But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up.

All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king!”

Jehoram crossed over to Zair with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.

So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers.

So Ezra got up and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath to carry out this plan. And they all took a solemn oath.

for they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.)

“While he is filling his belly, God sends his burning anger against him, and rains down his blows upon him.

If my footsteps have strayed from the way, if my heart has gone after my eyes, or if anything has defiled my hands,

So the Lord restored what Job had lost after he prayed for his friends, and the Lord doubled all that had belonged to Job.

Nowhere in all the land could women be found who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance alongside their brothers.

You burn them up like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord angrily devours them; the fire consumes them.

Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak destructive words; all day long they say deceitful things.

I have not failed to tell about your justice; I spoke about your reliability and deliverance; I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness.

“Look, here is the man who would not make God his protector! He trusted in his great wealth and was confident about his plans to destroy others.”

Let them be like a snail that melts away as it moves along! Let them be like stillborn babies that never see the sun!

For look, they wait to ambush me; powerful men stalk me, but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.

As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. As wax melts before fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God.

Then our sons will be like plants, that quickly grow to full size. Our daughters will be like corner pillars, carved like those in a palace.

There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race.

“Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.”