The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. ¹  As his land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.

Now in those ¹  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ²  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ³  against the native Hebraic Jews, ⁴  because their widows ⁵  were being overlooked ⁶  in the daily distribution of food. ⁷ 

God blessed them ¹  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ² 

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel.

A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. ²  Lord, how ³  numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. ⁴ 

You take olive oil as tribute ¹  to your king, ²  along with many perfumes. ³  You send your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol. ⁴ 

You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your sexually aroused neighbors, ¹  multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger.

I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that you will never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.

Then ¹  the church throughout Judea, Galilee, ²  and Samaria experienced ³  peace and thus was strengthened. ⁴  Living ⁵  in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church ⁶  increased in numbers.

When humankind ¹  began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born ²  to them, ³ 

So God treated the midwives well, ¹  and the people multiplied and became very strong.

Because that year is a jubilee, it will be holy to you – you may eat its produce ¹  from the field.

The Lord your God has increased your population ¹  to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. ² 

You must be certain to tithe ¹  all the produce of your seed that comes from the field year after year.

You make me happier ¹  than those who have abundant grain and wine. ² 

You sold ¹  your people for a pittance; ²  you did not ask a high price for them. ³ 

He blessed ¹  them so that they became very numerous. He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number. ² 

When the righteous become numerous, ¹  the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. ² 

What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?