that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all ¹  has a message for him. ²  Tell him, ³  ‘On your own initiative ⁴  you sent a letter ⁵  to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah ⁶  and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. ⁷  In your letter you said to Zephaniah, ⁸ 

Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: You said “Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile.

There were closed windows toward the alcoves and toward their jambs within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and on each jamb were decorative palm trees. ¹ 

To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase ¹  your labor pains; ²  with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, ³  but he will dominate ⁴  you.”

By the sweat of your brow ¹  you will eat food until you return to the ground, ²  for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” ³ 

But Abel brought ¹  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest ²  of them. And the Lord was pleased with ³  Abel and his offering,

Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches ¹  from the top. ²  Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks.

Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ¹  who quickly prepared it. ² 

Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ¹  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ²  I’ll give. ³ 

All the men who assembled at the city gate ¹  agreed with ²  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ³  was circumcised.

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 

May the sovereign God ¹  grant you mercy before the man so that he may release ²  your other brother ³  and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” ⁴ 

Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, ¹  for God sent me ²  ahead of you to preserve life!

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as ¹  God Almighty, ²  but by ³  my name ‘the Lord’ ⁴  I was not known to them. ⁵ 

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot ²  from a furnace, and have Moses throw it ³  into the air while Pharaoh is watching. ⁴ 

They said to Moses, “You speak ¹  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.”

¹ But to Moses the Lord ²  said, “Come up ³  to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ⁴ 

You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you.

Then tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat ¹  for a sin offering and a calf and lamb, both a year old and flawless, ²  for a burnt offering,

but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it ¹  to the Lord – that person will be cut off from his people. ²