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He alone stretches out the heavens and treads
upon the crests of the sea. [JOB 9:8]
Can you penetrate the designs of God? Dare you
vie with the perfection of the Almighty? It is higher than the
heavens; what can you do? It is deeper than the nether world; what
can you know? It is longer than the earth in measure, and broader
than the sea. If he seize and imprison or call to judgment, who
then can say him nay? [JOB 11:7-10]
Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and
my spokesman is on high. My friends it is who wrong me; before God
my eyes drop tears, That he may do justice for a mortal in his
presence and decide between a man and his neighbor. For my years
are numbered now, and I am on a journey from which I shall not
return. [JOB 16:19-22]
Do you not know this from olden time, since man
was placed upon the earth, That the triumph of the wicked is short
and the joy of the impious but for a moment? Though his pride
mount up to the heavens and his head reach to the clouds, Yet he
perishes forever like the fuel of his fire, and the onlookers say,
"Where is he?" Like a dream he takes flight and is not
found again; he fades away like a vision of the night. The eye
which saw him does so no more; nor shall his dwelling again behold
him. Though his frame is full of youthful vigor, this shall lie
with him in the dust. [JOB 20:4-11]
Does not God, in the heights of the heavens,
behold the stars, high though they are? [JOB 22:12]
Dominion and awesomeness are his who brings
about harmony in his heavens. [JOB 25:2]
The pillars of the heavens tremble and are
stunned at his thunderous rebuke [Taken from JOB 26:11]
For he beholds the ends of the earth and sees
all that is under the heavens. [JOB 28:24]
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens; can
you put into effect their plan on the earth? Can you raise your
voice among the clouds, or veil yourself in the waters of the
storm? Can you send forth the lightnings on their way, or will
they say to you, "Here we are"? Who counts the clouds in
his wisdom? Or who tilts the water jars of heaven So that the dust
of earth is fused into a mass and its clods made solid? [Taken
from JOB 38:33-38]
Why do the nations protest and the peoples
grumble in vain? Kings on earth rise up and princes plot together
against the LORD and his anointed: "Let us break their
shackles and cast off their chains!" The one enthroned in
heaven laughs; the Lord derides them, Then speaks to them in
anger, terrifies them in wrath: "I myself have installed my
king on Zion, my holy mountain." [PS 2:1-6]
O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name
through all the earth! You have set your majesty above the
heavens! Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have drawn a
defense against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger. When I
see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars
that you set in place - What are humans that you are mindful of
them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them
little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor. [PS 8:2-6]
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD'S
throne is in heaven. God's eyes keep careful watch; they test all
peoples. The LORD tests the good and the bad, hates those who love
violence, And rains upon the wicked fiery coals and brimstone, a
scorching wind their allotted cup. The LORD is just and loves just
deeds; the upright shall see his face. [PS 11:4-7]
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the human
race, To see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God. All have
gone astray; all alike are perverse. Not one does what is right,
not even one. [PS 14:2-3]
In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out
to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him
reached his ears. The earth rocked and shook; the foundations of
the mountains trembled; they shook as his wrath flared up. Smoke
rose in his nostrils, a devouring fire poured from his mouth; it
kindled coals into flame. He parted the heavens and came down, a
dark cloud under his feet. Mounted on a cherub he flew, borne
along on the wings of the wind. He made darkness the cover about
him; his canopy, heavy thunderheads. Before him scudded his
clouds, hail and lightning too. The LORD thundered from heaven;
the Most High made his voice resound. He let fly his arrows and
scattered them; shot his lightning bolts and dispersed them. Then
the bed of the sea appeared; the world's foundations lay bare, At
the roar of the LORD, at the storming breath of his nostrils. He
reached down from on high and seized me; drew me out of the deep
waters. He rescued me from my mighty enemy, from foes too powerful
for me. They attacked me on a day of distress, but the LORD came
to my support. [PS 18:7-19]
The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky
proclaims its builder's craft. [PS 19:2]
Now I know victory is given to the anointed of
the LORD. God will answer him from the holy heavens with a strong
arm that brings victory. [PS 20:7]
Give to the LORD, you heavenly beings, give to the LORD glory and might;
Give to the LORD the glory due God's name. Bow down before the LORD'S holy splendor!
[PS 29:1-2]
By the LORD'S word the heavens were made; by
the breath of his mouth all their host. [PS 33:6]
From heaven the LORD looks down and observes the whole human race, Surveying from the royal throne all who dwell on earth. The one who fashioned the hearts of them all knows all their works.
[PS 33:13-15]
LORD, your love reaches to heaven; your fidelity, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the highest mountains; your judgments, like the mighty deep; all living creatures you sustain, LORD. How precious is your love, O God! We take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
[PS 36:6-8]
Streams of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High. [PS 46:5]
From Zion God shines forth. perfect in beauty.
Our God comes and will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes,
storming fiercely round about. God summons the heavens above and
the earth to the judgment of his people: "Gather my faithful
ones before me, those who made a covenant with me by
sacrifice." The heavens proclaim divine justice, for God
alone is the judge. [PS 50:2-6]
I know every bird of the heavens; the creatures
of the field belong to me. [PS 50:11]
God looks down from heaven upon the human race,
To see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God. All have gone astray; all alike are perverse. Not one does what is right, not even one.
[PS 53:3-4]
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me. In you
I seek shelter. In the shadow of your wings I seek shelter till
harm pass by. I call to God Most High, to God who provides for me.
May God send help from heaven to save me, shame those who trample
upon me. May God send fidelity and love. [Taken from PS 57:2-4]
Show yourself over the heavens, God; may
your glory appear above all the earth. They have set a trap
for my feet; my soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit
before me. May they fall into it themselves! My heart is
steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and
chant praise. Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I
will wake the dawn. I will praise you among the peoples,
Lord; I will chant your praise among the nations. For your
love towers to the heavens; your faithfulness, to the skies.
Show yourself over the heavens, God; may your glory appear
above all the earth. [PS 57:6-12]
God, when you went forth before your people, when you marched
through the desert, Selah The earth quaked, the heavens shook,
before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You
claimed a land as your own, O God; your people settled there.
There you poured abundant rains, God, graciously given to the poor
in their need. [PS 68:8-11]
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; chant
the praises of the Lord, Selah Who rides the heights of the
ancient heavens, whose voice is thunder, mighty thunder. Confess
the power of God, whose majesty protects Israel, whose power is in
the sky. Awesome is God in his holy place, the God of Israel, who
gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! [PS 69:33-36]
God, you have taught me from my youth; to this
day I proclaim your wondrous deeds. Now that I am old and gray, do
not forsake me, God, That I may proclaim your might to all
generations yet to come, Your power and justice, God, to the
highest heaven. You have done great things; O God, who is your
equal? [PS 71:17-19]
But, as for me, I lost my balance; my feet all
but slipped, Because I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked. For they suffer no pain; their bodies
are healthy and sleek. They are free of the burdens of life; they
are not afflicted like others. Thus pride adorns them as a
necklace; violence clothes them as a robe. Out of their stupidity
comes sin; evil thoughts flood their hearts. They scoff and spout
their malice; from on high they utter threats. They set their
mouths against the heavens, their tongues roam the earth. So my
people turn to them and drink deeply of their words. They say,
"Does God really know?" "Does the Most High have
any knowledge?" Such, then, are the wicked, always carefree,
increasing their wealth. Is it in vain that I have kept my heart
clean, washed my hands in innocence? For I am afflicted day after
day, chastised every morning. Had I thought, "I will speak as
they do," I would have betrayed your people. Though I tried
to understand all this, it was too difficult for me, Till I
entered the sanctuary of God and came to understand their end. You
set them, indeed, on a slippery road; you hurl them down to ruin.
How suddenly they are devastated; undone by disasters forever! [PS
73:2-19]
Whom else have I in the heavens? None beside you delights me on earth.
Though my flesh and my heart fail, God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever. [PS 73:25-26]
So I say to the boastful: "Do not
boast!" to the wicked: "Do not raise your horns! Do not
raise your horns against heaven! Do not speak arrogantly against
the Rock!" For judgment comes not from east or from west, not
from the desert or from the mountains, But from God who decides,
who brings some low and raises others high. Yes, a cup is in the
LORD'S hand, foaming wine, fully spiced. When God pours it out,
they will drain it even to the dregs; all the wicked of the earth
must drink. [PS 75:5-9]
At your roar, O God of Jacob, chariots and
steeds lay still. So terrible and awesome are you; who can stand
before you and your great anger? From the heavens you pronounced
sentence; the earth was terrified and reduced to silence, When you
arose, O God, for judgment to deliver the afflicted of the land. [Taken
from PS 76:7-10]
So he commanded the skies above; the doors of
heaven he opened. God rained manna upon them for food; bread from
heaven he gave them. All ate a meal fit for heroes; food he sent
in abundance. He stirred up the east wind in the heavens; by his
power God brought on the south wind. [Taken from PS 78:23-26]
God chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which
he favored. He built his shrine like the heavens, like the earth
which he founded forever. He chose David his servant, took him
from the sheepfold. From tending sheep God brought him, to
shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage. He shepherded
them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them. [PS
78:68-72]
Turn again, LORD of hosts; look down from heaven
and see; Attend to this vine, the shoot your right hand has
planted. Those who would burn or cut it down - may they perish at
your rebuke. May your help be with the man at your right hand,
with the one whom you once made strong. Then we will not withdraw
from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. LORD of hosts,
restore us; let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. [PS
80:15-20]
I will listen for the word of God; surely the
LORD will proclaim peace To his people, to the faithful, to those
who trust in him. Near indeed is salvation for the loyal;
prosperity will fill our land. Love and truth will meet; justice
and peace will kiss. Truth will spring from the earth; justice
will look down from heaven. The LORD will surely grant abundance;
our land will yield its increase. Prosperity will march before the
Lord, and good fortune will follow behind. [PS 85:9-14]
The LORD loves the city founded on holy
mountains, Loves the gates of Zion more than any dwelling in
Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! [Taken from
PS 87:1-3]
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
proclaim your loyalty through all ages. For you said, "My
love is established forever; my loyalty will stand as long as the
heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn
to David my servant: I will make your dynasty stand forever and
establish your throne through all ages." [Taken from PS 89:2-5]
The heavens praise your marvels, LORD, your loyalty in the assembly of the holy ones.
[PS 89:6]
LORD, God of hosts, who is like you? Mighty
LORD, your loyalty is always present. You rule the raging sea; you
still its swelling waves. You crushed Rahab with a mortal blow;
your strong arm scattered your foes. Yours are the heavens, yours
the earth; you founded the world and everything in it. [Taken from
PS 89:9-12]
Once you spoke in vision; to your faithful ones
you said: "I have set a leader over the warriors; I have
raised up a hero from the army. I have chosen David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him. My hand will be with him; my
arm will make him strong. No enemy shall outwit him, nor shall the
wicked defeat him. I will crush his foes before him, strike down
those who hate him. My loyalty and love will be with him; through
my name his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand upon the
sea, his right hand upon the rivers. He shall cry to me, 'You are
my father, my God, the Rock that brings me victory!' I myself make
him firstborn, Most High over the kings of the earth. Forever I
will maintain my love for him; my covenant with him stands firm. I
will establish his dynasty forever, his throne as the days of the
heavens. If his descendants forsake my law, do not follow my
decrees, If they fail to observe my statutes, do not keep my
commandments, I will punish their crime with a rod and their guilt
with lashes. But I will not take my love from him, nor will I
betray my bond of loyalty. I will not violate my covenant; the
promise of my lips I will not alter. By my holiness I swore once
for all: I will never be false to David. His dynasty will continue
forever, his throne, like the sun before me. Like the moon it will
stand eternal, forever firm like the sky!" [Taken from PS 89:20-38]
More powerful than the roar of many waters, more
powerful than the breakers of the sea, powerful in the heavens is
the LORD. [PS 93:4]
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised, to be feared above all gods.
For the gods of the nations all do nothing, but the LORD made the heavens. [PS 96:4-5]
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful
and all that is in them. Then let all the trees of the forest
rejoice before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth,
To govern the world with justice and the peoples with
faithfulness. [PS 96:11-13]
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim God's justice; all peoples see his glory.
[PS 97:5-6]
"The LORD looked down from the holy heights, viewed the earth from heaven, To attend to the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die."
[Taken from PS 102:20-21]
Of old you laid the earth's foundations; the
heavens are the work of your hands. They perish, but you remain;
they all wear out like a garment; Like clothing you change them
and they are changed, but you are the same, your years have no
end. May the children of your servants live on; may their
descendants live in your presence. [PS 102:26-29]
As the heavens tower over the earth, so
God's love towers over the faithful. [PS 103:11]
The LORD'S throne is established in heaven;
God's royal power rules over all. [PS 103:19]
Bless the LORD, my soul! LORD, my God, you are
great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in
light as with a cloak. You spread out the heavens like a tent; you
raised your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your
chariot; you travel on the wings of the wind. You make the winds
your messengers; flaming fire, your ministers. [PS 104:1-4]
You made springs flow into channels that wind
among the mountains. They give drink to every beast of the field;
here wild asses quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of
heaven nest; among the branches they sing. You water the mountains
from your palace; by your labor the earth abounds. [PS 104:10-13]
I will praise you among the peoples, LORD; I
will chant your praise among the nations. For your love towers to
the heavens; your faithfulness, to the skies. Appear on high over
the heavens, God; may your glory appear above all the earth. Help
with your right hand and answer us that your loved ones may
escape. [PS 108:4-7]
High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens God's glory.
Who is like the LORD, our God enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth?
[PS 113:4-6]
Our God is in heaven; whatever God wills is
done. [PS 115:3]
May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven
and earth. [PS 115:15]
The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth is
given to us. [PS 115:16]
Your word, LORD, stands forever; it is firm as the heavens. Through all generations your truth endures; fixed to stand firm like the earth.
[PS 119:89-90]
I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
[PS 121:1-2]
To you I raise my eyes, to
you enthroned in heaven. [PS 123:1]
Our help is the name of the LORD, the maker of
heaven and earth. [PS 124:8]
Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the
LORD Who stand in the house of the LORD through the long hours of
night. Lift up your hands toward the sanctuary, and bless the
LORD. May the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion. [PS
134:1-3]
Whatever the LORD wishes he does in heaven and
on earth, in the seas and in all the deeps. [PS 135:6]
Who skillfully made the heavens, God's love
endures forever [Taken from PS 136:5]
Praise the God of heaven, God's love endures
forever. [PS 136:26]
Where can I hide from your spirit? From your
presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are
there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too. If I fly with
the wings of dawn and alight beyond the sea, Even there your hand
will guide me, your right hand hold me fast. [Taken from PS 139:7-10]
LORD, incline your heavens and come; touch the
mountains and make them smoke. Flash forth lightning and scatter
my foes; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach out your hand from
on high; deliver me from the many waters; rescue me from the hands
of foreign foes. Their mouths speak untruth; their right hands are
raised in lying oaths. [PS 144:5-8]
Happy those whose help is Jacob's God, whose
hope is in the LORD, their God, The maker of heaven and earth, the
seas and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever, secures
justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. [Taken from
PS 146:5-7]
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; with the
lyre celebrate our God, Who covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth, makes grass sprout on the mountains,
Who gives animals their food and ravens what they cry for. [PS
147:7-9]
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens;
give praise in the heights. Praise him, all you angels; give
praise, all you hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; give praise, all
shining stars. Praise him, highest heavens, you waters above the
heavens. Let them all praise the LORD'S name; for the LORD
commanded and they were created, Assigned them duties forever,
gave them tasks that will never change. Praise the LORD from the
earth, you sea monsters and all deep waters; You lightning and
hail, snow and clouds, storm winds that fulfill his command; You
mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; You animals
wild and tame, you creatures that crawl and fly; You kings of the
earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth; Young
men and women too, old and young alike. Let them all praise the
LORD'S name, for his name alone is exalted, majestic above earth
and heaven. [PS 148:1-13]
Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy sanctuary; give praise in the mighty dome of heaven. Give praise for his mighty deeds, praise him for his great majesty.
[Taken from PS 150:1-2]
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, established the heavens by understanding; By his knowledge the depths break open, and the clouds drop down dew. [PROV 3:19-20]
"I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and
judicious knowledge I attain... The LORD begot me, the
first-born of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long
ago; From of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the
earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there
were no fountains or springs of water; Before the mountains were
settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; While
as yet the earth and the fields were not made, nor the first clods
of the world. When he established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep" [Taken from PROV 8:12,22-27]
Toil not to gain wealth, cease to be concerned about it; While your glance flits to it, it is gone! for assuredly it grows wings, like the eagle that flies toward heaven.
[PROV 23:4-5]
As the heavens in height, and the earth in
depth, the heart of kings is unfathomable. [PROV 25:3]
The pronouncement of mortal man: "I am not
God; I am not God, that I should prevail. Why, I am the most
stupid of men, and have not even human intelligence; Neither have
I learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One. Who
has gone up to heaven and come down again - who has cupped the
wind in his hands? Who has bound up the waters in a cloak - who
has marked out all the ends of the earth? What is his name, what
is his son's name, if you know it?" [Taken from PROV 30:1-4]
I said to myself, "Come, now, let me try you with pleasure and the enjoyment of good things." But behold, this too was vanity. Of laughter I said: "Mad!" and of mirth: "What good does this do?" I thought of beguiling my senses with wine, though my mind was concerned with wisdom, and of taking up folly, until I should understand what is best for men to do under the heavens during the limited days of their life. [ECCL 2:1-3]
There is an appointed time for everything, and a
time for every affair under the heavens. [ECCL 3:1]
Be not hasty in your utterance and let not your
heart be quick to make a promise in God's presence. God is in
heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few. For
nightmares come with many cares, and a fool's utterance with many
words. When you make a vow to God, delay not its fulfillment. For
God has no pleasure in fools; fulfill what you have vowed. You had
better not make a vow than make it and not fulfill it. Let not
your utterances make you guilty, and say not before his
representative, "It was a mistake," lest God be angered
by such words and destroy the works of your hands. Rather, fear
God!
[ECCL 5:1-6]
Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and
was present when you made the world; Who understands what is
pleasing in your eyes and what is conformable with your commands.
Send her forth from your holy heavens and from your glorious
throne dispatch her That she may be with me and work with me, that
I may know what is your pleasure. [WISDOM 9:9-10]
And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and
what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things
are in heaven, who can search them out? [WISDOM 9:16]
For all men were by nature foolish who were in
ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not
succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not
discern the artisan; But either fire, or wind, or the swift air,
or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the
luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered
gods. Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods,
let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for
the original source of beauty fashioned them. [WISDOM 13:1-3]
Instead of this, you nourished your people with
food of angels and furnished them bread from heaven, ready to
hand, untoiled-for, endowed with all delights and conforming to
every taste. For this substance of yours revealed your sweetness
toward your children, and serving the desire of him who received
it, was blended to whatever flavor each one wished. [WISDOM 16:20-21]
For when peaceful stillness compassed everything
and the night in its swift course was half spent, Your
all-powerful word from heaven's royal throne bounded, a fierce
warrior, into the doomed land, bearing the sharp sword of your
inexorable decree. And as he alighted, he filled every place with
death; he still reached to heaven, while he stood upon the earth. [WISDOM
18:14-16]
All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it
remains forever. The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain, the
days of eternity: who can number these? Heaven's height, earth's
breadth, the depths of the abyss: who can explore these? [Taken
from SIRACH 1:1-3]
Say not: "I am hidden from God; in heaven
who remembers me? Among so many people I cannot be known; what am
I in the world of spirits? Behold, the heavens, the heaven of
heavens, the earth and the abyss tremble at his visitation; The
roots of the mountains, the earth's foundations, at his mere
glance, quiver and quake. Of me, therefore, he will take no
thought; with my ways who will concern himself? If I sin, no eye
will see me; if all in secret I am disloyal, who is to know? Who
tells him of just deeds and what could I expect for doing my
duty?" Such are the thoughts of senseless men, which only the
foolish knave will think. [SIRACH 16:15-21]
God watches over the hosts of highest heaven,
while all men are dust and ashes. [SIRACH 17:27]
Wisdom sings her own praises, before her own
people she proclaims her glory; In the assembly of the Most High
she opens her mouth, in the presence of his hosts she declares her
worth: "From the mouth of the Most High I came forth, and
mistlike covered the earth. In the highest heavens did I dwell, my
throne on a pillar of cloud. The vault of heaven I compassed
alone, through the deep abyss I wandered. Over waves of the sea,
over all the land, over every people and nation I held sway."
[Taken from SIRACH
24:1-6]
Like the sun rising in the LORD'S heavens, the
beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home. [SIRACH
26:16]
He who serves God willingly is heard; his
petition reaches the heavens. [SIRACH 35:16]
The clear vault of the sky shines forth like heaven itself, a vision of glory.
The orb of the sun, resplendent at its rising: what a wonderful work of the Most High! [SIRACH 43:1-2]
The beauty, the glory, of the heavens are the
stars that adorn with their sparkling the heights of God, At whose
command they keep their place and never relax in their vigils. A
weapon against the flood waters stored on high, lighting up the
firmament by its brilliance, Behold the rainbow! Then bless its
Maker, for majestic indeed is its splendor; It spans the heavens
with its glory, this bow bent by the mighty hand of God. [Taken
from SIRACH 43:9-12]
For Moses ordained him and anointed him with the
holy oil, In a lasting covenant with him and with his family, as
permanent as the heavens, That he should serve God in his
priesthood and bless his people in his name. [SIRACH 45:15]
Then the LORD thundered forth from heaven, and
the tremendous roar of his voice was heard. He brought low the
rulers of the enemy and destroyed all the lords of the
Philistines. When Samuel approached the end of his life, he
testified before the LORD and his anointed prince, "No bribe
or secret gift have I taken from any man!" and no one dared
gainsay him. Even when he lay buried, his guidance was sought; he
made known to the king his fate, And from the grave he raised his
voice as a prophet, to put an end to wickedness. [SIRACH 46:17-20]
Till like a fire there appeared the prophet
whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he
shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; By God's word
he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. [SIRACH
48:1-3]
And now, bless the God of all, who has done
wondrous things on earth; Who fosters men's growth from their
mother's womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he
grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; May his
goodness toward us endure in Israel as long as the heavens are
above. [SIRACH 50:22-24]
Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth, for the
LORD speaks: Sons have I raised and reared, but they have disowned
me! An ox knows its owner, and an ass, its master's manger; But
Israel does not know, my people has not understood. Ah! sinful
nation, people laden with wickedness, evil race, corrupt children!
They have forsaken the LORD, spurned the Holy One of Israel,
apostatized. [ISA 1:2-4]
Listen! the rumble on the mountains: that of an
immense throng! Listen! the noise of kingdoms, nations assembled!
The LORD of hosts is mustering an army for battle. They come from
a far-off country, and from the end of the heavens, The LORD and
the instruments of his wrath, to destroy all the land. Howl, for
the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it
comes. Therefore all hands fall helpless, the bows of the young
men fall from their hands. Every man's heart melts in terror.
Pangs and sorrows take hold of them, like a woman in labor they
writhe; They look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. Lo,
the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and burning anger; To
lay waste the land and destroy the sinners within it! The stars
and constellations of the heavens send forth no light; The sun is
dark when it rises, and the light of the moon does not shine. Thus
I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their
guilt. I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, the
insolence of tyrants I will humble. I will make mortals more rare
than pure gold, men, than gold of Ophir. For this I will make the
heavens tremble and the earth shall be shaken from its place, At
the wrath of the LORD of hosts on the day of his burning anger. [ISA
13:4-13]
How have you fallen from the heavens, O morning
star, son of the dawn! How are you cut down to the ground, you who
mowed down the nations! You said in your heart: "I will scale
the heavens; Above the stars of God I will set up my throne; I
will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, in the recesses of the
North. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like
the Most High!" Yet down to the nether world you go to the
recesses of the pit! When they see you they will stare, pondering
over you: "Is this the man who made the earth tremble, and
kingdoms quake?" [Taken from ISA 14:12-16]
The earth mourns and fades, the world languishes
and fades; both heaven and earth languish. The earth is polluted
because of its inhabitants, who have transgressed laws, violated
statutes, broken the ancient covenant. [ISA 24:4-5]
"The earth will burst asunder, the earth will be
shaken apart, the earth will be convulsed. The earth will reel
like a drunkard, and it will sway like a hut; Its rebellion will
weigh it down, until it falls, never to rise again." On that
day the LORD will punish the host of the heavens in the heavens,
and the kings of the earth on the earth. They will be gathered
together like prisoners into a pit; They will be shut up in a
dungeon, and after many days they will be punished. Then the moon
will blush and the sun grow pale, For the LORD of hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, glorious in the sight of his
elders. [Taken from ISA 24:19-23]
Come near, O nations, and hear; be attentive, O
peoples! Let the earth and what fills it listen, the world and all
it produces. The LORD is angry with all the nations and is
wrathful against all their host; he has doomed them and given them
over to slaughter. Their slain shall be cast out, their corpses
shall send up a stench; The mountains shall run with their blood,
and all the hills shall rot; The heavens shall be rolled up like a
scroll, and all their host shall wither away, As the leaf wilts on
the vine, or as the fig withers on the tree. When my sword has
drunk its fill in the heavens, lo, it shall come down in judgment
upon Edom, a people I have doomed.
[ISA 34:1-5]
Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the
messengers and read it; then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him, he prayed to the LORD: "O
LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You
alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made
the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD and see! Hear all the words of the letter
that Sennacherib sent to taunt the living God. Truly, O LORD, the
kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands,
and cast their gods into the fire; they destroyed them because
they were not gods but the work of human hands, wood and stone.
Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, alone are
God." [ISA 37:14-20]
Like a swallow I utter shrill cries; I moan like a dove.
My eyes grow weak, gazing heavenward: O Lord, I am in straits; be my surety!
[ISA 38:14]
Who has cupped in his hand the waters of the
sea, and marked off the heavens with a span? Who has held in a
measure the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and
the hills in a balance? Who has directed the spirit of the LORD,
or has instructed him as his counselor? Whom did he consult to
gain knowledge? Who taught him the path of judgment, or showed him
the way of understanding? [ISA 40:12-14]
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Was it not
foretold you from the beginning? Have you not understood? Since
the earth was founded He sits enthroned above the vault of the
earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; He stretches out
the heavens like a veil, spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
He brings princes to nought and makes the rulers of the earth as
nothing. Scarcely are they planted or sown, scarcely is their stem
rooted in the earth, When he breathes upon them and they wither,
and the stormwind carries them away like straw. To whom can you
liken me as an equal? says the Holy One. [ISA 40:21-25]
Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens
and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have
grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant
of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the
blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the
dungeon, those who live in darkness. I am the LORD, this is my
name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See,
the earlier things have come to pass, new ones I now foretell;
Before they spring into being, I announce them to you. [Taken from
ISA 42:5-9]
Remember this, O Jacob, you, O Israel, who are
my servant! I formed you to be a servant to me; O Israel, by me
you shall never be forgotten: I have brushed away your offenses
like a cloud, your sins like a mist; return to me, for I have
redeemed you. Raise a glad cry, you heavens: the LORD has done
this; shout, you depths of the earth. Break forth, you mountains,
into song, you forest, with all your trees. For the LORD has
redeemed Jacob, and shows his glory through Israel. [ISA 44:21-23]
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, who formed
you from the womb: I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone
stretched out the heavens; when I spread out the earth, who was
with me? It is I who bring to nought the omens of liars, who make
fools of diviners; I turn wise men back and make their knowledge
foolish. [Taken from ISA 44:24-25]
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from
above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth
open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up! I, the
LORD, have created this. Woe to him who contends with his Maker; a
potsherd among potsherds of the earth! Dare the clay say to its
modeler, "What are you doing?" or, "What you are
making has no hands"? Woe to him who asks a father,
"What are you begetting?" or a woman, "What are you
giving birth to?" Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel,
his maker: You question me about my children, or prescribe the
work of my hands for me! It was I who made the earth and created
mankind upon it; It was my hands that stretched out the heavens; I
gave the order to all their host. It was I who stirred up one for
the triumph of justice; all his ways I make level. He shall
rebuild my city and let my exiles go free Without price or ransom,
says the LORD of hosts. [ISA 45:8-13]
For thus says the LORD, The creator of the heavens, who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth who established it, Not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other. [ISA 45:18]
Yes, my hand laid the foundations of the earth;
my right hand spread out the heavens. When I call them, they stand
forth at once. [ISA 48:13]
Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted.
[ISA 49:13]
I clothe the heavens in mourning, and make sackcloth their vesture.
[ISA 50:3]
I, it is I who comfort you. Can you then fear
mortal man, who is human only, to be looked upon as grass, And
forget the LORD, your maker, who stretched out the heavens and
laid the foundations of the earth? All the day you are in constant
dread of the fury of the oppressor; But when he sets himself to
destroy, what is there of the oppressor's fury? The oppressed
shall soon be released; they shall not die and go down into the
pit, nor shall they want for bread. For I am the LORD, your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the LORD of hosts by
name. I have put my words into your mouth and shielded you in the
shadow of my hand, I, who stretched out the heavens, who laid the
foundations of the earth, who say to Zion: You are my people. [Taken
from ISA 51:12-16]
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are
your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above
the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts
above your thoughts. For just as from the heavens the rain and
snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the
earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows
and bread to him who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth
from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my
will, achieving the end for which I sent it. [ISA 55:8-11]
Look down from heaven and regard us from your
holy and glorious palace! Where is your zealous care and your
might, your surge of pity and your mercy? O Lord, hold not back,
for you are our father. Were Abraham not to know us, nor Israel to
acknowledge us, You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are
named forever. Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake
of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Why have the wicked
invaded your holy place, why have our enemies trampled your
sanctuary? Too long have we been like those you do not rule, who
do not bear your name. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and
come down, with the mountains quaking before you [Taken from ISA
63:15-19]
Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new
earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to
mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in
what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people
to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my
people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or
the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in it an infant who
lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his
full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred
years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the
vineyards they plant; They shall not build houses for others to
live in, or plant for others to eat. As the years of a tree, so
the years of my people; and my chosen ones shall long enjoy the
produce of their hands. They shall not toil in vain, nor beget
children for sudden destruction; For a race blessed by the LORD
are they and their offspring. Before they call, I will answer;
while they are yet speaking, I will hearken to them. The wolf and
the lamb shall graze alike, and the lion shall eat hay like the ox
(but the serpent's food shall be dust). None shall hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain, says the LORD. [ISA 65:17-25]
Thus says the LORD: The heavens are my throne,
the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for
me; what is to be my resting place? My hand made all these things
when all of them came to be, says the LORD. This is the one whom I
approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at my word. [ISA
66:1-2]
As the new heavens and the new earth which I
will make Shall endure before me, says the LORD, so shall your
race and your name endure. From one new moon to another, and from
one sabbath to another, All mankind shall come to worship before
me, says the LORD. [ISA 66:22-23]
Be amazed at this, O heavens, and shudder with
sheer horror, says the LORD. Two evils have my people done: they
have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug
themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water. [JER
2:12-13]
Fools my people are, they know me not; Senseless
children they are, having no understanding; They are wise in evil,
but know not how to do good. I looked at the earth, and it was
waste and void; at the heavens, and their light had gone out! I
looked at the mountains, and they were trembling, and all the
hills were crumbling! I looked and behold, there was no man; even
the birds of the air had flown away! I looked and behold, the
garden land was a desert, with all its cities destroyed before the
LORD, before his blazing wrath. For thus says the LORD: Waste
shall the whole land be; I will (not) wholly destroy it. Because
of this the earth shall mourn, the heavens above shall darken; I
have spoken, I will not repent, I have resolved, I will not turn
back. [JER 4:22-28]
The children gather wood, their fathers light the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven, while libations are poured out to strange gods in order to hurt me. Is it I whom they hurt, says the LORD; is it not rather themselves, to their own confusion?
[JER 7:18-19]
At that time, says the LORD, the bones of the
kings and princes of Judah, the bones of the priests and the
prophets, and the bones of the citizens of Jerusalem will be
emptied out of their graves and spread out before the sun and the
moon and the whole army of heaven, which they loved and served,
which they followed, consulted, and worshiped. They will not be
gathered up for burial, but will lie like dung upon the ground.
Death will be preferred to life by all the survivors of this
wicked race who remain in any of the places to which I banish
them, says the LORD of hosts. [JER 8:1-3]
Thus says the LORD: Learn not the customs of the
nations, and have no fear of the signs of the heavens, though the
nations fear them. For the cult idols of the nations are nothing,
wood cut from the forest, Wrought by craftsmen with the adze,
adorned with silver and gold. With nails and hammers they are
fastened, that they may not totter. [JER 10:2-4]
Thus shall you say of them: Let the gods that
did not make heaven and earth perish from the earth, and from
beneath these heavens! The LORD is true God, he is the living God,
the eternal King, Before whose anger the earth quakes, whose wrath
the nations cannot endure: He who made the earth by his power,
established the world by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens
by his skill. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar,
and he brings up clouds from the end of the earth; He makes the
lightning flash in the rain, and releases stormwinds from their
chambers. Every man is stupid, ignorant; every artisan is put to
shame by his idol: He has molded a fraud, without breath of life.
Nothingness are they, a ridiculous work; they will perish in their
time of punishment. [JER 10:10-15]
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives
rain? Or can the mere heavens send showers? Is it not you alone, O
LORD, our God, to whom we look? You alone have done all these
things. [JER 14:22]
Thus I will do to this place and to its
inhabitants, says the LORD; I will make this city like Topheth.
And the houses of Jerusalem and the palaces of the kings of Judah
shall be defiled like the place of Topheth, all the houses upon
whose roofs they burnt incense to the whole host of heaven and
poured out libations to strange gods. [JER 19:12-13]
Can a man hide in secret without my seeing him?
says the LORD. Do I not fill both heaven and earth? says the LORD.
[JER 23:24]
Thus says the LORD, He who gives the sun to
light the day, moon and stars to light the night; Who stirs up the
sea till its waves roar, whose name is LORD of hosts: If ever
these natural laws give way in spite of me, says the LORD, Then
shall the race of Israel cease as a nation before me forever. Thus
says the LORD: If the heavens on high can be measured, or the
foundations below the earth be sounded, Then will I cast off the
whole race of Israel because of all they have done, says the LORD.
[JER 31:35-37]
Ah, Lord GOD, you have made heaven and earth by
your great might, with your outstretched arm; nothing is
impossible to you. [JER 32:17]
Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant
with day, and my covenant with night, so that day and night no
longer alternate in sequence, then can my covenant with my servant
David also be broken, so that he will not have a son to be king
upon his throne, and my covenant with the priests of Levi who
minister to me. Like the host of heaven which cannot be numbered,
and the sands of the sea which cannot be counted, I will multiply
the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister
to me. This word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: Have you not
noticed what these people are saying: "The LORD has rejected
the two tribes which he had chosen"? They spurn my people as
if it were no longer a nation in their eyes. Thus says the LORD:
When I have no covenant with day and night, and have given no laws
to heaven and earth, then too will I reject the descendants of
Jacob and of my servant David, so as not to take from his
descendants rulers for the race of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For
I will change their lot and show them mercy. [JER 33:19-26]
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will
break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring
upon Elam the four winds from the four ends of the heavens: I will
scatter them to all these winds, till there is no nation to which
the outcasts of Elam shall not come. [JER 49:35-36]
Babylon suddenly falls and is crushed: howl over
her! Bring balm for her wounds, in case she can be healed.
"We have tried to heal Babylon, but she cannot be healed.
Leave her, let us go, each to his own land." Her judgment
reaches heaven, it touches the clouds. [JER 51:8-9]
The LORD of hosts has sworn by himself: I will
fill you with men as numerous as locusts, who shall raise over you
the vintage shout! He has sworn who made the earth by his power,
and established the world by his wisdom, and stretched out the
heavens by his skill. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens
roar, and he brings up clouds from the end of the earth; He makes
the lightning flash in the rain, and releases stormwinds from
their chambers. [Taken from JER 51:14-16]
Though Babylon scale the heavens, and make her
strong heights inaccessible, destroyers from me shall reach her,
says the LORD. [JER 51:53]
How the Lord in his wrath has detested daughter
Zion! He has cast down from heaven to earth the glory of Israel,
Unmindful of his footstool on the day of his wrath. [LAM 2:1]
Let us search and examine our ways that we may
return to the LORD! Let us reach out our hearts toward God in
heaven! [LAM 3:40-41]
My eyes run with streams of water over the
downfall of the daughter of my people. My eyes flow without
ceasing, there is no respite, Till the LORD from heaven looks
down and sees. My eyes torment my soul at the sight of all the
daughters of my city. [LAM 3:48-51]
"And the LORD fulfilled the warning he had
uttered against us: against our judges, who governed Israel,
against our kings and princes, and against the men of Israel and
Judah. He brought down upon us evils so great that there has not
been done anywhere under heaven what has been done in Jerusalem,
as was written in the law of Moses" [Taken from BARUCH 2:1-2]
In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens opened, and I saw divine
visions. [Taken from EZEK 1:1]
When I snuff you out I will cover the
heavens, and all their stars I will darken; The sun I
will cover with clouds, and the moon shall not give its
light. All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken on
your account, And I will spread darkness over your
land, says the Lord GOD. [Taken from EZEK 32:7-8]
Daniel went home and informed his companions
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, that they might implore the mercy
of the God of heaven in regard to this mystery, so that Daniel and
his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of
Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a
vision, and he blessed the God of heaven [Taken from DAN 2:17-19]
In the king's presence Daniel made this reply: "The mystery about which the king has inquired, the wise men, enchanters, magicians, and astrologers could not explain to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what is to happen in days to come; this was the dream you saw as you lay in bed."
[Taken from DAN 2:27-28]
In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered
up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these
kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. [Taken
from DAN
2:44]
Now we cannot open our mouths; we, your
servants, who revere you, have become a shame and a reproach.
For you name's sake, do not deliver us up forever, or make
void your covenant. Do not take away your mercy from us, for
the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and
Israel your holy one, To whom you promised to multiply their
offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the
shores of the sea. For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other
nation, brought low everywhere in the world this
day because of our sins. [DAN 3:33-37]
Blessed are you on the throne of your
kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed
are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the
cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed
are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious
forever. Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise
and exalt him above all forever. Angels of the Lord, bless the
Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. You heavens,
bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. All
you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and
exalt him above all forever. All you hosts of the Lord, bless the
Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Sun and moon,
bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Stars
of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all
forever. Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and
exalt him above all forever. [Taken from DAN 3:54-64]
"These were the visions I saw while in bed:
I saw a tree of great height at the center of the world. It was
large and strong, with its top touching the heavens, and it could
be seen to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful and
its fruit abundant, providing food for all. Under it the wild
beasts found shade, in its branches the birds of the air nested;
all men ate of it. In the vision I saw while in bed, a holy
sentinel came down from heaven, and cried out: 'Cut
down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves
and scatter its fruit; let the beasts flee its shade, and the
birds its branches. But leave in the earth its stump and
roots, fettered with iron and bronze, in the grass of the
field. Let him be bathed with the dew of heaven; his lot
be to eat, among beasts, the grass of the earth. Let his mind be
changed from the human; let him be given the sense of a
beast, till seven years pass over him. By decree of the
sentinels is this decided, by order of the holy ones, this
sentence; That all who live may know that the Most High
rules over the kingdom of men: He can give it to whom he
will, or set over it the lowliest of men.'" [DAN 4:7-14]
When this period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised my eyes to heaven; my reason was restored to me, and I
blessed the Most High, I praised and glorified him who lives
forever: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and
his kingdom endures through all generations. All who live on the
earth are counted as nothing; he does as he pleases with
the powers of heaven as well as with those who live on the
earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to
him, "What have you done?" At the same time my reason
returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and my
splendor returned to me. My nobles and lords sought me out; I was
restored to my kingdom, and became much greater than before.
Therefore, I, Nebuchadnezzar, now praise and exalt and glorify the
King of heaven, because all his works are right and his ways just;
and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. [DAN 4:31-34]
The Most High God gave your father
Nebuchadnezzar a great kingdom and glorious majesty. Because he
made him so great, the nations and peoples of every language
dreaded and feared him. Whomever he wished, he killed or let live;
whomever he wished, he exalted or humbled. But when his heart
became proud and his spirit hardened by insolence, he was put down
from his royal throne and deprived of his glory; he was cast out
from among men and was made insensate as a beast; he lived with
wild asses, and ate grass like an ox; his body was bathed with the
dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over
the kingdom of men and appoints over it whom he will. You, his
son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all
this; you have rebelled against the Lord of heaven. You had the
vessels of his temple brought before you, so that you and your
nobles, your wives and your entertainers, might drink wine from
them; and you praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and
iron, wood and stone, that neither see nor hear nor have
intelligence. But the God in whose hand is your life breath and
the whole course of your life, you did not glorify. [DAN 5:18-23]
This gave the king great joy. At his order
Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his
God. The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel, along
with their children and their wives, to be cast into the lions'
den. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions
overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius
wrote to the nations and peoples of every language, wherever they
dwell on the earth: "All peace to you! I decree that
throughout my royal domain the God of Daniel is to be reverenced
and feared: For he is the living God, enduring
forever; his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion
shall be without end. He is a deliverer and
savior, working signs and wonders in heaven and on
earth, and he delivered Daniel from the lions' power."
So Daniel fared well during the reign of Darius and the reign of
Cyrus the Persian. [DAN 6:24-29]
In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon,
Daniel had a dream as he lay in bed, and was terrified by the
visions of his mind. Then he wrote down the dream; the account
began: In the vision I saw during the night, suddenly the four
winds of heaven stirred up the great sea, from which emerged four
immense beasts, each different from the others... As I
watched, Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took
his throne. His clothing was snow bright, and the hair
on his head as white as wool; His throne was flames of
fire, with wheels of burning fire. A surging stream of
fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon
thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads
attended him. The court was convened, and the books were
opened... As the visions during the night continued, I
saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of
heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was
presented before him, He received dominion, glory, and
kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve
him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall
not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. [Taken
from DAN 7:1-3,9-10,13-14]
"The ten horns shall be ten kings rising out
of that kingdom; another shall rise up after
them, Different from those before him, who shall lay low
three kings. He shall speak against the Most High and oppress
the holy ones of the Most High, thinking to change the feast
days and the law. They shall be handed over to him for a
year, two years, and a half-year. But when the court is
convened, and his power is taken away by final and
absolute destruction, Then the kingship and dominion and
majesty of all the kingdoms under the heavens shall be
given to the holy people of the Most High, Whose kingdom
shall be everlasting: all dominions shall serve and obey
him." [Taken from DAN 7:24-27]
The he-goat became very powerful, but at the
height of its power the great horn was shattered, and in its place
came up four others, facing the four winds of heaven. Out of one
of them came a little horn which kept growing toward the south,
the east, and the glorious country. Its power extended to the host
of heaven, so that it cast down to earth some of the host and some
of the stars and trampled on them. It boasted even against the
prince of the host, from whom it removed the daily sacrifice, and
whose sanctuary it cast down, as well as the host, while sin
replaced the daily sacrifice. It cast truth to the ground, and was
succeeding in its undertaking. I heard a holy one speaking, and
another said to whichever one it was that spoke, "How long
shall the events of this vision last concerning the daily
sacrifice, the desolating sin which is placed there, the
sanctuary, and the trampled host?" He answered him, "For
two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the
sanctuary shall be purified." While I, Daniel, sought the
meaning of the vision I had seen, a manlike figure stood before
me, and on the Ulai I heard a human voice that cried out,
"Gabriel, explain the vision to this man." When he came
near where I was standing, I fell prostrate in terror. But he said
to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the
end time." [DAN 8:8-17]
Because all Israel transgressed your law and
went astray, not heeding your voice, the sworn malediction,
recorded in the law of Moses, the servant of God, was poured out
over us for our sins. You carried out the threats you spoke
against us and against those who governed us, by bringing upon us
in Jerusalem the greatest calamity that has ever occurred under
heaven. As it is written in the law of Moses, this calamity came
full upon us. As we did not appease the LORD, our God, by turning
back from our wickedness and recognizing his constancy, so the
LORD kept watch over the calamity and brought it upon us. You, O
LORD, our God, are just in all that you have done, for we did not
listen to your voice. [DAN 9:11-14]
Now I shall tell you the truth. "Three
kings of Persia are yet to come; and a fourth shall acquire the
greatest riches of all. Strengthened by his riches, he shall rouse
all the kingdom of Greece. But a powerful king shall appear and
rule with great might, doing as he pleases. No sooner shall he
appear than his kingdom shall be broken and divided in four
directions under heaven; but not among his descendants or in
keeping with his mighty rule, for his kingdom shall be torn to
pieces and belong to others than they." [Taken from DAN 11:2-4]
"As for you, Daniel, keep secret the
message and seal the book until the end time; many shall fall away
and evil shall increase." I, Daniel, looked and saw two
others, one standing on either bank of the river. One of them said
to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, "How long
shall it be to the end of these appalling things?" The man
clothed in linen, who was upstream, lifted his right and left
hands to heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives forever
that it should be for a year, two years, a half-year; and that,
when the power of the destroyer of the holy people was brought to
an end, all these things should end. I heard, but I did not
understand; so I asked, "My lord, what follows this?"
"Go, Daniel," he said, "because the words are to be
kept secret and sealed until the end time. Many shall be refined,
purified, and tested, but the wicked shall prove wicked; none of
them shall have understanding, but the wise shall have it. From
the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the horrible
abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and
ninety days. Blessed is the man who has patience and perseveres
until the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. Go,
take your rest, you shall rise for your reward at the end of
days." [DAN 12:4-13]
When the people left at noon, Susanna used to
enter her husband's garden for a walk. When the old men saw her
enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her. They
suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to
look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments. Though
both were enamored of her, they did not tell each other their
trouble, for they were ashamed to reveal their lustful desire to
have her. [DAN 13:7-11]
Susanna, very delicate and beautiful, was
veiled; but those wicked men ordered her to uncover her face so as
to sate themselves with her beauty. All her relatives and the
onlookers were weeping. In the midst of the people the two elders
rose up and laid their hands on her head. Through her tears she
looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly...
But Susanna cried aloud: "O eternal God, you know what is
hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be: you
know that they have testified falsely against me. Here I am about
to die, though I have done none of the things with which these
wicked men have charged me." The Lord heard her prayer. [Taken
from DAN 13:31-35,42-44]
When the king asked him, "Why do you not adore Bel?"
Daniel replied, "Because I worship not idols made with hands,
but only the living God who made heaven and earth and has dominion
over all mankind." [DAN 14:5]
On that day, says the LORD, She shall call me
"My husband," and never again "My baal." Then
will I remove from her mouth the names of the Baals, so that they
shall no longer be invoked. I will make a covenant for them on
that day, with the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air,
and with the things that crawl on the ground. Bow and sword and
war I will destroy from the land, and I will let them take their
rest in security. I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse
you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse
you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD. On that day I will
respond, says the LORD; I will respond to the heavens, and they
shall respond to the earth; The earth shall respond to the grain,
and wine, and oil, and these shall respond to Jezreel. I will sow
him for myself in the land, and I will have pity on Lo-ruhama. I
will say to Lo-ammi, "You are my people," and he shall
say, "My God!" [HOSEA 2:18-25]
Then afterward I will pour out my spirit upon
all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; Even upon
the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my
spirit. And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood, fire, and columns of smoke; The sun will be turned to
darkness, and the moon to blood, At the coming of the Day of the
LORD, the great and terrible day. Then everyone shall be rescued
who calls on the name of the LORD; For on Mount Zion there shall
be a remnant, as the LORD has said, And in Jerusalem survivors
whom the LORD shall call. [JOEL 3:1-5]
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up to
the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit in judgment upon
all the neighboring nations. Apply the sickle, for the harvest is
ripe; Come and tread, for the wine press is full; The vats
overflow, for great is their malice. Crowd upon crowd in the
valley of decision; For near is the day of the LORD in the valley
of decision. Sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withhold
their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem
raises his voice; The heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is
a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the men of Israel. [JOEL
4:12-16]
Though they break through to the nether world,
even from there my hand shall bring them out; Though they climb to
the heavens, I will bring them down... I will fix my gaze upon
them for evil, and not for good, I, the Lord GOD of hosts. I melt
the earth with my touch, so that all who dwell on it mourn, While
it all rises up like the Nile, and settles back like the river of
Egypt; I have built heaven, my upper chamber, and established my
vault over the earth; I summon the waters of the sea and pour them
upon the surface of the earth, I, the LORD by name... The eyes of
the Lord GOD are on this sinful kingdom; I will destroy it from
off the face of the earth. But I will not destroy the house of
Jacob completely, says the LORD. [Taken from AMOS 9:2,4-6,8]
"Tell us," they said, "what is
your business? Where do you come from? What is your country, and
to what people do you belong?" "I am a Hebrew,"
Jonah answered them; "I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land." Now the men were seized
with great fear and said to him, "How could you do such a
thing!" - They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD, because
he had told them. - "What shall we do with you," they
asked, "that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea
was growing more and more turbulent. Jonah said to them,
"Pick me up and throw me into the sea, that it may quiet down
for you; since I know it is because of me that this violent storm
has come upon you." [Taken from JONAH 1:8-12]
God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount
Paran. Covered are the heavens with his glory, and with his praise
the earth is filled. His splendor spreads like the light; rays
shine forth from beside him, where his power is concealed. Before
him goes pestilence, and the plague follows in his steps. He
pauses to survey the earth; his look makes the nations tremble.
The eternal mountains are shattered, the age-old hills bow low
along his ancient ways. [HAB 3:3-6]
I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and
against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; I will destroy from this
place the last vestige of Baal, the very names of his priests. And
those who adore the host of heaven on the roofs, with those who
adore the LORD but swear by Milcom; And those who have fallen away
from the LORD, and those who do not seek the LORD. [ZEPH 1:4-6]
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways!
Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house
That I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the
LORD. You expected much, but it came to little; and what you
brought home, I blew away. For what cause? says the LORD of hosts.
Because my house lies in ruins, while each of you hurries to his
own house. Therefore the heavens withheld from you their dew, and
the earth her crops. And I called for a drought upon the land and
upon the mountains; Upon the grain, and upon the wine, and upon
the oil, and upon all that the ground brings forth; Upon men and
upon beasts, and upon all that is produced by hand. [HAG 1:7-11]
But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD,
and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak, And take
courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work! For
I am with you, says the LORD of hosts. This is the pact that I
made with you when you came out of Egypt, And my spirit continues
in your midst; do not fear! For thus says the LORD of hosts: One
moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the
earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and
the treasures of all the nations will come in, And I will fill
this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. Mine is the silver
and mine the gold, says the LORD of hosts. Greater will be the
future glory of this house than the former, says the LORD of
hosts; And in this place I will give you peace, says the LORD of
hosts. [HAG 2:4-9]
Again I raised my eyes and looked: there was a
man with a measuring line in his hand. "Where are you
going?" I asked. "To measure Jerusalem," he
answered; "to see how great is its width and how great its
length." Then the angel who spoke with me advanced, and
another angel came out to meet him, and said to him, "Run,
tell this to that young man: People will live in Jerusalem as
though in open country, because of the multitude of men and beasts
in her midst. But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire,
says the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst." Up, up!
Flee from the land of the north, says the LORD; for I scatter you
to the four winds of heaven, says the LORD. Up, escape to Zion!
you who dwell in daughter Babylon. For thus said the LORD of hosts
(after he had already sent me) concerning the nations that have
plundered you: Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye.
See, I wave my hand over them; they become plunder for their
slaves. Thus you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me.
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among
you, says the LORD. Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD
on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among
you, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion of the holy land, and
he will again choose Jerusalem. Silence, all mankind, in the
presence of the LORD! for he stirs forth from his holy dwelling. [ZECH
2:5-17]
Again I raised my eyes and saw four chariots
coming out from between two mountains; and the mountains were of
bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black
horses, the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot
spotted horses - all of them strong horses. I asked the angel who
spoke with me, "What are these, my lord?" The angel said
to me in reply, "These are the four winds of the heavens,
which are coming forth after being reviewed by the LORD of all the
earth." The chariot with the black horses was turning toward
the land of the north, the red and the white horses went after
them, and the spotted ones went toward the land of the south. As
these strong horses emerged, eager to set about patrolling the
earth, he said, "Go, patrol the earth!" Then, as they
patrolled the earth, he called out to me and said, "See, they
that go forth to the land of the north will make my spirit rest in
the land of the north." [ZECH 6:1-8]
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Let your hands be
strong, you who in these days hear these words spoken by the
prophets on the day when the foundation of the house of the LORD
of hosts was laid for the building of the temple. For before those
days there were no wages for men, or hire for beasts; those who
came and went had no security from the enemy, for I set every man
against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of
this people as in former days, says the LORD of hosts, for it is
the seedtime of peace: the vine shall yield its fruit, the land
shall bear its crops, and the heavens shall give their dew; all
these things I will have the remnant of the people possess. Just
as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house
of Israel, so will I save you that you may be a blessing; do not
fear, but let your hands be strong. [ZECH 8:9-13]
Surely I, the LORD, do not change, nor do you
cease to be sons of Jacob. Since the days of your fathers you have
turned aside from my statutes, and have not kept them. Return to
me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Yet you say,
"How must we return?" Dare a man rob God? Yet you are
robbing me! And you say, "How do we rob you?" In tithes
and in offerings! You are indeed accursed, for you, the whole
nation, rob me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, That
there may be food in my house, and try me in this, says the LORD
of hosts: Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven, to
pour down blessing upon you without measure? For your sake I will
forbid the locust to destroy your crops; And the vine in the field
will not be barren, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will
call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the LORD
of hosts. [MAL 3:6-12]
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