Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say!

“Listen, you deaf ones! Take notice, you blind ones!

The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners,

“Proclaim this message among the descendants of Jacob. Make it known throughout Judah.

Then I said to the people of Judah, “Listen and pay attention! Do not be arrogant! For the Lord has spoken.

Now some of the officers of the Judean army and their troops had been hiding in the countryside. They heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam to govern the country. They also heard that he had been put in charge over the men, women, and children from the poorer classes of the land who had not been carried off into exile in Babylon.

The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.

Will he then continue to fill and empty his throw net? Will he always destroy nations and spare none?

and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

(but their eyes were kept from recognizing him).

He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!”

Then came the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem.

Many of those who had believed came forward, confessing and making their deeds known.

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness,

Reinforce these commands, so that they will be beyond reproach.

And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

the bases for the courtyard all around, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs of the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard all around.

The old man said, “Everything is just fine! I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.”

Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision. Word from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.