But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened.

Then ¹  I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their ²  number was ten thousand times ten thousand ³  – thousands times thousands –

Then ¹  I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge ²  earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, ³  and the full moon became blood red; ⁴ 

Then ¹  they ²  heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets ³  went up to heaven in a cloud while ⁴  their enemies stared at them.

Then ¹  a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. ² 

Then ¹  another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. ² 

They ¹  went up ²  on the broad plain of the earth ³  and encircled ⁴  the camp ⁵  of the saints and the beloved city, but ⁶  fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. ⁷ 

The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered ¹  the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah ²  in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, ³  and brought it back into the ark. ⁴ 

Shem and Japheth took the garment ¹  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ²  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

“Before I finished praying in my heart, ¹  along came Rebekah ²  with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. ¹  I will give you and your descendants the ground ²  you are lying on.

At the time ¹  of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants ²  in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

“No, please take them,” Jacob said. ¹  “If I have found favor in your sight, accept ²  my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, ³  it is as if I have seen the face of God. ⁴ 

Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ¹  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ²  again.

They told him, “We both had dreams, ¹  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ²  to me.”

But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount ¹  – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. ² 

Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, ¹  he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.

He said, “Put your hand back into your robe.” So he put his hand back into his robe, and when he brought it out from his robe – there it was, ¹  restored ²  like the rest of his skin! ³ 

“‘When a person sins ¹  in that he hears a public curse against one who fails to testify ²  and he is a witness (he either saw or knew what had happened ³ ) and he does not make it known, ⁴  then he will bear his punishment for iniquity. ⁵ 

Bear in mind today that I am not speaking ¹  to your children who have not personally experienced the judgments ²  of the Lord your God, which revealed ³  his greatness, strength, and power. ⁴