12 You know that I am not the father of all these people. You know that I did not give birth to them. But I must take care of them, like a nurse carrying a baby in her arms. Why do you force me to do this? Why do you force me to carry them to the land that you promised to our fathers?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
12 Have I conceived all this people? Have I brought them forth, that You should say to me, Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father carries the sucking child, to the land which You swore to their fathers [to give them]?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them, that you would say to me, ‘Carry them at the breast, as a nurse carries an unweaned child,’ to the fertile land that you promised their ancestors?
12 Could I have conceived this entire multitude, or have given birth to them, so that you might say to me: Carry them in your bosom, as a nursemaid usually carries a little infant, and bring them into the land, about which you have sworn to their fathers?
Kings will be teachers to your children.\par Kings’ daughters will care for them.\par Those kings and their daughters\par will bow down to you.\par They will kiss the dirt at your feet.\par Then you will know\par that I am the Lord.\par Then you will know\par that any person who trusts in me\par will not be disappointed.”\par
The Lord will lead his people\par like a shepherd leads sheep.\par The Lord will use his arm (power)\par and gather his sheep together.\par The Lord will pick up the little sheep\par and hold them in his arms.\par Their mothers will walk beside him.\par
We are apostles {\cf2\super [5]} of Christ. And so when we were with you, we could have used our authority to make you do things. But we were very gentle {\cf2\super [6]} with you. We were like a mother caring for her little children.
The Lord made a special promise to your ancestors. [81] The Lord promised to give you the land of the Canaanite people, the Hittite people, the Amorite people, the Hivite people, and the Jebusite people. After the Lord leads you to the land filled with many good things, [82] then you must remember this day. You must have a special day of worship on this day during the first month of every year.
When Joseph was near death, he said to his brothers, “My time to die is almost here. But I know that God will take care of you and lead you out of this country. God will lead you to the land he promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Stay in that land, and I will be with you. I will bless you. I will give you and your family all these lands. I will do what I promised to Abraham your father.
\{But I say\},\par “Can a woman forget her baby? No!\par Can a woman forget the child\par that came from her body?\par No! A woman can’t forget her children.\par And I (the Lord) can’t forget you.\par
The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family. But the Lord promised that this new land here would belong to my family. May the Lord send his angel before you so you can choose a wife for my son.
“The Lord will lead you into the land he promised to give you. The Canaanite people now live there. But God promised your ancestors [84] that he would give you this land. After God gives you this land,
Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised them that I would give that land to their descendants.
Ahab had 70 sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the rulers and leaders of Jezreel. He also sent the letters to the people that raised Ahab’s sons. {In the letters Jehu} said,
The man that took care of Ahab’s house, the man that controlled the city, the elders, and the people who raised {Ahab’s children} sent a message to Jehu. “We are your servants. We will do anything you tell us. We will not make any man king. Do what you think is good.”
I made a great promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised to give them a special land. So I will lead you to that land. I will give you that land. It will be yours. I am the Lord.’”