3:19Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “The Hebrews must not make swords or spears for themselves”; 20so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, or sickles; 21The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares…

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD;give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;answer me in your righteousness.2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued me,crushing my life to the ground,making me sit in darkness like those long dead.4 Therefore my spirit…

1Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” 3Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He…

8:1bThat day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them…

17Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah 18and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19But today you have rejected…

1May God be gracious to us and bless usand make his face to shine upon us, Selah2that your way may be known upon earth,your saving power among all nations.3Let the peoples praise you, O God;let all the peoples praise you. 4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,for you judge the peoples with equityand…

39He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 41Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42“Father, if you…

17″But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied 18until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. 19He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die….

1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the…

1 O LORD, who may abide in your tent?Who may dwell on your holy hill? 2 Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,and speak the truth from their heart;3 who do not slander with their tongue,and do no evil to their friends,nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;4 in whose eyes the…