Samuel said to the people of Israel, "If you are going to turn to the LORD with all your hearts, you must get rid of all the foreign gods and the images of the goddess Astarte. Dedicate yourselves completely to the LORD and worship only him, and he will rescue you from the power of the Philistines."

LORD God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, keep such devotion forever strong in your people's hearts and keep them always faithful to you.

He did what was evil, because he did not try to find the LORD's will.

But even so, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which people worshiped, and you have tried to follow God's will."

Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God.

You will listen, O LORD, to the prayers of the lowly; you will give them courage.

I have complete confidence, O God; I will sing and praise you!

Ezra was a scholar with a thorough knowledge of the Law which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given to Moses. Because Ezra had the blessing of the LORD his God, the emperor gave him everything he asked for. In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra set out from Babylonia for Jerusalem with a group of Israelites which included priests, Levites, Temple musicians, Temple guards, and workers.

Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night.

The law of the LORD is perfect; it gives new strength. The commands of the LORD are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings.

I have learned that everything has limits; but your commandment is perfect.

Your commandment is with me all the time and makes me wiser than my enemies.

I have greater wisdom than those who are old, because I obey your commands.

Be sure that you obey these commands; do not forget that you were slaves in Egypt.

So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven.

"So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.

Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!

Happy are those who wash their robes clean and so have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and to go through the gates into the city.

"You, Ezra, using the wisdom which your God has given you, are to appoint administrators and judges to govern all the people in West-of-Euphrates who live by the Law of your God. You must teach that Law to anyone who does not know it.

They will teach your people to obey your Law; They will offer sacrifices on your altar.

They were accompanied by nine Levites and two priests. The Levites were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and the priests were Elishama and Jehoram.

They took the book of the Law of the LORD and went through all the towns of Judah, teaching it to the people.

Hezekiah praised the Levites for their skill in conducting the worship of the LORD. After the seven days during which they offered sacrifices in praise of the LORD, the God of their ancestors,

By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the LORD had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law.

There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively.

As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up.

Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah.

When the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law, and the Levites who were explaining the Law told all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God, so you are not to mourn or cry.

It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the LORD Almighty.

Dear Theophilus: In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work

A church leader must be without fault; he must have only one wife, be sober, self-controlled, and orderly; he must welcome strangers in his home; he must be able to teach;

to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience.

But you must teach what agrees with sound doctrine.

Teach these things and use your full authority as you encourage and rebuke your hearers. Let none of them look down on you.