He will build a temple to honor me; he will become my son, and I will become his father. I will grant to his dynasty permanent rule over Israel.’

Then King Ahasuerus responded to Queen Esther, “Who is this individual? Where is this person to be found who is presumptuous enough to act in this way?”

If you say, “But we did not know about this,” does not the one who evaluates hearts consider? Does not the one who guards your life know? Will he not repay each person according to his deeds?

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

Who really knows if the human spirit ascends upward, and the animal’s spirit descends into the earth?

However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, and he could have delivered the city by his wisdom, but no one listened to that poor man.

If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver; but if she is a door, we will barricade her with boards of cedar.

At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them.

Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is! There has never been any like it. It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob, but some of them will be rescued out of it.

Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. Flee to save your lives. Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins. For it is time for the Lord to wreak his revenge. He will pay Babylonia back for what she has done.

“Take note, son of man, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for distant days; he is prophesying about the far future.’

“‘He gave it to be polished, to be grasped in the hand – the sword is sharpened, it is polished – giving it into the hand of the executioner.

I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them – namely, my servant David. He will feed them and will be their shepherd.

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: If the prince should give a gift to one of his sons as his inheritance, it will belong to his sons, it is their property by inheritance.

Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, but he does not recognize it! His head is filled with gray hair, but he does not realize it!

That idol was made by a workman – it is not God! The calf idol of Samaria will be broken to bits.

Don’t prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here!”

They mock kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every fortified city; they build siege ramps and capture them.

The one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’ is as good as dead – he who says to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life’s breath inside it.

So it was annulled that very day, and then the most afflicted of the flock who kept faith with me knew that that was the word of the Lord.