<t /><p class="poetry">But I am the <sc>Lordsc> your God,p> <p class="poetry">who brought you out of Egypt.p> <p class="poetry">Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me;p> <p class="poetry">except me there is no Savior.p>

<p class="bodytext">But Abram said, &#8220;O sovereign <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" /> what will you give me since<n id="2" /> I continue to be<n id="3" /> childless, and my heir<n id="4" /> is<n id="5" /> Eliezer of Damascus?&#8221;<n id="6" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But Esau my brother is a hairy man,&#8221; Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, &#8220;and I have smooth skin!<n id="1" />

I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there.<n id="1" /> Joseph will close your eyes.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And as for me, I will be with your mouth<n id="1" /> and with his mouth,<n id="2" /> and I will teach you both<n id="3" /> what you must do.<n id="4" />

But I will certainly<n id="1" /> hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness they<n id="2" /> will have done by turning to other gods.

My countrymen<n id="1" /> who accompanied<n id="2" /> me frightened the people,<n id="3" /> but I remained loyal to the <sc>Lordsc> my God.<n id="4" />

Gideon<n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;But Lord,<n id="2" /> how<n id="3" /> can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.&#8221;<n id="4" />

Micah said to him, &#8220;Where do you come from?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Ruth<n id="1" /> knelt before him with her forehead to the ground<n id="2" /> and said to him, &#8220;Why are you so kind<n id="3" /> and so attentive to me,<n id="4" /> even though<n id="5" /> I am a foreigner?&#8221;<n id="6" />

She said, &#8220;You really are being kind to me,<n id="1" /> sir,<n id="2" /> for you have reassured<n id="3" /> and encouraged<n id="4" /> me, your servant,<n id="5" /> even though I am<n id="6" /> not one of your servants!&#8221;<n id="7" />p>

Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out<n id="1" /> to you.&#8221;p>

So Saul&#8217;s servants spoke these words privately<n id="1" /> to David. David replied, &#8220;Is becoming the king&#8217;s son-in-law something insignificant to you? I&#8217;m just a poor and lightly-esteemed man!&#8221;p>

Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear!<n id="1" /> May the <sc>Lordsc> punish appropriately the one who has done this evil thing!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Now, O <sc>Lordsc> my God, you have made your servant king in my father David&#8217;s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">Look, I create the craftsman,p> <p class="poetry">who fans the coals into a firep> <p class="poetry">and forges a weapon.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I create the destroyer so he might devastate.p>

&#8220;I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming<n id="1" /> to gather all the nations and ethnic groups;<n id="2" /> they will come and witness my splendor.

Then the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> said: &#8220;Name him &#8216;Not My People&#8217; (Lo-Ammi), because you<n id="2" /> are not my people and I am not your<n id="3" /> God.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Plead earnestly<n id="1" /> with your<n id="2" /> motherp> <p class="poetry">(for<n id="3" /> she is not my wife, and I am not her husband),p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="4" /> she might put an end to her adulterous lifestyle,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Woe to them! For they have fled from me!p> <p class="poetry">Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me!p> <p class="poetry">I want to deliver<n id="1" /> them,p> <p class="poetry">but they have lied to me.p>