Psalm 120:6-7
New International Version
6 Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.
Acts 6:8-15
New International Version
Stephen Seized
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs(A) among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene(B) and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia(C) and Asia(D)—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.(E)
11 Then they secretly(F) persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”(G)
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.(H) 13 They produced false witnesses,(I) who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place(J) and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place(K) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”(L)
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin(M) looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 7:51-8:1
New International Version
51 “You stiff-necked people!(A) Your hearts(B) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(C) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(D)— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(E) but have not obeyed it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious(F) and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,(G) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.(H) 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open(I) and the Son of Man(J) standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city(K) and began to stone him.(L) Meanwhile, the witnesses(M) laid their coats(N) at the feet of a young man named Saul.(O)
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”(P) 60 Then he fell on his knees(Q) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”(R) When he had said this, he fell asleep.(S)
8 And Saul(T) approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered(U) throughout Judea and Samaria.(V)
Numbers 11:4-6
New International Version
Quail From the Lord
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food,(A) and again the Israelites started wailing(B) and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.(C) 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!(D)”
Numbers 11:31-34
New International Version
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail(A) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits[a] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.[b] Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth(B) and before it could be consumed, the anger(C) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.(D) 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,[c](E) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:31 That is, about 3 feet or about 90 centimeters
- Numbers 11:32 That is, possibly about 1 3/4 tons or about 1.6 metric tons
- Numbers 11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means graves of craving.
Numbers 14:2-12
New International Version
2 All the Israelites grumbled(A) against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!(B) Or in this wilderness!(C) 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?(D) Our wives and children(E) will be taken as plunder.(F) Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?(G)” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.(H)”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown(I) in front of the whole Israelite assembly(J) gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun(K) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes(L) 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.(M) 8 If the Lord is pleased with us,(N) he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey,(O) and will give it to us.(P) 9 Only do not rebel(Q) against the Lord. And do not be afraid(R) of the people of the land,(S) because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with(T) us.(U) Do not be afraid of them.”(V)
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning(W) them. Then the glory of the Lord(X) appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?(Y) How long will they refuse to believe in me,(Z) in spite of all the signs(AA) I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague(AB) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation(AC) greater and stronger than they.”(AD)
Numbers 16:1-3
New International Version
Korah, Dathan and Abiram
16 Korah(A) son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram(B), sons of Eliab,(C) and On son of Peleth—became insolent[a] 2 and rose up against Moses.(D) With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.(E) 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron(F) and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy,(G) every one of them, and the Lord is with them.(H) Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”(I)
Footnotes
- Numbers 16:1 Or Peleth—took men
Numbers 16:13-35
New International Version
13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey(A) to kill us in the wilderness?(B) And now you also want to lord it over us!(C) 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey(D) or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.(E) Do you want to treat these men like slaves[a]?(F) No, we will not come!(G)”
15 Then Moses became very angry(H) and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey(I) from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.(J) 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.(K)” 18 So each of them took his censer,(L) put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them(M) at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord(N) appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves(O) from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”(P)
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown(Q) and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things,(R) will you be angry with the entire assembly(S) when only one man sins?”(T)
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel(U) followed him. 26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men!(V) Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away(W) because of all their sins.(X)” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.(Y) Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children(Z) and little ones at the entrances to their tents.(AA)
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know(AB) that the Lord has sent me(AC) to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.(AD) 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth(AE) and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead,(AF) then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.(AG)”
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart(AH) 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them(AI) and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead,(AJ) with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord(AK) and consumed(AL) the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Footnotes
- Numbers 16:14 Or to deceive these men; Hebrew Will you gouge out the eyes of these men
Numbers 21:5-9
New International Version
5 they spoke against God(A) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(B) to die in the wilderness?(C) There is no bread! There is no water!(D) And we detest this miserable food!”(E)
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(F) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(G) 7 The people came to Moses(H) and said, “We sinned(I) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(J) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(K) for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(L) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake(M) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(N)
Numbers 23:7-10
New International Version
7 Then Balaam(A) spoke his message:(B)
“Balak brought me from Aram,(C)
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.(D)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’(E)
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?(F)
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?(G)
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.(H)
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.(I)
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob(J)
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,(K)
and may my final end be like theirs!(L)”
Numbers 23:18-26
New International Version
18 Then he spoke his message:(A)
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.(B)
19 God is not human,(C) that he should lie,(D)
not a human being, that he should change his mind.(E)
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise(F) and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;(G)
he has blessed,(H) and I cannot change it.(I)
21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,(J)
no misery observed[a] in Israel.(K)
The Lord their God is with them;(L)
the shout of the King(M) is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;(N)
they have the strength of a wild ox.(O)
23 There is no divination against[b] Jacob,
no evil omens(P) against[c] Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness;(Q)
they rouse themselves like a lion(R)
that does not rest till it devours its prey
and drinks the blood(S) of its victims.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”(T)
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
Numbers 24:5-10
New International Version
5 “How beautiful are your tents,(A) Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,(B)
like aloes(C) planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.(D)
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
8 “God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;(G)
with their arrows they pierce them.(H)
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness(I)—who dares to rouse them?
10 Then Balak’s anger burned(L) against Balaam. He struck his hands together(M) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,(N) but you have blessed them(O) these three times.(P)
Numbers 24:17
New International Version
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
- Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters
Numbers 24:15-19
New International Version
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words(A) of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,(B)
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.(C)
A star will come out of Jacob;(D)
a scepter will rise out of Israel.(E)
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,(F)
the skulls[a](G) of[b] all the people of Sheth.[c]
18 Edom(H) will be conquered;
Seir,(I) his enemy, will be conquered,(J)
but Israel(K) will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob(L)
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
- Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters
Numbers 25:1-9
New International Version
Moab Seduces Israel
25 While Israel was staying in Shittim,(A) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality(B) with Moabite(C) women,(D) 2 who invited them to the sacrifices(E) to their gods.(F) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to(G) the Baal of Peor.(H) And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders(I) of these people, kill them and expose(J) them in broad daylight before the Lord,(K) so that the Lord’s fierce anger(L) may turn away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death(M) those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”(N)
6 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite(O) woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas(Q) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear(R) in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;(S) 9 but those who died in the plague(T) numbered 24,000.(U)
Hosea 4:1-2
New International Version
The Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge(A) to bring
against you who live in the land:(B)
“There is no faithfulness,(C) no love,
no acknowledgment(D) of God in the land.(E)
2 There is only cursing,[a] lying(F) and murder,(G)
stealing(H) and adultery;(I)
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.(J)
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on
Hosea 4:14-19
New International Version
14 “I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots(A)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(B)—
a people without understanding(C) will come to ruin!(D)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(E)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[a](F)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(G)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(H)
like a stubborn heifer.(I)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(J) in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18 Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 A whirlwind(K) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(L)
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
Hosea 1:4-5
New International Version
4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel,(A) because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.(B)”
Hosea 1:10-11
New International Version
10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.(A) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’(B) 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together;(C) they will appoint one leader(D) and will come up out of the land,(E) for great will be the day of Jezreel.[a](F)
Footnotes
- Hosea 1:11 In Hebrew texts 1:10,11 is numbered 2:1,2.
Hosea 2:2
New International Version
Israel Punished and Restored
Hosea 2:10
New International Version
Hosea 2:18-23
New International Version
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground.(A)
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish(B) from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.(C)
19 I will betroth(D) you to me forever;
I will betroth you in[a] righteousness and justice,(E)
in[b] love and compassion.(F)
20 I will betroth you in[c] faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge(G) the Lord.(H)
21 “In that day I will respond,”
declares the Lord—
“I will respond(I) to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
22 and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil,(J)
and they will respond to Jezreel.[d](K)
23 I will plant(L) her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.[e](M)’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,[f]’ ‘You are my people’;(N)
and they will say, ‘You are my God.(O)’”
Footnotes
- Hosea 2:19 Or with
- Hosea 2:19 Or with
- Hosea 2:20 Or with
- Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
- Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)
Hosea 3:4-5
New International Version
4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,(A) without sacrifice(B) or sacred stones,(C) without ephod(D) or household gods.(E) 5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek(F) the Lord their God and David their king.(G) They will come trembling(H) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.(I)
Hosea 5:4-7
New International Version
4 “Their deeds do not permit them
to return(A) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution(B) is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge(C) the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(D) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(E) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(F)
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord,(G)
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn(H) himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful(I) to the Lord;
they give birth to illegitimate(J) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,(K)
he will devour[a](L) their fields.
Footnotes
- Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
Hosea 6:1
New International Version
Israel Unrepentant
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