Persecution in Scripture: Standing Firm

He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.

They called to Lot, and said to him, “Where are the men who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may have sex with them.”

They said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them!” They pressed hard on the man Lot, and came near to break the door.

Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth.

Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying, “Behold, he has brought a Hebrew in to us to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.

When he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.”

She laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.

She spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me,

and as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me, and ran outside.”

When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.

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 custody.

“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel.

The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,

and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”

Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.

Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand.

The king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!”

Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.”

The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,

“You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.

You shall require from them the number of the bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’

Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labour in it. Don’t let them pay any attention to lying words.”

The taskmasters of the people went out with their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw.

Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.’”

The taskmasters were urgent saying, “Fulfil your work quota daily, as when there was straw!”

The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?”

No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”

But Pharaoh said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to the LORD.’

Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!”

The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”

They said to them, “May the LORD look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”

Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”

He prepared his chariot, and took his army with him;

and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with captains over all of them.

The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the middle of the sea: all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.’

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.

I will scatter you amongst the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you. Your land will be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.

“‘As for those of you who are left, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight; and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword. They will fall when no one pursues.

They will stumble over one another, as it were before the sword, when no one pursues. You will have no power to stand before your enemies.

You will perish amongst the nations. The land of your enemies will eat you up.

But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. The LORD’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers.

The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the South, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.

Sihon would not allow 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. He fought against Israel.

Remember what Amalek did to you by the way as you came out of Egypt,

how he met you by the way, and struck the rearmost of you, all who were feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and he didn’t fear God.

The Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and imposed hard labour on us.

The LORD will cause you to be struck before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and will flee seven ways before them. You will be tossed back and forth amongst all the kingdoms of the earth.

You will grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. You will only be oppressed and robbed always, and there will be no one to save you.

A nation which you don’t know will eat the fruit of your ground and all of your work. You will only be oppressed and crushed always,

You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword amongst all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.

The foreigner who is amongst you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come down lower and lower.

He will lend to you, and you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.

therefore you will serve your enemies whom the LORD sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.

The LORD will bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I told to you that you would never see it again. There you will offer yourselves to your enemies for male and female slaves, and nobody will buy you.

The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.

Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

All these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and you came to the sea. The Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea.

Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. He sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you,

The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;

the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.

Therefore the LORD’s anger burnt 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.

The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

The LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

The children of Israel cried to the LORD, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed the children of Israel for twenty years.

“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied. The travellers walked through byways.

“The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver.

The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds.

So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them.

They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey.

For they came up with their livestock 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.

Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to the LORD.

When the children of Israel cried to the LORD because of Midian,

Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.”

The LORD’s anger burnt against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon.

They troubled and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.

The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. Whenever a fugitive of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No;”

then they said to him, “Now say ‘Shibboleth;’” and he said “Sibboleth”; for he couldn’t manage to pronounce it correctly, then they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time, forty-two thousand of Ephraim fell.

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

When he had set the torches 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 olive groves.

Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” They said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” The Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cave in Etam’s rock.

Then the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

The men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.”

Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in Etam’s rock, and said to Samson, “Don’t you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” He said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”

They said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.”

They spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will bind you securely and deliver you into their hands; but surely we will not kill you.” They bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, “Wait until morning light; then we will kill him.”

The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.

When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars;

Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who saw while Samson performed.

As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain wicked fellows, surrounded the house, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we can have sex with him!”

But the men wouldn’t listen to him; so the man grabbed his concubine, and brought her out to them; and they had sex with her, and abused her all night until the morning. When the day began to dawn, they let her go.

The men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house by night. They intended to kill me and they raped my concubine, and she is dead.

They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and trod them down at their resting place, as far as near Gibeah towards the sunrise.

Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”

The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. When they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.

But certain worthless fellows said, “How could this man save us?” They despised him, and brought him no tribute. But he held his peace.

Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make it with you, that all your right eyes be gouged out. I will make this dishonour all Israel.”

The raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual;

another company turned the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim towards the wilderness.

Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”;

but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own ploughshare, mattock, axe, and sickle.

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephesdammim.

When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face.

The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods.

The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the field.”

On the next day, an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. David played with his hand, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand;

and Saul threw the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice.

Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David.

Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, live in a secret place, and hide yourself.

Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence; and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night.

Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”

Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”

Saul was told, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”

Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” One said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”

Then Saul’s anger burnt against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!”

Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

Saul heard that David was discovered, with the men who 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 around him.

Is that why all of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who discloses to me when my son makes a treaty with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me, or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?”

Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?”

The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”

The king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled and didn’t disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king wouldn’t put out their hand to fall on the priests of the LORD.

The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod.

He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword—both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle, donkeys, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the LORD’s priests.

David was told, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.”

Saul was told that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars.”

Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God didn’t deliver him into his hand.

David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the woods.

Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert?

Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David hurried to get away for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them.

When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.”

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.

Moreover, my father, behold, yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and didn’t kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt for my life to take it.

Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?

The Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert?”

Then 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.

Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert, by the way. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

He said, “Why does my lord pursue his servant? For what have I done? What evil is in my hand?

Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is so that the LORD has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, they are cursed before the LORD; for they have driven me out today that I shouldn’t cling to the LORD’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’

Now therefore, don’t let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “The blind and the lame will keep you out of here,” thinking, “David can’t come in here.”

However, he would not listen to her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.

Then he called his servant who ministered to him, and said, “Now put this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.”

When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.

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.

Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow!

The LORD has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! The LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”

So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.

Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight.

I will come on him while he is weary and exhausted, and will make him afraid. All the people who are with him will flee. I will strike the king only,

The king called the Gibeonites and said to 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 to them; and Saul sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);

They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,

and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, he being armed with a new sword, thought he would kill David.

“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,

For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom

(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom),

God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, in addition to the mischief of Hadad. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.

Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

and spoke to them according to 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.”

Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labour; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem;

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha struck him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.

Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha killed him and reigned in his place.

for when Jezebel cut off the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

He said, “How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?

As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath of the kingdom and nation that they didn’t find you.

Wasn’t it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the LORD’s prophets, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”.’ He will kill me.”

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left as a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don’t make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time!”

When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Ben Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, with horses and chariots. He went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants. Whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hand, and take it away.”’”

She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high amongst the people.

Set two men, wicked fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”

The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters which she had written and sent to them.

They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high amongst the people.

The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat before him. The wicked fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones.

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the LORD’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”

The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son.

Say, ‘The king says, “Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.”’”

Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up by the way, some youths came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldy! Go up, you baldy!”

Therefore he sent horses, chariots, and a great army there. They came by night and surrounded the city.

After this, Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.

Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”

Hazael said, “Why do you weep, my lord?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, and will dash their little ones in pieces, and rip up their pregnant women.”

You must strike your master Ahab’s house, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its border areas, from Tirzah. He attacked it because they didn’t open their gates to him, and he ripped up all their women who were with child.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.

In those days, the LORD began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.

Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war. They besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.

At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Syrians came to Elath, and lived there to this day.

Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute.

The king of Assyria discovered a 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 seized him, and bound him in prison.

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

The LORD rejected all the offspring of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of raiders, until he had cast them out of his sight.

until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.

The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, from Cuthah, 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 lived in its cities.

In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

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.

The king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

The king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.

When they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came out to them.

Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust?

You say (but they are but vain words), ‘There is counsel and strength for war.’ Now on whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me?

Now, behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt. If a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust on him.

But if you tell me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ isn’t that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?

Now therefore, please give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? the LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”’”

Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

When he heard it said of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,

Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Will you be delivered?

Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?

Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”

Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,

By your messengers, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots, I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon, and I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees; and I will enter into his farthest lodging place, the forest of his fruitful field.

I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. They will become a prey and a plunder to all their enemies,

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it,

He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained except the poorest people of the land.

The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold;

and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.

Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

The king of Babylon attacked them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah so that he died, with the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah.

and Beerah his son, whom Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive. He was prince of the Reubenites.

The Philistines made another raid in the valley.

So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away.

Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to the LORD.

with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.

He took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.

Worthless men were gathered to him, wicked fellows who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted, and could not withstand them.

But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million troops and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the prison; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the LORD’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”

The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;

and say, ‘The king says, “Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.”’”

Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

After this, the children of Moab, the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the LORD’s house.

Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, “May the LORD look at it, and repay it.”

At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from amongst the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus.

Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They struck him, and carried away from him a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.

Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king.

The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and also took away much plunder from them, and brought the plunder to Samaria.

For again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and carried away captives.

The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and also Gimzo and its villages; and they lived there.

So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun, but people ridiculed them and mocked them.

After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, entered into Judah, encamped against the fortified cities, and intended to win them for himself.

When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was planning to fight against Jerusalem,

After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was attacking Lachish, and all his forces were with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

Sennacherib king of Assyria says, “In whom do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?

His servants spoke yet more against the LORD God and against his servant Hezekiah.

He also wrote letters insulting the LORD, the God of Israel, and speaking against him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.”

They called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and to trouble them, that they might take the city.

The king of Egypt removed him from office at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.

Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm. He gave them all into his hand.

All the vessels of God’s house, great and small, and the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.

They burnt God’s house, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burnt all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels.

He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.

They 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.

In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian and delivered in the Syrian language.

Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows.

Then Rehum the chancellor, 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,

Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force of arms.

When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burnt?”

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”

“Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.

Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry;

and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion amongst us.

Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in amongst them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”

When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to harm me.

Then Sanballat sent his servant to me the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,

in which was written, “It is reported amongst the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Because of that, you are building the wall. You would be their king, according to these words.

You have also appointed prophets to proclaim of you at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let’s take counsel together.”

Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he didn’t listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

But he scorned the thought of laying hands on Mordecai alone, for they had made known to him Mordecai’s people. Therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even Mordecai’s people.

In 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, and chose the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed amongst the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.

If it pleases the king, let it be written that they be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king’s business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”

The king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.

The king said to Haman, “The silver is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

Then the king’s scribes were called in on the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month; and all that Haman commanded was written to the king’s local governors, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus, and it was sealed with the king’s ring.

Letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions.

A copy of the letter, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published to all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day.

The couriers went out in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Susa was perplexed.

Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.

For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for male and female slaves, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king’s loss.”

because 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;

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God set themselves in array against me.

or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand’? or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors’?

If my head is held high, you hunt me like a lion. Again you show yourself powerful to me.

Will you harass a driven leaf? Will you pursue the dry stubble?

You also put my feet in the stocks, and mark all my paths. You set a bound to the soles of my feet,

You have shriveled me up. This is a witness against me. My leanness rises up against me. It testifies to my face.

He has torn me in his wrath and persecuted me. He has gnashed on me with his teeth. My adversary sharpens his eyes on me.

They have gaped on me with their mouth. They have struck me on the cheek reproachfully. They gather themselves together against me.

God delivers me to the ungodly, and casts me into the hands of the wicked.

His archers surround me. He splits my kidneys apart, and does not spare. He pours out my bile on the ground.

Surely there are mockers with me. My eye dwells on their provocation.

“But he has made me a byword of the people. They spit in my face.

He will be rooted out of the security of his tent. He will be brought to the king of terrors.

He will be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.

“How long will you torment me, and crush me with words?

You have reproached me ten times. You aren’t ashamed that you attack me.

If indeed you will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach,

His troops come on together, build a siege ramp against me, and encamp around my tent.

Why do you persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

If you say, ‘How we will persecute him!’ because the root of the matter is found in me,

He will flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow will strike him through.

They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.

Men will clap their hands at him, and will hiss him out of his place.

They are driven out from amongst men. They cry after them as after a thief,

They are children of fools, yes, children of wicked men. They were flogged out of the land.

“Now I have become their song. Yes, I am a byword to them.

They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, and don’t hesitate to spit in my face.

For he has untied his cord, and afflicted me; and they have thrown off restraint before me.

On my right hand rise the rabble. They thrust aside my feet. They cast their ways of destruction up against me.

They mar my path. They promote my destruction without anyone’s help.

As through a wide breach they come. They roll themselves in amid the ruin.

You have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of your hand you persecute me.

You lift me up to the wind, and drive me with it. You dissolve me in the storm.

Behold, he finds occasions against me. He counts me for his enemy.

He puts my feet in the stocks. He marks all my paths.’

What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water,

“By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.

A Psalm by David, when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.

My eye wastes away because of grief. It grows old because of all my adversaries.

lest they tear apart my soul like a lion, ripping it in pieces, while there is no one to deliver.

let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.

Have mercy on me, LORD. See my affliction by those who hate me, and lift me up from the gates of death,

In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise.

He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.

He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net.

The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength.

For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly.

They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.

He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,

“He trusts in the LORD. Let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”

Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.

For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.

I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.

They divide my garments amongst them. They cast lots for my clothing.

Consider my enemies, for they are many. They hate me with cruel hatred.

Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, such as breathe out cruelty.

Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbours, a horror to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.

For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.

My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I don’t know about.

They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.

But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together. The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it. They tore at me, and didn’t cease.

Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me.

Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

For they don’t speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”

Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonour who magnify themselves against me.

The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.

The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him.

They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.

But my enemies are vigorous and many. Those who hate me without reason are numerous.

They who render evil for good are also adversaries to me, because I follow what is good.

My enemies speak evil against me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”

If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.

All who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me.

“An evil disease”, they say, “has afflicted him. Now that he lies he shall rise up no more.”

My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take plunder for themselves.

You make us a reproach to our neighbours, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

You make us a byword amongst the nations, a shaking of the head amongst the peoples.

at the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger.

Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.

Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on God?

For strangers have risen up against me. Violent men have sought after my soul. They haven’t set God before them. Selah.

because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring suffering on me. In anger they hold a grudge against me.

He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, although there are many who oppose me.

For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.

My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me.

All day long they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil.

They conspire and lurk, watching my steps. They are eager to take my life.

My soul is amongst lions. I lie amongst those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. Selah.

For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from the bloodthirsty men.

For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, LORD.

I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me!

They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city.

Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”

How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

But those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be jackal food.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;

who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,

to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.

They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”

They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!” Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.

You brought us into prison. You laid a burden on our backs.

Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. I have to restore what I didn’t take away.

Because for your sake, I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face.

I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s children.

For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

When I wept and I fasted, that was to my reproach.

When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards.

They also gave me poison for my food. In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.

For they persecute him whom you have wounded. They tell of the sorrow of those whom you have hurt.

Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,

saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”

Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.

Therefore pride is like a chain around their neck. Violence covers them like a garment.

They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.

They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth.

Lift up your feet to the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.

Your adversaries have roared in the middle of your assembly. They have set up their standards as signs.

They behaved like men wielding axes, cutting through a thicket of trees.

Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.

They have burnt your sanctuary to the ground. They have profaned the dwelling place of your Name.

They said in their heart, “We will crush them completely.” They have burnt up all the places in the land where God was worshipped.

How long, God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, LORD. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.

Don’t forget the voice of your adversaries. The tumult of those who rise up against you ascends continually.

He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.

Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn’t weep.

They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.

They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem. There was no one to bury them.

We have become a reproach to our neighbours, a scoffing and derision to those who are around us.

for they have devoured Jacob, and destroyed his homeland.

Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known amongst the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out.

Pay back to our neighbours seven times into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.

You make us a source of contention to our neighbours. Our enemies laugh amongst themselves.

For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.

They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones.

“Come,” they say, “let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you.

The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites;

Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah.

God, the proud have risen up against me. A company of violent men have sought after my soul, and they don’t hold regard for you before them.

All who pass by the way rob him. He has become a reproach to his neighbours.

You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice.

Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the mighty peoples,

With which your enemies have mocked, LORD, with which they have mocked the footsteps of your anointed one.

My eye has also seen my enemies. My ears have heard of the wicked enemies who rise up against me.

They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.

They break your people in pieces, LORD, and afflict your heritage.

They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless.

They say, “The LORD will not see, neither will Jacob’s God consider.”

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

My enemies reproach me all day. Those who are mad at me use my name as a curse.

They bruised his feet with shackles. His neck was locked in irons,

He turned their heart to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.

He gave them into the hand of the nations. Those who hated them ruled over them.

Their enemies also oppressed them. They were brought into subjection under their hand.

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,

for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer.

Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.

because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.

I have also become a reproach to them. When they see me, they shake their head.

Why should the nations say, “Where is their God, now?”

Take reproach and contempt away from me, for I have kept your statutes.

Though princes sit and slander me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.

The arrogant mock me excessively, but I don’t swerve from your law.

The ropes of the wicked bind me, but I won’t forget your law.

The proud have smeared a lie upon me. With my whole heart, I will keep your precepts.

Let the proud be disappointed, for they have overthrown me wrongfully. I will meditate on your precepts.

How many are the days of your servant? When will you execute judgement on those who persecute me?

The proud have dug pits for me, contrary to your law.

All of your commandments are faithful. They persecute me wrongfully. Help me!

They had almost wiped me from the earth, but I didn’t forsake your precepts.

The wicked have waited for me, to destroy me. I will consider your statutes.

The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I haven’t gone astray from your precepts.

My zeal wears me out, because my enemies ignore your words.

They draw near who follow after wickedness. They are far from your law.

Many are my persecutors and my adversaries. I haven’t swerved from your testimonies.

SIN AND SHIN Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.

Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.

if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us,

then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us,

A Song of Ascents. Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say:

many times they have afflicted me from my youth up, yet they have not prevailed against me.

The ploughers ploughed on my back. They made their furrows long.

For there, those who led us captive asked us for songs. Those who tormented us demanded songs of joy: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

those who devise mischief in their hearts. They continually gather themselves together for war.

They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips. Selah.

The proud have hidden a snare for me, they have spread the cords of a net by the path. They have set traps for me. Selah.

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.

For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead.

The bloodthirsty hate a man of integrity; and they seek the life of the upright.

Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

The watchmen who go about the city found me. They beat me. They bruised me. The keepers of the walls took my cloak away from me.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying,

“Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it amongst ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.”

Therefore the LORD will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,

The Syrians in front, and the Philistines behind; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.

Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.

who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that no one restrained.

who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?”

Let my outcasts dwell with you! As for Moab, be a hiding place for him from the face of the destroyer. For the extortionist is brought to nothing. Destruction ceases. The oppressors are consumed out of the land.

so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

Elam carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

He said, “You shall rejoice no more, you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Kittim. Even there you will have no rest.”

I will encamp against you all around you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works against you.

who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for one who reproves in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.

The ways of the scoundrel are evil. He devises wicked plans to destroy the humble with lying words, even when the needy speaks right.

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. He stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool in the fuller’s field highway.

But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

Then Rabshakeh stood, and called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?

Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”

Turn your ear, LORD, and hear. Open your eyes, LORD, and behold. Hear all of the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to defy the living God.

Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the countries and their land,

But this is a robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become captives, and no one delivers, and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’

I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting.

I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to your soul, ‘Bow down, that we may walk over you;’ and you have laid your back as the ground, like a street to those who walk over.”

For the Lord GOD says: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there; and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause.

“Now therefore, what do I do here,” says the LORD, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says the LORD, “and my name is blasphemed continually all day long.

Just as many were astonished at you— his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.

He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth.

He was taken away by oppression and judgement. As for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people?

you who inflame yourselves amongst the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

Your holy people possessed it but a little while. Our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary.

Hear the LORD’s word, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you, who cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy;’ but it is those who shall be disappointed.

For behold, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the LORD. “They will come, and they will each set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls all around, and against all the cities of Judah.

The young lions have roared at him and raised their voices. They have made his land waste. His cities are burnt up, without inhabitant.

The children also of Memphis and Tahpanhes have broken the crown of your head.

Also the blood of the souls of the innocent poor is found in your skirts. You didn’t find them breaking in, but it is because of all these things.

“Tell the nations, behold, publish against Jerusalem, ‘Watchers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah.

Shepherds with their flocks will come to her. They will pitch their tents against her all around. They will feed everyone in his place.”

“Prepare war against her! Arise! Let’s go up at noon. Woe to us! For the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Arise! Let’s go up by night, and let’s destroy her palaces.”

For the LORD of Armies said, “Cut down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem. This is the city to be visited. She is filled with oppression within herself.

The LORD says, “Behold, a people comes from the north country. A great nation will be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.

They take hold of bow and spear. They are cruel, and have no mercy. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, everyone set in array, as a man to the battle, against you, daughter of Zion.”

Don’t go out into the field or walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and terror are on every side.

The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan. The whole land trembles at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they have come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell therein.”

I will scatter them also amongst the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”

But I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised plans against me, saying, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit, and let’s cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.”

“Therefore the LORD says concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy in the LORD’s name, that you not die by our hand’—

The cities of the South are shut up, and there is no one to open them. Judah is carried away captive: all of them. They are wholly carried away captive.

Lift up your eyes, and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you, your beautiful flock?

She who has borne seven languishes. She has given up the spirit. Her sun has gone down while it was yet day. She has been disappointed and confounded. I will deliver their residue to the sword before their enemies,” says the LORD.

I will make them to pass with your enemies into a land which you don’t know; for a fire is kindled in my anger, which will burn on you.”

LORD, you know. Remember me, visit me, and avenge me of my persecutors. You are patient, so don’t take me away. Know that for your sake I have suffered reproach.

“Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the LORD, “and they will fish them up. Afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain, from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.

Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but don’t let me be disappointed. Let them be dismayed, but don’t let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

Then they said, “Come! Let’s devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law won’t perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let’s strike him with the tongue, and let’s not give heed to any of his words.”

Give heed to me, LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me.

Should evil be recompensed for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.

Let a cry be heard from their houses when you bring a troop suddenly on them; for they have dug a pit to take me and hidden snares for my feet.

Yet, LORD, you know all their counsel against me to kill me. Don’t forgive their iniquity. Don’t blot out their sin from your sight, Let them be overthrown before you. Deal with them in the time of your anger.

I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. They will each eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies, and those who seek their life, will distress them.”’

Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the LORD’s house.

LORD, you have persuaded me, and I was persuaded. You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day. Everyone mocks me.

For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, “Violence and destruction!” because the LORD’s word has been made a reproach to me, and a derision, all day.

For I have heard the defaming of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce, and we will denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, those who watch for my fall. “Perhaps he will be persuaded, and we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”

Afterward,” says the LORD, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. He will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, have pity, or have mercy.”’

I will cast you out with your mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.

Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which no one delights? Why are they cast out, he and his offspring, and cast into a land which they don’t know?

I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth amongst all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I will drive them.

behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says the LORD, “and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around. I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

This whole land will be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

He has left his covert, as the lion; for their land has become an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppression, and because of his fierce anger.

When Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You shall surely die!

Why have you prophesied in the LORD’s name, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant’?” All the people were crowded around Jeremiah in the LORD’s house.

Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people, saying, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”

When Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt.

Then Jehoiakim the king sent Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him into Egypt.

They fetched Uriah out of Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth amongst all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach amongst all the nations where I have driven them,

“The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the LORD’s house, for every man who is crazy and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house.

For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, and say, ‘The LORD says, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;

“Behold, siege ramps have been built against the city to take it. The city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, of the famine, and of the pestilence. What you have spoken has happened. Behold, you see it.

“I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hands of their enemies, into the hands of those who seek their life and into the hands of the king of Babylon’s army, who has gone away from you.

When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

The king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the LORD hid them.

When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!”

Then Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.” But he didn’t listen to him; so Irijah seized Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,

Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

Then the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death, because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them; for this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but harm.”

Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it.

Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah arose, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldean men of war who were found there.

It was so, when they came into the middle of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them, and cast them into the middle of the pit, he, and the men who were with him.

Now the pit in which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had killed, by the side of Gedaliah (this was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel), Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were killed.

Then Ishmael carried away captive all of the people who were left in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the children of Ammon.

but Baruch the son of Neriah has turned you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.”

He made many to stumble. Yes, they fell on one another. They said, ‘Arise! Let’s go again to our own people, and to the land of our birth, from the oppressing sword.’

Its sound will go like the serpent, for they will march with an army, and come against her with axes, as wood cutters.

The praise of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come! Let’s cut her off from being a nation.’ You also, Madmen, will be brought to silence. The sword will pursue you.

For wasn’t Israel a derision to you? Was he found amongst thieves? For as often as you speak of him, you shake your head.

Behold, I will bring a terror on you,” says the Lord, the LORD of Armies, “from all who are around you. All of you will be driven completely out, and there will be no one to gather together the fugitives.

Flee! Turn back! Dwell in the depths, inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau on him when I visit him.

If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves came by night, wouldn’t they steal until they had enough?

But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he will not be able to hide himself. His offspring is destroyed, with his brothers and his neighbours; and he is no more.

All who found them have devoured them. Their adversaries said, ‘We are not guilty, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of righteousness, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

“Because you are glad, because you rejoice, O you who plunder my heritage, because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain, and neigh as strong horses,

Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him who handles the sickle in the time of harvest. For fear of the oppressing sword, they will each return to their own people, and they will each flee to their own land.

“Israel is a hunted sheep. The lions have driven him away. First, the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”

The LORD of Armies says: “The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together. All who took them captive hold them fast. They refuse to let them go.

In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.

So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city 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 all around. The men of war went towards the Arabah,

but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he pronounced judgement on him.

The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. He also killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.

Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem.

He burnt the LORD’s house, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burnt with fire.

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the rest of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold,

and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the middle of the city.

Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand and twenty-three Jews;

in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons;

in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five people. All the people numbered four thousand and six hundred.

Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction and because of great servitude. She dwells amongst the nations. She finds no rest. All her persecutors overtook her in her distress.

All majesty has departed from the daughter of Zion. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture. They have gone without strength before the pursuer.

Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that were from the days of old; when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her. They mocked at her desolations.

The adversary has spread out his hand on all her pleasant things; for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom you commanded that they should not enter into your assembly.

“The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men within me. He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah as in a wine press.

All that pass by clap their hands at you. They hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, “Is this the city that men called ‘The perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth’?”

All your enemies have opened their mouth wide against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, “We have swallowed her up. Certainly this is the day that we looked for. We have found it. We have seen it.”

He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.

I have become a derision to all my people, and their song all day long.

Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him. Let him be filled full of reproach.

To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the middle of the peoples.

“All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.

You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.

You have heard their reproach, LORD, and all their plans against me,

the lips of those that rose up against me, and their plots against me all day long.

You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.

You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the LORD.

“Go away!” they cried to them. “Unclean! Go away! Go away! Don’t touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said amongst the nations, “They can’t live here any more.”

They hunt our steps, so that we can’t go in our streets. Our end is near. Our days are fulfilled, for our end has come.

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky. They chased us on the mountains. They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.

Our pursuers are on our necks. We are weary, and have no rest.

Servants rule over us. There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.

They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.

Princes were hanged up by their hands. The faces of elders were not honoured.

But you, son of man, behold, they will put ropes on you, and will bind you with them, and you will not go out amongst them.

A third part you shall burn in the fire in the middle of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled. You shall take a third part, and strike with the sword around it. A third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.

He who is far off will die of the pestilence. He who is near will fall by the sword. He who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus I will accomplish my wrath on them.

I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a plunder; and they will profane it.

I will also turn my face from them, and they will profane my secret place. Robbers will enter into it, and profane it.

“I will bring you out of the middle of it, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgements amongst you.

“Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are the ones to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far away from the LORD. This land has been given to us for a possession.’

I will scatter towards every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his bands. I will draw out the sword after them.

They will also bring up a company against you, and they will stone you with stones, and thrust you through with their swords.

before your wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all who are around her, the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you all around.

The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.

They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.

Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; all of them desirable young men, governors and rulers, princes and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.

They will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with a company of peoples. They will set themselves against you with buckler, shield, and helmet all around. I will commit the judgement to them, and they will judge you according to their judgements.

I will set my jealousy against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will take away your nose and your ears. Your remnant will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters; and the rest of you will be devoured by the fire.

They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels.

They will deal with you in hatred, and will take away all your labour, and will leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your prostitution will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your prostitution.

“For the Lord GOD says: ‘I will bring up a mob against them, and will give them to be tossed back and forth and robbed.

Tell the children of Ammon, ‘Hear the word of the Lord GOD! The Lord GOD says, “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity,

For the Lord GOD says: “Because you have clapped your hands, stamped with the feet, and rejoiced with all the contempt of your soul against the land of Israel,

He will tread down all your streets with the hoofs of his horses. He will kill your people with the sword. The pillars of your strength will go down to the ground.

They will make a plunder of your riches and make a prey of your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. They will lay your stones, your timber, and your dust in the middle of the waters.

I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the middle of the countries that are desolate. Her cities amongst the cities that are laid waste will be a desolation forty years. I will scatter the Egyptians amongst the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.”

The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth will fall by the sword. They will go into captivity.

Because you thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad,

“‘“Because you have had a perpetual hostility, and have given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end,

The Lord GOD says: ‘Because the enemy has said against you, “Aha!” and, “The ancient high places are ours in possession!”’

therefore prophesy, and say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;”

therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: The Lord GOD says to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which have become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are all around;

You will ascend. You will come like a storm. You will be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.”

to take the plunder and to take prey; to turn your hand against the waste places that are inhabited, and against the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten livestock and goods, who dwell in the middle of the earth.’

You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.

You will come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It will happen in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me when I am sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.”

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. He brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

Because of this, the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

So the decree went out, and the wise men were to be slain. They sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.

Whoever doesn’t fall down and worship shall be cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace the same hour.”

Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and brought accusation against the Jews.

and whoever doesn’t fall down and worship shall be cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace.

Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. Then these men were brought before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar answered them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods and you don’t worship the golden image which I have set up?

Now if you are ready whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, good; but if you don’t worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. Who is that god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.

Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.

Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. There wasn’t any error or fault found in him.

Then these men said, “We won’t find any occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the local governors, the counsellors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a strong decree, that whoever asks a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.

Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: “Haven’t you signed a decree that every man who makes a petition to any god or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered, “This thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter.”

Then they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, doesn’t respect you, O king, nor the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

I saw, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them,

He will speak words against the Most High, and will wear out the saints of the Most High. He will plan to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

Out of one of them came out a little horn which grew exceedingly great—towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the glorious land.

It grew great, even to the army of the sky; and it cast down some of the army and of the stars to the ground and trampled on them.

Yes, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the army; and it took away from him the continual burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

The army was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through disobedience. It cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.

Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, “How long will the vision about the continual burnt offering, and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trodden under foot be?”

His power will be mighty, but not by his own power. He will destroy awesomely, and will prosper in what he does. He will destroy the mighty ones and the holy people.

Through his policy he will cause deceit to prosper in his hand. He will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many in their security. He will also stand up against the prince of princes, but he will be broken without human hands.

After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off, and will have nothing. The people of the prince who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end. Desolations are determined.

Then he will return into his land with great wealth. His heart will be against the holy covenant. He will take action, and return to his own land.

For ships of Kittim will come against him. Therefore he will be grieved, and will return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and will take action. He will even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.

“Forces from him will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering. Then they will set up the abomination that makes desolate.

“Those who are wise amongst the people will instruct many; yet they will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, many days.

Now when they fall, they will be helped with a little help; but many will join themselves to them with flatteries.

Some of those who are wise will fall—to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time appointed.

“Blow the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah! Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven, behind you, Benjamin!

Israel has cast off that which is good. The enemy will pursue him.

But although they sold themselves amongst the nations, I will now gather them; and they begin to waste away because of the oppression of the king of mighty ones.

The days of visitation have come. The days of reckoning have come. Israel will consider the prophet to be a fool, and the man who is inspired to be insane, because of the abundance of your sins, and because your hostility is great.

A prophet watches over Ephraim with my God. A fowler’s snare is on all of his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.

I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgement on them there for my people, and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered amongst the nations. They have divided my land,

and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their border.

The LORD says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom;

The LORD says: “For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the middle of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.

For Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’”

Amaziah also said to Amos, “You seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there,

but don’t prophesy again any more at Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house!”

Now therefore listen to the LORD’s word: ‘You say, Don’t prophesy against Israel, and don’t preach against the house of Isaac.’

In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were like one of them.

“Don’t prophesy!”—they prophesy— “Don’t prophesy about these things. Disgrace won’t overtake us.”

But lately my people have risen up as an enemy. You strip the robe and clothing from those who pass by without a care, returning from battle.

You drive the women of my people out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my blessing forever.

who also eat the flesh of my people, and peel their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as meat within the cauldron.

Now many nations have assembled against you, that say, “Let her be defiled, and let our eye gloat over Zion.”

Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

But with an overflowing flood, he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour.

I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the children of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people and magnified themselves against their border.

I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the LORD’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.

“but I will scatter them with a whirlwind amongst all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”

Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich;’ and their own shepherds don’t pity them.

“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, and against the man who is close to me,” says the LORD of Armies. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

I will come near to you to judgement. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says the LORD of Armies.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learnt from the wise men.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

But the Pharisees said, “By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons.”

“Behold, I send you out as sheep amongst wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.

Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.

“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man has come.

It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!

“Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

A man’s foes will be those of his own household.

Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples

From the days of John the Baptiser until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”

yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country and in his own house.”

For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

When he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

She, being prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptiser.”

The king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given,

and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

His head was brought on a platter and given to the young lady; and she brought it to her mother.

From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn’t recognise him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them.”

While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men,

and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.” They were exceedingly sorry.

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,

and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.”

The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way.

So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him.

When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous,

and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets.

Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

“Then they will deliver you up to oppression and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake.

For false christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.

They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit and kill him.

But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur amongst the people.”

Then he came to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.”

Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me.

But all this has happened that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.

Now the chief priests, the elders, and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to death,

and they found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward

and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’”

The high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these testify against you?”

But Jesus stayed silent. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.

What do you think?” They answered, “He is worthy of death!”

Then they spat in his face and beat him with their fists, and some slapped him,

saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who hit you?”

Now Peter was sitting outside in the court, and a maid came to him, saying, “You were also with Jesus, the Galilean!”

When he had gone out onto the porch, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes you known.”

Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

They bound him, led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “So you say.”

When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”

He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marvelled greatly.

For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”

But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”

All the people answered, “May his blood be on us and on our children!”

Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.

They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.

When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing amongst them, casting lots,

They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads

and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

Likewise the chief priests also mocking with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said,

“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.

The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.

When they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,

saying, “Say that his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.

If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”

So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad amongst the Jews, and continues until today.

But he went out, and began to proclaim it much, and to spread about the matter, so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places. People came to him from everywhere.

They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him.

The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, “He is insane.”

The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.

Herodias set herself against him and desired to kill him, but she couldn’t,

Immediately the king sent out a soldier of his guard and commanded to bring John’s head; and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him.”

but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time: houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life.

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles.

They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.

They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty.

Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

Again he sent another, and they killed him, and many others, beating some, and killing some.

They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him and went away.

They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words.

“But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them.

“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might seize him by deception and kill him.

For they said, “Not during the feast, because there might be a riot amongst the people.”

Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came—and with him a multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I will kiss, that is he. Seize him, and lead him away safely.”

When he had come, immediately he came to him and said, “Rabbi! Rabbi!” and kissed him.

They laid their hands on him and seized him.

But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

Jesus answered them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me?

I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me. But this is so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.”

They all left him, and fled.

A certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth thrown around himself over his naked body. The young men grabbed him,

but he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

They led Jesus away to the high priest. All the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes came together with him.

Peter had followed him from a distance, until he came into the court of the high priest. He was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the light of the fire.

Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death, and found none.

For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony didn’t agree with each other.

Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying,

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”

The high priest stood up in the middle, and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it which these testify against you?”

The high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need have we of witnesses?

You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” They all condemned him to be worthy of death.

Some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to beat him with fists, and to tell him, “Prophesy!” The officers struck him with the palms of their hands.

and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus!”

The maid saw him and began again to tell those who stood by, “This is one of them.”

Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders, scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, bound Jesus, carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate.

Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “So you say.”

The chief priests accused him of many things.

Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!”

But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marvelled.

For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up.

But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead.

Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?”

They cried out again, “Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!”

Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort.

They clothed him with purple; and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

They struck his head with a reed and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him.

When they had mocked him, they took the purple cloak off him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him.

Crucifying him, they parted his garments amongst them, casting lots on them, what each should take.

It was the third hour when they crucified him.

The superscription of his accusation was written over him: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

With him they crucified two robbers, one on his right hand, and one on his left.

The Scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with transgressors.”

Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,

save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

Likewise, also the chief priests mocking amongst themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He can’t save himself.

Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.

When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue as they heard these things.

They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him.

But they were filled with rage, and talked with one another about what they might do to Jesus.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.

Woe, when men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.

For John the Baptiser came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”

They didn’t receive him, because he was travelling with his face set towards Jerusalem.

Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell amongst robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”

Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.

Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and persecute,

that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

As he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him,

lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.

When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer or what you will say;

Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”

Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!

A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’

For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on.

They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.”

For the days will come on you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side,

He was teaching daily in the temple, but the chief priests, the scribes, and the leading men amongst the people sought to destroy him.

But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty.

He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him and threw him out.

Then they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?

The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this parable against them.

They watched him and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor.

But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake.

You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death.

You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake.

The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death, for they feared the people.

Satan entered into Judas, who was also called Iscariot, who was counted with the twelve.

He went away and talked with the chief priests and captains about how he might deliver him to them.

He consented and sought an opportunity to deliver him to them in the absence of the multitude.

The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you as wheat,

Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and elders, who had come against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

When I was with you in the temple daily, you didn’t stretch out your hands against me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

They seized him and led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed from a distance.

The men who held Jesus mocked him and beat him.

Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?”

They spoke many other things against him, insulting him.

As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people were gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying,

and if I ask, you will in no way answer me or let me go.

They said, “Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”

The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate.

They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”

The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.

Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.

But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”—

but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.

The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”

The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,

and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”

and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

for John was not yet thrown into prison.

For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath.

For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.

The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.

The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?”

There was much murmuring amongst the multitudes concerning him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “Not so, but he leads the multitude astray.”

Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.

The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?”

Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill?

They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him.

The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”

I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.

But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.

Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”

Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honour my Father and you dishonour me.

Then the Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If a man keeps my word, he will never taste of death.’

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?”

Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by.

His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” Then they threw him out.

Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane! Why do you listen to him?”

Therefore the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.

The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.

The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs.

If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death.

Jesus therefore walked no more openly amongst the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.

Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.

But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also,

Nevertheless, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue,

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.

They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.

I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Judas then, having taken a detachment of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

So the detachment, the commanding officer, and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him,

and led him to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

The high priest therefore asked Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

When he had said this, one of the officers standing by slapped Jesus with his hand, saying, “Do you answer the high priest like that?”

Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest.

They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. It was early, and they themselves didn’t enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

They answered him, “If this man weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have delivered him up to you.”

Pilate therefore said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is illegal for us to put anyone to death,”

Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?”

So Pilate then took Jesus and flogged him.

The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment.

They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.

When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”

When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgement seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”

Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.

where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.

The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, “I am King of the Jews.”’”

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

Then they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, “They parted my garments amongst them. They cast lots for my clothing.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”

him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;

As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them,

being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening.

In the morning, their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem.

Annas the high priest was there, with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and as many as were relatives of the high priest.

When they had stood Peter and John in the middle of them, they enquired, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”

But so that this spreads no further amongst the people, let’s threaten them, that from now on they don’t speak to anyone in this name.”

They called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers plot together, against the Lord, and against his Christ.’

“For truly, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,

Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness,

But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy

and laid hands on the apostles, then put them in public custody.

When they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and taught. But the high priest and those who were with him came and called the council together, with all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest questioned them,

saying, “Didn’t we strictly command you not to teach in this name? Behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood on us.”

But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were determined to kill them.

They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for Jesus’ name.

But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.

Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, then brought him in to the council,

and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.

For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

The high priest said, “Are these things so?”

God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

The same took advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to abandon their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.

Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.

But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, then rushed at him with one accord.

They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

He knelt down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison.

But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem.

Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

When many days were fulfilled, the Jews conspired together to kill him,

but their plot became known to Saul. They watched the gates both day and night that they might kill him,

preaching boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him.

We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree.

They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.

Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.

When he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.

When Herod had sought for him and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, then commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders.

But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers.

But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews and part with the apostles.

When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,

But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city

and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”

The multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, then commanded them to be beaten with rods.

When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.

Having received such a command, he threw them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people.

When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!”

But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them,

When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgement seat,

saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgement seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.

But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.

The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defence to the people.

But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

When he had spent three months there, and a plot was made against him by Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.

serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears, and with trials which happened to me by the plots of the Jews;

except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.

For I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will enter in amongst you, not sparing the flock.

Coming to us and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘So the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him,

crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place!”

All the city was moved and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.

As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul.

Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and enquired who he was and what he had done.

Some shouted one thing and some another, amongst the crowd. When he couldn’t find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.

When he came to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;

for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”

I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,

as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and travelled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.

When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’

They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”

As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,

the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.

The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from amongst them and bring him into the barracks.

When it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to enquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

“This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them when I came with the soldiers and rescued him, having learnt that he was a Roman.

I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of death or of imprisonment.

After five days, the high priest, Ananias, came down with certain elders and an orator, one Tertullus. They informed the governor against Paul.

For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections amongst all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

He even tried to profane the temple, and we arrested him.

The Jews also joined in the attack, affirming that these things were so.

But when two years were fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to gain favour with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.

Then the high priest and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they begged him,

asking a favour against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, plotting to kill him on the way.

When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove,

But Festus, desiring to gain favour with the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be judged by me there concerning these things?”

As he stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix;

about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, asking for a sentence against him.

Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.

“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!

“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

I also did this in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.

Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

As he thus made his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape.

When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live.”

After three days Paul called together those who were the leaders of the Jews. When they had come together, he said to them, “I, brothers, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, still was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,

who, when they had examined me, desired to set me free, because there was no cause of death in me.

But when the Jews spoke against it, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything about which to accuse my nation.

For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

They said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you.

But we desire to hear from you what you think. For, as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against.”

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

“Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have broken down your altars. I am left alone, and they seek my life.”

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.

For even Christ didn’t please himself. But, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners, who are notable amongst the apostles, who were also in Christ before me.

For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men.

Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place.

We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure.

Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.

For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.

Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?

for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.

in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labours, in watchings, in fastings,

by glory and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true,

For, “His letters”, they say, “are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised.”

Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labours more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often.

Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews.

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils amongst false brothers;

In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me.

Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.

For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it.

but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.”

This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,

But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.

I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.

As many as desire to make a good impression in the flesh compel you to be circumcised, just so they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body.

For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,

The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;

concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ,

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly,

praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds,

but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.

For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews

who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and don’t please God, and are contrary to all men,

For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know.

so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your perseverance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

in which I suffer hardship to the point of chains as a criminal. But God’s word isn’t chained.

persecutions, and sufferings—those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.

Beware of him, for he greatly opposed our words.

partly, being exposed to both reproaches and oppressions, and partly, becoming partakers with those who were treated so.

Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.

They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated—

of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.

For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.

But you have dishonoured the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and personally drag you before the courts?

Don’t they blaspheme the honourable name by which you are called?

You have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.

Come to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.

having good behaviour amongst the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God in the day of visitation.

having a good conscience. Thus, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ.

They think it is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.

knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts

and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour.

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, he doesn’t receive the brothers himself, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.

to execute judgement on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

“I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.

“I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn’t deny my faith in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed amongst you, where Satan dwells.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had.

They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.

The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind.

The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them.

Thus I saw the horses in the vision and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulphur yellow; and the horses’ heads resembled lions’ heads. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulphur.

By these three plagues, one third of mankind was killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulphur, which proceeded out of their mouths.

For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails are like serpents, and have heads; and with them they harm.

Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don’t measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.

Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

From amongst the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations, people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.

Those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war.

When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

The serpent spewed water out of his mouth after the woman like a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream.

The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep God’s commandments and hold Jesus’ testimony.

A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him.

He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven.

It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.

It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed.

He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads;

and that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he has that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this.”

Great hailstones, about the weight of a talent, came down out of the sky on people. People blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for this plague was exceedingly severe.

I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.

In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth.”

I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.

I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgement was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and such as didn’t worship the beast nor his image, and didn’t receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, whose number is as the sand of the sea.