<p class="poetry">Then heaven and earth and all that is in themp> <p class="poetry">will sing for joy over Babylon.p> <p class="poetry">For destroyers from the north will attack it,&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" />p>

I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt<n id="1" /> against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal<n id="1" /> before the <sc>Lordsc>; he will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.&#8221;p>

For the king of the north will again muster an army, one larger than before. At the end of some years he will advance with a huge army and enormous supplies.p>

<p class="poetry">whenever I want to heal Israel,p> <p class="poetry">the sin of Ephraim is revealed,p> <p class="poetry">and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed.p> <p class="poetry">For they do what is wrong;p> <p class="poetry">thieves break into houses,p> <p class="poetry">and gangs rob people out in the streets.p>

<p class="poetry">Sow righteousness for yourselves,p> <p class="poetry">reap unfailing love.p> <p class="poetry">Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,p> <p class="poetry">for it is time to seek the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">until he comes and showers deliverance<n id="1" /> on you.p>

<p class="poetry">He will give us peace.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Should the Assyrians try to invade our landp> <p class="poetry">and attempt to set foot in our fortresses,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">we will send<n id="3" /> against them seven<n id="4" /> shepherd-rulers,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">make that eight commanders.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">In that day people<n id="1" /> will come to you<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">from Assyria as far as<n id="3" /> Egypt,p> <p class="poetry">from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">from the seacoasts<n id="5" /> and the mountains.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">God comes<n id="1" /> from Teman,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the sovereign<n id="3" /> one from Mount Paran.<n id="4" /> <i>Selahi>.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">His splendor covers the skies,<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">his glory<n id="7" /> fills the earth.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I listened and my stomach churned;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the sound made my lips quiver.p> <p class="poetry">My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and I shook as I tried to walk.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I long<n id="4" /> for the day of distressp> <p class="poetry">to come upon<n id="5" /> the people who attack us.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;The one being cleansed<n id="1" /> must then wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water, and so be clean.<n id="2" /> Then afterward he may enter the camp, but he must live outside his tent seven days.

whenever a prophet speaks in my<n id="1" /> name and the prediction<n id="2" /> is not fulfilled,<n id="3" /> then I have<n id="4" /> not spoken it;<n id="5" /> the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.&#8221;p>

<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;

Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money<n id="1" /> and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, &#8216;Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.&#8217;&#8221;p>

But the servant said to him, &#8220;Look, there is a man of God in this town. He is highly respected. Everything that he says really happens.<n id="1" /> Now let&#8217;s go there. Perhaps he will tell us where we should go from here.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem<n id="1" /> against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites<n id="2" /> said to David, &#8220;You cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back, saying, &#8216;David cannot invade this place!&#8217;&#8221;p>

David said on that day, &#8220;Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the &#8216;lame&#8217; and the &#8216;blind&#8217; who are David&#8217;s enemies<n id="1" /> by going through the water tunnel.&#8221;<n id="2" /> For this reason it is said, &#8220;The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

The watchman said, &#8220;It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz<n id="1" /> son of Zadok.&#8221; The king said, &#8220;He is a good man, and he comes with good news.&#8221;p>

Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you<n id="1" /> (whether it involves a violent crime<n id="2" /> or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the <sc>Lordsc>. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues; but if you obey, you will be free of guilt.<n id="3" />

No one must enter the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple except the priests and Levites who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others should carry out their assigned service to the <sc>Lordsc>.