For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us,<n id="1" /> &#8220;You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But the soldiers replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;You should not do this!<n id="2" /> For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won&#8217;t be too concerned about us.<n id="3" /> Even if half of us should die, they won&#8217;t be too concerned about us. But you<n id="4" /> are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, &#8216;This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain<n id="1" /> for your hungry households and go.

You go near so that you can hear everything the <sc>Lordsc> our God is saying and then you can tell us whatever he<n id="1" /> says to you; then we will pay attention and do it.&#8221;

Our leaders and all who live in our land told us, &#8216;Take provisions for your journey and go meet them. Tell them, &#8220;We are willing to be your subjects.<n id="1" /> Make a treaty with us.&#8221;&#8217;

We said, &#8216;If in the future they say such a thing<n id="1" /> to us or to our descendants, we will reply, &#8220;See the model of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s altar that our ancestors<n id="2" /> made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.&#8221;&#8217;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Manoah prayed to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God<n id="2" /> to visit<n id="3" /> us again, so he can teach<n id="4" /> us how we should raise<n id="5" /> the child who will be born.&#8221;

When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us,<n id="1" /> we&#8217;ll say to them, &#8220;Do us a favor and let them be,<n id="2" /> for we could not get each one a wife through battle.<n id="3" /> Don&#8217;t worry about breaking your oath!<n id="4" /> You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When the army<n id="1" /> came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said, &#8220;Why did the <sc>Lordsc> let us be defeated today by<n id="2" /> the Philistines? Let&#8217;s take with us the ark of the covenant of the <sc>Lordsc> from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us<n id="3" /> from the hand of our enemies.p>

Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor bearer, &#8220;Come on up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!&#8221;<n id="1" /> Then Jonathan said to his armor bearer, &#8220;Come up behind me, for the <sc>Lordsc> has given<n id="2" /> them into the hand of Israel!&#8221;p>

Elisha said to Gehazi,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Tell her, &#8216;Look, you have treated us with such great respect.<n id="2" /> What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?&#8217;&#8221; She replied, &#8220;I&#8217;m quite secure.&#8221;<n id="3" />

So the palace supervisor,<n id="1" /> the city commissioner,<n id="2" /> the leaders,<n id="3" /> and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, &#8220;We are your subjects!<n id="4" /> Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

David said to the whole Israelite assembly, &#8220;If you so desire and the <sc>Lordsc> our God approves,<n id="1" /> let&#8217;s spread the word<n id="2" /> to our brothers who remain in all the regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites in their cities,<n id="3" /> so they may join us.

<p class="bodytext">Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, &#8220;Speak to your servants in Aramaic,<n id="1" /> for we understand it. Don&#8217;t speak with us in the Judahite dialect<n id="2" /> in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;This man should not be condemned to die.<n id="2" /> For he has spoken to us under the authority of the <sc>Lordsc> our God.&#8221;<n id="3" />

I for my part will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians<n id="1" /> whenever they come to us. You for your part go ahead and harvest the wine, the dates, the figs,<n id="2" /> and the olive oil, and store them in jars. Go ahead and settle down in the towns that you have taken over.&#8221;<n id="3" />

They answered Jeremiah, &#8220;May the <sc>Lordsc> be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do just as<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> sends you to tell us to do.

They replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;A man came up to meet us. He told us, &#8220;Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8220;You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron.<n id="2" /> Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;