All the Prayers of Dedication in the Old Testament

You can also view “All the Introductions to and Prayers of Dedication in the New Testament” and “115 of the Best Prayers of Dedication and Their Introductions in the Bible” as well as “The Best Scriptures for a Lenten Worship Service,” “The Best Scriptures for a Dedication Sunday or Service,” and “The Best Scriptures When an Ordination or Installation Is Included in a Worship Service.”

Listed below are all of the 490 Introductions to and Prayers of Dedication in the Old Testament to use in your worship services.

Since the following scriptures may contain an incomplete verse and have been removed from their contexts in the NIV Bible, it is up to you to make the final determination if they will properly accomplish the purpose for which you are going to use them. Scriptures that are listed below that are incomplete will have an asterisk after their references.

³In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. ⁶Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:3-7

⁶Then the LORD said . . . . ⁷“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7*

²²After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:22-24

⁹This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Genesis 6:9

⁹This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. ²²Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Genesis 6:9, 22

²²Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Genesis 6:22

¹The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.” Genesis 7:1

⁵And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. Genesis 7:5

²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. Genesis 8:20

⁸There he [Abram] built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. Genesis 12:8b*

¹⁸Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, ¹⁹and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. ²⁰And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Genesis 14:18–20

⁶Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6

¹“I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1*

¹Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ²Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” ⁹When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ¹²“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” ¹³Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. Genesis 22:1-2, 9-14a*

²⁰Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God ²²and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Genesis 28:20-22

¹Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” ²So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. ³Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” ⁴So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. ⁶Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. ⁷There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. ¹⁴Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. ¹⁵Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel. Genesis 35:1-4, 6-7, 14-15

³“I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3*

⁹This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. Exodus 13:9a*

²⁶He [the LORD] said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” Exodus 16:4-5

⁵“ ‘Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ ” ⁸The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” Exodus 19:5-6a, 8a*

³“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

⁴“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6

⁷“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Exodus 20:7

⁸“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

¹²“Honor your father and your mother . . . .” Exodus 20:12*

¹³“You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13

¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14

¹⁵“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15

¹⁶“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

¹⁷“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, . . . or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17*

¹⁸When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” ²⁰Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Exodus 20:18-20

²³“Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.” Exodus 20:23

²²“Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. ²³If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. ²⁴My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:22-24

²⁵“If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.” Exodus 22:25

²⁸“Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.” Exodus 22:28

³¹“You are to be my holy people.” Exodus 22:31a*

¹“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.” Exodus 23:1

²“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.” Exodus 23:2a*

⁸“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.” Exodus 23:8

¹²“Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.” Exodus 23:12

¹³“Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.” Exodus 23:13

¹³“Be careful to do everything I have said to you.” Exodus 23:13a*

²⁵“Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, ²⁶ . . . . I will give you a full life span.” Exodus 23:25-26*

³When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” Exodus 24:3

³“Everything the LORD has said we will do.” Exodus 24:3*

⁴He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. ⁶Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. ⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” ⁸Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Exodus 24:4b-8*

⁷Then he [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” Exodus 24:7

⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” ⁸Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Exodus 24:7-8

³⁶“Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the LORD. ³⁷Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. ³⁸It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD.” Exodus 28:36-37, 38b*

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, ²“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—⁴to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ⁵to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. ⁶Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:” Exodus 31:1-6

¹³“ ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. ¹⁴Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.’ ” Exodus 31:13-14a*

²⁵Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. ²⁶So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. ²⁷Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” ²⁸The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.” Exodus 32:25-29

¹¹The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Exodus 33:11

¹⁴“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14

²¹“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” Exodus 34:21

²“For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD.” Exodus 35:2a*

⁴Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ⁵From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; ⁶blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ⁷ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; ⁸olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁹and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.” ²¹and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. Exodus 35:4-9, 21

³⁰Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³¹and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—³⁴And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ¹So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.” Exodus 35:30-31, 34, 36:1

⁴²The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ⁴³Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them. Exodus 39:42-43

³“This is what the LORD spoke . . . : ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ ” Leviticus 10:3a*

¹⁰“[D]istinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,” Leviticus 10:10*

⁴⁴“I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44a*

⁴“ ‘You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 18:4

⁴“ ‘You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. ⁵Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 18:4-5

⁵“ ‘Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 18:5

²⁶“ ‘[Y]ou must keep my decrees and my laws.’ ” Leviticus 18:26a*

³⁰“ ‘Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced . . . and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 18:30*

²“ ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.’ ” Leviticus 19:2*

³“ ‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 19:3

¹¹“ ‘Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.’ ” Leviticus 19:11

¹²“ ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:12

¹³“ ‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.’ ” Leviticus 19:13

¹⁴“ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:14

¹⁵“ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.’ ” Leviticus 19:15

¹⁶“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.’ ” Leviticus 19:16a*

¹⁶“ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:16b*

¹⁷“ ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.’ ” Leviticus 19:17a*

¹⁷“ ‘Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.’ ” Leviticus 19:17b*

¹⁸“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:18

¹⁹“ ‘Keep my decrees.’ ” Leviticus 19:19a*

²⁶“ ‘Do not practice divination or seek omens.’ ” Leviticus 19:26b*

²⁸“ ‘Do not . . . put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:28*

³⁰“ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:30

³¹“ ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 19:31

³²“ ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:32

³⁵“ ‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. ³⁶Use honest scales and honest weights, . . . . I am the LORD your God . . . .’ ” Leviticus 19:35-36*

³⁷“ ‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 19:37

⁷“ ‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 20:7

⁷“ ‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. ⁸Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.’ ” Leviticus 20:7-8

⁸“ ‘Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.’ ” Leviticus 20:8

²⁶“ ‘You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.’ ” Leviticus 20:26

³¹“Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 22:31

³¹“Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. ³²Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy . . . . I am the LORD, who made you holy ³³I am the LORD.” Leviticus 22:31-32, 33b

³“ ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 23:3

¹⁷“ ‘Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 25:17

¹⁸“ ‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. ¹⁹Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.’ ” Leviticus 25:18-19

²“ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.’ ” Leviticus 26:2

³“ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, ⁴I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. ⁵[A]nd you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. ⁶I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. ⁹I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. ¹¹I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. ¹²I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.’ ” Leviticus 26:3-6a, 9, 11-12*

³“ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, ⁹I will look on you with favor . . . and I will keep my covenant with you. ¹¹I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. ¹²I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.’ ” Leviticus 26:3, 9, 11-12*

²³“ ‘If . . . you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, ²⁴I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over.’ ” Leviticus 26:23-24*

²⁷“ ‘If . . . you . . . do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, ²⁸then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.’ ” Leviticus 26:27-28*

⁵The LORD said to Moses: ⁹“Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. ¹⁰You are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. ¹²Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the LORD and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. ¹³Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the LORD. ¹⁴In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. ¹⁵After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. ¹⁶They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman.” Numbers 8:5, 9-10, 12-16

³(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) ⁴At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. ⁵Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, ⁶he said, “Listen to my words: ‘When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. ⁷But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. ⁸With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.’ ” Numbers 12:3-8a*

⁶“I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the tent of meeting. ⁷But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.” Numbers 18:6-7ab*

³⁸“I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.” Numbers 22:38bc*

⁹“From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.” Numbers 23:9

¹²“Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” Numbers 23:12*

²⁶“Did I not tell you I must do whatever the LORD says?” Numbers 23:26*

¹“This is what the LORD commands: ²When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” Numbers 30:1-2*

²³“[Y]ou may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23*

²Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God . . . . Deuteronomy 4:2*

¹³He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. Deuteronomy 4:13

²³Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you . . . . Deuteronomy 4:23*

²⁹[I]f . . . you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29*

³⁹Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Deuteronomy 4:39

³⁹Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. ⁴⁰Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you . . . . Deuteronomy 4:39-40*

¹Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. Deuteronomy 5:1

⁷“You shall have no other gods before me.” Deuteronomy 5:7

⁸“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁹You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:8-10

¹¹“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Deuteronomy 5:11

¹²“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. ¹³Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14

¹⁶“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you . . . .” Deuteronomy 5:16*

¹⁷“You shall not murder.” Deuteronomy 5:17

¹⁸“You shall not commit adultery.” Deuteronomy 5:18

¹⁹“You shall not steal.” Deuteronomy 5:19

²⁰“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Deuteronomy 5:20

²¹“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Deuteronomy 5:21

²⁹“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” Deuteronomy 5:29

³²So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. ³³Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper . . . . Deuteronomy 5:32-33*

¹These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe, ²so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you . . . . ³Hear, . . . , and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you . . . . Deuteronomy 6:1-3*

⁵Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

⁶These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

¹²be careful that you do not forget the LORD . . . . Deuteronomy 6:12*

¹³Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 6:13

¹³Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Deuteronomy 6:13-15

¹⁷Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Deuteronomy 6:17

¹⁷Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. ¹⁸Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you . . . . Deuteronomy 6:17-18*

¹⁸Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you . . . . Deuteronomy 6:18*

²⁴“The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.” Deuteronomy 6:24

⁶[Y]ou are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. Deuteronomy 7:6*

⁹Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. ¹⁰But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. ¹¹Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. ¹²If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you . . . . ¹³He will love you and bless you . . . . ¹⁴You will be blessed more than any other people . . . . Deuteronomy 7:9-14*

¹¹[T]ake care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. Deuteronomy 7:11*

⁵Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Deuteronomy 8:5

⁶Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. Deuteronomy 8:6

⁶Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. ¹¹Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees . . . . ¹²Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³and when . . . your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God . . . . Deuteronomy 8:6, 11-14*

¹¹Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees . . . . Deuteronomy 8:11*

¹¹Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees . . . . ¹²Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³and when . . . your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God . . . . ¹⁷You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” ¹⁸But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant . . . . Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17-18*

¹²And now, . . . , what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? Deuteronomy 10:12-13*

¹⁷[T]he LORD your God is God of gods and LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. ¹⁹And you are to love those who are foreigners . . . . Deuteronomy 10:17-19*

²⁰Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. ²¹He is the one you praise; he is your God . . . . Deuteronomy 10:20-21*

¹Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. Deuteronomy 11:1

¹³So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—¹⁴then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. ¹⁵I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 11:13-15

¹⁶Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Deuteronomy 11:16

¹⁸Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, Deuteronomy 11:18-20

²⁶I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—²⁷the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; ²⁸the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods . . . . Deuteronomy 11:26-28*

³²be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today. Deuteronomy 11:32

²⁸Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 12:28

³²See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. Deuteronomy 12:32

¹If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, ²and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” ³you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:1-4

⁴It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:4

²¹[Y]ou are a people holy to the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 14:21c*

⁴[H]e will richly bless you, ⁵if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 15:4-5*

⁷If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. ⁸Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. ¹⁰Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10

¹¹There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11

¹⁴Give to them as the LORD your God has blessed you. Deuteronomy 15:14b*

¹¹Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. Deuteronomy 17:11

¹³You must be blameless before the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 18:13

⁹[C]arefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the LORD your God and to walk always in obedience to him . . . . Deuteronomy 19:9*

⁵A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this. Deuteronomy 22:5

²¹If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. ²²But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. ²³Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth. Deuteronomy 23:21-23

¹⁷Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice . . . . Deuteronomy 24:17*

¹⁹When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. ²⁰When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. ²¹When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Deuteronomy 24:19-21

¹²When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. ¹³Then say to the LORD your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.” Deuteronomy 26:12-13

¹³“I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. ¹⁴I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything you commanded me.” Deuteronomy 26:13b, 14b*

¹⁶The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 26:16

¹⁶The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. ¹⁸And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. Deuteronomy 26:16-18

¹⁰“Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.” Deuteronomy 27:10

¹⁹“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Deuteronomy 27:19

²⁶“Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Deuteronomy 27:26

¹If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands . . . , the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. Deuteronomy 28:1*

¹If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands . . . , the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ²All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: ³You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. ⁶You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. ⁷The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. ⁸The LORD will send a blessing . . . on everything you put your hand to. ⁹The LORD will establish you as his holy people, . . . , if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹¹The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity . . . . ¹³The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God . . . and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 6-8a, 9, 11, 13*

²All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: ⁶You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. ⁸The LORD will send a blessing . . . on everything you put your hand to. ¹¹The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity . . . . ¹³The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God . . . and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deuteronomy 28:2, 6, 8a, 11, 13*

⁹The LORD will establish you as his holy people . . . if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. Deuteronomy 28:9*

¹³If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God . . . and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deuteronomy 28:13b*

¹⁵However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: ¹⁶You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. ¹⁹You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. ²⁰The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. Deuteronomy 28:15-16, 19-20

⁴⁷Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, ⁴⁸therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. Deuteronomy 28:47-48

¹²You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day . . . ¹³to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God . . . . Deuteronomy 29:12-13*

²⁹The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

⁹[T]he LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands . . . . The LORD will . . . delight in you and make you prosperous, . . . , ¹⁰if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 30:9-10*

¹¹Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. Deuteronomy 30:11

¹¹Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹⁴No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14

¹⁴[T]he word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Deuteronomy 30:14*

¹⁵See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you . . . . ¹⁹This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life . . . . Deuteronomy 30:15-16, 19-20*

²⁰[L]ove the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life . . . . Deuteronomy 30:20*

¹⁰Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, ¹¹when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. ¹²Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 31:10-12

⁴⁶“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. ⁴⁷They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.” Deuteronomy 32:46-47a*

⁷“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7

⁸“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8

²⁴“He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.” Joshua 4:24

¹⁰The LORD said . . . , “Stand up!” Joshua 7:10a*

⁷“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, ⁸but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. ⁹So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’ ” Joshua 14:7-9

⁵“[B]e very careful to keep the commandment . . . the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5*

⁶“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.” Joshua 23:6

⁶“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. ⁸[Y]ou are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.” Joshua 23:6, 8*

⁸“[Y]ou are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.” Joshua 23:8*

¹¹“So be very careful to love the LORD your God.” Joshua 23:11

¹⁴“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness.” Joshua 24:14a*

¹⁴“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. ¹⁵But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” ¹⁶Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! ¹⁸We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.” ²⁴“We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.” Joshua 24:14a, 15-16, 18b, 24*

¹⁴“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. ¹⁵But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” ¹⁶Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! ²¹No! We will serve the LORD. ²⁴We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.” Joshua 24:14a, 15-16, 21, 24*

²⁵That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” ²⁷So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. Judges 6:25-27

⁶The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him . . . . Judges 14:6*

¹⁹Then the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. Judges 14:19a*

¹⁴The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. Judges 15:14b*

³Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. 1 Samuel 1:3

²⁷“I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. ²⁸So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28ab*

¹¹Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest. ¹⁸Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod. ²¹[T]he boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD. ²⁶And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people. 1 Samuel 2:11, 18, 21b, 26*

³⁰“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.” 1 Samuel 2:30c*

³⁵“ ‘I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.’ ” 1 Samuel 2:35a*

¹²“At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.” 1 Samuel 3:12-13

³So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only. 1 Samuel 7:3-4

^6 “The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you . . . and you will be changed into a different person.” 1 Samuel 10:6*

^6 “The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you . . . and you will be changed into a different person. ⁷[D]o whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” 1 Samuel 10:6-7*

⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 1 Samuel 11:6

¹⁰“They cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ ” 1 Samuel 12:10

¹⁴“If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God—good! ¹⁵But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.” 1 Samuel 12:14-15

²⁰“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart .²²For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. ²⁴But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:20, 22, 24

²⁴[B]e sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24*

⁵Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had done this. 1 Samuel 14:35

¹³“I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” 1 Samuel 15:13b*

¹⁹“Why did you not obey the LORD?” 1 Samuel 15:19a*

²²“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22*

²²“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23a*

⁴Samuel did what the LORD said. 1 Samuel 16:4a*

⁷“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7bc*

¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. 1 Samuel 16:13a*

²⁸“The LORD your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the LORD’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live.” 1 Samuel 25:28b*

¹⁵After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. ¹⁶David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. ¹⁷The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. ¹⁸On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.” ¹⁹David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” ²⁰Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. 2 Samuel 12:15-20ab*

²¹“The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. ²²For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God. ²³All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. ²⁴I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. ²⁵The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.” 2 Samuel 22:21-25

²⁸“You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.” 2 Samuel 22:28

³“[O]bserve what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations . . . . Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” 1 Kings 2:3*

⁵⁷“May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. ⁶¹And may your hearts be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” 1 Kings 8:57, 61

⁵⁸“May he [the LORD our God] turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave . . . .” 1 Kings 8:58*

⁶¹“And may your hearts be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” 1 Kings 8:61

³⁸“ ‘If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, . . . , I will be with you.’ ” 1 Kings 11:38a*

⁹In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, ¹⁰and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. ¹¹Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. ¹⁴Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 1 Kings 15:9-10a, 11, 14*

²¹Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21

¹⁰“I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty.” 1 Kings 19:10a*

³⁰The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” ³¹Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit. 2 Kings 10:30-31

¹⁷Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people that they would be the LORD’s people. 2 Kings 11:17a*

¹In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. ²Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 2 Kings 12:1-2

¹In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. ³He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. 2 Kings 14:1, 3

¹In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. ²He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ³He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 2 Kings 15:1-4

³²In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. ³³He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. ³⁴He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 2 Kings 15:32-35a*

³³They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods . . . . 2 Kings 17:33*

³⁵When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. ³⁶But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.” 2 Kings 17:35-36

³⁶“[T]he LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. ³⁷You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 2 Kings 17:36-39*

³⁸“Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 2 Kings 17:38-39

¹In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. ²He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. ³He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. ⁴He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) 2 Kings 18:1-4

⁵Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. ⁶He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. ⁷And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. 2 Kings 18:5-7a*

¹Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. ²He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. 2 Kings 22:1-2

¹Then the king [Josiah] called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ²He went up to the temple of the LORD with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. ³The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. ⁴The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. ⁵He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. ¹⁰He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek. ²⁴Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD. ²⁵Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. 2 Kings 23:1-5, 10, 24-25

²⁵Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. 2 Kings 23:25

⁷The son of Karmi: Achar . . . brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things. 1 Chronicles 2:7*

¹¹Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. ¹²He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.” ¹⁴So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. 1 Chronicles 15:11-12, 14

³⁹David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon ⁴⁰to present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the LORD, which he had given Israel. 1 Chronicles 16:39-40

²Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.” 1 Chronicles 17:2

¹⁰Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold, of silver and of bronze. ¹¹King David dedicated these articles to the LORD, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. 1 Chronicles 18:10b-11*

¹⁸Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁹So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD. ²²David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD . . . . Sell it to me at the full price.” ²³Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.” ²⁴But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” ²⁵So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. ²⁶David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Chronicles 21:18-19, 22-26*

¹³[Y]ou will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave . . . . 1 Chronicles 22:13a*

¹⁹“Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.” 1 Chronicles 22:19a*

¹³Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. 1 Chronicles 23:13b*

⁹“[A]cknowledge . . . God . . . and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9*

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly: . . . . ²“With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. ³Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: ⁴three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, ⁵for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the LORD today?” ⁶Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. ⁷They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly. 1 Chronicles 29:1a, 2-9*

¹⁶“LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.” 1 Chronicles 29:16

¹⁷“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. ¹⁸LORD, . . . keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.” 1 Chronicles 29:17-18*

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the LORD your God.” So they all praised the LORD . . . ; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the LORD . . . . 1 Chronicles 29:20*

⁴“Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of the LORD our God.” 2 Chronicles 2:4a

¹¹All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 2 Chronicles 5:11b*

²⁶“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray . . . and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, ²⁷then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants . . . . Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land . . . .” 2 Chronicles 6:26-27*

²⁹“[W]hen a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people . . . being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands . . . ³⁰then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart), ³¹so that they will fear you and walk in obedience to you all the time they live . . . .” 2 Chronicles 6:29-31*

⁴Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. ⁵And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 2 Chronicles 7:4-5

¹After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD. ²Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. ³With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, ⁴he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. ⁵Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’ ” ⁶The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is just.” ⁷When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. ⁸They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.” 2 Chronicles 12:1–8

¹⁴He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14

¹⁰“As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. ¹¹We are observing the requirements of the LORD our God.” 2 Chronicles 13:10a, 11c*

²Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. ⁴He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 2 Chronicles 14:2, 4

²“The LORD is with you when you are with him.” 2 Chronicles 15:2b*

²“The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2bc*

⁸When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. 2 Chronicles 15:8

¹²They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. ¹⁴They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. ¹⁵All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. 2 Chronicles 15:12, 14-15

⁹“[T]he eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a*

³The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals ⁴but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. ⁵The LORD established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. ⁶His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:3-6

⁶His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD . . . . 2 Chronicles 17:6a*

³“There is . . . some good in you, for you . . . have set your heart on seeking God.” 2 Chronicles 19:3*

⁴Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 19:4

⁹“You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 19:9*

¹⁶Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people and the king would be the LORD’s people. 2 Chronicles 23:16

¹⁶Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people and the king would be the LORD’s people. ¹⁷All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. 2 Chronicles 23:16-17

¹Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. ²He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly. 2 Chronicles 25:1-2

³Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ⁴He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success. 2 Chronicles 26:3-5

¹⁶But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God . . . . 2 Chronicles 26:16*

⁶Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 27:6

¹Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. ²He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. ⁴He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side ⁵and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.” 2 Chronicles 29:1-2, 4-5

⁴He [King Hezekiah] brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side ⁵and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. ⁶Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the LORD’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. ⁸Therefore, the anger of the LORD has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. ¹⁰Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. ¹¹My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.” 2 Chronicles 29:4-6, 8, 10-11

¹⁵When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the LORD, as the king had ordered, following the word of the LORD. ¹⁶The priests went into the sanctuary of the LORD to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the LORD’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month. 2 Chronicles 29:15-17

³¹Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the LORD. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the LORD.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings. ³²The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs—all of them for burnt offerings to the LORD. ³³The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. ³⁵There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings. So the service of the temple of the LORD was reestablished. ³⁶Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly. 2 Chronicles 29:31-33, 35-36

⁸“Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 30:8a*

¹²[T]he hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind . . . following the word of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 30:12*

²³The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. ²⁴Hezekiah king of Judah provided a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 2 Chronicles 30:23-24

¹⁸[T]hey were faithful in consecrating themselves. 2 Chronicles 31:18b*

²⁰Hezekiah did . . . what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. ²¹In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21*

²¹In everything that he [King Hezekiah] undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. 2 Chronicles 31:21

²⁴In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. ²⁵But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

¹Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. ²He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. ³In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. ⁴Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, ⁷he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 34:1-7

³¹The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. ³²Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. ³³Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 34:31-33

³³Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 34:33

³He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the LORD: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.” 2 Chronicles 35:3

⁷Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions. ¹⁸The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 35:7, 18

³Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices. ⁵After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the LORD, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD. Ezra 3:3, 5

¹⁹On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. ²⁰The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. ²¹So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel. Ezra 6:19-21

²⁸I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the LORD. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your ancestors.” Ezra 8:28

⁶Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:6

³⁸“[W]e are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” Nehemiah 9:38*

²⁸“The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand—²⁹all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our LORD.” Nehemiah 10:28-29

³⁹“We will not neglect the house of our God.” Nehemiah 10:39b*

²⁷At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. ³¹I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. ⁴⁰The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials, ⁴¹as well as the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah with their trumpets—⁴²and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. ⁴³And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away. Nehemiah 12:27, 31ab, 40–43*

¹⁵In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. ¹⁶People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. ¹⁷I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? ¹⁸Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” ¹⁹When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. ²¹But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. ²²Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love. Nehemiah 13:15-22

³⁰So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. Nehemiah 13:30

¹³One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁶While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁷While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁸While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ²⁰At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” ²²In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Job 1:13-22

¹⁸[A]nother messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ²⁰At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:18-21*

⁹His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” ¹⁰He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:9-10

³“Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. ⁴Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.” Job 4:3-4

¹⁷“What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, ¹⁸that you examine them every morning and test them every moment?” Job 7:17-18

¹³“[I]f you devote your heart to him [God] and stretch out your hands to him, ¹⁴if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, ¹⁵then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. ¹⁶You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. ¹⁷Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. ¹⁸You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. ¹⁹You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.” Job 11:13-19

⁹“Would it turn out well if he [God] examined you? Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?” Job 13:9

²¹“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” Job 22:21

²²“Accept instruction from his [God’s] mouth and lay up his words in your heart.” Job 22:22

²³“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent ²⁴and assign your nuggets to the dust, . . . , ²⁵then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. ²⁶Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. ²⁷You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. ²⁸What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. ²⁹When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast. ³⁰He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.” Job 22:23–30*

¹¹“My feet have closely followed his [God’s] steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. ¹²I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:11-12

³“as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, ⁴my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.” Job 27:3-4

²⁰Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? ²³God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, ²⁸And he said to the human race, “The fear of the LORD—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” Job 28:20, 23, 28

¹¹“Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, ¹²because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. ¹⁴I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. ¹⁵I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. ¹⁶I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. ¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.” Job 29:11-12, 14-17

¹“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” Job 31:1

¹⁶“If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, ¹⁷if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless—¹⁸but from my youth I reared them as a father would, and from my birth I guided the widow—¹⁹if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments, ²⁰and their hearts did not bless me for warming them with the fleece from my sheep, ²¹if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, ²²then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. ²³For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.” Job 31:16-23

²⁴“If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ ²⁵if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, ²⁸then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.” Job 31:24-25, 28

²⁹“If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him— ³⁰I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life—” Job 31:29-30

³¹“if those of my household have never said, ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’—³²but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler—” Job 31:31-32

¹⁰After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10

²⁰The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. ²¹For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God. ²²All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. ²³I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. ²⁴The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. Psalm 18:20-24

¹⁴May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

⁴Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. ⁵Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5

¹Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered. Psalm 26:1

¹²What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me? ¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Psalm 116:12-14

³⁰I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. ³¹I hold fast to your statutes, LORD; do not let me be put to shame. ³²I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding. Psalm 119:30-32

¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. Psalm 119:106

⁷He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, ⁸for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:7-8

²¹For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths. Proverbs 5:21

¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. Proverbs 11:6

⁸The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead. Proverbs 11:8

¹⁴The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs. Proverbs 14:14

³Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3

²A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2

³To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3

¹³Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13

¹³Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. ¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

¹⁶Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. ¹⁷Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:16-17*

¹⁷Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17

⁸Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

⁹“ ‘If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ” Isaiah 7:9b*

⁸Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8

⁸And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. ⁹But only the redeemed will walk there, Isaiah 35:8-9b*

¹⁰“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. ¹¹I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. ¹²I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.” Isaiah 43:10-12

²³“By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. ²⁴They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are deliverance and strength.’ ” Isaiah 45:23-24a*

⁷How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say . . . , “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7*

¹³“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, ¹⁴then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights . . . .” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14*

²²“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” Jeremiah 3:22

²²“Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence?” Jeremiah 5:22ab*

²³“ ‘I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.’ ” Jeremiah 7:23*

²³This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, ²⁴but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23–-24

²“Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people . . . . ³Tell them that this is what the LORD . . . says: . . . ⁴. . . . ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.’ ” Jeremiah 11:2-3, 4b*

¹⁶When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty. Jeremiah 15:16

¹⁶When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty. ¹⁷I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation. Jeremiah 15:16-17

⁷“[B]lessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. ⁸They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8*

¹⁰“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10

¹⁶“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 22:16

¹³“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

²¹“ ‘[W]ho is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 30:21b*

⁵Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. ⁶Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.” Jeremiah 42:5-6

¹⁹“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-20

⁵“Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. ⁶He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or have sexual relations with a woman during her period. ⁷He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. ⁸He does not lend to them at interest or take a profit from them. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between two parties. ⁹He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD.” Ezekiel 18:5, 6b-9*

²⁷“[I]f a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. ²⁸Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.” Ezekiel 18:27-28*

¹¹“ ‘I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. ¹²Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.’ ” Ezekiel 20:11-12

¹⁹“ ‘ “I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” ’ ” Ezekiel 20:19

¹⁹“ ‘ “I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ²⁰Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.” ’ ” Ezekiel 20:19-20

“ ‘ “²⁰Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.” ’ ” Ezekiel 20:20

¹⁴“[I]f I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right—¹⁵if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. ¹⁶None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.” Ezekiel 33:14-16*

¹⁹“[I]f a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so.” Ezekiel 33:19*

²⁵“For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. ²⁶For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. ²⁷At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign LORD.” Ezekiel 43:25-27

¹⁵“ ‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD. ¹⁶They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.’ ” Ezekiel 44:15-16

⁸Daniel resolved not to defile himself . . . . Daniel 1:8*

¹³Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” ¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” ¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual ²⁰and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” ²⁵He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” ²⁶Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. ²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Daniel 3:13-20, 24-29

²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Daniel 3:28-29

¹It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, ²with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. ³Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Daniel 6:1-4

¹²“Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” Daniel 10:12b*

¹“Come, let us return to the LORD. ²After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. ³Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:1a, 2-3*

⁵“How long will they be incapable of purity?” Hosea 8:5c*

¹²“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12

¹⁴Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Amos 5:14

²¹“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. ²³Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ²⁴But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5:21, 23-24

²⁴“[L]et justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5:24*

⁹“I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’ ” Jonah 2:9*

⁵“All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.” Micah 4:5

⁶With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? ⁷Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? ⁸He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8

⁸He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

¹³“Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? ¹⁴For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:13-14

³Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; . . . . Zephaniah 2:3*

⁹“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.” Zephaniah 3:9

¹¹“On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. ¹²But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD.” Zephaniah 3:11-12

⁵Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” ⁷This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁸Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. ⁹“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. ¹⁰Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. ¹¹I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” ¹²Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. Haggai 1:5-12

¹⁵“ ‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. ¹⁶When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. ¹⁷I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. ¹⁸‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: ¹⁹Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day on I will bless you.’ ” Haggai 2:15-19

⁶The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: ⁷“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.’ ” Zechariah 3:6-7

⁶“ ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6*

⁴Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: ⁵“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? ⁶And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?’ ” ⁹“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ ” Zechariah 7:4-6, 9-10

⁹“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ ” Zechariah 7:9-10

¹⁶“These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD. Zechariah 8:16-17

¹⁹“[L]ove truth and peace.” Zechariah 8:19b*

⁹“They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ” Zechariah 13:9b*

⁵“My covenant was with him [Levi], a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.” Malachi 2:5

⁵“My covenant was with him [Levi], a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.” Malachi 2:5-6

¹“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the LORD you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. ²But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, Malachi 3:1-3

³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, Malachi 3:3

¹⁶Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. Malachi 3:16

Other Scriptures to Consider

¹⁸So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD. Genesis 13:18

²“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, ³and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. ⁶Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.” Exodus 23:2-3, 6

¹⁰“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, ¹¹but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.” Exodus 23:10-11

⁴¹After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Exodus 28:41

²⁹You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy . . . . Exodus 30:29*

⁷Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. ⁸And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. ⁹As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. ¹⁰Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. Exodus 33:7-10

¹³Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. Exodus 40:13

²⁹“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you—³⁰because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. ³¹It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.” Leviticus 16:29-31

⁹“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 19:9-10

²⁹“ ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.’ ” Leviticus 19:29

³³“ ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. ³⁴The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, . . . . I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 19:33-34*

²²“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 23:22

³⁵“ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. ³⁶Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. ³⁷You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit.’ ” Leviticus 25:35-37

³⁰“ ‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD and must be cut off from the people of Israel. ³¹Because they have despised the LORD’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.’ ” Numbers 15:30-31

³⁷The LORD said to Moses, ³⁸“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. ³⁹You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. ⁴⁰Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.’ ” Numbers 15:37-40

³⁵“No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, ³⁶except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.” Deuteronomy 1:35-36

¹²Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. ¹³He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. Deuteronomy 4:12-13

²⁸At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, ²⁹so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 14:28-29

¹²“As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. ¹³And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.” 1 Kings 6:12-13

⁶²Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. ⁶³Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the LORD: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the LORD. 1 Kings 8:62-63

¹⁶“Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.” ¹⁹So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. ²⁰Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” 1 Kings 19:16, 19-20

¹⁷“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, ¹⁸I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’ ¹⁹But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. ²¹This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ²²People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ ” 2 Chronicles 7:17-22

¹²On the altar of the LORD that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD, ¹³according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. 2 Chronicles 8:12-13

¹⁶Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 11:16

¹When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, ²Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is on you. ³There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.” 2 Chronicles 19:1-3

⁴Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. ⁵He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. ⁶He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. ⁷Now let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” 2 Chronicles 19:4-7

¹⁰Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 2 Chronicles 29:10

⁶At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: “People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.” ¹⁰The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them. ¹¹Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 30:6, 10-11

⁸In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the LORD his God. ⁹They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the gatekeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the LORD’s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. ¹¹They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin. ¹²The workers labored faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments— ¹³had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and gatekeepers. 2 Chronicles 34:8-13

²He [King Josiah] appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the LORD’s temple. 2 Chronicles 35:2

¹While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. ²Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. ³Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. ⁴Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.” Ezra 10:1-4

¹⁰Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. ¹¹Now honor the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.” ¹²The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: “You are right! We must do as you say.” Ezra 10:10

²I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. Nehemiah 7:2

¹In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job 1:1

⁸Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job 1:8

³Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” Job 2:3

⁷He [God] does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. Job 36:7

⁸“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. ²⁰But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. ²¹He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.” Daniel 5:18, 20-21

⁹Listen! The LORD is calling to the city—and to fear your name is wisdom—“Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.” Micah 6:9

¹⁷Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-18

All the Introductions to and Prayers of
Dedication in the Old Testament

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All the Introductions to and Prayers ofDedication in the Old Testament

Categories

All the Introductions to and Prayers of
Dedication in the Old Testament