Promoting peace and harmony from an Abrahamic perspective

The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against His word; hear, I pray, all you peoples, and behold my pain; my maidens and my youths have gone into captivity. I called to my lovers, [but] they deceived me; my priests and elders perished in the city, when they sought food for themselves to revive their souls. Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress, my innards burn, my heart is turned within me, for I have grievously rebelled; in the street the sword bereaves, in the house it is like death. They have heard how I sigh, [and] there is none to comfort me, all my enemies have heard of my trouble [and] are glad that You have done it; [if only] You had brought the day that You proclaimed [upon them] and let them be like me. May all their wickedness come before You, and deal with them as You have dealt with me for all my transgressions, for my sighs are many and my heart is faint. Eichah 1:18-22

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And Samuel said, "Has the Lord (as much) desire in burnt offerings and peace-offerings, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken (is better) than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Since you rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being a king." And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I transgressed the Lord's command, and your words, for I feared the people, and I hearkened to their voice. 1 Samuel 15:22-24

Lead Your people with Your rod-the flock of Your inheritance who dwell alone, a forest in the midst of a fruitful field-and they shall graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days of yore.As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders. Nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might-they shall place a hand upon their mouth; their ears shall become deaf. They shall lick the dust as a snake, as those who crawl on the earth. They shall quake from their imprisonment; they shall fear the Lord, our God, and they shall fear you. Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness. He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins. You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore. Micah 7:14-20

The vision of Obadiah; So said the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard tidings from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations, "Arise and let us rise up against them in war!" Behold I have made you small among the nations; you are very despised. The wickedness of your heart enticed you, who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, who says to himself, "Who will bring me down to the earth?" If you go up high like an eagle, and if you place your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord. Did thieves come upon you, did plunderers of the night? How were you silent? Will they not steal till they have enough? If vintagers came upon you, would they not leave over some gleaning grapes? How Esau was searched out, how his hidden things were revealed! Until the border all your allies escorted you; your friends enticed you, yea prevailed against you; your food they lay as a wound under you; there is no discernment in them.Shall I not in that day-says the Lord-destroy wise men from Edom and discernment from the mountain of Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O dwellers of the southland, in order that every man be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter. Because of the violence of your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. On that day you stood from afar, on the day strangers captured his possessions, and foreigners came into his cities, and on Jerusalem they cast lots; you, too, are like one of them. And you should not have looked on the day of your brother on the day of his being delivered, and you should not have rejoiced about the children of Judah on the day of their destruction, and you should not have spoken proudly on the day of distress. You should not have come into the gate of My people on the day of their misfortune; you too should not have looked at their affliction on the day of their misfortune, and you should not have stretched out [your hand] upon their possessions on the day of their misfortune. And you should not have stood by the gap to cut off their fugitives, neither should you have delivered their survivors on the day of distress. For the day of the Lord over all the nations is close; as you have done shall be done to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your head. For, as you drank on My Holy Mount, shall all the nations drink constantly, and they shall drink and be stunned, and they shall be as though they were not. And on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall inherit those who inherited them. And the house of Jacob shall be fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall become stubble, and they shall ignite them and consume them, and the house of Esau shall have no survivors, for the Lord has spoken. And [the inhabitants of] the southland shall inherit the mountain of Esau, and [the inhabitants of] the plain, the Philistines, and they shall inherit the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin [with the inhabitants of] Gilead. And this exiled host of the children of Israel who are [with] the Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the southland. And saviors shall ascend Mt. Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the Lord shall have the kingdom. Obadiah 1

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "Is it not so, if there will be peace and truth in my days?" 2 Kings 20:19

And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father; only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that (was) the great high place; a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I shall give you." And Solomon said, "You have done Your servant David my father great kindness, as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great kindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as (it is) this day. And now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father; and I (am but) a little child; I do not know (how) to go out or come in. And your servant (is) in the midst of Your people which you have chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give (therefore) Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this Your great people?" And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life; neither have you asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked the life of your enemies; but have asked for yourself understanding to discern judgment. Behold, I have done according to your word; behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, nor after you shall any arise like you. And I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. And if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days." And Solomon awoke, and behold (it was) a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. 1 Kings 3:3-15

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses regarding the Cushite woman he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. They said, "Has the Lord spoken only to Moses? Hasn't He spoken to us too?" And the Lord heard. Now this man Moses was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth. The Lord suddenly said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Go out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting!" And all three went out. The Lord descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both went out. He said, "Please listen to My words. If there be prophets among you, [I] the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. Not so is My servant Moses; he is faithful throughout My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth; in a vision and not in riddles, and he beholds the image of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses ? The wrath of the Lord flared against them and He left. The cloud departed from above the Tent, and behold, Miriam was afflicted with tzara'ath, [as white] as snow. Then Aaron turned to Miriam and behold, she was afflicted with tzara'ath. Aaron said to Moses, "Please, master, do not put sin upon us for acting foolishly and for sinning. Let her not be like the dead, which comes out of his mother's womb with half his flesh consumed!" Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "I beseech you, God, please heal her." The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father were to spit in her face, would she not be humiliated for seven days? She shall be confined for seven days outside the camp, and afterwards she may enter. So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel until Miriam had entered. Then the people departed from Hazeroth, and they camped in the desert of Paran. Numbers 12

And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, "I have heard that which you have sent me, I will do all your desires concerning cedar wood, and concerning cypress wood. My servants shall bring (them) down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts (to go) by the sea to the place that you shall send me, and will separate them there, and you will transport (them), and you shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. And Hiram gave Solomon cedar wood and cypress wood (according to) all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat (for) food to his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil, thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they both made a league together. And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel, and the levy was thirty thousand men. 1 Kings5:22-27

For so said the Lord God: When I make you a ruined city like the cities that were not settled, when [I] bring up the deep upon you, and the abundant waters cover you, And I shall lower you with those who descend into the Pit to a people of old, and I shall settle you in a land of the nether world, like the ruins of old, with those who descend into the Pit, insofar as you will not be inhabited, but I shall bestow beauty upon the land of the living. I shall make you a nonentity, and you will be sought, but you will never again be found," says the Lord God. Ezekiel 26:19-21

"Son of man, there were two women; the daughters of one mother were they. And they played the harlot in Egypt; in their youth they played the harlot. There their bosoms were pressed, and there they squeezed their virgin breasts. And their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister, and they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters, and their names-Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem, Oholibah. Then Oholah played the harlot under Me, and she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians, who were nearby. Attired in blue, governors and officers, all of them handsome youths, horsemen, riding on horses. And she bestowed her harlotries upon them, the choice of the sons of Assyria, all of them; and in all that she lusted, she was defiled with all their idols. And her harlotries from Egypt she did not abandon, for they had lain with her in her youth, and they had squeezed her virgin breasts and poured out their harlotry upon her. Therefore, I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of Assyria, for whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and daughters, and they slew her with the sword, and she became a name for the women, and they executed judgments upon her. And her sister Oholibah saw, and she became more corrupt than she [Oholah], and in her harlotries more than the harlotries of her sister. For the sons of Assyria she lusted, the governors and officers nearby, attired in all sorts of finery; horsemen riding horses, handsome youths all of them. And I saw that she had been defiled; they both had one way. And she increased her harlotries, and she saw men engraved on the wall, images of Chaldeans, engraved with types of drawings. Girded with girdles on their loins, colored hanging turbans on their heads; the appearance of mighty men all of them, the likeness of the children of Babylon-Chaldeans-of the land of their birth. And she lusted for them at the sight [that reached] her eyes, and she sent messengers to them, to [the land of] the Chaldeans. And the children of Babylon came to her for a bed of love, and they defiled her with their harlotry, and she became defiled through them, and her soul was disgusted with them. And she revealed her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness, and My soul became disgusted with her, as My soul had become disgusted with her sister. And she increased her harlotries, to remember the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. And she lusted for their concubinage, those whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is the issue of horses. And you remembered the lewdness of your youth, when your breasts were squeezed by Egypt, because of the bosom of your youth. Therefore, Oholibah, so said the Lord God: Behold I am arousing your lovers [to march] against you, those with whom your soul has become disgusted, and I shall bring them upon you from all around. The children of Babylon and all Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, all the children of Assyria with them, handsome youths, governors and officers all of them, mighty men and summoned ones, all of them horse riders. And they will come upon you [with] weapons, chariots, and wheels, and with an assembly of peoples; an encompassing shield and a buckler, and a helmet they will place upon you all around; and I shall place judgment before them, and they will judge you with their judgments. And I shall put My jealousy against you,and they will deal with you wrathfully; your nose and your ears they will remove, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and daughters, and your residue will be consumed by fire. And they will strip you of your garments, and they will take the vessels of your glory. And I shall abolish your lewdness from you and your harlotry, [which is] from the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them, neither will you remember Egypt any longer. For so said the Lord God: Behold I am giving you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those with whom your soul was disgusted. And they will deal with you with hatred, and they will take all your toil and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your harlotries will be revealed, both your lewdness and your harlotries. These will be done to you when you go astray after nations, because you became defiled with their idols. [Because] you went in your sister's way, I shall put her cup into your hand. So said the Lord God: Your sister's cup you shall drink, the deep and the wide one. It will be a cause of scorn and derision, too much to bear. With drunkenness and grief you shall be filled; the cup of desolation and bewilderment, the cup of your sister, Samaria. And you shall drink it and drain [it], and its shards you shall scrape, and you shall tear off your breasts, for I have spoken, so says the Lord God. Therefore, so said the Lord God: Since you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you too bear your lewdness and your harlotries. Ezekial 23:1-35

On that day, this song shall be sung in the land of Judah: "The city that was our strength-salvation shall He place [for] walls and a bulwark. Open the gates, so that a righteous nation, awaiting the realization [of God's promise], may enter. The creature that relied, You shall guard, [that there be] peace, peace, for they trusted in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah the Lord, is the Rock of eternity. For He humbled the inhabitants of the high places, the fortified city; He brings it low, he brings it low even to the earth, he makes it reach even to the dust. A foot shall trample it, the feet of a poor man, the soles of the impoverished. The way of the righteous that is straight-O Upright One, the path of the righteous, You shall weigh. Even [for] the way of Your judgments, O Lord, have we hoped for You; for Your Name and for Your remembrance was the desire of [our] soul. [With] my soul I longed for you at night; even [with] my spirit within me I beseeched You, for when Your judgments [come] to the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn justification. Shall the wicked be favored-who did not learn righteousness? In the land of uprightness he deals unjustly, and he does not see the pride of the Lord. O Lord, Your hand has been taken away that they not see; let them see and be ashamed. The envy of a people, even the fire that shall consume Your enemies. O Lord, You shall prepare peace for us, for also the recompense for all our deeds have You dealt to us. O Lord, our God, masters other than You have possessed us. Only concerning You will we mention Your name. The dead shall not live, slackers shall not rise; therefore, You visited [upon them] and You destroyed them; You have put an end to any memory of them. You have added to the nation, O Lord; You have added to the nation and have been honored; You have rejected all the ends of the earth. O Lord, in their straits they remembered You; they pour out prayer when Your chastening is upon them. As a pregnant woman comes near to give birth, she shudders, she screams in her pangs, so were we because of You, O Lord. We conceived, we shuddered, as though we bore wind; we wreak no salvations [in] the land, neither do the inhabitants of the world fall. May Your dead live, 'My corpses shall rise; awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for a dew of lights is your dew, and [to the] earth You shall cast the slackers. Go, My people, come into your chambers and close your door about you; hide for but a moment, until the wrath passes. For behold the Lord comes forth from His place to visit the iniquity of the dweller of the land upon him: and the land shall reveal its blood and it shall no longer conceal its slain ones. Isaiah 26

Hearken to the word of the Lord, who quake at His word, "Your brethren who hate you, who cast you out, said, "For the sake of my name, the Lord shall be glorified," but we will see your joy, and they shall be ashamed. Isaiah 66:5

Be silent to Me, you islands, and kingdoms shall renew [their] strength; they shall approach, then they shall speak, together to judgment let us draw near. Who aroused from the East, [the one] whom righteousness accompanied? He placed nations before him and over kings He gave him dominion; He made his sword like dust, his bow like wind-blown stubble. He pursued them and passed on safely, on a path upon which he had not come with his feet. Who worked and did, Who calls the generations from the beginning; I, the Lord, am first, and with the last ones I am He. The islands shall see and fear; the ends of the earth shall quake; they have approached and come. Each one shall aid his fellow, and to his brother he shall say, "Strengthen yourself." And the craftsman strengthened the smith, the one who smooths with the hammer [strengthened] the one who wields the sledge hammer; he says of the cement, "It is good," and he strengthened it with nails that it should not move. But you, Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, who loved Me, Whom I grasped from the ends of the earth, and from its nobles I called you, and I said to you, "You are My servant"; I chose you and I did not despise you. Do not fear for I am with you; be not discouraged for I am your God: I encouraged you, I also helped you, I also supported you with My righteous hand. Behold all those incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; those who quarrelled with you shall be as nought and be lost. You may seek them but not find them, those who quarrel with you; those who war with you shall be as nought and as nothing. For I, the Lord your God, grasp your right hand; Who says to you, "Fear not, I help you." Fear not, O worm of Jacob, the number of Israel; "I have helped you," says the Lord, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold I have made you a new grooved threshing-sledge, with sharp points; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them fine, and you shall make hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, and a wind shall carry them off, and a tempest shall scatter them, and you shall rejoice with the Lord, with the Holy One of Israel shall you praise yourself. The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the high places, and springs in the midst of valleys; I will make a desert into a pool of water and a wasteland into sources of water. I will give in the desert cedars, acacia trees, myrtles, and pines; I will place in the wilderness boxtrees, firs, and cypresses together. In order that they see and know, and pay attention and understand together that the hand of the Lord did this and the Holy One of Israel created it. "Present your plea," says the Lord; "present your strong points," says the King of Jacob. Let them present and tell us what will happen; the first things what were they? Tell, and we will take it to heart, and we will know their end, or the coming events let us hear. Tell the signs coming later, and we will know, for you are gods; you will even benefit and harm; let us talk and let us see together. Behold you are of nought, and your deed is one of shouting; the abominable one will select you. I have aroused from the north and he came; from the rising of the sun he shall call in My name. And he shall come [upon] princes like mortar and as the potter treads clay. Who told from the beginning that we may know, and from before, that we may say, "He is just"? Not one told; not one let us hear; not one hears your statements. The first one to Zion, behold, behold them, and for Jerusalem I will give a herald. And I look, and there is no man, and of these, and there is no counselor, and I ask them that they reply with a word. Behold them all, their deeds are nought, of no substance; wind and nothingness are their molten images. Isaiah 41

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And the faith of your times shall be the strength of salvations, wisdom and knowledge; fear of the Lord, that is his treasure. Isaiah 33:5-6

Call with a [full] throat, do not spare, like a shofar raise your voice, and relate to My people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily and they wish to know My ways, like a nation that performed righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of its God: they ask Me ordinances of righteousness; they desire nearness to God. "Why have we fasted, and You did not see; we have afflicted our soul and You do not know?" Behold, on the day of your fast you pursue business, and [from] all your debtors you exact [payment]. Behold, for quarrel and strife you fast, and to strike with a fist of wickedness. Do not fast like this day, to make your voice heard on high. Will such be the fast I will choose, a day of man's afflicting his soul? Is it to bend his head like a fishhook and spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast I will choose? To undo the fetters of wickedness, to untie the bands of perverseness, and to let out the oppressed free, and all perverseness you shall eliminate. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and moaning poor you shall bring home; when you see a naked one, you shall clothe him, and from your flesh you shall not hide. Then your light shall break forth as the dawn, and your healing shall quickly sprout, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall gather you in. Then you shall call and the Lord shall answer, you shall cry and He shall say, "Here I am," if you remove perverseness from your midst, putting forth the finger and speaking wickedness. And you draw out your soul to the hungry, and an afflicted soul you sate, then your light shall shine in the darkness, and your darkness shall be like noon. And the Lord shall always lead you, and He shall satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; and you shall be like a well-watered garden and like a spring of water whose water does not fail. And [those coming] from you shall build ancient ruins, foundations of generations you shall erect, and you shall be called the repairer of the breaches, restorer of the paths, to dwell in. If you restrain your foot because of the Sabbath, from performing your affairs on My holy day, and you call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honored, and you honor it by not doing your wonted ways, by not pursuing your affairs and speaking words. Then, you shall delight with the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the high places of the land, and I will give you to eat the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58

Ho! All who thirst, go to water, and whoever has no money, go, buy and eat, and go, buy without money and without a price, wine and milk. Why should you weigh out money without bread and your toil without satiety? Hearken to Me and eat what is good, and your soul shall delight in fatness. Incline your ear and come to Me, hearken and your soul shall live, and I will make for you an everlasting covenant, the dependable mercies of David. Behold, a witness to nations have I appointed him, a ruler and a commander of nations. Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, for the sake of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel, for He glorified you. Seek the Lord when He is found, call Him when He is near. The wicked shall give up his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and he shall return to the Lord, Who shall have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts [higher] than your thoughts. For, just as the rain and the snow fall from the heavens, and it does not return there, unless it has satiated the earth and fructified it and furthered its growth, and has given seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall be My word that emanates from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, unless it has done what I desire and has made prosperous the one to whom I sent it. For with joy shall you go forth, and with peace shall you be brought; the mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap hands. Instead of the briar, a cypress shall rise, and instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise, and it shall be for the Lord as a name, as an everlasting sign, which shall not be discontinued." Isaiah 55

"Now, to whom will you compare Me that I should be equal?" says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see, who created these, who takes out their host by number; all of them He calls by name; because of His great might and because He is strong in power, no one is missing. Why should you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way has been hidden from the Lord, and from my God, my judgment passes"? Do you not know-if you have not heard-an everlasting God is the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth; He neither tires nor wearies; there is no fathoming His understanding. Who gives the tired strength, and to him who has no strength, He increases strength. Now youths shall become tired and weary, and young men shall stumble. But those who put their hope in the Lord shall renew [their] vigor, they shall raise wings as eagles; they shall run and not weary, they shall walk and not tire. Isaiah 40: 25-31

And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a twig shall sprout from his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and heroism, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. And he shall be animated by the fear of the Lord, and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise. And he shall judge the poor justly, and he shall chastise with equity the humble of the earth, and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall put the wicked to death. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his loins. And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them. And a cow and a bear shall graze together, their children shall lie; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. And an infant shall play over the hole of an old snake and over the eyeball of an adder, a weaned child shall stretch forth his hand. They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea bed. And it shall come to pass on that day, that the root of Jesse, which stands as a banner for peoples, to him shall the nations inquire, and his peace shall be [with] honor. And it shall come to pass that on that day, the Lord shall continue to apply His hand a second time to acquire the rest of His people, that will remain from Assyria and from Egypt and from Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Sumeria and from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth. And the envy of Ephraim shall cease, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, nor shall Judah vex Ephraim. And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west, together they shall plunder the children of the East; upon Edom and Moab shall they stretch forth their hand, and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the Egyptian Sea, and He shall lift His hand over the river with the strength of His wind, and He shall beat it into seven streams, and He shall lead [the exiles] with shoes. And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel on the day they went up from the land of Egypt. Isaiah 11

Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn and He shall heal us; He smites, and He will bind us up. He will revive us from the two days, on the third day He will set us up, and we will live before Him. And let us know, let us strive to know the Lord: like the dawn whose going forth is sure, and He will come to us like rain, like the latter rain which satisfies the earth. What shall I do for you, Ephraim? What shall I do for you, Judah? For your loving-kindness is like a morning cloud and like the dew that passes away early. Because I have hewed by the prophets, I have put them to death because of the words of My mouth; now will your verdicts come out to the light? For I desire loving-kindness, and not sacrifices, and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they, like Adam, transgressed the covenant; there they betrayed Me. Gilead is a city of workers of them that work iniquity, who lurk to shed blood. And as a man gathers fish, so do bands; a gang of priests murder on the way in one group, for they devised a plot. In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there, harlotry [is found] in Ephraim; Israel has become defiled. Judah, too, there is a harvest appointed to you, when I will return the backsliding of My people. Hoshea 6

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Mathew 5:28

 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’  “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. Mathew 21:28-32

If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. Mathew 12:7

 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’  But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Mathew 13:11-17

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Mathew 13:44-46

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Mathew 12:43-45

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Mathew 21:22

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-3

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Mathew 8:23-27

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Mathew 6:34

 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Mathew 7:24-27

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-76