When<n id="1" /> the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer<n id="2" /> the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="3" /> to make atonement for the Levites.

and all the elders of that city nearest the corpse<n id="1" /> must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.<n id="2" />

This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices<n id="1" /> to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made.<n id="2" /> My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!&#8217;&#8221;

This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices<n id="1" /> to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made.<n id="2" /> My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!&#8217;&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">All of them were wanting<n id="1" /> to scare us, supposing, &#8220;Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won&#8217;t get done.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">So now, strengthen my hands!<n id="2" />p>

Ezra blessed the <sc>LORDsc>, the great God, and all the people replied &#8220;Amen! Amen!&#8221; as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the <sc>LORDsc> with their faces to the ground.p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" /> the scepter of a wicked king<n id="2" /> will not settle<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">upon the allotted land of the godly.p> <p class="poetry">Otherwise the godly mightp> <p class="poetry">do what is wrong.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for my people will live as long as trees,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.<n id="4" />p>

In this way<n id="1" /> I will pass sentence<n id="2" /> on the people of Jerusalem and Judah<n id="3" /> because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The prophets prophesy lies.p> <p class="poetry">The priests exercise power by their own authority.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">And my people love to have it this way.p> <p class="poetry">But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!<n id="2" />p>

For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation<n id="1" /> too. I will repay them for all they have done!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Adoni-Bezek said, &#8220;Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up<n id="1" /> food scraps<n id="2" /> under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.&#8221;<n id="3" /> They brought him to Jerusalem,<n id="4" /> where he died.

<p class="bodytext">So David issued orders to the soldiers and they put them to death. Then they cut off their hands and feet and hung them<n id="1" /> near the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth<n id="2" /> and buried it in the tomb of Abner<n id="3" /> in Hebron.<n id="4" />p>

They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the <sc>Lordsc> had given them joy and had changed the opinion<n id="1" /> of the king of Assyria<n id="2" /> toward them, so that he assisted<n id="3" /> them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.p>

Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what<n id="1" /> the king had said to me. Then they replied, &#8220;Let&#8217;s begin rebuilding right away!&#8221;<n id="2" /> So they readied themselves<n id="3" /> for this good project.

This will happen because the people of Israel and Judah have repeatedly done what displeases me<n id="1" /> from their earliest history until now<n id="2" /> and because they<n id="3" /> have repeatedly made me angry by the things they have done.<n id="4" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Then Haggai responded, &#8220;&#8216;The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,&#8217;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>. &#8216;And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean.<n id="2" />