Category
VERSES ABOUT JOY
Think about it: the joy of the Lord doesn't just fill you with strength, it brings us all together. It's a joy that's not meant to be kept to yourself; it needs to be shared. Just like the Israelites were instructed to celebrate and share what they had with each other, you can spread the joy of the Lord with everyone you know.
This joy challenges you to love your neighbor and share the Gospel. When your heart is joyful in God, you are strong and empowered to spread that joy throughout your community. It's a lasting joy, something no one can take away.
Psalm 98:4-6 says, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King." You can find so many verses like this that talk about the joy of our God.
I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.
The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: “I will again do good things for the people of Judah. I will bring back the people who were taken away as prisoners. At that time, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘May the Lord bless you, good home and holy mountain!’ {\cf2\super [257]}
At that time, Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together and control the land. This will be a blessing for the land.
He will love you and bless you. He will make your nation grow. He will bless your children. He will bless your fields with good crops. He will give you grain, new wine, and oil. He will bless your cows with baby calves and your sheep with lambs. You will have all these blessings in the land that he promised your ancestors [46] to give you.
Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. After Aaron finished offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offerings, he came down {from the altar}.
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.
I will bless people who bless you, and I will curse people who curse [71] you. I will use you to bless all the people on earth.”
Everyone in all nations will know my people. Everyone will know the children from my nation. Any person that sees them will know that the Lord blesses them.”
I command you today to love the Lord your God. I command you to follow him and to obey his commands, laws, and rules. Then you will live, and your nation will grow larger. And the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take for your own.
Pray for peace in Jerusalem.\par “I hope the people who love you\par will find peace there.\par I hope there will be peace\par inside your walls.\par I hope there will be safety\par in your great buildings.”\par
Your God says,\par “Comfort, comfort my people!\par
Speak kindly to Jerusalem!\par Tell Jerusalem,\par ‘Your time of service is finished.\par You have paid the price for your sins.’”\par The Lord punished Jerusalem—\par twice for every sin she did.\par
After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house and everything that Potiphar owned. The Lord did this because of Joseph. And the Lord blessed everything that grew in the fields of Potiphar.
People began using the names Israel and Judah in their curses. But I will save Israel and Judah, and their names will become a blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong!”
People who trust in the Lord\par will be like Mount Zion.\par They will never be shaken.\par They will continue forever.\par
Mountains are all around Jerusalem.\par And the Lord is around his people.\par He will protect his people forever and ever.\par
And the Lord will take away all sickness from you. The Lord will not let you catch any of the terrible diseases that you had in Egypt. But the Lord will make your enemies catch those diseases.
Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel!\par Only God can do such amazing things.\par
Praise his glorious name forever!\par Let his glory fill the whole world!\par Amen and Amen! {\cf2\super [414]} \par
There are nations in places you don’t know,\par but you will call for those nations.\par Those nations don’t know you,\par but they will run to you.\par This will happen because the Lord,\par your God, wants it.\par This will happen because the Holy One\par of Israel honors you.\par
“The Lord will help you defeat your enemies that come to fight against you. Your enemies will come against you one way, but they will run away from you seven different ways!
\{The believers in\} Macedonia and Achaia were happy to do this. And really they should help those believers in Jerusalem. They should help because they are non-Jews and have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings. So they should use the things they have to help the Jews. They owe this to the Jews.
The Scriptures told what would happen in the future. These writings said that God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith. God told this Good News {\cf2\super [26]} to Abraham before it happened. God said to Abraham, “I will use you to bless all the people on earth.” {\cf2\super [27]}
Jerusalem, if I ever forget you,\par then I hope I never play a song again.\par
Jerusalem, if I ever forget you,\par then I hope I never sing again.\par I promise, I will never forget you.\par
When I came, you had little. Now you have much, much more. Every time I did something for you, the Lord blessed you. Now it is time for me to work for myself—it is time to build my own house.”
The Lord says,\par “The mountains may disappear,\par and the hills may become dust.\par But my kindness will never leave you.\par I will make peace with you,\par and it will never end.”\par The Lord shows mercy to you.\par And he is the One that said these things.\par
The Lord remembers us.\par The Lord will bless us.\par The Lord will bless Israel.\par The Lord will bless Aaron’s family.\par
The Lord will bless his followers,\par great and small.\par
Lord, the victory {\cf2\super [11]} is yours!\par Please be good to your people.\par \i (SELAH {\cf2\super [12]})\i0 \par
Every nation on the earth will be blessed through your descendants. [127] I will do this because you obeyed me.”
You will have many, many descendants. [163] They will be as many as the pieces of dust on earth. They will spread east and west, north and south. All the families on earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants.
“Then the Lord your God will make all those bad things happen to your enemies. Why? Because those people hate you and give you trouble.
But you are chosen people. You are the King’s priests. You are a holy {\cf2\super [20]} nation of people. You are people who belong to God. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called (brought) you out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light.
There should not be any poor people in your country. Why? Because the Lord is giving you this land. And the Lord will greatly bless you.
The Lord my Master says,\par “Look, I will wave my hand to the nations.\par I will raise my flag for all people to see.\par Then they will bring your children to you.\par Those people will carry your children\par on their shoulders,\par and they will hold them in their arms.\par
The Lord chose Zion {\cf2\super [622]} to be the place\par for his temple.\par That is the place he wanted for his home.\par
\{The Lord said,\}\par “This will be my place forever and ever.\par I choose this to be the place\par where I will be.\par
When the Lord makes us free again\par it will be like a dream!\par
We will be laughing\par and singing happy songs!\par People in other nations will say,\par “The Lord did a wonderful thing\par for the people of Israel.”\par
Tell the people that the Lord and Master says these things: ‘I will take the people of Israel from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around, and I will bring them into their own land.
I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel. One king will be king for all of them. They won’t continue to be two nations. They won’t be divided into two kingdoms any more.
“Jerusalem, I put guards (prophets)\par on your walls.\par Those guards will not be silent.\par They will keep praying day and night.”\par
You must pray to the Lord\par until he makes Jerusalem a city\par that people on earth will praise.\par
May all people serve you. May nations bow down to you. You will rule over your brothers. Your mother’s sons will bow down to you and obey you.
There is a river whose streams\par bring happiness to God’s city,\par to the holy city of God Most High.\par
What great blessings there are for the people that are humble!\par They will have the land \{God promised\}. {\cf2\super [58]} \par
\{God said,\} “I will take you out of those nations, gather you together, and bring you back to your own land.
Then I will sprinkle pure water on you and make you pure. I will wash away all your filth. I will wash away the filth from those nasty idols and make you pure.”
\{God said,\} “I will also put a new spirit in you \{and change your way of thinking\}. I will take out the heart of stone from your body and give you a tender, human heart.
Make your tent bigger.\par Open your doors wide.\par Don’t stop adding to your home.\par Make your tent large and strong.\par
Why? Because you will grow very much.\par Your children will get people\par from many nations,\par Your children will again live in the cities\par that were destroyed.\par
Remember God’s Agreement {\cf2\super [548]} forever.\par Remember his commands for 1,000 generations!\par
God made an Agreement with Abraham.\par God made a promise to Isaac.\par
Then he made it a law for Jacob.\par God made his Agreement with Israel.\par It will continue forever!\par
God built his temple\par on the holy hills \{of Jerusalem\}.\par
The Lord loves Zion’s gates\par more than any other place in Israel.\par
City of God, people say wonderful things\par about you.\par \i (SELAH {\cf2\super [496]})\i0 \par
I will bless the sheep and the places around my hill (Jerusalem). I will cause the rains to fall at the right time. They will shower them with blessings.
And the trees growing in the field will produce their fruit. The earth will give its harvest. So the sheep will be safe on their land. I will break the yokes {\cf2\super [275]} on them. I will save them from the power of the people that made them slaves. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
I hope the Lord gives more and more\par to you and your children.\par
The Lord made heaven and earth.\par And the Lord welcomes you! {\cf2\super [580]} \par
The Lord my Master says,\par “Look, I will wave my hand to the nations.\par I will raise my flag for all people to see.\par Then they will bring your children to you.\par Those people will carry your children\par on their shoulders,\par and they will hold them in their arms.\par
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
“Nations, listen to this message\par from the Lord!\par Tell this message in the faraway lands\par by the sea:\par ‘God scattered the people of Israel\par But God will bring them back together.\par And he will watch over his flock (people)\par like a shepherd.’\par
God, get up and scatter your enemies.\par May all of his enemies run from him.\par
May your enemies be scattered,\par like smoke blown away by the wind.\par May your enemies be destroyed,\par like wax melting in a fire.\par
Lord, I love your temple. {\cf2\super [157]} \par I love your glorious tent. {\cf2\super [158]} \par
“People all around the world respect my name. All around the world people bring good gifts to me. They burn good incense {\cf2\super [7]} as a gift to me. Why? Because my name is important to all those people.” The Lord All-Powerful said these things.
In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple {\cf2\super [17]} will be on the highest of the mountains. It will be raised higher than all the hills. There will be a steady stream of people from all nations going there.
Many people will go there. They will say, “Come! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain. Let’s go up to the temple of the God of Jacob. Then God will teach us his way of living. And we will follow him.”
And that is how all Israel will be saved. It is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [125]} \}:
“Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live.
You must love the Lord your God and obey him. Never leave him! Why? Because the Lord is your life. And the Lord will give you a long life in the land that he promised to give to your ancestors [200] —Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
People living at your temple\par are very fortunate.\par They are still praising you.\par \i (SELAH {\cf2\super [484]})\i0 \par
God is more powerful than any of your gods.\par The God of Israel makes his people strong.\par
God is wonderful in his temple.\par The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people.\par Praise God!\par