Not Because of Righteousness

“Hear, O Israel: you are (A)to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations (B)greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, (C)the sons of the Anakim, (D)whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ Know therefore today that he who (E)goes over before you (F)as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. (G)So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.

(H)“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is (I)because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. (J)Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm (K)the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

“Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are (L)a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. (M)From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. Even (N)at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. (O)When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain (P)forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 And (Q)the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire (R)on the day of the assembly. 11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord said to me, (S)‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have (T)turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’

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Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness

Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan(A) to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you,(B) with large cities(C) that have walls up to the sky.(D) The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”(E) But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you(F) like a devouring fire.(G) He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly,(H) as the Lord has promised you.

After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself,(I) “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness(J) of these nations(K) that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity(L) that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness(M) of these nations,(N) the Lord your God will drive them out(O) before you, to accomplish what he swore(P) to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(Q) Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.(R)

The Golden Calf

Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger(S) of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious(T) against the Lord.(U) At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath(V) so that he was angry enough to destroy you.(W) When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant(X) that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days(Y) and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.(Z) 10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.(AA) On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.(AB)

11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights,(AC) the Lord gave me the two stone tablets,(AD) the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt.(AE) They have turned away quickly(AF) from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves.”

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14 The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. 15 The sons of Adin, 454. 16 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. 17 The sons of Bezai, 323. 18 The sons of Jorah, 112. 19 The sons of Hashum, 223. 20 The sons of Gibbar, 95. 21 The sons of Bethlehem, 123. 22 The men of Netophah, 56. 23 The men of Anathoth, 128. 24 The sons of Azmaveth, 42. 25 The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 26 The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. 27 The men of Michmas, 122. 28 The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. 29 The sons of Nebo, 52. 30 The sons of Magbish, 156. 31 The sons of (A)the other Elam, 1,254. 32 The sons of Harim, 320. 33 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. 34 The sons of Jericho, 345. 35 The sons of Senaah, 3,630.

36 The priests: the (B)sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. 37 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 38 The (C)sons of Pashhur, 1,247.

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14 of Bigvai2,056
15 of Adin454
16 of Ater (through Hezekiah)98
17 of Bezai323
18 of Jorah112
19 of Hashum223
20 of Gibbar95
21 the men of Bethlehem(A)123
22 of Netophah56
23 of Anathoth128
24 of Azmaveth42
25 of Kiriath Jearim,[a] Kephirah and Beeroth743
26 of Ramah(B) and Geba621
27 of Mikmash122
28 of Bethel and Ai(C)223
29 of Nebo52
30 of Magbish156
31 of the other Elam1,254
32 of Harim320
33 of Lod, Hadid and Ono725
34 of Jericho(D)345
35 of Senaah3,630

36 The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah(E) (through the family of Jeshua)973
37 of Immer(F)1,052
38 of Pashhur(G)1,247
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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 2:25 See Septuagint (see also Neh. 7:29); Hebrew Kiriath Arim.

The Destruction of Israel

I saw the Lord standing beside[a] the altar, and he said:

(A)“Strike the capitals until (B)the thresholds (C)shake,
    (D)and shatter them on the heads of all the people;[b]
and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword;
    (E)not one of them shall flee away;
    not one of them shall escape.

(F)“If they dig into Sheol,
    from there shall my hand take them;
(G)if they climb up to heaven,
    from there I will bring them down.
If they hide themselves on (H)the top of Carmel,
    from there I will search them out and take them;
(I)and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea,
    there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
(J)And if they go into captivity before their enemies,
    there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them;
(K)and I will fix my eyes upon them
    for evil and not for good.”

The Lord God of hosts,
he who touches the earth and (L)it melts,
    and all who dwell in it mourn,
(M)and all of it rises like the Nile,
    (N)and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
(O)who builds his upper chambers in the heavens
    and founds his vault upon the earth;
(P)who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out upon the surface of the earth—
(Q)the Lord is his name.

“Are you not like (R)the Cushites to me,
    O people of Israel?” declares the Lord.
(S)“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
    and (T)the Philistines from (U)Caphtor and the Syrians from (V)Kir?
Behold, (W)the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom,
    and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground,
    (X)except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.

“For behold, I will command,
    (Y)and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
    but no pebble shall fall to the earth.
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
    who say, (Z)‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

The Restoration of Israel

11 “In that day (AA)I will raise up
    the booth of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches,
    and raise up its ruins
    and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12 (AB)that they may possess the remnant of Edom
    and (AC)all the nations who are called by my name,”[c]
    declares the Lord who does this.

13 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    (AD)“when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
    and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
(AE)the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
    and all the hills shall flow with it.
14 (AF)I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
    and (AG)they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
(AH)they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
    and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 (AI)I will plant them on their land,
    (AJ)and they shall never again be uprooted
    out of the land (AK)that I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 9:1 Or on
  2. Amos 9:1 Hebrew all of them
  3. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint (compare Acts 15:17) that the remnant of mankind and all the nations who are called by my name may seek the Lord

Israel to Be Destroyed

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:

“Strike the tops of the pillars
    so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(A) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.(B)
Though they dig down to the depths below,(C)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(D)
    from there I will bring them down.(E)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(F)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(G)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(H)
    there I will command the serpent(I) to bite them.(J)
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword(K) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
    for harm(L) and not for good.(M)(N)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(O)
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;(P)
he builds his lofty palace[a](Q) in the heavens
    and sets its foundation[b] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.(R)

“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites[c]?”(S)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines(T) from Caphtor[d](U)
    and the Arameans from Kir?(V)

“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
    are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(W) it
    from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
    the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(X)
“For I will give the command,
    and I will shake the people of Israel
    among all the nations
as grain(Y) is shaken in a sieve,(Z)
    and not a pebble will reach the ground.(AA)
10 All the sinners among my people
    will die by the sword,(AB)
all those who say,
    ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(AC)

Israel’s Restoration

11 “In that day

“I will restore David’s(AD) fallen shelter(AE)
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins(AF)
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,(AG)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(AH)
    and all the nations that bear my name,[e](AI)
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(AJ)

13 “The days are coming,”(AK) declares the Lord,

“when the reaper(AL) will be overtaken by the plowman(AM)
    and the planter by the one treading(AN) grapes.
New wine(AO) will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,(AP)
14     and I will bring(AQ) my people Israel back from exile.[f](AR)

“They will rebuild the ruined cities(AS) and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards(AT) and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(AU)
15 I will plant(AV) Israel in their own land,(AW)
    never again to be uprooted(AX)
    from the land I have given them,”(AY)

says the Lord your God.(AZ)

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  4. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
  5. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
  6. Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel

24 Be not (A)envious of evil men,
    nor desire to be (B)with them,
for their hearts (C)devise violence,
    and their lips (D)talk of trouble.

By (E)wisdom a house is built,
    and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
    with all (F)precious and pleasant riches.
(G)A wise man is full of strength,
    and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
for by (H)wise guidance you can wage your war,
    and in (I)abundance of counselors there is victory.
Wisdom is (J)too high for a fool;
    in (K)the gate he does not open his mouth.

Whoever (L)plans to do evil
    will be called a schemer.
(M)The devising[a] of folly is sin,
    and (N)the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:9 Or scheming

Saying 20

24 Do not envy(A) the wicked,
    do not desire their company;
for their hearts plot violence,(B)
    and their lips talk about making trouble.(C)

Saying 21

By wisdom a house is built,(D)
    and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
    with rare and beautiful treasures.(E)

Saying 22

The wise prevail through great power,
    and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
Surely you need guidance to wage war,
    and victory is won through many advisers.(F)

Saying 23

Wisdom is too high for fools;
    in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.

Saying 24

Whoever plots evil
    will be known as a schemer.
The schemes of folly are sin,
    and people detest a mocker.

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I Am the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (A)A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus (B)used with them, but they (C)did not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (D)I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, (E)he will be saved and will go in and out and (F)find pasture.

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The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.(A) The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.(B) The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.(C) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.(D) When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.(E) But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech,(F) but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.(G)

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am(H) the gate(I) for the sheep. All who have come before me(J) are thieves and robbers,(K) but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

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Footnotes

  1. John 10:9 Or kept safe

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God

10 (A)You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me (B)at Antioch, (C)at Iconium, and (D)at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet (E)from them all (F)the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to (G)live a godly life in Christ Jesus (H)will be persecuted, 13 while (I)evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and (J)being deceived. 14 But as for you, (K)continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom[a] you learned it 15 and how (L)from childhood you have been acquainted with (M)the sacred writings, (N)which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 (O)All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that (P)the man of God[b] may be complete, (Q)equipped (R)for every good work.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 3:14 The Greek for whom is plural
  2. 2 Timothy 3:17 That is, a messenger of God (the phrase echoes a common Old Testament expression)

A Final Charge to Timothy

10 You, however, know all about my teaching,(A) my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch,(B) Iconium(C) and Lystra,(D) the persecutions I endured.(E) Yet the Lord rescued(F) me from all of them.(G) 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,(H) 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,(I) deceiving and being deceived.(J) 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,(K) 15 and how from infancy(L) you have known the Holy Scriptures,(M) which are able to make you wise(N) for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed(O) and is useful for teaching,(P) rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,(Q) 17 so that the servant of God[a](R) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.(S)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 3:17 Or that you, a man of God,