PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF A.D. 1885

THE Revision of the Authorised Version was undertaken in consequence of a Resolution passed by both houses of the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury, as has been fully explained in the Preface to the Revised Version of the New Testament, which was first published in May 1881. When the two Companies were appointed for carrying out this work, the following General Principles, among others, were laid down by the Revision Committee of Convocation for their guidance:--

"1. To introduce as few alterations as possible into the Text of the Authorised Version consistently with faithfulness."

"2. To limit, as far as possible, the expression of such alterations to the language of the Authorised and earlier English Versions."

"4. That the Text to be adopted be that for which the evidence is decidedly preponderating; and that when the Text so adopted differs from that from which the Authorised Version was made, the alteration be indicated in the margin."

"7. To revise the headings of chapters and pages, paragraphs, italics, and punctuation."

In order to show the manner in which the Old Testament Company have endeavoured to carry out their instructions, it will be convenient to treat the subjects mentioned in the foregoing rules in a somewhat different order.

It will be observed that in Rule 4 the word "Text" is used in a different sense from that in Rule 1, and in the case of the Old Testament denotes the Hebrew or Aramaic original of the several books. In this respect the task of the Revisers has been much simpler than that which the New Testament Company had before them. The Received, or, as it is commonly called, the Massoretic Text of the Old Testament Scriptures has come down to us in manuscripts which are of no very great antiquity, and which all belong to the same family or recension.¹¹The earliest MS. of which the age is certainly known bears date A.D. 916 That other recensions were at one time in existence is probable from the variations in the Ancient Versions, the oldest of which, namely the Greek or Septuagint, was made, at least in part, some two centuries before the Christian era. But as the state of knowledge on the subject is not at present such as to justify any attempt at an entire reconstruction of the text on the authority of the Versions, the Revisers have thought it most prudent to adopt the Massoretic Text as the basis of their work, and to depart from it, as the Authorised Translators had done,²²See, for instance, 2 Sam. xvi. 12; 2 Chr. iii.1, xxii. 6; Job xxxvii. 7; Ezek. xlvi. 10; Am. v.26; Hag. i.2 only in exceptional cases. With regard to the variations in the Massoretic Text itself, the Revisers have endeavoured to translate what appeared to them to be the best reading in the text, and where the alternative reading seemed sufficiently probable or important they have placed it in the margin. In some few instances of extreme difficulty a reading has been adopted on the authority of the Ancient Versions and the departure from the Massoretic Text recorded in the margin. In other cases, where the versions appeared to supply a very probable though not so necessary a correction of the text, the text has been left and the variation indicated in the margin only.

In endeavouring to carry out as fully as possible the spirit of Rules 1 and 2, the Revisers have borne in mind that it was their duty not to make a new translation but to revise one already existing, which for more than two centuries and a half had held the position of an English classic. They have therefore departed from it only in cases where they disagreed with the Translators of 1611 as to the meaning or construction of a word or sentence; or where it was necessary for the sake of uniformity to render such parallel passages as were identical in Hebrew by the same English words, so that an English reader might know at once by comparison that a difference in the translation corresponded to a difference in the original; or where the language of the Authorised Version was liable to be misunderstood by reason of its being archaic or obscure, or finally, where the rendering of an earlier English version seemed preferable, or where by an apparently slight change it was possible to bring out more fully the meaning of a passage of which the translation was already substantially accurate.

It has been thought advisable in regard to the word "JEHOVAH" to follow the usage of the Authorised Version, and not to insert it uniformly in place of "LORD" or "GOD," which when printed in small capitals represent the words substituted by Jewish custom for the ineffable Name according to the vowel points by which it is distinguished. It will be found, therefore, that in this respect the Authorised Version has been departed from only in a few passages, in which the introduction of a proper name seemed to be required.

Terms of natural history have been changed only where it was certain that the Authorised Version was incorrect and where there was sufficient evidence for the substituted rendering. In cases of doubt the alternative rendering has been given in the margin; and even where no doubt existed, but where there was no familiar English equivalent for the original word, the Old Version has been allowed to remain,³³As for instance, "coney" (Lev. xi. 5), "fitches"(Is. xxviii. 25,27), "gourd" (Jon. iv. 6). and the more accurate term has been placed in the margin.

In some words of very frequent occurrence, the Authorised Version being either inadequate or inconsistent, and sometimes misleading, changes have been introduced with as much uniformity as appeared practicable or desirable. For instance, "the tabernacle of the congregation" has been everywhere changed to "the tent of meeting," on account of Exodus xxv. 22, xxix. 42, 43, and also because "the tabernacle of the congregation" conveys an entirely wrong sense. The words "tabernacle" and "tent," as the renderings of two different Hebrew words, are in the Authorised Version frequently interchanged in such a manner as to lead to confusion; and the Revisers have endeavoured throughout the Pentateuch to preserve a consistent distinction between them. Their practice in regard to the words "assembly" and "congregation" has been the same in principle, although they have contented themselves with introducing greater consistency of rendering without aiming at absolute uniformity. In consequence of the changes which have taken place in the English language, the term "meat offering" has become inappropriate to describe an offering of which flesh was no part; and by the alteration to "meal offering" a sufficiently accurate representation of the original has been obtained with the least possible change of form.

As regards the use of words, there are only a few cases in which it has been found needful to deviate from the language employed in the Authorised Version. One of these deviations occurs so frequently that it may be well to state briefly why it was adopted. The word "peoples" was nowhere used by King James's Translators in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament it occurs only twice (Rev. x. 11, xvii. 15). The effect of this was to leave the rendering of numerous passages inadequate or obscure or even positively misleading. Thus in one of the best known Psalms (Ps. lxvii.), where the Septuagint has λαοί and the Vulgate pqpuli, the English had "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee;" leaving it at least doubtful whether the "nations" of verse 4, or God's people, Israel, be referred to. And in Isaiah lv. 4, "Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people," the word people" is naturally understood by the English reader to refer to Israel.

Again, the Hebrew word goyim "nations," which is applied to the nations of Canaan dispossessed by the Hebrews, and then also to the surrounding nations among whom the people of Israel were afterwards dispersed, acquired in later times a moral significance, which is represented in the Authorised Version by the rendering "heathen" or "Gentiles." While recognizing this moral sense of the word, the Revisers have employed it much more sparingly than their predecessors had done.

Similarly, the Hebrew Sheôl which signifies the abode of departed spirits, and corresponds to the Greek Hades, or the under world, is variously rendered in the Authorised Version by "grave," "pit," and "hell." Of these renderings "hell," if it could be taken in its original sense as used in the Creeds, would be a fairly adequate equivalent for the Hebrew word; but it is so commonly understood of the place of torment that to employ it frequently would lead to inevitable misunderstanding. The Revisers therefore in the historical narratives have left the rendering "the grave" or "the pit" in the text, with the marginal note "Heb. Sheol" to indicate that it does not signify "the place of burial"; while in the poetical writings they have put most commonly "Sheol" in the text and "the grave" in the margin. In Isaiah xiv. however, where "hell" is used in more of its original sense and is less liable to be misunderstood, and where any change in so familiar a passage which was not distinctly an improvement would be a decided loss, the Revisers have contented themselves with leaving "hell" in the text, and have connected it with other passages by putting "Sheol" in the margin.

In connection with this it may be mentioned that "Abaddon," which has hitherto been known to the English reader of the Bible only from the New Testament (Rev. ix. 11), has been introduced in three passages (Job xxvi. 6; Prov. xv. 11, xxvii. 20), where a proper name appears to be required for giving vividness and point.

The Hebrew word Ashêrah, which is uniformly and wrongly rendered "grove" in the Authorised Version, most probably denotes the wooden symbol of a goddess; and the Revisers therefore have not hesitated to introduce it as a proper name in the singular (Judg. vi. 25, etc.), with the plurals Asherim (Ex. xxxiv. 13, etc.) and Asheroth (Judg. iii. 7, etc.), following the analogy of the Baalim (Judg. iii. 7) and the Ashtaroth (Judg. ii. 13), which are already familiar.

In regard to the language of the Authorised Version, the Revisers have thought it no part of their duty to reduce it to conformity with modern usage, and have therefore left untouched all archaisms, whether of language or construction, which though not in familiar use cause a reader no embarrassment and lead to no misunderstanding. They are aware that in so doing they will disappoint the large English-speaking race on the other side of the Atlantic, and it is a question upon which they are prepared to agree to a friendly difference of opinion. The principle by which they have been guided has been clear and consistent. Where an archaic word or expression was liable to be misunderstood or at least was not perfectly intelligible, they have substituted for it another, in equally good use at the time the Authorised Version was made, and expressing all that the archaism was intended to convey, but more familiar to the modern reader. In such cases the gain was greater than the loss. But in other instances where the word or expression, although obsolete, was not unintelligible, it was thought that the change would involve greater loss than gain, and the old rendering was therefore allowed to stand. More especially was this the case when the archaism was a perfectly correct rendering of the original and there was no exact modern equivalent for it. The principle adopted by the Company will be best illustrated by two typical examples. The verb "to ear" in the sense of "to plough" and the substantive "earing" for "ploughing" were very reluctantly abandoned, and only because it was ascertained that their meaning was unknown to many persons of good intelligence and education. But it was easy to put in their place equivalents which had a pedigree of almost equal antiquity, and it would have been an excess of conservatism to refuse to substitute for an unintelligible archaism an expression to which no ambiguity could be attached. On the other hand the word "bolled" (Ex. ix. 31), which signifies "podded for seed" and is known in provincial dialects, has no synonym in literary English. To have discarded it in favor of a less accurate or more paraphrastic expression would have been to impoverish the language; and it was therefore left, because it exactly expresses one view which is taken of the meaning of the original.

 

One of the few instances in which the language of the Authorised Version has been modified in accordance with later usage is the change of the neuter possessive pronoun from "his" to "its." It is well known that "its" does not occur in the Bible of 1611, and it does not appear to have been introduced into any edition before 1660. But it is found ten times in Shakespeare, and there is other evidence to show that at the time of the Authorised Version it was coming into use. It was found necessary in some cases to substitute "its" for "his" in order to avoid obscurity, and there seemed no good reason, when it was once introduced, for refusing to admit it generally when it referred to purely inanimate objects.

In making minor changes, whether in translation or language, the Revisers have followed the example of the translators of the Authorised Version, who allowed themselves in this respect a reasonable freedom, without permitting their liberty to degenerate into license.

It will be at once seen that the old division of the books into chapters and verses has been abandoned in favour of the arrangement in paragraphs, the numbering of the chapters and verses being however retained for convenience of reference. Where the change of subject seemed to require a greater break than was marked by the beginning of a new paragraph, it has been indicated by a space before the paragraph. Occasionally the divisions of the chapters in the Authorised Version differ from those in the common Hebrew Bibles. In such cases the variations are given in the margin. In the Psalms, the titles are printed in smaller type, as in some modern English Bibles, which differ in this respect from the edition of 1611. One consequence of the arrangement in paragraphs has been the omission of the headings of chapters, which for other and more important reasons it was thought advisable to abandon, as involving questions which belong rather to the province of the commentator than to that of the translator. With the headings of chapters the headlines of pages naturally disappeared also, and for the same reason.

In the poetical portions, besides the division into paragraphs, the Revisers have adopted an arrangement in lines, so as to exhibit the parallelism which is characteristic of Hebrew Poetry. But they have not extended this arrangement to the prophetical books, the language of which although frequently marked by parallelism is, except in purely lyrical passages, rather of the nature of lofty and impassioned prose.

In the use of italics the Revisers departed from the custom of the Authorised Version and adopted as their rule the following resolution of their Company:

"That all such words now printed in italics, as are plainly implied in the Hebrew and necessary in English, be printed in common type."

But where any doubt existed as to the exact rendering of the Hebrew, all words which have been added in order to give completeness to the English expression are printed in italic type, so that the reader by omitting them may be able to see how far their insertion is justified by the words of the original. This of course is especially true of those renderings for which an alternative is given in the margin, where the roman and italic type play exactly opposite parts.

To complete the account of the Revised Version it remains only to describe the marginal notes. These will be found to contain

1. The renderings of such variations in the Massoretic Text as appeared to be of sufficient importance. These variations are known by the technical names of K'ri (read) and C'thib (written), which denote that the K'ri, or reading in the margin of the Hebrew Bible, is to be substituted for the C'thib which appears in the written text. The Revisers have generally, though not uniformly, rendered the C'thib in the text, and left the K'ri in the margin, with the introductory note "Or, according to another reading," or "Another reading is." When the K'ri has been followed in the text, the C'thib has been placed in the margin, if it represented a variation of sufficient importance.
2. Alternative renderings, introduced by "Or." These are either different meanings of the word or passage, or they serve to connect it with other renderings elsewhere.
3. Literal renderings of the Hebrew or Aramaic, indicated by the prefix " Heb." or "Aram.'
4. Changes of text made on the authority of the ancient Versions.
5. Readings from ancient Versions which appeared to be of sufficient importance to be noticed.
6. Renderings of the Hebrew consonants as read with different vowel points, or as differently divided. These are introduced by the words "Or, as otherwise read."
7. Marginal references to other passages, which are either strictly parallel, or serve the purpose of illustrating or justifying a particular rendering.
8. Explanations of certain proper names, the meaning of which is referred to in the text.

In the Proper Names the Revisers have endeavoured to ascertain the system of transliteration adopted by the Translators of the Authorised Version and to carry it out with somewhat greater consistency. They have not however attempted anything like rigid uniformity, and have left unchanged all those names which by usage have become English; as, for instance, Moses, Aaron, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the like.

Among the Rules laid down by the Revision Committee of Convocation for the guidance of the Revisers was one that no change should be finally made in the text of the Authorised Version except by the vote of two-thirds of the Company present and voting; and this Rule has been invariably acted upon. The result has been that in many cases a rendering which was preferred by the majority of the Company voting has been recorded in the margin, the majority not being sufficient to give it a place in the text. But all questions of marginal readings, as well as of punctuation and division into paragraphs, except where these affected the sense of a passage, were decided by a simple majority.

It may be of some interest to describe the method observed by the Company in their work, if only to show that every question raised was carefully and deliberately considered. In the first Revision it was the practice for the Secretary to read over each verse, first in the original and then in the Authorised Version: the proposals for change were then taken; first those communicated in writing by absent members, and next those made by the members present. Each proposal was moved, and if seconded was discussed and voted upon; the decision in the first Revision being by a majority only. If a proposal met with no seconder, it was not discussed but allowed to drop. In the second Revision, the Secretary read out in order the changes which had been made at the first Revision; if these were unchallenged they were allowed to remain, otherwise they were put to the vote and affirmed or rejected according as they were or were not supported by the requisite majority of two-thirds. In the second Revision new propositions could only be made by special permission of the Company, and discussion was limited, as far as possible, to exceptional cases. In the final review, which was in reality the completion of the second Revision, the Company employed themselves in making a general survey of what they had done, deciding finally upon reserved points, harmonizing inconsistencies, smoothing down roughnesses, removing unnecessary changes, and generally giving finish and completeness to their work. Everything in this final survey was decided by the vote of a majority of two-thirds.

The Revisers had already made some progress, and had in fact gone twice through the Pentateuch, before they secured the co-operation of the American Old Testament Revision Company. The first Revision of the several books was submitted to the consideration of the American Revisers, and, except in the case of the Pentateuch, the English Company had the benefit of their criticisms and suggestions before they proceeded to the second Revision. The second Revision was in like manner forwarded to America, and the latest thoughts of the American Revisers were in the hands of the English Company at their final review. In every instance the suggestions from America were treated with the same consideration as those proceeding from the members of the English Company, and were adopted or rejected on their merits. It was a part of the terms of agreement with the American Company that all points of ultimate difference between them and the English Revisers should be placed on record, and they will accordingly be found fully stated at the end of the Old Testament, or at the end of the several portions, according as the Revised Version appears in one or more volumes. Many of them will be found to be of language which are involved in the essentially different circumstances of American and English readers; others express a preference for the marginal rendering over that given in the text; others again involve a real difference of opinion; but all show that they have been dictated by the same leading principle, the sincere desire to give to modern readers a faithful representation of the meaning of the original documents.

It could not but be expected that in the course of fourteen years many changes would take place in the members of the Company. Of the original number who first put their hands to the work on the 30th of June 1870, only fifteen now remain. Ten of the Company have been removed by death, and two resigned: the places of these were filled from time to time by others; but since October 1875 no new members have been added. The Revision was completed in eighty five sessions, ending on 20th June, 1884; and it occupied 792 days. The greater part of the sessions were for ten days each, and each day the Company generally sat for six hours. The labour therefore has been great, but it has been given ungrudgingly; and now with a feeling of deep thankfulness to Almighty God, and the earnest hope that their endeavours may with His blessing tend to a clearer knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Revisers bring their long task to a close.

JERUSALEM CHAMBER,

WESTMINSTER ABBEY,

10 July, 1884.

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PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION

A few statements need to be made respecting the origin of this edition of the Revised Version of the English Bible.

In the course of the joint labors of the English and American Revisers it was agreed that, respecting all points of ultimate difference, the English Companies, who had had the initiative in the work of revision, should have the decisive vote. But as an offset to this, it was proposed on the British side that the American preferences should be published as an Appendix in every copy of the Revised Bible during a term of fourteen years. The American Committee on their part pledged themselves to give, for the same limited period, no sanction to the publication of any other editions of the Revised Version than those issued by the University Presses of England.

There still remained the possibility that the British Revisers, or the University Presses, might eventually adopt in the English editions many, or the most, of the American preferences, in case these should receive the approval of scholars and the general public. But soon after the close of their work in 1885 the English Revision Companies disbanded; and there has been no indication of an intention on the part of the Presses to amalgamate the readings of the Appendix, either wholly or in part, with the text of the English editions.

The American Revision Committee, after the publication of the Revised Version in 1885, resolved to continue their organization, and have regarded it as a possibility that an American recension of the English Revision might eventually be called for. Accordingly they have been engaged more or less diligently, ever since 1885, and especially in the last four years, in making ready for such a publication. The judgment of scholars, both in Great Britain and in the United States, has so far approved the American preferences that it now seems to be expedient to issue an edition of the Revised Version with those preferences embodied in the text.

If the preparation of this new edition had consisted merely in the mechanical work of transferring the readings of the Appendix to the text, it would have been a comparatively easy task. But the work was in point of fact a much more elaborate one. The Appendix was itself in need of revision; for it had been prepared under circumstances which rendered fulness and accuracy almost impossible. This work could of course not be taken in hand until the revision was concluded; and since it required a careful consideration of discussions and decisions extending over a period of many years, there was need of many months' time, if the Appendix was to be satisfactorily constructed, especially as it was thought desirable to reduce the number of recorded differences and this required the drawing of a sharp line between the more and the less important. Manifestly such a task would be one of no little difficulty at the best. But when the time came for it to be done, the University Presses deemed that the impatient demand of the British public for the speedy publication of the Revision must be respected; and they insisted on a prompt transmission of the Appendix. Prepared under such pressure and in such haste, it was obviously inevitable that it should be marked by grave imperfections; and the correction of its errors and the supplementing of its defects has been a work of much time and labor.

When the Appendix was originally prepared, an effort was made to pave the way for an eventual acceptance of the American preferences on the part of the English Presses, by reducing the number of the points of difference to the lowest limit, and thus leaving out much the larger part of the emendations which the Revisers had previously by a two-thirds vote pronounced to be in their opinion of decided importance. In now issuing an American edition, the American Revisers, being entirely untrammelled by any connection with the British Revisers and Presses, have felt themselves to be free to go beyond the task of incorporating the Appendix in the text, and are no longer restrained from introducing into the text a large number of those suppressed emendations.

The remainder of this Preface has especial reference to the Old Testament. Nothing needs to be said about the various particular proposals which are found in the Appendix of the English Revised Version. But some remarks may be made concerning the General Classes of changes therein specified, and also concerning those emendations in this edition which are additional to those prescribed in the Appendix.

1. The change first recommended in the Appendix - that which substitutes "Jehovah" for "LORD" and "GOD" - is one which will be unwelcome to many, because of the frequency and familiarity of the terms displaced. But the American Revisers, after a careful consideration were brought to the unanimous conviction that a Jewish superstition, which regarded the Divine Name as too sacred to be uttered, ought no longer to dominate in the English or any other version of the Old Testament, as it fortunately does not in the numerous versions made by modern missionaries. This Memorial Name, explained in Ex. iii. 14, 15, and emphasized as such over and over in the original text of the Old Testament, designates God as the personal God, as the covenant God, the God of revelation, the Deliverer, the Friend of his people; -- not merely the abstractly "Eternal One" of many French translations, but the ever living Helper of those who are in trouble. This personal name, with its wealth of sacred associations, is now restored to the place in the sacred text to which it has an unquestionable claim.

   The uniform substitution of "Sheol" for "the grave," "the pit," and "hell," in places where these terms have been retained by the English Revision, has little need of justification. The English Revisers use "Sheol" twenty-nine times out of the sixty-four in which it occurs in the original. No good reason has been given for such a discrimination. If the new term can be fitly used at all, it is clear that it ought to be used uniformly.

   The use of "who" and "that" for "which," when relating to persons, should commend itself to all as required by grammatical accuracy. The same remark applies to the substitution of are for "be" in indicative clauses, the omission of "for" before infinitives, and the change of an to "a" before "h" aspirated. The latter change was made in the English Revision of the New Testament, but not in that of the Old. Likewise we have uniformly adopted the modern spelling in place of antiquated forms. No one would advocate the resumption of the exact orthography of the edition of 1611. The mere fact that in a few cases an older form has happened to be retained constitutes no reason for its perpetual retention.

2. Inasmuch as the present edition differs from the English Revision not simply in presenting in the text the American preferences as given in the Appendix, a few remarks may be made with regard to the additional variations which will be found to exist.

   1. As has already been intimated, this edition embodies a very considerable number of renderings originally adopted by the American Old Testament Company at their second revision (and so by a two-thirds majority), but waived when the Appendix was prepared. These represent the deliberate preference of the American Company; but, for reasons already assigned, they were not included in the Appendix.

   2. Partly coinciding with the foregoing is a number of alterations which consist in a return to the readings of the Authorized Version. While in some cases the older readings, though inaccurate, seem to have been retained in the English Revision through an excessive conservatism, in others they have been abandoned needlessly, and sometimes to the injury of the sense and the sound. In such cases fidelity to the general principle that has governed us has required us to, give the preference to the rendering of the Common Version. Among the many instances of these restorations we may note: Ex. xx. 4, 13; Lev. xix. 22; Ps. xlviii. 1; civ. 26; cxiv. 4; cxvi 11 Prov. xiii. 15; Am. vi. 5.

   3. Sometimes we have found occasion to recede from proposals originally made, when a more careful and mature consideration required us to do so. Besides individual cases, like S. of S. vi. 4, 10; Ezek. v.13, may be mentioned the fact that the requirement of the Appendix, that "be ashamed" should everywhere be changed to "be put to shame," has been found to need qualification. While the change seems desirable in a majority of the instances, it is by no means so in all. We have therefore retained "ashamed" in a large number of passages; in some, however, we have preferred "confounded" as better suiting the connection.

   4. Very many of the instances in which we have gone beyond the literal requirements of the Appendix are alterations demanded by consistency. Changes were originally proposed in certain passages only, though the reason for the changes equally requires them to be made in numerous others. Thus at Ps. xxxiii. 5, and in twenty-four other places, "justice" was to be put for "judgment." But it is manifest that in a multitude of other passages there is equal need of the same alteration. We have accordingly undertaken to introduce it wherever the Hebrew word plainly has this abstract sense. For the same reason we have substituted "ordinance" for judgment" in the numerous passages, like Lev. xviii. 4, where the word denotes, not a judicial sentence, threatened or inflicted, but a law of action. This rendering of the Hebrew word is found in the Authorized Version in some instances, and has been introduced by the Revised Veision in a few more; but, since the English word "judgment" in common use never denotes a statute or command, it is manifestly desirable that "ordinance" should be used wherever the Hebrew word has this meaning.

      Similarly, the English Revision in a few cases, and the Old Testament Appendix in a few more, put "despoil" for "spoil." But the same reason which holds for those few is equally good for the numerous others in which this word occurs. The word "spoil" in the Authorized Version represents a great number of Hebrew words, some of which denote "lay waste," "ruin," or "destroy," rather than "despoil"; and as "spoil" has nearly lost in popular use its original meaning, and is liable to occasion misconception, we have replaced it by "despoil," "plunder," ravage, and other terms, each as best adapted to the connection.

      In like manner we have carried out another alteration which was made to a limited extent by the English Revisers - the distinction between the words "stranger" ("strange"), "foreigner" ( foreign"), and "sojourner." These renderings correspond fairly well to three distinct Hebrew words there is no good reason why the correspondence should not be made uniform throughout. Likewise we have carried out consistently the substitution of "false," "falsehood," and other terms, for "vain," "vanity," where the meaning of the original requires it. Here too a beginning was made by us in the Appendix. Many other examples might be adduced.

      Here may be mentioned also that changes made for the sake of euphemism have been considerably increased. It has not been possible in every case to find an appropriate substitute for terms which in modern times have become offensive; but when it has been possible, we have deemed it wise to make the change. Some of the words, as, for example, "bowels," are tolerable when used in their literal sense, but offensive when employed in a psychological sense. Thus, no other word would be appropriate in 2 Sam. xx. 10; but in Jer. iv. 19 or Lam. i. 20 to retain that term would be both unpleasant and incorrect. The conception of the writer is not really reproduced by a literal translation. The Hebrews were accustomed to attribute psychical action or emotion to various physical organs, whereas in English such a trope is limited almost entirely to "heart" and "brain." There is nowhere any occasion for using the latter of these in the Bible; consequently it is almost unavoidable that "heart" should often be used as the translation of different Hebrew words. All scholars know that the Hebrew word commonly rendered "heart" is used very largely to denote not so much the seat of the emotions, as the seat of thought. It is rendered in the Authorized Version more than twenty times by "mind," and might well be so rendered much oftener.

       

      The word "reins" is one of those which in the Old Testament is used in a psychological relation. This word was retained by the English Revisers, and was also left without mention by the American Revisers when they prepared their Appendix. But if the synonymous word "kidneys" had been used in these passages, there would be an earnest and unanimous protest. In favor of the continued use of "reins," therefore, one can only urge the poor reason that most readers attach to it no meaning whatever. We have consequently regarded it as only a consistent carrying out of our general principle when we have uniformly substituted "heart" for it, whenever it is used in a psychological sense.

      In this connection it may be remarked that, while the English Revisers, yielding to the urgent representations of the Americans, voted to substitute "its" for "his" or "her" when relating to impersonal objects not personified, the substitution was so imperfectly made that we have had occasion to supplement the work in some two hundred cases.

      Furthermore, the general intention of the American Revisers to eliminate obsolete, obscure, and misleading terms, has been more fully carried out by replacing some expressions which were left unmentioned in the Appendix; e.g., "bolled" (Ex. ix. 31), "in good liking" (Job xxxix. 4).

   5. Closely connected with the foregoing are certain additional alterations which have seemed to be required by regard for pure English idiom.

      We are not insensible to the justly lauded beauty and vigor of the style of the Authorized Version, nor do we forget that it has been no part of our task to modernize the diction of the Bible. But we are also aware that the rhetorical force and the antique flavor which we desire to retain do not consist in sporadic instances of uncouth, unidiomatic, or obscure phraseology. While we may freely admit that the English of the Scriptures can, as a whole, hardly be improved, yet it would be extravagant to hold that it cannot be bettered in any of its details. What was once good usage is often such no longer; and we can see no sound reason for retaining such expressions as "smell thereto" (Ex. xxx. 38), "forth of" (instead of "forth from"), "inquire at "(1 K. xxii. 5), "a fool's vexation is heavier than them both" (Prov. xxvii. 3), or "when... he be jealous over his wife" (Num. v.30). These are only a few of the many instances of phraseology which there is the best reason for amending.

      A change of a more general kind is the introduction of a greater degree of consistency and propriety in the use of the auxiliaries "will" and "shall." The latter is certainly used to excess in the Authorized Version, especially when connected with verbs denoting an action of the Divine Being; and the two are also often very inconsistently used, as may be observed in such a striking case as Ps. cxxi. 3, 4.

      Again, the attempt to translate literally from the original has not infrequently led to Hebraisms which had better be avoided. Many of these have indeed become, as it were, naturalized in our language, and need not be disturbed. But others must be called bad and outlandish. Thus, in Ezek. xx. 17, we read, "mine eye spared them from destroying them," which is a very literal translation of the Hebrew, but very poor English. Scarcely more tolerable is the expression, "that they may be to do the service" (Num. viii. 11), which also comes from over-literalness. To the same class belongs the phrase "by the hand of," as used after such expressions as "Jehovah spake" (or, "commanded"), e.g., in Num. xxvii. 23. This is indeed the literal rendering; but the Hebrew really means simply "through" or "by means of," and is in the majority of these instances in the Authorized Version rendered " by," but sometimes "by the hand of." Manifestly the simpler form is every way preferable; and the change, if any is made, should be in this direction, whereas in the English Revision "by" is, in nine cases out of forty-two, changed to "by the hand of." Similarly, "in the land," in Deut. v. 16 and in several other places, has been changed in the English Revision to "upon the land"; but as "land" is here equivalent to country," "in the land" is clearly the most appropriate. In both these groups of cases we have everywhere adopted the idiomatic English, rather than the slavishly literal, rendering.

   6. In introducing certain translations different from those of the English Revised Version, and also not directly or implicitly required by the Appendix, we have been governed by the conviction that, in cases where accuracy and perspicuity clearly required an emendation, we were fully warranted in resorting to it. We have been careful, in making these alterations, to consult the best authorities, and especially the recent carefully revised versions of the German, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian Bibles. Few certainly will object to such alterations as are found in Dent. xxxii. 14; Judg. v.20; Is. xxx. 32; xxxv. 8; Hos. xi. 2; Mic. i. 6. We have also not hesitated to insert "the" before "Jordan" and other names of rivers. Likewise, as the English Revisers had with good reason removed the fabulous "unicorn" from the Old Testament, we have removed the equally fabulous "dragon," as also the "arrowsnake" of the English Revision (Is. xxxiv. 15) - an animal unknown to zoology, the term having obviously been adopted through a too literal translation of the German word "Pfeilschlange."

   7. Another particular in which we have to some extent deviated from the requirements of the Appendix relates to our treatment of the references in the margin to the readings of ancient versions. On account of the extreme difficulty of correcting the Hebrew text by means of those versions, we originally decided that it would be better to make no reference to them at all. The case is radically different from that of the New Testament, where the variant readings are mostly found in Greek Mss. of the New Testament itself. The authorities referred to in the Old Testament are translations from the Hebrew; and though the date of these translations is more ancient than any extant Ms. of the Hebrew Bible, yet there is no means of verifying with certainty the text of these translations; and one can never get beyond plausible conjecture in attempting to correct the Hebrew text by means of these versions. It is one thing to admit that the Hebrew text is probably corrupt here and there; quite another, to be sure how to rectify it. In the English Revision there are frequent references in the margin to the ancient versions. The most of these seem to us at the best of trivial importance, and have been dropped. A few represent only a different vocalization of the Hebrew. A certain number, however, have to do with variations of some importance and such as may, with considerable probability, be conjectured to represent the original Hebrew. We have therefore retained a little more than one-sixth of the references given in the English Revision, but have been careful to designate which of the ancient versions contain a specified reading, instead of making the vague, and often inaccurate, statement that some" or "many" ancient versions present the reading in question.

   8. For the sake of facilitating the use of the Old Testament we have provided it with marginal references to parallel and illustrative passages, and with topical headings. In preparing the references we have been assisted by able scholars not connected with the Old Testament Company. The aim has been to illustrate and elucidate the meaning by referring to other passages which, either in word or in thought, bear a resemblance to the one under consideration. Previous lists have been consulted, but they have been carefully sifted, and the effort has been made to omit everything that is irrelevant or misleading. In preparing the headings we have intended, by means of brief but descriptive terms, to enable the reader to see at a glance what the general contents of each page are. Everything that might seem to savor of a questionable exegesis has been carefully avoided.

   9. Considerable attention has been paid to the paragraph divisions and to the punctuation. While the English Revisers did well to abandon the older way of making a paragraph of each verse they often went to the opposite extreme of making the paragraphs excessively long, leaving in some cases whole pages without a break, as, for example, at Gen. xxiv. and Num. xxii.-xxiv. We have revised the paragraph divisions throughout, making them generally shorter, and sometimes altering the place of the division.

      In the matter of punctuation, we have aimed to remove many inconsistencies found in previous editions, and also, while retaining the general system adopted by our predecessors, to make the book conform somewhat more nearly to modern usage. One result is a considerable reduction of the number of colons, which are often replaced by semicolons, occasionally by periods or commas. In some cases a change of punctuation has modified the sense; as, e.g., in Gen ii. 5; xiv. 24; Ezek. xxix. 9, 10. We have also made much more frequent use of the hyphen than has been made in previous editions. In many instances we have recurred to the punctuation of the Authorized Version, especially where the English Revisers have departed from it out of an undue regard to the pausal accents of the Massoretic text; as e.g., in Lev. vi. 7; Zech. xi. 16.

      Further particulars respecting the points of difference between this edition and the English Revision of 1881-1885 may be learned from the Appendix found at the close of this Testament.

      Earnestly hoping that our work may contribute to the better understanding of the Old Testament, we commend it to the considerate judgment of all students of the Sacred Scriptures.

Old Testament

The First Book of Moses, called Genesis

Genesis 1

1 ¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ²And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters ³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. ⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. ⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

⁹And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. ¹⁰And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. ¹¹And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. ¹²And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: ¹⁵and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. ¹⁶And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

²⁰And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ²¹And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good. ²²And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. ²³And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

²⁴And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so. ²⁵And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good. ²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. ²⁹And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: ³⁰and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so. ³¹And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 2

2 ¹And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ³And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.

⁴These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven. ⁵And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground; ⁶but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ⁸And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. ¹¹The name of the first is Pishon: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ¹²and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. ¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth in front of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. ¹⁵And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

¹⁸And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him. ¹⁹And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ²⁰And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him. ²¹And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: ²²and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3

3 ¹Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? ²And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: ³but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ⁴And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ⁵for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. ⁷And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. ⁸And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden.

⁹And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? ¹⁰And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ¹¹And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? ¹²And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ¹³And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. ¹⁴And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: ¹⁵and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. ¹⁶Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. ¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; ¹⁸thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; ¹⁹in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. ²⁰And the man called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. ²¹And Jehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them.

²²And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever- ²³therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 4

4 ¹And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. ²And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. ⁴And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: ⁵but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. ⁶And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? ⁷If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it. ⁸And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

⁹And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? ¹⁰And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. ¹¹And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; ¹²when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth. ¹³And Cain said unto Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me. ¹⁵And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

¹⁶And Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. ¹⁷And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. ¹⁸And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methushael; and Methushael begat Lamech. ¹⁹And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. ²⁰And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle. ²¹And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe. ²²And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. ²³And Lamech said unto his wives:

Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech:

For I have slain a man for wounding me,

And a young man for bruising me:

²⁴If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,

Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

²⁵And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth. For, said she, God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him. ²⁶And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.

Genesis 5

5 ¹This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; ²male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. ³And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: ⁴and the days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters. ⁵And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

⁶And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh: ⁷and Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: ⁸and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

⁹And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan. ¹⁰and Enosh lived after he begat Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: ¹¹and all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

¹²And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel: ¹³and Kenan lived after he begat Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: ¹⁴and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

¹⁵And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: ¹⁶And Mahalalel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: ¹⁷and all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

¹⁸And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begat Enoch: ¹⁹and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: ²⁰And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

²¹And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: ²²and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: ²³and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: ²⁴and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

²⁵And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: ²⁶and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters. ²⁷And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

²⁸And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: ²⁹and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh because of the ground which Jehovah hath cursed. ³⁰And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: ³¹And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

³²And Noah was five hundred years old: And Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6

6 ¹And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them, ²that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. ³And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years. ⁴The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.

⁵And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. ⁷And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them. ⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.

⁹These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God. ¹⁰And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹¹And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

¹³And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. ¹⁵And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. ¹⁶A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. ¹⁷And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon this earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die. ¹⁸But I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. ¹⁹And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. ²⁰Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. ²¹And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. ²²Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 7

7 ¹And Jehovah said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ²Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the male and his female; and of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his female: ³of the birds also of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. ⁴For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. ⁵And Noah did according unto all that Jehovah commanded him.

⁶And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. ⁷And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. ⁸Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creepeth upon the ground, ⁹there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. ¹⁰And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. ¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. ¹²And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

¹³In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; ¹⁴they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. ¹⁵And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. ¹⁶And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in. ¹⁷And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. ¹⁸And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. ¹⁹And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. ²⁰Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. ²¹And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both birds, and cattle, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: ²²all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died. ²³And every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark. ²⁴And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8

8 ¹And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; ²the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; ³and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. ⁴And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁵And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

⁶And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: ⁷and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. ⁸And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; ⁹but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. ¹⁰And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; ¹¹and the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. ¹²And he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any more.

¹³And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dried. ¹⁴And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. ¹⁵And God spake unto Noah, saying, ¹⁶Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. ¹⁷Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. ¹⁸And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: ¹⁹every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.

²⁰And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. ²¹And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. ²²While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Genesis 9

9 ¹And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. ²And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens; With all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered. ³Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; As the green herb have I given you all. ⁴But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. ⁵And surely your blood, the blood of your lives, will I require; At the hand of every beast will I require it. And at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man. ⁶Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: For in the image of God made he man. ⁷And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. ¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. ¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

¹⁸And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. ¹⁹These three were the sons of Noah: and of these was the whole earth overspread.

²⁰And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard: ²¹and he drank of the wine, and was drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent. ²²And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. ²³And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. ²⁴And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him. ²⁵And he said,

Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

²⁶And he said,

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem;

And let Canaan be his servant.

²⁷God enlarge Japheth,

And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;

And let Canaan be his servant.

²⁸And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. ²⁹And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: And he died.

Genesis 10

10 ¹Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, namely, of Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

²The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. ³And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. ⁴And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. ⁵Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

⁶And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan. ⁷And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan. ⁸And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. ⁹He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Jehovah. ¹⁰And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah, ¹²and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city). ¹³And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, ¹⁴and Pathrusim, and Casluhim (whence went forth the Philistines), and Caphtorim.

¹⁵And Canaan begat Sidon his first-born, and Heth, ¹⁶and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, ¹⁷and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, ¹⁸and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanite spread abroad. ¹⁹And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, unto Lasha. ²⁰These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.

²¹And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born. ²²The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram. ²³And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. ²⁴And Arpachshad begat Shelah; and Shelah begat Eber. ²⁵And unto Eber were born two sons: The name of the one was Peleg. For in his days was the earth divided. And his brother's name was Joktan. ²⁶And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, ²⁷and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, ²⁸and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, ²⁹and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. ³¹These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

³²These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11

11 ¹And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. ²And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. ³And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. ⁴And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. ⁵And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. ⁶And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. ⁷Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. ⁸So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city. ⁹Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

¹⁰These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arpachshad two years after the flood. ¹¹and Shem lived after he begat Arpachshad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹²And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Shelah. ¹³and Arpachshad lived after he begat Shelah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁴And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: ¹⁵and Shelah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁶And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: ¹⁷and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁸And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: ¹⁹and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁰And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: ²¹and Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

²²And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: ²³and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁴And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: ²⁵and Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁶And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begat Lot. ²⁸And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. ²⁹And Abram and Nahor took them wives: The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. ³⁰And Sarai was barren; She had no child. ³¹And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. ³²And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12

12 ¹Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee: ²and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great; and be thou a blessing; ³and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ⁴So Abram went, as Jehovah had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. ⁵And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. ⁶And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. ⁷And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto him. ⁸And he removed from thence unto the mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto Jehovah, and called upon the name of Jehovah. ⁹And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

¹⁰And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land. ¹¹And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: ¹²and it will come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they will say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. ¹³Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee. ¹⁴And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. ¹⁵And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. ¹⁶And he dealt well with Abram for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels. ¹⁷And Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. ¹⁸And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? ¹⁹why saidst thou, She is my sister, so that I took her to be my wife? now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. ²⁰And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him: and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had.

Genesis 13

13 ¹And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South. ²And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. ³And he went on his journeys from the South even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Ai, ⁴unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of Jehovah. ⁵And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. ⁶And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. ⁷And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land. ⁸And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are brethren. ⁹Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left. ¹⁰And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. ¹¹So Lot chose him all the Plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. ¹²Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly.

¹⁴And Jehovah said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward: ¹⁵for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. ¹⁶And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: So that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered. ¹⁷Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it. ¹⁸And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Jehovah.

Genesis 14

14 ¹And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, ²that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). ³All these joined together in the vale of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea). ⁴Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. ⁷And they returned, and came to En-mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar. ⁸And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar); and they set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim; ⁹against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. ¹⁰Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. ¹¹And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. ¹²And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

¹³And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. ¹⁴And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. ¹⁵And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. ¹⁶And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

¹⁷And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the vale of Shaveh (the same is the King's Vale). ¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. ¹⁹And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰and blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him a tenth of all. ²¹And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. ²²And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, ²³that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: ²⁴save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men that went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion.

Genesis 15

15 ¹After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. ²And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? ³And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. ⁴And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. ⁵And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. ⁷And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. ⁸And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ⁹And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. ¹⁰And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. ¹¹And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹²And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. ¹³And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; ¹⁴and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. ¹⁵But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full. ¹⁷And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. ¹⁸In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, ²⁰and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, ²¹and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

Genesis 16

16 ¹Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. ²And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. ³And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. ⁴And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. ⁵And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into they bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: Jehovah judge between me and thee. ⁶But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.

⁷And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. ⁸And he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai. ⁹And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. ¹⁰And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. ¹¹And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction. ¹²And he shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren. ¹³And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me? ¹⁴Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael. ¹⁶And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis 17

17 ¹And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. ²And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. ³And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, ⁴As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. ⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

⁹And God said unto Abraham, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you. ¹²And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of thy seed. ¹³He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

¹⁵And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. ¹⁶And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her. ¹⁷Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? ¹⁸And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! ¹⁹And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. ²⁰And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

²²And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. ²³And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. ²⁴And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. ²⁷And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Genesis 18

18 ¹And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; ²and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth, ³and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: ⁴let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: ⁵and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. ⁶And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes. ⁷And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hasted to dress it. ⁸And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

⁹And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. ¹⁰And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. ¹²And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? ¹³And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? ¹⁴Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son. ¹⁵Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

¹⁶And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. ¹⁷And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; ¹⁸seeing that Abraham had surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. ²⁰And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; ²¹I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

²²And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah. ²³And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? ²⁵That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ²⁶And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. ²⁷And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes: ²⁸peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. ²⁹And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake. ³⁰And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. ³¹And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake. ³²And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake. ³³And Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Genesis 19

19 ¹And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth; ²and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. ³And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. ⁴But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; ⁵and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. ⁶And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. ⁷And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. ⁸Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof. ⁹And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door. ¹⁰But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. ¹¹And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

¹²And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place: ¹³for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah: and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it. ¹⁴And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked. ¹⁵And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. ¹⁶But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, Jehovah being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. ¹⁷And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. ¹⁸And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord: ¹⁹behold now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy lovingkindness, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die: ²⁰behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape thither (is it not a little one?), and my soul shall live. ²¹And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken. ²²Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

²³The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. ²⁴Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven; ²⁵and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. ²⁶But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. ²⁷And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Jehovah: ²⁸and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

³⁰And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. ³¹And the first-born said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: ³²come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. ³³And they made their father drink wine that night: and the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. ³⁴And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. ³⁵And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. ³⁶Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. ³⁷And the first-born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. ³⁸And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Genesis 20

20 ¹And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar. ²And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. ³But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken. For she is a man's wife. ⁴Now Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation? ⁵Said he not himself unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this. ⁶And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou has done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. ⁷Now therefore restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

⁸And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. And the men were sore afraid. ⁹Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And wherein have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. ¹⁰And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? ¹¹And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place. And they will slay me for my wife's sake. ¹²And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife: ¹³and it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me. At every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. ¹⁴And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. ¹⁵And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee. Dwell where it pleaseth thee. ¹⁶And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee. And in respect of all thou art righted. ¹⁷And Abraham prayed unto God. And God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants. And they bare children. ¹⁸For Jehovah had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

Genesis 21

21 ¹And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. ²And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. ³And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. ⁶And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh. Every one that heareth will laugh with me. ⁷And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

⁸And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁹And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son. For the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. ¹¹And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son. ¹²And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy handmaid. In all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice. For in Isaac shall thy seed be called. ¹³And also of the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. ¹⁴And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and gave her the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. ¹⁵And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. ¹⁶And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot. For she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. ¹⁷And God heard the voice of the lad. And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not. For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. ¹⁸Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thy hand. For I will make him a great nation. ¹⁹And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. ²⁰And God was with the lad, and he grew. And he dwelt in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer. ²¹And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

²²And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest. ²³Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. ²⁴And Abraham said, I will swear. ²⁵And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. ²⁶And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing. Neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day. ²⁷And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech. And they two made a covenant. ²⁸And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? ³⁰And he said, These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. ³¹Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba. Because there they sware both of them. ³²So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. And Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. ³³And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Everlasting God. ³⁴And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Genesis 22

22 ¹And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. ²And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah. And offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. ³And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. And he clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. ⁴On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. ⁵And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you. ⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. And they went both of them together. ⁷And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? ⁸And Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son. So they went both of them together.

⁹And they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹And the angel of Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. ¹²And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided. ¹⁵And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, ¹⁷that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. ¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because thou hast obeyed my voice. ¹⁹So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

²⁰And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto they brother Nahor. ²¹Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram. ²²And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. ²³And Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. ²⁴And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she also bare Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah.

Genesis 23

23 ¹And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. ²And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. ³And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spake unto the children of Heth, saying, ⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. ⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, ⁶Hear us, my lord. Thou art a prince of God among us. In the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. ⁷And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. ⁸And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, ⁹that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place. ¹⁰Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, ¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me. The field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee. In the presence of the children of my people give I it thee. Bury thy dead. ¹²And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. ¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. ¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, ¹⁵My lord, hearken unto me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead. ¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

¹⁷So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure ¹⁸unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. ¹⁹And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. ²⁰And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth.

Genesis 24

24 ¹And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age. And Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things. ²And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh. ³And I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. ⁴But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac. ⁵And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? ⁶And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. ⁷Jehovah, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my nativity, and who spake unto me, and who sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land. He will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence. ⁸And if the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath. Only thou shalt not bring my son thither again. ⁹And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed, having all goodly things of his master's in his hand. And he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. ¹¹And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. ¹²And he said, O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray thee, good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. ¹³Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water. And the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink. And she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master. ¹⁵And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. ¹⁶And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her. And she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher. ¹⁸And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. ¹⁹And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. ²⁰And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. ²¹And the man looked stedfastly on her, holding his peace, to know whether Jehovah had made his journey prosperous or not. ²²And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, ²³and said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? ²⁴And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bare unto Nahor. ²⁵She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. ²⁶And the man bowed his head, and worshipped Jehovah. ²⁷And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not forsaken his lovingkindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Jehovah hath led me in the way to the house of my master's brethren.

²⁸And the damsel ran, and told her mother's house according to these words. ²⁹And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the fountain. ³⁰And it came to pass, when he saw the ring, and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me. That he came unto the man. And, behold, he was standing by the camels at the fountain. ³¹And he said, Come in, thou blessed of Jehovah. Wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. ³²And the man came into the house, and he ungirded the camels. And he gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men that were with him. ³³And there was set food before him to eat. But he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. ³⁴And he said, I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵And Jehovah hath blessed my master greatly. And he is become great. And he hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid-servants, and camels and asses. ³⁶And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old. And unto him hath he given all that he hath. ³⁷And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. ³⁸But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son. ³⁹And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. ⁴⁰And he said unto me, Jehovah, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way. And thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house. ⁴¹Then shalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my kindred. And if they give her not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath. ⁴²And I came this day unto the fountain, and said, O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go. ⁴³Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water. And let it come to pass, that the maiden that cometh forth to draw, to whom I shall say, Give me, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher to drink. ⁴⁴And she shall say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels. Let the same be the woman whom Jehovah hath appointed for my master's son. ⁴⁵And before I had done speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down unto the fountain, and drew. And I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. ⁴⁶And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. So I drank, and she made the camels drink also. ⁴⁷And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him. And I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands. ⁴⁸And I bowed my head, and worshipped Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son. ⁴⁹And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me. That I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

⁵⁰Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from Jehovah. We cannot speak unto thee bad or good. ⁵¹Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as Jehovah hath spoken. ⁵²And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto Jehovah. ⁵³And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah. He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. ⁵⁴And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night. And they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. ⁵⁵And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten. After that she shall go. ⁵⁶And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing Jehovah hath prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master. ⁵⁷And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. ⁵⁸And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. ⁵⁹And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. ⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate them.

⁶¹And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. ⁶²And Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi. For he dwelt in the land of the South. ⁶³And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming. ⁶⁴And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel. ⁶⁵And she said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant said, It is my master. And she took her veil, and covered herself. ⁶⁶And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. And he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Genesis 25

25 ¹And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah. ²And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. ³And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. ⁵And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. ⁶But unto the sons of the concubines, that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts. And he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. ⁷And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years. ⁸And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people. ⁹And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre. ¹⁰The field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth. There was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. ¹¹And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi.

¹²Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham. ¹³And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, ¹⁴and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, ¹⁵Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments. Twelve princes according to their nations. ¹⁷And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years. And he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people. ¹⁸And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria. He abode over against all his brethren.

¹⁹And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begat Isaac. ²⁰And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife. ²¹And Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife, because she was barren. And Jehovah was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²²And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of Jehovah. ²³And Jehovah said unto her,

Two nations are in thy womb,

And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels.

And the one people shall be stronger than the other people.

And the elder shall serve the younger.

²⁴And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵And the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment. And they called his name Esau. ²⁶And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel. And his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

²⁷And the boys grew. And Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field. And Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸Now Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison. And Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹And Jacob boiled pottage. And Esau came in from the field, and he was faint. ³⁰And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage. For I am faint. Therefore was his name called Edom. ³¹And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright. ³²And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die. And what profit shall the birthright do to me? ³³And Jacob said, Swear to me first. And he sware unto him. And he sold his birthright unto Jacob. ³⁴And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 26

26 ¹And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar. ²And Jehovah appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. ³Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee. For unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father. ⁴And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. ⁵Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. ⁶And Isaac dwelt in Gerar. ⁷And the men of the place asked him of his wife. And he said, She is my sister. For he feared to say, My wife. Lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah. Because she was fair to look upon. ⁸And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. ⁹And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife. And how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die because of her. ¹⁰And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? One of the people might easily have lain with thy wife, and thou wouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. ¹¹And Abimelech charged all the people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

¹²And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year a hundredfold. And Jehovah blessed him. ¹³And the man waxed great, and grew more and more until he became very great. ¹⁴And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household. And the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵Now all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth. ¹⁶And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us. For thou art much mightier than we. ¹⁷And Isaac departed thence, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

¹⁸And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. ¹⁹And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. ²⁰And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. ²¹And they digged another well, and they strove for that also. And he called the name of it Sitnah. ²²And he removed from thence, and digged another well. And for that they strove not. And he called the name of it Rehoboth. And he said, For now Jehovah hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

²³And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. ²⁴And Jehovah appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. ²⁵And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants digged a well.

²⁶Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host. ²⁷And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore are ye come unto me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? ²⁸And they said, We saw plainly that Jehovah was with thee. And we said, Let there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee, ²⁹that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace. Thou art now the blessed of Jehovah. ³⁰And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. ³¹And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another. And Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. ³²And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. ³³And he called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.

³⁴And when Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵And they were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Genesis 27

27 ¹And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said unto him, My son. And he said unto him, Here am I. ²And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death. ³Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison. ⁴And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat. That my soul may bless thee before I die.

⁵And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. ⁶And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, ⁷Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah before my death. ⁸Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. ⁹Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make them savory food for thy father, such as he loveth. ¹⁰And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death. ¹¹And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. ¹²My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver. And I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. ¹³And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son. Only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. ¹⁴And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother. And his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. ¹⁵And Rebekah took the goodly garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. ¹⁷And she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

¹⁸And he came unto his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I. Who art thou, my son? ¹⁹And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. ²⁰And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God sent me good speed. ²¹And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. ²²And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father. And he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. ²³And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. ²⁴And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. ²⁵And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat. And he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. ²⁷And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said,

See, the smell of my son

Is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed.

²⁸And God give thee of the dew of heaven,

And of the fatness of the earth,

And plenty of grain and new wine.

²⁹Let peoples serve thee,

And nations bow down to thee.

Be lord over thy brethren,

And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee.

Cursed be every one that curseth thee,

And blessed be every one that blesseth thee.

³⁰And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹And he also made savory food, and brought it unto his father. And he said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. ³²And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy first-born, Esau. ³³And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who then is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he shall be blessed. ³⁴When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. ³⁵And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing. ³⁶And he said, Is not he rightly name Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two time. He took away my birthright. And, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? ³⁷And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants. And with grain and new wine have I sustained him. And what then shall I do for thee, my son? ³⁸And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. ³⁹And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,

Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling,

And of the dew of heaven from above.

⁴⁰And by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother.

And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt break loose,

That thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck.

⁴¹And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then will I slay my brother Jacob. ⁴²And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. ⁴³Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. And arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran. ⁴⁴And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away. ⁴⁵Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him. Then I will send, and fetch thee from thence. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?

⁴⁶And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

Genesis 28

28 ¹And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ²Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father. And take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. ³And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples. ⁴And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee. That thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham. ⁵And Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

⁶Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence. And that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ⁷And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram. ⁸And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father. ⁹And Esau went unto Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

¹⁰And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. ¹¹And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹²And he dreamed. And behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. ¹³And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. ¹⁴And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee, whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. ¹⁶And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place. And I knew it not. ¹⁷And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

¹⁸And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. ¹⁹And he called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name of the city was Luz at the first. ²⁰And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, ²¹so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God, ²²then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Genesis 29

29 ¹Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. ²And he looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. And the stone upon the well's mouth was great. ³And thither were all the flocks gathered. And they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in its place. ⁴And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. ⁵And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. ⁶And he said unto them, Is it well with him? And they said, It is well. And, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. ⁷And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together. Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. ⁸And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep. ⁹While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep. For she kept them. ¹⁰And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. ¹¹And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. ¹²And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. And she ran and told her father.

¹³And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. ¹⁴And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month. ¹⁵And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? ¹⁶And Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷And Leah's eyes were tender. But Rachel was beautiful and well favored. ¹⁸And Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. ¹⁹And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me. ²⁰And Jacob served seven years for Rachel. And they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

²¹And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. ²²And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. ²³And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. And he went in unto her. ²⁴And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid. ²⁵And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? ²⁶And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. ²⁷Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. ²⁸And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife. ²⁹And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid. ³⁰And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹And Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. ³²And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben. For she said, Because Jehovah hath looked upon my affliction. For now my husband will love me. ³³And she conceived again, and bare a son: and said, Because Jehovah hath heard that I am hated, he hath therefore given me this son also. And she called his name Simeon. ³⁴And she conceived again, and bare a son. And said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons. Therefore was his name called Levi. ³⁵And she conceived again, and bare a son. And she said, This time will I praise Jehovah. Therefore she called his name Judah. And she left off bearing.

Genesis 30

30 ¹And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. ²And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? ³And she said, Behold, my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may obtain children by her. ⁴And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. ⁵And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. ⁶And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. ⁷And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. ⁸And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

⁹When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. ¹⁰And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a son. ¹¹And Leah said, Fortunate! and she called his name Gad. ¹²And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a second son. ¹³And Leah said, Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy: and she called his name Asher.

¹⁴And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. ¹⁵And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes. ¹⁶And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. ¹⁷And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. ¹⁹And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. ²⁰And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. ²¹And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. ²²And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. ²³And she conceived, and bare a son: and said, God hath taken away my reproach: ²⁴and she called his name Joseph, saying, Jehovah add to me another son.

²⁵And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. ²⁶Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee. ²⁷And Laban said unto him, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry: for I have divined that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake. ²⁸And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. ²⁹And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle have fared with me. ³⁰For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased unto a multitude; and Jehovah hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? ³¹And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me aught: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it. ³²I will pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. ³³So shall my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when thou shalt come concerning my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that if found with me, shall be counted stolen. ³⁴And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. ³⁵And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons; ³⁶and he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

³⁷And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree. And peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. ³⁸And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink. ³⁹And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted. ⁴⁰And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the black in the flock of Laban: and he put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban's flock. ⁴¹And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods; ⁴²but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. ⁴³And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses.

Genesis 31

31 ¹And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. ²And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime. ³And Jehovah said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. ⁴And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, ⁵and said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me. ⁶And ye know that will all my power I have served your father. ⁷And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. ⁸If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstreaked shall be thy wages; then bare all the flock ringstreaked. ⁹Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. ¹⁰And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceive, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled. ¹¹And the angel of God said unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I. ¹²And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. ¹³I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity. ¹⁴And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? ¹⁵Are we not accounted by him as foreigners? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our money. ¹⁶For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

¹⁷Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; ¹⁸and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan. ¹⁹Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's. ²⁰And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. ²¹So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

²²And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. ²³And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. ²⁴And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said unto him, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. ²⁵And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and Laban with his brethren encamped in the mountain of Gilead. ²⁶And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives of the sword? ²⁷Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp; ²⁸and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly. ²⁹It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. ³⁰And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? ³¹And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Lest thou shouldest take thy daughters from me by force. ³²With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

³³And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. ³⁴Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, and put them in the camel's saddle, and sat upon them. And Laban felt about all the tent, but found them not. ³⁵And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the teraphim.

³⁶And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me? ³⁷Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us two. ³⁸These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten. ³⁹That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes. ⁴¹These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. ⁴²Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

⁴³And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee. ⁴⁵And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. ⁴⁶And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap: and they did eat there by the heap. ⁴⁷And Laban called it Jegar-saha-dutha: but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸And Laban said, This heap is witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed: ⁴⁹and Mizpah, for he said, Jehovah watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. ⁵⁰If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. ⁵¹And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set betwixt me and thee. ⁵²This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. ⁵³The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the Fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain. ⁵⁵And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed and returned unto his place.

Genesis 32

32 ¹And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ²And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

³And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. ⁴And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now: ⁵and I have oxen, and asses, and flocks, and men-servants, and maid-servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in thy sight. ⁶And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. ⁷Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed: and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two companies; ⁸and he said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the company which is left shall escape. ⁹And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, who saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good: ¹⁰I am not worthy of the least of all the lovingkindnesses, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies. ¹¹Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. ¹²And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

¹³And he lodged there that night, and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother: ¹⁴two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. ¹⁶And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. ¹⁷And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? ¹⁸then thou shalt say They are thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, he also is behind us. ¹⁹And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; ²⁰and ye shall say, Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me. ²¹So the present passed over before him: and he himself lodged that night in the company.

²²And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok. ²³And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had. ²⁴And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. ³¹And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped upon his thigh. ³²Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip.

Genesis 33

33 ¹And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. ²And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. ³And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. ⁴And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. ⁵And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant. ⁶Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. ⁷And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. ⁸And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, To find favor in the sight of my lord. ⁹And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine. ¹⁰And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. ¹¹Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. ¹²And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. ¹³And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young: and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. ¹⁴Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. ¹⁵And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find favor in the sight of my lord. ¹⁶So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. ¹⁷And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

¹⁸And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city. ¹⁹And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. ²⁰And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-israel.

Genesis 34

34 ¹And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. ²And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; And he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her. ³And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. ⁴And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. ⁵Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they came. ⁶And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. ⁷And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done. ⁸And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you, give her unto him to wife. ⁹And make ye marriages with us; give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. ¹⁰And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. ¹¹And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find favor in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. ¹²Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife. ¹³And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and spake, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, ¹⁴and said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us. ¹⁵Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised; ¹⁶then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. ¹⁷But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

¹⁸And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. ¹⁹And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was honored above all the house of his father. ²⁰And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, ²¹These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. ²²Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. ²³Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. ²⁴And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. ²⁵And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city unawares, and slew all the males. ²⁶And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went forth. ²⁷The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. ²⁸They took their flocks and their herds and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field; ²⁹and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and made a prey, even all that was in the house. ³⁰And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and, I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. ³¹And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?

Genesis 35

35 ¹And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. ²Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments: ³and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. ⁴And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. ⁵And they journeyed: and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. ⁶So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is Beth-el), he and all the people that were with him. ⁷And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el; because there God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. ⁸And Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth.

⁹And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. ¹⁰And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. ¹¹And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; ¹²and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. ¹³And God went up from him in the place where he spake with him. ¹⁴And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spake with him, a pillar of stone: and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon. ¹⁵And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.

¹⁶And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some distance to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. ¹⁷And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; for now thou shalt have another son. ¹⁸And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem). ²⁰And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. ²¹And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder. ²²And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: ²³The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; ²⁴the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; ²⁵and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; ²⁶and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram. ²⁷And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

²⁸And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. ²⁹And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old and full of days: and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

Genesis 36

36 ¹Now these are the generations of Esau (the same is Edom). ²Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, ³and Basemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth. ⁴And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Basemath bare Reuel; ⁵and Oholibamah bare Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, that were born unto him in the land of Canaan. ⁶And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions, which he had gather in the land of Canaan; and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. ⁷For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle. ⁸And Esau dwelt in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

⁹And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir: ¹⁰these are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. ¹¹And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹²And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. ¹³And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. ¹⁴And these were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah.

¹⁵These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the first-born of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, ¹⁶chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek: these are the chiefs that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. ¹⁷And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. ¹⁸And these are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah: these are the chiefs that came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. ¹⁹These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs: the same is Edom.

²⁰These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah, ²¹and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan: these are the chiefs that came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. ²²And the children of Lotan were Hori and Heman. And Lotan's sister was Timna. ²³And these are the children of Shobal: Alvan and Manahath and Ebal, Shepho and Onam. ²⁴And these are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; this is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. ²⁵And these are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. ²⁶And these are the children of Dishon: Hemdan and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran. ²⁷These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan and Zaavan and Akan. ²⁸These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran. ²⁹These are the chiefs that came of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, ³⁰chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan: these are the chiefs that came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

³¹And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. ³²And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ³³And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. ³⁴And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. ³⁵And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. ³⁶And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. ³⁷And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead. ³⁸And Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. ³⁹And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.

⁴⁰And these are the names of the chiefs that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, ⁴¹chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, ⁴²chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, ⁴³chief Magdiel, chief Iram: these are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Genesis 37

37 ¹And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. ²These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father. ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. ⁴And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. ⁶And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. ⁸And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. ⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. ¹⁰And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? ¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.

¹²And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. ¹³And Israel said unto Joseph, Are not thy brethren feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. ¹⁴And he said to him, Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? ¹⁶And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock. ¹⁷And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

¹⁸And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. ¹⁹And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. ²⁰Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, And evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. ²¹And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life. ²²And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. ²³And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him; ²⁴and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

²⁵And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto him. ²⁸And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.

²⁹And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. ³⁰And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? ³¹And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; ³²and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, This have we found: know now whether it is thy son's coat or not. ³³And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. ³⁴And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. ³⁶And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.

Genesis 38

38 ¹And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ²And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. And he took her, and went in unto her. ³And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. ⁴And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. ⁵And she yet again bare a son, and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. ⁶And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar. ⁷And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah slew him. ⁸And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother. ⁹And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. ¹⁰And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and he slew him also. ¹¹Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown up; for he said, Lest he also die, like his brethren. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

¹²And in process of time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep. ¹⁴And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife. ¹⁵When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face. ¹⁶And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee: for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? ¹⁷And he said, I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? ¹⁸And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. ²⁰And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not. ²¹Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There hath been no prostitute here. ²²And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, There hath been no prostitute here. ²³And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be put to shame: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

²⁴And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. ²⁵When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff. ²⁶And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more. ²⁷And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. ²⁹And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself? Therefore his name was called Perez. ³⁰And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zerah.

Genesis 39

39 ¹And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither. ²And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³And his master saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand. ⁴And Joseph found favor in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. ⁵And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of Jehovah was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. ⁶And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well-favored. ⁷And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. ⁸But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand: ⁹he is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? ¹⁰And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. ¹¹And it came to pass about this time, that he went into the house to do his work; and there was none of the men of the house there within. ¹²And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. ¹³And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, ¹⁴that she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us: he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: ¹⁵and it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out. ¹⁶And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. ¹⁷And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: ¹⁸and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.

¹⁹And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. ²⁰And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. ²¹But Jehovah was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²²And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. ²³The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and that which he did, Jehovah made it prosper.

Genesis 40

40 ¹And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. ²And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. ³And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. ⁴And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they continued a season in ward. ⁵And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. ⁶And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad. ⁷And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in ward in his master's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sad to-day? ⁸And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.

⁹And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; ¹⁰and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: ¹¹and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. ¹²And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; ¹³within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office: and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. ¹⁴But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: ¹⁵for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

¹⁶When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head: ¹⁷and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. ¹⁸And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days; ¹⁹within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. ²⁰And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants. ²¹And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: ²²but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

Genesis 41

41 ¹And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. ²And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well-favored and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass. ³And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. ⁴And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. ⁵And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, rank and good. ⁶And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. ⁷And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. ⁸And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

⁹Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: ¹⁰Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker: ¹¹and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. ¹²And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. ¹³And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. ¹⁵And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it. ¹⁶And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. ¹⁷And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river: ¹⁸and, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored: and they fed in the reed-grass: ¹⁹and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: ²⁰and the lean and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: ²¹and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. ²²And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good: ²³and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: ²⁴and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

²⁵And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. ²⁶The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. ²⁷And the seven lean and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine. ²⁸That is the thing which I spake unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do he hath showed unto Pharaoh. ²⁹Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: ³⁰and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; ³¹and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. ³²And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. ³³Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. ³⁵And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. ³⁶And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

³⁷And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is? ³⁹And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou: ⁴⁰thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. ⁴¹And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. ⁴²And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; ⁴³and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁵And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. ⁴⁸And he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. ⁴⁹And Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left off numbering; for it was without number. ⁵⁰And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bare unto him. ⁵¹And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh: For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. ⁵²And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. ⁵³And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end. ⁵⁴And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. ⁵⁶And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the store-houses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth.

Genesis 42

42 ¹Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? ²And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. ³And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy grain from Egypt. ⁴But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest Peradventure harm befall him. ⁵And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ⁶And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth. ⁷And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly with them; and he said unto them. Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. ⁸And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. ⁹And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. ¹⁰And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. ¹¹We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. ¹²And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. ¹³And they said, We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. ¹⁴And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: ¹⁵hereby ye shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. ¹⁶Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. ¹⁷And he put them all together into ward three days.

¹⁸And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live: for I fear God: ¹⁹if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry grain for the famine of your houses: ²⁰and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. ²¹And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. ²²And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required. ²³And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. ²⁴And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spake to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. ²⁵Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with grain, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the way: and thus was it done unto them.

²⁶And they laded their asses with their grain, and departed thence. ²⁷And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. ²⁸And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, What is this that God hath done unto us? ²⁹And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying, ³⁰The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. ³¹And we said unto him, We are true men; and we are no spies: ³²we are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. ³³And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men: leave one of your brethren with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way; ³⁴and bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.

³⁵And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. ³⁶And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. ³⁷And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. ³⁸And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

Genesis 43

43 ¹And the famine was sore in the land. ²And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. ³And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. ⁴If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: ⁵but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. ⁶And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? ⁷And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down? ⁸And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. ⁹I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: ¹⁰for except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time. ¹¹And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds; ¹²and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: ¹³take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: ¹⁴and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. ¹⁵And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. ¹⁶And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the house, and slay, and make ready; for the men shall dine with me at noon. ¹⁷And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men to Joseph's house. ¹⁸And the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. ¹⁹And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they spake unto him at the door of the house, ²⁰and said, Oh, my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: ²¹and it came to pass, when we came to the lodging-place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. ²²And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food: we know not who put our money in our sacks. ²³And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. ²⁴And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. And he gave their asses provender. ²⁵And they made ready the present against Joseph's coming at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

²⁶And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down themselves to him to the earth. ²⁷And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? ²⁸And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance. ²⁹And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said, Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. ³⁰And Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned over his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. ³¹And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. ³²And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. ³³And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one with another. ³⁴And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Genesis 44

44 ¹And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. ²And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. ³As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. ⁴And when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? ⁵Is not this that in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. ⁶And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these words. ⁷And they said unto him, Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing. ⁸Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? ⁹With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. ¹⁰And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless. ¹¹Then they hasted, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. ¹²And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. ¹³Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

¹⁴And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. ¹⁵And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I can indeed divine? ¹⁶And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found. ¹⁷And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so: the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

¹⁸Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh, my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. ¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? ²⁰And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loveth him. ²¹And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. ²²And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. ²³And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. ²⁴And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food. ²⁶And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, expect our youngest brother be with us. ²⁷And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: ²⁸and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since: ²⁹and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. ³⁰Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; ³¹it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. ³²For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever. ³³Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ³⁴For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Genesis 45

45 ¹Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood before him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. ²And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. ³And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. ⁴And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. ⁵And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. ⁶For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. ⁸So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not; ¹⁰and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: ¹¹and there will I nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. ¹²And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. ¹³And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen: and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. ¹⁴And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. ¹⁵And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. ¹⁶And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. ¹⁷And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; ¹⁸and take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. ¹⁹Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. ²⁰Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

²¹And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. ²²To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. ²³And to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way. ²⁴So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. ²⁵And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. ²⁶And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he believed them not. ²⁷And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: ²⁸and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

Genesis 46

46 ¹And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. ²And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. ³And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: ⁴I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. ⁵And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: ⁷his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons's daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

⁸And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's first-born. ⁹And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. ¹¹And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹²And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. ¹⁴And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. ¹⁶And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel. ¹⁸These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. ¹⁹The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him. ²¹And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. ²²These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen. ²³And the sons of Dan: Hushim. ²⁴And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob: all the souls were seven. ²⁶All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six; ²⁷and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

²⁸And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. ²⁹And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. ³⁰And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive. ³¹And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; ³²and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. ³³And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? ³⁴that ye shall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Genesis 47

47 ¹Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. ²And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. ³And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers. ⁴And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants' flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. ⁵And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: ⁶the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. ⁷And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How many are the days of the years of thy life? ⁹And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. ¹⁰And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. ¹¹And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹²And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

¹³And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. ¹⁴And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. ¹⁵And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth. ¹⁶And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. ¹⁷And they brought their cattle unto Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year. ¹⁸And when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide from my lord, how that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord's; there is nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: ¹⁹wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.

²⁰So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them: and the land became Pharaoh's. ²¹And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof. ²²Only the land of the priests bought he not: for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land. ²³Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. ²⁴And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. ²⁵And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. ²⁶And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not Pharaoh's.

²⁷And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gat them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. ²⁸And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years. ²⁹And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt; ³⁰but when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. ³¹And he said, Swear unto me: and he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.

Genesis 48

48 ¹And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ²And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. ³And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, ⁴and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples, and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. ⁵And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine. ⁶And thy issue, that thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. ⁷And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some distance to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem).

⁸And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? ⁹And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me here. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. ¹⁰Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. ¹¹And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath let me see thy seed also. ¹²And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. ¹³And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. ¹⁴And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the first-born. ¹⁵And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath fed me all my life long unto this day, ¹⁶the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. ¹⁷And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. ¹⁸And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head. ¹⁹And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. ²⁰And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee will Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. ²¹And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God will be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. ²²Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

Genesis 49

49 ¹And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

²Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob;

And hearken unto Israel your father.

³Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength;

The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

⁴Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence;

Because thou wentest up to thy father's bed;

Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

⁵Simeon and Levi are brethren;

Weapons of violence are their swords.

⁶O my soul, come not thou into their council;

Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united;

For in their anger they slew a man,

And in their self-will they hocked an ox.

⁷Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;

And their wrath, for it was cruel:

I will divide them in Jacob,

And scatter them in Israel.

⁸Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise:

Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies;

Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee.

⁹Judah is a lion's whelp;

From the prey, my son, thou art gone up:

He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

¹⁰The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,

Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

Until Shiloh come:

And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

¹¹Binding his foal unto the vine,

And his ass's colt unto the choice vine;

He hath washed his garments in wine,

And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

¹²His eyes shall be red with wine,

And his teeth white with milk.

¹³Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea;

And he shall be for a haven of ships;

And his border shall be upon Sidon.

¹⁴Issachar is a strong ass,

Couching down between the sheepfolds:

¹⁵And he saw a resting-place that it was good,

And the land that it was pleasant;

And he bowed his shoulder to bear,

And became a servant under taskwork.

¹⁶Dan shall judge his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷Dan shall be a serpent in the way,

An adder in the path,

That biteth the horse's heels,

So that his rider falleth backward.

¹⁸I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

¹⁹Gad, a troop shall press upon him;

But he shall press upon their heel.

²⁰Out of the Asher his bread shall be fat,

And he shall yield royal dainties.

²¹Naphtali is a hind let loose:

He giveth goodly words.

²²Joseph is a fruitful bough,

A fruitful bough by a fountain;

His branches run over the wall.

²³The archers have sorely grieved him,

And shot at him, and persecute him:

²⁴But his bow abode in strength,

And the arms of his hands were made strong,

By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

(From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

²⁵Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee,

And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee,

With blessings of heaven above,

Blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath,

Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

²⁶The blessings of thy father

Have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors

Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:

They shall be on the head of Joseph,

And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

²⁷Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth:

In the morning she shall devour the prey,

And at even he shall divide the spoil.

²⁸All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. ²⁹And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. ³¹there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah: ³²the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth. ³³And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Genesis 50

50 ¹And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. ²And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. ³And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of embalming: and the Egyptians wept for him three-score and ten days.

⁴And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found favor in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, ⁵My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. ⁶And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. ⁷And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. ⁹And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. ¹⁰And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. ¹¹And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. ¹²And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them: ¹³for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. ¹⁴And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

¹⁵And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully requite us all the evil which we did unto him. ¹⁶And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, ¹⁷So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil. And now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. ¹⁸And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we are thy servants. ¹⁹And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? ²⁰And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. ²¹Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

²²And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. ²³And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph's knees. ²⁴And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. ²⁵And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. ²⁶So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

The Second Book of Moses, Called Exodus

Exodus 1

1 ¹Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): ²Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, ³Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, ⁴Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ⁵And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt already. ⁶And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. ⁷And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

⁸Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. ⁹And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: ¹⁰come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land. ¹¹Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. ¹²But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. ¹³And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor: ¹⁴and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

¹⁵And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: ¹⁶and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. ¹⁷But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. ¹⁸And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive? ¹⁹And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them. ²⁰And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. ²¹And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households. ²²And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

Exodus 2

2 ¹And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. ²And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. ³And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink. ⁴And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. ⁵And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. ⁶And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. ⁷Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? ⁸And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maiden went and called the child's mother. ⁹And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. ¹⁰And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

¹¹And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. ¹²And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. ¹³And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? ¹⁴And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the thing is known. ¹⁵Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

¹⁶Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. ¹⁸And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day? ¹⁹And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock. ²⁰And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. ²¹And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. ²²And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.

²³And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. ²⁴And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵And God saw the children of Israel, and God took knowledge of them.

Exodus 3

3 ¹Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb. ²And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. ³And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. ⁴And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. ⁵And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. ⁶Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. ⁷And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; ⁸and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ⁹And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. ¹¹And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? ¹²And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

¹³And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? ¹⁴And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. ¹⁵And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. ¹⁶Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: ¹⁷and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁸And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. ¹⁹And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand. ²⁰And I will put forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. ²¹And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty. ²²But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.

Exodus 4

4 ¹And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee. ²And Jehovah said unto him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod. ³And he said, Cast in on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. ⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail: (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand:) ⁵That they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. ⁶And Jehovah said furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. ⁷And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.) ⁸And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. ⁹And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

¹⁰And Moses said unto Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. ¹¹And Jehovah said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah? ¹²Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak. ¹³And he said, Oh, Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. ¹⁴And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. ¹⁶And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. ¹⁷And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs. ¹⁸And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. ¹⁹And Jehovah said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life. ²⁰And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. ²¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. ²²And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born: ²³and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born. ²⁴And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him, and sought to kill him. ²⁵Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me. ²⁶So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood art thou, because of the circumcision.

²⁷And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him. ²⁸And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah wherewith he had sent him, and all the signs wherewith he had charged him. ²⁹And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: ³⁰and Aaron spake all the words which Jehovah had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹And the people believed: and when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Exodus 5

5 ¹And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. ²And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go. ³And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto Jehovah our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. ⁴And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. ⁵And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. ⁶And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, ⁷Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸And the number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. ⁹Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words.

¹⁰And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. ¹¹Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it: for nought of your work shall be diminished. ¹²So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. ¹⁴And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making brick as heretofore?

¹⁵Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? ¹⁶There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault it in thine own people. ¹⁷But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah. ¹⁸Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the number of bricks. ¹⁹And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, when it was said, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks, your daily tasks. ²⁰And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: ²¹and they said unto them, Jehovah look upon you, and judge: because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

²²And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? ²³For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Exodus 6

6 ¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

²And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah: ³and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them. ⁴And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned. ⁵And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. ⁶Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am Jehovah, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments: ⁷and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, who bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸And I will bring you in unto the land which I sware to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am Jehovah. ⁹And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

¹⁰And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹¹Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. ¹²And Moses spake before Jehovah, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? ¹³And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁴These are the heads of their fathers' houses. The sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. ¹⁵And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman; these are the families of Simeon. ¹⁶And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were a hundred thirty and seven years. ¹⁷The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. ¹⁸And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three years. ¹⁹And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. ²⁰And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven years. ²¹And the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. ²²And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri. ²³And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ²⁴And the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. ²⁵And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families. ²⁶These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom Jehovah said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts. ²⁷These are they that spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.

²⁸And it came to pass on the day when Jehovah spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹that Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, I am Jehovah: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak unto thee. ³⁰And Moses said before Jehovah, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

Exodus 7

7 ¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. ²Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. ³And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. ⁶And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah commanded them, so did they. ⁷And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

⁸And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ⁹When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent. ¹⁰And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as Jehovah had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. ¹²For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. ¹³And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.

¹⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. ¹⁵Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. ¹⁶And thou shalt say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened. ¹⁷Thus saith Jehovah, In this thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. ¹⁸And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river. ¹⁹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.

²⁰And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. ²¹And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. ²²And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken. ²³And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart. ²⁴And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. ²⁵And seven days were fulfilled, after that Jehovah had smitten the river.

Exodus 8

8 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. ²And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: ³and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs: ⁴and the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. ⁵And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. ⁶And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷And the magicians did in like manner with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

⁸Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat Jehovah, that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto Jehovah. ⁹And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Have thou this glory over me: against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only? ¹⁰And he said, Against to-morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto Jehovah our God. ¹¹And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. ¹²And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto Jehovah concerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh. ¹³And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. ¹⁴And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank. ¹⁵But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken.

¹⁶And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that is may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. ¹⁷And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: and there were lice upon man, and upon beast. ¹⁹Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.

²⁰And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. ²¹Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon they servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. ²²And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth. ²³And I will put a division between my people and thy people: by to-morrow shall this sign be. ²⁴And Jehovah did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses: and in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.

²⁵And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. ²⁶And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Jehovah our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? ²⁷We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, as he shall command us. ²⁸And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me. ²⁹And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat Jehovah that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow: only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah. ³⁰And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Jehovah. ³¹And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. ³²And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

Exodus 9

9 ¹Then Jehovah said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. ²For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, ³behold, the hand of Jehovah is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks: there shall be a very grievous murrain. ⁴And Jehovah shall make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the children of Israel. ⁵And Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow Jehovah shall do this thing in the land. ⁶And Jehovah did that thing on the morrow; and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. ⁷And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.

⁸And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. ⁹And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast. ¹¹And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. ¹²And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken unto Moses. ¹³And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. ¹⁴For I will this time send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. ¹⁵For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth: ¹⁶but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. ¹⁷As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? ¹⁸Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. ¹⁹Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. ²⁰He that feared the word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses. ²¹And he that regarded not the word of Jehovah left his servants and his cattle in the field.

²²And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. ²³And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt. ²⁴So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. ²⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

²⁷And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: Jehovah is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. ²⁸Entreat Jehovah; for there hath been enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. ²⁹And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto Jehovah; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is Jehovah's. ³⁰But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear Jehovah God. ³¹And the flax and the barley were smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. ³²But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten: for they were not grown up. ³³And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto Jehovah: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. ³⁴And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, as Jehovah had spoken by Moses.

Exodus 10

10 ¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in the midst of them, ²and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am Jehovah. ³And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. ⁴Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border: ⁵and they shall cover the face of the earth, so that one shall not be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: ⁶and thy houses shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither thy fathers nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned, and went out from Pharaoh. ⁷And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? ⁸And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve Jehovah your God; but who are they that shall go? ⁹And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto Jehovah. ¹⁰And he said unto them, So be Jehovah with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. ¹¹Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve Jehovah; for that is what ye desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

¹²And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. ¹³And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt; very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. ¹⁵For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. ¹⁶Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against Jehovah your God, and against you. ¹⁷Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat Jehovah your God, that he may take away from me this death only. ¹⁸And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Jehovah. ¹⁹And Jehovah turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the border of Egypt. ²⁰But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

²¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. ²²And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; ²³they saw not one another, neither rose any one from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. ²⁴And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve Jehovah; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. ²⁵And Moses said, Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto Jehovah our God. ²⁶Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind: for thereof must we take to serve Jehovah our God; and we know not with what we must serve Jehovah, until we come thither. ²⁷But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die. ²⁹And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well. I will see thy face again no more.

Exodus 11

11 ¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. ²Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. ³And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

⁴And Moses said, Thus saith Jehovah, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: ⁵and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle. ⁶And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there hath not been, nor shall be any more. ⁷But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that Jehovah doth make a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel. ⁸And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

⁹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh will not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Exodus 12

12 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. ³Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household: ⁴and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb. ⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats: ⁶and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at even. ⁷And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. ⁸And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof. ¹⁰And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. ¹¹And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is Jehovah's passover. ¹²For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah. ¹³And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. ¹⁴And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to Jehovah: throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

¹⁵Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶And in the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. ¹⁷And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever. ¹⁸In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. ¹⁹Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. ²⁰Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

²¹Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover. ²²And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. ²³For Jehovah will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. ²⁴And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. ²⁵And it shall come to pass, when ye are come to the land which Jehovah will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. ²⁶And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? ²⁷that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Jehovah's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. ²⁸And the children of Israel went and did so; as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

²⁹And it came to pass at midnight, that Jehovah smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. ³⁰And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. ³¹And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve Jehovah, as ye have said. ³²Take both your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. ³³And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We are all dead men. ³⁴And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. ³⁵And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. ³⁶And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians.

³⁷And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children. ³⁸And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. ³⁹And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victuals. ⁴⁰Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴²It is a night to be much observed unto Jehovah for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of Jehovah, to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no foreigner eat thereof; ⁴⁴but every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. ⁴⁵A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. ⁴⁶In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. ⁴⁷All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to Jehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. ⁴⁹One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. ⁵⁰Thus did all the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. ⁵¹And it came to pass the selfsame day, that Jehovah did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

Exodus 13

13 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Sanctify unto me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

³And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Jehovah brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. ⁴This day ye go forth in the month Abib. ⁵And it shall be, when Jehovah shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. ⁶Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Jehovah. ⁷Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee, in all thy borders. ⁸And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying, It is because of that which Jehovah did for me when I came forth out of Egypt. ⁹And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of Jehovah may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath Jehovah brought thee out of Egypt. ¹⁰Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

¹¹And it shall be, when Jehovah shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, ¹²that thou shalt set apart unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast; the males shall be Jehovah's. ¹³And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck: and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem. ¹⁴And it shall be, when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand Jehovah brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: ¹⁵and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that Jehovah slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast: therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem. ¹⁶And it shall be for a sign upon thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt.

¹⁷And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: ¹⁸but God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁹And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. ²⁰And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. ²¹And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night: ²²the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people.

Exodus 14

14 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon: over against it shall ye encamp by the sea. ³And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. ⁴And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host: and the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah. And they did so. ⁵And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? ⁶And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: ⁷and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them. ⁸And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: for the children of Israel went out with a high hand. ⁹And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

¹⁰And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto Jehovah. ¹¹And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? ¹²Is not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. ¹³And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. ¹⁴Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

¹⁵And Jehovah said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. ¹⁶And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. ¹⁸And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have gotten me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. ¹⁹And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind them: ²⁰and it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness, yet gave it light by night: and the one came not near the other all the night.

²¹And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. ²²And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. ²³And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. ²⁴And it came to pass in the morning watch, that Jehovah looked forth upon the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians. ²⁵And he took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for Jehovah fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

²⁶And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. ²⁷And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so much as one of them. ²⁹But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. ³⁰Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore. ³¹And Israel saw the great work which Jehovah did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared Jehovah: and they believed in Jehovah, and in his servant Moses.

Exodus 15

15 ¹Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto Jehovah, and spake, saying,

I will sing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously:

The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

²Jehovah is my strength and song,

And he is become my salvation:

This is my God, and I will praise him;

My father's God, and I will exalt him.

³Jehovah is a man of war:

Jehovah is his name.

⁴Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea;

And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.

⁵The deeps cover them:

They went down into the depths like a stone.

⁶Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is glorious in power,

Thy right hand, O Jehovah, dasheth in pieces the enemy.

⁷And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee: Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.

⁸And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up,

The floods stood upright as a heap;

The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

⁹The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;

My desire shall be satisfied upon them;

I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

¹⁰Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them:

They sank as lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹Who is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods?

Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,

Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

¹²Thou stretchedst out thy right hand,

The earth swallowed them.

¹³Thou in thy lovingkindness hast led the people that thou hast redeemed:

Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.

¹⁴The peoples have heard, they tremble:

Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.

¹⁵Then were the chiefs of Edom dismayed;

The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them:

All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.

¹⁶Terror and dread falleth upon them;

By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone;

Till thy people pass over, O Jehovah,

Till the people pass over that thou hast purchased.

¹⁷Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance,

The place, O Jehovah, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in,

The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.

¹⁸Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever.

¹⁹For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Jehovah brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea. ²⁰And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. ²¹And Miriam answered them,

Sing ye to Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously;

The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

²²And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. ²³And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. ²⁴And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? ²⁵An he cried unto Jehovah; And Jehovah showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them; ²⁶and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee. ²⁷And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

Exodus 16

16 ¹And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. ²And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness: ³and the children of Israel said unto them, Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

⁴Then said Jehovah unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not. ⁵And it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. ⁶And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that Jehovah hath brought you out from the land of Egypt; ⁷and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of Jehovah; for that he heareth your murmurings against Jehovah: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? ⁸And Moses said, This shall be, when Jehovah shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that Jehovah heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against Jehovah. ⁹And Moses said unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before Jehovah; for he hath heard your murmurings. ¹⁰And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of Jehovah appeared in the cloud. ¹¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹²I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God.

¹³And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the camp. ¹⁴And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness a small round thing, small as the hoar-frost on the ground. ¹⁵And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? For they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, It is the bread which Jehovah hath given you to eat. ¹⁶This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded, Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent. ¹⁷And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. ¹⁸And when they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. ¹⁹And Moses said unto them, Let no man leave of it till the morning. ²⁰Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and became foul: and Moses was wroth with them. ²¹And they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. ²²And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. ²³And he said unto them, This is that which Jehovah hath spoken, Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath unto Jehovah: bake that which ye will bake, and boil that which ye will boil; and all that remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. ²⁴And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not become foul, neither was there any worm therein. ²⁵And Moses said, Eat that to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto Jehovah: to-day ye shall not find it in the field. ²⁶Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. ²⁷And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none. ²⁸And Jehovah said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? ²⁹See, for that Jehovah hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. ³²And Moses said, This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded, Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. ³³And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up before Jehovah, to be kept throughout your generations. ³⁴As Jehovah commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. ³⁵And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. ³⁶Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

Exodus 17

17 ¹And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of Jehovah, and encamped in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. ²Wherefore the people stove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt Jehovah? ³And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? ⁴And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They are almost ready to stone me. ⁵And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and they rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go. ⁶Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tempted Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah among us, or not?

⁸Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. ⁹And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. ¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹²But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. ¹³And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. ¹⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. ¹⁵And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi; ¹⁶And he said, Jehovah hath sworn: Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Exodus 18

18 ¹Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt. ²And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, ³and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land: ⁴and the name of the other was Eliezer; for he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. ⁵And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God: ⁶and he said unto Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. ⁷And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. ⁸And Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how Jehovah delivered them. ⁹And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰And Jethro said, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods; yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them. ¹²And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

¹³And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening. ¹⁴And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even? ¹⁵And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God: ¹⁶when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. ¹⁷And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. ¹⁸Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. ¹⁹Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God: ²⁰and thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. ²¹Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: ²²and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. ²³If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace. ²⁴So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. ²⁵And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ²⁶And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. ²⁷And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

Exodus 19

19 ¹In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. ²And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount. ³And Moses went up unto God, and Jehovah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ⁴Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: ⁶and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

⁷And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Jehovah commanded him. ⁸And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people unto Jehovah. ⁹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto Jehovah. ¹⁰And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments, ¹¹and be ready against the third day; for the third day Jehovah will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. ¹²And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: ¹³no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. ¹⁴And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments. ¹⁵And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.

¹⁶And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. ¹⁸And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. ¹⁹And when the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. ²⁰And Jehovah came down upon mount Sinai, to the top of the mount: and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. ²¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish. ²²And let the priests also, that come near to Jehovah, sanctify themselves, lest Jehovah break forth upon them. ²³And Moses said unto Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. ²⁴And Jehovah said unto him, Go, get thee down; and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto Jehovah, lest he break forth upon them. ²⁵So Moses went down unto the people, and told them.

Exodus 20

20 ¹And God spake all these words, saying, ²I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, ⁶and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

⁷Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

⁸Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; ¹⁰but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ¹¹for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

¹²Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

¹³Thou shalt not kill.

¹⁴Thou shalt not commit adultery.

¹⁵Thou shalt not steal.

¹⁶Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

¹⁷Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

¹⁸And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. ¹⁹And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. ²⁰And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. ²¹And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

²²And Jehovah said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. ²³Ye shall not make other gods with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you. ²⁴An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in every place where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. ²⁵And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. ²⁶Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered thereon.

Exodus 21

21 ¹Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set before them.

²If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. ³If he come in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he be married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴If his master give him a wife and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. ⁵But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: ⁶then his master shall bring him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

⁷And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do. ⁸If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. ⁹And if he espouse her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. ¹⁰If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. ¹¹And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out for nothing, without money.

¹²He that smiteth a man, so that he dieth, shall surely be put to death. ¹³And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. ¹⁴And if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

¹⁵And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

¹⁶And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸And if men contend, and one smite the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed; ¹⁹if he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

²⁰And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall surely be punished. ²¹Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

²²And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart, and yet no harm follow; he shall be surely fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. ²³But if any harm follow, then thou shalt give life for life, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

²⁶And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, and destroy it; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. ²⁷And if he smite out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

²⁸And if an ox gore a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. ²⁹But if the ox was wont to gore in time past, and it hath been testified to its owner, and he hath not kept it in, but it hath killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰If there be laid on him a ransom, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. ³¹Whether it have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. ³²If the ox gore a man-servant or a maid-servant, there shall be given unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

³³And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, ³⁴the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money unto the owner thereof, and the dead beast shall be his.

³⁵And if one man's ox hurt another's, so that it dieth, then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the price of it: and the dead also they shall divide. ³⁶Or if it be known that the ox was wont to gore in time past, and its owner hath not kept it in, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his own.

Exodus 22

22 ¹If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. ²If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him. ³If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him; he shall make restitution: if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ⁴If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep, he shall pay double.

⁵If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall let his beast loose, and it feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.

⁶If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the shocks of grain, or the standing grain, or the field are consumed; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

⁷If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, he shall pay double. ⁸If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall come near unto God, to see whether he have not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods. ⁹For every matter of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, whereof one saith, This is it, the cause of both parties shall come before God; he whom God shall condemn shall pay double unto his neighbor.

¹⁰If a man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: ¹¹the oath of Jehovah shall be between them both, whether he hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods; and the owner thereof shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. ¹²But if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. ¹³If it be torn in pieces, let him bring it for witness: he shall not make good that which was torn.

¹⁴And if a man borrow aught of his neighbor, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof not being with it, he shall surely make restitution. ¹⁵If the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be a hired thing, it came for its hire.

¹⁶And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife. ¹⁷If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

¹⁸Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

¹⁹Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.

²⁰He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto Jehovah only, shall be utterly destroyed. ²¹And a sojourner shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him: for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt. ²²Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. ²³If thou afflict them at all, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; ²⁴and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

²⁵If thou lend money to any of my people with thee that is poor, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay upon him interest. ²⁶If thou at all take thy neighbor's garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him before the sun goeth down: ²⁷for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

²⁸Thou shalt not revile God, nor curse a ruler of thy people. ²⁹Thou shalt not delay to offer of thy harvest, and of the outflow of thy presses. The first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. ³⁰Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. ³¹And ye shall be holy men unto me: therefore ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

Exodus 23

23 ¹Thou shalt not take up a false report: put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. ²Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest justice: ³neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.

⁴If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. ⁵If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, thou shalt forbear to leave him, thou shalt surely release it with him.

⁶Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to thy poor in his cause. ⁷Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. ⁸And thou shalt take no bribe: for a bribe blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous. ⁹And a sojourner shalt thou not oppress: for ye know the heart of a sojourner, seeing ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the increase thereof: ¹¹but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. ¹²Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the sojourner, may be refreshed. ¹³And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

¹⁴Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. ¹⁵The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt); and none shall appear before me empty: ¹⁶and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, which thou sowest in the field: and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field. ¹⁷Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁸Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my feast remain all night until the morning. ¹⁹The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in it mother's milk.

²⁰Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. ²¹Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him. ²²But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. ²³For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: and I will cut them off. ²⁴Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break in pieces their pillars. ²⁵And ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. ²⁶There shall none cast her young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. ²⁷I will send my terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. ²⁸And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. ²⁹I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. ³⁰By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. ³¹And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand: and thou shalt drive them out before thee. ³²Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. ³³They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me; for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

Exodus 24

24 ¹And he said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off: ²and Moses alone shall come near unto Jehovah; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him. ³And Moses came and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the ordinances: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do. ⁴And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵And he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto Jehovah. ⁶And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do, and be obedient. ⁸And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath made with you concerning all these words.

⁹Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. ¹⁰And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness. ¹¹And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.

¹²And Jehovah said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them. ¹³And Moses rose up, and Joshua his minister: and Moses went up into the mount of God. ¹⁴And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: whosoever hath a cause, let him come near unto them. ¹⁵And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. ¹⁶And the glory of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷And the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. ¹⁸And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 25

25 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for me an offering: of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take my offering. ³And this is the offering which ye shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass, ⁴and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, ⁵and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood, ⁶oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, ⁷onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. ⁸And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. ⁹According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it.

¹⁰And they shall make an ark of acacia wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ¹¹And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. ¹²And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four feet thereof; and two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³And thou shalt make staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴And thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, wherewith to bear the ark. ¹⁵The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. ¹⁷And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. ¹⁸And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat. ¹⁹And make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end: of one piece with the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof. ²⁰And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. ²¹And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. ²²And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

²³And thou shalt make a table of acacia wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ²⁴And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. ²⁵And thou shalt make unto it a border of a handbreadth round about; and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. ²⁶And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. ²⁷Close by the border shall the rings be, for places for the staves to bear the table. ²⁸And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. ²⁹And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and the flagons thereof, and the bowls thereof, wherewith to pour out: of pure gold shalt thou make them. ³⁰And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me alway.

³¹And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. ³²And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: ³³three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower: so for the six branches going out of the candlestick: ³⁴and in the candlestick four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof; ³⁵and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the candlestick. ³⁶Their knops and their branches shall be of one piece with it; the whole of it one beaten work of pure gold. ³⁷And thou shalt make the lamps thereof, seven: and they shall light the lamps thereof, to give light over against it. ³⁸And the snuffers thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. ³⁹Of a talent of pure gold shall it be made, with all these vessels. ⁴⁰And see that thou make them after their pattern, which hath been showed thee in the mount.

Exodus 26

26 ¹Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shalt thou make them. ²The length of each curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains shall have one measure. ³Five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and the other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. ⁴And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is outmost in the second coupling. ⁵Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the second coupling; the loops shall be opposite one to another. ⁶And thou shalt make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to another with the clasps: and the tabernacle shall be one whole.

⁷And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make them. ⁸The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: the eleven curtains shall have one measure. ⁹And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent. ¹⁰And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops upon the edge of the curtain which is outmost in the second coupling. ¹¹And thou shalt make fifty clasps of brass, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. ¹²And the overhanging part that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³And the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. ¹⁴And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above.

¹⁵And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up. ¹⁶Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. ¹⁷Two tenons shall there be in each board, joined one to another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. ¹⁸And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward. ¹⁹And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. ²⁰And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, ²¹and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. ²²And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. ²³And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. ²⁴And they shall be double beneath, and in like manner they shall be entire unto the top thereof unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. ²⁵And there shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

²⁶And thou shalt make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the hinder part westward. ²⁸And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which hath been showed thee in the mount.

³¹And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shall it be made. ³²And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, upon four sockets of silver. ³³And thou shalt hang up the veil under the clasps, and shalt bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall separate unto you between the holy place and the most holy. ³⁴And thou shalt put the mercy-seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. ³⁵And thou shalt set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.

³⁶And thou shalt make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer. ³⁷And thou shalt make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold: their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

Exodus 27

27 ¹And thou shalt make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. ²And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof; the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. ³And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. ⁴And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of brass: and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. ⁵And thou shalt put it under the ledge round the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar. ⁶And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass. ⁷And the staves thereof shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, in bearing it. ⁸Hollow with planks shalt thou make it: as it hath been showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

⁹And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side: ¹⁰and the pillars thereof shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. ¹¹And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and the pillars thereof twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. ¹²And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. ¹³And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁵And for the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁶And for the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four. ¹⁷All the pillars of the court round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass. ¹⁸The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. ¹⁹All the instruments of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

²⁰And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. ²¹In the tent of meeting, without the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah: it shall be a statue for ever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Exodus 28

28 ¹And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. ²And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty. ³And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. ⁴And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of checker work, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. ⁵And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

⁶And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skilful workman. ⁷It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined to the two ends thereof, that it may be joined together. ⁸And the skilfully woven band, which is upon it, wherewith to gird it on, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. ⁹And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: ¹⁰six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth. ¹¹With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be inclosed in settings of gold. ¹²And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah upon his two shoulders for a memorial. ¹³And thou shalt make settings of gold, ¹⁴and two chains of pure gold; like cords shalt thou make them, of wreathen work: and thou shalt put the wreathen chains on the settings.

¹⁵And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skilful workman; like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. ¹⁶Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof. ¹⁷And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; ¹⁸and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹⁹and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be inclosed in gold in their settings. ²¹And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes. ²²And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen work of pure gold. ²³And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. ²⁴And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. ²⁵And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod in the forepart thereof. ²⁶And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which is toward the side of the ephod inward. ²⁷And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. ²⁸And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. ²⁹And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before Jehovah continually. ³⁰And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before Jehovah: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually.

³¹And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. ³²And it shall have a hole for the head in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it be not rent. ³³And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: ³⁴a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about. ³⁵And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before Jehovah, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

³⁶And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JEHOVAH. ³⁷And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. ³⁸And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before Jehovah. ³⁹And thou shalt weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and thou shalt make a mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make a girdle, the work of the embroiderer.

⁴⁰And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and head-tires shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. ⁴¹And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him, and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. ⁴²And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: ⁴³And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him.

Exodus 29

29 ¹And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: take one young bullock and two rams without blemish, ²and unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened mingled with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of fine wheaten flour shalt thou make them. ³And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. ⁴And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. ⁵And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod; ⁶and thou shalt set the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. ⁷Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. ⁸And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. ⁹And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and bind head-tires on them: and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰And thou shalt bring the bullock before the tent of meeting: and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock. ¹¹And thou shalt kill the bullock before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting. ¹²And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger; and thou shalt pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul upon the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. ¹⁴But the flesh of the bullock, and its skin, and it dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin-offering.

¹⁵Thou shalt also take the one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. ¹⁶And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take its blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. ¹⁷And thou shalt cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its inwards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. ¹⁸And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt-offering unto Jehovah; it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

¹⁹And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. ²⁰Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. ²¹And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. ²²Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat, and the fat tail, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), ²³and one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Jehovah. ²⁴And thou shalt put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and shalt wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah. ²⁵And thou shalt take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar upon the burnt-offering, for a sweet savor before Jehovah: it is an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

²⁶And thou shalt take the breast of Aaron's ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave-offering before Jehovah: and it shall be thy portion. ²⁷And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: ²⁸and it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion for ever from the children of Israel; for it is a heave-offering: and it shall be a heave-offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, even their heave-offering unto Jehovah.

²⁹And the holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. ³⁰Seven days shall the son that is priest in his stead put them on, when he cometh into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

³¹And thou shalt take the ram of consecration, and boil its flesh in a holy place. ³²And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting. ³³And they shall eat those things wherewith atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. ³⁴And if aught of the flesh of the consecration, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. ³⁶And every day shalt thou offer the bullock of sin-offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou makest atonement for it; and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. ³⁷Seven days thou shalt make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

³⁸Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually. ³⁹The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: ⁴⁰and with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink-offering. ⁴¹And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ⁴²It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah, where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee. ⁴³And there I will meet with the children of Israel; and the Tent shall be sanctified by my glory. ⁴⁴And I will sanctify the tent of meeting, and the altar: Aaron also and his sons will I sanctify, to minister to me in the priest's office. ⁴⁵And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. ⁴⁶And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Jehovah their God.

Exodus 30

30 ¹And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it. ²A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it. ³And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. ⁴And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof; upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to bear it. ⁵And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ⁶And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. ⁷And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it. ⁸And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations. ⁹Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering thereon. ¹⁰And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto Jehovah.

¹¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹²When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to those that are numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto Jehovah, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. ¹³This they shall give, every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; (the shekel is twenty gerahs;) half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah. ¹⁴Every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah. ¹⁵The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. ¹⁶And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

¹⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. ¹⁹And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: ²⁰when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ²¹So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

²²Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²³Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, ²⁴and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. ²⁵And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, ²⁷and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, ²⁸and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. ²⁹And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. ³⁰And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. ³¹And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. ³²Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. ³³Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.

³⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight; ³⁵and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy: ³⁶and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. ³⁷And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for Jehovah. ³⁸Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.

Exodus 31

31 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: ³and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, ⁴to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, ⁵and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. ⁶And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee: ⁷the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy-seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the Tent, ⁸and the table and its vessels, and the pure candlestick with all its vessels, and the altar of incense, ⁹and the altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the laver and its base, ¹⁰and the finely wrought garments, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office, ¹¹and the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

¹²And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹³Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily ye shall keep my sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you. ¹⁴Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

¹⁸And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 32

32 ¹And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. ²And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. ³And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. ⁴And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf: and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ⁵And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a feast to Jehovah. ⁶And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: ⁸they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ⁹And Jehovah said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: ¹⁰now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. ¹¹And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹²Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. ¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. ¹⁴And Jehovah repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people.

¹⁵And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. ¹⁶And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. ¹⁷And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. ¹⁸And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing do I hear. ¹⁹And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. ²⁰And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

²¹And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them? ²²And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil. ²³For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. ²⁴And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off: so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

²⁵And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies,) ²⁶then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on Jehovah's side, let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. ²⁷And he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. ²⁸And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. ²⁹And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

³⁰And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin. ³¹And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. ³²Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. ³³And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. ³⁴And now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. ³⁵And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Exodus 33

33 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Depart, go up hence, thou and the people that thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land of which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: ²and I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: ³unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiffnecked people, lest I consume thee in the way. ⁴And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. ⁵And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people; if I go up into the midst of thee for one moment, I shall consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. ⁶And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from mount Horeb onward.

⁷Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. ⁸And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up, and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the Tent. ⁹And it came to pass, when Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the Tent: and Jehovah spake with Moses. ¹⁰And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. ¹¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent.

¹²And Moses said unto Jehovah, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found favor in my sight. ¹³Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thy sight, show me now thy ways, that I may know thee, to the end that I may find favor in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. ¹⁴And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. ¹⁵And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. ¹⁶For wherein now shall it be known that I have found favor in thy sight, I and thy people? is it not in that thou goest with us, so that we are separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?

¹⁷And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found favor in my sight, and I know thee by name. ¹⁸And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. ¹⁹And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. ²⁰And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live. ²¹and Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: ²²and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by: ²³and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen.

Exodus 34

34 ¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou brakest. ²And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me on the top of the mount. ³And no man shall come up with thee; neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. ⁴And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as Jehovah had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. ⁵And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. ⁶And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, ⁷keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. ⁸And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. ⁹And he said, If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

¹⁰And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of Jehovah; for it is a terrible thing that I do with thee. ¹¹Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ¹²Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: ¹³but ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim; ¹⁴for thou shalt worship no other god: for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: ¹⁵lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot after their gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice; ¹⁶and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters play the harlot after their gods, and make thy sons play the harlot after their gods. ¹⁷Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

¹⁸The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. ¹⁹All that openeth the womb is mine; and all thy cattle that is male, the firstlings of cow and sheep. ²⁰And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

²¹Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. ²²And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. ²³Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord Jehovah, the God of Israel. ²⁴For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before Jehovah thy God three times in the year.

²⁵Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. ²⁶The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother's milk. ²⁷And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. ²⁸And he was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

²⁹And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. ³⁰And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. ³¹And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses spake to them. ³²And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that Jehovah had spoken with him in mount Sinai. ³³And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. ³⁴But when Moses went in before Jehovah to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. ³⁵And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Exodus 35

35 ¹And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them, These are the words which Jehovah hath commanded, that ye should do them. ²Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put to death. ³Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.

⁴And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Jehovah commanded, saying, ⁵Take ye from among you an offering unto Jehovah; whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, Jehovah's offering: gold, and silver, and brass, ⁶and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, ⁷and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood, ⁸and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, ⁹and onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate.

¹⁰And let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that Jehovah hath commanded: ¹¹the tabernacle, its tent, and its covering, its clasps, and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; ¹²the ark, and the staves thereof, the mercy-seat, and the veil of the screen; ¹³the table, and its staves, and all its vessels, and the showbread; ¹⁴the candlestick also for the light, and its vessels, and its lamps, and the oil for the light; ¹⁵and the altar of incense, and its staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; ¹⁶the altar of burnt-offering, with its grating of brass, it staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base; ¹⁷the hangings of the court, the pillars thereof, and their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; ¹⁸the pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords; ¹⁹the finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.

²⁰And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. ²¹And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and brought Jehovah's offering, for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof, and for the holy garments. ²²And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought brooches, and ear-rings, and signet-rings, and armlets, all jewels of gold; even every man that offered an offering of gold unto Jehovah. ²³And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, brought them. ²⁴Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought Jehovah's offering; and every man, with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. ²⁵And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen. ²⁶And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats' hair. ²⁷And the rulers brought the onyx stones, and the stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; ²⁸and the spice, and the oil; for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. ²⁹The children of Israel brought a freewill-offering unto Jehovah; every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which Jehovah had commanded to be made by Moses.

³⁰And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, Jehovah hath called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³¹And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; ³²and to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, ³³and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of skilful workmanship. ³⁴And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. ³⁵Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of workmanship, of the engraver, and of the skilful workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any workmanship, and of those that devise skilful works.

Exodus 36

36 ¹And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom Jehovah hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Jehovah hath commanded.

²And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Jehovah had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: ³and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. ⁴And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they wrought. ⁵And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make. ⁶And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. ⁷For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

⁸And all the wise-hearted men among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, Bezalel made them. ⁹The length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one measure. ¹⁰And he coupled five curtains one to another: and the other five curtains he coupled one to another. ¹¹And he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling. ¹²Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the loops were opposite one to another. ¹³And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was one.

¹⁴And he made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. ¹⁵The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain: the eleven curtains had one measure. ¹⁶And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. ¹⁷And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling. ¹⁸And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. ¹⁹And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above.

²⁰And he made the boards for the tabernacle, of acacia wood, standing up. ²¹Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. ²²Each board had two tenons, joined one to another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. ²³And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward. ²⁴And he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. ²⁵And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, ²⁶and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. ²⁷And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. ²⁸And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. ²⁹And they were double beneath; and in like manner they were entire unto the top thereof unto one ring: thus he did to both of them in the two corners. ³⁰And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.

³¹And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, ³²and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward. ³³And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other. ³⁴And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

³⁵And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, made he it. ³⁶And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; And he cast for them four sockets of silver. ³⁷And he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; ³⁸and the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass.

Exodus 37

37 ¹And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: ²and he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. ³And he cast for it four rings of gold, in the four feet thereof; even two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. ⁴And he made staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. ⁵And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. ⁶And he made a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. ⁷And he made two cherubim of gold; of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat; ⁸one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end: of one piece with the mercy-seat made he the cherubim at the two ends thereof. ⁹And the cherubim spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat were the faces of the cherubim.

¹⁰And he made the table of acacia wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: ¹¹and he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about. ¹²And he made unto it a border of a handbreadth round about, and made a golden crown to the border thereof round about. ¹³And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that were on the four feet thereof. ¹⁴Close by the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. ¹⁵And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. ¹⁶And he made the vessels which were upon the table, the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the flagons thereof, wherewith to pour out, of pure gold.

¹⁷And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, it knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it: ¹⁸and there were six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: ¹⁹three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower, and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower: so for the six branches going out of the candlestick. ²⁰And in the candlestick were four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof; ²¹and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it. ²²Their knops and their branches were of one piece with it: the whole of it was one beaten work of pure gold. ²³And he made the lamps thereof, seven, and the snuffers thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, of pure gold. ²⁴Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.

²⁵And he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, foursquare; and two cubits was the height thereof; the horns thereof were of one piece with it. ²⁶And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: and he made unto it a crown of gold round about. ²⁷And he made for it two golden rings under the crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it, for places for staves wherewith to bear it. ²⁸And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. ²⁹And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.

Exodus 38

38 ¹And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof. ²And he made the horns thereof upon the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of one piece with it: and he overlaid it with brass. ³And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, the flesh-hooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. ⁴And he made for the altar a grating of network of brass, under the ledge round it beneath, reaching halfway up. ⁵And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be places for the staves. ⁶And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with brass. ⁷And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, wherewith to bear it; he made it hollow with planks.

⁸And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the mirrors of the ministering women that ministered at the door of the tent of meeting.

⁹And he made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; ¹⁰their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. ¹¹And for the north side a hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. ¹²And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. ¹³And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. ¹⁴The hangings for the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three; ¹⁵and so for the other side: on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁶All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. ¹⁷And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver; and the overlaying of their capitals, of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. ¹⁸And the screen for the gate of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. ¹⁹And their pillars were four, and their sockets four, of brass; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, and their fillets, of silver. ²⁰And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.

²¹This is the sum of the things for the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. ²²And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Jehovah commanded Moses. ²³And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skilful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in fine linen.

²⁴All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. ²⁵And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: ²⁶a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that passed over to them that were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. ²⁷And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. ²⁸And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them. ²⁹And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. ³⁰And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tent of meeting, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grating for it, and all the vessels of the altar, ³¹and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.

Exodus 39

39 ¹And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

²And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. ³And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, the work of the skilful workman. ⁴They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; at the two ends was it joined together. ⁵And the skilfully woven band, that was upon it, wherewith to gird it on, was of the same piece and like the work thereof; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁶And they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in settings of gold, graven with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel. ⁷And he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁸And he made the breastplate, the work of the skilful workman, like the work of the ephod; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. ⁹It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double. ¹⁰And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; ¹¹and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹²and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jaspar: they were inclosed in inclosings of gold in their settings. ¹⁴And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, for the twelve tribes. ¹⁵And they made upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen work of pure gold. ¹⁶And they made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. ¹⁷And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. ¹⁸And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof. ¹⁹And they made two rings of gold, and put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which was toward the side of the ephod inward. ²⁰And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. ²¹And they did bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

²²And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. ²³And the hole of the robe in the midst thereof, as the hole of a coat of mail, with a binding round about the hole of it, that it should not be rent. ²⁴And they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. ²⁵And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe round about, between the pomegranates; ²⁶a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about, to minister in; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

²⁷And they made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, ²⁸and the mitre of fine linen, and the goodly head-tires of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen, ²⁹and the girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

³⁰And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JEHOVAH. ³¹And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it upon the mitre above; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

³²Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting: and the children of Israel did according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses; so did they. ³³And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the Tent, and all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, it bars, and its pillars, and it sockets; ³⁴and the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of sealskins, and the veil of the screen; ³⁵the ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy-seat; ³⁶the table, all the vessels thereof, and the showbread; ³⁷the pure candlestick, the lamps thereof, even the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for the light; ³⁸and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door of the Tent; ³⁹the brazen altar, and its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base; ⁴⁰the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, the cords thereof, and the pins thereof, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; ⁴¹the finely wrought garments for ministering in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office. ⁴²According to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. ⁴³And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as Jehovah had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

Exodus 40

40 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. ³And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen the ark with the veil. ⁴And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. ⁵And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. ⁶And thou shalt set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. ⁷And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein. ⁸And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court. ⁹And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof: and it shall be holy. ¹⁰And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar shall be most holy. ¹¹And thou shalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it. ¹²And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. ¹³And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. ¹⁴And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them; ¹⁵and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. ¹⁶Thus did Moses: according to all that Jehovah commanded him, so did he.

¹⁷And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. ¹⁸And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up its pillars. ¹⁹And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ²⁰And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy-seat above upon the ark: ²¹and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ²²And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. ²³And he set the bread in order upon it before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ²⁴And he put the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. ²⁵And he lighted the lamps before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ²⁶And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil: ²⁷and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ²⁸And he put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. ²⁹And he set the altar of burnt-offering at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ³⁰And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith to wash. ³¹And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat; ³²when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ³³And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. ³⁵And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. ³⁶And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys: ³⁷but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. ³⁸For the cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

The Third Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus

Leviticus 1

1 ¹And Jehovah called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man of you offereth an oblation unto Jehovah, ye shall offer your oblation of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock.

³If his oblation be a burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish: he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah. ⁴And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. ⁵And he shall kill the bullock before Jehovah: and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall present the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁶And he shall flay the burnt-offering, and cut it into its pieces. ⁷And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire; ⁸and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: ⁹but its inwards and its legs shall he wash with water: and the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, for a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

¹⁰And if his oblation be of the flock, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt-offering; he shall offer it a male without blemish. ¹¹And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before Jehovah: and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood upon the altar round about. ¹²And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: ¹³but the inwards and the legs shall he wash with water; and the priest shall offer the whole, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

¹⁴And if his oblation to Jehovah be a burnt-offering of birds, then he shall offer his oblation of turtle-doves, or of young pigeons. ¹⁵And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar; ¹⁶and he shall take away its crop with the filth thereof, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes: ¹⁷and he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

Leviticus 2

2 ¹And when any one offereth an oblation of a meal-offering unto Jehovah, his oblation shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: ²and he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful of the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn it as the memorial thereof upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah: ³and that which is left of the meal-offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire.

⁴And when thou offerest an oblation of a meal-offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. ⁵And if thy oblation be a meal-offering of the baking-pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. ⁶Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meal-offering. ⁷And if thy oblation be a meal-offering of the frying-pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸And thou shalt bring the meal-offering that is made of these things unto Jehovah: and it shall be presented unto the priest, and he shall bring it unto the altar. ⁹And the priest shall take up from the meal-offering the memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ¹⁰And that which is left of the meal-offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire.

¹¹No meal-offering, which ye shall offer unto Jehovah, shall be made with leaven; for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ¹²As an oblation of first -fruits ye shall offer them unto Jehovah: but they shall not come up for a sweet savor on the altar. ¹³And every oblation of thy meal-offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering: with all thine oblations thou shalt offer salt.

¹⁴And if thou offer a meal-offering of first-fruits unto Jehovah, thou shalt offer for the meal-offering of thy first-fruits grain in the ear parched with fire, bruised grain of the fresh ear. ¹⁵And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meal-offering. ¹⁶And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the bruised grain thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

Leviticus 3

3 ¹And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace-offerings; if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Jehovah. ²And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. ³And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, ⁴and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away. ⁵And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt-offering, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

⁶And if his oblation for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. ⁷If he offer a lamb for his oblation, then shall he offer it before Jehovah; ⁸and he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it before the tent of meeting: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. ⁹And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat thereof, the fat tail entire, he shall take away hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, ¹⁰and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away. ¹¹And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

¹²And if his oblation be a goat, then he shall offer it before Jehovah: ¹³and he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. ¹⁴And he shall offer thereof his oblation, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, ¹⁵and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away. ¹⁶And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savor; all the fat is Jehovah's. ¹⁷It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.

Leviticus 4

4 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any one shall sin unwittingly, in any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them: ³if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto Jehovah for a sin-offering. ⁴And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the bullock, and kill the bullock before Jehovah. ⁵And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to the tent of meeting: ⁶and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Jehovah, before the veil of the sanctuary. ⁷And the priest shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Jehovah, which is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bullock shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁸And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering he shall take off from it; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, ⁹and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away, ¹⁰as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace-offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt-offering. ¹¹And the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, and its inwards, and its dung, ¹²even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall it be burnt.

¹³And if the whole congregation of Israel err, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and are guilty; ¹⁴when the sin wherein they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a sin-offering, and bring it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before Jehovah; and the bullock shall be killed before Jehovah. ¹⁶And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting: ¹⁷and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Jehovah, before the veil. ¹⁸And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before Jehovah, that is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting. ¹⁹And all the fat thereof shall he take off from it, and burn it upon the altar. ²⁰Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. ²¹And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock: it is the sin-offering for the assembly.

²²When a ruler sinneth, and doeth unwittingly any one of all the things which Jehovah his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty; ²³if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be made known to him, he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a male without blemish. ²⁴And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt-offering before Jehovah: it is a sin-offering. ²⁵And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering. ²⁶And all the fat thereof shall he burn upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

²⁷And if any one of the common people sin unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and be guilty; ²⁸if his sin, which he hath sinned, be made known to him, then he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. ²⁹And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill the sin-offering in the place of burnt-offering. ³⁰And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar. ³¹And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor unto Jehovah; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

³²And if he bring a lamb as his oblation for a sin-offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish. ³³And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill it for a sin-offering in the place where they kill the burnt-offering. ³⁴And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar: ³⁵and all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, upon the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven.

Leviticus 5

5 ¹And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. ²Or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it be hidden from him, and he be unclean, then he shall be guilty. ³Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever his uncleanness be wherewith he is unclean, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty. ⁴Or if any one swear rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter rashly with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these things. ⁵And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned: ⁶and he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin.

⁷And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass-offering for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, unto Jehovah; one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering. ⁸And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin-offering first, and wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it asunder: ⁹and he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin-offering. ¹⁰And he shall offer the second for a burnt-offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin which he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven.

¹¹But if his means suffice not for two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his oblation for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering: he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering. ¹²And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, upon the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: it is a sin-offering. ¹³And the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as the meal-offering.

¹⁴And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁵If any one commit a trespass, and sin unwittingly, in the holy things of Jehovah; then he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass-offering: ¹⁶and he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering, and he shall be forgiven.

¹⁷And if any one sin, and do any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. ¹⁸And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred unwittingly and knew it not, and he shall be forgiven. ¹⁹It is a trespass-offering: he is certainly guilty before Jehovah.

Leviticus 6

6 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²If any one sin, and commit a trespass against Jehovah, and deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor, ³or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie; in any of all these things that a man doeth, sinning therein; ⁴then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, ⁵or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto: unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being found guilty. ⁶And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest: ⁷and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah; and he shall be forgiven concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby.

⁸And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁹Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt-offering: the burnt-offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night unto the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning thereon. ¹⁰And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes whereto the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. ¹¹And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. ¹²And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereon, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings. ¹³Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.

¹⁴And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Jehovah, before the altar. ¹⁵And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal-offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meal-offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor, as the memorial thereof, unto Jehovah. ¹⁶And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. ¹⁷It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as the sin-offering, and as the trespass-offering. ¹⁸Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as his portion for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: whosoever toucheth them shall be holy.

¹⁹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁰This is the oblation of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto Jehovah in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening. ²¹On a baking-pan it shall be made with oil; when it is soaked, thou shalt bring it in: in baken pieces shalt thou offer the meal-offering for a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ²²And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it: by a statute for ever it shall be wholly burnt unto Jehovah. ²³And every meal-offering of the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.

²⁴And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁵Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin-offering: in the place where the burnt-offering is killed shall the sin-offering be killed before Jehovah: it is most holy. ²⁶The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. ²⁷Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place. ²⁸But the earthen vessel wherein it is boiled shall be broken; and if it be boiled in a brazen vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water. ²⁹Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. ³⁰And no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt with fire.

Leviticus 7

7 ¹And this is the law of the trespass-offering: it is most holy. ²In the place where they kill the burnt-offering shall they kill the trespass-offering; and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle upon the altar round about. ³And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof: the fat tail, and the fat that covereth the inwards, ⁴and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away; ⁵and the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a trespass-offering. ⁶Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in a holy place: it is most holy. ⁷As is the sin-offering, so is the trespass-offering; there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith, he shall have it. ⁸And the priest that offereth any man's burnt-offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt-offering which he hath offered. ⁹And every meal-offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the frying-pan, and on the baking-pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it. ¹⁰And every meal-offering, mingled with oil, or dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as well as another.

¹¹And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one shall offer unto Jehovah. ¹²If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked. ¹³With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his oblation with the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving. ¹⁴And of it he shall offer one out of each oblation for a heave-offering unto Jehovah; it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offerings.

¹⁵And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his oblation; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. ¹⁶But if the sacrifice of his oblation be a vow, or a freewill-offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offereth his sacrifice; and on the morrow that which remaineth of it shall be eaten: ¹⁷but that which remaineth of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. ¹⁸And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.

¹⁹And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean shall eat thereof: ²⁰but the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people. ²¹And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain unto Jehovah, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

²²And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²³Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. ²⁴And the fat of that which dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of beasts, may be used for any other service; but ye shall in no wise eat of it. ²⁵For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. ²⁶And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of bird or of beast, in any of your dwellings. ²⁷Whosoever it be that eateth any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

²⁸And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁹Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace-offerings unto Jehovah shall bring his oblation unto Jehovah out of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings: ³⁰his own hands shall bring the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; the fat with the breast shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave-offering before Jehovah. ³¹And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar; but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. ³²And the right thigh shall ye give unto the priest for a heave-offering out of the sacrifices of your peace-offerings. ³³He among the sons of Aaron that offereth the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion. ³⁴For the wave-breast and the heave-thigh have I taken of the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons as their portion for ever from the children of Israel.

³⁵This is the anointing-portion of Aaron, and the anointing-portion of his sons, out of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto Jehovah in the priest's office; ³⁶which Jehovah commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is their portion for ever throughout their generations.

³⁷This is the law of the burnt-offering, of the meal-offering, and of the sin-offering, and of the trespass-offering, and of the consecration, and of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; ³⁸which Jehovah commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Leviticus 8

8 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin-offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; ³and assemble thou all the congregation at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁴And Moses did as Jehovah commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁵And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded to be done.

⁶And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. ⁷And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. ⁸And he placed the breastplate upon him: and in the breastplate he put the Urim and the Thummim. ⁹And he set the mitre upon his head; and upon the mitre, in front, did he set the golden plate, the holy crown; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

¹⁰And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. ¹¹And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, to sanctify them. ¹²And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. ¹³And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and clothed them with coats, and girded them with girdles, and bound head-tires upon them; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

¹⁴And he brought the bullock of the sin-offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock of the sin-offering. ¹⁵And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it. ¹⁶And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses burned it upon the altar. ¹⁷But the bullock, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

¹⁸And he presented the ram of the burnt-offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. ¹⁹And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. ²⁰And he cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. ²¹And he washed the inwards and the legs with water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt-offering for a sweet savor: it was an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

²²And he presented the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. ²³And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. ²⁴And he brought Aaron's sons; and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. ²⁵And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right thigh: ²⁶and out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before Jehovah, he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat, and upon the right thigh: ²⁷and he put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave-offering before Jehovah. ²⁸And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt-offering: they were a consecration for a sweet savor: it was an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ²⁹And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave-offering before Jehovah: it was Moses' portion of the ram of consecration; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

³⁰And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

³¹And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting: and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. ³²And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. ³³And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled: for he shall consecrate you seven days. ³⁴As hath been done this day, so Jehovah hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. ³⁵And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide day and night seven days, and keep the charge of Jehovah, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. ³⁶And Aaron and his sons did all the things which Jehovah commanded by Moses.

Leviticus 9

9 ¹And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; ²and he said unto Aaron, Take thee a calf of the herd for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, without blemish, and offer them before Jehovah. ³And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a he-goat for a sin-offering; and a calf and a lamb, both a year old, without blemish, for a burnt-offering; ⁴and an ox and a ram for peace-offerings, to sacrifice before Jehovah; and a meal-offering mingled with oil: for to-day Jehovah appeareth unto you. ⁵And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tent of meeting: and all the congregation drew near and stood before Jehovah. ⁶And Moses said, This is the thing which Jehovah commanded that ye should do: and the glory of Jehovah shall appear unto you. ⁷And Moses said unto Aaron, Draw near unto the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make atonement for thyself, and for the people; and offer the oblation of the people, and make atonement for them; as Jehovah commanded.

⁸So Aaron drew near unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin-offering, which was for himself. ⁹And the sons of Aaron presented the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar: ¹⁰but the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul from the liver of the sin-offering, he burnt upon the altar; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ¹¹And the flesh and the skin he burnt with fire without the camp.

¹²And he slew the burnt-offering; and Aaron's sons delivered unto him the blood, and he sprinkled it upon the altar round about. ¹³And they delivered the burnt-offering unto him, piece by piece, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar. ¹⁴And he washed the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt-offering on the altar.

¹⁵And he presented the people's oblation, and took the goat of the sin-offering which was for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. ¹⁶And he presented the burnt-offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. ¹⁷And he presented the meal-offering, and filled his hand therefrom, and burnt it upon the altar, besides the burnt-offering of the morning.

¹⁸He slew also the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons delivered unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about, ¹⁹and the fat of the ox and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul of the liver: ²⁰and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar: ²¹and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave-offering before Jehovah; as Moses commanded.

²²And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings. ²³And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of Jehovah appeared unto all the people. ²⁴And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat: and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

Leviticus 10

10 ¹And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. ²And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah. ³Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. ⁴And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. ⁵So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. ⁶And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither rend your clothes; that ye die not, and that he be not wroth with all the congregation: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which Jehovah hath kindled. ⁷And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

⁸And Jehovah spake unto Aaron, saying, ⁹Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: ¹⁰and that ye may make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; ¹¹and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah hath spoken unto them by Moses.

¹²And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meal-offering that remaineth of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy; ¹³and ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy portion, and thy sons' portion, of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: for so I am commanded. ¹⁴And the wave-breast and the heave-thigh shall ye eat in a clean place, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they are given as thy portion, and thy sons' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel. ¹⁵The heave-thigh and the wave-breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before Jehovah: and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, as a portion for ever; as Jehovah hath commanded.

¹⁶And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying, ¹⁷Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Jehovah? ¹⁸Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within: ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded. ¹⁹And Aaron spake unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before Jehovah; and there have befallen me such things as these: and if I had eaten the sin-offering to-day, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of Jehovah? ²⁰And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight.

Leviticus 11

11 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. ³Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat. ⁴Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. ⁵And the coney, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. ⁶And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you. ⁷And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you. ⁸Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

⁹These may ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that may ye eat. ¹⁰And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination unto you, ¹¹and they shall be an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses ye shall have in abomination. ¹²Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination unto you.

¹³And these ye shall have in abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray, ¹⁴and the kite, and the falcon after its kind, ¹⁵every raven after its kind, ¹⁶and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the seamew, and the hawk after its kind, ¹⁷and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, ¹⁸and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the vulture, ¹⁹and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰All winged creeping things that go upon all fours are an abomination unto you. ²¹Yet these may ye eat of all winged creeping things that go upon all fours, which have legs above their feet, wherewith to leap upon the earth. ²²Even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. ²³But all winged creeping things, which have four feet, are an abomination unto you.

²⁴And by these ye shall become unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even; ²⁵And whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. ²⁶Every beast which parteth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, is unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. ²⁷And whatsoever goeth upon its paws, among all beasts that go on all fours, they are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the even. ²⁸And he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.

²⁹And these are they which are unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the great lizard after its kind, ³⁰and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon. ³¹These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even. ³²And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherewith any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean. ³³And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and it ye shall break. ³⁴All food therein which may be eaten, that on which water cometh, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. ³⁵And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces: they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. ³⁶Nevertheless a fountain or a pit wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcass shall be unclean. ³⁷And if aught of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean. ³⁸But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

³⁹And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even. ⁴⁰And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

⁴¹And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten. ⁴²Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. ⁴³Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. ⁴⁴For I am Jehovah your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that moveth upon the earth. ⁴⁵For I am Jehovah that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

⁴⁶This is the law of the beast, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth; ⁴⁷to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.

Leviticus 12

12 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman conceive seed, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean. ³And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. ⁵But if she bear a maid-child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her impurity; and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

⁶And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb a year old for a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtle-dove, for a sin-offering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest: ⁷and he shall offer it before Jehovah, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female. ⁸And if her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons; the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

Leviticus 13

13 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ²When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: ³and the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and if the hair in the plague be turned white, and the appearance of the plague be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is the plague of leprosy; and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. ⁴And if the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: ⁵and the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if in his eyes the plague be at a stay, and the plague be not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: ⁶and the priest shall look on him again the seventh day; and, behold, if the plague be dim, and the plague be not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. ⁷But if the scab spread abroad in the skin, after that he hath showed himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the priest again: ⁸and the priest shall look; and, behold, if the scab be spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is leprosy.

⁹When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; ¹⁰and the priest shall look; and, behold, if there be a white rising in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising, ¹¹it is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean: he shall not shut him up, for he is unclean. ¹²And if the leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his feet, as far as appeareth to the priest; ¹³then the priest shall look; and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. ¹⁴But whensoever raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. ¹⁵And the priest shall look on the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean: it is leprosy. ¹⁶Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, then he shall come unto the priest; ¹⁷and the priest shall look on him; and, behold, if the plague be turned into white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

¹⁸And when the flesh hath in the skin thereof a boil, and it is healed, ¹⁹and in the place of the boil there is a white rising, or a bright spot, reddish-white, then is shall be showed to the priest; ²⁰and the priest shall look; and, behold, if the appearance thereof be lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy, it hath broken out in the boil. ²¹But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and it be not lower than the skin, but be dim; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: ²²And if it spread abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. ²³But if the bright spot stay in its place, and be not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

²⁴Or when the flesh hath in the skin thereof a burning by fire, and the quick flesh of the burning become a bright spot, reddish-white, or white; ²⁵then the priest shall look upon it; and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin; it is leprosy, it hath broken out in the burning: and the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. ²⁶But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the skin, but be dim; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: ²⁷and the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: if it spread abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. ²⁸And if the bright spot stay in its place, and be not spread in the skin, but be dim; it is the rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is the scar of the burning.

²⁹And when a man or woman hath a plague upon the head or upon the beard, ³⁰then the priest shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin, and there be in it yellow thin hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a scall, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard. ³¹And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and there be no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: ³²And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the scall be not spread, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the appearance of the scall be not deeper than the skin, ³³then he shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: ³⁴and in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall; and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, and the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. ³⁵But if the scall spread abroad in the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶then the priest shall look on him; and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean. ³⁷But if in his eyes the scall be at a stay, and black hair be grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

³⁸And when a man or a woman hath in the skin of the flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; ³⁹then the priest shall look; and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be of a dull white, it is a tetter, it hath broken out in the skin; he is clean.

⁴⁰And if a man's hair be fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. ⁴¹And if his hair be fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead bald; yet is he clean. ⁴²But if there be in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead. ⁴³Then the priest shall look upon him; and, behold, if the rising of the plague be reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the flesh; ⁴⁴he is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his plague is in his head.

⁴⁵And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. ⁴⁶All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his dwelling be.

⁴⁷The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; ⁴⁸whether it be in warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in anything made of skin; ⁴⁹if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be showed unto the priest. ⁵⁰And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up that which hath the plague seven days: ⁵¹and he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever service skin is used for; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. ⁵²And he shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in woollen or in linen, or anything of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.

⁵³And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; ⁵⁴then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: ⁵⁵and the priest shall look, after that the plague is washed; and, behold, if the plague have not changed its color, and the plague be not spread, it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire: it is a fret, whether the bareness be within or without.

⁵⁶And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be dim after the washing thereof, then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: ⁵⁷and if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is breaking out: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. ⁵⁸And the garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean.

⁵⁹This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

Leviticus 14

14 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest: ³and the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look; and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper, ⁴then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: ⁵And the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. ⁶As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: ⁷And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field. ⁸And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days. ⁹And it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.

¹⁰And on the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish, and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. ¹¹And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed, and those things, before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting. ¹²And the priest shall take one of the he-lambs, and offer him for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah: ¹³and he shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the place of the sanctuary: for as the sin-offering is the priest's, so is the trespass-offering: it is most holy: ¹⁴and the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. ¹⁵And the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand; ¹⁶and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah: ¹⁷and of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass-offering: ¹⁸and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah. ¹⁹And the priest shall offer the sin-offering, and make atonement for him that is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt-offering; ²⁰and the priest shall offer the burnt-offering and the meal-offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

²¹And if he be poor, and cannot get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a trespass-offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering, and a log of oil; ²²and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin-offering, and the other a burnt-offering. ²³And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tent of meeting, before Jehovah: ²⁴and the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah. ²⁵And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass-offering; and the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. ²⁶And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand; ²⁷and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Jehovah: ²⁸and the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass-offering: ²⁹and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Jehovah. ³⁰And he shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to get, ³¹even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, with the meal-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for him that is to be cleansed before Jehovah. ³²This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.

³³And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ³⁴When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; ³⁵then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in the house. ³⁶And the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goeth in to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: ³⁷and he shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and the appearance thereof be lower than the wall; ³⁸then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days. ³⁹And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; ⁴⁰then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city: ⁴¹and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scrape off, without the city into an unclean place: ⁴²and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.

⁴³And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken out the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered; ⁴⁴then the priest shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. ⁴⁵And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. ⁴⁶Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. ⁴⁷And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.

⁴⁸And if the priest shall come in, and look, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. ⁴⁹And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: ⁵⁰and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: ⁵¹and he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times: ⁵²and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet: ⁵³but he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open field: so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.

⁵⁴This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and for a scall, ⁵⁵and for the leprosy of a garment, and for a house, ⁵⁶and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot; ⁵⁷to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.

Leviticus 15

15 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath an issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. ³And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness. ⁴Every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth shall be unclean; and everything whereon he sitteth shall be unclean. ⁵And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ⁶And he that sitteth on anything whereon he that hath the issue sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ⁷And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ⁸And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ⁹And what saddle soever he that hath the issue rideth upon shall be unclean. ¹⁰And whosoever toucheth anything that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ¹¹And whomsoever he that hath the issue toucheth, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ¹²And the earthen vessel, which he that hath the issue toucheth, shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

¹³And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue, then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. ¹⁴And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and come before Jehovah unto the door of the tent of meeting, and give them unto the priest: ¹⁵and the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah for his issue.

¹⁶And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. ¹⁷And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. ¹⁸The woman also with whom a man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

¹⁹And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. ²⁰And everything that she lieth upon in her impurity shall be unclean: everything also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. ²¹And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ²²And whosoever toucheth anything that she sitteth upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ²³And if it be on the bed, or on anything whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. ²⁴And if any man lie with her, and her impurity be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

²⁵And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days not in the time of her impurity, or if she have an issue beyond the time of her impurity; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her impurity: she is unclean. ²⁶Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her impurity: and everything whereon she sitteth shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. ²⁷And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. ²⁸But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. ²⁹And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. ³⁰And the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before Jehovah for the issue of her uncleanness.

³¹Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in the midst of them.

³²This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed of copulation goeth from him, so that he is unclean thereby; ³³and of her that is sick with her impurity, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

Leviticus 16

16 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Jehovah, and died; ²and Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat. ³Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. ⁴He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on. ⁵And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering.

⁶And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house. ⁷And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁸And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for Azazel. ⁹And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for Jehovah, and offer him for a sin-offering. ¹⁰But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.

¹¹And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself: ¹²and he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: ¹³and he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: ¹⁴and he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat on the east; and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

¹⁵Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat: ¹⁶and he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins: and so shall he do for the tent of meeting, that dwelleth with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. ¹⁷And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. ¹⁸And he shall go out unto the altar that is before Jehovah, and make atonement for it, and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. ¹⁹And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel.

²⁰And when he hath made an end of atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat: ²¹and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a man that is in readiness into the wilderness: ²²and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a solitary land: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

²³And Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: ²⁴and he shall bathe his flesh in water in a holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt-offering and the burnt-offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵And the fat of the sin-offering shall he burn upon the altar. ²⁶And he that letteth go the goat for Azazel shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. ²⁷And the bullock of the sin-offering, and the goat of the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. ²⁸And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

²⁹And it shall be a statute for ever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you: ³⁰for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before Jehovah. ³¹It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; it is a statute for ever. ³²And the priest, who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be priest in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments: ³³and he shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. ³⁴And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make atonement for the children of Israel because of all their sins once in the year. And he did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Leviticus 17

17 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them: This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded, saying, ³What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it without the camp, ⁴and hath not brought it unto the door of the tent of meeting, to offer it as an oblation unto Jehovah before the tabernacle of Jehovah: blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: ⁵To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, even that they may bring them unto Jehovah, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace-offerings unto Jehovah. ⁶And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ⁷And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after which they play the harlot. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations.

⁸And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that offereth a burnt-offering or sacrifice, ⁹and bringeth it not unto the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it unto Jehovah; that man shall be cut off from his people.

¹⁰And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. ¹²Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. ¹³And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who taketh in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

¹⁴For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. ¹⁵And every soul that eateth that which dieth of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be home-born or a sojourner, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. ¹⁶But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.

Leviticus 18

18 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God. ³After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. ⁴Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God. ⁵Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am Jehovah.

⁶None of you shall approach to any that are near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am Jehovah. ⁷The nakedness of thy father, even the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. ⁸The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. ⁹The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. ¹⁰The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness. ¹¹The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. ¹²Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman. ¹³Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman. ¹⁴Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. ¹⁵Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. ¹⁷Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; thou shalt not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness. ¹⁸And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival to her, to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her life-time.

¹⁹And thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness. ²⁰And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her. ²¹And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through the fire to Molech; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah. ²²Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. ²³And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

²⁴Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you; ²⁵And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out her inhabitants. ²⁶Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you; ²⁷(for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled); ²⁸that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. ²⁹For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. ³⁰Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practise not any of these abominable customs, which were practised before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.

Leviticus 19

19 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy; for I Jehovah your God am holy. ³Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father; and ye shall keep my sabbaths: I am Jehovah your God. ⁴Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Jehovah your God.

⁵And when ye offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah, ye shall offer it that ye may be accepted. ⁶It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burnt with fire. ⁷And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it shall not be accepted: ⁸but every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the holy thing of Jehovah: and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

⁹And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest. ¹⁰And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God.

¹¹Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another. ¹²And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.

¹³Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor, nor rob him: the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. ¹⁴Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind; but thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah.

¹⁵Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor. ¹⁶Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am Jehovah.

¹⁷Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart: thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. ¹⁸Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am Jehovah.

¹⁹Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed: neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. ²⁰And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to a husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; they shall be punished; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. ²¹And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, unto the door of the tent of meeting, even a ram for a trespass-offering. ²²And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering before Jehovah for his sin which he hath sinned: and the sin which he hath sinned shall be forgiven him. ²³And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as their uncircumcision: three years shall they be as uncircumcised unto you; it shall not be eaten. ²⁴But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise unto Jehovah. ²⁵And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am Jehovah your God.

²⁶Ye shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantments, nor practise augury. ²⁷Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. ²⁸Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am Jehovah.

²⁹Profane not thy daughter, to make her a harlot; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness. ³⁰Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am Jehovah.

³¹Turn ye not unto them that have familiar spirits, nor unto the wizards; seek them not out, to be defiled by them: I am Jehovah your God.

³²Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah.

³³And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not do him wrong. ³⁴The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

³⁵Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity. ³⁶Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷And ye shall observe all my statutes, and all mine ordinances, and do them: I am Jehovah.

Leviticus 20

20 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Moreover, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. ³I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. ⁴And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death; ⁵then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that play the harlot after him, to play the harlot with Molech, from among their people.

⁶And the soul that turneth unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto the wizards, to play the harlot after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. ⁷Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am Jehovah your God. ⁸And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you. ⁹For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

¹⁰And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. ¹¹And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. ¹²And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. ¹³And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. ¹⁴And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you. ¹⁵And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. ¹⁶And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹⁷And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. ¹⁸And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. ¹⁹And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister; for he hath made naked his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity. ²⁰And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. ²¹And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

²²Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all mine ordinances, and do them; that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, vomit you not out. ²³And ye shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. ²⁴But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey: I am Jehovah your God, who hath separated you from the peoples. ²⁵Ye shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by bird, or by anything wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have separated from you as unclean. ²⁶And ye shall be holy unto me: for I, Jehovah, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye should be mine.

²⁷A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 21

21 ¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people; ²except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, ³and for his sister a virgin, that is near unto him, that hath had no husband; for her may he defile himself. ⁴He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. ⁵They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. ⁶They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. ⁷They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. ⁸Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I Jehovah, who sanctify you, am holy. ⁹And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the harlot, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

¹⁰And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head go loose, nor rend his clothes; ¹¹neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; ¹²neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am Jehovah. ¹³And he shall take a wife in her virginity. ¹⁴A widow, or one divorced, or a profane woman, a harlot, these shall he not take: but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife. ¹⁵And he shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth him.

¹⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. ¹⁸For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous, ¹⁹or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed, ²⁰or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or is scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; ²¹no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, that hath a blemish, shall come nigh to offer the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. ²²He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy: ²³only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them. ²⁴So Moses spake unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

Leviticus 22

22 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow unto me, and that they profane not my holy name: I am Jehovah. ³Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before me: I am Jehovah. ⁴What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him; ⁵or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; ⁶the soul that toucheth any such shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water. ⁷And when the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread. ⁸That which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts, he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith: I am Jehovah. ⁹They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.

¹⁰There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest's, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. ¹¹But if a priest buy any soul, the purchase of his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread. ¹²And if a priest's daughter be married unto a stranger, she shall not eat of the heave-offering of the holy things. ¹³But if a priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and be returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's bread: but there shall no stranger eat thereof. ¹⁴And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing. ¹⁵And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto Jehovah, ¹⁶and so cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt, when they eat their holy things: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.

¹⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the sojourners in Israel, that offereth his oblation, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill-offerings, which they offer unto Jehovah for a burnt-offering; ¹⁹that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the bullocks, of the sheep, or of the goats. ²⁰But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. ²¹And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. ²²Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto Jehovah, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto Jehovah. ²³Either a bullock or a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. ²⁴That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, ye shall not offer unto Jehovah; neither shall ye do thus in your land. ²⁵Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

²⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁷When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the oblation of an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ²⁸And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day. ²⁹And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto Jehovah, ye shall sacrifice it that ye may be accepted. ³⁰On the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I am Jehovah. ³¹Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am Jehovah. ³²And ye shall not profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am Jehovah who halloweth you, ³³who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah.

Leviticus 23

23 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts. ³Six days shall work be done: but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work: it is a sabbath unto Jehovah in all your dwellings.

⁴These are the set feasts of Jehovah, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season. ⁵In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, is Jehovah's passover. ⁶And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Jehovah: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. ⁷In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work. ⁸But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

⁹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁰Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: ¹¹and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. ¹²And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish a year old for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah. ¹³And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah for a sweet savor; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. ¹⁴And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the oblation of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

¹⁵And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be complete: ¹⁶even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah. ¹⁷Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven, for first-fruits unto Jehovah. ¹⁸And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish a year old, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be a burnt-offering unto Jehovah, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ¹⁹And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. ²⁰And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest. ²¹And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no servile work: it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

²²And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God.

²³And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁴Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. ²⁵Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

²⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁷Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ²⁸And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God. ²⁹For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people. ³⁰And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people. ³¹Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³²It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath.

³³And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ³⁴Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Jehovah. ³⁵On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work. ³⁶Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work.

³⁷These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day; ³⁸besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto Jehovah.

³⁹Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of Jehovah seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. ⁴⁰And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days. ⁴¹And ye shall keep it a feast unto Jehovah seven days in the year: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. ⁴²Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; ⁴³that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God. ⁴⁴And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.

Leviticus 24

24 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. ³Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah continually: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. ⁴He shall keep in order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before Jehovah continually.

⁵And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake. ⁶And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before Jehovah. ⁷And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ⁸Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Jehovah continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant. ⁹And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire by a perpetual statute.

¹⁰And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp: ¹¹and the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. ¹²And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of Jehovah.

¹³And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁴Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. ¹⁵And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. ¹⁶And he that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the sojourner, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, shall be put to death. ¹⁷And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good, life for life. ¹⁹And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him: ²⁰breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him. ²¹And he that killeth a beast shall make it good: and he that killeth a man shall be put to death. ²²Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the sojourner, as for the home-born: for I am Jehovah your God. ²³And Moses spake to the children of Israel; and they brought forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Leviticus 25

25 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto Jehovah. ³Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruits thereof; ⁴but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto Jehovah: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. ⁵That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather: it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. ⁶And the sabbath of the land shall be for food for you; for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant and for thy stranger, who sojourn with thee. ⁷And for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food.

⁸And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and there shall be unto thee the days of seven sabbaths of years, even forty and nine years. ⁹Then shalt thou send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye send abroad the trumpet throughout all your land. ¹⁰And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. ¹¹A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of the undressed vines. ¹²For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

¹³In this year of jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. ¹⁴And if thou sell aught unto thy neighbor, or buy of thy neighbor's hand, ye shall not wrong one another. ¹⁵According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years of the crops he shall sell unto thee. ¹⁶According to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for the number of the crops doth he sell unto thee. ¹⁷And ye shall not wrong one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am Jehovah your God.

¹⁸Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep mine ordinances and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. ¹⁹And the land shall yield its fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. ²⁰And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase; ²¹then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for the three years. ²²And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the ninth year, until its fruits come in, ye shall eat the old store.

²³And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine: for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. ²⁴And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. ²⁵If thy brother be waxed poor, and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him come, and shall redeem that which his brother hath sold. ²⁶And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he be waxed rich and find sufficient to redeem it; ²⁷then let him reckon the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return unto his possession. ²⁸But if he be not able to get it back for himself, then that which he hath sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.

²⁹And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption. ³⁰And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him that bought it, throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubilee. ³¹But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee. ³²Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time. ³³And if one of the Levites redeem, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the jubilee; for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. ³⁴But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.

³⁵And if thy brother be waxed poor, and his hand fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee. ³⁶Take thou no interest of him or increase, but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. ³⁷Thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest, nor give him thy victuals for increase. ³⁸I am Jehovah your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

³⁹And if thy brother be waxed poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee; thou shalt not make him to serve as a bond-servant. ⁴⁰As a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee: ⁴¹then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. ⁴²For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen. ⁴³Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God. ⁴⁴And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou shalt have; of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. ⁴⁵Moreover of the children of the strangers that sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land: and they shall be your possession. ⁴⁶And ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigor.

⁴⁷And if a stranger or sojourner with thee be waxed rich, and thy brother be waxed poor beside him, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner with thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family; ⁴⁸after that he is sold he may be redeemed: one of his brethren may redeem him; ⁴⁹or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be waxed rich, he may redeem himself. ⁵⁰And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. ⁵¹If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. ⁵²And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. ⁵³As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him: he shall not rule with rigor over him in thy sight. ⁵⁴And if he be not redeemed by these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him. ⁵⁵For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

Leviticus 26

26 ¹Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am Jehovah your God. ²Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am Jehovah.

³If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; ⁴then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. ⁵And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. ⁶And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. ⁷And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. ⁸And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. ⁹And I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and will establish my covenant with you. ¹⁰And ye shall eat old store long kept, and ye shall bring forth the old because of the new. ¹¹And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. ¹²And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. ¹³I am Jehovah your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright.

¹⁴But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; ¹⁵and if ye shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhor mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant; ¹⁶I also will do this unto you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. ¹⁷And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies: they that hate you shall rule over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. ¹⁸And if ye will not yet for these things hearken unto me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. ¹⁹And I will break the pride of your power: and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass; ²⁰and your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.

²¹And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. ²²And I will send the beast of the field among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your ways shall become desolate. ²³And if by these things ye will not be reformed unto me, but will walk contrary unto me; ²⁴then will I also walk contrary unto you; and I will smite you, even I, seven times for your sins. ²⁵And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute the vengeance of the covenant; and ye shall be gathered together within your cities: and I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. ²⁶When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

²⁷And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; ²⁸then I will walk contrary unto you in wrath; and I also will chastise you seven times for your sins. ²⁹And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. ³⁰And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your sun-images, and cast your dead bodies upon the bodies of your idols; and my soul shall abhor you. ³¹And I will make your cities a waste, and will bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors. ³²And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell therein shall be astonished at it. ³³And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you: and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.

³⁴Then shall the land enjoy its sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye are in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy its sabbaths. ³⁵As long as it lieth desolate it shall have rest, even the rest which it had not in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. ³⁶And as for them that are left of you, I will send a faintness into their heart in the lands of their enemies: and the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as one fleeth from the sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. ³⁷And they shall stumble one upon another, as it were before the sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. ³⁸And ye shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. ³⁹And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

⁴⁰And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me, and also that, because they walked contrary unto me, ⁴¹I also walked contrary unto them, and brought them into the land of their enemies: if then their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity; ⁴²then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. ⁴³The land also shall be left by them, and shall enjoy its sabbaths, while it lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected mine ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes. ⁴⁴And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them; for I am Jehovah their God; ⁴⁵but I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am Jehovah.

⁴⁶These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which Jehovah made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by Moses.

Leviticus 27

27 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall accomplish a vow, the persons shall be for Jehovah by thy estimation. ³And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁴And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. ⁵And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. ⁶And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. ⁷And if it be from sixty years old and upward; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. ⁸But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of him that vowed shall the priest value him.

⁹And if it be a beast, whereof men offer an oblation unto Jehovah, all that any man giveth of such unto Jehovah shall be holy. ¹⁰He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. ¹¹And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer an oblation unto Jehovah, then he shall set the beast before the priest; ¹²and the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou the priest valuest it, so shall it be. ¹³But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.

¹⁴And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto Jehovah, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. ¹⁵And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.

¹⁶And if a man shall sanctify unto Jehovah part of the field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the sowing thereof: the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. ¹⁷If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand. ¹⁸But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain unto the year of jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from thy estimation. ¹⁹And if he that sanctified the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. ²⁰And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more: ²¹but the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto Jehovah, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's. ²²And if he sanctify unto Jehovah a field which he hath bought, which is not of the field of his possession; ²³then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation unto the year of jubilee: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto Jehovah. ²⁴In the year of jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongeth. ²⁵And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

²⁶Only the firstling among beasts, which is made a firstling to Jehovah, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox or sheep, it is Jehovah's. ²⁷And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall ransom it according to thine estimation, and shall add unto it the fifth part thereof: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.

²⁸Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto Jehovah of all that he hath, whether of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto Jehovah. ²⁹No one devoted, that shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

³⁰And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's: it is holy unto Jehovah. ³¹And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof. ³²And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto Jehovah. ³³He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

³⁴These are the commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

The Fourth Book of Moses, called Numbers

Numbers 1

1 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ²Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, every male, by their polls; ³from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel, thou and Aaron shall number them by their hosts. ⁴And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of his fathers' house. ⁵And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you. Of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur. ⁶Of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ⁷Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ⁸Of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar. ⁹Of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon. ¹⁰Of the children of Joseph: Of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud. Of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ¹¹Of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni. ¹²Of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ¹³Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran. ¹⁴Of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel. ¹⁵Of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan. ¹⁶These are they that were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel. ¹⁷And Moses and Aaron took these men that are mentioned by name: ¹⁸And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. ¹⁹As Jehovah commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

²⁰And the children of Reuben, Israel's first-born, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²¹those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.

²²Of the children of Simeon, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, those that were numbered thereof, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²³those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.

²⁴Of the children of Gad, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²⁵those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. ²⁶Of the children of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²⁷those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

²⁸Of the children of Issachar, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²⁹those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.

³⁰Of the children of Zebulun, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³¹those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.

³²Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³³those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.

³⁴Of the children of Manasseh, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³⁵those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.

³⁶Of the children of Benjamin, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³⁷those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.

³⁸Of the children of Dan, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³⁹those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.

⁴⁰Of the children of Asher, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ⁴¹those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.

⁴²Of the children of Naphtali, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ⁴³those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

⁴⁴These are they that were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: they were each one for his fathers' house. ⁴⁵So all they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; ⁴⁶even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

⁴⁷But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. ⁴⁸For Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁴⁹Only the tribe of Levi thou shalt not number, neither shalt thou take the sum of them among the children of Israel; ⁵⁰but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all the furniture thereof, and over all that belongeth to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. ⁵¹And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ⁵²And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, according to their hosts. ⁵³But the Levites shall encamp round about the tabernacle of the testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony. ⁵⁴Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so did they.

Numbers 2

2 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ²The children of Israel shall encamp every man by his own standard, with the ensigns of their fathers' houses: over against the tent of meeting shall they encamp round about. ³And those that encamp on the east side toward the sunrising shall be they of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ⁴And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. ⁵And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and the prince of the children of Issachar shall be Nethanel the son of Zuar. ⁶And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. ⁷And the tribe of Zebulun: and the prince of the children of Zebulun shall be Eliab the son of Helon. ⁸And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. ⁹All that were numbered of the camp of Judah were a hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, according to their hosts. They shall set forth first.

¹⁰On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur. ¹¹And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. ¹²And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the prince of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ¹³And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. ¹⁴And the tribe of Gad: and the prince of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. ¹⁵And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. ¹⁶All that were numbered of the camp of Reuben were a hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth second.

¹⁷Then the tent of meeting shall set forward, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place, by their standards.

¹⁸On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud. ¹⁹And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. ²⁰And next unto him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the prince of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²¹And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. ²²And the tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. ²³And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. ²⁴All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were a hundred thousand and eight thousand and a hundred, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth third.

²⁵On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their hosts: and the prince of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. ²⁷And those that encamp next unto him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the prince of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ochran. ²⁸And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. ²⁹And the tribe of Naphtali: and the prince of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. ³⁰And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. ³¹All that were numbered of the camp of Dan were a hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall set forth hindmost by their standards.

³²These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses: all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. ³³But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ³⁴Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so they encamped by their standards, and so they set forward, every one by their families, according to their fathers' houses.

Numbers 3

3 ¹Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spake with Moses in mount Sinai. ²And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests that were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office. ⁴And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah, when they offered strange fire before Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father.

⁵And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁶Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. ⁷And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. ⁸And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. ⁹And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him on the behalf of the children of Israel. ¹⁰And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

¹¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹²And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine: ¹³for all the first-born are mine; on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast; mine they shall be: I am Jehovah.

¹⁴And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, ¹⁵Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. ¹⁶And Moses numbered them according to the word of Jehovah, as he was commanded. ¹⁷And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁸And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁹And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ²⁰And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.

²¹Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites: these are the families of the Gershonites. ²²Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred. ²³The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward. ²⁴And the prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. ²⁵And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting shall be the tabernacle, and the Tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, ²⁶and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

²⁷And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. ²⁸According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary. ²⁹The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the side of the tabernacle southward. ³⁰And the prince of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. ³¹And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the screen, and all the service thereof. ³²And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

³³Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari. ³⁴And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred. ³⁵And the prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: they shall encamp on the side of the tabernacle northward. ³⁶And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the instruments thereof, and all the service thereof, ³⁷and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

³⁸And those that encamp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ³⁹All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Jehovah, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.

⁴⁰And Jehovah said unto Moses, Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. ⁴¹And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel: ⁴²and Moses numbered, as Jehovah commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel. ⁴³And all the first-born males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.

⁴⁴And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁴⁵Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am Jehovah. ⁴⁶And for the redemption of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the first-born of the children of Israel, that are over and above the number of the Levites, ⁴⁷thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs): ⁴⁸and thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons. ⁴⁹And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites; ⁵⁰from the first-born of the children of Israel took he the money, a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: ⁵¹and Moses gave the redemption-money unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of Jehovah, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Numbers 4

4 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ²Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses, ³from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. ⁴This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, about the most holy things: ⁵when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it, ⁶and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. ⁷And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls and the cups wherewith to pour out; and the continual bread shall be thereon: ⁸and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof. ⁹And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: ¹⁰and they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon the frame. ¹¹And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof: ¹²and they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame. ¹³And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: ¹⁴and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, the firepans, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and put in the staves thereof. ¹⁵And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. ¹⁶And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the continual meal-offering, and the anointing oil, the charge of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, the sanctuary, and the furniture thereof.

¹⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ¹⁸Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; ¹⁹but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; ²⁰but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die.

²¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²²Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their families; ²³from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting. ²⁴This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens: ²⁵they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, ²⁶and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatsoever shall be done with them: therein shall they serve. ²⁷At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burden. ²⁸This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

²⁹As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers' houses; ³⁰from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the work of the tent of meeting. ³¹And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, ³²and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden. ³³This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

³⁴And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers' houses, ³⁵from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting: ³⁶and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses. ³⁸And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers' houses, ³⁹from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, ⁴⁰even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. ⁴¹These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah.

⁴²And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers' houses, ⁴³from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand and two hundred. ⁴⁵These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

⁴⁶All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers' houses, ⁴⁷from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, ⁴⁸even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. ⁴⁹According to the commandment of Jehovah they were numbered by Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Numbers 5

5 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead: ³both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell. ⁴And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp; as Jehovah spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.

⁵And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁶Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Jehovah, and that soul shall be guilty; ⁷then he shall confess his sin which he hath done: and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he hath been guilty. ⁸But if the man have no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made unto Jehovah shall be the priest's; besides the ram of the atonement, whereby atonement shall be made for him. ⁹And every heave-offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present unto the priest, shall be his. ¹⁰And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.

¹¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, ¹³and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, and she be not taken in the act; ¹⁴and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: ¹⁵then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her oblation for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

¹⁶And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before Jehovah: ¹⁷and the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water. ¹⁸And the priest shall set the woman before Jehovah, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy: and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causeth the curse. ¹⁹And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou have not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse. ²⁰But if thou have gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee besides thy husband: ²¹then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy body to swell; ²²and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy body to swell, and thy thigh to fall away. And the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.

²³And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness: ²⁴and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter. ²⁵And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before Jehovah, and bring it unto the altar: ²⁶and the priest shall take a handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. ²⁷And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. ²⁸And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

²⁹This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth aside, and is defiled; ³⁰or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he is jealous of his wife; then shall he set the woman before Jehovah, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. ³¹And the man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.

Numbers 6

6 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself unto Jehovah, ³he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. ⁴All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk.

⁵All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto Jehovah, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

⁶All the days that he separateth himself unto Jehovah he shall not come near to a dead body. ⁷He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation unto God is upon his head. ⁸All the days of his separation he is holy unto Jehovah.

⁹And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. ¹⁰And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting: ¹¹and the priest shall offer one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. ¹²And he shall separate unto Jehovah the days of his separation, and shall bring a he-lamb a year old for a trespass-offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

¹³And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tent of meeting: ¹⁴and he shall offer his oblation unto Jehovah, one he-lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings, ¹⁵and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings. ¹⁶And the priest shall present them before Jehovah, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt-offering: ¹⁷and he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. ¹⁸And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings. ¹⁹And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazirite, after he hath shaven the head of his separation; ²⁰and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah; this is holy for the priest, together with the wave-breast and heave-thigh: and after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹This is the law of the Nazirite who voweth, and of his oblation unto Jehovah for his separation, besides that which he is able to get: according to his vow which he voweth, so he must do after the law of his separation.

²²And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²³Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel: ye shall say unto them,

²⁴Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee:

²⁵Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

²⁶Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

²⁷So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

Numbers 7

7 ¹And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them; ²that the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, offered. These were the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that were numbered: ³and they brought their oblation before Jehovah, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they presented them before the tabernacle. ⁴And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁵Take it of them, that they may be used in doing the service of the tent of meeting; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service. ⁶And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. ⁷Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service: ⁸and four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ⁹But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged unto them; they bare it upon their shoulders. ¹⁰And the princes offered for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their oblation before the altar. ¹¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, They shall offer their oblation, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.

¹²And he that offered his oblation the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: ¹³and his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ¹⁴one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ¹⁵one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ¹⁶one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ¹⁷and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

¹⁸On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: ¹⁹he offered for his oblation one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ²⁰one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ²¹one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ²²one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ²³and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

²⁴On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun.: ²⁵his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ²⁶one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ²⁷one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ²⁸one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ²⁹and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Eliab the son of Helon.

³⁰On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben: ³¹his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ³²one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ³³one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ³⁴one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ³⁵and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

³⁶On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon: ³⁷his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ³⁸one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ³⁹one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁴⁰one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁴¹and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

⁴²On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad: ⁴³his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁴⁴one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁴⁵one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁴⁶one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁴⁷and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

⁴⁸On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim: ⁴⁹his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁵⁰one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁵¹one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁵²one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁵³and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh: ⁵⁵his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁵⁶one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁵⁷one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁵⁸one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁵⁹and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin: ⁶¹his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁶²one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁶³one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁶⁴one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁶⁵and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan: ⁶⁷his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁶⁸one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁶⁹one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁷⁰one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁷¹and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

⁷²On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher: ⁷³his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁷⁴one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁷⁵one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁷⁶one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁷⁷and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

⁷⁸On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali: ⁷⁹his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred a thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; ⁸⁰one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁸¹one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb a year old, for a burnt-offering; ⁸²one male of the goats for a sin-offering; ⁸³and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs a year old: this was the oblation of Ahira the son of Enan.

⁸⁴This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden spoons; ⁸⁵each silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; ⁸⁶the twelve golden spoons, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the spoons a hundred and twenty shekels; ⁸⁷all the oxen for the burnt-offering twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the he-lambs a year old twelve, and their meal-offering; and the males of the goats for a sin-offering twelve; ⁸⁸and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace-offerings twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he-goats sixty, the he-lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed.

⁸⁹And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto him.

Numbers 8

8 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick. ³And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof so as to give light in front of the candlestick, as Jehovah commanded Moses. ⁴And this was the work of the candlestick, beaten work of gold; unto the base thereof, and unto the flowers thereof, it was beaten work: according unto the pattern which Jehovah had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

⁵And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁶Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. ⁷And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of expiation upon them, and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. ⁸Then let them take a young bullock, and its meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil; and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering. ⁹And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting: and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel: ¹⁰and thou shalt present the Levites before Jehovah. And the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites: ¹¹and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Jehovah for a wave-offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Jehovah. ¹²And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and offer thou the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, unto Jehovah, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave-offering unto Jehovah.

¹⁴Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine. ¹⁵And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tent of meeting: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for a wave-offering. ¹⁶For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of all that openeth the womb, even the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. ¹⁷For all the first-born among the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. ¹⁸And I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel. ¹⁹And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

²⁰Thus did Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the Levites: according unto all that Jehovah commanded Moses touching the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. ²¹And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes: and Aaron offered them for a wave-offering before Jehovah; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²²And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron, and before his sons: as Jehovah had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

²³And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁴This is that which belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service in the work of the tent of meeting: ²⁵and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the work, and shall serve no more, ²⁶but shall minister with their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charges.

Numbers 9

9 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ²Moreover let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season. ³In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in its appointed season: according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it. ⁴And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. ⁵And they kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at even, in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. ⁶And there were certain men, who were unclean by reason of the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: ⁷and those men said unto him, We are unclean by reason of the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer the oblation of Jehovah in its appointed season among the children of Israel? ⁸And Moses said unto them, Stay ye, that I may hear what Jehovah will command concerning you.

⁹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁰Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your generations shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be on a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto Jehovah. ¹¹In the second month on the fourteenth day at even they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs: ¹²they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof: according to all the statute of the passover they shall keep it. ¹³But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he offered not the oblation of Jehovah in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. ¹⁴And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto Jehovah; according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one statute, both for the sojourner, and for him that is born in the land.

¹⁵And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony: and at even it was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning. ¹⁶So it was alway: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel encamped. ¹⁸At the commandment of Jehovah the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of Jehovah they encamped: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they remained encamped. ¹⁹And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of Jehovah, and journeyed not. ²⁰And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of Jehovah they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed. ²¹And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed: or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. ²²Whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed. ²³At the commandment of Jehovah they encamped, and at the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed: they kept the charge of Jehovah, at the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

Numbers 10

10 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Make thee two trumpets of silver; of beaten work shalt thou make them: and thou shalt use them for the calling of the congregation, and for the journeying of the camps. ³And when they shall blow them, all the congregation shall gather themselves unto thee at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁴And if they blow but one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. ⁵And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie on the east side shall take their journey. ⁶And when ye blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. ⁷But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. ⁸And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and they shall be to you for a statute for ever throughout your generations. ⁹And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that oppresseth you, then ye shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before Jehovah your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰Also in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God: I am Jehovah your God.

¹¹And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony. ¹²And the children of Israel set forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran. ¹³And they first took their journey according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses. ¹⁴And in the first place the standard of the camp of the children of Judah set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ¹⁵And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. ¹⁶And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. ¹⁷And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who bare the tabernacle, set forward. ¹⁸And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. ¹⁹And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ²⁰And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

²¹And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the others did set up the tabernacle against their coming. ²²And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. ²³And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²⁴And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

²⁵And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan, which was the rearward of all the camps, set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ochran. ²⁷And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. ²⁸Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their hosts; and they set forward.

²⁹And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which Jehovah said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for Jehovah hath spoken good concerning Israel. ³⁰And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. ³¹And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. ³²And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever Jehovah shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

³³And they set forward from the mount of Jehovah three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting-place for them. ³⁴And the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp. ³⁵And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. ³⁶And when it rested, he said, Return, O Jehovah, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.

Numbers 11

11 ¹And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of Jehovah: and when Jehovah heard it, his anger was kindled; and the fire of Jehovah burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp. ²And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto Jehovah, and the fire abated. ³And the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Jehovah burnt among them.

⁴And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? ⁵We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: ⁶but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look upon. ⁷And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium. ⁸The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. ⁹And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it. ¹⁰And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased. ¹¹And Moses said unto Jehovah, Wherefore hast thou dealt ill with thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? ¹²Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? ¹³Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. ¹⁴I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. ¹⁵And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

¹⁶And Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee. ¹⁷And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. ¹⁸And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. ¹⁹Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, ²⁰but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? ²¹And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. ²²Shall flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? ²³And Jehovah said unto Moses, Is Jehovah's hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

²⁴And Moses went out, and told the people the words of Jehovah: and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent. ²⁵And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

²⁶But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. ²⁸And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. ²⁹And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them! ³⁰And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

³¹And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. ³²And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. ³³While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague. ³⁴And the name of that place was called Kibrothhattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted. ³⁵From Kibrothhattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth.

Numbers 12

12 ¹And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. ²And they said, Hath Jehovah indeed spoken only with Moses? hath he not spoken also with us? And Jehovah heard it. ³Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.

⁴And Jehovah spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting. And they three came out. ⁵And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth. ⁶And he said, Hear now my words: if there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak with him in a dream. ⁷My servant Moses is not so; he is faithful in all my house: ⁸with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the form of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

⁹And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them; and he departed. ¹⁰And the cloud removed from over the Tent; and, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. ¹¹And Aaron said unto Moses, Oh, my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned. ¹²Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. ¹³And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, Heal her, O God, I beseech thee. ¹⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again. ¹⁵And Miriam was shut up without the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

¹⁶And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

Numbers 13

13 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them. ³And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. ⁴And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. ⁵Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. ⁶Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ⁷Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. ⁸Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. ⁹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. ¹⁰Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. ¹¹Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. ¹²Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. ¹³Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. ¹⁴Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. ¹⁵Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. ¹⁶These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

¹⁷And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country: ¹⁸and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; ¹⁹and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; ²⁰and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.

²¹So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. ²²And they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) ²³And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two; they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. ²⁴That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

²⁵And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. ²⁶And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us; and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. ²⁸Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. ²⁹Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.

³⁰And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. ³¹But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. ³²And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. ³³And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Numbers 14

14 ¹And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. ²And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness! ³And wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

⁴And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. ⁵Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. ⁶And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes: ⁷and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land. ⁸If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. ⁹Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not. ¹⁰But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.

¹¹And Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? ¹²I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.

¹³And Moses said unto Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them; ¹⁴and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou Jehovah art in the midst of this people; for thou Jehovah art seen face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵Now if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, ¹⁶Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. ¹⁷And now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, ¹⁸Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. ¹⁹Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

²⁰And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word: ²¹but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah; ²²because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; ²³surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it: ²⁴but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. ²⁵Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: to-morrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

²⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ²⁷How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. ²⁸Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: ²⁹your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, ³⁰surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. ³¹But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. ³²But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. ³³And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness. ³⁴After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation. ³⁵I, Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

³⁶And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land, ³⁷even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah. ³⁸But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.

³⁹And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. ⁴⁰And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned. ⁴¹And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah, seeing it shall not prosper? ⁴²Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies. ⁴³For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned back from following Jehovah, therefore Jehovah will not be with you. ⁴⁴But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. ⁴⁵Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.

Numbers 15

15 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, ³and will make an offering by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill-offering, or in your set feasts, to make a sweet savor unto Jehovah, of the herd, or of the flock; ⁴then shall he that offereth his oblation offer unto Jehovah a meal-offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of oil: ⁵and wine for the drink-offering, the fourth part of a hin, shalt thou prepare with the burnt-offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb. ⁶Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meal-offering two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the third part of a hin of oil: ⁷and for the drink-offering thou shalt offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ⁸And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt-offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace-offerings unto Jehovah; ⁹then shall he offer with the bullock a meal-offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with half a hin of oil: ¹⁰and thou shalt offer for the drink-offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

¹¹Thus shall it be done for each bullock, or for each ram, or for each of the he-lambs, or of the kids. ¹²According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. ¹³All that are home-born shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ¹⁴And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah; as ye do, so he shall do. ¹⁵For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you, a statute for ever throughout your generations: as ye are, so shall the sojourner be before Jehovah. ¹⁶One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

¹⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, ¹⁹then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up a heave-offering unto Jehovah. ²⁰Of the first of your dough ye shall offer up a cake for a heave-offering: as the heave-offering of the threshing-floor, so shall ye heave it. ²¹Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto Jehovah a heave-offering throughout your generations.

²²And when ye shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses, ²³even all that Jehovah hath commanded you by Moses, from the day that Jehovah gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations; ²⁴then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt-offering, for a sweet savor unto Jehovah, with the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof, according to the ordinance, and one he-goat for a sin-offering. ²⁵And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their oblation, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, and their sin-offering before Jehovah, for their error: ²⁶and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; for in respect of all the people it was done unwittingly.

²⁷And if one person sin unwittingly, then he shall offer a she-goat a year old for a sin-offering. ²⁸And the priest shall make atonement for the soul that erreth, when he sinneth unwittingly, before Jehovah, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven. ²⁹Ye shall have one law for him that doeth aught unwittingly, for him that is home-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. ³⁰But the soul that doeth aught with a high hand, whether he be home-born or a sojourner, the same blasphemeth Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹Because he hath despised the word of Jehovah, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

³²And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks upon the sabbath day. ³³And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. ³⁴And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him. ³⁵And Jehovah said unto Moses, The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. ³⁶And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him to death with stones; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

³⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ³⁸Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of each border a cord of blue: ³⁹and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them; and that ye follow not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to play the harlot; ⁴⁰that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. ⁴¹I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah your God.

Numbers 16

16 ¹Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: ²and they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown; ³and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and Jehovah is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of Jehovah?

⁴And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: ⁵and he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, In the morning Jehovah will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near unto him. ⁶This do: take you censers, Korah, and all his company; ⁷and put fire in them, and put incense upon them before Jehovah to-morrow: and it shall be that the man whom Jehovah doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. ⁸And Moses said unto Korah, Hear now, ye sons of Levi: ⁹seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them; ¹⁰and that he hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee? and seek ye the priesthood also? ¹¹Therefore thou and all thy company are gathered together against Jehovah: and Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him?

¹²And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, We will not come up: ¹³is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us? ¹⁴Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

¹⁵And Moses was very wroth, and said unto Jehovah, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. ¹⁶And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before Jehovah, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow: ¹⁷and take ye every man his censer, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before Jehovah every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each his censer. ¹⁸And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of the tent of meeting: and the glory of Jehovah appeared unto all the congregation.

²⁰And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ²¹Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. ²²And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? ²³And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁴Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

²⁵And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. ²⁷So they gat them up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. ²⁸And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that Jehovah hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. ²⁹If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Jehovah hath not sent me. ³⁰But if Jehovah make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah.

³¹And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; ³²and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. ³³So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up. ³⁵And fire came forth from Jehovah, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense.

³⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ³⁷Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are holy, ³⁸even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Jehovah; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. ³⁹And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, which they that were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar, ⁴⁰to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, that is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before Jehovah; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as Jehovah spake unto him by Moses.

⁴¹But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of Jehovah. ⁴²And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Jehovah appeared. ⁴³And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁴⁵Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. ⁴⁶And Moses said unto Aaron, Take they censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from Jehovah; the plague is begun. ⁴⁷And Aaron took as Moses spake, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. ⁴⁹Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of Korah. ⁵⁰And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was stayed.

Numbers 17

17 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. ³And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers' houses. ⁴And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. ⁵And it shall come to pass, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you. ⁶And Moses spake unto the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.

⁸And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bare ripe almonds. ⁹And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. ¹⁰And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me, that they die not. ¹¹Thus did Moses: as Jehovah commanded him, so did he.

¹²And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. ¹³Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah, dieth: shall we perish all of us?

Numbers 18

18 ¹And Jehovah said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers' house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. ²And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall be before the tent of the testimony. ³And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tent: only they shall not come nigh unto the vessels of the sanctuary and unto the altar, that they die not, neither they, nor ye. ⁴And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. ⁵And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel. ⁶And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given unto Jehovah, to do the service of the tent of meeting. ⁷And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and ye shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

⁸And Jehovah spake unto Aaron, And I, behold, I have given thee the charge of my heave-offerings, even all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, as a portion for ever. ⁹This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, even every meal-offering of theirs, and every sin-offering of theirs, and every trespass-offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. ¹⁰As the most holy things shalt thou eat thereof; every male shall eat thereof: it shall be holy unto thee. ¹¹And this is thine: the heave-offering of their gift, even all the wave-offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, as a portion for ever; every one that is clean in thy house shall eat thereof. ¹²All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first-fruits of them which they give unto Jehovah, to thee have I given them. ¹³The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring unto Jehovah, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thy house shall eat thereof. ¹⁴Everything devoted in Israel shall be thine. ¹⁵Everything that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto Jehovah, both of man and beast shall be thine: nevertheless the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. ¹⁶And those that are to be redeemed of them from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs). ¹⁷But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor unto Jehovah. ¹⁸And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine. ¹⁹All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto Jehovah, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a portion for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before Jehovah unto thee and to thy seed with thee. ²⁰And Jehovah said unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any portion among them: I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

²¹And unto the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting. ²²And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. ²³But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave-offering unto Jehovah, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

²⁵And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁶Moreover thou shalt speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave-offering of it for Jehovah, a tithe of the tithe. ²⁷And your heave-offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the grain of the threshing-floor, and as the fulness of the winepress. ²⁸Thus ye also shall offer a heave-offering unto Jehovah of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and thereof ye shall give Jehovah's heave-offering to Aaron the priest. ²⁹Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave-offering of Jehovah, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. ³⁰Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye heave the best thereof from it, then it shall be reckoned unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the wine-press. ³¹And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. ³²And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best thereof: and ye shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that ye die not.

Numbers 19

19 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ²This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke. ³And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: ⁴and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. ⁵And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: ⁶and the priest shall take cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. ⁷Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. ⁸And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. ⁹And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water for impurity: it is a sin-offering. ¹⁰And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

¹¹He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days: ¹²the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. ¹³Whosoever toucheth a dead person, the body of a man that hath died, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

¹⁴This is the law when a man dieth in a tent: every one that cometh into the tent, and every one that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. ¹⁵And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. ¹⁶And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. ¹⁷And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin-offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: ¹⁸and a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave: ¹⁹and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

²⁰But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of Jehovah: the water for impurity hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. ²¹And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them: and he that sprinkleth the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he that toucheth the water for impurity shall be unclean until even. ²²And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

Numbers 20

20 ¹And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. ²And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. ³And the people strove with Moses, and spake, saying, Would that we had died when our brethren died before Jehovah! ⁴And why have ye brought the assembly of Jehovah into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our beasts? ⁵And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. ⁶And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces: and the glory of Jehovah appeared unto them. ⁷And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁸Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink. ⁹And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, as he commanded him.

¹⁰And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock? ¹¹And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. ¹²And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. ¹³These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Jehovah, and he was sanctified in them.

¹⁴And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: ¹⁵how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers: ¹⁶and when we cried unto Jehovah, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border. ¹⁷Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go along the king's highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border. ¹⁸And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee. ¹⁹And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go up by the highway; and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I give the price thereof: let me only, without doing anything else, pass through on my feet. ²⁰And he said, Thou shalt not pass through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. ²¹Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

²²And they journeyed from Kadesh: and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came unto mount Hor. ²³And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying, ²⁴Aaron shall be gathered unto his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor; ²⁶and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. ²⁷And Moses did as Jehovah commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. ²⁸And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. ²⁹And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

Numbers 21

21 ¹And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. ²And Israel vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. ³And Jehovah hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and the name of the place was called Hormah.

⁴And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. ⁵And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. ⁶And Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. ⁷And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against Jehovah, and against thee; pray unto Jehovah, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. ⁸And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. ⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard: and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.

¹⁰And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in Oboth. ¹¹And they journeyed from Oboth, and encamped at Iyeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising. ¹²From thence they journeyed, and encamped in the valley of Zered. ¹³From thence they journeyed, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that cometh out of the border of the Amorites: for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Jehovah,

Vaheb in Suphah,

And the valleys of the Arnon,

¹⁵And the slope of the valleys

That inclineth toward the dwelling of Ar,

And leaneth upon the border of Moab.

¹⁶And from thence they journeyed to Beer: that is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

¹⁷Then sang Israel this song:

Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

¹⁸The well, which the princes digged,

Which the nobles of the people delved,

With the sceptre, and with their staves.

And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah; ¹⁹and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; ²⁰and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.

²¹And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ²²Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's highway, until we have passed thy border. ²³And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel. ²⁴And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. ²⁵And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof. ²⁶For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon. ²⁷Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say,

Come ye to Heshbon;

Let the city of Sihon be built and established:

²⁸For a fire is gone out of Heshbon,

A flame from the city of Sihon:

It hath devoured Ar of Moab,

The lords of the high places of the Arnon.

²⁹Woe to thee, Moab!

Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh:

He hath given his sons as fugitives,

And his daughters into captivity,

Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

³⁰We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,

And we have laid waste even unto Nophah,

Which reacheth unto Medeba.

³¹Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. ³²And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.

³³And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. ³⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon. ³⁵So they smote him, and his sons and all his people, until there was none left him remaining: and they possessed his land.

Numbers 22

22 ¹And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.

²And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. ⁴And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. ⁵And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. ⁶Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. ⁸And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as Jehovah shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. ⁹And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? ¹⁰And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, ¹¹Behold, the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth: now, come curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out. ¹²And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed. ¹³And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land; for Jehovah refuseth to give me leave to go with you. ¹⁴And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

¹⁵And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. ¹⁶And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: ¹⁷for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. ¹⁸And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah my God, to do less or more. ¹⁹Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what Jehovah will speak unto me more. ²⁰And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.

²¹And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. ²²And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of Jehovah placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. ²³And the ass saw the angel of Jehovah standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. ²⁴Then the angel of Jehovah stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. ²⁵And the ass saw the angel of Jehovah, and she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. ²⁶And the angel of Jehovah went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. ²⁷And the ass saw the angel of Jehovah, and she lay down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff. ²⁸And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? ²⁹And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me, I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed thee. ³⁰And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? and he said, Nay.

³¹Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Jehovah standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. ³²And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me: ³³and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive. ³⁴And Balaam said unto the angel of Jehovah, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. ³⁵And the angel of Jehovah said unto Balaam, Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

³⁶And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto the City of Moab, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. ³⁷And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honor? ³⁸And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to speak anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. ³⁹And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

⁴¹And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal; and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people.

Numbers 23

23 ¹And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. ²And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. ³And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: peradventure Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height. ⁴And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. ⁵And Jehovah put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. ⁶And he returned unto him, and, lo, he was standing by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. ⁷And he took up his parable, and said, From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, And come, defy Israel. ⁸How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied? ⁹For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. ¹⁰Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his! ¹¹And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. ¹²And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which Jehovah putteth in my mouth?

¹³And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. ¹⁴And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. ¹⁵And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I meet Jehovah yonder. ¹⁶And Jehovah met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak. ¹⁷And he came to him, and, lo, he was standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath Jehovah spoken? ¹⁸And he took up his parable, and said,

Rise up, Balak, and hear;

Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

¹⁹God is not a man, that he should lie,

Neither the son of man, that he should repent:

Hath he said, and will he not do it?

Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good?

²⁰Behold, I have received commandment to bless:

And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

²¹He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob;

Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel:

Jehovah his God is with him,

And the shout of a king is among them.

²²God bringeth them forth out of Egypt;

He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox.

²³Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob;

Neither is there any divination with Israel:

Now shalt it be said of Jacob and of Israel,

What hath God wrought!

²⁴Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness,

And as a lion doth he lift himself up:

He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,

And drink the blood of the slain.

²⁵And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. ²⁶But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that Jehovah speaketh, that I must do? ²⁷And Balak said unto Balaam, Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. ²⁸And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert. ²⁹And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. ³⁰And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Numbers 24

24 ¹And when Balaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. ²And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. ³And he took up his parable, and said,

Balaam the son of Beor saith,

And the man whose eye was closed saith;

⁴He saith, who heareth the words of God,

Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,

Falling down, and having his eyes open:

⁵How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,

Thy tabernacles, O Israel!

⁶As valleys are they spread forth,

As gardens by the river-side,

As lign-aloes which Jehovah hath planted,

As cedar-trees beside the waters.

⁷Water shall flow from his buckets,

And his seed shall be in many waters,

And his king shall be higher than Agag,

And his kingdom shall be exalted.

⁸God bringeth him forth out of Egypt;

He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox:

He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,

And shall break their bones in pieces,

And smite them through with his arrows.

⁹He couched, he lay down as a lion,

And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

Blessed be every one that blesseth thee,

And cursed be every one that curseth thee.

¹⁰And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. ¹¹Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honor. ¹²And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers that thou sentest unto me, saying, ¹³If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what Jehovah speaketh, that will I speak? ¹⁴And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. ¹⁵And he took up his parable, and said,

Balaam the son of Beor saith,

And the man whose eye was closed saith;

¹⁶He saith, who heareth the words of God,

And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,

Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,

Falling down, and having his eyes open:

¹⁷I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not nigh:

There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,

And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,

And shall smite through the corners of Moab,

And break down all the sons of tumult.

¹⁸And Edom shall be a possession,

Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies;

While Israel doeth valiantly.

¹⁹And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,

And shall destroy the remnant from the city.

²⁰And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said,

Amalek was the first of the nations;

But his latter end shall come to destruction.

²¹And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said,

Strong is thy dwelling-place,

And thy nest is set in the rock.

²²Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,

Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

²³And he took up his parable, and said,

Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?

²⁴But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,

And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber;

And he also shall come to destruction.

²⁵And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.

Numbers 25

25 ¹And Israel abode in Shittim; and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab: ²for they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. ³And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. ⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto Jehovah before the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may turn away from Israel. ⁵And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that have joined themselves unto Baal-peor.

⁶And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁷And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand; ⁸and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. ⁹And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand.

¹⁰And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹¹Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. ¹²Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: ¹³and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.

¹⁴Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers' house among the Simeonites. ¹⁵And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a fathers' house in Midian.

¹⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷Vex the Midianites, and smite them; ¹⁸for they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.

Numbers 26

26 ¹And it came to pass after the plague, that Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, ²Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel. ³And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, ⁴Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as Jehovah commanded Moses and the children of Israel, that came forth out of the land of Egypt.

⁵Reuben, the first-born of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; ⁶of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. ⁷These are the families of the Reubenites; and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. ⁸And the sons of Pallu: Eliab. ⁹And the sons of Eliab: Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram, who were called of the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against Jehovah, ¹⁰and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died; what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men, and they became a sign. ¹¹Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah died not.

¹²The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; ¹³of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. ¹⁴These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.

¹⁵The sons of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; ¹⁶of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; ¹⁷of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. ¹⁸These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.

¹⁹The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰And the sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. ²¹And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. ²²These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred.

²³The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites; ²⁴of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. ²⁵These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred.

²⁶The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. ²⁷These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred.

²⁸The sons of Joseph after their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. ²⁹The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begat Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. ³⁰These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; ³¹and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; ³²and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. ³³And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ³⁴These are the families of Manasseh; and they that were numbered of them were fifty and two thousand and seven hundred.

³⁵These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. ³⁶And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. ³⁷These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.

³⁸The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; ³⁹of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. ⁴⁰And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. ⁴¹These are the sons of Benjamin after their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred.

⁴²These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. ⁴³All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred.

⁴⁴The sons of Asher after their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Berites. ⁴⁵Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. ⁴⁶And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. ⁴⁷These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them, fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

⁴⁸The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; ⁴⁹of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. ⁵⁰These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred.

⁵¹These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.

⁵²And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁵³Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. ⁵⁴To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one according to those that were numbered of him shall his inheritance be given. ⁵⁵Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. ⁵⁶According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer.

⁵⁷And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. And Kohath begat Amram. ⁵⁹And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰And unto Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before Jehovah. ⁶²And they that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, every male from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.

⁶³These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ⁶⁴But among these there was not a man of them that were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵For Jehovah had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Numbers 27

27 ¹Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. ²And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying, ³Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against Jehovah in the company of Korah: but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. ⁴Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father. ⁵And Moses brought their cause before Jehovah.

⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ⁷The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. ⁸And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. ⁹And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. ¹⁰And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren. ¹¹And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute and ordinance, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

¹²And Jehovah said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, and behold the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. ¹³And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered; ¹⁴because ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) ¹⁵And Moses spake unto Jehovah, saying, ¹⁶Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, ¹⁷who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of Jehovah be not as sheep which have no shepherd. ¹⁸And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thy hand upon him; ¹⁹and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. ²⁰And thou shalt put of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey. ²¹And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Jehovah: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. ²²And Moses did as Jehovah commanded him; and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: ²³and he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as Jehovah spake by Moses.

Numbers 28

28 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My oblation, my food for my offerings made by fire, of a sweet savor unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. ³And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto Jehovah: he-lambs a year old without blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt-offering. ⁴The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; ⁵and the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil. ⁶It is a continual burnt-offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ⁷And the drink-offering thereof shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou pour out a drink-offering of strong drink unto Jehovah. ⁸And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meal-offering of the morning, and as the drink-offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

⁹And on the sabbath day two he-lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and the drink-offering thereof: ¹⁰this is the burnt-offering of every sabbath, besides the continual burnt-offering, and the drink-offering thereof.

¹¹And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt-offering unto Jehovah: two young bullocks, and one ram, seven he-lambs a year old without blemish; ¹²and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, for each bullock; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, for the one ram; ¹³and a tenth part of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering unto every lamb; for a burnt-offering of a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ¹⁴And their drink-offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bullock, and the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb: this is the burnt-offering of every month throughout the months of the year. ¹⁵And one he-goat for a sin-offering unto Jehovah; it shall be offered besides the continual burnt-offering, and the drink-offering thereof.

¹⁶And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Jehovah's passover. ¹⁷And on the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. ¹⁸In the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work; ¹⁹but ye shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt-offering unto Jehovah: two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven he-lambs a year old; they shall be unto you without blemish; ²⁰and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil: three tenth parts shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth parts for the ram; ²¹a tenth part shalt thou offer for every lamb of the seven lambs; ²²and one he-goat for a sin-offering, to make atonement for you. ²³Ye shall offer these besides the burnt-offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt-offering. ²⁴After this manner ye shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah: it shall be offered besides the continual burnt-offering, and the drink-offering thereof. ²⁵And on the seventh day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.

²⁶Also in the day of the first-fruits, when ye offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah in your feast of weeks, ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work; ²⁷but ye shall offer a burnt-offering for a sweet savor unto Jehovah: two young bullocks, one ram, seven he-lambs a year old; ²⁸and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for each bullock, two tenth parts for the one ram, ²⁹a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; ³⁰one he-goat, to make atonement for you. ³¹Besides the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, ye shall offer them (they shall be unto you without blemish), and their drink-offerings.

Numbers 29

29 ¹And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing of trumpets unto you. ²And ye shall offer a burnt-offering for a sweet savor unto Jehovah: one young bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs a year old without blemish; ³and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for the bullock, two tenth parts for the ram, ⁴and one tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; ⁵and one he-goat for a sin-offering, to make atonement for you; ⁶besides the burnt-offering of the new moon, and the meal-offering thereof, and the continual burnt-offering and the meal-offering thereof, and their drink-offerings, according unto their ordinance, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

⁷And on the tenth day of this seventh month ye shall have a holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall do no manner of work; ⁸but ye shall offer a burnt-offering unto Jehovah for a sweet savor: one young bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs a year old; they shall be unto you without blemish; ⁹and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for the bullock, two tenth parts for the one ram, ¹⁰a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs: ¹¹one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the sin-offering of atonement, and the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and their drink-offerings.

¹²And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto Jehovah seven days: ¹³and ye shall offer a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; ¹⁴and their meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts for every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth parts for each ram of the two rams, ¹⁵and a tenth part for every lamb of the fourteen lambs; ¹⁶and one he-goat for a sin-offering, besides the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.

¹⁷And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; ¹⁸and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; ¹⁹and one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and their drink-offerings.

²⁰And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; ²¹and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; ²²and one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.

²³And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; ²⁴their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; ²⁵and one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.

²⁶And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; ²⁷and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; ²⁸and one he-goat for a sin-offering, besides the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.

²⁹And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; ³⁰and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; ³¹and one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offerings thereof.

³²And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish; ³³and their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; ³⁴and one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the continual burnt-offering, the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.

³⁵On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work; ³⁶but ye shall offer a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah: one bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs a year old without blemish; ³⁷their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance: ³⁸and one he-goat for a sin-offering, besides the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.

³⁹These ye shall offer unto Jehovah in your set feasts, besides your vows, and your freewill-offerings, for your burnt-offerings, and for your meal-offerings, and for your drink-offerings, and for your peace-offerings. ⁴⁰And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses.

Numbers 30

30 ¹And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded. ²When a man voweth a vow unto Jehovah, or sweareth an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. ³Also when a woman voweth a vow unto Jehovah, and bindeth herself by a bond, being in her father's house, in her youth, ⁴and her father heareth her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father holdeth his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. ⁵But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth, none of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and Jehovah will forgive her, because her father disallowed her.

⁶And if she be married to a husband, while her vows are upon her, or the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul, ⁷and her husband hear it, and hold his peace at her in the day that he heareth it; then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. ⁸But if her husband disallow her in the day that he heareth it, then he shall make void her vow which is upon her, and the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul: and Jehovah will forgive her. ⁹But the vow of a widow, or of her that is divorced, even everything wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand against her. ¹⁰And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath, ¹¹and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. ¹²But if her husband made them null and void in the day that he heard them, then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and Jehovah will forgive her.

¹³Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. ¹⁴But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he hath established them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. ¹⁵But if he shall make them null and void after that he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity. ¹⁶These are the statutes, which Jehovah commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father's house.

Numbers 31

31 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. ³And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Jehovah's vengeance on Midian. ⁴Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. ⁵So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. ⁶And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. ⁷And they warred against Midian, as Jehovah commanded Moses; and they slew every male. ⁸And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. ⁹And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. ¹⁰And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. ¹¹And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast. ¹²And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

¹³And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. ¹⁴And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. ¹⁵And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ¹⁶Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah. ¹⁷Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. ¹⁸But all the women-children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. ¹⁹And encamp ye without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives. ²⁰And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, ye shall purify yourselves.

²¹And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded Moses: ²²howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³everything that may abide the fire, ye shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water. ²⁴And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean; and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

²⁵And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁶Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation; ²⁷and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation. ²⁸And levy a tribute unto Jehovah of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the asses, and of the flocks: ²⁹take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for Jehovah's heave-offering. ³⁰And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, even of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah. ³¹And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

³²Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep, ³³and threescore and twelve thousand oxen, ³⁴and threescore and one thousand asses, ³⁵and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him. ³⁶And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep: ³⁷and Jehovah's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen. ³⁸And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Jehovah's tribute was threescore and twelve. ³⁹And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Jehovah's tribute was threescore and one. ⁴⁰And the persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Jehovah's tribute was thirty and two persons. ⁴¹And Moses gave the tribute, which was Jehovah's heave-offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁴²And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men that warred ⁴³(now the congregation's half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred sheep, ⁴⁴and thirty and six thousand oxen, ⁴⁵and thirty thousand and five hundred asses, ⁴⁶and sixteen thousand persons), ⁴⁷even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁴⁸And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses; ⁴⁹and they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us. ⁵⁰And we have brought Jehovah's oblation, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Jehovah. ⁵¹And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels. ⁵²And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Jehovah, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. ⁵³(For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) ⁵⁴And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah.

Numbers 32

32 ¹Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; ²the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, ³Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, ⁴the land which Jehovah smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle; and thy servants have cattle. ⁵And they said, If we have found favor in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession; bring us not over the Jordan.

⁶And Moses said unto the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here? ⁷And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Jehovah hath given them? ⁸Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. ⁹For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Jehovah had given them. ¹⁰And Jehovah's anger was kindled in that day, and he sware, saying, ¹¹Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: ¹²save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed Jehovah. ¹³And Jehovah's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of Jehovah, was consumed. ¹⁴And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Jehovah toward Israel. ¹⁵For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye will destroy all this people.

¹⁶And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: ¹⁷but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. ¹⁹For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.

²⁰And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will arm yourselves to go before Jehovah to the war, ²¹and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Jehovah, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, ²²and the land is subdued before Jehovah; then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless towards Jehovah, and towards Israel; and this land shall be unto you for a possession before Jehovah. ²³But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah; and be sure your sin will find you out. ²⁴Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth. ²⁵And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. ²⁶Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; ²⁷but thy servants will pass over, every man that is armed for war, before Jehovah to battle, as my lord saith.

²⁸So Moses gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. ²⁹And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before Jehovah, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: ³⁰but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. ³¹And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Jehovah hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. ³²We will pass over armed before Jehovah into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.

³³And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities thereof with their borders, even the cities of the land round about. ³⁴And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, ³⁵and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah, ³⁶and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep. ³⁷And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, ³⁸and Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Sibmah: and they gave other names unto the cities which they builded. ³⁹And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites that were therein. ⁴⁰And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. ⁴¹And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the towns thereof, and called them Havvoth-jair. ⁴²And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

Numbers 33

33 ¹These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron. ²And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of Jehovah: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. ³And they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, ⁴while the Egyptians were burying all their first-born, whom Jehovah had smitten among them: upon their gods also Jehovah executed judgments.

⁵And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth. ⁶And they journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. ⁷And they journeyed from Etham, and turned back unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon: and they encamped before Migdol. ⁸And they journeyed from before Hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness: and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and encamped in Marah. ⁹And they journeyed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there. ¹⁰And they journeyed from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea. ¹¹And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. ¹²And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. ¹³And they journeyed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush. ¹⁴And they journeyed from Alush, and encamped in Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink. ¹⁵And they journeyed from Rephidim, and encamped in the wilderness of Sinai. ¹⁶And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in Kibroth-hattaavah. ¹⁷And they journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped in Hazeroth. ¹⁸And they journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in Rithmah. ¹⁹And they journeyed from Rithmah, and encamped in Rimmon-perez. ²⁰And they journeyed from Rimmon-perez, and encamped in Libnah. ²¹And they journeyed from Libnah, and encamped in Rissah. ²²And they journeyed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah. ²³And they journeyed from Kehelathah, and encamped in mount Shepher. ²⁴And they journeyed from mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah. ²⁵And they journeyed from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth. ²⁶And they journeyed from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath. ²⁷And they journeyed from Tahath, and encamped in Terah. ²⁸And they journeyed from Terah, and encamped in Mithkah. ²⁹And they journeyed from Mithkah, and encamped in Hashmonah. ³⁰And they journeyed from Hashmonah, and encamped in Moseroth. ³¹And they journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan. ³²And they journeyed from Bene-jaakan, and encamped in Hor-haggidgad. ³³And they journeyed from Hor-haggidgad, and encamped in Jotbathah. ³⁴And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah. ³⁵And they journeyed from Abronah, and encamped in Ezion-geber. ³⁶And they journeyed from Ezion-geber, and encamped in the wilderness of Zin (the same is Kadesh). ³⁷And they journeyed from Kadesh, and encamped in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.

³⁸And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of Jehovah, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. ³⁹And Aaron was a hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.

⁴⁰And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

⁴¹And they journeyed from mount Hor, and encamped in Zalmonah. ⁴²And they journeyed from Zalmonah, and encamped in Punon. ⁴³And they journeyed from Punon, and encamped in Oboth. ⁴⁴And they journeyed from Oboth, and encamped in Iye-abarim, in the border of Moab. ⁴⁵And they journeyed from Iyim, and encamped in Dibon-gad. ⁴⁶And they journeyed from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim. ⁴⁷And they journeyed from Almon-diblathaim, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. ⁴⁸And they journeyed from the mountains of Abarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ⁴⁹And they encamped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even unto Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, ⁵¹Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵²then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places: ⁵³and ye shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it. ⁵⁴And ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance: wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit. ⁵⁵But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes, and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. ⁵⁶And it shall come to pass, that, as I thought to do unto them, so will I do unto you.

Numbers 34

34 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to the borders thereof), ³then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward; ⁴and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and the goings out thereof shall be southward of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon; ⁵and the border shall turn about from Azmon unto the brook of Egypt, and the goings out thereof shall be at the sea.

⁶And for the western border, ye shall have the great sea and the border thereof: this shall be your west border.

⁷And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall mark out for you mount Hor; ⁸from mount Hor ye shall mark out unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings out of the border shall be at Zedad; ⁹and the border shall go forth to Ziphron, and the goings out thereof shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border.

¹⁰And ye shall mark out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham; ¹¹and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward; ¹²and the border shall go down to the Jordan, and the goings out thereof shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to the borders thereof round about.

¹³And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which Jehovah hath commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe; ¹⁴for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers' houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received, their inheritance: ¹⁵the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.

¹⁶And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷These are the names of the men that shall divide the land unto you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. ¹⁸And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance. ¹⁹And these are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ²⁰And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. ²¹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. ²²And of the tribe of the children of Dan a prince, Bukki the son of Jogli. ²³Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod. ²⁴And of the tribe of the children of Ephraim a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. ²⁵And of the tribe of the children of Zebulun a prince, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. ²⁶And of the tribe of the children of Issachar a prince, Paltiel the son of Azzan. ²⁷And of the tribe of the children of Asher a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. ²⁸And of the tribe of the children of Naphtali a prince, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. ²⁹These are they whom Jehovah commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Numbers 35

35 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites. ³And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts. ⁴And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about. ⁵And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. ⁶And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee unto: and besides them ye shall give forty and two cities. ⁷All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities; them shall ye give with their suburbs. ⁸And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites. ⁹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁰Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither. ¹²And the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment. ¹³And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge. ¹⁴Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge. ¹⁵For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that every one that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither. ¹⁶But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁷And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁹The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. ²⁰And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died, ²¹or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meeteth him.

²²But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without lying in wait, ²³or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm; ²⁴then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; ²⁵and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. ²⁶But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth, ²⁷and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood, ²⁸because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.

²⁹And these things shall be for a statute and ordinance unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³⁰Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die. ³¹Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death. ³²And ye shall take no ransom for him that is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. ³³So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. ³⁴And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Jehovah, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.

Numbers 36

36 ¹And the heads of the fathers' houses of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the heads of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel: ²and they said, Jehovah commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by Jehovah to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. ³And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will it be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. ⁴And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then will their inheritance be added unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.

⁵And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of Jehovah, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaketh right. ⁶This is the thing which Jehovah doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them be married to whom they think best; only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they be married. ⁷So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall cleave every one to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. ⁸And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers. ⁹So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall cleave every one to his own inheritance.

¹⁰Even as Jehovah commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: ¹¹for Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons. ¹²They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.

¹³These are the commandments and the ordinances which Jehovah commanded by Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

The Fifth Book of Moses, called Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1

1 ¹These are the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. ²It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea. ³And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that Jehovah had given him in commandment unto them; ⁴after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei. ⁵Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, ⁶Jehovah our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain: ⁷turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. ⁸Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

⁹And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: ¹⁰Jehovah your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. ¹¹Jehovah, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you! ¹²How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? ¹³Take you wise men, and understanding, and known, according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you. ¹⁴And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. ¹⁵So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes. ¹⁶And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the sojourner that is with him. ¹⁷Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it. ¹⁸And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. ¹⁹And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. ²⁰And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the hill-country of the Amorites, which Jehovah our God giveth unto us. ²¹Behold, Jehovah thy God hath set the land before thee: go up, take possession, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed. ²²And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come. ²³And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe: ²⁴and they turned and went up into the hill-country, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. ²⁵And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which Jehovah our God giveth unto us.

²⁶Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah your God: ²⁷and ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because Jehovah hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. ²⁸Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying, The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there. ²⁹Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. ³⁰Jehovah your God who goeth before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, ³¹and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that Jehovah thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. ³²Yet in this thing ye did not believe Jehovah your God, ³³who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day.

³⁴And Jehovah heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, ³⁵Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, ³⁶save Caleb the son of Jephunneh: he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed Jehovah. ³⁷Also Jehovah was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither: ³⁸Joshua the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage thou him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. ³⁹Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. ⁴⁰But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

⁴¹Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against Jehovah, we will go up and fight, according to all that Jehovah our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and were forward to go up into the hill-country. ⁴²And Jehovah said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. ⁴³So I spake unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country. ⁴⁴And the Amorites, that dwelt in that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah. ⁴⁵And ye returned and wept before Jehovah; but Jehovah hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you. ⁴⁶So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

Deuteronomy 2

2 ¹Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as Jehovah spake unto me; and we compassed mount Seir many days. ²And Jehovah spake unto me, saying, ³Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. ⁴And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; ⁵contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. ⁶Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. ⁷For Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; he hath known thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years Jehovah thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. ⁸So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion-geber.

And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. ⁹And Jehovah said unto me, Vex not Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. ¹⁰(The Emim dwelt therein aforetime, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim: ¹¹these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim. ¹²The Horites also dwelt in Seir aforetime, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which Jehovah gave unto them.) ¹³Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered. ¹⁴And the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, were thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp, as Jehovah sware unto them. ¹⁵Moreover the hand of Jehovah was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.

¹⁶So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, ¹⁷that Jehovah spake unto me, saying, ¹⁸Thou art this day to pass over Ar, the border of Moab: ¹⁹and when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, vex them not, nor contend with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. ²⁰(That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim dwelt therein aforetime; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, ²¹a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but Jehovah destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead; ²²as he did for the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day: ²³and the Avvim, that dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, that came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.) ²⁴Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. ²⁵This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

²⁶And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, ²⁷Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither unto the right hand nor to the left. ²⁸Thou shalt sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only let me pass through on my feet, ²⁹as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which Jehovah our God giveth us. ³⁰But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Jehovah thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as at this day. ³¹And Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land. ³²Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Jahaz. ³³And Jehovah our God delivered him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. ³⁴And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones; we left none remaining: ³⁵only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken. ³⁶From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, even unto Gilead, there was not a city too high for us; Jehovah our God delivered up all before us: ³⁷only to the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and wheresoever Jehovah our God forbade us.

Deuteronomy 3

3 ¹Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Edrei. ²And Jehovah said unto me, Fear him not; for I have delivered him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon. ³So Jehovah our God delivered into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. ⁴And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we took not from them; threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ⁵All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; besides the unwalled towns a great many. ⁶And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones. ⁷But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey unto ourselves. ⁸And we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon unto mount Hermon; ⁹(which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir;) ¹⁰all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ¹¹(For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.)

¹²And this land we took in possession at that time: from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, and half the hill-country of Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites: ¹³and the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half-tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, even all Bashan. (The same is called the land of Rephaim. ¹⁴Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them, even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth-jair, unto this day.) ¹⁵And I gave Gilead unto Machir. ¹⁶And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and the border thereof, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; ¹⁷the Arabah also, and the Jordan and the border thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward.

¹⁸And I commanded you at that time, saying, Jehovah your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all the men of valor. ¹⁹But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you, ²⁰until Jehovah give rest unto your brethren, as unto you, and they also possess the land which Jehovah your God giveth them beyond the Jordan: then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you. ²¹And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that Jehovah your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall Jehovah do unto all the kingdoms whither thou goest over. ²²Ye shall not fear them; for Jehovah your God, he it is that fighteth for you.

²³And I besought Jehovah at that time, saying, ²⁴O Lord Jehovah, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness, and thy strong hand: for what god is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy mighty acts? ²⁵Let me go over, I pray thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. ²⁶But Jehovah was wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me; and Jehovah said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. ²⁷Get thee up unto the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. ²⁸But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. ²⁹So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor.

Deuteronomy 4

4 ¹And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, giveth you. ²Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you. ³Your eyes have seen what Jehovah did because of Baal-peor; for all the men that followed Baal-peor, Jehovah thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee. ⁴But ye that did cleave unto Jehovah your God are alive every one of you this day. ⁵Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as Jehovah my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the midst of the land whither ye go in to possess it. ⁶Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. ⁷For what great nation is there, that hath a god so nigh unto them, as Jehovah our God is whensoever we call upon him? ⁸And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

⁹Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children; ¹⁰the day that thou stoodest before Jehovah thy God in Horeb, when Jehovah said unto me, Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. ¹¹And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. ¹²And Jehovah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only ye heard a voice. ¹³And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. ¹⁴And Jehovah commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.

¹⁵Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of form on the day that Jehovah spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire. ¹⁶Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, ¹⁷the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flieth in the heavens, ¹⁸the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth; ¹⁹and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which Jehovah thy God hath allotted unto all the peoples under the whole heaven. ²⁰But Jehovah hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as at this day. ²¹Furthermore Jehovah was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance: ²²but I must die in this land, I must not go over the Jordan; but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. ²³Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image in the form of anything which Jehovah thy God hath forbidden thee. ²⁴For Jehovah thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.

²⁵When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image in the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, to provoke him to anger; ²⁶I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. ²⁷And Jehovah will scatter you among the peoples, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither Jehovah shall lead you away. ²⁸And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. ²⁹But from thence ye shall seek Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt find him, when thou searchest after him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. ³⁰When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, in the latter days thou shalt return to Jehovah thy God, and hearken unto his voice: ³¹for Jehovah thy God is a merciful God; he will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

³²For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? ³³Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? ³⁴Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that Jehovah he is God; there is none else besides him. ³⁶Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he made thee to see his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. ³⁷And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt; ³⁸to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as at this day. ³⁹Know therefore this day, and lay it to thy heart, that Jehovah he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else. ⁴⁰And thou shalt keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days in the land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, for ever.

⁴¹Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; ⁴²that the manslayer might flee thither, that slayeth his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: ⁴³namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

⁴⁴And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel: ⁴⁵these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt, ⁴⁶beyond the Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, when they came forth out of Egypt. ⁴⁷And they took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; ⁴⁸from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, even unto mount Sion (the same is Hermon), ⁴⁹and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.

Deuteronomy 5

5 ¹And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them. ²Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. ⁴Jehovah spake with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, ⁵(I stood between Jehovah and you at that time, to show you the word of Jehovah: for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,

⁶I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

⁷Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

⁸Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: ⁹thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me; ¹⁰and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

¹¹Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain: for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

¹²Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Jehovah thy God commanded thee. ¹³Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; ¹⁴but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. ¹⁵And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm: therefore Jehovah thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

¹⁶Honor thy father and thy mother, as Jehovah thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

¹⁷Thou shalt not kill.

¹⁸Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

¹⁹Neither shalt thou steal.

²⁰Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor.

²¹Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor's.

²²These words Jehovah spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me. ²³And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; ²⁴and ye said, Behold, Jehovah our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth speak with man, and he liveth. ²⁵Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God any more, then we shall die. ²⁶For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? ²⁷Go thou near, and hear all that Jehovah our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that Jehovah our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.

²⁸And Jehovah heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and Jehovah said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. ²⁹Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! ³⁰Go say to them, Return ye to your tents. ³¹But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. ³²Ye shall observe to do therefore as Jehovah your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. ³³Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Deuteronomy 6

6 ¹Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Jehovah your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it; ²that thou mightest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. ³Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee, in a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁴Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: ⁵and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. ⁶And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; ⁷and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ⁸And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. ⁹And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.

¹⁰And it shall be, when Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee, great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not, ¹¹and houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and cisterns hewn out, which thou hewedst not, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou plantedst not, and thou shalt eat and be full; ¹²then beware lest thou forget Jehovah, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹³Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; and him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear by his name. ¹⁴Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; ¹⁵for Jehovah thy God in the midst of thee is a jealous God; lest the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled against thee, and he destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

¹⁶Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. ¹⁷Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. ¹⁸And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Jehovah; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, ¹⁹to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.

²⁰When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Jehovah our God hath commanded you? ²¹then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt: and Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; ²²and Jehovah showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes; ²³and he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. ²⁴And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day. ²⁵And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before Jehovah our God, as he hath commanded us.

Deuteronomy 7

7 ¹When Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; ²and when Jehovah thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them; ³neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. ⁴For he will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and he will destroy thee quickly. ⁵But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.

⁶For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. ⁷Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: ⁸but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, ¹⁰and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. ¹¹Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.

¹²And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Jehovah thy God will keep with thee the covenant and the lovingkindness which he sware unto thy fathers: ¹³and he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; he will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground, thy grain and thy new wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. ¹⁴Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. ¹⁵And Jehovah will take away from thee all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, will he put upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. ¹⁶And thou shalt consume all the peoples that Jehovah thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

¹⁷If thou shalt say in thy heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? ¹⁸thou shalt not be afraid of them: thou shalt well remember what Jehovah thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; ¹⁹the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby Jehovah thy God brought thee out: so shall Jehovah thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. ²⁰Moreover Jehovah thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves, perish from before thee. ²¹Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a great God and a terrible. ²²And Jehovah thy God will cast out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. ²³But Jehovah thy God will deliver them up before thee, and will discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed. ²⁴And he will deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. ²⁵The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God. ²⁶And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and become a devoted thing like unto it: thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.

Deuteronomy 8

8 ¹All the commandment which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers. ²And thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not. ³And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live. ⁴Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. ⁵And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so Jehovah thy God chasteneth thee. ⁶And thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. ⁷For Jehovah thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; ⁸a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey; ⁹a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig copper. ¹⁰And thou shalt eat and be full, and thou shalt bless Jehovah thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

¹¹Beware lest thou forget Jehovah thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his ordinances, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: ¹²lest, when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; ¹³and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; ¹⁴then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget Jehovah thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; ¹⁵who led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; ¹⁶who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not; that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end: ¹⁷and lest thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth. ¹⁸But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as at this day. ¹⁹And it shall be, if thou shalt forget Jehovah thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. ²⁰As the nations that Jehovah maketh to perish before you, so shall ye perish; because ye would not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah your God.

Deuteronomy 9

9 ¹Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, ²a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the sons of Anak? ³Know therefore this day, that Jehovah thy God is he who goeth over before thee as a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will bring them down before thee: so shalt thou drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as Jehovah hath spoken unto thee. ⁴Speak not thou in thy heart, after that Jehovah thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness Jehovah hath brought me in to possess this land; whereas for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah doth drive them out from before thee. ⁵Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

⁶Know therefore, that Jehovah thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people. ⁷Remember, forget thou not, how thou provokedst Jehovah thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou wentest forth out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah. ⁸Also in Horeb ye provoked Jehovah to wrath, and Jehovah was angry with you to destroy you. ⁹When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which Jehovah made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water. ¹⁰And Jehovah delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which Jehovah speak with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. ¹¹And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that Jehovah gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. ¹²And Jehovah said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image. ¹³Furthermore Jehovah spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: ¹⁴let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they. ¹⁵So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount was burning with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. ¹⁶And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against Jehovah your God; ye had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which Jehovah had commanded you. ¹⁷And I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes. ¹⁸And I fell down before Jehovah, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which ye sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. ¹⁹For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith Jehovah was wroth against you to destroy you. But Jehovah hearkened unto me that time also. ²⁰And Jehovah was very angry with Aaron to destroy him: and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. ²¹And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.

²²And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye provoked Jehovah to wrath. ²³And when Jehovah sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice. ²⁴Ye have been rebellious against Jehovah from the day that I knew you.

²⁵So I fell down before Jehovah the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because Jehovah had said he would destroy you. ²⁶And I prayed unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, that thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²⁷Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin, ²⁸lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because Jehovah was not able to bring them into the land which he promised unto them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. ²⁹Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm.

Deuteronomy 10

10 ¹At that time Jehovah said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. ²And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. ³So I made an ark of acacia wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in my hand. ⁴And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Jehovah gave them unto me. ⁵And I turned and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they are as Jehovah commanded me. ⁶(And the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead. ⁷From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water. ⁸At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, to stand before Jehovah to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. ⁹Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah is his inheritance, according as Jehovah thy God spake unto him.) ¹⁰And I stayed in the mount, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights: and Jehovah hearkened unto me that time also; Jehovah would not destroy thee. ¹¹And Jehovah said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.

¹²And now, Israel, what doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, ¹³to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? ¹⁴Behold, unto Jehovah thy God belongeth heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is therein. ¹⁵Only Jehovah had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day. ¹⁶Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. ¹⁷For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. ¹⁸He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the sojourner, in giving him food and raiment. ¹⁹Love ye therefore the sojourner; for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt. ²⁰Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve; and to him shalt thou cleave, and by his name shalt thou swear. ²¹He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. ²²Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now Jehovah thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Deuteronomy 11

11 ¹Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, alway. ²And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm, ³and his signs, and his works, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; ⁴and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how Jehovah hath destroyed them unto this day; ⁵and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came unto this place; ⁶and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel: ⁷but your eyes have seen all the great work of Jehovah which he did.

⁸Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it; ⁹and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs; ¹¹but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven, ¹²a land which Jehovah thy God careth for: the eyes of Jehovah thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

¹³And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Jehovah your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, and thy new wine, and thine oil. ¹⁵And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be full. ¹⁶Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; ¹⁷and the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens, so that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which Jehovah giveth you.

¹⁸Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ²⁰And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; ²¹that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth. ²²For if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love Jehovah your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; ²³then will Jehovah drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. ²⁴Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border. ²⁵There shall no man be able to stand before you: Jehovah your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath spoken unto you.

²⁶Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: ²⁷the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I command you this day; ²⁸and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. ²⁹And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. ³⁰Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites that dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? ³¹For ye are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Jehovah your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. ³²And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you this day.

Deuteronomy 12

12 ¹These are the statutes and the ordinances which ye shall observe to do in the land which Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath given thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. ²Ye shall surely destroy all the places wherein the nations that ye shall dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: ³and ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods; and ye shall destroy their name out of that place. ⁴Ye shall not do so unto Jehovah your God. ⁵But unto the place which Jehovah your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come; ⁶and thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock: ⁷and there ye shall eat before Jehovah your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee. ⁸Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes; ⁹for ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. ¹⁰But when ye go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which Jehovah your God causeth you to inherit, and he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; ¹¹then it shall come to pass that to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring all that I command you: your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto Jehovah. ¹²And ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and the Levite that is within your gates, forasmuch as he hath no portion nor inheritance with you. ¹³Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest; ¹⁴but in the place which Jehovah shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

¹⁵Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat flesh within all thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart. ¹⁶Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water. ¹⁷Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy grain, or of thy new wine, or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill-offerings, nor the heave-offering of thy hand; ¹⁸but thou shalt eat them before Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. ¹⁹Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest in thy land.

²⁰When Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul. ²¹If the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to put his name there, be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Jehovah hath given thee, as I have commanded thee; and thou mayest eat within thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul. ²²Even as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat thereof: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike. ²³Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh. ²⁴Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water. ²⁵Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah. ²⁶Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which Jehovah shall choose: ²⁷and thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of Jehovah thy God; and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of Jehovah thy God; and thou shalt eat the flesh. ²⁸Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.

²⁹When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest in to dispossess them, and thou dispossessest them, and dwellest in their land; ³⁰take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How do these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. ³¹Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods.

³²What thing soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Deuteronomy 13

13 ¹If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, ²and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; ³thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams: for Jehovah your God proveth you, to know whether ye love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴Ye shall walk after Jehovah your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. ⁵And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he hath spoken rebellion against Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage, to draw thee aside out of the way which Jehovah thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

⁶If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, that is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; ⁷of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; ⁸thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: ⁹but thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. ¹⁰And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹¹And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do not more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee.

¹²If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying, ¹³Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of thee, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; ¹⁴then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in the midst of thee, ¹⁵thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. ¹⁶And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto Jehovah thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again. ¹⁷And there shall cleave nought of the devoted thing to thy hand; that Jehovah may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; ¹⁸when thou shalt hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.

Deuteronomy 14

14 ¹Ye are the children of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. ²For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God, and Jehovah hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

³Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. ⁴These are the beasts which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, ⁵the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the chamois. ⁶And every beast that parteth the hoof, and hath the hoof cloven in two, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat. ⁷Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the coney; because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you. ⁸And the swine, because he parteth the hoof but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you: of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch.

⁹These ye may eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat; ¹⁰and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you.

¹¹Of all clean birds ye may eat. ¹²But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray, ¹³and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kind, ¹⁴and every raven after its kind, ¹⁵and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kind, ¹⁶the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl, ¹⁷and the pelican, and the vulture, and the cormorant, ¹⁸and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat. ¹⁹And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. ²⁰Of all clean birds ye may eat.

²¹Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner: for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

²²Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year. ²³And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always. ²⁴And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee; ²⁵then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose: ²⁶and thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household. ²⁷And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.

²⁸At the end of every three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: ²⁹and the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.

Deuteronomy 15

15 ¹At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. ²And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because Jehovah's release hath been proclaimed. ³Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it: but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release. ⁴Howbeit there shall be no poor with thee; (for Jehovah will surely bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it;) ⁵if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. ⁶For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee.

⁷If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother; ⁸but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. ⁹Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto Jehovah against thee, and it be sin unto thee. ¹⁰Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. ¹¹For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land.

¹²If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. ¹³And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty: ¹⁴thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; as Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. ¹⁵And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day. ¹⁶And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee; ¹⁷then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise. ¹⁸It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou lettest him go free from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling hath he served thee six years: and Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest.

¹⁹All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto Jehovah thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy herd, nor shear the firstling of thy flock. ²⁰Thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thy God year by year in the place which Jehovah shall choose, thou and thy household. ²¹And if it have any blemish, as if it be lame or blind, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto Jehovah thy God. ²²Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart. ²³Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water.

Deuteronomy 16

16 ¹Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Jehovah thy God; for in the month of Abib Jehovah thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. ²And thou shalt sacrifice the passover unto Jehovah thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Jehovah shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. ³Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. ⁴And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all thy borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. ⁵Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee; ⁶but at the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. ⁷And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. ⁸Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Jehovah thy God; thou shalt do no work therein.

⁹Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the standing grain shalt thou begin to number seven weeks. ¹⁰And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto Jehovah thy God with a tribute of a freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as Jehovah thy God blesseth thee: ¹¹and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. ¹²And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

¹³Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress: ¹⁴and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. ¹⁵Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah shall choose; because Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful. ¹⁶Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before Jehovah empty: ¹⁷every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee.

¹⁸Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. ¹⁹Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. ²⁰That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

²¹Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee. ²²Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar; which Jehovah thy God hateth.

Deuteronomy 17

17 ¹Thou shalt not sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a blemish, or anything evil; for that is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.

²If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, in transgressing his covenant, ³and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; ⁴and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, then shalt thou inquire diligently; and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel, ⁵then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them to death with stones. ⁶At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. ⁷The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

⁸If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose; ⁹and thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days: and thou shalt inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment. ¹⁰And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence which they shall show thee from that place which Jehovah shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee: ¹¹according to the tenor of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. ¹²And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before Jehovah thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. ¹³And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

¹⁴When thou art come unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me; ¹⁵thou shalt surely set him king over thee, whom Jehovah thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother. ¹⁶Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. ¹⁷Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

¹⁸And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites: ¹⁹and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; ²⁰that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Deuteronomy 18

18 ¹The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and his inheritance. ²And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren: Jehovah is their inheritance, as he hath spoken unto them. ³And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. ⁴The first-fruits of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. ⁵For Jehovah thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of Jehovah, him and his sons for ever.

⁶And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which Jehovah shall choose; ⁷then he shall minister in the name of Jehovah his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before Jehovah. ⁸They shall have like portions to eat, besides that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony. ⁹When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. ¹⁰There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, ¹¹or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. ¹²For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee. ¹³Thou shalt be perfect with Jehovah thy God. ¹⁴For these nations, that thou shalt dispossess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, Jehovah thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

¹⁵Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; ¹⁶according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. ¹⁷And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken. ¹⁸I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. ¹⁹And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

²⁰But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. ²¹And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? ²²when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Deuteronomy 19

19 ¹When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; ²thou shalt set apart three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it. ³Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Jehovah thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.

⁴And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past; ⁵as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, so that he dieth; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live: ⁶lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. ⁷Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt set apart three cities for thee. ⁸And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; ⁹if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three: ¹⁰that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

¹¹But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he dieth, and he flee into one of these cities; ¹²then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. ¹³Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

¹⁴Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it.

¹⁵One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established. ¹⁶If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrong-doing, ¹⁷then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days; ¹⁸and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and have testified falsely against his brother; ¹⁹then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to do unto his brother: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. ²⁰And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee. ²¹And thine eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Deuteronomy 20

20 ¹When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for Jehovah thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ²And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, ³and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; fear not, nor tremble, neither be ye affrighted at them; ⁴for Jehovah your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. ⁵And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. ⁶And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof. ⁷And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. ⁸And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart melt as his heart. ⁹And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

¹⁰When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. ¹¹And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee. ¹²And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: ¹³and when Jehovah thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: ¹⁴but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take for a prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which Jehovah thy God hath given thee. ¹⁵Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. ¹⁶But of the cities of these peoples, that Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth; ¹⁷but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee; ¹⁸that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so would ye sin against Jehovah your God.

¹⁹When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? ²⁰Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it fall.

Deuteronomy 21

21 ¹If one be found slain in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him; ²then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: ³and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; ⁴and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley. ⁵And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Jehovah thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be. ⁶And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; ⁷and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. ⁸Forgive, O Jehovah, thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them. ⁹So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah.

¹⁰When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and Jehovah thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou carriest them away captive, ¹¹and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and thou hast a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to thee to wife; ¹²then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; ¹³and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. ¹⁴And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her.

¹⁵If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated; ¹⁶then it shall be, in the day that he causeth his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born: ¹⁷but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first-born is his.

¹⁸If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them; ¹⁹then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; ²⁰and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. ²¹And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

²²And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; ²³his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God; that thou defile not thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Deuteronomy 22

22 ¹Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely bring them again unto thy brother. ²And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it home to thy house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him. ³And so shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his garment; and so shalt thou do with every lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found: thou mayest not hide thyself. ⁴Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

⁵A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.

⁶If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: ⁷thou shalt surely let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

⁸When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house, if any man fall from thence.

⁹Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole fruit be forfeited, the seed which thou hast sown, and the increase of the vineyard. ¹⁰Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. ¹¹Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together.

¹²Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four borders of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.

¹³If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, ¹⁴and lay shameful things to her charge, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of virginity; ¹⁵then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate; ¹⁶and the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; ¹⁷and, lo, he hath laid shameful things to her charge, saying, I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. ¹⁸And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him; ¹⁹and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. ²⁰But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the damsel; ²¹then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

²²If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away the evil from Israel.

²³If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; ²⁴then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them to death with stones; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife: so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

²⁵But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die: ²⁶but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so is this matter; ²⁷for he found her in the field, the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

²⁸If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; ²⁹then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days.

³⁰A man shall not take his father's wife, and shall not uncover his father's skirt.

Deuteronomy 23

23 ¹He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah.

²A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah; even to the tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of Jehovah.

³An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah; even to the tenth generation shall none belonging to them enter into the assembly of Jehovah for ever: ⁴because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. ⁵Nevertheless Jehovah thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but Jehovah thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because Jehovah thy God loved thee. ⁶Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

⁷Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a sojourner in his land. ⁸The children of the third generation that are born unto them shall enter into the assembly of Jehovah.

⁹When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing. ¹⁰If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of that which chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: ¹¹but it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he shall come within the camp. ¹²Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: ¹³and thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: ¹⁴for Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that he may not see an unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

¹⁵Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a servant that is escaped from his master unto thee: ¹⁶he shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee, in the place which he shall choose within one of thy gates, where it pleaseth him best: thou shalt not oppress him.

¹⁷There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel. ¹⁸Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the wages of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.

¹⁹Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother; interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of anything that is lent upon interest: ²⁰unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest, that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all that thou puttest thy hand unto, in the land whither thou goest in to possess it.

²¹When thou shalt vow a vow unto Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it: for Jehovah thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. ²²But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. ²³That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast vowed unto Jehovah thy God, a freewill-offering, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

²⁴When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat of grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. ²⁵When thou comest into thy neighbor's standing grain, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thy hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing grain.

Deuteronomy 24

24 ¹When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. ²And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. ³And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; ⁴her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Jehovah: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

⁵When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go out in the host, neither shall he be charged with any business: he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.

⁶No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

⁷If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

⁸Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. ⁹Remember what Jehovah thy God did unto Miriam, by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt.

¹⁰When thou dost lend thy neighbor any manner of loan, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. ¹¹Thou shalt stand without, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring forth the pledge without unto thee. ¹²And if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge; ¹³thou shalt surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before Jehovah thy God.

¹⁴Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy sojourners that are in thy land within thy gates: ¹⁵in his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be sin unto thee.

¹⁶The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

¹⁷Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to the sojourner, or to the fatherless, nor take the widow's raiment to pledge; ¹⁸but thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

¹⁹When thou reapest thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands. ²⁰When thou beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. ²¹When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it after thee: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. ²²And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Deuteronomy 25

25 ¹If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and the judges judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked; ²and it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his wickedness, by number. ³Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

⁴Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the grain.

⁵If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. ⁶And it shall be, that the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. ⁷And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me. ⁸Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand, and say, I like not to take her; ⁹then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house. ¹⁰And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

¹¹When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets; ¹²then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.

¹³Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. ¹⁴Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small. ¹⁵A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. ¹⁶For all that do such things, even all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.

¹⁷Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; ¹⁸how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. ¹⁹Therefore it shall be, when Jehovah thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget.

Deuteronomy 26

26 ¹And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein, ²that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. ³And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us. ⁴And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God. ⁵And thou shalt answer and say before Jehovah thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. ⁶And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: ⁷and we cried unto Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression; ⁸and Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders; ⁹and he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Jehovah, hast given me. And thou shalt set it down before Jehovah thy God, and worship before Jehovah thy God: ¹¹and thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the sojourner that is in the midst of thee.

¹²When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then thou shalt give it unto the Levite, to the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled. ¹³And thou shalt say before Jehovah thy God, I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandment which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed any of thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them: ¹⁴I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I put away thereof, being unclean, nor given thereof for the dead: I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah my God; I have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. ¹⁵Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the ground which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁶This day Jehovah thy God commandeth thee to do these statutes and ordinances: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. ¹⁷Thou hast avouched Jehovah this day to be thy God, and that thou wouldest walk in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and hearken unto his voice: ¹⁸and Jehovah hath avouched thee this day to be a people for his own possession, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; ¹⁹and to make thee high above all nations that he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto Jehovah thy God, as he hath spoken.

Deuteronomy 27

27 ¹And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandment which I command you this day. ²And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster: ³and thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over; that thou mayest go in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath promised thee. ⁴And it shall be, when ye are passed over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. ⁵And there shalt thou build an altar unto Jehovah thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon them. ⁶Thou shalt build the altar of Jehovah thy God of unhewn stones; and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah thy God: ⁷and thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God. ⁸And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

⁹And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Keep silence, and hearken, O Israel: this day thou art become the people of Jehovah thy God. ¹⁰Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of Jehovah thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.

¹¹And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, ¹²These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³And these shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. ¹⁴And the Levites shall answer, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,

¹⁵Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

¹⁶Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

¹⁷Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

¹⁸Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.

¹⁹Cursed be he that wresteth the justice due to the sojourner, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁰Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife, because he hath uncovered his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²¹Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²²Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²³Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁴Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁵Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

²⁶Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 28

28 ¹And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that Jehovah thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth: ²and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God. ³Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. ⁴Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. ⁵Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. ⁶Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

⁷Jehovah will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. ⁸Jehovah will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. ⁹Jehovah will establish thee for a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God, and walk in his ways. ¹⁰And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of Jehovah; and they shall be afraid of thee. ¹¹And Jehovah will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers to give thee. ¹²Jehovah will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. ¹³And Jehovah will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them, ¹⁴and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

¹⁵But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. ¹⁶Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. ¹⁷Cursed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. ¹⁸Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. ¹⁹Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

²⁰Jehovah will send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest thy hand unto to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. ²¹Jehovah will make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he hath consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest in to possess it. ²²Jehovah will smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. ²³And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. ²⁴Jehovah will make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

²⁵Jehovah will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them, and shalt flee seven ways before them: and thou shalt be tossed to and from among all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶And thy dead body shall be food unto all birds of the heavens, and unto the beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to frighten them away. ²⁷Jehovah will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. ²⁸Jehovah will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart; ²⁹and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and robbed alway, and there shall be none to save thee. ³⁰Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not use the fruit thereof. ³¹Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to save thee. ³²Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people; and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day: and there shall be nought in the power of thy hand. ³³The fruit of thy ground, and all thy labors, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway; ³⁴so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ³⁵Jehovah will smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the crown of thy head.

³⁶Jehovah will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation that thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. ³⁷And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples whither Jehovah shall lead thee away. ³⁸Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall consume it. ³⁹Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worm shall eat them. ⁴⁰Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast its fruit. ⁴¹Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be thine; for they shall go into captivity. ⁴²All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess. ⁴³The sojourner that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower. ⁴⁴He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. ⁴⁵And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: ⁴⁶and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

⁴⁷Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; ⁴⁸therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. ⁴⁹Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; ⁵⁰a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young, ⁵¹and shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed; that also shall not leave thee grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of thy cattle, or the young of thy flock, until they have caused thee to perish. ⁵²And they shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land; and they shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which Jehovah thy God hath given thee. ⁵³And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, whom Jehovah thy God hath given thee, in the siege and in the distress wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee. ⁵⁴The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining; ⁵⁵so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat, because he hath nothing left him, in the siege and in the distress wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in all thy gates. ⁵⁶The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, ⁵⁷and toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she shall bear; for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly, in the siege and in the distress wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

⁵⁸If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, JEHOVAH THY GOD; ⁵⁹then Jehovah will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. ⁶⁰And he will bring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. ⁶¹Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will Jehovah bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. ⁶²And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God. ⁶³And it shall come to pass, that, as Jehovah rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Jehovah will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest in to possess it. ⁶⁴And Jehovah will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. ⁶⁵And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot: but Jehovah will give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul; ⁶⁶and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have no assurance of thy life. ⁶⁷In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ⁶⁸And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

Deuteronomy 29

29 ¹These are the words of the covenant which Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

²And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; ³the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders: ⁴but Jehovah hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. ⁵And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxed old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxed old upon thy foot. ⁶Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God. ⁷And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them: ⁸and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites. ⁹Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

¹⁰Ye stand this day all of you before Jehovah your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, ¹¹your little ones, your wives, and thy sojourner that is in the midst of thy camps, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water; ¹²that thou mayest enter into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into his oath, which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day; ¹³that he may establish thee this day unto himself for a people, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he spake unto thee, and as he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

¹⁴Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, ¹⁵but with him that standeth here with us this day before Jehovah our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day ¹⁶(for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed; ¹⁷and ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them); ¹⁸lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; ¹⁹and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry. ²⁰Jehovah will not pardon him, but then the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven. ²¹And Jehovah will set him apart unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.

²²And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith Jehovah hath made it sick; ²³and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: ²⁴even all the nations shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? ²⁵Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, ²⁶and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them: ²⁷therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book; ²⁸and Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as at this day. ²⁹The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30

30 ¹And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee, ²and shalt return unto Jehovah thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; ³that then Jehovah thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither Jehovah thy God hath scattered thee. ⁴If any of thine outcasts be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will Jehovah thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: ⁵and Jehovah thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. ⁶And Jehovah thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. ⁷And Jehovah thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, that persecuted thee. ⁸And thou shalt return and obey the voice of Jehovah, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. ⁹And Jehovah thy God will make thee plenteous in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, for good: for Jehovah will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers; ¹⁰if thou shalt obey the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.

¹¹For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. ¹²It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? ¹³Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? ¹⁴But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

¹⁵See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; ¹⁶in that I command thee this day to love Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. ¹⁷But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; ¹⁸I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days in the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it. ¹⁹I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed; ²⁰to love Jehovah thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him; for he is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Deuteronomy 31

31 ¹And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. ²And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. ³Jehovah thy God, he will go over before thee; he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken. ⁴And Jehovah will do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed. ⁵And Jehovah will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. ⁶Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. ⁷And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. ⁸And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

⁹And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and unto all the elders of Israel. ¹⁰And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, ¹¹when all Israel is come to appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ¹²Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; ¹³and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.

¹⁴And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. ¹⁵And Jehovah appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud: and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. ¹⁶And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. ¹⁷Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? ¹⁸And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. ¹⁹Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. ²⁰For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxed fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. ²¹And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they frame this day, before I have brought them into the land which I sware. ²²So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. ²³And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

²⁴And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, ²⁵that Moses commanded the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying, ²⁶Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. ²⁷For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah; and how much more after my death? ²⁸Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. ²⁹For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

³⁰And Moses spake in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

Deuteronomy 32

32 ¹Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak;

And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

²My doctrine shall drop as the rain;

My speech shall distil as the dew,

As the small rain upon the tender grass,

And as the showers upon the herb.

³For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah:

Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

⁴The Rock, his work is perfect;

For all his ways are justice:

A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,

Just and right is he.

⁵They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish;

They are a perverse and crooked generation.

⁶Do ye thus requite Jehovah,

O foolish people and unwise?

Is not he thy father that hath bought thee?

He hath made thee, and established thee.

⁷Remember the days of old,

Consider the years of many generations:

Ask thy father, and he will show thee;

Thine elders, and they will tell thee.

⁸When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,

When he separated the children of men,

He set the bounds of the peoples

According to the number of the children of Israel.

⁹For Jehovah's portion is his people;

Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

¹⁰He found him in a desert land,

And in the waste howling wilderness;

He compassed him about, he cared for him,

He kept him as the apple of his eye.

¹¹As an eagle that stirreth up her nest,

That fluttereth over her young,

He spread abroad his wings, he took them,

He bare them on his pinions.

¹²Jehovah alone did lead him,

And there was no foreign god with him.

¹³He made him ride on the high places of the earth,

And he did eat the increase of the field;

And he made him to suck honey out of the rock,

And oil out of the flinty rock;

¹⁴Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock,

With fat of lambs,

And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,

With the finest of the wheat;

And of the blood of the grape thou drankest wine.

¹⁵But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:

Thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek;

Then he forsook God who made him,

And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

¹⁶They moved him to jealousy with strange gods;

With abominations provoked they him to anger.

¹⁷They sacrificed unto demons, which were no God,

To gods that they knew not,

To new gods that came up of late,

Which your fathers dreaded not.

¹⁸Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful,

And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.

¹⁹And Jehovah saw it, and abhorred them,

Because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

²⁰And he said, I will hide my face from them,

I will see what their end shall be:

For they are a very perverse generation,

Children in whom is no faithfulness.

²¹They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God;

They have provoked me to anger with their vanities:

And I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people;

I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

²²For a fire is kindled in mine anger,

And burneth unto the lowest Sheol,

And devoureth the earth with its increase,

And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains.

²³I will heap evils upon them;

I will spend mine arrows upon them:

²⁴They shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat

And bitter destruction;

And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them,

With the poison of crawling things of the dust.

²⁵Without shall the sword bereave,

And in the chambers terror;

It shall destroy both young man and virgin,

The suckling with the man of gray hairs.

²⁶I said, I would scatter them afar,

I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men;

²⁷Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,

Lest their adversaries should judge amiss,

Lest they should say, Our hand is exalted,

And Jehovah hath not done all this.

²⁸For they are a nation void of counsel,

And there is no understanding in them.

²⁹Oh that they were wise, that they understood this,

That they would consider their latter end!

³⁰How should one chase a thousand,

And two put ten thousand to flight,

Except their Rock had sold them,

And Jehovah had delivered them up?

³¹For their rock is not as our Rock,

Even our enemies themselves being judges.

³²For their vine is of the vine of Sodom,

And of the fields of Gomorrah:

Their grapes are grapes of gall,

Their clusters are bitter:

³³Their wine is the poison of serpents,

And the cruel venom of asps.

³⁴Is not this laid up in store with me,

Sealed up among my treasures?

³⁵Vengeance is mine, and recompense,

At the time when their foot shall slide:

For the day of their calamity is at hand,

And the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.

³⁶For Jehovah will judge his people,

And repent himself for his servants;

When he seeth that their power is gone,

And there is none remaining, shut up or left at large.

³⁷And he will say, Where are their gods,

The rock in which they took refuge;

³⁸Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices,

And drank the wine of their drink-offering?

Let them rise up and help you,

Let them be your protection.

³⁹See now that I, even I, am he,

And there is no god with me:

I kill, and I make alive;

I wound, and I heal;

And there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

⁴⁰For I lift up my hand to heaven,

And say, As I live for ever,

⁴¹If I whet my glittering sword,

And my hand take hold on judgment;

I will render vengeance to mine adversaries,

And will recompense them that hate me.

⁴²I will make mine arrows drunk with blood,

And my sword shall devour flesh;

With the blood of the slain and the captives,

From the head of the leaders of the enemy.

⁴³Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people:

For he will avenge the blood of his servants,

And will render vengeance to his adversaries,

And will make expiation for his land, for his people.

⁴⁴And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. ⁴⁵And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel; ⁴⁶And he said unto them, Set your heart unto all the words which I testify unto you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, even all the words of this law. ⁴⁷For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.

⁴⁸And Jehovah spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, ⁴⁹Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession; ⁵⁰and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: ⁵¹because ye trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. ⁵²For thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33

33 ¹And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. ²And he said,

Jehovah came from Sinai,

And rose from Seir unto them;

He shined forth from mount Paran,

And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones:

At his right hand was a fiery law for them.

³Yea, he loveth the people;

All his saints are in thy hand:

And they sat down at thy feet;

Every one shall receive of thy words.

⁴Moses commanded us a law,

An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

⁵And he was king in Jeshurun,

When the heads of the people were gathered,

All the tribes of Israel together.

⁶Let Reuben live, and not die;

Nor let his men be few.

⁷And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said,

Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah,

And bring him in unto his people.

With his hands he contended for himself;

And thou shalt be a help against his adversaries.

⁸And of Levi he said,

Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy godly one,

Whom thou didst prove at Massah,

With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

⁹Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him;

Neither did he acknowledge his brethren,

Nor knew he his own children:

For they have observed thy word,

And keep thy covenant.

¹⁰They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances,

And Israel thy law:

They shall put incense before thee,

And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar.

¹¹Bless, Jehovah, his substance,

And accept the work of his hands:

Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him,

And of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

¹²Of Benjamin he said,

The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell in safety by him;

He covereth him all the day long,

And he dwelleth between his shoulders.

¹³And of Joseph he said,

Blessed of Jehovah be his land,

For the precious things of heaven, for the dew,

And for the deep that coucheth beneath,

¹⁴And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun,

And for the precious things of the growth of the moons,

¹⁵And for the chief things of the ancient mountains,

And for the precious things of the everlasting hills,

¹⁶And for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof,

And the good will of him that dwelt in the bush.

Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph,

And upon the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

¹⁷The firstling of his herd, majesty is his;

And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox:

With them he shall push the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth:

And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

And they are the thousands of Manasseh.

¹⁸And of Zebulun he said,

Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out;

And, Issachar, in thy tents.

¹⁹They shall call the peoples unto the mountain;

There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness:

For they shall suck the abundance of the seas,

And the hidden treasures of the sand.

²⁰And of Gad he said,

Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad:

He dwelleth as a lioness,

And teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head.

²¹And he provided the first part for himself,

For there was the lawgiver's portion reserved;

And he came with the heads of the people;

He executed the righteousness of Jehovah,

And his ordinances with Israel.

²²And of Dan he said,

Dan is a lion's whelp,

That leapeth forth from Bashan.

²³And of Naphtali he said,

O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,

And full with the blessing of Jehovah,

Possess thou the west and the south.

²⁴And of Asher he said,

Blessed be Asher with children;

Let him be acceptable unto his brethren,

And let him dip his foot in oil.

²⁵Thy bars shall be iron and brass;

And as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

²⁶There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun,

Who rideth upon the heavens for thy help,

And in his excellency on the skies.

²⁷The eternal God is thy dwelling-place,

And underneath are the everlasting arms.

And he thrust out the enemy from before thee,

And said, Destroy.

²⁸And Israel dwelleth in safety,

The fountain of Jacob alone,

In a land of grain and new wine;

Yea, his heavens drop down dew.

²⁹Happy art thou, O Israel:

Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah,

The shield of thy help,

And the sword of thy excellency!

And thine enemies shall submit themselves unto thee;

And thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Deuteronomy 34

34 ¹And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And Jehovah showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, ²and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the hinder sea, ³and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar. ⁴And Jehovah said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. ⁵So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. ⁶And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. ⁷And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. ⁸And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.

⁹And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as Jehovah commanded Moses. ¹⁰And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, ¹¹in all the signs and the wonders, which Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, ¹²and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.

The Book of Joshua

Joshua 1

1 ¹Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, ²Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. ³Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses. ⁴From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. ⁵There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. ⁶Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. ⁷Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. ⁸This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. ⁹Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

¹⁰Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, ¹¹Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it.

¹²And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, ¹³Remember the word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God giveth you rest, and will give you this land. ¹⁴Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them; ¹⁵until Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising. ¹⁶And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. ¹⁷According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only Jehovah thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. ¹⁸Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good courage.

Joshua 2

2 ¹And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there. ²And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land. ³And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land. ⁴And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were: ⁵and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye will overtake them. ⁶But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. ⁷And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

⁸And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; ⁹and she said unto the men, I know that Jehovah hath given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. ¹⁰For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. ¹¹And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. ¹²Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token; ¹³and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death. ¹⁴And the men said unto her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business; and it shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

¹⁵Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. ¹⁶And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. ¹⁷And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. ¹⁸Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household. ¹⁹And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we shall be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. ²⁰But if thou utter this our business, then we shall be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. ²¹And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

²²And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. ²³Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them. ²⁴And they said unto Joshua, Truly Jehovah hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.

Joshua 3

3 ¹And Joshua rose up early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over. ²And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp; ³and they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. ⁴Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore. ⁵And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. ⁶And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

⁷And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. ⁸And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan. ⁹And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God. ¹⁰And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite. ¹¹Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan. ¹²Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. ¹³And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.

¹⁴And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people; ¹⁵and when they that bare the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest,) ¹⁶that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. ¹⁷And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed clean over the Jordan.

Joshua 4

4 ¹And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, ²Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, ³and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night. ⁴Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: ⁵and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; ⁶that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? ⁷then ye shall say unto them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

⁸And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. ⁹And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. ¹⁰For the priests that bare the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. ¹¹And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. ¹²And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: ¹³about forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before Jehovah unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. ¹⁴On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

¹⁵And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, ¹⁶Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan. ¹⁷Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of the Jordan. ¹⁸And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime.

¹⁹And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. ²⁰And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal. ²¹And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? ²²Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. ²³For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were passed over; ²⁴that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye may fear Jehovah your God for ever.

Joshua 5

5 ¹And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard how that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

²At that time Jehovah said unto Joshua, Make thee knives of flint, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. ³And Joshua made him knives of lint, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. ⁴And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people that came forth out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt. ⁵For all the people that came out were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, they had not circumcised. ⁶For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation, even the men of war that came forth out of Egypt, were consumed, because they hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah: unto whom Jehovah sware that he would not let them see the land which Jehovah sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them did Joshua circumcise: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. ⁸And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the nation, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. ⁹And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, unto this day.

¹⁰And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. ¹¹And they did eat of the produce of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain, in the selfsame day. ¹²And the manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the produce of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? ¹⁴And he said, Nay; but as prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? ¹⁵And the prince of Jehovah's host said unto Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Joshua 6

6 ¹Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. ²And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor. ³And ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. ⁴And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. ⁵And it shall be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him. ⁶And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of Jehovah. ⁷And they said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of Jehovah.

⁸And it was so, that, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Jehovah passed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah followed them. ⁹And the armed men went before the priests that blew the trumpets, and the rearward went after the ark, the priests blowing the trumpets as they went. ¹⁰And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. ¹¹So he caused the ark of Jehovah to compass the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

¹²And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Jehovah. ¹³And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of Jehovah went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; and the rearward came after the ark of Jehovah, the priests blowing the trumpets as they went. ¹⁴And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

¹⁵And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on the day they compassed the city seven times. ¹⁶And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for Jehovah hath given you the city. ¹⁷And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein, to Jehovah: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. ¹⁸But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so would ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. ¹⁹But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy unto Jehovah: they shall come into the treasury of Jehovah. ²⁰So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. ²¹And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

²²And Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. ²³And the young men the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them without the camp of Israel. ²⁴And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein; only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. ²⁵But Rahab the harlot, and her father's household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel unto this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. ²⁶And Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: with the loss of his first-born shall he lay the foundation thereof, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. ²⁷So Jehovah was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.

Joshua 7

7 ¹But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.

²And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. ³And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few. ⁴So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. ⁵And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men; and they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them at the descent; and the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

⁶And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads. ⁷And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and dwelt beyond the Jordan! ⁸Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies! ⁹For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will compass us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do for thy great name?

¹⁰And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face? ¹¹Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also; and they have even put it among their own stuff. ¹²Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the devoted thing from among you. ¹³Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you. ¹⁴In the morning therefore ye shall be brought near by your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which Jehovah taketh shall come near by families; and the family which Jehovah shall take shall come near by households; and the household which Jehovah shall take shall come near man by man. ¹⁵And it shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

¹⁶So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: ¹⁷and he brought near the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zerahites: and he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: ¹⁸and he brought near his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. ¹⁹And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. ²⁰And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Of a truth I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: ²¹when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

²²So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. ²³And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel; and they laid them down before Jehovah. ²⁴And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor. ²⁵And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones. ²⁶And they raised over him a great heap of stones, unto this day; and Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

Joshua 8

8 ¹And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land; ²And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: set thee an ambush for the city behind it.

³So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night. ⁴And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: ⁵and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city. And it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them; ⁶and they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: so we will flee before them; ⁷and ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city: for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand. ⁸And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city, that ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of Jehovah shall ye do: see, I have commanded you. ⁹And Joshua sent them forth; and they went to the ambushment, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

¹⁰And Joshua arose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. ¹¹And all the people, even the men of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between him and Ai. ¹²And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. ¹³So they set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers-in-wait that were on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. ¹⁴And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the Arabah; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him behind the city. ¹⁵And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. ¹⁶And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. ¹⁷And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

¹⁸And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. ¹⁹And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it; and they hasted and set the city on fire. ²⁰And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. ²¹And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. ²²And the others came forth out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape. ²³And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. ²⁵And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. ²⁶For Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. ²⁷Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for prey unto themselves, according unto the word of Jehovah which he commanded Joshua. ²⁸So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day. ²⁹And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the eventide: and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, and cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones, unto this day.

³⁰Then Joshua built an altar unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal, ³¹as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, and sacrificed peace-offerings. ³²And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote, in the presence of the children of Israel. ³³And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the sojourner as the homeborn; half of them in front of mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. ³⁴And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. ³⁵There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners that were among them.

Joshua 9

9 ¹And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; ²that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

³But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, ⁴they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up, ⁵and old and patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and was become mouldy. ⁶And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country: now therefore make ye a covenant with us. ⁷And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you? ⁸And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? ⁹And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of Jehovah thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. ¹¹And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: and now make ye a covenant with us. ¹²This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and is become mouldy: ¹³and these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. ¹⁴And the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of Jehovah. ¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

¹⁶And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them. ¹⁷And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. ¹⁸And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by Jehovah, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. ¹⁹But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by Jehovah, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. ²⁰This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. ²¹And the princes said unto them, Let them live: so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken unto them.

²²And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? ²³Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you bondmen, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. ²⁴And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that Jehovah thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. ²⁵And now, behold, we are in thy hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. ²⁶And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. ²⁷And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

Joshua 10

10 ¹Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; ²that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. ³Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, ⁴Come up unto me, and help me, and let us smite Gibeon; for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. ⁵Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

⁶And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill-country are gathered together against us. ⁷So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. ⁸And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thy hands; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. ⁹Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal all the night. ¹⁰And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel, and he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. ¹¹And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

¹²Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel,

Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;

And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.

¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,

Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. ¹⁴And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel.

¹⁵And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

¹⁶And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁸And Joshua said, Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them: ¹⁹but stay not ye; pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for Jehovah your God hath delivered them into your hand. ²⁰And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, ²¹that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

²²Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five kings unto me out of the cave. ²³And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon. ²⁴And it came to pass, when they brought forth those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chiefs of the men of war that went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. ²⁵And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage: for thus shall Jehovah do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. ²⁶And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. ²⁷And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, unto this very day.

²⁸And Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof: he utterly destroyed them and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done unto the king of Jericho.

²⁹And Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah: ³⁰and Jehovah delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining in it; and he did unto the king thereof as he had done unto the king of Jericho.

³¹And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it: ³²and Jehovah delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel; and he took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

³³Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.

³⁴And Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, unto Eglon; and they encamped against it, and fought against it; ³⁵and they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword; and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

³⁶And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it: ³⁷and they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls that were therein.

³⁸And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it: ³⁹and he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to the king thereof.

⁴⁰So Joshua smote all the land, the hill-country, and the South, and the lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded. ⁴¹And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. ⁴²And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because Jehovah, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. ⁴³And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

Joshua 11

11 ¹And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard thereof, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, ²and to the kings that were on the north, in the hill-country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west, ³to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill-country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. ⁴And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. ⁵And all these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

⁶And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them; for to-morrow at this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hock their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. ⁷So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly, and fell upon them. ⁸And Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they smote them, and chased them unto great Sidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. ⁹And Joshua did unto them as Jehovah bade him: he hocked their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

¹⁰And Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. ¹¹And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was none left that breathed: and he burnt Hazor with fire. ¹²And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and he smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them; as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded. ¹³But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn. ¹⁴And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any that breathed. ¹⁵As Jehovah commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua: and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that Jehovah commanded Moses.

¹⁶So Joshua took all that land, the hill-country, and all the South, and all the land of Goshen, and the lowland, and the Arabah, and the hill-country of Israel, and the lowland of the same; ¹⁷from mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and put them to death. ¹⁸Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. ¹⁹There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: they took all in battle. ²⁰For it was of Jehovah to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

²¹And Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill-country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill-country of Judah, and from all the hill-country of Israel: Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. ²²There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain. ²³So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Jehovah spake unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land had rest from war.

Joshua 12

12 ¹Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising, from the valley of the Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward: ²Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon; ³and the Arabah unto the sea of Chinneroth, eastward, and unto the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and on the south, under the slopes of Pisgah: ⁴and the border of Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaim, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, ⁵and ruled in mount Hermon, and in Salecah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. ⁶Moses the servant of Jehovah and the children of Israel smote them: and Moses the servant of Jehovah gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁷And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel smote beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; and Joshua gave it unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions; ⁸in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the Arabah, and in the slopes, and in the wilderness, and in the South; the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: ⁹the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; ¹⁰the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; ¹¹the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; ¹²the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; ¹³the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; ¹⁴the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; ¹⁵the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; ¹⁶the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; ¹⁷the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; ¹⁸the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lassharon, one; ¹⁹the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; ²⁰the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; ²¹the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; ²²the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; ²³the king of Dor in the height of Dor, one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one; ²⁴the king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.

Joshua 13

13 ¹Now Joshua was old and well stricken in years; and Jehovah said unto him, Thou art old and well stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. ²This is the land that yet remaineth: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites; ³from the Shihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the border of Ekron northward, which is reckoned to the Canaanites; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avvim, ⁴on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongeth to the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; ⁵and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entrance of Hamath; ⁶all the inhabitants of the hill-country from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians; them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only allot thou it unto Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee. ⁷Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁸With him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them: ⁹from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon; ¹⁰and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon; ¹¹and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salecah; ¹²all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (the same was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for these did Moses smite, and drove them out. ¹³Nevertheless the children of Israel drove not out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel unto this day. ¹⁴Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance; the offerings of Jehovah, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spake unto him.

¹⁵And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families. ¹⁶And their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain by Medeba; ¹⁷Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, ¹⁸and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, ¹⁹and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar in the mount of the valley, ²⁰and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, ²¹and all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, that dwelt in the land. ²²Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain. ²³And the border of the children of Reuben was the Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and the villages thereof.

²⁴And Moses gave unto the tribe of Gad, unto the children of Gad, according to their families. ²⁵And their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah; ²⁶and from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; ²⁷and in the valley, Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan and the border thereof, unto the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward. ²⁸This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and the villages thereof.

²⁹And Moses gave inheritance unto the half-tribe of Manasseh: and it was for the half-tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families. ³⁰And their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities: ³¹and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even for the half of the children of Machir according to their families.

³²These are the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho, eastward. ³³But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance: Jehovah, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spake unto them.

Joshua 14

14 ¹And these are the inheritances which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed unto them, ²by the lot of their inheritance, as Jehovah commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe. ³For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. ⁴For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: and they gave no portion unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for their cattle and for their substance. ⁵As Jehovah commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did; and they divided the land.

⁶Then the children of Judah drew nigh unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that Jehovah spake unto Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning thee in Kadesh-barnea. ⁷Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. ⁸Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed Jehovah my God. ⁹And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy foot hath trodden shall be an inheritance to thee and to thy children for ever, because thou hast wholly followed Jehovah my God. ¹⁰And now, behold, Jehovah hath kept me alive, as he spake, these forty and five years, from the time that Jehovah spake this word unto Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. ¹¹As yet I am as strong this day as I as in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, and to go out and to come in. ¹²Now therefore give me this hill-country, whereof Jehovah spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there, and cities great and fortified: it may be that Jehovah will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as Jehovah spake.

¹³And Joshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. ¹⁴Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite unto this day; because that he wholly followed Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁵Now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba; which Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.

Joshua 15

15 ¹And the lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was unto the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south. ²And their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looketh southward; ³and it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh-barnea, and passed along by Hezron, and went up to Addar, and turned about to Karka; ⁴and it passed along to Azmon, and went out at the brook of Egypt; and the goings out of the border were at the sea: this shall be your south border. ⁵And the east border was the Salt Sea, even unto the end of the Jordan. And the border of the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan; ⁶and the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; ⁷and the border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is over against the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the river; and the border passed along to the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel; ⁸and the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim northward; ⁹and the border extended from the top of the mountain unto the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border extended to Baalah (the same is Kiriath-jearim); ¹⁰and the border turned about from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim on the north (the same is Chesalon), and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed along by Timnah; ¹¹and the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. ¹²And the west border was to the great sea, and the border thereof. This is the border of the children of Judah round about according to their families.

¹³And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of Jehovah to Joshua, even Kiriath-arba, which Arba was the father of Anak (the same is Hebron). ¹⁴And Caleb drove out thence the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. ¹⁵And he went up thence against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher. ¹⁶And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. ¹⁷And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. ¹⁸And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her ass; and Caleb said, What wouldest thou? ¹⁹And she said, Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

²⁰This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.

²¹And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, ²²and Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, ²³and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, ²⁴Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, ²⁵and Hazor-hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron (the same is Hazor), ²⁶Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, ²⁷and Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-pelet, ²⁸and Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Biziothiah, ²⁹Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem, ³⁰and Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, ³¹and Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, ³²and Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages.

³³In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah, ³⁴and Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam, ³⁵Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, ³⁶and Shaaraim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.

³⁷Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad, ³⁸and Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, ³⁹Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, ⁴⁰and Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Chitlish, ⁴¹and Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.

⁴²Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, ⁴³and Iphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, ⁴⁴and Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

⁴⁵Ekron, with its towns and its villages; ⁴⁶from Ekron even unto the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.

⁴⁷Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; unto the brook of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof.

⁴⁸And in the hill-country, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, ⁴⁹and Dannah, and Kiriath-sannah (the same is Debir), ⁵⁰and Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, ⁵¹and Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.

⁵²Arab, and Dumah, and Eshan, ⁵³and Janim, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah, ⁵⁴and Humtah, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.

⁵⁵Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Jutah, ⁵⁶and Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, ⁵⁷Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.

⁵⁸Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor, ⁵⁹and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

⁶⁰Kiriath-baal (the same is Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.

⁶¹In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, ⁶²and Nibshan, and the City of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages.

⁶³And as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

Joshua 16

16 ¹And the lot came out for the children of Joseph from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill-country to Beth-el; ²and it went out from Beth-el to Luz, and passed along unto the border of the Archites to Ataroth; ³and it went down westward to the border of the Japhletites, unto the border of Beth-horon the nether, even unto Gezer; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. ⁴And the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

⁵And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: the border of their inheritance eastward was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper; ⁶and the border went out westward at Michmethath on the north; and the border turned about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed along it on the east of Janoah; ⁷and it went down from Janoah to Ataroth, and to Naarah, and reached unto Jericho, and went out at the Jordan. ⁸From Tappuah the border went along westward to the brook of Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families; ⁹together with the cities which were set apart for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. ¹⁰And they drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell in the midst of Ephraim unto this day, and are become servants to do taskwork.

Joshua 17

17 ¹And this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph. As for Machir the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. ²So the lot was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families. ³But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, Jehovah commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren: therefore according to the commandment of Jehovah he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. ⁵And there fell ten parts to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan; ⁶because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged unto the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

⁷And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is before Shechem; and the border went along to the right hand, unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah. ⁸The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim. ⁹And the border went down unto the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook: these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh: and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and the goings out thereof were at the sea: ¹⁰southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea was his border; and they reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east. ¹¹And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, even the three heights. ¹²Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. ¹³And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, and did not utterly drive them out.

¹⁴And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as hitherto Jehovah hath blessed me? ¹⁵And Joshua said unto them, If thou be a great people, get thee up to the forest, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for thee. ¹⁶And the children of Joseph said, The hill-country is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are in Beth-shean and its towns, and they who are in the valley of Jezreel. ¹⁷And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power; thou shalt not have one lot only: ¹⁸but the hill-country shall be thine; for though it is a forest, thou shalt cut it down, and the goings out thereof shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.

Joshua 18

18 ¹And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there: and the land was subdued before them. ²And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet divided their inheritance. ³And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, hath given you? ⁴Appoint for you three men of each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall arise, and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come unto me. ⁵And they shall divide it into seven portions: Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north. ⁶And ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God. ⁷For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance: and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.

⁸And the men arose, and went: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiloh. ⁹And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven portions in a book; and they came to Joshua unto the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

¹¹And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. ¹²And their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. ¹³And the border passed along from thence to Luz, to the side of Luz (the same is Beth-el), southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, by the mountain that lieth on the south of Beth-horon the nether. ¹⁴And the border extended thence, and turned about on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kiriath-baal (the same is Kiriath-jearim), a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. ¹⁵And the south quarter was from the uttermost part of Kiriath-jearim; and the border went out westward, and went out to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah; ¹⁶and the border went down to the uttermost part of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the vale of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel; ¹⁷and it extended northward, and went out at En-shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim; and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; ¹⁸and it passed along to the side over against the Arabah northward, and went down unto the Arabah; ¹⁹and the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the goings out of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this was the south border. ²⁰And the Jordan was the border of it on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders thereof round about, according to their families.

²¹Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, ²²and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el, ²³and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah, ²⁴and Chephar-ammoni, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages: ²⁵Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, ²⁶and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, ²⁷and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, ²⁸and Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite (the same is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Joshua 19

19 ¹And the second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Judah. ²And they had for their inheritance Beer-sheba, or Sheba, and Moladah, ³and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Ezem, ⁴and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, ⁵and Ziklag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah, ⁶and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages: ⁷Ain, Rimmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages: ⁸and all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. ⁹Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.

¹⁰And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families; and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid; ¹¹and their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth; and it reached to the brook that is before Jokneam; ¹²and it turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chisloth-tabor; and it went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia; ¹³and from thence it passed along eastward to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin; and it went out at Rimmon which stretcheth unto Neah; ¹⁴and the border turned about it on the north to Hannathon; and the goings out thereof were at the valley of Iphtah-el; ¹⁵and Kattath, and Nahalal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages. ¹⁶This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

¹⁷The fourth lot came out for Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families. ¹⁸And their border was unto Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem, ¹⁹and Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath, ²⁰and Rabbith, and Kishion, and Ebez, ²¹and Remeth, and Engannim, and En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez, ²²and the border reached to Tabor, and Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh; and the goings out of their border were at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages. ²³This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.

²⁴And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. ²⁵And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, ²⁶and Allammelech, and Amad, and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath; ²⁷and it turned toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtah-el northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; and it went out to Cabul on the left hand, ²⁸and Ebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto great Sidon; ²⁹and the border turned to Ramah, and to the fortified city of Tyre; and the border turned to Hosah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea by the region of Achzib; ³⁰Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty and two cities with their villages. ³¹This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

³²The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families. ³³And their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adaminekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakkum; and the goings out thereof were at the Jordan; ³⁴and the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor, and went out from thence to Hukkok; and it reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrising. ³⁵And the fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, ³⁶and Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor, ³⁷and Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor, ³⁸And Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. ³⁹This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.

⁴⁰The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. ⁴¹And the border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh, ⁴²and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah, ⁴³and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron, ⁴⁴and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, ⁴⁵and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶and Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over against Joppa. ⁴⁷And the border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. ⁴⁸This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

⁴⁹So they made an end of distributing the land for inheritance by the borders thereof; and the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in the midst of them: ⁵⁰according to the commandment of Jehovah they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnath-serah in the hill-country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and dwelt therein.

⁵¹These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land.

Joshua 20

20 ¹And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, ²Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Assign you the cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by Moses, ³that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly and unawares may flee thither: and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. ⁵And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unawares, and hated him not beforetime. ⁶And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the manslayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.

⁷And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah. ⁸And beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person unwittingly might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

Joshua 21

21 ¹Then came near the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel; ²and they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, Jehovah commanded Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle. ³And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Jehovah, these cities with their suburbs.

⁴And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

⁵And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.

⁶And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

⁷The children of Merari according to their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

⁸And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded by Moses. ⁹And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name: ¹⁰and they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot. ¹¹And they gave them Kiriath-arba, which Arba was the father of Anak (the same is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it. ¹²But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

¹³And unto the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Libnah with its suburbs, ¹⁴and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs, ¹⁵and Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs, ¹⁶and Ain with its suburbs, and Juttah with its suburbs, and Beth-shemesh with its suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes. ¹⁷And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its suburbs, Geba with its suburbs, ¹⁸Anathoth with its suburbs, and Almon with its suburbs; four cities. ¹⁹All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

²⁰And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. ²¹And they gave them Shechem with its suburbs in the hill-country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with its suburbs, ²²and Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs; four cities. ²³And out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs, ²⁴Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; four cities. ²⁵And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; two cities. ²⁶All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs.

²⁷And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Be-eshterah with its suburbs; two cities. ²⁸And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs, ²⁹Jarmuth with its suburbs, En-gannim with its suburbs; four cities. ³⁰And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs, ³¹Helkath with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; four cities. ³²And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Hammoth-dor with its suburbs, and Kartan with its suburbs; three cities. ³³All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

³⁴And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its suburbs, and Kartah with its suburbs, ³⁵Dimnah with its suburbs, Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities. ³⁶And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, and Jahaz with its suburbs, ³⁷Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities. ³⁸And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs, ³⁹Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs; four cities in all. ⁴⁰All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites; and their lot was twelve cities.

⁴¹All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. ⁴²These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus it was with all these cities.

⁴³So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. ⁴⁴And Jehovah gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; Jehovah delivered all their enemies into their hand. ⁴⁵There failed not aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Joshua 22

22 ¹Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ²and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and have hearkened unto my voice in all that I commanded you: ³ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God. ⁴And now Jehovah your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he spake unto them: therefore now turn ye, and get you unto your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan. ⁵Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁶So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went unto their tents.

⁷Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given inheritance in Bashan; but unto the other half gave Joshua among their brethren beyond the Jordan westward; moreover when Joshua sent them away unto their tents, he blessed them, ⁸and spake unto them, saying, Return with much wealth unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. ⁹And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

¹⁰And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon. ¹¹And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel. ¹²And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.

¹³And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, ¹⁴and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers' house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were every one of them head of their fathers' houses among the thousands of Israel. ¹⁵And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying, ¹⁶Thus saith the whole congregation of Jehovah, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following Jehovah, in that ye have builded you an altar, to rebel this day against Jehovah? ¹⁷Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves unto this day, although there came a plague upon the congregation of Jehovah, ¹⁸that ye must turn away this day from following Jehovah? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to-day against Jehovah, that to-morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel. ¹⁹Howbeit, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of Jehovah, wherein Jehovah's tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against Jehovah, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of Jehovah our God. ²⁰Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

²¹Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spake unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, ²²The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One, God, Jehovah, he knoweth; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against Jehovah (save thou us not this day,) ²³that we have built us an altar to turn away from following Jehovah; or if to offer thereon burnt-offering or meal-offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace-offerings thereon, let Jehovah himself require it; ²⁴and if we have not rather out of carefulness done this, and of purpose, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel? ²⁵for Jehovah hath made the Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no portion in Jehovah: so might your children make our children cease from fearing Jehovah. ²⁶Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice: ²⁷but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt-offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no portion in Jehovah. ²⁸Therefore said we, It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you. ²⁹Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah, and turn away this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt-offering, for meal-offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle.

³⁰And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them well. ³¹And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we know that Jehovah is in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this trespass against Jehovah: now have ye delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah. ³²And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. ³³And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spake no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt. ³⁴And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: For, said they, it is a witness between us that Jehovah is God.

Joshua 23

23 ¹And it came to pass after many days, when Jehovah had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old and well stricken in years; ²that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and well stricken in years: ³and ye have seen all that Jehovah your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for Jehovah your God, he it is that hath fought for you. ⁴Behold, I have allotted unto you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun. ⁵And Jehovah your God, he will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as Jehovah your God spake unto you. ⁶Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; ⁷that ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves unto them; ⁸but cleave unto Jehovah your God, as ye have done unto this day. ⁹For Jehovah hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath stood before you unto this day. ¹⁰One man of you shall chase a thousand; for Jehovah your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he spake unto you. ¹¹Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love Jehovah your God. ¹²Else if ye do at all go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you; ¹³know for a certainty that Jehovah your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap unto you, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.

¹⁴And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof. ¹⁵And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you of which Jehovah your God spake unto you, so will Jehovah bring upon you all the evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you. ¹⁶When ye transgress the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them; then will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

Joshua 24

24 ¹And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. ²And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods. ³And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. ⁴And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it: and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. ⁵And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in the midst thereof: and afterward I brought you out. ⁶And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen unto the Red Sea. ⁷And when they cried out unto Jehovah, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness many days. ⁸And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, that dwelt beyond the Jordan: and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and ye possessed their land; and I destroyed them from before you. ⁹Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel: and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you; ¹⁰but I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. ¹¹And ye went over the Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I delivered them into your hand. ¹²And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. ¹³And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not labored, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

¹⁴Now therefore fear Jehovah, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve ye Jehovah. ¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.

¹⁶And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods; ¹⁷for Jehovah our God, he it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; ¹⁸and Jehovah drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land: therefore we also will serve Jehovah; for he is our God.

¹⁹And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve Jehovah; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgression nor your sins. ²⁰If ye forsake Jehovah, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. ²¹And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve Jehovah. ²²And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you Jehovah, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. ²³Now therefore put away, said he, the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, the God of Israel. ²⁴And the people said unto Joshua, Jehovah our God will we serve, and unto his voice will we hearken. ²⁵So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. ²⁶And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Jehovah. ²⁷And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it hath heard all the words of Jehovah which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest ye deny your God. ²⁸So Joshua sent the people away, every man unto his inheritance.

²⁹And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. ³⁰And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. ³¹And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of Jehovah, that he had wrought for Israel.

³²And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money: and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. ³³And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill-country of Ephraim.

The Book of Judges

Judges 1

1 ¹And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the children of Israel asked of Jehovah, saying, Who shall go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them? ²And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. ³And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. ⁴And Judah went up; and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they smote of them in Bezek ten thousand men. ⁵And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. ⁷And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their food under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸And the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. ⁹And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the lowland. ¹⁰And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron (now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba); and they smote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

¹¹And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher.) ¹²And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. ¹³And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. ¹⁴And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? ¹⁵And she said unto him, Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

¹⁶And the children of the Kenite, Moses' brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt with the people. ¹⁷And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. ¹⁸Also Judah took Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the border thereof, and Ekron with the border thereof. ¹⁹And Jehovah was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill-country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. ²⁰And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses had spoken: and he drove out thence the three sons of Anak. ²¹And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

²²And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el; and Jehovah was with them. ²³And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el. (Now the name of the city beforetime was Luz.) ²⁴And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with thee. ²⁵And he showed them the entrance into the city; and they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family. ²⁶And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz, which is the name thereof unto this day.

²⁷And Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its towns, nor of Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. ²⁸And it came to pass, when Israel was waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, and did not utterly drive them out.

²⁹And Ephraim drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

³⁰Zebulun drove not out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became subject to taskwork.

³¹Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob; ³²but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

³³Naphtali drove not out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to taskwork.

³⁴And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill-country; for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley; ³⁵but the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became subject to taskwork. ³⁶And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

Judges 2

2 ¹And the angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you: ²and ye shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall break down their altars. But ye have not hearkened unto my voice: why have ye done this? ³Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. ⁴And it came to pass, when the angel of Jehovah spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. ⁵And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto Jehovah.

⁶Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. ⁷And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Jehovah that he had wrought for Israel. ⁸And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. ⁹And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. ¹⁰And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel.

¹¹And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim; ¹²and they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and bowed themselves down unto them: and they provoked Jehovah to anger. ¹³And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. ¹⁴And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that despoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn unto them: and they were sore distressed.

¹⁶And Jehovah raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those that despoiled them. ¹⁷And yet they hearkened not unto their judges; for they played the harlot after other gods, and bowed themselves down unto them: they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of Jehovah; but they did not so. ¹⁸And when Jehovah raised them up judges, then Jehovah was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented Jehovah because of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. ¹⁹But it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their doings, nor from their stubborn way. ²⁰And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and he said, Because this nation have transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; ²¹I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died; ²²that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. ²³So Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Judges 3

3 ¹Now these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; ²only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof: ³namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entrance of Hamath. ⁴And they were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. ⁵And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites: ⁶and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

⁷And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and forgat Jehovah their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth. ⁸Therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. ⁹And when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. ¹⁰And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Jehovah delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹²And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. ¹³And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees. ¹⁴And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵But when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. And the children of Israel sent tribute by him unto Eglon the king of Moab. ¹⁶And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh. ¹⁷And he offered the tribute unto Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸And when he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people that bare the tribute. ¹⁹But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. ²⁰And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. ²¹And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body: ²²and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his body; and it came out behind. ²³Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room upon him, and locked them.

²⁴Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber. ²⁵And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them, and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

²⁶And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirah. ²⁷And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them. ²⁸And he said unto them, Follow after me; for Jehovah hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over. ²⁹And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man. ³⁰So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

³¹And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel.

Judges 4

4 ¹And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, when Ehud was dead. ²And Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. ³And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

⁴Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time. ⁵And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. ⁶And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded, saying, Go and draw unto mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? ⁷And I will draw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thy hand. ⁸And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go. ⁹And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding, the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

¹¹Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab the brother-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.

¹²And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. ¹³And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, unto the river Kishon. ¹⁴And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which Jehovah hath delivered Sisera into thy hand; is not Jehovah gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. ¹⁵And Jehovah discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet. ¹⁶But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left.

¹⁷Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And he turned in unto her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. ¹⁹And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. ²⁰And he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. ²¹Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died. ²²And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And he came unto her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.

²³So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. ²⁴And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Judges 5

5 ¹Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,

²For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,

For that the people offered themselves willingly,

Bless ye Jehovah.

³Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes;

I, even I, will sing unto Jehovah;

I will sing praise to Jehovah, the God of Israel.

⁴Jehovah, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,

When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,

The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,

Yea, the clouds dropped water.

⁵The mountains quaked at the presence of Jehovah,

Even yon Sinai at the presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

⁶In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,

In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied,

And the travellers walked through byways.

⁷The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased,

Until that I Deborah arose,

That I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸They chose new gods;

Then was war in the gates:

Was there a shield or spear seen

Among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹My heart is toward the governors of Israel,

That offered themselves willingly among the people:

Bless ye Jehovah.

¹⁰Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,

Ye that sit on rich carpets,

And ye that walk by the way.

¹¹Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,

There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah,

Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.

Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.

¹²Awake, awake, Deborah;

Awake, awake, utter a song:

Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Abinoam.

¹³Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people;

Jehovah came down for me against the mighty.

¹⁴Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek;

After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples;

Out of Machir came down governors,

And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff.

¹⁵And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;

As was Issachar, so was Barak;

Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.

By the watercourses of Reuben

There were great resolves of heart.

¹⁶Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds,

To hear the pipings for the flocks?

At the watercourses of Reuben

There were great searchings of heart.

¹⁷Gilead abode beyond the Jordan:

And Dan, why did he remain in ships?

Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,

And abode by his creeks.

¹⁸Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death,

And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.

¹⁹The kings came and fought;

Then fought the kings of Canaan.

In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:

They took no gain of money.

²⁰From heaven fought the stars,

From their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹The river Kishon swept them away,

That ancient river, the river Kishon.

O my soul, march on with strength.

²²Then did the horsehoofs stamp

By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.

²³Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah.

Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof,

Because they came not to the help of Jehovah,

To the help of Jehovah against the mighty.

²⁴Blessed above women shall Jael be,

The wife of Heber the Kenite;

Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

²⁵He asked water, and she gave him milk;

She brought him butter in a lordly dish.

²⁶She put her hand to the tent-pin,

And her right hand to the workmen's hammer;

And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head;

Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.

²⁷At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;

At her feet he bowed, he fell;

Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

²⁸Through the window she looked forth, and cried,

The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,

Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

²⁹Her wise ladies answered her,

Yea, she returned answer to herself,

³⁰Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?

A damsel, two damsels to every man;

To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,

A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,

Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?

³¹So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah:

But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.

And the land had rest forty years.

Judges 6

6 ¹And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. ²And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. ³And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them; ⁴and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. ⁵For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it. ⁶And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah.

⁷And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah because of Midian, ⁸that Jehovah sent a prophet unto the children of Israel: and he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; ⁹and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land; ¹⁰and I said unto you, I am Jehovah your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not hearkened unto my voice.

¹¹And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. ¹²And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said unto him, Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. ¹³And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? but now Jehovah hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. ¹⁴And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? ¹⁵And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. ¹⁶And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. ¹⁷And he said unto him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, then show me a sign that it is thou that talkest with me. ¹⁸Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

¹⁹And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. ²⁰And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. ²¹Then the angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight. ²²And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. ²³And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. ²⁴Then Gideon built an altar there unto Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

²⁵And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Take thy father's bullock, even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it; ²⁶and build an altar unto Jehovah thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which thou shalt cut down. ²⁷Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had spoken unto him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

²⁸And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. ²⁹And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. ³⁰Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Asherah that was by it. ³¹And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye contend for Baal? Or will ye save him? he that will contend for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one hath broken down his altar. ³²Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he hath broken down his altar.

³³Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. ³⁴But the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together after him. ³⁵And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

³⁶And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken, ³⁷behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken. ³⁸And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. ³⁹And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me make trial, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. ⁴⁰And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Judges 7

7 ¹Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

²And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. ³Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

⁴And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. ⁵So he brought down the people unto the water: and Jehovah said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. ⁶And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. ⁷And Jehovah said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let all the people go every man unto his place. ⁸So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

⁹And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Arise, get thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it into thy hand. ¹⁰But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the camp: ¹¹and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thy hands be strengthened to go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his servant unto the outermost part of the armed men that were in the camp. ¹²And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude. ¹³And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream unto his fellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat. ¹⁴And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host.

¹⁵And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for Jehovah hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. ¹⁶And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. ¹⁷And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. ¹⁸When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, For Jehovah and for Gideon.

¹⁹So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. ²⁰And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried, The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon. ²¹And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight. ²²And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and Jehovah set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. ²³And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.

²⁴And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. ²⁵And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

Judges 8

8 ¹And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did chide with him sharply. ²And he said unto them, What have I now done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? ³God hath delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

⁴And Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing. ⁵And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. ⁶And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? ⁷And Gideon said, Therefore when Jehovah hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. ⁸And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them in like manner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

¹⁰Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. ¹¹And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure. ¹²And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

¹³And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres. ¹⁴And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy and seven men. ¹⁵And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? ¹⁶And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. ¹⁷And he brake down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

¹⁸Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. ¹⁹And he said, They were my brethren, the sons of my mother: as Jehovah liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. ²⁰And he said unto Jether his first-born, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth. ²¹Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.

²²Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also; for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Midian. ²³And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: Jehovah shall rule over you. ²⁴And Gideon said unto them, I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the ear-rings of his spoil. ²⁶And the weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks. ²⁷And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel played the harlot after it there; and it became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. ²⁸So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

²⁹And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. ³⁰And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives. ³¹And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. ³²And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the harlot after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴And the children of Israel remembered not Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; ³⁵neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

Judges 9

9 ¹And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, ²Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. ³And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. ⁴And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him. ⁵And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. ⁶And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. ⁸The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us. ⁹But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁰And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹¹But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹²And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹³And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁴Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹⁵And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. ¹⁶Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands ¹⁷(for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: ¹⁸and ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother); ¹⁹if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: ²⁰but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. ²¹And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

²²And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. ²³And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: ²⁴that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. ²⁵And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

²⁶And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him. ²⁷And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. ²⁸And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him? ²⁹And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

³⁰And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. ³¹And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city to take part against thee. ³²Now therefore, up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in wait in the field: ³³and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and rush upon the city; and, behold, when he and the people that are with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

³⁴And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. ³⁵And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambushment. ³⁶And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. ³⁷And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim. ³⁸Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them. ³⁹And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even unto the entrance of the gate.

⁴¹And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. ⁴²And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. ⁴³And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth out of the city; And he rose up against them, and smote them. ⁴⁴And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and smote them. ⁴⁵And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein: and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith. ⁴⁷And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. ⁴⁹And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. ⁵¹But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and gat them up to the roof of the tower. ⁵²And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and drew near unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech's head, and brake his skull. ⁵⁴Then he called hastily unto the young man his armorbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. ⁵⁵And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. ⁵⁶Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren; ⁵⁷and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Judges 10

10 ¹And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim. ²And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

³And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years. ⁴And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. ⁵And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.

⁶And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Jehovah, and served him not. ⁷And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon. ⁸And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years oppressed they all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. ⁹And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

¹⁰And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim. ¹¹And Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Did not I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? ¹²The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand. ¹³Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will save you no more. ¹⁴Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress. ¹⁵And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day. ¹⁶And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Jehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

¹⁷Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah. ¹⁸And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

Judges 11

11 ¹Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. ²And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of another woman. ³Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

⁴And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. ⁵And it was so, that, when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob; ⁶and they said unto Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. ⁷And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? ⁸And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore are we turned again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and thou shalt be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. ⁹And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Jehovah deliver them before me, shall I be your head? ¹⁰And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Jehovah shall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will we do. ¹¹Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spake all his words before Jehovah in Mizpah.

¹²And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land? ¹³And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. ¹⁴And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon; ¹⁵and he said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon, ¹⁶but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh; ¹⁷then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom hearkened not. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel abode in Kadesh. ¹⁸Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. ¹⁹And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place. ²⁰But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. ²¹And Jehovah, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. ²²And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan. ²³So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them? ²⁴Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess. ²⁵And now art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? ²⁶While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time? ²⁷I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. ²⁸Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

²⁹Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. ³⁰And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, ³¹then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. ³²So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. ³³And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

³⁴And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. ³⁵And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back. ³⁶And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon. ³⁷And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions. ³⁸And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. ³⁹And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel, ⁴⁰that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

Judges 12

12 ¹And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thy house upon thee with fire. ²And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand. ³And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? ⁴Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh. ⁵And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; ⁶then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.

⁷And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

⁸And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. ⁹And he had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. ¹⁰And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. ¹¹And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. ¹²And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. ¹⁴And he had forty sons and thirty sons' sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. ¹⁵And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites.

Judges 13

13 ¹And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

²And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. ³And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. ⁴Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: ⁵for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁶Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: ⁷but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.

⁸Then Manoah entreated Jehovah, and said, Oh, Lord, I pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. ⁹And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. ¹¹And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. ¹²And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and how shall we do unto him? ¹³And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. ¹⁴She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.

¹⁵And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee. ¹⁶And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt make ready a burnt-offering, thou must offer it unto Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of Jehovah. ¹⁷And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that, when thy words come to pass, we may do thee honor? ¹⁸And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful? ¹⁹So Manoah took the kid with the meal-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah: and the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. ²⁰For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹But the angel of Jehovah did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah. ²²And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. ²³But his wife said unto him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these. ²⁴And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him. ²⁵And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 14

14 ¹And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ²And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. ³Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. ⁴But his father and his mother knew not that it was of Jehovah; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.

⁵Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. ⁶And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid; and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. ⁷And he went down, and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well. ⁸And after a while he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. ⁹And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.

¹⁰And his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. ¹¹And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. ¹²And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can declare it unto me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment; ¹³but if ye cannot declare it unto me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. ¹⁴And he said unto them,

Out of the eater came forth food,

And out of the strong came forth sweetness.

And they could not in three days declare the riddle. ¹⁵And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to impoverish us? is it not so? ¹⁶And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee? ¹⁷And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore; and she told the riddle to the children of her people. ¹⁸And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them,

If ye had not plowed with my heifer,

Ye had not found out my riddle.

¹⁹And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. ²⁰But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Judges 15

15 ¹But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. ²And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. ³And Samson said unto them, This time shall I be blameless in regard of the Philistines, when I do them a mischief. ⁴And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. ⁵And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the oliveyards. ⁶Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. ⁷And Samson said unto them, If ye do after this manner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. ⁸And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

⁹Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. ¹⁰And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they said, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. ¹¹Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. ¹²And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. ¹³And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands. ¹⁵And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. ¹⁶And Samson said,

With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,

With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.

¹⁷And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath-lehi. ¹⁸And he was sore athirst, and called on Jehovah, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. ¹⁹But God clave the hollow place that is in Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore the name thereof was called En-hakkore, which is in Lehi, unto this day. ²⁰And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Judges 16

16 ¹And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her. ²And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, Let be till morning light, then we will kill him. ³And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.

⁴And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. ⁵And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. ⁶And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. ⁷And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man. ⁸Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. ⁹Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

¹⁰And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. ¹¹And he said unto her, If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man. ¹²So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And the liers-in-wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he brake them off his arms like a thread.

¹³And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. ¹⁴And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.

¹⁵And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. ¹⁶And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death. ¹⁷And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. ¹⁸And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money in their hand. ¹⁹And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. ²⁰And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he knew not that Jehovah was departed from him. ²¹And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house. ²²Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

²³And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. ²⁴And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who hath slain many of us. ²⁵And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he made sport before them. And they set him between the pillars: ²⁶and Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them. ²⁷Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

²⁸And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. ²⁹And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left. ³⁰And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life. ³¹Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

Judges 17

17 ¹And there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. ²And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah. ³And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I verily dedicate the silver unto Jehovah from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee. ⁴And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah. ⁵And the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. ⁶In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

⁷And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there. ⁸And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find a place, and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. ⁹And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. ¹⁰And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. ¹¹And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. ¹²And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. ¹³Then said Micah, Now know I that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

Judges 18

18 ¹In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. ²And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there. ³When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? ⁴And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest. ⁵And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. ⁶And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go.

⁷Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man. ⁸And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? ⁹And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land. ¹⁰When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.

¹¹And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war. ¹²And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. ¹³And they passed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.

¹⁴Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. ¹⁵And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. ¹⁶And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war. ¹⁸And when these went into Micah's house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What do ye? ¹⁹And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? ²⁰And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

²¹So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them. ²²When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. ²³And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? ²⁴And he said, ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and how then say ye unto me, What aileth thee? ²⁵And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. ²⁶And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

²⁷And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire. ²⁸And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt therein. ²⁹And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. ³⁰And the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. ³¹So they set them up Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Judges 19

19 ¹And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. ²And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months. ³And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly unto her, to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. ⁴And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. ⁵And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye shall go your way. ⁶So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together: and the damsel's father said unto the man, Be pleased, I pray thee, to tarry all night, and let thy heart be merry. ⁷And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. ⁸And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Strengthen thy heart, I pray thee, and tarry ye until the day declineth; and they did eat, both of them. ⁹And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thy heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

¹⁰But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him. ¹¹When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. ¹²And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah. ¹³And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah. ¹⁴So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. ¹⁵And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, and sat him down in the street of the city; for there was no man that took them into his house to lodge.

¹⁶And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. ¹⁷And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? ¹⁸And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim; from thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am now going to the house of Jehovah; and there is no man that taketh me into his house. ¹⁹Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man that is with thy servants: there is no want of anything. ²⁰And the old man said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. ²¹So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses fodder; and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

²²As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may know him. ²³And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this folly. ²⁴Behold, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not any such folly. ²⁵But the men would not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. ²⁶Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.

²⁷And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands upon the threshold. ²⁸And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered: then he took her up upon the ass; and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. ²⁹And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel. ³⁰And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider it, take counsel, and speak.

Judges 20

20 ¹Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. ²And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. ³(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass? ⁴And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. ⁵And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about me by night; me they thought to have slain, and my concubine they forced, and she is dead. ⁶And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. ⁷Behold, ye children of Israel, all of you, give here your advice and counsel.

⁸And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn unto his house. ⁹But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot; ¹⁰and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. ¹¹So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

¹²And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is come to pass among you? ¹³Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, that are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. ¹⁴And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. ¹⁵And the children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. ¹⁶Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.

¹⁷And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war. ¹⁸And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up first.

¹⁹And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. ²¹And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men. ²²And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. ²³And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even; and they asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.

²⁴And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. ²⁵And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. ²⁶Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. ²⁷And the children of Israel asked of Jehovah (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, ²⁸and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand.

²⁹And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about. ³⁰And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. ³¹And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel. ³²And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto the highways. ³³And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers-in-wait of Israel brake forth out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. ³⁴And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was close upon them. ³⁵And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men: all these drew the sword.

³⁶So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted unto the liers-in-wait whom they had set against Gibeah. ³⁷And the liers-in-wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers-in-wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. ³⁸Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city. ³⁹And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle. ⁴⁰But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and, behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. ⁴¹And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil was come upon them. ⁴²Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof. ⁴³They inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trod them down at their resting-place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. ⁴⁴And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor. ⁴⁵And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and followed hard after them unto Gidom, and smote of them two thousand men. ⁴⁶So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valor. ⁴⁷But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months. ⁴⁸And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.

Judges 21

21 ¹Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. ²And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. ³And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel? ⁴And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. ⁵And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death. ⁶And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. ⁷How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

⁸And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. ⁹For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. ¹⁰And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. ¹¹And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. ¹²And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

¹³And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them. ¹⁴And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. ¹⁵And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? ¹⁷And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. ¹⁸Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. ¹⁹And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. ²⁰And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, ²¹and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. ²²And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them graciously unto us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty. ²³And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. ²⁴And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

²⁵In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The Book of Ruth

Ruth 1

1 ¹And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. ²And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. ³And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. ⁴And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years. ⁵And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.

⁶Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people in giving them bread. ⁷And she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. ⁸And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. ⁹Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept. ¹⁰And they said unto her, Nay, but we will return with thee unto thy people. ¹¹And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ¹²Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and should also bear sons; ¹³would ye therefore tarry till they were grown? would ye therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of Jehovah is gone forth against me. ¹⁴And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.

¹⁵And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law. ¹⁶And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; ¹⁷where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. ¹⁸And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.

¹⁹So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and the women said, Is this Naomi? ²⁰And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹I went out full, and Jehovah hath brought me home again empty; why call ye me Naomi, seeing Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? ²²So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth 2

2 ¹And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. ²And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. ³And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. ⁴And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. ⁵Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? ⁶And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: ⁷And she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.

⁸Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. ⁹Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. ¹⁰Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? ¹¹And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. ¹²Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. ¹³Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken kindly unto thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.

¹⁴And at meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. ¹⁵And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. ¹⁶And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not.

¹⁷So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸And she took it up, and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was sufficed. ¹⁹And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. ²⁰And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen. ²¹And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. ²²And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field. ²³So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Ruth 3

3 ¹And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? ²And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. ³Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. ⁴And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. ⁵And she said unto her, All that thou sayest I will do.

⁶And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. ⁷And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. ⁸And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. ⁹And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. ¹⁰And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman. ¹²And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. ¹³Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah liveth: lie down until the morning.

¹⁴And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. ¹⁵And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city. ¹⁶And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. ¹⁷And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law. ¹⁸Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

Ruth 4

4 ¹Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. ²And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. ³And he said unto the near kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: ⁴And I thought to disclose it unto thee, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. ⁵Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. ⁶And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I cannot redeem it.

⁷Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. ⁸So the near kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe. ⁹And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. ¹¹And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem: ¹²and let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman.

¹³So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son. ¹⁴And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel. ¹⁵And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. ¹⁶And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. ¹⁷And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat Hezron, ¹⁹and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, ²⁰and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, ²¹and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, ²²and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

The First Book of Samuel

1 Samuel 1

1 ¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: ²and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto Jehovah, were there. ⁴And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: ⁵but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Jehovah had shut up her womb. ⁶And her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb. ⁷And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. ⁸And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of Jehovah. ¹⁰And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore. ¹¹And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

¹²And it came to pass, as she continued praying before Jehovah, that Eli marked her mouth. ¹³Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. ¹⁴And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. ¹⁵And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Jehovah. ¹⁶Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken hitherto. ¹⁷Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him. ¹⁸And she said, Let thy handmaid find favor in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat; and her countenance was no more sad.

¹⁹And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before Jehovah, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Jehovah remembered her. ²⁰And it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bare a son; and she called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of Jehovah.

²¹And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto Jehovah the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. ²²But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned; and then I will bring him, that he may appear before Jehovah, and there abide for ever. ²³And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only Jehovah establish his word. So the woman tarried and gave her son suck, until she weaned him. ²⁴And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of Jehovah in Shiloh: and the child was young. ²⁵And they slew the bullock, and brought the child to Eli. ²⁶And she said, Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto Jehovah. ²⁷For this child I prayed; and Jehovah hath given me my petition which I asked of him: ²⁸therefore also I have granted him to Jehovah; as long as he liveth he is granted to Jehovah. And he worshipped Jehovah there.

1 Samuel 2

2 ¹And Hannah prayed, and said:

My heart exulteth in Jehovah;

My horn is exalted in Jehovah;

My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;

Because I rejoice in thy salvation.

²There is none holy as Jehovah;

For there is none besides thee,

Neither is there any rock like our God.

³Talk no more so exceeding proudly;

Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth;

For Jehovah is a God of knowledge,

And by him actions are weighed.

⁴The bows of the mighty men are broken;

And they that stumbled are girded with strength.

⁵They that were full have hired out themselves for bread;

And they that were hungry have ceased to hunger:

Yea, the barren hath borne seven;

And she that hath many children languisheth.

⁶Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive:

He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.

⁷Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich:

He bringeth low, he also lifteth up.

⁸He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,

He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill,

To make them sit with princes,

And inherit the throne of glory:

For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's,

And he hath set the world upon them.

⁹He will keep the feet of his holy ones;

But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness;

For by strength shall no man prevail.

¹⁰They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces;

Against them will he thunder in heaven:

Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth;

And he will give strength unto his king,

And exalt the horn of his anointed.

¹¹And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto Jehovah before Eli the priest.

¹²Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not Jehovah. ¹³And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand; ¹⁴and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. ¹⁵Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. ¹⁶And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. ¹⁷And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah; for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.

¹⁸But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁹Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of Jehovah. And they went unto their own home. ²¹And Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Jehovah.

²²Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. ²³And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people. ²⁴Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make Jehovah's people to transgress. ²⁵If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against Jehovah, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because Jehovah was minded to slay them. ²⁶And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Jehovah, and also with men.

²⁷And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? ²⁸and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? ²⁹Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? ³⁰Therefore Jehovah, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now Jehovah saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. ³¹Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. ³²And thou shalt behold the affliction of my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. ³³And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. ³⁴And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. ³⁵And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. ³⁶And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

1 Samuel 3

3 ¹And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision. ²And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see), ³and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was; ⁴that Jehovah called Samuel; and he said, Here am I. ⁵And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. ⁶And Jehovah called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. ⁷Now Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, neither was the word of Jehovah yet revealed unto him. ⁸And Jehovah called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And Eli perceived that Jehovah had called the child. ⁹Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Jehovah; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰And Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak; for thy servant heareth. ¹¹And Jehovah said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. ¹²In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. ¹³For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. ¹⁴And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

¹⁵And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of Jehovah. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. ¹⁶Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he said, Here am I. ¹⁷And he said, What is the thing that Jehovah hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spake unto thee. ¹⁸And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is Jehovah: let him do what seemeth him good.

¹⁹And Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah. ²¹And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh; for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Jehovah.

1 Samuel 4

4 ¹And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. ²And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. ³And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies. ⁴So the people sent to Shiloh; and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of Jehovah of hosts, who sitteth above the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵And when the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. ⁶And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of Jehovah was come into the camp. ⁷And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. ⁸Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. ¹⁰And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. ¹¹And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

¹²And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. ¹³And when he came, lo, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. ¹⁴And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. ¹⁵Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. ¹⁶And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army. And he said, How went the matter, my son? ¹⁷And he that brought the tidings answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. ¹⁸And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli feel from off his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

¹⁹And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came upon her. ²⁰And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast brought forth a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. ²¹And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²²And she said, The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.

1 Samuel 5

5 ¹Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. ²And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. ³And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. ⁴And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. ⁵Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, unto this day.

⁶But the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with tumors, even Ashdod and the borders thereof. ⁷And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us; for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. ⁸They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel thither. ⁹And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of Jehovah was against the city with a very great discomfiture: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors brake out upon them. ¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. ¹¹They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that is slay us not, and our people. For there was a deadly discomfiture throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. ¹²And the men that died not were smitten with the tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel 6

6 ¹And the ark of Jehovah was in the country of the Philistines seven months. ²And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah? show us wherewith we shall sent it to its place. ³And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but by all means return him a trespass-offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. ⁴Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. ⁵Wherefore ye shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. ⁶Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? ⁷Now therefore take and prepare you a new cart, and two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke; and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them; ⁸and take the ark of Jehovah, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass-offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. ⁹And see; if it goeth up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.

¹⁰And the men did so, and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home; ¹¹and they put the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors. ¹²And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. ¹³And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered up the kine for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah. ¹⁵And the Levites took down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto Jehovah. ¹⁶And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

¹⁷And these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass-offering unto Jehovah: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; ¹⁸and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even unto the great stone, whereon they set down the ark of Jehovah, which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

¹⁹And he smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Jehovah, he smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand men; and the people mourned, because Jehovah had smitten the people with a great slaughter. ²⁰And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us? ²¹And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought back the ark of Jehovah; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

1 Samuel 7

7 ¹And the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Jehovah, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Jehovah. ²And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah. ³And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto Jehovah with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁴Then the children of Israel did put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served Jehovah only.

⁵And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you unto Jehovah. ⁶And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah. ⁷And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto Jehovah our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁹And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering unto Jehovah: and Samuel cried unto Jehovah for Israel; and Jehovah answered him. ¹⁰And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but Jehovah thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten down before Israel. ¹¹And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath Jehovah helped us. ¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel: and the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the border thereof did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. ¹⁷And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar unto Jehovah.

1 Samuel 8

8 ¹And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. ²Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. ³And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah; ⁵and they said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. ⁶But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto Jehovah. ⁷And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. ⁸According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. ⁹Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

¹⁰And Samuel told all the words of Jehovah unto the people that asked of him a king. ¹¹And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; ¹²and he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. ¹³And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. ¹⁴And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. ¹⁶And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. ¹⁷He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants. ¹⁸And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day.

¹⁹But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay: but we will have a king over us, ²⁰that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. ²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Jehovah. ²²And Jehovah said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

1 Samuel 9

9 ¹Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. ²And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. ³And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. ⁴And he passed through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

⁵When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return, lest my father leave off caring for the asses, and be anxious for us. ⁶And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go. ⁷Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? ⁸And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. ⁹(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) ¹⁰Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.

¹¹As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? ¹²And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place: ¹³as soon as ye are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goeth up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him. ¹⁴And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵Now Jehovah had revealed unto Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, ¹⁶To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. ¹⁷And when Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah said unto him, Behold, the man of whom I spake to thee! this same shall have authority over my people. ¹⁸Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. ¹⁹And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day: and in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy heart. ²⁰And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not they mind on them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house? ²¹And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this manner?

²²And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the guest-chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, who were about thirty persons. ²³And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. ²⁴And the cook took up the thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold, that which hath been reserved! set it before thee and eat; because unto the appointed time hath it been kept for thee, for I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.

²⁵And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he communed with Saul upon the housetop. ²⁶And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. ²⁷As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still first, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.

1 Samuel 10

10 ¹Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not that Jehovah hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance? ²When thou art departed from me to-day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found; and, lo, thy father hath left off caring for the asses, and is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? ³Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the oak of Tabor; and there shall meet thee there three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: ⁴and they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread, which thou shalt receive of their hand. ⁵After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: ⁶and the Spirit of Jehovah will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. ⁷And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion shall serve thee; for God is with thee. ⁸And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.

⁹And it was so, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. ¹⁰And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them. ¹¹And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? ¹²And one of the same place answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? ¹³And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

¹⁴And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses; and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel. ¹⁵And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. ¹⁶And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

¹⁷And Samuel called the people together unto Jehovah to Mizpah; ¹⁸and he said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you: ¹⁹but ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes, and by your thousands. ²⁰So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. ²¹And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken: but when they sought him, he could not be found. ²²Therefore they asked of Jehovah further, Is there yet a man to come hither? And Jehovah answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage. ²³And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. ²⁴And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom Jehovah hath chosen, that there is none like him along all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, Long live the king.

²⁵Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Jehovah. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. ²⁶And Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the host, whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷But certain worthless fellows said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

1 Samuel 11

11 ¹Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. ²And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. ³And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the borders of Israel; and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee. ⁴Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spake these words in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept. ⁵And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

⁶And the Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. ⁷And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the dread of Jehovah fell on the people, and they came out as one man. ⁸And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance. And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. ¹⁰Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. ¹¹And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they that remained were scattered, so that not two of them were left together.

¹²And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. ¹³And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day; for to-day Jehovah hath wrought deliverance in Israel.

¹⁴Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. ¹⁵And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Jehovah in Gilgal; and there they offered sacrifices of peace-offerings before Jehovah; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

1 Samuel 12

12 ¹And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. ²And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day. ³Here I am: witness against me before Jehovah, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. ⁴And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand. ⁵And he said unto them, Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand. And they said, He is witness.

⁶And Samuel said unto the people, It is Jehovah that appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. ⁷Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before Jehovah concerning all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which he did to you and to your fathers. ⁸When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place. ⁹But they forgat Jehovah their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. ¹⁰And they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. ¹¹And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and ye dwelt in safety. ¹²And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us; when Jehovah your God was your king. ¹³Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have asked for: and, behold, Jehovah hath set a king over you. ¹⁴If ye will fear Jehovah, and serve him, and hearken unto his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ye and also the king that reigneth over you be followers of Jehovah your God, well: ¹⁵but if ye will not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, then will the hand of Jehovah be against you, as it was against your fathers. ¹⁶Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Jehovah will do before your eyes. ¹⁷Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, that he may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking you a king. ¹⁸So Samuel called unto Jehovah; and Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel.

¹⁹And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. ²⁰And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart: ²¹and turn ye not aside; for then would ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. ²²For Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself. ²³Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ²⁴Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. ²⁵But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

1 Samuel 13

13 ¹Saul was forty years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, ²Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel, whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. ³And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba: and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. ⁴And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

⁵And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven. ⁶When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits. ⁷Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. ⁹And Saul said, Bring hither the burnt-offering to me, and the peace-offerings. And he offered the burnt-offering. ¹⁰And it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. ¹¹And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; ¹²therefore said I, Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Jehovah: I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt-offering. ¹³And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of Jehovah thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would Jehovah have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. ¹⁴But now thy kingdom shall not continue: Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Jehovah hath appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee. ¹⁵And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. ¹⁶And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual; ¹⁸and another company turned the way to Beth-horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looketh down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: ²⁰but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock; ²¹yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads. ²²So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. ²³And the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.

1 Samuel 14

14 ¹Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side. But he told not his father. ²And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate-tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; ³and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. ⁴And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

⁶And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that Jehovah will work for us; for there is no restraint to Jehovah to save by many or by few. ⁷And his armorbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thy heart: turn thee, behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. ⁸Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto the men, and we will disclose ourselves unto them. ⁹If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. ¹⁰But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up; for Jehovah hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign unto us. ¹¹And both of them disclosed themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. ¹²And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armorbearer, Come up after me; for Jehovah hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. ¹³And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armorbearer slew them after him. ¹⁴And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. ¹⁵And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled; and the earth quaked: so there was an exceeding great trembling.

¹⁶And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither and thither. ¹⁷Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. ¹⁸And Saul said unto Ahijah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel. ¹⁹And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thy hand. ²⁰And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. ²¹Now the Hebrews that were with the Philistines as beforetime, and that went up with them into the camp, from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. ²²Likewise all the men of Israel that had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. ²³So Jehovah saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth-aven.

²⁴And the men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted food. ²⁵And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground. ²⁶And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath. ²⁷But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened. ²⁸Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth food this day. And the people were faint. ²⁹Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the Philistines.

³¹And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint; ³²and the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people did eat them with the blood. ³³Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against Jehovah, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone unto me this day. ³⁴And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against Jehovah in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. ³⁵And Saul built an altar unto Jehovah: the same was the first altar that he built unto Jehovah.

³⁶And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God. ³⁷And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day. ³⁸And Saul said, Draw nigh hither, all ye chiefs of the people; and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. ³⁹For, as Jehovah liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people that answered him. ⁴⁰Then said he unto all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee. ⁴¹Therefore Saul said unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, Show the right. And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot; but the people escaped. ⁴²And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken.

⁴³Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and, lo, I must die. ⁴⁴And Saul said, God do so and more also; for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. ⁴⁵And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it: as Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not. ⁴⁶Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place. ⁴⁷Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he put them to the worse. ⁴⁸And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that despoiled them.

⁴⁹Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the first-born Merab, and the name of the younger Michal: ⁵⁰and the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his host was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. ⁵¹And Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

⁵²And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

1 Samuel 15

15 ¹And Samuel said unto Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of Jehovah. ²Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. ³Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

⁴And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. ⁶And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. ⁷And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is before Egypt. ⁸And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

¹⁰Then came the word of Jehovah unto Samuel, saying, ¹¹It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was wroth; and he cried unto Jehovah all night. ¹²And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument, and turned, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal. ¹³And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of Jehovah: I have performed the commandment of Jehovah. ¹⁴And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? ¹⁵And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. ¹⁶Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what Jehovah hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

¹⁷And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel; ¹⁸and Jehovah sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. ¹⁹Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of Jehovah, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah? ²⁰And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God in Gilgal. ²²And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

²⁴And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Jehovah, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. ²⁵Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah. ²⁶And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. ²⁷And as Samuel turned about to go away, Saul laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent. ²⁸And Samuel said unto him, Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou. ²⁹And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent. ³⁰Then he said, I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah thy God. ³¹So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped Jehovah.

³²Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. ³³And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and Jehovah repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel 16

16 ¹And Jehovah said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go: I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons. ²And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah. ³And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. ⁴And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably? ⁵And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto Jehovah: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

⁶And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah's anointed is before him. ⁷But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart. ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this. ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this. ¹⁰And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Jehovah hath not chosen these. ¹¹And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither. ¹²And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he. ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. ¹⁴Now the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him. ¹⁵And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. ¹⁶Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. ¹⁷And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. ¹⁸Then answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a comely person; and Jehovah is with him. ¹⁹Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep. ²⁰And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. ²¹And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer. ²²And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight. ²³And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

1 Samuel 17

17 ¹Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ²And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. ³And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. ⁴And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. ⁶And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. ⁷And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him. ⁸And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ⁹If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. ¹⁰And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. ¹¹And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

¹²Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men. ¹³And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul. ¹⁵Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. ¹⁶And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

¹⁷And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren; ¹⁸and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. ¹⁹Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

²⁰And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. ²¹And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. ²²And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren. ²³And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. ²⁴And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. ²⁵And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. ²⁶And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? ²⁷And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

²⁸And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. ²⁹And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? ³⁰And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

³¹And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. ³²And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. ³³And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. ³⁴And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. ³⁶Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷And David said, Jehovah that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and Jehovah shall be with thee. ³⁸And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. ³⁹And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. ⁴⁰And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

⁴¹And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. ⁴²And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance. ⁴³And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field. ⁴⁵Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. ⁴⁶This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand. ⁴⁸And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.

⁵⁰So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵²And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. ⁵³And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. ⁵⁴And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.

⁵⁵And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. ⁵⁶And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is. ⁵⁷And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.

1 Samuel 18

18 ¹And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ²And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. ³Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. ⁵And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. ⁶And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. ⁷And the women sang one to another as they played, and said,

Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands.

⁸And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? ⁹And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

¹⁰And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; ¹¹and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. ¹²And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul. ¹³Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him. ¹⁵And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.

¹⁷And Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight Jehovah's battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. ¹⁸And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king? ¹⁹But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. ²⁰And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law a second time.

²²And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son-in-law. ²³And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? ²⁴And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. ²⁵And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. And the days were not expired; ²⁷and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. ²⁸And Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David; and Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him. ²⁹And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.

³⁰Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

1 Samuel 19

19 ¹And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. ²And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: ³and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee. ⁴And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: ⁵for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? ⁶And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death. ⁷And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime.

⁸And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. ⁹And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand. ¹⁰And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. ¹¹And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be slain. ¹²So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. ¹³And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof, and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. ¹⁵And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. ¹⁶And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof. ¹⁷And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, so that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

¹⁸Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. ¹⁹And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. ²⁰And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. ²¹And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. ²²Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. ²³And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

1 Samuel 20

20 ¹And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? ²And he said unto him, Far from it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. ³And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father knoweth well that I have found favor in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. ⁴Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. ⁵And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. ⁶If thy father miss me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. ⁷If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him. ⁸Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? ⁹And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? ¹⁰Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly? ¹¹And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

¹²And Jonathan said unto David, Jehovah, the God of Israel, be witness: when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? ¹³Jehovah do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and Jehovah be with thee, as he hath been with my father. ¹⁴And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the lovingkindness of Jehovah, that I die not; ¹⁵but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when Jehovah hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. ¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David's enemies.

¹⁷And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. ¹⁸Then Jonathan said unto him, To-morrow is the new moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. ¹⁹And when thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. ²⁰And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. ²¹And, behold, I will send the lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as Jehovah liveth. ²²But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for Jehovah hath sent thee away. ²³And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between thee and me for ever.

²⁴So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat food. ²⁵And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty. ²⁶Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. ²⁷And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day? ²⁸And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem: ²⁹and he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king's table.

³⁰Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother's nakedness? ³¹For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. ³²And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done? ³³And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that is was determined of his father to put David to death. ³⁴So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

³⁵And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. ³⁶And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? ³⁸And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. ³⁹But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. ⁴⁰And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. ⁴¹And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. ⁴²And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel 21

21 ¹Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? ²And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place. ³Now therefore what is under thy hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatsoever there is present. ⁴And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women. ⁵And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy? ⁶So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

⁷Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged to Saul. ⁸And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. ⁹And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

¹⁰And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. ¹¹And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying,

Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands?

¹²And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. ¹⁴Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad; wherefore then have ye brought him to me? ¹⁵Do I lack madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

1 Samuel 22

22 ¹David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. ²And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

³And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. ⁴And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. ⁵And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

⁶And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him: now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. ⁷And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, ⁸that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that discloseth to me when my son maketh a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? ⁹Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰And he inquired of Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

¹¹Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. ¹²And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. ¹³And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? ¹⁴Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who among all thy servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is taken into thy council, and is honorable in thy house? ¹⁵Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more. ¹⁶And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. ¹⁷And the king said unto the guard that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah. ¹⁸And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. ¹⁹And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

²⁰And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. ²¹And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Jehovah's priests. ²²And David said unto Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. ²³Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

1 Samuel 23

23 ¹And they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing-floors. ²Therefore David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Jehovah said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. ³And David's men said unto him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? ⁴Then David inquired of Jehovah yet again. And Jehovah answered him, and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand. ⁵And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. So David save the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars. ⁸And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. ⁹And David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. ¹⁰Then said David, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, thy servant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Jehovah, the God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And Jehovah said, He will come down. ¹²Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver up to me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Jehovah said, They will deliver thee up. ¹³Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. ¹⁴And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

¹⁵And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood. ¹⁶And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷And he said unto him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. ¹⁸And they two made a covenant before Jehovah: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert? ²⁰Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand. ²¹And Saul said, Blessed be ye of Jehovah; for ye have had compassion on me. ²²Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtly. ²³See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.

²⁴And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert. ²⁵And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. ²⁷But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land. ²⁸So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth. ²⁹And David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.

1 Samuel 24

24 ¹And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. ²Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. ³And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave. ⁴And the men of David said unto him, Behold, the day of which Jehovah said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. ⁵And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. ⁶And he said unto his men, Jehovah forbid that I should do this thing unto my lord, Jehovah's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is Jehovah's anointed. ⁷So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

⁸David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance. ⁹And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? ¹⁰Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that Jehovah had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is Jehovah's anointed. ¹¹Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou huntest after my life to take it. ¹²Jehovah judge between me and thee, and Jehovah avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. ¹³As saith the proverb of the ancients, Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be upon thee. ¹⁴After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. ¹⁵Jehovah therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand.

¹⁶And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. ¹⁷And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil. ¹⁸And thou hast declared this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when Jehovah had delivered me up into thy hand, thou killedst me not. ¹⁹For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore Jehovah reward thee good for that which thou hast done unto me this day. ²⁰And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. ²¹Swear now therefore unto me by Jehovah, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house. ²²And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the stronghold.

1 Samuel 25

25 ¹And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

²And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. ⁴And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: ⁶and thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. ⁷And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. ⁸Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

⁹And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. ¹⁰And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master. ¹¹Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are? ¹²So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words. ¹³And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.

¹⁴But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed at them. ¹⁵But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields: ¹⁶they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ¹⁷Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him.

¹⁸Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. ¹⁹And she said unto her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. ²⁰And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them. ²¹Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good. ²²God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.

²³And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. ²⁴And she fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. ²⁵Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. ²⁶Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. ²⁷And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord. ²⁸Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of Jehovah; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days. ²⁹And though men be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. ³⁰And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel, ³¹that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.

³²And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me: ³³and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. ³⁴For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child. ³⁵So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

³⁶And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. ³⁷And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. ³⁸And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died.

³⁹And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal hath Jehovah returned upon his own head. And David sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife. ⁴⁰And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife. ⁴¹And she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. ⁴²And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

⁴³David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives. ⁴⁴Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

1 Samuel 26

26 ¹And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert? ²Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. ⁴David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come of a certainty. ⁵And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had encamped; and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay within the place of the wagons, and the people were encamped round about him.

⁶Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. ⁷So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him. ⁸Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time. ⁹And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against Jehovah's anointed, and be guiltless? ¹⁰And David said, As Jehovah liveth, Jehovah will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish. ¹¹Jehovah forbid that I should put forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed: but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go. ¹²So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's head; and they gat them away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Jehovah was fallen upon them.

¹³Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them; ¹⁴and David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king? ¹⁵And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept watch over thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. ¹⁶This thing is not good that thou hast done. As Jehovah liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, Jehovah's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.

¹⁷And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. ¹⁸And he said, Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand? ¹⁹Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be Jehovah that hath stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before Jehovah: for they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods. ²⁰Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of Jehovah: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

²¹Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. ²²And David answered and said, Behold the spear, O king! let then one of the young men come over and fetch it. ²³And Jehovah will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; forasmuch as Jehovah delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed. ²⁴And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of Jehovah, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. ²⁵Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do mightily, and shalt surely prevail. So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

1 Samuel 27

27 ¹And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. ²And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife. ⁴And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

⁵And David said unto Achish, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? ⁶Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. ⁷And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

⁸And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. ⁹And David smote the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel; and he returned, and came to Achish. ¹⁰And Achish said, Against whom have ye made a raid to-day? And David said, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites. ¹¹And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines. ¹²And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

1 Samuel 28

28 ¹And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their hosts together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me in the host, thou and thy men. ²And David said to Achish, Therefore thou shalt know what thy servant will do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of my head for ever.

³Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. ⁴And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa. ⁵And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶And when Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. ⁷Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.

⁸And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee. ⁹And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? ¹⁰And Saul sware to her by Jehovah, saying, As Jehovah liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. ¹¹Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. ¹²And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. ¹³And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth. ¹⁴And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.

¹⁵And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. ¹⁶And Samuel said, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary? ¹⁷And Jehovah hath done unto thee, as he spake by me: and Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. ¹⁸Because thou obeyedst not the voice of Jehovah, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done this thing unto thee this day. ¹⁹Moreover Jehovah will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: Jehovah will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.

²⁰Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. ²¹And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me. ²²Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way. ²³But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. ²⁴And the woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: ²⁵and she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

1 Samuel 29

29 ¹Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel. ²And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish. ³Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away unto me unto this day? ⁴But he princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men? ⁵Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying,

Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands?

⁶Then Achish called David, and said unto him, As Jehovah liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favor thee not. ⁷Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. ⁸And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been before thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king? ⁹And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. ¹⁰Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of thy lord that are come with thee; and as soon as ye are up early in the morning, and have light, depart. ¹¹So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30

30 ¹And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire, ²and had taken captive the women and all that were therein, both small and great: they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way. ³And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive. ⁴Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ⁵And David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God.

⁷And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. ⁸And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt without fail recover all. ⁹So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. ¹⁰But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

¹¹And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink. ¹²And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. ¹³And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. ¹⁴We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. ¹⁵And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.

¹⁶And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. ¹⁷And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled. ¹⁸And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them: David brought back all. ²⁰And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.

²¹And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to abide at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. ²²Then answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart. ²³Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given unto us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand. ²⁴And who will hearken unto you in this matter? for as his share is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his share be that tarrieth by the baggage: they shall share alike. ²⁵And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

²⁶And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah: ²⁷To them that were in Beth-el, and to them that were in Ramoth of the South, and to them that were in Jattir, ²⁸and to them that were in Aroer, and to them that were in Siphmoth, and to them that were in Eshtemoa, ²⁹and to them that were in Racal, and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰and to them that were in Hormah, and to them that were in Bor-ashan, and to them that were in Athach, ³¹and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

1 Samuel 31

31 ¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. ²And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers. ⁴Then said Saul to his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. ⁵And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. ⁶So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

⁷And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ⁸And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. ⁹And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. ¹⁰And they put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. ¹¹And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. ¹³And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

The Second Book of Samuel

2 Samuel 1

1 ¹And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; ²it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. ³And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. ⁴And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. ⁵And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead? ⁶And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. ⁷And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. ⁸And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. ⁹And he said unto me, Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me; for anguish hath taken hold of me, because my life is yet whole in me. ¹⁰So I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

¹¹Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: ¹²and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. ¹³And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite. ¹⁴And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy Jehovah's anointed? ¹⁵And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him, so that he died. ¹⁶And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain Jehovah's anointed.

¹⁷And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son ¹⁸(and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):

¹⁹Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!

How are the mighty fallen!

²⁰Tell it not in Gath,

Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;

Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

²¹Ye mountains of Gilboa,

Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings:

For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,

The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

²²From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,

The bow of Jonathan turned not back,

And the sword of Saul returned not empty.

²³Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,

And in their death they were not divided:

They were swifter than eagles,

They were stronger than lions.

²⁴Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,

Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

²⁵How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.

²⁶I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:

Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:

Thy love to me was wonderful,

Passing the love of women.

²⁷How are the mighty fallen,

And the weapons of war perished!

2 Samuel 2

2 ¹And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. ²So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ³And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. ⁴And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul. ⁵And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of Jehovah, that ye have showed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. ⁶And now Jehovah show lovingkindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. ⁷Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

⁸Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; ⁹and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. ¹⁰Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹²And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. ¹⁵Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷And the battle was very sore that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

¹⁸And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe. ¹⁹And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. ²⁰Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Is it thou, Asahel? And he answered, It is I. ²¹And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. ²²And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? ²³Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

²⁴But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill. ²⁶Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? ²⁷And Joab said, As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed every one his brother. ²⁸So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. ²⁹And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.

³⁰And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. ³¹But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died. ³²And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and the day brake upon them at Hebron.

2 Samuel 3

3 ¹Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

²And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his first-born was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; ³and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; ⁴and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; ⁵and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul. ⁷Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine? ⁸Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head that belongeth to Judah? This day do I show kindness unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David; and yet thou chargest me this day with a fault concerning this woman. ⁹God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as Jehovah hath sworn to David, I do not even so to him; ¹⁰to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba. ¹¹And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

¹²And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee. ¹³And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee; but one thing I require of thee: that is, thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see my face. ¹⁴And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. ¹⁵And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return: and he returned.

¹⁷And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, In times past ye sought for David to be king over you: ¹⁸now then do it; for Jehovah hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. ¹⁹And Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin. ²⁰So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast. ²¹And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

²²And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. ²³When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace. ²⁴Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone? ²⁵Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest. ²⁶And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.

²⁷And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. ²⁸And afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before Jehovah for ever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner: ²⁹let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread. ³⁰So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

³¹And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David followed the bier. ³²And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. ³³And the king lamented for Abner, and said,

Should Abner die as a fool dieth?

³⁴Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters:

As a man falleth before the children of iniquity, so didst thou fall.

And all the people wept again over him. ³⁵And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David sware, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down. ³⁶And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me: Jehovah reward the evil-doer according to his wickedness.

2 Samuel 4

4 ¹And when Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. ²And Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin: ³and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been sojourners there until this day).

⁴Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

⁵And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon. ⁶And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night. ⁸And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life; and Jehovah hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. ⁹And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As Jehovah liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, ¹⁰when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his tidings. ¹¹How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? ¹²And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

2 Samuel 5

5 ¹Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. ²In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel. ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah: and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither; thinking, David cannot come in hither. ⁷Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. ⁸And David said on that day, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and smite the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul. Wherefore they say, There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house. ⁹And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. ¹⁰And David waxed greater and greater; for Jehovah, the God of hosts, was with him.

¹¹And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house. ¹²And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

¹³And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. ¹⁴And these are the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, ¹⁵and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ¹⁶and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷And when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said unto David, Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy hand. ²⁰And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said, Jehovah hath broken mine enemies before me, like the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. ²¹And they left their images there; and David and his men took them away.

²²And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. ²³And when David inquired of Jehovah, he said, Thou shalt not go up: make a circuit behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees. ²⁴And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is Jehovah gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines. ²⁵And David did so, as Jehovah commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gezer.

2 Samuel 6

6 ¹And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale-judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of Jehovah of hosts that sitteth above the cherubim. ³And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. ⁴And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. ⁵And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah with all manner of instruments made of fir-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and with cymbals.

⁶And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled. ⁷And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. ⁸And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzzah; and he called that place Perez-uzzah, unto this day. ⁹And David was afraid of Jehovah that day; and he said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come unto me? ¹⁰So David would not remove the ark of Jehovah unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house.

¹²And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. ¹³And it was so, that, when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶And it was so, as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. ¹⁸And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts. ¹⁹And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a portion of flesh, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed every one to his house.

²⁰Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! ²¹And David said unto Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: therefore will I play before Jehovah. ²²And I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids of whom thou hast spoken, of them shall I be had in honor. ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

2 Samuel 7

7 ¹And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, ²that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. ³And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee. ⁴And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Nathan, saying, ⁵Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? ⁶for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷In all places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? ⁸Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people, over Israel; ⁹and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, ¹¹and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. ¹²When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. ¹⁴I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; ¹⁵but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. ¹⁶And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. ¹⁷According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

¹⁸Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? ¹⁹And this was yet a small thing in thine eyes, O Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come; and this too after the manner of men, O Lord Jehovah! ²⁰And what can David say more unto thee? for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord Jehovah. ²¹For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make thy servant know it. ²²Wherefore thou art great, O Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land, before thy people, whom thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods? ²⁴And thou didst establish to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God. ²⁵And now, O Jehovah God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, confirm thou it for ever, and do as thou hast spoken. ²⁶And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of thy servant David shall be established before thee. ²⁷For thou, O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. ²⁸And now, O Lord Jehovah, thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: ²⁹now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

2 Samuel 8

8 ¹And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.

²And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

³David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River. ⁴And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots. ⁵And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went. ⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass. ⁹And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, ¹⁰then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: ¹¹These also did king David dedicate unto Jehovah, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued; ¹²of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men. ¹⁴And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went.

¹⁵And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people. ¹⁶And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁷and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe; ¹⁸and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers.

2 Samuel 9

9 ¹And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? ²And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. ³And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, who is lame of his feet. ⁴And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar. ⁵Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. ⁶And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on his face, and did obeisance. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold, thy servant! ⁷And David said unto him, Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. ⁸And he did obeisance, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

⁹Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given unto thy master's son. ¹⁰And thou shalt till the land for him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have bread to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons. ¹²And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. ¹³So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

2 Samuel 10

10 ¹And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. ²And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me. So David sent by his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. ³But the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? ⁴So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

⁶And when the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. ⁸And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate: and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.

⁹Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: ¹⁰And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and he put them in array against the children of Ammon. ¹¹And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. ¹²Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good. ¹³So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. ¹⁴And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the River: and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. ¹⁷And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. ¹⁸And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, so that he died there. ¹⁹And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

2 Samuel 11

11 ¹And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem.

²And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. ³And David send and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? ⁴And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned unto her house. ⁵And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

⁶And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷And when Uriah was come unto him, David asked of him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. ⁸And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king. ⁹But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. ¹⁰And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Art thou not come from a journey? wherefore didst thou not go down unto thy house? ¹¹And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in booths; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. ¹²And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. ¹³And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

¹⁴And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. ¹⁶And it came to pass, when Joab kept watch upon the city, that he assigned Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men were. ¹⁷And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. ¹⁸Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war; ¹⁹and he charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling all the things concerning the war unto the king, ²⁰it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? why went ye so nigh the wall? then shalt thou say, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

²²So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for. ²³And the messenger said unto David, The men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entrance of the gate. ²⁴And the shooters shot at thy servants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants are dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. ²⁵Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another; make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

²⁶And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband. ²⁷And when the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased Jehovah.

2 Samuel 12

12 ¹And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. ²The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; ³but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. ⁴And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. ⁵And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As Jehovah liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy to die: ⁶and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. ⁷And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; ⁸and I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things. ⁹Wherefore hast thou despised the word of Jehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. ¹⁰Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. ¹¹Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. ¹²For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. ¹³And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said unto David, Jehovah also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. ¹⁴Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. ¹⁵And Nathan departed unto his house.

And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. ¹⁶David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. ¹⁷And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. ¹⁸And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! ¹⁹But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. ²⁰Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of Jehovah, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. ²¹Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. ²²And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live? ²³But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.

²⁴And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him; ²⁵and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, for Jehovah's sake.

²⁶Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. ²⁷And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah; yea, I have taken the city of waters. ²⁸Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called after my name. ²⁹And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it. ³⁰And he took the crown of their king from off his head; and the weight thereof was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much. ³¹And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 13

13 ¹And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. ²And Amnon was so vexed that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything unto her. ³But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man. ⁴And he said unto him, Why, O son of the king, art thou thus lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. ⁵And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and feign thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, Let my sister Tamar come, I pray thee, and give me bread to eat, and dress the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand. ⁶So Amnon lay down, and feigned himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, Let her sister Tamar come, I pray thee, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.

⁷Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him food. ⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes. ⁹And she took the pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him. ¹⁰And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹And when she had brought them near unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come, lie with me, my sister. ¹²And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. ¹³And I, whither shall I carry my shame? and as for thee, thou wilt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. ¹⁴Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon hated her with exceeding great hatred; for the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. ¹⁶And she said unto him, Not so, because this great wrong in putting me forth is worse than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her. ¹⁷Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her. ¹⁸And she had a garment of divers colors upon her; for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but now hold thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; take not this thing to heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. ²¹But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth. ²²And Absalom spake unto Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

²³And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheep-shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons. ²⁴And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant. ²⁵And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome unto thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him. ²⁶Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? ²⁷But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. ²⁸And Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him; fear not; have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. ²⁹And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.

³⁰And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. ³¹Then the king arose, and rent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. ³²And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead; for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. ³³Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead; for Amnon only is dead.

³⁴But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill-side behind him. ³⁵And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons are come: as thy servant said, so it is. ³⁶And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.

³⁷But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. ³⁸So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. ³⁹And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

2 Samuel 14

14 ¹Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom. ²And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned for the dead: ³and go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

⁴And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. ⁵And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead. ⁶And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him. ⁷And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

⁸And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee. ⁹And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless. ¹⁰And the king said, Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. ¹¹Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

¹²Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. ¹³And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one. ¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God take away life, but deviseth means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him. ¹⁵Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. ¹⁷Then thy handmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: and Jehovah thy God be with thee.

¹⁸Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. ¹⁹And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid; ²⁰to change the face of the matter hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

²¹And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back. ²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of his servant. ²³So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

²⁵Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. ²⁶And when he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king's weight. ²⁷And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

²⁸And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem; and he saw not the king's face. ²⁹Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a second time, but he would not come. ³⁰Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. ³¹Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? ³²And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me. ³³So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.

2 Samuel 15

15 ¹And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. ²And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that, when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. ³And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. ⁴Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! ⁵And it was so, that, when any man came nigh to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him. ⁶And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷And it came to pass at the end of forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto Jehovah, in Hebron. ⁸For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If Jehovah shall indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve Jehovah. ⁹And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron. ¹⁰But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom is king in Hebron. ¹¹And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they knew not anything. ¹²And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

¹³And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. ¹⁴And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. ¹⁵And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall choose. ¹⁶And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, that were concubines, to keep the house. ¹⁷And the king went forth, and all the people after him; and they tarried in Beth-merhak. ¹⁸And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men that came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return, and abide with the king: for thou art a foreigner, and also an exile; return to thine own place. ²⁰Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us, seeing I go whither I may? return thou, and take back thy brethren; mercy and truth be with thee. ²¹And Ittai answered the king, and said, As Jehovah liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, even there also will thy servant be. ²²And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. ²³And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

²⁴And, lo, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. ²⁵And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of Jehovah, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation: ²⁶but if he say thus, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. ²⁷The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art thou not a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me. ²⁹Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there.

³⁰And David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot: and all the people that were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. ³¹And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Jehovah, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. ³²And it came to pass, that, when David was come to the top of the ascent, where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head. ³³And David said unto him, If thou passest on with me, then thou wilt be a burden unto me: ³⁴but if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant in time past, so will I now be thy servant; then wilt thou defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. ³⁵And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them ye shall send unto me everything that ye shall hear. ³⁷So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 16

16 ¹And when David was a little past the top of the ascent, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. ²And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink. ³And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. ⁴Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine is all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I do obeisance; let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, O king.

⁵And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came. ⁶And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, thou man of blood, and base fellow: ⁸Jehovah hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and Jehovah hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and, behold, thou art taken in thine own mischief, because thou art a man of blood.

⁹Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. ¹⁰And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curseth, and because Jehovah hath said unto him, Curse David; who then shall say, Wherefore hast thou done so? ¹¹And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more may this Benjamite now do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for Jehovah hath bidden him. ¹²It may be that Jehovah will look on the wrong done unto me, and that Jehovah will requite me good for his cursing of me this day. ¹³So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. ¹⁴And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there.

¹⁵And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁶And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, Long live the king, Long live the king. ¹⁷And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend? ¹⁸And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom Jehovah, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide. ¹⁹And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.

²⁰Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall do. ²¹And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then will the hands of all that are with thee be strong. ²²So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. ²³And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

2 Samuel 17

17 ¹Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night: ²and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only; ³and I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace. ⁴And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

⁵Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. ⁶And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou. ⁷And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time is not good. ⁸Hushai said moreover, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. ⁹Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them are fallen at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. ¹⁰And even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men. ¹¹But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person. ¹²So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one. ¹³Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there. ¹⁴And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Jehovah had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Jehovah might bring evil upon Absalom.

¹⁵Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. ¹⁶Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him. ¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David: for they might not be seen to come into the city. ¹⁸But a lad saw them, and told Absalom: and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither. ¹⁹And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known. ²⁰And Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They are gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said unto David, Arise ye, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you. ²²Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan. ²³And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home, unto his city, and set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

²⁴Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵And Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother. ²⁶And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, ²⁸brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched grain, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse, ²⁹and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

2 Samuel 18

18 ¹And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. ²And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. ³But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that thou be ready to succor us out of the city. ⁴And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

⁶So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷And the people of Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. ⁸For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between heaven and earth; and the mule that was under him went on. ¹⁰And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. ¹¹And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle. ¹²And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. ¹³Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter hid from the king), then thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. ¹⁴Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. ¹⁵And ten young men that bare Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.

¹⁶And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people. ¹⁷And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent. ¹⁸Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, unto this day.

¹⁹Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that Jehovah hath avenged him of his enemies. ²⁰And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. ²¹Then said Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what thou hast seen. And the Cushite bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. ²²Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But come what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt have no reward for the tidings? ²³But come what may, said he, I will run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.

²⁴Now David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone. ²⁵And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. ²⁶And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold, another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. ²⁷And the watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.

²⁸And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. ²⁹And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. ³⁰And the king said, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.

³¹And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidings for my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. ³²And the king said unto the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. ³³And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

2 Samuel 19

19 ¹And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. ²And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people; for the people heard say that day, The king grieveth for his son. ³And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people that are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. ⁴And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! ⁵And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; ⁶in that thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For thou hast declared this day, that princes and servants are nought unto thee: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. ⁷Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants; for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now. ⁸Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king is sitting in the gate: and all the people came before the king.

Now Israel had fled every man to his tent. ⁹And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land from Absalom. ¹⁰And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?

¹¹And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, to bring him to his house. ¹²Ye are my brethren, ye are my bone and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? ¹³And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. ¹⁴And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent unto the king, saying, Return thou, and all thy servants. ¹⁵So the king returned, and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan.

¹⁶And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. ¹⁷And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king. ¹⁸And there went over a ferry-boat to bring over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, when he was come over the Jordan. ¹⁹And he said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. ²⁰For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come this day the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

²¹But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah's anointed? ²²And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel? ²³And the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.

²⁴And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. ²⁵And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth? ²⁶And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king; because thy servant is lame. ²⁷And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes. ²⁸For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king; yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet that I should cry any more unto the king? ²⁹And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I say, Thou and Ziba divide the land. ³⁰And Mephibosheth said unto the king, yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come in peace unto his own house.

³¹And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim; and he went over the Jordan with the king, to conduct him over the Jordan. ³²Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king with sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man. ³³And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will sustain thee with me in Jerusalem. ³⁴And Barzillai said unto the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? ³⁵I am this day fourscore years old: can I discern between good and bad? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king? ³⁶Thy servant would but just go over the Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward? ³⁷Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, by the grave of my father and my mother. But behold, thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee. ³⁸And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee. ³⁹And all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over: and the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place.

⁴⁰So the king went over to Gilgal, and Chimham went over with him: and all the people of Judah brought the king over, and also half the people of Israel. ⁴¹And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and brought the king, and his household, over the Jordan, and all David's men with him? ⁴²And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore then are ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all at the king's cost? or hath he given us any gift? ⁴³And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 20

20 ¹And there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew the trumpet, and said, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. ²So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.

³And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

⁴Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present. ⁵So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. ⁶And David said to Abishai, Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight. ⁷And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. ⁹And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with thee, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died.

And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹And there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, He that favoreth Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab. ¹²And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. ¹³When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹⁴And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth-maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him. ¹⁵And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. ¹⁶Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee. ¹⁷And he came near unto her; and the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I do hear. ¹⁸Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter. ¹⁹I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah? ²⁰And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. ²¹The matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. ²²Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

²³Now Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites; ²⁴and Adoram was over the men subject to taskwork; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; ²⁵and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; ²⁶and also Ira the Jairite was chief minister unto David.

2 Samuel 21

21 ¹And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites. ²And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah); ³and David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah? ⁴And the Gibeonites said unto him, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. ⁵And they said unto the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel, ⁶let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them.

⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: ⁹And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before Jehovah, and they fell all seven together. And they were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. ¹¹And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

¹²And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa; ¹³and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son: and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. ¹⁴And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was entreated for the land.

¹⁵And the Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. And David waxed faint; ¹⁶and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. ¹⁷But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.

¹⁸And it came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph, who was of the sons of the giant. ¹⁹And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. ²⁰And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. ²¹And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, slew him. ²²These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

2 Samuel 22

22 ¹And David spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: ²and he said,

Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;

³God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;

My saviour, thou savest me from violence.

⁴I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:

So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

⁵For the waves of death compassed me;

The floods of ungodliness made me afraid:

⁶The cords of Sheol were round about me;

The snares of death came upon me.

⁷In my distress I called upon Jehovah;

Yea, I called unto my God:

And he heard my voice out of his temple,

And my cry came into his ears.

⁸Then the earth shook and trembled,

The foundations of heaven quaked

And were shaken, because he was wroth.

⁹There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,

And fire out of his mouth devoured:

Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens also, and came down;

And thick darkness was under his feet.

¹¹And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;

Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

¹²And he made darkness pavilions round about him,

Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹³At the brightness before him

Coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴Jehovah thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered his voice.

¹⁵And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;

Lightning, and discomfited them.

¹⁶Then the channels of the sea appeared,

The foundations of the world were laid bare,

By the rebuke of Jehovah,

At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He sent from on high, he took me;

He drew me out of many waters;

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹They came upon me in the day of my calamity;

But Jehovah was my stay.

²⁰He brought me forth also into a large place;

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²¹Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

²²For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²³For all his ordinances were before me;

And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

²⁴I was also perfect toward him;

And I kept myself from mine iniquity.

²⁵Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

²⁶With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;

With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;

²⁷With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;

And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.

²⁸And the afflicted people thou wilt save;

But thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.

²⁹For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah;

And Jehovah will lighten my darkness.

³⁰For by thee I run upon a troop;

By my God do I leap over a wall.

³¹As for God, his way is perfect:

The word of Jehovah is tried;

He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.

³²For who is God, save Jehovah?

And who is a rock, save our God?

³³God is my strong fortress;

And he guideth the perfect in his way.

³⁴He maketh his feet like hinds' feet,

And setteth me upon my high places.

³⁵He teacheth my hands to war,

So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

³⁶Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;

And thy gentleness hath made me great.

³⁷Thou hast enlarged my steps under me;

And my feet have not slipped.

³⁸I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;

Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

³⁹And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that they cannot arise:

Yea, they are fallen under my feet.

⁴⁰For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle;

Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

⁴¹Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,

That I might cut off them that hate me.

⁴²They looked, but there was none to save;

Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.

⁴³Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,

I did crush them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.

⁴⁴Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;

Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations:

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁵The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me:

As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.

⁴⁶The foreigners shall fade away,

And shall come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁷Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock;

And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

⁴⁸Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,

And that bringeth down peoples under me,

⁴⁹And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:

Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;

Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

⁵⁰Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,

And will sing praises unto thy name.

⁵¹Great deliverance giveth he to his king,

And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,

To David and to his seed, for evermore.

2 Samuel 23

23 ¹Now these are the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse saith,

And the man who was raised on high saith,

The anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel:

²The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me,

And his word was upon my tongue.

³The God of Israel said,

The Rock of Israel spake to me:

One that ruleth over men righteously,

That ruleth in the fear of God,

⁴He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,

A morning without clouds,

When the tender grass springeth out of the earth,

Through clear shining after rain.

⁵Verily my house is not so with God;

Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,

Ordered in all things, and sure:

For it is all my salvation, and all my desire,

Although he maketh it not to grow.

⁶But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,

Because they cannot be taken with the hand

⁷But the man that toucheth them

Must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear:

And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place

⁸These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

⁹And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away. ¹⁰He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; and Jehovah wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.

¹¹And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines. ¹²But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Jehovah wrought a great victory.

¹³And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. ¹⁵And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate! ¹⁶And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah. ¹⁷And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

¹⁸And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three. ¹⁹Was he not most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.

²⁰And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. ²¹And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. ²²These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men. ²³He was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

²⁴Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem, ²⁵Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ²⁷Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, ²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, ²⁹Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, ³⁰Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash. ³¹Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, ³²Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, ³³Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, ³⁴Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, ³⁵Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, ³⁷Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah, ³⁸Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ³⁹Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.

2 Samuel 24

24 ¹And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah. ²And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people. ³And Joab said unto the king, Now Jehovah thy God add unto the people, how many soever they may be, a hundredfold; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? ⁴Notwithstanding, the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. ⁵And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer: ⁶then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, and round about to Sidon, ⁷and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beer-sheba. ⁸So when they had gone to and from through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

¹⁰And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. ¹¹And when David rose up in the morning, the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, ¹²Go and speak unto David, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. ¹³So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thy foes while they pursue thee? or shall there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise thee, and consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me. ¹⁴And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man. ¹⁵So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. ¹⁶And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷And David spake unto Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

¹⁸And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁹And David went up according to the saying of Gad, as Jehovah commanded. ²⁰And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. ²¹And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar unto Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people. ²²And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood: ²³all this, O king, doth Araunah give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee. ²⁴And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ²⁵And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

The First Book of the Kings

1 Kings 1

1 ¹Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. ²Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. ³So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ⁴And the damsel was very fair; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not.

⁵Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he was also a very goodly man; and he was born after Absalom. ⁷And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. ⁸But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men that belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. ⁹And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he called all his brethren, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants: ¹⁰but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

¹¹Then Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? ¹²Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. ¹³Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? ¹⁴Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.

¹⁵And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering unto the king. ¹⁶And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou? ¹⁷And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by Jehovah thy God unto thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. ¹⁸And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and thou, my lord the king, knowest it not: ¹⁹and he hath slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host; but Solomon thy servant hath he not called. ²⁰And thou, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.

²²And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. ²³And they told the king, saying, Behold, Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? ²⁵For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, Long live king Adonijah. ²⁶But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called. ²⁷Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not showed unto thy servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?

²⁸Then king David answered and said, Call to me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. ²⁹And the king sware, and said, As Jehovah liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, ³⁰verily as I sware unto thee by Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; verily so will I do this day. ³¹Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.

³²And king David said, Call to me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. ³³And the king said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: ³⁴and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye the trumpet, and say, Long live king Solomon. ³⁵Then ye shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah. ³⁶And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: Jehovah, the God of my lord the king, say so too. ³⁷As Jehovah hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

³⁸So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Long live king Solomon. ⁴⁰And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

⁴¹And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? ⁴²While he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said, Come in; for thou art a worthy man, and bringest good tidings. ⁴³And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king: ⁴⁴and the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule; ⁴⁵and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon; and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. ⁴⁶And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, Thy God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne: and the king bowed himself upon the bed. ⁴⁸And also thus said the king, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.

⁴⁹And all the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. ⁵⁰And Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. ⁵¹And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon; for, lo, he hath laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me first that he will not slay his servant with the sword. ⁵²And Solomon said, If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die. ⁵³So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and did obeisance to king Solomon; and Solomon said unto him, Go to thy house.

1 Kings 2

2 ¹Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, ²I am going the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; ³and keep the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself. ⁴That Jehovah may establish his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. ⁵Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me, even what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. ⁶Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace. ⁷But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom thy brother. ⁸And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I sware to him by Jehovah, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. ⁹Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.

¹⁰And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. ¹¹And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. ¹²And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.

¹³Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. ¹⁴He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. ¹⁵And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's; for it was his from Jehovah. ¹⁶And now I ask one petition of thee; deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. ¹⁷And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king (for he will not say thee nay), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. ¹⁸And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.

¹⁹Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. ²⁰Then she said, I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee. ²¹And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. ²²And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. ²³Then king Solomon sware by Jehovah, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah hath not spoken this word against his own life. ²⁴Now therefore as Jehovah liveth, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day. ²⁵And king Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, so that he died.

²⁶And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord Jehovah before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. ²⁷So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto Jehovah, that he might fulfil the word of Jehovah, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

²⁸And the tidings came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the Tent of Jehovah, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. ²⁹And it was told king Solomon, Joab is fled unto the Tent of Jehovah, and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. ³⁰And Benaiah came to the Tent of Jehovah, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. ³¹And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father's house. ³²And Jehovah will return his blood upon his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, and my father David knew it not, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. ³³So shall their blood return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but unto David, and unto his seed, and unto his house, and unto his throne, shall there be peace for ever from Jehovah. ³⁴Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. ³⁵And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host; and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.

³⁶And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. ³⁷For on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, know thou for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. ³⁸And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

³⁹And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants are in Gath. ⁴⁰And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. ⁴¹And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. ⁴²And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not adjure thee by Jehovah, and protest unto thee, saying, Know for certain, that on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The saying that I have heard is good. ⁴³Why then hast thou not kept the oath of Jehovah, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? ⁴⁴The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore Jehovah shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head. ⁴⁵But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before Jehovah for ever. ⁴⁶So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell upon him, so that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

1 Kings 3

3 ¹And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. ²Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of Jehovah until those days. ³And Solomon loved Jehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

⁴And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. ⁵In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. ⁶And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great lovingkindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great lovingkindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. ⁸And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. ⁹Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people?

¹⁰And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice; ¹²behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. ¹³And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee, all thy days. ¹⁴And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. ¹⁵And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream: and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

¹⁶Then there came two women that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. ¹⁷And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. ¹⁸And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. ¹⁹And this woman's child died in the night, because she lay upon it. ²⁰And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. ²¹And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear. ²²And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.

²³Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. ²⁴And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. ²⁶Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it. ²⁷Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. ²⁸And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.

1 Kings 4

4 ¹And king Solomon was king over all Israel. ²And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; ³Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; ⁴and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; ⁵and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, and the king's friend; ⁶and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to taskwork.

⁷And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. ⁸And these are their names: Ben-hur, in the hill-country of Ephraim; ⁹Ben-deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; ¹⁰Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher); ¹¹Ben-abinadab, in all the height of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife); ¹²Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; ¹³Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars); ¹⁴Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; ¹⁵Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife); ¹⁶Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; ¹⁷Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; ¹⁸Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; ¹⁹Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer that was in the land.

²⁰Judah and Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. ²¹And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life. ²²And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, ²³ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl. ²⁴For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River: and he had peace on all sides round about him. ²⁵And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. ²⁶And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷And those officers provided victuals for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking. ²⁸Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.

²⁹And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. ³⁰And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all the nations round about. ³²And he spake three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. ³³And he spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes. ³⁴And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings 5

5 ¹And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. ²And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, ³Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Jehovah his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet. ⁴But now Jehovah my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. ⁵And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for my name. ⁶Now therefore command thou that they cut me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that knoweth how to cut timber like unto the Sidonians.

⁷And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. ⁸And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the message which thou hast sent unto me: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. ⁹My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. ¹⁰So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire. ¹¹And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. ¹²And Jehovah gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

¹³And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. ¹⁴And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to taskwork. ¹⁵And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains; ¹⁶besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work. ¹⁷And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone. ¹⁸And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

1 Kings 6

6 ¹And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Jehovah. ²And the house which king Solomon built for Jehovah, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. ³And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. ⁴And for the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work. ⁵And against the wall of the house he built stories round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about. ⁶The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house. ⁷And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. ⁸The door for the middle side-chambers was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third. ⁹So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. ¹⁰And he built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

¹¹And the word of Jehovah came to Solomon, saying, ¹²Concerning this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute mine ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I establish my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father. ¹³And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

¹⁴So Solomon built the house, and finished it. ¹⁵And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir. ¹⁶And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor unto the walls of the ceiling: he built them for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place. ¹⁷And the house, that is, the temple before the oracle, was forty cubits long. ¹⁸And there was cedar on the house within, carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. ¹⁹And he prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. ²⁰And within the oracle was a space of twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar. ²¹So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. ²²And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.

²³And in the oracle he made two cherubim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high. ²⁴And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. ²⁵And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. ²⁶The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. ²⁷And he set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. ²⁸And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without. ³⁰And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. ³¹And for the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive-wood: the lintel and door-posts were a fifth part of the wall. ³²So he made two doors of olive-wood; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees. ³³So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, out of a fourth part of the wall; ³⁴and two doors of fir-wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. ³⁵And he carved thereon cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted upon the graven work. ³⁶And he built the inner court with three courses of hewn stone, and a course of cedar beams.

³⁷In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of Jehovah laid, in the month Ziv. ³⁸And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

1 Kings 7

7 ¹And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. ²For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. ³And it was covered with cedar above over the forty and five beams, that were upon the pillars; fifteen in a row. ⁴And there were beams in three rows, and window was over against window in three ranks. ⁵And all the doors and posts were made square with beams: and window was over against window in three ranks. ⁶And he made the porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and pillars and a threshold before them. ⁷And he made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. ⁸And his house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work. He made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken to wife), like unto this porch.

⁹All these were of costly stones, even of hewn stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside unto the great court. ¹⁰And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. ¹¹And above were costly stones, even hewn stone, according to measure, and cedar-wood. ¹²And the great court round about had three courses of hewn stone, and a course of cedar beams; like as the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and the porch of the house.

¹³And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. ¹⁴He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work. ¹⁵For he fashioned the two pillars of brass, eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits compassed either of them about. ¹⁶And he made two capitals of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. ¹⁷There were nets of checker-work, and wreaths of chain-work, for the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital. ¹⁸So he made the pillars; and there were two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars: and so did he for the other capital. ¹⁹And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily-work, four cubits. ²⁰And there were capitals above also upon the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred, in rows round about upon the other capital. ²¹And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. ²²And upon the top of the pillars was lily-work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

²³And he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about. ²⁴And under the brim of it round about there were knops which did compass it, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about: the knops were in two rows, cast when it was cast. ²⁵It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward. ²⁶And it was a handbreadth thick: and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it held two thousand baths.

²⁷And he made the ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. ²⁸And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had panels; and there were panels between the ledges; ²⁹and on the panels that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and upon the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. ³⁰And every base had four brazen wheels, and axles of brass; and the four feet thereof had undersetters: beneath the laver were the undersetters molten, with wreaths at the side of each. ³¹And the mouth of it within the capital and above was a cubit: and the mouth thereof was round after the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also upon the mouth of it were gravings, and their panels were foursquare, not round. ³²And the four wheels were underneath the panels; and the axletrees of the wheels were in the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. ³³And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their felloes, and their spokes, and their naves, were all molten. ³⁴And there were four undersetters at the four corners of each base: the undersetters thereof were of the base itself. ³⁵And in the top of the base was there a round compass half a cubit high; and on the top of the base the stays thereof and the panels thereof were of the same. ³⁶And on the plates of the stays thereof, and on the panels thereof, he graved cherubim, lions, and palm-trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths round about. ³⁷After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form.

³⁸And he made ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths; and every laver was four cubits; and upon very one of the ten bases one laver. ³⁹And he set the bases, five on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.

⁴⁰And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of Jehovah: ⁴¹the two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; ⁴²and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars; ⁴³and the ten bases, and the ten lavers on the bases; ⁴⁴and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea; ⁴⁵and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins: even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the house of Jehovah, were of burnished brass. ⁴⁶In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. ⁴⁷And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: the weight of the brass could not be found out.

⁴⁸And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of Jehovah: the golden altar, and the table whereupon the showbread was, of gold; ⁴⁹and the candlesticks, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; ⁵⁰and the cups, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, of gold.

⁵¹Thus all the work that king Solomon wrought in the house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of Jehovah.

1 Kings 8

8 ¹Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. ²And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. ³And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. ⁴And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up. ⁵And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. ⁶And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. ⁷For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. ⁸And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. ⁹There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, ¹¹so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.

¹²Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. ¹³I have surely built thee a house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever. ¹⁴And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all the assembly of Israel stood. ¹⁵And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David thy father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, ¹⁶Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. ¹⁷Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁸But Jehovah said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart: ¹⁹nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. ²⁰And Jehovah hath established his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and have built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ²¹And there have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

²²And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; ²³and he said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart; ²⁴who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day. ²⁵Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me. ²⁶Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.

²⁷But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! ²⁸Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day; ²⁹that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof thou hast said, My name shall be there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. ³⁰And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

³¹If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house; ³²then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

³³When thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: ³⁴then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.

³⁵When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: ³⁶then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

³⁷If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; ³⁸what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: ³⁹then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) ⁴⁰that they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

⁴¹Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake ⁴²(for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house; ⁴³hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by my name.

⁴⁴If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way thou shalt send them, and they pray unto Jehovah toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name; ⁴⁵then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

⁴⁶If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near; ⁴⁷yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly; ⁴⁸if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: ⁴⁹then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause; ⁵⁰and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them ⁵¹(for they are thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron); ⁵²that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto thee. ⁵³For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Jehovah.

⁵⁴And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. ⁵⁵And he stood, and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, ⁵⁶Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. ⁵⁷Jehovah our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us; ⁵⁸that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require; ⁶⁰that all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah, he is God; there is none else. ⁶¹Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

⁶²And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before Jehovah. ⁶³And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto Jehovah, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah. ⁶⁴The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar that was before Jehovah was too little to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings. ⁶⁵So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. ⁶⁶On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that Jehovah had showed unto David his servant, and to Israel his people.

1 Kings 9

9 ¹And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do, ²that Jehovah appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. ³And Jehovah said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. ⁴And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances; ⁵then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever, according as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. ⁶But if ye shall turn away from following me, ye or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; ⁷then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ⁸And though this house is so high, yet shall every one that passeth by it be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house? ⁹and they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath Jehovah brought all this evil upon them.

¹⁰And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the king's house ¹¹(now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and fir-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire), that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. ¹²And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. ¹³And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day. ¹⁴And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.

¹⁵And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁶Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a portion unto his daughter, Solomon's wife. ¹⁷And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether, ¹⁸and Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land, ¹⁹and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. ²⁰As for all the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel; ²¹their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants unto this day. ²²But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.

²³These were the chief officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

²⁴But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.

²⁵And three times a year did Solomon offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built unto Jehovah, burning incense therewith, upon the altar that was before Jehovah. So he finished the house.

²⁶And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. ²⁷And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. ²⁸And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

1 Kings 10

10 ¹And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah, she came to prove him with hard questions. ²And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. ³And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king which he told her not. ⁴And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, ⁵and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her. ⁶And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. ⁷Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard. ⁸Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. ⁹Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because Jehovah loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do justice and righteousness. ¹⁰And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

¹¹And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug-trees and precious stones. ¹²And the king made of the almug-trees pillars for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for the singers: there came no such almug-trees, nor were seen, unto this day.

¹³And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.

¹⁴Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, ¹⁵besides that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mingled people, and of the governors of the country. ¹⁶And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler. ¹⁷And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. ¹⁸Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. ¹⁹There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays. ²⁰And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. ²¹And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. ²²For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

²³So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. ²⁴And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁵And they brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

²⁶And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ²⁷And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance. ²⁸And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; and the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price. ²⁹And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

1 Kings 11

11 ¹Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; ²of the nations concerning which Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. ³And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶And Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and went not fully after Jehovah, as did David his father. ⁷Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, in the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. ⁸And so did he for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

⁹And Jehovah was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Jehovah, the God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice, ¹⁰and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which Jehovah commanded. ¹¹Wherefore Jehovah said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. ¹²Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. ¹³Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.

¹⁴And Jehovah raised up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. ¹⁵For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, and had smitten every male in Edom ¹⁶(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom); ¹⁷that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child. ¹⁸And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land. ¹⁹And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. ²⁰And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. ²¹And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country. ²²Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered, Nothing: howbeit only let me depart.

²³And God raised up another adversary unto him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. ²⁴And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a troop, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus. ²⁵And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

²⁶And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king. ²⁷And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of David his father. ²⁸And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he gave him charge over all the labor of the house of Joseph. ²⁹And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. ³⁰And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces. ³¹And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces; for thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee ³²(but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel); ³³because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon; and they have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and mine ordinances, as did David his father. ³⁴Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes; ³⁵but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. ³⁶And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. ³⁷And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. ³⁸And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that which is right in mine eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and will build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. ³⁹And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. ⁴⁰Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

⁴¹Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? ⁴²And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. ⁴³And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

1 Kings 12

12 ¹And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. ²And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt, ³and they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, ⁴Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. ⁵And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.

⁶And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? ⁷And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. ⁸But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him. ⁹And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter? ¹⁰And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou speak unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. ¹¹And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come to me again the third day. ¹³And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, ¹⁴and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. ¹⁵So the king hearkened not unto the people; for it was a thing brought about of Jehovah, that he might establish his word, which Jehovah spake by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. ¹⁷But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to taskwork; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. ²⁰And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

²¹And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, that were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²²But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, ²⁴Thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they hearkened unto the word of Jehovah, and returned and went their way, according to the word of Jehovah.

²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. ²⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now will the kingdom return to the house of David: ²⁷if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. ²⁸Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ²⁹And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. ³⁰And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. ³¹And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, that were not of the sons of Levi. ³²And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places that he had made. ³³And he went up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up unto the altar, to burn incense.

1 Kings 13

13 ¹And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. ²And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall they burn upon thee. ³And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. ⁴And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him. ⁵The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Jehovah. ⁶And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. ⁷And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. ⁸And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place; ⁹for so was it charged me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou camest. ¹⁰So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.

¹¹Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they told unto their father. ¹²And their father said unto them, What way went he? Now his sons had seen what way the man of God went, that came from Judah. ¹³And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon. ¹⁴And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. ¹⁵Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. ¹⁶And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: ¹⁷for it was said to me by the word of Jehovah, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. ¹⁸And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. ¹⁹So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

²⁰And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back; ²¹and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee, ²²but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. ²³And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²⁴And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the body. ²⁵And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

²⁶And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah: therefore Jehovah hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake unto him. ²⁷And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled it. ²⁸And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the ass. ²⁹And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him. ³⁰And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! ³¹And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. ³²For the saying which he cried by the word of Jehovah against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.

³³After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places. ³⁴And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

1 Kings 14

14 ¹At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. ²And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who spake concerning me that I should be king over this people. ³And take with thee ten loaves, and cakes, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he will tell thee what shall become of the child. ⁴And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. ⁵And Jehovah said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her; for it will be, when she cometh in, that she will feign herself to be another woman.

⁶And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. ⁷Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, ⁸and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes, ⁹but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: ¹⁰therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man-child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. ¹¹Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat: for Jehovah hath spoken it. ¹²Arise thou therefore, get thee to thy house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. ¹³And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. ¹⁴Moreover Jehovah will raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now. ¹⁵For Jehovah will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking Jehovah to anger. ¹⁶And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin.

¹⁷And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. ¹⁸And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

¹⁹And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. ²⁰And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

²¹And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. ²²And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done. ²³For they also built them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree; ²⁴and there were also sodomites in the land: they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Jehovah drove out before the children of Israel.

²⁵And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; ²⁶and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. ²⁷And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. ²⁸And it was so, that, as oft as the king went into the house of Jehovah, the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.

²⁹Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ³⁰And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. ³¹And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

1 Kings 15

15 ¹Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat began Abijam to reign over Judah. ²Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ³And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as the heart of David his father. ⁴Nevertheless for David's sake did Jehovah his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem; ⁵because David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

⁷And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

⁹And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Asa to reign over Judah. ¹⁰And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father. ¹²And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³And also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁴But the high places were not taken away: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with Jehovah all his days. ¹⁵And he brought into the house of Jehovah the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

¹⁶And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, ¹⁹There is a league between me and thee, between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. ²⁰And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. ²²Then king Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted: and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built therewith Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

²³Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

²⁵And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. ²⁷And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. ²⁹And it came to pass that, as soon as he was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam: he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him; according unto the saying of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite; ³⁰for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation wherewith he provoked Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger.

³¹Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³²And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

³³In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years. ³⁴And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

1 Kings 16

16 ¹And the word of Jehovah came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, ²Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; ³behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ⁴Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat.

⁵Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁶And Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his stead. ⁷And moreover by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of Jehovah against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him.

⁸In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. ⁹And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah: ¹⁰and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. ¹¹And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man-child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. ¹²Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, ¹³for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they made Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities. ¹⁴Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

¹⁵In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. ¹⁶And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also smitten the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. ¹⁷And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. ¹⁸And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died, ¹⁹for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. ²⁰Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

²¹Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. ²²But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. ²³In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. ²⁴And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria. ²⁵And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and dealt wickedly above all that were before him. ²⁶For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities. ²⁷Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²⁸So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

²⁹And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. ³⁰And Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah above all that were before him. ³¹And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. ³²And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. ³³And Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did yet more to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. ³⁴In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

1 Kings 17

17 ¹And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. ²And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, ³Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. ⁴And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. ⁵So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. ⁶And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. ⁷And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, ⁹Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee. ¹⁰So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. ¹¹And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. ¹²And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. ¹³And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. ¹⁴For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth. ¹⁵And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. ¹⁶The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah.

¹⁷And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son! ¹⁹And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. ²⁰And he cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? ²¹And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. ²²And Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. ²³And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. ²⁴And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth.

1 Kings 18

18 ¹And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. ²And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria. ³And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly: ⁴for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) ⁵And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. ⁶So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it thou, my lord Elijah? ⁸And he answered him, It is I: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. ⁹And he said, Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? ¹⁰As Jehovah thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. ¹¹And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. ¹²And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth. ¹³Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid a hundred men of Jehovah's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? ¹⁴And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me. ¹⁵And Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.

¹⁶So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel? ¹⁸And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baalim. ¹⁹Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table.

²⁰So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. ²¹And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. ²²Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. ²³Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. ²⁴And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

²⁵And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under. ²⁶And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made. ²⁷And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked. ²⁸And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. ²⁹And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

³⁰And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down. ³¹And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name. ³²And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. ³³And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood. ³⁴And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time. ³⁵And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. ³⁶And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. ³⁷Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Jehovah, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. ³⁸Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God. ⁴⁰and Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

⁴¹And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain. ⁴²So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. ⁴³And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. ⁴⁴And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. ⁴⁵And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel: ⁴⁶and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

1 Kings 19

19 ¹And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. ²Then Jezebel send a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time. ³And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. ⁴But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper-tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Jehovah, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. ⁵And he lay down and slept under a juniper-tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. ⁶And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. ⁷And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. ⁸And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

⁹And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? ¹⁰And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. ¹¹And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake: ¹²and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. ¹³And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? ¹⁴And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

¹⁵And Jehovah said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; ¹⁶and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. ¹⁷And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. ¹⁸Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. ¹⁹So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him. ²⁰And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee? ²¹And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

1 Kings 20

20 ¹And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together; and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. ²And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad, ³Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. ⁴And the king of Israel answered and said, It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king; I am thine, and all that I have. ⁵And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, I sent indeed unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; ⁶but I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

⁷Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not. ⁸And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken thou not, neither consent. ⁹Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again. ¹⁰And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me. ¹¹And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off. ¹²And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah. ¹⁴And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, Thou. ¹⁵Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him. ¹⁷And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out from Samaria. ¹⁸And he said, Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive, or whether they are come out for war, taken them alive. ¹⁹So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. ²⁰And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. ²¹And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²²And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. ²³And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we: but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. ²⁴And do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their room; ²⁵and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

²⁶And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. ²⁷And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country. ²⁸And a man of God came near and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys; therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. ²⁹And they encamped one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day. ³⁰But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

³¹And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. ³²So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother. ³³Now the men observed diligently, and hasted to catch whether it were his mind; and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. ³⁴And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. And I, said Ahab, will let thee go with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.

³⁵And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. ³⁶Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him. ³⁷Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him. ³⁸So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. ³⁹And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. ⁴⁰And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. ⁴¹And he hasted, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. ⁴²And he said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. ⁴³And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

1 Kings 21

21 ¹And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ²And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. ³And Naboth said to Ahab, Jehovah forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. ⁴And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

⁵But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? ⁶And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. ⁷And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. ⁸So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. ⁹And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: ¹⁰and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst curse God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him to death.

¹¹And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. ¹²They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. ¹³And the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him: and the base fellows bare witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did curse God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones. ¹⁴Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. ¹⁵And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead. ¹⁶And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. ¹⁹And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou killed and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. ²⁰And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah. ²¹Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel: ²²and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and hast made Israel to sin. ²³And of Jezebel also spake Jehovah, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. ²⁴Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat. ²⁵(But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. ²⁶And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel.)

²⁷And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. ²⁸And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

1 Kings 22

22 ¹And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. ²And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? ⁴And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

⁵And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah. ⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king. ⁷But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him? ⁸And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. ⁹Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah. ¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed. ¹²And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king.

¹³And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou good. ¹⁴And Micaiah said, As Jehovah liveth, what Jehovah saith unto me, that will I speak. ¹⁵And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go up and prosper; and Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king. ¹⁶And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah? ¹⁷And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Jehovah said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace. ¹⁸And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? ¹⁹And Micaiah said, Therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. ²⁰And Jehovah said, Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner; and another said on that manner. ²¹And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will entice him. ²²And Jehovah said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so. ²³Now therefore, behold, Jehovah hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets; and Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee.

²⁴Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto thee? ²⁵And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. ²⁶And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; ²⁷and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. ²⁸And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you.

²⁹So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. ³¹Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. ³²And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel; and they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the armor: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded. ³⁵And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even; and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶And there went a cry throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his country.

³⁷So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots washed themselves there); according unto the word of Jehovah which he spake. ³⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

⁴¹And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; He turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah: howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. ⁴⁴And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ⁴⁶And the remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land. ⁴⁷And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king. ⁴⁸Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. ⁵⁰And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.

⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. ⁵²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherein he made Israel to sin. ⁵³And he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

The Second Book of the Kings

2 Kings 1

1 ¹And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ²And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this sickness. ³But the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? ⁴Now therefore thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

⁵And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned? ⁶And they said unto him, There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. ⁷And he said unto them, What manner of man was he that came up to meet you, and told you these words? ⁸And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

⁹Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he spake unto him, O man of God, the king hath said, Come down. ¹⁰And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. ¹¹And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty and his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. ¹²And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. ¹³And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. ¹⁴Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in thy sight. ¹⁵And the angel of Jehovah said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. ¹⁶And he said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

¹⁷So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. ¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

2 Kings 2

2 ¹And it came to pass, when Jehovah would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. ²And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me as far as Beth-el. And Elisha said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. ³And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. ⁴And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. ⁵And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. ⁶And Elijah said unto him, Tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to the Jordan. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. ⁷And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by the Jordan. ⁸And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. ⁹And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. ¹⁰And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. ¹¹And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹²And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof!

And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. ¹³He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is Jehovah, the God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither; and Elisha went over.

¹⁵And when the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁶And they said unto him, Behold now, there are with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master, lest the Spirit of Jehovah hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. ¹⁷And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. ¹⁸And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho; and he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

¹⁹And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is bad, and the land miscarrieth. ²⁰And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. ²¹And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying. ²²So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake.

²³And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead. ²⁴And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them. ²⁵And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

2 Kings 3

3 ¹Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. ³Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

⁴Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams. ⁵But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel. ⁷And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. ⁸And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way of the wilderness of Edom. ⁹So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them. ¹⁰And the king of Israel said, Alas! for Jehovah hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. ¹¹But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. ¹²And Jehoshaphat said, The word of Jehovah is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay; for Jehovah hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. ¹⁴And Elisha said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. ¹⁵But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Jehovah came upon him. ¹⁶And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches. ¹⁷For thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, and ye shall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts. ¹⁸And this is but a light thing in the sight of Jehovah: he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. ¹⁹And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. ²⁰And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering the oblation, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood on the border. ²²And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood: ²³and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. ²⁴And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land smiting the Moabites. ²⁵And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. ²⁶And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through unto the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 4

4 ¹Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear Jehovah: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen. ²And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. ³Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. ⁴And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full. ⁵So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out. ⁶And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. ⁷Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest.

⁸And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. ⁹And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passeth by us continually. ¹⁰Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. ¹¹And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there. ¹²And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. ¹⁴And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old. ¹⁵And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. ¹⁶And he said, At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid.

¹⁷And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her. ¹⁸And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. ¹⁹And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to his servant, Carry him to his mother. ²⁰And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. ²¹And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. ²²And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. ²³And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. ²⁴Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee. ²⁵So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel.

And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: ²⁶run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. ²⁷And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and Jehovah hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. ²⁸Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? ²⁹Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. ³⁰And the mother of the child said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. ³¹And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

³²And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. ³³He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto Jehovah. ³⁴And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. ³⁵Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. ³⁶And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. ³⁷Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.

³⁸And Elisha came again to Gilgal. And there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets. ³⁹And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not. ⁴⁰So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. ⁴¹But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

⁴²And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. ⁴³And his servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith Jehovah, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. ⁴⁴So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of Jehovah.

2 Kings 5

5 ¹Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him Jehovah had given victory unto Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. ²And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Naaman's wife. ³And she said unto her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy. ⁴And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maiden that is of the land of Israel. ⁵And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. ⁶And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. ⁷And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

⁸And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. ⁹So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. ¹⁰And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. ¹¹But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper. ¹²Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? ¹⁴Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

¹⁵And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said, Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a present of thy servant. ¹⁶But he said, As Jehovah liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. ¹⁷And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray thee, let there be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto Jehovah. ¹⁸In this thing Jehovah pardon thy servant: when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant in this thing. ¹⁹And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

²⁰But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as Jehovah liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. ²¹So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? ²²And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment. ²³And Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. ²⁴And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed. ²⁵But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. ²⁶And he said unto him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants? ²⁷The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

2 Kings 6

6 ¹And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us. ²Let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. ³And one said, Be pleased, I pray thee, to go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. ⁴So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood. ⁵But as one was felling a beam, the axe-head fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! for it was borrowed. ⁶And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim. ⁷And he said, Take it up to thee. So he put out his hand, and took it.

⁸Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. ⁹And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are coming down. ¹⁰And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. ¹¹And the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? ¹²And one of his servants said, Nay, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. ¹³And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

¹⁴Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. ¹⁵And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? ¹⁶And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them. ¹⁷And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ¹⁸And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto Jehovah, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Samaria.

²⁰And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. ²¹And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? ²²And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. ²³And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

²⁴And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. ²⁵And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. ²⁶And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. ²⁷And he said, If Jehovah do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the threshing-floor, or out of the winepress? ²⁸And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow. ²⁹So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her son. ³⁰And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes (now he was passing by upon the wall); and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. ³¹Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

³²But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold the door fast against him: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? ³³And while he was yet talking with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of Jehovah; why should I wait for Jehovah any longer?

2 Kings 7

7 ¹And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: thus saith Jehovah, To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. ²Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

³Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? ⁴If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. ⁵And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians; and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there. ⁶For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. ⁷Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. ⁸And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

⁹Then they said one to another, We do not well; this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household. ¹⁰So they came and called unto the porter of the city; and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were. ¹¹And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's household within. ¹²And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city. ¹³And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed); and let us send and see. ¹⁴They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. ¹⁵And they went after them unto the Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

¹⁶And the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of Jehovah. ¹⁷And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. ¹⁸And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria; ¹⁹and that captain answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? and he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof: ²⁰it came to pass even so unto him; for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died.

2 Kings 8

8 ¹Now Elisha had spoken unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thy household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for Jehovah hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. ²And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God; and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. ⁴Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. ⁵And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored to life him that was dead, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. ⁶And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

⁷And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. ⁸And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thy hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of Jehovah by him, saying, Shall I recover of this sickness? ⁹So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this sickness? ¹⁰And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou shalt surely recover; howbeit Jehovah hath showed me that he shall surely die. ¹¹And he settled his countenance stedfastly upon him, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. ¹²And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child. ¹³And Hazael said, But what is thy servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, Jehovah hath showed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. ¹⁴Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou wouldest surely recover. ¹⁵And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took the coverlet, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

¹⁶And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. ¹⁷Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife; and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. ¹⁹Howbeit Jehovah would not destroy Judah, for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give unto him a lamp for his children alway.

²⁰In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. ²¹Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents. ²²So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then did Libnah revolt at the same time. ²³And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁴And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

²⁵In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. ²⁶Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel. ²⁷And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did the house of Ahab; for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab. ²⁸And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead: and the Syrians wounded Joram. ²⁹And king Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

2 Kings 9

9 ¹And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. ²And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber. ³Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. ⁴So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain. ⁶And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, even over Israel. ⁷And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. ⁸For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. ⁹And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

¹¹Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and what his talk was. ¹²And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. ¹³Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king.

¹⁴So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria; ¹⁵but king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel. ¹⁶So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.

¹⁷Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? ¹⁸So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not back. ¹⁹Then he sent out a second on horseback, who came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. ²⁰And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not back: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.

²¹And Joram said, Make ready. And they made ready his chariot. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²²And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? ²³And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. ²⁴And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. ²⁵Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, Jehovah laid this burden upon him: ²⁶Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith Jehovah; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith Jehovah. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of Jehovah.

²⁷But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden-house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot: and they smote him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. ²⁸And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.

²⁹And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah. ³⁰And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and attired her head, and looked out at the window. ³¹And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy master's murderer? ³²And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. ³³And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trod her under foot. ³⁴And when he was come in, he did eat and drink; and he said, See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king's daughter. ³⁵And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶Wherefore they came back, and told him. And he said, This is the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷and the body of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

2 Kings 10

10 ¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and unto them that brought up the sons of Ahab, saying, ²And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor; ³look ye out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. ⁴But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand? ⁵And he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and they that brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any man king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes. ⁶Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up. ⁷And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them unto him to Jezreel. ⁸And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning. ⁹And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him; but who smote all these? ¹⁰Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of Jehovah, which Jehovah spake concerning the house of Ahab: for Jehovah hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah. ¹¹So Jehu smote all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

¹²And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way, ¹³Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah: and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. ¹⁴And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them. ¹⁵And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake to Elijah.

¹⁸And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. ²⁰And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. ²¹And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another. ²²And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. ²³And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal; and he said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of Jehovah, but the worshippers of Baal only. ²⁴And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings. Now Jehu had appointed him fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.

²⁵And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. ²⁶And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them. ²⁷And they brake down the pillar of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught-house, unto this day. ²⁸Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

²⁹Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. ³⁰And Jehovah said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. ³¹But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Jehovah, the God of Israel, with all his heart: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin.

³²In those days Jehovah began to cut off from Israel: and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel; ³³from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³⁵And Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. ³⁶And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.

2 Kings 11

11 ¹Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. ²But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in the bedchamber; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain; ³And he was with her hid in the house of Jehovah six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.

⁴And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of Jehovah; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Jehovah, and showed them the king's son. ⁵And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house; ⁶And a third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier. ⁷And the two companies of you, even all that go forth on the sabbath, shall keep the watch of the house of Jehovah about the king. ⁸And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that cometh within the ranks, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he goeth out, and when he cometh in.

⁹And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath, with those that were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰And the priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been king David's, which were in the house of Jehovah. ¹¹And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about. ¹²Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, Long live the king.

¹³And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the house of Jehovah: ¹⁴and she looked, and, behold, the king stood by the pillar, as the manner was, and the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason! treason! ¹⁵And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth between the ranks; and him that followeth her slay with the sword. For the priest said, Let her not be slain in the house of Jehovah. ¹⁶So they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses' entry to the king's house: and there was she slain.

¹⁷And Jehoiada made a covenant between Jehovah and the king and the people, that they should be Jehovah's people; between the king also and the people. ¹⁸And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of Jehovah. ¹⁹And he took the captains over hundreds, and the Carites, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of Jehovah, and came by the way of the gate of the guard unto the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah they had slain with the sword at the king's house. ²¹Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.

2 Kings 12

12 ¹In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. ²And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

⁴And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of Jehovah, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of Jehovah, ⁵let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found. ⁶But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. ⁷Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no more money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house. ⁸And the priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.

⁹But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of Jehovah: and the priests that kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah. ¹⁰And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of Jehovah. ¹¹And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of Jehovah, ¹²and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. ¹³But there were not made for the house of Jehovah cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah; ¹⁴for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of Jehovah. ¹⁵Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully. ¹⁶The money for the trespass-offerings, and the money for the sin-offerings, was not brought into the house of Jehovah: it was the priests'.

¹⁷Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ¹⁸And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

¹⁹Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁰And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla. ²¹For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 13

13 ¹In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. ³And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, continually. ⁴And Jehoahaz besought Jehovah, and Jehovah hearkened unto him; for he saw the oppression of Israel, how that the king of Syria oppressed them. ⁵(And Jehovah gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as beforetime. ⁶Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin, but walked therein: and there remained the Asherah also in Samaria.) ⁷For he left not to Jehoahaz of the people save fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing. ⁸Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁹And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.

¹⁰In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. ¹¹And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; but he walked therein. ¹²Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ¹³And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¹⁴Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died: and Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over him, and said, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! ¹⁵And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows; and he took unto him bow and arrows. ¹⁶And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow; and he put his hand upon it. And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. ¹⁷And he said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Jehovah's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. ¹⁸And he said, Take the arrows; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground; and he smote thrice, and stayed. ¹⁹And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times: then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it, whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

²⁰And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. ²¹And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

²²And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³But Jehovah was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. ²⁴And Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead. ²⁵And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and recovered the cities of Israel.

2 Kings 14

14 ¹In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign. ²He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, yet not like David his father: he did according to all that Joash his father had done. ⁴Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. ⁵And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants who had slain the king his father: ⁶but the children of the murderers he put not to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin. ⁷He slew of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand, and took Sela by war, and called the name of it Joktheel, unto this day.

⁸Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face. ⁹And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. ¹⁰Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thy heart hath lifted thee up: glory thereof, and abide at home; for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

¹¹But Amaziah would not hear. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah. ¹²And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent. ¹³And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. ¹⁴And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

¹⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ¹⁶And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.

¹⁷And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. ¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ¹⁹And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. ²⁰And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. ²¹And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. ²²He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

²³In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. ²⁴And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. ²⁵He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spake by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. ²⁶For Jehovah saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel. ²⁷And Jehovah said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

²⁸Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²⁹And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 15

15 ¹In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. ²Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. ⁵And Jehovah smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, judging the people of the land. ⁶Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ⁷And Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

⁸In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. ⁹And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. ¹⁰And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. ¹¹Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. ¹²This was the word of Jehovah which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel. And so it came to pass.

¹³Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in Samaria. ¹⁴And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. ¹⁵Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. ¹⁶Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the borders thereof, from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.

¹⁷In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. ¹⁹There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. ²⁰And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. ²¹Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²²And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.

²³In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. ²⁴And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. ²⁵And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the castle of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites: and he slew him, and reigned in his stead. ²⁶Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

²⁷In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. ²⁸And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin.

²⁹In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. ³⁰And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. ³¹Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

³²In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. ³³Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ³⁴And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah. ³⁶Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ³⁷In those days Jehovah began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. ³⁸And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 16

16 ¹In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. ²Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. ³But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel. ⁴And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. ⁶At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day.

⁷So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me. ⁸And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. ⁹And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.

¹⁰And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. ¹¹And Urijah the priest built an altar: according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus. ¹²And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near unto the altar, and offered thereon. ¹³And he burnt his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar. ¹⁴And the brazen altar, which was before Jehovah, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side of his altar. ¹⁵And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king's burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by. ¹⁶Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷And king Ahaz cut off the panels of the bases, and removed the laver from off them, and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. ¹⁸And the covered way for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he unto the house of Jehovah, because of the king of Assyria. ¹⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁰And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 17

17 ¹In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him. ³Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute. ⁴And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. ⁵Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. ⁶In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

⁷And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, ⁸and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made. ⁹And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Jehovah their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city; ¹⁰and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every green tree; ¹¹and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Jehovah carried away before them; and they wrought wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger; ¹²and they served idols, whereof Jehovah had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. ¹³Yet Jehovah testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. ¹⁴Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in Jehovah their God. ¹⁵And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them. ¹⁶And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. ¹⁷And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. ¹⁸Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

¹⁹Also Judah kept not the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. ²⁰And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. ²¹For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Jehovah, and made them sin a great sin. ²²And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; ²³until Jehovah removed Israel out of his sight, as he spake by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

²⁴And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. ²⁵And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah: therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them. ²⁶Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land.

²⁷Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land. ²⁸So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah. ²⁹Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. ³⁰And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³²So they feared Jehovah, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. ³³They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

³⁴Unto this day they do after the former manner: they fear not Jehovah, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Jehovah commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; ³⁵with whom Jehovah had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: ³⁶but Jehovah, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, him shall ye fear, and unto him shall ye bow yourselves, and to him shall ye sacrifice: ³⁷and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods: ³⁸and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods: ³⁹but Jehovah your God shall ye fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. ⁴⁰Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. ⁴¹So these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

2 Kings 18

18 ¹Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. ²Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. ³And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done. ⁴He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan. ⁵He trusted in Jehovah, the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among them that were before him. ⁶For he clave to Jehovah; he departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses. ⁷And Jehovah was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. ⁸He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

⁹And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. ¹⁰And at the end of three years they took it: in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. ¹¹And the king of Assyria carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, ¹²because they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah their God, but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded, and would not hear it, nor do it.

¹³Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. ¹⁴And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. ¹⁵And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house. ¹⁶At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. ¹⁷And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field. ¹⁸And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.

¹⁹And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? ²⁰Thou sayest (but they are but vain words), There is counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? ²¹Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. ²²But if ye say unto me, We trust in Jehovah our God; is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? ²³Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. ²⁴How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? ²⁵Am I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

²⁶Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall. ²⁷But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water with you? ²⁸Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. ²⁹Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand: ³⁰neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. ³¹Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; ³²Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive-trees and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, Jehovah will deliver us. ³³Hath any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ³⁴Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ³⁵Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

³⁶But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. ³⁷Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

2 Kings 19

19 ¹And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah. ²And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. ³And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. ⁴It may be Jehovah thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. ⁵So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. ⁷Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. ⁸So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. ⁹And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee, he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying, ¹⁰Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. ¹¹Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? ¹²Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? ¹³Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?

¹⁴And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah. ¹⁵And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. ¹⁶Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to defy the living God. ¹⁷Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, ¹⁸and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. ¹⁹Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, save thou us, I beseech thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou Jehovah art God alone.

²⁰Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard thee. ²¹This is the word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. ²²Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. ²³By thy messengers thou hast defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into his farthest lodging-place, the forest of his fruitful field. ²⁴I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt.

²⁵Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that it should be thine to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. ²⁶Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as grain blasted before it is grown up. ²⁷But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me. ²⁸Because of thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

²⁹And this shall be the sign unto thee: Ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. ³⁰And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. ³¹For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape: the zeal of Jehovah shall perform this. ³²Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. ³³By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah. ³⁴For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

³⁵And it came to pass that night, that the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. ³⁶So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. ³⁷And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 20

20 ¹In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. ²Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah, saying, ³Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. ⁴And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out into the middle part of the city, that the word of Jehovah came to him, saying, ⁵Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the prince of my people, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of Jehovah. ⁶And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. ⁷And Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

⁸And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that Jehovah will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of Jehovah the third day? ⁹And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? ¹⁰And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps. ¹¹And Isaiah the prophet cried unto Jehovah; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.

¹²At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. ¹³And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. ¹⁴Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. ¹⁵And he said, What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in my house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.

¹⁶And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of Jehovah. ¹⁷Behold, the days come, that all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith Jehovah. ¹⁸And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. ¹⁹Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, Is it not so, if peace and truth shall be in my days? ²⁰Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²¹And Hezekiah slept with his fathers; and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 21

21 ¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah. ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. ³For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. ⁴And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. ⁵And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. ⁶And he made his son to pass through the fire, and practised augury, and used enchantments, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. ⁷And he set the graven image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Jehovah said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever; ⁸neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. ⁹But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel.

¹⁰And Jehovah spake by his servants the prophets, saying, ¹¹Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols; ¹²therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. ¹³And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴And I will cast off the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; ¹⁵because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

¹⁶Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. ¹⁷Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

¹⁹Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. ²⁰And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father. ²¹And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: ²²and he forsook Jehovah, the God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of Jehovah. ²³And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house. ²⁴But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. ²⁵Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁶And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 22

22 ¹Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. ²And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

³And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying, ⁴Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the money which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered of the people: ⁵and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and let them give it to the workmen that are in the house of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house, ⁶unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. ⁷Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand; for they dealt faithfully.

⁸And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. ⁹And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. ¹⁰And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. ¹¹And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. ¹²And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, ¹³Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

¹⁴So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they communed with her. ¹⁵And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me, ¹⁶Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read. ¹⁷Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched. ¹⁸But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard, ¹⁹because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Jehovah, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah. ²⁰Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

2 Kings 23

23 ¹And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. ²And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah. ³And the king stood by the pillar, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book: and all the people stood to the covenant.

⁴And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven, and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el. ⁵And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. ⁶And he brought out the Asherah from the house of Jehovah, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast the dust thereof upon the graves of the common people. ⁷And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were in the house of Jehovah, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. ⁸And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba; and he brake down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. ⁹Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they did eat unleavened bread among their brethren. ¹⁰And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. ¹¹And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Jehovah, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. ¹²And the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of Jehovah, did the king break down, and beat them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. ¹³And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile. ¹⁴And he brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

¹⁵Moreover the altar that was at Beth-el, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he brake down; and he burned the high place and beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah. ¹⁶And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount; and he sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Jehovah which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. ¹⁷Then he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, who came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth-el. ¹⁸And he said, Let him be; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. ¹⁹And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke Jehovah to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el. ²⁰And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there, upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

²¹And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto Jehovah your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant. ²²Surely there was not kept such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; ²³but in the eighteenth year of king Josiah was this passover kept to Jehovah in Jerusalem.

²⁴Moreover them that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of Jehovah. ²⁵And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to Jehovah with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

²⁶Notwithstanding, Jehovah turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations wherewith Manasseh had provoked him. ²⁷And Jehovah said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

²⁸Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁹In his days Pharaoh-necoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and Pharaoh-necoh slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. ³⁰And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.

³¹Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done. ³³And Pharaoh-necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. ³⁴And Pharaoh-necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim: but he took Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there. ³⁵And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaoh-necoh.

³⁶Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. ³⁷And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.

2 Kings 24

24 ¹In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. ²And Jehovah sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servants the prophets. ³Surely at the commandment of Jehovah came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did, ⁴and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood: and Jehovah would not pardon. ⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ⁶So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. ⁷And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land; for the king of Babylon had taken, from the brook of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

⁸Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned in Jerusalem three months: and his mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his father had done.

¹⁰At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. ¹¹And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto the city, while his servants were besieging it; ¹²and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. ¹³And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold, which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of Jehovah, as Jehovah had said. ¹⁴And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. ¹⁵And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. ¹⁷And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's father's brother, king is his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

¹⁸Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ¹⁹And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰For through the anger of Jehovah did it come to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

2 Kings 25

25 ¹And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about. ²So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. ³On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. ⁴Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about); and the king went by the way of the Arabah. ⁵But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. ⁶Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. ⁷And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

⁸Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem. ⁹And he burnt the house of Jehovah, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burnt he with fire. ¹⁰And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. ¹¹And the residue of the people that were left in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away captive. ¹²But the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

¹³And the pillars of brass that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases and the brazen sea that were in the house of Jehovah, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. ¹⁴And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. ¹⁵And the firepans, and the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. ¹⁶The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for the house of Jehovah, the brass of all these vessels was without weight. ¹⁷The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of brass was upon it; and the height of the capital was three cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with network.

¹⁸And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold: ¹⁹and out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war; and five men of them that saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the city. ²⁰And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. ²¹And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

²²And as for the people that were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor. ²³Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. ²⁴And Gedaliah sware to them and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not because of the servants of the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. ²⁵But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, so that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah. ²⁶And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

²⁷And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; ²⁸and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, ²⁹and changed his prison garments. And Jehoiachin did eat bread before him continually all the days of his life: ³⁰and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him of the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life.

The First Book of the Chronicles

1 Chronicles 1

1 ¹Adam, Seth, Enosh, ²Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, ³Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, ⁴Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

⁵The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. ⁶And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Diphath, and Togarmah. ⁷And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.

⁸The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. ⁹And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan. ¹⁰And Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth. ¹¹And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, ¹²and Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whence came the Philistines), and Caphtorim. ¹³And Canaan begat Sidon his first-born, and Heth, ¹⁴and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, ¹⁵and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, ¹⁶and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

¹⁷The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech. ¹⁸And Arpachshad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber. ¹⁹And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. ²⁰And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, ²¹and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, ²²and Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba, ²³and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

²⁴Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, ²⁵Eber, Peleg, Reu, ²⁶Serug, Nahor, Terah, ²⁷Abram (the same is Abraham).

²⁸The sons of Abraham: Isaac, and Ishmael. ²⁹These are their generations: the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, ³⁰Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema, ³¹Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

³²And the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan: Sheba, and Dedan. ³³And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

³⁴And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau, and Israel.

³⁵The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. ³⁶The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek. ³⁷The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

³⁸And the sons of Seir: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan. ³⁹And the sons of Lotan: Hori, and Homam; and Timna was Lotan's sister. ⁴⁰The sons of Shobal: Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon: Aiah, and Anah. ⁴¹The sons of Anah: Dishon. And the sons of Dishon: Hamran, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. ⁴²The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, Jaakan. The sons of Dishan: Uz, and Aran.

⁴³Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there resigned any king over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor; and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ⁴⁴And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. ⁴⁵And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. ⁴⁶And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Avith. ⁴⁷And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. ⁴⁸And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead. ⁴⁹And Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. ⁵⁰And Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Pai: and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab. ⁵¹And Hadad died.

And the chiefs of Edom were: chief Timna, chief Aliah, chief Jetheth, ⁵²chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, ⁵³chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, ⁵⁴chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom.

1 Chronicles 2

2 ¹These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, ²Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

³The sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah; which three were born unto him of Shua's daughter the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah; and he slew him. ⁴And Tamar his daughter-in-law bare him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

⁵The sons of Perez: Hezron, and Hamul. ⁶And the sons of Zerah: Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara; five of them in all. ⁷And the sons of Carmi: Achar, the troubler of Israel, who committed a trespass in the devoted thing. ⁸And the sons of Ethan: Azariah.

⁹The sons also of Hezron, that were born unto him: Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai. ¹⁰And Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah; ¹¹and Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz, ¹²and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse; ¹³and Jesse begat his first-born Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimea the third, ¹⁴Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; ¹⁶and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three. ¹⁷And Abigail bare Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

¹⁸And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon. ¹⁹And Azubah died, and Caleb took unto him Ephrath, who bare him Hur. ²⁰And Hur begat Uri, and Uri begat Bezalel.

²¹And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he took to wife when he was threescore years old; and she bare him Segub. ²²And Segub begat Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead. ²³And Geshur and Aram took the towns of Jair from them, with Kenath, and the villages thereof, even threescore cities. All these were the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. ²⁴And after that Hezron was dead in Caleb-ephrathah, then Abijah Hezron's wife bare him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

²⁵And the sons of Jerahmeel the first-born of Hezron were Ram the first-born, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, Ahijah. ²⁶And Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. ²⁷And the sons of Ram the first-born of Jerahmeel were Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker. ²⁸And the sons of Onam were Shammai, and Jada. And the sons of Shammai: Nadab, and Abishur. ²⁹And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail; and she bare him Ahban, and Molid. ³⁰And the sons of Nadab: Seled, and Appaim; but Seled died without children. ³¹And the sons of Appaim: Ishi. And the sons of Ishi: Sheshan. And the sons of Sheshan: Ahlai. ³²And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai: Jether, and Jonathan; and Jether died without children. ³³And the sons of Jonathan: Peleth, and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. ³⁴Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha. ³⁵And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai. ³⁶And Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zabad, ³⁷and Zabad begat Ephlal, and Ephlal begat Obed, ³⁸and Obed begat Jehu, and Jehu begat Azariah, ³⁹and Azariah begat Helez, and Helez begat Eleasah, ⁴⁰and Eleasah begat Sismai, and Sismai begat Shallum, ⁴¹and Shallum begat Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begat Elishama.

⁴²And the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his first-born, who was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. ⁴³And the sons of Hebron: Korah, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema. ⁴⁴And Shema begat Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem begat Shammai. ⁴⁵And the son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth-zur. ⁴⁶And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begat Gazez. ⁴⁷And the sons of Jahdai: Regem, and Jothan, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph. ⁴⁸Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bare Sheber and Tirhanah. ⁴⁹She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena, and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

⁵⁰These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur, the first-born of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, ⁵¹Salma the father of Beth-lehem, Hareph the father of Beth-gader. ⁵²And Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. ⁵³And the families of Kiriath-jearim: The Ithrites, and the Puthites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. ⁵⁴The sons of Salma: Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. ⁵⁵And the families of scribes that dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Sucathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

1 Chronicles 3

3 ¹Now these were the sons of David, that were born unto him in Hebron: the first-born, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess; ²the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; ³the fifth, Shephatiah of Abital; the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife: ⁴six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months. And in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years; ⁵and these were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel; ⁶and Ibhar, and Elishama, and Eliphelet, ⁷and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ⁸and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. ⁹All these were the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister.

¹⁰And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, ¹¹Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, ¹²Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, ¹³Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, ¹⁴Amon his son, Josiah his son. ¹⁵And the sons of Josiah: the first-born Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. ¹⁶And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. ¹⁷And the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, ¹⁸and Malchiram, and Pedaiah, and Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. ¹⁹And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel, and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam, and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister; ²⁰and Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed, five. ²¹And the sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah, and Jeshaiah; the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah. ²²And the sons of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, and Igal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six. ²³And the sons of Neariah: Elioenai, and Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. ²⁴And the sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Delaiah, and Anani, seven.

1 Chronicles 4

4 ¹The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. ²And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites. ³And these were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi; ⁴and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephrathah, the father of Beth-lehem. ⁵And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶And Naarah bare him Ahuzzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. ⁷And the sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. ⁸And Hakkoz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. ⁹And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. ¹⁰And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow! And God granted him that which he requested. ¹¹And Chelub the brother of Shuhah begat Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹²And Eshton begat Beth-rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah. ¹³And the sons of Kenaz: Othniel, and Seraiah. And the sons of Othniel: Hathath. ¹⁴And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab the father of Ge-harashim; for they were craftsmen. ¹⁵And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the sons of Elah; and Kenaz. ¹⁶And the sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷And the sons of Ezrah: Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon; and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸And his wife the Jewess bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took. ¹⁹And the sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. ²⁰And the sons of Shimon: Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi: Zoheth, and Ben-zoheth. ²¹The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea; ²²and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And the records are ancient. ²³These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah: there they dwelt with the king for his work.

²⁴The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul; ²⁵Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶And the sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. ²⁷And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply like to the children of Judah. ²⁸And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual, ²⁹and at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad, ³⁰and at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag, ³¹and at Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susim, and at Beth-biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David. ³²And their villages were Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities; ³³and all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and they have their genealogy. ³⁴And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵and Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, ³⁶and Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah, ³⁷and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah- ³⁸these mentioned by name were princes in their families: and their fathers' houses increased greatly. ³⁹And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they that dwelt there aforetime were of Ham. ⁴¹And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the Meunim that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their stead; because there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴²And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. ⁴³And they smote the remnant of the Amalekites that escaped, and have dwelt there unto this day.

1 Chronicles 5

5 ¹And the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel (for he was the first-born; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. ²For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the prince; but the birthright was Joseph's:) ³the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ⁴The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, ⁵Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, ⁶Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites. ⁷And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, ⁸and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal-meon: ⁹and eastward he dwelt even unto the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead. ¹⁰And in the days of Saul, they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

¹¹And the sons of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salecah: ¹²Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³And their brethren of their fathers' houses: Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jacan, and Zia, and Eber, seven. ¹⁴These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; ¹⁵Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' houses. ¹⁶And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders. ¹⁷All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were forty and four thousand seven hundred and threescore, that were able to go forth to war. ¹⁹And they made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him. ²¹And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand. ²²For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity.

²³And the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and mount Hermon. ²⁴And these were the heads of their fathers' houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.

²⁵And they trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them. ²⁶And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan, unto this day.

1 Chronicles 6

6 ¹The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ²And the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. ³And the children of Amram: Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron: Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁴Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua, ⁵and Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi, ⁶and Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth, ⁷Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub, ⁸and Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz, ⁹and Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan, ¹⁰and Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest's office in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem), ¹¹and Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub, ¹²and Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Shallum, ¹³and Shallum begat Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begat Azariah, ¹⁴and Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak; ¹⁵And Jehozadak went into captivity, when Jehovah carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁷And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸And the sons of Kohath were Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹⁹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. ²⁰Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, ²¹Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. ²²The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, ²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. ²⁵And the sons of Elkanah: Amasai, and Ahimoth. ²⁶As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, ²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. ²⁸And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Joel, and the second Abijah. ²⁹The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, ³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

³¹And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Jehovah, after that the ark had rest. ³²And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order. ³³And these are they that waited, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, ³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, ³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, ³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, ³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, ³⁸the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. ³⁹And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, ⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, ⁴¹the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, ⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, ⁴³the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. ⁴⁴And on the left hand their brethren the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, ⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, ⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, ⁴⁷the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. ⁴⁸And their brethren the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

⁴⁹But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of burnt-offering, and upon the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. ⁵⁰And these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, ⁵¹Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, ⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, ⁵³Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴Now these are their dwelling-places according to their encampments in their borders: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the first lot), ⁵⁵to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it; ⁵⁶but the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ⁵⁷And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge, Hebron; Libnah also with its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs, ⁵⁸and Hilen with its suburbs, Debir with its suburbs, ⁵⁹and Ashan with its suburbs, and Beth-shemesh with its suburbs; ⁶⁰and out of the tribe of Benjamin, Geba with its suburbs, and Allemeth with its suburbs, and Anathoth with its suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

⁶¹And unto the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, out of the family of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. ⁶²And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. ⁶³Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. ⁶⁴And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their suburbs. ⁶⁵And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which are mentioned by name.

⁶⁶And some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim. ⁶⁷And they gave unto them the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim with its suburbs; Gezer also with its suburbs, ⁶⁸and Jokmeam with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs, ⁶⁹and Aijalon with its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; ⁷⁰and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its suburbs, and Bileam with its suburbs, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

⁷¹Unto the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, and Ashtaroth with its suburbs; ⁷²and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs, ⁷³and Ramoth with its suburbs, and Anem with its suburbs; ⁷⁴and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, and Abdon with its suburbs, ⁷⁵and Hukok with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; ⁷⁶and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, and Hammon with its suburbs, and Kiriathaim with its suburbs.

⁷⁷Unto the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs; ⁷⁸and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs, ⁷⁹and Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; ⁸⁰and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, and Mahanaim with its suburbs, ⁸¹and Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs.

1 Chronicles 7

7 ¹And of the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. ²And the sons of Tola: Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers' houses, to wit, of Tola; mighty men of valor in their generations: their number in the days of David was two and twenty thousand and six hundred. ³And the sons of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Isshiah, five; all of them chief men. ⁴And with them, by their generations, after their fathers' houses, were bands of the host for war, six and thirty thousand; for they had many wives and sons. ⁵And their brethren among all the families of Issachar, mighty men of valor, reckoned in all by genealogy, were fourscore and seven thousand.

⁶The sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three. ⁷And the sons of Bela: Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of fathers' houses, mighty men of valor; and they were reckoned by genealogy twenty and two thousand and thirty and four. ⁸And the sons of Becher: Zemirah, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jeremoth, and Abijah, and Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. ⁹And they were reckoned by genealogy, after their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, mighty men of valor, twenty thousand and two hundred. ¹⁰And the sons of Jediael: Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan: Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tarshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers' houses, mighty men of valor, seventeen thousand and two hundred, that were able to go forth in the host for war. ¹²Shuppim also, and Huppim, the sons of Ir, Hushim, the sons of Aher.

¹³The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

¹⁴The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his concubine the Aramitess bare: she bare Machir the father of Gilead: ¹⁵and Machir took a wife of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maacah; and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters. ¹⁶And Maacah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. ¹⁷And the sons of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. ¹⁸And his sister Hammolecheth bare Ishhod, and Abiezer, and Mahlah. ¹⁹And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam.

²⁰And the sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eleadah his son, and Tahath his son, ²¹and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in the land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle. ²²And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. ²³And he went in to his wife, and she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. ²⁴And his daughter was Sheerah, who built Beth-horon the nether and the upper, and Uzzen-sheerah. ²⁵And Rephah was his son, and Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, ²⁶Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, ²⁷Nun his son, Joshua his son.

²⁸And their possessions and habitations were Beth-el and the towns thereof, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Azzah and the towns thereof; ²⁹and by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth-shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel.

³⁰The sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. ³¹And the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. ³²And Heber begat Japhlet, and Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua their sister. ³³And the sons of Japhlet: Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet. ³⁴And the sons of Shemer: Ahi, and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. ³⁵And the sons of Helem his brother: Zophah, and Imna, and Shelesh, and Amal. ³⁶The sons of Zophah: Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah, ³⁷Bezer, and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera. ³⁸And the sons of Jether: Jephunneh, and Pispa, and Ara. ³⁹And the sons of Ulla: Arah, and Hanniel, and Rizia. ⁴⁰All these were the children of Asher, heads of the fathers' houses, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of the princes. And the number of them reckoned by genealogy for service in war was twenty and six thousand men.

1 Chronicles 8

8 ¹And Benjamin begat Bela his first-born, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third, ²Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. ³And Bela had sons: Addar, and Gera, and Abihud, ⁴and Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah, ⁵and Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram. ⁶And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and they carried them captive to Manahath: ⁷and Naaman, and Ahijah, and Gera, he carried them captive: and he begat Uzza and Ahihud. ⁸And Shaharaim begat children in the field of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives. ⁹And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcam, ¹⁰and Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers' houses. ¹¹And of Hushim he begat Abitub and Elpaal. ¹²And the sons of Elpaal: Eber, and Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with the towns thereof; ¹³and Beriah, and Shema, who were heads of fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath; ¹⁴and Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth, ¹⁵and Zebadiah, and Arad, and Eder, ¹⁶and Michael, and Ishpah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah, ¹⁷and Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hizki, and Heber, ¹⁸and Ishmerai, and Izliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal, ¹⁹and Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi, ²⁰and Elienai, and Zillethai, and Eliel, ²¹and Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimei, ²²and Ishpan, and Eber, and Eliel, ²³and Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan, ²⁴and Hananiah, and Elam, and Anthothijah, ²⁵and Iphdeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak, ²⁶and Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah, ²⁷and Jaareshiah, and Elijah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. ²⁸These were heads of fathers' houses throughout their generations, chief men: these dwelt in Jerusalem.

²⁹And in Gibeon there dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife's name was Maacah; ³⁰and his first-born son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, ³¹and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zecher. ³²And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And they also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against their brethren. ³³And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. ³⁴And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah. ³⁵And the sons of Micah: Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. ³⁶And Ahaz begat Jehoaddah; and Jehoaddah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza. ³⁷And Moza begat Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. ³⁸And Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. ³⁹And the sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his first-born, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. ⁴⁰And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred and fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles 9

9 ¹So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel: and Judah was carried away captive to Babylon for their transgression. ²Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the Nethinim. ³And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh: ⁴Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Perez the son of Judah. ⁵And of the Shilonites: Asaiah the first-born, and his sons. ⁶And of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel, and their brethren, six hundred and ninety. ⁷And of the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, ⁸and Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; ⁹and their brethren, according to their generations, nine hundred and fifty and six. All these men were heads of fathers' houses by their fathers' houses.

¹⁰And of the priests: Jedaiah, and Jehoiarib, Jachin, ¹¹and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God; ¹²and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; ¹³and their brethren, heads of their fathers' houses, a thousand and seven hundred and threescore; very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

¹⁴And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; ¹⁵and Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph, ¹⁶and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites.

¹⁷And the porters: Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren (Shallum was the chief), ¹⁸who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward: they were the porters for the camp of the children of Levi. ¹⁹And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of his father's house, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent: and their fathers had been over the camp of Jehovah, keepers of the entry. ²⁰And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was ruler over them in time past, and Jehovah was with him. ²¹Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tent of meeting. ²²All these that were chosen to be porters in the thresholds were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their office of trust. ²³So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of Jehovah, even the house of the tent, by wards. ²⁴On the four sides were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south. ²⁵And their brethren, in their villages, were to come in every seven days from time to time to be with them: ²⁶for the four chief porters, who were Levites, were in an office of trust, and were over the chambers and over the treasuries in the house of God. ²⁷And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge thereof was upon them; and to them pertained the opening thereof morning by morning.

²⁸And certain of them had charge of the vessels of service; for by count were these brought in and by count were these taken out. ²⁹Some of them also were appointed over the furniture, and over all the vessels of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices. ³⁰And some of the sons of the priests prepared the confection of the spices. ³¹And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the first-born of Shallum the Korahite, had the office of trust over the things that were baked in pans. ³²And some of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the showbread, to prepare it every sabbath.

³³And these are the singers, heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, who dwelt in the chambers and were free from other service; for they were employed in their work day and night. ³⁴These were heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, throughout their generations, chief men: these dwelt at Jerusalem.

³⁵And in Gibeon there dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife's name was Maacah: ³⁶and his first-born son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab, ³⁷and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against their brethren. ³⁹And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. ⁴⁰And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah. ⁴¹And the sons of Micah: Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea, and Ahaz. ⁴²And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza; ⁴³and Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. ⁴⁴And Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan: these were the sons of Azel.

1 Chronicles 10

10 ¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. ²And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ³And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers. ⁴Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. ⁵And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died. ⁶So Saul died, and his three sons; and all his house died together.

⁷And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ⁸And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. ⁹And they stripped him, and took his head, and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto their idols, and to the people. ¹⁰And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon. ¹¹And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

¹³So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Jehovah, because of the word of Jehovah, which he kept not; and also for that he asked counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire thereby, ¹⁴and inquired not of Jehovah: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

1 Chronicles 11

11 ¹Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. ²In times past, even when Saul was king, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and Jehovah thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over my people Israel. ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of Jehovah by Samuel.

⁴And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (the same is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. ⁵And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come in hither. Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. ⁶And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief. ⁷And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David. ⁸And he built the city round about, from Millo even round about; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹And David waxed greater and greater; for Jehovah of hosts was with him.

¹⁰Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. ¹¹And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them at one time. ¹²And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. ¹⁴And they stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Jehovah saved them by a great victory.

¹⁵And three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. ¹⁷And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate! ¹⁸And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah, ¹⁹and said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

²⁰And Abishai, the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three; for he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three. ²¹Of the three, he was more honorable than the two, and was made their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three.

²²Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. ²³And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. ²⁴These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men. ²⁵Behold, he was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.

²⁶Also the mighty men of the armies: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem, ²⁷Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³²Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, ³⁵Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, ⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴²Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, ⁴³Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

1 Chronicles 12

12 ¹Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, his helpers in war. ²They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul's brethren of Benjamin. ³The chief was Ahiezer; then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite, ⁴and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty, and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite, ⁵Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶Elkanah, and Isshiah, and Azarel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites, ⁷and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes upon the mountains; ⁹Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹²Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. ¹⁴These of the sons of Gad were captains of the host: he that was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand. ¹⁵These are they that went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west.

¹⁶And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold unto David. ¹⁷And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if ye be come to betray me to mine adversaries, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. ¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

¹⁹Of Manasseh also there fell away some to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not; for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall away to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads. ²⁰As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands that were of Manasseh. ²¹And they helped David against the band of rovers: for they were all mighty men of valor, and were captains in the host. ²²For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great host, like the host of God.

²³And these are the numbers of the heads of them that were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Jehovah. ²⁴The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, armed for war. ²⁵Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. ²⁶Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred. ²⁷And Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron; and with him were three thousand and seven hundred, ²⁸and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house twenty and two captains. ²⁹And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers' houses. ³¹And of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king. ³²And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. ³³Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the host, that could set the battle in array, with all manner of instruments of war, fifty thousand, and that could order the battle array, and were not of double heart. ³⁴And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand. ³⁵And of the Danites that could set the battle in array, twenty and eight thousand and six hundred. ³⁶And of Asher, such as were able to go out in the host, that could set the battle in array, forty thousand. ³⁷And on the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

³⁸All these being men of war, that could order the battle array, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. ³⁹And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had made preparation for them. ⁴⁰Moreover they that were nigh unto them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, victuals of meal, cakes of figs, and clusters of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep in abundance: for there was joy in Israel.

1 Chronicles 13

13 ¹And David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader. ²And David said unto all the assembly of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and if it be of Jehovah our God, let us send abroad every where unto our brethren that are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us; ³and let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we sought not unto it in the days of Saul. ⁴And all the assembly said that they would do so; for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. ⁵So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor the brook of Egypt even unto the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. ⁶And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God Jehovah that sitteth above the cherubim, that is called by the Name. ⁷And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

⁹And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put forth his hand to the ark; and there he died before God. ¹¹And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza, unto this day. ¹²And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? ¹³So David removed not the ark unto him into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹⁴And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months: and Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.

1 Chronicles 14

14 ¹And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and masons, and carpenters, to build him a house. ²And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel; for his kingdom was exalted on high, for his people Israel's sake.

³And David took more wives at Jerusalem; and David begat more sons and daughters. ⁴And these are the names of the children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, ⁵and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpelet, ⁶and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ⁷and Elishama, and Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

⁸And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David: and David heard of it, and went out against them. ⁹Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thy hand. ¹¹So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and David said, God hath broken mine enemies by my hand, like the breach of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim. ¹²And they left their gods there; and David gave commandment, and they were burned with fire.

¹³And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley. ¹⁴And David inquired again of God; and God said unto him, Thou shalt not go up after them: turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees. ¹⁵And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle; for God is gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines. ¹⁶And David did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer. ¹⁷And the fame of David went out into all lands; and Jehovah brought the fear of him upon all nations.

1 Chronicles 15

15 ¹And David made him houses in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. ²Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath Jehovah chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever. ³And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Jehovah unto its place, which he had prepared for it. ⁴And David gathered together the sons of Aaron, and the Levites: ⁵of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and his brethren a hundred and twenty; ⁶of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty; ⁷of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brethren a hundred and thirty; ⁸of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred; ⁹of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brethren fourscore; ¹⁰of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brethren a hundred and twelve. ¹¹And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab, ¹²and said unto them, Ye are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto the place that I have prepared for it. ¹³For because ye bare it not at the first, Jehovah our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not according to the ordinance. ¹⁴So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁵And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of Jehovah.

¹⁶And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy. ¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸and with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers. ¹⁹So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed with cymbals of brass to sound aloud; ²⁰and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries set to Alamoth; ²¹and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps set to the Sheminith, to lead. ²²And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the song: he instructed about the song, because he was skilful. ²³And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. ²⁴And Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the house of Obed-edom with joy. ²⁶And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, that they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams. ²⁷And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: and David had upon him an ephod of linen. ²⁸Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud with psalteries and harps.

²⁹And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and playing; and she despised him in her heart.

1 Chronicles 16

16 ¹And they brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before God. ²And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah. ³And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a portion of flesh, and a cake of raisins.

⁴And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Jehovah, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Jehovah, the God of Israel: ⁵Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud; ⁶and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷Then on that day did David first ordain to give thanks unto Jehovah, by the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

⁸O give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name;

Make known his doings among the peoples.

⁹Sing unto him, sing praises unto him;

Talk ye of all his marvellous works.

¹⁰Glory ye in his holy name;

Let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah.

¹¹Seek ye Jehovah and his strength;

Seek his face evermore.

¹²Remember his marvellous works that he hath done,

His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,

¹³O ye seed of Israel his servant,

Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴He is Jehovah our God;

His judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵Remember his covenant for ever,

The word which he commanded to a thousand generations,

¹⁶The covenant which he made with Abraham,

And his oath unto Isaac,

¹⁷And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute,

To Israel for an everlasting covenant,

¹⁸Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,

The lot of your inheritance;

¹⁹When ye were but a few men in number,

Yea, very few, and sojourners in it;

²⁰And they went about from nation to nation,

And from one kingdom to another people.

²¹He suffered no man to do them wrong;

Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

²²Saying, Touch not mine anointed ones,

And do my prophets no harm.

²³Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth;

Show forth his salvation from day to day.

²⁴Declare his glory among the nations,

His marvellous works among all the peoples.

²⁵For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised:

He also is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶For all the gods of the peoples are idols:

But Jehovah made the heavens.

²⁷Honor and majesty are before him:

Strength and gladness are in his place.

²⁸Ascribe unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the peoples,

Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength;

²⁹Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name:

Bring an offering, and come before him:

Worship Jehovah in holy array.

³⁰Tremble before him, all the earth:

The world also is established that it cannot be moved.

³¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

And let them say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth.

³²Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

Let the field exult, and all that is therein;

³³Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before Jehovah;

For he cometh to judge the earth.

³⁴O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

³⁵And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation,

And gather us together and deliver us from the nations,

To give thanks unto thy holy name,

And to triumph in thy praise.

³⁶Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,

From everlasting even to everlasting.

And all the people said, Amen, and praised Jehovah.

³⁷So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required; ³⁸and Obed-edom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers; ³⁹and Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of Jehovah in the high place that was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah upon the altar of burnt-offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of Jehovah, which he commanded unto Israel; ⁴¹and with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to Jehovah, because his lovingkindness endureth for ever; ⁴²and with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate. ⁴³And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.

1 Chronicles 17

17 ¹And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah dwelleth under curtains. ²And Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee. ³And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in: ⁵for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. ⁶In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? ⁷Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people Israel: ⁸and I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. ⁹And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first, ¹⁰and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house. ¹¹And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹²He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. ¹³I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; ¹⁴but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever. ¹⁵According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

¹⁶Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? ¹⁷And this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; but thou hast spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God. ¹⁸What can David say yet more unto thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant. ¹⁹O Jehovah, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰O Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, to make thee a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemest out of Egypt? ²²For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God. ²³And now, O Jehovah, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast spoken. ²⁴And let thy name be established and magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and the house of David thy servant is established before thee. ²⁵For thou, O my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray before thee. ²⁶And now, O Jehovah, thou art God, and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: ²⁷and now it hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Jehovah, hast blessed, and it is blessed for ever.

1 Chronicles 18

18 ¹And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines. ²And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

³And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates. ⁴And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.

⁵And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadarezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went. ⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.

⁹And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had wars with Tou;) and he had with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass. ¹¹These also did king David dedicate unto Jehovah, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

¹²Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand. ¹³And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went.

¹⁴And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness unto all his people. ¹⁵And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁶and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe; ¹⁷and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

1 Chronicles 19

19 ¹And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead. ²And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him. ³But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land? ⁴So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

⁶And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Arammaacah, and out of Zobah. ⁷So they hired them thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle. ⁸And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. ⁹And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.

¹⁰Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians. ¹¹And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon. ¹²And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee. ¹³Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good. ¹⁴So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him. ¹⁵And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁶And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. ¹⁷And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. ¹⁸And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host. ¹⁹And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

1 Chronicles 20

20 ¹And it came to pass, at the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led forth the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and overthrew it. ²And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much. ³And he brought forth the people that were therein, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. And thus did David unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

⁴And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued. ⁵And there was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. ⁶And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot; and he also was born unto the giant. ⁷And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him. ⁸These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

1 Chronicles 21

21 ¹And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. ²And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them. ³And Joab said, Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel? ⁴Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. ⁵And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. ⁶But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab. ⁷And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. ⁸And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

⁹And Jehovah spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying, ¹⁰Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. ¹¹So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt: ¹²either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me. ¹³And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man. ¹⁴So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. ¹⁵And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. ¹⁷And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.

¹⁸Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah. ²⁰And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. ²¹And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. ²²Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people. ²³And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all. ²⁴And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost. ²⁵So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. ²⁶And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. ²⁷And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

²⁸At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. ²⁹For the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. ³⁰But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.

1 Chronicles 22

22 ¹Then David said, This is the house of Jehovah God, and this is the altar of burnt-offering for Israel. ²And David commanded to gather together the sojourners that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. ³And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight; ⁴and cedar-trees without number: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought cedar-trees in abundance to David. ⁵And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for Jehovah must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.

⁶Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for Jehovah, the God of Israel. ⁷And David said to Solomon his son, As for me, it was in my heart to build a house unto the name of Jehovah my God. ⁸But the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. ⁹Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days: ¹⁰he shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. ¹¹Now, my son, Jehovah be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of Jehovah thy God, as he hath spoken concerning thee. ¹²Only Jehovah give thee discretion and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel; that so thou mayest keep the law of Jehovah thy God. ¹³Then shalt thou prosper, if thou observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Jehovah charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; fear not, neither be dismayed. ¹⁴Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto. ¹⁵Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all men that are skilful in every manner of work: ¹⁶of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee.

¹⁷David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸Is not Jehovah your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Jehovah, and before his people. ¹⁹Now set your heart and your soul to seek after Jehovah your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of Jehovah.

1 Chronicles 23

23 ¹Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ²And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. ³And the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand. ⁴Of these, twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah; and six thousand were officers and judges; ⁵and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Jehovah with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith. ⁶And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. ⁸The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. ⁹The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers' houses of Ladan. ¹⁰And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. ¹¹And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they became a fathers' house in one reckoning.

¹²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. ¹³The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, for ever, to burn incense before Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, for ever. ¹⁴But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. ¹⁷And the sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. ¹⁹The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.

²¹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. ²²And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them to wife. ²³The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

²⁴These were the sons of Levi after their fathers' houses, even the heads of the fathers' houses of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁵For David said, Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath given rest unto his people; and he dwelleth in Jerusalem for ever: ²⁶and also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service thereof. ²⁷For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁸For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God; ²⁹for the showbread also, and for the fine flour for a meal-offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all manner of measure and size; ³⁰and to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah, and likewise at even; ³¹and to offer all burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, on the sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before Jehovah; ³²and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah.

1 Chronicles 24

24 ¹And the courses of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ²But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office. ³And David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their ordering in their service. ⁴And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided: of the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen, heads of fathers' houses; and of the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers' houses, eight. ⁵Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for there were princes of the sanctuary, and princes of God, both of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar. ⁶And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the priests and of the Levites; one fathers' house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.

⁷Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, ⁸the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, ⁹the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, ¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, ¹¹the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, ¹²the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, ¹³the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, ¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, ¹⁵the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, ¹⁶the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, ¹⁷the one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul, ¹⁸the three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah. ¹⁹This was the ordering of them in their service, to come into the house of Jehovah according to the ordinance given unto them by Aaron their father, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

²⁰And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief. ²²Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³And the sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴The sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. ²⁵The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. ²⁶The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah: Beno. ²⁷The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and Ibri. ²⁸Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹Of Kish; the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel. ³⁰And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after their fathers' houses. ³¹These likewise cast lots even as their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers' houses of the chief even as those of his younger brother.

1 Chronicles 25

25 ¹Moreover David and the captains of the host set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of them that did the work according to their service was: ²of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, the sons of Asaph, under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied after the order of the king. ³Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Jehovah. ⁴Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. ⁵All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God; Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king. ⁷And the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in singing unto Jehovah, even all that were skilful, was two hundred fourscore and eight. ⁸And they cast lots for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.

⁹Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah; he and his brethren and sons were twelve: ¹⁰the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹¹the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹²the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹³the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹⁴the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹⁷the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁰for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²¹for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²²for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²³for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁴for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁵for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁶for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁷for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁸for the one and twentieth to Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁹for the two and twentieth to Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ³⁰for the three and twentieth to Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ³¹for the four and twentieth to Romamtiezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.

1 Chronicles 26

26 ¹For the courses of the doorkeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. ²And Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the first-born, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. ⁴And Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the first-born, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethanel the fifth, ⁵Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth; for God blessed him. ⁶Also unto Shemaiah his son were sons born, that ruled over the house of their father; for they were mighty men of valor. ⁷The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, and Rephael, and Obed, Elzabad, whose brethren were valiant men, Elihu, and Semachiah. ⁸All these were of the sons of Obed-edom: they and their sons and their brethren, able men in strength for the service; threescore and two of Obed-edom. ⁹And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, valiant men, eighteen. ¹⁰Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the chief, (for though he was not the first-born, yet his father made him chief), ¹¹Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth: all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen.

¹²Of these were the courses of the doorkeepers, even of the chief men, having offices like their brethren, to minister in the house of Jehovah. ¹³And they cast lots, as well the small as the great, according to their fathers' houses, for every gate. ¹⁴And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a discreet counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward. ¹⁵To Obed-edom southward; and to his sons the store-house. ¹⁶To Shuppim and Hosah westward, by the gate of Shallecheth, at the causeway that goeth up, watch against watch. ¹⁷Eastward were six Levites, northward four a day, southward four a day, and for the store-house two and two. ¹⁸For Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar. ¹⁹These were the courses of the doorkeepers; of the sons of the Korahites, and of the sons of Merari.

²⁰And of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of the house of God, and over the treasures of the dedicated things. ²¹The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, the heads of the fathers' houses belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli. ²²The sons of Jehieli: Zetham, and Joel his brother, over the treasures of the house of Jehovah. ²³Of the Amramites, of the Izharites, of the Hebronites, of the Uzzielites: ²⁴and Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was ruler over the treasures. ²⁵And his brethren: of Eliezer came Rehabiah his son, and Jeshaiah his son, and Joram his son, and Zichri his son, and Shelomoth his son. ²⁶This Shelomoth and his brethren were over all the treasures of the dedicated things, which David the king, and the heads of the fathers' houses, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the host, had dedicated. ²⁷Out of the spoil won in battles did they dedicate to repair the house of Jehovah. ²⁸And all that Samuel the seer, and Saul the son of Kish, and Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, had dedicated, whosoever had dedicated anything, it was under the hand of Shelomoth, and of his brethren.

²⁹Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were for the outward business over Israel, for officers and judges. ³⁰Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, men of valor, a thousand and seven hundred, had the oversight of Israel beyond the Jordan westward, for all the business of Jehovah, and for the service of the king. ³¹Of the Hebronites was Jerijah the chief, even of the Hebronites, according to their generations by fathers' houses. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and there were found among them mighty men of valor at Jazer of Gilead. ³²And his brethren, men of valor, were two thousand and seven hundred, heads of fathers' houses, whom king David made overseers over the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites, for every matter pertaining to God, and for the affairs of the king.

1 Chronicles 27

27 ¹Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the heads of fathers' houses and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers that served the king, in any matter of the courses which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year-of every course were twenty and four thousand. ²Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ³He was of the children of Perez, the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month. ⁴And over the course of the second month was Dodai the Ahohite, and his course; and Mikloth the ruler: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ⁵The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, chief: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ⁶This is that Benaiah, who was the mighty man of the thirty, and over the thirty: and of his course was Ammizabad his son. ⁷The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ⁸The fifth captain for this fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ⁹The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ¹⁰The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ¹¹The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ¹²The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ¹³The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zerahites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ¹⁴The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ¹⁵The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.

¹⁶Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri the ruler: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah: ¹⁷of Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of Aaron, Zadok: ¹⁸of Judah, Elihu, one of the brethren of David: of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael: ¹⁹of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: of Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel: ²⁰of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah: of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah: ²¹of the half -tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner: ²²of Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the captains of the tribes of Israel. ²³But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under, because Jehovah had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of heaven. ²⁴Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but finished not; and there came wrath for this upon Israel; neither was the number put into the account in the chronicles of king David.

²⁵And over the king's treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the treasures in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah: ²⁶And over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub: ²⁷and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: and over the increase of the vineyards for the wine-cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite: ²⁸and over the olive-trees and the sycomore-trees that were in the lowland was Baal-hanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash: ²⁹and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai: ³⁰and over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite: and over the asses was Jehdeiah the Meronothite: and over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. ³¹All these were the rulers of the substance which was king David's.

³²Also Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counsellor, a man of understanding, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons: ³³And Ahithophel was the king's counsellor: and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend: ³⁴and after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar: and the captain of the king's host was Joab.

1 Chronicles 28

28 ¹And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that served the king by course, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, unto Jerusalem. ²Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: as for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and for the footstool of our God; and I had made ready for the building. ³But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build a house for my name, because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood. ⁴Howbeit Jehovah, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel; ⁵And of all my sons (for Jehovah hath given me many sons), he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah over Israel. ⁶And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. ⁷And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and mine ordinances, as at this day. ⁸Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Jehovah, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of Jehovah your God; that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever.

⁹And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. ¹⁰Take heed now; for Jehovah hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

¹¹Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch of the temple, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper rooms thereof, and of the inner chambers thereof, and of the place of the mercy-seat; ¹²and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, for the courts of the house of Jehovah, and for all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of God, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things; ¹³also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of Jehovah, and for all the vessels of service in the house of Jehovah; ¹⁴of gold by weight for the vessels of gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; of silver for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service; ¹⁵by weight also for the candlesticks of gold, and for the lamps thereof, of gold, by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof; and for the candlesticks of silver, silver by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick; ¹⁶and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver; ¹⁷and the flesh-hooks, and the basins, and the cups, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl; ¹⁸and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. ¹⁹All this, said David, have I been made to understand in writing from the hand of Jehovah, even all the works of this pattern.

²⁰And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed; for Jehovah God, even my God, is with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until all the work for the service of the house of Jehovah be finished. ²¹And, behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee in all manner of work every willing man that hath skill, for any manner of service: also the captains and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.

1 Chronicles 29

29 ¹And David the king said unto all the assembly, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for Jehovah God. ²Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. ³Moreover also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it unto the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, ⁴even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, wherewith to overlay the walls of the houses; ⁵of gold for the things of gold, and of silver for the things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. Who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself this day unto Jehovah?

⁶Then the princes of the fathers' houses, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king's work, offered willingly; ⁷and they gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents. ⁸And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of Jehovah, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to Jehovah: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

¹⁰Wherefore David blessed Jehovah before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. ¹¹Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all. ¹²Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. ¹³Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. ¹⁴But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. ¹⁵For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding. ¹⁶O Jehovah our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name cometh of thy hand, and is all thine own. ¹⁷I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, that are present here, offer willingly unto thee. ¹⁸O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee; ¹⁹and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.

²⁰And David said to all the assembly, Now bless Jehovah your God. And all the assembly blessed Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped Jehovah, and the king. ²¹And they sacrificed sacrifices unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink-offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel, ²²and did eat and drink before Jehovah on that day with great gladness.

And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto Jehovah to be prince, and Zadok to be priest. ²³Then Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king. ²⁵And Jehovah magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

²⁶Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. ²⁸And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead. ²⁹Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer, ³⁰with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

The Second Book of the Chronicles

2 Chronicles 1

1 ¹And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. ²And Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses. ³So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Jehovah had made in the wilderness. ⁴But the ark of God had David brought up from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. ⁵Moreover the brazen altar, that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of Jehovah: and Solomon and the assembly sought unto it. ⁶And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before Jehovah, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon it.

⁷In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. ⁸And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great lovingkindness unto David my father, and hast made me king in his stead. ⁹Now, O Jehovah God, let thy promise unto David my father be established; for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. ¹⁰Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? ¹¹And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: ¹²wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee; neither shall there any after thee have the like. ¹³So Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, unto Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel. ¹⁴And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ¹⁵And the king made silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance. ¹⁶And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price. ¹⁷And they fetched up and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

2 Chronicles 2

2 ¹Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. ²And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. ³And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. ⁴Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. ⁵And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods. ⁶But who is able to build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn incense before him? ⁷Now therefore send me a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knoweth how to grave all manner of gravings, to be with the skilful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide. ⁸Send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that thy servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, ⁹even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful. ¹⁰And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil. ¹¹Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because Jehovah loveth his people, he hath made thee king over them. ¹²Huram said moreover, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. ¹³And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's, ¹⁴the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, also to grave any manner of graving, and to devise any device; that there may be a place appointed unto him with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord David thy father. ¹⁵Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants: ¹⁶and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem. ¹⁷And Solomon numbered all the sojourners that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred. ¹⁸And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.

2 Chronicles 3

3 ¹Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where Jehovah appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ²And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. ³Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. ⁴And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold. ⁵And the greater house he ceiled with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought thereon palm-trees and chains. ⁶And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. ⁷He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls. ⁸And he made the most holy house: the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. ⁹And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. ¹⁰And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them with gold. ¹¹And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub. ¹²And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub. ¹³The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house. ¹⁴And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon. ¹⁵Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. ¹⁶And he made chains in the oracle, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. ¹⁷And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

2 Chronicles 4

4 ¹Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof. ²Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about. ³And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast. ⁴It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward. ⁵And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths. ⁶He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in. ⁷And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left. ⁸He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold. ⁹Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass. ¹⁰And he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south. ¹¹And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God: ¹²the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars, ¹³and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars. ¹⁴He made also the bases, and the lavers made he upon the bases; ¹⁵one sea, and the twelve oxen under it. ¹⁶The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels thereof, did Huram his father make for king Solomon for the house of Jehovah of bright brass. ¹⁷In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out. ¹⁹And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread; ²⁰and the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold; ²¹and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold; ²²and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, were of gold.

2 Chronicles 5

5 ¹Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God. ²Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. ³nd all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. ⁴And all the elders of Israel came: and the Levites took up the ark; ⁵and they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; these did the priests the Levites bring up. ⁶And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. ⁷And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. ⁹And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there it is unto this day. ¹⁰There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. ¹¹And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, (for all the priests that were present had sanctified themselves, and did not keep their courses; ¹²also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets;) ¹³it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Jehovah; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of Jehovah, ¹⁴so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of God.

2 Chronicles 6

6 ¹Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. ²But I have built thee a house of habitation, and a place for thee to dwell in for ever. ³And the king turned his face, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all the assembly of Israel stood. ⁴And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hands fulfilled it, saying, ⁵Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel: ⁶but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. ⁷Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ⁸But Jehovah said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart: ⁹nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. ¹⁰And Jehovah hath performed his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and have built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹¹And there have I set the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which he made with the children of Israel. ¹²And he stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands ¹³(for Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;) ¹⁴and he said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven, or on earth; who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart; ¹⁵who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day. ¹⁶Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk in my law as thou hast walked before me. ¹⁷Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David. ¹⁸But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded! ¹⁹Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee; ²⁰that thine eyes may be open toward this house day and night, even toward the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. ²¹And hearken thou to the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou from thy dwelling-place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest forgive. ²²If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house; ²³then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. ²⁴And if thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; ²⁵then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. ²⁶When the heavens are shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: ²⁷then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. ²⁸If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague or whatsoever sickness there be; ²⁹what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house: ³⁰then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling-place and forgive, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men;) ³¹that they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. ³²Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thine outstretched arm; when they shall come and pray toward this house: ³³then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. ³⁴If thy people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatsoever way thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; ³⁵then hear thou from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. ³⁶If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto a land far off or near; ³⁷yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and have dealt wickedly; ³⁸if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captive, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: ³⁹then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling-place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee. ⁴⁰Now, O my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place. ⁴¹Now therefore arise, O Jehovah God, into thy resting-place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. ⁴²O Jehovah God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember thy lovingkindnesses to David thy servant.

2 Chronicles 7

7 ¹Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house. ²And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house. ³And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever. ⁴Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before Jehovah. ⁵And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶And the priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Jehovah, which David the king had made to give thanks unto Jehovah, (for his lovingkindness endureth for ever,) when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood. ⁷Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat. ⁸So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt. ⁹And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. ¹⁰And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away unto their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah had showed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people. ¹¹Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Jehovah, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. ¹²And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. ¹³If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; ¹⁴if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ¹⁵Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. ¹⁷And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances; ¹⁸then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. ¹⁹But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; ²⁰then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ²¹And this house, which is so high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house? ²²And they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

2 Chronicles 8

8 ¹And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of Jehovah, and his own house, ²that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. ³And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it. ⁴And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store-cities, which he built in Hamath. ⁵Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars; ⁶and Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. ⁷As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, that were not of Israel; ⁸of their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants unto this day. ⁹But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen. ¹⁰And these were the chief officers of king Solomon, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people. ¹¹And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of Jehovah hath come. ¹²Then Solomon offered burnt-offerings unto Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah, which he had built before the porch, ¹³even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁴And he appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded. ¹⁵And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures. ¹⁶Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of Jehovah, and until it was finished. So the house of Jehovah was completed. ¹⁷Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, on the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and fetched from thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

2 Chronicles 9

9 ¹And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. ²And Solomon told her all her questions; and there was not anything hid from Solomon which he told her not. ³And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, ⁴and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her. ⁵And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. ⁶Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard. ⁷Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. ⁸Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for Jehovah thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do justice and righteousness. ⁹And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. ¹⁰And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, that brought gold from Ophir, brought algum-trees and precious stones. ¹¹And the king made of the algum-trees terraces for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. ¹²And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants. ¹³Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold, ¹⁴besides that which the traders and merchants brought: and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one buckler. ¹⁶And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸nd there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays. ¹⁹And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. ²⁰And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. ²¹For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. ²²So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁴And they brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. ²⁵And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ²⁶And he ruled over all the kings from the River even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. ²⁷And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance. ²⁸And they brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands. ²⁹Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ³⁰And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 10

10 ¹And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. ²And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon,) that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. ³And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spake to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. ⁵And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed. ⁶And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? ⁷And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. ⁸But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him. ⁹And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter? ¹⁰And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. ¹¹And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. ¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come to me again the third day. ¹³And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, ¹⁴and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. ¹⁵So the king hearkened not unto the people; for it was brought about of God, that Jehovah might establish his word, which he spake by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ¹⁶And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So all Israel departed unto their tents. ¹⁷But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to taskwork; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

2 Chronicles 11

11 ¹And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, that were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. ²But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴Thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they hearkened unto the words of Jehovah, and returned from going against Jeroboam. ⁵And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah. ⁶He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, ⁷And Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam, ⁸and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, ⁹and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, ¹⁰and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities. ¹¹And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and oil and wine. ¹²And in every city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. ¹³And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border. ¹⁴For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office unto Jehovah; ¹⁵and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made. ¹⁶And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ¹⁷So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon. ¹⁸And Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse; ¹⁹and she bare him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and begat twenty and eight sons and threescore daughters.) ²²And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, even the prince among his brethren; for he was minded to make him king. ²³And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fortified city: and he gave them victuals in abundance. And he sought for them many wives.

2 Chronicles 12

12 ¹And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him. ²And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against Jehovah, ³with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen. And the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. ⁴And he took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came unto Jerusalem. ⁵Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. ⁶Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, Jehovah is righteous. ⁷And when Jehovah saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves: I will not destroy them; but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ⁸Nevertheless they shall be his servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. ⁹So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house: he took all away: he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made. ¹⁰And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, that kept the door of the king's house. ¹¹And it was so, that, as oft as the king entered into the house of Jehovah, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber. ¹²And when he humbled himself, the wrath of Jehovah turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things found. ¹³So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. ¹⁴And he did that which was evil, because he set not his heart to seek Jehovah. ¹⁵Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, after the manner of genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. ¹⁶And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 13

13 ¹In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. ²Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor. ⁴And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel: ⁵Ought ye not to know that Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. ⁷And there were gathered unto him worthless men, base fellows, that strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them. ⁸And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David; and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods. ⁹Have ye not driven out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you priests after the manner of the peoples of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods. ¹⁰But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work: ¹¹and they burn unto Jehovah every morning and every evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense: the showbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of Jehovah our God; but ye have forsaken him. ¹²And, behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against Jehovah, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. ¹³But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. ¹⁴And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried unto Jehovah, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. ¹⁵Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶And the children of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand. ¹⁷And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. ¹⁸Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ¹⁹And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephron with the towns thereof. ²⁰Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and Jehovah smote him, and he died. ²¹But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. ²²And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.

2 Chronicles 14

14 ¹So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years. ²And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God: ³for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and brake down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, ⁴and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. ⁵Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. ⁶And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Jehovah had given him rest. ⁷For he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God; we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. ⁸And Asa had an army that bare bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valor. ⁹And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came unto Mareshah. ¹⁰Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹And Asa cried unto Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, there is none besides thee to help, between the mighty and him that hath no strength: help us, O Jehovah our God; for we rely on thee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Jehovah, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. ¹²So Jehovah smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before Jehovah, and before his host; and they carried away very much booty. ¹⁴And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of Jehovah came upon them: and they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them. ¹⁵They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 15

15 ¹And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: ²and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. ³Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: ⁴But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. ⁵And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity. ⁷But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded. ⁸And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah. ⁹And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him. ¹⁰So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹²And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; ¹³and that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ¹⁴And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. ¹⁵And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Jehovah gave them rest round about. ¹⁶And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁷But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. ¹⁸And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels. ¹⁹And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

2 Chronicles 16

16 ¹In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ²Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, ³There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. ⁴And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali. ⁵And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and let his work cease. ⁶Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah. ⁷And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. ⁸Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them into thy hand. ⁹For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. ¹⁰Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. ¹¹And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹²And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to Jehovah, but to the physicians. ¹³And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. ¹⁴And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers' art: and they made a very great burning for him.

2 Chronicles 17

17 ¹And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. ²And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. ³And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim, ⁴but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. ⁵Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat tribute; and he had riches and honor in abundance. ⁶And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. ⁷Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people. ¹⁰And the fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats. ¹²And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store. ¹³And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And this was the numbering of them according to their fathers' houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand; ¹⁵and next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand; ¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto Jehovah; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor. ¹⁷And of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸and next to him Jehozabad and with him a hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for war. ¹⁹These were they that waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

2 Chronicles 18

18 ¹Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab. ²And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and moved him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead. ³And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war. ⁴And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah. ⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king. ⁶But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him? ⁷And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. ⁸Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla. ⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed. ¹¹And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king. ¹²And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. ¹³And Micaiah said, As Jehovah liveth, what my God saith, that will I speak. ¹⁴And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand. ¹⁵And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah? ¹⁶And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Jehovah said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace. ¹⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? ¹⁸And Micaiah said, Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. ¹⁹And Jehovah said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. ²⁰And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will entice him. And Jehovah said unto him, Wherewith? ²¹And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so. ²²Now therefore, behold, Jehovah hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets; and Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee. ²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto thee? ²⁴And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. ²⁵And the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; ²⁶and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. ²⁷And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you. ²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into the battle. ³⁰Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. ³¹And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against him: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. ³²And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. ³³And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the armor: wherefore he said to the driver of the chariot, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded. ³⁴And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even; and about the time of the going down of the sun he died.

2 Chronicles 19

19 ¹And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. ²And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? for this thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah. ³Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy heart to seek God. ⁴And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ⁵And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, ⁶and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for Jehovah; and he is with you in the judgment. ⁷Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes. ⁸Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem. ⁹And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. ¹⁰And whensoever any controversy shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not be guilty. ¹¹And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Jehovah be with the good.

2 Chronicles 20

20 ¹And it came to pass after this, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. ²Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (the same is En-gedi). ³And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah. ⁵And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court; ⁶and he said, O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee. ⁷Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? ⁸And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, ⁹If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save. ¹⁰And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not; ¹¹behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. ¹²O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but out eyes are upon thee. ¹³And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of Jehovah in the midst of the assembly; ¹⁵and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat: Thus saith Jehovah unto you, Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. ¹⁶To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them: for Jehovah is with you. ¹⁸And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah. ¹⁹And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice. ²⁰And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. ²¹And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto Jehovah, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever. ²²And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten. ²³For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. ²⁴And when Judah came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none that escaped. ²⁵And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. ²⁶And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed Jehovah: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah unto this day. ²⁷Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of Jehovah. ²⁹And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about. ³¹And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ³²And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah. ³³Howbeit the high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set their hearts unto the God of their fathers. ³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in the book of the kings of Israel. ³⁵And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel; the same did very wickedly: ³⁶and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. ³⁷Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

2 Chronicles 21

21 ¹And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. ²And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. ³And their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the first-born. ⁴Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel. ⁵Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ⁶And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. ⁷Howbeit Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him and to his children alway. ⁸In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. ⁹Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots. ¹⁰So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day: then did Libnah revolt at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of his fathers. ¹¹Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, and led Judah astray. ¹²And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, ¹³but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, like as the house of Ahab did, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, who were better than thyself: ¹⁴behold, Jehovah will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance; ¹⁵and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day. ¹⁶And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians: ¹⁷and they came up against Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons. ¹⁸And after all this Jehovah smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. ¹⁹And it came to pass, in process of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. ²⁰Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

2 Chronicles 22

22 ¹And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. ²Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. ³He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. ⁴And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did the house of Ahab; for they were his counsellors after the death of his father, to his destruction. ⁵He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead: and the Syrians wounded Joram. ⁶And he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. ⁷Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he went unto Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Jehovah had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. ⁸And it came to pass, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them. ⁹And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him to Jehu, and slew him; and they buried him, for they said, He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Jehovah with all his heart. And the house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom. ¹⁰Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. ¹¹But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. ¹²And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

2 Chronicles 23

23 ¹And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. ²And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. ³And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the sons of David. ⁴This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the thresholds; ⁵and a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of Jehovah. ⁶But let none come into the house of Jehovah, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall come in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the charge of Jehovah. ⁷And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever cometh into the house, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out. ⁸So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath; with those that were to go out on the sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses. ⁹And Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds the spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God. ¹⁰And he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about. ¹¹Then they brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony, and made him king: and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him; and they said, Long live the king. ¹²And when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of Jehovah: ¹³and she looked, and, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew trumpets; the singers also played on instruments of music, and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason! treason! ¹⁴And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth between the ranks; and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword: for the priest said, Slay her not in the house of Jehovah. ¹⁵So they made way for her; and she went to the entrance of the horse gate to the king's house: and they slew her there. ¹⁶And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be Jehovah's people. ¹⁷And all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. ¹⁸And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of Jehovah under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of Jehovah, to offer the burnt-offerings of Jehovah, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. ¹⁹And he set the porters at the gates of the house of Jehovah, that none that was unclean in anything should enter in. ²⁰And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of Jehovah: and they came through the upper gate unto the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom. ²¹So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah they had slain with the sword.

2 Chronicles 24

24 ¹Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah, of Beer-sheba. ²And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters. ⁴And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the house of Jehovah. ⁵And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. ⁶And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony? ⁷For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah did they bestow upon the Baalim. ⁸So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of Jehovah. ⁹And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Jehovah the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. ¹¹And it was so, that, at what time the chest was brought unto the king's officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. ¹²And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of Jehovah, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of Jehovah. ¹³So the workmen wrought, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands, and they set up the house of God in its state, and strengthened it. ¹⁴And when they had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of Jehovah, even vessels wherewith to minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt-offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all the days of Jehoiada. ¹⁵But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died; a hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. ¹⁶And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. ¹⁷Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. ¹⁸And they forsook the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness. ¹⁹Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. ²⁰And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you. ²¹And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah. ²²Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it. ²³And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. ²⁴For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash. ²⁵And when they were departed for him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings. ²⁶And these are they that conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. ²⁷Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 25

25 ¹Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. ²And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, but not with a perfect heart. ³Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established unto him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father. ⁴But he put not their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin. ⁵Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield. ⁶He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for a hundred talents of silver. ⁷But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for Jehovah is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. ⁸But if thou wilt go, do valiantly, be strong for the battle: God will cast thee down before the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down. ⁹And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, Jehovah is able to give thee much more than this. ¹⁰Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger. ¹¹And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. ¹²And other ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were broken in pieces. ¹³But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote of them three thousand, and took much spoil. ¹⁴Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. ¹⁵Wherefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, who said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of thy hand? ¹⁶And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Have we made thee of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel. ¹⁷Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face. ¹⁸And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. ¹⁹Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten Edom; and thy heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? ²⁰But Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom. ²¹So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah. ²²And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent. ²³And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. ²⁴And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. ²⁵And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. ²⁶Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷Now from the time that Amaziah did turn away from following Jehovah they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. ²⁸And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

2 Chronicles 26

26 ¹And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. ²He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. ³Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem. ⁴And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁵And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God: and as long as he sought Jehovah, God made him to prosper. ⁶And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the country of Ashdod, and among the Philistines. ⁷And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim. ⁸And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he waxed exceeding strong. ⁹Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. ¹⁰And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved husbandry. ¹¹Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. ¹²The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses, even the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred. ¹³And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging. ¹⁵And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers and upon the battlements, wherewith to shoot arrows and great stones. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. ¹⁶But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against Jehovah his God; for he went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. ¹⁷And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of Jehovah, that were valiant men: ¹⁸and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from Jehovah God. ¹⁹Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the altar of incense. ²⁰And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him. ²¹And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. ²²Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. ²³So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 27

27 ¹Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. ²And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people did yet corruptly. ³He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he built much. ⁴Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. ⁵He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the third. ⁶So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Jehovah his God. ⁷Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 28

28 ¹Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father; ²but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim. ³Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. ⁴And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. ⁵Wherefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. ⁶For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ⁷And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. ⁸And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. ⁹But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because Jehovah, the God of your fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached up to heaven. ¹⁰And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you trespasses of your own against Jehovah your God? ¹¹Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you. ¹²Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, ¹³and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us a trespass against Jehovah, to add unto our sins and to our trespass; for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. ¹⁴So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. ¹⁵And the men that have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. ¹⁶At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. ¹⁷For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. ¹⁸The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the towns thereof, Gimzo also and the towns thereof: and they dwelt there. ¹⁹For Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah. ²⁰And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. ²¹For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Jehovah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but it helped him not. ²²And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against Jehovah, this same king Ahaz. ²³For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. ²⁴And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Jehovah; and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of his fathers. ²⁶Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 29

29 ¹Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. ²And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done. ³He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them. ⁴And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east, ⁵and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. ⁶For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah, and turned their backs. ⁷Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt-offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. ⁸Wherefore the wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes. ⁹For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. ¹⁰Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Jehovah, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. ¹¹My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense. ¹²Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; ¹³and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; ¹⁴and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. ¹⁵And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah. ¹⁶And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. ¹⁷Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. ¹⁸Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof. ¹⁹Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah. ²⁰Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah. ²¹And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of Jehovah. ²²So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar. ²³And they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands upon them: ²⁴and the priests killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should be made for all Israel. ²⁵And he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets. ²⁶And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel. ²⁸And all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished. ²⁹And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. ³⁰Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. ³¹Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto Jehovah; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of Jehovah. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt-offerings. ³²And the number of the burnt-offerings which the assembly brought was threescore and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt-offering to Jehovah. ³³And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. ³⁴But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. ³⁵And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering. So the service of the house of Jehovah was set in order. ³⁶And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

2 Chronicles 30

30 ¹And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel. ²For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. ³For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. ⁴And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly. ⁵So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written. ⁶So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. ⁷And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as ye see. ⁸Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve Jehovah your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. ⁹For if ye turn again unto Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. ¹⁰So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. ¹¹Nevertheless certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. ¹²Also upon Judah came the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by the word of Jehovah. ¹³And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. ¹⁴And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt-offerings into the house of Jehovah. ¹⁶And they stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷For there were many in the assembly that had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto Jehovah. ¹⁸For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, The good Jehovah pardon every one ¹⁹that setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. ²⁰And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. ²¹And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day by day, singing with loud instruments unto Jehovah. ²²And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that had good understanding in the service of Jehovah. So they did eat throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ²³And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept other seven days with gladness. ²⁴For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the assembly for offerings a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. ²⁵And all the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. ²⁶So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. ²⁷Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.

2 Chronicles 31

31 ¹Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake in pieces the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and brake down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities. ²And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt-offerings and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of Jehovah. ³He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt-offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt-offerings, and the burnt-offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of Jehovah. ⁴Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of Jehovah. ⁵And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first-fruits of grain, new wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. ⁶And the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated unto Jehovah their God, and laid them by heaps. ⁷In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. ⁸And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed Jehovah, and his people Israel. ⁹Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. ¹⁰And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since the people began to bring the oblations into the house of Jehovah, we have eaten and had enough, and have left plenty: for Jehovah hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store. ¹¹Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of Jehovah; and they prepared them. ¹²And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second. ¹³And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. ¹⁴And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill-offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of Jehovah, and the most holy things. ¹⁵And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small: ¹⁶besides them that were reckoned by genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even every one that entered into the house of Jehovah, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their offices according to their courses; ¹⁷and them that were reckoned by genealogy of the priests by their fathers' houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their courses; ¹⁸and them that were reckoned by genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their office of trust they sanctified themselves in holiness. ¹⁹Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, that were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men that were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites. ²⁰And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah; and he wrought that which was good and right and faithful before Jehovah his God. ²¹And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

2 Chronicles 32

32 ¹After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to win them for himself. ²And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, ³he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city; and they helped him. ⁴So there was gathered much people together, and they stopped all the fountains, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water? ⁵And he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and the other wall without, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. ⁶And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, ⁷Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; for there is a greater with us than with him: ⁸with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. ⁹After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹Doth not Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹²Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and upon it shall ye burn incense? ¹³Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any wise able to deliver their land out of my hand? ¹⁴Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁵Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you after this manner, neither believe ye him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁶And his servants spake yet more against Jehovah God, and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷He wrote also letters, to rail on Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand. ¹⁸And they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. ¹⁹And they spake of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands. ²⁰And Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven. ²¹And Jehovah sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth from his own bowels slew him there with the sword. ²²Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. ²³And many brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth. ²⁴In those days Hezekiah was sick even unto death: and he prayed unto Jehovah; and he spake unto him, and gave him a sign. ²⁵But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. ²⁷And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels; ²⁸store-houses also for the increase of grain and new wine and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and flocks in folds. ²⁹Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much substance. ³⁰This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. ³¹Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. ³²Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 33

33 ¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. ²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. ³For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baalim, and made Asheroth, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. ⁴And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. ⁵And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. ⁶He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he practised augury, and used enchantments, and practised sorcery, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. ⁷And he set the graven image of the idol, which he had made, in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: ⁸neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances given by Moses. ⁹And Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel. ¹⁰And Jehovah spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed. ¹¹Wherefore Jehovah brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. ¹²And when he was in distress, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. ¹³And he prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah he was God. ¹⁴Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed Ophel about with it, and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. ¹⁵And he took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of Jehovah, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of Jehovah, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. ¹⁶And he built up the altar of Jehovah, and offered thereon sacrifices of peace-offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁷Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only unto Jehovah their God. ¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel. ¹⁹His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up the Asherim and the graven images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai. ²⁰So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead. ²¹Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. ²²And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them. ²³And he humbled not himself before Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more. ²⁴And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his own house. ²⁵But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

2 Chronicles 34

34 ¹Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. ²And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. ³For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images. ⁴And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. ⁵And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their ruins round about. ⁷And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. ⁸Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah his God. ⁹And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that wrought in the house of Jehovah gave it to mend and repair the house; ¹¹even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. ¹²And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of music. ¹³Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters. ¹⁴And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah given by Moses. ¹⁵And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they are doing. ¹⁷And they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen. ¹⁸And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read therein before the king. ¹⁹And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. ²⁰And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, ²¹Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according unto all that is written in this book. ²²So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spake to her to that effect. ²³And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me, ²⁴Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah. ²⁵Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is my wrath poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched. ²⁶But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard, ²⁷because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah. ²⁸Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof. And they brought back word to the king. ²⁹Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Jehovah. ³¹And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. ³²And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. ³³And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from following Jehovah, the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 35

35 ¹And Josiah kept a passover unto Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. ²And he set the priests in their offices, and encouraged them to the service of the house of Jehovah. ³And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy unto Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve Jehovah your God, and his people Israel. ⁴And prepare yourselves after your fathers' houses by your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son. ⁵And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of your brethren the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers' house of the Levites. ⁶And kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Jehovah by Moses. ⁷And Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all of them for the passover-offerings, unto all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance. ⁸And his princes gave for a freewill-offering unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen. ⁹Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for the passover-offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen. ¹⁰So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their courses, according to the king's commandment. ¹¹And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of their hand, and the Levites flayed them. ¹²And they removed the burnt-offerings, that they might give them according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of the children of the people, to offer unto Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen. ¹³And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: and the holy offerings boiled they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people. ¹⁴And afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering the burnt-offerings and the fat until night: therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron. ¹⁵And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters were at every gate: they needed not to depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. ¹⁶So all the service of Jehovah was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of Jehovah, according to the commandment of king Josiah. ¹⁷And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. ¹⁸And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did any of the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept. ²⁰After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. ²¹But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. ²²Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. ²³And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. ²⁴So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. ²⁵And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations unto this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations. ²⁶Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds, according to that which is written in the law of Jehovah, ²⁷and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

2 Chronicles 36

36 ¹Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. ²Joahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. ⁴And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. ⁵Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God. ⁶Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. ⁷Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. ⁸Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. ⁹Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. ¹⁰And at the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of Jehovah, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. ¹¹Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: ¹²and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God; he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of Jehovah. ¹³And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning unto Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁴Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of Jehovah which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. ¹⁵And Jehovah, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place: ¹⁶but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy. ¹⁷Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or virgin, old man or hoary-headed: he gave them all into his hand. ¹⁸And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. ¹⁹And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. ²⁰And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: ²¹to fulfil the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths: for as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. ²²Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ²³Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all his people, Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.

Ezra

Ezra 1

1 ¹Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ²Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. ⁴And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. ⁵Then rose up the heads of fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem. ⁶And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. ⁷Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; ⁸even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. ⁹And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, a thousand platters of silver, nine and twenty knives, ¹⁰thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. ¹¹All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

2 ¹Now these are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and that returned unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; ²who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³The children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred seventy and two. ⁴The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. ⁵The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five. ⁶The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. ⁷The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. ⁸The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five. ⁹The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. ¹⁰The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two. ¹¹The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three. ¹²The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two. ¹³The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. ¹⁴The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six. ¹⁵The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. ¹⁶The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. ¹⁷The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three. ¹⁸The children of Jorah, a hundred and twelve. ¹⁹The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three. ²⁰The children of Gibbar, ninety and five. ²¹The children of Beth-lehem, a hundred twenty and three. ²²The men of Netophah, fifty and six. ²³The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty and eight. ²⁴The children of Azmaveth, forty and two. ²⁵The children of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three. ²⁶The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. ²⁷The men of Michmas, a hundred twenty and two. ²⁸The men of Beth-el and Ai, two hundred twenty and three. ²⁹The children of Nebo, fifty and two. ³⁰The children of Magbish, a hundred fifty and six. ³¹The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. ³²The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. ³³The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five. ³⁴The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. ³⁵The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty. ³⁶The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three. ³⁷The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. ³⁸The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. ³⁹The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. ⁴⁰The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four. ⁴¹The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred twenty and eight. ⁴²The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred thirty and nine. ⁴³The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon, ⁴⁵the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub, ⁴⁶the children of Hagab, the children of Shamlai, the children of Hanan, ⁴⁷the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah, ⁴⁸the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam, ⁴⁹the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai, ⁵⁰the children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephisim, ⁵¹the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, ⁵²the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, ⁵³the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah, ⁵⁴the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. ⁵⁵The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Hassophereth, the children of Peruda, ⁵⁶the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, ⁵⁷the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the children of Ami. ⁵⁸All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two. ⁵⁹And these were they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers' houses, and their seed, whether they were of Israel: ⁶⁰the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two. ⁶¹And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name. ⁶²These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood. ⁶³And the governor said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. ⁶⁴The whole assembly together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, ⁶⁵besides their men-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred singing men and singing women. ⁶⁶Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; ⁶⁷their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. ⁶⁸And some of the heads of fathers' houses, when they came to the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to set it up in its place: ⁶⁹they gave after their ability into the treasury of the work threescore and one thousand darics of gold, and five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priests' garments. ⁷⁰So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Ezra 3

3 ¹And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. ²Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. ³And they set the altar upon its base; for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries: and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah, even burnt-offerings morning and evening. ⁴And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required; ⁵and afterward the continual burnt-offering, and the offerings of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of Jehovah that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering unto Jehovah. ⁶From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah: but the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid. ⁷They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, unto them of Sidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea, unto Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. ⁸Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of Jehovah. ⁹Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have the oversight of the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. ¹⁰And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, after the order of David king of Israel. ¹¹And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good, for his lovingkindness endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, the old men that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: ¹³so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Ezra 4

4 ¹Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel; ²then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. ³But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. ⁴Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, ⁵and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. ⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue. ⁸Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: ⁹then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, ¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth. ¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men beyond the River, and so forth. ¹²Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. ¹³Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings. ¹⁴Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king; ¹⁵that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste. ¹⁶We certify the king that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, by this means thou shalt have no portion beyond the River. ¹⁷Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace, and so forth. ¹⁸The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me. ¹⁹And I decreed, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. ²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid unto them. ²¹Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until a decree shall be made by me. ²²And take heed that ye be not slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? ²³Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. ²⁴Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra 5

5 ¹Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel prophesied they unto them. ²Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them. ³At the same time came to them Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? ⁴Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were that were making this building. ⁵But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, till the matter should come to Darius, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it. ⁶The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent unto Darius the king; ⁷they sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus: Unto Darius the king, all peace. ⁸Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goeth on with diligence and prospereth in their hands. ⁹Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? ¹⁰We asked them their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were at the head of them. ¹¹And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and finished. ¹²But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. ¹³But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God. ¹⁴And the gold and silver vessels also of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; ¹⁵and he said unto him, Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in its place. ¹⁶Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not completed. ¹⁷Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

Ezra 6

6 ¹Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the archives, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. ²And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a roll, and therein was thus written for a record: ³In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be builded, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; ⁴with three courses of great stones, and a course of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house. ⁵And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to its place; and thou shalt put them in the house of God. ⁶Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, be ye far from thence: ⁷let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place. ⁸Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to these elders of the Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the River, expenses be given with all diligence unto these men, that they be not hindered. ⁹And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for burnt-offerings to the God of heaven; also wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests that are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail; ¹⁰that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savor unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. ¹¹Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this: ¹²and the God that hath caused his name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples that shall put forth their hand to alter the same, to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with all diligence. ¹³Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, because that Darius the king had sent, did accordingly with all diligence. ¹⁴And the elders of the Jews builded and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. ¹⁶And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy. ¹⁷And they offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses. ¹⁹And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. ²⁰For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. ²¹And the children of Israel that were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, did eat, ²²and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 7

7 ¹Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, ²the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, ³the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, ⁴the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, ⁵the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest; ⁶this Ezra went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him. ⁷And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. ⁸And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. ⁹For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. ¹⁰For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances. ¹¹Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of his statutes to Israel: ¹²Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth. ¹³I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee. ¹⁴Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king and his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand, ¹⁵and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶and all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; ¹⁷therefore thou shalt with all diligence buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and shalt offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸And whatsoever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do ye after the will of your God. ¹⁹And the vessels that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure-house. ²¹And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers that are beyond the River, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with all diligence, ²²unto a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. ²³Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? ²⁴Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, upon them. ²⁵And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people that are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye him that knoweth them not. ²⁶And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. ²⁷Blessed be Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem; ²⁸and hath extended lovingkindness unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened according to the hand of Jehovah my God upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Ezra 8

8 ¹Now these are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: ²Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush. ³Of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty. ⁴Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah; and with him two hundred males. ⁵Of the sons of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel; and with him three hundred males. ⁶And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan; and with him fifty males. ⁷And of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah; and with him seventy males. ⁸And of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael; and with him fourscore males. ⁹Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel; and with him two hundred and eighteen males. ¹⁰And of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah; and with him a hundred and threescore males. ¹¹And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai; and with him twenty and eight males. ¹²And of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan; and with him a hundred and ten males. ¹³And of the sons of Adonikam, that were the last; and these are their names: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah; and with them threescore males. ¹⁴And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud; and with them seventy males. ¹⁵And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there we encamped three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. ¹⁶Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, who were teachers. ¹⁷And I sent them forth unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia; and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and his brethren the Nethinim, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God. ¹⁸And according to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; ¹⁹and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty; ²⁰and of the Nethinim, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim: all of them were mentioned by name. ²¹Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. ²²For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. ²³So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us. ²⁴Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, ²⁵and weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered: ²⁶I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels a hundred talents; of gold a hundred talents; ²⁷and twenty bowls of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as gold. ²⁸And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto Jehovah, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering unto Jehovah, the God of your fathers. ²⁹Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the princes of the fathers' houses of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of Jehovah. ³⁰So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God. ³¹Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the lier-in-wait by the way. ³²And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. ³³And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levite; ³⁴the whole by number and by weight: and all the weight was written at that time. ³⁵The children of the captivity, that were come out of exile, offered burnt-offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering: all this was a burnt-offering unto Jehovah. ³⁶And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's satraps, and to the governors beyond the River: and they furthered the people and the house of God.

Ezra 9

9 ¹Now when these things were done, the princes drew near unto me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ²For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. ³And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded. ⁴Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening oblation. ⁵And at the evening oblation I arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe rent; and I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto Jehovah my God; ⁶and I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens. ⁷Since the days of our fathers we have been exceeding guilty unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. ⁸And now for a little moment grace hath been showed from Jehovah our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. ⁹For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended lovingkindness unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. ¹⁰And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, ¹¹which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness: ¹²now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. ¹³And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such a remnant, ¹⁴shall we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples that do these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? ¹⁵O Jehovah, the God of Israel, thou art righteous; for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our guiltiness; for none can stand before thee because of this.

Ezra 10

10 ¹Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore. ²And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. ³Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. ⁴Arise; for the matter belongeth unto thee, and we are with thee: be of good courage, and do it. ⁵Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they sware. ⁶Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity. ⁷And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; ⁸and that whosoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity. ⁹Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. ¹⁰And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. ¹¹Now therefore make confession unto Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women. ¹²Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said concerning us, so must we do. ¹³But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without: neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. ¹⁴Let now our princes be appointed for all the assembly, and let all them that are in our cities that have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, until this matter be despatched. ¹⁵Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. ¹⁶And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers' houses, after their fathers' houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. ¹⁷And they made an end with all the men that had married foreign women by the first day of the first month. ¹⁸And among the sons of the priests there were found that had married foreign women: namely, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. ¹⁹And they gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. ²⁰And of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. ²¹And of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. ²²And of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. ²³And of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. ²⁴And of the singers: Eliashib. And of the porters: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. ²⁵And of Israel: Of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. ²⁶And of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah. ²⁷And of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. ²⁸And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai. ²⁹And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth. ³⁰And of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. ³¹And of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, ³²Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. ³³Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei. ³⁴Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel, ³⁵Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, ³⁶Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, ³⁷Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu, ³⁸and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, ³⁹and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah, ⁴⁰Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, ⁴¹Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, ⁴²Shallum, Amariah, Joseph. ⁴³Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah. ⁴⁴All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

The Book of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1

1 ¹The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, ²that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. ³And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. ⁴And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, ⁵and said, I beseech thee, O Jehovah, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments: ⁶Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father's house have sinned: ⁷we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. ⁸Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples: ⁹but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there. ¹⁰Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. ¹¹O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah 2

2 ¹And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. ²And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid. ³And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? ⁴Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. ⁶And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. ⁷Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah; ⁸and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. ⁹Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen. ¹⁰And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. ¹¹So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. ¹²And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. ¹³And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. ¹⁴Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. ¹⁵Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned. ¹⁶And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. ¹⁷Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. ¹⁸And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work. ¹⁹But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? ²⁰Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 3

3 ¹Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananel. ²And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. ³And the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. ⁴And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana. ⁵And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their lord. ⁶And the old gate repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. ⁷And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, that appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the River. ⁸Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths. And next unto him repaired Hananiah one of the perfumers, and they fortified Jerusalem even unto the broad wall. ⁹And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem. ¹⁰And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabneiah. ¹¹Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces. ¹²And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters. ¹³The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits of the wall unto the dung gate. ¹⁴And the dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. ¹⁵And the fountain gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even unto the stairs that go down from the city of David. ¹⁶After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and unto the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty men. ¹⁷After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his district. ¹⁸After him repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah. ¹⁹And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another portion, over against the ascent to the armory at the turning of the wall. ²⁰After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another portion, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. ²¹After him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib. ²²And after him repaired the priests, the men of the Plain. ²³After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah beside his own house. ²⁴After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another portion, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, and unto the corner. ²⁵Palal the son of Uzai repaired over against the turning of the wall, and the tower that standeth out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh repaired. ²⁶(Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that standeth out.) ²⁷After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that standeth out, and unto the wall of Ophel. ²⁸Above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his own house. ²⁹After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house. And after him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate. ³⁰After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another portion. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber. ³¹After him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths unto the house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner. ³²And between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

Nehemiah 4

4 ¹But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. ²And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned? ³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall. ⁴Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity; ⁵and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. ⁶So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof: for the people had a mind to work. ⁷But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; ⁸and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. ⁹But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. ¹⁰And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. ¹¹And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. ¹²And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, Ye must return unto us. ¹³Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set there the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. ¹⁴And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. ¹⁵And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. ¹⁶And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. ¹⁷They all builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves; every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; ¹⁸and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. ¹⁹And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another: ²⁰in what place soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our God will fight for us. ²¹So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. ²²Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day. ²³So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one went with his weapon to the water.

Nehemiah 5

5 ¹Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. ²For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live. ³Some also there were that said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth. ⁴There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards. ⁵Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards. ⁶And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. ⁷Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them. ⁸And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found never a word. ⁹Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies? ¹⁰And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. ¹¹Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. ¹²Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise. ¹³Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise. ¹⁴Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. ¹⁵But the former governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. ¹⁶Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. ¹⁷Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, a hundred and fifty men, besides those that came unto us from among the nations that were round about us. ¹⁸Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. ¹⁹Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.

Nehemiah 6

6 ¹Now it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and unto the rest of our enemies, that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though even unto that time I had not set up the doors in the gates;) ²that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. ³And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? ⁴And they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. ⁵Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand, ⁶wherein was written, It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause thou art building the wall: and thou wouldest be their king, according to these words. ⁷And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together. ⁸Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. ⁹For they all would have made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. But now, O God, strengthen thou my hands. ¹⁰And I went unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. ¹¹And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. ¹²And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. ¹⁴Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear. ¹⁵So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. ¹⁶And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard thereof, that all the nations that were about us feared, and were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God. ¹⁷Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. ¹⁸For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah to wife. ¹⁹Also they spake of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

Nehemiah 7

7 ¹Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, ²that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. ³And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors, and bar ye them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. ⁴Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded. ⁵And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of them that came up at the first, and I found written therein: ⁶These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and that returned unto Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city; ⁷who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ⁸The children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred and seventy and two. ⁹The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. ¹⁰The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two. ¹¹The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen. ¹²The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. ¹³The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five. ¹⁴The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. ¹⁵The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight. ¹⁶The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight. ¹⁷The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two. ¹⁸The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven. ¹⁹The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven. ²⁰The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five. ²¹The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. ²²The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight. ²³The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four. ²⁴The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve. ²⁵The children of Gibeon, ninety and five. ²⁶The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred fourscore and eight. ²⁷The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty and eight. ²⁸The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty and two. ²⁹The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three. ³⁰The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. ³¹The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty and two. ³²The men of Beth-el and Ai, a hundred twenty and three. ³³The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two. ³⁴The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. ³⁵The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. ³⁶The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. ³⁷The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one. ³⁸The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty. ³⁹The priests: The children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three. ⁴⁰The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. ⁴¹The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. ⁴²The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. ⁴³The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four. ⁴⁴The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred forty and eight. ⁴⁵The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred thirty and eight. ⁴⁶The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon, ⁴⁸the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai, ⁴⁹the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, ⁵⁰the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, ⁵¹the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah. ⁵²The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim, ⁵³the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, ⁵⁴the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, ⁵⁵the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah, ⁵⁶the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. ⁵⁷The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida, ⁵⁸the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, ⁵⁹the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the children of Amon. ⁶⁰All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two. ⁶¹And these were they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers' houses, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel: ⁶²The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two. ⁶³And of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name. ⁶⁴These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood. ⁶⁵And the governor said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim. ⁶⁶The whole assembly together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, ⁶⁷besides their men-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women. ⁶⁸Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; ⁶⁹their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. ⁷⁰And some from among the heads of fathers' houses gave unto the work. The governor gave to the treasury a thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests' garments. ⁷¹And some of the heads of fathers' houses gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pounds of silver. ⁷²And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments. ⁷³So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month was come, the children of Israel were in their cities.

Nehemiah 8

8 ¹And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel. ²And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. ³And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. ⁴And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: ⁶and Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground. ⁷Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. ⁸And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. ⁹And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of Jehovah is your strength. ¹¹So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. ¹²And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. ¹³And on the second day were gathered together the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to give attention to the words of the law. ¹⁴And they found written in the law, how that Jehovah had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month; ¹⁵and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. ¹⁶So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷And all the assembly of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths; for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. ¹⁸Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the ordinance.

Nehemiah 9

9 ¹Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them. ²And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. ³And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God. ⁴Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto Jehovah their God. ⁵Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless Jehovah your God from everlasting to everlasting; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. ⁷Thou art Jehovah the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham, ⁸and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous. ⁹And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea, ¹⁰and showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and didst get thee a name, as it is this day. ¹¹And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. ¹²Moreover in a pillar of cloud thou leddest them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. ¹³Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, ¹⁴and madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant, ¹⁵and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. ¹⁶But they and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy commandments, ¹⁷and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and forsookest them not. ¹⁸Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; ¹⁹yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go. ²⁰Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. ²¹Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. ²²Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, which thou didst allot after their portions: so they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. ²³Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. ²⁴So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. ²⁵And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. ²⁶Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their back, and slew thy prophets that testified against them to turn them again unto thee, and they wrought great provocations. ²⁷Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries. ²⁸But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee; therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies, ²⁹and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances, (which if a man do, he shall live in them,) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. ³⁰Yet many years didst thou bear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. ³¹Nevertheless in thy manifold mercies thou didst not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. ³²Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and lovingkindness, let not all the travail seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. ³³Howbeit thou art just in all that is come upon us; for thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly; ³⁴neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies wherewith thou didst testify against them. ³⁵For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. ³⁶Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it. ³⁷And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. ³⁸And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal unto it.

Nehemiah 10

10 ¹Now those that sealed were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, ²Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ³Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, ⁴Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, ⁵Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, ⁶Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, ⁷Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, ⁸Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these were the priests. ⁹And the Levites: namely, Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; ¹⁰and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, ¹¹Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹²Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, ¹³Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. ¹⁴The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, ¹⁵Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, ¹⁶Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, ¹⁷Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, ¹⁸Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, ¹⁹Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai, ²⁰Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, ²¹Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, ²²Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, ²³Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, ²⁴Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, ²⁵Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, ²⁶and Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, ²⁷Malluch, Harim, Baanah. ²⁸And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one that had knowledge, and understanding; ²⁹They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Jehovah our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes; ³⁰and that we would not give our daughters unto the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; ³¹and if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy of them on the sabbath, or on a holy day; and that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. ³²Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God; ³³for the showbread, and for the continual meal-offering, and for the continual burnt-offering, for the sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin-offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. ³⁴And we cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood-offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn upon the altar of Jehovah our God, as it is written in the law; ³⁵and to bring the first-fruits of our ground, and the first-fruits of all fruit of all manner of trees, year by year, unto the house of Jehovah; ³⁶also the first-born of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God; ³⁷and that we should bring the first-fruits of our dough, and our heave-offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, the new wine and the oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. ³⁸And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure-house. ³⁹For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave-offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

Nehemiah 11

11 ¹And the princes of the people dwelt in Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the other cities. ²And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem. ³Now these are the chiefs of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem: but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants. ⁴And in Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez; ⁵and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite. ⁶All the sons of Perez that dwelt in Jerusalem were four hundred threescore and eight valiant men. ⁷And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah. ⁸And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight. ⁹And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city. ¹⁰Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, ¹¹Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God, ¹²and their brethren that did the work of the house, eight hundred twenty and two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, ¹³and his brethren, chiefs of fathers' houses, two hundred forty and two; and Amashsai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, ¹⁴and their brethren, mighty men of valor, a hundred twenty and eight; and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of Haggedolim. ¹⁵And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; ¹⁶and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God; ¹⁷and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the chief to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. ¹⁸All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred fourscore and four. ¹⁹Moreover the porters, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren, that kept watch at the gates, were a hundred seventy and two. ²⁰And the residue of Israel, of the priests, the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance. ²¹But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel: and Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim. ²²The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the business of the house of God. ²³For there was a commandment from the king concerning them, and a settled provision for the singers, as every day required. ²⁴And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people. ²⁵And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kiriath-arba and the towns thereof, and in Dibon and the towns thereof, and in Jekabzeel and the villages thereof, ²⁶and in Jeshua, and in Moladah, and Beth-pelet, ²⁷and in Hazar-shual, and in Beer-sheba and the towns thereof, ²⁸and in Ziklag, and in Meconah and in the towns thereof, ²⁹and in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth, ³⁰Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and the fields thereof, Azekah and the towns thereof. So they encamped from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom. ³¹The children of Benjamin also dwelt from Geba onward, at Michmash and Aija, and at Beth-el and the towns thereof, ³²at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, ³³Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, ³⁴Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, ³⁵Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. ³⁶And of the Levites, certain courses in Judah were joined to Benjamin.

Nehemiah 12

12 ¹Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ²Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ³Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ⁴Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, ⁵Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, ⁶Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah. ⁷Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua. ⁸Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren. ⁹Also Bakbukiah and Unno, their brethren, were over against them according to their offices. ¹⁰And Jeshua begat Joiakim, and Joiakim begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada, ¹¹and Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua. ¹²And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers' houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; ¹³of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; ¹⁴of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; ¹⁵of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; ¹⁶of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; ¹⁷of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; ¹⁸of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; ¹⁹and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; ²⁰of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; ²¹of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel. ²²As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, there were recorded the heads of fathers' houses; also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian. ²³The sons of Levi, heads of fathers' houses, were written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. ²⁴And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch next to watch. ²⁵Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the watch at the store-houses of the gates. ²⁶These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest the scribe. ²⁷And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. ²⁸And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites; ²⁹also from Beth-gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem. ³⁰And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall. ³¹Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and went in procession; whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate: ³²and after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah, ³³and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, ³⁴Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, ³⁵and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph; ³⁶and his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them. ³⁷And by the fountain gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward. ³⁸And the other company of them that gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the half of the people, upon the wall, above the tower of the furnaces, even unto the broad wall, ³⁹and above the gate of Ephraim, and by the old gate, and by the fish gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the gate of the guard. ⁴⁰So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me; ⁴¹and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; ⁴²and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer. ⁴³And they offered great sacrifices that day, and rejoiced; for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and the women also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. ⁴⁴And on that day were men appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the heave-offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, according to the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited. ⁴⁵And they kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the purification, and so did the singers and the porters, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son. ⁴⁶For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God. ⁴⁷And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, as every day required: and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

Nehemiah 13

13 ¹On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God for ever, ²because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³And it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. ⁴Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being allied unto Tobiah, ⁵had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meal-offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the heave-offerings for the priests. ⁶But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king, ⁷and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. ⁸And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. ⁹Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meal-offerings and the frankincense. ¹⁰And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. ¹¹Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. ¹²Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries. ¹³And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their business was to distribute unto their brethren. ¹⁴Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the observances thereof. ¹⁵In those days saw I in Judah some men treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses therewith; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. ¹⁶There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought in fish, and all manner of wares, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. ¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? ¹⁸Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. ¹⁹And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I over the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. ²⁰So the merchants and sellers of all kind of wares lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. ²¹Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. ²²And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy lovingkindness. ²³In those days also saw I the Jews that had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: ²⁴and their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. ²⁵And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. ²⁶Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin. ²⁷Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women? ²⁸And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me. ²⁹Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. ³⁰Thus cleansed I them from all foreigners, and appointed charges for the priests and for the Levites, every one in his work; ³¹and for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

The Book of Esther

Esther 1

1 ¹Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces), ²that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, ³in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him; ⁴when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days. ⁵And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. ⁶There were hangings of white cloth, of green, and of blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the couches were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and white, and yellow, and black marble. ⁷And they gave them drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king. ⁸And the drinking was according to the law; none could compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure. ⁹Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. ¹⁰On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, ¹¹to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look on. ¹²But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. ¹³Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment; ¹⁴and the next unto him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom), ¹⁵What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? ¹⁶And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. ¹⁷For this deed of the queen will come abroad unto all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. ¹⁸And this day will the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So will there arise much contempt and wrath. ¹⁹If it please the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. ²⁰And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small. ²¹And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan: ²²for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should speak according to the language of his people.

Esther 2

2 ¹After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. ²Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: ³and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them; ⁴and let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. ⁵There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, ⁶who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives that had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter. ⁸So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken into the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. ⁹And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with her portions, and the seven maidens who were meet to be given her out of the king's house: and he removed her and her maidens to the best place of the house of the women. ¹⁰Esther had not made known her people nor her kindred; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known. ¹¹And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what would become of her. ¹²Now when the turn of every maiden was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that it had been done to her according to the law for the women twelve months (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors and with the things for the purifying of the women), ¹³then in this wise came the maiden unto the king: whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house. ¹⁴In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, who kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name. ¹⁵Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her. ¹⁶So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ¹⁷And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the bounty of the king. ¹⁹And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate. ²⁰Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. ²¹In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those that kept the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. ²²And the thing became known to Mordecai, who showed it unto Esther the queen; and Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name. ²³And when inquisition was made of the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.

Esther 3

3 ¹After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. ²And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. ³Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? ⁴Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. ⁶But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. ⁷In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. ⁸And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. ⁹If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have the charge of the king's business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. ¹⁰And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. ¹¹And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. ¹²Then were the king's scribes called in the first month, on the thirteenth day thereof; and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and it was sealed with the king's ring. ¹³And letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. ¹⁴A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day. ¹⁵The posts went forth in haste by the king's commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.

Esther 4

4 ¹Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; ²and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. ³And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. ⁴And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him; but he received it not. ⁵Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was. ⁶So Hathach went forth to Mordecai unto the broad place of the city, which was before the king's gate. ⁷And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. ⁸Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people. ⁹And Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. ¹⁰Then Esther spake unto Hathach, and gave him a message unto Mordecai saying: ¹¹All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. ¹²And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. ¹³Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. ¹⁴For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house will perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? ¹⁵Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, ¹⁶Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. ¹⁷So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Esther 5

5 ¹Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the entrance of the house. ²And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. ³Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom. ⁴And Esther said, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. ⁵Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that it may be done as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. ⁶And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. ⁷Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is: ⁸if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said. ⁹Then went Haman forth that day joyful and glad of heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. ¹⁰Nevertheless Haman refrained himself, and went home; and he sent and fetched his friends and Zeresh his wife. ¹¹And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. ¹²Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also am I invited by her together with the king. ¹³Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. ¹⁴Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

Esther 6

6 ¹On that night could not the king sleep; and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ²And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, of those that kept the threshold, who had sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. ³And the king said, What honor and dignity hath been bestowed on Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him. ⁴And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. ⁵And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. ⁶So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? Now Haman said in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself? ⁷And Haman said unto the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honor, ⁸let royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and on the head of which a crown royal is set: ⁹and let the apparel and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man therewith whom the king delighteth to honor, and cause him to ride on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor. ¹⁰Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. ¹¹Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and caused him to ride through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor. ¹²And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having his head covered. ¹³And Haman recounted unto Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai, before whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the seed of the Jews, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. ¹⁴While they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Esther 7

7 ¹So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. ²And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. ³Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: ⁴for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage. ⁵Then spake the king Ahasuerus and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? ⁶And Esther said, An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. ⁷And the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. ⁸Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he even force the queen before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. ⁹Then said Harbonah, one of the chamberlains that were before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman hath made for Mordecai, who spake good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. And the king said, Hang him thereon. ¹⁰So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

Esther 8

8 ¹On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her. ²And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. ³And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. ⁴Then the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre. So Esther arose, and stood before the king. ⁵And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces: ⁶for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? ⁷Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. ⁸Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse. ⁹Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, a hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. ¹⁰And he wrote the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by post on horseback, riding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service, bred of the stud: ¹¹wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, ¹²upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. ¹³A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. ¹⁴So the posts that rode upon swift steeds that were used in the king's service went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. ¹⁵And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. ¹⁶The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. ¹⁷And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good day. And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them.

Esther 9

9 ¹Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them, (whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them,) ²the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them was fallen upon all the peoples. ³And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them. ⁴For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai waxed greater and greater. ⁵And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them. ⁶And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. ⁷And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, ⁸and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, ⁹and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha, ¹⁰the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jew's enemy, slew they; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. ¹¹On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king. ¹²And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done. ¹³Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. ¹⁴And the king commanded it so to be done: and a decree was given out in Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. ¹⁵And the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men in Shushan; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. ¹⁶And the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of them that hated them seventy and five thousand; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. ¹⁷This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁸But the Jews that were in Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹Therefore do the Jews of the villages, that dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. ²⁰And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, ²¹to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, ²²as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. ²³And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them; ²⁴because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; ²⁵but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. ²⁶Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them, ²⁷the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year; ²⁸and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the remembrance of them perish from their seed. ²⁹Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. ³⁰And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, ³¹to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and for their seed, in the matter of the fastings and their cry. ³²And the commandment of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.

Esther 10

10 ¹And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. ²And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? ³For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

The Book of Job

Job 1

1 ¹There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil. ²And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. ³His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east. ⁴And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. ⁵And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. ⁶Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. ⁷And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ⁸And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. ⁹Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? ¹⁰Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. ¹¹But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. ¹²And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. ¹³And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, ¹⁴that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; ¹⁵and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; ¹⁹and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ²⁰Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; ²¹and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. ²²In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 2

2 ¹Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah. ²And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ³And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. ⁴And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. ⁵But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. ⁶And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. ⁷So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. ⁸And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes. ⁹Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. ¹⁰But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. ¹¹Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him. ¹²And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. ¹³So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job 3

3 ¹After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. ²And Job answered and said:

³Let the day perish wherein I was born,

And the night which said, There is a man-child conceived.

⁴Let that day be darkness;

Let not God from above seek for it,

Neither let the light shine upon it.

⁵Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own;

Let a cloud dwell upon it;

Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.

⁶As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it:

Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;

Let it not come into the number of the months.

⁷Lo, let that night be barren;

Let no joyful voice come therein.

⁸Let them curse it that curse the day,

Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

⁹Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark:

Let it look for light, but have none;

Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning:

¹⁰Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb,

Nor hid trouble from mine eyes.

¹¹Why died I not from the womb?

Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me?

¹²Why did the knees receive me?

Or why the breast, that I should suck?

¹³For now should I have lain down and been quiet;

I should have slept; then had I been at rest,

¹⁴With kings and counsellors of the earth,

Who built up waste places for themselves;

¹⁵Or with princes that had gold,

Who filled their houses with silver:

¹⁶Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been,

As infants that never saw light.

¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling;

And there the weary are at rest.

¹⁸There the prisoners are at ease together;

They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

¹⁹The small and the great are there:

And the servant is free from his master.

²⁰Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,

And life unto the bitter in soul;

²¹Who long for death, but it cometh not,

And dig for it more than for hid treasures;

²²Who rejoice exceedingly,

And are glad, when they can find the grave?

²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,

And whom God hath hedged in?

²⁴For my sighing cometh before I eat,

And my groanings are poured out like water.

²⁵For the thing which I fear cometh upon me,

And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me.

²⁶I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest;

But trouble cometh.

Job 4

4 ¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

²If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved?

But who can withhold himself from speaking?

³Behold, thou hast instructed many,

And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

⁴Thy words have upholden him that was falling,

And thou hast made firm the feeble knees.

⁵But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;

It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

⁶Is not thy fear of God thy confidence,

And the integrity of thy ways thy hope?

⁷Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?

Or where were the upright cut off?

⁸According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,

And sow trouble, reap the same.

⁹By the breath of God they perish,

And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.

¹⁰The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,

And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

¹¹The old lion perisheth for lack of prey,

And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

¹²Now a thing was secretly brought to me,

And mine ear received a whisper thereof.

¹³In thoughts from the visions of the night,

When deep sleep falleth on men,

¹⁴Fear came upon me, and trembling,

Which made all my bones to shake.

¹⁵Then a spirit passed before my face;

The hair of my flesh stood up.

¹⁶It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof;

A form was before mine eyes:

There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

¹⁷Shall mortal man be more just than God?

Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?

¹⁸Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants;

And his angels he chargeth with folly:

¹⁹How much more them that dwell in houses of clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before the moth!

²⁰Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed:

They perish for ever without any regarding it.

²¹Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?

They die, and that without wisdom.

Job 5

5 ¹Call now; is there any that will answer thee?

And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

²For vexation killeth the foolish man,

And jealousy slayeth the silly one.

³I have seen the foolish taking root:

But suddenly I cursed his habitation.

⁴His children are far from safety,

And they are crushed in the gate,

Neither is there any to deliver them:

⁵Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,

And taketh it even out of the thorns;

And the snare gapeth for their substance.

⁶For affliction cometh not forth from the dust,

Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

⁷But man is born unto trouble,

As the sparks fly upward.

⁸But as for me, I would seek unto God,

And unto God would I commit my cause;

⁹Who doeth great things and unsearchable,

Marvellous things without number:

¹⁰Who giveth rain upon the earth,

And sendeth waters upon the fields;

¹¹So that he setteth up on high those that are low,

And those that mourn are exalted to safety.

¹²He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,

So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

¹³He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;

And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

¹⁴They meet with darkness in the day-time,

And grope at noonday as in the night.

¹⁵But he saveth from the sword of their mouth,

Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.

¹⁶So the poor hath hope,

And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

¹⁷Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:

Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.

¹⁸For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;

He woundeth, and his hands make whole.

¹⁹He will deliver thee in six troubles;

Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

²⁰In famine he will redeem thee from death;

And in war from the power of the sword.

²¹Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue;

Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

²²At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;

Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

²³For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field;

And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

²⁴And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace;

And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.

²⁵Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great,

And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

²⁶Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,

Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season.

²⁷Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;

Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

Job 6

6 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²Oh that my vexation were but weighed,

And all my calamity laid in the balances!

³For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas:

Therefore have my words been rash.

⁴For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,

The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up:

The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

⁵Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?

Or loweth the ox over his fodder?

⁶Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt?

Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

⁷My soul refuseth to touch them;

They are as loathsome food to me.

⁸Oh that I might have my request;

And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

⁹Even that it would please God to crush me;

That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

¹⁰And be it still my consolation,

Yea, let me exult in pain that spareth not,

That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

¹¹What is my strength, that I should wait?

And what is mine end, that I should be patient?

¹²Is my strength the strength of stones?

Or is my flesh of brass?

¹³Is it not that I have no help in me,

And that wisdom is driven quite from me?

¹⁴To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend;

Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

¹⁵My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook,

As the channel of brooks that pass away;

¹⁶Which are black by reason of the ice,

And wherein the snow hideth itself:

¹⁷What time they wax warm, they vanish;

When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

¹⁸The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside;

They go up into the waste, and perish.

¹⁹The caravans of Tema looked,

The companies of Sheba waited for them.

²⁰They were put to shame because they had hoped;

They came thither, and were confounded.

²¹For now ye are nothing;

Ye see a terror, and are afraid.

²²Did I say, Give unto me?

Or, Offer a present for me of your substance?

²³Or, Deliver me from the adversary's hand?

Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?

²⁴Teach me, and I will hold my peace;

And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

²⁵How forcible are words of uprightness!

But your reproof, what doth it reprove?

²⁶Do ye think to reprove words,

Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind?

²⁷Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless,

And make merchandise of your friend.

²⁸Now therefore be pleased to look upon me;

For surely I shall not lie to your face.

²⁹Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice;

Yea, return again, my cause is righteous.

³⁰Is there injustice on my tongue?

Cannot my taste discern mischievous things?

Job 7

7 ¹Is there not a warfare to man upon earth?

And are not his days like the days of a hireling?

²As a servant that earnestly desireth the shadow,

And as a hireling that looketh for his wages:

³So am I made to possess months of misery,

And wearisome nights are appointed to me.

⁴When I lie down, I say,

When shall I arise, and the night be gone?

And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

⁵My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;

My skin closeth up, and breaketh out afresh.

⁶My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,

And are spent without hope.

⁷Oh remember that my life is a breath:

Mine eye shall no more see good.

⁸The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me no more;

Thine eyes shall be upon me, but I shall not be.

⁹As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away,

So he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.

¹⁰He shall return no more to his house,

Neither shall his place know him any more.

¹¹Therefore I will not refrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

¹²Am I a sea, or a sea-monster,

That thou settest a watch over me?

¹³When I say, My bed shall comfort me,

My couch shall ease my complaint;

¹⁴Then thou scarest me with dreams,

And terrifiest me through visions:

¹⁵So that my soul chooseth strangling,

And death rather than these my bones.

¹⁶I loathe my life; I would not live alway:

Let me alone; for my days are vanity.

¹⁷What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him,

And that thou shouldest set thy mind upon him,

¹⁸And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,

And try him every moment?

¹⁹How long wilt thou not look away from me,

Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

²⁰If I have sinned, what do I unto thee, O thou watcher of men?

Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee,

So that I am a burden to myself?

²¹And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?

For now shall I lie down in the dust;

And thou wilt seek me diligently, but I shall not be.

Job 8

8 ¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²How long wilt thou speak these things?

And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?

³Doth God pervert justice?

Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?

⁴If thy children have sinned against him,

And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;

⁵If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God,

And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

⁶If thou wert pure and upright:

Surely now he would awake for thee,

And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

⁷And though thy beginning was small,

Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

⁸For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age,

And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out:

⁹(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,

Because our days upon earth are a shadow);

¹⁰Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee,

And utter words out of their heart?

¹¹Can the rush grow up without mire?

Can the flag grow without water?

¹²Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down,

It withereth before any other herb.

¹³So are the paths of all that forget God;

And the hope of the godless man shall perish:

¹⁴Whose confidence shall break in sunder,

And whose trust is a spider's web.

¹⁵He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand:

He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.

¹⁶He is green before the sun,

And his shoots go forth over his garden.

¹⁷His roots are wrapped about the stone -heap,

He beholdeth the place of stones.

¹⁸If he be destroyed from his place,

Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

¹⁹Behold, this is the joy of his way;

And out of the earth shall others spring.

²⁰Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,

Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.

²¹He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter,

And thy lips with shouting.

²²They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame;

And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

Job 9

9 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²Of a truth I know that it is so:

But how can man be just with God?

³If he be pleased to contend with him,

He cannot answer him one of a thousand.

⁴He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength:

Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?-

⁵Him that removeth the mountains, and they know it not,

When he overturneth them in his anger;

⁶That shaketh the earth out of its place,

And the pillars thereof tremble;

⁷That commandeth the sun, and it riseth not,

And sealeth up the stars;

⁸That alone stretcheth out the heavens,

And treadeth upon the waves of the sea;

⁹That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,

And the chambers of the south;

¹⁰That doeth great things past finding out,

Yea, marvellous things without number.

¹¹Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not:

He passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

¹²Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him?

Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

¹³God will not withdraw his anger;

The helpers of Rahab do stoop under him.

¹⁴How much less shall I answer him,

And choose out my words to reason with him?

¹⁵Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer;

I would make supplication to my judge.

¹⁶If I had called, and he had answered me,

Yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto my voice.

¹⁷For he breaketh me with a tempest,

And multiplieth my wounds without cause.

¹⁸He will not suffer me to take my breath,

But filleth me with bitterness.

¹⁹If we speak of strength, lo, he is mighty!

And if of justice, Who, saith he, will summon me?

²⁰Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me:

Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.

²¹I am perfect; I regard not myself;

I despise my life.

²²It is all one; therefore I say,

He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

²³If the scourge slay suddenly,

He will mock at the trial of the innocent.

²⁴The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;

He covereth the faces of the judges thereof:

If it be not he, who then is it?

²⁵Now my days are swifter than a post:

They flee away, they see no good,

²⁶They are passed away as the swift ships;

As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.

²⁷If I say, I will forget my complaint,

I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer;

²⁸I am afraid of all my sorrows,

I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

²⁹I shall be condemned;

Why then do I labor in vain?

³⁰If I wash myself with snow water,

And make my hands never so clean;

³¹Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch,

And mine own clothes shall abhor me.

³²For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him,

That we should come together in judgment.

³³There is no umpire betwixt us,

That might lay his hand upon us both.

³⁴Let him take his rod away from me,

And let not his terror make me afraid:

³⁵Then would I speak, and not fear him;

For I am not so in myself.

Job 10

10 ¹My soul is weary of my life;

I will give free course to my complaint;

I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

²I will say unto God, Do not condemn me;

Show me wherefore thou contendest with me.

³Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress,

That thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands,

And shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

⁴Hast thou eyes of flesh?

Or seest thou as man seeth?

⁵Are thy days as the days of man,

Or thy years as man's days,

⁶That thou inquirest after mine iniquity,

And searchest after my sin,

⁷Although thou knowest that I am not wicked,

And there is none that can deliver out of thy hand?

⁸Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me

Together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.

⁹Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay;

And wilt thou bring me into dust again?

¹⁰Hast thou not poured me out as milk,

And curdled me like cheese?

¹¹Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh,

And knit me together with bones and sinews.

¹²Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness;

And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

¹³Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart;

I know that this is with thee:

¹⁴If I sin, then thou markest me,

And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.

¹⁵If I be wicked, woe unto me;

And if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head;

Being filled with ignominy,

And looking upon mine affliction.

¹⁶And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion;

And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me.

¹⁷Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,

And increasest thine indignation upon me:

Changes and warfare are with me.

¹⁸Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?

I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me.

¹⁹I should have been as though I had not been;

I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

²⁰Are not my days few? cease then,

And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

²¹Before I go whence I shall not return,

Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;

²²The land dark as midnight,

The land of the shadow of death, without any order,

And where the light is as midnight.

Job 11

11 ¹Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

²Should not the multitude of words be answered?

And should a man full of talk be justified?

³Should thy boastings make men hold their peace?

And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

⁴For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure,

And I am clean in thine eyes.

⁵But oh that God would speak,

And open his lips against thee,

⁶And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom!

For he is manifold in understanding.

Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

⁷Canst thou by searching find out God?

Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

⁸It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?

Deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?

⁹The measure thereof is longer than the earth,

And broader than the sea.

¹⁰If he pass through, and shut up,

And all unto judgment, then who can hinder him?

¹¹For he knoweth false men:

He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not.

¹²But vain man is void of understanding,

Yea, man is born as a wild ass's colt.

¹³If thou set thy heart aright,

And stretch out thy hands toward him;

¹⁴If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away,

And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents.

¹⁵Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;

Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:

¹⁶For thou shalt forget thy misery;

Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,

¹⁷And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday;

Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.

¹⁸And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;

Yea, thou shalt search about thee, and shalt take thy rest in safety.

¹⁹Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;

Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.

²⁰But the eyes of the wicked shall fail,

And they shall have no way to flee;

And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost.

Job 12

12 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²No doubt but ye are the people,

And wisdom shall die with you.

³But I have understanding as well as you;

I am not inferior to you:

Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

⁴I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor,

I who called upon God, and he answered:

The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.

⁵In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;

It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.

⁶The tents of robbers prosper,

And they that provoke God are secure;

Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

⁷But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;

And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;

And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

⁹Who knoweth not in all these,

That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,

¹⁰In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind?

¹¹Doth not the ear try words,

Even as the palate tasteth its food?

¹²With aged men is wisdom,

And in length of days understanding.

¹³With God is wisdom and might;

He hath counsel and understanding.

¹⁴Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again;

He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

¹⁵Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up;

Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

¹⁶With him is strength and wisdom;

The deceived and the deceiver are his.

¹⁷He leadeth counsellors away stripped,

And judges maketh he fools.

¹⁸He looseth the bond of kings,

And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.

¹⁹He leadeth priests away stripped,

And overthroweth the mighty.

²⁰He removeth the speech of the trusty,

And taketh away the understanding of the elders.

²¹He poureth contempt upon princes,

And looseth the belt of the strong.

²²He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,

And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

²³He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them:

He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.

²⁴He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth,

And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

²⁵They grope in the dark without light;

And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

Job 13

13 ¹Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,

Mine ear hath heard and understood it.

²What ye know, the same do I know also:

I am not inferior unto you.

³Surely I would speak to the Almighty,

And I desire to reason with God.

⁴But ye are forgers of lies;

Ye are all physicians of no value.

⁵Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace!

And it would be your wisdom.

⁶Hear now my reasoning,

And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷Will ye speak unrighteously for God,

And talk deceitfully for him?

⁸Will ye show partiality to him?

Will ye contend for God?

⁹Is it good that he should search you out?

Or as one deceiveth a man, will ye deceive him?

¹⁰He will surely reprove you

If ye do secretly show partiality.

¹¹Shall not his majesty make you afraid,

And his dread fall upon you?

¹²Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,

Your defences are defences of clay.

¹³Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak;

And let come on me what will.

¹⁴Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth,

And put my life in my hand?

¹⁵Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope:

Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.

¹⁶This also shall be my salvation,

That a godless man shall not come before him.

¹⁷Hear diligently my speech,

And let my declaration be in your ears.

¹⁸Behold now, I have set my cause in order;

I know that I am righteous.

¹⁹Who is he that will contend with me?

For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost.

²⁰Only do not two things unto me;

Then will I not hide myself from thy face:

²¹Withdraw thy hand far from me;

And let not thy terror make me afraid.

²²Then call thou, and I will answer;

Or let me speak, and answer thou me.

²³How many are mine iniquities and sins?

Make me to know my transgression and my sin.

²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face,

And holdest me for thine enemy?

²⁵Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?

And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

²⁶For thou writest bitter things against me,

And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth:

²⁷Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,

And markest all my paths;

Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet:

²⁸Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,

Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Job 14

14 ¹Man, that is born of a woman,

Is of few days, and full of trouble.

²He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:

He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

³And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one,

And bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

⁵Seeing his days are determined,

The number of his months is with thee,

And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

⁶Look away from him, that he may rest,

Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

⁷For there is hope of a tree,

If it be cut down, that it will sprout again,

And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

⁸Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,

And the stock thereof die in the ground;

⁹Yet through the scent of water it will bud,

And put forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰But man dieth, and is laid low:

Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

¹¹As the waters fail from the sea,

And the river wasteth and drieth up;

¹²So man lieth down and riseth not:

Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake,

Nor be roused out of their sleep.

¹³Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol,

That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past,

That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

¹⁴If a man die, shall he live again?

All the days of my warfare would I wait,

Till my release should come.

¹⁵Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee:

Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands.

¹⁶But now thou numberest my steps:

Dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag,

And thou fastenest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸But the mountain falling cometh to nought;

And the rock is removed out of its place;

¹⁹The waters wear the stones;

The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth:

So thou destroyest the hope of man.

²⁰Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth;

Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

²¹His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not;

And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

²²But his flesh upon him hath pain,

And his soul within him mourneth.

Job 15

15 ¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

²Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge,

And fill himself with the east wind?

³Should he reason with unprofitable talk,

Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

⁴Yea, thou doest away with fear,

And hinderest devotion before God.

⁵For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth,

And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

⁶Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I;

Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

⁷Art thou the first man that was born?

Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

⁸Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God?

And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

⁹What knowest thou, that we know not?

What understandest thou, which is not in us?

¹⁰With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men,

Much elder than thy father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for thee,

Even the word that is gentle toward thee?

¹²Why doth thy heart carry thee away?

And why do thine eyes flash,

¹³That against God thou turnest thy spirit,

And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

¹⁴What is man, that he should be clean?

And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

¹⁵Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones;

Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:

¹⁶How much less one that is abominable and corrupt,

A man that drinketh iniquity like water!

¹⁷I will show thee, hear thou me;

And that which I have seen I will declare:

¹⁸(Which wise men have told

From their fathers, and have not hid it;

¹⁹Unto whom alone the land was given,

And no stranger passed among them):

²⁰The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days,

Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

²¹A sound of terrors is in his ears;

In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

²²He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness,

And he is waited for of the sword.

²³He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it?

He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

²⁴Distress and anguish make him afraid;

They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

²⁵Because he hath stretched out his hand against God,

And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

²⁶He runneth upon him with a stiff neck,

With the thick bosses of his bucklers;

²⁷Because he hath covered his face with his fatness,

And gathered fat upon his loins;

²⁸And he hath dwelt in desolate cities,

In houses which no man inhabited,

Which were ready to become heaps;

²⁹He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue,

Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.

³⁰He shall not depart out of darkness;

The flame shall dry up his branches,

And by the breath of God's mouth shall he go away.

³¹Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself;

For vanity shall be his recompense.

³²It shall be accomplished before his time,

And his branch shall not be green.

³³He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine,

And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.

³⁴For the company of the godless shall be barren,

And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

³⁵They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity,

And their heart prepareth deceit.

Job 16

16 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²I have heard many such things:

Miserable comforters are ye all.

³Shall vain words have an end?

Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest?

⁴I also could speak as ye do;

If your soul were in my soul's stead,

I could join words together against you,

And shake my head at you.

⁵But I would strengthen you with my mouth,

And the solace of my lips would assuage your grief.

⁶Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged;

And though I forbear, what am I eased?

⁷But now he hath made me weary:

Thou hast made desolate all my company.

⁸And thou hast laid fast hold on me, which is a witness against me:

And my leanness riseth up against me,

It testifieth to my face.

⁹He hath torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me;

He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth:

Mine adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

¹⁰They have gaped upon me with their mouth;

They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully:

They gather themselves together against me.

¹¹God delivereth me to the ungodly,

And casteth me into the hands of the wicked.

¹²I was at ease, and he brake me asunder;

Yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces:

He hath also set me up for his mark.

¹³His archers compass me round about;

He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare;

He poureth out my gall upon the ground.

¹⁴He breaketh me with breach upon breach;

He runneth upon me like a giant.

¹⁵I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,

And have laid my horn in the dust.

¹⁶My face is red with weeping,

And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

¹⁷Although there is no violence in my hands,

And my prayer is pure.

¹⁸O earth, cover not thou my blood,

And let my cry have no resting -place.

¹⁹Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,

And he that voucheth for me is on high.

²⁰My friends scoff at me:

But mine eye poureth out tears unto God,

²¹That he would maintain the right of a man with God,

And of a son of man with his neighbor!

²²For when a few years are come,

I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

Job 17

17 ¹My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct,

The grave is ready for me.

²Surely there are mockers with me,

And mine eye dwelleth upon their provocation.

³Give now a pledge, be surety for me with thyself;

Who is there that will strike hands with me?

⁴For thou hast hid their heart from understanding:

Therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

⁵He that denounceth his friends for a prey,

Even the eyes of his children shall fail.

⁶But he hath made me a byword of the people;

And they spit in my face.

⁷Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow,

And all my members are as a shadow.

⁸Upright men shall be astonished at this,

And the innocent shall stir up himself against the godless.

⁹Yet shall the righteous hold on his way,

And he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger.

¹⁰But as for you all, come on now again;

And I shall not find a wise man among you.

¹¹My days are past, my purposes are broken off,

Even the thoughts of my heart.

¹²They change the night into day:

The light, say they, is near unto the darkness.

¹³If I look for Sheol as my house;

If I have spread my couch in the darkness;

¹⁴If I have said to corruption, Thou art my father;

To the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister;

¹⁵Where then is my hope?

And as for my hope, who shall see it?

¹⁶It shall go down to the bars of Sheol,

When once there is rest in the dust.

Job 18

18 ¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²How long will ye hunt for words?

Consider, and afterwards we will speak.

³Wherefore are we counted as beasts,

And are become unclean in your sight?

⁴Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger,

Shall the earth be forsaken for thee?

Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?

⁵Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out,

And the spark of his fire shall not shine.

⁶The light shall be dark in his tent,

And his lamp above him shall be put out.

⁷The steps of his strength shall be straitened,

And his own counsel shall cast him down.

⁸For he is cast into a net by his own feet,

And he walketh upon the toils.

⁹A gin shall take him by the heel,

And a snare shall lay hold on him.

¹⁰A noose is hid for him in the ground,

And a trap for him in the way.

¹¹Terrors shall make him afraid on every side,

And shall chase him at his heels.

¹²His strength shall be hunger-bitten,

And calamity shall be ready at his side.

¹³The members of his body shall be devoured,

Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members.

¹⁴He shall be rooted out of his tent where he trusteth;

And he shall be brought to the king of terrors.

¹⁵There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his:

Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.

¹⁶His roots shall be dried up beneath,

And above shall his branch be cut off.

¹⁷His remembrance shall perish from the earth,

And he shall have no name in the street.

¹⁸He shall be driven from light into darkness,

And chased out of the world.

¹⁹He shall have neither son nor son's son among his people,

Nor any remaining where he sojourned.

²⁰They that come after shall be astonished at his day,

As they that went before were affrighted.

²¹Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,

And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

Job 19

19 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²How long will ye vex my soul,

And break me in pieces with words?

³These ten times have ye reproached me:

Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me.

⁴And be it indeed that I have erred,

Mine error remaineth with myself.

⁵If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me,

And plead against me my reproach;

⁶Know now that God hath subverted me in my cause,

And hath compassed me with his net.

⁷Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:

I cry for help, but there is no justice.

⁸He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass,

And hath set darkness in my paths.

⁹He hath stripped me of my glory,

And taken the crown from my head.

¹⁰He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone;

And my hope hath he plucked up like a tree.

¹¹He hath also kindled his wrath against me,

And he counteth me unto him as one of his adversaries.

¹²His troops come on together,

And cast up their way against me,

And encamp round about my tent.

¹³He hath put my brethren far from me,

And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me.

¹⁴My kinsfolk have failed,

And my familiar friends have forgotten me.

¹⁵They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger;

I am an alien in their sight.

¹⁶I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer,

Though I entreat him with my mouth.

¹⁷My breath is strange to my wife,

And my supplication to the children of mine own mother.

¹⁸Even young children despise me;

If I arise, they speak against me.

¹⁹All my familiar friends abhor me,

And they whom I loved are turned against me.

²⁰My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh,

And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

²¹Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;

For the hand of God hath touched me.

²²Why do ye persecute me as God,

And are not satisfied with my flesh?

²³Oh that my words were now written!

Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

²⁴That with an iron pen and lead

They were graven in the rock for ever!

²⁵But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth,

And at last he will stand up upon the earth:

²⁶And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed,

Then without my flesh shall I see God;

²⁷Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side,

And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.

My heart is consumed within me.

²⁸If ye say, How we will persecute him!

And that the root of the matter is found in me;

²⁹Be ye afraid of the sword:

For wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword,

That ye may know there is a judgment.

Job 20

20 ¹Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

²Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me,

Even by reason of my haste that is in me.

³I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame;

And the spirit of my understanding answereth me.

⁴Knowest thou not this of old time,

Since man was placed upon earth,

⁵That the triumphing of the wicked is short,

And the joy of the godless but for a moment?

⁶Though his height mount up to the heavens,

And his head reach unto the clouds;

⁷Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung:

They that have seen him shall say, Where is he?

⁸He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:

Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

⁹The eye which saw him shall see him no more;

Neither shall his place any more behold him.

¹⁰His children shall seek the favor of the poor,

And his hands shall give back his wealth.

¹¹His bones are full of his youth,

But it shall lie down with him in the dust.

¹²Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,

Though he hide it under his tongue,

¹³Though he spare it, and will not let it go,

But keep it still within his mouth;

¹⁴Yet his food in his bowels is turned,

It is the gall of asps within him.

¹⁵He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again;

God will cast them out of his belly.

¹⁶He shall suck the poison of asps:

The viper's tongue shall slay him.

¹⁷He shall not look upon the rivers,

The flowing streams of honey and butter.

¹⁸That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down;

According to the substance that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice.

¹⁹For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor;

He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up.

²⁰Because he knew no quietness within him,

He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.

²¹There was nothing left that he devoured not;

Therefore his prosperity shall not endure.

²²In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits:

The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him.

²³When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him,

And will rain it upon him while he is eating.

²⁴He shall flee from the iron weapon,

And the bow of brass shall strike him through.

²⁵He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body;

Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall:

Terrors are upon him.

²⁶All darkness is laid up for his treasures:

A fire not blown by man shall devour him;

It shall consume that which is left in his tent.

²⁷The heavens shall reveal his iniquity,

And the earth shall rise up against him.

²⁸The increase of his house shall depart;

His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

²⁹This is the portion of a wicked man from God,

And the heritage appointed unto him by God.

Job 21

21 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²Hear diligently my speech;

And let this be your consolations.

³Suffer me, and I also will speak;

And after that I have spoken, mock on.

⁴As for me, is my complaint to man?

And why should I not be impatient?

⁵Mark me, and be astonished,

And lay your hand upon your mouth.

⁶Even when I remember I am troubled,

And horror taketh hold on my flesh.

⁷Wherefore do the wicked live,

Become old, yea, wax mighty in power?

⁸Their seed is established with them in their sight,

And their offspring before their eyes.

⁹Their houses are safe from fear,

Neither is the rod of God upon them.

¹⁰Their bull gendereth, and faileth not;

Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.

¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock,

And their children dance.

¹²They sing to the timbrel and harp,

And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.

¹³They spend their days in prosperity,

And in a moment they go down to Sheol.

¹⁴And they say unto God, Depart from us;

For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

¹⁵What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

¹⁶Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:

The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?

That their calamity cometh upon them?

That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?

¹⁸That they are as stubble before the wind,

And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?

¹⁹Ye say, God layeth up his iniquity for his children.

Let him recompense it unto himself, that he may know it:

²⁰Let his own eyes see his destruction,

And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

²¹For what careth he for his house after him,

When the number of his months is cut off?

²²Shall any teach God knowledge,

Seeing he judgeth those that are high?

²³One dieth in his full strength,

Being wholly at ease and quiet:

²⁴His pails are full of milk,

And the marrow of his bones is moistened.

²⁵And another dieth in bitterness of soul,

And never tasteth of good.

²⁶They lie down alike in the dust,

And the worm covereth them.

²⁷Behold, I know your thoughts,

And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me.

²⁸For ye say, Where is the house of the prince?

And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt?

²⁹Have ye not asked wayfaring men?

And do ye not know their evidences,

³⁰That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity?

That they are led forth to the day of wrath?

³¹Who shall declare his way to his face?

And who shall repay him what he hath done?

³²Yet shall he be borne to the grave,

And men shall keep watch over the tomb.

³³The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,

And all men shall draw after him,

As there were innumerable before him.

³⁴How then comfort ye me in vain,

Seeing in your answers there remaineth only falsehood?

Job 22

22 ¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

²Can a man be profitable unto God?

Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.

³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?

Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?

⁴Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee,

That he entereth with thee into judgment?

⁵Is not thy wickedness great?

Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.

⁶For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought,

And stripped the naked of their clothing.

⁷Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink,

And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

⁸But as for the mighty man, he had the earth;

And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.

⁹Thou hast sent widows away empty,

And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰Therefore snares are round about thee,

And sudden fear troubleth thee,

¹¹Or darkness, so that thou canst not see,

And abundance of waters cover thee.

¹²Is not God in the height of heaven?

And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

¹³And thou sayest, What doth God know?

Can he judge through the thick darkness?

¹⁴Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not;

And he walketh on the vault of heaven.

¹⁵Wilt thou keep the old way

Which wicked men have trodden?

¹⁶Who were snatched away before their time,

Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,

¹⁷Who said unto God, Depart from us;

And, What can the Almighty do for us?

¹⁸Yet he filled their houses with good things:

But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹The righteous see it, and are glad;

And the innocent laugh them to scorn,

²⁰Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off,

And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.

²¹Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:

Thereby good shall come unto thee.

²²Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth,

And lay up his words in thy heart.

²³If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up,

If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.

²⁴And lay thou thy treasure in the dust,

And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;

²⁵And the Almighty will be thy treasure,

And precious silver unto thee.

²⁶For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,

And shalt lift up thy face unto God.

²⁷Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee;

And thou shalt pay thy vows.

²⁸Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;

And light shall shine upon thy ways.

²⁹When they cast thee down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up;

And the humble person he will save.

³⁰He will deliver even him that is not innocent:

Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.

Job 23

23 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²Even to-day is my complaint rebellious:

My stroke is heavier than my groaning.

³Oh that I knew where I might find him!

That I might come even to his seat!

⁴I would set my cause in order before him,

And fill my mouth with arguments.

⁵I would know the words which he would answer me,

And understand what he would say unto me.

⁶Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?

Nay; but he would give heed unto me.

⁷There the upright might reason with him;

So should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

⁸Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;

And backward, but I cannot perceive him;

⁹On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him;

He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.

¹⁰But he knoweth the way that I take;

When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

¹¹My foot hath held fast to his steps;

His way have I kept, and turned not aside.

¹²I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips;

I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

¹³But he is in one mind, and who can turn him?

And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

¹⁴For he performeth that which is appointed for me:

And many such things are with him.

¹⁵Therefore am I terrified at his presence;

When I consider, I am afraid of him.

¹⁶For God hath made my heart faint,

And the Almighty hath terrified me;

¹⁷Because I was not cut off before the darkness,

Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.

Job 24

24 ¹Why are times not laid up by the Almighty?

And why do not they that know him see his days?

²There are that remove the landmarks;

They violently take away flocks, and feed them.

³They drive away the ass of the fatherless;

They take the widow's ox for a pledge.

⁴They turn the needy out of the way:

The poor of the earth all hide themselves.

⁵Behold, as wild asses in the desert

They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food;

The wilderness yieldeth them bread for their children.

⁶They cut their provender in the field;

And they glean the vintage of the wicked.

⁷They lie all night naked without clothing,

And have no covering in the cold.

⁸They are wet with the showers of the mountains,

And embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

⁹There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast,

And take a pledge of the poor;

¹⁰So that they go about naked without clothing,

And being hungry they carry the sheaves.

¹¹They make oil within the walls of these men;

They tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

¹²From out of the populous city men groan,

And the soul of the wounded crieth out:

Yet God regardeth not the folly.

¹³These are of them that rebel against the light;

They know not the ways thereof,

Nor abide in the paths thereof.

¹⁴The murderer riseth with the light;

He killeth the poor and needy;

And in the night he is as a thief.

¹⁵The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight,

Saying, No eye shall see me:

And he disguiseth his face.

¹⁶In the dark they dig through houses:

They shut themselves up in the day-time;

They know not the light.

¹⁷For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness;

For they know the terrors of the thick darkness.

¹⁸Swiftly they pass away upon the face of the waters;

Their portion is cursed in the earth:

They turn not into the way of the vineyards.

¹⁹Drought and heat consume the snow waters:

So doth Sheol those that have sinned.

²⁰The womb shall forget him;

The worm shall feed sweetly on him;

He shall be no more remembered;

And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree.

²¹He devoureth the barren that beareth not,

And doeth not good to the widow.

²²Yet God preserveth the mighty by his power:

He riseth up that hath no assurance of life.

²³God giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon;

And his eyes are upon their ways.

²⁴They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone;

Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others,

And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.

²⁵And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar,

And make my speech nothing worth?

Job 25

25 ¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²Dominion and fear are with him;

He maketh peace in his high places.

³Is there any number of his armies?

And upon whom doth not his light arise?

⁴How then can man be just with God?

Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

⁵Behold, even the moon hath no brightness,

And the stars are not pure in his sight:

⁶How much less man, that is a worm!

And the son of man, that is a worm!

Job 26

26 ¹Then Job answered and said,

²How hast thou helped him that is without power!

How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength!

³How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom,

And plentifully declared sound knowledge!

⁴To whom hast thou uttered words?

And whose spirit came forth from thee?

⁵They that are deceased tremble

Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.

⁶Sheol is naked before God,

And Abaddon hath no covering.

⁷He stretcheth out the north over empty space,

And hangeth the earth upon nothing.

⁸He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;

And the cloud is not rent under them.

⁹He incloseth the face of his throne,

And spreadeth his cloud upon it.

¹⁰He hath described a boundary upon the face of the waters,

Unto the confines of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble

And are astonished at his rebuke.

¹²He stirreth up the sea with his power,

And by his understanding he smiteth through Rahab.

¹³By his Spirit the heavens are garnished;

His hand hath pierced the swift serpent.

¹⁴Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways:

And how small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power who can understand?

Job 27

27 ¹And Job again took up his parable, and said,

²As God liveth, who hath taken away my right,

And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul:

³(For my life is yet whole in me,

And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);

⁴Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness,

Neither shall my tongue utter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me that I should justify you:

Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go:

My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

⁷Let mine enemy be as the wicked,

And let him that riseth up against me be as the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain,

When God taketh away his soul?

⁹Will God hear his cry,

When trouble cometh upon him?

¹⁰Will he delight himself in the Almighty,

And call upon God at all times?

¹¹I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

¹²Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it;

Why then are ye become altogether vain?

¹³This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty:

¹⁴If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword;

And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵Those that remain of him shall be buried in death,

And his widows shall make no lamentation.

¹⁶Though he heap up silver as the dust,

And prepare raiment as the clay;

¹⁷He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on,

And the innocent shall divide the silver.

¹⁸He buildeth his house as the moth,

And as a booth which the keeper maketh.

¹⁹He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered to his fathers;

He openeth his eyes, and he is not.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like waters;

A tempest stealeth him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth;

And it sweepeth him out of his place.

²²For God shall hurl at him, and not spare:

He would fain flee out of his hand.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him,

And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 28

28 ¹Surely there is a mine for silver,

And a place for gold which they refine.

²Iron is taken out of the earth,

And copper is molten out of the stone.

³Man setteth an end to darkness,

And searcheth out, to the furthest bound,

The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

⁴He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn;

They are forgotten of the foot;

They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.

⁵As for the earth, out of it cometh bread;

And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

⁶The stones thereof are the place of sapphires,

And it hath dust of gold.

⁷That path no bird of prey knoweth,

Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it:

⁸The proud beasts have not trodden it,

Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.

⁹He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock;

He overturneth the mountains by the roots.

¹⁰He cutteth out channels among the rocks;

And his eye seeth every precious thing.

¹¹He bindeth the streams that they trickle not;

And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

¹²But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?

¹³Man knoweth not the price thereof;

Neither is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep saith, It is not in me;

And the sea saith, It is not with me.

¹⁵It cannot be gotten for gold,

Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

¹⁶It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,

With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

¹⁷Gold and glass cannot equal it,

Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal:

Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

¹⁹The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,

Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

²⁰Whence then cometh wisdom?

And where is the place of understanding?

²¹Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,

And kept close from the birds of the heavens.

²²Destruction and Death say,

We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.

²³God understandeth the way thereof,

And he knoweth the place thereof.

²⁴For he looketh to the ends of the earth,

And seeth under the whole heaven;

²⁵To make a weight for the wind:

Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.

²⁶When he made a decree for the rain,

And a way for the lightning of the thunder;

²⁷Then did he see it, and declare it;

He established it, yea, and searched it out.

²⁸And unto man he said,

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;

And to depart from evil is understanding.

Job 29

29 ¹And Job again took up his parable, and said,

²Oh that I were as in the months of old,

As in the days when God watched over me;

³When his lamp shined upon my head,

And by his light I walked through darkness;

⁴As I was in the ripeness of my days,

When the friendship of God was upon my tent;

⁵When the Almighty was yet with me,

And my children were about me;

⁶When my steps were washed with butter,

And the rock poured me out streams of oil!

⁷When I went forth to the gate unto the city,

When I prepared my seat in the street,

⁸The young men saw me and hid themselves,

And the aged rose up and stood;

⁹The princes refrained from talking,

And laid their hand on their mouth;

¹⁰The voice of the nobles was hushed,

And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;

And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:

¹²Because I delivered the poor that cried,

The fatherless also, that had none to help him.

¹³The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;

And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:

My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind,

And feet was I to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the needy:

And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.

¹⁷And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous,

And plucked the prey out of his teeth.

¹⁸Then I said, I shall die in my nest,

And I shall multiply my days as the sand:

¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters,

And the dew lieth all night upon my branch;

²⁰My glory is fresh in me,

And my bow is renewed in my hand.

²¹Unto me men gave ear, and waited,

And kept silence for my counsel.

²²After my words they spake not again;

And my speech distilled upon them.

²³And they waited for me as for the rain;

And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

²⁴I smiled on them, when they had no confidence;

And the light of my countenance they cast not down.

²⁵I chose out their way, and sat as chief,

And dwelt as a king in the army,

As one that comforteth the mourners.

Job 30

30 ¹But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,

Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.

²Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me?

Men in whom ripe age is perished.

³They are gaunt with want and famine;

They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.

⁴They pluck salt-wort by the bushes;

And the roots of the broom are their food.

⁵They are driven forth from the midst of men;

They cry after them as after a thief;

⁶So that they dwell in frightful valleys,

In holes of the earth and of the rocks.

⁷Among the bushes they bray;

Under the nettles they are gathered together.

⁸They are children of fools, yea, children of base men;

They were scourged out of the land.

⁹And now I am become their song,

Yea, I am a byword unto them.

¹⁰They abhor me, they stand aloof from me,

And spare not to spit in my face.

¹¹For he hath loosed his cord, and afflicted me;

And they have cast off the bridle before me.

¹²Upon my right hand rise the rabble;

They thrust aside my feet,

And they cast up against me their ways of destruction.

¹³They mar my path,

They set forward my calamity,

Even men that have no helper.

¹⁴As through a wide breach they come:

In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.

¹⁵Terrors are turned upon me;

They chase mine honor as the wind;

And my welfare is passed away as a cloud.

¹⁶And now my soul is poured out within me;

Days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

¹⁷In the night season my bones are pierced in me,

And the pains that gnaw me take no rest.

¹⁸By God's great force is my garment disfigured;

It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

¹⁹He hath cast me into the mire,

And I am become like dust and ashes.

²⁰I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me:

I stand up, and thou gazest at me.

²¹Thou art turned to be cruel to me;

With the might of thy hand thou persecutest me.

²²Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride upon it;

And thou dissolvest me in the storm.

²³For I know that thou wilt bring me to death,

And to the house appointed for all living.

²⁴Howbeit doth not one stretch out the hand in his fall?

Or in his calamity therefore cry for help?

²⁵Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?

Was not my soul grieved for the needy?

²⁶When I looked for good, then evil came;

And when I waited for light, there came darkness.

²⁷My heart is troubled, and resteth not;

Days of affliction are come upon me.

²⁸I go mourning without the sun:

I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.

²⁹I am a brother to jackals,

And a companion to ostriches.

³⁰My skin is black, and falleth from me,

And my bones are burned with heat.

³¹Therefore is my harp turned to mourning,

And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

Job 31

31 ¹I made a covenant with mine eyes;

How then should I look upon a virgin?

²For what is the portion from God above,

And the heritage from the Almighty on high?

³Is it not calamity to the unrighteous,

And disaster to the workers of iniquity?

⁴Doth not he see my ways,

And number all my steps?

⁵If I have walked with falsehood,

And my foot hath hasted to deceit

⁶(Let me be weighed in an even balance,

That God may know mine integrity);

⁷If my step hath turned out of the way,

And my heart walked after mine eyes,

And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands:

⁸Then let me sow, and let another eat;

Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

⁹If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman,

And I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;

¹⁰Then let my wife grind unto another,

And let others bow down upon her.

¹¹For that were a heinous crime;

Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges:

¹²For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction,

And would root out all mine increase.

¹³If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant,

When they contended with me;

¹⁴What then shall I do when God riseth up?

And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

¹⁵Did not he that made me in the womb make him?

And did not one fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶If I have withheld the poor from their desire,

Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

¹⁷Or have eaten my morsel alone,

And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof

¹⁸(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,

And her have I guided from my mother's womb);

¹⁹If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,

Or that the needy had no covering;

²⁰If his loins have not blessed me,

And if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,

Because I saw my help in the gate:

²²Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade,

And mine arm be broken from the bone.

²³For calamity from God is a terror to me,

And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing.

²⁴If I have made gold my hope,

And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had gotten much;

²⁶If I have beheld the sun when it shined,

Or the moon walking in brightness,

²⁷And my heart hath been secretly enticed,

And my mouth hath kissed my hand:

²⁸This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges;

For I should have denied the God that is above.

²⁹If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,

Or lifted up myself when evil found him;

³⁰(Yea, I have not suffered by mouth to sin

By asking his life with a curse);

³¹If the men of my tent have not said,

Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat?

³²(The sojourner hath not lodged in the street;

But I have opened my doors to the traveller);

³³If like Adam I have covered my transgressions,

By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom,

³⁴Because I feared the great multitude,

And the contempt of families terrified me,

So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door-

³⁵Oh that I had one to hear me!

(Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me);

And that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written!

³⁶Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder;

I would bind it unto me as a crown:

³⁷I would declare unto him the number of my steps;

As a prince would I go near unto him.

³⁸If my land crieth out against me,

And the furrows thereof weep together;

³⁹If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,

Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

⁴⁰Let thistles grow instead of wheat,

And cockle instead of barley.

The words of Job are ended.

Job 32

32 ¹So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. ²Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. ³Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. ⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he. ⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.

⁶And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,

I am young, and ye are very old;

Wherefore I held back, and durst not show you mine opinion.

⁷I said, Days should speak,

And multitude of years should teach wisdom.

⁸But there is a spirit in man,

And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

⁹It is not the great that are wise,

Nor the aged that understand justice.

¹⁰Therefore I said, Hearken to me;

I also will show mine opinion.

¹¹Behold, I waited for your words,

I listened for your reasonings,

Whilst ye searched out what to say.

¹²Yea, I attended unto you,

And, behold, there was none that convinced Job,

Or that answered his words, among you.

¹³Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom;

God may vanquish him, not man:

¹⁴For he hath not directed his words against me;

Neither will I answer him with your speeches.

¹⁵They are amazed, they answer no more:

They have not a word to say.

¹⁶And shall I wait, because they speak not,

Because they stand still, and answer no more?

¹⁷I also will answer my part,

I also will show mine opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words;

The spirit within me constraineth me.

¹⁹Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent;

Like new wine-skins it is ready to burst.

²⁰I will speak, that I may be refreshed;

I will open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me not, I pray you, respect any man's person;

Neither will I give flattering titles unto any man.

²²For I know not to give flattering titles;

Else would my Maker soon take me away.

Job 33

33 ¹Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,

And hearken to all my words.

²Behold now, I have opened my mouth;

My tongue hath spoken in my mouth.

³My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;

And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.

⁴The Spirit of God hath made me,

And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.

⁵If thou canst, answer thou me;

Set thy words in order before me, stand forth.

⁶Behold, I am toward God even as thou art:

I also am formed out of the clay.

⁷Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,

Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee.

⁸Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,

And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,

⁹I am clean, without transgression;

I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:

¹⁰Behold, he findeth occasions against me,

He counteth me for his enemy:

¹¹He putteth my feet in the stocks,

He marketh all my paths.

¹²Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;

For God is greater than man.

¹³Why dost thou strive against him,

For that he giveth not account of any of his matters?

¹⁴For God speaketh once,

Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.

¹⁵In a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falleth upon men,

In slumberings upon the bed;

¹⁶Then he openeth the ears of men,

And sealeth their instruction,

¹⁷That he may withdraw man from his purpose,

And hide pride from man;

¹⁸He keepeth back his soul from the pit,

And his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,

And with continual strife in his bones;

²⁰So that his life abhorreth bread,

And his soul dainty food.

²¹His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;

And his bones that were not seen stick out.

²²Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,

And his life to the destroyers.

²³If there be with him an angel,

An interpreter, one among a thousand,

To show unto man what is right for him;

²⁴Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,

Deliver him from going down to the pit,

I have found a ransom.

²⁵His flesh shall be fresher than a child's;

He returneth to the days of his youth.

²⁶He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him,

So that he seeth his face with joy:

And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.

²⁷He singeth before men, and saith,

I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,

And it profited me not:

²⁸He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,

And my life shall behold the light.

²⁹Lo, all these things doth God work,

Twice, yea thrice, with a man,

³⁰To bring back his soul from the pit,

That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

³¹Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:

Hold thy peace, and I will speak.

³²If thou hast anything to say, answer me:

Speak, for I desire to justify thee.

³³If not, hearken thou unto me:

Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.

Job 34

34 ¹Moreover Elihu answered and said,

²Hear my words, ye wise men;

And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.

³For the ear trieth words,

As the palate tasteth food.

⁴Let us choose for us that which is right:

Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job hath said, I am righteous,

And God hath taken away my right:

⁶Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar;

My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.

⁷What man is like Job,

Who drinketh up scoffing like water,

⁸Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,

And walketh with wicked men?

⁹For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing

That he should delight himself with God.

¹⁰Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:

Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,

And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

¹¹For the work of a man will he render unto him,

And cause every man to find according to his ways.

¹²Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,

Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.

¹³Who gave him a charge over the earth?

Or who hath disposed the whole world?

¹⁴If he set his heart upon himself,

If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;

¹⁵All flesh shall perish together,

And man shall turn again unto dust.

¹⁶If now thou hast understanding, hear this:

Hearken to the voice of my words.

¹⁷Shall even one that hateth justice govern?

And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?-

¹⁸Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,

Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;

¹⁹That respecteth not the persons of princes,

Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor;

For they all are the work of his hands.

²⁰In a moment they die, even at midnight;

The people are shaken and pass away,

And the mighty are taken away without hand.

²¹For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,

And he seeth all his goings.

²²There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,

Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

²³For he needeth not further to consider a man,

That he should go before God in judgment.

²⁴He breaketh in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out,

And setteth others in their stead.

²⁵Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works;

And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.

²⁶He striketh them as wicked men

In the open sight of others;

²⁷Because they turned aside from following him,

And would not have regard in any of his ways:

²⁸So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him,

And he heard the cry of the afflicted.

²⁹When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn?

And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?

Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man:

³⁰That the godless man reign not,

That there be none to ensnare the people.

³¹For hath any said unto God,

I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

³²That which I see not teach thou me:

If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?

³³Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it?

For thou must choose, and not I:

Therefore speak what thou knowest.

³⁴Men of understanding will say unto me,

Yea, every wise man that heareth me:

³⁵Job speaketh without knowledge,

And his words are without wisdom.

³⁶Would that Job were tried unto the end,

Because of his answering like wicked men.

³⁷For he addeth rebellion unto his sin;

He clappeth his hands among us,

And multiplieth his words against God.

Job 35

35 ¹Moreover Elihu answered and said,

²Thinkest thou this to be thy right,

Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God's,

³That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?

And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?

⁴I will answer thee,

And thy companions with thee.

⁵Look unto the heavens, and see;

And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.

⁶If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him?

And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

⁷If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?

Or what receiveth he of thy hand?

⁸Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;

And thy righteousness may profit a son of man.

⁹By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;

They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰But none saith, Where is God my Maker,

Who giveth songs in the night,

¹¹Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth,

And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?

¹²There they cry, but none giveth answer,

Because of the pride of evil men.

¹³Surely God will not hear an empty cry,

Neither will the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not,

The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!

¹⁵But now, because he hath not visited in his anger,

Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;

¹⁶Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;

He multiplieth words without knowledge.

Job 36

36 ¹Elihu also proceeded, and said,

²Suffer me a little, and I will show thee;

For I have yet somewhat to say on God's behalf.

³I will fetch my knowledge from afar,

And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

⁴For truly my words are not false:

One that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.

⁵Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:

He is mighty in strength of understanding.

⁶He preserveth not the life of the wicked,

But giveth to the afflicted their right.

⁷He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:

But with kings upon the throne

He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.

⁸And if they be bound in fetters,

And be taken in the cords of afflictions;

⁹Then he showeth them their work,

And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.

¹⁰He openeth also their ear to instruction,

And commandeth that they return from iniquity.

¹¹If they hearken and serve him,

They shall spend their days in prosperity,

And their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword,

And they shall die without knowledge.

¹³But they that are godless in heart lay up anger:

They cry not for help when he bindeth them.

¹⁴They die in youth,

And their life perisheth among the unclean.

¹⁵He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction,

And openeth their ear in oppression.

¹⁶Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress

Into a broad place, where there is no straitness;

And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness.

¹⁷But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked:

Judgment and justice take hold on thee.

¹⁸For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements;

Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside.

¹⁹Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress,

Or all the forces of thy strength?

²⁰Desire not the night,

When peoples are cut off in their place.

²¹Take heed, regard not iniquity:

For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.

²²Behold, God doeth loftily in his power:

Who is a teacher like unto him?

²³Who hath enjoined him his way?

Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?

²⁴Remember that thou magnify his work,

Whereof men have sung.

²⁵All men have looked thereon;

Man beholdeth it afar off.

²⁶Behold, God is great, and we know him not;

The number of his years is unsearchable.

²⁷For he draweth up the drops of water,

Which distil in rain from his vapor,

²⁸Which the skies pour down

And drop upon man abundantly.

²⁹Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,

The thunderings of his pavilion?

³⁰Behold, he spreadeth his light around him;

And he covereth the bottom of the sea.

³¹For by these he judgeth the peoples;

He giveth food in abundance.

³²He covereth his hands with the lightning,

And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark.

³³The noise thereof telleth concerning him,

The cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up.

Job 37

37 ¹Yea, at this my heart trembleth,

And is moved out of its place.

²Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,

And the sound that goeth out of his mouth.

³He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven,

And his lightening unto the ends of the earth.

⁴After it a voice roareth;

He thundereth with the voice of his majesty;

And he restraineth not the lightnings when his voice is heard.

⁵God thundereth marvellously with his voice;

Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

⁶For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth;

Likewise to the shower of rain,

And to the showers of his mighty rain.

⁷He sealeth up the hand of every man,

That all men whom he hath made may know it.

⁸Then the beasts go into coverts,

And remain in their dens.

⁹Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm,

And cold out of the north.

¹⁰By the breath of God ice is given;

And the breadth of the waters is straitened.

¹¹Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture;

He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his lightning:

¹²And it is turned round about by his guidance,

That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them

Upon the face of the habitable world,

¹³Whether it be for correction, or for his land,

Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come.

¹⁴Hearken unto this, O Job:

Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

¹⁵Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them,

And causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine?

¹⁶Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds,

The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷How thy garments are warm,

When the earth is still by reason of the south wind?

¹⁸Canst thou with him spread out the sky,

Which is strong as a molten mirror?

¹⁹Teach us what we shall say unto him;

For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness.

²⁰Shall it be told him that I would speak?

Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?

²¹And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies;

But the wind passeth, and cleareth them.

²²Out of the north cometh golden splendor:

God hath upon him terrible majesty.

²³Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out

He is excellent in power;

And in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict.

²⁴Men do therefore fear him:

He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.

Job 38

38 ¹Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

²Who is this that darkeneth counsel

By words without knowledge?

³Gird up now thy loins like a man;

For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁴Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Declare, if thou hast understanding.

⁵Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest?

Or who stretched the line upon it?

⁶Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened?

Or who laid the corner-stone thereof,

⁷When the morning stars sang together,

And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸Or who shut up the sea with doors,

When it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb;

⁹When I made clouds the garment thereof,

And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,

¹⁰And marked out for it my bound,

And set bars and doors,

¹¹And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;

And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

¹²Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,

And caused the dayspring to know its place;

¹³That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,

And the wicked be shaken out of it?

¹⁴It is changed as clay under the seal;

And all things stand forth as a garment:

¹⁵And from the wicked their light is withholden,

And the high arm is broken.

¹⁶Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?

Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?

¹⁷Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?

Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?

¹⁸Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth?

Declare, if thou knowest it all.

¹⁹Where is the way to the dwelling of light?

And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

²⁰That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,

And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?

²¹Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born,

And the number of thy days is great!

²²Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,

Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

²³Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,

Against the day of battle and war?

²⁴By what way is the light parted,

Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?

²⁵Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood,

Or the way for the lightning of the thunder;

²⁶To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;

On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

²⁷To satisfy the waste and desolate ground,

And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?

²⁸Hath the rain a father?

Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

²⁹Out of whose womb came the ice?

And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

³⁰The waters hide themselves and become like stone,

And the face of the deep is frozen.

³¹Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades,

Or loose the bands of Orion?

³²Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season?

Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train?

³³Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?

Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?

³⁴Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,

That abundance of waters may cover thee?

³⁵Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go,

And say unto thee, Here we are?

³⁶Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?

Or who hath given understanding to the mind?

³⁷Who can number the clouds by wisdom?

Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

³⁸When the dust runneth into a mass,

And the clods cleave fast together?

³⁹Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness,

Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

⁴⁰When they couch in their dens,

And abide in the covert to lie in wait?

⁴¹Who provideth for the raven his prey,

When his young ones cry unto God,

And wander for lack of food?

Job 39

39 ¹Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?

Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?

²Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?

Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

³They bow themselves, they bring forth their young,

They cast out their pains.

⁴Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field;

They go forth, and return not again.

⁵Who hath sent out the wild ass free?

Or who hath loosed the bonds of the swift ass,

⁶Whose home I have made the wilderness,

And the salt land his dwelling-place?

⁷He scorneth the tumult of the city,

Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.

⁸The range of the mountains is his pasture,

And he searcheth after every green thing.

⁹Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?

Or will he abide by thy crib?

¹⁰Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?

Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

¹¹Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?

Or wilt thou leave to him thy labor?

¹²Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,

And gather the grain of thy threshing-floor?

¹³The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;

But are they the pinions and plumage of love?

¹⁴For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,

And warmeth them in the dust,

¹⁵And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,

Or that the wild beast may trample them.

¹⁶She dealeth hardly with her young ones, as if they were not hers:

Though her labor be in vain, she is without fear;

¹⁷Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,

Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

¹⁸What time she lifteth up herself on high,

She scorneth the horse and his rider.

¹⁹Hast thou given the horse his might?

Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?

²⁰Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?

The glory of his snorting is terrible.

²¹He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:

He goeth out to meet the armed men.

²²He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;

Neither turneth he back from the sword.

²³The quiver rattleth against him,

The flashing spear and the javelin.

²⁴He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;

Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet.

²⁵As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha!

And he smelleth the battle afar off,

The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

²⁶Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth,

(And) stretcheth her wings toward the south?

²⁷Is it at thy command that the eagle mounteth up,

And maketh her nest on high?

²⁸On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home,

Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.

²⁹From thence she spieth out the prey;

Her eyes behold it afar off.

³⁰Her young ones also suck up blood:

And where the slain are, there is she.

Job 40

40 ¹Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and said,

²Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty?

He that argueth with God, let him answer it.

³Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,

⁴Behold, I am of small account; What shall I answer thee?

I lay my hand upon my mouth.

⁵Once have I spoken, and I will not answer;

Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.

⁶Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

⁷Gird up thy loins now like a man:

I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁸Wilt thou even annul my judgment?

Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified?

⁹Or hast thou an arm like God?

And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

¹⁰Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity;

And array thyself with honor and majesty.

¹¹Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger;

And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him.

¹²Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low;

And tread down the wicked where they stand.

¹³Hide them in the dust together;

Bind their faces in the hidden place.

¹⁴Then will I also confess of thee

That thine own right hand can save thee.

¹⁵Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee;

He eateth grass as an ox.

¹⁶Lo now, his strength is in his loins,

And his force is in the muscles of his belly.

¹⁷He moveth his tail like a cedar:

The sinews of his thighs are knit together.

¹⁸His bones are as tubes of brass;

His limbs are like bars of iron.

¹⁹He is the chief of the ways of God:

He only that made him giveth him his sword.

²⁰Surely the mountains bring him forth food,

Where all the beasts of the field do play.

²¹He lieth under the lotus-trees,

In the covert of the reed, and the fen.

²²The lotus-trees cover him with their shade;

The willows of the brook compass him about.

²³Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not;

He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.

²⁴Shall any take him when he is on the watch,

Or pierce through his nose with a snare?

Job 41

41 ¹Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook?

Or press down his tongue with a cord?

²Canst thou put a rope into his nose?

Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?

³Will he make many supplications unto thee?

Or will he speak soft words unto thee?

⁴Will he make a covenant with thee,

That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever?

⁵Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?

Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

⁶Will the bands of fishermen make traffic of him?

Will they part him among the merchants?

⁷Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons,

Or his head with fish-spears?

⁸Lay thy hand upon him;

Remember the battle, and do so no more.

⁹Behold, the hope of him is in vain:

Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

¹⁰None is so fierce that he dare stir him up;

Who then is he that can stand before me?

¹¹Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him?

Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

¹²I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,

Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.

¹³Who can strip off his outer garment?

Who shall come within his jaws?

¹⁴Who can open the doors of his face?

Round about his teeth is terror.

¹⁵His strong scales are his pride,

Shut up together as with a close seal.

¹⁶One is so near to another,

That no air can come between them.

¹⁷They are joined one to another;

They stick together, so that they cannot be sundered.

¹⁸His sneezings flash forth light,

And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

¹⁹Out of his mouth go burning torches,

And sparks of fire leap forth.

²⁰Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth,

As of a boiling pot and burning rushes.

²¹His breath kindleth coals,

And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.

²²In his neck abideth strength,

And terror danceth before him.

²³The flakes of his flesh are joined together:

They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.

²⁴His heart is as firm as a stone;

Yea, firm as the nether millstone.

²⁵When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid:

By reason of consternation they are beside themselves.

²⁶If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail;

Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.

²⁷He counteth iron as straw,

And brass as rotten wood.

²⁸The arrow cannot make him flee:

Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble.

²⁹Clubs are counted as stubble:

He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.

³⁰His underparts are like sharp potsherds:

He spreadeth as it were a threshing-wain upon the mire.

³¹He maketh the deep to boil like a pot:

He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

³²He maketh a path to shine after him;

One would think the deep to be hoary.

³³Upon earth there is not his like,

That is made without fear.

³⁴He beholdeth everything that is high:

He is king over all the sons of pride.

Job 42

42 ¹Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,

²I know that thou canst do all things,

And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.

³Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?

Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not,

Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

⁴Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak;

I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁵I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear;

But now mine eye seeth thee:

⁶Wherefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes.

⁷And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. ⁸Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. ⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as Jehovah commanded them: and Jehovah accepted Job.

¹⁰And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before. ¹¹Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one a ring of gold. ¹²So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: And he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. ¹³He had also seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴And he called the name of the first, Jemimah: and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch. ¹⁵And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. ¹⁶And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. ¹⁷So Job died, being old and full of days.

The Book of Psalms

Book I

Psalm 1

1 ¹Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor standeth in the way of sinners,

Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers:

²But his delight is in the law of Jehovah;

And on his law doth he meditate day and night.

³And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,

That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also doth not wither;

And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

⁴The wicked are not so,

But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

⁵Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶For Jehovah knoweth the way of the righteous;

But the way of the wicked shall perish.

Psalm 2

2 ¹Why do the nations rage,

And the peoples meditate a vain thing?

²The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, saying,

³Let us break their bonds asunder,

And cast away their cords from us.

⁴He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh:

The Lord will have them in derision.

⁵Then will he speak unto them in his wrath,

And vex them in his sore displeasure:

⁶Yet I have set my king

Upon my holy hill of Zion.

⁷I will tell of the decree:

Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son;

This day have I begotten thee.

⁸Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance,

And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

⁹Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;

Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

¹⁰Now therefore be wise, O ye kings:

Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve Jehovah with fear,

And rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way,

For his wrath will soon be kindled.

Blessed are all they that take refuge in him.

Psalm 3

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

3 ¹Jehovah, how are mine adversaries increased!

Many are they that rise up against me.

²Many there are that say of my soul,

There is no help for him in God.

Selah

³But thou, O Jehovah, art a shield about me;

My glory and the lifter up of my head.

⁴I cry unto Jehovah with my voice,

And he answereth me out of his holy hill.

Selah

⁵I laid me down and slept;

I awaked; for Jehovah sustaineth me.

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of the people

That have set themselves against me round about.

⁷Arise, O Jehovah; save me, O my God:

For thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone;

Thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongeth unto Jehovah:

Thy blessing be upon thy people.

Selah

Psalm 4

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

4 ¹Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness;

Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress:

Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

²O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor?

How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood?

Selah

³But know that Jehovah hath set apart for himself him that is godly:

Jehovah will hear when I call unto him.

⁴Stand in awe, and sin not:

Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

Selah

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And put your trust in Jehovah.

⁶Many there are that say, Who will show us any good?

Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

⁷Thou hast put gladness in my heart,

More than they have when their grain and their new wine are increased.

⁸In peace will I both lay me down and sleep;

For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety.

Psalm 5

For the Chief Musician; with the Nehiloth. A Psalm of David.

5 ¹Give ear to my words, O Jehovah,

Consider my meditation.

²Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God;

For unto thee do I pray.

³O Jehovah, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice;

In the morning will I order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch.

⁴For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness:

Evil shall not sojourn with thee.

⁵The arrogant shall not stand in thy sight:

Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

⁶Thou wilt destroy them that speak lies:

Jehovah abhorreth the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But as for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house:

In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

⁸Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies;

Make thy way straight before my face.

⁹For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;

Their inward part is very wickedness;

Their throat is an open sepulchre;

They flatter with their tongue.

¹⁰Hold them guilty, O God;

Let them fall by their own counsels;

Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions;

For they have rebelled against thee.

¹¹But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice,

Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:

Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

¹²For thou wilt bless the righteous;

O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 6

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, set to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

6 ¹O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thine anger,

Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

²Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah; for I am withered away:

O Jehovah, heal me; for my bones are troubled.

³My soul also is sore troubled:

And thou, O Jehovah, how long?

⁴Return, O Jehovah, deliver my soul:

Save me for thy lovingkindness' sake.

⁵For in death there is no remembrance of thee:

In Sheol who shall give thee thanks?

⁶I am weary with my groaning;

Every night make I my bed to swim;

I water my couch with my tears.

⁷Mine eye wasteth away because of grief;

It waxeth old because of all mine adversaries.

⁸Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity;

For Jehovah hath heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹Jehovah hath heard my supplication;

Jehovah will receive my prayer.

¹⁰All mine enemies shall be put to shame and sore troubled:

They shall turn back, they shall be put to shame suddenly.

Psalm 7

Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto Jehova, concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite.

7 ¹O Jehovah my God, in thee do I take refuge:

Save me from all them that pursue me, and deliver me,

²Lest they tear my soul like a lion,

Rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

³O Jehovah my God, if I have done this;

If there be iniquity in my hands;

⁴If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me;

(Yea, I have delivered him that without cause was mine adversary;)

⁵Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it;

Yea, let him tread my life down to the earth,

And lay my glory in the dust.

Selah

⁶Arise, O Jehovah, in thine anger;

Lift up thyself against the rage of mine adversaries,

And awake for me; thou hast commanded judgment.

⁷And let the congregation of the peoples compass thee about;

And over them return thou on high.

⁸Jehovah ministereth judgment to the peoples:

Judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness, and to mine integrity that is in me.

⁹O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the righteous:

For the righteous God trieth the minds and hearts.

¹⁰My shield is with God,

Who saveth the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judge,

Yea, a God that hath indignation every day.

¹²If a man turn not, he will whet his sword;

He hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

¹³He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death;

He maketh his arrows fiery shafts.

¹⁴Behold, he travaileth with iniquity;

Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

¹⁵He hath made a pit, and digged it,

And is fallen into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶His mischief shall return upon his own head,

And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.

¹⁷I will give thanks unto Jehovah according to his righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of Jehovah Most High.

Psalm 8

For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

8 ¹O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth,

Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens!

²Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength,

Because of thine adversaries,

That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

⁵For thou hast made him but little lower than ^aGod,

And crownest him with glory and honor.

⁶Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;

Thou hast put all things under his feet:

⁷All sheep and oxen,

Yea, and the beasts of the field,

⁸The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

⁹O Jehovah, our Lord,

How excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Psalm 9

For the Chief Musician; set to Muthlabben. A Psalm of David.

9 ¹I will give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole heart;

I will show forth all thy marvellous works.

²I will be glad and exult in thee;

I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.

³When mine enemies turn back,

They stumble and perish at thy presence.

⁴For thou hast maintained my right and my cause;

Thou sittest in the throne judging righteously.

⁵Thou hast rebuked the nations, thou hast destroyed the wicked;

Thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever.

⁶The enemy are come to an end, they are desolate for ever;

And the cities which thou hast overthrown,

The very remembrance of them is perished.

⁷But Jehovah sitteth as king for ever:

He hath prepared his throne for judgment;

⁸And he will judge the world in righteousness,

He will minister judgment to the peoples in uprightness.

⁹Jehovah also will be a high tower for the oppressed,

A high tower in times of trouble;

¹⁰And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee;

For thou, Jehovah, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

¹¹Sing praises to Jehovah, who dwelleth in Zion:

Declare among the people his doings.

¹²For he that maketh inquisition for blood remembereth them;

He forgetteth not the cry of the poor.

¹³Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah;

Behold my affliction which I suffer of them that hate me,

Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death;

¹⁴That I may show forth all thy praise.

In the gates of the daughter of Zion

I will rejoice in thy salvation.

¹⁵The nations are sunk down in the pit that they made:

In the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

¹⁶Jehovah hath made himself known, he hath executed judgment:

The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Higgaion. Selah

¹⁷The wicked shall be turned back unto Sheol,

Even all the nations that forget God.

¹⁸For the needy shall not alway be forgotten,

Nor the expectation of the poor perish for ever.

¹⁹Arise, O Jehovah; let not man prevail:

Let the nations be judged in thy sight.

²⁰Put them in fear, O Jehovah:

Let the nations know themselves to be but men.

Selah

Psalm 10

10 ¹Why standest thou afar off, O Jehovah?

Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

²In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued;

Let them be taken in the devices that they have conceived.

³For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,

And the covetous renounceth, yea, contemneth Jehovah.

⁴The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, saith, He will not require it.

All his thoughts are, There is no God.

⁵His ways are firm at all times;

Thy judgments are far above out of his sight:

As for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.

⁶He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved;

To all generations I shall not be in adversity.

⁷His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression:

Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

⁸He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages;

In the secret places doth he murder the innocent;

His eyes are privily set against the helpless.

⁹He lurketh in secret as a lion in his covert;

He lieth in wait to catch the poor:

He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net.

¹⁰He croucheth, he boweth down,

And the helpless fall by his strong ones.

¹¹He saith in his heart, God hath forgotten;

He hideth his face; he will never see it.

¹²Arise, O Jehovah; O God, lift up thy hand:

Forget not the poor.

¹³Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God,

And say in his heart, Thou wilt not require it?

¹⁴Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand:

The helpless committeth himself unto thee;

Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break thou the arm of the wicked;

And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

¹⁶Jehovah is King for ever and ever:

The nations are perished out of his land.

¹⁷Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek:

Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear;

¹⁸To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,

That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.

Psalm 11

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

11 ¹In Jehovah do I take refuge:

How say ye to my soul,

Flee as a bird to your mountain;

²For, lo, the wicked bend the bow,

They make ready their arrow upon the string,

That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart;

³If the foundations be destroyed,

What can the righteous do?

⁴Jehovah is in his holy temple;

Jehovah, his throne is in heaven;

His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

⁵Jehovah trieth the righteous;

But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

⁶Upon the wicked he will rain snares;

Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

⁷For Jehovah is righteous; he loveth righteousness:

The upright shall behold his face.

Psalm 12

For the Chief Musician; set to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

12 ¹Help, Jehovah; for the godly man ceaseth;

For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

²They speak falsehood every one with his neighbor:

With flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.

³Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips,

The tongue that speaketh great things;

⁴Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;

Our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

⁵Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy,

Now will I arise, saith Jehovah;

I will set him in the safety he panteth for.

⁶The words of Jehovah are pure words;

As silver tried in a furnace on the earth,

Purified seven times.

⁷Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah,

Thou wilt preserve them from this generation for ever.

⁸The wicked walk on every side,

When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalm 13

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 ¹How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou forget me for ever?

How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

²How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider and answer me, O Jehovah my God:

Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

⁴Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him;

Lest mine adversaries rejoice when I am moved.

⁵But I have trusted in thy lovingkindness;

My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

⁶I will sing unto Jehovah,

Because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 14

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

14 ¹The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

They are corrupt, they have done abominable works;

There is none that doeth good.

²Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there were any that did understand,

That did seek after God.

³They are all gone aside; they are together become filthy;

There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

⁴Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

Who eat up my people as they eat bread,

And call not upon Jehovah?

⁵There were they in great fear;

For God is in the generation of the righteous.

⁶Ye put to shame the counsel of the poor,

Because Jehovah is his refuge.

⁷Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!

When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people,

Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 15

A Psalm of David.

15 ¹Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle?

Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

²He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,

And speaketh truth in his heart;

³He that slandereth not with his tongue,

Nor doeth evil to his friend,

Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor;

⁴In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,

But who honoreth them that fear Jehovah;

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;

⁵He that putteth not out his money to interest,

Nor taketh reward against the innocent.

He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 16

Michtam of David.

16 ¹Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I take refuge.

²O my soul, thou hast said unto Jehovah, Thou art my Lord:

I have no good beyond thee.

³As for the saints that are in the earth,

They are the excellent in whom is all my delight.

⁴Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give gifts for another god:

Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer,

Nor take their names upon my lips.

⁵Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:

Thou maintainest my lot.

⁶The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;

Yea, I have a goodly heritage.

⁷I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel;

Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.

⁸I have set Jehovah always before me:

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;

My flesh also shall dwell in safety.

¹⁰For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;

Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.

¹¹Thou wilt show me the path of life:

In thy presence is fulness of joy;

In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 17

A Prayer of David.

17 ¹Hear the right, O Jehovah, attend unto my cry;

Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

²Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;

Let thine eyes look upon equity.

³Thou hast proved my heart; thou hast visited me in the night;

Thou hast tried me, and findest nothing;

I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

⁴As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips

I have kept me from the ways of the violent.

⁵My steps have held fast to thy paths,

My feet have not slipped.

⁶I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God:

Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

⁷Show thy marvellous lovingkindness,

O thou that savest by thy right hand them that take refuge in thee

From those that rise up against them.

⁸Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

⁹From the wicked that oppress me,

My deadly enemies, that compass me about.

¹⁰They are inclosed in their own fat:

With their mouth they speak proudly.

¹¹They have now compassed us in our steps;

They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.

¹²He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey,

And as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

¹³Arise, O Jehovah,

Confront him, cast him down:

Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword;

¹⁴From men by thy hand, O Jehovah,

From men of the world, whose portion is in this life,

And whose belly thou fillest with thy treasure:

They are satisfied with children,

And leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

¹⁵As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness;

I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with beholding thy form.

Psalm 18

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said,

18 ¹I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

²Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

³I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:

So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

⁴The cords of death compassed me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The cords of Sheol were round about me;

The snares of death came upon me.

⁶In my distress I called upon Jehovah,

And cried unto my God:

He heard my voice out of his temple,

And my cry before him came into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations also of the mountains quaked

And were shaken, because he was wroth.

⁸There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,

And fire out of his mouth devoured:

Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down;

And thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;

Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him,

Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹²At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,

And the Most High uttered his voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;

Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.

¹⁵Then the channels of waters appeared,

And the foundations of the world were laid bare,

At thy rebuke, O Jehovah,

At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from on high, he took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy,

And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁸They came upon me in the day of my calamity;

But Jehovah was my stay.

¹⁹He brought me forth also into a large place;

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all his ordinances were before me,

And I put not away his statutes from me.

²³I was also perfect with him,

And I kept myself from mine iniquity.

²⁴Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

²⁵With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;

With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;

²⁶With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;

And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.

²⁷For thou wilt save the afflicted people;

But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.

²⁸For thou wilt light my lamp:

Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.

²⁹For by thee I run upon a troop;

And by my God do I leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect:

The word of Jehovah is tried;

He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God, save Jehovah?

And who is a rock, besides our God,

³²The God that girdeth me with strength,

And maketh my way perfect?

³³He maketh my feet like hinds' feet:

And setteth me upon my high places.

³⁴He teacheth my hands to war;

So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

³⁵Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;

And thy right hand hath holden me up,

And thy gentleness hath made me great.

³⁶Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,

And my feet have not slipped.

³⁷I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them;

Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.

³⁸I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise:

They shall fall under my feet.

³⁹For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:

Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

⁴⁰Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,

That I might cut off them that hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to save;

Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.

⁴²Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind;

I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

⁴³Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people;

Thou hast made me the head of the nations:

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me;

The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me.

⁴⁵The foreigners shall fade away,

And shall come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁶Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock;

And exalted be the God of my salvation,

⁴⁷Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,

And subdueth peoples under me.

⁴⁸He rescueth me from mine enemies;

Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;

Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,

And will sing praises unto thy name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance giveth he to his king,

And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,

To David and to his seed, for evermore.

Psalm 19

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

19 ¹The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament showeth his handiwork.

²Day unto day uttereth speech,

And night unto night showeth knowledge.

³There is no speech nor language;

Their voice is not heard.

⁴Their line is gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.

⁶His going forth is from the end of the heavens,

And his circuit unto the ends of it;

And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

⁷The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul:

The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart:

The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹The fear of Jehovah is clean, enduring for ever:

The ordinances of Jehovah are true, and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover by them is thy servant warned:

In keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his errors?

Clear thou me from hidden faults.

¹³Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me:

Then shall I be upright,

And I shall be clear from great transgression.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in thy sight,

O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer.

Psalm 20

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

20 ¹Jehovah answer thee in the day of trouble;

The name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;

²Send thee help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen thee out of Zion;

³Remember all thy offerings,

And accept thy burnt-sacrifice;

Selah

⁴Grant thee thy heart's desire,

And fulfil all thy counsel.

⁵We will triumph in thy salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners:

Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions.

⁶Now know I that Jehovah saveth his anointed;

He will answer him from his holy heaven

With the saving strength of his right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will make mention of the name of Jehovah our God.

⁸They are bowed down and fallen;

But we are risen, and stand upright.

⁹Save, Jehovah:

Let the King answer us when we call.

Psalm 21

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

21 ¹The king shall joy in thy strength, O Jehovah;

And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

²Thou hast given him his heart's desire,

And hast not withholden the request of his lips.

Selah

³For thou meetest him with the blessings of goodness:

Thou settest a crown of fine gold on his head.

⁴He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him,

Even length of days for ever and ever.

⁵His glory is great in thy salvation:

Honor and majesty dost thou lay upon him.

⁶For thou makest him most blessed for ever:

Thou makest him glad with joy in thy presence.

⁷For the king trusteth in Jehovah;

And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he shall not be moved.

⁸Thy hand will find out all thine enemies;

Thy right hand will find out those that hate thee.

⁹Thou wilt make them as a fiery furnace in the time of thine anger:

Jehovah will swallow them up in his wrath,

And the fire shall devour them.

¹⁰Their fruit wilt thou destroy from the earth,

And their seed from among the children of men.

¹¹For they intended evil against thee;

They conceived a device which they are not able to perform.

¹²For thou wilt make them turn their back;

Thou wilt make ready with thy bowstrings against their face.

¹³Be thou exalted, O Jehovah, in thy strength:

So will we sing and praise thy power.

Psalm 22

For the Chief Musician; set to ^aAijaleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David.

22 ¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

²O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

³But thou art holy,

O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

⁴Our fathers trusted in thee:

They trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵They cried unto thee, and were delivered:

They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame.

⁶But I am a worm, and no man;

A reproach of men, and despised of the people.

⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn:

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸Commit thyself unto Jehovah;

Let him deliver him:

Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him.

⁹But thou art he that took me out of the womb;

Thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts.

¹⁰I was cast upon thee from the womb;

Thou art my God since my mother bare me.

¹¹Be not far from me; for trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

¹²Many bulls have compassed me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

¹³They gape upon me with their mouth,

As a ravening and a roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint:

My heart is like wax;

It is melted within me.

¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd;

And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;

And thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

¹⁶For dogs have compassed me:

A company of evil-doers have inclosed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷I may count all my bones;

They look and stare upon me.

¹⁸They part my garments among them,

And upon my vesture do they cast lots.

¹⁹But be not thou far off, O Jehovah:

O thou my succor, haste thee to help me.

²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword,

My darling from the power of the dog.

²¹Save me from the lion's mouth;

Yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me.

²²I will declare thy name unto my brethren:

In the midst of the assembly will I praise thee.

²³Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him;

All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him;

And stand in awe of him, all ye the seed of Israel.

²⁴For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Neither hath he hid his face from him;

But when he cried unto him, he heard.

²⁵Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly:

I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

²⁶The meek shall eat and be satisfied;

They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him:

Let your heart live for ever.

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah;

And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

²⁸For the kingdom is Jehovah's;

And he is the ruler over the nations.

²⁹All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship:

All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him,

Even he that cannot keep his soul alive.

³⁰A seed shall serve him;

It shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation.

³¹They shall come and shall declare his righteousness

Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

23 ¹Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

He leadeth me beside still waters.

³He restoreth my soul:

He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou hast anointed my head with oil;

My cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever.

Psalm 24

A Psalm of David.

24 ¹The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof;

The world, and they that dwell therein.

²For he hath founded it upon the seas,

And established it upon the floods.

³Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

⁴He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;

Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood,

And hath not sworn deceitfully.

⁵He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah,

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

⁶This is the generation of them that seek after him,

That seek thy face, even Jacob.

Selah

⁷Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors:

And the King of glory will come in.

⁸Who is the King of glory?

Jehovah strong and mighty,

Jehovah mighty in battle.

⁹Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors:

And the King of glory will come in.

¹⁰Who is this King of glory?

Jehovah of hosts,

He is the King of glory.

Selah

Psalm 25

A Psalm of David.

25 ¹Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.

²O my God, in thee have I trusted,

Let me not be put to shame;

Let not mine enemies triumph over me.

³Yea, none that wait for thee shall be put to shame:

They shall be put to shame that deal treacherously without cause.

⁴Show me thy ways, O Jehovah;

Teach me thy paths.

⁵Guide me in thy truth, and teach me;

For thou art the God of my salvation;

For thee do I wait all the day.

⁶Remember, O Jehovah, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindness;

For they have been ever of old.

⁷Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:

According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me,

For thy goodness' sake, O Jehovah.

⁸Good and upright is Jehovah:

Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.

⁹The meek will he guide in justice;

And the meek will he teach his way.

¹⁰All the paths of Jehovah are lovingkindness and truth

Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For thy name's sake, O Jehovah,

Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.

¹²What man is he that feareth Jehovah?

Him shall he instruct in the way that he shall choose.

¹³His soul shall dwell at ease;

And his seed shall inherit the land.

¹⁴The friendship of Jehovah is with them that fear him;

And he will show them his covenant.

¹⁵Mine eyes are ever toward Jehovah;

For he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me;

For I am desolate and afflicted.

¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged:

Oh bring thou me out of my distresses.

¹⁸Consider mine affliction and my travail;

And forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Consider mine enemies, for they are many;

And they hate me with cruel hatred.

²⁰Oh keep my soul, and deliver me:

Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in thee.

²¹Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for thee.

²²Redeem Israel, O God,

Out all of his troubles.

Psalm 26

A Psalm of David.

26 ¹Judge me, O Jehovah, for I have walked in mine integrity:

I have trusted also in Jehovah without wavering.

²Examine me, O Jehovah, and prove me;

Try my heart and my mind.

³For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes;

And I have walked in thy truth.

⁴I have not sat with men of falsehood;

Neither will I go in with dissemblers.

⁵I hate the assembly of evil-doers,

And will not sit with the wicked.

⁶I will wash my hands in innocency:

So will I compass thine altar, O Jehovah;

⁷That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard,

And tell of all thy wondrous works.

⁸Jehovah, I love the habitation of thy house,

And the place where thy glory dwelleth.

⁹Gather not my soul with sinners,

Nor my life with men of blood;

¹⁰In whose hands is wickedness,

And their right hand is full of bribes.

¹¹But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity:

Redeem me, and be merciful unto me.

¹²My foot standeth in an even place:

In the congregations will I bless Jehovah.

Psalm 27

A Psalm of David.

27 ¹Jehovah is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

Jehovah is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh,

Even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.

³Though a host should encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear:

Though war should rise against me,

Even then will I be confident.

⁴One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after;

That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of Jehovah,

And to inquire in his temple.

⁵For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion:

In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me;

He will lift me up upon a rock.

⁶And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me.

And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;

I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah.

⁷Hear, O Jehovah, when I cry with my voice:

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face;

My heart said unto thee,

Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek.

⁹Hide not thy face from me;

Put not thy servant away in anger:

Thou hast been my help;

Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

¹⁰When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then Jehovah will take me up.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O Jehovah;

And lead me in a plain path,

Because of mine enemies.

¹²Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries:

For false witnesses are risen up against me,

And such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah

In the land of the living.

¹⁴Wait for Jehovah:

Be strong, and let thy heart take courage;

Yea, wait thou for Jehovah.

Psalm 28

A Psalm of David.

28 ¹Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call:

My rock, be not thou deaf unto me;

Lest, if thou be silent unto me,

I become like them that go down into the pit.

²Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee,

When I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

³Draw me not away with the wicked,

And with the workers of iniquity;

That speak peace with their neighbors,

But mischief is in their hearts.

⁴Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings:

Give them after the operation of their hands;

Render to them their desert.

⁵Because they regard not the works of Jehovah,

Nor the operation of his hands,

He will break them down and not build them up.

⁶Blessed be Jehovah,

Because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

⁷Jehovah is my strength and my shield;

My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped:

Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;

And with my song will I praise him.

⁸Jehovah is their strength,

And he is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.

⁹Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance:

Be their shepherd also, and bear them up for ever.

Psalm 29

A Psalm of David.

29 ¹Ascribe unto Jehovah, O ye sons of the mighty,

Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength.

²Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name;

Worship Jehovah in holy array.

³The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters:

The God of glory thundereth,

Even Jehovah upon many waters.

⁴The voice of Jehovah is powerful;

The voice of Jehovah is full of majesty.

⁵The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars;

Yea, Jehovah breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶He maketh them also to skip like a calf;

Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.

⁷The voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flames of fire.

⁸The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness;

Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve,

And strippeth the forests bare:

And in his temple everything saith, Glory.

¹⁰Jehovah sat as King at the Flood;

Yea, Jehovah sitteth as King for ever.

¹¹Jehovah will give strength unto his people;

Jehovah will bless his people with peace.

Psalm 30

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.

30 ¹I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast raised me up,

And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

²O Jehovah my God,

I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

³O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;

Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

⁴Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his,

And give thanks to his holy memorial name.

⁵For his anger is but for a moment;

His favor is for a life-time:

Weeping may tarry for the night,

But joy cometh in the morning.

⁶As for me, I said in my prosperity,

I shall never be moved.

⁷Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong:

Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled.

⁸I cried to thee, O Jehovah;

And unto Jehovah I made supplication:

⁹What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?

Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

¹⁰Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me:

Jehovah, be thou my helper.

¹¹Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;

Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

¹²To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.

O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Psalm 31

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

31 ¹In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge;

Let me never be put to shame:

Deliver me in thy righteousness.

²Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily:

Be thou to me a strong rock,

A house of defence to save me.

³For thou art my rock and my fortress;

Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.

⁴Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me;

For thou art my stronghold.

⁵Into thy hand I commend my spirit:

Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth.

⁶I hate them that regard lying vanities;

But I trust in Jehovah.

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in thy lovingkindness;

For thou hast seen my affliction:

Thou hast known my soul in adversities;

⁸And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;

Thou hast set my feet in a large place.

⁹Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress:

Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.

¹⁰For my life is spent with sorrow,

And my years with sighing:

My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,

And my bones are wasted away.

¹¹Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach,

Yea, unto my neighbors exceedingly,

And a fear to mine acquaintance:

They that did see me without fled from me.

¹²I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:

I am like a broken vessel.

¹³For I have heard the defaming of many,

Terror on every side:

While they took counsel together against me,

They devised to take away my life.

¹⁴But I trusted in thee, O Jehovah:

I said, Thou art my God.

¹⁵My times are in thy hand:

Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

¹⁶Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:

Save me in thy lovingkindness.

¹⁷Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; for I have called upon thee:

Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.

¹⁸Let the lying lips be dumb,

Which speak against the righteous insolently,

With pride and contempt.

¹⁹Oh how great is thy goodness,

Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,

Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee,

Before the sons of men!

²⁰In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man:

Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

²¹Blessed be Jehovah;

For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.

²²As for me, I said in my haste,

I am cut off from before thine eyes:

Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications

When I cried unto thee.

²³Oh love Jehovah, all ye his saints:

Jehovah preserveth the faithful,

And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.

²⁴Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

All ye that hope in Jehovah.

Psalm 32

A Psalm of David. Maschil.

32 ¹Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.

³When I kept silence, my bones wasted away

Through my groaning all the day long.

⁴For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:

My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer.

Selah

⁵I acknowledged my sin unto thee,

And mine iniquity did I not hide:

I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah;

And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Selah

⁶For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found:

Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him.

⁷Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble;

Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance.

Selah

⁸I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:

I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.

⁹Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding;

Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in,

Else they will not come near unto thee.

¹⁰Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;

But he that trusteth in Jehovah, lovingkindness shall compass him about.

¹¹Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous;

And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Psalm 33

33 ¹Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous:

Praise is comely for the upright.

²Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp:

Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.

³Sing unto him a new song;

Play skilfully with a loud noise.

⁴For the word of Jehovah is right;

And all his work is done in faithfulness.

⁵He loveth righteousness and justice:

The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Jehovah.

⁶By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made,

And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

⁷He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap:

He layeth up the deeps in store-houses.

⁸Let all the earth fear Jehovah:

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

⁹For he spake, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought;

He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.

¹¹The counsel of Jehovah standeth fast for ever,

The thoughts of his heart to all generations.

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah,

The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

¹³Jehovah looketh from heaven;

He beholdeth all the sons of men;

¹⁴From the place of his habitation he looketh forth

Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,

¹⁵He that fashioneth the hearts of them all,

That considereth all their works.

¹⁶There is no king saved by the multitude of a host:

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain thing for safety;

Neither doth he deliver any by his great power.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him,

Upon them that hope in his lovingkindness;

¹⁹To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul hath waited for Jehovah:

He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our heart shall rejoice in him,

Because we have trusted in his holy name.

²²Let thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, be upon us,

According as we have hoped in thee.

Psalm 34

A Psalm of David; when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

34 ¹I will bless Jehovah at all times:

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah:

The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.

³Oh magnify Jehovah with me,

And let us exalt his name together.

⁴I sought Jehovah, and he answered me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked unto him, and were radiant;

And their faces shall never be confounded.

⁶This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him,

And delivereth them. ⁸Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good:

Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.

⁹Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints;

For there is no want to them that fear him.

¹⁰The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger;

But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing.

¹¹Come, ye children, hearken unto me:

I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.

¹²What man is he that desireth life,

And loveth many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep thy tongue from evil,

And thy lips from speaking guile.

¹⁴Depart from evil, and do good;

Seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous,

And his ears are open unto their cry.

¹⁶The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard,

And delivered them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,

And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous;

But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all.

²⁰He keepeth all his bones:

Not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil shall slay the wicked;

And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.

²²Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants;

And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.

Psalm 35

A Psalm of David.

35 ¹Strive thou, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me:

Fight thou against them that fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler,

And stand up for my help.

³Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that pursue me:

Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

⁴Let them be put to shame and brought to dishonor that seek after my soul:

Let them be turned back and confounded that devise my hurt.

⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind,

And the angel of Jehovah driving them on.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery,

And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.

⁷For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit;

Without cause have they digged a pit for my soul.

⁸Let destruction come upon him unawares;

And let his net that he hath hid catch himself:

With destruction let him fall therein.

⁹And my soul shall be joyful in Jehovah:

It shall rejoice in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like unto thee,

Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him,

Yea, the poor and the needy from him that robbeth him?

¹¹Unrighteous witnesses rise up;

They ask me of things that I know not.

¹²They reward me evil for good,

To the bereaving of my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth:

I afflicted my soul with fasting;

And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

¹⁴I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother:

I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother.

¹⁵But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together:

The abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not;

They did tear me, and ceased not:

¹⁶Like the profane mockers in feasts,

They gnashed upon me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord, how long wilt thou look on?

Rescue my soul from their destructions,

My darling from the lions.

¹⁸I will give thee thanks in the great assembly:

I will praise thee among much people.

¹⁹Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me;

Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.

²⁰For they speak not peace;

But they devise deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.

²¹Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me;

They said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.

²²Thou hast seen it, O Jehovah; keep not silence:

O Lord, be not far from me.

²³Stir up thyself, and awake to the justice due unto me,

Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.

²⁴Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness;

And let them not rejoice over me.

²⁵Let them not say in their heart, Aha, so would we have it:

Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.

²⁶Let them be put to shame and confounded together that rejoice at my hurt:

Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me.

²⁷Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause:

Yea, let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified,

Who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

²⁸And my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness

And of thy praise all the day long.

Psalm 36

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of Jehovah.

36 ¹The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart,

There is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flattereth himself in his own eyes,

That his iniquity will not be found out and be hated.

³The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit:

He hath ceased to be wise and to do good.

⁴He deviseth iniquity upon his bed;

He setteth himself in a way that is not good;

He abhorreth not evil.

⁵Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, is in the heavens;

Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies.

⁶Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God;

Thy judgments are a great deep:

O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast.

⁷How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God!

And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house;

And thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

⁹For with thee is the fountain of life:

In thy light shall we see light.

¹⁰Oh continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee,

And thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me,

And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²There are the workers of iniquity fallen:

They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David.

37 ¹Fret not thyself because of evil-doers,

Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.

²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

³Trust in Jehovah, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness.

⁴Delight thyself also in Jehovah;

And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

⁵Commit thy way unto Jehovah;

Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.

⁶And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light,

And thy justice as the noon-day.

⁷Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him:

Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,

Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:

Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.

⁹For evil-doers shall be cut off;

But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land.

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:

Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land,

And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹²The wicked plotteth against the just,

And gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

¹³The Lord will laugh at him;

For he seeth that his day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,

To cast down the poor and needy,

To slay such as are upright in the way.

¹⁵Their sword shall enter into their own heart,

And their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous hath

Than the abundance of many wicked.

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken;

But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.

¹⁸Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect;

And their inheritance shall be for ever.

¹⁹They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil;

And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

²⁰But the wicked shall perish,

And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs:

They shall consume;

In smoke shall they consume away.

²¹The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again;

But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.

²²For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land;

And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.

²³A man's goings are established of Jehovah;

And he delighteth in his way.

²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old;

Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,

Nor his seed begging bread.

²⁶All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth;

And his seed is blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good;

And dwell for evermore.

²⁸For Jehovah loveth justice,

And forsaketh not his saints;

They are preserved for ever:

But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land,

And dwell therein for ever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom,

And his tongue speaketh justice.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart;

None of his steps shall slide.

³²The wicked watcheth the righteous,

And seeketh to slay him.

³³Jehovah will not leave him in his hand,

Nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way,

And he will exalt thee to inherit the land:

When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power,

And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

³⁶But one passed by, and, lo, he was not:

Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright;

For there is a happy end to the man of peace.

³⁸As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together;

The end of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah;

He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰And Jehovah helpeth them, and rescueth them;

He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them,

Because they have taken refuge in him.

Psalm 38

A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

38 ¹O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath;

Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

²For thine arrows stick fast in me,

And thy hand presseth me sore.

³There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation;

Neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.

⁴For mine iniquities are gone over my head:

As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

⁵My wounds are loathsome and corrupt,

Because of my foolishness.

⁶I am pained and bowed down greatly;

I go mourning all the day long.

⁷For my loins are filled with burning;

And there is no soundness in my flesh.

⁸I am faint and sore bruised:

I have groaned by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

⁹Lord, all my desire is before thee;

And my groaning is not hid from thee.

¹⁰My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me:

As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

¹¹My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague;

And my kinsmen stand afar off.

¹²They also that seek after my life lay snares for me;

And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things,

And meditate deceits all the day long.

¹³But I, as a deaf man, hear not;

And I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.

¹⁴Yea, I am as a man that heareth not,

And in whose mouth are no reproofs.

¹⁵For in thee, O Jehovah, do I hope:

Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God.

¹⁶For I said, Lest they rejoice over me:

When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.

¹⁷For I am ready to fall,

And my sorrow is continually before me.

¹⁸For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

¹⁹But mine enemies are lively, and are strong;

And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

²⁰They also that render evil for good

Are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good.

²¹Forsake me not, O Jehovah:

O my God, be not far from me.

²²Make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation.

Psalm 39

For the Chief Musician, Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 ¹I said, I will take heed to my ways,

That I sin not with my tongue:

I will keep my mouth with a bridle,

While the wicked is before me.

²I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good;

And my sorrow was stirred.

³My heart was hot within me;

While I was musing the fire burned:

Then spake I with my tongue:

⁴Jehovah, make me to know mine end,

And the measure of my days, what it is;

Let me know how frail I am.

⁵Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths;

And my life-time is as nothing before thee:

Surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity.

Selah

⁶Surely every man walketh in a vain show;

Surely they are disquieted in vain:

He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

⁷And now, Lord, what wait I for?

My hope is in thee.

⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions:

Make me not the reproach of the foolish.

⁹I was dumb, I opened not my mouth;

Because thou didst it.

¹⁰Remove thy stroke away from me:

I am consumed by the blow of thy hand.

¹¹When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity,

Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth:

Surely every man is vanity.

Selah

¹²Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, and give ear unto my cry;

Hold not thy peace at my tears:

For I am a stranger with thee,

A sojourner, as all my fathers were.

¹³Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,

Before I go hence, and be no more.

Psalm 40

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

40 ¹I waited patiently for Jehovah;

And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

²He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay;

And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

³And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:

Many shall see it, and fear,

And shall trust in Jehovah.

⁴Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust,

And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

⁵Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done,

And thy thoughts which are to us-ward;

They cannot be set in order unto thee;

If I would declare and speak of them,

They are more than can be numbered.

⁶Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in;

Mine ears hast thou opened:

Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.

⁷Then said I, Lo, I am come;

In the roll of the book it is written of me:

⁸I delight to do thy will, O my God;

Yea, thy law is within my heart.

⁹I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly;

Lo, I will not refrain my lips,

O Jehovah, thou knowest.

¹⁰I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;

I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation;

I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great assembly.

¹¹Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah;

Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

¹²For innumerable evils have compassed me about;

Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;

They are more than the hairs of my head;

And my heart hath failed me.

¹³Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me:

Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.

¹⁴Let them be put to shame and confounded together

That seek after my soul to destroy it:

Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor

That delight in my hurt.

¹⁵Let them be desolate by reason of their shame

That say unto me, Aha, aha.

¹⁶Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee:

Let such as love thy salvation say continually,

Jehovah be magnified.

¹⁷But I am poor and needy;

Yet the Lord thinketh upon me:

Thou art my help and my deliverer;

Make no tarrying, O my God.

Psalm 41

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 ¹Blessed is he that considereth the poor:

Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil.

²Jehovah will preserve him, and keep him alive,

And he shall be blessed upon the earth;

And deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies.

³Jehovah will support him upon the couch of languishing:

Thou makest all his bed in his sickness.

⁴I said, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me:

Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

⁵Mine enemies speak evil against me, saying,

When will he die, and his name perish?

⁶And if he come to see me, he speaketh falsehood;

His heart gathereth iniquity to itself:

When he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

⁷All that hate me whisper together against me;

Against me do they devise my hurt.

⁸An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him;

And now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

⁹Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,

Who did eat of my bread,

Hath lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and raise me up,

That I may requite them.

¹¹By this I know that thou delightest in me,

Because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

¹²And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity,

And settest me before thy face for ever.

¹³Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,

From everlasting and to everlasting.

Amen, and Amen.

Book II

Psalm 42

For the Chief Musician. Maschil of the sons of Korah.

42 ¹As the hart panteth after the water brooks,

So panteth my soul after thee, O God.

²My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:

When shall I come and appear before God?

³My tears have been my food day and night,

While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

⁴These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me,

How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday.

⁵Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me?

Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him

For the help of his countenance.

⁶O my God, my soul is cast down within me:

Therefore do I remember thee from the land of the Jordan,

And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.

⁷Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls:

All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

⁸Yet Jehovah will command his lovingkindness in the day-time;

And in the night his song shall be with me,

Even a prayer unto the God of my life.

⁹I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me?

Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

¹⁰As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me,

While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

¹¹Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me?

Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him,

Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 43

43 ¹Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation:

Oh deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

²For thou art the God of my strength; why hast thou cast me off?

Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me:

Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,

And to thy tabernacles.

⁴Then will I go unto the altar of God,

Unto God my exceeding joy;

And upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.

⁵Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me?

Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him,

Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 44

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Maschil.

44 ¹We have heard with our ears, O God,

Our fathers have told us,

What work thou didst in their days,

In the days of old.

²Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand;

But them thou didst plant:

Thou didst afflict the peoples;

But them thou didst spread abroad.

³For they gat not the land in possession by their own sword,

Neither did their own arm save them;

But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance,

Because thou wast favorable unto them.

⁴Thou art my King, O God:

Command deliverance for Jacob.

⁵Through thee will we push down our adversaries:

Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

⁶For I will not trust in my bow,

Neither shall my sword save me.

⁷But thou hast saved us from our adversaries,

And hast put them to shame that hate us.

⁸In God have we made our boast all the day long,

And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever.

Selah

⁹But now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonor,

And goest not forth with our hosts.

¹⁰Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary;

And they that hate us take spoil for themselves.

¹¹Thou hast made us like sheep appointed for food,

And hast scattered us among the nations.

¹²Thou sellest thy people for nought,

And hast not increased thy wealth by their price.

¹³Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors,

A scoffing and a derision to them that are round about us.

¹⁴Thou makest us a byword among the nations,

A shaking of the head among the peoples.

¹⁵All the day long is my dishonor before me,

And the shame of my face hath covered me,

¹⁶For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth,

By reason of the enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷All this is come upon us;

Yet have we not forgotten thee,

Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

¹⁸Our heart is not turned back,

Neither have our steps declined from thy way,

¹⁹That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals,

And covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰If we have forgotten the name of our God,

Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;

²¹Will not God search this out?

For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

²²Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

²³Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?

Arise, cast us not off for ever.

²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face,

And forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the dust:

Our body cleaveth unto the earth.

²⁶Rise up for our help,

And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake.

Psalm 45

For the Chief Musician; set to ^aShoshannim. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Maschil. A Song of loves.

45 ¹My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter;

I speak the things which I have made touching the king:

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

²Thou art fairer than the children of men;

Grace is poured into thy lips:

Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

³Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one,

Thy glory and thy majesty.

⁴And in thy majesty ride on prosperously,

Because of truth and meekness and righteousness:

And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

⁵Thine arrows are sharp;

The peoples fall under thee;

They are in the heart of the king's enemies.

⁶Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:

A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

⁷Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:

Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee

With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;

Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad.

⁹Kings' daughters are among thy honorable women:

At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;

Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house:

¹¹So will the king desire thy beauty;

For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him.

¹²And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift;

The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.

¹³The king's daughter within the palace is all glorious:

Her clothing is inwrought with gold.

¹⁴She shall be led unto the king in broidered work:

The virgins her companions that follow her

Shall be brought unto thee.

¹⁵With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led:

They shall enter into the king's palace.

¹⁶Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,

Whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth.

¹⁷I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:

Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks for ever and ever.

Psalm 46

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah; set to Alamoth. A Song.

46 ¹God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

²Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change,

And though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas;

³Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof.

Selah

⁴There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

⁵God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:

God will help her, and that right early.

⁶The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved:

He uttered his voice, the earth melted.

⁷Jehovah of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

⁸Come, behold the works of Jehovah,

What desolations he hath made in the earth.

⁹He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;

He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;

He burneth the chariots in the fire.

¹⁰Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

¹¹Jehovah of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

Psalm 47

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

47 ¹Oh clap your hands, all ye peoples;

Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

²For Jehovah Most High is terrible;

He is a great King over all the earth.

³He subdueth peoples under us,

And nations under our feet.

⁴He chooseth our inheritance for us,

The glory of Jacob whom he loved.

Selah

⁵God is gone up with a shout,

Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet.

⁶Sing praise to God, sing praises:

Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

⁷For God is the King of all the earth:

Sing ye praises with understanding.

⁸God reigneth over the nations:

God sitteth upon his holy throne.

⁹The princes of the peoples are gathered together

To be the people of the God of Abraham:

For the shields of the earth belong unto God;

He is greatly exalted.

Psalm 48

A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.

48 ¹Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised,

In the city of our God, in his holy mountain.

²Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,

Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north,

The city of the great King.

³God hath made himself known in her palaces for a refuge.

⁴For, lo, the kings assembled themselves,

They passed by together.

⁵They saw it, then were they amazed;

They were dismayed, they hasted away.

⁶Trembling took hold of them there,

Pain, as of a woman in travail.

⁷With the east wind

Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish.

⁸As we have heard, so have we seen

In the city of Jehovah of hosts, in the city of our God:

God will establish it for ever.

Selah

⁹We have thought on thy lovingkindness, O God,

In the midst of thy temple.

¹⁰As is thy name, O God,

So is thy praise unto the ends of the earth:

Thy right hand is full of righteousness.

¹¹Let mount Zion be glad,

Let the daughters of Judah rejoice,

Because of thy judgments.

¹²Walk about Zion, and go round about her;

Number the towers thereof;

¹³Mark ye well her bulwarks;

Consider her palaces:

That ye may tell it to the generation following.

¹⁴For this God is our God for ever and ever:

He will be our guide even unto death.

Psalm 49

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 ¹Hear this, all ye peoples;

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world,

²Both low and high,

Rich and poor together.

³My mouth shall speak wisdom;

And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

⁴I will incline mine ear to a parable:

I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

⁵Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil,

When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about?

⁶They that trust in their wealth,

And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

⁷None of them can by any means redeem his brother,

Nor give to God a ransom for him;

⁸(For the redemption of their life is costly,

And it faileth for ever;)

⁹That he should still live alway,

That he should not see corruption.

¹⁰For he shall see it. Wise men die;

The fool and the brutish alike perish,

And leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever,

And their dwelling-places to all generations;

They call their lands after their own names.

¹²But man being in honor abideth not:

He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This their way is their folly:

Yet after them men approve their sayings.

Selah

¹⁴They are appointed as a flock for Sheol;

Death shall be their shepherd;

And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;

And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume,

That there be no habitation for it.

¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol;

For he will receive me.

Selah

¹⁶Be not thou afraid when one is made rich,

When the glory of his house is increased.

¹⁷For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away;

His glory shall not descend after him.

¹⁸Though while he lived he blessed his soul

(And men praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself,)

¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers;

They shall never see the light.

²⁰Man that is in honor, and understandeth not,

Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 50

A Psalm of Asaph.

50 ¹The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, hath spoken,

And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God hath shined forth.

³Our God cometh, and doth not keep silence:

A fire devoureth before him,

And it is very tempestuous round about him.

⁴He calleth to the heavens above,

And to the earth, that he may judge his people:

⁵Gather my saints together unto me,

Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

⁶And the heavens shall declare his righteousness;

For God is judge himself.

Selah

⁷Hear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, and I will testify unto thee:

I am God, even thy God.

⁸I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices;

And thy burnt-offerings are continually before me.

⁹I will take no bullock out of thy house,

Nor he-goats out of thy folds.

¹⁰For every beast of the forest is mine,

And the cattle upon a thousand hills.

¹¹I know all the birds of the mountains;

And the wild beasts of the field are mine.

¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell thee;

For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

¹³Will I eat the flesh of bulls,

Or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving;

And pay thy vows unto the Most High:

¹⁵And call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

¹⁶But unto the wicked God saith,

What hast thou to do to declare my statutes,

And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth,

¹⁷Seeing thou hatest instruction,

And castest my words behind thee?

¹⁸When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him,

And hast been partaker with adulterers.

¹⁹Thou givest thy mouth to evil,

And thy tongue frameth deceit.

²⁰Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother;

Thou slanderest thine own mother's son.

²¹These things hast thou done, and I kept silence;

Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself:

But I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

²²Now consider this, ye that forget God,

Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver:

²³Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me;

And to him that ordereth his way aright

Will I show the salvation of God.

Psalm 51

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 ¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:

According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions;

And my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,

And done that which is evil in thy sight;

That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest,

And be clear when thou judgest.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity;

And in sin did my mother conceive me. ⁶

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts;

And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom.

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness,

That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

⁹Hide thy face from my sins,

And blot out all mine iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God;

And renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence;

And take not thy holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;

And uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;

And sinners shall be converted unto thee.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation;

And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

¹⁵O Lord, open thou my lips;

And my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

¹⁶For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it:

Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:

A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

¹⁸Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion:

Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness,

In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering:

Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Psalm 52

For the Chief Musician. Maschil of David; when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Abimelech.

52 ¹Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?

The lovingkindness of God endureth continually.

²Thy tongue deviseth very wickedness,

Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³Thou lovest evil more than good,

And lying rather than to speak righteousness.

Selah

⁴Thou lovest all devouring words,

thou deceitful tongue.

⁵God will likewise destroy thee for ever;

He will take thee up, and pluck thee out of thy tent,

And root thee out of the land of the living.

Selah

⁶The righteous also shall see it, and fear,

And shall laugh at him, saying,

⁷Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength,

But trusted in the abundance of his riches,

And strengthened himself in his wickedness.

⁸But as for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God:

I trust in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever.

⁹I will give thee thanks for ever, because thou hast done it;

And I will hope in thy name, for it is good, in the presence of thy saints.

Psalm 53

For the Chief Musician; set to Mahalath. Maschil of David.

53 ¹The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity;

There is none that doeth good.

²God looked down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there were any that did understand,

That did seek after God.

³Every one of them is gone back; they are together become filthy;

There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

⁴Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

Who eat up my people as they eat bread,

And call not upon God?

⁵There were they in great fear, where no fear was;

For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee:

Thou hast put them to shame, because of God hath rejected them.

⁶Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!

When God bringeth back the captivity of his people,

Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 54

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David; when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?

54 ¹Save me, O God, by thy name,

And judge me in thy might.

²Hear my prayer, O God;

Give ear to the words of my mouth.

³For strangers are risen up against me,

And violent men have sought after my soul:

They have not set God before them.

Selah

⁴Behold, God is my helper:

The Lord is of them that uphold my soul.

⁵He will requite the evil unto mine enemies:

Destroy thou them in thy truth.

⁶With a freewill-offering will I sacrifice unto thee:

I will give thanks unto thy name, O Jehovah, for it is good.

⁷For he hath delivered me out of all trouble;

And mine eye hath seen my desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 55

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David.

55 ¹Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And hide not thyself from my supplication.

²Attend unto me, and answer me:

I am restless in my complaint, and moan,

³Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the oppression of the wicked;

For they cast iniquity upon me,

And in anger they persecute me.

⁴My heart is sore pained within me:

And the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me,

And horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove!

Then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷Lo, then would I wander far off,

I would lodge in the wilderness.

Selah

⁸I would haste me to a shelter

From the stormy wind and tempest.

⁹Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongue;

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof:

Iniquity also and mischief are in the midst of it.

¹¹Wickedness is in the midst thereof:

Oppression and guile depart not from its streets.

¹²For it was not an enemy that reproached me;

Then I could have borne it:

Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me;

Then I would have hid myself from him:

¹³But it was thou, a man mine equal,

My companion, and my familiar friend.

¹⁴We took sweet counsel together;

We walked in the house of God with the throng.

¹⁵Let death come suddenly upon them,

Let them go down alive into Sheol;

For wickedness is in their dwelling, in the midst of them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God;

And Jehovah will save me.

¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan;

And he will hear my voice.

¹⁸He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me;

For they were many that strove with me.

¹⁹God will hear, and answer them,

Even he that abideth of old,

Selah

The men who have no changes,

And who fear not God.

²⁰He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him:

He hath profaned his covenant.

²¹His mouth was smooth as butter,

But his heart was war:

His words were softer than oil,

Yet were they drawn swords.

²²Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee:

He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

²³But thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction:

Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;

But I will trust in thee.

Psalm 56

For the Chief Musician; set to ^aJonath elem rehokim. A Psalm of David. Michtam: when the Philistines took him in Gath.

56 ¹Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up:

All the day long he fighting oppresseth me.

²Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long;

For they are many that fight proudly against me.

³What time I am afraid,

I will put my trust in thee.

⁴In God (I will praise his word),

In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid;

What can flesh do unto me?

⁵All the day long they wrest my words:

All their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,

They mark my steps,

Even as they have waited for my soul.

⁷Shall they escape by iniquity?

In anger cast down the peoples, O God.

⁸Thou numberest my wanderings:

Put thou my tears into thy bottle;

Are they not in thy book?

⁹Then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call:

This I know, that God is for me.

¹⁰In God (I will praise his word),

In Jehovah (I will praise his word),

¹¹In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid;

What can man do unto me?

¹²Thy vows are upon me, O God:

I will render thank-offerings unto thee.

¹³For thou hast delivered my soul from death:

Hast thou not delivered my feet from falling,

That I may walk before God

In the light of the living?

Psalm 57

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tash-heth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

57 ¹Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;

For my soul taketh refuge in thee:

Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,

Until these calamities be overpast.

²I will cry unto God Most High,

Unto God that performeth all things for me.

³He will send from heaven, and save me,

When he that would swallow me up reproacheth;

Selah

God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.

⁴My soul is among lions;

I lie among them that are set on fire,

Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

And their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let thy glory be above all the earth.

⁶They have prepared a net for my steps;

My soul is bowed down:

They have digged a pit before me;

They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves.

Selah

⁷My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:

I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.

⁸Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:

I myself will awake right early.

⁹I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:

I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

¹⁰For thy lovingkindness is great unto the heavens,

And thy truth unto the skies.

¹¹Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let thy glory be above all the earth.

Psalm 58

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam.

58 ¹Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness?

Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

²Nay, in heart ye work wickedness;

Ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

³The wicked are estranged from the womb:

They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

⁴Their poison is like the poison of a serpent:

They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear,

⁵Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers,

Charming never so wisely.

⁶Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth:

Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.

⁷Let them melt away as water that runneth apace:

When he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.

⁸Let them be as a snail which melteth and passeth away,

Like the untimely birth of a woman, that hath not seen the sun.

⁹Before your pots can feel the thorns,

He will take them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

¹⁰The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance:

He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;

¹¹So that men shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous:

Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Psalm 59

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

59 ¹Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God:

Set me on high from them that rise up against me.

²Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,

And save me from the bloodthirsty men.

³For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul;

The mighty gather themselves together against me:

Not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Jehovah.

⁴They run and prepare themselves without my fault:

Awake thou to help me, and behold.

⁵Even thou, O Jehovah God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Arise to visit all the nations:

Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors.

Selah

⁶They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go round about the city.

⁷Behold, they belch out with their mouth;

Swords are in their lips:

For who, say they, doth hear?

⁸But thou, O Jehovah, wilt laugh at them;

Thou wilt have all the nations in derision.

⁹Because of his strength I will give heed unto thee;

For God is my high tower.

¹⁰My God with his lovingkindness will meet me:

God will let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

¹¹Slay them not, lest my people forget:

Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down,

O Lord our shield.

¹²For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips,

Let them even be taken in their pride,

And for cursing and lying which they speak.

¹³Consume them in wrath, consume them, so that they shall be no more:

And let them know that God ruleth in Jacob,

Unto the ends of the earth.

Selah

¹⁴And at evening let them return, let them howl like a dog,

And go round about the city.

¹⁵They shall wander up and down for food,

And tarry all night if they be not satisfied.

¹⁶But I will sing of thy strength;

Yea, I will sing aloud of thy lovingkindness in the morning:

For thou hast been my high tower,

And a refuge in the day of my distress.

¹⁷Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing praises:

For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.

Psalm 60

For the Chief Musician; set to ^aShushan Eduth. Michtam of David, to teach; and when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand.

60 ¹O God thou hast cast us off, thou hast broken us down;

Thou hast been angry; oh restore us again.

²Thou hast made the land to tremble; thou hast rent it:

Heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.

³Thou hast showed thy people hard things:

Thou hast made us to drink the wine of staggering.

⁴Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee,

That it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah

⁵That thy beloved may be delivered,

Save with thy right hand, and answer us.

⁶God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult;

I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

⁷Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim also is the defence of my head;

Judah is my sceptre.

⁸Moab is my washpot;

Upon Edom will I cast my shoe:

Philistia, shout thou because of me.

⁹Who will bring me into the strong city?

Who hath led me unto Edom?

¹⁰Hast not thou, O God, cast us off?

And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts.

¹¹Give us help against the adversary;

For vain is the help of man.

¹²Through God we shall do valiantly;

For he it is that will tread down our adversaries.

Psalm 61

For the Chief Musician; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 ¹Hear my cry, O God;

Attend unto my prayer.

²From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart ^ais overwhelmed:

Lead me to ^athe rock that is higher than I.

³For thou hast been a refuge for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

⁴I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever:

I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings.

Selah

⁵For thou, O God, hast heard my vows:

Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

⁶Thou wilt prolong the king's life;

His years shall be as many generations.

⁷He shall abide before God for ever:

Oh prepare lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him.

⁸So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever,

That I may daily perform my vows.

Psalm 62

For the Chief Musician; after the manner of Jeduthan. A Psalm of David.

62 ¹My soul waiteth in silence for God only:

From him cometh my salvation.

²He only is my rock and my salvation:

He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved.

³How long will ye set upon a man,

That ye may slay him, all of you,

Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

⁴They only consult to thrust him down from his dignity;

They delight in lies;

They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.

Selah

⁵My soul, wait thou in silence for God only;

For my expectation is from him.

⁶He only is my rock and my salvation:

He is my high tower; I shall not be moved.

⁷With God is my salvation and my glory:

The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

⁸Trust in him at all times, ye people;

Pour out your heart before him:

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

⁹Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie:

In the balances they will go up;

They are together lighter than vanity.

¹⁰Trust not in oppression,

And become not vain in robbery:

If riches increase, set not your heart thereon.

¹¹God hath spoken once,

Twice have I heard this,

That power belongeth unto God.

¹²Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth lovingkindness;

For thou renderest to every man according to his work.

Psalm 63

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 ¹O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee:

My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee,

In a dry and weary land, where no water is.

²So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary,

To see thy power and thy glory.

³Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise thee.

⁴So will I bless thee while I live:

I will lift up my hands in thy name.

⁵My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness;

And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips;

⁶When I remember thee upon my bed,

And meditate on thee in the night-watches.

⁷For thou hast been my help,

And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

⁸My soul followeth hard after thee:

Thy right hand upholdeth me.

⁹But those that seek my soul, to destroy it,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

¹⁰They shall be given over to the power of the sword:

They shall be a portion for foxes.

¹¹But the king shall rejoice in God:

Every one that sweareth by him shall glory;

For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

Psalm 64

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

64 ¹Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint:

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

²Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers,

From the tumult of the workers of iniquity;

³Who have whet their tongue like a sword,

And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,

⁴That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect:

Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

⁵They encourage themselves in an evil purpose;

They commune of laying snares privily;

They say, Who will see them?

⁶They search out iniquities;

We have accomplished, say they, a diligent search:

And the inward thought and the heart of every one is deep.

⁷But God will shoot at them;

With an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded.

⁸So they shall be made to stumble, their own tongue being against them:

All that see them shall wag the head.

⁹And all men shall fear;

And they shall declare the work of God,

And shall wisely consider of his doing.

¹⁰The righteous shall be glad in Jehovah, and shall take refuge in him;

And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Psalm 65

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm. A song of David.

65 ¹Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion;

And unto thee shall the vow be performed.

²O thou that hearest prayer,

Unto thee shall all flesh come.

³Iniquities prevail against me:

As for our transgressions, thou wilt forgive them.

⁴Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee,

That he may dwell in thy courts:

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,

Thy holy temple.

⁵By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness,

Oh God of our salvation,

Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,

And of them that are afar off upon the sea:

⁶Who by his strength setteth fast the mountains,

Being girded about with might;

⁷Who stilleth the roaring of the seas,

The roaring of their waves,

And the tumult of the peoples.

⁸They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:

Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

⁹Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,

Thou greatly enrichest it;

The river of God is full of water:

Thou providest them grain, when thou hast so prepared the earth.

¹⁰Thou waterest its furrows abundantly;

Thou settlest the ridges thereof:

Thou makest it soft with showers;

Thou blessest the springing thereof.

¹¹Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;

And thy paths drop fatness.

¹²They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness;

And the hills are girded with joy.

¹³The pastures are clothed with flocks;

The valleys also are covered over with grain;

They shout for joy, they also sing.

Psalm 66

For the Chief Musician. A song, a Psalm.

66 ¹Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth:

²Sing forth the glory of his name:

Make his praise glorious.

³Say unto God, How terrible are thy works!

Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

⁴All the earth shall worship thee,

And shall sing unto thee;

They shall sing to thy name.

Selah

⁵Come, and see the works of God;

He is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

⁶He turned the sea into dry land;

They went through the river on foot:

There did we rejoice in him.

⁷He ruleth by his might for ever;

His eyes observe the nations:

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

⁸Oh bless our God, ye peoples,

And make the voice of his praise to be heard;

⁹Who holdeth our soul in life,

And suffereth not our feet to be moved.

¹⁰For thou, O God, hast proved us:

Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

¹¹Thou broughtest us into the net;

Thou layedst a sore burden upon our loins.

¹²Thou didst cause men to ride over our heads;

We went through fire and through water;

But thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

¹³I will come into thy house with burnt-offerings;

I will pay thee my vows,

¹⁴Which my lips uttered,

And my mouth spake, when I was in distress.

¹⁵I will offer unto thee burnt-offerings of fatlings,

With the incense of rams;

I will offer bullocks with goats.

Selah

¹⁶Come, and hear, all ye that fear God,

And I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

¹⁷I cried unto him with my mouth,

And he was extolled with my tongue.

¹⁸If I regard iniquity in my heart,

The Lord will not hear:

¹⁹But verily God hath heard;

He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

²⁰Blessed be God,

Who hath not turned away my prayer,

Nor his lovingkindness from me.

Psalm 67

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm, a song.

67 ¹God be merciful unto us, and bless us,

And cause his face to shine upon us;

Selah

²That thy way may be known upon earth,

Thy salvation among all nations.

³Let the peoples praise thee, O God;

Let all the peoples ^apraise thee.

⁴Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy;

For thou wilt judge the peoples with equity,

And govern the nations upon earth.

Selah

⁵Let the peoples praise thee, O God;

Let all the peoples praise thee.

⁶The earth hath yielded its increase:

God, even our own God, will bless us.

⁷God will bless us;

And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalm 68

For the Chief Musician; A Psalm of David, a song.

68 ¹Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;

Let them also that hate him flee before him.

²As smoke is driven away, so drive them away:

As wax melteth before the fire,

So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

³But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God:

Yea, let them rejoice with gladness.

⁴Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:

Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts;

His name is Jehovah; and exult ye before him.

⁵A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,

Is God in his holy habitation.

⁶God setteth the solitary in families:

He bringeth out the prisoners into prosperity;

But the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

⁷O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,

When thou didst march through the wilderness;

Selah

⁸The earth trembled,

The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God:

Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

⁹Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,

Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

¹⁰Thy congregation dwelt therein:

Thou, O God, didst prepare of thy goodness for the poor.

¹¹The Lord giveth the word:

The women that publish the tidings are a great host.

¹²Kings of armies flee, they flee;

And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.

¹³When ye lie among the sheepfolds,

It is as the wings of a dove covered with silver,

And her pinions with yellow gold.

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings therein,

It was as when it snoweth in Zalmon.

¹⁵A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;

A high mountain is the mountain of Bashan.

¹⁶Why look ye askance, ye high mountains,

At the mountain which God hath desired for his abode?

Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever.

¹⁷The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands upon thousands;

The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the sanctuary.

¹⁸Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led away captives;

Thou hast received gifts among men,

Yea, among the rebellious also, that Jehovah God might dwell with them.

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden,

Even the God who is our salvation.

Selah

²⁰God is unto us a God of deliverances;

And unto Jehovah the Lord belongeth escape from death.

²¹But God will smite through the head of his enemies,

The hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his guiltiness.

²²The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan,

I will bring them again from the depths of the sea;

²³That thou mayest crush them, dipping thy foot in blood,

That the tongue of thy dogs may have its portion from thine enemies.

²⁴They have seen thy goings, O God,

Even the goings of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

²⁵The singers went before, the minstrels followed after,

In the midst of the damsels playing with timbrels.

²⁶Bless ye God in the congregations,

Even the Lord, ye that are of the fountain of Israel.

²⁷There is little Benjamin their ruler,

The princes of Judah and their council,

The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸Thy God hath commanded thy strength:

Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

²⁹Because of thy temple at Jerusalem

Kings shall bring presents unto thee.

³⁰Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds,

The multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the peoples,

Trampling under foot the pieces of silver:

He hath scattered the peoples that delight in war.

³¹Princes shall come out of Egypt;

Ethiopia shall haste to stretch out her hands unto God.

³²Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth;

Oh sing praises unto the Lord;

Selah

³³To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens, which are of old;

Lo, he uttereth his voice, a mighty voice.

³⁴Ascribe ye strength unto God:

His excellency is over Israel,

And his strength is in the skies.

³⁵O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places:

The God of Israel, he giveth strength and power unto his people.

Blessed be God.

Psalm 69

For the Chief Musician; set to ^aShoshanim. A Psalm of David.

69 ¹Save me, O God;

For the waters are come in unto my soul.

²I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing:

I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

³I am weary with my crying; my throat is dried:

Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

⁴They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head:

They that would cut me off, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty:

That which I took not away I have to restore.

⁵O God, thou knowest my foolishness;

And my sins are not hid from thee.

⁶Let not them that wait for thee be put to shame through me, O Lord Jehovah of hosts:

Let not those that seek thee be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.

⁷Because for thy sake I have borne reproach;

Shame hath covered my face.

⁸I am become a stranger unto my brethren,

And an alien unto my mother's children.

⁹For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up;

And the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me.

¹⁰When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting,

That was to my reproach.

¹¹When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword unto them.

¹²They that sit in the gate talk of me;

And I am the song of the drunkards.

¹³But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Jehovah, in an acceptable time:

O God, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness,

Answer me in the truth of thy salvation.

¹⁴Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink:

Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

¹⁵Let not the waterflood overwhelm me,

Neither let the deep shallow me up;

And let not the pit shut its mouth upon me.

¹⁶Answer me, O Jehovah; for thy lovingkindness is good:

According to the multitude of thy tender mercies turn thou unto me.

¹⁷And hide not thy face from thy servant;

For I am in distress; answer me speedily.

¹⁸Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it:

Ransom me because of mine enemies.

¹⁹Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor:

Mine adversaries are all before thee.

²⁰Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness:

And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none;

And for comforters, but I found none.

²¹They gave me also gall for my food;

And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

²²Let their table before them become a snare;

And when they are in peace, let it become a trap.

²³Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see;

And make their loins continually to shake.

²⁴Pour out thine indignation upon them,

And let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.

²⁵Let their habitation be desolate;

Let none dwell in their tents.

²⁶For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten;

And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.

²⁷Add iniquity unto their iniquity;

And let them not come into thy righteousness.

²⁸Let them be blotted out of the book of life,

And not be written with the righteous.

²⁹But I am poor and sorrowful:

Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

³⁰I will praise the name of God with a song,

And will magnify him with thanksgiving.

³¹And it will please Jehovah better than an ox,

Or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

³²The meek have seen it, and are glad:

Ye that seek after God, let your heart live.

³³For Jehovah heareth the needy,

And despiseth not his prisoners.

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,

The seas, and everything that moveth therein.

³⁵For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah;

And they shall abide there, and have it in possession.

³⁶The seed also of his servants shall inherit it;

And they that love his name shall dwell therein.

Psalm 70

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; ^ato bring to remembrance.

70 ¹Make haste, O God, to deliver me;

Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.

²Let them be put to shame and confounded

That seek after my soul:

Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor

That delight in my hurt.

³Let them be turned back by reason of their shame

That say, Aha, aha.

⁴Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee;

And let such as love thy salvation say continually,

Let God be magnified.

⁵But I am poor and needy;

Make haste unto me, O God:

Thou art my help and my deliverer;

O Jehovah, make no tarrying.

Psalm 71

71 ¹In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge:

Let me never be put to shame.

²Deliver me in thy righteousness, and rescue me:

Bow down thine ear unto me, and save me.

³Be thou to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may continually resort:

Thou hast given commandment to save me;

For thou art my rock and my fortress.

⁴Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For thou art my hope, O Lord Jehovah:

Thou art my trust from my youth.

⁶By thee have I been holden up from the womb;

Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels:

My praise shall be continually of thee.

⁷I am as a wonder unto many;

But thou art my strong refuge.

⁸My mouth shall be filled with thy praise,

And with thy honor all the day.

⁹Cast me not off in the time of old age;

Forsake me not when my strength faileth.

¹⁰For mine enemies speak concerning me;

And they that watch for my soul take counsel together,

¹¹Saying, God hath forsaken him:

Pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver.

¹²O God, be not far from me;

O my God, make haste to help me.

¹³Let them be put to shame and consumed that are adversaries to my soul;

Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt.

¹⁴But I will hope continually,

And will praise thee yet more and more.

¹⁵My mouth shall tell of thy righteousness,

And of thy salvation all the day;

For I know not the numbers thereof.

¹⁶I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Jehovah:

I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

¹⁷O God, thou hast taught me from my youth;

And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

¹⁸Yea, even when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not,

Until I have declared thy strength unto the next generation,

Thy might to every one that is to come.

¹⁹Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high;

Thou who hast done great things, O God, who is like unto thee?

²⁰Thou, who hast showed us many and sore troubles,

Wilt quicken us again,

And wilt bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

²¹Increase thou my greatness,

And turn again and comfort me.

²²I will also praise thee with the psaltery,

Even thy truth, O my God:

Unto thee will I sing praises with the harp,

O thou Holy One of Israel.

²³My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises unto thee;

And my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

²⁴My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long;

For they are put to shame, for they are confounded, that seek my hurt.

Psalm 72

A Psalm of Solomon.

72 ¹Give the king thy judgments, O God,

And thy righteousness unto the king's son.

^2aHe will judge thy people with righteousness,

And thy poor with justice.

³The mountains shall bring peace to the people,

And the hills, in righteousness.

⁴He will judge the poor of the people,

He will save the children of the needy,

And will break in pieces the oppressor.

⁵They shall fear thee while the sun endureth,

And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.

⁶He will come down like rain upon the mown grass,

As showers that water the earth.

⁷In his days shall the righteous flourish,

And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.

⁸He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,

And from the River unto the ends of the earth.

⁹They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him;

And his enemies shall lick the dust.

¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute:

The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

¹¹Yea, all kings shall fall down before him;

All nations shall serve him.

¹²For he will deliver the needy when he crieth,

And the poor, that hath no helper.

¹³He will have pity on the poor and needy,

And the souls of the needy he will save.

¹⁴He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence;

And precious will their blood be in his sight:

¹⁵And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:

And men shall pray for him continually;

They shall bless him all the day long.

¹⁶There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains;

The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:

And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

¹⁷His name shall endure for ever;

His name shall be continued as long as the sun:

And men shall be blessed in him;

All nations shall call him happy.

¹⁸Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel,

Who only doeth wondrous things:

¹⁹And blessed be his glorious name for ever;

And let the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen, and Amen.

²⁰The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

BOOK III

Psalm 73

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 ¹Surely God is good to Israel,

Even to such as are pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet were almost gone;

My steps had well nigh slipped.

³For I was envious at the arrogant,

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴For there are no pangs in their death;

But their strength is firm.

⁵They are not in trouble as other men;

Neither are they plagued like other men.

⁶Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck;

Violence covereth them as a garment.

⁷Their eyes stand out with fatness:

They have more than heart could wish.

⁸They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression:

They speak loftily.

⁹They have set their mouth in the heavens,

And their tongue walketh through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people return hither:

And waters of a full cup are drained by them.

¹¹And they say, How doth God know?

And is there knowledge in the Most High?

¹²Behold, these are the wicked;

And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches.

¹³Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart,

And washed my hands in innocency;

¹⁴For all the day long have I been plagued,

And ^achastened every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, I will speak thus;

Behold, I had dealt treacherously with the generation of thy children.

¹⁶When I thought how I might know this,

It was too painful for me;

¹⁷Until I went into the sanctuary of God,

And considered their latter end.

¹⁸Surely thou settest them in slippery places:

Thou castest them down to destruction.

¹⁹How are they become a desolation in a moment!

They are utterly consumed with terrors.

²⁰As a dream when one awaketh,

So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.

²¹For my soul was grieved,

And I was pricked in my heart:

²²So brutish was I, and ignorant;

I was as a beast before thee.

²³Nevertheless I am continually with thee:

Thou hast holden my right hand.

²⁴Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but thee?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.

²⁶My flesh and my heart faileth;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

²⁷For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish:

Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, departing from thee.

²⁸But it is good for me to draw near unto God:

I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge,

That I may tell of all thy works.

Psalm 74

Maschil of Asaph.

74 ¹O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?

Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

²Remember thy congregation, which thou hast gotten of old,

Which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thine inheritance;

And mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

³Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual ruins,

All the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.

⁴Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of thine assembly;

They have set up their ensigns for signs.

⁵They seemed as men that lifted up

Axes upon a thicket of trees.

⁶And now all the carved work thereof

They break down with hatchet and hammers.

⁷They have set thy sanctuary on fire;

They have profaned the dwelling-place of thy name by casting it to the ground.

⁸They said in their heart, Let us make havoc of them altogether:

They have burned up all the ^asynagogues of God in the land.

⁹We see not our signs:

There is no more any prophet;

Neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

¹⁰How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach?

Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

¹¹Why drawest thou back thy hand, even thy right hand?

Pluck it out of thy bosom and consume them.

¹²Yet God is my King of old,

Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength:

Thou brakest the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.

¹⁴Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces;

Thou gavest him to be food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵Thou didst cleave fountain and flood:

Thou driedst up mighty rivers.

¹⁶The day is thine, the night also is thine:

Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷Thou hast set all the borders of the earth:

Thou hast made summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Jehovah,

And that a foolish people hath blasphemed thy name.

¹⁹Oh deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast:

Forget not the life of thy poor for ever.

²⁰Have respect unto the covenant;

For the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of violence.

²¹Oh let not the oppressed return ashamed:

Let the poor and needy praise thy name.

²²Arise, O God, plead thine own cause:

Remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee all the day.

²³Forget not the voice of thine adversaries:

The tumult of those that rise up against thee ascendeth continually.

Psalm 75

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tash-heth. A Psalm of Asaph; a song.

75 ¹We give thanks unto thee, O God;

We give thanks, for thy name is near:

Men tell of thy wondrous works.

²When I shall ^afind the set time, I will judge uprightly.

^3aThe earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved:

I have ^aset up the pillars of it.

Selah

⁴I said unto the ^aarrogant, Deal not arrogantly;

And to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:

⁵Lift not up your horn on high;

Speak not ^awith a stiff neck.

⁶For neither from the east, nor from the west,

Nor yet ^afrom the ^asouth, cometh lifting up.

⁷But God is the judge:

He putteth down one, and lifteth up another.

⁸For in the hand of Jehovah there is a cup, and the wine ^afoameth;

It is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same:

Surely the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall drain them, and drink them.

⁹But I will declare for ever,

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off;

But the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Psalm 76

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a song.

76 ¹In Judah is God known:

His name is great in Israel.

²In Salem also is his tabernacle,

And his ^adwelling-place in Zion.

³There he brake the ^aarrows of the bow;

The shield, and the sword, and the battle.

Selah

⁴Glorious art thou and excellent,

^aFrom the mountains of prey.

⁵The stouthearted are made a spoil,

They have slept their sleep;

And none of the men of might have found their hands.

⁶At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep.

⁷Thou, even thou, art to be feared;

And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

⁸Thou didst cause sentence to be heard from heaven;

The earth feared, and was still,

⁹When God arose to judgment,

To save all the meek of the earth.

Selah

¹⁰Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee:

The residue of wrath shalt thou ^agird upon thee.

¹¹Vow, and pay unto Jehovah your God:

Let all that are round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.

¹²He will cut off the spirit of princes:

He is terrible to the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77

For the Chief Musician; after the manner of Jeduthan. A Psalm of Asaph.

77 ¹I will cry unto God with my voice,

Even unto God with my voice; and he will give ear unto me.

²In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord:

My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not;

My soul refused to be comforted.

³I remember God, and am disquieted:

I complain, and my spirit is ^aoverwhelmed.

Selah

⁴Thou holdest mine eyes watching:

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

⁵I have considered the days of old,

The years of ancient times.

⁶I call to remembrance my song in the night:

I commune with mine own heart;

And my spirit maketh diligent search.

⁷Will the Lord cast off for ever?

And will he be favorable no more?

⁸Is his lovingkindness clean gone for ever?

Doth his promise fail for evermore?

⁹Hath God forgotten to be gracious?

Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?

Selah

¹⁰And I said, This is my infirmity;

But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.

¹¹I will make mention of the deeds of ^aJehovah;

For I will remember thy wonders of old.

¹²I will meditate also upon all thy work,

And muse on thy doings.

¹³Thy way, O God, is ^ain the sanctuary:

Who is a great god like unto God?

¹⁴Thou art the God that doest wonders:

Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.

¹⁵Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

¹⁶The waters saw thee, O God;

The waters saw thee, they ^awere afraid:

The depths also trembled.

¹⁷The clouds poured out water;

The skies sent out a sound:

Thine arrows also went abroad.

¹⁸The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;

The lightnings lightened the world:

The earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹Thy way was in the sea,

And thy paths in the great waters,

And thy footsteps were not known.

²⁰Thou leddest thy people like a flock,

By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78

Maschil of Asaph.

78 ¹Give ear, O my people, to my ^alaw:

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

²I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings of old,

³Which we have heard and known,

And our fathers have told us.

⁴We will not hide them from their children,

Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah,

And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.

⁵For he established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which he commanded our fathers,

That they should make them known to their children;

⁶That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born;

Who should arise and tell them to their children,

⁷That they might set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep his commandments,

⁸And might not be as their fathers,

A stubborn and rebellious generation,

A generation ^athat set not their heart aright,

And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

⁹The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,

Turned back in the day of battle.

¹⁰They kept not the covenant of God,

And refused to walk in his law;

¹¹And they forgat his doings,

And his wondrous works that he had showed them.

¹²Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers,

In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

¹³He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through;

And he made the waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴In the day-time also he led them with a cloud,

And all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He clave rocks in the wilderness,

And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

¹⁶He brought streams also out of the rock,

And caused waters to run down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet went they on still to sin against him,

To rebel against the Most High in the ^adesert.

¹⁸And they tempted God in their heart

By asking food ^aaccording to their desire.

¹⁹Yea, they spake against God;

They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

²⁰Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out,

And streams overflowed;

Can he give bread also?

Will he provide flesh for his people?

²¹Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth;

And a fire was kindled against Jacob,

And anger also went up against Israel;

²²Because they believed not in God,

And trusted not in his salvation.

²³Yet he commanded the skies above,

And opened the doors of heaven;

²⁴And he rained down manna upon them to eat,

And gave them ^afood from heaven.

^25aMan did eat the bread of the mighty:

He sent them food to the full.

²⁶He ^acaused the east wind to blow in the heavens;

And by his power he guided the south wind.

²⁷He rained flesh also upon them as the dust,

And winged birds as the sand of the seas:

²⁸And he let it fall in the midst of their camp,

Round about their habitations.

²⁹So they did eat, and were well filled;

And he gave them their own desire.

³⁰They were not estranged from that which they desired,

Their food was yet in their mouths,

³¹When the anger of God went up against them,

And slew of the fattest of them,

And smote down the young men of Israel.

³²For all this they sinned still,

And believed not in his wondrous works.

³³Therefore their days did he consume in vanity,

And their years in terror.

³⁴When he slew them, then they inquired after him;

And they returned and sought God earnestly.

³⁵And they remembered that God was their rock,

And the Most High God their redeemer.

³⁶But they flattered him with their mouth,

And lied unto him with their tongue.

³⁷For their heart was not ^aright with him,

Neither were they faithful in his covenant.

³⁸But he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not:

Yea, many a time turned he his anger away,

And did not stir up all his wrath.

³⁹And he remembered that they were but flesh,

A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

⁴⁰How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness,

And grieve him in the desert!

⁴¹And they turned again and tempted God,

And ^aprovoked the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They remember not his hand,

Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

⁴³How he set his signs in Egypt,

And his wonders in the field of Zoan,

⁴⁴And turned their rivers into blood,

And their streams, so that they could not drink.

⁴⁵He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them;

And frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁶He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar,

And their labor unto the locust.

⁴⁷He ^adestroyed their vines with hail,

And their sycomore-trees with ^afrost.

⁴⁸He gave over their cattle also to the hail,

And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

⁴⁹He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger,

Wrath, and indignation, and trouble,

^aA band of angels of evil.

⁵⁰He ^amade a path for his anger;

He spared not their soul from death,

But gave ^atheir life over to the pestilence,

⁵¹And smote all the first-born in Egypt,

The ^achief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

⁵²But he led forth his own people like sheep,

And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

⁵³And he led them safely, so that they feared not;

But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵⁴And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary,

To this ^amountain, which his right hand had gotten.

⁵⁵He drove out the nations also before them,

And allotted them for an inheritance by line,

And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

⁵⁶Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God,

And kept not his testimonies;

⁵⁷But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers:

They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

⁵⁸For they provoked him to anger with their high places,

And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

⁵⁹When God heard this, he was wroth,

And greatly abhorred Israel;

⁶⁰So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,

The tent which he placed among men;

⁶¹And delivered his strength into captivity,

And his glory into the adversary's hand.

⁶²He gave his people over also unto the sword,

And was wroth with his inheritance.

⁶³Fire devoured their young men;

And their virgins had no marriage-song.

⁶⁴Their priests fell by the sword;

And their widows made no lamentation.

⁶⁵Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep,

Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

⁶⁶And he smote his adversaries backward:

He put them to a perpetual reproach.

⁶⁷Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph,

And chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

⁶⁸But chose the tribe of Judah,

The mount Zion which he loved.

⁶⁹And he built his sanctuary like the heights,

Like the earth which he hath established for ever.

⁷⁰He chose David also his servant,

And took him from the sheepfolds:

⁷¹From following the ewes that have their young he brought him,

To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

⁷²So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart,

And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

Psalm 79

A Psalm of Asaph.

79 ¹O God, the nations are come into thine inheritance;

Thy holy temple have they defiled;

They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.

²The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be food unto the birds of the heavens,

The flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

³Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem;

And there was none to bury them.

⁴We are become a reproach to our neighbors,

A scoffing and derision to them that are round about us.

⁵How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou be angry for ever?

Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

⁶Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not,

And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name.

⁷For they have devoured Jacob,

And laid waste his habitation.

⁸Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers:

Let thy tender mercies speedily meet us;

For we are brought very low.

⁹Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name;

And deliver us, and ^aforgive our sins, for thy name's sake.

¹⁰Wherefore should the nations say, Where is their God?

Let the avenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed

Be known among the nations in our sight.

¹¹Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee:

According to the greatness ^aof thy power preserve thou ^athose that are appointed to death;

¹²And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom

Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

¹³So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture

Will give thee thanks for ever:

We will show forth thy praise to all generations.

Psalm 80

For the Chief Musician, set to ^aShoshanim Eduth.. A Psalm of Asaph.

80 ¹Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;

Thou that ^asittest above the cherubim, shine forth.

²Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,

And come to save us.

^3aTurn us again, O God;

And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

⁴O Jehovah God of hosts,

How long ^awilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

⁵Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,

And given them tears to drink in large measure.

⁶Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors;

And our enemies laugh among themselves.

⁷Turn us again, O God of hosts;

And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

⁸Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:

Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it.

⁹Thou preparedst room before it,

And it took deep root, and filled the land.

¹⁰The mountains were covered with the shadow of it,

And ^athe boughs thereof were like ^acedars of God.

¹¹It sent out its branches unto the sea,

And its shoots unto the River.

¹²Why hast thou broken down its walls,

So that all they that pass by the way do pluck it?

¹³The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,

And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.

¹⁴Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:

Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,

¹⁵And ^athe stock which thy right hand planted,

And the ^abranch that thou madest strong for thyself.

¹⁶It is burned with fire, it is cut down:

They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

¹⁷Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,

Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

¹⁸So shall we not go back from thee:

Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.

^19aTurn us again, O Jehovah God of hosts;

Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

Psalm 81

For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

81 ¹Sing aloud unto God our strength:

Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

²Raise a song, and ^abring hither the timbrel,

The pleasant harp with the psaltery.

³Blow the trumpet at the new moon,

At the full moon, on our feast-day.

⁴For it is a statute for Israel,

An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony,

When he went out ^aover the land of Egypt,

Where I heard ^aa language that I knew not.

⁶I removed his shoulder from the burden:

His hands were freed from the basket.

⁷Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee;

I answered thee in the secret place of thunder;

I proved thee at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

⁸Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee:

O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!

⁹There shall no strange god be in thee;

Neither shalt thou worship any foreign god.

¹⁰I am Jehovah thy God,

Who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt:

Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹But my people hearkened not to my voice;

And Israel would none of me.

¹²So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart,

That they might walk in their own counsels.

¹³Oh that my people would hearken unto me,

That Israel would walk in my ways!

¹⁴I would soon subdue their enemies,

And turn my hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵The haters of Jehovah should ^asubmit themselves unto him:

But their time should endure for ever.

¹⁶He would feed them also with the ^afinest of the wheat;

And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.

Psalm 82

A Psalm of Asaph.

82 ¹God standeth in the congregation of God;

He judgeth among the gods.

²How long will ye judge unjustly,

And respect the persons of the wicked?

Selah

³Judge the ^apoor and fatherless:

Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

⁴Rescue the poor and needy:

Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

⁵They know not, neither do they understand;

They walk to and fro in darkness:

All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

⁶I said, Ye are gods,

And all of you sons of the Most High.

⁷Nevertheless ye shall die like men,

And fall like one of the princes.

⁸Arise, O God, judge the earth;

For thou shalt inherit all the nations.

Psalm 83

A song. A Psalm of Asaph.

83 ¹O God, keep not thou silence:

Hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

²For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult;

And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

³Thy take crafty counsel against thy people,

And consult together against thy hidden ones.

⁴They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;

That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

⁵For they have consulted together with one consent;

Against thee do they make a covenant:

⁶The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;

Moab, and the Hagarenes;

⁷Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre:

⁸Assyria also is joined with them;

They have ^ahelped the children of Lot.

Selah

⁹Do thou unto them as unto Midian,

As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;

¹⁰Who perished at Endor,

Who became as dung for the earth.

¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb;

Yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;

¹²Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession

The ^ahabitations of God.

¹³O my God, make them like the whirling dust;

As stubble before the wind.

¹⁴As the fire that burneth the forest,

And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire,

¹⁵So pursue them with thy tempest,

And terrify them with thy storm.

¹⁶Fill their faces with confusion,

That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.

¹⁷Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever;

Yea, let them be confounded and perish;

¹⁸That they may know that ^athou alone, whose name is Jehovah,

Art the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 84

For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

84 ¹How ^aamiable are thy tabernacles,

O Jehovah of hosts!

²My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Jehovah;

My heart and my flesh ^acry out unto the living God.

³Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house,

And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,

Even thine altars, O Jehovah of hosts,

My King, and my God.

⁴Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:

They will be still praising thee.

Selah

⁵Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;

In whose heart are the highways to Zion.

⁶Passing through the valley of ^aWeeping they make it a place of springs;

Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings.

⁷They go from strength to strength;

Every one of them appeareth before God in Zion.

⁸O Jehovah God of hosts, hear my prayer;

Give ear, O God of Jacob.

Selah

^9aBehold, O God our shield,

And look upon the face of thine anointed.

¹⁰For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.

I had rather ^abe a doorkeeper in the house of my God,

Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield:

Jehovah will give grace and glory;

No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

¹²O Jehovah of hosts,

Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Psalm 85

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

85 ¹Jehovah, thou hast been favorable unto thy land;

Thou hast ^abrought back the captivity of Jacob.

²Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people;

Thou hast covered all their sin.

Selah

³Thou hast taken away all thy wrath;

Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

^4aTurn us, O God of our salvation,

And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.

⁵Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?

Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

⁶Wilt thou not quicken us again,

That thy people may rejoice in thee?

⁷Show us thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah,

And grant us thy salvation.

⁸I will hear what God Jehovah will speak;

For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:

But let them not turn again to folly.

⁹Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰Mercy and truth are met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

¹¹Truth springeth out of the earth;

And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.

¹²Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good;

And our land shall yield its increase.

¹³Righteousness shall go before him,

And shall ^amake his footsteps a way to walk in.

Psalm 86

A Prayer of David

86 ¹Bow down thine ear, O Jehovah, and answer me;

For I am poor and needy.

²Preserve my soul; for I am godly:

O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

³Be merciful unto me, O Lord;

For unto thee do I cry all the day long.

⁴Rejoice the soul of thy servant;

For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in lovingkindness unto all them that call upon thee.

⁶Give ear, O Jehovah, unto my prayer;

And hearken unto the voice of my supplications.

⁷In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee;

For thou wilt answer me.

⁸There is none like unto thee among the gods, O Lord;

Neither are there any works like unto thy works.

⁹All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;

And they shall glorify thy name.

¹⁰For thou art great, and doest wondrous things:

Thou art God alone.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; I will walk in thy truth:

Unite my heart to fear thy name.

¹²I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart;

And I will glorify thy name for evermore.

¹³For great is thy lovingkindness toward me;

And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.

¹⁴O God, the proud are risen up against me,

And a company of violent men have sought after my soul,

And have not set thee before them.

¹⁵But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

¹⁶Oh turn unto me, and ^ahave mercy upon me;

Give thy strength unto thy servant,

And save the son of thy handmaid.

¹⁷Show me a token for good,

That they who hate me may see it, and be put to shame,

Because thou, Jehovah, hast helped me, and comforted me.

Psalm 87

A Psalm of the sons of Korah; a Song.

87 ^1aHis foundation is in the holy mountains.

²Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion

More than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.

Selah

⁴I will make mention of ^aRahab and Babylon as among them that know me:

Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with ^aEthiopia:

This one was born there.

⁵Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her;

And the Most High himself will establish her.

⁶Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peoples,

This one was born there.

Selah

⁷They that sing as well as ^athey that dance shall say,

All my fountains are in thee.

Psalm 88

A Song, a Psalm of the sons of Korah; for the Chief Musician; set to Mahalath ^aLeannoth. Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.

88 ¹O Jehovah, the God of my salvation,

I have cried day and night before thee.

²Let my prayer enter into thy presence;

Incline thine ear unto my cry.

³For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draweth nigh unto Sheol.

⁴I am reckoned with them that go down into the pit;

I am as a man that hath no help,

⁵Cast ^aoff among the dead,

Like the slain that lie in the grave,

Whom thou rememberest no more,

And they are cut off from thy hand.

⁶Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit,

In dark places, in the deeps.

⁷Thy wrath lieth hard upon me,

And thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.

Selah

⁸Thou hast put mine acquaintance far from me;

Thou hast made me an abomination unto them:

I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

⁹Mine eye wasteth away by reason of affliction:

I have called daily upon thee, O Jehovah;

I have spread forth my hands unto thee.

¹⁰Wilt thou show wonders to the dead?

Shall ^athey that are deceased arise and praise thee?

Selah

¹¹Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or thy faithfulness in ^aDestruction?

¹²Shall thy wonders be known in the dark?

And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But unto thee, O Jehovah, have I cried;

And in the morning shall my prayer come before thee.

¹⁴Jehovah, why castest thou off my soul?

Why hidest thou thy face from me?

¹⁵I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up:

While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

¹⁶Thy fierce wrath is gone over me;

Thy terrors have cut me off.

¹⁷They came round about me like water all the day long;

They compassed me about together.

¹⁸Lover and friend hast thou put far from me,

And mine acquaintance ^ainto darkness.

Psalm 89

Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

89 ¹I will sing of the lovingkindness of Jehovah for ever:

With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

²For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever;

Thy faithfulness wilt thou establish in the very heavens.

³I have made a covenant with my chosen,

I have sworn unto David my servant:

⁴Thy seed will I establish for ever,

And build up thy throne to all generations.

Selah

⁵And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah;

Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

⁶For who in the skies can be compared unto Jehovah?

Who among the ^asons of the ^amighty is like unto Jehovah,

⁷A God very terrible in the council of the holy ones,

And to be feared above all them that are round about him?

⁸O Jehovah God of hosts,

Who is a mighty one, like unto thee, O ^aJehovah?

And thy faithfulness is round about thee.

⁹Thou rulest the pride of the sea:

When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

¹⁰Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain;

Thou hast scattered thine enemies with the arm of thy strength.

¹¹The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine:

The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

¹²The north and the south, thou hast created them:

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.

¹³Thou hast ^aa mighty arm;

Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne:

Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.

¹⁵Blessed is the people that know the ^ajoyful sound:

They walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.

¹⁶In thy name do they rejoice all the day;

And in thy righteousness are they exalted.

¹⁷For thou art the glory of their strength;

And in thy favor ^aour horn shall be exalted.

¹⁸For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah;

^aAnd our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹Then thou spakest in vision to thy ^asaints,

And saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

²⁰I have found David my servant;

With my holy oil have I anointed him:

²¹With whom my hand shall be established;

Mine arm also shall strengthen him.

²²The enemy shall not ^aexact from him,

Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

²³And I will beat down his adversaries before him,

And smite them that hate him.

²⁴But my faithfulness and my lovingkindness shall be with him;

And in my name shall his horn be exalted.

²⁵I will set his hand also on the sea,

And his right hand on the rivers.

²⁶He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.

²⁷I also will make him my first-born,

The highest of the kings of the earth.

²⁸My lovingkindness will I keep for him for evermore;

And my covenant shall ^astand fast with him.

²⁹His seed also will I make to endure for ever,

And his throne as the days of heaven.

³⁰If his children forsake my law,

And walk not in mine ordinances;

³¹If they ^abreak my statutes,

And keep not my commandments;

³²Then will I visit their transgression with the rod,

And their iniquity with stripes.

³³But my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him,

Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

³⁴My covenant will I not break,

Nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

^{35 a}Once have I sworn by my holiness:

I will not lie unto David:

³⁶His seed shall endure for ever,

And his throne as the sun before me.

^{37 a}It shall be established for ever as the moon,

^aAnd as the faithful witness in the sky.

Selah

³⁸But thou hast cast off and rejected,

Thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

³⁹Thou hast abhorred the covenant of thy servant:

Thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

⁴⁰Thou hast broken down all his hedges;

Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin.

⁴¹All that pass by the way rob him:

He is become a reproach to his neighbors.

⁴²Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries;

Thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

⁴³Yea, thou turnest back the edge of his sword,

And hast not made him to stand in the battle.

⁴⁴Thou hast made his brightness to cease,

And cast his throne down to the ground.

⁴⁵The days of his youth hast thou shortened:

Thou hast covered him with shame.

Selah

⁴⁶How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou hide thyself for ever?

How long shall thy wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁷Oh remember how short my time is:

For what vanity hast thou created all the children of men!

⁴⁸What man is he that shall live and not see death,

That shall deliver his soul from the ^apower of Sheol?

Selah

⁴⁹Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses,

Which thou swarest unto David in thy faithfulness?

⁵⁰Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants;

How I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the ^amighty peoples,

⁵¹Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Jehovah,

Wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

⁵²Blessed be Jehovah for evermore.

Amen, and Amen.

BOOK IV

Psalm 90

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

90 ¹Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place

In all generations.

²Before the mountains were brought forth,

Or ever thou ^ahadst formed the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

³Thou turnest man to ^adestruction,

And sayest, Return, ye children of men.

⁴For a thousand years in thy sight

Are but as yesterday ^awhen it is past,

And as a watch in the night.

⁵Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:

In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

⁶In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;

In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

⁷For we are consumed in thine anger,

And in thy wrath are we troubled.

⁸Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,

Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

⁹For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:

We bring our years to an end as ^aa sigh.

¹⁰The days of our years are threescore years and ten,

Or even by reason of strength fourscore years;

Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow;

For it is soon gone, and we fly away.

¹¹Who knoweth the power of thine anger,

And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee?

¹²So teach us to number our days,

That we may get us a heart of wisdom.

¹³Return, O Jehovah; how long?

And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

¹⁴Oh satisfy us in the morning with thy lovingkindness,

That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

¹⁵Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,

And the years wherein we have seen evil.

¹⁶Let thy work appear unto thy servants,

And thy glory upon their children.

¹⁷And let the ^afavor of the Lord our God be upon us;

And establish thou the work of our hands upon us;

Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Psalm 91

91 ¹He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High

^aShall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

²I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in whom I trust.

³For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,

And from the deadly pestilence.

⁴He will cover thee with his pinions,

And under his wings shalt thou take refuge:

His truth is a shield and a buckler.

⁵Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night,

Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

⁶For the pestilence that walketh in darkness,

Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

⁷A thousand shall fall at thy side,

And ten thousand at thy right hand;

But it shall not come nigh thee.

⁸Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold,

And see the reward of the wicked.

^{9 a}For thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge!

Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation;

¹⁰There shall no evil befall thee,

Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.

¹¹For he will give his angels charge over thee,

To keep thee in all thy ways.

¹²They shall bear thee up in their hands,

Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

¹³Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:

The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot.

¹⁴Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:

I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

¹⁵He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble:

I will deliver him, and honor him.

¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him,

And show him my salvation.

Psalm 92

A Psalm, a Song for the sabbath day.

92 ¹It is a good thing to give thanks unto Jehovah,

And to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High;

²To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning,

And thy faithfulness every night,

³With an instrument of ten strings, and with the psaltery;

With a solemn sound upon the harp.

⁴For thou, Jehovah, hast made me glad through thy work:

I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

⁵How great are thy works, O Jehovah!

Thy thoughts are very deep.

⁶A brutish man knoweth not;

Neither doth a fool understand this:

⁷When the wicked spring as the grass,

And when all the workers of iniquity do flourish;

It is that they shall be destroyed for ever.

⁸But thou, O Jehovah, art on high for evermore.

⁹For, lo, thine enemies, O Jehovah,

For, lo, thine enemies shall perish;

All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

¹⁰But my horn hast thou exalted like the horn of the wild-ox:

I am anointed with fresh oil.

¹¹Mine eye also hath seen my desire on ^amine enemies,

Mine ears have heard my desire of the evil-doers that rise up against me.

¹²The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree:

He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

¹³They are planted in the house of Jehovah;

They shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;

They shall be full of sap and green:

¹⁵To show that Jehovah is upright;

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Psalm 93

93 ¹Jehovah reigneth; he is clothed with majesty;

Jehovah is clothed with strength; he hath girded himself therewith:

The world also is established, that it cannot be moved.

²Thy throne is established of old:

Thou art from everlasting.

³The floods have lifted up, O Jehovah,

The floods have lifted up their voice;

The floods lift up their ^awaves.

⁴Above the voices of many waters,

The mighty breakers of the sea,

Jehovah on high is mighty.

⁵Thy testimonies are very sure:

Holiness becometh thy house,

O Jehovah, for evermore.

Psalm 94

94 ¹O Jehovah, thou God to whom vengeance belongeth,

Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.

²Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth:

Render to the proud their desert.

³Jehovah, how long shall the wicked,

How long shall the wicked triumph?

⁴They prate, they speak arrogantly:

All the workers of iniquity boast themselves.

⁵They break in pieces thy people, O Jehovah,

And afflict thy heritage.

⁶They slay the widow and the sojourner,

And murder the fatherless.

⁷And they say, ^aJehovah will not see,

Neither will the God of Jacob consider.

⁸Consider, ye brutish among the people;

And ye fools, when will ye be wise?

⁹He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?

He that formed the eye, shall he not see?

¹⁰He that ^achastiseth the nations, shall not he correct,

Even he that teacheth man knowledge?

¹¹Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of man,

^aThat they are ^avanity.

¹²Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Jehovah,

And teachest out of thy law;

¹³That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity,

Until the pit be digged for the wicked.

¹⁴For Jehovah will not cast off his people,

Neither will he forsake his inheritance.

¹⁵For judgment shall return unto righteousness;

And all the upright in heart shall follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

¹⁷Unless Jehovah had been my help,

My soul had soon dwelt in silence.

¹⁸When I said, My foot slippeth;

Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, held me up.

¹⁹In the multitude of my ^athoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.

²⁰Shall the ^athrone of wickedness have fellowship with thee,

Which frameth mischief by statute?

²¹They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous,

And condemn the innocent blood.

²²But Jehovah hath been my high tower,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

²³And he hath brought upon them their own iniquity,

And will cut them off in their own wickedness;

Jehovah our God will cut them off.

Psalm 95

95 ¹Oh come, let us sing unto Jehovah;

Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

²Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;

Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

³For Jehovah is a great God,

And a great King above all gods.

⁴In his hand are the deep places of the earth;

The ^aheights of the mountains are his also.

⁵The sea is his, and he made it;

And his hands formed the dry land.

⁶Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker:

⁷For he is our God,

And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

To-day, ^aoh that ye would hear his voice!

⁸Harden not your heart, as at ^aMeribah,

As in the day of ^aMassah in the wilderness;

⁹When your fathers tempted me,

Proved me, and saw my work.

¹⁰Forty years long was I grieved with that generation,

And said, It is a people that do err in their heart,

And they have not known my ways:

¹¹Wherefore I sware in my wrath,

That they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm 96

96 ¹Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song:

Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth.

²Sing unto Jehovah, bless his name;

Show forth his salvation from day to day.

³Declare his glory among the nations,

His marvellous works among all the peoples.

⁴For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised:

He is to be feared above all gods.

⁵For all the gods of the peoples are ^aidols;

But Jehovah made the heavens.

⁶Honor and majesty are before him:

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the peoples,

Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength.

⁸Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name:

Bring an offering, and come into his courts.

⁹Oh worship Jehovah ^ain holy array:

Tremble before him, all the earth.

¹⁰Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth:

The world also is established that it cannot be moved:

He will judge the peoples with equity.

¹¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

¹²Let the field exult, and all that is therein;

Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy

¹³Before Jehovah; for he cometh,

For he cometh to judge the earth:

He will judge the world with righteousness,

And the peoples ^awith his truth.

Psalm 97

97 ¹Jehovah reigneth; let the earth rejoice;

Let the multitude of isles be glad.

²Clouds and darkness are round about him:

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³A fire goeth before him,

And burneth up his adversaries round about.

⁴His lightnings lightened the world:

The earth saw, and trembled.

⁵The mountains melted like wax at the presence of Jehovah,

At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

⁶The heavens declare his righteousness,

And all the peoples have seen his glory.

⁷Let all them be put to shame that serve graven images,

That boast themselves of idols:

Worship him, all ye gods.

⁸Zion heard and was glad,

And the daughters of Judah rejoiced,

Because of thy judgments, O Jehovah.

⁹For thou, Jehovah, art most high above all the earth:

Thou art exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰O ye that love Jehovah, hate evil:

He preserveth the souls of his saints;

He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is sown for the righteous,

And gladness for the upright in heart.

¹²Be glad in Jehovah, ye righteous;

And give thanks to his holy memorial name.

Psalm 98

A Psalm.

98 ¹Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song;

For he hath done marvellous things:

His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him.

²Jehovah hath made known his salvation:

His righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the nations.

³He hath remembered his lovingkindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel:

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

⁴Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all the earth:

Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.

⁵Sing praises unto Jehovah with the harp;

With the harp and the voice of melody.

⁶With trumpets and sound of cornet

Make a joyful noise before the King, Jehovah.

⁷Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

The world, and they that dwell therein;

⁸Let the floods clap their hands;

Let the hills sing for joy together

⁹Before Jehovah; for he cometh to judge the earth:

He will judge the world with righteousness,

And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 99

99 ¹Jehovah reigneth; let the peoples tremble:

He ^asitteth above the cherubim; let the earth be moved.

²Jehovah is great in Zion;

And he is high above all the peoples.

³Let them praise thy great and terrible name:

Holy is he.

⁴The king's strength also loveth justice;

Thou dost establish equity;

Thou executest justice and righteousness in Jacob.

⁵Exalt ye Jehovah our God,

And worship at his footstool:

Holy is he.

⁶Moses and Aaron among his priests,

And Samuel among them that call upon his name;

They called upon Jehovah, and he answered them.

⁷He spake unto them in the pillar of cloud:

They kept his testimonies,

And the statute that he gave them.

⁸Thou answeredst them, O Jehovah our God:

Thou wast a God that forgavest them,

Though thou tookest vengeance of their doings.

⁹Exalt ye Jehovah our God,

And worship at his holy hill;

For Jehovah our God is holy.

Psalm 100

A Psalm ^aof thanksgiving.

100 ¹Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, ^aall ye lands.

²Serve Jehovah with gladness:

Come before his presence with singing.

³Know ye that Jehovah, he is God:

It is he that hath made us, ^aand we are his;

We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter into his gates with ^athanksgiving,

And into his courts with praise:

Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.

⁵For Jehovah is good; his lovingkindness endureth for ever,

And his faithfulness unto all generations.

Psalm 101

A Psalm of David.

101 ¹I will sing of lovingkindness and justice:

Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I sing praises.

²I will ^abehave myself wisely in a perfect way:

Oh when wilt thou come unto me?

I will walk within my house ^awith a perfect heart.

³I will set no base thing before mine eyes:

I hate ^athe work of them that turn aside;

It shall not cleave unto me.

⁴A perverse heart shall depart from me:

I will know no ^aevil thing.

⁵Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I destroy:

Him that hath a high look and a proud heart will I not suffer.

⁶Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me:

He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall minister unto me.

⁷He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house:

He that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes.

⁸Morning by morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land;

To cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of Jehovah.

Psalm 102

A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is ^aoverwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before Jehovah.

102 ¹Hear my prayer, O Jehovah,

And let my cry come unto thee.

²Hide not thy face from me in the day of my distress:

Incline thine ear unto me;

In the day when I call answer me speedily.

³For my days consume away ^alike smoke,

And my bones are burned ^aas a firebrand.

⁴My heart is smitten like grass, and withered;

For I forget to eat my bread.

⁵By reason of the voice of my groaning

My bones cleave to my flesh.

⁶I am like a pelican of the wilderness;

I am become as an owl of the waste places.

⁷I watch, and am become like a sparrow

That is alone upon the house-top.

⁸Mine enemies reproach me all the day;

They that are mad against me do curse by me.

⁹For I have eaten ashes like bread,

And mingled my drink with weeping,

¹⁰Because of thine indignation and thy wrath:

For thou hast taken me up, and cast me away.

¹¹My days are like a shadow that ^adeclineth;

And I am withered like grass.

¹²But thou, O Jehovah, ^awilt abide for ever;

And thy memorial name unto all generations.

¹³Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion;

For it is time to have pity upon her,

Yea, the set time is come.

¹⁴For thy servants take pleasure in her stones,

And have pity upon her dust.

¹⁵So the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah,

And all the kings of the earth thy glory.

¹⁶For Jehovah hath built up Zion;

He hath appeared in his glory.

¹⁷He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute,

And hath not despised their prayer.

¹⁸This shall be written for the generation to come;

And a people which shall be created shall praise ^aJehovah.

¹⁹For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary;

From heaven did Jehovah behold the earth;

²⁰To hear the sighing of the prisoner;

To loose ^athose that are appointed to death;

²¹That men may declare the name of Jehovah in Zion,

And his praise in Jerusalem;

²²When the peoples are gathered together,

And the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah.

²³He ^aweakened my strength in the way;

He shortened my days.

²⁴I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days:

Thy years are throughout all generations.

²⁵Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth;

And the heavens are the work of thy hands.

²⁶They shall perish, but thou shalt endure;

Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;

As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

²⁷But thou art the same,

And thy years shall have no end.

²⁸The children of thy servants shall continue,

And their seed shall be established before thee.

Psalm 103

A Psalm of David.

103 ¹Bless Jehovah, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless his holy name.

²Bless Jehovah, O my soul,

And forget not all his benefits:

³Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;

Who healeth all thy diseases;

⁴Who redeemeth thy life from ^adestruction;

Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

⁵Who satisfieth ^athy desire with good things,

So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.

⁶Jehovah executeth righteous acts,

And judgments for all that are oppressed.

⁷He made known his ways unto Moses,

His doings unto the children of Israel.

⁸Jehovah is merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.

⁹He will not always chide;

Neither will he keep his anger for ever.

¹⁰He hath not dealt with us after our sins,

Nor rewarded us after our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him.

¹²As far as the east is from the west,

So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³Like as a father pitieth his children,

So Jehovah pitieth them that fear him.

¹⁴For he knoweth our frame;

He remembereth that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are as grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

¹⁶For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;

And the place thereof shall know it no more.

¹⁷But the lovingkindness of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,

And his righteousness unto children's children;

¹⁸To such as keep his covenant,

And to those that remember his precepts to do them.

¹⁹Jehovah hath established his throne in the heavens;

And his kingdom ruleth over all.

²⁰Bless Jehovah, ye his angels,

That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word,

Hearkening unto the voice of his word.

²¹Bless Jehovah, all ye his hosts,

Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

²²Bless Jehovah, all ye his works,

In all places of his dominion:

Bless Jehovah, O my soul.

Psalm 104

104 ¹Bless Jehovah, O my soul.

O Jehovah my God, thou art very great;

Thou art clothed with honor and majesty:

²Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment;

Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain;

³Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters;

Who maketh the clouds his chariot;

Who walketh upon the wings of the wind;

⁴Who maketh ^awinds his messengers;

Flames of fire his ministers;

^{5 a}Who laid the foundations of the earth,

That it should not be moved for ever.

⁶Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture;

The waters stood above the mountains.

⁷At thy rebuke they fled;

At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away

^{8 a}(The mountains rose, the valleys sank down)

Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them.

⁹Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;

That they turn not again to cover the earth.

¹⁰He sendeth forth springs into the valleys;

They run among the mountains;

¹¹They give drink to every beast of the field;

The wild asses quench their thirst.

¹²By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation;

They ^asing among the branches.

¹³He watereth the mountains from his chambers:

The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.

¹⁴He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,

And herb for the ^aservice of man;

That he may bring forth ^afood out of the earth,

¹⁵And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,

^aAnd oil to make his face to shine,

And bread that strengtheneth man's heart.

¹⁶The trees of Jehovah are filled with moisture,

The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

¹⁷Where the birds make their nests:

As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house.

¹⁸The high mountains are for the wild goats;

The rocks are a refuge for the conies.

¹⁹He appointed the moon for seasons:

The sun knoweth his going down.

²⁰Thou makest darkness, and it is night,

Wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth.

²¹The young lions roar after their prey,

And seek their food from God.

²²The sun ariseth, they get them away,

And lay them down in their dens.

²³Man goeth forth unto his work

And to his labor until the evening.

²⁴O Jehovah, how manifold are thy works!

In wisdom hast thou made them all:

The earth is full of thy ^ariches.

²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide,

Wherein are things creeping innumerable,

Both small and great beasts.

²⁶There go the ships;

There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to play ^atherein.

²⁷These wait all for thee,

That thou mayest give them their food in due season.

²⁸Thou givest unto them, they gather;

Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied with good.

²⁹Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled;

Thou ^atakest away their breath, they die,

And return to their dust.

³⁰Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created;

And thou renewest the face of the ground.

³¹Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever;

Let Jehovah rejoice in his works:

³²Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth;

He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.

³³I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live:

I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.

³⁴Let thy meditation be sweet unto him:

I will rejoice in Jehovah.

³⁵Let sinners be consumed out of the earth.

And let the wicked be no more.

Bless Jehovah, O my soul.

^aPraise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 105

105 ¹Oh give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name;

Make known among the peoples his doings.

²Sing unto him, sing praises unto him;

^aTalk ye of all his marvelous works.

³Glory ye in his holy name:

Let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah.

⁴Seek ye Jehovah and his strength;

Seek his face evermore.

⁵Remember his marvellous works that he hath done,

His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,

⁶O ye seed of Abraham his servant,

Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷He is Jehovah our God:

His judgments are in all the earth.

⁸He hath remembered his covenant for ever,

The word which he commanded to a thousand generations,

⁹The covenant which he made with Abraham,

And his oath unto Isaac,

¹⁰And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute,

To Israel for an everlasting covenant,

¹¹Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,

The ^alot of your inheritance;

¹²When they were but a few men in number,

Yea, very few, and sojourners in it.

¹³And they went about from nation to nation,

From one kingdom to another people.

¹⁴He suffered no man to do them wrong;

Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

¹⁵Saying, Touch not mine anointed ones,

And do my prophets no harm.

¹⁶And he called for a famine upon the land;

He brake the whole staff of bread.

¹⁷He sent a man before them;

Joseph was sold for a servant:

¹⁸His feet they hurt with fetters:

^aHe was laid in chains of iron,

¹⁹Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of Jehovah tried him.

²⁰The king sent and loosed him;

Even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free.

²¹He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his substance;

²²To bind his princes at his pleasure,

And teach his elders wisdom.

²³Israel also came into Egypt;

And Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

²⁴And he increased his people greatly,

And made them stronger than their adversaries.

²⁵He turned their heart to hate his people,

To deal subtly with his servants.

²⁶He sent Moses his servant,

And Aaron whom he had chosen.

²⁷They set among them ^ahis signs,

And wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸He sent darkness, and made it dark;

And they rebelled not against his words.

²⁹He turned their waters into blood,

And slew their fish.

³⁰Their land swarmed with frogs In the chambers of their kings.

³¹He spake, and there came swarms of flies,

And lice in all their borders.

³²He gave them hail for rain,

And flaming fire in their land.

³³He smote their vines also and their fig-trees,

And brake the trees of their borders.

³⁴He spake, and the locust came,

And the grasshopper, and that without number,

³⁵And did eat up every herb in their land,

And did eat up the fruit of their ground.

³⁶He smote also all the first-born in their land,

The ^achief of all their strength.

³⁷And he brought them forth with silver and gold;

And there was ^anot one feeble person among his tribes.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they departed;

For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

³⁹He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to give light in the night.

⁴⁰They asked, and he brought quails,

And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and waters gushed out;

They ran in the dry places like a river.

⁴²For he remembered his holy word,

And Abraham his servant.

⁴³And he brought forth his people with joy,

And his chosen with singing.

⁴⁴And he gave them the lands of the nations;

And they took the labor of the peoples in possession:

⁴⁵That they might keep his statutes,

And observe his laws.

^aPraise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 106

106 ^{1 a}Praise ye Jehovah.

Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth forever.

²Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah,

Or show forth all his praise?

³Blessed are they that keep justice,

And he that doeth righteousness at all times.

⁴Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people;

Oh visit me with thy salvation,

⁵That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,

That I may glory with thine inheritance.

⁶We have sinned with our fathers,

We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

⁷Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;

They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses,

But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

⁸Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake,

That he might make his mighty power to be known.

⁹He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up:

So he led them through the depths, as through a ^awilderness.

¹⁰And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,

And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

¹¹And the waters covered their adversaries;

There was not one of them left.

¹²Then believed they his words;

They sang his praise.

¹³They soon forgat his works;

They waited not for his counsel,

¹⁴But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tempted God in the desert.

¹⁵And he gave them their request,

But sent leanness into their soul.

¹⁶They envied Moses also in the camp,

And Aaron the ^asaint of Jehovah.

¹⁷The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,

And covered the company of Abiram.

¹⁸And a fire was kindled in their company;

The flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹They made a calf in Horeb,

And worshipped a molten image.

²⁰Thus they changed their glory

For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

²¹They forgat God their Saviour,

Who had done great things in Egypt,

²²Wondrous works in the land of Ham,

And terrible things by the Red Sea.

²³Therefore he said that he would destroy them,

Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach,

To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

²⁴Yea, they despised the pleasant land,

They believed not his word,

²⁵But murmured in their tents,

And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.

²⁶Therefore he ^asware unto them,

That he would ^aoverthrow them in the wilderness,

²⁷And that he would overthrow their seed among the nations,

And scatter them in the lands.

²⁸They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,

And ate the sacrifices of the dead.

²⁹Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;

And the plague brake in upon them.

³⁰Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment;

And so the plague was stayed.

³¹And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness,

Unto all generations for evermore.

³²They angered him also at the waters of ^aMeribah,

So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes;

³³Because they were rebellious against his spirit,

And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

³⁴They did not destroy the peoples,

As Jehovah commanded them,

³⁵But mingled themselves with the nations,

And learned their works,

³⁶And served their idols,

Which became a snare unto them.

³⁷Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons,

³⁸And shed innocent blood,

Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,

Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;

And the land was polluted with blood.

³⁹Thus were they defiled with their works,

And played the harlot in their doings.

⁴⁰Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah kindled against his people,

And he abhorred his inheritance.

⁴¹And he gave them into the hand of the nations;

And they that hated them ruled over them.

⁴²Their enemies also oppressed them,

And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

⁴³Many times did he deliver them;

But they were rebellious in their counsel,

And were brought low in their iniquity.

⁴⁴Nevertheless he regarded their distress,

When he heard their cry:

⁴⁵And he remembered for them his covenant,

And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

⁴⁶He made them also to be pitied

Of all those that carried them captive.

⁴⁷Save us, O Jehovah our God,

And gather us from among the nations,

To give thanks unto thy holy name,

And to triumph in thy praise.

⁴⁸Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,

From everlasting even to everlasting.

And let all the people say, Amen.

^aPraise ye Jehovah.

BOOK V

Psalm 107

107 ¹O give thanks unto Jehovah;

For he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

²Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so,

Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

³And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and ^afrom the south.

⁴They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way;

They found no city of habitation.

⁵Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.

⁶Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble,

And he delivered them out of their distresses,

⁷He led them also by a straight way,

That they might go to a city of habitation.

⁸Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness,

And for his wonderful works to the children of men!

⁹For he satisfieth the longing soul,

And the hungry soul he filleth with good.

¹⁰Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

Being bound in affliction and iron,

¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of God,

And contemned the counsel of the Most High:

¹²Therefore he brought down their heart with labor;

They fell down, and there was none to help.

¹³Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble,

And he saved them out of their distresses.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,

And brake their bonds in sunder.

¹⁵Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness,

And for his wonderful works to the children of men!

¹⁶For he hath broken the gates of brass,

And cut the bars of iron in sunder.

¹⁷Fools because of ^atheir transgression,

And because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

¹⁸Their soul abhorreth all manner of food;

And they draw near unto the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble,

And he saveth them out of their distresses.

²⁰He sendeth his word, and healeth them,

And delivereth them from their ^adestructions.

²¹Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness,

And for his wonderful works to the children of men!

²²And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,

And declare his works with singing.

²³They that go down to the sea in ships,

That do business in great waters;

²⁴These see the works of Jehovah,

And his wonders in the deep.

²⁵For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,

Which lifteth up the waves thereof.

²⁶They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths:

Their soul melteth away because of trouble.

²⁷They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,

And ^aare at their wits' end.

²⁸Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble,

And he bringeth them out of their distresses.

²⁹He maketh the storm a calm,

So that the waves thereof are still.

³⁰Then are they glad because they are quiet;

So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

³¹Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness,

And for his wonderful works to the children of men!

³²Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people,

And praise him in the seat of the elders.

³³He turneth rivers into a wilderness,

And watersprings into a thirsty ground;

³⁴A fruitful land into a salt desert,

For the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

³⁵He turneth a wilderness into a pool of water,

And a dry land into watersprings.

³⁶And there he maketh the hungry to dwell,

That they may prepare a city of habitation,

³⁷And sow fields, and plant vineyards,

And get them fruits of increase.

³⁸He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly;

And he suffereth not their cattle to decrease.

³⁹Again, they are diminished and bowed down

Through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.

⁴⁰He poureth contempt upon princes,

And causeth them to wander in the waste, where there is no way.

⁴¹Yet setteth he the needy on high from affliction,

And maketh him families like a flock.

⁴²The upright shall see it, and be glad;

And all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

⁴³Whoso is wise will give heed to these things;

And they will consider the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah.

Psalm 108

A Song, A Psalm of David.

108 ¹My heart is fixed, O God; I will sing, yea,

I will sing praises, even with my glory.

²Awake, psaltery and harp:

I myself will ^aawake right early.

³I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the peoples;

And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

⁴For thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens;

And thy truth reacheth unto the skies.

⁵Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens,

And thy glory above all the earth.

⁶That thy beloved may be delivered,

Save with thy right hand, and answer ^aus.

⁷God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult;

I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

⁸Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim also is the defence of my head;

Judah is my ^asceptre.

⁹Moab is my washpot;

^aUpon Edom will I cast my shoe;

Over Philistia will I shout.

¹⁰Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who ^ahath led me unto Edom?

^{11 a}Hast not thou cast us off, O God?

And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts.

¹²Give us help against the adversary;

For vain is the help of man.

¹³Through God we shall do valiantly:

For he it is that will tread down our adversaries.

Psalm 109

For the Chief Musicion. A Psalm of David.

109 ¹Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

²For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me:

They have spoken ^aunto me with a lying tongue.

³They have compassed me about also with words of hatred,

And fought against me without a cause.

⁴For my love they are my adversaries:

But I give myself unto prayer.

⁵And they have ^arewarded me evil for good,

And hatred for my love.

⁶Set thou a wicked man over him;

And let ^aan adversary stand at his right hand.

⁷When he is judged, let him come forth guilty;

And let his prayer ^abe turned into sin.

⁸Let his days be few;

And let another take his office.

⁹Let his children be fatherless,

And his wife a widow.

¹⁰Let his children be vagabonds, and beg;

And let them seek their bread ^aout of their desolate places.

¹¹Let the extortioner ^acatch all that he hath;

And let strangers make spoil of his labor.

¹²Let there be none to ^aextend kindness unto him;

Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.

¹³Let his posterity be cut off;

In the generation following let their name be blotted out.

¹⁴Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah;

And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

¹⁵Let them be before Jehovah continually,

That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;

¹⁶Because he remembered not to show kindness,

But persecuted the poor and needy man,

And the broken in heart, to slay them.

¹⁷Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him;

And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.

¹⁸He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment,

And it came into his inward parts like water,

And like oil into his bones.

¹⁹Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself,

And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

²⁰This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah,

And of them that speak evil against my soul.

²¹But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name's sake:

Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me;

²²For I am poor and needy,

And my heart is wounded within me.

²³I am gone like the shadow when it ^adeclineth:

I am tossed up and down as the locust.

²⁴My knees ^aare weak through fasting;

And my flesh faileth of fatness.

²⁵I am become also a reproach unto them:

When they see me, they shake their head.

²⁶Help me, O Jehovah my God;

Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:

²⁷That they may know that this is thy hand;

That thou, Jehovah, hast done it.

²⁸Let them curse, but bless thou:

When they arise, they shall be put to shame,

But thy servant shall rejoice.

^{29 a}Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonor,

And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

³⁰I will give great thanks unto Jehovah with my mouth;

Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

³¹For he will stand at the right hand of the needy,

To save him from them that judge his soul.

Psalm 110

A Psalm of David.

110 ¹Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,

Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

²Jehovah will ^asend forth the ^arod of thy strength out of Zion:

Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

³Thy people ^aoffer themselves willingly

In the day of thy ^apower, ^ain holy array:

Out of the womb of the morning

^aThou hast the dew of thy youth.

⁴Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent:

Thou art a priest for ever

After the ^aorder of Melchizedek.

⁵The Lord at thy right hand

^aWill strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

⁶He will judge among the nations,

^aHe ^awill fill the places with dead bodies;

He ^awill strike through the head ^ain many countries.

⁷He will drink of the brook in the way:

Therefore will he lift up the head.

Psalm 111

111 ^{1 a}Praise ye Jehovah.

I will give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole heart,

In the council of the upright, and in the congregation.

²The works of Jehovah are great,

Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

³His work is honor and majesty;

And his righteousness endureth for ever.

⁴He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered:

Jehovah is gracious and merciful.

⁵He hath given ^afood unto them that fear him:

He will ever be mindful of his covenant.

⁶He hath showed his people the power of his works,

In giving them the heritage of the nations.

⁷The works of his hands are truth and justice;

All his precepts are sure.

⁸They are established for ever and ever;

They are ^adone in truth and uprightness.

⁹He hath sent redemption unto his people;

He hath commanded his covenant for ever:

Holy and reverend is his name.

¹⁰The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;

^aA good understanding have all they that do ^ahis commandments:

His praise endureth for ever.

Psalm 112

112 ^{1 a}Praise ye Jehovah.

Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah,

That delighteth greatly in his commandments.

²His seed shall be mighty upon earth:

The generation of the upright shall be blessed.

³Wealth and riches are in his house;

And his righteousness endureth for ever.

⁴Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness:

He is gracious, and merciful, and righteous.

⁵Well is it with the man that dealeth graciously and lendeth;

He shall maintain his cause in judgment.

⁶For he shall never be moved;

The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.

⁷He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:

His heart is fixed, trusting in Jehovah.

⁸His heart is established, he shall not be afraid,

Until he see his desire upon his adversaries.

⁹He hath dispersed, he hath given to the needy;

His righteousness endureth for ever:

His horn shall be exalted with honor.

¹⁰The wicked shall see it, and be grieved;

He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away:

The desire of the wicked shall perish.

Psalm 113

113 ¹Praise ye Jehovah.

Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah,

Praise the name of Jehovah.

²Blessed be the name of Jehovah

From this time forth and for evermore.

³From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same

Jehovah's name is to be praised.

⁴Jehovah is high above all nations,

And his glory above the heavens.

⁵Who is like unto Jehovah our God,

That hath his seat on high,

⁶That humbleth himself ^ato behold

The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

⁷He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,

And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill;

⁸That he may set him with princes,

Even with the princes of his people.

⁹He maketh the barren woman to keep house,

And to be a joyful mother of children.

Praise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 114

114 ¹When Israel went forth out of Egypt,

The house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

²Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel his dominion.

³The sea saw it, and fled;

The Jordan was driven back.

⁴The mountains skipped like rams,

The little hills like lambs.

⁵What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest?

Thou Jordan, that thou turnest back?

⁶Ye mountains, that ye skip like rams;

Ye little hills, like lambs?

⁷Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord,

At the presence of the God of Jacob,

⁸Who turned the rock into a pool of water,

The flint into a fountain of waters.

Psalm 115

115 ¹Not unto us, O Jehovah, not unto us,

But unto thy name give glory,

For thy lovingkindness, and for thy truth's sake.

²Wherefore should the nations say,

Where is now their God?

³But our God is in the heavens:

He hath done whatsoever he pleased.

⁴Their idols are silver and gold,

The work of men's hands.

⁵They have mouths, but they speak not;

Eyes have they, but they see not;

⁶They have ears, but they hear not;

Noses have they, but they smell not;

⁷They have hands, but they handle not;

Feet have they, but they walk not;

Neither speak they through their throat.

⁸They that make them shall be like unto them;

Yea, every one that trusteth in them.

⁹O Israel, trust thou in Jehovah:

He is their help and their shield.

¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah:

He is their help and their shield.

¹¹Ye that fear Jehovah, trust in Jehovah:

He is their help and their shield.

¹²Jehovah hath been mindful of us; he will bless us:

He will bless the house of Israel;

He will bless the house of Aaron.

¹³He will bless them that fear Jehovah,

Both small and great.

¹⁴Jehovah increase you more and more,

You and your children.

¹⁵Blessed are ye of Jehovah,

Who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah;

But the earth hath he given to the children of men.

¹⁷The dead praise not Jehovah,

Neither any that go down into silence;

¹⁸But we will bless Jehovah

From this time forth and for evermore.

^aPraise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 116

116 ¹I love Jehovah, because he heareth

My voice and my supplications.

²Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,

Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

³The cords of death compassed me,

And the pains of Sheol ^agat hold upon me:

I found trouble and sorrow.

⁴Then called I upon the name of Jehovah:

O Jehovah, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

⁵Gracious is Jehovah, and righteous;

Yea, our God is merciful.

⁶Jehovah preserveth the simple:

I was brought low, and he saved me.

⁷Return unto thy rest, O my soul;

For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.

⁸For thou hast delivered my soul from death,

Mine eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

⁹I will walk before Jehovah

In the land of the living.

¹⁰I ^abelieve, for I will speak:

I was greatly afflicted:

¹¹I said in my ^ahaste,

All men are liars.

¹²What shall I render unto Jehovah

For all his benefits toward me?

¹³I will take the cup of salvation,

And call upon the name of Jehovah.

¹⁴I will pay my vows unto Jehovah,

Yea, in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵Precious in the sight of Jehovah

Is the death of his saints.

¹⁶O Jehovah, truly I am thy servant:

I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid;

Thou hast loosed my bonds.

¹⁷I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And will call upon the name of Jehovah.

¹⁸I will pay my vows unto Jehovah,

Yea, in the presence of all his people,

¹⁹In the courts of Jehovah's house,

In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.

^aPraise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 117

117 ¹O praise Jehovah, all ye nations;

Laud him, all ye peoples.

²For his lovingkindness is great toward us;

And the truth of Jehovah endureth for ever.

^aPraise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 118

118 ¹Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

²Let Israel now say,

That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

³Let the house of Aaron now say,

That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

⁴Let them now that fear Jehovah say,

That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

⁵Out of my distress I called upon ^aJehovah:

^aJehovah answered me and set me in a large place.

⁶Jehovah is on my side; I will not fear:

What can man do unto me?

⁷Jehovah is on my side among them that help me:

Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

⁸It is better to take refuge in Jehovah

Than to put confidence in man.

⁹It is better to take refuge in Jehovah

Than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰All nations compassed me about:

In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.

¹¹They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about:

In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.

¹²They compassed me about like bees;

They are quenched as the fire of thorns:

In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.

¹³Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall;

But Jehovah helped me.

¹⁴Jehovah is my strength and song;

And he is become my salvation.

¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:

The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.

¹⁶The right hand of Jehovah is exalted:

The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.

¹⁷I shall not die, but live,

And declare the works of Jehovah.

^{18 a}Jehovah hath chastened me sore;

But he hath not given me over unto death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness:

I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto Jehovah.

²⁰This is the gate of Jehovah;

The righteous shall enter into it.

²¹I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me,

And art become my salvation.

²²The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner.

²³This is ^aJehovah's doing;

It is marvellous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day which Jehovah hath made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵Save now, we beseech thee, O Jehovah:

O Jehovah, we beseech thee, send now prosperity.

²⁶Blessed be he that ^acometh in the name of Jehovah:

We have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah.

²⁷Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light:

Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

²⁸Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto thee:

Thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

²⁹Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

Psalm 119

^aALEPH.

119 ¹Blessed are they that are ^aperfect in the way,

Who walk in the law of Jehovah.

²Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,

That seek him with the whole heart.

³Yea, they do no unrighteousness;

They walk in his ways.

⁴Thou hast commanded us thy precepts,

That we should observe them diligently.

⁵Oh that my ways were established

To observe thy statutes!

⁶Then shall I not be put to shame,

When I have respect unto all thy commandments.

⁷I will give thanks unto thee with uprightness of heart,

When I learn thy righteous judgments.

⁸I will observe thy statutes:

Oh forsake me not utterly.

BETH.

⁹Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed thereto according to thy word.

¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee:

Oh let me not wander from thy commandments.

¹¹Thy word have I laid up in my heart,

That I might not sin against thee.

¹²Blessed art thou, O Jehovah:

Teach me thy statutes.

¹³With my lips have I declared

All the ordinances of thy mouth.

¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on thy precepts,

And have respect unto thy ways.

¹⁶I will delight myself in thy statutes:

I will not forget thy word.

GIMEL.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live;

So will I observe thy word.

¹⁸Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold

Wondrous things out of thy law.

¹⁹I am a sojourner in the earth:

Hide not thy commandments from me.

²⁰My soul breaketh for the longing

That it hath unto thine ordinances at all times.

²¹Thou hast rebuked the proud ^athat are cursed,

That do wander from thy commandments.

²²Take away from me reproach and contempt;

For I have kept thy testimonies.

²³Princes also sat and talked against me;

But thy servant did meditate on thy statutes.

²⁴Thy testimonies also are my delight

And ^amy counsellors.

DALETH.

²⁵My soul cleaveth unto the dust:

Quicken thou me according to thy word.

²⁶I declared my ways, and thou answeredst me:

Teach me thy statutes.

²⁷Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:

So shall I meditate on thy wondrous works.

²⁸My soul ^amelteth for heaviness:

Strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

²⁹Remove from me the way of falsehood;

And grant me thy law graciously.

³⁰I have chosen the way of faithfulness:

Thine ordinances have I set before me.

³¹I cleave unto thy testimonies:

O Jehovah, put me not to shame.

³²I will run the way of thy commandments,

When thou shalt enlarge my heart.

HE.

³³Teach me, O Jehovah, the way of thy statutes;

And I shall keep it unto the end.

³⁴Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;

Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

³⁵Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;

For therein do I delight.

³⁶Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,

And not to covetousness.

³⁷Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity,

And quicken me in thy ways.

³⁸Confirm unto thy servant thy word,

^aWhich is in order unto the fear of thee.

³⁹Turn away my reproach whereof I am afraid;

For thine ordinances are good.

⁴⁰Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:

Quicken me in thy righteousness.

VAV.

⁴¹Let thy lovingkindnesses also come unto me, O Jehovah,

Even thy salvation, according to thy word.

⁴²So shall I have an answer for him that reproacheth me;

For I trust in thy word.

⁴³And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;

For I have hoped in thine ordinances.

⁴⁴So shall I observe thy law continually

For ever and ever.

⁴⁵And I shall walk at liberty;

For I have sought thy precepts.

⁴⁶I will also speak of thy testimonies before kings,

And shall not be put to shame.

⁴⁷And I will delight myself in thy commandments,

Which I have loved.

⁴⁸I will lift up my hands also unto thy commandments, which I have loved;

And I will meditate on thy statutes.

ZAYIN.

⁴⁹Remember the word unto thy servant,

Because thou hast made me to hope.

⁵⁰This is my comfort in my affliction;

^aFor thy word hath quickened me.

⁵¹The proud have had me greatly in derision:

Yet have I not swerved from thy law.

⁵²I have remembered thine ordinances of old, O Jehovah,

And have comforted myself.

^{53 a}Hot indignation hath taken hold upon me,

Because of the wicked that forsake thy law.

⁵⁴Thy statutes have been my songs

In the house of my pilgrimage.

⁵⁵I have remembered thy name, O Jehovah, in the night,

And have observed thy law.

⁵⁶This I have had,

^aBecause I have kept thy precepts.

HHETH.

^{57 a}Jehovah is my portion:

I have said that I would observe thy words.

⁵⁸I entreated thy favor with my whole heart:

Be merciful unto me according to thy word.

⁵⁹I thought on my ways,

And turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

⁶⁰I made haste, and delayed not,

To observe thy commandments.

⁶¹The cords of the wicked have wrapped me round;

But I have not forgotten thy law.

⁶²At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee

Because of thy righteous ordinances.

⁶³I am a companion of all them that fear thee,

And of them that observe thy precepts.

⁶⁴The earth, O Jehovah, is full of thy lovingkindness:

Teach me thy statutes.

TETH.

⁶⁵Thou hast dealt well with thy servant,

O Jehovah, according unto thy word.

⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and knowledge;

For I have believed in thy commandments.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted I went astray;

But now I observe thy word.

⁶⁸Thou art good, and doest good;

Teach me thy statutes.

⁶⁹The proud have forged a lie against me:

With my whole heart will I keep thy precepts.

⁷⁰Their heart is as fat as grease;

But I delight in thy law.

⁷¹It is good for me that I have been afflicted;

That I may learn thy statutes.

⁷²The law of thy mouth is better unto me

Than thousands of gold and silver.

YODH.

⁷³Thy hands have made me and ^afashioned me:

Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.

⁷⁴They that fear thee shall see me and be glad,

Because I have hoped in thy word.

⁷⁵I know, O Jehovah, that thy judgments are righteous,

And that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.

⁷⁶Let, I pray thee, thy lovingkindness be for my comfort,

According to thy word unto thy servant.

⁷⁷Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live;

For thy law is my delight.

⁷⁸Let the proud be put to shame;

For they have overthrown me ^awrongfully:

But I will meditate on thy precepts.

⁷⁹Let those that fear thee turn unto me;

^aAnd they shall know thy testimonies.

⁸⁰Let my heart be perfect in thy statutes,

That I be not put to shame.

KAPH.

⁸¹My soul fainteth for thy salvation;

But I hope in thy word.

⁸²Mine eyes fail for thy word,

While I say, When wilt thou comfort me?

⁸³For I am become like a wine-skin in the smoke;

Yet do I not forget thy statutes.

⁸⁴How many are the days of thy servant?

When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?

⁸⁵The proud have digged pits for me,

Who are not according to thy law.

⁸⁶All thy commandments are faithful:

They persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.

⁸⁷They had almost consumed me upon earth;

But I forsook not thy precepts.

LAMEDH.

⁸⁸Quicken me after thy lovingkindness;

So shall I observe the testimony of thy mouth.

⁸⁹For ever, O Jehovah,

Thy word is settled in heaven.

⁹⁰Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:

Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.

^{91 a}They abide this day according to thine ordinances;

For all things are thy servants.

⁹²Unless thy law had been my delight,

I should then have perished in mine affliction.

⁹³I will never forget thy precepts;

For with them thou hast quickened me.

⁹⁴I am thine, save me;

For I have sought thy precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked have waited for me, to destroy me;

But I will consider thy testimonies.

MEM.

⁹⁶I have seen an end of all perfection;

But thy commandment is exceeding broad.

⁹⁷Oh how love I thy law!

It is my meditation all the day.

^{98 a}Thy commandments make me wiser than mine enemies;

For they are ever with me.

⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers;

For thy testimonies are my meditation.

¹⁰⁰I understand more than the aged,

Because I have kept thy precepts.

¹⁰¹I have refrained my feet from every evil way,

That I might observe thy word.

¹⁰²I have not turned aside from thine ordinances;

For thou hast taught me.

¹⁰³How sweet are thy words unto my ^ataste!

Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴Through thy precepts I get understanding:

Therefore I hate every false way.

NUN.

¹⁰⁵Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

And light unto my path.

¹⁰⁶I have sworn, and have confirmed it,

That I will observe thy righteous ordinances.

¹⁰⁷I am afflicted very much:

Quicken me, O Jehovah, according unto thy word.

¹⁰⁸Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill-offerings of my mouth, O Jehovah,

And teach me thine ordinances.

¹⁰⁹My soul is continually in my hand;

Yet do I not forget thy law.

¹¹⁰The wicked have laid a snare for me;

Yet have I not gone astray from thy precepts.

¹¹¹Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage for ever;

For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

¹¹²I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes

For ever, even unto the end.

SAMEKH.

¹¹³I hate them that are of a double mind;

But thy law do I love.

¹¹⁴Thou art my hiding-place and my shield:

I hope in thy word.

¹¹⁵Depart from me, ye evil-doers,

That I may keep the commandments of my God.

¹¹⁶Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live;

And let me not be ashamed of my hope.

¹¹⁷Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe,

And shall have respect unto thy statutes continually.

¹¹⁸Thou hast set at nought all them that err from thy statutes;

For their deceit is ^afalsehood.

¹¹⁹Thou ^aputtest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:

Therefore I love thy testimonies.

¹²⁰My flesh trembleth for fear of thee;

And I am afraid of thy judgments.

AYIN.

¹²¹I have done justice and righteousness:

Leave me not to mine oppressors.

¹²²Be surety for thy servant for good:

Let not the proud oppress me.

¹²³Mine eyes fail for thy salvation,

And for thy righteous word.

¹²⁴Deal with thy servant according unto thy lovingkindness,

And teach me thy statutes.

¹²⁵I am thy servant; give me understanding,

That I may know thy testimonies.

¹²⁶It is time for Jehovah to work;

For they have made void thy law.

¹²⁷Therefore I love thy commandments

Above gold, yea, above fine gold.

¹²⁸Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;

And I hate every false way.

PE.

¹²⁹Thy testimonies are wonderful;

Therefore doth my soul keep them.

¹³⁰The opening of thy words giveth light;

It giveth understanding unto the simple.

¹³¹I opened wide my mouth, and panted;

For I longed for thy commandments.

¹³²Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me,

As thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

¹³³Establish my footsteps in thy word;

And let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from the oppression of man:

So will I observe thy precepts.

¹³⁵Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;

And teach me thy statutes.

¹³⁶Streams of water run down mine eyes,

Because they observe not thy law.

TSADHE.

¹³⁷Righteous art thou, O Jehovah,

And upright ^aare thy judgments.

¹³⁸Thou hast commanded thy testimonies in righteousness

And very faithfulness.

¹³⁹My zeal hath ^aconsumed me,

Because mine adversaries have forgotten thy words.

¹⁴⁰Thy word is very ^apure;

Therefore thy servant loveth it.

¹⁴¹I am small and despised;

Yet do I not forget thy precepts.

¹⁴²Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

And thy law is truth.

¹⁴³Trouble and anguish have ^ataken hold on me;

Yet thy commandments are my delight.

¹⁴⁴Thy testimonies are righteous for ever:

Give me understanding, and I shall live.

QOPH.

¹⁴⁵I have called with my whole heart; answer me, O Jehovah:

I will keep thy statutes.

¹⁴⁶I have called unto thee; save me,

And I shall observe thy testimonies.

¹⁴⁷I anticipated the dawning of the morning, and cried:

I hoped in thy words.

¹⁴⁸Mine eyes anticipated the night-watches,

That I might meditate on thy word.

¹⁴⁹Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness:

Quicken me, O Jehovah, ^aaccording to thine ordinances.

¹⁵⁰They draw nigh ^athat follow after wickedness;

They are far from thy law.

¹⁵¹Thou art nigh, O Jehovah;

And all thy commandments are truth.

¹⁵²Of old have I known from thy testimonies,

That thou hast founded them for ever.

RESH.

¹⁵³Consider mine affliction, and deliver me;

For I do not forget thy law.

¹⁵⁴Plead thou my cause, and redeem me:

Quicken me according to thy word.

¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from the wicked;

For they seek not thy statutes.

¹⁵⁶Great are thy tender mercies, O Jehovah:

Quicken me according to thine ordinances.

¹⁵⁷Many are my persecutors and mine adversaries;

Yet have I not swerved from thy testimonies.

¹⁵⁸I beheld the treacherous, and ^awas grieved,

Because they observe not thy word.

¹⁵⁹Consider how I love thy precepts:

Quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thy lovingkindness.

¹⁶⁰The sum of thy word is truth;

And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.

SHIN.

¹⁶¹Princes have persecuted me without a cause;

But my heart standeth in awe of thy words.

¹⁶²I rejoice at thy word,

As one that findeth great spoil.

¹⁶³I hate and abhor falsehood;

But thy law do I love.

¹⁶⁴Seven times a day do I praise thee,

Because of thy righteous ordinances.

¹⁶⁵Great peace have they that love thy law;

And they have no occasion of stumbling.

¹⁶⁶I have hoped for thy salvation, O Jehovah,

And have done thy commandments.

¹⁶⁷My soul hath observed thy testimonies;

And I love them exceedingly.

¹⁶⁸I have observed thy precepts and thy testimonies;

For all my ways are before thee.

TAV.

¹⁶⁹Let my cry come near before thee, O Jehovah:

Give me understanding according to thy word.

¹⁷⁰Let my supplication come before thee:

Deliver me according to thy word.

¹⁷¹Let my lips utter praise;

For thou teachest me thy statutes.

¹⁷²Let my tongue sing of thy word;

For all thy commandments are righteousness.

¹⁷³Let thy hand be ready to help me;

For I have chosen thy precepts.

¹⁷⁴I have longed for thy salvation, O Jehovah;

And thy law is my delight.

¹⁷⁵Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee;

And let thine ordinances help me.

¹⁷⁶I have gone astray like a lost sheep;

Seek thy servant;

For I do not forget thy commandments.

Psalm 120

A Song of Ascents.

120 ¹In my distress I cried unto Jehovah,

And he answered me.

²Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips,

And from a deceitful tongue.

³What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee,

Thou deceitful tongue?

^{4 a}Sharp arrows of the mighty,

With coals of ^ajuniper.

⁵Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech,

That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

⁶My soul hath long had her dwelling

With him that hateth peace.

⁷I am for peace:

But when I speak, they are for war.

Psalm 121

A Song of Ascents.

121 ¹I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains:

From whence shall my help come?

²My help cometh from Jehovah,

Who made heaven and earth.

^{3 a}He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:

He that keepeth thee will not slumber.

⁴Behold, he that keepeth Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵Jehovah is thy keeper:

Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand.

⁶The sun shall not smite thee by day,

Nor the moon by night.

⁷Jehovah will keep thee from all evil;

He will keep thy soul.

⁸Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in

From this time forth and for evermore.

Psalm 122

A Song of Ascents; of David.

122 ¹I was glad when they said unto me,

Let us go unto the house of Jehovah.

²Our feet ^aare standing

Within thy gates, O Jerusalem,

³Jerusalem, that art builded

As a city that is compact together;

⁴Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of ^aJehovah,

For ^aan ordinance for Israel,

To give thanks unto the name of Jehovah.

⁵For there ^aare set thrones for judgment,

The thrones of the house of David.

^{6 a}Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

^aThey shall prosper that love thee.

⁷Peace be within thy walls,

And prosperity within thy palaces.

⁸For my brethren and companions' sakes,

I will now say, Peace be within thee.

⁹For the sake of the house of Jehovah our God

I will seek thy good.

Psalm 123

A Song of Ascents.

123 ¹Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes,

O thou that sittest in the heavens.

²Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their master,

As the eyes of a maid unto the hand of her mistress;

So our eyes look unto Jehovah our God,

Until he have mercy upon us.

³Have mercy upon us, O Jehovah, have mercy upon us;

For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

⁴Our soul is exceedingly filled

With the scoffing of those that are at ease,

And with the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 124

A Song of Ascents; of David.

124 ¹If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side,

Let Israel now say,

²If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side,

When men rose up against us;

³Then they had swallowed us up alive,

When their wrath was kindled against us;

⁴Then the waters had overwhelmed us,

The stream had gone over our soul;

⁵Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

⁶Blessed be Jehovah,

Who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

⁷Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers:

The snare is broken, and we are escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name of Jehovah,

Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

A Song of Ascents.

125 ¹They that trust in Jehovah

Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever.

²As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,

So Jehovah is round about his people

From this time forth and for evermore.

³For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous;

That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity.

⁴Do good, O Jehovah, unto those that are good,

And to them that are upright in their hearts.

⁵But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways,

Jehovah will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 126

A Song of Ascents.

126 ¹When Jehovah brought back those that returned to Zion,

We were like unto them that dream.

²Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

And our tongue with singing:

Then said they among the nations,

Jehovah hath done great things for them.

³Jehovah hath done great things for us,

Whereof we are glad.

⁴Turn again our captivity, O Jehovah,

As the streams in the South.

⁵They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

⁶He that goeth forth and weepeth, ^abearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 127

A Song of Ascents; of Solomon.

127 ¹Except Jehovah build the house,

They labor in vain that build it:

Except Jehovah keep the city,

The watchman waketh but in vain.

²It is vain for you to rise up early,

To take rest late,

To eat the bread of toil;

For so he giveth unto his beloved ^asleep.

³Lo, children are a heritage of Jehovah;

And the fruit of the womb is his reward.

⁴As arrows in the hand of a mighty man,

So are the children of youth.

⁵Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:

They shall not be put to shame,

When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128

A Song of Ascents.

128 ¹Blessed is every one that feareth Jehovah,

That walketh in his ways.

²For thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands:

Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

³Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine,

In the innermost parts of thy house;

Thy children like olive plants,

Round about thy table.

⁴Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

That feareth Jehovah.

⁵Jehovah bless thee out of Zion:

And see thou the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

⁶Yea, see thou thy children's children.

^aPeace be upon Israel.

Psalm 129

A Song of Ascents.

129 ^{1 a}Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up,

Let Israel now say,

²Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up:

Yet they have not prevailed against me.

³The plowers plowed upon my back;

They made long their furrows.

⁴Jehovah is righteous:

He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

⁵Let them be put to shame and turned backward,

All they that hate Zion.

⁶Let them be as the grass upon the housetops,

Which withereth before it ^agroweth up;

⁷Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand,

Nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.

⁸Neither do they that go by say,

The blessing of Jehovah be upon you;

We bless you in the name of Jehovah.

Psalm 130

A Song of Ascents.

130 ¹Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Jehovah.

²Lord, hear my voice:

Let thine ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

³If thou, Jehovah, shouldest mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

⁴But there is forgiveness with thee,

That thou mayest be feared.

⁵I wait for Jehovah, my soul doth wait,

And in his word do I hope.

⁶My soul waiteth for the Lord

More than watchmen wait for the morning;

Yea, more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷O Israel, hope in Jehovah;

For with Jehovah there is lovingkindness,

And with him is plenteous redemption.

⁸And he will redeem Israel

From all his iniquities.

Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents; of David.

131 ¹Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty;

Neither do I exercise myself in great matters,

Or in things too wonderful for me.

²Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul;

Like a weaned child with his mother,

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³O Israel, hope in Jehovah

From this time forth and for evermore.

Psalm 132

A Song of Ascents.

132 ¹Jehovah, remember for David

All his affliction;

²How he sware unto Jehovah,

And vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob:

³Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house,

Nor go up into my bed;

⁴I will not give sleep to mine eyes,

Or slumber to mine eyelids;

⁵Until I find out a place for Jehovah,

A tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob.

⁶Lo, we heard of it in Ephrathah:

We found it in the field of the wood.

⁷We will go into his tabernacles;

We will worship at his footstool.

⁸Arise, O Jehovah, into thy resting-place;

Thou, and the ark of thy strength.

⁹Let thy priest be clothed with righteousness;

And let thy saints shout for joy.

¹⁰For thy servant David's sake

Turn not away the face of thine anointed.

¹¹Jehovah hath sworn unto David in truth;

He will not turn from it:

Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

¹²If thy children will keep my covenant

And my testimony that I shall teach them,

Their children also shall sit upon thy throne for evermore.

¹³For Jehovah hath chosen Zion;

He hath desired it for his habitation.

¹⁴This is my resting-place for ever:

Here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

¹⁵I will abundantly bless her provision:

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶Her priests also will I clothe with salvation;

And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷There will I make the horn of David to bud:

I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

¹⁸His enemies will I clothe with shame;

But upon himself shall his crown flourish.

Psalm 133

A Song of Ascents; of David.

133 ¹Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!

²It is like the precious oil upon the head,

That ran down upon the beard,

Even Aaron's beard;

That came down upon the skirt of his garments;

³Like the dew of Hermon,

That cometh down upon the mountains of Zion:

For there Jehovah commanded the blessing,

Even life for evermore.

Psalm 134

A Song of Ascents.

134 ¹Behold, bless ye Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah,

That by night stand in the house of Jehovah.

²Lift up your hands to the sanctuary,

And bless ye Jehovah.

³Jehovah bless thee out of Zion;

Even he that made heaven and earth.

Psalm 135

135 ¹Praise ye Jehovah.

Praise ye the name of Jehovah;

Praise him, O ye servants of Jehovah,

²Ye that stand in the house of Jehovah,

In the courts of the house of our God.

³Praise ye Jehovah; for Jehovah is good:

Sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

⁴For Jehovah hath chosen Jacob unto himself,

And Israel for his own possession.

⁵For I know that Jehovah is great,

And that our Lord is above all gods.

⁶Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath he done,

In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps;

⁷Who causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;

Who maketh lightnings for the rain;

Who bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries;

⁸Who smote the first-born of Egypt,

Both of man and beast;

⁹Who sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt,

Upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants;

¹⁰Who smote many nations,

And slew mighty kings,

¹¹Sihon king of the Amorites,

And Og king of Bashan,

And all the kingdoms of Canaan,

¹²And gave their land for a heritage,

A heritage unto Israel his people.

¹³Thy name, O Jehovah, endureth for ever;

Thy memorial name, O Jehovah, throughout all generations.

¹⁴For Jehovah will judge his people,

And repent himself concerning his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

The work of men's hands.

¹⁶They have mouths, but they speak not;

Eyes have they, but they see not;

¹⁷They have ears, but they hear not;

Neither is there any breath in their mouths.

¹⁸They that make them shall be like unto them;

Yea, every one that trusteth in them.

¹⁹O house of Israel, bless ye Jehovah:

O house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah:

²⁰O house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah:

Ye that fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah.

²¹Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion,

Who dwelleth at Jerusalem.

Praise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 136

136 ¹Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

²Oh give thanks unto the God of gods;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

³Oh give thanks unto the Lord of lords;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

⁴To him who alone doeth great wonders;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

⁵To him that by understanding made the heavens;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

⁶To him that spread forth the earth above the waters;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

⁷To him that made great lights;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

⁸The sun to rule by day;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

⁹The moon and stars to rule by night;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

¹⁰To him that smote Egypt in their first-born;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

¹¹And brought out Israel from among them;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

¹²With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

¹³To him that divided the Red Sea in sunder;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

¹⁴And made Israel to pass through the midst of it;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

¹⁵But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

¹⁶To him that led his people through the wilderness;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

¹⁷To him that smote great kings;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

¹⁸And slew famous kings;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites;

For his lovingkindness endureth forever;

²⁰And Og king of Bashan;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

²¹And gave their land for a heritage;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

²²Even a heritage unto Israel his servant;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

²³Who remembered us in our low estate;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;

²⁴And hath delivered us from our adversaries;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:

²⁵Who giveth food to all flesh;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

²⁶Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven;

For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

Psalm 137

137 ¹By the rivers of Babylon,

There we sat down, yea, we wept,

When we remembered Zion.

²Upon the willows in the midst thereof We hanged up our harps.

³For there they that led us captive required of us songs,

And they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,

Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

⁴How shall we sing Jehovah's song

In a foreign land?

⁵If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,

Let my right hand forget her skill.

⁶Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,

If I remember thee not;

If I prefer not Jerusalem

Above my chief joy.

⁷Remember, O Jehovah, against the children of Edom

The day of Jerusalem;

Who said, Rase it, rase it,

Even to the foundation thereof.

⁸O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed,

Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee

As thou hast served us.

⁹Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones

Against the rock.

Psalm 138

A Psalm of David.

138 ¹I will give thee thanks with my whole heart:

Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee.

²I will worship toward thy holy temple,

And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:

For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

³In the day that I called thou answeredst me,

Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.

⁴All the kings of the earth shall give thee thanks, O Jehovah,

For they have heard the words of thy mouth.

⁵Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah;

For great is the glory of Jehovah.

⁶For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly;

But the haughty he knoweth from afar.

⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me;

Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of mine enemies,

And thy right hand will save me.

⁸Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me:

Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, endureth for ever;

Forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Psalm 139

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

139 ¹O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me.

²Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising;

Thou understandest my thought afar off.

³Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,

And art acquainted with all my ways.

⁴For there is not a word in my tongue,

But, lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.

⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before,

And laid thy hand upon me.

⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

⁷Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?

Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.

⁹If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me,

And thy right hand shall hold me.

¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me,

And the light about me shall be night;

¹²Even the darkness hideth not from thee,

But the night shineth as the day:

The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

¹³For thou didst form my inward parts:

Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb.

¹⁴I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

Wonderful are thy works;

And that my soul knoweth right well.

¹⁵My frame was not hidden from thee,

When I was made in secret,

And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

¹⁶Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance;

And in thy book they were all written,

Even the days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

¹⁸If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:

When I awake, I am still with thee.

¹⁹Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:

Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men.

²⁰For they speak against thee wickedly,

And thine enemies take thy name in vain.

²¹Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee?

And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

²²I hate them with perfect hatred:

They are become mine enemies.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart:

Try me, and know my thoughts;

²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 140

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

140 ¹Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man;

Preserve me from the violent man:

²Who devise mischiefs in their heart;

Continually do they gather themselves together for war.

³They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent;

Adders' poison is under their lips.

Selah

⁴Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked;

Preserve me from the violent man:

Who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.

⁵The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords;

They have spread a net by the wayside;

They have set gins for me.

Selah

⁶I said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God:

Give ear unto the voice of my supplications, O Jehovah.

⁷O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation,

Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

⁸Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked;

Further not his evil device, lest they exalt themselves.

Selah

⁹As for the head of those that compass me about,

Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

¹⁰Let burning coals fall upon them:

Let them be cast into the fire,

Into deep pits, whence they shall not rise.

¹¹An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth:

Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

¹²I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted,

And justice for the needy.

¹³Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name:

The upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Psalm 141

A Psalm of David.

141 ¹Jehovah, I have called upon thee; make haste unto me:

Give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee.

²Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee;

The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

³Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth;

Keep the door of my lips.

⁴Incline not my heart to any evil thing,

To practise deeds of wickedness

With men that work iniquity:

And let me not eat of their dainties.

⁵Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness;

And let him reprove me, it shall be as oil upon the head;

Let not my head refuse it:

For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue.

⁶Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock;

And they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

⁷As when one ploweth and cleaveth the earth,

Our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸For mine eyes are unto thee, O Jehovah the Lord:

In thee do I take refuge; leave not my soul destitute.

⁹Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me,

And from the gins of the workers of iniquity.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

Whilst that I withal escape.

Psalm 142

Maschil of David, when he was in the cave; a Prayer.

142 ¹I cry with my voice unto Jehovah;

With my voice unto Jehovah do I make supplication.

²I pour out my complaint before him;

I show before him my trouble.

³When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

Thou knewest my path.

In the way wherein I walk

Have they hidden a snare for me.

⁴Look on my right hand, and see;

For there is no man that knoweth me:

Refuge hath failed me;

No man careth for my soul.

⁵I cried unto thee, O Jehovah;

I said, Thou art my refuge,

My portion in the land of the living.

⁶Attend unto my cry;

For I am brought very low:

Deliver me from my persecutors;

For they are stronger than I.

⁷Bring my soul out of prison,

That I may give thanks unto thy name:

The righteous shall compass me about;

For thou wilt deal bountifully with me.

Psalm 143

A Psalm of David.

143 ¹Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; give ear to my supplications:

In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

²And enter not into judgment with thy servant;

For in thy sight no man living is righteous.

³For the enemy hath persecuted my soul;

He hath smitten my life down to the ground:

He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

⁴Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me;

My heart within me is desolate.

⁵I remember the days of old;

I meditate on all thy doings;

I muse on the work of thy hands.

⁶I spread forth my hands unto thee:

My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land.

Selah

⁷Make haste to answer me, O Jehovah; my spirit faileth:

Hide not thy face from me,

Lest I become like them that go down into the pit.

⁸Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;

For in thee do I trust:

Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;

For I lift up my soul unto thee.

⁹Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies:

I flee unto thee to hide me.

¹⁰Teach me to do thy will;

For thou art my God:

Thy Spirit is good;

Lead me in the land of uprightness.

¹¹Quicken me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake:

In thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

¹²And in thy lovingkindness cut off mine enemies,

And destroy all them that afflict my soul;

For I am thy servant.

Psalm 144

A Psalm of David.

144 ¹Blessed be Jehovah my rock,

Who teacheth my hands to war,

And my fingers to fight:

²My lovingkindness, and my fortress,

My high tower, and my deliverer;

My shield, and he in whom I take refuge;

Who subdueth my people under me.

³Jehovah, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him?

Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?

⁴Man is like to vanity:

His days are as a shadow that passeth away.

⁵Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down:

Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

⁶Cast forth lightning, and scatter them;

Send out thine arrows, and discomfit them.

⁷Stretch forth thy hand from above;

Rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters,

Out of the hand of aliens;

⁸Whose mouth speaketh deceit,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:

Upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

¹⁰Thou art he that giveth salvation unto kings;

Who rescueth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

¹¹Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hand of aliens,

Whose mouth speaketh deceit,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹²When our sons shall be as plants grown up in their youth,

And our daughters as corner-stones hewn after the fashion of a palace;

¹³When our garners are full, affording all manner of store,

And our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

¹⁴When our oxen are well laden;

When there is no breaking in, and no going forth,

And no outcry in our streets:

¹⁵Happy is the people that is in such a case;

Yea, happy is the people whose God is Jehovah.

Psalm 145

A Psalm of praise; of David.

145 ¹I will extol thee, my God, O King;

And I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

²Every day will I bless thee;

And I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

³Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised;

And his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴One generation shall laud thy works to another,

And shall declare thy mighty acts.

⁵Of the glorious majesty of thine honor,

And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate.

⁶And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts;

And I will declare thy greatness.

⁷They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness,

And shall sing of thy righteousness.

⁸Jehovah is gracious, and merciful;

Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness.

⁹Jehovah is good to all;

And his tender mercies are over all his works.

¹⁰All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah;

And thy saints shall bless thee.

¹¹They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,

And talk of thy power;

¹²To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,

And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.

¹³Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

¹⁴Jehovah upholdeth all that fall,

And raiseth up all those that are bowed down.

¹⁵The eyes of all wait for thee;

And thou givest them their food in due season.

¹⁶Thou openest thy hand,

And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷Jehovah is righteous in all his ways,

And gracious in all his works.

¹⁸Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him,

To all that call upon him in truth.

¹⁹He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him;

He also will hear their cry and will save them.

²⁰Jehovah preserveth all them that love him;

But all the wicked will he destroy.

²¹My mouth shall speak the praise of Jehovah;

And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Psalm 146

146 ¹Praise ye Jehovah.

Praise Jehovah, O my soul.

²While I live will I praise Jehovah:

I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

³Put not your trust in princes,

Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

⁴His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;

In that very day his thoughts perish.

⁵Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in Jehovah his God:

⁶Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that in them is;

Who keepeth truth for ever;

⁷Who executeth justice for the oppressed;

Who giveth food to the hungry.

Jehovah looseth the prisoners;

⁸Jehovah openeth the eyes of the blind;

Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down;

Jehovah loveth the righteous;

⁹Jehovah preserveth the sojourners;

He upholdeth the fatherless and widow;

But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

¹⁰Jehovah will reign for ever,

Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.

Praise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 147

147 ¹Praise ye Jehovah;

For it is good to sing praises unto our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is comely.

²Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem;

He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

³He healeth the broken in heart,

And bindeth up their wounds.

⁴He counteth the number of the stars;

He calleth them all by their names.

⁵Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;

His understanding is infinite.

⁶Jehovah upholdeth the meek:

He bringeth the wicked down to the ground.

⁷Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving;

Sing praises upon the harp unto our God,

⁸Who covereth the heavens with clouds,

Who prepareth rain for the earth,

Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

⁹He giveth to the beast his food,

And to the young ravens which cry.

¹⁰He delighteth not in the strength of the horse:

He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man.

¹¹Jehovah taketh pleasure in them that fear him,

In those that hope in his lovingkindness.

¹²Praise Jehovah, O Jerusalem;

Praise thy God, O Zion.

¹³For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates;

He hath blessed thy children within thee.

¹⁴He maketh peace in thy borders;

He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

¹⁵He sendeth out his commandment upon earth;

His word runneth very swiftly.

¹⁶He giveth snow like wool;

He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.

¹⁷He casteth forth his ice like morsels:

Who can stand before his cold?

¹⁸He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:

He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

¹⁹He showeth his word unto Jacob,

His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel.

²⁰He hath not dealt so with any nation;

And as for his ordinances, they have not known them.

Praise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 148

148 ¹Praise ye Jehovah.

Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens:

Praise him in the heights.

²Praise ye him, all his angels:

Praise ye him, all his host.

³Praise ye him, sun and moon:

Praise him, all ye stars of light.

⁴Praise him, ye heavens of heavens,

And ye waters that are above the heavens.

⁵Let them praise the name of Jehovah;

For he commanded, and they were created.

⁶He hath also established them for ever and ever:

He hath made a decree which shall not pass away.

⁷Praise Jehovah from the earth,

Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps.

⁸Fire and hail, snow and vapor;

Stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

⁹Mountains and all hills;

Fruitful trees and all cedars;

¹⁰Beasts and all cattle;

Creeping things and flying birds;

¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples;

Princes and all judges of the earth;

¹²Both young men and virgins;

Old men and children:

¹³Let them praise the name of Jehovah;

For his name alone is exalted;

His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴And he hath lifted up the horn of his people,

The praise of all his saints;

Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him.

Praise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 149

149 ¹Praise ye Jehovah.

Sing unto Jehovah a new song,

And his praise in the assembly of the saints.

²Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:

Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

³Let them praise his name in the dance:

Let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp.

⁴For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people:

He will beautify the meek with salvation.

⁵Let the saints exult in glory:

Let them sing for joy upon their beds.

⁶Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

And a two-edged sword in their hand;

⁷To execute vengeance upon the nations,

And punishments upon the peoples;

⁸To bind their kings with chains,

And their nobles with fetters of iron;

⁹To execute upon them the judgment written:

This honor have all his saints.

Praise ye Jehovah.

Psalm 150

150 ¹Praise ye Jehovah.

Praise God in his sanctuary:

Praise him in the firmament of his power.

²Praise him for his mighty acts:

Praise him according to his excellent greatness.

³Praise him with trumpet sound:

Praise him with psaltery and harp.

⁴Praise him with timbrel and dance:

Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe.

⁵Praise him with loud cymbals:

Praise him with high sounding cymbals.

⁶Let everything that hath breath praise Jehovah.

Praise ye Jehovah.

The Proverbs

Proverbs 1

1 ¹The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

²To know wisdom and instruction;

To discern the words of understanding;

³To receive instruction in wise dealing,

In righteousness and justice and equity;

⁴To give prudence to the simple,

To the young man knowledge and discretion:

⁵That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;

And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:

⁶To understand a proverb, and a figure,

The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

⁷The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;

But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸My son, hear the instruction of thy father,

And forsake not the law of thy mother:

⁹For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head,

And chains about thy neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not.

¹¹If they say, Come with us,

Let us lay wait for blood;

Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;

¹²Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol,

And whole, as those that go down into the pit;

¹³We shall find all precious substance;

We shall fill our houses with spoil;

¹⁴Thou shalt cast thy lot among us;

We will all have one purse:

¹⁵My son, walk not thou in the way with them;

Refrain thy foot from their path:

¹⁶For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

¹⁷For in vain is the net spread

In the sight of any bird:

¹⁸And these lay wait for their own blood;

They lurk privily for their own lives.

¹⁹So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain;

It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

²⁰Wisdom crieth aloud in the street;

She uttereth her voice in the broad places;

²¹She crieth in the chief place of concourse;

At the entrance of the gates,

In the city, she uttereth her words:

²²How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?

And scoffers delight them in scoffing,

And fools hate knowledge?

²³Turn you at my reproof:

Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you;

I will make known my words unto you.

²⁴Because I have called, and ye have refused;

I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;

²⁵But ye have set at nought all my counsel,

And would none of my reproof:

²⁶I also will laugh in the day of your calamity;

I will mock when your fear cometh;

²⁷When your fear cometh as a storm,

And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind;

When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:

²⁹For that they hated knowledge,

And did not choose the fear of Jehovah:

³⁰They would none of my counsel;

They despised all my reproof.

³¹Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,

And be filled with their own devices.

³²For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them,

And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them.

³³But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely,

And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

Proverbs 2

2 ¹My son, if thou wilt receive my words,

And lay up my commandments with thee;

²So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom,

And apply thy heart to understanding;

³Yea, if thou cry after discernment,

And lift up thy voice for understanding;

⁴If thou seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hid treasures:

⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah,

And find the knowledge of God.

⁶For Jehovah giveth wisdom;

Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding:

⁷He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;

⁸That he may guard the paths of justice,

And preserve the way of his saints.

⁹Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice,

And equity, yea, every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom shall enter into thy heart,

And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

¹¹Discretion shall watch over thee;

Understanding shall keep thee:

¹²To deliver thee from the way of evil,

From the men that speak perverse things;

¹³Who forsake the paths of uprightness,

To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Who rejoice to do evil,

And delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁵Who are crooked in their ways,

And wayward in their paths:

¹⁶To deliver thee from the strange woman,

Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

¹⁷That forsaketh the friend of her youth,

And forgetteth the covenant of her God:

¹⁸For her house inclineth unto death,

And her paths unto the dead;

¹⁹None that go unto her return again,

Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:

²⁰That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,

And keep the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright shall dwell in the land,

And the perfect shall remain in it.

²²But the wicked shall be cut off from the land,

And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.

Proverbs 3

3 ¹My son, forget not my law;

But let thy heart keep my commandments:

²For length of days, and years of life,

And peace, will they add to thee.

³Let not kindness and truth forsake thee:

Bind them about thy neck;

Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

⁴So shalt thou find favor and good understanding

In the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart,

And lean not upon thine own understanding:

⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him,

And he will direct thy paths.

⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes;

Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:

⁸It will be health to thy navel,

And marrow to thy bones.

⁹Honor Jehovah with thy substance,

And with the first-fruits of all thine increase:

¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,

And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.

¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah;

Neither be weary of his reproof:

¹²For whom Jehovah loveth he reproveth;

Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

¹³Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,

And the man that getteth understanding.

¹⁴For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver,

And the profit thereof than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies:

And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.

¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand;

In her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:

And happy is every one that retaineth her.

¹⁹Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding he established the heavens.

²⁰By his knowledge the depths were broken up,

And the skies drop down the dew.

²¹My son, let them not depart from thine eyes;

Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

²²So shall they be life unto thy soul,

And grace to thy neck.

²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely,

And thy foot shall not stumble.

²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:

Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear,

Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh:

²⁶For Jehovah will be thy confidence,

And will keep thy foot from being taken.

²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,

When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

²⁸Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again,

And to-morrow I will give;

When thou hast it by thee.

²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbor,

Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

³⁰Strive not with a man without cause,

If he have done thee no harm.

³¹Envy thou not the man of violence,

And choose none of his ways.

³²For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah;

But his friendship is with the upright.

³³The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked;

But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.

³⁴Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers;

But he giveth grace unto the lowly.

³⁵The wise shall inherit glory;

But shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 4

4 ¹Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father,

And attend to know understanding:

²For I give you good doctrine;

Forsake ye not my law.

³For I was a son unto my father,

Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

⁴And he taught me, and said unto me:

Let thy heart retain my words;

Keep my commandments, and live;

⁵Get wisdom, get understanding;

Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;

⁶Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee;

Love her, and she will keep thee.

⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom;

Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.

⁸Exalt her, and she will promote thee;

She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

⁹She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace;

A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee.

¹⁰Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;

And the years of thy life shall be many.

¹¹I have taught thee in the way of wisdom;

I have led thee in paths of uprightness.

¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;

And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

¹³Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:

Keep her; for she is thy life.

¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked,

And walk not in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, pass not by it;

Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they sleep not, except they do evil;

And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light,

That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness:

They know not at what they stumble.

²⁰My son, attend to my words;

Incline thine ear unto my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes;

Keep them in the midst of thy heart.

²²For they are life unto those that find them,

And health to all their flesh.

²³Keep thy heart with all diligence;

For out of it are the issues of life.

²⁴Put away from thee a wayward mouth,

And perverse lips put far from thee.

²⁵Let thine eyes look right on,

And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

²⁶Make level the path of thy feet,

And let all thy ways be established.

²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:

Remove thy foot from evil.

Proverbs 5

5 ¹My son, attend unto my wisdom;

Incline thine ear to my understanding:

²That thou mayest preserve discretion,

And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

³For the lips of a strange woman drop honey,

And her mouth is smoother than oil:

⁴But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁵Her feet go down to death;

Her steps take hold on Sheol;

⁶So that she findeth not the level path of life:

Her ways are unstable, and she knoweth it not.

⁷Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,

And depart not from the words of my mouth.

⁸Remove thy way far from her,

And come not nigh the door of her house;

⁹Lest thou give thine honor unto others,

And thy years unto the cruel;

¹⁰Lest strangers be filled with thy strength,

And thy labors be in the house of an alien,

¹¹And thou mourn at thy latter end,

When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

¹²And say, How have I hated instruction,

And my heart despised reproof;

¹³Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers,

Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

¹⁴I was well-nigh in all evil

In the midst of the assembly and congregation.

¹⁵Drink waters out of thine own cistern,

And running waters out of thine own well.

¹⁶Should thy springs be dispersed abroad,

And streams of water in the streets?

¹⁷Let them be for thyself alone,

And not for strangers with thee.

¹⁸Let thy fountain be blessed;

And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

¹⁹As a loving hind and a pleasant doe,

Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;

And be thou ravished always with her love.

²⁰For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman,

And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

²¹For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah;

And he maketh level all his paths.

²²His own iniquities shall take the wicked,

And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

²³He shall die for lack of instruction;

And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Proverbs 6

6 ¹My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor,

If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

²Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,

Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

³Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself,

Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor:

Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

⁴Give not sleep to thine eyes,

Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

⁵Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter,

And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, thou sluggard;

Consider her ways, and be wise:

⁷Which having no chief,

Overseer, or ruler,

⁸Provideth her bread in the summer,

And gathereth her food in the harvest.

⁹How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?

When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

¹⁰Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep:

¹¹So shall thy poverty come as a robber,

And thy want as an armed man.

¹²A worthless person, a man of iniquity,

Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

¹³That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet,

That maketh signs with his fingers;

¹⁴In whose heart is perverseness,

Who deviseth evil continually,

Who soweth discord.

¹⁵Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly;

On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

¹⁶There are six things which Jehovah hateth;

Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

¹⁷Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood;

¹⁸A heart that deviseth wicked purposes,

Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹A false witness that uttereth lies,

And he that soweth discord among brethren.

²⁰My son, keep the commandment of thy father,

And forsake not the law of thy mother:

²¹Bind them continually upon thy heart;

Tie them about thy neck.

²²When thou walkest, it shall lead thee;

When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee;

And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

²³For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;

And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

²⁴To keep thee from the evil woman,

From the flattery of the foreigner's tongue.

²⁵Lust not after her beauty in thy heart;

Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

²⁶For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread;

And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

²⁷Can a man take fire in his bosom,

And his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Or can one walk upon hot coals,

And his feet not be scorched?

²⁹So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife;

Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steal

To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

³¹But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold;

He shall give all the substance of his house.

³²He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding:

He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

³³Wounds and dishonor shall he get;

And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

³⁴For jealousy is the rage of a man;

And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He will not regard any ransom;

Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Proverbs 7

7 ¹My son, keep my words,

And lay up my commandments with thee.

²Keep my commandments and live;

And my law as the apple of thine eye.

³Bind them upon thy fingers;

Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.

⁴Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister;

And call understanding thy kinswoman:

⁵That they may keep thee from the strange woman,

From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.

⁶For at the window of my house

I looked forth through my lattice;

⁷And I beheld among the simple ones,

I discerned among the youths,

A young man void of understanding,

⁸Passing through the street near her corner;

And he went the way to her house,

⁹In the twilight, in the evening of the day,

In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

¹⁰And, behold, there met him a woman

With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

¹¹She is clamorous and wilful;

Her feet abide not in her house:

¹²Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places,

And lieth in wait at every corner.

¹³So she caught him, and kissed him,

And with an impudent face she said unto him:

¹⁴Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me;

This day have I paid my vows.

¹⁵Therefore came I forth to meet thee,

Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

¹⁶I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry,

With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed

With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning;

Let us solace ourselves with loves.

¹⁹For the man is not at home;

He is gone a long journey:

²⁰He hath taken a bag of money with him;

He will come home at the full moon.

²¹With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield;

With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.

²²He goeth after her straightway,

As an ox goeth to the slaughter,

Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool;

²³Till an arrow strike through his liver;

As a bird hasteth to the snare,

And knoweth not that it is for his life.

²⁴Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,

And attend to the words of my mouth.

²⁵Let not thy heart decline to her ways;

Go not astray in her paths.

²⁶For she hath cast down many wounded:

Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.

²⁷Her house is the way to Sheol,

Going down to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 8

8 ¹Doth not wisdom cry,

And understanding put forth her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way,

Where the paths meet, she standeth;

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,

At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:

⁴Unto you, O men, I call;

And my voice is to the sons of men.

⁵O ye simple, understand prudence;

And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things;

And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

⁷For my mouth shall utter truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him that understandeth,

And right to them that find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction, and not silver;

And knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies;

And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.

¹²I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil:

Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,

And the perverse mouth, do I hate.

¹⁴Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge:

I am understanding; I have might.

¹⁵By me kings reign,

And princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule,

And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

¹⁷I love them that love me;

And those that seek me diligently shall find me.

¹⁸Riches and honor are with me;

Yea, durable wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;

And my revenue than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,

And that I may fill their treasuries.

²²Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way,

Before his works of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,

Before the earth was.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth,

When there were no fountains abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled,

Before the hills was I brought forth;

²⁶While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,

Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there:

When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,

²⁸When he made firm the skies above,

When the fountains of the deep became strong,

²⁹When he gave to the sea its bound,

That the waters should not transgress his commandment,

When he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰Then I was by him, as a master workman;

And I was daily his delight,

Rejoicing always before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his habitable earth;

And my delight was with the sons of men.

³²Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;

For blessed are they that keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise,

And refuse it not.

³⁴Blessed is the man that heareth me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

³⁵For whoso findeth me findeth life,

And shall obtain favor of Jehovah.

³⁶But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:

All they that hate me love death.

Proverbs 9

9 ¹Wisdom hath builded her house;

She hath hewn out her seven pillars:

²She hath killed her beasts;

She hath mingled her wine;

She hath also furnished her table:

³She hath sent forth her maidens;

She crieth upon the highest places of the city:

⁴Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:

As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,

⁵Come, eat ye of my bread,

And drink of the wine which I have mingled.

⁶Leave off, ye simple ones, and live;

And walk in the way of understanding.

⁷He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling;

And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

⁸Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee:

Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:

Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For by me thy days shall be multiplied,

And the years of thy life shall be increased.

¹²If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself;

And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.

¹³The foolish woman is clamorous;

She is simple, and knoweth nothing.

¹⁴And she sitteth at the door of her house,

On a seat in the high places of the city,

¹⁵To call to them that pass by,

Who go right on their ways:

¹⁶Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither;

And as for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,

¹⁷Stolen waters are sweet,

And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

¹⁸But he knoweth not that the dead are there;

That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 10

10 ¹The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son maketh a glad father;

But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

²Treasures of wickedness profit nothing;

But righteousness delivereth from death.

³Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish;

But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.

⁴He becometh poor that worketh with a slack hand;

But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

⁵He that gathereth in summer is a wise son;

But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

⁶Blessings are upon the head of the righteous;

But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

⁷The memory of the righteous is blessed;

But the name of the wicked shall rot.

⁸The wise in heart will receive commandments;

But a prating fool shall fall.

⁹He that walketh uprightly walketh surely;

But he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

¹⁰He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow;

But a prating fool shall fall.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life;

But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

¹²Hatred stirreth up strifes;

But love covereth all transgressions.

¹³In the lips of him that hath discernment wisdom is found;

But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

¹⁴Wise men lay up knowledge;

But the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction.

¹⁵The rich man's wealth is his strong city:

The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The labor of the righteous tendeth to life;

The increase of the wicked, to sin.

¹⁷He is in the way of life that heedeth correction;

But he that forsaketh reproof erreth.

¹⁸He that hideth hatred is of lying lips;

And he that uttereth a slander is a fool.

¹⁹In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression;

But he that refraineth his lips doeth wisely.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver:

The heart of the wicked is little worth.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many;

But the foolish die for lack of understanding.

²²The blessing of Jehovah, it maketh rich;

And he addeth no sorrow therewith.

²³It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness;

And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

²⁴The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him;

And the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passeth, the wicked is no more;

But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,

So is the sluggard to them that send him.

²⁷The fear of Jehovah prolongeth days;

But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

²⁸The hope of the righteous shall be gladness;

But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

²⁹The way of Jehovah is a stronghold to the upright;

But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

³⁰The righteous shall never be removed;

But the wicked shall not dwell in the land.

³¹The mouth of the righteous bringeth forth wisdom;

But the perverse tongue shall be cut off.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable;

But the mouth of the wicked speaketh perverseness.

Proverbs 11

11 ¹A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah;

But a just weight is his delight.

²When pride cometh, then cometh shame;

But with the lowly is wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright shall guide them;

But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

⁴Riches profit not in the day of wrath;

But righteousness delivereth from death.

⁵The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way;

But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them;

But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.

⁷When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish;

And the hope of iniquity perisheth.

⁸The righteous is delivered out of trouble,

And the wicked cometh in his stead.

⁹With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor;

But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.

¹⁰When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth;

And when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted;

But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²He that despiseth his neighbor is void of wisdom;

But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

¹³He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets;

But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.

¹⁴Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth;

But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

¹⁵He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it;

But he that hateth suretyship is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman obtaineth honor;

And violent men obtain riches.

¹⁷The merciful man doeth good to his own soul;

But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

¹⁸The wicked earneth deceitful wages;

But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward.

¹⁹He that is stedfast in righteousness shall attain unto life;

And he that pursueth evil doeth it to his own death.

²⁰They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah;

But such as are perfect in their way are his delight.

²¹Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished;

But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

²²As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,

So is a fair woman that is without discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good;

But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

²⁴There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more;

And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want.

²⁵The liberal soul shall be made fat;

And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

²⁶He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him;

But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

²⁷He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor;

But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.

²⁸He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;

But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

²⁹He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind;

And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;

And he that is wise winneth souls.

³¹Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:

How much more the wicked and the sinner!

Proverbs 12

12 ¹Whoso loveth correction loveth knowledge;

But he that hateth reproof is brutish.

²A good man shall obtain favor of Jehovah;

But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

³A man shall not be established by wickedness;

But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

⁴A worthy woman is the crown of her husband;

But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just;

But the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

⁶The words of the wicked are of lying in wait for blood;

But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown, and are not;

But the house of the righteous shall stand.

⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom;

But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

⁹Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant,

Than he that honoreth himself, and lacketh bread.

¹⁰A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast;

But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;

But he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding.

¹²The wicked desireth the net of evil men;

But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

¹³In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man;

But the righteous shall come out of trouble.

¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth;

And the doings of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes;

But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel.

¹⁶A fool's vexation is presently known;

But a prudent man concealeth shame.

¹⁷He that uttereth truth showeth forth righteousness;

But a false witness, deceit.

¹⁸There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword;

But the tongue of the wise is health.

¹⁹The lip of truth shall be established for ever;

But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil;

But to the counsellors of peace is joy.

²¹There shall no mischief happen to the righteous;

But the wicked shall be filled with evil.

²²Lying lips are an abomination to Jehovah;

But they that deal truly are his delight.

²³A prudent man concealeth knowledge;

But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

²⁴The hand of the diligent shall bear rule;

But the slothful shall be put under taskwork.

²⁵Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop;

But a good word maketh it glad.

²⁶The righteous is a guide to his neighbor;

But the way of the wicked causeth them to err.

²⁷The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting;

But the precious substance of men is to the diligent.

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life;

And in the pathway thereof there is no death.

Proverbs 13

13 ¹A wise son heareth his father's instruction;

But a scoffer heareth not rebuke.

²A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth;

But the soul of the treacherous shall eat violence.

³He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life;

But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

⁴The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing;

But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

⁵A righteous man hateth lying;

But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

⁶Righteousness guardeth him that is upright in the way;

But wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

⁷There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing:

There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a man's life is his riches;

But the poor heareth no threatening.

⁹The light of the righteous rejoiceth;

But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

¹⁰By pride cometh only contention;

But with the well-advised is wisdom.

¹¹Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished;

But he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.

¹²Hope deferred maketh the heart sick;

But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

¹³Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself;

But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

¹⁴The law of the wise is a fountain of life,

That one may depart from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding giveth favor;

But the way of the transgressor is hard.

¹⁶Every prudent man worketh with knowledge;

But a fool flaunteth his folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falleth into evil;

But a faithful ambassador is health.

¹⁸Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth correction;

But he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.

¹⁹The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul;

But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

²⁰Walk with wise men, and thou shalt be wise;

But the companion of fools shall smart for it.

²¹Evil pursueth sinners;

But the righteous shall be recompensed with good.

²²A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children;

And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.

²³Much food is in the tillage of the poor;

But there is that is destroyed by reason of injustice.

²⁴He that spareth his rod hateth his son;

But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

²⁵The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul;

But the belly of the wicked shall want.

Proverbs 14

14 ¹Every wise woman buildeth her house;

But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.

²He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah;

But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

³In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride;

But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

⁴Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;

But much increase is by the strength of the ox.

⁵A faithful witness will not lie;

But a false witness uttereth lies.

⁶A scoffer seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;

But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.

⁷Go into the presence of a foolish man,

And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

⁸The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way;

But the folly of fools is deceit.

⁹A trespass-offering mocketh fools;

But among the upright there is good will.

¹⁰The heart knoweth its own bitterness;

And a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked shall be overthrown;

But the tent of the upright shall flourish.

¹²There is a way which seemeth right unto a man;

But the end thereof are the ways of death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;

And the end of mirth is heaviness.

¹⁴The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways;

And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

¹⁵The simple believeth every word;

But the prudent man looketh well to his going.

¹⁶A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil;

But the fool beareth himself insolently, and is confident.

¹⁷He that is soon angry will deal foolishly;

And a man of wicked devices is hated.

¹⁸The simple inherit folly;

But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil bow down before the good;

And the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor is hated even of his own neighbor;

But the rich hath many friends.

²¹He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth;

But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he.

²²Do they not err that devise evil?

But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.

²³In all labor there is profit;

But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

²⁴The crown of the wise is their riches;

But the folly of fools is only folly.

²⁵A true witness delivereth souls;

But he that uttereth lies causeth deceit.

²⁶In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence;

And his children shall have a place of refuge.

²⁷The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life,

That one may depart from the snares of death.

²⁸In the multitude of people is the king's glory;

But in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.

²⁹He that is slow to anger is of great understanding;

But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

³⁰A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh;

But envy is the rottenness of the bones.

³¹He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker;

But he that hath mercy on the needy honoreth him.

³²The wicked is thrust down in his evil-doing;

But the righteous hath a refuge in his death.

³³Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding;

But that which is in the inward part of fools is made known.

³⁴Righteousness exalteth a nation;

But sin is a reproach to any people.

³⁵The king's favor is toward a servant that dealeth wisely;

But his wrath will be against him that causeth shame.

Proverbs 15

15 ¹A soft answer turneth away wrath;

But a grievous word stirreth up anger.

²The tongue of the wise uttereth knowledge aright;

But the mouth of fools poureth out folly.

³The eyes of Jehovah are in every place,

Keeping watch upon the evil and the good.

⁴A gentle tongue is a tree of life;

But perverseness therein is a breaking of the spirit.

⁵A fool despiseth his father's correction;

But he that regardeth reproof getteth prudence.

⁶In the house of the righteous is much treasure;

But in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

⁷The lips of the wise disperse knowledge;

But the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah;

But the prayer of the upright is his delight.

⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah;

But he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

¹⁰There is grievous correction for him that forsaketh the way;

And he that hateth reproof shall die.

¹¹Sheol and Abaddon are before Jehovah:

How much more then the hearts of the children of men!

¹²A scoffer loveth not to be reproved;

He will not go unto the wise.

¹³A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance;

But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

¹⁴The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge;

But the mouth of fools feedeth on folly.

¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are evil;

But he that is of a cheerful heart hath a continual feast.

¹⁶Better is little, with the fear of Jehovah,

Than great treasure and trouble therewith.

¹⁷Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is,

Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

¹⁸A wrathful man stirreth up contention;

But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

¹⁹The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns;

But the path of the upright is made a highway.

²⁰A wise son maketh a glad father;

But a foolish man despiseth his mother.

²¹Folly is joy to him that is void of wisdom;

But a man of understanding maketh straight his going.

²²Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed;

But in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

²³A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth;

And a word in due season, how good is it!

²⁴To the wise the way of life goeth upward,

That he may depart from Sheol beneath.

²⁵Jehovah will root up the house of the proud;

But he will establish the border of the widow.

²⁶Evil devices are an abomination to Jehovah;

But pleasant words are pure.

²⁷He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house;

But he that hateth bribes shall live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous studieth to answer;

But the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

²⁹Jehovah is far from the wicked;

But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart;

And good tidings make the bones fat.

³¹The ear that hearkeneth to the reproof of life

Shall abide among the wise.

³²He that refuseth correction despiseth his own soul;

But he that hearkeneth to reproof getteth understanding.

³³The fear of Jehovah is the instruction of wisdom;

And before honor goeth humility.

Proverbs 16

16 ¹The plans of the heart belong to man;

But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.

²All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes;

But Jehovah weigheth the spirits.

³Commit thy works unto Jehovah,

And thy purposes shall be established.

⁴Jehovah hath made everything for its own end;

Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

⁵Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah:

Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

⁶By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for;

And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil.

⁷When a man's ways please Jehovah,

He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little, with righteousness,

Than great revenues with injustice.

⁹A man's heart deviseth his way;

But Jehovah directeth his steps.

¹⁰A divine sentence is in the lips of the king;

His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.

¹¹A just balance and scales are Jehovah's;

All the weights of the bag are his work.

¹²It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness;

For the throne is established by righteousness.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings;

And they love him that speaketh right.

¹⁴The wrath of a king is as messengers of death;

But a wise man will pacify it.

¹⁵In the light of the king's countenance is life;

And his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.

¹⁶How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!

Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil:

He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

¹⁸Pride goeth before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor,

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

²⁰He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good;

And whoso trusteth in Jehovah, happy is he.

²¹The wise in heart shall be called prudent;

And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

²²Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it;

But the correction of fools is their folly.

²³The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth,

And addeth learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are as a honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

²⁵There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,

But the end thereof are the ways of death.

²⁶The appetite of the laboring man laboreth for him;

For his mouth urgeth him thereto.

²⁷A worthless man deviseth mischief;

And in his lips there is as a scorching fire.

²⁸A perverse man scattereth abroad strife;

And a whisperer separateth chief friends.

²⁹A man of violence enticeth his neighbor,

And leadeth him in a way that is not good.

³⁰He that shutteth his eyes, it is to devise perverse things:

He that compresseth his lips bringeth evil to pass.

³¹The hoary head is a crown of glory;

It shall be found in the way of righteousness.

³²He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;

And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap;

But the whole disposing thereof is of Jehovah.

Proverbs 17

17 ¹Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

²A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that causeth shame,

And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.

³The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;

But Jehovah trieth the hearts.

⁴An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips;

And a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.

⁵Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;

And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.

⁶Children's children are the crown of old men;

And the glory of children are their fathers.

⁷Excellent speech becometh not a fool;

Much less do lying lips a prince.

⁸A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;

Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

⁹He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;

But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.

¹⁰A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding

Than a hundred stripes into a fool.

¹¹An evil man seeketh only rebellion;

Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

¹²Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³Whoso rewardeth evil for good,

Evil shall not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:

Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.

¹⁵He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

¹⁶Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,

Seeing he hath no understanding?

¹⁷A friend loveth at all times;

And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A man void of understanding striketh hands,

And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹He loveth transgression that loveth strife:

He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.

²⁰He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good;

And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

²¹He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow;

And the father of a fool hath no joy.

²²A cheerful heart is a good medicine;

But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

²³A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom,

To pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding;

But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son is a grief to his father,

And bitterness to her that bare him.

²⁶Also to punish the righteous is not good,

Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.

²⁷He that spareth his words hath knowledge;

And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;

When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent.

Proverbs 18

18 ¹He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire,

And rageth against all sound wisdom.

²A fool hath no delight in understanding,

But only that his heart may reveal itself.

³When the wicked cometh, there cometh also contempt,

And with ignominy cometh reproach.

⁴The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters;

The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.

⁵To respect the person of the wicked is not good,

Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment.

⁶A fool's lips enter into contention,

And his mouth calleth for stripes.

⁷A fool's mouth is his destruction,

And his lips are the snare of his soul.

⁸The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,

And they go down into the innermost parts.

⁹He also that is slack in his work

Is brother to him that is a destroyer.

¹⁰The name of Jehovah is a strong tower;

The righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

¹¹The rich man's wealth is his strong city,

And as a high wall in his own imagination.

¹²Before destruction the heart of man is haughty;

And before honor goeth humility.

¹³He that giveth answer before he heareth,

It is folly and shame unto him.

¹⁴The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity;

But a broken spirit who can bear?

¹⁵The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge;

And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

¹⁶A man's gift maketh room for him,

And bringeth him before great men.

¹⁷He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just;

But his neighbor cometh and searcheth him out.

¹⁸The lot causeth contentions to cease,

And parteth between the mighty.

¹⁹A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city;

And such contentions are like the bars of a castle.

²⁰A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth;

With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied.

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue;

And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

²²Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing,

And obtaineth favor of Jehovah.

²³The poor useth entreaties;

But the rich answereth roughly.

²⁴He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction;

But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 19

19 ¹Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity

Than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

²Also, that the soul be without knowledge is not good;

And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

³The foolishness of man subverteth his way;

And his heart fretteth against Jehovah.

⁴Wealth addeth many friends;

But the poor is separated from his friend.

⁵A false witness shall not be unpunished;

And he that uttereth lies shall not escape.

⁶Many will entreat the favor of the liberal man;

And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

⁷All the brethren of the poor do hate him:

How much more do his friends go far from him!

He pursueth them with words, but they are gone.

⁸He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul:

He that keepeth understanding shall find good.

⁹A false witness shall not be unpunished;

And he that uttereth lies shall perish.

¹⁰Delicate living is not seemly for a fool;

Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

¹¹The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger;

And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

¹²The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion;

But his favor is as dew upon the grass.

¹³A foolish son is the calamity of his father;

And the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

¹⁴House and riches are an inheritance from fathers;

But a prudent wife is from Jehovah.

¹⁵Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep;

And the idle soul shall suffer hunger.

¹⁶He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul;

But he that is careless of his ways shall die.

¹⁷He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto Jehovah,

And his good deed will he pay him again.

¹⁸Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope;

and set not thy heart on his destruction.

¹⁹A man of great wrath shall bear the penalty;

For if thou deliver him, thou must do it yet again.

²⁰Hear counsel, and receive instruction,

That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

²¹There are many devices in a man's heart;

But the counsel of Jehovah, that shall stand.

²²That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness;

And a poor man is better than a liar.

²³The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life;

And he that hath it shall abide satisfied;

He shall not be visited with evil.

²⁴The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish,

And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

²⁵Smite a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;

And reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

²⁶He that doeth violence to his father, and chaseth away his mother,

Is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach.

²⁷Cease, my son, to hear instruction

Only to err from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A worthless witness mocketh at justice;

And the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity.

²⁹Judgments are prepared for scoffers,

And stripes for the back of fools.

Proverbs 20

20 ¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler;

And whosoever erreth thereby is not wise.

²The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion:

He that provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own life.

³It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife;

But every fool will be quarrelling.

⁴The sluggard will not plow by reason of the winter;

Therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water;

But a man of understanding will draw it out.

⁶Most men will proclaim every one his own kindness;

But a faithful man who can find?

⁷A righteous man that walketh in his integrity,

Blessed are his children after him.

⁸A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment

Scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who can say, I have made my heart clean,

I am pure from my sin?

¹⁰Diverse weights, and diverse measures,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

¹¹Even a child maketh himself known by his doings,

Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

¹²The hearing ear, and the seeing eye,

Jehovah hath made even both of them.

¹³Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty;

Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴It is bad, it is bad, saith the buyer;

But when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

¹⁵There is gold, and abundance of rubies;

But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

¹⁶Take his garment that is surety for a stranger;

And hold him in pledge that is surety for foreigners.

¹⁷Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man;

But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

¹⁸Every purpose is established by counsel;

And by wise guidance make thou war.

¹⁹He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets;

Therefore company not with him that openeth wide his lips.

²⁰Whoso curseth his father or his mother,

His lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness.

²¹An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning;

But the end thereof shall not be blessed.

²²Say not thou, I will recompense evil:

Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee.

²³Diverse weights are an abomination to Jehovah;

And a false balance is not good.

²⁴A man's goings are of Jehovah;

How then can man understand his way?

²⁵It is a snare to a man rashly to say, It is holy,

And after vows to make inquiry.

²⁶A wise king winnoweth the wicked,

And bringeth the threshing -wheel over them.

²⁷The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah,

Searching all his innermost parts.

²⁸Kindness and truth preserve the king;

And his throne is upholden by kindness.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength;

And the beauty of old men is the hoary head.

³⁰Stripes that wound cleanse away evil;

And strokes reach the innermost parts.

Proverbs 21

21 ¹The king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses:

He turneth it whithersoever he will.

²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes;

But Jehovah weigheth the hearts.

³To do righteousness and justice

Is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice.

⁴A high look, and a proud heart,

Even the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness;

But every one that is hasty hasteth only to want.

⁶The getting of treasures by a lying tongue

Is a vapor driven to and fro by them that seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away,

Because they refuse to do justice.

⁸The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked;

But as for the pure, his work is right.

⁹It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,

Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desireth evil:

His neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.

¹¹When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;

And when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

¹²The righteous man considereth the house of the wicked,

How the wicked are overthrown to their ruin.

¹³Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor,

He also shall cry, but shall not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifieth anger;

And a present in the bosom, strong wrath.

¹⁵It is joy to the righteous to do justice;

But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding

Shall rest in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man:

He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked is a ransom for the righteous;

And the treacherous cometh in the stead of the upright.

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land,

Than with a contentious and fretful woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise;

But a foolish man swalloweth it up.

²¹He that followeth after righteousness and kindness

Findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty,

And bringeth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

²³Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue

Keepeth his soul from troubles.

²⁴The proud and haughty man, scoffer is his name;

He worketh in the arrogance of pride.

²⁵The desire of the sluggard killeth him;

For his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶There is that coveteth greedily all the day long;

But the righteous giveth and withholdeth not.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination:

How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

²⁸A false witness shall perish;

But the man that heareth shall speak so as to endure.

²⁹A wicked man hardeneth his face;

But as for the upright, he establisheth his ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom nor understanding

Nor counsel against Jehovah.

³¹The horse is prepared against the day of battle;

But victory is of Jehovah.

Proverbs 22

22 ¹A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,

And loving favor rather than silver and gold.

²The rich and the poor meet together:

Jehovah is the maker of them all.

³A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself;

But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

⁴The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah

Is riches, and honor, and life.

⁵Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse:

He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go,

And even when he is old he will not depart from it.

⁷The rich ruleth over the poor;

And the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity;

And the rod of his wrath shall fail.

⁹He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed;

For he giveth of his bread to the poor.

¹⁰Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out;

Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.