All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you, and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.

I will lay waste your cities; and you will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord!

I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; ¹  I will cut off ²  from it the one who passes through or returns.

I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall.

I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“‘You said, “These two nations, these two lands ¹  will be mine, and we will possess them,” ²  – although the Lord was there –

The circumference of the city will be six miles. ¹  The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The Lord Is There.’” ² 

For you took my silver and my gold and brought my precious valuables to your own palaces. ¹ 

The people ¹  of Nineveh believed in God, ²  and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ³ 

He has filled them with skill ¹  to do all kinds of work ²  as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are ³  craftsmen in all the work ⁴  and artistic designers. ⁵ 

“We – the priests, the Levites, and the people – have cast lots concerning the wood offerings, to bring them to the temple of our God according to our families ¹  at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as is written in the law.

The Lord has made a promise to Israel. He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day and the moon and stars to give light by night. He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll. He promises it as the one who is known as the Lord who rules over all. ¹ 

They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. ¹  Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable for punishment.’ ² 

So they made their father drunk ¹  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ²  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ³ 

“The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. ¹  The Lord ²  has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. ¹  Then she stopped having children.

Rachel ¹  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ²  my lord. I cannot stand up ³  in your presence because I am having my period.” ⁴  So he searched thoroughly, ⁵  but did not find the idols.

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ¹  to Bethel ²  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ³ 

So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ¹  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ² 

Let us go up at once ¹  to Bethel. Then I will make ²  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ³  and has been with me wherever I went.” ⁴