The LORD Almighty says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners---against all who do not respect me.

But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall.

"Don't hurt the boy or do anything to him," he said. "Now I know that you honor and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him."

so Ahab called in Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devout worshiper of the LORD,

What if the spirit of the LORD carries you off to some unknown place as soon as I leave? Then, when I tell Ahab that you are here and he can't find you, he will put me to death. Remember that I have been a devout worshiper of the LORD ever since I was a boy.

God said to us humans, "To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil."

The LORD watches over those who obey him, those who trust in his constant love.

The way to become wise is to honor the LORD; he gives sound judgment to all who obey his commands. He is to be praised forever.

Praise the LORD! Happy is the person who honors the LORD, who takes pleasure in obeying his commands.

but he takes pleasure in those who honor him, in those who trust in his constant love.

All of you that honor the LORD and obey the words of his servant, the path you walk may be dark indeed, but trust in the LORD, rely on your God.

And so it was that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. Through the help of the Holy Spirit it was strengthened and grew in numbers, as it lived in reverence for the Lord.

He was a religious man; he and his whole family worshiped God. He also did much to help the Jewish poor people and was constantly praying to God.

Who will not stand in awe of you, Lord? Who will refuse to declare your greatness? You alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship you, because your just actions are seen by all."

Never forget these commands that I am giving you today.

Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder.

Jonathan went to him there and encouraged him with assurances of God's protection,

The two of them made a sacred promise of friendship to each other. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

Then she called Hathach, one of the palace eunuchs appointed as her servant by the king, and told him to go to Mordecai and find out what was happening and why.

Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him and just how much money Haman had promised to put into the royal treasury if all the Jews were killed.

Hathach did this,

"If anyone, man or woman, goes to the inner courtyard and sees the king without being summoned, that person must die. That is the law; everyone, from the king's advisers to the people in the provinces, knows that. There is only one way to get around this law: if the king holds out his gold scepter to someone, then that person's life is spared. But it has been a month since the king sent for me."

he sent her this warning: "Don't imagine that you are safer than any other Jew just because you are in the royal palace.

Esther sent Mordecai this reply:

Mordecai then left and did everything that Esther had told him to do.

How excellent are the LORD's faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

Come and listen, all who honor God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.

If I had said such things, I would not be acting as one of your people.

until I went into your Temple. Then I understood what will happen to the wicked.

I am a friend of all who serve you, of all who obey your laws.

Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.

"Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city."

Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened.

He told them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy and to ask him to explain the mystery to them so that they would not be killed along with the other advisers in Babylon.

That very same hour she arrived and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for God to set Jerusalem free.

and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.

they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him.

One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?"

Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified.

Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb,

Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him."

Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?"

As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther;

He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them.

One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

Then he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas." (This is the same as Peter and means "a rock.")

(Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.)

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," answered Philip.

Some Greeks were among those who had gone to Jerusalem to worship during the festival.

Philip went and told Andrew, and the two of them went and told Jesus.

They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James.

When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.

As soon as Peter and John were set free, they returned to their group and told them what the chief priests and the elders had said.

By means of the Holy Spirit you spoke through our ancestor David, your servant, when he said, 'Why were the Gentiles furious; why did people make their useless plots?

For indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together in this city with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Jesus, your holy Servant, whom you made Messiah.

And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.

Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts.

And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing.

We urge you, our friends, to warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Instead, in order that none of you be deceived by sin and become stubborn, you must help one another every day, as long as the word "Today" in the scripture applies to us.

Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good.

Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with its poison.

King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD kept him safe from all his enemies.

And Solomon continued, "My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of the LORD God of Israel,

Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.

"And I tell you more: whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them."

When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.

With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God poured rich blessings on them all.

There was an investigation, and it was discovered that the report was true, so both men were hanged on the gallows. The king ordered an account of this to be written down in the official records of the empire.

That same night the king could not get to sleep, so he had the official records of the empire brought and read to him.

How I wish that someone would remember my words and record them in a book!

But I know there is someone in heaven who will come at last to my defense.

You know how troubled I am; you have kept a record of my tears. Aren't they listed in your book?

"I have already decided on their punishment, and their sentence is written down. I will not overlook what they have done, but will repay them

and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.

Your words will be used to judge you---to declare you either innocent or guilty."

And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.

The wicked do not care about the LORD; in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

Some trust in their war chariots and others in their horses, but we trust in the power of the LORD our God.

Whenever I am anxious and worried, you comfort me and make me glad.

I will sing to the LORD all my life; as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.

You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.

We follow your will and put our hope in you; you are all that we desire.

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.

There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.