Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman, ¹  for until now I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”

Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. ¹  You make that quite clear to me! ²  You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.

The Lord said, ¹  “I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, ²  saying: ‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” ³  But they said, “We will not pay attention!”

You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

I tell you the truth, ¹  it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah ²  on the day of judgment than for that town!

Whoever finds his life ¹  will lose it, ²  and whoever loses his life because of me ³  will find it.

The one who loves his life ¹  destroys ²  it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards ³  it for eternal life.

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble. ¹ 

And I say this, brothers and sisters: ¹  The time is short. So then those who have wives should be as those who have none,

For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” ¹  God is not concerned here about oxen, is he?

And his affection for you is much greater ¹  when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

However, it is good ¹  to be sought eagerly ²  for a good purpose ³  at all times, and not only when I am present with you.

Slaves, ¹  obey your human masters ²  with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ,

Give a shepherd’s care to ¹  God’s flock among you, exercising oversight ²  not merely as a duty ³  but willingly under God’s direction, ⁴  not for shameful profit but eagerly.

Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time; ¹  his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir, ²  if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries!

“It will not be like the covenant ¹  that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

But Jacob ¹  said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, ²  and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. ³  If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die.

The warden did not concern himself ¹  with anything that was in Joseph’s ²  care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.

Now listen to me, ¹  I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God, ²  and you bring ³  their disputes ⁴  to God;

We swear we have done this because we were worried that ¹  in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? ²