<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said to me, &#8220;Go, show love to<n id="1" /> your wife<n id="2" /> again, even though she loves<n id="3" /> another man<n id="4" /> and continually commits adultery.<n id="5" /> Likewise, the <sc>Lordsc> loves<n id="6" /> the Israelites<n id="7" /> although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.&#8221;<n id="8" />

<t /><p class="poetry">Hear the word of the <sc>Lordsc>, you Israelites!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> has a covenant lawsuit<n id="2" /> against the people of Israel.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land,p> <p class="poetry">nor do they acknowledge God.<n id="4" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> God appointed<n id="1" /> a little plant<n id="2" /> and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue<n id="3" /> him from his misery.<n id="4" /> Now Jonah was very delighted<n id="5" /> about the little plant.p>

When the sun began to shine, God sent<n id="1" /> a hot<n id="2" /> east wind. So the sun beat down<n id="3" /> on Jonah&#8217;s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life,<n id="4" /> and said, &#8220;I would rather die than live!&#8221;<n id="5" />

The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all says, &#8216;In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of &#8211; indeed, grab &#8211; the robe of one Jew and say, &#8220;Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

In all cases of illegal possessions,<n id="1" /> whether for an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any kind of lost item, about which someone says &#8216;This belongs to me,&#8217;<n id="2" /> the matter of the two of them will come before the judges,<n id="3" /> and the one whom<n id="4" /> the judges declare guilty<n id="5" /> must repay double to his neighbor.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">When the people saw that Moses delayed<n id="2" /> in coming down<n id="3" /> from the mountain, they<n id="4" /> gathered around Aaron and said to him, &#8220;Get up,<n id="5" /> make us gods<n id="6" /> that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses,<n id="7" /> the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what<n id="8" /> has become of him!&#8221;p>

If you have no desire<n id="1" /> to worship<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, choose today whom you will worship,<n id="3" /> whether it be the gods whom your ancestors<n id="4" /> worshiped<n id="5" /> beyond the Euphrates,<n id="6" /> or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family<n id="7" /> will worship<n id="8" /> the <sc>Lordsc>!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">But the army said to Saul, &#8220;Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground! For it is with the help of God that he has acted today.&#8221; So the army rescued Jonathan from death.<n id="1" />p>

So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the <sc>Lordsc> has incited you against me, may he take delight in<n id="1" /> an offering. But if men have instigated this,<n id="2" /> may they be cursed before the <sc>Lordsc>! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s inheritance, saying, &#8216;Go on, serve other gods!&#8217;

<p class="bodytext">Elijah<n id="1" /> said to the king,<n id="2" /> &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle!<n id="3" /> Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">God said to Solomon, &#8220;Because you desire this,<n id="1" /> and did not ask for riches, wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies,<n id="2" /> and because you did not ask for long life,<n id="3" /> but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king,

<t /><p class="psasuper">For the music director; according to the <i>shushan-eduthi> style;<n id="2" /> a prayer<n id="3" /> of David written to instruct others.<n id="4" /> It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down<n id="5" /> 12,000 Edomites<n id="6" /> in the Valley of Salt.<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">O God, you have rejected us.<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">You suddenly turned on us in your anger.<n id="9" />p> <p class="poetry">Please restore us!<n id="10" />p>

I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, &#8220;Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right.<n id="1" /> Do not pay allegiance to other gods<n id="2" /> and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.&#8221; But you did not pay any attention or listen to me.

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;