1The juggernaut’s coming!Post guards, lay in supplies.Get yourselves together,get ready for the big battle.* * *

13,14Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—and delicacies that melt in your mouth.Likewise knowledge,and wisdom for your soul—Get that and your future’s secured,your hope is on solid rock.

15,16Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;don’t try to get the best of them.No matter how many times you trip them up,God-loyal people don’t stay down long;Soon they’re up on their feet,while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

21,22Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders;don’t be defiant or mutinous.Without warning your life can turn upside down,and who knows how or when it might happen?

3,4Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.

20,21But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

22,23Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.

1Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

10-12So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:"As I live and breathe," God says,"every knee will bow before me;Every tongue will tell the honest truththat I and only I am God."So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

19-21So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.

1,2I wish my head were a well of waterand my eyes fountains of tearsSo I could weep day and nightfor casualties among my dear, dear people.At times I wish I had a wilderness hut,a backwoods cabin,Where I could get away from my peopleand never see them again.They’re a faithless, feckless bunch,a congregation of degenerates.* * *

12I asked, "Is there anyone around bright enough to tell us what’s going on here? Anyone who has the inside story from God and can let us in on it?"Why is the country wasted?"Why no travelers in this desert?"

25,26"Stay alert! It won’t be long now"—God’s Decree!—"when I will personally deal with everyone whose life is all outside but no inside: Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab. All these nations are big on performance religion—including Israel, who is no better."

1,2Note well: God’s Judgment Day is on the way:"Plunder will be piled high and handed out.I’m bringing all the godless nationsto war against Jerusalem—Houses plundered,women raped,Half the city taken into exile,the other half left behind."

9God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!* * *

16-19All the survivors from the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem will travel to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and celebrate the Feast of Booths. If any of these survivors fail to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, there will be no rain. If the Egyptians don’t make the pilgrimage and worship, there will be no rain for them. Every nation that does not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths will be hit with the plague. Egypt and any other nation that does not make pilgrimage to celebrate the Feast of Booths gets punished.

7A hostile world! I called to God,to my God I cried out.From his palace he heard me call;my cry brought me right into his presence—a private audience!

8-16Earth wobbled and lurched;the very heavens shook like leaves,Quaked like aspen leavesbecause of his rage.His nostrils flared, billowing smoke;his mouth spit fire.Tongues of fire darted in and out;he lowered the sky.He stepped down;under his feet an abyss opened up.He rode a winged creature,swift on wind-wings.He wrapped himselfin a trenchcoat of black rain-cloud darkness.But his cloud-brightness burst through,a grand comet of fireworks.Then God thundered out of heaven;the High God gave a great shout.God shot his arrows—pandemonium!He hurled his lightnings—a rout!The secret sources of ocean were exposed,the hidden depths of earth lay uncoveredThe moment God roared in protest,let loose his hurricane anger.

32-46Is there any god like God?Are we not at bedrock?Is not this the God who armed me well,then aimed me in the right direction?Now I run like a deer;I’m king of the mountain.He shows me how to fight;I can bend a bronze bow!You protect me with salvation-armor;you touch me and I feel ten feet tall.You cleared the ground under meso my footing was firm.When I chased my enemies I caught them;I didn’t let go till they were dead men.I nailed them; they were down for good;then I walked all over them.You armed me well for this fight;you smashed the upstarts.You made my enemies turn tail,and I wiped out the haters.They cried "uncle"but Uncle didn’t come;They yelled for Godand got no for an answer.I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.You rescued me from a squabbling people;you made me a leader of nations.People I’d never heard of served me;the moment they got wind of me they submitted.They gave up; they came trembling from their hideouts.

1,2I looked long and hard at what goes on around here, and let me tell you, things are bad. And people feel it. There are people, for instance, on whom God showers everything—money, property, reputation—all they ever wanted or dreamed of. And then God doesn’t let them enjoy it. Some stranger comes along and has all the fun. It’s more of what I’m calling smoke. A bad business.

10Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed.You can’t argue with fate.

11,12The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. And who is any better off? And who knows what’s best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?

11"Amariah the chief priest is in charge of all cases regarding the worship of God; Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, is in charge of all civil cases; the Levites will keep order in the courts. Be bold and diligent. And God be with you as you do your best."* * *

1-4It was an era when there was no king in Israel. A Levite, living as a stranger in the backwoods hill country of Ephraim, got himself a concubine, a woman from Bethlehem in Judah. But she quarreled with him and left, returning to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there four months. Then her husband decided to go after her and try to win her back. He had a servant and a pair of donkeys with him. When he arrived at her father’s house, the girl’s father saw him, welcomed him, and made him feel at home. His father-in-law, the girl’s father, pressed him to stay. He stayed with him three days; they feasted and drank and slept.

10,11But this time the man wasn’t willing to spend another night. He got things ready, left, and went as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) with his pair of saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his servant. At Jebus, though, the day was nearly gone. The servant said to his master, "It’s late; let’s go into this Jebusite city and spend the night."

27It was morning. Her master got up and opened the door to continue his journey. There she was, his concubine, crumpled in a heap at the door, her hands on the threshold.

16,17They threw out everything God, their God, had told them, and replaced him with two statue-gods shaped like bull-calves and then a phallic pole for the whore goddess Asherah. They worshiped cosmic forces—sky gods and goddesses—and frequented the sex-and-religion shrines of Baal. They even sank so low as to offer their own sons and daughters as sacrificial burnt offerings! They indulged in all the black arts of magic and sorcery. In short, they prostituted themselves to every kind of evil available to them. And God had had enough.

21-23Back at the time that God ripped Israel out of their place in the family of David, they had made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam debauched Israel—turned them away from serving God and led them into a life of total sin. The children of Israel went along with all the sins that Jeroboam did, never murmured so much as a word of protest. In the end, God spoke a final No to Israel and turned his back on them. He had given them fair warning, and plenty of time, through the preaching of all his servants the prophets. Then he exiled Israel from her land to Assyria. And that’s where they are now.

34-39And they’re still doing it, still worshiping any old god that has nostalgic appeal to them. They don’t really worship God—they don’t take seriously what he says regarding how to behave and what to believe, what he revealed to the children of Jacob whom he named Israel. God made a covenant with his people and ordered them, "Don’t honor other gods: Don’t worship them, don’t serve them, don’t offer sacrifices to them. Worship God, the God who delivered you from Egypt in great and personal power. Reverence and fear him. Worship him. Sacrifice to him. And only him! All the things he had written down for you, directing you in what to believe and how to behave—well, do them for as long as you live. And whatever you do, don’t worship other gods! And the covenant he made with you, don’t forget your part in that. And don’t worship other gods! Worship God, and God only—he’s the one who will save you from enemy oppression."

1-6Bildad the Shuhite again attacked Job:"God is sovereign, God is fearsome—everything in the cosmos fits and works in his plan.Can anyone count his angel armies?Is there any place where his light doesn’t shine?How can a mere mortal presume to stand up to God?How can an ordinary person pretend to be guiltless?Why, even the moon has its flaws,even the stars aren’t perfect in God’s eyes,So how much less, plain men and women—slugs and maggots by comparison!"

21Elijah challenged the people: "How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!"Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.

39All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, "God is the true God! God is the true God!"

44And sure enough, the seventh time he said, "Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.""Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’"

7,8It’s not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!

22-26As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.

27-30Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You’re involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.

1-10Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,I heard your call in the nick of time;The day you needed me, I was there to help.Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

11-13Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!* * *

14-18Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God’s holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way:"I’ll live in them, move into them;I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people.So leave the corruption and compromise;leave it for good," says God."Don’t link up with those who will pollute you.I want you all for myself.I’ll be a Father to you;you’ll be sons and daughters to me."The Word of the Master, God.

25-29I want to lay all this out on the table as clearly as I can, friends. This is complicated. It would be easy to misinterpret what’s going on and arrogantly assume that you’re royalty and they’re just rabble, out on their ears for good. But that’s not it at all. This hardness on the part of insider Israel toward God is temporary. Its effect is to open things up to all the outsiders so that we end up with a full house. Before it’s all over, there will be a complete Israel. As it is written,A champion will stride down from the mountain of Zion;he’ll clean house in Jacob.And this is my commitment to my people:removal of their sins.From your point of view as you hear and embrace the good news of the Message, it looks like the Jews are God’s enemies. But looked at from the long-range perspective of God’s overall purpose, they remain God’s oldest friends. God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty—never canceled, never rescinded.

30-32There was a time not so long ago when you were on the outs with God. But then the Jews slammed the door on him and things opened up for you. Now they are on the outs. But with the door held wide open for you, they have a way back in. In one way or another, God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in.

33-36Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.Is there anyone around who can explain God?Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?Anyone who has done him such a huge favorthat God has to ask his advice?Everything comes from him;Everything happens through him;Everything ends up in him.Always glory! Always praise!Yes. Yes. Yes.

4-7Every time your name comes up in my prayers, I say, "Oh, thank you, God!" I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it. Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers.

15,16Maybe it’s all for the best that you lost him for a while. You’re getting him back now for good—and no mere slave this time, but a true Christian brother! That’s what he was to me—he’ll be even more than that to you.

21,22I know you well enough to know you will. You’ll probably go far beyond what I’ve written. And by the way, get a room ready for me. Because of your prayers, I fully expect to be your guest again.

27"Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last."

29Jesus said, "Sign on with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God’s works."

47-51"I’m telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died. But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live—and forever! The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self."

12,13God, you’re from eternity, aren’t you?Holy God, we aren’t going to die, are we?God, you chose Babylonians for your judgment work?Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline?But you can’t be serious!You can’t condone evil!So why don’t you do something about this?Why are you silent now?This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteousand you stand around and watch!* * *

14-16You’re treating men and womenas so many fish in the ocean,Swimming without direction,swimming but not getting anywhere.Then this evil Babylonian arrives and goes fishing.He pulls in a good catch.He catches his limit and fills his bucket—a good day of fishing! He’s happy!He praises his rod and reel,piles his fishing gear on an altar and worships it!It’s made his day,and he’s going to eat well tonight!* * *

17Are you going to let this go on and on?Will you let this Babylonian fishermanFish like a weekend angler,killing people as if they’re nothing but fish?* * *

13The king told her, "You have nothing to fear ...but what do you see?""I see a spirit ascending from the underground."

20-22Saul dropped to the ground, felled like a tree, terrified by Samuel’s words. There wasn’t an ounce of strength left in him—he’d eaten nothing all day and all night. The woman, realizing that he was in deep shock, said to him, "Listen to me. I did what you asked me to do, put my life in your hands in doing it, carried out your instructions to the letter. It’s your turn to do what I tell you: Let me give you some food. Eat it. It will give you strength so you can get on your way."

23-25He refused. "I’m not eating anything."But when his servants joined the woman in urging him, he gave in to their pleas, picked himself up off the ground, and sat on the bed. The woman moved swiftly. She butchered a grain-fed calf she had, and took some flour, kneaded it, and baked some flat bread. Then she served it all up for Saul and his servants. After dining handsomely, they got up from the table and were on their way that same night.