Category
VERSES ABOUT NATURE
Think about this: God created everything. The earth, the sky, the whole world—it all belongs to Him. He made it all, just like Exodus 20:11 says: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." He created it all perfectly, and He deserves all the praise for the amazing things He's done.
You know, we should really stand in awe of God and give Him glory. The time is coming when He will judge the world, so let's worship the One who made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.
When you're out enjoying nature – at the beach, in the mountains, or just looking at a beautiful tree – remember who made it all so beautiful and perfect. Let's give God all the glory He deserves.
Then God said, “Now let’s make man. [6] We will make people as a copy of ourselves. People will be like us. They will rule over all the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. They will rule over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth.”
God makes the grass grow to feed the animals.\par He gives us the plants\par that we work to grow.\par Those plants give us food from the earth.\par
“But ask the animals,\par they will teach you.\par Or ask the birds of the air,\par they will tell you.\parOr speak to the earth,\par it will teach you.\par Or let the fish in the sea\par tell you their wisdom.\parEveryone knows the Lord\par made those things.\parEvery animal that lives,\par and every person that breathes,\par is under God’s power.\par
Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or save food in barns. But your heavenly Father feeds those birds. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.
“When an animal is being used to separate grain, you must not cover its mouth to stop it from eating.
“If you see an animal that can’t walk because it has too much to carry, you must stop and help that animal. You must help that animal even if it belongs to one of your enemies.
Lord, your goodness is higher\par than the highest mountain. {\cf2\super [221]} \par Your fairness is deeper\par than the deepest ocean.\par Lord, you protect man and animals.\par
But the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God. So on that day no person should work—not you, your sons and daughters, or your men and women slaves. Even your animals and the foreigners living in your cities must not work!
“I now make my promise to you and to your people who will live after you.I make my promise to all the birds, and to all the cattle, and to all the animals that came out of the boat with you. I make my promise to every living thing on earth.
Wolves and little lambs will eat together.\par Lions will eat with cattle.\par A snake on the ground will not scare or hurt\par any person on my holy mountain.”\par The Lord said all those things.\par
Lazy person, you should become like the ant. See what the ant does. Learn from the ant.The ant has no ruler, no boss, no leader.But during summer, the ant gathers all its food. The ant saves its food. And in the winter, it has plenty of food.
“When birds are sold, five small birds cost only two pennies. But God does not forget any of them.
Lord, you have done many wonderful things.\par The earth is full of the things you made.\par \{We see\} your wisdom in everything\par you do.\par
“At that time, I will make an agreement for the Israelites with the animals of the field, with the birds of the sky, and with the crawling things on the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and weapons of war. \{No weapons will be left\} in that land. I will make the land safe, so the people of Israel can lie down in peace.
\{If you can be upset about a plant,\} then surely I can feel sorry for a big city like Nineveh. There are many people and animals in that city. There are more than 120,000 people in that city that did not know they were doing wrong! {\cf2\super [15]} ”
“You might be walking along a path and find a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is sitting with her baby birds or on the eggs, then you must not take the mother bird with the babies.You may take the babies for yourself. But you must let the mother go. If you obey these laws, then things will go well for you, and you will live a long time.
“Work for six days. Then on the seventh day, rest! This will allow your slaves and other workers a time for rest and relaxation. And your bulls and donkeys will also have a time of rest.
The Lord God put the man in the garden of Eden to work the soil and take care of the garden.
At that time, wolves will live in peace with lambs. And tigers will lie down in peace with young goats. Calves, lions, and bulls will live together in peace. A little child will lead them.
But the seventh year, don’t use your land. {The seventh year must be a special time of rest for the land.} Don’t plant anything in your fields. If any crops grow there, then allow the poor people to have it. And allow the wild animals to eat the food that is left. You should do the same with your vineyards and with your fields of olive trees.
“Don’t eat any animal that has died by itself. You may give the dead animal to the foreigner in your town, and he can eat it. Or you may sell the dead animal to a foreigner. But you yourselves must not eat the dead animal. Why? Because you belong to the Lord your God. You are his special people.
I don’t need those animals.\par I already own all the animals in the forest.\par I already own all the animals\par on thousands of mountains. {\cf2\super [300]} \parI know every bird on the highest mountain.\par Every moving thing in the hills are mine.\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
You put people in charge of\par everything you made.\par You put everything under their {\cf2\super [44]} control.\parPeople rule over the sheep and cattle\par and all the wild animals.\parThey rule over the birds in the sky\par and over the fish that swim\par the ocean currents.\par
But you must not kill the animal and its mother on the same day! This rule is the same for cows and sheep.
Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “If your son or work animal falls into a well on the Sabbath day, you know you would pull him out quickly.”
If a person wants to be wise, then he is not angry if someone tells him when he does wrong. The person who hates to be told that he is wrong is stupid.
“Job, will a wild bull\par agree to serve you?\par Will he stay in your barn at night?\parWill a wild bull\par let you put ropes on him\par so you can plow your fields?\parA wild bull is very strong!\par But can you trust him to do your work?\parCan you trust him\par to gather your grain and bring it\par to your threshing {\cf2\super [88]} place?\par
Even the wild animals will be thankful to me. The large animals and birds will honor me. They will honor me when I put water in the desert. They will honor me when I make rivers in the dry land. I will do this to give water to my people—the people I chose.
The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine {\cf2\super [196]} on his wounds. Then he covered the man’s wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. At the inn, the Samaritan cared for him.
Yes, it is written in the law of Moses: “When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don’t cover its mouth \{and stop it from eating the grain\}.” {\cf2\super [54]} When God said this, was he thinking only about work animals? No.
I am not complaining about your sacrifices. {\cf2\super [299]} \par You people of Israel bring me your\par burnt offerings all the time.\par You give them to me every day.\parI will not take bulls from your house.\par I will not take goats from your stalls.\par
Is a man better than an animal? \{No!\} Why? Because everything is useless. The same thing happens to animals and to people—they die. People and animals have the same “breath.” {\cf2\super [19]} Is a dead animal different from a dead person?
Snakes will make their homes there. Snakes will lay their eggs there. The eggs will open, and small snakes will crawl from those dark places. Birds that eat dead things will gather like women visiting their friends.
Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and the sheep falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, {\cf2\super [162]} then you will take the sheep and help it out of the ditch.Surely a man is more important than a sheep. So the law \{of Moses\} allows people to do good things on the Sabbath day.”
“Job, do you know when\par the mountain goats are born?\par Do you watch when the mother deer\par has her baby?\par
The streams water all the wild animals.\par Even the wild donkeys come there to drink.\par
God fills the sky with clouds.\par God makes rain for the earth.\par God makes the grass grow on the mountains.\par
Cows and bears will live together in peace. All of their children will lie down together and will not hurt each other. Lions will eat hay like cows. Even snakes will not hurt people.
“A man might take a cover off a well or he might dig a hole and not cover it. If another man’s animal comes and falls into that hole, then the man who owns the hole is guilty.The man who owns the hole must pay for the animal. But after he pays for the animal, then he will be allowed to keep the body of that animal.
I will lead them to grassy fields. They will go to the place high on the mountains of Israel. There they will lie down on good ground and eat the grass. They will eat in rich grassland on the mountains of Israel.
Lord, all living things look to you\par for their food.\par And you give them their food\par at the right time.\par
The Lord God used dust from the ground and made every animal in the fields and every bird in the air. The Lord God brought all these animals to the man, and the man gave everything a name.
\{I am not hungry!\}\par But if I were hungry,\par I would not have to ask you for food.\par I already own the world\par and everything on it.\par
\{If a person can’t help himself, then you should help him.\} Speak up for a person who can’t speak! Help people who are in trouble!
Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest. Birds don’t save food in houses or barns. But God takes care of them. And you are worth much more than birds.
Lord, you open your hands,\par and you give every living thing\par everything it needs.\par
God blessed them and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
\{All these things show that there will be peace\}—no person will hurt any other person. People on my holy mountain will not want to destroy things. Why? Because people will truly know the Lord. They will be full of knowledge \{about him\} like the sea is full of water.
Nothing is more precious\par than your loving kindness.\par People and angels {\cf2\super [222]} come to you\par for protection.\par
But people that trust the Lord\par become strong again\par like eagles that grow new feathers.\par These people run without becoming weak.\par These people walk without becoming tired.\par
Lord All-Powerful, my King, my God,\par even the birds have found a home\par in your temple.\par They make their nests near your altar.\par And there they have their babies.\par
But God did not forget about Noah. God remembered Noah and all the animals that were with him in the boat. God made a wind blow over the earth. And all the water began to disappear.
Then the Lord’s angel asked Balaam, “Why did you hit your donkey three times? I am the one that came to stop [285] you. But just in time, [286]your donkey saw me and turned away from me. That happened three times. If the donkey had not turned away, I probably would have killed you already. And I would have let your donkey live.”
Also, you must find two of every living thing on the earth. Find male and female and bring them on the boat. Keep them alive with you.Find two of every kind of bird on the earth. And find two of every kind of animal on the earth. And find two of every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. Male and female of every kind of animal on the earth will be with you. Keep them alive on the boat.
“If your neighbor’s donkey or cow has fallen down on the road, you must not ignore it. You must help him lift it up again.
Also, give me your firstborn cattle and sheep. Let the firstborn stay with its mother for seven days. Then on the eighth day, give him to me.
God fills the sky with clouds.\par God makes rain for the earth.\par God makes the grass grow on the mountains.\parGod gives food to the animals.\par God feeds the young birds.\par
“Tell the people of Israel: These are the animals you can eat:If an animal has hooves [125] that are split into two parts, and if that animal also chews the cud, [126] then you can eat the meat from that animal.
“If you see that your neighbor’s cow or sheep is loose, you must not ignore it. You must be sure to take it back to its owner.
There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise:Ants are small and weak, but they save their food all summer;\par
You can drink from that stream. I have commanded ravens [193] to bring food to you in that place.”
Get seven pairs (seven males and seven females) of every kind of clean animal. [49] And get one pair (one male and one female) of every other animal on the earth. Lead all these animals into the boat with you.Get seven pairs (seven males and seven females) of all the birds. This will allow all these animals to continue living on the earth after the other animals are destroyed.
you must remember to give him every firstborn boy. And every male animal that is the firstborn must be given to the Lord.
But the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God. So on that day no person should work—not you, your sons and daughters, foreigners living in your cities or your men and women slaves. Not even your cows, donkeys, and other animals should do any work! Your slaves should be able to rest just like you.
She gave birth to her first son (Jesus). There was not enough room for them in the house. So Mary wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid the baby in a box where cattle are fed.
Why are people so important to you?\par Why do you even remember them?\par Why are people {\cf2\super [42]} so important to you?\par Why do you even notice them?\par\{But people are important to you!\}\par You made people {\cf2\super [43]} almost like gods.\par And you crowned them\par with glory and honor.\parYou put people in charge of\par everything you made.\par You put everything under their {\cf2\super [44]} control.\parPeople rule over the sheep and cattle\par and all the wild animals.\parThey rule over the birds in the sky\par and over the fish that swim\par the ocean currents.\par
{In the past,} I gave you the green plants to eat. Now, every animal will also be food for you. I give you everything on earth—it is yours.But I give you one command. You must not eat meat that still has its life (blood) in it.
“Job, did you give the horse its strength?\par Did you put the mane {\cf2\super [89]} on his neck?\parDid you make the horse able to\par jump far like a locust?\par The horse snorts {\cf2\super [90]} loudly,\par and it scares people.\parA horse is happy that he is so strong.\par He scratches the ground with his foot\par and runs quickly into battle.\parThe horse laughs at fear.\par He is not afraid!\par He won’t run away from a battle.\parThe soldier’s quiver {\cf2\super [91]} shakes\par on the horse’s side.\par The spear and weapons his rider carries\par shine in the sun.\parThe horse is very excited!\par He runs fast over the ground. {\cf2\super [92]} \par When the horse hears the trumpet blow\par he can’t stand still.\parWhen the trumpet sounds,\par the horse shouts, ‘hurray!’\par He smells the battle from far away.\par He hears the commanders shouting orders\par and all the other sounds of the battle.\par
“You must obey my laws. You must not breed together two kinds of animals. You must not sow your field with two kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two kinds of material mixed together.
There are three things that act important when they walk. In fact, there are four:A lion (He is the warrior of the animal kingdom. He runs from nothing.);\para rooster walking proudly; {\cf2\super [39]} \par a goat;\par and a king among his people.\par
Who knows what happens to the spirit of a man? Who knows if a man’s spirit goes up to God while an animal’s spirit goes down into the ground?
Then God said, “Let the earth make many kinds of living things. Let there be many different kinds of animals. Let there be large animals and small crawling animals of every kind. And let all these animals make more animals.” And all these things happened.
Why must you do this? Because, if blood is still in the meat, that animal’s life is still in the meat. So I give this command to the people of Israel: Don’t eat meat that still has blood in it! Any person who eats blood must be separated {from his people}.
Some people kill bulls \{as a sacrifice\},\par but they also beat people.\par Those people kill sheep as a sacrifice,\par but they also break the necks of dogs!\par Those people offer up grain offerings,\par but they also offer the blood of pigs! {\cf2\super [475]} \par Those people burn incense, {\cf2\super [476]} \par but they also love their worthless idols. {\cf2\super [477]} \par Those people choose their own ways.\par And they also love their terrible idols.\par
“But ask the animals,\par they will teach you.\par Or ask the birds of the air,\par they will tell you.\par
God makes the grass grow to feed the animals.\par He gives us the plants\par that we work to grow.\par Those plants give us food from the earth.\parGod gives us\par the wine that makes us happy,\par the oil that makes our skin soft, {\cf2\super [544]} \par and the food that makes us strong.\par
“I will make a new heaven and a new earth.\par People will not remember the past.\par They won’t remember any of those things.\par
“An ostrich gets excited\par and flaps his wings.\par \{But an ostrich can’t fly.\}\par Its wings and feathers are not like\par the wings of a stork.\parAn ostrich lays her eggs on the ground\par and they become warm in the sand.\parThe ostrich forgets\par that someone might walk on her eggs\par or that some wild animal might break them.\parAn Ostrich leaves her little babies.\par She treats them like they are not hers.\par If her babies die, she doesn’t care\par that all her work was for nothing.\parWhy? Because I (God) didn’t give wisdom to the ostrich.\par The ostrich is foolish,\par and I made her that way.\parBut when the ostrich gets up to run,\par she laughs at the horse and its rider,\par because she can run faster than any horse.\par
Wild birds come to live by the pools,\par They sing in the branches of nearby trees.\par
A cow does not fall,\par just walking in the field.\par \{In the same way, the people did not fall\par while going through the sea.\}\par The Lord’s Spirit led the people\par to a resting place.\par The people were safe the whole time.\par Lord, that is the way\par you led your people.\par You led the people\par and you made your name wonderful.\par