29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.(A)
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.(B)
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.(C)

Read full chapter

Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness(A)—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed(B)
    and those who curse you be cursed!”(C)

Read full chapter

I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;(A)
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.(B)[a]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)

23 Kings(A) will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.(B)
They will bow down(C) before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust(D) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(E)
    those who hope(F) in me will not be disappointed.(G)

Read full chapter

12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[a](A)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The products(A) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[a]
    and those tall Sabeans(B)
they will come over to you(C)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(D)
    coming over to you in chains.(E)
They will bow down before you
    and plead(F) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(G) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.(H)’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region

Of the greatness of his government(A) and peace(B)
    there will be no end.(C)
He will reign(D) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice(E) and righteousness(F)
    from that time on and forever.(G)
The zeal(H) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Read full chapter

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.(A) So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

Read full chapter

22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.(A)

23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations(B) are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.(C)

Read full chapter

17 I will surely bless you(A) and make your descendants(B) as numerous as the stars in the sky(C) and as the sand on the seashore.(D) Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,(E) 18 and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b](F) because you have obeyed me.”(G)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 22:18 Or seed
  2. Genesis 22:18 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)

25 he said,

“Cursed(A) be Canaan!(B)
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.(C)

26 He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!(D)
    May Canaan be the slave(E) of Shem.

Read full chapter

Israel Doubts God’s Love

“I have loved(A) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,(B) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,(C) but Esau I have hated,(D) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland(E) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.(F)

Edom(G) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild(H) the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.(I) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.(J) You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great(K) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’(L)

Read full chapter

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush(A) all those kingdoms(B) and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.(C) 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock(D) cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands(E)—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.(F) The dream is true(G) and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Read full chapter

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(A)
    from Bozrah,(B) with his garments stained crimson?(C)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(D)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(E)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(F)

“I have trodden the winepress(G) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(H) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(I)
their blood spattered my garments,(J)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(K)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(L) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(M) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(N)
I trampled(O) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(P)
    and poured their blood(Q) on the ground.”

Read full chapter

This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(A)
to him who was despised(B) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(C) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,(D)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(E)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(F) you.”

Read full chapter

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[a](A) to the ends of the earth.(B)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates

Psalm 60[a](A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam[b] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim[c] and Aram Zobah,[d] and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.(B)

You have rejected us,(C) God, and burst upon us;
    you have been angry(D)—now restore us!(E)
You have shaken the land(F) and torn it open;
    mend its fractures,(G) for it is quaking.
You have shown your people desperate times;(H)
    you have given us wine that makes us stagger.(I)
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner(J)
    to be unfurled against the bow.[e]

Save us and help us with your right hand,(K)
    that those you love(L) may be delivered.
God has spoken from his sanctuary:
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem(M)
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.(N)
Gilead(O) is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim(P) is my helmet,
    Judah(Q) is my scepter.(R)
Moab is my washbasin,
    on Edom I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.(S)

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?(T)
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.(U)
12 With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies.(V)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 60:1 In Hebrew texts 60:1-12 is numbered 60:3-14.
  2. Psalm 60:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 60:1 Title: That is, Arameans of Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Psalm 60:1 Title: That is, Arameans of central Syria
  5. Psalm 60:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

“I have installed my king(A)
    on Zion,(B) my holy mountain.(C)

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;(D)
    today I have become your father.(E)
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations(F) your inheritance,(G)
    the ends of the earth(H) your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron[a];(I)
    you will dash them to pieces(J) like pottery.(K)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac)

11 Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.(A)

13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.

14 When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods,(B) bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them.

Read full chapter

and though Judah(A) was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler(B) came from him, the rights of the firstborn(C) belonged to Joseph)—

Read full chapter

47 There was then no king(A) in Edom; a provincial governor ruled.

Read full chapter

15 Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom.(A) 16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom.

Read full chapter

21 And Solomon ruled(A) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River(B) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.(C) These countries brought tribute(D) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

Read full chapter

David Defeats the Ammonites(A)

10 In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash,(B) just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.

When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out(C) and overthrow it?” So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard,(D) cut off their garments at the buttocks,(E) and sent them away.

When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious(F) to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean(G) foot soldiers from Beth Rehob(H) and Zobah,(I) as well as the king of Maakah(J) with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.(K)

On hearing this, David sent Joab(L) out with the entire army of fighting men. The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maakah were by themselves in the open country.

Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 10 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai(M) his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. 11 Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. 12 Be strong,(N) and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”(O)

13 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites(P) realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

15 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River; they went to Helam, with Shobak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers.[a] He also struck down Shobak the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject(Q) to them.

So the Arameans(R) were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 10:18 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 19:18); Hebrew horsemen

David’s Victories(A)

In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines(B) and subdued(C) them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

David also defeated the Moabites.(D) He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.(E)

Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer(F) son of Rehob, king of Zobah,(G) when he went to restore his monument at[a] the Euphrates(H) River. David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers[b] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung(I) all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

When the Arameans of Damascus(J) came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. He put garrisons(K) in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject(L) to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.(M)

David took the gold shields(N) that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. From Tebah[c] and Berothai,(O) towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

When Tou[d] king of Hamath(P) heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,(Q) 10 he sent his son Joram[e] to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze.

11 King David dedicated(R) these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued: 12 Edom[f](S) and Moab,(T) the Ammonites(U) and the Philistines,(V) and Amalek.(W) He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 And David became famous(X) after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites[g] in the Valley of Salt.(Y)

14 He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites(Z) became subject to David.(AA) The Lord gave David victory(AB) wherever he went.(AC)

David’s Officials(AD)

15 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right(AE) for all his people. 16 Joab(AF) son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat(AG) son of Ahilud was recorder;(AH) 17 Zadok(AI) son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar(AJ) were priests; Seraiah was secretary;(AK) 18 Benaiah(AL) son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites(AM) and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.[h]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 8:3 Or his control along
  2. 2 Samuel 8:4 Septuagint (see also Dead Sea Scrolls and 1 Chron. 18:4); Masoretic Text captured seventeen hundred of his charioteers
  3. 2 Samuel 8:8 See some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 18:8); Hebrew Betah.
  4. 2 Samuel 8:9 Hebrew Toi, a variant of Tou; also in verse 10
  5. 2 Samuel 8:10 A variant of Hadoram
  6. 2 Samuel 8:12 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 18:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Aram
  7. 2 Samuel 8:13 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 18:12); most Hebrew manuscripts Aram (that is, Arameans)
  8. 2 Samuel 8:18 Or were chief officials (see Septuagint and Targum; see also 1 Chron. 18:17)

Bible Gateway Recommends