I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches. ¹ 

Everyone must be on his guard around his friends. He must not even trust any of his relatives. ¹  For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. ²  And all of his friends will tell lies about him.

The one who ¹  is slack ²  in his work is a brother ³  to one who destroys. ⁴ 

A relative ¹  offended ²  is harder to reach than ³  a strong city, and disputes are like the barred gates ⁴  of a fortified citadel. ⁵ 

(Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ¹  Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring.

Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble ¹  on me by telling ²  the man you had one more brother?”

My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; ¹  he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price ² 

“Suppose such a man has ¹  a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things ²  mentioned previously

As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.

So hearts melt with fear and many stumble. At all their gates I have stationed the sword for slaughter. Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for slaughter!

“I have shown love to you,” says the Lord, but you say, “How have you shown love to us?” “Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the Lord explains, “yet I chose Jacob

They replied, “The man questioned us ¹  thoroughly ²  about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ ³  So we answered him in this way. ⁴  How could we possibly know ⁵  that he would say, ⁶  ‘Bring your brother down’?”

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and say, “Ah!” because of all the evil, abominable practices of the house of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine, and pestilence. ¹