14 verses
1The priests and the Levites, the whole tribe of Levi, are to have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat Yahweh's offerings made by fire and his portion. 2They are to have no inheritance among their brothers. Yahweh is their inheritance, as he has told them. 3This will be the priests' due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is an ox or a sheep, they are to give the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach to the priest. 4Give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first of the fleece from your sheep. 5For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in Yahweh's name, him and his sons forever.
6If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel where he lives, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh chooses; 7then he is to minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh. 8They'll have similar portions to eat, in addition to what comes from the sale of his family possessions.
9When you have entered the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations. 10No one must be found with you who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or who uses divination, or who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you. 13You are to be blameless with Yahweh your God. 14For these nations that you dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you to do so.
20 verses
1The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2He said: "Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither."
3Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron; 4but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad. 5I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir," says Yahweh.
6Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom; 7but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it will devour its palaces. 8I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines will perish," says LordOfMine Yahweh.
9Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole community to Edom, and didn't remember the brotherly covenant; 10but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will devour its palaces."
11Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and destroyed all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever; 12I will send a fire on Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah."
13Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border. 14But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind; 15and their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together," says Yahweh.
1Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime; 2but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet; 3and I will cut off the judge from their midst, and will kill all its princes with him," says Yahweh.
4Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected Yahweh's law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked; 5But I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem."
27 verses
1How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince's daughter!
Your rounded thighs are jewels,
the work of the hands of a skillful workman.
2Your navel is a round goblet,
never lacking mixed wine.
Your waist is a heap of wheat,
set about with lilies.
3Your two breasts are two fawns,
that are twins of a roe.
4Your neck is an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim.
Your nose is the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.
5Your head above is Carmel.
The hair of your head is purple.
The king is held captive in its tresses.
6How beautiful and how pleasant you are,
love, [with all your] delights!
7Your stature is like a palm tree,
your breasts its fruit.
8I said, "I will climb up into the palm tree.
I will take hold of its fruit."
Let your breasts be clusters of the vine,
the smell of your breath [like] apples.
9Your mouth is the best wine,
that goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
10[Beloved]
I am my beloved's.
His desire is toward me.
11Come, my beloved! Let's go out into the field.
Let's lodge in the villages.
12Let's go early up to the vineyards.
Let's see whether the vine has budded,
its blossom is open,
and the pomegranates are in flower.
There I will give you my love.
13The mandrakes produce fragrance.
At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old,
which I have stored up for you, my beloved.
1Oh that you were my brother,
who nursed from the breasts of my mother!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you;
yes, and no one would despise me.
2I would lead you, bringing you into the house of my mother,
who would instruct me.
I would have you drink spiced wine,
of the juice of my pomegranate.
3His left hand [would be] under my head.
His right hand would embrace me. 4I solemnly-order you, daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up, nor awaken love,
until it so desires.
5[Friends]
Who is this who comes up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved?
[Beloved]
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother conceived you.
There she was in labor and bore you.
6Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm;
for love is strong as death.
Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a very flame of Yahweh.
7Many waters can't quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,
he would be utterly scorned.
8[Friends]
We have a little sister.
She has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
in the day when she is to be spoken for? 9If she is a wall,
we will build on her a turret of silver.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
10[Beloved]
I am a wall, and my breasts towers,
then I was in his eyes like one who brings peace.
11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.
He leased out the vineyard to keepers.
Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
12My own vineyard is before me.
The thousand are for you, Solomon,
two hundred for those who tend its fruit.
13[Lover]
You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
14[Beloved]
Come away, my beloved!
Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!
21 verses
1What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life 2(and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); 3what we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus AnointedOne. 4And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled.
5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don't tell the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus AnointedOne his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we haven't fallen-short, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not fall-short. If anyone falls-short, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus AnointedOne, the righteous. 2And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 3This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. 4One who says, "I know him," and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn't in him. 5But God's selfless-love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him: 6he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked.
7Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. 8Again, I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines. 9He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness even until now. 10He who selflessly-loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him. 11But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
