6 Turn to the Lord and pray to him,

now that he is near.

6 Turn to the Lord and pray to him,

now that he is near.

1 *The Lord said, "I was ready to answer my people’s prayers, but they did not pray. I was ready for them to find me, but they did not even try. The nation did not pray to me, even though I was always ready to answer, ‘Here I am; I will help you.’

29 He strengthens those who are weak and tired.

30 Even those who are young grow weak;

young people can fall exhausted.

31 But those who trust in the Lord for help

will find their strength renewed.

They will rise on wings like eagles;

they will run and not get weary;

they will walk and not grow weak.

11 Go to the Lord for help,

and worship him continually.

11 Go to the Lord for help,

and worship him continually.

9 And to Solomon he said, "My son, I charge you to acknowledge your father’s God and to serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind. He knows all our thoughts and desires. If you go to him, he will accept you; but if you turn away from him, he will abandon you forever.

14 if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.

2 and he went to meet King Asa. He called out, "Listen to me, King Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you as long as you are with him. If you look for him, he will let you find him, but if you turn away, he will abandon you.

1 The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2 and he went to meet King Asa. He called out, "Listen to me, King Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you as long as you are with him. If you look for him, he will let you find him, but if you turn away, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel lived without the true God, without priests to teach them, and without a law. 4 But when trouble came, they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel. They searched for him and found him. 5 In those days no one could come and go in safety, because there was trouble and disorder in every land. 6 One nation oppressed another nation, and one city oppressed another city, because God was bringing trouble and distress on them. 7 But you must be strong and not be discouraged. The work that you do will be rewarded."

8 When Asa heard the prophecy that Azariah son of* Oded had spoken, he was encouraged. He did away with all the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin and all the idols in the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the Lord that stood in the Temple courtyard.

9 Many people had come over to Asa’s side from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, and were living in his kingdom, because they had seen that the Lord was with him. Asa summoned all of them and the people of Judah and Benjamin. 10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year that Asa was king. 11 On that day they offered sacrifices to the Lord from the loot they had brought back: seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep. 12 They made a covenant in which they agreed to worship the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13 Anyone, young or old, male or female, who did not worship him was to be put to death. 14 In a loud voice they took an oath in the Lord's name that they would keep the covenant, and then they shouted and blew trumpets. 15 All the people of Judah were happy because they had made this covenant with all their heart. They took delight in worshiping the Lord, and he accepted them and gave them peace on every side.

16 King Asa removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol of the fertility goddess Asherah. Asa cut down the idol, chopped it up, and burned the pieces in Kidron Valley. 17 Even though Asa did not destroy all the pagan places of worship in the land, he remained faithful to the Lord all his life. 18 He placed in the Temple all the objects his father Abijah had dedicated to God, as well as the gold and silver objects that he himself dedicated. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of his reign.

13 *You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.

13 *You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.

29 My message is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks rocks in pieces.

29 *There you will look for the Lord your God, and if you search for him with all your heart, you will find him.

2 Happy are those who follow his commands,

who obey him with all their heart.

2 Happy are those who follow his commands,

who obey him with all their heart.

10 With all my heart I try to serve you;

keep me from disobeying your commandments.

28 I am overcome by sorrow;

strengthen me, as you have promised.

45 I will live in perfect freedom,

because I try to obey your teachings.

4 Go to the Lord for help;

and worship him continually.

4 Go to the Lord for help;

and worship him continually.

8 When you said, "Come worship me,"

I answered, "I will come, Lord."

1 O God, you are my God,

and I long for you.

My whole being desires you;

like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land,

my soul is thirsty for you.

7 *"Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

9 And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks.

9 And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

31 Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom, and he will provide you with these things.

10 *The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

10 Those who know you, Lord, will trust you;

you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

10 Those who know you, Lord, will trust you;

you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me;

he freed me from all my fears.

10 Even lions go hungry for lack of food,

but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good.

4 Seek your happiness in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desire.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven at us humans

to see if there are any who are wise,

any who worship him.

1 Lord, you have examined me and you know me.

2 You know everything I do;

from far away you understand all my thoughts.

5 The Lord will bless them and save them;

God will declare them innocent.

6 Such are the people who come to God,

who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.

4 The Lord says to the people of Israel, "Come to me, and you will live.

4 The Lord says to the people of Israel, "Come to me, and you will live.

14 Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is.

16 I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves,

10 Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power.

11,12 May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to* the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.

7 For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.

6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.

6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.

8 *But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May you have a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, to whom you have come for protection!"

6 Suddenly the power of the Lord made Samson strong, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his parents what he had done.

28 Then Samson prayed, "Sovereign Lord, please remember me; please, God, give me my strength just this one time more, so that with this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes."

8 It is better to trust in the Lord

than to depend on people.

9 It is better to trust in the Lord

than to depend on human leaders.

22 *Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the Lord is good to you.

14 you may be sure that wisdom is good for the soul. Get wisdom and you have a bright future.