Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people, "This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears."

When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt.

They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)

Then he went to the royal palace, to the room of the court secretary, where all the officials were in session. Elishama, the court secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were there.

Then the officials sent Jehudi (the son of Nethaniah, grandson of Shelemiah, and great-grandson of Cushi) to tell Baruch to bring the scroll that he had read to the people. Baruch brought them the scroll.

After he had read it, they turned to one another in alarm and said to Baruch, "We must report this to the king."

King Joash joined in a conspiracy against Zechariah, and on the king's orders the people stoned Zechariah in the Temple courtyard.

The government officials are like wolves tearing apart the animals they have killed. They commit murder in order to get rich.

Listen, you rulers of Israel! You are supposed to be concerned about justice,

You eat my people up. You strip off their skin, break their bones, and chop them up like meat for the pot.

Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people.

Its officials are like roaring lions; its judges are like hungry wolves, too greedy to leave a bone until morning.

The king said to Moses and Aaron, "What do you mean by making the people neglect their work? Get those slaves back to work!

When Ahab saw him, he said, "So there you are---the worst troublemaker in Israel!"

"I'm not the troublemaker," Elijah answered. "You are---you and your father. You are disobeying the LORD's commands and worshiping the idols of Baal.

When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "Have you caught up with me, my enemy?" "Yes, I have," Elijah answered. "You have devoted yourself completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight.

"We want Your Majesty to know that the Jews who came here from your other territories have settled in Jerusalem and are rebuilding that evil and rebellious city. They have begun to rebuild the walls and will soon finish them.

They were trying to frighten us into stopping work. I prayed, "But now, God, make me strong!"

Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent a report to King Jeroboam of Israel: "Amos is plotting against you among the people. His speeches will destroy the country.

where they began to accuse him: "We caught this man misleading our people, telling them not to pay taxes to the Emperor and claiming that he himself is the Messiah, a king."

But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!"

Don't you realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?"

They brought them before the Roman officials and said, "These men are Jews, and they are causing trouble in our city.

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities and shouted, "These men have caused trouble everywhere! Now they have come to our city,

We found this man to be a dangerous nuisance; he starts riots among Jews all over the world and is a leader of the party of the Nazarenes.

But we would like to hear your ideas, because we know that everywhere people speak against this party to which you belong."

Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too.