God's Good Purposes

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.”

But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.

And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean.

Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with singleness of purpose.

O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

Preparing to Build the Temple

Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself.

and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me.

And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.

Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose.

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?”

Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.

They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

An Oracle Concerning Assyria

The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,

This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.