Topical Scripture

friends / friendship

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The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. Moses would then return to the camp, but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, would not move out of the tent. Moses said to the LORD, "You, indeed, are telling me to lead this people on; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'You are my intimate friend,' and also, 'You have found favor with me.' Now, if I have found favor with you, do let me know your ways so that, in knowing you, I may continue to find favor with you. Then, too, this nation is, after all, your own people." "I myself," the LORD answered, "will go along, to give you rest." Moses replied, "If you are not going yourself, do not make us go up from here. For how can it be known that we, your people and I, have found favor with you, except by your going with us? Then we, your people and I, will be singled out from every other people on the earth." The LORD said to Moses, "This request, too, which you have just made, I will carry out, because you have found favor with me and you are my intimate friend." [EX 33:11-17]

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger from the Israelites by his zeal for my honor among them; that is why I did not put an end to the Israelites for the offense to my honor. Announce, therefore, that I hereby give him my pledge of friendship, which shall be for him and for his descendants after him the pledge of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous on behalf of his God and thus made amends for the Israelites." [NUM 25:10-13]

For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him. So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. [DEUT 10:17-19]

"If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or your intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him" [Taken from DEUT 13:7-9]

May all your enemies perish thus, O LORD! but your friends be as the sun rising in its might! And the land was at rest for forty years. [JUDG 5:31]

David fled from the sheds near Ramah, and went to Jonathan. "What have I done?" he asked him. "What crime or what offense does your father hold against me that he seeks my life?" Jonathan answered him: "Heaven forbid that you should die! My father does nothing, great or small, without disclosing it to me. Why, then, should my father conceal this from me? This cannot be so!" But David replied: "Your father is well aware that I am favored with your friendship, so he has decided, 'Jonathan must not know of this lest he be grieved.' Nevertheless, as the LORD lives and as you live, there is but a step between me and death." [1SAM 20:1-3]

Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, son of David's brother Shimeah, who was very clever. [2SAM 13:3]

So David's friend Hushai went into the city of Jerusalem as Absalom was about to enter it. [2SAM 15:37]

But Absalom asked Hushai: "Is this your devotion to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" Hushai replied to Absalom: "On the contrary, I am his whom the LORD and all this people and all Israel have chosen, and with him I will stay." [2SAM 16:17-18]

When Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David, with his sovereignty firmly established, Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. "Do you come as a friend?" she asked. "Yes," he answered, and added, "I have something to say to you." She replied, "Say it." So he said: "You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel expected me to be king. But the kingdom escaped me and became my brother's, for the LORD gave it to him. But now there is one favor I would ask of you. Do not refuse me." And she said, "Speak on." He said, "Please ask King Solomon, who will not refuse you, to give me Abishag the Shunamite for my wife." [1KGS 2:12-17]

When Hiram, king of Tyre, heard that Solomon had been anointed king in place of his father, he sent an embassy to him; for Hiram had always been David's friend. [1KGS 5:15]

Once he was seated on the royal throne, he killed off the whole house of Baasha, not sparing a single male relative or friend of his. [1KGS 16:11]

Was it not you, our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend? [2CHRON 20:7]

"Often, too, the fair speech of friends entrusted with the administration of affairs has induced many placed in authority to become accomplices in the shedding of innocent blood, and has involved them in irreparable calamities by deceiving with malicious slander the sincere good will of rulers." [ESTH E:5-6]

"Come now, be the first to obey the king's command, as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah and those who are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons shall be numbered among the King's Friends, and shall be enriched with silver and gold and many gifts." [1MACC 2:18]

When Mattathias and his friends heard of it, they mourned deeply for them. "If we all do as our kinsmen have done," they said to one another, "and do not fight against the Gentiles for our lives and our traditions, they will soon destroy us from the earth." On that day they came to this decision: "Let us fight against anyone who attacks us on the sabbath, so that we may not all die as our kinsmen died in the hiding places." Then they were joined by a group of Hasideans, valiant Israelites, all of them devout followers of the law. And all those who were fleeing from the disaster joined them and supported them. They gathered an army and struck down sinners in their anger and lawbreakers in their wrath, and the survivors fled to the Gentiles for safety. Mattathias and his friends went about and tore down the pagan altars; they also enforced circumcision for any uncircumcised boys whom they found in the territory of Israel. They put to flight the arrogant, and the work prospered in their hands. They saved the law from the hands of the Gentiles and of the kings and did not let the sinner triumph. [1MACC 2:39-48]

When the king heard this news, he was struck with fear and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. There he remained many days, overwhelmed with sorrow, for he knew he was going to die. So he called in all his Friends and said to them: "Sleep has departed from my eyes, for my heart is sinking with anxiety. I said to myself: 'Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.' But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of gold and silver that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land." Then he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and put him in charge of his whole kingdom. He gave him his crown, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he might guide the king's son Antiochus and bring him up to be king. King Antiochus died in Persia in the year one hundred and forty-nine. [1MACC 6:8-16]

They set out and, on arriving in the land of Judah with a great army, sent messengers who spoke deceitfully to Judas and his brothers in peaceful terms. But these paid no attention to their words, seeing that they had come with a great army. A group of scribes, however, gathered about Alcimus and Bacchides to ask for a just agreement. The Hasideans were the first among the Israelites to seek peace with them, for they said, "A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not do us any wrong." He spoke with them peacefully and swore to them, "We will not try to injure you or your friends." So they trusted him. But he arrested sixty of them and killed them in one day, according to the text of Scripture [Taken from 1MACC 7:10-16]

When the men of Greece had planned to come and destroy them, the Romans discovered it, and sent against the Greeks a single general who made war on them. Many were wounded and fell, and the Romans took their wives and children captive. They plundered them, took possession of their land, tore down their strongholds and reduced them to slavery even to this day. All the other kingdoms and islands that had ever opposed them they destroyed and enslaved; with their friends, however, and those who relied on them, they maintained friendship. They had conquered kings both far and near, and all who heard of their fame were afraid of them. In truth, those whom they desired to help to a kingdom became kings, and those whom they wished to depose they deposed; and they were greatly exalted. Yet with all this, none of them put on a crown or wore purple as a display of grandeur. They had made for themselves a senate house, and every day three hundred and twenty men took counsel, deliberating on all that concerned the people and their well-being. They entrusted their government to one man every year, to rule over their entire country, and they all obeyed that one, and there was no envy or jealousy among them. So Judas chose Eupolemus, son of John, son of Accos, and Jason, son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome to establish an alliance of friendship with them. [1MACC 8:9-17]

After the death of Judas, the transgressors of the law raised their heads in every part of Israel, and all kinds of evildoers appeared. In those days there was a very great famine, and the country deserted to them. Bacchides chose impious men and made them masters of the country. These sought out and hunted down the friends of Judas and brought them to Bacchides, who punished and derided them. There had not been such great distress in Israel since the time prophets ceased to appear among the people. Then all the friends of Judas came together and said to Jonathan: "Since your brother Judas died, there has been no one like him to oppose our enemies, Bacchides and those who are hostile to our nation. Now therefore we have chosen you today to be our ruler and leader in his place, and to fight our battle." From that moment Jonathan accepted the leadership, and took the place of Judas his brother. [1MACC 9:23-31]

King Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius had made to Jonathan; he was also told of the battles and valiant deeds of Jonathan and his brothers and the troubles that they had endured. He said, "Shall we ever find another man like him? Let us now make him our friend and ally." So he sent Jonathan a letter written in these terms: "King Alexander sends greetings to his brother Jonathan. We have heard of you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend. We have therefore appointed you today to be high priest of your nation; you are to be called the King's Friend, and you are to look after our interests and preserve amity with us." He also sent him a purple robe and a crown of gold. [1MACC 10:15-20]

There King Alexander met him, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage. Their wedding was celebrated at Ptolemais with great splendor according to the custom of kings. King Alexander also wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him. So he went with pomp to Ptolemais, where he met the two kings and gave them and their friends silver and gold and many gifts and thus won their favor. Some pestilent Israelites, transgressors of the law, united against him to accuse him, but the king paid no heed to them. He ordered Jonathan to be divested of his ordinary garments and to be clothed in royal purple; and so it was done. The king also had him seated at his side. He said to his magistrates: "Go with him to the center of the city and make a proclamation that no one is to bring charges against him on any grounds or be troublesome to him in any way." When his accusers saw the honor paid to him in the proclamation, and the purple with which he was clothed, they all fled. The king also honored him by numbering him among his Chief Friends and made him military commander and governor of the province. So Jonathan returned in peace and happiness to Jerusalem. [1MACC 10:58-66]

After reaching Rome, the men entered the senate chamber and said, "The high priest Jonathan and the Jewish people have sent us to renew the earlier friendship and alliance between you and them."... Onias welcomed the envoy with honor and received the letter, which clearly referred to alliance and friendship. [1MACC 12:3,8]

Consequently, King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood, made him one of his Friends, and conferred the highest honors on him. He had indeed heard that the Romans had addressed the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers and that they had received Simon's envoys with honor. [1MACC 14:38-40]

But Lysias was not a stupid man. He reflected on the defeat he had suffered, and came to realize that the Hebrews were invincible because the mighty God was their ally. He therefore sent a message persuading them to settle everything on just terms, and promising to persuade the king also, and to induce him to become their friend. Maccabeus, solicitous for the common good, agreed to all that Lysias proposed; and the king, on his part, granted in behalf of the Jews all the written requests of Maccabeus to Lysias. [2MACC 11:13-15]

A friend owes kindness to one in despair, though he have forsaken the fear of the Almighty. [JOB 6:14]

You would even cast lots for the orphan, and would barter away your friend! [JOB 6:27]

My brethren have withdrawn from me, and my friends are wholly estranged. [JOB 19:13]

All my intimate friends hold me in horror; those whom I loved have turned against me! [JOB 19:19]

He was angry also with the three friends because they had not found a good answer and had not condemned Job. [JOB 32:3]

And it came to pass after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and with your two friends; for you have not spoken rightly concerning me, as has my servant Job." [JOB 42:7]

Also, the LORD restored the prosperity of Job, after he had prayed for his friends; the LORD even gave to Job twice as much as he had before. [JOB 42:10]

LORD my God, if I am at fault in this, if there is guilt on my hands, If I have repaid my friend with evil - I spared even those who hated me without cause - Then let my enemy pursue and overtake me, trample my life to the ground, and leave me dishonored in the dust. [Taken from PS 7:4-6]

LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy mountain? Whoever walks without blame, doing what is right, speaking truth from the heart; Who does not slander a neighbor, does no harm to another, never defames a friend; Who disdains the wicked, but honors those who fear the LORD; Who keeps an oath despite the cost, lends no money at interest, accepts no bribe against the innocent. Whoever acts like this shall never be shaken. [PS 15:1-5]

Be gracious to me, LORD, for I am in distress; with grief my eyes are wasted, my soul and body spent. My life is worn out by sorrow, my years by sighing. My strength fails in affliction; my bones are consumed. To all my foes I am a thing of scorn, to my neighbors, a dreaded sight, a horror to my friends. When they see me in the street, they quickly shy away. [PS 31:10-12]

How precious is your love, O God! We take refuge in the shadow of your wings. We feast on the rich food of your house; from your delightful stream you give us drink. For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. Continue your kindness toward your friends, your just defense of the honest heart. [PS 36:8-11]

My Lord, my deepest yearning is before you; my groaning is not hidden from you. My heart shudders, my strength forsakes me; the very light of my eyes has failed. Friends and companions shun my pain; my neighbors stand far off. Those who seek my life lay snares for me; they seek my misfortune, they speak of ruin; they plot treachery all the day. [PS  38:10-13]

"Even the friend who had my trust, who shared my table, has scorned me. But you, LORD, have mercy and raise me up that I may repay them as they deserve." [PS 41:10-11]

If an enemy had reviled me, that I could bear; If my foe had viewed me with contempt, from that I could hide. But it was you, my other self, my comrade and friend, You, whose company I enjoyed, at whose side I walked in procession in the house of God. [PS 55:13-15]

God will give me freedom and peace from those who war against me, though there are many who oppose me. God, who sits enthroned forever, will hear me and humble them. For they will not mend their ways; they have no fear of God. They strike out at friends and go back on their promises. Softer than butter is their speech, but war is in their hearts. Smoother than oil are their words, but they are unsheathed swords. Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. God will never allow the righteous to stumble. But you, God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. [Taken from PS 55:19-24]

Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak; I looked for compassion, but there was none, for comforters, but found none. Instead they put gall in my food; for my thirst they gave me vinegar. Make their own table a snare for them, a trap for their friends. [PS 69:21-23]

LORD, my God, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. For my soul is filled with troubles; my life draws near to Sheol. Your wrath lies heavy upon me; all your waves crash over me. Because of you my friends shun me; you make me loathsome to them; Caged in, I cannot escape; my eyes grow dim from trouble. All day I call on you, LORD; I stretch out my hands to you. [Taken from PS 88:2-4,8-10]

Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have reduced me to silence. All the day they surge round like a flood; from every side they close in on me. Because of you companions shun me; my only friend is darkness. [PS 88:17-19]

I do not allow into my presence anyone who speaks perversely. Whoever acts shamefully I hate; no such person can be my friend. [PS 101:3]

I am the friend of all who fear you, of all who keep your precepts. [PS 119:63]

For family and friends I say, "May peace be yours." [PS 122:8]

My spirit is faint within me, but you know my path. Along the way I walk they have hidden a trap for me. I look to my right hand, but no friend is there. There is no escape for me; no one cares for me. [PS 142:4-5]

To the LORD the perverse man is an abomination, but with the upright is his friendship. [PROV 3:32]

Say to Wisdom, "You are my sister!" call Understanding, "Friend!" [PROV 7:4]

Even by his neighbor the poor man is hated, but the friends of the rich are many. [PROV 14:20]

An intriguer sows discord, and a talebearer separates bosom friends. [PROV 16:28]

He who covers up a misdeed fosters friendship, but he who gossips about it separates friends. [PROV 17:9]

He who is a friend is always a friend, and a brother is born for the time of stress. [PROV 17:17]

A brother is a better defense than a strong city, and a friend is like the bars of a castle. [PROV 18:19]

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who make it a friend shall eat its fruit. [PROV 18:21]

Some friends bring ruin on us, but a true friend is more loyal than a brother. [PROV 18:24]

Wealth adds many friends, but the friend of the poor man deserts him. [PROV 19:4]

Many curry favor with a noble; all are friends of the man who has something to give. [PROV 19:6]

All the poor man's brothers hate him; how much more do his friends shun him! [PROV 19:7]

He who gains intelligence is his own best friend; he who keeps understanding will be successful. [PROV 19:8]

The LORD loves the pure of heart; the man of winning speech has the king for his friend. [PROV 22:11]

Be not friendly with a hotheaded man, nor the companion of a wrathful man, Lest you learn his ways, and get yourself into a snare. [PROV 22:24-25]

Wounds from a friend may be accepted as well meant, but the greetings of an enemy one prays against. [PROV 27:6]

Your own friend and your father's friend forsake not; but if ruin befalls you, enter not a kinsman's house. Better is a neighbor near at hand than a brother far away. [PROV 27:10]

It was the wicked who with hands and words invited death, considered it a friend, and pined for it, and made a covenant with it, Because they deserve to be in its possession [Taken from WISDOM 1:16]

For to men [wisdom] is an unfailing treasure; those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God, to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them. [Taken from WISDOM 7:14]

And [wisdom], who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself perduring; And passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. [Taken from WISDOM 7:27]

Thinking thus within myself, and reflecting in my heart That there is immortality in kinship with Wisdom, and good pleasure in her friendship, and unfailing riches in the works of her hands, And that in frequenting her society there is prudence, and fair renown in sharing her discourses, I went about seeking to take her for my own. [WISDOM 8:17-18]

He has poured [wisdom] forth upon all his works, upon every living thing according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his friends. [Taken SIRACH 1:8]

Say nothing harmful, small or great; be not a foe instead of a friend; A bad name and disgrace will you acquire: "That for the evil man with double tongue!" [SIRACH 6:1]

A kind mouth multiplies friends, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant. When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him. For one sort of friend is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress. Another is a friend who becomes an enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame. Another is a friend, a boon companion, who will not be with you when sorrow comes. When things go well, he is your other self, and lords it over your servants; But if you are brought low, he turns against you and avoids meeting you. Keep away from your enemies; be on your guard with your friends. [SIRACH 6:5-13]

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. [SIRACH 6:14]

A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. [SIRACH 6:15]

A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself. [SIRACH 6:16-17]

Plot no mischief against your brother, nor against your friend and companion. [SIRACH 7:12]

Barter not a friend for money, nor a dear brother for the gold of Ophir. [SIRACH 7:18]

Discard not an old friend, for the new one cannot equal him. A new friend is like new wine which you drink with pleasure only when it has aged. [SIRACH 9:10]

In our prosperity we cannot know our friends; in adversity an enemy will not remain concealed. When a man is successful even his enemy is friendly; in adversity even his friend disappears. [SIRACH 12:8-9]

When a rich man stumbles he is supported by a friend; when a poor man trips he is pushed down by a friend. [SIRACH 13:20]

Before you die, be good to your friend, and give him a share in what you possess. [SIRACH 14:13]

Never repeat gossip, and you will not be reviled. Tell nothing to friend or foe; if you have a fault, reveal it not, For he who hears it will hold it against you, and in time become your enemy. Let anything you hear die within you; be assured it will not make you burst. [SIRACH 19:6-9]

Admonish your friend - he may not have done it; and if he did, that he may not do it again. [SIRACH 19:12]

Admonish your friend - often it may be slander; every story you must not believe. [SIRACH 19:14]

A fool has no friends, nor thanks for his generosity; Those who eat his bread have an evil tongue. How many times they laugh him to scorn! [SIRACH 20:15-16]

A man makes a promise to a friend out of shame, and has him for his enemy needlessly. [SIRACH 20:22]

Should you draw a sword against a friend, despair not, it can be undone. Should you speak sharply to a friend, fear not, you can be reconciled. But a contemptuous insult, a confidence broken, or a treacherous attack will drive away any friend. [SIRACH 22:21-22]

Make fast friends with a man while he is poor; thus will you enjoy his prosperity with him. In time of trouble remain true to him, so as to share in his inheritance when it comes. [SIRACH 22:23]

From a friend in need of support no one need hide in shame; But from him who brings harm to his friend all will stand aloof who hear of it. [SIRACH 22:25-26]

With three things I am delighted, for they are pleasing to the LORD and to men: Harmony among brethren, friendship among neighbors, and the mutual love of husband and wife. [SIRACH 25:1]

Happy is he who finds a friend and he who speaks to attentive ears. [SIRACH 25:9]

He who betrays a secret cannot be trusted, he will never find an intimate friend. Cherish your friend, keep faith with him; but if you betray his confidence, follow him not; For as an enemy might kill a man, you have killed your neighbor's friendship. Like a bird released from the hand, you have let your friend go and cannot recapture him [Taken from SIRACH 27:16-19]

Avoid strife and your sins will be fewer, for a quarrelsome man kindles disputes, Commits the sin of disrupting friendship and sows discord among those at peace. [SIRACH 28:8-9]

To a poor man, however, be generous; keep him not waiting for your alms; Because of the precept, help the needy, and in their want, do not send them away empty-handed. Spend your money for your brother and friend, and hide it not under a stone to perish; Dispose of your treasure as the Most High commands, for that will profit you more than the gold. [SIRACH 29:8-11]

He who loves his son chastises him often, that he may be his joy when he grows up. He who disciplines his son will benefit from him, and boast of him among his intimates. He who educates his son makes his enemy jealous, and shows his delight in him among his friends. At the father's death, he will seem not dead, since he leaves after him one like himself, Whom he looks upon through life with joy, and even in death, without regret: The avenger he leaves against his foes, and the one to repay his friends with kindness. [SIRACH 30:1-6]

A fickle friend is like the stallion that neighs, no matter who the rider. [SIRACH 33:6]

Let neither son nor wife, neither brother nor friend, have power over you as long as you live. [SIRACH 33:20]

Every friend declares his friendship, but there are friends who are friends in name only. Is it not a sorrow unto death when your bosom companion becomes your enemy? "Alas, my companion! Why were you created to blanket the earth with deceit?" A false friend will share your joys, but in time of trouble he stands afar off. A true friend will fight with you against the foe, against your enemies he will be your shield-bearer. Forget not your comrade during the battle, and neglect him not when you distribute your spoils. [SIRACH 37:1-6]

A friend, a neighbor, are timely guides, but better than either, a prudent wife. [SIRACH 40:23]

My children, heed my instruction about shame; judge of disgrace only according to my rules, For it is not always well to be ashamed, nor is it always the proper thing to blush: Before father and mother be ashamed of immorality, before master and mistress, of falsehood; Before prince and ruler, of flattery; before the public assembly, of crime; Before friend and companion, of disloyalty, and of breaking an oath or agreement. Be ashamed of theft from the people where you settle, and of stretching out your elbow when you dine; Of refusing to give when asked, of defrauding another of his appointed share, Of failing to return a greeting, and of rebuffing a friend; Of gazing at a married woman, and of entertaining thoughts about another's wife... Of using harsh words with friends, and of following up your gifts with insults; Of repeating what you hear, and of betraying secrets - These are the things you should rightly avoid as shameful if you would be looked upon by everyone with favor. [Taken from SIRACH 41:14-24]

Phinehas too, the son of Eleazar, was the courageous third of his line When, zealous for the God of all, he met the crisis of his people And, at the prompting of his noble heart, atoned for the children of Israel. Therefore on him again God conferred the right, in a covenant of friendship, to provide for the sanctuary, So that he and his descendants should possess the high priesthood forever. [SIRACH 45:23-24]

But God does not withdraw his mercy, nor permit even one of his promises to fail. He does not uproot the posterity of his chosen one, nor destroy the offspring of his friend. So he gave to Jacob a remnant, to David a root from his own family. [SIRACH 47:22]

Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside... [ISA 5:1]

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend - You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and summoned from its far-off places, You whom I have called my servant, whom I have chosen and will not cast off - Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice. [ISA 41:8-10]

Violence upon violence, deceit upon deceit: They refuse to recognize me, says the LORD. Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: I will smelt them and test them; how else should I deal with their wickedness? A murderous arrow is his tongue, his mouth utters deceit; He speaks cordially with his friends, but in his heart he lays an ambush! For these things, says the LORD, shall I not punish them? On a nation such as this shall I not take vengeance? [JER 9:5-8]

For even your own brothers, the members of your father's house, betray you; they have recruited a force against you. Do not believe them, even if they are friendly to you in their words. [JER 12:6]

Go not into a house of mourning, the LORD continued: go not there to lament or offer sympathy. For I have withdrawn my friendship from this people, says the LORD, my kindness and my pity. [JER 16:5]

Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; The word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it. Yes, I hear the whisperings of many: "Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!" All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. "Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him." But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. [JER 20:8-11]

No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more. [JER 31:34]

Bitterly she weeps at night, tears upon her cheeks, With not one to console her of all her dear ones; Her friends have all betrayed her and become her enemies. [LAM 1:2]

Daniel was the king's favorite and was held in higher esteem than any of the friends of the king. [DAN 14:2]

The faithful are gone from the earth, among men the upright are no more! They all lie in wait to shed blood, each one ensnares the other. Their hands succeed at evil; the prince makes demands, The judge is had for a price, The great man speaks as he pleases, The best of them is like a brier, the most upright like a thorn hedge. The day announced by your watchmen! your punishment has come; now is the time of your confusion. Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a companion; Against her who lies in your bosom guard the portals of your mouth. [MICAH 7:2-5]

Yes, he shall build the temple of the LORD, and taking up the royal insignia, he shall sit as ruler upon his throne. The priest shall be put at his right hand, and between the two of them there shall be friendly understanding. [ZECH 6:13]

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works." [MT 11:19]

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests and the elders of the people. His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying, "The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him." Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and he kissed him. Jesus answered him, "Friend, do what you have come for." Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. [MT 26:47-50]

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by all her children." [LK 7:34-35]

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence." [LK 11:5-8]

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." [LK 14:7-14]

"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'" [LK 15:4-6]

"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.'" [LK 15:8-9]

I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. [LK 16:9]

You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. [LK 21:16]

Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. [LK 23:12]

He said this, and then told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him." So the disciples said to him, "Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved." But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, "Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him." [JN 11:11-15]

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. [JN 15:13]

You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. [JN 15:14-16]

Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, "If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge's bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. [JN 19:12-13]

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [ACTS 13:1]

The city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed with one accord into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians, Paul's traveling companions. Paul wanted to go before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him, and even some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him advising him not to venture into the theater. [ACTS 19:29-31]

Then Felix, who was accurately informed about the Way, postponed the trial, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I shall decide your case." He gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from caring for his needs. [ACTS 24:22-23]

On the following day we put in at Sidon where Julius was kind enough to allow Paul to visit his friends who took care of him. [ACTS 27:3]

Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called "the friend of God." [JMS 2:23]

Peace be with you. The friends greet you; greet the friends there each by name. [3JN 1:15]

Also try: 

fellowship / Christian behavior towards others [E1a]

help / helper [H11a]

love / love of God / loving / loved [L7a]

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