As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord.

It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalem in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!”

“The Lord who rules over all also says, ‘Gather strength, you who are listening to these words today from the mouths of the prophets who were there at the founding of the house of the Lord who rules over all, so that the temple might be built.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.

Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard,

So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

You are to attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece;

“‘This is the law of the peace offering sacrifice which he is to present to the Lord.

but the leftovers from the meat of the sacrifice must be burned up in the fire on the third day.

the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

These are the Benjaminites, according to their families, and according to those numbered of them, 45,600.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,

But the men of Manasseh were unable to conquer these cities; the Canaanites managed to remain in those areas.

(Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.)

After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel.

He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people with the sword.

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed at Ziklag for two days.

“Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation.

Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.

Elisha died and was buried. Moabite raiding parties invaded the land at the beginning of the year.