"Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!

"Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!

"Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

"Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

How happy are those who have no doubts about me!"

"As for you, how fortunate you are! Your eyes see and your ears hear.

How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home!

Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.

and bow down to him; or else his anger will be quickly aroused, and you will suddenly die. Happy are all who go to him for protection.

Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.

Happy is the one whom the LORD does not accuse of doing wrong and who is free from all deceit.

Happy are those who are concerned for the poor; the LORD will help them when they are in trouble.

LORD Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!

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

Happy are those whose lives are faultless, who live according to the law of the LORD.

Happy are those who follow his commands, who obey him with all their heart.

Happy are those who obey the LORD, who live by his commands.

Happy are those who have the God of Jacob to help them and who depend on the LORD their God,

"Now, young people, listen to me. Do as I say, and you will be happy.

And yet the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the LORD.

Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours!

"Happy are you who are hungry now; you will be filled! "Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh!

Be glad when that happens and dance for joy, because a great reward is kept for you in heaven. For their ancestors did the very same things to the prophets.

"How terrible for you who are full now; you will go hungry! "How terrible for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep!

But Jesus answered, "Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!"

Jesus said to him, "Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!"

This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything that person does:

Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of !"

Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.

Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Happy are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And the angel added, "These are the true words of God."

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.

At that time Jesus said, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, asking, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"

and said, "I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.

and caused me to turn against them and send them into exile in the land of their enemies. At last, when your descendants are humbled and they have paid the penalty for their sin and rebellion,

I will remember my covenant with Jacob and with Isaac and with Abraham, and I will renew my promise to give my people the land.

Remember how the LORD your God led you on this long journey through the desert these past forty years, sending hardships to test you, so that he might know what you intended to do and whether you would obey his commands.

if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.

In his suffering he became humble, turned to the LORD his God, and begged him for help.

The king's prayer and God's answer to it, and an account of the sins he committed before he repented---the evil he did, the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah that he made and the idols that he worshiped---are all recorded in The History of the Prophets.

But unlike his father, he did not become humble and turn to the LORD; he was even more sinful than his father had been.

and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer,

So I am ashamed of all I have said and repent in dust and ashes.

The LORD is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope.

My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

It is better to be humble and stay poor than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot.

Arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.

"I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope.

The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.

I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.

"I hear the people of Israel say in grief, ' LORD, we were like an untamed animal, but you taught us to obey. Bring us back; we are ready to return to you, the LORD our God.

"Israel, you are my dearest child, the one I love best. Whenever I mention your name, I think of you with love. My heart goes out to you; I will be merciful.

He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone he chooses.

"But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this.

No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed

Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours!

I tell you," said Jesus, "the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great."

and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant.

Be sorrowful, cry, and weep; change your laughter into crying, your joy into gloom!

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

"Turn away from your sins," he said, "because the Kingdom of heaven is near!"

I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven.

When Jesus noticed this, he was angry and said to his disciples, "Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.