When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, he said to him, “Go marry a prostitute who will bear illegitimate children conceived through prostitution, because the nation continually commits spiritual prostitution by turning away from the Lord.”

The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. He touches the earth and it dissolves; all who live on it mourn. The whole earth rises like the River Nile, and then grows calm like the Nile in Egypt.

They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion. They will be radiant with joy over the good things the Lord provides, the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil, the young sheep and calves he has given to them. They will be like a well-watered garden and will not grow faint or weary any more.

The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son’s iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness.

His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to Egypt all the way to Asshur. They settled away from all their relatives.

You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

You are to put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and you are to wave them as a wave offering before the Lord.

“‘If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering from the birds, he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young pigeons.

All the Israelites who were twenty years old or older, who could serve in Israel’s army, were numbered according to their families.

“Command the Israelites to expel from the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.

All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”

As the Lord had instructed, they gave him the city he requested – Timnath Serah in the Ephraimite hill country. He built up the city and lived in it.

They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.

The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, and he cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.

God answered Manoah’s prayer. God’s angelic messenger visited the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.

David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!”

When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.

“May you be attentive to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you.

Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, named Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons.