water in -gypt calm. 3 will ca+se their rivers to r+n slowlythey will !e slick like oil. This is what the ord G5D said. 1% 3 will make the land of -gypt empty. That land will lose everything. 3 will p+nish all the people living in -gypt. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D" 1& This is a sad song that people will sing for -gypt. The da+ghters in other nations will sing this sad song. They will sing it as a sad song a!o+t -gypt and all its people. This is what the ord G5D said. 1' 5n the fifteenth day of that month in the twelfth year of e4ile, the 5.D spoke to me. $e said, 1( Son of man, cry for the people of -gypt. ead -gypt and the da+ghters from powerf+l nations to the grave. ead them to the world !elow where they will !e with the other people who went down into that deep hole. -Eekiel 32.1)*2# 13& 1) -gypt, yo+ are no !etter than anyone else" Go down to the place of death. Go lie down with those foreigners. 2, -gypt will go to !e with all the other men who were killed in !attle. The enemy has p+lled her and all her people away. 21 Strong and powerf+l men were killed in !attle. Those foreigners went down to the place of death. And from that place, those who were killed will speak to -gypt and his helpers. 22 Assyria and all its army are there in the place of death. Their graves are deep down in that deep hole. All the Assyrian soldiers were killed in !attle, and their graves are all aro+nd his grave. >hen they were alive, they made people afraid, !+t they were all killed in !attle. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 732:228 2# -lam is there and all its army is aro+nd her grave. All of them were killed in !attle. Those foreigners went deep down into the gro+nd. >hen they were alive, they made people afraid. <+t they carried their shame with them down to that deep hole. -Eekiel 32.2%*2) 13' 2% They have made a !ed for -lam and all its soldiers who were killed in !attle. -lams army is all aro+nd its grave. All those foreigners were killed in !attle. >hen they were alive, they scared people. <+t they carried their shame with them down into that deep hole. They were p+t with all the other people who were killed. 2& Aeshech, T+!al, and all their armies are there. Their graves are aro+nd it. All those foreigners were killed in !attle. >hen they were alive, they made people afraid. 2' <+t now they are lying down !y the powerf+l men who died long, long ago" They were !+ried with their weapons of war. Their swords will !e laid +nder their heads. <+t their sins are on their !ones, !eca+se when they were alive, they scared people. 2( -gypt, yo+ also will !e destroyed, and yo+ will lie down !y those foreigners. ;o+ will lie with the other soldiers who were killed in !attle. 2) -dom is there also. $is kings and other leaders are there with him. They were powerf+l soldiers, !+t now they lie -Eekiel 32.3,*33.2 13( with the other men who were killed in !attle. They are lying there with those foreigners. They are there with the other people who went down into that deep hole. 3, The r+lers from the north are there, all of them, and there are all the soldiers from Sidon. Their strength scared people, !+t they are em!arrassed. Those foreigners lie there with the other men who were killed in !attle. They carried their shame with them down into that pag. ()#0131#

deep hole. 31 ;es, 6haraoh and all his army will !e killed in !attle. 6haraoh will !e comforted when he sees his many men and all the others who went down into the place of death. This is what the ord G5D said. 32 6eople were afraid of 6haraoh when he was alive, !+t he will lie down ne4t to those foreigners. 6haraoh and his army will lie down with all the other soldiers who were killed in !attle. This is what the ord G5D said. 33 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, speak to yo+r people. Say to them, >henever 3 !ring enemy soldiers to fight against a co+ntry, -Eekiel 33.3* ( 13) the people choose someone to !e a watchman. 3 3f this g+ard sees enemy soldiers coming, he !lows the tr+mpet and warns the people. # 3f people hear the warning !+t ignore it, the enemy will capt+re them and take them away as prisoners. They will !e responsi!le for their own death. % They heard the tr+mpet, !+t they ignored the warning. So they are responsi!le for their own deaths. 3f they had paid attention to the warning, they co+ld have saved their own lives. & <+t what if the g+ard sees the enemy soldiers coming, !+t does not !low the tr+mpet? Since he doesnt warn the people, the enemy will capt+re them and take them away as prisoners. They will !e taken away !eca+se they sinned, !+t the g+ard will also !e responsi!le for their deaths. ' 1ow, son of man, 3 am choosing yo+ to !e a watchman for the family of 3srael. 3f yo+ hear a message from my mo+th, yo+ m+st warn the people for me. ( 3 might say to yo+, These evil people will die. Then yo+ m+st go warn them for -Eekiel 33.)*12 1#, me. 3f yo+ dont warn them and tell them to change their lives, those evil people will die !eca+se they sinned. <+t 3 will make yo+ responsi!le for their deaths. -asy To .ead /ersion

) <+t if yo+ do warn the evil people to change their lives and stop sinning, and if they ref+se to stop, they will die !eca+se they sinned. <+t yo+ have saved yo+r life. 1, So, son of man, speak to the family of 3srael for me. They might say, >e have sinned and !roken the law. 5+r sins are too heavy to !ear. >e rot away !eca+se of them. >hat can we do to live? 11 ;o+ m+st say to them, The ord G5D says: <y my life, 3 swear that 3 dont en=oy seeing people dienot even evil people" 3 dont want them to die. 3 want them to come !ack to me. 3 want them to change their lives so that they can really live. So come !ack to me" Stop doing !ad things" >hy m+st yo+ die, family of 3srael? 12 Son of man, tell yo+r people: The good things people did in the past will not save them if they !ecome !ad and !egin to sin. 3n the same way, the !ad things people did in the past will not -Eekiel 33.13*1' 1#1 destroy them if they t+rn from their evil. So remem!er, the good things people did in the past will not save them if they !egin to sin. 13 Aay!e 3 will tell good people that they will live. <+t may!e those good people will !egin to think that the good things they did in the past will save them. So they might !egin to do !ad things, !+t 3 will not remem!er the good things they did in the past" 1o, they will die !eca+se of the !ad things they !egin to do. 1# 5r may!e 3 will tell some evil people that they will die. <+t they might change their lives, stop sinning, and !egin to live right. They might !ecome good and fair. 1% They might give !ack the things they took when they loaned money. They might pay for the things they stole. They might !egin to follow the laws that give life and stop doing !ad things. Then they will s+rely live. They will not die. 1& 3 will not remem!er the !ad things they did in the past, !eca+se now they live right and are fair. So they will live" pag. ()%0131#

1' <+t yo+r people say, Thats not fair" The ord cannot !e like that" <+t they -Eekiel 33.1(*2# 1#2 are the people who are not fair" They are the people who m+st change" 1( 3f good people stop doing good and !egin to sin, they will die !eca+se of their sins. 1) And if evil people stop doing wrong and start living right and !eing fair, they will live. 2, ;o+ still say that 3 am not fair, !+t 3 am telling yo+ the tr+th. 2amily of 3srael, everyone will !e =+dged for what they do" 21 5n the fifth day of the tenth month in the twelfth year of e4ile, a person who had escaped from the !attle in Cer+salem came to me and said, The city has !een taken" 22 The evening !efore that person came to me, the power of the 5.D came on me. The ord opened my mo+th. So when that person came, 3 co+ld speak again. 23 Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 2# Son of man, there are 3sraelites who live in the r+ined cities in 3srael. They are saying, A!raham was only one man, and God gave him all this land. 1ow, -Eekiel 33.2%*2) 1#3 we are many people, so s+rely this land !elongs to +s" 3t is o+r land" 2% ;o+ m+st tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ eat meat with the !lood still in it. ;o+ look to yo+r idols for help. ;o+ m+rder people, so why sho+ld 3 give yo+ this land? 2& ;o+ depend on yo+r own sword. -ach of yo+ does terri!le things. -ach of yo+ commits se4+al sins with his neigh!ors wife, so yo+ cannot have the land" 2' ;o+ m+st tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: <y my life, 3 promise that the people living in the r+ined cities will !e killed with a sword" 3f any people are o+t in the co+ntry, 3 will let animals kill and eat them. 3f people are hiding in the fortresses and the caves, they will die from disease. -asy To .ead /ersion

2( 3 will make that place an empty wasteland. That co+ntry will lose all the things it was pro+d of. The mo+ntains of 3srael will !ecome empty. 1o one will pass thro+gh that place. 2) The people have done many terri!le things, so 3 will make that place an empty wasteland. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. -Eekiel 33.3,*3#.2 1## 3, And now a!o+t yo+, son of man. ;o+r people lean against the walls and stand in their doorways talking a!o+t yo+. They tell each other, 9ome on, lets go hear what the 5.D says. 31 So they come to yo+ as if they were my people. They sit in front of yo+ as if they were my people. They hear yo+r words, !+t they will not do the things yo+ say. They only want to do what feels good. They only want to cheat people and make more money. 32 ;o+ are nothing to these people !+t a singer singing love songs. ;o+ have a good voice. ;o+ play yo+r instr+ment well. They listen to yo+r words, !+t they will not do what yo+ say. 33 <+t the things yo+ sing a!o+t really will happen, and then the people will know that there was a prophet living among them. 34 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, speak against the shepherds of 3srael for me. Speak to them for me. Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: ;o+ shepherds of 3srael have only !een feeding yo+rselves. -Eekiel 3#.3* ( 1#% 3t will !e very !ad for yo+" >hy dont yo+ shepherds feed the flock? 3 ;o+ eat the fat sheep and +se their wool to make clothes for yo+rselves. ;o+ kill the fat sheep, !+t yo+ dont feed the flock. # ;o+ have not made the weak strong. ;o+ have not cared for the sick sheep. ;o+ have not p+t !andages on the sheep that were h+rt. Some of the sheep wandered away, and yo+ did not go get them and !ring them !ack. ;o+ did not pag. ()&0131#

go to look for the lost sheep. 1o, yo+ were cr+el and severethats the way yo+ tried to lead the sheep" % And now the sheep are scattered !eca+se there was no shepherd. They !ecame food for every wild animal, so they were scattered. & Ay flock wandered over all the mo+ntains and on every high hill. Ay flock was scattered over all the face of the earth. There was no one to search or to look for them. ' So, yo+ shepherds, listen to the word of the 5.D. ( The ord G5D says, 3 swear that wild animals will catch my sheep, and my -Eekiel 3#.)*13 1#& people will !ecome food for all those animals !eca+se they did not have any real shepherds. Ay shepherds did not look o+t for my flock. They did not feed my flock. 1o, they only killed the sheep and fed themselves" ) So, yo+ shepherds, listen to the word of the 5.D" 1, The ord G5D says, 3 am against the shepherds. 3 will demand my sheep from them. 3 will fire them. They will not !e my shepherds anymore. Then the shepherds will not !e a!le to feed themselves, and 3 will save my flock from their mo+ths. Then my sheep will not !e food for them. 11 The ord G5D says, 3 myself will !e their Shepherd. 3 will search for my sheep and take care of them. 12 3f a shepherd is with his sheep when they !egin to wander away, he will go searching for them. 3n the same way, 3 will search for my sheep. 3 will save them and !ring them !ack from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and clo+dy day. 13 3 will !ring them !ack from those nations. 3 will gather them from those -Eekiel 3#.1#*1( 1#' co+ntries and !ring them !ack to their own land. 3 will feed them on the mo+ntains of 3srael, !y the streams, and in all the places where people live. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# 3 will lead them to grassy fields. They will go to the place high on the mo+ntains of 3srael and lie down on good gro+nd and eat the grass. They will eat in rich grassland on the mo+ntains of 3srael. 1% ;es, 3 will feed my flock, and 3 will lead them to a place of rest. This is what the ord G5D said. 1& 3 will search for the lost sheep. 3 will !ring !ack the sheep that were scattered and p+t !andages on the sheep that were h+rt. 3 will make the weak sheep strong, !+t 3 will destroy the fat and powerf+l shepherds. 3 will feed them the p+nishment they deserve. 1' This is what the ord G5D says: And yo+, my flock, 3 will =+dge !etween one sheep and another. 3 will =+dge !etween the male sheep and the male goats. 1( ;o+ can eat the grass growing on the good land. So why do yo+ also cr+sh the grass that other sheep want to eat? ;o+ can drink plenty of clear water. So -Eekiel 3#.1)*2% 1#( why do yo+ also stir the water that other sheep want to drink? 1) Ay flock m+st eat the grass yo+ cr+shed with yo+r feet, and they m+st drink the water yo+ stir with yo+r feet" 2, So the ord G5D says to them: 3 myself will =+dge !etween the fat sheep and the thin sheep" 21 ;o+ p+sh with yo+r side and sho+lder. ;o+ knock down all the weak sheep with yo+r horns. ;o+ p+sh +ntil yo+ have forced them away, 22 so 3 will save my flock. They will not !e ca+ght !y wild animals anymore. 3 will =+dge !etween one sheep and another. 23 Then 3 will p+t one shepherd over them, my servant David. $e will feed them and !e their shepherd. 2# Then 3, the 5.D, will !e their God, and my servant David will !e the r+ler living among them. 3, the 5.D, have spoken. 2% And 3 will make a peace agreement with my sheep. 3 will take harmf+l animals away from the land. Then the pag. ()'0131#

sheep can !e safe in the desert and sleep in the woods. -Eekiel 3#.2&*31 1#) 2& 3 will !less the sheep and the places aro+nd my hill. 3 will ca+se the rains to fall at the right time and will shower them with !lessings. 2' And the trees growing in the field will prod+ce their fr+it. The earth will give its harvest, so the sheep will !e safe on their land. 3 will !reak the yokes on them and save them from the power of the people who made them slaves. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 2( They will not !e ca+ght like an animal !y the nations anymore. Those animals will not eat them anymore. 1o, they will live safely. 1o one will make them afraid. 2) 3 will give them some land that will make a good garden. Then they will not s+ffer from h+nger in that land or s+ffer the ins+lts from the nations anymore. 3, Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D their God. The family of 3srael will know that 3 am with them and that they are my people. This is what the ord G5D said" 31 ;o+ are my sheep, the sheep of my grassland. ;o+ are only h+man !eings, and 3 am yo+r God. This is what the ord G5D said. -Eekiel 3%.1* ( 1%, 35 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, look toward Ao+nt Seir and speak against it for me. 3 Say to it, This is what the ord G5D says: 3 am against yo+, Ao+nt Seir" 3 will p+nish yo+ and make yo+ an empty wasteland. # 3 will destroy yo+r cities, and yo+ will !ecome empty. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. % >hy? <eca+se yo+ have always !een against my people. ;o+ +sed yo+r sword against 3srael at the time of their tro+!le, at the time of their final p+nishment. & So the ord G5D says, <+t 3 promise !y my own life that 3 will let death have yo+. Death will chase yo+. ;o+ did not hate killing people, so death will chase -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+. ' 3 will make Ao+nt Seir an empty r+in. 3 will kill everyone who enters or leaves that city. ( 3 will cover its mo+ntains with those who are killed. There will !e dead !odies all over yo+r hills, in yo+r valleys, and in all yo+r ravines. -Eekiel 3%.)*1% 1%1 ) 3 will make yo+ empty forever. 1o one will live in yo+r cities. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1, ;o+ said, These two nations and co+ntries, 3srael and C+dah, will !e mine. >e will take them for o+r own. <+t the 5.D is there" 11 And the ord G5D says, ;o+ were =ealo+s of my people. ;o+ were angry and hatef+l to them. So !y my life, 3 swear that 3 will p+nish yo+ the same way yo+ h+rt them" 3 will p+nish yo+ and let my people know that 3 am with them. 12 And then yo+, too, will know that 3 am the 5.D. 3 have heard yo+ making f+n of 3sraels hill co+ntry. ;o+ said, 3t is in r+ins, =+st waiting for +s to swallow it +p. 13 ;o+r pro+d !oasting is really against me. Time after time yo+ have ins+lted me, and 3 have heard every word. 1# This is what the ord G5D says: All the earth will !e happy when 3 destroy yo+. 1% ;o+ were happy when the co+ntry of 3srael was destroyed. 3 will treat yo+ the same way. Ao+nt Seir and the whole -Eekiel 3&.1* % 1%2 co+ntry of -dom will !e destroyed. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 36 1 Son of man, speak to the mo+ntains of 3srael for me. Tell them to listen to the word of the 5.D" 2 Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: The enemy said !ad things against yo+. They said: $+rray" 1ow the ancient mo+ntains will !e o+rs" 3 So speak to the mo+ntains of 3srael for me. Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: The enemy destroyed yo+r cities and attacked yo+ from every pag. ()(0131#

direction. They did this so that yo+ wo+ld !elong to the other nations. Then people talked and whispered a!o+t yo+. # So, mo+ntains of 3srael, listen to the word of the ord G5D" This is what the ord G5D says to the mo+ntains, hills, streams, valleys, empty r+ins, and a!andoned cities that have !een looted and la+ghed at !y the other nations aro+nd them. % The ord G5D says, 3 swear, 3 will let my strong feelings speak for me" 3 will let -dom and the other nations feel my anger. They took my land for themselves. They really had a good time when they -Eekiel 3&.&*11 1%3 showed how m+ch they hated this land. They took the land for themselves, =+st so they co+ld destroy it. & So say these things a!o+t the land of 3srael. Speak to the mo+ntains and to the hills, to the streams, and to the valleys. Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: 3 will let my strong feelings and anger speak for me, !eca+se yo+ had to s+ffer the ins+lts from those nations. ' So this is what the ord G5D says: 3 am the one making this promise" 3 swear that the nations aro+nd yo+ will have to s+ffer for those ins+lts. ( <+t mo+ntains of 3srael, yo+ will grow new trees and prod+ce fr+it for my people 3srael. Ay people will soon come !ack. ) 3 am with yo+, and 3 will help yo+. 6eople will till yo+r soil and plant seeds in yo+. 1, There will !e many people living on yo+. The whole family of 3sraelall of themwill live there. The cities will have people living in them. The destroyed places will !e re!+ilt. 11 3 will give yo+ many people and animals, and they will grow and have -Eekiel 3&.12*1' 1%# many children. 3 will !ring people to live on yo+ as in the past. 3 will make it !etter for yo+ than !efore. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 12 ;es, 3 will lead many peoplemy -asy To .ead /ersion

people, 3sraelto yo+r land. ;o+ will !e their property, and yo+ will not take away their children again. 13 This is what the ord G5D says: and of 3srael, people say !ad things to yo+. They say yo+ destroyed yo+r people. They say yo+ took the children away from yo+r people. 1# <+t yo+ will not destroy people anymore or take away their children again. This is what the ord G5D said. 1% 3 will not let those other nations ins+lt yo+ anymore. ;o+ will not !e h+rt !y them anymore. ;o+ will not take the children away from yo+r people again. This is what the ord G5D said. 1& Then the 5.D spoke to me and said, 1' Son of man, the family of 3srael lived in their own co+ntry, !+t they made that land filthy !y the !ad things they did. To me, they were like a woman who !ecomes +nclean !eca+se of her monthly time of !leeding. -Eekiel 3&.1(*23 1%% 1( They spilled !lood on the gro+nd when they m+rdered people in the land. They made the land filthy with their idols, so 3 showed them how angry 3 was. 1) 3 scattered them among the nations and spread them thro+gh all the lands. 3 gave them the p+nishment they deserved for the !ad things they did. 2, <+t even in those other nations, they r+ined my good name. $ow? Those nations said, These are the 5.D@S people, !+t they left his land. 21 The people of 3srael r+ined my holy name wherever they went, and 3 felt sorry for my name. 22 So tell the family of 3srael that this is what the ord G5D says: 2amily of 3srael, yo+ r+ined my holy name in the places where yo+ went. 3 am going to do something to stop this. 3 will not do it for yo+r sake, 3srael. 3 will do it for my holy name. 23 3 will show the nations how holy my great name really is. ;o+ r+ined my good name in those nations" <+t 3 will pag. ())0131#

show yo+ that 3 am holy. 3 will make yo+ respect my name, and then those -Eekiel 3&.2#*3, 1%& nations will know that 3 am the 5.D. This is what the ord G5D said. 2# 3 will take yo+ o+t of those nations, gather yo+ together, and !ring yo+ !ack to yo+r own land. 2% Then 3 will sprinkle p+re water on yo+ and make yo+ p+re. 3 will wash away all yo+r filth, the filth from those nasty idols, and 3 will make yo+ p+re. 2& 3 will also p+t a new spirit in yo+ to change yo+r way of thinking. 3 will take o+t the heart of stone from yo+r !ody and give yo+ a tender, h+man heart. 2' 3 will p+t my Spirit inside yo+ and change yo+ so that yo+ will o!ey my laws. ;o+ will caref+lly o!ey my commands. 2( Then yo+ will live in the land that 3 gave to yo+r ancestors. ;o+ will !e my people, and 3 will !e yo+r God. 2) Also, 3 will save yo+ and keep yo+ from !ecoming +nclean. 3 will command the grain to grow. 3 will not !ring a famine against yo+. 3, 3 will give yo+ large crops of fr+it from yo+r trees and the harvest from yo+r fields so that yo+ will never again -Eekiel 3&.31*3& 1%' feel the shame of !eing h+ngry in a foreign co+ntry. 31 ;o+ will remem!er the !ad things yo+ did. ;o+ will remem!er that those things were not good. Then yo+ will hate yo+rselves !eca+se of yo+r sins and the terri!le things yo+ did. 32 The ord G5D says, 3 want yo+ to remem!er this: 3 am not doing these things for yo+r good" 3 am doing them for my good name. 2amily of 3srael, yo+ sho+ld !e ashamed and em!arrassed a!o+t the way yo+ lived" 33 This is what the ord G5D says: 5n the day that 3 wash away yo+r sins, 3 will !ring people !ack to yo+r cities. The r+ined cities will !e re!+ilt. 3# 6eople will !egin again to work the land so when other people pass !y they -asy To .ead /ersion

will not see r+ins anymore. 3% They will say, 3n the past, this land was r+ined, !+t now it is like the Garden of -den. The cities were destroyed. They were r+ined and empty, !+t now they are protected, and there are people living in them. 3& Then the nations that are still aro+nd yo+ will know 3 am the 5.D and that 3 -Eekiel 3&.3'*3'.3 1%( re!+ilt those places. 3 planted things in this land that was empty. 3 am the 5.D. 3 said this, and 3 will make them happen" 3' This is what the ord G5D says: 3 will also let the family of 3srael come to me and ask me to do these things for them. 3 will make them grow and !ecome many people. They will !e like flocks of sheep. 3( D+ring the special festivals, Cer+salem was filled with flocks of sheep and goats that had !een made holy. 3n the same way, the cities and r+ined places will !e filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 37 1 The 5.D@S power came on me. The Spirit of the 5.D carried me o+t of the city and p+t me down in the middle of the valley. The valley was f+ll of dead mens !ones. 2 There were many !ones lying on the gro+nd in the valley. The ord made me walk all aro+nd among the !ones. 3 saw the !ones were very dry. 3 Then the ord said to me, Son of man, can these !ones come to life? 3 answered, ord G5D, only yo+ know the answer to that J+estion. -Eekiel 3'.#* ) 1%) # Then he said to me, Speak to these !ones for me. Tell them, Dry !ones, listen to the word of the 5.D" % This is what the ord G5D says to yo+: 3 will ca+se !reath to come into yo+, and yo+ will come to life" & 3 will p+t sinew and m+scles on yo+, and 3 will cover yo+ with skin. Then 3 will p+t !reath in yo+, and yo+ will come !ack to life" Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. ' So 3 spoke to the !ones for the 5.D, pag. ),,0131#

as he said. 3 was still speaking, when 3 heard the lo+d noise. The !ones !egan to rattle, and !one =oined together with !one" ( There !efore my eyes 3 saw sinew and m+scles !egin to cover the !ones. Skin !egan to cover them, !+t there was no !reath in them. ) Then the ord said to me, Speak to the wind for me. Son of man, speak to the wind for me. Tell the wind that this is what the ord G5D says: >ind, come from every direction and !reathe air into these dead !odies" <reathe into them and they will come to life again" -Eekiel 3'.1,*1& 1&, 1, So 3 spoke to the wind for the 5.D, as he said, and the !reath came into the dead !odies. They came to life and stood +p. There were many of thema large army" 11 Then he said to me, Son of man, these !ones are like the whole family of 3srael. The people of 3srael say, 5+r !ones have dried +pF o+r hope is gone. >e have !een completely destroyed" 12 So speak to them for me. Tell them this is what the ord G5D says: Ay people, 3 will open yo+r graves and !ring yo+ +p o+t of them" Then 3 will !ring yo+ to the land of 3srael. 13 Ay people, 3 will open yo+r graves and !ring yo+ +p o+t of yo+r graves, and then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. 1# 3 will p+t my Spirit in yo+, and yo+ will come to life again. Then 3 will lead yo+ !ack to yo+r own land. Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D. ;o+ will know that 3 said this and that 3 made it happen. This is what the 5.D said. 1% The word of the 5.D came to me again. $e said, 1& Son of man, get one stick and write this message on it: This stick !elongs -Eekiel 3'.1'*22 1&1 to C+dah and his friends, the people of 3srael. Then take another stick and write on it, This stick of -phraim !elongs to Coseph and his friends, the people of 3srael. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' Then =oin the two sticks together. 3n yo+r hand, they will !e one stick. 1( ;o+r people will ask yo+ to e4plain what that means. 1) Tell them that this is what the ord G5D says: 3 will take the stick of Coseph, which is in the hand of -phraim and his friends, the people of 3srael. Then 3 will p+t that stick with the stick of C+dah, and make them one stick. 3n my hand, they will !ecome one stick" 2, Take the sticks that yo+ wrote on and hold them in front of yo+. 21 Tell the people that this is what the ord G5D says: 3 will gather the people of 3srael from among the nations. 3 will gather them from all aro+nd and !ring them !ack to their own land. 22 3 will make them one nation in their land among the mo+ntains of 3srael. There will !e one king over them all. They will no longer !e two nations. -Eekiel 3'.23*2& 1&2 They will not !e split into two kingdoms anymore. 23 And they will no longer contin+e to make themselves filthy with their idols and horri!le stat+es or with any of their other crimes. 3nstead, 3 will save them from all the places where they have sinned, and 3 will wash them and make them p+re. They will !e my people, and 3 will !e their God. 2# And my servant David will !e the king over them. There will !e only one shepherd over all of them. They will live !y my r+les and o!ey my laws. They will do the things 3 tell them. 2% They will live on the land that 3 gave to my servant Caco!. ;o+r ancestors lived in that place, and my people will live there. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever. Ay servant David will !e their leader forever. 2& And 3 will make a peace agreement with them. This agreement will contin+e forever. 3 agree to give them their land. 3 agree to make them n+mero+s and to p+t my holy place among them forever. pag. ),10131#

-Eekiel 3'.2'*3(.% 1&3 2' Ay $oly Tent will !e with them. ;es, 3 will !e their God and they will !e my people. 2( The other nations will know that 3 am the 5.D, and they will know that 3 make 3srael my special people !y p+tting my holy place there among them forever. 38 1 The 5.D spoke to me and said, 2 Son of man, look toward Gog in the land of Aagog. $e is the most important leader of the nations of Aeshech and T+!al. Speak for me against Gog. 3 Tell him that this is what the ord G5D says: Gog, yo+ are the most important leader of the nations of Aeshech and T+!al, !+t 3 am against yo+. # 3 will capt+re yo+ and !ring yo+ !ack. 3 will !ring !ack all the men in yo+r army, all the horses, and horse soldiers. 3 will p+t hooks in yo+r mo+ths, and 3 will !ring all of yo+ !ack. All the soldiers will !e wearing their +niforms with all their shields and swords. % Soldiers from 6ersia, -thiopia, and 6+t will !e with them. They will all !e wearing their shields and helmets. -Eekiel 3(.&*1, 1&# & There will also !e Gomer with all its gro+ps of soldiers, and there will !e the nation of Togarmah from the far north with all its gro+ps of soldiers. There will !e many people in that parade of prisoners. ' <e prepared. ;es, prepare yo+rself and the armies that have =oined with yo+. ;o+ m+st watch and !e ready. ( After a long time yo+ will !e called for d+ty. 3n the later years yo+ will come into the land that has !een healed from war. The people in that land were gathered from many nations and !ro+ght !ack to the mo+ntains of 3srael. 3n the past, the mo+ntains of 3srael had !een destroyed again and again. <+t these people will have come !ack from those other nations. They all will have lived in safety. ) <+t yo+ will come to attack them. ;o+ -asy To .ead /ersion

will come like a storm. ;o+ will come like a th+nderclo+d covering the land. ;o+ and all yo+r gro+ps of soldiers from many nations will come to attack them. 1, This is what the ord G5D says: At that time an idea will come into yo+r -Eekiel 3(.11*1# 1&% mind. ;o+ will !egin to make an evil plan. 11 ;o+ will say, 3 will go attack the co+ntry that has towns witho+t walls 73srael8. The people there live in peace and think they are safe. There are no walls aro+nd the cities to protect them. They dont have any locks on their gatesthey dont even have gates" 12 3 will defeat them and take all their val+a!le things away from them. 3 will fight against the places that were destroyed !+t now have people living in them. 3 will fight against the people who were gathered from the nations. 1ow they have cattle and property. They live at the crossroads of the world. 13 She!a, Dedan, and merchants of Tarshish, and all the cities they trade with will ask yo+, Did yo+ come to capt+re val+a!le things? Did yo+ !ring yo+r gro+ps of soldiers together to gra! the good things and to carry away silver, gold, cattle, and property? Did yo+ come to take all those val+a!le things? 1# Son of man, speak to Gog for me. Tell him that this is what the ord G5D -Eekiel 3(.1%*1) 1&& says: ;o+ will come to attack my people while they are living in peace and safety. 1% ;o+ will come from yo+r place o+t of the far north, and yo+ will !ring many people with yo+. All of them will ride on horses. ;o+ will !e a large and a powerf+l army. 1& ;o+ will come to fight against my people 3srael. ;o+ will !e like a th+nderclo+d covering the land. >hen that time comes, 3 will !ring yo+ to fight against my land. Then, Gog, the nations will learn how powerf+l 3 am" They will learn to respect me and know that 3 am holy. They will see what 3 will do to yo+" pag. ),20131#

1' This is what the ord G5D says: At that time people will remem!er that 3 spoke a!o+t yo+ in the past. They will remem!er that 3 +sed my servants, the prophets of 3srael. They will remem!er that the prophets of 3srael spoke for me in the past and said that 3 wo+ld !ring yo+ to fight against them. 1( The ord G5D said, At that time Gog will come to fight against the land of 3srael. 3 will show my anger. 1) 3n my anger and strong emotions, 3 make this promise: 3 promise that there -Eekiel 3(.2,*3).1 1&' will !e a strong earthJ+ake in the land of 3srael. 2, At that time all living things will shake with fear. The fish in the sea, the !irds in the air, the wild animals in the fields, and all the little creat+res crawling on the gro+nd will shake with fear. The mo+ntains will fall down and the cliffs will !reak apart. -very wall will fall to the gro+nd" 21 The ord G5D says, 5n the mo+ntains of 3srael, 3 will call for every kind of terror against Gog. $is soldiers will !e so afraid that they will attack each other and kill each other with their swords. 22 3 will p+nish Gog with diseases and death. 3 will ca+se hailstones, fire, and s+lf+r to rain down on Gog and his gro+ps of soldiers from many nations. 23 Then 3 will show how great 3 am. 3 will prove that 3 am holy. Aany nations will see me do these things, and they will learn who 3 am. Then they will know that 3 am the 5.D. 39 1 Son of man, speak against Gog for me. Tell him that this is what the ord G5D says: Gog, yo+ are the most important leader of the co+ntries -Eekiel 3).2* ' 1&( Aeshech and T+!al, !+t 3 am against yo+. 2 3 will capt+re yo+ and !ring yo+ !ack. 3 will !ring yo+ from the far north. 3 will !ring yo+ to fight against the mo+ntains of 3srael. 3 <+t 3 will knock yo+r !ow from yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

left hand and yo+r arrows from yo+r right hand. # ;o+ will !e killed on the mo+ntains of 3srael. ;o+, yo+r gro+ps of soldiers, and all the other nations with yo+ will !e killed in the !attle. 3 will give yo+ as food to every kind of !ird that eats meat and to all the wild animals. % ;o+ will not enter the city. ;o+ will !e killed o+t in the open fields. 3 have spoken" This is what the ord G5D said. & 3 will send fire against Aagog and those people living along the coast. They think they are safe, !+t they will know that 3 am the 5.D. ' And 3 will make my holy name known among my people 3srael. 3 will not let people r+in my holy name anymore. The nations will know that 3 am the 5.D. They will know that 3 am the $oly 5ne in 3srael. -Eekiel 3).(*11 1&) ( That time is coming" 3t will happen" This is what the ord G5D said. That is the day 3 am talking a!o+t. ) At that time people living in the cities of 3srael will go o+t to the fields. They will collect the enemys weapons and !+rn them. They will !+rn all the shields, !ows and arrows, cl+!s and spears. They will +se the weapons as firewood for seven years. 1, They will not have to gather wood from the fields or chop firewood from the forests !eca+se they will +se the weapons as firewood. They will take the val+a!le things from the soldiers who wanted to steal from them. They will take the good things from the soldiers who took good things from them. This is what the ord G5D said. 11 At that time 3 will choose a place in 3srael to !+ry Gog. $e will !e !+ried in the /alley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. 3t will !lock the road for travelers, !eca+se Gog and all his army will !e !+ried in that place. 6eople will call it The /alley of Gogs Army. -Eekiel 3).12*1' 1', 12 3t will take seven months for the pag. ),30131#

family of 3srael to !+ry them. They m+st do this to make the land p+re. 13 The common people will !+ry the enemy soldiers, and the people will !ecome famo+s on the day that 3 !ring honor to myself. The ord G5D said those things. 1# >orkers will !e given a f+llDtime =o! !+rying the dead soldiers to make the land p+re. The workers will work for seven months. They will go aro+nd looking for dead !odies. 1% They will go aro+nd looking, and if anyone sees a !one, a marker will !e p+t +p !y it. The sign will stay there +ntil the gravediggers come and !+ry the !one in the /alley of Gogs Army, 1& near a city named Army. 3n this way they will make the co+ntry p+re. 1' This is what the ord G5D said: Son of man, speak to all the !irds and wild animals for me. Tell them, 9ome here" 9ome here" Gather aro+nd. 9ome eat this sacrifice 3 am preparing for yo+. There will !e a very !ig sacrifice on the mo+ntains of 3srael. 9ome, eat the meat and drink the !lood. -Eekiel 3).1(*23 1'1 1( ;o+ will eat the meat from the !odies of powerf+l soldiers and drink the !lood from world leaders. They will !e like rams, lam!s, goats, and fat !+lls from <ashan. 1) ;o+ can eat all the fat yo+ want and drink !lood +ntil yo+ are f+ll. ;o+ will eat and drink from my sacrifice, which 3 will kill for yo+. 2, ;o+ will have plenty of meat to eat at my ta!le. There will !e horses and chariot drivers, powerf+l soldiers, and all the other fighting men. This is what the ord G5D said. 21 3 will let the other nations see what 3 have done, and they will !egin to respect me" They will see my power that 3 +sed against the enemy. 22 Then from that day on, the family of 3srael will know that 3 am the 5.D their God. 23 And the nations will know why the -asy To .ead /ersion

family of 3srael was carried away as prisoners to other co+ntries. They will learn that my people t+rned against me, so 3 t+rned away from them. 3 let their enemies defeat them, so my people were killed in !attle. -Eekiel 3).2#*2) 1'2 2# They sinned and made themselves filthy, so 3 p+nished them for the things they did. 3 t+rned away from them and ref+sed to help them. 2% So this is what the ord G5D says: 1ow 3 will !ring the family of Caco! !ack from captivity. 3 will have mercy on the whole family of 3srael. 3 will show my strong feelings for my holy name. 2& The people will forget their shame and all the times they t+rned against me. They will live in safety on their own land. 1o one will make them afraid. 2' 3 will !ring my people !ack from other co+ntries. 3 will gather them from the lands of their enemies. Then many nations will see how holy 3 am. 2( They will know that 3 am the 5.D their God. That is !eca+se 3 made them leave their homes and go as prisoners to other co+ntries. <+t then 3 gathered them together again and !ro+ght them !ack to their own land. 2) 3 will po+r o+t my Spirit on the family of 3srael, and 3 will never t+rn away from my people again. This is what the ord G5D said. -Eekiel #,.1* % 1'3 40 1 3n the twentyDfifth year after we were taken away into captivity, at the !eginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, the 5.D@S power came on me. This was fo+rteen years after the <a!ylonians took Cer+salem. 5n that day, the ord took me there in a vision. 2 3n the vision, God carried me to the land of 3srael. $e p+t me down near a very high mo+ntain. 5n the mo+ntain in front of me was a !+ilding that looked like a city. 3 $e took me to that place. There was a man there who looked like polished pag. ),#0131#

!ronEe. $e had a cloth tape meas+re and a meas+ring rod in his hand. $e was standing !y the gate. # The man said to me, Son of man, +se yo+r eyes and ears. ook at these things and listen to me. 6ay attention to everything that 3 show yo+, !eca+se yo+ have !een !ro+ght here so that 3 can show yo+ these things. ;o+ m+st tell the family of 3srael all that yo+ see. % 3 saw a wall that went all the way aro+nd the o+tside of the Temple. 3n the mans hand there was a r+ler for -Eekiel #,.&*11 1'# meas+ring things. 3t was & c+!its long +sing the long meas+rement, so the man meas+red the thickness of the wall. 3t was one r+ler thick. $e meas+red the height of the wall. 3t was one r+ler tall. & Then the man went to the east gate. $e walked +p its steps and meas+red the opening for the gate. 3t was one r+ler wide. ' The g+ardrooms were one r+ler long and one r+ler wide. The walls !etween the rooms were % c+!its thick. The opening !y the porch at the end of the gateway that faced the Temple was also one r+ler wide. ( Then he meas+red the porch. ) 3t was ( c+!its long. $e meas+red the walls on either side of the gate. -ach side wall was 2 c+!its wide. The porch was at the end of the gateway that faced the Temple. 1, There were three little g+ardrooms on each side of the gateway. All these rooms and their side walls meas+red the same. 11 The man meas+red the entrance to the gateway. 3t was 1, c+!its wide and 13 c+!its long. -Eekiel #,.12*1' 1'% 12 There was a low wall in front of each room. That wall was 1 c+!it tall and 1 c+!it thick. The rooms were sJ+are. -ach wall was & c+!its long. 13 The man meas+red the gateway from the o+tside edge of the roof of one room to the o+tside edge of the roof of the -asy To .ead /ersion

opposite room. 3t was 2% c+!its. -ach door was directly opposite the other door. 1# $e meas+red the faces of all the side walls, incl+ding the side walls on either side of the porch at the co+rtyard. The total was &, c+!its. 1% 2rom the inside edge of the o+ter gate to the far end of the porch was %, c+!its. 1& There were small windows a!ove all the g+ardrooms, the side walls, and the porch. The wide part of the windows faced into the gateway. There were carvings of palm trees on the walls that were on either side of the gateway. 1' Then the man led me into the o+ter co+rtyard. 3 saw thirty rooms and a pavement that went all the way aro+nd the co+rtyard. The rooms were along the wall and faced in toward the pavement. -Eekiel #,.1(*23 1'& 1( The pavement was as wide as the gates were long. The pavement reached to the inside end of the gateway. This was the lower pavement. 1) The man meas+red the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the o+tside of the inner co+rtyard. 3t was 1,, c+!its on the east side as well as on the north side. 2, Then the man meas+red the length and width of the north gate that was in the wall s+rro+nding the o+ter co+rtyard. 21 This gateway, its three rooms on each side, and its porch all meas+red the same as the first gate. The gateway was %, c+!its long and 2% c+!its wide. 22 3ts windows, its porch, and its carvings of palm trees meas+red the same as the east gate. 5n the o+tside, there were seven steps leading +p to the gate. 3ts porch was at the inside end of the gateway. 23 Across the co+rtyard from the north gate, there was a gate to the inner co+rtyard. 3t was like the gate on the east. The man meas+red from the gate on the inner wall to the gate on the o+ter wall. 3t was 1,, c+!its from gate to gate. pag. ),%0131#

-Eekiel #,.2#*2) 1'' 2# Then the man led me to the so+th wall. 3 saw a gate in the so+th wall. $e meas+red its side walls and its porch. They meas+red the same as the other gates. 2% The gateway and its porch had windows all aro+nd like the other gates. The gateway was %, c+!its long and 2% c+!its wide. 2& There were seven steps going +p to this gate. 3ts porch was at the inside end of the gateway. 3t had carvings of palm trees on the walls that were on either side of the gateway. 2' A gate was on the so+th side of the inner co+rtyard. The man meas+red from the gate on the inner wall to the gate on the o+ter wall. 3t was 1,, c+!its from gate to gate. 2( Then the man led me thro+gh the so+th gate into the inner co+rtyard. $e meas+red this gate. This gateway meas+red the same as the other gates to the inner co+rtyard. 2) 3ts rooms, side walls, and porch also meas+red the same as the other gates. There were windows all aro+nd the -Eekiel #,.3,*3& 1'( gateway and its porch. The gateway was %, c+!its long and 2% c+!its wide. 3, The porch was 2% c+!its wide and % c+!its long. 31 And its porch was at the end of the gateway ne4t to the o+ter co+rtyard. 9arvings of palm trees were on the walls on either side of the gateway. There were eight steps leading +p to the gate. 32 Then the man led me into the inner co+rtyard on the east side. $e meas+red the gate. 3t meas+red the same as the other gates. 33 3ts rooms, side walls, and porch also meas+red the same as the other gates. There were windows all aro+nd the gateway and its porch. The gateway was %, c+!its long and 2% c+!its wide. 3# And its porch was at the end of the gateway ne4t to the o+ter co+rtyard. 9arvings of palm trees were on the walls -asy To .ead /ersion

on either side of the gateway. There were eight steps leading +p to the gate. 3% Then the man led me to the north gate. $e meas+red it, and it meas+red the same as the other gates. 3& 3ts rooms, side walls, and porch also meas+red the same as the other gates. -Eekiel #,.3'*#2 1') There were windows all aro+nd the gateway and its porch. The gateway was %, c+!its long and 2% c+!its wide. 3' And its porch was at the end of the gateway ne4t to the o+ter co+rtyard. 9arvings of palm trees were on the walls on either side of the gateway. There were eight steps leading +p to the gate. 3( There was also a doorway in the side walls of the gates. That doorway led into a room where the priests washed the sacrifices. 3) There were two ta!les on each side of the door of this porch. The animals for the !+rnt offerings, the sin offerings, and the g+ilt offerings were killed on these ta!les. #, There were also two ta!les on each side of the door on the o+tside wall of this porch. #1 So there were fo+r ta!les on the inside wall and fo+r ta!les on the o+tside walleight ta!les that the priests +sed when they killed the animals for sacrifices. #2 There were also fo+r ta!les made from c+t stone for the !+rnt offerings. These ta!les were 1 102 c+!its long, 1 -Eekiel #,.#3*#' 1(, 102 c+!its wide, and 1 c+!it high. 5n these ta!les, the priests p+t their tools that they +sed to kill the animals for the !+rnt offerings and other sacrifices. #3 There were meat hooks three inches long on all the walls in this area. The meat of the offerings was p+t on the ta!les. ## There were two rooms in the inner co+rtyard. 5ne was !y the north gate facing so+th. The other room was !y the so+th gate facing north. #% The man said to me, The room that pag. ),&0131#

looks to the so+th is for the priests who are on d+ty and serving in the Temple area. #& <+t the room that looks to the north is for the priests who are on d+ty and serving at the altar. The priests are from the tri!e of evi. <+t the priests in this second gro+p are the descendants of Badok. They are the only people who can carry the sacrifices to the altar to serve the 5.D. #' The man meas+red the inner co+rtyard. The co+rtyard was a perfect sJ+are. 3t was 1,, c+!its long and 1,, -Eekiel #,.#(*#1.# 1(1 c+!its wide. The altar was in front of the Temple. #( Then the man led me to the porch of the Temple and meas+red the walls on either side of the porch. -ach side wall was % c+!its thick and 3 c+!its wide. The opening !etween them was 1# c+!its. #) The porch was 2, c+!its wide and 12 c+!its long. Ten steps went +p to the porch. There were two col+mns for the walls on either side of the porchone at each wall. 41 1 Then the man led me into the $oly 6lace. $e meas+red the walls on either side of the room. The side walls were & c+!its thick on each side. 2 The door was 1, c+!its wide. The sides of the doorway were % c+!its on each side. $e meas+red that room. 3t was #, c+!its long and 2, c+!its wide. 3 Then the man went into the last room. $e meas+red the walls on either side of the doorway. -ach side wall was 2 c+!its thick and ' c+!its wide. The doorway was & c+!its wide. # Then he meas+red the length of the room. 3t was 2, c+!its long and 2, -Eekiel #1.%* ) 1(2 c+!its wide. $e said to me, This is the Aost $oly 6lace. % Then the man meas+red the wall of the Temple. 3t was & c+!its thick. There were side rooms all aro+nd the Temple. They were # c+!its wide. & The side rooms were on three different -asy To .ead /ersion

floors, one a!ove the other. There were 3, rooms on each floor. The wall of the Temple was !+ilt with ledges. The side rooms rested on these ledges !+t were not connected to the Temple wall itself. ' -ach floor of the side rooms aro+nd the Temple was wider than the floor !elow. The walls of the rooms aro+nd the Temple !ecame narrower the higher they went so that the rooms on the top floors were wider. A stairway went +p from the lowest floor to the highest floor thro+gh the middle floor. ( 3 also saw that the Temple had a raised !ase all the way aro+nd it. 3t was the fo+ndation for the side rooms, and it was a f+ll r+ler high. ) The o+ter wall of the side rooms was % c+!its thick. There was an open area !etween the side rooms of the Temple -Eekiel #1.1,*1& 1(3 1, and the priests rooms. 3t was 2, c+!its wide and went all the way aro+nd the Temple. 11 The doors of the side rooms opened onto the raised !ase. There was one entrance on the north side and one entrance on the so+th side. The raised !ase was % c+!its wide all aro+nd. 12 There was a !+ilding in this restricted area west of the Temple. The !+ilding was ', c+!its wide and ), c+!its long. The wall of the !+ilding was % c+!its thick all aro+nd. 13 Then the man meas+red the Temple. The Temple was 1,, c+!its long. The restricted area, incl+ding the !+ilding and its walls, was also 1,, c+!its long. 1# The restricted area on the east side, in front of the Temple, was 1,, c+!its long. 1% The man meas+red the length of the !+ilding in the restricted area at the rear of the Temple. 3t was 1,, c+!its from one wall to the other wall. The Aost $oly 6lace, the $oly 6lace, and the porch !y the co+rtyard 1& had wood paneling on all the walls. All the windows and doors had wood -Eekiel #1.1'*22 1(# pag. ),'0131#

trim aro+nd them. <y the doorway, the Temple had wood paneling from the floor +p to the windows and +p to the part of the wall 1' over the doorway. 5n all the walls in the inner room and the o+ter room of the Temple were carvings 1( of 9her+! angels and palm trees. A palm tree was !etween each 9her+! angel. -very 9her+! angel had two faces. 1) 5ne face was a mans face looking toward the palm tree on one side. The other face was a lions face looking toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved all aro+nd on the Temple. 2, 2rom the floor to the area a!ove the door, 9her+! angels and palm trees were carved on all walls of the $oly 6lace. 21 The walls on either side of the $oly 6lace were sJ+are. 3n front of the Aost $oly 6lace, there was something that looked like 22 an altar made from wood. 3t was 3 c+!its high and 2 c+!its long. 3ts corners, its !ase, and its sides were wood. The -Eekiel #1.23*#2.3 1(% man said to me, This is the ta!le that is !efore the 5.D. 23 <oth the $oly 6lace and the Aost $oly 6lace had a do+!le door. 2# -ach of the doors was made from two smaller doors. -ach door was really two swinging doors. 2% Also 9her+! angels and palm trees were carved on the doors of the $oly 6lace. They were like those carved on the walls. There was a wood roof over the front of the porch. 2& There were windows with frames aro+nd them and palm trees on the walls on !oth sides of the porch, on the roof over the porch, and on the rooms aro+nd the Temple. 42 1 Then the man led me thro+gh the north gate o+t into the o+ter co+rtyard. $e led me to a !+ilding with many rooms that was west of the restricted area and the !+ilding on the -asy To .ead /ersion

north side. 2 This !+ilding was 1,, c+!its long and %, c+!its wide. 6eople entered it from the co+rtyard on the north side. 3 The !+ilding was three stories tall and had !alconies. The 2,Dc+!it inner -Eekiel #2.#* ( 1(& co+rtyard was !etween the !+ilding and the Temple. 5n the other side, the rooms faced the pavement of the o+ter co+rtyard. # There was a path 1, c+!its wide and 1,, c+!its long r+nning along the so+th side of the !+ilding, even tho+gh the entrance was on the north side. % Since this !+ilding was three stories tall and did not have col+mns like those col+mns of the o+ter co+rtyards, the top rooms were farther !ack than the rooms on the middle and !ottom floors. The top floor was narrower than the middle floor, which was narrower than the !ottom floor !eca+se the !alconies +sed this space. & 7#2:%8 ' There was a wall o+tside that was parallel to the rooms and ran along the o+ter co+rtyard. 3t ran in front of the rooms for %, c+!its. ( The row of rooms that ran along the o+ter co+rtyard was %, c+!its long, altho+gh the total length of the !+ilding, as on the Temple side, was 1,, c+!its long. -Eekiel #2.)*13 1(' ) The entrance was !elow these rooms at the east end of the !+ilding so that people co+ld enter from the o+ter co+rtyard. 1, The entrance was at the start of the wall !eside the co+rtyard. There were rooms on the so+th side, !y the restricted area and the other !+ilding. These rooms had a 11 path in front of them. They were like the rooms on the north side. They had the same length and width and the same kind of doors. 12 The entrance to the lower rooms was at the east end of the !+ilding so that pag. ),(0131#

people co+ld enter from the open end of the path !y the wall. 13 The man said to me, The north rooms and so+th rooms across from the restricted area are holy. These rooms are for the priests who offer the sacrifices to the 5.D. That is where the priests will p+t the most holy offerings and eat them. That is !eca+se that place is holy. The most holy offerings are the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the g+ilt offerings. -Eekiel #2.1#*#3.1 1(( 1# The priests who enter the holy area m+st leave their serving clothes in that holy place !efore they go o+t into the o+ter co+rtyard, !eca+se these clothes are holy. 3f a priest wants to go to the part of the Temple where the other people are, he m+st go to those rooms and p+t on other clothes. 1% The man had finished meas+ring inside the Temple area. Then he !ro+ght me o+t thro+gh the east gate and meas+red all aro+nd that area. 1& $e meas+red the east side with the r+ler. 3t was %,, c+!its long. 1' $e meas+red the north side. 3t was %,, c+!its long. 1( $e meas+red the so+th side. 3t was %,, c+!its long. 1) $e went aro+nd to the west side and meas+red it. 3t was %,, c+!its long. 2, $e meas+red the fo+r walls that went all the way aro+nd the Temple. The wall was %,, c+!its long and %,, c+!its wide. 3t separated the holy area from the area that is not holy. 43 1 The man led me to the east gate. -Eekiel #3.2* ( 1() 2 There the Glory of the God of 3srael came from the east. Gods voice was lo+d like the so+nd of the sea. The gro+nd was !right with the light from the Glory of God. 3 The vision that 3 saw was like the vision 3 saw !y the Ge!ar 9anal. 3 !owed with my face to the gro+nd. # The Glory of the 5.D came into the -asy To .ead /ersion

Temple thro+gh the east gate. % Then the Spirit picked me +p and !ro+ght me into the inner co+rtyard. The Glory of the 5.D filled the Temple. & 3 heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple. The man was still standing !eside me. ' The voice from the Temple said to me, Son of man, this is the place with my throne and footstool. 3 will live in this place among the people of 3srael forever. The family of 3srael will not r+in my holy name again. The kings and their people will not !ring shame to my name !y committing se4+al sins or !y !+rying the dead !odies of their kings in this place. ( They will not !ring shame to my name !y p+tting their threshold ne4t to my threshold, and their doorposts -Eekiel #3.)*12 1), ne4t to my doorposts. 3n the past, only a wall separated them from me. So they !ro+ght shame to my name every time they sinned and did those terri!le things. That is why 3 !ecame angry and destroyed them. ) 1ow let them take their se4+al sins and the dead !odies of their kings far away from me. Then 3 will live among them forever. 1, 1ow, son of man, tell the family of 3srael a!o+t the Temple. Then, when they learn a!o+t the plans for the Temple, they will !e ashamed of their sins. 11 And they will !e ashamed of all the !ad things they have done. et them know the design of the Temple. et them know how it sho+ld !e !+ilt, where the entrances and e4its are, and all the designs on it. Teach them a!o+t all its r+les and all its laws. >rite these things for everyone to see so that they can o!ey all the laws and r+les for the Temple. 12 This is the law of the Temple: The whole area s+rro+nding it on the top of the mo+ntain is most holy. This is the law of the Temple. -Eekiel #3.13*1( 1)1 13 These are the meas+rements of pag. ),)0131#

the altar in c+!its +sing the long meas+rement: There was a g+tter all the way aro+nd the !ase of the altar. 3t was 1 c+!it deep, and each side was 1 c+!it wide. There was a rim aro+nd the edge 1 span high. This is how tall the altar was: 1# 2rom the gro+nd to the lower ledge, the !ase meas+red 2 c+!its. 3t was 1 c+!it wide. 3t meas+red # c+!its from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge. 3t was 2 c+!its wide. 1% The place for the fire on the altar was # c+!its high. The fo+r corners were shaped like horns. 1& The place for the fire on the altar was 12 c+!its long !y 12 c+!its wide. 3t was perfectly sJ+are. 1' The ledge was also sJ+are, 1# c+!its long !y 1# c+!its wide. The !order aro+nd it was 102 c+!it wide. 7The g+tter aro+nd the !ase was 1 c+!it wide.8 The steps going +p to the altar were on the east side. 1( Then the man said to me, Son of man, this is what the ord G5D says: These are the r+les for the altar: At the time yo+ !+ild the altar, +se these r+les -Eekiel #3.1)*23 1)2 to offer !+rnt offerings and to sprinkle !lood on it. 1) ;o+ will give a yo+ng !+ll as a sin offering to the men from Badoks family. These men are the priests from the tri!e of evi. They are the men who serve me !y !ringing the offerings to me. This is what the ord G5D said. 2, ;o+ will take some of the !+lls !lood and p+t it on the altars fo+r horns, on the fo+r corners of the ledge, and on the rim aro+nd it. 3n this way yo+ will make the altar p+re. 21 Then take the !+ll for the sin offering and !+rn it in the proper place in the Temple area, o+tside the Temple !+ilding. 22 5n the second day yo+ will offer a male goat that has nothing wrong with it. 3t will !e for a sin offering. The priests will make the altar p+re the same way they made it p+re with the !+ll. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 >hen yo+ have finished making the altar p+re, yo+ will offer a yo+ng !+ll that has nothing wrong with it and a ram from the flock that has nothing wrong with it. -Eekiel #3.2#*##.3 1)3 2# Then yo+ will offer them !efore the 5.D. The priests will sprinkle salt on them. Then they will offer the !+ll and ram +p as a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. 2% ;o+ will prepare a goat every day for seven days for a sin offering. Also, yo+ will prepare a yo+ng !+ll and a ram from the flock. These animals m+st have nothing wrong with them. 2& 2or seven days the priests will make the altar p+re and ready for +se in worshiping God. 2' 5n the eighth day, and every day after that, the priests m+st offer yo+r !+rnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then 3 will accept yo+. This is what the ord G5D said. 44 1 Then the man !ro+ght me !ack to the east gate of the Temple area. >e were o+tside the gate and the gate was sh+t. 2 The 5.D said to me, This gate will stay sh+t. 3t will not !e opened. 1o one will enter thro+gh it, !eca+se the 5.D of 3srael has entered thro+gh it. So it m+st stay sh+t. 3 5nly the r+ler of the people may sit at this gate when he eats a meal with the -Eekiel ##.#* ' 1)# 5.D. $e m+st enter thro+gh the porch of the gateway and go o+t the same way. # Then the man led me thro+gh the north gate to the front of the Temple. 3 looked and saw the Glory of the 5.D filling the 5.D@S Temple. 3 !owed with my face to+ching the gro+nd. % The 5.D said to me, Son of man, look very caref+lly" Hse yo+r eyes and ears. ook at these things, and listen very caref+lly to everything that 3 tell yo+ a!o+t all the r+les and laws a!o+t the 5.D@S Temple. ook caref+lly at the entrances to the Temple and at all the e4its from the holy place. pag. )1,0131#

& Then give this message to all the people of 3srael who ref+sed to o!ey me. Tell them, This is what the ord G5D said: 2amily of 3srael, 3 have had eno+gh of the terri!le things yo+ have done" ' ;o+ !ro+ght foreigners into my Temple who are not circ+mcised and have not given themselves to me. 3n this way yo+ made my Temple +nclean. ;o+ !roke o+r agreement and did terri!le things, and then yo+ gave me the offerings of !read, the fat, and the !lood. <+t this only made my Temple +nclean. -Eekiel ##.(*12 1)% ( ;o+ did not take care of my holy things. 1o, yo+ let foreigners have responsi!ility of my holy place" ) This is what the ord G5D says: A foreigner who is not tr+ly circ+mcised m+st not come into my Templenot even a foreigner living permanently among the people of 3srael. $e m+st !e circ+mcised, and he m+st give himself completely to me !efore he can come into my Temple. 1, 3n the past, the evites left me when 3srael t+rned away from me. 3srael left me to follow their idols. The evites will !e p+nished for their sin. 11 The evites were chosen to serve in my holy place. They g+arded the gates of the Temple. They served in the Temple. They killed the animals for the sacrifices and !+rnt offerings for the people. They were chosen to help the people and to serve them. 12 <+t the evites helped the people sin against me" They helped the people worship their idols" So 3 am making this promise against them: They will !e p+nished for their sin. This is what the ord G5D said. -Eekiel ##.13*1( 1)& 13 So the evites will not !ring offerings to me like the priests. They will not come near any of my holy things or the things that are most holy. They m+st carry their shame !eca+se of the terri!le things that they did. 1# <+t 3 will let them take care of the Temple. They will work in the Temple and -asy To .ead /ersion

do the things that m+st !e done in it. 1% The priests are all from the tri!e of evi. <+t only priests from Badoks family took care of my holy place when the people of 3srael t+rned away from me. So only Badoks descendants will !ring offerings to me. They will stand !efore me to offer me the fat and the !lood from the animals they sacrifice. This is what the ord G5D said" 1& They will enter my holy place and come near my ta!le to serve me. They will take care of the things 3 gave them. 1' >hen they enter the gates of the inner co+rtyard, they will wear linen clothes. They will not wear wool while they serve at the gates of the inner co+rtyard and in the Temple. 1( They will wear linen t+r!ans on their heads, and they will wear linen -Eekiel ##.1)*2# 1)' +nderwear. They will not wear anything that makes them sweat. 1) <efore they go o+t into the o+ter co+rtyard to the people, they will take off the clothes they wear while serving me. They will p+t these clothes away in the holy rooms. Then they will p+t on other clothes. 3n this way they will not let people to+ch those holy clothes. 2, These priests will not shave their heads or let their hair grow long. The priests may only trim the hair of their heads. 21 1one of the priests may drink wine when they go into the inner co+rtyard. 22 The priests m+st not marry a widow or a divorced woman. 1o, they m+st only marry a virgin from the family of 3srael or a woman whose dead h+s!and was a priest. 23 Also, the priests m+st teach my people the difference !etween things that are holy and things that are not holy. They m+st help my people know what is clean and what is +nclean. 2# The priests will !e the =+dges in co+rt. They will follow my laws when they =+dge people. They will o!ey my -Eekiel ##.2%*3, 1)( pag. )110131#

laws and my r+les at all my special feasts. They will respect my special days of rest and keep them holy. 2% They will not go near a dead person to make themselves +nclean. <+t they may make themselves +nclean if the dead person is their father, mother, son, da+ghter, !rother, or a sister who is not married. 2& After the priest has !een made clean, he m+st wait seven days. 2' Then he can go !ack into the holy place. <+t on the day he goes into the inner co+rtyard to serve in the holy place, he m+st offer a sin offering for himself. This is what the ord G5D said. 2( A!o+t the land that will !elong to the evites: 3 am their property. ;o+ will not give the evites any land in 3srael. 3 am their share in 3srael. 2) They will have the right to eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the g+ilt offerings. Also, anything in 3srael that is a special gift to God will !elong to them. 3, And the first part of the harvest from every kind of crop will !e for the priests. ;o+ will also give the priests the first part -Eekiel ##.31*#%.% 1)) of yo+r flo+r. This will !ring !lessings to yo+r ho+se. 31 The priests m+st not eat any !ird or animal that has died a nat+ral death or has !een torn to pieces !y a wild animal. 45 1 ;o+ will divide the land for the 3sraelite tri!es !y throwing lots. At that time yo+ will separate o+t a part of the land. 3t will !e a holy part for the 5.D. The land will !e 2%,,,, c+!its long and 2,,,,, c+!its wide. All this land will !e holy. 2 A sJ+are area that is %,, c+!its long on each side will !e for the Temple. There will !e an open space aro+nd the Temple that is %, c+!its wide. 3 3n the holy area yo+ will meas+re 2%,,,, c+!its long and 1,,,,, c+!its wide. The Temple will !e in this area. The Temple area will !e the Aost $oly 6lace. # This holy part of the land will !e for -asy To .ead /ersion

the priests, the servants of the Temple. This is where they approach the 5.D to serve him. 3t will !e a place for the priests ho+ses and a place for the Temple. % Another area, 2%,,,, c+!its long and 1,,,,, c+!its wide, will !e for the evites -Eekiel #%.&*11 2,, who serve in the Temple. This land will also !ecome cities for the evites. & And yo+ will give the city an area that is %,,, c+!its wide and 2%,,,, c+!its long. 3t will !e along the side of the holy area. 3t will !e for all the family of 3srael. ' The r+ler will have land on !oth sides of the holy area and the land !elonging to the city. 3t will !e ne4t to the holy area and the area !elonging to the city. 3t will !e the same width as the land that !elongs to a tri!e. 3t will go all the way from the west !order to the east !order. ( This land will !e the r+lers property in 3srael. So he will not need to make life hard for my people anymore. <+t they will give the land to the 3sraelites for their tri!es. ) This is what the ord G5D said: -no+gh, yo+ r+lers of 3srael" Stop !eing cr+el and stealing things from people" <e fair and do what is right" Stop forcing my people o+t from their homes" This is what the ord G5D said. 1, Stop cheating people. Hse acc+rate scales and meas+res" 11 The ephah and the !ath m+st !e the same siEe: A !ath and an ephah m+st -Eekiel #%.12*1' 2,1 !oth eJ+al 101, homer. Those meas+res will !e !ased on the homer. 12 A shekel m+st eJ+al 2, gerahs. A mina m+st eJ+al &, shekels. 3t m+st !e eJ+al to 2, shekels pl+s 2% shekels pl+s 1% shekels. 13 This is a special offering that yo+ m+st give: 10& ephah of wheat for every homer of wheatF 10& ephah of !arley for every homer of !arleyF 1# 101, !ath of olive oil for every cor of olive oilF 7.emem!er: Ten !aths make a homer, and ten !aths make a cor.8 pag. )120131#

1% and one sheep for every 2,, sheep from every watering hole in 3srael. Those special offerings are for the grain offerings, for the !+rnt offerings, and for the fellowship offerings. These offerings are to remove the sins of the people. This is what the ord G5D said. 1& -veryone in the co+ntry will give to this offering for the r+ler of 3srael. 1' <+t the r+ler m+st give the things needed for the special holy days. The r+ler m+st provide the !+rnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings for the feast days, for the 1ew Aoon, for the Sa!!aths, and for -Eekiel #%.1(*21 2,2 all the other special meeting days of the family of 3srael. $e m+st give all the sin offerings, grain offerings, !+rnt offerings, and fellowship offerings that are +sed to make the family of 3srael p+re. 1( This is what the ord G5D says: 3n the first month, on the first day of the month, yo+ will take a yo+ng !+ll that has nothing wrong with it. ;o+ m+st +se that !+ll to make the Temple p+re. 1) The priest will take some of the !lood from the sin offering and p+t it on the doorposts of the Temple and on the fo+r corners of the ledge of the altar and on the posts of the gate to the inner co+rtyard. 2, ;o+ will do the same thing on the seventh day of that month for anyone who has sinned !y mistake or witho+t knowing it. So yo+ will make the Temple p+re. 21 5n the 1#th day of the first month yo+ m+st cele!rate the 6assover. The 2estival of Hnleavened <read !egins at this time. 3t contin+es for seven days. -Eekiel #%.22*#&.1 2,3 22 At that time the r+ler will offer a !+ll for himself and for all the people of 3srael. The !+ll will !e for a sin offering. 23 D+ring the seven days of the festival, the r+ler will offer seven !+lls and seven rams that have nothing wrong with them. They will !e !+rnt offerings to -asy To .ead /ersion

the 5.D. The r+ler will offer one !+ll on every day of the seven days of the festival, and he will offer a male goat every day for a sin offering. 2# The r+ler will give an ephah of !arley as a grain offering with each !+ll, and an ephah of !arley with each ram. $e m+st give a hin of oil for each ephah of grain. 2% $e m+st do the same thing for the seven days of the 2estival of Shelters. This festival !egins on the 1%th day of the seventh month. These offerings will !e the sin offering, the !+rnt offering, the grain offering and the oil offering. 46 1 This is what the ord G5D says: The east gate of the inner co+rtyard will !e closed on the si4 working days. <+t it will !e opened on the Sa!!ath day and on the day of the 1ew Aoon. -Eekiel #&.2* ' 2,# 2 The r+ler will go into the porch of that gate and stand !y the gatepost. Then the priests will offer the r+lers !+rnt offering and fellowship offerings. The r+ler will worship at the opening of that gate and then go o+t. <+t the gate will not !e sh+t +ntil evening. 3 5n the Sa!!ath day and on the day of the 1ew Aoon, the common people will also worship the 5.D at that gate. # The r+ler will offer !+rnt offerings to the 5.D on the Sa!!ath. $e m+st provide si4 lam!s that have nothing wrong with them and a ram that has nothing wrong with it. % $e m+st give an ephah of grain offering with the ram. As for the grain offering with the lam!s, the r+ler can give as m+ch as he wants. <+t he m+st give 1 hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain. & 5n the day of the 1ew Aoon he m+st offer a yo+ng !+ll that has nothing wrong with it. $e will also offer si4 lam!s and a ram that have nothing wrong with them. ' The r+ler m+st give an ephah of grain as an offering with the !+ll and an ephah of grain as an offering with the ram. As -Eekiel #&.(*11 2,% pag. )130131#

for the grain offering with the lam!s, he can give as m+ch as he wants. <+t he m+st give 1 hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain. ( >hen the r+ler goes in, he m+st enter at the porch of the east gateand he m+st leave that same way. ) >hen the common people come to meet with the 5.D at the special festivals, whoever enters thro+gh the north gate to worship will go o+t thro+gh the so+th gate, and whoever enters thro+gh the so+th gate will go o+t thro+gh the north gate. 6eople m+st not ret+rn the same way they entered. -ach person m+st go o+t straight ahead. 1, The r+ler sho+ld !e there among the people. >hen the people go in, the r+ler will go in with them, and when they go o+t, the r+ler will too. 11 At the festivals and other special meetings, an ephah of grain as an offering m+st !e offered with each yo+ng !+ll, and an ephah of grain as an offering m+st !e offered with each ram. As for the grain offering with the lam!s, the r+ler can give as m+ch as he wants. <+t -Eekiel #&.12*1' 2,& he m+st give 1 hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain. 12 >hen the r+ler gives a freewill offering to the 5.Dit might !e a !+rnt offering, a fellowship offering, or a freewill offeringthe east gate will !e opened for him. Then he will offer his !+rnt offering and his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sa!!ath day. After he leaves, the gate will !e sh+t. 13 -very day yo+ will provide a yearDold lam! that has nothing wrong with it. 3t will !e for a !+rnt offering to the 5.D. ;o+ will provide it every morning. 1# Also, yo+ will offer a grain offering with the lam! every morning. ;o+ will give 10& ephah of flo+r and 103 hin of oil to make the fine flo+r moist. 3t will !e the daily grain offering to the 5.D. 1% So they will give the lam!, the grain offering and the oil every morning, for a !+rnt offering forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& This is what the ord G5D says: 3f the r+ler gives a gift from part of his land to any of his sons, it will !elong to his sons. 3t is their property. 1' <+t if the r+ler gives a gift from part of his land to one of his slaves, the gift -Eekiel #&.1(*21 2,' will !elong to the slave only +ntil the year of freedom. Then the gift will go !ack to the r+ler. 5nly the r+lers sons will keep a gift of land from the r+ler. 1( And the r+ler will not take any of the peoples land or force them to leave their land. $e m+st give some of his own land to his sons. 3n that way my people will not !e forced to lose their land. 1) The man led me thro+gh the entrance at the side of the gate. $e led me to the holy rooms for the priests on the north side. There 3 saw a place at the west end of the path. 2, The man said to me, This is where the priests will !oil the g+ilt offering and the sin offering and will !ake the grain offering. >hy? So they will not need to !ring these offerings o+t into the o+ter co+rtyard. So they will not !ring those holy things o+t where the common people are. 21 Then the man led me o+t to the o+ter co+rtyard. $e led me to the fo+r corners of the co+rtyard. 3 saw smaller co+rtyards in each corner of the large co+rtyard. -Eekiel #&.22*#'.3 2,( 22 There was a small, enclosed area in each of the fo+r corners of the co+rtyard. -ach small co+rtyard was #, c+!its long and 3, c+!its wide. The fo+r areas meas+red the same. 23 There was a !rick wall aro+nd each of the fo+r small co+rtyards, and there were places !+ilt into the !rick walls for cooking. 2# The man said to me, These are the kitchens where those who serve at the Temple cook the sacrifices for the people. 47 1 The man led me !ack to the entrance of the Temple. 3 saw water coming o+t from +nder the east pag. )1#0131#

gate of the Temple. 7The front of the Temple is on the east side.8 The water flowed down from +nder the so+th end of the Temple and ran so+th of the altar. 2 The man led me o+t thro+gh the north gate and then aro+nd the o+tside to the o+ter gate on the east side. The water was flowing o+t on the so+th side of the gate. 3 The man walked east with a tape meas+re in his hand. $e meas+red 1,,, c+!its. Then he told me to walk thro+gh -Eekiel #'.#* ) 2,) the water at that place. The water was only ankle deep. # $e meas+red another 1,,, c+!its. Then he told me to walk thro+gh the water at that place. There the water came +p to my knees. Then he meas+red another 1,,, c+!its and told me to walk thro+gh the water at that place. There the water was waist deep. % $e meas+red another 1,,, c+!its, !+t there the water was too deep to cross. 3t had !ecome a river. The water was deep eno+gh to swim in. 3t was a river that was too deep to cross. & Then the man said to me, Son of man, did yo+ pay close attention to the things yo+ saw? Then the man led me !ack along the side of the river. ' As 3 walked !ack along the side of the river, 3 saw many trees on !oth sides of the water. ( $e said to me, This water flows east, down to the Ara!ah /alley. ) This water flows into the Dead Sea so that the water in that sea !ecomes fresh and clean. There are many fish in this water, and all kinds of animals live where this river goes. -Eekiel #'.1,*1# 21, 1, ;o+ can see fishermen standing !y the river all the way from -n Gedi to -n -glaim. ;o+ can see them throwing their fishing nets and catching many kinds of fish. There are as many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea as there are in the Aediterranean Sea. 11 <+t the swamps and small marshes -asy To .ead /ersion

will not !ecome fresh. They will !e left for salt. 12 All kinds of fr+it trees will grow on !oth sides of the river. Their leaves never will !ecome dry and fall. The fr+it will never stop growing on those trees. The trees will prod+ce fr+it every month, !eca+se the water for the trees comes from the Temple. The fr+it from the trees will !e for food, and their leaves will !e for healing. 13 This is what the ord G5D says: These are the !orders for dividing the land among the twelve tri!es of 3srael. Coseph will have two parts. 1# ;o+ will divide the land eJ+ally. 3 promised to give this land to yo+r ancestors, so 3 am giving this land to yo+. -Eekiel #'.1%*2, 211 1% $ere are the !orders of the land: 5n the north side, it goes from the Aediterranean Sea !y way of $ethlon where the road t+rns toward $amath and on to Bedad, 1& <erothah, Si!raim 7which is on the !order !etween Damasc+s and $amath8 and $aEer $atticon, which is on the !order of $a+ran. 1' So the !order will go from the sea to $aEar -nan on the northern !order of Damasc+s and $amath. This will !e on the north side. 1( 5n the east side, the !order will go from $aEar -nan !etween $a+ran and Damasc+s and contin+e along the Cordan .iver !etween Gilead and the land of 3srael, to the eastern sea and all the way to Tamar. This will !e the eastern !order. 1) 5n the so+th side, the !order will go from Tamar all the way to the oasis at Aeri!ahDkadesh. Then it will go along the <rook of -gypt to the Aediterranean Sea. This will !e the so+thern !order. 2, 5n the west side, the Aediterranean Sea will !e the !order all the way to the area in front of e!o $amath. This will !e yo+r western !order. -Eekiel #'.21*#(.' 212 21 So yo+ will divide this land among pag. )1%0131#

yo+ for the tri!es of 3srael. 22 ;o+ will divide it as a property for yo+rselves and for the foreigners who live among yo+ and who have had children among yo+. These foreigners will !e residentsthey will !e like nat+ral !orn 3sraelites. ;o+ will divide some land for them among the tri!es of 3srael. 23 The tri!e where that resident lives m+st give him some land. This is what the ord G5D said" 48 1 The northern !order goes east from the Aediterranean Sea to $ethlon to $amath 6ass and then all the way to $aEar -nan. This is on the !order !etween Damasc+s and $amath. The land for the tri!es in this gro+p will go from the east of these !orders to the west. 2rom north to so+th, the tri!es in this area are Dan, Asher, 1aphtali, Aanasseh, -phraim, .e+!en, and C+dah. 2 7#(:18 3 7#(:18 # 7#(:18 % 7#(:18 & 7#(:18 ' 7#(:18 -Eekiel #(.(*12 213 ( The ne4t area of land will !e for a special +se. This land is so+th of C+dahs land. This area is 2%,,,, c+!its long from north to so+th. 2rom east to west, it will !e as wide as the land that !elongs to the other tri!es. The Temple will !e in the middle of this section of land. ) ;o+ will dedicate this land to the 5.D. 3t will !e 2%,,,, c+!its long and 2,,,,, c+!its wide. 1, This special area of land will !e divided among the priests and evites. The priests will get one part of this area. The land will !e 2%,,,, c+!its long on the north side, 1,,,,, c+!its wide on the west side, 1,,,,, c+!its wide on the east side, and 2%,,,, c+!its long on the so+th side. The 5.D@S Temple will !e in the middle of this area of land. 11 This land is for Badoks descendants. These men were chosen to !e my holy priests, !eca+se they contin+ed to serve -asy To .ead /ersion

me when the other people of 3srael left me. Badoks family did not leave me like the other people from the tri!e of evi. 12 This share from this holy part of the land will !e especially for these priests. 3t will !e ne4t to the land of the evites. -Eekiel #(.13*1' 21# 13 1e4t to the land for the priests, the evites will have a share of the land. 3t will !e 2%,,,, c+!its long and 1,,,,, c+!its wide. They will get the f+ll length and width of this land2%,,,, c+!its long and 2,,,,, c+!its wide. 1# The evites will not sell or trade any of this land. They will not !e a!le to sell any of it. They m+st not c+t +p this part of the co+ntry, !eca+se this land !elongs to the 5.Dit is very special. 3t is the !est part of the land. 1% There will !e an area of land %,,, c+!its wide !y 2%,,,, c+!its long that is left over from the land given to the priests and evites. This land can !e for the city, for grasslands for animals, and for !+ilding ho+ses. The common people may +se this land. The city will !e in the middle of it. 1& These are the citys meas+rements: The north side will !e #%,, c+!its. The so+th side will !e #%,, c+!its. The east side will !e #%,, c+!its. The west side will !e #%,, c+!its. 1' The city will have grasslands. These grasslands will !e 2%, c+!its on the north and 2%, c+!its on the so+th. They -Eekiel #(.1(*22 21% will !e 2%, c+!its on the east and 2%, c+!its on the west. 1( >hat is left of the length along the side of the holy area will !e 1,,,,, c+!its on the east and 1,,,,, c+!its on the west. This land will !e along the side of the holy area. This land will grow food for the city workers. 1) The city workers from all the tri!es of 3srael will farm this land. 2, This special area of land will !e sJ+are. 3t will !e 2%,,,, c+!its long !y 2%,,,, c+!its wide. ;o+ m+st set apart this area for its special p+rposes. 5ne pag. )1&0131#

part is for the priests, one part is for the evites, and one part is for the city. 21 6art of that special land will !e for the r+ler of the co+ntry. That special area of land is sJ+are. 3t is 2%,,,, c+!its long !y 2%,,,, c+!its wide. 6art of this special land is for the priests, part of it is for the evites, and part of it is for the Temple. The Temple is in the middle of this area of land. The rest of the land !elongs to the r+ler of the co+ntry. The r+ler will get the area !etween the land of <en=amin and the land of C+dah. 22 7#(:218 -Eekiel #(.23*32 21& 23 So+th of this special area will !e the land for the tri!es that lived east of the Cordan .iver. -ach tri!e will get a section of land that goes from the eastern !order to the Aediterranean Sea. 2rom north to so+th, these tri!es are <en=amin, Simeon, 3ssachar, Be!+l+n, and Gad. 2# 7#(:238 2% 7#(:238 2& 7#(:238 2' 7#(:238 2( The so+thern !order of Gads land will go from Tamar to the 5asis at Aeri!ahDkadesh, then along the <rook of -gypt to the Aediterranean Sea. 2) This is the land that yo+ will divide among the tri!es of 3srael. This is what each gro+p will get. This is what the ord G5D said" 3, These are the gates of the city. The gates will !e named for the tri!es of 3srael. The north side of the city will !e #%,, c+!its long. 31 There will !e three gates: .e+!ens Gate, C+dahs Gate, and evis Gate. 32 The east side of the city will !e #%,, c+!its long. There will !e three gates: -Eekiel #(.33*3% 21' Cosephs Gate, <en=amins Gate, and Dans Gate. 33 The so+th side of the city will !e #%,, c+!its long. There will !e three gates: Simeons Gate, 3ssachars Gate, and Be!+l+ns Gate. 3# The west side of the city will !e #%,, -asy To .ead /ersion

c+!its long. There will !e three gates: Gads Gate, Ashers Gate, and 1aphtalis Gate. 3% The distance aro+nd the city will !e 1(,,,, c+!its. 2rom now on, the name of the city will !e T$- 5.D 3S T$-.-. %aniel 1 1 1e!+chadneEEar king of <a!ylon came to Cer+salem and s+rro+nded it with his army. This happened d+ring the third year that Cehoiakim was king of C+dah. 2 The ord allowed 1e!+chadneEEar to defeat Cehoiakim king of C+dah. 1e!+chadneEEar took all the dishes and other things from Gods Temple and carried them to <a!ylon. $e p+t those things in the temple of his gods. 3 Then Ging 1e!+chadneEEar ordered AshpenaE, the man in charge of his officials, to !ring some of the !oys into the palace to train them. $e was to incl+de !oys from among the 3sraelites, from important C+dean families, and from the royal family of C+dah. # Ging 1e!+chadneEEar wanted only healthy !oys who did not have any !r+ises, scars, or anything wrong with their !odies. $e wanted handsome, smart yo+ng men who were a!le to learn things J+ickly and easily to serve in his Daniel 1.%*1, 2 palace. $e told AshpenaE to teach these yo+ng men the lang+age and writings of the 9haldeans. % Ging 1e!+chadneEEar gave the yo+ng men a certain amo+nt of food and wine every day. This was the same kind of food that he ate. $e wanted them to !e trained for three years. After that, they wo+ld !ecome servants of the king of <a!ylon. & Among those yo+ng men were Daniel, $ananiah, Aishael, and AEariah from the tri!e of C+dah. ' AshpenaE gave them <a!ylonian names. Daniels new name was <elteshaEEar, $ananiahs was Shadrach, Aishaels was Aeshach, and AEariahs was A!ednego. pag. )1'0131#

( Daniel did not want to eat the kings rich food and wine !eca+se it wo+ld make him +nclean. So he asked AshpenaE for permission not to make himself +nclean in this way. ) God ca+sed AshpenaE, the man in charge of the officials, to !e kind and loyal to Daniel. 1, <+t AshpenaE told Daniel, 3 am afraid of my master, the king. $e ordered me Daniel 1.11*1& 3 to give yo+ this food and drink. 3f yo+ dont eat this food, yo+ will !egin to look weak and sick. ;o+ will look worse than other yo+ng men yo+r age. The king will see this, and he will !ecome angry with me. $e might c+t off my head. And it wo+ld !e yo+r fa+lt. 11 Then Daniel talked to the g+ard who had !een p+t in charge of Daniel, $ananiah, Aishael, and AEariah !y AshpenaE. 12 $e said, 6lease give +s this test for ten days: Dont give +s anything !+t vegeta!les to eat and water to drink. 13 Then after ten days, compare +s with the other yo+ng men who eat the kings food. See for yo+rself who looks healthier, and then decide how yo+ want to treat +s, yo+r servants. 1# So the g+ard agreed to test Daniel, $ananiah, Aishael, and AEariah for ten days. 1% After ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier than all the yo+ng men who ate the kings food. 1& So the g+ard contin+ed to take away the kings special food and wine Daniel 1.1'*2.2 # and to give only vegeta!les to Daniel, $ananiah, Aishael, and AEariah. 1' God gave these fo+r yo+ng men the wisdom and a!ility to learn many different kinds of writing and science. Daniel co+ld also +nderstand all kinds of visions and dreams. 1( At the end of the three years of training, AshpenaE !ro+ght all the yo+ng men to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. 1) The king talked to them and fo+nd -asy To .ead /ersion

that none of the yo+ng men were as good as Daniel, $ananiah, Aishael, and AEariah. So these fo+r yo+ng men !ecame the kings servants. 2, -very time the king asked them a!o+t something important, they showed great wisdom and +nderstanding. The king fo+nd they were ten times !etter than all the magicians and wise men in his kingdom. 21 So Daniel served the king +ntil the first year that 9yr+s was king. 2 1 D+ring 1e!+chadneEEars second year as king, he had dreams. They !othered him, and he co+ld not sleep. 2 So the king called his wise men to come to him. They +sed magic and Daniel 2.3*& % watched the stars. They did this to try to interpret dreams and to learn what wo+ld happen in the f+t+re. The king wanted them to tell him what he had dreamed, so they came in and stood in front of him. 3 Then the king said to them, 3 had a dream that !others me. 3 want to know what it means. # Then the 9haldeans answered the king in the Aramaic lang+age. They said, Ging, live forever" 6lease tell yo+r dream to +s, yo+r servants, and then we will tell yo+ what it means. % Then Ging 1e!+chadneEEar said to them, 1o, yo+ m+st tell me the dream, and then yo+ m+st tell me what it means. 3f yo+ dont, 3 will give an order for yo+ to !e c+t into pieces. And 3 will order yo+r ho+ses to !e destroyed +ntil they are nothing !+t piles of d+st and ashes. & <+t if yo+ tell me my dream and e4plain its meaning, 3 will give yo+ gifts, rewards, and great honor. So tell me a!o+t my dream and what it means. Daniel 2.'*11 & ' Again the wise men said to the king, 6lease, sir, tell +s a!o+t the dream, and we will tell yo+ what it means. ( Then Ging 1e!+chadneEEar answered, 3 know that yo+ are trying to get more pag. )1(0131#

time. ;o+ know that 3 meant what 3 said. ) ;o+ know that yo+ will !e p+nished if yo+ dont tell me a!o+t my dream. So yo+ have all agreed to lie to me. ;o+ are hoping for more time so that 3 will forget what 3 want yo+ to do. 1ow tell me the dream. 3f yo+ can tell me the dream, 3 will know that yo+ can tell me what it really means. 1, The 9haldeans answered the king. They said, There is not a man on earth who can do what the king is asking" 1o king has ever asked the wise men, the men who do magic, or the 9haldeans to do something like this. 1ot even the greatest and most powerf+l king has ever asked his wise men to do s+ch a thing. 11 The king is asking something that is too hard to do. 5nly the gods co+ld tell the king his dream and what it means. <+t the gods dont live with people. Daniel 2.12*1( ' 12 >hen the king heard that, he !ecame very angry. So he gave an order for all the wise men of <a!ylon to !e killed. 13 Ging 1e!+chadneEEars order to kill all the wise men was anno+nced. The kings men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to kill them. 1# Arioch was the commander of the kings g+ards. $e was going to kill the wise men of <a!ylon, !+t Daniel talked to him. Daniel spoke politely to Arioch 1% and said, >hy did the king order s+ch a severe p+nishment? Then Arioch e4plained the whole story a!o+t the kings dreams, and Daniel +nderstood. 1& >hen Daniel heard the story, he went to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. Daniel asked the king to give him some more time. Then he wo+ld tell the king what the dream meant. 1' So Daniel went to his ho+se. $e e4plained the whole story to his friends $ananiah, Aishael, and AEariah. 1( Daniel asked his friends to pray to the God of heaven that God wo+ld !e kind to them and help them +nderstand this secret. Then Daniel and his friends -asy To .ead /ersion

Daniel 2.1)*2# ( wo+ld not !e killed with the other wise men of <a!ylon. 1) D+ring the night, God e4plained the secret to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 2, $e said, 6raise Gods name forever and ever" 6ower and wisdom !elong to him. 21 $e changes the times and seasons. $e gives power to kings, and he takes their power away. $e gives wisdom to people, so they !ecome wise. $e lets people learn things and !ecome wise. 22 $e knows hidden secrets that are hard to +nderstand. ight lives with him, so he knows what is in the dark and secret places. 23 God of my ancestors, 3 thank yo+ and praise yo+. ;o+ gave me wisdom and power. ;o+ told +s what we asked for. ;o+ told +s a!o+t the kings dream. 2# Then Daniel went to Arioch, the man who Ging 1e!+chadneEEar had chosen to kill the wise men of <a!ylon. Daniel said to Arioch, Dont kill the wise men of <a!ylon. Take me to the king. 3 will tell him what his dream means. Daniel 2.2%*3, ) 2% So very J+ickly, Arioch took Daniel to the king. Arioch said to the king, 3 have fo+nd a man among the captives from C+dah who can tell the king what his dream means. 2& The king asked Daniel 7<elteshaEEar8 a J+estion. $e said, Are yo+ a!le to tell me a!o+t my dream, and what it means? 2' Daniel answered, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, no wise man, no man who does magic, and no 9haldean co+ld tell the king the secret things he has asked a!o+t. 2( <+t there is a God in heaven who tells secret things. God has given Ging 1e!+chadneEEar dreams to show him what will happen later. This was yo+r dream, and this is what yo+ saw while lying on yo+r !ed: 2) Ging, as yo+ were lying there on yo+r !ed, yo+ !egan thinking a!o+t what pag. )1)0131#

might happen in the f+t+re. God can tell people a!o+t secret thingshe has shown yo+ what will happen in the f+t+re. 3, God also told this secret to me, not !eca+se 3 have greater wisdom than other men, !+t so that yo+, king, may know what it means. 3n that way yo+ Daniel 2.31*3% 1, will +nderstand what went thro+gh yo+r mind. 31 Ging, in yo+r dream yo+ saw a large stat+e in front of yo+ that was very large and shiny. 3t was very impressive. 32 The head of the stat+e was made from p+re gold. 3ts chest and the arms were made from silver. The !elly and +pper part of the legs were made from !ronEe. 33 The lower part of the legs was made from iron. 3ts feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay. 3# >hile yo+ were looking at the stat+e, yo+ saw a rock that was c+t loose, !+t not !y h+man hands. Then the rock hit the stat+e on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 3% Then the iron, the clay, the !ronEe, the silver, and the gold !roke to pieces all at the same time. And all the pieces !ecame like chaff on a threshing floor in the s+mmertime. The wind !lew them away, and there was nothing left. 1o one co+ld tell that a stat+e had ever !een there. Then the rock that hit the stat+e !ecame a very large mo+ntain and filled +p the whole earth. Daniel 2.3&*#1 11 3& That was yo+r dream. 1ow we will tell the king what it means. 3' Ging, yo+ are the most important king. The God of heaven has given yo+ a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. 3( $e has given yo+ control, and yo+ r+le over people and the wild animals and the !irds. >herever they live, God has made yo+ r+ler over them all. Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, yo+ are that head of gold on the stat+e. 3) Another kingdom will come after yo+, !+t it will not !e as great as yo+r -asy To .ead /ersion

kingdom. 1e4t, a third kingdom will r+le over the earththat is the !ronEe part. #, Then there will !e a fo+rth kingdom. That kingdom will !e strong like iron. C+st as iron !reaks things and smashes them to pieces, that fo+rth kingdom will !reak all the other kingdoms and smash them to pieces. #1 ;o+ saw that the feet and toes of the stat+e were partly clay and partly iron. That means the fo+rth kingdom will !e a divided kingdom. 3t will have some of the strength of iron in it =+st as yo+ saw the iron mi4ed with clay. Daniel 2.#2*#& 12 #2 The toes of the stat+e were partly iron and partly clay. So the fo+rth kingdom will !e partly strong like iron and partly weak like clay. #3 ;o+ saw the iron mi4ed with clay, !+t iron and clay dont completely mi4 together. 3n the same way, the people of the fo+rth kingdom will !e a mi4t+re. They will not !e +nited as one people. ## D+ring the time of the kings of the fo+rth kingdom, the God of heaven will set +p another kingdom that will last forever. 3t will never !e destroyed. And it will !e the kind of kingdom that cannot !e passed on to another gro+p of people. This kingdom will cr+sh all the other kingdoms. 3t will !ring them to an end, !+t that kingdom itself will last forever. #% Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, yo+ saw a rock c+t from a mo+ntain, !+t no one c+t that rock. The rock !roke the iron, the !ronEe, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces. 3n this way God showed yo+ what will happen in the f+t+re. The dream is tr+e, and yo+ can tr+st that this is what it means. #& Then Ging 1e!+chadneEEar !owed down in front of Daniel to honor him. Daniel 2.#'*3.1 13 The king praised him. $e gave an order that an offering and incense !e given to honor Daniel. #' Then the king said to Daniel, 3 know for s+re yo+r God is the God over all gods and the ord over all kings. $e tells pag. )2,0131#

people a!o+t things they cannot know. 3 know this is tr+e !eca+se yo+ were a!le to tell these secret things to me. #( Then the king gave Daniel a very important =o! in his kingdom and gave him many e4pensive gifts. 1e!+chadneEEar made Daniel r+ler over the whole province of <a!ylon and p+t him in charge of all the wise men of <a!ylon. #) Daniel asked the king to make Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego important officials over the province of <a!ylon. The king did as Daniel asked. Daniel himself !ecame one of the important officials who was always near the king. 3 1 Ging 1e!+chadneEEar had a gold idol made that was &, c+!its high and & c+!its wide. Then he set the idol +p on the plain of D+ra in the province of <a!ylon. Daniel 3.2*' 1# 2 Then he called the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treas+rers, =+dges, r+lers, and all the other officials in his kingdom to come together. $e wanted all of them to come to the dedication ceremony for the idol. 3 So all the men came and stood in front of the idol that Ging 1e!+chadneEEar had set +p. # Then the man who makes anno+ncements for the king spoke in a lo+d voice, All yo+ people from many nations and lang+age gro+ps, listen to me. This is what yo+ are commanded to do: % ;o+ m+st !ow down as soon as yo+ hear the so+nd of all the m+sical instr+ments. >hen yo+ hear the horns, fl+tes, lyres, sam!+cas, harps, !agpipes, and all the other m+sical instr+ments, yo+ m+st worship the gold idol. Ging 1e!+chadneEEar has set this idol +p. & >hoever does not !ow down and worship this gold idol will immediately !e thrown into a very hot f+rnace. ' So as soon as they heard the so+nd of the horns, fl+tes, lyres, sam!+cas, -asy To .ead /ersion

!agpipes, and all the other m+sical Daniel 3.(*13 1% instr+ments, they !owed down and worshiped the gold idol. All the peoples, nations, and different lang+age gro+ps there worshiped the gold idol that Ging 1e!+chadneEEar had set +p. ( Then some of the 9haldeans came +p to the king and !egan speaking against the people from C+dah. ) They said, Ging, may yo+ live forever" 1, Ging, yo+ gave a command. ;o+ said that everyone who hears the so+nd of the horns, fl+tes, lyres, sam!+cas, harps, !agpipes, and all the other m+sical instr+ments m+st !ow down and worship the gold idol. 11 And yo+ also said that whoever does not !ow down and worship the gold idol will !e thrown into a very hot f+rnace. 12 There are some C+deans who yo+ made important officials in the province of <a!ylon that ignored yo+r order, Ging. Their names are Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego. They dont worship yo+r gods, and they didnt !ow down to worship the gold idol yo+ set +p. 13 1e!+chadneEEar !ecame very angry. $e called for Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego. So they were !ro+ght to him. Daniel 3.1#*1) 1& 1# And 1e!+chadneEEar said to them, Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego, is it tr+e that yo+ dont worship my gods? And is it tr+e that yo+ didnt !ow down and worship the gold idol 3 have set +p? 1% 1ow when yo+ hear the so+nd of the horns, fl+tes, lyres, sam!+cas, harps, !agpipes, and all the other m+sical instr+ments, yo+ m+st !ow down and worship the gold idol. 3f yo+ are ready to worship the idol 3 have made, that is good. <+t if yo+ dont worship it, yo+ will !e thrown very J+ickly into the hot f+rnace. Then no god will !e a!le to save yo+ from my power" 1& Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego answered the king, 1e!+chadneEEar, we dont need to e4plain these things to yo+. 1' 3f yo+ throw +s into the hot f+rnace, pag. )210131#

the God we serve can save +s. And if he wants to, he can save +s from yo+r power. 1( <+t even if God does not save +s, we want yo+ to know, Ging, that we ref+se to serve yo+r gods. >e will not worship the gold idol yo+ have set +p. 1) Then 1e!+chadneEEar !ecame very angry with Shadrach, Aeshach, and Daniel 3.2,*2# 1' A!ednego. $e gave an order for the oven to !e heated seven times hotter than it +s+ally was. 2, Then he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie +p Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego. $e told the soldiers to throw them into the hot f+rnace. 21 So Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego were tied +p and thrown into the hot f+rnace. They were wearing their ro!es, pants, cloth caps, and other clothes. 22 The king was very angry when he gave the command, so the soldiers J+ickly made the f+rnace very hot. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the strong soldiers. They were killed when they went close to the fire to throw in Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego. 23 Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego fell into the fire. They were tied +p very tightly. 2# Then Ging 1e!+chadneEEar =+mped to his feet. $e was very s+rprised and he asked his advisors, >e tied only three men, and we threw only three men into Daniel 3.2%*2( 1( the fire. 3s that right? $is advisors said, ;es, Ging. 2% The king said, ook" 3 see fo+r men walking aro+nd in the fire. They are not tied +p and they are not !+rned. The fo+rth man looks like an angel. 2& Then 1e!+chadneEEar went to the opening of the hot f+rnace. $e sho+ted, Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego, come o+t" Servants of the Aost $igh God, come here" So Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego came o+t of the fire. -asy To .ead /ersion

2' >hen they came o+t, the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisors crowded aro+nd them. They co+ld see that the fire had not !+rned Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego. Their !odies were not !+rned at all. Their hair was not !+rned, and their ro!es were not !+rned. They didnt even smell as if they had !een near fire. 2( Then 1e!+chadneEEar said, 6raise the God of Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from the fire" These three men tr+sted their God and ref+sed to o!ey my command. They Daniel 3.2)*#.% 1) were willing to die instead of serving or worshiping any other god. 2) So 3 now make this law: Anyone from any nation or lang+age gro+p who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego will !e c+t into pieces, and their ho+se will !e destroyed +ntil it is a pile of dirt and ashes. 1o other god can save his people like this. 3, Then the king gave Shadrach, Aeshach, and A!ednego more important =o!s in the province of <a!ylon. 4 1 Ging 1e!+chadneEEar sent this letter to the many nations and lang+age gro+ps living aro+nd the world. Greetings: 2 3 am very happy to tell yo+ a!o+t the miracles and wonderf+l things that the Aost $igh God did for me. 3 God has done amaEing miracles" $e has done powerf+l miracles" $is kingdom contin+es foreverF his r+le will contin+e for all generations. # 3, 1e!+chadneEEar, was at my palace. 3 was happy and s+ccessf+l. % 3 had a dream that made me afraid. 3 was lying on my !ed, and 3 saw pict+res Daniel #.&*11 2, and visions in my mind. These things made me very afraid. & So 3 gave an order that all the wise men of <a!ylon !e !ro+ght to me to tell me what my dream meant. ' >hen the men of magic and the pag. )220131#

9haldeans came, 3 told them a!o+t the dream, !+t they co+ld not tell me what it meant. ( 2inally, Daniel came to me. 73 gave Daniel the name, <elteshaEEar, to honor my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him.8 3 told him a!o+t my dream. ) 3 said, <elteshaEEar, yo+ are the most important of all the men of magic. 3 know that the spirit of the holy gods is in yo+. 3 know there is no secret that is too hard for yo+ to +nderstand. This was what 3 dreamed. Tell me what it means. 1, These are the visions 3 saw while 3 was lying in my !ed: 3 looked, and there in front of me was a tree standing in the middle of the earth. The tree was very tall. 11 The tree grew large and strong. The top of the tree to+ched the sky. 3t co+ld !e seen from anywhere on earth. Daniel #.12*1& 21 12 The leaves of the tree were !ea+tif+l. 3t had m+ch good fr+it on it. And on the tree was plenty of food for everyone. The wild animals fo+nd shelter +nder the tree, and the !irds lived in its !ranches. -very animal ate from the tree. 13 3 was looking at those things in the vision while lying on my !ed. And then 3 saw a holy angel coming down from heaven. 1# $e spoke very lo+d and said, 9+t down the tree, and c+t off its !ranches. Strip off its leaves. Scatter its fr+it aro+nd. The animals that are +nder the tree will r+n away. The !irds that are in its !ranches will fly away. 1% <+t let the st+mp and roots stay in the gro+nd. 6+t a !and of iron and !ronEe aro+nd it. The st+mp and roots will stay in the field with the grass all aro+nd it. 3t will live among the wild animals and plants in the fields. 3t will !ecome wet with dew. 1& $e will not think like a man any longer. $e will have the mind of an animal. Seven seasons will pass while he is like this. Daniel #.1'*2, 22 -asy To .ead /ersion

1' $oly angels anno+nced this p+nishment so that all the people on earth may know that God Aost $igh r+les over h+man kingdoms. God gives those kingdoms to whoever he wants, and he chooses h+m!le people to r+le them. 1( That is what 3, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, dreamed. 1ow, <elteshaEEar, tell me what it means. 1one of the wise men in my kingdom can tell me what that dream means. <+t <elteshaEEar, yo+ can interpret the dream !eca+se the spirit of the holy gods is in yo+. 1) Then Daniel 7also called <elteshaEEar8 !ecame very J+iet for a while. >hat he was thinking !othered him. So the king said, <elteshaEEar, dont let the dream or its meaning make yo+ afraid. Then <elteshaEEar answered the king, Ay lord, 3 wish the dream were a!o+t yo+r enemies, and 3 wish the meaning of the dream were a!o+t those against yo+. 2, ;o+ saw a tree in yo+r dream. The tree grew large and strong. 3ts top to+ched the sky, and it co+ld !e seen from all over the earth. 3ts leaves were !ea+tif+l, and it had plenty of fr+it. The Daniel #.21*2% 23 fr+it gave plenty of food for everyone. 3t was a home for the wild animals, and its !ranches were nesting places for the !irds. ;o+ saw that tree. 21 7#:2,8 22 Ging, yo+ are that tree" ;o+ have !ecome great and powerf+l. ;o+ are like the tall tree that to+ched the skyyo+r power reaches to the far parts of the earth. 23 Ging, yo+ saw a holy angel coming down from heaven. $e said, 9+t the tree down and destroy it. 6+t a !and of iron and !ronEe aro+nd the st+mp and leave the st+mp and its roots in the gro+nd. eave it in the grass in the field. 3t will !ecome wet with dew. $e will live like a wild animal. Seven seasons will pass while he is like this. 2# Ging, this is the meaning of the dream. God Aost $igh has commanded pag. )230131#

these things to happen to my lord the king: 2% Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, yo+ will !e forced to go away from people. ;o+ will live among the wild animals. ;o+ will eat grass like cattle, and yo+ will !ecome wet with dew. Seven seasons will pass, Daniel #.2&*31 2# and then yo+ will learn this lesson. ;o+ will learn God Aost $igh r+les over h+man kingdoms and gives them to whoever he wants. 2& The command to leave the st+mp of the tree and its roots in the gro+nd means this: ;o+r kingdom will !e given !ack to yo+. This will happen when yo+ learn that Aost $igh God r+les yo+r kingdom. 2' So, Ging, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Stop doing !ad things and !e kind to poor people. Then yo+ might contin+e to !e s+ccessf+l. 2( All these things happened to Ging 1e!+chadneEEar. 2) Twelve months after the dream, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar was walking on the roof of his palace in <a!ylon. >hile on the roof, the king said, ook at <a!ylon" 3 !+ilt this great city. 3t is my palace. 3 !+ilt this great place !y my power. 3 !+ilt this place to show how great 3 am. 3, 7#:2)8 31 The words were still in his mo+th when a voice came from heaven. The voice said, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, these Daniel #.32*3% 2% things will happen to yo+: ;o+r power as king has !een taken away from yo+. 32 ;o+ will !e forced to go away from people. ;o+ will live with the wild animals and eat grass like an o4. Seven seasons will pass !efore yo+ learn yo+r lesson. Then yo+ will learn that God Aost $igh r+les over h+man kingdoms and gives them to whoever he wants. 33 These things happened immediately. 1e!+chadneEEar was forced to go away from people. $e !egan eating grass like an o4. $e !ecame wet from dew. $is hair -asy To .ead /ersion

grew long like the feathers of an eagle, and his nails grew long like the claws of a !ird. 3# Then at the end of that time, 3, 1e!+chadneEEar, looked +p toward heaven, and 3 was in my right mind again. Then 3 gave praise to God Aost $igh. 3 gave honor and glory to him who lives forever. God r+les forever" $is kingdom contin+es for all generations. 3% 6eople on earth are not really important. God does what he wants with the powers of heaven and the people on earth. 1o one can stop his powerf+l hand or J+estion what he does. Daniel #.3&*%.3 2& 3& At that time God gave me my right mind again, and he gave !ack my great honor and power as king. Ay advisors and the royal people !egan to ask my advice again. 3 !ecame the king againeven greater and more powerf+l than !efore. 3' 1ow 3, 1e!+chadneEEar, give praise, honor, and glory to the Ging of $eaven. -verything he does is right. $e is always fair, and he is a!le to make pro+d people h+m!le" 5 1 Ging <elshaEEar gave a !ig party for 1,,, of his officials. The king was drinking wine with them. 2 As <elshaEEar was drinking his wine, he ordered his servants to !ring the gold and silver c+ps. $is grandfather 1e!+chadneEEar had taken these c+ps from the Temple in Cer+salem. Ging <elshaEEar wanted his royal people, his wives, and his slave women to drink from those c+ps. 3 So they !ro+ght the gold c+ps that had !een taken from the Temple of God in Cer+salem, and the king and his officials, his wives, and his women slaves drank from them. Daniel %.#*( 2' # As they were drinking, they gave praise to their idol gods, which were only stat+es made from gold, silver, !ronEe, iron, wood, and stone. % S+ddenly, a persons hand appeared pag. )2#0131#

and !egan writing on the wall. The fingers scratched words into the plaster on the wall, near the lampstand in the kings palace. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. & Ging <elshaEEar was very afraid. $is face !ecame white from fear, and his knees were shaking and knocking together. $e co+ld not stand +p !eca+se his legs were too weak. ' The king called for the men of magic and the 9haldeans to !e !ro+ght to him. $e said to these wise men, 3 will give a reward to anyone who can read this writing and e4plain to me what it means. 3 will give him p+rple ro!es to wear and will p+t a gold chain aro+nd his neck. 3 will make him the third highest r+ler in the kingdom. ( So all the kings wise men came in, !+t they co+ld not read the writing or +nderstand what it meant. Daniel %.)*12 2( ) Ging <elshaEEars officials were conf+sed, and the king !ecame even more afraid and worried. $is face was white from fear. 1, Then the kings mother came into the place where the party was. She had heard the voices of the king and his royal officials. She said, Ging, may yo+ live forever" Dont !e afraid" Dont let yo+r face !e so white with fear" 11 There is a man in yo+r kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. 3n the days of yo+r father, this man showed that he co+ld +nderstand secrets. $e showed that he was very smart and very wise. $e showed that he was like the gods in these things. ;o+r grandfather, Ging 1e!+chadneEEar, p+t this man in charge of all the wise men. $e r+led over all the men of magic and the 9haldeans. 12 The man 3 am talking a!o+t is named Daniel. The king gave him the name <elteshaEEar. $e is very smart and he knows many things. $e co+ld interpret dreams, e4plain secrets, and find the answer to very hard pro!lems. 9all for Daniel, he will tell yo+ what the writing -asy To .ead /ersion

on the wall means. Daniel %.13*1' 2) 13 So they !ro+ght Daniel to the king and he asked, 3s yo+r name Daniel, one of the captives my father the king !ro+ght here from C+dah? 1# 3 have heard that the spirit of the gods is in yo+ and that yo+ +nderstand secrets and are very smart and very wise. 1% The wise men and the men of magic were !ro+ght to me to read this writing on the wall. 3 wanted them to e4plain to me what it means, !+t they co+ld not e4plain it. 1& 3 have heard that yo+ are a!le to e4plain what things mean, and that yo+ can find the answer to very hard pro!lems. 3f yo+ can read this writing on the wall and e4plain to me what it means, this is what 3 will do for yo+: 3 will give yo+ p+rple ro!es to wear and will p+t a gold chain aro+nd yo+r neck. Then yo+ will !ecome the third highest r+ler in the kingdom. 1' Then Daniel answered the king, Ging <elshaEEar, yo+ can keep yo+r gifts for yo+rself, or yo+ can give them to someone else. <+t 3 will still read the Daniel %.1(*21 3, writing on the wall for yo+ and e4plain what it means. 1( Ging, God Aost $igh made yo+r grandfather 1e!+chadneEEar a very great and powerf+l king and gave him great wealth. 1) 6eople from many nations and lang+age gro+ps were very afraid of 1e!+chadneEEar !eca+se God made him a very powerf+l king. 1e!+chadneEEar killed whoever he wanted and let those who pleased him live. 3f he wanted to make people important, he made them important. 3f he wanted to !ring them down, he !ro+ght them down. 2, <+t 1e!+chadneEEar !ecame pro+d and st+!!orn, so his power was taken away from him. $e was taken off his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 Then 1e!+chadneEEar was forced to pag. )2%0131#

go away from people. $is mind !ecame like the mind of an animal. $e lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an o4. $e !ecame wet with dew. These things happened to him +ntil he learned his lesson. $e learned that God Aost $igh r+les over h+man kingdoms, and he gives them to whoever he wants. Daniel %.22*2' 31 22 <+t <elshaEEar, yo+ already knew this. ;o+ are 1e!+chadneEEars grandson, !+t still yo+ have not made yo+rself h+m!le. 23 1o, yo+ did not !ecome h+m!le. 3nstead, yo+ have t+rned against the ord of heaven. ;o+ ordered the drinking c+ps from his Temple to !e !ro+ght to yo+. Then yo+ and yo+r royal officials, yo+r wives, and yo+r slave women drank wine from those c+ps. ;o+ gave praise to the gods of silver and gold, of !ronEe, iron, wood, and stone. They are not really godsF they cannot see or hear or +nderstand anything. <+t yo+ did not give honor to the God who has the power over yo+r life and everything yo+ do. 2# So !eca+se of that, God sent the hand that wrote on the wall. 2% These are the words that were written on the wall: A-1-, A-1-, T-G- , H6A.S31. 2& This is what these words mean: A-1-: God has co+nted the days +ntil yo+r kingdom will end. 2' T-G- : ;o+ have !een weighed on the scales and fo+nd not good eno+gh. Daniel %.2(*&.3 32 2( H6A.S31: ;o+r kingdom is !eing taken from yo+. 3t will !e divided among the Aedes and 6ersians. 2) Then <elshaEEar gave an order for Daniel to !e dressed in p+rple clothes. A gold chain was p+t aro+nd his neck, and he was appointed the third highest r+ler in the kingdom. 3, That very same night, <elshaEEar, king of the <a!ylonians, was killed. 31 A man named Dari+s the Aede !ecame the new king. Dari+s was a!o+t &2 years old. -asy To .ead /ersion

6 1 Dari+s tho+ght it wo+ld !e a good idea to choose 12, satraps to r+le thro+gho+t his kingdom. 2 $e chose three men to r+le over the 12, satraps. Daniel was one of the three s+pervisors. The king p+t these men in this position to keep anyone from cheating him. 3 Daniel proved himself to !e a !etter s+pervisor than any of the others. $e did this !y his good character and great a!ility. The king was so impressed with Daniel that he planned to make him r+ler over the whole kingdom. Daniel &.#*' 33 # <+t when the other s+pervisors and the satraps heard a!o+t this, they were very =ealo+s. They tried to find reasons to acc+se Daniel. So they watched what Daniel did as he went a!o+t doing the !+siness of the government. <+t they co+ld not find anything wrong with him, so they co+ld not acc+se him of doing anything wrong. Daniel was a man people co+ld tr+st. $e did not cheat the king, and he worked very hard. % 2inally they said, >e will never find any reason to acc+se Daniel of doing something wrong. So we m+st find something to complain a!o+t that is connected to the law of his God. & So the two s+pervisors and the satraps went as a gro+p to the king. They said, Ging Dari+s, live forever" ' The s+pervisors, prefects, satraps, advisors, and governors have all agreed on something. >e think that the king sho+ld make this law and that everyone m+st o!ey it: 2or the ne4t 3, days, whoever prays to any god or man e4cept yo+, Ging, will !e thrown into the lions den. Daniel &.(*12 3# ( 1ow, Ging, make the law and sign the paper it is written on so that it cannot !e changed, !eca+se the laws of the Aedes and 6ersians cannot !e canceled or changed. ) So Ging Dari+s made the law and signed it. pag. )2&0131#

1, Daniel always prayed to God three times every day. Three times every day, he !owed down on his knees to pray and praise God. -ven tho+gh Daniel heard a!o+t the new law, he still went to his ho+se to pray. $e went +p to the +pper room of his ho+se and opened the windows that faced toward Cer+salem. Then Daniel !owed down on his knees and prayed =+st as he always had done. 11 Then the s+pervisors and satraps went as a gro+p and fo+nd Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and talked to him a!o+t the law he had made. They said, Ging Dari+s, yo+ signed a law that says, for the ne4t 3, days anyone who prays to any god or man e4cept yo+, the king, wo+ld !e thrown into the lions den. ;o+ did sign that law, didnt yo+? The king answered, ;es, 3 signed that law, Daniel &.13*1' 3% and the laws of the Aedes and 6ersians cannot !e canceled or changed. 13 Then they said to the king, That man Daniel is not paying any attention to yo+. $e is one of the captives from C+dah, and he is not paying attention to the law yo+ signed. Daniel still prays to his God three times every day. 1# The king !ecame very sad and +pset when he heard this. $e decided to save Daniel. $e worked +ntil s+nset trying to think of a way to save him. 1% Then the men went as a gro+p to the king and said to him, .emem!er, 5 king, that the law of the Aedes and 6ersians says that no law or command signed !y the king can ever !e canceled or changed. 1& So Ging Dari+s gave the order. They !ro+ght Daniel and threw him into the lions den. The king said to Daniel, Aay the God yo+ serve save yo+" 1' A !ig rock was !ro+ght and p+t over the opening of the lions den. Then the king +sed his ring and p+t his seal on the rock. $e also +sed the rings of his officials and p+t their seals on the rock. This showed that no one co+ld move that -asy To .ead /ersion

Daniel &.1(*2# 3& rock and !ring Daniel o+t of the lions den. 1( Then Ging Dari+s went !ack to his ho+se. $e did not eat that night. $e did not want anyone to come and entertain him. $e co+ld not sleep all night. 1) The ne4t morning, Ging Dari+s got +p =+st as it was getting light and ran to the lions den. 2, $e was very worried. >hen he got to the lions den, he called to Daniel. $e said, Daniel, servant of the living God, has yo+r God !een a!le to save yo+ from the lions? ;o+ always serve yo+r God. 21 Daniel answered, Ging, live forever" 22 Ay God sent his angel to save me. The angel closed the lions mo+ths. The lions have not h+rt me !eca+se my God knows 3 am innocent. 3 never did anything wrong to yo+, Ging. 23 Ging Dari+s was very happy. $e told his servants to lift Daniel o+t of the lions den. And when Daniel was lifted o+t of the den, they did not find any in=+ry on his !ody. The lions did not h+rt Daniel !eca+se he tr+sted in his God. 2# Then the king gave a command to !ring the men who had acc+sed Daniel Daniel &.2%*'.2 3' to the lions den. The men and their wives and children were thrown into the lions den. The lions gra!!ed them !efore they hit the floor. The lions ate their !odies and then chewed on their !ones. 2% Then Ging Dari+s wrote this letter to all the people from other nations and lang+age gro+ps all aro+nd the world: Greetings: 2& 3 am making a new law. This law is for people in every part of my kingdom. All of yo+ m+st fear and respect the God of Daniel. Daniels God is the living GodF he lives forever. $is kingdom will never !e destroyed. $is r+le will never end. 2' God helps and saves people. $e does amaEing miracles in heaven and on earth. $e saved Daniel from the lions. 2( So Daniel was s+ccessf+l d+ring the time Dari+s was king and when 9yr+s pag. )2'0131#

the 6ersian was king. 7 1 D+ring the first year that <elshaEEar was king of <a!ylon, Daniel had a dream. $e saw these visions while he was lying on his !ed, and he wrote what he had dreamed. 2 Daniel said: 3n my vision that night 3 saw the wind !lowing from all fo+r Daniel '.3*' 3( directions. These winds made the sea ro+gh. 3 3 saw fo+r !ig animals and each one was different from the others. These fo+r animals came +p o+t of the sea. # The first animal looked like a lion, !+t it had wings like an eagle. As 3 watched, its wings were torn off. 3t was helped +p from the gro+nd, and it stood +p on two feet like a h+man. Then it was given a h+man mind. % Then 3 saw another animal there in front of me that looked like a !ear. 3t was raised +p on one of its sides, and it had three ri!s in its mo+th !etween its teeth. 3t was told, Get +p and eat all the meat yo+ want" & Then 3 noticed another animal in front of me. 3t looked like a leopard, !+t it had fo+r wings on its !ack, and it had fo+r heads. 3t was given a+thority to r+le. ' After that, in my vision that night, 3 looked, and there in front of me was a fo+rth animal. 3t was terrifying, mean, and powerf+l. 3t had h+ge iron teeth and cr+shed in its teeth whatever it killed. And it smashed with its feet whatever was left. This fo+rth animal was different Daniel '.(*12 3) from all the other animals 3 saw. This one had ten horns. ( >hile 3 was looking at the horns and thinking a!o+t them, another horn grew +p among them. This was a little horn with eyes like a h+man. 3t also had a mo+th that was !ragging. Then the little horn p+lled o+t three of the other horns. ) As 3 was looking, thrones were p+t in their places, and the Ancient Ging sat on his throne. $is clothes were as white as snow. $is hair was as white as wool. -asy To .ead /ersion

$is throne was made from fire, and its wheels were made from flames. 1, A river of fire flowed o+t from in front of the Ancient Ging. Aillions of people were serving him. $+ndreds of millions of people stood in front of him. 9o+rt was ready to !egin, and the !ooks were opened. 11 3 kept on looking !eca+se the little horn was !ragging. 3 kept watching +ntil finally the fo+rth animal was killed. 3ts !ody was destroyed, and it was thrown into the !+rning fire. 12 The a+thority and r+le of the other animals had !een taken from them. <+t Daniel '.13*1( #, they were permitted to live for a certain period of time. 13 As my vision that night contin+ed, 3 looked, and there in front of me was someone who looked like a h+man !eing. $e was coming on the clo+ds in the sky. $e came +p to the Ancient Ging, and the Gings servants !ro+ght him !efore the Ging. 1# The one who looked like a h+man !eing was given a+thority, glory, and complete r+ling power. 6eople from every nation and lang+age gro+p will serve him. $is r+le will last forever. $is kingdom will last forever. 3t will never !e destroyed. 1% 3, Daniel, was conf+sed and worried. The visions that went thro+gh my mind !othered me. 1& 3 went to someone who was standing there and asked him what all this meant. So he e4plained it to me. 1' $e said, The fo+r great animals are fo+r kingdoms that will come from the earth. 1( <+t Gods holy people will receive the kingdom, and they will have the kingdom forever and ever. Daniel '.1)*23 #1 1) Then 3 wanted to know what the fo+rth animal was and what it meant. The fo+rth animal was different from all the others. 3t was more terrifying with its iron teeth and !ronEe claws. 3t pag. )2(0131#

was the animal that cr+shed in its teeth whatever it killed and smashed with its feet whatever was left. 2, 3 wanted to know a!o+t the ten horns that were on the fo+rth animals head and a!o+t the little horn that grew there. That little horn p+lled o+t three of the other ten horns. That little horn looked meaner than the other horns and it kept on !ragging. 21 As 3 was watching, this little horn !egan attacking and making war against Gods holy people and killing them. 22 The little horn kept killing Gods holy people +ntil the Ancient Ging came and =+dged him. The Ancient Ging anno+nced his decision a!o+t the little horn. This =+dgment helped Gods holy people, and they received the kingdom. 23 And he e4plained this to me: The fo+rth animal is a fo+rth kingdom that will come on the earth. 3t will !e different from all the other kingdoms. That fo+rth Daniel '.2#*2( #2 kingdom will destroy the whole world. 3t will cr+sh everything +nder its feet. 2# The ten horns are ten kings that will come from this fo+rth kingdom. After those ten kings are gone, another king will come. $e will !e different from the kings who r+led !efore him. $e will defeat three of the other kings. 2% This special king will say things against God Aost $igh, and he will h+rt and kill Gods special people. That king will try to change the times and laws that have already !een set. Gods holy people will !e +nder that kings power for three and oneDhalf years. 2& <+t the co+rt will decide what sho+ld happen, and that kings power will !e taken away. $is kingdom will end completely. 2' Then Gods holy people will r+le over the kingdom and all the people from all the kingdoms of earth. This kingdom will last forever, and people from all the other kingdoms will respect and serve them. 2( And that was the end of the dream. 3, -asy To .ead /ersion

Daniel, was very afraid. Ay face !ecame Daniel (.1*% #3 very white from fear, and 3 did not tell the other people what 3 saw and heard. 8 1 After that vision, 3, Daniel, saw another vision d+ring the third year that <elshaEEar was king. 2 3n the vision 3 saw that 3 was in the city of S+sa. S+sa was the capital city in the province of -lam. 3 was standing !y the Hlai .iver. 3 3 looked +p and saw a ram standing at the side of the river. The ram had two long horns. The horns were !oth long, !+t one horn was longer than the other horn. The long horn was farther !ack than the other horn. # 3 watched the ram r+n into things with its horns. 3 watched the ram r+n to the west, to the north, and to the so+th. 1o animal co+ld stop the ram, and no one co+ld save the other animals. That ram did whatever it wanted, and it !ecame very powerf+l. % 3 tho+ght a!o+t the ram. >hile 3 was watching, 3 saw a male goat come from the west. 3t had one large horn that was easy to see. 3t ran so fast its feet !arely to+ched the gro+nd. Daniel (.&*11 ## & The goat came to the ram with the two horns. 7This was the ram 3 had seen standing !y the Hlai .iver.8 The goat was very angry and ran at the ram. ' As 3 watched, the goat ran at the ram and !roke !oth of the rams horns. The ram co+ld not stop the goat. The goat knocked it to the gro+nd and walked all over it. There was no one to save the ram from the goat. ( So the goat !ecame very powerf+l. <+t after he !ecame strong, his !ig horn !roke off. Then fo+r horns grew in place of the one !ig horn. Those fo+r horns were easy to see. They pointed in fo+r different directions. ) Then a little horn grew from one of those fo+r horns. 3t grew and !ecame very !ig. 3t grew toward the so+theast, toward the <ea+tif+l and. pag. )2)0131#

1, The little horn !ecame very !ig. 3t grew +ntil it reached the sky. 3t even threw some of heavens army to the gro+nd and trampled them. 11 That little horn !ecame very strong, and it t+rned against God, the .+ler of heavens army. 3t stopped the daily sacrifices that were offered to the Daniel (.12*1' #% .+ler. And the holy place where people worshiped the .+ler was p+lled down. 12 <eca+se of this sin, the daily sacrifices were stopped. Tr+th was thrown down to the gro+nd. The little horn did these things and was very s+ccessf+l. 13 Then 3 heard two holy ones talking with each other. 5ne of them asked the other one, who had !een speaking, $ow long will the things in this vision lastthe stopping of the daily sacrifices, the sin that destroys, and the trampling down of the holy place and heavens army? 1# The other holy one said, This will last for 23,, days. Then the holy place will !e repaired. 1% 3, Daniel, saw this vision and tried to +nderstand what it meant. >hile 3 was thinking a!o+t the vision, someone who looked like a man s+ddenly stood in front of me. 1& Then 3 heard a mans voice. This voice came from a!ove the Hlai .iver. The voice called o+t, Ga!riel, e4plain the vision to this man. 1' So Ga!riel, the angel who looked like a man, came to me. 3 was very afraid and fell down to the gro+nd. <+t Ga!riel Daniel (.1(*23 #& said to me, $+man, +nderstand that this vision is a!o+t the time of the end. 1( >hile Ga!riel was speaking, 3 fell to the gro+nd and went to sleep. 3t was a very deep sleep. Then Ga!riel to+ched me and lifted me to my feet. 1) $e said, 1ow, 3 will e4plain the vision to yo+. 3 will tell yo+ what will happen in the f+t+re. ;o+r vision was a!o+t the end times. 2, ;o+ saw a ram with two horns. The horns are the co+ntries of Aedia and -asy To .ead /ersion

6ersia. 21 The goat is the king of Greece. The !ig horn !etween its eyes is the first king. 22 That horn !roke off and fo+r horns grew in its place. The fo+r horns are fo+r kingdoms. Those fo+r kingdoms will come from the nation of the first king, !+t they will not !e as strong as the first king. 23 >hen the end is near for those kingdoms, there will !e a very !old and cr+el king who will !e very tricky. This will happen when many people have t+rned against God. Daniel (.2#*).1 #' 2# This king will !e very powerf+l, !+t his power does not come from himself. This king will ca+se terri!le destr+ction. $e will !e s+ccessf+l in everything he does. $e will destroy powerf+l peopleeven Gods holy people. 2% This king will !e very clever and will +se lies to !e s+ccessf+l. $e will think that he is very important and will destroy many people, when they least e4pect it. $e will try to fight even the 6rince of princes. <+t that cr+el kings power will !e destroyed, and it will not !e any h+man power that destroys him. 2& >hat 3 said and the vision a!o+t those times are tr+e. <+t dont tell anyone what yo+ saw, !eca+se those things will not happen for a long, long time. 2' 3, Daniel, !ecame very weak. 3 was sick for several days after that vision. Then 3 got +p and went !ack to work for the king, !+t 3 was very +pset a!o+t the vision. 3 did not +nderstand what it meant. 9 1 These things happened d+ring the first year that Dari+s son of Ahas+er+s was king. Dari+s was a Aede Daniel ).2*& #( !y !irth, !+t he was appointed to !e the king of <a!ylon. 2 D+ring his first year as king, 3 was st+dying the Script+res and noticed in the 5.D@S message to Ceremiah that pag. )3,0131#

', years wo+ld pass !efore Cer+salem wo+ld !e re!+ilt. 3 Then 3 t+rned to the ord God. 3 prayed to him and asked him for help. 3 did not eat any food. 3 p+t ashes on my head and p+t on the clothes that showed 3 was sad. # 3 prayed to the 5.D my God and told him a!o+t all my sins. 3 said, ord, yo+ are a great and awesome God. ;o+ keep yo+r agreement of love and kindness with people who love yo+. ;o+ keep yo+r agreement with the people who o!ey yo+r commands. % <+t we have sinned. >e have done wrong. >e have done evil things. >e t+rned against yo+. >e t+rned away from yo+r commands and good decisions. & The prophets were yo+r servants. They spoke for yo+ to o+r kings, to o+r leaders, to o+r fathers, and to the common people in o+r co+ntry. <+t we did not listen to them. Daniel ).'*11 #) ' ord, yo+ are innocent, and the shame !elongs to +s, even now. Shame !elongs to the people from C+dah and Cer+salem, and to all the people of 3srael, to those who are near and to those yo+ scattered among many nations. They sho+ld !e ashamed of all the evil things they did against yo+. ( 5.D, we sho+ld all !e ashamed. All o+r kings and leaders sho+ld !e ashamed. 5+r ancestors sho+ld !e ashamed, !eca+se we sinned against yo+. ) <+t, ord o+r God, yo+ are kind and forgiving, even tho+gh we t+rned against yo+. 1, >e have not o!eyed the 5.D o+r God. $e +sed his servants, the prophets, and gave +s laws, !+t we have not o!eyed his laws. 11 All the people of 3srael diso!eyed yo+r teachings and t+rned away from yo+. They did not listen to yo+. >e sinned, so yo+ did what yo+ promised to do. All the c+rses and promises in the aw of Aoses, yo+r servant, happened -asy To .ead /ersion

to +s. Daniel ).12*1& %, 12 God said those things wo+ld happen to +s and o+r leaders, and he made them happen. $e made terri!le things happen to +s. 1o other city s+ffered the way Cer+salem s+ffered. 13 All those terri!le things happened to +s. This happened =+st as it is written in the aw of Aoses, !+t we still have not asked the 5.D o+r God for help. >e still have not stopped sinning. >e still do not pay attention to yo+r tr+th, ord. 1# The 5.D kept the terri!le things ready for +she made them happen to +s. The 5.D o+r God did this !eca+se he is fair in everything he does. <+t we still have not listened to him. 1% ord o+r God, yo+ +sed yo+r power and !ro+ght +s o+t of -gypt. >e are yo+r people. ;o+ are famo+s !eca+se of that, even today. >e have sinned and done terri!le things. 1& ord, we and o+r ancestors sinned against yo+, so yo+r people and yo+r city !ecame a disgrace to everyone aro+nd +s. ;o+ do so many good things, so stop !eing angry at Cer+salem, yo+r city, yo+r holy mo+ntain. Daniel ).1'*21 %1 1' 1ow, o+r God, hear yo+r servants prayer. isten to my prayer for mercy. 2or yo+r own sake, do good things for yo+r holy place. 1( Ay God, listen to me" 5pen yo+r eyes and see all the terri!le things that have happened to +s. See what has happened to the city that is called !y yo+r name. 3 am not saying we are good people. That is not why 3 am asking these things. 3 am asking these things !eca+se 3 know yo+ are kind. 1) ord, listen to me" 2orgive +s" ord, pay attention, and then do something" Dont wait" Do something now" Do it for yo+r own good" Ay God, do something now, for yo+r city and yo+r people who are called !y yo+r name. 2, 3 was praying to the 5.D my God a!o+t his holy mo+ntain and telling pag. )310131#

a!o+t my sins and the sins of the people of 3srael. 21 That was the time of the evening sacrifices. >hile 3 was still praying, Ga!riel, the one 3 saw in the first vision, flew J+ickly to me and to+ched me. $e came at the time of the evening sacrifice. Daniel ).22*2% %2 22 Ga!riel helped me +nderstand the things 3 wanted to know. $e said, Daniel, 3 have come to give yo+ wisdom and to help yo+ +nderstand. 23 >hen yo+ first started praying, the command was given to come speak to yo+. God loves yo+ very m+ch" ;o+ will +nderstand this command, and yo+ will +nderstand the vision. 2# God has allowed ', weeks for yo+r people and yo+r holy city, Daniel. The ', weeks are ordered for these reasons: to stop doing !ad things, to stop sinning, to make people p+re, to !ring the goodness that contin+es forever, to p+t a seal on visions and prophets, and to dedicate a very holy place. 2% earn and +nderstand these things, Daniel. 2rom the time that the message went o+t to go !ack and re!+ild Cer+salem +ntil the time for the chosen king to come will !e seven weeks. Then Cer+salem will !e re!+ilt. There will again !e places for people to meet together in Cer+salem, and there will !e a ditch aro+nd the city to protect it. Cer+salem will !e !+ilt for &2 weeks, !+t there will !e many tro+!les d+ring that time. Daniel ).2&*1,.3 %3 2& After the &2 weeks, the chosen one will !e killed. $e will !e gone. Then the people of the f+t+re leader will destroy the city and the holy place. That end will come like a flood. >ar will contin+e +ntil the end. God has ordered that place to !e completely destroyed. 2' Then the f+t+re r+ler will make an agreement with many people. That agreement will contin+e for one week. The offerings and sacrifices will stop for a half of a week. And a destroyer will come. $e will do terri!le, destr+ctive -asy To .ead /ersion

things, !+t God has ordered that destroyer to !e completely destroyed. 10 1 D+ring the third year that 9yr+s was the king of 6ersia, these things were shown to Daniel. 7Daniels other name is <elteshaEEar.8 They are tr+e, !+t very hard to +nderstand. Daniel +nderstood them !eca+se they were e4plained to him in a vision. 2 At that time 3, Daniel, was very sad for three weeks. 3 D+ring those three weeks, 3 didnt eat any fancy foodF 3 didnt eat any meat or drink any wine. 3 didnt p+t any oil on my Daniel 1,.#*) %# head. 3 didnt do any of these things for three weeks. # 5n the 2#th day of the first month of the year, 3 was standing !eside the great Tigris .iver. % >hile 3 was standing there, 3 looked +p and 3 saw a man standing in front of me. $e was wearing linen clothes. $e wore a !elt made of p+re gold aro+nd his waist. & $is !ody was like a smooth, shiny stone. $is face was !right like lightning. $is eyes were like flames of fire. $is arms and feet were shiny like polished !rass. $is voice was lo+d like a crowd of people. ' 3, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision. The men with me didnt see the vision, !+t they were still afraid. They were so afraid that they ran away and hid. ( So 3 was left alone. 3 was watching this vision, and it made me afraid. 3 lost my strength. Ay face t+rned white like a dead persons face, and 3 was helpless. ) Then 3 heard the man in the vision talking. As 3 listened to his voice, 3 fell Daniel 1,.1,*1# %% into a deep sleep, with my face on the gro+nd. 1, Then a hand to+ched me. >hen that happened, 3 got on my hands and knees. 3 was so afraid that 3 was shaking. 11 The man in the vision said to me, Daniel, God loves yo+ very m+ch. Think pag. )320131#

very caref+lly a!o+t the words 3 will speak to yo+. Stand +pF 3 have !een sent to yo+. And when he said this, 3 stood +p. 3 was still shaking !eca+se 3 was afraid. 12 Then the man in the vision started talking again. $e said, Daniel, do not !e afraid. 2rom the very first day yo+ decided to get wisdom and to !e h+m!le in front of God, he has !een listening to yo+r prayers. 3 came to yo+ !eca+se yo+ have !een praying. 13 <+t the prince 7angel8 of 6ersia has !een fighting against me for 21 days. Then Aichael, one of the most important princes 7angels8, came to help me !eca+se 3 was st+ck there with the king of 6ersia. 1# 1ow 3 have come to yo+, Daniel, to e4plain to yo+ what will happen to yo+r Daniel 1,.1%*2, %& people in the f+t+re. The vision is a!o+t a time in the f+t+re. 1% >hile the man was talking to me, 3 !owed low with my face toward the gro+nd. 3 co+ld not speak. 1& Then the one who looked like a man to+ched my lips. 3 opened my mo+th and started to speak. 3 said to the one standing in front of me, Sir, 3 am +pset and afraid !eca+se of what 3 saw in the vision. 3 feel helpless. 1' Sir, 3 am Daniel yo+r servant. $ow can 3 talk with yo+? Ay strength is gone and it is hard for me to !reathe. 1( The one who looked like a man to+ched me again. >hen he to+ched me, 3 felt !etter. 1) Then he said, Daniel, dont !e afraid. God loves yo+ very m+ch. 6eace !e with yo+. <e strong now, !e strong. >hen he spoke to me, 3 !ecame stronger. Then 3 said, Sir, yo+ have given me strength. 1ow yo+ can speak. 2, So then he said, Daniel, do yo+ know why 3 have come to yo+? Soon 3 m+st go !ack to fight against the prince 7angel8 of 6ersia. >hen 3 go, the prince 7angel8 of Greece will come. Daniel 1,.21*11.% %' -asy To .ead /ersion

21 <+t Daniel, !efore 3 go, 3 m+st first tell yo+ what is written in the <ook of Tr+th. 1o one stands with me against those evil angels e4cept Aichael, the prince 7angel8 over yo+r people. 11 1 D+ring the first year that Dari+s the Aede was king, 3 stood +p to s+pport Aichael in his fight against the prince 7angel8 of 6ersia. 2 1ow then, Daniel, 3 tell yo+ the tr+th: Three more kings will r+le in 6ersia. Then a fo+rth king will come who will !e m+ch richer than all the other kings of 6ersia !efore him. $e will +se his riches to get power and t+rn everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a very strong and powerf+l king will come who will r+le with m+ch power. $e will do anything he wants. # C+st as he comes to power, his kingdom will !e !roken +p and scattered in all directions. 3t will not !e divided among his descendants. And it will not !e r+led in the same way !eca+se that kingdom will !e p+lled +p and given to other people. % The so+thern king will !ecome strong, !+t then one of his commanders will Daniel 11.&*1, %( defeat him. The commander will !egin to r+le, and he will !e very powerf+l. & Then after a few years, the so+thern king and that commander will make an agreement. The da+ghter of the so+thern king will marry the northern king. She will do this to !ring peace, !+t she and the so+thern king will not !e strong eno+gh. 6eople will t+rn against her and against the one who !ro+ght her to that co+ntry. And they will t+rn against her child and against the one who helped her. ' <+t someone from her family will come to take the so+thern kings place. $e will attack the armies of the northern king. $e will go into that kings strong fort. $e will fight and win. ( $e will take their gods and their metal idols and their e4pensive things made from silver and gold. $e will take those pag. )330131#

things away to -gypt. Then he will not !other the northern king for a few years. ) The northern king will attack the so+thern kingdom. <+t he will lose, and then he will go !ack to his own co+ntry. 1, The northern kings sons will prepare for war. They will get a large army Daniel 11.11*1# %) together. 3t will move thro+gh the land very J+ickly, like a powerf+l flood. That army will fight all the way to the strong fort of the so+thern king. 11 Then the so+thern king will !ecome very angry and march o+t to fight against the northern king. The northern king will have a large army, !+t he will lose the war. 12 The northern army will !e defeated, and those soldiers will !e carried away. The so+thern king will !e very pro+d, and he will kill tho+sands of soldiers from the northern army. <+t he will not contin+e to !e s+ccessf+l. 13 The northern king will get another army that will !e larger than the first one. After several years he will attack. $is army will !e ready for war. 3t will !e very large and it will have many weapons. 1# 3n those times many people will !e against the so+thern king. Some of yo+r own people who love to fight will re!el against the so+thern king. They will not win, !+t they will make this vision come tr+e. Daniel 11.1%*1( &, 1% Then the northern king will come. $e will !+ild ramps against the walls and will capt+re a strong city. The so+thern army will not have the power to fight !ack. -ven the !est soldiers from the so+thern army will not !e strong eno+gh to stop the northern army. 1& The northern king will do whatever he wants. 1o one will !e a!le to stop him. $e will gain power and control in the <ea+tif+l and, and he will have the power to destroy it. 1' The northern king will decide to +se all his power to fight against the so+thern -asy To .ead /ersion

king, and he will make an agreement with the so+thern king. The king of the north will let one of his da+ghters marry the so+thern king so that he can defeat the so+thern king. <+t those plans will not s+cceed. $is plans will not help him. 1( Then the northern king will t+rn his attention to the co+ntries along the coast of the Aediterranean Sea. $e will defeat many of those cities. <+t then a commander will p+t an end to the pride of that northern king. $e will t+rn his pride into shame. Daniel 11.1)*2# &1 1) After that happens, the northern king will go !ack to the strong forts of his own co+ntry. <+t he will !e weak and will fall. $e will !e finished. 2, After the northern king, there will !e a new r+ler who sends o+t ta4 collectors so that he can live like a king. <+t after a few years, he will !e destroyed, altho+gh he will not die in !attle. 21 That r+ler will !e followed !y a very cr+el and hated man, who will not have the honor of !eing from a kings family. $e will !ecome a r+ler !y !eing tricky. $e will attack the kingdom when the people feel safe. 22 $e will defeat large and powerf+l armies. $e will even defeat the leader with the agreement. 23 Aany nations will make agreements with that cr+el and hated r+ler, !+t he will lie and trick them. $e will gain m+ch power, !+t only a few people will s+pport him. 2# >hen the richest co+ntries feel safe, that cr+el and hated r+ler will attack them. $e will attack at =+st the right time and will !e s+ccessf+l where his ancestors were not s+ccessf+l. $e Daniel 11.2%*2( &2 will take things from the co+ntries he defeated, and he will give them to his followers. $e will plan to defeat and destroy strong cities. $e will !e s+ccessf+l!+t only for a short time. 2% That very cr+el and hated r+ler will have a very large army. $e will +se that pag. )3#0131#

army to show his strength and co+rage and attack the so+thern king. The so+thern king will get a very large and powerf+l army and go to war. <+t the people who are against him will make secret plans, and the so+thern king will !e defeated. 2& 6eople who were s+pposed to !e good friends of the so+thern king will try to destroy him. $is army will !e defeated. Aany of his soldiers will !e killed in !attle. 2' Those two kings will want to make tro+!le. They will sit aro+nd the ta!le planning their lies, !+t it will not do either one of them any good !eca+se God has set a time for their end to come. 2( The northern king will go !ack to his own co+ntry with m+ch wealth. Then he will decide to do !ad things against the holy agreement. $e will do the things he Daniel 11.2)*33 &3 planned, and then he will go !ack to his own co+ntry. 2) At the right time, the northern king will attack the so+thern king again. <+t this time he will not !e s+ccessf+l as he was !efore. 3, Ships from 9ypr+s will come and fight against the northern king. $e will see those ships coming and !e afraid. Then he will t+rn !ack and take o+t his anger on the holy agreement. $e will t+rn !ack and help those who stopped following the holy agreement. 31 The northern king will send his army to do terri!le things to the Temple in Cer+salem. They will stop the people from offering the daily sacrifice. Then they will do something really terri!le. They will set +p that terri!le thing that ca+ses destr+ction. 32 The northern king will +se lies and smooth talking to trick those who J+it following the holy agreement, so they will sin even worse. <+t those who know God and o!ey him will !e strong. They will fight !ack. 33 Those wise teachers will help the other people +nderstand what is -asy To .ead /ersion

Daniel 11.3#*3' &# happening. <+t even they will have to s+ffer persec+tion. Some of them will !e killed with swords. Some of them will !e !+rned or taken prisoner. Some of them will have their homes and things taken away. 3# >hen those wise people are p+nished, they will receive some help, !+t many people who =oin them will !e hypocrites. 3% Some of the wise people will st+m!le and make mistakes. <+t the persec+tion m+st come so that they can !e made stronger and p+rer +ntil the time of the end. Then, at the right time, that time of the end will come. 3& The northern king will do whatever he wants. $e will !rag a!o+t himself. $e will praise himself and think that he is even !etter than a god. $e will say things that no one has ever heard. $e will say those things against the God of gods. $e will !e s+ccessf+l +ntil all the evil things have happened. Then what God has planned to happen will happen. 3' That northern king will not care a!o+t the gods his ancestors worshiped. $e will not care a!o+t the gods women worship. Daniel 11.3(*#1 &% $e will not care a!o+t any god. 3nstead, he will praise himself and make himself more important than any god. 3( The northern king will not worship any god, !+t he will worship power. 6ower and strength will !e his god. $is ancestors didnt love power as he does. $e will honor the god of power with gold and silver, e4pensive =ewels, and gifts. 3) That northern king will attack strong fortresses with the help of this foreign god. $e will give m+ch honor to the foreign r+lers who =oin him. $e will p+t many people +nder their r+le. $e will make the r+lers pay him for the land they r+le over. #, At the time of the end, the so+thern king will fight a !attle against the northern king. The northern king will attack him with chariots and soldiers pag. )3%0131#

on horses and many large ships. The northern king will r+sh thro+gh the land like a flood. #1 The northern king will attack the <ea+tif+l and. $e will defeat many co+ntries. <+t -dom, Aoa!, and the leaders of Ammon will !e saved from him. Daniel 11.#2*12.2 && #2 The northern king will show his power in many co+ntries. -gypt will also learn how powerf+l he is. #3 $e will get treas+res of gold and silver and all the riches of -gypt. The i!yans and -thiopians will o!ey him. ## <+t that northern king will hear news from the east and the north that will make him afraid and angry. $e will go to completely destroy many nations. #% $e will set +p his kings tents !etween the sea and the !ea+tif+l holy mo+ntain. <+t finally, that !ad king will die. There will no one to help him when his end comes. 12 1 Daniel, at that time the great prince 7angel8 Aichael will stand +p. Aichael is in charge of yo+r people. There will !e a time of m+ch tro+!le, the worst time since nations have !een on earth. <+t Daniel, at that time every one of yo+r people whose name is fo+nd written in the !ook of life will !e saved. 2 There are many who are dead and !+ried. Some of them will wake +p and live forever, !+t others will wake +p to shame and disgrace forever. Daniel 12.3*' &' 3 The wise people will shine as !right as the sky. Those who teach others to live right will shine like stars forever and ever. # <+t yo+, Daniel, keep this message a secret. ;o+ m+st close the !ook and keep this secret +ntil the time of the end. Aany people will go here and there looking for tr+e knowledge, and the tr+e knowledge will increase. % Then 3, Daniel, noticed two other men. 5ne man was standing on my side of the river, and the other was standing on the -asy To .ead /ersion

other side. & The man who was dressed in linen was standing over the water in the river. 5ne of the two men said to him, $ow long will it !e !efore these amaEing things come tr+e? ' The man dressed in linen and standing over the water lifted his right and left hands toward heaven. And 3 heard him make a promise +sing the name of God who lives forever. $e said, 3t will !e for three and oneDhalf years. The power of the holy people will !e !roken, and then all these things will finally come tr+e. Daniel 12.(*13 &( ( 3 heard the answer, !+t 3 really didnt +nderstand. So 3 asked, Sir, what will happen after all this comes tr+e? ) $e answered, Go on a!o+t yo+r life Daniel. The message is hidden. 3t will !e a secret +ntil the time of the end. 1, Aany people will !e made p+rethey will make themselves clean. <+t evil people will contin+e to !e evil. And those wicked people will not +nderstand these things, !+t the wise people will +nderstand them. 11 The daily sacrifice will !e stopped. There will !e 12), days from that time +ntil the time that the terri!le thing that destroys is set +p. 12 The one who waits for and comes to the end of the 133% days will !e very happy. 13 As for yo+, Daniel, go and live yo+r life +ntil the end. ;o+ will get yo+r rest. At the end yo+ will rise from death and receive yo+r share of the promise. 1osea 1 1 This is the 5.D@S message that came to $osea son of <eeri d+ring the time that HEEiah, Cotham, AhaE, and $eEekiah were kings of C+dah, and Cero!oam son of Coash was king of 3srael. 2 This was the 5.D@S first message to $osea. The 5.D said, Go, marry a prostit+te who has had children as a res+lt of her prostit+tion. Do this !eca+se the people in this co+ntry have pag. )3&0131#

acted like prostit+testhey have !een +nfaithf+l to the 5.D. 3 So $osea married Gomer da+ghter of Di!laim. She !ecame pregnant and gave !irth to a son for $osea. # The 5.D said to $osea, 1ame him CeEreel, !eca+se soon 3 will p+nish the family of Ceh+ for the people he killed at CeEreel /alley. Then 3 will p+t an end to the kingdom of the nation of 3srael. % And at that time 3 will !reak 3sraels !ow at CeEreel /alley. $osea 1.&*11 2 & Then Gomer !ecame pregnant again and gave !irth to a da+ghter. The 5.D said to $osea, 1ame her oD.+hamah, !eca+se 3 will not show mercy to the nation of 3srael anymore, nor will 3 forgive them. ' <+t 3 will show mercy to the nation of C+dah. 3 will save them, !+t 3 will not +se !ows or swords or war horses and soldiers to save them. 3 will save them !y my own power. ( After Gomer had finished n+rsing oD.+hamah, she !ecame pregnant again and gave !irth to a son. ) Then the ord said, 1ame him oDAmmi, !eca+se yo+ are not my people, and 3 am not yo+r God. 1, 3n the f+t+re the n+m!er of the people of 3srael will !e like the sand of the sea, which yo+ cannot meas+re or co+nt. 3n the same place that God told them, ;o+ are not my people, he will call them children of the iving God. 11 Then the people of C+dah and the people of 3srael will !e gathered together. They will choose one r+ler for themselves, and their nation will !e too $osea 2.1*% 3 large for the land. CeEreels day will !e great" 2 1 Then yo+ will say to yo+r !rothers, ;o+ are my people, and yo+ will say to yo+r sisters, $e has shown mercy to yo+. 2 Talk to yo+r mother. Ask her to change !eca+se she is no longer my wife, and 3 am no longer her h+s!and" Tell her to -asy To .ead /ersion

stop acting like a prostit+te. Tell her to take away her lovers from !etween her !reasts. 3 3f she ref+ses to stop her ad+ltery, 3 will strip her naked and leave her as !are as she was the day she was !orn. 3 will take away her people, and she will !e as empty and dry as a desert. 3 will ca+se her to die of thirst. # 3 will have no pity on her children !eca+se they are the children of prostit+tion. % Their mother has acted like a prostit+te. She sho+ld !e ashamed of what she did. She said, 3 will go to my lovers, who give me food and water, wool and linen, wine, and olive oil. $osea 2.&*11 # & So 3, the ord, will !lock 3sraels road with thornsF 3 will !+ild a wall so that she will not !e a!le to find her path. ' She will r+n after her lovers, !+t she will not !e a!le to catch +p with them. She will look for her lovers, !+t she will not !e a!le to find them. Then she will say, 3 will go !ack to my first h+s!and 7the ord8. ife was !etter for me when 3 was with him. ife was !etter then than it is now. ( 3srael didnt know that 3, the ord, was the one who gave her grain, wine, and oil. 3 kept giving her more and more silver and gold, !+t she +sed this silver and gold to make stat+es of <aal. ) So 3 will ret+rn and take !ack my grain at the time it is ready to !e harvested. 3 will take !ack my wine at the time the grapes are ready. 3 will take !ack my wool and linen. 3 gave those things to her so that she co+ld cover her naked !ody. 1, 1ow 3 will strip her. She will !e naked, so all her lovers can see her. 1o one will !e a!le to save her from my power. 11 3 will end all her happy holidays. 3 will stop her festivals, her 1ew Aoon $osea 2.12*1' % cele!rations, and her days of rest. 3 will stop all her special feasts. 12 3 will destroy her vines and fig trees. pag. )3'0131#

She said, Ay lovers gave these things to me. <+t 3 will change her gardensthey will !ecome like a wild forest. >ild animals will come and eat from those plants. 13 3srael served false gods, so 3 will p+nish her. She !+rned incense to those false gods. She dressed +pshe p+t on her =ewelry and nose ring. Then she went to her lovers and forgot me. This is what the 5.D has said. 1# So 3, the ord, will speak romantic words to her. 3 will lead her into the desert and speak tender words. 1% There 3 will give her vineyards. 3 will give her Achor /alley as a doorway of hope. Then she will answer as she did when she came o+t of the land of -gypt. 1& The 5.D says, At that time yo+ will call me Ay h+s!and. ;o+ will not call me Ay <aal. 1' 3 will take the names of those false gods o+t of her mo+th. Then people will not +se those names again. $osea 2.1(*3.1 & 1( At that time 3 will make an agreement for the 3sraelites with the animals of the field, the !irds of the sky, and the crawling things on the gro+nd. 3 will !reak the !ow, the sword, and the weapons of war in that land. 3 will make the land safe, so the people of 3srael can lie down in peace. 1) And 3 will make yo+ my !ride forever. 3 will make yo+ my !ride with goodness and =+stice and with love and mercy. 2, 3 will make yo+ my faithf+l !ride. Then yo+ will really know the 5.D. 21 And at that time 3 will answer, says the 5.D. 3 will speak to the skies, and they will give rain to the earth. 22 The earth will prod+ce grain, wine, and oil, and they will meet CeEreels needs. 23 3 will sow her many seeds on her land. To oD.+hamah, 3 will show mercy. To oDAmmi, 3 will say, ;o+ are my people. And they will say to me, ;o+ are o+r God. 3 1 Then the 5.D said to me again, -asy To .ead /ersion

;o+r wife has many lovers. <+t yo+ m+st contin+e to love her, !eca+se it is an e4ample of the 5.D@S love for $osea 3.2*#.1 ' 3srael. $e contin+es to love them, !+t they contin+e to t+rn to other gods, and they love to share in the offering of raisin cakes to them. 2 So 3 !o+ght her !ack for & o+nces of silver and ) !+shels of !arley. 3 Then 3 told her, ;o+ m+st stay at home with me for many days. ;o+ will not !e like a prostit+te. ;o+ will not have se4+al relations with another man. 3 will !e yo+r h+s!and. # 3n the same way, the people of 3srael will contin+e many days witho+t a king or a leader. They will !e witho+t a sacrifice or a memorial stone. They will !e witho+t an ephod or a ho+sehold god. % After this the people of 3srael will come !ack and look for the 5.D their God and for David their king. 3n the last days they will come to honor the 5.D and his goodness. 4 1 6eople of 3srael, listen to the 5.D@S message. The 5.D has something to say against those who live in this land: The people in this land are not honest or loyal. They dont really know God. $osea #.2*) ( 2 They are always c+rsing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing ad+ltery. They m+rder one person after another. 3 So the co+ntry is like someone crying for the dead, and all of its people are weak. -ven the animals of the field, the !irds of the sky, and the fish in the sea are dying. # 1o one sho+ld arg+e or !lame another person. 6riests, my arg+ment is with yo+" % ;o+ priests will fall in the daytime. And at night yo+r prophets will fall with yo+. 3 will also destroy yo+r mother. & Ay people are destroyed !eca+se they have no knowledge. ;o+ priests have ref+sed to learn, so 3 will ref+se to let yo+ !e my priests. ;o+ have forgotten pag. )3(0131#

the law of yo+r God, so 3 will forget yo+r children. ' They !ecame pro+d. They sinned more and more against me, so 3 will change their honor to shame. ( The priests fed on the peoples sins. They wanted more and more of their sin offerings. ) And the priests are as !ad as the people. 3 will p+nish them for the things $osea #.1,*1# ) they did. 3 will pay them !ack for the wrong things they did. 1, They will eat, !+t they will not !e satisfied. They will have se4 with prostit+tes, !+t they will still have no children. Thats !eca+se they have left the 5.D and have given themselves to other gods. 11 Se4+al sins, strong drink, and new wine r+in a persons a!ility to think straight. 12 Ay people are asking pieces of wood for advice. They think those sticks will answer them" They have chased after those false gods like prostit+tes and have left their own God. 13 They make sacrifices on the tops of the mo+ntains and !+rn incense on the hills +nder oak trees, poplar trees, and elm trees. The shade +nder those trees looks nice. So yo+r da+ghters lie +nder those trees like prostit+tes, and yo+r da+ghtersDinDlaw commit se4+al sins. 1# 3 cannot !lame yo+r da+ghters or da+ghtersDinDlaw for doing this, !eca+se yo+r men go and have se4 with the temple prostit+tes and offer sacrifices $osea #.1%*%.2 1, with them. This is how foolish people destroy themselves. 1% 3srael, =+st !eca+se yo+ act like a prostit+te doesnt mean that C+dah sho+ld feel g+ilty too. 6eople, dont go to Gilgal or <eth Aven. Dont +se the ords name to make promises. Dont say, As the 5.D lives " 1& 3srael is as st+!!orn as a yo+ng cow. So now the 5.D will send them away. They will !e like a lost sheep in an open -asy To .ead /ersion

field. 1' -phraim has =oined his idols, so leave him alone. 1( -phraim has =oined their dr+nkenness. et them contin+e to !e prostit+tes. et them !e with their lovers. 1) They went to those gods for safety, and they have lost their a!ility to think. Their altars will !ring them shame. 5 1 6riests, nation of 3srael, and people in the kings family, listen to me. ;o+ have !een =+dged g+ilty" ;o+ were like a trap at AiEpah and like a net spread on the gro+nd at Ta!or. 2 ;o+ have done many evil things, so 3 will p+nish yo+ all. $osea %.3*) 11 3 3 know -phraim. 3 know what 3srael has done. -phraim, right now yo+ act like a prostit+te. 3srael is dirty with sin. # The people of 3srael have done many evil things, and these evil things keep them from coming !ack to their God. They are always thinking of ways to chase after other gods. They dont know the 5.D. % 3sraels pride is a witness against them, so 3srael and -phraim will st+m!le in their sin. <+t C+dah will also st+m!le with them. & The leaders of the people went to look for the 5.D. They took their sheep and cattle with them, !+t they did not find the 5.D !eca+se he ref+sed to accept them. ' They have not !een faithf+l to the 5.D. Their children are from some stranger. And now, he will destroy them and their land again. ( <low the horn in Gi!eah. <low the tr+mpet in .amah. Give the warning at <eth Aven. The enemy is !ehind yo+, <en=amin. ) -phraim will !ecome empty at the time of p+nishment. 3, God, warn the $osea %.1,*&.1 12 families of 3srael that this really will happen. 1, The leaders of C+dah are like thieves pag. )3)0131#

trying to steal someones property, so 3 will po+r o+t my anger on them like water. 11 -phraim will !e p+nished. $e will !e cr+shed and pressed like grapes, !eca+se he decided to follow filth. 12 3 will destroy -phraim as a moth eats a piece of cloth. 3 will r+in C+dah, like rot on a piece of wood. 13 -phraim saw his sickness, and C+dah saw his wo+nd, so they went to Assyria for help. They told their pro!lems to the great king, !+t he cannot heal yo+ or c+re yo+r wo+nd. 1# 3 will !e like a lion to -phraim, like a yo+ng lion to the nation of C+dah. 3yes, 3 myselfwill rip them to pieces. 3 will carry them away, and no one can save them. 1% 3 will go !ack to my place, +ntil the people admit they are g+ilty, +ntil they come looking for me. ;es, in their tro+!le they will try very hard to find me. 6 1 9ome, lets go !ack to the 5.D. $e h+rt +s, !+t he will heal +s. $e $osea &.2*' 13 wo+nded +s, !+t he will p+t !andages on +s. 2 After two days he will !ring +s !ack to life. $e will raise +s +p on the third day. Then we can live near him. 3 ets learn a!o+t the 5.D. ets try very hard to know him. >e know he is coming, =+st as we know the dawn is coming. $e will come to +s like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the gro+nd. # -phraim, what sho+ld 3 do with yo+? C+dah, what sho+ld 3 do with yo+? ;o+r love for me is like a morning mist, like the dew that is gone as soon as the day !egins. % That@s why 3 sent my prophets to c+t yo+ down, to speak my message that warned yo+ of death. And everyone can see that my =+dgment is fair. That is as clear as the morning s+n. & 3 want faithf+l love more than 3 want sacrificeF 3 want people to know God, not =+st to !ring !+rnt offerings. ' <+t the people !roke the agreement -asy To .ead /ersion

as Adam did. They were +nfaithf+l to me in their co+ntry. $osea &.(*'.# 1# ( Gilead is a city of people who do evil people who have tricked and killed others. ) The priests are like gangs of ro!!ers hiding and waiting on the road to attack someone. They m+rder people !efore they reach safety in Shechem. They do s+ch evil things. 1, 3 have seen a terri!le thing in the nation of 3srael. -phraim was +nfaithf+l to God. 3srael is dirty with sin. 11 C+dah, there is also a time of harvest for yo+. 3t will happen when 3 !ring my people !ack from captivity. 7 1 3 will heal 3srael" Then people will know that -phraim sinned. They will know a!o+t Samarias lies. They will know a!o+t the thieves who come and go in that town. 2 They dont !elieve that 3 will remem!er their crimes. The !ad things they did are all aro+nd. 3 can see their sins clearly. 3 Their evil makes their king happy. Their false gods please their leaders. # A !aker presses do+gh to make !read. $e p+ts the !read in the oven. $e does not make the fire hotter while the !read is rising. <+t the people of 3srael are not $osea '.%*11 1% like that. They are always making their fire hotter. % 5n 5+r Gings Day, the leaders get so dr+nk that they get sick. They !ecome craEy with wine and make agreements with people who la+gh at God. & The people make their secret plans. Their hearts !+rn with e4citement like an oven. Their e4citement !+rns all night, and in the morning it is like a hot fire. ' They are all like hot ovens. They destroyed their r+lers. All their kings fell. 1ot one of them called to me for help. ( -phraim mi4es with the nations. -phraim is like a cake that was not cooked on !oth sides. ) Strangers destroy -phraims strength, !+t -phraim does not know it. Gray pag. )#,0131#

hairs are also sprinkled on -phraim, !+t -phraim does not know it. 1, -phraims pride speaks against him. The people had many tro+!les, !+t they still didnt go !ack to the 5.D their God. They didnt look to him for help. 11 So -phraim has !ecome like a silly dove witho+t +nderstanding. The people called to -gypt for help. They went to Assyria for help. $osea '.12*(.1 1& 12 They go to those co+ntries for help, !+t 3 will trap them. 3 will throw my net over them, and 3 will !ring them down like the !irds of the sky. 3 will p+nish them for their agreements. 13 3t will !e very !ad for those who left me. They ref+sed to o!ey me, so they will !e destroyed. 3 saved them, !+t they speak lies against me. 1# They never call to me from their hearts. ;es, they cry on their !eds. And they c+t themselves when they ask for grain and new wine. <+t in their hearts, they have t+rned away from me. 1% 3 trained them and made their arms strong, !+t they made evil plans against me. 1& <+t they were like a !oomerang. They changed directions, !+t they did not come !ack to me. Their leaders !ragged a!o+t their strength, !+t they will !e killed with swords. And the people in -gypt will la+gh at them. 8 1 6+t the tr+mpet to yo+r lips and give the warning. <e like an eagle over the 5.D@S ho+se. The 3sraelites have !roken my agreement. They have not o!eyed my law. $osea (.2*( 1' 2 They yell o+t at me, Ay God, we in 3srael know yo+" 3 <+t 3srael ref+sed the good things, so the enemy chases him. # The 3sraelites chose their kings, !+t they didnt come to me for advice. They chose leaders, !+t they didnt choose men 3 knew. The 3sraelites +sed their silver and gold to make idols for themselves, so they will !e destroyed. -asy To .ead /ersion

% $e has ref+sed yo+r calf, Samaria. God says, 3 am very angry with the 3sraelites. The people of 3srael will !e p+nished for their sin. Some worker made those stat+es. They are not God. Samarias calf will !e !roken into pieces. & 7(:%8 ' The 3sraelites did a foolish thingF it was like trying to plant the wind. <+t they will get only tro+!lesF they will harvest a whirlwind. The grain in the fields will grow, !+t it will give no food. -ven if it grew something, strangers wo+ld eat it. ( 3srael was destroyedF its people are scattered among the nations like some dish that was thrown away !eca+se no one wanted it. $osea (.)*).1 1( ) -phraim went to his lovers. ike a st+!!orn donkey, they led him off to Assyria. 1, ;es, 3srael was taken to the nations, !+t 3 will !ring them !ack. <+t first, they m+st s+ffer a little !y carrying the !+rden of that mighty king. 11 -phraim !+ilt more and more altars, and that was a sin. They have !een altars of sin for -phraim. 12 -ven if 3 wrote 1,,,,, laws for -phraim, he wo+ld treat them as if they were for some stranger. 13 The 3sraelites love sacrifices. They offer the meat and eat it. The 5.D does not accept their sacrifices. $e remem!ers their sins, and he will p+nish them. They will !e carried away as prisoners to -gypt. 1# 3srael has !+ilt palaces for their kings, and now C+dah !+ilds fortresses. <+t they have forgotten their Aaker" So 3 will send a fire to destroy their cities and fortresses" 9 1 3srael, dont cele!rate like the nations do. Dont !e happy. ;o+ acted like a prostit+te and left yo+r God. ;o+ $osea ).2*& 1) committed yo+r se4+al sin on every threshing floor. 2 <+t the grain from those threshing pag. )#10131#

floors will not provide eno+gh food for the people. And there will not !e eno+gh wine. 3 ;o+r people will not stay in the 5.D@S land. 3srael will ret+rn to slavery in -gypt. And some will go to Assyria, where they will have to eat food that is wrong for them to eat. # They will not !e a!le to give offerings of wine to the 5.D. 1one of their sacrifices will please him. >hat they offer will !e like food eaten at a f+neral, and whoever eats it will !ecome +nclean. They can eat that food for their own h+nger, !+t it cannot !e taken into the 5.D@S Temple. % They will not !e a!le to cele!rate the 5.D@S feasts or festivals. & The people of 3srael left !eca+se the enemy took everything from them. <+t -gypt will take the people themselves. Aemphis will !+ry them. >eeds will grow over their silver treas+res, and thorns will grow where the 3sraelites lived. $osea ).'*11 2, ' The prophet says, 3srael, learn this: The time of p+nishment has come. The time has come for yo+ to pay for the evil things yo+ did. <+t the people of 3srael say, The prophet is a fool. This man with Gods Spirit is craEy. The prophet says, ;o+ will !e p+nished for yo+r terri!le sins. ;o+ will !e p+nished for yo+r hate. ( God and the prophet are like g+ards watching over -phraim, !+t there are many traps along his way. And people hate the prophet, even in the ho+se of his God. ) The 3sraelites have gone deep into r+in as in the time of Gi!eah. God will remem!er the 3sraelites sins, and he will p+nish them. 1, At the time 3, the ord, fo+nd 3srael, they were like fresh grapes in the desert. They were like the first figs on a fig tree at the !eginning of the season. <+t when they came to <aal 6eor, they changed. So 3 had to c+t them off like rotten fr+it. They !ecame like the terri!le things that they loved. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 ike a !ird, -phraims glory will fly away. There will !e no more pregnancies, no more !irths, and no more !a!ies. $osea ).12*1,.1 21 12 <+t even if the 3sraelites do raise their children, it will not help, !eca+se 3 will take the children away from them. 3 will leave them, and they will have nothing !+t tro+!les. 13 3 can see that -phraim is leading his children into a trap. -phraim will lead his children o+t to the killer. 1# 5.D, give them what yo+ will. Give them a wom! that loses !a!ies and !reasts that cannot give milk. 1% All their evil is in GilgalF 3 !egan hating them there. 3 will force them to leave my ho+se !eca+se of the evil things they do. 3 will not love them anymore. Their leaders are re!els who t+rned against me. 1& -phraim will !e p+nished. Their root is dying. They will not have any more !a!ies. They might give !irth to !a!ies, !+t 3 will kill the precio+s !a!ies who come from their !odies. 1' Those people will not listen to my God, so he will ref+se to listen to them. And they will wander among the nations witho+t a home. 10 1 3srael is like a vine that grows plenty of fr+it. <+t as 3srael got $osea 1,.2*& 22 more and more things, he !+ilt more and more altars to honor false gods. $is land !ecame !etter and !etter, so he p+t +p !etter and !etter stones to honor false gods. 2 The people of 3srael tried to trick God, !+t now they m+st accept their g+ilt. $e will !reak down their altars and destroy their memorial stones. 3 1ow the 3sraelites say, >e have no king. >e dont honor the 5.D. And his king cannot do anything to +s. # They make promises, !+t they are only telling lies. They dont keep their promises. They make agreements with other co+ntries. God does not like those agreements. The =+dges are like pag. )#20131#

poisono+s weeds growing in a plowed field. % The people from Samaria worship the calves at <eth Aven. They will cry. The priests will cry, !eca+se their !ea+tif+l idol is gone. 3t was carried away. & 3t was carried away as a gift to the great king of Assyria. $e will keep -phraims shamef+l idol. 3srael will !e ashamed of its idol. $osea 1,.'*12 23 ' Samarias false god will !e destroyed. 3t will !e like a piece of wood floating away on the waters s+rface. ( 3srael sinned and !+ilt many high places. The high places of Aven will !e destroyed. Thorns and weeds will grow on their altars. Then they will say to the mo+ntains, 9over +s" and to the hills, 2all on +s" ) 3srael, yo+ have sinned since the time of Gi!eah. And the people have contin+ed to sin there. Those evil people at Gi!eah will !e trapped !y war. 1, 3 will come to p+nish them. Armies will come together against them and p+nish the 3sraelites for !oth of their sins. 11 -phraim is like a trained yo+ng cow that loves to trample the grain on the threshing floor. 3 will p+t a good yoke on her neck. 3 will p+t the ropes on -phraim. Then C+dah will !egin plowing. Caco! will !reak the gro+nd himself. 12 3f yo+ plant goodness, yo+ will harvest faithf+l love. 6low yo+r gro+nd, and yo+ will harvest with the 5.D. $e will come, and he will make goodness fall on yo+ like rain. $osea 1,.13*11.# 2# 13 <+t yo+ planted evil, and yo+ harvested tro+!le. ;o+ have eaten fr+it prod+ced !y lies, p+tting yo+r tr+st in yo+r own power and in yo+r great army. 1# So the noise of !attle will s+rro+nd yo+r people, and the enemy will destroy all yo+r fortresses. They will do what Shalman did when he destroyed <eth Ar!el. They will kill even mothers and their children !y !eating them against -asy To .ead /ersion

rocks. 1% And this will happen to yo+ at <ethel, !eca+se yo+ did so many evil things. >hen that day !egins, the king of 3srael will !e f+lly destroyed. 11 1 The ord said, 3 loved 3srael when he was a child, and 3 called my son o+t of -gypt. 2 <+t the more 3 called the 3sraelites, the more they left me. The 3sraelites gave sacrifices to the false gods and !+rned incense to the idols. 3 <+t 3 was the one who ta+ght -phraim to walk. 3 took the 3sraelites in my arms. 3 healed them, !+t they dont know that. # 3 led them with ropes, !+t they were ropes of love. 3 was like a person who set them free. 3 !ent down and fed them. $osea 11.%*11 2% % The 3sraelites will not go !ack to -gypt. The king of Assyria will !ecome their king, !eca+se they ref+sed to t+rn !ack to God. & The sword will swing against their cities and kill their strong men. 3t will destroy their leaders. ' Ay people e4pect me to come !ack. They will call to God a!ove, !+t he will not help them. ( -phraim, 3 dont want to give yo+ +p. 3srael, 3 want to protect yo+. 3 dont want to destroy yo+, as 3 did the cities of Admah and Be!oiim. 3 am changing my mind. Ay love for yo+ is too strong. ) 3 will not let my terri!le anger win. 3 will not destroy -phraim again. 3 am God and not a h+man. 3 am the $oly 5ne. 3 am with yo+. 3 will not show my anger. 1, 3, the 5.D, will roar like a lion, and my children will come and follow me. They will come from the west, shaking with fear. 11 They will come from -gypt, shaking like !irds. They will come shaking like doves from the land of Assyria, and 3 will take them !ack home. This is what the 5.D said. $osea 11.12*12.' 2& 12 -phraim s+rro+nded me with false gods. The people of 3srael t+rned against pag. )#30131#

me. <+t C+dah still walks with God and is tr+e to the $oly 5ne. 12 1 -phraim is wasting its timeF 3srael chases the wind all day long. The people tell more and more lies and steal more and more. They have made agreements with Assyria, and they are carrying their olive oil to -gypt. 2 The 5.D says, 3 have a complaint against 3srael. Caco! m+st !e p+nished for the !ad things he did. 3 >hile Caco! was still in his mothers wom!, he !egan to trick his !rother. Caco! was a strong yo+ng man, and at that time he fo+ght with God. # Caco! wrestled with Gods angel and won. $e cried and asked for a favor. That happened at <ethel. There he spoke to +s. % ;es, ;A$>-$ is the God of the armies. $is name is ;A$>-$. & So come !ack to yo+r God. <e loyal to him. Do the right thing, and always tr+st in yo+r God" ' Caco! is a tricky merchant. $e even cheats his friend" -ven his scales lie. $osea 12.(*1# 2' ( -phraim said, 3 am rich" 3 have fo+nd tr+e riches" 1o one will learn a!o+t my crimes. 1o one will learn a!o+t my sins. ) <+t 3 am still the 5.D yo+r God, as 3 was when yo+ left the land of -gypt. 3 will make yo+ live in tents, as yo+ do d+ring the 2estival of Shelters. 1, 3 spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions. 3 gave the prophets many ways to teach my lessons to yo+. 11 <+t the people in Gilead have sinned. There are many terri!le idols in that place. They offer sacrifices to !+lls at Gilgal. They have many altars. There are rows and rows of altarslike the rows of dirt in a plowed field. 12 Caco! ran away to the land of Aram. There he worked to get a wife. $e took care of sheep to pay for her. 13 Then the 5.D +sed a prophet to !ring Caco!s descendants o+t of -gypt. $e +sed a prophet to keep these people of 3srael safe. -asy To .ead /ersion

1# <+t the people of 3srael have made the ord very angry, and he will p+nish them for the m+rders they have committed. They will get what they deserve for ins+lting their ord. $osea 13.1*& 2( 13 1 The tri!e of -phraim made itself very important in 3srael. -phraim spoke and people shook with fear. <+t -phraim sinned !y worshiping <aal so he m+st die. 2 1ow the 3sraelites sin more and more. They make idols for themselves. >orkers make those fancy stat+es from silver, and then they talk to their stat+es. They offer sacrifices to them, and they kiss those calf idols. 3 That is why those people will soon disappear. They will !e like a fog that comes early in the morning and then J+ickly disappears. The 3sraelites will !e like chaff that is !lown from the threshing floor. They will !e like smoke that goes o+t a window and disappears. # 3 have !een the 5.D yo+r God since the time yo+ were in the land of -gypt. ;o+ did not know any other god e4cept me. 3 am the one who saved yo+. % 3 knew yo+ in the desertF 3 knew yo+ in that dry land. & 3 gave food to the 3sraelites, and they ate it. They !ecame f+ll and satisfied. They !ecame pro+d, and then they forgot me. $osea 13.'*1# 2) ' That is why 3 will !e like a lion to them. 3 will !e like a leopard waiting !y the road. ( 3 will attack them like a !ear whose c+!s were ro!!ed from her. 3 will attack them and rip open their chests. 3 will !e like a lion or other wild animal tearing and eating its prey. ) 3srael, 3 helped yo+, !+t yo+ t+rned against me. So now 3 will destroy yo+. 1, >here is yo+r king? 9an he save yo+ in any of yo+r cities? >here are yo+r =+dges? ;o+ asked for them, saying, Give me a king and leaders. 11 3 was angry, and 3 gave yo+ a king. pag. )##0131#

And when 3 !ecame very angry, 3 took him away. 12 -phraim tried to hide his g+ilt. $e tho+ght his sins were a secret, !+t he will !e p+nished. 13 $is p+nishment will !e like the pain of a woman giving !irth. $e will not !e a wise son. The time will come for his !irth, and he will not s+rvive. 1# 3 will save them from the grave. 3 will resc+e them from death. Death, where are yo+r diseases? Grave, where is yo+r power? 3 am not looking for revenge. $osea 13.1%*1#.# 3, 1% 3srael grows among his !rothers, !+t a powerf+l east wind will comethe 5.D@S wind will !low from the desert. Then his well will dry +p. $is spring of water will !e dry. The wind will take away anything of val+e. 1& Samaria m+st !e p+nished !eca+se she t+rned against her God. The 3sraelites will !e killed with swords. Their children will !e torn to pieces, and their pregnant women will !e ripped open. 14 1 3srael, yo+ fell and sinned against God. So come !ack to the 5.D yo+r God. 2 Think a!o+t what yo+ will say, and come !ack to the 5.D. Say to him, Take away o+r sin, and accept these words as o+r sacrifice. >e offer yo+ the praise from o+r lips. 3 Assyria will not save +s. >e will not ride on war horses. >e will never again say, 5+r God to something we made with o+r hands. This is !eca+se yo+ are the one who shows mercy to orphans. # The ord says, 3 will forgive them for leaving me. 3 will show them my love witho+t limits, !eca+se 3 have stopped !eing angry. $osea 1#.%*) 31 % 3 will !e like the dew to 3srael. 3srael will !lossom like the lily. $e will grow like the cedar trees of e!anon. & $is !ranches will grow, and he will !e like a !ea+tif+l olive tree. $e will !e like the sweet smell from the cedar trees of e!anon. -asy To .ead /ersion

' The people of 3srael will again live +nder my protection. They will grow like grain. They will !loom like a vine. They will !e like the wine of e!anon. ( -phraim, 3 will have nothing more to do with idols. 3 am the one who answers yo+r prayers and watches over yo+. 3 am like a fir tree that is always green. ;o+r fr+it comes from me. ) A wise person +nderstands these things, and a smart person sho+ld learn them. The 5.D@S ways are right. Good people follow them, !+t they ca+se sinners to fall. &oel 1 1 Coel son of 6eth+el received this message from the 5.D: 2 eaders, listen to this message" isten to me, all yo+ people who live in the land. $as anything like this ever happened in yo+r life? Did anything like this happen d+ring yo+r fathers lifetime? 3 ;o+ will tell these things to yo+r children, and yo+r children will tell their children, and yo+r grandchildren will tell the people of the ne4t generation. # >hat the c+tting loc+st has left, the swarming loc+st has eaten. And what the swarming loc+st has left, the hopping loc+st has eaten. And what the hopping loc+st has left, the destroying loc+st has eaten" % Dr+nks, wake +p and cry" All of yo+ who drink wine, cry !eca+se yo+r sweet wine is finished. ;o+ will not taste it again. & A powerf+l nation came to attack my land. 3ts soldiers were too many to co+nt. 3ts weapons were as sharp as a Coel 1.'*13 2 lions teeth and as powerf+l as a lions =aw. ' 3t destroyed my grapevine. 3ts good vines withered and died. 3t destroyed my fig tree, stripped off the !ark and threw it away. ( 9ry like a yo+ng woman crying !eca+se the man she was ready to marry has died. ) 6riests, servants of the 5.D, cry pag. )#%0131#

!eca+se there will !e no more grain and drink offerings in the 5.D@S Temple. 1, The fields are r+ined. -ven the gro+nd is crying !eca+se the grain is destroyedF the new wine is dried +p, and the olive oil is gone. 11 <e sad, farmers" 9ry lo+dly for the grapes, for the wheat, and for the !arley, !eca+se the harvest in the field is r+ined. 12 The vines have !ecome dry, and the fig tree is dying. All the trees in the field the pomegranate, the palm, and the applehave withered. And happiness among the people has died. 13 6riests, p+t on sackcloth and cry lo+dly. Servants of the altar, cry lo+dly. Servants of my God, yo+ will sleep in Coel 1.1#*2, 3 sackcloth, !eca+se there will !e no more grain and drink offerings in Gods Temple. 1# Tell the people that there will !e a special time of fasting. 9all them together for a special meeting. <ring the leaders and everyone living in the land together at the Temple of the 5.D yo+r God, and pray to the 5.D. 1% <e sad !eca+se the 5.D@S special day is near. At that time p+nishment will come like an attack from God AllD6owerf+l. 1& 5+r food is gone. Coy and happiness are gone from the Temple of o+r God. 1' >e planted seeds, !+t the seeds !ecame dry and dead lying in the soil. 5+r plants are dry and dead. 5+r !arns are empty and falling down. 1( The animals are h+ngry and groaning. The herds of cattle wander aro+nd conf+sed !eca+se they have no grass to eat. -ven the sheep are dying. 1) 5.D, 3 am calling to yo+ for help. 2ire has changed o+r green fields into a desert. 2lames have !+rned all the trees in the field. 2, >ild animals also need yo+r help. The streams are drythere is no water" Coel 2.1*& # 2ire has changed o+r green fields into a desert. 2 1 <low the tr+mpet on Bion. Sho+t a -asy To .ead /ersion

warning on my holy mo+ntain. et all the people who live in the land shake with fear. The 5.D@S special day is comingF it is near. 2 3t will !e a dark, gloomy day. 3t will !e a dark and clo+dy day. At s+nrise yo+ will see the army spread over the mo+ntains. 3t will !e a great and powerf+l army. There has never !een anything like it !efore, and there will never !e anything like it again. 3 The army will destroy the land like a !+rning fire. 3n front of them the land will !e like the Garden of -den. <ehind them the land will !e like an empty desert. 1othing will escape them. # They look like horses. They r+n like war horses. % isten to them. 3t is like the noise of chariots riding over the mo+ntains. 3t is like the noise of flames !+rning the chaff. They are a powerf+l people, who are ready for war. & <efore this army, people shake with fear. Their faces !ecome pale from fear. Coel 2.'*13 % ' The soldiers r+n fast. They clim! over the walls. -ach soldier marches straight ahead. They dont move from their path. ( They dont trip each other. -ach soldier walks in his own path. 3f one of the soldiers is hit and falls down, the others keep right on marching. ) They r+n to the city. They J+ickly clim! over the wall. They clim! into the ho+ses. They clim! thro+gh the windows like thieves. 1, <efore them, earth and sky shake. The s+n and the moon !ecome dark, and the stars stop shining. 11 The 5.D calls lo+dly to his army. $is camp is very large. The army o!eys his commands. $is army is very powerf+l. The 5.D@S special day is a great and terri!le day. 1o one can stop it. 12 This is the 5.D@S message: 1ow come !ack to me with all yo+r heart. 9ry and mo+rn, and dont eat anything" Show that yo+ are sad for doing wrong. 13 Tear yo+r hearts, not yo+r clothes. pag. )#&0131#

9ome !ack to the 5.D yo+r God. $e is kind and mercif+l. $e does not !ecome angry J+ickly. $e has great love. Aay!e Coel 2.1#*1) & he will change his mind a!o+t the !ad p+nishment he planned. 1# >ho knows, may!e he will change his mind and leave !ehind a !lessing for yo+. Then yo+ can give grain and drink offerings to the 5.D yo+r God. 1% <low the tr+mpet at Bion. 9all for a special meeting. 9all for a special time of fasting. 1& <ring the people together. 9all for a special meeting. <ring together the old men, the children, and the small !a!ies still at their mothers !reasts. et the !ride and her new h+s!and come from their !edroom. 1' et the priests, the 5.D@S servants, cry !etween the porch and the altar. All of them sho+ld say this: 5.D, have mercy on yo+r people. Dont let yo+r people !e p+t to shame. Dont let other people tell =okes a!o+t yo+r people. Dont let the other nations la+gh at +s and say, >here is their God? 1( Then the 5.D cared very m+ch a!o+t his land. $e felt sorry for his people. 1) The 5.D spoke to his people. $e said, 3 will send yo+ grain, wine, and oil. Coel 2.2,*2% ' ;o+ will have plenty. 3 will not shame yo+ among the nations anymore. 2, 1o, 3 will force the people from the north to leave yo+r land and make them go into a dry, empty land. Some of them will go to the eastern sea and some to the western sea. They did s+ch terri!le things, !+t they will !e like a dead and rotting !ody. There will !e s+ch a terri!le smell" 21 and, dont !e afraid. <e happy and f+ll of =oy. The 5.D will do great things. 22 Animals of the field, dont !e afraid. The desert past+res will grow grass. The trees will grow fr+it. The fig trees and the vines will grow plenty of fr+it. 23 So !e happy, people of Bion. <e =oyf+l -asy To .ead /ersion

in the 5.D yo+r God. $e is good and will give yo+ rain. $e will send the early rains and the late rains as !efore. 2# The threshing floors will !e filled with wheat, and the !arrels will overflow with wine and olive oil. 2% 3, the ord, sent my army against yo+. The swarming loc+sts and the hopping loc+sts and the destroying loc+sts and the c+tting loc+sts ate Coel 2.2&*32 ( everything yo+ had. <+t 3 will pay yo+ !ack for those years of tro+!le. 2& Then yo+ will have plenty to eat. ;o+ will !e f+ll. ;o+ will praise the name of the 5.D yo+r God. $e has done wonderf+l things for yo+. Ay people will never again !e ashamed. 2' ;o+ will know that 3 am with 3srael. ;o+ will know that 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. There is no other God. Ay people will never !e ashamed again. 2( After this 3 will po+r o+t my Spirit on all kinds of people. ;o+r sons and da+ghters will prophesy, yo+r old men will have dreams, and yo+r yo+ng men will see visions. 2) 3n those days 3 will po+r o+t my Spirit even on servants, !oth men and women. 3, 3 will work wonders in the sky and on the earth. There will !e !lood, fire, and thick smoke. 31 The s+n will !e changed into darkness, and the moon will !e as red as !lood. Then the great and fearf+l day of the 5.D will come" 32 And everyone who tr+sts in the 5.D will !e saved. There will !e s+rvivors on Ao+nt Bion and in Cer+salem, =+st as the Coel 3.1*& ) 5.D said. ;es, those left alive will !e the ones the 5.D has called. 3 1 ;es, at that time 3 will !ring !ack the people of C+dah and Cer+salem from captivity. 2 3 will also gather all the nations together. 3 will !ring all these nations down into Cehoshaphat /alley. There 3 will =+dge them. Those nations scattered my people, 3srael. They forced them to pag. )#'0131#

live in other nations, so 3 will p+nish those nations. They divided +p my land. 3 They threw lots for my people. They sold !oys to !+y a prostit+te, and they sold girls to !+y wine to drink. # Tyre" Sidon" All of yo+ areas of 6hilistia" ;o+ are not important to me" Are yo+ p+nishing me for something 3 did? ;o+ might think that yo+ are p+nishing me, !+t 3 will soon p+nish yo+. % ;o+ took my silver and gold. ;o+ took my precio+s treas+res and p+t them in yo+r temples. & ;o+ sold the people of C+dah and Cer+salem to the Greeks. That way yo+ co+ld take them far from their land. Coel 3.'*1# 1, ' ;o+ sent my people to that faraway place, !+t 3 will !ring them !ack. And 3 will p+nish yo+ for what yo+ did. ( 3 will sell yo+r sons and da+ghters to the people of C+dah. Then they will sell them to the faraway Sa!eans. This is what the 5.D said. ) Anno+nce this among the nations: 6repare for war" >ake +p the strong men" et all the men of war come near. et them come +p" 1, <eat yo+r plows into swords. Aake spears from yo+r pr+ning hooks. et the weak man say, 3 am a strong soldier. 11 All yo+ nations, h+rry" 9ome together in that place. 5.D, !ring yo+r strong soldiers. 12 >ake +p, nations" 9ome to Cehoshaphat /alley. There 3 will sit to =+dge all the s+rro+nding nations. 13 <ring the sickle, !eca+se the harvest is ripe. 9ome, trample the grapes, !eca+se the winepress is f+ll. The !arrels will !e f+ll and spilling over, !eca+se their evil is great. 1# There are many, many people in the /alley of Decision. The 5.D@S special day is near in the /alley of Decision. Coel 3.1%*2, 11 1% The s+n and the moon will !ecome dark. The stars will stop shining. 1& The 5.D God will sho+t from Bion. $e will sho+t from Cer+salem, and the -asy To .ead /ersion

sky and the earth will shake. <+t the 5.D God will !e a safe place for his people. $e will !e a place of safety for the people of 3srael. 1' Then yo+ will know that 3 am the 5.D yo+r God. 3 live on Bion, my holy mo+ntain. Cer+salem will !ecome holy. Strangers will never pass thro+gh that city again. 1( 5n that day, the mo+ntains will drip with sweet wine. The hills will flow with milk, and water will flow thro+gh all the empty rivers of C+dah. A fo+ntain will come from the 5.D@S Temple. 3t will give water to Acacia /alley. 1) -gypt will !e empty. -dom will !e an empty wilderness, !eca+se they were cr+el to the people of C+dah. They killed innocent people in their co+ntry. 2, <+t there will always !e people living in C+dah. 6eople will live in Cer+salem thro+gh many generations. Coel 3.21 12 21 Those people killed my people, so 3 really will p+nish them" The 5.D God will live in Bion" 2mos 1 1 This is the message of Amos, one of the shepherds from the city Tekoa. $e saw visions a!o+t 3srael d+ring the time that HEEiah was king of C+dah and Cero!oam son of Coash was king of 3srael. This was two years !efore the earthJ+ake. 2 Amos said: The 5.D will sho+t like a lion in Bion. $is lo+d voice will roar from Cer+salem. The green past+res of the shepherds will t+rn !rown and die. -ven Ao+nt 9armel will !ecome dry. 3 This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish the people of Damasc+s for their many crimes. They cr+shed the people of Gilead with iron threshing tools. # So 3 will start a fire at $aEaels ho+se that will destroy the great palaces of <enD$adad. % 3 will also !reak open the gates of Damasc+s and remove the one who sits on the throne in the /alley of Aven. 3 will pag. )#(0131#

remove the sym!ol of power from <eth Amos 1.&*11 2 -den, and the Arameans will !e defeated and taken !ack to Gir. This is what the 5.D said. & This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish the people of GaEa for their many crimes. They took an entire nation of people and sent them as slaves to -dom. ' So 3 will start a fire at the wall of GaEa that will destroy the high towers in GaEa. ( And 3 will destroy the one who sits on the throne in Ashdod. 3 will destroy the king who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. 3 will p+nish the people of -kron. Then the 6hilistines who are still left alive will die. This is what the ord G5D said. ) This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish the people of Tyre for the many crimes they did. They took an entire nation and sent them as slaves to -dom. They did not remem!er the agreement they had made with their !rothers 73srael8. 1, So 3 will start a fire at the walls of Tyre that will destroy the high towers in Tyre. 11 This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish the people of -dom for Amos 1.12*2.2 3 their many crimes. -dom chased his !rother with the sword, and he showed no mercy. $is anger never stopped. $e kept tearing and tearing at 3srael like a wild animal. 12 So 3 will start a fire at Teman that will destroy the high towers of <oErah. 13 This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish the Ammonites for their many crimes. They killed the pregnant women in Gilead. The Ammonites did this so that they co+ld take that land and make their co+ntry larger. 1# So 3 will start a fire at the wall of .a!!ah that will destroy its high towers. Tro+!le will come into their co+ntry like a whirlwind. 1% Then their kings and leaders will !e capt+red. They will all !e taken together. -asy To .ead /ersion

This is what the 5.D said. 2 1 This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish the people of Aoa! for their many crimes. Aoa! !+rned the !ones of the king of -dom into lime. 2 So 3 will start a fire in Aoa! that will destroy the high towers of Gerioth. There will !e terri!le sho+ting and the so+nds of a tr+mpet, and Aoa! will die. Amos 2.3*( # 3 So 3 will !ring an end to the kings of Aoa!, and 3 will kill all the leaders of Aoa!. This is what the 5.D said. # This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish C+dah for their many crimes. They ref+sed to o!ey the 5.D@S teachings and they did not keep his commands. Their ancestors !elieved lies, and those same lies ca+sed the people of C+dah to stop following God. % So 3 will start a fire in C+dah that will destroy the high towers of Cer+salem. & This is what the 5.D says: 3 will definitely p+nish 3srael for their many crimes. They sold honest people for a little silver. They sold the poor for the price of a pair of sandals. ' They p+shed their faces into the gro+nd and walked on them. They stopped listening to s+ffering people. 2athers and sons had se4+al relations with the same woman. They r+ined my holy name. ( They took clothes from the poor, and then they sat on those clothes while worshiping at their altars. They loaned money to the poor, and then they took their clothes as a promise for payment. Amos 2.)*1# % They made people pay fines and +sed the money to !+y wine for themselves to drink in the temple of their god. ) <+t it was 3 who destroyed the Amorites !efore them. They were as tall as cedar trees and as strong as oaks, !+t 3 destroyed their fr+it a!ove and their roots !elow. 1, 3 was the one who !ro+ght yo+ from the land of -gypt. 2or #, years 3 led yo+ thro+gh the desert. 3 helped yo+ take pag. )#)0131#

the Amorites land. 11 3 made some of yo+r sons to !e prophets and some of yo+r yo+ng men to !e 1aEirites. 6eople of 3srael, it is tr+e. This is what the 5.D said. 12 <+t yo+ made the 1aEirites !reak their promise. ;o+ told my prophets not to prophesy. 13 ;o+ have !ecome more than 3 can !ear. 3 am !ent low like a wagon loaded with grain. 1# 1o one will escape, not even the fastest r+nner. Strong men will not !e strong eno+gh. Soldiers will not !e a!le to save themselves. Amos 2.1%*3.& & 1% 6eople with !ows and arrows will not s+rvive. 2ast r+nners will not escape. 6eople on horses will not escape alive. 1& At that time even very !rave soldiers will r+n away. They will not take the time to p+t their clothes on. This is what the 5.D said. 3 1 6eople of 3srael, listen to this message" This is what the 5.D said a!o+t yo+, 3srael. This message is a!o+t all the families that 3 !ro+ght from the land of -gypt. 2 There are many families on earth, !+t yo+ are the only family 3 chose to know in a special way. And yo+ t+rned against me, so 3 will p+nish yo+ for all yo+r sins. 3 Two people will not walk together +nless they have agreed to do so. # A lion will roar in the forest only if it catches its prey. A yo+ng lion roaring in his cave means he has ca+ght something to eat. % A !ird doesnt fly into a trap +nless there is food in it. 3f a trap closes, it will catch the !ird. & 3f people hear the warning !last of a tr+mpet, they shake with fear. 3f tro+!le Amos 3.'*12 ' comes to a city, the 5.D ca+sed it to happen. ' >hen the ord G5D decides to do something, he will first tell his servants, the prophets. ( >hen a lion roars, people are -asy To .ead /ersion

frightened. >hen the ord G5D speaks, a prophet m+st prophesy. ) Go to the high towers in Ashdod and in -gypt and anno+nce this message from the 5.D: 9ome together on the mo+ntains of Samaria. See the great conf+sion there !eca+se the people dont know how to live right. See how cr+el they are to others. They take things from people to hide in their high towers. Their treas+ries are filled with the things they have taken in war. 1, 73:)8 11 So the ord G5D says, An enemy will s+rro+nd yo+r land. They will !reak down yo+r strong walls and take the things yo+ have hidden in yo+r high towers. 12 The 5.D says, A lion might attack a lam!, and a shepherd might try to save the lam!. <+t the shepherd will save only a part of that lam!. $e might p+ll Amos 3.13*#.2 ( two legs or a part of an ear from the lions mo+th. 3n the same way, most of the people of 3srael will not !e saved. Those who live in Samaria will save only a corner from a !ed, or a piece of cloth from a co+ch. 13 This is what the ord G5D AllD 6owerf+l says: >arn the family of Caco! a!o+t these things. 1# The people of 3srael sinned, and 3 will p+nish them for their sins. And when 3 do, 3 will also destroy the altars at <ethel. The horns of the altar will !e c+t off and fall to the gro+nd. 1% 3 will destroy all their ho+ses, the winter ho+ses and the s+mmer ho+ses. The ho+ses of ivory will !e r+ined. Their many ho+ses will !e destroyed. This is what the 5.D said. 4 1 isten to me, yo+ cows of <ashan on Samarias mo+ntain. ;o+ h+rt the poor and cr+sh those in need. ;o+ tell yo+r h+s!ands, <ring +s something to drink" 2 The ord G5D made a promise. $e promised !y his holiness that tro+!les will come to yo+. 6eople will +se hooks pag. )%,0131#

and take yo+ away as prisoners. They Amos #.3*( ) will +se fishhooks to take away yo+r children. 3 ;o+r city will !e destroyed. The women will r+sh o+t thro+gh cracks in the wall and throw themselves onto the pile of dead !odies. This is what the 5.D says: # Go to <ethel and sin. Go to Gilgal and sin even more. 5ffer yo+r sacrifices in the morning. <ring a tenth of yo+r crops for the threeDday festival. % And offer a thank offering made with yeast. Tell everyone a!o+t the freewill offerings. 3srael, yo+ love to do those things. So go and do them. This is what the ord G5D said. & 3 didnt give yo+ any food to eat. There was no food in any of yo+r cities, !+t yo+ didnt come !ack to me. This is what the 5.D said. ' 3 also stopped the rain, and it was three months !efore harvest time. So no crops grew. Then 3 let it rain on one city, !+t not on another city. .ain fell on one part of the co+ntry, !+t on the other part of the co+ntry, the land !ecame very dry. ( 6eople went from one town to another trying to find water, !+t there was not eno+gh water for everyone. And still yo+ Amos #.)*13 1, did not come to me for help. This is what the 5.D said. ) 3 made yo+r crops die from heat and disease. 3 destroyed yo+r gardens and yo+r vineyards. oc+sts ate yo+r fig trees and olive trees. <+t yo+ still didnt come to me for help. This is what the 5.D said. 1, 3 sent diseases against yo+, as 3 did to -gypt. 3 killed yo+r yo+ng men with swords. 3 took away yo+r horses. 3 made yo+r camp smell very !ad from all the dead !odies, !+t still yo+ didnt come !ack to me for help. This is what the 5.D said. 11 3 destroyed yo+ as 3 destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. And those cities were completely destroyed. ;o+ were like a !+rned stick p+lled from a fire, !+t -asy To .ead /ersion

still yo+ didnt come !ack to me for help. This is what the 5.D says. 12 So, 3srael, this is what 3 will do to yo+. ;o+ people of 3srael, prepare to meet yo+r God. 13 $e is the one who made the mo+ntains and created the wind. $e lets people know his tho+ghts. $e changes the darkness into dawn. $e walks over Amos %.1*' 11 the mo+ntains of the earth. $is name is ;A$>-$, 5.D God AllD6owerf+l. 5 1 6eople of 3srael, listen to this song. This f+neral song is a!o+t yo+. 2 The virgin of 3srael has fallen. She will not get +p anymore. She was left alone, lying in the dirt. There is no one to lift her +p. 3 This is what the ord G5D says: 5fficers leaving the city with 1,,, men will ret+rn with only 1,, men. 5fficers leaving the city with 1,, men will ret+rn with only ten men. # The 5.D says this to the nation of 3srael: 9ome looking for me and live. % <+t dont look in <ethel. Dont go to Gilgal. Dont cross the !order and go down to <eershe!a. The people of Gilgal will !e taken away as prisoners, and <ethel will !e destroyed. & 9ome to the 5.D and live. 3f yo+ dont go to him, a fire will start at Cosephs ho+se, and no one in <ethel can stop it. ' ;o+ sho+ld go to the ord for help. $e is the one who made the 6leiades and 5rion. $e changes darkness into the morning light. $e changes the day into the dark night. $e calls for the Amos %.(*1# 12 waters of the sea and po+rs them o+t on the earth. $is name is ;A$>-$" $e keeps one strong city safe, and he lets another strong city !e destroyed.;o+ change =+stice to poison. ;o+ throw away fairness like trash. ( 7%:'8 ) 7%:'8 1, ;o+ hate those prophets, who go to p+!lic places and speak against evil, even tho+gh they teach good, simple pag. )%10131#

tr+ths. 11 ;o+ take +nfair ta4es from the poor. ;o+ take loads of wheat from them. ;o+ !+ild fancy ho+ses with c+t stone, !+t yo+ will not live in them. ;o+ plant !ea+tif+l vineyards, !+t yo+ will not drink the wine from them. 12 This is !eca+se 3 know a!o+t yo+r many sins. ;o+ have done some very !ad things: ;o+ h+rt people who do right, yo+ accept money to do wrong, and yo+ keep the poor from receiving =+stice in co+rt. 13 At that time wise teachers will !e J+iet, !eca+se it is a !ad time. 1# ;o+ say that God is with yo+, so yo+ sho+ld do good things, not evil. Then yo+ Amos %.1%*21 13 will live, and the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l will !e with yo+. 1% $ate evil and love goodness. <ring =+stice !ack into the co+rts. Aay!e then the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l will !e kind to the s+rvivors from Cosephs family. 1& The ord, the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l says, 6eople will !e crying in the p+!lic places. They will !e crying in the streets. They will hire the professional criers. 1' 6eople will !e crying in the vineyards, !eca+se 3 will pass thro+gh and p+nish yo+. This is what the 5.D said. 1( Some of yo+ want to see the 5.D@S special day of =+dgment. >hy do yo+ want to see that day of the 5.D? $is special day will !ring darkness, not light. 1) ;o+ will !e like someone who escapes from a lion only to !e attacked !y a !ear, or like someone who goes into the safety of his ho+se, leans against the wall, and is !itten !y a snake. 2, The 5.D@S special day will !e a day of darkness, not lighta day of gloom, witho+t a ray of light. 21 3 hate yo+r festivalsF 3 will not accept them. 3 dont en=oy yo+r religio+s meetings. Amos %.22*&.2 1# 22 -ven if yo+ offer me !+rnt offerings and grain offerings, 3 will not accept them. 3 will not even look at the fat -asy To .ead /ersion

animals yo+ give as fellowship offerings. 23 Take yo+r noisy songs away from here. 3 will not listen to the m+sic from yo+r harps. 2# <+t let =+stice flow like a river, and let goodness flow like a stream that never !ecomes dry. 2% 3srael, yo+ offered me sacrifices and offerings in the desert for #, years. 2& <+t yo+ also carried stat+es of Sakk+th, yo+r king, and Gaiwan. There was also that star god that yo+ made for yo+rselves. 2' So 3 will send yo+ as captives, far !eyond Damasc+s. This is what the 5.D says. $is name is God AllD6owerf+l. 6 1 5h, look at the people en=oying life in Bion, and those on Ao+nt Samaria who feel so safe. They are s+ch important leaders of a most important nation. The $o+se of 3srael comes to yo+ for advice. 2 Go look at 9alneh. 2rom there, go to the large city $amath. Go to the 6hilistine city of Gath. Are yo+ !etter Amos &.3*( 1% than these kingdoms? Their co+ntries are larger than yo+rs. 3 ;o+ people are r+shing toward the day of p+nishment. ;o+ !ring near the r+le of violence. # <+t now yo+ lie on ivory !eds and stretch o+t on yo+r co+ches. ;o+ eat tender yo+ng lam!s from the flock and yo+ng calves from the sta!le. % ;o+ play yo+r harps, and like David, yo+ practice on yo+r m+sical instr+ments. & ;o+ drink wine in fancy c+ps. ;o+ +se the !est perf+mes. And it doesnt even !other yo+ that Cosephs family is !eing destroyed. ' ;o+ people are stretched o+t on yo+r co+ches now, !+t yo+r good times will end. ;o+ will !e taken away as prisoners to a foreign co+ntry, and yo+ will !e some of the first people taken. ( The ord G5D +sed his own name and made an oath. The 5.D God AllD6owerf+l said: 3 hate what Caco! is pag. )%20131#

pro+d of. 3 hate his strong towers. So 3 will let an enemy take the city and everything in it. Amos &.)*1# 1& ) At that time ten people in one ho+se might s+rvive, !+t they too will die. 1, And when someone dies, a relative will come to get the !ody so that it can !e taken o+t and !+rned. .elatives will come to take away the !ones. They will call to anyone who might !e hiding !ack in the ho+se, Are there any other dead !odies in there with yo+? That person will answer, 1o, <+t the relative will interr+pt and say, $+sh" >e m+st not mention the name of the 5.D. 11 ook, the 5.D will give the command, and the large ho+ses will !e !roken to pieces, and the small ho+ses will !e !roken to small pieces. 12 Do horses r+n over loose rocks? 1o, and people dont +se cows for plowing. <+t yo+ t+rned everything +pside down. ;o+ changed =+stice and goodness to !itter poison. 13 ;o+ are so e4cited a!o+t defeating o De!ar. And yo+ !oast, >e have taken Garnaim !y o+r own strength. 1# <+t 3srael, 3 will !ring a nation against yo+ that will !ring tro+!les to yo+r whole co+ntry from e!o $amath Amos '.1*' 1' to Ara!ah <rook. This is what the 5.D God AllD6owerf+l said. 7 1 This is what the ord G5D showed me: $e was making loc+sts. This was at the time the second crop !egan to grow, after the kings people had c+t the first crop. 2 <efore the loc+sts co+ld eat all the grass in the co+ntry, 3 said, ord G5D, 3 !eg yo+, forgive +s" Caco! cannot s+rvive" $e is too small" 3 Then the 5.D changed his mind a!o+t this. The 5.D said, 3t will not happen. # This is what the ord G5D showed me: 3 saw the ord G5D calling for =+dgment !y fire. The fire destroyed the ocean and was !eginning to eat +p the land. -asy To .ead /ersion

% <+t 3 said, ord G5D, stop, 3 !eg yo+" Caco! cannot s+rvive" $e is too small" & Then the 5.D changed his mind a!o+t this. The ord G5D said, 3t will not happen either. ' This is what the ord showed me: $e stood !y a wall with a pl+m! line in his hand. 7The wall had !een marked with a pl+m! line.8 Amos '.(*13 1( ( The 5.D said to me, Amos, what do yo+ see? 3 said, A pl+m! line. Then the ord said to me, See, 3 will p+t a pl+m! line among my people 3srael. 3 will not let their crooked ways pass inspection anymore. ) 3saacs high places will !e destroyed. 3sraels holy places will !e made into a pile of rocks. 3 will attack and kill Cero!oams family with swords. 1, AmaEiah, a priest at <ethel, sent this message to Cero!oam, the king of 3srael: Amos is making plans against yo+. $e is trying to make the people of 3srael fight against yo+. $e has !een speaking so m+ch that this co+ntry cannot hold all his words. 11 Amos has said, Cero!oam will die !y the sword, and the people of 3srael will !e taken as prisoners o+t of their co+ntry. 12 AmaEiah also said to Amos, ;o+ seer, go down to C+dah and eat there. Do yo+r prophesying there. 13 <+t dont prophesy anymore here at <ethel. This is Cero!oams holy place. This is 3sraels temple. Amos '.1#*(.3 1) 1# Then Amos answered AmaEiah, 3 am not a professional prophet, and 3 am not from a prophets family. 3 raise cattle and take care of sycamore trees. 1% 3 was a shepherd and the 5.D took me from following the sheep. The 5.D said to me, Go, prophesy to my people 3srael. 1& So listen to the 5.D@S message. ;o+ tell me, Dont prophesy against 3srael. Dont speak against 3saacs family. 1' <+t the 5.D says, ;o+r wife will pag. )%30131#

!ecome a prostit+te in the city. ;o+r sons and da+ghters will !e killed with swords. 5ther people will take yo+r land and divide it among themselves, and yo+ will die in a foreign co+ntry. The people of 3srael will definitely !e taken from this co+ntry as prisoners. 8 1 This is what the ord G5D showed me: 3 saw a !asket of s+mmer fr+it. 2 $e said to me, Amos, what do yo+ see? 3 said, A !asket of s+mmer fr+it. Then the 5.D said to me, The end has come to my people 3srael. 3 will not ignore their sins anymore. 3 Their temple songs will !ecome f+neral songs. This is what the ord G5D said. Amos (.#*( 2, There will !e dead !odies everywhere. 3n silence, people will take o+t the dead !odies and throw them onto the pile. # isten to me, yo+ who trample on helpless people. ;o+ are trying to destroy the poor of this co+ntry. % ;o+ merchants say, >hen will the 1ew Aoon !e over so that we can sell grain? >hen will the Sa!!ath !e over so that we can !ring o+t more wheat to sell? >e can raise the price and make the meas+re smaller. >e can fi4 the scales and cheat the people. & The poor cannot pay their loans, so we will !+y them as slaves. >e will !+y those helpless people for the price of a pair of sandals. 5h, and we can sell the wheat that was spilled on the floor. ' The 5.D made a promise. $e +sed his name, 6ride of Caco!, and made this promise: 3 will never forget what those people did. ( There will !e an earthJ+ake that will shake the whole land !eca+se of what they did. -veryone living there will cry for those who died. The land will !e tossed aro+nd. The whole land will rise and fall like the 1ile .iver in -gypt. Amos (.)*1# 21 ) The ord G5D also said, At that time 3 will make the s+n set at noon and make the land dark on a clear day. 1, 3 will change yo+r festivals into days -asy To .ead /ersion

of crying for the dead. All yo+r songs will !e songs of sadness for those who are dead. 3 will p+t mo+rning clothes on every !ody and !aldness on every head. 3 will ca+se mo+rning everywhere, like that for an only son who has died. 3t will !e a very !itter end. 11 The ord G5D says: ook, the days are coming when 3 will ca+se a famine in the land. The people will not !e h+ngry for !read. They will not !e thirsty for water. 1o, they will !e h+ngry for words from the 5.D. 12 The people will wander aro+nd the co+ntry, from the Dead Sea to the Aediterranean Sea, and from the north part of the co+ntry to the east. They will go !ack and forth looking for a message from the 5.D, !+t they will not find it. 13 At that time the !ea+tif+l yo+ng men and women will !ecome weak from thirst. 1# They made promises !y the sin of Samaria, They said, Dan, as s+rely as Amos ).1*# 22 yo+r god lives, we promise . And they said, As s+rely as the god of <eershe!a lives, we promise . <+t they will fall and never get +p again. 9 1 3 saw the ord standing !y the altar, and he said, $it the top of the col+mns, and shake them to the gro+nd. 6+sh them and they will fall on everyones head. As for those who s+rvive, 3 will kill them with a sword. 1one of them will r+n away. 1one of them will escape. 2 3f they dig deep into the gro+nd, 3 will p+ll them from there. 3f they go +p into the skies, 3 will !ring them down from there. 3 3f they hide at the top of Ao+nt 9armel, 3 will find them there and take them from that place. 3f they try to hide from me at the !ottom of the sea, 3 will command the snake, and it will !ite them. # 3f they are capt+red and taken away !y their enemies, 3 will command the sword, and it will kill them there. ;es, 3 will watch over them, !+t 3 will watch for pag. )%#0131#

ways to give them tro+!les, not for ways to do good things. Amos ).%*1, 23 % The ord G5D AllD6owerf+l will to+ch the land, and the land will melt. Then all the people who live in the land will cry for the dead. The land will rise and fall like the 1ile .iver in -gypt. & $e !+ilt his +pper rooms a!ove the skies. $e p+t his skies over the earth. $e calls for the waters of the sea and po+rs them o+t as rain on the land. ;A$>-$ is his name. ' This is what the 5.D says: 3srael, yo+ are like the -thiopians to me. 3 !ro+ght 3srael o+t of the land of -gypt, the 6hilistines from 9aphtor, and the Arameans from Gir. ( The ord G5D is watching this sinf+l kingdom. The 5.D says, 3 will wipe 3srael off the face of the earth, !+t 3 will never completely destroy Caco!s family. ) 3 am giving the command to scatter the people of 3srael among all nations. <+t it will !e like someone sifting flo+r. A person shakes flo+r thro+gh a sifter. The good flo+r falls thro+gh, !+t the !ad l+mps are ca+ght. 1, Sinners among my people say, 1othing !ad will happen to +s. <+t all of them will !e killed with swords. Amos ).11*1% 2# 11 Davids tent has fallen, !+t at that time 3 will set it +p again. 3 will fi4 its holes and repair its r+ined parts. 3 will set it +p as it was !efore. 12 Then the people left alive in -dom, and all the people called !y my name, will look to me for help. This is what the 5.D said, and he will make it happen. 13 The 5.D says, A time of great !lessing is coming. >orkers will still !e harvesting when it is time to plow the fields again. They will still !e trampling the grapes when it is time for a new crop. Sweet wine will drip from the mo+ntains and po+r from the hills. 1# 3 will !ring my people, 3srael, !ack from captivity. They will re!+ild the r+ined cities, and they will live in them. -asy To .ead /ersion

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they prod+ce. They will plant gardens and eat the crops they prod+ce. 1% 3 will plant my people on their land, and never again will they !e p+lled +p o+t of the land that 3 gave them. This is what the 5.D yo+r God said. O$adia' 1 1 This is the vision of 5!adiah. This is what the ord G5D says a!o+t -dom: >e heard a report from the 5.D. A messenger was sent to the nations. $e said, ets go fight against -dom. 2 -dom, 3 will make yo+ the smallest nation. -veryone will hate yo+ very m+ch. 3 ;o+r pride has fooled yo+. ;o+ live in those caves high on the cliff. ;o+r home is high in the hills. So yo+ say to yo+rself, 1o one can !ring me to the gro+nd. # This is what the 5.D says: -ven tho+gh yo+ fly high like the eagle and p+t yo+r nest among the stars, 3 will !ring yo+ down from there. % ;o+ really will !e r+ined" Thieves will come to yo+. .o!!ers will come in the night, and they will take all they want. >hen workers gather grapes in yo+r vineyards, they will leave a few grapes !ehind. 5!adiah 1.&*11 2 & <+t the enemy will search hard for -sa+s hidden treas+res, and they will find them all. ' All those who are yo+r friends will force yo+ o+t of the land. Those who were at peace with yo+ will trick yo+, and they will defeat yo+. The soldiers who fo+ght !y yo+r side are planning a trap for yo+. They say, $e doesnt e4pect a thing" ( The 5.D says, 5n that day, 3 will destroy the wise people from -dom. 3 will destroy the intelligent people from the mo+ntain of -sa+. ) Teman, yo+r !rave soldiers will !e afraid. -veryone will !e destroyed from the mo+ntain of -sa+. Aany people will !e killed. pag. )%%0131#

1, ;o+ will !e covered with shame !eca+se yo+ were very cr+el to yo+r !rother Caco!. So yo+ will !e destroyed completely. 11 ;o+ =oined the enemies of 3srael. Strangers carried 3sraels treas+res away. 2oreigners entered 3sraels city gate. They threw lots to decide what part of Cer+salem they wo+ld get. And yo+ were 5!adiah 1.12*1' 3 right there with them, waiting to get yo+r share. 12 ;o+ sho+ld not have la+ghed at yo+r !rothers tro+!le. ;o+ sho+ld not have !een happy when they destroyed C+dah. ;o+ sho+ld not have !ragged at the time of their tro+!le. 13 ;o+ sho+ld not have entered the city gate of my people and la+ghed at their pro!lems. ;o+ sho+ld not have taken their treas+res in the time of their tro+!le. 1# ;o+ sho+ld have not stood where the roads cross and destroyed those who were trying to escape. ;o+ sho+ld not have capt+red those who escaped alive. 1% The Day of the 5.D is coming soon to all the nations. And the evil yo+ did to others will happen to yo+. The same !ad things will fall down on yo+r own head. 1& ;o+ spilled !lood on my holy mo+ntain, so other nations will spill yo+r !lood. ;o+ will !e finished. 3t will !e as if yo+ never e4isted. 1' <+t there will !e s+rvivors on Ao+nt Bion. They will !e my special people. The nation of Caco! will take !ack what !elongs to it. 5!adiah 1.1(*21 # 1( The family of Caco! will !e like a fire. The nation of Coseph will !e like a flame. <+t the nation of -sa+ will !e like ashes. The people of C+dah will !+rn -dom, and they will destroy it. Then there will !e no s+rvivors in the nation of -sa+. This will happen !eca+se the 5.D said it wo+ld. 1) Then people from the 1egev will live on the mo+ntain of -sa+. And people from the foothills will take the 6hilistine lands. They will live in the land of -asy To .ead /ersion

-phraim and Samaria. Gilead will !elong to <en=amin. 2, 6eople from 3srael were forced to leave their homes, !+t they will take !ack the land of 9anaan, all the way to Barephath. 6eople from C+dah were forced to leave Cer+salem and live in Sepharad. <+t they will take !ack the cities of the 1egev. 21 The winners will go +p on Ao+nt Bion to r+le the people who live on -sa+s mo+ntain. And the kingdom will !elong to the 5.D. &ona' 1 1 The 5.D spoke to Conah son of Amittai: 2 1ineveh is a !ig city. 3 have heard a!o+t the many evil things the people there are doing. So go and tell them 3 am ready to p+nish them. 3 <+t Conah tried to r+n away from the 5.D. $e went to Coppa and fo+nd a !oat that was going to the faraway city of Tarshish. Conah paid money for the trip and went on the !oat. $e wanted to travel with the people on this !oat to Tarshish and r+n away from the 5.D. # <+t the 5.D !ro+ght a great storm on the sea. The wind made the sea very ro+gh. The storm was very strong, and the !oat was ready to !reak apart. % The men wanted to make the !oat lighter to stop it from sinking, so they !egan throwing the cargo into the sea. The sailors were very afraid. -ach man !egan praying to his god. Conah had gone down into the !oat to lie down, and he went to sleep. Conah 1.&*11 2 & The captain of the !oat saw Conah and said, >ake +p" >hy are yo+ sleeping? 6ray to yo+r god" Aay!e yo+r god will hear yo+r prayer and save +s" ' Then the men said to each other, >e sho+ld throw lots to find o+t why this is happening to +s. So the men threw lots. The lots showed that the tro+!les came to them !eca+se of Conah. ( Then the men said to Conah, 3t is yo+r fa+lt that this terri!le thing is happening pag. )%&0131#

to +s. Tell +s, what have yo+ done? >hat is yo+r =o!? >here do yo+ come from? >hat is yo+r co+ntry? >ho are yo+r people? ) Conah said to them, 3 am a $e!rew. 3 worship the 5.D, the God of heaven, who made the land and the sea. 1, Conah told the men he was r+nning away from the 5.D. The men !ecame very afraid when they learned this. They asked Conah, >hat terri!le thing did yo+ do against yo+r God? 11 The wind and the waves of the sea were !ecoming stronger and stronger. So the men said to Conah, >hat sho+ld we do to save o+rselves? >hat sho+ld we do to yo+ to make the sea calm? Conah 1.12*1' 3 12 Conah said to the men, 3 know 3 did wrongthat is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will !ecome calm. 13 3nstead, the men tried to row the ship !ack to the shore, !+t they co+ldnt do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strongand they were !ecoming stronger and stronger. 1# So the men cried to the 5.D, 5.D, please dont say we are g+ilty of killing an innocent man. 6lease dont make +s die for killing him. >e know yo+ are the 5.D, and yo+ will do whatever yo+ want. 1% So the men threw Conah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea !ecame calm. 1& >hen the men saw this, they !egan to fear and respect the 5.D. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the 5.D. 1' >hen Conah fell into the sea, the 5.D chose a very !ig fish to swallow Conah. $e was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights. Conah 2.1*' # 2 1 >hile Conah was in the stomach of the fish, he prayed to the 5.D his God. $e said, 2 3 was in very !ad tro+!le. 3 called to the 5.D for help, and he answered me. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 was deep in the grave. 3 cried to yo+, and yo+ heard my voice. 3 ;o+ threw me into the sea. ;o+r powerf+l waves splashed over me. 3 went down, down into the deep sea. The water was all aro+nd me. # Then 3 tho+ght, 1ow 3 m+st go where yo+ cannot see me, !+t 3 contin+ed looking to yo+r holy Temple for help. % The seawater closed over me. The water covered my mo+th, and 3 co+ld not !reathe. 3 went down, down into the deep sea. Seaweed wrapped aro+nd my head. & 3 was at the !ottom of the sea, the place where mo+ntains !egin. 3 tho+ght 3 was locked in this prison forever, !+t the 5.D my God took me o+t of my grave. God, yo+ gave me life again" ' Ay so+l gave +p all hope, !+t then 3 remem!ered the 5.D. 3 prayed to yo+, and yo+ heard my prayers in yo+r holy Temple. Conah 2.(*3.% % ( Some people worship +seless idols, !+t those stat+es never help them. ) 3 will give sacrifices to yo+, and 3 will praise and thank yo+. 3 will make special promises to yo+, and 3 will do what 3 promise. Salvation only comes from the 5.D" 1, Then the 5.D spoke to the fish, and it vomited Conah o+t of its stomach onto the dry land. 3 1 Then the 5.D spoke to Conah again and said, 2 Go to that !ig city 1ineveh, and say what 3 tell yo+. 3 So Conah o!eyed the 5.D and went to 1ineveh. 3t was a very large city. A person had to walk for three days to travel thro+gh it. # Conah went to the center of the city and !egan speaking to the people. $e said, After #, days, 1ineveh will !e destroyed" % The people of 1ineveh !elieved God. They decided to stop eating for a time to think a!o+t their sins. They p+t on special clothes to show they were pag. )%'0131#

sorry. All the people in the city did this, Conah 3.&*#.1 & from the most important to the least important. & >hen the king of 1ineveh heard a!o+t this, he left his throne, removed his ro!e, p+t on special clothes to show that he was sorry, and sat in ashes. ' The king wrote a special message and sent it thro+gho+t the city: A command from the king and his great r+lers: 2or a short time no person or animal sho+ld eat anything. 1o herd or flock will !e allowed in the fields. 1othing living in 1ineveh will eat or drink water. ( <+t every person and every animal m+st !e covered with a special cloth to show they are sad. 6eople m+st cry lo+dly to God. -veryone m+st change their life and stop doing !ad things. ) >ho knows? Aay!e God will stop !eing angry and change his mind, and we will not !e p+nished. 1, God saw what the people did. $e saw that they stopped doing evil. So God changed his mind and did not do what he planned. $e did not p+nish the people. 4 1 Conah was not happy that God saved the city. Conah !ecame angry. Conah #.2*& ' 2 $e complained to the 5.D and said, 5.D, 3 knew this wo+ld happen" 3 was in my own co+ntry, and yo+ told me to come here. At that time 3 knew that yo+ wo+ld forgive the people of this evil city, so 3 decided to r+n away to Tarshish. 3 knew that yo+ are a kind God. 3 knew that yo+ show mercy and dont want to p+nish people. 3 knew that yo+ are kind, and if these people stopped sinning, yo+ wo+ld change yo+r plans to destroy them. 3 So now, 5.D, =+st kill me. 3t is !etter for me to die than to live. # Then the 5.D said, Do yo+ think it is right for yo+ to !e angry? % Conah went o+t of the city to a place near the city on the east side. $e made a shelter for himself and sat there in the shade, waiting to see what wo+ld -asy To .ead /ersion

happen to the city. & The 5.D made a go+rd plant grow J+ickly over Conah. This made a cool place for Conah to sit and helped him to !e more comforta!le. $e was very happy !eca+se of this plant. Conah #.'*11 ( ' The ne4t morning, God sent a worm to eat part of the plant. The worm !egan eating the plant, and the plant died. ( After the s+n was high in the sky, God ca+sed a hot east wind to !low. The s+n !ecame very hot on Conahs head, and he !ecame very weak. $e asked God to let him die. $e said, 3t is !etter for me to die than to live. ) <+t God said to Conah, Do yo+ think it is right for yo+ to !e angry =+st !eca+se this plant died? Conah answered, ;es, it is right for me to !e angry" 3 am angry eno+gh to die" 1, And the 5.D said, ;o+ did nothing for that plant. ;o+ did not make it grow. 3t grew +p in the night, and the ne4t day it died. And now yo+ are sad a!o+t it. 11 3f yo+ can get +pset over a plant, s+rely 3 can feel sorry for a !ig city like 1ineveh. There are many people and animals in that city. There are more than 12,,,,, people there who did not know they were doing wrong. 3i"a' 1 1 D+ring the time that Cotham, AhaE, and $eEekiah were kings of C+dah, the word of the 5.D came to Aicah. Aicah was from Aoresheth. $e saw these visions a!o+t Samaria and Cer+salem. 2 isten, all yo+ people" -arth and everyone on it, listen" The ord G5D will !e a witness against yo+. The ord will come from his holy temple. 3 See, the 5.D is leaving his place to come down and walk on the high places of the earth. # The mo+ntains will melt +nder him like wa4 in a fire. The valleys will !reak apart and slide like water r+shing down a hill. % This will happen !eca+se of Caco!s sin, !eca+se of the sins of the nation of 3srael.>hat ca+sed Caco! to sin? 3t pag. )%(0131#

was Samaria. >here is the high place in C+dah? 3t is Cer+salem. & So 3 will change Samaria into a pile of rocks in the field, a place ready for planting grapes. 3 will p+sh Samarias Aicah 1.'*12 2 stones down into the valley, leaving nothing !+t the fo+ndations. ' All her idols will !e !roken into pieces. $er prostit+tes wages 7idols8 will !e !+rned in fire. 3 will destroy all her stat+es of false gods, !eca+se Samaria got her riches !y !eing +nfaithf+l to me. So those things will !e taken !y people who are not faithf+l to me. ( 3 will !e very sad a!o+t what will happen. 3 will go witho+t sandals and clothes. 3 will cry like a wild dog. 3 will mo+rn like an ostrich. ) Samarias wo+nd cannot !e healed. $er disease has spread to C+dah. 3t has reached the city gate of my peopleF it has spread all the way to Cer+salem. 1, Dont tell it in Gath. Dont cry in Acco. .oll yo+rself in the d+st at <eth 5phrah. 11 ;o+ people living in Shaphir, pass on yo+r way, naked and ashamed. The people living in Baanan will not come o+t. The people in <eth -Eel will cry and take their s+pport from yo+. 12 The people living in Aaroth wait for something good to happen, even tho+gh tro+!le has come down from the Aicah 1.13*2.2 3 5.D and has reached the city gate of Cer+salem. 13 ;o+ people living in achish, get the horses ready for yo+r chariots. ;o+ are g+ilty of the same sins 3srael committed, and yo+ !ro+ght those sins to Cer+salem. 1# So yo+ m+st give good!ye gifts to Aoresheth in Gath. The ho+ses in AcEi! will trick the kings of 3srael. 1% ;o+ people who live in Aareshah, 3 will !ring someone against yo+ who will take the things yo+ own. The Glory of 3srael will come into Ad+llam. 1& So c+t off yo+r hair, make yo+rself !ald, !eca+se yo+ will cry for the children yo+ love. Aake yo+rself !ald like an -asy To .ead /ersion

eagle and show yo+r sadness, !eca+se yo+r children will !e taken away from yo+. 2 1 Tro+!le will come to those who make plans to sin. They lie on their !eds making their evil plans. Then when the morning light comes, they do what they planned, !eca+se they have the power to do what they want. 2 They want fields, so they take them. They want ho+ses, so they take them. Aicah 2.3*( # They cheat a man and take his ho+se and his land. 3 That is why the 5.D says: ook, 3 am planning tro+!le against this family. ;o+ will not !e a!le to save yo+rselves. ;o+ will stop !eing pro+d, !eca+se !ad times are coming. # Then people will sing songs a!o+t yo+. They will sing this sad song: >e are r+ined" The 5.D took away o+r land and gave it to other people. ;es, he took my land away from me. $e has divided o+r fields among o+r enemies. % So we will not !e a!le to meas+re the land and divide it among the 5.D@S people. & The people say, Dont prophesy to +s. Dont say those !ad things a!o+t +s. 1othing !ad will happen to +s. ' <+t people of Caco!, 3 m+st say these things. The 5.D is losing his patience !eca+se of the !ad things yo+ did. 3f yo+ lived right, 3 co+ld say nice words to yo+. ( <+t yo+ attack my people like enemies. ;o+ steal the clothes off the !acks of people walking !y. They think they are safe, !+t yo+ are there to treat them like prisoners of war. Aicah 2.)*13 % ) ;o+ have taken nice ho+ses away from the women of my people. ;o+ have taken my wealth away from their small children forever. 1, Get +p and leave" This will not !e yo+r place of rest, !eca+se yo+ r+ined it. ;o+ made it +nclean, so it will !e destroyed" 3t will !e a terri!le destr+ction" 11 These people dont want to listen pag. )%)0131#

to me. <+t if a man comes telling lies, they will accept him. They wo+ld accept a false prophet if he comes and says, There will !e good times in the f+t+re, with plenty of wine and !eer. 12 ;es, people of Caco!, 3 will !ring all of yo+ together. 3 will !ring together all those in 3srael who are still living. 3 will p+t them together like sheep in the sheep pen, like a flock in its past+re. Then the place will !e filled with the noise of many people. 13 The 5ne >ho <reaks Thro+gh >alls will p+sh thro+gh and walk to the front of his people. They will !reak thro+gh the gates and leave that city. They will leave with their king marching !efore them with the 5.D at the front of his people. Aicah 3.1*& & 3 1 Then 3 said, isten, leaders of Caco! and officers of the nation of 3srael" ;o+ sho+ld know what =+stice is. 2 <+t yo+ hate good and love evil. ;o+ tear the skin off the people and tear the flesh off their !ones. 3 ;o+ are destroying my people. ;o+ take their skin off them and !reak their !ones. ;o+ chop their !ones +p like meat to p+t in the pot" # Then yo+ will pray to the 5.D, !+t he will not answer yo+. 1o, he will hide his face from yo+, !eca+se what yo+ do is evil. % Some false prophets are telling lies to the ords people. This is what the 5.D says a!o+t them: These prophets are led !y their stomachs. They promise peace for those who give them food, !+t they promise war to those who do not give them food. & This is why it is like night for yo+ and yo+ dont have visions. ;o+ cannot see what will happen in the f+t+re, so it is like darkness to yo+. The s+n has gone down on the prophets. They cannot see what will happen in the f+t+re, so it is like darkness to them. Aicah 3.'*12 ' ' The seers are ashamed. The -asy To .ead /ersion

fort+netellers are em!arrassed. 1one of them will say anything, !eca+se God will not speak to them. ( <+t the 5.D@S Spirit has filled me with power, goodness, and strength. So now 3 can tell Caco! what they have done wrong. 3 can tell 3srael how they have sinned" ) eaders of Caco! and r+lers of 3srael, listen to me" ;o+ hate the right way of living" 3f something is straight, then yo+ make it crooked" 1, ;o+ !+ild Bion !y m+rdering people. ;o+ !+ild Cer+salem !y cheating people" 11 The =+dges in Cer+salem accept !ri!es to help them decide who wins in co+rt. The priests in Cer+salem m+st !e paid !efore they will teach the people. 6eople m+st pay the prophets !efore they will look into the f+t+re. Then those leaders e4pect the 5.D to help them. They say, The 5.D lives here with +s, so nothing !ad will happen to +s. 12 eaders, !eca+se of yo+, Bion will !e destroyed. 3t will !ecome a plowed field. Cer+salem will !ecome a pile of Aicah #.1*# ( rocks. Temple Ao+nt will !e an empty hill overgrown with !+shes. 4 1 3n the last days the mo+ntain of the 5.D@S Temple will !e on the highest of all mo+ntains. 3t will !e raised higher than the hills. There will !e a steady stream of people going there. 2 6eople from many nations will go there and say, 9ome, lets go +p to the mo+ntain of the 5.D, to the Temple of the God of Caco!. Then God will teach +s his way of living, and we will follow him. $is teaching, the 5.D@S message, will !egin in Cer+salem on Ao+nt Bion and will go o+t to all the world. 3 Then God will act as =+dge to end arg+ments !etween people in many places. $e will decide what is right for great nations far and near. They will stop +sing their weapons for war. They will hammer their swords into plows and +se their spears to make tools for harvesting. All fighting !etween nations pag. )&,0131#

will end. They will never again train for war. # They will sit +nder their own grapevine and fig tree. 1o one will make them afraid. That is !eca+se the 5.D Aicah #.%*1, ) AllD6owerf+l said it wo+ld happen like that. % All the people from other nations follow their own gods, !+t we will follow the 5.D o+r God forever and ever" & The 5.D says, Cer+salem was h+rt and crippled. She was thrown away. She was h+rt and p+nished, !+t 3 will !ring her !ack to me. ' The people of that crippled city will !e the only ones left alive. They were forced to leave, !+t 3 will make them into a strong nation. The 5.D will !e their king. $e will r+le from Ao+nt Bion forever. ( And yo+, Tower of 2locks, yo+r time will come. 5phel, hill of Bion, yo+ will again have the right to r+le. ;es, the kingdom will !e in Cer+salem as it was in the past. ) 1ow, why are yo+ crying so lo+dly? 3s yo+r king gone? $ave yo+ lost yo+r wise leader? 3s that why yo+ are s+ffering like a woman in la!or? 1, 9ry o+t, yo+ people of Cer+salem, and feel the pain, as if yo+ were giving !irth. ;o+ m+st go o+t of the city and live in the fields. ;o+ will go away to Aicah #.11*%.2 1, <a!ylon, !+t yo+ will also !e saved from that place. The 5.D will come and resc+e yo+ there. $e will take yo+ away from yo+r enemies. 11 Aany nations have come to fight against yo+. They say, ook, there is Bion" ets attack her" 12 They have their plans, !+t they dont know what the 5.D is planning. $e !ro+ght them here for a special p+rpose. They will !e cr+shed like grain on a threshing floor. 13 6eople of Cer+salem, get +p and cr+sh them" 3 will make yo+ very strong. 3t will !e as if yo+ have horns of iron and -asy To .ead /ersion

hooves of !ronEe. ;o+ will !eat many people into small pieces. ;o+ will give their wealth to the 5.D. ;o+ will give their treas+re to the ord of all the earth. 5 1 1ow, strong city, gather yo+r soldiers" 5+r enemies are attacking +s" They will strike 3sraels r+ler in the face with a stick. 2 ;o+, <ethlehem -phrathah, are the smallest town in C+dah. <+t from yo+ will come the one who will r+le 3srael for me. $is family !egan in ancient times. $e is from days long ago. Aicah %.3*' 11 3 The ord will let his people !e defeated +ntil the woman gives !irth to her child, the promised king. Then the rest of his !rothers will come !ack to =oin the people of 3srael. # $e will !egin to r+le 3srael in the power of the 5.D. ike a shepherd, he will lead his people in the wonderf+l name of the 5.D his God. And they will live in safety !eca+se then his greatness will !e known all over the world. % $e will !ring a time of peace. ;es, the Assyrian army will come into o+r co+ntry and march thro+gh o+r land. <+t we have plenty of leaders we can send against them. & >ith swords in hand o+r leaders will defeat the Assyrians and r+le the land of 1imrod. They will save +s from the Assyrians when they come into o+r land and march thro+gh o+r territory. ' <+t those from Caco! who are still living and scattered among the nations will !e like dew from the 5.D that does not depend on anyone. They will !e like rain on the grass that does not wait for anyone. Aicah %.(*1% 12 ( Those from Caco! who are still living are scattered among the nations. <+t they will !e like a lion among the animals in the forest. They will !e like a yo+ng lion among flocks of sheep. 3f the lion passes thro+gh, he goes where he wants to go. 3f he attacks an animal, no one can save it. The s+rvivors will !e like pag. )&10131#

that. ) ;o+ will lift yo+r hand against yo+r enemies, and yo+ will destroy them. 1, The 5.D says, At that time 3 will take away yo+r horses, and 3 will destroy yo+r chariots. 11 3 will destroy the cities in yo+r co+ntry. 3 will p+ll down all yo+r fortresses. 12 ;o+ will no longer try to do magic. ;o+ will have no more fort+netellers. 13 3 will destroy yo+r stat+es of false gods. 3 will p+ll down yo+r memorial stones. ;o+ will not worship what yo+r hands have made. 1# 3 will destroy the Asherah poles and yo+r false gods. 1% Some nations will not listen to me, !+t 3 will show my anger and get my revenge. Aicah &.1*' 13 6 1 1ow hear what the 5.D says: 6resent yo+r arg+ment to the mo+ntains. et the hills hear yo+r story. 2 The 5.D has a complaint against his people. Ao+ntains, listen to the 5.D@S complaint. 2o+ndations of the earth, hear the ord. $e will prove that 3srael is wrong" 3 $e says, Ay people, tell me what 3 did" Did 3 do something wrong against yo+? Did 3 make life too hard for yo+? # 3 will tell yo+ what 3 did. 3 sent Aoses, Aaron, and Airiam to yo+. 3 !ro+ght yo+ from the land of -gypt. 3 freed yo+ from slavery. % Ay people, remem!er the evil plans of <alak king of Aoa!. .emem!er what <alaam son of <eor said to <alak. .emem!er what happened from Acacia to Gilgal, and yo+ will know the 5.D is right" & >hat m+st 3 !ring when 3 come to meet with the 5.D? >hat m+st 3 do when 3 !ow down to God a!ove? Sho+ld 3 come to him with !+rnt offerings and a yearDold calf? ' >ill the 5.D !e pleased with a tho+sand rams or with ten tho+sand Aicah &.(*1# 1# -asy To .ead /ersion

rivers of oil? Sho+ld 3 offer him my first child to pay for my wrongs? Sho+ld 3 sacrifice my very own child for my sins? ( $+man, the 5.D has told yo+ what goodness is. This is what he wants from yo+: <e fair to other people. ove kindness and loyalty, and h+m!ly o!ey yo+r God. ) The 5.D sho+ts to the city: A wise person respects the ords name. So pay attention to the p+nishing rod and to the one who +ses it" 1, Do the wicked still hide treas+res that they have stolen? Do they still cheat people with !askets that are too small? ;es, all of this is still happening" 11 Some people carry special weights that they +se to cheat people when they weigh their goods. Sho+ld 3 pardon them? 12 The rich in that city are still cr+el. The people there still tell lies. ;es, they tell their lies. 13 So 3 have !eg+n to p+nish yo+. 3 will destroy yo+ !eca+se of yo+r sins. 1# ;o+ will eat, !+t yo+ will not !ecome f+ll. ;o+ will still !e h+ngry and empty. ;o+ will try to !ring people to safety, !+t Aicah &.1%*'.3 1% people with swords will kill the people yo+ resc+ed. 1% ;o+ will plant yo+r seeds, !+t yo+ will not gather food. ;o+ will try to sJ+eeEe oil from yo+r olives, !+t yo+ will not get any oil. ;o+ will cr+sh yo+r grapes, !+t yo+ will not get eno+gh =+ice to have wine to drink. 1& This is !eca+se yo+ o!ey the laws of 5mri. ;o+ do all the evil things that Aha!s family does. ;o+ follow their teachings, so 3 will let yo+ !e destroyed. 6eople will whistle in amaEement when they see yo+r destroyed city. Then yo+ will !ear the shame that the other nations !ring to yo+. 7 1 3 am +pset !eca+se 3 am like fr+it that has !een gathered, like grapes that have already !een picked. There are no grapes left to eat. There are none of the early figs that 3 love. pag. )&20131#

2 <y this 3 mean that all the faithf+l people are gone. There are no good people left. -veryone is planning to kill someone. -veryone is trying to trap their !rother. 3 6eople are good at doing !ad things with !oth hands. 5fficials ask for !ri!es. Aicah '.#*) 1& C+dges take money to change their decisions in co+rt. 3mportant leaders do whatever they want to do. # -ven the !est of them is as crooked as a tangled thorn!+sh.;o+r prophets said this day wo+ld come, and the day of yo+r watchmen has come. 1ow yo+ will !e p+nished. 1ow yo+ will !e conf+sed" % Dont tr+st yo+r neigh!or or tr+st a friend" Dont even speak freely with yo+r wife. & ;o+r enemies will !e the people in yo+r own ho+se. A son will not honor his father. A da+ghter will t+rn against her mother. A da+ghterDinDlaw will t+rn against her motherDinDlaw. ' So 3 will look to the 5.D for help. 3 will wait for God to save me. Ay God will hear me. ( 3 have fallen, !+t enemy, dont la+gh at me" 3 will get +p again. 3 sit in darkness now, !+t the 5.D will !e a light for me. ) 3 sinned against the 5.D, so he was angry with me. <+t he will arg+e my case for me in co+rt. $e will do what is right for me. Then he will !ring me o+t into the light, and 3 will see that he is right. Aicah '.1,*1& 1' 1, Ay enemy said to me, >here is the 5.D yo+r God? <+t my enemy will see this, and she will !e ashamed. At that time 3 will la+gh at her. 6eople will walk over her, like m+d in the streets. 11 The time will come when yo+r walls will !e re!+ilt. At that time the co+ntry will grow. 12 ;o+r people will come !ack to yo+r land. They will come !ack from Assyria and from the cities of -gypt. They will come from -gypt and from the other side of the -+phrates .iver. They will -asy To .ead /ersion

come from the sea in the west and from the mo+ntains in the east. 13 The land was r+ined !y the people who lived there and !y what they did. 1# So r+le yo+r people with yo+r rod. .+le the flock of people who !elong to yo+. That flock lives alone in the woods and +p on Ao+nt 9armel. That flock lives in <ashan and Gilead as they did in the past. 1% 3 did many miracles when 3 took yo+ o+t of -gypt. 3 will let yo+ see more miracles like that. 1& The nations will see those miracles, and they will !e ashamed. They will see Aicah '.1'*2, 1( that their power is nothing compared to mine. They will !e amaEed and p+t their hands over their mo+ths. They will cover their ears and ref+se to listen. 1' They will crawl in the d+st like a snake. They will shake with fear. They will !e like insects crawling from their holes in the gro+nd and coming to the 5.D o+r God. God, they will fear and respect yo+" 1( There is no God like yo+. ;o+ take away peoples g+ilt. God will forgive his people who s+rvive. $e will not stay angry with them forever, !eca+se he en=oys !eing kind. 1) $e will come !ack and comfort +s again. $e will throw all o+r sins into the deep sea. 2, God, please !e tr+e to Caco!. <e kind and loyal to A!raham, as yo+ promised o+r ancestors long ago. #a'um 1 1 This !ook is the vision of 1ah+m from -lkosh. This is the sad message a!o+t the city of 1ineveh. 2 The 5.D is a =ealo+s God. The 5.D p+nishes the g+ilty, and he is very angry. The 5.D p+nishes his enemies, and he stays angry with them. 3 The 5.D is patient, !+t he is also very powerf+l" The 5.D will p+nish the g+iltyF he will not let them go free. ;o+ can see his power in the whirlwinds and storms. The clo+ds are like d+st from his pag. )&30131#

feet. # $e gives a command and the sea !ecomes dry. $e dries +p all the rivers. The green hills of <ashan and 9armel t+rn !rown, and the flowers of e!anon die. % >hen the ord appears, the mo+ntains shake and the hills melt away. $e will come, and the earth will shake with fear. The earth and everyone on it will shake with fear. 1ah+m 1.&*12 2 & 1o one can stand against his great anger. 1o one can end+re his terri!le anger. $is anger !+rns like fire. The rocks !reak to pieces when he comes. ' The 5.D is good. $e is a safe place to go to in times of tro+!le. $e takes care of those who tr+st him. ( <+t he completely destroys his enemies. $e washes them away like a flood and chases them into the darkness. ) >hy are yo+ making plans against the 5.D? $e will !ring complete destr+ction, so that yo+ can never ca+se tro+!le again. 1, ;o+ will !e destroyed completely like thorn!+shes !+rning +nder a pot. ;o+ will !e destroyed like dry weeds that !+rn J+ickly. 11 Someone from 1ineveh is making evil plans against the 5.D. That advisor is a worthless tro+!lemaker. 12 This is what the 5.D said: The people of Assyria are at f+ll strength. They have many soldiers, !+t they will all !e c+t down. They will all !e finished. Ay people, 3 made yo+ s+ffer, !+t 3 will make yo+ s+ffer no more. 1ah+m 1.13*2.2 3 13 1ow 3 will set yo+ free from the power of Assyria. 3 will take the yoke off yo+r neck and tear away the chains holding yo+. 1# Ging of Assyria, the 5.D gave this command a!o+t yo+: ;o+ will not have any descendants to wear yo+r name. 3 will destroy yo+r carved idols and metal stat+es that are in the temple of yo+r gods. 3 am preparing yo+r grave, -asy To .ead /ersion

!eca+se yo+r end is coming soon" 1% C+dah, look" There, coming over the mo+ntains, is a messenger !ringing good news" $e says there is peace. C+dah, cele!rate yo+r special festivals and do what yo+ promised. Those worthless tro+!lemakers will not come thro+gh and attack yo+ again. They have all !een destroyed. 2 1 An enemy is coming to attack yo+, so g+ard the strong places of yo+r city. >atch the road. Get ready for war. 6repare for !attle" 2 ;es, the 5.D changed Caco!s pride. $e made it like 3sraels pride. The enemy destroyed them and r+ined their grapevines. 1ah+m 2.3*) # 3 The shields of his soldiers are red. Their +niforms are !right red. Their chariots are shining like flames of fire and are lined +p for !attle. Their horses are ready to go. # The chariots race wildly thro+gh the streets and r+sh !ack and forth thro+gh the sJ+are. They look like !+rning torches, like lightning flashing from place to place" % The enemy calls for his !est soldiers. They st+m!le as they r+sh ahead. They r+n to the wall and set +p their shield over the !attering ram. & <+t the gates !y the rivers are open, and the enemy comes flooding in and destroys the kings palace. ' The enemy takes away the J+een, and her slave girls moan sadly like doves. They !eat their !reasts to show their sadness. ( 1ineveh is like a pool whose water is draining away. 6eople yell, Stop" Stop r+nning away" <+t it does not do any good. ) Take the silver" Take the gold" There are many things to take. There are many treas+res. 1ah+m 2.1,*3.3 % 1, 1ow 1ineveh is empty. -verything is stolen. The city is r+ined. 6eople have lost their co+rage, their hearts melt with pag. )&#0131#

fear, their knees knock together, their !odies shake, and their faces t+rn pale. 11 >here is the lions cave 71ineveh8 now? The male and female lions lived there. Their !a!ies were not afraid. 12 The lion 7king of 1ineveh8 killed people to feed his c+!s and lionesses. $e filled his cave with mens !odies. $e filled his cave with women he had killed. 13 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 am against yo+, 1ineveh. 3 will !+rn yo+r chariots and kill yo+r yo+ng lions in !attle. ;o+ will not h+nt anyone on earth again. 6eople will never again hear !ad news from yo+r messengers. 3 1 3t will !e very !ad for that city of m+rderers. 1ineveh is a city f+ll of lies. 3t is filled with things taken from other co+ntries. 3t is filled with plenty of people that it h+nted and killed. 2 ;o+ can hear the so+nds of whips and the noise of wheels. ;o+ can hear horses galloping and chariots !o+ncing along" 3 Soldiers on horses are attacking, their swords are shining, their spears are 1ah+m 3.#*( & gleaming" There are many dead people. Dead !odies are piled +ptoo many !odies to co+nt. 6eople are tripping over the dead !odies. # All this happened !eca+se of 1ineveh. 1ineveh is like a prostit+te who co+ld never get eno+gh. She wanted more and more. She sold herself to many nations, and she +sed her magic to make them her slaves. % The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 am against yo+, 1ineveh. 3 will p+ll yo+r dress +p over yo+r face. 3 will let the nations see yo+r naked !ody. The kingdoms will see yo+r shame. & 3 will throw dirty things on yo+ and treat yo+ in a hatef+l way. 6eople will look at yo+ and la+gh. ' -veryone who sees yo+ will !e shocked. They will say, 1ineveh is destroyed. >ho will cry for her? 3 know 3 cannot find anyone to comfort yo+, 1ineveh. ( 1ineveh, yo+ are no !etter than -asy To .ead /ersion

The!es on the 1ile .iver. The!es also had water all aro+nd her to protect herself from enemies. She +sed that water like a wall too. 1ah+m 3.)*1# ' ) -thiopia and -gypt made The!es strong. i!ya and the S+dan s+pported her, 1, !+t The!es was defeated. $er people were taken away as prisoners to a foreign co+ntry. Soldiers !eat her small children to death at every street corner. They threw lots to see who got to keep the important people as slaves. They p+t chains on all the important men of The!es. 11 So, 1ineveh, yo+ will also fall like a dr+nk. ;o+ will try to hide. ;o+ will look for a safe place away from the enemy. 12 <+t 1ineveh, all yo+r strong places will !e like fig trees. >hen new figs !ecome ripe, people come and shake the tree. The figs fall into their mo+ths. They eat them, and the figs are gone. 13 1ineveh, yo+r people are all like women, and the enemy soldiers are ready to take them. The gates of yo+r land are open wide for yo+r enemies to come in. 2ire has destroyed the wooden !ars across the gates. 1# Get water and store it inside yo+r city, !eca+se the enemy soldiers will s+rro+nd yo+r city. Aake yo+r defenses 1ah+m 3.1%*1( ( strong" Get clay to make more !ricks and mi4 the mortar. Get the molds for making !ricks. 1% ;o+ can do all these things, !+t the fire will still destroy yo+ completely. And the sword will kill yo+. ;o+r land will look like a swarm of grasshoppers came and ate everything. 1ineveh, yo+ grew and grew. ;o+ !ecame like a swarm of grasshoppers. ;o+ were like a swarm of loc+sts. 1& ;o+ have many traders who go places and !+y things. They are as many as the stars in the sky. They are like loc+sts that come and eat +ntil everything is gone and then leave. pag. )&%0131#

1' And yo+r government officials are also like loc+sts that settle on a stone wall on a cold day. <+t when the s+n comes +p, the rocks !ecome warm, and the loc+sts all fly away. And no one knows where. 1( Ging of Assyria, yo+r shepherds fell asleep. These powerf+l men are sleeping. And now yo+r sheep have wandered away on the mo+ntains. There is no one to !ring them !ack. 1ah+m 3.1) ) 1) 1ineveh, yo+ have !een h+rt !adly, and nothing can heal yo+r wo+nd. -veryone who hears the news of yo+r destr+ction claps their hands. They are all happy, !eca+se they all felt the pain yo+ ca+sed again and again. 1a$a00u0 1 1 This is the message that was given to $a!akk+k the prophet. 2 5.D, 3 contin+e to ask for help. >hen will yo+ listen to me? 3 cried to yo+ a!o+t the violence, !+t yo+ did nothing" 3 6eople are stealing things and h+rting others. They are arg+ing and fighting. >hy do yo+ make me look at these terri!le things? # The law is weak and not fair to people. -vil people win their fights against good people. So the law is no longer fair, and =+stice does not win anymore. % ook at the other nations" >atch them, and yo+ will !e amaEed. 3 will do something in yo+r lifetime that will amaEe yo+. ;o+ wo+ld not !elieve it even if yo+ were told a!o+t it. & 3 will make the <a!ylonians a strong nation. They are cr+el and powerf+l fighters. They will march across the earth. They will take ho+ses and cities that dont !elong to them. $a!akk+k 1.'*12 2 ' The <a!ylonians will scare the other people. They will do what they want to do and go where they want to go. ( Their horses will !e faster than leopards and more dangero+s than wolves at s+nset. Their horse soldiers will come from faraway places. They -asy To .ead /ersion

will attack their enemies J+ickly, like a h+ngry eagle swooping down from the sky. ) The one thing they all want to do is fight. Their armies will march fast like the wind in the desert. And the <a!ylonian soldiers will take many prisoners as many as the grains of sand. 1, The <a!ylonian soldiers will la+gh at the kings of other nations. 2oreign r+lers will !e like =okes to them. The <a!ylonian soldiers will la+gh at the cities with tall, strong walls. They will simply !+ild dirt roads +p to the top of the walls and easily defeat the cities. 11 Then they will leave like the wind and go on to fight against other places. The only thing the <a!ylonians worship is their own strength. 12 5.D, yo+ are the one who lives forever" ;o+ are my holy God who never $a!akk+k 1.13*2.1 3 dies" 5.D, yo+ created the <a!ylonians to do what m+st !e done. 5+r .ock, yo+ created them to p+nish people. 13 ;o+r eyes are too good to look at evil. ;o+ cannot stand to see people doing wrong. So why do yo+ permit s+ch evil? $ow can yo+ watch while the wicked destroy people who are so m+ch !etter? 1# ;o+ made people like fish in the sea. They are like little sea animals witho+t a leader. 1% The enemy catches all of them with hooks and nets. The enemy catches them in his net and drags them in, and the enemy is very happy with what he ca+ght. 1& $is net helps him live like the rich and en=oy the !est food. So the enemy worships his net. $e makes sacrifices and !+rns incense to honor his net. 1' >ill he contin+e to take riches with his net? >ill he contin+e destroying people witho+t showing mercy? 2 1 3 will stand like a g+ard and watch. 3 will wait to see what the 5.D will say to me. 3 will wait and learn how he answers my J+estions. $a!akk+k 2.2*' # pag. )&&0131#

2 The 5.D answered me, >rite down what 3 show yo+. >rite it clearly on clay ta!lets so that the message will !e easy to read. 3 This message is a!o+t a special time in the f+t+re. This message is a!o+t the end, and it will come tr+e. C+st !e patient and wait for it. That time will comeF it will not !e late. # This message cannot help those who ref+se to listen to it, !+t those who are good will live !eca+se they !elieve it. % >ine can trick a person. 3n the same way, a strong mans pride can fool him, !+t he will not find peace. $e is like deathhe always wants more and more. And, like death, he will never !e satisfied. $e will contin+e to defeat other nations and to make those people his prisoners. & <+t soon eno+gh, all those people will la+gh at him and tell stories a!o+t his defeat. They will la+gh and say, 3ts too !ad that the man who took so many things will not get to keep them" $e made himself rich !y collecting de!ts. ' Strong man, yo+ have taken money from people. 5ne day they will wake +p $a!akk+k 2.(*13 % and realiEe what is happening, and they will stand against yo+. Then they will take things from yo+, and yo+ will !e very afraid. ( ;o+ have stolen things from many nations, so they will take m+ch from yo+. ;o+ have killed many people and destroyed lands and cities. ;o+ have killed all the people there. ) ook at yo+ people" ;o+ get rich !y cheating people, and it h+rts yo+r own family. ;o+ !+ild yo+ ho+ses high on the cliffs to protect yo+rself from danger. 1, ;o+ planned shamef+l things, and that will !ring shame to yo+r own family. ;o+ have done wrong, and it will cost yo+ yo+r life. 11 The stones of the walls will cry o+t against yo+. -ven the wooden rafters in yo+r own ho+se will prove that yo+ are wrong. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 ook at them" They kill people to !+ild their city and do wicked things to make their walled city strong. 13 <+t the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will send a fire to destroy everything that those people worked to !+ild. All their work will !e for nothing. $a!akk+k 2.1#*1( & 1# Then people everywhere will know a!o+t the Glory of the 5.D. This news will spread =+st as water spreads o+t into the sea. 1% 3t will !e very !ad for those who !ecome angry and make other people s+ffer. ike an angry dr+nk, they knock others to the gro+nd and strip them naked, =+st to see their naked !odies. 1& <+t they will know the ords anger. 3t will !e like a c+p of poison in the 5.D@S right hand. They will taste that anger, and then they will fall to the gro+nd like dr+nks. -vil r+ler, yo+ will drink from that c+p. ;o+ will get shame, not honor. 1' ;o+ h+rt many people in e!anon and stole many animals there. So yo+ will !e afraid !eca+se of the people who died and !eca+se of the !ad things yo+ did to that co+ntry. ;o+ will !e afraid !eca+se of what yo+ did to those cities and to the people who lived there. 1( Their false god will not help them, !eca+se it is only a stat+e that someone covered with metal. 3t is only a stat+e, so whoever made it cannot e4pect it to help. That stat+e cannot even speak" $a!akk+k 2.1)*3.% ' 1) ook at them" They speak to a wooden stat+e and tell it, Get +p" .esc+e me. They talk to a stone that cannot speak and say, >ake +p" Dont yo+ know those things cannot help yo+? That stat+e may !e covered with gold and silver, !+t there is no life in it. 2, <+t the 5.D is in his holy temple, so the whole earth sho+ld !e silent in his presence and show him respect. 3 1 The prayer of $a!akk+k the prophet. 2 5.D, 3 have heard the news a!o+t yo+. 3 am amaEed, 5.D, at the powerf+l pag. )&'0131#

things yo+ did in the past. 1ow 3 pray that yo+ will do great things in o+r time. 6lease make these things happen in o+r own days. <+t in yo+r anger, remem!er to show mercy to +s. Selah 3 God is coming from Teman. The $oly 5ne is coming from Ao+nt 6aran. Selah $is glory covers the heavens, and his praise fills the earth" # .ays of light shine from his hand, a !right, shining light. There is s+ch power hiding in that hand. % The sickness went !efore him, and the destroyer followed !ehind him. $a!akk+k 3.&*11 ( & $e stood and =+dged the earth. $e looked at the people of all the nations, and they shook with fear. 2or many years the mo+ntains stood strong, !+t those mo+ntains fell to pieces. Those old, old hills fell down. God has always !een a!le to do that. ' 3 saw that the cities of 9+shan were in tro+!le and that the ho+ses of Aidian trem!led with fear. ( 5.D, were yo+ angry at the rivers? >ere yo+ angry at the streams? >ere yo+ angry at the sea? >ere yo+ angry when yo+ rode yo+r horses and chariots to victory? ) -ven then yo+ showed yo+r rain!ow. 3t was proof of yo+r agreement with the families of the earth. Selah And the dry land split the rivers. 1, The mo+ntains saw yo+ and shook. The water flowed off the land. The water from the sea made a lo+d noise as it lost its power over the land. 11 The s+n and the moon lost their !rightness. They stopped shining when they saw yo+r !right flashes of lightning. That lightning was like spears and arrows shooting thro+gh the air. $a!akk+k 3.12*1( ) 12 3n anger yo+ walked on the earth and p+nished the nations. 13 ;o+ came to save yo+r people and to lead yo+r chosen king to victory. ;o+ killed the leader in every evil family, from the least important person to the -asy To .ead /ersion

most important in the land. Selah 1# ;o+ +sed Aoses walking stick to stop the enemy soldiers. Those soldiers came like a powerf+l storm to fight against +s. They tho+ght they co+ld defeat +s easily, as ro!!ing the poor in secret. 1% <+t yo+ marched yo+r horses thro+gh the deep water, stirring +p the m+d. 1& Ay whole !ody shook when 3 heard the story. Ay lips trem!led. 3 felt weak deep down in my !ones and stood there shaking. <+t 3 will wait patiently for destr+ction to come to those who attack +s. 1' 2igs might not grow on the fig trees, and grapes might not grow on the vines. 5lives might not grow on the olive trees, and food might not grow in the fields. There might not !e any sheep in the pens or cattle in the !arns. 1( <+t 3 will still !e glad in the 5.D and re=oice in God my savior. $a!akk+k 3.1) 1, 1) The ord G5D gives me my strength. $e helps me r+n fast like a deer. $e leads me safely on the mo+ntains. To the m+sic director. 5n my stringed instr+ments. 4e5'ania' 1 1 This is the message that the 5.D gave to Bephaniah. $e received this message d+ring the time that Cosiah son of Amon was king of C+dah. Bephaniah was the son of 9+sh, who was the son of Gedaliah. Gedaliah was the son of Amariah, who was the son of $eEekiah. 2 The 5.D says, 3 will destroy everything on earth. 3 3 will destroy all the people and all the animals. 3 will destroy the !irds in the air and the fish in the sea. 3 will destroy the evil people and everything that makes them sin. 3 will remove all people from the earth. This is what the 5.D said. # 3 will p+nish C+dah and the people living in Cer+salem. 3 will remove from this place any sign of <aal worship. 1o one will remem!er the priests who serve the idols there. % And those who go +p on their roofs pag. )&(0131#

to worship the stars will !e forgotten. They claim to worship me. They say, >e promise to follow the 5.D, !+t they Bephaniah 1.&*1, 2 also worship the false god Ailcom. So 3 will remove any memory of them from this place. & They have t+rned away from me, the 5.D. They have stopped following me. They no longer ask me, the 5.D, for help. ' <e silent !efore the ord G5D, !eca+se the 5.D@S day for =+dging the people is coming soon. The 5.D has prepared his sacrifice, and he has told his invited g+ests to get ready. ( The ord said, 5n the 5.D@S day of sacrifice, 3 will p+nish the kings sons and other leaders. 3 will p+nish all the people wearing clothes from other co+ntries. ) At that time 3 will p+nish all the people who =+mp over the threshold and those who fill their masters ho+se with lies and violence. 1, The 5.D also said, At that time people will !e calling for help at 2ish Gate in Cer+salem and mo+rning in the new part of town. They will hear the so+nd of destr+ction in the hills aro+nd the city. Bephaniah 1.11*1& 3 11 ;o+ people living in the lower part of town will cry, !eca+se all the traders and rich merchants will !e destroyed. 12 At that time 3 will take a lamp and search thro+gh Cer+salem. 3 will find all those who are satisfied to live their own way. They say, The 5.D does nothing. $e does not help, and he does not h+rt" 3 will find them, and 3 will p+nish them. 13 Then others will take their wealth and destroy their ho+ses. Those who !+ilt ho+ses will not live in them, and those who planted vineyards will not drink the wine from the grapes. 1# The 5.D@S special day for =+dging is coming soon" 3t is near and coming fast. 6eople will hear very sad so+nds on the 5.D@S special day of =+dgment. -ven strong soldiers will cry. -asy To .ead /ersion

1% The ord will show his anger at that time. 3t will !e a time of terri!le tro+!les and a time of destr+ction. 3t will !e a time of darkness a !lack, clo+dy, and stormy day. 1& 3t will !e like a time of war when people hear horns and tr+mpets in the defense towers and protected cities. Bephaniah 1.1'*2.# # 1' The ord said, 3 will make life very hard on the people. They will walk aro+nd like the !lind who dont know where they are going, !eca+se they sinned against the 5.D. Their !lood will !e spilled on the gro+nd. Their dead !odies will lie like d+ng on the gro+nd. 1( Their gold and silver will not help them" At that time the ord will !ecome very +pset and angry. The 5.D will destroy the whole world" $e will completely destroy everyone on earth" 2 1 Shameless people, change yo+r lives 2 !efore yo+ !ecome like a dry and dying flower. 3n the heat of day, a flower will wilt and die. ;o+ will !e like that when the 5.D shows his terri!le anger. So change yo+r lives !efore the 5.D shows his anger against yo+" 3 All yo+ h+m!le people, come to the 5.D" 5!ey his laws. earn to do good thingsF learn to !e h+m!le. Aay!e then yo+ will !e safe when the 5.D shows his anger. # 1o one will !e left in GaEa. Ashkelon will !e destroyed. <y noon, the people Bephaniah 2.%*) % will !e forced to leave Ashdod. -kron will !e empty. % ;o+ people living !y the sea, who came from 9rete, this message from the 5.D is a!o+t yo+. 9anaan, land of the 6hilistines, yo+ will !e destroyedno one will live there" & ;o+r land !y the sea will !ecome empty fields for shepherds and their sheep. ' Then the land will !elong to the s+rvivors from C+dah. The 5.D their God will remem!er the people from pag. )&)0131#

C+dah and restore their fort+nes. Then they will let their sheep eat the grass in those fields. 3n the evenings they will lie down in the empty ho+ses of Ashkelon. ( The ord says, 3 know what the people of Aoa! and Ammon did. They em!arrassed my people. They took their land to make their own co+ntries larger. ) So, as s+rely as 3 am alive, Aoa! and the people of Ammon will !e destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. 3 am the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, the God of 3srael, and 3 promise those co+ntries will !e destroyed completely forever. Their land will !e overgrown with weeds. 3t will !e Bephaniah 2.1,*1% & like the land covered with salt !y the Dead Sea. The s+rvivors of my people will take that land and everything left in it. 1, This will happen to the people of Aoa! and Ammon !eca+se they were so pro+d and cr+el and h+miliated the people of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 11 They will !e afraid of the 5.D, !eca+se he will destroy their gods. Then everyone in all the faraway lands will worship the ord. 12 6eople of -thiopia, this even means yo+" The ords sword will kill yo+r people. 13 Then the ord will t+rn north and p+nish Assyria. $e will destroy 1inevehthat city will !e like an empty, dry desert. 1# 5nly sheep and wild animals will live in those r+ins. 5wls and crows will sit on the col+mns that are left standing. Their calls will !e heard coming thro+gh the windows. 9rows will sit on the doorsteps. <lack !irds will make their homes in those empty ho+ses. 1% 1ineveh is so pro+d now. 3t is s+ch a happy city. The people think they Bephaniah 3.1*% ' are safe. They think 1ineveh is the greatest place in the world, !+t it will !e destroyed" 3t will !e an empty place where only wild animals go to rest. 6eople who pass !y will whistle and -asy To .ead /ersion

shake their heads when they see how !adly the city was destroyed. 3 1 Cer+salem, yo+r people fo+ght against God. They h+rt other people, and yo+ have !een stained with sin. 2 They didnt listen to me or accept my teachings. Cer+salem didnt tr+st the 5.D. Cer+salem didnt go to her God. 3 Cer+salems leaders are like roaring lions. $er =+dges are like h+ngry wolves that come in the evening to attack the sheep, and in the morning nothing is left. # $er prophets are always making secret plans to get more and more. $er priests have treated holy things as if they were not holy. They have done !ad things to Gods teachings. % <+t the 5.D is still in that city, and he contin+es to !e good. $e does not do anything wrong. $e contin+es to help his people. Aorning after morning he makes good decisions for them. 1ot a day passes witho+t his =+stice. $e never Bephaniah 3.&*) ( gives a decision that is crooked or is something to !e ashamed of. & The ord says, 3 have destroyed whole nations and their defense towers. 3 destroyed their streets and now no one goes there anymore. Their cities are emptyF no one lives there anymore. ' 3 tell yo+ this so that yo+ will learn a lesson. 3 want yo+ to fear and respect me. 3f yo+ do this, yo+r home will not !e destroyed, and 3 will not have to p+nish yo+ the way 3 planned. <+t those evil people only wanted to do more of the same evil things they had already done" ( The 5.D said, So =+st wait" >ait for me to stand and =+dge yo+. 3 have the right to !ring people from many nations and +se them to p+nish yo+. 3 will +se them to show my anger against yo+. 3 will +se them to show how +pset 3 am, and the whole co+ntry will !e destroyed. ) Then 3 will change people from other nations so that they can speak the lang+age clearly and call o+t the name of the 5.D. They will all worship me together, sho+lder to sho+lder, as one pag. )',0131#

people. Bephaniah 3.1,*1% ) 1, 6eople will come all the way from the other side of the river in -thiopia. Ay scattered people will come to me. Ay worshipers will come and !ring their gifts to me. 11 Then, Cer+salem, yo+ will no longer !e ashamed of the wrong things yo+r people do against me, !eca+se 3 will remove all the !ad people from Cer+salem. 3 will take away all the pro+d people. There will not !e any of them on my holy mo+ntain. 12 3 will let only meek and h+m!le people stay in my city, and they will tr+st the 5.D@S name. 13 The s+rvivors of 3srael will not do !ad things or tell lies. They will not try to trick people with lies. They will !e like sheep that eat and lie down in peace, and no one will !other them. 1# Cer+salem, sing and !e happy" 3srael, sho+t for =oy" Cer+salem, !e happy and have f+n" 1% The 5.D stopped yo+r p+nishment. $e destroyed yo+r enemies strong towers. Ging of 3srael, the 5.D is with yo+. ;o+ dont need to worry a!o+t anything !ad happening. Bephaniah 3.1&*2, 1, 1& At that time Cer+salem will !e told, <e strong, dont !e afraid" 1' The 5.D yo+r God is with yo+. $e is like a powerf+l soldier. $e will save yo+. $e will show how m+ch he loves yo+ and how happy he is with yo+. $e will la+gh and !e happy a!o+t yo+, 1( like people at a party. 3 will take away yo+r shame. 3 will make them stop h+rting yo+. 1) At that time 3 will p+nish those who h+rt yo+. 3 will save my h+rt people and !ring !ack those who were forced to leave. 3 will give them praise and honor everywhere, even in places where they s+ffered shame. 2, At that time 3 will lead yo+ !ack home. 3 will !ring yo+r people !ack together. 3 will ca+se people everywhere -asy To .ead /ersion

to honor and praise yo+. ;o+ will see me !ring !ack all the !lessings yo+ once had. This is what the 5.D said. 1a((ai 1 1 5n the first day of the si4th month of the second year that Dari+s was king of 6ersia, $aggai received a message from the 5.D. This message was for Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel and Cosh+a son of CehoEadak. Ber+!!a!el was the governor of C+dah and Cosh+a was the high priest. This is the message: 2 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, The people say it is not yet the right time to !+ild the 5.D@S Temple. 3 Again $aggai received a message from the 5.D. $aggai spoke this message: # ;o+ people think the right time has come for yo+ to live in nice ho+ses. ;o+ live in ho+ses with !ea+tif+l wooden paneling on the walls, !+t the ords ho+se is still in r+ins. % 1ow the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, Think a!o+t what is happening. & ;o+ have planted many seeds, !+t yo+ have gathered only a few crops. ;o+ have food to eat, !+t not eno+gh to get f+ll. ;o+ have something to drink, $aggai 1.'*11 2 !+t not eno+gh to get dr+nk. ;o+ have some clothes to wear, !+t not eno+gh to keep warm. ;o+ earn a little money, !+t yo+ dont know where it all goes. 3ts as tho+gh there is a hole in yo+r pocket" ' The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, Think a!o+t what yo+ are doing. ( Go +p to the mo+ntains, get the wood, and !+ild the Temple. Then 3 will !e pleased with the Temple, and 3 will !e honored. This is what the 5.D said. ) The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, ;o+ people look for a !ig harvest, !+t when yo+ go to gather the crop, there is only a little grain. So yo+ !ring that grain home, and then 3 send a wind that !lows it all away. >hy is this happening? <eca+se my ho+se is still in r+ins while each of yo+ r+ns home to take care of yo+r own ho+se. 1, That is why the sky holds !ack its pag. )'10131#

dew and why the earth holds !ack its crops. 11 3 gave the command for the land and the mo+ntains to !e dry. The grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and everything the earth prod+ces will !e r+ined. All the $aggai 1.12*2.2 3 people and all the animals will !ecome weak. 12 The 5.D God had sent $aggai to speak to Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel and to the high priest, Cosh+a son of CehoEadak. So these men and all the people listened to the voice of the 5.D their God and to the words of $aggai the prophet. And the people showed their fear and respect for the 5.D their God. 13 Then $aggai, the 5.D@S messenger, delivered this message to the people: The 5.D says, 3 am with yo+" 1# Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel was the governor of C+dah. Cosh+a son of CehoEadak was the high priest. The 5.D made them and the rest of the people e4cited a!o+t working on the Temple of their God, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1% So they !egan this work on the 2#th day of the si4th month in the second year Dari+s was the king. 2 1 5n the 21st day of the seventh month, this message from the 5.D came to $aggai: 2 Speak to Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel, the governor of C+dah, and to Cosh+a $aggai 2.3*' # son of CehoEadak, the high priest, and to all the people. Say this: 3 $ow many of yo+ people look at this Temple and try to compare it to the !ea+tif+l Temple that was destroyed? >hat do yo+ think? Does this Temple seem like nothing when yo+ compare it with the first Temple? # <+t the 5.D says, Ber+!!a!el, Dont !e disco+raged" And the 5.D says, Cosh+a son of CehoEadak, yo+ are the high priest. Dont !e disco+raged" And all yo+ people who live in the land, dont !e disco+raged" 9ontin+e this work, !eca+se 3 am with yo+" This is what the -asy To .ead /ersion

5.D AllD6owerf+l said" % 3 made an agreement with yo+ when yo+ left -gypt, and 3 have kept my promise. Ay Spirit is with yo+, so dont !e afraid" & This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, 3n =+st a little while, 3 will once again shake things +p. 3 will shake heaven and earth, and 3 will shake the sea and the dry land. ' 3 will shake +p the nations, and they will come to yo+ with wealth from every nation. And then 3 will fill this Temple $aggai 2.(*13 % with glory. That is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said" ( All their silver really !elongs to me" And all the gold is mine" This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. ) And the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said This last Temple will !e more !ea+tif+l than the first one, and 3 will !ring peace to this place. .emem!er, this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 1, 5n the 2#th day of the ninth month in the second year Dari+s was king of 6ersia, this message from the 5.D came to $aggai the prophet: 11 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l commands yo+ to ask the priests what the law says a!o+t these things: 12 S+ppose a man carries some meat in the fold of his clothes. This meat is part of a sacrifice, so it is holy. 3f his clothes to+ch some !read, cooked food, wine, oil, or some other food, will the thing the clothes to+ch !ecome holy? The priests answered, 1o. 13 Then $aggai said, >hoever to+ches a dead !ody will !ecome +nclean. 1ow if they to+ch anything else, will it also $aggai 2.1#*1( & !ecome +nclean? The priests answered, ;es, it will !ecome +nclean. 1# Then $aggai said, This is what the 5.D God said: This is also tr+e a!o+t the people of this nation. They were not p+re and holy !efore me. So anything they did with their hands and anything they offered at the altar !ecame +nclean. pag. )'20131#

1% Think a!o+t what has happened to yo+. Think a!o+t how things were !efore yo+ !egan working on the 5.D@S Temple. 1& 6eople wanted 2, meas+res of grain, !+t there were only 1, meas+res in the pile. 6eople wanted to get %, =ars of wine from the wine vat, !+t there were only 2,. 1' That was !eca+se 3 p+nished yo+. 3 sent the diseases that killed yo+r plants and the hail that destroyed the things yo+ made with yo+r hands. 3 did this, !+t still yo+ did not come to me. This is what the 5.D said. 1( The ord said, Today is the 2#th day of the ninth month. ;o+ have finished laying the fo+ndation of the 5.D@S Temple. So notice what happens from this day forward: $aggai 2.1)*23 ' 1) ;o+r seed for planting is still in the !arn. And look at the vines, the fig trees, and the pomegranate and olive trees. They have not yet prod+ced any fr+it. <+t !eginning today, 3 will !less yo+. 2, Another message from the 5.D came to $aggai on the 2#th day of the month. This is the message: 21 Go to Ber+!!a!el, the governor of C+dah and tell him that 3 will shake heaven and earth. 22 And 3 will overthrow many kings and kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of those other people. 3 will destroy their chariots and their riders. 3 will defeat their war horses and riders. These armies are friends now, !+t they will t+rn against each other and kill each other with swords. 23 This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: Ber+!!a!el son of Shealtiel, my servant, 3 have chosen yo+. 3, the 5.D, tell yo+ that at that time 3 will +se yo+ like a signet ring to represent my a+thority" This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 4e"'aria' 1 1 Bechariah son of <erekiah received a message from the 5.D. This -asy To .ead /ersion

was in the eighth month of the second year that Dari+s was king in 6ersia. 7Bechariah was the son of <erekiah, who was the son of 3ddo the prophet.8 This is that message: 2 The 5.D !ecame very angry with yo+r ancestors. 3 So yo+ m+st tell the people what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 9ome !ack to me, says the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, and 3 will come !ack to yo+. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. # Dont !e like yo+r ancestors. 3n the past the prophets spoke to them and said, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l wants yo+ to change yo+r evil way of living. Stop doing evil things" <+t yo+r ancestors did not listen to me. This is what the 5.D said. % ;o+r ancestors are gone, and those prophets did not live forever. Bechariah 1.&*11 2 & The prophets were my servants. 3 +sed them to tell yo+r ancestors a!o+t my laws and teachings. ;o+r ancestors finally learned their lesson and said, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l did what he said he wo+ld do. $e p+nished +s for the way we lived and for all the evil things we did. So they came !ack to God. ' 5n the 2#th day of the eleventh month 7She!at8 of the second year that Dari+s was king of 6ersia, Bechariah received another message from the 5.D. 7This was Bechariah son of <erekiah, son of 3ddo.8 This is the message: ( At night 3 saw a man riding a red horse. $e was standing among some myrtle !+shes in the valley. <ehind him were riders on red, !rown, and white horses. ) 3 said, Sir, what do these mean? Then the angel speaking to me said, 3 will show yo+ what they mean. 1, Then the man among the myrtle !+shes said, These are the ones the 5.D sent to go here and there on earth. 11 Then the riders on the horses spoke to the angel of the 5.D standing among the myrtle !+shes. They said, >e pag. )'30131#

Bechariah 1.12*1( 3 have gone all overgen the earth, and everything is calm and J+iet. 12 Then the angel of the 5.D said, 5.D AllD6owerf+l, how long !efore yo+ comfort Cer+salem and the cities of C+dah? ;o+ have shown yo+r anger at these cities for ', years now. 13 Then the 5.D answered the angel who was talking with me. $e spoke good, comforting words. 1# Then the angel told me to tell the people this: The ord AllD6owerf+l says: 3 have a strong love for Cer+salem and Bion. 1% And 3 am very angry at the nations that feel so safe. 3 was only a little angry, and 3 +sed them to p+nish my people. <+t they ca+sed too m+ch damage. 1& So the 5.D says, 3 will come !ack to Cer+salem and comfort her. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, Cer+salem will !e re!+ilt, and my ho+se will !e !+ilt there. 1' The angel also said, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, Ay towns will !e rich again. 3 will comfort Bion. 3 will again choose Cer+salem to !e my special city. 1( Then 3 looked +p and 3 saw fo+r horns. Bechariah 1.1)*2.# # 1) So 3 asked the angel who was talking with me, >hat do these horns mean? $e said, These are the horns that forced the people of 3srael, C+dah, and Cer+salem to go to foreign co+ntries. 2, The 5.D showed me fo+r workers. 21 3 asked him, >hat are these fo+r workers coming to do? $e said, The horns represent the nations that attacked the people of C+dah and forced them to go to foreign co+ntries. The horns threw the people of C+dah to the foreign co+ntries. The horns didnt show mercy to anyone. <+t these fo+r workers have come to frighten the horns and throw them away. 2 1 Then 3 looked +p and saw a man holding a rope for meas+ring things. 2 3 asked him, >here are yo+ going? $e said to me, 3 am going to meas+re -asy To .ead /ersion

Cer+salem, to see how wide and how long it is. 3 Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel went o+t to talk to him. # $e said to him, .+n and tell that yo+ng man this: Cer+salem will !e a city Bechariah 2.%*1, % witho+t walls, !eca+se there will !e too many people and animals living there. % The 5.D says, 3 will !e a wall of fire aro+nd her, to protect her, and to !ring glory to that city, 3 will live there.The 5.D says, & $+rry" eave the land in the 1orth in a h+rry. ;es, it is tr+e that 3 scattered yo+r people in every direction. This is what the 5.D said. ' ;o+ people from Bion now live in <a!ylon. -scape" .+n away from that city" ( The ord sent me to the nations that took away yo+r wealth. $e sent me to !ring yo+ honor. And this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: 3f anyone even to+ches yo+, it will !e the same as poking me in the eye. ) >atch and see how 3 will p+nish them: Their own slaves will !ecome their masters and take all their wealth. Then yo+ will know it was the 5.D AllD6owerf+l who sent me to tell yo+ these things. 1, The 5.D says, Bion, !e happy, !eca+se 3 am coming, and 3 will live in yo+r city. Bechariah 2.11*3.# & 11 At that time people from many nations will come to me. They will !ecome my people, and 3 will live in yo+r city. Then yo+ will know that it was the 5.D AllD6owerf+l who sent me. 12 The 5.D will again choose Cer+salem to !e his special city. C+dah will !e his share of the holy land. 13 -veryone, !e J+iet" The 5.D is coming o+t of his holy ho+se. 3 1 The angel showed me Cosh+a the high priest, standing in front of the angel of the 5.D and Satan was pag. )'#0131#

standing !y Cosh+as right side. Satan was there to acc+se Cosh+a of doing wrong. 2 Then the angel of the 5.D said to Satan, The 5.D says no to yo+" The 5.D has chosen Cer+salem to !e his special city, and he says that yo+ are wrong. $e saved this man like a !+rning stick that someone p+lls o+t of the fire. 3 Cosh+a was wearing a dirty ro!e as he stood in front of the angel. # Then the angel said to the other angels standing near him, Take those dirty clothes off Cosh+a. Then the angel spoke to Cosh+a. $e said, 1ow, 3 have Bechariah 3.%*) ' taken away yo+r g+ilt, and 3 am giving yo+ a new change of clothes. % Then 3 said, 6+t a clean t+r!an on his head. So they p+t the clean t+r!an on him and also p+t clean clothes on him while the angel of the 5.D stood there. & Then the angel of the 5.D said this to Cosh+a: ' This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said: ive the way 3 tell yo+, and do everything 3 say. And yo+ will !e in charge of my Temple. ;o+ will take care of its co+rtyard. ;o+ will !e free to go anywhere in my Temple, =+st as these angels standing here. ( isten, Cosh+a, yo+ who are the high priest, and listen, yo+ fellow priests seated !efore him. ;o+ are all e4amples to show what will happen when 3 !ring my special servant. $e is called, T$<.A19$. ) ook, 3 p+t a special stone in front of Cosh+a. There are seven sides on that stone. 3 will carve a special message on it. This will show that in one day, 3 will remove the g+ilt from this land. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says. Bechariah 3.1,*#.& ( 1, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, At that time people will sit and talk with their friends and neigh!ors. They will invite each other to sit +nder the fig trees and grapevines. 4 1 Then the angel who was talking to -asy To .ead /ersion

me ret+rned and woke me +p. 3 was like a person waking +p from sleep. 2 Then the angel asked me, >hat do yo+ see? 3 said, 3 see a solid gold lampstand. There are seven lamps on the lampstand, and there is a !owl on top of it. There are seven t+!es coming from the !owl. 5ne t+!e goes to each lamp. The t+!es !ring the oil in the !owl to each of the lamps. 3 There are two olive trees !y the !owl, one on the right side and one on the left side. These trees prod+ce the oil for the lamps. # Then 3 asked the angel who was speaking with me, Sir, what do these things mean? % The angel speaking with me said, Dont yo+ know what these things are? 1o sir, 3 said. & $e said, This is the message from the 5.D to Ber+!!a!el: ;o+r help will not Bechariah #.'*12 ) come from yo+r own strength and power. 1o, yo+r help will come from my Spirit. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says. ' That tall mo+ntain will !e like a flat place for Ber+!!a!el. $e will !+ild the Temple, and when the most important stone is p+t in place, the people will sho+t, <ea+tif+l" <ea+tif+l" ( The 5.D@S message to me also said, ) Ber+!!a!el will lay the fo+ndations for my Temple, and he will finish !+ilding it. Then yo+ will know that the 5.D AllD6owerf+l sent me to yo+ people. 1, 6eople will not !e ashamed of the small !eginnings, and they will !e very happy when they see Ber+!!a!el with the pl+m! line, meas+ring and checking the finished !+ilding. 1ow the seven sides of the stone yo+ saw represent the eyes of the 5.D looking in every direction. They see everything on earth. 11 Then 3 said to him, 3 saw one olive tree on the right side of the lampstand and one on the left side. >hat do those two olive trees mean? 12 3 also said to him, 3 saw two olive !ranches !y the gold t+!es with gold pag. )'%0131#

Bechariah #.13*%.% 1, colored oil flowing from them. >hat do these things mean? 13 Then the angel said to me, Dont yo+ know what these things mean? 3 said, 1o, sir. 1# So he said, They represent the two men chosen to serve the ord of the whole world. 5 1 3 looked +p again, and 3 saw a flying scroll. 2 The angel asked me, >hat do yo+ see? 3 said, 3 see a flying scroll that is 3, feet long and 1% feet wide. 3 Then the angel told me, There is a c+rse written on that scroll. 5n one side of the scroll, there is a c+rse against thieves and on the other side is a c+rse against people who lie when they make promises. # The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 will send that scroll to the ho+ses of thieves and people who lie when they +se my name to make promises. That scroll will settle there and destroy even the stones and wooden posts of their ho+ses. % The angel who was talking to me went o+tside and said, ook" >hat do yo+ see coming? Bechariah %.&*&.1 11 & 3 said, 3 dont know. >hat is it? $e said, That is a meas+ring !+cket. $e also said, That !+cket is for meas+ring the sins of the people in this co+ntry. ' A lid made of lead was lifted off the !+cket, and there was a woman in the !+cket. ( The angel said, The woman represents evil. Then the angel p+shed the woman down into the !+cket and p+t the lead lid !ack on it. ) Then 3 looked +p and saw two women with wings like a stork. They flew o+t, and with the wind in their wings, they picked +p the !+cket. They flew thro+gh the air carrying the !+cket. 1, Then 3 asked the angel who was speaking with me, >here are they carrying the !+cket? 11 The angel told me, They are going to -asy To .ead /ersion

!+ild a ho+se for it in <a!ylonia. After they !+ild that ho+se, they will p+t the !+cket there. 6 1 3 looked +p again, and 3 saw fo+r chariots coming o+t from !etween two !ronEe mo+ntains. Bechariah &.2*1, 12 2 .ed horses were p+lling the first chariot. <lack horses were p+lling the second chariot. 3 >hite horses were p+lling the third chariot, and spotted horses were p+lling the fo+rth chariot. # 3 asked the angel who was talking with me, Sir, what do these mean? % The angel said, These are the fo+r winds. They have =+st come from the ord of the whole world. & The !lack horses will go north, the white horses will go west, and the spotted horses will go so+th. ' These horses wanted to leave and go all over the earth. So the angel told them, Go thro+gho+t the earth. And so they went on their way. ( Then he sho+ted at me and said, ook, those horses that were going north finished their =o! in <a!ylon. They have calmed my spiritF 3 am not angry now" ) Then 3 received another message from the 5.D. $e said, 1, $eldai, To!i=ah, and Cedaiah have come from the captives in <a!ylon. Get silver and gold from these men and go Bechariah &.11*'.1 13 the same day to the ho+se of Cosiah son of Bephaniah. 11 Hse the silver and gold to make a crown. 6+t it on the head of the high priest, Cosh+a son of CehoEadak. 12 Then tell him this is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says: There is a man called T$- <.A19$. $e will grow strong, and he will !+ild the 5.D@S Temple. 13 ;es, he will !+ild the 5.D@S Temple, and he will receive honor. $e will sit on his throne and !e the r+ler, and a priest will stand !y his throne. These two will work together in peace. 1# The crown will !e kept in my Temple, pag. )'&0131#

so that when people see it, they will remem!er $eldai, To!i=ah, Cedaiah, and the kindness of Bephaniahs son Cosiah. 1% 6eople living far away will come and !+ild the 5.D@S Temple. Then yo+ will know for s+re that the 5.D AllD6owerf+l sent me to yo+ people. All these things will happen if yo+ do what the 5.D yo+r God says. 7 1 Bechariah received a message from the 5.D in the fo+rth year that Dari+s was the king of 6ersia. This was Bechariah '.2*' 1# on the fo+rth day of the ninth month 7Gislev8. 2 The people of <ethel sent ShareEer, .egemDAelech, and his men to ask the 5.D a J+estion. 3 They went to the prophets and to the priests at the Temple of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. They asked them this J+estion: 2or many years we have shown o+r sadness for the destr+ction of the Temple. 3n the fifth month of each year we have had a special time of crying and fasting. Sho+ld we contin+e to do this? # 3 received this message from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l: % Tell the priests and the other people in this co+ntry this: 2or seventy years yo+ fasted and showed yo+r sadness in the fifth month and in the seventh month. <+t was that fasting really for me? & And when yo+ ate and drank, was that for me? 1o, it was for yo+r own good. ' The 5.D +sed the earlier prophets to say the same thing long ago. That was when Cer+salem was still a rich city filled with people and there were still people Bechariah '.(*1# 1% living in the s+rro+nding towns, in the 1egev, and in the western foothills. ( This is the 5.D@S message to Bechariah: ) This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said: ;o+ m+st do what is right and fair. ;o+ m+st !e kind and show mercy to each other. 1, Dont h+rt widows and orphans, -asy To .ead /ersion

strangers, or poor people. Dont even think of doing !ad things to each other" 11 <+t they ref+sed to listen and ref+sed to do what he wanted. They closed their ears so that they co+ld not hear what God said. 12 They were very st+!!orn and wo+ld not o!ey the law. The 5.D AllD6owerf+l +sed his Spirit and sent messages to his people thro+gh the prophets. <+t the people wo+ld not listen, so the 5.D AllD6owerf+l !ecame very angry. 13 So the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, 3 called to them, and they did not answer. So now, if they call to me, 3 will not answer. 1# 3 will !ring the other nations against them like a storm. They didnt know those nations, !+t the co+ntry will !e Bechariah (.1*' 1& destroyed after those nations pass thro+gh. This pleasant co+ntry will !e destroyed. 8 1 This is a message from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 2 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 have a very strong love for Ao+nt Bion. 3 love her so m+ch that 3 !ecame angry when she was not faithf+l to me. 3 The 5.D says, 3 have come !ack to Bion, and 3 am living in Cer+salem. Cer+salem will !e called 2A3T$2H 93T;. The mo+ntain of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l will !e called $5 ; A5H1TA31. # The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 5ld men and women will again !e seen in the p+!lic places in Cer+salem. 6eople will live so long that they will need their walking sticks. % And the city will !e filled with children playing in the streets. & The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, The s+rvivors will think it is wonderf+l, and so will 3" ' The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, ook, 3 am resc+ing my people from co+ntries in the east and west. Bechariah (.(*13 1' ( 3 will !ring them !ack here, and they will live in Cer+salem. They will !e my pag. )''0131#

people, and 3 will !e their good and faithf+l God. ) The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, <e strong" ;o+ people are hearing the same message today that the prophets gave when the 5.D AllD6owerf+l first laid the fo+ndations to re!+ild his Temple. 1, <efore that time, people didnt have the money to hire workers or to rent animals. And it was not safe for people to come and go. There was no relief from all the tro+!les. 3 had t+rned everyone against their neigh!or. 11 <+t it is not like that now. 3t will not !e like that for the s+rvivors. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 12 These people will plant in peace. Their grapevines will prod+ce grapes. The land will give good crops, and the skies will give rain. 3 will give all these things to my people. 13 6eople !egan +sing the names 3srael and C+dah in their c+rses. <+t 3 will save 3srael and C+dah, and their names will !ecome a !lessing. So dont !e afraid. <e strong" Bechariah (.1#*1) 1( 1# The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, ;o+r ancestors made me angry, so 3 decided to destroy them. 3 decided not to change my mind. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 1% <+t now 3 have changed my mind. And in the same way 3 have decided to !e good to Cer+salem and to the people of C+dah. So dont !e afraid" 1& <+t yo+ m+st do this: Tell the tr+th to yo+r neigh!ors. >hen yo+ make decisions in yo+r cities, !e fair and do what is right. Do what !rings peace. 1' Dont make secret plans to h+rt yo+r neigh!ors. Dont make false promises. ;o+ m+st not en=oy doing these things, !eca+se 3 hate them" This is what the 5.D said. 1( 3 received this message from the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 1) The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, ;o+ have special days of sadness and fasting in the fo+rth month, the fifth month, the -asy To .ead /ersion

seventh month, and the tenth month. These days of sadness m+st !e changed into days of happiness. They will !e good and happy festivals. And yo+ m+st love tr+th and peace. Bechariah (.2,*).2 1) 2, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3n the f+t+re people from many cities will come to Cer+salem. 21 6eople from different cities will greet each other and say, >e are going to worship the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. And the other person will say, 3 wo+ld like to go with yo+" 22 Aany people and many powerf+l nations will come to Cer+salem to find the 5.D AllD6owerf+l and to worship him. 23 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, At that time many foreigners speaking different lang+ages will come to a Cewish man, take hold of the hem of his ro!e, and ask, >e heard that God is with yo+. 9an we come with yo+ to worship him? 9 1 This is the 5.D@S message against the land of $adrach and against the city of Damasc+s. The tri!es of 3srael are not the only people who know a!o+t the 5.D. -veryone looks to him for help. 2 This message is also against the city of $amath near Damasc+s. And this message is against Tyre and Sidon, even tho+gh those people have !een so wise and skillf+l. Bechariah ).3*( 2, 3 Tyre is !+ilt like a fort. The people there have collected so m+ch silver that it is like d+st, and gold is as common as clay. # <+t the ord will take it all. $e will destroy her powerf+l navy and that city will !e destroyed !y fire" % The people in Ashkelon will see this and they will !e afraid. The people of GaEa will shake with fear, and the people of -kron will lose all hope when they see this happen. There will !e no king left in GaEa. 1o one will live in Ashkelon anymore. & The people in Ashdod will not even pag. )'(0131#

know who their real fathers are. The ord says, 3 will completely destroy the pro+d 6hilistines. ' They will no longer eat meat with the !lood still in it or any other for!idden food. Any 6hilistine left alive will !ecome a part of my peopleF they will !e =+st one more tri!e in C+dah. The people of -kron will !ecome a part of my people, as the Ce!+sites did. ( 3 will protect my co+ntry. 3 will not let enemy armies pass thro+gh it. 3 will not let them h+rt my people anymore. >ith Bechariah ).)*1# 21 my own eyes 3 have seen how m+ch my people have s+ffered. ) 6eople of Bion, re=oice" 6eople of Cer+salem, sho+t with =oy" ook, yo+r king is coming to yo+" $e is the good king who won the victory, !+t he is h+m!le. $e is riding on a donkey, on a yo+ng donkey !orn from a work animal. 1, 3 will take the war chariots away from -phraim and the horse soldiers from Cer+salem. 3 will destroy the !ows +sed in war. ;o+r king will !ring news of peace to the nations. $e will r+le from sea to sea, from the -+phrates .iver to the ends of the earth. 11 Cer+salem, we +sed !lood to seal yo+r agreement, so 3 am setting yo+r people free from that empty hole in the gro+nd. 12 6risoners, go home" 1ow yo+ have something to hope for. 3 am telling yo+ now, 3 am coming !ack to yo+. 13 C+dah, 3 will +se yo+ like a !ow. -phraim, 3 will +se yo+ like arrows. 3srael, 3 will +se yo+ like a sword to fight against the men of Greece. 1# The 5.D will appear to them, and he will shoot his arrows like lightning. Bechariah ).1%*1,.2 22 The ord G5D will !low the tr+mpet, and the army will r+sh forward like a desert d+st storm. 1% The 5.D AllD6owerf+l will protect them. The soldiers will +se rocks and slings to defeat the enemy. They will spill the !lood of their enemies. 3t will flow -asy To .ead /ersion

like wine. 3t will !e like the !lood that is thrown on the corners of the altar" 1& At that time the 5.D their God will save his people like a shepherd saves his sheep. They will !e very precio+s to him. They will !e like sparkling =ewels in his land. 1' -verything will !e good and !ea+tif+l" There will !e a wonderf+l crop, !+t it will not !e =+st the food and wine. 3t will !e all the yo+ng men and women" 10 1 6ray to the 5.D for rain in the springtime. The 5.D will send the lightning and the rain will fall, and he will make the plants grow in each persons field. 2 6eople +se their little stat+es and magic to learn what will happen in the f+t+re, !+t that is +seless. They see visions and tell a!o+t their dreams, !+t it is nothing !+t worthless lies. So the Bechariah 1,.3*' 23 people are like sheep wandering here and there crying for help, !+t there is no shepherd to lead them. 3 The ord says, 3 am very angry with the shepherds. 3 made them responsi!le for what happens to my sheep. The people of C+dah are his flock, and the 5.D AllD6owerf+l really does take care of his flock. $e cares for them as a soldier cares for his !ea+tif+l war horse. # The cornerstone, the tent peg, the war !ow, and the advancing soldiers will all come from C+dah together. % They will defeat their enemy it will !e like soldiers marching thro+gh m+d in the streets. They will fight, and since the 5.D is with them, they will defeat even the enemy soldiers riding horses. & 3 will make C+dahs family strong. 3 will help Cosephs family win the war. 3 will !ring them !ack safely and comfort them. 3t will !e as if 3 never left them. 3 am the 5.D their God, and 3 will help them. ' The people of -phraim will !e as happy as soldiers who have too m+ch to drink. Their children will !e re=oicing and they, Bechariah 1,.(*11.2 2# pag. )')0131#

too, will !e happy. They will all have a happy time together with the 5.D. ( 3 will whistle for them and call them all together. 3 really will save them. There will !e many people. ) ;es, 3 have !een scattering my people thro+gho+t the nations. <+t in those faraway places, they will remem!er me. They and their children will s+rvive, and they will come !ack. 1, 3 will !ring them !ack from -gypt and Assyria. 3 will !ring them to the area of Gilead. And since there will not !e eno+gh room, 3 will also let them live in near!y e!anon. 11 They will go thro+gh a sea of tro+!les, !+t the waves will !e stopped. -ven the deepest waters of the 1ile .iver will dry +p. 3 will destroy Assyrias pride and take away -gypts power. 12 3, the 5.D, will make my people strong, and they will live for me. This is what the 5.D said. 11 1 e!anon, open yo+r gates so that the fire will come and !+rn yo+r cedar trees. 2 The cypress trees will cry !eca+se the cedar trees have fallen. Those powerf+l Bechariah 11.3*( 2% trees will !e taken away. 5ak trees in <ashan will cry for the forest that was c+t down. 3 isten to the crying shepherds. Their powerf+l leaders were taken away. isten to the roaring of the yo+ng lions. Their thick !+shes near the Cordan .iver have all !een taken away. # The 5.D my God says, 9are for the sheep that have !een raised to !e killed. % <+yers kill their sheep and are not p+nished. Those who sell the sheep say, 6raise the 5.D, 3 am rich" The shepherds dont feel sorry for their sheep. & And 3 dont feel sorry for the people who live in this co+ntry. The 5.D says, ook, 3 will let everyone !e +nder the control of their neigh!or and king. 3 will let them destroy the co+ntry. 3 will not stop them" ' So 3 took care of the sheep that had -asy To .ead /ersion

!een raised to !e killedthose poor sheep. 3 fo+nd two sticks. 3 called one stick 2avor, and 3 called the other stick Hnion. Then 3 !egan caring for the sheep. ( 3 fired the three shepherds all in one month. 3 got angry at the sheep, and they !egan to hate me. Bechariah 11.)*1% 2& ) Then 3 said, 3 J+it" 3 will not take care of yo+" 3 will let those that want to die, die. 3 will let those who want to !e destroyed, !e destroyed, and those who are left will destroy each other. 1, Then 3 took the stick named 2avor, and 3 !roke it. 3 did this to show that Gods agreement with his people was !roken. 11 So that day the agreement was finished, and those poor sheep watching me knew that this message was from the 5.D. 12 Then 3 said, 3f yo+ want to pay me, pay me. 3f not, dont" So they paid me 3, pieces of silver. 13 Then the 5.D said, So thats how m+ch money they think 3m worths+ch a large amo+nt" Take it and throw it into the Temple treas+ry. So 3 took the 3, pieces of silver and threw them into the treas+ry at the 5.D@S Temple. 1# Then 3 c+t the stick named Hnion into two pieces. 3 did this to show that the +nion !etween C+dah and 3srael had !een !roken. 1% Then the 5.D said to me, 1ow, get the things a foolish shepherd might +se. Bechariah 11.1&*12.3 2' 1& This will show that 3 will get a new shepherd for this co+ntry. <+t this yo+ng man will not take care of the sheep that are !eing destroyed. $e will not heal the h+rt sheep or feed those that are left alive. And the healthy ones will !e eaten completelyonly their hoofs will !e left. 1' Too !ad for yo+, yo+ worthless shepherd" ;o+ a!andoned my sheep. 6+nish him" Strike his arm and right eye with a sword. $is arm will !e +seless. $is right eye will !e !lind. 12 1 This is a message from the 5.D pag. )(,0131#

a!o+t 3srael. The ord is the one who made the earth and the sky, and he p+t the h+man spirit in people. And this is what the 5.D said: 2 ook, 3 will make Cer+salem like a c+p of poison to the nations aro+nd her. The nations will come and attack that city, and all of C+dah will !e ca+ght in the trap. 3 <+t 3 will make Cer+salem like a heavy rockthose who try to take it will h+rt themselves. They will !e c+t and scratched. All the nations on earth will come together to fight against Cer+salem. Bechariah 12.#*( 2( # <+t at that time 3 will scare the horse, and the soldier riding it will panic. 3 will make all the enemy horses !lind, !+t my eyes will !e openand 3 will !e watching over C+dahs family. % The leaders of C+dah will enco+rage the people and say, The 5.D AllD 6owerf+l is yo+r God. $e makes +s strong. & At that time 3 will make the leaders of C+dah like a fire !+rning in a forest. They will destroy their enemies like fire !+rning straw. They will destroy the enemy all aro+nd them, and the people in Cer+salem will again !e a!le to sit !ack and rela4. ' The 5.D will save the people of C+dah first, so the people in Cer+salem will not !e a!le to !rag too m+ch. Davids family and the other people who live in Cer+salem will not !e a!le to !rag that they are !etter than the other people in C+dah. ( <+t the 5.D will protect the people in Cer+salem. -ven the man who trips and falls will !ecome a great soldier like David. And the men from Davids family Bechariah 12.)*13 2) will !e like godslike the 5.D@S own angel leading the people. ) The ord says, At that time 3 will destroy the nations that came to fight against Cer+salem. 1, 3 will fill Davids family and the -asy To .ead /ersion

people living in Cer+salem with a spirit of kindness and mercy. They will look to me, the one they sta!!ed, and they will !e very sad. They will !e as sad as someone crying over the death of their only son, as sad as someone crying over the death of their first!orn son. 11 There will !e a time of great sadness and crying in Cer+salem. 3t will !e like what happens in Aegiddo /alley when people cry over the death of $adad .immon. 12 -ach and every family will cry !y itself. The men in Davids family will cry !y themselves, and their wives will cry !y themselves. The men in 1athans family will cry !y themselves, and their wives will cry !y themselves. 13 The men in evis family will cry !y themselves, and their wives will cry !y themselves. The men in Simeons family Bechariah 12.1#*13.# 3, will cry !y themselves, and their wives will cry !y themselves. 1# And the same thing will happen in all the other tri!es. The men and women will cry !y themselves. 13 1 <+t at that time a new spring of water will !e opened for Davids family and for the other people living in Cer+salem. That fo+ntain will !e to wash away their sins and to make the people p+re. 2 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, At that time 3 will remove all the idols from the earth. 6eople will not even remem!er their names, and 3 will remove the false prophets and +nclean spirits from the earth. 3 >hoever contin+es to prophesy will !e p+nished. -ven their parents, their own mother and father, will say to them, ;o+ have spoken lies in the name of the 5.D, so yo+ m+st die" Their own mother and father will sta! them for prophesying. # At that time the prophets will !e ashamed of their visions and prophecies. They will not wear the ro+gh cloth that shows a person is a prophet. They will pag. )(10131#

Bechariah 13.%*1#.1 31 not wear those clothes to trick people with the lies they call prophecies. % They will say, 3 am not a prophet. 3 am a farmer. 3 have worked as a farmer since 3 was a little child. & <+t other people will say, Then what are these wo+nds in yo+r hands? $e will say, 3 was !eaten in the ho+se of my friends. ' The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, Sword, wake +p and strike the shepherd, my friend" Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will r+n away. And 3 will p+nish those little ones. ( The 5.D says, TwoDthirds of the people in the land will !e str+ck down and die, !+t oneDthird will s+rvive. ) Then 3 will test those s+rvivors !y giving them many tro+!les. The tro+!les will !e like the fire a person +ses to prove silver is p+re. 3 will test them the way a person tests gold. Then they will call to me for help, and 3 will answer them. 3 will say, ;o+ are my people. And they will say, The 5.D is my God. 14 1 ook, the 5.D has a special day of =+dgment coming, when Bechariah 1#.2*& 32 the riches yo+ have taken will !e divided in yo+r city. 2 3 will !ring all the nations together to fight against Cer+salem. They will capt+re the city and destroy the ho+ses. The women will !e raped, and half of the people will !e taken away as prisoners. <+t the rest of the people will not !e taken from the city. 3 Then the 5.D will go to war with those nations. 3t will !e a real !attle. # At that time he will stand on the Ao+nt of 5lives, the hill east of Cer+salem. The Ao+nt of 5lives will split in half. 6art of the mo+ntain will move to the north, and part to the so+th. A deep valley will open +p, from the east to the west. % ;o+ will try to r+n away as that mo+ntain valley comes closer and closer to yo+. ;o+ will r+n away like the time yo+ ran from the earthJ+ake d+ring the -asy To .ead /ersion

time of Ging HEEiah of C+dah. <+t the 5.D my God will come, and all his holy ones will !e with him. & That will !e a very special day. There will not !e any light, cold, or frost. 5nly the 5.D knows how, !+t there will not !e any day or night. Then, when Bechariah 1#.'*12 33 darkness +s+ally comes, there will still !e light. ' 71#:&8 ( At that time water will flow contin+ally from Cer+salem. That stream will split and part of it will flow east, and part of it will flow west to the Aediterranean Sea. 3t will flow all year long, in the s+mmer as well as in the winter. ) And the 5.D will !e the Ging of the whole world. At that time all people will worship him as the only 5.D with only one name. 1, And the whole land from Ge!a in the north to .immon in the so+th past Cer+salem will !ecome a flat plain. The city of Cer+salem will stay in the same place, !+t it will !e !+ilt high a!ove the land aro+nd it. 3t will reach from the <en=amin Gate to the 2irst Gate 7that is, the 9orner Gate8 and from the Tower of $ananel to the kings winepresses. 11 6eople will move to Cer+salem !eca+se it will !e a safe place to live. 3t will never again !e destroyed. 12 <+t the 5.D will p+nish the nations that fo+ght against Cer+salem. $e will send a terri!le disease against them. Bechariah 1#.13*1( 3# Their skin will !egin to rot while the people are still alive. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tong+es will rot in their mo+ths. 13 That terri!le disease will !e in the enemy camp, and all their horses, m+les, camels, and donkeys will catch that terri!le disease. At that time they will !e afraid of the 5.D. -ach man will gra! his neigh!ors hand, and they will fight each other. -ven C+dah will fight against Cer+salem. This will happen even while armies from all the nations are pag. )(20131#

s+rro+nding the city. There will m+ch gold, silver, and clothing. 1# 71#:138 1% 71#:138 1& Some of the people who came to fight Cer+salem will s+rvive. And every year they will come to worship the king, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. They will come to cele!rate the 2estival of Shelters. 1' And if people from any of the families on earth dont go to Cer+salem to worship the Ging, the 5.D AllD6owerf+l, no rain will fall on their land. 1( 3f any of the families in -gypt dont come to cele!rate the 2estival Bechariah 1#.1)*21 3% of Shelters, they will get that terri!le disease that the 5.D ca+sed the enemy nations to get. 1) That will !e the p+nishment for -gypt, and for any other nation that does not come to cele!rate the 2estival of Shelters. 2, At that time even the harnesses on the horses will have the la!el, $5 ; T5 T$- 5.D. And all the pots +sed in the 5.D@S Temple will !e =+st as important as the !owls +sed at the altar. 21 3n fact, every dish in Cer+salem and C+dah will have the la!el, $5 ; T5 T$5.D A D65>-.2H . All the people offering sacrifices will come, take those dishes, and cook their special meals in them. At that time there will not !e any merchants !+ying and selling things in the Temple of the 5.D AllD6owerf+l. 3ala"'i 1 1 This is a message from the 5.D to 3srael. God +sed Aalachi to tell this message to the people. 2 The 5.D said, 3 love yo+ people. <+t yo+ said, >hat shows yo+ love +s? The 5.D said, -sa+ was Caco!s !rother, !+t 3 chose Caco!. 3 And 3 did not accept -sa+. 3 destroyed his hill co+ntry. $is co+ntry was destroyed, and now only =ackals live there. # The people of -dom might say, >e were destroyed, !+t we will go !ack -asy To .ead /ersion

and re!+ild o+r cities. <+t the 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3f they re!+ild their cities, 3 will destroy them again. That is why people say -dom is an evil co+ntrya nation the 5.D hates forever. % ;o+ people saw these things, and yo+ said, The 5.D is great, even o+tside of 3srael" & The 5.D AllD6owerf+l said, 9hildren honor their fathers. Servants honor their masters. 3 am yo+r 2ather, so why dont Aalachi 1.'*1, 2 yo+ honor me? 3 am yo+r master, so why dont yo+ respect me? ;o+ priests dont respect my name. <+t yo+ say, >hat have we done that shows we dont respect yo+r name? ' ;o+ !ring +nclean !read to my altar. <+t yo+ ask, >hat makes that !read +nclean? 3t is +nclean !eca+se yo+ show no respect for the altar of the 5.D. ( ;o+ !ring !lind animals as sacrifices, and that is wrong. ;o+ !ring sick and crippled animals for sacrifices, and that is wrong. Try giving those sick animals as a gift to yo+r governor. >o+ld he accept those sick animals? 1o, he wo+ld not accept them. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. ) 1ow try asking God to !e good to yo+. <+t he will not listen to yo+, and it is all yo+r fa+lt. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 1, 3 wish one of yo+ wo+ld close the Temple doors to stop the lighting of +seless fires on my altar. 3 am not pleased with yo+. 3 will not accept yo+r gifts. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. Aalachi 1.11*1# 3 11 6eople all aro+nd the world respect my name. All aro+nd the world they !ring good gifts to me and !+rn good incense as a gift to me, !eca+se my name is important to all of them. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 12 <+t yo+ people show that yo+ dont respect my name. ;o+ say that the ords altar is +nclean. And yo+ dont like the food from that altar. pag. )(30131#

13 ;o+ smell the food and ref+se to eat it. ;o+ say it is !ad. Then yo+ !ring sick, crippled, and h+rt animals to me. ;o+ try to give sick animals to me as sacrifices, !+t 3 will not accept them. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 1# Some people have good, male animals that they co+ld give as sacrifices, !+t dont. Some people !ring good animals and promise to give those healthy animals to me. <+t then they secretly e4change those good animals and give me sick animals instead. <ad things will happen to those people. 3 am the Great Ging and people all aro+nd the world respect me" This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. Aalachi 2.1*& # 2 1 6riests, this r+le is for yo+. 2 isten to me" 6ay attention to what 3 say. Show honor to my name. 3f yo+ dont respect my name, !ad things will happen to yo+. ;o+ will say !lessings, !+t they will !ecome c+rses. 3 will make !ad things happen !eca+se yo+ dont show respect for my name. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 3 ook, 3 will p+nish yo+r descendants. D+ring the festivals, yo+ priests offer sacrifices to me. ;o+ take the d+ng and inside parts from the dead animals and throw them away. <+t 3 will smear the d+ng on yo+r faces, and yo+ will !e thrown away with it" # Then yo+ will learn why 3 am giving yo+ this command. 3 am telling yo+ these things so that my agreement with evi will contin+e. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. % The ord said, 3 made that agreement with evi. 3 promised to give him life and peaceand 3 gave him those things. evi respected me and showed honor to my name. & $e ta+ght the tr+e teachings and didnt teach lies. evi was honest, and he loved Aalachi 2.'*11 % peace. $e followed me and saved many people from !eing p+nished for the evil things they did. -asy To .ead /ersion

' A priest sho+ld know Gods teachings. 6eople sho+ld !e a!le to go to a priest and learn Gods teachings. A priest sho+ld !e the 5.D@S messenger to the people. ( <+t yo+ priests stopped following me" ;o+ +sed the teachings to make people do wrong. ;o+ r+ined the agreement with evi. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. ) ;o+ dont live the way 3 told yo+. ;o+ have not accepted my teachings. So 3 will ca+se people to hate yo+ and think yo+ are worth nothing. 1, >e all have the same father. The same God made every one of +s. So why do people cheat each other? They show that they dont respect the agreement. They dont respect the agreement that o+r ancestors made with God. 11 The people of C+dah cheated other people. 6eople in Cer+salem and 3srael did terri!le things. God loves the Temple, !+t the people in C+dah didnt respect the 5.D@S holy Temple. The people Aalachi 2.12*1& & of C+dah !egan to worship a foreign goddess. 12 The 5.D will remove them from C+dahs family. They might !ring gifts to the 5.D AllD6owerf+l!+t it will not help. 13 ;o+ can cry and cover the 5.D@S altar with tears, !+t the ord will not accept yo+r gifts. $e will not !e pleased with the things yo+ !ring to him. 1# ;o+ ask, >hy are o+r gifts not accepted? 3t is !eca+se the 5.D saw the evil things yo+ didhe is a witness against yo+. $e saw yo+ cheat on yo+r wife. ;o+ have !een married to her since yo+ were yo+ng. She was yo+r girlfriend. Then yo+ made yo+r vows to each otherand she !ecame yo+r wife. 1% God wants h+s!ands and wives to !ecome one !ody and one spirit. >hy? So that they wo+ld have holy children and protect that spirit+al +nity. Dont cheat on yo+r wife. She has !een yo+r wife from the time yo+ were yo+ng. 1& The 5.D, the God of 3srael, says, 3 pag. )(#0131#

hate divorce, and 3 hate the cr+el things that men do. So protect yo+r spirit+al +nity. Dont cheat on yo+r wife. Aalachi 2.1'*3.# ' 1' ;o+ have ta+ght wrong things, and it makes the 5.D very sad. 6eople were doing evil things, !+t yo+ said that this pleased the 5.D and that he accepted those things. And yo+ ta+ght that God does not p+nish people for the evil they do.3 1 The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, 3 am sending my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then s+ddenly, the ord yo+ are looking for will come to his temple. ;es, the messenger yo+ are waiting for, the one who will tell a!o+t my agreement, is really coming" 2 1o one can prepare for that time or stand against him when he comes. $e will !e like a !+rning fire. $e will !e like the strong soap people +se to make things clean. 3 $e will make the evites clean. $e will make them p+re, like silver is made p+re with fire" $e will make them p+re like gold and silver. Then they will !ring gifts to the 5.D, and they will do things the right way. # Then the 5.D will accept the gifts from C+dah and Cer+salem. 3t will !e as it was in the pastas the time long ago. Aalachi 3.%*( ( % Then 3 will !ring yo+ to =+stice. 3 will !e an e4pert witness and testify a!o+t the evil things people do. 3 will speak o+t against those who do evil magic or commit ad+ltery. 3 will speak o+t against those who make false promises and cheat their workers and dont pay them the money they promised. 3 will testify against those who dont help strangers, or widows and orphans. And 3 will testify against those who dont respect me. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. & 3 am the 5.D, and 3 dont change. ;o+ are Caco!s children, and yo+ have not !een completely destroyed. ' <+t yo+ never o!eyed my laws. -ven yo+r ancestors stopped following me. 9ome !ack to me, and 3 will come -asy To .ead /ersion

!ack to yo+. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. ;o+ say, $ow can we come !ack? ( 6eople sho+ld not steal things from God, !+t yo+ stole things from me. ;o+ say, >hat did we steal from yo+? ;o+ sho+ld have given me oneDtenth of yo+r things. ;o+ sho+ld have given me special gifts. Aalachi 3.)*1% ) ) 3n this way yo+r whole nation has stolen things from me, so !ad things are happening to yo+. 1, The 5.D AllD6owerf+l says, Try this test. <ring oneDtenth of yo+r things to me. 6+t them in the treas+ry. <ring food to my ho+se. Test me" 3f yo+ do these things, 3 will s+rely !less yo+. Good things will come to yo+ like rain falling from the sky. ;o+ will have more than eno+gh of everything. 11 3 will not let pests destroy yo+r crops. All yo+r grapevines will prod+ce grapes. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 12 6eople from other nations will !e good to yo+. ;o+ will have a wonderf+l co+ntry. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 13 The 5.D says, ;o+ said cr+el things to me. <+t yo+ ask, >hat did we say a!o+t yo+? 1# ;o+ said, 3t is +seless to worship God. >e did what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l told +s, !+t we didnt gain anything. >e cried like people at a f+neral to show we were sorry for o+r sins, !+t it didnt help. 1% >e think pro+d people are happy. -vil people s+cceed. They do evil things Aalachi 3.1&*#.2 1, to test Gods patience, and God does not p+nish them. 1& Then the 5.D@S followers spoke with each other, and the 5.D listened to them. There is a !ook in front of him. 3n that !ook are the names of his followers. They are the people who honor the 5.D@S name. 1' The 5.D said, They !elong to me. 3 will !e kind to them. 6arents are very kind to their children who o!ey them. 3n the same way, 3 will !e kind to my pag. )(%0131#

followers. 1( ;o+ people will come !ack to me, and yo+ will learn the difference !etween good and evil. ;o+ will learn the difference !etween someone who follows God and someone who does not. 4 1 That time of =+dgment is coming. 3t will !e like a hot f+rnace. All the pro+d people will !e p+nished. All the evil people will !+rn like straw. At that time they will !e like a !+sh !+rning in the fire, and there will not !e a !ranch or root left. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. 2 <+t for yo+, my followers, goodness will shine on yo+ like the rising s+n. And Aalachi #.3*& 11 it will !ring healing power like the s+ns rays. ;o+ will !e free and happy, like calves set free from their pens. 3 >hen the time comes for me to do these things, yo+ will trample down the wicked. They will !e like ashes +nder yo+r feet. This is what the 5.D AllD6owerf+l said. # .emem!er and o!ey the law of my servant Aoses. 3 gave those laws and r+les to him at Ao+nt $ore!. They are for all the people of 3srael. % ook, 3 will send -li=ah the prophet to yo+. $e will come !efore that great and terri!le time of =+dgment from the 5.D. & -li=ah will help the parents !ecome close to their children, and he will help the children !ecome close to their parents. This m+st happen, or 3 will come and completely destroy yo+r co+ntry.

#e6 Testament
3att'e6 1 1 This is the family history of Ces+s the Aessiah. $e came from the family of David, who was from the family of A!raham. 2 A!raham was the father of 3saac. 3saac was the father of Caco!. Caco! was the father of C+dah and his !rothers. 3 C+dah was the father of 6ereE and -asy To .ead /ersion

Berah. 7Their mother was Tamar.8 6ereE was the father of $eEron. $eEron was the father of .am. # .am was the father of Amminada!. Amminada! was the father of 1ahshon. 1ahshon was the father of Salmon. % Salmon was the father of <oaE. 7$is mother was .aha!.8 <oaE was the father of 5!ed. 7$is mother was .+th.8 5!ed was the father of Cesse. & Cesse was the father of Ging David. David was the father of Solomon. 7$is mother had !een Hriahs wife.8 ' Solomon was the father of .eho!oam. .eho!oam was the father of A!i=ah. A!i=ah was the father of Asa. Aatthew 1.(*1& 2 ( Asa was the father of Cehoshaphat. Cehoshaphat was the father of Cehoram. Cehoram was the father of HEEiah. ) HEEiah was the father of Cotham. Cotham was the father of AhaE. AhaE was the father of $eEekiah. 1, $eEekiah was the father of Aanasseh. Aanasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Cosiah. 11 Cosiah was the grandfather of Cehoiachin and his !rothers, who lived d+ring the time that the people were taken away to <a!ylonia. 12 After they were taken to <a!ylonia: Cehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the grandfather of Ber+!!a!el. 13 Ber+!!a!el was the father of A!i+d. A!i+d was the father of -liakim. -liakim was the father of AEor. 1# AEor was the father of Badok. Badok was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of -li+d. 1% -li+d was the father of -leaEar. -leaEar was the father of Aatthan. Aatthan was the father of Caco!. 1& Caco! was the father of Coseph. Coseph was the h+s!and of Aary, and Aatthew 1.1'*21 3 Aary was the mother of Ces+s, who is called the Aessiah. 1' So there were fo+rteen generations from A!raham to David. There were pag. )(&0131#

also fo+rteen generations from David +ntil the people were taken away to <a!ylonia. And there were fo+rteen more from the time the people were taken to <a!ylonia +ntil the Aessiah was !orn. 1( This is how the !irth of Ces+s the Aessiah happened. $is mother Aary was engaged to marry Coseph. <+t !efore they married, he learned that she was e4pecting a !a!y. 7She was pregnant !y the power of the $oly Spirit.8 1) Aarys h+s!and, Coseph, was a good man. $e did not want to ca+se her p+!lic disgrace, so he planned to divorce her secretly. 2, <+t after Coseph tho+ght a!o+t this, an angel from the ord came to him in a dream. The angel said, Coseph, son of David, dont !e afraid to accept Aary as yo+r wife. The !a!y inside her is from the $oly Spirit. 21 She will give !irth to a son. ;o+ will name him Ces+s. Give him that name Aatthew 1.22*2.3 # !eca+se he will save his people from their sins. 22 All this happened to make clear the f+ll meaning of what the ord said thro+gh the prophet: 23 The virgin will !e pregnant and will give !irth to a son. They will name him 3mman+el. 73mman+el means God with +s.8 2# >hen Coseph woke +p, he did what the ords angel told him to do. $e married Aary. 2% <+t Coseph did not have se4+al relations with her +ntil her son was !orn. And he named him Ces+s. 2 1 Ces+s was !orn in the town of <ethlehem in C+dea d+ring the time when $erod was king. After Ces+s was !orn, some wise men from the east came to Cer+salem. 2 They asked people, >here is the child who has !een !orn to !e the king of the Cews? >e saw the star that shows he was !orn. >e saw it when came +p, and we have come to worship him. 3 >hen Ging $erod heard a!o+t this, it -asy To .ead /ersion

+pset him as well as everyone else in Cer+salem. Aatthew 2.#*1, % # $erod called a meeting of all the leading Cewish priests and teachers of the law. $e asked them where the Aessiah wo+ld !e !orn. % They answered, 3n the town of <ethlehem in C+dea, =+st as the prophet wrote: & <ethlehem, in the land of C+dah, yo+ are important among the r+lers of C+dah. ;es, a r+ler will come from yo+, and that r+ler will lead 3srael, my people. ' Then $erod had a private meeting with the wise men from the east. $e learned from them the e4act time they first saw the star. ( Then he sent them to <ethlehem. $e said, Go and look caref+lly for the child. >hen yo+ find him, come tell me. Then 3 can go worship him too. ) After the wise men heard the king, they left. They saw the same star they had seen when it first came +p, and they followed it. The star went !efore them +ntil it stopped a!ove the place where the child was. 1, They were very happy and e4cited to see the star. Aatthew 2.11*1& & 11 The wise men came to the ho+se where the child was with his mother Aary. They !owed down and worshiped him. Then they opened the !o4es of gifts they had !ro+ght for him. They gave him treas+res of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 <+t God warned the wise men in a dream not to go !ack to $erod. So they went home to their own co+ntry a different way. 13 After the wise men left, an angel from the ord came to Coseph in a dream. The angel said, Get +p" Take the child with his mother and escape to -gypt. $erod wants to kill the child and will soon start looking for him. Stay in -gypt +ntil 3 tell yo+ to come !ack. 1# So Coseph got ready and left for pag. )('0131#

-gypt with the child and the mother. They left d+ring the night. 1% Coseph stayed in -gypt +ntil $erod died. This gave f+ll meaning to what the ord said thro+gh the prophet: 3 called my son to come o+t of -gypt. 1& $erod saw that the wise men had fooled him, and he was very angry. So he gave an order to kill all the !a!y !oys Aatthew 2.1'*22 ' in <ethlehem and the whole area aro+nd <ethlehem. $erod had learned from the wise men the time the !a!y was !orn. 3t was now two years from that time. So he said to kill all the !oys who were two years old and yo+nger. 1' This gave f+ll meaning to what God said thro+gh the prophet Ceremiah: 1( A so+nd was heard in .amah !itter crying and great sadness. 3t was .achel crying for her children, and she ref+sed to !e comforted, !eca+se her children are gone. 1) >hile Coseph was in -gypt, $erod died. An angel from the ord came to Coseph in a dream 2, and said, Get +p" Take the child with his mother and go to 3srael. Those who were trying to kill the child are now dead. 21 So Coseph took the child and the mother and went to 3srael. 22 <+t he heard that Archela+s was now king in C+dea. Archela+s !ecame king when his father $erod died. So Coseph was afraid to go there. Then, after !eing warned in a dream, he went away to the area of Galilee. Aatthew 2.23*3.& ( 23 $e went to a town called 1aEareth and lived there. This gave f+ll meaning to what God said thro+gh the prophets. God said the Aessiah wo+ld !e called a 1aEarene. 3 1 >hen it was the right time, Cohn the <aptiEer !egan telling people a message from God. This was o+t in the desert area of C+dea. 2 Cohn said, 9hange yo+r hearts and lives, !eca+se Gods kingdom is now very -asy To .ead /ersion

near. 3 Cohn is the one 3saiah the prophet was talking a!o+t when he said, There is someone sho+ting in the desert: 6repare the way for the ord. Aake the road straight for him. # Cohns clothes were made from camels hair, and he had a leather !elt aro+nd his waist. 2or food, he ate loc+sts and wild honey. % 6eople came o+t to Cohn from Cer+salem and the rest of C+dea and from all the areas along the Cordan .iver. & They confessed the !ad things they had done, and Cohn !aptiEed them in the Cordan. Aatthew 3.'*12 ) ' Aany 6harisees and Sadd+cees came to !e !aptiEed !y Cohn. >hen he saw them, he said, ;o+ are all snakes" >ho warned yo+ to r+n from Gods =+dgment that is coming? ( 9hange yo+r hearts" And show !y the way yo+ live that yo+ have changed. ) 3 know what yo+ are thinking. ;o+ want to say, !+t A!raham is o+r father" That means nothing. 3 tell yo+, God co+ld make children for A!raham from these rocks. 1, The a4 is now ready to c+t down the trees. -very tree that does not prod+ce good fr+it will !e c+t down and thrown into the fire. 11 3 !aptiEe yo+ with water to show that yo+ have changed yo+r hearts and lives. <+t there is someone coming later who is a!le to do more than 3 can. 3 am not good eno+gh even to !e the slave who takes off his sandals. $e will !aptiEe yo+ with the $oly Spirit and with fire. 12 $e will come ready to clean the grain. $e will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will p+t the good part into his !arn. Then he will !+rn the +seless part with a fire that cannot !e stopped. Aatthew 3.13*#.# 1, 13 Then Ces+s came from Galilee to the Cordan .iver. $e came to Cohn, wanting Cohn to !aptiEe him. 1# <+t Cohn tried to stop him. Cohn said, pag. )((0131#

>hy do yo+ come to me to !e !aptiEed? 3 sho+ld !e !aptiEed !y yo+" 1% Ces+s answered, et it !e this way for now. >e sho+ld do whatever God says is right. Then Cohn agreed. 1& So Ces+s was !aptiEed. As soon as he came +p o+t of the water, the sky opened, and he saw Gods Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 1' A voice from heaven said, This is my Son, the one 3 love. 3 am very pleased with him. 4 1 Then the Spirit led Ces+s into the desert. $e was taken there to !e tempted !y the devil. 2 Ces+s ate nothing for #, days and nights. After this he was very h+ngry. 3 The devil came to tempt him and said, 3f yo+ are the Son of God, tell these rocks to !ecome !read. # Ces+s answered, The Script+res say, 3t is not =+st !read that keeps people alive. Their lives depend on what God says. Aatthew #.%*13 11 % Then the devil led Ces+s to the holy city of Cer+salem and p+t him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. & $e said to Ces+s, 3f yo+ are the Son of God, =+mp off, !eca+se the Script+res say, God will command his angels to help yo+, and their hands will catch yo+, so that yo+ will not hit yo+r foot on a rock. ' Ces+s answered, The Script+res also say, ;o+ m+st not test the ord yo+r God. ( Then the devil led Ces+s to the top of a very high mo+ntain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the wonderf+l things in them. ) The devil said, 3f yo+ will !ow down and worship me, 3 will give yo+ all these things. 1, Ces+s said to him, Get away from me, Satan" The Script+res say, ;o+ m+st worship the ord yo+r God. Serve only him" 11 So the devil left him. Then some angels came to Ces+s and helped him. 12 >hen Ces+s heard that Cohn was p+t in prison, he went !ack to Galilee. -asy To .ead /ersion

13 <+t he did not stay in 1aEareth. $e went to live in 9aperna+m, a town near Aatthew #.1#*2, 12 ake Galilee in the area near Be!+l+n and 1aphtali. 1# $e did this to give f+ll meaning to what the prophet 3saiah said: 1% isten, land of Be!+l+n and land of 1aphtali, lands !y the road that goes to the sea, the area past the Cordan .iver Galilee, where those from other nations live. 1& The people who live in spirit+al darkness have seen a great light. The light has shined for those who live in the land that is as dark as a grave. 1' 2rom that time Ces+s !egan to tell people his message: 9hange yo+r hearts and lives, !eca+se Gods kingdom is now very near. 1( As Ces+s was walking !y ake Galilee, he saw two !rothers, Simon 7called 6eter8 and Simons !rother Andrew. These !rothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net. 1) Ces+s said to them, 9ome, follow me, and 3 will make yo+ a different kind of fishermen. ;o+ will !ring in people, not fish. 2, Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him. Aatthew #.21*%.1 13 21 Ces+s contin+ed walking !y ake Galilee. $e saw two other !rothers, Cames and Cohn, the sons of Be!edee. They were in a !oat with their father Be!edee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Ces+s told the !rothers to come with him. 22 So they immediately left the !oat and their father, and they followed Ces+s. 23 Ces+s went everywhere in the co+ntry of Galilee. $e ta+ght in the synagog+es and told the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods kingdom. And he healed all the peoples diseases and sicknesses. 2# The news a!o+t Ces+s spread all over Syria, and people !ro+ght to him all those who were sick. They were s+ffering from different kinds of diseases and pag. )()0131#

pain. Some had demons inside them, some s+ffered from seiE+res, and some were paralyEed. Ces+s healed them all. 2% arge crowds followed himpeople from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Cer+salem, C+dea, and the area across the Cordan .iver. 5 1 >hen Ces+s saw the crowds of people there, he went +p on a hill Aatthew %.2*1, 1# and sat down. $is followers came and sat ne4t to him. 2 Then Ces+s !egan teaching the people. $e said, 3 Great !lessings !elong to those who know they are spirit+ally in need. Gods kingdom !elongs to them. # Great !lessings !elong to those who are sad now. God will comfort them. % Great !lessings !elong to those who are h+m!le. They will !e given the land God promised. & Great !lessings !elong to those who want to do right more than anything else. God will f+lly satisfy them. ' Great !lessings !elong to those who show mercy to others. Aercy will !e given to them. ( Great !lessings !elong to those whose tho+ghts are p+re. They will !e with God. ) Great !lessings !elong to those who work to !ring peace. God will call them his sons and da+ghters. 1, Great !lessings !elong to those who s+ffer persec+tion for doing what is right. Gods kingdom !elongs to them. Aatthew %.11*1& 1% 11 6eople will ins+lt yo+ and h+rt yo+. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things a!o+t yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow me. <+t when they do that, know that great !lessings !elong to yo+. 12 <e happy a!o+t it. <e very glad !eca+se yo+ have a great reward waiting for yo+ in heaven. <e glad that yo+ are like the prophets who lived long ago. 6eople did these same !ad things to them. 13 ;o+ are as needed as salt for those -asy To .ead /ersion

on earth. <+t if the salt loses its taste, it cannot !e made salty again. And then it is good for nothing e4cept to !e thrown o+t for people to walk on. 1# ;o+ are the light that shines for the world to see. ;o+ are like a city !+ilt on a hill that cannot !e hidden. 1% 6eople dont hide a lamp +nder a !owl. They p+t it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the ho+se. 1& 3n the same way, yo+ sho+ld !e a light for other people. ive so that they will see the good things yo+ do and praise yo+r 2ather in heaven. Aatthew %.1'*21 1& 1' Dont think that 3 have come to destroy the aw of Aoses or the teaching of the prophets. 3 have come not to destroy their teachings !+t to give f+ll meaning to them. 1( 3 ass+re yo+ that nothing will disappear from the law +ntil heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter +ntil it has all !een done. 1) A person sho+ld o!ey every command in the law, even one that does not seem important. >hoever ref+ses to o!ey any command and teaches others not to o!ey it will !e the least important in Gods kingdom. <+t whoever o!eys the law and teaches others to o!ey it will !e great in Gods kingdom. 2, 3 tell yo+ that yo+ m+st do !etter than the teachers of the law and the 6harisees. 3f yo+ are not more pleasing to God than they are, yo+ will never enter Gods kingdom. 21 ;o+ have heard that it was said to o+r people long ago, ;o+ m+st not m+rder anyone. Any person who commits m+rder will !e =+dged. Aatthew %.22*2( 1' 22 <+t 3 tell yo+, dont !e angry with anyone. 3f yo+ are angry with others, yo+ will !e =+dged. And if yo+ ins+lt someone, yo+ will !e =+dged !y the high co+rt. And if yo+ call someone a fool, yo+ will !e in danger of the fire of hell. pag. )),0131#

23 So, what if yo+ are offering yo+r gift at the altar and remem!er that someone has something against yo+? 2# eave yo+r gift there and go make peace with that person. Then come and offer yo+r gift. 2% 3f anyone wants to take yo+ to co+rt, make friends with them J+ickly. Try to do that !efore yo+ get to the co+rt. 3f yo+ dont, they might hand yo+ over to the =+dge. And the =+dge will hand yo+ over to a g+ard, who will throw yo+ into =ail. 2& 3 ass+re yo+ that yo+ will not leave there +ntil yo+ have paid everything yo+ owe. 2' ;o+ have heard that it was said, ;o+ m+st not commit ad+ltery. 2( <+t 3 tell yo+ that if a man looks at a woman and wants to sin se4+ally with her, he has already committed that sin with her in his mind. Aatthew %.2)*3% 1( 2) 3f yo+r right eye makes yo+ sin, take it o+t and throw it away. 3t is !etter to lose one part of yo+r !ody than to have yo+r whole !ody thrown into hell. 3, 3f yo+r right hand makes yo+ sin, c+t it off and throw it away. 3t is !etter to lose one part of yo+r !ody than for yo+r whole !ody to go into hell. 31 3t was also said, Any man who divorces his wife m+st give her a written notice of divorce. 32 <+t 3 tell yo+ that any man who divorces his wife, e4cept for the pro!lem of se4+al sin, is ca+sing his wife to !e g+ilty of ad+ltery. And whoever marries a divorced woman is g+ilty of ad+ltery. 33 ;o+ have heard that it was said to o+r people long ago, >hen yo+ make a vow, yo+ m+st not !reak yo+r promise. Geep the vows that yo+ make to the ord. 3# <+t 3 tell yo+, when yo+ make a promise, dont try to make it stronger with a vow. Dont make a vow +sing the name of heaven, !eca+se heaven is Gods throne. 3% Dont make a vow +sing the name of the earth, !eca+se the earth !elongs to -asy To .ead /ersion

him. Dont make a vow +sing the name Aatthew %.3&*## 1) of Cer+salem, !eca+se it also !elongs to him, the great Ging. 3& And dont even say that yo+r own head is proof that yo+ will keep yo+r promise. ;o+ cannot make one hair on yo+r head white or !lack. 3' Say only yes if yo+ mean yes, and say only no if yo+ mean no. 3f yo+ say more than that, it is from the -vil 5ne. 3( ;o+ have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 3) <+t 3 tell yo+, dont fight !ack against someone who wants to do harm to yo+. 3f they hit yo+ on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. #, 3f anyone wants to s+e yo+ in co+rt and take yo+r shirt, let them have yo+r coat too. #1 3f a soldier forces yo+ to walk with him one mile, go with him two. #2 Give to anyone who asks yo+ for something. Dont ref+se to give to anyone who wants to !orrow from yo+. #3 ;o+ have heard that it was said, ove yo+r neigh!or and hate yo+r enemy. ## <+t 3 tell yo+, love yo+r enemies. 6ray for those who treat yo+ !adly. Aatthew %.#%*&.2 2, #% 3f yo+ do this, yo+ will !e children who are tr+ly like yo+r 2ather in heaven. $e lets the s+n rise for all people, whether they are good or !ad. $e sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. #& 3f yo+ love only those who love yo+, why sho+ld yo+ get a reward for that? -ven the ta4 collectors do that. #' And if yo+ are nice only to yo+r friends, yo+ are no !etter than anyone else. -ven the people who dont know God are nice to their friends. #( >hat 3 am saying is that yo+ m+st !e perfect, =+st as yo+r 2ather in heaven is perfect. 6 1 <e caref+l" >hen yo+ do something good, dont do it in front of others so that they will see yo+. 3f yo+ do that, yo+ will have no reward from yo+r 2ather pag. ))10131#

in heaven. 2 >hen yo+ give to those who are poor, dont anno+nce that yo+ are giving. Dont !e like the hypocrites. >hen they are in the synagog+es and on the streets, they !low tr+mpets !efore they give so that people will see them. They want Aatthew &.3*) 21 everyone to praise them. The tr+th is, thats all the reward they will get. 3 So when yo+ give to the poor, dont let anyone know what yo+ are doing. # ;o+r giving sho+ld !e done in private. ;o+r 2ather can see what is done in private, and he will reward yo+. % >hen yo+ pray, dont !e like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagog+es and on the street corners and pray lo+dly. They want people to see them. The tr+th is, thats all the reward they will get. & <+t when yo+ pray, yo+ sho+ld go into yo+r room and close the door. Then pray to yo+r 2ather. $e is there in that private place. $e can see what is done in private, and he will reward yo+. ' And when yo+ pray, dont !e like the people who dont know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it eno+gh, their god will hear them. ( Dont !e like them. ;o+r 2ather knows what yo+ need !efore yo+ ask him. ) So this is how yo+ sho+ld pray: 5+r 2ather in heaven, we pray that yo+r name will always !e kept holy. Aatthew &.1,*1) 22 1, >e pray that yo+r kingdom will come that what yo+ want will !e done here on earth, the same as in heaven. 11 Give +s the food we need for today. 12 2orgive o+r sins, =+st as we have forgiven those who did wrong to +s. 13 Dont let +s !e tempted, !+t save +s from the -vil 5ne. 1# ;es, if yo+ forgive others for the wrongs they do to yo+, then yo+r 2ather in heaven will also forgive yo+r wrongs. 1% <+t if yo+ dont forgive others, then yo+r 2ather in heaven will not forgive the -asy To .ead /ersion

wrongs yo+ do. 1& >hen yo+ fast, dont make yo+rselves look sad like the hypocrites. They p+t a look of s+ffering on their faces so that people will see they are fasting. The tr+th is, thats all the reward they will get. 1' So when yo+ fast, wash yo+r face and make yo+rself look nice. 1( Then no one will know yo+ are fasting, e4cept yo+r 2ather, who is with yo+ even in private. $e can see what is done in private, and he will reward yo+. 1) Dont save treas+res for yo+rselves here on earth. Aoths and r+st will Aatthew &.2,*2% 23 destroy them. And thieves can !reak into yo+r ho+se and steal them. 2, 3nstead, save yo+r treas+res in heaven, where they cannot !e destroyed !y moths or r+st and where thieves cannot !reak in and steal them. 21 ;o+r heart will !e where yo+r treas+re is. 22 6eople can see who yo+ really are !y the way yo+ look at them. 3f yo+ look at them in a genero+s way, they will see yo+ as f+ll of light. 23 <+t if yo+ look at people in a selfish way, they will see yo+ as f+ll of darkness. And if the only light yo+ have is really darkness, yo+ have the worst kind of darkness. 2# ;o+ cannot serve two masters at the same time. ;o+ will hate one and love the other, or yo+ will !e loyal to one and not care a!o+t the other. ;o+ cannot serve God and Aoney at the same time. 2% So 3 tell yo+, dont worry a!o+t the things yo+ need to livewhat yo+ will eat, drink, or wear. ife is more than what yo+ eat, and yo+ are more than what yo+ wear. Aatthew &.2&*32 2# 2& ook at the !irds. They dont plant, harvest, or save food in !arns, !+t yo+r heavenly 2ather feeds them. Dont yo+ know yo+ are worth m+ch more than they are? 2' ;o+ cannot add any time to yo+r life pag. ))20131#

!y worrying a!o+t it. 2( And why do yo+ worry a!o+t clothes? ook at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They dont work or make clothes for themselves. 2) <+t 3 tell yo+ that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as !ea+tif+lly as one of these flowers. 3, 3f God makes what grows in the field so !ea+tif+l, what do yo+ think he will do for yo+? 3ts =+st grassone day its alive, and the ne4t day someone throws it into a fire. <+t God cares eno+gh to make it !ea+tif+l. S+rely he will do m+ch more for yo+. ;o+r faith is so small" 31 Dont worry and say, >hat will we eat? or >hat will we drink? or >hat will we wear? 32 Thats what those people who dont know God are always thinking a!o+t. Dont worry, !eca+se yo+r 2ather in Aatthew &.33*'.& 2% heaven knows that yo+ need all these things. 33 ;o+r first concern sho+ld !e Gods kingdom and whatever he considers good and right. Then he will give yo+ all these other things yo+ need. 3# So dont worry a!o+t tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. -ach day has eno+gh tro+!le of its own. 7 1 Dont =+dge others, and God will not =+dge yo+. 2 3f yo+ =+dge others, yo+ will !e =+dged the same way yo+ =+dge them. God will treat yo+ the same way yo+ treat others. 3 >hy do yo+ see the small piece of d+st that is in yo+r friends eye, !+t yo+ dont notice the !ig piece of wood that is in yo+r own? # >hy do yo+ say to yo+r friend, et me get that piece of d+st o+t of yo+r eye? ook at yo+rself first" ;o+ still have that !ig piece of wood in yo+r own eye. % ;o+ are a hypocrite" 2irst, take the wood o+t of yo+r own eye. Then yo+ will see clearly to get the d+st o+t of yo+r friends eye. & Dont give something that is holy to dogs. They will only t+rn and h+rt yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

Aatthew '.'*13 2& And dont throw yo+r pearls to pigs. They will only step on them. ' 9ontin+e to ask, and God will give to yo+. 9ontin+e to search, and yo+ will find. 9ontin+e to knock, and the door will open for yo+. ( ;es, whoever contin+es to ask will receive. >hoever contin+es to look will find. And whoever contin+es to knock will have the door opened for them. ) Do any of yo+ have a son? 3f he asked for !read, wo+ld yo+ give him a rock? 1, 5r if he asked for a fish, wo+ld yo+ give him a snake? 5f co+rse not" 11 ;o+ people are so !ad, !+t yo+ still know how to give good things to yo+r children. So s+rely yo+r heavenly 2ather will give good things to those who ask him. 12 Do for others what yo+ wo+ld want them to do for yo+. This is the meaning of the aw of Aoses and the teaching of the prophets. 13 ;o+ can enter tr+e life only thro+gh the narrow gate. The gate to r+in is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Aany people go that way. Aatthew '.1#*21 2' 1# <+t the gate that opens the way to tr+e life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. 5nly a few people find it. 1% <e caref+l of false prophets. They come to yo+ looking gentle like sheep. <+t they are really dangero+s like wolves. 1& ;o+ will know these people !eca+se of what they do. Good things dont come from people who are !ad, =+st as grapes dont come from thorn!+shes, and figs dont come from thorny weeds. 1' 3n the same way, every good tree prod+ces good fr+it, and !ad trees prod+ce !ad fr+it. 1( A good tree cannot prod+ce !ad fr+it, and a !ad tree cannot prod+ce good fr+it. 1) -very tree that does not prod+ce pag. ))30131#

good fr+it is c+t down and thrown into the fire. 2, ;o+ will know these false people !y what they do. 21 1ot everyone who calls me ord will enter Gods kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my 2ather in heaven wants. Aatthew '.22*(.1 2( 22 5n that last Day many will call me ord. They will say, ord, !y the power of yo+r name we spoke for God. And !y yo+r name we forced o+t demons and did many miracles. 23 Then 3 will tell those people clearly, Get away from me, yo+ people who do wrong. 3 never knew yo+. 2# >hoever hears these teachings of mine and o!eys them is like a wise man who !+ilt his ho+se on rock. 2% 3t rained hard, the floods came, and the winds !lew and !eat against that ho+se. <+t it did not fall !eca+se it was !+ilt on rock. 2& >hoever hears these teachings of mine and does not o!ey them is like a foolish man who !+ilt his ho+se on sand. 2' 3t rained hard, the floods came, and the winds !lew and !eat against that ho+se. And it fell with a lo+d crash. 2( >hen Ces+s finished speaking, the people were amaEed at his teaching. 2) $e did not teach like their teachers of the law. $e ta+ght like someone who has a+thority. 8 1 Ces+s came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. Aatthew (.2*) 2) 2 Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man !owed down !efore Ces+s and said, ord, yo+ have the power to heal me if yo+ want. 3 Ces+s to+ched the man. $e said, 3 want to heal yo+. <e healed" 3mmediately the man was healed from his leprosy. # Then Ces+s said to him, Dont tell anyone a!o+t what happened. <+t go and let the priest look at yo+. And offer the gift that Aoses commanded for people who are made well. This will show -asy To .ead /ersion

everyone that yo+ are healed. % Ces+s went to the city of 9aperna+m. >hen he entered the city, an army officer came to him and !egged for help. & The officer said, ord, my servant is very sick at home in !ed. $e cant move his !ody and has m+ch pain. ' Ces+s said to the officer, 3 will go and heal him. ( The officer answered, ord, 3 am not good eno+gh for yo+ to come into my ho+se. ;o+ need only to give the order, and my servant will !e healed. ) 3 know this !eca+se 3 +nderstand a+thority. There are people who have a+thority over me, and 3 have soldiers Aatthew (.1,*1% 3, +nder my a+thority. 3 tell one soldier, Go, and he goes. 3 tell another soldier, 9ome, and he comes. 3 say to my servant, Do this, and my servant o!eys me. 1, >hen Ces+s heard this, he was amaEed. $e said to those who were with him, The tr+th is, this man has more faith than anyone 3 have fo+nd, even in 3srael. 11 Aany people will come from the east and from the west. These people will sit and eat with A!raham, 3saac, and Caco! in Gods kingdom. 12 And those who sho+ld have the kingdom will !e thrown o+t. They will !e thrown o+tside into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. 13 Then Ces+s said to the officer, Go home. ;o+r servant will !e healed the way yo+ !elieved he wo+ld. .ight then his servant was healed. 1# Ces+s went to 6eters ho+se. $e saw that 6eters motherDinDlaw was in !ed with a high fever. 1% $e to+ched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood +p and !egan to serve him. Aatthew (.1&*2# 31 1& That evening people !ro+ght to Ces+s many people who had demons inside them. $e spoke and the demons left the people. $e healed all those who were pag. ))#0131#

sick. 1' So Ces+s made clear the f+ll meaning of what 3saiah the prophet said: $e took away o+r diseases and carried away o+r sicknesses. 1( >hen Ces+s saw the crowd aro+nd him, he told his followers to go to the other side of the lake. 1) Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, Teacher, 3 will follow yo+ any place yo+ go. 2, Ces+s said to him, The fo4es have holes to live in. The !irds have nests. <+t the Son of Aan has no place to rest. 21 Another of Ces+s followers said to him, ord, 3 will follow yo+ too, !+t first let me go and !+ry my father. 22 <+t Ces+s said to him, 2ollow me, and let those who are dead !+ry their own dead. 23 Ces+s got into a !oat, and his followers went with him. 2# After the !oat left the shore, a very !ad storm !egan on the lake. The Aatthew (.2%*3, 32 waves covered the !oat. <+t Ces+s was sleeping. 2% The followers went to him and woke him. They said, ord, save +s" >e will drown" 2& Ces+s answered, >hy are yo+ afraid? ;o+ dont have eno+gh faith. Then he stood +p and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake !ecame very calm. 2' The men were amaEed. They said, >hat kind of man is this? -ven the wind and the water o!ey him" 2( Ces+s arrived at the other side of the lake in the area where the Gadarene people lived. There, two men who had demons inside them came to him. They lived in the !+rial caves and were so dangero+s that no one co+ld +se the road !y those caves. 2) They came to Ces+s and sho+ted, >hat do yo+ want with +s, Son of God? Did yo+ come here to p+nish +s !efore the right time? 3, 1ear that place there was a large -asy To .ead /ersion

herd of pigs feeding. Aatthew (.31*).3 33 31 The demons !egged Ces+s, 3f yo+ make +s leave these men, please send +s into that herd of pigs. 32 Ces+s said to them, Go" So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd of pigs ran down the hill into the lake, and all were drowned. 33 The men who had the work of caring for the pigs ran away. They went into town and told the people everything that happened, especially a!o+t the men who had the demons. 3# Then the whole town went o+t to see Ces+s. >hen the people saw him, they !egged him to leave their area. 9 1 Ces+s got into a !oat and went !ack across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people !ro+ght to him a man who was paralyEed and was lying on a mat. Ces+s saw that these people had m+ch faith. So he said to the paralyEed man, ;o+ng man, yo+ will !e glad to hear this. ;o+r sins are forgiven. 3 Some of the teachers of the law heard what Ces+s said. They said to themselves, 3t is an ins+lt to God for this man to say that" Aatthew ).#*1, 3# # Ces+s knew what they were thinking. So he said, >hy are yo+ thinking s+ch evil tho+ghts? % The Son of Aan has power on earth to forgive sins. <+t how can 3 prove this to yo+? Aay!e yo+ are thinking it was easy for me to say, ;o+r sins are forgiven. Theres no proof that it really happened. <+t what if 3 say to the man, Stand +p and walk? Then yo+ will !e a!le to see that 3 really have this power. So Ces+s said to the paralyEed man, Stand +p. Take yo+r mat and go home. & 7):%8 ' The man stood +p and went home. ( The people saw this and they were amaEed. They praised God for letting someone have s+ch power. ) >hen Ces+s was leaving, he saw a pag. ))%0131#

man named Aatthew sitting at the place for collecting ta4es. Ces+s said to him, 2ollow me. So he got +p and followed Ces+s. 1, Ces+s ate dinner at Aatthews ho+se. Aany ta4 collectors and others with !ad rep+tations came and ate with him and his followers. Aatthew ).11*1& 3% 11 The 6harisees saw that Ces+s was eating with these people. They asked his followers, >hy does yo+r teacher eat with ta4 collectors and other sinners? 12 Ces+s heard them say this. So he said to them, Sick people are the ones who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. 13 ;o+ need to go and learn what this Script+re means: 3 dont want animal sacrificesF 3 want yo+ to show kindness to people. 3 came to ask sinners to =oin me, not those who do everything right. 1# Then the followers of Cohn came to Ces+s and said, >e and the 6harisees fast often, !+t yo+r followers dont ever fast. >hy? 1% Ces+s answered, At a wedding the friends of the !ridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast then. <+t the time will come when the !ridegroom will !e taken from them. Then they will !e sad and fast. 1& >hen someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, they never +se a piece of cloth that has not already !een shr+nk. 3f they do, the patch will shrink Aatthew ).1'*23 3& and p+ll away from the coat. Then the hole will !e worse. 1' Also, people never po+r new wine into old wineskins. They wo+ld !reak, the wine wo+ld spill o+t, and the wineskins wo+ld !e r+ined. 6eople always p+t new wine into new wineskins, which wont !reak, and the wine stays good. 1( >hile Ces+s was still talking, a leader of the synagog+e came to him. The leader !owed down !efore him and said, Ay da+ghter has =+st died. <+t if yo+ will come and to+ch her with yo+r hand, she -asy To .ead /ersion

will live again. 1) So Ces+s and his followers went with the man. 2, 5n the way, there was a woman who had !een !leeding for twelve years. She came close !ehind Ces+s and to+ched the !ottom of his coat. 21 She was thinking, 3f 3 can to+ch his coat, 3 will !e healed. 22 Ces+s t+rned and saw the woman. $e said, <e happy, dear woman. ;o+ are made well !eca+se yo+ !elieved. Then the woman was healed. 23 Ces+s contin+ed going with the Cewish leader and went into the leaders ho+se. Aatthew ).2#*31 3' $e saw people there who make m+sic for f+nerals. And he saw a crowd of people crying lo+dly. 2# Ces+s said, Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping. <+t the people la+ghed at him. 2% After the people were p+t o+t of the ho+se, Ces+s went into the girls room. $e held the girls hand, and she stood +p. 2& The news a!o+t this spread all aro+nd the area. 2' As Ces+s was going away from there, two !lind men followed him. They said lo+dly, Show kindness to +s, Son of David. 2( Ces+s went inside, and the !lind men went with him. $e asked them, Do yo+ !elieve that 3 am a!le to make yo+ see again? They answered, ;es, ord, we !elieve. 2) Then Ces+s to+ched their eyes and said, ;o+ !elieve that 3 can make yo+ see again, so it will happen. 3, Then the men were a!le to see. Ces+s gave them a strong warning. $e said, Dont tell anyone how this happened. 31 <+t they left and spread the news a!o+t Ces+s all aro+nd that area. Aatthew ).32*3( 3( 32 As these two men were leaving, some people !ro+ght another man to Ces+s. This man co+ld not talk !eca+se he had a demon inside him. 33 Ces+s forced the demon o+t, and the pag. ))&0131#

man was a!le to talk. The people were amaEed and said, >e have never seen anything like this in 3srael. 3# <+t the 6harisees said, The r+ler of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons o+t. 3% Ces+s traveled thro+gh all the towns and villages. $e ta+ght in their synagog+es and told people the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods kingdom. $e healed all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. 3& Ces+s saw the many people and felt sorry for them !eca+se they were worried and helplesslike sheep witho+t a shepherd to lead them. 3' Ces+s said to his followers, There is s+ch a !ig harvest of people to !ring in. <+t there are only a few workers to help harvest them. 3( God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help gather his harvest. Aatthew 1,.1*( 3) 10 1 Ces+s called his twelve followers together. $e gave them power over evil spirits and power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: Simon 7also called 6eter8, Andrew, the !rother of 6eter, Cames, the son of Be!edee, Cohn, the !rother of Cames, 3 6hilip, <artholomew, Thomas, Aatthew, the ta4 collector, Cames, the son of Alphae+s, Thaddae+s, # Simon, the Bealot, C+das 3scariot 7the one who handed Ces+s over to his enemies8. % Ces+s sent the twelve men o+t with these instr+ctions: Dont go to the nonDCewish people. And dont go into any town where the Samaritans live. & <+t go to the people of 3srael. They are like sheep that are lost. ' >hen yo+ go, tell them this: Gods kingdom is now very near. ( $eal the sick. <ring the dead !ack to life. $eal the people who have leprosy. And force demons o+t of people. 3 give yo+ these powers freely, so help others -asy To .ead /ersion

freely. Aatthew 1,.)*1& #, ) Dont carry any money with yo+gold or silver or copper. 1, Dont carry a !ag. Take only the clothes and sandals yo+ are wearing. And dont take a walking stick. A worker sho+ld !e given what he needs. 11 >hen yo+ enter a city or town, find some worthy person there and stay in his home +ntil yo+ leave. 12 >hen yo+ enter that home, say, 6eace !e with yo+. 13 3f the people in that home welcome yo+, they are worthy of yo+r peace. Aay they have the peace yo+ wished for them. <+t if they dont welcome yo+, they are not worthy of yo+r peace. Take !ack the peace yo+ wished for them. 1# And if the people in a home or a town ref+se to welcome yo+ or listen to yo+, then leave that place and shake the d+st off yo+r feet. 1% 3 can ass+re yo+ that on the =+dgment day it will !e worse for that town than for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. 1& isten" 3 am sending yo+, and yo+ will !e like sheep among wolves. So !e smart like snakes. <+t also !e like doves and dont h+rt anyone. Aatthew 1,.1'*23 #1 1' <e caref+l" There are people who will arrest yo+ and take yo+ to !e =+dged. They will whip yo+ in their synagog+es. 1( ;o+ will !e taken to stand !efore governors and kings. 6eople will do this to yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow me. ;o+ will tell a!o+t me to those kings and governors and to the nonDCewish people. 1) >hen yo+ are arrested, dont worry a!o+t what to say or how yo+ sho+ld say it. At that time yo+ will !e given the words to say. 2, 3t will not really !e yo+ speakingF the Spirit of yo+r 2ather will !e speaking thro+gh yo+. 21 <rothers will t+rn against their own !rothers and hand them over to !e killed. 2athers will hand over their own children to !e killed. 9hildren will fight pag. ))'0131#

against their own parents and will have them killed. 22 -veryone will hate yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow me. <+t the one who remains faithf+l to the end will !e saved. 23 >hen yo+ are treated !adly in one city, go to another city. 3 promise yo+ that yo+ will not finish going to all the Aatthew 1,.2#*2) #2 cities of 3srael !efore the Son of Aan comes again. 2# St+dents are not !etter than their teacher. Servants are not !etter than their master. 2% St+dents sho+ld !e happy to !e treated the same as their teacher. And servants sho+ld !e happy to !e treated the same as their master. 3f those people call me the r+ler of demons, and 3 am the head of the family, then it is even more certain that they will ins+lt yo+, the mem!ers of the family" 2& So dont !e afraid of those people. -verything that is hidden will !e shown. -verything that is secret will !e made known. 2' 3 tell yo+ all this secretly, !+t 3 want yo+ to tell it p+!licly. >hatever 3 tell yo+ privately, yo+ sho+ld sho+t for everyone to hear. 2( Dont !e afraid of people. They can kill the !ody, !+t they cannot kill the so+l. The only one yo+ sho+ld fear is God, the one who can send the !ody and the so+l to !e destroyed in hell. 2) >hen !irds are sold, two small !irds cost only a penny. <+t not even one of Aatthew 1,.3,*3' #3 those little !irds can die witho+t yo+r 2ather knowing it. 3, God even knows how many hairs are on yo+r head. 31 So dont !e afraid. ;o+ are worth more than a whole flock of !irds. 32 3f yo+ stand !efore others and are willing to say yo+ !elieve in me, then 3 will tell my 2ather in heaven that yo+ !elong to me. 33 <+t if yo+ stand !efore others and say yo+ do not !elieve in me, then 3 will -asy To .ead /ersion

tell my 2ather in heaven that yo+ do not !elong to me. 3# Do not think that 3 have come to !ring peace to the earth. 3 did not come to !ring peace. 3 came to !ring tro+!le. 3% 3 have come to make this happen: A son will t+rn against his father. A da+ghter will t+rn against her mother. A da+ghterDinDlaw will t+rn against her motherDinDlaw. 3& -ven mem!ers of yo+r own family will !e yo+r enemies. 3' Those who love their father or mother more than they love me are not worthy of me. And those who love their son or Aatthew 1,.3(*11.2 ## da+ghter more than they love me are not worthy of me. 3( Those who will not accept the cross that is given to them when they follow me are not worthy of me. 3) Those who try to keep the life they have will lose it. <+t those who give +p their life for me will find tr+e life. #, >hoever accepts yo+ also accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me. #1 >hoever accepts a prophet !eca+se he is a prophet will get the same reward a prophet gets. And whoever accepts a godly person =+st !eca+se that person is godly will get the same reward a godly person gets. #2 >hoever helps any of these little ones !eca+se they are my followers will definitely get a reward, even if they only give them a c+p of cold water. 11 1 >hen Ces+s finished these instr+ctions for his twelve followers, he left there. $e went to the towns in Galilee to teach the people and tell them Gods message. 2 >hen Cohn was in prison, he heard a!o+t the things that were Aatthew 11.3*) #% happeningthings the Aessiah wo+ld do. So he sent some of his followers to Ces+s. 3 They asked him, Are yo+ the one we have !een e4pecting, or sho+ld we wait pag. ))(0131#

for someone else? # Ces+s answered, Go tell Cohn what yo+ have heard and seen: % The !lind can see. The crippled can walk. 6eople with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are !ro+ght !ack to life. And the Good 1ews is !eing told to the poor. & Great !lessings !elong to those who dont have a pro!lem accepting me. ' >hen Cohns followers left, Ces+s !egan talking to the people a!o+t Cohn. $e said, >hat did yo+ people go o+t to the desert to see? Someone who is weak, like a stem of grass !lowing in the wind? ( .eally, what did yo+ e4pect to see? Someone dressed in fine clothes? 5f co+rse not. 6eople who wear fine clothes are all in kings palaces. ) So what did yo+ go o+t to see? A prophet? ;es, Cohn is a prophet. <+t 3 tell yo+, he is more than that. Aatthew 11.1,*1' #& 1, This Script+re was written a!o+t him: isten" 3 will send my messenger ahead of yo+. $e will prepare the way for yo+. 11 The tr+th is that Cohn the <aptiEer is greater than anyone who has ever come into this world. <+t even the least important person in Gods kingdom is greater than Cohn. 12 Since the time Cohn the <aptiEer came +ntil now, Gods kingdom has !een going forward strongly. And people have !een trying to take control of it !y force. 13 <efore Cohn came, the aw of Aoses and all the prophets told a!o+t the things that wo+ld happen. 1# And if yo+ !elieve what they said, then Cohn is -li=ah. $e is the one they said wo+ld come. 1% ;o+ people who hear me, listen" 1& >hat can 3 say a!o+t the people who live today? >hat are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace. 5ne gro+p of children calls to the other gro+p, 1' >e played fl+te m+sic for yo+, !+t yo+ did not danceF we sang a f+neral -asy To .ead /ersion

song, !+t yo+ were not sad. Aatthew 11.1(*23 #' 1( >hy do 3 say people are like that? <eca+se Cohn came and did not eat the +s+al food or drink wine, and people say, $e has a demon inside him. 1) The Son of Aan came eating and drinking, and people say, ook at him" $e eats too m+ch and drinks too m+ch wine. $es a friend of ta4 collectors and other sinners. <+t wisdom is shown to !e right !y what it does. 2, Then Ces+s criticiEed the cities where he did most of his miracles. $e criticiEed these cities !eca+se the people there did not change their lives and stop sinning. 21 Ces+s said, 3t will !e !ad for yo+ 9horaEin" 3t will !e !ad for yo+ <ethsaida" 3 did many miracles in yo+. 3f these same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there wo+ld have changed their lives a long time ago. They wo+ld have worn sackcloth and p+t ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry for their sins. 22 <+t 3 tell yo+, on the day of =+dgment it will !e worse for yo+ than for Tyre and Sidon. 23 And yo+, 9aperna+m, will yo+ !e lifted +p to heaven? 1o" ;o+ will !e Aatthew 11.2#*2) #( thrown down to the place of death. 3 did many miracles in yo+. 3f these same miracles had happened in Sodom, the people there wo+ld have stopped sinning, and it wo+ld still !e a city today. 2# <+t 3 tell yo+, it will !e worse for yo+ in the day of =+dgment than for Sodom. 2% Then Ces+s said, 3 praise yo+, 2ather, ord of heaven and earth. 3 am thankf+l that yo+ have hidden these things from those who are so wise and so smart. <+t yo+ have shown them to people who are like little children. 2& ;es, 2ather, yo+ did this !eca+se its what yo+ really wanted to do. 2' Ay 2ather has given me everything. 1o one knows the Sononly the 2ather knows the Son. And no one knows the 2atheronly the Son knows the 2ather. pag. )))0131#

And the only people who will know a!o+t the 2ather are those the Son chooses to tell. 2( 9ome to me all of yo+ who are tired from the heavy !+rden yo+ have !een forced to carry. 3 will give yo+ rest. 2) Accept my teaching. earn from me. 3 am gentle and h+m!le in spirit. And yo+ will !e a!le to get some rest. Aatthew 11.3,*12.& #) 3, ;es, the teaching that 3 ask yo+ to accept is easy. The load 3 give yo+ to carry is light. 12 1 A!o+t that same time, Ces+s was walking thro+gh the fields of grain on a Sa!!ath day. $is followers were with him, and they were h+ngry. So they !egan to pick the grain and eat it. 2 The 6harisees saw this. They said to Ces+s, ook" ;o+r followers are doing something that is against o+r law to do on the Sa!!ath day. 3 Ces+s said to them, ;o+ have read what David did when he and those with him were h+ngry. # David went into Gods ho+se. $e and those with him ate the !read that was offered to God. 3t was against the law for David or those with him to eat that !read. 5nly the priests were allowed to eat it. % And yo+ have read in the aw of Aoses that on every Sa!!ath day the priests at the Temple !reak the law a!o+t the Sa!!ath day. <+t they are not wrong for doing that. & 3 tell yo+ that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. Aatthew 12.'*1# %, ' The Script+res say, 3 dont want animal sacrificesF 3 want yo+ to show kindness to people. ;o+ dont really know what that means. 3f yo+ +nderstood it, yo+ wo+ld not =+dge those who have done nothing wrong. ( The Son of Aan is ord over the Sa!!ath day. ) Ces+s went from there to their synagog+e. 1, 3n the synagog+e there was a man -asy To .ead /ersion

with a crippled hand. Some Cews there were looking for a reason to acc+se Ces+s of doing wrong. So they asked him, 3s it right to heal on the Sa!!ath day? 11 Ces+s answered, 3f any of yo+ has a sheep and it falls into a ditch on the Sa!!ath day, yo+ will take the sheep and help it o+t of the ditch. 12 S+rely a man is more important than a sheep. So it is right to do good on the Sa!!ath day. 13 Then Ces+s said to the man with the crippled hand, $old o+t yo+r hand. The man held o+t his hand, and it !ecame well again, the same as the other hand. 1# <+t the 6harisees left and made plans to kill Ces+s. Aatthew 12.1%*22 %1 1% Ces+s knew what the 6harisees were planning. So he left that place, and many people followed him. $e healed all who were sick, 1& !+t he warned them not to tell others who he was. 1' This was to give f+ll meaning to what 3saiah the prophet said when he spoke for God: 1( $ere is my servant, the one 3 have chosen. $e is the one 3 love, and 3 am very pleased with him. 3 will fill him with my Spirit, and he will !ring =+stice to the nations. 1) $e will not arg+e or sho+tF no one will hear his voice in the streets. 2, $e will not !reak off even a !ent stem of grass. $e will not p+t o+t even the weakest flame. $e will not give +p +ntil he has made =+stice victorio+s. 21 All people will hope in him. 22 Then some people !ro+ght a man to Ces+s. This man was !lind and co+ld not talk, !eca+se he had a demon inside him. Ces+s healed the man, and he co+ld talk and see. Aatthew 12.23*2) %2 23 All the people were amaEed at what Ces+s did. They said, Aay!e he is the promised Son of David" 2# >hen the 6harisees heard this, they said, This man +ses the power of Satan pag. 1,,,0131#

to force demons o+t of people. Satan is the r+ler of demons. 2% Ces+s knew what the 6harisees were thinking. So he said to them, -very kingdom that fights against itself will !e destroyed. And every city or family that is divided against itself will not s+rvive. 2& So if Satan forces o+t his own demons, then he is fighting against himself, and his kingdom will not s+rvive. 2' ;o+ say that 3 +se the power of Satan to force o+t demons. 3f that is tr+e, then what power do yo+r people +se when they force o+t demons? So yo+r own people will prove that yo+ are wrong. 2( <+t 3 +se the power of Gods Spirit to force o+t demons, and this shows that Gods kingdom has already come to yo+. 2) >hoever wants to enter a strong mans ho+se and steal his things m+st first tie him +p. Then they can steal the things from his ho+se. Aatthew 12.3,*3& %3 3, >hoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me. 31 So 3 tell yo+, people can !e forgiven for every sinf+l thing they do and for every !ad thing they say against God. <+t anyone who speaks against the $oly Spirit will not !e forgiven. 32 ;o+ can even speak against the Son of Aan and !e forgiven. <+t anyone who speaks against the $oly Spirit will never !e forgivennot now or in the f+t+re. 33 3f yo+ want good fr+it, yo+ m+st make the tree good. 3f yo+r tree is not good, it will have !ad fr+it. A tree is known !y the kind of fr+it it prod+ces. 3# ;o+ snakes" ;o+ are so evil. $ow can yo+ say anything good? >hat people say with their mo+ths comes from what fills their hearts. 3% Those who are good have good things saved in their hearts. Thats why they say good things. <+t those who are evil have hearts f+ll of evil, and thats why they say things that are evil. 3& 3 tell yo+ that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they -asy To .ead /ersion

Aatthew 12.3'*#1 %# have said. This will happen on the day of =+dgment. 3' ;o+r words will !e +sed to =+dge yo+. >hat yo+ have said will show whether yo+ are right or whether yo+ are g+ilty. 3( Then some of the 6harisees and teachers of the law answered Ces+s. They said, Teacher, we want to see yo+ do a miracle as a sign from God. 3) Ces+s answered, -vil and sinf+l people are the ones who want to see a miracle as a sign from God. <+t no miracle will !e done to prove anything to them. The only sign will !e the miracle that happened to the prophet Conah. #, Conah was in the stomach of the !ig fish for three days and three nights. 3n the same way, the Son of Aan will !e in the grave three days and three nights. #1 5n the =+dgment day, yo+ people who live now will !e compared with the people from 1ineveh, and they will !e witnesses who show how g+ilty yo+ are. >hy do 3 say this? <eca+se when Conah preached to those people, they changed their lives. And yo+ are listening to someone greater than Conah, !+t yo+ ref+se to change" Aatthew 12.#2*#' %% #2 5n the =+dgment day, yo+ people who live now will also !e compared with the I+een of the So+th, and she will !e a witness who shows how g+ilty yo+ are. 3 say this !eca+se she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomons wise teaching. And 3 tell yo+ that someone greater than Solomon is right here, !+t yo+ wont listen to me" #3 >hen an evil spirit comes o+t of a person, it travels thro+gh dry places looking for a place to rest, !+t it finds none. ## So it says, 3 will go !ack to the home 3 left. >hen it comes !ack, it finds that home still empty. 3t is all neat and clean. #% Then the evil spirit goes o+t and !rings seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more tro+!le than pag. 1,,10131#

!efore. 3t is the same way with the evil people who live today. #& >hile Ces+s was talking to the people, his mother and !rothers stood o+tside. They wanted to talk to him. #' Someone told him, ;o+r mother and !rothers are waiting for yo+ o+tside. They want to talk to yo+. Aatthew 12.#(*13.& %& #( Ces+s answered, >ho is my mother? >ho are my !rothers? #) Then he pointed to his followers and said, See" These people are my mother and my !rothers. %, ;es, anyone who does what my 2ather in heaven wants is my tr+e !rother and sister and mother. 13 1 That same day Ces+s went o+t of the ho+se and sat !y the lake. 2 A large crowd gathered aro+nd him. So he got into a !oat and sat down. All the people stayed on the shore. 3 Then Ces+s +sed stories to teach them many things. $e told them this story: A farmer went o+t to sow seed. # >hile he was scattering the seed, some of it fell !y the road. The !irds came and ate all that seed. % 5ther seed fell on rocky gro+nd, where there was not eno+gh dirt. 3t grew very fast there, !eca+se the soil was not deep. & <+t when the s+n rose, it !+rned the plants. The plants died !eca+se they did not have deep roots. Aatthew 13.'*1# %' ' Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. ( <+t some of the seed fell on good gro+nd. There it grew and made grain. Some plants made 1,, times more grain, some &, times more, and some 3, times more. ) ;o+ people who hear me, listen" 1, The followers came to Ces+s and asked, >hy do yo+ +se these stories to teach the people? 11 Ces+s answered, 5nly yo+ can know the secret tr+ths a!o+t Gods kingdom. -asy To .ead /ersion

Those other people cannot know these secret tr+ths. 12 The people who have some +nderstanding will !e given more. And they will have even more than they need. <+t those who do not have m+ch +nderstanding will lose even the little +nderstanding that they have. 13 This is why 3 +se these stories to teach the people: They see, !+t they dont really see. They hear, !+t they dont really hear or +nderstand. 1# So they show that what 3saiah said a!o+t them is tr+e: ;o+ people will listen Aatthew 13.1%*1) %( and listen, !+t yo+ will not +nderstand. ;o+ will look and look, !+t yo+ will not really see. 1% ;es, the minds of these people are now closed. They have ears, !+t they dont listen. They have eyes, !+t they ref+se to see. 3f their minds were not closed, they might see with their eyesF they might hear with their earsF they might +nderstand with their minds. Then they might t+rn !ack to me and !e healed. 1& <+t God has !lessed yo+. ;o+ +nderstand what yo+ see with yo+r eyes. And yo+ +nderstand what yo+ hear with yo+r ears. 1' 3 can ass+re yo+, many prophets and godly people wanted to see what yo+ now see. <+t they did not see it. And many prophets and godly people wanted to hear what yo+ now hear. <+t they did not hear it. 1( So listen to the meaning of that story a!o+t the farmer: 1) >hat a!o+t the seed that fell !y the path? That is like the people who hear the teaching a!o+t Gods kingdom !+t do not +nderstand it. The -vil 5ne comes Aatthew 13.2,*2# %) and takes away what was planted in their hearts. 2, And what a!o+t the seed that fell on rocky gro+nd? That is like the people who hear the teaching and J+ickly and gladly accept it. pag. 1,,20131#

21 <+t they do not let the teaching go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as tro+!le or persec+tion comes !eca+se of the teaching they accepted, they give +p. 22 And what a!o+t the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching !+t let worries a!o+t this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not prod+ce good res+lts in their lives. 23 <+t what a!o+t the seed that fell on the good gro+nd? That is like the people who hear the teaching and +nderstand it. They grow and prod+ce a good crop, sometimes 1,, times more, sometimes &, times more, and sometimes 3, times more. 2# Then Ces+s +sed another story to teach them. Ces+s said, Gods kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. Aatthew 13.2%*32 &, 2% That night, while everyone was asleep, the mans enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. 2& ater, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. <+t at the same time the weeds also grew. 2' Then the mans servants came to him and said, ;o+ planted good seed in yo+r field. >here did the weeds come from? 2( The man answered, An enemy planted weeds. The servants asked, Do yo+ want +s to go and p+ll +p the weeds? 2) $e answered, 1o, !eca+se when yo+ p+ll +p the weeds, yo+ might also p+ll +p the wheat. 3, et the weeds and the wheat grow together +ntil the harvest time. At the harvest time 3 will tell the workers this: 2irst, gather the weeds and tie them together to !e !+rned. Then gather the wheat and !ring it to my !arn. 31 Then Ces+s told the people another story: Gods kingdom is like a m+stard seed that a man plants in his field. 32 3t is the smallest of all seeds. <+t when it grows, it is the largest of all -asy To .ead /ersion

garden plants. 3t !ecomes a tree !ig Aatthew 13.33*3) &1 eno+gh for the !irds to come and make nests in its !ranches. 33 Then Ces+s told them another story: Gods kingdom is like yeast that a woman mi4es into a !ig !owl of flo+r to make !read. The yeast makes all the do+gh rise. 3# Ces+s +sed stories to tell all these things to the people. $e always +sed stories to teach them. 3% This was to make clear the f+ll meaning of what the prophet said: 3 will speak +sing storiesF 3 will tell things that have !een secrets since the world was made. 3& Then Ces+s left the people and went into the ho+se. $is followers came to him and said, -4plain to +s the meaning of the story a!o+t the weeds in the field. 3' $e answered, The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Aan. 3( The field is the world. The good seed are the people in Gods kingdom. The weeds are the people who !elong to the -vil 5ne. 3) And the enemy who planted the !ad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end Aatthew 13.#,*#& &2 of time. And the workers who gather are Gods angels. #, The weeds are p+lled +p and !+rned in the fire. 3t will !e the same at the end of time. #1 The Son of Aan will send his angels, and they will find the people who ca+se sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people o+t of his kingdom. #2 They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will !e crying and grinding their teeth with pain. #3 Then the godly people will shine like the s+n. They will !e in the kingdom of their 2ather. ;o+ people who hear me, listen" ## Gods kingdom is like a treas+re hidden in a field. 5ne day a man fo+nd the treas+re. $e hid it again and was so pag. 1,,30131#

happy that he went and sold everything he owned and !o+ght the field. #% Also, Gods kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. #& 5ne day he fo+nd a very fine pearl. $e went and sold everything he had to !+y it. Aatthew 13.#'*%# &3 #' Also, Gods kingdom is like a net that was p+t into the lake. The net ca+ght many different kinds of fish. #( 3t was f+ll, so the fishermen p+lled it to the shore. They sat down and p+t all the good fish in !askets. Then they threw away the !ad fish. #) 3t will !e the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people. %, They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. %1 Then Ces+s asked his followers, Do yo+ +nderstand all these things? They said, ;es, we +nderstand. %2 Then Ces+s said to the followers, So every teacher of the law who has learned a!o+t Gods kingdom has some new things to teach. $e is like the owner of a ho+se. $e has new things and old things saved in that ho+se. And he !rings o+t the new with the old. %3 >hen Ces+s finished teaching with these stories, he left there. %# $e went to the town where he grew +p. $e ta+ght the people in the synagog+e, and they were amaEed. Aatthew 13.%%*1#.3 &# They said, >here did this man get s+ch wisdom and this power to do miracles? %% 3snt he =+st the son of the carpenter we know? 3snt his mothers name Aary, and arent his !rothers Cames, Coseph, Simon, and C+das? %& And dont all his sisters still live here in town? $ow is he a!le to do these things? %' So they had a pro!lem accepting him. <+t Ces+s said to them, 6eople everywhere give honor to a prophet, !+t in his own town or in his own home a -asy To .ead /ersion

prophet does not get any honor. %( Ces+s did not do many miracles there, !eca+se the people did not !elieve in him. 14 1 A!o+t that time, $erod, the r+ler of Galilee, heard what the people were saying a!o+t Ces+s. 2 So he said to his servants, 3 think this man is really Cohn the <aptiEer. $e m+st have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles. 3 <efore this time, $erod had arrested Cohn. $e had him chained and p+t in prison. $e arrested Cohn !eca+se of Aatthew 1#.#*11 &% $erodias, the wife of 6hilip, $erods !rother. # Cohn had told him, 3t is not right for yo+ to !e married to $erodias. % $erod wanted to kill him, !+t he was afraid of the people. They !elieved that Cohn was a prophet. & 5n $erods !irthday, the da+ghter of $erodias danced for him and his gro+p. $erod was very pleased with her. ' So he promised that he wo+ld give her anything she wanted. ( $erodias told her da+ghter what to ask for. So she said to $erod, Give me the head of Cohn the <aptiEer here on this plate. ) Ging $erod was very sad. <+t he had promised to give the da+ghter anything she wanted. And the people eating with $erod had heard his promise. So he ordered what she asked to !e done. 1, $e sent men to the prison, where they c+t off Cohns head. 11 And the men !ro+ght Cohns head on a plate and gave it to the girl. Then she took the head to her mother, $erodias. Aatthew 1#.12*1) && 12 Cohns followers came and got his !ody and !+ried it. Then they went and told Ces+s what happened. 13 >hen Ces+s heard what happened to Cohn, he left in a !oat. $e went alone to a place where no one lived. <+t the people heard that Ces+s had left. So they left their towns and followed him. They pag. 1,,#0131#

went !y land to the same place he went. 1# >hen Ces+s got o+t of the !oat, he saw a large crowd of people. $e felt sorry for them, and he healed the ones who were sick. 1% ate that afternoon, the followers came to Ces+s and said, 1o one lives in this place. And it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and !+y food for themselves. 1& Ces+s said, The people dont need to go away. ;o+ give them some food to eat. 1' The followers answered, <+t we have only five loaves of !read and two fish. 1( Ces+s said, <ring the !read and the fish to me. 1) Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. $e took the five loaves of !read and the two fish. $e looked into Aatthew 1#.2,*2% &' the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he !roke the !read into pieces, which he gave to the followers, and they gave the food to the people. 2, -veryone ate +ntil they were f+ll. >hen they finished eating, the followers filled twelve !askets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. 21 There were a!o+t %,,, men there who ate. There were also women and children who ate. 22 Then Ces+s made the followers get into the !oat. $e told them to go to the other side of the lake. $e said he wo+ld come later. $e stayed there to tell everyone they co+ld go home. 23 After Ces+s said good!ye to the people, he went +p into the hills !y himself to pray. 3t was late, and he was there alone. 2# <y this time the !oat was already a long way from shore. Since the wind was !lowing against it, the !oat was having tro+!le !eca+se of the waves. 2% <etween three and si4 oclock in the morning, Ces+s followers were still in the !oat. Ces+s came to them. $e was walking on the water. Aatthew 1#.2&*3% &( -asy To .ead /ersion

2& >hen they saw him walking on the water, it scared them. 3ts a ghost" they said, screaming in fear. 2' <+t Ces+s J+ickly spoke to them. $e said, Dont worry" 3ts me" Dont !e afraid. 2( 6eter said, ord, if that is really yo+, tell me to come to yo+ on the water. 2) Ces+s said, 9ome, 6eter. Then 6eter left the !oat and walked on the water to Ces+s. 3, <+t while 6eter was walking on the water, he saw the wind and the waves. $e was afraid and !egan sinking into the water. $e sho+ted, ord, save me" 31 Then Ces+s ca+ght 6eter with his hand. $e said, ;o+r faith is small. >hy did yo+ do+!t? 32 After 6eter and Ces+s were in the !oat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the followers in the !oat worshiped Ces+s and said, ;o+ really are the Son of God. 3# After they crossed the lake, they came to the shore at Gennesaret. 3% Some men there saw Ces+s and knew who he was. So they sent word to the other people thro+gho+t that area that Aatthew 1#.3&*1%.& &) Ces+s had come. The people !ro+ght all their sick people to him. 3& They !egged Ces+s to let them only to+ch the edge of his coat to !e healed. And all the sick people who to+ched his coat were healed. 15 1 Then some 6harisees and teachers of the law came to Ces+s. They came from Cer+salem and asked him, 2 >hy do yo+r followers not o!ey the traditions we have from o+r great leaders who lived long ago? ;o+r followers dont wash their hands !efore they eat" 3 Ces+s answered, And why do yo+ ref+se to o!ey Gods command so that yo+ can follow those traditions yo+ have? # God said, ;o+ m+st respect yo+r father and mother. And God also said, >hoever says anything !ad to their father or mother m+st !e killed. % <+t yo+ teach that a person can say to pag. 1,,%0131#

their father or mother, 3 have something 3 co+ld +se to help yo+. <+t 3 will not +se it for yo+. 3 will give it to God. & ;o+ are teaching them not to respect their father. So yo+ are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. Aatthew 1%.'*1# ', ;o+ think it is more important to follow those traditions yo+ have. ' ;o+ are hypocrites" 3saiah was right when he spoke for God a!o+t yo+: ( These people honor me with their words, !+t 3 am not really important to them. ) Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are only h+man r+les. 1, Ces+s called the people to him. $e said, isten and +nderstand what 3 am saying. 11 3t is not what people p+t in their mo+th that makes them wrong. 3t is what comes o+t of their mo+th that makes them wrong. 12 Then the followers came to Ces+s and asked, Do yo+ know that the 6harisees are +pset a!o+t what yo+ said? 13 Ces+s answered, -very plant that my 2ather in heaven has not planted will !e p+lled +p !y the roots. 1# Stay away from the 6harisees. They lead the people, !+t they are like !lind men leading other !lind men. And if a !lind man leads another !lind man, !oth of them will fall into a ditch. Aatthew 1%.1%*23 '1 1% 6eter said, -4plain to +s what yo+ said earlier to the people. 1& Ces+s said, Do yo+ still have tro+!le +nderstanding? 1' S+rely yo+ know that all the food that enters the mo+th goes into the stomach. Then it goes o+t of the !ody. 1( <+t the !ad things people say with their mo+th come from the way they think. And thats what can make people wrong. 1) All these !ad things !egin in the mind: evil tho+ghts, m+rder, ad+ltery, se4+al sins, stealing, lying, and ins+lting people. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, These are the things that make people wrong. -ating witho+t washing their hands will never make people +naccepta!le to God. 21 Ces+s went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A 9anaanite woman from that area came o+t and !egan sho+ting, ord, Son of David, please help me" Ay da+ghter has a demon inside her, and she is s+ffering very m+ch. 23 <+t Ces+s did not answer her. So the followers came to him and said, Tell her Aatthew 1%.2#*31 '2 to go away. She keeps crying o+t and will not leave +s alone. 2# Ces+s answered, God sent me only to the lost people of 3srael. 2% Then the woman came over to Ces+s and !owed !efore him. She said, ord, help me" 2& $e answered her with the saying, 3t is not right to take the childrens !read and give it to the dogs. 2' The woman said, ;es, ord, !+t even the dogs eat the pieces of food that fall from their masters ta!le. 2( Then Ces+s answered, >oman, yo+ have great faith" ;o+ will get what yo+ asked for. And right then the womans da+ghter was healed. 2) Then Ces+s went from there to the shore of ake Galilee. $e went +p into the hills and sat down. 3, A large crowd of people came to him. They !ro+ght many other sick people and p+t them !efore him. There were people who co+ld not walk, people who were !lind, crippled, or deaf, and many others. Ces+s healed them all. 31 6eople were amaEed when they saw that those who co+ld not speak were Aatthew 1%.32*3' '3 now a!le to speak. 9rippled people were made strong. Those who co+ld not walk were now a!le to walk. The !lind were a!le to see. -veryone thanked the God of 3srael for this. 32 Ces+s called his followers to him and said, 3 feel sorry for these people. They pag. 1,,&0131#

have !een with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 dont want to send them away h+ngry. They might faint while going home. 33 The followers asked Ces+s, >here can we get eno+gh !read to feed all these people? >e are a long way from any town. 3# Ces+s asked, $ow many loaves of !read do yo+ have? They answered, >e have seven loaves of !read and a few small fish. 3% Ces+s told the people to sit on the gro+nd. 3& $e took the seven loaves of !read and the fish. Then he gave thanks to God for the food. $e !roke the !read into pieces, which he gave to the followers, and they gave the food to the people. 3' All the people ate +ntil they were f+ll. After this, the followers filled seven Aatthew 1%.3(*1&.# '# !askets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. 3( There were a!o+t #,,, men there who ate. There were also some women and children. 3) After they all ate, Ces+s told the people they co+ld go home. $e got into the !oat and went to the area of Aagadan. 16 1 The 6harisees and Sadd+cees came to Ces+s. They wanted to test him. So they asked him to show them a miracle as a sign from God. 2 Ces+s answered, >hen yo+ people see the s+nset, yo+ know what the weather will !e. 3f the sky is red, yo+ say we will have good weather. 3 And in the morning, if the sky is dark and red, yo+ say that it will !e a rainy day. These are signs of the weather. ;o+ see these signs in the sky and know what they mean. 3n the same way, yo+ see the things that are happening now. These are also signs, !+t yo+ dont know their meaning. # 3t is the evil and sinf+l people who want to see a miracle as a sign from God. <+t no miracle will !e done to prove -asy To .ead /ersion

Aatthew 1&.%*11 '% anything to them. The only sign will !e the miracle that happened to Conah. Then Ces+s went away from there. % Ces+s and his followers went across the lake. <+t the followers forgot to !ring !read. & Ces+s said to the followers, <e caref+l" G+ard against the yeast of the 6harisees and the Sadd+cees. ' The followers disc+ssed the meaning of this. They said, Did Ces+s say this !eca+se we forgot to !ring !read? ( Ces+s knew that they were talking a!o+t this. So he asked them, >hy are yo+ talking a!o+t not having !read? ;o+r faith is small. ) Do yo+ still not +nderstand? .emem!er the five loaves of !read that fed the %,,, people and the many !askets yo+ filled with the !read that was left? 1, And remem!er the seven loaves of !read that fed the #,,, people and the many !askets yo+ filled that time? 11 So how co+ld yo+ think that 3 am concerned a!o+t !read? 3 am telling yo+ to !e caref+l and g+ard against the yeast of the 6harisees and the Sadd+cees. Aatthew 1&.12*1) '& 12 Then the followers +nderstood what Ces+s meant. $e was not telling them to g+ard against the yeast +sed in !read. $e was telling them to g+ard against the teaching of the 6harisees and the Sadd+cees. 13 Ces+s went to the area of 9aesarea 6hilippi. $e said to his followers, >ho do people say 3 am? 1# They answered, Some people say yo+ are Cohn the <aptiEer. 5thers say yo+ are -li=ah. And some say yo+ are Ceremiah or one of the prophets. 1% Then Ces+s said to his followers, And who do yo+ say 3 am? 1& Simon 6eter answered, ;o+ are the Aessiah, the Son of the living God. 1' Ces+s answered, ;o+ are !lessed, Simon son of Conah. 1o one ta+ght yo+ that. Ay 2ather in heaven showed yo+ pag. 1,,'0131#

who 3 am. 1( So 3 tell yo+, yo+ are 6eter. And 3 will !+ild my ch+rch on this rock. The power of death will not !e a!le to defeat my ch+rch. 1) 3 will give yo+ the keys to Gods kingdom. >hen yo+ speak =+dgment here on earth, that =+dgment will !e Aatthew 1&.2,*2# '' Gods =+dgment. >hen yo+ promise forgiveness here on earth, that forgiveness will !e Gods forgiveness. 2, Then Ces+s warned his followers not to tell anyone he was the Aessiah. 21 2rom that time Ces+s !egan telling his followers that he m+st go to Cer+salem. $e e4plained that the older Cewish leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law wo+ld make him s+ffer many things. And he told his followers that he m+st !e killed. Then, on the third day, he wo+ld !e raised from death. 22 6eter took Ces+s away from the other followers to talk to him alone. $e !egan to criticiEe him. $e said, God save yo+ from those s+fferings, ord" That will never happen to yo+" 23 Then Ces+s said to 6eter, Get away from me, Satan" ;o+ are not helping me" ;o+ dont care a!o+t the same things God does. ;o+ care only a!o+t things that people think are important. 2# Then Ces+s said to his followers, 3f any of yo+ want to !e my follower, yo+ m+st stop thinking a!o+t yo+rself and what yo+ want. ;o+ m+st !e willing to Aatthew 1&.2%*1'.3 '( carry the cross that is given to yo+ for following me. 2% Any of yo+ who try to save the life yo+ have will lose it. <+t yo+ who give +p yo+r life for me will find tr+e life. 2& 3t is worth nothing for yo+ to have the whole world if yo+ yo+rself are lost. ;o+ co+ld never pay eno+gh to !+y !ack yo+r life. 2' The Son of Aan will come again with his 2athers glory and with his angels. And he will reward everyone for what -asy To .ead /ersion

they have done. 2( <elieve me when 3 say that there are some people standing here who will see the Son of Aan coming with his kingdom !efore they die. 17 1 Si4 days later, Ces+s took 6eter, Cames, and Cohn the !rother of Cames and went +p on a high mo+ntain. They were all alone there. 2 >hile these followers watched him, Ces+s was changed. $is face !ecame !right like the s+n, and his clothes !ecame white as light. 3 Then two men were there, talking with him. They were Aoses and -li=ah. Aatthew 1'.#*11 ') # 6eter said to Ces+s, ord, it is good that we are here. 3f yo+ want, 3 will make three shelters hereone for yo+, one for Aoses, and one for -li=ah. % >hile 6eter was talking, a !right clo+d came over them. A voice came from the clo+d and said, This is my Son, the one 3 love. 3 am very pleased with him. 5!ey him" & The followers with Ces+s heard this voice. They were very afraid, so they fell to the gro+nd. ' <+t Ces+s came to them and to+ched them. $e said, Stand +p. Dont !e afraid. ( The followers looked +p, and they saw that Ces+s was now alone. ) As Ces+s and the followers were coming down the mo+ntain, he gave them this command: Dont tell anyone a!o+t what yo+ saw on the mo+ntain. >ait +ntil the Son of Aan has !een raised from death. Then yo+ can tell people a!o+t what yo+ saw. 1, The followers asked Ces+s, >hy do the teachers of the law say that -li=ah m+st come !efore the Aessiah comes? 11 Ces+s answered, They are right to say -li=ah is coming. And it is tr+e that Aatthew 1'.12*1( (, -li=ah will make all things the way they sho+ld !e. 12 <+t 3 tell yo+, -li=ah has already come. 6eople did not know who he was, and they treated him !adly, doing pag. 1,,(0131#

whatever they wanted to do. 3t is the same with the Son of Aan. Those same people will make the Son of Aan s+ffer. 13 Then the followers +nderstood that when Ces+s said -li=ah, he was really talking a!o+t Cohn the <aptiEer. 1# Ces+s and the followers went !ack to the people. A man came to Ces+s and !owed !efore him. 1% The man said, ord, !e kind to my son. $e s+ffers so m+ch from the seiE+res he has. $e often falls into the fire or into the water. 1& 3 !ro+ght him to yo+r followers, !+t they co+ld not heal him. 1' Ces+s answered, ;o+ people today have no faith. ;o+r lives are so wrong" $ow long m+st 3 stay with yo+? $ow long m+st 3 contin+e to !e patient with yo+? <ring the !oy here. 1( Ces+s gave a strong command to the demon inside the !oy. The demon came o+t of the !oy, and the !oy was healed. Aatthew 1'.1)*2# (1 1) Then the followers came to Ces+s alone. They said, >e tried to force the demon o+t of the !oy, !+t we co+ld not. >hy were we not a!le to make the demon go o+t? 2, Ces+s answered, ;o+ were not a!le to make the demon go o+t, !eca+se yo+r faith is too small. <elieve me when 3 tell yo+, if yo+r faith is only as !ig as a m+stard seed yo+ can say to this mo+ntain, Aove from here to there, and it will move. ;o+ will !e a!le to do anything. 21 MM-A6T;NN 22 ater, the followers met together in Galilee. Ces+s said to them, The Son of Aan will !e handed over to the control of other men, 23 who will kill him. <+t on the third day he will !e raised from death. The followers were very sad to hear that Ces+s wo+ld !e killed. 2# Ces+s and his followers went to 9aperna+m. There the men who collect the twoDdrachma Temple ta4 came to 6eter and asked, Does yo+r teacher pay -asy To .ead /ersion

the Temple ta4? Aatthew 1'.2%*1(.3 (2 2% 6eter answered, ;es, he does. 6eter went into the ho+se where Ces+s was. <efore 6eter co+ld speak, Ces+s said to him, The kings on the earth get different kinds of ta4es from people. <+t who are those who pay the ta4es? Are they the kings own people? 5r do other people pay the ta4es? >hat do yo+ think? 2& 6eter answered, The other people pay the ta4es. Ces+s said, Then the kings people dont have to pay ta4es. 2' <+t we dont want to +pset these ta4 collectors. So do this: Go to the lake and fish. >hen yo+ catch the first fish, open its mo+th. 3nside its mo+th yo+ will find a fo+rDdrachma coin. Take that coin and give it to the ta4 collectors. That will pay the ta4 for yo+ and me. 18 1 A!o+t that time the followers came to Ces+s and asked, >ho is the greatest in Gods kingdom? 2 Ces+s called a little child to come to him. $e stood the child in front of the followers. 3 Then he said, The tr+th is, yo+ m+st change yo+r thinking and !ecome like little children. 3f yo+ dont do this, yo+ will never enter Gods kingdom. Aatthew 1(.#*) (3 # The greatest person in Gods kingdom is the one who makes himself h+m!le like this child. % >hoever accepts a little child like this in my name is accepting me. & 3f one of these little children !elieves in me, and someone ca+ses that child to sin, it will !e very !ad for that person. 3t wo+ld !e !etter for them to have a millstone tied aro+nd their neck and !e drowned in the deep sea. ' 3 feel sorry for the people in the world !eca+se of the things that make people sin. These things m+st happen, !+t it will !e very !ad for anyone who ca+ses them to happen. ( 3f yo+r hand or yo+r foot makes yo+ sin, c+t it off and throw it away. 3t is !etter for yo+ to lose part of yo+r !ody pag. 1,,)0131#

and have eternal life than to have two hands and two feet and !e thrown into the fire that !+rns forever. ) 3f yo+r eye makes yo+ sin, take it o+t and throw it away. 3t is !etter for yo+ to have only one eye and have eternal life than to have two eyes and !e thrown into the fire of hell. Aatthew 1(.1,*1& (# 1, <e caref+l. Dont think these little children are not important. 3 tell yo+ that these children have angels in heaven. And those angels are always with my 2ather in heaven. 11 MM-A6T;NN 12 3f a man has 1,, sheep, !+t one of the sheep is lost, what will he do? $e will leave the other )) sheep on the hill and go look for the lost sheep. .ight? 13 And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier a!o+t that one sheep than a!o+t the )) sheep that were never lost. 3 can ass+re yo+, 1# in the same way yo+r 2ather in heaven does not want any of these little children to !e lost. 1% 3f yo+r !rother or sister in Gods family does something wrong, go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this when yo+ are alone with them. 3f they listen to yo+, then yo+ have helped them to !e yo+r !rother or sister again. 1& <+t if they ref+se to listen, go to them again and take one or two people with yo+. Then there will !e two or three people who will !e a!le to tell all that happened. Aatthew 1(.1'*23 (% 1' 3f they ref+se to listen to them, then tell the ch+rch. And if they ref+se to listen to the ch+rch, treat them as yo+ wo+ld treat someone who does not know God or who is a ta4 collector. 1( 3 can ass+re yo+ that when yo+ speak =+dgment here on earth, it will !e Gods =+dgment. And when yo+ promise forgiveness here on earth, it will !e Gods forgiveness. 1) To say it another way, if two of yo+ on earth agree on anything yo+ pray for, my -asy To .ead /ersion

2ather in heaven will do what yo+ ask. 2, ;es, if two or three people are together !elieving in me, 3 am there with them. 21 Then 6eter came to Ces+s and asked, ord, when someone wont stop doing wrong to me, how many times m+st 3 forgive them? Seven times? 22 Ces+s answered, 3 tell yo+, yo+ m+st forgive them more than seven times. ;o+ m+st contin+e to forgive them even if they do wrong to yo+ seventyDseven times. 23 So Gods kingdom is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. Aatthew 1(.2#*3, (& 2# The king !egan to collect his money. 5ne servant owed him several tho+sand po+nds of silver. 2% $e was not a!le to pay the money to his master, the king. So the master ordered that he and everything he owned !e sold, even his wife and children. The money wo+ld !e +sed to pay the king what the servant owed. 2& <+t the servant fell on his knees and !egged, <e patient with me. 3 will pay yo+ everything 3 owe. 2' The master felt sorry for him. So he told the servant he did not have to pay. $e let him go free. 2( ater, that same servant fo+nd another servant who owed him a h+ndred silver coins. $e gra!!ed him aro+nd the neck and said, 6ay me the money yo+ owe me" 2) The other servant fell on his knees and !egged him, <e patient with me. 3 will pay yo+ everything 3 owe. 3, <+t the first servant ref+sed to !e patient. $e told the =+dge that the other servant owed him money, and that servant was p+t in =ail +ntil he co+ld pay everything he owed. Aatthew 1(.31*1).3 (' 31 All the other servants saw what happened. They felt very sorry for the man. So they went and told their master everything that happened. pag. 1,1,0131#

32 Then the master called his servant in and said, ;o+ evil servant. ;o+ !egged me to forgive yo+r de!t, and 3 said yo+ did not have to pay anything" 33 So yo+ sho+ld have given that other man who serves with yo+ the same mercy 3 gave yo+. 3# The master was very angry, so he p+t the servant in =ail to !e p+nished. And he had to stay in =ail +ntil he co+ld pay everything he owed. 3% This king did the same as my heavenly 2ather will do to yo+. ;o+ m+st forgive yo+r !rother or sister with all yo+r heart, or my heavenly 2ather will not forgive yo+. 19 1 After Ces+s said all these things, he left Galilee. $e went into the area of C+dea on the other side of the Cordan .iver. 2 Aany people followed him. Ces+s healed the sick people there. 3 Some 6harisees came to Ces+s. They tried to make him say something wrong. Aatthew 1).#*) (( They asked him, 3s it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses? # Ces+s answered, S+rely yo+ have read this in the Script+res: >hen God made the world, he made people male and female. % And God said, That is why a man will leave his father and mother and !e =oined to his wife. And the two people will !ecome one. & So they are no longer two, !+t one. God has =oined them together, so no one sho+ld separate them. ' The 6harisees asked, Then why did Aoses give a command allowing a man to divorce his wife !y writing a certificate of divorce? ( Ces+s answered, Aoses allowed yo+ to divorce yo+r wives !eca+se yo+ ref+sed to accept Gods teaching. <+t divorce was not allowed in the !eginning. ) 3 tell yo+ that whoever divorces his wife, e4cept for the pro!lem of se4+al sin, and marries another woman is g+ilty -asy To .ead /ersion

of ad+ltery. Aatthew 1).1,*1& () 1, The followers said to Ces+s, 3f that is the only reason a man can divorce his wife, it is !etter not to marry. 11 $e answered, This statement is tr+e for some, !+t not for everyoneonly for those who have !een given this gift. 12 There are different reasons why some men dont marry. Some were !orn witho+t the a!ility to prod+ce children. 5thers were made that way later in life. And others have given +p marriage !eca+se of Gods kingdom. This is for anyone who is a!le to accept it. 13 Then the people !ro+ght their little children to Ces+s so that he co+ld lay his hands on them to !less them and pray for them. >hen the followers saw this, they told the people to stop !ringing their children to him. 1# <+t Ces+s said, et the little children come to me. Dont stop them, !eca+se Gods kingdom !elongs to people who are like these children. 1% After Ces+s !lessed the children, he left there. 1& A man came to Ces+s and asked, Teacher, what good thing m+st 3 do to have eternal life? Aatthew 1).1'*23 ), 1' Ces+s answered, >hy do yo+ ask me a!o+t what is good? 5nly God is good. <+t if yo+ want to have eternal life, o!ey the laws commands. 1( The man asked, >hich ones? Ces+s answered, ;o+ m+st not m+rder anyone, yo+ m+st not commit ad+ltery, yo+ m+st not steal, yo+ m+st not tell lies a!o+t others, 1) yo+ m+st respect yo+r father and mother, and love yo+r neigh!or the same as yo+ love yo+rself. 2, The yo+ng man said, 3 have o!eyed all these commands. >hat else do 3 need? 21 Ces+s answered, 3f yo+ want to !e perfect, then go and sell all that yo+ own. Give the money to the poor, and yo+ will have riches in heaven. Then pag. 1,110131#

come and follow me" 22 <+t when the yo+ng man heard Ces+s tell him to give away his money, he was sad. $e didnt want to do this, !eca+se he was very rich. So he left. 23 Then Ces+s said to his followers, The tr+th is, it will !e very hard for a rich person to enter Gods kingdom. Aatthew 1).2#*2,.1 )1 2# ;es, 3 tell yo+, it is easier for a camel to go thro+gh the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Gods kingdom. 2% The followers were amaEed to hear this. They asked, Then who can !e saved? 2& Ces+s looked at them and said, 2or people it is impossi!le. <+t God can do anything. 2' 6eter said to him, >e left everything we had and followed yo+. So what will we have? 2( Ces+s said to them, >hen the time of the new world comes, the Son of Aan will sit on his great and glorio+s throne. And 3 can promise that yo+ who followed me will sit on twelve thrones, and yo+ will =+dge the twelve tri!es of 3srael. 2) -veryone who has left ho+ses, !rothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get m+ch more than they left. And they will have eternal life. 3, Aany people who are first now will !e last in the f+t+re. And many who are last now will !e first in the f+t+re. 20 1 Gods kingdom is like a man who owned some land. 5ne morning, Aatthew 2,.2*( )2 the man went o+t very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard. 2 $e agreed to pay the workers one silver coin for working that day. Then he sent them into the vineyard to work. 3 A!o+t nine oclock the man went to the marketplace and saw some other people standing there. They were doing nothing. # So he said to them, 3f yo+ go and work in my field, 3 will pay yo+ what yo+r work is worth. -asy To .ead /ersion

% So they went to work in the vineyard. The man went o+t again a!o+t twelve oclock and again at three oclock. <oth times he hired some others to work in his vineyard. & A!o+t five oclock the man went to the marketplace again. $e saw some other people standing there. $e asked them, >hy did yo+ stand here all day doing nothing? ' They said, 1o one gave +s a =o!. The man said to them, Then yo+ can go and work in my vineyard. ( At the end of the day, the owner of the field said to the !oss of all the workers, 9all the workers and pay them all. Start Aatthew 2,.)*1% )3 !y paying the last people 3 hired. Then pay all of them, ending with the ones 3 hired first. ) The workers who were hired at five oclock came to get their pay. -ach worker got one silver coin. 1, Then the workers who were hired first came to get their pay. They tho+ght they wo+ld !e paid more than the others. <+t each one of them also received one silver coin. 11 >hen they got their silver coin, they complained to the man who owned the land. 12 They said, Those people were hired last and worked only one ho+r. <+t yo+ paid them the same as +s. And we worked hard all day in the hot s+n. 13 <+t the man who owned the field said to one of them, 2riend, 3 am !eing fair with yo+. ;o+ agreed to work for one silver coin. .ight? 1# So take yo+r pay and go. 3 want to give the man who was hired last the same pay 3 gave yo+. 1% 3 can do what 3 want with my own money. >hy wo+ld yo+ !e =ealo+s !eca+se 3 am genero+s? Aatthew 2,.1&*22 )# 1& So those who are last now will !e first in the f+t+re. And those who are first now will !e last in the f+t+re. 1' Ces+s was going to Cer+salem. $is pag. 1,120131#

twelve followers were with him. >hile they were walking, he gathered the followers together and spoke to them privately. $e said to them, 1( >e are going to Cer+salem. The Son of Aan will !e handed over to the leading priests and the teachers of the law, and they will say he m+st die. 1) They will hand him over to the foreigners, who will la+gh at him and !eat him with whips, and then they will kill him on a cross. <+t on the third day after his death, he will !e raised to life again. 2, Then Be!edees wife came to Ces+s and !ro+ght her sons. She !owed !efore Ces+s and asked him to do something for her. 21 Ces+s said, >hat do yo+ want? She said, 6romise that one of my sons will sit at yo+r right side in yo+r kingdom and the other at yo+r left. 22 So Ces+s said to the sons, ;o+ dont +nderstand what yo+ are asking. 9an Aatthew 2,.23*2) )% yo+ drink from the c+p that 3 m+st drink from? The sons answered, ;es, we can" 23 Ces+s said to them, 3t is tr+e that yo+ will drink from the c+p that 3 drink from. <+t it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or my left. Ay 2ather has decided who will do that. $e has prepared those places for them. 2# The other ten followers heard this and were angry with the two !rothers. 2% So Ces+s called the followers together. $e said, ;o+ know that the r+lers of the nonDCewish people love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to +se all their a+thority over the people. 2& <+t it sho+ld not !e that way with yo+. >hoever wants to !e yo+r leader m+st !e yo+r servant. 2' >hoever wants to !e first m+st serve the rest of yo+ like a slave. 2( Do as 3 did: The Son of Aan did not come for people to serve him. $e came to serve others and to give his life to save many people. -asy To .ead /ersion

2) >hen Ces+s and his followers were leaving Cericho, a large crowd followed him. Aatthew 2,.3,*21.2 )& 3, There were two !lind men sitting !y the road. They heard that Ces+s was coming !y. So they sho+ted, ord, Son of David, please help +s" 31 The people there criticiEed the !lind men and told them to !e J+iet. <+t they sho+ted more and more, ord, Son of David, please help +s" 32 Ces+s stopped and said to them, >hat do yo+ want me to do for yo+? 33 They answered, ord, we want to !e a!le to see. 3# Ces+s felt sorry for the !lind men. $e to+ched their eyes, and immediately they were a!le to see. Then they !ecame followers of Ces+s. 21 1 Ces+s and his followers were coming closer to Cer+salem. <+t first they stopped at <ethphage at the hill called the Ao+nt of 5lives. 2rom there Ces+s sent two of his followers into town. 2 $e said to them, Go to the town yo+ can see there. >hen yo+ enter it, yo+ will find a donkey with her colt. Hntie them !oth, and !ring them to me. Aatthew 21.3*1, )' 3 3f anyone asks yo+ why yo+ are taking the donkeys, tell them, The Aaster needs them. $e will send them !ack soon. # This showed the f+ll meaning of what the prophet said: % Tell the people of Bion, 1ow yo+r king is coming to yo+. $e is h+m!le and riding on a donkey. $e is riding on a yo+ng donkey, !orn from a work animal. & The followers went and did what Ces+s told them to do. ' They !ro+ght the mother donkey and the yo+ng donkey to him. They covered the donkeys with their coats, and Ces+s sat on them. ( 5n the way to Cer+salem, many people spread their coats on the road for Ces+s. 5thers c+t !ranches from the trees and spread them on the road. pag. 1,130131#

) Some of the people were walking ahead of Ces+s. 5thers were walking !ehind him. They all sho+ted, 6raise to the Son of David" >elcome" God !less the one who comes in the name of the ord" 6raise to God in heaven" 1, Then Ces+s went into Cer+salem. All the people in the city were conf+sed. They asked, >ho is this man? Aatthew 21.11*1& )( 11 The crowds following Ces+s answered, This is Ces+s. $e is the prophet from the town of 1aEareth in Galilee. 12 Ces+s went into the Temple area. $e threw o+t all those who were selling and !+ying things there. $e t+rned over the ta!les that !elonged to those who were e4changing different kinds of money. And he t+rned over the !enches of those who were selling doves. 13 Ces+s said to them, The Script+res say, Ay Temple will !e called a ho+se of prayer. <+t yo+ are changing it into a hiding place for thieves. 1# Some !lind people and some who were crippled came to Ces+s in the Temple area. Ces+s healed them. 1% The leading priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderf+l things he was doing. And they saw the children praising him in the Temple area. The children were sho+ting, 6raise to the Son of David. All this made the priests and the teachers of the law angry. 1& They asked Ces+s, Do yo+ hear what these children are saying? $e answered, ;es. The Script+res say, ;o+ have ta+ght Aatthew 21.1'*23 )) children and !a!ies to give praise. $ave yo+ not read that Script+re? 1' Then Ces+s left them and went o+t of the city to <ethany, where he spent the night. 1( -arly the ne4t morning, Ces+s was going !ack to the city. $e was very h+ngry. 1) $e saw a fig tree !eside the road and went to get a fig from it. <+t there were no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. So Ces+s said to the tree, ;o+ -asy To .ead /ersion

will never again prod+ce fr+it" The tree immediately dried +p and died. 2, >hen the followers saw this, they were very s+rprised. They asked, $ow did the fig tree dry +p and die so J+ickly? 21 Ces+s answered, The tr+th is, if yo+ have faith and no do+!ts, yo+ will !e a!le to do the same as 3 did to this tree. And yo+ will !e a!le to do more. ;o+ will !e a!le to say to this mo+ntain, Go, mo+ntain, fall into the sea. And if yo+ have faith, it will happen. 22 3f yo+ !elieve, yo+ will get anything yo+ ask for in prayer. 23 Ces+s went into the Temple area. >hile Ces+s was teaching there, the Aatthew 21.2#*2( 1,, leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to him. They said, Tell +s" >hat a+thority do yo+ have to do these things yo+ are doing? >ho gave yo+ this a+thority? 2# Ces+s answered, 3 will ask yo+ a J+estion too. 3f yo+ answer me, then 3 will tell yo+ what a+thority 3 have to do these things. 2% Tell me: >hen Cohn !aptiEed people, did his a+thority come from God, or was it only from other people? The priests and the Cewish leaders talked a!o+t Ces+s J+estion. They said to each other, 3f we answer, Cohns !aptism was from God, then he will say, Then why didnt yo+ !elieve Cohn? 2& <+t we cant say Cohns !aptism was from someone else. >e are afraid of the people, !eca+se they all !elieve Cohn was a prophet. 2' So they told Ces+s, >e dont know the answer. Ces+s said, Then 3 will not tell yo+ who gave me the a+thority to do these things. 2( Tell me what yo+ think a!o+t this: There was a man who had two sons. $e Aatthew 21.2)*33 1,1 went to the first son and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard. 2) The son answered, 3 will not go. <+t later he decided he sho+ld go, and he went. pag. 1,1#0131#

3, Then the father went to the other son and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard. $e answered, ;es, sir, 3 will go and work. <+t he did not go. 31 >hich of the two sons o!eyed his father? The Cewish leaders answered, The first son. Ces+s said to them, The tr+th is, yo+ are worse than the ta4 collectors and the prostit+tes. 3n fact, they will enter Gods kingdom !efore yo+ enter. 32 Cohn came showing yo+ the right way to live, and yo+ did not !elieve him. <+t the ta4 collectors and prostit+tes !elieved Cohn. ;o+ saw that happening, !+t yo+ wo+ld not change. ;o+ still ref+sed to !elieve him. 33 isten to this story: There was a man who owned a vineyard. $e p+t a wall aro+nd the field and d+g a hole for a winepress. Then he !+ilt a tower. $e leased the land to some farmers and then left on a trip. Aatthew 21.3#*#1 1,2 3# ater, it was time for the grapes to !e picked. So the man sent his servants to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3% <+t the farmers gra!!ed the servants and !eat one. They killed another one and then stoned to death a third servant. 3& So the man sent some other servants to the farmers. $e sent more servants than he sent the first time. <+t the farmers did the same thing to them that they did the first time. 3' So the man decided to send his son to the farmers. $e said, The farmers will respect my son. 3( <+t when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, This is the owners son. This vineyard will !e his. 3f we kill him, it will !e o+rs. 3) So the farmers took the son, threw him o+t of the vineyard, and killed him. #, So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes? #1 The Cewish priests and leaders said, $e will s+rely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the land to other farmers, -asy To .ead /ersion

who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time. Aatthew 21.#2*22.3 1,3 #2 Ces+s said to them, S+rely yo+ have read this in the Script+res: The stone that the !+ilders ref+sed to accept !ecame the cornerstone. The ord did this, and it is wonderf+l to +s. #3 So 3 tell yo+ that Gods kingdom will !e taken away from yo+. 3t will !e given to people who do what God wants in his kingdom. ## >hoever falls on this stone will !e !roken. And it will cr+sh anyone it falls on. #% >hen the leading priests and the 6harisees heard these stories, they knew that Ces+s was talking a!o+t them. #& They wanted to find a way to arrest Ces+s. <+t they were afraid to do anything, !eca+se the people !elieved that Ces+s was a prophet. 22 1 Ces+s +sed some more stories to teach the people. $e said, 2 Gods kingdom is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. 3 $e invited some people to the feast. >hen it was ready, the king sent his servants to tell the people to come. <+t they ref+sed to come to the kings feast. Aatthew 22.#*1, 1,# # Then the king sent some more servants. $e said to them, 3 have already invited the people. So tell them that my feast is ready. 3 have killed my !est !+lls and calves to !e eaten. -verything is ready. 9ome to the wedding feast. % <+t when the servants told the people to come, they ref+sed to listen. They all went to do other things. 5ne went to work in his field, and another went to his !+siness. & Some of the other people gra!!ed the servants, !eat them, and killed them. ' The king was very angry. $e sent his army to kill those who m+rdered his servants. And the army !+rned their city. ( After that, the king said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready. 3 invited those people, !+t they were not pag. 1,1%0131#

good eno+gh to come to my feast. ) So go to the street corners and invite everyone yo+ see. Tell them to come to my feast. 1, So the servants went into the streets. They gathered all the people they co+ld find, good and !ad alike, and !ro+ght them to where the wedding feast was Aatthew 22.11*1& 1,% ready. And the place was filled with g+ests. 11 >hen the king came in to meet the g+ests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in the right clothes for a wedding. 12 The king said, 2riend, how were yo+ allowed to come in here? ;o+ are not wearing the right clothes. <+t the man said nothing. 13 So the king told some servants, Tie this mans hands and feet. Throw him o+t into the darkness, where people are crying and grinding their teeth with pain. 1# ;es, many people are invited. <+t only a few are chosen. 1% Then the 6harisees left the place where Ces+s was teaching. They made plans to catch him saying something they co+ld +se against him. 1& They sent some men to Ces+s. They were some of their own followers and some from the gro+p called $erodians. They said, Teacher, we know yo+ are an honest man. >e know yo+ always teach the tr+th a!o+t Gods way. 3t doesnt matter to yo+ who is listening. ;o+ dont worry a!o+t what others might say. Aatthew 22.1'*2# 1,& 1' So tell +s what yo+ think. 3s it right to pay ta4es to 9aesar or not? 1( <+t Ces+s knew that these men were trying to trick him. So he said, ;o+ hypocrites" >hy are yo+ trying to catch me saying something wrong? 1) Show me a coin +sed for paying the ta4. They showed Ces+s a silver coin. 2, Then he asked, >hose pict+re is on the coin? And whose name is written on the coin? 21 They answered, 3t is 9aesars pict+re -asy To .ead /ersion

and 9aesars name. Then Ces+s said to them, Give to 9aesar what !elongs to 9aesar, and give to God what !elongs to God. 22 >hen they heard what Ces+s said, they were amaEed. They left him and went away. 23 That same day some Sadd+cees came to Ces+s. 7Sadd+cees !elieve that no one will rise from death.8 The Sadd+cees asked Ces+s a J+estion. 2# They said, Teacher, Aoses told +s that if a married man dies and had no children, his !rother m+st marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead !rother. Aatthew 22.2%*32 1,' 2% There were seven !rothers among +s. The first !rother married !+t died. $e had no children. So his !rother married the woman. 2& Then the second !rother also died. The same thing happened to the third !rother and all the other !rothers. 2' The woman was the last to die. 2( <+t all seven men had married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will she !e? 2) Ces+s answered, ;o+ are so wrong" ;o+ dont know what the Script+res say. And yo+ dont know anything a!o+t Gods power. 3, At the time when people rise from death, there will !e no marriage. 6eople will not !e married to each other. -veryone will !e like the angels in heaven. 31 S+rely yo+ have read what God said that tells yo+ a!o+t people rising from death. 32 God said, 3 am the God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. $e is the God only of people who are living. So these men were not really dead. Aatthew 22.33*#2 1,( 33 >hen the people heard this, they were amaEed at Ces+s teaching. 3# The 6harisees learned that Ces+s had made the Sadd+cees look so foolish that pag. 1,1&0131#

they stopped trying to arg+e with him. So the 6harisees had a meeting. 3% Then one of them, an e4pert in the aw of Aoses, asked Ces+s a J+estion to test him. 3& $e said, Teacher, which command in the law is the most important? 3' Ces+s answered, ove the ord yo+r God with all yo+r heart, all yo+r so+l, and all yo+r mind. 3( This is the first and most important command. 3) And the second command is like the first: ove yo+r neigh!or the same as yo+ love yo+rself. #, All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands. #1 So while the 6harisees were together, Ces+s asked them a J+estion. #2 $e said, >hat do yo+ think a!o+t the Aessiah? >hose son is he? The 6harisees answered, The Aessiah is the Son of David. Aatthew 22.#3*23.# 1,) #3 Ces+s said to them, Then why did David call him ord? David was speaking !y the power of the Spirit. $e said, ## The ord God said to my ord: Sit !y me at my right side, and 3 will p+t yo+r enemies +nder yo+r control. #% David calls the Aessiah ord. So how can he !e Davids son? #& 1one of the 6harisees co+ld answer Ces+s J+estion. And after that day, no one was !rave eno+gh to ask him any more J+estions. 23 1 Then Ces+s spoke to the people and to his followers. $e said, 2 The teachers of the law and the 6harisees have the a+thority to tell yo+ what the aw of Aoses says. 3 So yo+ sho+ld o!ey them. Do everything they tell yo+ to do. <+t their lives are not good e4amples for yo+ to follow. They tell yo+ to do things, !+t they dont do those things themselves. # They make strict r+les that are hard for people to o!ey. They try to force others to o!ey all their r+les. <+t they -asy To .ead /ersion

themselves will not try to follow any of those r+les. Aatthew 23.%*13 11, % The only reason they do what they do is for other people to see them. They make the little Script+re !o4es they wear !igger and !igger. And they make the tassels on their prayer clothes long eno+gh for people to notice them. & These men love to have the places of honor at !anJ+ets and the most important seats in the synagog+es. ' They love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces and to call them Teacher. ( <+t yo+ m+st not !e called Teacher. ;o+ are all eJ+al as !rothers and sisters. ;o+ have only one Teacher. ) And dont call anyone on earth 2ather. ;o+ have one 2ather. $e is in heaven. 1, And yo+ sho+ld not !e called Aaster. ;o+ have only one Aaster, the Aessiah. 11 >hoever serves yo+ like a servant is the greatest among yo+. 12 6eople who think they are !etter than others will !e made h+m!le. <+t people who h+m!le themselves will !e made great. 13 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ are hypocrites" ;o+ close the way for people Aatthew 23.1#*1( 111 to enter Gods kingdom. ;o+ yo+rselves dont enter, and yo+ stop those who are trying to enter. 1# MM-A6T;NN 1% 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ are hypocrites. ;o+ travel across the seas and across different co+ntries to find one person who will follow yo+r ways. >hen yo+ find that person, yo+ make him worse than yo+ are. And yo+ are so !ad that yo+ !elong in hell" 1& 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ g+ide the people, !+t yo+ are !lind. ;o+ say, 3f anyone +ses the name of the Temple to make a promise, that means nothing. <+t anyone who +ses the gold that is pag. 1,1'0131#

in the Temple to make a promise m+st keep that promise. 1' ;o+ are !lind fools" 9ant yo+ see that the Temple is greater than the gold on it? 3ts the Temple that makes the gold holy" 1( And yo+ say, 3f anyone +ses the altar to make a promise, that means nothing. <+t anyone who +ses the gift on the altar to make a promise m+st keep that promise. Aatthew 23.1)*2% 112 1) ;o+ are !lind" 9ant yo+ see that the altar is greater than any gift on it? 3ts the altar that makes the gift holy" 2, >hoever +ses the altar to make a promise is really +sing the altar and everything on the altar. 21 And anyone who +ses the Temple to make a promise is really +sing the Temple and God, who lives in it. 22 >hoever +ses heaven to make a promise is +sing Gods throne and the one who is seated on it. 23 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ are hypocrites" ;o+ give God a tenth of the food yo+ get, even yo+r mint, dill, and c+min. <+t yo+ dont o!ey the really important teachings of the law!eing fair, showing mercy, and !eing faithf+l. These are the things yo+ sho+ld do. And yo+ sho+ld also contin+e to do those other things. 2# ;o+ g+ide the people, !+t yo+ are !lind" Think a!o+t a man picking a little fly o+t of his drink and then swallowing a camel" ;o+ are like that. 2% 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ are Aatthew 23.2&*3, 113 hypocrites" ;o+ wash clean the o+tside of yo+r c+ps and dishes. <+t inside they are f+ll of what yo+ got !y cheating others and pleasing yo+rselves. 2& 6harisees, yo+ are !lind" 2irst make the inside of the c+p clean and good. Then the o+tside of the c+p will also !e clean. 2' 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ are -asy To .ead /ersion

hypocrites" ;o+ are like tom!s that are painted white. 5+tside they look fine, !+t inside they are f+ll of dead peoples !ones and all kinds of filth. 2( 3t is the same with yo+. 6eople look at yo+ and think yo+ are godly. <+t on the inside yo+ are f+ll of hypocrisy and evil. 2) 3t will !e !ad for yo+ teachers of the law and yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ are hypocrites" ;o+ !+ild tom!s for the prophets. And yo+ show honor to the graves of the godly people who were killed. 3, And yo+ say, 3f we had lived d+ring the time of o+r ancestors, we wo+ld not have helped them kill these prophets. Aatthew 23.31*3% 11# 31 So yo+ give proof that yo+ are descendants of those who killed the prophets. 32 And yo+ will finish the sin that yo+r ancestors started" 33 ;o+ snakes" ;o+ are from a family of poisono+s snakes" ;o+ will not escape God. ;o+ will all !e =+dged g+ilty and go to hell" 3# So 3 tell yo+ this: 3 send to yo+ prophets and teachers who are wise and know the Script+res. ;o+ will kill some of them. ;o+ will hang some of them on crosses. ;o+ will !eat some of them in yo+r synagog+es. ;o+ will chase them from town to town. 3% So yo+ will !e g+ilty for the death of all the good people who have !een killed on earth. ;o+ will !e g+ilty for the killing of that godly man A!el. And yo+ will !e g+ilty for the killing of Bechariah son of <erachiah. $e was killed !etween the Temple and the altar. ;o+ will !e g+ilty for the killing of all the good people who lived !etween the time of A!el and the time of Bechariah. Aatthew 23.3&*2#.3 11% 3& <elieve me when 3 say that all these things will happen to yo+ people who are living now. 3' 5 Cer+salem, Cer+salem" ;o+ kill the prophets. ;o+ stone to death those that pag. 1,1(0131#

God has sent to yo+. Aany, many times 3 wanted to help yo+r people. 3 wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks +nder her wings. <+t yo+ did not let me. 3( 1ow yo+r ho+se will !e left completely empty. 3) 3 tell yo+, yo+ will not see me again +ntil that time when yo+ will say, >elcome" God !less the one who comes in the name of the ord. 24 1 Ces+s left the Temple area and was walking away. <+t his followers came to him to show him the Temples !+ildings. 2 $e asked them, Are yo+ looking at these !+ildings? The fact is, they will !e destroyed. -very stone will !e thrown down to the gro+nd. 1ot one stone will !e left on another. 3 ater, Ces+s was sitting at a place on the Ao+nt of 5lives. The followers came to !e alone with him. They said, Tell Aatthew 2#.#*) 11& +s when these things will happen. And what will happen to prepare +s for yo+r coming and the end of time? # Ces+s answered, <e caref+l" Dont let anyone fool yo+. % Aany people will come and +se my name. They will say, 3 am the Aessiah. And they will fool many people. & ;o+ will hear a!o+t wars that are !eing fo+ght. And yo+ will hear stories a!o+t other wars !eginning. <+t dont !e afraid. These things m+st happen !efore the end comes. ' 1ations will fight against other nations. Gingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will !e times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will !e earthJ+akes in different places. ( These things are only the !eginning of tro+!les, like the first pains of a woman giving !irth. ) Then yo+ will !e arrested and handed over to !e p+nished and killed. 6eople all over the world will hate yo+ !eca+se yo+ !elieve in me. -asy To .ead /ersion

Aatthew 2#.1,*1' 11' 1, D+ring that time many !elievers will lose their faith. They will t+rn against each other and hate each other. 11 Aany false prophets will come and ca+se many people to !elieve things that are wrong. 12 There will so m+ch more evil in the world that the love of most !elievers will grow cold. 13 <+t the one who remains faithf+l to the end will !e saved. 1# And the Good 1ews 3 have shared a!o+t Gods kingdom will !e told thro+gho+t the world. 3t will !e spread to every nation. Then the end will come. 1% Daniel the prophet spoke a!o+t the terri!le thing that ca+ses destr+ction. ;o+ will see this terri!le thing standing in the holy place. 7;o+ who read this sho+ld +nderstand what it means.8 1& The people in C+dea at that time sho+ld r+n away to the mo+ntains. 1' They sho+ld r+n away witho+t wasting time to stop for anything. 3f they are on the roof of their ho+se, they m+st not go down to get anything o+t of the ho+se. Aatthew 2#.1(*2% 11( 1( 3f they are in the field, they m+st not go !ack to get a coat. 1) D+ring that time it will !e hard for women who are pregnant or have small !a!ies" 2, 6ray that it will not !e winter or a Sa!!ath day when these things happen and yo+ have to r+n away, 21 !eca+se it will !e a time of great tro+!le. There will !e more tro+!le than has ever happened since the !eginning of the world. And nothing as !ad as that will ever happen again. 22 <+t God has decided to make that terri!le time short. 3f it were not made short, no one wo+ld contin+e living. <+t God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen. 23 Someone might say to yo+ at that time, ook, there is the Aessiah" 5r someone else might say, There he is" pag. 1,1)0131#

<+t dont !elieve them. 2# 2alse messiahs and false prophets will come and do great miracles and wonders, trying to fool the people God has chosen, if that is possi!le. 2% 1ow 3 have warned yo+ a!o+t this !efore it happens. Aatthew 2#.2&*31 11) 2& Someone might tell yo+, The Aessiah is there in the desert" <+t dont go into the desert to look for him. Someone else might say, There is the Aessiah in that room" <+t dont !elieve it. 2' >hen the Son of Aan comes, everyone will see him. 3t will !e like lightning flashing in the sky that can !e seen everywhere. 2( 3ts like looking for a dead !ody: ;o+ will find it where the v+lt+res are gathering a!ove. 2) .ight after the tro+!le of those days, this will happen: The s+n will !ecome dark, and the moon will not give light. The stars will fall from the sky, and everything in the sky will !e changed. 3, Then there will !e something in the sky that shows the Son of Aan is coming. All the people of the world will cry. -veryone will see the Son of Aan coming on the clo+ds in the sky. $e will come with power and great glory. 31 $e will +se a lo+d tr+mpet to send his angels all aro+nd the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth. Aatthew 2#.32*3) 12, 32 The fig tree teaches +s a lesson: >hen its !ranches !ecome green and soft, and new leaves !egin to grow, then yo+ know that s+mmer is very near. 33 3n the same way, when yo+ see all these things happening, yo+ will know that the time is very near, already present. 3# 3 ass+re yo+ that all these things will happen while some of the people of this time are still living. 3% The whole world, earth and sky, will !e destroyed, !+t my words will last forever. -asy To .ead /ersion

3& 1o one knows when that day or time will !e. The Son and the angels in heaven dont know when it will !e. 5nly the 2ather knows. 3' >hen the Son of Aan comes, it will !e the same as what happened d+ring 1oahs time. 3( 3n those days !efore the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to !e married right +p to the day 1oah entered the !oat. 3) They knew nothing a!o+t what was happening +ntil the flood came and Aatthew 2#.#,*#& 121 destroyed them all. 3t will !e the same when the Son of Aan comes. #, Two men will !e working together in the field. 5ne will !e taken and the other will !e left. #1 Two women will !e grinding grain with a mill. 5ne will !e taken and the other will !e left. #2 So always !e ready. ;o+ dont know the day yo+r ord will come. #3 >hat wo+ld a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? ;o+ know he wo+ld !e ready and not let the thief !reak in. ## So yo+ also m+st !e ready. The Son of Aan will come at a time when yo+ dont e4pect him. #% >ho is the wise and tr+sted servant? The master tr+sts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. >ho is the one the master tr+sts to do that work? #& >hen the master comes and finds that servant doing the work he gave him, it will !e a day of !lessing for that servant. Aatthew 2#.#'*2%.# 122 #' 3 can tell yo+ witho+t a do+!t, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. #( <+t what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come !ack soon? #) $e will !egin to !eat the other servants. $e will eat and drink with others who are dr+nk. pag. 1,2,0131#

%, Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not e4pecting him. %1 Then the master will p+nish that servant. $e will send him away to !e with the hypocrites, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. 25 1 At that time Gods kingdom will !e like ten girls who went to wait for the !ridegroom. They took their lamps with them. 2 2ive of the girls were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The foolish girls took their lamps with them, !+t they did not take e4tra oil for the lamps. # The wise girls took their lamps and more oil in =ars. Aatthew 2%.%*13 123 % >hen the !ridegroom was very late, the girls co+ld not keep their eyes open, and they all fell asleep. & At midnight someone anno+nced, The !ridegroom is coming" 9ome and meet him" ' Then all the girls woke +p. They made their lamps ready. ( <+t the foolish girls said to the wise girls, Give +s some of yo+r oil. The oil in o+r lamps is all gone. ) The wise girls answered, 1o" The oil we have might not !e eno+gh for all of +s. <+t go to those who sell oil and !+y some for yo+rselves. 1, So the foolish girls went to !+y oil. >hile they were gone, the !ridegroom came. The girls who were ready went in with the !ridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked. 11 ater, the other girls came. They said, Sir, sir" 5pen the door to let +s in. 12 <+t the !ridegroom answered, 9ertainly not" 3 dont even know yo+. 13 So always !e ready. ;o+ dont know the day or the time when the Son of Aan will come. Aatthew 2%.1#*2, 12# 1# At that time Gods kingdom will also !e like a man leaving home to travel to -asy To .ead /ersion

another place for a visit. <efore he left, he talked with his servants. $e told his servants to take care of his things while he was gone. 1% $e decided how m+ch each servant wo+ld !e a!le to care for. The man gave one servant five !ags of money. $e gave another servant two !ags. And he gave a third servant one !ag. Then he left. 1& The servant who got five !ags went J+ickly to invest the money. Those five !ags of money earned five more. 1' 3t was the same with the servant who had two !ags. That servant invested the money and earned two more. 1( <+t the servant who got one !ag of money went away and d+g a hole in the gro+nd. Then he hid his masters money in the hole. 1) After a long time the master came home. $e asked the servants what they did with his money. 2, The servant who got five !ags !ro+ght that amo+nt and five more !ags of money to the master. The servant said, Aaster, yo+ tr+sted me to care for Aatthew 2%.21*2% 12% five !ags of money. So 3 +sed them to earn five more. 21 The master answered, ;o+ did right. ;o+ are a good servant who can !e tr+sted. ;o+ did well with that small amo+nt of money. So 3 will let yo+ care for m+ch greater things. 9ome and share my happiness with me. 22 Then the servant who got two !ags of money came to the master. The servant said, Aaster, yo+ gave me two !ags of money to care for. So 3 +sed yo+r two !ags to earn two more. 23 The master answered, ;o+ did right. ;o+ are a good servant who can !e tr+sted. ;o+ did well with a small amo+nt of money. So 3 will let yo+ care for m+ch greater things. 9ome and share my happiness with me. 2# Then the servant who got one !ag of money came to the master. The servant said, Aaster, 3 knew yo+ were a very hard man. ;o+ harvest what yo+ did not pag. 1,210131#

plant. ;o+ gather crops where yo+ did not p+t any seed. 2% So 3 was afraid. 3 went and hid yo+r money in the gro+nd. $ere is the one !ag of money yo+ gave me. Aatthew 2%.2&*31 12& 2& The master answered, ;o+ are a !ad and laEy servant" ;o+ say yo+ knew that 3 harvest what 3 did not plant and that 3 gather crops where 3 did not p+t any seed. 2' So yo+ sho+ld have p+t my money in the !ank. Then, when 3 came home, 3 wo+ld get my money !ack. And 3 wo+ld also get the interest that my money earned. 2( So the master told his other servants, Take the one !ag of money from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten !ags. 2) -veryone who +ses what they have will get more. They will have m+ch more than they need. <+t people who do not +se what they have will have everything taken away from them. 3, Then the master said, Throw that +seless servant o+tside into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. 31 The Son of Aan will come again with divine greatness, and all his angels will come with him. $e will sit as king on his great and glorio+s throne. Aatthew 2%.32*3( 12' 32 All the people of the world will !e gathered !efore him. Then he will separate everyone into two gro+ps. 3t will !e like a shepherd separating his sheep from his goats. 33 $e will p+t the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 3# Then the king will say to the godly people on his right, 9ome, my 2ather has great !lessings for yo+. The kingdom he promised is now yo+rs. 3t has !een prepared for yo+ since the world was made. 3% 3t is yo+rs !eca+se when 3 was h+ngry, yo+ gave me food to eat. >hen 3 was thirsty, yo+ gave me something to -asy To .ead /ersion

drink. >hen 3 had no place to stay, yo+ welcomed me into yo+r home. 3& >hen 3 was witho+t clothes, yo+ gave me something to wear. >hen 3 was sick, yo+ cared for me. >hen 3 was in prison, yo+ came to visit me. 3' Then the godly people will answer, ord, when did we see yo+ h+ngry and give yo+ food? >hen did we see yo+ thirsty and give yo+ something to drink? 3( >hen did we see yo+ with no place to stay and welcome yo+ into o+r home? Aatthew 2%.3)*## 12( >hen did we see yo+ witho+t clothes and give yo+ something to wear? 3) >hen did we see yo+ sick or in prison and care for yo+? #, Then the king will answer, The tr+th is, anything yo+ did for any of my people here, yo+ also did for me. #1 Then the king will say to the evil people on his left, Get away from me. God has already decided that yo+ will !e p+nished. Go into the fire that !+rns foreverthe fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. #2 ;o+ m+st go away !eca+se when 3 was h+ngry, yo+ gave me nothing to eat. >hen 3 was thirsty, yo+ gave me nothing to drink. #3 >hen 3 had no place to stay, yo+ did not welcome me into yo+r home. >hen 3 was witho+t clothes, yo+ gave me nothing to wear. >hen 3 was sick and in prison, yo+ did not care for me. ## Then those people will answer, ord, when did we see yo+ h+ngry or thirsty? >hen did we see yo+ witho+t a place to stay? 5r when did we see yo+ witho+t clothes or sick or in prison? >hen did we see any of this and not help yo+? Aatthew 2%.#%*2&.& 12) #% The king will answer, The tr+th is, anything yo+ ref+sed to do for any of my people here, yo+ ref+sed to do for me. #& Then these evil people will go away to !e p+nished forever. <+t the godly people will go and en=oy eternal life. 26 1 After Ces+s finished saying all these things, he said to his pag. 1,220131#

followers, 2 ;o+ know that the day after tomorrow is 6assover. 5n that day the Son of Aan will !e handed over to his enemies to !e killed on a cross. 3 Then the leading priests and the older Cewish leaders had a meeting at the palace where the high priest lived. The high priests name was 9aiaphas. # 3n the meeting they tried to find a way to arrest and kill Ces+s witho+t anyone knowing what they were doing. They planned to arrest Ces+s and kill him. % They said, >e cannot arrest Ces+s d+ring 6assover. >e dont want the people to !ecome angry and ca+se a riot. & Ces+s was in <ethany at the ho+se of Simon the leper. Aatthew 2&.'*1# 13, ' >hile he was there, a woman came to him. She had an ala!aster =ar filled with e4pensive perf+me. She po+red the perf+me on Ces+s head while he was eating. ( The followers saw the woman do this and were +pset at her. They said, >hy waste that perf+me? ) 3t co+ld !e sold for a lot of money, and the money co+ld !e given to those who are poor. 1, <+t Ces+s knew what happened. $e said, >hy are yo+ !othering this woman? She did a very good thing for me. 11 ;o+ will always have the poor with yo+. <+t yo+ will not always have me. 12 This woman po+red perf+me on my !ody. She did this to prepare me for !+rial after 3 die. 13 The Good 1ews will !e told to people all over the world. And 3 can ass+re yo+ that everywhere the Good 1ews is told, the story of what this woman did will also !e told, and people will remem!er her. 1# Then one of the twelve followers went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named C+das 3scariot. Aatthew 2&.1%*22 131 1% $e said, 3 will hand Ces+s over to yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

>hat will yo+ pay me for doing this? The priests gave him 3, silver coins. 1& After that, C+das waited for the !est time to hand Ces+s over to them. 1' 5n the first day of the 2estival of Hnleavened <read, the followers came to Ces+s. They said, >e will prepare everything for yo+ to eat the 6assover meal. >here do yo+ want +s to have the meal? 1( Ces+s answered, Go into the city. Go to a man 3 know. Tell him that the Teacher says, The chosen time is now very near. 3 will have the 6assover meal with my followers at yo+r ho+se. 1) They o!eyed and did what Ces+s told them to do. They prepared the 6assover meal. 2, 3n the evening Ces+s was at the ta!le with the twelve followers. 21 They were all eating. Then Ces+s said, <elieve me when 3 say that one of yo+ twelve here will hand me over to my enemies. 22 The followers were very sad to hear this. -ach one said, ord, s+rely 3 am not the one" Aatthew 2&.23*2) 132 23 Ces+s answered, 5ne who has dipped his !read in the same !owl with me will !e the one to hand me over. 2# The Son of Aan will s+ffer what the Script+res say will happen to him. <+t it will !e very !ad for the one who hands over the Son of Aan to !e killed. 3t wo+ld !e !etter for him if he had never !een !orn. 2% Then C+das, the very one who wo+ld hand him over, said to Ces+s, Teacher, s+rely 3 am not the one yo+ are talking a!o+t, am 3? Ces+s answered, ;es, it is yo+. 2& >hile they were eating, Ces+s took some !read and thanked God for it. $e !roke off some pieces, gave them to his followers and said, Take this !read and eat it. 3t is my !ody. 2' Then he took a c+p of wine, thanked God for it, and gave it to them. $e said, -ach one of yo+ drink some of it. pag. 1,230131#

2( This wine is my !lood, which will !e po+red o+t to forgive the sins of many and !egin the new agreement from God to his people. 2) 3 want yo+ to know, 3 will not drink this wine again +ntil that day when we Aatthew 2&.3,*3& 133 are together in my 2athers kingdom and the wine is new. Then 3 will drink it again with yo+. 3, They all sang a song and then went o+t to the Ao+nt of 5lives. 31 Ces+s told the followers, Tonight yo+ will all lose yo+r faith in me. The Script+res say, 3 will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will r+n away. 32 <+t after 3 am killed, 3 will rise from death. Then 3 will go into Galilee. 3 will !e there !efore yo+ go there. 33 6eter answered, All the other followers may lose their faith in yo+. <+t my faith will never !e shaken. 3# Ces+s answered, The tr+th is, tonight yo+ will say yo+ dont know me. ;o+ will deny me three times !efore the rooster crows. 3% <+t 6eter answered, 3 will never say 3 dont know yo+" 3 will even die with yo+" And all the other followers said the same thing. 3& Then Ces+s went with his followers to a place called Gethsemane. $e said to them, Sit here while 3 go there and pray. Aatthew 2&.3'*#3 13# 3' $e told 6eter and the two sons of Be!edee to come with him. Then he !egan to !e very sad and tro+!led. 3( Ces+s said to 6eter and the two sons of Be!edee, Ay heart is so heavy with grief, 3 feel as if 3 am dying. >ait here and stay awake with me. 3) Then Ces+s went on a little farther away from them. $e fell to the gro+nd and prayed, Ay 2ather, if it is possi!le, dont make me drink from this c+p. <+t do what yo+ want, not what 3 want. #, Then he went !ack to his followers and fo+nd them sleeping. $e said to 6eter, 9o+ld yo+ men not stay awake with me for one ho+r? -asy To .ead /ersion

#1 Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. ;o+r spirit wants to do what is right, !+t yo+r !ody is weak. #2 Then Ces+s went away a second time and prayed, Ay 2ather, if 3 m+st do this and it is not possi!le for me to escape it, then 3 pray that what yo+ want will !e done. #3 Then he went !ack to the followers. Again he fo+nd them sleeping. They co+ld not stay awake. Aatthew 2&.##*%1 13% ## So he left them and went away one more time and prayed. This third time he prayed, he said the same thing. #% Then Ces+s went !ack to the followers and said, Are yo+ still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Aan to !e handed over to the control of sinf+l men. #& Stand +p" >e m+st go. $ere comes the one who will hand me over. #' >hile Ces+s was still speaking, C+das, one of the twelve apostles came there. $e had a !ig crowd of people with him, all carrying swords and cl+!s. They had !een sent from the leading priests and the older leaders of the people. #( C+das planned to do something to show them which one was Ces+s. $e said, The one 3 kiss will !e Ces+s. Arrest him. #) So he went to Ces+s and said, $ello, Teacher" Then C+das kissed him. %, Ces+s answered, 2riend, do the thing yo+ came to do. Then the men came and gra!!ed Ces+s and arrested him. %1 >hen that happened, one of the followers with Ces+s gra!!ed his sword and p+lled it o+t. $e sw+ng it at the Aatthew 2&.%2*%( 13& servant of the high priest and c+t off his ear. %2 Ces+s said to the man, 6+t yo+r sword !ack in its place. 6eople who +se swords will !e killed with swords. %3 S+rely yo+ know 3 co+ld ask my 2ather and he wo+ld give me more than twelve armies of angels. %# <+t it m+st happen this way to show pag. 1,2#0131#

the tr+th of what the Script+res said. %% Then Ces+s said to the crowd, >hy do yo+ come to get me with swords and cl+!s as if 3 were a criminal. -very day 3 sat in the Temple area teaching. ;o+ did not arrest me there. %& <+t all these things have happened to show the f+ll meaning of what the prophets wrote. Then all of Ces+s followers left him and ran away. %' The men who arrested Ces+s led him to the ho+se of 9aiaphas the high priest. The teachers of the law and the older Cewish leaders were gathered there. %( 6eter followed Ces+s !+t stayed !ack at a distance. $e followed him to the yard of the high priests ho+se. 6eter went in and sat with the g+ards. $e Aatthew 2&.%)*&# 13' wanted to see what wo+ld happen to Ces+s. %) The leading priests and the high co+ncil tried to find something against Ces+s so that they co+ld kill him. They tried to find people to lie and say that Ces+s had done wrong. &, Aany people came and told lies a!o+t him. <+t the co+ncil co+ld find no real reason to kill him. Then two people came &1 and said, This man said, 3 can destroy the Temple of God and !+ild it again in three days. &2 Then the high priest stood +p and said to Ces+s, Dont yo+ have anything to say a!o+t these charges against yo+? Are they telling the tr+th? &3 <+t Ces+s said nothing. Again the high priest said to Ces+s, ;o+ are now +nder oath. 3 command yo+ !y the power of the living God to tell +s the tr+th. Tell +s, are yo+ the Aessiah, the Son of God? &# Ces+s answered, ;es, thats right. <+t 3 tell yo+, in the f+t+re yo+ will see the Son of Aan sitting at the right side of God, the 6owerf+l 5ne. And yo+ will see Aatthew 2&.&%*'1 13( the Son of Aan coming on the clo+ds of heaven. &% >hen the high priest heard this, he -asy To .ead /ersion

tore his clothes in anger. $e said, This man has said things that ins+lt God" >e dont need any more witnesses. ;o+ all heard his ins+lting words. && >hat do yo+ think? The Cewish leaders answered, $e is g+ilty, and he m+st die. &' Then some there spit in Ces+s face, and they hit him with their fists. 5thers slapped him. &( They said, Show +s that yo+ are a prophet, Aessiah" Tell +s who hit yo+" &) >hile 6eter was sitting o+tside in the yard, a servant girl came +p to him. She said, ;o+ were with Ces+s, that man from Galilee. ', <+t 6eter told everyone there that this was not tr+e. 3 dont know what yo+ are talking a!o+t, he said. '1 Then he left the yard. At the gate another girl saw him and said to the people there, This man was with Ces+s of 1aEareth. Aatthew 2&.'2*2'.3 13) '2 Again, 6eter said he was never with Ces+s. $e said, 3 swear to God 3 dont know the man" '3 A short time later those standing there went to 6eter and said, >e know yo+ are one of them. 3ts clear from the way yo+ talk. '# Then 6eter !egan to c+rse. $e said, 3 swear to God, 3 dont know the man" As soon as he said this, a rooster crowed. '% Then he remem!ered what Ces+s had told him: <efore the rooster crows, yo+ will say three times that yo+ dont know me. Then 6eter went o+tside and cried !itterly. 27 1 -arly the ne4t morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people met and decided to kill Ces+s. 2 They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to 6ilate, the governor. 3 C+das saw that they had decided to kill Ces+s. $e was the one who had handed him over. >hen he saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 3, silver coins !ack to pag. 1,2%0131#

the priests and the older leaders. Aatthew 2'.#*11 1#, # C+das said, 3 sinned. 3 handed over to yo+ an innocent man to !e killed. The Cewish leaders answered, >e dont care" Thats a pro!lem for yo+, not +s. % So C+das threw the money into the Temple. Then he went o+t from there and hanged himself. & The leading priests picked +p the silver coins in the Temple. They said, 5+r law does not allow +s to keep this money with the Temple money, !eca+se this money has paid for a mans death. ' So they decided to +se the money to !+y a field called 6otters 2ield. This field wo+ld !e a place to !+ry people who died while visiting in Cer+salem. ( That is why that field is still called the 2ield of <lood. ) This showed the f+ll meaning of what Ceremiah the prophet said: They took 3, silver coins. That was how m+ch the people of 3srael decided to pay for his life. 1, They +sed those 3, silver coins to !+y the potters field, as the ord commanded me. 11 Ces+s stood !efore 6ilate, the governor, who asked him, Are yo+ the Aatthew 2'.12*1) 1#1 king of the Cews? Ces+s answered, ;es, thats right. 12 Then, when the leading priests and the older Cewish leaders made their acc+sations against Ces+s, he said nothing. 13 So 6ilate said to him, Dont yo+ hear all these charges they are making against yo+? >hy dont yo+ answer? 1# <+t Ces+s did not say anything, and this really s+rprised the governor. 1% -very year at 6assover time the governor wo+ld free one prisonerwhichever one the people wanted him to free. 1& At that time there was a man in prison who was known to !e very !ad. $is name was <ara!!as. 1' >hen a crowd gathered, 6ilate said to -asy To .ead /ersion

them, 3 will free one man for yo+. >hich one do yo+ want me to free: <ara!!as or Ces+s who is called the Aessiah? 1( 6ilate knew that they had handed Ces+s over to him !eca+se they were =ealo+s of him. 1) >hile 6ilate was sitting there in the place for =+dging, his wife sent a message to him. 3t said, Dont do Aatthew 2'.2,*2% 1#2 anything with that man. $e is not g+ilty. ast night 3 had a dream a!o+t him, and it tro+!led me very m+ch. 2, <+t the leading priests and older Cewish leaders told the people to ask for <ara!!as to !e set free and for Ces+s to !e killed. 21 6ilate said, 3 have <ara!!as and Ces+s. >hich one do yo+ want me to set free for yo+? The people answered, <ara!!as" 22 6ilate asked, So what sho+ld 3 do with Ces+s, the one called the Aessiah? All the people said, Gill him on a cross" 23 6ilate asked, >hy do yo+ want me to kill him? >hat wrong has he done? <+t they sho+ted lo+der, Gill him on a cross" 2# 6ilate saw that there was nothing he co+ld do to make the people change. 3n fact, it looked as if there wo+ld !e a riot. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of them all. $e said, 3 am not g+ilty of this mans death. ;o+ are the ones who are doing it" 2% The people answered, >e will take f+ll responsi!ility for his death. ;o+ can !lame +s and even o+r children" Aatthew 2'.2&*32 1#3 2& Then 6ilate set <ara!!as free. And he told some soldiers to !eat Ces+s with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to !e killed on a cross. 2' Then 6ilates soldiers took Ces+s into the governors palace. All the soldiers gathered aro+nd him. 2( They took off Ces+s clothes and p+t a red ro!e on him. 2) Then they made a crown from thorny !ranches and p+t it on his head, and they p+t a stick in his right hand. Then pag. 1,2&0131#

they !owed !efore him, making f+n of him. They said, >e sal+te yo+, king of the Cews" 3, They spit on him. Then they took his stick and kept hitting him on the head with it. 31 After they finished making f+n of him, the soldiers took off the ro!e and p+t his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to !e killed on a cross. 32 The soldiers were going o+t of the city with Ces+s. They saw a man from 9yrene named Simon, and they forced him to carry Ces+s cross. Aatthew 2'.33*#1 1## 33 They came to the place called Golgotha. 7Golgotha means The 6lace of the Sk+ll.8 3# There the soldiers gave Ces+s some wine mi4ed with gall. <+t when he tasted it, he ref+sed to drink it. 3% The soldiers nailed Ces+s to a cross. Then they threw dice to divide his clothes !etween them. 3& The soldiers stayed there to g+ard him. 3' They p+t a sign a!ove his head with the charge against him written on it: T$3S 3S C-SHS, T$- G31G 52 T$- C->S. 3( Two criminals were nailed to crosses !eside Ces+sone on the right and the other on the left. 3) 6eople walked !y and sho+ted ins+lts at Ces+s. They shook their heads #, and said, ;o+ said yo+ co+ld destroy the Temple and !+ild it again in three days. So save yo+rself" 9ome down from that cross if yo+ really are the Son of God" #1 The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Cewish leaders were also there. They made f+n of Ces+s the same as the other people did. Aatthew 2'.#2*#) 1#% #2 They said, $e saved others, !+t he cant save himself" 6eople say he is the king of 3srael. 3f he is the king, he sho+ld come down now from the cross. Then we will !elieve in him. #3 $e tr+sted God. So let God save him -asy To .ead /ersion

now, if God really wants him. $e himself said, 3 am the Son of God. ## And in the same way, the criminals on the crosses !eside Ces+s also ins+lted him. #% At noon the whole co+ntry !ecame dark. The darkness contin+ed for three ho+rs. #& A!o+t three oclock Ces+s cried o+t lo+dly, -li, -li, lema sa!achthani? This means Ay God, my God, why have yo+ left me alone? #' Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, $e is calling -li=ah. #( I+ickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. $e filled the sponge with so+r wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he +sed the stick to give the sponge to Ces+s to get a drink from it. #) <+t the others said, Dont !other him. >e want to see if -li=ah will come to save him. Aatthew 2'.%,*%' 1#& %, Again Ces+s cried o+t lo+dly and then died. %1 >hen Ces+s died, the c+rtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the !ottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were !roken. %2 The graves opened, and many of Gods people who had died were raised from death. %3 They came o+t of the graves. And after Ces+s was raised from death, they went into the holy city of Cer+salem, and many people saw them. %# The army officer and the soldiers g+arding Ces+s saw this earthJ+ake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, $e really was the Son of God" %% Aany women were standing away from the cross, watching. These were the women who had followed Ces+s from Galilee to care for him. %& Aary Aagdalene, Aary the mother of Cames and Coseph, and the mother of Cames and Cohn were there. %' That evening a rich man named pag. 1,2'0131#

Coseph came to Cer+salem. $e was Aatthew 2'.%(*&# 1#' a follower of Ces+s from the town of Arimathea. %( $e went to 6ilate and asked to have Ces+s !ody. 6ilate gave orders for the soldiers to give Ces+s !ody to him. %) Then Coseph took the !ody and wrapped it in a new linen cloth. &, $e p+t Ces+s !ody in a new tom! that he had d+g in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tom! !y rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. After he did this, he went away. &1 Aary Aagdalene and the other woman named Aary were sitting near the tom!. &2 That day was the day called 6reparation day. The ne4t day, the leading priests and the 6harisees went to 6ilate. &3 They said, Sir, we remem!er that while that liar was still alive he said, 3 will rise from death in three days. &# So give the order for the tom! to !e g+arded well for three days. $is followers might come and try to steal the !ody. Then they co+ld tell everyone that he has risen from death. That lie will !e Aatthew 2'.&%*2(.# 1#( even worse than what they said a!o+t him !efore. &% 6ilate said, Take some soldiers, and go g+ard the tom! the !est way yo+ know. && So they all went to the tom! and made it safe from thieves. They did this !y sealing the stone in the entrance and p+tting soldiers there to g+ard it. 28 1 The day after the Sa!!ath day was the first day of the week. That day at dawn Aary Aagdalene and the other woman named Aary went to look at the tom!. 2 S+ddenly an angel of the ord came from the sky, and there was a h+ge earthJ+ake. The angel went to the tom! and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then he sat on top of the stone. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 The angel was shining as !right as lightning. $is clothes were as white as snow. # The soldiers g+arding the tom! were very afraid of the angel. They shook with fear and then !ecame like dead men. Aatthew 2(.%*11 1#) % The angel said to the women, Dont !e afraid. 3 know yo+ are looking for Ces+s, the one who was killed on the cross. & <+t he is not here. $e has risen from death, as he said he wo+ld. 9ome and see the place where his !ody was. ' And go J+ickly and tell his followers, Ces+s has risen from death. $e is going into Galilee and will !e there !efore yo+. ;o+ will see him there. Then the angel said, 1ow 3 have told yo+. ( So the women left the tom! J+ickly. They were afraid, !+t they were also very happy. They ran to tell his followers what happened. ) S+ddenly, Ces+s was there in front of them. $e said, $ello" The women went to him and, holding on to his feet, worshiped him. 1, Then Ces+s said to them, Dont !e afraid. Go tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there. 11 The women went to tell the followers. At the same time, some of the soldiers who were g+arding the tom! went into the city. They went to tell the leading priests everything that happened. Aatthew 2(.12*1) 1%, 12 Then the priests met with the older Cewish leaders and made a plan. They paid the soldiers a lot of money 13 and said to them, Tell the people that Ces+s followers came d+ring the night and stole the !ody while yo+ were sleeping. 1# 3f the governor hears a!o+t this, we will talk to him and keep yo+ o+t of tro+!le. 1% So the soldiers kept the money and o!eyed the priests. And that story is still spread among the Cews even today. 1& The eleven followers went to Galilee, to the mo+ntain where Ces+s told them pag. 1,2(0131#

to go. 1' 5n the mo+ntain the followers saw Ces+s. They worshiped him. <+t some of the followers did not !elieve that it was really Ces+s. 1( So he came to them and said, All a+thority in heaven and on earth is given to me. 1) So go and make followers of all people in the world. <aptiEe them in the name of the 2ather and the Son and the $oly Spirit. Aatthew 2(.2, 1%1 2, Teach them to o!ey everything that 3 have told yo+ to do. ;o+ can !e s+re that 3 will !e with yo+ always. 3 will contin+e with yo+ +ntil the end of time. 3ar0 1 1 The Good 1ews a!o+t Ces+s the Aessiah, the Son of God, !egins 2 with what 3saiah the prophet said wo+ld happen. $e wrote: isten" 3 will send my messenger ahead of yo+. $e will prepare the way for yo+. 3 There is someone sho+ting in the desert: 6repare the way for the ord. Aake the road straight for him. # So Cohn the <aptiEer came and was !aptiEing people in the desert area. $e told them to !e !aptiEed to show that they wanted to change their lives, and then their sins wo+ld !e forgiven. % All the people from C+dea, incl+ding everyone from Cer+salem, came o+t to Cohn. They confessed the !ad things they had done, and he !aptiEed them in the Cordan .iver. & Cohn wore clothes made from camels hair and a leather !elt aro+nd his waist. $e ate loc+sts and wild honey. ' This is what Cohn told the people: There is someone coming later who is Aark 1.(*1% 2 a!le to do more than 3 can. 3 am not good eno+gh to !e the slave who stoops down to +ntie his sandals. ( 3 !aptiEe yo+ with water, !+t the one who is coming will !aptiEe yo+ with the $oly Spirit. ) A!o+t that time Ces+s came there -asy To .ead /ersion

from the town of 1aEareth in Galilee, and Cohn !aptiEed him in the Cordan .iver. 1, C+st as Ces+s was coming +p o+t of the water, he saw the sky torn open. And he saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 11 A voice came from heaven and said, ;o+ are my Son, the one 3 love. 3 am very pleased with yo+. 12 Then the Spirit sent Ces+s into the desert. 13 $e was there for #, days, !eing tempted !y Satan. D+ring this time he was o+t among the wild animals. Then angels came and helped him. 1# After Cohn was p+t in prison, Ces+s went into Galilee and told people the Good 1ews from God. 1% $e said, The right time is now here. Gods kingdom is very near. 9hange yo+r Aark 1.1&*21 3 hearts and lives, and !elieve the Good 1ews" 1& Ces+s was walking !y ake Galilee. $e saw Simon and his !rother Andrew. These two men were fishermen, and they were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish. 1' Ces+s said to them, 9ome, follow me, and 3 will make yo+ a different kind of fishermen. ;o+ will !ring in people, not fish. 1( So they immediately left their nets and followed Ces+s. 1) Ces+s contin+ed walking !y ake Galilee. $e saw two more !rothers, Cames and Cohn, the sons of Be!edee. They were in their !oat, preparing their nets to catch fish. 2, Their father Be!edee and the men who worked for him were in the !oat with the !rothers. >hen Ces+s saw the !rothers, he told them to come. They left their father and followed Ces+s. 21 Ces+s and his followers went to 9aperna+m. 5n the Sa!!ath day, Ces+s went into the synagog+e and ta+ght the people. Aark 1.22*2) # 22 They were amaEed at his teaching. pag. 1,2)0131#

$e did not teach like their teachers of the law. $e ta+ght like someone with a+thority. 23 >hile Ces+s was in the synagog+e, a man was there who had an evil spirit inside him. The man sho+ted, 2# Ces+s of 1aEareth" >hat do yo+ want with +s? Did yo+ come to destroy +s? 3 know who yo+ areGods $oly 5ne" 2% Ces+s, his voice f+ll of warning, said, <e J+iet, and come o+t of him" 2& The evil spirit made the man shake. Then the spirit, screaming lo+dly, came o+t of the man. 2' The people were amaEed. They asked each other, >hat is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and he teaches with a+thority" $e even commands evil spirits, and they o!ey him. 2( So the news a!o+t Ces+s spread J+ickly everywhere in the area of Galilee. 2) Ces+s and the followers left the synagog+e. They all went with Cames and Cohn to the home of Simon and Andrew. Aark 1.3,*3( % 3, As soon as they arrived, Ces+s was told that Simons motherDinDlaw was very sick. She was in !ed with a fever. 31 So he went in to see her. $e held her hand and helped her stand +p. The fever left her, and she was healed. Then she !egan serving them. 32 That night, after the s+n went down, the people !ro+ght to Ces+s all those who were sick. They also !ro+ght those who had demons inside them. 33 -veryone in the town gathered at the door of that ho+se. 3# Ces+s healed many of those who had different kinds of sicknesses. $e also forced many demons o+t of people. <+t he wo+ld not allow the demons to speak, !eca+se they knew who he was. 3% The ne4t morning Ces+s woke +p very early. $e left the ho+se while it was still dark and went to a place where he co+ld !e alone and pray. 3& ater, Simon and his friends went to -asy To .ead /ersion

look for Ces+s. 3' They fo+nd him and said, -veryone is looking for yo+" 3( Ces+s answered, >e sho+ld go to another place. >e can go to other Aark 1.3)*#% & towns aro+nd here, and 3 can tell Gods message to those people too. That is why 3 came. 3) So Ces+s traveled everywhere in Galilee. $e spoke in the synagog+es, and he forced demons o+t of people. #, A man who had leprosy came to Ces+s. The man !owed on his knees and !egged him, ;o+ have the power to heal me if yo+ want. #1 These last words made Ces+s angry. <+t he to+ched him and said, 3 want to heal yo+. <e healed" #2 3mmediately the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. #3 Ces+s told the man to go, !+t he gave him a strong warning: ## Dont tell anyone a!o+t what 3 did for yo+. <+t go and let the priest look at yo+. And offer a gift to God !eca+se yo+ have !een healed. 5ffer the gift that Aoses commanded. This will show everyone that yo+ are healed. #% The man left there and told everyone he saw that Ces+s had healed him. So the news a!o+t Ces+s spread. And that is why he co+ld not enter a town if people saw him. $e stayed in places where Aark 2.1*' ' people did not live. <+t people came from all the towns to the places where he was. 2 1 A few days later, Ces+s came !ack to 9aperna+m. The news spread that he was !ack home. 2 A large crowd gathered to hear him speak. The ho+se was so f+ll that there was no place to stand, not even o+tside the door. >hile Ces+s was teaching, 3 some people !ro+ght a paralyEed man to see him. $e was !eing carried !y fo+r of them. # <+t they co+ld not get the man inside to Ces+s !eca+se the ho+se was so f+ll of pag. 1,3,0131#

people. So they went to the roof a!ove Ces+s and made a hole in it. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyEed man on it. % >hen Ces+s saw how m+ch faith they had, he said to the paralyEed man, ;o+ng man, yo+r sins are forgiven. & Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Ces+s did, and they said to themselves, ' >hy does this man say things like that? >hat an ins+lt to God" 1o one !+t God can forgive sins. Aark 2.(*1# ( ( Ces+s knew immediately what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, >hy do yo+ have these J+estions in yo+r minds? ) The Son of Aan has power on earth to forgive sins. <+t how can 3 prove this to yo+? Aay!e yo+ are thinking it was easy for me to say to the crippled man, ;o+r sins are forgiven. Theres no proof it really happened. <+t what if 3 say to the man, Stand +p. Take yo+r mat and walk? Then yo+ will !e a!le to see if 3 really have this power or not. So Ces+s said to the paralyEed man, 1, 72:)8 11 3 tell yo+, stand +p. Take yo+r mat and go home. 12 The paralyEed man stood +p. $e picked +p his mat and went straight o+t the door with everyone watching. They were amaEed and praised God. They said, This is the most amaEing thing we have ever seen" 13 Ces+s went to the lake again, and many people followed him there. So Ces+s ta+ght them. 1# $e was walking !eside the lake, and he saw a man named evi, son of Aark 2.1%*1) ) Alphae+s. evi was sitting at his place for collecting ta4es. Ces+s said to him, 2ollow me. Then evi stood +p and followed Ces+s. 1% ater that day, Ces+s and his followers ate at evis ho+se. There were also many ta4 collectors and others with !ad -asy To .ead /ersion

rep+tations eating with them. 7There were many of these people who followed Ces+s.8 1& >hen some teachers of the law who were 6harisees saw Ces+s eating with s+ch !ad people, they asked his followers, >hy does he eat with ta4 collectors and sinners? 1' >hen Ces+s heard this, he said to them, Sick people are the ones who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. 3 came to ask sinners to =oin me, not those who do everything right. 1( The followers of Cohn and the 6harisees were fasting. Some people came to Ces+s and said, Cohns followers fast, and the followers of the 6harisees fast. <+t yo+r followers dont fast. >hy? 1) Ces+s answered, At a wedding the friends of the !ridegroom are not sad Aark 2.2,*2% 1, while he is with them. They cannot fast while the !ridegroom is still there. 2, <+t the time will come when the !ridegroom will !e taken from them. Then they will !e sad and fast. 21 >hen someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, they never +se a piece of cloth that is not yet shr+nk. 3f they do, the patch will shrink and p+ll away from the coat. Then the hole will !e worse. 22 Also, no one ever po+rs new wine into old wineskins. The wine wo+ld !reak them, and the wine wo+ld !e r+ined along with the wineskins. ;o+ always p+t new wine into new wineskins. 23 5n the Sa!!ath day, Ces+s and his followers were walking thro+gh some grain fields. The followers picked some grain to eat. 2# Some 6harisees said to Ces+s, >hy are yo+r followers doing this? 3t is against o+r law to pick grain on the Sa!!ath. 2% Ces+s answered, ;o+ have read what David did when he and the people with him were h+ngry and needed food. Aark 2.2&*3.# 11 2& 3t was d+ring the time of A!iathar the pag. 1,310131#

high priest. David went into Gods ho+se and ate the !read that was offered to God. And the aw of Aoses says that only priests can eat that !read. David also gave some of the !read to the people with him. 2' Then Ces+s said to the 6harisees, The Sa!!ath day was made to help people. 6eople were not made to !e r+led !y the Sa!!ath. 2( So the Son of Aan is ord of every day, even the Sa!!ath. 3 1 Another time Ces+s went into the synagog+e. 3n the synagog+e there was a man with a crippled hand. 2 Some Cews there were watching Ces+s closely. They were waiting to see if he wo+ld heal the man on a Sa!!ath day. They wanted to see Ces+s do something wrong so that they co+ld acc+se him. 3 Ces+s said to the man with the crippled hand, Stand +p here so that everyone can see yo+. # Then Ces+s asked the people, >hich is the right thing to do on the Sa!!ath day: to do good or to do evil? 3s it right to Aark 3.%*1, 12 save a life or to destroy one? The people said nothing to answer him. % Ces+s looked at the people. $e was angry, !+t he felt very sad !eca+se they were so st+!!orn. $e said to the man, $old o+t yo+r hand. The man held o+t his hand, and it was healed. & Then the 6harisees left and made plans with the $erodians a!o+t a way to kill Ces+s. ' Ces+s went away with his followers to the lake. A large crowd of people from Galilee followed them. Aany also came from C+dea, ( from Cer+salem, from 3d+mea, from the area across the Cordan .iver, and from the area aro+nd Tyre and Sidon. These people came !eca+se they heard a!o+t all that Ces+s was doing. ) Ces+s saw how many people there were, so he told his followers to get a small !oat and make it ready for him. $e wanted the !oat so that the crowds -asy To .ead /ersion

of people co+ld not p+sh against him. 1, $e had healed many of them, so all the sick people were p+shing toward him to to+ch him. Aark 3.11*1( 13 11 Some people had evil spirits inside them. >hen the evil spirits saw Ces+s, they fell to the gro+nd !efore him and sho+ted, ;o+ are the Son of God" 12 <+t Ces+s gave the spirits a strong warning not to tell anyone who he was. 13 Ces+s went +p into the hills. $e told some of his followers, those he wanted, to =oin him there. So they went to meet with him. 1# $e chose twelve men and called them apostles. $e wanted these twelve men to !e with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to tell people Gods message. 1% $e also wanted them to have the power to force demons o+t of people. 1& These are the names of the twelve men Ces+s chose: Simon 7the one Ces+s named 6eter8, 1' Cames and his !rother Cohn, the sons of Be!edee 7the ones Ces+s named <oanerges, which means Sons of Th+nder8, 1( Andrew, 6hilip, <artholomew, Aatthew, Thomas, Cames, the son of Alphae+s, Thaddae+s, Simon, the Bealot, Aark 3.1)*2' 1# 1) C+das 3scariot 7the one who handed Ces+s over to his enemies8. 2, Then Ces+s went home, !+t again a large crowd gathered there. There were so many people that he and his followers co+ld not even eat. 21 $is family heard a!o+t all these things. They went to get him !eca+se people said he was craEy. 22 And the teachers of the law from Cer+salem said, Satan is living inside him" $e +ses power from the r+ler of demons to force demons o+t of people. 23 So Ces+s called them together and talked to them +sing some stories. $e said, Satan will not force his own demons o+t of people. pag. 1,320131#

2# A kingdom that fights against itself will not s+rvive. 2% And a family that is divided will not s+rvive. 2& 3f Satan is against himself and is fighting against his own people, he will not s+rvive. That wo+ld !e the end of Satan. 2' >hoever wants to enter a strong mans ho+se and steal his things m+st Aark 3.2(*3% 1% first tie him +p. Then they can steal the things from his ho+se. 2( 3 want yo+ to know that people can !e forgiven for all the sinf+l things they do. They can even !e forgiven for the !ad things they say against God. 2) <+t anyone who speaks against the $oly Spirit will never !e forgiven. They will always !e g+ilty of that sin. 3, Ces+s said this !eca+se the teachers of the law had acc+sed him of having an evil spirit inside him. 31 Then Ces+s mother and !rothers came. They stood o+tside and sent someone in to tell him to come o+t. 32 Aany people were sitting aro+nd Ces+s. They said to him, ;o+r mother, yo+r !rothers, and yo+r sisters are waiting for yo+ o+tside. 33 Ces+s asked, >ho is my mother? >ho are my !rothers? 3# Then he looked at the people sitting aro+nd him and said, These people are my mother and my !rothers" 3% Ay tr+e !rother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants. Aark #.1*( 1& 4 1 Another time Ces+s !egan teaching !y the lake, and a large crowd gathered aro+nd him. $e got into a !oat so that he co+ld sit and teach from the lake. All the people stayed on the shore near the water. 2 Ces+s +sed stories to teach them many things. 5ne of his lessons incl+ded this story: 3 isten" A farmer went o+t to sow seed. # >hile he was scattering the seed, -asy To .ead /ersion

some of it fell !y the road. The !irds came and ate all that seed. % 5ther seed fell on rocky gro+nd, where there was not eno+gh dirt. 3t grew J+ickly there !eca+se the soil was not deep. & <+t then the s+n rose and the plants were !+rned. They died !eca+se they did not have deep roots. ' Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. So they did not make grain. ( <+t some of the seed fell on good gro+nd. There it !egan to grow, and it made grain. Some plants made 3, times Aark #.)*1% 1' more grain, some &, times more, and some 1,, times more. ) Then Ces+s said, ;o+ people who hear me, listen" 1, ater, Ces+s was away from the people. The twelve apostles and his other followers asked him a!o+t the stories. 11 Ces+s said, 5nly yo+ can know the secret tr+th a!o+t Gods kingdom. <+t to those other people 3 tell everything !y +sing stories. 12 3 do this so that They will look and look !+t never really seeF they will listen and listen !+t never +nderstand. 3f they saw and +nderstood, they might change and !e forgiven. 13 Then Ces+s said to the followers, Do yo+ +nderstand this story? 3f yo+ dont, how will yo+ +nderstand any story? 1# The farmer is like someone who plants Gods teaching in people. 1% Sometimes the teaching falls on the path. That is like some people who hear the teaching of God. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them. Aark #.1&*21 1( 1& 5ther people are like the seed planted on rocky gro+nd. They hear the teaching, and they J+ickly and gladly accept it. 1' <+t they dont allow it to go deep into pag. 1,330131#

their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as tro+!le or persec+tion comes !eca+se of the teaching they accepted, they give +p. 1( 5thers are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, 1) !+t their lives !ecome f+ll of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not prod+ce good res+lts in their lives. 2, And others are like the seed planted on the good gro+nd. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and prod+ce a good cropsometimes 3, times more, sometimes &, times more, and sometimes 1,, times more. 21 Then Ces+s said to them, ;o+ dont take a lamp and hide it +nder a !owl or a !ed, do yo+? 5f co+rse not. ;o+ p+t it on a lampstand. Aark #.22*3, 1) 22 -verything that is hidden will !e made clear. -very secret thing will !e made known. 23 ;o+ people who hear me, listen" 2# Think caref+lly a!o+t what yo+ are hearing. The more attention yo+ give, the more +nderstanding yo+ will get. And yo+ will !e given even more. 2% The people who have some +nderstanding will receive more. <+t those who do not have m+ch will lose even the small amo+nt they have. 2& Then Ces+s said, Gods kingdom is like a man who plants seed in the gro+nd. 2' The seed !egins to grow. 3t grows night and day. 3t doesnt matter whether the man is sleeping or awake, the seed still grows. $e doesnt know how it happens. 2( >itho+t any help the gro+nd prod+ces grain. 2irst the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head. 2) >hen the grain is ready, the man c+ts it. This is the harvest time. 3, Then Ces+s said, >hat can 3 +se to -asy To .ead /ersion

show yo+ what Gods kingdom is like? >hat story can 3 +se to e4plain it? Aark #.31*3' 2, 31 Gods kingdom is like a m+stard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that yo+ can plant. 32 <+t when yo+ plant it, it grows and !ecomes the largest of all the plants in yo+r garden. 3t has !ranches that are very !ig. The wild !irds can come and make nests there and !e protected from the s+n. 33 Ces+s +sed many stories like these to teach the people. $e ta+ght them all they co+ld +nderstand. 3# $e always +sed stories to teach them. <+t when he was alone with his followers, Ces+s e4plained everything to them. 3% That day, at evening, Ces+s said to his followers, 9ome with me across the lake. 3& So they left the crowd !ehind and went with Ces+s in the !oat he was already in. There were also other !oats there with him. 3' A very !ad wind came +p on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the !oat, and it was almost f+ll of water. Aark #.3(*%.# 21 3( Ces+s was inside the !oat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, Teacher, dont yo+ care a!o+t +s? >e are going to drown" 3) Ces+s stood +p and gave a command to the wind and the water. $e said, I+iet" <e still" Then the wind stopped, and the lake !ecame calm. #, $e said to his followers, >hy are yo+ afraid? Do yo+ still have no faith? #1 They were very afraid and asked each other, >hat kind of man is this? -ven the wind and the water o!ey him" 5 1 Ces+s and his followers went across the lake to the area where the Gerasene people lived. 2 >hen Ces+s got o+t of the !oat, a man came to him from the caves where the pag. 1,3#0131#

dead are !+ried. This man had an evil spirit living inside him. 3 $e lived in the !+rial caves. 1o one co+ld keep him tied +p, even with chains. # Aany times people had p+t chains on his hands and feet, !+t he !roke the chains. 1o one was strong eno+gh to control him. Aark %.%*13 22 % Day and night he stayed aro+nd the !+rial caves and on the hills. $e wo+ld scream and c+t himself with rocks. & >hile Ces+s was still far away, the man saw him. $e ran to Ces+s and !owed down !efore him. ' As Ces+s was saying, ;o+ evil spirit, come o+t of this man, the man sho+ted lo+dly, >hat do yo+ want with me, Ces+s, Son of the Aost $igh God? 3 !eg yo+ in Gods name not to p+nish me" ( 7%:'8 ) Then Ces+s asked the man, >hat is yo+r name? The man answered, Ay name is egion, !eca+se there are many spirits inside me. 1, The spirits inside the man !egged Ces+s again and again not to send them o+t of that area. 11 A large herd of pigs was eating on a hill near there. 12 The evil spirits !egged Ces+s, Send +s to the pigs. et +s go into them. 13 So Ces+s allowed them to do this. The evil spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of pigs ran down the hill and into the lake. They were all Aark %.1#*1) 23 drowned. There were a!o+t 2,,, pigs in that herd. 1# The men who had the work of caring for the pigs ran away. They ran to the town and to the farms and told everyone what happened. The people went o+t to see. 1% They came to Ces+s, and they saw the man who had the many evil spirits. $e was sitting down and was wearing clothes. $e was in his right mind again. >hen they saw this, they were afraid. 1& Those who had seen what Ces+s did -asy To .ead /ersion

told the others what happened to the man who had the demons living in him. And they also told a!o+t the pigs. 1' Then the people !egan to !eg Ces+s to leave their area. 1( Ces+s was preparing to leave in the !oat. The man who was now free from the demons !egged to go with him. 1) <+t Ces+s did not allow the man to go. $e said, Go home to yo+r family and friends. Tell them a!o+t all that the ord did for yo+. Tell them how the ord was good to yo+. Aark %.2,*2' 2# 2, So the man left and told the people in the Ten Towns a!o+t the great things Ces+s did for him. -veryone was amaEed. 21 Ces+s went !ack to the other side of the lake in the !oat. There, a large crowd of people gathered aro+nd him on the shore. 22 A leader of the synagog+e came. $is name was Cair+s. $e saw Ces+s and !owed down !efore him. 23 $e !egged Ces+s again and again, saying, Ay little da+ghter is dying. 6lease come and lay yo+r hands on her. Then she will !e healed and will live. 2# So Ces+s went with Cair+s. Aany people followed Ces+s. They were p+shing very close aro+nd him. 2% There among the people was a woman who had !een !leeding for the past twelve years. 2& She had s+ffered very m+ch. Aany doctors had tried to help her, and all the money she had was spent, !+t she was not improving. 3n fact, her sickness was getting worse. 2' The woman heard a!o+t Ces+s, so she followed him with the other people and to+ched his coat. Aark %.2(*3% 2% 2( She tho+ght, 3f 3 can =+st to+ch his clothes, that will !e eno+gh to heal me. 2) As soon as she to+ched his coat, her !leeding stopped. She felt that her !ody was healed from all the s+ffering. 3, Ces+s immediately felt power go o+t from him, so he stopped and t+rned pag. 1,3%0131#

aro+nd. >ho to+ched my clothes? he asked. 31 The followers said to Ces+s, There are so many people p+shing against yo+. <+t yo+ ask, >ho to+ched me? 32 <+t Ces+s contin+ed looking for the one who to+ched him. 33 The woman knew that she was healed, so she came and !owed at Ces+s feet. She was shaking with fear. She told Ces+s the whole story. 3# $e said to her, Dear woman, yo+ are made well !eca+se yo+ !elieved. Go in peace. ;o+ will not s+ffer anymore. 3% >hile Ces+s was still there speaking, some men came from the ho+se of Cair+s, the synagog+e leader. They said, ;o+r da+ghter is dead. There is no need to !other the Teacher. Aark %.3&*#3 2& 3& <+t Ces+s did not care what the men said. $e said to the synagog+e leader, Dont !e afraidF =+st !elieve. 3' Ces+s let only 6eter, Cames, and Cohn the !rother of Cames go with him. 3( They went to the synagog+e leaders ho+se, where Ces+s saw many people crying lo+dly. There was a lot of conf+sion. 3) $e entered the ho+se and said, >hy are yo+ people crying and making so m+ch noise? This child is not dead. She is only sleeping. #, <+t everyone la+ghed at him. Ces+s told the people to leave the ho+se. Then he went into the room where the child was. $e !ro+ght the childs father and mother and his three followers into the room with him. #1 Then Ces+s held the girls hand and said to her, Talitha, ko+m" 7This means ittle girl, 3 tell yo+ to stand +p"8 #2 The girl immediately stood +p and !egan walking. 7She was twelve years old.8 The father and mother and the followers were amaEed. #3 Ces+s gave the father and mother very strict orders not to tell people a!o+t Aark &.1*& 2' this. Then he told them to give the girl -asy To .ead /ersion

some food to eat. 6 1 Ces+s left and went !ack to his hometown. $is followers went with him. 2 5n the Sa!!ath day Ces+s ta+ght in the synagog+e, and many people heard him. They were amaEed and said, >here did this man get this teaching? $ow did he get s+ch wisdom? >ho gave it to him? And where did he get the power to do miracles? 3 3snt he =+st the carpenter we knowAarys son, the !rother of Cames, Coses, C+das, and Simon? And dont his sisters still live here in town? So they had a pro!lem accepting him. # Then Ces+s said to them, 6eople everywhere give honor to a prophet, e4cept in his own town, with his own people, or in his home. % Ces+s was not a!le to do any miracles there e4cept the healing of some sick people !y laying his hands on them. & $e was s+rprised that the people there had no faith. Then he went to other villages in that area and ta+ght. Aark &.'*1# 2( ' Ces+s called his twelve apostles together. $e sent them o+t in gro+ps of two and gave them power over evil spirits. ( This is what he told them: Take nothing for yo+r trip e4cept a stick for walking. Take no !read, no !ag, and no money. ) ;o+ can wear sandals, !+t dont take e4tra clothes. 1, >hen yo+ enter a ho+se, stay there +ntil yo+ leave that town. 11 3f any town ref+ses to accept yo+ or ref+ses to listen to yo+, then leave that town and shake the d+st off yo+r feet as a warning to them. 12 The apostles left and went to other places. They talked to the people and told them to change their hearts and lives. 13 They forced many demons o+t of people and p+t olive oil on many who were sick and healed them. pag. 1,3&0131#

1# Ging $erod heard a!o+t Ces+s, !eca+se Ces+s was now famo+s. Some people said, $e is Cohn the <aptiEer. $e m+st have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles. Aark &.1%*21 2) 1% 5ther people said, $e is -li=ah. And others said, $e is a prophet. $e is like the prophets who lived long ago. 1& $erod heard these things a!o+t Ces+s. $e said, 3 killed Cohn !y c+tting off his head. 1ow he has !een raised from death" 1' $erod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest Cohn and p+t him in prison. $erod did this to please his wife $erodias. She had !een married to $erods !rother 6hilip, !+t then $erod married her. 1( Cohn told $erod, 3t is not right for yo+ to !e married to yo+r !rothers wife. 1) So $erodias hated Cohn. She wanted him dead, !+t she was not a!le to pers+ade $erod to kill him. 2, $erod was afraid to kill Cohn, !eca+se he knew that he was a good and holy man. So he protected him. $e liked listening to Cohn, altho+gh what Cohn said left him with so many J+estions. 21 Then the right time came for $erodias to ca+se Cohns death. 3t happened on $erods !irthday. $erod gave a dinner party for the most important government Aark &.22*2' 3, leaders, the commanders of his army, and the most important people in Galilee. 22 The da+ghter of $erodias came to the party and danced. >hen she danced, $erod and the people eating with him were very pleased. So Ging $erod said to the girl, 3 will give yo+ anything yo+ want. 23 $e promised her, Anything yo+ ask for 3 will give to yo+even half of my kingdom. 2# The girl went to her mother and asked, >hat sho+ld 3 ask Ging $erod to give me? $er mother answered, Ask for the head of Cohn the <aptiEer. 2% So right then the girl went !ack in to -asy To .ead /ersion

the king. She said to him, 6lease give me the head of Cohn the <aptiEer. <ring it to me now on a plate. 2& Ging $erod was very sad, !+t he didnt want to !reak the promise he had made to her in front of his g+ests. 2' So he sent a soldier to c+t off Cohns head and !ring it to him. The soldier went and c+t off Cohns head in the prison. Aark &.2(*3# 31 2( $e !ro+ght the head !ack on a plate and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 2) Cohns followers heard a!o+t what happened, so they came and got Cohns !ody and p+t it in a tom!. 3, The apostles Ces+s had sent o+t came !ack to him. They gathered aro+nd him and told him a!o+t all they had done and ta+ght. 31 Ces+s and his followers were in a very !+sy place. There were so many people that he and his followers did not even have time to eat. $e said to them, 9ome with me. >e will go to a J+iet place to !e alone. There we will get some rest. 32 So Ces+s and his followers went away alone. They went in a !oat to a place where no one lived. 33 <+t many people saw them leave and knew who they were. So people from every town ran to the place where they were going and got there !efore Ces+s and his followers. 3# As Ces+s stepped o+t of the !oat, he saw a large crowd waiting. $e felt sorry for them, !eca+se they were like sheep Aark &.3%*#1 32 witho+t a shepherd to care for them. So he ta+ght the people many things. 3% 3t was now very late in the day. Ces+s followers came to him and said, 1o one lives aro+nd here, and it is already very late. 3& So send the people away. They need to go to the farms and towns aro+nd here to !+y some food to eat. 3' <+t Ces+s answered, ;o+ give them some food to eat. They said to Ces+s, >e pag. 1,3'0131#

cant !+y eno+gh !read to feed all these people. >e wo+ld all have to work a month to earn eno+gh to !+y that m+ch !read" 3( Ces+s asked them, $ow many loaves of !read do yo+ have now? Go and see. They co+nted their loaves of !read. They came to Ces+s and said, >e have five loaves of !read and two fish. 3) Then Ces+s said to them, Tell everyone to sit in gro+ps on the green grass. #, So all the people sat in gro+ps. There were a!o+t %, or 1,, people in each gro+p. #1 Ces+s took the five loaves and two fish. $e looked +p to the sky and thanked Aark &.#2*#( 33 God for the food. Then he !roke the !read into pieces, which he gave to his followers to distri!+te to the people. Then he divided the two fish among everyone there. #2 They all ate +ntil they were f+ll. #3 After they finished eating, the followers filled twelve !askets with the pieces of !read and fish that were left. ## There were a!o+t %,,, men there who ate. #% Then Ces+s told the followers to get into the !oat. $e told them to go to the other side of the lake to <ethsaida. $e said he wo+ld come later. $e stayed there to tell everyone they co+ld go home. #& After he said good!ye to them, he went +p into the hills to pray. #' That night, the !oat was still in the middle of the lake. Ces+s was alone on the land. #( $e saw the !oat far away on the lake. And he saw the followers working hard to row the !oat. The wind was !lowing against them. Sometime !etween three and si4 oclock in the morning, Ces+s went o+t to the !oat, walking on the Aark &.#)*%& 3# water. $e contin+ed walking +ntil he was almost past the !oat. #) <+t the followers saw Ces+s walking -asy To .ead /ersion

on the water. They tho+ght he was a ghost, and they started screaming. %, 3t scared them all to see him. <+t he spoke to them and said, Dont worry" 3ts me" Dont !e afraid. %1 >hen he got into the !oat with the followers, the wind stopped. The followers were completely amaEed. %2 They co+ld not !elieve what happened. 3t was like the miracle he did with the !read. They still didnt +nderstand what that meant. %3 Ces+s and his followers went across the lake and came to shore at Gennesaret. They tied the !oat there. %# >hen they were o+t of the !oat, the people there saw Ces+s. They knew who he was, %% so they ran to tell others thro+gho+t that area. As Ces+s went from place to place, the people fo+nd o+t where he was and !ro+ght their sick ones to him on mats. %& Ces+s went into towns, cities, and farms aro+nd that area. And every place Aark '.1*% 3% he went, the people !ro+ght those who were sick to the marketplaces. They !egged him to let them to+ch any part of his coat. And all those who to+ched him were healed. 7 1 Some 6harisees and some teachers of the law came from Cer+salem and gathered aro+nd Ces+s. 2 They saw that some of his followers ate food with hands that were not clean, meaning that they did not wash their hands in a certain way. 3 The 6harisees and all the other Cews never eat !efore washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the traditions they have from their great leaders who lived long ago. # And when these Cews !+y something in the market, they never eat it +ntil they wash it in a special way. They also follow other r+les from their people who lived !efore them. They follow r+les like the washing of c+ps, pitchers, and pots. % The 6harisees and teachers of the law pag. 1,3(0131#

said to Ces+s, ;o+r followers dont follow the traditions we have from o+r great leaders who lived long ago. They eat Aark '.&*12 3& their food with hands that are not clean. >hy do they do this? & Ces+s answered, ;o+ are all hypocrites. 3saiah was right when he wrote these words from God a!o+t yo+: These people honor me with their words, !+t 3 am not really important to them. ' Their worship of me is worthless !eca+se the things they teach are only h+man r+les. ( ;o+ have stopped following Gods commands, preferring instead the manDmade r+les yo+ got from others. ) Then he said, ;o+ show great skill in avoiding something that God has commanded so that yo+ can follow yo+r own teachings" 1, Aoses said, ;o+ m+st respect yo+r father and mother. $e also said, >hoever says anything !ad to their father or mother m+st !e killed. 11 <+t yo+ teach that people can say to their father or mother, 3 have something 3 co+ld +se to help yo+, !+t 3 will not +se it for yo+. 3 will give it to God. 12 ;o+ are telling people that they do not have to do anything for their father or mother. Aark '.13*1) 3' 13 So yo+ are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. ;o+ think it is more important to follow those traditions yo+ have, which yo+ pass on to others. And yo+ do many things like that. 1# Ces+s called the people to him again. $e said, -veryone sho+ld listen to me and +nderstand what 3 am saying. 1% There is nothing people can p+t in their mo+th that will make them wrong. 6eople are made wrong !y what comes from inside them. 1& MM-A6T;NN 1' Then Ces+s left the people and went into the ho+se. The followers asked Ces+s a!o+t what he had told the people. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( $e said, Do yo+ still have tro+!le +nderstanding? S+rely yo+ know that nothing that enters the mo+th from the o+tside can make people +naccepta!le to God. 1) 2ood does not go into a persons mind. 3t goes into the stomach. Then it goes o+t of the !ody. 7>hen Ces+s said this, he meant there is no food that is wrong for people to eat.8 Aark '.2,*2' 3( 2, And Ces+s said, The things that make people wrong are the things that come from the inside. 21 All these !ad things !egin inside a person, in the mind: !ad tho+ghts, se4+al sins, stealing, m+rder, 22 ad+ltery, greed, doing !ad things to people, lying, doing things that are morally wrong, =ealo+sy, ins+lting people, pro+d talking, and foolish living. 23 These evil things come from inside a person. And these are the things that make people +naccepta!le to God. 2# Ces+s went from there to the area aro+nd Tyre. $e did not want the people in that area to know he was there, so he went into a ho+se. <+t he co+ld not stay hidden. 2% A woman heard that he was there. $er little da+ghter had an evil spirit inside her. So the woman came to Ces+s and !owed down near his feet. 2& She was not a Cew. She was !orn in 6hoenicia, an area in Syria. She !egged Ces+s to force the demon o+t of her da+ghter. 2' Ces+s told the woman, 3t is not right to take the childrens !read and give it Aark '.2(*3# 3) to the dogs. 2irst let the children eat all they want. 2( She answered, That is tr+e, ord. <+t the dogs +nder the ta!le can eat the pieces of food that the children dont eat. 2) Then he told her, That is a very good answer. ;o+ may go. The demon has left yo+r da+ghter. 3, The woman went home and fo+nd her da+ghter lying on the !ed. The demon pag. 1,3)0131#

was gone. 31 Then Ces+s left the area aro+nd Tyre and went thro+gh Sidon. 5n his way to ake Galilee he went thro+gh the area of the Ten Towns. 32 >hile he was there, some people !ro+ght a man to him who was deaf and co+ld not talk clearly. The people !egged Ces+s to p+t his hand on the man to heal him. 33 Ces+s led the man away from the people to !e alone with him. $e p+t his fingers in the mans ears. Then he spit on a finger and p+t it on the mans tong+e. 3# Ces+s looked +p to the sky and with a lo+d sigh he said, -phphatha" 7This means 5pen"8 Aark '.3%*(.# #, 3% As soon as Ces+s did this, the man was a!le to hear. $e was a!le to +se his tong+e, and he !egan to speak clearly. 3& Ces+s told the people not to tell anyone a!o+t this. <+t the more he told them not to say anything, the more people they told. 3' They were all completely amaEed. They said, -verything he has done is good. $e makes deaf people a!le to hear and gives a new voice to people who co+ld not talk. 8 1 Another time there was again a large crowd of people with Ces+s. The people had nothing to eat, so he called his followers to him and said, 2 3 feel sorry for these people. They have !een with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 3 sho+ld not send them home h+ngry. 3f they leave witho+t eating, they will faint on the way home. Some of them live a long way from here. # Ces+s followers answered, <+t we are far away from any towns. >here can we get eno+gh !read to feed all these people? Aark (.%*12 #1 % Then Ces+s asked them, $ow many loaves of !read do yo+ have? They answered, >e have seven loaves of !read. -asy To .ead /ersion

& Ces+s told the people to sit on the gro+nd. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. $e !roke the !read into pieces and gave them to his followers. $e told them to give the !read to the people, and they did as he said. ' The followers also had a few small fish. Ces+s gave thanks for the fish and told them to give the fish to the people. ( They all ate +ntil they were f+ll. Then the followers filled seven !askets with the pieces of food that were left. ) There were a!o+t #,,, men who ate. After they ate, Ces+s told them to go home. 1, Then he went in a !oat with his followers to the area of Dalman+tha. 11 The 6harisees came to Ces+s and asked him J+estions. They wanted to test him. So they asked him to do a miracle as a sign from God. 12 Ces+s sighed deeply and said, >hy do yo+ people ask to see a miracle as a Aark (.13*1) #2 sign? 3 want yo+ to know that no miracle will !e done to prove anything to yo+. 13 Then Ces+s left them and went in the !oat to the other side of the lake. 1# The followers had only one loaf of !read with them in the !oat. They forgot to !ring more. 1% Ces+s warned them, <e caref+l" G+ard against the yeast of the 6harisees and the yeast of $erod. 1& The followers disc+ssed the meaning of this. They said, Aay!e he said this !eca+se we have no !read. 1' Ces+s knew that the followers were talking a!o+t this. So he asked them, >hy are yo+ talking a!o+t having no !read? Do yo+ still not see or +nderstand? Are yo+ trying not to +nderstand? 1( Do yo+ have eyes that cant see? Do yo+ have ears that cant hear? .emem!er what 3 did !efore, when we did not have eno+gh !read? 1) 3 divided five loaves of !read for %,,, people. .emem!er how many !askets yo+ filled with pieces of food that were pag. 1,#,0131#

not eaten? The followers answered, >e filled twelve !askets. Aark (.2,*2' #3 2, And when 3 divided seven loaves of !read for #,,, people, how many !askets did yo+ fill with the leftover pieces? They answered, >e filled seven !askets. 21 Then he said to them, ;o+ remem!er these things 3 did, !+t yo+ still dont +nderstand? 22 Ces+s and his followers came to <ethsaida. Some people !ro+ght a !lind man to him and !egged him to to+ch the man. 23 So Ces+s held the !lind mans hand and led him o+t of the village. Then he spit on the mans eyes. $e laid his hands on him and asked, 9an yo+ see now? 2# The man looked +p and said, ;es, 3 see people. They look like trees walking aro+nd. 2% Again Ces+s laid his hands on the mans eyes, and the man opened them wide. $is eyes were healed, and he was a!le to see everything clearly. 2& Ces+s told him to go home. $e said, Dont go into the town. 2' Ces+s and his followers went to the towns in the area of 9aesarea 6hilippi. Aark (.2(*33 ## >hile they were traveling, Ces+s asked the followers, >ho do people say 3 am? 2( They answered, Some people say yo+ are Cohn the <aptiEer. 5thers say yo+ are -li=ah. And others say yo+ are one of the prophets. 2) Then Ces+s asked, >ho do yo+ say 3 am? 6eter answered, ;o+ are the Aessiah. 3, Ces+s told the followers, Dont tell anyone who 3 am. 31 Then Ces+s !egan to teach his followers that the Son of Aan m+st s+ffer many things. $e ta+ght that the Son of Aan wo+ld not !e accepted !y the older Cewish leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. $e said that the Son of Aan m+st !e killed and then rise from death three days later. -asy To .ead /ersion

32 Ces+s told them everything that wo+ld happen. $e did not keep anything secret. 6eter took Ces+s away from the other followers to talk to him alone. 6eter criticiEed him for saying these things. 33 <+t Ces+s t+rned and looked at his followers. Then he criticiEed 6eter. $e said to 6eter, Get away from me, Satan" ;o+ dont care a!o+t the same things Aark (.3#*).1 #% God does. ;o+ care only a!o+t things that people think are important. 3# Then Ces+s called the crowd and his followers to him. $e said, Any of yo+ who want to !e my follower m+st stop thinking a!o+t yo+rself and what yo+ want. ;o+ m+st !e willing to carry the cross that is given to yo+ for following me. 3% Any of yo+ who try to save the life yo+ have will lose it. <+t yo+ who give +p yo+r life for me and for the Good 1ews will save it. 3& 3t is worth nothing for yo+ to have the whole world if yo+ yo+rself are lost. 3' ;o+ co+ld never pay eno+gh to !+y !ack yo+r life. 3( 6eople today are so sinf+l. They have not !een faithf+l to God. As yo+ live among them, dont !e ashamed of me and my teaching. 3f that happens, 3 will !e ashamed of yo+ when 3 come with the glory of my 2ather and the holy angels. 9 1 Then Ces+s said, <elieve me when 3 say that some of yo+ people standing here will see Gods kingdom come with power !efore yo+ die. Aark ).2*) #& 2 Si4 days later, Ces+s took 6eter, Cames, and Cohn and went +p on a high mo+ntain. They were all alone there. >hile these followers watched him, Ces+s was changed. 3 $is clothes !ecame shining whitewhiter than anyone on earth co+ld make them. # Then two men were there talking with Ces+s. They were -li=ah and Aoses. % 6eter said to Ces+s, Teacher, it is good that we are here. >e will make three pag. 1,#10131#

shelters hereone for yo+, one for Aoses, and one for -li=ah. & 6eter did not know what to say, !eca+se he and the other two followers were so afraid. ' Then a clo+d came and covered them. A voice came from the clo+d and said, This is my Son, the one 3 love. 5!ey him" ( The followers looked, !+t they saw only Ces+s there alone with them. ) As Ces+s and the followers were walking !ack down the mo+ntain, he gave them these instr+ctions: Dont tell anyone a!o+t what yo+ saw on the mo+ntain. >ait +ntil after the Son of Aark ).1,*1% #' Aan rises from death. Then yo+ can tell people what yo+ saw. 1, So the followers waited to say anything a!o+t what they saw. <+t they disc+ssed among themselves what Ces+s meant a!o+t rising from death. 11 They asked him, >hy do the teachers of the law say that -li=ah m+st come first? 12 Ces+s answered, They are right to say that -li=ah m+st come first. -li=ah makes all things the way they sho+ld !e. <+t why do the Script+res say that the Son of Aan will s+ffer m+ch and that people will think he is worth nothing? 13 3 tell yo+ that -li=ah has already come. And people did to him all the !ad things they wanted to do. The Script+res said this wo+ld happen to him. 1# Then Ces+s, 6eter, Cames, and Cohn went to the other followers. They saw many people aro+nd them. The teachers of the law were arg+ing with the followers. 1% >hen the people saw Ces+s, they were very s+rprised and ran to welcome him. Aark ).1&*22 #( 1& Ces+s asked, >hat are yo+ arg+ing a!o+t with the teachers of the law? 1' A man answered, Teacher, 3 !ro+ght my son to yo+. $e is controlled !y an evil spirit that keeps him from talking. 1( The spirit attacks him and throws him -asy To .ead /ersion

on the gro+nd. $e foams at the mo+th, grinds his teeth, and !ecomes very stiff. 3 asked yo+r followers to force the evil spirit o+t, !+t they co+ld not. 1) Ces+s answered, ;o+ people today dont !elieve" $ow long m+st 3 stay with yo+? $ow long m+st 3 !e patient with yo+? <ring the !oy to me" 2, So the followers !ro+ght the !oy to Ces+s. >hen the evil spirit saw Ces+s, it attacked the !oy. The !oy fell down and rolled on the gro+nd. $e was foaming at the mo+th. 21 Ces+s asked the !oys father, $ow long has this !een happening to him? The father answered, Since he was very yo+ng. 22 The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. 3f yo+ can do anything, please have pity on +s and help +s. Aark ).23*3, #) 23 Ces+s said to the father, >hy did yo+ say if yo+ can? All things are possi!le for the one who !elieves. 2# 3mmediately the father sho+ted, 3 do !elieve. $elp me to !elieve more" 2% Ces+s saw that all the people were r+nning there to see what was happening. So he spoke to the evil spirit. $e said, ;o+ evil spirit that makes this !oy deaf and stops him from talking3 command yo+ to come o+t of him and never enter him again" 2& The evil spirit screamed. 3t ca+sed the !oy to fall on the gro+nd again, and then it came o+t. The !oy looked as if he was dead. Aany people said, $e is dead" 2' <+t Ces+s took hold of his hand and helped him stand +p. 2( Then Ces+s went into the ho+se. $is followers were alone with him there. They said, >hy werent we a!le to force that evil spirit o+t? 2) Ces+s answered, That kind of spirit can !e forced o+t only with prayer. 3, Then Ces+s and his followers left there and went thro+gh Galilee. Ces+s did not want the people to know where they were. pag. 1,#20131#

Aark ).31*3' %, 31 $e wanted to teach his followers alone. $e said to them, The Son of Aan will !e handed over to the control of other men, and they will kill him. <+t then, after three days, he will rise from death. 32 The followers did not +nderstand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him. 33 Ces+s and his followers went to 9aperna+m. They went into a ho+se, and Ces+s said to them, 3 heard yo+ arg+ing on the way here today. >hat were yo+ arg+ing a!o+t? 3# <+t the followers did not answer, !eca+se their arg+ment on the road was a!o+t which one of them was the greatest. 3% Ces+s sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. $e said, >hoever wants to !e the most important m+st make others more important than themselves. They m+st serve everyone else. 3& Then Ces+s took a small child and stood the child in front of the followers. $e held the child in his arms and said, 3' >hoever accepts children like these in my name is accepting me. And anyone Aark ).3(*## %1 who accepts me is also accepting the one who sent me. 3( Then Cohn said, Teacher, we saw a man +sing yo+r name to force demons o+t of someone. $e is not one of +s. So we told him to stop, !eca+se he does not !elong to o+r gro+p. 3) Ces+s said, Dont stop him. >hoever +ses my name to do powerf+l things will not soon say !ad things a!o+t me. #, >hoever is not against +s is with +s. #1 3 can ass+re yo+ that anyone who helps yo+ !y giving yo+ a drink of water !eca+se yo+ !elong to the Aessiah will definitely get a reward. #2 3f one of these little children !elieves in me, and someone ca+ses that child to sin, it will !e very !ad for that person. 3t wo+ld !e !etter for them to have a millstone tied aro+nd their neck and !e -asy To .ead /ersion

drowned in the sea. #3 3f yo+r hand makes yo+ sin, c+t it off. 3t is !etter for yo+ to lose part of yo+r !ody and have eternal life than to have two hands and go to hell. There the fire never stops. ## MM-A6T;NN Aark ).#%*1,.3 %2 #% 3f yo+r foot makes yo+ sin, c+t it off. 3t is !etter for yo+ to lose part of yo+r !ody and have eternal life than to have two feet and !e thrown into hell. #& MM-A6T;NN #' 3f yo+r eye makes yo+ sin, take it o+t. 3t is !etter for yo+ to have only one eye and enter Gods kingdom than to have two eyes and !e thrown into hell. #( The worms that eat the people in hell never die. The fire there is never stopped. #) -veryone will !e salted with fire. %, Salt is good. <+t if it loses its salty taste, yo+ cant make it good again. So, dont lose that good J+ality of salt yo+ have. And live in peace with each other. 10 1 Then Ces+s left there and went into the area of C+dea and across the Cordan .iver. Again, many people came to him, and Ces+s ta+ght them as he always did. 2 Some 6harisees came to Ces+s and tried to make him say something wrong. They asked him, 3s it right for a man to divorce his wife? 3 Ces+s answered, >hat did Aoses command yo+ to do? Aark 1,.#*13 %3 # The 6harisees said, Aoses allowed a man to divorce his wife !y writing a certificate of divorce. % Ces+s said, Aoses wrote that command for yo+ !eca+se yo+ ref+sed to accept Gods teaching. & <+t when God made the world, he made people male and female. ' That is why a man will leave his father and mother and !e =oined to his wife. ( And the two people will !ecome one. So they are no longer two, !+t one. ) God has =oined them together, so no pag. 1,#30131#

one sho+ld separate them. 1, ater, when the followers and Ces+s were in the ho+se, they asked him again a!o+t the J+estion of divorce. 11 $e said, >hoever divorces his wife and marries another woman has sinned against his wife. $e is g+ilty of ad+ltery. 12 And the woman who divorces her h+s!and and marries another man is also g+ilty of ad+ltery. 13 6eople !ro+ght their small children to Ces+s so that he co+ld lay his hands on them to !less them. <+t the followers told the people to stop. Aark 1,.1#*21 %# 1# >hen Ces+s saw this, it made him angry. So he said to the followers, et the little children come to me. Dont stop them, !eca+se Gods kingdom !elongs to people who are like these little children. 1% The tr+th is, yo+ m+st accept Gods kingdom like a little child accepts things, or yo+ will never enter it. 1& Then Ces+s held the children in his arms. $e laid his hands on them and !lessed them. 1' Ces+s started to leave, !+t a man ran to him and !owed down on his knees !efore him. The man asked, Good Teacher, what m+st 3 do to get the life that never ends? 1( Ces+s answered, >hy do yo+ call me good? 5nly God is good. 1) And yo+ know his commands: ;o+ m+st not m+rder anyone, yo+ m+st not commit ad+ltery, yo+ m+st not steal, yo+ m+st not lie, yo+ m+st not cheat anyone, yo+ m+st respect yo+r father and mother . 2, The man said, Teacher, 3 have o!eyed all these commands since 3 was a !oy. 21 Ces+s looked at the man in a way that showed how m+ch he cared for him. Aark 1,.22*2( %% $e said, There is still one thing yo+ need to do. Go and sell everything yo+ have. Give the money to those who are poor, and yo+ will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me. 22 The man was very +pset when -asy To .ead /ersion

Ces+s told him to give away his money, !eca+se he was very rich. So he went away sad. 23 Then Ces+s looked at his followers and said to them, 3t will !e very hard for a rich person to enter Gods kingdom" 2# The followers were amaEed at what Ces+s said. <+t he said again, Ay children, it is very hard to enter Gods kingdom" 2% 3t is easier for a camel to go thro+gh the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Gods kingdom" 2& The followers were even more amaEed and said to each other, Then who can !e saved? 2' Ces+s looked at them and said, That is something people cannot do, !+t God can. $e can do anything. 2( 6eter said to Ces+s, >e left everything to follow yo+" Aark 1,.2)*33 %& 2) Ces+s said, 3 can promise that everyone who has left their home, !rothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farm for me and for the Good 1ews a!o+t me 3, will get a h+ndred times more than they left. $ere in this world they will get more homes, !rothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms. And with these things they will have persec+tions. <+t in the world that is coming they will also get the reward of eternal life. 31 Aany people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in the f+t+re. And the people who have the lowest place now will have the highest place then. 32 Ces+s and those with him were on their way to Cer+salem. $e was at the front of the gro+p. $is followers were wondering what was happening, and the people who followed !ehind them were feeling afraid. Ces+s gathered the twelve apostles again and talked with them alone. $e told them what wo+ld happen in Cer+salem. 33 $e said, >e are going to Cer+salem. The Son of Aan will !e handed over to pag. 1,##0131#

Aark 1,.3#*3) %' the leading priests and teachers of the law. They will say that he m+st die and will hand him over to the foreigners, 3# who will la+gh at him and spit on him. They will !eat him with whips and kill him. <+t three days later, he will rise to life again. 3% Then Cames and Cohn, sons of Be!edee, came to Ces+s and said, Teacher, we want to ask yo+ to do something for +s. 3& Ces+s asked, >hat do yo+ want me to do for yo+? 3' The sons answered, et +s share the great honor yo+ will have as king. et one of +s sit at yo+r right side and the other at yo+r left. 3( Ces+s said, ;o+ dont +nderstand what yo+ are asking. 9an yo+ drink from the c+p that 3 m+st drink from? 9an yo+ !e !aptiEed with the same !aptism that 3 m+st go thro+gh? 3) The sons answered, ;es, we can" Ces+s said to the sons, 3t is tr+e that yo+ will drink from the c+p that 3 drink from. And yo+ will !e !aptiEed with the same !aptism that 3 m+st go thro+gh. Aark 1,.#,*#& %( #, <+t it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he chooses. #1 >hen the other ten followers heard this, they were angry with Cames and Cohn. #2 Ces+s called all the followers together. $e said, The nonDCewish people have men they call r+lers. ;o+ know that those r+lers love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to +se all their a+thority over the people. #3 <+t it sho+ld not !e that way with yo+. >hoever wants to !e yo+r leader m+st !e yo+r servant. ## >hoever wants to !e first m+st serve the rest of yo+ like a slave. #% 2ollow my e4ample: -ven the Son of Aan did not come for people to serve him. $e came to serve others and to give his life to save many people. -asy To .ead /ersion

#& Then they came to the town of Cericho. >hen Ces+s left there with his followers, a large crowd was with them. A !lind man named <artimae+s 7meaning son of Timae+s8 was sitting !y the road. $e was always !egging for money. Aark 1,.#'*11.2 %) #' $e heard that Ces+s from 1aEareth was walking !y. So he !egan sho+ting, Ces+s, Son of David, please help me" #( Aany people criticiEed the !lind man and told him to !e J+iet. <+t he sho+ted more and more, Son of David, please help me" #) Ces+s stopped and said, Tell him to come here. So they called the !lind man and said, ;o+ can !e happy now. Stand +p" Ces+s is calling yo+. %, The !lind man stood +p J+ickly. $e left his coat there and went to Ces+s. %1 Ces+s asked the man, >hat do yo+ want me to do for yo+? $e answered, Teacher, 3 want to see again. %2 Ces+s said, Go. ;o+ are healed !eca+se yo+ !elieved. 3mmediately the man was a!le to see again. $e followed Ces+s down the road. 11 1 Ces+s and his followers were coming closer to Cer+salem. They came to the towns of <ethphage and <ethany at the Ao+nt of 5lives. There Ces+s sent two of his followers to do something. 2 $e said to them, Go to the town yo+ can see there. >hen yo+ enter it, yo+ Aark 11.3*) &, will find a yo+ng donkey that no one has ever ridden. Hntie it and !ring it here to me. 3 3f anyone asks yo+ why yo+ are taking the donkey, tell them, The Aaster needs it. $e will send it !ack soon. # The followers went into the town. They fo+nd a yo+ng donkey tied in the street near the door of a ho+se, and they +ntied it. % Some people were standing there and saw this. They asked, >hat are yo+ doing? >hy are yo+ +ntying that pag. 1,#%0131#

donkey? & The followers answered the way Ces+s told them, and the people let them take the donkey. ' The followers !ro+ght the donkey to Ces+s. They p+t their coats on it, and Ces+s sat on it. ( Aany people spread their coats on the road for Ces+s. 5thers c+t !ranches in the fields and spread the !ranches on the road. ) Some of them were walking ahead of Ces+s. 5thers were walking !ehind him. -veryone sho+ted, 6raise $im" >elcome" Aark 11.1,*1% &1 God !less the one who comes in the name of the ord" 1, God !less the kingdom of o+r father David. That kingdom is coming" 6raise to God in heaven" 11 Ces+s entered Cer+salem and went to the Temple. $e looked at everything in the Temple area, !+t it was already late. So he went to <ethany with the twelve apostles. 12 The ne4t day, Ces+s was leaving <ethany. $e was h+ngry. 13 ooking ahead, he saw a fig tree with leaves. So he went closer to see if it had any figs growing on it. <+t he fo+nd nothing !+t leaves, !eca+se it was not the right time for figs to grow. 1# So Ces+s said to the tree, 6eople will never eat fr+it from yo+ again. $is followers heard him say this. 1% Ces+s went to Cer+salem and entered the Temple area. $e !egan driving o+t the people who were !+ying and selling things there. $e t+rned over the ta!les that !elonged to those who were e4changing different kinds of money. And he t+rned over the !enches of those who were selling doves. Aark 11.1&*23 &2 1& $e ref+sed to allow anyone to carry things thro+gh the Temple area. 1' Then Ces+s !egan teaching the people and said, 3t is written in the Script+res, Ay Temple will !e called a ho+se of prayer for all nations. <+t yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

have changed it into a hiding place for thieves. 1( >hen the leading priests and the teachers of the law heard what Ces+s said, they !egan trying to find a way to kill him. They were afraid of him !eca+se all the people were amaEed at his teaching. 1) That night Ces+s and his followers left the city. 2, The ne4t morning Ces+s was walking with his followers. They saw the fig tree that he spoke to the day !efore. The tree was dry and dead, even the roots. 21 6eter remem!ered the tree and said to Ces+s, Teacher, look" ;esterday, yo+ told that fig tree to die. 1ow it is dry and dead" 22 Ces+s answered, $ave faith in God. 23 The tr+th is, yo+ can say to this mo+ntain, Go, mo+ntain, fall into the sea. And if yo+ have no do+!ts in yo+r Aark 11.2#*3, &3 mind and !elieve that what yo+ say will happen, then God will do it for yo+. 2# So 3 tell yo+ to ask for what yo+ want in prayer. And if yo+ !elieve that yo+ have received those things, then they will !e yo+rs. 2% >hen yo+ are praying and yo+ remem!er that yo+ are angry with another person a!o+t something, forgive that person. 2orgive them so that yo+r 2ather in heaven will also forgive yo+r sins. 2& MM-A6T;NN 2' Ces+s and his followers went again to Cer+salem. Ces+s was walking in the Temple area. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Cewish leaders came to him. 2( They said, Tell +s" >hat a+thority do yo+ have to do these things? >ho gave yo+ this a+thority? 2) Ces+s answered, 3 will ask yo+ a J+estion. ;o+ answer my J+estion. Then 3 will tell yo+ whose a+thority 3 +se to do these things. 3, Tell me: >hen Cohn !aptiEed people, did his a+thority come from God or was pag. 1,#&0131#

it only from other people? Answer me. Aark 11.31*12.# &# 31 These Cewish leaders talked a!o+t Ces+s J+estion. They said to each other, 3f we answer, Cohns !aptism was from God, then he will say, Then why didnt yo+ !elieve Cohn? 32 <+t we cant say that Cohns !aptism was from someone else. 7These leaders were afraid of the people, !eca+se they all !elieved that Cohn was a prophet.8 33 So the leaders answered Ces+s, >e dont know the answer. Ces+s said, Then 3 will not tell yo+ who gave me the a+thority to do these things. 12 1 Ces+s +sed stories to teach the people. $e said, A man planted a vineyard. $e p+t a wall aro+nd the field and d+g a hole for a winepress. Then he !+ilt a tower. $e leased the land to some farmers and left for a trip. 2 ater, it was time for the grapes to !e picked. So the man sent a servant to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3 <+t the farmers gra!!ed the servant and !eat him. They sent him away with nothing. # Then the man sent another servant to the farmers. They hit this servant on the head, showing no respect for him. Aark 12.%*12 &% % So the man sent another servant. The farmers killed this servant. The man sent many other servants to the farmers. The farmers !eat some of them and killed the others. & The man had only one person left to send to the farmers. 3t was his son. $e loved his son, !+t he decided to send him. $e said, The farmers will respect my son. ' <+t the farmers said to each other, This is the owners son, and this vineyard will !e his. 3f we kill him, it will !e o+rs. ( So they took the son, threw him o+t of the vineyard, and killed him. ) So what will the man who owns the vineyard do? $e will go and kill those farmers. Then he will lease the land to others. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, S+rely yo+ have read this in the Script+res: The stone that the !+ilders ref+sed to accept !ecame the cornerstone. 11 The ord did this, and it is wonderf+l to +s. 12 >hen these Cewish leaders heard this story, they knew it was a!o+t them. They wanted to find a way to arrest Aark 12.13*1' && Ces+s, !+t they were afraid of what the crowd wo+ld do. So they left him and went away. 13 ater, the Cewish leaders sent some 6harisees and some men from the gro+p called $erodians to Ces+s. They wanted to catch him saying something they co+ld +se against him. 1# They went to Ces+s and said, Teacher, we know that yo+ are an honest man. >hen yo+ speak, yo+ dont worry a!o+t what others might think. 3t doesnt matter to yo+ who is listening, yo+ always teach the tr+th a!o+t Gods way. Tell +s, is it right to pay ta4es to 9aesar? Sho+ld we pay them or not? 1% <+t Ces+s knew that these men were really trying to trick him. $e said, >hy are yo+ trying to catch me saying something wrong? <ring me a silver coin. et me see it. 1& They gave Ces+s a coin and he asked, >hose pict+re is on the coin? And whose name is written on it? They answered, 3t is 9aesars pict+re and 9aesars name. 1' Then Ces+s said to them, Give to 9aesar what !elongs to 9aesar, and give Aark 12.1(*2# &' to God what !elongs to God. The men were amaEed at what Ces+s said. 1( Then some Sadd+cees came to Ces+s. 7Sadd+cees !elieve that no one will rise from death.8 They asked him a J+estion: 1) Teacher, Aoses wrote that if a married man dies and had no children, his !rother m+st marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead !rother. 2, There were seven !rothers. The first !rother married !+t died. $e had no pag. 1,#'0131#

children. 21 So the second !rother married the woman. <+t he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third !rother. 22 All seven !rothers married the woman and died. 1one of the !rothers had any children with her. And she was the last to die. 23 <+t all seven !rothers had married her. So at the time when people rise from death, whose wife will she !e? 2# Ces+s answered, $ow co+ld yo+ !e so wrong? 3ts !eca+se yo+ dont know what the Script+res say. And yo+ dont know anything a!o+t Gods power. Aark 12.2%*31 &( 2% >hen people rise from death, there will !e no marriage. 6eople will not !e married to each other. All people will !e like angels in heaven. 2& S+rely yo+ have read what God said that tells a!o+t people rising from death. 3n the !ook where Aoses wrote a!o+t the !+rning !+sh, it says that God told Aoses this: 3 am the God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. 2' $e is the God only of people who are living. So these men were not really dead. ;o+ Sadd+cees are so wrong" 2( 5ne of the teachers of the law came to Ces+s. $e heard Ces+s arg+ing with the Sadd+cees and the 6harisees. $e saw that Ces+s gave good answers to their J+estions. So he asked him, >hich of Gods commands is the most important? 2) Ces+s answered, The most important command is this: 6eople of 3srael, listen" The ord o+r God is the only ord. 3, ove the ord yo+r God with all yo+r heart, all yo+r so+l, all yo+r mind, and all yo+r strength. 31 The second most important command is this: ove yo+r neigh!or the same as Aark 12.32*3' &) yo+ love yo+rself. These two commands are the most important. 32 The man answered, That was a good answer, Teacher. ;o+ are right in saying -asy To .ead /ersion

that God is the only ord and that there is no other God. 33 And yo+ m+st love God with all yo+r heart, all yo+r mind, and all yo+r strength. And yo+ m+st love others the same as yo+ love yo+rself. These commands are more important than all the !+rnt offerings and sacrifices we give to God. 3# Ces+s saw that the man answered him wisely. So he said to him, ;o+ are close to Gods kingdom. And after that time, no one was !rave eno+gh to ask Ces+s any more J+estions. 3% Ces+s was teaching in the Temple area. $e asked, >hy do the teachers of the law say that the Aessiah is the son of David? 3& >ith the help of the $oly Spirit, David himself says, The ord God said to my ord: Sit !y me at my right side, and 3 will p+t yo+r enemies +nder yo+r control. 3' David himself calls the Aessiah ord. So how can the Aessiah !e Davids son? Aark 12.3(*#3 ', Aany people listened to Ces+s and were very pleased. 3( Ces+s contin+ed teaching. $e said, <e caref+l of the teachers of the law. They like to walk aro+nd wearing clothes that look important. And they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. 3) They love to have the most important seats in the synagog+es and the places of honor at !anJ+ets. #, <+t they cheat widows and take their homes. Then they try to make themselves look good !y saying long prayers. God will p+nish them very m+ch. #1 Ces+s sat near the Temple collection !o4 and watched as people p+t money into it. Aany rich people p+t in a lot of money. #2 Then a poor widow came and p+t in two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny. #3 Ces+s called his followers to him and said, This poor widow p+t in only two pag. 1,#(0131#

small coins. <+t the tr+th is, she gave more than all those rich people. Aark 12.##*13.' '1 ## They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, !+t she gave all she had. 3t was money she needed to live on. 13 1 Ces+s was leaving the Temple area. 5ne of his followers said to him, Teacher, look how !ig those stones are" >hat !ea+tif+l !+ildings" 2 Ces+s said, Do yo+ see these great !+ildings? They will all !e destroyed. -very stone will !e thrown down to the gro+nd. 1ot one stone will !e left on another. 3 ater, Ces+s was sitting at a place on the Ao+nt of 5lives. $e was alone with 6eter, Cames, Cohn, and Andrew. They co+ld all see the Temple, and they said to Ces+s, # Tell +s when these things will happen. And what will show +s it is time for them to happen? % Ces+s said to them, <e caref+l" Dont let anyone fool yo+. & Aany people will come and +se my name, saying, 3 am the Aessiah. And they will fool many people. ' ;o+ will hear a!o+t wars that are !eing fo+ght. And yo+ will hear stories Aark 13.(*12 '2 a!o+t other wars !eginning. <+t dont !e afraid. These things m+st happen !efore the end comes. ( 1ations will fight against other nations. Gingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will !e times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will !e earthJ+akes in different places. These things are only the !eginning of tro+!les, like the first pains of a woman giving !irth. ) ;o+ m+st !e caref+l" There are people who will arrest yo+ and take yo+ to !e =+dged for !eing my followers. They will !eat yo+ in their synagog+es. ;o+ will !e forced to stand !efore kings and governors. ;o+ will tell them a!o+t me. 1, <efore the end comes, the Good -asy To .ead /ersion

1ews m+st !e told to all nations. 11 -ven when yo+ are arrested and p+t on trial, dont worry a!o+t what yo+ will say. Say whatever God tells yo+ at the time. 3t will not really !e yo+ speaking. 3t will !e the $oly Spirit. 12 <rothers will t+rn against their own !rothers and hand them over to !e killed. 2athers will hand over their own children to !e killed. 9hildren will fight Aark 13.13*1) '3 against their own parents and have them killed. 13 All people will hate yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow me. <+t those who remain faithf+l to the end will !e saved. 1# ;o+ will see the terri!le thing that ca+ses destr+ction. ;o+ will see this thing standing in the place where it sho+ld not !e. 7.eader, 3 tr+st yo+ +nderstand what this means.8 -veryone in C+dea at that time sho+ld r+n away to the mo+ntains. 1% They sho+ld r+n away witho+t wasting time to stop for anything. 3f someone is on the roof of their ho+se, they m+st not go inside to get things o+t of the ho+se. 1& 3f someone is in the field, they m+st not go !ack to get a coat. 1' D+ring that time it will !e hard for women who are pregnant or have small !a!ies. 1( 6ray that these things will not happen in winter, 1) !eca+se those days will !e f+ll of tro+!le. There will !e more tro+!le than has ever happened since the !eginning, Aark 13.2,*2' '# when God made the world. And nothing that !ad will ever happen again. 2, <+t the ord has decided to make that terri!le time short. 3f it were not made short, no one co+ld s+rvive. <+t the ord will make that time short to help the special people he has chosen. 21 Someone might say to yo+ at that time, ook, there is the Aessiah" 5r another person might say, There he is" <+t dont !elieve them. pag. 1,#)0131#

22 2alse messiahs and false prophets will come and do miracles and wonders, trying to fool the people God has chosen, if that is possi!le. 23 So !e caref+l. 1ow 3 have warned yo+ a!o+t all this !efore it happens. 2# D+ring the days following that time of tro+!le, The s+n will !ecome dark, and the moon will not give light. 2% The stars will fall from the sky, and everything in the sky will !e changed. 2& Then people will see the Son of Aan coming in the clo+ds with great power and glory. 2' $e will send his angels all aro+nd the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth. Aark 13.2(*3% '% 2( The fig tree teaches +s a lesson: >hen its !ranches !ecome green and soft, and new leaves !egin to grow, then yo+ know that s+mmer is very near. 2) 3n the same way, when yo+ see all these things happening, yo+ will know that the time is very near, already present. 3, 3 ass+re yo+ that all these things will happen while some of the people of this time are still living. 31 The whole world, earth and sky, will !e destroyed, !+t my words will last forever. 32 1o one knows when that day or time will !e. The Son and the angels in heaven dont know when that day or time will !e. 5nly the 2ather knows. 33 <e caref+l" Always !e ready. ;o+ dont know when that time will !e. 3# 3ts like a man who goes on a trip and leaves his ho+se in the care of his servants. $e gives each one a special =o! to do. $e tells the servant g+arding the door to always !e ready. And this is what 3 am telling yo+ now. 3% ;o+ m+st always !e ready. ;o+ dont know when the owner of the ho+se Aark 13.3&*1#.# '& will come !ack. $e might come in the afternoon, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or when the s+n rises. -asy To .ead /ersion

3& 3f yo+ are always ready, he will not find yo+ sleeping, even if he comes !ack earlier than e4pected. 3' 3 tell yo+ this, and 3 say it to everyone: <e ready" 14 1 3t was now only two days !efore the 6assover and the 2estival of Hnleavened <read. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to arrest Ces+s witho+t the people seeing it. Then they co+ld kill him. 2 They said, <+t we cannot arrest Ces+s d+ring the festival. >e dont want the people to !e angry and ca+se a riot. 3 Ces+s was in <ethany at the ho+se of Simon the leper. >hile he was eating there, a woman came to him. She had an ala!aster =ar filled with e4pensive perf+me made of p+re nard. She opened the =ar and po+red the perf+me on Ces+s head. # Some of the followers there saw this. They were +pset and complained to Aark 1#.%*1, '' each other. They said, >hy waste that perf+me? % 3t was worth a f+ll years pay. 3t co+ld have !een sold and the money given to those who are poor. And they told the woman what a !ad thing she had done. & Ces+s said, eave her alone. >hy are yo+ giving her s+ch tro+!le? She did a very good thing for me. ' ;o+ will always have the poor with yo+, and yo+ can help them any time yo+ want. <+t yo+ will not always have me. ( This woman did the only thing she co+ld do for me. She po+red perf+me on my !ody !efore 3 die to prepare it for !+rial. ) The Good 1ews will !e told to people all over the world. And 3 can ass+re yo+ that everywhere the Good 1ews is told, the story of what this woman did will also !e told, and people will remem!er her. 1, Then C+das 3scariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to talk to the leading pag. 1,%,0131#

priests a!o+t handing Ces+s over to them. Aark 1#.11*1' '( 11 They were very happy a!o+t this, and they promised to pay him. So he waited for the !est time to hand Ces+s over to them. 12 3t was now the first day of the 2estival of Hnleavened <read the day the lam!s were killed for the 6assover. Ces+s followers came to him and said, >e will go and prepare everything for yo+ to eat the 6assover meal. >here do yo+ want +s to have the meal? 13 Ces+s sent two of his followers into the city. $e said to them, Go into the city. ;o+ will see a man carrying a =ar of water. $e will come to yo+. 2ollow him. 1# $e will go into a ho+se. Tell the owner of the ho+se, The Teacher asks that yo+ show +s the room where he and his followers can eat the 6assover meal. 1% The owner will show yo+ a large room +pstairs that is ready for +s. 6repare the meal for +s there. 1& So the followers left and went into the city. -verything happened the way Ces+s said. So the followers prepared the 6assover meal. 1' 3n the evening Ces+s went to that ho+se with the twelve apostles. Aark 1#.1(*2# ') 1( >hile they were all at the ta!le eating, he said, <elieve me when 3 say that one of yo+ will hand me over to my enemiesone of yo+ eating with me now. 1) The followers were very sad to hear this. -ach one said to Ces+s, S+rely 3 am not the one" 2, Ces+s answered, 3t is one of yo+ twelveone who is dipping his !read in the same !owl with me. 21 The Son of Aan will s+ffer what the Script+res say will happen to him. <+t it will !e very !ad for the one who hands over the Son of Aan to !e killed. 3t wo+ld !e !etter for him if he had never !een !orn. 22 >hile they were eating, Ces+s took some !read and thanked God for it. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

!roke off some pieces, gave them to his followers and said, Take and eat this !read. 3t is my !ody. 23 Then he took a c+p of wine, thanked God for it, and gave it to them. They all drank from the c+p. 2# Then he said, This wine is my !lood, which will !e po+red o+t for many to !egin the new agreement from God to his people. Aark 1#.2%*32 (, 2% 3 want yo+ to know, 3 will not drink this wine again +ntil that day when 3 drink it in Gods kingdom and the wine is new. 2& They all sang a song and then went o+t to the Ao+nt of 5lives. 2' Then Ces+s told the followers, ;o+ will all lose yo+r faith. The Script+res say, 3 will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will r+n away. 2( <+t after 3 am killed, 3 will rise from death. Then 3 will go to Galilee. 3 will !e there !efore yo+ come. 2) 6eter said, All the other followers may lose their faith. <+t that will never happen to me. 3, Ces+s answered, The tr+th is, tonight yo+ will say yo+ dont know me. ;o+ will say it three times !efore the rooster crows twice. 31 <+t 6eter strongly protested, 3 will never say 3 dont know yo+" 3 will even die with yo+" And all the other followers said the same thing. 32 Ces+s and his followers went to a place named Gethsemane. $e said to them, Sit here while 3 pray. Aark 1#.33*#, (1 33 <+t he told 6eter, Cames, and Cohn to come with him. $e !egan to !e very distressed and tro+!led, 3# and he said to them, Ay heart is so heavy with grief, 3 feel as if 3 am dying. >ait here and stay awake. 3% Ces+s went on a little farther away from them, fell to the gro+nd, and prayed. $e asked that, if possi!le, he wo+ld not have this time of s+ffering. 3& $e said, A!!a, 2ather" ;o+ can do all pag. 1,%10131#

things. Dont make me drink from this c+p. <+t do what yo+ want, not what 3 want. 3' Then he went !ack to his followers and fo+nd them sleeping. $e said to 6eter, Simon, why are yo+ sleeping? 9o+ld yo+ not stay awake with me for one ho+r? 3( Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. ;o+r spirit wants to do what is right, !+t yo+r !ody is weak. 3) Again Ces+s went away and prayed the same thing. #, Then he went !ack to the followers and again fo+nd them sleeping. They co+ld not stay awake. They did not know what they sho+ld say to him. Aark 1#.#1*#' (2 #1 After Ces+s prayed a third time, he went !ack to his followers. $e said to them, Are yo+ still sleeping and resting? Thats eno+gh" The time has come for the Son of Aan to !e handed over to the control of sinf+l men. #2 Stand +p" >e m+st go. $ere comes the man who is handing me over to them. #3 >hile Ces+s was still speaking, C+das, one of the twelve apostles, came there. $e had a !ig crowd of people with him, all carrying swords and cl+!s. They had !een sent from the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Cewish leaders. ## C+das planned to do something to show them which one was Ces+s. $e said, The one 3 kiss will !e Ces+s. Arrest him and g+ard him while yo+ lead him away. #% So C+das went over to Ces+s and said, Teacher" Then he kissed him. #& The men gra!!ed Ces+s and arrested him. #' 5ne of the followers standing near Ces+s gra!!ed his sword and p+lled it Aark 1#.#(*%# (3 o+t. $e sw+ng it at the servant of the high priest and c+t off his ear. #( Then Ces+s said, >hy do yo+ come to get me with swords and cl+!s as if 3 -asy To .ead /ersion

were a criminal? #) -very day 3 was with yo+ teaching in the Temple area. ;o+ did not arrest me there. <+t all these things have happened to show the f+ll meaning of what the Script+res said. %, Then all of Ces+s followers left him and ran away. %1 5ne of those following Ces+s was a yo+ng man wearing only a linen cloth. >hen the people tried to gra! him, %2 he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked. %3 Those who arrested Ces+s led him to the ho+se of the high priest. All the leading priests, the older Cewish leaders, and the teachers of the law were gathered there. %# 6eter followed Ces+s !+t stayed !ack at a distance. $e followed him to the yard of the high priests ho+se. $e went into the yard and sat there with the g+ards, warming himself !y their fire. Aark 1#.%%*&2 (# %% The leading priests and the whole high co+ncil tried to find something that Ces+s had done wrong so they co+ld kill him. <+t the co+ncil co+ld find no proof that wo+ld allow them to kill Ces+s. %& Aany people came and told lies against Ces+s, !+t they all said different things. 1one of them agreed. %' Then some others stood +p and told more lies against Ces+s. They said, %( >e heard this man say, 3 will destroy this Temple !+ilt !y h+man hands. And three days later, 3 will !+ild another Temple not made !y h+man hands. %) <+t also what these people said did not agree. &, Then the high priest stood +p !efore everyone and said to Ces+s, These people said things against yo+. Do yo+ have something to say a!o+t their charges? Are they telling the tr+th? &1 <+t Ces+s said nothing to answer him. The high priest asked Ces+s another J+estion: Are yo+ the Aessiah, the Son of the !lessed God? &2 Ces+s answered, ;es, 3 am the Son pag. 1,%20131#

of God. And in the f+t+re yo+ will see the Son of Aan sitting at the right side Aark 1#.&3*&) (% of God AllD6owerf+l. And yo+ will see the Son of Aan coming on the clo+ds of heaven. &3 >hen the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes in anger. $e said, >e dont need any more witnesses" &# ;o+ all heard these ins+lts to God. >hat do yo+ think? -veryone agreed that Ces+s was g+ilty and m+st !e killed. &% Some of the people there spit at him. They covered his eyes and hit him with their fists. They said, <e a prophet and tell +s who hit yo+" Then the g+ards led Ces+s away and !eat him. && >hile 6eter was still in the yard, a servant girl of the high priest came there. &' She saw him warming himself !y the fire. She looked closely at him and said, ;o+ were with Ces+s, that man from 1aEareth. &( <+t 6eter said this was not tr+e. That makes no sense, he said. 3 dont know what yo+ are talking a!o+t" Then he left and went to the entrance of the yard, and a rooster crowed. &) >hen the servant girl saw him there, she !egan saying again to the people Aark 1#.',*1%.# (& standing aro+nd, This man is one of them. ', Again 6eter said it was not tr+e. A short time later, the people standing there said, >e know yo+ are one of them, !eca+se yo+ are from Galilee. '1 Then 6eter !egan to c+rse. $e said, 3 swear to God, 3 dont know this man yo+ are talking a!o+t" '2 As soon as 6eter said this, the rooster crowed the second time. Then he remem!ered what Ces+s had told him: <efore the rooster crows twice, yo+ will say three times that yo+ dont know me. Then 6eter !egan to cry. 15 1 /ery early in the morning, the leading priests, the older Cewish leaders, the teachers of the law, and the -asy To .ead /ersion

whole high co+ncil decided what to do with Ces+s. They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Governor 6ilate. 2 6ilate asked Ces+s, Are yo+ the king of the Cews? Ces+s answered, ;es, that is right. 3 The leading priests acc+sed Ces+s of many things. # So 6ilate asked Ces+s another J+estion. $e said, ;o+ can see that these Aark 1%.%*13 (' people are acc+sing yo+ of many things. >hy dont yo+ answer? % <+t Ces+s still did not answer, and this really s+rprised 6ilate. & -very year at the 6assover time the governor wo+ld free one prisonerwhichever one the people wanted. ' There was a man in prison at that time named <ara!!as. $e and the re!els with him had !een p+t in prison for committing m+rder d+ring a riot. ( The people came to 6ilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did. ) 6ilate asked them, Do yo+ want me to free the king of the Cews? 1, 6ilate knew that the leading priests had handed Ces+s over to him !eca+se they were =ealo+s of him. 11 <+t the leading priests pers+aded the people to ask 6ilate to free <ara!!as, not Ces+s. 12 6ilate asked the people again, So what sho+ld 3 do with this man yo+ call the king of the Cews? 13 The people sho+ted, Gill him on a cross" Aark 1%.1#*21 (( 1# 6ilate asked, >hy? >hat wrong has he done? <+t the people sho+ted lo+der and lo+der, Gill him on a cross" 1% 6ilate wanted to please the people, so he set <ara!!as free for them. And he told the soldiers to !eat Ces+s with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to !e killed on a cross. 1& 6ilates soldiers took Ces+s into the governors palace 7called the 6raetori+m8. They called all the other pag. 1,%30131#

soldiers together. 1' They p+t a p+rple ro!e on Ces+s, made a crown from thorny !ranches, and p+t it on his head. 1( Then they !egan sho+ting, >elcome, king of the Cews" 1) They kept on !eating his head with a stick and spitting on him. Then they !owed down on their knees and pretended to honor him as a king. 2, After they finished making f+n of him, they took off the p+rple ro!e and p+t his own clothes on him again. Then they led him o+t of the palace to !e killed on a cross. 21 There was a man from 9yrene named Simon walking into the city from the Aark 1%.22*3, () fields. $e was the father of Ale4ander and .+f+s. The soldiers forced him to carry Ces+s cross. 22 They led Ces+s to the place called Golgotha. 7Golgotha means The 6lace of the Sk+ll.8 23 There they gave him some wine mi4ed with myrrh, !+t he ref+sed to drink it. 2# The soldiers nailed Ces+s to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who wo+ld get what. 2% 3t was nine oclock in the morning when they nailed Ces+s to the cross. 2& There was a sign with the charge against him written on it. 3t said, T$G31G 52 T$- C->S. 2' They also nailed two criminals to crosses !eside Ces+sone on the right and the other on the left. 2( MM-A6T;NN 2) 6eople walked !y and said !ad things to Ces+s. They shook their heads and said, ;o+ said yo+ co+ld destroy the Temple and !+ild it again in three days. 3, So save yo+rself" 9ome down from that cross" Aark 1%.31*3& ), 31 The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also there. They made f+n of Ces+s the same as the other -asy To .ead /ersion

people did. They said to each other, $e saved others, !+t he cant save himself" 32 3f he is really the Aessiah, the king of 3srael, he sho+ld come down from the cross now. >hen we see this, then we will !elieve in him. The criminals on the crosses !eside Ces+s also said !ad things to him. 33 At noon the whole co+ntry !ecame dark. This darkness contin+ed +ntil three oclock. 3# At three oclock Ces+s cried o+t lo+dly, -loi, -loi, lama sa!achthani. This means Ay God, my God, why have yo+ left me alone? 3% Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, isten" $e is calling -li=ah. 3& 5ne man there ran and got a sponge. $e filled the sponge with so+r wine and tied it to a stick. Then he +sed the stick to give the sponge to Ces+s to get a drink from it. The man said, >e sho+ld wait now and see if -li=ah will come to take him down from the cross. Aark 1%.3'*#3 )1 3' Then Ces+s cried o+t lo+dly and died. 3( >hen Ces+s died, the c+rtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the !ottom. 3) The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw what happened when Ces+s died. The officer said, This man really was the Son of God" #, Some women were standing away from the cross, watching. Among these women were Aary Aagdalene, Salome, and Aary the mother of Cames and Coses. 7Cames was her yo+ngest son.8 #1 These were the women who had followed Ces+s in Galilee and cared for him. Aany other women who had come with Ces+s to Cer+salem were also there. #2 This day was called 6reparation day. 7That means the day !efore the Sa!!ath day.8 3t was !ecoming dark. #3 A man named Coseph from Arimathea was !rave eno+gh to go to 6ilate and ask pag. 1,%#0131#

for Ces+s !ody. Coseph was an important mem!er of the high co+ncil. $e was one of the people who wanted Gods kingdom to come. Aark 1%.##*1&.3 )2 ## 6ilate was s+rprised to hear that Ces+s was already dead. So he called for the army officer in charge and asked him if Ces+s was already dead. #% >hen 6ilate heard it from the officer, he told Coseph he co+ld have the !ody. #& Coseph !o+ght some linen cloth. $e took the !ody from the cross, wrapped it in the linen, and p+t the !ody in a tom! that was d+g in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tom! !y rolling a large stone to cover the entrance. #' Aary Aagdalene and Aary the mother of Coses saw the place where Ces+s was p+t. 16 1 The ne4t day after the Sa!!ath day, Aary Aagdalene, Salome, and Aary the mother of Cames !o+ght some sweetDsmelling spices to p+t on Ces+s !ody. 2 /ery early on that day, the first day of the week, the women were going to the tom!. 3t was very early after s+nrise. 3 The women said to each other, There is a large stone covering the entrance of the tom!. >ho will move the stone for +s? Aark 1&.#*) )3 # Then the women looked and saw that the stone was moved. The stone was very large, !+t it was moved away from the entrance. % The women walked into the tom! and saw a yo+ng man there wearing a white ro!e. $e was sitting on the right side of the tom!. The women were afraid. & <+t the man said, Dont !e afraid. ;o+ are looking for Ces+s from 1aEareth, the one who was killed on a cross. $e has risen from death" $e is not here. ook, here is the place they p+t him when he was dead. ' 1ow go and tell his followers. And !e s+re to tell 6eter. Tell them, Ces+s is going into Galilee and will !e there -asy To .ead /ersion

!efore yo+ come. ;o+ will see him there, as he told yo+ !efore. ( The women were very afraid and conf+sed. They left the tom! and ran away. They did not tell a!o+t what happened, !eca+se they were afraid. ) Ces+s rose from death early on the first day of the week. $e appeared first to Aary Aagdalene. 5ne time in the past Ces+s had forced seven demons o+t of Aary. Aark 1&.1,*1' )# 1, After Aary saw Ces+s, she went and told his followers. They were very sad and were crying. 11 <+t Aary told them that Ces+s was alive. She said that she had seen Ces+s, !+t they did not !elieve her. 12 ater, Ces+s appeared to two followers while they were walking in the co+ntry. <+t Ces+s did not look the same as !efore he was killed. 13 These followers went !ack to the other followers and told them what happened. Again, the followers did not !elieve them. 1# ater, Ces+s appeared to the eleven followers while they were eating. $e criticiEed them !eca+se they had so little faith. They were st+!!orn and ref+sed to !elieve the people who said Ces+s had risen from death. 1% $e said to them, Go everywhere in the world and tell the Good 1ews to everyone. 1& >hoever !elieves and is !aptiEed will !e saved. <+t those who do not !elieve will !e =+dged g+ilty. 1' And the people who !elieve will !e a!le to do these things as proof: They Aark 1&.1(*2, )% will +se my name to force demons o+t of people. They will speak in lang+ages they never learned. 1( 3f they pick +p snakes or drink any poison, they will not !e h+rt. They will lay their hands on sick people, and they will get well. 1) After the ord Ces+s said these things to his followers, he was carried +p into pag. 1,%%0131#

heaven. There, Ces+s sat at the right side of God. 2, The followers went everywhere in the world telling people the Good 1ews, and the ord helped them. <y giving them power to do miracles the ord proved that their message was tr+e. u0e 1 1 Aost $onora!le Theophil+s: Aany others have tried to give a report of the things that happened among +s to complete Gods plan. 2 >hat they have written agrees with what we learned from the people who saw those events from the !eginning. They also served God !y telling people his message. 3 3 st+died it all caref+lly from the !eginning. Then 3 decided to write it down for yo+ in an organiEed way. # 3 did this so that yo+ can !e s+re that what yo+ have !een ta+ght is tr+e. % D+ring the time when $erod r+led C+dea, there was a priest named Bechariah. $e !elonged to A!i=ahs gro+p. $is wife came from the family of Aaron. $er name was -liEa!eth. & Bechariah and -liEa!eth were !oth good people who pleased God. They did everything the ord commanded, always following his instr+ctions completely. +ke 1.'*1% 2 ' <+t they had no children. -liEa!eth co+ld not have a !a!y, and !oth of them were very old. ( Bechariah was serving as a priest !efore God for his gro+p. 3t was his gro+ps time to serve. ) The priests always +sed lots to choose one priest to offer the incense, and Bechariah was the one chosen this time. So he went into the Temple of the ord to offer the incense. 1, There was a large crowd o+tside praying at the time the incense was offered. 11 Then, on the right side of the incense ta!le, an angel of the ord came and stood !efore Bechariah. 12 >hen he saw the angel, Bechariah -asy To .ead /ersion

was +pset and very afraid. 13 <+t the angel said to him, Bechariah, dont !e afraid. ;o+r prayer has !een heard !y God. ;o+r wife -liEa!eth will give !irth to a !a!y !oy, and yo+ will name him Cohn. 1# ;o+ will !e very happy, and many others will share yo+r =oy over his !irth. 1% $e will !e a great man for the ord. $e m+st never drink wine or anything +ke 1.1&*2, 3 else that co+ld make him dr+nk. -ven !efore he is !orn, he will !e filled with the $oly Spirit. 1& Cohn will help many people of 3srael ret+rn to the ord their God. 1' Cohn himself will go ahead of the ord and make people ready for his coming. $e will !e powerf+l like -li=ah and will have the same spirit. $e will make peace !etween parents and their children. $e will ca+se people who are not o!eying God to change and start thinking the way they sho+ld. 1( Bechariah said to the angel, $ow can 3 know that what yo+ say is tr+e? 3 am an old man, and my wife is also old. 1) The angel answered him, 3 am Ga!riel, the one who always stands ready !efore God. $e sent me to talk to yo+ and to tell yo+ this good news. 2, 1ow, listen" ;o+ will not !e a!le to talk +ntil the day when these things happen. ;o+ will lose yo+r speech !eca+se yo+ did not !elieve what 3 told yo+. <+t everything 3 said will really happen. +ke 1.21*2( # 21 5+tside, the people were still waiting for Bechariah. They were s+rprised that he was staying so long in the Temple. 22 Then Bechariah came o+tside, !+t he co+ld not speak to them. So the people knew that he had seen a vision inside the Temple. $e was not a!le to speak, so he co+ld only make signs to the people. 23 >hen his time of service was finished, he went home. 2# ater, Bechariahs wife -liEa!eth !ecame pregnant. So she did not go o+t pag. 1,%&0131#

of her ho+se for five months. She said, 2% ook what the ord has done for me" $e decided to help me. 1ow people will stop thinking there is something wrong with me. 2& D+ring -liEa!eths si4th month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Ga!riel to a virgin girl who lived in 1aEareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Coseph from the family of David. $er name was Aary. 2' 71:2&8 2( The angel came to her and said, Greetings" The ord is with yo+F yo+ are very special to him. +ke 1.2)*3& % 2) <+t Aary was very conf+sed a!o+t what the angel said. She wondered, >hat does this mean? 3, The angel said to her, Dont !e afraid, Aary, !eca+se God is very pleased with yo+. 31 isten" ;o+ will !ecome pregnant and have a !a!y !oy. ;o+ will name him Ces+s. 32 $e will !e great. 6eople will call him the Son of the Aost $igh God, and the ord God will make him king like his ancestor David. 33 $e will r+le over the people of Caco! foreverF his kingdom will never end. 3# Aary said to the angel, $ow will this happen? 3 am still a virgin. 3% The angel said to Aary, The $oly Spirit will come to yo+, and the power of the Aost $igh God will cover yo+. The !a!y will !e holy and will !e called the Son of God. 3& And heres something else: ;o+r relative -liEa!eth is pregnant. She is very old, !+t she is going to have a son. -veryone tho+ght she co+ld not have a !a!y, !+t she has !een pregnant now for si4 months. +ke 1.3'*#' & 3' God can do anything" 3( Aary said, 3 am the ords servant. et this thing yo+ have said happen to me" Then the angel went away. 3) Aary got +p and went J+ickly to a -asy To .ead /ersion

town in the hill co+ntry of C+dea. #, She went into Bechariahs ho+se and greeted -liEa!eth. #1 >hen -liEa!eth heard Aarys greeting, the +n!orn !a!y inside her =+mped, and she was filled with the $oly Spirit. #2 3n a lo+d voice she said to Aary, God has !lessed yo+ more than any other woman. And God has !lessed the !a!y yo+ will have. #3 ;o+ are the mother of my ord, and yo+ have come to me" >hy has something so good happened to me? ## >hen 3 heard yo+r voice, the !a!y inside me =+mped with =oy. #% Great !lessings are yo+rs !eca+se yo+ !elieved what the ord said to yo+" ;o+ !elieved this wo+ld happen. #& Then Aary said, #' 3 praise the ord with all my heart. 3 am very happy !eca+se God is my Savior. +ke 1.#(*%' ' #( 3 am not important, !+t he has shown his care for me, his lowly servant. 2rom now +ntil the end of time, people will remem!er how m+ch God !lessed me. #) ;es, the 6owerf+l 5ne has done great things for me. $is name is very holy. %, $e always gives mercy to those who worship him. %1 $e reached o+t his arm and showed his power. $e scattered those who are pro+d and think great things a!o+t themselves. %2 $e !ro+ght down r+lers from their thrones and raised +p the h+m!le people. %3 $e filled the h+ngry with good things, !+t he sent the rich away with nothing. %# God has helped 3srael the people he chose to serve him. $e did not forget his promise to give +s his mercy. %% $e has done what he promised to o+r ancestors, to A!raham and his children forever. %& Aary stayed with -liEa!eth for a!o+t three months and then went home. %' >hen it was time for -liEa!eth to give !irth, she had a !oy. pag. 1,%'0131#

+ke 1.%(*&' ( %( $er neigh!ors and relatives heard that the ord was very good to her, and they were happy for her. %) >hen the !a!y was eight days old, they came to circ+mcise him. They wanted to name him Bechariah !eca+se this was his fathers name. &, <+t his mother said, 1o, he will !e named Cohn. &1 The people said to -liEa!eth, <+t no one in yo+r family has that name. &2 Then they made signs to his father, >hat wo+ld yo+ like to name him? &3 Bechariah asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, $is name is Cohn. -veryone was s+rprised. &# Then Bechariah co+ld talk again, and he !egan praising God. &% And all their neigh!ors were afraid. 3n all the hill co+ntry of C+dea, people contin+ed talking a!o+t these things. && -veryone who heard a!o+t these things wondered a!o+t them. They tho+ght, >hat will this child !e? They co+ld see that the ord was with him. &' Then Bechariah, Cohns father, was filled with the $oly Spirit and told the people a message from God: +ke 1.&(*'' ) &( 6raise to the ord God of 3srael. $e has come to help his people and has given them freedom. &) $e has given +s a powerf+l Savior from the family of his servant David. ', This is what he promised thro+gh his holy prophets long ago. '1 $e promised to save +s from o+r enemies and from the power of all those who hate +s. '2 God said he wo+ld show mercy to o+r fathers and remem!er his holy agreement. '3 This was the promise he made to o+r father A!raham, '# a promise to free +s from the power of o+r enemies, so that we co+ld serve him witho+t fear '% in a way that is holy and right for as long as we live. -asy To .ead /ersion

'& 1ow yo+, little !oy, will !e called a prophet of the Aost $igh God. ;o+ will go first !efore the ord to prepare the way for him. '' ;o+ will make his people +nderstand that they will !e saved !y having their sins forgiven. +ke 1.'(*2.# 1, '( >ith the loving mercy of o+r God, a new day from heaven will shine on +s. ') 3t will !ring light to those who live in darkness, in the fear of death. 3t will g+ide +s into the way that !rings peace. (, And so the little !oy Cohn grew +p and !ecame stronger in spirit. Then he lived in areas away from other people +ntil the time when he came o+t to tell Gods message to the people of 3srael. 2 1 3t was a!o+t that same time that A+g+st+s 9aesar sent o+t an order to all people in the co+ntries that were +nder .oman r+le. The order said that everyones name m+st !e p+t on a list. 2 This was the first co+nting of all the people while I+irini+s was governor of Syria. 3 -veryone traveled to their own hometowns to have their name p+t on the list. # So Coseph left 1aEareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of <ethlehem in C+dea. 3t was known as the town of David. Coseph went there !eca+se he was from the family of David. +ke 2.%*13 11 % Coseph registered with Aary !eca+se she was engaged to marry him. 7She was now pregnant.8 & >hile Coseph and Aary were in <ethlehem, the time came for her to have the !a!y. ' She gave !irth to her first son. She wrapped him +p well and laid him in a !o4 where cattle are fed. She p+t him there !eca+se the g+est room was f+ll. ( That night, some shepherds were o+t in the fields near <ethlehem watching their sheep. ) An angel of the ord appeared to them, and the glory of the ord was pag. 1,%(0131#

shining aro+nd them. The shepherds were very afraid. 1, The angel said to them, Dont !e afraid. 3 have some very good news for yo+news that will make everyone happy. 11 Today yo+r Savior was !orn in Davids town. $e is the Aessiah, the ord. 12 This is how yo+ will know him: ;o+ will find a !a!y wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding !o4. 13 Then a h+ge army of angels from heaven =oined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying, +ke 2.1#*22 12 1# 6raise God in heaven, and on earth let there !e peace to the people who please him. 1% The angels left the shepherds and went !ack to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, ets go to <ethlehem and see this great event the ord has told +s a!o+t. 1& So they went r+nning and fo+nd Aary and Coseph. And there was the !a!y, lying in the feeding !o4. 1' >hen they saw the !a!y, they told what the angels said a!o+t this child. 1( -veryone was s+rprised when they heard what the shepherds told them. 1) Aary contin+ed to think a!o+t these things, trying to +nderstand them. 2, The shepherds went !ack to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. 3t was =+st as the angel had told them. 21 >hen the !a!y was eight days old, he was circ+mcised, and he was named Ces+s. This name was given !y the angel !efore the !a!y !egan to grow inside Aary. 22 The time came for Aary and Coseph to do the things the aw of Aoses ta+ght +ke 2.23*2) 13 a!o+t !eing made p+re. They !ro+ght Ces+s to Cer+salem so that they co+ld present him to the ord. 23 3t is written in the law of the ord: >hen a mothers first !a!y is a !oy, he shall !e called special for the ord. 2# The law of the ord also says that -asy To .ead /ersion

people m+st give a sacrifice: ;o+ m+st sacrifice two doves or two yo+ng pigeons. So Coseph and Aary went to Cer+salem to do this. 2% A man named Simeon lived in Cer+salem. $e was a good man who was devoted to God. $e was waiting for the time when God wo+ld come to help 3srael. The $oly Spirit was with him. 2& The $oly Spirit told him that he wo+ld not die !efore he saw the Aessiah from the ord. 2' The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. So he was there when Aary and Coseph !ro+ght the !a!y Ces+s to do what the Cewish law said they m+st do. 2( Simeon took the !a!y in his arms and thanked God: 2) 1ow, ord, yo+ can let me, yo+r servant, die in peace as yo+ said. +ke 2.3,*3( 1# 3, 3 have seen with my own eyes how yo+ will save yo+r people. 31 1ow all people can see yo+r plan. 32 $e is a light to show yo+r way to the other nations. And he will !ring honor to yo+r people 3srael. 33 Ces+s father and mother were amaEed at what Simeon said a!o+t him. 3# Then Simeon !lessed them and said to Aary, Aany Cews will fall and many will rise !eca+se of this !oy. $e will !e a sign from God that some will not accept. 3% So the secret tho+ghts of many will !e made known. And the things that happen will !e painf+l for yo+like a sword c+tting thro+gh yo+r heart. 3& Anna, a prophet, was there at the Temple. She was from the family of 6han+el in the tri!e of Asher. She was now very old. She had lived with her h+s!and seven years 3' !efore he died and left her alone. She was now (# years old. Anna was always at the TempleF she never left. She worshiped God !y fasting and praying day and night. 3( Anna was there when Coseph and Aary came to the Temple. She praised +ke 2.3)*#& 1% pag. 1,%)0131#

God and talked a!o+t Ces+s to all those who were waiting for God to free Cer+salem. 3) Coseph and Aary finished doing all the things that the law of the ord commanded. Then they went home to 1aEareth, their own town in Galilee. #, The little !oy Ces+s was developing into a mat+re yo+ng man, f+ll of wisdom. God was !lessing him. #1 -very year Ces+s parents went to Cer+salem for the 6assover festival. #2 >hen Ces+s was twelve years old, they went to the festival as +s+al. #3 >hen the festival was over, they went home, !+t Ces+s stayed in Cer+salem. $is parents did not know a!o+t it. ## They traveled for a whole day thinking that Ces+s was with them in the gro+p. They !egan looking for him among their family and close friends, #% !+t they did not find him. So they went !ack to Cer+salem to look for him there. #& After three days they fo+nd him. Ces+s was sitting in the Temple area with the religio+s teachers, listening and asking them J+estions. +ke 2.#'*3.1 1& #' -veryone who heard him was amaEed at his +nderstanding and wise answers. #( >hen his parents saw him, they wondered how this was possi!le. And his mother said, Son, why did yo+ do this to +s? ;o+r father and 3 were very worried a!o+t yo+. >e have !een looking for yo+. #) Ces+s said to them, >hy did yo+ have to look for me? ;o+ sho+ld have known that 3 m+st !e where my 2athers work is. %, <+t they did not +nderstand the meaning of what he said to them. %1 Ces+s went with them to 1aEareth and o!eyed them. $is mother was still thinking a!o+t all these things. %2 As Ces+s grew taller, he contin+ed to grow in wisdom. God was pleased with him and so were the people who knew him. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 1 3t was the 1%th year of the r+le of Ti!eri+s 9aesar. These men were +nder 9aesar: 6onti+s 6ilate, the governor of C+deaF $erod, the r+ler of GalileeF 6hilip, $erods !rother, the r+ler of 3t+rea and TrachonitisF ysanias, the r+ler of A!ilene. +ke 3.2*( 1' 2 Annas and 9aiaphas were the high priests. D+ring this time, Cohn, the son of Bechariah, was living in the desert, and he received a message from God. 3 So he went thro+gh the whole area aro+nd the Cordan .iver and told the people Gods message. $e told them to !e !aptiEed to show that they wanted to change their lives, and then their sins wo+ld !e forgiven. # This is like the words written in the !ook of 3saiah the prophet: There is someone sho+ting in the desert: 6repare the way for the ord. Aake the road straight for him. % -very valley will !e filled, and every mo+ntain and hill will !e made flat. 9rooked roads will !e made straight, and ro+gh roads will !e made smooth. & Then everyone will see how God will save his people" ' 9rowds of people came to !e !aptiEed !y Cohn. <+t he said to them, ;o+ are all snakes" >ho warned yo+ to r+n from Gods =+dgment that is coming? ( 9hange yo+r hearts" And show !y the way yo+ live that yo+ have changed. 3 know what yo+ are a!o+t to say!+t +ke 3.)*1& 1( A!raham is o+r father" That means nothing. 3 tell yo+, God co+ld make children for A!raham from these rocks" ) The a4 is now ready to c+t down the trees. -very tree that does not prod+ce good fr+it will !e c+t down and thrown into the fire. 1, The people asked Cohn, >hat sho+ld we do? 11 $e answered, 3f yo+ have two shirts, share with someone who does not have one. 3f yo+ have food, share that too. 12 -ven the ta4 collectors came to Cohn. pag. 1,&,0131#

They wanted to !e !aptiEed. They said to him, Teacher, what sho+ld we do? 13 $e told them, Dont take more ta4es from people than yo+ have !een ordered to collect. 1# The soldiers asked him, >hat a!o+t +s? >hat sho+ld we do? $e said to them, Dont +se force or lies to make people give yo+ money. <e happy with the pay yo+ get. 1% -veryone was hoping for the Aessiah to come, and they wondered a!o+t Cohn. They tho+ght, Aay!e he is the Aessiah. 1& Cohns answer to this was, 3 !aptiEe yo+ with water, !+t there is someone +ke 3.1'*22 1) coming later who is a!le to do more than 3 can. 3 am not good eno+gh to !e the slave who +nties his sandals. $e will !aptiEe yo+ with the $oly Spirit and with fire. 1' $e will come ready to clean the grain. $e will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will p+t the good part into his !arn. Then he will !+rn the +seless part with a fire that cannot !e stopped. 1( Cohn said many other things like this to enco+rage the people to change, and he told them the Good 1ews. 1) Cohn criticiEed $erod the r+ler for what he had done with $erodias, the wife of $erods !rother, as well as for all the other !ad things he had done. 2, So $erod added another !ad thing to all his other wrongs: $e p+t Cohn in =ail. 21 >hen all the people were !eing !aptiEed, Ces+s came and was !aptiEed too. And while he was praying, the sky opened, 22 and the $oly Spirit came down on him. The Spirit looked like a real dove. Then a voice came from heaven and said, ;o+ are my Son, the one 3 love. 3 am very pleased with yo+. +ke 3.23*2) 2, 23 >hen Ces+s !egan to teach, he was a!o+t 3, years old. 6eople tho+ght that Ces+s was Cosephs son. Coseph was the son of -li. 2# -li was the son of Aatthat. Aatthat -asy To .ead /ersion

was the son of evi. evi was the son of Aelchi. Aelchi was the son of Cannai. Cannai was the son of Coseph. 2% Coseph was the son of Aattathias. Aattathias was the son of Amos. Amos was the son of 1ah+m. 1ah+m was the son of -sli. -sli was the son of 1aggai. 2& 1aggai was the son of Aaath. Aaath was the son of Aattathias. Aattathias was the son of Semein. Semein was the son of Cosech. Cosech was the son of Coda. 2' Coda was the son of Coanan. Coanan was the son of .hesa. .hesa was the son of Ber+!!a!el. Ber+!!a!el was the son of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the son of 1eri. 2( 1eri was the son of Aelchi. Aelchi was the son of Addi. Addi was the son of 9osam. 9osam was the son of -lmadam. -lmadam was the son of -r. 2) -r was the son of Cosh+a. Cosh+a was the son of -lieEer. -lieEer was the son +ke 3.3,*3% 21 of Corim. Corim was the son of Aatthat. Aatthat was the son of evi. 3, evi was the son of Simeon. Simeon was the son of C+dah. C+dah was the son of Coseph. Coseph was the son of Conam. Conam was the son of -liakim. 31 -liakim was the son of Aelea. Aelea was the son of Aenna. Aenna was the son of Aattatha. Aattatha was the son of 1athan. 1athan was the son of David. 32 David was the son of Cesse. Cesse was the son of 5!ed. 5!ed was the son of <oaE. <oaE was the son of Salmon. Salmon was the son of 1ahshon. 33 1ahshon was the son of Amminada!. Amminada! was the son of Admin. Admin was the son of Arni. Arni was the son of $eEron. $eEron was the son of 6ereE. 6ereE was the son of C+dah. 3# C+dah was the son of Caco!. Caco! was the son of 3saac. 3saac was the son of A!raham. A!raham was the son of Terah. Terah was the son of 1ahor. 3% 1ahor was the son of Ser+g. Ser+g was the son of .e+. .e+ was the son of 6eleg. 6eleg was the son of -!er. -!er pag. 1,&10131#

was the son of Shelah. +ke 3.3&*#.% 22 3& Shelah was the son of 9ainan. 9ainan was the son of Arpha4ad. Arpha4ad was the son of Shem. Shem was the son of 1oah. 1oah was the son of amech. 3' amech was the son of Aeth+selah. Aeth+selah was the son of -noch. -noch was the son of Cared. Cared was the son of Aahalaleel. Aahalaleel was the son of 9ainan. 3( 9ainan was the son of -nos. -nos was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God. 4 1 1ow filled with the $oly Spirit, Ces+s ret+rned from the Cordan .iver. And then the Spirit led him into the desert. 2 There the devil tempted Ces+s for #, days. Ces+s ate nothing d+ring this time, and when it was finished, he was very h+ngry. 3 The devil said to him, 3f yo+ are the Son of God, tell this rock to !ecome !read. # Ces+s answered him, The Script+res say, 3t is not =+st !read that keeps people alive. % Then the devil took Ces+s and in a moment of time showed him all the kingdoms of the world. +ke #.&*1# 23 & The devil said to him, 3 will make yo+ king over all these places. ;o+ will have power over them, and yo+ will get all the glory. 3t has all !een given to me. 3 can give it to anyone 3 want. ' 3 will give it all to yo+, if yo+ will only worship me. ( Ces+s answered, The Script+res say, ;o+ m+st worship the ord yo+r God. Serve only him. ) Then the devil led Ces+s to Cer+salem and p+t him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. $e said to him, 3f yo+ are the Son of God, =+mp off, 1, !eca+se the Script+res say, God will command his angels to take care of yo+. 11 3t is also written, Their hands will catch yo+ so that yo+ will not hit yo+r foot on a rock. -asy To .ead /ersion

12 Ces+s answered, <+t the Script+res also say, ;o+ m+st not test the ord yo+r God. 13 The devil finished tempting Ces+s in every way and went away to wait +ntil a !etter time. 1# Ces+s went !ack to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. Stories a!o+t him spread all over the area aro+nd Galilee. +ke #.1%*22 2# 1% $e !egan to teach in the synagog+es, and everyone praised him. 1& Ces+s traveled to 1aEareth, the town where he grew +p. 5n the Sa!!ath day he went to the synagog+e as he always did. $e stood +p to read. 1' The !ook of 3saiah the prophet was given to him. $e opened the !ook and fo+nd the place where this is written: 1( The Spirit of the ord is on me. $e has chosen me to tell good news to the poor. $e sent me to tell prisoners that they are free and to tell the !lind that they can see again. $e sent me to free those who have !een treated !adly 1) and to anno+nce that the time has come for the ord to show his kindness. 2, Ces+s closed the !ook, gave it !ack to the helper, and sat down. As everyone in the synagog+e watched him closely, 21 he !egan to speak to them. $e said, >hile yo+ heard me reading these words =+st now, they were coming tr+e" 22 -veryone there said they liked what Ces+s said. They were s+rprised to hear him speak s+ch wonderf+l words. They said, $ow is this possi!le? 3snt he Cosephs son? +ke #.23*2) 2% 23 Ces+s said to them, 3 know yo+ will tell me the old saying: Doctor, heal yo+rself. ;o+ want to say, >e heard a!o+t the things yo+ did in 9aperna+m. Do those same things here in yo+r own hometown" 2# Then he said, The tr+th is, a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown. 2% D+ring the time of -li=ah it did not rain in 3srael for three and a half years. There was no food anywhere in the pag. 1,&20131#

whole co+ntry. There were many widows in 3srael d+ring that time. <+t the fact is, -li=ah was sent to none of those widows in 3srael. $e was sent only to a widow in Barephath, a town in Sidon. 2& 7#:2%8 2' And there were many people with leprosy living in 3srael d+ring the time of the prophet -lisha. <+t none of them were healedF the only one was 1aaman. And he was from the co+ntry of Syria, not 3srael. 2( >hen the people in the synagog+e heard this, they were very angry. 2) They got +p and forced Ces+s to go o+t of town. Their town was !+ilt on a +ke #.3,*3' 2& hill. They took Ces+s to the edge of the hill to throw him off. 3, <+t he walked thro+gh the middle of the crowd and went away. 31 Ces+s went to 9aperna+m, a city in Galilee. 5n the Sa!!ath day he ta+ght the people. 32 They were amaEed at his teaching !eca+se he spoke with a+thority. 33 3n the synagog+e there was a man who had an evil spirit from the devil inside him. The man sho+ted lo+dly, 3# Ces+s of 1aEareth" >hat do yo+ want with +s? Did yo+ come here to destroy +s? 3 know who yo+ areGods $oly 5ne" 3% <+t Ces+s warned the evil spirit to stop. $e said, <e J+iet" 9ome o+t of the man" The evil spirit threw the man down on the gro+nd in front of everyone. Then the evil spirit left the man and did not h+rt him. 3& The people were amaEed. They said to each other, >hat does this mean? >ith a+thority and power he commands evil spirits and they come o+t. 3' And so the news a!o+t Ces+s spread to every place in the whole area. +ke #.3(*## 2' 3( Ces+s left the synagog+e and went to Simons ho+se. Simons motherDinDlaw was very sick. She had a high fever. They asked Ces+s to do something to help her. 3) $e stood very close to her and -asy To .ead /ersion

ordered the sickness to go away. The sickness left her, and she got +p and !egan serving them. #, >hen the s+n went down, the people !ro+ght their sick friends to Ces+s. They had many different kinds of sicknesses. Ces+s laid his hands on each sick person and healed them all. #1 Demons came o+t of many people. The demons sho+ted, ;o+ are the Son of God. <+t Ces+s gave a strong command for the demons not to speak, !eca+se they knew he was the Aessiah. #2 The ne4t day Ces+s went to a place to !e alone. The people looked for him. >hen they fo+nd him, they tried to stop him from leaving. #3 <+t he said to them, 3 m+st tell the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods kingdom to other towns too. This is why 3 was sent. ## Then Ces+s told the Good 1ews in the synagog+es in C+dea. +ke %.1*' 2( 5 1 As Ces+s stood !eside ake Galilee, a crowd of people p+shed to get closer to him and to hear the teachings of God. 2 Ces+s saw two !oats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen were washing their nets. 3 Ces+s got into the !oat that !elonged to Simon. $e asked Simon to p+sh off a little from the shore. Then he sat down in the !oat and ta+ght the people on the shore. # >hen Ces+s finished speaking, he said to Simon, Take the !oat into the deep water. 3f all of yo+ will p+t yo+r nets into the water, yo+ will catch some fish. % Simon answered, Aaster, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish and ca+ght nothing. <+t yo+ say 3 sho+ld p+t the nets into the water, so 3 will. & The fishermen p+t their nets into the water. Their nets were filled with so many fish that they !egan to !reak. ' They called to their friends in the other !oat to come and help them. The friends came, and !oth !oats were filled so f+ll of fish that they were almost sinking. pag. 1,&30131#

+ke %.(*1# 2) ( The fishermen were all amaEed at the many fish they ca+ght. >hen Simon 6eter saw this, he !owed down !efore Ces+s and said, Go away from me, ord. 3 am a sinf+l man" ) 7%:(8 1, Cames and Cohn, the sons of Be!edee, were amaEed too. 7Cames and Cohn worked together with Simon.8 Ces+s said to Simon, Dont !e afraid. 2rom now on yo+r work will !e to !ring in people, not fish" 11 The men !ro+ght their !oats to the shore. They left everything and followed Ces+s. 12 5ne time Ces+s was in a town where a very sick man lived. This man was covered with leprosy. >hen the man saw Ces+s, he !owed !efore Ces+s and !egged him, ord, yo+ have the power to heal me if yo+ want. 13 Ces+s said, 3 want to heal yo+. <e healed" Then he to+ched the man, and immediately the leprosy disappeared. 1# Then Ces+s said, Dont tell anyone a!o+t what happened. <+t go and let the priest look at yo+. And offer a gift to God for yo+r healing as Aoses commanded. +ke %.1%*2, 3, This will show people that yo+ are healed. 1% <+t the news a!o+t Ces+s spread more and more. Aany people came to hear him and to !e healed of their sicknesses. 1& Ces+s often went away to other places to !e alone so that he co+ld pray. 1' 5ne day Ces+s was teaching the people. The 6harisees and teachers of the law were sitting there too. They had come from every town in Galilee and C+dea and from Cer+salem. The ord was giving Ces+s the power to heal people. 1( There was a man who was paralyEed, and some other men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to !ring him and p+t him down !efore Ces+s. 1) <+t there were so many people that they co+ld not find a way to Ces+s. So -asy To .ead /ersion

they went +p on the roof and lowered the crippled man down thro+gh a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat into the room so that the crippled man was lying !efore Ces+s. 2, Ces+s saw how m+ch faith they had and said to the sick man, 2riend, yo+r sins are forgiven. +ke %.21*2& 31 21 The Cewish teachers of the law and the 6harisees tho+ght to themselves, >ho is this man who dares to say s+ch things? >hat an ins+lt to God" 1o one !+t God can forgive sins. 22 <+t Ces+s knew what they were thinking and said, >hy do yo+ have these J+estions in yo+r minds? 23 The Son of Aan has power on earth to forgive sins. <+t how can 3 prove this to yo+? Aay!e yo+ are thinking it was easy for me to say, ;o+r sins are forgiven. Theres no proof that it really happened. <+t what if 3 say to the man, Stand +p and walk? Then yo+ will !e a!le to see that 3 really have this power. So Ces+s said to the paralyEed man, 3 tell yo+, stand +p" Take yo+r mat and go home" 2# 7%:238 2% The man immediately stood +p in front of everyone. $e picked +p his mat and walked home, praising God. 2& -veryone was completely amaEed and !egan to praise God. They were filled with great respect for Gods power. They said, Today we saw amaEing things" +ke %.2'*3# 32 2' After this Ces+s went o+t and saw a ta4 collector sitting at his place for collecting ta4es. $is name was evi. Ces+s said to him, 2ollow me" 2( evi got +p, left everything, and followed Ces+s. 2) Then evi gave a !ig dinner at his ho+se for Ces+s. At the ta!le there were many ta4 collectors and some other people too. 3, <+t the 6harisees and those who ta+ght the law for the 6harisees !egan to complain to the followers of Ces+s, >hy pag. 1,&#0131#

do yo+ eat and drink with ta4 collectors and other sinners? 31 Ces+s answered them, Sick people are the ones who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. 32 3 have come to ask sinners to change the way they live, not those who do everything right. 33 They said to Ces+s, Cohns followers often fast and pray, the same as the followers of the 6harisees. <+t yo+r followers eat and drink all the time. 3# Ces+s said to them, At a wedding yo+ cannot ask the friends of the !ridegroom to fast while he is still with them. +ke %.3%*&.3 33 3% <+t the time will come when the groom will !e taken away from them. Then his friends will !e sad and fast. 3& Ces+s told them this story: 1o one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. That wo+ld r+in the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat wo+ld not !e the same as the old cloth. 3' Also, no one ever po+rs new wine into old wineskins. The new wine wo+ld !reak them. The wine wo+ld spill o+t, and the wineskins wo+ld !e r+ined. 3( ;o+ always p+t new wine into new wineskins. 3) 1o one who drinks old wine wants new wine. They say, The old wine is !etter. 6 1 5ne time on a Sa!!ath day, Ces+s was walking thro+gh some grain fields. $is followers picked the grain, r+!!ed it in their hands, and ate it. 2 Some 6harisees said, >hy are yo+ doing that? 3t is against the aw of Aoses to do that on the Sa!!ath day. 3 Ces+s answered, ;o+ have read a!o+t what David did when he and the people with him were h+ngry. +ke &.#*) 3# # David went into Gods ho+se. $e took the !read that was offered to God and ate it. And he gave some of the !read to the people with him. This was against the aw of Aoses, which says that only the priests can eat that !read. -asy To .ead /ersion

% Then Ces+s said to the 6harisees, The Son of Aan is ord over the Sa!!ath day. & 5n another Sa!!ath day Ces+s went into the synagog+e and ta+ght the people. A man with a crippled right hand was there. ' The teachers of the law and the 6harisees were watching Ces+s closely. They were waiting to see if he wo+ld heal on the Sa!!ath day. They wanted to see him do something wrong so that they co+ld acc+se him. ( <+t Ces+s knew what they were thinking. $e said to the man with the crippled hand, Get +p and stand here where everyone can see. The man got +p and stood there. ) Then Ces+s said to them, 3 ask yo+, which is the right thing to do on the Sa!!ath day: to do good or to do evil? 3s it right to save a life or to destroy one? +ke &.1,*1' 3% 1, Ces+s looked aro+nd at all of them and then said to the man, $old o+t yo+r hand. The man held o+t his hand, and it was healed. 11 The 6harisees and the teachers of the law got so mad they co+ldnt think straight. They talked to each other a!o+t what they co+ld do to Ces+s. 12 A few days later, Ces+s went o+t to the hills to pray. $e stayed there all night praying to God. 13 The ne4t morning he called his followers. $e chose these twelve and called them apostles: 1# Simon 7Ces+s named him 6eter8, Andrew, !rother of 6eter, Cames, Cohn, 6hilip, <artholomew, 1% Aatthew, Thomas, Cames, the son of Alphae+s, Simon, called the Bealot, 1& C+das, the son of Cames, C+das 3scariot 7the one who t+rned against Ces+s8. 1' Ces+s and the apostles came down from the mo+ntain. Ces+s stood on a flat place. A large crowd of his followers was there. Also, there were many people from all aro+nd C+dea, Cer+salem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon. pag. 1,&%0131#

+ke &.1(*2# 3& 1( They all came to hear Ces+s teach and to !e healed of their sicknesses. $e healed the people who were tro+!led !y evil spirits. 1) -veryone was trying to to+ch him, !eca+se power was coming o+t from him. Ces+s healed them all. 2, Ces+s looked at his followers and said, Great !lessings !elong to yo+ who are poor. Gods kingdom !elongs to yo+. 21 Great !lessings !elong to yo+ who are h+ngry now. ;o+ will !e filled. Great !lessings !elong to yo+ who are crying now. ;o+ will !e happy and la+ghing. 22 6eople will hate yo+ !eca+se yo+ !elong to the Son of Aan. They will make yo+ leave their gro+p. They will ins+lt yo+. They will think it is wrong even to say yo+r name. >hen these things happen, know that great !lessings !elong to yo+. 23 ;o+ can !e happy then and =+mp for =oy, !eca+se yo+ have a great reward in heaven. The ancestors of those people did the same things to the prophets. 2# <+t how !ad it will !e for yo+ rich people, !eca+se yo+ had yo+r easy life. +ke &.2%*32 3' 2% $ow !ad it will !e for yo+ people who are f+ll now, !eca+se yo+ will !e h+ngry. $ow !ad it will !e for yo+ people who are la+ghing now, !eca+se yo+ will !e sad and cry. 2& $ow !ad it is when everyone says nothing !+t good a!o+t yo+. C+st look at the false prophets. Their ancestors always said good things a!o+t them. 2' <+t 3 say to yo+ people who are listening to me, love yo+r enemies. Do good to those who hate yo+. 2( Ask God to !less the people who ask for !ad things to happen to yo+. 6ray for the people who are mean to yo+. 2) 3f someone hits yo+ on the side of yo+r face, let them hit the other side too. 3f someone takes yo+r coat, dont stop them from taking yo+r shirt too. 3, Give to everyone who asks yo+ for something. >hen someone takes -asy To .ead /ersion

something that is yo+rs, dont ask for it !ack. 31 Do for others what yo+ want them to do for yo+. 32 3f yo+ love only those who love yo+, sho+ld yo+ get any special praise for +ke &.33*3( 3( doing that? 1o, even sinners love those who love them" 33 3f yo+ do good only to those who do good to yo+, sho+ld yo+ get any special praise for doing that? 1o, even sinners do that" 3# 3f yo+ lend things to people, always e4pecting to get something !ack, sho+ld yo+ get any special praise for that? 1o, even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get !ack the same amo+nt" 3% 3m telling yo+ to love yo+r enemies and do good to them. end to people witho+t e4pecting to get anything !ack. 3f yo+ do this, yo+ will have a great reward. ;o+ will !e children of the Aost $igh God. ;es, !eca+se God is good even to the people who are f+ll of sin and not thankf+l. 3& Give love and mercy the same as yo+r 2ather gives love and mercy. 3' Dont =+dge others, and God will not =+dge yo+. Dont condemn others, and yo+ will not !e condemned. 2orgive others, and yo+ will !e forgiven. 3( Give to others, and yo+ will receive. ;o+ will !e given m+ch. 3t will !e po+red into yo+r handsmore than yo+ can hold. +ke &.3)*## 3) ;o+ will !e given so m+ch that it will spill into yo+r lap. The way yo+ give to others is the way God will give to yo+. 3) Ces+s told them this story: 9an a !lind man lead another !lind man? 1o. <oth of them will fall into a ditch. #, St+dents are not !etter than their teacher. <+t when they have !een f+lly ta+ght, they will !e like their teacher. #1 >hy do yo+ see the small piece of d+st that is in yo+r friends eye, !+t yo+ dont notice the !ig piece of wood that is in yo+r own? #2 $ow can yo+ say to yo+r friend, et pag. 1,&&0131#

me get that piece of d+st o+t of yo+r eye? 9an yo+ not see that !ig piece of wood in yo+r own eye? ;o+ are a hypocrite. 2irst, take the wood o+t of yo+r own eye. Then yo+ will see clearly to get the d+st o+t of yo+r friends eye. #3 A good tree does not prod+ce !ad fr+it. And a !ad tree does not prod+ce good fr+it. ## -very tree is known !y the kind of fr+it it prod+ces. ;o+ wont find figs on thorny weeds. And yo+ cant pick grapes from thorn!+shes" +ke &.#%*'.1 #, #% Good people have good things saved in their hearts. Thats why they say good things. <+t those who are evil have hearts f+ll of evil, and thats why they say things that are evil. >hat people say with their mo+ths comes from what fills their hearts. #& >hy do yo+ call me, ord, ord, !+t yo+ dont do what 3 say? #' The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and o!ey them3 will show yo+ what they are like: #( They are like a man !+ilding a ho+se. $e digs deep and !+ilds his ho+se on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the ho+se. <+t the flood cannot move the ho+se, !eca+se it was !+ilt well. #) <+t the people who hear my words and do not o!ey are like a man who !+ilds a ho+se witho+t preparing a fo+ndation. >hen the floods come, the ho+se falls down easily and is completely destroyed. 7 1 Ces+s finished saying all these things to the people. Then he went into 9aperna+m. +ke '.2*( #1 2 3n 9aperna+m there was an army officer. $e had a servant who was very sickF he was near death. The officer loved the servant very m+ch. 3 >hen he heard a!o+t Ces+s, he sent some older Cewish leaders to him. $e wanted the men to ask Ces+s to come and save the life of his servant. -asy To .ead /ersion

# The men went to Ces+s. They !egged Ces+s to help the officer. They said, This man is worthy of yo+r help. % $e loves o+r people and he !+ilt the synagog+e for +s. & So Ces+s went with them. $e was coming near the officers ho+se when the officer sent friends to say, ord, yo+ dont need to do anything special for me. 3 am not good eno+gh for yo+ to come into my ho+se. ' That is why 3 did not come to yo+ myself. ;o+ need only to give the order, and my servant will !e healed. ( 3 know this !eca+se 3 am a man +nder the a+thority of other men. And 3 have soldiers +nder my a+thority. 3 tell one soldier, Go, and he goes. And 3 tell another soldier, 9ome, and he comes. +ke '.)*1% #2 And 3 say to my servant, Do this, and my servant o!eys me. ) >hen Ces+s heard this, he was amaEed. $e t+rned to the people following him and said, 3 tell yo+, this is the most faith 3 have seen anywhere, even in 3srael. 1, The gro+p that was sent to Ces+s went !ack to the ho+se. There they fo+nd that the servant was healed. 11 The ne4t day Ces+s and his followers went to a town called 1ain. A !ig crowd was traveling with them. 12 >hen Ces+s came near the town gate, he saw some people carrying a dead !ody. 3t was the only son of a woman who was a widow. >alking with her were many other people from the town. 13 >hen the ord saw the woman, he felt very sorry for her and said, Dont cry. 1# $e walked to the open coffin and to+ched it. The men who were carrying the coffin stopped. Ces+s spoke to the dead son: ;o+ng man, 3 tell yo+, get +p" 1% Then the !oy sat +p and !egan to talk, and Ces+s gave him !ack to his mother. +ke '.1&*22 #3 1& -veryone was filled with fear. They pag. 1,&'0131#

!egan praising God and said, A great prophet is here with +s" and God is taking care of his people. 1' This news a!o+t Ces+s spread all over C+dea and to all the other places aro+nd there. 1( Cohns followers told him a!o+t all these things. Cohn called for two of his followers. 1) $e sent them to the ord to ask, Are yo+ the one we heard was coming, or sho+ld we wait for someone else? 2, So the men came to Ces+s. They said, Cohn the <aptiEer sent +s to yo+ with this J+estion: Are yo+ the one who is coming, or sho+ld we wait for someone else? 21 .ight then Ces+s healed many people of their sicknesses and diseases. $e healed those who had evil spirits and made many who were !lind a!le to see again. 22 Then he said to Cohns followers, Go tell Cohn what yo+ have seen and heard: The !lind can see. The crippled can walk. 6eople with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are !ro+ght !ack to +ke '.23*2) ## life. And the Good 1ews is !eing told to the poor. 23 Great !lessings !elong to those who dont have a pro!lem accepting me. 2# >hen Cohns followers left, Ces+s !egan talking to the people a!o+t Cohn: >hat did yo+ people go o+t into the desert to see? Someone who is weak, like a stem of grass !lowing in the wind? 2% .eally, what did yo+ e4pect to see? Someone dressed in fine clothes? 5f co+rse not. 6eople who wear fancy clothes and live in l+4+ry are all in kings palaces. 2& So what did yo+ go o+t to see? A prophet? ;es, Cohn is a prophet. <+t 3 tell yo+, he is more than that. 2' This Script+re was written a!o+t him: isten" 3 will send my messenger ahead of yo+. $e will prepare the way for yo+. 2( 3 tell yo+, no one ever !orn is greater than Cohn. <+t even the least important -asy To .ead /ersion

person in Gods kingdom is greater than Cohn. 2) 7>hen the people heard this, they all agreed that Gods teaching was good. -ven the ta4 collectors agreed. These +ke '.3,*3& #% were the people who were !aptiEed !y Cohn. 3, <+t the 6harisees and e4perts in the law ref+sed to accept Gods plan for themselvesF they did not let Cohn !aptiEe them.8 31 >hat shall 3 say a!o+t the people of this time? >hat can 3 compare them to? >hat are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace. 5ne gro+p of children calls to the other children and says, >e played fl+te m+sic for yo+, !+t yo+ did not danceF we sang a sad song, !+t yo+ did not cry. 33 Cohn the <aptiEer came and did not eat the +s+al food or drink wine. And yo+ say, $e has a demon inside him. 3# The Son of Aan came eating and drinking. And yo+ say, ook at him" $e eats too m+ch and drinks too m+ch wine" $e is a friend of ta4 collectors and other sinners" 3% <+t wisdom is shown to !e right !y those who accept it. 3& 5ne of the 6harisees asked Ces+s to eat with him. Ces+s went into the +ke '.3'*#2 #& 6harisees ho+se and took a place at the ta!le. 3' There was a sinf+l woman in that town. She knew that Ces+s was eating at the 6harisees ho+se. So the woman !ro+ght some e4pensive perf+me in an ala!aster =ar. 3( She stood at Ces+s feet, crying. Then she !egan to wash his feet with her tears. She dried his feet with her hair. She kissed his feet many times and r+!!ed them with the perf+me. 3) >hen the 6harisee who asked Ces+s to come to his ho+se saw this, he said to himself, 3f this man were a prophet, he wo+ld know that the woman who is pag. 1,&(0131#

to+ching him is a sinner" #, 3n reply to what the 6harisee was thinking, Ces+s said, Simon, 3 have something to say to yo+. Simon said, et me hear it, Teacher. #1 Ces+s said, There were two men. <oth men owed money to the same !anker. 5ne man owed him %,, silver coins. The other man owed him %, silver coins. #2 The men had no money, so they co+ld not pay their de!t. <+t the !anker told the men that they did not have to +ke '.#3*#) #' pay him. >hich one of those two men will love him more? #3 Simon answered, 3 think it wo+ld !e the one who owed him the most money. Ces+s said to him, ;o+ are right. ## Then he t+rned to the woman and said to Simon, Do yo+ see this woman? >hen 3 came into yo+r ho+se, yo+ gave me no water for my feet. <+t she washed my feet with her tears and dried my feet with her hair. #% ;o+ did not greet me with a kiss, !+t she has !een kissing my feet since 3 came in. #& ;o+ did not honor me with oil for my head, !+t she r+!!ed my feet with her sweetDsmelling oil. #' 3 tell yo+ that her many sins are forgiven. This is clear, !eca+se she showed great love. 6eople who are forgiven only a little will love only a little. #( Then Ces+s said to her, ;o+r sins are forgiven. #) The people sitting at the ta!le !egan to think to themselves, >ho does this man think he is? $ow can he forgive sins? +ke '.%,*(.% #( %, Ces+s said to the woman, <eca+se yo+ !elieved, yo+ are saved from yo+r sins. Go in peace. 8 1 The ne4t day, Ces+s traveled thro+gh some cities and small towns. Ces+s told the people a message from God, the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 There were also some women with him. Ces+s had healed these women of sicknesses and evil spirits. 5ne of them was Aary, who was called Aagdalene. Seven demons had come o+t of her. 3 Also with these women were Coanna, the wife of 9h+Ea 7the manager of $erods property8, S+Eanna, and many other women. These women +sed their own money to help Ces+s and his apostles. # A large crowd came together. 6eople came to Ces+s from every town, and he told them this story: % A farmer went o+t to sow seed. >hile he was scattering the seed, some of it fell !eside the road. 6eople walked on the seed, and the !irds ate it all. +ke (.&*12 #) & 5ther seed fell on rock. 3t !egan to grow !+t then died !eca+se it had no water. ' Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. This seed grew, !+t later the weeds stopped the plants from growing. ( The rest of the seed fell on good gro+nd. This seed grew and made 1,, times more grain. Ces+s finished the story. Then he called o+t, ;o+ people who hear me, listen" ) Ces+s followers asked him, >hat does this story mean? 1, $e said, ;o+ have !een chosen to know the secret tr+ths a!o+t Gods kingdom. <+t 3 +se stories to speak to other people. 3 do this so that, They will look, !+t they will not see, and they will listen, !+t they will not +nderstand. 11 This is what the story means: The seed is Gods teaching. 12 Some people are like the seed that fell !eside the path. They hear Gods teaching, !+t then the devil comes and ca+ses them to stop thinking a!o+t it. This keeps them from !elieving it and !eing saved. +ke (.13*1( %, 13 5thers are like the seed that fell on rock. That is like the people who hear Gods teaching and gladly accept it. <+t pag. 1,&)0131#

they dont have deep roots. They !elieve for a while. <+t when tro+!le comes, they t+rn away from God. 1# >hat a!o+t the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear Gods teaching, !+t they let the worries, riches, and pleas+res of this life stop them from growing. So the teaching does not prod+ce good res+lts in their lives. 1% And what a!o+t the seed that fell on the good gro+nd? That is like the people who hear Gods teaching with a good, honest heart. They o!ey it and patiently prod+ce a good crop. 1& 1o one lights a lamp and then covers it with a !owl or hides it +nder a !ed. 3nstead, they p+t the lamp on a lampstand so that the people who come in will have eno+gh light to see. 1' -verything that is hidden will !ecome clear. -very secret thing will !e made known, and everyone will see it. 1( So think caref+lly a!o+t what yo+ are hearing. The people who have some +ke (.1)*2# %1 +nderstanding will receive more. <+t those who do not have +nderstanding will lose even what they think they have. 1) Ces+s mother and !rothers came to visit him. <+t they co+ld not get close to him, !eca+se there were so many people. 2, Someone said to Ces+s, ;o+r mother and yo+r !rothers are standing o+tside. They want to see yo+. 21 Ces+s answered them, Ay mother and my !rothers are those who listen to Gods teaching and o!ey it. 22 5ne day Ces+s and his followers got into a !oat. $e said to them, 9ome with me across the lake. And so they started across. 23 >hile they were sailing, Ces+s slept. A !ig storm !lew across the lake, and the !oat !egan to fill with water. They were in danger. 2# The followers went to Ces+s and woke him. They said, Aaster" Aaster" >e will drown" Ces+s got +p. $e gave a -asy To .ead /ersion

command to the wind and the waves. The wind stopped, and the lake !ecame calm. +ke (.2%*2) %2 2% $e said to his followers, >here is yo+r faith? They were afraid and amaEed. They said to each other, >hat kind of man is this? $e commands the wind and the water, and they o!ey him. 2& Ces+s and his followers sailed on across the lake. They sailed to the area where the Gerasene people live, across from Galilee. 2' >hen Ces+s got o+t of the !oat, a man from that town came to him. This man had demons inside him. 2or a long time he had worn no clothes. $e did not live in a ho+se !+t in the caves where the dead are !+ried. 2( The demon inside the man had often seiEed him, and he had !een p+t in =ail with his hands and feet in chains. <+t he wo+ld always !reak the chains. The demon inside him wo+ld force him to go o+t to the places where no one lived. Ces+s commanded the evil spirit to come o+t of the man. >hen the man saw Ces+s, he fell down !efore him, sho+ting lo+dly, >hat do yo+ want with me, Ces+s, Son of the Aost $igh God? 6lease, dont p+nish me" 2) 7(:2(8 +ke (.3,*3' %3 3, Ces+s asked him, >hat is yo+r name? The man answered, egion. 7$e said his name was egion !eca+se many demons had gone into him.8 31 The demons !egged Ces+s not to send them into the !ottomless pit. 32 5n that hill there was a !ig herd of pigs eating. The demons !egged Ces+s to allow them to go into the pigs. So he allowed them to do this. 33 Then the demons came o+t of the man and went into the pigs. The herd of pigs ran down the hill into the lake, and all were drowned. 3# The men who were caring for the pigs ran away and told the story in the fields and in the town. pag. 1,',0131#

3% 6eople went o+t to see what had happened. They came to Ces+s and fo+nd the man sitting there at the feet of Ces+s. The man had clothes on and was in his right mind againF the demons were gone. This made the people afraid. 3& The men who saw these things happen told the others all a!o+t how Ces+s made the man well. 3' All those who lived in the area aro+nd Gerasa asked Ces+s to go away !eca+se +ke (.3(*## %# they were afraid. So Ces+s got into the !oat to go !ack to Galilee. 3( The man he had healed !egged to go with him. <+t Ces+s sent him away, saying, 3) Go !ack home and tell people what God did for yo+. So the man went all over town telling what Ces+s had done for him. #, >hen Ces+s went !ack to Galilee, the people welcomed him. -veryone was waiting for him. #1 A man named Cair+s came to him. $e was a leader of the synagog+e. $e had only one da+ghter. She was twelve years old, and she was dying. So Cair+s !owed down at the feet of Ces+s and !egged him to come to his ho+se. >hile Ces+s was going to Cair+s ho+se, the people crowded all aro+nd him. #2 7(:#18 #3 A woman was there who had !een !leeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on doctors, !+t no doctor was a!le to heal her. ## The woman came !ehind Ces+s and to+ched the !ottom of his coat. At that moment, her !leeding stopped. +ke (.#%*%1 %% #% Then Ces+s said, >ho to+ched me? They all said they had not to+ched him. And 6eter said, Aaster, people are all aro+nd yo+, p+shing against yo+. #& <+t Ces+s said, Someone to+ched me. 3 felt power go o+t from me. #' >hen the woman saw that she co+ld not hide, she came forward, shaking. She !owed down !efore Ces+s. >hile -asy To .ead /ersion

everyone listened, she told why she to+ched him. Then she said that she was healed immediately when she to+ched him. #( Ces+s said to her, Ay da+ghter, yo+ are made well !eca+se yo+ !elieved. Go in peace. #) >hile Ces+s was still speaking, someone came from the ho+se of the synagog+e leader and said, ;o+r da+ghter has died" There is no need to !other the Teacher anymore. %, Ces+s heard this and said to Cair+s, Dont !e afraid" C+st !elieve and yo+r da+ghter will !e well. %1 Ces+s went to the ho+se. $e let only 6eter, Cohn, Cames, and the girls father and mother go inside with him. +ke (.%2*).# %& %2 -veryone was crying and feeling sad !eca+se the girl was dead. <+t Ces+s said, Dont cry. She is not dead. She is only sleeping. %3 The people la+ghed at him, !eca+se they knew that the girl was dead. %# <+t Ces+s held her hand and called to her, ittle girl, stand +p" %% $er spirit came !ack into her, and she stood +p immediately. Ces+s said, Give her something to eat. %& The girls parents were amaEed. $e told them not to tell anyone a!o+t what happened. 9 1 Ces+s called his twelve apostles together. $e gave them power to heal sicknesses and power to force demons o+t of people. 2 $e sent them to tell a!o+t Gods kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 $e said to them, >hen yo+ travel, dont take a walking stick. Also, dont carry a !ag, food, or money. Take for yo+r trip only the clothes yo+ are wearing. # >hen yo+ go into a ho+se, stay there +ntil it is time to leave. +ke ).%*11 %' % 3f the people in the town will not welcome yo+, go o+tside the town and shake the d+st off yo+r feet as a warning pag. 1,'10131#

to them. & So the apostles went o+t. They traveled thro+gh all the towns. They told the Good 1ews and healed people everywhere. ' $erod the r+ler heard a!o+t all these things that were happening. $e was conf+sed !eca+se some people said, Cohn the <aptiEer has risen from death. ( 5thers said, -li=ah has come to +s. And some others said, 5ne of the prophets from long ago has risen from death. ) $erod said, 3 c+t off Cohns head. So who is this man 3 hear these things a!o+t? $erod contin+ed trying to see Ces+s. 1, >hen the apostles came !ack, they told Ces+s what they had done on their trip. Then he took them away to a town called <ethsaida. There, he and his apostles co+ld !e alone together. 11 <+t the people learned where Ces+s went and followed him. $e welcomed them and talked with them a!o+t Gods +ke ).12*1' %( kingdom. $e healed the people who were sick. 12 ate in the afternoon, the twelve apostles came to Ces+s and said, 1o one lives in this place. Send the people away. They need to find food and places to sleep in the farms and towns aro+nd here. 13 <+t Ces+s said to the apostles, ;o+ give them something to eat. They said, >e have only five loaves of !read and two fish. Do yo+ want +s to go !+y food for all these people? There are too many" 1# 7There were a!o+t %,,, men there.8 Ces+s said to his followers, Tell the people to sit in gro+ps of a!o+t %, people. 1% So the followers did this and everyone sat down. 1& Then Ces+s took the five loaves of !read and two fish. $e looked +p into the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he !roke it into pieces, which he gave to the followers to give to the people. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' They all ate +ntil they were f+ll. And there was a lot of food left. Twelve !askets were filled with the pieces of food that were not eaten. +ke ).1(*2# %) 1( 5ne time Ces+s was praying alone. $is followers came together there, and he asked them, >ho do the people say 3 am? 1) They answered, Some people say yo+ are Cohn the <aptiEer. 5thers say yo+ are -li=ah. And some people say yo+ are one of the prophets from long ago that has come !ack to life. 2, Then Ces+s said to his followers, And who do yo+ say 3 am? 6eter answered, ;o+ are the Aessiah from God. 21 Ces+s warned them not to tell anyone. 22 Then Ces+s said, The Son of Aan m+st s+ffer many things. $e will !e re=ected !y the older Cewish leaders, the leading priests, and teachers of the law. And he will !e killed. <+t after three days he will !e raised from death. 23 Ces+s contin+ed to say to all of them, Any of yo+ who want to !e my follower m+st stop thinking a!o+t yo+rself and what yo+ want. ;o+ m+st !e willing to carry the cross that is given to yo+ every day for following me. 2# Any of yo+ who try to save the life yo+ have will lose it. <+t yo+ who give +p yo+r life for me will save it. +ke ).2%*33 &, 2% 3t is worth nothing for yo+ to have the whole world if yo+ yo+rself are destroyed or lost. 2& Dont !e ashamed of me and my teaching. 3f that happens, 3 will !e ashamed of yo+ when 3 come with my divine greatness and that of the 2ather and the holy angels. 2' <elieve me when 3 say that some of yo+ people standing here will see Gods kingdom !efore yo+ die. 2( A!o+t eight days after Ces+s said these things, he took 6eter, Cohn, and Cames and went +p into the hills to pray. 2) >hile Ces+s was praying, his face !egan to change. $is clothes !ecame pag. 1,'20131#

shining white. 3, Then two men were there, talking with him. They were Aoses and -li=ah. 31 They also looked !right and glorio+s. They were talking with Ces+s a!o+t his death that wo+ld happen in Cer+salem. 32 6eter and the others were asleep. <+t they woke +p and saw the glory of Ces+s. They also saw the two men who were standing with him. 33 >hen Aoses and -li=ah were leaving, 6eter said, Aaster, it is good that we +ke ).3#*3) &1 are here. >e will make three shelters hereone for yo+, one for Aoses, and one for -li=ah. 7$e did not know what he was saying.8 3# >hile 6eter was saying these things, a clo+d came all aro+nd them. 6eter, Cohn, and Cames were afraid when the clo+d covered them. 3% A voice came from the clo+d and said, This is my Son. $e is the one 3 have chosen. 5!ey him. 3& >hen the voice stopped, only Ces+s was there. 6eter, Cohn, and Cames said nothing. And for a long time after that, they told no one a!o+t what they had seen. 3' The ne4t day, Ces+s, 6eter, Cohn, and Cames came down from the mo+ntain. A large gro+p of people met Ces+s. 3( A man in the gro+p sho+ted to him, Teacher, please come and look at my son. $e is the only child 3 have. 3) An evil spirit comes into him, and then he sho+ts. $e loses control of himself and foams at the mo+th. The evil spirit contin+es to h+rt him and almost never leaves him. +ke ).#,*#% &2 #, 3 !egged yo+r followers to make the evil spirit leave my son, !+t they co+ld not do it. #1 Ces+s answered, ;o+ people today have no faith. ;o+r lives are all wrong. $ow long m+st 3 !e with yo+ and !e patient with yo+? Then Ces+s said to the man, <ring yo+r son here. #2 >hile the !oy was coming, the demon -asy To .ead /ersion

threw the !oy to the gro+nd. The !oy lost control of himself. <+t Ces+s gave a strong command to the evil spirit. Then the !oy was healed, and Ces+s gave him !ack to his father. #3 All the people were amaEed at the great power of God.The people were still amaEed a!o+t all the things Ces+s did. $e said to his followers, ## Dont forget what 3 will tell yo+ now: The Son of Aan will soon !e handed over to the control of other men. #% <+t the followers did not +nderstand what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them so that they co+ld not +nderstand it. <+t they were afraid to ask Ces+s a!o+t what he said. +ke ).#&*%2 &3 #& Ces+s followers !egan to have an arg+ment a!o+t which one of them was the greatest. #' Ces+s knew what they were thinking, so he took a little child and stood the child !eside him. #( Then he said to the followers, >hoever accepts a little child like this in my name is accepting me. And anyone who accepts me is also accepting the one who sent me. The one among yo+ who is the most h+m!lethis is the one who is great. #) Cohn answered, Aaster, we saw someone +sing yo+r name to force demons o+t of people. >e told him to stop !eca+se he does not !elong to o+r gro+p. %, Ces+s said to him, Dont stop him. >hoever is not against yo+ is for yo+. %1 The time was coming near when Ces+s wo+ld leave and go !ack to heaven. $e decided to go to Cer+salem. %2 $e sent some men ahead of him. They went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. +ke ).%3*&1 &# %3 <+t the people there wo+ld not welcome Ces+s !eca+se he was going toward Cer+salem. %# Cames and Cohn, the followers of Ces+s, saw this. They said, ord, do yo+ pag. 1,'30131#

want +s to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people? %% <+t Ces+s t+rned and criticiEed them for saying this. %& Then he and his followers went to another town. %' They were all traveling along the road. Someone said to Ces+s, 3 will follow yo+ anywhere yo+ go. %( $e answered, The fo4es have holes to live in. The !irds have nests. <+t the Son of Aan has no place where he can rest his head. %) Ces+s said to another man, 2ollow me" <+t the man said, ord, let me go and !+ry my father first. &, <+t Ces+s said to him, et the people who are dead !+ry their own dead. ;o+ m+st go and tell a!o+t Gods kingdom. &1 Another man said, 3 will follow yo+, ord, !+t first let me go and say good!ye to my family. +ke ).&2*1,.' &% &2 Ces+s said, Anyone who !egins to plow a field !+t looks !ack is not prepared for Gods kingdom. 10 1 After this, the ord chose '2 more followers. $e sent them o+t in gro+ps of two. $e sent them ahead of him into every town and place where he planned to go. 2 $e said to them, There is s+ch a !ig harvest of people to !ring in. <+t there are only a few workers to help !ring them in. God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help !ring in his harvest. 3 ;o+ can go now. <+t listen" 3 am sending yo+, and yo+ will !e like sheep among wolves. # Dont carry any money, a !ag, or sandals. Dont stop to talk with people on the road. % <efore yo+ go into a ho+se, say, 6eace !e with this home. & 3f the people living there love peace, yo+r !lessing of peace will stay with them. <+t if not, yo+r !lessing of peace will come !ack to yo+. ' Stay in the peaceDloving ho+se. -at -asy To .ead /ersion

and drink what the people there give +ke 1,.(*13 && yo+. A worker sho+ld !e given his pay. Dont leave that ho+se to stay in another ho+se. ( 3f yo+ go into a town and the people welcome yo+, eat the food they give yo+. ) $eal the sick people who live there, and tell them, Gods kingdom is now very near yo+" 1, <+t if yo+ go into a town and the people dont welcome yo+, then go o+t into the streets of that town and say, 11 -ven the dirt from yo+r town that sticks to o+r feet we wipe off against yo+. <+t remem!er this: Gods kingdom has now come very near. 12 3 tell yo+, on the =+dgment day it will !e worse for the people of that town than for the people of Sodom. 13 3t will !e !ad for yo+, 9horaEin" 3t will !e !ad for yo+, <ethsaida" ;o+ people saw me do many miracles, !+t yo+ never changed. 3f those same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, even those people wo+ld have changed their hearts and lives long ago. They wo+ld have worn sackcloth and sat in ashes to show that they were sorry for their sins. +ke 1,.1#*2, &' 1# <+t on the =+dgment day it will !e worse for yo+ than for Tyre and Sidon. 1% And yo+, 9aperna+m, will yo+ !e lifted +p to heaven? 1o, yo+ will !e thrown down to the place of death" 1& >hen anyone listens to yo+ my followers, they are really listening to me. <+t when anyone ref+ses to accept yo+, they are really ref+sing to accept me. And when anyone ref+ses to accept me, they are ref+sing to accept the one who sent me. 1' >hen the '2 followers came !ack from their trip, they were very happy. They said, ord, even the demons o!eyed +s when we +sed yo+r name" 1( Ces+s said to them, 3 saw Satan falling like lightning from the sky. 1) $e is the enemy, !+t know that 3 have given yo+ more power than he has. pag. 1,'#0131#

3 have given yo+ power to cr+sh his snakes and scorpions +nder yo+r feet. 1othing will h+rt yo+. 2, ;es, even the spirits o!ey yo+. And yo+ can !e happy, !+t not !eca+se yo+ have this power. <e happy !eca+se yo+r names are written in heaven. +ke 1,.21*2% &( 21 Then the $oly Spirit made Ces+s feel very happy. Ces+s said, 3 praise yo+, 2ather, ord of heaven and earth. 3 am thankf+l that yo+ have hidden these things from those who are so wise and so smart. <+t yo+ have shown them to people who are like little children. ;es, 2ather, yo+ did this !eca+se its what yo+ really wanted to do. 22 Ay 2ather has given me all things. 1o one knows who the Son isonly the 2ather knows. And only the Son knows who the 2ather is. The only people who will know a!o+t the 2ather are those the Son chooses to tell. 23 Then Ces+s t+rned to his followers. They were there alone with him. $e said, 3t is a great !lessing for yo+ to see what yo+ now see" 2# 3 tell yo+, many prophets and kings wanted to see what yo+ now see, !+t they co+ld not. And they wanted to hear what yo+ now hear, !+t they co+ld not. 2% Then an e4pert in the law stood +p to test Ces+s. $e said, Teacher, what m+st 3 do to get eternal life? +ke 1,.2&*32 &) 2& Ces+s said to him, >hat is written in the law? >hat do yo+ +nderstand from it? 2' The man answered, ove the ord yo+r God with all yo+r heart, all yo+r so+l, all yo+r strength, and all yo+r mind. Also, ove yo+r neigh!or the same as yo+ love yo+rself. 2( Ces+s said, ;o+r answer is right. Do this and yo+ will have eternal life. 2) <+t the man wanted to show that the way he was living was right. So he said to Ces+s, <+t who is my neigh!or? 3, To answer this J+estion, Ces+s said, A man was going down the road from -asy To .ead /ersion

Cer+salem to Cericho. Some ro!!ers s+rro+nded him, tore off his clothes, and !eat him. Then they left him lying there on the gro+nd almost dead. 31 3t happened that a Cewish priest was going down that road. >hen he saw the man, he did not stop to help him. $e walked away. 32 1e4t, a evite came near. $e saw the h+rt man, !+t he went aro+nd him. $e wo+ld not stop to help him either. $e =+st walked away. +ke 1,.33*3( ', 33 Then a Samaritan man traveled down that road. $e came to the place where the h+rt man was lying. $e saw the man and felt very sorry for him. 3# The Samaritan went to him and po+red olive oil and wine on his wo+nds. Then he covered the mans wo+nds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. $e p+t the h+rt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. There he cared for him. 3% The ne4t day, the Samaritan took o+t two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. $e said, Take care of this h+rt man. 3f yo+ spend more money on him, 3 will pay it !ack to yo+ when 3 come again. 3& Then Ces+s said, >hich one of these three men do yo+ think was really a neigh!or to the man who was h+rt !y the ro!!ers? 3' The the law e4pert answered, The one who helped him. Ces+s said, Then yo+ go and do the same. 3( >hile Ces+s and his followers were traveling, he went into a town, and a woman named Aartha let him stay at her ho+se. +ke 1,.3)*11.# '1 3) She had a sister named Aary. Aary was sitting at Ces+s feet and listening to him teach. #, <+t her sister Aartha was !+sy doing all the work that had to !e done. Aartha went in and said, ord, dont yo+ care that my sister has left me to do all the work !y myself? Tell her to help me" pag. 1,'%0131#

#1 <+t the ord answered her, Aartha, Aartha, yo+ are getting worried and +pset a!o+t too many things. #2 5nly one thing is important. Aary has made the right choice, and it will never !e taken away from her. 11 1 5ne time Ces+s was o+t praying, and when he finished, one of his followers said to him, Cohn ta+ght his followers how to pray. ord, teach +s how to pray too. 2 Ces+s said to the followers, This is how yo+ sho+ld pray: 2ather, we pray that yo+r name will always !e kept holy. >e pray that yo+r kingdom will come. 3 Give +s the food we need for each day. # 2orgive o+r sins, =+st as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to +s. And dont let +s !e tempted. +ke 11.%*11 '2 % Then Ces+s said to them, S+ppose one of yo+ went to yo+r friends ho+se very late at night and said to him, A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. <+t 3 have nothing for him to eat. 6lease give me three loaves of !read. & 711:%8 ' ;o+r friend inside the ho+se answers, Go away" Dont !other me" The door is already locked. Ay children and 3 are in !ed. 3 cannot get +p and give yo+ the !read now. ( 3 tell yo+, may!e friendship is not eno+gh to make him get +p to give yo+ the !read. <+t he will s+rely get +p to give yo+ what yo+ need if yo+ contin+e to ask. ) So 3 tell yo+, contin+e to ask, and God will give to yo+. 9ontin+e to search, and yo+ will find. 9ontin+e to knock, and the door will open for yo+. 1, ;es, whoever contin+es to ask will receive. >hoever contin+es to look will find. And whoever contin+es to knock will have the door opened for them. 11 Do any of yo+ have a son? >hat wo+ld yo+ do if yo+r son asked yo+ for a fish? >o+ld any father give him a snake? +ke 11.12*1) '3 12 5r, if he asked for an egg, wo+ld yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

give him a scorpion? 5f co+rse not" 13 -ven yo+ who are !ad know how to give good things to yo+r children. So s+rely yo+r heavenly 2ather knows how to give the $oly Spirit to the people who ask him. 1# 5ne time Ces+s was sending a demon o+t of a man who co+ld not talk. >hen the demon came o+t, the man was a!le to speak. The crowds were amaEed. 1% <+t some of the people said, $e +ses the power of Satan to force demons o+t of people. Satan is the r+ler of demons. 1& Some others there wanted to test Ces+s. They asked him to do a miracle as a sign from God. 1' <+t he knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, -very kingdom that fights against itself will !e destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will !reak apart. 1( So if Satan is fighting against himself, how will his kingdom s+rvive? ;o+ say that 3 +se the power of Satan to force o+t demons. 1) <+t if 3 +se Satans power to force o+t demons, then what power do yo+r +ke 11.2,*2& '# people +se when they force o+t demons? So yo+r own people will prove that yo+ are wrong. 2, <+t 3 +se the power of God to force o+t demons. This shows that Gods kingdom has now come to yo+. 21 >hen a strong man with many weapons g+ards his own ho+se, the things in his ho+se are safe. 22 <+t s+ppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man tr+sted to keep his ho+se safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the other mans things. 23 >hoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me. 2# >hen an evil spirit comes o+t of someone, it travels thro+gh dry places, looking for a place to rest. <+t it finds no place to rest. So it says, 3 will go !ack to pag. 1,'&0131#

the home 3 left. 2% >hen it comes !ack, it finds that home all neat and clean. 2& Then the evil spirit goes o+t and !rings !ack seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, +ke 11.2'*31 '% and that person has even more tro+!le than !efore. 2' As Ces+s was saying these things, a woman with the people there called o+t to him, <lessings from God !elong to the woman who gave !irth to yo+ and fed yo+" 2( <+t Ces+s said, The people who hear the teaching of God and o!ey itthey are the ones who have Gods !lessing. 2) The crowd grew larger and larger. Ces+s said, The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. <+t no miracle will !e done to prove anything to them. The only sign will !e the miracle that happened to Conah. 3, Conah was a sign for those who lived in 1ineveh. 3t is the same with the Son of Aan. $e will !e a sign for the people of this time. 31 5n the =+dgment day, yo+ people who live now will !e compared with the I+een of the So+th, and she will !e a witness who shows how g+ilty yo+ are. >hy do 3 say this? <eca+se she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomons wise teaching. And 3 tell yo+ +ke 11.32*3& '& that someone greater than Solomon is right here, !+t yo+ wont listen to me" 32 5n the =+dgment day, yo+ people who live now will also !e compared with the people from 1ineveh, and they will !e witnesses who show how g+ilty yo+ are. 3 say this !eca+se when Conah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And yo+ are listening to someone greater than Conah, !+t yo+ ref+se to change" 33 1o one takes a light and p+ts it +nder a !owl or hides it. 3nstead, they p+t it on a lampstand so that the people who -asy To .ead /ersion

come in can see. 3# The only so+rce of light for the !ody is the eye. >hen yo+ look at people and want to help them, yo+ are f+ll of light. <+t when yo+ look at people in a selfish way, yo+ are f+ll of darkness. 3% So !e caref+l" Dont let the light in yo+ !ecome darkness. 3& 3f yo+ are f+ll of light, and there is no part of yo+ that is dark, then yo+ will !e all !right, as tho+gh yo+ have the light of a lamp shining on yo+. +ke 11.3'*#3 '' 3' After Ces+s had finished speaking, a 6harisee asked Ces+s to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the ta!le. 3( <+t the 6harisee was s+rprised when he saw that Ces+s did not wash his hands first !efore the meal. 3) The ord said to him, The washing yo+ 6harisees do is like cleaning only the o+tside of a c+p or a dish. <+t what is inside yo+? ;o+ want only to cheat and h+rt people. #, ;o+ are foolish" The same one who made what is o+tside also made what is inside. #1 So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then yo+ will !e f+lly clean. #2 <+t it will !e !ad for yo+ 6harisees" ;o+ give God a tenth of the food yo+ get, even yo+r mint, yo+r r+e, and every other little plant in yo+r garden. <+t yo+ forget to !e fair to others and to love God. These are the things yo+ sho+ld do. And yo+ sho+ld contin+e to do those other things. #3 3t will !e !ad for yo+ 6harisees !eca+se yo+ love to have the most important seats in the synagog+es. And +ke 11.##*#) '( yo+ love for people to show respect to yo+ in the marketplaces. ## 3t will !e !ad for yo+, !eca+se yo+ are like hidden graves that people walk on witho+t realiEing it. #% 5ne of the e4perts in the law said to Ces+s, Teacher, when yo+ say these things a!o+t the 6harisees, yo+ are pag. 1,''0131#

criticiEing o+r gro+p too. #& Ces+s answered, 3t will !e !ad for yo+, yo+ e4perts in the law" ;o+ make strict r+les that are very hard for people to o!ey. ;o+ try to force others to o!ey yo+r r+les. <+t yo+ yo+rselves dont even try to follow any of those r+les. #' 3t will !e !ad for yo+, !eca+se yo+ !+ild tom!s for the prophets. <+t these are the same prophets yo+r ancestors killed" #( And now yo+ show all people that yo+ agree with what yo+r ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and yo+ !+ild tom!s for the prophets" #) This is why God in his wisdom said, 3 will send prophets and apostles to them. Some of my prophets and apostles will !e killed !y evil men. 5thers will !e treated !adly. +ke 11.%,*12.1 ') %, So yo+ people who live now will !e p+nished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the !eginning of the world. %1 ;o+ will !e considered g+ilty for all those deaths, from the killing of A!el to the killing of Bechariah, who was killed !etween the altar and the Temple. ;es, 3 tell yo+ that yo+ people will !e p+nished for them all. %2 3t will !e !ad for yo+, yo+ e4perts in the law" ;o+ have taken away the key to learning a!o+t God. ;o+ yo+rselves wo+ld not learn, and yo+ stopped others from learning too. %3 >hen Ces+s went o+t, the teachers of the law and the 6harisees !egan to give him m+ch tro+!le. They tried to make him answer J+estions a!o+t many things. %# They were trying to find a way to catch Ces+s saying something wrong. 12 1 Aany tho+sands of people came together. There were so many people that they were stepping on each other. <efore Ces+s spoke to the people, he said to his followers, <e caref+l of the +ke 12.2*( (, yeast of the 6harisees. 3 mean that they -asy To .ead /ersion

are hypocrites. 2 -verything that is hidden will !e shown, and everything that is secret will !e made known. 3 >hat yo+ say in the dark will !e told in the light. And what yo+ whisper in a private room will !e sho+ted from the top of the ho+se. # Then Ces+s said to the people, 3 tell yo+, my friends, dont !e afraid of people. They can kill the !ody, !+t after that they can do nothing more to h+rt yo+. % 3 will show yo+ the one to fear. ;o+ sho+ld fear God, who has the power to kill yo+ and also to throw yo+ into hell. ;es, he is the one yo+ sho+ld fear. & >hen !irds are sold, five small !irds cost only two pennies. <+t God does not forget any of them. ' ;es, God even knows how many hairs yo+ have on yo+r head. Dont !e afraid. ;o+ are worth m+ch more than many !irds. ( 3 tell yo+, if yo+ stand !efore others and are willing to say yo+ !elieve in me, then 3 will say that yo+ !elong to me. +ke 12.)*1% (1 3 will say this in the presence of Gods angels. ) <+t if yo+ stand !efore others and say yo+ do not !elieve in me, then 3 will say that yo+ do not !elong to me. 3 will say this in the presence of Gods angels. 1, >hoever says something against the Son of Aan can !e forgiven. <+t whoever speaks against the $oly Spirit will not !e forgiven. 11 >hen men !ring yo+ into the synagog+es !efore the leaders and other important men, dont worry a!o+t what yo+ will say. 12 The $oly Spirit will teach yo+ at that time what yo+ sho+ld say. 13 5ne of the men in the crowd said to Ces+s, Teacher, o+r father =+st died and left some things for +s. Tell my !rother to share them with me. 1# <+t Ces+s said to him, >ho said 3 sho+ld !e yo+r =+dge or decide how to divide yo+r fathers things !etween yo+ pag. 1,'(0131#

two? 1% Then Ces+s said to them, <e caref+l and g+ard against all kinds of greed. 6eople do not get life from the many things they own. +ke 12.1&*23 (2 1& Then Ces+s +sed this story: There was a rich man who had some land. $is land grew a very good crop of food. 1' $e tho+ght to himself, >hat will 3 do? 3 have no place to keep all my crops. 1( Then he said, 3 know what 3 will do. 3 will tear down my !arns and !+ild !igger !arns" 3 will p+t all my wheat and good things together in my new !arns. 1) Then 3 can say to myself, 3 have many good things stored. 3 have saved eno+gh for many years. .est, eat, drink, and en=oy life" 2, <+t God said to that man, 2oolish man" Tonight yo+ will die. So what a!o+t the things yo+ prepared for yo+rself? >ho will get those things now? 21 This is how it will !e for anyone who saves things only for himself. To God that person is not rich. 22 Ces+s said to his followers, So 3 tell yo+, dont worry a!o+t the things yo+ need to livewhat yo+ will eat or what yo+ will wear. 23 ife is more important than food, and the !ody is more important than what yo+ p+t on it. +ke 12.2#*3, (3 2# ook at the !irds. They dont plant, harvest, or save food in ho+ses or !arns, !+t God feeds them. And yo+ are worth m+ch more than crows. 2% 1one of yo+ can add any time to yo+r life !y worrying a!o+t it. 2& And if yo+ cant do the little things, why worry a!o+t the !ig things? 2' Think a!o+t how the wildflowers grow. They dont work or make clothes for themselves. <+t 3 tell yo+ that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as !ea+tif+lly as one of these flowers. 2( 3f God makes what grows in the field so !ea+tif+l, what do yo+ think he will -asy To .ead /ersion

do for yo+? Thats =+st grassone day its alive, and the ne4t day someone throws it into a fire. <+t God cares eno+gh to make it !ea+tif+l. S+rely he will do m+ch more for yo+. ;o+r faith is so small" 2) So dont always think a!o+t what yo+ will eat or what yo+ will drink. Dont worry a!o+t it. 3, Thats what all those people who dont know God are always thinking a!o+t. <+t yo+r 2ather knows that yo+ need these things. +ke 12.31*3' (# 31 >hat yo+ sho+ld !e thinking a!o+t is Gods kingdom. Then he will give yo+ all these other things yo+ need. 32 Dont fear, little flock. ;o+r 2ather wants to share his kingdom with yo+. 33 Sell the things yo+ have and give that money to those who need it. This is the only way yo+ can keep yo+r riches from !eing lost. ;o+ will !e storing treas+re in heaven that lasts forever. Thieves cant steal that treas+re, and moths cant destroy it. 3# ;o+r heart will !e where yo+r treas+re is. 3% <e ready" <e f+lly dressed and have yo+r lights shining. 3& <e like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. The master comes and knocks, and the servants immediately open the door for him. 3' >hen their master sees that they are ready and waiting for him, it will !e a great day for those servants. 3 can tell yo+ witho+t a do+!t, the master will get himself ready to serve a meal and tell the servants to sit down. Then he will serve them. +ke 12.3(*#% (% 3( Those servants might have to wait +ntil midnight or later for their master. <+t they will !e glad they did when he comes in and finds them still waiting. 3) >hat wo+ld a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? ;o+ know he wo+ld not let the thief !reak in. #, So yo+ also m+st !e ready, !eca+se pag. 1,')0131#

the Son of Aan will come at a time when yo+ dont e4pect him" #1 6eter said, ord, did yo+ tell this story for +s or for all people? #2 The ord said, >ho is the wise and tr+sted servant? The master tr+sts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. >ho is the servant that the master tr+sts to do that work? #3 >hen the master comes and finds him doing the work he gave him, it will !e a great day for that servant" ## 3 can tell yo+ witho+t a do+!t, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. #% <+t what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come !ack soon? $e will !egin to !eat the other servants, men and women. $e will eat and drink +ntil he has had too m+ch. +ke 12.#&*%, (& #& Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not e4pecting him. Then the master will p+nish that servant and send him away to !e with the other people who dont o!ey. #' That servant knew what his master wanted him to do. <+t he did not make himself ready or try to do what his master wanted. So that servant will !e p+nished very m+ch" #( <+t what a!o+t the servant who does not know what his master wants? $e also does things that deserve p+nishment. <+t he will get less p+nishment than the servant who knew what he sho+ld do. >hoever has !een given m+ch will !e responsi!le for m+ch. A+ch more will !e e4pected from the one who has !een given more. #) Ces+s contin+ed speaking: 3 came to !ring fire to the world. 3 wish it were already !+rning" %, There is a kind of !aptism that 3 m+st s+ffer thro+gh. 3 feel very tro+!led +ntil it is finished. +ke 12.%1*%& (' %1 Do yo+ think 3 came to give peace to the world? 1o, 3 came to divide the -asy To .ead /ersion

world" %2 2rom now on, a family of five will !e divided, three against two, and two against three. %3 A father and son will !e divided: The son will t+rn against his father. The father will t+rn against his son. A mother and her da+ghter will !e divided: The da+ghter will t+rn against her mother. The mother will t+rn against her da+ghter. A motherDinDlaw and her da+ghterDinDlaw will !e divided: The da+ghterDinDlaw will t+rn against her motherDinDlaw. The motherDinDlaw will t+rn against her da+ghterDinDlaw. %# Then Ces+s said to the people, >hen yo+ see clo+ds growing !igger in the west, yo+ say, A rainstorm is coming. And soon it !egins to rain. %% >hen yo+ feel the wind !egin to !low from the so+th, yo+ say, 3t will !e a hot day. And yo+ are right. %& ;o+ hypocrites" ;o+ can +nderstand the weather. >hy dont yo+ +nderstand what is happening now? +ke 12.%'*13.# (( %' >hy cant yo+ decide for yo+rselves what is right? %( S+ppose someone is s+ing yo+, and yo+ are !oth going to co+rt. Try hard to settle it on the way. 3f yo+ dont settle it, yo+ may have to go !efore the =+dge. And the =+dge will hand yo+ over to the officer, who will throw yo+ into =ail. %) 3 tell yo+, yo+ will not get o+t of there +ntil yo+ have paid every cent yo+ owe. 13 1 Some people there with Ces+s at that time told him a!o+t what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. 6ilate had them killed. Their !lood was mi4ed with the !lood of the animals they had !ro+ght for sacrificing. 2 Ces+s answered, Do yo+ think this happened to those people !eca+se they were more sinf+l than all other people from Galilee? 3 1o, they were not. <+t if yo+ dont decide now to change yo+r lives, yo+ will all !e destroyed like those people" # And what a!o+t those 1( people who pag. 1,(,0131#

died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do yo+ think they were more sinf+l than everyone else in Cer+salem? +ke 13.%*11 () % They were not. <+t 3 tell yo+ if yo+ dont decide now to change yo+r lives, yo+ will all !e destroyed too" & Ces+s told this story: A man had a fig tree. $e planted it in his garden. $e came looking for some fr+it on it, !+t he fo+nd none. ' $e had a servant who took care of his garden. So he said to his servant, 3 have !een looking for fr+it on this tree for three years, !+t 3 never find any. 9+t it down" >hy sho+ld it waste the gro+nd? ( <+t the servant answered, Aaster, let the tree have one more year to prod+ce fr+it. et me dig +p the dirt aro+nd it and fertiliEe it. ) Aay!e the tree will have fr+it on it ne4t year. 3f it still does not prod+ce, then yo+ can c+t it down. 1, Ces+s ta+ght in one of the synagog+es on the Sa!!ath day. 11 A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her that had made her crippled for 1( years. $er !ack was always !entF she co+ld not stand +p straight. +ke 13.12*1( ), 12 >hen Ces+s saw her, he called to her, >oman, yo+ have !een made free from yo+r sickness" 13 $e laid his hands on her, and immediately she was a!le to stand +p straight. She !egan praising God. 1# The synagog+e leader was angry !eca+se Ces+s healed on the Sa!!ath day. $e said to the people, There are si4 days for work. So come to !e healed on one of those days. Dont come for healing on the Sa!!ath day. 1% The ord answered, ;o+ people are hypocrites" All of yo+ +ntie yo+r work animals and lead them to drink water every dayeven on the Sa!!ath day. 1& This woman that 3 healed is a tr+e descendant of A!raham. <+t Satan has held her for 1( years. S+rely it is not -asy To .ead /ersion

wrong for her to !e made free from her sickness on a Sa!!ath day" 1' >hen Ces+s said this, all those who were criticiEing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderf+l things he was doing. 1( Then Ces+s said, >hat is Gods kingdom like? >hat can 3 compare it to? +ke 13.1)*2% )1 1) Gods kingdom is like the seed of the m+stard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and !ecomes a tree, and the !irds !+ild nests on its !ranches. 2, Ces+s said again, >hat can 3 compare Gods kingdom with? 21 3t is like yeast that a woman mi4es into a !ig !owl of flo+r to make !read. The yeast makes all the do+gh rise. 22 Ces+s was teaching in every town and village. $e contin+ed to travel toward Cer+salem. 23 Someone said to him, ord, how many people will !e saved? 5nly a few? Ces+s said, 2# The door to heaven is narrow. Try hard to enter it. Aany people will want to enter there, !+t they will not !e a!le to go in. 2% 3f a man locks the door of his ho+se, yo+ can stand o+tside and knock on the door, !+t he wont open it. ;o+ can say, Sir, open the door for +s. <+t he will answer, 3 dont know yo+. >here did yo+ come from? +ke 13.2&*32 )2 2& Then yo+ will say, >e ate and drank with yo+. ;o+ ta+ght in the streets of o+r town. 2' Then he will say to yo+, 3 dont know yo+. >here did yo+ come from? Get away from me" ;o+ are all people who do wrong" 2( ;o+ will see A!raham, 3saac, Caco!, and all the prophets in Gods kingdom. <+t yo+ will !e left o+tside. There yo+ will cry and grind yo+r teeth with pain. 2) 6eople will come from the east, west, north, and so+th. They will sit down at pag. 1,(10131#

the ta!le in Gods kingdom. 3, 6eople who have the lowest place in life now will have the highest place in Gods kingdom. And people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in Gods kingdom. 31 C+st then some 6harisees came to Ces+s and said, Go away from here and hide. $erod wants to kill yo+" 32 Ces+s said to them, Go tell that fo4, Today and tomorrow 3 am forcing demons o+t of people and finishing my work of healing. Then, the ne4t day, the work will !e finished. +ke 13.33*1#.% )3 33 After that, 3 m+st go, !eca+se all prophets sho+ld die in Cer+salem. 3# Cer+salem, Cer+salem" ;o+ kill the prophets. ;o+ stone to death the people God has sent to yo+. $ow many times 3 wanted to help yo+r people. 3 wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks +nder her wings. <+t yo+ did not let me. 3% 1ow yo+r home will !e left completely empty. 3 tell yo+, yo+ will not see me again +ntil that time when yo+ will say, >elcome" God !less the one who comes in the name of the ord. 14 1 5n a Sa!!ath day, Ces+s went to the home of a leading 6harisee to eat with him. The people there were all watching him very closely. 2 A man with a !ad disease was there in front of him. 3 Ces+s said to the 6harisees and e4perts in the law, 3s it right or wrong to heal on the Sa!!ath day? # <+t they wo+ld not answer his J+estion. So he took the man and healed him. Then he sent the man away. % Ces+s said to the 6harisees and e4perts in the law, 3f yo+r son or work +ke 1#.&*11 )# animal falls into a well on the Sa!!ath day, yo+ know yo+ wo+ld p+ll him o+t immediately. & They co+ld say nothing against what Ces+s said. ' Then Ces+s noticed that some of the -asy To .ead /ersion

g+ests were choosing the !est places to sit. So he told this story: ( >hen someone invites yo+ to a wedding, dont sit in the most important seat. They may have invited someone more important than yo+. ) And if yo+ are sitting in the most important seat, they will come to yo+ and say, Give this man yo+r seat" Then yo+ will have to move down to the last place and !e em!arrassed. 1, So when someone invites yo+, go sit in the seat that is not important. Then they will come to yo+ and say, 2riend, move +p here to this !etter place" >hat an honor this will !e for yo+ in front of all the other g+ests. 11 -veryone who makes themselves important will !e made h+m!le. <+t everyone who makes themselves h+m!le will !e made important. +ke 1#.12*1( )% 12 Then Ces+s said to the 6harisee who had invited him, >hen yo+ give a l+nch or a dinner, dont invite only yo+r friends, !rothers, relatives, and rich neigh!ors. At another time they will pay yo+ !ack !y inviting yo+ to eat with them. 13 3nstead, when yo+ give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, and the !lind. 1# Then yo+ will have great !lessings, !eca+se these people cannot pay yo+ !ack. They have nothing. <+t God will reward yo+ at the time when all godly people rise from death. 1% 5ne of the men sitting at the ta!le with Ces+s heard these things. The man said to him, 3t will !e a great !lessing for anyone to eat a meal in Gods kingdom" 1& Ces+s said to him, A man gave a !ig dinner. $e invited many people. 1' >hen it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the g+ests, 9ome. The food is ready. 1( <+t all the g+ests said they co+ld not come. -ach one made an e4c+se. The first one said, 3 have =+st !o+ght a field, so 3 m+st go look at it. 6lease e4c+se me. +ke 1#.1)*2& )& pag. 1,(20131#

1) Another man said, 3 have =+st !o+ght five pairs of work animalsF 3 m+st go and try them o+t. 6lease e4c+se me. 2, A third man said, 3 =+st got marriedF 3 cant come. 21 So the servant ret+rned and told his master what happened. The master was angry. $e said, $+rry" Go into the streets and alleys of the town. <ring me the poor, the crippled, the !lind, and the lame. 22 ater, the servant said to him, Aaster, 3 did what yo+ told me to do, !+t we still have places for more people. 23 The master said to the servant, Go o+t to the highways and co+ntry roads. Tell the people there to come. 3 want my ho+se to !e f+ll" 2# 1one of those people 3 invited first will get to eat any of this food. 2% Aany people were traveling with Ces+s. $e said to them, 2& 3f yo+ come to me !+t will not leave yo+r family, yo+ cannot !e my follower. ;o+ m+st love me more than yo+r father, mother, wife, children, !rothers, and sisterseven more than yo+r own life" +ke 1#.2'*3# )' 2' >hoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot !e my follower. 2( 3f yo+ wanted to !+ild a !+ilding, yo+ wo+ld first sit down and decide how m+ch it wo+ld cost. ;o+ m+st see if yo+ have eno+gh money to finish the =o!. 2) 3f yo+ dont do that, yo+ might !egin the work, !+t yo+ wo+ld not !e a!le to finish. And if yo+ co+ld not finish it, everyone wo+ld la+gh at yo+. 3, They wo+ld say, This man !egan to !+ild, !+t he was not a!le to finish. 31 3f a king is going to fight against another king, first he will sit down and plan. 3f he has only 1,,,,, men, he will try to decide if he is a!le to defeat the other king who has 2,,,,, men. 32 3f he thinks he cannot defeat the other king, he will send some men to ask for peace while that kings army is still far away. -asy To .ead /ersion

33 3t is the same for each of yo+. ;o+ m+st leave everything yo+ have to follow me. 3f not, yo+ cannot !e my follower. 3# Salt is a good thing. <+t if the salt loses its salty taste, yo+ cant make it salty again. +ke 1#.3%*1%.( )( 3% 3t is worth nothing. ;o+ cant even +se it as dirt or d+ng. 6eople =+st throw it away. ;o+ people who hear me, listen" 15 1 Aany ta4 collectors and sinners came to listen to Ces+s. 2 Then the 6harisees and the teachers of the law !egan to complain, ook, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them" 3 Then Ces+s told them this story: # S+ppose one of yo+ has 1,, sheep, !+t one of them gets lost. >hat will yo+ do? ;o+ will leave the other )) sheep there in the field and go o+t and look for the lost sheep. ;o+ will contin+e to search for it +ntil yo+ find it. % And when yo+ find it, yo+ will !e very happy. ;o+ will carry it & home, go to yo+r friends and neigh!ors and say to them, <e happy with me !eca+se 3 fo+nd my lost sheep" ' 3n the same way, 3 tell yo+, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more =oy for that one sinner than for )) good people who dont need to change. ( S+ppose a woman has ten silver coins, !+t she loses one of them. She will take +ke 1%.)*1% )) a light and clean the ho+se. She will look caref+lly for the coin +ntil she finds it. ) And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neigh!ors and say to them, <e happy with me !eca+se 3 have fo+nd the coin that 3 lost" 1, 3n the same way, its a happy time for the angels of God when one sinner decides to change. 11 Then Ces+s said, There was a man who had two sons. 12 The yo+nger son said to his father, Give me now the part of yo+r property that 3 am s+pposed to receive someday. pag. 1,(30131#

So the father divided his wealth !etween his two sons. 13 A few days later the yo+nger son gathered +p all that he had and left. $e traveled far away to another co+ntry, and there he wasted his money living like a fool. 1# After he spent everything he had, there was a terri!le famine thro+gho+t the co+ntry. $e was h+ngry and needed money. 1% So he went and got a =o! with one of the people who lived there. The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs. +ke 1%.1&*22 1,, 1& $e was so h+ngry that he wanted to eat the food the pigs were eating. <+t no one gave him anything. 1' The son realiEed that he had !een very foolish. $e tho+ght, All my fathers hired workers have plenty of food. <+t here 3 am, almost dead !eca+se 3 have nothing to eat. 1( 3 will leave and go to my father. 3 will say to him: 2ather, 3 have sinned against God and have done wrong to yo+. 1) 3 am no longer worthy to !e called yo+r son. <+t let me !e like one of yo+r hired workers. 2, So he left and went to his father.>hile the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and felt sorry for him. So he ran to him and h+gged and kissed him. 21 The son said, 2ather, 3 have sinned against God and have done wrong to yo+. 3 am no longer worthy to !e called yo+r son. 22 <+t the father said to his servants, $+rry" <ring the !est clothes and p+t them on him. Also, p+t a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. +ke 1%.23*3, 1,1 23 And !ring o+r !est calf and kill it so that we can cele!rate with plenty to eat. 2# Ay son was dead, !+t now he is alive again" $e was lost, !+t now he is fo+nd" So they !egan to have a party. 2% The older son had !een o+t in the field. >hen he came near the ho+se, he -asy To .ead /ersion

heard the so+nd of m+sic and dancing. 2& So he called to one of the servant !oys and asked, >hat does all this mean? 2' The !oy said, ;o+r !rother has come !ack, and yo+r father killed the !est calf to eat. $e is happy !eca+se he has his son !ack safe and so+nd. 2( The older son was angry and wo+ld not go in to the party. So his father went o+t and !egged him to come in. 2) <+t he said to his father, ook, for all these years 3 have worked like a slave for yo+. 3 have always done what yo+ told me to do, and yo+ never gave me even a yo+ng goat for a party with my friends. 3, <+t then this son of yo+rs comes home after wasting yo+r money on prostit+tes, and yo+ kill the !est calf for him" +ke 1%.31*1&.% 1,2 31 $is father said to him, 5h, my son, yo+ are always with me, and everything 3 have is yo+rs. 32 <+t this was a day to !e happy and cele!rate. ;o+r !rother was dead, !+t now he is alive. $e was lost, !+t now he is fo+nd. 16 1 Ces+s said to his followers, 5nce there was a rich man. $e hired a manager to take care of his !+siness. ater, he learned that his manager was cheating him. 2 So he called the manager in and said to him, 3 have heard !ad things a!o+t yo+. Give me a report of what yo+ have done with my money. ;o+ cant !e my manager anymore. 3 So, the manager tho+ght to himself, >hat will 3 do? Ay master is taking my =o! away from me. 3 am not strong eno+gh to dig ditches. 3 am too pro+d to !eg. # 3 know what 3 will do" 3 will do something to make friends, so that when 3 lose my =o!, they will welcome me into their homes. % So the manager called in each person who owed the master some money. $e pag. 1,(#0131#

+ke 1&.&*11 1,3 asked the first one, $ow m+ch do yo+ owe my master? & $e answered, 3 owe him 1,, =ars of olive oil. The manager said to him, $ere is yo+r !ill. $+rry" Sit down and make the !ill less. >rite %, =ars. ' Then the manager asked another one, $ow m+ch do yo+ owe my master? $e answered, 3 owe him 1,, meas+res of wheat. Then the manager said to him, $ere is yo+r !illF yo+ can make it less. >rite (, meas+res. ( ater, the master told the dishonest manager that he had done a smart thing. ;es, worldly people are smarter in their !+siness with each other than spirit+al people are. ) 3 tell yo+, +se the worldly things yo+ have now to make friends for later. Then, when those things are gone, yo+ will !e welcomed into a home that lasts forever. 1, >hoever can !e tr+sted with small things can also !e tr+sted with !ig things. >hoever is dishonest in little things will !e dishonest in !ig things too. 11 3f yo+ cannot !e tr+sted with worldly riches, yo+ will not !e tr+sted with the tr+e riches. +ke 1&.12*1( 1,# 12 And if yo+ cannot !e tr+sted with the things that !elong to someone else, yo+ will not !e given anything of yo+r own. 13 ;o+ cannot serve two masters at the same time. ;o+ will hate one master and love the other. 5r yo+ will !e loyal to one and not care a!o+t the other. ;o+ cannot serve God and Aoney at the same time. 1# The 6harisees were listening to all these things. They criticiEed Ces+s !eca+se they all loved money. 1% Ces+s said to them, ;o+ make yo+rselves look good in front of people. <+t God knows what is really in yo+r hearts. >hat people think is important is worth nothing to God. 1& <efore Cohn the <aptiEer came, people were ta+ght the aw of Aoses and the writings of the prophets. <+t since the time of Cohn, the Good 1ews -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t Gods kingdom is !eing told. And everyone is trying hard to get into it. 1' <+t even the smallest part of a letter in the law cannot !e changed. 3t wo+ld !e easier for heaven and earth to pass away. 1( Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman is g+ilty of +ke 1&.1)*2% 1,% ad+ltery. And the man who marries a divorced woman is also g+ilty of ad+ltery. 1) Ces+s said, There was a rich man who always dressed in the finest clothes. $e was so rich that he was a!le to en=oy all the !est things every day. 2, There was also a very poor man named aEar+s. aEar+s !ody was covered with sores. $e was often p+t !y the rich mans gate. 21 aEar+s wanted only to eat the scraps of food left on the floor +nder the rich mans ta!le. And the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 ater, aEar+s died. The angels took him and placed him in the arms of A!raham. The rich man also died and was !+ried. 23 $e was sent to the place of death and was in great pain. $e saw A!raham far away with aEar+s in his arms. 2# $e called, 2ather A!raham, have mercy on me" Send aEar+s to me so that he can dip his finger in water and cool my tong+e. 3 am s+ffering in this fire" 2% <+t A!raham said, Ay child, remem!er when yo+ lived? ;o+ had +ke 1&.2&*1'.1 1,& all the good things in life. <+t aEar+s had nothing !+t pro!lems. 1ow he is comforted here, and yo+ are s+ffering. 2& Also, there is a !ig pit !etween yo+ and +s. 1o one can cross over to help yo+, and no one can come here from there. 2' The rich man said, Then please, father A!raham, send aEar+s to my fathers ho+se on earth. 2( 3 have five !rothers. $e co+ld warn my !rothers so that they will not come pag. 1,(%0131#

to this place of pain. 2) <+t A!raham said, They have the aw of Aoses and the writings of the prophets to readF let them learn from that. 3, The rich man said, 1o, father A!raham" <+t if someone came to them from the dead, then they wo+ld decide to change their lives. 31 <+t A!raham said to him, 3f yo+r !rothers wont listen to Aoses and the prophets, they wont listen to someone who comes !ack from the dead. 17 1 Ces+s said to his followers, Things will s+rely happen that will +ke 1'.2*' 1,' make people sin. <+t it will !e very !ad for anyone who makes this happen. 2 3t will !e very !ad for anyone who makes one of these little children sin. 3t wo+ld !e !etter for them to have a millstone tied aro+nd their neck and !e drowned in the sea. 3 So !e caref+l" 3f yo+r !rother or sister in Gods family does something wrong, warn them. 3f they are sorry for what they did, forgive them. # -ven if they do something wrong to yo+ seven times in one day, !+t they say they are sorry each time, yo+ sho+ld forgive them. % The apostles said to the ord, Give +s more faith" & The ord said, 3f yo+r faith is as !ig as a m+stard seed, yo+ can say to this m+l!erry tree, Dig yo+rself +p and plant yo+rself in the ocean" And the tree will o!ey yo+. ' S+ppose one of yo+ has a servant who has !een working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. >hen he comes in from work, what wo+ld yo+ say to him? >o+ld yo+ say, 9ome in, sit down and eat? +ke 1'.(*1% 1,( ( 5f co+rse not" ;o+ wo+ld say to yo+r servant, 6repare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. >hen 3 finish eating and drinking, then yo+ can eat. -asy To .ead /ersion

) The servant sho+ld not get any special thanks for doing his =o!. $e is only doing what his master told him to do. 1, 3t is the same with yo+. >hen yo+ finish doing all that yo+ are told to do, yo+ sho+ld say, >e are not worthy of any special thanks. >e have only done the work we sho+ld do. 11 Ces+s was traveling to Cer+salem. $e went from Galilee to Samaria. 12 $e came into a small town, and ten men met him there. They did not come close to him, !eca+se they all had leprosy. 13 <+t the men sho+ted, Ces+s" Aaster" 6lease help +s" 1# >hen Ces+s saw the men, he said, Go and show yo+rselves to the priests. >hile the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed. 1% >hen one of them saw that he was healed, he went !ack to Ces+s. $e praised God lo+dly. +ke 1'.1&*2# 1,) 1& $e !owed down at Ces+s feet and thanked him. 7$e was a Samaritan.8 1' Ces+s said, Ten men were healedF where are the other nine? 1( This man is not even one of o+r people. 3s he the only one who came !ack to give praise to God? 1) Then Ces+s said to the man, Stand +p" ;o+ can go. ;o+ were healed !eca+se yo+ !elieved. 2, Some of the 6harisees asked Ces+s, >hen will Gods kingdom come? Ces+s answered, Gods kingdom is coming, !+t not in a way that yo+ can see it. 21 6eople will not say, ook, Gods kingdom is here" or There it is" 1o, Gods kingdom is here with yo+. 22 Then Ces+s said to his followers, The time will come when yo+ will want very m+ch to see one of the days of the Son of Aan, !+t yo+ will not !e a!le to. 23 6eople will say to yo+, ook, there it is" or ook, here it is" Stay where yo+ areF dont go away and search. 2# >hen the Son of Aan comes again, yo+ will know it. 5n that day he will pag. 1,(&0131#

shine like lightning flashes across the sky. +ke 1'.2%*32 11, 2% <+t first, the Son of Aan m+st s+ffer many things. The people of today will ref+se to accept him. 2& >hen the Son of Aan comes again, it will !e the same as it was when 1oah lived. 2' 6eople were eating, drinking, and getting married even on the day when 1oah entered the !oat. Then the flood came and killed them all. 2( 3t will !e the same as d+ring the time of ot, when God destroyed Sodom. Those people were eating, drinking, !+ying, selling, planting, and !+ilding ho+ses for themselves. 2) They were doing these things even on the day when ot left town. Then fire and s+lf+r rained down from the sky and killed them all. 3, This is e4actly how it will !e when the Son of Aan comes again. 31 5n that day if a man is on his roof, he will not have time to go inside and get his things. 3f a man is in the field, he cannot go !ack home. 32 .emem!er what happened to ots wife" +ke 1'.33*1(.# 111 33 >hoever tries to keep the life they have will lose it. <+t whoever gives +p their life will save it. 3# That night there may !e two people sleeping in one room. 5ne will !e taken and the other will !e left. 3% There may !e two women working together. 5ne will !e taken and the other will !e left. 3& MM-A6T;NN 3' The followers asked Ces+s, >here will this !e, ord? Ces+s answered, 3ts like looking for a dead !odyyo+ will find it where the v+lt+res are gathering a!ove. 18 1 Then Ces+s ta+ght the followers that they sho+ld always pray and never lose hope. $e +sed this story to teach them: 2 5nce there was a =+dge in a town. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

did not care a!o+t God. $e also did not care what people tho+ght a!o+t him. 3 3n that same town there was a woman whose h+s!and had died. She came many times to this =+dge and said, There is a man who is doing !ad things to me. Give me my rights" # <+t the =+dge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the =+dge +ke 1(.%*11 112 tho+ght to himself, 3 dont care a!o+t God. And 3 dont care a!o+t what people think. % <+t this woman is !othering me. 3f 3 give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. <+t if 3 dont give her what she wants, she will !other me +ntil 3 am sick. & The ord said, isten, there is meaning in what the !ad =+dge said. ' Gods people sho+t to him night and day, and he will always give them what is right. $e will not !e slow to answer them. ( 3 tell yo+, God will help his people J+ickly. <+t when the Son of Aan comes again, will he find people on earth who !elieve in him? ) There were some people who tho+ght they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Ces+s +sed this story to teach them: 1, 5ne time there was a 6harisee and a ta4 collector. 5ne day they !oth went to the Temple to pray. 11 The 6harisee stood alone, away from the ta4 collector. >hen the 6harisee prayed, he said, God, 3 thank yo+ that +ke 1(.12*1& 113 3 am not as !ad as other people. 3 am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit ad+ltery. 3 thank yo+ that 3 am !etter than this ta4 collector. 12 ;es, 3 fast twice a week, and 3 give a tenth of all 3 get" 13 The ta4 collector stood alone too. <+t when he prayed, he wo+ld not even look +p to heaven. $e felt very h+m!le !efore God. $e said, God, have mercy on me. 3 am a sinner" pag. 1,('0131#

1# 3 tell yo+, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. <+t the 6harisee, who felt that he was !etter than others, was not right with God. 6eople who make themselves important will !e made h+m!le. <+t those who make themselves h+m!le will !e made important. 1% Some people !ro+ght their small children to Ces+s so that he co+ld lay his hands on them to !less them. <+t when the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this. 1& <+t Ces+s called the little children to him and said to his followers, et the little children come to me. Dont stop +ke 1(.1'*23 11# them, !eca+se Gods kingdom !elongs to people who are like these little children. 1' The tr+th is, yo+ m+st accept Gods kingdom like a little child accepts things, or yo+ will never enter it. 1( A religio+s leader asked Ces+s, Good Teacher, what m+st 3 do to get eternal life? 1) Ces+s said to him, >hy do yo+ call me good? 5nly God is good. 2, And yo+ know his commands: ;o+ m+st not commit ad+ltery, yo+ m+st not m+rder anyone, yo+ m+st not steal, yo+ m+st not tell lies a!o+t others, yo+ m+st respect yo+r father and mother . 21 <+t the leader said, 3 have o!eyed all these commands since 3 was a !oy. 22 >hen Ces+s heard this, he said to the leader, <+t there is still one thing yo+ need to do. Sell everything yo+ have and give the money to those who are poor. ;o+ will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me. 23 <+t when the man heard Ces+s tell him to give away his money, he was sad. $e didnt want to do this, !eca+se he was very rich. +ke 1(.2#*32 11% 2# >hen Ces+s saw that the man was sad, he said, 3t will !e very hard for rich people to enter Gods kingdom. 2% 3t is easier for a camel to go thro+gh the eye of a needle than for a rich person -asy To .ead /ersion

to enter Gods kingdom. 2& >hen the people heard this, they said, Then who can !e saved? 2' Ces+s answered, God can do things that are not possi!le for people to do. 2( 6eter said, ook, we left everything we had and followed yo+. 2) Ces+s said, 3 can promise that everyone who has left their home, wife, !rothers, parents, or children for Gods kingdom 3, will get m+ch more than they left. They will get many times more in this life. And in the world that is coming they will get the reward of eternal life. 31 Then Ces+s talked to the twelve apostles alone. $e said to them, isten, we are going to Cer+salem. -verything that God told the prophets to write a!o+t the Son of Aan will happen. 32 $e will !e handed over to the foreigners, who will la+gh at him, ins+lt him, and spit on him. +ke 1(.33*#2 11& 33 They will !eat him with whips and then kill him. <+t on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again. 3# The apostles tried to +nderstand this, !+t they co+ld notF the meaning was hidden from them. 3% Ces+s came near the city of Cericho. There was a !lind man sitting !eside the road. $e was !egging people for money. 3& >hen he heard the people coming down the road, he asked, >hat is happening? 3' They told him, Ces+s, the one from 1aEareth, is coming here. 3( The !lind man was e4cited and said, Ces+s, Son of David, please help me" 3) The people who were in front leading the gro+p, criticiEed the !lind man. They told him to !e J+iet. <+t he sho+ted more and more, Son of David, please help me" #, Ces+s stopped there and said, <ring that man to me" >hen he came close, Ces+s asked him, #1 >hat do yo+ want me to do for yo+? $e said, ord, 3 want to see again. pag. 1,((0131#

#2 Ces+s said to him, ;o+ can see now. ;o+ are healed !eca+se yo+ !elieved. +ke 1(.#3*1).( 11' #3 Then the man was a!le to see. $e followed Ces+s, thanking God. -veryone who saw this praised God for what happened. 19 1 Ces+s was going thro+gh the city of Cericho. 2 3n Cericho there was a man named Bacchae+s. $e was a wealthy, very important ta4 collector. 3 $e wanted to see who Ces+s was. There were many others who wanted to see Ces+s too. Bacchae+s was too short to see a!ove the people. # So he ran to a place where he knew Ces+s wo+ld come. Then he clim!ed a sycamore tree so he co+ld see him. % >hen Ces+s came to where Bacchae+s was, he looked +p and saw him in the tree. Ces+s said, Bacchae+s, h+rry" 9ome down" 3 m+st stay at yo+r ho+se today. & Bacchae+s h+rried and came down. $e was happy to have Ces+s in his ho+se. ' -veryone saw this. They !egan to complain, ook at the kind of man Ces+s is staying with. Bacchae+s is a sinner" ( Bacchae+s said to the ord, 3 want to do good. 3 will give half of my money to +ke 1).)*1% 11( the poor. 3f 3 have cheated anyone, 3 will pay them !ack fo+r times more. ) Ces+s said, Today is the day for this family to !e saved from sin. ;es, even this ta4 collector is one of Gods chosen people. 1, The Son of Aan came to find lost people and save them. 11 As the crowd listened to what he was saying, Ces+s went on to tell a story. $e was now near Cer+salem and knew that the people tho+ght it was almost time for Gods kingdom to come. 12 So he said, A very important man was preparing to go to a co+ntry far away to !e made a king. Then he planned to ret+rn home and r+le his people. 13 So he called ten of his servants together. $e gave a !ag of money to -asy To .ead /ersion

each servant. $e said, Do !+siness with this money +ntil 3 come !ack. 1# <+t the people in the kingdom hated the man. They sent a gro+p to follow him to the other co+ntry. There they said, >e dont want this man to !e o+r king. 1% <+t the man was made king. >hen he came home, he said, 9all those servants who have my money. 3 want to know +ke 1).1&*22 11) how m+ch more money they earned with it. 1& The first servant came and said, Sir, 3 earned ten !ags of money with the one !ag yo+ gave me. 1' The king said to him, Thats great" ;o+ are a good servant. 3 see that 3 can tr+st yo+ with small things. So now 3 will let yo+ r+le over ten of my cities. 1( The second servant said, Sir, with yo+r one !ag of money 3 earned five !ags. 1) The king said to this servant, ;o+ can r+le over five cities. 2, Then another servant came in and said to the king, Sir, here is yo+r !ag of money. 3 wrapped it in a piece of cloth and hid it. 21 3 was afraid of yo+ !eca+se yo+ are a hard man. ;o+ even take money that yo+ didnt earn and gather food that yo+ didnt grow. 22 Then the king said to him, >hat a !ad servant yo+ are" 3 will +se yo+r own words to condemn yo+. ;o+ said that 3 am a hard man. ;o+ said that 3 even take money that 3 didnt earn and gather food that 3 didnt grow. +ke 1).23*3, 12, 23 3f that is tr+e, yo+ sho+ld have p+t my money in the !ank. Then, when 3 came !ack, my money wo+ld have earned some interest. 2# Then the king said to the men who were watching, Take the !ag of money away from this servant and give it to the servant who earned ten !ags of money. 2% The men said to the king, <+t sir, that servant already has ten !ags of money. 2& The king said, 6eople who +se what pag. 1,()0131#

they have will get more. <+t those who do not +se what they have will have everything taken away from them. 2' 1ow where are my enemies? >here are the people who did not want me to !e king? <ring my enemies here and kill them. 3 will watch them die. 2( After Ces+s said these things, he contin+ed traveling toward Cer+salem. 2) $e came near <ethphage and <ethany, towns near the hill called the Ao+nt of 5lives. $e sent o+t two of his followers. 3, $e said, Go into the town yo+ can see there. >hen yo+ enter the town, yo+ will find a yo+ng donkey tied there that no +ke 1).31*3' 121 one has ever ridden. Hntie it, and !ring it here to me. 31 3f anyone asks yo+ why yo+ are taking the donkey, yo+ sho+ld say, The Aaster needs it. 32 The two followers went into town. They fo+nd the donkey e4actly like Ces+s told them. 33 They +ntied it, !+t its owners came o+t. They said to the followers, >hy are yo+ +ntying o+r donkey? 3# The followers answered, The Aaster needs it. 3% So the followers !ro+ght the donkey to Ces+s. They p+t their coats on its !ack. Then they p+t Ces+s on the donkey. 3& $e rode along the road toward Cer+salem. The followers spread their coats on the road !efore him. 3' Ces+s was coming close to Cer+salem. $e was already near the !ottom of the Ao+nt of 5lives. The whole gro+p of followers was happy. They were very e4cited and praised God. They thanked God for all the powerf+l things they had seen. +ke 1).3(*#& 122 3( They said, >elcome" God !less the king who comes in the name of the ord. 6eace in heaven and glory to God" 3) Some of the 6harisees said to Ces+s, Teacher, tell yo+r followers not to say these things. -asy To .ead /ersion

#, <+t Ces+s answered, 3 tell yo+, if my followers didnt say them, these stones wo+ld sho+t them. #1 Ces+s came near Cer+salem. ooking at the city, he !egan to cry for it #2 and said, 3 wish yo+ knew today what wo+ld !ring yo+ peace. <+t it is hidden from yo+ now. #3 A time is coming when yo+r enemies will !+ild a wall aro+nd yo+ and hold yo+ in on all sides. ## They will destroy yo+ and all yo+r people. 1ot one stone of yo+r !+ildings will stay on top of another. All this will happen !eca+se yo+ did not know the time when God came to save yo+. #% Ces+s went into the Temple area. $e !egan to throw o+t the people who were selling things there. #& $e said, The Script+res say, Ay Temple will !e a ho+se of prayer. <+t yo+ +ke 1).#'*2,.% 123 have changed it into a hiding place for thieves. #' Ces+s ta+ght the people in the Temple area every day. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and some of the leaders of the people wanted to kill him. #( <+t they did not know how they co+ld do it, !eca+se everyone was listening to him. The people were very interested in what Ces+s said. 20 1 5ne day Ces+s was in the Temple area teaching the people. $e was telling them the Good 1ews. The leading priests, teachers of the law, and older Cewish leaders came to talk to Ces+s. 2 They said, Tell +s what a+thority yo+ have to do these things. >ho gave yo+ this a+thority? 3 Ces+s answered, 3 will ask yo+ a J+estion too. Tell me: # >hen Cohn !aptiEed people, did his a+thority come from God or was it only from other people? % The priests, the teachers of the law, and the Cewish leaders all talked a!o+t this. They said to each other, 3f we answer, Cohns !aptism was from God, +ke 2,.&*12 12# pag. 1,),0131#

then he will say, Then why did yo+ not !elieve Cohn? & <+t if we say that Cohns !aptism was from someone else, the people will stone +s to death. They all !elieve that Cohn was a prophet. ' So they answered, >e dont know the answer. ( So Ces+s said to them, Then 3 will not tell yo+ who gave me the a+thority to do these things. ) Then Ces+s told the people this story: A man planted a vineyard. $e leased the land to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time. 1, ater, it was time for the grapes to !e picked. So the man sent a servant to those farmers so that they wo+ld give him his share of the grapes. <+t they !eat the servant and sent him away with nothing. 11 So the man sent another servant. They !eat this servant too and showed no respect for him. They sent the servant away with nothing. 12 So the man sent a third servant to the farmers. They h+rt this servant !adly and threw him o+t. +ke 2,.13*1) 12% 13 The owner of the vineyard said, >hat will 3 do now? 3 will send my son. 3 love my son very m+ch. Aay!e the farmers will respect my son. 1# >hen the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, This is the owners son. This vineyard will !e his. 3f we kill him, it will !e o+rs. 1% So the farmers threw the son o+t of the vineyard and killed him. >hat will the owner of the vineyard do? 1& $e will come and kill those farmers. Then he will lease the land to some other farmers. >hen the people heard this story, they said, This sho+ld never happen" 1' <+t Ces+s looked into their eyes and said, Then what does this verse mean: The stone that the !+ilders ref+sed to accept !ecame the cornerstone? 1( -veryone who falls on that stone will -asy To .ead /ersion

!e !roken. 3f that stone falls on yo+, it will cr+sh yo+" 1) >hen the teachers of the law and the leading priests heard this story, they knew it was a!o+t them. So they wanted to arrest Ces+s right then, !+t they were afraid of what the people wo+ld do. +ke 2,.2,*2& 12& 2, So the Cewish leaders looked for a way to trap Ces+s. They sent some men to him, who pretended to !e sincere. They wanted to catch him saying something they co+ld +se against him. 3f he said something wrong, they co+ld hand him over to the governor, who had the a+thority to arrest him. 21 So the men said to Ces+s, Teacher, we know that what yo+ say and teach is tr+e. 3t doesnt matter who is listeningyo+ teach the same to all people. ;o+ always teach the tr+th a!o+t Gods way. 22 Tell +s, is it right for +s to pay ta4es to 9aesar or not? 23 <+t Ces+s knew that these men were trying to trick him. $e said to them, 2# Show me a silver coin. >hose name and pict+re are on it? They said, 9aesars. 2% $e said to them, Then give to 9aesar what !elongs to 9aesar, and give to God what !elongs to God. 2& The men were amaEed at his wise answer. They had nothing to say. They were not a!le to +se against Ces+s anything he said there in front of the people. +ke 2,.2'*3& 12' 2' Some Sadd+cees came to Ces+s. 7Sadd+cees !elieve that people will not rise from death.8 They asked him, 2( Teacher, Aoses wrote that if a married man dies and had no children, his !rother m+st marry his widow. Then they will have children for the dead !rother. 2) 5ne time there were seven !rothers. The first !rother married a woman !+t died. $e had no children. 3, Then the second !rother married the woman, and he died. 31 And the third !rother married the pag. 1,)10131#

woman, and he died. The same thing happened with all the other !rothers. They all died and had no children. 32 The woman was the last to die. 33 <+t all seven !rothers married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will this woman !e? 3# Ces+s said to the Sadd+cees, 5n earth, people marry each other. 3% Some people will !e worthy to !e raised from death and live again after this life. 3n that life they will not marry. 3& 3n that life people are like angels and cannot die. They are children of God, +ke 2,.3'*#& 12( !eca+se they have !een raised from death. 3' Aoses clearly showed that people are raised from death. >hen Aoses wrote a!o+t the !+rning !+sh, he said that the ord is the God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. 3( $e is the God only of people who are living. So these men were not really dead. ;es, to God all people are still living. 3) Some of the teachers of the law said, Teacher, yo+r answer was very good. #, 1o one was !rave eno+gh to ask him another J+estion. #1 Then Ces+s said, >hy do people say that the Aessiah is the Son of David? #2 3n the !ook of 6salms, David himself says, The ord God said to my ord: Sit !y me at my right side, #3 and 3 will p+t yo+r enemies +nder yo+r power. ## David calls the Aessiah ord. So how can the Aessiah also !e Davids son? #% >hile all the people were listening to Ces+s, he said to his followers, #& <e caref+l of the teachers of the law. They like to walk aro+nd wearing clothes +ke 2,.#'*21.% 12) that look important. And they love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagog+es and the places of honor at !anJ+ets. #' <+t they cheat widows and take -asy To .ead /ersion

their homes. Then they try to make themselves look good !y saying long prayers. God will p+nish them very m+ch. 21 1 Ces+s looked +p and saw some rich people p+tting their gifts to God into the Temple collection !o4. 2 Then he saw a poor widow p+t two small copper coins into the !o4. 3 $e said, This poor widow gave only two small coins. <+t the tr+th is, she gave more than all those rich people. # They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, !+t she gave all she had to live on. % Some of the followers were talking a!o+t the Temple. They said, This is a !ea+tif+l Temple, !+ilt with the !est stones. ook at the many good gifts that have !een offered to God. +ke 21.&*11 13, & <+t Ces+s said, The time will come when all that yo+ see here will !e destroyed. -very stone of these !+ildings will !e thrown down to the gro+nd. 1ot one stone will !e left on another. ' Some followers asked Ces+s, Teacher, when will these things happen? >hat will show +s that it is time for these things to happen? ( Ces+s said, <e caref+l" Dont !e fooled. Aany people will come +sing my name. They will say, 3 am the Aessiah and The right time has come" <+t dont follow them. ) >hen yo+ hear a!o+t wars and riots, dont !e afraid. These things m+st happen first. Then the end will come later. 1, Then Ces+s said to them, 1ations will fight against other nations. Gingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. 11 There will !e great earthJ+akes, sicknesses, and other !ad things in many places. 3n some places there will !e no food for the people to eat. Terri!le things will happen, and amaEing things will come from heaven to warn people. +ke 21.12*2, 131 pag. 1,)20131#

12 <+t !efore all these things happen, people will arrest yo+ and do !ad things to yo+. They will =+dge yo+ in their synagog+es and p+t yo+ in =ail. ;o+ will !e forced to stand !efore kings and governors. They will do all these things to yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow me. 13 <+t this will give yo+ an opport+nity to tell a!o+t me. 1# Decide now not to worry a!o+t what yo+ will say. 1% 3 will give yo+ the wisdom to say things that none of yo+r enemies can answer. 1& -ven yo+r parents, !rothers, relatives, and friends will t+rn against yo+. They will have some of yo+ killed. 1' -veryone will hate yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow me. 1( <+t none of these things can really harm yo+. 1) ;o+ will save yo+rselves !y contin+ing strong in yo+r faith thro+gh all these things. 2, ;o+ will see armies all aro+nd Cer+salem. Then yo+ will know that the time for its destr+ction has come. +ke 21.21*2& 132 21 The people in C+dea at that time sho+ld r+n away to the mo+ntains. The people in Cer+salem m+st leave J+ickly. 3f yo+ are near the city, dont go in" 22 The prophets wrote many things a!o+t the time when God will p+nish his people. The time 3 am talking a!o+t is when all these things m+st happen. 23 D+ring that time, it will !e hard for women who are pregnant or have small !a!ies, !eca+se very !ad times will come to this land. God will !e angry with these people. 2# Some of the people will !e killed !y soldiers. 5thers will !e made prisoners and taken to all the different co+ntries. The holy city of Cer+salem will !e +nder the control of foreigners +ntil their time is completed. 2% AmaEing things will happen to the s+n, moon, and stars. And people all over the earth will !e +pset and conf+sed -asy To .ead /ersion

!y the noise of the sea and its crashing waves. 2& They will !e afraid and worried a!o+t what will happen to the world. -verything in the sky will !e changed. +ke 21.2'*3% 133 2' Then people will see the Son of Aan coming in a clo+d with power and great glory. 2( >hen these things !egin to happen, stand +p tall and dont !e afraid. Gnow that it is almost time for God to free yo+" 2) Then Ces+s told this story: ook at all the trees. The fig tree is a good e4ample. 3, >hen it t+rns green, yo+ know that s+mmer is very near. 31 3n the same way, when yo+ see all these things happening, yo+ will know that Gods kingdom is very near. 32 3 ass+re yo+ that all these things will happen while some of the people of this time are still living. 33 The whole world, earth and sky, will !e destroyed, !+t my words will last forever. 3# <e caref+l not to spend yo+r time having parties and getting dr+nk or worrying a!o+t this life. 3f yo+ do that, yo+ wont !e a!le to think straight, and the end might come when yo+ are not ready. 3% 3t will come as a s+rprise to everyone on earth. +ke 21.3&*22.# 13# 3& So !e ready all the time. 6ray that yo+ will !e a!le to get thro+gh all these things that will happen and stand safe !efore the Son of Aan. 3' D+ring the day Ces+s ta+ght the people in the Temple area. At night he went o+t of the city and stayed all night on the hill called Ao+nt of 5lives. 3( -very morning all the people got +p early to go listen to Ces+s at the Temple. 22 1 3t was almost time for the Cewish 2estival of Hnleavened <read, called the 6assover. 2 The leading priests and teachers of the law wanted to kill Ces+s. <+t they were trying to find a J+iet way to do it, pag. 1,)30131#

!eca+se they were afraid of what the people wo+ld do. 3 5ne of Ces+s twelve apostles was named C+das 3scariot. Satan entered him, # and he went and talked with the leading priests and some of the soldiers who g+arded the Temple. $e talked to them a!o+t a way to hand Ces+s over to them. +ke 22.%*13 13% % The priests were very happy a!o+t this. They promised to give C+das money for doing this. & $e agreed. Then he waited for the !est time to hand him over to them. $e wanted to do it when no one was aro+nd to see it. ' The Day of Hnleavened <read came. This was the day when the Cews always killed the lam!s for the 6assover. ( Ces+s said to 6eter and Cohn, Go and prepare the 6assover meal for +s to eat. ) They said to him, >here do yo+ want +s to prepare the meal? $e said to them, 1, >hen yo+ go into the city, yo+ will see a man carrying a =ar of water. 2ollow him. $e will go into a ho+se. 11 Tell the owner of the ho+se, The Teacher asks that yo+ please show +s the room where he and his followers can eat the 6assover meal. 12 Then the owner will show yo+ a large room +pstairs that is ready for +s. 6repare the meal there. 13 So 6eter and Cohn left. -verything happened the way Ces+s said. So they prepared the 6assover meal. +ke 22.1#*21 13& 1# The time came for them to eat the 6assover meal. Ces+s and the apostles were together at the ta!le. 1% Ces+s said to them, 3 wanted very m+ch to eat this 6assover meal with yo+ !efore 3 die. 1& 3 will never eat another 6assover meal +ntil it is given its f+ll meaning in Gods kingdom. 1' Then Ces+s took a c+p of wine. $e gave thanks to God for it and said, Take -asy To .ead /ersion

this c+p and give it to everyone here. 1( 3 will never drink wine again +ntil Gods kingdom comes. 1) Then he took some !read and thanked God for it. $e !roke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said, This !read is my !ody that 3 am giving for yo+. -at this to remem!er me. 2, 3n the same way, after s+pper, Ces+s took the c+p of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to his people. 3t will !egin when my !lood is po+red o+t for yo+. 21 Ces+s said, <+t here on this ta!le is the hand of the one who will hand me over to my enemies. +ke 22.22*2( 13' 22 The Son of Aan will do what God has planned. <+t it will !e very !ad for the one who hands over the Son of Aan to !e killed. 23 Then the apostles asked each other, >hich one of +s wo+ld do that? 2# ater, the apostles !egan to arg+e a!o+t which one of them was the most important. 2% <+t Ces+s said to them, The kings of the world r+le over their people, and those who have a+thority over others want to !e called the great providers for the people. 2& <+t yo+ m+st not !e like that. The one with the most a+thority among yo+ sho+ld act as if he is the least important. The one who leads sho+ld !e like one who serves. 2' >ho is more important: the one serving or the one sitting at the ta!le !eing served? -veryone thinks its the one !eing served, right? <+t 3 have !een with yo+ as the one who serves. 2( ;o+ men have stayed with me thro+gh many str+ggles. +ke 22.2)*3& 13( 2) So 3 give yo+ a+thority to r+le with me in the kingdom the 2ather has given me. 3, ;o+ will eat and drink at my ta!le in that kingdom. ;o+ will sit on thrones and =+dge the twelve tri!es of 3srael. pag. 1,)#0131#

31 Satan has asked to test yo+ men like a farmer tests his wheat. 5 Simon, Simon, 32 3 have prayed that yo+ will not lose yo+r faith" $elp yo+r !rothers !e stronger when yo+ come !ack to me. 33 <+t 6eter said to Ces+s, ord, 3 am ready to go to =ail with yo+. 3 will even die with yo+" 3# <+t Ces+s said, 6eter, !efore the rooster crows tomorrow morning, yo+ will say yo+ dont know me. ;o+ will say this three times. 3% Then Ces+s said to the apostles, .emem!er when 3 sent yo+ o+t witho+t money, a !ag, or sandals? Did yo+ need anything? The apostles said, 1o. 3& Ces+s said to them, <+t now if yo+ have money or a !ag, carry that with yo+. 3f yo+ dont have a sword, sell yo+r coat and !+y one. +ke 22.3'*#% 13) 3' The Script+res say, $e was considered a criminal. This Script+re m+st happen. 3t was written a!o+t me, and it is happening now. 3( The followers said, ook, ord, here are two swords. Ces+s said to them, Thats eno+gh. 3) Ces+s left the city and went to the Ao+nt of 5lives. $is followers went with him. 7$e went there often.8 $e said to his followers, 6ray for strength against temptation. #, 722:3)8 #1 Then Ces+s went a!o+t %, steps away from them. $e knelt down and prayed, #2 2ather, if yo+ are willing, please dont make me drink from this c+p. <+t do what yo+ want, not what 3 want. #3 Then an angel from heaven came to help him. ## Ces+s was f+ll of painF he str+ggled hard in prayer. Sweat dripped from his face like drops of !lood falling to the gro+nd. #% >hen he finished praying, he went to his followers. $e fo+nd them asleep, worn o+t from their grieving. +ke 22.#&*%3 1#, -asy To .ead /ersion

#& Ces+s said to them, >hy are yo+ sleeping? Get +p and pray for strength against temptation. #' >hile Ces+s was speaking, a crowd came +p. 3t was led !y C+das, one of the twelve apostles. $e came over to Ces+s to kiss him. #( <+t Ces+s said to him, C+das, are yo+ +sing the kiss of friendship to hand over the Son of Aan to his enemies? #) The followers of Ces+s were standing there too. They saw what was happening and said to Ces+s, ord, sho+ld we +se o+r swords? %, And one of them did +se his sword. $e c+t off the right ear of the servant of the high priest. %1 Ces+s said, Stop" Then he to+ched the servants ear and healed him. %2 Ces+s spoke to the gro+p that came to arrest him. They were the leading priests, the older Cewish leaders, and the Cewish soldiers. $e said to them, >hy did yo+ come o+t here with swords and cl+!s? Do yo+ think 3 am a criminal? %3 3 was with yo+ every day in the Temple area. >hy didnt yo+ try to arrest +ke 22.%#*&1 1#1 me there? <+t this is yo+r timethe time when darkness r+les. %# They arrested Ces+s and took him away to the ho+se of the high priest. 6eter followed Ces+s !+t stayed !ack at a distance. %% The soldiers started a fire in the middle of the yard and sat together. 6eter sat with them. %& A servant girl saw him sitting there. She co+ld see !eca+se of the light from the fire. She looked closely at 6eters face. Then she said, This one was also with that man. %' <+t 6eter said this was not tr+e. $e said, ady, 3 dont know him. %( A short time later, someone else saw 6eter and said, ;o+ are also one of that gro+p. <+t 6eter said, Aan, 3 am not" %) A!o+t an ho+r later, another man said, 3ts tr+e. 3m s+re this man was with him, !eca+se he is from Galilee. pag. 1,)%0131#

&, <+t 6eter said, Aan, 3 dont know what yo+ are talking a!o+t" 3mmediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. &1 Then the ord t+rned and looked into 6eters eyes. And 6eter remem!ered +ke 22.&2*', 1#2 what the ord had said, <efore the rooster crows in the morning, yo+ will say three times that yo+ dont know me. &2 Then 6eter went o+tside and cried !itterly. &3 The men g+arding Ces+s made f+n of him and !eat him. &# They covered his eyes so that he co+ld not see them. Then they hit him and said, <e a prophet and tell +s who hit yo+" &% And they sho+ted all kinds of ins+lts at him. && The ne4t morning, the older leaders of the people, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law came together. They led Ces+s away to their high co+ncil. &' They said, 3f yo+ are the Aessiah, then tell +s that yo+ are. Ces+s said to them, 3f 3 tell yo+ 3 am the Aessiah, yo+ will not !elieve me. &( And if 3 ask yo+, yo+ will not answer. &) <+t !eginning now, the Son of Aan will sit at the right side of God AllD6owerf+l. ', They all said, Then are yo+ the Son of God? Ces+s said to them, ;o+ are right in saying that 3 am. +ke 22.'1*23.( 1#3 '1 They said, >hy do we need witnesses now? >e all heard what he said" 23 1 Then the whole gro+p stood +p and led Ces+s away to 6ilate. 2 They !egan to acc+se Ces+s and said to 6ilate, >e ca+ght this man trying to change the thinking of o+r people. $e says we sho+ld not pay ta4es to 9aesar. $e calls himself the Aessiah, a king. 3 6ilate asked Ces+s, Are yo+ the king of the Cews? Ces+s answered, ;es, what yo+ say is tr+e. # 6ilate said to the leading priests and the people, 3 find nothing wrong with -asy To .ead /ersion

this man. % <+t they kept on saying, $is teaching is ca+sing tro+!le all over C+dea. $e !egan in Galilee, and now he is here" & 6ilate heard this and asked if Ces+s was from Galilee. ' $e learned that Ces+s was +nder $erods a+thority. $erod was in Cer+salem at that time, so 6ilate sent Ces+s to him. ( >hen $erod saw Ces+s, he was very happy. $e had heard all a!o+t him and had wanted to meet him for a long time. $erod wanted to see a miracle, so he was hoping that Ces+s wo+ld do one. +ke 23.)*1' 1## ) $e asked him many J+estions, !+t Ces+s said nothing. 1, The leading priests and teachers of the law were standing there sho+ting things against Ces+s. 11 Then $erod and his soldiers la+ghed at him. They made f+n of him !y dressing him in clothes like kings wear. Then $erod sent him !ack to 6ilate. 12 3n the past 6ilate and $erod had always !een enemies. <+t on that day they !ecame friends. 13 6ilate called all the people together with the leading priests and the Cewish leaders. 1# $e said to them, ;o+ !ro+ght this man to me. ;o+ said he was trying to change the people. <+t 3 =+dged him !efore yo+ all and have not fo+nd him g+ilty of the things yo+ say he has done. 1% $erod didnt find him g+ilty either. $e sent him !ack to +s. ook, he has done nothing !ad eno+gh for the death penalty. 1& So, after 3 p+nish him a little, 3 will let him go free. 1' MM-A6T;NN +ke 23.1(*2& 1#% 1( <+t they all sho+ted, Gill him" et <ara!!as go free" 1) 7<ara!!as was a man who was in =ail for starting a riot in the city and for m+rder.8 2, 6ilate wanted to let Ces+s go free. So again 6ilate told them that he wo+ld let pag. 1,)&0131#

him go. 21 <+t they sho+ted again, Gill him" Gill him on a cross" 22 A third time 6ilate said to the people, >hy? >hat wrong has he done? $e is not g+ilty. 3 can find no reason to kill him. So 3 will let him go free after 3 p+nish him a little. 23 <+t the people contin+ed to sho+t. They demanded that Ces+s !e killed on a cross. Their sho+ting got so lo+d that 2# 6ilate decided to give them what they wanted. 2% They wanted <ara!!as to go freethe one who was in =ail for starting a riot and for m+rder. 6ilate let <ara!!as go free. And he handed Ces+s over to !e killed. This is what the people wanted. 2& The soldiers led Ces+s away. At that same time there was a man from 9yrene named Simon coming into the city from +ke 23.2'*33 1#& the fields. The soldiers forced him to carry Ces+s cross and walk !ehind him. 2' A large crowd followed Ces+s. Some of the women were sad and crying. They felt sorry for him. 2( <+t Ces+s t+rned and said to them, >omen of Cer+salem, dont cry for me. 9ry for yo+rselves and for yo+r children too. 2) The time is coming when people will say, The women who cannot have !a!ies are the ones God has !lessed. 3ts really a !lessing that they have no children to care for. 3, Then the people will say to the mo+ntains, 2all on +s" They will say to the hills, 9over +s" 31 3f this can happen to someone who is good, what will happen to those who are g+ilty? 32 There were also two criminals led o+t with Ces+s to !e killed. 33 They were led to a place called The Sk+ll. There the soldiers nailed Ces+s to the cross. They also nailed the criminals to crosses !eside Ces+sone on the right and the other on the left. +ke 23.3#*#1 1#' -asy To .ead /ersion

3# Ces+s said, 2ather, forgive them. They dont know what they are doing. The soldiers threw dice to divide Ces+s clothes !etween them. 3% The people stood there watching everything. The Cewish leaders la+ghed at Ces+s. They said, 3f he is Gods 9hosen 5ne, the Aessiah, then let him save himself. $e saved others, didnt he? 3& -ven the soldiers la+ghed at Ces+s and made f+n of him. They came and offered him some so+r wine. 3' They said, 3f yo+ are the king of the Cews, save yo+rself" 3( 7At the top of the cross these words were written: T$3S 3S T$- G31G 52 T$C->S.8 3) 5ne of the criminals hanging there !egan to sho+t ins+lts at Ces+s: Arent yo+ the Aessiah? Then save yo+rself, and save +s too" #, <+t the other criminal stopped him. $e said, ;o+ sho+ld fear God. All of +s will die soon. #1 ;o+ and 3 are g+ilty. >e deserve to die !eca+se we did wrong. <+t this man has done nothing wrong. +ke 23.#2*%, 1#( #2 Then he said, Ces+s, remem!er me when yo+ !egin r+ling as king" #3 Then Ces+s said to him, 3 tell yo+ for s+re, today yo+ will !e with me in paradise. ## 3t was a!o+t noon, !+t it t+rned dark thro+gho+t the land +ntil three oclock in the afternoon, #% !eca+se the s+n stopped shining. The c+rtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. #& Ces+s sho+ted, 2ather, 3 p+t my life in yo+r hands" After Ces+s said this, he died. #' The army officer there saw what happened. $e praised God, saying, 3 know this man was a good man" #( Aany people had come o+t of the city to see all this. >hen they saw it, they felt very sorry and left. #) The people who were close friends of Ces+s were there. Also, there were some pag. 1,)'0131#

women who had followed Ces+s from Galilee. They all stood far away from the cross and watched these things. %, A man named Coseph was there from the Cewish town of Arimathea. $e was a good man, who lived the way +ke 23.%1*2#.1 1#) God wanted. $e was waiting for Gods kingdom to come. Coseph was a mem!er of the Cewish co+ncil. <+t he did not agree when the other Cewish leaders decided to kill Ces+s. %1 723:%,8 %2 $e went to 6ilate and asked for the !ody of Ces+s. %3 $e took the !ody down from the cross and wrapped it in cloth. Then he p+t it in a tom! that was d+g in a wall of rock. This tom! had never !een +sed !efore. %# 3t was late on 6reparation day. >hen the s+n went down, the Sa!!ath day wo+ld !egin. %% The women who had come from Galilee with Ces+s followed Coseph. They saw the tom!. 3nside they saw where he p+t Ces+s !ody. %& Then they left to prepare some sweetDsmelling spices to p+t on the !ody. 5n the Sa!!ath day they rested, as commanded in the aw of Aoses. 24 1 /ery early S+nday morning, the women came to the tom! where Ces+s !ody was laid. They !ro+ght +ke 2#.2*) 1%, the sweetDsmelling spices they had prepared. 2 They saw that the heavy stone that covered the entrance had !een rolled away. 3 They went in, !+t they did not find the !ody of the ord Ces+s. # They did not +nderstand this. >hile they were wondering a!o+t it, two men in shining clothes stood !eside them. % The women were very afraid. They !owed down with their faces to the gro+nd. The men said to them, >hy are yo+ looking for a living person here? This is a place for dead people. -asy To .ead /ersion

& Ces+s is not here. $e has risen from death. Do yo+ remem!er what he said in Galilee? ' $e said the Son of Aan m+st !e handed over to the control of sinf+l men, !e killed on a cross, and rise from death on the third day. ( Then the women remem!ered what Ces+s had said. ) The women left the tom! and went to find the eleven apostles and the other followers. They told them everything that happened at the tom!. +ke 2#.1,*1( 1%1 1, These women were Aary Aagdalene, Coanna, Aary, the mother of Cames, and some others. They told the apostles everything that happened. 11 <+t the apostles did not !elieve what they said. 3t so+nded like nonsense. 12 <+t 6eter got +p and ran to the tom! to see. $e looked in, !+t he saw only the cloth that Ces+s !ody had !een wrapped in. 3t was =+st lying there. 6eter went away to !e alone, wondering what had happened. 13 That same day two of Ces+s followers were going to a town named -mma+s. 3t is a!o+t seven miles from Cer+salem. 1# They were talking a!o+t everything that had happened. 1% >hile they were talking, disc+ssing these things, Ces+s himself came near and walked with them. 1& 7<+t the two followers were not allowed to recogniEe Ces+s.8 1' $e asked them, >hats this 3 hear yo+ disc+ssing with each other as yo+ walk? They !oth stopped, their faces looking very sad. 1( And then one of them, named 9leopas, said, ;o+ m+st !e the only +ke 2#.1)*2% 1%2 person in Cer+salem who doesnt know what has =+st happened there. 1) Ces+s said, >hat are yo+ talking a!o+t? They said, 3ts a!o+t Ces+s, the one from 1aEareth. To God and to all the people he was a great prophet. $e said and did many powerf+l things. pag. 1,)(0131#

2, <+t o+r leaders and the leading priests handed him over to !e =+dged and killed. They nailed him to a cross. 21 >e were hoping that he wo+ld !e the one to free 3srael. <+t then all this happened. And now something else: 3t has !een three days since he was killed, 22 !+t today some of o+r women told +s an amaEing thing. -arly this morning they went to the tom! where the !ody of Ces+s was laid. 23 <+t they did not find his !ody there. They came and told +s they had seen some angels in a vision. The angels told them Ces+s was alive" 2# So some of o+r gro+p went to the tom! too. 3t was =+st as the women said. They saw the tom!, !+t they did not see Ces+s. 2% Then Ces+s said to them, ;o+ are foolish and slow to realiEe what is +ke 2#.2&*32 1%3 tr+e. ;o+ sho+ld !elieve everything the prophets said. 2& The prophets said that the Aessiah m+st s+ffer these things !efore he !egins his time of glory. 2' Then he !egan to e4plain everything that had !een written a!o+t himself in the Script+res. $e started with the !ooks of Aoses and then talked a!o+t what the prophets had said a!o+t him. 2( They came near the town of -mma+s, and Ces+s acted as if he did not plan to stop there. 2) <+t they wanted him to stay. They !egged him, Stay with +s. 3ts almost night. Theres hardly any daylight left. So he went in to stay with them. 3, Coining them at the s+pper ta!le, Ces+s took some !read and gave thanks. $e !roke some off and gave it to them. 31 Then !oth of them were allowed to recogniEe him. <+t when they saw who he was, he disappeared. 32 They said to each other, >hen he talked to +s on the road, it felt like a fire !+rning in +s. $ow e4citing it was when he e4plained to +s the tr+e meaning of the Script+res" -asy To .ead /ersion

+ke 2#.33*#1 1%# 33 So right then they got +p and went !ack to Cer+salem. There they fo+nd the eleven apostles meeting together with the other followers of Ces+s. 3# The gro+p told them, The ord really has risen from death" $e appeared to Simon. 3% Then the two followers told what had happened on the road. They talked a!o+t how they recogniEed Ces+s when he shared the !read with them. 3& >hile the two followers were saying these things to the others, Ces+s himself came and stood among them. $e said to them, 6eace !e with yo+. 3' This s+rprised the followers. They were afraid. They tho+ght they were seeing a ghost. 3( <+t Ces+s said, >hy are yo+ tro+!led? >hy do yo+ do+!t what yo+ see? 3) ook at my hands and my feet. 3ts really me. To+ch me. ;o+ can see that 3 have a living !odyF a ghost does not have a !ody like this. #, As soon as Ces+s said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. #1 The followers were amaEed and very, very happy to see that Ces+s was alive. +ke 2#.#2*#) 1%% They still co+ld not !elieve what they saw. $e said to them, Do yo+ have any food here? #2 They gave him a piece of cooked fish. #3 >hile the followers watched, he took the fish and ate it. ## Ces+s said to them, .emem!er when 3 was with yo+ !efore? 3 said that everything written a!o+t me m+st happeneverything written in the aw of Aoses, the !ooks of the prophets, and the 6salms. #% Then Ces+s helped the followers +nderstand these Script+res a!o+t him. #& Ces+s said to them, 3t is written that the Aessiah wo+ld !e killed and rise from death on the third day. #' ;o+ saw these things happenyo+ are witnesses. ;o+ m+st go and tell people that they m+st change and t+rn to God, pag. 1,))0131#

which will !ring them his forgiveness. ;o+ m+st start from Cer+salem and tell this message in my name to the people of all nations. #( 72#:#'8 #) .emem!er that 3 will send yo+ the one my 2ather promised. Stay in the +ke 2#.%,*%3 1%& city +ntil yo+ are given that power from heaven. %, Ces+s led his followers o+t of Cer+salem almost to <ethany. $e raised his hands and !lessed his followers. %1 >hile he was !lessing them, he was separated from them and carried into heaven. %2 They worshiped him and went !ack to Cer+salem very happy. %3 They stayed at the Temple all the time, praising God. &o'n 1 1 <efore the world !egan, the >ord was there. The >ord was with God, and the >ord was God. 2 $e was there with God in the !eginning. 3 -verything was made thro+gh him. 1othing in all of Gods creation was made witho+t him. # 3n him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. % The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it. & There was a man named Cohn, who was sent !y God. ' $e came to tell people a!o+t the light. The goal was for all people to hear a!o+t the one who is the light and !elieve in him. ( Cohn was not the light. <+t he came to tell people a!o+t the light. ) The tr+e light, the one who !rings light to all people, was a!o+t to make his appearance to the world. Cohn 1.1,*1& 2 1, The >ord was already in the world. The world was made thro+gh him, !+t the world did not know him. 11 $e came to the world that was his own. And his own people did not accept -asy To .ead /ersion

him. 12 <+t some people did accept him. They !elieved in him, and he gave them the right to !ecome children of God. 13 They !ecame Gods children, !+t not in the way !a!ies are +s+ally !orn. 3t was not !eca+se of any h+man desire or plan. They were !orn from God himself. 1# The >ord !ecame a man and lived among +s. >e saw his divine greatness the greatness that !elongs to the only Son of the 2ather. The >ord was f+ll of grace and tr+th. 1% Cohn told people a!o+t him. $e said lo+dly, This is the one 3 was talking a!o+t when 3 said, The one who is coming after me is greater than 3 am, !eca+se he was living !efore 3 was even !orn. 1& ;es, the >ord was f+ll of grace and tr+th, and from him we all received one !lessing after another. Cohn 1.1'*2# 3 1' That is, the law was given to +s thro+gh Aoses, !+t grace and tr+th came thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. 1( 1o one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown +s what God is like. $e is himself God and is very close to the 2ather. 1) The Cewish leaders in Cer+salem sent some priests and evites to Cohn to ask him, >ho are yo+? $e told them the tr+th. 2, >itho+t any hesitation he said openly and plainly, 3 am not the Aessiah. 21 They asked him, Then who are yo+? Are yo+ -li=ah? $e answered, 1o, 3 am not -li=ah. They asked, Are yo+ the 6rophet? $e answered, 1o, 3 am not the 6rophet. 22 Then they said, >ho are yo+? Tell +s a!o+t yo+rself. Give +s an answer to tell the people who sent +s. >hat do yo+ say a!o+t yo+rself? 23 Cohn told them the words of 3saiah the prophet: 3 am the voice of someone sho+ting in the desert: Aake a straight road ready for the ord. 2# Some of these Cews were from the 6harisees. pag. 11,,0131#

Cohn 1.2%*32 # 2% They said to Cohn, ;o+ say yo+ are not the Aessiah. ;o+ say yo+ are not -li=ah or the 6rophet. Then why do yo+ !aptiEe people? 2& Cohn answered, 3 !aptiEe people with water. <+t there is someone here with yo+ that yo+ dont know. 2' $e is the one who is coming later. 3 am not good eno+gh even to !e the slave who +nties his sandals. 2( These things all happened at <ethany on the other side of the Cordan .iver. This is where Cohn was !aptiEing people. 2) The ne4t day Cohn saw Ces+s coming toward him and said, ook, the am! of God. $e takes away the sins of the world" 3, This is the one 3 was talking a!o+t when 3 said, There is a man coming after me who is greater than 3 am, !eca+se he was living long !efore 3 was !orn. 31 3 did not know who he was. <+t 3 came !aptiEing people with water so that the people of 3srael co+ld know that he is the Aessiah. 32 Then Cohn said this for everyone to hear: 3 also did not know who the Aessiah was. <+t the one who sent me Cohn 1.33*#, % to !aptiEe with water told me, ;o+ will see the Spirit come down and rest on a man. $e is the one who will !aptiEe with the $oly Spirit. 3 have seen this happen. 3 saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on this man. So this is what 3 tell people: $e is the Son of God. 33 71:328 3# 71:328 3% The ne4t day Cohn was there again and had two of his followers with him. 3& $e saw Ces+s walking !y and said, ook, the am! of God" 3' The two followers heard him say this, so they followed Ces+s. 3( Ces+s t+rned and saw the two men following him. $e asked, >hat do yo+ want? They said, .a!!i, where are yo+ staying? 7.a!!i means Teacher.8 -asy To .ead /ersion

3) $e answered, 9ome with me and yo+ will see. So the two men went with him and saw the place where he was staying. 3t was then a!o+t fo+r oclock, and they stayed there with him the rest of that day. #, These men followed Ces+s after they had heard a!o+t him from Cohn. 5ne of Cohn 1.#1*#' & them was Andrew, the !rother of Simon 6eter. #1 The first thing Andrew did was to go and find his !rother Simon. Andrew said to him, >e have fo+nd the Aessiah. 7Aessiah means 9hrist.8 #2 Then Andrew !ro+ght Simon to Ces+s. Ces+s looked at him and said, ;o+ are Simon, the son of Cohn. ;o+ will !e called 9ephas. 79ephas means 6eter.8 #3 The ne4t day Andrew wanted them to go to Galilee to find 6hilip. >hen they fo+nd him, Ces+s said to him, 2ollow me. ## 6hilip was from the town of <ethsaida, the same as Andrew and 6eter. #% 6hilip fo+nd 1athanael and told him, >e have fo+nd the man that Aoses wrote a!o+t in the law. The prophets wrote a!o+t him too. $e is Ces+s, the son of Coseph. $e is from 1aEareth. #& <+t 1athanael said to 6hilip, 1aEareth" 9an anything good come from 1aEareth? 6hilip answered, 9ome and see. #' Ces+s saw 1athanael coming toward him and said, This man coming is a tr+e 3sraelite, one yo+ can tr+st. Cohn 1.#(*2.% ' #( 1athanael asked, $ow do yo+ know me? Ces+s answered, 3 saw yo+ when yo+ were +nder the fig tree, !efore 6hilip told yo+ a!o+t me. #) Then 1athanael said, Teacher, yo+ are the Son of God. ;o+ are the Ging of 3srael. %, Ces+s said to him, Do yo+ !elieve this =+st !eca+se 3 said 3 saw yo+ +nder the fig tree? ;o+ will see m+ch greater things than that" %1 Then he said, <elieve me when 3 say that yo+ will all see heaven open. pag. 11,10131#

;o+ will see angels of God going +p and coming down on the Son of Aan. 2 1 Two days later there was a wedding in the town of 9ana in Galilee, and Ces+s mother was there. 2 Ces+s and his followers were also invited. 3 At the wedding there was not eno+gh wine, so Ces+s mother said to him, They have no more wine. # Ces+s answered, Dear woman, why are yo+ telling me this? The right time for me has not yet come. % $is mother said to the servants, Do what he tells yo+. Cohn 2.&*12 ( & There were si4 large stone waterpots there that were +sed !y the Cews in their washing ceremonies. -ach one held a!o+t 2, or 3, gallons. ' Ces+s said to the servants, 2ill the waterpots with water. So they filled them to the top. ( Then he said to them, 1ow dip o+t some water and take it to the man in charge of the feast. So they did what he said. ) Then the man in charge tasted it, !+t the water had !ecome wine. $e did not know where the wine had come from, !+t the servants who !ro+ght the water knew. $e called the !ridegroom 1, and said to him, 6eople always serve the !est wine first. ater, when the g+ests are dr+nk, they serve the cheaper wine. <+t yo+ have saved the !est wine +ntil now. 11 This was the first of all the mirac+lo+s signs Ces+s did. $e did it in the town of 9ana in Galilee. <y this he showed his divine greatness, and his followers !elieved in him. 12 Then Ces+s went to the town of 9aperna+m. $is mother and !rothers Cohn 2.13*1) ) and his followers went with him. They all stayed there a few days. 13 3t was almost time for the Cewish 6assover, so Ces+s went to Cer+salem. 1# There in the Temple area he saw men -asy To .ead /ersion

selling cattle, sheep, and doves. $e saw others sitting at ta!les, e4changing and trading peoples money. 1% Ces+s made a whip with some pieces of rope. Then he forced all these men and the sheep and cattle to leave the Temple area. $e t+rned over the ta!les of the money traders and scattered their money. 1& Then he said to those who were selling pigeons, Take these things o+t of here" Dont make my 2athers ho+se a place for !+ying and selling" 1' This ca+sed his followers to remem!er these words written in the Script+res: Ay strong devotion to yo+r Temple will destroy me. 1( Some Cews said to Ces+s, Show +s a miracle as a sign from God. 6rove that yo+ have the right to do these things. 1) Ces+s answered, Destroy this temple and 3 will !+ild it again in three days. Cohn 2.2,*3.3 1, 2, They answered, 6eople worked #& years to !+ild this Temple" Do yo+ really !elieve yo+ can !+ild it again in three days? 21 <+t the temple Ces+s meant was his own !ody. 22 After he was raised from death, his followers remem!ered that he had said this. So they !elieved the Script+res, and they !elieved what Ces+s said. 23 Ces+s was in Cer+salem for the 6assover festival. Aany people !elieved in him !eca+se they saw the mirac+lo+s signs he did. 2# <+t Ces+s did not tr+st them, !eca+se he knew how all people think. 2% $e did not need anyone to tell him what a person was like. $e already knew. 3 1 There was a man named 1icodem+s, one of the 6harisees. $e was an important Cewish leader. 2 5ne night he came to Ces+s and said, Teacher, we know that yo+ are a teacher sent from God. 1o one can do these mirac+lo+s signs that yo+ do +nless they have Gods help. 3 Ces+s answered, 3 ass+re yo+, pag. 11,20131#

everyone m+st !e !orn again. Anyone Cohn 3.#*1, 11 who is not !orn again cannot !e in Gods kingdom. # 1icodem+s said, $ow can a man who is already old !e !orn again? 9an he go !ack into his mothers wom! and !e !orn a second time? % Ces+s answered, <elieve me when 3 say that everyone m+st !e !orn from water and the Spirit. Anyone who is not !orn from water and the Spirit cannot enter Gods kingdom. & The only life people get from their h+man parents is physical. <+t the new life that the Spirit gives a person is spirit+al. ' Dont !e s+rprised that 3 told yo+, ;o+ m+st !e !orn again. ( The wind !lows wherever it wants to. ;o+ hear it, !+t yo+ dont know where it is coming from or where it is going. 3t is the same with everyone who is !orn from the Spirit. ) 1icodem+s asked, $ow is all this possi!le? 1, Ces+s said, ;o+ are an important teacher of 3srael, and yo+ still dont +nderstand these things? Cohn 3.11*1( 12 11 The tr+th is, we talk a!o+t what we know. >e tell a!o+t what we have seen. <+t yo+ people dont accept what we tell yo+. 12 3 have told yo+ a!o+t things here on earth, !+t yo+ do not !elieve me. So 3m s+re yo+ will not !elieve me if 3 tell yo+ a!o+t heavenly things" 13 The only one who has ever gone +p to heaven is the one who came down from heaventhe Son of Aan. 1# Aoses lifted +p the snake in the desert. 3t is the same with the Son of Aan. $e m+st !e lifted +p too. 1% Then everyone who !elieves in him can have eternal life. 1& ;es, God loved the world so m+ch that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who !elieves in him wo+ld not !e lost !+t have eternal life. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' God sent his Son into the world. $e did not send him to =+dge the world g+ilty, !+t to save the world thro+gh him. 1( 6eople who !elieve in Gods Son are not =+dged g+ilty. <+t people who do not !elieve are already =+dged, !eca+se they have not !elieved in Gods only Son. Cohn 3.1)*2& 13 1) They are =+dged !y this fact: The light has come into the world. <+t they did not want light. They wanted darkness, !eca+se they were doing evil things. 2, -veryone who does evil hates the light. They will not come to the light, !eca+se the light will show all the !ad things they have done. 21 <+t anyone who follows the tr+e way comes to the light. Then the light will show that whatever they have done was done thro+gh God. 22 After this, Ces+s and his followers went into the area of C+dea. There he stayed with his followers and !aptiEed people. 23 Cohn was also !aptiEing people in Aenon, a place near Salim with plenty of water. 6eople were going there to !e !aptiEed. 2# This was !efore Cohn was p+t in prison. 2% Some of Cohns followers had an arg+ment with another Cew a!o+t religio+s washing. 2& Then they came to Cohn and said, Teacher, remem!er the man who was with yo+ on the other side of the Cordan Cohn 3.2'*33 1# .iver? $e is the one yo+ were telling everyone a!o+t. $e is also !aptiEing people, and many are going to him. 2' Cohn answered, A person can receive only what God gives. 2( ;o+ yo+rselves heard me say, 3 am not the Aessiah. 3 am only the one God sent to prepare the way for him. 2) The !ride always !elongs to the !ridegroom. The friend who helps the !ridegroom =+st waits and listens. $e is happy =+st to hear the !ridegroom talk. pag. 11,30131#

Thats how 3 feel now. 3 am so happy that he is here. 3, $e m+st !ecome more and more important, and 3 m+st !ecome less important. 31 The one who comes from a!ove is greater than all others. The one who is from the earth !elongs to the earth. $e talks a!o+t things that are on the earth. <+t the one who comes from heaven is greater than all others. 32 $e tells what he has seen and heard, !+t people dont accept what he says. 33 >hoever accepts what he says has given proof that God speaks the tr+th. Cohn 3.3#*#.& 1% 3# God sent him, and he tells people what God says. God gives him the Spirit f+lly. 3% The 2ather loves the Son and has given him power over everything. 3& >hoever !elieves in the Son has eternal life. <+t those who do not o!ey the Son will never have that life. They cannot get away from Gods anger. 4 1 Ces+s learned that the 6harisees had heard the report that he was making and !aptiEing more followers than Cohn. 2 7<+t really, Ces+s himself did not !aptiEe anyoneF his followers !aptiEed people for him.8 3 So he left C+dea and went !ack to Galilee. # 5n the way to Galilee, he had to go thro+gh the co+ntry of Samaria. % 3n Samaria Ces+s came to the town called Sychar, which is near the field that Caco! gave to his son Coseph. & Caco!s well was there. Ces+s was tired from his long trip, so he was sitting !eside the well. 3t was a!o+t noon. Cohn #.'*1# 1& ' A Samaritan woman came to the well to get some water, and Ces+s said to her, 6lease give me a drink. ( This happened while his followers were in town !+ying some food. ) The woman answered, 3 am s+rprised that yo+ ask me for a drink" ;o+ are a -asy To .ead /ersion

Cew and 3 am a Samaritan woman" 7Cews have nothing to do with Samaritans.8 1, Ces+s answered, ;o+ dont know what God can give yo+. And yo+ dont know who 3 am, the one who asked yo+ for a drink. 3f yo+ knew, yo+ wo+ld have asked me, and 3 wo+ld have given yo+ living water. 11 The woman said, Sir, where will yo+ get that living water? The well is very deep, and yo+ have nothing to get water with. 12 Are yo+ greater than o+r ancestor Caco!? $e is the one who gave +s this well. $e drank from it himself, and his sons and all his animals drank from it too. 13 Ces+s answered, -veryone who drinks this water will !e thirsty again. 1# <+t anyone who drinks the water 3 give will never !e thirsty again. The Cohn #.1%*22 1' water 3 give people will !e like a spring flowing inside them. 3t will !ring them eternal life. 1% The woman said to Ces+s, Sir, give me this water. Then 3 will never !e thirsty again and wont have to come !ack here to get more water. 1& Ces+s told her, Go get yo+r h+s!and and come !ack. 1' The woman answered, <+t 3 have no h+s!and. Ces+s said to her, ;o+ are right to say yo+ have no h+s!and. 1( Thats !eca+se, altho+gh yo+ have had five h+s!ands, the man yo+ live with now is not yo+r h+s!and. That m+ch was the tr+th. 1) The woman said, Sir, 3 can see that yo+ are a prophet. 2, 5+r fathers worshiped on this mo+ntain. <+t yo+ Cews say that Cer+salem is the place where people m+st worship. 21 Ces+s said, <elieve me, woman" The time is coming when yo+ will not have to !e in Cer+salem or on this mo+ntain to worship the 2ather. 22 There is so m+ch yo+ Samaritans dont +nderstand a!o+t the one yo+ pag. 11,#0131#

Cohn #.23*2( 1( worship. >e Cews worship him with a f+ller +nderstanding, since his way of saving the world has come thro+gh the Cews. 23 <+t the time is coming when the tr+e worshipers will worship the 2ather in spirit and tr+th. 3n fact, that time is now here. And these are the kind of people the 2ather wants to !e his worshipers. 2# God is spirit. So the people who worship him m+st worship in spirit and tr+th. 2% The woman said, 3 know that the Aessiah is coming. >hen he comes, he will e4plain everything to +s. 7Aessiah is the one we call 9hrist.8 2& Then Ces+s said, $e is talking to yo+ now3 am the Aessiah. 2' C+st then Ces+s followers came !ack from town. They were s+rprised !eca+se they saw Ces+s talking with a woman. <+t none of them asked, >hat do yo+ want? or >hy are yo+ talking with her? 2( Then the woman left her water =ar and went !ack to town. She told the people there, Cohn #.2)*3& 1) 2) A man told me everything 3 have ever done. 9ome see him. Aay!e he is the Aessiah. 3, So the people left the town and went to see Ces+s. 31 >hile the woman was in town, Ces+s followers were !egging him, Teacher, eat something" 32 <+t Ces+s answered, 3 have food to eat that yo+ know nothing a!o+t. 33 So the followers asked each other, Did someone already !ring him some food? 3# Ces+s said, Ay food is to do what the one who sent me wants me to do. Ay food is to finish the work that he gave me to do. 3% >hen yo+ plant, yo+ always say, 2o+r more months to wait !efore we gather the grain. <+t 3 tell yo+, open yo+r eyes and look at the fields. They are ready for harvesting now. -asy To .ead /ersion

3& -ven now, the people who harvest the crop are !eing paid. They are !ringing in those who will have eternal life. So now the people who plant can !e happy together with those who harvest. Cohn #.3'*#% 2, 3' 3t is tr+e when we say, 5ne person plants, !+t another person harvests the crop. 3( 3 sent yo+ to harvest a crop that yo+ did not work for. 5thers did the work, and yo+ get the profit from their work. 3) Aany of the Samaritans in that town !elieved in Ces+s. They !elieved !eca+se of what the woman had told them a!o+t him. She had told them, $e told me everything 3 have ever done. #, The Samaritans went to Ces+s. They !egged him to stay with them. So he stayed there two days. #1 Aany more people !ecame !elievers !eca+se of the things he said. #2 The people said to the woman, 2irst we !elieved in Ces+s !eca+se of what yo+ told +s. <+t now we !elieve !eca+se we heard him o+rselves. >e know now that he really is the one who will save the world. #3 Two days later Ces+s left and went to Galilee. ## 7Ces+s had said !efore that a prophet is not respected in his own co+ntry.8 #% >hen he arrived in Galilee, the people there welcomed him. They had !een at Cohn #.#&*%2 21 the 6assover festival in Cer+salem and had seen everything he did there. #& Ces+s went to visit 9ana in Galilee again. 9ana is where he had changed the water into wine. 5ne of the kings important officials lived in the city of 9aperna+m. This mans son was sick. #' The man heard that Ces+s had come from C+dea and was now in Galilee. So he went to Ces+s and !egged him to come to 9aperna+m and heal his son, who was almost dead. #( Ces+s said to him, ;o+ people m+st see mirac+lo+s signs and wonders !efore yo+ will !elieve in me. pag. 11,%0131#

#) The kings official said, Sir, come !efore my little son dies. %, Ces+s answered, Go. ;o+r son will live. The man !elieved what Ces+s told him and went home. %1 5n the way home, the mans servants came and met him. They said, ;o+r son is well. %2 The man asked, >hat time did my son !egin to get well? They answered, 3t was a!o+t one oclock yesterday when the fever left him. Cohn #.%3*%.' 22 %3 The father knew that one oclock was the same time that Ces+s had said, ;o+r son will live. So the man and everyone in his ho+se !elieved in Ces+s. %# That was the second mirac+lo+s sign that Ces+s did after coming from C+dea to Galilee. 5 1 ater, Ces+s went to Cer+salem for a special Cewish festival. 2 3n Cer+salem there is a pool with five covered porches. 3n Aramaic it is called <ethEatha. This pool is near the Sheep Gate. 3 Aany sick people were lying on the porches !eside the pool. Some of them were !lind, some were crippled, and some were paralyEed. # MM-A6T;NN % 5ne of the men lying there had !een sick for 3( years. & Ces+s saw him lying there and knew that he had !een sick for a very long time. So he asked him, Do yo+ want to !e well? ' The sick man answered, Sir, there is no one to help me get into the water when it starts moving. 3 try to !e the first one into the water. <+t when 3 try, Cohn %.(*1% 23 someone else always goes in !efore 3 can. ( Then Ces+s said, Stand +p" 6ick +p yo+r mat and walk. ) 3mmediately the man was well. $e picked +p his mat and started walking. The day all this happened was a Sa!!ath day. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, So some Cews said to the man who had !een healed, Today is the Sa!!ath. 3t is against o+r law for yo+ to carry yo+r mat on the Sa!!ath day. 11 <+t he answered, The man who made me well told me, 6ick +p yo+r mat and walk. 12 They asked him, >ho is the man who told yo+ to pick +p yo+r mat and walk? 13 <+t the man who had !een healed did not know who it was. There were many people there, and Ces+s had left. 1# ater, Ces+s fo+nd the man at the Temple and said to him, See, yo+ are well now. <+t stop sinning or something worse may happen to yo+" 1% Then the man left and went !ack to the Cews who J+estioned him. $e told them that Ces+s was the one who made him well. Cohn %.1&*23 2# 1& Ces+s was doing all this on the Sa!!ath day. So these Cews !egan trying to make tro+!le for him. 1' <+t he said to them, Ay 2ather never stops working, and so 3 work too. 1( This made them try harder to kill him. They said, 2irst this man was !reaking the law a!o+t the Sa!!ath day. Then he said that God is his 2ather" $e is making himself eJ+al with God" 1) <+t Ces+s answered, 3 ass+re yo+ that the Son can do nothing alone. $e does only what he sees his 2ather doing. The Son does the same things that the 2ather does. 2, The 2ather loves the Son and shows him everything he does. This man was healed. <+t the 2ather will show the Son greater things than this to do. Then yo+ will all !e amaEed. 21 The 2ather raises the dead and gives them life. 3n the same way, the Son gives life to those he wants to. 22 Also, the 2ather =+dges no one. $e has given the Son power to do all the =+dging. 23 God did this so that all people will respect the Son the same as they respect Cohn %.2#*3, 2% pag. 11,&0131#

the 2ather. Anyone who does not respect the Son does not respect the 2ather. $e is the one who sent the Son. 2# 3 ass+re yo+, anyone who hears what 3 say and !elieves in the one who sent me has eternal life. They will not !e =+dged g+ilty. They have already left death and have entered into life. 2% <elieve me, an important time is coming. That time is already here. 6eople who are dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 2& ife comes from the 2ather himself. So the 2ather has also allowed the Son to give life. 2' And the 2ather has given him the power to =+dge all people !eca+se he is the Son of Aan. 2( Dont !e s+rprised at this. A time is coming when all people who are dead and in their graves will hear his voice. 2) Then they will come o+t of their graves. Those who did good in this life will rise and have eternal life. <+t those who did evil will rise to !e =+dged g+ilty. 3, 3 can do nothing alone. 3 =+dge only the way 3 am told. And my =+dgment is Cohn %.31*3( 2& right, !eca+se 3 am not trying to please myself. 3 want only to please the one who sent me. 31 3f 3 tell people a!o+t myself, they cannot !e s+re that what 3 say is tr+e. 32 <+t there is someone else who tells people a!o+t me, and 3 know that what he says a!o+t me is tr+e. 33 ;o+ sent men to Cohn, and he told yo+ what is tr+e. 3# 3 dont need anyone to tell people a!o+t me, !+t 3 remind yo+ of what Cohn said so that yo+ can !e saved. 3% Cohn was like a lamp that !+rned and gave light, and yo+ were happy to en=oy his light for a while. 3& <+t 3 have a proof a!o+t myself that is greater than anything Cohn said. The things 3 do are my proof. These are what my 2ather gave me to do. They show that the 2ather sent me. -asy To .ead /ersion

3' And the 2ather who sent me has given proof a!o+t me himself. <+t yo+ have never heard his voice. ;o+ have never seen what he looks like. 3( The 2athers teaching does not live in yo+, !eca+se yo+ dont !elieve in the one the 2ather sent. Cohn %.3)*#' 2' 3) ;o+ caref+lly st+dy the Script+res. ;o+ think that they give yo+ eternal life. These same Script+res tell a!o+t me" #, <+t yo+ ref+se to come to me to have that life. #1 3 dont want praise from yo+ or any other h+man. #2 <+t 3 know yo+3 know that yo+ have no love for God. #3 3 have come from my 2ather and speak for him, !+t yo+ dont accept me. <+t when other people come speaking only for themselves, yo+ accept them. ## ;o+ like to have praise from each other. <+t yo+ never try to get the praise that comes from the only God. So how can yo+ !elieve? #% Dont think that 3 will !e the one to stand !efore the 2ather and acc+se yo+. Aoses is the one to acc+se yo+. And he is the one yo+ hoped wo+ld save yo+. #& 3f yo+ really !elieved Aoses, yo+ wo+ld !elieve me, !eca+se he wrote a!o+t me. #' <+t yo+ dont !elieve what he wrote, so yo+ cant !elieve what 3 say. Cohn &.1*) 2( 6 1 ater, Ces+s went across ake Galilee 7also known as ake Ti!erias8. 2 A great crowd of people followed him !eca+se they saw the mirac+lo+s signs he did in healing the sick. 3 Ces+s went +p into the hills and sat there with his followers. # 3t was almost the time for the Cewish 6assover festival. % Ces+s looked +p and saw a crowd of people coming toward him. $e said to 6hilip, >here can we !+y eno+gh !read for all these people to eat? & $e asked 6hilip this J+estion to pag. 11,'0131#

test him. Ces+s already knew what he planned to do. ' 6hilip answered, >e wo+ld all have to work a month to !+y eno+gh !read for each person here to have only a little piece" ( Another follower there was Andrew, the !rother of Simon 6eter. Andrew said, ) $ere is a !oy with five loaves of !arley !read and two little fish. <+t that is not eno+gh for so many people. Cohn &.1,*1' 2) 1, Ces+s said, Tell everyone to sit down. This was a place with a lot of grass, and a!o+t %,,, men sat down there. 11 Ces+s took the loaves of !read and gave thanks for them. Then he gave them to the people who were waiting to eat. $e did the same with the fish. $e gave them as m+ch as they wanted. 12 They all had plenty to eat. >hen they finished, Ces+s said to his followers, Gather the pieces of fish and !read that were not eaten. Dont waste anything. 13 So they gathered +p the pieces that were left. The people had started eating with only five loaves of !arley !read. <+t the followers filled twelve large !askets with the pieces of food that were left. 1# The people saw this mirac+lo+s sign that Ces+s did and said, $e m+st !e the 6rophet who is coming into the world. 1% Ces+s knew that the people planned to come get him and make him their king. So he left and went !ack into the hills alone. 1& That evening Ces+s followers went down to the lake. 1' 3t was dark now, and Ces+s had not yet come !ack to them. They got into a Cohn &.1(*23 3, !oat and started going across the lake to 9aperna+m. 1( The wind was !lowing very hard, and the waves on the lake were !ecoming !igger. 1) They rowed the !oat a!o+t three or fo+r miles. Then they saw Ces+s. $e was walking on the water, coming to the !oat. They were afraid. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, <+t he said to them, Dont !e afraid. 3ts me. 21 >hen he said this, they were glad to take him into the !oat. And then the !oat reached the shore at the place they wanted to go. 22 The ne4t day came. Some people had stayed on the other side of the lake. They knew that Ces+s did not go with his followers in the !oat. They knew that the followers had left in the !oat alone. And they knew it was the only !oat that was there. 23 <+t then some !oats from Ti!erias came and landed near the place where the people had eaten the day !efore. This was where they had eaten the !read after the ord gave thanks. Cohn &.2#*3, 31 2# The people saw that Ces+s and his followers were not there now. So they got into the !oats and went to 9aperna+m to find Ces+s. 2% The people fo+nd Ces+s on the other side of the lake. They asked him, Teacher, when did yo+ come here? 2& $e answered, >hy are yo+ looking for me? 3s it !eca+se yo+ saw mirac+lo+s signs? The tr+th is, yo+ are looking for me !eca+se yo+ ate the !read and were satisfied. 2' <+t earthly food spoils and r+ins. So dont work to get that kind of food. <+t work to get the food that stays good and gives yo+ eternal life. The Son of Aan will give yo+ that food. $e is the only one J+alified !y God the 2ather to give it to yo+. 2( The people asked Ces+s, >hat does God want +s to do? 2) Ces+s answered, The work God wants yo+ to do is this: to !elieve in the one he sent. 3, So the people asked, >hat mirac+lo+s sign will yo+ do for +s? 3f we can see yo+ do a miracle, then we will !elieve yo+. >hat will yo+ do? Cohn &.31*3) 32 31 5+r ancestors were given manna to eat in the desert. As the Script+res say, pag. 11,(0131#

$e gave them !read from heaven to eat. 32 Ces+s said, 3 can ass+re yo+ that Aoses was not the one who gave yo+r people !read from heaven. <+t my 2ather gives yo+ the tr+e !read from heaven. 33 Gods !read is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 3# The people said, Sir, from now on give +s !read like that. 3% Then Ces+s said, 3 am the !read that gives life. 1o one who comes to me will ever !e h+ngry. 1o one who !elieves in me will ever !e thirsty. 3& 3 told yo+ !efore that yo+ have seen me, and still yo+ dont !elieve. 3' The 2ather gives me my people. -very one of them will come to me. 3 will always accept them. 3( 3 came down from heaven to do what God wants, not what 3 want. 3) 3 m+st not lose anyone God has given me. <+t 3 m+st raise them +p on the last day. This is what the one who sent me wants me to do. Cohn &.#,*#' 33 #, -veryone who sees the Son and !elieves in him has eternal life. 3 will raise them +p on the last day. This is what my 2ather wants. #1 Some Cews !egan to complain a!o+t Ces+s !eca+se he said, 3 am the !read that comes down from heaven. #2 They said, This is Ces+s. >e know his father and mother. $e is only Cosephs son. $ow can he say, 3 came down from heaven? #3 <+t Ces+s said, Stop complaining to each other. ## The 2ather is the one who sent me, and he is the one who !rings people to me. 3 will raise them +p on the last day. Anyone the 2ather does not !ring to me cannot come to me. #% 3t is written in the prophets: God will teach them all. 6eople listen to the 2ather and learn from him. They are the ones who come to me. #& 3 dont mean that there is anyone who -asy To .ead /ersion

has seen the 2ather. The only one who has ever seen the 2ather is the one who came from God. #' 3 can ass+re yo+ that anyone who !elieves has eternal life. Cohn &.#(*%& 3# #( 3 am the !read that gives life. #) ;o+r ancestors ate the manna God gave them in the desert, !+t it didnt keep them from dying. %, $ere is the !read that comes down from heaven. >hoever eats this !read will never die. %1 3 am the living !read that came down from heaven. >hoever eats this !read will live forever. This !read is my !ody. 3 will give my !ody so that the people in the world can have life. %2 Then the Cews !egan to arg+e among themselves. They said, $ow can this man give +s his !ody to eat? %3 Ces+s said, <elieve me when 3 say that yo+ m+st eat the !ody of the Son of Aan, and yo+ m+st drink his !lood. 3f yo+ dont do this, yo+ have no real life. %# Those who eat my !ody and drink my !lood have eternal life. 3 will raise them +p on the last day. %% Ay !ody is tr+e food, and my !lood is tr+e drink. %& Those who eat my !ody and drink my !lood live in me, and 3 live in them. Cohn &.%'*&# 3% %' The 2ather sent me. $e lives, and 3 live !eca+se of him. So everyone who eats me will live !eca+se of me. %( 3 am not like the !read that yo+r ancestors ate. They ate that !read, !+t they still died. 3 am the !read that came down from heaven. >hoever eats this !read will live forever. %) Ces+s said all this while he was teaching in the synagog+e in the city of 9aperna+m. &, >hen Ces+s followers heard this, many of them said, This teaching is too hard. >ho can accept it? &1 Ces+s already knew that his followers were complaining a!o+t this. So he said, 3s this teaching a pro!lem for yo+? pag. 11,)0131#

&2 Then what wo+ld yo+ think if yo+ saw the Son of Aan going +p to where he came from? &3 3t is the Spirit that gives life. The !ody is of no val+e for that. <+t the things 3 have told yo+ are from the Spirit, so they give life. &# <+t some of yo+ dont !elieve. 7Ces+s knew the people who did not !elieve. $e knew this from the !eginning. And he Cohn &.&%*'.2 3& knew the one who wo+ld hand him over to his enemies.8 &% Ces+s said, That is why 3 said, Anyone the 2ather does not help to come to me cannot come. && After Ces+s said these things, many of his followers left and stopped following him. &' Ces+s asked the twelve apostles, Do yo+ want to leave too? &( Simon 6eter answered him, ord, where wo+ld we go? ;o+ have the words that give eternal life. &) >e !elieve in yo+. >e know that yo+ are the $oly 5ne from God. ', Then Ces+s answered, 3 chose all twelve of yo+. <+t one of yo+ is a devil. '1 $e was talking a!o+t C+das, the son of Simon 3scariot. C+das was one of the twelve apostles, !+t later he wo+ld hand Ces+s over to his enemies. 7 1 After this, Ces+s traveled aro+nd the co+ntry of Galilee. $e did not want to travel in C+dea, !eca+se the Cewish leaders there wanted to kill him. 2 3t was time for the Cewish 2estival of Shelters. Cohn '.3*11 3' 3 So his !rothers said to him, ;o+ sho+ld leave here and go to the festival in C+dea. Then yo+r followers there can see the miracles yo+ do. # 3f yo+ want to !e well known, yo+ m+st not hide what yo+ do. 3f yo+ can do s+ch amaEing things, let the whole world see. % Ces+s !rothers said this !eca+se even they did not !elieve in him. & Ces+s said to them, The right time for -asy To .ead /ersion

me has not yet come, !+t any time is right for yo+ to go. ' The world cannot hate yo+. <+t the world hates me, !eca+se 3 tell the people in the world that they do evil things. ( So yo+ go to the festival. 3 will not go now, !eca+se the right time for me has not yet come. ) After Ces+s said this, he stayed in Galilee. 1, So his !rothers left to go to the festival. After they left, Ces+s went too, !+t he did not let people see him. 11 At the festival the Cewish leaders were looking for him. They said, >here is that man? Cohn '.12*1( 3( 12 There was a large gro+p of people there. Aany of them were talking secretly to each other a!o+t Ces+s. Some people said, $e is a good man. <+t others said, 1o, he fools the people. 13 <+t no one was !rave eno+gh to talk a!o+t him openly. They were afraid of the Cewish leaders. 1# >hen the festival was a!o+t half finished, Ces+s went to the Temple area and !egan to teach. 1% The Cewish leaders were amaEed and said, $ow did this man learn so m+ch? $e never had the kind of teaching we had" 1& Ces+s answered, >hat 3 teach is not my own. Ay teaching comes from the one who sent me. 1' 6eople who really want to do what God wants will know that my teaching comes from God. They will know that this teaching is not my own. 1( 3f 3 ta+ght my own ideas, 3 wo+ld =+st !e trying to get honor for myself. <+t if 3 am trying to !ring honor to the one who sent me, 3 can !e tr+sted. Anyone doing that is not going to lie. Cohn '.1)*2& 3) 1) Aoses gave yo+ the law, right? <+t yo+ dont o!ey that law. 3f yo+ do, then why are yo+ trying to kill me? 2, The people answered, A demon is making yo+ craEy" >e are not trying to pag. 111,0131#

kill yo+. 21 Ces+s said to them, 3 did one miracle on a Sa!!ath day, and yo+ were all s+rprised. 22 <+t yo+ o!ey the law Aoses gave yo+ a!o+t circ+mcision and sometimes yo+ do it on a Sa!!ath day. 7<+t really, Aoses is not the one who gave yo+ circ+mcision. 3t came from o+r ancestors who lived !efore Aoses.8 ;es, yo+ often circ+mcise !a!y !oys on a Sa!!ath day. 23 This shows that someone can !e circ+mcised on a Sa!!ath day to o!ey the aw of Aoses. So why are yo+ angry with me for healing a persons whole !ody on the Sa!!ath day? 2# Stop =+dging !y the way things look. <e fair and =+dge !y what is really right. 2% Then some of the people who lived in Cer+salem said, This is the man they are trying to kill. 2& <+t he is teaching where everyone can see and hear him. And no one is Cohn '.2'*32 #, trying to stop him from teaching. Aay!e the leaders have decided that he really is the Aessiah. 2' <+t when the real Aessiah comes, no one will know where he comes from. And we know where this mans home is. 2( So, as Ces+s contin+ed to teach in the Temple area, he said lo+dly, Do yo+ really know me and where 3 am from? 3 am here, !+t not !y my own decision. 3 was sent !y one who is very real. <+t yo+ dont know him. 2) 3 know him !eca+se 3 am from him. $e is the one who sent me. 3, >hen Ces+s said this, the people tried to gra! him. <+t no one was a!le even to to+ch him, !eca+se the right time for him had not yet come. 31 <+t many of the people !elieved in Ces+s. They said, >e are waiting for the Aessiah to come. >hen he comes, will he do more mirac+lo+s signs than this man has done? 32 The 6harisees heard what the people were saying a!o+t Ces+s. So the leading priests and the 6harisees sent some -asy To .ead /ersion

Temple police to arrest him. Cohn '.33*3) #1 33 Then Ces+s said, 3 will !e with yo+ a little while longer. Then 3 will go !ack to the one who sent me. 3# ;o+ will look for me, !+t yo+ will not find me. And yo+ cannot come where 3 am. 3% These Cews said to each other, >here will this man go that we cannot find him? >ill he go to the Greek cities where o+r people live? >ill he teach the Greek people there? 3& $e says, ;o+ will look for me, !+t yo+ will not find me. $e also says, ;o+ cannot come where 3 am. >hat does this mean? 3' The last day of the festival came. 3t was the most important day. 5n that day Ces+s stood +p and said lo+dly, >hoever is thirsty may come to me and drink. 3( 3f anyone !elieves in me, rivers of living water will flow o+t from their heart. That is what the Script+res say. 3) Ces+s was talking a!o+t the Spirit. The Spirit had not yet !een given to people, !eca+se Ces+s had not yet !een raised to glory. <+t later, those who !elieved in Ces+s wo+ld receive the Spirit. Cohn '.#,*#( #2 #, >hen the people heard the things that Ces+s said, some of them said, This man really is the 6rophet. #1 5ther people said, $e is the Aessiah. And others said, The Aessiah will not come from Galilee. #2 The Script+res say that the Aessiah will come from the family of David. And they say that he will come from <ethlehem, the town where David lived. #3 So the people did not agree with each other a!o+t Ces+s. ## Some of the people wanted to arrest him. <+t no one tried to do it. #% The Temple police went !ack to the leading priests and the 6harisees. The priests and the 6harisees asked, >hy didnt yo+ !ring Ces+s? #& The Temple police answered, >e have pag. 11110131#

never heard anyone say s+ch amaEing things" #' The 6harisees answered, So he has fooled yo+ too" #( ;o+ dont see any of the leaders or any of +s 6harisees !elieving in him, do yo+? Cohn '.#)*(.# #3 #) <+t those people o+t there know nothing a!o+t the law. They are +nder Gods c+rse" %, <+t 1icodem+s was there in that gro+p. $e was the one who had gone to see Ces+s !efore. $e said, %1 5+r law will not let +s =+dge anyone witho+t first hearing them and finding o+t what they have done. %2 The Cewish leaders answered, ;o+ m+st !e from Galilee too" St+dy the Script+res. ;o+ will find nothing a!o+t a prophet coming from Galilee. %3 Then they all left and went home. 8 1 <+t Ces+s went to the Ao+nt of 5lives. 2 -arly in the morning he went !ack to the Temple area. The people all came to him, and he sat and ta+ght them. 3 The teachers of the law and the 6harisees !ro+ght a woman they had ca+ght in !ed with a man who was not her h+s!and. They forced her to stand in front of the people. # They said to Ces+s, Teacher, this woman was ca+ght in the act of ad+ltery. Cohn (.%*12 ## % The aw of Aoses commands +s to stone to death any s+ch woman. >hat do yo+ say we sho+ld do? & They were saying this to trick Ces+s. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong that they co+ld +se as a charge against him. <+t Ces+s stooped down and started writing on the gro+nd with his finger. ' The Cewish leaders contin+ed to ask him their J+estion. So he stood +p and said, Anyone here who has never sinned sho+ld throw the first stone at her. ( Then Ces+s stooped down again and wrote on the gro+nd. -asy To .ead /ersion

) >hen they heard this, they !egan to leave one !y one. The older men left first, and then the others. Ces+s was left alone with the woman standing there in front of him. 1, $e looked +p again and said to her, >here did they all go? Did no one =+dge yo+ g+ilty? 11 She answered, 1o one, sir. Then Ces+s said, 3 dont =+dge yo+ either. ;o+ can go now, !+t dont sin again. 12 ater, Ces+s talked to the people again. $e said, 3 am the light of the Cohn (.13*1) #% world. >hoever follows me will never live in darkness. They will have the light that gives life. 13 <+t the 6harisees said to Ces+s, >hen yo+ talk a!o+t yo+rself, yo+ are the only one to say that these things are tr+e. So we cannot accept what yo+ say. 1# Ces+s answered, ;es, 3 am saying these things a!o+t myself. <+t people can !elieve what 3 say, !eca+se 3 know where 3 came from. And 3 know where 3 am going. <+t yo+ dont know where 3 came from or where 3 am going. 1% ;o+ =+dge me the way people =+dge other people. 3 dont =+dge anyone. 1& <+t if 3 =+dge, my =+dging is tr+e, !eca+se when 3 =+dge 3 am not alone. The 2ather who sent me is with me. 1' ;o+r own law says that when two witnesses say the same thing, yo+ m+st accept what they say. 1( 3 am one of the witnesses who speaks a!o+t myself. And the 2ather who sent me is my other witness. 1) The people asked, >here is yo+r father? Ces+s answered, ;o+ dont know me or my 2ather. <+t if yo+ knew me, yo+ wo+ld know my 2ather too. Cohn (.2,*2& #& 2, Ces+s said these things while he was teaching in the Temple area, near the place where the Temple offerings were collected. <+t no one arrested him, !eca+se the right time for him had not yet come. 21 Again, Ces+s said to the people, 3 will pag. 11120131#

leave yo+. ;o+ will look for me, !+t yo+ will die witho+t forgiveness for yo+r sin. ;o+ cannot come where 3 am going. 22 So the Cewish leaders asked themselves, >ill he kill himself? 3s that why he said, ;o+ cannot come where 3 am going? 23 <+t Ces+s said to them, ;o+ people are from here !elow, !+t 3 am from a!ove. ;o+ !elong to this world, !+t 3 dont !elong to this world. 2# 3 told yo+ that yo+ wo+ld die witho+t forgiveness for yo+r sins. ;es, if yo+ dont !elieve that 3 AA, yo+ will die witho+t forgiveness for yo+r sins. 2% They asked, Then who are yo+? Ces+s answered, 3 am what 3 have told yo+ from the !eginning. 2& 3 have m+ch more 3 co+ld say to =+dge yo+. <+t 3 tell people only what 3 Cohn (.2'*3# #' have heard from the one who sent me, and he speaks the tr+th. 2' They did not +nderstand who he was talking a!o+t. $e was telling them a!o+t the 2ather. 2( So he said to them, ;o+ will lift +p the Son of Aan. Then yo+ will know that 3 AA. ;o+ will know that whatever 3 do is not !y my own a+thority. ;o+ will know that 3 say only what the 2ather has ta+ght me. 2) The one who sent me is with me. 3 always do what pleases him. So he has not left me alone. 3, >hile he was saying these things, many people !elieved in him. 31 So Ces+s said to the Cews who !elieved in him, 3f yo+ contin+e to accept and o!ey my teaching, yo+ are really my followers. 32 ;o+ will know the tr+th, and the tr+th will make yo+ free. 33 They answered, >e are A!rahams descendants. And we have never !een slaves. So why do yo+ say that we will !e free? 3# Ces+s said, The tr+th is, everyone living a sinf+l life is a slavea slave to sin. Cohn (.3%*#2 #( -asy To .ead /ersion

3% A slave does not stay with a family forever. <+t a son !elongs to the family forever. 3& So if the Son makes yo+ free, yo+ are really free. 3' 3 know yo+ are A!rahams descendants. <+t yo+ want to kill me, !eca+se yo+ dont want to accept my teaching. 3( 3 am telling yo+ what my 2ather has shown me. <+t yo+ do what yo+r father has told yo+. 3) They said, 5+r father is A!raham. Ces+s said, 3f yo+ were really A!rahams descendants, yo+ wo+ld do what A!raham did. #, 3 am someone who has told yo+ the tr+th 3 heard from God. <+t yo+ are trying to kill me. A!raham did nothing like that. #1 So yo+ are doing what yo+r own father did. <+t they said, >e are not like children who never knew who their father was. God is o+r 2ather. $e is the only 2ather we have. #2 Ces+s said to them, 3f God were really yo+r 2ather, yo+ wo+ld love me. 3 came Cohn (.#3*#) #) from God, and now 3 am here. 3 did not come !y my own a+thority. God sent me. #3 ;o+ dont +nderstand the things 3 say, !eca+se yo+ cannot accept my teaching. ## ;o+r father is the devil. ;o+ !elong to him. ;o+ want to do what he wants. $e was a m+rderer from the !eginning. $e was always against the tr+th. There is no tr+th in him. $e is like the lies he tells. ;es, the devil is a liar. $e is the father of lies. #% 3 am telling yo+ the tr+th, and thats why yo+ dont !elieve me. #& 9an any of yo+ prove that 3 am g+ilty of sin? 3f 3 tell the tr+th, why dont yo+ !elieve me? #' >hoever !elongs to God accepts what he says. <+t yo+ dont accept what God says, !eca+se yo+ dont !elong to God. #( The Cews there answered, >e say yo+ are a Samaritan. >e say a demon is pag. 11130131#

making yo+ craEy" Are we not right when we say this? #) Ces+s answered, 3 have no demon in me. 3 give honor to my 2ather, !+t yo+ give no honor to me. Cohn (.%,*%' %, %, 3 am not trying to get honor for myself. There is one who wants this honor for me. $e is the =+dge. %1 3 promise yo+, whoever contin+es to o!ey my teaching will never die. %2 The Cews said to Ces+s, 1ow we know that yo+ have a demon in yo+" -ven A!raham and the prophets died. <+t yo+ say, >hoever o!eys my teaching will never die. %3 Do yo+ think yo+ are greater than o+r father A!raham? $e died, and so did the prophets. >ho do yo+ think yo+ are? %# Ces+s answered, 3f 3 give honor to myself, that honor is worth nothing. The one who gives me honor is my 2ather. And yo+ say that he is yo+r God. %% <+t yo+ dont really know him. 3 know him. 3f 3 said 3 did not know him, 3 wo+ld !e a liar like yo+. <+t 3 do know him, and 3 o!ey what he says. %& ;o+r father A!raham was very happy that he wo+ld see the day when 3 came. $e saw that day and was happy. %' The Cews said to Ces+s, >hat? $ow can yo+ say yo+ have seen A!raham? ;o+ are not even %, years old" Cohn (.%(*).' %1 %( Ces+s answered, The fact is, !efore A!raham was !orn, 3 AA. %) >hen he said this, they picked +p stones to throw at him. <+t Ces+s hid, and then he left the Temple area. 9 1 >hile Ces+s was walking, he saw a man who had !een !lind since the time he was !orn. 2 Ces+s followers asked him, Teacher, why was this man !orn !lind? >hose sin made it happen? >as it his own sin or that of his parents? 3 Ces+s answered, 3t was not any sin of this man or his parents that ca+sed him to !e !lind. $e was !orn !lind so that he co+ld !e +sed to show what great things -asy To .ead /ersion

God can do. # >hile it is daytime, we m+st contin+e doing the work of the one who sent me. The night is coming, and no one can work at night. % >hile 3 am in the world, 3 am the light of the world. & After Ces+s said this, he spit on the dirt, made some m+d and p+t it on the mans eyes. ' Ces+s told him, Go and wash in Siloam pool. 7Siloam means Sent.8 So the man Cohn ).(*1% %2 went to the pool, washed and came !ack. $e was now a!le to see. ( $is neigh!ors and some others who had seen him !egging said, ook" 3s this the same man who always sits and !egs? ) Some people said, ;es" $e is the one. <+t others said, 1o, he cant !e the same man. $e only looks like him. So the man himself said, 3 am that same man. 1, They asked, >hat happened? $ow did yo+ get yo+r sight? 11 $e answered, The man they call Ces+s made some m+d and p+t it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So 3 went there and washed. And then 3 co+ld see. 12 They asked him, >here is this man? $e answered, 3 dont know. 13 Then the people !ro+ght the man to the 6harisees. 1# The day Ces+s had made m+d and healed the mans eyes was a Sa!!ath day. 1% So the 6harisees asked the man, $ow did yo+ get yo+r sight? $e answered, $e p+t m+d on my eyes. 3 washed, and now 3 can see. Cohn ).1&*22 %3 1& Some of the 6harisees said, That man does not o!ey the law a!o+t the Sa!!ath day. So he is not from God. 5thers said, <+t someone who is a sinner cannot do these mirac+lo+s signs. So they co+ld not agree with each other. 1' They asked the man again, Since it was yo+r eyes he healed, what do yo+ say a!o+t him? $e answered, $e is a pag. 111#0131#

prophet. 1( The Cewish leaders still did not !elieve that this really happened to the manthat he was !lind and was now healed. <+t later they sent for his parents. 1) They asked them, 3s this yo+r son? ;o+ say he was !orn !lind. So how can he see? 2, $is parents answered, >e know that this man is o+r son. And we know that he was !orn !lind. 21 <+t we dont know why he can see now. >e dont know who healed his eyes. Ask him. $e is old eno+gh to answer for himself. 22 They said this !eca+se they were afraid of the Cewish leaders. The leaders had already decided that they wo+ld p+nish anyone who said Ces+s was the Cohn ).23*3, %# Aessiah. They wo+ld stop them from coming to the synagog+e. 23 That is why his parents said, $e is old eno+gh. Ask him. 2# So the Cewish leaders called the man who had !een !lind. They told him to come in again. They said, ;o+ sho+ld honor God and tell +s the tr+th. >e know that this man is a sinner. 2% The man answered, 3 dont know if he is a sinner. <+t 3 do know this: 3 was !lind, and now 3 can see. 2& They asked, >hat did he do to yo+? $ow did he heal yo+r eyes? 2' $e answered, 3 have already told yo+ that. <+t yo+ wo+ld not listen to me. >hy do yo+ want to hear it again? Do yo+ want to !e his followers too? 2( At this they sho+ted ins+lts at him and said, ;o+ are his follower, not +s" >e are followers of Aoses. 2) >e know that God spoke to Aoses. <+t we dont even know where this man comes from" 3, The man answered, This is really strange" ;o+ dont know where he comes from, !+t he healed my eyes. Cohn ).31*3) %% 31 >e all know that God does not listen to sinners, !+t he will listen to anyone -asy To .ead /ersion

who worships and o!eys him. 32 This is the first time we have ever heard of anyone healing the eyes of someone !orn !lind. 33 So he m+st !e from God. 3f he were not from God, he co+ld not do anything like this. 3# The Cewish leaders answered, ;o+ were !orn f+ll of sin" Are yo+ trying to teach +s? And they told the man to get o+t of the synagog+e and to stay o+t. 3% >hen Ces+s heard that they had forced the man to leave, he fo+nd him and asked him, Do yo+ !elieve in the Son of Aan? 3& The man said, Tell me who he is, sir, so 3 can !elieve in him. 3' Ces+s said to him, ;o+ have already seen him. The Son of Aan is the one talking with yo+ now. 3( The man answered, ;es, 3 !elieve, ord" Then he !owed and worshiped Ces+s. 3) Ces+s said, 3 came into this world so that the world co+ld !e =+dged. 3 came so that people who are !lind co+ld see. Cohn ).#,*1,.# %& And 3 came so that people who think they see wo+ld !ecome !lind. #, Some of the 6harisees were near Ces+s. They heard him say this. They asked, >hat? Are yo+ saying that we are !lind too? #1 Ces+s said, 3f yo+ were really !lind, yo+ wo+ld not !e g+ilty of sin. <+t yo+ say that yo+ see, so yo+ are still g+ilty. 10 1 Ces+s said, 3t is certainly tr+e that when a man enters the sheep pen, he sho+ld +se the gate. 3f he clim!s in some other way, he is a ro!!er. $e is trying to steal the sheep. 2 <+t the man who takes care of the sheep enters thro+gh the gate. $e is the shepherd. 3 The man who g+ards the gate opens the gate for the shepherd. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. $e calls his own sheep, +sing their names, and he leads them o+t. # $e !rings all of his sheep o+t. Then he pag. 111%0131#

goes ahead of them and leads them. The sheep follow him, !eca+se they know his voice. Cohn 1,.%*12 %' % <+t sheep will never follow someone they dont know. They will r+n away from him, !eca+se they dont know his voice. & Ces+s told the people this story, !+t they did not +nderstand what it meant. ' So Ces+s said again, 3 ass+re yo+, 3 am the gate for the sheep. ( All those who came !efore me were thieves and ro!!ers. The sheep did not listen to them. ) 3 am the gate. >hoever enters thro+gh me will !e saved. They will !e a!le to come in and go o+t. They will find everything they need. 1, A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. <+t 3 came to give lifelife that is f+ll and good. 11 3 am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd. The paid worker does not own the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he r+ns away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. Cohn 1,.13*21 %( 13 The man r+ns away !eca+se he is only a paid worker. $e does not really care for the sheep. 1# 3 am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. 3 know my sheep =+st as the 2ather knows me. And my sheep know me =+st as 3 know the 2ather. 3 give my life for these sheep. 1% 71,:1#8 1& 3 have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. 3 m+st lead them also. They will listen to my voice. 3n the f+t+re there will !e one flock and one shepherd. 1' The 2ather loves me !eca+se 3 give my life. 3 give my life so that 3 can get it !ack again. 1( 1o one takes my life away from me. 3 give my own life freely. 3 have the right -asy To .ead /ersion

to give my life, and 3 have the right to get it !ack again. This is what the 2ather told me. 1) Again the Cews were divided over what Ces+s was saying. 2, Aany of them said, A demon has come into him and made him craEy. >hy listen to him? 21 <+t others said, These arent the words of someone controlled !y a Cohn 1,.22*31 %) demon. A demon cannot heal the eyes of a !lind man. 22 3t was winter, and the time came for the 2estival of Dedication at Cer+salem. 23 Ces+s was in the Temple area at Solomons 6orch. 2# The Cewish leaders gathered aro+nd him. They said, $ow long will yo+ make +s wonder a!o+t yo+? 3f yo+ are the Aessiah, then tell +s clearly. 2% Ces+s answered, 3 told yo+ already, !+t yo+ did not !elieve. 3 do miracles in my 2athers name. These miracles show who 3 am. 2& <+t yo+ do not !elieve, !eca+se yo+ are not my sheep. 2' Ay sheep listen to my voice. 3 know them, and they follow me. 2( 3 give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them o+t of my hand. 2) Ay 2ather is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. 1o one can steal my sheep o+t of his hand. 3, The 2ather and 3 are one. 31 Again the Cews there picked +p stones to kill Ces+s. Cohn 1,.32*3) &, 32 <+t he said to them, The many wonderf+l things yo+ have seen me do are from the 2ather. >hich of these good things are yo+ killing me for? 33 They answered, >e are not killing yo+ for any good thing yo+ did. <+t yo+ say things that ins+lt God. ;o+ are only a man, !+t yo+ say yo+ are the same as God" That is why we are trying to kill yo+" 3# Ces+s answered, 3t is written in yo+r pag. 111&0131#

law that God said, 3 said yo+ are gods. 3% This Script+re called those people godsthe people who received Gods message. And Script+re is always tr+e. 3& So why do yo+ acc+se me of ins+lting God for saying, 3 am Gods Son? 3 am the one God chose and sent into the world. 3' 3f 3 dont do what my 2ather does, then dont !elieve what 3 say. 3( <+t if 3 do what my 2ather does, yo+ sho+ld !elieve in what 3 do. ;o+ might not !elieve in me, !+t yo+ sho+ld !elieve in the things 3 do. Then yo+ will know and +nderstand that the 2ather is in me and 3 am in the 2ather. 3) They tried again to arrest Ces+s, !+t he escaped from them. Cohn 1,.#,*11.% &1 #, Then he went !ack across the Cordan .iver to the place where Cohn !egan his work of !aptiEing people. Ces+s stayed there, #1 and many people came to him. They said, Cohn never did any mirac+lo+s signs, !+t everything Cohn said a!o+t this man is tr+e. #2 And many people there !elieved in Ces+s. 11 1 There was a man named aEar+s who was sick. $e lived in the town of <ethany, where Aary and her sister Aartha lived. 2 7Aary is the same woman who p+t perf+me on the ord and wiped his feet with her hair.8 Aarys !rother was aEar+s, the man who was now sick. 3 So Aary and Aartha sent someone to tell Ces+s, ord, yo+r dear friend aEar+s is sick. # >hen Ces+s heard this he said, The end of this sickness will not !e death. 1o, this sickness is for the glory of God. This has happened to !ring glory to the Son of God. % Ces+s loved Aartha and her sister and aEar+s. Cohn 11.&*1# &2 & So when he heard that aEar+s was sick, he stayed where he was two more days -asy To .ead /ersion

' and then said to his followers, >e sho+ld go !ack to C+dea. ( They answered, <+t Teacher, those Cews there tried to stone yo+ to death. That was only a short time ago. 1ow yo+ want to go !ack there? ) Ces+s answered, There are twelve ho+rs of light in the day. >hoever walks in the day will not st+m!le and fall !eca+se they can see with the light from the s+n. 1, <+t whoever walks at night will st+m!le !eca+se there is no light. 11 Then Ces+s said, 5+r friend aEar+s is now sleeping, !+t 3 am going there to wake him. 12 The followers answered, <+t, ord, if he can sleep, he will get well. 13 They tho+ght Ces+s meant that aEar+s was literally sleeping, !+t he really meant that aEar+s was dead. 1# So then Ces+s said plainly, aEar+s is dead. Cohn 11.1%*2# &3 1% And 3 am glad 3 was not there. 3 am happy for yo+ !eca+se now yo+ will !elieve in me. >e will go to him now. 1& Then Thomas, the one called Twin, said to the other followers, >e will go too. >e will die there with Ces+s. 1' Ces+s arrived in <ethany and fo+nd that aEar+s had already !een dead and in the tom! for fo+r days. 1( <ethany was a!o+t two miles from Cer+salem. 1) Aany Cews had come to see Aartha and Aary. They came to comfort them a!o+t their !rother aEar+s. 2, >hen Aartha heard that Ces+s was coming, she went o+t to greet him. <+t Aary stayed home. 21 Aartha said to Ces+s, ord, if yo+ had !een here, my !rother wo+ld not have died. 22 <+t 3 know that even now God will give yo+ anything yo+ ask. 23 Ces+s said, ;o+r !rother will rise and !e alive again. 2# Aartha answered, 3 know that he will rise to live again at the time of the pag. 111'0131#

res+rrection on the last day. Cohn 11.2%*32 &# 2% Ces+s said to her, 3 am the res+rrection. 3 am life. -veryone who !elieves in me will have life, even if they die. 2& And everyone who lives and !elieves in me will never really die. Aartha, do yo+ !elieve this? 2' Aartha answered, ;es, ord. 3 !elieve that yo+ are the Aessiah, the Son of God. ;o+ are the one who was coming to the world. 2( After Aartha said these things, she went !ack to her sister Aary. She spoke to Aary alone and said, The Teacher is here. $e is asking for yo+. 2) >hen Aary heard this, she immediately left to go where he was. 3, $e had not yet come into the village. $e was still at the place where Aartha met him. 31 The Cews who were in the ho+se comforting Aary saw her get +p and leave J+ickly. They tho+ght she was going to the tom! to cry there. So they followed her. 32 Aary went to the place where Ces+s was. >hen she saw him, she !owed at Cohn 11.33*#1 &% his feet and said, ord, if yo+ had !een here, my !rother wo+ld not have died. 33 >hen Ces+s saw Aary crying and the people with her crying too, he was very +pset and deeply tro+!led. 3# $e asked, >here did yo+ p+t him? They said, ord, come and see. 3% Ces+s cried. 3& And the Cews said, ook" $e loved aEar+s very m+ch" 3' <+t some of them said, Ces+s healed the eyes of the !lind man. >hy didnt he help aEar+s and stop him from dying? 3( Again feeling very +pset, Ces+s came to the tom!. 3t was a cave with a large stone covering the entrance. 3) $e said, Aove the stone away. Aartha said, <+t, ord, it has !een fo+r days since aEar+s died. There will !e a !ad smell. Aartha was the sister of the dead -asy To .ead /ersion

man. #, Then Ces+s said to her, .emem!er what 3 told yo+? 3 said that if yo+ !elieved, yo+ wo+ld see Gods divine greatness. #1 So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Ces+s looked +p and Cohn 11.#2*#( && said, 2ather, 3 thank yo+ that yo+ heard me. #2 3 know that yo+ always hear me. <+t 3 said these things !eca+se of the people here aro+nd me. 3 want them to !elieve that yo+ sent me. #3 After Ces+s said this he called in a lo+d voice, aEar+s, come o+t" ## The dead man came o+t. $is hands and feet were wrapped with pieces of cloth. $e had a handkerchief covering his face. Ces+s said to the people, Take off the cloth and let him go. #% There were many Cews who came to visit Aary. >hen they saw what Ces+s did, many of them !elieved in him. #& <+t some of them went to the 6harisees and told them what Ces+s did. #' Then the leading priests and 6harisees called a meeting of the high co+ncil. They said, >hat sho+ld we do? This man is doing many mirac+lo+s signs. #( 3f we let him contin+e doing these things, everyone will !elieve in him. Then the .omans will come and take control of o+r Temple and o+r nation. Cohn 11.#)*%% &' #) 5ne of the men there was 9aiaphas. $e was the high priest that year. $e said, ;o+ people know nothing" %, 3t is !etter for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to !e destroyed. <+t yo+ dont realiEe this. %1 9aiaphas did not think of this himself. As that years high priest, he was really prophesying that Ces+s wo+ld die for the Cewish people. %2 ;es, he wo+ld die for the Cewish people. <+t he wo+ld also die for Gods other children scattered all over the world. $e wo+ld die to !ring them all pag. 111(0131#

together and make them one people. %3 That day the Cewish leaders !egan planning to kill Ces+s. %# So Ces+s stopped traveling aro+nd openly among the Cews. $e went away to a town called -phraim in an area near the desert. $e stayed there with his followers. %% 3t was almost time for the Cewish 6assover festival. Aany people from the co+ntry went to Cer+salem !efore the 6assover. They went to do the special things to make themselves p+re for the festival. Cohn 11.%&*12.% &( %& The people looked for Ces+s. They stood in the Temple area and asked each other, 3s he coming to the festival? >hat do yo+ think? %' <+t the leading priests and the 6harisees had given a special order a!o+t Ces+s. They said that anyone who knew where he was m+st tell them so that they co+ld arrest him. 12 1 Si4 days !efore the 6assover festival, Ces+s went to <ethany. That is where aEar+s lived, the man Ces+s raised from death. 2 There they had a dinner for Ces+s. Aartha served the food, and aEar+s was one of the people eating with Ces+s. 3 Aary !ro+ght in a pint of e4pensive perf+me made of p+re nard. She po+red the perf+me on Ces+s feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the sweet smell from the perf+me filled the whole ho+se. # C+das 3scariot, one of Ces+s followers, was therethe one who wo+ld later hand Ces+s over to his enemies. C+das said, % That perf+me was worth a f+ll years pay. 3t sho+ld have !een sold, and the Cohn 12.&*12 &) money sho+ld have !een given to the poor people. & <+t C+das did not really care a!o+t the poor. $e said this !eca+se he was a thief. $e was the one who kept the money!ag for the gro+p of followers, and he often stole money from it. -asy To .ead /ersion

' Ces+s answered, Dont stop her. 3t was right for her to save this perf+me for todaythe day for me to !e prepared for !+rial. ( ;o+ will always have those who are poor with yo+. <+t yo+ will not always have me. ) Aany of the Cews heard that Ces+s was in <ethany, so they went there to see him. They also went there to see aEar+s, the one Ces+s raised from death. 1, So the leading priests made plans to kill aEar+s too. 11 <eca+se of him, many Cews were leaving them and !elieving in Ces+s. That is why they wanted to kill aEar+s too. 12 The ne4t day the people in Cer+salem heard that Ces+s was coming there. These were the crowds of people who had come to the 6assover festival. Cohn 12.13*1) ', 13 They took !ranches of palm trees and went o+t to meet Ces+s. They sho+ted, 6raise $im" >elcome" God !less the one who comes in the name of the ord" God !less the Ging of 3srael" 1# Ces+s fo+nd a donkey and rode on it, as the Script+res say, 1% Do not !e afraid, people of Bion" ook" ;o+r king is coming. $e is riding on a yo+ng donkey. 1& The followers of Ces+s did not +nderstand at that time what was happening. <+t after he was raised to glory, they +nderstood that this was written a!o+t him. Then they remem!ered that they had done these things for him. 1' There were many people with Ces+s when he raised aEar+s from death and told him to come o+t of the tom!. 1ow they were telling others a!o+t what Ces+s did. 1( Thats why so many people went o+t to meet him!eca+se they had heard a!o+t this mirac+lo+s sign he did. 1) So the 6harisees said to each other, ook" 5+r plan is not working. The people are all following him" pag. 111)0131#

Cohn 12.2,*2' '1 2, There were some Greeks there too. These were some of the people who went to Cer+salem to worship at the 6assover festival. 21 They went to 6hilip, who was from <ethsaida in Galilee. They said, Sir, we want to meet Ces+s. 22 6hilip went and told Andrew. Then Andrew and 6hilip went and told Ces+s. 23 Ces+s said to them, The time has come for the Son of Aan to receive his glory. 2# 3t is a fact that a grain of wheat m+st fall to the gro+nd and die !efore it can grow and prod+ce m+ch more wheat. 3f it never dies, it will never !e more than a single seed. 2% Those who love the life they have now will lose it. <+t whoever is willing to give +p their life in this world will keep it. They will have eternal life. 2& >hoever wants to serve me m+st follow me. ;es, my servants m+st !e with me everywhere 3 am. Ay 2ather will give honor to anyone who serves me. 2' 1ow 3 am very tro+!led. >hat sho+ld 3 say? Sho+ld 3 say, 2ather save me from Cohn 12.2(*3% '2 this time of s+ffering? 1o, 3 came to this time so that 3 co+ld s+ffer. 2( 2ather, do what will !ring yo+ glory" Then a voice came from heaven, 3 have already !ro+ght glory to myself. 3 will do it again. 2) The people standing there heard the voice. They said it was th+nder. <+t others said, An angel spoke to him" 3, Ces+s said, That voice was for yo+ and not for me. 31 1ow is the time for the world to !e =+dged. 1ow the r+ler of this world will !e thrown o+t. 32 3 will !e lifted +p from the earth. >hen that happens, 3 will draw all people to myself. 33 Ces+s said this to show how he wo+ld die. 3# The people said, <+t o+r law says that the Aessiah will live forever. So why -asy To .ead /ersion

do yo+ say, The Son of Aan m+st !e lifted +p? >ho is this Son of Aan? 3% Then Ces+s said, The light will !e with yo+ for only a short time more. So walk while yo+ have the light. Then the darkness will not catch yo+. 6eople who Cohn 12.3&*#2 '3 walk in the darkness dont know where they are going. 3& So p+t yo+r tr+st in the light while yo+ still have it. Then yo+ will !e children of light. >hen Ces+s finished saying these things, he went away to a place where the people co+ld not find him. 3' The people saw all these mirac+lo+s signs Ces+s did, !+t they still did not !elieve in him. 3( This was to give f+ll meaning to what 3saiah the prophet said: ord, who !elieved what we told them? >ho has seen the ords power? 3) This is why the people co+ld not !elieve. <eca+se 3saiah also said, #, God made the people !lind. $e closed their minds. $e did this so that they wo+ld not see with their eyes and +nderstand with their minds. $e did it so that they wo+ld not t+rn and !e healed. #1 3saiah said this !eca+se he saw Ces+s divine greatness. So he spoke a!o+t him. #2 <+t many people !elieved in Ces+s. -ven many of the Cewish leaders !elieved in him, !+t they were afraid of the 6harisees, so they did not say openly Cohn 12.#3*%, '# that they !elieved. They were afraid they wo+ld !e ordered to stay o+t of the synagog+e. #3 They loved praise from people more than praise from God. ## Then Ces+s said lo+dly, -veryone who !elieves in me is really !elieving in the one who sent me. #% -veryone who sees me is really seeing the one who sent me. #& 3 came into this world as a light. 3 came so that everyone who !elieves in me will not stay in darkness. #' 3 did not come into the world to =+dge pag. 112,0131#

people. 3 came to save the people in the world. So 3 am not the one who =+dges those who hear my teaching and do not o!ey. #( <+t there is a =+dge for all those who ref+se to !elieve in me and do not accept what 3 say. The message 3 have spoken will =+dge them on the last day. #) That is !eca+se what 3 ta+ght was not from myself. The 2ather who sent me told me what to say. -very word 3 speak is from him. %, And 3 know that whatever he says to do will !ring eternal life. So the things 3 Cohn 13.1*% '% say are e4actly what the 2ather told me to say. 13 1 3t was almost time for the Cewish 6assover festival. Ces+s knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go !ack to the 2ather. Ces+s had always loved the people in the world who were his. 1ow was the time he showed them his love the most. 2 Ces+s and his followers were at the evening meal. The devil had already pers+aded C+das 3scariot to hand Ces+s over to his enemies. 7C+das was the son of Simon.8 3 The 2ather had given Ces+s power over everything. Ces+s knew this. $e also knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he was going !ack to God. # So while they were eating, Ces+s stood +p and took off his ro!e. $e got a towel and wrapped it aro+nd his waist. % Then he po+red water into a !owl and !egan to wash the followers feet. $e dried their feet with the towel that was wrapped aro+nd his waist. Cohn 13.&*13 '& & $e came to Simon 6eter. <+t 6eter said to him, ord, why wo+ld yo+ wash my feet? ' Ces+s answered, ;o+ dont know what 3 am doing now. <+t later yo+ will +nderstand. ( 6eter said, 1o" ;o+ will never wash my feet. Ces+s answered, 3f 3 dont wash -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+r feet, yo+ are not one of my people. ) Simon 6eter said, ord, after yo+ wash my feet, wash my hands and my head too" 1, Ces+s said, After a person has a !ath, his whole !ody is clean. $e needs only to wash his feet. And yo+ are clean, !+t not all of yo+. 11 Ces+s knew who wo+ld hand him over to his enemies. That is why he said, 1ot all of yo+ are clean. 12 >hen Ces+s finished washing their feet, he p+t on his clothes and went !ack to the ta!le. $e asked, Do yo+ +nderstand what 3 did for yo+? 13 ;o+ call me Teacher. And yo+ call me ord. And this is right, !eca+se that is what 3 am. Cohn 13.1#*21 '' 1# 3 am yo+r ord and Teacher. <+t 3 washed yo+r feet. So yo+ also sho+ld wash each others feet. 1% 3 did this as an e4ample for yo+. So yo+ sho+ld serve each other =+st as 3 served yo+. 1& <elieve me, servants are not greater than their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them. 1' 3f yo+ know these things, great !lessings will !e yo+rs if yo+ do them. 1( 3 am not talking a!o+t all of yo+. 3 know the people 3 have chosen. <+t what the Script+res say m+st happen: The man who shared my food has t+rned against me. 1) 3 am telling yo+ this now !efore it happens. Then when it happens, yo+ will !elieve that 3 AA. 2, 3 ass+re yo+, whoever accepts the person 3 send also accepts me. And whoever accepts me also accepts the one who sent me. 21 After Ces+s said these things, he felt very tro+!led. $e said openly, <elieve me when 3 say that one of yo+ will hand me over to my enemies. Cohn 13.22*2) '( 22 $is followers all looked at each other. They did not +nderstand who Ces+s was pag. 11210131#

talking a!o+t. 23 5ne of the followers was ne4t to Ces+s and was leaning close to him. This was the one Ces+s loved very m+ch. 2# Simon 6eter made signs to this follower to ask Ces+s who he was talking a!o+t. 2% That follower leaned closer to Ces+s and asked, ord, who is it? 2& Ces+s answered him, 3 will dip this !read into the dish. The man 3 give it to is the one. So Ces+s took a piece of !read, dipped it, and gave it to C+das 3scariot, the son of Simon. 2' >hen C+das took the !read, Satan entered him. Ces+s said to C+das, >hat yo+ will dodo it J+ickly" 2( 1o one at the ta!le +nderstood why Ces+s said this to C+das. 2) Since C+das was the one in charge of the money, some of them tho+ght that Ces+s meant for him to go and !+y some things they needed for the feast. 5r they tho+ght that Ces+s wanted him to go give something to the poor. Cohn 13.3,*3( ') 3, C+das ate the !read Ces+s gave him. Then he immediately went o+t. 3t was night. 31 >hen C+das was gone, Ces+s said, 1ow is the time for the Son of Aan to receive his glory. And God will receive glory thro+gh him. 32 3f God receives glory thro+gh him, he will give glory to the Son thro+gh himself. And that will happen very soon. 33 Ces+s said, Ay children, 3 will !e with yo+ only a short time more. ;o+ will look for me, !+t 3 tell yo+ now what 3 told the Cewish leaders: >here 3 am going yo+ cannot come. 3# 3 give yo+ a new command: ove each other. ;o+ m+st love each other =+st as 3 loved yo+. 3% All people will know that yo+ are my followers if yo+ love each other. 3& Simon 6eter asked Ces+s, ord, where are yo+ going? Ces+s answered, >here 3 am going yo+ cannot follow now. <+t yo+ will follow later. -asy To .ead /ersion

3' 6eter asked, ord, why cant 3 follow yo+ now? 3 am ready to die for yo+" 3( Ces+s answered, >ill yo+ really give yo+r life for me? The tr+th is, !efore the Cohn 1#.1*) (, rooster crows, yo+ will say three times that yo+ dont know me. 14 1 Ces+s said, Dont !e tro+!led. Tr+st in God, and tr+st in me. 2 There are many rooms in my 2athers ho+se. 3 wo+ld not tell yo+ this if it were not tr+e. 3 am going there to prepare a place for yo+. 3 After 3 go and prepare a place for yo+, 3 will come !ack. Then 3 will take yo+ with me, so that yo+ can !e where 3 am. # ;o+ know the way to the place where 3 am going. % Thomas said, ord, we dont know where yo+ are going, so how can we know the way? & Ces+s answered, 3 am the way, the tr+th, and the life. The only way to the 2ather is thro+gh me. ' 3f yo+ really knew me, yo+ wo+ld know my 2ather too. <+t now yo+ know the 2ather. ;o+ have seen him. ( 6hilip said to him, ord, show +s the 2ather. That is all we need. ) Ces+s answered, 6hilip, 3 have !een with yo+ for a long time. So yo+ sho+ld know me. Anyone who has seen me has Cohn 1#.1,*1& (1 seen the 2ather too. So why do yo+ say, Show +s the 2ather? 1, Dont yo+ !elieve that 3 am in the 2ather and the 2ather is in me? The things 3 have told yo+ dont come from me. The 2ather lives in me, and he is doing his own work. 11 <elieve me when 3 say that 3 am in the 2ather and the 2ather is in me. 5r !elieve !eca+se of the miracles 3 have done. 12 3 can ass+re yo+ that whoever !elieves in me will do the same things 3 have done. And they will do even greater things than 3 have done, !eca+se 3 am going to the 2ather. 13 And if yo+ ask for anything in my pag. 11220131#

name, 3 will do it for yo+. Then the 2athers glory will !e shown thro+gh the Son. 1# 3f yo+ ask me for anything in my name, 3 will do it. 1% 3f yo+ love me, yo+ will do what 3 command. 1& 3 will ask the 2ather, and he will give yo+ another $elper to !e with yo+ forever. Cohn 1#.1'*2# (2 1' The $elper is the Spirit of tr+th. The people of the world cannot accept him, !eca+se they dont see him or know him. <+t yo+ know him. $e lives with yo+, and he will !e in yo+. 1( 3 will not leave yo+ all alone like orphans. 3 will come !ack to yo+. 1) 3n a very short time the people in the world will not see me anymore. <+t yo+ will see me. ;o+ will live !eca+se 3 live. 2, 5n that day yo+ will know that 3 am in the 2ather. ;o+ will know that yo+ are in me and 3 am in yo+. 21 Those who really love me are the ones who not only know my commands !+t also o!ey them. Ay 2ather will love s+ch people, and 3 will love them. 3 will make myself known to them. 22 Then C+das 7not C+das 3scariot8 said, ord, how will yo+ make yo+rself known to +s, !+t not to the world? 23 Ces+s answered, All who love me will o!ey my teaching. Ay 2ather will love them. Ay 2ather and 3 will come to them and live with them. 2# <+t anyone who does not love me does not o!ey my teaching. This Cohn 1#.2%*31 (3 teaching that yo+ hear is not really mine. 3t is from my 2ather who sent me. 2% 3 have told yo+ all these things while 3 am with yo+. 2& <+t the $elper will teach yo+ everything and ca+se yo+ to remem!er all that 3 told yo+. This $elper is the $oly Spirit that the 2ather will send in my name. 2' 3 leave yo+ peace. 3t is my own peace 3 give yo+. 3 give yo+ peace in a different -asy To .ead /ersion

way than the world does. So dont !e tro+!led. Dont !e afraid. 2( ;o+ heard me say to yo+, 3 am leaving, !+t 3 will come !ack to yo+. 3f yo+ loved me, yo+ wo+ld !e happy that 3 am going !ack to the 2ather, !eca+se the 2ather is greater than 3 am. 2) 3 have told yo+ this now, !efore it happens. Then when it happens, yo+ will !elieve. 3, 3 will not talk with yo+ m+ch longer. The r+ler of this world is coming. $e has no power over me. 31 <+t the world m+st know that 3 love the 2ather. So 3 do e4actly what the 2ather told me to do. 9ome now, lets go. Cohn 1%.1*' (# 15 1 Ces+s said, 3 am the tr+e vine, and my 2ather is the gardener. 2 $e c+ts off every !ranch of mine that does not prod+ce fr+it. $e also trims every !ranch that prod+ces fr+it to prepare it to prod+ce even more. 3 ;o+ have already !een prepared to prod+ce more fr+it !y the teaching 3 have given yo+. # Stay =oined to me and 3 will stay =oined to yo+. 1o !ranch can prod+ce fr+it alone. 3t m+st stay connected to the vine. 3t is the same with yo+. ;o+ cannot prod+ce fr+it alone. ;o+ m+st stay =oined to me. % 3 am the vine, and yo+ are the !ranches. 3f yo+ stay =oined to me, and 3 to yo+, yo+ will prod+ce plenty of fr+it. <+t separated from me yo+ wont !e a!le to do anything. & 3f yo+ dont stay =oined to me, yo+ will !e like a !ranch that has !een thrown o+t and has dried +p. All the dead !ranches like that are gathered +p, thrown into the fire and !+rned. ' Stay =oined together with me, and follow my teachings. 3f yo+ do this, yo+ Cohn 1%.(*1& (% can ask for anything yo+ want, and it will !e given to yo+. ( Show that yo+ are my followers !y prod+cing m+ch fr+it. This will !ring honor to my 2ather. pag. 11230131#

) 3 have loved yo+ as the 2ather has loved me. 1ow contin+e in my love. 1, 3 have o!eyed my 2athers commands, and he contin+es to love me. 3n the same way, if yo+ o!ey my commands, 3 will contin+e to love yo+. 11 3 have told yo+ these things so that yo+ can have the tr+e happiness that 3 have. 3 want yo+ to !e completely happy. 12 This is what 3 command yo+: ove each other as 3 have loved yo+. 13 The greatest love people can show is to die for their friends. 1# ;o+ are my friends if yo+ do what 3 tell yo+ to do. 1% 3 no longer call yo+ servants, !eca+se servants dont know what their master is doing. <+t now 3 call yo+ friends, !eca+se 3 have told yo+ everything that my 2ather told me. 1& ;o+ did not choose me. 3 chose yo+. And 3 gave yo+ this work: to go and prod+ce fr+itfr+it that will last. Then the Cohn 1%.1'*23 (& 2ather will give yo+ anything yo+ ask for in my name. 1' This is my command: ove each other. 1( 3f the world hates yo+, remem!er that they hated me first. 1) 3f yo+ !elonged to the world, the world wo+ld love yo+ as it loves its own people. <+t 3 have chosen yo+ to !e different from those in the world. So yo+ dont !elong to the world, and that is why the world hates yo+. 2, .emem!er the lesson 3 told yo+: Servants are not greater than their master. 3f people treated me !adly, they will treat yo+ !adly too. And if they o!eyed my teaching, they will o!ey yo+rs too. 21 They will do to yo+ whatever they did to me, !eca+se yo+ !elong to me. They dont know the one who sent me. 22 3f 3 had not come and spoken to the people of the world, they wo+ld not !e g+ilty of sin. <+t now 3 have spoken to them. So they have no e4c+se for their sin. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 >hoever hates me also hates my 2ather. Cohn 1%.2#*1&.3 (' 2# 3 did things among the people of the world that no one else has ever done. 3f 3 had not done those things, they wo+ld not !e g+ilty of sin. <+t they have seen what 3 did, and still they hate me and my 2ather. 2% <+t this happened to make clear the f+ll meaning of what is written in their law: They hated me for no reason. 2& 3 will send yo+ the $elper from the 2ather. The $elper is the Spirit of tr+th who comes from the 2ather. >hen he comes, he will tell a!o+t me. 2' And yo+ will tell people a!o+t me too, !eca+se yo+ have !een with me from the !eginning. 16 1 3 have told yo+ all this so that yo+ wont lose yo+r faith when yo+ face tro+!les. 2 6eople will tell yo+ to leave their synagog+es and never come !ack. 3n fact, the time will come when they will think that killing yo+ wo+ld !e doing service for God. 3 They will do this !eca+se they have not known the 2ather, and they have not known me. Cohn 1&.#*1, (( # 3 have told yo+ all this now to prepare yo+. So when the time comes for these things to happen, yo+ will remem!er that 3 warned yo+.3 did not tell yo+ these things at the !eginning, !eca+se 3 was with yo+ then. % 1ow 3 am going !ack to the one who sent me. And none of yo+ asks me, >here are yo+ going? & <+t yo+ are filled with sadness !eca+se 3 have told yo+ all this. ' et me ass+re yo+, it is !etter for yo+ that 3 go away. 3 say this !eca+se when 3 go away 3 will send the $elper to yo+. <+t if 3 did not go, the $elper wo+ld not come. ( >hen the $elper comes, he will show the people of the world how wrong they are a!o+t sin, a!o+t !eing right with pag. 112#0131#

God, and a!o+t =+dgment. ) $e will prove that they are g+ilty of sin, !eca+se they dont !elieve in me. 1, $e will show them how wrong they are a!o+t how to !e right with God. The $elper is the one who will do this, !eca+se 3 am going to the 2ather. ;o+ will not see me then. Cohn 1&.11*1' () 11 And he will show them how wrong their =+dgment is, !eca+se their leader has already !een condemned. 12 3 have so m+ch more to tell yo+, !+t it is too m+ch for yo+ to accept now. 13 <+t when the Spirit of tr+th comes, he will lead yo+ into all tr+th. $e will not speak his own words. $e will speak only what he hears and will tell yo+ what will happen in the f+t+re. 1# The Spirit of tr+th will !ring glory to me !y telling yo+ what he receives from me. 1% All that the 2ather has is mine. That is why 3 said that the Spirit will tell yo+ what he receives from me. 1& After a short time yo+ wont see me. Then after another short time yo+ will see me again. 1' Some of the followers said to each other, >hat does he mean when he says, After a short time yo+ wont see me. Then after another short time yo+ will see me again? And what does he mean when he says, <eca+se 3 am going to the 2ather? Cohn 1&.1(*23 ), 1( They also asked, >hat does he mean !y a short time? >e dont +nderstand what he is saying. 1) Ces+s saw that the followers wanted to ask him a!o+t this. So he said to them, Are yo+ asking each other what 3 meant when 3 said, After a short time yo+ wont see me. Then after another short time yo+ will see me again? 2, The tr+th is, yo+ will cry and !e sad, !+t the world will !e happy. ;o+ will !e sad, !+t then yo+r sadness will change to happiness. 21 >hen a woman gives !irth to a !a!y, -asy To .ead /ersion

she has pain, !eca+se her time has come. <+t when her !a!y is !orn, she forgets the pain. She forgets !eca+se she is so happy that a child has !een !orn into the world. 22 3t is the same with yo+. 1ow yo+ are sad, !+t 3 will see yo+ again, and yo+ will !e happy. ;o+ will have a =oy that no one can take away. 23 3n that day yo+ will not have to ask me a!o+t anything. And 3 ass+re yo+, my 2ather will give yo+ anything yo+ ask him for in my name. Cohn 1&.2#*31 )1 2# ;o+ have never asked for anything in this way !efore. <+t ask in my name, and yo+ will receive. And yo+ will have the f+llest =oy possi!le. 2% 3 have told yo+ these things, +sing words that hide the meaning. <+t the time will come when 3 will not +se words like that to tell yo+ things. 3 will speak to yo+ in plain words a!o+t the 2ather. 2& Then yo+ will !e a!le to ask the 2ather for things in my name. 3 am not saying that 3 will have to ask the 2ather for yo+. 2' The 2ather himself loves yo+ !eca+se yo+ have loved me. And he loves yo+ !eca+se yo+ have !elieved that 3 came from God. 2( 3 came from the 2ather into the world. 1ow 3 am leaving the world and going !ack to the 2ather. 2) Then his followers said, ;o+ are already speaking plainly to +s. ;o+ are not +sing words that hide the meaning. 3, >e can see now that yo+ know all things. ;o+ answer o+r J+estions even !efore we ask them. This makes +s !elieve that yo+ came from God. 31 Ces+s said, So now yo+ !elieve? Cohn 1&.32*1'.% )2 32 isten to me. A time is coming when yo+ will !e scattered, each to his own home. 3n fact, that time is already here. ;o+ will leave me, and 3 will !e alone. <+t 3 am never really alone, !eca+se the 2ather is with me. 33 3 have told yo+ these things so that pag. 112%0131#

yo+ can have peace in me. 3n this world yo+ will have tro+!les. <+t !e !rave" 3 have defeated the world" 17 1 After Ces+s said these things, he looked toward heaven and prayed, 2ather, the time has come. Give glory to yo+r Son so that the Son can give glory to yo+. 2 ;o+ gave the Son power over all people so that he co+ld give eternal life to all those yo+ have given to him. 3 And this is eternal life: that people can know yo+, the only tr+e God, and that they can know Ces+s 9hrist, the one yo+ sent. # 3 finished the work yo+ gave me to do. 3 !ro+ght yo+ glory on earth. % And now, 2ather, give me glory with yo+. Give me the glory 3 had with yo+ !efore the world was made. Cohn 1'.&*12 )3 & ;o+ gave me some people from the world. 3 have shown them what yo+ are like. They !elonged to yo+, and yo+ gave them to me. They have o!eyed yo+r teaching. ' 1ow they know that everything 3 have came from yo+. ( 3 told them the words yo+ gave me, and they accepted them. They realiEed the fact that 3 came from yo+ and !elieved that yo+ sent me. ) 3 pray for them now. 3 am not praying for the people in the world. <+t 3 am praying for these people yo+ gave me, !eca+se they are yo+rs. 1, All 3 have is yo+rs, and all yo+ have is mine. And my glory is seen in them. 11 1ow 3 am coming to yo+. 3 will not stay in the world, !+t these followers of mine are still in the world. $oly 2ather, keep them safe !y the power of yo+r namethe name yo+ gave me. Then they will !e one, =+st as yo+ and 3 are one. 12 >hile 3 was with them, 3 kept them safe !y the power of yo+r namethe name yo+ gave me. 3 protected them. And only one of them was lostthe one who was s+re to !e lost. This was to show the Cohn 1'.13*2, )# -asy To .ead /ersion

tr+th of what the Script+res said wo+ld happen. 13 3 am coming to yo+ now. <+t 3 pray these things while 3 am still in the world. 3 say all this so that these followers can have the tr+e happiness that 3 have. 3 want them to !e completely happy. 1# 3 have given them yo+r teaching. And the world has hated them, !eca+se they dont !elong to the world, =+st as 3 dont !elong to the world. 1% 3 am not asking yo+ to take them o+t of the world. <+t 3 am asking that yo+ keep them safe from the -vil 5ne. 1& They dont !elong to the world, =+st as 3 dont !elong to the world. 1' Aake them ready for yo+r service thro+gh yo+r tr+th. ;o+r teaching is tr+th. 1( 3 have sent them into the world, =+st as yo+ sent me into the world. 1) 3 am making myself completely ready to serve yo+. 3 do this for them, so that they also might !e f+lly J+alified for yo+r service. 2, 3 pray not only for these followers !+t also for those who will !elieve in me !eca+se of their teaching. Cohn 1'.21*2& )% 21 2ather, 3 pray that all who !elieve in me can !e one. ;o+ are in me and 3 am in yo+. 3 pray that they can also !e one in +s. Then the world will !elieve that yo+ sent me. 22 3 have given them the glory that yo+ gave me. 3 gave them this glory so that they can !e one, =+st as yo+ and 3 are one. 23 3 will !e in them, and yo+ will !e in me. So they will !e completely one. Then the world will know that yo+ sent me and that yo+ loved them =+st as yo+ loved me. 2# 2ather, 3 want these people yo+ have given me to !e with me in every place 3 am. 3 want them to see my glorythe glory yo+ gave me !eca+se yo+ loved me !efore the world was made. 2% 2ather, yo+ are the one who always does what is right. The world does not pag. 112&0131#

know yo+, !+t 3 know yo+, and these followers of mine know that yo+ sent me. 2& 3 showed them what yo+ are like, and 3 will show them again. Then they will have the same love that yo+ have for me, and 3 will live in them. Cohn 1(.1*' )& 18 1 >hen Ces+s finished praying, he left with his followers and went across the Gidron /alley. $e went into a garden there, his followers still with him. 2 C+das, the one responsi!le for handing Ces+s over, knew where this place was. $e knew !eca+se Ces+s often met there with his followers. 3 So C+das led a gro+p of soldiers to the garden, along with some g+ards from the leading priests and the 6harisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons. # Ces+s already knew everything that wo+ld happen to him. So he went o+t and asked them, >ho are yo+ looking for? % They answered, Ces+s from 1aEareth. $e said, 3 am Ces+s. 7C+das, the one responsi!le for handing Ces+s over, was standing there with them.8 & >hen Ces+s said, 3 am Ces+s, the men moved !ack and fell to the gro+nd. ' $e asked them again, >ho are yo+ looking for? They said, Ces+s from 1aEareth. Cohn 1(.(*1% )' ( Ces+s said, 3 told yo+ that 3 am Ces+s. So if yo+ are looking for me, let these other men go free. ) This was to show the tr+th of what Ces+s said earlier: 3 have not lost anyone yo+ gave me. 1, Simon 6eter had a sword, which he p+lled o+t. $e str+ck the servant of the high priest and c+t off his right ear. 7The servants name was Aalch+s.8 11 Ces+s said to 6eter, 6+t yo+r sword !ack in its place" 3 m+st drink from the c+p the 2ather has given me. 12 Then the soldiers with their commander and the Cewish g+ards -asy To .ead /ersion

arrested Ces+s. They tied him 13 and !ro+ght him to Annas, the fatherDinDlaw of 9aiaphas. 9aiaphas was the high priest that year. 1# $e was also the one who had told the other Cewish leaders that it wo+ld !e !etter if one man died for all the people. 1% Simon 6eter and another one of Ces+s followers went with Ces+s. This follower knew the high priest. So he went with Ces+s into the yard of the high priests ho+se. Cohn 1(.1&*22 )( 1& <+t 6eter waited o+tside near the door. The follower who knew the high priest came !ack o+tside and spoke to the girl in charge of the gate. Then he !ro+ght 6eter inside. 1' The girl at the gate said to 6eter, Are yo+ also one of the followers of that man? 6eter answered, 1o, 3 am not" 1( 3t was cold, so the servants and g+ards had !+ilt a fire. They were standing aro+nd it, warming themselves, and 6eter was standing with them. 1) The high priest asked Ces+s J+estions a!o+t his followers and what he ta+ght them. 2, Ces+s answered, 3 have always spoken openly to all people. 3 always ta+ght in the synagog+es and in the Temple area. All the Cews come together there. 3 never said anything in secret. 21 So why do yo+ J+estion me? Ask the people who heard my teaching. They know what 3 said. 22 >hen Ces+s said this, one of the g+ards standing there hit him. The g+ard said, ;o+ sho+ld not talk to the high priest like that" Cohn 1(.23*2( )) 23 Ces+s answered, 3f 3 said something wrong, tell everyone here what was wrong. <+t if what 3 said is right, then why do yo+ hit me? 2# So Annas sent Ces+s to 9aiaphas the high priest. $e was still tied. 2% Simon 6eter was standing !y the fire, keeping himself warm. The other people said to 6eter, Arent yo+ one of pag. 112'0131#

the followers of that man? 6eter denied it. $e said, 1o, 3 am not. 2& 5ne of the servants of the high priest was there. $e was a relative of the man whose ear 6eter had c+t off. The servant said, 3 think 3 saw yo+ with him in the garden" 2' <+t again 6eter said, 1o, 3 was not with him" As soon as he said this, a rooster crowed. 2( Then the g+ards took Ces+s from 9aiaphas ho+se to the .oman governors palace. 3t was early in the morning. The Cews there wo+ld not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves +nclean, !eca+se they wanted to eat the 6assover meal. Cohn 1(.2)*3' 1,, 2) So 6ilate went o+tside to them and asked, >hat do yo+ say this man has done wrong? 3, They answered, $e is a !ad man. That is why we !ro+ght him to yo+. 31 6ilate said to them, ;o+ take him yo+rselves and =+dge him !y yo+r own law. The Cewish leaders answered, <+t yo+r law does not allow +s to p+nish anyone !y killing them. 32 7This was to show the tr+th of what Ces+s said a!o+t how he wo+ld die.8 33 Then 6ilate went !ack inside the palace. $e called for Ces+s and asked him, Are yo+ the king of the Cews? 3# Ces+s said, 3s that yo+r own J+estion, or did other people tell yo+ a!o+t me? 3% 6ilate said, 3 am not a Cew" 3t was yo+r own people and their leading priests who !ro+ght yo+ !efore me. >hat have yo+ done wrong? 3& Ces+s said, Ay kingdom does not !elong to this world. 3f it did, my servants wo+ld fight so that 3 wo+ld not !e handed over to the Cewish leaders. 1o, my kingdom is not an earthly one. 3' 6ilate said, So yo+ are a king. Ces+s answered, ;o+ are right to say that 3 am Cohn 1(.3(*1).# 1,1 a king. 3 was !orn for this: to tell people a!o+t the tr+th. That is why 3 came into the world. And everyone who !elongs to -asy To .ead /ersion

the tr+th listens to me. 3( 6ilate said, >hat is tr+th? Then he went o+t to the Cewish leaders again and said to them, 3 can find nothing against this man. 3) <+t it is one of yo+r c+stoms for me to free one prisoner to yo+ at the time of the 6assover. Do yo+ want me to free this king of the Cews? #, They sho+ted !ack, 1o, not him" et <ara!!as go free" 7<ara!!as was a re!el.8 19 1 Then 6ilate ordered that Ces+s !e taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers did what 6ilate ordered. And they made a crown from thorny !ranches and p+t it on his head. Then they p+t a p+rple ro!e aro+nd him. 3 They kept coming +p to him and saying, $ail to the king of the Cews" And they kept hitting him in the face. # Again 6ilate came o+t and said to the Cewish leaders, ook" 3 am !ringi,ng Ces+s o+t to yo+. 3 want yo+ to know that 3 find nothing 3 can charge him with. Cohn 1).%*12 1,2 % Then Ces+s came o+t wearing the crown of thorns and the p+rple ro!e. 6ilate said to the Cews, $ere is the man" & >hen the leading priests and the Cewish g+ards saw Ces+s they sho+ted, Gill him on a cross" Gill him on a cross" <+t 6ilate answered, ;o+ take him and nail him to a cross yo+rselves. 3 find nothing 3 can charge him with. ' The Cewish leaders answered, >e have a law that says he m+st die, !eca+se he said he is the Son of God. ( >hen 6ilate heard this, he was more afraid. ) So he went !ack inside the palace and asked Ces+s, >here are yo+ from? <+t Ces+s did not answer him. 1, 6ilate said, ;o+ ref+se to speak to me? .emem!er, 3 have the power to make yo+ free or to kill yo+ on a cross. 11 Ces+s answered, The only power yo+ have over me is the power given to yo+ !y God. So the one who handed me over to yo+ is g+ilty of a greater sin. pag. 112(0131#

12 After this, 6ilate tried to let Ces+s go free. <+t the Cewish leaders sho+ted, Anyone who makes himself a king is against 9aesar. So if yo+ let this man go Cohn 1).13*1( 1,3 free, that means yo+ are not 9aesars friend. 13 >hen 6ilate heard this, he !ro+ght Ces+s o+t to the place called The Stone 6avement. 73n Aramaic the name is Ga!!atha.8 6ilate sat down on the =+dges seat there. 1# 3t was now almost noon on 6reparation day of 6assover week. 6ilate said to the Cews, $ere is yo+r king" 1% They sho+ted, Take him away" Take him away" Gill him on a cross" 6ilate asked them, Do yo+ want me to kill yo+r king on a cross? The leading priests answered, The only king we have is 9aesar" 1& Then 6ilate handed Ces+s over to the soldiers with orders for him to !e killed on a cross. So they took him away. 1' Ces+s carried his own cross to a place called The 6lace of the Sk+ll. 73n Aramaic the name of this place is Golgotha.8 1( There they nailed Ces+s to the cross. They also nailed two other men to crosses. They p+t them on each side of Ces+s with him in the middle. Cohn 1).1)*2# 1,# 1) 6ilate told them to write a sign and p+t it on the cross. The sign said, C-SHS 52 1ABA.-T$, T$- G31G 52 T$- C->S. 2, The sign was written in Aramaic, in atin, and in Greek. Aany of the Cews read this sign, !eca+se the place where Ces+s was nailed to the cross was near the city. 21 The leading Cewish priests said to 6ilate, Dont write, The Ging of the Cews. <+t write, This man said, 3 am the Ging of the Cews. 22 6ilate answered, 3 will not change what 3 have written. 23 After the soldiers nailed Ces+s to the cross, they took his clothes and divided them into fo+r parts. -ach soldier got one part. They also took his t+nic. 3t was -asy To .ead /ersion

all one piece of cloth woven from top to !ottom. 2# So the soldiers said to each other, >e sho+ld not tear this into pieces. ets throw l ots to see who will get it. This happened to make clear the f+ll meaning of what the Script+res say: They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for what 3 was wearing. So the soldiers did this. Cohn 1).2%*31 1,% 2% Ces+s mother stood near his cross. $er sister was also standing there with Aary the wife of 9lopas, and Aary Aagdalene. 2& Ces+s saw his mother. $e also saw the follower he loved very m+ch standing there. $e said to his mother, Dear woman, here is yo+r son. 2' Then he said to the follower, $ere is yo+r mother. So after that, this follower took Ces+s mother to live in his home. 2( ater, Ces+s knew that everything had !een done. To make the Script+res come tr+e he said, 3 am thirsty. 2) There was a =ar f+ll of so+r wine there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. They p+t the sponge on a !ranch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Ces+s mo+th. 3, >hen he tasted the wine, he said, 3t is finished. Then he !owed his head and died. 31 This day was 6reparation day. The ne4t day was a special Sa!!ath day. The Cewish leaders did not want the !odies to stay on the cross on the Sa!!ath day. So they asked 6ilate to order that the legs of the men !e !roken. And they asked Cohn 1).32*3( 1,& that the !odies !e taken down from the crosses. 32 So the soldiers came and !roke the legs of the two men on the crosses !eside Ces+s. 33 <+t when the soldiers came close to Ces+s, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not !reak his legs. 3# <+t one of the soldiers st+ck his spear into Ces+s side. 3mmediately !lood and water came o+t. pag. 112)0131#

3% 7The one who saw this happen has told a!o+t it. $e told a!o+t it so that yo+ also can !elieve. The things he says are tr+e. $e knows that he tells the tr+th.8 3& These things happened to give f+ll meaning to the Script+res that said, 1one of his !ones will !e !roken 3' and 6eople will look at the one they sta!!ed. 3( ater, a man named Coseph from Arimathea asked 6ilate for the !ody of Ces+s. 7Coseph was a follower of Ces+s, !+t he did not tell anyone, !eca+se he was afraid of the Cewish leaders.8 6ilate said Coseph co+ld take Ces+s !ody, so he came and took it away. Cohn 1).3)*2,.3 1,' 3) 1icodem+s went with Coseph. $e was the man who had come to Ces+s !efore and talked to him at night. $e !ro+ght a!o+t 1,, po+nds of spicesa mi4t+re of myrrh and aloes. #, These two men took Ces+s !ody and wrapped it in pieces of linen cloth with the spices. 7This is how the Cews !+ry people.8 #1 3n the place where Ces+s was killed on the cross, there was a garden. 3n the garden there was a new tom!. 1o one had ever !een !+ried there !efore. #2 The men p+t Ces+s in that tom! !eca+se it was near, and the Cews were preparing to start their Sa!!ath day. 20 1 -arly on S+nday morning, while it was still dark, Aary Aagdalene went to the tom!. She saw that the large stone was moved away from the entrance. 2 So she ran to Simon 6eter and the other follower 7the one Ces+s loved very m+ch8. She said, They have taken the ord o+t of the tom!, and we dont know where they p+t him. 3 So 6eter and the other follower started going to the tom!. Cohn 2,.#*12 1,( # They were !oth r+nning, !+t the other follower ran faster than 6eter and reached the tom! first. % $e !ent down and looked in. $e saw -asy To .ead /ersion

the pieces of linen cloth lying there, !+t he did not go in. & >hen Simon 6eter finally reached the tom!, he went in and saw the pieces of linen lying there. ' $e also saw the cloth that had !een aro+nd Ces+s head. 3t was folded +p and laid in a different place from the pieces of linen. ( Then the other follower went inthe one who had reached the tom! first. $e saw what had happened and !elieved. ) 7These followers did not yet +nderstand from the Script+res that Ces+s m+st rise from death.8 1, Then the followers went !ack home. 11 <+t Aary stood o+tside the tom!, crying. >hile she was crying, she !ent down and looked inside the tom!. 12 She saw two angels dressed in white sitting where Ces+s !ody had !een. 5ne was sitting where the head had !eenF the other was sitting where the feet had !een. Cohn 2,.13*1) 1,) 13 The angels asked Aary, >oman, why are yo+ crying? Aary answered, They took away the !ody of my ord, and 3 dont know where they p+t him. 1# >hen Aary said this, she t+rned aro+nd and saw Ces+s standing there. <+t she did not know it was Ces+s. 1% $e asked her, >oman, why are yo+ crying? >ho are yo+ looking for? She tho+ght he was the man in charge of the garden. So she said to him, Did yo+ take him away, sir? Tell me where yo+ p+t him. 3 will go and get him. 1& Ces+s said to her, Aary. She t+rned toward him and said in Aramaic, .a!!oni, which means Teacher. 1' Ces+s said to her, ;o+ dont need to hold on to me" 3 have not yet gone !ack +p to the 2ather. <+t go to my followers and tell them this: 3 am going !ack to my 2ather and yo+r 2ather. 3 am going !ack to my God and yo+r God. 1( Aary Aagdalene went to the followers and told them, 3 saw the ord" And she told them what he had said to her. pag. 113,0131#

1) The day was S+nday, and that same evening the followers were together. They had the doors locked !eca+se Cohn 2,.2,*2& 11, they were afraid of the Cewish leaders. S+ddenly, Ces+s was standing there among them. $e said, 6eace !e with yo+" 2, As soon as he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. >hen the followers saw the ord, they were very happy. 21 Then Ces+s said again, 6eace !e with yo+. 3t was the 2ather who sent me, and 3 am now sending yo+ in the same way. 22 Then he !reathed on them and said, .eceive the $oly Spirit. 23 3f yo+ forgive the sins of anyone, their sins are forgiven. 3f there is anyone whose sins yo+ dont forgive, their sins are not forgiven. 2# Thomas 7called Didym+s8 was one of the twelve, !+t he was not with the other followers when Ces+s came. 2% They told him, >e saw the ord. Thomas said, Thats hard to !elieve. 3 will have to see the nail holes in his hands, p+t my finger where the nails were, and p+t my hand into his side. 5nly then will 3 !elieve it. 2& A week later the followers were in the ho+se again, and Thomas was with Cohn 2,.2'*21.2 111 them. The doors were locked, !+t Ces+s came and stood among them. $e said, 6eace !e with yo+" 2' Then he said to Thomas, 6+t yo+r finger here. ook at my hands. 6+t yo+r hand here in my side. Stop do+!ting and !elieve. 2( Thomas said to Ces+s, Ay ord and my God" 2) Ces+s said to him, ;o+ !elieve !eca+se yo+ see me. Great !lessings !elong to the people who !elieve witho+t seeing me" 3, Ces+s did many other mirac+lo+s signs that his followers saw, which are not written in this !ook. 31 <+t these are written so that yo+ can -asy To .ead /ersion

!elieve that Ces+s is the Aessiah, the Son of God. Then, !y !elieving, yo+ can have life thro+gh his name. 21 1 ater, Ces+s appeared again to his followers !y ake Galilee. This is how it happened: 2 Some of the followers were togetherSimon 6eter, Thomas 7called Didym+s8, 1athanael from 9ana in Galilee, the two sons of Be!edee, and two other followers. Cohn 21.3*) 112 3 Simon 6eter said, 3 am going o+t to fish. The other followers said, >e will go with yo+. So all of them went o+t and got into the !oat. They fished that night !+t ca+ght nothing. # -arly the ne4t morning Ces+s stood on the shore. <+t the followers did not know it was Ces+s. % Then he said to them, 2riends, have yo+ ca+ght any fish? They answered, 1o. & $e said, Throw yo+r net into the water on the right side of yo+r !oat. ;o+ will find some fish there. So they did this. They ca+ght so many fish that they co+ld not p+ll the net !ack into the !oat. ' The follower Ces+s loved very m+ch said to 6eter, That man is the ord" >hen 6eter heard him say it was the ord, he wrapped his coat aro+nd himself. 7$e had taken his clothes off to work.8 Then he =+mped into the water. ( The other followers went to shore in the !oat. They p+lled the net f+ll of fish. They were not very far from shore, only a!o+t 1,, yards. ) >hen they stepped o+t of the !oat and onto the shore, they saw a fire of Cohn 21.1,*1& 113 hot coals. There were fish on the fire and some !read there too. 1, Then Ces+s said, <ring some of the fish that yo+ ca+ght. 11 Simon 6eter got into the !oat and p+lled the net to the shore. 3t was f+ll of !ig fish1%3 of them" <+t even with that many fish, the net did not tear. 12 Ces+s said to them, 9ome and eat. 1one of the followers wo+ld ask him, pag. 11310131#

>ho are yo+? They knew he was the ord. 13 Ces+s walked over to get the !read and gave it to them. $e also gave them the fish. 1# This was now the third time Ces+s appeared to his followers after he was raised from death. 1% >hen they finished eating, Ces+s said to Simon 6eter, Simon, son of Cohn, do yo+ love me more than these other men love me? 6eter answered, ;es, ord, yo+ know that 3 love yo+. Then Ces+s said to him, Take care of my lam!s. 1& Again Ces+s said to him, Simon, son of Cohn, do yo+ love me? 6eter answered, ;es, ord, yo+ know that 3 Cohn 21.1'*21 11# love yo+. Then Ces+s said, Take care of my sheep. 1' A third time Ces+s said, Simon, son of Cohn, do yo+ love me? 6eter was sad !eca+se Ces+s asked him three times, Do yo+ love me? $e said, ord, yo+ know everything. ;o+ know that 3 love yo+" Ces+s said to him, Take care of my sheep. 1( The tr+th is, when yo+ were yo+ng, yo+ tied yo+r own !elt and went where yo+ wanted. <+t when yo+ are old, yo+ will p+t o+t yo+r hands, and someone else will tie yo+r !elt. They will lead yo+ where yo+ dont want to go. 1) 7Ces+s said this to show how 6eter wo+ld die to give glory to God.8 Then he said to 6eter, 2ollow me" 2, 6eter t+rned and saw the follower Ces+s loved very m+ch walking !ehind them. 7This was the follower who had leaned against Ces+s at the s+pper and said, ord, who is it that will hand yo+ over?8 21 >hen 6eter saw him !ehind them, he asked Ces+s, ord, what a!o+t him? Cohn 21.22*2% 11% 22 Ces+s answered, Aay!e 3 want him to live +ntil 3 come. That sho+ld not matter to yo+. ;o+ follow me" 23 So a story spread among the followers of Ces+s. They were saying that -asy To .ead /ersion

this follower wo+ld not die. <+t Ces+s did not say he wo+ld not die. $e only said, Aay!e 3 want him to live +ntil 3 come. That sho+ld not matter to yo+. 2# That follower is the one who is telling these things. $e is the one who has now written them all down. >e know that what he says is tr+e. 2% There are many other things that Ces+s did. 3f every one of them were written down, 3 think the whole world wo+ld not !e !ig eno+gh for all the !ooks that wo+ld !e written. 2"ts 1 1 Dear Theophil+s, The first !ook 3 wrote was a!o+t everything Ces+s did and ta+ght from the !eginning 2 +ntil the day he was carried +p into heaven. <efore he went, he talked to the apostles he had chosen. >ith the help of the $oly Spirit, he told them what they sho+ld do. 3 This was after his death, !+t he showed them that he was alive, proving it to them in many ways. The apostles saw Ces+s many times d+ring the #, days after he was raised from death. $e spoke to them a!o+t Gods kingdom. # 5ne time when Ces+s was eating with them, he told them not to leave Cer+salem. $e said, >ait here +ntil yo+ receive what the 2ather promised to send. .emem!er, 3 told yo+ a!o+t it !efore. % Cohn !aptiEed people with water, !+t in a few days yo+ will !e !aptiEed with the $oly Spirit. Acts 1.&*11 2 & The apostles were all together. They asked Ces+s, ord, is this the time for yo+ to give the people of 3srael their kingdom again? ' Ces+s said to them, The 2ather is the only one who has the a+thority to decide dates and times. They are not for yo+ to know. ( <+t the $oly Spirit will come on yo+ and give yo+ power. ;o+ will !e my witnesses. ;o+ will tell people everywhere a!o+t mein Cer+salem, in pag. 11320131#

the rest of C+dea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world. ) After Ces+s said this, he was lifted +p into the sky. >hile they were watching, he went into a clo+d, and they co+ld not see him. 1, They were staring into the sky where he had gone. S+ddenly two men wearing white clothes were standing !eside them. 11 They said, Aen from Galilee, why are yo+ standing here looking into the sky? ;o+ saw Ces+s carried away from yo+ into heaven. $e will come !ack in the same way yo+ saw him go. Acts 1.12*1' 3 12 Then the apostles went !ack to Cer+salem from the Ao+nt of 5lives, which is a!o+t half a mile from Cer+salem. 13 >hen they entered the city, they went to the +pstairs room where they were staying. These are the ones who were there: 6eter, Cohn, Cames, Andrew, 6hilip, Thomas, <artholomew, Aatthew, Cames 7the son of Alphae+s8, Simon, the Bealot, and C+das 7the son of Cames8. 1# The apostles were all together. They were constantly praying with the same p+rpose. Some women, Aary the mother of Ces+s, and his !rothers were there with the apostles. 1% After a few days there was a meeting of the !elievers. There were a!o+t 12, of them. 6eter stood +p and said, 1& <rothers and sisters, in the Script+res the $oly Spirit said thro+gh David that something m+st happen. $e was talking a!o+t C+das, one of o+r own gro+p. C+das served together with +s. The Spirit said that C+das wo+ld lead men to arrest Ces+s. 1' 71:1&8 Acts 1.1(*2# # 1( 7C+das was paid money for doing this. $is money was +sed to !+y him a field. <+t he fell on his head, his !ody !roke open, and all his intestines po+red o+t. 1) And all the people of Cer+salem learned a!o+t this. That is why they -asy To .ead /ersion

named that field Akeldama, which in their lang+age means field of !lood.8 2, 6eter said, 3n the !ook of 6salms, this is written a!o+t C+das: 6eople sho+ld not go near his landF no one sho+ld live there. And it is also written: et another man have his work. 21 So now another man m+st =oin +s and !e a witness of Ces+s res+rrection. $e m+st !e one of those men who were part of o+r gro+p d+ring all the time the ord Ces+s was with +s. $e m+st have !een with +s from the time Cohn was !aptiEing people +ntil the day when Ces+s was carried +p from +s into heaven. 22 71:218 23 They p+t two men !efore the gro+p. 5ne was Coseph <arsa!!as. $e was also called C+st+s. The other man was Aatthias. 2# They prayed, ord, yo+ know the minds of all people. Show +s which one Acts 1.2%*2.% % of these two men yo+ choose to do this work. C+das t+rned away from it and went where he !elongs. ord, show +s which man sho+ld take his place as an apostle" 2% 71:2#8 2& Then they +sed lots to choose one of the two men. The lots showed that Aatthias was the one the ord wanted. So he !ecame an apostle with the other eleven. 2 1 >hen the day of 6entecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 S+ddenly a noise came from heaven. 3t so+nded like a strong wind !lowing. This noise filled the whole ho+se where they were sitting. 3 They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. # They were all filled with the $oly Spirit, and they !egan to speak different lang+ages. The $oly Spirit was giving them the power to do this. % There were some godly Cews in Cer+salem at this time. They were from every co+ntry in the world. pag. 11330131#

Acts 2.&*12 & & A large crowd came together !eca+se they heard the noise. They were s+rprised !eca+se, as the apostles were speaking, everyone heard in their own lang+age. ' They were all amaEed at this. They did not +nderstand how the apostles co+ld do this. They said, ook" These men we hear speaking are all from Galilee. ( <+t we hear them in o+r own lang+ages. $ow is this possi!le? >e are from all these different places: ) 6arthia, Aedia, -lam, Aesopotamia, C+dea, 9appadocia, 6ont+s, Asia, 1, 6hrygia, 6amphylia, -gypt, the areas of i!ya near the city of 9yrene, .ome, 11 9rete, and Ara!ia. Some of +s were !orn Cews, and others have changed their religion to worship God like Cews. >e are from these different co+ntries, !+t we can hear these men in o+r own lang+ages" >e can all +nderstand the great things they are saying a!o+t God. 12 The people were all amaEed and conf+sed. They asked each other, >hat is happening? Acts 2.13*1) ' 13 <+t others were la+ghing at the apostles, saying they were dr+nk from too m+ch wine. 1# Then 6eter stood +p with the other eleven apostles. $e spoke lo+dly so that all the people co+ld hear. $e said, Ay Cewish !rothers and all of yo+ who live in Cer+salem, listen to me. 3 will tell yo+ something yo+ need to know. isten caref+lly. 1% These men are not dr+nk as yo+ thinkF its only nine oclock in the morning. 1& <+t Coel the prophet wrote a!o+t what yo+ see happening here today. This is what he wrote: 1' God says: 3n the last days 3 will po+r o+t my Spirit on all people. ;o+r sons and da+ghters will prophesy. ;o+r yo+ng men will see visions. ;o+r old men will have special dreams. 1( 3n those days 3 will po+r o+t my Spirit on my servants, men and women, and -asy To .ead /ersion

they will prophesy. 1) 3 will work wonders in the sky a!ove. 3 will ca+se mirac+lo+s signs on the earth !elow. There will !e !lood, fire, and thick smoke. Acts 2.2,*2& ( 2, The s+n will !e changed into darkness, and the moon will !e as red as !lood. Then the great and glorio+s day of the ord will come. 21 And everyone who tr+sts in the ord will !e saved. 22 Ay fellow 3sraelites, listen to these words: Ces+s from 1aEareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to yo+. $e proved it !y the miracles, wonders, and mirac+lo+s signs he did thro+gh Ces+s. ;o+ all saw these things, so yo+ know this is tr+e. 23 Ces+s was handed over to yo+, and yo+ killed him. >ith the help of evil men, yo+ nailed him to a cross. <+t God knew all this wo+ld happen. 3t was his plana plan he made long ago. 2# Ces+s s+ffered the pain of death, !+t God made him free. $e raised him from death. There was no way for death to hold him. 2% David said this a!o+t him: 3 saw the ord !efore me alwaysF he is at my right side to keep me safe. 2& So my heart is happy, and the words 3 speak are words of =oy. ;es, even my !ody will live with hope, Acts 2.2'*33 ) 2' !eca+se yo+ will not leave me in the place of death. ;o+ will not let the !ody of yo+r $oly 5ne rot in the grave. 2( ;o+ ta+ght me how to live. ;o+ will come close to me and give me great =oy. 2) Ay !rothers, 3 can tell yo+ for s+re a!o+t David, o+r great ancestor. $e died, was !+ried, and his tom! is still here with +s today. 3, $e was a prophet and knew something that God had said. God had promised David that someone from his own family wo+ld sit on Davids throne as king. 31 David knew this !efore it happened. pag. 113#0131#

That is why he said this a!o+t that f+t+re king: $e was not left in the place of death. $is !ody did not rot in the grave. David was talking a!o+t the Aessiah rising from death. 32 So Ces+s is the one God raised from death. >e are all witnesses of this. >e saw him. 33 Ces+s was lifted +p to heaven. 1ow he is with God, at Gods right side. The 2ather has given the $oly Spirit to him, as he promised. So Ces+s has now Acts 2.3#*#, 1, po+red o+t that Spirit. This is what yo+ see and hear. 3# David was not the one who was lifted +p to heaven. David himself said, The ord God said to my ord: Sit at my right side, 3% +ntil 3 p+t yo+r enemies +nder yo+r power. 3& So, all the people of 3srael sho+ld know this for certain: God has made Ces+s to !e ord and Aessiah. $e is the man yo+ nailed to the cross" 3' >hen the people heard this, they felt very, very sorry. They asked 6eter and the other apostles, <rothers, what sho+ld we do? 3( 6eter said to them, 9hange yo+r hearts and lives and !e !aptiEed, each one of yo+, in the name of Ces+s 9hrist. Then God will forgive yo+r sins, and yo+ will receive the gift of the $oly Spirit. 3) This promise is for yo+. 3t is also for yo+r children and for the people who are far away. 3t is for everyone the ord o+r God calls to himself. #, 6eter warned them with many other wordsF he !egged them, Save yo+rselves from the evil of the people who live now" Acts 2.#1*#' 11 #1 Then those who accepted what 6eter said were !aptiEed. 5n that day a!o+t 3,,, people were added to the gro+p of !elievers. #2 The !elievers spent their time listening to the teaching of the apostles. They shared everything with each other. They ate together and prayed together. -asy To .ead /ersion

#3 Aany wonders and mirac+lo+s signs were happening thro+gh the apostles, and everyone felt great respect for God. ## All the !elievers stayed together and shared everything. #% They sold their land and the things they owned. Then they divided the money and gave it to those who needed it. #& The !elievers shared a common p+rpose, and every day they spent m+ch of their time together in the Temple area. They also ate together in their homes. They were happy to share their food and ate with =oyf+l hearts. #' The !elievers praised God and were respected !y all the people. Aore and more people were !eing saved every day, and the ord was adding them to their gro+p. Acts 3.1*' 12 3 1 5ne day 6eter and Cohn went to the Temple area. 3t was three oclock in the afternoon, which was the time for the daily Temple prayer service. 2 As they were entering the Temple area, a man was there who had !een crippled all his life. $e was !eing carried !y some friends who !ro+ght him to the Temple every day. They p+t him !y one of the gates o+tside the Temple. 3t was called <ea+tif+l Gate. There he !egged for money from the people going to the Temple. 3 That day he saw 6eter and Cohn going into the Temple area. $e asked them for money. # 6eter and Cohn looked at the crippled man and said, ook at +s" % $e looked at themF he tho+ght they wo+ld give him some money. & <+t 6eter said, 3 dont have any silver or gold, !+t 3 do have something else 3 can give yo+. <y the power of Ces+s 9hrist from 1aEarethstand +p and walk" ' Then 6eter took the mans right hand and lifted him +p. 3mmediately his feet and legs !ecame strong. Acts 3.(*13 13 ( $e =+mped +p, stood on his feet, and pag. 113%0131#

!egan to walk. $e went into the Temple area with them. $e was walking and =+mping and praising God. ) All the people recogniEed him. They knew he was the crippled man who always sat !y the <ea+tif+l Gate to !eg for money. 1ow they saw this same man walking and praising God. They were amaEed. They did not +nderstand how this co+ld happen. 1, 73:)8 11 The man was holding on to 6eter and Cohn. All the people were amaEed. They ran to 6eter and Cohn at Solomons 6orch. 12 >hen 6eter saw this, he said to the people, Ay Cewish !rothers, why are yo+ s+rprised at this? ;o+ are looking at +s as if it was o+r power that made this man walk. Do yo+ think this was done !eca+se we are good? 13 1o, God did it" $e is the God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. $e is the God of all o+r fathers. $e gave glory to Ces+s, his special servant. <+t yo+ handed him over to !e killed. 6ilate decided to let him go free. <+t yo+ told 6ilate yo+ did not want him. Acts 3.1#*1) 1# 1# Ces+s was holy and good, !+t yo+ said yo+ did not want him. ;o+ told 6ilate to give yo+ a m+rderer instead of Ces+s. 1% And so yo+ killed the one who gives life" <+t God raised him from death. >e are witnesses of thiswe saw it with o+r own eyes. 1& This crippled man was healed !eca+se we tr+sted in Ces+s. 3t was Ces+s power that made him well. ;o+ can see this man, and yo+ know him. $e was made completely well !eca+se of faith in Ces+s. ;o+ all saw it happen" 1' Ay !rothers, 3 know that what yo+ did to Ces+s was done !eca+se yo+ did not +nderstand what yo+ were doing. And yo+r leaders did not +nderstand any more than yo+ did. 1( <+t God said these things wo+ld happen. Thro+gh the prophets he said that his Aessiah wo+ld s+ffer and die. 3 have told yo+ how God made this -asy To .ead /ersion

happen. 1) So yo+ m+st change yo+r hearts and lives. 9ome !ack to God, and he will forgive yo+r sins. Acts 3.2,*2& 1% 2, Then the ord will give yo+ times of spirit+al rest. $e will send yo+ Ces+s, the one he chose to !e the Aessiah. 21 <+t Ces+s m+st stay in heaven +ntil the time when all things will !e made right again. God told a!o+t this time when he spoke long ago thro+gh his holy prophets. 22 Aoses said, The ord yo+r God will give yo+ a prophet. That prophet will come from among yo+r own people. $e will !e like me. ;o+ m+st o!ey everything he tells yo+. 23 And anyone who ref+ses to o!ey that prophet will die, separated from Gods people. 2# Sam+el, and all the other prophets who spoke for God after Sam+el, said that this time wo+ld come. 2% And what those prophets talked a!o+t is for yo+, their descendants. ;o+ have received the agreement that God made with yo+r fathers. God said to yo+r father A!raham, -very nation on earth will !e !lessed thro+gh yo+r descendants. 2& God has sent his special servant Ces+s. $e sent him to yo+ first. $e sent Acts #.1*& 1& him to !less yo+ !y ca+sing each of yo+ to t+rn away from yo+r evil ways. 4 1 >hile 6eter and Cohn were speaking to the people, some Cewish leaders came +p to them. There were some priests, the captain of the soldiers that g+arded the Temple, and some Sadd+cees. 2 They were +pset !eca+se of what 6eter and Cohn were teaching the people. <y telling people a!o+t Ces+s, the apostles were teaching that people will rise from death. 3 The Cewish leaders arrested 6eter and Cohn and p+t them in =ail. 3t was already night, so they kept them in =ail +ntil the pag. 113&0131#

ne4t day. # <+t many of the people who heard the apostles !elieved what they said. There were now a!o+t %,,, men in the gro+p of !elievers. % The ne4t day the Cewish r+lers, the older Cewish leaders, and the teachers of the law met in Cer+salem. & Annas the high priest, 9aiaphas, Cohn, and Ale4ander were there. -veryone from the high priests family was there. Acts #.'*13 1' ' They made 6eter and Cohn stand !efore all the people. They asked them over and over, $ow did yo+ make this crippled man well? >hat power did yo+ +se? <y whose a+thority did yo+ do this? ( Then 6eter was filled with the $oly Spirit and said to them, .+lers of the people and yo+ older leaders, ) are yo+ J+estioning +s today a!o+t what we did to help this crippled man? Are yo+ asking +s what made him well? 1, >e want all of yo+ and all the people of 3srael to know that this man was made well !y the power of Ces+s 9hrist from 1aEareth. ;o+ nailed Ces+s to a cross, !+t God raised him from death. This man was crippled, !+t he is now well. $e is a!le to stand here !efore yo+ !eca+se of the power of Ces+s" 11 Ces+s is the stone that yo+ !+ilders tho+ght was not important. <+t this stone has !ecome the cornerstone. 12 Ces+s is the only one who can save people. $is name is the only power in the world that has !een given to save anyone. >e m+st !e saved thro+gh him" 13 The Cewish leaders +nderstood that 6eter and Cohn had no special training or Acts #.1#*1) 1( ed+cation. <+t they also saw that they were not afraid to speak. So the leaders were amaEed. They also realiEed that 6eter and Cohn had !een with Ces+s. 1# They saw the crippled man standing there !eside the apostles. They saw that he was healed, so they co+ld say nothing against the apostles. 1% The Cewish leaders told them to leave -asy To .ead /ersion

the co+ncil meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other a!o+t what they sho+ld do. 1& They said, >hat shall we do with these men? -veryone in Cer+salem knows a!o+t the miracle they did as a sign from God. 3ts too o!vio+s. >e cant say it didnt happen. 1' <+t we m+st make them afraid to talk to anyone again +sing that name. Then this pro!lem will not spread among the people. 1( So the Cewish leaders called 6eter and Cohn in again. They told the apostles not to say anything or to teach anything in the name of Ces+s. 1) <+t 6eter and Cohn answered them, >hat do yo+ think is right? >hat wo+ld God want? Sho+ld we o!ey yo+ or God? Acts #.2,*2% 1) 2, >e cannot !e J+iet. >e m+st tell people a!o+t what we have seen and heard. 21 The Cewish leaders co+ld not find a way to p+nish the apostles, !eca+se all the people were praising God for what had !een done. This miracle was a sign from God. The man who was healed was more than #, years old. So the Cewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free. 22 7#:218 23 6eter and Cohn left the meeting of Cewish leaders and went to their own gro+p. They told the gro+p everything that the leading priests and the older Cewish leaders had said to them. 2# >hen the !elievers heard this, they all prayed to God with one p+rpose. They said, Aaster, yo+ are the one who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world. 2% 5+r ancestor David was yo+r servant. >ith the help of the $oly Spirit he wrote these words: >hy are the nations sho+ting? >hy are the people planning s+ch +seless things? Acts #.2&*31 2, 2& The kings of the earth prepare themselves to fight, and the r+lers all pag. 113'0131#

come together against the ord and against his Aessiah. 2' Thats what act+ally happened when $erod, 6onti+s 6ilate, the other nations, and the people of 3srael all came together against Ces+s here in Cer+salem. $e is yo+r holy Servant, the one yo+ made to !e the Aessiah. 2( These people who came together against Ces+s made yo+r plan happen. 3t was done !eca+se of yo+r power and yo+r will. 2) And now, ord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make +s afraid. >e are yo+r servants. $elp +s to say what yo+ want +s to say witho+t fear. 3, $elp +s to !e !rave !y showing +s yo+r power. Aake sick people well. 9a+se mirac+lo+s signs and wonders to happen !y the a+thority of Ces+s, yo+r holy servant. 31 After the !elievers prayed, the place where they were meeting shook. They were all filled with the $oly Spirit, and Acts #.32*3' 21 they contin+ed to speak Gods message witho+t fear. 32 The whole gro+p of !elievers was +nited in their thinking and in what they wanted. 1one of them said that the things they had were their own. 3nstead, they shared everything. 33 >ith great power the apostles were making it known to everyone that the ord Ces+s was raised from death. And God !lessed all the !elievers very m+ch. 3# 1one of them co+ld say they needed anything. -veryone who owned fields or ho+ses sold them. They !ro+ght the money they got 3% and gave it to the apostles. Then everyone was given whatever they needed. 3& 5ne of the !elievers was named Coseph. The apostles called him <arna!as, a name that means one who enco+rages others. $e was a evite !orn in 9ypr+s. 3' Coseph sold a field he owned. $e -asy To .ead /ersion

!ro+ght the money and gave it to the apostles. Acts %.1*( 22 5 1 There was a man named Ananias. $is wifes name was Sapphira. Ananias sold some land he had, 2 !+t he gave only part of the money to the apostles. $e secretly kept some of the money for himself. $is wife knew this, and she agreed with it. 3 6eter said, Ananias, why did yo+ let Satan fill yo+r mind with s+ch an idea? ;o+ kept part of the money for yo+rself and lied a!o+t it to the $oly Spirit" # <efore yo+ sold the field, it !elonged to yo+, right? And even after yo+ sold it, yo+ co+ld have +sed the money any way yo+ wanted. $ow co+ld yo+ even think of doing s+ch a thing? ;o+ lied to God, not to +s" % >hen Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some yo+ng men came and wrapped his !ody. They carried it o+t and !+ried it. And everyone who heard a!o+t this was filled with fear. & 7%:%8 ' A!o+t three ho+rs later his wife came in. Sapphira did not know a!o+t what had happened to her h+s!and. ( 6eter said to her, Tell me how m+ch money yo+ got for yo+r field. >as it this Acts %.)*1# 23 m+ch? Sapphira answered, ;es, that was all we got for the field. ) 6eter said to her, >hy did yo+ and yo+r h+s!and agree to test the Spirit of the ord? isten" Do yo+ hear those footsteps? The men who !+ried yo+r h+s!and are at the door. They will carry yo+ o+t in the same way. 1, At that moment Sapphira fell down !y his feet and died. The yo+ng men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her o+t and !+ried her !eside her h+s!and. 11 The whole ch+rch and all the other people who heard a!o+t this were filled with fear. 12 The apostles were given the power to do many mirac+lo+s signs and wonders pag. 113(0131#

among the people. They were together in Solomons 6orch, and they all had the same p+rpose. 13 1one of the other people dared to stand with the apostles, !+t everyone was saying wonderf+l things a!o+t them. 1# Aore and more people !elieved in the ord, and many men and women were added to the gro+p of !elievers. Acts %.1%*21 2# 1% So the people !ro+ght those who were sick into the streets and p+t them on little !eds and mats. They were hoping that 6eters shadow might fall on them as he walked !y. 1& 6eople came from all the towns aro+nd Cer+salem. They !ro+ght those who were sick or tro+!led !y evil spirits. All of them were healed. 1' The high priest and all his friends, a gro+p called the Sadd+cees !ecame very =ealo+s. 1( They gra!!ed the apostles and p+t them in =ail. 1) <+t d+ring the night, an angel of the ord opened the doors of the =ail. The angel led the apostles o+tside and said, 2, Go and stand in the Temple area. Tell the people everything a!o+t this new life. 21 >hen the apostles heard this, they did what they were told. They went into the Temple area a!o+t s+nrise and !egan to teach the people. The high priest and his friends came together and called a meeting of the high co+ncil and all the older Cewish leaders. They sent some Acts %.22*2' 2% men to the =ail to !ring the apostles to them. 22 >hen the men went to the =ail, they co+ld not find the apostles there. So they went !ack and told the Cewish leaders a!o+t this. 23 They said, The =ail was closed and locked. The g+ards were standing at the doors. <+t when we opened the doors, the =ail was empty" 2# The captain of the Temple g+ards and the leading priests heard this. They -asy To .ead /ersion

were conf+sed and wondered what it all meant. 2% Then another man came and told them, isten" The men yo+ p+t in =ail are standing in the Temple area teaching the people. 2& The captain and his men went o+t and !ro+ght the apostles !ack. <+t the soldiers did not +se force, !eca+se they were afraid of the people. They were afraid the people wo+ld stone them to death. 2' The soldiers !ro+ght the apostles in and made them stand !efore the co+ncil. The high priest J+estioned them. Acts %.2(*3# 2& 2( $e said, >e told yo+ never again to teach +sing that name. <+t look at what yo+ have done" ;o+ have filled Cer+salem with yo+r teaching. And yo+ are trying to !lame +s for his death. 2) 6eter and the other apostles answered, >e m+st o!ey God, not yo+" 3, ;o+ killed Ces+s !y nailing him to a cross. <+t God, the same God o+r fathers had, raised Ces+s +p from death. 31 Ces+s is the one God honored !y giving him a place at his right side. $e made him o+r eader and Savior. God did this to give all the people of 3srael the opport+nity to change and t+rn to God to have their sins forgiven. 32 >e saw all these things happen, and we can say that they are tr+e. The $oly Spirit also shows that these things are tr+e. God has given this Spirit to all those who o!ey him. 33 >hen the co+ncil mem!ers heard this, they !ecame very angry. They !egan to plan a way to kill the apostles. 3# <+t one mem!er of the co+ncil, a 6harisee named Gamaliel, stood +p. $e was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. $e told the men Acts %.3%*#, 2' to make the apostles leave the meeting for a few min+tes. 3% Then he said to them, Aen of 3srael, !e caref+l of what yo+ are planning to do to these men. pag. 113)0131#

3& .emem!er when The+das appeared? $e said he was an important man, and a!o+t #,, men =oined him. <+t he was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and ran away. They were not a!le to do anything. 3' ater, d+ring the time of the cens+s, a man named C+das came from Galilee. Aany people =oined his gro+p, !+t he was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. 3( And so now 3 tell yo+, stay away from these men. eave them alone. 3f their plan is something they tho+ght +p, it will fail. 3) <+t if it is from God, yo+ will not !e a!le to stop them. ;o+ might even !e fighting against God himself" The Cewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. #, They called the apostles in again. They !eat them and told them not to speak anymore +sing the name of Ces+s. Then they let them go free. Acts %.#1*&.3 2( #1 The apostles left the co+ncil meeting. They were happy !eca+se they were given the honor of s+ffering dishonor for Ces+s. #2 The apostles did not stop teaching the people. They contin+ed to tell the Good 1ews that Ces+s is the Aessiah. They did this every day in the Temple area and in peoples homes. 6 1 Aore and more people were !ecoming followers of Ces+s. <+t d+ring this same time, the Greekspeaking followers !egan to complain against the other Cewish followers. They said that their widows were not getting their share of what the followers received every day. 2 The twelve apostles called the whole gro+p of followers together. The apostles said to them, 3t wo+ld not !e right for +s to give +p o+r work of teaching Gods word in order to !e in charge of getting food to people. 3 So, !rothers and sisters, choose seven of yo+r men who have a good rep+tation. They m+st !e f+ll of wisdom and the -asy To .ead /ersion

Spirit. >e will give them this work to do. Acts &.#*1, 2) # Then we can +se all o+r time to pray and to teach the word of God. % The whole gro+p liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen 7a man with great faith and f+ll of the $oly Spirit8, 6hilip, 6rochor+s, 1icanor, Timon, 6armenas, and 1icola+s 7a man from Antioch who had !ecome a Cew8. & Then they p+t these men !efore the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. ' The word of God was reaching more and more people. The gro+p of followers in Cer+salem !ecame larger and larger. -ven a !ig gro+p of Cewish priests !elieved and o!eyed. ( Stephen received a great !lessing. God gave him power to do great wonders and mirac+lo+s signs among the people. ) <+t some of the Cews there were from the synagog+e of 2ree Aen, as it was called. The gro+p incl+ded Cews from 9yrene, Ale4andria, 9ilicia, and Asia. They started arg+ing with Stephen. 1, <+t the Spirit was helping him speak with wisdom. $is words were so strong that these Cews co+ld not arg+e with him. Acts &.11*'.2 3, 11 So they told some men to say, >e heard Stephen say !ad things against Aoses and against God" 12 <y doing this, these Cews +pset the people, the older Cewish leaders, and the teachers of the law. They !ecame so angry that they came and gra!!ed Stephen and took him to a meeting of the high co+ncil. 13 The Cews !ro+ght some men into the meeting to tell lies a!o+t Stephen. These men said, This man is always saying things against this holy place and against the aw of Aoses. 1# >e heard him say that Ces+s from 1aEareth will destroy this place and change what Aoses told +s to do. 1% -veryone there in the co+ncil meeting was staring at Stephen. They saw that pag. 11#,0131#

his face looked like the face of an angel. 7 1 The high priest said to Stephen, 3s all this tr+e? 2 Stephen answered, Ay Cewish fathers and !rothers, listen to me. 5+r great and glorio+s God appeared to A!raham, o+r ancestor, when he was in Aesopotamia. This was !efore he lived in $aran. Acts '.3*( 31 3 God said to him, eave yo+r co+ntry and yo+r people, and go to the co+ntry 3 will show yo+. # So A!raham left the co+ntry of 9haldea. $e went to live in $aran. After his father died, God sent him to this place, where yo+ live now. % <+t God did not give A!raham any of this land, not even a foot of it. <+t God promised that in the f+t+re he wo+ld give A!raham this land for himself and for his children. This was !efore A!raham had any children. & This is what God said to him: ;o+r descendants will live in another co+ntry. They will !e strangers. The people there will make them slaves and mistreat them for #,, years. ' <+t 3 will p+nish the nation that made them slaves. And God also said, After those things happen, yo+r people will come o+t of that co+ntry. Then they will worship me here in this place. ( God made an agreement with A!rahamF the sign for this agreement was circ+mcision. And so when A!raham had a son, he circ+mcised him when he was eight days old. $is sons name Acts '.)*13 32 was 3saac. 3saac also circ+mcised his son Caco!. And Caco! did the same for his sons who !ecame the twelve great ancestors of o+r people. ) These ancestors of o+rs !ecame =ealo+s of their !rother Coseph and sold him to !e a slave in -gypt. <+t God was with him 1, and saved him from all his tro+!les. 6haraoh was the king of -gypt then. $e liked Coseph and respected him !eca+se of the wisdom God gave him. 6haraoh -asy To .ead /ersion

gave Coseph the =o! of !eing a governor of -gypt. $e even let him r+le over all the people in 6haraohs ho+se. 11 <+t all the land of -gypt and of 9anaan !ecame dry. 3t !ecame so dry that food co+ld not grow, and the people s+ffered very m+ch. 5+r people co+ld not find anything to eat. 12 <+t Caco! heard that there was food in -gypt. So he sent o+r people there. This was their first trip to -gypt. 13 Then they went there a second time. This time Coseph told his !rothers who he was. And 6haraoh learned a!o+t Cosephs family. Acts '.1#*2, 33 1# Then Coseph sent some men to tell Caco!, his father, to come to -gypt. $e also invited all his relatives, a total of '% people. 1% So Caco! went down to -gypt. $e and o+r other ancestors lived there +ntil they died. 1& ater, their !odies were moved to Shechem, where they were p+t in a tom!. 3t was the same tom! that A!raham had !o+ght in Shechem from the sons of $amor. $e paid them with silver. 1' The n+m!er of o+r people in -gypt grew. There were more and more of o+r people there. The promise that God made to A!raham was soon to come tr+e. 1( Then a different king !egan to r+le -gypt, one who knew nothing a!o+t Coseph. 1) This king tricked o+r people. $e treated them !adly, making them leave their children o+tside to die. 2, This was the time when Aoses was !orn. $e was a very !ea+tif+l child, and for three months his parents took care of him at home. Acts '.21*2( 3# 21 >hen they p+t him o+tside, 6haraohs da+ghter took him. She raised him as her own son. 22 The -gyptians ta+ght Aoses everything they knew. $e was powerf+l pag. 11#10131#

in all he said and did. 23 >hen Aoses was a!o+t #, years old, he decided to visit his own people, the people of 3srael. 2# $e saw one of them !eing mistreated !y an -gyptian, so he defended him. Aoses hit the -gyptian to pay him !ack for h+rting the man. $e hit him so hard that it killed him. 2% Aoses tho+ght that his people wo+ld +nderstand that God was +sing him to save them. <+t they did not +nderstand. 2& The ne4t day, Aoses saw two of his own people fighting. $e tried to make peace !etween them. $e said, Aen, yo+ are !rothers" >hy are yo+ trying to h+rt each other? 2' The man who was h+rting the other one p+shed Aoses away and said to him, Did anyone say yo+ co+ld !e o+r r+ler and =+dge? 2( >ill yo+ kill me =+st as yo+ killed that -gyptian yesterday? Acts '.2)*3% 3% 2) >hen Aoses heard him say this, he left -gypt. $e went to live in the land of Aidian, where he was a stranger. D+ring the time he lived there, he had two sons. 3, 2orty years later Aoses was in the desert near Ao+nt Sinai. An angel appeared to him in the flame of a !+rning !+sh. 31 >hen Aoses saw this, he was amaEed. $e went near to look closer at it. $e heard a voiceF it was the ords. 32 The ord said, 3 am the same God yo+r ancestors hadthe God of A!raham, the God of 3saac, and the God of Caco!. Aoses !egan to shake with fear. $e was afraid to look at the !+sh. 33 The ord said to him, Take off yo+r sandals, !eca+se the place where yo+ are now standing is holy gro+nd. 3# 3 have seen my people s+ffer m+ch in -gypt. 3 have heard my people crying and have come down to save them. 9ome now, Aoses, 3 am sending yo+ !ack to -gypt. 3% This Aoses was the one his people said they did not want. They said, Did -asy To .ead /ersion

anyone say yo+ co+ld !e o+r r+ler and =+dge? <+t he is the one God sent to !e Acts '.3&*#1 3& a r+ler and savior. God sent him with the help of an angel, the one Aoses saw in the !+rning !+sh. 3& So Aoses led the people o+t of -gypt. $e worked wonders and mirac+lo+s signs in -gypt, at the .ed Sea, and then in the desert for #, years. 3' This is the same Aoses who said these words to the people of 3srael: God will give yo+ a prophet. That prophet will come from among yo+r own people. $e will !e like me. 3( This same Aoses was with the gathering of Gods people in the desert. $e was with the angel who spoke to him at Ao+nt Sinai, and he was with o+r ancestors. $e received lifeDgiving words from God to give to +s. 3) <+t o+r ancestors did not want to o!ey Aoses. They re=ected him. They wanted to go !ack to -gypt again. #, They said to Aaron, Aoses led +s o+t of the co+ntry of -gypt. <+t we dont know what has happened to him. So make some gods to go !efore +s and lead +s. #1 So the people made an idol that looked like a calf. Then they !ro+ght Acts '.#2*#% 3' sacrifices to it. They were very happy with what they had made with their own hands. #2 <+t God t+rned against them and let them contin+e worshiping the army of false gods in the sky. This is what God says in the !ook that contains what the prophets wrote: 6eople of 3srael, yo+ did not !ring me !lood offerings and sacrifices in the desert for #, yearsF #3 ;o+ carried with yo+ the tent for worshiping Aoloch and the image of the star of yo+r god .ephan. These were the idols yo+ made to worship. So 3 will send yo+ away !eyond <a!ylon. ## The $oly Tent was with o+r ancestors in the desert. God told Aoses how to make this tent. $e made it like the plan pag. 11#20131#

that God showed him. #% ater, Cosh+a led o+r ancestors to capt+re the lands of the other nations. 5+r people went in and God made the other people go o+t. >hen o+r people went into this new land, they took with them this same tent. 5+r people received this tent from their fathers, and o+r people kept it +ntil the time of David. Acts '.#&*%2 3( #& God was very pleased with David. $e asked God to let him !+ild a Temple for the people of 3srael. #' <+t Solomon was the one who !+ilt the Temple for God. #( <+t the Aost $igh God does not need !+ildings made !y h+man hands to live in. This is what the prophet writes: #) The ord says, $eaven is my throne, and the earth is where 3 rest my feet. So do yo+ think yo+ can !+ild a ho+se for me? Do 3 need a place to rest? %, .emem!er, 3 made all these things" %1 Then Stephen said, ;o+ st+!!orn Cewish leaders" ;o+ ref+se to give yo+r hearts to God or even listen to him. ;o+ are always against what the $oly Spirit wants yo+ to do. Thats how yo+r ancestors were, and yo+ are =+st like them" %2 They persec+ted every prophet who ever lived. They even killed those who long ago said that the .ighteo+s 5ne wo+ld come. And now yo+ have t+rned against that .ighteo+s 5ne and killed him. Acts '.%3*&, 3) %3 ;o+ are the people who received Gods law, which he gave yo+ thro+gh his angels. <+t yo+ dont o!ey it" %# >hen those in the co+ncil meeting heard this, they !ecame very angry. They were so mad they were grinding their teeth at him. %% <+t Stephen was f+ll of the $oly Spirit. $e looked +p into heaven and saw the glory of God. And he saw Ces+s standing at Gods right side. %& Stephen said, ook" 3 see heaven open. And 3 see the Son of Aan standing -asy To .ead /ersion

at Gods right side. %' -veryone there started sho+ting lo+dly, covering their ears with their hands. Together they all ran at Stephen. %( They took him o+t of the city and !egan throwing stones at him. The men who told lies against Stephen gave their coats to a yo+ng man named Sa+l. %) As they were throwing the stones at him, Stephen was praying. $e said, ord Ces+s, receive my spirit" &, $e fell on his knees and sho+ted, ord, dont !lame them for this sin" These were his last words !efore he died. Acts (.1*' #, 8 1 Sa+l agreed that the killing of Stephen was a good thing. Some godly men !+ried Stephen and cried lo+dly for him.5n that day the Cews !egan to persec+te the ch+rch in Cer+salem, making them s+ffer very m+ch. Sa+l was also trying to destroy the gro+p. $e went into their ho+ses, dragged o+t men and women, and p+t them in =ail. All the !elievers left Cer+salem. 5nly the apostles stayed. The !elievers went to different places in C+dea and Samaria. 2 7(:18 3 7(:18 # They were scattered everywhere, and in every place they went, they told people the Good 1ews. % 6hilip went to the city of Samaria and told people a!o+t the Aessiah. & The people there heard 6hilip and saw the mirac+lo+s signs he was doing. They all listened caref+lly to what he said. ' Aany of these people had evil spirits inside them, !+t 6hilip made the evil spirits leave them. The spirits made a lot of noise as they came o+t. There were Acts (.(*1# #1 also many weak and crippled people there. 6hilip made these people well too. ( >hat a happy day this was for that city" ) 1ow there was a man named Simon who lived in that city. <efore 6hilip came there, Simon had !een doing magic and pag. 11#30131#

amaEing all the people of Samaria. $e !ragged and called himself a great man. 1, All the peoplethe least important and the most important!elieved what he said. They said, This man has the power of God that is called the Great 6ower. 11 Simon amaEed the people with his magic for so long that the people !ecame his followers. 12 <+t 6hilip told the people the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods kingdom and the power of Ces+s 9hrist. Aen and women !elieved 6hilip and were !aptiEed. 13 Simon himself also !elieved, and after he was !aptiEed, he stayed close to 6hilip. >hen he saw the mirac+lo+s signs and powerf+l things 6hilip did, he was amaEed. 1# The apostles in Cer+salem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the Acts (.1%*22 #2 word of God. So they sent 6eter and Cohn to the people in Samaria. 1% >hen 6eter and Cohn arrived, they prayed for the Samaritan !elievers to receive the $oly Spirit. 1& These people had !een !aptiEed in the name of the ord Ces+s, !+t the $oly Spirit had not yet come down on any of them. This is why 6eter and Cohn prayed. 1' >hen the two apostles laid their hands on the people, they received the $oly Spirit. 1( Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money. 1) $e said, Give me this power so that when 3 lay my hands on someone, they will receive the $oly Spirit. 2, 6eter said to Simon, ;o+ and yo+r money sho+ld !oth !e destroyed !eca+se yo+ tho+ght yo+ co+ld !+y Gods gift with money. 21 ;o+ cannot share with +s in this work. ;o+r heart is not right !efore God. 22 9hange yo+r heart" T+rn away from these evil tho+ghts and pray to the ord. Aay!e he will forgive yo+. Acts (.23*2( #3 -asy To .ead /ersion

23 3 see that yo+ are f+ll of !itter =ealo+sy and cannot stop yo+rself from doing wrong. 2# Simon answered, <oth of yo+ pray to the ord for me, so that what yo+ have said will not happen to me. 2% Then the two apostles told the people what they had seen Ces+s do. They told them the message of the ord. Then they went !ack to Cer+salem. 5n the way, they went thro+gh many Samaritan towns and told people the Good 1ews. 2& An angel of the ord spoke to 6hilip. The angel said, Get ready and go so+th on the road that leads down to GaEa from Cer+salemthe road that goes thro+gh the desert. 2' So 6hilip got ready and went. 5n the road he saw a man from -thiopia. $e was a e+n+ch and an important official in the service of 9andace, the J+een of the -thiopians. $e was responsi!le for taking care of all her money. This man had gone to Cer+salem to worship. 2( 1ow he was on his way home. $e was sitting in his chariot reading from the !ook of 3saiah the prophet. Acts (.2)*3& ## 2) The Spirit said to 6hilip, Go to that chariot and stay near it. 3, So he went toward the chariot, and he heard the man reading from 3saiah the prophet. 6hilip asked him, Do yo+ +nderstand what yo+ are reading? 31 The man answered, $ow can 3 +nderstand? 3 need someone to e4plain it to me. Then he invited 6hilip to clim! in and sit with him. 32 The part of the Script+res that he was reading was this: $e was like a sheep !eing led to the !+tcher. $e was like a lam! that makes no so+nd as its wool is !eing c+t off. $e said nothing. 33 $e was shamed, and all his rights were taken away. $is life on earth has ended. So there will !e no story a!o+t his descendants. 3# The official said to 6hilip, 6lease, tell me, who is the prophet talking a!o+t? 3s he talking a!o+t himself or a!o+t pag. 11##0131#

someone else? 3% 6hilip !egan to speak. $e started with this same Script+re and told the man the Good 1ews a!o+t Ces+s. 3& >hile they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The Acts (.3'*).2 #% official said, ook, here is water" >hat is stopping me from !eing !aptiEed? 3' MM-A6T;NN 3( Then he ordered his chariot to stop. <oth 6hilip and the official went down into the water, and 6hilip !aptiEed him. 3) >hen they came +p o+t of the water, the Spirit of the ord took 6hilip awayF the official never saw him again, !+t he was very happy as he contin+ed on his way home. #, ater, 6hilip appeared in a city called AEot+s and went from there toward the city of 9aesarea. $e told people the Good 1ews in all the towns on the way from AEot+s to 9aesarea. 9 1 3n Cer+salem Sa+l was still trying to scare the followers of the ord, even saying he wo+ld kill them. $e went to the high priest 2 and asked him to write letters to the synagog+es in the city of Damasc+s. Sa+l wanted the high priest to give him the a+thority to find people in Damasc+s who were followers of the >ay. 3f he fo+nd any !elievers there, men or women, he wo+ld arrest them and !ring them !ack to Cer+salem. Acts ).3*11 #& 3 So Sa+l went to Damasc+s. >hen he came near the city, a very !right light from heaven s+ddenly shined aro+nd him. # $e fell to the gro+nd and heard a voice saying to him, Sa+l, Sa+l" >hy are yo+ persec+ting me? % Sa+l said, >ho are yo+, ord? The voice answered, 3 am Ces+s, the one yo+ are persec+ting. & Get +p now and go into the city. Someone there will tell yo+ what yo+ m+st do. ' The men traveling with Sa+l =+st stood -asy To .ead /ersion

there, +na!le to speak. They heard the voice, !+t they saw no one. ( Sa+l got +p from the gro+nd and opened his eyes, !+t he co+ld not see. So the men with him held his hand and led him into Damasc+s. ) 2or three days, Sa+l co+ld not seeF he did not eat or drink. 1, There was a follower of Ces+s in Damasc+s named Ananias. 3n a vision the ord said to him, Ananias" Ananias answered, $ere 3 am, ord. 11 The ord said to him, Get +p and go to the street called Straight Street. 2ind Acts ).12*1' #' the ho+se of C+das and ask for a man named Sa+l from the city of Tars+s. $e is there now, praying. 12 $e has seen a vision in which a man named Ananias came and laid his hands on him so that he co+ld see again. 13 <+t Ananias answered, ord, many people have told me a!o+t this man. They told me a!o+t the many !ad things he did to yo+r holy people in Cer+salem. 1# 1ow he has come here to Damasc+s. The leading priests have given him the power to arrest all people who tr+st in yo+. 1% <+t the ord Ces+s said to Ananias, Go" 3 have chosen Sa+l for an important work. 3 want him to tell other nations, their r+lers, and the people of 3srael a!o+t me. 1& 3 will show him all that he m+st s+ffer for me. 1' So Ananias left and went to the ho+se of C+das. $e laid his hands on Sa+l and said, Sa+l, my !rother, the ord Ces+s sent me. $e is the one yo+ saw on the road when yo+ came here. $e sent me so that yo+ can see again and also !e filled with the $oly Spirit. Acts ).1(*2# #( 1( 3mmediately, something that looked like fish scales fell off Sa+ls eyes. $e was a!le to see" Then he got +p and was !aptiEed. 1) After he ate, he !egan to feel strong again.Sa+l stayed with the followers of pag. 11#%0131#

Ces+s in Damasc+s for a few days. 2, Soon he !egan to go to the synagog+es and tell people a!o+t Ces+s. $e told the people, Ces+s is the Son of God" 21 All the people who heard Sa+l were amaEed. They said, This is the same man who was in Cer+salem trying to destroy the people who tr+st in Ces+s" And thats why he has come hereto arrest the followers of Ces+s and take them !ack to the leading priests. 22 <+t Sa+l !ecame more and more powerf+l in proving that Ces+s is the Aessiah. $is proofs were so strong that the Cews who lived in Damasc+s co+ld not arg+e with him. 23 After many days, some Cews made plans to kill Sa+l. 2# They were watching the city gates day and night. They wanted to kill Sa+l, !+t he learned a!o+t their plan. Acts ).2%*31 #) 2% 5ne night some followers that Sa+l had ta+ght helped him leave the city. They p+t him in a !asket and lowered it down thro+gh a hole in the city wall. 2& Then Sa+l went to Cer+salem. $e tried to =oin the gro+p of followers, !+t they were all afraid of him. They did not !elieve that he was really a follower of Ces+s. 2' <+t <arna!as accepted Sa+l and took him to the apostles. $e told them how Sa+l had seen the ord on the road and how the ord had spoken to Sa+l. Then he told them how !oldly Sa+l had spoken for the ord in Damasc+s. 2( And so Sa+l stayed with the followers and went all aro+nd Cer+salem speaking !oldly for the ord. 2) $e often had arg+ments with the GreekDspeaking Cews, who !egan making plans to kill him. 3, >hen the !elievers learned a!o+t this, they took Sa+l to 9aesarea, and from there they sent him to the city of Tars+s. 31 The ch+rch in C+dea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. And with -asy To .ead /ersion

the help of the $oly Spirit, these gro+ps Acts ).32*3( %, of !elievers !ecame stronger in faith and showed their respect for the ord !y the way they lived. So the ch+rch everywhere grew in n+m!ers. 32 6eter was traveling thro+gh all the areas aro+nd Cer+salem, and he stopped to visit the !elievers who lived in ydda. 33 There he met a man named Aeneas, who was paralyEed and had not !een a!le to get o+t of !ed for the past eight years. 3# 6eter said to him, Aeneas, Ces+s 9hrist heals yo+. Get +p and make yo+r !ed" $e stood +p immediately. 3% All the people living in ydda and on the plain of Sharon saw him, and they decided to follow the ord. 3& 3n the city of Coppa there was a follower of Ces+s named Ta!itha. $er Greek name, Dorcas, means a deer. She was always doing good things for people and giving money to those in need. 3' >hile 6eter was in ydda, Ta!itha !ecame sick and died. They washed her !ody and p+t it in an +pstairs room. 3( The followers in Coppa heard that 6eter was in ydda, which was not Acts ).3)*1,.1 %1 far away. So they sent two men, who !egged him, $+rry, please come J+ickly" 3) 6eter got ready and went with them. >hen he arrived, they took him to the +pstairs room. All the widows stood aro+nd him. They were crying and showing him the coats and other clothes that Ta!itha had made d+ring her time with them. #, 6eter sent all the people o+t of the room. $e knelt down and prayed. Then he t+rned to Ta!ithas !ody and said, Ta!itha, stand +p" She opened her eyes. >hen she saw 6eter, she sat +p. #1 $e gave her his hand and helped her stand +p. Then he called the !elievers and the widows into the room. $e showed them Ta!ithaF she was alive" #2 6eople everywhere in Coppa learned a!o+t this, and many !elieved in the pag. 11#&0131#

ord. #3 6eter stayed in Coppa for many days at the home of a man named Simon, who was a leatherworker. 10 1 3n the city of 9aesarea there was a man named 9orneli+s, a .oman army officer in a gro+p of soldiers called the 3talian Hnit. Acts 1,.2*( %2 2 $e was a religio+s man. $e and all the others who lived in his ho+se were worshipers of the tr+e God. $e gave m+ch of his money to help the poor people and always prayed to God. 3 5ne afternoon a!o+t three oclock, 9orneli+s had a vision. $e clearly saw an angel from God coming to him and saying, 9orneli+s" # Staring at the angel and feeling afraid, 9orneli+s said, >hat do yo+ want, sir? The angel said to him, God has heard yo+r prayers and has seen yo+r gifts to the poor. $e remem!ers yo+ and all yo+ have done. % Send some men now to the city of Coppa to get a man named Simon, who is also called 6eter. & $e is staying with someone also named Simon, a leatherworker who has a ho+se !eside the sea. ' The angel who spoke to 9orneli+s left. Then 9orneli+s called two of his servants and a soldier. The soldier was a religio+s man, one of his close helpers. ( 9orneli+s e4plained everything to these three men and sent them to Coppa. Acts 1,.)*1' %3 ) The ne4t day they were coming near Coppa a!o+t noon, when 6eter was going +p to the roof to pray. 1, $e was h+ngry and wanted to eat. <+t while they were preparing the food for 6eter to eat, he had a vision. 11 $e saw something coming down thro+gh the open sky. 3t looked like a !ig sheet !eing lowered to the gro+nd !y its fo+r corners. 12 3n it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and !irds. 13 Then a voice said to him, Get +p, -asy To .ead /ersion

6eterF kill anything here and eat it. 1# <+t 6eter said, 3 cant do that, ord" 3 have never eaten anything that is not p+re or fit to !e +sed for food. 1% <+t the voice said to him again, God has made these things p+re. Dont say they are +nfit to eat. 1& This happened three times. Then the whole thing was taken !ack +p into heaven. 1' 6eter wondered what this vision meant. The men 9orneli+s sent had fo+nd Simons ho+se. They were standing at the door. Acts 1,.1(*2# %# 1( They asked, 3s Simon 6eter staying here? 1) >hile 6eter was still thinking a!o+t the vision, the Spirit said to him, isten, three men are looking for yo+. 2, Get +p and go downstairs. Go with these men witho+t wondering if its all right, !eca+se 3 sent them. 21 So 6eter went downstairs and said to them, 3 think 3m the man yo+ are looking for. >hy did yo+ come here? 22 The men said, A holy angel told 9orneli+s to invite yo+ to his ho+se. $e is an army officer. $e is a good man, one who worships God, and all the Cewish people respect him. The angel told him to invite yo+ to his ho+se so that he can listen to what yo+ have to say. 23 6eter asked the men to come in and stay for the night. The ne4t day 6eter got ready and went away with the three men. Some of the !elievers from Coppa went with him. 2# The ne4t day they came to the city of 9aesarea. 9orneli+s was waiting for them and had already gathered his relatives and close friends at his ho+se. Acts 1,.2%*31 %% 2% >hen 6eter entered the ho+se, 9orneli+s met him. $e fell down at 6eters feet and worshiped him. 2& <+t 6eter told him to get +p. 6eter said, Stand +p" 3 am only a man like yo+. 2' 6eter contin+ed talking with 9orneli+s. Then 6eter went inside and pag. 11#'0131#

saw a large gro+p of people gathered there. 2( 6eter said to the people, ;o+ +nderstand that it is against o+r law for a Cew to associate with or visit anyone who is not a Cew. <+t God has shown me that 3 sho+ld not consider anyone +nfit or say they are not p+re. 2) Thats why 3 didnt arg+e when yo+r men asked me to come here. 1ow, please tell me why yo+ sent for me. 3, 9orneli+s said, 2o+r days ago, 3 was praying in my ho+se. 3t was at this same timethree oclock in the afternoon. S+ddenly there was someone standing !efore me wearing !right, shiny clothes. 31 $e said, 9orneli+s, God has heard yo+r prayer and has seen yo+r gifts to the poor. $e remem!ers yo+ and all yo+ have done. Acts 1,.32*3( %& 32 So send some men to the city of Coppa and tell Simon 6eter to come. $e is staying with another man named Simon, a leatherworker who has a ho+se !eside the sea. 33 So 3 sent for yo+ immediately. 3t was very good of yo+ to come here. 1ow we are all here !efore God to hear everything the ord has commanded yo+ to tell +s. 3# 6eter !egan to speak: 3 really +nderstand now that God does not consider some people to !e !etter than others. 3% $e accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right. 3t is not important what nation they come from. 3& God has spoken to the people of 3srael. $e sent them the Good 1ews that peace has come thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. $e is the ord of all people. 3' ;o+ know what has happened all over C+dea. 3t !egan in Galilee after Cohn told the people they needed to !e !aptiEed. 3( ;o+ know a!o+t Ces+s from 1aEareth. God made him the Aessiah !y giving him the $oly Spirit and power. Ces+s went everywhere doing good for people. Acts 1,.3)*#% %' -asy To .ead /ersion

$e healed those who were r+led !y the devil, showing that God was with him. 3) >e saw all that Ces+s did in C+dea and in Cer+salem. <+t he was killed. They p+t him on a cross made of wood. #, <+t on the third day after his death, God raised him to life and let him !e seen openly. #1 $e was not seen !y everyone, !+t only !y +s, the ones God had already chosen to !e witnesses. >e ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. #2 Ces+s told +s to go and speak to the people. $e told +s to tell them that he is the one God chose to !e the C+dge of all who are living and all who have died. #3 -veryone who !elieves in Ces+s will have their sins forgiven thro+gh his name. All the prophets agree that this is tr+e. ## >hile 6eter was still speaking these words, the $oly Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his speech. #% The Cewish !elievers who came with 6eter were amaEed that the $oly Spirit had !een po+red o+t as a gift also to people who were not Cews. Acts 1,.#&*11.% %( #& They heard them speaking different lang+ages and praising God. Then 6eter said, #' $ow can anyone o!=ect to these people !eing !aptiEed in water? They have received the $oly Spirit the same as we did" #( So 6eter told them to !aptiEe 9orneli+s and his relatives and friends in the name of Ces+s 9hrist. Then they asked 6eter to stay with them for a few days. 11 1 The apostles and the !elievers in C+dea heard that nonDCewish people had accepted Gods teaching too. 2 <+t when 6eter came to Cer+salem, some Cewish !elievers arg+ed with him. 3 They said, ;o+ went into the homes of people who are not Cews and are not circ+mcised, and yo+ even ate with them" pag. 11#(0131#

# So 6eter e4plained the whole story to them. % $e said, 3 was in the city of Coppa. >hile 3 was praying, 3 had a vision. 3 saw something coming down from heaven. 3t looked like a !ig sheet !eing lowered to Acts 11.&*13 %) the gro+nd !y its fo+r corners. 3t came down close to me, & and 3 looked inside. 3 saw all kinds of animals, incl+ding wild ones, as well as reptiles and !irds. ' 3 heard a voice say to me, Get +p, 6eter. Gill anything here and eat it" ( <+t 3 said, 3 cant do that, ord" 3 have never eaten anything that is not p+re or fit to !e +sed for food. ) <+t the voice from heaven answered again, God has made these things p+re. Dont say they are +nfit to eat" 1, This happened three times. Then the whole thing was taken !ack into heaven. 11 S+ddenly there were three men standing o+tside the ho+se where 3 was staying. They had !een sent from 9aesarea to get me. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them witho+t wondering if it was all right. These si4 !rothers here also went with me, and we went to the ho+se of 9orneli+s. 13 $e told +s a!o+t the angel he had seen standing in his ho+se. The angel said, Send some men to Coppa to get Simon, the one who is also called 6eter. Acts 11.1#*2, &, 1# $e will speak to yo+, and what he tells yo+ will save yo+ and everyone living in yo+r ho+se. 1% After 3 !egan speaking, the $oly Spirit came on them =+st as he came on +s at the !eginning. 1& Then 3 remem!ered the words of the ord Ces+s: Cohn !aptiEed people in water, !+t yo+ will !e !aptiEed in the $oly Spirit. 1' God gave these people the same gift he gave +s who !elieved in the ord Ces+s 9hrist. So how co+ld 3 o!=ect to what God wanted to do? -asy To .ead /ersion

1( >hen the Cewish !elievers heard this, they stopped arg+ing. They praised God and said, So God is allowing even those who are not Cews to change their hearts so that they can have the life he gives" 1) The !elievers were scattered !y the persec+tion that !egan when Stephen was killed. Some of them went as far as 6hoenicia, 9ypr+s, and Antioch. They told the Good 1ews in these places, !+t only to Cews. 2, Some of these !elievers were men from 9ypr+s and 9yrene. >hen these men came to Antioch, they !egan Acts 11.21*2& &1 speaking to people who were not Cews. They told them the Good 1ews a!o+t the ord Ces+s. 21 The ord was helping these men, and a large n+m!er of people !elieved and decided to follow the ord. 22 >hen the ch+rch in Cer+salem heard a!o+t this, they sent <arna!as to Antioch. 23 <arna!as was a good man, f+ll of the $oly Spirit and faith. >hen he went to Antioch and saw how God had !lessed the !elievers there, he was very happy. $e enco+raged them all, saying, Always !e faithf+l to the ord. Serve him with all yo+r heart. Aany more people !ecame followers of the ord. 2# 711:238 2% Then <arna!as went to the city of Tars+s to look for Sa+l. 2& >hen he fo+nd him, he !ro+ght him to Antioch. They stayed there a whole year. -very time the ch+rch came together, <arna!as and Sa+l met with them and ta+ght many people. 3t was in Antioch that the followers of the ord Ces+s were called 9hristDfollowers for the first time. Acts 11.2'*12.# &2 2' A!o+t that same time some prophets went from Cer+salem to Antioch. 2( 5ne of them, named Aga!+s, stood +p and spoke with the help of the Spirit. $e said, A very !ad time is coming to the whole world. There will !e no food pag. 11#)0131#

for people to eat. 7This time of famine happened when 9la+di+s was emperor.8 2) The ords followers decided that they wo+ld each send as m+ch as they co+ld to help their !rothers and sisters who lived in C+dea. 3, They gathered the money and gave it to <arna!as and Sa+l, who took it to the elders in C+dea. 12 1 D+ring this same time, Ging $erod !egan to do harm to some of those who were part of the ch+rch. 2 $e ordered Cames, the !rother of Cohn, to !e killed with a sword. 3 $erod saw that the Cews liked this, so he decided to arrest 6eter too. This happened d+ring the 2estival of Hnleavened <read. # $e arrested 6eter and p+t him in =ail, where he was g+arded !y a gro+p of 1& soldiers. $erod planned to !ring 6eter Acts 12.%*1, &3 !efore the people, !+t he wanted to wait +ntil after the 6assover festival. % So 6eter was kept in =ail, !+t the ch+rch was constantly praying to God for him. & 5ne night, 6eter, !o+nd with two chains, was sleeping !etween two of the soldiers. Aore soldiers were g+arding the door of the =ail. $erod was planning to !ring 6eter o+t !efore the people the ne4t day. ' S+ddenly an angel of the ord was standing there, and the room was filled with light. The angel tapped 6eter on the side and woke him +p. The angel said, $+rry, get +p" The chains fell off 6eters hands. ( The angel said, Get dressed and p+t on yo+r sandals. 6eter did as he was told. Then the angel said, 6+t on yo+r coat and follow me. ) So the angel went o+t and 6eter followed. $e did not know if the angel was really doing this. $e tho+ght he might !e seeing a vision. 1, 6eter and the angel went past the first g+ard and the second g+ard. Then they came to the iron gate that -asy To .ead /ersion

Acts 12.11*1& &# separated them from the city. The gate opened for them !y itself. After they went thro+gh the gate and walked a!o+t a !lock, the angel s+ddenly left. 11 6eter realiEed then what had happened. $e tho+ght, 1ow 3 know that the ord really sent his angel to me. $e resc+ed me from $erod and from all the !ad things the Cews tho+ght wo+ld happen to me. 12 >hen 6eter realiEed this, he went to the home of Aary, the mother of Cohn, who was also called Aark. Aany people were gathered there and were praying. 13 6eter knocked on the o+tside door. A servant girl named .hoda came to answer it. 1# She recogniEed 6eters voice, and she was very happy. She even forgot to open the door. She ran inside and told the gro+p, 6eter is at the door" 1% The !elievers said to her, ;o+ are craEy" <+t she contin+ed to say that it was tr+e. So they said, 3t m+st !e 6eters angel. 1& <+t 6eter contin+ed to knock. >hen the !elievers opened the door, they saw him. They were amaEed. Acts 12.1'*22 &% 1' 6eter made a sign with his hand to tell them to !e J+iet. $e e4plained to them how the ord led him o+t of the =ail. $e said, Tell Cames and the other !rothers what happened. Then he left and went to another place. 1( The ne4t day the soldiers were very +pset. They wondered what happened to 6eter. 1) $erod looked everywhere for him !+t co+ld not find him. So he J+estioned the g+ards and then ordered that they !e killed. ater, $erod moved from C+dea. $e went to the city of 9aesarea and stayed there a while. 2, $erod was very angry with the people from the cities of Tyre and Sidon. <+t these cities needed food from his co+ntry, so a gro+p of them came to ask him for peace. They were a!le to get pag. 11%,0131#

<last+s, the kings personal servant, on their side. 21 $erod decided on a day to meet with them. 5n that day he was wearing a !ea+tif+l royal ro!e. $e sat on his throne and made a speech to the people. 22 The people sho+ted, This is the voice of a god, not a man" Acts 12.23*13.# && 23 $erod did not give the glory to God. So an angel of the ord ca+sed him to get sick. $e was eaten !y worms inside, and he died. 2# The message of God was spreading, reaching more and more people. 2% After <arna!as and Sa+l finished their work in Cer+salem, they ret+rned to Antioch, taking Cohn Aark with them. 13 1 3n the ch+rch at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers. They were <arna!as, Simeon 7also called 1iger8, +ci+s 7from the city of 9yrene8, Aanaen 7who had grown +p with Ging $erod8, and Sa+l. 2 These men were all serving the ord and fasting when the $oly Spirit said to them, Appoint <arna!as and Sa+l to do a special work for me. They are the ones 3 have chosen to do it. 3 So the ch+rch fasted and prayed. They laid their hands on <arna!as and Sa+l and sent them o+t. # <arna!as and Sa+l were sent o+t !y the $oly Spirit. They went to the city of Sele+cia. Then they sailed from there to the island of 9ypr+s. Acts 13.%*11 &' % >hen <arna!as and Sa+l came to the city of Salamis, they told the message of God in the Cewish synagog+es. Cohn Aark was with them to help. & They went across the whole island to the city of 6aphos. There they met a Cewish man named <ar=es+s who did magic. $e was a false prophet. ' $e always stayed close to Sergi+s 6a+l+s, who was the governor and a very smart man. $e invited <arna!as and Sa+l to come visit him, !eca+se he wanted to hear the message of God. -asy To .ead /ersion

( <+t the magician -lymas 7as <ar=es+s was called in Greek8 spoke against them, trying to stop the governor from !elieving in Ces+s. ) <+t Sa+l 7also known as 6a+l8, filled with the $oly Spirit, looked hard at -lymas 1, and said, ;o+ son of the devil, f+ll of lies and all kinds of evil tricks" ;o+ are an enemy of everything that is right. >ill yo+ never stop trying to change the ords tr+ths into lies? 11 1ow the ord will to+ch yo+ and yo+ will !e !lind. 2or a time yo+ will not !e a!le to see anythingnot even the light Acts 13.12*1' &( from the s+n. Then everything !ecame dark for -lymas. $e walked aro+nd lost. $e was trying to find someone to lead him !y the hand. 12 >hen the governor saw this, he !elieved. $e was amaEed at the teaching a!o+t the ord. 13 6a+l and the people with him sailed away from 6aphos. They came to 6erga, a city in 6amphylia. There Cohn Aark left them and ret+rned to Cer+salem. 1# They contin+ed their trip from 6erga and went to Antioch, a city near 6isidia. 5n the Sa!!ath day they went into the Cewish synagog+e and sat down. 1% The aw of Aoses and the writings of the prophets were read. Then the leaders of the synagog+e sent a message to 6a+l and <arna!as: <rothers, if yo+ have something to say that will help the people here, please speak. 1& 6a+l stood +p, raised his hand to get their attention, and said, 6eople of 3srael and all yo+ others who worship the tr+e God, please listen to me" 1' The God of 3srael chose o+r ancestors. And d+ring the time o+r people lived in -gypt as foreigners, he made them Acts 13.1(*2# &) great. Then he !ro+ght them o+t of that co+ntry with great power. 1( And he was patient with them for #, years in the desert. 1) God destroyed seven nations in the pag. 11%10131#

land of 9anaan and gave their land to his people. 2, All this happened in a!o+t #%, years. After this, God gave o+r people =+dges to lead them +ntil the time of Sam+el the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king. God gave them Sa+l, the son of Gish. Sa+l was from the tri!e of <en=amin. $e was king for #, years. 22 After God took Sa+l away, God made David their king. This is what God said a!o+t David: David, the son of Cesse, is the kind of person who does what pleases me. $e will do everything 3 want him to do. 23 As he promised, God has !ro+ght one of Davids descendants to 3srael to !e their Savior. That descendant is Ces+s. 2# <efore he came, Cohn told all the people of 3srael what they sho+ld do. $e told them to !e !aptiEed to show they wanted to change their lives. Acts 13.2%*31 ', 2% >hen Cohn was finishing his work, he said, >ho do yo+ think 3 am? 3 am not the Aessiah. $e is coming later, and 3 am not worthy to !e the slave who +nties his sandals. 2& Ay !rothers, sons in the family of A!raham, and yo+ other people who also worship the tr+e God, listen" The news a!o+t this salvation has !een sent to +s. 2' The Cews living in Cer+salem and their leaders did not realiEe that Ces+s was the Savior. The words the prophets wrote a!o+t him were read every Sa!!ath day, !+t they did not +nderstand. They condemned Ces+s. >hen they did this, they made the words of the prophets come tr+e. 2( They co+ld not find any real reason why Ces+s sho+ld die, !+t they asked 6ilate to kill him. 2) These Cews did all the !ad things that the Script+res said wo+ld happen to Ces+s. Then they took Ces+s down from the cross and p+t him in a tom!. 3, <+t God raised him +p from death" 31 After this, for many days, those who -asy To .ead /ersion

had gone with Ces+s from Galilee to Acts 13.32*3( '1 Cer+salem saw him. They are now his witnesses to o+r people. 32 >e tell yo+ the Good 1ews a!o+t the promise God made to o+r ancestors. 33 >e are their descendants, and God has made this promise come tr+e for +s. God did this !y raising Ces+s from death. >e also read a!o+t this in 6salm 2: ;o+ are my Son. Today 3 have !ecome yo+r 2ather. 3# God raised Ces+s from death. Ces+s will never go !ack to the grave and !ecome d+st. So God said, 3 will give yo+ the tr+e and holy promises that 3 made to David. 3% <+t in another 6salm it says, ;o+ will not let yo+r $oly 5ne rot in the grave. 3& David did Gods will d+ring the time he lived. Then he died and was !+ried like all his ancestors. And his !ody did rot in the grave" 3' <+t the one God raised from death did not rot in the grave. 3( <rothers, +nderstand what we are telling yo+. ;o+ can have forgiveness of yo+r sins thro+gh this Ces+s. The aw of Aoses co+ld not free yo+ from yo+r sins. <+t yo+ can !e free from all g+ilt Acts 13.3)*#% '2 and made right with God if yo+ !elieve in Ces+s. 3) 713:3(8 #, So !e caref+l" Dont let what the prophets said happen to yo+: #1 isten, yo+ people who do+!t" ;o+ can wonder, !+t then go away and dieF !eca+se d+ring yo+r time, 3 will do something yo+ will not !elieve. ;o+ will not !elieve it, even if someone e4plains it to yo+" #2 As 6a+l and <arna!as were leaving the synagog+e, the people asked them to come again on the ne4t Sa!!ath day and tell them more a!o+t these things. #3 After the meeting, many of the people followed 6a+l and <arna!as, incl+ding many Cews and people who had changed their religion to !e like pag. 11%20131#

Cews and worship the tr+e God. 6a+l and <arna!as enco+raged them to contin+e tr+sting in Gods grace. ## 5n the ne4t Sa!!ath day, almost all the people in the city came together to hear the word of the ord. #% >hen the Cews there saw all these people, they !ecame very =ealo+s. Acts 13.#&*%, '3 Sho+ting ins+lts, they arg+ed against everything 6a+l said. #& <+t 6a+l and <arna!as spoke very !oldly. They said, >e had to tell Gods message to yo+ Cews first, !+t yo+ ref+se to listen. ;o+ have made it clear that yo+ are not worthy of having eternal life. So we will now go to those who are not Cews. #' This is what the ord told +s to do: 3 have made yo+ a light for the other nations, to show people all over the world the way to !e saved. #( >hen the nonDCewish people heard 6a+l say this, they were happy. They gave honor to the message of the ord, and many of them !elieved it. These were the ones chosen to have eternal life. #) And so the message of the ord was !eing told thro+gho+t the whole co+ntry. %, <+t the Cews there ca+sed some of the important religio+s women and the leaders of the city to !e angry and t+rn against 6a+l and <arna!as and throw them o+t of town. Acts 13.%1*1#.# '# %1 So 6a+l and <arna!as shook the d+st off their feet. Then they went to the city of 3coni+m. %2 <+t the ords followers in Antioch were happy and filled with the $oly Spirit. 14 1 6a+l and <arna!as went to the city of 3coni+m. As they did in Antioch, they entered the Cewish synagog+e. They spoke to the people there. They spoke so well that many Cews and Greeks !elieved what they said. 2 <+t some of the Cews did not !elieve. -asy To .ead /ersion

They said things that ca+sed the nonDCewish people to !e angry and t+rn against the !elievers. 3 So 6a+l and <arna!as stayed in 3coni+m a long time, and they spoke !ravely for the ord. They told the people a!o+t Gods grace. The ord proved that what they said was tr+e !y ca+sing mirac+lo+s signs and wonders to !e done thro+gh them. # <+t some of the people in the city agreed with the Cews who did not !elieve 6a+l and <arna!as. 5thers followed the apostles. So the city was divided. Acts 1#.%*12 '% % Some of the Cews there, as well as their leaders and some of the nonDCewish people, planned to h+rt 6a+l and <arna!as. They wanted to stone them to death. & >hen 6a+l and <arna!as learned a!o+t this, they left the city. They went to ystra and Der!e, cities in ycaonia, and to the s+rro+nding areas. ' They told the Good 1ews there too. ( 3n ystra there was a man who had something wrong with his feet. $e had !een !orn crippled and had never walked. ) $e was sitting and listening to 6a+l speak. 6a+l looked straight at him and saw that the man !elieved God co+ld heal him. 1, So 6a+l sho+ted, Stand +p on yo+r feet" The man =+mped +p and !egan walking aro+nd. 11 >hen the people saw what 6a+l did, they sho+ted in their own ycaonian lang+age. They said, The gods have come down to +s in the form of h+mans" 12 The people !egan to call <arna!as Be+s, and they called 6a+l $ermes, !eca+se he was the main speaker. Acts 1#.13*1' '& 13 The temple of Be+s was near the city. The priest of this temple !ro+ght some !+lls and flowers to the city gates. The priest and the people wanted to offer a sacrifice to 6a+l and <arna!as. 1# <+t when the apostles, <arna!as pag. 11%30131#

and 6a+l, +nderstood what the people were doing, they tore their own clothes. Then they ran in among the people and sho+ted to them: 1% Aen, why are yo+ doing this? >e are not gods. >e are h+man =+st like yo+. >e came to tell yo+ the Good 1ews. >e are telling yo+ to t+rn away from these worthless things. T+rn to the tr+e living God, the one who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them. 1& 3n the past God let all the nations do what they wanted. 1' <+t God was always there doing the good things that prove he is real. $e gives yo+ rain from heaven and good harvests at the right times. $e gives yo+ plenty of food and fills yo+r hearts with =oy. Acts 1#.1(*23 '' 1( -ven after saying all this, 6a+l and <arna!as still co+ld hardly stop the people from offering sacrifices to them. 1) Then some Cews came from Antioch and 3coni+m and pers+aded the people to t+rn against 6a+l. So they threw stones at him and dragged him o+t of the town. They tho+ght they had killed him. 2, <+t when the followers of Ces+s gathered aro+nd him, he got +p and went !ack into the town. The ne4t day he and <arna!as left and went to the city of Der!e. 21 They also told the Good 1ews in the city of Der!e, and many people !ecame followers of Ces+s. Then 6a+l and <arna!as ret+rned to the cities of ystra, 3coni+m, and Antioch. 22 3n those cities they helped the followers grow stronger in their faith and enco+raged them to contin+e to tr+st in God. They told them, >e m+st s+ffer many things on o+r way into Gods kingdom. 23 They also chose elders for each ch+rch and stopped eating for a period of time to pray for them. These elders Acts 1#.2#*1%.1 '( -asy To .ead /ersion

were men who had p+t their tr+st in the ord Ces+s, so 6a+l and <arna!as p+t them in his care. 2# 6a+l and <arna!as went thro+gh the co+ntry of 6isidia. Then they came to the co+ntry of 6amphylia. 2% They told people the message of God in the city of 6erga, and then they went down to the city of Attalia. 2& And from there they sailed away to Antioch in Syria. This is the city where the !elievers had p+t them into Gods care and sent them to do this work. 1ow they had finished it. 2' >hen 6a+l and <arna!as arrived, they gathered the ch+rch together. They told the !elievers everything God had +sed them to do. They said, God opened a door for the nonDCewish people to !elieve" 2( And they stayed there a long time with the ords followers. 15 1 Then some men from C+dea came to Antioch and !egan teaching the family of !elievers there: ;o+ cannot !e saved if yo+ are not circ+mcised as Aoses ta+ght +s. Acts 1%.2*' ') 2 6a+l and <arna!as were against this teaching and arg+ed with these men a!o+t it. So the gro+p decided to send 6a+l, <arna!as, and some others to Cer+salem to talk more a!o+t this with the apostles and elders. 3 The ch+rch helped them get ready to leave on their trip. The men went thro+gh the co+ntries of 6hoenicia and Samaria, where they told all a!o+t how the nonDCewish people had t+rned to the tr+e God. This made all the !elievers very happy. # >hen the men arrived in Cer+salem, the apostles, the elders, and the whole ch+rch welcomed them. 6a+l, <arna!as, and the others told a!o+t all that God had done with them. % Some of the !elievers in Cer+salem had !elonged to the 6harisees. They stood +p and said, The nonDCewish !elievers m+st !e circ+mcised. >e m+st pag. 11%#0131#

tell them to o!ey the aw of Aoses" & Then the apostles and the elders gathered to st+dy this pro!lem. ' After a long de!ate, 6eter stood +p and said to them, Ay !rothers, 3 am s+re yo+ remem!er what happened in the Acts 1%.(*13 (, early days. God chose me from among yo+ to tell the Good 1ews to those who are not Cewish. 3t was from me that they heard the Good 1ews and !elieved. ( God knows everyone, even their tho+ghts, and he accepted these nonDCewish people. $e showed this to +s !y giving them the $oly Spirit the same as he did to +s. ) To God, those people are not different from +s. >hen they !elieved, God made their hearts p+re. 1, So now, why are yo+ p+tting a heavy !+rden aro+nd the necks of the nonDCewish followers of Ces+s? Are yo+ trying to make God angry? >e and o+r fathers were not a!le to carry that !+rden. 11 1o, we !elieve that we and these people will !e saved the same way!y the grace of the ord Ces+s. 12 Then the whole gro+p !ecame J+iet. They listened while 6a+l and <arna!as told a!o+t all the mirac+lo+s signs and wonders that God had done thro+gh them among the nonDCewish people. 13 >hen they finished speaking, Cames said, Ay !rothers, listen to me. Acts 1%.1#*2, (1 1# Simon 6eter has told +s how God showed his love for the nonDCewish people. 2or the first time, God accepted them and made them his people. 1% The words of the prophets agree with this too: 1& 3 will ret+rn after this. 3 will !+ild Davids ho+se again. 3t has fallen down. 3 will !+ild again the parts of his ho+se that have !een p+lled down. 3 will make his ho+se new. 1' Then the rest of the world will look for the ord God all those of other nations who are my people too. The ord said -asy To .ead /ersion

this. And he is the one who does all these things. 1( All this has !een known from the !eginning of time. 1) So 3 think we sho+ld not make things hard for those who have t+rned to God from among the nonDCewish people. 2, 3nstead, we sho+ld send a letter telling them only the things they sho+ld not do: Dont eat food that has !een given to idols. This makes the food +nclean. Dont !e involved in se4+al sin. Dont eat meat from animals that have Acts 1%.21*2% (2 !een strangled or any meat that still has the !lood in it. 21 They sho+ld not do any of these things, !eca+se there are still men in every city who teach the aw of Aoses. The words of Aoses have !een read in the synagog+e every Sa!!ath day for many years. 22 The apostles, the elders, and the whole ch+rch wanted to send some men with 6a+l and <arna!as to Antioch. The gro+p decided to choose some of their own men. They chose C+das 7also called <arsa!!as8 and Silas, men who were respected !y the !elievers. 23 The gro+p sent the letter with these men. The letter said: 2rom the apostles and elders, yo+r !rothers. To all the nonDCewish !rothers in the city of Antioch and in the co+ntries of Syria and 9ilicia. Dear <rothers: 2# >e have heard that some men have come to yo+ from o+r gro+p. >hat they said tro+!led and +pset yo+. <+t we did not tell them to do this. 2% >e have all agreed to choose some men and send them to yo+. They will Acts 1%.2&*32 (3 !e with o+r dear friends, <arna!as and 6a+l. 2& <arna!as and 6a+l have given their lives to serve o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 2' So we have sent C+das and Silas with them. They will tell yo+ the same things. 2( >e agree with the $oly Spirit that yo+ sho+ld have no more !+rdens, pag. 11%%0131#

e4cept for these necessary things: 2) Dont eat food that has !een given to idols. Dont eat meat from animals that have !een strangled or any meat that still has the !lood in it. Dont !e involved in se4+al sin. 3f yo+ stay away from these, yo+ will do well. >e say good!ye now. 3, So 6a+l, <arna!as, C+das, and Silas left Cer+salem and went to Antioch. There they gathered the gro+p of !elievers together and gave them the letter. 31 >hen the !elievers read it, they were happy. The letter comforted them. 32 C+das and Silas, who were also prophets, said many things to enco+rage the !elievers and make them stronger in their faith. Acts 1%.33*3) (# 33 After C+das and Silas stayed there for a while, they left. They received a !lessing of peace from the !elievers. Then they went !ack to those who had sent them. 3# MM-A6T;NN 3% <+t 6a+l and <arna!as stayed in Antioch. They and many others ta+ght the !elievers and told other people the Good 1ews a!o+t the ord. 3& A few days later, 6a+l said to <arna!as, >e sho+ld go !ack to all the towns where we told people the message of the ord. >e sho+ld visit the !elievers to see how they are doing. 3' <arna!as wanted to !ring Cohn Aark with them too. 3( <+t on their first trip Cohn Aark did not contin+e with them in the work. $e had left them at 6amphylia. So 6a+l did not think it was a good idea to take him this time. 3) 6a+l and <arna!as had a !ig arg+ment a!o+t this. 3t was so !ad that they separated and went different ways. <arna!as sailed to 9ypr+s and took Aark with him. Acts 1%.#,*1&.% (% #, 6a+l chose Silas to go with him. The !elievers in Antioch p+t 6a+l into the -asy To .ead /ersion

ords care and sent him o+t. #1 6a+l and Silas went thro+gh the co+ntries of Syria and 9ilicia, helping the ch+rches grow stronger. 16 1 6a+l went to the city of Der!e and then to ystra, where a follower of Ces+s named Timothy lived. Timothys mother was a Cewish !eliever, !+t his father was a Greek. 2 The !elievers in the cities of ystra and 3coni+m had only good things to say a!o+t him. 3 6a+l wanted Timothy to travel with him, !+t all the Cews living in that area knew that his father was a Greek. So 6a+l circ+mcised Timothy to please the Cews. # Then 6a+l and those with him traveled thro+gh other cities. They gave the !elievers the r+les and decisions from the apostles and elders in Cer+salem. They told them to o!ey these r+les. % So the ch+rches were !ecoming stronger in their faith, and the n+m!er of !elievers was growing every day. Acts 1&.&*13 (& & 6a+l and those with him went thro+gh the areas of 6hrygia and Galatia !eca+se the $oly Spirit did not allow them to tell the Good 1ews in the province of Asia. ' >hen they reached the !order of Aysia, they tried to go on into <ithynia, !+t the Spirit of Ces+s did not let them go there. ( So they passed !y Aysia and went to the city of Troas. ) That night 6a+l saw a vision. 3n it, a man from Aacedonia came to 6a+l. The man stood there and !egged, 9ome across to Aacedonia and help +s. 1, After 6a+l had seen the vision, we immediately prepared to leave for Aacedonia. >e +nderstood that God had called +s to tell the Good 1ews to those people. 11 >e left Troas in a ship and sailed to the island of Samothrace. The ne4t day we sailed to the city of 1eapolis. 12 Then we went to 6hilippi, a .oman colony and the leading city in that part pag. 11%&0131#

of Aacedonia. >e stayed there for a few days. 13 5n the Sa!!ath day we went o+t the city gate to the river. There we tho+ght Acts 1&.1#*1' (' we might find a special place for prayer. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them. 1# There was a woman there named ydia from the city of Thyatira. $er =o! was selling p+rple cloth. She was a worshiper of the tr+e God. ydia was listening to 6a+l, and the ord opened her heart to accept what 6a+l was saying. 1% She and all the people living in her ho+se were !aptiEed. Then she invited +s into her home. She said, 3f yo+ think 3 am a tr+e !eliever in the ord Ces+s, come stay in my ho+se. She pers+aded +s to stay with her. 1& 5ne day we were going to the place for prayer, and a servant girl met +s. She had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell what wo+ld happen in the f+t+re. <y doing this she earned a lot of money for the men who owned her. 1' She started following 6a+l and the rest of +s aro+nd. She kept sho+ting, These men are servants of the Aost $igh God" They are telling yo+ how yo+ can !e saved" Acts 1&.1(*2# (( 1( She contin+ed doing this for many days. This !othered 6a+l, so he t+rned and said to the spirit, <y the power of Ces+s 9hrist, 3 command yo+ to come o+t of her" 3mmediately, the spirit came o+t. 1) >hen the men who owned the servant girl saw this, they realiEed that they co+ld no longer +se her to make money. So they gra!!ed 6a+l and Silas and dragged them to the p+!lic sJ+are to meet with the a+thorities. 2, They !ro+ght 6a+l and Silas !efore the .oman officials and said, These men are Cews, and they are making tro+!le in o+r city. 21 They are telling people to do things -asy To .ead /ersion

that are not right for +s as .omans to do. 22 The whole crowd t+rned against 6a+l and Silas. The officials tore the clothes off !oth men and ordered that they !e !eaten with rods. 23 They were !eaten severely and thrown into =ail. The officials told the =ailer, G+ard them very caref+lly" 2# >hen the =ailer heard this special order, he p+t 6a+l and Silas far inside the Acts 1&.2%*32 () =ail and !o+nd their feet !etween large !locks of wood. 2% A!o+t midnight 6a+l and Silas were praying and singing songs to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. 2& S+ddenly there was an earthJ+ake so strong that it shook the fo+ndation of the =ail. All the doors of the =ail opened, and the chains on all the prisoners fell off. 2' The =ailer woke +p and saw that the =ail doors were open. $e tho+ght that the prisoners had already escaped, so he got his sword and was ready to kill himself. 2( <+t 6a+l sho+ted, Dont h+rt yo+rself" >e are all here" 2) The =ailer told someone to !ring a light. Then he ran inside and, shaking with fear, fell down in front of 6a+l and Silas. 3, Then he !ro+ght them o+tside and said, Aen, what m+st 3 do to !e saved? 31 They said to him, <elieve in the ord Ces+s, and yo+ will !e savedyo+ and all who live in yo+r ho+se. 32 So 6a+l and Silas told the message of the ord to the =ailer and all the people who lived in his ho+se. Acts 1&.33*3) ), 33 3t was late at night, !+t the =ailer took 6a+l and Silas and washed their wo+nds. Then the =ailer and all his people were !aptiEed. 3# After this the =ailer took 6a+l and Silas home and gave them some food. All the people were very happy !eca+se they now !elieved in God. 3% The ne4t morning the .oman officials pag. 11%'0131#

sent some soldiers to tell the =ailer, et these men go free. 3& The =ailer said to 6a+l, The officials have sent these soldiers to let yo+ go free. ;o+ can leave now. Go in peace. 3' <+t 6a+l said to the soldiers, Those officials did not prove that we did anything wrong, !+t they !eat +s in p+!lic and p+t +s in =ail. And we are .oman citiEens. 1ow they want +s to go away J+ietly. 1o, they m+st come here themselves and lead +s o+t" 3( The soldiers told the officials what 6a+l said. >hen they heard that 6a+l and Silas were .oman citiEens, they were afraid. 3) So they came and told them they were sorry. They led them o+t of the =ail and asked them to leave the city. Acts 1&.#,*1'.% )1 #, <+t when 6a+l and Silas came o+t of the =ail, they went to ydias ho+se. They saw some of the !elievers there and enco+raged them. Then they left. 17 1 6a+l and Silas traveled thro+gh the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia. They came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a Cewish synagog+e. 2 6a+l went into the synagog+e to see the Cews as he always did. The ne4t three weeks, on each Sa!!ath day, he disc+ssed the Script+res with them. 3 $e e4plained the Script+res to show them that the Aessiah had to die and then rise from death. $e said, This Ces+s that 3 am telling yo+ a!o+t is the Aessiah. # Some of the Cews there !elieved 6a+l and Silas and decided to =oin them. Also, a large n+m!er of Greeks who were worshipers of the tr+e God and many important women =oined them. % <+t the Cews who did not !elieve !ecame =ealo+s, so they got some !ad men from aro+nd the city center to make tro+!le. They formed a mo! and ca+sed a riot in the city. They went to Casons Acts 1'.&*11 )2 ho+se, looking for 6a+l and Silas. They -asy To .ead /ersion

wanted to !ring them o+t !efore the people. & >hen they did not find them, they dragged Cason and some of the other !elievers to the city leaders. The people sho+ted, These men have made tro+!le everywhere in the world, and now they have come here too" ' Cason is keeping them in his ho+se. They all do things against the laws of 9aesar. They say there is another king called Ces+s. ( >hen the city leaders and the other people heard this, they !ecame very +pset. ) They made Cason and the other !elievers deposit money to g+arantee that there wo+ld !e no more tro+!le. Then they let them go. 1, That same night the !elievers sent 6a+l and Silas to another city named <erea. >hen they arrived there, they went to the Cewish synagog+e. 11 The people in <erea were more openDminded than those in Thessalonica. They were so glad to hear the message 6a+l told them. They st+died the Acts 1'.12*1( )3 Script+res every day to make s+re that what they heard was really tr+e. 12 The res+lt was that many of them !elieved, incl+ding many important Greek women and men. 13 <+t when the Cews in Thessalonica learned that 6a+l was telling people Gods message in <erea, they came there too. They +pset the people and made tro+!le. 1# So the !elievers immediately sent 6a+l away to the coast, !+t Silas and Timothy stayed in <erea. 1% Those who went with 6a+l took him to the city of Athens. They ret+rned with a message for Silas and Timothy to come and =oin him as soon as they co+ld. 1& >hile 6a+l was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he was +pset !eca+se he saw that the city was f+ll of idols. 1' 3n the synagog+e he talked with the Cews and with the Greeks who were worshipers of the tr+e God. $e also pag. 11%(0131#

went to the p+!lic sJ+are every day and talked with everyone who came !y. 1( Some of the -pic+rean and some of the Stoic philosophers arg+ed with him. Some of them said, This man doesnt really know what he is talking a!o+t. Acts 1'.1)*2# )# >hat is he trying to say? 6a+l was telling them the Good 1ews a!o+t Ces+s and the res+rrection. So they said, $e seems to !e telling +s a!o+t some other gods. 1) They took 6a+l to a meeting of the Areopag+s co+ncil. They said, 6lease e4plain to +s this new idea that yo+ have !een teaching. 2, The things yo+ are saying are new to +s. >e have never heard this teaching, and we want to know what it means. 21 7The people of Athens and the foreigners who lived there spent all their time either telling or listening to all the latest ideas.8 22 Then 6a+l stood +p !efore the meeting of the Areopag+s co+ncil and said, Aen of Athens, everything 3 see here tells me yo+ are very religio+s. 23 3 was going thro+gh yo+r city and 3 saw the things yo+ worship. 3 fo+nd an altar that had these words written on it: T5 A1 H1G15>1 G5D. ;o+ worship a god that yo+ dont know. This is the God 3 want to tell yo+ a!o+t. 2# $e is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. $e is the ord Acts 1'.2%*3, )% of the land and the sky. $e does not live in temples !+ilt !y h+man hands. 2% $e is the one who gives people life, !reath, and everything else they need. $e does not need any help from them. $e has everything he needs. 2& God !egan !y making one man, and from him he made all the different people who live everywhere in the world. $e decided e4actly when and where they wo+ld live. 2' God wanted people to look for him, and perhaps in searching all aro+nd for him, they wo+ld find him. <+t he is not far from any of +s. -asy To .ead /ersion

2( 3t is thro+gh him that we are a!le to live, to do what we do, and to !e who we are. As yo+r own poets have said, >e all come from him. 2) Thats right. >e all come from God. So yo+ m+st not think that he is like something people imagine or make. $e is not made of gold, silver, or stone. 3, 3n the past people did not +nderstand God, and he overlooked this. <+t now he is telling everyone in the world to change and t+rn to him. Acts 1'.31*1(.2 )& 31 $e has decided on a day when he will =+dge all the people in the world in a way that is fair. To do this he will +se a man he chose long ago. And he has proved to everyone that this is the man to do it. $e proved it !y raising him from death" 32 >hen the people heard a!o+t someone !eing raised from death, some of them la+ghed. <+t others said, >e will hear more a!o+t this from yo+ later. 33 So 6a+l left the co+ncil meeting. 3# <+t some of the people =oined with 6a+l and !ecame !elievers. Among these were Dionysi+s, a mem!er of the Areopag+s co+ncil, a woman named Damaris, and some others. 18 1 ater, 6a+l left Athens and went to the city of 9orinth. 2 There he met a Cewish man named AJ+ila, who was !orn in the co+ntry of 6ont+s. <+t he and his wife, 6riscilla, had recently moved to 9orinth from 3taly. They left 3taly !eca+se 9la+di+s had given an order for all Cews to leave .ome. 6a+l went to visit AJ+ila and 6riscilla. Acts 1(.3*( )' 3 They were tentmakers, the same as 6a+l, so he stayed with them and worked with them. # -very Sa!!ath day 6a+l went to the synagog+e and talked with !oth Cews and Greeks, trying to pers+ade them to !elieve in Ces+s. % <+t after Silas and Timothy came from Aacedonia, 6a+l spent all his time telling Gods message to the Cews, trying to pag. 11%)0131#

convince them that Ces+s is the Aessiah. & <+t they disagreed with what 6a+l was teaching and started ins+lting him. So 6a+l shook the d+st from his clothes. $e said to them, 3f yo+ are not saved, it will !e yo+r own fa+lt" 3 have done all 3 can do. After this 3 will go only to the nonDCewish people. ' 6a+l left the synagog+e and moved into the home of Titi+s C+st+s, a man who was a worshiper of the tr+e God. $is ho+se was ne4t to the synagog+e. ( 9risp+s was the leader of that synagog+e. $e and all the people living in his ho+se !elieved in the ord Ces+s. Aany other people in 9orinth also listened to 6a+l. They, too, !elieved and were !aptiEed. Acts 1(.)*1' )( ) D+ring the night, 6a+l had a vision. The ord said to him, Dont !e afraid, and dont stop talking to people. 1, 3 am with yo+, and no one will !e a!le to h+rt yo+. Aany of my people are in this city. 11 6a+l stayed there for a year and a half teaching Gods message to the people. 12 D+ring the time that Gallio was the governor of Achaia, some of the Cews came together against 6a+l. They took him to co+rt. 13 They said to Gallio, This man is teaching people to worship God in a way that is against o+r law" 1# 6a+l was ready to say something, !+t Gallio spoke to the Cews. $e said, 3 wo+ld listen to yo+ if yo+r complaint was a!o+t a crime or other wrong. 1% <+t it is only a!o+t words and namesarg+ments a!o+t yo+r own law. So yo+ m+st solve this pro!lem yo+rselves. 3 dont want to !e a =+dge of these matters. 1& So Gallio made them leave the co+rt. 1' Then they all gra!!ed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagog+e. They !eat him Acts 1(.1(*2# )) !efore the co+rt. <+t this did not !other Gallio. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( 6a+l stayed with the !elievers for many days. Then he left and sailed for Syria. 6riscilla and AJ+ila were also with him. At 9enchrea 6a+l c+t off his hair, !eca+se he had made a vow to God. 1) Then they went to the city of -phes+s, where 6a+l left 6riscilla and AJ+ila. >hile 6a+l was in -phes+s, he went into the synagog+e and talked with the Cews. 2, They asked him to stay longer, !+t he ref+sed. 21 $e left them and said, 3 will come !ack to yo+ again if God wants me to. And so he sailed away from -phes+s. 22 >hen 6a+l arrived at 9aesarea, he went to Cer+salem and visited the ch+rch there. After that, he went to Antioch. 23 6a+l stayed in Antioch for a while. Then he left there and went thro+gh the co+ntries of Galatia and 6hrygia. $e traveled from town to town in these co+ntries, helping all the followers of Ces+s grow stronger in their faith. 2# A Cew named Apollos came to -phes+s. <orn in the city of Ale4andria, Acts 1(.2%*1).1 1,, he was an ed+cated man who knew the Script+res well. 2% $e had !een ta+ght a!o+t the ord and was always e4cited to talk to people a!o+t Ces+s. >hat he ta+ght was right, !+t the only !aptism he knew a!o+t was the !aptism that Cohn ta+ght. 2& Apollos !egan to speak very !oldly in the synagog+e. >hen 6riscilla and AJ+ila heard him speak, they took him to their home and helped him +nderstand the way of God !etter. 2' Apollos wanted to go to Achaia. So the !elievers in -phes+s helped him. They wrote a letter to the ords followers in Achaia and asked them to accept Apollos. >hen he arrived there, he was a great help to those who had !elieved in Ces+s !eca+se of Gods grace. 2( $e arg+ed very strongly against the Cews !efore all the people. $e clearly proved that the Cews were wrong. $e +sed the Script+res and showed that pag. 11&,0131#

Ces+s is the Aessiah. 19 1 >hile Apollos was in the city of 9orinth, 6a+l was visiting some places on his way to -phes+s. 3n -phes+s Acts 1).2*( 1,1 he fo+nd some other followers of the ord. 2 $e asked them, Did yo+ receive the $oly Spirit when yo+ !elieved? These followers said to him, >e have never even heard of a $oly Spirit" 3 6a+l asked them, So what kind of !aptism did yo+ have? They said, 3t was the !aptism that Cohn ta+ght. # 6a+l said, Cohn told people to !e !aptiEed to show they wanted to change their lives. $e told people to !elieve in the one who wo+ld come after him, and that one is Ces+s. % >hen these followers heard this, they were !aptiEed in the name of the ord Ces+s. & Then 6a+l laid his hands on them, and the $oly Spirit came on them. They !egan speaking different lang+ages and prophesying. ' There were a!o+t twelve men in this gro+p. ( 6a+l went into the synagog+e and spoke very !oldly. $e contin+ed doing this for three months. $e talked with the Cews, trying to pers+ade them to accept Acts 1).)*13 1,2 what he was telling them a!o+t Gods kingdom. ) <+t some of them !ecame st+!!orn and ref+sed to !elieve. 3n front of everyone, they said !ad things a!o+t the >ay. So 6a+l left these Cews and took the ords followers with him. $e went to a place where a man named Tyrann+s had a school. There 6a+l talked with people every day. 1, $e did this for two years. <eca+se of this work, everyone in Asia, Cews and Greeks, heard the word of the ord. 11 God +sed 6a+l to do some very special miracles. 12 Some people carried away handkerchiefs and clothes that 6a+l had -asy To .ead /ersion

+sed and p+t them on those who were sick. The sick people were healed, and evil spirits left them. 13 Some Cews also were traveling aro+nd forcing evil spirits o+t of people. The seven sons of Sceva, one of the leading priests, were doing this. These Cews tried to +se the name of the ord Ces+s to make the evil spirits go o+t of people. They all said, <y the same Ces+s Acts 1).1#*21 1,3 that 6a+l talks a!o+t, 3 order yo+ to come o+t" 1# 71):138 1% <+t one time an evil spirit said to these Cews, 3 know Ces+s, and 3 know a!o+t 6a+l, !+t who are yo+? 1& Then the man who had the evil spirit inside him =+mped on these Cews. $e was m+ch stronger than all of them. $e !eat them +p and tore their clothes off. They all ran away from that ho+se. 1' All the people in -phes+s, Cews and Greeks, learned a!o+t this. They were all filled with fear and gave great honor to the ord Ces+s. 1( Aany of the !elievers !egan to confess, telling a!o+t all the evil things they had done. 1) Some of them had +sed magic. These !elievers !ro+ght their magic !ooks and !+rned them !efore everyone. These !ooks were worth a!o+t %,,,,, silver coins. 2, This is how the word of the ord was spreading in a powerf+l way, ca+sing more and more people to !elieve. 21 After this, 6a+l made plans to go to Cer+salem. $e planned to go thro+gh the Acts 1).22*2' 1,# regions of Aacedonia and Achaia, and then go to Cer+salem. $e tho+ght, After 3 visit Cer+salem, 3 m+st also visit .ome. 22 Timothy and -rast+s were two of his helpers. 6a+l sent them ahead to Aacedonia. <+t he stayed in Asia for a while. 23 <+t d+ring that time there was some tro+!le in -phes+s a!o+t the >ay. This is how it all happened: pag. 11&10131#

2# There was a man named Demetri+s who worked with silver. $e made little silver models that looked like the temple of the goddess Artemis. The men who did this work made a lot of money. 2% Demetri+s had a meeting with these men and some others who did the same kind of work. $e told them, Aen, yo+ know that we make a lot of money from o+r !+siness. 2& <+t look at what this man 6a+l is doing. isten to what he is saying. $e has convinced many people in -phes+s and all over Asia to change their religion. $e says the gods that people make !y hand are not real. 2' 3m afraid this is going to t+rn people against o+r !+siness. <+t there is also Acts 1).2(*33 1,% another pro!lem. 6eople will !egin to think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is not important. $er greatness will !e destroyed. And Artemis is the goddess that everyone in Asia and the whole world worships. 2( >hen the men heard this, they !ecame very angry. They sho+ted, Great is Artemis, the goddess of -phes+s" 2) The whole city was thrown into conf+sion. The people gra!!ed Gai+s and Aristarch+s, men from Aacedonia who were traveling with 6a+l, and r+shed all together into the stadi+m. 3, 6a+l wanted to go in and talk to the people, !+t the ords followers did not let him go. 31 Also, some leaders of the co+ntry who were friends of 6a+l sent him a message telling him not to go into the stadi+m. 32 Some people were sho+ting one thing and others were sho+ting something else. The meeting was very conf+sed. Aost of the people did not know why they had come there. 33 Some Cews made a man named Ale4ander stand !efore the crowd, and Acts 1).3#*3( 1,& they told him what to say. Ale4ander waved his hand, trying to e4plain things -asy To .ead /ersion

to the people. 3# <+t when the people saw that Ale4ander was a Cew, they all !egan sho+ting the same thing. 2or two ho+rs they contin+ed sho+ting, Great is Artemis of -phes+s" Great is Artemis of -phes+s" Great is Artemis " 3% Then the city clerk pers+aded the people to !e J+iet. $e said, Aen of -phes+s, everyone knows that -phes+s is the city that keeps the temple of the great goddess Artemis. -veryone knows that we also keep her holy rock. 3& 1o one can deny this, so yo+ sho+ld !e J+iet. ;o+ m+st stop and think !efore yo+ do anything else. 3' ;o+ !ro+ght these men here, !+t they have not said anything !ad against o+r goddess. They have not stolen anything from her temple. 3( >e have co+rts of law and there are =+dges. Do Demetri+s and those men who work with him have a charge against anyone? They sho+ld go to the co+rts. et them arg+e with each other there. Acts 1).3)*2,.# 1,' 3) 3s there something else yo+ want to talk a!o+t? Then come to the reg+lar town meeting of the people. 3t can !e decided there. #, 3 say this !eca+se someone might see this tro+!le today and acc+se +s of starting a riot. >e co+ld not e4plain all this tro+!le, !eca+se there is no real reason for this meeting. #1 After the city clerk said this, he told the people to go home. 20 1 >hen the tro+!le stopped, 6a+l invited the ords followers to come visit him. After enco+raging them, he told them good!ye and left for Aacedonia. 2 5n his way thro+gh Aacedonia he had many words of enco+ragement for the followers in vario+s places. Then he went to Greece 3 and stayed there three months. 6a+l was ready to sail for Syria, !+t some Cews were planning something against pag. 11&20131#

him. So he decided to go !ack thro+gh Aacedonia to Syria. # These men were traveling with him: Sopater, the son of 6yrrh+s, from the city of <ereaF Aristarch+s and Sec+nd+s, Acts 2,.%*1, 1,( from the city of ThessalonicaF Gai+s, from the city of Der!eF TimothyF and two men from Asia, Tychic+s and Trophim+s. % These men went first, ahead of 6a+l. They waited for +s in the city of Troas. & >e sailed from the city of 6hilippi after the 2estival of Hnleavened <read. >e met these men in Troas five days later and stayed there seven days. ' 5n S+nday we all met together to eat the ords S+pper. 6a+l talked to the gro+p. <eca+se he was planning to leave the ne4t day, he contin+ed talking +ntil midnight. ( >e were all together in a room +pstairs, and there were many lights in the room. ) There was a yo+ng man named -+tych+s sitting in the window. 6a+l contin+ed talking, and -+tych+s !ecame very, very sleepy. 2inally, he went to sleep and fell o+t of the window. $e fell to the gro+nd from the third floor. >hen the people went down and lifted him +p, he was dead. 1, 6a+l went down to where -+tych+s was, knelt down !eside him, and p+t his Acts 2,.11*1& 1,) arms aro+nd him. $e said to the other !elievers, Dont worry. $e is alive now. 11 Then 6a+l went +pstairs again, !roke off some pieces of !read and ate. $e spoke to them a long time. 3t was early morning when he finished, and then he left. 12 The ords followers took -+tych+s home alive, and they were all greatly comforted. 13 >e went on ahead of 6a+l and sailed for the city of Assos, planning to meet him there. This is what he told +s to do !eca+se he wanted to go !y land. 1# >hen he ca+ght +p with +s at Assos, we took him on !oard, and we all sailed -asy To .ead /ersion

to Aitylene. 1% The ne4t day, we sailed away from there and came to a place near the island of 9hios. Then the ne4t day, we sailed to the island of Samos. A day later, we came to the city of Ailet+s. 1& 6a+l had already decided not to stop at -phes+s. $e did not want to stay too long in Asia. $e was h+rrying !eca+se he wanted to !e in Cer+salem on the day of 6entecost if possi!le. Acts 2,.1'*2# 11, 1' 3n Ailet+s 6a+l sent a message !ack to -phes+s, telling the elders of the ch+rch in -phes+s to come to him. 1( >hen they came, 6a+l said to them, ;o+ know a!o+t my life from the first day 3 came to Asia. ;o+ know the way 3 lived all the time 3 was with yo+. 1) The Cews planned things against me, and this gave me m+ch tro+!le. <+t yo+ know that 3 always served the ord, sometimes with tears. 3 never tho+ght a!o+t myself first. 2, 3 always did what was !est for yo+. 3 told yo+ the Good 1ews a!o+t Ces+s in p+!lic !efore the people and also ta+ght in yo+r homes. 21 3 told everyone, Cews and Greeks, to change and t+rn to God. 3 told them all to !elieve in o+r ord Ces+s. 22 <+t now 3 m+st o!ey the Spirit and go to Cer+salem. 3 dont know what will happen to me there. 23 3 know only that in every city the $oly Spirit tells me that tro+!les and even =ail wait for me. 2# 3 dont care a!o+t my own life. The most important thing is that 3 finish my work. 3 want to finish the work that the Acts 2,.2%*3, 111 ord Ces+s gave me to doto tell people the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods grace. 2% And now listen to me. 3 know that none of yo+ will ever see me again. All the time 3 was with yo+, 3 told yo+ the Good 1ews a!o+t Gods kingdom. 2& So today 3 can tell yo+ one thing that 3 am s+re of: God will not !lame me if some of yo+ are not saved. pag. 11&30131#

2' 3 can say this !eca+se 3 know that 3 told yo+ everything that God wants yo+ to know. 2( <e caref+l for yo+rselves and for all the people God has given yo+. The $oly Spirit gave yo+ the work of caring for this flock. ;o+ m+st !e shepherds to the ch+rch of God, the people he !o+ght with his own !lood. 2) 3 know that after 3 leave, some men will come into yo+r gro+p. They will !e like wild wolves and will try to destroy the flock. 3, Also, men from yo+r own gro+p will !egin to teach things that are wrong. They will lead some of the ords followers away from the tr+th to follow them. Acts 2,.31*3' 112 31 So !e caref+l" And always remem!er what 3 did d+ring the three years 3 was with yo+. 3 never stopped reminding each one of yo+ how yo+ sho+ld live, co+nseling yo+ day and night and crying over yo+. 32 1ow 3 am p+tting yo+ in Gods care. 3 am depending on the message a!o+t his grace to make yo+ strong. That message is a!le to give yo+ the !lessings that God gives to all his holy people. 33 >hen 3 was with yo+, 3 never wanted anyones money or fine clothes. 3# ;o+ know that 3 always worked to take care of my own needs and the needs of the people who were with me. 3% 3 always showed yo+ that yo+ sho+ld work =+st as 3 did and help people who are weak. 3 ta+ght yo+ to remem!er the words of the ord Ces+s: 3t is a greater !lessing to give than to receive. 3& >hen 6a+l finished speaking, he knelt down, and they all prayed together. 3' They cried and cried. They were especially sad !eca+se 6a+l had said they wo+ld never see him again. They h+gged him and kissed him. Then they went with him to the ship to say good!ye. Acts 2,.3(*21.' 113 3( 72,:3'8 21 1 After we said good!ye to the -asy To .ead /ersion

elders, we sailed away straight to 9os island. The ne4t day we went to the island of .hodes, and from there we went to 6atara. 2 There we fo+nd a ship that was going to the area of 6hoenicia. >e got on the ship and sailed away. 3 >e sailed near the island of 9ypr+s. >e co+ld see it on the north side, !+t we did not stop. >e sailed to the co+ntry of Syria. >e stopped at Tyre !eca+se the ship needed to +nload its cargo there. # >e fo+nd the ords followers there and stayed with them for seven days. They warned 6a+l not to go to Cer+salem !eca+se of what the Spirit had told them. % <+t when o+r time there was +p, we ret+rned to the ship to contin+e o+r trip. All the followers, even the women and children, came with +s to the seashore. >e all knelt down on the !each, prayed, & and said good!ye. Then we got on the ship, and the followers went home. ' >e contin+ed o+r trip from Tyre and went to the city of 6tolemais. >e greeted Acts 21.(*13 11# the !elievers there and stayed with them one day. ( The ne4t day we left 6tolemais and went to the city of 9aesarea. >e went into the home of 6hilip and stayed with him. $e had the work of telling the Good 1ews. $e was one of the seven helpers. ) $e had fo+r +nmarried da+ghters who had the gift of prophesying. 1, After we had !een there for several days, a prophet named Aga!+s came from C+dea. 11 $e came to +s and !orrowed 6a+ls !elt. $e +sed it to tie his own hands and feet. $e said, The $oly Spirit tells me, This is how the Cews in Cer+salem will tie +p the man who wears this !elt. Then they will hand him over to people who dont know God. 12 >hen we heard this, we and the other followers there !egged 6a+l not to go to Cer+salem. 13 <+t he said, >hy are yo+ crying and making me feel so sad? 3 am willing to pag. 11&#0131#

!e p+t in =ail in Cer+salem. 3 am even ready to die for the name of the ord Ces+s" Acts 21.1#*2, 11% 1# >e co+ld not pers+ade him to stay away from Cer+salem. So we stopped !egging him and said, >e pray that what the ord wants will !e done. 1% After this we got ready and left for Cer+salem. 1& Some of the followers of Ces+s from 9aesarea went with +s. These followers took +s to the home of Anason, a man from 9ypr+s, who was one of the first people to !e a follower of Ces+s. They took +s to his home so that we co+ld stay with him. 1' The !rothers and sisters in Cer+salem were very happy to see +s. 1( The ne4t day 6a+l went with +s to visit Cames, and all the elders were there. 1) After greeting them, 6a+l told them point !y point all that God had +sed him to do among the nonDCewish people. 2, >hen the leaders heard this, they praised God. Then they said to 6a+l, <rother, yo+ can see that tho+sands of Cews have !ecome !elievers, !+t they think it is very important to o!ey the aw of Aoses. Acts 21.21*2& 11& 21 They have !een told that yo+ teach the Cews who live in nonDCewish regions to stop following the aw of Aoses. They have heard that yo+ tell them not to circ+mcise their sons or follow o+r other c+stoms. 22 >hat sho+ld we do? The Cewish !elievers here will learn that yo+ have come. 23 So we will tell yo+ what to do: 2o+r of o+r men have made a vow to God. 2# Take these men with yo+ and share in their cleansing ceremony. 6ay their e4penses so that they can shave their heads. This will prove to everyone that the things they have heard a!o+t yo+ are not tr+e. They will see that yo+ o!ey the aw of Aoses in yo+r own life. -asy To .ead /ersion

2% 3n regard to the nonDCewish !elievers, we have already sent a letter to them saying what we think they sho+ld do: Dont eat food that has !een given to idols. Dont eat meat from animals that have !een strangled or any meat that still has the !lood in it. Dont !e involved in se4+al sin. 2& So 6a+l took the fo+r men with him. The ne4t day he shared in their cleansing Acts 21.2'*3, 11' ceremony. Then he went to the Temple area and anno+nced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony wo+ld !e finished. 5n the last day an offering wo+ld !e given for each of the men. 2' >hen the sevenDday period was almost finished, some Cews from Asia saw 6a+l in the Temple area. They stirred +p everyone into an angry mo!. They gra!!ed 6a+l 2( and sho+ted, Aen of 3srael, help +s" This is the man who is teaching things that are against the aw of Aoses, against o+r people, and against this Temple of o+rs. This is what he teaches people everywhere. And now he has !ro+ght some Greeks into the Temple area and has made this holy place +nclean" 2) 7The Cews said this !eca+se they had seen Trophim+s with 6a+l in Cer+salem. Trophim+s was a man from -phes+s. The Cews tho+ght that 6a+l had taken him into the holy area of the Temple.8 3, An angry reaction spread thro+gho+t the city, and everyone came r+nning to the Temple. They gra!!ed 6a+l and Acts 21.31*3% 11( dragged him o+t of the holy area, and the gates were closed immediately. 31 >hile they were trying to kill 6a+l, the commander of the .oman army in Cer+salem got word that the whole city was in a state of riot. 32 3mmediately the commander ran to where the crowd had gathered, taking with him some army officers and soldiers. >hen the people saw the commander and his soldiers, they pag. 11&%0131#

stopped !eating 6a+l. 33 The commander went over to 6a+l and arrested him. $e told his soldiers to tie him +p with two chains. Then he asked, >ho is this man? >hat has he done wrong? 3# Some people there were sho+ting one thing, and others were sho+ting something else. <eca+se of all this conf+sion and sho+ting, the commander co+ld not learn the tr+th a!o+t what had happened. So he told the soldiers to take 6a+l to the army !+ilding. 3% The whole crowd was following them. >hen the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry 6a+l. They did this to protect him, !eca+se the people were Acts 21.3&*22.1 11) ready to h+rt him. The people were sho+ting, Gill him" 3& 721:3%8 3' >hen the soldiers were ready to take 6a+l into the army !+ilding, he asked the commander, 9an 3 say something to yo+? The commander said, 5h, yo+ speak Greek? 3( Then yo+ are not the man 3 tho+ght yo+ were. 3 tho+ght yo+ were the -gyptian who started some tro+!le against the government not long ago and led fo+r tho+sand terrorists o+t to the desert. 3) 6a+l said, 1o, 3 am a Cew from Tars+s in the co+ntry of 9ilicia. 3 am a citiEen of that important city. 6lease, let me speak to the people. #, The commander told 6a+l he co+ld speak. So he stood on the steps and waved his hand so that the people wo+ld !e J+iet. The people !ecame J+iet and 6a+l spoke to them in Aramaic. 22 1 6a+l said, Ay !rothers and fathers, listen to me" 3 will make my defense to yo+. Acts 22.2*& 12, 2 >hen the Cews heard 6a+l speaking Aramaic, they !ecame very J+iet. Then 6a+l said, 3 3 am a Cew, !orn in Tars+s in the co+ntry of 9ilicia. 3 grew +p here in this -asy To .ead /ersion

city. 3 was a st+dent of Gamaliel, who caref+lly ta+ght me everything a!o+t the law of o+r fathers. 3 was very serio+s a!o+t serving God, the same as all of yo+ here today. # 3 persec+ted the people who followed the >ay. Some of them were killed !eca+se of me. 3 arrested men and women and p+t them in =ail. % The high priest and the whole co+ncil of older Cewish leaders can tell yo+ that this is tr+e. 5ne time these leaders gave me some letters. The letters were to the Cewish !rothers in the city of Damasc+s. 3 was going there to arrest the followers of Ces+s and !ring them !ack to Cer+salem for p+nishment. & <+t something happened to me on my way to Damasc+s. 3t was a!o+t noon when 3 came close to Damasc+s. S+ddenly a !right light from heaven shined all aro+nd me. Acts 22.'*1# 121 ' 3 fell to the gro+nd and heard a voice saying to me, Sa+l, Sa+l, why are yo+ persec+ting me? ( 3 asked, >ho are yo+, ord? The voice said, 3 am Ces+s from 1aEareth, the one yo+ are persec+ting. ) The men who were with me did not +nderstand the voice, !+t they saw the light. 1, 3 said, >hat shall 3 do, ord? The ord answered, Get +p and go into Damasc+s. There yo+ will !e told all that 3 have planned for yo+ to do. 11 3 co+ld not see, !eca+se the !right light had made me !lind. So the men led me into Damasc+s. 12 3n Damasc+s a man named Ananias came to me. $e was a man who was devoted to God and o!eyed the aw of Aoses. All the Cews who lived there respected him. 13 $e came to me and said, Sa+l, my !rother, look +p and see again" 3mmediately 3 was a!le to see him. 1# Ananias told me, The God of o+r fathers chose yo+ long ago to know his plan. $e chose yo+ to see the .ighteo+s pag. 11&&0131#

5ne and to hear words from him. Acts 22.1%*22 122 1% ;o+ will !e his witness to all people. ;o+ will tell them what yo+ have seen and heard. 1& 1ow, dont wait any longer. Get +p, !e !aptiEed and wash away yo+r sins, tr+sting in Ces+s to save yo+. 1' ater, 3 came !ack to Cer+salem. 3 was praying in the Temple area, and 3 saw a vision. 1( 3 saw Ces+s, and he said to me, $+rry and leave Cer+salem now" The people here will not accept the tr+th yo+ tell them a!o+t me. 1) 3 said, <+t, ord, the people know that 3 was the one who p+t the !elievers in =ail and !eat them. 3 went thro+gh all the synagog+es to find and arrest the people who !elieve in yo+. 2, The people also know that 3 was there when Stephen, yo+r witness, was killed. 3 stood there and agreed that they sho+ld kill him. 3 even held the coats of the men who were killing him" 21 <+t Ces+s said to me, eave now. 3 will send yo+ far away to the nonDCewish people. 22 The people stopped listening when 6a+l said this last thing. They all sho+ted, Acts 22.23*2) 123 Get rid of this man" $e doesnt deserve to live in this world anymore. 23 They kept on sho+ting, ripping off their clothes and throwing d+st into the air. 2# Then the commander told the soldiers to take 6a+l into the army !+ilding and !eat him. $e wanted to make 6a+l tell why the people were sho+ting against him like this. 2% So the soldiers were tying 6a+l, preparing to !eat him. <+t he said to an army officer there, Do yo+ have the right to !eat a .oman citiEen who has not !een proven g+ilty? 2& >hen the officer heard this, he went to the commander and told him a!o+t it. The officer said, Do yo+ know what yo+ are doing? This man is a .oman citiEen" -asy To .ead /ersion

2' The commander came to 6a+l and said, Tell me, are yo+ really a .oman citiEen? $e answered, ;es. 2( The commander said, 3 paid a lot of money to !ecome a .oman citiEen. <+t 6a+l said, 3 was !orn a citiEen. 2) The men who were preparing to J+estion 6a+l moved away from him immediately. The commander was afraid Acts 22.3,*23.# 12# !eca+se he had already p+t 6a+l in chains, and he was a .oman citiEen. 3, The ne4t day the commander decided to learn why the Cews were acc+sing 6a+l. So he ordered the leading priests and the whole high co+ncil to meet together. $e had 6a+ls chains taken off and had him !ro+ght in to face the co+ncil. 23 1 6a+l looked at the co+ncil mem!ers and said, <rothers, 3 have lived my life in a good way !efore God. 3 have always done what 3 tho+ght was right. 2 Ananias, the high priest, was there. >hen he heard this, he told the men who were standing near 6a+l to hit him in the mo+th. 3 6a+l said to Ananias, God will hit yo+ too" ;o+ are like a dirty wall that has !een painted white. ;o+ sit there and =+dge me, +sing the aw of Aoses. <+t yo+ are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law. # The men standing near 6a+l said to him, Are yo+ s+re yo+ want to ins+lt Gods high priest like that? Acts 23.%*1, 12% % 6a+l said, <rothers, 3 did not know this man was the high priest. The Script+res say, ;o+ m+st not say !ad things a!o+t a leader of yo+r people. & 6a+l knew that some of the men in the co+ncil meeting were Sadd+cees and some were 6harisees. So he sho+ted, Ay !rothers, 3 am a 6harisee and my father was a 6harisee" 3 am on trial here !eca+se 3 !elieve that people will rise from death. ' >hen 6a+l said this, a !ig arg+ment pag. 11&'0131#

started !etween the 6harisees and the Sadd+cees. The gro+p was divided. ( 7The Sadd+cees !elieve that after people die, they will not live again as an angel or as a spirit. <+t the 6harisees !elieve in !oth.8 ) All these Cews !egan sho+ting lo+der and lo+der. Some of the teachers of the law, who were 6harisees, stood +p and arg+ed, >e find nothing wrong with this man. Aay!e an angel or a spirit really did speak to him. 1, The arg+ment t+rned into a fight, and the commander was afraid that the Cews wo+ld tear 6a+l to pieces. So he told the soldiers to go down and take 6a+l away Acts 23.11*1& 12& from these Cews and p+t him in the army !+ilding. 11 The ne4t night the ord Ces+s came and stood !y 6a+l. $e said, <e !rave" ;o+ have told people in Cer+salem a!o+t me. ;o+ m+st do the same in .ome. 12 The ne4t morning some of the Cews made a plan to kill 6a+l. They made a promise to God that they wo+ld not eat or drink anything +ntil they had killed him. 13 There were more than #, of them who made this plan. 1# They went and talked to the leading priests and the older Cewish leaders. They said, >e have promised o+rselves that we will not eat or drink +ntil we have killed 6a+l. 1% So this is what we want yo+ to do: Send a message to the commander from yo+ and the high co+ncil. Tell him yo+ want him to !ring 6a+l o+t to yo+. Say that yo+ want to ask him more J+estions. >e will !e waiting to kill him while he is on the way here. 1& <+t 6a+ls nephew heard a!o+t this plan. $e went to the army !+ilding and told 6a+l. Acts 23.1'*23 12' 1' Then 6a+l called one of the army officers and said to him, Take this yo+ng man to the commander. $e has a message for him. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( So the army officer !ro+ght 6a+ls nephew to the commander. The officer said, The prisoner 6a+l asked me to !ring this yo+ng man to yo+. $e has something to tell yo+. 1) The commander led the yo+ng man to a place where they co+ld !e alone. The commander asked, >hat do yo+ want to tell me? 2, The yo+ng man said, Some Cews have decided to ask yo+ to !ring 6a+l down to their co+ncil meeting tomorrow. They want yo+ to think that they plan to ask 6a+l more J+estions. 21 <+t dont !elieve them" Aore than #, of them are hiding and waiting to kill him. They have all promised to God not to eat or drink +ntil they have killed him. 1ow they are waiting for yo+ to say yes. 22 The commander sent the yo+ng man away, telling him, Dont tell anyone that yo+ have told me a!o+t their plan. 23 Then the commander called two army officers. $e said to them, 3 need some Acts 23.2#*3, 12( men to go to 9aesarea. Get 2,, soldiers ready. Also, get ', soldiers on horses and 2,, men to carry spears. <e ready to leave at nine oclock tonight. 2# Get some horses for 6a+l to ride so that he can !e taken to Governor 2eli4 safely. 2% The commander wrote a letter a!o+t 6a+l. This is what it said: 2& 2rom 9la+di+s ysias. To the Aost $onora!le Governor 2eli4. Greetings: 2' Some Cews had taken this man and planned to kill him. <+t 3 learned that he is a .oman citiEen, so 3 went with my soldiers and saved him. 2( 3 wanted to know why they were acc+sing him. So 3 !ro+ght him !efore their co+ncil meeting. 2) This is what 3 learned: The Cews said this man did some things that were wrong. <+t these charges were a!o+t their own Cewish laws, and there was nothing worthy of =ail or death. 3, 3 was told that some of the Cews were making a plan to kill him. So 3 decided to pag. 11&(0131#

send him to yo+. 3 also told those Cews to tell yo+ what they have against him. Acts 23.31*2#.1 12) 31 The soldiers did what they were told. They got 6a+l and took him to the city of Antipatris that night. 32 The ne4t day the soldiers on horses went with 6a+l to 9aesarea, !+t the other soldiers and the spearmen went !ack to the army !+ilding in Cer+salem. 33 The soldiers on horses entered 9aesarea, gave the letter to Governor 2eli4, and then t+rned 6a+l over to him. 3# The governor read the letter and asked 6a+l, >hat co+ntry are yo+ from? The governor learned that 6a+l was from 9ilicia. 3% The governor said, 3 will hear yo+r case when the Cews who are acc+sing yo+ come here too. Then the governor gave orders for 6a+l to !e kept in the palace. 7This !+ilding had !een !+ilt !y $erod.8 24 1 2ive days later Ananias, the high priest, went to the city of 9aesarea. $e !ro+ght with him some of the older Cewish leaders and a lawyer named Tert+ll+s. They went to 9aesarea to make charges against 6a+l !efore the governor. Acts 2#.2*1, 13, 2 6a+l was called into the meeting, and Tert+ll+s !egan to make his acc+sations. Tert+ll+s said, Aost $onora!le 2eli4, o+r people en=oy m+ch peace !eca+se of yo+, and many wrong things in o+r co+ntry are !eing made right thro+gh yo+r wise help. 2or this we all contin+e to !e very thankf+l. 3 72#:28 # <+t 3 dont want to take any more of yo+r time. So 3 will say only a few words. 6lease !e patient. % This man is a tro+!lemaker. $e ca+ses tro+!le with the Cews everywhere in the world. $e is a leader of the 1aEarene gro+p. & Also, he was trying to make the Temple +nclean, !+t we stopped him. ;o+ can decide if all this is tr+e. Ask him -asy To .ead /ersion

some J+estions yo+rself. ' 72#:&8 ( 72#:&8 ) The other Cews agreed and said it was all tr+e. 1, The governor made a sign for 6a+l to speak. So 6a+l answered, Governor 2eli4, 3 know that yo+ have !een a =+dge Acts 2#.11*1' 131 over this nation for a long time. So 3 am happy to defend myself !efore yo+. 11 3 went to worship in Cer+salem only twelve days ago. ;o+ can learn for yo+rself that this is tr+e. 12 These Cews who are acc+sing me did not find me arg+ing with anyone at the Temple or making tro+!le with the people. And 3 was not making tro+!le or arg+ing in the synagog+es or any other place in the city. 13 These men cannot prove the things they are saying against me now. 1# <+t 3 will tell yo+ this: 3 worship the God of o+r fathers as a follower of the >ay, which these Cews say is not the right way, and 3 !elieve everything that is ta+ght in the aw of Aoses and all that is written in the !ooks of the prophets. 1% 3 have the same hope in God that these Cews havethe hope that all people, good and !ad, will !e raised from death. 1& This is why 3 always try to do what 3 !elieve is right !efore God and !efore everyone. 1' 3 was away from Cer+salem for many years. 3 went !ack there to take money to help my people. 3 also had some gifts Acts 2#.1(*2# 132 to offer at the Temple. 3 was doing this when some Cews saw me there. 3 had finished the cleansing ceremony. 3 had not made any tro+!le, and no one was gathering aro+nd me. 1( 72#:1'8 1) <+t some Cews from Asia were there. They sho+ld !e here, standing !efore yo+. 3f 3 have really done anything wrong, they are the ones who sho+ld acc+se me. They were there" 2, Ask these men here if they fo+nd any pag. 11&)0131#

wrong in me when 3 stood !efore the high co+ncil meeting in Cer+salem. 21 3 did say one thing when 3 stood !efore them and sho+ted, ;o+ are =+dging me today !eca+se 3 !elieve that people will rise from death" 22 2eli4 already +nderstood a lot a!o+t the >ay. $e stopped the trial and said, >hen commander ysias comes here, 3 will decide what to do with yo+. 23 2eli4 told the army officer to keep 6a+l g+arded !+t to give him some freedom and to let his friends !ring whatever he needed. 2# After a few days 2eli4 came with his wife Dr+silla, who was a Cew. 2eli4 Acts 2#.2%*2%.3 133 asked for 6a+l to !e !ro+ght to him. $e listened to 6a+l talk a!o+t !elieving in 9hrist Ces+s. 2% <+t 2eli4 !ecame afraid when 6a+l spoke a!o+t things like doing right, selfDcontrol, and the =+dgment that will come in the f+t+re. $e said, Go away now. >hen 3 have more time, 3 will call for yo+. 2& <+t 2eli4 had another reason for talking with 6a+l. $e hoped 6a+l wo+ld pay him a !ri!e, so he sent for 6a+l often and talked with him. 2' <+t after two years, 6orci+s 2est+s !ecame governor. So 2eli4 was no longer governor. <+t he left 6a+l in prison to please the Cews. 25 1 2est+s !ecame governor, and three days later he went from 9aesarea to Cer+salem. 2 The leading priests and the important Cewish leaders made charges against 6a+l !efore 2est+s. 3 They asked 2est+s to do them a favor. They wanted him to send 6a+l !ack to Cer+salem !eca+se they had a plan to kill 6a+l on the way. Acts 2%.#*1, 13# # <+t 2est+s answered, 1o, 6a+l will !e kept in 9aesarea. 3 will !e going there soon myself, % and yo+r leaders can go with me. 3f this man has really done anything -asy To .ead /ersion

wrong, they can acc+se him there. & 2est+s stayed in Cer+salem another eight or ten days and then went !ack to 9aesarea. The ne4t day 2est+s told the soldiers to !ring 6a+l !efore him. 2est+s was seated on the =+dgment seat. ' 6a+l came into the room, and the Cews who had come from Cer+salem stood aro+nd him. They made many serio+s charges against him, !+t they co+ld not prove anything. ( 6a+l defended himself, saying, 3 have done nothing wrong against the Cewish law, against the Temple, or against 9aesar. ) <+t 2est+s wanted to please the Cews. So he asked 6a+l, Do yo+ want to go to Cer+salem for me to =+dge yo+ there on these charges? 1, 6a+l said, 3 am standing at 9aesars =+dgment seat now. This is where 3 sho+ld !e =+dged. 3 have done nothing wrong to the Cews, and yo+ know it. Acts 2%.11*1& 13% 11 3f 3 have done something wrong and the law says 3 m+st die, then 3 agree that 3 sho+ld die. 3 dont ask to !e saved from death. <+t if these charges are not tr+e, then no one can hand me over to these people. 1o, 3 want 9aesar to hear my case" 12 2est+s talked a!o+t this with his advisors. Then he said, ;o+ have asked to see 9aesar, so yo+ will go to 9aesar" 13 A few days later Ging Agrippa and <ernice came to 9aesarea to visit 2est+s. 1# They stayed there many days, and 2est+s told the king a!o+t 6a+ls case. 2est+s said, There is a man that 2eli4 left in prison. 1% >hen 3 went to Cer+salem, the leading priests and the older Cewish leaders there made charges against him. They wanted me to order his death. 1& <+t 3 told them, >hen a man is acc+sed of doing something wrong, .omans dont hand him over for others to =+dge. 2irst, he m+st face the people acc+sing him. And then he m+st !e allowed to defend himself against their pag. 11',0131#

charges. Acts 2%.1'*23 13& 1' So when these Cews came here for the trial, 3 did not waste time. The ne4t day 3 sat on the =+dgment seat and ordered 6a+l to !e !ro+ght in. 1( The Cews stood +p and acc+sed him. <+t they did not acc+se him of the kind of crimes 3 tho+ght they wo+ld. 1) Their charges were all a!o+t their own religion and a!o+t a man named Ces+s. Ces+s died, !+t 6a+l said that he is still alive. 2, 3 did not have any idea a!o+t how to =+dge these matters. So 3 asked 6a+l, Do yo+ want to go to Cer+salem and !e =+dged there? 21 <+t 6a+l asked to !e kept in 9aesarea. $e wants a decision from the emperor. So 3 ordered that he !e held +ntil 3 co+ld send him to 9aesar in .ome. 22 Agrippa said to 2est+s, 3 wo+ld like to hear this man too. 2est+s said, Tomorrow yo+ can hear him. 23 The ne4t day Agrippa and <ernice came to the meeting with great show, acting like very important people. They entered the room with military leaders and important men of the city. 2est+s ordered the soldiers to !ring 6a+l in. Acts 2%.2#*2&.2 13' 2# 2est+s said, Ging Agrippa and all of yo+ gathered here with +s, yo+ see this man. All the Cewish people, here and in Cer+salem, have complained to me a!o+t him. >hen they complain a!o+t him, they sho+t that he sho+ld !e killed. 2% >hen 3 =+dged him, 3 did not find him g+ilty of any crime worthy of death. <+t he asked to !e =+dged !y 9aesar, so 3 decided to send him to .ome. 2& $owever, 3 dont really know what to tell 9aesar that this man has done wrong. So 3 have !ro+ght him !efore all of yo+especially yo+, Ging Agrippa. 3 hope that yo+ can J+estion him and give me something to write to 9aesar. 2' 3 think it is foolish to send a prisoner to 9aesar witho+t making some charges against him. -asy To .ead /ersion

26 1 Agrippa said to 6a+l, ;o+ may now speak to defend yo+rself. 6a+l raised his hand to get their attention and !egan to speak. 2 $e said, Ging Agrippa, 3 feel it is a !lessing for me to stand here !efore yo+ today and answer all the charges these Cews have made against me. Acts 2&.3*( 13( 3 3 am very happy to talk to yo+, !eca+se yo+ know so m+ch a!o+t all the Cewish c+stoms and the things the Cews arg+e a!o+t. 6lease listen to me patiently. # All the Cews know a!o+t my whole life. They know the way 3 lived from the !eginning in my own co+ntry and later in Cer+salem. % These Cews have known me for a long time. 3f they want to, they can tell yo+ that 3 was a good 6harisee. And the 6harisees o!ey the laws of the Cewish religion more caref+lly than any other gro+p. & 1ow 3 am on trial !eca+se 3 hope for the promise that God made to o+r fathers. ' This is the promise that all the twelve tri!es of o+r people hope to receive. 2or this hope the Cews serve God day and night. Ay king, the Cews have acc+sed me !eca+se 3 hope for this same promise. ( >hy do yo+ people think it is impossi!le for God to raise people from death? Acts 2&.)*1% 13) ) 3 +sed to think that 3 sho+ld do everything 3 co+ld against Ces+s from 1aEareth. 1, And thats what 3 did, !eginning in Cer+salem. The leading priests gave me the a+thority to p+t many of Gods people in =ail. And when they were !eing killed, 3 agreed that it was a good thing. 11 3 visited all the synagog+es and p+nished them, trying to make them c+rse Ces+s. Ay anger against these people was so strong that 3 went to other cities to find them and p+nish them. pag. 11'10131#

12 5ne time the leading priests gave me permission and the a+thority to go to the city of Damasc+s. 13 5n the way there, at noon, 3 saw a light from heaven, !righter than the s+n. 3t shined all aro+nd me and those traveling with me. 1# >e all fell to the gro+nd. Then 3 heard a voice talking to me in Aramaic. The voice said, Sa+l, Sa+l, why are yo+ persec+ting me? ;o+ are only h+rting yo+rself !y fighting me. 1% 3 said, >ho are yo+, ord? The ord said, 3 am Ces+s. 3 am the one yo+ are persec+ting. Acts 2&.1&*2, 1#, 1& Stand +p" 3 have chosen yo+ to !e my servant. ;o+ will tell people a!o+t mewhat yo+ have seen today and what 3 will show yo+. This is why 3 have come to yo+. 1' 3 will keep yo+ safe from yo+r own people and from the nonDCewish people, the ones 3 am sending yo+ to. 1( ;o+ will make them a!le to +nderstand the tr+th. They will t+rn away from darkness to the light. They will t+rn away from the power of Satan and t+rn to God. Then their sins can !e forgiven, and they can !e given a place among Gods peoplethose who have !een made holy !y !elieving in me. 1) 6a+l contin+ed speaking: Ging Agrippa, after 3 had this vision from heaven, 3 o!eyed it. 2, 3 !egan telling people to change their hearts and lives and t+rn !ack to God. And 3 told them to do what wo+ld show that they had really changed. 3 went first to people in Damasc+s. Then 3 went to Cer+salem and to every part of C+dea and told the people there. 3 also went to the nonDCewish people. Acts 2&.21*2' 1#1 21 This is why the Cews gra!!ed me and were trying to kill me at the Temple. 22 <+t God helped me, and he is still helping me today. >ith Gods help 3 am standing here today and telling all people what 3 have seen. <+t 3 am -asy To .ead /ersion

saying nothing new. 3 am saying only what Aoses and the prophets said wo+ld happen. 23 They said that the Aessiah wo+ld die and !e the first to rise from death. They said that he wo+ld !ring the light of Gods saving tr+th to the Cewish people and to the nonDCewish people. 2# >hile 6a+l was still defending himself, 2est+s sho+ted, 6a+l, yo+ are o+t of yo+r mind" Too m+ch st+dy has made yo+ craEy. 2% 6a+l said, Aost $onora!le 2est+s, 3 am not craEy. >hat 3 am saying is tr+e. 3t all makes perfect sense. 2& Ging Agrippa knows a!o+t all this, and 3 can speak freely to him. 3 know that he has heard a!o+t these things, !eca+se they happened where everyone co+ld see them. 2' Ging Agrippa, do yo+ !elieve what the prophets wrote? 3 know yo+ !elieve" Acts 2&.2(*2'.2 1#2 2( Ging Agrippa said to 6a+l, Do yo+ think yo+ can pers+ade me so easily to !ecome a 9hristDfollower? 2) 6a+l said, 3t makes no difference to me if it is easy or hard. 3 =+st pray to God that not only yo+ !+t everyone listening to me today co+ld !e saved and !e =+st like mee4cept for these chains" 3, Ging Agrippa, Governor 2est+s, <ernice, and all the people sitting with them stood +p 31 and left the room. They were talking to each other. They said, This man has done nothing worthy of !eing p+t to death or even p+t in =ail. 32 And Agrippa said to 2est+s, >e co+ld let him go free, !+t he has asked to see 9aesar. 27 1 3t was decided that we wo+ld sail for 3taly. An army officer named C+li+s, who served in the emperors special army, was p+t in charge of g+arding 6a+l and some other prisoners on the trip. 2 >e got on a ship from the city of Adramytti+m that was ready to sail to different places in Asia. Aristarch+s, a pag. 11'20131#

Acts 2'.3*) 1#3 man from Thessalonica in Aacedonia, went with +s. 3 The ne4t day we came to the city of Sidon. C+li+s was very good to 6a+l and gave him freedom to go visit his friends there, who gave him whatever he needed. # >e left that city and sailed close to the island of 9ypr+s !eca+se the wind was !lowing against +s. % >e went across the sea !y 9ilicia and 6amphylia. Then we came to the city of Ayra in ycia. & There the army officer fo+nd a ship from the city of Ale4andria that was going to 3taly. So he p+t +s on it. ' >e sailed slowly for many days. 3t was hard for +s to reach the city of 9nid+s !eca+se the wind was !lowing against +s. >e co+ld not go any farther that way, so we sailed !y the so+th side of the island of 9rete near Salmone. ( >e sailed along the coast, !+t the sailing was hard. Then we came to a place called Safe $ar!ors, near the city of asea. ) >e had lost m+ch time, and it was now dangero+s to sail, !eca+se it was Acts 2'.1,*1% 1## already after the Cewish day of fasting. So 6a+l warned them, 1, Aen, 3 can see that there will !e a lot of tro+!le on this trip. The ship, everything in it, and even o+r lives may !e lost" 11 <+t the captain and the owner of the ship did not agree with 6a+l. So the army officer accepted what they said instead of !elieving 6a+l. 12 Also, that har!or was not a good place for the ship to stay for the winter, so most of the men decided that we sho+ld leave there. They hoped we co+ld reach 6hoeni4, where the ship co+ld stay for the winter. 6hoeni4 was a city on the island of 9rete. 3t had a har!or that faced so+thwest and northwest. 13 Then a good wind !egan to !low from the so+th. The men on the ship tho+ght, -asy To .ead /ersion

This is the wind we wanted, and now we have it" So they p+lled +p the anchor. >e sailed very close to the island of 9rete. 1# <+t then a very strong wind called the 1ortheaster came from across the island. 1% This wind took the ship and carried it away. The ship co+ld not sail against the Acts 2'.1&*21 1#% wind, so we stopped trying and let the wind !low +s. 1& >e went !elow a small island named 9a+da. >ith the island protecting +s from the wind, we were a!le to !ring in the life!oat, !+t it was very hard to do. 1' After the men !ro+ght the life!oat in, they tied ropes aro+nd the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship wo+ld hit the sand!anks of Syrtis. So they lowered the sail and let the wind carry the ship. 1( The ne4t day the storm was !lowing against +s so hard that the men threw some things o+t of the ship. 1) A day later they threw o+t the ships eJ+ipment. 2, 2or many days we co+ld not see the s+n or the stars. The storm was very !ad. >e lost all hope of staying alivewe tho+ght we wo+ld die. 21 The men did not eat for a long time. Then one day 6a+l stood +p !efore them and said, Aen, 3 told yo+ not to leave 9rete. ;o+ sho+ld have listened to me. Then yo+ wo+ld not have all this tro+!le and loss. Acts 2'.22*3, 1#& 22 <+t now 3 tell yo+ to !e happy. 1one of yo+ will die, !+t the ship will !e lost. 23 ast night an angel came to me from Godthe God 3 worship and !elong to. 2# The angel said, 6a+l, dont !e afraid" ;o+ m+st stand !efore 9aesar. And God has given yo+ this promise: $e will save the lives of all those sailing with yo+. 2% So men, there is nothing to worry a!o+t. 3 tr+st God, and 3 am s+re everything will happen =+st as his angel told me. 2& <+t we will crash on an island. pag. 11'30131#

2' 5n the fo+rteenth night we were still !eing !lown aro+nd in the Adriatic Sea. The sailors tho+ght we were close to land. 2( They threw a rope into the water with a weight on the end of it. They fo+nd that the water was 12, feet deep. They went a little farther and threw the rope in again. 3t was ), feet deep. 2) The sailors were afraid that we wo+ld hit the rocks, so they threw fo+r anchors into the water. Then they prayed for daylight to come. 3, Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the life!oat Acts 2'.31*3( 1#' to the water. They wanted the other men to think that they were throwing more anchors from the front of the ship. 31 <+t 6a+l told the army officer and the other soldiers, 3f these men do not stay in the ship, yo+ will lose all hope of s+rvival. 32 So the soldiers c+t the ropes and let the life!oat fall into the water. 33 C+st !efore dawn 6a+l !egan pers+ading all the people to eat something. $e said, 2or the past two weeks yo+ have !een waiting and watching. ;o+ have not eaten for 1# days. 3# 1ow 3 !eg yo+ to eat something. ;o+ need it to stay alive. 1one of yo+ will lose even one hair off yo+r heads. 3% After he said this, 6a+l took some !read and thanked God for it !efore all of them. $e !roke off a piece and !egan eating. 3& All the men felt !etter and started eating too. 3' 7There were 2'& people on the ship.8 3( >e ate all we wanted. Then we !egan making the ship lighter !y throwing the grain into the sea. Acts 2'.3)*## 1#( 3) >hen daylight came, the sailors saw land, !+t they did not know what land it was. They saw a !ay with a !each and wanted to sail the ship to the !each if they co+ld. -asy To .ead /ersion

#, So they c+t the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the sea. At the same time, they +ntied the ropes that were holding the r+dders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the !each. #1 <+t the ship hit a sand!ank. The front of the ship st+ck there and co+ld not move. Then the !ig waves !egan to !reak the !ack of the ship to pieces. #2 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so that none of the prisoners co+ld swim away and escape. #3 <+t C+li+s the army officer wanted to let 6a+l live. So he did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. $e told the people who co+ld swim to =+mp into the water and swim to land. ## The others +sed wooden !oards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people went safely to land. Acts 2(.1*' 1#) 28 1 >hen we were safe on land, we learned that the island was called Aalta. 2 The people who lived there were very good to +s. 3t was raining and very cold, so they !+ilt a fire and welcomed all of +s. 3 6a+l gathered a pile of sticks for the fire. $e was p+tting the sticks on the fire, and a poisono+s snake came o+t !eca+se of the heat and !it him on the hand. # >hen the people living on the island saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said, This man m+st !e a m+rderer" $e did not die in the sea, !+t C+stice does not want him to live. % <+t 6a+l shook the snake off into the fire and was not h+rt. & The people tho+ght he wo+ld swell +p or fall down dead. They waited and watched him for a long time, !+t nothing !ad happened to him. So they changed their opinion. They said, $e is a god" ' There were some fields aro+nd that same area. They were owned !y a man named 6+!li+s, the most important .oman official on the island. pag. 11'#0131#

Acts 2(.(*13 1%, $e welcomed +s into his home and was very good to +s. >e stayed in his ho+se for three days. ( 6+!li+s father was very sick. $e had a fever and dysentery, !+t 6a+l went to him and prayed for him. $e laid his hands on the man and healed him. ) After this happened, all the other sick people on the island came to 6a+l, and he healed them too. 1, The people on the island gave +s many honors. And after we had !een there three months and were ready to leave, they provided +s everything we needed for o+r trip.>e got on a ship from Ale4andria that had stayed on the island of Aalta d+ring the winter. 5n the front of the ship was the sign for the twin gods. 11 72(:1,8 12 >e stopped at the city of Syrac+se. >e stayed there three days and then left. 13 >e came to the city of .hegi+m. The ne4t day a wind !egan to !low from the so+thwest, so we were a!le to leave. A day later we came to the city of 6+teoli. Acts 2(.1#*1) 1%1 1# >e fo+nd some !elievers there, who asked +s to stay with them a week. 2inally, we came to .ome. 1% The !rothers and sisters in .ome heard a!o+t +s and came o+t to meet +s at the Aarket of Appi+s and at the Three 3nns. >hen 6a+l saw these !elievers, he thanked God and felt enco+raged. 1& >hen we came to .ome, 6a+l was allowed to live alone. <+t a soldier stayed with him to g+ard him. 1' Three days later 6a+l sent for some of the most important Cews. >hen they came together, he said, Ay !rothers, 3 have done nothing against o+r people or against the c+stoms of o+r fathers. <+t 3 was arrested in Cer+salem and handed over to the .omans. 1( They asked me many J+estions, !+t they co+ld not find any reason why 3 sho+ld !e p+t to death. So they wanted -asy To .ead /ersion

to let me go free. 1) <+t the Cews there did not want that. So 3 had to ask to come to .ome to have my trial !efore 9aesar. That doesnt mean 3 am acc+sing my people of doing anything wrong. Acts 2(.2,*2% 1%2 2, That is why 3 wanted to see yo+ and talk with yo+. 3 am !o+nd with this chain !eca+se 3 !elieve in the hope of 3srael. 21 The Cews answered 6a+l, >e have received no letters from C+dea a!o+t yo+. 1one of o+r Cewish !rothers who have traveled from there !ro+ght news a!o+t yo+ or told +s anything !ad a!o+t yo+. 22 >e want to hear yo+r ideas. >e know that people everywhere are speaking against this new gro+p. 23 6a+l and the Cews chose a day for a meeting. 5n that day many more of these Cews met with 6a+l at his ho+se. $e spoke to them all day long, e4plaining Gods kingdom to them. $e +sed the aw of Aoses and the writings of the prophets to pers+ade them to !elieve in Ces+s. 2# Some of the Cews !elieved what he said, !+t others did not !elieve. 2% They had an arg+ment among themselves and were ready to leave. <+t 6a+l said one more thing to them: The $oly Spirit spoke the tr+th to yo+r fathers thro+gh 3saiah the prophet. $e said, Acts 2(.2&*31 1%3 2& Go to this people and tell them: ;o+ will listen and listen, !+t yo+ will not +nderstand. ;o+ will look and look, !+t yo+ will not really see. 2' ;es, the minds of these people are now closed. They have ears, !+t they dont listen. They have eyes, !+t they ref+se to see. 3f their minds were not closed, they might see with their eyesF they might hear with their earsF they might +nderstand with their minds. Then they might t+rn !ack to me and !e healed. 2( 3 want yo+ Cews to know that God pag. 11'%0131#

has sent his salvation to the nonDCewish people. They will listen" 2) MM-A6T;NN 3, 6a+l stayed two f+ll years in his own rented ho+se. $e welcomed all the people who came and visited him. 31 $e told them a!o+t Gods kingdom and ta+ght them a!o+t the ord Ces+s 9hrist. $e was very !old, and no one tried to stop him from speaking. Romans 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, a servant of 9hrist Ces+s. God chose me to !e an apostle and gave me the work of telling his Good 1ews. 2 God promised long ago thro+gh his prophets in the $oly Script+res to give this Good 1ews to his people. 3 The Good 1ews is a!o+t Gods Son, Ces+s 9hrist o+r ord. As a h+man, he was !orn from the family of David, !+t thro+gh the $oly Spirit he was shown to !e Gods powerf+l Son when he was raised from death. # 71:38 % Thro+gh 9hrist, God gave me the special work of an apostleto lead people of all nations to !elieve and o!ey him. 3 do all this to honor 9hrist. & ;o+ are some of those who have !een chosen to !elong to Ces+s 9hrist. ' This letter is to all of yo+ in .ome. God loves yo+, and he has chosen yo+ to !e his holy people. Grace and peace .omans 1.(*13 2 to yo+ from God o+r 2ather and from the ord Ces+s 9hrist. ( 2irst 3 want to say that 3 thank my God thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist for all of yo+. 3 thank him !eca+se people everywhere in the world are talking a!o+t yo+r great faith. ) -very time 3 pray, 3 always remem!er yo+. God knows this is tr+e. $e is the one 3 serve with all my heart !y telling people the Good 1ews a!o+t his Son. 3 pray that 3 will !e allowed to come to yo+. 3t will happen if God wants it. 1, 71:)8 11 3 want very m+ch to see yo+ and -asy To .ead /ersion

give yo+ some spirit+al gift to make yo+r faith stronger. 12 3 mean that 3 want +s to help each other with the faith that we have. ;o+r faith will help me, and my faith will help yo+. 13 <rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to know that 3 have planned many times to come to yo+, !+t something always happens to change my plans. 3 wo+ld like to see the same good res+lt among yo+ that 3 have had from my work among the other nonDCewish people. .omans 1.1#*2, 3 1# 3 m+st serve all peoplethose who share in Greek c+lt+re and those who are less civiliEed, the ed+cated as well as the ignorant. 1% That is why 3 want so m+ch to tell the Good 1ews to yo+ there in .ome. 1& 3 am pro+d of the Good 1ews, !eca+se it is the power God +ses to save everyone who !elievesto save the Cews first, and now to save those who are not Cews. 1' The Good 1ews shows how God makes people right with himself. Gods way of making people right !egins and ends with faith. As the Script+res say, The one who is right with God !y faith will live forever. 1( God shows his anger from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. Their evil lives hide the tr+th they have. 1) This makes God angry !eca+se they have !een shown what he is like. ;es, God has made it clear to them. 2, There are things a!o+t God that people cannot seehis eternal power and all that makes him God. <+t since the !eginning of the world, those things have .omans 1.21*2% # !een easy for people to +nderstand. They are made clear in what God has made. So people have no e4c+se for the evil they do. 21 6eople knew God, !+t they did not honor him as God, and they did not thank him. Their ideas were all +seless. pag. 11'&0131#

There was not one good tho+ght left in their foolish minds. 22 They said they were wise, !+t they !ecame fools. 23 3nstead of honoring the divine greatness of God, who lives forever, they traded it for the worship of idolsthings made to look like h+mans, who get sick and die, or like !irds, animals, and snakes. 2# 6eople wanted only to do evil. So God left them and let them go their sinf+l way. And so they !ecame completely immoral and +sed their !odies in shamef+l ways with each other. 2% They traded the tr+th of God for a lie. They !owed down and worshiped the things God made instead of worshiping the God who made those things. $e is the one who sho+ld !e praised forever. Amen. .omans 1.2&*3, % 2& <eca+se people did those things, God left them and let them do the shamef+l things they wanted to do. >omen stopped having nat+ral se4 with men and started having se4 with other women. 2' 3n the same way, men stopped having nat+ral se4 with women and !egan wanting each other all the time. Aen did shamef+l things with other men, and in their !odies they received the p+nishment for those wrongs. 2( 6eople did not think it was important to have a tr+e knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so they do what they sho+ld not do. 2) They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are f+ll of =ealo+sy, m+rder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things a!o+t each other. They gossip 3, and say evil things a!o+t each other. They hate God. They are r+de, pro+d, and !rag a!o+t themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They dont o!ey their parents, .omans 1.31*2.# & -asy To .ead /ersion

31 they are foolish, they dont keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others. 32 They know Gods law says that anyone who lives like that sho+ld die. <+t they not only contin+e to do these things themselves, !+t they also enco+rage others who do them. 2 1 So do yo+ think that yo+ can =+dge those other people? ;o+ are wrong. ;o+ too are g+ilty of sin. ;o+ =+dge them, !+t yo+ do the same things they do. So when yo+ =+dge them, yo+ are really condemning yo+rself. 2 God =+dges all who do s+ch things, and we know his =+dgment is right. 3 And since yo+ do the same things as those people yo+ =+dge, s+rely yo+ +nderstand that God will p+nish yo+ too. $ow co+ld yo+ think yo+ wo+ld !e a!le to escape his =+dgment? # God has !een kind to yo+. $e has !een very patient, waiting for yo+ to change. <+t yo+ think nothing of his kindness. Aay!e yo+ dont +nderstand that God is kind to yo+ so that yo+ will decide to change yo+r lives. .omans 2.%*12 ' % <+t yo+ are so st+!!orn" ;o+ ref+se to change. So yo+ are making yo+r own p+nishment greater and greater. ;o+ will !e p+nished on the day when God will show his anger. 5n that day everyone will see how right God is to =+dge people. & $e will reward or p+nish everyone for what they have done. ' Some people live for Gods glory, for honor, and for life that cannot !e destroyed. They live for those things !y always contin+ing to do good. God will give eternal life to them. ( <+t others are selfish and ref+se to follow tr+th. They follow evil. God will show his anger and p+nish them. ) $e will give tro+!le and s+ffering to everyone who does evilto the Cews first and also to those who are not Cews. 1, <+t he will give glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does goodto the Cews first and also to those who are not pag. 11''0131#

Cews. 11 God =+dges everyone the same. 3t doesnt matter who they are. 12 6eople who have the law and those who have never heard of the law are all the same when they sin. 6eople who .omans 2.13*1& ( dont have the law and are sinners will !e lost. And, in the same way, those who have the law and are sinners will !e =+dged !y the law. 13 $earing the law does not make people right with God. They will !e right !efore him only if they always do what the law says. 1# Those who are not Cews dont have the law. <+t when they nat+rally do what the law commands witho+t even knowing the law, then they are their own law. This is tr+e even tho+gh they dont have the written law. 1% They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands, and their consciences agree. Sometimes their tho+ghts tell them that they have done wrong, and this makes them g+ilty. And sometimes their tho+ghts tell them that they have done right, and this makes them not g+ilty. 1& All this will happen on the day when God will =+dge peoples secret tho+ghts thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. This is part of the Good 1ews that 3 tell everyone. .omans 2.1'*2# ) 1' >hat a!o+t yo+? ;o+ say yo+ are a Cew. ;o+ tr+st in the law and pro+dly claim to !e close to God. 1( ;o+ know what God wants yo+ to do. And yo+ know what is important, !eca+se yo+ have learned the law. 1) ;o+ think yo+ are a g+ide for people who dont know the right way, a light for those who are in the dark. 2, ;o+ think yo+ can show foolish people what is right. And yo+ think yo+ are a teacher for those who are =+st !eginning to learn. ;o+ have the law, and so yo+ think yo+ know everything and have all tr+th. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 ;o+ teach others, so why dont yo+ teach yo+rself? ;o+ tell them not to steal, !+t yo+ yo+rself steal. 22 ;o+ say they m+st not commit ad+ltery, !+t yo+ yo+rself are g+ilty of that sin. ;o+ hate idols, !+t yo+ steal them from their temples. 23 ;o+ are so pro+d that yo+ have Gods law, !+t yo+ !ring shame to God !y !reaking his law. 2# As the Script+res say, 6eople in other nations ins+lt God !eca+se of yo+. .omans 2.2%*3.2 1, 2% 3f yo+ follow the law, then yo+r circ+mcision has meaning. <+t if yo+ !reak the law, then it is as if yo+ were never circ+mcised. 2& Those who are not Cews are not circ+mcised. <+t if they do what the law says, it is as if they were circ+mcised. 2' ;o+ have the written law and circ+mcision, !+t yo+ !reak the law. So those who are not circ+mcised in their !odies, !+t still o!ey the law, will show that yo+ are g+ilty. 2( ;o+ are not a tr+e Cew if yo+ are only a Cew in yo+r physical !ody. Tr+e circ+mcision is not only on the o+tside of the !ody. 2) A tr+e Cew is one who is a Cew inside. Tr+e circ+mcision is done in the heart. 3t is done !y the Spirit, not !y the written law. And anyone who is circ+mcised in the heart !y the Spirit gets praise from God, not from people. 3 1 So, do Cews have anything that others dont have? Do they get any !enefit from !eing circ+mcised? 2 ;es, the Cews have many !enefits. The most important one is this: God tr+sted the Cews with his teachings. .omans 3.3*) 11 3 3t is tr+e that some Cews were not faithf+l to God. <+t will that stop God from doing what he promised? # 1o, even if everyone else is a liar, God will always do what he says. As the Script+res say a!o+t him, ;o+ will !e proved right in what yo+ say, and yo+ will win when people acc+se yo+. pag. 11'(0131#

% >hen we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say that God does wrong when he p+nishes +s? 7Thats the way some people think.8 & 5f co+rse not. 3f God co+ld not p+nish +s, how co+ld he =+dge the world? ' Someone might say, >hen 3 lie, it really gives God glory, !eca+se my lie makes his tr+th easier to see. So why am 3 =+dged a sinner? ( 3t wo+ld !e the same to say, >e sho+ld do evil so that good will come. Aany people criticiEe +s, saying thats what we teach. They are wrong, and they sho+ld !e condemned for saying that. ) So are we Cews !etter than other people? 1o, we have already said that those who are Cews, as well as those .omans 3.1,*1) 12 who are not Cews, are the same. They are all g+ilty of sin. 1, As the Script+res say, There is no one doing what is right, not even one. 11 There is no one who +nderstands. There is no one who is trying to !e with God. 12 They have all t+rned away from him, and now they are of no +se to anyone. There is no one who does good, not even one. 13 Their words come from mo+ths that are like open graves. They +se their lying tong+es to deceive others. Their words are like the poison of snakes. 1# Their mo+ths are f+ll of c+rsing and angry words. 1% They are always ready to kill someone. 1& -verywhere they go they ca+se tro+!le and r+in. 1' They dont know how to live in peace. 1( They have no fear or respect for God. 1) >hat the law says is for those who are +nder the law. 3t stops anyone from making e4c+ses. And it !rings the whole world +nder Gods =+dgment, .omans 3.2,*2% 13 2, !eca+se no one can !e made right with God !y following the law. The law -asy To .ead /ersion

only shows +s o+r sin. 21 <+t God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. $e has now shown +s that new way, which the law and the prophets told +s a!o+t. 22 God makes people right thro+gh their faith in Ces+s 9hrist. $e does this for all who !elieve in 9hrist. -veryone is the same. 23 All have sinned and are not good eno+gh to share Gods divine greatness. 2# They are made right with God !y his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God !y !eing made free from sin thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. 2% God gave Ces+s as a way to forgive peoples sins thro+gh their faith in him. God can forgive them !eca+se the !lood sacrifice of Ces+s pays for their sins. God gave Ces+s to show that he always does what is right and fair. $e was right in the past when he was patient and did not p+nish people for their sins. And in o+r own time he still does what is right. God worked all this o+t in a way that allows .omans 3.2&*#.1 1# him to =+dge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Ces+s. 2& 73:2%8 2' So do we have any reason to !oast a!o+t o+rselves? 1o reason at all. And why not? <eca+se we are depending on the way of faith, not on what we have done in following the law. 2( 3 mean we are made right with God thro+gh faith, not thro+gh what we have done to follow the law. This is what we !elieve. 2) God is not only the God of the Cews. $e is also the God of those who are not Cews. 3, There is only one God. $e will make Cews right with him !y their faith, and he will also make nonDCews right with him thro+gh their faith. 31 So do we destroy the law !y following the way of faith? 1ot at all" 3n fact, faith ca+ses +s to !e what the law act+ally wants. pag. 11')0131#

4 1 So what can we say a!o+t A!raham, the father of o+r people? >hat did he learn a!o+t faith? .omans #.2*) 1% 2 3f A!raham was made right !y the things he did, he had a reason to !oast a!o+t himself. <+t God knew different. 3 Thats why the Script+res say, A!raham !elieved God, and !eca+se of this he was accepted as one who is right with God. # >hen people work, their pay is not given to them as a gift. They earn the pay they get. % <+t people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they m+st tr+st in him. Then he accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him. $e is the one who makes even evil people right. & David said the same thing when he was talking a!o+t the !lessing people have when God accepts them as good witho+t looking at what they have done: ' 3t is a great !lessing when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done, when their sins are erased" ( 3t is a great !lessing when the ord accepts people as if they are witho+t sin" ) 3s this !lessing only for those who are circ+mcised? 5r is it also for those who are not circ+mcised? >e have already said that it was !eca+se of A!rahams .omans #.1,*13 1& faith that he was accepted as one who is right with God. 1, So how did this happen? Did God accept A!raham !efore or after he was circ+mcised? God accepted him !efore his circ+mcision. 11 A!raham was circ+mcised later to show that God accepted him. $is circ+mcision was proof that he was right with God thro+gh faith !efore he was circ+mcised. So A!raham is the father of all those who !elieve !+t are not circ+mcised. They !elieve and are accepted as people who are right with God. 12 And A!raham is also the father of those who have !een circ+mcised. <+t it -asy To .ead /ersion

is not their circ+mcision that makes him their father. $e is their father only if they live following the faith that o+r father A!raham had !efore he was circ+mcised. 13 A!raham and his descendants received the promise that they wo+ld get the whole world. <+t A!raham did not receive that promise !eca+se he followed the law. $e received that promise !eca+se he was right with God thro+gh his faith. .omans #.1#*1( 1' 1# 3f people co+ld get Gods promise !y following the law, then faith is worthless. And Gods promise to A!raham is worthless, 1% !eca+se the law can only !ring Gods anger on those who diso!ey it. <+t if there is no law, then there is nothing to diso!ey. 1& So people get what God promised !y having faith. This happens so that the promise can !e a free gift. And if the promise is a free gift, then all of A!rahams people will get that promise. The promise is not =+st for those who live +nder the aw of Aoses. 3t is for all who live with faith as A!raham did. $e is the father of +s all. 1' As the Script+res say, 3 have made yo+ a father of many nations. This is tr+e !efore God, the one A!raham !elievedthe God who gives life to the dead and speaks of things that dont yet e4ist as if they are real. 1( There was no hope that A!raham wo+ld have children, !+t A!raham !elieved God and contin+ed to hope. And that is why he !ecame the father of .omans #.1)*%.1 1( many nations. As God told him, ;o+ will have many descendants. 1) A!raham was almost a h+ndred years old, so he was past the age for having children. Also, Sarah co+ld not have children. A!raham was well aware of this, !+t his faith in God never !ecame weak. 2, $e never do+!ted that God wo+ld do what he promised. $e never stopped pag. 11(,0131#

!elieving. 3n fact, he grew stronger in his faith and =+st praised God. 21 A!raham felt s+re that God was a!le to do what he promised. 22 So thats why he was accepted as one who is right with God. 23 These words 7he was accepted8 were written not only for A!raham. 2# They were also written for +s. God will also accept +s !eca+se we !elieve. >e !elieve in the one who raised Ces+s o+r ord from death. 2% Ces+s was handed over to die for o+r sins, and he was raised from death to make +s right with God. 5 1 >e have !een made right with God !eca+se of o+r faith. So we have .omans %.2*( 1) peace with God thro+gh o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 2 Thro+gh o+r faith, 9hrist has !ro+ght +s into that !lessing of Gods grace that we now en=oy. And we are very happy !eca+se of the hope we have of sharing Gods glory. 3 And we are also happy with the tro+!les we have. >hy are we happy with tro+!les? <eca+se we know that these tro+!les make +s more patient. # And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives +s hope. % And this hope will never disappoint +s. >e know this !eca+se God has po+red o+t his love to fill o+r hearts thro+gh the $oly Spirit he gave +s. & 9hrist died for +s when we were +na!le to help o+rselves. >e were living against God, !+t at =+st the right time 9hrist died for +s. ' /ery few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might !e willing to die for an especially good person. ( <+t 9hrist died for +s while we were still sinners, and !y this God showed how m+ch he loves +s. .omans %.)*1# 2, ) >e have !een made right with God !y the !lood sacrifice of 9hrist. So thro+gh 9hrist we will s+rely !e saved from Gods -asy To .ead /ersion

anger. 1, 3 mean that while we were Gods enemies, he made friends with +s thro+gh his Sons death. And the fact that we are now Gods friends makes it even more certain that he will save +s thro+gh his Sons life. 11 And not only will we !e saved, !+t we also re=oice right now in what God has done for +s thro+gh o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3t is !eca+se of Ces+s that we are now Gods friends. 12 Sin came into the world !eca+se of what one man did. And with sin came death. So this is why all people m+st die!eca+se all people have sinned. 13 Sin was in the world !efore the aw of Aoses. <+t God does not consider people g+ilty of sin if there is no law. 1# <+t from the time of Adam to the time of Aoses, everyone had to die. Adam died !eca+se he sinned !y not o!eying Gods command. <+t even those who did not sin that same way had to die. That one man, Adam, can !e .omans %.1%*1) 21 compared to 9hrist, the one who was coming in the f+t+re. 1% <+t Gods free gift is not like Adams sin. Aany people died !eca+se of the sin of that one man. <+t the grace that people received from God was m+ch greater. Aany received Gods gift of life !y the grace of this other man, Ces+s 9hrist. 1& After Adam sinned once, he was =+dged g+ilty. <+t the gift of God is different. $is free gift came after many sins, and it makes people right with him. 1' 5ne man sinned, and so death r+led all people !eca+se of that one man. <+t now some people accept Gods f+ll grace and his great gift of !eing made right. S+rely they will have tr+e life and r+le thro+gh the one man, Ces+s 9hrist. 1( So that one sin of Adam !ro+ght the p+nishment of death to all people. <+t in the same way, 9hrist did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that !rings them tr+e life. pag. 11(10131#

1) 5ne man diso!eyed God and many !ecame sinners. <+t in the same way, one man o!eyed God and many will !e made right. .omans %.2,*&.% 22 2, The law was !ro+ght in so that more people wo+ld sin the way Adam did. <+t where sin increased, there was even more of Gods grace. 21 Sin once +sed death to r+le +s. <+t God gave +s more of his grace so that grace co+ld r+le !y making +s right with him. And this !rings +s eternal life thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist o+r ord. 6 1 So do yo+ think we sho+ld contin+e sinning so that God will give +s more and more grace? 2 5f co+rse not" 5+r old sinf+l life ended. 3ts dead. So how can we contin+e living in sin? 3 Did yo+ forget that all of +s !ecame part of 9hrist Ces+s when we were !aptiEed? 3n o+r !aptism we shared in his death. # So when we were !aptiEed, we were !+ried with 9hrist and took part in his death. And =+st as 9hrist was raised from death !y the wonderf+l power of the 2ather, so we can now live a new life. % 9hrist died, and we have !een =oined with him !y dying too. So we will also !e =oined with him !y rising from death as he did. .omans &.&*13 23 & >e know that o+r old life was p+t to death on the cross with 9hrist. This happened so that o+r sinf+l selves wo+ld have no power over +s. Then we wo+ld not !e slaves to sin. ' Anyone who has died is made free from sins control. ( 3f we died with 9hrist, we know that we will also live with him. ) 9hrist was raised from death. And we know that he cannot die again. Death has no power over him now. 1, ;es, when 9hrist died, he died to defeat the power of sin one timeeno+gh for all time. $e now has a new life, and his new life is with God. -asy To .ead /ersion

11 3n the same way, yo+ sho+ld see yo+rselves as !eing dead to the power of sin and alive for God thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s. 12 <+t dont let sin control yo+r life here on earth. ;o+ m+st not !e r+led !y the things yo+r sinf+l self makes yo+ want to do. 13 Dont offer the parts of yo+r !ody to serve sin. Dont +se yo+r !odies to do evil, !+t offer yo+rselves to God, as people who have died and now live. 5ffer .omans &.1#*1) 2# the parts of yo+r !ody to God to !e +sed for doing good. 1# Sin will not !e yo+r master, !eca+se yo+ are not +nder law. ;o+ now live +nder Gods grace. 1% So what sho+ld we do? Sho+ld we sin !eca+se we are +nder grace and not +nder law? 9ertainly not" 1& S+rely yo+ know that yo+ !ecome the slaves of whatever yo+ give yo+rselves to. Anything or anyone yo+ follow will !e yo+r master. ;o+ can follow sin, or yo+ can o!ey God. 2ollowing sin !rings spirit+al death, !+t o!eying God makes yo+ right with him. 1' 3n the past yo+ were slaves to sinsin controlled yo+. <+t thank God, yo+ f+lly o!eyed what yo+ were ta+ght. 1( ;o+ were made free from sin, and now yo+ are slaves to what is right. 1) 3 +se this e4ample from everyday life !eca+se yo+ need help in +nderstanding spirit+al tr+ths. 3n the past yo+ offered the parts of yo+r !ody to !e slaves to yo+r immoral and sinf+l tho+ghts. The res+lt was that yo+ lived only for sin. 3n the same way, yo+ m+st now offer .omans &.2,*'.3 2% yo+rselves as slaves to what is right. Then yo+ will live only for God. 2, 3n the past yo+ were slaves to sin, and yo+ did not even think a!o+t doing right. 21 ;o+ did evil things, and now yo+ are ashamed of what yo+ did. Did those things help yo+? 1o, they only !ro+ght death. pag. 11(20131#

22 <+t now yo+ are free from sin. ;o+ have !ecome slaves of God, and the res+lt is that yo+ live only for God. This will !ring yo+ eternal life. 23 >hen people sin, they earn what sin paysdeath. <+t God gives his people a free gifteternal life in 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord. 7 1 <rothers and sisters, yo+ all +nderstand the aw of Aoses. So s+rely yo+ know that the law r+les over people only while they are alive. 2 3ts like what the law says a!o+t marriage: A woman m+st stay married to her h+s!and as long as he is alive. <+t if her h+s!and dies, she is made free from the law of marriage. 3 <+t if she marries another man while her h+s!and is still alive, the law says .omans '.#*' 2& she is g+ilty of ad+ltery. <+t if her h+s!and dies, she is made free from the law of marriage. So if she marries another man after her h+s!and dies, she is not g+ilty of ad+ltery. # 3n the same way, my !rothers and sisters, yo+r old selves died and yo+ !ecame free from the law thro+gh the !ody of 9hrist. 1ow yo+ !elong to someone else. ;o+ !elong to the one who was raised from death. >e !elong to 9hrist so that we can !e +sed in service to God. % 3n the past we were r+led !y o+r sinf+l selves. The law made +s want to do sinf+l things. And those sinf+l desires controlled o+r !odies, so that what we did only !ro+ght +s spirit+al death. & 3n the past the law held +s as prisoners, !+t o+r old selves died, and we were made free from the law. So now we serve God in a new way, not in the old way, with the written r+les. 1ow we serve God in the new way, with the Spirit. ' ;o+ might think 3 am saying that sin and the law are the same. That is not tr+e. <+t the law was the only way 3 .omans '.(*13 2' co+ld learn what sin means. 3 wo+ld -asy To .ead /ersion

never have known it is wrong to want something that is not mine. <+t the law said, ;o+ m+st not want what !elongs to someone else. ( And sin fo+nd a way to +se that command and make me want all kinds of things that werent mine. So sin came to me !eca+se of the command. <+t witho+t the law, sin has no power. ) <efore 3 knew the law, 3 was alive. <+t when 3 heard the laws command, sin !egan to live, 1, and 3 died spirit+ally. The command was meant to !ring life, !+t for me it !ro+ght death. 11 Sin fo+nd a way to fool me !y +sing the command to make me die. 12 1ow the law is holy, and the command is holy and right and good. 13 Does this mean that something that is good !ro+ght death to me? 1o, it was sin that +sed the good command to !ring me death. This shows how terri!le sin really is. 3t can +se a good command to prod+ce a res+lt that shows sin at its very worst. .omans '.1#*23 2( 1# >e know that the law is spirit+al, !+t 3 am not. 3 am so h+man. Sin r+les me as if 3 were its slave. 1% 3 dont +nderstand why 3 act the way 3 do. 3 dont do the good 3 want to do, and 3 do the evil 3 hate. 1& And if 3 dont want to do what 3 do, that means 3 agree that the law is good. 1' <+t 3 am not really the one doing the evil. 3t is sin living in me that does it. 1( ;es, 3 know that nothing good lives in me3 mean nothing good lives in the part of me that is not spirit+al. 3 want to do what is good, !+t 3 dont do it. 1) 3 dont do the good that 3 want to do. 3 do the evil that 3 dont want to do. 2, So if 3 do what 3 dont want to do, then 3 am not really the one doing it. 3t is the sin living in me that does it. 21 So 3 have learned this r+le: >hen 3 want to do good, evil is there with me. 22 3n my mind 3 am happy with Gods law. pag. 11(30131#

23 <+t 3 see another law working in my !ody. That law makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my !ody is the law of sin, and that law makes me its prisoner. .omans '.2#*(.% 2) 2# >hat a misera!le person 3 am" >ho will save me from this !ody that !rings me death? 2% 3 thank God for his salvation thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist o+r ord" So in my mind 3 am a slave to Gods law, !+t in my sinf+l self 3 am a slave to the law of sin. 8 1 So now anyone who is in 9hrist Ces+s is not =+dged g+ilty. 2 That is !eca+se in 9hrist Ces+s the law of the Spirit that !rings life made yo+ free. 3t made yo+ free from the law that !rings sin and death. 3 The law was witho+t power !eca+se it was made weak !y o+r sinf+l selves. <+t God did what the law co+ld not do: $e sent his own Son to earth with the same h+man life that everyone else +ses for sin. God sent him to !e an offering to pay for sin. So God +sed a h+man life to destroy sin. # $e did this so that we co+ld !e right =+st as the law said we m+st !e. 1ow we dont live following o+r sinf+l selves. >e live following the Spirit. % 6eople who live following their sinf+l selves think only a!o+t what they want. <+t those who live following the Spirit .omans (.&*11 3, are thinking a!o+t what the Spirit wants them to do. & 3f yo+r thinking is controlled !y yo+r sinf+l self, there is spirit+al death. <+t if yo+r thinking is controlled !y the Spirit, there is life and peace. ' >hy is this tr+e? <eca+se anyone whose thinking is controlled !y their sinf+l self is against God. They ref+se to o!ey Gods law. And really they are not a!le to o!ey it. ( Those who are r+led !y their sinf+l selves cannot please God. ) <+t yo+ are not r+led !y yo+r sinf+l selves. ;o+ are r+led !y the Spirit, if -asy To .ead /ersion

that Spirit of God really lives in yo+. <+t whoever does not have the Spirit of 9hrist does not !elong to 9hrist. 1, ;o+r !ody will always !e dead !eca+se of sin. <+t if 9hrist is in yo+, then the Spirit gives yo+ life, !eca+se 9hrist made yo+ right with God. 11 God raised Ces+s from death. And if Gods Spirit lives in yo+, he will also give life to yo+r !odies that die. ;es, God is the one who raised 9hrist from death, and he will raise yo+ to life thro+gh his Spirit living in yo+. .omans (.12*1( 31 12 So, my !rothers and sisters, we m+st not !e r+led !y o+r sinf+l selves. >e m+st not live the way o+r sinf+l selves want. 13 3f yo+ +se yo+r lives to do what yo+r sinf+l selves want, yo+ will die spirit+ally. <+t if yo+ +se the Spirits help to stop doing the wrong things yo+ do with yo+r !ody, yo+ will have tr+e life. 1# The tr+e children of God are those who let Gods Spirit lead them. 1% The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes +s slaves again and ca+ses +s to fear. The Spirit that we have makes +s Gods chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry o+t, A!!a, 2ather. 1& And the Spirit himself speaks to o+r spirits and makes +s s+re that we are Gods children. 1' 3f we are Gods children, we will get the !lessings God has for his people. $e will give +s all that he has given 9hrist. <+t we m+st s+ffer like 9hrist s+ffered. Then we will !e a!le to share his glory. 1( >e have s+fferings now, !+t these are nothing compared to the great glory that will !e given to +s. .omans (.1)*2# 32 1) -verything that God made is waiting with e4citement for the time when he will show the world who his children are. The whole world wants very m+ch for that to happen. 2, -verything God made was allowed to !ecome like something that cannot f+lfill its p+rpose. That was not its choice, !+t pag. 11(#0131#

God made it happen with this hope in view: 21 That the creation wo+ld !e made free from r+inthat everything God made wo+ld have the same freedom and glory that !elong to Gods children. 22 >e know that everything God made has !een waiting +ntil now in pain like a woman ready to give !irth to a child. 23 1ot only the world, !+t we also have !een waiting with pain inside +s. >e have the Spirit as the first part of Gods promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making +s his own children. 3 mean we are waiting for o+r !odies to !e made free. 2# >e were saved to have this hope. 3f we can see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. 6eople dont hope for something they already have. .omans (.2%*3, 33 2% <+t we are hoping for something we dont have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently. 2& Also, the Spirit helps +s. >e are very weak, !+t the Spirit helps +s with o+r weakness. >e dont know how to pray as we sho+ld, !+t the Spirit himself speaks to God for +s. $e !egs God for +s, speaking to him with feelings too deep for words. 2' God already knows o+r deepest tho+ghts. And he +nderstands what the Spirit is saying, !eca+se the Spirit speaks for his people in the way that agrees with what God wants. 2( >e know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, !eca+se that was his plan. 2) God knew them !efore he made the world. And he decided that they wo+ld !e like his Son. Then Ces+s wo+ld !e the first!orn of many !rothers and sisters. 3, God planned for them to !e like his Son. $e chose them and made them right with him. And after he made them right, he gave them his glory. .omans (.31*3' 3# 31 So what sho+ld we say a!o+t this? 3f -asy To .ead /ersion

God is for +s, no one can stand against +s. And God is with +s. 32 $e even let his own Son s+ffer for +s. God gave his Son for all of +s. So now with Ces+s, God will s+rely give +s all things. 33 >ho can acc+se the people God has chosen? 1o one" God is the one who makes them right. 3# >ho can say that Gods people are g+ilty? 1o one" 9hrist Ces+s died for +s, !+t that is not all. $e was also raised from death. And now he is at Gods right side, speaking to him for +s. 3% 9an anything separate +s from 9hrists love? 9an tro+!le or pro!lems or persec+tion separate +s from his love? 3f we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate +s from his love? 3& As the Script+res say, 2or yo+ we are in danger of death all the time. 6eople think we are worth no more than sheep to !e killed. 3' <+t in all these tro+!les we have complete victory thro+gh God, who has shown his love for +s. .omans (.3(*).# 3% 3( ;es, 3 am s+re that nothing can separate +s from Gods lovenot death, life, angels, or r+ling spirits. 3 am s+re that nothing now, nothing in the f+t+re, no powers, nothing a!ove +s or nothing !elow +snothing in the whole created worldwill ever !e a!le to separate +s from the love God has shown +s in 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord. 3) 7(:3(8 9 1 3 am in 9hrist and 3 am telling yo+ the tr+th. 3 am not lying. And my conscience, r+led !y the $oly Spirit, agrees that what 3 say now is tr+e. 2 3 have great sorrow and always feel m+ch sadness 3 for my own people. They are my !rothers and sisters, my earthly family. 3 wish 3 co+ld help them. 3 wo+ld even have a c+rse on me and c+t myself off from 9hrist if that wo+ld help them. # They are the people of 3srael, Gods pag. 11(%0131#

chosen children. They have the glory of God and the agreements he made !etween himself and his people. God gave them the aw of Aoses, the Temple worship, and his promises. .omans ).%*11 3& % They are the descendants of o+r great fathers, and they are the earthly family of the Aessiah, who is God over all things. 6raise him forever" Amen. & 3 dont mean that God failed to keep his promise to the Cewish people. <+t only some of the people of 3srael are really Gods people. ' And only some of A!rahams descendants are tr+e children of A!raham. This is what God said to A!raham: ;o+r tr+e descendants will !e those who come thro+gh 3saac. ( This means that not all of A!rahams descendants are Gods tr+e children. A!rahams tr+e children are those who !ecome Gods children !eca+se of the promise he made to A!raham. ) $ere is what God said in that promise: A!o+t this time ne4t year 3 will come !ack, and Sarah will have a son. 1, And that is not all. .e!ecca also had sons, and they had the same father. $e is o+r father 3saac. 11 <+t !efore the two sons were !orn, God told .e!ecca, The older son will serve the yo+nger. This was !efore the !oys had done anything good or !ad. .omans ).12*1( 3' God said this !efore they were !orn so that the !oy he wanted wo+ld !e chosen !eca+se of Gods own plan. $e was chosen !eca+se he was the one God wanted to call, not !eca+se of anything the !oys did. 12 7):118 13 As the Script+res say, 3 loved Caco!, !+t 3 hated -sa+. 1# So what does this mean? That God is not fair? >e cannot say that. 1% God said to Aoses, 3 will show mercy to anyone 3 want to show mercy to. 3 will show pity to anyone 3 choose. 1& So God will choose anyone he decides -asy To .ead /ersion

to show mercy to, and his choice does not depend on what people want or try to do. 1' 3n the Script+res God says to 6haraoh: 3 made yo+ king so that yo+ co+ld do this for me. 3 wanted to show my power thro+gh yo+. 3 wanted my name to !e anno+nced thro+gho+t the world. 1( So God shows mercy to those he wants to show mercy to and makes st+!!orn those he wants to make st+!!orn. .omans ).1)*2# 3( 1) So one of yo+ will ask me, 3f God controls what we do, why does he !lame +s for o+r sins? 2, Dont ask that. ;o+ are only h+man and have no right to J+estion God. A clay =ar does not J+estion the one who made it. 3t does not say, >hy did yo+ make me like this? 21 The one who makes the =ar can make anything he wants. $e +ses the same clay to make different things. $e might make one thing for special p+rposes and another for daily +se. 22 3t is the same way with what God has done. $e wanted to show his anger and to let people see his power. <+t he patiently end+red those he was angry withpeople who were ready to !e destroyed. 23 $e waited with patience so that he co+ld make known the riches of his glory to the people he has chosen to receive his mercy. God has already prepared them to share his glory. 2# >e are those people, the ones God chose not only from the Cews !+t also from those who are not Cews. .omans ).2%*31 3) 2% As the Script+res say in the !ook of $osea, The people who are not mine 3 will say they are my people. And the people 3 did not love 3 will say they are the people 3 love. 2& And, >here God said in the past, ;o+ are not my people there they will !e called children of the living God. pag. 11(&0131#

2' And 3saiah cries o+t a!o+t 3srael: There are so many people of 3srael, they are like the grains of sand !y the sea. <+t only a few of them will !e saved. 2( ;es, the ord will J+ickly finish =+dging the people on the earth. 2) 3t is =+st as 3saiah said: The ord AllD6owerf+l allowed some of o+r people to live. 3f he had not done that, we wo+ld now !e like Sodom, and we wo+ld !e like Gomorrah. 3, So what does all this mean? 3t means that people who are not Cews were made right with God !eca+se of their faith, even tho+gh they were not trying to make themselves right. 31 And the people of 3srael, who tried to make themselves right with God !y following the law, did not s+cceed. .omans ).32*1,.% #, 32 They failed !eca+se they tried to make themselves right !y the things they did. They did not tr+st in God to make them right. They fell over the stone that makes people fall. 33 The Script+res talk a!o+t that stone: ook, 3 p+t in Bion a stone that will make people st+m!le. 3t is a rock that will make people fall. <+t anyone who tr+sts in him will never !e disappointed. 10 1 <rothers and sisters, what 3 want most is for all the people of 3srael to !e saved. That is my prayer to God. 2 3 can say this a!o+t them: They really try hard to follow God, !+t they dont know the right way. 3 They did not know the way that God makes people right with him. And they tried to make themselves right in their own way. So they did not accept Gods way of making people right. # 9hrist ended the law so that everyone who !elieves in him is made right with God. % Aoses writes a!o+t !eing made right !y following the law. $e says, The person .omans 1,.&*12 #1 who o!eys these laws is the one who will have life thro+gh them. -asy To .ead /ersion

& <+t this is what the Script+res say a!o+t !eing made right thro+gh faith: Dont say to yo+rself, >ho will go +p into heaven? 7This means >ho will go +p to heaven to get 9hrist and !ring him down to earth?8 ' And dont say, >ho will go down into the world !elow? 7This means >ho will go down to get 9hrist and !ring him +p from death?8 ( This is what the Script+re says: Gods teaching is near yo+F it is in yo+r mo+th and in yo+r heart. 3t is the teaching of faith that we tell people. ) 3f yo+ openly say, Ces+s is ord and !elieve in yo+r heart that God raised him from death, yo+ will !e saved. 1, ;es, we !elieve in Ces+s deep in o+r hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we openly say that we !elieve in him, and so we are saved. 11 ;es, the Script+res say, Anyone who tr+sts in him will never !e disappointed. 12 3t says this !eca+se there is no difference !etween those who are Cews and those who are not. The same ord .omans 1,.13*1( #2 is the ord of all people. And he richly !lesses everyone who looks to him for help. 13 ;es, everyone who tr+sts in the ord will !e saved. 1# <+t !efore people can pray to the ord for help, they m+st !elieve in him. And !efore they can !elieve in the ord, they m+st hear a!o+t him. And for anyone to hear a!o+t the ord, someone m+st tell them. 1% And !efore anyone can go and tell them, they m+st !e sent. As the Script+res say, $ow wonderf+l it is to see someone coming to tell good news" 1& <+t not all the people accepted that good news. 3saiah said, ord, who !elieved what we told them? 1' So faith comes from hearing the Good 1ews. And people hear the Good 1ews when someone tells them a!o+t 9hrist. 1( <+t 3 ask, Did those people not hear pag. 11('0131#

the Good 1ews? ;es, they heardas the Script+res say, Their voices went o+t all aro+nd the world. Their words went everywhere in the world. .omans 1,.1)*11.2 #3 1) Again 3 ask, Did the people of 3srael not +nderstand? ;es, they did +nderstand. 2irst, Aoses says this for God: 3 will +se those who are not really a nation to make yo+ =ealo+s. 3 will +se a nation that does not +nderstand to make yo+ angry. 2, Then 3saiah is !old eno+gh to say this for God: The people who were not looking for me they are the ones who fo+nd me. 3 made myself known to those who did not ask for me. 21 <+t a!o+t the people of 3srael God says, All day long 3 stood ready to accept those people, !+t they are st+!!orn and ref+se to o!ey me. 11 1 So 3 ask, Did God decide that he does not want his people? That cannot !e tr+e. 3 myself am an 3sraelite. 3 am from the family of A!raham, from the tri!e of <en=amin. 2 God chose the 3sraelites to !e his people !efore they were !orn. And he has never said that he doesnt want them. S+rely yo+ know what the Script+res say a!o+t -li=ah. The Script+res tell a!o+t -li=ah praying to God against the people of 3srael. $e said, .omans 11.3*( ## 3 ord, they have killed yo+r prophets and destroyed yo+r altars. 3 am the only prophet still living, and they are trying to kill me now. # <+t what answer did God give to -li=ah? God said, 3 have kept for myself seven tho+sand men who have never given worship to <aal. % 3t is the same now. God has chosen a few people !y his grace. & And if he chose them !y grace, then it is not what they have done that made them his people. 3f they co+ld !e made his people !y what they did, his gift of grace wo+ld not really !e a gift. ' So this is what has happened: The -asy To .ead /ersion

people of 3srael wanted Gods !lessing, !+t they did not all get it. The people he chose did get his !lessing, !+t the others !ecame hard and ref+sed to listen to him. ( As the Script+res say, God ca+sed the people to fall asleep. God closed their eyes so that they co+ld not see, and he closed their ears so that they co+ld not hear. This contin+es +ntil now. .omans 11.)*1% #% ) And David says, et those people !e ca+ght and trapped at their own feasts. et them fall and !e p+nished. 1, et their eyes !e closed so that they cannot see. And let them !e tro+!led forever. 11 So 3 ask: >hen the Cews fell, did that fall destroy them? 1o" <+t their mistake !ro+ght salvation to those who are not Cews. The p+rpose of this was to make the Cews =ealo+s. 12 Their mistake !ro+ght rich !lessings to the world. And what they lost !ro+ght rich !lessings to the nonDCewish people. So s+rely the world will get m+ch richer !lessings when eno+gh Cews !ecome the kind of people God wants. 13 1ow 3 am speaking to yo+ people who are not Cews. 3 am an apostle to the nonDCewish people. So while 3 have that work, 3 will do the !est 3 can. 1# 3 hope 3 can make my own people =ealo+s. That way, may!e 3 can help some of them to !e saved. 1% God t+rned away from the Cews. >hen that happened, he !ecame friends with the other people in the world. So .omans 11.1&*21 #& when he accepts the Cews, it will !e like !ringing people to life after death. 1& 3f the first piece of !read is offered to God, then the whole loaf is made holy. 3f the roots of a tree are holy, the trees !ranches are holy too. 1' 3t is as if some of the !ranches from an olive tree have !een !roken off, and the !ranch of a wild olive tree has !een =oined to that first tree. 3f yo+ are not a Cew, yo+ are the same as that wild pag. 11((0131#

!ranch, and yo+ now share the strength and life of the first tree. 1( <+t dont act as if yo+ are !etter than those !ranches that were !roken off. ;o+ have no reason to !e pro+d of yo+rself, !eca+se yo+ dont give life to the root. The root gives life to yo+. 1) ;o+ might say, <ranches were !roken off so that 3 co+ld !e =oined to their tree. 2, That is tr+e. <+t those !ranches were !roken off !eca+se they did not !elieve. And yo+ contin+e to !e part of the tree only !eca+se yo+ !elieve. Dont !e pro+d, !+t !e afraid. 21 3f God did not let the nat+ral !ranches of that tree stay, he will not let yo+ stay if yo+ stop !elieving. .omans 11.22*2& #' 22 So yo+ see that God is kind, !+t he can also !e very strict. $e p+nishes those who stop following him. <+t he is kind to yo+, if yo+ contin+e tr+sting in his kindness. 3f yo+ dont contin+e depending on him, yo+ will !e c+t off from the tree. 23 And if the Cews will !elieve in God again, he will accept them !ack. $e is a!le to p+t them !ack where they were. 2# 3t is not nat+ral for a wild !ranch to !ecome part of a good tree. <+t yo+ nonDCewish people are like a !ranch c+t from a wild olive tree. And yo+ were =oined to a good olive tree. <+t those Cews are like a !ranch that grew from the good tree. So s+rely they can !e =oined to their own tree again. 2% 3 want yo+ to +nderstand this secret tr+th, !rothers and sisters. This tr+th will help yo+ +nderstand that yo+ dont know everything. The tr+th is this: 6art of 3srael has !een made st+!!orn, !+t that will change when eno+gh nonDCewish people have come to God. 2& And that is how all 3srael will !e saved. The Script+res say, The Savior .omans 11.2'*33 #( will come from BionF he will take away all evil from the family of Caco!. 2' And 3 will make this agreement with those people when 3 take away their -asy To .ead /ersion

sins. 2( The Cews ref+se to accept the Good 1ews, so they are Gods enemies. This has happened to help yo+ who are not Cews. <+t they are still Gods chosen people, and he loves them !eca+se of the promises he made to their ancestors. 2) God never changes his mind a!o+t the people he calls. $e never decides to take !ack the !lessings he has given them. 3, At one time yo+ ref+sed to o!ey God. <+t now yo+ have received mercy, !eca+se the Cews ref+sed to o!ey. 31 And now they are the ones who ref+se to o!ey, !eca+se God showed mercy to yo+. <+t this happened so that they can also receive mercy from him. 32 All people have ref+sed to o!ey God. And he has p+t them all together as people who dont o!ey him so that he can show mercy to everyone. 33 ;es, Gods riches are very great" $is wisdom and knowledge have no end" 1o .omans 11.3#*12.3 #) one can e4plain what God decides. 1o one can +nderstand his ways. 3# As the Script+res say, >ho can know what is on the ords mind? >ho is a!le to give him advice? 3% >ho has ever given God anything? God owes nothing to anyone. 3& ;es, God made all things. And everything contin+es thro+gh him and for him. To God !e the glory forever" Amen. 12 1 So 3 !eg yo+, !rothers and sisters, !eca+se of the great mercy God has shown +s, offer yo+r lives as a living sacrifice to himan offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. 9onsidering what he has done, it is only right that yo+ sho+ld worship him in this way. 2 Dont change yo+rselves to !e like the people of this world, !+t let God change yo+ inside with a new way of thinking. Then yo+ will !e a!le to +nderstand and accept what God wants for yo+. ;o+ will !e a!le to know what is good and pag. 11()0131#

pleasing to him and what is perfect. 3 God has given me a special gift, and that is why 3 have something to say to .omans 12.#*( %, each one of yo+. Dont think that yo+ are !etter than yo+ really are. ;o+ m+st see yo+rself =+st as yo+ are. Decide what yo+ are !y the faith God has given each of +s. # -ach one of +s has one !ody, and that !ody has many parts. These parts dont all do the same thing. % 3n the same way, we are many people, !+t in 9hrist we are all one !ody. >e are the parts of that !ody, and each part !elongs to all the others. & >e all have different gifts. -ach gift came !eca+se of the grace God gave +s. >hoever has the gift of prophecy sho+ld +se that gift in a way that fits the kind of faith they have. ' >hoever has the gift of serving sho+ld serve. >hoever has the gift of teaching sho+ld teach. ( >hoever has the gift of comforting others sho+ld do that. >hoever has the gift of giving to help others sho+ld give genero+sly. >hoever has the gift of leading sho+ld work hard at it. >hoever has the gift of showing kindness to others sho+ld do it gladly. .omans 12.)*1& %1 ) ;o+r love m+st !e real. $ate what is evil. Do only what is good. 1, ove each other in a way that makes yo+ feel close like !rothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than yo+ give yo+rself. 11 As yo+ serve the ord, work hard and dont !e laEy. <e e4cited a!o+t serving him" 12 <e happy !eca+se of the hope yo+ have. <e patient when yo+ have tro+!les. 6ray all the time. 13 Share with Gods people who need help. ook for people who need help and welcome them into yo+r homes. 1# >ish only good for those who treat yo+ !adly. Ask God to !less them, not c+rse them. -asy To .ead /ersion

1% >hen others are happy, yo+ sho+ld !e happy with them. And when others are sad, yo+ sho+ld !e sad too. 1& ive together in peace with each other. Dont !e pro+d, !+t !e willing to !e friends with people who are not important to others. Dont think of yo+rself as smarter than everyone else. .omans 12.1'*13.2 %2 1' 3f someone does yo+ wrong, dont try to pay them !ack !y h+rting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. 1( Do the !est yo+ can to live in peace with everyone. 1) Ay friends, dont try to p+nish anyone who does wrong to yo+. >ait for God to p+nish them with his anger. 3t is written: 3 am the one who p+nishesF 3 will pay people !ack, says the ord. 2, <+t yo+ sho+ld do this: 3f yo+ have enemies who are h+ngry, give them something to eat. 3f yo+ have enemies who are thirsty, give them something to drink. 3n doing this yo+ will make them feel ashamed. 21 Dont let evil defeat yo+, !+t defeat evil !y doing good. 13 1 All of yo+ m+st o!ey the government r+lers. -veryone who r+les was given the power to r+le !y God. And all those who r+le now were given that power !y God. 2 So anyone who is against the government is really against something God has commanded. Those who are against the government !ring p+nishment on themselves. .omans 13.3*( %3 3 6eople who do right dont have to fear the r+lers. <+t those who do wrong m+st fear them. Do yo+ want to !e free from fearing them? Then do only what is right, and they will praise yo+. # .+lers are Gods servants to help yo+. <+t if yo+ do wrong, yo+ have reason to !e afraid. They have the power to p+nish, and they will +se it. They are Gods servants to p+nish those who do wrong. % So yo+ m+st o!ey the government, pag. 11),0131#

not =+st !eca+se yo+ might !e p+nished, !+t !eca+se yo+ know it is the right thing to do. & And this is why yo+ pay ta4es too. Those r+lers are working for God, and they give all their time to the work of r+ling. ' Give everyone what yo+ owe them. 3f yo+ owe them any kind of ta4, then pay it. Show respect to those yo+ sho+ld respect. And show honor to those yo+ sho+ld honor. ( ;o+ sho+ld owe nothing to anyone, e4cept that yo+ will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. .omans 13.)*13 %# ) The law says, ;o+ m+st not commit ad+ltery, yo+ m+st not m+rder anyone, yo+ m+st not steal, yo+ m+st not want what !elongs to someone else. All these commands and all other commands are really only one r+le: ove yo+r neigh!or the same as yo+ love yo+rself. 1, ove doesnt h+rt others. So loving is the same as o!eying all the law. 11 3 say this !eca+se yo+ know that we live in an important time. ;es, it is now time for yo+ to wake +p from yo+r sleep. 5+r salvation is nearer now than when we first !elieved. 12 The night is almost finished. The day is almost here. So we sho+ld stop doing whatever !elongs to darkness. >e sho+ld prepare o+rselves to fight evil with the weapons that !elong to the light. 13 >e sho+ld live in a right way, like people who !elong to the day. >e sho+ld not have wild parties or !e dr+nk. >e sho+ld not !e involved in se4+al sin or any kind of immoral !ehavior. >e sho+ld not ca+se arg+ments and tro+!le or !e =ealo+s. .omans 13.1#*1#.% %% 1# <+t !e so m+ch like the ord Ces+s 9hrist that when people look at yo+, they will see him. Dont think a!o+t how to satisfy the desires of yo+r sinf+l self. 14 1 <e willing to accept those who -asy To .ead /ersion

still have do+!ts a!o+t what !elievers can do. And dont arg+e with them a!o+t their different ideas. 2 Some people !elieve they can eat any kind of food, !+t those who have do+!ts eat only vegeta!les. 3 Those who know they can eat any kind of food m+st not feel that they are !etter than those who eat only vegeta!les. And those who eat only vegeta!les m+st not decide that those who eat all foods are wrong. God has accepted them. # ;o+ cannot =+dge the servants of someone else. Their own master decides if they are doing right or wrong. And the ords servants will !e right, !eca+se the ord is a!le to make them right. % Some people might !elieve that one day is more important than another. And others might !elieve that every day is the same. -veryone sho+ld !e s+re a!o+t their !eliefs in their own mind. .omans 1#.&*12 %& & Those who think one day is more important than other days are doing that for the ord. And those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the ord. ;es, they give thanks to God for that food. And those who ref+se to eat some foods do that for the ord. They also give thanks to God. ' >e dont live or die =+st for o+rselves. ( 3f we live, we are living for the ord. And if we die, we are dying for the ord. So living or dying, we !elong to the ord. ) That is why 9hrist died and rose from death to live againso that he co+ld !e ord over those who have died and those who are living. 1, So why do yo+ =+dge yo+r !rother or sister in 9hrist? 5r why do yo+ think yo+ are !etter than they are? >e will all stand !efore God, and he will =+dge +s all. 11 ;es, the Script+res say, As s+rely as 3 live, says the ord, -veryone will !ow !efore meF everyone will say that 3 am God. 12 So each of +s will have to e4plain to God a!o+t the things we do. pag. 11)10131#

.omans 1#.13*1) %' 13 So we sho+ld stop =+dging each other. ets decide not to do anything that will ca+se a pro!lem for a !rother or sister or h+rt their faith. 1# 3 know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The ord Ces+s is the one who convinced me of that. <+t if someone !elieves that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person. 1% 3f yo+ h+rt the faith of yo+r !rother or sister !eca+se of something yo+ eat, yo+ are not really following the way of love. Dont destroy anyones faith !y eating something they think is wrong. 9hrist died for them. 1& Dont allow what is good for yo+ to !ecome something they say is evil. 1' 3n Gods kingdom, what we eat and drink is not important. $ere is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and =oyall from the $oly Spirit. 1( >hoever serves 9hrist !y living this way is pleasing God, and they will !e accepted !y others. 1) So lets try as hard as we can to do what will !ring peace. ets do whatever will help each other grow stronger in faith. .omans 1#.2,*1%.2 %( 2, Dont let the eating of food destroy the work of God. All food is right to eat, !+t it is wrong for anyone to eat something that h+rts the faith of another person. 21 3t is !etter not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that h+rts the faith of yo+r !rother or sister. 22 ;o+ sho+ld keep yo+r !eliefs a!o+t these things a secret !etween yo+rself and God. 3t is a !lessing to !e a!le to do what yo+ think is right witho+t feeling g+ilty. 23 <+t anyone who eats something witho+t !eing s+re it is right is doing wrong. That is !eca+se they did not !elieve it was right. And if yo+ do anything that yo+ !elieve is not right, it is sin. 15 1 Some of +s have no pro!lem -asy To .ead /ersion

with these things. So we sho+ld !e patient with those who are not so strong and have do+!ts. >e sho+ld not do what pleases +s 2 !+t do what pleases them and is for their good. >e sho+ld do whatever helps everyone grow stronger in faith. .omans 1%.3*) %) 3 -ven 9hrist did not live trying to please himself. As the Script+res say a!o+t him, Those people who ins+lted yo+ have also ins+lted me. # -verything that was written in the past was written to teach +s. Those things were written so that we co+ld have hope. That hope comes from the patience and enco+ragement that the Script+res give +s. % All patience and enco+ragement come from God. And 3 pray that God will help yo+ all agree with each other, as 9hrist Ces+s wants. & Then yo+ will all !e =oined together. And all together yo+ will give glory to the God and 2ather of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. ' 9hrist accepted yo+, so yo+ sho+ld accept each other. This will !ring honor to God. ( 3 tell yo+ that 9hrist !ecame a servant of the Cews to show that God has done what he promised their great ancestors. ) 9hrist also did this so that the nonDCewish people co+ld praise God for the mercy he gives to them. The Script+res say, So 3 will give thanks to .omans 1%.1,*1& &, yo+ among the people of other nationsF 3 will sing praise to yo+r name. 1, And the Script+res say, ;o+ people of other nations sho+ld !e happy together with Gods people. 11 The Script+res also say, 6raise the ord all yo+ people of other nationsF all people sho+ld praise the ord. 12 And 3saiah says, Someone will come from Cesses family. $e will come to r+le over the nations, and they will p+t their hope in him. 13 3 pray that the God who gives hope will fill yo+ with m+ch =oy and peace pag. 11)20131#

as yo+ tr+st in him. Then yo+ will have more and more hope, and it will flow o+t of yo+ !y the power of the $oly Spirit. 1# Ay !rothers and sisters, 3 know witho+t a do+!t that yo+ are f+ll of goodness and have all the knowledge yo+ need. So yo+ are certainly a!le to co+nsel each other. 1% <+t 3 have written to yo+ very openly a!o+t some things that 3 wanted yo+ to remem!er. 3 did this !eca+se God gave me this special gift: 1& to !e a servant of 9hrist Ces+s for those who are not Cews. 3 serve like a .omans 1%.1'*21 &1 priest whose d+ty it is to tell Gods Good 1ews. $e gave me this work so that yo+ nonDCewish people co+ld !e an offering that he will acceptan offering made holy !y the $oly Spirit. 1' That is why 3 feel so good a!o+t what 3 have done for God in my service to 9hrist Ces+s. 1( 3 will not talk a!o+t anything 3 did myself. 3 will talk only a!o+t what 9hrist has done with me in leading the nonDCewish people to o!ey God. They have o!eyed him !eca+se of what 3 have said and done. 1) And they o!eyed him !eca+se of the power of the mirac+lo+s signs and wonders that happenedall !eca+se of the power of Gods Spirit. 3 have told people the Good 1ews a!o+t 9hrist in every place from Cer+salem to 3llyric+m. And so 3 have finished that part of my work. 2, 3 always want to tell the Good 1ews in places where people have never heard of 9hrist. 3 do this !eca+se 3 dont want to !+ild on the work that someone else has already started. 21 <+t as the Script+res say, Those who were not told a!o+t him will see, and .omans 1%.22*2( &2 those who have not heard a!o+t him will +nderstand. 22 Thats what has kept me so !+sy and prevented my coming to see yo+ even tho+gh 3 have wanted to come many times. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 1ow 3 have finished my work in these areas. And for many years 3 have wanted to visit yo+. 2# So 3 will visit yo+ when 3 go to Spain. ;es, 3 hope to visit yo+ while 3 am traveling to Spain, and 3 will stay and en=oy !eing with yo+. Then yo+ can help me contin+e on my trip. 2% 1ow 3 am going to Cer+salem to help Gods people there. 2& Some of them are poor, and the !elievers in Aacedonia and Achaia wanted to help them. So they gathered some money to send them. 2' They were happy to do this. And it was like paying something they owed them, !eca+se as nonDCews they have !een !lessed spirit+ally !y the Cews. So now they sho+ld +se the material !lessings they have to help the Cews. 2( 3 am going to Cer+salem to make s+re the poor get this money that has .omans 1%.2)*1&.2 &3 !een given for them. After 3 finish that, 3 will leave for Spain and stop to visit yo+ on the way. 2) And 3 know that when 3 visit yo+, 3 will !ring yo+ 9hrists f+ll !lessing. 3, <rothers and sisters, 3 !eg yo+ to help me in my work !y praying to God for me. Do this !eca+se of o+r ord Ces+s and the love that the Spirit gives +s. 31 6ray that 3 will !e saved from those in C+dea who ref+se to accept o+r message. And pray that this help 3 am !ringing to Cer+salem will please Gods people there. 32 Then, if God wants me to, 3 will come to yo+. 3 will come with =oy, and together yo+ and 3 will have a time of rest. 33 The God who gives peace !e with yo+ all. Amen. 16 1 3 want yo+ to know that yo+ can tr+st o+r sister in 9hrist, 6hoe!e. She is a special servant of the ch+rch in 9enchrea. 2 3 ask yo+ to accept her in the ord. Accept her the way Gods people sho+ld. $elp her with anything she needs from yo+. She has helped me very m+ch, and she has helped many others too. pag. 11)30131#

.omans 1&.3*1, &# 3 Give my greetings to 6riscilla and AJ+ila, who have worked together with me for 9hrist Ces+s. # They risked their own lives to save mine. 3 am thankf+l to them, and all the nonDCewish ch+rches are thankf+l to them. % Also, give greetings to the ch+rch that meets in their ho+se. Give greetings to my dear friend -paenet+s. $e was the first person to follow 9hrist in Asia. & Greetings also to Aary. She worked very hard for yo+. ' And greet Andronic+s and C+nia. They are my relatives, and they were in prison with me. They were followers of 9hrist !efore 3 was. And they are some of the most important of the ones 9hrist sent o+t to do his work. ( Give my greetings to Ampliat+s, my dear friend in the ord, ) and to Hr!an+s. $e has worked together with me for 9hrist. Give greetings also to my dear friend Stachys 1, and to Apelles, who has proved himself to !e a tr+e follower of 9hrist. Give greetings to everyone in the family of Aristo!+l+s .omans 1&.11*1( &% 11 and to $erodion, my relative. Greetings to all those in the family of 1arciss+s who !elong to the ord 12 and to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, women who work very hard for the ord. Greetings to my dear friend 6ersis. She has also worked very hard for the ord. 13 Greetings also to .+f+s, one of the ords chosen people, and to his mother, who has !een a mother to me too. 1# Give my greetings to Asyncrit+s, 6hlegon, $ermes, 6atro!as, $ermas, and all the !elievers who are with them. 1% Give greetings to 6hilolog+s and C+lia, to 1ere+s and his sister, to 5lympas, and to all of Gods people with them. 1& Give each other the special greeting of Gods people. All the ch+rches that !elong to 9hrist send their greetings to yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

1' <rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to !e very caref+l of those who ca+se arg+ments and h+rt peoples faith !y teaching things that are against what yo+ learned. Stay away from them. 1( 6eople like that are not serving o+r ord 9hrist. They are only pleasing themselves. They +se fancy talk and say .omans 1&.1)*2% && nice things to fool those who dont know a!o+t evil. 1) -veryone has heard that yo+ do what yo+ were ta+ght, and 3 am very happy a!o+t that. <+t 3 want yo+ to !e wise a!o+t what is good and to know nothing a!o+t what is evil. 2, The God who !rings peace will soon defeat Satan and give yo+ power over him. The grace of o+r ord Ces+s !e with yo+. 21 Timothy, a worker together with me, sends yo+ his greetings. Also +ci+s, Cason, and Sosipater 7these are my relatives8 send their greetings. 22 3 am Terti+s, the one writing this letter for 6a+l. 3 send yo+ my own greetings as one who !elongs to the ord. 23 Gai+s is letting me and the whole ch+rch here +se his home. $e sends his greetings to yo+. -rast+s and o+r !rother I+art+s also send their greetings. -rast+s is the city treas+rer here. 2# MM-A6T;NN 2% 6raise God" $e is the one who can make yo+ strong in faith. $e can +se the Good 1ews that 3 teach to make yo+ .omans 1&.2&*2' &' strong. 3t is the message a!o+t Ces+s 9hrist that 3 tell people. That message is the secret tr+th that was hidden for ages and ages !+t has !een made known. 2& 3t has now !een shown to +s. 3t was made known !y what the prophets wrote, as God commanded. And it has now !een made known to all people so that they can !elieve and o!ey God, who lives forever. 2' Glory forever to the only wise God thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. Amen. pag. 11)#0131#

1 +orint'ians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l. 3 was chosen to !e an apostle of 9hrist Ces+s. God chose me !eca+se that is what he wanted. Greetings also from Sosthenes, o+r !rother in 9hrist. 2 To Gods ch+rch in 9orinth, yo+ who have !een made holy !eca+se yo+ !elong to 9hrist Ces+s. ;o+ were chosen to !e Gods holy people together with all people everywhere who tr+st in the ord Ces+s 9hristtheir ord and o+rs. 3 Grace and peace to yo+ from God o+r 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. # 3 always thank my God for yo+ !eca+se of the grace that he has given yo+ thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s. % 3n him yo+ have !een !lessed in every way. ;o+ have !een !lessed in all yo+r speaking and all yo+r knowledge. & This proves that what we told yo+ a!o+t 9hrist is tr+e. ' 1ow yo+ have every gift from God while yo+ wait for o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist to come again. 1 9orinthians 1.(*1# 2 ( $e will keep yo+ strong +ntil the end so that on the day when o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist comes, yo+ will !e free from all !lame. ) God is faithf+l. $e is the one who has chosen yo+ to share life with his Son, Ces+s 9hrist o+r ord. 1, <rothers and sisters, !y the a+thority of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist, 3 !eg all of yo+ to agree with each other. ;o+ sho+ld not !e divided into different gro+ps. <e completely =oined together again with the same kind of thinking and the same p+rpose. 11 Ay !rothers and sisters, some mem!ers of 9hloes family told me that there are arg+ments among yo+. 12 This is what 3 mean: 5ne of yo+ says, 3 follow 6a+l, and someone else says, 3 follow Apollos. Another says, 3 follow 6eter, and someone else says, 3 follow 9hrist. 13 9hrist cannot !e divided into different gro+ps. 3t wasnt 6a+l who died on the -asy To .ead /ersion

cross for yo+, was it? >ere yo+ !aptiEed in 6a+ls name? 1# 3 am thankf+l that 3 did not !aptiEe any of yo+ e4cept 9risp+s and Gai+s. 1 9orinthians 1.1%*21 3 1% 3 am thankf+l !eca+se now no one can say that yo+ were !aptiEed in my name. 1& 73 also !aptiEed the family of Stephanas, !+t 3 dont remem!er that 3 myself !aptiEed any others.8 1' 9hrist did not give me the work of !aptiEing people. $e gave me the work of telling the Good 1ews. <+t he sent me to tell the Good 1ews witho+t +sing clever speech, which wo+ld take away the power that is in the cross of 9hrist. 1( The teaching a!o+t the cross seems foolish to those who are lost. <+t to +s who are !eing saved it is the power of God. 1) As the Script+res say, 3 will destroy the wisdom of the wise. 3 will conf+se the +nderstanding of the intelligent. 2, So what does this say a!o+t the philosopher, the law e4pert, or anyone in this world who is skilled at making clever arg+ments? God has made the wisdom of the world look foolish. 21 ;es, God in his wisdom decided that the world wo+ld never find him thro+gh its own wisdom. So he +sed the message 1 9orinthians 1.22*2( # that so+nds foolish to save those who !elieve it. 22 The Cews ask for mirac+lo+s signs, and the Greeks want wisdom. 23 <+t this is the message we tell everyone: 9hrist was killed on a cross. This message is a pro!lem for Cews, and to other people it is nonsense. 2# <+t 9hrist is Gods power and wisdom to the people God has chosen, !oth Cews and Greeks. 2% -ven the foolishness of God is wiser than h+man wisdom. -ven the weakness of God is stronger than h+man strength. 2& <rothers and sisters, God chose yo+ to !e his. Think a!o+t that" 1ot many of yo+ were wise in the way the world pag. 11)%0131#

=+dges wisdom. 1ot many of yo+ had great infl+ence, and not many of yo+ came from important families. 2' <+t God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. $e chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 2( And God chose what the world thinks is not importantwhat the world hates and thinks is nothing. $e chose these 1 9orinthians 1.2)*2.% % to destroy what the world thinks is important. 2) God did this so that no one can stand !efore him and !oast a!o+t anything. 3, 3t is God who has made yo+ part of 9hrist Ces+s. And 9hrist has !ecome for +s wisdom from God. $e is the reason we are right with God and have !een made holy. 9hrist is the one who set +s free from sin. 31 So, as the Script+res say, >hoever !oasts sho+ld !oast only a!o+t the ord. 2 1 Dear !rothers and sisters, when 3 came to yo+, 3 told yo+ the secret tr+th of God. <+t 3 did not +se fancy words or great wisdom. 2 3 decided that while 3 was with yo+ 3 wo+ld forget a!o+t everything e4cept Ces+s 9hrist and his death on the cross. 3 >hen 3 came to yo+, 3 was weak and shook with fear. # Ay teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that pers+ade people. <+t the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. % 3 did this so that yo+r faith wo+ld !e in Gods power, not in h+man wisdom. 1 9orinthians 2.&*11 & & >e teach wisdom to people who are mat+re, !+t the wisdom we teach is not from this world. 3t is not the wisdom of the r+lers of this world, who are losing their power. ' <+t we speak Gods secret wisdom that has !een hidden from everyone +ntil now. God planned this wisdom for o+r glory. $e planned it !efore the world !egan. ( 1one of the r+lers of this world -asy To .ead /ersion

+nderstood this wisdom. 3f they had +nderstood it, they wo+ld not have killed o+r great and glorio+s ord on a cross. ) <+t as the Script+res say, 1o one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. 1, <+t God has shown +s these things thro+gh the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 3t is like this: 1o one knows the tho+ghts that another person has. 5nly the persons spirit that lives inside knows those tho+ghts. 3t is the same with God. 1o one knows Gods tho+ghts e4cept Gods Spirit. 1 9orinthians 2.12*3.1 ' 12 >e received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. >e received Gods Spirit so that we can know all that God has given +s. 13 >hen we say this, we dont +se words ta+ght to +s !y h+man wisdom. >e +se words ta+ght to +s !y the Spirit. >e +se the Spirits words to e4plain spirit+al tr+ths. 1# 6eople who do not have Gods Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot +nderstand them, !eca+se they can only !e +nderstood with the Spirits help. 1% >e who have the Spirit are a!le to make =+dgments a!o+t all these things. <+t anyone witho+t the Spirit is not a!le to make proper =+dgments a!o+t +s. 1& As the Script+res say, >ho can know what is on the ords mind? >ho is a!le to give him advice? <+t we have !een given 9hrists way of thinking. 3 1 <rothers and sisters, when 3 was there, 3 co+ld not talk to yo+ the way 3 talk to people who are led !y the Spirit. 3 had to talk to yo+ like ordinary 1 9orinthians 3.2*' ( people of the world. ;o+ were like !a!ies in 9hrist. 2 And the teaching 3 gave yo+ was like milk, not solid food. 3 did this !eca+se pag. 11)&0131#

yo+ were not ready for solid food. And even now yo+ are not ready. 3 ;o+ are still not following the Spirit. ;o+ are =ealo+s of each other, and yo+ are always arg+ing with each other. This shows that yo+ are still following yo+r own selfish desires. ;o+ are acting like ordinary people of the world. # 5ne of yo+ says, 3 follow 6a+l, and someone else says, 3 follow Apollos. >hen yo+ say things like that, yo+ are acting like people of the world. % 3s Apollos so important? 3s 6a+l so important? >e are only servants of God who helped yo+ !elieve. -ach one of +s did the work God gave +s to do. & 3 planted the seed and Apollos watered it. <+t God is the one who made the seed grow. ' So the one who plants is not important, and the one who waters is not important. 5nly God is important, !eca+se he is the one who makes things grow. 1 9orinthians 3.(*1# ) ( The one who plants and the one who waters have the same p+rpose. And each one will !e rewarded for his own work. ) >e are workers together for God, and yo+ are like a farm that !elongs to God. And yo+ are a ho+se that !elongs to God. 1, ike an e4pert !+ilder 3 !+ilt the fo+ndation of that ho+se. 3 +sed the gift that God gave me to do this. 5ther people are !+ilding on that fo+ndation. <+t everyone sho+ld !e caref+l how they !+ild. 11 The fo+ndation that has already !een !+ilt is Ces+s 9hrist, and no one can !+ild any other fo+ndation. 12 6eople can !+ild on that fo+ndation +sing gold, silver, =ewels, wood, grass, or straw. 13 <+t the work that each person does will !e clearly seen, !eca+se the Day will make it plain. That Day will appear with fire, and the fire will test everyones work. 1# 3f the !+ilding they p+t on the -asy To .ead /ersion

fo+ndation still stands, they will get their reward. 1 9orinthians 3.1%*21 1, 1% <+t if their !+ilding is !+rned +p, they will s+ffer loss. They will !e saved, !+t it will !e like someone escaping from a fire. 1& ;o+ sho+ld know that yo+ yo+rselves are Gods temple. Gods Spirit lives in yo+. 1' 3f yo+ destroy Gods temple, God will destroy yo+, !eca+se Gods temple is holy. ;o+ yo+rselves are Gods temple. 1( Dont fool yo+rselves. >hoever thinks they are wise in this world sho+ld !ecome a fool. Thats the only way they can !e wise. 1) 3 say this !eca+se the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Script+res say, $e catches those who think they are wise in their own clever traps. 2, The Script+res also say, The ord knows the tho+ghts of the wise. $e knows that their tho+ghts are worth nothing. 21 So there is not a person on earth that any of yo+ sho+ld !e !oasting a!o+t. -verything is yo+rs: 1 9orinthians 3.22*#.% 11 22 6a+l, Apollos, 6eter, the world, life, death, the present, and the f+t+reall these are yo+rs. 23 And yo+ !elong to 9hrist, and 9hrist !elongs to God. 4 1 ;o+ sho+ld think of +s as servants of 9hrist, the ones God has tr+sted to do the work of making known his secret tr+ths. 2 Those who are tr+sted with s+ch an important work m+st show that they are worthy of that tr+st. 3 <+t 3 dont consider yo+r =+dgment on this point to !e worth anything. -ven an opinion from a co+rt of law wo+ld mean nothing. 3 dont even tr+st my own =+dgment. # 3 dont know of any wrong 3 have done, !+t that does not make me right. The ord is the one who m+st decide if 3 have pag. 11)'0131#

done well or not. % So dont =+dge anyone now. The time for =+dging will !e when the ord comes. $e will shine light on everything that is now hidden in darkness. $e will make known the secret p+rposes of o+r hearts. Then the praise each person sho+ld get will come from God. 1 9orinthians #.&*11 12 & <rothers and sisters, 3 have +sed Apollos and myself as e4amples for yo+. 3 did this so that yo+ co+ld learn from +s the meaning of the words, 2ollow what the Script+res say. Then yo+ will not !rag a!o+t one person and criticiEe another. ' >ho do yo+ think yo+ are? -verything yo+ have was given to yo+. So, if everything yo+ have was given to yo+, why do yo+ act as if yo+ got it all !y yo+r own power? ( ;o+ think yo+ have everything yo+ need. ;o+ think yo+ are rich. ;o+ think yo+ have !ecome kings witho+t +s. 3 wish yo+ really were kings. Then we co+ld r+le together with yo+. ) <+t it seems to me that God has given me and the other apostles the last place. >e are like prisoners condemned to die, led in a parade for the whole world to seenot =+st people !+t angels too. 1, >e are fools for 9hrist, !+t yo+ think yo+ are so wise in 9hrist. >e are weak, !+t yo+ think yo+ are so strong. 6eople give yo+ honor, !+t they dont honor +s. 11 -ven now we still dont have eno+gh to eat or drink, and we dont have eno+gh 1 9orinthians #.12*1( 13 clothes. >e often get !eatings. >e have no homes. 12 >e work hard with o+r own hands to feed o+rselves. >hen people ins+lt +s, we ask God to !less them. >hen people treat +s !adly, we accept it. 13 >hen people say !ad things a!o+t +s, we try to say something that will help them. <+t people still treat +s like the worlds gar!ageeveryones trash. 1# 3 am not trying to make yo+ feel ashamed, !+t 3 am writing this to -asy To .ead /ersion

co+nsel yo+ as my own dear children. 1% ;o+ may have ten tho+sand teachers in 9hrist, !+t yo+ dont have many fathers. Thro+gh the Good 1ews 3 !ecame yo+r father in 9hrist Ces+s. 1& So 3 !eg yo+ to !e like me. 1' That is why 3 am sending Timothy to yo+. $e is my son in the ord. 3 love him and tr+st him. $e will help yo+ remem!er the way 3 live in 9hrist Ces+sa way of life that 3 teach in every meeting of the ch+rch wherever 3 am. 1( Some of yo+ are acting so pro+d, it seems as tho+gh yo+ think 3 wont !e coming there again. 1 9orinthians #.1)*%.# 1# 1) <+t 3 will come to yo+ very soon, the ord willing. Then 3 will see if these pro+d talkers have the power to do anything more than talk. 2, Gods kingdom is not seen in talk !+t in power. 21 >hich do yo+ want: that 3 come to yo+ with p+nishment, or that 3 come with love and gentleness? 5 1 3 dont want to !elieve what 3 am hearingthat there is se4+al sin among yo+. And it is s+ch a !ad kind of se4+al sin that even those who have never known God dont allow it. 6eople say that a man there has his fathers wife. 2 And still yo+ are pro+d of yo+rselves" ;o+ sho+ld have !een filled with sadness. And the man who committed that sin sho+ld !e p+t o+t of yo+r gro+p. 3 3 cannot !e there with yo+ in person, !+t 3 am with yo+ in spirit. And 3 have already =+dged the man who did this. 3 =+dged him the same as 3 wo+ld if 3 were really there. # 9ome together in the name of o+r ord Ces+s. 3 will !e with yo+ in spirit, 1 9orinthians %.%*1, 1% and yo+ will have the power of o+r ord Ces+s with yo+. % Then t+rn this man over to Satan. $is sinf+l self has to !e destroyed so that his spirit will !e saved on the day when the ord comes again. pag. 11)(0131#

& ;o+r pro+d talk is not good. ;o+ know the saying, C+st a little yeast makes the whole !atch of do+gh rise. ' Take o+t all the old yeast, so that yo+ will !e a new !atch of do+gh. ;o+ really are !read witho+t yeast6assover !read. ;es, 9hrist o+r 6assover am! has already !een killed. ( So let +s eat o+r 6assover meal, !+t not with the !read that has the old yeast, the yeast of sin and wrongdoing. <+t let +s eat the !read that has no yeast. This is the !read of goodness and tr+th. ) 3 wrote to yo+ in my letter that yo+ sho+ld not associate with people who sin se4+ally. 1, <+t 3 did not mean the people of this world. ;o+ wo+ld have to leave the world to get away from all the people who sin se4+ally, or who are greedy and cheat each other, or who worship idols. 1 9orinthians %.11*&.3 1& 11 3 meant yo+ m+st not associate with people who claim to !e !elievers !+t contin+e to live in sin. Dont even eat with a !rother or sister who sins se4+ally, is greedy, worships idols, h+rts others with ins+lts, gets dr+nk, or cheats people. 12 3t is not my !+siness to =+dge those who are not part of the gro+p of !elievers. God will =+dge them, !+t yo+ m+st =+dge those who are part of yo+r gro+p. The Script+res say, Aake the evil person leave yo+r gro+p. 13 7%:128 6 1 >hen one of yo+ has something against someone else in yo+r gro+p, why do yo+ go to the =+dges in the law co+rts? The way they think and live is wrong. So why do yo+ let them decide who is right? >hy dont yo+ let Gods holy people decide who is right? 2 Dont yo+ know that Gods people will =+dge the world? So if yo+ will =+dge the world, then s+rely yo+ can =+dge small arg+ments like this. 3 ;o+ know that in the f+t+re we will =+dge angels. So s+rely we can =+dge lifes ordinary pro!lems. 1 9orinthians &.#*) 1' -asy To .ead /ersion

# So if yo+ have s+ch matters to !e =+dged, why do yo+ take them to those who are not part of the ch+rch? They mean nothing to yo+. % 3 say this to shame yo+. S+rely there is someone in yo+r gro+p wise eno+gh to =+dge a complaint !etween two !elievers. & <+t now one !eliever goes to co+rt against another, and yo+ let people who are not !elievers =+dge their case" ' The laws+its that yo+ have against each other show that yo+ are already defeated. 3t wo+ld !e !etter for yo+ to let someone wrong yo+. 3t wo+ld !e !etter to let someone cheat yo+. ( <+t yo+ are the ones doing wrong and cheating. And yo+ do this to yo+r own !rothers and sisters in 9hrist" ) S+rely yo+ know that people who do wrong will not get to en=oy Gods kingdom. Dont !e fooled. These are the people who will not get to en=oy his kingdom: those who sin se4+ally, those who worship idols, those who commit ad+ltery, men who let other men +se them for se4 or who have se4 with other men, those who steal, those who are 1 9orinthians &.1,*1& 1( greedy, those who drink too m+ch, those who a!+se others with ins+lts, and those who cheat. 1, 7&:)8 11 3n the past some of yo+ were like that. <+t yo+ were washed clean, yo+ were made holy, and yo+ were made right with God in the name of the ord Ces+s 9hrist and !y the Spirit of o+r God. 12 3 am allowed to do anything, yo+ say. Ay answer to this is that not all things are good. -ven if it is tr+e that 3 am allowed to do anything, 3 will not let anything control me like a slave. 13 Someone else says, 2ood is for the stomach, and the stomach for food. ;es, and God will destroy them !oth. <+t the !ody is not for se4+al sin. The !ody is for the ord, and the ord is for the !ody. 1# And God will raise o+r !odies from death with the same power he +sed to pag. 11))0131#

raise the ord Ces+s. 1% S+rely yo+ know that yo+r !odies are parts of 9hrist himself. So 3 m+st never take what is part of 9hrist and =oin it to a prostit+te" 1& The Script+res say, The two people will !ecome one. So yo+ sho+ld know 1 9orinthians &.1'*'.# 1) that anyone who is =oined with a prostit+te !ecomes one with her in !ody. 1' <+t anyone who is =oined with the ord is one with him in spirit. 1( So r+n away from se4+al sin. 3t involves the !ody in a way that no other sin does. So if yo+ commit se4+al sin, yo+ are sinning against yo+r own !ody. 1) ;o+ sho+ld know that yo+r !ody is a temple for the $oly Spirit that yo+ received from God and that lives in yo+. ;o+ dont own yo+rselves. 2, God paid a high price to make yo+ his. So honor God with yo+r !ody. 7 1 1ow 3 will disc+ss the things yo+ wrote me a!o+t. ;o+ asked if it is !etter for a man not to have any se4+al relations at all. 2 <+t se4+al sin is a danger, so each man sho+ld en=oy his own wife, and each woman sho+ld en=oy her own h+s!and. 3 The h+s!and sho+ld give his wife what she deserves as his wife. And the wife sho+ld give her h+s!and what he deserves as her h+s!and. # The wife does not have power over her own !ody. $er h+s!and has the power over her !ody. And the h+s!and does 1 9orinthians '.%*11 2, not have power over his own !ody. $is wife has the power over his !ody. % Dont ref+se to give yo+r !odies to each other. <+t yo+ might !oth agree to stay away from se4 for a while so that yo+ can give yo+r time to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not !e a!le to tempt yo+ in yo+r weakness. & 3 say this only to give yo+ permission to !e separated for a time. 3t is not a r+le. ' 3 wish everyone co+ld !e like me. <+t -asy To .ead /ersion

God has given each person a different a!ility. $e makes some a!le to live one way, others to live a different way. ( 1ow for those who are not married and for the widows 3 say this: 3t is good for yo+ to stay single like me. ) <+t if yo+ cannot control yo+r !ody, then yo+ sho+ld marry. 3t is !etter to marry than to !+rn with se4+al desire. 1, 1ow, 3 have a command for those who are married. Act+ally, it is not from meF it is what the ord commanded. A wife sho+ld not leave her h+s!and. 11 <+t if a wife does leave, she sho+ld remain single or get !ack together with 1 9orinthians '.12*1& 21 her h+s!and. And a h+s!and sho+ld not divorce his wife. 12 The advice 3 have for the others is from me. The ord did not give +s any teaching a!o+t this. 3f yo+ have a wife who is not a !eliever, yo+ sho+ld not divorce her if she will contin+e to live with yo+. 13 And if yo+ have a h+s!and who is not a !eliever, yo+ sho+ld not divorce him if he will contin+e to live with yo+. 1# The h+s!and who is not a !eliever is set apart for God thro+gh his !elieving wife. And the wife who is not a !eliever is set apart for God thro+gh her !elieving h+s!and. 3f this were not tr+e, yo+r children wo+ld !e +nfit for Gods +se. <+t now they are set apart for him. 1% <+t if the h+s!and or wife who is not a !eliever decides to leave, let them leave. >hen this happens, the !rother or sister in 9hrist is free. God chose yo+ to have a life of peace. 1& >ives, may!e yo+ will save yo+r h+s!andF and h+s!ands, may!e yo+ will save yo+r wife. ;o+ dont know now what might happen later. 1 9orinthians '.1'*2# 22 1' <+t each one of yo+ sho+ld contin+e to live the way the ord God has given yo+ to livethe way yo+ were when God chose yo+. 3 tell people in all the ch+rches to follow this r+le. 1( 3f a man was already circ+mcised pag. 12,,0131#

when he was chosen, he sho+ld not change his circ+mcision. 3f a man was witho+t circ+mcision when he was chosen, he sho+ld not !e circ+mcised. 1) 3t is not important if anyone is circ+mcised or not. >hat is important is o!eying Gods commands. 2, -ach one of yo+ sho+ld stay the way yo+ were when God chose yo+. 21 3f yo+ were a slave when God chose yo+, dont let that !other yo+. <+t if yo+ can !e free, then do it. 22 3f yo+ were a slave when the ord chose yo+, yo+ are now free in the ord. ;o+ !elong to the ord. 3n the same way, if yo+ were free when yo+ were chosen, yo+ are now 9hrists slave. 23 God paid a high price for yo+, so dont !e slaves to anyone else. 2# <rothers and sisters, in yo+r new life with God, each one of yo+ sho+ld 1 9orinthians '.2%*31 23 contin+e the way yo+ were when God chose yo+. 2% 1ow 3 write a!o+t people who are not married. 3 have no command from the ord a!o+t this, !+t 3 give my opinion. And 3 can !e tr+sted, !eca+se the ord has given me mercy. 2& This is a time of tro+!le. So 3 think it is good for yo+ to stay the way yo+ are. 2' 3f yo+ have a wife, dont try to get free from her. 3f yo+ are not married, dont try to find a wife. 2( <+t if yo+ decide to marry, that is not a sin. And it is not a sin for a girl who has never married to get married. <+t those who marry will have tro+!le in this life, and 3 want yo+ to !e free from this tro+!le. 2) <rothers and sisters, this is what 3 mean: >e dont have m+ch time left. So starting now, those who have wives sho+ld !e the same as those who dont. 3, 3t sho+ld not !e important whether yo+ are sad or whether yo+ are happy. 3f yo+ !+y something, it sho+ld not matter to yo+ that yo+ own it. 31 ;o+ sho+ld +se the things of the world witho+t letting them !ecome -asy To .ead /ersion

1 9orinthians '.32*3& 2# important to yo+. This is how yo+ sho+ld live, !eca+se this world, the way it is now, will soon !e gone. 32 3 want yo+ to !e free from worry. A man who is not married is !+sy with the ords work. $e is trying to please the ord. 33 <+t a man who is married is !+sy with things of the world. $e is trying to please his wife. 3# $e m+st think a!o+t two thingspleasing his wife and pleasing the ord. A woman who is not married or a girl who has never married is !+sy with the ords work. She wants to give herself f+lly!ody and spiritto the ord. <+t a married woman is !+sy with things of the world. She is trying to please her h+s!and. 3% 3 am saying this to help yo+. 3 am not trying to limit yo+, !+t 3 want yo+ to live in the right way. And 3 want yo+ to give yo+rselves f+lly to the ord witho+t giving yo+r time to other things. 3& A man might think that he is not doing the right thing with his fiance. She might !e almost past the !est age to marry. So he might feel that he sho+ld 1 9orinthians '.3'*(.2 2% marry her. $e sho+ld do what he wants. 3t is no sin for them to get married. 3' <+t another man might !e more s+re in his mind. There may !e no need for marriage, so he is free to do what he wants. 3f he has decided in his own heart not to marry his fiance, he is doing the right thing. 3( So the man who marries his fiance does right, and the man who does not marry does !etter. 3) A woman sho+ld stay with her h+s!and as long as he lives. <+t if the h+s!and dies, the woman is free to marry any man she wants, !+t he sho+ld !elong to the ord. #, The woman is happier if she does not marry again. This is my opinion, and 3 !elieve that 3 have Gods Spirit. 8 1 1ow 3 will write a!o+t meat that is pag. 12,10131#

sacrificed to idols. 3t is certainly tr+e that we all have knowledge, as yo+ say. <+t this knowledge only fills people with pride. 3t is love that helps the ch+rch grow stronger. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know anything as they sho+ld. 1 9orinthians (.3*) 2& 3 <+t God knows the person who loves him. # So this is what 3 say a!o+t eating meat: >e know that an idol is really nothing in the world, and we know that there is only one God. % 3ts really not important if there are things called gods in heaven or on earthand there are many of these gods and lords o+t there. & 2or +s there is only one God, and he is o+r 2ather. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one ord, Ces+s 9hrist. All things were made thro+gh him, and we also have life thro+gh him. ' <+t not all people know this. Some have had the ha!it of worshiping idols. So now when they eat meat, they still feel as if it !elongs to an idol. They are not s+re that it is right to eat this meat. So when they eat it, they feel g+ilty. ( <+t food will not !ring +s closer to God. .ef+sing to eat does not make +s less pleasing to God, and eating does not make +s closer to him. ) <+t !e caref+l with yo+r freedom. ;o+r freedom to eat anything may make 1 9orinthians (.1,*).2 2' those who have do+!ts a!o+t what they can eat fall into sin. 1, ;o+ +nderstand that its all right to eat anything, so yo+ can eat even in an idols temple. <+t someone who has do+!ts might see yo+ eating there, and this might enco+rage them to eat meat sacrificed to idols too. <+t they really think it is wrong. 11 So this weak !rother or sistersomeone 9hrist died foris lost !eca+se of yo+r !etter +nderstanding. 12 >hen yo+ sin against yo+r !rothers -asy To .ead /ersion

and sisters in 9hrist in this way and yo+ h+rt them !y ca+sing them to do things they feel are wrong, yo+ are also sinning against 9hrist. 13 So if the food 3 eat makes another !eliever fall into sin, 3 will never eat meat again. 3 will stop eating meat, so that 3 will not make my !rother or sister sin. 9 1 3 am a free man. 3 am an apostle. 3 have seen Ces+s o+r ord. ;o+ people are an e4ample of my work in the ord. 2 5thers may not accept me as an apostle, !+t s+rely yo+ do. ;o+ are proof that 3 am an apostle in the ord. 1 9orinthians ).3*1, 2( 3 Some people want to =+dge me. So this is the answer 3 give them: # >e have the right to eat and drink, dont we? % >e have the right to !ring a !elieving wife with +s when we travel, dont we? The other apostles and the ords !rothers and 6eter all do this. & And are <arna!as and 3 the only ones who m+st work to earn o+r living? ' 1o soldier ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. 1o one ever plants a vineyard witho+t eating some of the grapes himself. 1o one takes care of a flock of sheep witho+t drinking some of the milk himself. ( These arent =+st my own tho+ghts. Gods law says the same thing. ) ;es, it is written in the aw of Aoses: >hen a work animal is !eing +sed to separate grain, dont keep it from eating the grain. >hen God said this, was he thinking only a!o+t work animals? 1o. 1, $e was really talking a!o+t +s. ;es, that was written for +s. The one who plows and the one who separates the grain sho+ld !oth e4pect to get some of the grain for their work. 1 9orinthians ).11*1& 2) 11 >e planted spirit+al seed among yo+, so we sho+ld !e a!le to harvest from yo+ some things for this life. S+rely that is not asking too m+ch. 12 5thers have this right to get things pag. 12,20131#

from yo+. So s+rely we have this right too. <+t we dont +se this right. 1o, we end+re everything o+rselves so that we will not stop anyone from o!eying the Good 1ews of 9hrist. 13 S+rely yo+ know that those who work at the Temple get their food from the Temple. And those who serve at the altar get part of what is offered at the altar. 1# 3t is the same with those who have the work of telling the Good 1ews. The ord has commanded that those who tell the Good 1ews sho+ld get their living from this work. 1% <+t 3 have not +sed any of these rights, and 3 am not trying to get anything from yo+. That is not my p+rpose for writing this. 3 wo+ld rather die than to have someone take away what for me is a great so+rce of pride. 1& 3ts not my work of telling the Good 1ews that gives me any reason to !oast. That is my d+tysomething 3 m+st do. 3f 3 1 9orinthians ).1'*21 3, dont tell people the Good 1ews, 3 am in real tro+!le. 1' 3f 3 did it !eca+se it was my own choice, 3 wo+ld deserve to !e paid. <+t 3 have no choice. 3 m+st tell the Good 1ews. So 3 am only doing the d+ty that was given to me. 1( So what do 3 get for doing it? Ay reward is that when 3 tell people the Good 1ews 3 can offer it to them for free and not +se the rights that come with doing this work. 1) 3 am free. 3 !elong to no other person, !+t 3 make myself a slave to everyone. 3 do this to help save as many people as 3 can. 2, To the Cews 3 !ecame like a Cew so that 3 co+ld help save Cews. 3 myself am not r+led !y the law, !+t to those who are r+led !y the law 3 !ecame like someone who is r+led !y the law. 3 did this to help save those who are r+led !y the law. 21 To those who are witho+t the law 3 !ecame like someone who is witho+t the law. 3 did this to help save those who -asy To .ead /ersion

are witho+t the law. 7<+t really, 3 am not 1 9orinthians ).22*1,.1 31 witho+t Gods law3 am r+led !y the law of 9hrist.8 22 To those who are weak, 3 !ecame weak so that 3 co+ld help save them. 3 !ecame all things to all people. 3 did this so that 3 co+ld save people in any way possi!le. 23 3 do all this to make the Good 1ews known. 3 do it so that 3 can share in the !lessings of the Good 1ews. 2# ;o+ know that in a race all the r+nners r+n, !+t only one r+nner gets the priEe. So r+n like that. .+n to win" 2% All who compete in the games +se strict training. They do this so that they can win a priEe one that doesnt last. <+t o+r priEe is one that will last forever. 2& So 3 r+n like someone who has a goal. 3 fight like a !o4er who is hitting something, not =+st the air. 2' 3t is my own !ody 3 fight to make it do what 3 want. 3 do this so that 3 wont miss getting the priEe myself after telling others a!o+t it. 10 1 <rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to know what happened to o+r ancestors who were with Aoses. They 1 9orinthians 1,.2*) 32 were all +nder the clo+d, and they all walked thro+gh the sea. 2 They were all !aptiEed into Aoses in the clo+d and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spirit+al food, # and they all drank the same spirit+al drink. They drank from that spirit+al rock that was with them, and that rock was 9hrist. % <+t God was not pleased with most of those people, so they were killed in the desert. & And these things that happened are e4amples for +s. These e4amples sho+ld stop +s from wanting evil things like those people did. ' Dont worship idols as some of them did. As the Script+res say, The people sat down to eat and drink and then got +p to have a wild party. pag. 12,30131#

( >e sho+ld not commit se4+al sins as some of them did. 3n one day 23,,,, of them died !eca+se of their sin. ) >e sho+ld not test 9hrist as some of them did. <eca+se of that, they were killed !y snakes. 1 9orinthians 1,.1,*1& 33 1, And dont complain as some of them did. <eca+se they complained, they were killed !y the angel that destroys. 11 The things that happened to those people are e4amples. They were written to !e warnings for +s. >e live in the time that all those past histories were pointing to. 12 So anyone who thinks they are standing strong sho+ld !e caref+l that they dont fall. 13 The only temptations that yo+ have are the same temptations that all people have. <+t yo+ can tr+st God. $e will not let yo+ !e tempted more than yo+ can !ear. <+t when yo+ are tempted, God will also give yo+ a way to escape that temptation. Then yo+ will !e a!le to end+re it. 1# So, my dear friends, stay away from worshiping idols. 1% ;o+ are intelligent people. C+dge for yo+rselves the tr+th of what 3 say now. 1& The c+p of !lessing that we give thanks for is a sharing in the !lood sacrifice of 9hrist, isnt it? And the !read that we !reak is a sharing in the !ody of 9hrist, isnt it? 1 9orinthians 1,.1'*23 3# 1' There is one loaf of !read, so we who are many are one !ody, !eca+se we all share in that one loaf. 1( And think a!o+t what the people of 3srael do. >hen they eat the sacrifices, they are +nited !y sharing what was offered on the altar. 1) So, am 3 saying that sacrifices to idols are the same as those Cewish sacrifices? 1o, !eca+se an idol is nothing, and the things offered to idols are worth nothing. 2, <+t 3 am saying that when food is sacrificed to idols, it is an offering to demons, not to God. And 3 dont want -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ to share anything with demons. 21 ;o+ cannot drink the c+p of the ord and then go drink a c+p that honors demons. ;o+ cannot share a meal at the ords ta!le and then go share a meal that honors demons. 22 Doing that wo+ld make the ord =ealo+s. Do yo+ really want to do that? Do yo+ think we are stronger than he is? 23 All things are allowed, yo+ say. <+t not all things are good. All things are allowed. <+t some things dont help anyone. 1 9orinthians 1,.2#*31 3% 2# Try to do what is good for others, not =+st what is good for yo+rselves. 2% -at any meat that is sold in the meat market. Dont ask J+estions a!o+t it to see if it is something yo+ think is wrong to eat. 2& ;o+ can eat it, !eca+se the earth and everything in it !elong to the ord. 2' Someone who is not a !eliever might invite yo+ to eat with them. 3f yo+ want to go, then eat anything that is p+t !efore yo+. Dont ask J+estions to see if it is something yo+ think is wrong to eat. 2( <+t if someone tells yo+, That food was offered to idols, then dont eat it. Thats !eca+se some people think it is wrong, and it might ca+se a pro!lem for the person who told yo+ that. 2) 3 dont mean that yo+ think it is wrong. <+t the other person might think it is wrong. Thats the only reason not to eat it. Ay own freedom sho+ld not !e =+dged !y what another person thinks. 3, 3 eat the meal with thankf+lness. So 3 dont want to !e criticiEed !eca+se of something 3 thank God for. 31 So if yo+ eat, or if yo+ drink, or if yo+ do anything, do it for the glory of God. 1 9orinthians 1,.32*11.& 3& 32 1ever do anything that might make other people do wrongCews, nonDCews, or anyone in Gods ch+rch. 33 3 do the same thing. 3 try to please everyone in every way. 3 am not trying to do what is good for me. 3 am trying to do what is good for the most people so pag. 12,#0131#

that they can !e saved. 11 1 2ollow my e4ample, =+st as 3 follow the e4ample of 9hrist. 2 3 praise yo+ !eca+se yo+ remem!er me in all things. ;o+ follow closely the teachings 3 gave yo+. 3 <+t 3 want yo+ to +nderstand this: The head of every man is 9hrist. And the head of a woman is the man. And the head of 9hrist is God. # -very man who prophesies or prays with his head covered !rings shame to his head. % <+t every woman who prays or prophesies sho+ld have her head covered. 3f her head is not covered, she !rings shame to her head. Then she is the same as a woman who has her head shaved. & 3f a woman does not cover her head, it is the same as c+tting off all her hair. 1 9orinthians 11.'*1% 3' <+t it is shamef+l for a woman to c+t off her hair or to shave her head. So she sho+ld cover her head. ' <+t a man sho+ld not cover his head, !eca+se he is made like God and is Gods glory. <+t woman is mans glory. ( Aan did not come from woman. >oman came from man. ) And man was not made for woman. >oman was made for man. 1, So that is why a woman sho+ld have her head covered with something that shows she is +nder a+thority. Also, she sho+ld do this !eca+se of the angels. 11 <+t in the ord the woman needs the man, and the man needs the woman. 12 This is tr+e !eca+se woman came from man, !+t also man is !orn from woman. .eally, everything comes from God. 13 Decide this for yo+rselves: 3s it right for a woman to pray to God witho+t something on her head? 1# -ven nat+re itself teaches yo+ that wearing long hair is shamef+l for a man. 1% <+t wearing long hair is a womans honor. ong hair is given to the woman to cover her head. -asy To .ead /ersion

1 9orinthians 11.1&*23 3( 1& Some people may still want to arg+e a!o+t this. <+t we and the ch+rches of God dont accept what those people are doing. 1' 3n the things 3 tell yo+ now 3 dont praise yo+. ;o+r meetings h+rt yo+ more than they help yo+. 1( 2irst, 3 hear that when yo+ meet together as a ch+rch yo+ are divided. And this is not hard to !elieve 1) !eca+se of yo+r idea that yo+ m+st have separate gro+ps to show who the real !elievers are" 2, >hen yo+ all come together, it is not really the ords S+pper yo+ are eating. 21 3 say this !eca+se when yo+ eat, each one eats witho+t waiting for the others. Some people dont get eno+gh to eat or drink, while others have too m+ch. 22 ;o+ can eat and drink in yo+r own homes. 3t seems that yo+ think Gods ch+rch is not important. ;o+ em!arrass those who are poor. >hat can 3 say? Sho+ld 3 praise yo+? 1o, 3 cannot praise yo+ for this. 23 The teaching 3 gave yo+ is the same that 3 received from the ord: 5n the 1 9orinthians 11.2#*2) 3) night when the ord Ces+s was handed over to !e killed, he took !read 2# and gave thanks for it. Then he divided the !read and said, This is my !odyF it is for yo+. -at this to remem!er me. 2% 3n the same way, after they ate, Ces+s took the c+p of wine. $e said, This c+p represents the new agreement from God, which !egins with my !lood sacrifice. >hen yo+ drink this, do it to remem!er me. 2& This means that every time yo+ eat this !read and drink this c+p, yo+ are telling others a!o+t the ords death +ntil he comes again. 2' So if yo+ eat the !read or drink the c+p of the ord in a way that does not fit its meaning, yo+ are sinning against the !ody and the !lood of the ord. 2( <efore yo+ eat the !read and drink pag. 12,%0131#

the c+p, yo+ sho+ld e4amine yo+r own attit+de. 2) 3f yo+ eat and drink witho+t paying attention to those who are the ords !ody, yo+r eating and drinking will ca+se yo+ to !e =+dged g+ilty. 1 9orinthians 11.3,*12.3 #, 3, That is why many in yo+r gro+p are sick and weak, and many have died. 31 <+t if we =+dged o+rselves in the right way, then God wo+ld not =+dge +s. 32 <+t when the ord =+dges +s, he p+nishes +s to show +s the right way. $e does this so that we will not !e condemned with the world. 33 So, my !rothers and sisters, when yo+ come together to eat, wait for each other. 3# 3f some are too h+ngry to wait, they sho+ld eat at home. Do this so that yo+r meeting together will not !ring Gods =+dgment on yo+. 3 will tell yo+ what to do a!o+t the other things when 3 come. 12 1 1ow, !rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to +nderstand a!o+t spirit+al gifts. 2 ;o+ remem!er the lives yo+ lived !efore yo+ were !elievers. ;o+ let yo+rselves !e infl+enced and led away to worship idols things that have no life. 3 So 3 tell yo+ that no one who is speaking with the help of Gods Spirit says, Ces+s !e c+rsed. And no one can say, Ces+s is ord, witho+t the help of the $oly Spirit. 1 9orinthians 12.#*1, #1 # There are different kinds of spirit+al gifts, !+t they are all from the same Spirit. % There are different ways to serve, !+t we all serve the same ord. & And there are different ways that God works in people, !+t it is the same God who works in all of +s to do everything. ' Something from the Spirit can !e seen in each person. The Spirit gives this to each one to help others. ( The Spirit gives one person the a!ility to speak with wisdom. And the same Spirit gives another person the a!ility to -asy To .ead /ersion

speak with knowledge. ) The same Spirit gives faith to one person and to another he gives gifts of healing. 1, The Spirit gives to one person the power to do miracles, to another the a!ility to prophesy, and to another the a!ility to =+dge what is from the Spirit and what is not. The Spirit gives one person the a!ility to speak in different kinds of lang+ages, and to another the a!ility to interpret those lang+ages. 1 9orinthians 12.11*1( #2 11 5ne Spirit, the same Spirit, does all these things. The Spirit decides what to give each one. 12 A person has only one !ody, !+t it has many parts. ;es, there are many parts, !+t all those parts are still =+st one !ody. 9hrist is like that too. 13 Some of +s are Cews and some of +s are notF some of +s are slaves and some of +s are free. <+t we were all !aptiEed to !ecome one !ody thro+gh one Spirit. And we were all given the one Spirit. 1# And a persons !ody has more than one part. 3t has many parts. 1% The foot might say, 3 am not a hand, so 3 dont !elong to the !ody. <+t saying this wo+ld not stop the foot from !eing a part of the !ody. 1& The ear might say, 3 am not an eye, so 3 dont !elong to the !ody. <+t saying this wo+ld not make the ear stop !eing a part of the !ody. 1' 3f the whole !ody were an eye, it wo+ld not !e a!le to hear. 3f the whole !ody were an ear, it wo+ld not !e a!le to smell anything. 1( 3f each part of the !ody were the same part, there wo+ld !e no !ody. <+t 1 9orinthians 12.1)*2& #3 as it is, God p+t the parts in the !ody as he wanted them. $e made a place for each one. 1) 712:1(8 2, So there are many parts, !+t only one !ody. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, 3 dont need yo+" And the head cannot say pag. 12,&0131#

to the foot, 3 dont need yo+" 22 1o, those parts of the !ody that seem to !e weaker are act+ally very important. 23 And the parts that we think are not worth very m+ch are the parts we give the most care to. And we give special care to the parts of the !ody that we dont want to show. 2# The more !ea+tif+l parts dont need this special care. <+t God p+t the !ody together and gave more honor to the parts that need it. 2% God did this so that o+r !ody wo+ld not !e divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other. 2& 3f one part of the !ody s+ffers, then all the other parts s+ffer with it. 5r if one part is honored, then all the other parts share its honor. 1 9orinthians 12.2'*13.2 ## 2' All of yo+ together are the !ody of 9hrist. -ach one of yo+ is a part of that !ody. 2( And in the ch+rch God has given a place first to apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers. Then God has given a place to those who do miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who can help others, those who are a!le to lead, and those who can speak in different kinds of lang+ages. 2) 1ot all are apostles. 1ot all are prophets. 1ot all are teachers. 1ot all do miracles. 3, 1ot all have gifts of healing. 1ot all speak in different kinds of lang+ages. 1ot all interpret those lang+ages. 31 9ontin+e to give yo+r attention to the spirit+al gifts yo+ consider to !e the greatest. <+t now 3 want to point o+t a way of life that is even greater. 13 1 3 may speak in different lang+ages, whether h+man or even of angels. <+t if 3 dont have love, 3 am only a noisy !ell or a ringing cym!al. 2 3 may have the gift of prophecy, 3 may +nderstand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and 3 may 1 9orinthians 13.3*) #% -asy To .ead /ersion

have faith so great that 3 can move mo+ntains. <+t even with all this, if 3 dont have love, 3 am nothing. 3 3 may give away everything 3 have to help others, and 3 may even give my !ody as an offering to !e !+rned. <+t 3 gain nothing !y doing all this if 3 dont have love. # ove is patient and kind. ove is not =ealo+s, it does not !rag, and it is not pro+d. % ove is not r+de, it is not selfish, and it cannot !e made angry easily. ove does not remem!er wrongs done against it. & ove is never happy when others do wrong, !+t it is always happy with the tr+th. ' ove never gives +p on people. 3t never stops tr+sting, never loses hope, and never J+its. ( ove will never end. <+t all those gifts will come to an endeven the gift of prophecy, the gift of speaking in different kinds of lang+ages, and the gift of knowledge. ) These will all end !eca+se this knowledge and these prophecies we have now are not complete. 1 9orinthians 13.1,*1#.3 #& 1, <+t when perfection comes, the things that are not complete will end. 11 >hen 3 was a child, 3 talked like a child, 3 tho+ght like a child, and 3 made plans like a child. >hen 3 !ecame a man, 3 stopped those childish ways. 12 3t is the same with +s. 1ow we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. <+t then, in the f+t+re, we will see him right !efore o+r eyes. 1ow 3 know only a part, !+t at that time 3 will know f+lly, as God has known me. 13 So these three things contin+e: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. 14 1 ove sho+ld !e the goal of yo+r life, !+t yo+ sho+ld also want to have the gifts that come from the Spirit. And the gift yo+ sho+ld want most is to !e a!le to prophesy. 2 3 will e4plain why. Those who have the pag. 12,'0131#

gift of speaking in a different lang+age are not speaking to people. They are speaking to God. 1o one +nderstands themthey are speaking secret things thro+gh the Spirit. 3 <+t those who prophesy are speaking to people. They help people grow 1 9orinthians 1#.#*' #' stronger in faith, and they give enco+ragement and comfort. # Those who speak in a different lang+age are helping only themselves. <+t those who prophesy are helping the whole ch+rch. % 3 wo+ld like all of yo+ to have the gift of speaking in different lang+ages. <+t what 3 want more is for yo+ to prophesy. Anyone who prophesies is more important than those who can only speak in different lang+ages. $owever, if they can also interpret those lang+ages, they are as important as the one who prophesies. 3f they can interpret, then the ch+rch can !e helped !y what they say. & <rothers and sisters, will it help yo+ if 3 come to yo+ speaking in different lang+ages? 1o, it will help yo+ only if 3 !ring yo+ a new tr+th or some knowledge, prophecy, or teaching. ' This is tr+e even with lifeless things that make so+ndslike a fl+te or a harp. 3f the different m+sical notes are not made clear, yo+ cant +nderstand what song is !eing played. -ach note m+st !e played 1 9orinthians 1#.(*1% #( clearly for yo+ to !e a!le to +nderstand the t+ne. ( And in a war, if the tr+mpet does not so+nd clearly, the soldiers will not know it is time to prepare for fighting. ) 3t is the same with yo+. 3f yo+ dont speak clearly in a lang+age people know, they cannot +nderstand what yo+ are saying. ;o+ will !e talking to the air" 1, 3t is tr+e that there are many different lang+ages in the world, and they all have meaning. 11 <+t if 3 dont +nderstand the meaning of what someone is saying, it will =+st !e -asy To .ead /ersion

strange so+nds to me, and 3 will so+nd =+st as strange to them. 12 Thats why yo+ who want spirit+al gifts so m+ch sho+ld prefer those gifts that help the ch+rch grow stronger. 13 So those who have the gift of speaking in a different lang+age sho+ld pray that they can also interpret what they say. 1# 3f 3 pray in a different lang+age, my spirit is praying, !+t my mind does nothing. 1% So what sho+ld 3 do? 3 will pray with my spirit, !+t 3 will also pray with my 1 9orinthians 1#.1&*21 #) mind. 3 will sing with my spirit, !+t 3 will also sing with my mind. 1& ;o+ might !e praising God with yo+r spirit. <+t someone there witho+t +nderstanding cannot say Amen to yo+r prayer of thanks, !eca+se they dont know what yo+ are saying. 1' ;o+ may !e thanking God in a good way, !+t others are not helped. 1( 3 thank God that my gift of speaking in different kinds of lang+ages is greater than any of yo+rs. 1) <+t in the ch+rch meetings 3 wo+ld rather speak five words that 3 +nderstand than tho+sands of words in a different lang+age. 3 wo+ld rather speak with my +nderstanding, so that 3 can teach others. 2, <rothers and sisters, dont think like children. 3n evil things !e like !a!ies, !+t in yo+r thinking yo+ sho+ld !e like f+llDgrown ad+lts. 21 As the Script+res say, Hsing those who speak a different lang+age and +sing the lips of foreigners, 3 will speak to these people. <+t even then, they will not o!ey me. This is what the ord says. 1 9orinthians 1#.22*2& %, 22 And from this we see that the +se of different lang+ages shows how God deals with those who dont !elieve, not with those who !elieve. And prophecy shows how God works thro+gh those who !elieve, not thro+gh +n!elievers. 23 S+ppose the whole ch+rch meets pag. 12,(0131#

together and yo+ all speak in different lang+ages. 3f some people come in who are witho+t +nderstanding or dont !elieve, they will say yo+ are craEy. 2# <+t s+ppose yo+ are all prophesying and someone comes in who does not !elieve or who is witho+t +nderstanding. Their sin will !e shown to them, and they will !e =+dged !y everything yo+ say. 2% The secret things in their heart will !e made known. So they will !ow down and worship God. They will say, >itho+t a do+!t, God is here with yo+. 2& So, !rothers and sisters, what sho+ld yo+ do? >hen yo+ meet together, one person has a song, another has a teaching, and another has a new tr+th from God. 5ne person speaks in a different lang+age, and another interprets that lang+age. The p+rpose 1 9orinthians 1#.2'*33 %1 of whatever yo+ do sho+ld !e to help everyone grow stronger in faith. 2' >hen yo+ meet together, if anyone speaks to the gro+p in a different lang+age, it sho+ld !e only two or no more than three people who do this. And they sho+ld speak one after the other. And someone else sho+ld interpret what they say. 2( <+t if there is no interpreter, then anyone who speaks in a different lang+age sho+ld !e J+iet in the ch+rch meeting. They sho+ld speak only to themselves and to God. 2) And only two or three prophets sho+ld speak. The others sho+ld =+dge what they say. 3, And if a message from God comes to someone who is sitting, the first speaker sho+ld !e J+iet. 31 ;o+ can all prophesy one after the other. This way everyone can !e ta+ght and enco+raged. 32 The spirits of prophets are +nder the control of the prophets themselves. 33 God is not a God of conf+sion !+t a God of peace. This is the r+le for all the meetings of Gods people. 1 9orinthians 1#.3#*1%.1 %2 -asy To .ead /ersion

3# The women sho+ld keep J+iet in these ch+rch meetings. They are not allowed to speak o+t !+t sho+ld !e +nder a+thority, as the aw of Aoses says. 3% 3f there is something they want to know, they sho+ld ask their own h+s!ands at home. 3t is shamef+l for a woman to speak +p like that in the ch+rch meeting. 3& Gods teaching did not come from yo+, and yo+ are not the only ones who have received it. 3' 3f yo+ think yo+ are a prophet or that yo+ have a spirit+al gift, yo+ sho+ld +nderstand that what 3 am writing to yo+ is the ords command. 3( 3f yo+ do not accept this, yo+ will not !e accepted. 3) So my !rothers and sisters, contin+e to give yo+r attention to prophesying. And dont stop anyone from +sing the gift of speaking in different lang+ages. #, <+t everything sho+ld !e done in a way that is right and orderly. 15 1 1ow, !rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to remem!er the Good 1ews 3 told yo+. ;o+ received that Good 1 9orinthians 1%.2*) %3 1ews message, and yo+ contin+e to !ase yo+r life on it. 2 That Good 1ews, the message yo+ heard from me, is Gods way to save yo+. <+t yo+ m+st contin+e !elieving it. 3f yo+ dont, yo+ !elieved for nothing. 3 3 gave yo+ the message that 3 received. 3 told yo+ the most important tr+ths: that 9hrist died for o+r sins, as the Script+res sayF # that he was !+ried and was raised to life on the third day, as the Script+res sayF % and that he appeared to 6eter and then to the twelve apostles. & After that, 9hrist appeared to more than %,, other !elievers at the same time. Aost of them are still living today, !+t some have died. ' Then he appeared to Cames and later to all the apostles. ( ast of all, he appeared to me. 3 was pag. 12,)0131#

different, like a !a!y !orn !efore the normal time. ) All the other apostles are greater than 3 am. 3 say this !eca+se 3 persec+ted the ch+rch of God. That is why 3 am not even good eno+gh to !e called an apostle. 1 9orinthians 1%.1,*1& %# 1, <+t, !eca+se of Gods grace, that is what 3 am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. 3 worked harder than all the other apostles. 7<+t 3 was not really the one working. 3t was Gods grace that was with me.8 11 So then it is not important if 3 told yo+ Gods message or if it was the other apostles who told yo+we all tell people the same message, and this is what yo+ !elieved. 12 >e tell everyone that 9hrist was raised from death. So why do some of yo+ say that people will not !e raised from death? 13 3f no one will ever !e raised from death, then 9hrist has never !een raised. 1# And if 9hrist has never !een raised, then the message we tell is worth nothing. And yo+r faith is worth nothing. 1% And we will also !e g+ilty of lying a!o+t God, !eca+se we have told people a!o+t him, saying that he raised 9hrist from death. And if no one is raised from death, then God never raised 9hrist from death. 1& 3f those who have died are not raised, then 9hrist has not !een raised either. 1 9orinthians 1%.1'*2# %% 1' And if 9hrist has not !een raised from death, then yo+r faith is for nothingF yo+ are still g+ilty of yo+r sins. 1( And those in 9hrist who have already died are lost. 1) 3f o+r hope in 9hrist is only for this life here on earth, then people sho+ld feel more sorry for +s than for anyone else. 2, <+t 9hrist really has !een raised from deaththe first one of all those who will !e raised. 21 Death comes to people !eca+se of what one man did. <+t now there -asy To .ead /ersion

is res+rrection from death !eca+se of another man. 22 3 mean that in Adam all of +s die. And in the same way, in 9hrist all of +s will !e made alive again. 23 <+t everyone will !e raised to life in the right order. 9hrist was first to !e raised. Then, when 9hrist comes again, those who !elong to him will !e raised to life. 2# Then the end will come. 9hrist will destroy all r+lers, a+thorities, and powers. Then he will give the kingdom to God the 2ather. 1 9orinthians 1%.2%*31 %& 2% 9hrist m+st r+le +ntil God p+ts all enemies +nder his control. 2& The last enemy to !e destroyed will !e death. 2' As the Script+res say, God p+t everything +nder his control. >hen it says that everything is p+t +nder him, it is clear that this does not incl+de God himself. God is the one p+tting everything +nder 9hrists control. 2( After everything has !een p+t +nder 9hrist, then the Son himself will !e p+t +nder God. God is the one who p+t everything +nder 9hrist. And 9hrist will !e p+t +nder God so that God will !e the complete r+ler over everything. 2) 3f no one will ever !e raised from death, then what will the people do who are !aptiEed for those who have died? 3f the dead are never raised, then why are people !aptiEed for them? 3, And what a!o+t +s? >hy do we p+t o+rselves in danger every ho+r? 31 3 face death every day. That is tr+e, !rothers and sisters, =+st as it is tr+e that 3 am pro+d of what yo+ are !eca+se of 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord. 1 9orinthians 1%.32*3) %' 32 3 fo+ght wild animals in -phes+s. 3f 3 did that only for h+man reasons, then 3 have gained nothing. 3f we are not raised from death, et +s eat and drink, !eca+se tomorrow we die. 33 Dont !e fooled: <ad friends will r+in good ha!its. pag. 121,0131#

3# 9ome !ack to yo+r right way of thinking and stop sinning. Some of yo+ dont know God. 3 say this to shame yo+. 3% <+t someone may ask, $ow are the dead raised? >hat kind of !ody will they have? 3& These are st+pid J+estions. >hen yo+ plant something, it m+st die in the gro+nd !efore it can live and grow. 3' And when yo+ plant something, what yo+ plant does not have the same !ody that it will have later. >hat yo+ plant is only a seed, may!e wheat or something else. 3( <+t God gives it the !ody that he has planned for it, and he gives each kind of seed its own !ody. 3) All things made of flesh are not the same: 6eople have one kind of flesh, animals have another, !irds have another, and fish have yet another kind. 1 9orinthians 1%.#,*#& %( #, Also there are heavenly !odies and earthly !odies. <+t the !ea+ty of the heavenly !odies is one kind, and the !ea+ty of the earthly !odies is another. #1 The s+n has one kind of !ea+ty, the moon has another kind, and the stars have another. And each star is different in its !ea+ty. #2 3t will !e the same when those who have died are raised to life. The !ody that is planted in the grave will r+in and decay, !+t it will !e raised to a life that cannot !e destroyed. #3 >hen the !ody is planted, it is witho+t honor. <+t when it is raised, it will !e great and glorio+s. >hen the !ody is planted, it is weak. <+t when it is raised, it will !e f+ll of power. ## The !ody that is planted is a physical !ody. >hen it is raised, it will !e a spirit+al !ody. There is a physical !ody. So there is also a spirit+al !ody. #% As the Script+res say, The first man, Adam, !ecame a living person. <+t the last Adam is a lifeDgiving spirit. #& The spirit+al man did not come first. 3t was the physical man that came firstF then came the spirit+al. -asy To .ead /ersion

1 9orinthians 1%.#'*%3 %) #' The first man came from the d+st of the earth. The second man came from heaven. #( All people !elong to the earth. They are like that first man of earth. <+t those who !elong to heaven are like that man of heaven. #) >e were made like that man of earth, so we will also !e made like that man of heaven. %, 3 tell yo+ this, !rothers and sisters: 5+r !odies of flesh and !lood cannot have a part in Gods kingdom. Something that will r+in cannot have a part in something that never r+ins. %1 <+t listen, 3 tell yo+ this secret: >e will not all die, !+t we will all !e changed. %2 3t will only take the time of a second. >e will !e changed as J+ickly as an eye !links. This will happen when the last tr+mpet !lows. The tr+mpet will !low and those who have died will !e raised to live forever. And we will all !e changed. %3 This !ody that r+ins m+st clothe itself with something that will never r+in. And this !ody that dies m+st clothe itself with something that will never die. 1 9orinthians 1%.%#*1&.2 &, %# So this !ody that r+ins will clothe itself with that which never r+ins. And this !ody that dies will clothe itself with that which never dies. >hen this happens, the Script+res will !e made tr+e: Death is swallowed in victory. %% 5 death, where is yo+r victory? >here is yo+r power to h+rt? %& Deaths power to h+rt is sin, and the power of sin is the law. %' <+t we thank God who gives +s the victory thro+gh o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist" %( So, my dear !rothers and sisters, stand strong. Dont let anything change yo+. Always give yo+rselves f+lly to the work of the ord. ;o+ know that yo+r work in the ord is never wasted. 16 1 1ow, a!o+t the collection of money for Gods people: Do the same as 3 told the Galatian ch+rches to do. pag. 12110131#

2 5n the first day of every week, each of yo+ sho+ld take some of yo+r money and p+t it in a special place. Save +p as m+ch as yo+ can from what yo+ are !lessed with. Then yo+ will not have to gather it all after 3 come. 1 9orinthians 1&.3*11 &1 3 >hen 3 arrive, 3 will send some men to take yo+r gift to Cer+salem. These will !e the ones yo+ all agree sho+ld go. 3 will send them with letters of introd+ction. # 3f it seems good for me to go too, we can all travel together. % 3 plan to go thro+gh Aacedonia, so 3 will come to yo+ after that. & Aay!e 3 will stay with yo+ for a time. 3 might even stay all winter. Then yo+ can help me on my trip, wherever 3 go. ' 3 dont want to come see yo+ now, !eca+se 3 wo+ld have to leave to go to other places. 3 hope to stay a longer time with yo+, if the ord allows it. ( <+t 3 will stay in -phes+s +ntil 6entecost. ) 3 will stay here, !eca+se a good opport+nity for a great and growing work has !een given to me now. And there are many people working against it. 1, Timothy might come to yo+. Try to make him feel comforta!le with yo+. $e is working for the ord the same as 3 am. 11 So none of yo+ sho+ld ref+se to accept Timothy. $elp him contin+e on his trip in peace so that he can come !ack 1 9orinthians 1&.12*1) &2 to me. 3 am e4pecting him to come !ack with the other !rothers. 12 1ow a!o+t o+r !rother Apollos: 3 strongly enco+raged him to visit yo+ with the other !rothers. $e prefers not to come now, !+t he will come when he has the opport+nity. 13 <e caref+l. $old firmly to yo+r faith. $ave co+rage and !e strong. 1# Do everything in love. 1% ;o+ know that Stephanas and his family were the first !elievers in Achaia. They have given themselves to the service of Gods people. 3 ask yo+, !rothers and sisters, -asy To .ead /ersion

1& to follow the leading of people like these and others who work hard and serve together with them. 1' 3 am happy that Stephanas, 2ort+nat+s, and Achaic+s have come. ;o+ are not here, !+t they have filled yo+r place. 1( They have !een a great enco+ragement to me and to yo+ as well. ;o+ sho+ld recogniEe the val+e of s+ch people. 1) The ch+rches in Asia send yo+ their greetings. AJ+ila and 6riscilla greet yo+ 1 9orinthians 1&.2,*2# &3 in the ord. Also the ch+rch that meets in their ho+se sends greetings. 2, All the !rothers and sisters here send their greetings. Give each other the special greeting of Gods people. 21 $eres my greeting in my own handwritingSAH . 22 3f anyone does not love the ord, let that person !e separated from Godlost forever" 9ome, 5 ord" 23 The grace of the ord Ces+s !e with yo+. 2# Ay love !e with all of yo+ in 9hrist Ces+s. 2 +orint'ians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, an apostle of 9hrist Ces+s. 3 am an apostle !eca+se that is what God wanted. Greetings also from Timothy o+r !rother in 9hrist. To Gods ch+rch in 9orinth and to all of Gods holy people thro+gho+t Achaia. 2 Grace and peace to yo+ from God o+r 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3 6raise !e to the God and 2ather of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. $e is the 2ather who is f+ll of mercy, the God of all comfort. # $e comforts +s every time we have tro+!le so that when others have tro+!le, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives +s. % >e share in the many s+fferings of 9hrist. 3n the same way, m+ch comfort comes to +s thro+gh 9hrist. & 3f we have tro+!les, it is for yo+r comfort and salvation. 3f we are comforted, it is so that we can comfort pag. 12120131#

yo+. And this helps yo+ patiently accept the same s+fferings we have. 2 9orinthians 1.'*12 2 ' 5+r hope for yo+ is strong. >e know that yo+ share in o+r s+fferings. So we know that yo+ also share in o+r comfort. ( <rothers and sisters, we want yo+ to know a!o+t the tro+!le we s+ffered in Asia. >e had great !+rdens there, which were greater than o+r own strength. >e even gave +p hope for life. ) 3n fact, it seems like God has !een telling +s we are going to die. <+t this is so that we will not tr+st in o+rselves !+t in God, who raises people from death. 1, $e saved +s from these great dangers of death, and he will contin+e to save +s. >e feel s+re he will always save +s. 11 And yo+ can help +s with yo+r prayers. Then many people will give thanks for +sthat God !lessed +s !eca+se of their many prayers. 12 This is what we are pro+d of, and 3 can say with a clear conscience that it is tr+e: 3n everything we have done in the world, we have done it with an honest and p+re heart from God. And this is even tr+er in what we have done with yo+. >e did this !y Gods grace, not !y the kind of wisdom the world has. 2 9orinthians 1.13*1) 3 13 >e write to yo+ only what yo+ can read and +nderstand. And 3 hope yo+ will f+lly +nderstand, 1# =+st as yo+ already +nderstand many things a!o+t +s. 3 hope yo+ will +nderstand that yo+ can !e pro+d of +s, =+st as we will !e pro+d of yo+ on the day when o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist comes again. 1% 3 was very s+re of all this. That is why 3 made plans to visit yo+ first. Then yo+ co+ld !e !lessed twice. 1& 3 planned to visit yo+ on my way to Aacedonia and again on my way !ack. 3 wanted to get help from yo+ for my trip to C+dea. 1' Do yo+ think that 3 made these plans witho+t really thinking? 5r may!e yo+ think 3 make plans as the world does, -asy To .ead /ersion

saying yes and no at the same time. 1( <+t if yo+ can !elieve God, then yo+ can !elieve that what we tell yo+ is never !oth yes and no. 1) The Son of God, Ces+s 9hrist, the one that Silas, Timothy, and 3 told yo+ a!o+t was not yes and no. 3n 9hrist it has always !een yes. 2 9orinthians 1.2,*2.3 # 2, The yes to all of Gods promises is in 9hrist. And that is why we say Amen thro+gh 9hrist to the glory of God. 21 And God is the one who makes yo+ and +s strong in 9hrist. God is also the one who chose +s for his work. 22 $e p+t his mark on +s to show that we are his. ;es, he p+t his Spirit in o+r hearts as the first payment that g+arantees all that he will give +s. 23 3 tell yo+ this, and 3 ask God to !e my witness that this is tr+e: The reason 3 did not come !ack to 9orinth was that 3 did not want to p+nish or h+rt yo+. 2# 3 dont mean that we are trying to control yo+r faith. ;o+ are strong in faith. <+t we are workers with yo+ for yo+r own happiness. 2 1 So 3 decided that my ne4t visit to yo+ wo+ld not !e another visit to make yo+ sad. 2 3f 3 make yo+ sad, then who will make me happy? 5nly yo+ can make me happyyo+, the ones 3 made sad. 3 3 wrote yo+ a letter so that when 3 came to yo+ 3 wo+ld not !e made sad !y those who sho+ld make me happy. 3 felt s+re that all of yo+ wo+ld share my =oy. 2 9orinthians 2.#*11 % # >hen 3 wrote to yo+ !efore, 3 was very tro+!led and my heart was f+ll of sadness. 3 wrote with many tears. 3 did not write to make yo+ sad, !+t to let yo+ know how m+ch 3 love yo+. % Someone in yo+r gro+p has ca+sed sadnessnot to me, !+t to all of yo+. 3 mean he has ca+sed sadness to all in some way. 73 dont want to make it so+nd worse than it really is.8 & The p+nishment that most of yo+r gro+p gave him is eno+gh for him. pag. 12130131#

' <+t now yo+ sho+ld forgive him and enco+rage him. This will keep him from having too m+ch sadness and giving +p completely. ( So 3 !eg yo+ to show him that yo+ love him. ) This is why 3 wrote to yo+. 3 wanted to test yo+ and see if yo+ o!ey in everything. 1, 3f yo+ forgive someone, then 3 also forgive them. And what 3 have forgivenif 3 had anything to forgive3 forgave it for yo+, and 9hrist was with me. 11 3 did this so that Satan wo+ld not win anything from +s. >e know very well what his plans are. 2 9orinthians 2.12*3.1 & 12 3 went to Troas to tell people the Good 1ews a!o+t 9hrist. The ord gave me a good opport+nity there. 13 <+t 3 had no peace !eca+se 3 did not find my !rother Tit+s. So 3 said good!ye and went to Aacedonia. 1# <+t thanks !e to God, who always leads +s in victory thro+gh 9hrist. God +ses +s to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweetDsmelling perf+me. 1% 5+r offering to God is to !e the perf+me of 9hrist that goes o+t to those who are !eing saved and to those who are !eing lost. 1& To those who are !eing lost, this perf+me smells like death, and it !rings them death. <+t to those who are !eing saved, it has the sweet smell of life, and it !rings them life. So who is good eno+gh to do this work? 1' 9ertainly not those who are o+t there selling Gods message for a profit" <+t we dont do that. >ith 9hrists help we speak Gods tr+th honestly, knowing that we m+st answer to him. 3 1 >hy are we !eginning again to tell yo+ all these good things 2 9orinthians 3.2*' ' a!o+t o+rselves? Do we need letters of introd+ction to yo+ or from yo+, like some other people? 2 1o, yo+ yo+rselves are o+r letter, -asy To .ead /ersion

written on o+r hearts. 3t is known and read !y all people. 3 ;o+ show that yo+ are a letter from 9hrist that he sent thro+gh +s. This letter is not written with ink !+t with the Spirit of the living God. 3t is not written on stone ta!lets !+t on h+man hearts. # >e can say this, !eca+se thro+gh 9hrist we feel s+re !efore God. % 3 dont mean that we are a!le to do anything good o+rselves. 3t is God who makes +s a!le to do all that we do. & $e made +s a!le to !e servants of a new agreement from himself to his people. 3t is not an agreement of written laws, !+t it is of the Spirit. The written law !rings death, !+t the Spirit gives life. ' The old agreement that !ro+ght death, written with words on stone, came with Gods glory. 3n fact, the face of Aoses was so !right with glory 7a glory that was ending8 that the people of 3srael co+ld not contin+e looking at his face. 2 9orinthians 3.(*1# ( ( So s+rely the new agreement that comes from the lifeDgiving Spirit has even more glory. ) This is what 3 mean: That old agreement =+dged people g+ilty of sin, !+t it had glory. So s+rely the new agreement that makes people right with God has m+ch greater glory. 1, That old agreement had glory. <+t it really loses its glory when it is compared to the m+ch greater glory of the new agreement. 11 3f the agreement that was !ro+ght to an end came with glory, then the agreement that never ends has m+ch greater glory. 12 >e are so s+re of this hope that we can speak very openly. 13 >e are not like Aoses, who p+t a covering over his face so that the people of 3srael wo+ld not see it. The glory was disappearing, and Aoses did not want them to watch it end. 1# <+t their minds were closed. And even today, when those people read the writings of the old agreement, that pag. 121#0131#

same covering hides the meaning. That 2 9orinthians 3.1%*#.3 ) covering has not !een removed for them. 3t is taken away only thro+gh 9hrist. 1% ;es, even today, when they read the aw of Aoses, there is a covering over their minds. 1& <+t when someone changes and follows the ord, that covering is taken away. 1' The ord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the ord is, there is freedom. 1( And o+r faces are not covered. >e all show the ords glory, and we are !eing changed to !e like him. This change in +s !rings more and more glory, which comes from the ord, who is the Spirit. 4 1 God, with his mercy, gave +s this work to do, so we dont give +p. 2 <+t we have t+rned away from secret and shamef+l ways. >e dont +se trickery, and we dont change the teaching of God. >e teach the tr+th plainly. This is how we show people who we are. And this is how they can know in their hearts what kind of people we are !efore God. 3 The Good 1ews that we tell people may !e hidden, !+t it is hidden only to those who are lost. 2 9orinthians #.#*1, 1, # The r+ler of this world has !linded the minds of those who dont !elieve. They cannot see the light of the Good 1ewsthe message a!o+t the divine greatness of 9hrist. 9hrist is the one who is e4actly like God. % >e dont tell people a!o+t o+rselves. <+t we tell people that Ces+s 9hrist is ord, and we tell them that we are yo+r servants for Ces+s. & God once said, et light shine o+t of the darkness" And this is the same God who made his light shine in o+r hearts to let +s know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of 9hrist. ' >e have this treas+re from God, !+t we are only like clay =ars that hold the treas+re. This is to show that the amaEing power we have is from God, not from +s. -asy To .ead /ersion

( >e have tro+!les all aro+nd +s, !+t we are not defeated. >e often dont know what to do, !+t we dont give +p. ) >e are persec+ted, !+t God does not leave +s. >e are h+rt sometimes, !+t we are not destroyed. 1, So we constantly e4perience the death of Ces+s in o+r own !odies, !+t 2 9orinthians #.11*1' 11 this is so that the life of Ces+s can also !e seen in o+r !odies. 11 >e are alive, !+t for Ces+s we are always in danger of death, so that the life of Ces+s can !e seen in o+r !odies that die. 12 So death is working in +s, !+t the res+lt is that life is working in yo+. 13 The Script+res say, 3 !elieved, so 3 spoke. 5+r faith is like that too. >e !elieve, and so we speak. 1# God raised the ord Ces+s from death, and we know that he will also raise +s with Ces+s. God will !ring +s together with yo+, and we will stand !efore him. 1% All these things are for yo+. And so the grace of God is !eing given to more and more people. This will !ring more and more thanks to God for his glory. 1& That is why we never give +p. 5+r physical !ody is !ecoming older and weaker, !+t o+r spirit inside +s is made new every day. 1' >e have small tro+!les for a while now, !+t these tro+!les are helping +s gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is m+ch greater than o+r tro+!les. 2 9orinthians #.1(*%.' 12 1( So we think a!o+t what we cannot see, not what we see. >hat we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever. 5 1 >e know that o+r !odythe tent we live in here on earthwill !e destroyed. <+t when that happens, God will have a home for +s to live in. 3t will not !e the kind of home people !+ild here. 3t will !e a home in heaven that will last forever. 2 <+t now we are tired of this !ody. >e want God to give +s o+r heavenly home. 3 3t will clothe +s and we will not !e pag. 121%0131#

naked. # >hile we live in this tent, we have !+rdens and so we complain. 3 dont mean that we want to remove this tent, !+t we want to !e clothed with o+r heavenly home. Then this !ody that dies will !e covered with life. % This is what God himself made +s for. And he has given +s the Spirit as the first payment to g+arantee the life to come. & So we always have confidence. >e know that while we live in this !ody, we are away from the ord. ' >e live !y what we !elieve will happen, not !y what we can see. 2 9orinthians %.(*1# 13 ( So 3 say that we have confidence. And we really want to !e away from this !ody and !e at home with the ord. ) 5+r only goal is to always please the ord, whether we are living here in this !ody or there with him. 1, >e m+st all stand !efore 9hrist to !e =+dged. -veryone will get what they sho+ld. They will !e paid for whatever they didgood or !adwhen they lived in this earthly !ody. 11 >e know what it means to fear the ord, so we try to help people accept the tr+th. God knows what we really are, and 3 hope that in yo+r hearts yo+ know +s too. 12 >e are not trying to prove o+rselves to yo+ again. <+t we are telling yo+ a!o+t o+rselves. >e are giving yo+ reasons to !e pro+d of +s. Then yo+ will have an answer for those who are pro+d a!o+t what can !e seen. They dont care a!o+t what is in a persons heart. 13 3f we are craEy, it is for God. 3f we have o+r right mind, it is for yo+. 1# The love of 9hrist controls +s, !eca+se we know that one person died for everyone. So all have died. 2 9orinthians %.1%*2, 1# 1% $e died for all so that those who live wo+ld not contin+e to live for themselves. $e died for them and was raised from death so that they wo+ld live for him. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& 2rom this time on we dont think of anyone as the world thinks of people. 3t is tr+e that in the past we tho+ght of 9hrist as the world thinks. <+t we dont think that way now. 1' >hen anyone is in 9hrist, it is a whole new world. The old things are goneF s+ddenly, everything is new" 1( All this is from God. Thro+gh 9hrist, God made peace !etween himself and +s. And God gave +s the work of !ringing people into peace with him. 1) 3 mean that God was in 9hrist, making peace !etween the world and himself. 3n 9hrist, God did not hold people g+ilty for their sins. And he gave +s this message of peace to tell people. 2, So we have !een sent to speak for 9hrist. 3t is like God is calling to people thro+gh +s. >e speak for 9hrist when we !eg yo+ to !e at peace with God. 2 9orinthians %.21*&.& 1% 21 9hrist had no sin, !+t God made him !ecome sin so that in 9hrist we co+ld !e right with God. 6 1 >e are workers together with God. So we !eg yo+: Dont let the grace that yo+ received from God !e for nothing. 2 God says, 3 heard yo+ at the right time, and 3 gave yo+ help on the day of salvation. 3 tell yo+ that the right time is now. The day of salvation is now. 3 >e dont want people to find anything wrong with o+r work. So we do nothing that will !e a pro!lem to others. # <+t in every way we show that we are servants of God. >e never give +p, even tho+gh we face tro+!les, diffic+lties, and pro!lems of every kind. % >e are !eaten and thrown into prison. 6eople get +pset at +s and fight against +s. >e work hard, and sometimes we get no sleep or food. & >e show that we are Gods servants !y o+r p+re lives, !y o+r +nderstanding, !y o+r patience, and !y o+r kindness. >e show it !y the $oly Spirit, !y gen+ine love, 2 9orinthians &.'*13 1& pag. 121&0131#

' !y speaking the tr+th, and !y depending on Gods power. This right way of living has prepared +s to defend o+rselves against every kind of attack. ( Some people honor +s, !+t others shame +s. Some people say good things a!o+t +s, !+t others say !ad things. Some people say we are liars, !+t we speak the tr+th. ) To some people we are not known, !+t we are well known. >e seem to !e dying, !+t look" >e contin+e to live. >e are p+nished, !+t we are not killed. 1, >e have m+ch sadness, !+t we are always re=oicing. >e are poor, !+t we are making many people rich in faith. >e have nothing, !+t really we have everything. 11 >e have spoken freely to yo+ people in 9orinth. >e have opened o+r hearts to yo+. 12 5+r feelings of love for yo+ have not stopped. 3t is yo+ who have stopped yo+r feelings of love for +s. 13 3 speak to yo+ as if yo+ were my children. Do the same as we have doneopen yo+r hearts also. 2 9orinthians &.1#*'.1 1' 1# ;o+ are not the same as those who dont !elieve. So dont =oin yo+rselves to them. Good and evil dont !elong together. ight and darkness cannot share the same room. 1% $ow can there !e any +nity !etween 9hrist and the devil? >hat does a !eliever have in common with an +n!eliever? 1& Gods temple cannot have anything to do with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said, 3 will live with them and walk with themF 3 will !e their God, and they will !e my people. 1' So come away from those people and separate yo+rselves from them, says the ord. Dont to+ch anything that is not clean, and 3 will accept yo+. 1( 3 will !e yo+r father, and yo+ will !e my sons and da+ghters, says the ord AllD6owerf+l. 7 1 Dear friends, we have these -asy To .ead /ersion

promises from God. So we sho+ld make o+rselves p+refree from anything that makes o+r !ody or o+r so+l +nclean. 5+r respect for God sho+ld make +s try to !e completely holy in the way we live. 2 9orinthians '.2*( 1( 2 5pen yo+r hearts to +s. >e have not done wrong to anyone or ca+sed harm to anyone. And we have not cheated anyone. 3 3 do not say this to !lame yo+. 3 told yo+ !efore that we love yo+ so m+ch we wo+ld live or die with yo+. # 3 feel that 3 can tell yo+ anything. 3 am very pro+d of yo+. -ven with all the tro+!les we have had, 3 am greatly enco+raged and feel very happy. % >hen we came into Aacedonia, we had no rest. >e fo+nd tro+!le all aro+nd +s. >e had fighting on the o+tside and fear on the inside. & <+t God enco+rages those who are tro+!led, and he certainly enco+raged +s !y !ringing Tit+s to +s. ' 3t was so good to see him, !+t we were enco+raged even more to hear a!o+t the enco+ragement yo+ gave him. $e told +s that yo+ really want to see me and that yo+ are very sorry for what yo+ did. And he told +s how ready and willing yo+ are to help me. >hen 3 heard this, 3 was so m+ch happier. ( -ven if the letter 3 wrote yo+ made yo+ sad, 3 am not sorry 3 wrote it. 3 2 9orinthians '.)*12 1) know that letter made yo+ sad, and 3 was sorry for that. <+t it made yo+ sad only for a short time. ) 1ow 3 am happy, not !eca+se yo+ were made sad, !+t !eca+se yo+r sorrow made yo+ decide to change. That is what God wanted, so yo+ were not h+rt !y +s in any way. 1, The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot !e sorry for that. <+t the kind of sorrow the world has will !ring death. 11 ;o+ had the kind of sorrow God wanted yo+ to have. 1ow see what that pag. 121'0131#

sorrow has !ro+ght yo+: 3t has made yo+ very serio+s. 3t made yo+ want to prove that yo+ were not wrong. 3t made yo+ angry and afraid. 3t made yo+ want to see me. 3t made yo+ care. 3t made yo+ want the right thing to !e done. ;o+ proved that yo+ were not g+ilty in any part of that pro!lem. 12 The main reason 3 wrote that letter was not !eca+se of the one who did the wrong or the one who was h+rt. 3 wrote so that yo+ wo+ld realiEe, !efore God, how very m+ch yo+ care for +s. 2 9orinthians '.13*(.3 2, 13 And that is what was so enco+raging to +s. >e were greatly enco+raged, !+t we were especially pleased to see how happy Tit+s was. ;o+ all made him feel so m+ch !etter. 1# 3 had !ragged a!o+t yo+ to Tit+s, and yo+ didnt em!arrass me. >e have always told yo+ the tr+th, and now what we told Tit+s a!o+t yo+ has !een shown to !e tr+e. 1% And his love for yo+ is stronger when he remem!ers that yo+ were all ready to o!ey. ;o+ welcomed him with respect and fear. 1& 3 am so happy that 3 can tr+st yo+ f+lly. 8 1 And now, !rothers and sisters, we want to tell yo+ what Gods grace has done in the ch+rches in Aacedonia. 2 These !elievers have !een tested !y great tro+!les, and they are very poor. <+t their great =oy ca+sed them to !e very genero+s in their giving. 3 3 can tell yo+ that they gave as m+ch as they were a!le and even more than they co+ld afford. 1o one told them to do this. 3t was their idea. 2 9orinthians (.#*1, 21 # <+t they asked +s again and againthey !egged +s to let them share in this service for Gods people. % And they gave in a way that we did not e4pect: They gave themselves to the ord and to +s !efore they gave their money. This is what God wants. & So we asked Tit+s to help yo+ finish -asy To .ead /ersion

this special work of giving. $e is the one who started this work. ' ;o+ are rich in everythingin faith, in speaking a!ility, in knowledge, in the willingness to help, and in the love yo+ learned from +s. So now we want yo+ to !e rich in this work of giving too. ( 3 am not ordering yo+ to give, !+t 3 want to see how real yo+r love is !y comparing yo+ with others who have !een so ready and willing to help. ) ;o+ know the grace of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. ;o+ know that he gave +p his heavenly riches and !ecame poor for yo+. $e gave +p everything so that yo+ co+ld !e richly !lessed. 1, This is what 3 think yo+ sho+ld do: ast year yo+ were the first to want to give, and yo+ were the first who gave. 2 9orinthians (.11*1( 22 11 So now finish the work yo+ started. Then yo+r doing will !e eJ+al to yo+r wanting to do. Give from what yo+ have. 12 3f yo+ want to give, yo+r gift will !e accepted. ;o+r gift will !e =+dged !y what yo+ have, not !y what yo+ dont have. 13 >e dont want yo+ to have tro+!les while others are comforted. >e want everything to !e eJ+al. 1# At this time yo+ have plenty and can provide what they need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can provide what yo+ need. Then everyone will have an eJ+al share. 1% As the Script+res say, Those who gathered m+ch did not have too m+ch, and those who gathered little did not have too little. 1& 3 thank God !eca+se he gave Tit+s the same love for yo+ that 3 have. 1' Tit+s agreed to do what we asked. 3n fact, he himself wanted very m+ch to come see yo+. 1( >e are sending with Tit+s the !rother who is praised !y all the ch+rches. $e is praised !eca+se of his service to the Good 1ews. 2 9orinthians (.1)*).2 23 1) Also, he was chosen !y the ch+rches pag. 121(0131#

to go with +s when we take this gift. >e are doing this service to !ring honor to the ord and to show that we really want to help. 2, >e are !eing caref+l so that no one will criticiEe +s a!o+t the way we are caring for this large gift. 21 >e are trying to do what is right. >e want to do what the ord accepts as right and also what people think is right. 22 Also, we are sending with them o+r !rother who is always ready to help. $e has proved this to +s in many ways. And he wants to help even more now !eca+se he has m+ch faith in yo+. 23 1ow a!o+t Tit+she is my partner. $e is working together with me to help yo+. And a!o+t the other !rothersthey are sent from the ch+rches, and they !ring honor to 9hrist. 2# So show these men that yo+ really have love. Show them why we are pro+d of yo+. Then all the ch+rches can see it. 9 1 3 really dont need to write to yo+ a!o+t this help for Gods people. 2 3 know that yo+ want to help. 3 have !een !ragging a!o+t yo+ to the people in 2 9orinthians ).3*' 2# Aacedonia. 3 told them that yo+ people in Achaia have !een ready to give since last year. And yo+r desire to give has made most of the people here ready to give also. 3 <+t 3 am sending these !rothers to yo+. 3 dont want o+r !ragging a!o+t yo+ in this to !e for nothing. 3 want yo+ to !e ready =+st as 3 said yo+ wo+ld !e. # 3f any of those from Aacedonia come with me, and they find that yo+ are not ready, we will !e ashamed. >e will !e ashamed that we were so s+re of yo+. And yo+ will !e ashamed too" % So 3 tho+ght that 3 sho+ld ask these !rothers to come there !efore we do. They will help in getting together the genero+s gift yo+ promised. Then it will !e ready when we come, and it will !e seen as a !lessing yo+ are giving, not as something yo+ were forced to do. & .emem!er this: The one who plants -asy To .ead /ersion

few seeds will have a small harvest. <+t the one who plants a lot will have a !ig harvest. ' -ach one of yo+ sho+ld give what yo+ have decided in yo+r heart to give. ;o+ sho+ld not give if it makes yo+ +nhappy 2 9orinthians ).(*13 2% or if yo+ feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. ( And God can give yo+ more !lessings than yo+ need, and yo+ will always have plenty of everything. ;o+ will have eno+gh to give to every good work. ) As the Script+res say, $e gives genero+sly to the poorF his goodness will last forever. 1, God is the one who gives seed to those who plant, and he gives !read for food. And God will give yo+ spirit+al seed and make that seed grow. $e will prod+ce a great harvest from yo+r goodness. 11 God will make yo+ rich in every way so that yo+ can always give freely. And yo+r giving thro+gh +s will make people give thanks to God. 12 The service yo+ are offering helps Gods people with their needs, !+t that is not all it does. 3t is also !ringing more and more thanks to God. 13 This service is a proof of yo+r faith, and people will praise God !eca+se of it. They will praise God that yo+ freely share what yo+ have with them and with all people. They will praise him !eca+se 2 9orinthians ).1#*1,.% 2& they see yo+ following the Good 1ews of 9hrist that yo+ openly accepted. 1# And when they pray, they will wish they co+ld !e with yo+. They will feel this way !eca+se of the great grace that God gave yo+. 1% Thanks !e to God for his gift that is too wonderf+l to descri!e. 10 1 3, 6a+l, am !egging yo+ with the gentleness and the kindness of 9hrist. Some say that 3 am !old when 3 am writing yo+ from a distance, !+t not when 3 am there with yo+. 2 They think the reasons for what we pag. 121)0131#

do are the same as those of the world. 3 plan to !e very !old against those people when 3 come. 3 hope 3 will not need to +se that same !oldness with yo+. 3 >e live in this world, !+t we dont fight o+r !attles in the same way the world does. # The weapons we +se are not h+man ones. 5+r weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemys strong places. >e destroy peoples arg+ments, % and we tear down every pro+d idea that raises itself against the knowledge 2 9orinthians 1,.&*12 2' of God. >e also capt+re every tho+ght and make it give +p and o!ey 9hrist. & >e are ready to p+nish anyone there who does not o!ey, !+t first we want yo+ to !e f+lly o!edient. ' ;o+ m+st look at the facts !efore yo+. 3f yo+ feel s+re yo+ !elong to 9hrist, yo+ m+st remem!er that we !elong to 9hrist the same as yo+ do. ( 3t may seem as tho+gh we !oast too m+ch a!o+t the a+thority the ord gave +s. <+t he gave +s this a+thority to strengthen yo+, not to h+rt yo+. So 3 will not !e ashamed of whatever !oasting we do. ) 3 dont want yo+ to think that 3 am trying to scare yo+ with my letters. 1, Some people say, 6a+ls letters are powerf+l and so+nd important, !+t when he is with +s, he is weak and the worst speaker yo+ have ever heard. 11 Those people sho+ld know this: >hen we are there with yo+, we will show the same power that we show now in o+r letters. 12 >e dont dare p+t o+rselves in the same class with those who think they are so important. >e dont compare 2 9orinthians 1,.13*1( 2( o+rselves to them. They +se themselves to meas+re themselves, and they =+dge themselves !y what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing. 13 <+t we will not !oast a!o+t anything o+tside the work that was given +s to do. >e will limit o+r !oasting to the work -asy To .ead /ersion

God gave +s, !+t this work incl+des o+r work with yo+. 1# >e wo+ld !e !oasting too m+ch only if we had not already come to yo+. <+t we have come to yo+ with the Good 1ews a!o+t 9hrist. 1% >e limit o+r !oasting to the work that is o+rs. >e dont !oast a!o+t the work other people have done. >e hope that yo+r faith will contin+e to grow. >e hope that yo+ will help o+r work to grow m+ch larger. 1& >e want to tell the Good 1ews in the areas !eyond yo+r city. >e dont want to !oast a!o+t work that has already !een done in someone elses area. 1' >hoever !oasts sho+ld !oast only a!o+t the ord. 1( >hat people say a!o+t themselves means nothing. >hat co+nts is whether the ord says they have done well. 2 9orinthians 11.1*& 2) 11 1 3 wish yo+ wo+ld !e patient with me even when 3 am a little foolish. <+t yo+ are already patient with me. 2 3 am =ealo+s for yo+ with a =ealo+sy that comes from God. 3 promised to give yo+ to 9hrist. $e m+st !e yo+r only h+s!and. 3 want to give yo+ to 9hrist to !e his p+re !ride. 3 <+t 3 am afraid that yo+r minds will !e led away from yo+r tr+e and p+re following of 9hrist. This co+ld happen =+st as -ve was tricked !y that snake with his clever lies. # ;o+ seem to !e J+ite patient with anyone who comes to yo+ and tells yo+ a!o+t a Ces+s that is different from the Ces+s we told yo+ a!o+t. ;o+ seem very willing to accept a spirit or a message that is different from the Spirit and message that yo+ received from +s. % 3 dont think that those s+per apostles are any !etter than 3 am. & 3t is tr+e that 3 am not a trained speaker, !+t 3 do have knowledge. >e have shown this to yo+ clearly in every way. 2 9orinthians 11.'*13 3, pag. 122,0131#

' 3 did the work of telling Gods Good 1ews to yo+ witho+t pay. 3 h+m!led myself to make yo+ important. Do yo+ think that was wrong? ( 3 accepted pay from other ch+rches. 3 took their money so that 3 co+ld serve yo+. ) 3f 3 needed something when 3 was with yo+, 3 did not tro+!le any of yo+. The !rothers who came from Aacedonia gave me all that 3 needed. 3 did not allow myself to !e a !+rden to yo+ in any way. And 3 will never !e a !+rden to yo+. 1, 1o one there in Achaia will stop me from !oasting a!o+t that. 3 say this with the tr+th of 9hrist in me. 11 And why do 3 not !+rden yo+? Do yo+ think it is !eca+se 3 dont love yo+? God knows that 3 love yo+. 12 And 3 will contin+e doing what 3 am doing now, !eca+se 3 want to stop those people from having a reason to !oast. They wo+ld like to say that the work they !oast a!o+t is the same as o+rs. 13 They are false apostles, lying workers. They only pretend to !e apostles of 9hrist. 2 9orinthians 11.1#*21 31 1# That does not s+rprise +s, !eca+se even Satan changes himself to look like an angel of light. 1% So it does not s+rprise +s if Satans servants make themselves look like servants who work for what is right. <+t in the end those people will get the p+nishment they deserve. 1& 3 tell yo+ again: 1o one sho+ld think that 3 am a fool. <+t if yo+ think 3 am a fool, then accept me as yo+ wo+ld accept a fool. Then 3 can !oast a little too. 1' <+t 3 am not talking the way the ord wo+ld talk. 3 am !oasting like a fool. 1( 5thers are !oasting a!o+t their lives in the world. So 3 will !oast too. 1) ;o+ are wise, so yo+ will gladly !e patient with fools" 2, 3 say this !eca+se yo+ are even patient with someone who forces yo+ to do things and +ses yo+. ;o+ are patient with those who trick yo+, or think they -asy To .ead /ersion

are !etter than yo+, or hit yo+ in the face" 21 3 am ashamed to say it, !+t we were too weak to do s+ch things to yo+. <+t if anyone dares to !oast, 3 will too. 73 am talking like a fool.8 2 9orinthians 11.22*2' 32 22 Are those people $e!rews? So am 3. Are they 3sraelites? So am 3. Are they from A!rahams family? So am 3. 23 Are they serving 9hrist? 3 am serving him more. 73 am craEy to talk like this.8 3 have worked m+ch harder than they have. 3 have !een in prison more often. 3 have !een h+rt more in !eatings. 3 have !een near death many times. 2# 2ive times the Cews have given me their p+nishment of 3) lashes with a whip. 2% Three different times 3 was !eaten with rods. 5ne time 3 was almost killed with rocks. Three times 3 was in ships that were wrecked, and one of those times 3 spent the night and the ne4t day in the sea. 2& 3n my constant traveling 3 have !een in danger from rivers, from thieves, from my own people, and from people who are not Cews. 3 have !een in danger in cities, in places where no one lives, and on the sea. And 3 have !een in danger from people who pretend to !e !elievers !+t are not. 2' 3 have done hard and tiring work, and many times 3 did not sleep. 3 have !een 2 9orinthians 11.2(*12.1 33 h+ngry and thirsty. Aany times 3 have !een witho+t food. 3 have !een cold and witho+t clothes. 2( And there are many other pro!lems. 5ne of these is the care 3 have for all the ch+rches. 3 worry a!o+t each gro+p of !elievers every day. 2) 3 feel weak every time another person is weak. 3 feel deeply +pset every time another person is led into sin. 3, 3f 3 m+st !oast, 3 will !oast a!o+t the things that show 3 am weak. 31 God knows that 3 am not lying. $e is the God and 2ather of the ord Ces+s, pag. 12210131#

and he is to !e praised forever. 32 >hen 3 was in Damasc+s, the governor +nder Ging Aretas wanted to arrest me, so he p+t g+ards aro+nd the city. 33 <+t some friends p+t me in a !asket. Then they p+t the !asket thro+gh a hole in the wall and lowered me down. So 3 escaped from the governor. 12 1 There is more that 3 have to say a!o+t myself. 3t wont help, !+t 3 will talk now a!o+t visions and revelations from the ord. 2 9orinthians 12.2*' 3# 2 3 know a man in 9hrist who was taken +p to the third heaven. This happened 1# years ago. 3 dont know if the man was in his !ody or o+t of his !ody, !+t God knows. 3 And 3 know that this man was taken +p to paradise. 3 dont know if he was in his !ody or away from his !ody, !+t he heard things that he is not a!le to e4plain. $e heard things that no one is allowed to tell. # 712:38 % 3 will !oast a!o+t a man like that, !+t 3 will not !oast a!o+t myself. 3 will !oast only a!o+t my weaknesses. & <+t if 3 wanted to say more a!o+t myself, 3 wo+ld not !e a fool, !eca+se 3 wo+ld !e telling the tr+th. <+t 3 wont say any more, !eca+se 3 dont want people to think more of me than what they see me do or hear me say. ' <+t 3 m+st not !e too pro+d of the wonderf+l things that were shown to me. So a painf+l pro!lem was given to mean angel from Satan, sent to make me s+ffer, so that 3 wo+ld not think that 3 am !etter than anyone else. 2 9orinthians 12.(*13 3% ( 3 !egged the ord three times to take this pro!lem away from me. ) <+t the ord said, Ay grace is all yo+ need. 5nly when yo+ are weak can everything !e done completely !y my power. So 3 will gladly !oast a!o+t my weaknesses. Then 9hrists power can stay in me. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, ;es, 3 am glad to have weaknesses if they are for 9hrist. 3 am glad to !e ins+lted and have hard times. 3 am glad when 3 am persec+ted and have pro!lems, !eca+se it is when 3 am weak that 3 am really strong. 11 3 have !een talking like a fool, !+t yo+ made me do it. ;o+ people are the ones who sho+ld say good things a!o+t me. 3 am worth nothing, !+t those s+per apostles are not worth any more than 3 am" 12 >hen 3 was with yo+, 3 patiently did the things that prove 3 am an apostle signs, wonders, and miracles. 13 So yo+ received everything that the other ch+rches have received. 5nly one thing was different: 3 was not a !+rden to yo+. 2orgive me for this" 2 9orinthians 12.1#*1) 3& 1# 3 am now ready to visit yo+ for the third time, and 3 will not !e a !+rden to yo+. 3 dont want any of the things yo+ own. 3 only want yo+. 9hildren sho+ld not have to save things to give to their parents. 6arents sho+ld save to give to their children. 1% So 3 am happy to give everything 3 have for yo+. 3 will even give myself for yo+. 3f 3 love yo+ more, will yo+ love me less? 1& 3t is clear that 3 was not a !+rden to yo+, !+t yo+ think that 3 was tricky and +sed lies to catch yo+. 1' Did 3 cheat yo+ !y +sing any of the men 3 sent to yo+? ;o+ know 3 didnt. 1( 3 asked Tit+s to go to yo+, and 3 sent o+r !rother with him. Tit+s did not cheat yo+, did he? 1o, yo+ know that his actions and his attit+de were the same as o+rs. 1) Do yo+ think that we have !een defending o+rselves to yo+ all this time? 1o, we say these things in 9hrist and !efore God. ;o+ are o+r dear friends, and everything we do is to make yo+ stronger. 2 9orinthians 12.2,*13.3 3' 2, 3 do this !eca+se 3 am afraid that when 3 come, yo+ will not !e what 3 want pag. 12220131#

yo+ to !e. And 3 am afraid that 3 will not !e what yo+ want me to !e. 3 am afraid that 3 will find arg+ing, =ealo+sy, anger, selfish fighting, evil talk, gossip, pride, and conf+sion there. 21 3 am afraid that when 3 come to yo+ again, my God will make me h+m!le !efore yo+. 3 may have to cry over the loss of some who sinned !efore. Aany of them have still not changed their hearts to !e sorry for their evil lives, their se4+al sins, and the shamef+l things they have done. 13 1 This will !e my third time to visit yo+. And remem!er, 2or every complaint there m+st !e two or three people to say that they know it is tr+e. 2 >hen 3 was with yo+ the second time, 3 gave a warning to those who had sinned. 3 am not there now, !+t 3 am giving another warning to them and to anyone else who has sinned: >hen 3 come to yo+ again, 3 will p+nish yo+. 3 ;o+ want proof that 9hrist is speaking thro+gh me. Ay proof is that he is not 2 9orinthians 13.#*) 3( weak in dealing with yo+ !+t is showing his power among yo+. # 3t is tr+e that 9hrist was weak when he was killed on the cross, !+t he lives now !y Gods power. 3t is also tr+e that we share his weakness, !+t in dealing with yo+, we will !e alive in him !y Gods power. % ook closely at yo+rselves. Test yo+rselves to see if yo+ are living in the faith. Dont yo+ realiEe that 9hrist Ces+s is in yo+? 5f co+rse, if yo+ fail the testif yo+ are not living in the faiththen 9hrist is not living in yo+. & <+t 3 hope yo+ will see that we have not failed the test. ' >e pray to God that yo+ will not do anything wrong. 5+r concern here is not for people to see that we have passed the test in o+r work with yo+. 5+r main concern is that yo+ do what is right, even if it looks as if we have failed the test. ( >e cannot do anything that is against the tr+th !+t only what promotes the -asy To .ead /ersion

tr+th. ) >e are happy to !e weak if yo+ are strong. And this is what we praythat 2 9orinthians 13.1,*1# 3) yo+r lives will !e made completely right again. 1, 3m writing this !efore 3 come so that when 3 am there 3 will not have to +se my a+thority to p+nish yo+. The ord gave me that a+thority to make yo+ stronger, not to destroy yo+. 11 1ow, !rothers and sisters, !e filled with =oy. Try to make everything right, and do what 3 have asked yo+ to do. Agree with each other, and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will !e with yo+. 12 Give each other the special greeting of Gods people. 13 713D12!8 All of Gods holy people here send yo+ their greetings. 1# 713D138 3 pray that yo+ will en=oy the grace of the ord Ces+s 9hrist, the love of God, and the fellowship of the $oly Spirit. Galatians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, an apostle. 3 was chosen to !e an apostle, !+t not !y any gro+p or person here on earth. Ay a+thority came from none other than Ces+s 9hrist and God the 2ather, who raised Ces+s from death. 2 Greetings also from all those in Gods family who are with me. To the ch+rches in Galatia: 3 3 pray that God o+r 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist will !e good to yo+ and give yo+ peace. # Ces+s gave himself for o+r sins to free +s from this evil world we live in. This is what God o+r 2ather wanted. % The glory !elongs to God forever and ever. Amen. & A short time ago God chose yo+ to follow him. $e chose yo+ thro+gh his grace that came thro+gh 9hrist. <+t now 3 am amaEed that yo+ are already t+rning away and !elieving something different from the Good 1ews we told yo+. pag. 12230131#

Galatians 1.'*12 2 ' There is no other message that is the Good 1ews, !+t some people are conf+sing yo+. They want to change the Good 1ews of 9hrist. ( >e told yo+ the tr+e Good 1ews message. So anyone who tells yo+ a different message sho+ld !e condemnedeven if its one of +s or even an angel from heaven" ) 3 said this !efore. 1ow 3 say it again: ;o+ have already accepted the Good 1ews. Anyone who tells yo+ another way to !e saved sho+ld !e condemned" 1, 1ow do yo+ think 3 am trying to make people accept me? 1o, God is the one 3 am trying to please. Am 3 trying to please people? 3f 3 wanted to please people, 3 wo+ld not !e a servant of 9hrist. 11 <rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to know that the Good 1ews message 3 told yo+ was not made +p !y anyone. 12 3 did not get my message from any other h+man. The Good 1ews is not something 3 learned from other people. Ces+s 9hrist himself gave it to me. $e showed me the Good 1ews that 3 sho+ld tell people. Galatians 1.13*2, 3 13 ;o+ have heard a!o+t my past life in the Cewish religion. 3 persec+ted the ch+rch of God very m+ch. 3 tried to destroy his people. 1# 3 was !ecoming a leader in the Cewish religion. 3 did !etter than most other Cews my own age. 3 tried harder than anyone else to follow the traditions we got from o+r ancestors. 1% <+t God had special plans for me even !efore 3 was !orn. So he chose me thro+gh his grace. 3t pleased him 1& to let me see and know his Son so that 3 co+ld tell the Good 1ews a!o+t him to the nonDCewish people. 3 immediately prepared to do this work witho+t asking for advice or help from anyone. 1' 3 did not go to Cer+salem to see those who were apostles !efore 3 was. 3nstead, 3 went away to Ara!ia. ater, 3 went !ack -asy To .ead /ersion

to the city of Damasc+s. 1( Three years later 3 went to Cer+salem to meet 6eter. 3 stayed with him 1% days. 1) 3 met no other apostlesonly Cames, the !rother of the ord. 2, God knows there is nothing +ntr+e in any of this. Galatians 1.21*2.# # 21 ater, 3 went to the areas of Syria and 9ilicia. 22 1o one in any of 9hrists ch+rches in C+dea had ever met me !efore. 23 They had only heard this a!o+t me: This man was persec+ting +s. <+t now he is telling people a!o+t the same faith that he once tried to destroy. 2# These !elievers praised God !eca+se of me. 2 1 After 1# years 3 went !ack to Cer+salem with <arna!as and took Tit+s with me. 2 3 went there !eca+se God showed me that 3 sho+ld go. 3 e4plained to them the message that 3 tell the nonDCewish people. 3 also met alone with those who were considered to !e the leaders. 3 wanted to !e s+re we were in agreement so that my past work and the work 3 do now wo+ld not !e wasted. 3 Tit+s, who was with me, is a Greek. <+t these leaders still did not force him to !e circ+mcised. # >e needed to talk a!o+t these pro!lems, !eca+se some who pretended to !e o+r !rothers had come into o+r gro+p secretly. They came in like spies Galatians 2.%*) % to find o+t a!o+t the freedom we have in 9hrist Ces+s. They wanted to make +s slaves, % !+t we did not agree with anything those false !rothers wanted. >e wanted the tr+th of the Good 1ews to contin+e for yo+. & Those men who were considered to !e important did not change the Good 1ews message 3 tell people. 73t doesnt matter to me if they were important or not. To God everyone is the same.8 ' <+t these leaders saw that God had pag. 122#0131#

given me a special work, the same as 6eter. God gave 6eter the work of telling the Good 1ews to the Cews. <+t God gave me the work of telling the Good 1ews to the nonDCewish people. ( God gave 6eter the power to work as an apostle for the Cewish people. God gave me the power to work as an apostle too, !+t for those who are not Cews. ) Cames, 6eter, and Cohn seemed to !e the leaders. And they saw that God had given me this special gift of ministry, so they accepted <arna!as and me. They said to +s, >e agree that yo+ sho+ld go Galatians 2.1,*1# & to those who are not Cews, and we will go to the Cews. 1, They asked +s to do only one thingto remem!er to help those who are poor. And this was something that 3 really wanted to do. 11 >hen 6eter came to Antioch, he did something that was not right. 3 stood against him, !eca+se he was wrong. 12 This is what happened: >hen 6eter first came to Antioch, he ate and associated with the nonDCewish people. <+t when some Cewish men came from Cames, 6eter separated himself from the nonDCews. $e stopped eating with them, !eca+se he was afraid of the Cews who !elieve that all nonDCewish people m+st !e circ+mcised. 13 So 6eter was a hypocrite. The other Cewish !elievers =oined with him, so they were hypocrites too. -ven <arna!as was infl+enced !y what these Cewish !elievers did. 1# They were not following the tr+th of the Good 1ews. >hen 3 saw this, 3 spoke to 6eter in front of everyone. 3 said, 6eter, yo+ are a Cew, !+t yo+ dont live like one. ;o+ live like someone who Galatians 2.1%*1) ' is not a Cew. So why are yo+ trying to force those who are not Cewish to live like Cews? 1% >e are Cews !y !irth. >e were not !orn sinners, as we call those who are not Cews. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& <+t we know that no one is made right with God !y following the law. 3t is tr+sting in Ces+s 9hrist that makes a person right with God. So we have p+t o+r faith in 9hrist Ces+s, !eca+se we wanted to !e made right with God. And we are right with him !eca+se we tr+sted in 9hristnot !eca+se we followed the law. 3 can say this !eca+se no one can !e made right with God !y following the law. 1' >e Cews came to 9hrist to !e made right with God, so it is clear that we were sinners too. Does this mean that 9hrist makes +s sinners? 5f co+rse not. 1( <+t 3 wo+ld !e wrong to !egin teaching again those things that 3 gave +p. 1) 3t was the law itself that ca+sed me to end my life +nder the law. 3 died to the law so that 3 co+ld live for God. 3 have !een nailed to the cross with 9hrist. Galatians 2.2,*3.% ( 2, So 3 am not the one living nowit is 9hrist living in me. 3 still live in my !ody, !+t 3 live !y faith in the Son of God. $e is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me. 21 3 am not the one destroying the meaning of Gods grace. 3f following the law is how people are made right with God, then 9hrist did not have to die. 3 1 ;o+ people in Galatia are so foolish" >hy do 3 say this? <eca+se 3 told yo+ very clearly a!o+t the death of Ces+s 9hrist on the cross. <+t now it seems as tho+gh yo+ have let someone +se their magical powers to make yo+ forget. 2 Tell me this one thing: $ow did yo+ receive the Spirit? Did yo+ receive the Spirit !y following the law? 1o, yo+ received the Spirit !eca+se yo+ heard the message a!o+t Ces+s and !elieved it. 3 ;o+ !egan yo+r life in 9hrist with the Spirit. 1ow do yo+ try to complete it !y yo+r own power? That is foolish. # ;o+ have e4perienced many things. >ere all those e4periences wasted? 3 hope they were not wasted" % Does God give yo+ the Spirit !eca+se pag. 122%0131#

yo+ follow the law? Does God work Galatians 3.&*1, ) miracles among yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow the law? 1o, God gives yo+ his Spirit and works miracles among yo+ !eca+se yo+ heard the message a!o+t Ces+s and !elieved it. & The Script+res say the same thing a!o+t A!raham. A!raham !elieved God, and !eca+se of this faith he was accepted as one who is right with God. ' So yo+ sho+ld know that the tr+e children of A!raham are those who have faith. ( The Script+res told what wo+ld happen in the f+t+re. These writings said that God wo+ld make the nonDCewish people right thro+gh their faith. God told this Good 1ews to A!raham !efore it happened. God said to A!raham, 3 will +se yo+ to !less all the people on earth. ) A!raham !elieved this, and !eca+se he !elieved, he was !lessed. All people who !elieve are !lessed the same as A!raham was. 1, <+t people who depend on following the law to make them right are +nder a c+rse. As the Script+res say, They m+st do everything that is written in the law. Galatians 3.11*1% 1, 3f they do not always o!ey, they are +nder a c+rse. 11 So it is clear that no one can !e made right with God !y the law. The Script+res say, The one who is right with God !y faith will live forever. 12 The law does not depend on faith. 1o, it says that the only way a person will find life !y the law is to o!ey its commands. 13 The law says we are +nder a c+rse for not always o!eying it. <+t 9hrist took away that c+rse. $e changed places with +s and p+t himself +nder that c+rse. The Script+res say, Anyone who is h+ng on a tree is +nder a c+rse. 1# <eca+se of what Ces+s 9hrist did, the !lessing God promised to A!raham was given to all people. 9hrist died so that !y !elieving in him we co+ld have the Spirit -asy To .ead /ersion

that God promised. 1% <rothers and sisters, let me give yo+ an e4ample from everyday life: Think a!o+t an agreement that one person makes with another. After that agreement is made official, no one can stop it or add anything to it, and no one can ignore it. Galatians 3.1&*1) 11 1& God made promises to A!raham and his Descendant. The Script+re does not say, and to yo+r descendants. That wo+ld mean many people. <+t it says, and to yo+r Descendant. That means only one, and that one is 9hrist. 1' This is what 3 mean: The agreement that God gave to A!raham was made official long !efore the law came. The law came #3, years later. So the law co+ld not take away the agreement and change Gods promise. 1( 9an following the law give +s the !lessing God promised? 3f we co+ld receive it !y following the law, then it wo+ld not !e Gods promise that !rings it to +s. <+t God freely gave his !lessings to A!raham thro+gh the promise God made. 1) So what was the law for? The law was given to show the wrong things people do. The law wo+ld contin+e +ntil the special Descendant of A!raham came. This is the Descendant mentioned in the promise, which came directly from God. <+t the law was given thro+gh angels, and the angels +sed Aoses as a mediator to give the law to the people. Galatians 3.2,*2% 12 2, <+t when God gave the promise, there was no mediator, !eca+se a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God is one. 21 Does this mean that the law works against Gods promises? 5f co+rse not. The law was never Gods way of giving new life to people. 3f it were, then we co+ld !e made right with God !y following the law. 22 <+t this is not possi!le. The Script+res p+t the whole world in prison +nder the pag. 122&0131#

control of sin, so that the only way for people to get what God promised wo+ld !e thro+gh faith in Ces+s 9hrist. 3t is given to those who !elieve in him. 23 <efore this faith came, the law held +s as prisoners. >e had no freedom +ntil God showed +s the way of faith that was coming. 2# 3 mean the law was the g+ardian in charge of +s +ntil 9hrist came. After he came, we co+ld !e made right with God thro+gh faith. 2% 1ow that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law to !e o+r g+ardian. Galatians 3.2&*#.# 13 2& ;o+ were all !aptiEed into 9hrist, and so yo+ were all clothed with 9hrist. This shows that yo+ are all children of God thro+gh faith in 9hrist Ces+s. 2' 73:2&8 2( 1ow, in 9hrist, it doesnt matter if yo+ are a Cew or a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. ;o+ are all the same in 9hrist Ces+s. 2) ;o+ !elong to 9hrist, so yo+ are A!rahams descendants. ;o+ get all of Gods !lessings !eca+se of the promise that God made to A!raham. 4 1 This is what 3 am saying: >hen yo+ng children inherit all that their father owned, they are still no different from his slaves. 3t doesnt matter that they own everything. 2 >hile they are children, they m+st o!ey those who are chosen to care for them. <+t when they reach the age the father set, they are free. 3 3t is the same for +s. >e were once like children, slaves to the +seless r+les of this world. # <+t when the right time came, God sent his Son, who was !orn from a woman and lived +nder the law. Galatians #.%*12 1# % God did this so that he co+ld !+y the freedom of those who were +nder the law. Gods p+rpose was to make +s his children. & Since yo+ are now Gods children, he -asy To .ead /ersion

has sent the Spirit of his Son into yo+r hearts. The Spirit cries o+t, A!!a, 2ather. ' 1ow yo+ are not slaves like !efore. ;o+ are Gods children, and yo+ will receive everything he promised his children. ( 3n the past yo+ did not know God. ;o+ were slaves to gods that were not real. ) <+t now yo+ know the tr+e God. .eally, tho+gh, it is God who knows yo+. So why do yo+ t+rn !ack to the same kind of weak and +seless r+les yo+ followed !efore? Do yo+ want to !e slaves to those things again? 1, 3t worries me that yo+ follow teachings a!o+t special days, months, seasons, and years. 3 fear that my work for yo+ has !een wasted. 11 7#:1,8 12 <rothers and sisters, 3 !ecame like yo+. So please !ecome like me. ;o+ were very good to me !efore. Galatians #.13*1) 1% 13 ;o+ know that 3 came to yo+ the first time !eca+se 3 was sick. That was when 3 told the Good 1ews to yo+. 1# Ay sickness was a !+rden to yo+, !+t yo+ did not stop showing me respect or make me leave. 3nstead, yo+ welcomed me as if 3 were an angel from God. ;o+ accepted me as if 3 were Ces+s 9hrist himself" 1% ;o+ were very happy then. >here is that =oy now? 3 can say witho+t a do+!t that yo+ wo+ld have done anything to help me. 3f it had !een possi!le, yo+ wo+ld have taken o+t yo+r own eyes and given them to me. 1& Am 3 now yo+r enemy !eca+se 3 tell yo+ the tr+th? 1' Those people are working hard to pers+ade yo+, !+t this is not good for yo+. They want to pers+ade yo+ to t+rn against +s and work hard for them. 1( 3t is good for yo+ to work hard, of co+rse, if it is for something good. Thats something yo+ sho+ld do whether 3 am there or not. 1) Ay little children, 3 am in pain again over yo+, like a mother giving !irth. 3 pag. 122'0131#

Galatians #.2,*2% 1& will feel this pain +ntil people can look at yo+ and see 9hrist. 2, 3 wish 3 co+ld !e with yo+ now. Then may!e 3 co+ld change the way 3 am talking to yo+. 1ow 3 dont know what to do a!o+t yo+. 21 Some of yo+ people want to !e +nder the law. Tell me, do yo+ know what the law says? 22 The Script+res say that A!raham had two sons. The mother of one son was a slave woman, and the mother of the other son was a free woman. 23 A!rahams son from the slave woman was !orn in the normal h+man way. <+t the son from the free woman was !orn !eca+se of the promise God made to A!raham. 2# This tr+e story makes a pict+re for +s. The two women are like the two agreements !etween God and his people. 5ne agreement is the law that God made on Ao+nt Sinai. The people who are +nder this agreement are like slaves. The mother named $agar is like that agreement. 2% So $agar is like Ao+nt Sinai in Ara!ia. She is a pict+re of the earthly Cewish city Galatians #.2&*31 1' of Cer+salem. This city is a slave, and all its people are slaves to the law. 2& <+t the heavenly Cer+salem that is a!ove is like the free woman, who is o+r mother. 2' The Script+res say, <e happy, womanyo+ who cannot have children. <e glad yo+ never gave !irth. Sho+t and cry with =oy" ;o+ never felt those la!or pains. The woman who is alone will have more children than the woman who has a h+s!and. 2( Ay !rothers and sisters, yo+ are children who were !orn !eca+se of Gods promise, =+st as 3saac was. 2) <+t the other son of A!raham, who was !orn in the normal way, ca+sed tro+!le for the one who was !orn !y the power of the Spirit. 3t is the same today. 3, <+t what do the Script+res say? -asy To .ead /ersion

Throw o+t the slave woman and her son" The son of the free woman will receive everything his father has, !+t the son of the slave woman will receive nothing. 31 So, my !rothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman. >e are children of the free woman. Galatians %.1*) 1( 5 1 >e have freedom now, !eca+se 9hrist made +s free. So stand strong in that freedom. Dont go !ack into slavery again. 2 isten" 3, 6a+l, tell yo+ that if yo+ start following the law !y !eing circ+mcised, then 9hrist cannot help yo+. 3 Again, 3 warn everyone: 3f yo+ allow yo+rselves to !e circ+mcised, then yo+ m+st follow the whole law. # 3f yo+ try to !e made right with God thro+gh the law, yo+r life with 9hrist is finishedyo+ have left Gods grace. % 3 say this !eca+se o+r hope of !eing right with God comes thro+gh faith. And the Spirit helps +s feel s+re as we wait for that hope. & >hen someone !elongs to 9hrist Ces+s, it is not important if they are circ+mcised or not. The important thing is faiththe kind of faith that works thro+gh love. ' ;o+ were doing so well. >ho ca+sed yo+ to stop following the tr+th? ( 3t certainly wasnt the one who chose yo+. ) <e caref+l" C+st a little yeast makes the whole !atch of do+gh rise. Galatians %.1,*1& 1) 1, 3 tr+st in the ord that yo+ will not !elieve those different ideas. Someone is trying to conf+se yo+. >hoever it is will !e p+nished. 11 Ay !rothers and sisters, 3 dont teach that a man m+st !e circ+mcised. 3f 3 do teach circ+mcision, then why am 3 still !eing persec+ted? 3f 3 still ta+ght circ+mcision, then my message a!o+t the cross wo+ld not !e a pro!lem. 12 3 wish those people who are !othering yo+ wo+ld add castration to their circ+mcision. pag. 122(0131#

13 Ay !rothers and sisters, God chose yo+ to !e free. <+t dont +se yo+r freedom as an e4c+se to do what pleases yo+r sinf+l selves. 3nstead, serve each other with love. 1# The whole law is made complete in this one command: ove yo+r neigh!or the same as yo+ love yo+rself. 1% 3f yo+ contin+e h+rting each other and tearing each other apart, !e caref+l, or yo+ will completely destroy each other. 1& So 3 tell yo+, live the way the Spirit leads yo+. Then yo+ will not do the evil things yo+r sinf+l self wants. Galatians %.1'*23 2, 1' The sinf+l self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinf+l self. They are always fighting against each other, so that yo+ dont do what yo+ really want to do. 1( <+t if yo+ let the Spirit lead yo+, yo+ are not +nder law. 1) The wrong things the sinf+l self does are clear: committing se4+al sin, !eing morally !ad, doing all kinds of shamef+l things, 2, worshiping false gods, taking part in witchcraft, hating people, ca+sing tro+!le, !eing =ealo+s, angry or selfish, ca+sing people to arg+e and divide into separate gro+ps, 21 !eing filled with envy, getting dr+nk, having wild parties, and doing other things like this. 3 warn yo+ now as 3 warned yo+ !efore: The people who do these things will not have a part in Gods kingdom. 22 <+t the fr+it that the Spirit prod+ces in a persons life is love, =oy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithf+lness, 23 gentleness, and selfDcontrol. There is no law against these kinds of things. Galatians %.2#*&.% 21 2# Those who !elong to 9hrist Ces+s have cr+cified their sinf+l self. They have given +p their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 2% >e get o+r new life from the Spirit, -asy To .ead /ersion

so we sho+ld follow the Spirit. 2& >e m+st not feel pro+d and !oast a!o+t o+rselves. >e m+st not ca+se tro+!le for each other or !e =ealo+s of each other. 6 1 <rothers and sisters, someone in yo+r gro+p might do something wrong. ;o+ who are following the Spirit sho+ld go to the one who is sinning. $elp make that person right again, and do it in a gentle way. <+t !e caref+l, !eca+se yo+ might !e tempted to sin too. 2 $elp each other with yo+r tro+!les. >hen yo+ do this, yo+ are o!eying the law of 9hrist. 3 3f yo+ think yo+ are too important to do this, yo+ are only fooling yo+rself. # Dont compare yo+rself with others. C+st look at yo+r own work to see if yo+ have done anything to !e pro+d of. % ;o+ m+st each accept the responsi!ilities that are yo+rs. Galatians &.&*13 22 & >hoever is !eing ta+ght Gods word sho+ld share the good things they have with the one who is teaching them. ' 3f yo+ think yo+ can fool God, yo+ are only fooling yo+rselves. ;o+ will harvest what yo+ plant. ( 3f yo+ live to satisfy yo+r sinf+l self, the harvest yo+ will get from that will !e eternal death. <+t if yo+ live to please the Spirit, yo+r harvest from the Spirit will !e eternal life. ) >e m+st not get tired of doing good. >e will receive o+r harvest of eternal life at the right time. >e m+st not give +p. 1, >hen we have the opport+nity to do good to anyone, we sho+ld do it. <+t we sho+ld give special attention to those who are in the family of !elievers. 11 This is my own handwriting. ;o+ can see how !ig the letters are. 12 Those men who are trying to force yo+ to !e circ+mcised are only doing it so that their people will accept them. They are afraid they will !e persec+ted if they follow only the cross of 9hrist. 13 They are circ+mcised, !+t they dont o!ey the law themselves. They want yo+ pag. 122)0131#

Galatians &.1#*1( 23 to !e circ+mcised so that they can !oast a!o+t what they did to yo+. 1# 3 hope 3 will never !oast a!o+t things like that. The cross of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist is my only reason for !oasting. Thro+gh Ces+s death on the cross the world is dead to me, and 3 am dead to the world. 1% 3t doesnt matter if anyone is circ+mcised or not. The only thing that matters is this new life we have from God. 1& 6eace and mercy to those who follow this r+leto all Gods people. 1' So dont give me any more tro+!le. 3 have scars on my !ody that show 3 !elong to Ces+s. 1( Ay !rothers and sisters, 3 pray that the grace of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist will !e with yo+r spirits. Amen. E5'esians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, an apostle of 9hrist Ces+s. 3 am an apostle !eca+se that is what God wanted. To Gods holy people in -phes+s, !elievers who !elong to 9hrist Ces+s. 2 Grace and peace to yo+ from God o+r 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3 6raise !e to the God and 2ather of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3n 9hrist, God has given +s every spirit+al !lessing in heaven. # 3n 9hrist, he chose +s !efore the world was made. $e chose +s in love to !e his holy people people who co+ld stand !efore him witho+t any fa+lt. % And !efore the world was made, God decided to make +s his own children thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. & And this !rings praise to God !eca+se of his wonderf+l grace. God gave that grace to +s freely. $e gave +s that grace in 9hrist, the one he loves. -phesians 1.'*13 2 ' 3n 9hrist we are made free !y his !lood sacrifice. >e have forgiveness of sins !eca+se of Gods rich grace. ( God gave +s that grace f+lly and freely. -asy To .ead /ersion

>ith f+ll wisdom and +nderstanding, ) he let +s know his secret plan. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it thro+gh 9hrist. 1, Gods goal was to finish his plan when the right time came. $e planned that all things in heaven and on earth !e =oined together with 9hrist as the head. 11 3n 9hrist we were chosen to !e Gods people. God had already planned for +s to !e his people, !eca+se that is what he wanted. And he is the one who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants. 12 >e Cews were the first to hope in 9hrist. And we were chosen so that we wo+ld !ring praise to God in all his glory. 13 3t is the same with yo+. ;o+ heard the tr+e message, the Good 1ews a!o+t the way God saves yo+. >hen yo+ heard that Good 1ews, yo+ !elieved in 9hrist. And in 9hrist, God p+t his special mark on yo+ !y giving yo+ the $oly Spirit that he promised. -phesians 1.1#*1) 3 1# The Spirit is the first payment that g+arantees we will get all that God has for +s. Then we will en=oy complete freedom as people who !elong to him. The goal for all of +s is the praise of God in all his glory. 1% That is why 3 always remem!er yo+ in my prayers and thank God for yo+. 3 have done this ever since 3 heard a!o+t yo+r faith in the ord Ces+s and yo+r love for all of Gods people. 1& 71:1%8 1' 3 always pray to the great and glorio+s 2ather, the God of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3 pray that he will give yo+ the Spirit, who will let yo+ know tr+ths a!o+t God and help yo+ +nderstand them, so that yo+ will know him !etter. 1( 3 pray that God will open yo+r minds to see his tr+th. Then yo+ will know the hope that he has chosen +s to have. ;o+ will know that the !lessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorio+s. 1) And yo+ will know that Gods power is pag. 123,0131#

very great for +s who !elieve. 3t is the same as the mighty power -phesians 1.2,*2.3 # 2, he +sed to raise 9hrist from death and p+t him at his right side in the heavenly places. 21 $e p+t 9hrist over all r+lers, a+thorities, powers, and kings. $e gave him a+thority over everything that has power in this world or in the ne4t world. 22 God p+t everything +nder 9hrists power and made him head over everything for the ch+rch. 23 The ch+rch is 9hrists !ody. 3t is filled with him. $e makes everything complete in every way. 2 1 3n the past yo+ were spirit+ally dead !eca+se of yo+r sins and the things yo+ did against God. 2 ;es, in the past yo+r lives were f+ll of those sins. ;o+ lived the way the world lives, following the r+ler of the evil powers over the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who ref+se to o!ey God. 3 3n the past all of +s lived like that, trying to please o+r sinf+l selves. >e did all the things o+r !odies and minds wanted. ike everyone else in the world, we deserved to s+ffer Gods anger =+st !eca+se of the way we were. -phesians 2.#*11 % # <+t God is rich in mercy, and he loved +s very m+ch. % >e were spirit+ally dead !eca+se of all we had done against him. <+t he gave +s new life together with 9hrist. 7;o+ have !een saved !y Gods grace.8 & ;es, it is !eca+se we are a part of 9hrist Ces+s that God raised +s from death and seated +s together with him in the heavenly places. ' God did this so that his kindness to +s who !elong to 9hrist Ces+s wo+ld clearly show for all time to come the amaEing richness of his grace. ( 3 mean that yo+ have !een saved !y grace !eca+se yo+ !elieved. ;o+ did not save yo+rselvesF it was a gift from God. ) ;o+ are not saved !y the things yo+ -asy To .ead /ersion

have done, so there is nothing to !oast a!o+t. 1, God has made +s what we are. 3n 9hrist Ces+s, God made +s new people so that we wo+ld spend o+r lives doing the good things he had already planned for +s to do. 11 ;o+ were not !orn as Cews. ;o+ are the people the Cews call +ncirc+mcised. Those Cews who call yo+ +ncirc+mcised -phesians 2.12*1& & call themselves circ+mcised. 7Their circ+mcision is only something they themselves do to their !odies.8 12 .emem!er that in the past yo+ were witho+t 9hrist. ;o+ were not citiEens of 3srael, and yo+ did not know a!o+t the agreements with the promises that God made to his people. ;o+ had no hope, and yo+ did not know God. 13 ;es, at one time yo+ were far away from God, !+t now in 9hrist Ces+s, yo+ are !ro+ght near to him. ;o+ are !ro+ght near to God thro+gh the !lood sacrifice of 9hrist. 1# 9hrist is the reason we are now at peace. $e made +s Cews and yo+ who are not Cews one people. >e were separated !y a wall of hate that stood !etween +s, !+t 9hrist !roke down that wall. <y giving his own !ody, 1% 9hrist ended the law with its many commands and r+les. $is p+rpose was to make the two gro+ps !ecome one in him. <y doing this he wo+ld make peace. 1& Thro+gh the cross 9hrist ended the hate !etween the two gro+ps. And after they !ecame one !ody, he wanted to -phesians 2.1'*22 ' !ring them !oth !ack to God. $e did this with his death on the cross. 1' 9hrist came and !ro+ght the message of peace to yo+ nonDCews who were far away from God. And he !ro+ght that message of peace to those who were near to God. 1( ;es, thro+gh 9hrist we all have the right to come to the 2ather in one Spirit. 1) So now yo+ nonDCewish people are not visitors or strangers, !+t yo+ are pag. 12310131#

citiEens together with Gods holy people. ;o+ !elong to Gods family. 2, ;o+ !elievers are like a !+ilding that God owns. That !+ilding was !+ilt on the fo+ndation that the apostles and prophets prepared. 9hrist Ces+s himself is the most important stone in that !+ilding. 21 The whole !+ilding is =oined together in 9hrist, and he makes it grow and !ecome a holy temple in the ord. 22 And in 9hrist yo+ are !eing !+ilt together with his other people. ;o+ are !eing made into a place where God lives thro+gh the Spirit. -phesians 3.1*( ( 3 1 So 3, 6a+l, am a prisoner !eca+se 3 serve 9hrist Ces+s for yo+ who are not Cews. 2 S+rely yo+ know that God gave me this work thro+gh his grace to help yo+. 3 God let me know his secret plan !y showing it to me. 3 have already written a little a!o+t this. # And if yo+ read what 3 wrote, yo+ can see that 3 +nderstand the secret tr+th a!o+t 9hrist. % 6eople who lived in other times were not told that secret tr+th. <+t now, thro+gh the Spirit, God has made it known to his holy apostles and prophets. & And this is the secret tr+th: that !y hearing the Good 1ews, those who are not Cews will share with the Cews in the !lessings God has for his people. They are part of the same !ody, and they share in the promise God made thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s. ' <y Gods special gift of grace, 3 !ecame a servant to tell that Good 1ews. $e gave me that grace !y +sing his power. ( 3 am the least important of all Gods people. <+t he gave me this giftto tell the nonDCewish people the Good 1ews -phesians 3.)*1& ) a!o+t the riches 9hrist has. These riches are too great to +nderstand f+lly. ) And God gave me the work of telling all people a!o+t the plan for his secret tr+th. That secret tr+th has !een hidden -asy To .ead /ersion

in him since the !eginning of time. $e is the one who created everything. 1, $is p+rpose was that all the r+lers and powers in the heavenly places will now know the many different ways he shows his wisdom. They will know this !eca+se of the ch+rch. 11 This agrees with the plan God had since the !eginning of time. $e did what he planned, and he did it thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord. 12 3n 9hrist we come !efore God with freedom and witho+t fear. >e can do this !eca+se of o+r faith in 9hrist. 13 So 3 ask yo+ not to !e disco+raged !eca+se of what is happening to me. Ay s+fferings are for yo+r !enefitfor yo+r honor and glory. 1# So 3 !ow in prayer !efore the 2ather. 1% -very family in heaven and on earth gets its tr+e name from him. 1& 3 ask the 2ather with his great glory to give yo+ the power to !e strong -phesians 3.1'*#.2 1, in yo+r spirits. $e will give yo+ that strength thro+gh his Spirit. 1' 3 pray that 9hrist will live in yo+r hearts !eca+se of yo+r faith. 3 pray that yo+r life will !e strong in love and !e !+ilt on love. 1( And 3 pray that yo+ and all Gods holy people will have the power to +nderstand the greatness of 9hrists lovehow wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 1) 9hrists love is greater than anyone can ever know, !+t 3 pray that yo+ will !e a!le to know that love. Then yo+ can !e filled with everything God has for yo+. 2, >ith Gods power working in +s, he can do m+ch, m+ch more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him !e glory in the ch+rch and in 9hrist Ces+s for all time, forever and ever. Amen. 4 1 So, as a prisoner for the ord, 3 !eg yo+ to live the way Gods people sho+ld live, !eca+se he chose yo+ to !e his. 2 Always !e h+m!le and gentle. <e pag. 12320131#

patient and accept each other with love. -phesians #.3*11 11 3 ;o+ are =oined together with peace thro+gh the Spirit. Do all yo+ can to contin+e as yo+ are, letting peace hold yo+ together. # There is one !ody and one Spirit, and God chose yo+ to have one hope. % There is one ord, one faith, and one !aptism. & There is one God and 2ather of +s all, who r+les over everyone. $e works thro+gh all of +s and in all of +s. ' 9hrist gave each one of +s a special gift. -veryone received what he wanted to give them. ( That is why the Script+res say, $e went +p high into the skyF he took prisoners with him, and he gave gifts to people. ) >hen it says, $e went +p, what does it mean? 3t means that he first came down low to earth. 1, So 9hrist came down, and he is the same one who went +p. $e went +p a!ove the highest heaven in order to fill everything with himself. 11 And that same 9hrist gave these gifts to people: $e made some to !e apostles, some to !e prophets, some to go and -phesians #.12*1& 12 tell the Good 1ews, and some to care for and teach Gods people. 12 9hrist gave these gifts to prepare Gods holy people for the work of serving, to make the !ody of 9hrist stronger. 13 This work m+st contin+e +ntil we are all =oined together in what we !elieve and in what we know a!o+t the Son of God. 5+r goal is to !ecome like a f+llDgrown manto look =+st like 9hrist and have all his perfection. 1# Then we will no longer !e like !a!ies. >e will not !e people who are always changing like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. >e will not !e infl+enced !y every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to deceive +sthose who make clever plans and +se every kind of trick to fool others -asy To .ead /ersion

into following the wrong way. 1% 1o, we will speak the tr+th with love. >e will grow to !e like 9hrist in every way. $e is the head, 1& and the whole !ody depends on him. All the parts of the !ody are =oined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This ca+ses the whole !ody to grow and to !e stronger in love. -phesians #.1'*23 13 1' 3 have something from the ord to tell yo+. 3 warn yo+: Dont contin+e living like those who dont !elieve. Their tho+ghts are worth nothing. 1( They have no +nderstanding, and they know nothing !eca+se they ref+se to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 1) They have lost their feeling of shame and +se their lives to do what is morally wrong. Aore and more they want to do all kinds of evil. 2, <+t that way of life is nothing like what yo+ learned when yo+ came to know 9hrist. 21 3 know that yo+ heard a!o+t him, and in him yo+ were ta+ght the tr+th. ;es, the tr+th is in Ces+s. 22 ;o+ were ta+ght to leave yo+r old self. This means that yo+ m+st stop living the evil way yo+ lived !efore. That old self gets worse and worse, !eca+se people are fooled !y the evil they want to do. 23 ;o+ m+st !e made new in yo+r hearts and in yo+r thinking. -phesians #.2#*3, 1# 2# <e that new person who was made to !e like God, tr+ly good and pleasing to him. 2% So yo+ m+st stop telling lies. ;o+ m+st always speak the tr+th to each other, !eca+se we all !elong to each other in the same !ody. 2& >hen yo+ are angry, dont let that anger make yo+ sin, and dont stay angry all day. 2' Dont give the devil a way to defeat yo+. 2( >hoever has !een stealing m+st stop pag. 12330131#

it and start working. They m+st +se their hands for doing something good. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor. 2) >hen yo+ talk, dont say anything !ad. <+t say the good things that people needwhatever will help them grow stronger. Then what yo+ say will !e a !lessing to those who hear yo+. 3, And dont make the $oly Spirit sad. God gave yo+ his Spirit as proof that yo+ !elong to him and that he will keep yo+ safe +ntil the day he makes yo+ free. -phesians #.31*%.% 1% 31 1ever !e !itter, angry, or mad. 1ever sho+t angrily or say things to h+rt others. 1ever do anything evil. 32 <e kind and loving to each other. 2orgive each other the same as God forgave yo+ thro+gh 9hrist. 5 1 ;o+ are Gods dear children, so try to !e like him. 2 ive a life of love. ove others =+st as 9hrist loved +s. $e gave himself for +sa sweetDsmelling offering and sacrifice to God. 3 <+t there m+st !e no se4+al sin among yo+. There m+st not !e any kind of evil or selfishly wanting more and more, !eca+se s+ch things are not right for Gods holy people. # Also, there m+st !e no evil talk among yo+. Dont say things that are foolish or filthy. These are not for yo+. <+t yo+ sho+ld !e giving thanks to God. % ;o+ can !e s+re of this: 1o one will have a place in the kingdom of 9hrist and of God if that person commits se4+al sins, or does evil things, or is a person who selfishly wants more and more. A greedy person like that is serving a false god. -phesians %.&*1% 1& & Dont let anyone fool yo+ with words that are not tr+e. God gets very angry when people who dont o!ey him talk like that. ' So dont have anything to do with them. ( 3n the past yo+ were f+ll of darkness, -asy To .ead /ersion

!+t now yo+ are f+ll of light in the ord. So live like children who !elong to the light. ) This light prod+ces every kind of goodness, right living, and tr+th. 1, Try to learn what pleases the ord. 11 $ave no part in the things that people in darkness do, which prod+ce nothing good. 3nstead, tell everyone how wrong those things are. 12 Act+ally, it is shamef+l to even talk a!o+t the things those people do in secret. 13 <+t the light makes clear how wrong those things are. 1# ;es, everything is made clear !y the light. This is why we say, >ake +p, yo+ who are sleeping" .ise from death, and 9hrist will shine on yo+. 1% So !e very caref+l how yo+ live. ive wisely, not like fools. -phesians %.1&*2% 1' 1& 3 mean that yo+ sho+ld +se every opport+nity yo+ have for doing good, !eca+se these are evil times. 1' So dont !e foolish with yo+r lives, !+t learn what the ord wants yo+ to do. 1( Dont !e dr+nk with wine, which will r+in yo+r life, !+t !e filled with the Spirit. 1) -nco+rage each other with psalms, hymns, and spirit+al songs. Sing and make m+sic in yo+r hearts to the ord. 2, Always give thanks to God the 2ather for everything in the name of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 21 <e willing to serve each other o+t of respect for 9hrist. 22 >ives, !e willing to serve yo+r h+s!ands the same as the ord. 23 A h+s!and is the head of his wife, =+st as 9hrist is the head of the ch+rch. 9hrist is the Savior of the ch+rch, which is his !ody. 2# The ch+rch serves +nder 9hrist, so it is the same with yo+ wives. ;o+ sho+ld !e willing to serve yo+r h+s!ands in everything. 2% $+s!ands, love yo+r wives the same as 9hrist loved the ch+rch and gave his life for it. pag. 123#0131#

-phesians %.2&*33 1( 2& $e died to make the ch+rch holy. $e +sed the telling of the Good 1ews to make the ch+rch clean !y washing it with water. 2' 9hrist died so that he co+ld give the ch+rch to himself like a !ride in all her !ea+ty. $e died so that the ch+rch co+ld !e holy and witho+t fa+lt, with no evil or sin or any other thing wrong in it. 2( And h+s!ands sho+ld love their wives like that. They sho+ld love their wives as they love their own !odies. The man who loves his wife loves himself, 2) !eca+se no one ever hates his own !ody, !+t feeds and takes care of it. And that is what 9hrist does for the ch+rch 3, !eca+se we are parts of his !ody. 31 The Script+res say, That is why a man will leave his father and mother and =oin his wife, and the two people will !ecome one. 32 That secret tr+th is very important3 am talking a!o+t 9hrist and the ch+rch. 33 <+t each one of yo+ m+st love his wife as he loves himself. And a wife m+st respect her h+s!and. -phesians &.1*( 1) 6 1 9hildren, o!ey yo+r parents the way the ord wants, !eca+se this is the right thing to do. 2 The command says, ;o+ m+st respect yo+r father and mother. This is the first command that has a promise with it. 3 And this is the promise: Then all will go well with yo+, and yo+ will have a long life on the earth. # 2athers, dont make yo+r children angry, !+t raise them with the kind of teaching and training yo+ learn from the ord. % Slaves, o!ey yo+r masters here on earth with fear and respect. And do this with a heart that is tr+e, =+st as yo+ o!ey 9hrist. & ;o+ m+st do this not =+st to please yo+r masters while they are watching, !+t all the time. Since yo+ are really slaves of 9hrist, yo+ m+st do with all yo+r heart what God wants. -asy To .ead /ersion

' Do yo+r work, and !e happy to do it. >ork as tho+gh it is the ord yo+ are serving, not =+st an earthly master. ( .emem!er that the ord will give everyone a reward for doing good. -phesians &.)*1% 2, -veryone, slave or free, will get a reward for the good things they do. ) Aasters, in the same way, !e good to yo+r slaves. Dont say things to scare them. ;o+ know that the one who is yo+r Aaster and their Aaster is in heaven, and he treats everyone the same. 1, To end my letter 3 tell yo+, !e strong in the ord and in his great power. 11 >ear the f+ll armor of God. >ear Gods armor so that yo+ can fight against the devils clever tricks. 12 5+r fight is not against people on earth. >e are fighting against the r+lers and a+thorities and the powers of this worlds darkness. >e are fighting against the spirit+al powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why yo+ need to get Gods f+ll armor. Then on the day of evil, yo+ will !e a!le to stand strong. And when yo+ have finished the whole fight, yo+ will still !e standing. 1# So stand strong with the !elt of tr+th tied aro+nd yo+r waist, and on yo+r chest wear the protection of right living. 1% 5n yo+r feet wear the Good 1ews of peace to help yo+ stand strong. -phesians &.1&*22 21 1& And also +se the shield of faith with which yo+ can stop all the !+rning arrows that come from the -vil 5ne. 1' Accept Gods salvation as yo+r helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit that sword is the teaching of God. 1( 6ray in the Spirit at all times. 6ray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything yo+ need. To do this yo+ m+st always !e ready. 1ever give +p. Always pray for all of Gods people. 1) Also pray for methat when 3 speak, God will give me words so that 3 can tell the secret tr+th a!o+t the Good 1ews witho+t fear. pag. 123%0131#

2, 3 have the work of speaking for that Good 1ews, and that is what 3 am doing now, here in prison. 6ray that when 3 tell people the Good 1ews, 3 will speak witho+t fear as 3 sho+ld. 21 3 am sending yo+ Tychic+s, o+r dear !rother and faithf+l helper in the ords work. $e will tell yo+ everything that is happening with me. Then yo+ will know how 3 am and what 3 am doing. 22 Thats why 3 am sending himto let yo+ know how we are and to enco+rage yo+. -phesians &.23*2# 22 23 3 pray that God the 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist will give peace and love with faith to all the !rothers and sisters there. 2# Gods grace to all of yo+ who love o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist with love that never ends. -'ili55ians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l and Timothy, servants of Ces+s 9hrist. To all of yo+ in 6hilippi who are Gods holy people in 9hrist Ces+s, incl+ding yo+r elders and special servants. 2 Grace and peace to yo+ from God o+r 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3 3 thank God every time 3 remem!er yo+. # And 3 always pray for all of yo+ with =oy. % 3 thank God for the help yo+ gave me while 3 told people the Good 1ews. ;o+ helped from the first day yo+ !elieved +ntil now. & 3 am s+re that the good work God !egan in yo+ will contin+e +ntil he completes it on the day when Ces+s 9hrist comes again. ' 3 know 3 am right to think like this a!o+t all of yo+ !eca+se yo+ are so close to my heart. This is !eca+se yo+ have all played s+ch an important part in Gods grace to menow, d+ring this time 6hilippians 1.(*1# 2 that 3 am in prison, and whenever 3 am defending and proving the tr+th of the Good 1ews. ( God knows that 3 want very m+ch to -asy To .ead /ersion

see yo+. 3 love all of yo+ with the love of 9hrist Ces+s. ) This is my prayer for yo+: that yo+r love will grow more and moreF that yo+ will have knowledge and +nderstanding with yo+r loveF 1, that yo+ will see the difference !etween what is important and what is not and choose what is importantF that yo+ will !e p+re and !lameless for the coming of 9hristF 11 that yo+r life will !e f+ll of the many good works that are prod+ced !y Ces+s 9hrist to !ring glory 12 <rothers and sisters, 3 want yo+ to know that all that has happened to me has helped to spread the Good 1ews. 13 All the .oman g+ards and all the others here know that 3 am in prison for serving 9hrist. 1# Ay !eing in prison has ca+sed most of the !elievers to p+t their tr+st in the ord and to show more co+rage in telling people Gods message. 6hilippians 1.1%*2, 3 1% Some people are telling the message a!o+t 9hrist !eca+se they are =ealo+s and !itter. 5thers do it !eca+se they want to help. 1& They are doing it o+t of love. They know that God gave me the work of defending the Good 1ews. 1' <+t those others tell a!o+t 9hrist !eca+se of their selfish am!ition. Their reason for doing it is wrong. They only do it !eca+se they think it will make tro+!le for me in prison. 1( <+t that doesnt matter. >hat is important is that they are telling people a!o+t 9hrist, whether they are sincere or not. So 3 am glad they are doing it. 3 will contin+e to !e glad, 1) !eca+se 3 know that yo+r prayers and the help the Spirit of Ces+s 9hrist gives me will ca+se this tro+!le to res+lt in my freedom. 2, 3 am f+ll of hope and feel s+re 3 will not have any reason to !e ashamed. 3 am certain 3 will contin+e to have the same !oldness to speak freely that 3 pag. 123&0131#

always have. 3 will let God +se my life to !ring more honor to 9hrist. 3t doesnt matter whether 3 live or die. 6hilippians 1.21*2' # 21 To me, the only important thing a!o+t living is 9hrist. And even death wo+ld !e for my !enefit. 22 3f 3 contin+e living here on earth, 3 will !e a!le to work for the ord. <+t what wo+ld 3 chooseto live or to die? 3 dont know. 23 3t wo+ld !e a hard choice. Sometimes 3 want to leave this life and !e with 9hrist. That wo+ld !e m+ch !etter for meF 2# however, yo+ people need me here alive. 2% 3 am s+re of this, so 3 know that 3 will stay here and !e with yo+ to help yo+ grow and have =oy in yo+r faith. 2& >hen 3 am there with yo+ again, yo+ will !e !+rsting with pride over what 9hrist Ces+s did to help me. 2' C+st !e s+re yo+ live as Gods people in a way that honors the Good 1ews of 9hrist. Then if 3 come and visit yo+ or if 3 am away from yo+, 3 will hear good things a!o+t yo+. 3 will know that yo+ stand together with the same p+rpose and that yo+ work together like a team to help others !elieve the Good 1ews. 6hilippians 1.2(*2.# % 2( And yo+ will not !e afraid of those who are against yo+. All of this is proof from God that yo+ are !eing saved and that yo+r enemies will !e lost. 2) God has !lessed yo+ in ways that serve 9hrist. $e allowed yo+ to !elieve in 9hrist. <+t that is not all. $e has also given yo+ the honor of s+ffering for him. 3, ;o+ saw the diffic+lties 3 had to face, and yo+ hear that 3 am still having tro+!les. 1ow yo+ m+st face them too. 2 1 Think a!o+t what we have in 9hrist: the enco+ragement he has !ro+ght +s, the comfort of his love, o+r sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown +s. 3f yo+ en=oy these !lessings, 2 then do what will make my =oy -asy To .ead /ersion

complete: Agree with each other, and show yo+r love for each other. <e +nited in yo+r goals and in the way yo+ think. 3 3n whatever yo+ do, dont let selfishness or pride !e yo+r g+ide. <e h+m!le, and honor others more than yo+rselves. # Dont !e interested only in yo+r own life, !+t care a!o+t the lives of others too. 6hilippians 2.%*12 & % 3n yo+r life together, think the way 9hrist Ces+s tho+ght. & $e was like God in every way, !+t he did not think that his !eing eJ+al with God was something to +se for his own !enefit. ' 3nstead, he gave +p everything, even his place with God. $e accepted the role of a servant, appearing in h+man form. D+ring his life as a man, ( he h+m!led himself !y !eing f+lly o!edient to God, even when that ca+sed his deathdeath on a cross. ) So God raised him +p to the most important place and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. 1, God did this so that every person will !ow down to honor the name of Ces+s. -veryone in heaven, on earth, and +nder the earth will !ow. 11 They will all confess, Ces+s 9hrist is ord, and this will !ring glory to God the 2ather. 12 Ay dear friends, yo+ always o!eyed what yo+ were ta+ght. C+st as yo+ o!eyed when 3 was with yo+, it is even more important for yo+ to o!ey now that 3 am not there. So yo+ m+st contin+e to 6hilippians 2.13*1( ' live in a way that gives meaning to yo+r salvation. Do this with fear and respect for God. 13 ;es, it is God who is working in yo+. $e helps yo+ want to do what pleases him, and he gives yo+ the power to do it. 1# Do everything witho+t complaining or arg+ing 1% so that yo+ will !e !lameless and p+re, children of God witho+t any fa+lt. pag. 123'0131#

<+t yo+ are living with evil people all aro+nd yo+, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people yo+ shine like lights in a dark world, 1& and yo+ offer them the teaching that gives life. So 3 can !e pro+d of yo+ when 9hrist comes again. ;o+ will show that my work was not wastedthat 3 ran in the race and won. 1' ;o+r faith makes yo+ give yo+r lives as a sacrifice in serving God. Aay!e 3 will have to offer my own life with yo+r sacrifice. <+t if that happens, 3 will !e glad, and 3 will share my =oy with all of yo+. 1( ;o+ also sho+ld !e glad and share yo+r =oy with me. 6hilippians 2.1)*2' ( 1) >ith the !lessing of the ord Ces+s, 3 hope 3 will !e a!le to send Timothy to yo+ soon. 3 will !e glad to learn how yo+ are. 2, 3 have no one else like Timothy, who gen+inely cares for yo+. 21 5thers are interested only in their own lives. They dont care a!o+t the work of 9hrist Ces+s. 22 ;o+ know the kind of person Timothy is. $e has served with me in telling the Good 1ews like a son with his father. 23 3 plan to send him to yo+ J+ickly, as soon as 3 know what will happen to me. 2# 3 am s+re the ord will help me come to yo+ soon. 2% 2or now, 3 think 3 m+st send -paphrodit+s !ack to yo+. $e is my !rother in Gods family, who works and serves with me in the ords army. >hen 3 needed help, yo+ sent him to me, 2& !+t now he wants very m+ch to see all of yo+ again. $e is worried !eca+se yo+ heard that he was sick. 2' $e was sick and near death. <+t God helped him and me too, so that 3 wo+ld not have even more grief. 6hilippians 2.2(*3.# ) 2( So 3 want very m+ch to send him to yo+. >hen yo+ see him, yo+ can !e happy. And 3 can stop worrying a!o+t yo+. -asy To .ead /ersion

2) >elcome him in the ord with m+ch =oy. Give honor to people like -paphrodit+s. 3, $e sho+ld !e honored !eca+se he almost died for the work of 9hrist. $e p+t his life in danger so that he co+ld help me. This was help that yo+ co+ld not give me. 3 1 And now, my !rothers and sisters, !e filled with =oy in the ord. 3t is no tro+!le for me to write the same things to yo+ again. 3 want to !e s+re that yo+ are prepared. 2 <e caref+l of the dogsthose men whose work does only harm. They want to c+t on everyone who isnt circ+mcised. 3 <+t we are the ones who have the tr+e circ+mcision we who worship God thro+gh his Spirit. >e dont tr+st in o+rselves or anything we can do. >e take pride only in 9hrist Ces+s. # -ven if 3 am a!le to tr+st in myself, still 3 dont do it. 3f anyone else thinks they have a reason to tr+st in themselves, 6hilippians 3.%*) 1, they sho+ld know that 3 have a greater reason for doing so. % 3 was circ+mcised on the eighth day after my !irth. 3 am from the people of 3srael and the tri!e of <en=amin. 3 am a tr+e Cew, and so were my parents. The law was very important to me. That is why 3 !ecame a 6harisee. & 3 was so eager to defend my religion that 3 persec+ted the ch+rch. And no one co+ld find fa+lt with the way 3 o!eyed the aw of Aoses. ' At one time all these things were important to me. <+t !eca+se of 9hrist, 3 decided that they are worth nothing. ( 1ot only these things, !+t now 3 think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing 9hrist Ces+s my ord. <eca+se of 9hrist, 3 lost these things, and now 3 know that they are all worthless trash. All 3 want now is 9hrist. ) 3 want to !elong to him. 3n 9hrist 3 am right with God, !+t my !eing right does not come from following the law. 3t pag. 123(0131#

comes from God thro+gh faith. God +ses my faith in 9hrist to make me right with him. 6hilippians 3.1,*1& 11 1, All 3 want is to know 9hrist and the power that raised him from death. 3 want to share in his s+fferings and !e like him even in his death. 11 Then there is hope that 3 myself will somehow !e raised from death. 12 3 dont mean that 3 am e4actly what God wants me to !e. 3 have not yet reached that goal. <+t 3 contin+e trying to reach it and make it mine. Thats what 9hrist Ces+s wants me to do. 3t is the reason he made me his. 13 <rothers and sisters, 3 know that 3 still have a long way to go. <+t there is one thing 3 do: 3 forget what is in the past and try as hard as 3 can to reach the goal !efore me. 1# 3 keep r+nning hard toward the finish line to get the priEe that is mine !eca+se God has called me thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s to life +p there in heaven. 1% All of +s who have grown to !e spirit+ally mat+re sho+ld think this way too. And if there is any of this that yo+ dont agree with, God will make it clear to yo+. 1& <+t we sho+ld contin+e following the tr+th we already have. 6hilippians 3.1'*#.1 12 1' <rothers and sisters, =oin together in following my e4ample. Also, learn !y watching those who are living the way we showed yo+. 1( There are many who live like enemies of the cross of 9hrist. 3 have often told yo+ a!o+t them. And it makes me cry to tell yo+ a!o+t them now. 1) The way they live is leading them to destr+ction. They have replaced God with their own desires. They do shamef+l things, and they are pro+d of what they do. They think only a!o+t earthly things. 2, <+t the government that r+les +s is in heaven. >e are waiting for o+r Savior, the ord Ces+s 9hrist, to come from there. -asy To .ead /ersion

21 $e will change o+r h+m!le !odies and make them like his own glorio+s !ody. 9hrist can do this !y his power, with which he is a!le to r+le everything. 4 1 Ay dear !rothers and sisters, 3 love yo+ and want to see yo+. ;o+ !ring me =oy and make me pro+d of yo+. 9ontin+e following the ord as 3 have told yo+. 6hilippians #.2*( 13 2 -+odia and Syntyche, yo+ !oth !elong to the ord, so please agree with each other. 3 2or this 3 make a special reJ+est to my friend who has served with me so faithf+lly: $elp these women. They worked hard with me in telling people the Good 1ews, together with 9lement and others who worked with me. Their names are written in the !ook of life. # Always !e filled with =oy in the ord. 3 will say it again. <e filled with =oy. % et everyone see that yo+ are gentle and kind. The ord is coming soon. & Dont worry a!o+t anything, !+t pray and ask God for everything yo+ need, always giving thanks for what yo+ have. ' And !eca+se yo+ !elong to 9hrist Ces+s, Gods peace will stand g+ard over all yo+r tho+ghts and feelings. $is peace can do this far !etter than o+r h+man minds. ( <rothers and sisters, contin+e to think a!o+t what is good and worthy of praise. Think a!o+t what is tr+e and honora!le and right and p+re and !ea+tif+l and respected. 6hilippians #.)*1% 1# ) And do what yo+ learned and received from mewhat 3 told yo+ and what yo+ saw me do. And the God who gives peace will !e with yo+. 1, 3 am so happy, and 3 thank the ord that yo+ have again shown yo+r care for me. ;o+ contin+ed to care a!o+t me, !+t there was no way for yo+ to show it. 11 3 am telling yo+ this, !+t not !eca+se 3 need something. 3 have learned to !e satisfied with what 3 have and with whatever happens. pag. 123)0131#

12 3 know how to live when 3 am poor and when 3 have plenty. 3 have learned the secret of how to live thro+gh any kind of sit+ationwhen 3 have eno+gh to eat or when 3 am h+ngry, when 3 have everything 3 need or when 3 have nothing. 13 9hrist is the one who gives me the strength 3 need to do whatever 3 m+st do. 1# <+t it was good that yo+ helped me when 3 needed help. 1% ;o+ people in 6hilippi remem!er when 3 first told the Good 1ews there. >hen 3 left Aacedonia, yo+ were the only ch+rch that gave me help. 6hilippians #.1&*23 1% 1& Several times yo+ sent me things 3 needed when 3 was in Thessalonica. 1' .eally, it is not that 3 want to get gifts from yo+. <+t 3 want yo+ to have the !enefit that comes from giving. 1( 3 have everything 3 need. 3 have even more than 3 need. 3 have all 3 need !eca+se -paphrodit+s !ro+ght yo+r gift to me. ;o+r gift is like a sweetDsmelling sacrifice offered to God. God accepts that sacrifice and it pleases him. 1) Ay God will +se his glorio+s riches to give yo+ everything yo+ need. $e will do this thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s. 2, Glory to o+r God and 2ather forever and ever. Amen. 21 Give o+r greetings to Gods people thereto each one who !elongs to 9hrist Ces+s. Those in Gods family who are with me send yo+ their greetings. 22 And greetings to yo+ from all of Gods people here, especially those who work in the service of the emperor. 23 The grace of the ord Ces+s 9hrist !e with yo+ all. +olossians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, an apostle of 9hrist Ces+s. 3 am an apostle !eca+se that is what God wanted. Greetings also from Timothy, o+r !rother in 9hrist. 2 To the holy and faithf+l !rothers and sisters in 9hrist who live in 9olossae. Grace and peace to yo+ from God o+r -asy To .ead /ersion

2ather. 3 3n o+r prayers we always thank God for yo+. $e is the 2ather of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. # >e thank him !eca+se we have heard a!o+t the faith yo+ have in 9hrist Ces+s and the love yo+ have for all of Gods people. % ;o+r faith and love contin+e !eca+se yo+ know what is waiting for yo+ in heaventhe hope yo+ have had since yo+ first heard the tr+e message, the Good 1ews & that was told to yo+. Thro+gho+t the world, this Good 1ews is !ringing !lessings and is spreading. And thats what has !een happening among yo+ 9olossians 1.'*12 2 since the first time yo+ heard it and +nderstood the tr+th a!o+t Gods grace. ' ;o+ heard it from -paphras, o+r dear friend and coDworker. $e is a faithf+l servant of 9hrist for +s. ( $e also told +s a!o+t the love yo+ have from the Spirit. ) Since the day we heard these things a!o+t yo+, we have contin+ed praying for yo+. This is what we pray: that God will make yo+ completely s+re of what he wants !y giving yo+ all the wisdom and spirit+al +nderstanding yo+ needF 1, that this will help yo+ live in a way that !rings honor to the ord and pleases him in every wayF that yo+r life will prod+ce good works of every kind and that yo+ will grow in yo+r knowledge of GodF 11 that God will strengthen yo+ with his own great power, so that yo+ will !e patient and not give +p when tro+!les come. Then yo+ will !e happy 12 and give thanks to the 2ather. $e has made yo+ a!le to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. 9olossians 1.13*2, 3 13 God made +s free from the power of darkness. And he !ro+ght +s into the kingdom of his dear Son. 1# The Son paid the price to make +s pag. 12#,0131#

free. 3n him we have the forgiveness of o+r sins. 1% 1o one can see God, !+t the Son is e4actly like God. $e r+les over everything that has !een made. 1& Thro+gh his power all things were made: things in heaven and on earth, seen and not seen all spirit+al r+lers, lords, powers, and a+thorities. -verything was made thro+gh him and for him. 1' The Son was there !efore anything was made. And all things contin+e !eca+se of him. 1( $e is the head of the !ody, which is the ch+rch. $e is the !eginning of everything else. And he is the first among all who will !e raised from death. So in everything he is most important. 1) God was pleased for all of himself to live in the Son. 2, And thro+gh him, God was happy to !ring all things !ack to himself again things on earth and things in heaven. 9olossians 1.21*2# # God made peace !y +sing the !lood sacrifice of his Son on the cross. 21 At one time yo+ were separated from God. ;o+ were his enemies in yo+r minds, !eca+se the evil yo+ did was against him. 22 <+t now he has made yo+ his friends again. $e did this !y the death 9hrist s+ffered while he was in his !ody. $e did it so that he co+ld present yo+ to himself as people who are holy, !lameless, and witho+t anything that wo+ld make yo+ g+ilty !efore him. 23 And that is what will happen if yo+ contin+e to !elieve in the Good 1ews yo+ heard. ;o+ m+st remain strong and s+re in yo+r faith. ;o+ m+st not let anything ca+se yo+ to give +p the hope that !ecame yo+rs when yo+ heard the Good 1ews. That same Good 1ews has !een told to everyone on earth, and thats the work that 3, 6a+l, was given to do. 2# 3 am happy in my s+fferings for yo+. There is m+ch that 9hrist m+st still -asy To .ead /ersion

s+ffer. And 3 gladly accept my part of those s+fferings in my !ody for the good of his !ody, the ch+rch. 9olossians 1.2%*2.1 % 2% 3 !ecame a servant of the ch+rch !eca+se God gave me a special work to do. This work helps yo+. Ay work is to tell the complete message of God. 2& This message is the secret tr+th that was hidden since the !eginning of time. 3t was hidden from everyone for ages, !+t now it has !een made known to Gods holy people. 2' God decided to let his people know =+st how rich and glorio+s that tr+th is. That secret tr+th, which is for all people, is that 9hrist lives among yo+. $e is o+r hope for glory. 2( So we contin+e to tell people a!o+t 9hrist. >e +se all wisdom to co+nsel every person and teach every person. >e are trying to !ring everyone !efore God as people who have grown to !e spirit+ally mat+re in 9hrist. 2) To do this, 3 work and str+ggle +sing the great strength that 9hrist gives me. That strength is working in my life. 2 1 3 want yo+ to know that 3 am trying very hard to help yo+. And 3 am trying to help those in aodicea and others who have never seen me. 9olossians 2.2*( & 2 3 want them to !e strengthened and =oined together with love and to have the f+ll confidence that comes from +nderstanding. 3 want them to know completely the secret tr+th that God has made known. That tr+th is 9hrist himself. 3 3n him all the treas+res of wisdom and knowledge are kept safe. # 3 tell yo+ this so that no one can fool yo+ !y telling yo+ ideas that seem good, !+t are false. % -ven tho+gh 3 am far away, my tho+ghts are always with yo+. 3 am happy to see yo+r good lives and yo+r strong faith in 9hrist. & ;o+ accepted 9hrist Ces+s as ord, so contin+e to live following him. pag. 12#10131#

' ;o+ m+st depend on 9hrist only, drawing life and strength from him. C+st as yo+ were ta+ght the tr+th, contin+e to grow stronger in yo+r +nderstanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. ( <e s+re yo+ are not led away !y the teaching of those who have nothing worth saying and only plan to deceive yo+. That teaching is not from 9hrist. 3t 9olossians 2.)*1# ' is only h+man tradition and comes from the powers that infl+ence this world. ) 3 say this !eca+se all of God lives in 9hrist f+lly, even in his life on earth. 1, And !eca+se yo+ !elong to 9hrist yo+ are complete, having everything yo+ need. 9hrist is r+ler over every other power and a+thority. 11 3n 9hrist yo+ had a different kind of circ+mcision, one that was not done !y h+man hands. That is, yo+ were made free from the power of yo+r sinf+l self. That is the kind of circ+mcision 9hrist does. 12 >hen yo+ were !aptiEed, yo+ were !+ried with 9hrist, and yo+ were raised +p with him !eca+se of yo+r faith in Gods power. Gods power was shown when he raised 9hrist from death. 13 ;o+ were spirit+ally dead !eca+se of yo+r sins and !eca+se yo+ were not free from the power of yo+r sinf+l self. <+t God gave yo+ new life together with 9hrist. $e forgave all o+r sins. 1# <eca+se we !roke Gods laws, we owed a de!ta de!t that listed all the r+les we failed to follow. <+t God forgave 9olossians 2.1%*1) ( +s of that de!t. $e took it away and nailed it to the cross. 1% $e defeated the r+lers and powers of the spirit+al world. >ith the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see. 1& So dont let anyone make r+les for yo+ a!o+t eating and drinking or a!o+t Cewish c+stoms 7festivals, 1ew Aoon cele!rations, or Sa!!ath days8. 1' 3n the past these things were like a -asy To .ead /ersion

shadow that showed what was coming. <+t the new things that were coming are fo+nd in 9hrist. 1( Some people en=oy acting as if they are h+m!le and love to worship angels. They always talk a!o+t the visions they have seen. Dont listen to them when they say yo+ are wrong !eca+se yo+ dont do these things. 3t is so foolish for them to feel s+ch pride, !eca+se it is all !ased on their own h+man ideas. 1) They dont keep themselves +nder the control of the head. 9hrist is the head, and the whole !ody depends on him. <eca+se of 9hrist all the parts of the !ody care for each other and help each 9olossians 2.2,*3.3 ) other. So the !ody is made stronger and held together as God ca+ses it to grow. 2, ;o+ died with 9hrist and were made free from the powers that infl+ence this world. So why do yo+ act as if yo+ still !elong to the world? 3 mean, why do yo+ follow r+les like these: 21 Dont eat this, Dont taste that, Dont to+ch that? 22 These r+les are talking a!o+t earthly things that are gone after they are +sed. They are only h+man commands and teachings. 23 These r+les may seem to !e wise as part of a madeD+p religion in which people pretend to !e h+m!le and p+nish their !odies. <+t they dont help people stop doing the evil that the sinf+l self wants to do. 3 1 ;o+ were raised from death with 9hrist. So live for what is in heaven, where 9hrist is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only a!o+t what is +p there, not what is here on earth. 3 ;o+r old self has died, and yo+r new life is kept with 9hrist in God. 9olossians 3.#*1, 1, # ;es, 9hrist is now yo+r life, and when he comes again, yo+ will share in his glory. % So p+t everything evil o+t of yo+r life: se4+al sin, doing anything immoral, pag. 12#20131#

letting sinf+l tho+ghts control yo+, and wanting things that are wrong. And dont keep wanting more and more for yo+rself, which is the same as worshiping a false god. & God will show his anger against those who dont o!ey him, !eca+se they do these evil things. ' ;o+ also did these things in the past, when yo+ lived like them. ( <+t now p+t these things o+t of yo+r life: anger, losing yo+r temper, doing or saying things to h+rt others, and saying shamef+l things. ) Dont lie to each other. ;o+ have taken off those old clothesthe person yo+ once were and the !ad things yo+ did then. 1, 1ow yo+ are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. ;o+ are growing in yo+r +nderstanding of the one who made yo+. ;o+ are !ecoming more and more like him. 9olossians 3.11*1& 11 11 3n this new life it doesnt matter if yo+ are a Greek or a Cew, circ+mcised or not. 3t doesnt matter if yo+ speak a different lang+age or even if yo+ are a Scythian. 3t doesnt matter if yo+ are a slave or free. 9hrist is all that matters, and he is in all of yo+. 12 God has chosen yo+ and made yo+ his holy people. $e loves yo+. So yo+r new life sho+ld !e like this: Show mercy to others. <e kind, h+m!le, gentle, and patient. 13 Dont !e angry with each other, !+t forgive each other. 3f yo+ feel someone has wronged yo+, forgive them. 2orgive others !eca+se the ord forgave yo+. 1# Together with these things, the most important part of yo+r new life is to love each other. ove is what holds everything together in perfect +nity. 1% et the peace that 9hrist gives control yo+r thinking. 3t is for peace that yo+ were chosen to !e together in one !ody. And always !e thankf+l. 1& et the teaching of 9hrist live inside yo+ richly. Hse all wisdom to teach and co+nsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, -asy To .ead /ersion

9olossians 3.1'*2# 12 and spirit+al songs with thankf+lness in yo+r hearts to God. 1' -verything yo+ say and everything yo+ do sho+ld !e done for Ces+s yo+r ord. And in all yo+ do, give thanks to God the 2ather thro+gh Ces+s. 1( >ives, !e willing to serve yo+r h+s!ands. This is the right thing to do in following the ord. 1) $+s!ands, love yo+r wives, and !e gentle to them. 2, 9hildren, o!ey yo+r parents in everything. This pleases the ord. 21 2athers, dont +pset yo+r children. 3f yo+ are too hard to please, they might want to stop trying. 22 Servants, o!ey yo+r masters in everything. 5!ey all the time, even when they cant see yo+. Dont =+st pretend to work hard so that they will treat yo+ well. 1o, yo+ m+st serve yo+r masters honestly !eca+se yo+ respect the ord. 23 3n all the work yo+ are given, do the !est yo+ can. >ork as tho+gh yo+ are working for the ord, not any earthly master. 2# .emem!er that yo+ will receive yo+r reward from the ord, who will give yo+ 9olossians 3.2%*#.' 13 what he promised his people. ;es, yo+ are serving 9hrist. $e is yo+r real Aaster. 2% .emem!er that anyone who does wrong will !e p+nished for that wrong. And the ord treats everyone the same. 4 1 Aasters, give what is good and fair to yo+r servants. .emem!er that yo+ have a Aaster in heaven. 2 1ever stop praying. <e ready for anything !y praying and !eing thankf+l. 3 Also pray for +s. 6ray that God will give +s an opport+nity to tell people his message. 3 am in prison for doing this. <+t pray that we can contin+e to tell people the secret tr+th that God has made known a!o+t 9hrist. # 6ray that 3 will say what is necessary to make this tr+th clear to everyone. % <e wise in the way yo+ act with those who are not !elievers. Hse yo+r time in pag. 12#30131#

the !est way yo+ can. & >hen yo+ talk, yo+ sho+ld always !e kind and wise. Then yo+ will !e a!le to answer everyone in the way yo+ sho+ld. ' Tychic+s is my dear !rother in 9hrist. $e is a faithf+l helper and he serves the ord with me. $e will tell yo+ everything that is happening with me. 9olossians #.(*13 1# ( That is why 3 am sending him. 3 want yo+ to know how we are, and 3 am sending him to enco+rage yo+. ) 3 am sending him with 5nesim+s, the faithf+l and dear !rother from yo+r gro+p. They will tell yo+ everything that has happened here. 1, Aristarch+s, the one here in prison with me, sends yo+ his greetings. Aark, the co+sin of <arna!as, also sends his greetings. 73 have already told yo+ what to do a!o+t Aark. 3f he comes, welcome him.8 11 And greetings from Ces+s, the one who is also called C+st+s. These are the only Cewish !elievers who work with me for Gods kingdom. They have !een a great comfort to me. 12 -paphras, another servant of Ces+s 9hrist from yo+r gro+p, sends his greetings. $e constantly str+ggles for yo+ in prayer. $e prays that yo+ will grow to !e spirit+ally mat+re and have everything that God wants for yo+. 13 3 know that he has worked hard for yo+ and the people in aodicea and in $ierapolis. 9olossians #.1#*1( 1% 1# Greetings also from Demas and o+r dear friend +ke, the doctor. 1% Give o+r greetings to the !rothers and sisters in aodicea. Greetings also to 1ympha and to the ch+rch that meets in her ho+se. 1& After this letter is read to yo+, !e s+re it is also read to the ch+rch in aodicea. And yo+ read the letter that 3 wrote to them. 1' Tell Archipp+s, <e s+re to do the work the ord gave yo+. 1( $eres my greeting in my own -asy To .ead /ersion

handwritingSAH . .emem!er me in prison. Gods grace !e with yo+. 1 T'essalonians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, Silas, and Timothy. To the ch+rch in Thessalonica that !elongs to God the 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. Grace and peace !e yo+rs. 2 >e always remem!er yo+ when we pray, and we thank God for all of yo+. 3 -very time we pray to God o+r 2ather, we thank him for all that yo+ have done !eca+se of yo+r faith. And we thank him for the work yo+ have done !eca+se of yo+r love. And we thank him that yo+ contin+e to !e strong !eca+se of yo+r hope in o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. # <rothers and sisters, God loves yo+. And we know that he has chosen yo+ to !e his people. % >hen we !ro+ght the Good 1ews to yo+, we came with more than words. >e !ro+ght that Good 1ews with power, with the $oly Spirit, and with the s+re knowledge that it was tr+e. Also yo+ know how we lived when we were with yo+. >e lived that way to help yo+. 1 Thessalonians 1.&*2.2 2 & And yo+ !ecame like +s and like the ord. ;o+ s+ffered m+ch, !+t still yo+ accepted the teaching with =oy. The $oly Spirit gave yo+ that =oy. ' ;o+ !ecame an e4ample to all the !elievers in Aacedonia and Achaia. ( The ords teaching has spread from yo+ thro+gho+t Greece and !eyond. 3n fact, yo+r faith in God has !ecome known everywhere, so we never have to tell anyone a!o+t it. ) 6eople everywhere are already telling the story a!o+t the good way yo+ accepted +s when we were there with yo+. They tell a!o+t how yo+ stopped worshiping idols and changed to serve the living and tr+e God. 1, And yo+ !egan waiting for Gods Son to come from heaventhe Son God raised from death. $e is Ces+s, who saves +s from Gods angry =+dgment that is coming. pag. 12##0131#

2 1 <rothers and sisters, yo+ know that o+r visit to yo+ was not a fail+re. 2 <+t !efore we came to yo+, people in 6hilippi had a!+sed +s with ins+lts and made +s s+ffer. ;o+ know all a!o+t that. And then, when we came to yo+, many 1 Thessalonians 2.3*( 3 people there ca+sed +s tro+!le. >e told yo+ Gods Good 1ews !+t only !eca+se he gave +s the co+rage we needed. 3 >e had nothing to gain !y asking yo+ to !elieve the Good 1ews. >e were not trying to trick or fool anyone. # 1o, we did it !eca+se God is the one who gave +s this work. And this was only after he tested +s and saw that we co+ld !e tr+sted to do it. So when we speak, we are only trying to please God, not anyone else. $e is the one who can see what is in o+r hearts. % ;o+ know that we never tried to infl+ence yo+ !y saying nice things a!o+t yo+. >e were not trying to get yo+r money. >e had no greed to hide from yo+. God knows that this is tr+e. & >e were not looking for praise from peoplenot from yo+ or anyone else. ' >hen we were with yo+, as apostles of 9hrist we co+ld have +sed o+r a+thority to make yo+ help +s. <+t we were very gentle with yo+. >e were like a mother caring for her little children. ( 3t was o+r deep love for yo+ that made +s happy to share Gods Good 1ews with yo+. <+t not only thatwe were also 1 Thessalonians 2.)*1# # happy to share even o+r own lives with yo+. Thats how m+ch we had come to love yo+. ) <rothers and sisters, 3 know that yo+ remem!er how hard we worked. >e worked night and day to s+pport o+rselves, so that we wo+ld not !e a !+rden to anyone while we did the work of telling yo+ Gods Good 1ews. 1, >hen we were there with yo+ !elievers, we were p+re, honest, and witho+t fa+lt in the way we lived. ;o+ know, =+st as God does, that this is tr+e. 11 ;o+ know that we treated each one -asy To .ead /ersion

of yo+ the way a father treats his own children. 12 >e enco+raged yo+, we comforted yo+, and we told yo+ to live good lives for God. $e calls yo+ to !e part of his glorio+s kingdom. 13 Also, we always thank God !eca+se of the way yo+ accepted his message. ;o+ heard it and accepted it as Gods message, not o+r own. And it really is Gods message. And it works in yo+ who !elieve. 1# <rothers and sisters, yo+ are =+st like Gods ch+rches in C+dea that !elong 1 Thessalonians 2.1%*1) % to 9hrist Ces+s. 3 mean that yo+ were treated !adly !y yo+r own people, =+st as those !elievers were treated !adly !y other Cews 1% the same Cews who killed the ord Ces+s and the prophets. And they forced +s to leave their co+ntry. They are not pleasing to God, and they are against everyone else. 1& And they are trying to stop +s from teaching those who are not Cews. They dont want them to !e saved. <+t they are =+st adding more and more sins to the ones they already have. 1ow the time has come for them to s+ffer Gods anger. 1' <rothers and sisters, we were separated from yo+ for a short time. <+t even tho+gh we were not there, o+r tho+ghts were still with yo+. >e wanted very m+ch to see yo+, and we tried very hard to do this. 1( ;es, we wanted to come to yo+. 3, 6a+l, tried more than once to come, !+t Satan stopped +s. 1) ;o+ are o+r hope, o+r =oy, and the crown we will !e pro+d of when o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist comes. 1 Thessalonians 2.2,*3.& & 2, ;o+ !ring +s honor and =oy. 3 1 >e co+ld not come to yo+, !+t it was very hard to wait any longer. So we decided to send Timothy to yo+ and stay in Athens alone. Timothy is o+r !rother. $e works with +s for God to pag. 12#%0131#

tell people the Good 1ews a!o+t 9hrist. >e sent Timothy to strengthen and enco+rage yo+ in yo+r faith. 2 73:18 3 >e sent him so that none of yo+ wo+ld !e +pset !y the tro+!les we have now. ;o+ yo+rselves know that we m+st have these tro+!les. # -ven when we were with yo+, we told yo+ that we wo+ld all have to s+ffer. And yo+ know that it happened =+st as we said. % This is why 3 sent Timothy to yo+, so that 3 co+ld know a!o+t yo+r faith. 3 sent him when 3 co+ld not wait anymore. 3 was afraid that the devil might have defeated yo+ with his temptations. Then o+r hard work wo+ld have !een wasted. & <+t now Timothy has come !ack from his visit with yo+ and told +s good news a!o+t yo+r faith and love. $e told +s that yo+ always remem!er +s in a good 1 Thessalonians 3.'*13 ' way. $e told +s that yo+ want very m+ch to see +s again. And it is the same with +swe want very m+ch to see yo+. ' So, !rothers and sisters, we are enco+raged a!o+t yo+ !eca+se of yo+r faith. >e have m+ch tro+!le and s+ffering, !+t still we are enco+raged. ( 5+r life is really f+ll if yo+ stand strong in the ord. ) >e have so m+ch =oy !efore o+r God !eca+se of yo+" So we thank God for yo+. <+t we cannot thank him eno+gh for all the =oy we feel. 1, 1ight and day we contin+e praying with all o+r heart that we can come there and see yo+ again. >e want to give yo+ everything yo+ need to make yo+r faith strong. 11 >e pray that o+r God and 2ather and o+r ord Ces+s will prepare the way for +s to come to yo+. 12 >e pray that the ord will make yo+r love grow. >e pray that he will give yo+ more and more love for each other and for all people. >e pray that yo+ will love everyone in the same way we love yo+. 13 This will strengthen yo+r desire to do -asy To .ead /ersion

what is right, and yo+ will !e holy and 1 Thessalonians #.1*' ( witho+t fa+lt !efore o+r God and 2ather when o+r ord Ces+s comes with all his holy people. 4 1 <rothers and sisters, now 3 have some other things to tell yo+. >e ta+ght yo+ how to live in a way that will please God. And yo+ are living that way. 1ow we ask and enco+rage yo+ in the ord Ces+s to live that way more and more. 2 ;o+ know all that we told yo+ to do !y the a+thority of the ord Ces+s. 3 God wants yo+ to !e holy. $e wants yo+ to stay away from se4+al sins. # God wants each one of yo+ to learn to control yo+r own !ody. Hse yo+r !ody in a way that is holy and that gives honor to God. % Dont let yo+r se4+al desires control yo+ like the people who dont know God. & 1ever wrong any of yo+r fellow !elievers or cheat them in this way. The ord will p+nish those who do that. >e have already told yo+ this and warned yo+ a!o+t it. ' God chose +s to !e holy. $e does not want +s to live in sin. 1 Thessalonians #.(*1# ) ( So anyone who ref+ses to o!ey this teaching is ref+sing to o!ey God, not +s. And God is the one who gives yo+ his $oly Spirit. ) >e dont need to write to yo+ a!o+t having love for yo+r !rothers and sisters in 9hrist. God has already ta+ght yo+ to love each other. 1, 3n fact, yo+ love all the !elievers in Aacedonia. >e enco+rage yo+ now, !rothers and sisters, to show yo+r love more and more. 11 Do all yo+ can to live a peacef+l life. Aind yo+r own !+siness, and earn yo+r own living, as we told yo+ !efore. 12 3f yo+ do these things, then those who are not !elievers will respect the way yo+ live. And yo+ will not have to depend on others for what yo+ need. 13 <rothers and sisters, we want yo+ pag. 12#&0131#

to know a!o+t those who have died. >e dont want yo+ to !e sad like other peoplethose who have no hope. 1# >e !elieve that Ces+s died, !+t we also !elieve that he rose again. So we !elieve that God will raise to life thro+gh Ces+s any who have died and !ring them together with him when he comes. 1 Thessalonians #.1%*%.3 1, 1% >hat we tell yo+ now is the ords own message. Those of +s who are still living when the ord comes again will =oin him, !+t not !efore those who have already died. 1& The ord himself will come down from heaven with a lo+d command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the tr+mpet call of God. And the people who have died and were in 9hrist will rise first. 1' After that, we who are still alive at that time will !e gathered +p with those who have died. >e will !e taken +p in the clo+ds and meet the ord in the air. And we will !e with the ord forever. 1( So enco+rage each other with these words. 5 1 1ow, !rothers and sisters, we dont need to write to yo+ a!o+t times and dates. 2 ;o+ know very well that the day when the ord comes again will !e a s+rprise, like a thief who comes at night. 3 6eople will say, >e have peace and we are safe. At that time destr+ction will come to them J+ickly, like the pains of 1 Thessalonians %.#*11 11 a woman giving !irth. And those people will not escape. # <+t yo+, !rothers and sisters, are not living in darkness. And so that day will not s+rprise yo+ like a thief. % ;o+ are all people who !elong to the light. ;o+ !elong to the day. >e dont !elong to the night or to darkness. & So we sho+ld not !e like other people. >e sho+ld not !e sleeping. >e sho+ld !e awake and have selfDcontrol. ' 6eople who sleep, sleep at night. 6eople who drink too m+ch, drink at -asy To .ead /ersion

night. ( <+t we !elong to the day, so we sho+ld control o+rselves. >e sho+ld wear faith and love to protect +s. And the hope of salvation sho+ld !e o+r helmet. ) God did not choose +s to s+ffer his anger. God chose +s to have salvation thro+gh o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 1, Ces+s died for +s so that we can live together with him. 3t is not important if we are alive or dead when he comes. 11 So enco+rage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, =+st as yo+ are already doing. 1 Thessalonians %.12*22 12 12 1ow !rothers and sisters, we ask yo+ to recogniEe the val+e of those who work hard among yo+those who, as followers of the ord, serve as yo+r leaders and tell yo+ how to live. 13 Show them the highest respect and love !eca+se of the work they do. ive in peace with each other. 1# >e ask yo+, !rothers and sisters, to warn those who will not work. -nco+rage those who are afraid. $elp those who are weak. <e patient with everyone. 1% <e s+re that no one pays !ack wrong for wrong. <+t always try to do what is good for each other and for all people. 1& Always !e f+ll of =oy. 1' 1ever stop praying. 1( >hatever happens, always !e thankf+l. This is how God wants yo+ to live in 9hrist Ces+s. 1) Dont stop the work of the $oly Spirit. 2, Dont treat prophecy like something that is not important. 21 <+t test everything. Geep what is good, 22 and stay away from everything that is evil. 1 Thessalonians %.23*2( 13 23 >e pray that God himself, the God of peace, will make yo+ p+re!elonging only to him. >e pray that yo+r whole selfspirit, so+l, and !odywill !e kept safe and !e !lameless when o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist comes. 2# The one who calls yo+ will do that for pag. 12#'0131#

yo+. ;o+ can tr+st him. 2% <rothers and sisters, please pray for +s. 2& Give all the !rothers and sisters the special greeting of Gods people. 2' 3 tell yo+ !y the a+thority of the ord to read this letter to all the !elievers there. 2( The grace of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist !e with yo+. 2 T'essalonians 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, Silas, and Timothy. To the ch+rch in Thessalonica that !elongs to God o+r 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. 2 Grace and peace to yo+ from God the 2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. 3 >e thank God for yo+ always. And thats what we sho+ld do, !eca+se yo+ give +s good reason to !e thankf+l: ;o+r faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of yo+ has for each other is also growing. # So we tell the other ch+rches of God how pro+d we are of yo+. >e tell them how yo+ patiently contin+e to !e strong and have faith, even tho+gh yo+ are !eing persec+ted and are s+ffering many tro+!les. % This is proof that God is right in his =+dgment. $e wants yo+ to !e worthy of his kingdom. ;o+r s+ffering is for that kingdom. & God will do what is right. $e will p+nish those who are ca+sing yo+ tro+!le. 2 Thessalonians 1.'*11 2 ' And he will !ring relief to yo+ who are tro+!led. $e will !ring it to yo+ and to +s when the ord Ces+s comes from heaven for all to see, together with his powerf+l angels. ( $e will come with !+rning fire to p+nish those who dont know Godthose who ref+se to accept the Good 1ews a!o+t o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. ) They will !e p+nished with a destr+ction that never ends. They will not !e allowed to !e with the ord !+t will !e kept away from his great power. 1, This will happen on the day when -asy To .ead /ersion

the ord Ces+s comes to receive honor with his holy people. $e will !e admired among all who have !elieved. And this incl+des yo+ !eca+se yo+ !elieved what we told yo+. 11 That is why we always pray for yo+. >e ask o+r God to help yo+ live the good way he wanted when he chose yo+. The goodness yo+ have makes yo+ want to do good. And the faith yo+ have makes yo+ work. >e pray that with his power God will help yo+ do these things more and more. 2 Thessalonians 1.12*2.# 3 12 Then the name of o+r ord Ces+s will !e honored !eca+se of yo+, and yo+ will !e honored !eca+se of him. This can happen only !y the grace of o+r God and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. 2 1 <rothers and sisters, we have something to say a!o+t the coming of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. >e want to talk to yo+ a!o+t that time when we will meet together with him. 2 Dont let yo+rselves !e easily +pset or worried if yo+ hear that the day of the ord has already come. Someone might say that this idea came from +sin something the Spirit told +s, or in something we said, or in a letter we wrote. 3 Dont !e fooled !y anything they might say. That day of the ord will not come +ntil the t+rning away from God happens. And that day will not come +ntil the Aan of -vil appears, the one who !elongs to hell. # $e will stand against and p+t himself a!ove everything that people worship or think is worthy of worship. $e will even go into Gods Temple and sit there, claiming that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2.%*11 # % 3 told yo+ !efore that all these things wo+ld happen. .emem!er? & And yo+ know what is stopping that Aan of -vil now. $e is !eing stopped now so that he will appear at the right time. ' The secret power of evil is already working in the world now. <+t there is pag. 12#(0131#

one who is stopping that secret power of evil. And he will contin+e to stop it +ntil he is taken o+t of the way. ( Then that Aan of -vil will appear. <+t the ord Ces+s will kill him with the !reath that comes from his mo+th. The ord will come in a way that everyone will see, and that will !e the end of the Aan of -vil. ) >hen that Aan of -vil comes, it will !e the work of Satan. $e will come with great power, and he will do all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders. 1, The Aan of -vil will +se every kind of evil to fool those who are lost. They are lost !eca+se they ref+sed to love the tr+th and !e saved. 11 So God will send them something powerf+l that leads them away from the tr+th and ca+ses them to !elieve a lie. 2 Thessalonians 2.12*3.1 % 12 They will all !e condemned !eca+se they did not !elieve the tr+th and !eca+se they en=oyed doing evil. 13 <rothers and sisters, yo+ are people the ord loves. And we always thank God for yo+. Thats what we sho+ld do, !eca+se God chose yo+ to !e some of the first people to !e saved. ;o+ are saved !y the Spirit making yo+ holy and !y yo+r faith in the tr+th. 1# God chose yo+ to have that salvation. $e chose yo+ !y +sing the Good 1ews that we told yo+. ;o+ were chosen so that yo+ can share in the glory of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. 1% So, !rothers and sisters, stand strong and contin+e to !elieve the teachings we gave yo+ when we were there and !y letter. 1& >e pray that the ord Ces+s 9hrist himself and God o+r 2ather will comfort yo+ and strengthen yo+ in every good thing yo+ do and say. God loved +s and gave +s thro+gh his grace a wonderf+l hope and comfort that has no end. 1' 72:1&8 3 1 And now, !rothers and sisters, pray for +s. 6ray that the ords teaching 2 Thessalonians 3.2*( & -asy To .ead /ersion

will contin+e to spread J+ickly. And pray that people will give honor to that teaching, the same as happened with yo+. 2 And pray that we will !e protected from crooked and evil people. 1ot everyone !elieves in the ord, yo+ know. 3 <+t the ord is faithf+l. $e will give yo+ strength and protect yo+ from the -vil 5ne. # The ord gives +s confidence that yo+ are doing what we told yo+ and that yo+ will contin+e to do it. % >e pray that the ord will ca+se yo+ to feel Gods love and remem!er 9hrists patient end+rance. & <rothers and sisters, !y the a+thority of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist we tell yo+ to stay away from any !eliever who ref+ses to work. 6eople who ref+se to work are not following the teaching that we gave them. ' ;o+ yo+rselves know that yo+ sho+ld live like we do. >e were not laEy when we were with yo+. ( >e never accepted food from anyone witho+t paying for it. >e worked and 2 Thessalonians 3.)*1% ' worked so that we wo+ld not !e a !+rden to any of yo+. >e worked night and day. ) >e had the right to ask yo+ to help +s. <+t we worked to take care of o+rselves so that we wo+ld !e an e4ample for yo+ to follow. 1, >hen we were with yo+, we gave yo+ this r+le: >hoever will not work sho+ld not !e allowed to eat. 11 >e hear that some people in yo+r gro+p ref+se to work. They are doing nothing e4cept !eing !+sy in the lives of others. 12 5+r instr+ction to them is to stop !othering others, to start working and earn their own food. 3t is !y the a+thority of the ord Ces+s 9hrist that we are +rging them to do this. 13 <rothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 1# 3f there are some there who ref+se to do what we tell yo+ in this letter, pag. 12#)0131#

remem!er who they are. Dont associate with them. Then may!e they will feel ashamed. 1% <+t dont treat them as enemies. 9o+nsel them as fellow !elievers. 2 Thessalonians 3.1&*1( ( 1& >e pray that the ord of peace will give yo+ peace at all times and in every way. The ord !e with yo+ all. 1' $eres my greeting in my own handwritingSAH . 3 do this in all my letters to show they are from me. This is the way 3 write. 1( The grace of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist !e with yo+ all. 1 Timot'y 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, an apostle of 9hrist Ces+s. 3 am an apostle !y the command of God o+r Savior and 9hrist Ces+s o+r hope. 2 To Timothy, a tr+e son to me in the faith we share. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the 2ather and 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord. 3 >hen 3 went to Aacedonia, 3 asked yo+ to stay in -phes+s. Some people there are teaching things that are not tr+e, and 3 want yo+ to tell them to stop. # Tell them not to give their time to meaningless stories and to long lists of names to prove their family histories. S+ch things only ca+se arg+ments. They dont help Gods work, which is done only !y faith. % Ay p+rpose in telling yo+ to do this is to promote lovethe kind of love shown !y those whose tho+ghts are p+re, who do what they know is right, and whose faith in God is real. 1 Timothy 1.&*11 2 & <+t some have missed this key point in their teaching and have gone off in another direction. 1ow they talk a!o+t things that help no one. ' They want to !e teachers of the law, !+t they dont know what they are talking a!o+t. They dont even +nderstand the things they say they are s+re of. ( >e know that the law is good if someone +ses it right. -asy To .ead /ersion

) >e also know that the law is not made for those who do what is right. 3t is made for those who are against the law and ref+se to follow it. The law is for sinners who are against God and all that is pleasing to him. 3t is for those who have no interest in spirit+al things and for those who kill their fathers or mothers or anyone else. 1, 3t is for those who commit se4+al sins, homose4+als, those who sell slaves, those who tell lies, those who dont tell the tr+th +nder oath, and those who are against the tr+e teaching of God. 11 That teaching is part of the Good 1ews that o+r !lessed God gave me to tell. 3n it we see his glory. 1 Timothy 1.12*1' 3 12 3 thank 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord !eca+se he tr+sted me and gave me this work of serving him. $e gives me strength. 13 3n the past 3 ins+lted 9hrist. As a pro+d and violent man, 3 persec+ted his people. <+t God gave me mercy !eca+se 3 did not know what 3 was doing. 3 did that !efore 3 !ecame a !eliever. 1# <+t o+r ord gave me a f+ll meas+re of his grace. And with that grace came the faith and love that are in 9hrist Ces+s. 1% $ere is a tr+e statement that sho+ld !e accepted witho+t J+estion: 9hrist Ces+s came into the world to save sinners, and 3 am the worst of them. 1& <+t 3 was given mercy so that in me 9hrist Ces+s co+ld show that he has patience witho+t limit. 9hrist showed his patience with me, the worst of all sinners. $e wanted me to !e an e4ample for those who wo+ld !elieve in him and have eternal life. 1' $onor and glory to the Ging who r+les forever. $e cannot !e destroyed and cannot !e seen. $onor and glory forever and ever to the only God. Amen. 1 Timothy 1.1(*2.% # 1( Timothy, yo+ are like a son to me. >hat 3 am telling yo+ to do agrees with the prophecies that were told a!o+t yo+ in the past. 3 want yo+ to remem!er pag. 12%,0131#

those prophecies and fight the good fight of faith. 1) 9ontin+e to tr+st in God and do what yo+ know is right. Some people have not done this, and their faith is now in r+ins. 2, $ymenae+s and Ale4ander are men like that. 3 have given them to Satan so that they will learn not to speak against God. 2 1 2irst of all, 3 ask that yo+ pray for all people. Ask God to !less them and give them what they need. And give thanks. 2 ;o+ sho+ld pray for r+lers and for all who have a+thority. 6ray for these leaders so that we can live J+iet and peacef+l liveslives f+ll of devotion to God and respect for him. 3 This is good and pleases God o+r Savior. # God wants everyone to !e saved and to f+lly +nderstand the tr+th. % There is only one God, and there is only one way that people can reach God. 1 Timothy 2.&*1, % That way is thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s, who as a man & gave himself to pay for everyone to !e free. This is the message that was given to +s at =+st the right time. ' And 3 was chosen as an apostle to tell people that message. 73 am telling the tr+thF 3 am not lying.8 3 was chosen to teach those who are not Cews to !elieve and +nderstand the tr+th. ( 3 want the men everywhere to pray. Aen who lift their hands in prayer m+st !e devoted to God and pleasing to him. They m+st !e men who keep themselves from getting angry and having arg+ments. ) And 3 want the women to make themselves attractive in the right way. Their clothes sho+ld !e sensi!le and appropriate. They sho+ld not draw attention to themselves with fancy hairstyles or gold =ewelry or pearls or e4pensive clothes. 1, <+t they sho+ld make themselves attractive !y the good things they do. -asy To .ead /ersion

That is more appropriate for women who say they are devoted to God. 1 Timothy 2.11*3.3 & 11 A woman sho+ld learn while listening J+ietly and !eing completely willing to o!ey. 12 3 dont allow a woman to teach a man or tell him what to do. She m+st listen J+ietly, 13 !eca+se Adam was made first. -ve was made later. 1# Also, Adam was not the one who was tricked. 3t was the woman who was tricked and !ecame a sinner. 1% <+t women will !e saved in their work of having children. They will !e saved if they contin+e to live in faith, love, and holiness with sensi!le !ehavior. 3 1 3t is a tr+e statement that anyone whose goal is to serve as an elder has his heart set on a good work. 2 An elder m+st !e s+ch a good man that no one can rightly criticiEe him. $e m+st !e faithf+l to his wife. $e m+st have selfDcontrol and !e wise. $e m+st !e respected !y others. $e m+st !e ready to help people !y welcoming them into his home. $e m+st !e a good teacher. 3 $e m+st not drink too m+ch, and he m+st not !e someone who likes to fight. 1 Timothy 3.#*) ' $e m+st !e gentle and peacef+l. $e m+st not !e someone who loves money. # $e m+st !e a good leader of his own family. This means that his children o!ey him with f+ll respect. % 3f a man does not know how to lead his own family, he will not !e a!le to take care of Gods ch+rch. & An elder m+st not !e a new !eliever. 3t might make him too pro+d of himself. Then he wo+ld !e condemned for his pride the same as the devil was. ' An elder m+st also have the respect of people who are not part of the ch+rch. Then he will not !e criticiEed !y others and !e ca+ght in the devils trap. ( 3n the same way, the men who are chosen to !e special servants m+st !e pag. 12%10131#

worthy of respect. They m+st not !e men who say things they dont mean or who spend their time drinking too m+ch. They m+st not !e men who will do almost anything for money. ) They m+st follow the tr+e faith that God has now made known to +s and always do what they know is right. 1 Timothy 3.1,*1& ( 1, ;o+ sho+ld test them first. Then, if yo+ find that they have done nothing wrong, they can !e special servants. 11 3n the same way, the women m+st !e worthy of respect. They m+st not !e women who speak evil a!o+t other people. They m+st have selfDcontrol and !e women who can !e tr+sted in everything. 12 The men who are special servants m+st !e faithf+l in marriage. They m+st !e good leaders of children and their own families. 13 Those who do well as special servants are making an honora!le place for themselves. And they will feel very s+re of their faith in 9hrist Ces+s. 1# 3 hope 3 can come to yo+ soon. <+t 3 am writing this to yo+ now, 1% so that, even if 3 cannot come soon, yo+ will know how people sho+ld live in the family of God. That family is the ch+rch of the living God. And Gods ch+rch is the s+pport and fo+ndation of the tr+th. 1& >itho+t a do+!t, this is the great secret of o+r devotion to God: 9hrist was shown to +s in h+man formF the 1 Timothy #.1*& ) Spirit proved that he was rightF he was seen !y angels. The message a!o+t him was told to the nationsF people in the world !elieved in himF he was taken +p to heaven in glory. 4 1 The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will t+rn away from what we !elieve. They will o!ey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. 2 Those teachings come thro+gh people who tell lies and trick others. These evil -asy To .ead /ersion

people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. 3t is like their conscience has !een destroyed with a hot iron. 3 They say that it is wrong to marry. And they say that there are some foods that people m+st not eat. <+t God made these foods, and those who !elieve and who +nderstand the tr+th can eat them with thanks. # -verything that God made is good. 1othing he made sho+ld !e ref+sed if it is accepted with thanks to him. % -verything he created is made holy !y what he has said and !y prayer. & Tell this to the !rothers and sisters there. This will show that yo+ are a good 1 Timothy #.'*13 1, servant of 9hrist Ces+s. ;o+ will show that yo+ are made strong !y the words of faith and good teaching yo+ have followed. ' 6eople tell silly stories that dont agree with Gods tr+th. Dont follow what these stories teach. <+t teach yo+rself to !e devoted to God. ( Training yo+r !ody helps yo+ in some ways. <+t devotion to God helps yo+ in every way. 3t !rings yo+ !lessings in this life and in the f+t+re life too. ) $ere is a tr+e statement that sho+ld !e accepted witho+t J+estion: 1, >e hope in the living God, the Savior of all people. 3n partic+lar, he is the Savior of all those who !elieve in him. This is why we work and str+ggle. 11 9ommand and teach these things. 12 ;o+ are yo+ng, !+t dont let anyone treat yo+ as if yo+ are not important. <e an e4ample to show the !elievers how they sho+ld live. Show them !y what yo+ say, !y the way yo+ live, !y yo+r love, !y yo+r faith, and !y yo+r p+re life. 13 9ontin+e to read the Script+res to the people, enco+rage them, and teach them. Do this +ntil 3 come. 1 Timothy #.1#*%.% 11 1# .emem!er to +se the gift yo+ have, which was given to yo+ thro+gh a prophecy when the gro+p of elders laid their hands on yo+. pag. 12%20131#

1% 9ontin+e to do these things. Give yo+r life to doing them. Then everyone can see how well yo+ are doing. 1& <e caref+l in yo+r life and in yo+r teaching. 9ontin+e to live and teach rightly. Then yo+ will save yo+rself and those who listen to yo+r teaching. 5 1 Dont speak angrily to an older man. <+t talk to him as if he were yo+r father. Treat the yo+nger men like !rothers. 2 Treat the older women like mothers. And treat the yo+nger women with respect like sisters. 3 Take care of widows who really need help. # <+t if a widow has children or grandchildren, the first thing they need to learn is this: to show their devotion to God !y taking care of their own family. They will !e repaying their parents, and this pleases God. % A widow who really needs help is one who has !een left all alone. She tr+sts 1 Timothy %.&*11 12 God to take care of her. She prays all the time, night and day, and asks God for help. & <+t the widow who +ses her life to please herself is really dead while she is still living. ' Tell the !elievers there to take care of their family so that no one can say they are doing wrong. ( -veryone sho+ld take care of all their own people. Aost important, they sho+ld take care of their own family. 3f they do not do that, then they do not accept what we !elieve. They are worse than someone who does not even !elieve in God. ) To !e added to yo+r list of widows, a woman m+st !e &, years old or older. She m+st have !een faithf+l to her h+s!and. 1, She m+st !e known for the good she has done: raising children, welcoming travelers into her home, serving the needs of Gods people, helping those in tro+!le, and +sing her life to do all kinds -asy To .ead /ersion

of good. 11 <+t dont p+t yo+nger widows on that list. >hen their strong physical needs 1 Timothy %.12*1( 13 p+ll them away from their commitment to 9hrist, they will want to marry again. 12 Then they will !e g+ilty of not doing what they first promised to do. 13 Also, these yo+nger widows !egin to waste their time going from ho+se to ho+se. They also !egin to gossip and try to r+n other peoples lives. They say things they sho+ld not say. 1# So 3 want the yo+nger widows to marry, have children, and take care of their homes. 3f they do this, o+r enemy will not have any reason to criticiEe them. 1% <+t some of the yo+nger widows have already t+rned away to follow Satan. 1& 3f any woman who is a !eliever has widows in her family, she sho+ld take care of them herself. Then the ch+rch will not have that !+rden and will !e a!le to care for the widows who have no one else to help them. 1' The elders who lead the ch+rch in a good way sho+ld receive do+!le honor in partic+lar, those who do the work of co+nseling and teaching. 1( As the Script+res say, >hen a work animal is !eing +sed to separate grain, 1 Timothy %.1)*2# 1# dont keep it from eating the grain. And the Script+res also say, A worker sho+ld !e given his pay. 1) Dont listen to someone who acc+ses an elder. ;o+ sho+ld listen to them only if there are two or three others who can say what the elder did wrong. 2, Tell those who sin that they are wrong. Do this in front of the whole ch+rch so that the others will have a warning. 21 <efore God and Ces+s 9hrist and the chosen angels, 3 tell yo+ to make these =+dgments witho+t any pre=+dice. Treat every person the same. 22 Think caref+lly !efore yo+ lay yo+r hands on anyone to make him an elder. pag. 12%30131#

Dont share in the sins of others. Geep yo+rself p+re. 23 Timothy, stop drinking only water, and drink a little wine. This will help yo+r stomach, and yo+ will not !e sick so often. 2# The sins of some people are easy to see. Their sins show that they will !e =+dged. <+t the sins of some others are seen only later. 1 Timothy %.2%*&.% 1% 2% 3t is the same with the good things people do. Some are easy to see. <+t even if they are not o!vio+s now, none of them will stay hidden forever. 6 1 All those who are slaves sho+ld show f+ll respect to their masters. Then Gods name and o+r teaching will not !e criticiEed. 2 Some slaves have masters who are !elievers, so they are !rothers. Does this mean they sho+ld show their masters any less respect? 1o, they sho+ld serve them even !etter, !eca+se they are helping !elievers, people they sho+ld love. This is what yo+ m+st teach and tell everyone to do. 3 Some people will teach what is false and will not agree with the tr+e teaching of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. They will not accept the teaching that prod+ces a life of devotion to God. # They are pro+d of what they know, !+t they +nderstand nothing. They are sick with a love for arg+ing and fighting a!o+t words. And that !rings =ealo+sy, J+arrels, ins+lts, and evil mistr+st. % They are always making tro+!le, !eca+se they are people whose thinking 1 Timothy &.&*11 1& has !een conf+sed. They have lost their +nderstanding of the tr+th. They think that devotion to God is a way to get rich. & Devotion to God is, in fact, a way for people to !e very rich, !+t only if it makes them satisfied with what they have. ' >hen we came into the world, we !ro+ght nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing o+t. -asy To .ead /ersion

( So, if we have food and clothes, we will !e satisfied with that. ) 6eople who want to !e rich !ring temptations to themselves. They are ca+ght in a trap. They !egin to want many foolish things that will h+rt them. These things r+in and destroy people. 1, The love of money ca+ses all kinds of evil. Some people have t+rned away from what we !elieve !eca+se they want to get more and more money. <+t they have ca+sed themselves a lot of pain and sorrow. 11 <+t yo+ !elong to God. So yo+ sho+ld stay away from all those things. Always try to do what is right, to !e devoted to God, and to have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. 1 Timothy &.12*1' 1' 12 >e have to fight to keep o+r faith. Try as hard as yo+ can to win that worthy fight. Take hold of eternal life. 3t is the life yo+ were chosen to have when yo+ confessed yo+r faith in Ces+sthat wonderf+l tr+th yo+ spoke so openly for all to hear. 13 <efore God and 9hrist Ces+s 3 give yo+ a command. Ces+s is the one who confessed that same wonderf+l tr+th when he stood !efore 6onti+s 6ilate. And God is the one who gives life to everything. 1ow 3 tell yo+ this: 1# Do what yo+ were commanded to do witho+t fa+lt or !lame +ntil the time when o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist comes again. 1% God will make that happen at the right time. God is the !lessed and only .+ler. $e is the Ging of all kings and the ord of all lords. 1& God is the only one who never dies. $e lives in light so !right that people cannot go near it. 1o one has ever seen himF no one is a!le to see him. All honor and power !elong to him forever. Amen. 1' Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to !e pro+d. Tell them to hope 1 Timothy &.1(*21 1( in God, not their money. Aoney cannot !e tr+sted, !+t God takes care of +s pag. 12%#0131#

richly. $e gives +s everything to en=oy. 1( Tell those who are rich to do goodto !e rich in good works. And tell them they sho+ld !e happy to give and ready to share. 1) <y doing this, they will !e saving +p a treas+re for themselves. And that treas+re will !e a strong fo+ndation on which their f+t+re life will !e !+ilt. They will !e a!le to have the life that is tr+e life. 2, Timothy, God has tr+sted yo+ with many things. Geep these things safe. Stay away from people who talk a!o+t +seless things that are not from God and who arg+e against yo+ with a knowledge that is not knowledge at all. 21 Some people who claim to have that knowledge have gone completely away from what we !elieve. Gods grace !e with yo+ all. 2 Timot'y 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, an apostle of 9hrist Ces+s. 3 am an apostle !eca+se God wanted me to !e. God sent me to tell people a!o+t the promise of life that is in 9hrist Ces+s. 2 To Timothy, a dear son to me. Grace, mercy, and peace to yo+ from God the 2ather and from 9hrist Ces+s o+r ord. 3 3 always remem!er yo+ in my prayers day and night. And in these prayers 3 thank God for yo+. $e is the God my ancestors served, and 3 have always served him with a clear conscience. # 3 remem!er that yo+ cried for me. 3 want very m+ch to see yo+ so that 3 can !e filled with =oy. % 3 remem!er yo+r tr+e faith. That kind of faith first !elonged to yo+r grandmother ois and to yo+r mother -+nice. 3 know yo+ now have that same faith. & That is why 3 want yo+ to remem!er the gift God gave yo+. God gave yo+ that gift when 3 laid my hands on yo+. 2 Timothy 1.'*11 2 1ow 3 want yo+ to +se that gift and let it grow more and more, like a small flame grows into a fire. -asy To .ead /ersion

' The Spirit God gave +s does not make +s afraid. $is Spirit is a so+rce of power and love and selfDcontrol. ( So dont !e ashamed to tell people a!o+t o+r ord Ces+s. And dont !e ashamed of me3 am in prison for the ord. <+t s+ffer with me for the Good 1ews. God gives +s the strength to do that. ) God saved +s and chose +s to !e his holy people, !+t not !eca+se of anything we o+rselves did. God saved +s and made +s his people !eca+se that was what he wanted and !eca+se of his grace. That grace was given to +s thro+gh 9hrist Ces+s !efore time !egan. 1, And now it has !een shown to +s in the coming of o+r Savior 9hrist Ces+s. $e destroyed death and showed +s the way to have life. ;es, thro+gh the Good 1ews Ces+s showed +s the way to have life that cannot !e destroyed. 11 3 was chosen to tell people that message as an apostle and teacher. 2 Timothy 1.12*1( 3 12 And 3 s+ffer now !eca+se of that work. <+t 3 am not ashamed. 3 know the one 3 have !elieved, and 3 am s+re that he is a!le to protect what he has tr+sted me with +ntil that Day. 13 >hat yo+ heard me teach is an e4ample of what yo+ sho+ld teach. 2ollow that model of right teaching with the faith and love we have in 9hrist Ces+s. 1# This teaching is a treas+re that yo+ have !een tr+sted with. 6rotect it with the help of the $oly Spirit, who lives inside +s. 1% ;o+ know that everyone in Asia has left me. -ven 6hygel+s and $ermogenes have left me. 1& 3 pray that the ord will show mercy to the family of 5nesiphor+s. Aany times 5nesiphor+s enco+raged me. $e was not ashamed that 3 was in prison. 1' 1o, he was not ashamed. >hen he came to .ome, he looked and looked for me +ntil he fo+nd me. 1( 3 pray that the ord Ces+s will make pag. 12%%0131#

s+re 5nesiphor+s receives mercy from the ord God on that Day. ;o+ know how 2 Timothy 2.1*( # many ways this !rother helped me in -phes+s. 2 1 Timothy, yo+ are a son to me. <e strong in the grace that we have !eca+se we !elong to 9hrist Ces+s. 2 >hat yo+ have heard me teach p+!licly yo+ sho+ld teach to others. Share these teachings with people yo+ can tr+st. Then they will !e a!le to teach others these same things. 3 As a good soldier of 9hrist Ces+s, accept yo+r share of the tro+!les we have. # A soldier wants to please his commanding officer, so he does not spend any time on activities that are not a part of his d+ty. % Athletes in a race m+st o!ey all the r+les to win. & The farmer who works hard deserves the first part of the harvest. ' Think a!o+t what 3 am saying. The ord will help yo+ +nderstand it all. ( .emem!er Ces+s 9hrist. $e is from the family of David. After Ces+s died, he was raised from death. This is the Good 1ews that 3 tell people. 2 Timothy 2.)*1% % ) And !eca+se 3 tell that message, 3 am s+ffering. 3 am even !o+nd with chains like someone who has really done wrong. <+t Gods message is not !o+nd. 1, So 3 patiently accept all these tro+!les. 3 do this to help the people God has chosen so that they can have the salvation that is in 9hrist Ces+s. >ith this salvation comes glory that never ends. 11 $ere is a tr+e statement: 3f we died with him, we will also live with him. 12 3f we remain faithf+l even in s+ffering, we will also r+le with him. 3f we ref+se to say we know him, he will ref+se to say he knows +s. 13 3f we are not faithf+l, he will still !e faithf+l !eca+se he cannot !e false to himself. 1# Geep on telling everyone these -asy To .ead /ersion

tr+ths. And warn them !efore God not to arg+e a!o+t words. S+ch arg+ments dont help anyone, and they r+in those who listen to them. 1% Do yo+r !est to !e the kind of person God will accept, and give yo+rself to him. <e a worker who has no reason to !e ashamed of his work, one who applies the tr+e teaching in the right way. 2 Timothy 2.1&*21 & 1& Stay away from people who talk a!o+t +seless things that are not from God. That kind of talk will lead a person more and more against God. 1' Their evil teaching will spread like a sickness inside the !ody. $ymenae+s and 6hilet+s are men like that. 1( They have left the tr+e teaching. They say that the day when people will !e raised from death has already come and gone. And they are destroying the faith of some people. 1) <+t Gods strong fo+ndation never moves, and these words are written on it: The ord knows those who !elong to him. Also, these words are written there: -veryone who says they !elieve in the ord m+st stop doing wrong. 2, 3n a large ho+se there are things made of gold and silver. <+t there are also things made of wood and clay. Some of these are +sed for special p+rposes, others for ordinary =o!s. 21 The ord wants to +se yo+ for special p+rposes, so make yo+rself clean from all evil. Then yo+ will !e holy, and the Aaster can +se yo+. ;o+ will !e ready for any good work. 2 Timothy 2.22*3.2 ' 22 Stay away from the evil things a yo+ng person like yo+ typically wants to do. Do yo+r !est to live right and to have faith, love, and peace, together with others who tr+st in the ord with p+re hearts. 23 Stay away from foolish and st+pid arg+ments. ;o+ know that these arg+ments grow into !igger arg+ments. 2# As a servant of the ord, yo+ m+st not arg+e. ;o+ m+st !e kind to everyone. pag. 12%&0131#

;o+ m+st !e a good teacher, and yo+ m+st !e patient. 2% ;o+ m+st gently teach those who dont agree with yo+. Aay!e God will let them change their hearts so that they can accept the tr+th. 2& The devil has trapped them and now makes them do what he wants. <+t may!e they can wake +p to see what is happening and free themselves from the devils trap. 3 1 .emem!er this: There are some terri!le times coming in the last days. 2 6eople will love only themselves and money. They will !e pro+d and !oast a!o+t themselves. They will a!+se 2 Timothy 3.3*( ( others with ins+lts. They will not o!ey their parents. They will !e +ngratef+l and against all that is pleasing to God. 3 They will have no love for others and will ref+se to forgive anyone. They will talk a!o+t others to h+rt them and will have no selfDcontrol. They will !e cr+el and hate what is good. # 6eople will t+rn against their friends. They will do foolish things witho+t thinking and will !e so pro+d of themselves. 3nstead of loving God, they will love pleas+re. % They will go on pretending to !e devoted to God, !+t they will ref+se to let that devotion change the way they live. Stay away from these people" & Some of them go into homes and get control over weak women, whose lives are f+ll of sinwomen who are led into sin !y all the things they want. ' These women always want to learn something new, !+t they are never a!le to f+lly +nderstand the tr+th. ( C+st as Cannes and Cam!res fo+ght against Aoses, these people fight against the tr+th. Their thinking has !een 2 Timothy 3.)*1# ) conf+sed. The faith they have and teach is worthless. ) <+t they will not s+cceed in what they are trying to do. -veryone will see how -asy To .ead /ersion

foolish they are. That is what happened to Cannes and Cam!res. 1, <+t yo+ know all a!o+t me. ;o+ know what 3 teach and the way 3 live. ;o+ know my goal in life. ;o+ know my faith, my patience, and my love. ;o+ know that 3 never stop trying. 11 ;o+ know a!o+t my persec+tions and my s+fferings. ;o+ know all the things that happened to me in Antioch, 3coni+m, and ystrathe persec+tion 3 s+ffered in those places. <+t the ord saved me from all of it. 12 -veryone who wants to live showing tr+e devotion to God in 9hrist Ces+s will !e persec+ted. 13 6eople who are evil and cheat others will !ecome worse and worse. They will fool others, !+t they will also !e fooling themselves. 1# <+t yo+ sho+ld contin+e following the teaching yo+ learned. ;o+ know it is tr+e, !eca+se yo+ know yo+ can tr+st those who ta+ght yo+. 2 Timothy 3.1%*#.3 1, 1% ;o+ have known the $oly Script+res since yo+ were a child. These Script+res are a!le to make yo+ wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation thro+gh faith in 9hrist Ces+s. 1& All Script+re is given !y God. And all Script+re is +sef+l for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. 3t is +sef+l for correcting fa+lts and teaching the right way to live. 1' Hsing the Script+res, those who serve God will !e prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work. 4 1 <efore God and Ces+s 9hrist, 3 give yo+ a command. 9hrist Ces+s is the one who will =+dge all peoplethose who are living and those who have died. $e is coming again to r+le in his kingdom. So 3 give yo+ this command: 2 Tell everyone Gods message. <e ready at all times to do whatever is needed. Tell people what they need to do, tell them when they are doing wrong, and enco+rage them. Do this with great pag. 12%'0131#

patience and caref+l teaching. 3 The time will come when people will not listen to the tr+e teaching. <+t 2 Timothy #.#*1, 11 people will find more and more teachers who please them. They will find teachers who say what they want to hear. # 6eople will stop listening to the tr+th. They will !egin to follow the teaching in false stories. % <+t yo+ sho+ld control yo+rself at all times. >hen tro+!les come, accept them. Do the work of telling the Good 1ews. Do all the d+ties of a servant of God. & Ay life is !eing given as an offering for God. The time has come for me to leave this life here. ' 3 have fo+ght the good fight. 3 have finished the race. 3 have served the ord faithf+lly. ( 1ow, a priEe is waiting for methe crown that will show 3 am right with God. The ord, the =+dge who =+dges rightly, will give it to me on that Day. ;es, he will give it to me and to everyone else who is eagerly looking forward to his coming. ) Do yo+r !est to come to me as soon as yo+ can. 1, Demas loved this world too m+ch. That is why he left me. $e went to 2 Timothy #.11*1( 12 Thessalonica. 9rescens went to Galatia. And Tit+s went to Dalmatia. 11 +ke is the only one still with me. Get Aark and !ring him with yo+ when yo+ come. $e can help me in my work here. 12 3 sent Tychic+s to -phes+s. 13 >hen 3 was in Troas, 3 left my coat there with 9arp+s. So when yo+ come, !ring it to me. Also, !ring my !ooks. The !ooks written on parchment are the ones 3 need. 1# Ale4ander the metalworker ca+sed me so m+ch harm. The ord will p+nish him for what he did. 1% $e fo+ght against everything we teach. ;o+ sho+ld !e caref+l that he doesnt h+rt yo+ too. 1& The first time 3 defended myself, no -asy To .ead /ersion

one helped me. -veryone left me. 3 pray that God will forgive them. 1' <+t the ord stayed with me. The ord gave me strength so that 3 co+ld tell the Good 1ews everywhere. $e wanted all those who are not Cews to hear that Good 1ews. So 3 was saved from the lions mo+th. 1( The ord will save me when anyone tries to h+rt me. $e will !ring me safely 2 Timothy #.1)*22 13 to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever !e the ords. Amen. 1) Give my greetings to 6riscilla and AJ+ila and to the family of 5nesiphor+s. 2, -rast+s stayed in 9orinth. And 3 left Trophim+s in Ailet+she was sick. 21 Try as hard as yo+ can to come to me !efore winter. Greetings to yo+ from -+!+l+s, 6+dens, in+s, 9la+dia, and all the !rothers and sisters here. 22 The ord !e with yo+r spirit. Grace !e with yo+. Titus 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, a servant of God and an apostle of Ces+s 9hrist. 3 was sent to help Gods chosen people have faith and +nderstand the tr+th that prod+ces a life of devotion to God. 2 This faith and knowledge make +s s+re that we have eternal life. God promised that life to +s !efore time !eganand God does not lie. 3 At the right time, God let the world know a!o+t that life. $e did this thro+gh the telling of the Good 1ews message, and he tr+sted me with that work. 3 told people that message !eca+se God o+r Savior commanded me to. # To Tit+s, a tr+e son to me in the faith we share together. Grace and peace to yo+ from God the 2ather and 9hrist Ces+s o+r Savior. % 3 left yo+ in 9rete so that yo+ co+ld finish doing what still needed to !e done. And 3 also left yo+ there so that yo+ co+ld choose men to !e elders in every town. Tit+s 1.&*) 2 & To !e an elder, a man m+st not !e pag. 12%(0131#

g+ilty of living in a wrong way. $e m+st !e faithf+l to his wife, and his children m+st !e faithf+l to God. They m+st not !e known as children who are wild or dont o!ey. ' An elder has the =o! of taking care of Gods work. So people sho+ld not !e a!le to say that he lives in a wrong way. $e m+st not !e someone who is pro+d and selfish or who gets angry J+ickly. $e m+st not drink too m+ch, and he m+st not !e someone who likes to fight. $e m+st not !e a man who will do almost anything for money. ( An elder m+st !e ready to help people !y welcoming them into his home. $e m+st love what is good. $e m+st !e wise. $e m+st live right. $e m+st !e devoted to God and pleasing to him. And he m+st !e a!le to control himself. ) An elder m+st !e faithf+l to the same tr+e message we teach. Then he will !e a!le to enco+rage others with teaching that is tr+e and right. And he will !e a!le to show those who are against this teaching that they are wrong. Tit+s 1.1,*1% 3 1, This is important, !eca+se there are many people who ref+se to o!eypeople who talk a!o+t worthless things and mislead others. 3 am talking especially a!o+t those who say that men who are not Cews m+st !e circ+mcised to please God. 11 These people m+st !e stopped, !eca+se they are destroying whole families !y teaching what they sho+ld not teach. They teach only to cheat people and make money. 12 -ven one of their own people, a 9retan prophet, said, 9retans are always liars. They are evil animals and laEy people who do nothing !+t eat. 13 The words that prophet said are tr+e. So tell those people that they are wrong. ;o+ m+st !e strict with them. Then they will !ecome strong in the faith, 1# and they will stop paying attention to the stories told !y those Cews. They will stop following the commands of those -asy To .ead /ersion

who have t+rned away from the tr+th. 1% To people who are p+re, everything is p+re. <+t to those who are f+ll of sin and dont !elieve, nothing is p+re. .eally, Tit+s 1.1&*2.% # their thinking has !ecome evil and their consciences have !een r+ined. 1& They say they know God, !+t the evil things they do show that they dont accept him. They are disg+sting. They ref+se to o!ey God and are not capa!le of doing anything good. 2 1 ;o+, however, m+st tell everyone how to live in a way that agrees with the tr+e teaching. 2 Teach the older men to have selfcontrol, to !e serio+s, and to !e wise. They m+st !e strong in faith, in love, and in patience. 3 Also, teach the older women to live the way those who serve the ord sho+ld live. They sho+ld not go aro+nd saying !ad things a!o+t others or !e in the ha!it of drinking too m+ch. They sho+ld teach what is good. # <y doing this they will teach the yo+nger women to love their h+s!ands and children. % They will teach them to !e wise and p+re, to take care of their homes, to !e kind, and to !e willing to serve their h+s!ands. Then no one will !e a!le to criticiEe the teaching God gave +s. Tit+s 2.&*12 % & 3n the same way, tell the yo+ng men to !e wise. ' ;o+ sho+ld !e an e4ample for them in every way !y the good things yo+ do. >hen yo+ teach, !e honest and serio+s. ( And yo+r teaching sho+ld !e clearly right so that yo+ cannot !e criticiEed. Then anyone who is against yo+ will !e ashamed. There will not !e anything !ad they can say a!o+t +s. ) And tell this to those who are slaves: They sho+ld !e willing to serve their masters at all timesF they sho+ld try to please them, not arg+e with themF 1, they sho+ld not steal from themF and they sho+ld show their masters that they pag. 12%)0131#

can !e tr+sted. Then, in everything they do, they will show that the teaching of God o+r Savior is good. 11 That is the way we sho+ld live, !eca+se Gods grace has come. That grace can save everyone. 12 3t teaches +s not to live against God and not to do the !ad things the world wants to do. 3t teaches +s to live on earth now in a wise and right waya way that shows tr+e devotion to God. Tit+s 2.13*3.3 & 13 >e sho+ld live like that while we are waiting for the coming of o+r great God and Savior Ces+s 9hrist. $e is o+r great hope, and he will come with glory. 1# $e gave himself for +s. $e died to free +s from all evil. $e died to make +s p+repeople who !elong only to him and who always want to do good. 1% These are the things yo+ sho+ld tell people. -nco+rage them, and when they are wrong, correct them. ;o+ have f+ll a+thority to do this, so dont let anyone think they can ignore yo+. 3 1 .emind yo+r people that they sho+ld always !e +nder the a+thority of r+lers and government leaders. They sho+ld o!ey these leaders and !e ready to do good. 2 Tell them not to speak evil of anyone !+t to live in peace with others. They sho+ld !e gentle and polite to everyone. 3 3n the past we were foolish too. >e did not o!ey, we were wrong, and we were slaves to the many things o+r !odies wanted and en=oyed. >e lived doing evil and !eing =ealo+s. 6eople hated +s and we hated each other. Tit+s 3.#*1, ' # <+t then the kindness and love of God o+r Savior was made known. % $e saved +s !eca+se of his mercy, not !eca+se of any good things we did. $e saved +s thro+gh the washing that made +s new people. $e saved +s !y making +s new thro+gh the $oly Spirit. & God po+red o+t to +s that $oly Spirit f+lly thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist o+r Savior. ' >e were made right with God !y his -asy To .ead /ersion

grace. God saved +s so that we co+ld !e his children and look forward to receiving life that never ends. ( This is a tr+e statement. And 3 want yo+ to !e s+re that the people +nderstand these things. Then those who !elieve in God will !e caref+l to +se their lives for doing good. These things are good and will help everyone. ) Stay away from those who have foolish arg+ments, who talk a!o+t +seless family histories, or who make tro+!le and fight a!o+t what the aw of Aoses teaches. These things are +seless and will not help anyone. 1, Give a warning to all those who ca+se arg+ments. 3f they contin+e to ca+se Tit+s 3.11*1% ( tro+!le after a second warning, then dont associate with them. 11 ;o+ know that people like that are evil and sinf+l. Their sins prove they are wrong. 12 3 will send Artemas and Tychic+s to yo+. >hen 3 send them, try hard to come to me at 1icopolis. 3 have decided to stay there this winter. 13 Benas the lawyer and Apollos will !e traveling from there. Do all that yo+ can to help them prepare for their trip. <e s+re that they have everything they need. 1# 5+r people m+st learn to +se their lives for doing good and helping anyone who has a need. Then they will not have empty lives. 1% All the people with me here send yo+ their greetings. Give my greetings to those who love +s in the faith. Grace !e with yo+ all. -'ilemon 1 1 Greetings from 6a+l, a prisoner for Ces+s 9hrist, and from Timothy, o+r !rother. To 6hilemon, o+r dear friend and worker with +s. 2 Also to o+r sister Apphia, to Archipp+s, who serves with +s in the ords army, and to the ch+rch that meets in yo+r home. 3 Grace and peace to yo+ from God o+r pag. 12&,0131#

2ather and the ord Ces+s 9hrist. # 3 remem!er yo+ in my prayers. And 3 always thank my God for yo+. % 3 thank God !eca+se 3 hear a!o+t the love yo+ have for all of Gods holy people and the faith yo+ have in the ord Ces+s. & 3 pray that the faith yo+ share will make yo+ +nderstand every !lessing we have in 9hrist. ' Ay !rother, yo+ have shown love to Gods people, and yo+r help has greatly enco+raged them. And this has !een a great =oy and enco+ragement to me. ( There is something that yo+ sho+ld do. And !eca+se of the a+thority 3 have 6hilemon 1.)*1& 2 in 9hrist, 3 feel free to command yo+ to do it. ) <+t 3 am not commanding yo+F 3 am asking yo+ to do it o+t of love. 3, 6a+l, am an old man now, and 3 am a prisoner for 9hrist Ces+s. 1, 3 am asking yo+ for my son 5nesim+s. $e !ecame my son while 3 was in prison. 11 3n the past he was +seless to yo+. <+t now he has !ecome +sef+l for !oth yo+ and me. 12 3 am sending him !ack to yo+, !+t its as hard as losing part of myself. 13 3 wo+ld like to keep him here to help me while 3 am still in prison for telling the Good 1ews. <y helping me here, he wo+ld !e representing yo+. 1# <+t 3 did not want to do anything witho+t asking yo+ first. Then whatever yo+ do for me will !e what yo+ want to do, not what 3 forced yo+ to do. 1% 5nesim+s was separated from yo+ for a short time. Aay!e that happened so that yo+ co+ld have him !ack forever, 1& not to !e =+st a slave, !+t !etter than a slave, to !e a dear !rother. Thats what he is to me. And 3 know he will mean even more to yo+, !oth as yo+r slave 6hilemon 1.1'*2# 3 and as one who shares yo+r faith in the ord. 1' 3f yo+ accept me as yo+r friend, then accept 5nesim+s !ack. >elcome him like yo+ wo+ld welcome me. -asy To .ead /ersion

1( 3f he has done any wrong to yo+ or owes yo+ anything, charge that to me. 1) 3, 6a+l, am writing this in my own handwriting: 3 will pay !ack anything 5nesim+s owes. And 3 will say nothing a!o+t what yo+ owe me for yo+r own life. 2, So, my !rother, as a follower of the ord please do this favor for me. 3t wo+ld !e s+ch a great enco+ragement to me as yo+r !rother in 9hrist. 21 3 write this letter knowing that yo+ will do what 3 ask, and even more than 3 ask. 22 Also, please prepare a room for me. 3 hope that God will answer yo+r prayers and that 3 will !e a!le to come and see yo+. 23 -paphras is a prisoner with me for 9hrist Ces+s. $e sends yo+ his greetings. 2# Also Aark, Aristarch+s, Demas, and +ke send their greetings. They are workers together with me. 6hilemon 1.2% # 2% The grace of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist !e with yo+r spirit. 1e$re6s 1 1 3n the past God spoke to o+r people thro+gh the prophets. $e spoke to them many times and in many different ways. 2 And now in these last days, God has spoken to +s again thro+gh his Son. $e made the whole world thro+gh his Son. And he has chosen his Son to have all things. 3 The Son shows the glory of God. $e is a perfect copy of Gods nat+re, and he holds everything together !y his powerf+l command. The Son made people clean from their sins. Then he sat down at the right side of God, the Great 5ne in heaven. # The Son !ecame m+ch greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is m+ch greater than any of their names. % God never said this to any of the angels: ;o+ are my Son. Today 3 have !ecome yo+r 2ather. God also never said pag. 12&10131#

$e!rews 1.&*13 2 a!o+t an angel, 3 will !e his 2ather, and he will !e my son. & And then, when God presents his first!orn Son to the world, he says, et all Gods angels worship him. ' This is what God said a!o+t the angels: $e changes his angels into winds and his servants into flaming fire. ( <+t this is what he said a!o+t his Son: God, yo+r kingdom will last forever and ever. ;o+ +se yo+r a+thority for =+stice. ) ;o+ love what is right and hate what is wrong. So God, yo+r God, has chosen yo+, giving yo+ more honor and =oy than anyone like yo+. 1, God also said, 5 ord, in the !eginning yo+ made the earth, and yo+r hands made the sky. 11 These things will disappear, !+t yo+ will stay. They will all wear o+t like old clothes. 12 ;o+ will fold them +p like a coat, and they will !e changed like clothes. <+t yo+ never change, and yo+r life will never end. 13 And God never said this to an angel: Sit at my right side +ntil 3 p+t yo+r enemies +nder yo+r power. $e!rews 1.1#*2.% 3 1# All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will receive salvation. 2 1 So we m+st !e more caref+l to follow what we were ta+ght. >e m+st !e caref+l so that we will not !e p+lled away from the tr+e way. 2 The teaching that God spoke thro+gh angels was shown to !e tr+e. And every time his people did something against that teaching, they were p+nished for what they did. They were p+nished when they did not o!ey that teaching. 3 So s+rely we also will !e p+nished if we dont pay attention to the salvation we have that is so great. 3t was the ord Ces+s who first told people a!o+t it. And those who heard him proved to +s that it is tr+e. # God also proved it !y +sing mirac+lo+s -asy To .ead /ersion

signs, wonders, and all kinds of miracles. And he proved it !y giving people vario+s gifts thro+gh the $oly Spirit in =+st the way he wanted. % God did not choose angels to !e the r+lers over the new world that was coming. That f+t+re world is the world we have !een talking a!o+t. $e!rews 2.&*11 # & 3t is written some place in the Script+res, >hy are people so important to yo+? >hy do yo+ even think a!o+t them? >hy do yo+ care a!o+t the son of man? 3s he so important? ' 2or a short time yo+ made him lower than the angels. ;o+ crowned him with glory and honor. ( ;o+ p+t everything +nder his control. 3f God p+t everything +nder his control, then there was nothing left that he did not r+le. <+t we dont yet see him r+ling over everything. ) 2or a short time Ces+s was made lower than the angels, !+t now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor !eca+se he s+ffered and died. <eca+se of Gods grace, Ces+s died for everyone. 1, Godthe one who made all things and for whose glory all things e4istwanted many people to !e his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. $e made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. $e made Ces+s a perfect Savior thro+gh his s+ffering. 11 Ces+s, the one who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not $e!rews 2.12*1' % ashamed to call them his !rothers and sisters. 12 $e says, God, 3 will tell my !rothers and sisters a!o+t yo+. <efore all yo+r people 3 will sing yo+r praises. 13 $e also says, 3 will tr+st in God. And he says, 3 am here, and with me are the children God has given me. 1# These children are people with physical !odies. So Ces+s himself !ecame like them and had the same e4periences they have. Ces+s did this so pag. 12&20131#

that, !y dying, he co+ld destroy the one who has the power of deaththe devil. 1% Ces+s !ecame like these people and died so that he co+ld free them. They were like slaves all their lives !eca+se of their fear of death. 1& 9learly, it is not angels that Ces+s helps. $e helps the people who are from A!raham. 1' 2or this reason, Ces+s had to !e made like +s, his !rothers and sisters, in every way. $e !ecame like people so that he co+ld !e their mercif+l and faithf+l high priest in service to God. Then he co+ld !ring forgiveness for the peoples sins. $e!rews 2.1(*3.' & 1( And now he can help those who are tempted. $e is a!le to help !eca+se he himself s+ffered and was tempted. 3 1 So, my !rothers and sisters, yo+ who are chosen !y God to !e his holy people, think a!o+t Ces+s. $e is the one we !elieve God sent to save +s and to !e o+r high priest. 2 God made him o+r high priest, and he was faithf+l to God =+st as Aoses was. $e did everything God wanted him to do in Gods ho+se. 3 >hen someone !+ilds a ho+se, people will honor the !+ilder more than the ho+se. 3t is the same with Ces+s. $e sho+ld have more honor than Aoses. # -very ho+se is !+ilt !y someone, !+t God !+ilt everything. % Aoses was faithf+l as a servant in Gods whole ho+se. $e told people what God wo+ld say in the f+t+re. & <+t 9hrist is faithf+l in r+ling Gods ho+se as the Son. And we are Gods ho+se, if we remain confident of the great hope we are glad to say we have. ' So it is =+st as the $oly Spirit says: 3f yo+ hear Gods voice today, $e!rews 3.(*1% ' ( dont !e st+!!orn as in the past, when yo+ t+rned against God. That was the day yo+ tested God in the desert. ) 2or #, years in the desert, yo+r people saw what 3 did. <+t they tested me and my patience. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, So 3 was angry with them. 3 said, Their tho+ghts are always wrong. They have never +nderstood my ways. 11 So 3 was angry and made a promise: They will never enter my place of rest. 12 So, !rothers and sisters, !e caref+l that none of yo+ has the evil tho+ghts that ca+se so m+ch do+!t that yo+ stop following the living God. 13 <+t enco+rage each other every day, while yo+ still have something called today. $elp each other so that none of yo+ will !e fooled !y sin and !ecome too hard to change. 1# >e have the honor of sharing in all that 9hrist has if we contin+e +ntil the end to have the s+re faith we had in the !eginning. 1% Thats why the Spirit said, 3f yo+ hear Gods voice today, dont !e st+!!orn as in the past, when yo+ t+rned against God. $e!rews 3.1&*#.3 ( 1& >ho were those who heard Gods voice and t+rned against him? 3t was all the people Aoses led o+t of -gypt. 1' And who was God angry with for #, years? $e was angry with those who sinned. And their dead !odies were left in the desert. 1( And which people was God talking to when he promised that they wo+ld never enter his place of rest? $e was talking to those who did not o!ey him. 1) So we see that they were not allowed to enter and have Gods rest, !eca+se they did not !elieve. 4 1 And we still have the promise that God gave those people. That promise is that we can enter his place of rest. So we sho+ld !e very caref+l that none of yo+ fails to get that promise. 2 ;es, the good news a!o+t it was told to +s =+st as it was to them. <+t the message they heard did not help them. They heard it !+t did not accept it with faith. 3 5nly we who !elieve it are a!le to enter Gods place of rest. As God said, 3 was angry and made a promise: They will never enter my place of rest. <+t pag. 12&30131#

$e!rews #.#*1, ) Gods work was finished from the time he made the world. # ;es, somewhere in the Script+res he talked a!o+t the seventh day of the week. $e said, So on the seventh day, God rested from all his work. % <+t in the Script+re a!ove God said, They will never enter my place of rest. & So the opport+nity is still there for some to enter and en=oy Gods rest. <+t those who first heard the good news a!o+t it did not enter, !eca+se they did not o!ey. ' So God planned another special day. 3t is called today. $e spoke a!o+t that day thro+gh David a long time later +sing the words we J+oted !efore: 3f yo+ hear Gods voice today, dont !e st+!!orn. ( >e know that Cosh+a did not lead the people into the place of rest that God promised. >e know this !eca+se God spoke later a!o+t another day for rest. ) This shows that the seventhDday rest for Gods people is still to come. 1, God rested after he finished his work. So everyone who enters Gods place of rest will also have rest from their own work =+st as God did. $e!rews #.11*1& 1, 11 So let +s try as hard as we can to enter Gods place of rest. >e m+st try hard so that none of +s will !e lost !y following the e4ample of those who ref+sed to o!ey God. 12 Gods word is alive and working. 3t is sharper than the sharpest sword and c+ts all the way into +s. 3t c+ts deep to the place where the so+l and the spirit are =oined. Gods word c+ts to the center of o+r =oints and o+r !ones. 3t =+dges the tho+ghts and feelings in o+r hearts. 13 1othing in all the world can !e hidden from God. $e can clearly see all things. -verything is open !efore him. And to him we m+st e4plain the way we have lived. 1# >e have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. $e is Ces+s the Son of God. So let +s contin+e -asy To .ead /ersion

to e4press o+r faith in him. 1% Ces+s, o+r high priest, is a!le to +nderstand o+r weaknesses. >hen Ces+s lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. $e was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, !+t he never sinned. 1& >ith Ces+s as o+r high priest, we can feel free to come !efore Gods throne $e!rews %.1*& 11 where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help +s when we need it. 5 1 -very Cewish high priest is chosen from among men. That priest is given the work of helping people with the things they m+st do for God. $e m+st offer to God gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 The high priest has his own weaknesses. So he is a!le to !e gentle with those who do wrong o+t of ignorance. 3 $e offers sacrifices for their sins, !+t he m+st also offer sacrifices for his own sins. # To !e a high priest is an honor. <+t no one chooses himself for this work. That person m+st !e chosen !y God =+st as Aaron was. % 3t is the same with 9hrist. $e did not choose himself to have the honor of !ecoming a high priest. <+t God chose him. God said to him, ;o+ are my Son. Today 3 have !ecome yo+r 2ather. & And in another part of the Script+res God says, ;o+ are a priest forever the kind of priest AelchiEedek was. $e!rews %.'*13 12 ' >hile Ces+s lived on earth he prayed to God, asking for help from the one who co+ld save him from death. $e prayed to God with lo+d cries and tears. And his prayers were answered !eca+se of his great respect for God. ( Ces+s was the Son of God, !+t he still s+ffered, and thro+gh his s+fferings he learned to o!ey whatever God says. ) This made him the perfect high priest, who provides the way for everyone who o!eys him to !e saved forever. 1, God made him high priest, =+st like pag. 12&#0131#

AelchiEedek. 11 >e have many things to tell yo+ a!o+t this. <+t it is hard to e4plain !eca+se yo+ have stopped trying to +nderstand. 12 ;o+ have had eno+gh time that !y now yo+ sho+ld !e teachers. <+t yo+ need someone to teach yo+ again the first lessons of Gods teaching. ;o+ still need the teaching that is like milk. ;o+ are not ready for solid food. 13 Anyone who lives on milk is still a !a!y and is not a!le to +nderstand m+ch a!o+t living right. $e!rews %.1#*&.# 13 1# <+t solid food is for people who have grown +p. 2rom their e4perience they have learned to see the difference !etween good and evil. 6 1 So we sho+ld !e finished with the !eginning lessons a!o+t 9hrist. >e sho+ld not have to keep going !ack to where we started. >e !egan o+r new life !y t+rning away from the evil we did in the past and !y !elieving in God. Thats when we were ta+ght a!o+t !aptisms, l aying hands on people, the res+rrection of those who have died, and the final =+dgment. 1ow we need to go forward to more mat+re teaching. 2 7&:18 3 And thats what we will do if God allows. # After people have left the way of 9hrist, can yo+ make them change their lives again? 3 am talking a!o+t people who once learned the tr+th, received Gods gift, and shared in the $oly Spirit. They were !lessed to hear Gods good message and see the great power of his new world. <+t then they left it all !ehind, and it is not possi!le to make them change again. Thats !eca+se those $e!rews &.%*11 1# who leave 9hrist are nailing him to the cross again, shaming him !efore everyone. % 7&:#8 & 7&:#8 ' Some people are like land that gets -asy To .ead /ersion

plenty of rain and prod+ces a good crop for those who farm it. That kind of land has Gods !lessing. ( <+t other people are like land that grows only thorns and weeds. 3t is worthless and in danger of !eing c+rsed !y God. 3t will !e destroyed !y fire. ) Dear friends, 3 am not saying this !eca+se 3 think it is happening to yo+. >e really e4pect that yo+ will do !etterthat yo+ will do the good things that will res+lt in yo+r salvation. 1, God is fair, and he will remem!er all the work yo+ have done. $e will remem!er that yo+ showed yo+r love to him !y helping his people and that yo+ contin+e to help them. 11 >e want each of yo+ to !e willing and eager to show yo+r love like that the rest of yo+r life. Then yo+ will !e s+re to get what yo+ hope for. $e!rews &.12*1( 1% 12 >e dont want yo+ to !e laEy. >e want yo+ to !e like those who, !eca+se of their faith and patience, will get what God has promised. 13 God made a promise to A!raham. And there is no one greater than God, so he made the promise with an oath in his own namean oath that he wo+ld do what he promised. 1# $e said, 3 will s+rely !less yo+. 3 will give yo+ many descendants. 1% A!raham waited patiently for this to happen, and later he received what God promised. 1& 6eople always +se the name of someone greater than themselves to make a promise with an oath. The oath proves that what they say is tr+e, and there is no more arg+ing a!o+t it. 1' God wanted to prove that his promise was tr+e. $e wanted to prove this to those who wo+ld get what he promised. $e wanted them to +nderstand clearly that his p+rposes never change. So God said something wo+ld happen, and he proved what he said !y adding an oath. 1( These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and pag. 12&%0131#

$e!rews &.1)*'.3 1& he cannot lie when he makes an oath. So !oth of these things are a great help to +s who have come to God for safety. They enco+rage +s to hold on to the hope that is o+rs. 1) This hope we have is like an anchor for +s. 3t is strong and s+re and keeps +s safe. 3t goes !ehind the c+rtain in Gods temple. 2, Ces+s has already entered there and opened the way for +s. $e has !ecome the high priest forever, =+st like AelchiEedek. 7 1 AelchiEedek was the king of Salem and a priest for God the Aost $igh. $e met A!raham when A!raham was coming !ack after defeating the kings. That day AelchiEedek !lessed him. 2 Then A!raham gave him a tenth of everything he had. The name AelchiEedek, king of Salem, has two meanings. 2irst, AelchiEedek means king of =+stice. And king of Salem means king of peace. 3 1o one knows who his father or mother was or where he came from. And no one knows when he was !orn or when $e!rews '.#*) 1' he died. AelchiEedek is like the Son of God in that he will always !e a priest. # ;o+ can see that AelchiEedek was very great. A!raham, o+r great ancestor, gave him a tenth of everything he won in !attle. % 1ow the law says that those from the tri!e of evi who !ecome priests m+st get a tenth from their own people, even tho+gh they and their people are !oth from the family of A!raham. & AelchiEedek was not even from the tri!e of evi, !+t A!raham gave him a tenth of what he had. And AelchiEedek !lessed A!rahamthe one who had Gods promises. ' And everyone knows that the more important person always !lesses the less important person. ( Those priests get a tenth, !+t they are only men who live and then die. -asy To .ead /ersion

<+t AelchiEedek, who got a tenth from A!raham, contin+es to live, as the Script+res say. ) 1ow those from the family of evi are the ones who get a tenth from the people. <+t we can say that when $e!rews '.1,*1& 1( A!raham paid AelchiEedek a tenth, then evi also paid it. 1, evi was not yet !orn, !+t he already e4isted in his ancestor A!raham when AelchiEedek met him. 11 The people were given the law +nder the system of priests from the tri!e of evi. <+t no one co+ld !e made spirit+ally perfect thro+gh that system of priests. So there was a need for another priest to come. 3 mean a priest like AelchiEedek, not Aaron. 12 And when a different kind of priest comes, then the law m+st !e changed too. 13 >e are talking a!o+t o+r ord 9hrist, who !elonged to a different tri!e. 1o one from that tri!e ever served as a priest at the altar. 3t is clear that o+r ord Ces+s came from the tri!e of C+dah. And Aoses said nothing a!o+t priests !elonging to that tri!e. 1# 7':138 1% And these things !ecome even clearer when we see that another priest has come who is like AelchiEedek. 1& $e was made a priest, !+t not !eca+se he met the reJ+irement of !eing $e!rews '.1'*23 1) !orn into the right family. $e !ecame a priest !y the power of a life that will never end. 1' This is what the Script+res say a!o+t him: ;o+ are a priest foreverthe kind of priest AelchiEedek was. 1( The old r+le is now ended !eca+se it was weak and +na!le to help +s. 1) The aw of Aoses co+ld not make anything perfect. <+t now a !etter hope has !een given to +s. And with that hope we can come near to God. 2, Also, it is important that God made a promise with an oath when he made pag. 12&&0131#

Ces+s high priest. >hen those other men !ecame priests, there was no oath. 21 <+t 9hrist !ecame a priest with Gods oath. God said to him, The ord has made a promise with an oath and will not change his mind: ;o+ are a priest forever. 22 So this means that Ces+s is the g+arantee of a !etter agreement from God to his people. 23 Also, when one of those other priests died, he co+ld not contin+e !eing a priest. So there were many of those priests. $e!rews '.2#*(.1 2, 2# <+t Ces+s lives forever. $e will never stop serving as a priest. 2% So 9hrist can save those who come to God thro+gh him. 9hrist can do this forever, !eca+se he always lives and is ready to help people when they come !efore God. 2& So Ces+s is the kind of high priest we need. $e is holy. $e has no sin in him. $e is p+re and not infl+enced !y sinners. And he is raised a!ove the heavens. 2' $e is not like those other priests. They had to offer sacrifices every day, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. <+t Ces+s doesnt need to do that. $e offered only one sacrifice for all time. $e offered himself. 2( The law chooses high priests who are men and have the same weaknesses that all people have. <+t after the law, God spoke the oath that made his Son high priest. And that Son, made perfect thro+gh s+ffering, will serve forever. 8 1 $ere is the point of what we are saying: >e have a high priest like that, who sits on the right side of Gods throne in heaven. $e!rews (.2*& 21 2 5+r high priest serves in the Aost $oly 6lace. $e serves in the tr+e place of worship that was made !y God, not !y anyone here on earth. 3 -very high priest has the work of offering gifts and sacrifices to God. So o+r high priest m+st also offer something -asy To .ead /ersion

to God. # 3f o+r high priest were now living on earth, he wo+ld not !e a priest. 3 say this !eca+se there are already priests here who follow the law !y offering gifts to God. % The work that these priests do is really only a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven. That is why God warned Aoses when he was ready to !+ild the $oly Tent: <e s+re to make everything e4actly like the pattern 3 showed yo+ on the mo+ntain. & <+t the work that has !een given to Ces+s is m+ch greater than the work that was given to those priests. 3n the same way, the new agreement that Ces+s !ro+ght from God to his people is m+ch greater than the old one. And the new agreement is !ased on !etter promises. $e!rews (.'*12 22 ' 3f there was nothing wrong with the first agreement, then there wo+ld !e no need for a second agreement. ( <+t God fo+nd something wrong with the people. $e said, The time is coming, says the ord, when 3 will give a new agreement to the people of 3srael and to the people of C+dah. ) 3t will not !e like the agreement that 3 gave to their fathers. That is the agreement 3 gave when 3 took them !y the hand and led them o+t of -gypt. They did not contin+e following the agreement 3 gave them, and 3 t+rned away from them, says the ord. 1, This is the new agreement 3 will give the people of 3srael. 3 will give this agreement in the f+t+re, says the ord: 3 will p+t my laws in their minds, and 3 will write my laws on their hearts. 3 will !e their God, and they will !e my people. 11 1ever again will anyone have to teach their neigh!ors or their family to know the ord. All peoplethe greatest and the least importantwill know me. 12 And 3 will forgive the wrongs they have done, and 3 will not remem!er their sins. $e!rews (.13*).% 23 pag. 12&'0131#

13 God called this a new agreement, so he has made the first agreement old. And anything that is old and +seless is ready to disappear. 9 1 The first agreement had r+les for worship and a place for worship here on earth. 2 This place was inside a tent. The first area in the tent was called the $oly 6lace. 3n the $oly 6lace were the lamp and the ta!le with the special !read offered to God. 3 <ehind the second c+rtain was a room called the Aost $oly 6lace. # 3n the Aost $oly 6lace was a golden altar for !+rning incense. And also there was the <o4 of the Agreement. The <o4 was covered with gold. 3nside this <o4 was a gold =ar of manna and Aarons staffthe staff that once grew leaves. Also in the <o4 were the flat stones with the Ten 9ommandments of the old agreement on them. % A!ove the <o4 were the 9her+! angels that showed Gods glory. These 9her+! angels were over the place of mercy. <+t we cannot say everything a!o+t this now. $e!rews ).&*11 2# & -verything in the tent was made ready in the way 3 have e4plained. Then the priests went into the first room every day to do their worship d+ties. ' <+t only the high priest co+ld go into the second room, and he went in only once a year. Also, he co+ld never enter that room witho+t taking !lood with him. $e offered that !lood to God for himself and for the sins the people committed witho+t knowing they were sinning. ( The $oly Spirit +ses those two separate rooms to teach +s that the way into the Aost $oly 6lace was not open while the first room was still there. ) This is an e4ample for +s today. 3t shows that the gifts and sacrifices the priests offer to God are not a!le to make the consciences of the worshipers completely clear. 1, These gifts and sacrifices are only -asy To .ead /ersion

a!o+t food and drink and special washings. They are only r+les a!o+t the !ody. God gave them for his people to follow +ntil the time of his new way. 11 <+t 9hrist has already come to !e the high priest. $e is the high priest of the good things we now have. <+t 9hrist $e!rews ).12*1% 2% does not serve in a place like the tent that those other priests served in. $e serves in a !etter place. Hnlike that tent, this one is perfect. 3t was not made !y anyone here on earth. 3t does not !elong to this world. 12 9hrist entered the Aost $oly 6lace only one timeeno+gh for all time. $e entered the Aost $oly 6lace !y +sing his own !lood, not the !lood of goats or yo+ng !+lls. $e entered there and made +s free from sin forever. 13 The !lood of goats and !+lls and the ashes of a cow were sprinkled on those who were no longer p+re eno+gh to enter the place of worship. The !lood and ashes made them p+re again!+t only their !odies. 1# So s+rely the !lood sacrifice of 9hrist can do m+ch more. 9hrist offered himself thro+gh the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. $is !lood will make +s completely clean from the evil we have done. 3t will give +s clear consciences so that we can worship the living God. 1% So 9hrist !rings a new agreement from God to his people. $e !rings this agreement so that those who are chosen $e!rews ).1&*2, 2& !y God can have the !lessings God promised, !lessings that last forever. This can happen only !eca+se 9hrist died to free people from sins committed against the commands of the first agreement. 1& >hen someone dies and leaves a will, there m+st !e proof that the one who wrote the will is dead. 1' A will means nothing while the one who wrote it is still living. 3t can !e +sed only after that persons death. 1( That is why !lood to prove death pag. 12&(0131#

was needed to !egin the first agreement !etween God and his people. 1) 2irst, Aoses told the people every command in the law. Then he took the !lood of yo+ng !+lls and mi4ed it with water. $e +sed red wool and a !ranch of hyssop to sprinkle the !lood and water on the !ook of the law and on all the people. 2, Then he said, This is the !lood that makes the agreement goodthe agreement that God commanded yo+ to follow. $e!rews ).21*2& 2' 21 3n the same way, Aoses sprinkled the !lood on the $oly Tent. $e sprinkled the !lood over everything +sed in worship. 22 The law says that almost everything m+st !e made clean !y !lood. Sins cannot !e forgiven witho+t a !lood sacrifice. 23 These things are copies of the real things that are in heaven. These copies had to !e made clean !y animal sacrifices. <+t the real things in heaven m+st have m+ch !etter sacrifices. 2# 9hrist went into the Aost $oly 6lace. <+t it was not the manDmade one, which is only a copy of the real one. $e went into heaven, and he is there now !efore God to help +s. 2% The high priest enters the Aost $oly 6lace once every year. $e takes with him !lood to offer. <+t he does not offer his own !lood like 9hrist did. 9hrist went into heaven, !+t not to offer himself many times like the high priest offers !lood again and again. 2& 3f 9hrist had offered himself many times, he wo+ld have needed to s+ffer many times since the time the world was made. <+t he came to offer himself only $e!rews ).2'*1,.3 2( once. And that once is eno+gh for all time. $e came at a time when the world is nearing an end. $e came to take away all sin !y offering himself as a sacrifice. 2' -veryone m+st die once. Then they are =+dged. 2( So 9hrist was offered as a sacrifice -asy To .ead /ersion

one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, !+t not to offer himself for sin. $e will come the second time to !ring salvation to those who are waiting for him. 10 1 The law gave +s only an +nclear pict+re of the good things coming in the f+t+re. The law is not a perfect pict+re of the real things. The law tells people to offer the same sacrifices every year. Those who come to worship God contin+e to offer those sacrifices. <+t the law can never make them perfect. 2 3f the law co+ld make people perfect, those sacrifices wo+ld have already stopped. They wo+ld already !e clean from their sins, and they wo+ld not still feel g+ilty. 3 <+t thats not what happens. Their sacrifices make them remem!er their sins every year, $e!rews 1,.#*11 2) # !eca+se it is not possi!le for the !lood of !+lls and goats to take away sins. % So when 9hrist came into the world he said, ;o+ did not really want sacrifices and offerings, !+t yo+ have prepared a !ody for me. & ;o+ were not satisfied with !+rnt offerings and sacrifices to take away sins. ' Then 3 said, $ere 3 am, God. 3t is written a!o+t me in the !ook of the law. 3 have come to do what yo+ want. ( 2irst 9hrist said, ;o+ did not really want sacrifices and offerings. ;o+ were not satisfied with !+rnt offerings and sacrifices to take away sin. 7These are all sacrifices that the law commands.8 ) Then he said, $ere 3 am, God. 3 have come to do what yo+ want. So God ends that first system of sacrifices and starts his new way. 1, Ces+s 9hrist did the things God wanted him to do. And !eca+se of that, we are made holy thro+gh the sacrifice of 9hrists !ody. 9hrist made that sacrifice one timeeno+gh for all time. 11 -very day the priests stand and do their religio+s service. Again and again pag. 12&)0131#

$e!rews 1,.12*1) 3, they offer the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 <+t 9hrist offered only one sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is good for all time. Then he sat down at the right side of God. 13 And now 9hrist waits there for his enemies to !e p+t +nder his power. 1# >ith one sacrifice 9hrist made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are !eing made holy. 1% The $oly Spirit also tells +s a!o+t this. 2irst he says, 1& This is the agreement 3 will make with my people in the f+t+re, says the ord. 3 will p+t my laws in their hearts. 3 will write my laws in their minds. 1' Then he says, 3 will forget their sins and never again remem!er the evil they have done. 1( And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins. 1) And so, !rothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Aost $oly 6lace. >e can do this witho+t fear !eca+se of the !lood sacrifice of Ces+s. $e!rews 1,.2,*2& 31 2, >e enter thro+gh a new way that Ces+s opened for +s. 3t is a living way that leads thro+gh the c+rtain9hrists !ody. 21 And we have a great priest who r+les the ho+se of God. 22 Sprinkled with the !lood of 9hrist, o+r hearts have !een made free from a g+ilty conscience, and o+r !odies have !een washed with p+re water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, f+ll of confidence !eca+se of o+r faith in 9hrist. 23 >e m+st hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people a!o+t it. >e can tr+st God to do what he promised. 2# >e sho+ld think a!o+t each other to see how we can enco+rage each other to show love and do good works. 2% >e m+st not J+it meeting together, as some are doing. 1o, we need to keep -asy To .ead /ersion

on enco+raging each other. This !ecomes more and more important as yo+ see the Day getting closer. 2& 3f we decide to contin+e sinning after we have learned the tr+th, then there is no other sacrifice that will take away sins. $e!rews 1,.2'*33 32 2' 3f we contin+e sinning, all that is left for +s is a fearf+l time of waiting for the =+dgment and the angry fire that will destroy those who live against God. 2( >hoever ref+sed to o!ey the aw of Aoses was fo+nd g+ilty from the testimony given !y two or three witnesses. S+ch people were not forgiven. They were killed. 2) So think how m+ch more p+nishment people deserve who show their hate for the Son of Godpeople who show they have no respect for the !lood sacrifice that !egan the new agreement and once made them holy or who ins+lt the Spirit of Gods grace. 3, >e know that God said, 3 will p+nish people for the wrongs they doF 3 will repay them. And he also said, The ord will =+dge his people. 31 3t is a terri!le thing to face p+nishment from the living God. 32 .emem!er the days when yo+ first learned the tr+th. ;o+ had a hard str+ggle with m+ch s+ffering, !+t yo+ contin+ed strong. 33 Sometimes people said hatef+l things to yo+ and mistreated yo+ in p+!lic. And $e!rews 1,.3#*11.1 33 sometimes yo+ helped others who were !eing treated that same way. 3# ;es, yo+ helped them in prison and shared in their s+ffering. And yo+ were still happy when everything yo+ owned was taken away from yo+. ;o+ contin+ed to !e happy, !eca+se yo+ knew that yo+ had something m+ch !ettersomething that wo+ld contin+e forever. 3% So dont lose the co+rage that yo+ had in the past. ;o+r co+rage will !e rewarded richly. 3& ;o+ m+st !e patient. After yo+ have pag. 12',0131#

done what God wants, yo+ will get what he promised yo+. 3' $e says, /ery soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not !e late. 3( The person who is right with me will live !y tr+sting in me. <+t 3 will not !e pleased with the one who t+rns !ack in fear. 3) <+t we are not those who t+rn !ack and are lost. 1o, we are the people who have faith and are saved. 11 1 2aith is what makes real the things we hope for. 3t is proof of what we cannot see. $e!rews 11.2*' 3# 2 God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago !eca+se they had faith like this. 3 2aith helps +s +nderstand that God created the whole world !y his command. This means that the things we see were made !y something that cannot !e seen. # 9ain and A!el !oth offered sacrifices to God. <+t A!el offered a !etter sacrifice to God !eca+se he had faith. God said he was pleased with what A!el offered. And so God called him a good man !eca+se he had faith. A!el died, !+t thro+gh his faith he is still speaking. % -noch was carried away from this earth, so he never died. The Script+res tell +s that !efore he was carried off, he was a man who pleased God. ater, no one knew where he was, !eca+se God had taken -noch to !e with him. This all happened !eca+se he had faith. & >itho+t faith no one can please God. >hoever comes to God m+st !elieve that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him. ' 1oah was warned !y God a!o+t things that he co+ld not yet see. <+t he had $e!rews 11.(*12 3% faith and respect for God, so he !+ilt a large !oat to save his family. >ith his faith, 1oah showed that the world was wrong. And he !ecame one of those who are made right with God thro+gh faith. ( God called A!raham to travel to -asy To .ead /ersion

another place that he promised to give him. A!raham did not know where that other place was. <+t he o!eyed God and started traveling !eca+se he had faith. ) A!raham lived in the co+ntry that God promised to give him. $e lived there like a visitor who did not !elong. $e did this !eca+se he had faith. $e lived in tents with 3saac and Caco!, who also received the same promise from God. 1, A!raham was waiting for the city that has real fo+ndations. $e was waiting for the city that is planned and !+ilt !y God. 11 Sarah was not a!le to have children, and A!raham was too old. <+t he had faith in God, tr+sting him to do what he promised. And so God made them a!le to have children. 12 A!raham was so old he was almost dead. <+t from that one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. So many people came from him $e!rews 11.13*1' 3& that they are like grains of sand on the seashore. 13 All these great people contin+ed living with faith +ntil they died. They did not get the things God promised his people. <+t they were happy =+st to see those promises coming far in the f+t+re. They accepted the fact that they were like visitors and strangers here on earth. 1# >hen people accept something like that, they show they are waiting for a co+ntry that will !e their own. 1% 3f they were thinking a!o+t the co+ntry they had left, they co+ld have gone !ack. 1& <+t they were waiting for a !etter co+ntrya heavenly co+ntry. So God is not ashamed to !e called their God. And he has prepared a city for them. 1' God tested A!rahams faith. God told him to offer 3saac as a sacrifice. A!raham o!eyed !eca+se he had faith. $e already had the promises from God. And God had already said to him, 3t is thro+gh 3saac that yo+r descendants will come. <+t A!raham was ready to offer his only son. $e did this !eca+se he had pag. 12'10131#

faith. $e!rews 11.1(*2# 3' 1( 711:1'8 1) $e !elieved that God co+ld raise people from death. And really, when God stopped A!raham from killing 3saac, it was as if he got him !ack from death. 2, 3saac !lessed the f+t+re of Caco! and -sa+. $e did that !eca+se he had faith. 21 And Caco!, also !eca+se he had faith, !lessed each one of Cosephs sons. $e did this while he was dying, leaning on his rod and worshiping God. 22 And when Coseph was almost dead, he spoke a!o+t the people of 3srael leaving -gypt. And he told them what they sho+ld do with his !ody. $e did this !eca+se he had faith. 23 And the mother and father of Aoses hid him for three months after he was !orn. They did this !eca+se they had faith. They saw that Aoses was a !ea+tif+l !a!y. And they were not afraid to diso!ey the kings order. 2# Aoses grew +p and !ecame a man. $e ref+sed to !e called the son of 6haraohs da+ghter. $e chose not to en=oy the pleas+res of sin that last s+ch a short time. 3nstead, he chose to s+ffer $e!rews 11.2%*31 3( with Gods people. $e did this !eca+se he had faith. 2% 711:2#8 2& $e tho+ght it was !etter to s+ffer for the Aessiah than to have all the treas+res of -gypt. $e was waiting for the reward that God wo+ld give him. 2' Aoses left -gypt !eca+se he had faith. $e was not afraid of the kings anger. $e contin+ed strong as if he co+ld see the God no one can see. 2( Aoses prepared the 6assover and spread the !lood on the doorways of his people, so that the angel of death wo+ld not kill their first!orn sons. Aoses did this !eca+se he had faith. 2) And Gods people all walked thro+gh the .ed Sea as if it were dry land. They were a!le to do this !eca+se they had faith. <+t when the -gyptians tried to -asy To .ead /ersion

follow them, they were drowned. 3, And the walls of Cericho fell !eca+se of the faith of Gods people. They marched aro+nd the walls for seven days, and then the walls fell. 31 And .aha!, the prostit+te, welcomed the 3sraelite spies like friends. And $e!rews 11.32*3' 3) !eca+se of her faith, she was not killed with the ones who ref+sed to o!ey. 32 Do 3 need to give yo+ more e4amples? 3 dont have eno+gh time to tell yo+ a!o+t Gideon, <arak, Samson, Cephthah, David, Sam+el, and the prophets. 33 All of them had great faith. And with that faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, and God helped them in the ways he promised. >ith their faith some people closed the mo+ths of lions. 3# And some were a!le to stop !laEing fires. 5thers escaped from !eing killed with swords. Some who were weak were made strong. They !ecame powerf+l in !attle and defeated other armies. 3% There were women who lost loved ones !+t got them !ack when they were raised from death. 5thers were tort+red !+t ref+sed to accept their freedom. They did this so that they co+ld !e raised from death to a !etter life. 3& Some were la+ghed at and !eaten. 5thers were tied +p and p+t in prison. 3' They were killed with stones. They were c+t in half. They were killed with swords. The only clothes some of them had were sheepskins or goatskins. They $e!rews 11.3(*12.2 #, were poor, persec+ted, and treated !adly !y others. 3( The world was not good eno+gh for these great people. They had to wander in deserts and mo+ntains, living in caves and holes in the gro+nd. 3) God was pleased with all of them !eca+se of their faith. <+t not one of them received Gods great promise. #, God planned something !etter for +s. $e wanted to make +s perfect. 5f co+rse, he wanted those great people to !e made perfect too, !+t not !efore we pag. 12'20131#

co+ld all en=oy that !lessing together. 12 1 >e have all these great people aro+nd +s as e4amples. Their lives tell +s what faith means. So we, too, sho+ld r+n the race that is !efore +s and never J+it. >e sho+ld remove from o+r lives anything that wo+ld slow +s down and the sin that so often makes +s fall. 2 >e m+st never stop looking to Ces+s. $e is the leader of o+r faith, and he is the one who makes o+r faith complete. $e s+ffered death on a cross. <+t he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing !eca+se of the =oy he $e!rews 12.3*( #1 co+ld see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of Gods throne. 3 Think a!o+t Ces+s. $e patiently end+red the angry ins+lts that sinf+l people were sho+ting at him. Think a!o+t him so that yo+ wont get disco+raged and stop trying. # ;o+ are str+ggling against sin, !+t yo+ have not had to give +p yo+r life for the ca+se. % ;o+ are children of God, and he speaks words of comfort to yo+. ;o+ have forgotten these words: Ay child, dont think the ords discipline is worth nothing, and dont stop trying when he corrects yo+. & The ord disciplines everyone he lovesF he p+nishes everyone he accepts as a child. ' So accept s+fferings like a fathers discipline. God does these things to yo+ like a father correcting his children. ;o+ know that all children are disciplined !y their fathers. ( So, if yo+ never receive the discipline that every child m+st have, yo+ are not tr+e children and dont really !elong to God. $e!rews 12.)*1% #2 ) >e have all had fathers here on earth who corrected +s with discipline. And we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from the 2ather of o+r spirits. 3f we do this, -asy To .ead /ersion

we will have life. 1, 5+r fathers on earth disciplined +s for a short time in the way they tho+ght was !est. <+t God disciplines +s to help +s so that we can !e holy like him. 11 >e dont en=oy discipline when we get it. 3t is painf+l. <+t later, after we have learned o+r lesson from it, we will en=oy the peace that comes from doing what is right. 12 ;o+ have !ecome weak, so make yo+rselves strong again. 13 ive in the right way so that yo+ will !e saved and yo+r weakness will not ca+se yo+ to !e lost. 1# Try to live in peace with everyone. And try to keep yo+r lives free from sin. Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the ord. 1% <e caref+l that no one fails to get Gods grace. <e caref+l that no one loses their faith and !ecomes like a !itter $e!rews 12.1&*2, #3 weed growing among yo+. Someone like that can r+in yo+r whole gro+p. 1& <e caref+l that no one commits se4+al sin. And !e caref+l that no one is like -sa+ and never thinks a!o+t God. As the oldest son, -sa+ wo+ld have inherited everything from his father. <+t he sold all that for a single meal. 1' ;o+ remem!er that after -sa+ did this, he wanted to get his fathers !lessing. $e wanted that !lessing so m+ch that he cried. <+t his father ref+sed to give him the !lessing, !eca+se -sa+ co+ld find no way to change what he had done. 1( ;o+ have not come to a place that can !e seen and to+ched, like the mo+ntain the people of 3srael saw, which was !+rning with fire and covered with darkness, gloom, and storms. 1) There is no so+nd of a tr+mpet or a voice speaking words like those they heard. >hen they heard the voice, they !egged never to hear another word. 2, They did not want to hear the command: 3f anything, even an animal, to+ches the mo+ntain, it m+st !e killed pag. 12'30131#

with stones. $e!rews 12.21*2& ## 21 >hat they saw was so terri!le that Aoses said, 3 am shaking with fear. 22 <+t yo+ have come to Ao+nt Bion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Cer+salem. ;o+ have come to a place where tho+sands of angels have gathered to cele!rate. 23 ;o+ have come to the meeting of Gods first!orn children. Their names are written in heaven. ;o+ have come to God, the =+dge of all people. And yo+ have come to the spirits of good people who have !een made perfect. 2# ;o+ have come to Ces+sthe one who !ro+ght the new agreement from God to his people. ;o+ have come to the sprinkled !lood that tells +s a!o+t !etter things than the !lood of A!el. 2% <e caref+l and dont ref+se to listen when God speaks. Those people ref+sed to listen to him when he warned them on earth. And they did not escape. 1ow God is speaking from heaven. So now it will !e worse for those who ref+se to listen to him. 2& >hen he spoke !efore, his voice shook the earth. <+t now he has $e!rews 12.2'*13.# #% promised, 5nce again 3 will shake the earth, !+t 3 will also shake heaven. 2' The words once again clearly show +s that everything that was created will !e destroyedthat is, the things that can !e shaken. And only what cannot !e shaken will remain. 2( So we sho+ld !e thankf+l !eca+se we have a kingdom that cannot !e shaken. And !eca+se we are thankf+l, we sho+ld worship God in a way that will please him. >e sho+ld do this with respect and fear, 2) !eca+se o+r God is like a fire that can destroy +s. 13 1 9ontin+e loving each other as !rothers and sisters in 9hrist. 2 Always remem!er to help people !y welcoming them into yo+r home. Some people have done that and have helped -asy To .ead /ersion

angels witho+t knowing it. 3 Dont forget those who are in prison. .emem!er them as tho+gh yo+ were in prison with them. And dont forget those who are s+ffering. .emem!er them as tho+gh yo+ were s+ffering with them. # Aarriage sho+ld !e honored !y everyone. And every marriage sho+ld !e $e!rews 13.%*11 #& kept p+re !etween h+s!and and wife. God will =+dge g+ilty those who commit se4+al sins and ad+ltery. % Geep yo+r lives free from the love of money. And !e satisfied with what yo+ have. God has said, 3 will never leave yo+F 3 will never r+n away from yo+. & So we can feel s+re and say, The ord is my helperF 3 will not !e afraid. 6eople can do nothing to me. ' .emem!er yo+r leaders. They ta+ght Gods message to yo+. .emem!er how they lived and died, and copy their faith. ( Ces+s 9hrist is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ) Dont let all kinds of strange teachings lead yo+ into the wrong way. Depend only on Gods grace for spirit+al strength, not on r+les a!o+t foods. 5!eying those r+les doesnt help anyone. 1, >e have a sacrifice. And those priests who serve in the $oly Tent cannot eat from the sacrifice we have. 11 The high priest carries the !lood of animals into the Aost $oly 6lace and offers that !lood for sins. <+t the !odies of those animals are !+rned o+tside the camp. $e!rews 13.12*1( #' 12 So Ces+s also s+ffered o+tside the city. $e died to make his people holy with his own !lood. 13 So we sho+ld go to Ces+s o+tside the camp and accept the same shame that he had. 1# $ere on earth we dont have a city that lasts forever. <+t we are waiting for the city that we will have in the f+t+re. 1% So thro+gh Ces+s we sho+ld never stop offering o+r sacrifice to God. That sacrifice is o+r praise, coming from lips pag. 12'#0131#

that speak his name. 1& And dont forget to do good and to share what yo+ have with others, !eca+se sacrifices like these are very pleasing to God. 1' 5!ey yo+r leaders. <e willing to do what they say. They are responsi!le for yo+r spirit+al welfare, so they are always watching to protect yo+. 5!ey them so that their work will give them =oy, not grief. 3t wont help yo+ to make it hard for them. 1( 9ontin+e praying for +s. >e feel right a!o+t what we do, !eca+se we always try to do what is !est. $e!rews 13.1)*2% #( 1) And 3 !eg yo+ to pray that God will send me !ack to yo+ soon. 3 want this more than anything else. 2, 3 pray that the God of peace will give yo+ every good thing yo+ need so that yo+ can do what he wants. God is the one who raised from death o+r ord Ces+s, the Great Shepherd of his sheep. $e raised him !eca+se Ces+s sacrificed his !lood to !egin the new agreement that never ends. 3 pray that God will work thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist to do the things in +s that please him. To him !e glory forever. Amen. 21 713:2,8 22 Ay !rothers and sisters, 3 !eg yo+ to listen patiently to what 3 have said. 3 wrote this letter to strengthen yo+. And it is not very long. 23 3 want yo+ to know that o+r !rother Timothy is o+t of prison. 3f he comes to me soon, we will !oth come to see yo+. 2# Give my greetings to all yo+r leaders and to all Gods people. All those from 3taly send yo+ their greetings. 2% Gods grace !e with yo+ all. &ames 1 1 Greetings from Cames, a servant of God and of the ord Ces+s 9hrist. To Gods people who are scattered all over the world. 2 Ay !rothers and sisters, yo+ will have many kinds of tro+!le. <+t this gives yo+ a reason to !e very happy. -asy To .ead /ersion

3 ;o+ know that when yo+r faith is tested, yo+ learn to !e patient in s+ffering. # 3f yo+ let that patience work in yo+, the end res+lt will !e good. ;o+ will !e mat+re and complete. ;o+ will !e all that God wants yo+ to !e. % Do any of yo+ need wisdom? Ask God for it. $e is genero+s and en=oys giving to everyone. So he will give yo+ wisdom. & <+t when yo+ ask God, yo+ m+st !elieve. Dont do+!t him. >hoever do+!ts is like a wave in the sea that is !lown +p and down !y the wind. ' 6eople like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So Cames 1.(*1# 2 they sho+ld not think they will receive anything from the ord. ( 71:'8 ) <elievers who are poor sho+ld !e glad that God considers them so important. 1, <elievers who are rich sho+ld !e glad when !ad things happen that h+m!le them. Their riches wont keep them from disappearing as J+ickly as wildflowers. 11 As the s+n rises and gets hotter, its heat dries +p the plants, and the flowers fall off. The flowers that were so !ea+tif+l are now dead. Thats how it is with the rich. >hile they are still making plans for their !+siness, they will die. 12 Great !lessings !elong to those who are tempted and remain faithf+l" After they have proved their faith, God will give them the reward of eternal life. God promised this to all people who love him. 13 >henever yo+ feel tempted to do something !ad, yo+ sho+ld not say, God is tempting me. -vil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. 1# ;o+ are tempted !y the evil things yo+ want. ;o+r own desire leads yo+ away and traps yo+. Cames 1.1%*22 3 1% ;o+r desire grows inside yo+ +ntil it res+lts in sin. Then the sin grows !igger and !igger and finally ends in death. 1& Ay dear !rothers and sisters, dont !e pag. 12'%0131#

fooled a!o+t this. 1' -verything good comes from God. -very perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the 2ather who made all the lights in the sky. <+t God never changes like the shadows from those lights. $e is always the same. 1( God decided to give +s life thro+gh the tr+e message he sent to +s. $e wanted +s to !e the most important of all that he created. 1) Ay dear !rothers and sisters, always !e more willing to listen than to speak. Geep control of yo+r anger. 2, Anger does not help yo+ live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in yo+r livesevery kind of wrong yo+ do. <e h+m!le and accept Gods teaching that is planted in yo+r hearts. This teaching can save yo+. 22 Do what Gods teaching saysF dont =+st listen and do nothing. >hen yo+ Cames 1.23*2.1 # only sit and listen, yo+ are fooling yo+rselves. 23 $earing Gods teaching and doing nothing is like looking at yo+r face in the mirror 2# and doing nothing a!o+t what yo+ saw. ;o+ go away and immediately forget how !ad yo+ looked. 2% <+t when yo+ look into Gods perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. 3f yo+ do what it says, yo+ will have Gods !lessing. 1ever =+st listen to his teaching and forget what yo+ heard. 2& ;o+ might think yo+ are a very religio+s person. <+t if yo+r tong+e is o+t of control, yo+ are fooling yo+rself. ;o+r careless talk makes yo+r offerings to God worthless. 2' The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yo+rself free from the worlds evil infl+ence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as p+re and good. 2 1 Ay dear !rothers and sisters, yo+ are !elievers in o+r glorio+s ord -asy To .ead /ersion

Ces+s 9hrist. So dont treat some people !etter than others. Cames 2.2*( % 2 S+ppose someone comes into yo+r meeting wearing very nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing old, dirty clothes. 3 ;o+ show special attention to the person wearing nice clothes. ;o+ say, Sit here in this good seat. <+t yo+ say to the poor person, Stand there" or Sit on the floor !y o+r feet" # Doesnt this show that yo+ think some people are more important than others? ;o+ set yo+rselves +p as =+dges=+dges who make !ad decisions. % isten, my dear !rothers and sisters. God chose the poor people in the world to !e rich in faith. $e chose them to receive the kingdom God promised to those who love him. & <+t yo+ show no respect to those who are poor. And yo+ know that the rich are the ones who always try to control yo+r lives. And they are the ones who take yo+ to co+rt. ' And the rich are the ones who ins+lt the good name of the one yo+ !elong to. ( 5ne law r+les over all other laws. This royal law is fo+nd in the Script+res: ove Cames 2.)*1# & yo+r neigh!or the same as yo+ love yo+rself. 3f yo+ o!ey this law, yo+ are doing right. ) <+t if yo+ are treating one person as more important than another, yo+ are sinning. ;o+ are g+ilty of !reaking Gods law. 1, ;o+ might follow all of Gods law. <+t if yo+ fail to o!ey only one command, yo+ are g+ilty of !reaking all the commands in that law. 11 God said, Dont commit ad+ltery. The same God also said, Dont kill. So if yo+ dont commit ad+ltery, !+t yo+ kill someone, yo+ are g+ilty of !reaking all of Gods law. 12 ;o+ will !e =+dged !y the law that makes people free. ;o+ sho+ld remem!er pag. 12'&0131#

this in everything yo+ say and do. 13 ;es, yo+ m+st show mercy to others. 3f yo+ do not show mercy, then God will not show mercy to yo+ when he =+dges yo+. <+t the one who shows mercy can stand witho+t fear !efore the C+dge. 1# Ay !rothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith !+t does nothing, that faith is worth nothing. 2aith like that cannot save anyone. Cames 2.1%*21 ' 1% S+ppose a !rother or sister in 9hrist comes to yo+ in need of clothes or something to eat. 1& And yo+ say to them, God !e with yo+" 3 hope yo+ stay warm and get plenty to eat, !+t yo+ dont give them the things they need. 3f yo+ dont help them, yo+r words are worthless. 1' 3t is the same with faith. 3f it is =+st faith and nothing moreif it doesnt do anythingit is dead. 1( <+t someone might arg+e, Some people have faith, and others have good works. Ay answer wo+ld !e that yo+ cant show me yo+r faith if yo+ dont do anything. <+t 3 will show yo+ my faith !y the good 3 do. 1) ;o+ !elieve there is one God. Thats good, !+t even the demons !elieve that" And they shake with fear. 2, ;o+ fool" 2aith that does nothing is worth nothing. Do yo+ want me to prove this to yo+? 21 5+r father A!raham was made right with God !y what he did. $e offered his son 3saac to God on the altar. Cames 2.22*3.2 ( 22 So yo+ see that A!rahams faith and what he did worked together. $is faith was made perfect !y what he did. 23 This shows the f+ll meaning of the Script+res. that say, A!raham !elieved God, and !eca+se of this faith he was accepted as one who is right with God. A!raham was called Gods friend. 2# So yo+ see that people are made right with God !y what they do. They cannot !e made right !y faith alone. 2% Another e4ample is .aha!. She was a -asy To .ead /ersion

prostit+te, !+t she was made right with God !y something she did. She helped those who were spying for Gods people. She welcomed them into her home and helped them escape !y a different road. 2& A persons !ody that does not have a spirit is dead. 3t is the same with faithfaith that does nothing is dead" 3 1 Ay !rothers and sisters, not many of yo+ sho+ld !e teachers. 3 say this !eca+se, as yo+ know, we who teach will !e =+dged more strictly than others. 2 >e all make many mistakes. A person who never said anything wrong wo+ld !e perfect. Someone like that wo+ld !e a!le to control their whole !ody too. Cames 3.3*) ) 3 >e p+t !its into the mo+ths of horses to make them o!ey +s. >ith these !its we can control their whole !ody. # 3t is the same with ships. A ship is very !ig, and it is p+shed !y strong winds. <+t a very small r+dder controls that !ig ship. And the one who controls the r+dder decides where the ship will go. 3t goes where he wants it to go. % 3t is the same with o+r tong+e. 3t is a small part of the !ody, !+t it can !oast a!o+t doing great things. A !ig forest fire can !e started with only a little flame. & The tong+e is like a fire. 3t is a world of evil among the parts of o+r !ody. 3t spreads its evil thro+gh o+r whole !ody and starts a fire that infl+ences all of life. 3t gets this fire from hell. ' $+mans have control over every kind of wild animal, !ird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. ( <+t no one can control the tong+e. 3t is wild and evil, f+ll of deadly poison. ) >e +se o+r tong+es to praise o+r ord and 2ather, !+t then we c+rse people who were created in Gods likeness. Cames 3.1,*1' 1, 1, These praises and c+rses come from the same mo+th. Ay !rothers and sisters, this sho+ld not happen. 11 Do good water and !ad water flow from the same spring? 5f co+rse not. 12 Ay !rothers and sisters, can a fig pag. 12''0131#

tree make olives? 5r can a grapevine make figs? 1o, and a well f+ll of salty water cannot give good water. 13 Are there any among yo+ who are really wise and +nderstanding? Then yo+ sho+ld show yo+r wisdom !y living right. ;o+ sho+ld do what is good with h+mility. A wise person does not !oast. 1# 3f yo+ are selfish and have !itter =ealo+sy in yo+r hearts, yo+ have no reason to !oast. ;o+r !oasting is a lie that hides the tr+th. 1% That kind of wisdom does not come from God. That wisdom comes from the world. 3t is not spirit+al. 3t is from the devil. 1& >here there is =ealo+sy and selfishness, there will !e conf+sion and every kind of evil. 1' <+t the wisdom that comes from God is like this: 2irst, it is p+re. 3t is also peacef+l, gentle, and easy to please. Cames 3.1(*#.% 11 This wisdom is always ready to help people who have tro+!le and to do good for others. This wisdom is always fair and honest. 1( 6eople who work for peace in a peacef+l way get the !lessings that come from right living. 4 1 Do yo+ know where yo+r fights and arg+ments come from? They come from the selfish desires that make war inside yo+. 2 ;o+ want things, !+t yo+ dont get them. So yo+ kill and are =ealo+s of others. <+t yo+ still cannot get what yo+ want. So yo+ arg+e and fight. ;o+ dont get what yo+ want !eca+se yo+ dont ask God. 3 5r when yo+ ask, yo+ dont receive anything, !eca+se the reason yo+ ask is wrong. ;o+ only want to +se it for yo+r own pleas+re. # ;o+ people are not faithf+l to God" ;o+ sho+ld know that loving what the world has is the same as hating God. So anyone who wants to !e friends with this evil world !ecomes Gods enemy. % Do yo+ think the Script+res mean -asy To .ead /ersion

nothing? The Script+res say, The Spirit Cames #.&*11 12 God made to live in +s wants +s only for himself. & <+t the kindness God shows +s is greater. As the Script+re says, God is against the pro+d, !+t he is kind to the h+m!le. ' So give yo+rselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will r+n away from yo+. ( 9ome near to God and he will come near to yo+. ;o+ are sinners, so clean sin o+t of yo+r lives. ;o+ are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Aake yo+r thinking p+re. ) <e sad, !e sorry, and cry" 9hange yo+r la+ghter into crying. 9hange yo+r =oy into sadness. 1, <e h+m!le !efore the ord, and he will make yo+ great. 11 <rothers and sisters, dont say anything against each other. 3f yo+ criticiEe yo+r !rother or sister in 9hrist or =+dge them, yo+ are criticiEing and =+dging the law they follow. And when yo+ are =+dging the law, yo+ are not a follower of the law. ;o+ have !ecome a =+dge. Cames #.12*%.3 13 12 God is the one who gave +s the law, and he is the C+dge. $e is the only one who can save and destroy. So it is not right for yo+ to =+dge anyone. 13 Some of yo+ say, Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. >e will stay there a year, do !+siness, and make money. isten, think a!o+t this: 1# ;o+ dont know what will happen tomorrow. ;o+r life is like a fog. ;o+ can see it for a short time, !+t then it goes away. 1% So yo+ sho+ld say, 3f the ord wants, we will live and do this or that. 1& <+t now yo+ are pro+d and !oast a!o+t yo+rself. All s+ch !oasting is wrong. 1' 3f yo+ fail to do what yo+ know is right, yo+ are sinning. 5 1 ;o+ rich people, listen" 9ry and !e pag. 12'(0131#

very sad !eca+se m+ch tro+!le will come to yo+. 2 ;o+r riches will rot and !e worth nothing. ;o+r clothes will !e eaten !y moths. 3 ;o+r gold and silver will r+st, and that r+st will !e a proof that yo+ were wrong. Cames %.#*) 1# That r+st will eat yo+r !odies like fire. ;o+ saved yo+r treas+re in the last days. # 6eople worked in yo+r fields, !+t yo+ did not pay them. They are crying o+t against yo+. They harvested yo+r crops. 1ow the ord AllD6owerf+l has heard their cries. % ;o+r life on earth was f+ll of rich living. ;o+ pleased yo+rselves with everything yo+ wanted. ;o+ made yo+rselves fat, like an animal ready for the day of sla+ghter. & ;o+ showed no mercy to good people. They were not against yo+, !+t yo+ killed them. ' <rothers and sisters, !e patientF the ord will come. So !e patient +ntil that time. ook at the farmers. They have to !e patient. They have to wait for their val+a!le crop to grow and prod+ce a harvest. They wait patiently for the first rain and the last rain. ( ;o+ m+st !e patient too. 1ever stop hoping. The ord will soon !e here. ) <rothers and sisters, dont complain against each other. 3f yo+ dont stop complaining, yo+ will !e =+dged g+ilty. And the C+dge is ready to come" Cames %.1,*1% 1% 1, <rothers and sisters, follow the e4ample of the prophets who spoke for the ord. They s+ffered many !ad things, !+t they were patient. 11 And we say that those who accepted their tro+!les with patience now have Gods !lessing. ;o+ have heard a!o+t Co!s patience. ;o+ know that after all his tro+!les, the ord helped him. This shows that the ord is f+ll of mercy and is kind. 12 Ay !rothers and sisters, it is very important that yo+ not +se an oath when -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+ make a promise. Dont +se the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what yo+ say. >hen yo+ mean yes, say only yes. >hen yo+ mean no, say only no. Do this so that yo+ will not !e =+dged g+ilty. 13 Are yo+ having tro+!les? ;o+ sho+ld pray. Are yo+ happy? ;o+ sho+ld sing. 1# Are yo+ sick? Ask the elders of the ch+rch to come and r+! oil on yo+ in the name of the ord and pray for yo+. 1% 3f s+ch a prayer is offered in faith, it will heal anyone who is sick. The ord will heal them. And if they have sinned, he will forgive them. Cames %.1&*2, 1& 1& So always tell each other the wrong things yo+ have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal yo+. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen. 1' -li=ah was a person =+st like +s. $e prayed that it wo+ld not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half years" 1( Then -li=ah prayed that it wo+ld rain. And the rain came down from the sky, and the land grew crops again. 1) Ay !rothers and sisters, if anyone wanders away from the tr+th and someone helps that person come !ack, 2, remem!er this: Anyone who !rings a sinner !ack from the wrong way will save that person from eternal death and ca+se many sins to !e forgiven. 1 -eter 1 1 Greetings from 6eter, an apostle of Ces+s 9hrist. To Gods chosen people who are away from their homespeople scattered all over the areas of 6ont+s, Galatia, 9appadocia, Asia, and <ithynia. 2 God the 2ather planned long ago to choose yo+ and to make yo+ his holy people, which is the Spirits work. God wanted yo+ to o!ey him and to !e made clean !y the !lood sacrifice of Ces+s 9hrist. 3 pray that yo+ will en=oy more and more of Gods grace and peace. 3 6raise !e to the God and 2ather of o+r pag. 12')0131#

ord Ces+s 9hrist. God has great mercy, and !eca+se of his mercy he gave +s a new life. This new life !rings +s a living hope thro+gh Ces+s 9hrists res+rrection from death. # 1ow we wait to receive the !lessings God has for his children. These !lessings are kept for yo+ in heaven. They cannot !e r+ined or !e destroyed or lose their !ea+ty. 1 6eter 1.%*11 2 % Gods power protects yo+ thro+gh yo+r faith, and it keeps yo+ safe +ntil yo+r salvation comes. That salvation is ready to !e given to yo+ at the end of time. & 3 know the tho+ght of that is e4citing, even if yo+ m+st s+ffer thro+gh different kinds of tro+!les for a short time now. ' These tro+!les test yo+r faith and prove that it is p+re. And s+ch faith is worth more than gold. Gold can !e proved to !e p+re !y fire, !+t gold will r+in. >hen yo+r faith is proven to !e p+re, the res+lt will !e praise and glory and honor when Ces+s 9hrist comes. ( ;o+ have not seen 9hrist, !+t still yo+ love him. ;o+ cant see him now, !+t yo+ !elieve in him. ;o+ are filled with a wonderf+l and heavenly =oy that cannot !e e4plained. ) ;o+r faith has a goal, and yo+ are reaching that goalyo+r salvation. 1, The prophets st+died caref+lly and tried to learn a!o+t this salvation. They spoke a!o+t the grace that was coming to yo+. 11 The Spirit of 9hrist was in those prophets. And the Spirit was telling a!o+t the s+fferings that wo+ld happen 1 6eter 1.12*1% 3 to 9hrist and a!o+t the glory that wo+ld come after those s+fferings. The prophets tried to learn a!o+t what the Spirit was showing themwhen it wo+ld happen and what the world wo+ld !e like at that time. 12 3t was made clear to them that their service was not for themselves. They were serving yo+ when they told a!o+t the things yo+ have now heard. ;o+ -asy To .ead /ersion

heard them from those who told yo+ the Good 1ews with the help of the $oly Spirit sent from heaven. -ven the angels wo+ld like very m+ch to know more a!o+t these things yo+ were told. 13 So prepare yo+r minds for service. >ith complete selfDcontrol p+t all yo+r hope in the grace that will !e yo+rs when Ces+s 9hrist comes. 1# 3n the past yo+ did not have the +nderstanding yo+ have now, so yo+ did the evil things yo+ wanted to do. <+t now yo+ are children of God, so yo+ sho+ld o!ey him and not live the way yo+ did !efore. 1% <e holy in everything yo+ do, =+st as God is holy. $e is the one who chose yo+. 1 6eter 1.1&*22 # 1& 3n the Script+res God says, <e holy, !eca+se 3 am holy. 1' ;o+ pray to God and call him 2ather, !+t he will =+dge everyone the same way!y what they do. So while yo+ are visiting here on earth, yo+ sho+ld live with respect for God. 1( ;o+ know that in the past the way yo+ were living was +seless. 3t was a way of life yo+ learned from those who lived !efore yo+. <+t yo+ were saved from that way of living. ;o+ were !o+ght, !+t not with things that r+in like gold or silver. 1) ;o+ were !o+ght with the precio+s !lood of 9hrists death. $e was a p+re and perfect sacrificial am!. 2, 9hrist was chosen !efore the world was made, !+t he was shown to the world in these last times for yo+. 21 ;o+ !elieve in God thro+gh 9hrist. God is the one who raised him from death and gave honor to him. So yo+r faith and yo+r hope are in God. 22 ;o+ have made yo+rselves p+re !y o!eying the tr+th. 1ow yo+ can have tr+e love for yo+r !rothers and sisters. 1 6eter 1.23*2.# % So love each other deeplywith all yo+r heart. 23 ;o+ have !een !orn again. This pag. 12(,0131#

new life did not come from something that dies. 3t came from something that cannot die. ;o+ were !orn again thro+gh Gods lifeDgiving message that lasts forever. 2# The Script+res say, 5+r lives are like the grass of spring, and any glory we en=oy is like the !ea+ty of a wildflower. The grass dries +p and dies, and the flower falls to the gro+nd. 2% <+t the word of the ord lasts forever. And that word is the Good 1ews that was told to yo+. 2 1 So then, stop doing anything to h+rt others. Dont lie anymore, and stop trying to fool people. Dont !e =ealo+s or say !ad things a!o+t others. 2 ike new!orn !a!ies h+ngry for milk, yo+ sho+ld want the p+re teaching that feeds yo+r spirit. >ith it yo+ can grow +p and !e saved. 3 ;o+ have already tasted the goodness of the ord. # The ord Ces+s is the living stone. The people of the world decided that they 1 6eter 2.%*) & did not want this stone. <+t he is the one God chose as one of great val+e, so come to him. % ;o+ also are like living stones, and God is +sing yo+ to !+ild a spirit+al temple. ;o+ are to serve God in this temple as holy priests, offering him spirit+al sacrifices that he will accept !eca+se of Ces+s 9hrist. & The Script+res say, ook, 3 have chosen a cornerstone of great val+e, and 3 p+t that stone in Bion. Anyone who tr+sts in him will never !e p+t to shame. ' So, that stone !rings honor to yo+ who !elieve. <+t for those who dont !elieve he is the stone that the !+ilders ref+sed to accept, which !ecame the most important stone. ( 2or them he is a stone that makes people st+m!le, a rock that makes people fall. They ref+sed to accept Gods message, and so they st+m!led. This is what God planned for them. ) <+t yo+ are his chosen people, the -asy To .ead /ersion

Gings priests. ;o+ are a holy nation, people who !elong to God. $e chose yo+ to tell a!o+t the wonderf+l things 1 6eter 2.1,*1% ' he has done. $e !ro+ght yo+ o+t of the darkness of sin into his wonderf+l light. 1, 3n the past yo+ were not a special people, !+t now yo+ are Gods people. 5nce yo+ had not received mercy, !+t now God has given yo+ his mercy. 11 Dear friends, yo+ are like visitors and strangers in this world. So 3 !eg yo+ to keep yo+r lives free from the evil things yo+ want to do, those desires that fight against yo+r tr+e selves. 12 6eople who dont !elieve are living all aro+nd yo+. They may say that yo+ are doing wrong. So live s+ch good lives that they will see the good yo+ do, and they will give glory to God on the day he comes. 13 <e willing to serve the people who have a+thority in this world. Do this for the ord. 5!ey the king, the highest a+thority. 1# And o!ey the leaders who are sent !y the king. They are sent to p+nish those who do wrong and to praise those who do good. 1% >hen yo+ do good, yo+ stop ignorant people from saying foolish things a!o+t yo+. This is what God wants. 1 6eter 2.1&*23 ( 1& ive like free people, !+t dont +se yo+r freedom as an e4c+se to do evil. ive as those who are serving God. 1' Show respect for all people. ove yo+r !rothers and sisters in Gods family. .espect God, and honor the king. 1( Slaves, !e willing to serve yo+r masters. Do this with all respect. ;o+ sho+ld o!ey the masters who are good and kind, and yo+ sho+ld o!ey the masters who are !ad. 1) 5ne of yo+ might have to s+ffer even when yo+ have done nothing wrong. 3f yo+ think of God and !ear the pain, this pleases God. 2, <+t if yo+ are p+nished for doing wrong, there is no reason to praise pag. 12(10131#

yo+ for !earing that p+nishment. <+t if yo+ s+ffer for doing good and yo+ are patient, this pleases God. 21 This is what yo+ were chosen to do. 9hrist gave yo+ an e4ample to follow. $e s+ffered for yo+. So yo+ sho+ld do the same as he did: 22 $e never sinned, and he never told a lie. 23 6eople ins+lted him, !+t he did not ins+lt them !ack. $e s+ffered, !+t he did 1 6eter 2.2#*3.% ) not threaten anyone. 1o, he let God take care of him. God is the one who =+dges rightly. 2# 9hrist carried o+r sins in his !ody on the cross. $e did this so that we wo+ld stop living for sin and live for what is right. <y his wo+nds yo+ were healed. 2% ;o+ were like sheep that went the wrong way. <+t now yo+ have come !ack to the Shepherd and 6rotector of yo+r lives. 3 1 3n the same way, yo+ wives sho+ld !e willing to serve yo+r h+s!ands. Then, even those who have ref+sed to accept Gods teaching will !e pers+aded to !elieve !eca+se of the way yo+ live. ;o+ will not need to say anything. 2 ;o+r h+s!ands will see the p+re lives that yo+ live with respect for God. 3 3t is not fancy hair, gold =ewelry, or fine clothes that sho+ld make yo+ !ea+tif+l. # 1o, yo+r !ea+ty sho+ld come from inside yo+the !ea+ty of a gentle and J+iet spirit. That !ea+ty will never disappear. 3t is worth very m+ch to God. % 3t was the same with the holy women who lived long ago and followed God. They made themselves !ea+tif+l in that 1 6eter 3.&*1, 1, same way. They were willing to serve their h+s!ands. & 3 am talking a!o+t women like Sarah. She o!eyed A!raham, her h+s!and, and called him her master. And yo+ women are tr+e children of Sarah if yo+ always do what is right and are not afraid. ' 3n the same way, yo+ h+s!ands sho+ld live with yo+r wives in an +nderstanding -asy To .ead /ersion

way, since they are weaker than yo+. ;o+ sho+ld show them respect, !eca+se God gives them the same !lessing he gives yo+the grace of tr+e life. Do this so that nothing will stop yo+r prayers from !eing heard. ( So all of yo+ sho+ld live together in peace. Try to +nderstand each other. ove each other like !rothers and sisters. <e kind and h+m!le. ) Dont do wrong to anyone to pay them !ack for doing wrong to yo+. 5r dont ins+lt anyone to pay them !ack for ins+lting yo+. <+t ask God to !less them. Do this !eca+se yo+ yo+rselves were chosen to receive a !lessing. 1, The Script+res say, 3f yo+ want to en=oy tr+e life and have only good days, 1 6eter 3.11*1' 11 then avoid saying anything h+rtf+l, and never let a lie come o+t of yo+r mo+th. 11 Stop doing what is wrong, and do good. ook for peace, and do all yo+ can to help people live peacef+lly. 12 The ord watches over those who do what is right, and he listens to their prayers. <+t he is against those who do evil. 13 3f yo+ are always trying to do good, no one can really harm yo+. 1# <+t yo+ may s+ffer for doing right. 3f that happens, yo+ have Gods !lessing. Dont !e afraid of the people who make yo+ s+fferF dont !e worried. 1% <+t keep the ord 9hrist holy in yo+r hearts. Always !e ready to answer everyone who asks yo+ to e4plain a!o+t the hope yo+ have. 1& <+t answer them in a gentle way with respect. Geep yo+r conscience clear. Then people will see the good way yo+ live as followers of 9hrist, and those who say !ad things a!o+t yo+ will !e ashamed of what they said. 1' 3t is !etter to s+ffer for doing good than for doing wrong. ;es, it is !etter if that is what God wants. 1 6eter 3.1(*#.1 12 1( 9hrist himself s+ffered when he died for yo+, and with that one death he paid pag. 12(20131#

for yo+r sins. $e was not g+ilty, !+t he died for people who are g+ilty. $e did this to !ring all of yo+ to God. 3n his physical form he was killed, !+t he was made alive !y the Spirit. 1) And !y the Spirit he went and preached to the spirits in prison. 2, Those were the spirits who ref+sed to o!ey God long ago in the time of 1oah. God was waiting patiently for people while 1oah was !+ilding the !ig !oat. And only a feweight in allwere saved in the !oat thro+gh the floodwater. 21 And that water is like !aptism, which now saves yo+. <aptism is not the washing of dirt from the !ody. 3t is asking God for a clean conscience. 3t saves yo+ !eca+se Ces+s 9hrist was raised from death. 22 1ow he has gone into heaven. $e is at Gods right side and r+les over angels, a+thorities, and powers. 4 1 9hrist s+ffered while he was in his !ody. So yo+ sho+ld strengthen yo+rselves with the same kind of thinking 9hrist had. The one who accepts 1 6eter #.2*& 13 s+ffering in this life has clearly decided to stop sinning. 2 Strengthen yo+rselves so that yo+ will live yo+r lives here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things that people want to do. 3 3n the past yo+ wasted too m+ch time doing what those who dont know God like to do. ;o+ were living immoral lives, doing the evil things yo+ wanted to do. ;o+ were always getting dr+nk, having wild drinking parties, and doing shamef+l things in yo+r worship of idols. # 1ow those friends think it is strange that yo+ no longer =oin them in all the wild and wastef+l things they do. And so they say !ad things a!o+t yo+. % <+t they will have to face God to e4plain what they have done. $e is the one who will soon =+dge everyonethose who are living now and those who have already died. & Some were told the Good 1ews !efore -asy To .ead /ersion

they died. They were criticiEed !y others in their life here on earth. <+t it was Gods plan that they hear the Good 1ews so that they co+ld have a new life thro+gh the Spirit. 1 6eter #.'*13 1# ' The time is near when all things will end. So keep yo+r minds clear, and control yo+rselves. This will help yo+ in yo+r prayers. ( Aost important of all, love each other deeply, !eca+se love makes yo+ willing to forgive many sins. ) 5pen yo+r homes to each other and share yo+r food witho+t complaining. 1, God has shown yo+ his grace in many different ways. So !e good servants and +se whatever gift he has given yo+ in a way that will !est serve each other. 11 3f yo+r gift is speaking, yo+r words sho+ld !e like words from God. 3f yo+r gift is serving, yo+ sho+ld serve with the strength that God gives. Then it is God who will !e praised in everything thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist. 6ower and glory !elong to him forever and ever. Amen. 12 Ay friends, dont !e s+rprised at the painf+l things that yo+ are now s+ffering, which are testing yo+r faith. Dont think that something strange is happening to yo+. 13 <+t yo+ sho+ld !e happy that yo+ are sharing in 9hrists s+fferings. ;o+ will !e 1 6eter #.1#*%.1 1% happy and f+ll of =oy when 9hrist shows his glory. 1# >hen people say !ad things to yo+ !eca+se yo+ follow 9hrist, consider it a !lessing. >hen that happens, it shows that Gods Spirit, the Spirit of glory, is with yo+. 1% ;o+ may s+ffer, !+t dont let it !e !eca+se yo+ m+rder, steal, make tro+!le, or try to control other peoples lives. 1& <+t if yo+ s+ffer !eca+se yo+ are a 9hristDfollower, dont !e ashamed. ;o+ sho+ld praise God for that name. 1' 3t is time for =+dging to !egin. That =+dging will !egin with Gods family. 3f it pag. 12(30131#

!egins with +s, then what will happen to those who dont accept the Good 1ews of God? 1( 3f it is hard for even a good person to !e saved, what will happen to the one who is against God and f+ll of sin? 1) So if God wants yo+ to s+ffer, yo+ sho+ld tr+st yo+r lives to him. $e is the one who made yo+, and yo+ can tr+st him. So contin+e to do good. 5 1 1ow 3 have something to say to the elders in yo+r gro+p. 3 am also 1 6eter %.2*' 1& an elder. 3 myself have seen 9hrists s+fferings. And 3 will share in the glory that will !e shown to +s. 3 !eg yo+ to 2 take care of the gro+p of people yo+ are responsi!le for. They are Gods flock. >atch over that flock !eca+se yo+ want to, not !eca+se yo+ are forced to do it. That is how God wants it. Do it !eca+se yo+ are happy to serve, not !eca+se yo+ want money. 3 Dont !e like a r+ler over those yo+ are responsi!le for. <+t !e good e4amples to them. # Then when 9hrist the .+ling Shepherd comes, yo+ will get a crown one that will !e glorio+s and never lose its !ea+ty. % ;o+ng people, 3 have something to say to yo+ too. ;o+ sho+ld accept the a+thority of the elders. ;o+ sho+ld all have a h+m!le attit+de in dealing with each other. God is against the pro+d, !+t he is kind to the h+m!le. & So !e h+m!le +nder Gods powerf+l hand. Then, when the right time comes, he will reward yo+ with honor. ' Give all yo+r worries to him, !eca+se he cares for yo+. 1 6eter %.(*13 1' ( 9ontrol yo+rselves and !e caref+l" The devil is yo+r enemy, and he goes aro+nd like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. ) .ef+se to follow the devil. Stand strong in yo+r faith. ;o+ know that yo+r !rothers and sisters all over the world are having the same s+fferings that yo+ have. -asy To .ead /ersion

1, ;es, yo+ will s+ffer for a short time. <+t after that, God will make everything right. $e will make yo+ strong. $e will s+pport yo+ and keep yo+ from falling. $e is the God who gives all grace. $e chose yo+ to share in his glory in 9hrist. That glory will last forever. 11 All power is his forever. Amen. 12 Silas will !ring this letter to yo+. 3 know that he is a faithf+l !rother in 9hrist. 3 wrote this short letter to enco+rage yo+. 3 wanted to tell yo+ that this is the tr+e grace of God. Stand strong in that grace. 13 The ch+rch in <a!ylon sends yo+ greetings. They were chosen =+st as yo+ were. Aark, my son in 9hrist, also sends his greetings. 1 6eter %.1# 1( 1# Give each other o+r special greeting of love when yo+ meet. 6eace to all of yo+ who are in 9hrist. 2 -eter 1 1 Greetings from Simon 6eter, a servant and apostle of Ces+s 9hrist. To all of yo+ who share in the same val+a!le faith that we have. This faith was given to +s !eca+se o+r God and Savior Ces+s 9hrist always does what is good and right. 2 Grace and peace !e given to yo+ more and more, !eca+se now yo+ know God and Ces+s o+r ord. 3 Ces+s has the power of God. And his power has given +s everything we need to live a life devoted to God. >e have these things !eca+se we know him. Ces+s chose +s !y his glory and goodness, # thro+gh which he also gave +s the very great and rich gifts that he promised +s. >ith these gifts yo+ can share in !eing like God. And so yo+ will escape the spirit+al r+in that comes to people in the world !eca+se of the evil things they want. 2 6eter 1.%*11 2 % <eca+se yo+ have these !lessings, do all yo+ can to add to yo+r life these things: to yo+r faith add goodnessF to pag. 12(#0131#

yo+r goodness add knowledgeF & to yo+r knowledge add selfDcontrolF to yo+r selfDcontrol add patienceF to yo+r patience add devotion to GodF ' to yo+r devotion add kindness toward yo+r !rothers and sisters in 9hrist, and to this kindness add love. ( 3f all these things are in yo+ and growing, yo+ will never fail to !e +sef+l to God. ;o+ will prod+ce the kind of fr+it that sho+ld come from knowing o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. ) <+t those who dont grow in these !lessings are !lind. They cannot see clearly what they have. They have forgotten that they were cleansed from their past sins. 1, Ay !rothers and sisters, God called yo+ and chose yo+ to !e his. Do yo+r !est to live in a way that shows yo+ really are Gods called and chosen people. 3f yo+ do all this, yo+ will never fall. 11 And yo+ will !e given a very great welcome into the kingdom of o+r ord 2 6eter 1.12*1' 3 and Savior Ces+s 9hrist, a kingdom that never ends. 12 ;o+ already know these things. ;o+ are very strong in the tr+th yo+ have. <+t 3 am always going to help yo+ remem!er them. 13 >hile 3 am still living here on earth, 3 think it is right for me to remind yo+ of them. 1# 3 know that 3 m+st soon leave this !ody. 5+r ord Ces+s 9hrist has shown me that. 1% 3 will try my !est to make s+re yo+ remem!er these things even after 3 am gone. 1& >e told yo+ a!o+t the power of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist. >e told yo+ a!o+t his coming. The things we told yo+ were not =+st clever stories that people invented. 1o, we saw the greatness of Ces+s with o+r own eyes. 1' Ces+s heard the voice of the great and glorio+s God. That was when he received honor and glory from God the 2ather. The voice said, This is my Son, -asy To .ead /ersion

the one 3 love. 3 am very pleased with him. 2 6eter 1.1(*2.1 # 1( And we heard that voice. 3t came from heaven while we were with Ces+s on the holy mo+ntain. 1) This makes +s more s+re a!o+t what the prophets said. And it is good for yo+ to follow closely what they said, which is like a light shining in a dark place. ;o+ have that light +ntil the day !egins and the morning star !rings new light to yo+r minds. 2, Aost important of all, yo+ m+st +nderstand this: 1o prophecy in the Script+res comes from the prophets own +nderstanding. 21 1o prophecy ever came from what some person wanted to say. <+t people were led !y the $oly Spirit and spoke words from God. 2 1 3n the past there were false prophets among Gods people. 3t is the same now. ;o+ will have some false teachers in yo+r gro+p. They will teach things that are wrongideas that will ca+se people to !e lost. And they will teach in a way that will !e hard for yo+ to see that they are wrong. They will even ref+se to follow the Aaster who 2 6eter 2.2*& % !o+ght their freedom. And so they will J+ickly destroy themselves. 2 Aany people will follow them in the morally wrong things they do. And !eca+se of them, others will say !ad things a!o+t the way of tr+th we follow. 3 These false teachers only want yo+r money. So they will +se yo+ !y telling yo+ things that are not tr+e. <+t the =+dgment against these false teachers has !een ready for a long time. And they will not escape God who will destroy them. # >hen angels sinned, God did not let them go free witho+t p+nishment. $e sent them to hell. $e p+t those angels in caves of darkness, where they are !eing held +ntil the time when God will =+dge them. pag. 12(%0131#

% And God p+nished the evil people who lived long ago. $e !ro+ght a flood to the world that was f+ll of people who were against God. <+t he saved 1oah and seven other people with him. 1oah was a man who told people a!o+t living right. & God also p+nished the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. $e !+rned them +ntil there was nothing left !+t ashes. $e 2 6eter 2.'*11 & +sed those cities as an e4ample of what will happen to people who are against God. ' <+t he saved ot, a good man who lived there. ot was greatly tro+!led !y the morally !ad lives of those evil people. ( This good man lived with those evil people every day, and his good heart was h+rt !y the evil things he saw and heard. ) So yo+ see that the ord God knows how to save those who are devoted to him. $e will save them when tro+!les come. And the ord will hold evil people to p+nish them on the day of =+dgment. 1, That p+nishment is for those who are always doing the evil that their sinf+l selves want to do. 3t is for those who hate the ords a+thority. These false teachers do whatever they want, and they are so pro+d of themselves. They are not afraid even to say !ad things against the glorio+s ones. 11 The angels are m+ch stronger and more powerf+l than these !eings. <+t even the angels dont acc+se them and say !ad things a!o+t them to the ord. 2 6eter 2.12*1& ' 12 <+t these false teachers speak evil against what they dont +nderstand. They are like animals that do things witho+t really thinkinglike wild animals that are !orn to !e ca+ght and killed. And, like wild animals, they will !e destroyed. 13 They have made many people s+ffer. So they themselves will s+ffer. That is their pay for what they have done. They think it is f+n to do evil where everyone can see them. They en=oy the evil things -asy To .ead /ersion

that please them. So they are like dirty spots and stains among yo+they !ring shame to yo+ in the meals yo+ eat together. 1# -very time they look at a woman, they want her. They are always sinning this way. And they lead weaker people into the trap of sin. They have ta+ght themselves well to !e greedy. They are +nder a c+rse. 1% These false teachers left the right way and went the wrong way. They followed the same way that the prophet <alaam went. $e was the son of <eor, who loved !eing paid for doing wrong. 1& <+t a donkey told him that he was doing wrong. A donkey cannot talk, of 2 6eter 2.1'*21 ( co+rse, !+t that donkey spoke with a mans voice and stopped the prophet from acting so craEy. 1' These false teachers are like springs that have no water. They are like clo+ds that are !lown !y a storm. A place in the deepest darkness has !een kept for them. 1( They !oast with words that mean nothing. They lead people into the trap of sin. They find people who have =+st escaped from a wrong way of life and lead them !ack into sin. They do this !y +sing the evil things people want to do in their h+man weakness. 1) These false teachers promise those people freedom, !+t they themselves are not free. They are slaves to a mind that has !een r+ined !y sin. ;es, people are slaves to anything that controls them. 2, 6eople can !e made free from the evil in the world. They can !e made free !y knowing o+r ord and Savior Ces+s 9hrist. <+t if they go !ack into those evil things and are controlled !y them, then it is worse for them than it was !efore. 21 ;es, it wo+ld !e !etter for them to have never known the right way. That 2 6eter 2.22*3.% ) wo+ld !e !etter than to know the right way and then to t+rn away from the holy teaching that was given to them. pag. 12(&0131#

22 >hat they did is like these tr+e sayings: A dog vomits and goes !ack to what it threw +p. And, After a pig is washed, it goes !ack and rolls in the m+d again. 3 1 Ay friends, this is the second letter 3 have written to yo+. 3 wrote !oth letters to yo+ to help yo+r honest minds remem!er something. 2 3 want yo+ to remem!er the words that the holy prophets spoke in the past. And remem!er the command that o+r ord and Savior gave +s. $e gave +s that command thro+gh yo+r apostles. 3 3t is important for yo+ to +nderstand what will happen in the last days. 6eople will la+gh at yo+. They will live following the evil they want to do. # They will say, Ces+s promised to come again. >here is he? 5+r fathers have died, !+t the world contin+es the way it has !een since it was made. % <+t these people dont want to remem!er what happened long ago. The skies were there, and God made the 2 6eter 3.&*11 1, earth from water and with water. All this happened !y Gods word. & Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. ' And that same word of God is keeping the skies and the earth that we have now. They are !eing kept to !e destroyed !y fire. They are kept for the day of =+dgment and the destr+ction of all people who are against God. ( <+t dont forget this one thing, dear friends: To the ord a day is like a tho+sand years, and a tho+sand years is like a day. ) The ord is not !eing slow in doing what he promisedthe way some people +nderstand slowness. <+t God is !eing patient with yo+. $e doesnt want anyone to !e lost. $e wants everyone to change their ways and stop sinning. 1, <+t the day when the ord comes again will s+rprise everyone like the coming of a thief. The sky will disappear with a lo+d noise. -verything in the sky -asy To .ead /ersion

will !e destroyed with fire. And the earth and everything in it will !e !+rned +p. 11 -verything will !e destroyed in this way. So what kind of people sho+ld 2 6eter 3.12*1& 11 yo+ !e? ;o+r lives sho+ld !e holy and devoted to God. 12 ;o+ sho+ld !e looking forward to the day of God, wanting more than anything else for it to come soon. >hen it comes, the sky will !e destroyed with fire, and everything in the sky will melt with heat. 13 <+t God made a promise to +s. And we are waiting for what he promiseda new sky and a new earth. That will !e the place where goodness lives. 1# Dear friends, we are waiting for this to happen. So try as hard as yo+ can to !e witho+t sin and witho+t fa+lt. Try to !e at peace with God. 1% .emem!er that we are saved !eca+se o+r ord is patient. 5+r dear !rother 6a+l told yo+ that same thing when he wrote to yo+ with the wisdom that God gave him. 1& Thats what he says in all his letters when he writes a!o+t these things. There are parts of his letters that are hard to +nderstand, and some people give a wrong meaning to them. These people are ignorant and weak in faith. They also give wrong meanings to the 2 6eter 3.1'*1( 12 other Script+res. <+t they are destroying themselves !y doing that. 1' Dear friends, yo+ already know a!o+t this. So !e caref+l. Dont let these evil people lead yo+ away !y the wrong they do. <e caref+l that yo+ do not fall from yo+r strong faith. 1( <+t grow in the grace and knowledge of o+r ord and Savior Ces+s 9hrist. Glory !e to him, now and forever" Amen. 1 &o'n 1 1 >e want to tell yo+ a!o+t the >ord that gives lifethe one who e4isted !efore the world !egan. This is the one we have heard and have seen with o+r own eyes. >e saw what he did, and o+r hands to+ched him. pag. 12('0131#

2 ;es, the one who is life was shown to +s. >e saw him, and so we can tell others a!o+t him. >e now tell yo+ a!o+t him. $e is the eternal life that was with God the 2ather and was shown to +s. 3 >e are telling yo+ a!o+t what we have seen and heard !eca+se we want yo+ to have fellowship with +s. The fellowship we share together is with God the 2ather and his Son Ces+s 9hrist. # >e write these things to yo+ so that yo+ can !e f+ll of =oy with +s. % >e heard the tr+e teaching from God. 1ow we tell it to yo+: God is light, and in him there is no darkness. & So if we say that we share in life with God, !+t we contin+e living in darkness, we are liars, who dont follow the tr+th. 1 Cohn 1.'*2.3 2 ' >e sho+ld live in the light, where God is. 3f we live in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the !lood sacrifice of Ces+s, Gods Son, washes away every sin and makes +s clean. ( 3f we say that we have no sin, we are fooling o+rselves, and the tr+th is not in +s. ) <+t if we confess o+r sins, God will forgive +s. >e can tr+st God to do this. $e always does what is right. $e will make +s clean from all the wrong things we have done. 1, 3f we say that we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar and that we dont accept his tr+e teaching. 2 1 Ay dear children, 3 write this letter to yo+ so that yo+ will not sin. <+t if anyone sins, we have Ces+s 9hrist to help +s. $e always did what was right, so he is a!le to defend +s !efore God the 2ather. 2 Ces+s is the way o+r sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too. 3 3f we o!ey what God has told +s to do, then we are s+re that we know him. 1 Cohn 2.#*11 3 # 3f we say we know God !+t do not o!ey his commands, we are lying. The tr+th is not in +s. -asy To .ead /ersion

% <+t when we o!ey Gods teaching, his love is tr+ly working in +s. This is how we know that we are living in him. & 3f we say we live in God, we m+st live the way Ces+s lived. ' Ay dear friends, 3 am not writing a new command to yo+. 3t is the same command yo+ have had since the !eginning. This command is the teaching yo+ have already heard. ( <+t what 3 write is also a new command. 3t is a tr+e oneF yo+ can see its tr+th in Ces+s and in yo+rselves. The darkness is passing away, and the tr+e light is already shining. ) Someone might say, 3 am in the light, !+t if they hate any of their !rothers or sisters in Gods family, they are still in the darkness. 1, Those who love their !rothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong. 11 <+t whoever hates their !rother or sister is in darkness. They live in 1 Cohn 2.12*1' # darkness. They dont know where they are going, !eca+se the darkness has made them !lind. 12 3 write to yo+, dear children, !eca+se yo+r sins are forgiven thro+gh 9hrist. 13 3 write to yo+, fathers, !eca+se yo+ know the one who e4isted from the !eginning. 3 write to yo+, yo+ng people, !eca+se yo+ have defeated the -vil 5ne. 1# 3 write to yo+, children, !eca+se yo+ know the 2ather. 3 write to yo+, fathers, !eca+se yo+ know the one who was there from the !eginning. 3 write to yo+, yo+ng people, !eca+se yo+ are strong. The word of God lives in yo+, and yo+ have defeated the -vil 5ne. 1% Dont love this evil world or the things in it. 3f yo+ love the world, yo+ do not have the love of the 2ather in yo+. 1& This is all there is in the world: wanting to please o+r sinf+l selves, wanting the sinf+l things we see, and !eing too pro+d of what we have. <+t none of these comes from the 2ather. pag. 12((0131#

They come from the world. 1' The world is passing away, and all the things that people want in the world are 1 Cohn 2.1(*23 % passing away. <+t whoever does what God wants will live forever. 1( Ay dear children, the end is near" ;o+ have heard that the enemy of 9hrist is coming. And now many enemies of 9hrist are already here. So we know that the end is near. 1) These enemies were in o+r gro+p, !+t they left +s. They did not really !elong with +s. 3f they were really part of o+r gro+p, they wo+ld have stayed with +s. <+t they left. This shows that none of them really !elonged with +s. 2, ;o+ have the gift that the $oly 5ne gave yo+. So yo+ all know the tr+th. 21 Do yo+ think 3 am writing this letter !eca+se yo+ dont know the tr+th? 1o, 3 am writing !eca+se yo+ do know the tr+th. And yo+ know that no lie comes from the tr+th. 22 So who is the liar? 3t is the one who says Ces+s is not the Aessiah. >hoever says that is the enemy of 9hristthe one who does not !elieve in the 2ather or in his Son. 23 >hoever does not !elieve in the Son does not have the 2ather, !+t whoever accepts the Son has the 2ather too. 1 Cohn 2.2#*3.1 & 2# <e s+re that yo+ contin+e to follow the teaching yo+ heard from the !eginning. 3f yo+ do that, yo+ will always !e in the Son and in the 2ather. 2% And this is what the Son promised +seternal life. 2& 3 am writing this letter a!o+t those who are trying to lead yo+ into the wrong way. 2' 9hrist gave yo+ a special gift. ;o+ still have this gift in yo+. So yo+ dont need anyone to teach yo+. The gift he gave yo+ teaches yo+ a!o+t everything. 3t is a tr+e gift, not a false one. So contin+e to live in 9hrist, as his gift ta+ght yo+. 2( ;es, my dear children, live in him. 3f we do this, we can !e witho+t fear on -asy To .ead /ersion

the day when 9hrist comes again. >e will not need to hide and !e ashamed when he comes. 2) ;o+ know that 9hrist always did what was right. So yo+ know that all those who do what is right are Gods children. 3 1 The 2ather has loved +s so m+ch" This shows how m+ch he loved +s: >e are called children of God. And we really are his children. <+t the people in the world dont +nderstand that we are 1 Cohn 3.2*( ' Gods children, !eca+se they have not known him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God. >e have not yet !een shown what we will !e in the f+t+re. <+t we know that when 9hrist comes again, we will !e like him. >e will see him =+st as he is. 3 $e is p+re, and everyone who has this hope in him keeps themselves p+re like 9hrist. # Anyone who sins !reaks Gods law. ;es, sinning is the same as living against Gods law. % ;o+ know that 9hrist came to take away peoples sins. There is no sin in 9hrist. & So whoever lives in 9hrist does not contin+e to sin. 3f they contin+e to sin, they have never really +nderstood 9hrist and have never known him. ' Dear children, dont let anyone lead yo+ into the wrong way. 9hrist always did what was right. So to !e good like 9hrist, yo+ m+st do what is right. ( The devil has !een sinning since the !eginning. Anyone who contin+es to sin !elongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this: to destroy the devils work. 1 Cohn 3.)*1# ( ) Those who are Gods children do not contin+e to sin, !eca+se the new life God gave them stays in them. They cannot keep sinning, !eca+se they have !ecome children of God. 1, So we can see who Gods children are and who the devils children are. These are the ones who are not Gods children: those who dont do what is right and pag. 12()0131#

those who do not love their !rothers and sisters in Gods family. 11 This is the teaching yo+ have heard from the !eginning: >e m+st love each other. 12 Dont !e like 9ain. $e !elonged to the -vil 5ne. 9ain killed his !rother. <+t why did he kill him? <eca+se what 9ain did was evil, and what his !rother did was good. 13 <rothers and sisters, dont !e s+rprised when the people of this world hate yo+. 1# >e know that we have left death and have come into life. >e know this !eca+se we love each other as !rothers and sisters. Anyone who does not love is still spirit+ally dead. 1 Cohn 3.1%*21 ) 1% Anyone who hates a fellow !eliever is a m+rderer. And yo+ know that no m+rderer has eternal life. 1& This is how we know what real love is: Ces+s gave his life for +s. So we sho+ld give o+r lives for each other as !rothers and sisters. 1' S+ppose a !eliever who is rich eno+gh to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow !eliever who is poor and does not have even !asic needs. >hat if the rich !eliever does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that Gods love is not in that persons heart. 1( Ay children, o+r love sho+ld not !e only words and talk. 1o, o+r love m+st !e real. >e m+st show o+r love !y the things we do. 1) Thats how we know we !elong to the way of tr+th. And when o+r hearts make +s feel g+ilty, we can still have peace !efore God, !eca+se God is greater than o+r hearts. $e knows everything. 2, 73:1)8 21 Ay dear friends, if we dont feel that we are doing wrong, we can !e witho+t fear when we come to God. 1 Cohn 3.22*#.# 1, 22 And God gives +s what we ask for. >e receive it !eca+se we o!ey Gods commands and do what pleases him. -asy To .ead /ersion

23 This is what God commands: that we !elieve in his Son Ces+s 9hrist, and that we love each other as he commanded. 2# All who o!ey Gods commands live in God. And God lives in them. $ow do we know that God lives in +s? >e know !eca+se of the Spirit he gave +s. 4 1 Ay dear friends, many false prophets are in the world now. So dont !elieve every spirit, !+t test the spirits to see if they are from God. 2 This is how yo+ can recogniEe Gods Spirit. 5ne spirit says, 3 !elieve that Ces+s is the Aessiah who came to earth and !ecame a man. That Spirit is from God. 3 Another spirit ref+ses to say this a!o+t Ces+s. That spirit is not from God. This is the spirit of the enemy of 9hrist. ;o+ have heard that the enemy of 9hrist is coming, and now he is already in the world. # Ay dear children, yo+ !elong to God, so yo+ have already defeated these false prophets. Thats !eca+se the one who is 1 Cohn #.%*12 11 in yo+ is greater than the one who is in the world. % And they !elong to the world, so what they say is from the world too. And the world listens to what they say. & <+t we are from God. So the people who know God listen to +s. <+t the people who are not from God dont listen to +s. This is how we know the Spirit that is tr+e and the spirit that is false. ' Dear friends, we sho+ld love each other, !eca+se love comes from God. -veryone who loves has !ecome Gods child. And so everyone who loves knows God. ( Anyone who does not love does not know God, !eca+se God is love. ) This is how God showed his love to +s: $e sent his only Son into the world to give +s life thro+gh him. 1, Tr+e love is Gods love for +s, not o+r love for God. $e sent his Son as the way to take away o+r sins. 11 That is how m+ch God loved +s, dear pag. 12),0131#

friends" So we also m+st love each other. 12 1o one has ever seen God. <+t if we love each other, God lives in +s. 3f we 1 Cohn #.13*2, 12 love each other, Gods love has reached its goalit is made perfect in +s. 13 >e know that we live in God and God lives in +s. >e know this !eca+se he gave +s his Spirit. 1# >e have seen that the 2ather sent his Son to !e the Savior of the world, and this is what we tell people now. 1% Anyone who says, 3 !elieve that Ces+s is the Son of God, is a person who lives in God, and God lives in that person. 1& So we know the love that God has for +s, and we tr+st that love. God is love. -veryone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. 1' 3f Gods love is made perfect in +s, we can !e witho+t fear on the day when God =+dges the world. >e will !e witho+t fear, !eca+se in this world we are like Ces+s. 1( >here Gods love is, there is no fear, !eca+se Gods perfect love takes away fear. 3t is his p+nishment that makes a person fear. So his love is not made perfect in the one who has fear. 1) >e love !eca+se God first loved +s. 2, 3f we say we love God !+t hate any of o+r !rothers or sisters in his family, 1 Cohn #.21*%.& 13 we are liars. 3f we dont love someone we have seen, how can we love God? >e have never even seen him. 21 God gave +s this command: 3f we love God, we m+st also love each other as !rothers and sisters. 5 1 The people who !elieve that Ces+s is the Aessiah are Gods children. And anyone who loves the 2ather also loves the 2athers children. 2 $ow do we know that we love Gods children? >e know !eca+se we love God and we o!ey his commands. 3 oving God means o!eying his commands. And Gods commands are not too hard for +s, # !eca+se everyone who is a child of -asy To .ead /ersion

God has the power to win against the world. % 3t is o+r faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? 5nly those who !elieve that Ces+s is the Son of God. & Ces+s 9hrist is the one who came. $e came with water and with !lood. $e did not come !y water only. 1o, Ces+s came !y !oth water and !lood. And the Spirit 1 Cohn %.'*1# 1# tells +s that this is tr+e. The Spirit is the tr+th. ' So there are three witnesses that tell +s a!o+t Ces+s: ( the Spirit, the water, and the !lood. These three witnesses agree. ) >e !elieve people when they say something is tr+e. <+t what God says is more important. And this is what God told +s: $e told +s the tr+th a!o+t his own Son. 1, >hoever !elieves in the Son of God has the tr+th that God told +s. <+t people who do not !elieve God make God a liar, !eca+se they do not !elieve what God told +s a!o+t his Son. 11 This is what God told +s: God has given +s eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 >hoever has the Son has life, !+t whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 3 write this letter to yo+ who !elieve in the Son of God. 3 write so that yo+ will know that yo+ have eternal life now. 1# >e can come to God with no do+!ts. This means that when we ask God for things 7and those things agree with what 1 Cohn %.1%*2, 1% God wants for +s8, God cares a!o+t what we say. 1% $e listens to +s every time we ask him. So we know that he gives +s whatever we ask from him. 1& S+ppose yo+ see yo+r fellow !eliever sinning 7sin that does not lead to eternal death8. ;o+ sho+ld pray for them. Then God will give them life. 3 am talking a!o+t people whose sin does not lead to pag. 12)10131#

eternal death. There is sin that leads to death. 3 dont mean that yo+ sho+ld pray a!o+t that kind of sin. 1' Doing wrong is always sin. <+t there is sin that does not lead to eternal death. 1( >e know that those who have !een made Gods children do not contin+e to sin. The Son of God keeps them safe. The -vil 5ne cannot h+rt them. 1) >e know that we !elong to God, !+t the -vil 5ne controls the whole world. 2, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given +s +nderstanding. So now we can know the one who is tr+e, and we live in that tr+e God. >e are in his Son, Ces+s 9hrist. $e is the tr+e God, and he is eternal life. 1 Cohn %.21 1& 21 So, dear children, keep yo+rselves away from false gods. 2 &o'n 1 1 Greetings from the -lder. To the lady chosen !y God and to her children. 3 tr+ly love all of yo+. And 3 am not the only one. All those who know the tr+th love yo+ in the same way. 2 >e love yo+ !eca+se of the tr+ththe tr+th that lives in +s. That tr+th will !e with +s forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will !e with +s from God the 2ather and from his Son, Ces+s 9hrist, as we live in tr+th and love. # 3 was very happy to learn a!o+t some of yo+r children. 3 am happy that they are following the way of tr+th, =+st as the 2ather commanded +s. % And now, dear lady, 3 tell yo+: >e sho+ld all love each other. This is not a new command. 3t is the same command we had from the !eginning. & And loving means living the way he commanded +s to live. And Gods command is this: that yo+ live a life of 2 Cohn 1.'*12 2 love. ;o+ heard this command from the !eginning. ' Aany false teachers are in the world now. They ref+se to say that Ces+s is the Aessiah who came to earth and !ecame -asy To .ead /ersion

a man. Anyone who ref+ses to accept this fact is a false teacher and the enemy of 9hrist. ( <e caref+l" Dont lose the reward we have worked for. <e caref+l so that yo+ will receive all of that reward. ) -veryone m+st contin+e to follow only the teaching a!o+t 9hrist. >hoever changes that teaching does not have God. <+t whoever contin+es to follow the teaching a!o+t 9hrist has !oth the 2ather and his Son. 1, Dont accept those who come to yo+ !+t do not !ring this teaching. Dont invite them into yo+r ho+se. Dont welcome them in any way. 11 3f yo+ do, yo+ are helping them with their evil work. 12 3 have m+ch to say to yo+. <+t 3 dont want to +se paper and ink. 3nstead, 3 hope to come visit yo+. Then we can !e together and talk. That will make +s very happy. 2 Cohn 1.13 3 13 The children of yo+r sister who was chosen !y God send yo+ their love. 3 &o'n 1 1 Greetings from the -lder. To my dear friend Gai+s, a person 3 tr+ly love. 2 Ay dear friend, 3 know that yo+ are doing well spirit+ally. So 3 pray that everything else is going well with yo+ and that yo+ are en=oying good health. 3 Some !elievers came and told me a!o+t the tr+th in yo+r life. They told me that yo+ contin+e to follow the way of tr+th. This made me very happy. # 3t always gives me the greatest =oy when 3 hear that my children are following the way of tr+th. % Ay dear friend, it is good that yo+ contin+e to help the !elievers. They are people yo+ dont even know. & They told the ch+rch a!o+t the love yo+ have. 6lease help them to contin+e their trip. $elp them in a way that will please God. ' They went on their trip to serve 9hrist. They did not accept any help from people pag. 12)20131#

who are not !elievers. 3 Cohn 1.(*1# 2 ( So we sho+ld help them. >hen we help them, we share with their work for the tr+th. ) 3 wrote a letter to the ch+rch, !+t Diotrephes will not listen to what we say. $e always wants to !e the leader. 1, >hen 3 come, 3 will talk with him a!o+t what he is doing. $e lies and says evil things a!o+t +s, !+t that is not all. $e ref+ses to welcome and help the !elievers who travel there. And he will not let others help them. 3f they do, he stops them from meeting with the ch+rch anymore. 11 Ay dear friend, dont follow what is !adF follow what is good. >hoever does what is good is from God. <+t whoever does evil has never known God. 12 -veryone says good things a!o+t Demetri+s, and the tr+th agrees with what they say. Also, we say good a!o+t him. And yo+ know that what we say is tr+e. 13 3 have many things 3 want to tell yo+. <+t 3 dont want to +se pen and ink. 1# 3 hope to visit yo+ soon. Then we can !e together and talk. 71D1%8 6eace to yo+. The friends here with me send their 3 Cohn 1.1# 3 love. 6lease give o+r love to each one of the friends there. &ude 1 1 Greetings from C+de, a servant of Ces+s 9hrist and a !rother of Cames. To those who have !een chosen and are loved !y God the 2ather and have !een kept safe in Ces+s 9hrist. 2 Aercy, peace, and love !e yo+rs more and more. 3 Dear friends, 3 wanted very m+ch to write to yo+ a!o+t the salvation we all share together. <+t 3 felt the need to write to yo+ a!o+t something else: 3 want to enco+rage yo+ to fight hard for the faith that God gave his holy people. God gave this faith once, and it is good for all time. # Some people have secretly entered -asy To .ead /ersion

yo+r gro+p. These people have already !een =+dged g+ilty for what they are doing. ong ago the prophets wrote a!o+t them. They are against God. They have +sed the grace of o+r God in the wrong wayto do sinf+l things. They ref+se to follow Ces+s 9hrist, o+r only Aaster and ord. C+de 1.%*) 2 % 3 want to help yo+ remem!er some things yo+ already know: .emem!er that the ord saved his people !y !ringing them o+t of the land of -gypt. <+t later he destroyed all those who did not !elieve. & And remem!er the angels who lost their a+thority to r+le. They left their proper home. So the ord has kept them in darkness, !o+nd with everlasting chains, to !e =+dged on the great day. ' Also, remem!er the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other towns aro+nd them. ike those angels they were f+ll of se4+al sin and involved themselves in se4+al relations that are wrong. And they s+ffer the p+nishment of eternal fire, an e4ample for +s to see. ( 3t is the same way with these people who have entered yo+r gro+p. They are g+ided !y dreams. They make themselves dirty with sin. They re=ect Gods a+thority and say !ad things against the glorio+s ones. ) 1ot even the archangel Aichael did this. Aichael arg+ed with the devil a!o+t who wo+ld have the !ody of Aoses. <+t Aichael did not dare to condemn C+de 1.1,*12 3 even the devil for his false acc+sations. 3nstead, Aichael said, The ord p+nish yo+" 1, <+t these people criticiEe things they dont +nderstand. They do +nderstand some things. <+t they +nderstand these things not !y thinking, !+t !y feeling, the way d+m! animals +nderstand things. And these are the things that destroy them. 11 3t will !e !ad for them. They have followed the way that 9ain went. To make pag. 12)30131#

money, they have given themselves to following the wrong way that <alaam went. They have fo+ght against God like Gorah did. And like Gorah, they will !e destroyed. 12 These people are like dirty spots among yo+they !ring shame to yo+ in the special meals yo+ share together. They eat with yo+ and have no fear. They take care of only themselves. They are like clo+ds witho+t rain. The wind !lows them aro+nd. They are like trees that have no fr+it at harvest time and are p+lled o+t of the gro+nd. So they are twice dead. C+de 1.13*1( # 13 ike the dirty foam on the wild waves in the sea, everyone can see the shamef+l things they do. They are like stars that wander in the sky. A place in the !lackest darkness has !een kept for them forever. 1# -noch, the seventh descendant from Adam, said this a!o+t these people: ook, the ord is coming with tho+sands and tho+sands of his holy angels 1% to =+dge everyone. $e will p+nish all those who are against him for all the evil they have done in their lack of respect for him. ;es, the ord will p+nish all these sinners who dont honor him. $e will p+nish them for all the evil things they have said against him. 1& These people always complain and find wrong in others. They always do the evil things they want to do. They !oast a!o+t themselves. The only reason they say good things a!o+t others is to get what they want. 1' Dear friends, remem!er what the apostles of o+r ord Ces+s 9hrist wo+ld happen. 1( They told yo+, 3n the last times there will !e people who la+gh at God and do C+de 1.1)*2% % only what they want to dothings that are against God. 1) These are the people who divide yo+. They are not spirit+al, !eca+se they dont have the Spirit. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, <+t yo+, dear friends, +se yo+r most holy faith to !+ild yo+rselves +p even stronger. 6ray with the help of the $oly Spirit. 21 Geep yo+rselves safe in Gods love, as yo+ wait for the ord Ces+s 9hrist in his mercy to give yo+ eternal life. 22 $elp those who have do+!ts. 23 .esc+e those who are living in danger of hells fire. There are others yo+ sho+ld treat with mercy, !+t !e very caref+l that their filthy lives dont r+! off on yo+. 2# God is strong and can keep yo+ from falling. $e can !ring yo+ !efore his glory witho+t any wrong in yo+ and give yo+ great =oy. 2% $e is the only God, the one who saves +s. To him !e glory, greatness, power, and a+thority thro+gh Ces+s 9hrist o+r ord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen. Re!elation 1 1 This is a revelation from Ces+s 9hrist, which God gave him to show his servants what m+st happen soon. And 9hrist sent his angel to show it to his servant Cohn, 2 who has told everything he saw. 3t is the tr+th that Ces+s 9hrist told himF it is the message from God. 3 Great !lessings !elong to the person who reads the words of this message from God and to those who hear this message and do what is written in it. There is not m+ch time left. # 2rom Cohn, To the seven ch+rches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to yo+ from the one who is, who always was, and who is comingF and from the seven spirits !efore his throneF % and from Ces+s 9hrist. Ces+s is the faithf+l witness. $e is first among all who will !e raised from death. $e is the r+ler of the kings of the earth. Ces+s is the one who loves +s and has made +s free from o+r sins with his !lood sacrifice. .evelation 1.&*12 2 & $e made +s his kingdom and priests who serve God his 2ather. To Ces+s !e glory and power forever and ever" Amen. pag. 12)#0131#

' ook, Ces+s is coming with the clo+ds" -veryone will see him, even those who pierced him. All peoples of the earth will cry lo+dly !eca+se of him. ;es, this will happen" Amen. ( The ord God says, 3 am the Alpha and the 5mega. 3 am the one who is, who always was, and who is coming. 3 am the AllD6owerf+l one. ) 3 am Cohn, yo+r fellow !eliever. >e are together in Ces+s, and we share these things: s+ffering, the kingdom, and patient end+rance. 3 was on the island of 6atmos !eca+se 3 was faithf+l to Gods message and to the tr+th of Ces+s. 1, 5n the ords Day, the Spirit took control of me. 3 heard a lo+d voice !ehind me that so+nded like a tr+mpet. 11 3t said, >rite down in a !ook what yo+ see, and send it to the seven ch+rches: to -phes+s, Smyrna, 6ergam+m, Thyatira, Sardis, 6hiladelphia, and aodicea. 12 3 t+rned to see who was talking to me. >hen 3 t+rned, 3 saw seven gold lampstands. .evelation 1.13*2, 3 13 3 saw someone among the lampstands who looked like the Son of Aan. $e was dressed in a long ro!e, with a gold sash tied aro+nd his chest. 1# $is head and hair were white like woolwool that is white as snow. $is eyes were like flames of fire. 1% $is feet were like !rass that glows hot in a f+rnace. $is voice was like the noise of flooding water. 1& $e held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp twoDedged sword came o+t of his mo+th. $e looked like the s+n shining at its !rightest time. 1' >hen 3 saw him, 3 fell down at his feet like a dead man. $e p+t his right hand on me and said, Dont !e afraid" 3 am the 2irst and the ast. 1( 3 am the one who lives. 3 was dead, !+t look, 3 am alive forever and ever" And 3 hold the keys of death and $ades. 1) So write what yo+ see. >rite the things that happen now and the things that will happen later. -asy To .ead /ersion

2, $ere is the hidden meaning of the seven stars that yo+ saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands that yo+ saw: The seven lampstands are .evelation 2.1*' # the seven ch+rches. The seven stars are the angels of the seven ch+rches. 2 1 >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in -phes+s: $ere is a message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven gold lampstands. 2 3 know what yo+ do, how hard yo+ work and never give +p. 3 know that yo+ dont accept evil people. ;o+ have tested those who say they are apostles !+t are not. ;o+ fo+nd that they are liars. 3 ;o+ never stop trying. ;o+ have end+red tro+!les for my name and have not given +p. # <+t 3 have this against yo+: ;o+ have left the love yo+ had in the !eginning. % So remem!er where yo+ were !efore yo+ fell. 9hange yo+r hearts and do what yo+ did at first. 3f yo+ dont change, 3 will come to yo+ and remove yo+r lampstand from its place. & <+t there is something yo+ do that is rightyo+ hate the things that the 1icolaitans do. 3 also hate what they do. ' -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches. To those who win the victory 3 will give .evelation 2.(*12 % the right to eat the fr+it from the tree of life, which is in Gods paradise. ( >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in Smyrna: $ere is a message from the one who is the 2irst and the ast, the one who died and came to life again. ) 3 know yo+r tro+!les, and 3 know that yo+ are poor, !+t really yo+ are rich" 3 know the ins+lts yo+ have s+ffered from people who say they are Cews. <+t they are not tr+e Cews. They are a gro+p that !elongs to Satan. 1, Dont !e afraid of what will happen to yo+. 3 tell yo+, the devil will p+t some of yo+ in prison. $e will do this to test yo+. ;o+ will s+ffer for ten days, !+t !e pag. 12)%0131#

faithf+l, even if yo+ have to die. 3f yo+ contin+e to !e faithf+l, 3 will give yo+ the reward of eternal life. 11 -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches. Those who win the victory will not !e h+rt !y the second death. 12 >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in 6ergam+m: $ere is a message from the one who has the sharp twoDedged sword. .evelation 2.13*1' & 13 3 know where yo+ live. ;o+ live where Satan has his throne, !+t yo+ are tr+e to me. ;o+ did not ref+se to tell a!o+t yo+r faith in me even d+ring the time of Antipas. Antipas was my faithf+l witness who was killed in yo+r city, the city where Satan lives. 1# <+t 3 have a few things against yo+. ;o+ have people there who follow the teaching of <alaam. <alaam ta+ght <alak how to make the people of 3srael sin. They sinned !y eating food offered to idols and !y committing se4+al sins. 1% 3t is the same in yo+r gro+p. ;o+ have people who follow the teaching of the 1icolaitans. 1& So change yo+r hearts" 3f yo+ dont change, 3 will come to yo+ J+ickly and fight against these people with the sword that comes o+t of my mo+th. 1' -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches" 3 will give the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. 3 will also give each one a white stone that has a new name written on it. And no one will know this name e4cept the one who gets the stone. .evelation 2.1(*23 ' 1( >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in Thyatira: $ere is a message from the Son of God, the one who has eyes that !laEe like fire and feet like shining !rass. 1) 3 know what yo+ do. 3 know a!o+t yo+r love, yo+r faith, yo+r service, and yo+r patience. 3 know that yo+ are doing more now than yo+ did at first. 2, <+t 3 have this against yo+: ;o+ let -asy To .ead /ersion

that woman CeEe!el do what she wants. She says that she is a prophet, !+t she is leading my people away with her teaching. CeEe!el leads my people to commit se4+al sins and to eat food that is offered to idols. 21 3 have given her time to change her heart and t+rn away from her sin, !+t she does not want to change. 22 So 3 will throw her on a !ed of s+ffering. And all those who commit ad+ltery with her will s+ffer greatly. 3 will do this now if they dont t+rn away from the things she does. 23 3 will also kill her followers. Then all the ch+rches will see that 3 am the one who knows what people feel and think. And 3 will repay each of yo+ for what yo+ have done. .evelation 2.2#*3.2 ( 2# <+t others of yo+ in Thyatira have not followed her teaching. ;o+ have not learned the things they call Satans deep secrets. This is what 3 say to yo+: 3 will not p+t any other !+rden on yo+. 2% 5nly hold on to the tr+th yo+ have +ntil 3 come. 2& 3 will give power over the nations to all those who win the victory and contin+e +ntil the end to do what 3 want. 2' They will r+le the nations with an iron rod. They will !reak them to pieces like clay pots. 2( They will have the same power 3 received from my 2ather, and 3 will give them the morning star. 2) -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches. 3 1 >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in Sardis: $ere is a message from the one who has the seven spirits and the seven stars. 3 know what yo+ do. 6eople say that yo+ are alive, !+t really yo+ are dead. 2 >ake +p" Aake yo+rselves stronger !efore what little strength yo+ have left is completely gone. 3 find that what yo+ do is not good eno+gh for my God. .evelation 3.3*( ) 3 So dont forget what yo+ have received pag. 12)&0131#

and heard. 5!ey it. 9hange yo+r hearts and lives" ;o+ m+st wake +p, or 3 will come to yo+ and s+rprise yo+ like a thief. ;o+ will not know when 3 will come. # <+t yo+ have a few people in yo+r gro+p there in Sardis who have kept themselves clean. They will walk with me. They will wear white clothes, !eca+se they are worthy. % -veryone who wins the victory will !e dressed in white clothes like them. 3 will not remove their names from the !ook of life. 3 will say that they !elong to me !efore my 2ather and !efore his angels. & -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches. ' >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in 6hiladelphia: $ere is a message from the one who is holy and tr+e, the one who holds the key of David. >hen he opens something, it cannot !e closed. And when he closes something, it cannot !e opened. ( 3 know what yo+ do. 3 have p+t !efore yo+ an open door that no one can close. 3 know yo+ are weak, !+t yo+ have .evelation 3.)*13 1, followed my teaching. ;o+ were not afraid to speak my name. ) isten" There is a gro+p that !elongs to Satan. They say they are Cews, !+t they are liars. They are not tr+e Cews. 3 will make them come !efore yo+ and !ow at yo+r feet. They will know that yo+ are the people 3 have loved. 1, ;o+ followed my command to end+re patiently. So 3 will keep yo+ from the time of tro+!le that will come to the worlda time that will test everyone living on earth. 11 3 am coming soon. $old on to the faith yo+ have, so that no one can take away yo+r crown. 12 Those who win the victory will !e pillars in the temple of my God. 3 will make that happen for them. They will never again have to leave Gods temple. 3 will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God. That city is the new Cer+salem. 3t is coming -asy To .ead /ersion

down o+t of heaven from my God. 3 will also write my new name on them. 13 -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches. .evelation 3.1#*2, 11 1# >rite this to the angel of the ch+rch in aodicea: $ere is a message from the Amen, the faithf+l and tr+e witness, the r+ler of all that God has made. 1% 3 know what yo+ do. ;o+ are not hot or cold. 3 wish that yo+ were hot or cold" 1& <+t yo+ are only warmnot hot, not cold. So 3 am ready to spit yo+ o+t of my mo+th. 1' ;o+ say yo+ are rich. ;o+ think yo+ have !ecome wealthy and dont need anything. <+t yo+ dont know that yo+ are really misera!le, pitif+l, poor, !lind, and naked. 1( 3 advise yo+ to !+y gold from megold made p+re in fire. Then yo+ will !e rich. 3 tell yo+ this: <+y clothes that are white. Then yo+ will !e a!le to cover yo+r shamef+l nakedness. 3 also tell yo+ to !+y medicine to p+t on yo+r eyes. Then yo+ will !e a!le to see. 1) 3 correct and p+nish the people 3 love. So show that nothing is more important to yo+ than living right. 9hange yo+r hearts and lives. 2, $ere 3 am" 3 stand at the door and knock. 3f yo+ hear my voice and open .evelation 3.21*#.% 12 the door, 3 will come in and eat with yo+. And yo+ will eat with me. 21 3 will let everyone who wins the victory sit with me on my throne. 3t was the same with me. 3 won the victory and sat down with my 2ather on his throne. 22 -veryone who hears this sho+ld listen to what the Spirit says to the ch+rches. 4 1 Then 3 looked, and there !efore me was an open door in heaven. And 3 heard the same voice that spoke to me !efore. 3t was the voice that so+nded like a tr+mpet. 3t said, 9ome +p here, and 3 will show yo+ what m+st happen after this. 2 3mmediately the Spirit took control of me, and there in heaven was a throne pag. 12)'0131#

with someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting there was as !ea+tif+l as precio+s stones, like =asper and carnelian. All aro+nd the throne was a rain!ow with clear colors like an emerald. # 3n a circle aro+nd the throne were 2# other thrones with 2# elders sitting on them. The elders were dressed in white, and they had gold crowns on their heads. % ightning flashes and noises of th+nder came from the throne. <efore .evelation #.&*1, 13 the throne there were seven lamps !+rning, which are the seven Spirits of God. & Also !efore the throne there was something that looked like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. 3n front of the throne and on each side of it there were fo+r living !eings. They had eyes all over them, in front and in !ack. ' The first living !eing was like a lion. The second was like a !+ll. The third had a face like a man. The fo+rth was like a flying eagle. ( -ach of these fo+r living !eings had si4 wings. They were covered all over with eyes, inside and o+t. Day and night they never stopped saying, $oly, holy, holy is the ord God AllD6owerf+l. $e always was, he is, and he is coming. ) These living !eings were giving glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever. And every time they did this, 1, the 2# elders !owed down !efore the one who sits on the throne. They worshiped him who lives forever and .evelation #.11*%.& 1# ever. They p+t their crowns down !efore the throne and said, 11 5+r ord and God" ;o+ are worthy to receive glory and honor and power. ;o+ made all things. -verything e4isted and was made !eca+se yo+ wanted it. 5 1 Then 3 saw a scroll in the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. The scroll had writing on !oth sides and was kept closed with seven seals. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 And 3 saw a powerf+l angel, who called in a lo+d voice, >ho is worthy to !reak the seals and open the scroll? 3 <+t there was no one in heaven or on earth or +nder the earth who co+ld open the scroll or look inside it. # 3 cried and cried !eca+se there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. % <+t one of the elders said to me, Dont cry" The ion from the tri!e of C+dah has won the victory. $e is Davids descendant. $e is a!le to open the scroll and its seven seals. & Then 3 saw a am! standing in the center near the throne with the fo+r living !eings aro+nd it. The elders were also aro+nd the am!. The am! looked .evelation %.'*11 1% as if it had !een killed. 3t had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that were sent into all the world. ' The am! came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. ( After the am! took the scroll, the fo+r living !eings and the 2# elders !owed down !efore the am!. -ach one of them had a harp. Also, they were holding gold !owls f+ll of incense, which are the prayers of Gods holy people. ) And they all sang a new song to the am!: ;o+ are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, !eca+se yo+ were killed, and with yo+r !lood sacrifice yo+ !o+ght people for God from every tri!e, lang+age, race of people, and nation. 1, ;o+ made them to !e a kingdom and to !e priests for o+r God. And they will r+le on the earth. 11 Then 3 looked, and 3 heard the voices of many angels. The angels were aro+nd the throne, the fo+r living !eings, and the elders. There were tho+sands and tho+sands of angels1,,,,, times 1,,,,,. .evelation %.12*&.3 1& 12 The angels said in a lo+d voice, All power, wealth, wisdom, and strength pag. 12)(0131#

!elong to the am! who was killed. $e is worthy to receive honor, glory, and praise" 13 Then 3 heard every created !eing that is in heaven and on earth and +nder the earth and in the sea, everything in all these places, saying, All praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever to the one who sits on the throne and to the am!" 1# The fo+r living !eings said, Amen" And the elders !owed down and worshiped. 6 1 Then 3 watched as the am! opened the first of the seven seals. Then 3 heard one of the fo+r living !eings speak with a voice like th+nder. 3t said, 9ome" 2 3 looked, and there !efore me was a white horse. The rider on the horse held a !ow and was given a crown. $e rode o+t to defeat the enemy and win the victory. 3 The am! opened the second seal. Then 3 heard the second living !eing say, 9ome" .evelation &.#*( 1' # Then another horse came o+t, a red one. The rider on the horse was given power to take away peace from the earth so that people wo+ld kill each other. $e was given a !ig sword. % The am! opened the third seal. Then 3 heard the third living !eing say, 9ome" 3 looked, and there !efore me was a !lack horse. The rider on the horse held a pair of scales in his hand. & Then 3 heard something that so+nded like a voice. The voice came from where the fo+r living !eings were. 3t said, A J+art of wheat or three J+arts of !arley will cost a f+ll days pay. <+t dont harm the s+pply of olive oil and wine" ' The am! opened the fo+rth seal. Then 3 heard the voice of the fo+rth living !eing say, 9ome" ( 3 looked, and there !efore me was a paleDcolored horse. The rider on the horse was death, and $ades was following close !ehind him. They were given power over a fo+rth of the -asy To .ead /ersion

earthpower to kill people with the sword, !y starving, !y disease, and with the wild animals of the earth. .evelation &.)*1# 1( ) The am! opened the fifth seal. Then 3 saw some so+ls +nder the altar. They were the so+ls of those who had !een killed !eca+se they were faithf+l to Gods message and to the tr+th they had received. 1, These so+ls sho+ted in a lo+d voice, $oly and tr+e ord, how long +ntil yo+ =+dge the people of the earth and p+nish them for killing +s? 11 Then each one of them was given a white ro!e. They were told to wait a short time longer. There were still some of their !rothers and sisters in the service of 9hrist who m+st !e killed as they were. These so+ls were told to wait +ntil all the killing was finished. 12 Then 3 watched while the am! opened the si4th seal. There was a great earthJ+ake, and the s+n !ecame as !lack as sackcloth. The f+ll moon !ecame red like !lood. 13 The stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its figs when the wind !lows. 1# The sky was split in the middle and !oth sides rolled +p like a scroll. And .evelation &.1%*'.2 1) every mo+ntain and island was moved from its place. 1% Then all the peoplethe kings of the world, the r+lers, the army commanders, the rich people, the powerf+l people, every slave, and every free personhid themselves in caves and !ehind the rocks on the mo+ntains. 1& They said to the mo+ntains and the rocks, 2all on +s. $ide +s from the face of the one who sits on the throne. $ide +s from the anger of the am!" 1' The great day for their anger has come. 1o one can stand against it. 7 1 After this happened 3 saw fo+r angels standing at the fo+r corners of the earth. The angels were holding the fo+r winds of the earth. They were pag. 12))0131#

stopping the wind from !lowing on the land or the sea or on any tree. 2 Then 3 saw another angel coming from the east. This angel had the seal of the living God. The angel called o+t in a lo+d voice to the fo+r angels. These were the fo+r angels that God had given the power to h+rt the earth and the sea. The angel said to them, .evelation '.3*) 2, 3 Dont harm the land or the sea or the trees !efore we mark the foreheads of those who serve o+r God. # Then 3 heard how many people had Gods mark on their foreheads. There were 1##,,,,. They were from every tri!e of the people of 3srael: % from the tri!e of C+dahK12,,,, from the tri!e of .e+!enK12,,,, from the tri!e of GadK12,,,, & from the tri!e of AsherK12,,,, from the tri!e of 1aphtaliK12,,,, from the tri!e of AanassehK12,,,, ' from the tri!e of SimeonK12,,,, from the tri!e of eviK12,,,, from the tri!e of 3ssacharK12,,,, ( from the tri!e of Be!+l+nK12,,,, from the tri!e of CosephK12,,,, from the tri!e of <en=aminK12,,,, ) Then 3 looked, and there was a large crowd of people. There were so many people that no one co+ld co+nt them all. They were from every nation, tri!e, race of people, and lang+age of the earth. They were standing !efore the throne and !efore the am!. They all wore white ro!es and had palm !ranches in their hands. .evelation '.1,*1& 21 1, They sho+ted lo+dly, /ictory !elongs to o+r God, who sits on the throne, and to the am!. 11 The elders and the fo+r living !eings were there. All the angels were standing aro+nd them and the throne. The angels !owed down on their faces !efore the throne and worshiped God. 12 They said, Amen" 6raise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength !elong to o+r God forever and -asy To .ead /ersion

ever. Amen" 13 Then one of the elders asked me, >ho are these people in white ro!es? >here did they come from? 1# 3 answered, ;o+ know who they are, sir. And the elder said, These are the ones who have come o+t of the great s+ffering. They have washed their ro!es with the !lood of the am!, and they are clean and white. 1% So now these people are !efore the throne of God. They worship God day and night in his temple. And the one who sits on the throne will protect them. 1& They will never !e h+ngry again. They will never !e thirsty again. The s+n .evelation '.1'*(.% 22 will not h+rt them. 1o heat will !+rn them. 1' The am! in front of the throne will !e their shepherd. $e will lead them to springs of water that give life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 8 1 The am! opened the seventh seal. Then there was silence in heaven for a!o+t half an ho+r. 2 And 3 saw the seven angels who stand !efore God. They were given seven tr+mpets. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar. This angel had a gold holder for incense. The angel was given m+ch incense to offer with the prayers of all Gods holy people. The angel p+t this offering on the golden altar !efore the throne. # The smoke from the incense went +p from the angels hand to God. The smoke went +p with the prayers of Gods people. % Then the angel filled the incense holder with fire from the altar and threw it down on the earth. Then there were flashes of lightning, th+nder and other noises, and an earthJ+ake. .evelation (.&*12 23 & Then the seven angels with the seven tr+mpets prepared to !low their tr+mpets. ' The first angel !lew his tr+mpet. pag. 13,,0131#

Then hail and fire mi4ed with !lood was po+red down on the earth. And a third of the earth and all the green grass and a third of the trees were !+rned +p. ( The second angel !lew his tr+mpet. Then something that looked like a !ig mo+ntain !+rning with fire was thrown into the sea. And a third of the sea !ecame !lood. ) And a third of the created !eings in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 1, The third angel !lew his tr+mpet. Then a large star, !+rning like a torch, fell from the sky. 3t fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star was <itterness. And a third of all the water !ecame !itter. Aany people died from drinking this !itter water. 12 The fo+rth angel !lew his tr+mpet. Then a third of the s+n and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were str+ck. So a third of them !ecame dark. .evelation (.13*).% 2# A third of the day and night was witho+t light. 13 >hile 3 watched, 3 heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. The eagle said in a lo+d voice, Terri!le" Terri!le" $ow terri!le for those who live on the earth" The terri!le tro+!le will !egin after the so+nds of the tr+mpets that the other three angels will !low. 9 1 The fifth angel !lew his tr+mpet. Then 3 saw a star fall from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the deep hole that leads down to the !ottomless pit. 2 Then the star opened the hole leading to the pit. Smoke came +p from the hole like smoke from a !ig f+rnace. The s+n and sky !ecame dark !eca+se of the smoke from the hole. 3 Then loc+sts came o+t of the smoke and went down to the earth. They were given the power to sting like scorpions. # They were told not to damage the fields of grass or any plant or tree. They were to h+rt only those who did not have -asy To .ead /ersion

Gods mark on their foreheads. % They were not given the power to kill them !+t only to ca+se them pain for .evelation ).&*12 2% five monthspain like a person feels when st+ng !y a scorpion. & D+ring those days people will look for a way to die, !+t they will not find it. They will want to die, !+t death will hide from them. ' The loc+sts looked like horses prepared for !attle. 5n their heads they wore something that looked like a gold crown. Their faces looked like h+man faces. ( Their hair was like womens hair. Their teeth were like lions teeth. ) Their chests looked like iron !reastplates. The so+nd their wings made was like the noise of many horses and chariots h+rrying into !attle. 1, The loc+sts had tails with stingers like scorpions. The power they had to give people pain for five months was in their tails. 11 They had a r+ler, who was the angel of the !ottomless pit. $is name in $e!rew is A!addon. 3n Greek it is Apollyon. 12 The first terror is now past. There are still two other terrors to come. .evelation ).13*1) 2& 13 The si4th angel !lew his tr+mpet. Then 3 heard a voice coming from the horns on the fo+r corners of the golden altar that is !efore God. 1# 3t said to the si4th angel who had the tr+mpet, 2ree the fo+r angels who are tied at the great river -+phrates. 1% These fo+r angels had !een kept ready for this ho+r and day and month and year. The angels were set free to kill a third of all the people on the earth. 1& 3 heard how many troops on horses were in their army. There were 2,,,,,,,,,,. 1' 3n my vision, 3 saw the horses and the riders on the horses. They looked like this: They had !reastplates that were fiery red, dark !l+e, and yellow like pag. 13,10131#

s+lf+r. The heads of the horses looked like heads of lions. The horses had fire, smoke, and s+lf+r coming o+t of their mo+ths. 1( A third of all the people on earth were killed !y these three plag+es coming o+t of the horses mo+ths: the fire, the smoke, and the s+lf+r. 1) The horses power was in their mo+ths and also in their tails. Their tails were .evelation ).2,*1,.3 2' like snakes that have heads to !ite and h+rt people. 2, The other people on earth were not killed !y these plag+es. <+t these people still did not change their hearts and t+rn away from worshiping the things they had made with their own hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, !ronEe, stone, and woodthings that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 They did not change their hearts and t+rn away from killing other people or from their evil magic, their se4+al sins, and their stealing. 10 1 Then 3 saw another powerf+l angel coming down from heaven. The angel was dressed in a clo+d. $e had a rain!ow aro+nd his head. The angels face was like the s+n, and his legs were like poles of fire. 2 The angel was holding a small scroll. The scroll was open in his hand. $e p+t his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 $e sho+ted lo+dly like the roaring of a lion. After he sho+ted, the voices of seven th+nders spoke. .evelation 1,.#*) 2( # The seven th+nders spoke, and 3 started to write. <+t then 3 heard a voice from heaven that said, Dont write what the seven th+nders said. Geep those things secret. % Then the angel 3 saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. & The angel made a promise !y the power of the one who lives forever and -asy To .ead /ersion

ever. $e is the one who made the skies and all that is in them. $e made the earth and all that is in it, and he made the sea and all that is in it. The angel said, There will !e no more waiting" ' 3n the days when the seventh angel is ready to !low his tr+mpet, Gods secret plan will !e completedthe Good 1ews that God told to his servants, the prophets. ( Then 3 heard the same voice from heaven again. 3t said to me, Go and take the open scroll that is in the angels hand. This is the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land. ) So 3 went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. $e said to me, Take the scroll and eat it. 3t will !e .evelation 1,.1,*11.% 2) so+r in yo+r stomach, !+t in yo+r mo+th it will !e sweet like honey. 1, So 3 took the little scroll from the angels hand and ate it. 3n my mo+th it tasted sweet like honey, !+t after 3 ate it, it was so+r in my stomach. 11 Then 3 was told, ;o+ m+st prophesy again a!o+t many races of people, many nations, lang+ages, and r+lers. 11 1 Then 3 was given a meas+ring rod as long as a walking stick. 3 was told, Go and meas+re the temple of God and the altar, and co+nt the people worshiping there. 2 <+t dont meas+re the yard o+tside the temple. eave it alone. 3t has !een given to those who are not Gods people. They will show their power over the holy city for #2 months. 3 And 3 will give power to my two witnesses. And they will prophesy for 12&, days. They will !e dressed in sackcloth. # These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand !efore the ord of the earth. % 3f anyone tries to h+rt the witnesses, fire comes from the mo+ths of the .evelation 11.&*1, 3, witnesses and kills their enemies. Anyone who tries to h+rt them will die pag. 13,20131#

like this. & These witnesses have the power to stop the sky from raining d+ring the time they are prophesying. These witnesses have power to make the water !ecome !lood. They have power to send every kind of plag+e to the earth. They can do this as many times as they want. ' >hen the two witnesses have finished telling their message, the !east will fight against them. This is the !east that comes +p from the !ottomless pit. 3t will defeat and kill them. ( The !odies of the two witnesses will lie in the street of the great city. This city is named Sodom and -gypt. These names for the city have a special meaning. This is the city where the ord was killed. ) 6eople from every race of people, tri!e, lang+age, and nation will look at the !odies of the two witnesses for three and a half days. The people will ref+se to !+ry them. 1, -veryone on the earth will !e happy !eca+se these two are dead. They will have parties and send each other gifts. .evelation 11.11*1& 31 They will do this !eca+se these two prophets !ro+ght m+ch s+ffering to the people living on earth. 11 <+t after three and a half days, God let life enter the two witnesses again. They stood on their feet. All those who saw them were filled with fear. 12 Then the two witnesses heard a lo+d voice from heaven say, 9ome +p here" And !oth of them went +p into heaven in a clo+d. Their enemies watched them go. 13 At that same time there was a great earthJ+ake. A tenth of the city was destroyed. And ',,, people were killed in the earthJ+ake. Those who did not die were very afraid. They gave glory to the God of heaven. 1# The second terror is now past. The third terror is coming soon. 1% The seventh angel !lew his tr+mpet. Then there were lo+d voices in heaven. The voices said, The kingdom of the world has now !ecome the kingdom of -asy To .ead /ersion

o+r ord and of his Aessiah. And he will r+le forever and ever. 1& Then the 2# elders !owed down on their faces and worshiped God. These .evelation 11.1'*12.2 32 are the elders who sit on their thrones !efore God. 1' The elders said, >e give thanks to yo+, ord God AllD6owerf+l. ;o+ are the one who is and who always was. >e thank yo+ !eca+se yo+ have +sed yo+r great power and have !eg+n to r+le. 1( The people of the world were angry, !+t now is the time for yo+r anger. 1ow is the time for the dead to !e =+dged. 3t is time to reward yo+r servants, the prophets, and to reward yo+r holy people, the people, great and small, who respect yo+. 3t is time to destroy those people who destroy the earth" 1) Then Gods temple in heaven was opened. The <o4 of the Agreement co+ld !e seen in his temple. Then there were flashes of lightning, noises, th+nder, an earthJ+ake, and a great hailstorm. 12 1 And then a great wonder appeared in heaven: There was a woman who was clothed with the s+n, and the moon was +nder her feet. She had a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried o+t with pain !eca+se she was a!o+t to give !irth. .evelation 12.3*) 33 3 Then another wonder appeared in heaven: There was a giant red dragon there. The dragon had seven heads with a crown on each head. 3t also had ten horns. # 3ts tail swept a third of the stars o+t of the sky and threw them down to the earth. 3t stood in front of the woman who was ready to give !irth to the !a!y. 3t wanted to eat the womans !a!y as soon as it was !orn. % The woman gave !irth to a son, who wo+ld r+le all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was taken +p to God and to his throne. & The woman ran away into the desert pag. 13,30131#

to a place that God had prepared for her. There she wo+ld !e taken care of for 12&, days. ' Then there was a war in heaven. Aichael and his angels fo+ght against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fo+ght !ack, ( !+t they were not strong eno+gh. The dragon and its angels lost their place in heaven. ) 3t was thrown down o+t of heaven. 7This giant dragon is that old snake, the .evelation 12.1,*1# 3# one called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world into the wrong way.8 The dragon and its angels were thrown to the earth. 1, Then 3 heard a lo+d voice in heaven say, The victory and the power and the kingdom of o+r God and the a+thority of his Aessiah have now come. These things have come, !eca+se the acc+ser of o+r !rothers and sisters has !een thrown o+t. $e is the one who acc+sed them day and night !efore o+r God. 11 They defeated him !y the !lood sacrifice of the am! and !y the message of God that they told people. They did not love their lives too m+ch. They were not afraid of death. 12 So re=oice, yo+ heavens and all who live there" <+t it will !e terri!le for the earth and sea, !eca+se the devil has gone down to yo+. $e is filled with anger. $e knows he doesnt have m+ch time. 13 The dragon saw that he had !een thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given !irth to the child. 1# <+t the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle. Then she co+ld .evelation 12.1%*13.2 3% fly to the place that was prepared for her in the desert. There she wo+ld !e taken care of for three and a half years. There she wo+ld !e away from the dragon. 1% Then the dragon po+red water o+t of its mo+th like a river. 3t po+red the water toward the woman so that the flood wo+ld carry her away. -asy To .ead /ersion

1& <+t the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mo+th and swallowed the river that came from the mo+th of the dragon. 1' Then the dragon was very angry with the woman. 3t went away to make war against all her other children. $er children are those who o!ey Gods commands and have the tr+th that Ces+s ta+ght. 13 1 712D1(8 The dragon stood on the seashore. 713D18Then 3 saw a !east coming +p o+t of the sea. 3t had ten horns and seven heads. There was a crown on each of its horns. 3t had an evil name written on each head. 2 This !east looked like a leopard, with feet like a !ears feet. 3t had a mo+th like a lions mo+th. The dragon gave the .evelation 13.3*( 3& !east all of its power and its throne and great a+thority. 3 5ne of the heads of the !east looked as if it had !een wo+nded and killed, !+t the death wo+nd was healed. All the people in the world were amaEed, and they all followed the !east. # 6eople worshiped the dragon !eca+se it had given its power to the !east, and they also worshiped the !east. They asked, >ho is as powerf+l as the !east? >ho can make war against it? % The !east was allowed to !oast and speak ins+lts against God. 3t was allowed to +se its power for #2 months. & The !east opened its mo+th to ins+lt Godto ins+lt his name, the place where he lives, and all those who live in heaven. ' 3t was given power to make war against Gods holy people and to defeat them. 3t was given power over every tri!e, race of people, lang+age, and nation. ( -veryone living on earth wo+ld worship the !east. These are all the people since the !eginning of the world whose names are not written in the .evelation 13.)*1# 3' am!s !ook of life. The am! is the one who was killed. pag. 13,#0131#

) Anyone who hears these things sho+ld listen to this: 1, >hoever is to !e a prisoner, will !e a prisoner. >hoever is to !e killed with a sword, will !e killed with a sword. This means that Gods holy people m+st have patience and faith. 11 Then 3 saw another !east coming +p o+t of the earth. $e had two horns like a lam!, !+t he talked like a dragon. 12 This !east stood !efore the first !east and +sed the same power the first !east had. $e +sed this power to make everyone living on the earth worship the first !east. The first !east was the one that had the death wo+nd that was healed. 13 The second !east did great miracles. $e even made fire come down from heaven to earth while people were watching. 1# This second !east fooled the people living on earth !y +sing the miracles that he had !een given the power to do for the first !east. $e ordered people to make an idol to honor the first !east, the .evelation 13.1%*1#.2 3( one that was wo+nded !y the sword !+t did not die. 1% The second !east was given power to give life to the idol of the first !east. Then the idol co+ld speak and order all those who did not worship it to !e killed. 1& The second !east also forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark p+t on their right hand or on their forehead. 1' 1o one co+ld !+y or sell witho+t this mark. 7This mark is the name of the !east or the n+m!er of its name.8 1( Anyone who has +nderstanding can find the meaning of the !easts n+m!er. This reJ+ires wisdom. This n+m!er is the n+m!er of a man. 3t is &&&. 14 1 Then 3 looked, and there !efore me was the am!, who was standing on Ao+nt Bion. There were 1##,,,, people with him. They all had his name and his 2athers name written on their foreheads. -asy To .ead /ersion

2 And 3 heard a so+nd from heaven as lo+d as the crashing of floodwaters or claps of th+nder. <+t it so+nded like harpists playing their harps. .evelation 1#.3*( 3) 3 The people sang a new song !efore the throne and !efore the fo+r living !eings and the elders. The only ones who co+ld learn the new song were the 1##,,,, who had !een !o+ght from the earth. 1o one else co+ld learn it. # These are the ones who did not do sinf+l things with women. They kept themselves p+re. 1ow they follow the am! wherever he goes. They were !o+ght from among the people of the earth as the first to !e offered to God and the am!. % They are not g+ilty of telling liesF they are witho+t fa+lt. & Then 3 saw another angel flying high in the air. The angel had the eternal Good 1ews to anno+nce to the people living on earthto every nation, tri!e, lang+age, and race of people. ' The angel said in a lo+d voice, 2ear God and give him praise. The time has come for God to =+dge all people. >orship God. $e made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water. ( Then the second angel followed the first angel and said, She is destroyed" The great city of <a!ylon is destroyed" .evelation 1#.)*13 #, She made all the nations drink the wine of her se4+al sin and of Gods anger. ) A third angel followed the first two angels. This third angel said in a lo+d voice, God will p+nish all those who worship the !east and the !easts idol and agree to have the !easts mark on their forehead or on their hand. 1, They will drink the wine of Gods anger. This wine is prepared with all its strength in the c+p of Gods anger. They will !e made to s+ffer pain with !+rning s+lf+r !efore the holy angels and the am!. 11 And the smoke from their !+rning pain will rise forever and ever. There will pag. 13,%0131#

!e no rest, day or night, for those who worship the !east and its idol or who wear the mark of its name. 12 This means that Gods holy people m+st !e patient. They m+st o!ey Gods commands and keep their faith in Ces+s. 13 Then 3 heard a voice from heaven. 3t said, >rite this: 2rom now on there are great !lessings for those who !elong to the ord when they die. The Spirit says, ;es, that is tr+e. They will rest from their .evelation 1#.1#*1) #1 hard work. >hat they have done will stay with them. 1# 3 looked and there !efore me, sitting on a white clo+d, was one who looked like the Son of Aan. $e had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 1% Then another angel came o+t of the temple. This angel called to the one who was sitting on the clo+d, Take yo+r sickle and gather from the earth. The time to harvest has come, and the fr+it on the earth is ripe. 1& So the one who was sitting on the clo+d sw+ng his sickle over the earth. And the earth was harvested. 1' Then another angel came o+t of the temple in heaven. This angel also had a sharp sickle. 1( And then another angel, one in charge of the fire, came from the altar. $e called to the angel with the sharp sickle and said, Take yo+r sharp sickle and gather the !+nches of grapes from the earths vine. The earths grapes are ripe. 1) The angel sw+ng his sickle over the earth. $e gathered the earths grapes .evelation 1#.2,*1%.# #2 and threw them into the great winepress of Gods anger. 2, The grapes were sJ+eeEed in the winepress o+tside the city. <lood flowed o+t of the winepress. 3t rose as high as the heads of the horses for a distance of 2,, miles. 15 1 Then 3 saw another wonder in heaven. 3t was great and -asy To .ead /ersion

amaEing. There were seven angels in charge of seven plag+es. These are the last plag+es !eca+se after these, Gods anger is finished. 2 3 saw what looked like a sea of glass mi4ed with fire. All those who had won the victory over the !east and his idol and over the n+m!er of its name were standing !y the sea. These people had harps that God had given them. 3 They sang the song of Aoses, the servant of God, and the song of the am!: Great and wonderf+l are the things yo+ do, ord God AllD6owerf+l. .ight and tr+e are yo+r ways, .+ler of the nations. # All people will fear yo+, 5 ord. All people will praise yo+r name. 5nly yo+ are holy. All people will come and .evelation 1%.%*1&.2 #3 worship !efore yo+, !eca+se it is clear that yo+ do what is right. % After this 3 saw the temple, the holy place of Gods presence, in heaven. 3t was opened, & and the seven angels in charge of the seven plag+es came o+t. They were dressed in clean, shining linen cloth. They wore gold !ands tied aro+nd their chests. ' Then one of the fo+r living !eings gave seven gold !owls to the seven angels. The !owls were filled with the anger of God, who lives forever and ever. ( The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and the power of God. 1o one co+ld enter the temple +ntil the seven plag+es of the seven angels were finished. 16 1 Then 3 heard a lo+d voice from the temple. 3t said to the seven angels, Go and po+r o+t the seven !owls of Gods anger on the earth. 2 The first angel left. $e po+red o+t his !owl on the land. Then all those who had the mark of the !east and who worshiped its idol got sores that were +gly and painf+l. .evelation 1&.3*) ## 3 The second angel po+red o+t his !owl pag. 13,&0131#

on the sea. Then the sea !ecame !lood like a dead mans !lood. And everything living in the sea died. # The third angel po+red o+t his !owl on the rivers and the springs of water. The rivers and the springs of water !ecame !lood. % Then 3 heard the angel of the waters say to God, ;o+ are the one who is and who always was. ;o+ are the $oly 5ne. ;o+ are right in these =+dgments yo+ have made. & The people have spilled the !lood of yo+r holy people and yo+r prophets. 1ow yo+ have given those people !lood to drink. This is what they deserve. ' And 3 heard the altar say, ;es, ord God AllD6owerf+l, yo+r =+dgments are tr+e and right. ( The fo+rth angel po+red o+t his !owl on the s+n. The s+n was given power to !+rn the people with fire. ) The people were !+rned !y the great heat. They c+rsed the name of God, who had control over these plag+es. <+t they ref+sed to change their hearts and lives and give glory to God. .evelation 1&.1,*1% #% 1, The fifth angel po+red o+t his !owl on the throne of the !east. And darkness covered the !easts kingdom. 6eople !it their tong+es !eca+se of the pain. 11 They c+rsed the God of heaven !eca+se of their pain and the sores they had. <+t they ref+sed to change their hearts and t+rn away from the evil things they did. 12 The si4th angel po+red o+t his !owl on the great river -+phrates. The water in the river was dried +p. This prepared the way for the r+lers from the east to come. 13 Then 3 saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came o+t of the mo+th of the dragon, o+t of the mo+th of the !east, and o+t of the mo+th of the false prophet. 1# These evil spirits are the spirits of demons. They have power to do miracles. They go o+t to the r+lers of the -asy To .ead /ersion

whole world to gather them for !attle on the great day of God AllD6owerf+l. 1% isten" 3 will come at a time yo+ dont e4pect, like a thief. Great !lessings !elong to those who stay awake and keep their clothes with them. They will .evelation 1&.1&*1'.1 #& not have to go witho+t clothes and !e ashamed for people to see them. 1& Then the evil spirits gathered the r+lers together to the place that in $e!rew is called Armageddon. 1' The seventh angel po+red o+t his !owl into the air. Then a lo+d voice came o+t of the temple from the throne. 3t said, 3t is finished" 1( Then there were flashes of lightning, noises, th+nder, and a !ig earthJ+ake. This was the worst earthJ+ake that has ever happened since people have !een on earth. 1) The great city split into three parts. The cities of the nations were destroyed. And God did not forget to p+nish <a!ylon the Great. $e gave that city the c+p filled with the wine of his terri!le anger. 2, -very island disappeared and there were no more mo+ntains. 21 Giant hailstones fell on the people from the sky. These hailstones weighed almost 1,, po+nds each. 6eople c+rsed God !eca+se of this plag+e of the hail. 3t was terri!le. 17 1 5ne of the seven angels came and spoke to me. This was one .evelation 1'.2*& #' of the angels that had the seven !owls. The angel said, 9ome, and 3 will show yo+ the p+nishment that will !e given to the famo+s prostit+te. She is the one sitting over many waters. 2 The r+lers of the earth sinned se4+ally with her. The people of the earth !ecame dr+nk from the wine of her se4+al sin. 3 Then the angel carried me away !y the Spirit to the desert. There 3 saw a woman sitting on a red !east. The !east was covered with evil names. 3t had seven heads and ten horns. # The woman was dressed in p+rple pag. 13,'0131#

and red. She was shining with the gold, =ewels, and pearls that she was wearing. She had a gold c+p in her hand. This c+p was filled with terri!ly evil things and the filth of her se4+al sin. % She had a title written on her forehead. This title has a hidden meaning. This is what was written: T$- G.-AT <A<; 51 A5T$-. 52 6.5ST3THT-S A1D T$-/3 T$31GS 52 T$- -A.T$ & 3 saw that the woman was dr+nk. She was dr+nk with the !lood of Gods holy people. She was dr+nk with the !lood of those who told a!o+t their faith in .evelation 1'.'*11 #( Ces+s. >hen 3 saw the woman, 3 was f+lly amaEed. ' Then the angel said to me, >hy are yo+ amaEed? 3 will tell yo+ the hidden meaning of this woman and the !east she ridesthe !east with seven heads and ten horns. ( The !east yo+ saw was once alive, !+t now it is not. $owever, it will come +p o+t of the !ottomless pit and go away to !e destroyed. The people who live on the earth will !e amaEed when they see the !east, !eca+se it was once alive, is no longer living, !+t will come again. These are the people whose names have never !een written in the !ook of life since the !eginning of the world. ) ;o+ need wisdom to +nderstand this. The seven heads on the !east are the seven hills where the woman sits. They are also seven r+lers. 1, 2ive of the r+lers have already died. 5ne of the r+lers lives now, and the last r+ler is coming. >hen he comes, he will stay only a short time. 11 The !east that was once alive !+t is no longer living is an eighth r+ler. This eighth r+ler also !elongs to the first .evelation 1'.12*1' #) seven r+lers. And he will go away to !e destroyed. 12 The ten horns yo+ saw are ten r+lers. These ten r+lers have not yet received their kingdom, !+t they will receive power to r+le with the !east for one -asy To .ead /ersion

ho+r. 13 All ten of these r+lers have the same p+rpose. And they will give their power and a+thority to the !east. 1# They will make war against the am!. <+t the am! will defeat them, !eca+se he is ord of lords and Ging of kings. And with him will !e his chosen and faithf+l followersthe people he has called to !e his. 1% Then the angel said to me, ;o+ saw the waters where the prostit+te sits. These waters are the many peoples, the different races, nations, and lang+ages in the world. 1& The !east and the ten horns yo+ saw will hate the prostit+te. They will take everything she has and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and destroy her with fire. 1' God p+t the idea in their minds to do what wo+ld complete his p+rpose. .evelation 1'.1(*1(.# %, They agreed to give the !east their power to r+le +ntil what God has said is completed. 1( The woman yo+ saw is the great city that r+les over the kings of the earth. 18 1 Then 3 saw another angel coming down from heaven. This angel had great power. The angels glory made the earth !right. 2 The angel sho+ted with a powerf+l voice, She is destroyed" The great city of <a!ylon is destroyed" She has !ecome a home for demons. That city has !ecome a place for every +nclean spirit to live. She is a city filled with all kinds of +nclean !irds. She is a place where every +nclean and hated animal lives. 3 All the peoples of the earth have dr+nk the wine of her se4+al sin and of Gods anger. The r+lers of the earth sinned se4+ally with her, and the merchants of the world grew rich from the great wealth of her l+4+ry. # Then 3 heard another voice from heaven say, 9ome o+t of that city, my people, so that yo+ will not share in her sins. Then yo+ will not s+ffer any of the pag. 13,(0131#

terri!le p+nishment she will get. .evelation 1(.%*1, %1 % That citys sins are piled +p as high as heaven. God has not forgotten the wrongs she has done. & Give that city the same as she gave to others. 6ay her !ack twice as m+ch as she did. 6repare wine for her that is twice as strong as the wine she prepared for others. ' She gave herself m+ch glory and rich living. Give her that m+ch s+ffering and sadness. She says to herself, 3 am a J+een sitting on my throne. 3 am not a widowF 3 will never !e sad. ( So in one day she will s+ffer great h+nger, mo+rning, and death. She will !e destroyed !y fire, !eca+se the ord God who =+dges her is powerf+l. ) The r+lers of the earth who sinned se4+ally with her and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her !+rning. Then they will cry and !e sad !eca+se of her death. 1, The r+lers will !e afraid of her s+ffering and stand far away. They will say, Terri!le" $ow terri!le, 5 great city, 5 powerf+l city of <a!ylon" ;o+r p+nishment came in one ho+r" .evelation 1(.11*1& %2 11 And the merchants of the earth will cry and !e sad for her. They will !e sad !eca+se now there is no one to !+y the things they sell 12 gold, silver, =ewels, pearls, fine linen cloth, p+rple cloth, silk, and scarlet cloth, all kinds of citron wood, and all kinds of things made from ivory, e4pensive wood, !ronEe, iron, and mar!le. 13 They also sell cinnamon, spice, incense, frankincense, myrrh, wine, olive oil, fine flo+r, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, and slavesyes, even h+man lives. The merchants will cry and say, 1# 5 <a!ylon, the good things yo+ wanted have left yo+. All yo+r rich and fancy things have disappeared. ;o+ will never have them again. 1% The merchants will !e afraid of her -asy To .ead /ersion

s+ffering and will stand far away from her. They are the ones who !ecame rich from selling those things to her. They will cry and !e sad. 1& They will say, Terri!le" $ow terri!le for the great city" She was dressed in fine linenF she wore p+rple and scarlet .evelation 1(.1'*21 %3 cloth. She was shining with gold, =ewels, and pearls" 1' All these riches have !een destroyed in one ho+r" -very sea captain, all those who travel on ships, the sailors, and all those who earn money from the sea stood far away from <a!ylon. 1( They saw the smoke from her !+rning. They cried o+t, There was never a city like this great city" 1) They threw d+st on their heads and cried lo+dly to show the deep sorrow they felt. They said, Terri!le" $ow terri!le for the great city" All those who had ships on the sea !ecame rich !eca+se of her wealth" <+t she has !een destroyed in one ho+r" 2, <e happy !eca+se of this, 5 heaven" <e happy, Gods holy people and apostles and prophets" God has p+nished her !eca+se of what she did to yo+. 21 Then a powerf+l angel picked +p a large rock. This rock was as !ig as a large millstone. The angel threw the rock into the sea and said, That is how the great city of <a!ylon will !e thrown down. 3t will never !e fo+nd again. .evelation 1(.22*1).2 %# 22 5 <a!ylon, the m+sic of people playing harps and other instr+ments, fl+tes and tr+mpets, will never !e heard in yo+ again. 1o worker doing any =o! will ever !e fo+nd in yo+ again. The so+nd of a millstone will never !e heard in yo+ again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in yo+ again. The voices of a !ridegroom and !ride will never !e heard in yo+ again. ;o+r merchants were the worlds great people. All the nations were tricked !y yo+r magic. 2# ;o+ are g+ilty of the death of the pag. 13,)0131#

prophets, of Gods holy people, and of all those who have !een killed on earth. 19 1 After this 3 heard what so+nded like a large crowd of people in heaven. The people were saying, $allel+=ah" /ictory, glory, and power !elong to o+r God. 2 $is =+dgments are tr+e and right. 5+r God has p+nished the prostit+te. She is the one who r+ined the earth with her se4+al sin. God has p+nished the prostit+te to pay her !ack for the death of his servants. .evelation 1).3*) %% 3 These people also said, $allel+=ah" She is !+rning and her smoke will rise forever and ever. # Then the 2# elders and the fo+r living !eings !owed down. They worshiped God, who sits on the throne. They said, Amen" $allel+=ah" % Then a voice came from the throne and said, 6raise o+r God, all yo+ who serve him" 6raise o+r God, all yo+ small and great who honor him" & Then 3 heard something that so+nded like a large crowd of people. 3t was as lo+d as crashing waves or claps of th+nder. The people were saying, $allel+=ah" 5+r ord God r+les. $e is the AllD6owerf+l one. ' et +s re=oice and !e happy and give God glory" Give God glory, !eca+se the wedding of the am! has come. And the am!s !ride has made herself ready. ( 2ine linen was given to the !ride for her to wear. The linen was !right and clean. 7The fine linen means the good things that Gods holy people did.8 ) Then the angel said to me, >rite this: Great !lessings !elong to those who are invited to the wedding meal of the am!" .evelation 1).1,*1% %& Then the angel said, These are the tr+e words of God. 1, Then 3 !owed down !efore the angels feet to worship him. <+t the angel said to me, Dont worship me" 3 am a servant like yo+ and yo+r !rothers and sisters who have the tr+th of Ces+s. So worship -asy To .ead /ersion

God" <eca+se the tr+th of Ces+s is the spirit of prophecy. 11 Then 3 saw heaven open. There !efore me was a white horse. The rider on the horse was called 2aithf+l and Tr+e, !eca+se he is right in his =+dging and in making war. 12 $is eyes were like !+rning fire. $e had many crowns on his head. A name was written on him, !+t he was the only one who knew its meaning. 13 $e was dressed in a ro!e dipped in !lood, and he was called the >ord of God. 1# The armies of heaven were following the rider on the white horse. They were also riding white horses. They were dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 1% A sharp sword came o+t of the riders mo+th, a sword that he wo+ld +se to defeat the nations. And he will r+le .evelation 1).1&*2, %' the nations with a rod of iron. $e will cr+sh the grapes in the winepress of the terri!le anger of God AllD6owerf+l. 1& 5n his ro!e and on his leg was written this name: G31G 52 G31GS A1D 5.D 52 5.DS 1' Then 3 saw an angel standing in the s+n. 3n a lo+d voice the angel said to all the !irds flying in the sky, 9ome together for the great s+pper of God. 1( 9ome together so that yo+ can eat the !odies of r+lers and army commanders and famo+s men. 9ome to eat the !odies of the horses and their riders and the !odies of all peoplefree, slave, small, and great. 1) Then 3 saw the !east and the r+lers of the earth. Their armies were gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 2, <+t the !east was capt+red, and the false prophet was also capt+red. $e was the one who did the miracles for the !east. $e had +sed these miracles to trick those who had the mark of the !east and worshiped its idol. The false prophet and the !east were thrown .evelation 1).21*2,.# %( pag. 131,0131#

alive into the lake of fire that !+rns with s+lf+r. 21 Their armies were killed with the sword that came o+t of the mo+th of the rider on the horse. All the !irds ate these !odies +ntil they were f+ll. 20 1 3 saw an angel coming down o+t of heaven. The angel had the key to the !ottomless pit. The angel also held a large chain in his hand. 2 The angel gra!!ed the dragon, the old snake that is also known as the devil or Satan. The angel tied the dragon with the chain for 1,,, years. 3 Then the angel threw the dragon into the !ottomless pit and closed it. The angel locked it over the dragon. The angel did this so that the dragon co+ld not trick the people of the earth +ntil the 1,,, years were ended. After 1,,, years the dragon m+st !e made free for a short time. # Then 3 saw some thrones and people sitting on them. These were the ones who had !een given the power to =+dge. And 3 saw the so+ls of those who had !een killed !eca+se they were faithf+l to the tr+th of Ces+s and the message from .evelation 2,.%*) %) God. They did not worship the !east or its idol. They did not receive the mark of the !east on their foreheads or on their hands. They came !ack to life and r+led with 9hrist for 1,,, years. % 7The rest of the dead did not live again +ntil the 1,,, years were ended.8 This is the first res+rrection. & Great !lessings !elong to those who share in this first res+rrection. They are Gods holy people. The second death has no power over them. They will !e priests for God and for 9hrist. They will r+le with him for 1,,, years. ' >hen the 1,,, years are ended, Satan will !e made free from his prison. ( $e will go o+t to trick the nations in all the earth, the nations known as Gog and Aagog. Satan will gather the people for !attle. There will !e more people than anyone can co+nt, like sand on the -asy To .ead /ersion

seashore. ) 3 saw Satans army march across the earth and gather aro+nd the camp of Gods people and the city that God loves. <+t fire came down from heaven and destroyed Satans army. .evelation 2,.1,*21.1 &, 1, And Satan, the one who tricked these people, was thrown into the lake of !+rning s+lf+r with the !east and the false prophet. There they wo+ld !e made to s+ffer pain day and night forever and ever. 11 Then 3 saw a large white throne. 3 saw the one who was sitting on the throne. -arth and sky ran away from him and disappeared. 12 And 3 saw those who had died, great and small, standing !efore the throne. Some !ooks were opened. And another !ook was openedthe !ook of life. The people were =+dged !y what they had done, which is written in the !ooks. 13 The sea gave +p the dead who were in it. Death and $ades gave +p the dead who were in them. All these people were =+dged !y what they had done. 1# And Death and $ades were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 1% And anyone whose name was not fo+nd written in the !ook of life was thrown into the lake of fire. 21 1 Then 3 saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and .evelation 21.2*' &1 the first earth had disappeared. 1ow there was no sea. 2 And 3 saw the holy city, the new Cer+salem, coming down o+t of heaven from God. 3t was prepared like a !ride dressed for her h+s!and. 3 3 heard a lo+d voice from the throne. 3t said, 1ow Gods home is with people. $e will live with them. They will !e his people. God himself will !e with them and will !e their God. # $e will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will !e no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways pag. 13110131#

are gone. % The one who was sitting on the throne said, ook, 3 am making everything new" Then he said, >rite this, !eca+se these words are tr+e and can !e tr+sted. & The one on the throne said to me, 3t is finished" 3 am the Alpha and the 5mega, the <eginning and the -nd. 3 will give free water from the spring of the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. ' All those who win the victory will receive all this. And 3 will !e their God, and they will !e my children. .evelation 21.(*12 &2 ( <+t those who are cowards, those who ref+se to !elieve, those who do terri!le things, those who kill, those who sin se4+ally, those who do evil magic, those who worship idols, and those who tell liesthey will all have a place in the lake of !+rning s+lf+r. This is the second death. ) 5ne of the seven angels came to me. This was one of the angels who had the seven !owls f+ll of the seven last plag+es. The angel said, 9ome with me. 3 will show yo+ the !ride, the wife of the am!. 1, The angel carried me away !y the Spirit to a very large and high mo+ntain. The angel showed me the holy city, Cer+salem. The city was coming down o+t of heaven from God. 11 The city was shining with the glory of God. 3t was shining !right like a very e4pensive =ewel, like a =asper. 3t was clear as crystal. 12 The city had a large, high wall with twelve gates. There were twelve angels at the gates. 5n each gate was written the name of one of the twelve tri!es of 3srael. .evelation 21.13*1) &3 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the so+th, and three gates on the west. 1# The walls of the city were !+ilt on twelve fo+ndation stones. 5n the stones were written the names of the twelve apostles of the am!. 1% The angel who talked with me had a -asy To .ead /ersion

meas+ring rod made of gold. The angel had this rod to meas+re the city, its gates, and its wall. 1& The city was !+ilt in a sJ+are. 3ts length was eJ+al to its width. The angel meas+red the city with the rod. The city was 12,,,, stadia long, 12,,,, stadia wide, and 12,,,, stadia high. 1' The angel also meas+red the wall. 3t was 1## c+!its high. 7The angel was +sing the same meas+rement that people +se.8 1( The wall was made of =asper. The city was made of p+re gold, as p+re as glass. 1) The fo+ndation stones of the city walls had every kind of e4pensive =ewels in them. The first fo+ndation stone was =asper, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedony, the fo+rth was emerald, .evelation 21.2,*2' &# 2, the fifth was ony4, the si4th was carnelian, the seventh was yellow J+artE, the eighth was !eryl, the ninth was topaE, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was =acinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls. -ach gate was made from one pearl. The street of the city was made of p+re gold, as clear as glass. 22 3 did not see a temple in the city. The ord God AllD6owerf+l and the am! were the citys temple. 23 The city did not need the s+n or the moon to shine on it. The glory of God gave the city light. The am! was the citys lamp. 2# The peoples of the world will walk !y the light given !y the am!. The r+lers of the earth will !ring their glory into the city. 2% The citys gates will never close on any day, !eca+se there is no night there. 2& The greatness and the honor of the nations will !e !ro+ght into the city. 2' 1othing +nclean will ever enter the city. 1o one who does shamef+l things or tells lies will ever enter the city. 5nly .evelation 22.1*& &% pag. 13120131#

those whose names are written in the am!s !ook of life will enter the city. 22 1 The angel showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal. The river flows from the throne of God and the am!. 2 3t flows down the middle of the street of the city. The tree of life is on each side of the river, and it prod+ces fr+it every month, twelve times a year. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations. 3 1othing that God =+dges g+ilty will !e there in that city. The throne of God and the am! will !e in the city. Gods servants will worship him. # They will see his face. Gods name will !e written on their foreheads. % There will never !e night again. 6eople will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the s+n. The ord God will give them light. And they will r+le like kings forever and ever. & Then the angel said to me, These words are tr+e and can !e tr+sted. The ord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what m+st happen soon: .evelation 22.'*12 && ' isten, 3 am coming soon" Great !lessings !elong to the one who o!eys the words of prophecy in this !ook. ( 3 am Cohn. 3 am the one who heard and saw these things. After 3 heard and saw them, 3 !owed down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. ) <+t the angel said to me, Dont worship me" 3 am a servant like yo+ and yo+r !rothers the prophets. 3 am a servant like all those who o!ey the words in this !ook. ;o+ sho+ld worship God" 1, Then the angel told me, Dont keep secret the words of prophecy in this !ook. The time is near for these things to happen. 11 et anyone who is doing wrong contin+e to do wrong. et anyone who

is +nclean contin+e to !e +nclean. et anyone who is doing right contin+e to do right. et anyone who is holy contin+e to !e holy. 12 isten, 3 am coming soon" 3 will !ring rewards with me. 3 will repay everyone for what they have done. .evelation 22.13*1( &' 13 3 am the Alpha and the 5mega, the 2irst and the ast, the <eginning and the -nd. 1# Great !lessings !elong to those who have washed their ro!es. They will have the right to eat the food from the tree of life. They can go thro+gh the gates into the city. 1% 5+tside the city are all those who live like dogsthose who do evil magic, those who sin se4+ally, those who m+rder, those who worship idols, and those who love to lie and pretend to !e good. 1& 3, Ces+s, have sent my angel to tell yo+ these things for the ch+rches. 3 am the descendant from the family of David. 3 am the !right morning star. 1' The Spirit and the !ride say, 9ome" -veryone who hears this sho+ld also say, 9ome" All who are thirsty may comeF they can have the water of life as a free gift if they want it. 1( 3 warn everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this !ook: 3f anyone adds anything to these, God will give that person the plag+es written a!o+t in this !ook. .evelation 22.1)*21 &( 1) And if anyone takes away from the words of this !ook of prophecy, God will take away that persons share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are written a!o+t in this !ook. 2, Ces+s is the one who says that all of this is tr+e. 1ow he says, ;es, 3 am coming soon. Amen" 9ome, ord Ces+s" 21 The grace of the ord Ces+s !e with all people.

icense Agreement for <i!le Te4ts -asy To .ead /ersion pag. 13130131#

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD >orld <i!le Translation 9enter 9opyright O 2,,& !y >orld <i!le Translation 9enter All rights reserved.

-asy To .ead /ersion

pag. 131#0131#

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