because he risked his life and nearly died for the sake of the work of Christ, in order to give me the help that you yourselves could not give.

About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, "The LORD tells you that you are to put everything in order, because you will not recover. Get ready to die."

they couldn't stand the sight of food and were close to death.

I thought long and hard about all this and saw that God controls the actions of wise and righteous people, even their love and their hate. No one knows anything about what lies ahead.

It makes no difference. The same fate comes to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the bad, to those who are religious and those who are not, to those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. A good person is no better off than a sinner; one who takes an oath is no better off than one who does not.

The sisters sent Jesus a message: "Lord, your dear friend is sick."

When Jesus heard it, he said, "The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory."

At that time she got sick and died. Her body was washed and laid in a room upstairs.

Time after time he will save you from harm;

I praise you, LORD, because you have saved me and kept my enemies from gloating over me.

you kept me from the grave. I was on my way to the depths below, but you restored my life.

Good people suffer many troubles, but the LORD saves them from them all;

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

He keeps me from the grave and blesses me with love and mercy.

Then in their trouble they called to the LORD, and he saved them from their distress.

They must thank the LORD for his constant love, for the wonderful things he did for them.

My bitterness will turn into peace. You save my life from all danger; You forgive all my sins.

When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.

So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, he was taken to the room upstairs, where all the widows crowded around him, crying and showing him all the shirts and coats that Dorcas had made while she was alive.

Peter reached over and helped her get up. Then he called all the believers, including the widows, and presented her alive to them.

The LORD punished his people by sending them into exile. He took them away with a cruel wind from the east.

My sorrow cannot be healed; I am sick at heart.

Correct your people, LORD, but do not be too hard on us or punish us when you are angry; that would be the end of us.

you are saying, 'I give up! The LORD has added sorrow to my troubles. I am worn out from groaning, and I can't find any rest!'

O LORD, I have heard of what you have done, and I am filled with awe. Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do. Be merciful, even when you are angry.

Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.

Now, however, you should forgive him and encourage him, in order to keep him from becoming so sad as to give up completely.