“Suppose I were to send wild animals through the land and kill its children, leaving it desolate, without travelers due to the wild animals.

I will turn you around and drag you along; ¹  I will lead you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

He will also take their gods into captivity to Egypt, along with their cast images and prized utensils of silver and gold. Then he will withdraw for some years from ¹  the king of the north.

The sovereign Lord says this: “The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers ¹  will have only a hundred left; the town ²  that marches out with a hundred soldiers ³  will have only ten left for the family of Israel.” ⁴ 

The Lord is slow to anger ¹  but great in power; ²  the Lord will certainly not ³  allow the wicked ⁴  to go unpunished.He marches out ⁵  in the whirlwind and the raging storm; dark storm clouds billow like dust ⁶  under his feet. ⁷ 

“Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man ¹  must marry ²  the widow and father children ³  for his brother.’ ⁴ 

“But woe to you Pharisees! ¹  You give a tenth ²  of your mint, ³  rue, ⁴  and every herb, yet you neglect justice ⁵  and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. ⁶ 

Then those who are in Judea must flee ¹  to the mountains. Those ²  who are inside the city must depart. Those ³  who are out in the country must not enter it,

but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know ¹  that I love the Father. ²  Get up, let us go from here.” ³ 

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate ¹  will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.

So the twelve ¹  called ²  the whole group ³  of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. ⁴ 

Then ¹  he summoned ²  two of the centurions ³  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ⁴  along with seventy horsemen ⁵  and two hundred spearmen ⁶  by ⁷  nine o’clock tonight, ⁸ 

But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ¹  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ²  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ³  of God.

To the rest I say – I, not the Lord ¹  – if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.

He said, “My lord, ¹  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ² 

But if you do not agree to our terms ¹  by being circumcised, then we will take ²  our sister ³  and depart.”

Don’t worry ¹  about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours.’”

“Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt that he must release ¹  the Israelites from his land.”

If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out free, without paying money. ¹ 

Now Jericho ¹  was shut tightly ²  because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. ³