Unexpected Opportunities

1. The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me. 2. Yahweh of Armies says: “I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.” 3. Yahweh says: “I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the middle of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called ‘The City of Truth;’ and the mountain of Yahweh of Armies, ‘The Holy Mountain.’ ” 4. Yahweh of Armies says: “Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5. The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.” 6. Yahweh of Armies says: “If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?” says Yahweh of Armies. 7. Yahweh of Armies says: “Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 8. and I will bring them, and they will dwell within Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.” 9. Yahweh of Armies says: “Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Armies was laid, even the temple, that it might be built. 10. For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbor. 11. But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days,” says Yahweh of Armies. 12. “For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13. It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don’t be afraid. Let your hands be strong.” 14. For Yahweh of Armies says: “As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and I didn’t repent; 15. so again I have thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Don’t be afraid. 16. These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, 17. and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate,” says Yahweh. 18. The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me. 19. Yahweh of Armies says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.” 20. Yahweh of Armies says: “Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come; 21. and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, ‘Let’s go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.’ 22. Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Yahweh of Armies in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Yahweh.” 23. Yahweh of Armies says: “In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”

9

1. A revelation. Yahweh’s word is against the land of Hadrach, and will rest upon Damascus; for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Yahweh; 2. and Hamath, also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise. 3. Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver like the dust, and fine gold like the mire of the streets. 4. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she will be devoured with fire. 5. Ashkelon will see it, and fear; Gaza also, and will writhe in agony; as will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappointed; and the king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited. 6. Foreigners will dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 7. I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also will be a remnant for our God; and he will be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. 8. I will encamp around my house against the army, that no one pass through or return; and no oppressor will pass through them any more: for now I have seen with my eyes. 9. Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak peace to the nations: and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11. As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water. 12. Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope! Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. 13. For indeed I bend Judah as a bow for me. I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and will make you like the sword of a mighty man. 14. Yahweh will be seen over them; and his arrow will go flash like lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south. 15. Yahweh of Armies will defend them; and they will destroy and overcome with sling stones; and they will drink, and roar as through wine; and they will be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar. 16. Yahweh their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they are like the jewels of a crown, lifted on high over his land. 17. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

23. He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.” 24. He asked them to provide animals, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor. 25. He wrote a letter like this: 26. “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27. “This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them, when I came with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28. Desiring to know the cause why they accused him, I brought him down to their council. 29. I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of death or of imprisonment. 30. When I was told that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him to you immediately, charging his accusers also to bring their accusations against him before you. Farewell.” 31. So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32. But on the next day they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the barracks. 33. When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34. When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said, 35. “I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive.” He commanded that he be kept in Herod’s palace.

24

1. After five days, the high priest, Ananias, came down with certain elders and an orator, one Tertullus. They informed the governor against Paul. 2. When he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Seeing that by you we enjoy much peace, and that prosperity is coming to this nation by your foresight, 3. we accept it in all ways and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. 4. But that I don’t delay you, I entreat you to bear with us and hear a few words. 5. For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6. He even tried to profane the temple, and we arrested him.

8. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.” 9. The Jews also joined in the attack, affirming that these things were so. 10. When the governor had beckoned to him to speak, Paul answered, “Because I know that you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I cheerfully make my defense, 11. seeing that you can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem. 12. In the temple they didn’t find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the synagogues, or in the city. 13. Nor can they prove to you the things of which they now accuse me. 14. But this I confess to you, that after the Way, which they call a sect, so I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets; 15. having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. 16. In this I also practice always having a conscience void of offense toward God and men. 17. Now after some years, I came to bring gifts for the needy to my nation, and offerings; 18. amid which certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, not with a mob, nor with turmoil. 19. They ought to have been here before you, and to make accusation, if they had anything against me. 20. Or else let these men themselves say what injustice they found in me when I stood before the council, 21. unless it is for this one thing that I cried standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged before you today!’ ” 22. But Felix, having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred them, saying, “When Lysias, the commanding officer, comes down, I will decide your case.” 23. He ordered the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, and should have some privileges, and not to forbid any of his friends to serve him or to visit him. 24. But after some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus. 25. As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, “Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you.” 26. Meanwhile, he also hoped that money would be given to him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore also he sent for him more often and talked with him. 27. But when two years were fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.

1. “But now those who are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I considered unworthy to put with my sheep dogs. 2. Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, men in whom ripe age has perished? 3. They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation. 4. They pluck salt herbs by the bushes. The roots of the broom tree are their food. 5. They are driven out from among men. They cry after them as after a thief; 6. So that they dwell in frightful valleys, and in holes of the earth and of the rocks. 7. They bray among the bushes. They are gathered together under the nettles . 8. They are children of fools, yes, children of wicked men. They were flogged out of the land. 9. “Now I have become their song. Yes, I am a byword to them. 10. They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, and don’t hesitate to spit in my face. 11. For he has untied his cord, and afflicted me; and they have thrown off restraint before me. 12. On my right hand rise the rabble. They thrust aside my feet, They cast up against me their ways of destruction. 13. They mar my path. They promote my destruction without anyone’s help. 14. As through a wide breach they come. They roll themselves in amid the ruin. 15. Terrors have turned on me. They chase my honor as the wind. My welfare has passed away as a cloud.