Category
VERSES DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND
I've found that there's a lot of truth in saying that the Bible is generally easy to understand. Most of it is pretty straightforward, you know? But, yeah, every now and then you stumble across a passage that really makes you scratch your head. Figuring out what those tricky parts mean can be a real challenge.
Thankfully, I'd say 99% of Scripture is clear as a bell. And that's the stuff we really need to focus on living out. The Bible itself talks about how God's word is meant to be understandable, accessible to everyone.
But let's be real, sometimes we run into those verses that feel a bit murky. Even with all the great commentaries and resources we have available today, including stuff online, even theologians will tell you some passages are just tough nuts to crack.
But I believe that with God's help, and by digging a little deeper with the tools available to us, we can gain a better understanding of even those difficult verses. He'll give us the wisdom we need if we seek it.
And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, {\i even} the Son of man.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried.
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.
Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them,that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.And Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me,
which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:
Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.And the coney, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you.And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live.And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard: and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.Cursed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough.Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock.Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.Jehovah will send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest thy hand unto to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.Jehovah will make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest in to possess it.Jehovah will smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.Jehovah will make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.Jehovah will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them, and shalt flee seven ways before them: and thou shalt be tossed to and from among all the kingdoms of the earth.And thy dead body shall be food unto all birds of the heavens, and unto the beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to frighten them away.Jehovah will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.Jehovah will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart;and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and robbed alway, and there shall be none to save thee.Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not use the fruit thereof.Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to save thee.Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people; and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day: and there shall be nought in the power of thy hand.The fruit of thy ground, and all thy labors, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway;so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.Jehovah will smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the crown of thy head.Jehovah will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation that thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples whither Jehovah shall lead thee away.Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall consume it.Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but thou shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worm shall eat them.Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast its fruit.Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be thine; for they shall go into captivity.All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess.The sojourner that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,and shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy ground, until thou be destroyed; that also shall not leave thee grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of thy cattle, or the young of thy flock, until they have caused thee to perish.And they shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land; and they shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which Jehovah thy God hath given thee.And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, whom Jehovah thy God hath given thee, in the siege and in the distress wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee.The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining;so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat, because he hath nothing left him, in the siege and in the distress wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in all thy gates.The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,and toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she shall bear; for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly, in the siege and in the distress wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, JEHOVAH THY GOD;then Jehovah will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.And he will bring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will Jehovah bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God.And it shall come to pass, that, as Jehovah rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Jehovah will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest in to possess it.And Jehovah will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone.And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot: but Jehovah will give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul;and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day, and shalt have no assurance of thy life.In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
But Jesus answered and said unto them, {\cf6 Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Jesus said unto them, {\cf6 Is it not for this cause that ye err, that ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled.And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
Jesus answered and said unto him, {\cf6 What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter.}
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them.And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face.And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.\par
and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not.
Answer not a fool according to his folly,\par\tab Lest thou also be like unto him.Answer a fool according to his folly,\par\tab Lest he be wise in his own conceit.
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.\parThen flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven.And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.
The hand of Jehovah was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of Jehovah, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.And he caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord Jehovah, thou knowest.Again he said unto me, Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah.Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.\parSo I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and, behold, an earthquake; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.And I beheld, and, lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.\parThen he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people.And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah.\par
Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations {\i shall come} one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall {\i wrath} be poured out upon the desolate.\par
When Jehovah spake at the first by Hosea, Jehovah said unto Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom; for the land doth commit great whoredom, {\i departing} from Jehovah.So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bare him a son.
Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it?
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?\par
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.\par
And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.
Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.For I came to {\b set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law}:and {\b a man's foes {\i shall be} they of his own household.}
And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.}
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, {\cf6 {\b Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?}} that is, {\cf6 {\b My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?}}
And he said unto them, {\cf6 Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables:that {\b seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest haply they should turn again, and it should be forgiven them.}}
{\cf6 If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat:but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren.}
Jesus therefore said unto them, {\cf6 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me.This is the bread which came down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died; he that eateth this bread shall live for ever.}
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,and kept back {\i part} of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back {\i part} of the price of the land?While it remained, did it not remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? thou has not lied unto men, but unto God.And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it.And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.\parAnd it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much. And she said, Yea, for so much.But Peter {\i said} unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them that have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out.And she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up the ghost: and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things.\par
What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:according as it is written, {\b God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day.}And David saith,\par\tab {\b Let their table be made a snare, and a trap,\par\tab And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:}{\b Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,\par\tab And bow thou down their back always.}\par
but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, {\i yea} and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:that no flesh should glory before God.
For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body.
And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.And he hath said unto me, {\cf6 My grace is sufficient for thee: for {\i my} power is made perfect in weakness.} Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.\par
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual {\i hosts} of wickedness in the heavenly {\i places}.
because to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf:
Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God.\par
but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.\par
Every scripture inspired of God {\i is} also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness:
For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,and {\i then} fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison,that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water:
If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and {\i God} will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, {\i every one} whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.
keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.
Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them;then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
But the men would not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands upon the threshold.And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered: then he took her up upon the ass; and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider it, take counsel, and speak.
And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned unto her house.And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
Then there came two women that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.And this woman's child died in the night, because she lay upon it.And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear.And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it.Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.
And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead.And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them.
Man, that is born of a woman,\par\tab Is of few days, and full of trouble.He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:\par\tab He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
The wicked are estranged from the womb:\par\tab They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
For my soul was grieved,\par\tab And I was pricked in my heart:So brutish was I, and ignorant;\par\tab I was {\i as} a beast before thee.
For thou didst form my inward parts:\par\tab Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb.I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:\par\tab Wonderful are thy works;\par\tab And that my soul knoweth right well.
Wisdom {\i is} the principal thing; {\i therefore} get wisdom;\par\tab Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.
For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?\par
Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day:and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores,and desiring to be fed with the {\i crumbs} that fell from the rich man's table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores.And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried.And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish.And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us.And he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house;for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent.And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.}\par
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.
and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined {\i their} appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation;
for {\i the children} being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth,it was said unto her, {\b The elder shall serve the younger.}Even as it is written, {\b Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.}\par
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!For {\b who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?}or {\b who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?}For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him {\i be} the glory for ever. Amen.\par
but as it is written,\par\tab {\b Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not,\par\tab And {\i which} entered not into the heart of man,\par\tab Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.}
Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?
There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one {\i man} in Christ Jesus.
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:
Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ,and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, {\i even} that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith:
For it was the good pleasure {\i of the Father} that in him should all the fulness dwell;and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, {\i I say}, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen of angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.\par
Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.
For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision,whose mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one {\i point}, he is become guilty of all.
But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for {\i God's} own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is {\i the book} of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, {\i even} the lake of fire.And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.\par
and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: for the first things are passed away.
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book:and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.\par