"You are My friendsifyou dowhatI commandyou.
and Azariahthe sonof Nathan[was] overthe deputies;and Zabudthe sonof Nathan,a priest,[was] the king'sfriend;
For he clungto the LORD;he did not departfrom followingHim, but keptHis commandments,whichthe LORDhad commandedMoses.
"Did You not, O our God,driveout the inhabitantsof thislandbeforeYour peopleIsraeland giveit to the descendantsof AbrahamYour friendforever?
So Mosesand Aarondid[it]; as the LORDcommandedthem, thusthey did.
A manof [too many] friends[comes] to ruin,But thereis a friendwhostickscloserthana brother.
"I have comeinto my garden,my sister,[my] bride;I have gatheredmy myrrhalongwith my balsam.I have eatenmy honeycomband my honey;I have drunkmy wineand my milk.Eat,friends;Drinkand imbibedeeply,O lovers."
"But you, Israel,My servant,JacobwhomI have chosen,Descendantof AbrahamMy friend,
They camein and tookpossessionof it, but they did not obeyYour voiceor walkin Your law;they have donenothingof allthat You commandedthem to do;therefore You have made allthiscalamitycomeupon them.
I didso,as I had been commanded.By dayI broughtout my baggagelike the baggageof an exile.Then in the eveningI dugthrough the wallwith my hands;I wentout in the dark[and] carried[the baggage] on [my] shoulderin their sight.
"For whoeverdoesthe willof My Fatherwho is in heaven,he is My brotherand sisterand mother."
"I sayto you, My friends,do not be afraidof thosewho killthe bodyand afterthat havenomorethat they can do.
"Ifyou knowthese things,you are blessedifyou dothem.
"Ifyou loveMe, you will keepMy commandments.
"He who hasMy commandmentsand keepsthem is the onewho lovesMe; and he who lovesMe will be lovedby My Father,and I will lovehim and will discloseMyselfto him."
"You heardthat I saidto you, 'I go away,and I will cometo you.' Ifyou lovedMe, you would have rejoicedbecauseI goto the Father,for the Fatheris greaterthan I.
His mothersaidto the servants,"WhateverHe saysto you, doit."
and the Scripturewas fulfilledwhich says,"AND ABRAHAMBELIEVEDGOD,AND IT WAS RECKONEDTO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,"and he was calledthe friendof God.
For thisis the loveof God,that we keepHis commandments;and His commandmentsare not burdensome.
So she wentdownto the threshingfloorand didaccording to allthat her mother-in-lawhad commandedher.
