Remember the Lord Your God

“The whole commandment that I command you today (A)you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you (B)these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, (C)testing you (D)to know what was in your heart, (E)whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and (F)let you hunger and (G)fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that (H)man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word[a] that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (I)Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, (J)as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, (K)a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, (L)of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 (M)lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 (N)then your heart be lifted up, and you (O)forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who (P)led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, (Q)with its fiery serpents and scorpions (R)and thirsty ground where there was no water, (S)who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with (T)manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, (U)to do you good in the end. 17 Beware (V)lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for (W)it is he who gives you power to get wealth, (X)that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, (Y)I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, (Z)so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 8:3 Hebrew by all

Do Not Forget the Lord

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live(A) and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.(B) Remember how the Lord your God led(C) you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test(D) you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled(E) you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,(F) which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach(G) you that man does not live on bread(H) alone but on every word that comes from the mouth(I) of the Lord.(J) Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.(K) Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.(L)

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him(M) and revering him.(N) For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land(O)—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;(P) a land with wheat and barley,(Q) vines(R) and fig trees,(S) pomegranates, olive oil and honey;(T) a land where bread(U) will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;(V) a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.(W)

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied,(X) praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget(Y) the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,(Z) 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget(AA) the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness,(AB) that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes(AC) and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.(AD) 16 He gave you manna(AE) to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known,(AF) to humble and test(AG) you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself,(AH) “My power and the strength of my hands(AI) have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,(AJ) and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods(AK) and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.(AL) 20 Like the nations(AM) the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.(AN)

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The Proclamation of Cyrus

(A)In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, (B)that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so (C)that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and (D)he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—(E)he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, (F)everyone whose spirit (G)God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. And all who were about them (H)aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. (I)Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that (J)Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of (K)Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to (L)Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. And this was the number of them: (M)30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 10 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; 11 all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

The Exiles Return

(N)Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles (O)whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, (P)Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: (Q)the sons of Parosh, 2,172. The sons of Shephatiah, 372. The sons of Arah, 775. The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. The sons of Elam, 1,254. The sons of Zattu, 945. The sons of Zaccai, 760. 10 The sons of Bani, 642. 11 The sons of Bebai, 623. 12 The sons of Azgad, 1,222. 13 The sons of Adonikam, 666.

Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return(A)

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,(B) the Lord moved the heart(C) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed(D) me to build(E) a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors(F) may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold,(G) with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings(H) for the temple of God(I) in Jerusalem.’”(J)

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin,(K) and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved(L)—prepared to go up and build the house(M) of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold,(N) with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.[a](O) Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar(P) the prince of Judah.

This was the inventory:

gold dishes30
silver dishes1,000
silver pans[b]29
10 gold bowls30
matching silver bowls410
other articles1,000

11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

The List of the Exiles Who Returned(Q)

Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles,(R) whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(S) had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town,(T) in company with Zerubbabel,(U) Joshua,(V) Nehemiah, Seraiah,(W) Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of the people of Israel:

the descendants of Parosh(X)2,172
of Shephatiah372
of Arah775
of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab)2,812
of Elam1,254
of Zattu945
of Zakkai760
10 of Bani642
11 of Bebai623
12 of Azgad1,222
13 of Adonikam(Y)666

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 1:7 Or gods
  2. Ezra 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

The Coming Day of Bitter Mourning

(A)This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, (B)“Amos, what do you see?” And I said, (C)“A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

(D)“The end[a] has come upon my people Israel;
    I will never again pass by them.
(E)The songs of the temple[b] (F)shall become wailings[c] in that day,”
declares the Lord God.
(G)“So many dead bodies!”
“They are thrown everywhere!”
(H)“Silence!”

Hear this, (I)you who trample on the needy
    and bring the poor of the land to an end,
saying, “When will (J)the new moon be over,
    that we may sell grain?
And (K)the Sabbath,
    that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make (L)the ephah small and the shekel[d] great
    and deal deceitfully with false balances,
that we may buy the poor for (M)silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals
    and sell the chaff of the wheat?”

The Lord has sworn by (N)the pride of Jacob:
“Surely (O)I will never forget any of their deeds.
(P)Shall not the land tremble on this account,
    and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
(Q)and all of it rise like the Nile,
    and be tossed about (R)and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God,
    (S)“I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 (T)I will turn your feasts into mourning
    and all your songs into lamentation;
(U)I will bring sackcloth on every waist
    (V)and baldness on every head;
(W)I will make it like the mourning for an only son
    and the end of it like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
    “when (X)I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
    (Y)but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 (Z)They shall wander from sea to sea,
    and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
    (AA)but they shall not find it.

13 (AB)“In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
    shall (AC)faint for thirst.
14 Those who swear by (AD)the Guilt of Samaria,
    and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’
and, ‘As (AE)the Way of (AF)Beersheba lives,’
    they shall fall, and never rise again.”

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:2 The Hebrew words for end and summer fruit sound alike
  2. Amos 8:3 Or palace
  3. Amos 8:3 Or The singing women of the palace shall wail
  4. Amos 8:5 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

A Basket of Ripe Fruit

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(A) a basket of ripe fruit. “What do you see,(B) Amos?(C)” he asked.

“A basket(D) of ripe fruit,” I answered.

Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(E)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[a](F) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(G)

Hear this, you who trample the needy
    and do away with the poor(H) of the land,(I)

saying,

“When will the New Moon(J) be over
    that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
    that we may market(K) wheat?”(L)
skimping on the measure,
    boosting the price
    and cheating(M) with dishonest scales,(N)
buying the poor(O) with silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(P)

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(Q) “I will never forget(R) anything they have done.(S)

“Will not the land tremble(T) for this,
    and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
    it will be stirred up and then sink
    like the river of Egypt.(U)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.(V)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(W) into mourning
    and all your singing into weeping.(X)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(Y)
    and shave(Z) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(AA)
    and the end of it like a bitter day.(AB)

11 “The days are coming,”(AC) declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine(AD) of hearing the words of the Lord.(AE)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.(AF)

13 “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men(AG)
    will faint because of thirst.(AH)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(AI)
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(AJ)
    or, ‘As surely as the god[b] of Beersheba(AK) lives’—
    they will fall,(AL) never to rise again.(AM)

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
  2. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way

14 If you strike him with the rod,
    you will (A)save his soul from Sheol.
15 (B)My son, if your heart is wise,
    my heart too will be glad.
16 My (C)inmost being[a] will exult
    when your lips speak (D)what is right.
17 Let not your heart (E)envy sinners,
    but continue in (F)the fear of the Lord all the day.
18 Surely (G)there is a future,
    and your (H)hope will not be cut off.

19 Hear, my son, and (I)be wise,
    and (J)direct your heart in the way.
20 Be not among (K)drunkards[b]
    or among (L)gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
    and (M)slumber will clothe them with rags.

22 (N)Listen to your father who gave you life,
    (O)and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (P)Buy truth, and do not sell it;
    buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 (Q)The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
    he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 (R)Let your father and mother be glad;
    let (S)her who bore you rejoice.

26 My son, give me your heart,
    and let your eyes observe[c] my ways.
27 For a prostitute is (T)a deep pit;
    (U)an adulteress[d] is a narrow (V)well.
28 (W)She lies in wait like a robber
    and increases the traitors among mankind.

29 (X)Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has (Y)wounds without cause?
    Who has (Z)redness of eyes?
30 Those who (AA)tarry long over wine;
    those who go to try (AB)mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup
    and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it (AC)bites like a serpent
    and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
    and your heart utter (AD)perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
    like one who lies on the top of a mast.[e]
35 “They (AE)struck me,” you will say,[f] “but I was not hurt;
    they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
    I (AF)must have another drink.”

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:16 Hebrew My kidneys
  2. Proverbs 23:20 Hebrew those who drink too much wine
  3. Proverbs 23:26 Or delight in
  4. Proverbs 23:27 Hebrew a foreign woman
  5. Proverbs 23:34 Or of the rigging
  6. Proverbs 23:35 Hebrew lacks you will say

14 Punish them with the rod
    and save them from death.(A)

Saying 14

15 My son, if your heart is wise,
    then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
    when your lips speak what is right.(B)

Saying 15

17 Do not let your heart envy(C) sinners,
    but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off.(D)

Saying 16

19 Listen, my son,(E) and be wise,
    and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine(F)
    or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,(G)
    and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Saying 17

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
    and do not despise your mother when she is old.(H)
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
    wisdom, instruction and insight as well.(I)
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
    a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.(J)
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
    may she who gave you birth be joyful!(K)

Saying 18

26 My son,(L) give me your heart
    and let your eyes delight in my ways,(M)
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(N)
    and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait(O)
    and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

Saying 19

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaints?
    Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,(P)
    who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
    and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
    lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
    They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
    so I can find another drink?”(Q)

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35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in (A)the Son of Man?”[a] 36 He answered, (B)“And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and (C)it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, (D)“For judgment I came into this world, (E)that those who do not see may see, and (F)those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, (G)“Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, (H)you would have no guilt;[b] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

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Footnotes

  1. John 9:35 Some manuscripts the Son of God
  2. John 9:41 Greek you would not have sin

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe(A) in the Son of Man?”(B)

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”(C)

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”(D)

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.(E)

39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment(F) I have come into this world,(G) so that the blind will see(H) and those who see will become blind.”(I)

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”(J)

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. John 9:39 Some early manuscripts do not have Then the man said … 39 Jesus said.

Godlessness in the Last Days

But understand this, that (A)in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be (B)lovers of self, (C)lovers of money, (D)proud, (E)arrogant, abusive, (F)disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (G)heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, (H)not loving good, treacherous, reckless, (I)swollen with conceit, (J)lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but (K)denying its power. (L)Avoid such people. For among them are (M)those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to (N)arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as (O)Jannes and Jambres (P)opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, (Q)men corrupted in mind and (R)disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, (S)as was that of those two men.

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But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.(A) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,(B) boastful, proud,(C) abusive,(D) disobedient to their parents,(E) ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous,(F) rash, conceited,(G) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness(H) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.(I)

They are the kind who worm their way(J) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.(K) Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,(L) so also these teachers oppose(M) the truth. They are men of depraved minds,(N) who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men,(O) their folly will be clear to everyone.

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