thestreamofconsciousness777

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

The words of A'mos, who happened to be among the sheep raisers from Te·ko'a, which he visioned concerning Israel in the days of Uz·zi'ah the king of Judah and in the days of Jer·o·boʹam the son of Jo'ash, the king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he proceeded to say:

“Jehovah—out of Zion he will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice; and the pasture grounds of the shepherds must go to mourning, and the summit of Carʹmel must dry up.”

-Amos 1:1-2, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess: Jerusalem, this will happen because you followed the sinful example of kings Omri and Ahab. Now I will destroy you and your property. Then the people of every nation will make fun and insult you…

“In the thirty-first year of A’sa the king of Judah, Om’ri became king over Israel for twelve years. In Tir’zah he reigned six years. And he proceeded to buy the mountain of Sa·mar’i·a from She’mer for two talents of silver, and began to build [on] the mountain and call the name of the city that he built by the name of She’mer the master of the mountain, Sa·mar’i·a. And Om’ri kept doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah and came to do worse than all who were prior to him. And he went walking in all the way of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat and in his sin with which he caused Israel to sin by offending Jehovah the God of Israel with their vain idols. As for the rest of the affairs of Om’ri, what he did and his mightiness with which he acted, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel? Finally Om’ri lay down with his forefathers and was buried in Sa·mar’i·a; and A’hab his son began to reign in place of him.

And as for A’hab the son of Om’ri, he became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of A’sa the king of Judah; and A’hab the son of Om’ri continued to reign over Israel in Sa·mar’i·a twenty-two years. And A’hab the son of Om’ri proceeded to do worse in the eyes of Jehovah than all those who were prior to him. And it came about that, [as if it were] the most trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat, he now took as wife Jez’e·bel the daughter of Eth·ba’al the king of the Si·do’ni·ans and began to go and serve Ba’al and to bow down to him. Further, he set up an altar to Ba’al at the house of Ba’al that he built in Sa·mar’i·a. And A’hab went on to make the sacred pole; and A’hab came to do more to offend Jehovah the God of Israel than all the kings of Israel that happened to be prior to him.

In his days Hi’el the Beth’el·ite built Jer’i·cho. At the forfeit of A·bi’ram his firstborn he laid the foundation of it, and at the forfeit of Se’gub his youngest he put up its doors, according to Jehovah’s word that he spoke by means of Joshua the son of Nun.  

And E·li’jah the Tish’bite from the inhabitants of Gil’e·ad proceeded to say to A’hab: “As Jehovah the God of Israel before whom I do stand is living, there will occur during these years neither dew nor rain, except at the order of my word!”

The word of Jehovah now came to him, saying: “Go away from here, and you must turn your way eastward and conceal yourself at the torrent valley of Che’rith that is east of the Jordan. And it must occur that from the torrent valley you should drink, and the ravens I shall certainly command to supply you food there.” Immediately he went and did according to the word of Jehovah, and so went and took up dwelling by the torrent valley of Che’rith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens themselves were bringing him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and from the torrent valley he kept drinking. But it came about at the end of some days that the torrent valley became dry, because there had occurred no downpour upon the earth.

The word of Jehovah now came to him, saying: “Rise up, go to Zar’e·phath, which belongs to Si’don, and you must dwell there. Look! I shall certainly command there a woman, a widow, to supply you food.” Accordingly he rose up and went to Zar’e·phath and came into the entrance of the city; and, look! a woman, a widow, was there gathering up pieces of wood. So he called to her and said: “Please, get me a sip of water in a vessel that I may drink.” When she began to go and get it, he went on to call to her and say: “Please, get me a bit of bread in your hand.” At this she said: “As Jehovah your God is living, I have no round cake, but a handful of flour in the large jar and a little oil in the small jar; and here I am gathering up a few pieces of wood, and I must go in and make something for myself and my son, and we shall have to eat it and die.”

Then E·li’jah said to her: “Do not be afraid. Go in, do according to your word. Only from what is there make me a small round cake first, and you must bring it out to me, and for yourself and your son you can make something afterward. For this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘The large jar of flour itself will not get exhausted, and the small jar of oil itself will not fail until the day of Jehovah’s giving a downpour upon the surface of the ground.’” So she went and did according to E·li’jah’s word; and she continued to eat, she together with him and her household, for days. The large jar of flour itself did not get exhausted, and the small jar of oil itself did not fail, according to Jehovah’s word that he had spoken by means of E·li’jah.

And it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick, and his sickness came to be so severe that there was no breath left in him. At this she said to E·li’jah: “What do I have to do with you, O man of the [true] God? You have come to me to bring my error to mind and to put my son to death.” But he said to her: “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the roof chamber, where he was dwelling, and laid him upon his own couch. And he began calling to Jehovah and saying: “O Jehovah my God, is it also upon the widow with whom I am residing as an alien that you must bring injury by putting her son to death?” And he proceeded to stretch himself upon the child three times and call to Jehovah and say: “O Jehovah my God, please, cause the soul of this child to come back within him.” Finally Jehovah listened to E·li’jah’s voice, so that the soul of the child came back within him and he came to life. E·li’jah now took the child and brought him down from the roof chamber into the house and gave him to his mother; and E·li’jah then said: “See, your son is alive.” Upon that the woman said to E·li’jah: “Now, indeed, I do know that you are a man of God and that Jehovah’s word in your mouth is true.”  

And it came about [after] many days that Jehovah’s own word came to E·li’jah in the third year, saying: “Go, show yourself to A’hab, as I am determined to give rain upon the surface of the ground.” Accordingly E·li’jah went to show himself to A’hab, while the famine was severe in Sa·mar’i·a.

Meantime, A’hab called O·ba·di’ah, who was over the household. (Now O·ba·di’ah himself had proved to be one greatly fearing Jehovah. Hence it came about that when Jez’e·bel cut off Jehovah’s prophets, O·ba·di’ah proceeded to take a hundred prophets and keep them hid by fifties in a cave, and he supplied them bread and water.) And A’hab went on to say to O·ba·di’ah: “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the torrent valleys. Perhaps we may find green grass, that we may preserve the horses and mules alive and may not have [any more] of the beasts cut off.” So they divided between themselves the land through which to pass. A’hab himself went alone by one way, and O·ba·di’ah himself went alone by another way.

As O·ba·di’ah continued on the way, why, there was E·li’jah to meet him. At once he recognized him and fell upon his face and said: “Is this you, my lord E·li’jah?” At this he said to him: “It is I. Go, say to your lord, ‘Here is E·li’jah.’” But he said: “What sin have I committed that you should be putting your servant into the hand of A’hab to put me to death? As Jehovah your God is living, there is not a nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to look for you. After they had said, ‘He is not [here],’ he made the kingdom and the nation swear that they could not find you. And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Here is E·li’jah.”’ And it is bound to occur that, when I myself go from you, then the spirit of Jehovah itself will carry you away to where I shall not know; and I shall have come to tell A’hab, and he will not find you, and he will be bound to kill me, as your servant himself has feared Jehovah from his youth. Has not my lord been told what I did when Jez’e·bel killed the prophets of Jehovah, how I kept some of the prophets of Jehovah hid, a hundred men by fifties in a cave, and kept supplying them bread and water? And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Here is E·li’jah.”’ And he will be bound to kill me.” However, E·li’jah said: “As Jehovah of armies before whom I do stand is living, today I shall show myself to him.”

Accordingly O·ba·di’ah went off to meet A’hab and told him; and so A’hab went to meet E·li’jah.

And it came about that, as soon as A’hab saw E·li’jah, A’hab immediately said to him: “Is this you, the bringer of ostracism upon Israel?”

To this he said: “I have not brought ostracism upon Israel, but you and the house of your father have, because YOU men have left the commandments of Jehovah, and you went following the Ba’als. And now send, collect together all Israel to me at Mount Car’mel and also the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba’al and the four hundred prophets of the sacred pole, who are eating at the table of Jez’e·bel.” And A’hab proceeded to send among all the sons of Israel and collect the prophets together at Mount Car’mel.

Then E·li’jah approached all the people and said: “How long will YOU be limping upon two different opinions? If Jehovah is the [true] God, go following him; but if Ba’al is, go following him.” And the people did not say a word in answer to him. And E·li’jah went on to say to the people: “I myself have been left as a prophet of Jehovah, I alone, while the prophets of Ba’al are four hundred and fifty men. Now let them give us two young bulls, and let them choose for themselves one young bull and cut it in pieces and put it upon the wood, but they should not put fire to it. And I myself shall dress the other young bull, and I must place it upon the wood, but I shall not put fire to it. And YOU must call upon the name of YOUR god, and I, for my part, shall call upon the name of Jehovah; and it must occur that the [true] God that answers by fire is the [true] God.” To this all the people answered and said: “The thing is good.”

E·li’jah now said to the prophets of Ba’al: “Choose for yourselves one young bull and dress it first, because YOU are the majority; and call upon the name of YOUR god, but YOU must not put fire to it.” Accordingly they took the young bull that he gave them. Then they dressed it, and they kept calling upon the name of Ba’al from morning till noon, saying: “O Ba’al, answer us!” But there was no voice, and there was no one answering. And they kept limping around the altar that they had made. And it came about at noon that E·li’jah began to mock them and say: “Call at the top of YOUR voice, for he is a god; for he must be concerned with a matter, and he has excrement and has to go to the privy. Or maybe he is asleep and ought to wake up!” And they began calling at the top of their voice and cutting themselves according to their custom with daggers and with lances, until they caused blood to flow out upon them. And it came about that, as soon as noon was past and they continued behaving as prophets until the going up of the grain offering, there was no voice, and there was no one answering, and there was no paying of attention.

At length E·li’jah said to all the people: “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. Then he proceeded to mend the altar of Jehovah that was torn down. So E·li’jah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Jehovah’s word had come, saying: “Israel is what your name will become.” And he went on to build the stones into an altar in the name of Jehovah and to make a trench, of about the area sowed with two seah measures of seed, all around the altar. After that he put the pieces of wood in order and cut the young bull in pieces and placed it upon the pieces of wood. He now said: “FILL four large jars with water and pour it upon the burnt offering and upon the pieces of wood.” Then he said: “Do it again.” So they did it again. But he said: “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. Thus the water went all around the altar, and the trench also he filled with water.

And it came about at the time that the grain offering goes up that E·li’jah the prophet began to approach and say: “O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant and it is by your word that I have done all these things. Answer me, O Jehovah, answer me, that this people may know that you, Jehovah, are the [true] God and you yourself have turned their heart back.”

At that the fire of Jehovah came falling and went eating up the burnt offering and the pieces of wood and the stones and the dust, and the water that was in the trench it licked up. When all the people saw it, they immediately fell upon their faces and said: “Jehovah is the [true] God! Jehovah is the [true] God!” Then E·li’jah said to them: “Seize the prophets of Ba’al! Do not let a single one of them escape!” At once they seized them, and E·li’jah then brought them down to the torrent valley of Ki’shon and slaughtered them there.

E·li’jah now said to A’hab: “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the turmoil of a downpour.” And A’hab proceeded to go up to eat and drink. As for E·li’jah, he went up to the top of Car’mel and began crouching to the earth and keeping his face put between his knees. Then he said to his attendant: “Go up, please. Look in the direction of the sea.” So he went up and looked and then said: “There is nothing at all.” And he went on to say, “Go back,” for seven times. And it came about at the seventh time that he got to say: “Look! There is a small cloud like a man’s palm ascending out of the sea.” He now said: “Go up, say to A’hab, ‘Hitch up! And go down that the downpour may not detain you!’” And it came about in the meantime that the heavens themselves darkened up with clouds and wind and a great downpour began to occur. And A’hab kept riding and made his way to Jez’re·el. And the very hand of Jehovah proved to be upon E·li’jah, so that he girded up his hips and went running ahead of A’hab all the way to Jez’re·el.  

Then A’hab told Jez’e·bel all that E·li’jah had done and all about how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. At that Jez’e·bel sent a messenger to E·li’jah, saying: “So may the gods do, and so may they add to it, if at this time tomorrow I shall not make your soul like the soul of each one of them!” And he became afraid. Consequently he rose up and began to go for his soul and came to Be’er-she’ba, which belongs to Judah. Then he left his attendant behind there. And he himself went into the wilderness a day’s journey, and at length came and sat down under a certain broom tree. And he began to ask that his soul might die and to say: “It is enough! Now, O Jehovah, take my soul away, for I am no better than my forefathers.”

Finally he lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree. But, look! now an angel was touching him. Then he said to him: “Rise up, eat.” When he looked, why, there at his head was a round cake upon heated stones and a jug of water. And he began to eat and drink, after which he lay down again. Later the angel of Jehovah came back a second time and touched him and said: “Rise up, eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he rose up and ate and drank, and he kept going in the power of that nourishment for forty days and forty nights as far as the mountain of the [true] God, Ho’reb.

There he finally entered into a cave, that he might spend the night there; and, look! there was Jehovah’s word for him, and it went on to say to him: “What is your business here, E·li’jah?” To this he said: “I have been absolutely jealous for Jehovah the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have left your covenant, your altars they have torn down, and your prophets they have killed with the sword, so that I only am left; and they begin looking for my soul to take it away.” But it said: “Go out, and you must stand on the mountain before Jehovah.” And, look! Jehovah was passing by, and a great and strong wind was rending mountains and breaking crags before Jehovah. (Jehovah was not in the wind.) And after the wind there was a quaking. (Jehovah was not in the quaking.) And after the quaking there was a fire. (Jehovah was not in the fire.) And after the fire there was a calm, low voice. And it came about that as soon as E·li’jah heard it, he immediately wrapped his face in his official garment and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave; and, look! there was a voice for him, and it proceeded to say to him: “What is your business here, E·li’jah?” To this he said: “I have been absolutely jealous for Jehovah the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have left your covenant, your altars they have torn down, and your prophets they have killed with the sword, so that I only am left; and they begin looking for my soul to take it away.”

Jehovah now said to him: “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and you must come in and anoint Haz’a·el as king over Syria. And Je’hu the grandson of Nimʹshi you should anoint as king over Israel; and E·li’sha the son of Sha’phat from A’bel-me·ho’lah you should anoint as prophet in place of you. And it must occur that the one escaping from Haz’a·el’s sword, Je’hu will put to death; and the one escaping from Je’hu’s sword, E·li’sha will put to death. And I have let seven thousand remain in Israel, all the knees that have not bent down to Ba’al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Accordingly he went from there and found E·li’sha the son of Sha’phat while he was plowing with twelve spans before him, and he with the twelfth. So E·li’jah crossed over to him and threw his official garment upon him. At that he left the bulls and went running after E·li’jah and said: “Let me, please, kiss my father and my mother. Then I will go following you.” At this he said to him: “Go, return; for what have I done to you?” So he returned from following him and then took a span of the bulls and sacrificed them, and with the implements of the bulls he boiled their flesh and then gave it to the people, and they proceeded to eat. After that he rose up and went following E·li’jah and began to minister to him.  

As for Ben-ha’dad the king of Syria, he collected all his military forces together and also thirty-two kings with him and horses and chariots, and he proceeded to go up and lay siege to Sa·mar’i·a and fight against it. Then he sent messengers to A’hab the king of Israel at the city. And he went on to say to him: “This is what Ben-ha’dad has said, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your sons, the best looking, are mine.’” To this the king of Israel answered and said: “According to your word, my lord the king, yours I am with all that belongs to me.”

Later the messengers came back and said: “This is what Ben-ha’dad has said, ‘I sent to you, saying: “Your silver and your gold and your wives and your sons you will give me. But about this time tomorrow I shall send my servants to you, and they must carefully search your house and the houses of your servants; and it must occur that everything desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand, and they must take it away.”’”

At that the king of Israel called all the older men of the land and said: “Take note, please, and see that it is calamity that this one is seeking; for he sent to me for my wives and my sons and my silver and my gold, and I did not hold them back from him.” Then all the older men and all the people said to him: “Do not obey, and you should not consent.” So he said to the messengers of Ben-ha’dad: “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you sent to your servant at first I shall do; but this thing I am not able to do.’” With that the messengers went off and brought word back to him.

Ben-ha’dad now sent to him and said: “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add to it, if the dust of Sa·mar’i·a will be sufficient for handfuls for all the people that follow me!” In turn the king of Israel answered and said: “YOU men, speak [to him], ‘Do not let one girding on boast about himself like one unfastening.’” And it came about that as soon as he heard this word, while he himself and the kings were drinking in the booths, he immediately said to his servants: “Get set!” And they began to get set against the city.

And, look! a certain prophet approached A’hab the king of Israel and then said: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Have you seen all this great crowd? Here I am giving it into your hand today, and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah.’” Then Aʹhab said: “By whom?” to which he said: “This is what Jehovahhas said, ‘By the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts.’” Finally he said: “Who will open the battle engagement?” to which he said: “You!”

And he proceeded to take the count of the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts, and they came to be two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he took the count of all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand. And they began to go out at noon while Ben-ha’dad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he together with the kings, the thirty-two kings that were helping him. When the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts came out first, Ben-ha’dad at once sent out; and they came telling him, saying: “There are men that have come out from Sa·mar’i·a.” At that he said: “Whether it is for peace that they have come out, YOU should seize them alive; or whether it is for battle that they have come out, alive is how YOU should seize them.” And these were the ones that came out from the city, the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts and the military forces that were behind them. And they began to strike down each one his man; and the Syrians took to flight, and Israel went in pursuit of them, but Ben-ha’dad the king of Syria got to escape upon a horse together with the horsemen. But the king of Israel went out and kept striking down the horses and the chariots, and he struck down the Syrians with a great slaughter.

Later the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him: “Go, strengthen yourself and take note and see what you are going to do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria is coming up against you.”

As for the servants of the king of Syria, they said to him: “Their God is a God of mountains. That is why they proved stronger than we were. So, on the other hand, let us fight against them on the level land [and see] whether we shall not prove stronger than they are. And do this thing: Remove the kings each one from his place and put in governors instead of them. As for you, you should number a military force for yourself equal to the military force that fell from your side, with horse for horse and chariot for chariot; and let us fight against them on the level land [and see] whether we shall not prove stronger than they are.” Accordingly he listened to their voice and did just that way.

And it came about at the return of the year that Ben-ha’dad proceeded to muster the Syrians and to go up to A’phek for battle against Israel. As for the sons of Israel, they were mustered and supplied and began to go out to meet them; and the sons of Israel went into camp in front of them like two tiny flocks of goats, while the Syrians, for their part, filled the earth. Then the man of the [true] God approached and said to the king of Israel, yes, he went on to say: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that the Syrians have said: “Jehovah is a God of mountains, and he is not a God of low plains,” I shall have to give all this great crowd into your hand, and YOU men will certainly know that I am Jehovah.’”

And they continued encamped for seven days, these in front of those. And it came about on the seventh day that the engagement in battle began; and the sons of Israel went striking down the Syrians, a hundred thousand men on foot in one day. And those that were left went fleeing to A’phek, to the city; and the wall came falling down upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left. As for Ben-ha’dad, he fled and finally came into the city into the innermost chamber.

So his servants said to him: “Here, now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of loving-kindness. Please, let us carry sackcloth upon our loins and ropes upon our heads, and let us go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will preserve your soul alive.” Accordingly they girded sackcloth about their loins, with ropes upon their heads, and came in to the king of Israel and said: “Your servant Ben-ha’dad has said, ‘Please, let my soul live.’” To this he said: “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” So the men themselves took it as an omen and quickly took it as a decision of his own accord, and they went on to say: “Ben-ha’dad is your brother.” At that he said: “Come, fetch him.” Then Ben-ha’dad went out to him; and he at once had him get up into the chariot.

[Ben-ha’dad] now said to him: “The cities that my father took from your father I shall return; and streets you will assign to yourself in Damascus the same as my father assigned in Sa·mar’i·a.” “And as for me, in a covenant I shall send you away. ”With that he concluded a covenant with him and sent him away.

And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his friend by the word of Jehovah: “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him. Therefore he said to him: “For the reason that you did not listen to the voice of Jehovah, here you are going away from me, and a lion will certainly strike you down.” After that he went away from beside him, and the lion got to find him and strike him down. And he went on to find another man and to say: “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, striking and wounding.

Then the prophet went and stood still for the king by the road, and he kept himself disguised with a bandage over his eyes. And it came about that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and proceeded to say: “Your servant himself went out into the thick of the battle; and, look! a man was leaving the line, and he came bringing a man to me and then said, ‘Guard this man. If he should in any way be missing, your soul will also have to take the place of his soul, or else a talent of silver you will weigh out.’ And it came about that as your servant was active here and there, why, he himself was gone.” At this the king of Israel said to him: “Thus your own judgment is. You yourself have decided.” Upon that he hurriedly removed the bandage from over his eyes, and the king of Israel got to recognize him, that he was from the prophets. He now said to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you have let go out of your hand the man devoted to me for destruction, your soul must take the place of his soul, and your people the place of his people.’” At that the king of Israel went on his way toward his house, sullen and dejected, and came to Sa·marʹi·a.”

- 1 Kings 16:23-34 & 17-20, NWT

How Long Will You Be Limping Upon Two Different Opinions?

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘“On account of three revolts of Damascus, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their threshing Gilʹe·ad even with iron threshing instruments. And I will send a fire onto the house of Hazʹa·el, and it must devour the dwelling towers of Ben-haʹdad. And I will break the bar of Damascus and cut off [the] inhabitant from Bikʹath-aʹven, and the holder of [the] scepter from Beth-eʹden; and the people of Syria will have to go as exiles to Kir,” Jehovah has said.’"

-Amos 1:3-5, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship: Give ear to my instructions, my people, bend your ears to the say of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a lesson of history, will stream mysterious facts from ancient time...

“And it came about after these things that there was a vineyard that happened to belong to Na’both the Jez’re·el·ite, which was in Jez’re·el, beside the palace of A’hab the king of Sa·mar’i·a. So A’hab spoke to Na’both, saying: “Do give me your vineyard, that it may serve as a garden of vegetables to me, for it is close by my house; and let me give you in place of it a vineyard better than it. [Or] if it is good in your eyes, I will give you money as the price of this.” But Na’both said to A’hab: “It is unthinkable on my part, from Jehovah’s standpoint, for me to give the hereditary possession of my forefathers to you.” Consequently A’hab came into his house, sullen and dejected over the word that Na’both the Jez’re·el·ite had spoken to him, when he said: “I shall not give you the hereditary possession of my forefathers.” Then he lay down upon his couch and kept his face turned, and he did not eat bread.

Finally Jez’e·bel his wife came in to him and spoke to him: “Why is it that your spirit is sad and you are not eating bread?” At that he spoke to her: “Because I proceeded to speak to Na’both the Jez’re·el·ite and say to him, ‘Do give me your vineyard for money. Or, if you prefer, let me give you another vineyard in place of it.’ But he said, ‘I shall not give you my vineyard.’” Then Jez’e·bel his wife said to him: “Is it you that now exercise the kingship over Israel? Rise up, eat bread and let your heart be merry. I myself shall give you the vineyard of Na’both the Jez’re·el·ite.” Accordingly she wrote letters in A’hab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the older men and the nobles that were in his city dwelling with Naʹboth. But she wrote in the letters, saying: “Proclaim a fast, and HAVE Na’both sit at the head of the people. And MAKE two men, good-for-nothing fellows, sit in front of him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king!’ And BRING him out and stone him that he may die.”

So the men of his city, the older men and the nobles that were dwelling in his city, did just as Jez’e·bel had sent to them, just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them. They proclaimed a fast and had Na’both sit at the head of the people. Then two of the men, good-for-nothing fellows, came in and sat down in front of him; and the good-for-nothing men began to bear witness against him, that is, Na’both, in front of the people, saying: “Na’both has cursed God and the king!” After that they brought him out to the outskirts of the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. They now sent to Jez’e·bel, saying: “Na’both has been stoned so that he is dead.”

And it came about that, as soon as Jez’e·bel heard that Na’both had been stoned so that he died, Jez’e·bel immediately said to Aʹhab: “Rise up, take possession of the vineyard of Na’both the Jez’re·el·ite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naʹboth is no longer alive, but dead.” And it came about that, as soon as A’hab heard that Na’both was dead, A’hab at once rose up to go down to the vineyard of Na’both the Jez’re·el·ite, to take possession of it.

And Jehovah’s word came to E·li’jah the Tish’bite, saying: “Rise up, go down to meet A’hab the king of Israel, who is in Sa·mar’i·a. There he is in the vineyard of Na’both, where he has gone down to take possession of it. And you must speak to him, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: “Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you must speak to him, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Na’both, the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’”

And A’hab proceeded to say to E·li’jah: “Have you found me, O enemy of mine?” to which he said: “I have found you. ‘For the reason that you have sold yourself to do what is bad in the eyes of Jehovah, here I am bringing calamity upon you; and I shall certainly make a clean sweep after you and cut off from A’hab anyone urinating against a wall and the helpless and worthless one in Israel. And I shall certainly constitute your house like the house of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat and like the house of Ba’a·sha the son of A·hiʹjah, for the offense with which you have offended and then caused Israel to sin.’ And also as regards Jez’e·bel Jehovah has spoken, saying, ‘The very dogs will eat up Jez’e·bel in the plot of land of Jez’re·el. Anyone of A’hab’s that is dying in the city the dogs will eat up; and anyone dying in the field the fowls of the heavens will eat up. Without exception no one has proved to be like A’hab, who sold himself to do what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, whom Jez’e·bel his wife egged on. And he went acting very detestably by going after the dungy idols, the same as all that the Am’or·ites had done, whom Jehovah drove out from before the sons of Israel.’”

And it came about that as soon as A’hab heard these words, he proceeded to rip his garments apart and to put sackcloth upon his flesh; and he went on a fast and kept lying down in sackcloth and walking despondently. And Jehovah’s word came to E·li’jah the Tish’bite, saying: “Have you seen how A’hab has humbled himself on my account? For the reason that he has humbled himself because of me, I shall not bring the calamity in his own days. In the days of his son I shall bring the calamity upon his house.”

And for three years they continued dwelling without war between Syria and Israel. And it came about in the third year that Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah proceeded to go down to the king of Israel. Then the king of Israel said to his servants: “Do YOU really know that Ra’moth-gil’e·ad belongs to us? Yet we are hesitating to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria.” And he went on to say to Je·hosh’a·phat: “Will you go with me to the fight at Ra’moth-gil’e·ad?” At this Je·hosh’a·phat said to the king of Israel: “I am the same as you. My people are the same as your people. My horses are the same as your horses.”

However, Je·hosh’a·phat went on to say to the king of Israel: “Inquire, please, first of all for the word of Jehovah.” So the king of Israel collected the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them: “Shall I go against Ra’moth-gil’e·ad in war, or shall I refrain?” And they began to say: “Go up, and Jehovah will give it into the king’s hand.”

But Je·hosh’a·phat said: “Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still? Then let us inquire through him.” At that the king of Israel said to Je·hosh’a·phat: “There is still one man through whom to inquire of Jehovah; but I myself certainly hate him, for he does not prophesy good things concerning me but bad—Mi·cai’ah the son of Im’lah.” However, Je·hosh’a·phat said: “Do not let the king say a thing like that.”

Accordingly the king of Israel called a certain court official and said: “Do bring Mi·cai’ah the son of Im’lah quickly.” Now the king of Israel and Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah were sitting each one on his throne, clothed in garments, in the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Sa·mar’i·a; and all the prophets were acting as prophets before them. Then Zed·e·ki’ah the son of Che·na’a·nah made for himself horns of iron and said: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘With these you will push the Syrians until you exterminate them.’” And all the other prophets were prophesying the same as that, saying: “Go up to Ra’moth-gil’e·ad and prove successful; and Jehovah will certainly give it into the king’s hand.”

And the messenger that had gone to call Mi·cai’ah spoke to him, saying: “Look, now! The words of the prophets are unanimously of good to the king. Let your word, please, become like the word of one of them, and you must speak good.” But Mi·cai’ah said: “As Jehovah is living, what Jehovah will say to me, that is what I shall speak.” Then he came in to the king, and the king proceeded to say to him: “Mi·cai’ah, shall we go to Ra’moth-gil’e·ad in war, or shall we refrain?” At once he said to him: “Go up and prove successful; and Jehovah will certainly give it into the king’s hand.” At that the king said to him: “For how many times am I putting you under oath that you should not speak to me anything but truth in the name of Jehovah?” So he said: “I certainly see all the Israelites scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd. And Jehovah went on to say: ‘These have no masters. Let them go back each one to his house in peace.’”

Then the king of Israel said to Je·hosh’a·phat: “Did I not say to you, ‘He will prophesy concerning me, not good things, but bad’?”

And he went on to say: “Therefore hear the word of Jehovah: I certainly see Jehovah sitting upon his throne and all the army of the heavens standing by him, to his right and to his left. And Jehovah proceeded to say, ‘Who will fool A’hab, that he may go up and fall at Ra’moth-gil’e·ad?’ And this one began to say something like this, while that one was saying something like that. Finally a spirit came out and stood before Jehovah and said, ‘I myself shall fool him.’ At that Jehovah said to him, ‘By what means?’ To this he said, ‘I shall go forth, and I shall certainly become a deceptive spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ So he said, ‘You will fool him, and, what is more, you will come off the winner. Go out and do that way.’ And now here Jehovah has put a deceptive spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours; but Jehovah himself has spoken calamity concerning you.”

Zed·e·ki’ah the son of Che·na’a·nah now approached and struck Mi·cai’ah upon the cheek and said: “In just which [way] did the spirit of Jehovah pass along from me to speak with you?” At that Mi·cai’ah said: “Look! You are seeing [which way] on that day when you will enter the innermost chamber to hide yourself.” Then the king of Israel said: “Take Mi·cai’ah and turn him back to A’mon the chief of the city and to Jo’ash the king’s son. And you must say, ‘This is what the king has said: “PUT this fellow in the house of detention and feed him with a reduced allowance of bread and a reduced allowance of water until I come in peace.”’” Upon that Mi·cai’ah said: “If you return at all in peace, Jehovah has not spoken with me.” And he added: “Hear, all YOU peoples.”

And the king of Israel and Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah proceeded to go up to Ra’moth-gil’e·ad. The king of Israel now said to Je·hosh’a·phat: “There will be a disguising and entering into the battle [for me], but you, for your part, put on your garments.” Accordingly, the king of Israel disguised himself and entered into the battle. As for the king of Syria, he had commanded the thirty-two chiefs of the chariots that were his, saying: “YOU must fight, neither with the small nor the great, but with the king of Israel alone.” And it came about that, as soon as the chiefs of the chariots saw Je·hosh’a·phat, they, for their part, said to themselves: “Surely it is the king of Israel.” So they turned aside against him to fight; and Je·hosh’a·phat began to cry for aid. And it came about that, as soon as the chiefs of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they immediately came back from following him.

And there was a man that bent the bow in his innocence, but he got to strike the king of Israel between the appendages and the coat of mail, so that he said to his charioteer: “Turn your hand around, and take me out from the camp, because I have been badly wounded.” And the battle kept rising in intensity on that day, and the king himself had to be kept in a standing position in the chariot facing the Syrians, and gradually he died in the evening; and the blood of the wound kept pouring out upon the interior of the war chariot. And the ringing cry began to pass through the camp about the setting of the sun, saying: “Everyone to his city, and everyone to his land!” Thus the king died. When he was brought to Sa·mar’i·a, then they buried the king in Sa·mar’i·a. And they began to wash off the war chariot by the pool of Sa·mar’i·a, and the dogs went licking up his blood (and the prostitutes themselves bathed there), according to Jehovah’s word that he had spoken.

As for the rest of the affairs of A’hab and all that he did and the house of ivory that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel? Finally A’hab lay down with his forefathers; and A·ha·zi’ah his son began to reign in place of him.

As for Je·hosh’a·phat the son of A’sa, he had become king over Judah in the fourth year of A’hab the king of Israel. Je·hosh’a·phat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and for twenty-five years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was A·zu’bah the daughter of Shil’hi. And he kept walking in all the way of A’sa his father. He did not turn aside from it, by doing what was right in the eyes of Jehovah. Only the high places themselves did not disappear. The people were still sacrificing and making sacrificial smoke on the high places. And Je·hosh’a·phat kept peaceful relations with the king of Israel. As for the rest of the affairs of Je·hosh’a·phat and the mightiness with which he acted and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Judah? And the rest of the male temple prostitutes that had been left over in the days of A’sa his father he cleared out from the land.

As regards a king, there was none in E’dom; a deputy was king.

Je·hosh’a·phat, for his part, made Tar’shish ships to go to O’phir for gold; but they did not go, because the ships were wrecked at E’zi·on-ge’ber. It was then that A·ha·zi’ah the son of A’hab said to Je·hosh’a·phat: “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Je·hosh’a·phat did not consent.

Finally Je·hosh’a·phat lay down with his forefathers and was buried with his forefathers in the City of David his forefather; and Je·ho’ram his son began to reign in place of him.

As for A·ha·zi’ah the son of A’hab, he became king over Israel in Sa·mar’i·a in the seventeenth year of Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah, and he continued to reign over Israel for two years. And he kept doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes and went walking in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat, who had caused Israel to sin. And he continued serving Ba’al and bowing down to him and kept offending Jehovah the God of Israel according to all that his father had done.

And Mo’ab began to revolt against Israel after the death of A’hab. Then A·ha·zi’ah fell down through the grating in his roof chamber that was in Sa·mar’i·a and got sick. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire of Ba’al-ze’bub the god of Ek’ron whether I shall revive from this sickness.” As for the angel of Jehovah, he spoke to E·li’jah the Tish’bite: “Rise up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Sa·mar’i·a and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that YOU are going to inquire of Ba’al-ze’bub the god of Ekʹron? So therefore this is what Jehovah has said: “As regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.”’” With that E·li’jah went off.

When the messengers came back to him, he immediately said to them: “Why is it that YOU have come back?” So they said to him: “There was a man that came up to meet us, and he proceeded to say to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent YOU, and YOU must speak to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Ba’al-ze’bub the god of Ek’ron? Therefore, as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’”’” At this he spoke to them: “What was the appearance of the man that came up to meet YOU and then spoke these words to YOU?” So they said to him: “A man possessing a hair garment, with a leather belt girded about his loins.” Immediately he said: “It was E·li’jah the Tishʹbite.”

And he proceeded to send to him a chief of fifty with his fifty. When he went up to him, there he was sitting upon the top of the mountain. He now spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God, the king himself has spoken, ‘Do come down.’” But E·li’jah answered and spoke to the chief of the fifty: “Well, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.

So he sent again to him another chief of fifty with his fifty. In turn he answered and spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God, this is what the king has said, ‘Do come down quickly.’” But E·li’jah answered and spoke to them: “If I am a man of the [true] God, let fire come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire of God came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.

And he went sending again a third chief of fifty and his fifty. But the third chief of fifty went up and came and bent down upon his knees in front of E·li’jah and began to implore favor of him and speak to him: “Man of the [true] God, please let my soul and the soul of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your eyes. Here fire came down from the heavens and went eating up the two former chiefs of fifty and their fifties, but now let my soul be precious in your eyes.”

At that the angel of Jehovah spoke to E·li’jah: “Go down with him. Do not be afraid because of him.” So he rose and went down with him to the king. Then he spoke to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you have sent messengers to inquire of Ba’al-ze’bub the god of Ekʹron, is it because there is no God at all in Israel of whose word to inquire? Therefore as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’” And he gradually died, according to the word of Jehovah that E·li’jah had spoken; and Je·ho’ram began to reign in place of him, in the second year of Je·ho’ram the son of Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah, because he had not come to have a son.

As for the rest of A·ha·zi’ah’s things that he did, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel?

And it came about that when Jehovah was to take E·li’jah in a windstorm up to the heavens, E·li’jah and E·li’sha proceeded to go from Gilʹgal. And E·li’jah began to say to E·li’sha: “Sit here, please, because Jehovah himself has sent me clear to Beth’el.” But E·li’sha said: “As Jehovah is living and as your soul is living, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Beth’el. Then the sons of the prophets that were at Beth’el came out to E·li’sha and said to him: “Do you really know that today Jehovah is taking your master from headship over you?” At this he said: “I, too, well know it. BE silent.”

E·li’jah now said to him: “E·li’sha, sit here, please, because Jehovah himself has sent me to Jer’i·cho.” But he said: “As Jehovah is living and as your soul is living, I will not leave you.” So they came on to Jer’i·cho. Then the sons of the prophets that were at Jer’i·cho approached E·li’sha and said to him: “Do you really know that today Jehovah is taking your master from headship over you?” At this he said: “I, too, well know it. BE silent.”

E·li’jah now said to him: “Sit here, please, because Jehovah himself has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said: “As Jehovah is living and as your soul is living, I will not leave you.” So both of them went on. And there were fifty men of the sons of the prophets that went and kept standing in view at a distance; but, as for both of them, they stood by the Jordan. Then E·li’jah took his official garment and wrapped it up and struck the waters, and gradually they were divided this way and that way, so that both of them went across on the dry ground.

And it came about that as soon as they had gone across E·li’jah himself said to E·li’sha: “Ask what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” To this E·li’sha said: “Please, that two parts in your spirit may come to me.” At that he said: “You have asked a difficult thing. If you see me when taken from you, it will happen to you that way; but if [you do] not, it will not happen.”

And it came about that as they were walking along, speaking as they walked, why, look! a fiery war chariot and fiery horses, and they proceeded to make a separation between them both; and E·li’jah went ascending in the windstorm to the heavens. All the while E·li’sha was seeing it, and he was crying out: “My father, my father, the war chariot of Israel and his horsemen!” And he did not see him anymore. Consequently he took hold of his own garments and ripped them into two pieces. After that he picked up the official garment of E·li’jah that had fallen off him, and went back and stood by the shore of the Jordan. Then he took the official garment of E·li’jah that had fallen off him and struck the waters and said: “Where is Jehovah the God of E·li’jah, even He?” When he struck the waters, then they were gradually divided this way and that way, so that E·li’sha went across.

When the sons of the prophets that were at Jer’i·cho saw him some way off, they began to say: “The spirit of E·li’jah has settled down upon E·li’sha.” Accordingly they came to meet him and bowed down to him to the earth. And they went on to say to him: “Here, now, there are with your servants fifty men, valiant persons. Let them go, please, and look for your master. It may be that the spirit of Jehovah has lifted him up and then thrown him upon one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” But he said: “YOU must not send them.” And they kept urging him until he was embarrassed, so that he said: “Send.” They now sent fifty men; and they kept looking for three days, but they did not find him. When they returned to him, he was dwelling in Jer’i·cho. Then he said to them: “Did I not say to YOU, ‘Do not go’?”

In time the men of the city said to E·li’sha: “Here, now, the situation of the city is good, just as my master is seeing; but the water is bad, and the land is causing miscarriages.” At that he said: “Fetch me a small new bowl and put salt in it.” So they fetched it for him. Then he went on out to the source of the water and threw salt in it and said: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘I do make this water healthful. No more will death or any causing of miscarriages result from it.’” And the water continues healed down to this day, according to E·li’sha’s word that he spoke.

And he proceeded to go up from there to Beth’el. As he was going up on the way, there were small boys that came out from the city and began to jeer him and that kept saying to him: “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” Finally he turned behind him and saw them and called down evil upon them in the name of Jehovah. Then two she-bears came out from the woods and went tearing to pieces forty-two children of their number. And he kept going from there to Mount Car’mel, and from there he returned to Sa·mar’i·a.

As for Je·ho’ram the son of A’hab, he became king over Israel in Sa·mar’i·a in the eighteenth year of Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah, and he continued to reign for twelve years. And he kept on doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, only not like his father or like his mother, but he removed the sacred pillar of Ba’al that his father had made. Only he stuck to the sins of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat, with which he caused Israel to sin. He did not depart from them.

As regards Me’sha the king of Mo’ab, he became a sheep raiser, and he paid to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand unshorn male sheep. And it came about that as soon as A’hab died, the king of Mo’ab began to revolt against the king of Israel. Consequently King Je·ho’ram went out on that day from Sa·mar’i·a and mustered all Israel. He went farther and now sent to Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah, saying: “The king of Mo’ab himself has revolted against me. Will you go with me to Mo’ab in war?” To this he said: “I shall go. I am the same as you are; my people are the same as your people; my horses are the same as your horses.” And he went on to say: “By which particular way shall we go up?” So he said: “By the way of the wilderness of E’dom.”

And the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of E’dom proceeded to go, and they kept going their way around for seven days, and there proved to be no water for the camp and for the domestic animals that were following their steps. At length the king of Israel said: “How unfortunate that Jehovah has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Mo’ab!” At that Je·hosh’a·phat said: “Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah? Then let us inquire of Jehovah through him.” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said: “There is here E·li’sha the son of Sha’phat, who poured out water upon the hands of E·li’jah.” Then Je·hosh’a·phat said: “The word of Jehovah exists with him.” Accordingly the king of Israel and Je·hosh’a·phat and the king of E’dom went down to him.

And E·li’sha proceeded to say to the king of Israel: “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him: “No, for Jehovah has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Mo’ab.” To this E·li’sha said: “As Jehovah of armies before whom I do stand is living, if it were not that it is the face of Je·hosh’a·phat the king of Judah for which I am having consideration, I would not look at you or see you. And now YOU men fetch me a string-instrument player.” And it occurred that, as soon as the string-instrument player played, the hand of Jehovah came to be upon him. And he went on to say: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Let there be a making of this torrent valley full of ditches; for this is what Jehovah has said: “YOU men will not see a wind, and YOU will not see a downpour; yet that torrent valley will be filled with water, and YOU men will certainly drink [from it], YOU and YOUR livestock and YOUR domestic animals.”’ And this will indeed be a trivial thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and he will certainly give Mo’ab into YOUR hand. And YOU must strike down every fortified city and every choice city, and every good tree YOU should fell, and all the springs of water YOU should stop up, and every good tract of land YOU should mar with stones.”

And it came about in the morning, at the time of the going up of the grain offering, that, look! water was coming from the direction of E’dom, and the land came to be filled with the water.

As regards all the Mo’ab·ites, they heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. Consequently they called together [men] from as many as were girding on a belt and upward, and they began standing at the boundary. When they got up early in the morning, the sun itself flashed upon the water, so that the Mo’ab·ites from the opposite side saw the water red like blood. And they began to say: “This is blood! The kings have unquestionably been put to the sword, and they went striking one another down. So now, to the spoil, O Mo’ab!” When they came into the camp of Israel, the Israelites immediately rose up and began striking the Mo’ab·ites down so that they took to flight from before them. Hence they came into Mo’ab, striking the Mo’ab·ites down as they came. And the cities they went throwing down, and, as for every good tract of land, they would pitch each one his stone and actually fill it; and every spring of water they would stop up, and every good tree they would fell, until they left only the stones of Kir-har’e·seth remaining in it; and the slingers began going around it and striking it down.

When the king of Mo’ab saw that the battle had proved too strong for him, he at once took with him seven hundred men drawing sword to break through to the king of E’dom; but they were not able to. Finally he took his firstborn son who was going to reign in place of him and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice upon the wall. And there came to be great indignation against Israel, so that they pulled away from against him and returned to their land.”

- 1 Kings 21-22 & 2 Kings 1-3, NW

HORNS: He Does Not Prophesy Good Things Concerning Me But Bad

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘“On account of three revolts of Gaʹza, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their taking into exile a complete body of exiles to hand over to Eʹdom. And I will send a fire onto the wall of Gaʹza, and it must devour her dwelling towers. And I will cut off [the] inhabitant from Ashʹdod, and the holder of [the] scepter from Ashʹke·lon; and I will turn my hand back upon Ekʹron, and the remaining ones of the Phi·lisʹtines must perish,” the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said.’"

-Amos 1:6-8, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

The sound of the day of Jehovah is bitter. There a mighty man is letting out a cry: There exist companions disposed to break one another to pieces, but there exists a friend sticking closer than a brother...

“And the Phi·lisʹtines went collecting their camps together for war. When they were collected together at So’coh, which belongs to Judah, then they took up camping between So’coh and A·ze’kah, in E’phes-dam’mim. As for Saul and the men of Israel, they collected themselves together and took up camping in the low plain of E’lah, and they went drawing up in battle formation to meet the Phi·lis’tines. And the Phi·lis’tines were standing on the mountain on this side, and the Israelites were standing on the mountain on that side, with the valley between them.

And a champion began to go out from the camps of the Phi·lis’tines, his name being Go·li’ath, from Gath, his height being six cubits and a span. And there was a helmet of copper on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail, of overlapping scales, and the weight of the coat of mail was five thousand shekels of copper. And there were greaves of copper above his feet and a javelin of copper between his shoulders. And the wooden shaft of his spear was like the beam of loom workers, and the blade of his spear was six hundred shekels of iron; and the bearer of the large shield was marching ahead of him. Then he stood still and began to call to the battle lines of Israel and say to them: “Why do YOU come out to draw up in battle formation? Am I not the Phi·lis’tine and YOU servants belonging to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and he does strike me down, we must then become servants to YOU. But if I myself am a match for him and I do strike him down, YOU must also become servants to us, and YOU must serve us.” And the Phi·lis’tine went on to say: “I myself do taunt the battle lines of Israel this day. Give me a man, and let us fight together!”

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Phi·lis’tine, then they became terrified and were greatly afraid.

Now David was the son of this Eph’rath·ite from Beth’le·hem of Judah whose name was Jes’se. And he had eight sons. And in the days of Saul the man was already old among men. And the three oldest sons of Jes’se proceeded to go. They went after Saul to the war, and the names of his three sons that went into the war were E·li’ab the firstborn, and his second son A·bin’a·dab and the third Sham’mah. And David was the youngest, and the three oldest themselves went after Saul.

And David was going and returning from Saul to tend the sheep of his father at Beth’le·hem. And the Phi·lis’tine kept coming forward at early morning and at evening and taking his position for forty days. Then Jes’se said to David his son: “Take, please, to your brothers this e’phah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. And these ten portions of milk you should bring to the chief of the thousand; also, you should look after your own brothers as regards their welfare, and a token from them you should take.” Meantime, Saul and they and all the other men of Israel were in the low plain of E’lah, fighting against the Phi·lis’tines.

Accordingly David got up early in the morning and left the sheep to the keeper’s charge and picked up and went just as Jes’se had commanded him. When he came to the camp enclosure, the military forces were going out to the battle line, and they raised a shout for the battle. And Israel and the Phi·lis’tines began drawing up battle line to meet battle line. Immediately David left the baggage from off him to the care of the keeper of the baggage and went running to the battle line. When he came, he began asking about the welfare of his brothers.

While he was speaking with them, why, here the champion, his name being Go·li’ath the Phi·lis’tine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Phi·lis’tines, and he began speaking the same words as before, and David got to listen in. As for all the men of Israel, on their seeing the man, why, they went fleeing on account of him and were very much afraid. And the men of Israel began to say: “Have YOU seen this man that is coming up? For it is to taunt Israel that he is coming up. And it must occur that, the man who strikes him down, the king will enrich him with great riches, and his own daughter he will give him, and the house of his father he will set free in Israel.”

And David began to say to the men that were standing close by him: “What will be done to the man that strikes down that Phi·lis’tine over there and actually turns away reproach from upon Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Phi·lis’tine that he has to taunt the battle lines of the living God?” Then the people said to him the same words as before, saying: “This is the way it will be done to the man that strikes him down.” And E·li’ab his oldest brother got to hear as he spoke to the men, and E·li’ab’s anger grew hot against David, so that he said: “Why is it that you have come down? And in whose charge did you leave those few sheep behind in the wilderness? I myself well know your presumptuousness and the badness of your heart, because you have come down for the purpose of seeing the battle.” To this David said: “What have I done now? Was it not just a word?” With that he turned about from beside him toward someone else and went saying the same word as before, and, in turn, the people gave him the same reply as formerly.

So the words that David spoke came to be heard, and they went telling them before Saul. Hence he fetched him. And David proceeded to say to Saul: “Do not let the heart of any man collapse within him. Your servant himself will go and actually fight with this Phi·lis’tine.” But Saul said to David: “You are not able to go against this Phi·lis’tine to fight with him, for you are but a boy, and he is a man of war from his boyhood.” And David went on to say to Saul: “Your servant became a shepherd of his father among the flock, and there came a lion, and also a bear, and [each] carried off a sheep from the drove. And I went out after it and struck it down and made the rescue from its mouth. When it began rising against me, I grabbed hold of its beard and struck it down and put it to death. Both the lion and the bear your servant struck down; and this uncircumcised Phi·lis’tine must become like one of them, for he has taunted the battle lines of the living God.” Then David added: “Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he it is who will deliver me from the hand of this Phi·lis’tine.” At this Saul said to David: “Go, and may Jehovah himself prove to be with you.”

Saul now went clothing David with his garments, and he put a copper helmet upon his head, after which he clothed him with a coat of mail. Then David girded his sword on over his garments and undertook to go [but could not], because he had not tried them out. Finally David said to Saul: “I am unable to go in these things, for I have not tried them out.” So David removed them off him. And he proceeded to take his staff in his hand and to choose for himself the five smoothest stones from the torrent valley and to place them in his shepherds’ bag that served him as a receptacle, and in his hand was his sling. And he began approaching the Phi·lis’tine.

And the Phi·lis’tine began to come, coming nearer and nearer to David, and the man carrying the large shield was ahead of him. Now when the Phi·lis’tine looked and saw David, he began despising him because he proved to be a boy and ruddy, of beautiful appearance. So the Phi·lis’tine said to David: “Am I a dog, so that you are coming to me with staves?” With that the Phi·lis’tine called down evil upon David by his gods. And the Phi·lis’tine went on to say to David: “Just come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.”

In turn David said to the Phi·lis’tine: “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah of armies, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day Jehovah will surrender you into my hand, and I shall certainly strike you down and remove your head off you; and I shall certainly give the carcasses of the camp of the Phi·lis’tines this day to the fowls of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth; and people of all the earth will know that there exists a God belonging to Israel. And all this congregation will know that neither with sword nor with spear does Jehovah save, because to Jehovah belongs the battle, and he must give YOU men into our hand.”

And it occurred that the Phi·lis’tine rose and kept coming and drawing nearer to meet David, and David began hurrying and running toward the battle line to meet the Phi·lis’tine. Then David thrust his hand into his bag and took a stone from there and slung it, so that he struck the Phi·lis’tine in his forehead and the stone sank into his forehead, and he went falling upon his face to the earth. So David, with a sling and a stone, proved stronger than the Phi·lis’tine and struck the Phi·lis’tine down and put him to death; and there was no sword in David’s hand. And David continued running and got to stand over the Phi·lis’tine. Then he took his sword and pulled it out of its sheath and definitely put him to death when he cut his head off with it. And the Phi·lis’tines got to see that their mighty one had died, and they took to flight.

At that the men of Israel and of Judah rose and broke into shouting and went in pursuit of the Phi·lis’tines clear to [the] valley and as far as the gates of Ek’ron, and the fatally wounded of the Phi·lis’tines kept falling on the way from Sha’a·ra’im, both as far as Gath and as far as Ek’ron. Afterward the sons of Israel returned from hotly pursuing the Phi·lis’tines and went pillaging their camps.

Then David took the head of the Phi·lis’tine and brought it to Jerusalem, and his weapons he put in his tent.

Now at the moment that Saul saw David going out to meet the Phi·lis’tine, he said to Ab’ner the chief of the army: “Whose son is the boy, Abʹner?” To this Ab’ner said: “By the life of your soul, O king, I do not know at all!” So the king said: “You inquire whose son the lad is.” Accordingly, as soon as David returned from striking the Phi·lis’tine down, Ab’ner proceeded to take him and bring him before Saul with the head of the Phi·lis’tine in his hand. Saul now said to him: “Whose son are you, boy?” to which David said: “The son of your servant Jes’se the Beth’le·hem·ite.”

And it came about that, as soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, Jon’a·than’s very soul became bound up with the soul of David, and Jon’a·than began to love him as his own soul. Then Saul took him on that day, and he did not allow him to return to his father’s house. And Jon’a·than and David proceeded to conclude a covenant, because of his loving him as his own soul. Further, Jon’a·than stripped himself of the sleeveless coat that was on him and gave it to David, and also his garments, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David began going out. Wherever Saul would send him he would act prudently, so that Saul placed him over the men of war; and it seemed good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.

And it came about that at their coming in, when David returned from striking the Phi·lis’tines down, the women began coming out from all the cities of Israel with song and dances to meet Saul the king, with tambourines, with rejoicing and with lutes. And the women that were celebrating kept responding and saying:

“Saul has struck down his thousands, And David his tens of thousands.”

And Saul began to be very angry, and this saying was bad from his viewpoint, so that he said: “They have given David tens of thousands, but to me they have given the thousands, and there is yet only the kingship to give him!” And Saul was continually looking suspiciously at David from that day forward.

And it came about the next day that God’s bad spirit became operative upon Saul, so that he behaved like a prophet within the house, while David was playing music with his hand, as in former days; and the spear was in Saul’s hand. And Saul proceeded to hurl the spear and say: “I will pin David even to the wall!” but David turned aside from before him, twice. And Saul grew afraid of David because Jehovah proved to be with him, but from Saul he had departed. Consequently Saul removed him from his company and appointed him as chief of a thousand for him; and he regularly went out and came in before the people. And David was continually acting prudently in all his ways, and Jehovah was with him. And Saul kept seeing that he was acting very prudently, so that he was scared of him. And all Israel and Judah were lovers of David, because he was going out and coming in before them.

Finally Saul said to David: “Here is my oldest daughter Me’rab. She is the one that I shall give you as a wife. Only prove yourself a valiant person to me and fight the wars of Jehovah.” But as for Saul, he said to himself: “Do not let my hand come to be upon him, but let the hand of the Phi·lis’tines come to be upon him.” At this David said to Saul: “Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family, in Israel, so that I should become son-in-law to the king?” However, it came about that at the time for giving Me’rab, Saul’s daughter, to David, she herself had already been given to A’dri·el the Me·hol’ath·ite as a wife.

Now Mi’chal, Saul’s daughter, was in love with David, and they went reporting it to Saul, and the matter was to his liking. So Saul said: “I shall give her to him that she may serve as a snare to him, and that the hand of the Phi·lis’tines may come to be upon him.” Accordingly Saul said to David: “By [one of] the two women you will form a marriage alliance with me today.” Further, Saul commanded his servants: “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Look! The king has found delight in you, and all his servants themselves have fallen in love with you. So now form a marriage alliance with the king.’” And the servants of Saul began to speak these words in the ears of David, but David said: “Is it an easy thing in YOUR eyes to form a marriage alliance with the king, when I am a man of little means and lightly esteemed?” Then the servants of Saul reported to him, saying: “It was with words like these that David spoke.”

At that Saul said: “This is what YOU men will say to David, ‘The king has delight, not in marriage money, but in a hundred foreskins of the Phi·lis’tines, to avenge himself on the enemies of the king.’” But as for Saul, he had schemed to have David fall by the hand of the Phi·lis’tines. So his servants reported these words to David, and the matter was to David’s liking, to form a marriage alliance with the king, and the days had not yet expired. So David rose and he and his men went and struck down among the Phi·lis’tines two hundred men, and David came bringing their foreskins and giving them in full number to the king, to form a marriage alliance with the king. In turn Saul gave him Mi’chal his daughter as a wife. And Saul got to see and know that Jehovah was with David. As for Mi’chal, Saul’s daughter, she loved him. And again Saul felt still more fear because of David, and Saul came to be an enemy of David always.

And the princes of the Phi·lis’tines would go out, and it would happen that as often as they went out David acted most prudently of all the servants of Saul; and his name came to be very precious.”

At length Saul spoke to Jon’a·than his son and to all his servants of putting David to death. As for Jon’a·than, Saul’s son, he took great delight in David. So Jon’a·than told David, saying: “Saul my father is seeking to have you put to death. And now be on your guard, please, in the morning, and you must dwell in secrecy and keep yourself hidden. And I, for my part, shall go out and certainly stand at the side of my father in the field where you will be, and I myself shall speak for you to my father, and I shall certainly see what will happen, and I shall be sure to tell you.”

Accordingly Jon’a·than spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him: “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned toward you and his works have been very good toward you. And he proceeded to put his soul in his palm and strike the Phi·lis’tine down, so that Jehovah performed a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and you gave way to rejoicing. So why should you sin against innocent blood in having David put to death for nothing?” Then Saul obeyed the voice of Jon’a·than, and Saul swore: “As Jehovah is living, he will not be put to death.” Afterward Jon’a·than called David and Jon’a·than told him all these words. Then Jon’a·than brought David to Saul, and he continued before him the same as formerly.

In time war broke out again and David went sallying forth and fighting against the Phi·lis’tines and striking them down with a great slaughter, and they took to flight from before him.

And Jehovah’s bad spirit came to be upon Saul when he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing music with his hand. Consequently Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he dodged from before Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David himself fled that he might escape during that night. Later Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch it and to have him put to death in the morning; but Mi’chal his wife told David, saying: “If you are not letting your soul escape tonight, tomorrow you will be a man put to death.” Immediately Mi’chal had David descend through the window, that he might go and run away and escape. Then Mi’chal took the teraphim image and placed it on the couch, and a net of goats hair she put at the place of his head, after which she covered it with a garment.

Saul now sent messengers to take David, but she said: “He is sick.” So Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying: “ Bring him on his couch up to me to have him put to death.”When the messengers came in, why, there was the teraphim image on the couch and a net of goats’ hair at the place of his head. At this Saul said to Mi’chal: “Why did you trick me like this, so that you sent my enemy away that he might escape?” In turn Mi’chal said to Saul: “He himself said to me, ‘Send me away! Why should I put you to death?’”

As for David, he ran away and made his escape and got to come to Samuel at Ra’mah. And he proceeded to tell him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went away, and they took up dwelling in Nai’oth. In time the report got to Saul, saying: “Look! David is in Nai’oth in Raʹmah.” At once Saul sent messengers to take David. When they got to see the elderly ones of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing in his position over them, the spirit of God came to be upon Saul’s messengers, and they began behaving like prophets, they also.

When they told it to Saul, he immediately sent other messengers, and they began behaving like prophets, they also. So Saul sent messengers again, the third set, and they began behaving like prophets, they also. Finally he too went to Ra’mah. When he got as far as the great cistern that is in Se’cu, he began to inquire and say: “Where are Samuel and David?” To this they said: “There in Nai’oth in Ra’mah.” And he kept on his way from there to Nai’oth in Ra’mah, and the spirit of God came to be upon him, yes, him, and he went on walking and continued behaving like a prophet until he came into Nai’oth in Ra’mah. And he also proceeded to strip off his garments and behave, he also, like a prophet before Samuel, and he lay fallen naked all that day and all that night. That is why they came to say: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

And David went running away from Nai’oth in Ra’mah. However, he came and said in front of Jon’a·than: “What have I done? What is my error, and what sin have I committed before your father, for he is seeking for my soul?” At this he said to him: “It is unthinkable! You will not die. Look! My father will not do a big thing or a little thing and not disclose it to my ear; and for what reason should my father conceal this matter from me? This does not happen.” But David swore in addition and said: “Your father must surely know that I have found favor in your eyes, and so would say, ‘Do not let Jon’a·than know this for fear he may feel hurt.’ But, in fact, as Jehovah is living and as your soul is living, there is just about a step between me and death!”

And Jon’a·than went on to say to David: “Whatever your soul may say I shall do for you.” At this David said to Jon’a·than: “Look! Tomorrow is new moon, and I myself ought, without fail, to be sitting with the king to eat; and you must send me away, and I must conceal myself in the field until the evening on the third day. If your father should miss me at all, then you must say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of absence of me to run to Beth’le·hem his city, because there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ If the way he should say is, ‘It is all right!’ it means peace to your servant. But if he should at all become angry, know that what is bad has been determined upon by him. And you must render loving-kindness toward your servant, for it is into a covenant of Jehovah that you have brought your servant with you. But if there is error in me, put me to death yourself, since why should it be to your father that you should bring me?”

To this Jon’a·than said: “That is unthinkable respecting you! But if I should at all get to know that evil has been determined upon by my father to come upon you, shall I not tell it to you?” Then David said to Jon’a·than: “Who will tell me whether what your father may answer you is harsh?” In turn Jon’a·than said to David: “Just come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. And Jon’a·than went on to say to David: “Jehovah the God of Israel [be a witness] that I shall sound out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, and if he is well-disposed toward David, shall I not then send to you and certainly disclose it to your ear? So may Jehovah do to Jon’a·than and so may he add to it, if, in case it should seem good to my father to do evil against you, I do not indeed disclose it to your ear and send you away, and you do not certainly go in peace. And may Jehovah prove to be with you, just as he proved to be with my father. And will you not, if I shall be still alive, yes, will you not exercise the loving-kindness of Jehovah toward me, that I may not die? And you will not cut off your own loving-kindness from being with my household to time indefinite. Nor, when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the surface of the ground, will [the name of] Jon’a·than be cut off from the house of David. And Jehovah must require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” So Jon’a·than swore again to David because of his love for him; for as he loved his own soul he loved him.

And Jon’a·than went on to say to him: “Tomorrow is new moon, and you will certainly be missed, because your seat will be vacant. And certainly on the third day you will be missed very much; and you must come to the place where you concealed yourself on the working day, and you must dwell near this stone here. And as for me, I shall shoot three arrows to one side of it, to send them where I will to a target. And, look! I shall send the attendant, [saying,] ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I should specifically say to the attendant, ‘Look! The arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you come, for it means peace for you and there is nothing the matter, as Jehovah is living. But if this is the way I should say to the lad, ‘Look! The arrows are farther away from you,’ go, for Jehovah has sent you away. And as for the word that we have spoken, I and you, why, may Jehovah be between me and you to time indefinite.”

And David proceeded to conceal himself in the field. And it came to be new moon, and the king took his seat at the meal to eat. And the king was sitting in his seat as at other times, in the seat by the wall; and Jon’a·than was facing him, and Abʹner was sitting at Saul’s side, but David’s place was vacant. And Saul did not say anything at all on that day, for he said to himself: “Something has happened so that he is not clean, for he has not been cleansed.” And it came about the day after the new moon, on the second day, that David’s place continued vacant. At this Saul said to Jon’a·than his son: “Why has not the son of Jes’se come to the meal either yesterday or today?” So Jon’a·than answered Saul: “David earnestly asked leave of absence from me [to go] to Beth’le·hem. And he went on to say, ‘Send me away, please, because we have a family sacrifice in the city, and it was my own brother that commanded me. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me slip away, please, that I may see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.” Then Saul’s anger grew hot against Jon’a·than and he said to him: “You son of a rebellious maid, do I not well know that you are choosing the son of Jes’se to your own shame and to the shame of the secret parts of your mother? For all the days that the son of Jes’se is alive on the ground, you and your kingship will not be firmly established. So now send and fetch him to me, for he is destined for death.”

However, Jon’a·than answered Saul his father and said to him: “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” At that Saul went hurling the spear at him to strike him; and Jon’a·than came to know that it had been determined upon by his father to put David to death. Immediately Jon’a·than rose up from the table in the heat of anger, and he did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon, for he had been hurt respecting David, because his own father had humiliated him.

And it came about in the morning that Jon’a·than made his way out to the field of David’s appointed place, and a young attendant was with him. And he proceeded to say to his attendant: “Run, please, find the arrows that I am shooting.” The attendant ran, and he himself shot the arrow to make it pass beyond him. When the attendant came as far as the place of the arrow that Jon’a·than had shot, Jon’a·than began to call from behind the attendant and say: “Is not the arrow farther away from you?” And Jon’a·than went on calling from behind the attendant: “In haste! Act quickly! Do not stand still!” And the attendant of Jon’a·than went picking up the arrows and then came to his master. As for the attendant, he did not know anything; only Jon’a·than and David themselves knew about the matter. After that Jon’a·than gave his weapons to the attendant that belonged to him and he said to him: “Go, take them to the city.”

The attendant went. As for David, he rose up from nearby to the south. Then he fell on his face to the earth and bowed three times; and they began kissing each other and weeping for each other, until David had done it the most. And Jon’a·than went on to say to David: “Go in peace, since we have sworn, both of us, in the name of Jehovah, saying, ‘May Jehovah himself prove to be between me and you and between my offspring and your offspring to time indefinite.’” Accordingly David rose up and went his way, and Jon’a·than himself came into the city.”

Later David came into Nob to A·him’e·lech the priest; and A·him’e·lech began to tremble at meeting David and then said to him: “Why is it you are by yourself, and no one is with you?” At this David said to A·him’e·lech the priest: “The king himself commanded me as to a matter, and he went on to say to me, ‘Let no one know anything at all of the matter concerning which I am sending you and concerning which I have commanded you.’ And I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. And now, if there are five loaves of bread at your disposal, just give them into my hand, or whatever may be found.” But the priest answered David and said: “There is no ordinary bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; provided that the young men have at least kept themselves from womankind.” So David answered the priest and said to him: “But womankind has been kept away from us the same as formerly when I went out, and the organisms of the young men continue holy, although the mission itself is ordinary. And how much more so today, when one becomes holy in [his] organism?” At that the priest gave him what was holy, because there happened to be no bread there but the showbread that had been removed from before Jehovah so as to place fresh bread there on the day of its being taken away.

Now one of Saul’s servants was there on that day, detained before Jehovah, and his name was Do’eg the E’dom·ite, the principal one of the shepherds that belonged to Saul.

And David went on to say to A·him’e·lech: “And is there nothing here at your disposal, a spear or a sword? For neither my own sword nor my weapons did I take in my hand, because the king’s matter proved to be urgent.” To this the priest said: “The sword of Go·li’ath the Phi·lis’tine, whom you struck down in the low plain of E’lah —here it is, wrapped up in a mantle, behind the eph’od. If it is what you would take for yourself, take it, because there is no other here except it.” And David went on to say: “There is none like it. Give it to me.”

Then David rose up and continued running away on account of Saul on that day, and at length came to A’chish the king of Gath. And the servants of A’chish began to say to him: “Is not this David the king of the land? Was it not to this one that they kept responding with dances, saying,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands, And David his tens of thousands’?”

And David began to take these words to his heart, and he became very much afraid on account of A’chish the king of Gath. So he disguised his sanity under their eyes and began acting insane in their hand and kept making cross marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down upon his beard. Finally A’chish said to his servants: “Here YOU see a man behaving crazy. Why should YOU bring him to me? Am I in need of people driven crazy, so that YOU have brought this one to behave crazy by me? Should this one come into my home?”

So David proceeded to go from there and escape to the cave of A·dul’lam; and his brothers and the entire house of his father got to hear of it and made their way down there to him. And all men in distress and all men who had a creditor and all men bitter in soul began to collect together to him, and he came to be a chief over them; and there came to be with him about four hundred men.

Later David went from there to Miz’peh in Mo’ab and said to the king of Mo’ab: “Let my father and my mother, please, dwell with YOU people until I know what God will do to me.” Accordingly he settled them before the king of Moʹab, and they continued dwelling with him all the days that David happened to be in the inaccessible place.

In time Gad the prophet said to David: “You must not keep dwelling in the inaccessible place. Go away, and you must come yourself into the land of Judah.” Hence David went away and came into the forest of He’reth.

And Saul got to hear that David and the men that were with him had been discovered, while Saul was sitting in Gib’e·ah under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand and all his servants stationed about him. Then Saul said to his servants stationed about him: “Listen, please, YOU Ben’ja·min·ites. Will the son of Jes’se also give to all of YOU fields and vineyards? Will he appoint all of YOU chiefs of thousands and chiefs of hundreds? For YOU have conspired, all of YOU, against me; and there is no one disclosing it to my ear when my own son concludes [a covenant] with the son of Jes’se, and there is no one of YOU having sympathy for me and disclosing to my ear that my own son has raised up my own servant against me as a lier in ambush the way it is this day.”

At this Do’eg the E’dom·ite, being stationed as he was over the servants of Saul, answered and said: “I saw the son of Jes’se come to Nob to A·him’e·lech the son of A·hi’tub. And he proceeded to inquire of Jehovah for him; and provisions he gave him, and the sword of Go·li’ath the Phi·lis’tine he gave him.” At once the king sent to call A·him’e·lech the son of A·hi’tub the priest and all the house of his father, the priests that were in Nob. So all of them came to the king.

Saul now said: “Listen, please, you son of A·hi’tub!” to which he said: “Here I am, my lord.” And Saul went on to say to him: “Why have YOU men conspired against me, you and the son of Jes’se, by your giving him bread and a sword, and there being an inquiry of God for him, to rise up against me as a lier in ambush the way it is this day?” At this A·him’e·lech answered the king and said: “And who among all your servants is like David, faithful, and the son-in-law of the king and a chief over your bodyguard and honored in your house? Is it today that I have started to inquire of God for him? It is unthinkable on my part! Do not let the king lay anything against his servant [and] against the entire house of my father, for in all this your servant did not know a thing small or great.”

But the king said: “You will positively die, A·him’e·lech, you with all the house of your father.” With that the king said to the runners stationed about him: “Turn and put to death the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was a runaway and they did not disclose it to my ear!” And the servants of the king did not want to thrust out their hand to assault the priests of Jehovah. Finally the king said to Do’eg: “You turn and assault the priests!” Immediately Do’eg the E’dom·ite turned and himself assaulted the priests and put to death on that day eighty-five men bearing an eph’od of linen. Even Nob the city of the priests he struck with the edge of the sword, man as well as woman, child as well as suckling and bull and ass and sheep with the edge of the sword.

However, one son of A·him’e·lech the son of A·hi’tub, whose name was A·bi’a·thar, made his escape and went running away to follow David. Then A·bi’a·thar told David: “Saul has killed the priests of Jehovah.” At this David said to A·bi’a·thar: “I well knew on that day, because Do’eg the E’dom·ite was there, that he would without fail tell Saul. I personally have wronged every soul of the house of your father. Just dwell with me. Do not be afraid, for whoever looks for my soul looks for your soul, for you are one needing protection with me.”

- 1 Samuel 17-22, NWT

Making Cross Marks: He Disguised His Sanity Under Their Eyes And Began Acting Insane

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘On account of three revolts of Tyre, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their handing over a complete body of exiles to Eʹdom, and [because] they did not remember the covenant of brothers. And I will send a fire onto the wall of Tyre, and it must devour her dwelling towers.’

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘On account of three revolts of Eʹdom, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of his pursuing his own brother with the sword, and [because] he ruined his [own] merciful qualities, and his anger keeps tearing away forever; and his fury—he has kept it perpetually. And I will send a fire into Teʹman, and it must devour the dwelling towers of Bozʹrah.’

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘“On account of three revolts of the sons of Amʹmon, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their slitting open the pregnant women of Gilʹe·ad, for the purpose of widening out their own territory. And I will set fire to the wall of Rabʹbah, and it must devour her dwelling towers, with an alarm signal in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of storm wind. And their king must go into exile, he and his princes together,” Jehovah has said.’"

-Amos 1:9-15, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

The God who gives peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly: You, the bright morning star, have fallen from the sky! You brought down other nations; now you are brought down…

“And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, set your face toward the sons of Am’mon and prophesy against them. And you must say concerning the sons of Am’mon, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “For the reason that you have said Aha! against my sanctuary, because it has been profaned, and against the soil of Israel, because it has been laid desolate, and against the house of Judah, because they have gone into exile, therefore here I am giving you to the Orientals as something to possess, and they will set up their walled camps in you and will certainly put in you their tabernacles. They themselves will eat your fruitage, and they themselves will drink your milk. And I will make Rab’bah a pasture ground of camels and the sons of Am’mon a resting-place of a flock; and YOU people will have to know that I am Jehovah.”’”

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you clapped the hands and you stamped with the feet and you kept rejoicing with all scorn on your part in [your] soul against the soil of Israel, therefore here I am; I have stretched out my hand against you, and I will give you as something to plunder to the nations; and I will cut you off from the peoples and destroy you from the lands. I shall annihilate you, and you will have to know that I am Jehovah.’

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that Mo’ab and Se’ir have said: “Look! The house of Judah is like all the other nations,” therefore here I am opening the slope of Mo’ab at the cities, at his cities to his frontier, the decoration of [the] land, Beth-jesh’i·moth, Ba’al-me’on, even to Kir·i·a·tha’im, to the Orientals, alongside the sons of Am’mon; and I will make it something to possess, in order that it may not be remembered, [that is,] the sons of Am’mon, among the nations. And in Mo’ab I shall execute acts of judgment; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.’

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that E’dom has acted in taking vengeance upon the house of Judah and they kept doing wrong extensively and avenged themselves on them, therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “I will also stretch out my hand against E’dom and cut off from it man and domestic animal, and I will make it a devastated place from Te’man, even to De’dan. By the sword they will fall. ‘And I will bring my vengeance on E’dom by the hand of my people Israel; and they must do in E’dom according to my anger and according to my rage; and they will have to know what my vengeance is,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”’

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that the Phi·lis’tines have acted with vengeance and they kept avenging themselves with a vengeance with scorn in [the] soul, in order to cause ruin, with an indefinitely lasting enmity, therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am stretching out my hand against the Phi·lis’tines, and I will cut off the Cher’e·thites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. And I will execute in them great acts of vengeance, with raging reproofs; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah when I bring my vengeance on them.”’”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “And as for you, O son of man, raise up concerning Tyre a dirge, and you must say to Tyre, “‘O you who are dwelling at the entrances of [the] sea, the tradeswoman of the peoples for many islands, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “O Tyre, you yourself have said, ‘I am perfect in prettiness.’ In the heart of [the] seas are your territories. Your own builders have perfected your prettiness. Out of juniper timbers from Se’nir they built for you all the planks. A cedar from Leb’a·non they took to make a mast upon you. Out of massive trees from Ba’shan they made your oars. Your prow they made with ivory in cypress wood, from the islands of Kit’tim. Linen in various colors from Egypt your cloth expanse happened to be, in order for [it] to serve as your sail. Blue thread and wool dyed reddish purple from the islands of E·li’shah are what your deck covering proved to be.

“‘“The inhabitants of Si’don and of Ar’vad themselves became rowers for you. Your skilled ones, O Tyre, happened to be in you; they were your sailors. Even old men of Ge’bal and her skilled ones happened to be in you as caulkers for your seams. All the ships of the sea and their mariners themselves proved to be in you, in order to exchange articles of merchandise. Persians and Lu’dim and men of Put —they happened to be in your military force, your men of war. Shield and helmet they hung up in you. They were the ones that caused your splendor. The sons of Ar’vad, even your military force, were upon your walls all around, and valorous men were the ones that happened to be in your own towers. Their circular shields they hung up on your walls all around. They themselves perfected your prettiness.

“‘“Tar’shish was your merchant because of the abundance of all sorts of valuable things. For [its] silver, iron, tin and lead, your stores were given. Ja’van, Tu’bal and Me’shech themselves were your traders. For the souls of mankind and articles of copper your articles of exchange were given. From the house of To·gar’mah there were horses and steeds and mules, [for which] your stores were given. The sons of De’dan were your traders; many islands were merchants in your employ; horns of ivory and ebony they have paid back as gift to you. E’dom was your merchant because of the abundance of your works. For turquoise, wool dyed reddish purple and material of various colors and fine fabric and corals and rubies, your stores were given in exchange.

“‘“Judah and the land of Israel themselves were your traders. For the wheat of Min’nith and special foodstuff and honey and oil and balsam, your articles of exchange were given.

“‘“Damascus was your merchant in the abundance of your works, because of the abundance of all your valuable things, with the wine of Hel’bon and the wool of reddish gray. Ve’dan and Ja’van from U’zal—for your stores they gave. Iron in wrought works, cassia and cane—for your articles of exchange they proved to be. De’dan was your trader in garments of woven material for riding. The Arabs and all the chieftains of Ke’dar themselves were merchants in your employ. In male lambs and rams and he-goats—in them they were your merchants. The traders of She’ba and Ra’a·mah themselves were your traders; for the finest of all sorts of perfumes and for all sorts of precious stones and gold, your stores were given. Ha’ran and Can’neh and E’den, the traders of She’ba, As’shur [and] Chil’mad were your traders. They were your traders in gorgeous garments, in wraps of blue material and material of various colors and in carpets of two-colored stuff, in ropes twined and solidly made, in your trading center.

“‘“The ships of Tar’shish were your caravans for your articles of exchange, so that you get filled and become very glorious in the heart of the open sea.

“‘“Into vast waters those rowing you have brought you. The east wind itself has broken you in the heart of the open sea. Your valuable things and your stores, your articles of exchange, your mariners and your sailors, the caulkers of your seams and those exchanging your articles of merchandise and all your men of war, who are in you and in all your congregation, who are in the midst of you,—they will fall in the heart of the open sea in the day of your downfall.

“‘“At the sound of the outcry of your sailors the open country will rock. And all those handling an oar, mariners, all the sailors of the sea, will certainly go down from their ships; upon the land they will stand. And over you they will certainly let themselves be heard with their voice and will cry out bitterly. And they will bring up dust upon their heads. In the ashes they will wallow. And they will have to make [themselves] bald with a baldness for you, and gird on sackcloth and weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter wailing. And for you in their lamentation they will certainly lift up a dirge and chant over you,

“‘“‘Who is like Tyre, like her that has been brought to silence in the midst of the sea? When your stores went forth from the open sea, you satisfied many peoples. With the abundance of your valuable things and your articles of exchange you made earth’s kings rich. Now you have been broken by the open sea, in the depths of the waters. As for your articles of exchange and all your congregation, in the midst of you they have fallen. All the inhabitants of the islands—in amazement they will certainly stare at you, and their kings themselves will have to shudder in horror. Faces must become perturbed. As for merchants among the peoples, they will certainly whistle over you. Sudden terrors are what you must become, and you will be no more to time indefinite.’”’”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said:

“‘“For the reason that your heart has become haughty, and you keep saying, ‘I am a god. In the seat of god I have seated myself, in the heart of the open sea,’ whereas an earthling man is what you are, and not a god, and you keep making your heart like the heart of god— look! you are wiser than Daniel. There are no secrets that have proved a match for you. By your wisdom and by your discernment you have made wealth for your own self, and you keep getting gold and silver in your storehouses. By the abundance of your wisdom, by your sales goods, you have made your wealth abound, and your heart began to be haughty because of your wealth.”’

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “For the reason that you make your heart like the heart of god, therefore here I am bringing upon you strangers, the tyrants of [the] nations, and they will certainly draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and profane your beaming splendor. Down to the pit they will bring you, and you must die the death of someone slain in the heart of the open sea. Will you without fail say, ‘I am god,’ before the one killing you, whereas you are a mere earthling man, and not a god, in the hand of those profaning you?”’

“‘The deaths of uncircumcised ones you will die by the hand of strangers, for I myself have spoken,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, lift up a dirge concerning the king of Tyre, and you must say to him, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said:

“‘“You are sealing up a pattern, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. In E’den, the garden of God, you proved to be. Every precious stone was your covering, ruby, topaz and jasper; chrys’o·lite, onyx and jade; sapphire, turquoise and emerald; and of gold was the workmanship of your settings and your sockets in you. In the day of your being created they were made ready. You are the anointed cherub that is covering, and I have set you. On the holy mountain of God you proved to be. In the midst of fiery stones you walked about. You were faultless in your ways from the day of your being created until unrighteousness was found in you.

“‘“Because of the abundance of your sales goods they filled the midst of you with violence, and you began to sin. And I shall put you as profane out of the mountain of God, and I shall destroy you, O cherub that is covering, from the midst of the fiery stones.

“‘“Your heart became haughty because of your beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin on account of your beaming splendor. Onto the earth I will throw you. Before kings I will set you, [for them] to look upon you.

“‘“Owing to the abundance of your errors, because of the injustice of your sales goods, you have profaned your sanctuaries. And I shall bring forth a fire from the midst of you. It is what must devour you. And I shall make you ashes upon the earth before the eyes of all those seeing you. As for all those knowing you among the peoples, they will certainly stare in amazement at you. Sudden terrors are what you must become, and you will be no more to time indefinite.”’”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, set your face toward Si’don, and prophesy against her. And you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am against you, O Si’don, and I shall certainly be glorified in the midst of you; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah when I execute acts of judgment in her and I am actually sanctified in her. And I will send pestilence into her and blood into her streets. And the slain one must fall in the midst of her by the sword against her on every side; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah. And no more will there prove to be to the house of Israel a malignant prickle or a painful thorn out of all those round about them, those who are treating them with scorn; and people will have to know that I am the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”’

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “When I collect together the house of Israel out from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will also be sanctified among them in the eyes of the nations. And they will certainly dwell upon their soil that I gave to my servant, to Jacob. And they will actually dwell upon it in security and build houses and plant vineyards, and they must dwell in security when I execute acts of judgment upon all those treating them with scorn all round about them; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah their God.”’”

- Ezekiel 25 & 27-28, NWT

Here I Am Giving You To The Orientals As Something To Possess

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘“On account of three revolts of Moʹab, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of his burning the bones of the king of Eʹdom for lime. And I will send a fire into Moʹab, and it must devour the dwelling towers of Keʹri·oth; and with noise Moʹab must die, with an alarm signal, with the sound of a horn. And I will cut off [the] judge from the midst of her, and all her princes I shall kill with him,” Jehovah has said.’"

-Amos 2:1-3, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one: As for a man wandering from the way of insight, he will rest in the very congregation of those impotent in death...

“And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel who are prophesying, and you must say to those prophesying out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah. This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Woe to the stupid prophets, who are walking after their own spirit, when there is nothing that they have seen! Like foxes in the devastated places are what your own prophets have become, O Israel. YOU men will certainly not go up into the gaps, neither will YOU build up a stone wall in behalf of the house of Israel, in order to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah.” “They have visioned what is untrue and a lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The utterance of Jehovah is,’ when Jehovah himself has not sent them, and they have waited to have a word come true. Is it not an untrue vision that YOU men have visioned, and a lying divination that YOU have said, when saying, ‘The utterance of Jehovah is,’ when I myself have spoken nothing?”’

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “‘For the reason that YOU men have spoken untruth and YOU have visioned a lie, therefore here I am against YOU,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” And my hand has come to be against the prophets that are visioning untruth and that are divining a lie. In the intimate group of my people they will not continue on, and in the register of the house of Israel they will not be written, and to the soil of Israel they will not come; and YOU people will have to know that I am the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, for the reason, yes, for the reason that they have led my people astray, saying, “There is peace!” when there is no peace, and there is one that is building a partition wall, but in vain there are those plastering it with whitewash.’

“Say to those plastering with whitewash that it will fall. A flooding downpour will certainly occur, and YOU, O hailstones, will fall, and a blast of windstorms itself will cause a splitting. And, look! the wall must fall. Will it not be said to YOU men, ‘Where is the coating with which YOU did the plastering?’

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘I will also cause a blast of windstorms to burst forth in my rage, and in my anger there will occur a flooding downpour, and in rage there will be hailstones for an extermination. And I will tear down the wall that YOU men have plastered with whitewash and bring it into contact with the earth, and its foundation must be exposed. And she will certainly fall, and YOU must come to an end in the midst of her; and YOU will have to know that I am Jehovah.’

“‘And I will bring my rage to its finish upon the wall and upon those plastering it with whitewash, and I shall say to YOU men: “The wall is no more, and those plastering it are no more, the prophets of Israel that are prophesying to Jerusalem and that are visioning for her a vision of peace, when there is no peace,”’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.

“And as for you, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are acting as prophetesses out of their own heart, and prophesy against them. And you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Woe to the women sewing bands together upon all elbows and making veils upon the head of every size in order to hunt souls! Are the souls that YOU women hunt down the ones belonging to my people, and the souls belonging to YOU the ones that YOU preserve alive? And will YOU profane me toward my people for the handfuls of barley and for the morsels of bread, in order to put to death the souls that ought not to die and in order to preserve alive the souls that ought not to live by YOUR lie to my people, the hearers of a lie?”’

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am against the bands of YOU women, with which YOU are hunting down the souls as though they were flying things, and I will rip them from off YOUR arms and let go the souls that YOU are hunting down, souls as though they were flying things. And I will rip away YOUR veils and deliver my people out of YOUR hand, and they will no more prove to be in YOUR hand something caught in the hunt; and YOU will have to know that I am Jehovah. By reason of dejecting the heart of a righteous one with falsehood, when I myself had not caused him pain, and for making the hands of a wicked one strong so that he would not turn back from his bad way in order to preserve him alive, therefore untruth YOU women will not keep on visioning, and divination YOU will divine no longer; and I will deliver my people out of YOUR hand, and YOU will have to know that I am Jehovah.’”

And men from the elderly ones of Israel proceeded to come to me and sit down before me. Then the word of Jehovah occurred to me, saying: “Son of man, as regards these men, they have brought up their dungy idols upon their heart, and the stumbling block causing their error they have put in front of their faces. Shall I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak with them and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Any man at all of the house of Israel that brings up his dungy idols upon his heart and that places the very stumbling block causing his error in front of his face and that actually comes to the prophet, I, Jehovah, I will let myself be brought to answer him in the matter according to the multitude of his dungy idols, for the purpose of catching the house of Israel by their heart, because they have withdrawn themselves from me through their dungy idols—all of them.”’

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Come back and turn yourselves back from YOUR dungy idols and turn YOUR faces back even from all YOUR detestable things; for any man at all from the house of Israel or from the alien residents that reside as aliens in Israel, that withdraws himself from following me and that brings up his dungy idols upon his heart and that sets the very stumbling block causing his error in front of his face and that actually comes to the prophet to make inquiry for himself by me, I, Jehovah, I am letting myself be brought to answer him by myself. And I must set my face against that man and place him for a sign and for proverbial sayings, and I must cut him off from the midst of my people; and YOU people will have to know that I am Jehovah.”’

“‘And as for the prophet, in case he gets fooled and actually speaks a word, I myself, Jehovah, have fooled that prophet; and I will stretch out my hand against him and annihilate him from the midst of my people Israel. And they will have to bear their error. The error of the inquirer will prove to be just the same as the error of the prophet, in order that those of the house of Israel may no more go wandering off from following me and may no more go defiling themselves with all their transgressions. And they must become my people and I myself shall become their God,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

And the word of Jehovah continued to come to me, saying: “Son of man, as regards a land, in case it commits sin against me in acting unfaithfully, I will also stretch out my hand against it and break for it the rods around which ring-shaped loaves are suspended, and I will send upon it famine and cut off from it earthling man and domestic animal.” “‘And had these three men proved to be in the midst of it, Noah, Daniel and Job, they themselves because of their righteousness would deliver their soul,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

“‘Or if I should make injurious wild beasts pass through the land and they actually bereaved it of children and it actually became a desolate waste without anybody passing through on account of the wild beasts, were these three men in the midst of it, as I am alive,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘neither sons nor daughters would they deliver; they, only they themselves, would be delivered and the land itself would become a desolate waste.’”

“‘Or were it a sword that I should bring upon that land, and should I actually say: “Let a sword itself pass through the land,” and should I actually cut off from it earthling man and domestic animal, even were these three men in the midst of it, as I am alive,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they, only they themselves, would be delivered.’”

“‘Or were it pestilence that I should send upon that land and should I actually pour out my rage upon it with blood, in order to cut off from it earthling man and domestic animal, even were Noah, Daniel and Job in the midst of it, as I am alive,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘neither son nor daughter would they deliver; they themselves because of their righteousness would deliver their soul.’”

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘So, too, [it will be] when there will be my four injurious acts of judgment —sword and famine and injurious wild beast and pestilence —that I shall actually send upon Jerusalem in order to cut off from it earthling man and domestic animal. But, look! there will certainly be left remaining in it an escaped company, those being brought forth. Sons and daughters, here they are! They are going forth to YOU people, and YOU will have to see their way and their dealings. And YOU will certainly be comforted over the calamity that I shall have brought upon Jerusalem, even all that I shall have brought upon her.’”

“‘And they will certainly comfort YOU people when YOU see their way and their dealings; and YOU will have to know that it was not without cause that I shall have done all that I must do against her,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

- Ezekiel 13 & 14, NWT

ALL OF THEM: They Have Withdrawn Themselves From Me Through Their Dungy Idols

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘On account of three revolts of Judah, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their rejecting the law of Jehovah, and [because] they did not keep his own regulations; but their lies, after which their forefathers had walked, kept making them wander. And I will send a fire into Judah, and it must devour the dwelling towers of Jerusalem.’"

-Amos 2:4-5, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

You cannot possibly pardon them: They have defrauded and they have oppressed the people of the land, and have wronged the poor and the afflicted, and those who converted to me they oppressed without justice…

“And the word of Jehovah proceeded to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people, and you must say to them,

“‘As regards a land, in case I bring upon it a sword and the people of the land, one and all, actually take a man and set him as their watchman, and he really sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the horn and warns the people, and the hearer actually hears the sound of the horn but he takes no warning at all, and a sword comes and takes him away, his own blood will come to be upon his own head. The sound of the horn he heard, but he took no warning. His own blood will come to be upon his own self. And had he himself taken warning, his own soul would have escaped.

“‘Now as regards the watchman, in case he sees the sword coming and he actually does not blow the horn and the people itself gets no warning at all and a sword comes and takes away from them soul, for its own error it itself must be taken away, but its blood I shall ask back from the hand of the watchman himself.’

“Now as regards you, O son of man, a watchman is what I have made you to the house of Israel, and at my mouth you must hear [the] word and give them warning from me. When I say to someone wicked, ‘O wicked one, you will positively die!’ but you actually do not speak out to warn the wicked one from his way, he himself as a wicked one will die in his own error, but his blood I shall ask back at your own hand. But as regards you, in case you actually warn someone wicked from his way [for him] to turn back from it but he actually does not turn back from his way, he himself will die in his own error, whereas you yourself will certainly deliver your own soul.

“Now as regards you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus YOU people have said: “Because our revolts and our sins are upon us and in them we are rotting away, how, then, shall we keep living?”’ Say to them, ‘“As I am alive,” is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, “I take delight, not in the death of the wicked one, but in that someone wicked turns back from his way and actually keeps living. Turn back, turn back from YOUR bad ways, for why is it that YOU should die, O house of Israel?”’

“And as for you, O son of man, say to the sons of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous one will not itself deliver him in the day of his revolt. But as regards the wickedness of the wicked one, he will not be made to stumble by it in the day of his turning back from his wickedness. Nor will even anyone having righteousness be able to keep living because of it in the day of his sinning. When I say to the righteous one: “You will positively keep living,” and he himself actually trusts in his own righteousness and does injustice, all his own righteous acts will not be remembered, but for his injustice that he has done—for this he will die.

“‘And when I say to the wicked one: “You will positively die,” and he actually turns back from his sin and carries on justice and righteousness, [and] the wicked one returns the very thing pledged, pays back the very things taken by robbery, [and] actually walks in the very statutes of life by not doing injustice, he will positively keep living. He will not die. None of his sins with which he has sinned will be remembered against him. Justice and righteousness are what he has carried on. He will positively keep living.’

“And the sons of your people have said, ‘The way of Jehovah is not adjusted right,’ but, as for them, it is their way that is not adjusted right.

“When someone righteous turns back from his righteousness and actually does injustice, he must also die for them. And when someone wicked turns back from his wickedness and actually carries on justice and righteousness, it will be on account of them that he himself will keep living.

“And YOU people have said, ‘The way of Jehovah is not adjusted right.’ It will be each one according to his ways that I shall judge YOU, O house of Israel.”

At length it occurred in the twelfth year, in the tenth [month], on the fifth day of the month of our exile, that there came to me the escaped one from Jerusalem, saying: “The city has been struck down!”

Now the very hand of Jehovah had come to be upon me in the evening before the coming of the escaped one, and He proceeded to open my mouth prior to [that one’s] coming to me in the morning, and my mouth was opened and I proved to be speechless no longer.

And the word of Jehovah began to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, the inhabitants of these devastated places are saying even concerning the soil of Israel, ‘Abraham happened to be just one and yet he took possession of the land. And we are many; to us the land has been given as something to possess.’

“Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “With the blood YOU keep eating, and YOUR eyes YOU keep lifting to YOUR dungy idols, and blood YOU keep pouring out. So should YOU possess the land? YOU have depended upon YOUR sword. YOU have done a detestable thing, and YOU have defiled each one the wife of his companion. So should YOU possess the land?”’

“This is what you should say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “As I am alive, surely the ones who are in the devastated places will fall by the sword itself; and the one who is upon the surface of the field, to the wild beast I shall certainly give him for food; and those who are in the strong places and in the caves will die by the pestilence itself. And I shall actually make the land a desolate waste, even a desolation, and the pride of its strength must be made to cease and the mountains of Israel must be laid desolate, with no one passing through. And they will have to know that I am Jehovah when I make the land a desolate waste, even a desolation, on account of all their detestable things that they have done.”’

“And as for you, O son of man, the sons of your people are speaking with one another about you beside the walls and in the entrances of the houses, and the one has spoken with the other, each one with his brother, saying, ‘COME, please, and hear what the word is that is going forth from Jehovah.’ And they will come in to you, like the coming in of people, and sit before you as my people; and they will certainly hear your words but these they will not do, for with their mouth they are expressing lustful desires [and] after their unjust gain is where their heart is going. And, look! you are to them like a song of sensuous loves, like one with a pretty voice and playing a stringed instrument well. And they will certainly hear your words, but there are none doing them. And when it comes true—look! it must come true —they will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them.”

- Ezekiel 33, NWT

When It Comes True: Look! It Must Come True

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘On account of three revolts of Israel, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their selling someone righteous for mere silver, and someone poor for [the price of] a pair of sandals. They are panting for the dust of [the] earth on the head of lowly persons; and the way of meek people they turn aside; and a man and his own father have gone to the [same] girl, for the purpose of profaning my holy name. And on garments seized as a pledge they stretch themselves out beside every altar; and the wine of those who have been fined they drink at the house of their gods.’ “‘But as for me, I had annihilated the Amʹor·ite on account of them, whose height was like the height of cedars, and who was vigorous like the massive trees; and I went annihilating his fruitage above and his roots below. And I myself brought YOU people up out of the land of Egypt, and I kept making YOU walk through the wilderness forty years, in order to take possession of the land of the Amʹor·ite. And I kept raising up some of YOUR sons as prophets and some of YOUR young men as Nazʹi·rites. Should this really not be, O sons of Israel?’ is the utterance of Jehovah. “‘But YOU kept giving the Nazʹi·rites wine to drink, and upon the prophets YOU laid a command, saying: “YOU must not prophesy.” Here I am making what is under YOU sway, just as the wagon sways that is full up with a row of newly cut grain. And a place to which to flee must perish from the swift one, and no one strong will reinforce his power, and no mighty man will provide his soul with escape. And no one handling the bow will stand, and no one swift on his feet will escape, and no rider of the horse will provide his soul with escape. And as for one strong in his heart among the mighty men, naked is how he will flee in that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”

-Amos 2:6-16, NWT

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless: Jehovah will help them and provide them with escape. He will provide them with escape from wicked people and save them, because they have taken refuge in him...

“Blow a horn in Zion, O men, and shout a war cry in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land get agitated; for the day of Jehovah is coming, for it is near! It is a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick gloom, like light of dawn spread out upon the mountains

“There is a people numerous and mighty; one like it has not been made to exist from the indefinite past, and after it there will be none again to the years of generation after generation. Ahead of it a fire has devoured, and behind it a flame consumes. Like the garden of E’den the land is ahead of it; but behind it is a desolate wilderness, and there has also proved to be nothing thereof escaping.

“Its appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like steeds is the way they keep running. As with the sound of chariots on the tops of the mountains they keep skipping about, as with the sound of a flaming fire that is devouring stubble. It is like a mighty people, drawn up in battle order. Because of it, peoples will be in severe pains. As for all faces, they will certainly collect a glow [of excitement].

“Like powerful men they run. Like men of war they go up a wall. And they go each one in his own ways, and they do not alter their paths. And one another they do not shove. As an able-bodied man in his course, they keep going; and should some fall even among the missiles, the [others] do not break off course.

“Into the city they rush. On the wall they run. On the houses they go up. Through the windows they go in like the thief. Before it [the] land has become agitated, [the] heavens have rocked. Sun and moon themselves have become dark, and the very stars have withdrawn their brightness. And Jehovah himself will certainly give forth his voice before his military force, for his camp is very numerous. For he who is carrying out his word is mighty; for the day of Jehovah is great and very fear-inspiring, and who can hold up under it?”

“And now also,” the utterance of Jehovah is, “come back to me with all YOUR hearts, and with fasting and with weeping and with wailing. And rip apart YOUR hearts, and not YOUR garments; and come back to Jehovah YOUR God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and he will certainly feel regret on account of the calamity. Who is there knowing whether he will turn back and actually feel regret and let remain after it a blessing, a grain offering and a drink offering for Jehovah YOUR God?

“Blow a horn in Zion, O men. Sanctify a time of fasting. Call together a solemn assembly. Gather [the] people together. Sanctify a congregation. Collect [the] old men together. Gather children and those sucking the breasts together. Let [the] bridegroom go forth from his interior room, and [the] bride from her nuptial chamber.

“Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep and say, ‘Do feel sorry, O Jehovah, for your people, and do not make your inheritance a reproach, for nations to rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples: “Where is their God?”’ And Jehovah will be zealous for his land and will show compassion upon his people. And Jehovah will answer and say to his people, ‘Here I am sending to YOU the grain and the new wine and the oil, and YOU people will certainly be satisfied with it; and I shall not make YOU anymore a reproach among the nations. And the northerner I shall put far away from upon YOU, and I shall actually disperse him to a waterless land and desolated waste, with his face to the eastern sea and his rear section to the western sea. And the stink from him will certainly ascend, and the stench from him will keep ascending; for He will actually do a great thing in what He does.’

“Do not be fearful, O ground. Be joyful and rejoice; for Jehovah will actually do a great thing in what He does. Do not be fearful, YOU beasts of the open field, for the pasture grounds of [the] wilderness will certainly grow green. For the tree will actually give its fruitage. The fig tree and the vine must give their vital energy. And, YOU sons of Zion, be joyful and rejoice in Jehovah YOUR God; for he will be bound to give YOU the autumn rain in right measure, and he will bring down upon YOU people a downpour, autumn rain and spring rain, as at the first. And the threshing floors must be full of [cleansed] grain, and the press vats must overflow with new wine and oil. And I will make compensation to YOU for the years that the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust, and the cockroach and the caterpillar have eaten, my great military force that I have sent among YOU. And YOU will certainly eat, eating and becoming satisfied, and YOU will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah YOUR God, who has done with YOU so wonderfully; and my people will not be ashamed to time indefinite. And YOU people will have to know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah YOUR God and there is no other. And my people will not be ashamed to time indefinite.

“And after that it must occur that I shall pour out my spirit on every sort of flesh, and YOUR sons and YOUR daughters will certainly prophesy. As for YOUR old men, dreams they will dream. As for YOUR young men, visions they will see. And even on the menservants and on the maidservants in those days I shall pour out my spirit.

“And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah. And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling.”

“For, look! in those days and in that time, when I shall bring back the captive ones of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also collect together all the nations and bring them down to the low plain of Je·hosh’a·phat; and I will put myself on judgment with them there on account of my people and my inheritance Israel, whom they scattered among the nations; and they apportioned out my own land. And for my people they kept casting lots; and they would give the male child for a prostitute, and the female child they sold for wine, that they might drink.

“And, also, what do YOU have to do with me, O Tyre and Si’don and all YOU regions of Phi·lis’ti·a? Is it the treatment that YOU are giving me as a reward? And if YOU are giving such treatment to me, swiftly, speedily I shall pay back YOUR treatment upon YOUR heads. Because YOU men have taken my own silver and my own gold, and YOU have brought my own desirable good things into YOUR temples; and the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem YOU have sold to the sons of the Greeks, for the purpose of removing them far from their own territory; here I am arousing them [to come] from the place where YOU have sold them, and I will pay back YOUR treatment upon YOUR own heads. And I will sell YOUR sons and YOUR daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they must sell them to the men of She’ba, to a nation far away; for Jehovah himself has spoken [it].

“Proclaim this, YOU people, among the nations, ‘Sanctify war! Arouse the powerful men! Let them draw near! Let them come up, all the men of war! Beat YOUR plowshares into swords and YOUR pruning shears into lances. As for the weak one, let him say: “I am a powerful man.” Lend YOUR aid and come, all YOU nations round about, and collect yourselves together.’” To that place, O Jehovah, bring your powerful ones down.

“Let the nations be aroused and come up to the low plain of Je·hosh’a·phat; for there I shall sit in order to judge all the nations round about.

“THRUST in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend, for [the] winepress has become full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. Crowds, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision. Sun and moon themselves will certainly become dark, and the very stars will actually withdraw their brightness. And out of Zion Jehovah himself will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice. And heaven and earth certainly will rock; but Jehovah will be a refuge for his people, and a fortress for the sons of Israel. And YOU people will have to know that I am Jehovah YOUR God, residing in Zion my holy mountain. And Jerusalem must become a holy place; and as regards strangers, they will no more pass through her.

“And it must occur in that day that the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the very hills will flow with milk, and the very streambeds of Judah will all flow with water. And out of the house of Jehovah there will go forth a spring, and it must irrigate the torrent valley of the Acacia Trees. As regards Egypt, a desolate waste it will become; and as regards E’dom, a wilderness of desolate waste it will become, because of the violence to the sons of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood. But as for Judah, to time indefinite it will be inhabited, and Jerusalem to generation after generation. And I will consider innocent their blood that I had not considered innocent; and Jehovah will be residing in Zion.”

-Joel 2 & 3, NWT

For The Day Of Jehovah Is Coming, For It Is Near!

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

A song. A melody of Aʹsaph.

"O God, let there be no silence on your part; Do not keep speechless, and do not stay quiet, O Divine One.

For, look! your very enemies are in an uproar; And the very ones intensely hating you have raised [their] head.

Against your people they cunningly carry on their confidential talk; And they conspire against your concealed ones.

They have said: “Come and let us efface them from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

For with the heart they have unitedly exchanged counsel; Against you they proceeded to conclude even a covenant,

The tents of E'dom and the Ish'ma·el·ites, Moʹab and the Hagʹrites,

Geʹbal and Amʹmon and Amʹa·lek, Phi·lisʹti·a together with the inhabitants of Tyre.

Also, As·syrʹi·a itself has become joined with them; They have become an arm to the sons of Lot. Seʹlah.

Do to them as to Midʹi·an, as to Sisʹe·ra, As to Jaʹbin at the torrent valley of Kiʹshon.

They were annihilated at En-dor; They became manure for the ground.

As for their nobles, make these like Oʹreb and like Zeʹeb, And like Zeʹbah and like Zal·munʹna all their dukes,

Who have said: “Let us take possession of the abiding places of God for ourselves.”

O my God, make them like a thistle whirl, Like stubble before a wind.

Like a fire that burns up the forest And like a flame that scorches the mountains,

In just that way may you pursue them with your tempest And may you disturb them with your own storm wind.

Fill their faces with dishonor, That people may search for your name, O Jehovah.

O may they be ashamed and be disturbed for all times, And may they become abashed and perish;

That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth."

-Psalms 83, NWT

They Became Manure For The Ground

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

During that time your people will escape, every one who is found written down in the book: The wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand...

“Come up close, YOU nations, to hear; and YOU national groups, pay attention. Let the earth and that which fills it listen, the productive land and all its produce. For Jehovah has indignation against all the nations, and rage against all their army. He must devote them to destruction; he must give them to the slaughter. And their slain ones will be thrown out; and as for their carcasses, their stink will ascend; and the mountains must melt because of their blood. And all those of the army of the heavens must rot away. And the heavens must be rolled up, just like a book scroll; and their army will all shrivel away, just as the leafage shrivels off the vine and like a shriveled [fig] off the fig tree.

“For in the heavens my sword will certainly be drenched. Look! Upon E’dom it will descend, and upon the people devoted by me to destruction in justice. Jehovah has a sword; it must be filled with blood; it must be made greasy with the fat, with the blood of young rams and he-goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For Jehovah has a sacrifice in Boz’rah, and a great slaughtering in the land of E’dom. And the wild bulls must come down with them, and young bulls with the powerful ones; and their land must be drenched with blood, and their very dust will be made greasy with the fat.”

For Jehovah has a day of vengeance, a year of retributions for the legal case over Zion.

And her torrents must be changed into pitch, and her dust into sulphur; and her land must become as burning pitch. By night or by day it will not be extinguished; to time indefinite its smoke will keep ascending. From generation to generation she will be parched; forever and ever no one will be passing across her. And the pelican and the porcupine must take possession of her, and long-eared owls and ravens themselves will reside in her; and he must stretch out over her the measuring line of emptiness and the stones of wasteness. Her nobles—there are none there whom they will call to the kingship itself, and her very princes will all become nothing. On her dwelling towers thorns must come up, nettles and thorny weeds in her fortified places; and she must become an abiding place of jackals, the courtyard for the ostriches. And haunters of waterless regions must meet up with howling animals, and even the goat-shaped demon will call to its companion. Yes, there the nightjar will certainly take its ease and find for itself a resting-place. There the arrow snake has made its nest and lays [eggs], and it must hatch [them] and gather [them] together under its shadow. Yes, there the gledes must collect themselves together, each one with her mate.

Search for yourselves in the book of Jehovah and read out loud: not one has been missing of them; they actually do not fail to have each one her mate, for it is the mouth of Jehovah that has given the command, and it is his spirit that has collected them together. And it is He that has cast for them the lot, and his own hand has apportioned the place to them by the measuring line. To time indefinite they will take possession of it; for generation after generation they will reside in it.”

-Isaiah 34, NWT

Even The Goat-Shaped Demon Will Call To Its Companion

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

Who is this one coming from Eʹdom, the one with garments of glowing colors from Bozʹrah, this one who is honorable in his clothing, marching in the abundance of his power? “I, the One speaking in righteousness, the One abounding [in power] to save.” Why is it that your clothing is red, and your garments are like those of one treading in the winepress? “The wine trough I have trodden by myself, while there was no man with me from the peoples. And I kept treading them in my anger, and I kept trampling them down in my rage. And their spurting blood kept spattering upon my garments, and all my clothing I have polluted. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the very year of my repurchased ones has come. And I kept looking, but there was no helper; and I began to show myself astonished, but there was no one offering support. So my arm furnished me salvation, and my rage was what supported me. And I kept stamping down peoples in my anger, and I proceeded to make them drunk with my rage and to bring down to the earth their spurting blood.

Isaiah 63:1-6, NWT