The time came when Israel (Jacob) knew he would soon die, so he called his son Joseph to him. He said, “If you love me, then put your hand under my leg and make a promise. [252] Promise that you will do what I say and that you will be truthful with me. When I die, don’t bury me in Egypt.
So God will ruin you forever!\par He will grab you\par and pull you from your home, {\cf2\super [313]} \par like a person pulling a plant\par out of the ground, roots and all! {\cf2\super [314]} \par
“Go to Hezekiah and tell him that the Lord, the God of your ancestor {\cf2\super [360]} David says, ‘I heard your prayer, and I saw your tears. I will add 15 years to your life.
Today I have put you in charge\par of nations and kingdoms.\par You will pull up and tear down.\par You will destroy and overthrow.\par You will build up and plant.”\par
Jeremiah, say this to Baruch: ‘This is what the Lord says: I will tear down what I have built. And I will pull up what I have planted. I will do that everywhere in Judah.
The Son of Man {\cf2\super [189]} will send his angels, and his angels will find the people that cause sin and all people that do evil. The angels will take those people out of his kingdom.
But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a baby boy. You must name him John.
Now, listen! You will not be able to talk until the day when these things happen. You will lose your speech. Why? Because you did not believe what I told you. But these things will really happen.”
Also, your relative Elizabeth is pregnant. She is very old, but she is going to have a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant now for six months!
When a woman gives birth to a baby, she has pain, because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a child has been born into the world.
“The number of Israelites {\cf2\super [130]} in Egypt grew. There were more and more of our people there. (The promise that God made to Abraham was soon to come true.)
People who had plenty of food in the past
must now work to get food.
But people who were hungry in the past
now grow fat on food!
The woman who was not able
to have children
now has seven children!
But the woman who had many children
is sad because her children are gone.