A city is exalted by the blessing provided from ¹  the upright, but it is destroyed by the counsel ²  of the wicked. ³ 

and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city.”’”

He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there ¹  until you leave the area.

And he added, ¹  “I tell you the truth, ²  no prophet is acceptable ³  in his hometown.

He said, ¹  “In a certain city ²  there was a judge ³  who neither feared God nor respected people. ⁴ 

Now ¹  there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council, ²  a good and righteous man.

When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea ¹  and sent him away to Tarsus.

But the population ¹  of the city was divided; some ²  sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

and began to shout ¹  when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, ²  “Who is like the great city?”

When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair watching by the side of ¹  the road, for he was very worried ²  about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report, ³  the whole city cried out.

But the servant said to him, “Look, there is a man of God in this town. He is highly respected. Everything that he says really happens. ¹  Now let’s go there. Perhaps he will tell us where we should go from here.” ² 

While they were going down to the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he did. ¹  Samuel then said, ²  “You remain here awhile, so I can inform you of God’s message.”

After the city secretary ¹  quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person ²  is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper ³  of the temple of the great Artemis ⁴  and of her image that fell from heaven? ⁵ 

the men of her city must bring the young woman to the door of her father’s house and stone her to death, for she has done a disgraceful thing ¹  in Israel by behaving like a prostitute while living in her father’s house. In this way you will purge ²  evil from among you.

When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw ¹  the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar.

On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” He said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, ¹  you would not have solved my riddle!”

When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won’t eat until he arrives, for he must bless the sacrifice. Once that happens, those who have been invited will eat. Now go on up, for ¹  this is the time when you can find him!”

Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials. ¹  When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.

(Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ¹  replied to Abraham in the hearing ²  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ³  of his city –

He must tear down the house, ¹  its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the house, and bring all of it ²  outside the city to an unclean place.